Blog 23: Twitter Journalism: An Examination of News Organizations’ Tweet Styles

Twitter Journalism – The Next Big Thing

Enter Twitter journalism - A new era of reporting has arrived. Within just a decade, the news industry has witnesses a radical transition from traditional journalism (newspapers, radio and television broadcasts), to web journalism (online newspapers and web newscasts) to Twitter journalism. While Twitter presents certain challenges, especially with its 140 character restriction, this social media application represents a significant, innovative mode of mass communication and news dissemination.

Purpose of our Study

To investigate how news organizations use Twitter to communicate about daily news events and engage in conversations with readers.

RQ 1: Which public relations model is most often used by news outlets on Twitter?
RQ 2: Do differences exist between newspapers and televisions in how they use Twitter?
RQ 3: Do differences exist between the media outlet Twitter usage in small, medium, and large markets?

Methods of our Study

We employed a Content Analysis method to compare content, style and frequency of tweets between newspapers and TV stations as well as across local, regional and national media markets.

- Analyzed Twitter pages of 36 News Organizations (18 newspapers &18 TV stations)
- 12 News Organizations each from National, Regional and Local markets
- Collected data over one week – 29th March to 2nd April 2010
- Looked at every 5th tweet
- Using a basis frequency analysis and chi-square statistical test, we tested for the 4-models of PR, along with other informative specifications of the users

Grunig's (1992) 4 models of PR

(1) Press Agentry:
1. One-way communication
2. Associated with storytelling
3. Truth is NOT important

(2) Public Information:
1. One-way communication
2. Dissemination of truthful information
3. Truth is VERY important

(3) Two-way Asymmetrical:
1. Two-way/unbalanced communication
2. Use research to invoke behavior from audience

(4) Two-way Symmetrical:
1. Two-way balanced communication
2. Attempt to establish a mutual understanding
3. Importance of relationship building

(5) We also looked at Excellence Theory
1. Balances goals of org with stakeholder expectations
2. Settles conflicting expectations between groups
3. Develop long-term relationships with key publics (through research)

Findings and Implications

RQ1: Basis Frequency Analysis to determine which public relations model most often used

Press Agentry:
Exciting words: 35 Tweets

Public Information:
Information from outside source: 93 Tweets
Information from organization: 441 Tweets (133 Tweets from News Release)

Two-way Asymmetrical:
Ask to become involved in organization: 34 Tweets (12 Tweets ask for participation in poll/survey)

Two-way Symmetrical:
Mentioning someone in their tweet: 36 Tweets
Attempt to carry on conversation: 14 Tweets

What does this mean?

News organizations employ the public information model most frequently with the two-way symmetrical model least. The public information model, which advocates information dissemination and top-down communication, has been traditionally been associated with print and TV news organizations and it thus comes as no surprise that this trend has persisted with emerging media like Twitter.

News organizations need to make greater efforts to provide opportunities for meaningful reader involvement and genuine dialogue, while practicing active listening and promptly responding to reader comments. Ultimately, news organizations that engage readers are more likely to earn their trust and respect, and in turn build the organization’s readership and following on Twitter.

RQ2: Chi-square test comparing how TV & newspapers differ in Twitter use

Press Agentry:
Exciting words: x²= 8.89, df = 1, p = .003

Public Information:
Upcoming Dates: (x² = 4.01, df = 1, p = .03)
Information from the organization: (x²=3.04, df = 1, p = .05

Two-way Asymmetrical:
Refers to research conducted by the organization: x² = 2.43, df = 1 p = .09 (leans toward significance)

Two-way Symmetrical:
Mentioning someone in their tweet: x² = 2.23, df = 1, p = .09

Top 4 reasons TV & Newspapers send out tweets:
(1) Publicize
(2) Sharing others’ information (other stories, etc.)
(3) Ask for event participation
(4) Respond to someone's tweet

Here are some other findings which provide us with some interesting information:

tweet link to an organizational site (x = 2.68, df = 2, p = .065);
includes a retweet (x = 3.26, df = 2, p = .056); and
included a hashtag (x= 2.45, df = 2, p = .084).

What does this mean?
They have differing numbers, but they follow the same trends (ie with use of hashtags, mentioning other people, retweets, mostly using twitter to publicize, share others info., etc.)

They are both currently using it primarily for the public information one-way communication style – In other words, they are not using the new media to develop relationships - yet.

RQ3: Chi-square test comparing how often TV/newspaper of varying market size use Twitter.

Media outlets were divided into three market sizes:
• Small – Local Media Outlet
• Medium – Regional Media Outlet
• Large – National Media Outlet

Press Agentry:
Exciting words = χ2 = 20.72, df = 2, p = .000
Emoticons = χ2 = 5.13, df = 2, p = .07 (leaning toward statistical significance)
Emotions = χ2 = 8.87, df = 2, p = .01

Public Information:
Outside source info = χ2 = 83.52, df = 2, p = .000
Upcoming dates = χ2 = 15.33, df = 2, p = .000

Two-Way Asymmetrical:
Research = χ2 = 11.85, df = 2, p = .003
involved = χ2 = 5.03, df = 2, p = .08 (leaning toward statistical significance)

Two-Way Symmetrical:
Mention = χ2 = 5.20, df = 2, p = .07 (leaning toward statistical significance)

What does this mean?

Market size makes a difference in how television and newspaper media outlets utilize Twitter to reach out to target audiences. Smaller/local markets have fewer resources (finances, personnel, etc.) than medium/regional or large/national markets. This means that small media outlets often use information from other sources and often do not Tweet as much as other outlets. TV and newspaper outlets in large/national markets have the most resources and therefore utilize Twitter much more often than outlets in other markets. These TV stations and newspapers are also more likely to produce their own content and not rely on information from outside sources.

TV and newspaper outlets from different size markets have also been found to cover different geographical areas. Small markets are more likely to Tweet about local events, while medium and large markets are more likely to Tweet about national events. Large markets generally do not cover local news in their Tweets, as a large national audience is not likely to care about what is happening in a small town.

A Final Word

As the world moves towards embracing Twitter as a tool for news retrieval and dissemination, media entities must make active efforts to enhance their communication and engage readers in two-way symmetrical dialogue. Assessing the tweet styles of diverse news organizations will further our understanding of how to effectively utilize social media as a tool to inform, educate, engage and converse with readers.

Blog 22: Blogger Relations 101

BLOG Image Credit: www.ereleases.com

Cultivating relationships with the media and consumers is key for PR practitioners. With social media being increasingly noted for providing timely and legitimate news stories (sometimes breaking stories before mainstream media e.g. news about Michael Jackson), traditional mainstream media have begun relying on Twitter feeds and Blogs as a source of news. So, the PR practitioner of today has to build relationships with yet another influential group – Bloggers.

Some view bloggers as amateurs who threaten professional journalists and make mis-informed attacks, but most recognize the key role that Bloggers play. Bloggers are influencers and connectors; by commenting on a particular topic and sharing bookmarks, they help connect PR Practitioners to a larger audience and help grow an organization’s readership. Bloggers’ opinions matter in the blogsophere – you can’t ignore them or dismiss them – they will post anyway and it is best to address any criticisms. Some PR Practitioners even credit bloggers for helping them build better blogs since greater interaction with bloggers enables practitioners to quickly learn the craft of blog writing.

Pitching news stories to a blogger is somewhat similar to pitching to the media. Here's my pick of top 3 pitching guidelines:

1. Send only relevant stories that relate to the blogger’s area of interest and that would resonate with his/her readership.
2. Send an individualized, personal invitation to the blogger telling him/her why they are the appropriate person to cover the story and why the news story is important.
3. Keep the news story short and concise, making it easy for them to write a blog, comment on the topic or forward a story.

Ultimately, PR practitioners should seek to cultivate long term relationships with bloggers and not just focus on the short term gains of getting a blog published. As a blogger yourself, what are your thoughts about ways to cultivate relationships with fellow bloggers? : )

Blog 21: For Immediate Release: The Social Media Release Vs The Traditional News Release

NEWSFLASH: This past decade has seen a shift in the way PR practitioners communicate with the media. The Social Media Release has completely changed the face of media and public relations.

Among the advocates of the Social Media Release are Tom Foremski, who called for the demolition of the traditional press release, and Todd Defren who is responsible for the first-ever "Social Media Press Release" template. Others include Brian Solis who stated: “The social media release is not a miracle pill to cure the ills of poorly written press releases. It is merely a tool that is most effective when combined with a strategic arsenal of relevant company blog posts, traditional releases, relationships and an emerging category of releases that tell a story.”

The Social Media Release allows PR practitioners to provide the same truthful and factual information as with a traditional press release but goes a step further by making the reporting process easier for journalists. It deconstructs information into sections and with tags making the information more digestible and useful for journalists. Publishing the news release on the web also allows for a one-stop resource for information. But do remember to use relevant key words that appear upfront during search engine results.

This new kid on the block is not just geared towards the journalist but appeals to an entirely new generation of influencers – bloggers, and also enables organizations to reaches consumers directly. Online readers can bookmark and share the content with others.

The Social Media Release is just one way to tell the story and should not replace the traditional news release but complement it. It may also work well when combined with a social media or blogger campaign. So, some feel the traditional press release is OUT and the Social Media Release is IN while others advocate using both. What are your thoughts about this new type of packaging? : )

Blog 20: Web Analytics – How Effective is My Website?

Ever ask yourself these questions: Who is visiting my website? What are they looking at? How long do they stay on my website? Why are they leaving my website?
Answer: It’s time to conduct web analytics.

Web analytics is the measurement and analysis of online data for understanding and optimizing web usage. As PR Practitioners, we can employ a broad range of web analytic tools for measuring indicators like website traffic, the length of time visitors stay on a website, the type of content they click on, and the type of keywords which can give your organization the most return on investment.

There are several free tools available for conducting market research and measuring the success of your website like Google Analytics, GetClicky, 4Q, Woopra, Crazy Egg and Clicktale.

Check out this extensive list of social media monitoring tools and refer to my last blog post for more. Tool selection depends mostly on the kind of data one is looking for - qualitative or quantitative and what one wants to measure – Website Content? Website Traffic? Reasons for visitor drop-out? Bounce rate or the relevancy of home page? In fact, all of these website measurement tools can be applied to blogs and vlogs as well.

I'd like to hear your thoughts: If you have created a website/blog/vlog of your own, what would you be most interested to measure? : )

Blog 19: Measuring the Value of my Blog / Tweet / Video

So you’ve started a corporate blog, regularly tweet and have an active Linked In account. What’s the next step? You want to know who’s subscribed to your blog, what’s the value of your tweet and who is connected to you on Linked In. The key question is: Have you made a difference to your organization using these social media outlets?

This is where social media metrics comes in. As a PR practitioner, it is critical to measure the impact of employing corporate blogs, twitter, Linked In and other social media tools. This gives us an idea of whether our time/resources spent online are indeed worthwhile.

Assessing social media performance is a task that should be done regularly and at intervals, rather than at the end of a campaign or initiative. Regular evaluation helps PR Practitioners stay on track with their overall purpose behind implementing these social media applications.

There are numerous (free) social media measurement tools available such as Twinfluence, Twittercounter, Twitalyzer, Technorati, Google Feedburner and Facebook Lexicon. In an earlier blog, I highlighted this comprehensive list of social media monitoring tools that I found extremely useful.

So what are your thoughts about these tools and how effective do you think they are?

Blog 18: Social Media Monitoring – Who’s saying What, When, Where and Why?

Who’s saying what about your organization, when, where and why?

Social Media Monitoring is all about listening to online conversations about a brand, company, product or an issue. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Blogs or Discussion Forums, the key is to listen. Monitoring tools include Google Blog search, BlogPulse, BoardReader and Board Tracker. Check out this extensive list of Social Media Monitoring Solutions.

So why monitor what your customers are saying about you online? You can enhance your product, uncover potential issues and crises, address misconceptions about your product/brand, and tailor your communication strategy accordingly.

Apple just released its iPad yesterday and already there are numerous customer and expert reviews online. In time, customers are likely to employ diverse social media channels to share their experience with this revolutionary technology. If it isn’t already doing so, Apple needs to start monitoring online conversations about the iPad and gear up to troubleshoot and address potential criticisms.

I’d like to hear your thoughts about social media monitoring. How effective do you think it is and is there potential for growth in this area? : )

Blog 17: Job Hunting? Make the Right Impression Through Your Digital Footprint

Think back to your last job interview. So you were all prepped…Clothes were ironed, research was done, resume was printed and you rehearsed your answers. Great, you were set!

But wait, you forgot one thing… Did you check your digital footprint? If your prospective employer googled you, what would come up? What is your viral potential? Do you stand out from the web crowd? Waters (2010) cites that 3 out of 5 recruiters pursue candidates via social media than the traditional means of recruiting.

So what does this mean for the job applicant of the social media generation? Prospective employers may prefer candidates that are socially savy in a professional way. It’s time to establish your personal brand online. One way to achieve this is to enhance your social media presence. Join Linked In, open a Twitter account, create a blog, get connected on Facebook. But remember to ensure image consistency across these channels to accurately represent your personal brand.

Another way is to create a Visual CV / resume. Online portfolios and Visual CVs allow you to showcase your personal brand and skills in an innovative manner, transforming you from a faceless personality to a dynamic, pro-active individual. Visual CVs can add more value to a candidate than a traditional one-page resume. You can upload work samples, presentations, videos, speeches, articles, websites and podcasts - all in one consolidated place - making it easier for employers to obtain information about you during an online search.

Many job seekers are turning to Visual CVs and employing digital technology to gain an edge over other job applicants. While there may be some potential downsides to a Visual CV - (1) too much personal information on the web (2) possible bias in an employers' decision making process since an applicant’s age, gender, race or disability are visible through photos and videos - there are still many who are embracing this medium. What are your thoughts about the pros and cons of Visual CVs? Are they the next wave of the future? Are traditional paper based CVs moving out? : )

Blog 16: PETA Scores High Marks for Relationship Cultivation on Facebook

Waters, et. al. (2009) state that for non-profits, “solely having a profile (on social networking sites) will not itself increase awareness or trigger an influx of participation. Instead careful planning and research will benefit nonprofits as they attempt to develop social networking relationships with their stakeholders” p.102). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is one organization that has done its research and effectively used Facebook to engage audiences world-wide and build relationships with them. A whopping 503,674 fans – that’s PETA’s fan base on Facebook!

Waters, et. al. (2009) recommend three strategies that organizations can employ for online relationship cultivation. These are in bold.

PETA:
(1) Mostly practices organizational disclosure. On its Facebook page, the non-profit has listed its mission statement, programs, year of founding and a link to its website. It could have also included a logo and a list of administrators of its Facebook profile. But I would give it 9 out of 10 marks for organizational disclosure.

(2) Believes in information dissemination. The non-profit’s Facebook page contains links to 844 notes, 24 photo albums, 1,268 fan photos, 158 videos, and 77 fan videos. The non-profit could have also provided links to news items, press releases, campaign summaries and audio files. Overall, I would give it a good 8 out of 10 marks for information dissemination.

(3) Encourages audience involvement. On PETA’s Facebook page, you can easily become its fan, follow it on Twitter, or sign up for PETA E-News and special announcements. The non-profit also has a notes page and an events calendar. PETA could do better by providing a phone number and email address of a named organizational representative, list current volunteer opportunities and state how people can make charitable donations. 8 out of 10 marks for a reasonably good effort to encourage audience involvement.

Overall, PETA has done an excellent job in keeping its Facebook profile updated, relevant, interactive and transparent. The non-profit recognizes the value of social networking sites to enhance public image, garner support for its causes and cultivate relationships with its stakeholders.

Tomorrow, 15 March 2010 is the International Day of Action for Seals! PETA has scored high marks on relationship cultivation with its publics. Why not show them your support and join the online rally. There are already 21,905 confirmed guests. So, how do you think organizations like PETA can improve their efforts to reach out effectively to their stakeholders. What have they done right, what have they done wrong and what can they do better? : )

Blog 15: From Asia to Europe: Mobile Marketing Rocks!

During my trip to India last summer, I discovered the pervasiveness of mobile marketing in that part of the world. My aunt’s cell phone was inundated with messages from the major brands to the local vegetable seller down the street who sent messages like “Fresh cauliflower today for 40 rupees per kilogram!”

Barwise & Strong (2002) and Waters (2010) acknowledge that text messaging and mobile marketing are cost-efficient, quick, reliable, enable mass reach, and are more developed in the Asian and European markets.

From a Small Family Business in Asia to a Large Franchise in Europe:
McDonalds (Europe) understands customer needs and has effectively leveraged mobile technologies to create mobile messages and offers to (1) attract customers to try their new M burger and (2) generate buzz and goodwill towards the brand.

(1)Using Mobile Technology to Launch New Product
McDonalds (France) rolled out the M Burger through the innovative use of mobile advertising. The fast food giant ran animated banner ads on the Microsoft advertising mobile media network to emphasize the premium ingredients used in the Burger and create awareness about it especially among 25 to 44 year-old men. The M Burger banners encouraged consumers to click to find out more about the new burger and the McDonalds' closest to them. The mobile advertising campaign delivered 1.3 million impressions and a 4.6 percent click-through rate.

(2)Using Mobile Technology to Create Buzz and Generate Goodwill
McDonalds (Italy) embarked on a text message holiday promotion where consumers could text Santa and receive a gift within seconds in the restaurant. The fast food giant printed unique codes on cups for consumers to send with a text message while in the restaurant. Every code would win for the first time and everyone was a winner. Prizes included personal photos with Santa to free mobile phones. This mass sweepstakes strategy produced a 25% response rate with more than 1.5 million participation in five weeks.

Both the local vegetable seller in India and McDonalds Corp in Europe effectively engaged consumers through text messages that were relevant, timely, succinct and captured their interest. I'd like to hear from you - What types of text messages from companies/marketers have appealed to you or have completely put you off? : )

Blog 14: Apple Wins title of Company with the World's Best Reputation

Waters (2010) provides various definitions of organizational reputation as “the general estimation in which a person is held by the public,” “the state or situation of being held in high esteem” or “a cognitive representation of a company's ability to meet the expectations of its stakeholders.”

Just two days back, FORTUNE magazine released its annual list of the world’s most admired companies. Guess who made it to the top of the list for having the best reputation? Apple topped the list for the third year in a row!

A total of 667 companies from 33 countries were surveyed with more than 4,200 respondents, including executives, directors and analysts, who were asked to rate companies in their own industry on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility. According to FORTUNE magazine, the list represents an annual ranking of corporate reputation. This list of most admired companies will appear in the print edition of FORTUNE magazine on 22 March 2010, so check it out.

There must be multiple reasons why Apple has received this honor for the third time in a row. Apple does project an image that is true to the organization, it encourages interactions with stakeholders, it gives back to the community, it listens to its consumers, many people have emotional attachments to Apple, and the company seems to be concerned with long term success not just short term gains.

Waters (2010) says: "brand is your personality, but reputation is your real character." Apple has clearly paid attention to both brand-building and reputation-building. Why do you think Apple has the world's best reputation?

Blog 13: Wikis – The Tortoise or the Hare?

One of my all time favorite fables from Aesop is “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The story is about a race between a swift hare and a slow-moving tortoise. During the race, the over-confident hare takes a nap and the tortoise who is initially slow to catch up, crawls slowly but steadily, and wins the race!

Despite being around since 1994, wikis have been slow to catch on among corporate users. Recent research however shows that this platform is catching up and is here to stay! After surveying 168 corporate wiki users, Majchrzak et al (2006) concluded that corporate wikis appear to be sustainable: "companies appear to succeed at using wikis beyond few-month pilot projects, into a sustainable part of their collaborative work processes" (p.101). Henriksson et al (2008) examine Finish companies’ use of wikis and found that none of the 50 companies that had started using wikis had later discarded them (p.150). Good news for wiki fans!

Top 10 reasons why wikis are here to stay:

(1) Promote information transparency within a company
(2) Encourage the uploading of credible information
(3) Provide an organizational memory through a collaborative knowledge base
(4) Improve work processes and efficiency through knowledge sharing
(5) Provide a repository of up-to-date information
(6) Promote mutual equality and is democratic
(7) Promote a participatory and collaborative work culture
(8) Enhance the reputation of contributors
(9) Promote dialogue and idea generation
(10) Enhance relationships between the organization and employees

Despite its benefits, some people feel wikis (1) are hard to adopt, (2) are impersonal, centralized and slow-moving, (3) have no clear authority, and (4) promote a philosophy of radical openness which clashes with the culture of most corporations (Szybalski, 2005).

What are your thoughts about the sustainability of wikis in the corporate world? Are wikis like the tortoise - slow to catch on but here to stay? Or like the hare who appears to be strong at first but fizzles out in the end?

Blog 12: Organizations and Podcasting

While podcasting is still a relatively new concept for traditional organizations, leveraging on this technology can give organizations an edge over competitors. Organizations can use podcasts for company updates, product announcements, interviews with key people in the organization or to share information on just about any topic. What separates podcasting from other social media applications is that one can play a podcast while simultaneously doing other tasks. Podcasting allows organizations to enhance online visibility, reach out to different stakeholders, create an emotional connection with stakeholders and develop a loyal listener audience.

Even though podcasting is mainly a one way communication channel and is considered not conducive to engaging consumers in dialogue, it is still a very useful tool for sending information to diverse stakeholder groups. The key is for organizations is to create conversations with stakeholders and engage them. Using podcasting as part of the marketing mix and integrating it with other communication channels is the best way to promote a two way symmetrical dialogue. As a consumer, what would you look for in a podcast?

Blog 11: Monitoring the Pulse of the Organization - Relationship Building with Employees

Li and Bernoff highlight that for an organization, connecting to its employees is just as important as connecting to its customers. For top management, it is crucial to have an ear to the ground and get feedback on what works and what doesn’t for employees. One way to achieve this is through a company’s internal intranet site. This can be a one-stop shop avenue where employees retrieve corporate information, share their ideas and bookmarked articles, and blog. Avenue A/Razorfish’s Clark Kokich feels that such online and social media applications are “the virtual equivalent to management by walking around” (Li and Bernoff, 2008, p. 222).

For an organization, social media applications and collaboration tools like wikis are a promising avenue to cultivate two-way symmetrical relationships with employees. However, it is not easy getting employees to buy into the social media concept. Some employees, particularly mature workers may be apprehensive of new and social media technologies.

My career in Singapore has proven first hand that open and effective communication is the bedrock for establishing trust with employees and encouraging them to embrace new technologies. Despite staff-management dialogue sessions, social media remained a vague concept to the predominantly mature workforce, resulting in a largely apathetic attitude. Recognizing the key to transforming conventional mindsets lay in effectively communicating a nebulous concept, I undertook some research in social media to prepare myself for all kinds of questions. Our team sought to foster a culture of creativity and innovative thinking and established an effective channel of communication and trust, engendering employees to embrace the social media initiative and easing them into the transition process.

What are your thoughts about encouraging reluctant employees to embrace social technologies in the workplace? What is the best way to achieve this?

Blog 10: Positivity and Net etiquette – Why are these Important?

Waters (2010) emphasizes the need for positivity in an organization-public relationship. This means that the actions by either party should make the other party feel more content in the relationship. Positivity is key, not just for in-person relationships but also for on-line relationships. In fact, positivity and net protocol become even more crucial online since there is no face-to-face interaction. The lack of facial expressions, tone and human contact increase the likelihood of being misunderstood.

The first rule of net etiquette is to practice the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Organizations and employees should seek to be well-behaved, friendly, polite and likeable online. The more positive an experience the organization makes for its consumers, the greater the likelihood of enhancing customer relationships and building trust for the entity. Waters (2010) states: "Professionalism should drive your conduct online." Indeed, organizational and employee online behavior is a reflection of corporate identity.

It is challenging to constantly practice good net protocol, especially when organizations are trying to balance the needs and desires of customers with organizational goals.

Have you had any memorable and positive experiences engaging with organizations online? How about any poor experiences that changed your perceptions of an organization? Do share...I'm listening.

Blog 9 - My StarBucks Idea - Harnessing Customer Innovation

What is a successful organization? In three words, it is one which ‘embraces customer suggestions.’ Li and Bernoff refer to this as embracing the groundswell. Simply put, organizations should listen to customer conversations on online forums and integrate these suggestions into their products/services. The key for organizations is not just to listen, but also to create avenues for customers to talk, such as through private communities, and ratings and reviews sections on websites.

For organizations, harnessing customer innovation in product development processes is as easy as ABC:
A: Always encourage customers to talk on forums, and to rate and review your products and services.
B: Be sure to listen carefully to this conversation
C: Channel these ideas, compliments and complaints into enhancing your product/service and corporate brand.

Organizations and consumers should build a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship. After all, an organization needs feedback on improving its products and services and on developing new ones, and the consumer is eager to tell the organization exactly what they need or desire. Such collaboration is ideal.

Starbucks is an excellent example of an organization that has tapped into community ideas through social media and made customers an integral part of their innovation. Starbucks received over 17,000 coffee ideas in the first year of the launch of its online forum, "My StarBucks Idea." To date, the company has received 20,627 ideas just about coffee and expresso drinks. The site is overflowing with ideas - in fact, just 6 minutes ago, a customer posted this: “Please offer ‘truvia’, a natural calorie-free sweetner.”

To effectively tap onto customer suggestions, Starbucks has organized its site into ‘Product ideas,’ ‘Experience ideas’ and ‘Involvement ideas’ with the last category referring to corporate social responsibility and community involvement. Importantly, the coffee giant tells customers what has been done with their ideas by placing a tick next to “Under Review”, “Reviewed”, “Coming Soon,” and “Launched.”

Do check out their site and share your thoughts on what they did well and what they could do better to engage their customers. http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/

Blog 8: Photo Sharing - A Strategic Activity for Advancing Stakeholder Relations

The term ‘photo sharing’ has taken on a new definition over the last half century. From circulating a thick, dusty photo album to family and friends visiting your home, photo sharing has transformed into an online activity where personal and organizational photos are instantly uploaded, viewed and shared with just about anyone across the globe.

As PR practitioners, we need to understand that online photo sharing is more than just about circulating organizational pictures on the net. It can in fact be a strategic activity to build relationships with our stakeholders.

PR practitioners should seek to promote a participatory culture and encourage stakeholders to get involved in their organization. One way to do this is by encouraging them to take photos about the company and sharing it online on sites such as Flickr. This not only serves to highlight the organization’s achievements and special events, but also gives the photographers a sense of ownership towards the organization. Additionally, organizations can use the photos taken by the public in their newsletters, corporate brochures, websites and annual reports. This sends out the message that the organization values public involvement and support.

PR Practitioners should constantly monitor online sites to see what photos, if any, are being uploaded about the organization. Such data will provide insights about public perceptions about the organization and can prove valuable in crisis and issues management.

Photo sharing also allows PR Practitioners to disseminate images to key audiences, which they can in turn share with their family and friends. A newsworthy image is likely to be shared and the more it is shared, the greater the exposure the organization receives. It seems to me that strategic photo sharing is indeed advantageous for organizations and PR Practitioners. Thoughts anyone?

Blog 7: CNN and Twitter Journalism

I woke up with one of those inquisitive moods and decided to put on my researcher’s cap …for a brief five minutes. The question at hand: The content of CNN’s breaking news tweets over the past three days (10 Feb, 10.39am to 13 Feb, 10.39am). Pardon my excessive preciseness with the up-to-the-minute timings...but that's in essence what Twitter is about: up-to-the-minute, real-time updates!

The answer: Of the 40 tweets, the most frequent topics were:
- President Clinton’s heart procedure (8 Tweets)
- Olympics Opening Ceremony and Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili who died from an Olympics practice crash (8 Tweets)
- Weather related major airport closings and flight delays (6 Tweets)

The point of this simple experiment? A new era of reporting has arrived - Twitter journalism. Within a decade, the news industry has witnesses a radical transition from traditional journalism (newspapers, radio and television broadcasts), to web journalism (online newspapers and web newscasts) to Twitter journalism. Twitter, a popular microblogging service has caught on as a hip, efficient and inexpensive avenue for news organizations to disseminate news and connect with a new generation of net-savvy audiences. Waters (2010) defined microblogging as multi-media blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia (single pictures, short audio/video clips) to be viewed by a restricted group or anyone.

From national media organizations like CNN to local news entities like North Carolina’s Wilmington Star-News - everyone’s using Twitter. Why? Twitter's speed and brevity make it an ideal medium for disseminating breaking news. For instance, news of the recent Haiti earthquake was splashed all over Twitter within minutes of the disaster. Indeed, Twitter allows news organizations to provide up-to-the-minute, real-time updates on political, economic, social and human happenings around the globe.

While this interactive medium gives busy readers instant access to constantly changing news, several news organizations have not yet been able to effectively engage audiences as an active participant (not just a spectator) in the ongoing conversation. Twitter presents certain challenges, especially with its 140 character restriction and several news organizations are persistent on practicing a one-way public information model, a one-way press agentry model or a two-way asymmetrical model. What can organizations do to effectively utilize Twitter to engage audiences in a two-way conversation? Join me in this conversation. Thoughts anyone?

Blog 6: Vlog – VListen and VTalk to Our Audience

Vlogging is here and it’s the next big thing! From personal vlogs to corporate vlogs…everyone’s vlogging. Vlogging personalities like Philip DeFranco and Blendtec’s Tom Dickson are famous (or infamous!) and everyone’s watching them. I’d like to put the spotlight on a lesser known organization like the Ecuadorian Rainforest which has been a regular part of the vlogging scene for over a year. In my eyes, the Ecuadorian Rainforest vlog is an excellent example of how organizations can effectively employ the vlog medium for building relationships with stakeholders.

Great tips from the Ecuadorian Rainforest vlog:
(1) Opening: Video opening with organizational logo and subtitles stating the speaker’s name, designation and location help establish the context of the video. The viewer immediately knows who the video is from and who the speaker is.

(2) Speaker: Choosing the right company spokesperson is key. The speaker’s designation (VP, Ecuadorian Rainforest) conveys credibility and source legitimacy, and the audience knows he's qualified to speak on the organization's behalf. The speaker has a confident personality, is comfortable in front of the camera and is able to engage viewers.

(3) Content: The speaker aptly links back to the last vlog by updating viewers on what has transpired since then. This establishes continuity for regular viewers and allows the company to highlight achievements (speaker states that they just finished a successful show where their fruits garnered a lot of interest).
- Corporate vlogs should be a way to connect to customers and build relationships. The speaker conveys his organization’s excitement to work closely with clients. (We’re very eager to work with not just our existing clients but with new clients we made during the show)
- Vlogs should be in real time. The speaker is about to leave for a show and invites viewers to visit the company booth. He entices viewers by briefly sharing about the products at the show.

(4) Ending: Successful vlogs have a regular audience. The speaker gives the audience a sneak preview of the next vlog and in doing so encourages them to tune again.
- Thanking customers and supporters for making a show successful is a great way of nurturing relationships with stakeholders. (It is also a subtle hint to viewers that we have achieved our goals!)
- Directing viewers to the corporate website by stating that the May sales are on is a sure way of drawing visitors to your home page.
- Ending with "See you next week" invites viewers to stay tuned!

Sometimes the best vlogs are short, simple and concise! What are some other characteristics of excellent vlogs? Thoughts anyone? : )

Blog 5: What Drives You? Integrating Social Media into the Car Business.

Reading about the Mini Cooper’s successful social media campaign in Li and Bernoff (2008) and the Ford Motor Company’s social media engagement strategy in Communication World (Jan/Feb 2010) instilled in me a drive - a drive to follow in the tracks of these marketing geniuses who have mastered the art of social media! Time to step on the pedal! Alright, enough of this car analogy…onto more serious business.

We’ve all read about the Mini Cooper case study; let’s bring you up to speed with the Ford case study. Ford realized it needed to change how it talked to its customers. In July 2009, Ford invited 60 prominent women bloggers from the BlogHer network to be a part of the Ford experience in Chicago. These women created an instant buzz by posting their test drive experience on their blogs. Check out some of these blogs at TheFordStory.com

In another initiative, after identifying key online influencers in the North American market, Ford created programs to engage its publics through Facebook, Twitter and corporate blogs. For instance, Ford invited 40 bloggers to swap their cars for a Ford Flex, Ford Fusion or Lincoln MKS to drive on their spring vacations. Ford hoped these drivers would post their stories and share their honest opinions about the cars on their blogs. Throughout this program, Ford ensured transparency to enable readers to decide for themselves the credibility of the blogs. Some of these blogs can be found at TheFordStory.com

Ford also published its "Rules for Social Media Engagement"at TheFordStory.com These are specific guidelines on how Ford would practice ethical and effective online engagement. These rules echo Li and Bernoff's (2008) advice to "listen to" and "talk with" the groundswell. Simply put, listening carefully to what customers are saying online about your brand can generate valuable insights to enhance product quality and publicity efforts. Talking (not shouting) with customers and engaging them in conversation builds trust, credibility and an effective relationship between an organization and its stakeholders.

Ford’s social media engagement strategy was a great success, bringing much publicity for the company. With technology rapidly changing the motoring experience, it makes me wonder what automakers have in mind for the future. What might customer engagement be like in the future? What’s next? Automobiles that are fitted with Facebook, Twitter and Blog technologies? Certainly adds a new dimension to how social media is being integrated into the car business. Thoughts anyone? I'm listening. Let's talk!

Blog 4: My Desktop is on the Net – The Social Bookmarking Phenomenon

My desktop is on the net – Is yours? I'm talking about 'social bookmarking.' What is social bookmarking? Waters (2010) describes social bookmarking as a communication method that allows individuals to store, organize, search and manage bookmarks of web pages on the internet and share those bookmarks with others.

The more pertinent question is - how is the social bookmarking phenomenon relevant to us as PR practitioners? Some benefits of social bookmarking include: Ability to ascertain if people are bookmarking our organization's website or news related to our organization, and the numbers of people doing so. This reflects our visibility as well as brand loyalty and recall, and ultimately whether people are interested in our organization. Second, the types of tags people use to label our organization help in gauging public perception of our organization – do we have a favorable image? What can we do better? After running a campaign we can re-evaluate public bookmarks to determine if corporate image has improved.

Rule of thumb before embarking on a PR campaign - conduct research to effectively tailor your message to your target audience. So, I propose a fun, interactive exercise to better understand public tagging behavior. My question- How do you usually decide what kinds of tags to use? How do you classify tags? I’d like to hear from you.

I’ll get the ball rolling - I usually classify tags based on (1) topic or content and (2) field or genre. Using a standard set of keywords (e.g. Travel) helps me instantly recall the content. Also, by categorizing material, I can go back to it later, make connections and track story/issue developments. For example, for an article relating to touring the Grand Canyon, my tag would be 'Travel' and 'Grand Canyon.' Your turn now! : )

Public tagging behavior:
Q: How do you usually decide what kinds of tags to use?

Tags which:
(1) relate to the topic or content (e.g. Dieting Tips, Pierce Brosnan)
(2) relate to a specific field or genre (e.g. Health, Entertainment)
(3) indicate the author of the material (e.g. Waters, 2010)
(4) reflect my feelings or personal opinion towards the material (e.g. Funny, Interesting)
(5) indicate a follow-up task (e.g. For Work, For Shopping)
(6) indicate material relating to someone else (e.g. For dad, Tim’s class project)

Blog 3 – The ABCs of Social Media…'E’ for Ethics

So you receive a Facebook friend request from your favorite brand and the next thing you know, this organization, let’s call it XYZ, is following you on twitter. You reciprocate the gesture by accepting the friend request and also start following XYZ on twitter. For XYZ, this is “mission accomplished!”

If you have signed up for company email alerts or entered your contact information for a contest, you are easy prey for organizations looking to add you to their Facebook page or to their list of Twitter followers. So here’s the question: Is it OK for brand personas to proactively follow/friend people in order to get a reciprocal response? Some view this as a strategic, deliberate tactic by organizations to gain visibility, expand their fan base and enhance popularity rankings. Ethical? Perfectly ethical as long as the organization does not misuse or abuse this medium to mislead consumers.

In fact, the PR practitioners representing XYZ are portraying the organization as personable, accessible and (for the younger, net-savy clientale) – trendy. Nothing wrong in being approachable, connecting to potential and current customers and engaging them in a constructive online conversation about your product/service.

For the organization, this is a convenient, quick way of gaining feedback, defending their brand, and providing honest explanations. For consumers, this is an opportunity to compliment, grumble or share ideas about their brand experience and ‘talk’ with fellow users. PR practitioners that employ such an approach (in a transparent, ethical manner) are effectively utilizing this interactive social medium to promote two-way communication and build relationships with stakeholders. Ultimately, for an organization, it’s about being where its customers are – Planet Social Media!

Thoughts anyone? And do take the online poll. : )

Blog 2: Information on Social Networks - To believe or not to believe?

Social media brings with it several benefits, chief among which is “increasing our ability to build relationships with our stakeholders” (Waters, 2010). On the flip side, the use of social media can create problems for organizations and its stakeholders. Organizations may fall victim to inaccurate postings from disgruntled customers, competitors hoping to get an edge over their opponents, or from netizens who are simply looking to pass time.

How does one verify if the information one is reading online is true? When CNN’s ireport wrongly cited that Steve Jobs had died from a heart attack, Apple’s stock price dropped 10 percent immediately. Similarly Emulex’s stock prices plunged from $103 per share to $43 per share within 16 minutes after (incorrect) news that its chief executive was resigning, that the US Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating the company and that its quarterly earnings report showed a loss.

The issue at hand is one of regulation - what rules and laws govern the posting of inaccurate and false information online? As PR practitioners, it is not possible for us to constantly monitor everything that is being said about our organization online. While we can only hope to act quickly to minimize damage to corporate reputation and reduce financial losses to our stockholders, the issue of information verification seems to be prevalent. The influx of citizen journalism sites only seem to add to this problem. Thoughts anyone?

Earth, Mars, Jupiter…Social Media – The evolution of a new planet

Welcome to Planet Social Media!

The countries here go by the name of Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Linked In and Facebook. I beg your pardon… “The United Users of Facebook” (UUF for short). Considering that Facebook has 350 million active users (as of January 2010), UUF would be the third largest country on Planet Earth, behind China and India. It doesn’t take much to become a UUF citizen – just a Facebook account and a desire to connect!

One of your rights as a UUF citizen or a Twitterian is the power to connect online to your fellow citizens, share information and experiences, recommend or rate companies or institutions. Li and Bernoff (2008) call this new social phenomenon – the groundswell - A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other; rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.

In short, people on Planet Social Media are empowered to generate online content and share this with other netizens or cybercitizens. Such an explosion of content seems harmless one might think, but organizations bear the brunt of this. The groundswell is threatening organizations as customers are talking to each other about products and services and redefining brands which companies spent millions of dollars to create (Li and Bernoff, 2008).

This explosion of information compels organizations to be more socially responsible and enhance their product/service standards. Sadly though, sometimes, organizations are unfairly criticized by consumers and customers. Nevertheless, as public relations practitioners, we should adopt a two-way symmetrical model which advocates active listening and genuine dialogue with our stakeholders. What makes our endeavor tough is the disproportionate ratio of PR practitioners in an organization to consumers, and the constant need to keep abreast of technological advances to communicate with our audience. Let's move away from this initial reluctance to embrace technology, for the benefits are many. Ultimately, when our organization becomes a UUF citizen or Twitterian, we become more approachable to our fellow citizens, earn their trust, build relationships and improve our products/services from their feedback.

As PR practitioners, we are not alone in this journey to Planet Social Media. Many of us have made this trip before and succeeded! Join me every week as I come closer to discovering a whole new universe! Packed your bags yet?