JMPR Communication

Archive for October, 2008

Quick post tonight about the importance of claiming you user name all over social media land.  Go do it!

Oh and the stars?  Yeah, that’s because finding all the social media sites in one place like this?  HEAVEN.  Now if only claiming personal brand could be done with less clicks…

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“There is no such thing as off the record.”

If you’ve ever worked with a PR person, sat near a PR person or know someone who knows a PR person, you’ve heard this message loud and clear.  Yet, throughout my career, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people utter the phrase, “This is off the record, but…”

Gaahh!

So I was not at all surprised today to find out that approximately 10% of college admissions officers consider social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace when considering who makes the collegiate cut.  Check out the msnbc video that addresses the subject: Here.

Most adults participating in social networking communities probably won’t find it surprising that while a page from a social network won’t get you into college, its content could be a deciding factor in your rejection from the school of your choice.  Adults deal with this all the time when applying to jobs.  Most adults have learned to put their most professional face forward, leaving fun/inappropriate sites anonymous.

Shockingly, as savvy as most high school students are, many don’t know the repercussions their online lives can have on their real life.  Last month I spoke to a few High School classes.  I asked them two key questions:

• Is there anything on your Facebook or Myspace page you wouldn’t want your parents/teachers to see?
• Do you think that content could effect you in the future,  professionally or personally?

Nearly all of the students had something on their social networking pages they didn’t want seen, and none had thought through the repercussions of that content. 

I believe that part of our responsibility as members of social media communities is to educate the youth about how to use social media… and what content should be “off the record” and never posted.

Off the top of my head, important items for high school seniors to have on their social networking sites include:

• Honors clubs and educational activities
• Sports of interest
• Listing of jobs, if applicable
• Volunteer activities
• Clean/appropriate photos with friends participating in educational/family/sports related activities
• A blog, if well written, spell checked and grammar checked, focused on an application-safe passion.

High School seniors should be careful of the following social networking site mistakes:

• Spelling errors
• Inappropriate photos
• Content demonstrating a passion for partying
• Speaking negatively about anyone
• Inappropriate comments from friends
• Sending inappropriate comments to their friends

The way I see it, social networks are quickly becoming the “non-application.”  Whether we as a society like it or not, we have a responsibility to put our best face forward on our pages.  If you post it, expect it will be read.

And remember: There is no such thing- anywhere- as off the record.

Pet Peeve: I’m hearing a lot of talk about “new media,” and how it’s revolutionizing x, y and z.   I think it’s important that we as a community draw a distinction between what NEW media is and what SOCIAL media is. (And then, that we all stick to the messaging.)

There is no site I trust in the world for defining EVERYTHING more than Wikipedia.  Wikipedia defines themselves as “The free encyclopedia that everyone can edit.”  So I am using social media (or new media?) to define what this stuff all is.  PERFECT.

• New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century.
• Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.

So for everyone that thinks Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc. is NEW Media- look again.  These are Internet tools that help us share information with each other. Every time you use or talk about a “tool” you should be referring to your activities under the umbrella of Social media.

Bottom line? New media LED US to social media.  And really, new media is SOOOO 1999.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback!

One of the fundamental problems I’ve had with Twitter is that it’s hard to keep track of the influx of posts. People have a lot to say, don’t they? I find some of the information infinitely helpful to my own business objectives. Some of the tweets amuse me. And frankly, some of the information I receive is deletable.

Like many social media folk, I would rather have too much information at my fingertips than not enough- but I found myself asking: How am I going to track all these tweets to find what’s important to ME?

Tracking Tools:
The first tool I found to help me sort my tweets out was TweetDeck. I’ve noticed Twitterers use a plethora of tools, but this one works best for me as I can sort my friends into groups, and see my @replies and direct messages in separate columns. Being able to see all of my @replies means that I can keep up with everyone who tweets a message to me, even those that I don’t follow!

Even with TweetDeck, though, I found that I was not able to discover everyone who was talking about me, or the companies I was interested in. What if someone discussed me on Twitter, but typed it wrong? If that happened, I would not receive the @reply notification on TweetDeck. (For example: JenMitch posted about Tracking Twitter Buzz today.) I would stumble on these kinds of Tweets now and then, and wondered how many more I was missing.

Last week I discovered Tweetbeep. Tweetbeep is to Twitter what Google Alerts is to the Internet. Tweetbeep helps you keep track of conversations that mention you, your products, your company, your competitors, your prospective clients, ANYTHING! Tweetbeep even enables you to keep tabs on mentions of your blog/Website regardless of the usage of shortened URLs. It’s Twitter-stalking in the best, coolest, most productive form ever!

Managing Your Twitputation (Yeah, I made that up)
Twitter is a great forum to share with the world what you think about… anything! As a result, many don’t understand what a powerful networking took Twitter can be if utilized appropriately. In my 5 months on Twitter I have:

• Discovered niche networking events
• Tweeted the ongoings from my (old employers) own niche industry event
• Found the coolest VIP parties
• Talked to people I have never met about my resume
• Referred business from one friend to another
• Partnered with people I have never met before on business deals
• Learned that the San Diego Twitter folks, despite our proximity to Mexico, have a serious Sushi addiction
• And more…

I never expected that Twitter would be more than a way to say- hey! Check out this press release! Or, hey! Where can I get the best sushi in town? (Sushi Ota.)

I believe that managing your reputation, and gaining the most possible out of Twitter is comprised of a few key things:

• Reply. It’s good PR to respond to @replies. Not all @replies deserve response, but if you think you could build a connection or generate interesting conversation it’s a MUST. (@replies that are mean-spirited do not require response.)
• Send a direct message (DM) now and then. You know, to the people you would like to meet in real life, you admire and would like to thank for following you, etc.
• Know what’s being said about you. Keep tabs on what people are saying about you, your company, your products, etc. via tools like TweetBeep and TweetDeck. If someone gives you or your company a Twitter shout-out, be sure to thank them on the public timeline.
• Be nice. My dad told me when I was a kid that, “it’s nice to be nice.” Seriously, no one wants to see you play out some kind of high school drama on Twitter. If you have drama, keep it on the DM. (Haha, groan.) Otherwise, play nice in the online sandbox.
• Most importantly, remember, no one HAS to follow you. Bearing in mind that your friends can come and go, stay relevant, lend a hand, share, and be interesting. Hey! That’s just like real life, isn’t it?