Social Media Part 2: Searching Starbucks on BlogSearch

Using Zeitgeist and BlogSearch, I searched for Starbucks. I found Zeitgeist interesting but was really intrigued by BlogSearch. I first search “Starbucks” and came up with more than I could handle, mostly news sights or recently released information from Starbucks. If I was Starbucks, searching for helpful information, none of this information was helpful. I then searched a little narrower topic that came to mind: “Starbucks taste”. This provided much more interesting information, leading me more into personal blogs by Starbucks customers or critics. One blog talked about the taste of Starbucks new Via line, their instant coffee. Great insights could be gained by reading her blog. She described her experiences with instant coffee in the past and why having a good instant coffee with her on her light backpacking trips was so important. She also presented an interesting problem she has with Starbucks instant coffee. She likes to choose how much instant coffee to put in the water and she wanted more, but with Starbucks selling their instant coffee in mini packets, she isn’t able to do this. She wants a jar of instant coffee. Since I was already thinking about problems with Starbucks products, I searched “Starbucks problems” and found a blog about how Starbucks can win back customers (because McDonalds McCafe is luring customers away). As Starbucks, it would be interesting to see what outsiders see as the problem, a fresh view. This particular person felt, among other things, that Starbucks needs to learn how to manage queues, unleash creativity in its customers, and think locally. I think BlogSearch would be very helpful if I was doing research for Starbucks. It is a great way to gain insights about what people are really thinking. It is unprobed information (not an interview with possibly leading questions). What people say in these blogs is important to them.