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I have blogged about celebs and their need to provide the public with REAL apologies a few times.  Look here and here.  This issue really upsets me.  Why do celebs think they can get away with lame apologies that are public-facing?

As I’ve said before, I understand the need to keep information private.  But how hard is it to say: I’m sorry?

Tiger Woods Issues a Real Apology: Image by Keith Allison

In steps the Tiger Woods incident:

For a few days there has been a lot of media speculation as to what happened the night Mr. Woods ran over a fire hydrant and hit a tree.  Did his wife hit him?  Did he cheat? Was he under the influence of a substance?

This morning, Tiger Woods issued a statement on his Website. In my opinion, Tiger shared enough for the public to know and did his part to squash rumors.  Even more shocking- he said he was sorry!

Tiger begins the open letter to the public by saying:

I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

And then, he actually goes on to apologize. (Applause)

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.

So wait:

• Accountability?  (check)
• Acknowledgement of how much this stinks for his family? (check)
• A polite request for privacy? (check)
• And an apology? (check)

Well done Tiger.  Very well done.

I don’t think its a secret that I LOVE Elf Yourself.  In fact, I wrote a post about it last year.

It makes me laugh.  And it gets me into the Christmas spirit.  But that’s not all!

There are a few things I adore about Elf Yourself:

1. It’s a fun and self-deprecating application.  (You know, in a good way.)
2. It  can be utilized to showcase some of the most “winning” family images taken throughout the year.
3. In 2007, Elf Yourself generated more traffic than Facebook for the month of December.
4. They add something new and “social-mediay” every single year.

So what did they add this year?

Glad you asked. This year, the elf inside you can choose from two new dances: Hip hop or singing elves.  I have demonstrated the hip-hop dance for you below.  (As you will see, the awesomeness of my dancing can not be contained.)

Additionally, you can easily share your Elf on Facebook and Twitter.  This is a great feature for people like me, who may elf some of my friends as the holidays draw nearer.

And finally, they have made it extremely simple to share your little dance with your friends almost anywhere.  I used an embed code to place my elfed-self on this blog.  And in other cases, all I had to do was login to my account, and the elves placed themselves right where they belonged on my pages.  (In testing the functionality, I tried this with iGoogle, and MySpace.  I don’t think I’d been on MySpace for over a year until today.)

So go ahead!  Elf Yourself!  (And have fun sharing with your friends everywhere this year.)

And, THIS is a good morning?

This morning I was at the gym.  My particular gym has a long line of televisions with which you can distract yourself from whatever cardio torture you’re doing at the time.  Most days there is something entertaining or sportsish to watch, but this morning, each channel was on a different news station.

I remember when I first got into social media, I used to say: “I love reading blogs and online news sources, because I have all the news hours/weeks before everyone else. ” I still get the news before everyone else (who don’t have social media networks or feeds set up) but this morning, I was really enlightened as to why social media is gaining so much steam.

The News- really a good way to start the day? Image by: gsbrown99

One hour at the gym:

• Three news shows (showing on six television sets).
• TWO positive news stories one where Colbie Caillet sang a new song, and one where the Rockettes performed.
• Everything else within the hour was a negative story, or had a negative slant.  My “favorites” included:
  • The story about the little girl saved from drowning, complete with video of her drowning/rescue. (Who needs to watch that?)
  • The piece about how going to college and living in the dorms increases your possibility (to inhumane levels, apparently) of contracting a deadly communicable disease.
  • Of course, and very important (seriously), the story about how the US thwarted an impeding attack from the Al Queda, and also, how we are never safe and should all be very afraid.
  • At least one missing child story, the most memorable of which featured a forensic expert who has just written a book about children who have been abducted.
  • A minute-by-minute breakdown of  the drugs administered by Conrad Murray to Michael Jackson, resulting in MJ’s death.
  • Oh, and a thrilling update on the reality show star/killer Ryan Jenkins.

By the time I left the gym, I felt like we were seconds away from the demise of EVERYTHING.  I mean, how could you not?

So I got to thinking aside from building relationships, which is a given,  is one of social media’s main benefits REALLY about knowing the news first?

Heck no.

Why I prefer online news:

I mean, it’s nice to know news quickly.  And I especially enjoy those days when you say “hey, was that an earthquake?”  And one second into looking at your Twitter feed you confirm there was a natural disaster, and you learn all the stats.  That’s still cool.

But today, I read feeds for the following reasons:

• I’m looking to learn something industry related that I’ve never thought about.
• I’m looking for various opinions around a subject of debate or a subject of interest.
• To research best practices.
• To find “lessons learned” from fellow practitioners.
• To get the basic, high-level news of the day.
• And I won’t lie, I love the gossip blogs.

So now, I amend what I like about obtaining my news online:

• Negative news is really positive.  Social networkers generally take negative subjects, and turn them into “lessons learned.”  I gain value from reading about the solutions of others.  No one wants to hear about the “problem” over and over.
• There is a place for everything.  If you want primarily negative news, there are sites like that. There are blogs for every hobby in the universe.  Heck, there’s even a place for happy news only.  Only read what you want to read.  (But don’t be afraid to explore.)
• News is better when it comes from the real source. We don’t have to rely on the media to tell us what’s important anymore.  Citizen journalists provide a real, and more interesting take on daily events. (The Iran Election Protests come immediately to mind.)

So why do you love reading your news online?  Or, if you still prefer the news and the newspaper over online media, why?  I’d love to hear from you.

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…

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.734722&w=425&h=350&fv=vid%3D42073]

“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.

Day after day I am seeing tweets on my Twitter account from journalists that say things like:

• PR Pro Tip: Do NOT pitch me on Facebook, or;
• Pitching me on Facebook is an invasion of my privacy, don’t do it!

Is Facebook Private?
I am not surprised that many journalists aren’t appreciating this. I am surprised that PR professionals are slipping business pitches into a space that IMHO is “invite only” and private.

From my perspective, Facebook is a semi-private domain on the Internet. I decide who my friends are and I also decide how I utilize the tool once I’m in. Many people use Facebook as a social service, planting gardens and posting pictures to share with their friends. In my case, I utilize Facebook to catch up with old friends, share my thoughts on issues that are important to me via FriendFeed/Twitter, post my resume, share my blog, etc. For me, my Facebooking is a combination of social and business usage, and as a result, I don’t want everyone to have access.

Measuring Interest
At this point, any of the PR pros who have sent a Facebook pitch are probably thinking: Yeah, but I can send a pitch to a reporter without being their friend via the “Message Me” function. Yes, on Facebook you can pitch Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal. But do you think he’ll appreciate it?

I went on Twitter to find out. Walt Mossberg has 902 followers. He is following zero people. NONE. I don’t think it’s a leap to guess that he likes sharing what he has written with the world, but might not be as interested to hear what PR pros have to say via a social media tool.

Even with bloggers, it’s much the same. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, for example has 25,000+ followers but only follows 480+ people.

How to Achieve Results
I understand, it’s hard to get your message out to these very influential folks. So what are PR pros to do? Follow the rules. Of each individual journalist, and pay attention to follow out what those rules are. Paying attention will lead to results.

You Decide
But nothing is definitive. I believe as much as some journalists dislike Facebook pitches, there MUST be some out there that love them, right? I have created two new groups on Facebook to find out.

Dude, don’t pitch me on Facebook!

Dude, I love being pitched on Facebook!

Journalists, bloggers, writers of all kind, please help us PR pros out! Please click on one of the pages and register. What do you think? Should Facebook pitches stay, or go away?