ITweet, iBlog, IPost

Recently, social media has become a term synonymous with entertainment. Social media is fast evolving as one of the most reliable ways to connect and stay informed and offers a platform for discussions and information sharing, helping users build their online identity and reputation.

With 'celebrities' changing the way they interact with their fans, The Gleaner will look at the 10 most popular personalities on social media and how entertainment has been transformed by the new digital marketing tools and their secrets to online success.

KONSHENS (Artiste):

It has transformed big time for good and bad! The good thing is that you can be in direct contact with your fans. This is great for promo and to supply your fans with info, products and just to be in touch. You can also study your demographic or the market you are appealing to. However, it is bad in the sense that persons that want to hate or be negative towards you or your fans will know exactly where to go to get your attention, and also, ANY negative info can be widespread with just the click of a button. Secondly, why would I share my personal secrets? LOL, who does that?

TIFA (Artiste):

We are living in the age of technological advancement. Hence, entertainment has to move with the times. My secret to online success is that I just promote and give my fans a chance to see the real me - some of what I do on my down time as well as life on the road in Jamaica as well as overseas. They gravitate towards that! Real recognise real!

I-OCTANE (Artiste):

I think one of the biggest ways is that you can now connect with people instantly. Before, there were time constraints in terms of how quickly information (songs, pictures, videos) could be passed on, but because of social media, as soon as something happens, you can share it with the world. Another way it has been transformed is that it has bridged the gap between people. Fans now have a direct link. They are able to feel more involved and connected to me because now they can just click a link and know what's happening with me and sometimes even talk to me easily. It wasn't as easy to do that before.

My secret to online success is consistency. I try to post pretty often so that I can keep that connection. My fans want to know what is happening and be the first to hear new music, pictures and videos. So the more often I post and keep them updated is the more connected they feel and that relationship is important. I also try to keep everything at a particular standard. That means my pictures must be sharp, my videos have to be clear, everything has to be on point. I also try to be wise with what I post. I try not to bombard people with unnecessary information or things that they are not interested in. You have to know your fan base and know their interests.

Finally, I keep it real. You will never see me acting for the camera or putting on a show just to try and give people a certain impression. People can see through that. Authenticity is important.

VEGAS (Artiste):

Because of the Internet, I get to interact with my fans more. First time, we would take posters and photos to the shows but now, people can take pics with their phones, etc., and upload them to social media almost immediately. So it's good because it allows us to get close to our fans and vice versa. The fans also get to know things about us that they wouldn't have known otherwise. That's how we engage the fans.

As to the secret of my online success, I don't think it's a secret. I act as I would on the corner reasoning with my friends. I've been that way since day one. Social media allows us to engage the fans and even people who aren't fans. Sometimes people are disrespectful, and I will put them in their place, and sometimes I will ignore them. That's how I am in real life.

ASAFA POWELL (Athlete):

Entertainment has been transformed by the new digital marketing tools in that it has allowed fans to share in your experiences in real time. Instantaneous feedback, messages and reactions. My personal secrets to online success are to be yourself and interact with your fans/followers as much as you can. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be having this interview, and I wouldn't be in this position.

LAURENOLAUREN (Socialite/social media guru):

Entertainment has transformed significantly because of social media. We're in a new age. Social media has put the people in charge, it's faster, easier and seemingly non-biased. If you have something to say, you no longer have to align yourself to a traditional media house or newspaper. If you're interesting enough and your content is reliable, you can build a loyal audience. Likewise in entertainment, artistes have an outlet for their work to be seen, and that outlet has no restrictions. It's easier to target their direct audience and much easier to see how well their content is doing.

Social media changed the game, but it does have it's pros and cons. You have to constantly have something worth talking about because what is a big deal this week will be forgotten next week. My personal secrets to online success are shocking people and giving them something to believe in. People want to be shocked, they want to be confused, they want you to contradict yourself, they need something to talk about - something to help them escape their boring reality. After you have their attention, you need to find a way to turn it into a pay cheque. Once you have an audience, the Internet provides many opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to make money.

YENDI PHILLIPPS (Host/model):

Entertainment has transformed mostly because of one-on-one contact with people who follow you. Gone are the days when you wouldn't get to interact with people who are celebrated. If you don't give your followers access, it seems as if you are being elusive. People gravitate towards social media in terms of being able to connect with people who support them. My secret to online success is that I try to be very honest. I allow people to see the human side. That makes you more relatable. People tend to forget you're human. My approach is a very transparent approach.

MARLON CAMPBELL (Financial
adviser):

I'm not sure entertainment itself has been
transformed, only the way it has been advertised/promoted and reported.
What are my personal secrets to online success? Well, that's a hard
question to answer seeing that I was never attempting to gain 'online
success'. I mean, aiming to be a 'twitter celeb' speaks to remarkably
low life goals, LOL. I do acknowledge that I might have a higher than
average 'follower' count compared to my peers, and if I'm to credit that
to anything, it's probably the content of my tweets/posts and the fact
that I'm usually very
straightforward.

NATALIA OH!
(Blogger/stylist):

Entertainment has been transformed
by digital marketing tools in so many ways, good and bad. The good? You
can watch a TV show alone in your living room and feel like Kerry
Washington is sitting right there next to you through Twitter (just
don't start talking out loud to her - that's when it gets a little
crazy) ... . A mere hashtag gives you global reach and allows for
strategic filtering; and the best part is that it's free! So it has
certainly cut down on advertising costs for the small entrepreneur.

The bad? If you aren't careful, over sharing can mess
up your personal life. Nowadays, it's not only potential bosses who are
scanning social media for insight on potential hires but also, sadly,
in new relationships. Some are rummaging old tweets and posts to find
the right tactical approach for emotional ambush.

My
personal secrets to online success: Hashtag like it's going out of
style. I make no apologies for abusing tags, as it is the quickest way
to broaden your reach and target a specific audience. Respond to the
comments of your reader/followers; people take the time to cheer you on
and give feedback on what you're sharing, so you should definitely make
the time to say thank you and answer comments whenever possible. Run
giveaways, give shoutouts and feature other players in the game who are
trying to build a following. Join popular themed tags:
#ThrowbackThursday on Instagram and #FF on Twitter are great ways to
pick up new followers and meet like-minded
people.

Stay true to yourself, don't share too much of
your personal life on social media, but show enough to let your reader
know what really represents you. Only share your best photos; do NOT
inundate your news feed with too many photos in one day, or worse, in
one hour - share the best photo that captures the moment that you're
sharing.

Best advice: BE YOU! Don't try to be anyone
else, and let your social media outlets reflect who you truly are. Let
us together help to stop cyber bullying by stopping negative and cynical
output on social media, the world really doesn't need anymore of that.
If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. Love and
light!

Chelan Smith (Lifestyle
blogger):

Entertainment is completely transformed.
From television shows to news, Twitter hashtags or Instagram
competitions are referred to in the storyline or by the actors
themselves. I, for one, have tweeted and had conversations online with
actors who before Twitter I would never be able to contact, much less
express my frustration with the plotline. Even Comcast has signed a deal
with Twitter where you can watch shows directly from their site. The
more fun side is ALL the commentary. I don't know HOW I watched TV
before social media.

To see others' reactions and open
forum is just great. Just log on to Twitter every Thursday night for
Scandal and it's like I have a couple hundred friends
in my living room shouting at the same thing, but I don't have to feed
them.

My secret to online success? Well, it's not a
secret, but I cannot emphasise enough how you need to just be REAL. When
I first started blogging, it was to vent my frustrations. People liked
that. Then I joined Twitter to promote my blog, and fell in love with
Twitter and spoke my mind there. People loved that
also.

Many persons 'create' a life or a persona online
because they think it's safe, but I've been on these social media
streets for a long time. Jamaica is small, and social media makes the
WORLD even smaller. There are trolls and sharks just lurking for you to
say something contradictory. I think I became popular because I spoke my
mind - still do. Regardless of company or celebrity, if I felt it was
wrong, I had no issue saying that. I guess you can say 'I keep it real'.
I also do not shy away from difficult, taboo
topics.

- Davina Henry