For this conference exercise, please read the article, “Social Media: Has it Lived up to The Hype?” by Ford Saeks. \n\nhttp://www.franchise.org/social-media-has-it-lived-up-to-the-hype\nAfter you have read the article respond to the following questions:\n\n1. As the web went from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, how did marketing change?\n\n2. In the article, Saeks mentions the third level of communication. Consider what he says about this third level of communication. Then read the following short article by Pierre Zarokian, “Yelp CEO Confirms Sting Operations to Clean Up Paid Reviews.”\n\nhttp://searchenginewatch.com/article/2323483/Yelp-CEO-Confirms-Sting-Operations-to-Clean-up-Paid-Reviews\n\nDid the article surprise you? Why or why not?\n\n3. What experience have you had with online reviews of products or services? Does the article by Zarokian alter your trust in such reviews? Why or why not? What steps can consumers take to try to make sure a review is genuine? \n\n4. Saeks conducted a survey among business professionals on LinkedIn. You can see some of the responses from some of the participants in the survey in the article. Please read the responses. \n\nImagine the situation five years from now. What is your prediction regarding the role of social media five years from now? Consider the various responses in the survey. \n\n-Will business continue to make use of social media to the level that business is using it today? If so, why? If not, why not? \n\n-Or perhaps the use of social media will continue but will lose some of its appeal? Perhaps it will be less significant than it is today?\n\n-Or perhaps the use of social media will skyrocket beyond what we are seeing today? \n\nPlease comment in a paragraph.
