Social Media Dilemma

Recently I came across an article in the New York Times that addressed the ethical issues that main social media organizations have been dealing with. The main question that these companies face is how they should react to their customers using their services for political agendas. The growing issue was further aggravated by an incident that occurred recently in Egypt, when Hossam el-Hamalawy, a user of social media web site Flickr, posted under his profile pictures of police officers that were involved in acts of violence against Egyptian activists. He did so in an effort to expose the identifies of the officers that used their authority unduly. In response the management of Flickr removed the questionable pictures under the argument that the web site user's activities were not in compliance of website user agreement. According to the agreement the users can only post pictures that they personally take, and since Hossam posted the pictures that he found on a CD, Flickr claims to have the right to remove the content.

Even though Flickr management is technically correct in this particular situation, a biggest question arises: Should social media companies interfere with the content and opinions of their users (customers) or should the company merely act as a conduit of user interaction. It can be argued that the lack of company's enforcement of guidelines and opinions is what made the social media so popular today. People want to use the services offered by companies like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter because it liberates them. These companies offer a space where people can express how they feel and connect with others that share their views. Imposing limitations on such freedom could hurt these companies and destroy some of the goodwill that made these services popular in the first place.

On the other hand, an argument can be made that these companies should step in and stand up for the values that they believe in and promote. For example, last week the chief executive of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, received a letter from an Israeli minister of diplomacy and diaspora affairs asking him to remove a group profile page for a Palestinian group that is looking for support in starting an uprising in the occupied Palestinian territory, an action that would bring a tremendous turmoil to the nearby countries. The group now has more than 240,000 members. As of right now Facebook management has not taken any action to remove or limit the use of the group page. The management is speculating if shutting the page down would be limiting the definition of acceptable speech.

From the two example sited above we can clearly see that social media has an ability to be a force for good and evil. The users of their services mainly decide how such force will be applied within the bounds set by the policies of these companies. It remains to be seen what course of action companies as Flickr and Facebook will take in this ethical dilemma and what exactly their level of involvement will be going forward.

The following is the link where the original articles was found:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/business/media/28social.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=business

Miami Heat - 7-S Framework Analysis

For this week's journal entry I wanted to use the example of a highly publisized NBA team, Miami Heat, and apply the concepts of the 7-S Framework to their organization.

The Heat are a relatively new organization that was founded in 1988, and you could really argue that in essence it is a brand new organization/team this year due to the heavy "superstar" infusion on the court. Ever since LeBron James announced his "Decision" to join the Heat along with Chris Bosh there has been a non-stop media buzz around the team. So how does this team stack up in terms of alignment and congruence according to the Framework?

Without a question the team possesses some of the best Skills in the league, cumulatively they are probably the most talented team in the league, with arguably NBA's best player in LeBron James. The team's main Strategy is to mainly use one-on-one isolation by LeBron or Dwayne Wade in combination with electrifying fast-breaks for easy buckets, which are often fueled by a high pressure defense. In this the team's Style is unique. Having the star power allows the offence to draw several defenders on a single player, often leaving wide open shooters like Mike Miller, Mike Bibby or James Jones. When those players are hitting their shots, the Heat is very difficult to beat. There seems to be a great deal of alignment between the team's Strategy and Style, the only question is : Can you win a championship using such tactics?

As it has been mentioned before the team's Skills come directly from the superior Staff or the players. It is also worthy to note the exceptional demeanor and expertise of a young coach, Eric Spoelstra. While there has been some criticism of Eric's qualifications and abilities, especially when the team is on a slight loosing streak, he has proven time after time that he is the right man for the job. I believe that his young age and relative lack of recognition perfectly align with the star players that he is assigned to coach. Perhaps having a more notable coach would create some tension of egos between the coaching staff and the players.

It is also important to point out a somewhat unique Structure of the current team. While the management was able to go out and recruit two more superstars on their squad, doing so left them with the challenge of filling up the rest of the roster using very little cash. Therefore, as of right now, the supporting cast of players looks bare, which has caused some in-game issues. This could especially become a problem when the team faces some of the deeper teams, like Boston or Chicago, in the playoffs. While the team is somewhat stuck with this situation for the rest of the season, I am sure that recruiting more valuable players at an affordable price is one of General Manager's primary goals in the off season.

Finally, I believe that the team's Shared Values are in line with the rest of the aspects mentioned above. More than anything, the team wants to win a title. This is what initially led LeBron and Bosh to sign with this ball club. Both players knew that they could not compete for a title with their previous teams. Having such determination adds a significant internal value or synergy to the organization. While it might take some time to work out the kinks , ultimately the team is on the same page and are steadily moving closer towards their ultimate goal with each game.