PROpenMic: Pros, teachers & students unite
Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 7:46pm in PR General | 1 Comment
PROpenMic is a new social network which has been introduced to unite public relations professionals, teachers and students from around the world. Created by PR lecturer at Auburn University and orchestrator of the free PR blog platform, prblogs.org, Robert French, PROpenMic aims to be a hub for connecting and learning.
Still in its infancy, it currently has almost 600 members coming from 30 different countries and includes students coming from over 70 different colleges and universities from around the globe. Edelman’s Phil Gomes hosts a video type-Q&A session aptly titled “A Minute With Phil” where newbies can post questions to Phil who responds (or sometimes his colleagues respond) via video. For the students among us there are various internship applications posted on the site so it could just land you that dream job.
Like all social networks, its success depends on user participation but if PROpenMic’s relatively recent launch is anything to go by, it stands in good stead. As mentioned on here over a year ago, social networks are becoming more niche by catering to individuals with specific interests as proved by Ben Ayers‘ bike social network, Me and My Bicycle, and now with PROpenMic.
You can find me on PROpenMic here.
Innocent gets Twitter wrong
Posted Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 7:18pm in Business, PR General | 6 Comments
Ask any British based PR or marketer about which brands they most admire and chances are Innocent Drinks will be somewhere near the top of their list. And rightly so. Innocent is a great brand which has been praised on this blog on more than one occasion. Everything from the company’s brand narrative to the little cheesy notes included on their smoothie cartons is sheer genius and guaranteed to give you a warm and gushy feeling.
The company also should be praised for its efforts in social media. A blog, YouTube channel, various worthwhile initiatives on Flickr and a popular Facebook Group and Fan Page. The blog has been put to good use by the company on a few occasions, most notably in May last year when it decided to partner with MacDonald’s by supplying Innocent smoothies to each of the fast food chain’s UK outlets, which in-turn created a lot of negative commentary from the Innocent fan base. Nevertheless, the company had the guts to address the issue openly on the blog guaranteeing two thumbs up from any social media enthusiast. Bravo.
Recently, Innocent has set up a Twitter account for the company’s upcoming 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and can be found at http://twitter.com/innocentAGM2008. By general standards, however, it’s a relatively poor attempt at using Twitter. So far it’s been updated 26 times, has 28 ‘followers’ and is ‘following’ no one. No dialogue, no insights, no interest in other users (by choosing not to follow anyone) and, perhaps most importantly, bringing nothing interesting to the Twitter party. Well, unless you care about people tuning in bit televisions, that is.
Alex Pearmain disagrees and believes that it has no need for dialogue because it’s a Twitter account set up purposely for the company’s 2008 AGM. Alex has a point but one can’t help feeling that this is a poor attempt from a company that usually sets such high standards.
List of mobile news sites
Posted Monday, April 21, 2008 at 5:10pm in Media, Technology | 7 Comments
The mobile web is increasingly becoming a part of our lives and how we find, communicate and absorb information. One only has to look at his or her friends’ status updates to realise that Facebook is receiving an increase of updates via mobile devices. Plus the occasional epiphany update which often goes something along the lines of, “Jon has updated his Facebook status on his mobile!! How clever is that!?!?” (or words to that effect) illustrates the increasing usage of the mobile web as it transcends from early adopter phase to mainstream.
Data prices are becoming cheaper and over here in Europe the EU is beginning to take action against the carriers that charge extortionate mobile web roaming charges when consumers use the phones in other EU countries. Mobile speeds are increasing and mobile browsers are improving at a fast rate. With this in mind, here’s a list of mobile news sites to be saved straight into your phone’s browser favourites. (Note: A couple of the links link to the publication’s page where you have to input your mobile number to be sent a text of a link to the site.)
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The Envelope (from the LA Times) |
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The Australian (Australia) |
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Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) |
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Globe and Mail (Canada) |
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Toronto Star (Canada) |
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International Herald Tribune (France) |
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Le Monde (France) |
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Der Spiegel (German) |
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Gazzetta Dello Sport (Italy) |
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Times of India (India) |
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Moscow Times (Russia) |
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Mail & Guardian (South Africa) |
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Manila Bulletin (Philippines) |
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Adage (Media) |
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E-consultancy (Media) |
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Gawker (Media) |
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Holy Moly (Humor) |
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The Onion (Humor) |
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BBC Weather (Weather) |
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Foreca (Weather) |
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National Weather Service (Weather) |
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The Weather Channel (Weather) |
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Facebook: the lobbying boiling pot (Part II)
Posted Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 7:24pm in PR General, Technology | 6 Comments
In February I wrote about how organisations and individuals are increasingly using Facebook as a platform to lobby against commercial companies and associations. Users of the platform are setting up Facebook Groups to assemble like-minded individuals and fellow protesters to fight their cause. The most notable example being UK student organisation, the National Union of Students (NUS), against HSBC in a bid which successfully stopped the bank from introducing new charges to fresh graduates.
BARRIERS TO ENTRY ARE LOW, EXPECT MORE TO FOLLOW
As predicted, and given the ease of setting up a Facebook Group, one might expect that the use of the social networking platform for lobbying and protesting purposes would not end there. And it hasn’t according to the Economist which reports on a group of “Canadian grannies and other small investors” who successfully used the site to force a number of financial firms into repaying millions of dollars in doomed investments in asset backed-commercial paper which were marketed as safe. In much the same way as the NUS example, campaigners set up a Facebook Group to “trade information, provide mutual support and plot strategy.”
“AN AMAZING TOOL” THAT WORKS BOTH WAYS
A significant point to note is the response by the group’s administrator who explains that Facebook played a huge part in the initiative as it brought together “people who would never have met in real life, from pig farmers and retired loggers to MBA students and pastors.”
Not only did the Facebook Group help the campaigners but it also helped the lawyer who developed the reimbursement solution “because it helped him understand the concerns of small investors and gave him a way to talk to them.”
CAVEAT
The writing’s on the wall. Facebook is proving to be a successful platform for anyone (stress: anyone) to take action against perceived wrong doings of big business, provided that the cause is worthy of a fight and the ‘crowd’ is big enough. It’s safe to say that we’ll see more examples like this as time goes by. But, as shown above, an anti-corporate Facebook Group can be useful to both parties as it can provide the ‘accused’ with details and insights of the complaints and concerns.
Don’t Panic Guide to social media
Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:05pm in Blogging, Business, Media, PR General | 5 Comments
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VENUE: THE MARRIOTT HOTEL, REGENTS PARK, LONDON
DATE / TIME: FRIDAY 23 MAY 2008, 9.30AM TO 4PM
TICKETS: £295 + VAT, £250 + VAT EARLY BOOKING & CHARITY RATE
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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The internet has revolutionised the way we seek and share information and has acted as a catalyst for wide ranging social interaction and potential communication opportunities with individuals, niche audiences and mass markets. In a few short years weʼve seen the rise of social networking, hugely popular user generated sites and bloggers with the influence to make or break brands and
reputations.
The Donʼt Panic Guide To Social Media is aimed at senior communicators and will examine the rapid growth of online PR and the social media tools that are driving the revolution. Delegates will hear the latest insight into how and why social media is an essential part of the communications mix alongside case studies as diverse as Oxfam, Frank PR and Dell.
The conference takes place at the Marriott Hotel, Regents Park, London and features an unmissable line up of speakers. Refreshments, lunch and access to presentations are included in the ticket price.
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SPEAKERS
SAM BARRATT, HEAD OF MEDIA, OXFAM
Oxfam is one of the world’s most respected aid agencies and continues to be at the forefront of pioneering fundraising work to tackle poverty and famine and raise awareness of climate change and fair trade issues. Sam will be talking about Oxfam’s online activity that has increasingly made use of social media to reach new and existing audiences through their blogs, Facebook
groups and YouTube channel.
He has worked for Oxfam since 2000, leading on all of Oxfam’s campaigns as well as events such as Oxfam’s response to the tsunami, the WTO meetings in Cancun and the war in Afghanistan.
www.oxfam.org.uk
KERRY BRIDGE, HEAD OF DIGITAL MEDIA & COMMS, DELL (EMEA)
Dell is a leading manufacturer and retailer of computers and peripherals with millions of global customers in over 100 countries. Kerry‘s presentation will examine the value of social media to a multinational organisation and will cover the learning curve resulting from the much publicised ‘Dell Hell’ case.
Relations with consumer bloggers are now firmly at the fore of Dell’s communication strategy including the customer focused online forum IdeaStorm and Direct2Dell blog.
dellideastorm.com
direct2dell.com
STEPHEN DAVIES, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, WEBITPR
News travels fast on the World Wide Web and as citizen journalists, bloggers and the mainstream media increasingly use multimedia content some might say the traditional press or news release is dead. Stephen’s presentation will provide an insight into the rise of the Social Media News Release, a modern alternative that enables the sharing of information, links and even
content such as Flickr galleries and YouTube videos.
Webitpr have distributed SMNRs on behalf of a number of multinational clients such as ITV, Sage and Cisco and the likes of Coca Cola, Ford and Yahoo! are also using them to reach audiences and create dialogues with consumers, influencers and traditional news outlets.
Stephen blogs at prblogger.com
ROBIN GOAD, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, HITWISE
Hitwise are leaders in online analysis and each day provide an insight into how almost 8.5 million UK internet users interact with over a million websites across a variety of industries. Robin will be delivering highlights from their latest white paper on the impact of social networking in the UK including analysis of who’s using social networking sites and predictions for the impact they will have in 2008.
www.hitwise.co.uk
GRAHAM GOODKIND, CHAIRMAN, FRANK PR
Graham was previously MD of ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ PR consultancy Lynne Franks PR, he then founded Another.com, one of the UK’s leading internet brands, before returning to PR and setting up Frank. Frank are one of the giants of the UK PR scene and Graham’s presentation will look at creativity, buzz and word of mouth and how they successfully generate these elements online. Frank also look after a retired greyhound called Flying Frank, the only dog with a blog.
www.frankpr.it
NEVILLE HOBSON, NEVILLEHOBSON.COM
Neville Hobson, ABC, is a communicator, blogger, podcaster and Second Life explorer, one of the leading European early adopters and influencers in social media communication for business. He is a passionate advocate for new and emerging technology tools and channels with over 25 yearsʼ experience in public and media relations helping companies build dynamic relationships with customers, employees, shareholders and other key audiences and influencers.
Neville will be chairing the conference and providing the opening overview presentation examining the rise and impact of social media and the opportunities it presents for communicators. Along with his California-based colleague Shel Holtz, Neville is responsible for the highly influential business podcast For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report forimmediaterelease.biz
He has been blogging since 2002 and currently does so at nevillehobson.com
MARSHALL MANSON, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY, EDELMAN UK
Marshall Manson is Director of Digital Strategy for Edelman in London, and a leader in the field of online strategy, communications and reputation management. Previously, he was Vice-President of Online Advocacy for Edelman in Washington, DC.
His presentation will focus on how technology is driving changes in the way audiences get and share information and the implications of that shift and where it may lead us in the future. He will also examine how businesses are using social media in the US, UK and elsewhere and the success or otherwise of their strategies.
Marshall blogs at ontapblog.com and edelmandigital.com
MEG PICKARD, HEAD OF COMMUNITIES AND USER EXPERIENCE, GUARDIAN UNLIMITED
Meg describes herself as a creative geek and has worked in New Media for about ten years including consultation roles with small startups, global brands and charities. She currently works at Guardian Unlimited where she is responsible for developing and managing existing and new social web strategy and experiences. Before this she was Consumer Experience lead for Social Media at AOL Europe.
Her presentation will examine the importance of social media strategy for organisations and their audiences.
Meg blogs at meish.org
SIMON WAKEMAN, HEAD OF MARKETING & PR, MEDWAY COUNCIL
Simon is a qualified marketing and public relations professional with a passion for new technology and its impact on the way we communicate. He will be exploring the extent of social media usage in local government with examples of those authorities who have used social media channels to reach their audiences. He will also consider the reasons why some authorities may still be reticent to create truly open dialogues with those they serve.
Simon blogs at simonwakeman.com/blog
SOCIAL MEDIA PANEL DISCUSSION
The conference will close with a social media panel discussion where delegates can seek the advice of our speakers, raise issues and get involved in the conversation.
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BOOKING
Ticket prices are £295 + VAT or £250 + VAT for charities and early booking before 30 April 2008. For event booking or further information please contact Nicky or Andrew at Donʼt Panic on 01706 828855 or alternatively places can be securely booked online at - www.dontpanicprojects.com/booking.htm