Is Twitter Taking Over?

Happy New Year's Eve to all, and hopefully a very happy 2009! So a funny thing happened to me today. I was walking down the street in Chicago, Clybourn and Webster to be exact, and I looked up and there is an advertisement for Twitter. Since when did social networks start advertising? It took me by surprise! All I've been hearing about it Twitter by word of mouth, other blogs, and all of the sudden BAM there it is in front of me. Seems Twitter has been doing some PR for themselves.



So, as you can see, it is trying to tell everyone that this movie theatre has a Twitter and to check it out, but there is more to it than that. It just happens this movie theatre is almost on the DePaul University campus and tends to have the cheapest movie tickets in Chicago. To me it seems they are trying to reach a certain target of College students for sure. So what seemed to just be a coincidence now, in my mind, seems to be a bit more planned.



So what exactly does this mean? Or why does it matter? It is just an example of how our world is revolving into technology driven socities. Is this a good thing? I guess that depends on who you ask. David Meerman Scott explains how the use of Twitter for marketing is horrible on his blog, yet another gentle explains the great benefits of Twitter as a marketing tool on his blog. So, what do I think? It is a hard decision. Being within the PR industry I see the benefits that can come from using social media. Twitter, Facebook and Myspace are all great outlets to reach people, but there is that annoying bug that hits me in the face everything I think about bothering people with messages when they are just trying to do something fun for themselves and as a break. All and all I think that my final decision will have to say that with the industry changing, those outlets must be utilized in order to reach certain publics, but I think there are more beneficial ways to communicate than through popups and unnecessary blinking boxes on pages. As PR professionals, we are here to be creative and find interesting, unique ways of reaching people, so lets start doing our job shall we.

Here are some funny youtube videos I came across about Twitter. Enjoy :)

Building on communication, there is more to the PR field.

I came across this image when browsing Steven Hodson's blog. In the blog, Hodson bashes the social media movement in PR claiming that people within the broad communications field are saying they are social media specialists when in reality they don't even know what it means.

Hodson says in his blog:

Then we have this intangible concept called social media that has been around for less time than Britney has spent in rehab for crying out loud and yet we have people proclaiming to be experts in the field. What field? We still have people who have been at the forefront of this whole movement who can’t agree on a solid definition of what social media is; or what it is suppose to do. All we have had for the last three or four years (at the most) is nothing more than buzzwords being passed between a very small group of people.

While, I respect Hodson's opinion, I am going to have to disagree with him. One of the major perks of social media is the fact that it can be used by anyone. Yes maybe it is not right for people to go around claiming to be specialists, but I think that one of the reasons that social media is makes such a large impact is because so many people can use it. In today's world, most people are in social networks or involved in blogs, and that right there is why it is such a valuable tool. So is it really that bad that people are all claiming to be a social media specialists? It just means that a lot of people understand the Internet, its applications and how to use them.

Hodson goes on to say:

Social media is just another bullshit term created in the wave of Web 2.0 for something we have been doing for a very long time - communicating; but then I guess calling oneself a social media specialist sounds newer and cooler than what existed before - communication specialists.

Of course being with public relations, your main goal is to communicate messages and communication is a key element, but isn't social media another tool to use. Honestly, the more I read Hodson's blog, the more I felt as though he didn't understand the industry or the direction it is heading. With technology thriving, it is vital for PR practitioners to learn the new tools before they are left behind in the past. While it may be questionable what PR practitioners motives are and many times unsure if they just want to be "cool", I do not think that very many people are changing their titles to seem more "cool". In fact, I think that it is not a fact of changing a title, I think that communication is still a very important foundation to the industry, but it is a industry that is highly effected by change and technology; therefore, titles are going to change and new sectors are going to open. So, it is not leaving communication in the past, it is about building on communication and finding and learning about new tools that will help PR professionals communicate better.

Read more about the changing industry by visiting Jeremiah Owyang's blog for his predictions for the field.

Apple Has Mastered the Podcast

Steve Jobs has proven as a massive success in the podcasting industry by not only embedding the idea by naming one of Apples biggest products the "ipod" so that every time the term "pod" is used Apple is what first comes to mind, but he also installed easy to use podcasting software into his applications. Those are two minor points compared to the way he utillizes the podcast, and his work needs to be complimented and learned by. The above video is an example of a basic podcast that Steve Jobs regulary creates. This is the perfect example for this considering it will also teach you how to create a podcast, but it is important to note what he is doing because he does podcasts on a regular basis for Apples products and news.

Apple, while coming more accepted, is somewhat scary to the majority of the public. Steve Jobs has realized this and used the podcast as an educational tool. He has chosen to inform consumers and customers through podcast by tutorials and step by step instructions on how to use the systems and software. This will allow current customers to expand their knowledge of their product in a few clicks, and it is also educating the uninformed consumer allowing them to see how they can use the product and showing them that is it not as complicated as they may think.

Another major component is the image that Steve is forming for Apple. He is the co-owner of one of the biggest companies worldwide and he is taking the time to do regular podcasts to help inform publics of Apples products. He is not hiring someone else to do them. He is wearing casual clothes, speaking in a causal tone in order to relate to his customers and really trying to help them, which, in my opinion, is going to leave a lasting impression and increase the repuation of Apple. These podcasts are more than just educational videos, they are a means of creating an image.

As PR practioners we can learn a lot from Steve Jobs ability to connect with his consumers as well as his use of technology to reach a wide range of people. His podcasts are sent to friends or placed on ipods and shown to friends. It is truly a word of mouth trickling effect, which has brought Apple to one of the most successful companies in todays world.

Want to learn more about Apple? Visit their running blog.

More insight into the BLOG. Everything you need to know

I would like to continue on the idea of the blog. What exactly is a blog and how can it help? As you can tell from my previous post, a blog did wonders for Robert Scoble, so how can you too receive those results? A blog is not a endeavor for a genius. It doesn't entail endless amounts of HTML code, but, instead, there are programs that are extremely straight forward and will help you through the whole process. So don't worried.

First, why are blogs so effective? Well, in a sense, a blog is just a person giving there two cents. It is personal opinions and thoughts, which causes controversy but also guidance. A blog represents power through truth. It is important to remember that not all blogs are reliable sources and may possibly not have correct information, but, even so, it is a tool that the public responds well to. It allows anyone in the public to have a voice and share their experience and thoughts giving the writer a breath of fresh air as well as providing insight on a subject to others. Steve Goldstein, CEO of Alacra, explains a blog when saying "Certainly AlacraBlog is valuable for us as a way to get our name out there...By blogging I am able to put a face on [our] company," (Scott, 2007).

How do you find blogs?
Blogs are all over the Internet. The easiest way to find a blog is to search through a search database under the subject you wish to find. Most likely a blog will show in the results. There are more ways to find specific blogs and these can be found on Lauren Vargas and Kami Huyse's blog where they share six tips on how to find journalist who blog.

Things to remember when pitching to a blogger
There are some things to remember when blogging, especially for a PR practitioner. It is not smart to just send a traditional press release to a blogger. They are bombarded by releases and really just don't care. Instead, show interest in their blog. What are they writing about and how does it relate to your client. How are you messages similar? It is key to never lie to a blogger. Do not say that you've been following their blog for weeks when really you just looked at it for the first time. They will see through you and not want to write about your pitch. Make comments on the the blog, show interest and form a relationship. It is more likely that a blogger will respond to someone who has showed a genuine interest in their blog and ideas. Below is a video that was created by a blogger that may help clarify any questions. It is a bit long, but try to listen to the whole thing. It's interesting. ENJOY :)



Find that interesting? Also check out Something Is Very Wrong in PR Land.

Scott, David Meerman. The New Rules of Marketing and PR : How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly. New York: Wiley, 2007.

Beginning Thoughts

It is inevitable; the PR industry is changing. Technology is changing the way our world functions in terms of how people function in society and even more importantly how business works on a global level. In my opinion, businesses and agencies have two choices, they can fight against technological advancements by continuing to use traditional media and paper press releases or they can reevaluate the situation, jump into the learning circle and use the new technology to improve public relations. I used the term improve, but is it really an improvement? It depends on how you look at it and who you speak to. Technology can be intimating to those who are not comfortable with programs and systems, and, in turn, leaves them set in what is normal and known. When you take a second to think about what public relations really means, which to me, in summary, is about reaching publics and forming relationships to help them understand a message or a product, so if most of the publics around the world are on the internet, than isn’t it a good way of reaching them?

It seems like a logical conclusion, but there are definitely things that need to be taken into account such as the ethical issues. With the internet not being regulated and with the PR industry also not being regulated things could get dirty. I would like to have faith in our industry, but, sadly, when it comes down to it, we get our reputation of “spin doctors” for a reason. Paying bloggers to say certain things or writing a blog pretending to be a happy costumer when in reality you are working for the agency is not acceptable practice. Yes, I know we have all thought about it and it does seem like an easy solution, yet none of us are in public relations because it is easy. Part of the glory is in the challenge. So, put the thinking cap back on and back to the drawing board to find creative ways to use this new technology in an ethical way.

So you may be wondering how effective is new media? Is it worth the hassle of going into the unknown. In my opinion, the answer is YES. As I mentioned above, most all publics worldwide are on the Internet. They are part of social networks such as Facebook and Myspace, they search YouTube for videos and use Google to find just about anything they don’t understand. With public relations revolving around third-party endorsements, the Internet is really our best tool. In the book “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” (Scott, 2007), Robert Scoble tells a story of how effective blogging is by using an example of a time that he told 15 videobloggers news at a conference and within hours it was on hundreds of blogs and only two days later his news was on the front page of newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, magazines like BusinessWeek and on the main page of the BBC website. In total, Robert Scoble was in 140 newspapers around the world with over 50 million media impressions on his name according to Waggener Edstrom (Microsoft’s PR Agency). All of this media came from Scoble casually telling 15 videobloggers at a conference, which resulted in a lot of media coverage. It is a PR practitioners dream to achieve those kinds of results, and it all started with one single blog. The blogging community can be a very powerful tool and can be an outlet into more online resources such as YouTube, Google, and many more online sites.

For more information on case studies involving new media or information on how new media can help visit David Meerman Scott’s website.

Stay tuned for more exciting posts to come!

Scott, David Meerman. The New Rules of Marketing and PR : How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly. New York: Wiley, 2007.

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