Connecting the Dots: Public Relations and Web Development

When I first heard about VISTE, I was eager to take on a new challenge and do my best as an intern. In just under two months, I have learned more than I could have possibly imagined. I’ve written a proclamation for the City of Lakeland to declare April Volunteer Month, a press release with another on the way, and started planning the Annual Volunteer Luncheon.

My favorite task to date has been working on the new VISTE website. After taking a cursory glance at the website, you’ll know why we need something more. Our website tells you about VISTE, but lacks pictures, a press information, a calendar, and the general ability to adapt as the organization changes.

The new website will be launched in April. Stay tuned to the blog to catch a glimpse of some of the changes. The website will be more user friendly for volunteers, clients, and supporters. If you have any suggestions to improve the website, please leave a comment. The more feedback we can get, the more we’ll be able to help you.

Later this week I’ll be posting an interview with client who worked in television during the 50s.

Chitchat with the Groundswell in Social Media

Forrester Research’s Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff wrote a fascinating novel that examines social media. “Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies” looks at how companies can harness the power of the groundswell.

The groundswell is “a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.”

SHOUTING

So everyone knows that companies are willing to shell out millions of dollars to run an ad on tv. Super Bowl Sunday is a prime example of this theory. But what do ads really accomplish? What if you could talk to your customers…

How do you talk to the groundswell?

1.       Post a viral video.

George Wright and Blendtec put together the viral video “Will It Blend?” These videos advertise the product and reach a mass audience the even the Super Bowl can’t compare with. The company even has a “Will It Blog?” area to their website that allows customers to weigh in.

2.       Engage in social networks.

Ernst & Young Careers page on Facebook allows college students to asks questions and get real answers and advice. The company takes time to respond to each comment posted on their wall. Students are exposed to traditional media, but they talk!

3.       Join the blogosphere.

GM’s blog has loads of information on a variety of topics.  Blogging can offer lots of different opportunities, so businesses have to decide their purpose for the blog. You can’t start a blog just to save costs and be successful. Most importantly, you need to use your blog to start and engage in conversation with your audience.

4.       Create a community.

Companies that create and maintain a community can tap into the groundswell with incredible. First make sure your audience will join the community (see Social Techographics Profile). Proctor & Gamble targeted tween girls for feminine care products with the creation of beinggirl.com. Being Girl gave girls the chance to ask questions and get answers on questions they were too embarrassed to ask anyone else.

If you’re company is looking at social media and aiming to become part of the conservation, then simply start by talking to the groundswell!

The Great Paradox of Social Media

Image Credit: "Social Media Monopoly" By clasesdeperiodismo

An interesting paradox exists between people and their privacy when it comes to social media. The very idea of social media as Mark Zuckeberg has pointed out time and time again is the ability to connect and share with people. We share all kinds of things from what we’re doing to everything we like (and everything we don’t!). We aim to connect with as many people as we can, but in the same breathe try to protect our privacy from intrusion.

Companies that have an interest in scooping up all that data we post on every.com site imaginable turn to social media monitoring services. Social Media Monitoring enables companies to easily see everything we put on social media sites from Facebook to Flickr, Twitter to LinkedIn. These monitoring companies offer a variety services including mining the data and formulating useful graphs and charts on our habits.

The Debate

In light of both our fight for privacy and our need to share, critics debate the ethics of social media monitoring. In “Debating the Ethics of Social Media Research” Jeffrey  Henning outlined the debate.

1.      Cite/obscure identities of commenters: Do you give credit to the source or do you obscure the identity of individuals when using the data?

2.       Seek/don’t seek permission: Do you get consent to use the data or accept that consent is not always possible to obtain?

3.      Engage/don’t engage with commenters: Do you respond to commentators and possibly influence them or sit passively respecting that individual may say things online that are not always true?

4.      Respect/ignore perceptions of privacy: Do you allow the users to think their privacy is being respected or accept that everything on the internet is public?

Weighing In

Image Credit: "3D Character and Question Mark" By 姒儿喵喵

I think that standard PR ethics codes (i.e. PRSA) can adequately address the problems associated with social media monitoring. I think knowing and understanding the target audience is also a big part of the process. Forrester’s Social Technographic Consumer Profiles can illuminate how your target uses social media.

Passion precedes prosperity for PR professionals

Brona Cosgrave wrote on his blog about the “PR Client’s Bill of Rights,” and added two more additional points to the list of eight:

Image Credit: "88 Prosperity_7850" By Daniel Cheah

1.You have the right to measurable results or at least deliverables that can be met.

2. You have the right to be represented professionally.

3. You have the right to be represented by someone that actually knows your food, your book, your product.

4.You have the right to expect your PR professional to understand social media.

5. You have the right to expect your PR person to tailor their communications to the audience.

6. You have the right to a PR person that will not inconvenience the people with whom you are trying to build good
relationships.

7. You have the right to a PR professional who will be smart about working for you.

8. You have the right to a PR professional that accurately and completely represents what s/he claims to represent.

9. You have the right to be represented by someone who shares your passion and enthusiasm.

10. You have the right to work with a PR team that is fun!

Cosgrave suggests that the PR professional should have passion for their clients.

I think that any job should include 50% work and 60% passion to equal 110% quality work. If you love your job and your clients, prosperity will come your way!

Related Articles

• Got Passion? (livingstonbuzz.com)