"Six writing things" by Phil Gyford

The panelists include:

• David Biesack (of SAS)
• Shel Holtz (of Holtz Communication + Technology)
• Vida Killian (of Dell)
• Terry McKenzie (of Sun Microsystems)
• Jim Ylisela (of Ragan Communications)

From what I understood, the idea behind this discussion is to speak of the different ideas that are emphasized in the effectiveness of social media within a corporate setting.

Here are some of the things that are brought up:

• If every employee has a voice through their blog, who will there be to make any revisions in case of misconceptions and foul play? I believe that rather than revising and changing statements, higher-ups within the corporation should instead counter-act any foul statements made by employees. At the best, this plan would create more of a buzz for the company, and if what is being said is REALLY that bad, then the employee could simply be terminated.
• If customers are saying things, shouldn’t you be saying things back? There’s no substitute for two-way communication, if everybody else is hopping aboard that train, you need to do the same. When necessary, respond back to customers. It’s up to the corporation to decide the when’s, where’s, and how’s, but the why’s need to be definite.
• Doesn’t a blog require a commitment? Yes, it does. But there are a variety of benefits that come out of running a corporate blog. Although it’s difficult to find a concrete and tangible correlation between social media engagement and dollar signs, it is definitely worth the time. People will learn who you are if you have an established online brand. It’s as simple as that. Wouldn’t it make sense to do this if you would like for this brand to grow?

"The Open Road" by Trey Ratcliff

The first speaker was Amy Wiggins, a VP of Communications at the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. Early into her lecture, Amy told of how her religion degree has actually helped her to use critical thinking and problem solving skills in her profession at the chamber. She touched on how her work life can be hectic at times, but that’s totally fine to her, because it’s what she loves doing.

Up next was Brent Merritt of Southeastern University’s Marketing and PR department, where along with doing various things to publicize the school, he runs the various social networking sites that the school uses. Brent also writes for the Lakeland Ledger, where he covers various sporting events within Polk County. Brent told us about how he had to handle the whole gunman on campus situation earlier this month, and how different things needed to be addressed.

The biggest thing that spoke to me through what these guest lecturers were saying was that they worked very hard to get to doing what they love to do. Most of the way, they loved every bit of it. At the other times, they found different things that they’ve liked and disliked about what they were doing at the time, but they would stick through with it, because they would like to get to where they can love everything that they do.

"X cufflinks" by xharekx33

Think of the idea of working with so many other people, think of how you could collaborate with, and help (or even receive help from) others.

Think of all of the different kinds of projects going on around you. Think of the different phases of those projects. Now think of the idea of all of the professionals working on those specific projects working around you, under the same roof (save for telecommuters). This is because sometimes, you need to work with and through other to things done.

If I wanted to make something of myself in the world of public relations after my first public relations job, I would want to land a job with an already established firm.

Why? This is so that I could have something nicer to put on my resume than simply “public relations associate at ‘x’ corporation.” Instead, I could say “public relations associate at ‘x’ pr firm, having done work with projects a, b, c, and d, with (insert famed pr professional here).”

When I think of working at a pr firm, I think of how there would likely constantly be something fresh and new to work on. Imagine handling pr for a motivational speaker for a few months, and then after that, you work on a campaign for an upcoming blockbuster movie.

The firm sounds like a better idea, right?

Made this myself using MS Paint

I’m not going to get into detail on those two, as there’s this thing called the internet that can two you a thing or two about it.

But here’s the crazy thing, more than likely, you probably haven’t heard much about the Occupy movement protesting at the Super Bowl. Heck, I haven’t even heard much about it until the time of writing this. I had to do some hardcore google-ing to try to find any info on what was said and done that weekend.

So here’s the word:

There was an anti-union law passed in Indiana. Some people weren’t all too happy about it, so they peacefully protested. The catch is that this was at one of the most televised sporting events of the year.

And there was no attention given by the media. Depressing, right?

Maybe it was the ratio of protestors to attendees. It’s easy to get drowned out when there are so many others who believe in something that opposes what you believe.

Did NBC make the right choice by ignoring them? Yeah, I think that they did.

Why? Because I believe that the protestors didn’t really accomplish much, other than being a total joke.

Did this “protest” affect anybody’s view on the NFL? I wouldn’t believe so. It probably would have… If there were more than 50 protestors.

This week’s entry is about the idea of writers using social media.

"ballpoint" by zenobia_joy

Well, that’s pretty obvious, as it’s titled “10 Pro Tips for Writers Using Social Media.”

To sum it up, here is what the article says:

1.       Sign Up for the Big Networks

If you’re focusing on time and attention, focus on the bigger networks. Of course they all have their different uses, but sometimes you should stick to what others use more.

2.       Interact and Engage – Enthusiastically

Let your “voice” as writer shine through with what you say. Let your content suit the mediums that you’re using. If you’re on twitter, tweet a lot. If you’re on Facebook, post every now and then.

3.       Minimize Self-Promotion

Don’t promote every piece that you write. The author, Matt Petronzio, says “your followers don’t need constant reminders that you’re a great writer.”

4.       Consider Privacy and Comfort Levels

Realize that what you’re saying is open to the world. Realize that sometimes, not all of your Facebook friends care about your “field”.

5.       Find a Happy Medium

Don’t be all “sunshine and butterflies”, but don’t be all depressing either. You need to be professional, not just for your current followers, but for anyone who would like to work with you in the future.

6.       Make Valuable Connections

Connect with people, maybe you can learn something. Maybe any relationships that are developed could be advantageous in the future. But don’t overstuff your feed, that will make it harder to read the tidbits of info that you would want to read.

7.       Keep Up Appearances

Don’t leave your social media accounts unused for long periods of time. That’s considered to be worse than not having one at all.

8.       Aspiring Writers vs. Seasoned Writers

Both sides use social media in different ways. Aspiring writers have the opportunity to write more concisely. Seasoned writers have the opportunity to extend what’s said in their pieces.

9.       Don’t Obsess Over Number of Followers

Don’t sacrifice your identity for numbers. Just be you, and if others are interested, followers will come.

10.   Don’t Force It

If you don’t like it, don’t do it. Nothing is worse than seeing somebody try to do something that they clearly cannot do with a full effort. You can’t force passion.

I think I got a few things out of this, what about you?

Having been a fan of comics for a great part of my adolescent life, it’s easy to assume which Super Bowl commercial was my favorite. Of course I’m talking about Marvel’s new trailer for The Avengers.

What’s there not to like in this? There are things blowing up, people getting kicked and punched, dramatic music, some edge-y dialogue, oh and the more than a few of the leading characters from five of the last Marvel superhero movies that came out in the last few years.

This movie has been hyped for quite a while. There have been some hints (as well as blatant truths) revealed in the latest marvel movies, like the one at the end of Thor. Sure, time plays a big part in this, but what if this just becomes just another over-hyped let down?

This could potentially just milk money out of the wallets of hundreds of thousands of old school comic book fans, their friends, their families, their significant others. Sure there’s due to be a big turnout of casual movie fans, but there should also be a great amount of die-hard action movie fans in attendance.

Sure, there’s really not too much revealed in the dialogue of this ad, other than talk of “being hopelessly outgunned”. But there are brief clips of what appears to be UFOs and jet fighters doing battle, along with more than a few clips of superheroes such as Captain America, Hawkeye, and The Hulk (as well as others) wreaking havoc.

But isn’t that what a 1 minute trailer for an action movie should show? Something long enough to leave a lasting impression in order to motivate the audience into seeking out more info? There’s only so much time that somebody could afford to use in a Super Bowl ad, so an ad for an action movie should show what the movie does best, which is showing clips of… well, action.

"108 Glossy Black Comment Bubble Social Media Icons" by Webtreat

So after the latest PR class that covered social media, I began thinking about the different kinds of social media available to the public.  But what really got to me was the idea of all of the different types of social media. This made me want to poke around on Mashable, a social media news site, to see what is new in the world of social media.

So after looking around for a bit, I found this article on building a more social company.

I found out that this article talks of the people that work for the company, the workers that just so happen to be 24/7 representatives for the company online.

At the core, this is what the article tells readers:

Give Interactive Tutorials:
Teach workers how to use social media, and let them do what you’re teaching them to do. i.e.: Custom hashtags, and tweeting photos.

Focus on Fun Ways to Use Twitter:
Make sure that employees know how to use twitter specifically, so that they can use it in the most useful way for them, as individuals. i.e.: Tweeting about tv shows, and food.

Find Influencers Within the Company:
Find the employees that know and love social media, and give them room to use it in various creative projects. i.e.: Documenting a product launch party via Instagram.

Launch a Fun Contest or Internal Campaign:
Create contests to encourage your now social media savvy employees to use social media even more, and to have fun doing it through rewards and prizes. i.e.: turntable.fm listening parties.

Engage:
Encourage community within your employees through drawing attention towards their activity in a positive way within the workplace.

Get Creative! :
Once you’ve motivated and encouraged employees to use social media effectively, things should work out for themselves. They have the keys and a full tank, all they need to do now is just drive the car somewhere.

This all makes me think that as a customer, I would really be interested in a company that covered all of their bases, and really tried to be unique, creative, and relevant to me through social media. What does this make you think?

That’s when I remembered a conversation that I’ve had with a friend of mine about public relations. We were speaking about how difficult it must have been for a publicist to handle Michael Vick’s dog fighting fiasco.

"Eagles vs Redskins 11/15/10" by Matthew Straubmuller

So I looked around a bit, in efforts to find out how his publicist went about dealing with the problem. Eventually, I came across this article that spoke of his “winning strategy”.

This winning strategy consists of rather simple concepts:

• Reversing His Image Relating to Animals:
  Some might call it a boring cop out, but it has somehow worked out for Vick’s PR game plan. Vick has spoken against what he has done through saying things like “When I was in prison, I was disgusted, you know, because of what I let happen to those animals.” And even the rather cliché “I blame me.
• Hard Work on Vick’s End:
  Michael Vick worked hard as a football player to improve his reputation among other athletes on the field. Prior to the dog fighting incident, he wasn’t thought of very well.

What I really got out of this is that there is so much more to fixing someone’s public image than simply denouncing statements and doing charitable things. Sometimes, said person needs to do their job ethically, and well.

But then I realized I should include other search terms into the mix, search terms that are more relevant than just my name. I used my hometown, “Naples, Florida” and found so much more about myself.

I know this might sound like something a parent, teacher, or professor would say, but the crazy thing about the internet is that some things don’t just disappear or get buried under other things. Along with finding my old Zinch profile, I also found my old MySpace.  I also found a tweet that I gps tagged myself in, it read:

Kind of immature, right? At least that’s what I would think upon seeing this through the eyes of a stranger.

I dug deeper, by looking at my Facebook profile. Surprisingly, there wasn’t nearly as much as I expected there to be. I was able to see some of the pages that I “like”, my profile picture, and my timeline background picture. Not much at all.

My twitter revealed a lot, which I don’t mind at all. I live a transparent life online, I’m an open book. A lot of this has to do with how much I use my personal twitter for my business in music. I purposefully tone down my iffy tweets, as I realize that a lot of this can be seen by potential employers.

This is basically what I’ve learned about my digital brand through all of this:

• That just like in real life, I really like to speak openly about music.
• I was really immature in my past.
• It’s crazy how things change with people, and how at the same time, they don’t.
• I’m an open book.

Things I would keep:

• The music talk is great; after all, it’s who I am.
• I should really continue to reduce any statements that could get me in trouble.

Things I would change:

• I should really delete my old social networking profiles.
• I need more pictures.
• I should create a more simple email address, as well as a simpler url on my social networks.
• I should broaden my Facebook likes to more than just music and the occasional book or movie.
• There really is more to me than just music, I need to show that online.
• I need to come to a decision over my Google + account, whether I should update the info, or delete it.

I’m really glad I did this, after all, Socrates did famously state that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

Honestly, it’s a pretty interesting book. Groundswell tells the reader of how to utilize this so-called “groundswell” of social media for business and public relations. You might ask, “Just what exactly is this ‘groundswell’?”

"Mic" by billaday

The truth is that this groundswell is you, me, your friend, your friend’s friend and even their friends. The groundswell is social media online. You can’t have social media without having people, and that’s where all of us come in. By reading my very words, you’re currently participating in the groundswell.

While a lot of this book is meant for students and professionals, I believe that everyone can get something out of it. I’ve never thought so deeply of social media until I began reading this.

The chapter that I’ve been focusing on for class is called “Helping the Groundswell Support Itself.” It highlights how different businesses have saved both time and money through utilizing social media like forums, blogs, and wikis to help customers with their problems.

Let me break this down into chunks:

Forums
Have you ever had trouble with a company’s product, and had to wait for what seems like forever on the phone just to get a hold of a customer service rep? The book tells of an example of how people like to help each other so much to the point that they will go out of their way to type out advice and assistance for total strangers. The fact that these people are doing this voluntarily saves the business hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on phone calls.

Example: Dell Laptop Forums
Being that there are thousands of others who own the exact computer model as you, somebody else is bound to have already had the same computer problem that you may be dealing with at any given moment. The book’s case study tells of how consumers can save Dell plenty of time and money through giving help and looking for help through the company’s technical assistance forums.

Blogs
We already know that people like blogging, and people like responding to what others say. But what does this mean for those who want to save dollars and build brand awareness? Brands need to motivate consumers to get creative, and use blogs to build a buzz for the brand. The book tells us that this is best done through letting the consumers do it, as it will produce more organic content and opinions.

Example: ConsumerReports.org
Have you ever contemplated making a purchase, and then decided to research what others have said? Yeah, most people have at some point. This is my own example, but that’s because I’ve actually used this site to decide on my cell phone. I wouldn’t doubt the idea of brands like AT&T and Verizon looking around on here to see what consumers have said about their phones.

Wikis
Wikis are a very iffy idea, but you cannot ignore them. Wikis are great because various people can contribute to any page in order to help others gain a better understanding of what is being said. A brand created wiki could give off a fake appearance, as mentioned in the part on blogs. Brands should monitor these frequently to see what others think, and where they can improve. Brands should also be willing to edit these only for the sake of getting rid of any untrue or false statements.

Example: Wookiepedia
Star Wars is a huge franchise. There’s nothing else that can compare. Think of all of the products that are being pushed out by all of the different facets of the business. If somebody is saying something false about one of these products, such as the new movie coming out next Friday, people will develop a false perception on what is really being made. It’s the responsibility of the brand to adjust anything that is not correct. This helps consumers educate themselves in the world of Star Wars.

This chapter can all be boiled down into the idea that brands can use (rather, promote the use of) various social media mediums to allow anyone to help others with a brand’s product in some way, shape, or form.