To say the results of the new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation floored me would be an understatement. Learning that young people across the nation are spending an average of about 7.5 hours a day with entertainment media was simply jarring. As if spending more than 53 hours each week with entertainment media weren’t bad enough, the study found that these youth have mastered an art form — ‘media multitasking.’ By using more than one entertainment medium at a time, they are able to cram 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those same 7.5 hrs.
While my own youth may have fallen well before the advent of social media, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t adapt latter in life. Continue reading →
Just the other day, a friend suggested I become a fan of a Denver Yoga Group on Facebook. First, the one and only time I tried yoga, I spent the whole time trying not to laugh as those around me meditated – yeah, relaxation isn’t really my thing. Secondly, I don’t live in Denver, so why would this group be relevant to me at all?
Every day it seems that someone is suggesting I become a fan of something or inviting me to an event on the opposite coast. Maybe they assume that because I’m their pal, I’ll do whatever they want. Then I’ll pop onto Twitter and witness people begging for more followers. From fans to followers, it appears there are those in social media land that are obsessed with the numbers game. Continue reading →
A short while back, Keith Trivitt wrote a thought-provoking post entitled Are Your Clients Ready for PR 2.0?We had an interesting conversation that started in the comments and worked its way offline to an agreement that whether a company liked it or not, they needed social media. I would love to be able to say that I am omniscient, but who am I kidding? So instead, I’ll simply speak from experience.
Now that that’s out of the way, we’ll start with how social media fell into my lap and turned me into an evangelist for keeping it clean and in the hands of the company’s communications team (PR, MarComm, agencies, etc.). About two years ago, our team was pulled into a meeting and told that the search team was going to use and manage Facebook and LinkedIn, and that it fell under Web 2.0 (remember that term), so we were to leave those sites alone. Continue reading →
This week I had the opportunity to pick the brain of Amy Mengel (@amymengel). Like some of my other guests, Amy is one of those rare breeds that doesn’t rely on coffee. Although she enjoys “fake coffee” like Frappachinos, you’ll more than likely find her sipping Diet Coke for a little caffeine fix. It’s okay Amy, we promise to not throw any fresh produce your way ;). In the summer months you can find her commuting to work often on two wheels as she is an avid cyclist. During fall months Amy is all about college football and skis slopes in the winter months. When she has free time, this book nerd can be caught bumming at the library looking for some new favorites to dive into. Amy relies on her well managed Google Reader to help her stay on top of the PR/SM news. Some of her favorites include: The Brand Builder, Todd Defren’s PR-Squared, and Dave Fleet’s blog. She also geeks out over Marginal Revolution and Strange Maps. And so I give you, Amy Mengel, discussing corporate communications, consulting, Facebook, and the importance of strategy/tactics.
It would seem par for the course that as I turned on my laptop to blog, the power would fail. My immediate reaction was to tweet about the power failure. The challenge with that and my momentary lapse in logic are both evident.
Once I moved past the realization of a self #fail, I was left wondering what we would do without social media. Or, more accurately, could we return to a world without social media? Continue reading →
Seriously, we broke up awhile ago remember? It was right after I met Twitter. Even though Twitter and I are currently having our ups and downs, it doesn’t give you the right to try and rekindle what we once had. Granted, we had a lot of good times together, especially after my AWFUL relationship with MySpace, and don’t even get me started on Friendster (man, he just tried way too hard).
So, sure we hang out at work (because we have to) and the occasional evening – it’s a strictly platonic relationship. Now just when I thought we were developing an understanding, you have gone TOO FAR this time. You know what I’m talking about – you got my parents involved. Continue reading →
Considering I’m writing these thoughts in a blog post, and that the #PRBC was formed through Twitter, I think it’s safe to say I understand the value of social media. That said, I also understand its limitations and that it is one piece of the publicity puzzle; a puzzle that include events, traditional media placements and a comprehensive strategy which ensures synergy amongst all components.With that in mind, it’s no surprise that a recent blog post (you’ll want to note this was a blog post as you keep reading,) The Fallacy of Facebook: Twittering Away Our Time, rubbed me the wrong way. By no means do I disagree with all points made, but I think this post warrants some scrutiny and careful examination. Continue reading →
Does anyone remember when the big social networking Web sites came out? MySpace and Facebook were the elite two. I remember those days extremely clearly because I am part of the ‘Social Networking‘ generation.
Before I get chased out of my profession by my superiors, I want to make a few things very clear:
I have great respect and admiration for the arsenal of long-standing media relationships PR veterans have built and maintained.
I willingly admit there is much that I can learn from my superiors’ successes (and, admittedly, from their struggles as well.)
Now that we’ve laid some ground-work. . .or covered my backside, whichever you find more appropriate. . .let’s get to the reason for making myself perfectly clear (other than abiding by the Co-Communications mantra, ‘Make Yourself Perfectly Clear.’) If veterans of the PR industry don’t evolve, can they survive? Or will they die-off like the newspapers we sorely miss?
We’ve all heard it. That infamous phrase. The one that alludes to the worth of your network relative to the value of your knowledge. It borders on being so overused that I cringe even thinking about it.
My own feelings aside, we all know it’s true – it’s not what you know. It’s who you know.
