The 46 stages of Twitter

I've stumbled across this on my search for something new/interesting in Social Media. And this is very funny!

**The 46 stages of Twitter**

1. Hear the word Twitter. Scoff.
2. Hear it again from someone else. Scoff again.
3. Hear about famous celebrity who is apparently "On Twitter." Scoff, but make mental note to check it out.
4. Log into Facebook to comfort self.
5. Sign up for Twitter.
6. Give up because it seems dumb.
7. Loudly criticize others on Twitter.
8. Follow @johncmayer, @aplusk, @rainnwilson, @wilw, @mrskutcher, @oprah, and one other person you actually know.
9. Post tweet that is a variant of: "Trying out this Twitter thing."
10. Attempt to dig a little deeper into Twitter.
11. Notice rampant usage of words: "Tweet," "Twitter," "Twitterverse," "Tweetie," "Tweetdeck," and something called "RT."
12. Scoff again, this time in confusion.
13. Tell friends you "tried that Twitter thing, but didn't get it and it's stupid anyway."
14. Log into Facebook because that site at least makes sense.
15. Read story about Twitter somewhere.
16. Log back into Twitter.
17. Try to avoid saying Tweet, Twitter, Twitterverse, Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and ReTweet.
18. Respond to @rainnwilson.
19. Curse self for fanning out.
20. Log off for 4 months.
21. Come back, just to see.
22. Post something relatively funny.
23. Get RT'd.
24. Discover that RT means ReTweet.
25. Make it your life mission to get RT'd.
26. Install Twitter app on your phone.
27. No longer ashamed to say "I've gotta Twitter that."
28. Attend events with the sole intention of "Tweeting" them.
29. Pray to get RT'd.
30. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
31. Close computer.
32. Open computer. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
33. Think in 140 character sentences.
34. Compulsively check phone all day every day.
35. Tweet that you compulsively check phone all day every day.
36. Alienate actual people in your life in an attempt to impress ones you don't know.
37. Lose weight because you forget to eat.
38. Place phone by bed so you can check first thing in the morning.
39. Defend Twitter to the death from detractors.
40. Hear self, and vaguely recognize that you have become "That Guy."
41. Feel like, and start to behave like River Tam.
42. Vow to quit Twitter to preserve sanity.
43. Read this and change mind.
44. Think to self, "I should twitter that."
45. Recognize irony.
46. Twitter it.

*Originally published by shanenickerson.com

Innovation in Social Media Marketing is everything.

First it was the Expendables. I cheeky little YouTube campaign that was so innovative that it made us all go WOW! But hey, it wouldn’t be Web 2.0 if there was nothing that could beat it.

Recently, Tippex launched its fantastic viral campaign. This engaging and interactive campaign can easily claim to be the one of the most innovative campaigns yet. It will be hard to beat it. Having said that...I am 100% sure that something better will come soon.

Here is the initial video:

Selecting an option from those above will take you to a YouTube site...then wath and have fun!

You can write anything you want. I’ve tried: kiss, like, eat, kill, fight, has, fart, drink, dance, is, smile, play, draw, swim (Funny one), sit, rest, tickle (so cute), shoot, drive, listen, dance, erase or tippexed  and sex. I wonder if there are any other words that I could use. 

It is obvious that running viral campaigns is getting loads of attention from marketers. They are cheaper , can reach masses and people can watch them on their own convenience. Traditional mass advertising is getting a bit boring and repetitive. It’s the innovation that rocks the world!

It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be. By Paul Arden (advertising guru)

I came across this book recently. My first thoughts were...hmmm, nice, there are not that many words, some nice pictures...it will go down easily. It took me just two days (4 rides on tfl to and from work)! One would say, ...so nothing special then, right? Actually, the exact opposite is what happened. This book has left me thinking about every aspect of my life differently. Just look at these quotes:

"Not all rich and powerful people are not notably talented, educated, harming or good-looking.

They become rich and powerful by wanting to be rich and powerful."

Hmmm...it is true, Sir Alan Sugar doesn't have a university degree yet he is a multimillionaire and a well-known English businessman.

"Your vision or where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have.

Without having a goal it's difficult to score."

100% true!

"So how good do you want to be? You can achieve the unachievable.
Quite good? i.e. a good person
Good? i.e. a great ballerina
Very good? i.e. the best PR person in consumer tech PR
The best in your field? i.e. the best PR person ever
The best in the world?" i.e. the greatest and most famous person in the whole world"

Victoria wanted this: "I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic". And she is!

The fundamentals, according to Paul Arden are:
- Energy: It's 75 percent of the job. If you haven't got it, be nice.
- Do no seek praise. Seek criticism. -> so you can learn to be better
- It's all my fault. -> don't blame the others
- Do not covet your ideas. -> Share with others and you will get noticed
- Don't look for the next opportunity. The one you have in hand is the opportunity. -> Doesn't need any comment
- Accentuate the positive. -> what is good about your product?
- Eliminate the negative. -> don't try to win attention by knocking competition, it won't win sales and it serves to publicize them rather than you
- Do not put your cleverness in front of the communication -> "Think small" VW
- Don't promise what you can't deliver. ->Don't over exaggerate your promises
- Know your client's aims. -> The true aims may be hidden
- What do you do when your client won't buy? Do it his way. Then do it your way.
- Don't take no for an answer. -> Doesn't need any comment
- When it can't be done, do it. If you don't do it, it doesn't exist.

This handbook of how to succeed in the world is full of clever quotes and wisdom that help you in your life. It is like a pocket "bible"

How to Work With Bloggers and Influencers

This video produced by GasPedal caught my eye today.

Presented by Virginia Miracle, this class offer seriously relevant tips on how to build relationships with different types of bloggers and online influencers.

Virginia, Ogilvy PR, covered how to identify relevant influencers, what to use to get them excited and engaged, and how to make your program last.

For a recent PR grad, this is a valuable video. But even an experienced PR pro will find some interest in this.

Client requests: “I NEED THESE BLOGGERS TO WRITE ABOUT ME!!”

How can you get your client what he wants? Take the Inside-Out Approach –> do not start with targeting, look at these steps:

1. What it is you are trying to accomplish? Name what it is, before you start your outreach. Reason such as this one: “everybody else is doing it” is not good enough though.
2. Create engagement value. Look at what can these bloggers do for us and what we can do for them => focus on value exchange. Virginia’s big objective: “What is the value we can provide people so they will actually give a crap and want to spend time and energy with us?” Audit your assets = what do you have to offer? A sneak peek, fame, meet their hero, recognition, etc. Virginia uses the example of LifetimeMoms.com where contributors are paid for their content, transparently.
3. Identify who we want to talk to: bloggers and other influencers (conversations happen within forums too).
4. Design your outreach program in ethical and honest way, build it out of bricks. Virginia emphasizes WOMMA’s Ethics Code, FTC Guidelines, and others.
5. Keep up the relationships. Virginia says: “It’s critical you’re regularly talking to them, responding to their needs, and reacting along the way."

How to Work With Bloggers and Influencers -- presented by Virginia Miracle from GasPedal on Vimeo.

Top UK PR & Social Media People

I have recently updated my two (yes two – one is simply not enough) Twitter lists of the top UK based people who work in PR or Social Media or both and who are worth to follow.

UK – Top PR & Social Media People

UK – Top PR & Social Media People 2

Both of these lists contain people who love Twitter and PR & Social Media as much as I do. If you want to follow one, feel free to do so. I'd recommend you to follow them both though...so you won't miss anyone.

I intend to update them both regularly and if needed I will start another Twitter list (this is actually quite likely to happen soon).

Please let me know if I’ve missed someone special or if you think you should be on the lists too :)

University? Done! :D

I’m happy & proud to announce that my last exam took place on Tuesday, 1st June. I am free now! I am not a graduate yet (don’t have my title) but I am done with University – it feels so good...

PR class of 2010

Just one quick look at my ikea bookcase reveals about 12 books that still need to be returned to the library (plus fines to be paid - ups) and 8 books that I actually own but will never ever need in my life. I can bet all my imaginary millions on it!

On the other hand there are about 15 books that I love (Deirdre Breakenridge: PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences, and other PR books). HA, I’ve joust found a list of ‘TO READ’ books:

• Deirdre Breakenridge: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR
• Brian Solis: Engage
• Charlen Li & Josh Bernoff: Groundswell
• Jim Macnamara: The 21st Century Media (R)EVOLUTION
• David Phillips & Philip Young: Online Public Relations

Hmm, maybe one day. Will have to check them on ebay soon :) If anyone has a spare copy of any of these, please let me know.

Other part of the bookcase is full of sheets of paper filled with my notes in every possible colour and mind maps on everything and anything (some nicely stapled together, some lying freely on top of each other), notebooks and colourful file folders that contain 3 years of my life (well, some more filling is still needed to be done – I’ve just looked at my desk (*sight*).

This is actually quite upsetting: University is done! What now? What people do with all this stuff?? 

The last semester flew by so fast! I didn’t really get ready for the end of it, I admit. Everything was very hectic and intense in many ways. I was forced to multitask more than ever before: attending lectures and seminars, meeting deadlines for University assignments, getting group work going, applying for PR Grad jobs, looking for part time jobs, educating myself about the new digital tools and social media, blogging, tweeting, and many more. I don’t know how to ‘unitask’ anymore.

No surprise then that it feels weird to have time for the ‘things’ that I like to do like cooking, reading books, drawing, city browsing, etc. These activities have been banned from my life for a very long time. Well, let’s see how I get on with them. 

My top priority is to find a job now. I just need to catch my breath first.

Angry bride changes name to 'I Hate Thomas Cook' | Metro.co.uk

Angry bride changes name to 'I Hate Thomas Cook' | Metro.co.uk

An example of a very bad PR for Thomas Cook. The lady must really hate them.

How important is Social Media in Marketing Plan?

If this question was asked 5 years ago, marketers would go: “Maybe Social Media is important but we will wait and see what our competitors come up with first.” It is 2010 now and the answer has changed significantly: “Yes, it is very important to try something new ahead of our competition” ...Social Media are even crucial for some companies. The key point here is that SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TO BE INTEGRATED WITH THE OTHER MARKETING AND MARCOMS TOOLS. Social media doesn't drive marketing, but marketing doesn't drive social media. THEY WORK TOGETHER.

In the society where the main focus is on brands not products, it is immensely important that the brands put emphasis on engaging with their key stakeholders (customers and consumers) via a range of social networks. Social Media help communicate with the customers and reach them in more ways than the traditional mediums. Communication is also about listening to the customers and monitoring their attitudes towards the brand. You can learn about what your customers want and what drives your business. What more, you can spot any change in their behaviour and avoid potential crisis and reputation damage.

Social Media is most of all AN ONGOING PROCESS, so whatever you start you need to follow through. The key is to have seamless and consistent communication across all mediums and listening to what your target audience really wants. Start with thinking of your objectives: What do you want to achieve by integrating Social Media into your business plan? Who are the key stakeholders that you want to talk to? What you want to say? How much you want to invest in Social Media? What media are you going to use? How do you implement this step into your communications strategy? How will you measure ROI? Etc.

The social media strategy should integrate the following 3 steps:

Step 1 is about creating content. Focus on creating a comprehensive digital presence for your company or brand across key Social Media and digital platforms: Facebook Fan Pages, YouTube channel (or Vimeo), Flickr! account, AudioBoo account (or any other recording online tool), and blog. 

Step 2 is about communicating your content via Blog Directories (Technorati, AllTop), Twitter, Digg, Stumble Upon and Stumble Exchange, etc. There are so many of ‘seeding’ sites available, just go and do your research.

Step 3 is about integrating step 1 and step 2:

1. Generate content: create a blog post on your brand’s achievement/create a video of a  winner of your competition/update your Flickr! page with new pictures from your company’s meeting/record an interview with your boss using AudioBoo/etc.
2. Use Digg, Stumble Upon, Stumble Exchange, etc. to make others aware of the blog
3. Post the link to the blog post on your Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account  
4. Watch how the traffic to your website increase – don’t forget to use SEO so you can measure the number of hits and your ROI in Social Media

Social media can be integrated further. Use mobile apps, traditional marketing, customer loyalty, reward, and an advertising mix across the platform that is matching the client goals and market niche.

PR Spam & Campaign 'An Inconvenient PR Truth'

Background on the Issue

The Internet is affecting Public Relations in both positive and negative way. PR professionals (PROs) can research, communicate, listen, monitor and engage with their key stakeholders in much faster, therefore more convenient way. There are arguably many benefits of using the Internet but this brief is devoted to one of the negative aspects of the new PR practice: use of emails to send out irrelevant and often untargeted press releases and pitches to long lists of journalists, without considering the consequences. PROs have been spamming the opinion formers (journalists, bloggers and other non-traditional journalists) this way, and therefore the PR Industry is facing damage to its reputation and ability to achieve the influence it desires.

Recently, key PR industry figures have launched a campaign named ‘An Inconvenient PR Truth’ that aims to cut PR spam and help PROs and journalists work together better. The campaign includes a ‘bill of rights’, which is a list of demands on behalf of journalists and bloggers about how they want to be approached by the PR community. Prior to the launch of the campaign, several blog posts were published revealing the names and email addresses of PROs who had been spamming a particular journalist or blogger. This can be seen as a controversial step but it reinforced the debate about inappropriate targeting. The campaign was launched on the 28^th January 2010 by Realwire CEO Adam Parker and is backed by Borkowski founder Mark Borkowski, Speed Communications MD Stephen Waddington and Umpf founder Adrian Johnson.[i] Since its launch, the numbers of supporters, such as the 3WPR founder Stephen Davies, have increased and even the CIPR published a statement of support.

The research that contributed to the launch of the campaign has found that “78 percent of press release emails are received by recipients to whom they are irrelevant and more than half (55 per  cent) of recipients have taken action to block a sender of news.”[ii] This is shocking and potentially damaging to the image and reputation of the PR Industry.

 

The Importance of this Issue to the PR Industry

PR has gradually gained respect as one of the most cost effective and impactful marketing tools that are available to any organisation. The fact that some PR professionals have been spamming their key target audience – the media – may have a negative effect on the reputation and image of the PR industry. The media is central to PR activity. PR is about building relationships and should aim to achieve ‘balanced dialogue’ and ‘mutual understanding’ by the use of open two-way symmetric communication between PROs and the media (Grunig & Hunt, 1984). “Truly effective press relations starts with effective targeting” (Theaker, et.al., 2005). In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the journalists, and therefore gain valuable media coverage, the PR “messages have to be tailored to the wide variety of media available, being clear about the target audience” (Theaker,et.al.,2005:59). There is a potential threat that if PR professionals don’t change their habits of sending out irrelevant and untargeted press releases and pitches, their key target audience may block their incoming communication, and as a result of this the PR message will not be received and published. PROs shouldn’t focus on”...filling up [journalists’] e-mail inboxes with unwanted material, but instead [provide] specifically targeted and relevant material” Theaker, et.al., (2005: 37). This practice will improve their relationships with the journalists and positively affect their success rate.

Time schedule

Week 1 (01/032010 – 07/03/2010)

Conduct initial research: “An Inconvenient PR Truth” campaign, media coverage (focus on the media side and PR side separately). Is that a PR stunt? Create a list of key journalists & PROs for a survey.

Week 2 (08/03/2010 – 14/03/2010)

Prepare two short surveys (media & PROs) based on the previous findings and seed them on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Send them directly to the key PR Practitioners and the key journalists.

Week 3 (15/03/2010 – 21/03/2010)

Conduct research on potential reasons behind PR spam and what actions have been undertaken to stop this bad practice (CIPR and other educational bodies). Who or what is to blame? E.g. lack of skills and education, laziness of PR professionals, technology (Internet), payment by results oriented pay structures (problems with measurement and educating clients), etc.

Week 4 (22/03/2010 – 28/03/2010)

Evaluate and analyse the outcomes of the surveys. Look for the real reasons behind sending out untargeted press releases and pitches, and what steps have been undertaken on the media side to stop this bad practice. Do the journalists and bloggers really mind?

Week 5 & 6 (29/03/2010 – 11/04/2010) EASTER BREAK

Start putting the information together & suggest possible solutions to achieve two-way symmetric PR.

Week 7 (12/04/2010 – 18/04/2010)

Summarize the data and create first draft of the reports and presentation.

Week 8 (19/04/2010 – 25/04/2010)

Create presentation – select the key information and decide on the correct structure.

Week 9 (26/04/2010 – 02/05/2010) GROUP PRESENTATION DUE

Practice presentation presentational skills as a group.

Week 10 (03/05/2010 – 07/05/2010) REPORT DUE

Edit the report (individually) – Introduction, Conclusion, Executive Summary, Appendix, etc.

---

[i] http://www.prweek.com/news/bulletin/UKDaily/article/980491/?DCMP=EMC-UKDaily

[ii] http://inconvenientprtruth.com/research/

Assessment Day at Diffusion PR

OMG! I’ve been shortlisted for a PR Grads Scheme at Diffusion PR! Yey! How exciting! After hours spent on filling in Grad Scheme applications and then days/weeks of waiting, I finally received an email saying:

“I am delighted to let you know that you have been short-listed, and are therefore invited to our Graduate Assessment Day at our central London office on Saturday 27 February 2010.”

Triple hurray!

Ok, what now? I was shaking for the rest of the day trying to deal with the news and also trying to figure out how to get ready. The last thing I wanted was to look like a complete fool. This may sound like an action of a complete control freak, but I started creating this document on PR, news, PR disasters and Social Media. I know everything by heart but once my nerves start working their way, I can easily forget my own name. Don’t laugh it’s a true. Unfortunately... (I think I could share the document with you – let me know what you think and if you are interested.)

I was so anxious on my way down to the office. The situation of tube lines closures didn’t help at all. What I found quite ‘funny’ was that the moment I arrived ... the anxiety was gone. All the fellow candidates were nice people and even though we were ‘competitors’ of some degree, the atmosphere in the office was great.

The day started with a short presentation about Diffusion PR as a company and the benefits of joining as a PR Grad. I think that the hidden reason behind this initial step was to motivate us. The “I am delighted to let you know” email didn’t enclose much information about what was going to happen so we were all quietly waiting for the big news. We found out very soon – it was a team work on a PR campaign creation and a presentation.

I was assigned to the Hackney team (team names based on London Boroughs – quite funny but great idea). It was interesting to find out that my team consisted of 6 girls. I think that once there is ‘a girl-only team’ the productivity can be either high, if we all work toward the same goal, or quite off-putting, if some girls become more pushy and competitive. Luckily, our team was great. Based on the Belbin’s Team Role assessment, we had all the key roles covered: the implementer, plant, coordinator, etc. I think that we have all delivered a fantastic piece of work, even though we didn’t know each other prior to the assessment day.

Once the assessment was over we were invited for drinks to Diffusion’s favourite bar. Oh God, I really needed a beer or two! The task of creating a PR campaign was both engaging and challenging in the same time and made my brain works really fast.

Feelings about the day? It was great! I definitely benefited from being put into a situation of working with other students on the campaign. It wasn’t entirely new experience for me but the speed of decision making and moving forward was really shocking and made me see what I was capable of.

Feelings about my chances to be hired? Positive but.... There were so many talented people so the team at Diffusion PR may possibly have it very hard to pick the top 8 candidates for the next stage.

The Web Behaviour Test

I just love this. There are 8 different animals: Bear, Elephant, Fox, Hedgehog, Leopard, Elk, Octopus and Ostrich

These are either:

- social or solitary

- fast-moving or slow-moving

- adaptable or specialised

I turned out to be a Web Elephant.

©BBC

'Slow and steady sometimes wins the race'

Hurray! PR girl started using SlideShare.net...it was about time.

BP Corporate Strategy Brief by Kat4PR

I finally found the time to upload my BR Corporate Strategy PR Brief presentation on SlideShare.net! Yey! I am really excited about it!It is an example of the way I work I suppose – I am a perfectionist who focuses on details and spends lots of time doing research.

The presentation has unexpectedly improved my personal SEO too, which is just a cherry on the cake. I was encouraged to upload more of my work by some of my Twitter followers - BTW thank you all for you support. I intend to do exactly that ;)

 

And here is the link to the presentation again. Let me please know what you think! I appreciate any feedback.

The incredible rise of Facebook

The world's favourite social network Facebook turns six. There certainly is a reason of two to celebrate.

Mark Zukcerberg launched an experimental little website out of his student room at Harvard University. Today, he is the world’s youngest (he is just 25 years old) self-made billionaire. 

What started as a small Harvard only social network soon expanded to include other colleges and secondary schools in the US and then from across the world. There are over 350 million active users today. This makes Facebook the most popular social networking site in the world.

Facebook has turned out to be a hugely successful idea. The Dragons would be more than happy to invest their money if Mark Zukcerberg came to the Dragons’ Den to pitch for money.

The question is: Can Facebook retain its position as the world's ‘darling’ social network?

Social networking has changed our culture and the way we communicate. We tend to TALK to our friends by updating the: “What’s on your mind?” tab. We also use status to say that we are engaged, messages to say Hi!, wall posts to share the YouTube video we like, and then we send out party invites, share and tag photos so all our friends know who is who. We join groups, become fans of our favourite brand, look for jobs and sell old books via marketplace. We do all the things we would do anyway just in a perhaps more interesting digital way. 

Now, Facebook is due to introduce a full featured webmail product. How great is that? I love my Gmail but having it incorporated into my Facebook profile would save me so much time.

The benefits of new apps and features just keep on coming so let’s see what’s next.

Third year – busy busy busy!

Third year in a PR course is always tough. It is no longer only about delivering assignments, chasing deadlines and sitting exams. The new addition to the busy life of soon-to-be-graduates is the hunt for the dream job. Most of us decide to focus on the PR Grad Scheme applications and some start using Twitter and blogging to enhance their ‘digital footprint’ and ‘PR themselves’... there is a lot to do to succeed!!

In November, I started working on a 2010 Grad PR Scheme list. I found it essential to kick off the whole process of applying EARLY because you never know how busy you are going to be after Christmas.

The first Grad Scheme I applied for was the WPP Marketing Fellowship. I didn’t get in but not because I wasn’t good enough. Yes it was a bit upsetting to be rejected but I always wanted to work in PR so Marketing Fellowship wouldn’t give me what I wanted anyway. The WPP Marketing Fellowship comprises of three one-year rotations through WPP companies – PR, Marketing, Research, etc. Yes I’d have gained a broad experience during the Scheme but what for?

After the initial set back, I had to RECONSIDER my aspirations, desires and preferences. It would be a massive waste of time applying for something I wasn’t into. So since then, I have applied only for PR Schemes that I found interesting and felt that they were ‘right’ for me.

I have discovered a hidden passion for the digital world so started looking at agencies offering jobs/schemes in Digital PR, Consumer Technology, and similar. I’ve applied for quite a few and I am now eagerly awaiting THE phone call.

Recently, I’ve been thinking of the benefits of being in a PR Grad Scheme: team building, training, support, etc. These key aspects are highly desirable by most of the students who need some initial introduction. It is quite interesting to see recent graduates counting only on their social media presence hoping that it will do the trick and get them the dream job in PR.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve been focusing on my ‘digital footprint’ too but still made the time to apply for PR Grad Schemes. Some students only ‘PR themselves and their communication skills’ to the agencies via Twitter & Blog, etc. Is it a good strategy? - Certainly yes. I managed to get my PR Internship this way. But is it enough?

 

Digital Footprint

©canadianmarketingblog.com

To conclude, any soon-to-be-graduate has to do his/hers best to enhance the ‘digital footprint’ they have, select and apply for the appropriate PR Grad Schemes that fits their aspirations and desires, and also finish the University in a decent way – with good marks. It is tough! I am in this process right now and sometimes I had to prioritise what was more important to do – Uni or Applications.

But it is totally worth it!