The Effects New Media has on Globalization

When the Internet came out a few years ago, the world instantly shrunk. Business was able to take place from anywhere in the world at the click of a mouse. Suddenly, there was no such thing as a big world, yet, instead, the world was as Thomas Friedman explains in The World is Flat a global village. In the last year or so, more and more technology has come to the service making a drastic difference in how public relations practitioners do there jobs as well as how our world functions.

Large corporations for years have been struggling to find ways to launch global campaigns, and very few have actually mastered it due to cultural differences. Something that is a massive success in one country could be a complete failure in another. Global PR agencies have been formed as an attempt to get an inside voice in the culture and global offices are created, which are all smart business moves, but now there is an even easier way. You can speak with the industry leaders or the businessmen/women in the industry you hope to launch in, but what about the consumers. Social networks and blogs, especially, are allowing PR practitioners to get insight into the culture and community. They are now able to read what is going on in the lives of the average consumer, what is it that they want or need, and how do they want it delivered? It is important to realize that this is not one-way communication. It is actually a two-way communication model. PR practitioners have the opportunity to discuss issues or ideas with people in the communities through blog comments or messages, which has never been an option in the past. It is really giving PR professionals the opportunity to genuinely connect with the community and cultures they wish to learn more about.



Hemingway brings up a very important point in the previous video. A PR professional needs to be aware and sensitive to the ground they are entering. More importantly, they should never lie about their intentions when contacting a blogger or during a conversion through online technology. Hemingway says "in the digital space everyone can here you scream...you really have to be honest," which is extremely interesting and true. In all the noise online, there are always lies, therefore, it is important to be a honest with your audience to set yourself apart. Also, you need to be conscious of what messages you are sending as well as where the power in the conversation is. It is important to let them run the conversation and have the power just as much as it is for you. That will be a great way of participating in two-way communication, which, in turn, will improve your chances of a strong relationship in the culture you wish to enter.

Some Insight into Obama's Campaign

Obama is not only the first African American president of America, but he is also the first president to bring the youth out of hibernation. According to the national exit polls, more youth voters cast their ballots this year than previous years dating all the way back to 1972 when the voting age was lowered to 18. The question is how has he done it? 

Whether it was Obama or his campaign managers, hats go of to them because they actually did some research into voters. The youth of America had been absent to the voting booth for the past few years and previous candidates did not seem to mind. They, as well as the majority of the elder population, don't have much faith in the youth of America. Obama saw the void and instead of ignoring them as others did, he embraced the opportunity to speak to the future of our country. "Young people do vote, they do matter, and when you pay attention to them, they pay attention to you," said Sujatha Jahagirdar, program director of the Student Public Interest Research Groups' New Voters Project. "The recognition that young people are a potent political force and that they are incredibly engaged citizens is exciting and long overdue," (Lipka, 2008)

Obama's campaign was focused around winning the youth vote, but he did it in a way that they would understand. In other words, he found where they hang out and spoke to them in terms that they would understand. He had a Facebook page,a blog, Youtube videos, and, something that in my opinion put him ahead, text messaging. Any candidate could put messages out in these mediums, but it was also the message that was being portrayed. Obama made them feel important. Students and young adults are the future of the country, they have power, and Obama has been the first candidate to praise their presence.



Not only did he make them feel important, but he opened up and showed who he was. He made it possible for young voters to relate to him.



There is a lot to be learned from the Obama Campaign, and I think that it can be said that he has now given an extra push for technology. For all of you out there who were not sure of the effects of the new media...well the results are there. Obama's campaign is not just a show of what new media can do as far as action in the polls, it also shows the way our world is moving. It is no longer the strong leaders of our country that have all the power or the opinion leaders, but, times are beginning to shift to where the general public is gaining power.

PR Banned from Second Life

Second Life is a new phenomenon that has caught on in recent years. If you don't like your real life, try Second Life. In fact, people have actually quit their actual jobs and joined the Second Life work force and built lives in a virtual dreamland where they can be anything they want and anywhere they want. Yes, it is a little bit strange, but our world is becoming more and more virtual. Since PR is so apparent in reality, why would it not be in a virtual world. There is only on problem with this, the citizens of Second Life have voted and it was decided to ban PR and marketing gurus.

The people of Second Life feel as though the PR practitioners are ruining their community and pitching ideas that are not even relevant to the community, but what does that mean for text 100 the "first" PR agency in Second Life.



As of now, no announcements have been made about how this will be regulated or who exactly will be banned. Is it just the major agencies trying to get PR in Second Life or is it any person working within the PR industry, but how can that be determined within a virtual world. Also, something that I find extremely interesting within this whole thing is why is it that Second Life feels that they have the power to regulate the Internet when it is not even done on a bigger account. Yes, they have the copyright and power of the sight, but I find it interesting that they are trying to regulate such a large world. What are they trying to say about PR in the real world? That PR professionals are ruining the happiness and function of the world?

I do agree with creators of Second Life on that fact that a PR practitioner should not be pitching wrong ideas or not be in the know of the community they are entering. A good PR practitioner should know everything about Second Life if they wish to launch a product or run a PR campaign there. So, with that in mind, it is a PR professionals fault if they did not properly do his/her job and for that I apologize on behalf of the PR community. Is it really necessary to ban all of PR from the virtual community? Imagine if the real world did that for every mistake we have made in the past. The industry would have been gone years ago. Yes, I am sure that readers out there are asking the question of WHO CARES? Well for anyone that is interested in the movement of news and the ability of easy access to current events, you should care because without PR professionals, it would not be an easy task and the world would go back to one-way biased stories.

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.