Media File

Tumblr- An Overview

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:18:00 +0000

By Jaimie Ham

Tumblr is a social networking site that’s main focus is blogging. It is more than your typical blogging site, however. It offers a variety of applications that keep the user interested and entertained. For example, you can post text, photos, quotes, links, audio, video, and even chat as well. You also have the option to receive messages for more sensitive material. Besides posting you own personal information, you are able to view others’ information easily. Tumblr also links to other people with the same interests as you.

You are able to add “friends” and see their more recent posts on your homepage. This application reminds me of Twitter- how you can choose who you follow and see their updates without them having to confirm you as a friend- unless their profile is private.

Tumblr also offers some a chance for creativity. You are able to choose from templates to design your page with, or you can design your own. You also can name your blog and choose what the URL address is for easier access. When you post your text, you have the chance to save them to your drafts, line them up in a queue, and decide when each will be published. You also have the option to “tag” your posts so that you can categorize them with others’ whose posts contain similar topics. When you click on a “tag” or search for a “tag”, you see all the posts made (whether they are your friends or not) that contain that tag.

Personally, I do have a Tumblr. It was very useful when I was searching for graduate school. I typed in the name of the schools I was interested in, and viewed the posts with those tags. It was interesting to get students point of view of their schools.

Jaimie Ham

Northwest Missouri State University

Vice President Promotions and Fundraising, Public Relations Student Society of America

Northwest Alumni Magazine Fall Intern

S200127@nwmissouri.edu

social media assignment

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Organizations can measure their effectiveness of Google Wave by

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:56:00 +0000

Organizations can measure their effectiveness of Google Wave by measuring the amount of messages, replies and comments their wave receives on the website. Google also created a Wave that follows the Twitter messages of the user. So the organization can measure the "engagement of its audience by ReTweets, subscribers, time spent, and comments." As well as by volume of fans, followers, tweets per minute and trending topics.

Christina L. Ewing

The language of new PR

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:04:00 +0000

Four words have been part of traditional PR strategy and planning, but they are no longer appropriate in the world of social media, according to Solis and Breakenridge in "Putting the public back in public relations." The words are pitch, message, audience and user.

In the language of new PR we don't "rely on pitching messages to target audiences or users." PR is about people. As consumers we don't make decisions based on messages. We consider information that relates to us as people and customers.

-- John Fisher

The social media I have chosen to research is Google Wave.

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:01:00 +0000

The social media I have chosen to research is Google Wave. It is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. "A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using text, photos, videos, maps, and more. It can be used as a personal communication tool. It is designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging and social networking."

I will use the internet and the google website to get more information on this topic. "Google Wave works like systems such as e-mail but instead of sending a message along with its entire thread of previous messages, or requiring all responses to be stored in each user's inbox for context, message documents (referred to as waves) that contain complete threads of multimedia messages (blips) are perpetually stored on a central server. Waves are shared with collaborators who can be added or removed from the wave at any point during a wave's existence."

A wave is a conversation with several participants who are added to a wave to discuss the information and content. In otder to participate in google wave you have to apply for or recieve an invitaion.

Christina L. Ewing

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.-Vice President

NWMSU Student Ambassador

YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:49:00 +0000

YouTube is not only for videos of funny things happening it can also be used by a business to get its message across. You can use it to show your expertise, share knowledge, market your products and connect with customers, colleagues and potential customers. People can use YouTube to show presentations of their company or videos of certain things that are going on. People can interactively become involved in a business through this tool. They can record meetings that they feel are important and that they would want to share with fellow employees and shareholders etc. They can use this tool to advertise their business. They can set up a “channel” as they call it; this is where you basically set up a page for yourself. People can follow the company through this channel either through the website or tweeting has become popular. Company’s can have their staff portrayed in a video maybe of them working or doing the skills required for that business. By using YouTube I feel that it is very effective. People can promote their business in a different way from television commercials and radio everything is moving to the internet this is helping this social media to grow. I feel like this will become more popular in years to come.

YouTube Broadcast Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:25:00 +0000

YouTube Broadcast Yourself is a video sharing website.

This name is known and used worldwide, in twenty-two different countries, and available in fourteen different languages. Founded in February 2005, by Steve Chen, and Steve Hurly and their headquarters are located in San Bruno, California. They were originally funded by Sequoia Capital. They started out working for a company called PayPal and realized that they had no way of uploading videos and sharing them with friends. So they decided to make up this website where regular everyday people could go and watch, share, and upload videos. YouTube was bought by Google in November 2006 for $1.65 Billion dollars. This is known as the leader of online videos.

What is on YouTube? YouTube has a variety of different things to watch, from clips of television shows to what Lady Gaga was wearing last night at the Grammy’s. YouTube has video content, movies, television, and even music videos. There is also many amateur videos and blogging as well. There are also larger businesses that upload videos such as, CBS, BBC, UMG (Universal Music Group), but mostly there are tons of individual clips. You must be a member to upload videos, but non members can access videos. These are shared through many different media sources, cell phones, blogs, and e-mail. YouTube is viewed around one billion times a day.

YouTube I feel has been a great asset to our growing economy. This social media helps us stay updated on what is going on right now. You can watch clips of virtually everything all with one click of your mouse. Many people use this tool also for business purposes or for school projects. Some teachers put examples of step by step things up as a video showing students exactly what it is they need to do. YouTube is a wonderful social media tool to have.

Cited Sources:

Wikipedia. (February 1, 2010). YouTube. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

YouTube Broadcast Yourself. (2010). YouTube Company History. http://www.youtube.com/t/about

What is OoVoo

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000

By Demetric Fane

OoVoo was created in so many words as competition for the Skype communication application. OoVoo’s purpose is to make communication for families, business, or any other need possible without ever leaving your home or office pc. The application allows you to make phone calls over the internet for a small fee that you can add credits to with your debit/credit card. The phone calls are said to be the clearest calls ever made over the web. Another great feature that has attracted users to ooVoo is the capability to make video phone calls as well. This application has the same features as Skype, but there are a few features that set the two giants apart. OoVoo allows the users to have more than one person at a time on a video chat. There is the possibility of having six users at a time at one time. Skype has not yet been able to have that feature. OoVoo is also working on a new feature that allows users to use the program from their cell phone to do video conference calls from the cell. OoVoo is trying its best to wipe out the skype generation by stepping up one level above everything that Skype tries to create.

In Beat with BeBo

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:28:00 +0000

By Andrew Maddux,

"In Beat with BeBo"

The world of Bebo is one that is of interest not only to you the individual, but to musical groups, and lends support to causes. With Bebo, registered users can make their own online blog, post numerous photos, and even send messages in an instant. (bebo.net,2009) The features found in Bebo do contain lots of the same elements as Facebook, MySpace. Bebo recognizes this fact and responds simply, “Bebo is used to meet new people but also to stay in touch with their old friends, colleagues, and more who are now far away from them.”(bebo.net, 2009) This is a great idea I believe to not try and replace their friends by finding new ones, instead it’s used to foster and improve the relationships that they already have.

Bebo is also doing something interesting by allowing, “Bebo members are able to keep up with their friends’ activities on other sites, such as Flickr, Twitter and Delicious. Now Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are being supported as well.” (Schonfeld, 2009) The capability listed above is very convenient for me as a user of Bebo, and for bands and organizations to be able to channel their efforts through one media source. By allowing other people to see what you’re up to on other sites means you can share information over several mediums and get a unique result with each, along with a combined result on Bebo.

The website has several other advantages and accomplishments associated already with its name; first and foremost it was recently acquired by AOL. “AOL migrated all of its AIM Profiles members over to Bebo on Wednesday and Thursday. This single move will more than double Bebo’s presence in the U.S” (Schonfeld,2009) Along with this the website boast more than 22.5million visits a year, in 2007 Bebo was one of the most searched terms on Google, along with the top Social media site in several countries such as Ireland, Australia and other European countries. (Schonfeld,2009)

The features that I personally enjoy on the website are the lifestream mentioned above, however I also enjoy the fact that Bebo, integrates the ability to list music groups, Create Polls and Quizzes along with widgets a comment wall, and a very important aspect a blog integrated right into the profile. With all the above mentioned services and the ability to integrate other social media websites through it, the Timeline service is simply amazing with the simplicity it breaks down your Bebo and the actions you partake in. The way that customer service is done on Bebo is also personalized, and feedback is presented to the person who submitted the inquiry to reassure their time was not wasted. (Schonfeld,2009)

There are several different bands that are using Bebo as a platform to increase their popularity, however I have no doubt that as a PR student I can use the site to increase visibility of my cause of, “Lowering college tuition and fees.” The site is sleek, interesting and integrated which is why I suggest to everyone to get in beat with Bebo!

Bibliography

1. Shonefeld, E. (2009, February 23). Bebo zeroes in on lifestreaming for the masses: gets massive bump form AIM profiles [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/23/
bebo-zeroes-in-on-lifestreaming-for-the-masses-gets-massive-bump-from-aim-profiles/

2. Bebo information center. (2009). Bebo Info. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://beboinfo.net/

The US says hello world

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:58:00 +0000

Alex Huxol

The US Says Hello World

Social media is on the rise and one big form of social media is Skype. Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet and use the webcam for visuals. This is something that business can and are using to cut the cost of communicating. “The majority of Skype's 405 million registered users are consumers, but about 30 percent of them also use the service for business, the company has said. Most of these business users have been small or medium-sized companies looking to keep costs down” (Reardon, 2009) Skype is an easy cheap way to communication all over the country and to other countries. In public relations communicating quickly is very important and to be cheap is a huge plus with the economic downfall right now. Users tend to say that they really like this social media, it is an easy way to talk to people daily that they normally only talk to every once in a while because of long distance charges. My roommate last year was dating someone that lived in Florida and she discovered Skype was a very easy fast way to talk to him. You can talk to each other face to face as well so it made her feel like she was with him every day. The only complaints I have heard are that it sometimes cuts out and drops your call but it is very easy to reconnect and start your conversation again. Others have said that the voice quality is sometimes poor. Over the entire consensus is that Skype is a great way of communication for a cheap price (free).

PR is about relationships says Solis

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:56:00 +0000

By John Fisher

In chapter 5 of "Putting the Public Back in PR", Solis and Breakenridge write that PR is about relationships. And "only active engagement and listening can lead to meaningful relationships." The new PR is not about broadcasting and selling pitches. The new PR is about "one-to-one" relationships rather than "one-to-many."

Reporters and analysts are on one end of the media spectrum while A-list bloggers are at the other. It's the magic middle where we can find our customers and so its in the middle that we want to develop relationships.

The first thing to do in developing relationships is to find out the people's preferred forms of communication. We can do that by listening to their conversations. Solis gives the example of Robert Scoble, and A-list tech blogger. Scoble wrote, "It's amazing that in the age of Twitter that people still send email. I hate email. I hate direct Tweets. I hate Facebook messages."

By going to Technorati, Blogged.com, Google BlogSearch and the blogrolls of bloggers we can see what bloggers are writing. A google search will allow you to see the latest twitters to and about someone. For example, search "twitter scobleizer" and you can see his latest tweets. What you read is a conversation that is taking place. "You need to watch and listen to the people with whom you want to interact.," write Solis and Breakenridge. The most effective campaigns start with listening, reading, watching and observing.

They recommend that we become sociologists and market experts. "This is a shift from pitching to participating, from selling a story to telling a story." The best way to do this is to become a participant observer. Here the observer doesn't hide his identity and is truthful about his goals and objectives.

I like the following analogy. Watching a conversation from the outside is like "engaging in cultural voyeurism." This is like "setting up camp next to a village ... and expecting the village to integrate you into its society."

What traditional marketing and PR consider harmless activities is discouraged in social media. For example, one of the most annoying things a marketer can do is put sales information on my blog as a comment. Or spam me on twitter with products they are selling.

As Solis and Breakenridge write, "In PR, relationships are the currency required to prosper. For these relations to increase in value over time, they must be cultivated from both sides."

iTunes by Justin Yates

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:43:00 +0000

iTunes

by Justin Yates

In today’s highly-advanced and technologically dominated world, fewer devices have become more iconic than Apple’s iPod. Millions of people now have access to countless media right at their fingertips. Today, you can literally carry a library in your coat pocket.

What makes the iPod so revolutionary is not what it does, but what it can do. Since its creation, millions have used their iPods for more than just playing music. Students, executives, teachers, children, and many more are capable of having a plethora of information—not just music, at their fingertips. And with the emergence of iTunes, these capabilities are endless.

The iTunes website/download is the iPod owner’s central nervous system. The program can manage and edit music, download countless movies, television programs, audiobooks, podcasts, applications, and more. (apple.com/itunes) And with newer, more advanced versions of the iPod, the iPhone, iPod nano, iPod touch, and the newly-presented iPad (scheduled for release later this spring), the iPod is becoming a handheld computer. Through the iTunes website, users can redeem iTunes gift cards or create an account with any credit or debit card to directly charge purchases. Users can purchase music (legally—no more worrying about illegal “pirating” of music). More than that, iTunes also provides a ratings forum for users to rate and comment on their favorite media. If a movie stinks, they say so. If an album rocks, they say so. Users can even create their personal “favorites” playlist, and upload it to the iTunes website to be put on sale for others to enjoy. The emergence of iTunes as a commonplace social media is extraordinary.

One of the newer, most popular elements of iTunes is the “Apps” section. This is where iPhone/iPod touch/iPad users can download various applications for use on their device. There are hundreds of thousands of applications on the iTunes website already, and the number continues to grow exponentially. Some apps are free; some are not. But their practical, and sometimes fun use, are becoming commonplace in today’s society. “There’s an app for that,” has become synonymous with iTunes. Users can now check their Facebook profile, read their favorite newspaper, play games, or countless other possibilities due to the ease and availability of iTunes applications.

iTunes is not limited as far as it’s practical use. In fact, some universities have used podcasts as a valuable teaching supplement. A podcast is a downloadable “mini-broadcast” that can be downloaded from an iTunes account. Many professors are now able to record classes/lectures, and upload them to the iTunes website for download by students who may have missed the class (for whatever reason). The student can download the podcast, and watch it on his/her iPod.

Results from these podcasts have been positive. In a recent study, students who downloaded podcasts of lectures actually performed considerably higher than students who attended the lectures in person. (Callaway 2009) Does this mean we can go to college through our iPods? Probably not. But as a part of the recent “iTunes university” program, podcasts are finding their place in students’ hearts and minds.

In conclusion, writing a summary of iTunes is nearly impossible due to its ever-changing growth and evolution. Apple has caught on to a major social medium and we’ve not heard the last from iTunes—in fact, I believe the opposite is true. With iTunes being so simple and easy to operate, yet so diverse in its practicality, it will continue to be prevalent and relevant in the distant future as well.

REFERENCES

Apple.com/itunes

Callaway, E. (Feb. 2009). iTunes university better than the real thing. Retrieved from:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16624-itunes-university-better-than-the-real-thing.html

Wiggio Blog

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Wiggio: Making it Easy to Work in Groups

Wiggio is a site that allows working in groups to become like no work at all. This social media site allows group members to stay connected. Wiggio, from the acronym WIG (Working In Groups), sends mass text messages, e-mails, and voice messages to group members. Wiggio also allows groups to host conference calls, webinars, keep a common calendar, and share documents in a common folder. This tool is totally free and the best part is that you do not have to have a Wiggio account to join a group!

The first step is creating a profile. There are links available to your Facebook, Twitter, and Skype accounts. Once you have created a profile, you can create a group. A group name and e-mail addresses of potential group members will be required here. Once you have created your group, you can get started by adding names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of potential group members. I created a group called Current Topics for this class. You can also join existing groups that other members have created. You will need the group name and password. In this group you can share a common calendar, upload and edit common documents, and conduct video conferences.

Wiggio was created by Dana Lampert and Lance Polivy, two programming students from Cornell University. Several test runs were conducted on campuses such as Harvard and Brown University. As students, they found it hard to communicate with group members and friends when everyone used different methods. So these graduates wanted to put the services from other popular sites such as freeconference.com and Google Calendar all together.

“We were in many different business organizations, bands, sports teams, fraternity councils, and living in apartments with different housemates, and we found that each group was using different tools,” says Lampert. “Some were using Google Calendar; others were using Yahoo’s calendars. Some just sent e-mails out, others used listservs. For polls, they’d go to Survey Monkey, and for conference calls they’d use free apps like FreeConference.com. When Lance and I put our heads together, we thought we could put all these things in one place.”

-Dana Lampert, Co-Creator

This software is specifically targeted toward college students who are busy with multiple jobs, classes, clubs, and friends. This is a great way to stay connected with all groups students are a part of. The creators are constantly creating updates and new features. You can learn more at blog.wiggio.com, the site’s blog.

Lampert, Dana; Polivy, Lance. (November 6, 2009). Wiggio Blog. Retrieved from http://www.blog.wiggio.com

Roush, Wade. (September 11, 2008). Wiggio Offers Free Groupware for Harried College Students. Retrieved from http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/09/11/wiggio-offers- free-groupware-for-harried-college-students/

BlackBerry Mobile Applications

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:26:00 +0000

Mobile applications are an up and coming trend when it comes to the public relations fields and social media outlets all over the country. People are no longer relying on their phones to just make a phone call to a friend, relative or colleague. These handheld devices are now miniature laptops that allow people to work with ease, as well as having the capability to send pictures, listen to music and browse the internet. The possibilities seem endless when it comes to mobile advertising done within the public relations department as well. With cell phones coming in a variety of types, sizes and colors, it allows the owner to have the freedom to pick out a personalized device as well (Wintour 2008). Phone companies utilize all of these advancements and see them as a chance to branch out to their consumers, in order to ensure their satisfaction with the product and loyalty to their company

When the use of payphones quickly became unnecessary and the success within the mobile phone industry continued to grow, it became very noticeable that cell phones were here to stay. Within ten years, the capabilities of a cell phone have drastically changed. Text messaging was introduced to the public and had a tremendous amount of success. Being able to send a typed out message to another person’s phone, without actually calling them, was the first big step that was taken to make cell phones more useful. Within the last five years, our society has watched as the ever popular BlackBerry has swept our country with a high customer demand. BlackBerry products consist of Smartphones, which are integrated with software that enables access to a variety of data and communication services (Blackberry, 2009). The popularity of BlackBerry cell phones has been on a steady rise for quite some time now, and isn’t showing any signs of slowing in the future. Being able to access the internet on cell phones is the latest advancement that has taken consumers by storm. Out of all of the people in the US that have a cell phone, on an average day, 58 percent of adults use their phones for at least one non-voice application. These applications can be in a variety of forms, such as; text, e-mail, photos, looking up maps or directions, or recording a video (Perez, 2008). This allows for more opportunities with advertising, planning and customer service on behalf of the public relations departments of companies all over this country that are striving for success.

The trend of mobile applications is growing within the PR field for a variety of reasons. People in general are becoming more mobile when it comes to work as well as their personal lives which is the main reason why the mobile application trend is emerging. Cell phones are compact and provide a convenience for people with a busy schedule. By having more mobile internet users, it has caused a decrease in the usage of desktop personal computers, or PC’s. Mobile access to the World Wide Web has given more people the opportunity to work away from a stationary computer (Perez, 2008). Public relation departments have been known to have close ties with the advertising departments as well. This is because a lot of the time ads are one of the main ways that the companies reach out to the public. The growth of mobile applications can also be seen within the advertising field as it relates to public relations. Mobile and online advertisements have finally achieved their ‘places at the table’ in mainstream media plans, as they continue to prove their importance to traditional styles of media (Butcher, 2008).

Public Relation Professionals are addressing the emerging trend of mobile applications by simply utilizing all of their capabilities and putting them to use. For example, a company could utilize the ‘BlackBerry solution’ for its employees who own a BlackBerry Smartphone.

According to BlackBerry.com, the BlackBerry solution supports leading enterprise email platforms, and can be customized to meet the needs of one person or an entire enterprise, to any scale, in any industry (BlackBerry, 2009). PR professionals could utilize the BlackBerry solution in a variety of different ways, but its main purpose is clear. PR Professionals also see the financial benefit of investing their time into mobile relations and advertising. Total spending on mobile advertising by companies in 2008 was $530.2 million, which Gartner expects to grow to $7.5 billion in 2012 (Gartner, 2009). To invest an amount of money that large into a form of public relations is obviously going to provide companies with an extreme advantage in return, by being ‘in-tune’ with their consumers.

Mobile applications can be integrated into the global marketplace in a variety of ways for many different reasons. However, I found that the main reason why mobile devices prove to be the most beneficial is because of their speed and reliability. One major company that is known for incorporating mobile use across the globe, and affordable costs, is iPass. iPass is a company that combines world-wide remote and mobile broadband access with comprehensive management control over connectivity, devices and cost (iPass, 2009). This makes it possible to unify mobility management for the global marketplace. Having the advantage to communicate on a global level, gives PR professionals an even bigger range to work in. Being able to access people, companies and information all over the globe, is truly remarkable. Millions of people and companies choose to invest in iPass because of its ease and overall global capabilities within the marketplace.

When it comes to mobile applications and the various challenges and opportunities that they create for PR Professionals and the social media field, the results can be seen in numerous ways. The main opportunity that stood out to me was that of the many choices that people are given. By having a personal mobile device, it presents itself with so many choices and settings, that it can be overwhelming (White, 2008). However, by embracing the fact that the mobile application field is still growing and will continue to do so, it opens up a lot of doors for PR Professionals everywhere to utilize.

Sources:

BlackBerry. (2009). What is BlackBerry? Retrieved from http://na.blackberry.com/eng/ataglance/blackberry

Gartner Inc. (2009, November 18). Gartner Identifies Top 10 Consumer Mobile Applications for 2012. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1230413

iPass Inc. (2009). iPass: enterprise mobility management, 3G mobile broadband, 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. Retrieved from http://www.ipass.com/index/html

Perez, S. (2008, March 11). Mobile web use growing faster than ever. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives

White, J. (2008, Apr. 22). Start your engines: Mobile application development. Retrieved from http://www.devx.com/SpecialReports/Article/37693

Wintour, J. (2008). Growing trends of the mobile phone industry. Retrieved from http://www.roseindia.net/articles/mobile-phone-industry.page.

Trackle Application in an Organization

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:14:00 +0000

By John Duncan
Trackle is a good tool for companies to not just use but for them to observe. Trackle allows users to follow any material they may find important through different widgets for total customization. Trackle makes it easy to share this knowledge with other people by allowing it to be social media friendly which means we can post the alert itself on any social media outlet (Guy). This makes it easier for marketers to follow and track their customers’ wants and interests and allows the company to interact with the consumer with a more personal intent. Trackle sends news and information which the user finds important. They can choose from: books, classified, crime, events, finance, fun stuff, health, information, jobs, local and movies (Perez). These widgets can be customized even further to get rid of unwanted information. Peoples’ trackles are private but like I stated earlier, sharing is done very easily through the uses of Facebook, Digg, Twitter and other forms of social media (Perez). All major companies and even smaller companies should look into trying to spread the word of trackle because it is only going to grow and get better. Understanding how it works and how to find your customers’ interests will benefit these companies greatly.

Trackle

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:13:00 +0000

By John Duncan
Trackle is a new social media tool that allows users to track any information that may want or need without having to dig through pesky unwanted articles. Trackle is like google alerts in a sense considering that trackle sends the user all the information though email. It is a little more advanced than that though. They have created different widgets which can be added onto your trackle. For instance, trackle offers apps finding when a favorite band and keeping in contact for tour dates and CD releases, news on the latest sports scores and also can track crime rate in your town (Perez). You can also go more in-depth for instance, if you want to just know about burglary and not all forms of crime in your town you can set it just for that. Trackle also is smart because it remembers the information it has already sent you and will never send that piece of information again unless you request it to do so (Perez). This is a tool for companies as well because your trackle topics of interest can be posted on Digg, Facebook, Twitter, etc. which can allow marketers to track their customers interests (Guy). Trackle is completely free with over 100 widgets ranging from health to real estate and everywhere in between (Guy). Trackle constantly updates itself with new material once it comes available so this tool will be beneficial to everyone using it so I would recommend everyone to check into it if they already haven’t.

Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:42:00 +0000

Emily Wilkins
1/31/09
Current Topics
Fisher

Blogging

Another emerging trend in the field of public relations is blogging. Blogging can be important to public relations practitioners as far as delivery of news coverage and information sharing is concerned. The growing technique helps prove how influential the internet has become as a communication medium.
        Blogs are short for weblogs. These are online personal commentary links according to www.educause.edu. They can be viewed as online journals to which people can respond to, such as an e-mail. They are simple to create and easy to access that lead to open discussions. Evaluating blogs’ strengths and weaknesses, guidelines are being set for the workplace. Blogs have become an accepted instructional technology tool and is continuing to be used for various tasks for practitioners.
        Public relations practitioners use blogging as a way of delivering news coverage and information sharing. This way, they can not only reach out to bloggers, but to bloggers in question. This makes communication easier for faculty to express opinions, promote dialogue and support teaching and learning. Many companies in both technical fields such as eBay and Microsoft and nontechnical fields such as General Motors and Wells Fargo Bank now have in-house blogs that report on developments in the company. Some of those developments might include new items posted to the web pages, new cars on the lot, and different banking tools that are being introduced to the company. These blogs can also inform its readers on why these items, cars, programs, and accounts are all going to be beneficial to the customers. For any questions or concerns on behalf of these blogs or postings, customers are given the opportunity to reply to the blogs and ask questions directly.
        Some of the benefits involved with blocks for public relation practitioners include gaining visibility as a thought leader, engaging customers in dialogue, developing your brand, and using each one as an opportunity. By publicizing their news through internet, discussion is opened up to various audiences. With the variety of people exposed to the blogs, it leaves room for people to communicate new ideas and an abundance of feedback. Allowing customers to engage in the dialogue, makes for a better outcome for the company. Using feedback and applying it towards ideas and new techniques. This is an excellent alternative for good customer service. Each blog can be used as an opportunity to reach out to these customers for an idea of what they are looking for in the company. It is a quick and easy-to-use tool to have that provides interaction with potential customers and accommodate to those needs.
        Before creating a blog, practitioners need to remember a few things about what they are going to include in it. First of all, know who the audience is going to be. Plan the material according to the people that are going to be reading along. Secondly, choose what the blog is going to be about. The structure of the blog and the topic chosen is going to determine whether or not the message will get across to its readers. The topic chosen needs to be open-ended and have opportunity for feedback and conversation. Engaging in conversation is crucial in public relations to meet the needs of potential and current customers. Then, find what will be needed to do to exceed those expectations and accommodate accordingly. The public are what make public relations so it is most appropriate to find these new techniques that will help run a better system.
These aspects all contribute to the emerging trends in public relations. Practitioners are used to the consistent changes in the workforce, especially with technology. Technology faces regular changes and it is up to fields, such as public relations, to be prepared and learn new ways.

Cisco Eos: The Media & Entertainment World's Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Cisco Eos is an Internet hosted software platform that allows for media and entertainment companies to create online communities. The websites are easily created and allows fans to easily interact with their favorite musicians, actors, or anything else that a media or entertainment company would want to promote (Reardon 2009). Warner Music Group is an example of a company that uses Cisco Eos. WMG uses this form of social media to promote bands such as Paramore and Halestorm, and singers like Trey Songz and Sean Paul. These artists use Cisco Eos to provide a customized social interactive cite that provides their fans with a great experience (Werner Music Company and Cisco, 2009).

This type of social media gives consumers of the media and entertainment world a chance to actively interact with their favorite musician or actor. Cisco Eos also allows for the public to view their news from the source of their favorite types of entertainment. According to Jim Brady, member of the Cisco Newsroom, thirty-six percent of the public goes straight to the source concerning entertainment news directly from their favored type of media (Brady 2009). Cisco Eos also is trying to knockdown the rates of piracy. By allowing fans to interact with their favorite musician, actor, etc., there could possibly be a decrease in piracy since the music or video is practically given to them (Reardon 2009).

Cisco Eos is a great way for media and entertainment companies to socialize with their publics. By being able to socially interact with one another, the message can be received better and more and more people will use Cisco Eos to get their news and updates on their favorite celebrities.

Since this is a fairly new type of social media, reviews were difficult to find. However, from the readings of the articles written about Cisco Eos, I have gathered that it is a great innovation that has been influenced by PR 2.0 and is trying to getting everyone involved: both professionals and the public.

Works Cited

Brady, J. (2009, January 7). Cisco Eos Platform Delivers Online Social Experience for Consumers,

Powerful Web 2.0 Platform for Media & Entertainment Companies. Retrieved from

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/prod_010709b.html

Reardon, M. (2009, January 6). Cisco adds social networking to its forte [Newsgroup message].
Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10133792-93.html

n.a. (2009, August 12). Warner Music Group & Cisco Announce Strategic Agreement to Deliver Social
Entertainment Experiences to Online Audiences [Newsgroup message]. Retrieved from
http://www.wmg.com/newsdetails/id/8a0af81222e46eb901230f17b92d17c0

Madison Chambers

Enhanced Freshmen Seminar Peer Advisor

Enhanced Freshmen Seminar Peer Mentor

Talent Development Center Office Assistant

Northwest Missouri State University Athletic Marketing Men's Basketball Co-Manager

s274510@nwmissouri.edu

(816)-262-1838

Monica Peterson-Social Media Assignment

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:35:00 +0000

The social media that I chose was the website Hi5 (www.hi5.com). Attached is my paper.

-Monica Peterson

Flickr

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:34:00 +0000

Kat Donovan

www.flickr.com

Social media takes many forms for many different uses. There are many social media that contain photo usage, but there are also social media that focus only on photo publishing. Flickr is a program that allows users to post their photos with descriptions, join groups, enables other individuals to comment on others’ photos, and allows users to “follow” other users to keep up with their latest work. Flickr also allows users to post their photos from Flickr to other blogs, such as Twitter and personal blogs. Users can send photos directly from their phone to Flickr.

One organization that uses Flickr is NASA. NASA has an account on Flickr that I have subscribed to follow. NASA’s profile information contains a section about their photos that are posted and how they are available to the public and news organizations. NASA gives permission on their profile for the photos to be used, with due credit. The photos cannot be used in any way that suggest NASA gives approval or endorsement for another product. They have posted photos since February of 2009, and have photos taken as early as 2004 posted to their account.

There could be many benefits of companies and organizations using Flickr. Flickr provides a way to post photos that is credible, reputable and, most importantly, instant. Photos that need to be made public can be uploaded to Flickr and obtained by the public and the media extremely quick. The photos can be reused and posted in a way that is easy and dependable.

Podcasts as an Excelling Form of Social Media by Laura Yeager

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:49:00 +0000

Podcasts have proven to be an emerging trend in the public relations industry. The public relations industry is constantly changing and adapting to keep up with technology and the public. Podcasting consists of recording a digital file that can be distributed over the net using syndication feeds to be able to be played over the computer, MP3, or via IPod ( Faulhaber). Especially when related to public relations, the importance of podcasts is to reach an audience. When it comes to public relations and reaching a specific target audience, the more people that are introduced to the product or service the more successful that product or service is. PodGarden, an innovator of online marketing, states that it is projected that by 2013, 37.6 million people will be downloading podcasts each month (Podcast Importance.) This proves that podcasts are an outlet that if used correctly, can reach the masses.

Those who receive a podcasts are called subscribers and the podcast receiver is the technology that allows the subscriber to receive the podcast content. The receiver produces technology that has a way of narrowing down the subscribers specific podcast interests. This allows podcasts to be targeted by individual interest.

Podcast websites have even targeted the public relations profession, to provide a tool to the individuals in the public relations industry. Podcast websites such as PRWebPodcast provides an aid for public relations professionals by featuring interviews about press releases, producing the ability to bring news releases to life, and once again connect with the public.

Eric Schwartzman, founder and chairman of public relations services provider, iPressroom, states that “Public Relations podcasting initiatives can whisper in the ear of an influential, outspoken audience of brand ambassadors and compelling listeners to serve as word-of-mouth agents, repeating what they hear to friends and family” (Schwartzman.) Podcasts can be an extremely valid public relations tool for organizations. Podcasts provide a way for companies and organizations to develop and emotional bond with their customers (101publicrelations.)

Podcasts can give companies more of a personality and hence make the company and the services it provides more relatable to the customer. Multiple companies including BMW and General Motors have podcasts linked to their company website to create more of an integrated relationship with their customers. The messages these companies send out via podcasts include messages for the CEO, new product launches, service use information, and technology briefs (Faulhaber.)

Apart from providing public relations for products and services, as well as being able to appeal to specific audiences, podcasting can also produce a public relations campaign for individuals. California Governor Arnold Swarzenegger used podcasts to package and distribute political speeches (Fernado.)

Communication is the core of public relations. A global study by Universal McCann found that the number of podcast listeners in the United States has doubled in the last year and a half (Schwartzman). With its availability on the internet, podcasts can be reached throughout the global marketplace and can provide a public relations tool for a variety of different outlets. Podcasts are one of the latest communication tools used by all generations and most target groups, and will continue to be a successful public relations practice.

Faulhaber, P. (2008). Podcasts and public relations. Suite 101, Retrieved from http://marketingpr.suite101.com/article.cfm/podcasting_perfect_tool_for_public_relations

Fernado, A. (2005). Podcasting, anyone?. Communication World, 22. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=112&sid=98683033-0c5c-4fb6-88e5-d9d7f1c35465%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d

(n.d.). Podcast importance. Retrieved from http://podgarden.oneupweb.com/podcast_importance.htm

Shwartzman, E. (2008). Study suggests corporate podcasting is a growth opportunity for communicators. Comprehnsion, Retrieved from http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=141

(n.d.). The Value of podcasting. 101 Public Relations, Retrieved from http://101publicrelations.com/blog/the_value_of_podcasting_001792.html

Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:39:00 +0000

Facebook

By Kathleen Ostby

Facebook is a social networking site that allows all members to add friends, send messages and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Founded in February of 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook took off in usage among college students. Originally intended to help students on the Harvard campus connect with each other Facebook has expanded, first to college students, then included high school students in 2005, and now currently takes any members. It is an organized way to invite people to events, get groups together, find out more about friends, and post pictures and videos.

Facebook is now open internationally and currently has more than 350 million active users worldwide and helps people connect all over the globe, making this world just a bit smaller. For example, as a member of Facebook I am able to add friends from many other countries, which helps me connect and stay connected with people I’ve met in my life and also makes communication with people who are not in the same city easier and more efficient. Facebook revolutionized the way people communicate and stay in contact. Last summer I spent two months in Jacksonville, Florida away from my friends and family and everything I knew. Facebook helped me stay connected with them because instead of calling each of them and updating them about what was going on in my life I was able to post a note about what was happening and ‘tag’ everyone in it, this way I saved time and was still able to stay connected with family and friends back home.

Since the launch date Facebook has changed drastically. Now instead of just being able to communicate with friends and family you are able to play games, use applications and take personality and IQ tests, you are also able to join groups, support causes and view ads on the side of the page that are related directly to you. Many companies use Facebook to sell to their direct client by placing ads according to what interests the person by learning from their profile which is really helpful for business and PR people.

LinkedIn to Business

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:05:00 +0000

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. Founded in December 2002 by Reid Hoffman and launched in May 2003. It is used as a professional networking media. The new CEO of LinkedIn is Jeff Weiner, who was once a Yahoo! Inc executive. LinkedIn allows members to create business contacts (called connections on LinkedIn), search for jobs, and find potential clients. Members have the ability to create their own professional profile that can be viewed by others in their network, and also view the profiles of their own contacts. Employers can look for people to hire also, as you can post your resume.

There are more than 55 million people on LinkedIn taking advantage of all the professionals who get on this site and network. Executives from all fortune 500 companies are members. Over half of these people are from the United States alone, 11 million are from Europe and 3 million are from India. There are170 industries and over 200 countries around the world using LinkedIn.

Networking is important when you are trying to get a job, ever hear it’s not what you know, it’s who you know? This is a website that combines both of these! You post what you know, and meet the people you need to know to get ahead. By adding all the people you know to your connections, you can see who they are connected with too, and if they know someone you want to be introduced to for a job, you can ask them to introduce you. This is like ‘mutual friends’ on facebook. If there is someone you would like to meet, you would search your mutual friends and that is how you would be able to meet that person.

Also, when you are researching a company you may want to look for, there are all kinds of statistics about the company. These statistics include female to male ratio of the employees, the percentage of most common titles/positions in the company, location of company’s headquarters and offices, or it could even include a list of employees who work there or used to work there.

There are other features of LinkedIn like LinkedIn Answers and LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn Answers is a lot like Google Answers, or Yahoo Answers, except more business oriented with the questions and the people who answer the questions. LinkedIn Groups are like the networks on Facebook, but can include anything from alumni to greek or sports teams. With LinkedIn groups, this is a good way to see what you have in common in life outside of the business world with other people in your industry.

http://press.linkedin.com/

How Stores Use Kaboodle to their Advantage

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:29:00 +0000

By: Tiffiny Towne

The organizations that would use Kaboodle are on-site and online shopping stores like Walmart to overstock.com. So shoppers can make a wish list for certain holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day or their birthday for their family and friends to view. The business can see what the consumer likes by how many people are adding their products to their favorites. The stores can also market their products to these online shoppers than better before. Now products have reviews from real people and are not being censored on the website. If a company takes forever to ship a product then other consumers will know what to expect or go to another store.

For example, I ordered the Putting Public Back in Public Relations textbook from SuperBookDeals.com because that was the cheapest price and according to Amazon.com, it had four out of five stars. Which is not too bad compared to my other options. I am a poor college student so I hate paying for shipping so I decided to pick the cheapest shipping option. The option was two to fourteen days, I figured since the order was being shipped from Indiana that it would not take too long. Apparently I was off on my estimation because it has been exactly fourteen days and I still have no textbook. The shipping did not provide tracking like if I would have ordered it from Amazon.com and paid a few extra dollars. So now, I have to call the store to find out what is going on with this book. Like, have they even shipped it yet? If I would have read somewhere about their shipping problems then I would have picked Amazon.com because I am familiar with them but just wanted the better price.

Examples from “Kaboodlers”

"I love Kaboodle because it's my memory. I have a terrible memory, so Kaboodle helps me keep track of the things I need, want and dream to own. Beyond all that, shopping alongside people worldwide offers the opportunity to discover things you might never have known to exist otherwise. Who doesn't love that?"
- triplyksis, Kaboodler since January 15, 2007

"I became addicted the first time I used Kaboodle and by the next day, I had sent out at least 50 emails to friends telling them to join because this was the greatest thing since sliced bread! I love Kaboodle because it makes life easier. Kaboodle is like a layaway for the mind and a personal shopper all in one! Who can beat that?"
- adriannaa, Kaboodler since December 11, 2006

Glenn Beck ends his first year at Fox with great ratings

noreply@blogger.com (John Fisher) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Glenn Beck celebrated a year at Fox News last week. His ratings are
extremely high for the 5 p.m.EST time slot. http://tinyurl.com/yaednqa
Beck's numbers were four times better than CNN and were just short of
the ratings for Bill O'Reilly at 8 p.m.