Brian Solis and Chris Beck define the future of being social

August 27th, 2010

I’ve been following the series of video conversations between Brian Solis and Chris Beck, which are extraordinary in their breadth and depth. They are ‘must see’ for anyone involved with social media PR and indeed for anyone who is interested in the future of online communication.

What strikes me is the clarity of thought, the strategic minds at work here. These guys inhabit ‘social’ but also understand the commercial imperatives that underlie many online conversations. My favourite is the discussion on privacy and what constitutes the ‘online self’.

At a time when some commentators are questioning the existence and value of social networks, Brian and Chris offer a positive, inspiring view of the possibilities. Is social media dead? No. Does it present problems? Yes. Can we rise to the challenge? Take a look at these videos and make up your own mind. Personally, I’d say that with people like Brian and Chris leading the discussion, we’re in very safe hands.

You can see the complete series on Brian’s website

Here’s my favourite:

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David McCandless explains the power of infographics

August 26th, 2010

Here’s a treat - David McCandless explaining the power of visual information design/infographics at the recent TED Global conference in Oxford. There’s plenty of good for thought in his lively talk and he shows some wonderful examples of how complex data from different sources can be presented in a way that makes it more graspable. He also shows how new understanding can come from the process - and so change the ways we think.

My only concern is that the adage “garbage in, garbage out” applies even more to the production of infographics. There has to be a way of assessing the quality of the research data - and as Ben Goldacre proves every week in his Bad Science Guardian column, there is no shortage of questionable data online.

Posted in Blog, Digital communications, Digital media, Journalism, Social media, Social networking, Trends and research, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

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Leo Laporte and the end of social media

August 25th, 2010

One of the more visible social media professionals has decided to disengage, citing the pointlessness of the platforms. Is this the beginning of the end of ‘social media’?

Leo Laporte, the influential broadcaster behind the TWiT network of podcasts has posted a heartfelt blog in which he reasons that all social media is roughly the equivalent of talking to the wind.

The agent of change was his discovery that a glitch with Google Buzz – a social platform he has championed - meant that everything he had posted there for over two weeks hadn’t been seen by anyone. Worse still, no-one noticed.

Is Leo right? Are we all, effectively, talking to nobody when we engage online?

It often feels like that – but we have no real idea about who we have connected with through our ideas, unless we have engaged directly.

The power of social networks really lies in their universality and commonness. If you wanted an analogy, you could say that social networks allow millions of people to ‘overhear’ conversations in the way that we listen and learn from people talking on the train, the Tube, in cafes, restaurants and pubs.

This information is often of no immediate use, might be flippant, irritating or noisome but it’s also often very beneficial. It might colour our days, make something more understandable, or simply give us pause for thought.

More than that, the sharing of information, directly or indirectly, informs and celebrates the way we live. We like to share because it is a benefit. If no-one is listening, if the chatter machine has broken down temporarily (ie the pub had to shut its doors for a while) then definitely we lose an outlet for our egos.

But it does not mean that being social has no purpose and I think maybe it’s the reverse. It reminds us that we’re not special, individual or separate and we need to share together.

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Got your A-Level results? So how do you get into PR?

August 19th, 2010

As you’ve all no doubt seen, A-Level results have been announced today in England, so conversation around qualifications and careers are rife.

On a day like this it certainly takes me back to my own experiences of education, and the path I took to reach my current career. Today though, things are tougher than ever. According to today’s Guardian A-Level students are facing one of the most intense battles ever seen to get into university, simply due to a higher number of students looking for a decreasing number of places. In fact, the total number of places at English universities this year is 365,000, and each University will face fines of £3,700 per student if they exceed their limit.

This means that knowing what you want to do, and getting the correct advice on how to get there, is perhaps more essential than ever.

That got me thinking, how would I advise a student looking to get into the PR sector? To be fair this is a question I have been asked many times, and to be honest I always struggle to answer it with clear and straight-forward advice. Fundamentally, that’s because there is no single, clear and straight-forward route to success.

In my case, I started out in PR 12 years ago, and crossed the divide into social media around 2006. My degree is in Business, but to be honest I had no idea what I wanted to be when I applied or left University, in fact I stayed on at University to add an honours to my degree just to get another year of student life. However, the day finally came when I had to start my career proper, and again, if I’m honest I only took a role as an account executive at a PR agency because I thought PR sounded interesting, not much in the way of career planning there!

Back to the current situation, if graduates or students ask me how to get into PR or social media or hopefully even both, the simple truth is there is no guaranteed method. Having taken my own straw poll of colleagues throughout my career, I would estimate that less than 20% did a degree relevant to PR, now of course you could argue many degrees are relevant to PR, and you would be right, but I’m talking marketing, PR courses, etc.

Why is this the case? Well I would argue it’s simply because in the PR industry everybody starts at the bottom, you learn your trade from the ground up. It used to be the case that a degree was just a pass to get an interview, from that point on it was down to you, your qualifications counted for nothing.

In the past, and in my experience being an interviewer for various agencies, the issue with PR degrees is that the course doesn’t keep pace with the industry, although I’m now assured this is improving. I also realise this is a common complaint with many industries. Therefore, when I am recruiting, I don’t particularly give any advantage to those that have done a PR degree over those that have done History, Geography or English, for example.

This issue is now further complicated by the digital skills required to perform the roll of a PR. Or if you want to go into a specific career focusing on social media, you need to choose how you approach it, i.e. from the comms side, the technology side, web development side or creative side, and ideally with elements of all of the above.

In terms of choosing PR as a career, the number one issue in my opinion is the false reputation PR has developed among graduates, and in fact the general public, as this piece in the Independent proves, and I quote: “Why PR? Because PR is glamorous. You get to go to launch parties and meet interesting people and talk to celebrities.”

Anyone coming into PR with that opinion soon gets hit square in the face with a 2×4 of reality. But then I guess the reality for anyone starting out in PR is a little off putting - terrible pay, long hours, hard and demanding work. However, you will learn a whole host of new skills including many that will set you up for life, and your value, both of self and as an employee, will rocket.

So, to get into PR do you need to do a PR, or PR relevant, course? I would still argue no, but it should help to give you a more realistic picture of the career you have chosen.

Should you try to get work experience before leaving University? Yes, this is something that employers look for, and again it will give you a more realistic picture of the job at hand.

Do you need digital/social media skills? (there are plenty of social media-type courses around ) Yes, I probably would value this, as an introduction, because I’m part of an integrated agency.

I’m certainly not envious of those starting out at University today, well, okay I am envious of the 3-4 years of student life and all the fun that comes with it, but the jobs market and eventual value of the qualification, plus the debt we all come out with, are not attractive at all.

Those that invest time to develop a real picture of the careers options open to them will in my opinion succeed. Again when I was at Uni, careers advice basically came down to ‘what do you want to do when you leave?’ but today there are better options.

Many students take the opportunity to embrace the social web and ask advice from those in the industry, do their research and try to get involved while still studying. This is a smart move; most of us in the industry remember how difficult it was and will help out where we can.

There are also new careers services and guidance available, one of which we are involved in that will be launching soon called WYGU, (When You Grow Up), which is a social careers guidance and mentoring platform that aims to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together to get real information about careers from real people who are in those careers. Take advantage of these services as they offer invaluable advice that you just don’t find elsewhere or through official channels.

In summary, the PR industry is changing, which means the skills required are also evolving. The opportunities to get involved, if you can offer some of the skills mentioned above, are probably better than ever, but be warned if you thought a PR had to be an all-rounder before, it’s stepped up another level, there’s much more to learn.

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Crowdsourcing compendium: General resource, case studies, examples and tips

July 20th, 2010

Following on from yesterday’s Location based compendium: The services, resources, Foursquare case studies and stats here’s another helpful compendium this time on ‘Crowdsourcing’ and related topics.

This is how Wikipedia defines crowdsourcing:

Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call.

For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task (also known as community-based design and distributed participatory design), refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm, or help capture, systematize or analyse large amounts of data.

The term has become popular with businesses, authors, and journalists as shorthand for the trend of leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies to achieve business goals. However, both the term and its underlying business models have attracted controversy and criticisms.

General Resource

Online Marketing: How User-Generated Content Can Drive Web 2.0 Online Campaigns

http://www.masternewmedia.org/online_marketing/user-generated-marketing/web20-user-generated-marketing-crowdsourcing-online-marketing-strategy-20070530.htm

Excellent post and a good place to start to get you up to speed with all things related to crowdsourcing.

Top crowdsourcing Websites, Resources, and Companies http://compassioninpolitics.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/top-crowdsourcing-websites-and-resources/

Nice resource post over viewing some  guides, applications, platforms and tools available to help you find out more about crowdsourcing.

BEST PRACTICE: Crowdsourcing in B2B http://www.b2bm.biz/Features/BEST-PRACTICE-Crowdsourcing-in-B2B/

Some helpful tips for B2B marketers.

Crowdsourcing Mindmap

Crowdsourcing

Case studies

Case Study: Crowdsourcing exhibitions http://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/creating-engaging-displays/15072010-createdemocracy

An experiment to curate a gallery via the democracy of the general public.

Myoo Uses Crowdsourcing for Sustainability Solutions http://www.fastcompany.com/1662684/myoo-create-crowdsources-sustainable-solutions-for-companies

Examples from Myoo Create, a new company that works with brands to launching sustainability-focused crowdsourcing challenges that engage consumers and spur innovation.

How Air New Zealand uses crowdsourcing and social media for a new in-flight experience

http://www.socialemailmarketing.eu/2010/05/air-new-zealands-aviation-design-academy-a-crowd-sourcing-initiative.html

How Air New Zealand is using social media and crowdsourcing to engage people in a creative way.

Case Study: Best Buy Uses Social Media To Crowdsource Employees http://mattsingley.com/blog/2009/04/best-buy-crowdsources-employees/

Best Buy uses a wiki to crowd source their employees thoughts and ideas.

Crowdsourcing examples

Red Bull X Fighters London - Crowd Sourcing Campaign

10 examples of how crowdsourcing is changing the world.

http://www.thesocialpath.com/2009/05/10-examples-of-crowdsourcing.html

A post highlighting a few clever uses of crowdsourcing, just to show how it’s quickly changing almost every aspect of online commerce, research and even human interaction.

Crowdsourcing Examples http://crowdsourcingexamples.pbworks.com/

An extensive wiki is intended for the benefit of anyone who has ever wished they could see a comprehensive list of examples, either backed by a brand or not, that illustrate the power of crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing example: bmi uses Flickr photos in web design http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/crowdsourcing-example-bmi-uses-flickr-photos/

The BMI website adds user generated content.

YouTube Launches Platform for Crowdsourcing Suggestions http://mashable.com/2010/05/27/youtube-google-moderator/

The use of Google moderator to manage feedback on YouTube.

Crowdsourcing statistics and tips

Some Crowdsourcing Search Stats http://www.thecrowdsourcingblog.com/2010/04/some-crowdsourcing-search-stats/

The use of Google trends to see the impart of the term “crowdsourcing”

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What can Bellwether actually tell us?

July 13th, 2010

As you may have seen on Monday, a one-off supplement to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the IPA BDO Bellwether Report, was released this week.

This of course includes comment from agency sage, and Über marketing/ad sector financial commentator Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP chief executive.

His quotes include the fairly obvious: ‘The overall share of traditional areas such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor and cinema has declined - in favour of consumer insight, PR and public affairs, branding and identity, healthcare, and specialist communications (which embraces direct, interactive and internet).’

Plus a reflection on the move toward integration: ‘Clients want more for the same money and that often means integrated solutions. Different specialities must be brought to bear coherently on a campaign. More and more clients are asking us to put together bespoke teams from across WPP, drawing the best talent from the group’s many renowned company brands.’

So, while it’s good to have these points backed up by the figures, I don’t think this is entirely new news for most of us in the marketing agency sector.

In fact, I would go as far to say that the positive and negative elements of the Bellwether report focus on very similar issues, simply because it is based on financials. This means the conclusions are accurate and trustworthy, but at the same time it also means that the conclusions are retrospective, rather than forward facing.

However, it’s still a good indicator, so what do the figures say? Well, according to PR Week; the ‘all other’ category, which includes PR and events, recorded a -7.9% downward revision in the second quarter of 2010. This revision was a significant drop from -3.5% in Q1.

‘Budgets for nearly all main Bellwether categories were revised down in Q2, with direct marketing and internet the exceptions. The findings suggest that the UK economy is now entering a phase of slower growth.’

To be fair, this was probably expected with the emergency budget announced in the UK recently, combined with a bit or realism hitting the sector as the majority realise we’re very far from being out of the financial crisis that has dogged the industry for two years. It’s also true that the actions of our Government will affect the recovery, or lack of it, but what of the effects we’re experiencing on the ground?

Although it’s a sweeping generalisation, new business across the board seems to be on the up (at least according to the PR and social agencies that I speak to). We all seem to be getting many more enquires, and as far as I can tell, the conversion of these opportunities is good.

Furthermore, of the agency people I’ve spoken to, many point to the fact that there seems to be a lot of agency reviews taking place, which may not always be positive for the incumbent, but suggests clients are either looking for more from their budget, or perhaps something different.

However, although those agencies that I’ve spoken to are generally positive, they have also caveated their excitement with a sense of trepidation about the future in terms of the economy.

So where to go from here? Well, as Sorrell says, we’re in a period of change, a change that has been very necessary for the agency sector for years. As I’ve said many times before on this blog, the change has been accelerated by the ongoing financial challenges, which has made it more painful, but necessary all the same.

In the long term, I believe the focus on integration of services and a more open and conversational approach to communication is certainly the way forward. We have been held back far too long by the rigid agency specialist approach, combined with blind broadcasting of messages.

This should also bring the era of agencies marking their territory and defending it fiercely to an end, as this approach simply isn’t relevant in a multi-skilled environment, where just saying ‘that’s our turf’ doesn’t actually mean anything. The focus has switched to well researched strategies, the ability to deliver and proven experience, whichever sector you originally came from.

For further analysis analysis of the report, check out Mark Sweney’s piece on the Guardian.

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A new chapter for Liberate Media

June 21st, 2010

As you may have seen, I recently completed a deal to acquire the remaining shares in Liberate Media from my former business partner.

Since starting the company back in 2006, we’ve focused on integrating more traditional PR methods with social media strategies and approaches. It’s been a very successful time, and we’ve enjoyed living in a sector that has developed so rapidly, and exploded into the mainstream PR, search, digital, marketing and advertising spaces.

The lines between these disciplines are getting increasingly blurred, and although we all have our own opinions on how the future will take shape, it seems the communications sector in whatever guise it appears, will be a very different beast in the years to come.

At Liberate Media, much like our sector, we’re also changing, but it’s a change that I feel is important to position us for the ongoing development in the market. You’ll be seeing a few new focuses and developments in the near future, while maintaining our core expertise in communicating to brand audiences online, offline or where ever they are, but more on that another day.

When we started Liberate Media, I quickly grew to appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of working day-to-day with a business partner. However, in May 2009, when Wendy took a break from the business, returning earlier this year, I realised that my personal ambition for the company was to continue its evolution and focus on delivering a service that not only reflects the sector’s development, but also our client’s growing need. This will be our focus moving forward, and I hope to be introducing a few new faces along the way.

So, for now, please stay in touch and let us know what you think.

Posted in Blog, Blogging, Content, Digital communications, Digital media, Liberate Media news, PR, Social media, Social networking, Trends and research | No Comments »

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Weekly Social Media sites, tools and posts round-up (18-06-2010)

June 18th, 2010

Welcome to another instalment of the ‘Weekly Social Media sites, tools and posts round-up’.

1. Bi.bg is a link shortener which can be added to your tool bar for future ease of shorting any URL.

2. The bookmarklet combiner allows you to add a number of bookmarklets of the same type into a folder to add to your browser. Nice little space saver!

3. Kadaza lists many popular websites in a visual format, covering hundreds of topics like news, careers, and social networking.

4. Endor.se - allows you to reach out to your network for work help or to find a contact with a specific skill.

5. TwitVance is a great Twitter tool with Bit.ly integration that lets you schedule unlimited tweets. You’re able to edit and delete tweets, add multiple twitter accounts as well as connect your Bit.ly account to track your clicks.

Social Media post of the week: 15 more awesome social media infographics

SEO post of the week: 29 Worst Practices & Most Common Failures: SEO Checklist Part I

More of the same next week.

Check out previous issues of the ‘Weekly Social Media sites, tools and posts round-up’

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Tweasier review

June 16th, 2010

Tweasier the new Twitter management application, and brainchild of Chris Norton, launched last week. I’ve been having a play around and wanted to share my experiences with you.

First of all, what is Tweasier? Well, over to Chris to explain:

“The idea for Tweasier came from an idea after I started blogging specifically just about useful Twitter tools . The Tweasier blog started to grow in stature and popularity and I started to think that maybe a tool should be developed which has some really great features. I suppose you could say it’s because of you guys.

“The application is only in beta testing (so please be gentle) but we are hoping you guys (its users) will help us find the nasty bugs so we can eradicate as many as possible before we launch this tool to the world.”

So, what’s the difference between Tweasier and the other Twitter management applications? Surely Chris has missed the boat and been beaten to the punch by other Twitter clients? Well, no, Tweasier is much more than a client. Tweasier’s brilliance is in the features it offers, and specifically the analytics suite.

Yes, i know there are other free Twitter analytics packages, but Tweasier is well…easier. It’s an all in one package, and the Tweasier team has obviously put a lot of thought into exactly what the user wants from their Twitter application, including simple but effective search and suggestions features.

To offer you a quick rundown of the features, i’ll revert back to the Tweasier launch post:

The new Tweasier application is packed with helpful services, allowing Twitter users to do any of the following:

• Run, save and clone Twitter searches based on location, keywords and personal biographies so conversations can be monitored.
• Receive personalised email notifications informing the user about their activity within the Twittersphere
• Visit Tweasier’s fully equipped analytics suite - providing more than 30 different up-to-date statistics on any Twitter account. Some of the graphs and data can also be exported for use in future presentations or reports.
• Sort an account’s friends or followers by more than 20 different criteria such as: people that haven’t tweeted in the last 30 days, people that didn’t follow the user back and also prune your friends to clear an account up if necessary.
• Users can take a quick peek at Twitter conversations between two people to get both sides of the story.
• Users can read messages, tweet, direct message and even shorten long URLs using Tweasier’s dedicated Twitter client.
• Scheduled tweeting - users can write and save several tweets until later in the day
• Users can use Tweasier’s own in-house ranking system which easily shows whether a user is worth following or not

Take my advice, when you go to Tweasier, check out the Analytics package, and have a play. I think it’s a real triumph of useful data displayed in a simple and readable format. The dashboard offers 30 different types of stats, including network features that show who of your followers is most influential. Some stats can also be exported, which makes my life so much easier!

Tweasier is currently in Beta and i’m sure it will improve, but it’s already excellent, and although i’m sure the last few weeks before launch have been tough for Chris and his team, he can rest assured that it’s been worth it. I’ve already shown the package to a few clients and they all love it.

Well done guys!

Posted in Blog, Blogging, Content, Digital communications, Digital media, Emerging technology, PR, Social media, Social media site inspection, Trends and research, Useful resources | 2 Comments »

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Which World Cup teams are searched for most online?

June 16th, 2010

While trawling my twitter feed yesterday, I noticed the following question, “Out of the World Cup favourites who is searched for most online?” So I decided to take a look.

I used the search term, ‘England’ or the name of the ‘county’ followed by ‘World Cup’ E.g. England World cup.

So who exactly are the bookies favourites to Win this Year’s World Cup:

Here are the current World Cup odds from Paddy Power.

Adding the search terms into Google insights for search over the past 30 days provides use with the following table.

So the clear winner by a country mile with the above search terms is England, this is by no means a perfect representation of results, I could have offered a more detailed keyword research.

As a matter of interest I also ran the same report for the World Cup of 2006.

Again it seems like England come out on top.

So to answer the initial question - Out of the World Cup favourites who is searched for most online? From the quick and dirty research I have undertaken, England who are currently fifth favourites to win the World Cup, come out on top - hopefully this is a good omen or maybe just wishful thinking!

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