Reflecting on Personal Learning Network

So for the past semester my group and I have been creating a network of experts on how to use social media for successfully branding a company or organization. And although it sounds like a lot of work, it was actually pretty simple considering the amount of resources I had for this Public Relations assignment: Twitter, Diigo, and Bloglines.

Twitter is a micro-blogging site (and if you haven’t heard of it you probably have been living under a rock, so there’s that)
Diigo is a (used-to-be-popular) social bookmarking site.
And Bloglines is a site that will sync the blogs you follow all in one place.

As you can tell, I have different opinions on how effective each one was in helping me for this project. The assignment was to work alongside with an actual organization, and find ways to improve their social media presence. Fortunately for me, the organization we were able to work with was Ten Thousand Villages, the Austin location. They are a non-profit and help “create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term fair trading relationships,” (from their About Us section online).

Sooo naturally they were a group you would actually want to help in gaining a larger following.
And this brings me back to my network of expertise, which gave me the guidance I needed.

Twitter was the favorite. Diigo was okay. And the blog network wasn’t worth it.
Of course I must admit bias because I was already a fan and user of Twitter since 2013. Or 2012, I can’t remember but it was a long time. But in all honesty, Twitter just triumphs over the other two significantly; it’s a micro-blogging site which made it easy to get to the point and put a face to the experts in the field. I liked the fact that it was so easy to get a response from my experts, and to do so in such a casual way. (P.S. if you are reading this and are a super qualified social media person, feel free to follow)

Diigo, on the other hand, I had trouble using and it wasn’t because the site was useless… but rather because it just wasn’t very appealing to look at (yes, I am that kind of person when it comes to websites). But hey, there was a good lesson I learned from the social bookmarking strategy: it is great! It effortlessly compiles together issues you were looking for in the first place, and if you want to keep up with something specific you can follow a feed tagged with that topic. And word of advice? Use Pinterest instead, it’s prettier, has just as many links, and more popular than Diigo.

diigo (450x331) — oh so not very beautiful

As for Bloglines, it was inconvenient and cluttered (so it doesn’t deserve a whole paragraph).

So what will I use these tactics for in the future? I mean at least Twitter and social bookmarking?
I could see myself heading over to these sites when the dreaded task of Capstone comes around. Since I already know that long paper is going to be a headache, it makes me feel better that I’m going to have some experts already lined up with information and articles I can use. AND if I want to think ahead even further in the future, after I graduate, I may have to do some Communication research for my job (lol whenever I get one, I hear times are tough).

So to sum it all up, my Personal Learning Network was a successful one. I learned many new strategies that came out in our workshop for the Ten Thousand Villages intern. And consequently, it’s something that could be of use in Public Relations for any company! Yay PLN

P.P.S. Follow Ten Thosand Villages on Facebook and Twitter, it’s for a good cause!

Viral Battle: McDonald’s versus Taco Bell

It’s been common knowledge that fast food competitors are quick to attack each other when it comes to their menu item selection. In recent news, Taco Bell was forced to take on McD’s (who controls the majority of the fast food breakfast market) when creating their own breakfast menu option.

McDonald’s was quick to respond with a Twitter post after the announcement was made:

Captioned, "Imitation is the best form of Flattery." — Cleverly captioned, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

The tweet (and diss) scored 2.4K favorites and 3.2K retweets but wasn’t prepared for the creative minds on Taco Bell’s Public Relations staff.
The taco company then set a commercial campaign into action centered around McDonald’s fictitious and famous celebrity Ronald McDonald, starring actual people named Ronald McDonald. The video in fact is getting a lot of buzz, gathering over 2 million views on YouTube and likely many more after being aired on national television. Taco Bell Public Relations has that humor filled type of style that is share-worthy for many fans. This always brings me back to the belief that “content is king” in this day and age, and the more you can make the more there is to share about your brand’s personality. It’s incredible checking out Taco Bell’s official Twitter and getting the feeling that it is run by a teenager (it totally isn’t but the tone of voice is what’s crucial here). In an age absorbed with viral content what is more amusing than watching two giant corporations (well, McD’s is severely larger, but y’know) rag on each other publicly. And what does this say about Public Relations in this day and age?

Branding has gone to a-whole-nother level when it comes to personifying a business. It has been clear to me in every Communication class I take that the target market is the most essential discovery when it comes to positioning just how you will sell your product. And furthermore just as fictional accounts have been made by fans and used to create a profile for a character from a TV show, game, or movie, now company’s are using this idea to turn their brands into an identifiable entity themselves. It generates an environment where consumers feel comfortable talking with the much larger corporation on a conversational level. This type of tactic is quick to deal with and fun to operate. The only way I see Public Relations advancing through social media from is here is more creatively. With this ever-increasing freedom for companies to produce their own content, the pool of creative thinkers in this field will only become more diverse and more entertaining.

Ads will be here forever, so why not give companies more motivation to charm instead of bore us?

Yes, Google knows how to handle “Glassholes”: The San Fran Incident

Meet Sarah Slocum, the first ever Glasshole martyr in real life history,

Okay so she’s not actually a martyr, but she is fighting for something… or at least picking fights in San Fran bars with people over her Google Glass-wearing.

The story begins in a humble bar in San Francisco, and Ms. Slocum is viciously attacked from all sides and has her purse and tech gear stolen at the scene by, in Slocum’s words, “haters” which results with poor Sarah filing a hate crime. The tall tale is picked up by several news stations and is often titled something like dramatic like “When Google Glass Haters Attack.” Of course this version of the story doesn’t last for long when the other side of the argument had a chance to shed light on their version of the incident, involving a very drunk Slocum getting in a painful curse-word fight and eventually having her glasses removed. Reports will later show all her possessions were safely returned and no charges were finalized.
At this point I am through with talking about poor Sarah Slocum whose reputation has been thoroughly destroyed (seriously just search her name on Twitter).

Nothing is safe from angry Twitter users: Slocum's Facebook cover photo — Remember kids, nothing is safe from angry Twitter users: Slocum’s unfortunate Facebook cover photo

But more importantly, there’s actually a good story here. Just think about the PR technique utilized by Google when dealing with this unattractive headline about their newest product!
Well I know I paid attention when this story took place, there were a lot of lessons about Public Relations coming into play in this scenario. First off, Google had to gauge how far this story spread (and being from Texas, I sure had to search around to find details on this one). It seems like this is a big story in San Francisco, where many native San Franians (or whatever you call them) have been dealing with this weird shift of techies taking over their down-to-earth city. I also was weird-ed out to find out that the people in San Fran’s tech industry are being catered to by special bus services and the like exclusive to only those in that profession. This kind of problem may prove to be a regional one.
The next step for Google would then have to be their tactic for response: Would they side with Slocum? Would they condemn her?
Answer: Neither! They would distance themselves from such unappealing topics in general.

Instead their PR person got to the bottom of it and does what Google does best: create an optimistic and casual outtake.
The company did not address the “hate crime” in either fashion, but instead released a charming set of do’s and do not’s which represented the company in a confident light. This form of Public Relations thinking stuck straight to the plan of pushing forth valuable public information of how to act when wearing Google Glass instead of touching on all the negative atmosphere that the technology had accidentally generated. Even now if you decide to check the Google Glass website for this list, its not easy to find. Stories like these always remind me how easy crisis can blow over if you have the right technology and are ready to be confident about your product. So like Sarah Slocum would probably say, God Bless Google!

Glamorizing Crisis Images

It’s not a uncommon occurrence even though social media makes it easier to do. Glamorizing images of tragedy always makes the news. Its the same problem that had to be addressed when print news became enhanced by the introduction of photography: how much is too much to show? And what is the purpose of it all?

Now, take a look at these two:

New York FD Tweet — This is from the New York Fire Department with the caption, ” Now: Photo of #Manhattan collapse. #FDNY has 39 units and 168 members responding. The scene is developing.”

Seattle FD Tweet — And here is Seattle Fire Department’s tweet captioned, “2 DOAs at helicopter crash scene near space needle.”

The first is by the New York Fire Department is taken during the struggle of attending a fallen building.
It personally reminds me of the fact that those who took the picture are risking their lives (since the picture was most likely taken from one of the department’s helicopter cameras). On the other hand of course, I am instantly reminded of those who may have lost their lives in this catastrophe, and have to hope that the posting was more than just a publicity stunt.

That’s namely what this controversy boils down to in the end.Was such a picture posted in efforts of Public Relations for the department? Or merely as news update? For news updates are supposed to be important information shared with the public, which sometimes has to unfortunately include tragedy whether we like it or not. But on the converse side, using these images as a glorification of the fire departments does seem insensitive.

Which brings us to our next culprit, which received a significant amount of social media backlash for their posting: the Seattle Fire Department, who proudly tweeted a scene of a fatal accident.
Yes, helicopter crashes don’t happen every day anywhere, but does that means its okay to post an image of someone’s death with a filter on it?
One unimpressed Twitter user responded, “that’s really hip, seattle fire department put a cool instagram filter on their news report of two dead on arrivals.”

Just like the photo editing filters you use for your selfies, the picture doesn’t look natural… indicating that whomever posted it thought it looked more dramatic with a certain hue change. And the editing of any picture doesn’t read off as “news” to me, but rather an attention-grabbing technique (and a shameful one as well).

What is Privacy? Do we have any Left? (cue optimistic perspective)

Who else is tired of hearing the same old lecture?

Sometimes followed by, “Stop being afraid of the NSA, your own posting-addicted-self is whose to blame!”

What has the increase in technology done to us?

It’s made us more comfortable with ourselves and comfortable sharing ourselves with others. It’s made us more open and on the converse side more nosey, but none of this was on purpose. People seem to have a common trait in the fact that we like to understand ourselves and others as well. With the numerous and ever-increasing platforms that present themselves to us today, its almost natural to reduce our own privacy more so than we would in the past.

But having said all that, stop saying privacy is dead.
First of all, using the word “dead” to describe anything that is not organically deceased is so dramatic.
Second of all, Privacy is not dead. It’s just different than before.

The harm in believing privacy is “done for” is significant. If one wants to go along with the idea that privacy is no longer an option, it deteriorates the importance of the principle itself.

But let’s take the alternate and half-glass-full approach when it comes to discussing the word “privacy” and all the connotations it entails. Yes, privacy is changing. Some like to point out that just because we post more about our daily lives, doesn’t mean we actually know more about those lives. Wired’s Nathan Jurgenson takes an interesting perspective on the concept in general, “in reality, privacy operates not like a door that’s kept either open or closed but like a fan dance, a seductive game of reveal and conceal.” This ties in the fact there is a lot of information missed by our online filters, and someone’s humanity cannot truly be tracked online.

Privacy thrives in the “between-posts” realm, all the information left out of our posts. The amount of things we share online are no match for the countless of secrets we keep to ourselves or within our own circles of people we are comfortable with. Each new post we make on the internet in fact just brings about more questions. Like where were we? when? with who? how does that effect us? how does that effect others? etc…

Moreover, the sheer inundation of posts appearing on every online platform daily decreases how much information we are getting from each other. For instance the more posts your close Facebook friends make, the less posts of other people (who are irrelevant to your life) will be seen by you. Information on others is becoming prioritized with the more amount we are giving out, and strangely enough it limits our access to all that can be seen. This creates more opportunity for users to keep up with topics we find important and miss out of the things we don’t need or even want to know. All this extreme filtering makes your info more private and less out in the open. For not everyone is going to understand the messages you are sending through your posts…
but maybe we don’t want everyone to understand. Maybe that is how we can find privacy in our online worlds today.

Oculus: Changing the World of Digital Entertainment

I remember how cool it was mastering the Play Station 1… And soon my parents had bought the handheld GameBoy Advance for my little brother. And before I could figure out how to play an xBox (or anything else for that matter), I realized these gaming systems were evolving way faster than I could imagine. And getting way more realistic at every possible opportunity.

Growing up in the internet age means that one is familiar with innovation and can expect so much from the future. And the future is coming fast! This year one company in particular is grasping the nation’s attention with its outstanding technology: virtual reality headsets.

The company is known as Oculus and it one that could and should change the world of digital entertainment forever.

Oculus has been revamping its creation over and over again this year and are starting to finish a product they can be proud of. But in all honesty, the headset is incredible. Each eye has it’s own screen dedicated to creating a more surrounding atmosphere of this virtual reality. Techies are excited about the techniques involved that tackled the problem of peripheral vision. Furthermore, sensors on the device have been another key element of the technology. These sensors are responsible for detecting movement and can use that information to create quicker responses to the way a person moves about in the virtual reality.

Virtual reality is defined as a “computer-simulated environment that can create a feeling of physical presence.” It has been the topic for science fiction novels since the 60’s and sometimes can get caught up with many negative connotations. Opponents of the successful product have a fear of how this exactly will effect the gaming community, namely… will it consume them too much?
But Oculus employees are adamant about their product and relay nothing but positivity about their company.

“[Oculus] opens up so many game play opportunities and changes fundamentally how you can develop content.”
-Nate Mitchell, VP Product (most recent promo video)

All in all one, must admit the amazing future technology like so can bring to the entertainment industry. Creativity through these platforms can only get more detailed from here! Furthermore I ran across an adorable news story and it involves our Oculus and an elderly woman.

A resourceful video game designer, Priscilla Firstenberg was devastated when she found out her grandmother was losing her ongoing battle with cancer. Even though she felt helpless to do anything for her grandma, who soon became bed-ridden, Priscilla didn’t give up thinking of ways to make her grandmother’s last months of life more bearable.
This is were our hero Oculus comes in. The young designer frequently made efforts to contact the company and after her moving story was finally heard, the company lent Grandma Firstenberg one of their virtual reality devices so she too could take a walk outside once again!

Just imagine the excitement of someone who had been born in 1924!

Tumblr beats out Facebook and Twitter when Apple finally chose to Debut

It has been common knowledge that the Facebook user population is slowly being replaced by younger people with older people. And we all know Twitter’s audience is wide-spread and often used by adults. But what about Tumblr? The sneaky little blog site that captures the attention of tweens and teens?
Turns out that this site is where Apple has decided to debut it’s social media presence. Tumblr is known for its creative features, allowing users to personalize their blogs accordingly. This is the first time that a huge brand will be infiltrating the blog site and attempt to establish themselves as someone worth following. Because Apple is known for its creative efforts and aesthetic strategy, both company’s are optimistic about their future together.

Turning Blog Traffic into Followers

When the average user is browsing through blogs and happens to come across your’s, its more than likely that person will not follow your specific but instead move on through the blog network… never to return again.
But there are simple ways to combat this abandonment, that will increase your amount of followers and improve your blog’s credibility.

The Tips:
1. Add a “Follow” button in an area that viewers will easily see right away.

I know it’s annoying sometimes to be that person that shamelessly promotes their blog on end… but there is a tasteful tactic that you can always utilize without that guilt: just place a follow button in the right area!
Its common for users to jump from topic to topic, article to article sometimes when you get distracted on the internet. Why not position yourself as a reliable source of information that your user will actually enjoy? Be there for your audience; when they are intrigued with your posts they may want more stories like so… take that opportunity to be that blog/twitter/facebook/ etc!

2. Use a pop up notification asking the user to follow you.

As long as you don’t have that pop-up music (that loads really slow on your blog) I’m sure it’d be okay with a kind little pop-up that reminds your viewer ‘Hey, I do exist! And I ‘d appreciate that follow!’ After all, why not? The individual can close it in seconds if you’re no their type, but most likely they are in the first place if they’re on your site! And I always say, embrace optimism when given the chance.

3. Make an effort to mention your Twitter handle when making new posts.

Twitter is an ever-expanding site that includes a myriad amount of users who are ready to gain followers; you are not in the minority when it comes to individuals that want to increase their follower base. Instead of being one of those who follow thousands in hopes of getting thousands of follow-backs, promote your Twitter handle on your blog! The people who end up on your blog are excited to be there for the same reasons you posted the blog int he first place. Aiming for randoms is desperate, especially when you can devote your time with people who share your same interests!

4. Promote yourself positively through offers and contest prizes!

Sounds terrifying of course if you have nothing to offer! But maybe this is why creating content is so utterly important! Once you establish yourself as a particular brand and company start promotion of that band through your blogosphere. Get visitors motivated with coupons and discounts to your blog’s store and supportive entities if possible! Freebies are fun for everyone 🙂

5. Attract more social media traffic through inciting or interactive topics.

Inciting! Interactive! Intriguing! (All ridiculously thesaurus-loving “I”- words!) Be prepared to be relevant. In a world nowadays where being “irrelevant” can be the biggest diss ever… you should be up and up on what’s trending and popular in community in order to connect your name and product with an effective tag. Don’t be boring and don’t be generic. But if you want to keep your audience happy its also important to refrain from being insensitive when it comes to serious situations that appear to be trending in the media; there’s nothing more disgusting than pushing your brand on through the utilization of tragedy. Be mindful. Don’t underestimate common sense!

Facebook group of Servicemen set out to Stop Bad Posts

So here’s a story I thought was awesome… and it includes retroactive Public Relations so its very relevant and entertaining.
Ever since a very relaxed Tariqka Sheffey posted a selfie stating she would rather lay down in her car than salute the 1700 Flag, some dedicated military members have took it upon themselves to make a difference.. and they went to Facebook to do so. The group is called “Military Social Media Idiots” and the battle does not challenge their fellow servicemen’s combat skills, but rather their intelligence.

Another poor decision by Tariqka:

In the (now viral) Instagram post, Tariqka went on in ALL CAPS (because that’s how you indicate real talk) to say “keep all your that’s so disrespectful/how rude/etc comments to yourself,” but the Military Social Media Idiots group are glad to make those comments. Bad decisions on social media are often the sources for scandal. And after noticing that some soldiers were blatantly disgracing their own uniform online, the group began with their mission of protecting the reputation of U.S. servicemen. They are not going to to be happy with any offensive material coming from Americans in uniform and have already found many who agree with them. The group has gotten followers involved with both comments and support. In fact, after just one month of operation the group scored 19,580 likes and counting. But hey, they will not rest until servicemen with bad taste do! They actively ask their fans for notification when a post by a military member comes across as profane, racially-charged, or perverted. One comment I read from a supporter (anonymous serviceman) said, “You were brought up this morning in the nco meeting. Our soldiers are terrified of yall.” Sounds like a good move by an inside-party if you ask me.

Oh, and as for our poor Tariqka?
If worst came to worst, she could be tried by a court martial (military court) for insubordination or failure to obey regulations which could cost her two years in prison. Fortunately, it is unlikely such things will take place for this young servicewoman. Instead I just hope she can learn from this experience and refrain from following her philosophy of “IDGAFFFFF” when it comes to Instagram selfies and captions (why quotes? that was part of the caption… you don’t believe me? ok, HERE.)

Don’t Let your Social Media Backfire: Be Enjoyable

It is obvious to us that social media is a crucial part of Public Relations management these days. But what can happen when this resource is overused? Can social media ruin your message if it appears in overabundance? Can you annoy your followers with posting overload? Are all these questions rhetorical?

Yes.

Experts have come up with 5 rules that any PR professional should follow to keep a positive online presence:

1. Don’t post too frequently.
2. Commit to relationships and a specific type of brand personality.
3. Keep all professional and personal accounts separate!
4. Everyone who posts needs to be aware of the company’s policies.
5. Don’t get too political. Your personal beliefs are not always on par with your followers.

And because my blog posts need to be more in depth, I will reflect on why these rules should be followed and not ignored:

1. Don’t post too frequently:

Honestly? You come off as desperate. How many times have you logged onto Facebook and had to click the “Unfollow” button because some company wants to post 8 times a day? Not every site works like Twitter… and posting too much just takes up my feed away from people and/or organizations I actually want to hear about. So take the high road and post less frequently, you don’t want your brand to be considered SPAM (augh).

2. Commit to relationships and a specific type of brand personality.

In my PR courses there is nothing repeated more than “focus on your target audience” (I swear, its every class. And now I can’t look at any brand anymore without thinking of their target market). So, with that in mind, start thinking about personifying your brand as the type of entity that your target audience would want to be friends with or would enjoy reading posts from. Candy companies aim to be goofy, energy drinks want to be bold, healthy food markets talk to you like you’re chef already… etc. But remember this goes beyond your posts as well, be aware of your brand’s endorsements and charities you support. There’s no better way to keep your followers interested.

3 & 4. Keep all professional and personal accounts separate! And everyone who posts needs to be aware of the company’s policies.

Keep accounts separate, it gives you privacy (you are not your brand, your brand is not you). Make sure anyone else who represents your brand as well is not about to send out false information or make your name look unprofessional. I don’t really think I need to explain this one but when in doubt: consult your common sense.

5. Don’t get too political. Your personal beliefs are not always on par with your followers.

This should always be a golden rule of Public Relations. Let’s face it, no one wants to hear your personal beliefs blabbered out through your brand’s social media; you’ll just sound one sided… no matter what side you’re on. There will always be customers who don’t agree with you, and that’s one simple way to lose business. Now, I’m not suggesting that you can’t have certain opinions that guide how you use your brand. But instead of getting into politics (which is usually a such a downer anyway) focus on positive influences and activity your brand engages in, like charities that make everyone happy. Build your followers up through community; don’t divide them with irrelevant banter.