Comment on Janna’s post “Twitter. So Hot Right Now. Twitter.” on the PR Girlz blog

Janna talks about why she likes Twitter and what she uses the social media tool for. Check out what I had to say about my opinion of Twitter and whether it should be viewed as a useful communication tool or just a fad.

I went to Target yesterday while running some Sunday errands and received an unexpected gift while checking out – a free reusable bag. I would say that I’m a pretty eco-conscious person, but I just haven’t made that leap to buy reusable bags from the stores that I shop at most often. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about getting this free bag.

The bag had a tag on it that said “earth week…a gift for you” on the front, and it had a coupon for GE Energy Smart Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs on the back. But it still left me hanging a little because I didn’t know exactly what this promotional deal was all about, so I decided to look into it a little further.

After spending some time on the Target web-site, I found out that the free bags were a one-day deal. Target and GE had collaborated to give away 1 million reusable bags with purchases made on April 19, the first day of Earth Week.

This is great PR for both Target and GE. Giving customers free reusable bags demonstrates that these two companies are making an effort to demonstrate that they are socially responsible businesses. They are also promoting the whole “go green” effort by getting people involved who might not usually make the effort to purchase reusable bags… like me.

Target will likely benefit from this stunt as concerned shoppers buy more reusable bags, and GE will probably catch the attention of consumers as well.

Target and GE definitely deserve some recognition for this recent effort. This is an example of good PR that also works for a good cause, and I wouldn’t mind seeing even more of this in the future.

WE are not THEY.

As the public relations world is looking to social media more and more these days, this is an important distinction to remember. Dave Fleet blogged about this issue and made some very valid points. “As new research shows, social media practitioners have a different perception of social tools than do ‘average’ users,” said Fleet.

This gap can be demonstrated with Twitter. No one was talking about Twitter when I first joined it last semester, and now I can’t go a day without hearing someone on television talk about it.

Yes, Twitter is a popular social media tool… and it can be very effective when used properly. But what is the point of being on Twitter if the people you’re trying to reach aren’t there? Answer: there is no point.

Just because WE (those interested in PR and social media) think that Twitter is  great thing and are active on it daily doesn’t mean that THEY (our target audiences) are using this tool.

The lesson to learn from this is to do your research. Find out where your audience can be found, and listen to what they are already saying. WE and THEY can be very different, so you must take the effort to bridge the gap. Find a way to meet in the middle to get the job done.

PR Couture wrote a post on its blog a few days ago about the fashion magazine Marie Claire and its strategy for being on Twitter. It praised Marie Claire for taking an active approach, and it also featured an interview with the magazine’s senior web editor and web associate about how they were using Twitter to their full advantage.

The post was demonstrating how effectively Marie Claire was implementing its Twitter strategy, but it also briefly mentioned that fashion magazines had been slow to join in this new online phenomena.

So, that got me thinking. Of the other fashion magazines that do have a Twitter account, are they doing just as good of a job?

The first magazine that popped into my mind was Cosmopolitan, and I quickly reached its Twitter homepage. Unfortunately (for the magazine), I was less than impressed.

1. CosmoOnline posted its first tweet on March 9, 2009. As of today, they have only posted 15 updates on their Twitter page. This makes it quite evident that they are not making Twitter a priority. This lack of dedication reveals that they are not quite equipped or eager to join in this new conversation tool.

2. The 15 tweets that the magazine has published do not add anything new to the conversation. They are merely headlines and announcements that someone could easily find on the Cosmopolitan web-site. Additionally, there is no personal touch. Followers have no idea who is writing these tweets. In my opinion, when dealing with company Twitter accounts, pointless tweets are worse than no tweets at all.

3. As I am writing this post, CosmoOnline currently has 1,994 followers. Clearly, people want to know what Cosmopolitan has to say. On the other side of the situation, CosmoOnline is only following one person. This indicates that the magazine must not care too much about what its readers have to say if they are not going to take the time to follow them back and attempt to engage in some sort of interaction.

Needless to say, Cosmopolitan has a lot of work to do. Luckily for them, it’s really not that hard! With dedication and effort, this ineffective attempt at PR can be turned around and made into one of the magazine’s most useful tools.

Social media and non-profits are two topics of great interest to me, so I always enjoy reading about how they can be combined efficiently. Robin McIntrye of Social Media Brain Bird recently wrote a post about the use of social media in non-profits that caught my attention.

In Social Media is About Them – Not You, Robin addresses some of the common mistakes made by non-profits as they try to make their way into the world of social media.

Many non-profits have fallen into the trap of thinking that just posting their information is enough. Yes, it is good to inform people about what you are doing, but that doesn’t get them involved. Don’t make the community come to you. Instead, get out there and be SOCIAL… that is the whole purpose of social media.

Robin offers some ways for non-profits to take this action. “Find out where the conversations related to your mission are happening and interact: respond, encourage, help with tips and links. Add community links to your website and do everything you can to keep the conversations going.”

Non-profits need to remember that social media is all about the interaction. Say what you need to say, but also give the community a chance to respond and get involved by allowing the conversation to flow both ways.

Cheri Hegi, the Creative Director at Primal Media, posted a presentation called “The 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits (and everyone else!)” on the Network for Good Learning Center site. Even though we hear these things all the time, I think it’s always good to keep them on our minds.

1. Listen -No one is going to care about what you have to say if you don’t take the time to listen to what is already being said.

2. Get involved – You can’t just have a Twitter account or a blog. Develop a presence, and then maintain it. And make a conscious effort to contribute something new to the conversation.

3. Give up control – No matter how much you wish you could, you have no power over what other people will say. Just do your best to give them reasons to only write positive things.  :) 

4. Be honest – If you use social media to spread a lie, there is no way to hide it. What you say online is there for the world to see.

5. Think long term – Just because you start blogging or tweeting today doesn’t mean that you’re going to get recognition or see results tomorrow. Have patience. Give the social media world time to get to know you.

Are there any rules you think should be added to this list?

Comment on Leslie Farmer’s blog post “Making it Matter“

Leslie wrote an interesting post about how relationships can weaken as people develop more social media “connections.” As social media increases in popularity, this is going to become a growing issue. Take a look at what she had to say.

The public relations industry strongly relies on social media these days, and it seems like companies can never get enough of this publicity (when it is positive, of course).

Personally, I feel that company blogs are one of the most effective uses of social media. That is why a recent post on PR Couture caught my attention. Fashion Better Blogger Relations with Blog Friendly PR talks about how agencies and bloggers are looking for new and better ways to connect with one another.

A new site, Blog Friendly PR, is allowing bloggers, public relations practitioners, and companies to unite. This web-site was developed on the basis of one simple idea: Blogs and review sites are the new way to effectively market products to consumers.

But what exactly does all of this mean?

Blog Friendly PR has a list of review writers who are looking to write about companies and/or products on their blogs. It also provides information about PR practitioners, business owners, journalists, and other people working in media who want to have a presence in online review blogs.

Blog Friendly PR is making is making it easier for these two groups of individuals to connect and work together.

Need someone to review your product? Looking for a product to review? Head to Blog Friendly PR and get your name on the list.

I recently read a post by Dave Fleet about what is currently in his social media “toolkit.” In this post, he talks about the social media tools that he uses on a regular basis.

I was pretty excited when I realized that I actually knew what most of these tools were and had used them at one point or another. But there was one in particular that stood out, mostly because he had noted that it was new. So I decided to check it out.

MicroPlaza is one of the new social media tools that you should take the time to become familiar with. Have you ever noticed that the links people post on Twitter often get lost in the mass of tweets you get each day? Wish you could check out the ones that spiked your interest, but you don’t have the time to filter though everything to find them again?

That’s where MicroPlaza comes into play. This new tool goes through your Twitter network and shows all the links posted by the people that you are following. It even shows you everyone else who posted the links as well, so you can see what those outside of your network have to say. One more cool feature is called “being someone.” This allows you to view all the links shared in someone else’s network.

Try it out. MicroPlaza just might become the newest addition to your own social media toolkit.

Charleston Magazine is hosting its third annual Charleston Fashion Week, a five night extravaganza that lasts from March 24-28.

Wish you could be there to experience the glamour and excitement, but you just can’t make it to Charleston?

No worries. Charleston Magazine is blogging every step of the way, so you don’t have to miss out on a thing.

Ayoka Lucas, the creative director for Charleston Fashion Week, has a video blog where she is documenting her involvement with this event. From parties and rehearsals to model castings and production meetings, Ayoka Lucas is giving viewers access to it all.

Want even more exclusive info about Charleston Fashion Week? Reese Moore is giving readers a backstage pass to all of the action with her daily blog to keep everyone updated about what happens each night.

Still craving more? Lucky for you, some of the models of Charleston Fashion Week are even getting in on the blogging action. Get stories directly from those on the catwalk, as six models document their experiences with this event.

Not only are these blogs entertaining for online users to read and watch, but they are also great PR tactics for the event. Those who wanted to go to this event may have even more of a reason to make this trip a priority next year after they read about all they could have experienced first-hand. Additionally, these blogs have the capability to reach people who didn’t know the event existed. Personally, I had never even heard of Charleston Fashion Week before I found their blogs… and there are probably many others in the same boat. Reading behind-the-scenes details of the event may attract new attendees for next year. There is so much potential.

Who knew that blogs could become the new backstage passes?