About Keisha Taylor

http://dtc.webscience.ecs.soton.ac.uk/people-and-partners/list-of-students/keisha-taylor/

Welcome to miXXerS!

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Welcome to miXXerS! This is the blog portfolio for the online social network site miXXerS, by our group Networx7. miXXerS connects music lovers, party/concert goers, musicians, DJs and Party producers all in one place. On this blog you can find information about our proposed site and we have utilised background research, social network theory and a user survey to inform its development.

You can peruse the site or click on the categories or the tag cloud on the right to find posts specifically related to the topics you are looking for as there are a total of 52 posts from team members Kay, Keisha, Chang, Yash, Shirlyn and Liam (Click on the links to read each of our posts).

Topics covered include:

Welcome and project brief
Analysis of existing similar tools
Related academic work/social network theories
Links to related news items in the tech media
User Survey
Mockups
Scenarios and Personas
Web maps and Storyboards
Tech demos
miXXerS Graph
UML diagrams
Overview of standards and protocols
Social / Ethical / Privacy considerations
Political, Economic, Legal and Technological context
Overview of pitch to dragons den panel

Thanks for reading. 🙂

Dragon’s Den Presentation

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

I have done a 5 minute presentation on miXXerS for the Dragon’s Den. You can download it directly from SlideShare

http://www.slideshare.net/GuideStarintl/dragon27s-den-presentation2

Scenarios & Personas for miXXerS

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

I looked at a few other types of users that may use the site through creating personas.

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Scenario – Ed: Party producer

Background

Ed 30 is an event producer for a venue in London. He holds a bachelors degree in marketing. He is very active on social media. Though he loves music he does not produce it. His events are held bimonthly for difference genres including electronic music, hip hop and pop. While they are successful he wants to expand and reach out to new up and coming musicians and DJs on certain nights.

Story

Ed has premium membership because he will like to be able to use all the features of the site. He would login to his account via the home page and personalise his page by clicking what font, colors etc he would like to use on the page and how he would like to order it so that it best suits his audience. He will click on the advertise his events on the site by clicking the button advertise and then and add the name, of his event, the type of genre, location and where tickets can be bought. Given he has information about the audience via the graph that he can access and can gain anonymised information about what type of users are attending as they indicate they will attend and purchase tickets. He can then use that information to tailor the event as he arranges it and make more informed plans for future events

laughing-woman-by-eder-capobianco-creative-commons

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Scenario: Su: Party Goer (Competition Winner)

Background

Su is 23 and is an avid music lover. She is from Granada in Spain and is a student at the University of Granada. She loves going to live events and goes out all the time in Granada but rarely goes as much as she would like to larger events because they are held in larger cities. Since has a part time job in a bar so she can earn some extra money while she studies. She likes to dance and is everyone tends to love her.

Story

While trying to find out where her favorite band ‘Limitless’ is playing she finds out that there is the chance to win tickets to their concert in Madrid and Skype with the band on the miXXerS site. Though not the most popular band she really likes their music. She thinks it is very cool that you can get to actually more intimately engage with the band on miXXerS. She decides to take her chances and registers and apply. To her surprise she wins the prize and is featured on the site (with her permission) She tells everyone she knows about how cool she thinks miXXers is and encourages others in the Granada music scene with which she is familiar to use the site too. Her birthday is also coming up and she was planning to host a party and was looking for a DJ to play. She clicks on the link find DJ and read the reviews for those in her area that are into electronic music and salsa and pop music and books them for her birthday party.

Ethical Considerations for miXXerS

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

“Further well trodden themes in social networking research – such as identity, use/non-use, motives for use, privacy, surveillance, friending, commodification, and user exploitation – all surface issues with ethical dimensions”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

I was tasked with looking at the ethical issues that may arise in developing miXXerS. Ethical issues that arise with interactions between users, online and offline communities, social network developers, corporations, governments and other institutions are complex. Social networks have changed how we create and/or maintain social relationships/roles and there are ethical implications of this. Each stakeholder can have diverse and also conflicting motives and interests and the same will be the case for the mixed audience of miXXerS. Social relations between people who have/desire some type of relationship or affiliation personal, business or otherwise are at the core of social networks. For miXXerS this is no exception.

Moreover, in building technological systems computer scientists often tend to build what they think would work best for the user without necessarily considering ‘disclosive computer ethics’. Instead of viewing the technology as a neutral actor this instead focuses on the moral norms and values embedded in information technologies, applications and practices. We therefore would like to build a system which considers the ethical implication of the technology itself as well as the ethical use of the site.

“the emphasis in technology design should be on achieving the greatest good for the greatest number, and developers of social networking sites are seen to have ethical responsibilities for ensuring that their designs are oriented towards achieving the desired goal. The developers, on the other hand, appear to hold a user-oriented view – they make social networking sites for people to play with.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Social networking sites can facilitate deception, social grooming and defamation. Given miXXerS is a site which combines not only music but also parties we must be aware of this. Users will be able to report unethical use of the site per our policies and we will design features which will help to support ethics. This is important. One report found that “active social networkers show a higher tolerance for activities that could be considered unethical.” and that “It appears that they are more willing to consider things that are ‘gray areas’. However, there are skeptics of such arguments. In addition, given the data that is derived from free use of the site is important for our business this also raises ethical questions which all social network sites struggle with as it has become a defacto business model for the web.

Addressing project constraints successfully :)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Over the Easter Break it was difficult for us to meet as some people were working, and others were out of the country.Though time was one of constraints we quickly made up for this after the Easter break and was able to do everything we planned for and even a little bit more 🙂 In addition we used a social media tool to meet. Skype! This proved useful when we were all able to eventually attend the Skype meeting and we used the video facility to be able to see each other. We again discussed the tasks remaining and everyone said they would follow up on doing what their bit of the project. Social media came in handy here! Getting approval from the Ethics committee also proved difficult even though we submitted our survey early because of this break. However, we got there in the end and got a significant number of responses!

International Music Summit – The Audience, Spotify, Mox, Mixcloud

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

At the International Music Summit in 2013 there were some interesting presentations and discussions on some of the ways the models for how we consume music is changing. I watched this video from the Summit to gain some ideas of how music industry professionals are thinking in this space. In it the presenters talk about how the media industry has been forced to embrace social media and about the desire of fans to interact directly with musicians. They also talk about the way that mobile apps are enhancing the user experience at events including and about the rise of electronic dance music. They also talk about the increase in the use of apps like DJ face for music

-Ted Cohen, EMI Music “Obviously more and more people want to become DJs… the barriers to entry are getting lower and lower. software is moving from the desktop to mobile”

-Spotify’s Mark Williamson. “22 of the top 100 tracks on Spotify fall under electronic dance music,”

Capitalising on Clustering, Triadic Closure & Centrality For miXXerS

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Source: https://blog.pokitdok.com/social-capital-within-social-health-networks/

I looked into how concepts related to graph theory that I learnt could better help us utilise the information on our users successfully. With miXXerS we can look not only at the network as a whole but the clusters and how the individuals in those clusters are influenced by their particular neighbours. With music this is especially true for listeners and can be amplified through the social network site. Our interactions with each other occur locally rather than globally as many times we care more about the decisions made by friends, family or colleagues.

This is important when exploring the link with the Triadic closure concept. This says that if two people in a social network have a friend in common, then there is an increased likelihood that they will become friends themselves at some point in the future. Spotify uses clusters to suggest new songs for its users by taking into consideration the types of genres you list to, which becomes particularly useful when looking for example for suggestions for those that listen to pop music which is very diverse. Using a system that adopts the triadic closure concept music and playlists are recommended.

“If you listen to one artist a lot, they will recommend another song by that artist, or music that has the same feel as that artist. If you only listen to one song by one artist, chances are you just like that song, not so much the artist, so Spotify will recommend a song with a similar feel to that song.” (Cornell University Blog)

Likewise, with respect to users of miXXerS if 2 people in the network have a common musician, DJ or concert they like, there is an increased likelihood that they will also become connected in the future for example through an event that they can be connected at in the case of miXXerS. As a result more targeted suggestions can be made.

In measuring betweenness centrality we will look at the important role of brokers in the network and seek to engage those users. Even if they have fewer direct connections they may be a single point of failure. Closeness Centrality is also important for even if a person have fewer connections the pattern of their direct and indirect ties can allow them to access all the nodes in the network more quickly than anyone else. They have the shortest paths to all others — they are close to everyone else. They are in an excellent position to monitor the information flow in the network — they have the best visibility into what is happening in the network.

Not all network paths are created equally however and more and more research shows that the shorter paths in the network are more important and so the key paths in the miXXerS networks may not be 6 degrees as often sited but 1 and 2 steps through direct and indirect connections. Therefore, it is important to know: who is in the clusters or network neighborhoods and then try to reach them through the influential individuals that lie therein. Some of this type of valuable information will also be available to those that pay for premium subscription.

Maximising The Network Effect

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Source: http://munchweb.com/the-tipping-point

I found that what I learnt regarding theories about the Network effect could help us to grow the miXXerS site. As we gain more users we can use social network analysis, to map and measure relationships between people, groups, organisations, computers, URLs, and other connected information/knowledge entities. Understanding who is our network and understanding how to maximise our network effect will be essential. Social media networks are not only valuable for artists and their fans, they’re also extremely effective for advertisers which in this case includes musicians, DJs and party/concert producers. Consumers’ tastes in music can say a lot about them (and ultimately their behaviors and likes). The nodes in the network (people and groups) and the links (relationships or flows between the nodes) will be analysed to give us insight into the various roles and clusters in our network.

There are important roles essential for the success of the social media site and we must identify those that are performing those roles or can perform the roles before the site is launched as well as when the site is live. They are the core of the network are are important in reaching a tipping point for the site as outlined by Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point. A few influential individuals can make a big difference through both online and offline roles. These include:

The Connectors: those that can introduce you to everyone you need to know to succeed and are connected to many people.

Mavens: those with useful specialised information which they don’t mind sharing with many.

Salesmen/salespeople: those that can sell the site and persuade others to use it and engage on it.

Moreover, in relation to Rogers Adoption Criteria we would argue that there is no one site that combines all elements of miXXerS. We will incorporate elements of Rogers Adoption Curve as outlined below:

Triability: Giving users the ability to trial the service before deciding to pay for it will hopefully be useful and if we target universities this would lead to a relative advantage.

Complexibility and Compatibility: Given we are mobile first the platform will be suitable for the young generation and we intend to make the site as simple to use as possible, though notifications as well as an simple user interface.

Observability: If more users use the site then others would be encouraged to do the same when they observe this and if we target key influencers to join the site then they would encourage others to join too.

Relative Advantage: We believe that there is no one site that successfully combines the elements we provide for a range of music lovers and those that cater to them. Therefore miXXerS can capitalise on this advantage in an industry that has tremendous room for growth

We believe that using such concepts will help miXXerS to be a success.

Social Music Marketing, Brands? Millenials & Digital Natives: miXXerS

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Source: http://thesociallife.org/social-media-marketing-what-does-that-meme/

In doing my research on business models I found that SoundCloud was working with non music related brands to sponsor musicians on the site and therefore drive participation of DJs, musicians and party/concert producers who are paying customers but also users who come to interact with them and each other. While this could be a business strategy we employ I think there needs to be deeper analysis of this before pursuing.

We are leading with the idea that social music is an aim and in an of itself. Social media can provide musicians with an easier way to land sponsorships and brand partnerships. For example, one celebrity sponsored tweet can generate $2,500 to $8,000. By partnering with DJs and musicians, brands are equipped with an even bigger microphone to reach their customers, in addition to the musician/DJ stamp of approval.

“According to data from William Chipps, author of the IEG Sponsorship report, corporate sponsorship by consumer brands incorporating music into marketing programs was expected to exceed $1.17 billion last year, nearly double what it was six years earlier.” (Panos Panay, CEO of Sonicbids)

Digital Natives and Millennials which are the primary target group for miXXerS (18 – 35 year olds) not only like music but listen to it a lot even if they are not as brand loyal as their parents (WSL Retail) especially since they cannot always afford loyalty and make decisions more based on competing prices. More brands are turning to emerging artists (not backed by a label, entrepreneurial) who are socially connected online and able to build a loyal fan base through active engagement on social networks. Given Millennials and digital natives are our target audience such a strategy can prove useful.

Attaching an artist to branded content is a sure way to guarantee consumers enjoy and remember their experience, and therefore, the brand…. Their collective reach is incredibly appealing, according to a study from Music Metric. That’s because emerging artists are reaching hundreds of millions of fans who are already engaged and connected with them, and these very fans can activate on behalf of a brand. (Panos Panay, CEO of Sonicbids)

A brands spokesman speaking about the brilliance of their product is not as effective as referent power of someone’s favorite musician or DJ speaking about that product in a favorable light. This relates to the concept of power as influence as well as the extent to which that power is propagated throughout the network through reposts, follows, likes and conversations etc. While miXXerS can potentially enable this we will examine the issues surrounding this before making any such decision and at launch this would not be a part of our business model.

Potential Revenue Stream for miXXerS

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Keisha Taylor

Advertising Revenue

Advert location	Click thru Rate
Top Banner Main Page	0.23%
Side advert Main Page	0.30%
Custom	0.37%
Interstitial	5.70%
App List	7.14%
Panels	12.60%

((Bea.F.,2013)

Prices might vary according to the location of the advert. Clearly, advertising your product or services on the panel would cost little bit more than the top banner as CTR on panels are a lot more.

Advert Revenue Calculation

This is a hierarchal structure and you will see number of users decreasing as calculation move forward. Let’s depict the calculation per 30,000 users who will sign up to the application.

According to the Stanford venture Lab 90% of the users download the application (sign up). Out of this 90% – 80% will have Internet connection on a regular basis. So let’s do some calculations now based on these figures.

0.9 X 0.8 X 30,000 = 21,6000

So now our actual users are only 21,600 people

Now lets focus on time. 5 Minutes = 600 seconds/ 30 seconds = 10 (To find ad depiction)

10 X 21, 600 = 216,000 ad representation

According to Stanford venture lab only 10% of the people actually carry on using the application after download and out of that only 80% actually have internet connection at all times.

30,000 X 0.10 X 0.8 = 2,400

According the lab normally people use the application for about 10 minutes a day, which is a lot more when it comes to social media but we will stick to 10 minute for the sake of calculations just say for 25 days a month.

10 X 25 = 250

Each advert lasts for 30 seconds so now we are going to multiply 250 by 2 = 500 ads per person.

Now we are going to multiply our actually users with potential users

8000 X 500 = 4,000,000

Calculate the revenue per 30,000 users

21,6000 + 4,000,000 = 4,216,000

if we say £2 per 1000 advert

4,216,000/ 1000 X 2 = £ 8432 per 30,000 users

(Gleeson.P.,2015)

Reference

Bea.F.,2013. What is an average mobile ad click-through rate?. Available from: http://appflood.com/blog/average-ctr-by-ad-formats [Accessed on 26th april 2015]

Gleeson.P.,2015 . How to calculate mobile ad revenue. Avaliable from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/calculate-mobile-ad-revenue-74440.html [Accessed on 26th april 2015]

miXXerS

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Author Archives: Keisha Taylor