Are advertising services invading SM sites?

Ethics in Social Media

There usually comes a point every semester where, conveniently, many or all of my classes seem to focus on one similar topic. Right now, between my ethics in mass communication, PR/advertising law, PR online tactics and argumentative prose classes, the topic of ethics in social media is being discussed quite frequently.

I’ve also started to notice a lot more attention from the media surrounding this issue, especially since the FTC announced its decision to create a new set of regulations for advertising – more specifically, endorsements and testimonials – being done through blogs, Twitter and other social networking sites.

The FTC is cracking down on SM marketing

The FTC’s “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Revealed 

These new regulations from the FTC covering the use of social media and word of mouth marketing are laid out in a complex, 81-page document. But Andy Sernovitz, an expert in word of mouth marketing, does a pretty good job of summarizing the guidelines in his recent blog post, “What do the ‘FTC Guides re: the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials’ mean for Social Media Marketers?” Here are a few of the highlights he points out:

Three Guides for Safe Social Media Outreach: 

1. Require disclosure and truthfulness in social media outreach.
2. Monitor the conversation and correct misstatements.
3. Create social media policies and training programs.

Social media posts are considered sponsored advertising messages and are regulated by the FTC if they meet certain conditions.

When deciding if a post should be considered an advertising message (an “endorsement”), the FTC will look at whether the writer:

• is compensated (cash or in-kind) by the marketer or a third party
• has an ongoing relationship with the marketer
• participates in a word of mouth marketing program that provides products to review publicly
• receives similar products or services regularly, or expects to in the future

You must require disclosure and truthfulness from anyone who participates in your social media programs and train them how to do it, and the disclosure must be meaningful.

Disclosure must be “clear and conspicuous” — understandable to the “average consumer.” This has always been the FTC standard.

Endorsements must be based on real experiences.

Many marketers miss a key concept in staying safe: “Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser” (emphasis added).

This means that you should never ask bloggers to write a post about a product they have not actually used. In fact, you are required to stop an endorsement that is being run if an endorser stops using your product.

Companies must monitor the conversation and correct misstatements.

The FTC says that if you start a campaign to encourage endorsements in social media, you are responsible for monitoring and cleaning up any problems.

A marketer presumably would not have initiated the process that led to endorsements being made in these new media had it not concluded that a financial benefit would accrue from doing so. Therefore, it is responsible for taking the appropriate measures to prevent those endorsements from deceiving consumers.

So, What’s the Issue?

This past weekend, the New York Times ran an article about companies that are hiring tweeters and bloggers to do their advertising for them. As I’ve pointed out before, one of the most valuable benefits of social media sites is the fact that they allow companies’ consumers to promote their brands for them. But when businesses go as far as paying influential bloggers and tweeters significant amounts of money to promote their products, when does this cross the line?

In the NY Times article, author Brad Stone noted that, “For the most popular celebrities and bloggers on Twitter, such advertising can generate a surprisingly sizable payday. Ad.ly and Izea, which run a service called Sponsored Tweets, say celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Dr. Drew and the musician Ernie Halter can earn up to $10,000 by sending a single message to their hundreds of thousands of followers.”

Stone went on to explain that, “One problem is that many Internet users eschew the idea of these ads, saying they commercialize authentic dialogue and undermine people’s credibility.”

Closing Thoughts

In order to maintain consumers’ trust while capitalizing on the advertising opportunites SM sites have to offer, many of these ad services are promoting the use of standards in their businesses, often requiring clear disclosure, such as Sponsored Tweets’ ethical guidelines, which state:

SponsoredTweets.com facilitates an open relationship between our Tweeters and Advertisers. The Tweeters that engage in a sponsored tweets program are required to disclose their relationship with marketers in their communications with other consumers. Our platform programmatically requires disclosure from all participants, applying standards and compliance system wide.

However, I am still a little wary of the fact that some of the influential people I choose to follow on Twitter could be receiving large sums of money in exchange for promoting a product or brand that they may not even use. These ad services can promote their ideals of transparency and honesty all they want, but it still seems a little shady to me that my “friend” could get paid $200 just to tweet about customized M&M’s.

In the long run, does it really matter that it’s being disclosed that the message is actually an ad? The message is still being put out there and people are still reading it.

How do you feel about the use of SM sites as advertising channels? If this activity continues to grow, will these sites lose credibility in your opinion? Would you participate in this type of advertising if given the opportunity? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts…

This past Friday, I attended the Greater Cleveland PRSA Student Day, titled “Get Social. Link Into Your Professional Network.” It was a long day – I was waking up to get ready as my roommate was getting home from a night out – but it was well worth it. The day consisted of PR professionals from around Northeast Ohio speaking about everything from agency and corporate life to what not to write in your resume and what shoes not to wear to a job interview.

My favorite part of the day, however, was the session titled “Event Planning 2.0.” Professionals from event planning businesses in Cleveland spoke to us about how they incorporate social media into their planning processes. I found these practitioners’ use of social media very interesting and wanted to share a little about what I learned from each of them.

metromix.com

Metromix is a relatively new company that has offices in over 30 popular U.S. cities, which serve as “your one-stop local entertainment guide on where to go and what to do, from the hottest restaurants and bars, to the latest in events, music, movies, style, and TV.”

Erica Wilke, the marketing, promotion and events coordinator for Metromix Cleveland, spoke about how she implemented a social media campaign to promote one of her company’s events – the Metromix Dating Game.

• Photos are the #1 traffic driver to the site, since people love to see pictures of themselves and their friends out having a good time. So, when thinking of ways to promote the Dating Game, Wilke said she automatically thought of social media.
• Wilke and her team posted pictures of all the Bachelor and Bachelorette candidates with short profiles describing themselves and what they look for in a partner, and then let viewers vote on who they wanted to see compete for love.
• After the winners were chosen, Metromix posted a private photo shoot of the two lucky singles on the site and told viewers how and where they could get a shot at love with them.
• The winners each created a Twitter account to promote the Metromix Dating Game. They tweeted often, in order to create buzz about the upcoming event. Wilke said the social media campaign worked great because she didn’t have to do any extra work, the bachelor and bachelorette did all of the social media promotions for her.
• After the event, Metromix posted two albums full of pictures from the night – which turned out to be a very fun and successful evening.

Party411.com

Party411.com is a party planning guide with ideas for all occasions – and I mean all occasions. Founded in 1997 by “The Ultimate Party Girl” Sherri Foxman, the site now includes over 20,000 pages of party ideas and receives one million unique visitors per month.

Foxman said, “We recently started using social media to brand ourselves as fun.” Here’s how:

• Party 411′s Facebook page has status updates that include party ideas for every day of the year.
• Multiple photo albums prove how fun and creative the party planners can be, and make party planning tips easier for viewers to understand – by seeing examples instead of just reading about them.
• “Fun T-shirt Friday” lets fans choose which Party 411 employee’s shirt they like the best, allowing users to connect with the company’s employees on a more personal level.
• On the company’s blog, The Daily Party Dish, Foxman dishes about the week’s celebrations and the distractions that came with them.
• The site hosts contests where participants receive extra entries for promoting the site and its parties on SM sites. For example, the company created a SM campaign where customers were asked to create a commercial for the site and post it on YouTube for a chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl.

Downtown Cleveland Alliance

Downtown Cleveland Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a dynamic downtown. It is committed to making downtown Cleveland the most compelling place to live, work, play and visit in the region.

Josh Taylor, the organization’s public relations manager, gave some great insights on what he’s learned about social media. Here are a few of his tips:

• Take stock of who you are as an organization and who you’re trying to reach before you jump into social media because it is very time consuming.
• Once you start using social media applications, don’t stop. You and your company will lose credibility if your last tweet says, “I love fireworks in July,” and it’s halfway through November.
• Figure out what works in your environment and what works for your target audience.
• Your social media relationships are like a good marriage. I love my wife, I know what she likes and who she is. Get to know your audience as well as you’d want to know your spouse. You can try to communicate with your audience through any channel but if you don’t know what they like, there will be a disconnect.

Closing Thoughts

Event planning has always been an area of public relations that I have been interested in, but I have also recently discovered my passion for learning about the advancements in social media and how they are impacting the public relations industry. For that reason, I found these speakers’ presentations about incorporating social media applications into the event planning process very interesting and inspiring.

It seems to me that social media is now being used in almost every aspect of PR – from agency to health care to crisis control. How do you use social media in your public relations efforts, for both school and work?

Embrace Your Social Networks!

If you’re active on any social networking site, chances are you’re no stranger to those annoying users that just don’t get it. You know, the guy who tweets about what he just had for lunch. The girl who changes her Facebook status to a different Sex and the City quote every five seconds. The person promoting his or her organization/brand relentlessly, yet is only following three people, who pretty much is saying, “Hey! Look at me and what I’m doing! But I don’t care about any of you!”

Although I’m new at this whole social networking thing and still not quite sure what I’m doing, I have caught on pretty quickly as to what I shouldn’t be doing. Below I’ve listed some of my own insights about social networking I’ve discovered over these past few months, as well as some tips I found on Social Web School.com last week that help me understand the proper ways to network online.

1. Write conversationally. Be yourself. Humor is your friend. In an online environment you still need to remain professional, but you can stretch your legs a little. People want to know you are a living, breathing person with a life and a sense of humor.
2. Fill out your online profiles fully. Let people get to know you. Take the time to update your profiles regularly. People want to know who they are conversing with, and by giving that information upfront, your messages are more likely to get a response. And you’re less likely to be considered a spammer – or a creepy stalker.
3. Give, give, give. Follow the rule, “give more than you get.” People are more willing to help people that help others. While listening is important, joining in on the conversation is essential. Retweet interesting info. Post articles from others on Facebook. Give credit where credit is due.
4. Listen. There is no “U” in networking. Online networking isn’t just about spreading your message and pushing your personal agenda. Listen to what others are saying and respond, even if it doesn’t align completely with your goals. Participation makes others remember you and value your opinion.
5. Show your face. Photos matter and make the experience more personal. Everybody wants to put a face with the name. A headshot works best. Your main profile picture should be just of you – an appropriate picture of you.
6. Be consistent. Regularly update your profiles with information – again, not just pitches about you, but also with information that will help and interest your network.
7. Meet your online connections face to face. Solidify your online business relationships by connecting beyond the computer screen. Meet for coffee, lunch or dinner. Attend networking events when you’re able. Connect with your contacts on a more personal level to create a bond and establish trust. These types of relationships can open doors to opportunities that previously may have been beyond your reach.
8. Connect with your offline connections in your online networks. As part of the follow-up process, make it a habit to connect in your online social networks to the people you meet offline.
9. Have fun! The forums can be a great place to share funny or odd e-mails from external sources, interesting articles and anything that seems noteworthy, from not only a business level but a personal level. These types of posts can entertain, educate and hopefully cause some laughter. It shows strength of character, to be able to let loose and have fun while maintaining your professionalism.
   

   Once Again...Don't Be THAT Guy

Do you have any tips to add? How do you make sure you’re utilizing your social networks properly? What shouldn’t SM users be doing?

Facebook SUCKS?!

As I flipped through the Daily Kent Stater last week, the advertisement above caught my attention – for more than one reason. First of all, I thought it was odd that I found an advertisement in a college newspaper claiming that Facebook sucks, considering almost all of the college students I know are borderline addicted to the site. Secondly, when I think of Facebook I personally don’t relate it to my parents, or old people, whatsoever. And thirdly, I find it hard to believe that college students make up only 30 percent of the Facebook community. But, that’s all besides the point. This ad caught my eye and made me curious enough to check out CollegiateNation.com for myself. After registering and exploring the site for a while, I found it to be pretty interesting. So, expanding on my previous post, I thought I’d share a little info about this new SM site and how CollegiateNation.com could be another useful social media outlet for college students, and only college students.

What Is It?

CollegiateNation.com is the first and only independent, uncensored and private community exclusively for college students, also known as “The Student-Exclusive Superpower.” Collegiate Nation began as an idea by a former Kent State University student (take that Harvard!) and implemented by an alumna of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The site is 100 percent student controlled and student supported. There are strict guidelines regarding who can register on the site. Users must be college students between the ages of 18 and 30 and must provide a valid college e-mail address or student ID number upon registration. At the end of the registration process, the site cleary outlines just how serious it is about keeping CN strictly a college network:

WARNING to University faculty, staff, and other persons with an “edu” address who are not students: Our Terms and Conditions stipulate that fraudulently representing yourself and infiltrating this website constitutes an UNLAWFUL ACT subject to prosecution. We retain the right to ask anyone with an “edu” address to also upload their student ID in the future.

What Makes It Different?

The biggest difference I see between this site and other social networking sites deals with the site’s privacy controls. Amidst the recent controversy surrounding Facebook privacy controls and how internet data is being stored more permanently, CollegiateNation.com promises premium privacy by allowing each student to retain total control and ownership of all personal data and site submissions. In other words, “What’s Yours, Stays Yours.”

Another big difference is that this site is not completely free. Users can sign up at no cost as “Contributors,” giving them access to the site but with reduced privileges, such as restricted access to the site’s entertainment areas. In order to receive full site access, users must become “Citizens,” requiring them to pay a $6 fee each month or a discounted price of $45 a year. Students are asked to pay a fee to replace the need for advertisements because, according to CN’s creators, ”when corporations inject advertising dollars into any organization, they gain influence. Censorship and control is never far behind. At CN our only focus is You. Our goal is to make sure every college student has the opportunity to communicate freely, be entertained and openly express opinions, whatever they may be, free of outside financially-linked judgments.” The site doesn’t allow any type of data mining, user tracking, or any other technology where advertisers can monitor people and their viewing patterns.

What’s In It For Us?

So, what would make college students want to sign up, and potentially pay for, yet another social media site that upon first glance seems to be nothing more than a combination of Facebook, YouTube and online news? Below is a brief list of what the site has to offer:

• Strict controls on who can join the Nation. Premium privacy.
• A platform for you to exercise power and influence others through your stories, videos, photos, opinions and insights.
• A central location for all collegiate-related news, entertainment, communication and media sharing.
• A respected news source completely reported and produced by college students, where YOU become an instant Citizen Journalist.
• A focal point to promote your new music, new writing, new art forms, new ideas and create the future you want.
• Creative and fun on-line competitions.
• The world’s only dedicated collegiate brand that represents the individual identity of every collegiate student, no matter what you are studying or where.
• A company literally governed by the wishes of its collegiate community.

You can find an extended list of CN’s benefits here.

Closing Thoughts

I think that this site is a very interesting concept, giving students a place to learn from and network with each other; a place where we become the media and can decide what’s newsworthy to us. I especially like the fact that I have the ability to completely control who sees my information and can post anonymously if I’d like. However, I’m a little concerned that this site won’t be able to follow through on its promise to not sell out to big corporate advertisers. I’m also not sure if I’m willing to pay a fee in order to access all the areas on the site, even though it is such a small amount, when there are plenty of other social networks available for free.

Nonetheless, I’m curious to see whether or not Collegiate Nation will succeed. Have you heard about this site? Would you be willing to pay a small fee for complete site access? Do you think this site has the potential to become more popular than Facebook among college students? I’m interested in hearing your opinions, so please feel free to speak your mind!

What can SM do for us?

As social media sites become more and more popular all over the world, it seems as if I hear about a new site launching almost every day. One of the problems I struggle with is trying to decide which sites I should be registered with and how to use each one to my advantage. I just don’t see the logic in signing up for 50 different sites if I’m not going to use them properly, or at all. It’s just like the advice a PR pro would give to a CEO wanting to create a company blog: Don’t ever make a “let’s make a blog” blog, and don’t sign up for social media sites just because everyone else is doing it.

College students are typically not strangers to the social networking world. After all, Facebook was originally created just for us; it took years for the site to become open to the public. But just because we’ve become pros at “Facebook stalking” doesn’t mean that we understand how to properly use any other SM sites, especially when it comes to advancing our professional goals. So, I wanted to focus this post on finding social media sites that are the most beneficial to college students. Through my research, I found an article on Mashable.com that outlines the 10 Must-Try Social Media Sites for College Students. All of the sites listed can help students to network, collaborate, communicate, and make the daily college tasks a bit easier – for free! Here are a few of my favorite discoveries:

1.  Cramster

This site serves as an online study community “where you can find real help from students, educators, and subject enthusiasts.” Users can ask questions 24/7, work through practice problems, view textbook solutions, submit study resources and find study tips on the site’s blog.

You can also customize the site to fit your schedule. Cramster offers a Facebook app, Courses 2.0, that enables you to enter the courses you’re taking to see which of your Facebook friends will be in your classes. It also lists the books you’ll need so that you can find people to share with or buy used books once you’re done with them. I wish I would have learned about this site earlier on in my college career!

2. InternshipRatings

Whether or not your major requires you to complete an internship before graduation, I would recommend that all college students experience at least one. They serve as great tools for students to acquire some “real world” experience before it’s actually time to enter that big, bad world. But since there’s always that chance you won’t learn anything more than your supervisor’s Starbucks order or how to work the office copy machine, InternshipRatings.com can be used to avoid those problems.

This site is full of reviews from students who have already completed internships all over the country. By filling out a quick and easy survey, students can help each other find internships with real value and to eliminate the ones that will be a waste of time.

 3. GradeFund

Gone are the days when seeing your mom hang your assignment on the refrigerator was enough satisfaction for getting a good grade. In my opinion, the blood, sweat, tears and lack of sleep that are put into acing my college papers and exams deserve a much bigger reward. Something along the lines of a check with my name on it.

At GradeFund.com that dream is made a reality. Sponsors donate money to students just for receiving good grades. All you have to do is upload your academic transcript at the end of each semester and once the site verifies it, you’ll get paid. This site is a great alternative to high interest loans or the tedious task of applying for hard-to-get scholarships. It also serves as a great way to get recognized by future employers as a bright and hardworking young professional. Because in my opinion, GPAs are too often overlooked in the job pursuit.

 4. Twitter

Although Twitter was not created specifically for use by college students, it is a tool that can be used to substantially benefit us at this point in our lives. It’s a great way to network with professionals, stay updated on current news, trends and ideas in many different industries, engage in important conversations and share content. In Spinks’ post he gives some helpful tips for college students using Twitter.

Twitterers recommended for students to follow:

@heatherhuhman – Tweets helpful information to those seeking internships and entry level jobs.

@careerealism – Career experts tweet career advice in response to questions sent in by readers.

@sweetcareers – Great tips for college students and job seekers.

@findinternships – Informative resource for those looking for internships.

You can also search these hashtags:

                #college : The college blog network

                #job advice : General job search advice

                #printern : PR internship openings

                #entry PR : Tips for PR grads

Closing Thoughts

These four sites represent only a small segment of the applications available today that can be helpful to students. I believe it is extremely important for college students, especially those pursuing careers in public relations and mass communication, to begin utilizing these social media tools sooner rather than later. Not only do they allow us to connect, network and build relationships with other young professionals and future employers, but it will give us an advantage over our competition when we’re searching the job market if we already know how to use these tools to our company’s and/or clients’ advantage.

My advice would be to research and try out a few different sites until you find the ones that suit you the best. Like I’ve said before, outline your goals and objectives first, and then implement the use of social media outlets as tactics to meet those objectives. Ask yourself what you want these social media sites to do for you.

What other social media sites are useful for college students? How would you advise that we use these sites to further our education/careers?

How do you PINK?

When Fathom SEO Senior Account Executive Dominic Litten visited our class last week to talk about search engine optimization and the use of social media in public relations, he mentioned a best practices example that stuck in my mind: Victoria’s Secret.

Victoria’s Secret is a brand that we all know and love, some more than others I’m sure, but I think VS is a company that appeals in some way to almost everyone, even all you boys out there.

But as a female college student, I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the creation of the Victoria’s Secret PINK line made my life a lot more, well, pink – while simultaneously causing my bank account to drop significantly closer to the red (even my bed is completely covered in PINK merchandise). There’s just something about this brand that’s addicting, like I can’t ever have enough.

Plus, I’m pretty sure that this clothing line single-handedly made wearing your pajamas to class fashionably acceptable, and for that I am eternally grateful. I doubt that you’d be able to walk across any college campus nowadays without seeing at least five girls with PINK written across their behinds. We’re all walking, talking advertisements!

What’s PR Got To Do With It?

The VS PINK line was designed specifically with the younger, college-aged generation in mind. And what do we college kids like to do when we’re supposed to be studying, paying attention in class, or accomplishing a million other, more productive things? Why, we play on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube of course! And the people over at Victoria’s Secret know this. That’s why their social media campaign works so well.

Referring back to my previous post, it’s obvious that those VS PR folks asked themselves how they could successfully put social media to work for this brand. They know their audience. They know where their audience lives online. They know what they want to say to their audience. Here are a few examples of how they’re doing it (and doing it well):

VSPINK.com

vspink.com

The official PINK Web site is just that – very pink. But it’s inviting, and easy to navigate. It includes very visible links at the bottom of the homepage that connect you to the line’s Facebook, Twitter and Mobile Apps sites so that customers can easily jump from one social media app to another.

What’s special about this site is the highly-interactive PINK Nation page, an online membership club that offers shopping incentives and rewards for those who can’t get enough of all that VS PINK has to offer. The exclusive club offers members-only discounts, events, contests, information and much more – all of which can be sent via e-mail or text, constantly reminding customers about the brand. Members can even nominate their college or university for a chance to have their school represented on VS PINK merchandise (KSU Boyfriend pants anyone?).

Facebook

I personally am a huge fan of Facebook. What I’m not a fan of, however, are the Facebook fan pages. I just don’t really see the point in most of them. For example, how did the Pringles page become the #2 fan page in all of Facebook land (with 2,796,221 fans)? I mean, you either like the chips or you don’t. Watching videos involving Pringles can only be funny for so long.

Victoria’s Secret, on the other hand, has put together a fan page that’s smart and benefits both the customer and the company. This page is very similar to the PINK Web site, but seeing as how the brand’s demographic aligns exactly with the demographic that is most active on Facebook, customers are just as likely to visit this page as they are the official site. Here, fans and VS employees can connect with one another through wall post discussions, sharing their favorite photos, uploading their own personal PINK videos and so on. It’s social media marketing at it’s finest, allowing the fans to generate content and do the marketing for you.

Twitter

With nearly 5,000 followers, the VS PINK Twitter account, @TeamVSPINK, serves as another great way for the company to reach its target audience. The account is run by the brand’s two interns: young, college-aged girls (sound familiar?) who the line’s key publics can most likely relate to.

I like the fact that the company is honest about who is doing the tweeting, not hiring interns to “ghost tweet” for the CEO. The two girls update the account multiple times a day, “making sure you’re the first to know about all things PINK.”

YouTube

A variety of videos are regularly posted on YouTube to give fans of the brand a behind-the-scenes look into the world of VS PINK. Here is a segment from the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show:

Closing Thoughts

Victoria’s Secret is a great example of a company that is successfully using social media outlets to increase brand awareness, attract customers and create internet buzz. VS has taken the time to get to know its customers and really connect with them. Other companies can benefit by looking to this SM strategy for ideas and inspiration.

What other businesses are successfully utilizing social media tools? Do any other examples come to mind?

Courtesy of coedhills.co.uk

Now that we all understand what social media outlets are and how they differ from traditional media, let’s take a brief look at how these SM applications are being used in PR (I say brief because there’s enough information out there to be on this topic for days).

Before the days of e-mail and the internet, public relations professionals built relationships through personal letters, face-to-face communication and social networking events that actually required the physical presence of human beings. Press releases and press conferences served as the fastest and most cost-effective ways to spread information to large audiences. But those days are long gone.

Don’t get me wrong, the traditional media outlets are still being used in the public relations business, just not nearly as much. In today’s world, social media releases, vodcasts and 140-character status updates have taken over.

But when it comes to utilizing social media in a PR sense, it’s really as simple as this: SM outlets are helping practitioners do what they do best even better – communicate.

By taking advantage of these online tools, PR professionals can connect with the right people and avoid annoying the wrong ones. They can reach their key audiences in the places they live, via Facebook groups, YouTube videos, Twitpics; the list goes on and on.

But practitioners beware; just because there are new methods of communication available, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be just as easily abused (e.g., “blast” e-mailings and poorly targeted pitches). Technology and software writer Esther Schindler addresses this idea in an article posted on her blog You’re the Boss. She says:

I fear that online communities are just as likely to be used poorly as are the other, older methods of PR. Because PR done well doesn’t change, even if the communication medium does; and PR done poorly quickly becomes spam to the wrong recipient, no matter which medium is used.

For example, it doesn’t work to e-mail thousands of press releases and to hope that three of them land well; why will it work any better to tweet about what a client did or to post it on digg?

Do you think that social media sites are helping professionals to better connect with their key publics? Or do you think they’re just making the situation worse, by allowing PR practitioners to “blindly” send out mass amounts of information at the click of a mouse?

How to Use Social Media the Right Way

Don't be THAT guy

In order to properly use SM outlets to connect with your key audiences, you need to first decide who you want to talk to and what you want to say. I found an interesting post on the Communication Overtones blog about the 5 Ws of Social Media Strategy that can help you to do just that. Before you start broadcasting your company’s/organization’s/clients’ names all over every social media site out there, try to focus your efforts by asking yourself these five questions:

1. WHO are you trying to reach? Narrow down your audiences so that it is easier to find and connect with them. Don’t assume that everyone uses the same social networking sites. There have been plenty of studies that show who’s using what and when. Use those results to your advantage.
2. WHAT are your objectives? What are you trying to accomplish? Always keep those thoughts at the forefront of your mind. It is easy to get off topic when there are so many conversations going on around the Web. Keep your messages focused, keep them relevant. This will help you to maintain a steady following made up of the people you want to communicate with.
3. WHERE do these people hang out online? This refers back to question number one. DO YOUR RESEARCH. It may be time-consuming, but it will pay off in the long run.
4. WHEN and HOW is the best time and way to reach them? Is this sounding repetitive? Maybe a little, but it’s crucial that you think about these things. What’s the point of putting your message out there if the right people never see it?
5. WHY will they care about what you have to say? What is the value that you bring to the table and the conversation? Listen to what your key publics are talking about. Find out what interests them and then think about ways you can relate to those interests. It’s always nice to hear feedback regarding your tweets, comments, blog posts, etc. If you want people to listen to what you have to say, make sure you’re returning the favor.

What other questions do you think are important to consider when putting together a social media strategy? Do social media strategies differ from the strategies used in traditional media campaigns?

Courtesy of newpaltz.k12.ny.us

So, here it is. My first attempt at ”diving in” to the blogosphere – yet one more realm of the social media world that I have yet to master, or even try.

Facebook I can handle, but I use it more for friends and fun than I do for business and learning. Now, I am ready and willing to get my feet wet (hence the “diving in”…haha!) with some of the other SM applications out there being used to network and communicate within the PR world, and beyond.

But before I drown in a sea of widgets, tweets and notifications, I’d like to first get a grasp on what social media really is and how it relates to public relations.

What exactly is social media?

That’s a good question. The term “social media” seems to be everywhere lately, especially if you’re a student in Kent State’s JMC School. Not that it’s a bad thing – it’s actually the complete opposite. I’m thankful that our professors are providing us with the information and skills we need to become competitive candidates in our fields. You see, in today’s world of journalism and mass communication, if you don’t understand the ins and outs of social media and networking, you aren’t going to get very far.

But for as much as it’s talked about, it is still hard to pin down one solid definition for this new age term. After sorting through a few jargon-and-tech-talk-filled descriptions, I came across one definition on Joseph Thornley’s blog, Pro PR, that explained the idea of social media in an easier language:

Social media are online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests.

That sums it up pretty well, I think. But as I continued to research the background of social media, I came across another interesting perspective. In a post conveniently titled “What is social media?” on another blog devoted to SM, scobliezer.com, the author suggests that the best way to understand a new media is to compare it with what’s come before.

So, let’s try. Take a look at the media you have lying around your house, “traditional media” as we PR people like to call it. You most likely have some of the following:

Paper Airplanes: The future use of traditional media?

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• TV
• Radio
• Books

You get the picture. Now, compare those traditional media outlets to social media outlets (such as this blog, Facebook and Twitter). What are the key differences between them? Here are a few that Scobliezer points out:

1. The “old media” above can’t be changed. A newspaper can’t magically change its stories, even if society decides something in them is incorrect. My blog can be updated for all readers nearly instantly if someone demonstrates that I was wrong on a post.
2. You can interact with my blog. You can leave a comment. With the above you can’t interact at all.
3. You can get some sense of the popularity of my stuff in real time. How many comments does each post get? How many links does each post get? None of the media listed above gives you a clue about the granular popularity of any of the items, until much later after best seller lists are published.
4. With the “new media” you can look at my archives and see all posts. Try doing that with a newspaper. Yeah, you can, if you pay a fee. But it’s not as easy as it is here.
5. Here on my blog I can mix media. A post could contain text, audio, video, or photos. Not so on newspaper or magazines.
6. Here on my blog I don’t need to convince a committee to publish. Not true with other media forms. Imagine you walked into CNN and said “Hey, I have some cool video, can you publish it?”
7. The new media is infinite. The media above all has limitations in terms of either length (a TV station only has 24 hours in a day — over on YouTube, I guarantee they publish a lot more than 24 hours of video in a day) or in quantity (try to convince USA Today to publish a 40,000 word article, or 500 articles on the same topic).
8. The new media is syndicatable and linkable and easily reused. I can link to your media here, for instance, a few seconds after you publish it. Try doing THAT with any of the above media.

That’s a pretty comprehensive list distinguishing the differences between social media and traditional media, which also clearly outlines the benefits that SM brings to both the communicators and the audience. To sum it up, here is my own shortened definition of what social media means to me:

Social media outlets serve as interactive, up-to-date ways of reaching large audiences in real time, while encouraging the use of citizen journalism and two-way communication, with no restrictions on space or time.

Now, if you’re still having trouble grasping the idea, try comparing social media to ice cream… : )