Business social media IS public relations

Social media when business is involved is, at its core, public relations.

Companies have an image to portray, and they want to make sure that their image is maintained online, the same as it is offline.  So in steps PR – this is what we do – manage image.  There are a few things we need to consider when looking at PR professionals as social media gurus.

First of all, social media isn’t something that you can whip up over night.  We’re not talking about a billboard here, or an article in the newspaper, we’re talking about a community of living, breathing, and communicating people.  It takes time to build a community, and it once it’s established, they need something to keep them coming back.  This requires time and dedication.

Traditionally, many companies have hired outside PR agencies to do their PR work for them, with a side of social media.  This simply isn’t going to work.

As to Tom Smith point out in his article Why Big Brands Struggle With Social Media,

“fundamentally, it is about putting in place the right organizational structure with a social media department, which is responsible for a company’s long term approach to open their companies up to consumers and have a permanent social media presence.”

Social media should be part of a company’s own PR department, or a social media department with a PR component.  This would allow a long-term commitment to the social media realm, and allow it to be effective and useful for the company in the long run.  PR companies work under strict time lines and simply aren’t involved with a particular project long enough to develop the online presence needed to make a social media campaign successful.

A second thing to look at is the attention a social media site needs.  To build on my last argument as to why social media belongs within a company’s own PR department, social media needs a lot of attention.  Trends are always changing and companies need to be in the loop.  Conversations are constantly buzzing on the Internet.  Word of mouth was not something companies could previously tap into, but with the buzz moving into the online sphere, companies can now access this information at any time.  You need to be monitoring social media – no excuses.

Technorati can be used to monitor blog posts, Twitter search to monitor Twitter and Delicious to see what people are bookmarking on your site.  These tools are all wonderful as basics, but even using these three tools, you’re going to need someone to commit to watching them (especially if your company is large).  What better person to do this than a dedication PR professional who knows the details of your business and how to respond to trends using online tactics.

Alexandra Samuel recommends using these tools to “track the reputation of your company, brands/products, key leadership and industry, and discover where your strengths and weaknesses lie online.”  PR practitioners, with this information in hand, will be able to determine the need for a campaign and then design one that’s perfect for your company.

Most importantly, PR agencies doing social media need to do their research.  Not every campaign is worthy of social media, and not every social media method is appropriate for every company.

• Facebook and Burger King – genius
• IBM employees creating their own blogs – great
• Skittles making their home page Twitter – not so smart

What makes these first two matches so great, but the third one a disaster?  Jaffe Juice argues it’s based on audience, brand image and messaging.

Do Skittles consumers read Twitter?  Probably not.  I personally would peg Skittles consumers as more the high school crowd and so far teenagers haven’t caught on to the Twitter craze.  Burger King has a similar audience to Skittles, but opted for Facebook, where teenagers spend many of their after school hours.  It just makes sense.

Skittles’ attempt to use Twitter to inform people what people were saying about their brand was clever… on the surface.  But they should have considered that people who know they are being watched have the tendency to say things that may not be as appropriate as Skittles would like.  “Skittles Skittles Skittles Skittles Capitalist Whore Skittles Skittles Skittles Capitalist Whore,” is a great example of what you probably don’t want on your web site’s front page.  Duh.

What was Skittles trying to say to their audience?  If they knew anything about Twitter, they knew what was going to be flashed across their web page.  Burger King’s campaign got people involved in the brand (they got to choose 10 friends to delete and were rewarded with a free BK Whopper).  It was clear that consumers were being marketed to, but there was a reward for their compliance (the free burger).

A dedicated PR practitioner in your company would know your company inside and out, and better be able to determine the best audience and tactics.  The ultimate idea behind PR is to garner (positive) attention to your brand, and PR practitioners are professionals at doing just this.  Once they have the kinks worked out, PR professionals will be pros at the online social media sphere as well, where brand management is the overall strategy.

(See more social media success stories at Presenting: 10 of the Smarted Big Brands in Social Media)

If PR companies want to be involved in the future of social media, it’s clear that there needs to be some change.  A move away from conventional PR agencies is key to the success of social media campaigns.  Companies need to direct more attention to what is going on online, and they need someone who knows the company and brand management to do it.  PR is a fit with social media, it will just take a while to get over the initial learning curve.

 

My ideas for Blizzard’s expanded online presence

The background: Why World of Warcraft is so popular

Most companies have a website in today’s online world. But the reality is that increasingly having just a web page is not enough. Social media rules the Internet, and consequently the way information is being shared is changing.

People no longer look to magazines to find out when their favourite new video game is coming out. Instead, they read blogs and cruise Digg.

Today I’d like to give some suggestions as to how a favourite game of mine, World of Warcraft (WoW) (owned by Blizzard), can further increase their online presence.

Up until now, WoW has mostly grown as a result of word of mouth. Blizzard is one of the most successful video game companies out there, and so when WoW came out, they already had a strong following of players to start off the game. After that, it was purely word of mouth. People played the game and liked it. Blizzard has only recently released a series of commercials featuring celebrities who play WoW.

In October 2008, Blizzard was advertising that it had 11 million users worldwide. It has been the best selling video game for several years in a row. However, there is always room for more in the World of Warcraft and so I’m going to suggest several new social media tactics that Blizzard can use to attract customers and keep the ones they already have.

Expanding the Empire: My top three social media suggestions for Blizzard’s World of Warcraft

The average age of a WoW player is 28, with 84 per cent of players being male, and so I’m going to focus on this age/gender group when I look at suggestions for WoW. (Stats from here)

1. Digg, Delicious and StumbleUpon

WoW is an online game, and its players are tuned into what is happening online. According to Groundswell’s profiler, only 14% of people in WoW’s demographic are inactive. This is significantly lower than the overall average of 20% inactive in the US.

WoW has an extensive web page that players use to find information, but due to the sheer number of pages that exist on the site, it can be impossible to find what’s interesting, new and relevant.

I recommend Blizzard use social media site buttons on its pages. People who are interested in content, can just click on the button and share it with their friends and other users.

According to the well-known social media guru Chris Brogan, “tools that allow others to share your media and content are very useful. Think about Digg and StumbleUpon and other means of spreading content digitally.”

I am sure that if WoW had a big announcement, it would very easily make Digg’s front page. This would be GREAT advertising for the company, and also useful for existing customers that would be interested to know this information.

2. WoW blog

There must be a million blogs about WoW out there, but Blizzard itself does not have a blog. Do you know how many people would read this? A lot. 77% of people in WoW’s demographic are spectators, and a blog is just what this group would be into.

There are a lot of players who do not venture outside of the game, or official WoW website to get their information, and I think that a blog with links to more information would encourage them to read outside of the WoW website, and potentially develop a stronger connection to the game its community. A blog, written in simple terms, could also encourage people that are interested in the game to go ahead and purchase it (or at least do a 10-day trial).

A series could be done by a game-master about upcoming exciting patches, or new gear that is coming out. Or even just about what he encounters in his day to day job. Game masters seem quite elusive when you are in game waiting to talk to one, and this could make them seem more human.

Another take on a blog would be to do a video blog, and to be less technical and information based. A video blog could be a series of tips and tricks for the game, or even outlining different classes and races. Something fun to watch, that would also engage people outside of the game.

Blogs have the same grassroots feeling that WoW used to become so popular in the first place.
“Blogs are very much like the traditional ‘mouth to mouth marketing’, but faster and easier to reach, available 24 hours per day,” explains marketing author Zorin Savin.

3. Facebook group

WoW players are tuned in to the online world. They are young(er), avid users of the internet and all of its benefits – which means that they are probably also on Facebook. So why isn’t WoW on Facebook?

There are many, many groups on Facebook that have to do with WoW, to the point where it is downright confusing. If Blizzard created its own official group, it would have hundreds of thousands members almost instantly. A facebook page would connect Facebook users, deepening the sense of community. It would also give something for those interested in playing, something to look at and see if they’re interested.

… and WoW players are proud. They will wear this Facebook group like a badge.

Although there are many other social media systems out there, they are not all right for WoW. I could have suggested Twitter (why isn’t that on the list, you say?). Twitter tends to cater to an older audience, one that is involved in business, which is not really WoW’s demographic. Also, WoW is more of a one-way communication company, due to the sheer number of people they have to respond to, and Twitter is really intended for two-way communication. It’s just not appropriate.

Maybe we’ll see Blizzard become more involved in a social media world. Their website gets so many visitors, they should really be working on engaging them more and using them to draw in even more visitors.

 

Online attitudes in video games

I want to talk about how people act when they are online versus how they act when they are in the “real world.”  I have seen a lot of people saying very hurtful things online and we’re going to discuss why I think this is so.

To do this, because I am an avid gamer, I will use the examples that I am most familiar with in World of Warcraft (WoW).
When you Google video games, a lot of information comes up that is related to violence and sex in video games.  It’s becoming an increasingly hot topic in the media.

Video games are violent.  Even World of Warcraft, which is only rated teen, has us going around killing creatures for reward.  It’s backwards.  And Warcraft is mild.  Look at Halo or Call of Duty – the only purpose of these first person shooters is to kill other people.  Instead of having consequences for killing someone in game, you have a reward.  It’s the opposite of real life.

In my gaming experience, because of the interactive component of Warcraft, I have encountered a lot of negative behaviour.  This behaviour has quite the range.
There are those that take the completely childish (and cliche) route of stepping into the in-game auction house and yelling profanities over and over until a game master kicks them out of the game.
There are those that choose to personally attack people in public view on the trade channel (which can be viewed in all in-game major cities).  This can hurt by the way.  It may be a game, but we’re still real people.
And there are those that just simply act similar to how they would in real-life, creating cliques and excluding others for the purpose of hurting them.

So why do people act like this online? People don’t *usually* run into stores and start shouting profanities unless they are mentally unstable.

Well, many people are saying that video games are being used as a way to relieve stress (particularily by teens).  But multiplayer online video games are social.  So, if we’re relieving stress through our online adventures, we may be venting stress not only by playing the game, but also by taking it out on other players in the game.  I think this is why people sometimes act differently in-game than they would in real-life- they are simply using the game to vent stress.  But this is only my theory.

Apparently, some studies are even saying that because of the social aspects of games, that video games may actually be good for us. I agree that video games can be good for us in that they improve coordination and also brain power, but I do not agree that video games improve social skills.  As I mentioned before, video games provide no consquences for actions. In my opinion, the anger that I’m seeing online is also the result of people being social without any consequences for negative social behaviour.  You don’t get beat up when you curse someone out.  You don’t see them cry when you hurt their feelings.  You are not learning proper social skills.

The result of these two points is that we have an online world where people take out anger on real people and have no consequence for doing so.

People, especially teens, need to learn how to be properly social in face to face situations where they face consequences for their actions.  Video games simply do not provide this type of situation.

Players also need to realize that they can use WoW to unwind, as that’s what I use it for, but that the act of playing the game should be the stress release.  Don’t take it out on people in chat!  K thx bai.

Could the same logic be applied to online forums and even sites like Twitter and Facebook?

 

Social bookmarking – the best way to get information?

Groundswell- a rapidly developing general feeling or opinion

Opinions and thoughts have always existed- so why is everyone suddenly so excited about sharing them?

Are we more tuned in because of our modern online world?
Do we care more about what’s going on in the world?
Or is it because our information is suddenly instant and uncensored?

I think it’s the third option- but maybe it’s all of the above.

Before the rise in popularity of online news and social media, we had to rely on news stations and word of mouth within our limited social circles to get our news. It came nicely packaged in a newspaper or in a nice three minute clip on our local newscast. Simple, sweet. The only problem is that we could only choose to listen or not listen. We didn’t get to choose the content. Now we have the freedom to not only learn about specific issues with social utilities like Digg and Del.icio.us, but we can also PARTICIPATE in the discussion thanks to Twitter and Facebook.

Personally, in the past eight months I feel like the groundswell has exploded. People are talking, and suddenly it seems like everyone is tuned into it. Maybe it’s just me becoming more tuned in myself, and consequently noticing social media more, but who would have ever thought that you could see news from Twitter on CBC’s The National? Even traditional media outlets are tapping into the groundswell.

Even though I knew about Del.icio.us, a tool that lets you bookmark your favourite websites remotely and share them with anyone, I didn’t really get into social bookmarking until prompted to by my Online PR teacher. Since creating my account in January, I have used Del.icio.us for two very specific reasons – first to find and bookmark sites to advance my job search, and second to learn more about my chosen career area, PR and communications. For me, the benefit is the unhindered access to information. The material is there, and Del.icio.us helps me find and manage it. Social bookmarking tools can, however, make it past the realm of personal use, and be very useful for businesses to promote their own sites.

Digg, a site that allows users to “digg” (or favourite) a website and then compiles the stats on how many people are digging what, is booming. Judging by the 35 million visitors that visit Digg each month, the world is on Digg. This fact in itself should set off sirens in the heads of business people everywhere telling them that there has to be a way to make money off of this site. But how?

The CEO of Digg, Jay Adelson, stated in an interview with the NY Times that the site’s biggest benefit is that you can go about “engaging community and harnessing the wisdom of the crowds.” At any moment you can log on and see what specific groups are digging, or what the general public is reading. Businesses can use this information to know how to angle their materials or who to target with their products (as they now know what is interesting and relevant to different groups).

In addition to using Digg to gather information, you can use Digg to promote your website. There are two ways to do this. You can become a member of the Digg community and become involved in the conversation. Digg allows you to make friends, and then compiles an RSS feed of all of the sites your friends are digging. So for instance, if you have a site for a technology product, you could find friends that are digging sites related to your product. Befriend these users, join in and expand the conversation, thereby creating a mini- promotional network of all sites related to your product.

The second method to promote using Digg is the Digg icon that you can stick on your webpage. This makes it really easy for people to Digg your site, and potentially encourage more people to visit it. However, because of the insane volume of diggs on Digg, it is sometimes nearly impossible to get noticed.

Digg is similar to using Del.icio.us, in that it is a “social bookmarking site,” but I believe (and some will argue) that Digg is actually more interactive than Del.icio.us. Del.icio.us is more useful for saving my bookmarks. I have to admit that I haven’t really gotten into using Del.icio.us for more than this basic feature.

So back to my basic question. Why is everyone suddenly so interested in peoples’ opinions and information gathering? I’ve just explained why Del.icio.us is useful to me, and why Digg can be useful to businesses, but the success off this service really comes down to how fast it works.

Already in 2005, Digg’s CEO, Adelson, stated that “on digg content comes faster, it’s more relevant, and it saves time. There’s this notion that once you’re using digg, it really makes other ways of sifting through data obsolete.”

In 2009 we’re really starting to see what he meant about making other methods of data collection obsolete. Traditional media is trying to save itself by integrating these social media and social bookmarking sites into its newscasts.
But will the traditional media be able to keep up forever?
Will traditional media as a source of information become obsolete?

I’m not sure, but the benefits of bookmarking sites are sure becoming clearer to me.

 

Obtaining online information

As I sit here doing my homework on the plane headed towards Vancouver, I am already realizing how much we have become dependent on the Internet. For everything from school to work, to just finding something to read, the Internet is where we find what we need. You don’t need me to tell you that, though– unless you’re under a rock, but then you wouldn’t be reading this, would you?

What I would like to talk about instead is how finding most (to all) of our information online has opened the door to dishonesty and even slant (something that the PR profession is not a friend of). On the Internet we not only need to worry about what information we put online, like discussed in previous blog entries, but also where and who the information we obtain comes from.

If you’ve ever used Wikipedia, then you know what I’m talking about. Many universities won’t let students use this online encyclopedia, as anyone can edit or add information. But don’t fret too much because, as my university professor found out when he tried to mess with the entries on Beaudelaire and Paris, Texas, the Wikipedia team monitors what goes on to the site. You’re not going to get something too crazy. It’s anonymous, but monitored. Don’t get me wrong, the information is still not always correct, but Wikipedia shouldn’t be your only source anyways.

Let’s take this a step further, though, to compare. What about blogs? Can we trust blogs as a source of information? Blogs, as you may remember, were some of the first sources to declare George Bush the winner of the 2000 election, a win that was later disputed. Could it be possible that these bloggers tried to influence the election results by prematurely declaring the winner? Were they maliciously misleading people to get what they wanted? Maybe not in this case, it might have been a simple mix-up, but it’s a question that should be asked when reading anything online.

Then it begs the question, should they be held accountable for their online actions? Have they done anything wrong?

Maybe we should just consult another source. What about the media? Are they any better?

 

The Google persona

“Have you ever Googled yourself?” musician Jeremy Fisher asked at a concert I attended last weekend. “It feels good to Google yourself,” he explained, “well, maybe not all the time.” Jeremy went on to explain (as he tuned his guitar) about how he would Google himself to find out what he had been up to the night before. He brings up a good point. Our lives are all over the Internet, and we have almost no control over it… or do we?

In the PR world, image can mean a lot. In today’s information age, we need to not only manage our image in person, but also our online image. What are you showing to the world when they see you online? As shown by the headlines in my first post, our online image can have real consequences. It’s more than fine to have an online presence (I tend to get lost in computerland all the time), but it’s important to manage it.

When I Google my name, the first thing that comes up is my profile on LinkedIn. Excellent, I’m on a professional networking site. Second, PodCamp Toronto. Yay, I’m involved in the PR community. The list goes on until you stumble across pictures from when I was on exchange in France at 16 (proof that online can be forever). It’s like a virtual resume of my life. Squeeky clean – boring.

While sitting here Googling ourselves, a classmate came across a site that contained an interview she had done for a friend. She didn’t like that it portrayed her as a partier, and I can see her reservation. Does she want prospective employers to Google her and see that she likes to drink and go out? Probably not.

However, after thinking it over, she realized that she probably didn’t want to work for a company that didn’t hire her based on a couple of parties in university. Again, I agree with her. Do you really want to work for someone that won’t accept you as who you are? Also, her partying background could also be considered in a positive light. She is social and has personality. Both of these attributes are important to help someone succeed in a new job.

So which is better? A completely controlled (and rather boring) Google resume or one that shows a little about you?

You can’t control what’s on the Internet about you unless you’re the one putting it there. Of course, you could ask for something to be taken down that you don’t want up, but it’s up to them if they do it. The only real way to control your online image is to be tasteful when online and in life. Know the difference between private and public.

Just remember- don’t flash the cameraman, because like Jeremy Fisher said, you’ll be on Google the next morning.

 

Professional online networking

Facebook as a professional networking tool? According to a recent PR grad, it is.

This past November I attended an IABC event at which several recent grads presented their tips and tricks to aspiring PR professionals. While sharing their experiences with social media, one grad explained how she uses Facebook to network with journalists.

“When I’m on Facebook, I’m actually working,” she giggles, looking towards her boss. Another grad then piped up with a social networking scare, almost like a rebuttle. In his first week of work, he was using Facebook at work when he got a phonecall from someone high up in his agency. A comment that he had posted about a photo was inappropriate and he should consider his professional image and the image of the company. Maybe Facebook isn’t such a good idea afterall? And -no- you’re not always working when you’re on Facebook, let’s be realistic.

Facebook does have privacy filters that, if you’re not already secured, you can access it in the top bar > settings > privacy. These filters will limit how people can find you (both in Google and in Facebook search), who can see your profile, and what information shows up about you in your friends’ news reels. These tools are quite flexible and allow for varying degrees of privacy. You cannot, however, limit who sees your photos, as they are linked through your friends’ profiles. Personally, my profile is completely locked down. So if you’re Googling me to find out what I’ve been up to- you won’t get very far. But how far should you go to protect your professional identity?

It really comes down to using your best discretion when participating in Facebook, or any social media for that matter. If you want to use Facebook for professional purposes, you may want to think of what you post on the site, and who you befriend, as they can see everything. Do you want journalists to see what you do on the weekend? What about friends who are also coworkers, do you trust them enough to let them into your private world?

And then there is always LinkedIn, a social networking tool that is intended for professional use. It doesn’t have the same functions as Facebook, but it comes pretty close. As with Facebook, you can also limit what people can see when they access your linked in profile. In terms of professional networking, I think LinkedIn is the safe, smart route. Socialize with your friends and be yourself on Facebook (remember people can access your photos, though!), and gain valuable professional connections with LinkedIn.

A classmate once told me that she didn’t want her classmates to see her connections on LinkedIn (as they might benefit from her connections). So along the same lines, why would you want your LinkedIn connections to see your social connections? I’m not sure I agree completely with this statement, but it’s definitely something to think about.

Best to keep work and social life seperate?

*image credit to http://www.albumoftheday.com/facebook/ – an interesting video on Facebook security.

 

Putting it all on the line

A teacher loses her degree over a drunken Facebook picture, a woman is killed by husband after changing her Facebook status to single, Google employee loses job after blogging about the company. These headlines are becoming more and more common as the world spreads itself over the tangle of the web.

Today we share our lives through the Internet, posting everything from party pictures to weekend plans and, thanks to cell phones, we can even share what we are doing at any moment.

Currently enrolled in a corporate communications and public relations program, there is further pressure to share my life online and to use social media as a tool to find employment in my field.

However, everything comes with a price, and, as demonstrated by the links that began this post, many have had to learn the hard way about posting their most intimate thoughts and moments on the Internet. It isn’t always as anonymous or safe as it seems. You’re putting your identity, job, and personal relationships at risk. Sometimes it really is putting it all on the line.

Do you consider your security when using social media sites? I didn’t at first. Social media has been around for a few years now, but it’s becoming bigger everyday. As part of the generation that has essentially grown up in front of computers, security never seemed to concern me. It’s nearly impossible to go back and erase it. A digital footprint of my late teenage years permanently imprinted across the web (I’m exaggerating).

And so I proceed, diving head first into the realm of social media, but although I go in head first, I do so with hesitation and caution. I will use social media in moderation and be careful not to share too much.