Chris Brogan's "50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business"

This piece was extremely helpful, especially for someone (like me) who is just beginning to figure out all the nooks and crannies of Twitter.  It's full of wonderful tips and information to get users more acquainted with all that Twitter has to offer.
The first thing that stuck out to me about Chris Brogan's article "50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business" was the incredible number of links.  Before I even began reading, I noticed all the orange links that were placed throughout the whole article.  Immediately this signified a piece that would be very user friendly and helpful. Another thing that stood out to me is the way Brogan breaks up the piece into five separate sections:

• First steps
• Ideas about WHAT to Tweet
• Some sanity for you
• The negatives people will throw at you
• Some positives to throw back

These titles let readers have a clear understanding of what information each will cover.  Also, they seem to go in a very logical and chronological order for users who are new or who are still trying to figure out how to use it.

It's really helpful, as mentioned earlier, that Brogan links to other Twitter related sites and Twitter applications like Twitter Search and Tweetdeck.  He also incorporates other beneficial sites like TinyURL into his ideas.  Lastly he linked to wonderful examples of Twitter accounts for companies and people.  This is a great and simple way to encourage readers to navigate to Twitter to not only see the examples he's providing, but also to start accounts of their own and incorporate the tips he's offering into their Twitter lives.
These are 10 of Brogan's tips I found to be very beneficial:

• Because listening is No. 1, build an account and immediately start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor's name and terms that relate to you. 
  
• Talk to people about their interests.
• Ask questions.  Twitter is great for getting opinions.
• Follow interesting people.  If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
• You don't have to read every tweet.Learn to use tools like TinyURLand bit.ly that shorten up URL's.  It makes things cleaner.
• Share the human side of your company.Don't answer the question "What are you doing?"  Answer the question "What's caught your attention?"
• Twitter can break news much faster than other sources.
• Twitter is a great tool for business development.
  

Tweets on Tonight Show are fake

Just one day after the airing of Conan O'Brien's show featuring William Shatner reading offensive tweets from Levi Johnston's Twitter, O'Brien announced they had in fact been the tweets of an impostor.

On the Thursday, Nov. 5 show, Shatner appeared again, reading real tweets from Johnston.

Do you think the responsibility to correct situations like this rests in Twitter's hands?  Should Twitter apologize to Johnston and his attorney?  Should Twitter take measures to prevent things like this from happening again?

Shatner chirps Levi Johnston's tweets on The Tonight Show

William Shatner visited The Tonight ShowTonightShow, Wednesday, Nov. 4 to read tweets from Levi Johnston's Twitter page.

The tweets shared were random and some were offensive, talking about taxi drivers that can't speak English and finding some 'good weed.'

Johnston and his lawyer say he never said such things and claim the tweets are absolutely fake. 

They also believe Twitter needs to step up in circumstances like this, take responsibility, and make sure actions are made to correct the situation.

Shatner joined Conan O'Brien earlier in the year to present a similar poetic reading of Sarah Palin's tweets.

What do you think of the notion Twitter needs to take responsibility?  Is that really Twitter's duty?  Does Twitter need to handle public matters like this?

The possibility has also been raised that these tweets are coming from a Twitter Levi Johnston impersonator.  If these truly aren't the real Levi Johnston's messages, does the role of Twitter change or remain the same?

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Rewrite of Women and Spirituality Conference article for the Web

In our research class, we decided to rewrite Robb Murray's article "'Politics of Food,' other hot topics at Women and Spirituality Conference" from the Mankato Free Press.

This exercise was designed to get us thinking in terms of writing for the Web, often times including SMR's (social media releases). In general, pieces for the Web need to be:

• shorter, with shorter sentences: According to readability expert Jakob Nielsen, readers do not read material on the Web. They scan. Therefore, keep information on the Web brief and to the point.
• free of fancy, embellished and extravagant words (like the ones I just used): Showy words are unnecessary and cause readers to lose interest. Keep things simple.
• basic in punctuation: Stick with periods, commas and apostrophes. Anything else clutters the information.
• considerate of appearance. In other words, remember readers are drawn to articles that look easy to understand and quick to read: This can be accomplished with lists and bullet points.
• mindful of SEO (search engine optimization): Remember to use keywords throughout your article, including in your headline, so others will be able to find your piece on the Web.
• accommodating to those who want more info: Because articles should be brief and concise, make sure to provide links for people who want to learn more.

Keeping all this in mind, here is the rewrite of Robb Murray's Free Press article:

Women and Spirituality Conference brings 'Politics of Food' discussion to Minnesota State Mankato

10.25.09—MANKATO, Minn.—The Women and Spirituality Conference comes to Minnesota State University, Mankato with a keynote address by physicist and author, Vandana Shiva.

Join Shiva for her discussion on "The Gendered Politics of Food." The talk will be held Saturday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom.

Other sessions featured during the conference include "Nurturing Spirit by Embracing Inner Awareness in Public School Setting" and "Finding the Balance of Masculine and Feminine Power: Astrological Keys for Healing Mother Earth and Ourselves."

Vandana has founded an international college in Doon Valley, India and Navdanya, a national Indian-based movement to protect resources and promote organic farming.

She has also written some books including "Stolen Harvest: Hijacking of the Global Food Supply."

The conference includes more than 100 workshops and discussions covering many topics.

Visit the Gender and Women's Studies Web site for more information about this event.

Vimeo

Vimeo.com is a wonderful Web site dedicated to the sharing of videos and short films.  What seems great about this site is the fact that it isn't simply a tool for people to display their movies, but is more of a "community-based" network that allows you not only to upload films, but also to connect with others in 'Vimeo ville.'

Although the Web site's focus is on video content, it strongly reminds me of blogging in the sense that it allows for two-way communication and encourages proactivity in feedback and conversations.  

Just as with a blog, you're able to create a profile for yourself, which allows you to upload videos of your own, add people to your contact list, subscribe to different channels (a fun tool for people to gather all their videos in the same place, almost like a TV channel), leave comments on others' films and, most importantly, begin having conversations and forming relationships with other people.

Through the use of tools such as commenting, "liking" and the ability to share videos through e-mail plus other social networks such as Facebook, Digg and Twitter, people can really take advantage of this great opportunity to build beneficial relationships.

One channel I've really found fun has been 5-Second Films.  As the name implies, all videos on this channel are basically five seconds or less, and they're a riot.

This video, Live Fast, perfectly captures what these five-second films are all about.

Live Fast from 5-Second Films on Vimeo.

Even if you aren't to the point of taking and uploading your own videos yet, vimeo.com is still a wonderful networking site and relationship/communication builder.  Maybe after communicating with others on the site, searching through videos and subscribing to different channels you'll get a better feel for what it'd be like to post a video.  If you're at all interested but don't know where to start, I'd suggest making a profile and adding people to your contact list. Use those contacts to help pave your way as you get going on Vimeo.  More than likely, they'll want to help and answer questions you might have. Reciprocate and offer feedback on the films they've uploaded.  Pretty soon, you'll have some great connections made.

Blogger Relations

Once again, I am finding Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge's book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations more and more intriguing, helpful and eye-opening.

Chapter 7 discusses blogger relations and the importance blogging has begun to play in the world of public relations.  Public relations is no longer about attacking audiences with messages and pitches.  It's transformed into the development of loyal, trusting and beneficial relationships between practitioners and people, which include individuals and groups from all different ages, interests, cultures, values and the list goes on and on.

Blogging, which is only one source the Internet has to offer, has become one of the most practical, beneficial, communicative tools online that allows you to "get personal" with those with whom you're communicating.  Blogging has closed one door to the old one-to-many way of communicating: a way that made PR practitioners deaf to the feelings of everyone else out there, and has opened a new door that allows feedback, reciprocation of information and, most important of all, a true way to connect with, learn about and get to know the people who are interested in what you, as a PR professional, have to say and offer.

With this wonderful advance in technology, it seems like the perfect opportunity to grab hold and take advantage of the situation at hand.  Upcoming PR people have the chance to transform old ways of thinking, planning and executing to a more personal level, and the advent of blogging is here to help.

One thing mentioned in the book was Chris Anderson's blog on PR spammers.  

Anyone with e-mail understands Anderson's frustration with excessive amounts of spam, pitches, news releases and unimportant messages that continue to flood inboxes.  Almost everyone can relate to that on a human level.

However, this seems to be the absolute worst way to fix the problem, when in fact the intentional 'fix,' I would guess, has only created more problems.

We all get annoyed with certain situations, but to handle it in this way, listing hundreds of professionals and their e-mails, especially on a professional platform, seems completely backwards.  Why not rise above those you're annoyed with and approach them in a more favorable way?

Also, on page 104, Solis and Breakenridge recommend sending "positive feedback to those who do it right."  This is a wonderful idea.  Reinforce the connections and behaviors of the people with whom you're happy, those who you perceive as ethical and those whose relationships you truly admire and appreciate.

Overall, blogging, whether used positively or negatively, is definitely a tool that allows connections to be made on a much more personal level.  Take advantage of these opportunities and continue to push PR in a more communicative, reciprocal and "striving to get to know people" direction.

Media Relations Student Editor

The beginning of this school year allowed another beginning for me: I started my position as Media Relations Student Editor for the Media Relations Office at Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Now, nearly two months in, I am extremely grateful for the experience I'm getting that will continue to prepare me for my future in public relations.

As the student editor, I write articles for the university's Web site.  I also help put together the stories for the biweekly newsletter that gets sent out to faculty and staff.  

One aspect of my job that's been very different from any other position I've had (and one I have had no trouble getting used to) is the location of my office.  My office is like a chameleon: It's always changing.  Sometimes it's my bedroom.  Sometimes it's Memorial Library.  Other times it's a comfortable couch in Panera.

You guessed it.  All I need to work is a computer, connection to the Internet and my AP Stylebook, of course.  

Not only do I have the freedom to choose where I want to work, I also have a voice in when I want to work.  If I have five hours of homework to do after getting home at 6 p.m. from classes, I can start a piece at 11 p.m. before I go to bed.

All my information is sent to me by e-mail from my boss.  All my pieces are typed and then compiled in Word for the newsletter and posted on the Web site.

This is perfect practice for me as I look toward life after graduation, and it's a wonderful job to have with my heavy workload as a college student.  

Skills and Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals

Dave Fleet's blog post 14 Key Skills & Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals was extremely eye opening and incredibly relevant to not only our research class, but also the stage we are in now as PR majors with changes in technology happening faster than ever.
This article really reminded me of the first few chapters in the Solis book, particularly with the emphasis on this current transition between more traditional tools, skills and strategies and the newer methods that have presented themselves recently with the advent of online opportunities.
I appreciate that even though Fleet's focus is on the newer attributes he recommends for PR hopefuls, he still encourages knowledge of and practice with the older methodologies. I feel, no matter how technologically advanced our world becomes, writing will always be one of the most vital skills to have. Just as with writing, communication skills will never stop being important, and being attentive to details will continue to show readers your reliability as a source, as well as the degree of commitment you hold to your work.
I found it very interesting to read over his recommendations for 'newer' PR. I think the most common devices on the internet today (and by most common, I mean what most people are most familiar with) are the online social networking tools such as Facebook and Linkedin. I feel they're so famous because of the mass use they get (specifically Facebook) from not only people in the PR and journalism fields, but also, just the everyday person.
I, too, fall in line with the millions, perhaps even billions, of others around the globe who have Facebook accounts. And my entrance into the Facebook world wasn't inspired by college, classes, PR or even the consideration that Facebook could possibly affect (either negatively or postively) my job outlook in the future. It was influenced by the fact that my friends were doing it, it seemed 'cool' and fun, and I wanted to stay in contact with people after graduating high school.
Now, being able to recognize Facebook as so much more than a fun hobby and cool tool to update my friends on how amazing this episode of The Office is, I've already gained a much better understanding of what it can provide for me in the future.
But beyond Facebook and my recent practice with blogging, I need work--and a lot of it. Fleet mentions the importance of coding with HTML and PHP. He also stresses his belief that knowledge of search engine optimization is key information to have. This opens my eyes to the heavy reality that I need to start learning and using these tools now. And I can't simply test the waters with my feet, but rather dive head first in the deep end, submerging myself in every opportunity I can while I still have the chance. I'm still in college. This is the perfect time. Within a year, I'll be graduated and out in the 'real world' when knowledge of these things will really count and my expertise in them could make or break my prospect of a job offer.

Traditional vs. New Journalism

I've just finished reading the first few chapters of Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakendridge's book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.

The fourth chapter and its overall theme really stuck out to me. It discusses the recent shift from newspapers and magazines to online media (mentioning the extreme decrease in newspaper sales in the past few years). It then goes on to acknowledge the current quandary and discussion surrounding the topic of traditional versus new journalism. Are those who blog considered journalists, or do they fall into a separate category?

As the book mentions, journalists who graduated even ten years ago, all had the same messages, lessons and information crammed into their brains during their college careers: Tell the truth; Always fact-check; Grammar and spelling are of utter importance; Keep promises with sources; Get at least two independent sources to back up information; and so on. The key message here stresses the integrity and honesty of journalists through their relationships with their sources, audiences, editors, plus their precise and accurate storytelling.

Looking back to my Media Writing I class, I feel like I was I was taught these things, with the course focusing on the use of the AP Stylebook, as well as the accuracy and conciseness of my stories.

However, I feel like my peers and I are in a transition stage, between this 'traditional' perspective and a new up-and-coming view that's emerged from the advent of new technology and online opportunity.

The ethics involving online blogging are straying away from traditional journalism, and in all reality, how could we truly expect them to adhere to something so incredibly different? Like Solis and Breakenridge mention, blogging has become more about discussions—with tools like commenting and the ability to go into a post at any moment and make immediate changes—as opposed to a simple one-way street of providing information, like with newspaper writing. Now others are having a say in bloggers' stories, being able to leave feedback, contribute information and correct mistakes if they're there.

While no formal code of ethics is in place for these 'citizen journalists,' I think it's truly important to maintain the same core values writing for your blog as you would writing a newspaper article.

In the long run, I believe it'll be your loss if you become too carefree in your facts and don't take the time to check accuracy and spelling. Audiences are smart. They'll catch on. Readers won't continue to read blogs muddled with inaccurate information, dishonesty and garbled punctuation and spelling making them difficult to read.

I guess we'll see what the future holds.

Shutterfly purchases smaller online picture service

I just read a blog by Erick Schonfeld on techcrunch.com called Shutterfly Buys Tiny Pictures For A Tiny Price.

Shutterfly purchased Tiny Pictures Friday, Sept. 11, for only $1.3 million in cash and then $1.3 million in stocks to employees.

Tiny Pictures used and offered Radar, a phone picture sharing service, where pictures could be shared through your phone among you, your friends and family immediately after being taken. Then, anyone in your circle of "Radar users," would be free to view and comment on the pictures you took.  

The application sounds pretty cool to me, but apparently Tiny Pictures was never able to expand from its core group of users to a widespread audience.  Maybe that has to do with the fact that you're only able to share pictures with people you know, and if you don't know anyone else with Radar, there isn't much reason for you to buy or use it.

I'm very surprised Tiny Pictures sold for such a low price.  These days, especially when businesses are concerned, $2.6 million isn't very much money.

Ethics in public relations

Today in strategic communications research we discussed ethics in public relations and how it applies specifically to the topic of research.
Confidentiality/anonymity
This sticks out in my mind as the main theme throughout. Confidentiality and anonymity so important to people who decide to participate in a survey, focus group or any other kind of research project. Employees don't want to worry about losing their jobs or being treated unfairly by their bosses after news about what they say leaks out. Even for those people who would answer very positively about their workplace and employer, they too could be privileged in a way that wouldn't be fair to others. Without considering the topic of crimes or illegal/harmful acts, the promise of confidentiality is such a vital thing to always follow through with. However, when someone admits to doing something against the law, your own personal ethics and guidelines should kick in.
Compliance
Participants must knowingly agree to be a part of the research experiment or survey that is being conducted. Ethically, people can't be used without knowing it. If someone doesn't comply to take part, they cannot be forced to do so.
Withdrawal
Along with the idea of compliance, participants must understand if they do agree to be a part of the experiment, they can withdraw at any time. I feel we, as humans, have a right to decide, whether halfway into an experiment or not, if we want to continue through to the end. We deserve a right to withdraw without punishment. Any rewards that were promised in the beginning must still be given (maybe in a reduced form) to those who withdraw.
True understanding
Participants must really understand what it is they're getting themselves into. Ethical guidelines are broken when words are twisted to convey one thing and the participants show up only to realize they have to do something completely different than what they thought.
No harm
Research must not harm participants in any way, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. If research does cause harm to a participant, everything must be done to fix whatever was "broken."
Labeling
Never refer to participants as "subjects" or "victims." Use "people" or "participants."
Proprietary info
Although you may conduct the research and follow through with confidentiality/anonymity, any information you collect is proprietary and belongs to the company for which you work.

The Machine Is Us/ing Us

I just watched The Machine Is Us/ing Us on YouTube. It was very interesting. I watched it a few times to really try to understand what this video is hoping to convey. It was very original and really opened my eyes to the changing world we are living in. I interpreted it to be expressing the incredible changes we've seen in technology in recent history, specifically concerning computers and the internet. Things continue to change on a daily basis, with the internet becoming more and more complex and more and more available to virtually anyone in the world. With this shift and advance in technology, other things have been and will continue to be effected, including the way we view ethics, privacy and dozens of other topics.

First Blog Post

I'm in my strategic communications research class with Ellen right now!