All posts by Shari Weiss

I have been writing and teaching most of my life -- and have enjoyed both vocations. However, the advent of the Social Media Revolution has turned my life around in the most exciting fashion. Rather than think about retirement, I want to help change the world -- particularly the business world -- into a "kinder," more ethical, transparent, and authentic place to help solve people's problems.
Blogging

How to start a Blog: Step-by-Step . . . and VOILA, you’re a publisher!

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So you’re ready . . . to join the Blogosphere with your own individual views.

It’s not exactly a “piece of cake,” but as my many advisors told me — JUST DO IT, and you will learn a lot as you go.

GETTING STARTED is always the hardest part of a new endeavor. So here’s a step-by-step tutorial to help you use the most popular free online blogging platform — WordPress.com.

If you follow these directions, you can be an “official” published blogger in just about an hour or so, which includes up to 30 minutes to get an email confirmation after you sign in.

Be certain to use the comment section IF you have any questions after you try this process. And keep in mind that this is just the first Baby Step, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

To give you an idea of what you are in for, I’ll list the instructions first. Then I will repeat them with the screens you will be filling out. Here goes:

1. Go to WordPress.com

2. Click on the Sign Up Now screen.

3. Put in your domain name and blog title.

4. Retrieve your Email Confirmation.

5. Click on the first link.

6. Click on New Post AND WRITE . . . AND PUBLISH

GOOD LUCK . . . AND GET BLOGGING:

1. Go to WordPress.com

Here is your first screen

WP.com Opening Screen

2. In upper right, you will click on the ORANGE “Sign up now” button

“Fill out the one-step form and you’ll be blogging seconds later”

WP.com 2

3. Next screen – BE PREPARED to find a “domain” name AND a blog title.

** IMPORTANT. Give the “domain” name some thought . . . especially if you want to be found by search engines. Try to think of KEY WORDS [i.e., the words people would use to search for your information] for BOTH the domain name and Blog title:

WP.com domain

4. The next screen is called Check Your Email to Complete registration.

On this screen — which I am not going to show — you may “update your profile” by adding your First Name, Last Name, and something ABOUT YOURSELF. You will be able to change any of that information later.

COOL! I want to call my blog Cars & Guitars and other sexy things -[my husband Jack]

WHOA, Jack. You might want to re-think that name. Did you really want to attract a slew of pornography seekers?

BUT you cannot move on until you receive an email from WordPress . . . so now’s the time to get out the chips and salsa.

ALERT: Your email confirmation will come from donotreply@wordpress.com. Be certain to check your SPAM folder before you panic.

Here is the email my husband Jack received to confirm his account:

WP email confirmation

5. If you click on the first link http://wordpress.com [in your email], then you will see a screen LIKE this, but with your blog’s information:

WP welcome

6. In the top left corner, you will see four headings: My Account — My Dashboard — New Post — Blog Info

[you will want to explore those options when you have time . . . ]

But for now, click on “New Post” so you can actually write something, post it, and take a well-deserved break.

7. Here is the screen where you will write that first post:

WP.com New Post

8. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN:

a) Think of a catchy title

b) Write your post

c) Publish [blue button on the right]

How do you add a photo?

How do you use boldface and italics?

There are buttons above the writing box. You can either try them out yourself OR ask a question in the comment section. But here is a screen shot of my husband’s first post:

Jack's first blog page


Good luck . . . and ask those questions 🙂

LinkedIn

The Magic of LinkedIn: Making your PROFILE work for you

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Preparing for Professions
Preparing for Professions

LinkedIn is so much more than a “resume repository” advised Dean Guadagni and Susan Hanshaw in a presentation to Marin Professionals.

The two social media marketing strategists outlined a host of ways that online networking on this Web platform can play a significant role in your professional life.

One tip sent me home to update my profile . . .

But, first, three facts for you:

1 – LinkedIn provides a pathway for users to connect with the right people beyond their own network connections.

2 – A large network increases your ability to rank high in searches.

3 – 75% of employers are checking out LinkedIn profiles on prospective employees.

Below is my LinkedIn profile page:

I’ll show you what I changed — and how:


LinkedIn Profile top

 

The “change” was on the bottom of the profile page — the SUMMARY portion:

LinkedIn Summary

 

My summary had only been a few key words until Dean & Susan told me what to do:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Communicate quickly and clearly the type of opportunities you are seeking.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Highlight 3 or 4 key career accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications. [Don’t use bullet points. Make it a friendly narrative.]

THIRD PARAGRAPH: Answer the question: How are you UNIQUE? How are you DIFFERENT?

Finally, there is the SPECIALTIES section which is hugely important. Here you put the KEY WORDS that employers are looking for when they search the LinkedIn site.

When you draft your own LinkedIn Summary, think about this quote from Susan:

“Consider your career as a tapestry of different threads of activities and jobs that you have had.”

Twitter

So now you can Tweet . . . What comes next? Getting Started lessons continue:

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What will you feed the "bird"?

You’ve played with Twitter and perhaps gotten past the “Emperor’s New Clothes” feeling that there’s a lot of Buzz about nothing.

You have gotten past that, haven’t you?


Let’s chat

Today’s Getting Started lesson is going to “resemble” a conversation . . .

However, since I’m the only one in the room, I’ll have to make up your part, i.e., the questions.

That gives me an edge — especially if I select only questions I can answer 🙂


Our Conversation Begins:

“Describe Twitter & what it does”

Twitter has often been described as “Micromedia’ or “Microblogging.” As a user, you are provided with a tiny notepad — think IM on your computer and text message on your cell phone.

What Twitter DOES: (a) forces the writer to be concise, but (b) allows messages about an unlimited number of topics for an unlimited number of uses.

What you DO: (a) decide Who is worth “listening” to, i.e., following
AS WELL AS (b) choose what you broadcast according to Why you have chosen to use this online tool.

for example: refer to objectives in previous lesson

  • Drive more traf­fic to your website?

Find out if your customers, and prospective customers are on Twitter: (1) Follow them; (2) Hope they follow you back; (3) In the meantime, engage them in conversations by using the @name function [after you have read their tweet]; (4) Offer VALUE with your own tweets — give them a reason to click on your website link.

  • Build a closer com­mu­nity feel­ing with your customers?

See answers (1) – (3) above, but this is your new (4) Your tweets should show that you are listening by offering sincerity and solutions — inspire trust and offer value from the relationship.

  • Estab­lish or change your organization’s reputation?

This requires LOTS and LOTS of “communication auditing,” i.e. listening.
TIPS: (a) Go to search.twitter.com and begin by simply putting your company name in the search box. You will see a REAL-TIME [i.e. as it is happening] stream of the Tweets that mention your name; (b) Click on the icon; read the person’s tweets; follow him or her; and monitor their tweets.

LATER you will want to engage them in Twitter conversations. This is where the “community-building” will offer an opportunity to spread good will and good words.

  • Find out what your com­peti­tors are up to?

Again, search.twitter.com for mentions of those “others” in the marketplace.

  • Know how to find and hire the best employees?

Of course, LinkedIn [Step THREE] will be your best source to act on this objective. However, you can tweet your job opportunities and then check our responders by their other online presences — as well as their personal tweet streams.

  • Dis­cover trends as they are happening?

Here are some Twitter-related websites to check out the Trend Landscape:

Trendtracker

Trendistic – hot trends on Twitter

whatthetrend – what’s trending and why

  • Share your knowl­edge and expertise?

Here is where you can shine — and promote that “lustre”: Blog about your expertise, start a Squidoo lens, answer a question on Linkedin. Whatever you do, tell the Twitterverse with a teaser and a link in your Tweet.

  • Mon­i­tor the mar­ket­place to see what peo­ple are say­ing about you, your prod­ucts, and/or your industry?

Search.twitter.com ONCE AGAIN: Put in who and what and see what’s being discussed — and the tone of the discussion. Whom/what do people like, and what don’t they?

  • Learn how to be a bet­ter, more effi­cient, effec­tive busi­ness person?

Love this one. Find smart people to follow; then click on the links they suggest; find time to read the information. [Bookmarking won’t be enough. Do you ever get back to those bookmarks?]

“And now, I want to know . . .”

Ooooops, time is up for today’s session. But don’t you have some homework to do?
And, besides, you can always add those questions to the comments, and we can look at them next time.

Happy Tweet Day
twittermysite

Twitter

How to get started . . . using social media for growing your business

10 Comments

“Overview of Social Media/Internet Marketing”

“Twitterville”

“Groundswell“

“Beyond the Hype”

Tyler in playpen 1“OK, already, I’m convinced.

Now what do I pick up first?”

So you finally “get it”:

You can’t Get It without an Online Presence.

But getting started is a lot like being a toddler put into a playpen with a bunch of new toys:

What to pick up and play with first?

Q: I’ve got a small business, and I want to begin using social media, so where do I start?

A: No doubt, there are as many answers as there are “experts” to advise you. However, what everyone agrees is that you just need to get going and DO IT!

MARKETING 101

1. What you SHOULD do is spend some time deciding What you want to accomplish with social media strategies:

Do you want to . . .

  • Drive more traffic to your website?
  • Build a closer community feeling with your customers?
  • Establish or change your organization’s reputation?
  • Find out what your competitors are up to?
  • Know how to find and hire the best employees?
  • Discover trends as they are happening?
  • Share your knowledge and expertise?
  • Monitor the marketplace to see what people are saying about you, your products, and/or your industry?
  • Learn how to be a better, more efficient, effective business person?

Or . . . do you just want to dive in to see what Social Media is all about?

2. Once you have chosen a goal — or goals — from the list above, then you may want to describe what achieving that goal looks like, e.g.,

a) Bring 40 new customers to your website

b) Engage 20 clients in a forum conversation

c) Find three skilled and motivated interns

3. This “description” can be your formal objective, for which you should set a time frame  — and then you can measure your results and evaluate your program.

SOCIAL MEDIA 101

Note: Of course the exact route you take can vary —  depending on your objective.

But here is a 4-step plan to develop a strategy and answer the question: What should we do first? second? third? fourth?

STEP ONE: Twitter

STEP TWO: Facebook

STEP THREE: LinkedIn

STEP FOUR: Blogging

Today’s Post will help you become a TWEETER

Twitter certainly is one of today’s most popular social media buzzwords, and a platform where businesses are finding real, measureable ways to listen to and engage with customers.

PLUS signing on to Twitter is the easiest social media effort you can make: To take this step, try to allow yourself at least an hour to (a) sign up on Twitter.com; (b) read some how-to information [the four Twitter 101 lessons listed below]; (c) and play — with FOLLOWING people, READING their tweets, and WRITING some tweets of your own.

Click for TWITTER HOMEWORK

NEWBIES: If you have any questions — or cool Twitter experiences — please share them in the comments section below. LOTS OF LUCK!


Blogging

The “Secret” to pumping your own Google Juice: External Links

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Getting started in Social Media is all about JUST DOING IT!

That’s what I continue to do — and exactly what I suggest to those listening to me.

[Those NOT listening to me get the same advice, and I know it’s just a matter of time until they, too, jump in.]

My TWO Biggies this week: Ning & Squidoo

Ning PSM

My Performance Social Media Ning site

Q: How many times have I heard people praising the opportunities on Ning.com?

A: Countless times — at least a dozen any way, and three times last week:

  1. During a phone conversation with a fellow social media evangelist
  2. During the #smbookclub discussion I moderated
  3. During the SM ROI panel discussion sponsored by Women in Consulting [for which I took videos now on YouTube@sharisax]

The Time for Ning was NOW

And it was quite easy . . . and more importantly for lots of us . . . did not take much time.

So what is Ning and why did I create my presence there?

Ning is a tool/platform that allows you to set up YOUR OWN Social Network — with what appears to me to have different capabilities and ease-of-use than, say, a Facebook Fanpage. To my mind, it is more personable . . . and, well, less Facebook-y . . . which means more of you, and what you want.

While my Ning site is far from “complete,” what it does have now is a FORUM I set up so that “newbies” can ask me [and my interns] questions about HOW TO GET STARTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA — the question that plagues so many small business people [mostly Baby Boomers] who are gradually “seeing the light” but don’t have a clue where to begin.

There are a lot of people like me “out there” who do want to help. The people I’m meeting are invited to ask me their questions on the Ning forum.

If you are reading this post, of course, sign in to the Ning forum and ask away.

Here’s a question for starters: Just how do external links help pump your Google Juice?

*                                               *                                                *

squidoo books

My first Squidoo lens:

Reviewing and chatting about social media books

My Performance Social Media partner Les Ross has been hounding me for months to begin Squidoo-ing . . . yet another link to drive traffic to my blog.

And yesterday was the perfect day, especially since Squidoo founder Seth Godin announced his own new Squidoo launch Brands in Public. You can read on his blog post about how companies can now aggregate everything being said about their brands in one place WHERE they can comment right alongside.

I do want my readers to check out my own Squidoo site, but I just got it started . . . and that is the key: JUST GET STARTED.

BTW, Good luck to my brother Chuck, who is going to start a Facebook fanpage for his Temple in Hawaii. He told me he was going to follow my advice and learn a new social media platform/tool every week.

Next post: NEWBIES, How to Get Started with Social media for your business

Sharisax Is Out There

Change is never, never easy: The Old PR Pitch must evolve to PR 2.0 Dialogue

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“PR 2.0: A Promising Future” — Part 4 of Putting the Public BACK in PR is quite an ambitious undertaking

I covered the first section, ch. 15 on Community Managers in an earlier post. And today’s article only begins to summarize some of the key points in the three very diverse chapters remaining in Part 4.

You’ll find many resources referred to but much deeper explanations are offered in links below, and, of course, the book itself.

Notes from Ch. 16: Socialization of Communication and Service

Go where your people are: OBSERVEOne of the true values of our technological capabilities is an opportunity — and a responsibility — to “become experts in the markets, products, and services we represent.”

Do not fear negative comments as they can help organizations improve their processes and offerings.

One goal: pull your company into online conversations to help influencers, customers, and prospects gather the information they need. Also empower people to help one another.

MONITORING TIP —  Use Google Alerts and “search.twitter.com” –You receive email notifications through Google Alerts for key words that you sign up for. If you use a desktop application like Tweetdeck, then you can set up columns to regularly stream mentions of your keyword from search.twitter.com. You could be receiving regular updates about your company, your products, and your competitors.

NING.COM: A new one for me, but I tried it and like it. Here you can set up YOUR OWN social network. For example, in my fledgling social media consulting business, I can offer SM Newbies a “comfortable” place to gather online and ask me and my interns questions about social media in a Newbie forum.

Finding WHICH communities your customers participate in is critical if you want to engage them where they are.

“Feel the pain and deliver the painkiller.”

If you are listening to problems, you can address them before your customers go elsewhere for solutions.

REVERSE ENGINEERING [one of my favorite concepts to (a) deliberate over and (b) put to USE

Here is the PPBPR 3-step reverse-engineering model:

  1. Determine Who, Where, How — prospects are communicating.
  2. Listen.
  3. Adapt to their needs.

Notes from Ch 17 – The Rules for Breaking News

Concept of embargo: When PR people distribute news to those who will write about it [e.g., reporters, bloggers], the “embargo” sets a time WHEN the news may be broadcast.

Some bloggers are now saying that . . .

“PR agencies are no longer necessary”

Do you agree? Who does — and why? Who doesn’t — and why?

Here’s an opinion on the topic from Steve Rubel –  thought leader, lifestreamer, and top PR guy for top international PR firm:

“Does the thrill of the chase make PR obsolete? It’s our view that increasingly, bloggers (and maybe journalists too) simply don’t want our help. Many bloggers — particularly those who cover tech — love to discover new things and experience them on their own.”

Key difference between bloggers and journalists: many bloggers want the news way before the story — because, in many cases,  They are the Innovators and Early Adopters.

One key similarity: RELATIONSHIPS are All Important, no matter the medium or the writer/broadcaster.

Ch 18 – A New guide to metrics

The whole idea behind PR 2.0 is that the Old Ways of PR no longer work with today’s audiences OR the people who influence them. Same goes for Old Measurements: Organizations should NOT determine the ROI of their PR campaigns by the number of stories written in newspapers or broadcast on TV.

“PR 2.0 favors engagement more than hits, referrals more than eyeballs, activity more than ad value, sales more than mentions, and market and behavioral influences more than the weight and girth of clip books.”

People = Power

Perception = sum of all the conversations on the Social Web

Measuring the frequency and tone of conversations is the new measure of effectiveness, and here are some tracking tools to check out:

Tracking conversations finds you WHAT?

When you listen, you will likely hear seven different types of comments:

  1. Asking for info or help
  2. Answering questions related to your brand
  3. Sharing opinions/observations
  4. Offering suggestions
  5. Expressing dissatisfaction
  6. Promoting competition
  7. Reposting relevant content and market data

“Through proactive and consistent listening, measurement, and refinement, PR will not only justify its role in social marketing, but also more effectively enhance relationships, build trust, cultivate communities, and increase sales . . .”

i.e. INCREASE ROI

What’s YOUR TAKE on the new methods and measurements of Public Relations? If you read this post BEFORE Tuesday, Sept 22 at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT, you can join me and others for the social media book discussion on Tweetchat. Just put in the hashtag #smbookclub and comment OR just observe.

An archive will be available after the discussion, but you can always weigh in with a comment below.

FURTHER READING:

9 steps to conduct online conversations

10 principles for ethical marketing practices

Facebook, Twitter

Yes, Shari, Micromedia can support and inspire great conversation

1 Comment

See how things intersect & support
See how things intersect & support

When I first read chapter 13 in Putting the Public Back into PR, I had my doubts as to whether Twitter was really the place for great convo — i.e. conversation.

But two recent experiences convinced me that rapid-fire, off-the-cuff, succinct wordings could in fact power “engaging” and “enlightening” experiences — not to mention the opportunity for community-building.

Last night I moderated the #smbookclub discussion for Part 3 of Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge’s Putting the Public Back in PR. This morning I participated in their discussion at #PRStudChat. Both complete discussions are archived and be followed simply by searching the hastags.

Content/conclusions from the book discussion:

“Relax and let chaos reveal its relevance to you.” Susanna Stinnet

  • The conversations [“convos”] are happening. If you are part of them, you can affect change and make a difference.
  • Companies that use today’s tools will be ahead of the game, even if those particular tools change or lose their vitality.
  • Social media will continue to evolve; it will not go away.
  • Social media platforms are great ways to meet people.
  • Before engaging anyone, first observe and understand the cultures and behaviors necessary to participate in these communities.
  • Marketing jobs have moved from monologues to dialogue.
  • Avoid the clutter and build relationships.
  • Build meaningful relationships that will contribute to company’s brand equity, resources, and overall bottom line.

“Twitter and Facebook are really good for listening and developing relationships — and then driving to where you can talk in more depth either via email or phone.” Paul Salinger

“Social media is forcing changes that should have happened a long time ago in everything related to business.” Cherisse Rivera


Notes for further “conversation/content”:

1) Check out #PRStudChat for hour dialogue between Brian, Dierdre, PR students and pros.

2) Read my reviews of Putting the Public Back in PR:

3) Join the chat next Tuesday on Tweetchat.com #smbookclub 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT

For those of you who do check out #PRStudChat OR if you attended, please comment with your favorite quotes from that conversation.

Facebook, Guest Post, Twitter

Our Future Around Facebook and Twitter — guest post from Gen Y-er Zahid Lilani

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I couldn’t wait.

Sharisax Is Out There has been featuring a series of reviews on the book Putting the Public Back in PR, but one of my most conscientious SFSU students wrote this wonderful article on Gen Y and social media.

Without further ado, here is Zahid:

Guest Poster Zahid Lilani: Voice for Gen Y
Guest Poster Zahid Lilani: Voice for Gen Y

Social Media has changed the way we communicate and stay connected. Not that it will ever replace face-to-face interaction, still it has become a popular way to communicate for Generation Y. 90% of U.S. adults are online and 80% of U.S. online adults participate in social media.

“Social Media is no longer the cool and fun thing that fascinates imagination with all the bells and whistles, it is more like a necessity for Generation Y.”

Who is the Generation Y? I am the Generation Y, my generation created Facebook and Twitter and my generation will dictate the future of social media.

The idea behind Web 2.0 or social media revolution was to change the way our generation communicates, we now decide what’s worthy, what to vote up and what to vote down. Being more well versed with Facebook and Twitter, this is what I think our future will look like:

Facebook ID Implementation Across Major Platforms

Most websites are implementing an excellent feature on to their websites, it is called Facebook Connect. In plain English, if you go to a website and have to register to login, you won’t have to create another user id and password. You will be able to connect using your Facebook ID and Password. Still in its earliest stages, most developers are implementing this concept into their programming because of the immense power of social media. You can read more about Facebook Connect here.

Twitter Household
The idea behind Twitter Household is that everything in your house can communicate with you if you provide it with the right tool. The tools are still in its early stages but the technology is already there, it is Twitter. If that was vague, here are couple of examples:

Laundry: The Washing Machine Hack, created by Ryan Rose, sends text message (SMS) notifications over Twitter when clothes are done. You can follow his Washing Machine here.

Power Usage: In future, if you are energy conscious or plain curious about the power usage in your household, you can use Tweet-a-Watt which will update you using Twitter on your power usage.

Both Facebook and Twitter are immensely powerful in what they can accomplish and with time they will evolve and become more mature. What do you think your life will be like around Facebook and Twitter two years from now? What else do you think you will be able to do on Facebook and Twitter besides information sharing and gathering?

Check out Zahid’s blog: his most recent post will help you convert your WP.com blog to a self-hosted one at WP.org in five easy steps.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment or sharing it with your followers on Twitter! You can also subscribe by email for more cool interviews and articles from Sharisax is Out There.

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Sharisax Is Out There

Community Managers: Your organization’s guide along Social Media Revolutionary Road

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Center of Community, center of influencers
Center of Community, center of influencers

Hiring or Applying?

You’ll do well to check out chapter 15 in the social media/PR 2.0 book I’ve been reviewing  — Putting the PUBLIC Back in Public Relations by Brian Solis and Dierdre Breakenridge.

Who OWNS the responsibility of managing social media conversations for an organization?

Brian and Dierdre conclude that “every facet of a business is responsible for its channel of social monitoring and interaction,” and strategies and tactics for each department can best be directed by a community manager — or one of several other titles:

  • Community Advocate
  • Brand Ambassador
  • Social Media Specialist
  • Social Media Evangelist
  • VP of Social Media
  • Chief Social Officer
  • Community Relations Manager
  • Community Builder

The socialization of the corporate marketing infrastructure isn’t a matter of IF it should happen, but instead WHEN it will happen.

Marketers in every industry are agreeing with a core social media concept that People Do Business with People, not Entities: “Brands don’t engage with people — people engage with people.”

The dynamic of listening to and engaging in everyday dialogue is often referred to as the conversation.

The conversation is between the the organization representatives and the new influencers which comprise customers, peers, employees, partners, enthusiasts, bloggers, reporters, and analysts.

What is it that you learn by listening?

Whether the online conversations are positive, neutral, or negative, the insight garnered from listening and observing will reveal opportunities not just for engagement, but also for gathering real-world intelligence

— the type of information that is “ear to the street” and that you can feed back into your organization to improve the existing service, product, and management infrastructure.

The authors included a discussion of the Four Tenets of the Community Manager by Forrester social computing analyst Jeremiah Owyang:

  1. Community Advocate: represents the organization.
  2. Brand Evangelist: promotes events and products.
  3. Savvy Communication Skills: shapes editorial and mediates disputes
  4. Gathers Community Input: gathers and shares comments from marketplace conversation

Here’s a definition of the role of the community manager by a community manager — Connie Bensen:

A community manager is the voice of the company externally and the voice of the customers internally. The value lies in the community manager serving as a hub and having the ability to personally connect with the customers and providing feedback to many departments internally.

Community Managers: Please feel free to add your experiences and tips for organizations looking for individuals to fill this role AND for communications specialists seeking these positions.

Blogging

Social Media Tools — are just “tools,” not the all-important-strategies

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Part 3: Putting the PUBLIC Back in Public Relations

Add air to molten glass
Add air to molten glass

If you think about the title of this post, I hope you’ll get the message that even though it’s the SM platforms, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, etc. that get the “Buzz,” it’s HOW YOU USE THEM that is their true significance.

Because Brian and Dierdre devote a lot of ink to individual tools in this section of PPBPR, readers should note that some of the content will be outdated by the time they read it — the Web is so dynamic, and the Social Web is even more so.

But that is the Key Point of this section:

“Remember that these are merely tools to communicate with others; they’re not representative of the strategies and methodologies for observing and communicating with people.” — p. 153 PPBPR

Four chapters in Part 3: “Participating in Social Media”

Ch 11 – Technology Does Not Override the Social Sciences

Ch 12 – Social Networks: The Online Hub for Your Brand

Ch 13 – Micromedia

Ch 14 – New “Marketing” Roles

Valuable re-quote from The Cluetrain Manifesto:

These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking.

Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can’t be faked.

Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your call-is-important-to-us busy signal.

Same old tone. Same old lies.

My take-aways:

  • Conversations will go on — with or without you. Watch that the competition doesn’t get there first.
  • Negativity in the conversation can present opportunity, e.g., to change a perception.
  • Basic PR has not changed: YOU are the communication bridge between your company and the people you want to reach.
  • Social media helps uncover relevant online communities: LISTEN, OBSERVE and, then, ENGAGE.
  • Reach out to individuals not audiences.
  • Everything you do online today, whether it’s personal or on behalf of a company you represent, contributes to public perception and overall brand resonance.
  • Social networks are forcing PR practitioners to evolve — to step out from behind a cloak of anonymity.
  • “Socialize to Survive” : The days of focusing solely on Web stickiness, eyeballs, and click-throughs is waning. These are the days of immersion, conversation, engagement, relationships, referrals, and action.

NOW FOR SOME QUESTIONS: (especially for those of you who may want to consider discussing this chapter next Tuesday, September 15, at the 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT meet-up of #smbookclub)

  1. As a “communication pro,” how do you [or anyone] keep on top of Networks and Apps?
  2. What platforms and apps have you chosen to use and why?
  3. What success stories have you had/or heard about that have impacted the way you feel about social media?
  4. How do you feel about “lifestreams” and/or posting updates on multiple sites simultaneously?
  5. Can discussions really take part in micromedia?
  6. Where would you like to see Social Media go from here?

I hope to hear your thoughts in comments below and/or next Tuesday during our book discussion.

Next Post: Description of Community Manager role as organization’s guide along Social Media Revolutionary Road

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Facilitating Conversations: Talking the Talk – Part 2 of my glimpse into Putting PUBLIC Back in PR

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Crank up the conversation
Crank up the conversation

Want to join the discussion of “How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging PR Business”?

I did yesterday when I began the day writing my take-aways from Part 1: “The True Value of New PR” — Putting the Public Back in PR by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge — and ended the day engaging in an online chat with the Social Media Book Club discussing Part 2 of the book.

The five chapters in PPBPR’s second section covered these areas:

Ch 6  The language of New P’R – suggesting that terms like “user” and “audience” are out-dated.

Ch 7 Blogger Relations – for which Brian has published an entire Ebook, and the main point is that PR people, and anyone who wants to get a blogger’s attention, needs to read the blog BEFORE making contact.

Ch 8  Social Media Release [SNR] 2.0 – includes an actual template for a recommended format.

Ch 9 Video News Release [VNR] 2.0 – features strategies for creating successful video programs.

Ch 10  Corporate Blogging – my favorite portion of this section because of the tips and links to more resources for planning blogging strategies for companies.

My first experience with Tweetchat and the Social Media Book Club

Not ever having participated in an online chat before [I can’t believe I’m admitting that], I was surprised to see how easy it was to (a) sign up at Tweetchat through my Twitter account, (b) write in the hashtag #smbookclub, and (c) VOILA, I was in and waiting to begin.

Lara McCulloch, an event planner from Ontario, moderated the discussion for the seven or so Tweeple dropping in. The key points discussed included the following:

  • For effective blogger relations, PR people need to read and understand what a blogger writes about BEFORE contacting him or her.
  • If bloggers have a large following, then the comment section can be as valuable as the blog post itself.
  • Gobblygook [i.e, meaningless jargon and cliche expressions] does not belong in press releases.
  • Many companies are finding the news releases, distributed by wire services, may only be necessary for huge product launches.
  • PR is all about relationships, and if you want someone to write about you, you need to establish a relationship.
  • The problem with most traditional releases is that they are designed for a mass audience — and that’s no longer effective, either for the media person or the end consumer.
  • Marketers and PR people need to stop thinking about sending messages, but rather tell stories, i.e. telling rather than selling.
  • Social News releases focus on the facts clearly stated in an easy-to-read format as in the template offered in the book.
  • Newswriting — and the teaching of newswriting — is a different ballgame these days.
  • Print media is looking for community engagement and is doing more stories on local residents.
  • VNRs are time-consuming and expensive, but they are very effective.
  • Video logs, or Vlogs, are not as common as their likability would suggest because they are more time-consuming to create, and they are not as searchable as text-based blogs.
  • Corporate types find it difficult to get into the dialogues that ought to be achieved through company blogging.

The final task of the discussion was to list some quotes that resonated with us:

“We earn the relationship we deserve.”

“To be an effective marketer, you must think like the consumer.”

“”The true influencers are the peers of your customers.”

“Blogs are little First Amendment machines.”

“The game is changing: It is no longer about survival of the fittest, but also the most capable and sincere.”

Don’t forget that you can join next week’s discussion of Part 3 to share your ideas on “Participating in Social Media” – Tuesday, Sept 15 at 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT. Log into Tweetchat and put in the hashtag #smbookclub.

If you missed this week’s chat, but want to add to the conversation, please write your comments below.

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