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?