JMPR Communication

Archive for June, 2009

So this is a rub off the NBA’s slogan, but I absolutely love the fact that today’s professional athletes (and to be honest it’s mainly NBA players) are loving what Twitter offers them. As a society we always say, “We never really know who these celebs are.” While it’s true that we don’t see them on a daily basis, it’s fantastic to see their personalities shine through Twitter. You get a sense of “who they are” based on their tweets.

Twitter and the NBA: Image by BRMurray

I was glued to the television during the NBA Finals, which my beloved Los Angeles Lakers were taking on the Orlando Magic, and I was on Twitter like clockwork about 30 minutes after each game to “get a feel” for how the players were really feeling. Players like @tariza and @dwighthoward would post their feelings about the game that just finished, and they would be genuine about it! For those of us that are HUGE sports fans, this is like an all-access clubhouse pass.

How do we know whether these players are the ACTUAL players? Well, first Twitter has a verification process; you can read about it here. The problem lies in those whose accounts are not yet verified by Twitter. It’s pretty remarkable what measures these athletes will take to prove to YOU that they are who they say they are. For example, look at this picture.  (This young man was the 2^nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft).

I have been a sports fan since the day I can remember. Cheering for my teams like the Pads (YES, the PADS), Chargers and Lakers, and now, with the youth in professional sports and the willingness (and desire) of these athletes to reach out to there fan base, you can feel like you are right in the middle of it with these guys. Have a question, ask it! They actually answer!

Today I feel sad.  I don’t think I am alone.  Those of us who were kids in the early 80’s understand what an icon we lost yesterday. Those who didn’t live through those glory days of pop- they just don’t understand why in my mind Michael Jackson is an idol- not a creep.

Michael Jackson's Legacy in the age of Social Media: Image by Sterin

Thriller was the first album I ever owned.  I used to pop it into my Fisher Price tape deck and go into the backyard to sing and dance. Michael Jackson taught me what pop music was.  He was MY generation’s Beetles.  Not only did I embrace Michael Jackson’s music, but my elementry school did, too.  Every Friday at lunch, the teachers would play an album for us at lunch.  Every week for a long, long time, by popular vote, we listened to Michael Jackson.  (Until Weird Al came out with “Eat it.”)

Today, I find myself using every social media technique possible to re-live my memories and pay respect.  I’ve blipped.  I’ve shared articles on Twitter. I’ve discussed how great he was on Facebook.  I’m writing a blog. And again, I’m not alone.

• Tweets are 30% Michael Jackson focused today.  Take a second and wrap your head around that.
• The reaction yesterday was SO strong that the traffic pulled social media sites like Twitter, Google News and AIM down for moments.
• The news yesterday caused the number of Facebook updates to triple.
• Many are even saying that social media sites broke the news first.  (That’s how I heard.)

If you think about it, the world isn’t all that different.  I remember finding out the news about the Challenger in the 80’s.  I sat glued to my television for 48 hours to learn as much as I could.  Today, I am sitting glued to my computer to hear all about today’s news. Over the last year it’s come to the point where I rely on social media to tell me breaking news first.  This has been the case for the news in Iran, the plane crash in the Hudson earlier this year, and more. Say what you will about the effectiveness of social media- but know this: If a social media savvy person hears important news first, the world will know. In minutes.

People are social beings and need to share.  Back in the 80’s, we shared our Thriller albums and called one another to turn on the news in times of joy and sorrow. These days, through social media, we share news, and our reactions to news in real time.  No matter the technology available, humans will always find a way to discuss current events and come together in meaningful ways.

Maybe… it’s just human nature.

Like many people, on the dawn of the new personal Facebook Vanity URL, I debated it’s merits.  On the one hand, I would be able to insert my own name on my Facebook page.  On the other, I have one of the most common names in America.  I knew if I was going to “land-grab” my very own birth name, this was going to be the time to do it.

At 9:00 EST on the dot, my best friend was camped out at the computer to claim our names.  I had intended to be home and on MY computer, but this was one of those nights when things just didn’t go as planned.  From the dinner table with my family, I sat on the phone with my friend saying: Ok- so I can’t get Jennifer Mitchell.  What about Jen Mitchell?  No?

JMPR Communication's Take on the Facebook Vanity URL Panic: photo by akanekal

6 minutes into the release, it was already too late to grab my name.  In fact, Mashable reported that in the first three minutes, 200,000 names had been claimed.  It seemed logical to me that by then, a number of Jennifer Mitchell’s could have claimed their names in this “#facesquatting” effort.

As usual, I settled with my usual username “jenmitch.”  From a personal branding effort, in retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t get “MY name.” And I’ve already noticed that my Facebook page is turning up on page one of my Google search.  Not bad.

What amazes me here is that no one ever seemed to care this much about their Myspace URL names.  I viewed Myspace as a very personal spot on the web, and I actually used a URL that would make it harder for professional folks to find me.  But with Facebook, many more people seem to be grabbing their birth names.  Which reminds me how careful we ALL have to be about our personal updates on Facebook.  Those new private groups are more important than ever.

From a business prospective, I’m finding the June 28th hold for non-registered trademark names OR businesses under 1,000 fans frustrating.  Of course, all my clients want to claim their URL’s and frankly, I think this is more important for businesses than individuals.  Many of those companies have hundreds of fans, though they have not reached 1,000 yet.  And telling them we need to wait seems as non-sensical to me as it does to them.

Perhaps Facebook used the personal land grab to figure out how to prevent companies from grabbing names that are not theirs and selling them? Or perhaps the tactic is more simple- using trademark numbers and/or fans lets through the companies that seem more legtimate first.

Either way, I’ll be camped out again on the 28th.  And in time, we’ll see if all this madness even matters.  I think not.

What do all of you think?  Did you grab your personal/corporate URL’s?  Do you think it will matter either way in the end?

Hang Your Hat Here (Photo: Raymonda Doncev)

I am very pleased to welcome you all to the new blogging home for JMPR Communication.  As many of you know, I have blogged for the last 6 months or so under the name SocialMedia PR.  SocialMedia PR was “temporary” blog for a long time as I got my business started.  And the time has come to let it grow into what it was originally intended to be- a corporate Web site with a blog.

I want to thank Phelan Riessen (@imagium) for the great work he did setting up this site.  I also want to thank JillAnne Ohana (@jillanne) for her awesome design work and portaits of Harvey and I.   If you ever need web work or design, these are the people to ask!

I’ll have new content coming in the next few days. Meanwhile, feel free to check out the site, and our archived blog entries.

Take off your hats and stay a while!