Mixx

So I came across a new social media website today called Mixx. com. According to its website, Mixx.com is

Your link to the web content that really matters. There's a lot of information out there and, let's face it, you don't have all day to find the good stuff (if you do, we're totally jealous). And who knows better than you what informs you, what makes you think, what makes you laugh? So why should some faceless editor get to decide what's important?

But now you're in charge. You find it; we'll Mixx it. Use YourMixx to tailor the content categories, tags, specific users and groups, and we'll deliver the top-rated content as chosen by you and people who share your passions. So go ahead and whip up your own version of the web. Just tell us how you like it Mixxed and we'll deliver the best the web has to offer—morning, noon and night.

To me, the site seems a lot like Digg.com where content is presented based on popularity (and votes). Stories are sorted based on broad categories like entertainment and sports. I'll be interested to see if the site catches on.

Sites like Digg and Mixx are interesting ways that PR professionals can get involved more. Using these sites, certain topics and products/companies can be highlighted. I hope to see an increased use in these type of sites, as I think they're a really good way to connect with the average internet user.

Facebook Update and Videos

Okay, so many of you have read about my Facebook woes at work. The good news is -- it appears to be getting better. The bad news? It also appears to be pointless.

Though I have yet to venture out into the world of Facebook Ads, I've been playing around with a ton of the Facebook Fan Page features. For starters, I've been using Animoto to create videos that feature some of our work and posting them on the fan page. The day after posting the videos we had 173 video views and 83 unique viewers (people who hadn't previously visited the fan page). However, we only added 3 or 4 new fans. The following day, we still had a significant number of video views (80) but only 1 new fan. I was a little disappointed.

I also tried to use the Update feature, where I could send updates to all fans at once... needless to say I don't think anyone really notices these updates (please, correct me if I'm wrong). They don't show up on your main page, they aren't in your message inbox, but instead on a separate tag under your inbox. How are people supposed to notice this?

I'm still working on the whole Facebook thing, but my excitement is dwindling. Although people are obviously visiting the page, I don't see any real signs that its improving business or even just improving customer relationships. Maybe I'm cynical, maybe I haven't given it enough time... all I know is if I were you, I wouldn't rely on Facebook for too much pr/marketing!!

Here is one of our sample videos, just for kicks:

Viral Videos - Do they work?

After making the social issues video for class, I thought it would be interesting to do my next blog post on viral videos. So, I was looking around for something to write about when I came across an apparently popular video I must have missed!


The video, which came out sometime this past summer, features a girl who apparently can out catch a pro baseball player. The video -- which was actually an ad for Gatorade -- was so popular it was even picked up on NPR. Click here to listen to a segment done on the video.

I was surprised to learn that the video was part of a marketing/advertising campaign, as the mention of Gatorade was so subtle I hardly even noticed it!! I suppose that is the best type of advertising (because no body likes in your face ads). However, it leaves you wondering if it really made the desired impact.

Then again, Gatorade sure was talked about following the videos release... I'd be interested to see what the impact of the video was. Did anyone else see this and think it was real? Anyone see the ad and actually purchase Gatorade as a result?

Poverty Web Video

For class this week we had to create a video on a social issue of importance to us. My topic was poverty.

For so long I've heard people talk about how awful it is that children in other countries are starving and suffering. The same people who go on and on about poverty in other countries and how they wish they could help, scoff as they pass up a homeless man on the street.

Within the next ten years 40% of the population is estimated as falling below the poverty line in the US, and 58.5% will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75. These numbers are appalling. By creating this video, I hope to bring more people's attention to the large population in the US of those who are unable to afford food, clothes, and homes.



I used JayCut to produce the video.

Optimizing PR with Social Media

I recently stumbled upon a document that I think sums up the uses of social media for public relations really well. Called Optimizing Your Public Relations with Social Media, the six page document highlights the important things we've been covering this semester including:

• The beginnings and evolution of social media
• Traits of social media (i.e. user-driven, community-oriented, etc.)
• Tools of social media (i.e. blogs, podcasts, etc.)
  
• Discusses the advantages to using social media
• And most importantly, how to use social media in public relations practices

I think the document is a great place to start for someone just getting out and exploring the social media field. The document is provided by Vocus -- a "web-based software suite that helps organizations in an Internet-enabled world to fundamentally change the way they communicate with both the media and the public, optimizing their public relations and increasing their ability to measure its impact."

Other helpful documents provided by Vocus include rules for working with bloggers and the new role of the PR professional. You can request free copies of these documents here.

Best Social Media Tools

Mashable -- a blog focused on social networking -- recently posted a list of the top 10 best social media tools:

1. Help a Report Out
2. PitchEngine (which I blogged about recently)
3. ReportingOn
4. Journalisted
5. Wikis
6. Media People Using Twitter
7. Twellow
8. BeatBlogging.org
9. Wiredjournalists.com
10. Your Pitch Sucks

I really liked the idea behind Your Pitch Sucks... granted, public relations professionals should be able to write quality pitches on their own, but it must be nice to have someplace to go to just in case. YPS allows you to submit your pitch for critical review. I also like Twellow, but it seems like a bit of a rip off of Twitter. And Media People Using Twitter is a really cool resource for trying to track down useful people on Twitter.

I was surprised that Journalisted was placed so high on the list, because its restricted to reporters in the UK. It must be really powerful to beat out so many different networking tools that are global.

Most of the tools listed are ways that PR professionals can improve their relationship with the media versus how to better connect with publics. I'd be interested to see what tools were listed if it was consumer focused (Facebook maybe?) Overall, its a good list and a lot of the resources seem pretty useful!

Zombies in Plain English

I'm a few days too late for a Halloween themed post but I came across this video today and I thought it was too cute to pass up...



I've decided I'm a huge fan of the Common Craft Show videos. When we first started watching them in class I thought they were so-so, but after trying to explain what a wiki was to my dad (not an easy task) I realized just how helpful the videos are. You can see more common craft videos on the website or visit Lee LeFever's YouTube site for more!

Podcast - Growing Up Online

This week we had an assignment due in our Social Media for Public Relations class where we had to design and record a podcast, editing and all. My group, which included Ceci Garcia, Christine Pegg, and Wiltson Bramson, did our podcast on growing up online and differences in internet/social media use between generation y and generation z. We based a lot of our discussion off of the PBS program Growing Up Online which we watched as a class last week.

Although our discussion was kept quite brief -- the length of the podcast was supposed to be 5-10 minutes -- we each took the opportunity to touch on several different aspects of social media such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. I have included the show notes below so that you can get a better idea of what the podcast covers:

:05 – Intro

:26 – Shannon introduces the show and welcomes the guests.

:41 – The panel introduces themselves.

1:23 – The Hot Topic is introduced for discussion: growing up online.

1:33 – Shannon discusses generation definitions for better understanding of discussion. Concept of "Gen C" is introduced.

1:58 – Shannon asks panel to comment on the differences they feel exist between Gen Y and Gen Z/C in regards to internet usage

2:09 – Ceci discusses YouTube and its impact on users

3:42 – Wiltson discusses Facebook usage

5:21 – Christine discusses MySpace and its effects

6:04 – Shannon and Wiltson weigh in on Facebook and MySpace

6:46 – Shannon discusses cell phones and SMS (text) messaging and how it has affected the generations

8:16 – Wiltson weighs in on texting

8:49 – Ceci discusses Second Life in regards to the generations

10:35 – Shannon and Wiltson respond with commentary on Second Life

12:09 – Closing

12:20 – Outro

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

Social Media Press Release Generator!

In today's society it seems like we're getting a little bit lazy. Everyone is looking for the easy way out because there is so much to do and not enough time in the day to do it all. Public relations professionals are not exempt from this mentality.

Introducing Pitch Engine! Using this website, professionals can now easily upload all their clients information (logos, contact info, boilerplates, etc.) and create a customized press release with videos and all! The release is then tagged with keywords and made shareable through RSS and links to Twitter, Facebook, and other social bookmarking sites. This bookmarking and sharing capability of the pitch engine releases is one of their primary selling points -- their unique offer to PR professionals.

An account with Pitch Engine is free. When you set up your brand initially you have several options for categorizing your brand, as well as providing links to all the social media sites used by the brand/company. This makes it easy to position your brand/company in the eyes of those who will be receiving the releases.

The site is currently in its 2.2 beta version, so there are likely still some kinks to be worked out. However, it appears to be a really useful tool and I'll be interested to see how it works out and whether or not people pick up on it.

Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

Today is October 15th and as most of you reading this blog entry know, today is also Blog Action Day 2008! For those of you who don't know, Blog Action Day is an annual event aimed at raising awareness and facilitating global discussion. What better way to get people involved and talking about something important than through social media tools like blogs and podcasts! Each year a different topic is picked and this year poverty is the issue of choice.

Poverty is such a far fetching problem its hard to imagine a world without it (as depressing as that is). However, that does not mean we should consider it a lost cause and give up on trying. I believe that if there is a chance at ridding the world of poverty (or decreasing it at the very least) we have to start at home.

I was looking online for local Austin organizations that focus on helping those in need and the homeless and came across the nonprofit organization House the Homeless. While the website is basic and albeit some of the links do not work, I was impressed with all the site and the organization have to offer.

Not only do they provide a forum for discussion and surveys regarding poverty and homelessness but they also provide information regarding event opportunities in the area. Some of them are pretty interesting reads and they make for great educational and conversational pieces.

Other organizations I found in my search include the Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas, Habitat for Humanity, and Mobile Loaves and Fishes. I encourage those who are serious about helping those in need to volunteer at organizations like these in your own town and do what you can to help the less fortunate. If we all put in a little bit more effort to get the word out and help, together we can make a difference.

Facebook Insider's Guide to Viral Marketing

Recently I blogged about how my dad is obsessing over Facebook and therefore, my work life lately has been centered on creating a Facebook page, Fan Page, and all sorts of (not so) fun stuff as a means of using Facebook as a marketing tool.

Though I still can't seem to find the article that started the whole thing, I managed to track down the "guide" my dad has been reading and basing most of his ideas off of:

Facebook Insider's Guide to Viral Marketing - Get more Business Plans

Overall, I think the guide is a good place to start for those who are Facebook helpless like my dad was (despite the fact that the title implies you can control whether or not something goes viral-which we've learned in class isn't true). It describes what facets of Facebook are most useful to someone trying to market via Facebook and mostly gives good detail.

However, it doesn't always explain things in the best manner. For instance, they don't do a good job of differentiating between Facebook user profiles and Fan Pages. I was able to tell the difference, but my dad (who is technologically illeterate) had a hard time remembering which page was being talked about and repeatdly flipped back through the pages to try and find the answer.

Also, there were times that I felt the writers were purposfully leaving out important details or providing misleading information to try and encourage businesses to use Facebook as a marketing tool. For instance, its easy to send an update to all fans with a Fan Page, but not so easy to message all your friends on your user profile. The guide convienantly leaves this out.

Overall though, I think for those just starting out, the guide is helpful. If you have the time (or are possibly interested in using Facebook for your job) read the guide and let me know what you think!

Looking for a job?

I was playing around with my google alerts this morning and came across a job listing in the social media field.

My first though was, neat! While I know there is a growing need for people who understand and focus on social media in the workplace, I guess I just assumed for the most part they targeted marketing/pr/advertising professionals and hoped to find someone who knew about social media as well (as opposed to focusing strictly on social media knowledge).

The job is listed on the SEMPO website, a non-profit organization whose purpose is "to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research, and creating a better understanding of search and its role in marketing." (via there website)

The specific job listing is located in Austin, and is for Vertive, a performance marketing company with a focus on internet marketing.

You can read the job listing for more information, but with the exception of needing 2+ years of full time experience in the field, this job seems pretty tangible for anyone who has completed this course.

Despite the fact that Social Media PR has not been my focus, I'm getting increasingly interested in concentrating on the field and finding this job listing (which appears to be pretty promising, just look at the benefits!) makes me want to consider it more.

If you don't have the qualifications for the job, maybe you know someone who does!!

Facebook Ads - A Marketer's Dream?

I mentioned in class this past Thursday that I've been using Facebook as a marketing tool for my dad's photography studio. It all started about two or three months ago when he mentioned he'd read an article that said, more or less, if you're in business and you want to continue to be successful, you need a Facebook page. So what did he do? He came to work the next day and has been on my case ever since about keeping his Facebook page (and Fan Page) up and running.

Its somewhat surprising just how easy Facebook makes it for companies to market and target users. One of the original complaints about new technologies such as Facebook was measuring usage (which Camella mentioned in class). However, the first thing I see when I open up the DNP fan page is this screen is this window:
I can easily see who's looking at the page and what they're looking at! It makes my life SO much easier because I don't bother updating features that no one looks at and can zone in on the wants and needs of our fans.

Another topic of Thursday's discussion was the use of Facebook Ads. After class I talked a little bit more with Professor Weisgerber about the use of the social ads. I'll admit its creepy that the ads that appear on my Facebook page are targeted specifically at me, but that's what I get for putting all my interests up online. From a marketing standpoint, though, the ads are AMAZING. For instance, when designing an ad you're prompted with options such as these:

I can zone in on my target market with just a few clicks!! I'm so torn because while I'm annoyed and feel a little intruded on with the social ads, I love being able to use them in the workplace. Has anyone else used Facebook for work purposes? If so, what were your experiences?

JetBlue Has Grandmother Arrested For Refusing To Delete An Unflattering Video Recording

Love. It. Talk about bad PR...

Sometime in mid to early August, Marilyn Parver was arrested for refusing to delete footage she took of an altercation that occurred on a JetBlue flight. Read about the original altercation here.

Once the issue was resolved (well, kind of) the story went away for the most part. However, after the whole thing had more or less blown over, JetBlue had to go and make the situation even worse. JetBlue decided to email Parver and continue to chew her out for not deleting the video!! The Consumerist discusses the new development here.

Come on now, JetBlue. What were you thinking? If chewing Parver out the first time didn't work, what made you think it would now? As if the original bad press wasn't bad enough, social media has aided in further tarnishing JetBlue's reputation. Post pissy email, JetBlue has to deal with the fact that Parver has posted the video on YouTube!

Here's the video:


Its pretty clear Parver didn't do anything worth getting arrested over. What do you guys think JetBlue should've done? How could they have handled the situation better?

Social Media, PR, and CEO Bloggers!

Once again, trying to find something of interest to write about that wasn't completely over discussed I stumbled upon the blog of a CEO (which just so happens to be the topic of last class!) Ronn Torossian is the CEO of a PR firm in NYC, 5W Public Relations.

In his recent post, Social Media & PR, Torossian talks about a discussion had with staff about the uses of social media. He points out that several people use Facebook as a means of creating a relationship with reporters. Through this relationship, they are then able to tailor pitches in a way that appeals to the reporter and therefor the story has a better chance of being picked up.

A commenter furthered Torossian's point saying he used Facebook to better understand a reporters interests and then moves from there.

It got me thinking... what ways have I (and others) used Facebook?

A few semesters back I took a marketing class in which the entire semester was spent writing a 40+ page paper. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, it was a group project. Even worse, the groups had to be at least 5-7 members. How a teacher expected five people to be able to work together all semester and calabratively write an (awesome) paper is beyond me. Unfortunately, I had no choice.

I had one friend in the class and we had a weekend to decide who to have in our groups. No one in the class really seemed up for the whole talk and get to know each other scenario so Gabe and I got smart about it... we got onto Blackboard, pulled up the class roster, and started Facebook stalking people in the class.

The next class period Gabe and I felt we'd found three students that seemed hard working, responsible, and shared similar characteristics. We approached them, asked if they wanted to be in our group and no one hesitated! Twelve weeks later we completed the paper and only had one disagreement throughout the process. To this day the teacher can't believe we were able to work that well together.

Call it chance if you will, but I fully believe it was using Facebook to scope out prospect that made the project so successful. If it worked that well for me, I can only imagine how well it works for PR professionals trying to establish credibility and relationships with journalists.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Social Media, What is it?

Using my handy dandy RSS reader, I came across this edgy slideshow (pictured below) via Slide Share. I suppose it was the use of profanity in the title that really caught my eye at first. However, after quickly scrolling through it I decided it was a creative and attention grabbing way of explaining Social Media in layman's terms. Kind of like a "Social Media for Dummies" on crack.

What The F**K is Social Media?

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: socialmediamarketing marketing)

Created by Marta Z. Kagan, a social media evangelist and online marketing professional, the slideshow defines social media as "an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio" (slide 2). It is the process of "people having conversations online" (slide 3).

So why should people care? The slideshow states that social networking is more popular than porn and that other forms of advertising are less effective than many believe them to be. Check out all the interesting (and slightly frightening!) statistics on social media participation and advertising.

Kagan also lists some of the many reasons we discussed in class for using social media: transparency, flexibility, consumer-driven, etc. Not to mention, Social Media will only continue to gain ground in the future as technology becomes everyday for everyone.

Using creative graphics and language many students (and young adults) can relate to, Kagan makes a great case for why Social Media is important, what it is, and how to get involved. While many slideshows bore me to tears, I found myself interested in what this show had to say and it really helped continue to explain Social Media and its importance.

What do you guys think of it?

StumbleUpon -- Entertainment or Social Bookmarking Tool? Or both?

All last summer my roommate would come in my room and show me new pictures, websites, recipes, etc. and every time I asked how she found it she'd just say "oh I stumbled upon it". It wasn't until about a month later that I asked her what she meant. That was when she introduced me to my new favorite obsession, StumbleUpon. No joke, for at least a week I stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning just repeatedly pressing "Stumble" to see what new and interesting website I came across.

For those who don't know, Stumble Upon is a social bookmarking site using Mozilla Firefox. You download a tool bar to your internet browser and basically train it to what you like and are interested in. From there, you're just a click away from a world of new information!

To be honest, I never knew that Stumble Upon was a social bookmarking site until class recently. In fact, I didn't even really know what a social bookmarking site was. However, in my short lived obsession with the program it has allowed me to do so many different things I never knew I needed.

For instance, work! I work for my dad's photography studio and he is constantly looking for new and interesting poses and backdrops. So... I told stumble upon I was interested in artistic creations, photoshop, photography, etc. and presto! I was able to pull up a ton of new ideas with a few clicks and hardly any time waisted.

When I took Capstone this past summer and I was in the preliminary stages of picking a topic, I thought it'd be funny to see if I could use Stumble Upon to break the surface!! So... I told stumble upon that I was interested in controversial issues, immigration, politics, and other similar keywords and within half an hour I'd narrowed in on a topic. Better yet, when it came time to find parties involved I used stumble upon to find non-profits and support groups!

As with all social bookmarking sites and similar internet tools, it is interesting to think about all the things you can do... a chef can use social bookmarking sites to find recipes, photographers can find images, parents can find helpful parenting tools... And if you happen to come across a social bookmarker with similar interests, just subscribe to their posts via RSS feeds and in minutes you can bring all the information to you! With all the new technologies springing up I can't help but wonder... what's next?

7 Deadly Sins of Social Media

Thanks to my new RSS reader and Google Alerts, I recently came across a website stating the "7 deadly sins of social media":

1. Deafness
2. Slowness
3. Caution
4. Phoniness
5. Greed
6. Inflexibility
7. Seriousness

I'm willing to admit that one of my worst guilty obsessions is reading the gossip blog Perez Hilton whenever I get the chance. When we first started discussing bloging etiquette in class, I found myself thinking about how my beloved Perez followed or rebelled against these rules.

Out of the seven sins mentioned above, I think its safe to say that the gossip blog abides by the rules most of the time. Post are generally humorous and playful (sin 7), Perez is quick to respond and react (sins 1 and 2), he always provides additional sources for posts (sin 5), and never appears afraid to get in trouble (sin 3). For the most part, I think the blog follows the typical etiquette rules expected of bloggers, which is probably why its had such success.

However, you have to wonder if he (Perez) decided to stop following the rules of the blogosphere, what would happen to his popularity? Considering that many of his readers are probably unaware of typical "blog behavior" (think young readers who only care to hear the latest on Britney Spear's unstable lifestyle) do you think he would disappear into the blog graveyard? Or, does the blog produce such a loyal following that many of these sins would be overlooked?

Because I haven't spent much time reading blogs until recently, I find this is really the only example I can personally relate to. However, I would love to find out more about blogs and bloggers that don't necessarily follow the rules, and if they are still able to attract a fan base. Can anyone think of a good example?

Privacy and the Internet

Oh the 2008 presidential election.... I'm not one for politics, most of the time anyway, because I don't feel I know enough about the facts to form an opinion that I'm willing to stand by relentlessly (like so many people are.) But, with all the drama (yes, I prefer to see it as drama) surrounding the candidates I've had a hard time staying out of it.

I recently received an email regarding Republican vice-president hopeful Sarah Palin, forwarded to me by my mother. It first caught my attention because it opened with the following statement:

Dear friends,
So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .
Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks. :)
You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on any websites, as
there are too many kooks out there . . .
Thanks,
Anne

When I mentioned the email to my dad, his first response was "give it a few days and it will be all over the news". Being naive, I told him that I doubted it and believed the email would stay in circulation but didn't think anyone would end up posting it anywhere. I suppose I thought the author's wishes would be respected.

Turns out I was way wrong. Crosscut News of Seattle reprinted the email with sites like Digg.com and Zimbio picking up the story. I guess what perplexes me is Crosscut is claiming they reprinted the email in its entirety yet they clearly leave out the introduction from Anne asking that the email doesn't make it on the web.

Obviously several things could have happened here... For one, Anne may have granted the website permission to post the email sans the introduction. However, I think its more likely the email was picked up and posted without the introduction and without permission.

Either way, the story is out. I suppose the author knew deep down her words would not stay secret for long. It would be unrealistic to expect such a substantial commentary on Palin to circulate the web (though through private email) and be completely ignored by the media. However, it further demonstrates that in the new age of the internet, nothing is private. It is becoming more and more difficult to keep your private life seperate from your public. I think Ashley makes a good point of this dilemma in her recent blogpost.

What do you think? Do you think that Crosscut picked up the email and posted it with permission? If not, do you still think the decision to post the article, claiming it was in entirety, is ethical? Unethical? And, what are your opinions on privacy and the internet? Should personal information via Facebook and Myspace pages be available? Where do we draw the line?

Wiki's Implications for Public Relations Practices

Prior to class discussion I knew very little about wikis and all the ways they can be used. I'd never really thought about how important they are for someone in the PR profession.

In one sense, it makes the job of PR professionals a little bit easier. If negative information is posted about a client on a wiki it can easily be edited or removed. Using RSS feeds and readers, someone can easily "clean-up" their image with the click of a few buttons. It allows someone the ability to correct faulty information sometimes within moments of it coming into existence.

Unfortunately, it works in the opposite direction as well. Where as previously it took more effort for someone to post inaccurate or incriminating information about someone, it is now easier and quicker. PR professionals have most likely come to find that they have more information to sift through than before.

I also find it interesting to think about all the ethical implications of wikis and a company/individuals ability to alter the information pertaining to them that exists on the web.

It makes me wonder what I would do if I were in the public eye and found information posted about me on a wiki that I did not like. It would be instinct to want to correct the information or remove it... but what if the comment being made is true? Is it okay to tamper with the truth just because its undesirable? What would you do?

Where is the line drawn between managing your personal identity and behaving unethically?