$10 Saves 18 Puppies!

Tweet

OK, I don't know if that headline is true, but that is what made me listen to a guy outside of my local grocery store last night. He was explaining all of the great work a particular not-for-profit organization does and asked me to donate $10 a month "because it saves like 18 puppies".

I already support this organization and know they do great work. I would have donated more last night, but something stopped me. It wasn't the fact that I was in a grocery store parking lot at night being approached by a guy with only a clipboard for credentials, it was that I remembered that I donated to this very organization last month and was never acknowledged for it. I actually opted to receive their newsletters and six weeks later, despite double checking that they received the payment, I still have yet to get even a standard autoreply email. That said, I'll continue to support them because it's the work that's important, not the acknowledgement.

However, that got me to thinking about business. Regardless of the size of the customer, they should all be acknowledged. Many times we get too caught up in saving puppies to thank all of the important people who make our work possible.

Now, back to saving those puppies.

A rose by any other name can't be found by Google

Tweet

A rose is a rose is a rose. And nothing smells sweeter for a business than a great search engine ranking in their product category.

So when writing press releases, take a moment to optimize the content to match what your buyers are searching online.

If you sell a new organic fertilizer for roses, be sure to include in your release, not just the word rose, but popular varieties of roses or diseases and funguses that gardeners are likely to research online.

Not only will it show prospects and the media that you know your Floribundas from your Grandifloras but it will help you pinpoint those online targets who are most motivated to purchase such a specialty product.

This applies to companies large and small, and often we see clients get so caught up in the messaging and word smithing, that the release uses expressions or words no human being uses. That's when a rose becomes a 'fragrant petal system with robust stem security.' Can we just call it a rose?!

(W)right On goes to 11!

Tweet

Grant Wright sent the (W)right On team this message today, on Nov. 11, to remind our group of its accomplishments in achieving 11 years of growth. But also to inspire the (W)right On team to adapt to the demands in this new era of communications and business as we move forward. It's a universal message and worth sharing beyond our walls.

Today we recognize this auspicious day for several reasons:

In the USA for Veteran’s Day we celebrate veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedom, and in Canada where it’s Remembrance Day we remember the lessons of history so as to never have to repeat them.

And at (W)right On, we celebrate a different meaning on this 11-11… We have our own celebration of 11 years going strong!

For any business, what does 11 years mean? Well, a quick review of business survival rates indicates the vast majority of businesses (something like 90%) that start out do not survive to 11 years. (W)right On has. And maybe it’s worth noting that the statistics for the past decade really don’t incorporate the past 24 month recession period, the most severe since the Great Depression. So I wonder what the stats will look like a decade from now when this period is taken into account.

But ‘surviving’ and ‘thriving’ are very different things. It may be that many companies eking it through over the past 24 months redefine surviving as the new thriving, understandably so. But overall, I think by adhering to the fundamentals that are the foundation of our success (W)right On thrives.

We’re not only here after 11 years putting us in the elite ‘less than one in 10’ category, but our foundation leaves us poised for continued growth and a bright future. The ‘asset’ pieces of the foundation are numerous and remarkable, and I’ll save a review of them for a separate discussion if anyone would like to chat about it. But my view is also that ‘what got us here won’t get us where we need to go’. Meaning we need to never stray from the non-negotiable standards at the core of (W)right On’s success, but leave behind other old behaviors and increasingly adopt new behaviors fitted to a larger enterprise and a future business and communications world for which there's no precedent. Not an easy thing to do, and it means an even greater risk tolerance and stretching our personal and collective comfort zones. But if I know one team that can do it, it’s this one. And I’m very proud to be part of this team, that extends to our external team members, vendors and great clients, celebrating (W)right On’s 11th anniversary on 11/11.

THANK YOU, everybody!

Grant

Rule #1: Know Your Audience

Tweet

It's the first rule of good communications: know your audience.

Whatever you're communicating, you need to make the content relevant and interesting to your audience, first and foremost.

After attending an awards event last evening, I believe that this rule needs further clarification: you must also respect your audience.

It is only in the rarest of circumstances that an audience will wish you spoke longer. Therefore, be concise and to the point. Short speeches, I guarantee you, will be remembered as more entertaining than long ones no matter who you are. Even professional entertainers know this: "Leave them wanting more."

When you speak without notes, without preparation and to entertain and amuse yourself, you are not respecting your audience.

So, know who you're addressing, make the effort to connect with your audience, and show them respect by preparing and keeping it tight.

And, one last word on this subject, at risk of stating the obvious: remarks by outgoing presidents should be shorter than the remarks of the incoming president, and similarly, remarks introducing an award winner should be shorter than acceptance speeches. When these natural laws of speaking are inverted, audiences revolt.

Did You Know? 4.0 - Must-See Internet TV

Tweet

'Did You Know?', this fantastic presention, debuted as a response to the massive shifts in the global competitive landscape that kids in school today can expect by the time they graduate. Teachers, who realized what they and their students were up against, were the catalyst for the original concept. The world is changing so quickly, it's physically impossible to teach students the skills and impart the knowledge they'll need by the time they enter the workforce.

We wrote a post on an earlier iteration of 'Did You Know?' on Aug. 12, 2008 (see: The Best Thing School Can Teach You These Days is to Adapt).

The mind-altering presentation is back and better than ever with a version 4.0 on YouTube and now co-presented by The Economist. For communicators and their clients, it's an extremely relevant, compelling and inspiring 4 minutes 39 seconds. Watch and learn...

5 Qualities Communicators Need Today!

Tweet

The barriers to entry in the communication, publishing and broadcasting fields have crumbled thanks to ubiquitous, user-friendly and largly free web-based technologies. With Twitter, anyone can be a pundit or a pitchman. On LinkedIn, anyone can build a massive professional network. And using YouTube, anyone can share original film productions or star in the their own reality TV show.

But just because you CAN does not mean you SHOULD! (Seriously.)

Since technology is no longer the barrier to entry in our field, what is?

Well, it's many things, but I've boiled it down to what I see as the top 5, and if you've got 'em, you've got it.

1. Talent: natural ability as a communicator -- you can write and present. Plus, you're constantly thinking about how to do these things better and more often as well as share your talent with others.

2. Common Sense: you can work it out for yourself. You've got 'critical thinking skills' and aren't afraid to use them.

3. Motivation: you want to learn, grow, challenge yourself or be challenged by others and are intrinsically curious.

4. Creativity: you approach old problems in new ways or find new ways of saying the same ol' thing. When you're presented with a problem, your first instinct is to find a creative solution.

5. Adaptability: Where others find variety and change threatening or frustrating, you thrive.

If you've got these qualities, you can always learn the technical steps required to become an accomplished communicator. However, if you don't have them, by all means use the technology, but find someone who does have them to guide and coach you (and listen to them).

By the way, if you have a degree in communications or a related discipline and some fantastic life and work experiences that would help you hit the ground running, (W)right On Communications would like to hear from you for our open Account Coordinator position!

In this position, you'll support the agency’s consulting team in coordinating various client activities as well as some of the agency’s own branding and communications activities. You'll also work directly with clients, the media, and vendors and support social media activities across a variety of web-based platforms.

Be prepared for an environment that will have you working your magic on topics of an extremely technical nature to lighter fare such as music, entertainment and hospitality. (Did I mention 'adaptability' is a requirement?)

This is a full-time position and includes benefits. Please review the responsibilities below to get an idea of what the job entails and please forward your resume to career@wrightoncomm.com if you're interested in it.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide client account team with professional account coordination support including:
o Gather, compile and research competitive and market information including secondary research and occasional primary research
o Research, update, and maintain listing of public relations opportunities and deadlines via editorial calendars for press opportunities
o Review HARO and ProfNet daily feeds for client PR opportunities and follow up as needed
o Research and maintain the agency’s media lists
o Manage media monitoring activities including reviewing/capturing client press clippings, broadcast coverage, Google alerts, and media monitoring services and generating monthly summaries and reports for client review
o Manage social media monitoring activities including reviewing/capturing client conversations and coverage via the agency’s social media monitoring service and generating monthly summaries and reports for client review
o Coordinate artwork development, production (print & mail), photo shoots, trade shows and other meetings, and PR events as needed
o Coordinate client approvals on collateral and public relations copy and designs
o Contact editors and reporters as directed by consultants to research or ‘audit’ media interest and needs on a per client basis
o Coordinate the dissemination of PR materials through newswires, online sites, and social media outlets
o Assist with drafts of press releases and editing of public relations support materials
o Assist with social media communications to support client programs
o Attend client events and provide on-site event coordination as needed
o Support consultants through handling Constant Contact emailings and other online tools and web-based updates including tracking results

Kanye West: interruption vs. disruption

Tweet

The do's and don'ts of civil discourse used to include don't shout "You lie" at the President if you're a sitting U.S. congressman and don't jump up on stage, grab her mic away, and then tell the world that some other performer deserved Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Award. Thankfully, the past few days and hours have shown via social networks that these interruptions are still social taboo.

Sometimes an outburst or a stunt works because it's disruptive. By disruptive, I mean that the event is one that disrupts your focus but attracts your attention. For instance, Lady Gaga's wardrobe changes and Pink's trapeze act at the VMAs were disruptive.

An interruption is entirely different; it takes away your choice and it's in your face whether you want it to be there or not. Television advertising is an interruption (unless it's extremely well done and then it becomes a disruption.) Panhandling is an interruption whereas street performing is a disruption.


Kanye was once an exciting, disruptive artist but now is in danger of just becoming an another interruption in a world where attention is among the highest prized commodities.

Our dinnertime ritual interrupted by a telemarketer, our social media conversations interrupted by an automated self-promotional message, or an email selling us something we don't want for a body part we don't have--like Taylor Swift, we've got a lot of our own Kanyes in our faces ruining our moments, large and small.

During his hasty apology on the Jay Leno Show premier Monday night, West was asked by the host "What would your mother have thought?" (She passed away a year ago.) But West doesn't need his mother to tell him what's right and wrong. He and all brands today have to answer to the wisdom of the crowd--if they'll just shut up long enough to listen.

The beauty of disruption is that it's unexpected but not unwelcome, distracting yet attractive, has shock value but also some value for the targets and not just the celebrity's ego or brand's self-interest. If that sounds like an art, it is one. And it's why stunts run such a high risk of backfiring and, thanks to social media, backlash

OK, enough about Kanye...

9/16/09 - UPDATE: I know I said enough about Kanye but I could resist this YouTube mashup and, while I've got other things to do, clever people have taken Kanye's interruption and turned it into many fine, fun examples of disruptive communication. Examples follow:

For more examples, check out Mashable.com's Top 10 Kanye Parodies list.

Twitter demographics shift

Tweet

I'm on the wrong side of 40, but up until March, my age made me part of Twitter's 'in' crowd: 35-54 year olds.



Boomers and gen X'ers were the most likely demographic to be on Twitter. But something happened in April that caused a massive influx of millennials. Comscore released data showing this trend. Look at the top two tiers in the chart below and how they're getting squeezed from April through July.
What happened to cause this shift? Some are suggesting it's the Ashton Kutcher effect. In April, the young celebrity began a Twitter battle with CNN: the first to reach one million followers would be declared the winner (and malaria nets would be donated to Africa so there was a feel good element to this silly competition).


No word on whether malaria rates have fallen at the same pace as Twitter use has risen. But as Twitter grew from 9.3 million users in March to over 50 million users in July, the type of user has shifted and more brands and spam accounts are now joining the ranks of the Twitterati, for better or for worse.

Social Media: are you a consumer, producer or both?

Tweet

I've just finished catching up on some of my favorite industry blogs. These blogs--written by my peers in public relations and social media--have replaced trade journals and e-newsletters as my go-to source for best practices, trends, data and industry gossip.

In addition, sites like Mashable.com and the quality links shared by my Twitter Tweeps and Facebook Friends are also major info sources for me.

This shift in my media consumption behaviors began just over a year ago. The 'tipping point' was very sudden!

The communication industry puts me on the forefront of exciting changes, and it might incline me to be more of an 'early adopter?'

I know our tech clients have embraced social media channels like Twitter and Facebook for communication. But what about using these channels as sources for information?

Are traditional trade publications or websites serving your needs primarily or is the bulk of your information coming from social media channels or tools?

Looked at another way, is social media primarily something you produce (i.e. content for your Facebook Fan Page or Twitter feed) versus something that you consume (i.e. reading the content of others such as your customers, competitors, industry gurus; monitoring conversations with search and listening tools)?

Annual event helps keep it all in perspective

Tweet

Once a year, Interfaith Community Services holds a meeting for all of its supporters to celebrate their generosity and the community's accomplishments. I started volunteering with Interfaith in 2001/2002 but they've been around over 25 years.

You can imagine what kind of year this past one has been for a lot of folks (and for social services agencies like ICS).

More than 33,700 people in North San Diego County came to it for help this year.

A few of them got up to share their stories today.

First up was a mother who developed a quart-a-day vodka habit to drown her demons. When that didn't work, she tried drowning them once and for all by drinking liquid Drain-O. Her family steered her to get help. She is now sober, beautiful and strong, giving back to ICS by counseling others and donating to the current residents of its amazing sobriety program.

A two-tour Iraq vet spoke about the help he got transitioning from the Marines to civilian life. The job training he received from ICS was the difference-maker for him. (Finding a job in the U.S. should not be harder than dodging improvised explosive devices in Iraq, and yet it nearly was for him this past year!)

A battered wife with nowhere to turn when she needed it most was living in her truck and ready to disable the airbag and drive it into the median. She found ICS and is now in transitional housing, confident and employed.

Stories like these give me hope and faith that people can overcome, but they can't do it alone. That's where Interfaith comes in--people of every faith or simply a faith in the human spirit ready to give a hand up to those who need it.

What a beautiful thing to pause and celebrate!

Internet's Dark Secret: It's Made of People!

Tweet

Like 'Soylent Green,' the mysteries of the Internet are easy to unravel when you realize this: It's people. The Internet is made out of people.

Twitter, Facebook, search engines, websites, video, monitoring software...

The point of all of these tools is to help people connect and communicate. You've got to fulfill the expectations of the people on the other ends of these tools for them to work for you.

So don't be overwhelmed, intimidated or turned off by the technology. And conversely, don't make it all about the technology. Make it about the people. (Just don't actually turn the people into food. That's not supposed to happen until 2022, the year in which the film, Soylent Green, is set.)

But do add Soylent Green to your Netflix queue, and while you're at it, add SNL's the Best of Phil Hartman, who could impersonate Charleton Heston like no other before or since.

Think you're following 1,000 Tweeps? Actually it's closer to 40.

Tweet

Twitter's supercharged adoption rates have taken it from nine million unique visitors in March to 17 million in April.

But recent scrutiny of Twitter adoption rates have turned up two interesting results:

• 60% of users who start an account abandon it within a month. (Source: Nielsen)
• 10% of its active users are responsible for 90% of the Tweets. (Source: Harvard Business School)

Based on these metrics, while my account might indicate that I'm following 2,000 people on Twitter, I'm actually following more like 800 (40% of 2,000). And, 10% of them--80 people--are responsible for 90% of what I see. The other 720 folks are responsible for a smattering of Tweets.

To see if these numbers bore out, I reviewed an hour of incoming Tweets and counted closer to 150 individuals and news feeds of which no more than 10 people or outlets were responsible for multiple Tweets. This is not scientific by any means, but it tells me I'm following users who are twice as active as the average. This is what I'd expect to see since I tend to follow other communicators and journalists; however, it still illustrates the point that only a small percentage of followers are consistently contributing to Twitter.

What do these trends mean for communicators and their clients? Well, for one, it means Ashton Kutcher does not have 2.1 million followers -- he has 840,000, max of which 84,000 would fall into that most active 10% and who are, therefore, likely to be on Twitter at the moment he sends a Tweet. And now the question is whether that's the 84,000 who really care what Kutcher has to say? (And could it be that high? ;-)

But enough about Kutcher. What this post is intended to illustrate is that amassing large audiences is not as important as targeting and attracting followers that care about and share your interests.

And, in that respect, social media is no different than all forms of communication that preceded it. The first commandment remains 'know thy audience.'

If you're being followed by 1,000 people, keep in mind that 600 of them are no longer using Twitter because they didn't get it. Of the 400 remaining, only 40 of them can be expected to really engage.

So take stock and identify who those 40 people are, find more like them, serve that audience as best you can, and consider cutting loose those who may be cluttering your communications rather than adding to them. Approach your social networks with the same discipline you use to build a direct mail or media list--you want the highest response rate possible so pay close attention to your followers' profile.

And if you're someone who is an above average user on Twitter, help newcomers and encourage them to stay by engaging with them, recommending TweetDeck and other tools that improve the experience, and so on. Think of it as your community service.

Communicate at a Glance

Tweet

The Internet has changed our reading habits.

If you're like most people, you don't read online as much as you scan. And in all fairness, with so much information available to you, who can blame you?! Reading a website word-for-word makes about as much sense as admiring a field flower-by-flower or a grove tree-by-tree.

As communicators, we recognize these behaviors and preferences and leverage them for better results.

I've been talking about 'at a glance' communication for the last two years, by which I mean information that communicates the message with one look. Headings, subheadings, short bulleted lists, diagrams, images and captions all help to achieve this outcome.

Paragraphs of full prose kill this effect.

With attention in short supply, smart communicators are turning to visuals to engage their audiences. Economy of words and efficiency are essential to getting your point across.

However, there is a time and a place to use a lot of information: when you are trying to show 'at a glance' that you're the experts or the best source for something. In that case, employ the opposite tact and overload your communications with links, words, inserts, papers, slides -- no one may read any of them but, 'at a glance,' they'll get the message that you've got a lot to say or show, which must mean you've got a lot to offer.

Sea Change in Communications

Tweet

I've spoken with many communicators who share my awareness and understanding that a sea change is taking place in our industry. The advent of social media and networks coinciding with the historic dismantling of traditional media models are tectonic shifts pushing out this sea change.

Where I see a problem at this juncture is the disconnect between communicators and those that they counsel.

Too many clients and prospects remain anchored to the communication practices of the past and are unable to see or accept what's coming at them on the horizon. What's worse, they disregard the advice of the people who watch that horizon for a living! Yes, this lends itself to a macabre business analogy wherein we fail to recognize the peril we're in until it's right on top of us.


The five primary objections are that (1) social networks are time wasters, (2) social media is too time consuming, (3) these tools are only for teens and twenty-somethings, (4) they are fringe communications activities and are not useful for reaching customers, media or influencers, or (5) they are filled with irrelevant drivel.

All are dead wrong.

If you're a decision-maker with an organization who's realizing a little late that it's time to act, my best advice is that you hire someone who knows what you don't--a communications team with a range of personnel who has invested in understanding these tools, developing best practices and formulating policies that account for a Web 2.0 world.

Take decisive action and get to the social media high ground swiftly; avoid wallowing around trying to find your own way; and recognize that the cost of waiting or going it alone will far outweigh the cost of getting it done right and quickly.

Social Media for Community Leaders

Tweet

I've presented on social media to the San Diego Press Club, Southern California electronics industry pros, and, as of today, community leaders from across North San Diego.

Leadership North County is a nine-month program for government, business and nonprofit leaders that takes 30 students from across North San Diego County . I took the program in 2003.

The event was at Oceanside's KOCT studios. Before my talk (see slides below), they heard from a panel led by KPBS's Alison St. John with Tom Fudge of KPBS, Catherine Garcia of NBC 7/39, and Kent Davy of the North County Times. Later in the day, Dick Daniels of RMD Communications led a session on interviewing with traditional media and Brett Sondrup of NCTimes.com shared the innovations taking place at their local daily newspaper (check out http://my.nctimes.com for example).

This was a room full of very smart, motivated and connected people. I really wondered how this group of very involved community members would respond to the seachange in communications that they were being presented.

Social Media For Community Leaders Ss

View more presentations from Julie Wright.

Mark Tucker with AECOM Energy in Solana Beach suggested that whereas newspapers used to drive many of our beliefs and behaviors, the recommendations of 30 regular people on Twitter now seemed to have a mini-Oprah effect, as he put it.

David Tarr, Director of Career Technical Education at Escondido Charter High School noted that with this explosion of outlets for your message, you have to be more careful than ever about what you post because it's going to be there forever. Others echoed that concern, but Tarr also saw the benefits of using social media for communicating with a limited budget as did others.

Tarr was concerned about letting students loose on social media sites which was interesting because several others suggested high school students could be hired to help them get this work started. (I understand people thinking that some young kid is going to make all of this easy for them, but that's a fantasy. FYI, if you're looking for the easy route and that's driving your communications decision-making, you're destined for disappointment.)

Jim Farley, who runs a family foundation, noted that new social media tools allowed you to skip the media and go directly to your audience or stakeholders.

Ligeia Heagy, who works for the City of Vista as a Management Analyst in the Engineering Department, suggested that municipalities need to communicate using whatever tools their residents expect.

Janene Shepherd, Aide to the Deputy Mayor for the City of Oceanside, noted that as soon as you discover what works for you that tool may fade out of fashion.

Jeremy Raimo, an orthopedic service line administrator with Tri-City Medical Center, felt that so many diversified outlets meant that you had to now carefully choose the right one to reach your audience. For instance, Twitter is a great medium for connecting with people aged 45 to 54--a fact that I'd shared and that apparently changed his perception about who's using social media.

Troy Strand, Executive VP of Independent Energy Solutions in Vista, said it's all about time more than anything. He could use that same time to work on the company's strategic plan, for instance, although he could see the value in raising his company's profile via social networks.

After a lot of discussion, it appeared that social media policy was the missing link for this group of leaders--which is the subject of a blog post of its own.

Digital Billboards Getting the Message Out

Tweet

Las Vegas loves them and California's trying to outlaw them: digital billboards.

Today, I was talking about digital billboards with Chris Jennewein, senior vice president and publisher at Greenspun Interactive, responsible for the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Weekly website properties, among others.

Jennewein, who led SignonSanDiego.com several re-organizations ago, is now leading multiple news sites in one of the communities hardest hit by the real estate bubble. While the San Diego Union-Tribune continues its slow hari kari, Jennewein is glad to have found Greenspun and be building something up rather than tearing it down. (Yes, there have been some layoffs over the past 10 months, but nothing like what's happening at San Diego's daily and its web properties.)

So, this brings me around to the digital billboards. As the LasVegasSun.com looked at its advertising options a few months ago, it was also looking at its bottom line. It focused on digital billboards as a good value, but also as a medium that would catch Las Vegas residents during their daily commute rituals.

Then the LasVegasSun.com took it one farther and asked the billboard owners if they could change the electronic display daily? Yes, they could. Well, if we could change the display once a day, how about four times a day? Yes, I guess, if that's what they really wanted, they could do that too.

Now, four times a day, the website's 25 character news headlines are broadcast on billboards around the city.

The site gets the branding value but it also gets the benefit of a direct response mechanism in that consumers can take immediate action and log in to read more when they're at their desk.

An interesting example of a news organization interacting with and engaging its readers. It might only work in Vegas, but before California's state legislators get fired up about the evils of digital billboards, they should pause to balance that against the good that news organizations and other advertisers do. And then they should consider whether their bazillion cardboard campaign signs at intersections are a worse blight and distraction!

Wall Street Journal rules more twit than Twitter

Tweet

The Wall Street Journal has issued rules for its journalists regarding their Twitter and Facebook behavior. Clearly written without any understanding of how social media works or benefits good journalism, these rules will only serve to handicap reporters and further alienate readers from the paper's content.

Social media is just another way of getting things done -- developing relationships with sources, conducting interviews, responding to readers, and driving readers to the paper's content. Gawker shared examples of how the paper's staff flagrantly (and in the case of @karaswisher, famously) flout these rules. (Thankfully.)

For an example of 'best practices' for journalists using Twitter, check out this thoughtful post by Leah Betancourt, digital community manager at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minn. A.K.A. @l3ahb3tan on Twitter.

I'll keep the post short, but for the love of the newspaper industry, work it out WSJ!

Social Media: from Denial to Acceptance

Tweet

As communicators, we are fully aware of the sea change taking place in communications media. Metaphorically, the microphone has been passed from the news anchor to the viewer.

However, we’ve had clients say ‘I don’t care about blogs or Twitter.’ Or ‘Our customers aren’t reading blogs or on Twitter.’ And last week, it was actually ‘I don’t believe your data.’

So, take a look at what follows and think about the stage you might be in. Do you believe that the most likely demographic to be on Twitter is 45 to 54 year olds? That 19 million people visited Twitter last month? That Facebook has 200 million users? Are you ready to relinquish a little control over your communications and toss out your ideas and activities like a beach ball at a rock concert and see what gets tossed back?

It might be time to stop the denial and live a little.

THE STAGES (definitions and examples sourced from Wikipedia for science-y effect)

1) Denial:
Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of situations and individuals that will be left behind after death.

Example - "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."

For PR firms, marketers, journalists and those who employ them: yes, this is happening to you! Go get a Twitter account and follow @themediaisdying for the play-by-play.

Social media is not simply new advertising, PR and communications vehicles—it’s an entirely new methodology or approach. So you cannot keep thinking about your communications from traditional paradigms. (Wow, now I'm sounding all science-y.)

2) Anger:
Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.

Example - "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"

Oh boy. This is the ugly part and requires tough love. It is only made worse the longer you stay in denial. Stop finger-pointing at Craigslist for killing Classified’s cash cow, or Google for aggregating news content. Quit bawling out your ad team as if it’s their fault no one reads ads anymore. Stop bitching about product placement in TV and film—you know you’d do it if you could afford it! It’s time to GET OVER IT!

3) Bargaining:
The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. Psychologically, the person is saying, "I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time..."

Example - "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."

You are more than half-way to a social media breakthrough! You’re putting on your ‘reality goggles’ and starting to see the possibilities! “Maybe if I reconnected with my old colleagues on Facebook or LinkedIn, I’d have a network that could help me in my job search, if needed?” Or, “If I could get followers on my Twitter feed reading my news content or being driven to my YouTube channel, then at least I’d have a built-in audience for my material if I had to freelance for a while.” "Maybe if I gave a recommendation to my old boss, she'd give me one too."

With the disintermediation of news and entertainment that the Internet brings, recognize that your communications skills make you a free agent! Start understanding the trade-offs and where there’s opportunity for you. Simply put, if you’ve got talent (like half of Britain, apparently) and an ounce of self-motivation, you can become the Susan Boyle of social media. (If you’ve never heard of Susan Boyle, see Stage 1 and seek professional help immediately.)

4) Depression:
During the fourth stage, the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect themself from things of love and affection. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer an individual up that is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.

Example - "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to die . . . What's the point?"; "I miss my loved one, why go on?"

Perseverance is half the battle! Do not give up. And social engagement is the whole point—don’t cut yourself off. You’ve got to invest the effort and the energy to get yourself on the social media map and engage with the people you’re seeking to build relationships with. Don’t hide behind ‘protected’ updates.

This process will take time, but believe me, it will happen. And remember, the past is gone. Don’t cling to it. Instead, participate in the here and now of social media. And be open to new connections.

5) Acceptance:
This final stage comes with peace and understanding of the death that is approaching. Generally, the person in the fifth stage will want to be left alone. Additionally, feelings and physical pain may be non-existent. This stage has also been described as the end of the dying struggle.

Example - "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."

Yes! You made it! You’re seeing the light and you’re ready to go into it. And, best of all, you don’t need to go into it alone. Your enlightened agency is here to take you by the hand and guide you through it. We’ve gone through these very stages ourselves, and we’ve worked it out so that we can be there for you at your time of need!

BBBZZZZZTT..... Okay, sounds like our time is up. You can get up off the couch now. The next time we meet, I’d like to discuss your plan of action and how we can help you launch it, maintain it, and monitor your results.

In the meantime, let’s keep the lines of communication wide open. And if you’ve got any thoughts to share, there's a Comment space below and a link below to share them on Twitter or Facebook. Let's make this sharing a part of your therapy in between sessions.

Social Media and B2B Marketing

Tweet

I had the opportunity today to share some ideas with professionals in Southern California's electronics industry for using social media in their marketing programs.

I shared some examples of effective B2B social media communications with a technical focus. You can get a sense of the content of the presentation from the slides below.

I did steer the audience toward FriendFeed as a more technically oriented social networking tool. It may have a smaller number of users but when your target audience is limited to the 275 engineers that truly understand your area of electrical design, that's all you need--it's not about attracting thousands of followers, just those who matter.

Social Media & Electronics Industry B2B Marketing

View more presentations from Julie Wright.

The World's Got Talent

Tweet

Just because it's been done before doesn't mean it can't be done differently and better. In business, that's the key to competing. When you find a way to do something differently and better, you've created a market opportunity.

Singer Susan Boyle may have 47 million views on YouTube, but when I watch this dance troupe--Diversity--that performed a few weeks after Boyle on Britain's Got Talent, I'm reminded that there's always room for innovation--even in a communications art that goes back thousands of years! Enjoy...

Swine Flu infects the media

Tweet

Swine Flu is highly contagious among journalists. In fact, this news story seems to have mutated in the media population and is now more viral than the virus itself. With 40 cases reported by the CDC in the U.S. to date--20 of which have already fully recovered--my research suggests a probable 1:100 patient to journalist ratio.

• How has Swine Flu impacted the IT industry and your company's travel or business in Mexico? An IT industry reporter wants to know.


• A trade show industry publication wants to hear from meeting and event planners who have cancelled an event because of Swine Flu.


• How are retailers keeping the devices customer touch germ-free? A retailing trade reporter is on deadline and needs your 'real-world' stories.


• Producers with a cable TV news channel want U.S. tourism experts to talk to about travel impacts.

That last query was 7 hours old. By now, I assume, any pundit worth his or her weight in bacon would have porked up their bio to emphasize expertise in pandemics. And bookers are probably batting experts away like so many malaria-infected mosquitos (malaria, by the way, kills over 850,000 people per year).

So, what's your Swine Flu story? As much as it pains me to ask, if you've got an angle on this story dominating the news cycle today (and for the foreseeable future), clearly there's some media very anxious to talk to you. And, in their time of suffering, you would be bringing them comfort!

And, if you've got some anxieties about Swine Fluenza, the good news is that you can be a shut-in and still stay connected thanks to social media tools, like the CDC's Twitter feed (probably the only Swine Flu source you should pay heed to on Twitter) or, my favorite, this Google map which is tracking and plotting cases worldwide.

By the way, 600 Tweets including the #swineflu hashtag were posted in the past few minutes as I wrote this.

Your Crisis Plan Needs a Web 2.0 Upgrade

Tweet

Ten years ago, I developed a crisis communications plan and training workshop for executives of a regional pizza chain.

As part of the planning process, I had to present feasible crisis scenarios that this company might face--a food poisoning outbreak, workplace violence, fatal collision, employee theft, fire, earthquake, high profile lawsuit, etc.

By anticipating these scenarios, I could help the organization's executives prepare and be ready to hit the ground running in a crisis.

If I were working on that project today, I would definitely be incorporating social media into the scenarios both as a threat and an opportunity.

Domino's Pizza showed last week exactly how social media can be both the problem and the solution. In case you missed it, two dimwitted Domino's employees made a YouTube video of themselves tampering with the food they were preparing and acting in ways sure to get them fired if not criminally charged. They uploaded the video April 13 and it got noticed--quickly!

Domino's shut down and sanitized the store, fired the employees (who've also been charged by the local D.A.'s office with a felony), posted a response on YouTube from the company's U.S. president, and launched a Twitter feed from its corporate headquarters to engage directly with customers and commentators.

This example should serve as a wake-up call to any organization that hasn't upgraded its crisis communications plan to include both social media as a communications tool but also social media as a crisis accelerant!

Social Media as Crisis

Social media backlashes now constitute a crisis of their own. Therefore, if you haven't done this already, it's high time your organization thought about and prepared for the possibility of a social media crisis.

Take the Motrin mom backlash on Twitter over the release of a tongue-in-cheek Motrin campaign targeting baby-wearing mothers as an example. The entire crisis was initially confined to the 3.4 million unique visitors on Twitter in November 2008 and a vocal sub-set of those who were offended by the campaign. Ultimately, their complaints and discussions became the number one trending topic on Twitter, which attracted the attention of traditional media like USA Today as well as the Motrin makers. The campaign was pulled and apologies made.

In March 2009, Twitter was visited by 14 million people. This growth in just four months is staggering, particularly now that it exceeds the combined print circulation of the top five daily newspapers in America.

While in terms of website traffic (a fairer comparison), CNN.com had over 30 million unique visitors last month--or double Twitter--Facebook.com drew in 91 million. (See the stats via Compete.com.) Based on their numbers and reach alone, these social media sites definitely matter to anyone charged with managing communications for their organization.

Think of each 'user' of a social media site as a potential 'contributor' with the ability to shape opinion or break news themselves. Then you then get the full idea of how quickly a social media backlash can spread on a site like Twitter and why having a crisis plan ready to trigger in response is so essential.

Social Media as Solution

While the bad news is that social media can wreak havoc, the good news is that you can also harness its power in response to any type of crisis--and, in fact, you should.

In your crisis communications plan, your social media section should set out who is in charge of content for the organization's Twitter feed, blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook updates--to name a few. Login information should be at the ready so that the organization is not inadvertently locked out at the precise moment when these communications tools are needed.

The social media or community manager must be at the table along with the organization's media spokesperson and decision-makers. In a crisis, the social media message must be consistent with all other message points. And because of the immediacy of social media -- which makes it even quicker than a press release -- under no circumstances should social media communications be left to someone without first-hand knowledge of the situation and direct access to the organization's leadership.

Credibility is key in a crisis. And for your organization's communications to hold the high ground in social media circles, they need to be timely, accurate and authentic.

If you're not timely, other commentators will fill the vacuum with opinion, speculation, and innuendo. If you're not accurate, your mistakes will be outed immediately and contribute to the crisis. And if you're not authentic, you'll be ignored or, worse, ridiculed.

With live streaming video possible from a cell phone or laptop, and so many channels for sharing information with stakeholders and the public, social media used correctly during a crisis should be an opportunity for a smart and prepared organization to build its relationships with stakeholders and enhance its image and reputation.

So if your organization has no crisis communications plan or hasn't reviewed and updated its plan in several years, dust it off and upgrade it for compatibility with Web 2.0!

If the economy gives you lemons, open a lemonade stand

Tweet

Researchers from the Stanford Business School recently published the results of an experiment conducted with a children's lemonade stand. And the results were conclusive.

Three signs were used to advertise. One said, "Spend a little time and enjoy C&D's lemonade." Another read, "Spend a little money and enjoy C&D's lemonade." And the third sign read, "Enjoy C&D's lemonade."

The sign that mentioned time attracted the most customers and the most money. Fourteen percent of passersby stopped to buy and spent an average of $2.50 in response to this sign.

Only half that volume, seven percent, bought when the "Spend a little money" sign was displayed, and the average amount spent per glass dropped to $1.36.

Conjuring up a personal connection to an experience versus a promotional message focused on cost is more likely to resonate with consumers and produce sales.

Twitter and Facebook growing as MySpace shrinks

Tweet

The Guardian reports MySpace had 124 million unique visitors in February, shrinking 2%, according to the marketing research company comScore.

Meantime, Facebook grew nearly 17% to reach 276 million unique visitors month over month. It is now double the size of MySpace, the one-time heavyweight of social media.

Twitter, the Wall Street Journal reports, counted 9.8 million users worldwise, up from 6.1 million just the month prior. That's astronomical growth.

So, why is one site catching on so fiercely while another is losing its grip? And what does it mean to communicators?

For me, the answer lies in the user experience and in the idea that there's a theoretical limit to the number of social networks a person needs to maintain.

I'm a firm believer in good design, both in functionality and form. Facebook has a clean, simple interface that is plain but not unpleasant. MySpace, on the other hand, is an ungodly mess, difficult to read and next to impossible to pretty up without a lot of html coding.

Unless you're a band trying to share music and tour dates, MySpace also lacks the rich functionality to keep each visit fresh and interesting.

Facebook has invested heavily in the user experience. I just checked in on my profile, and saw at a glance a client's weekend camping trip photos, an 80s song lyrics challenge, a request for my birthday -- which is coming up April 9 so felt compelled to respond, links to articles, and so much more.

User experience explains why people are attracted to Facebook and leaving MySpace, and it compounds on itself: as more people leave, there's less reason for others to stick around. Looking at Twitter, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Twitter applications to enhance the user experience, it's incredibly simple to join and connect with people, and the site just made an enhancement to its functionality today: See Twitter Blog: Replies Are Now Mentions. As I told a reporter doing a story for Rhode Island's WPRI.com, it's the functionality that makes a site matter to the user.

I also believe that the mass market has a limited attention span for these networks.

If the average person can get their social needs met from one mainstream site like Facebook plus one niche site for their particular interest, like Twittermoms or Flickr, then they're going to stick with what is most convenient, productive and relevant for them.

It's the same principle to me as Dunbar's number: a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. The number is somewhere between 150 and 230.

If there's a theoretical maximum for social relationships, then it follows that there's a similar maximum for social media websites.

For instance, I have neglected accounts with BrightKite and FriendFeed. I ignore Plaxo requests but continue to invest deeply in LinkedIn. These are examples of some of the sites that have fallen outside my theoretical maximum, for now.

When it comes to social media survival, MySpace would be wise to borrow a page from Google's successful strategy--and quick: keep it simple, make it easy, and create a rich user experience if you want people to give you their time and loyalty online.

Choice words from Chris Brogan

Tweet

I drove up to Orange County and attended my first meeting of the So Cal Action Sports Network tonight, having learned about it via Twitter from @kirstenwright (who referred me to @tawnypress who had an extra ticket). The organization is primarily San Diego-based and was started by Bryan Elliott after many years in the action sports industry.

Hosted at Oakley's formidable headquarters, the event featured a panel of experienced action sports and lifestyle brand marketers to talk about social media followed by blogger Chris Brogan who is social media lightning in a bottle.

The panelists shared a lot of industry wisdom. My favorite piece of advice was from one shoe and skateboard marketer who observed (and I can vouch for this) that parents won't skimp on their kids, though they might skimp on themselves. Therefore, as a mid-priced fashion shoe product, he targets a $45 to $75 retail price so that parents see it as the more affordable choice against other shoes priced at $100 and up.

Hansen's soda and Oakley representatives were both vocal about listening to their customers, being involved directly in the sports and activities their customers care about, and keeping the brand experience authentic despite the economy.

Chris Brogan batted clean up. His opening slide included a hashtag (Note to self: include your own hashtag on your intro slide) so attendees could 'live Tweet' the presentation and make sure all Tweets were aggregated into one feed. See it here.

Brogan queried his Twitter followers prior to his presentation, trying to get a handle on action sports from the 55K+ people who follow his Tweets. He said "I ask Twitter everything, because they're smarter than me and there's more of them." From a communications perspective, Brogan obeys the first commandment: know thy audience. And he makes an effort to speak directly to their interests and needs, despite being, he joked, more of an expert at wiping out and falling down than action sports awesomeness.

Whether it came from Twitter or his own personal insight (a little bit of both, I'm sure) he suggested to the audience that what all the action sports company execs had in common is that they all started out the same: finding something cool and wanting to share it with others.

Sharing, he noted, is at the heart of what social media is all about.

Don't focus on the tools of social media. Keep the focus on the story and enhancing its ability to be shared with others, he advised. An example he cited was touring Oakley and seeing a tester blast pellets into the lenses of a new pair of Oakleys. At first it looked fun, like playing at a shooting arcade for a living, but Brogan realized it would get monotonous fast, and he'd probably turn the pellets on himself. After Tweeting this, a response came from one of his followers: that person's son was wearing Oakleys on duty in Afghanistan and having glasses that could withstand pelting sand and protect him in a truly hostile environment was essential. That touched Brogan, and it became part of the Oakley story that was worth sharing.

On Facebook, "no one cares about your stupid product. Stop blurting it out," Brogan admonished. When brands handle their communications in this fashion, in social media circles, they are quickly unfollowed or unfriended. This is not broadcast media and people don't have to pay attention to unwanted messages. They just drop you from their network.

The metaphor Brogan applied was the difference between someone shaking your hand when you meet and someone sticking their tongue in your mouth. Some things that a company would never do in person they tend to feel they can do in a social network, apparently.

One of the common objections to participating in social media, Brogan observed, was the fear that negative feedback would be posted to a company's blog, but to Brogan, negative feedback is great when you treat it as a learning opportunity. And where better to have people bring their complaints but to your own doorstep where you can respond to them right away and directly.

All good points and choice words from one of the leading advocates and consultants in the social media space.

San Diego media on Twitter - Part II

Tweet

I originally drafted a list of San Diego media professionals on Twitter via the San Diego Metblog that I also write for. It has become the most popular blog post on that site because it's information people want.

More journalists and media personalities have joined Twitter, so I have drafted an update here and included the original post below.

Note that some of the additions are because of a new online breaking and local news source, San Diego News Network which launches March 18:

@sdnewsnetwork - News from SDNN
@sdtips – Travel editor for SDNN
@carondg - Food editor for SDNN
@sdradio – KGB radio reporter
@ericcollins - Channel 6 weekend news anchor
@culturelust – KPBS FM news reporter Angela Carone
@michellemowad – San Diego Business Journal real estate and development reporter
@mjdavis – leads strategy and interactive at SDUT
@joshkopelman - publisher of Dining Out San Diego
@krdavy - editor of the North County Times
@tkarnold - editor of Home Media Magazine
@sdmetblogs - citizen journalism site



ORIGINAL POST - "San Diego Media Takes to Twitter"
By juliewright February 26th, 2009 @ 8:04 AM

Whether you call it real-time conversations or microblogging, Twitter is a tool that San Diego’s media are picking up and putting to use. You can follow individual reporters or on-air personalities in San Diego as well as subscribe to Twitter news feeds:

Media Tweeps
@dodgemedlin – San Diego Union-Tribune assistant news editor
@RickyWhy – San Diego Union-Tribune local government editor Ricky Young
@ninagarin – San Diego Union-Tribune ‘Street’ reporter Nina Garin
@jimtrageser - North County Times reporter
@drolland – San Diego CityBeat editor David Rolland
@ericwolff – San Diego CityBeat reporter Eric Wolff
@catherine739 – NBC 7/39 anchor Catherine Garcia
@carondg – San Diego Foodstuff blogger, freelance food, travel and tech writer Caron Golden
@lcaloh – KPBS convergence editor Leng Caloh
@culturelust - KPBS arts and culture producer Angela Carone
@tmack01 – KNSD 7/39 photographer
@helenchang – San Diego News Network business editor (launching in March)
@michellemowad - San Diego Business Journal real estate reporter Michelle Mowad
@Hula933 - 93.3 FM AJ’s Playhouse personality Hula Ramos

San Diego News Feeds on Twitter
@sdut - San Diego Union-Tribune
@utstreet - Union-Trib’s Street section
@sdbackyard - Union-Tribune’s SD Backyard community social media news site
@nctimes - North County Times
@sdcitybeat - San Diego City Beat
@kpbsnews - KPBS FM news
@nbcsandiego - NBC 7/39 News
@10news - KGTV 10 News
@sandiego6 - San Diego Channel 6
@SDSU_NewsTeam - San Diego State University news / media relations
@UCSDNews - UCSD news / media relations
@bizsandiego - BizSanDiego
@sdbloggers - SDBloggers.com

If you’ve got other local media or newsfeeds on Twitter to suggest, send them to @juliewright. And thanks in advance for any contributions.

Tools for Twittering

Tweet

Thinking about geting on Twitter? There are many do's and don'ts, some of which you just have to learn by doing. (Or contact me and I'll walk you through some of them or present to your organization.)

In the meantime, I've been bookmarking and compiling helpful tools to get the most out of my Twitter experience. And thought I'd share my collection:

tweetdeck.com – Adobe Air desktop app for viewing, posting, replying, and monitoring. I could not Tweet without it.

search.twitter.com - Enter any search term to find out who has recently posted it. For instance, here's s search of the term "WiMAX": http://search.twitter.com/search?q=wimax

tweetgrid.com - Monitor Twitter in real-time for multiple search terms. Here's a search of my Twitter ID @juliewright, 'obama,' and 'ipod.' These last two terms are updated in real time. Very cool.

twittersheep.com - Displays the most common biographical elements in a person's followers' bios--their herd. For instance, mine shows that most of my followers are social media consultants or junkies, PR professionals, bloggers, news hounds or other media connections.

tweetclouds.com - See what kinds of things a person twitters most about. DISCLAIMER: This website is taking so long to load that I abandoned it. Like many Twitter tools, most are free and therefore there's no business model to underwrite additional servers, etc. as they become more heavily used. I'm assuming that's the problem here.

tweetscan.com - Searches Twitter for key search terms and sends you emails with links to relevant posts. This is a very convenient way of staying on top of Twitter activity relevant to your interests or business. As with Tweetclouds.com, I'm having trouble loading their site.

futuretweets.com - Tweets for you while you’re away from your computer/phone, so allows 'time shifting.' Claims to be a great way to create an alibi too. Um, not sure about that.

themattinator.com - Post to multiple Twitter accounts simultaneously.

tweepsearch.com – Find people to follow.

twitter.com/mrtweet - Recommends people to follow.

twitpic.com - Send photos via Twitter; people can comment on them. Your comments on other people's photos will appear as Tweets. See mine: http://twitpic.com/photos/juliewright.

twickie.com – Embed Twitter threads in your blog/website.

twitbacks.com – Create customized backgrounds

twtpoll.com – Create a poll you can embed in your Twitter stream and monitor results.

tweetcongress.org - Find Congress people on Twitter. Apparently 11% are there.

mediaontwitter.pbwiki.com - Find other media on Twitter (also search #journotwit too).

meetup.com/sdtweetup - Meet people you Twitter with in person. This is the San Diego link. But there are usually TweetUps in all major cities.

tweetergetter.com – EVIL. Don’t do it…. This enables you to generate new followers or follow others in a spammish way that is counter to the principles of good social media practices.

Which brings me full circle to the do's and don'ts of Twitter and social media in general which will have to be the subject of another post, another time!

P.S. I do not vouch for the security of these tools. Most will require you to share your Twitter ID and password to fully use them.

San Diego Press Club Social Media Presentation

Tweet

The San Diego Press Club hosted a social media presentation last night on the subject of social media.

The panel included me (Julie) representing (W)right On, Caron Golden who blogs for San Diego Foodstuff, Indra Gardiner who is COO of agency Bailey Gardiner, and Ron James who is launching San Diego News Network to rival SignonSanDiego.com.

It was a full house and people were extremely interested in Twitter. There were a few people who already knew Twitter quite well (these include @gbatuyong who was live Tweeting -- *hooray* -- and @thoughtshappen).

As promised to attendees, I've uploaded a copy of the presentation I shared on social media.

Social Media for San Diego Press Club

View more presentations from Julie Wright. (tags: social media)

San Diego's Growing Twitter Community

Tweet

If you didn't already know this, San Diego has a great, enthusiastic and powerful Twitter community.

Currently, the city is ranked 13th worldwide for its Tweeples' activity.

The top Twitterers in this region are also some of the top in the world. Twitter Grader refers to them as San Diego's 'elite' Twitterers. @marismith, for instance, is ranked #1 in this region and in the top 100 of all ranked users.

Naturally, many of the people most active on Twitter are 'social media mavens,' so I personally suggest that if you're looking to keep your Twitterstream fresh, diverse, and relevant, be careful not to jump in by following only the top Twitterers. You'd be missing out on a lot.

Mix it up with great San Diego attractions and venues like @gaslampquarter or news media like @sdut. Or how about both with @sdtips which combines local travel tips, news and a lot more. Or journalists like @dodgemedlin who you can always count on to post topical and timely links.

Follow San Diego Metblog authors like @juliewright (me), @thepegisin, @viss, @morrisato and more.






There are personalities to follow here too like @chriscantore who's a fount of local music knowledge and as entertaining ever. Or @sddialedin if you're looking for recommendations on the local music scene--in real-time, by the way, which often means 2 a.m. for her. If classic rock is more your bag, you can't beat @sdradio for his encyclopedic knowledge.

If you're a morning person and preternaturally perky, you'll enjoy the good natured posts of @marismith (see link above), @sugarjones, and @lotusamy.

You can stay connected to the city of San Diego via @mayorsanders.

And if you're interested in San Diego's culinary community and what's fresh, follow @carondg, @aliceqfoodie and @pinchmysalt.

I suggest you chase those food posts down with a beer post or two from @stonegreg of Stone Brewing and @beermolly.

If you're interested in San Diego's biotech industry, follow @sdbn. And if you're interested in the future and health of its fast food industry and leading spokesperson, follow @jackbox (who's apparently in a coma but you can count on his staff to keep his account updated.)

It really helps to get out and meet your Tweeps in person, and for that, you need to follow @jbruin who organizes San Diego TweetUps like the one last Saturday night that brought out over 200 people. Read her blog post and see pictures too if you wonder what a TweetUp looks like. http://www.meetup.com/sdtweetup/ (I wish I could go but I have a 'thing'... I just love saying that.)

This list is just a start. I'll try to share more links to local San Diego Tweeps in the future. And I encourage you to share your favorites by commenting below or reaching me on Twitter @juliewright.

Jack in the Box 'Hang in There Jack' misses the RSS feed

Tweet

See yesterday's post if you missed the ad that Jack in the Box ran during the Superbowl. This post is 'part II' or 'the morning after.'

By Feb 2 in the morning, it's clear the www.hangintherejack.com site has a lot of great multimedia and much of it in YouTube format. I believe that all of these videos were posted during and immediately after Superbowl but because the site couldn't handle the traffic, I, like many, couldn't see them.



The 'creative' on the site is fantastic. And that's why I believe it deserves better tactical execution in social networks and that some of the missed opportunities here border on egregious (let alone the $3mil required to have bought the original ad space.)

The site encourages you to make a video response, comment on the videos and order anything off their menu (in lieu of flowers). But there's one H-U-G-E element it's missing and that's an RSS feed. A simple little icon that allows me to subscribe to this blog. That's out-and-out crazy and another big sign that the people behind the campaign don't understand social media.

Another sign? The Facebook page has one update since yesterday and the Twitter accounts are still at odds with @hangintherejack providing fresh, timely updates to 35 (?) followers and the @jackbox site doubling its followers again to over 1400 despite publishing only one update.

Seems this is an advertising driven campaign and expensive TV airtime will be used to push people to www.hangintherejack.com. Meantime, inexpensive and more personalized social media marketing and engagement will be foregone or done haphazardly as the advertising executives learn on the job. (Hey, in these rapidly evolving times, we're all learning by doing, but what small fee could have paid to have a social media consultant contribute to this promotion.)

I am curious to learn what agency is behind the promotion because my money is on a traditional ad agency that has talked its client into an 'interactive' campaign without fully understanding what an interactive campaign should look like in 2009.

Jack in the Box mascot massacre hit or miss for social media

Tweet

In a $3 million Superbowl ad, Jack Box gets hit by a bus--his condition, serious. The commercial ends with the url www.hangintherejack.com. Problem?

Well, the promotional website crashes. And, worse, the Twitter account, @jackbox, was not being maintained for the first 30 minutes after the ad.



Unlike @overstockdotcom or @scottmonty, who manages social media for Ford, Jack in the Box was silent in social networks in the aftermath of its major advertising campaign launch of 2009.

In today's connected world, that's a huge missed opportunity to connect in real-time with fans of the Jack advertising, product and mascot.

Even nearly one hour after debuting the ad, the last Tweet Jack showed was that he was off to his ill-fated lunch with executive Phil, the website was still crashed, and no updates were available on the company's Facebook page.

Finally, while the Superbowl was still in progress, a Twitter post was generated by 'Barbara,' Jack's assistant, with an update and more promised.

And following the Superbowl, the website came back up. I couldn't see the multimedia on the site for whatever reason and the only other options were to order something from the menu in lieu of flowers or follow the Twitter or Facebook accounts. In the wake of the commercial

We'll see whether the campaign becomes a social media phenomenon. If the folks behind it adopt some of the approaches that made the Mad Men characters so engaging and fun for people to interact with, it could redefine the meaning of "being hit by the proverbial bus"--at least in advertising circles.

Get well Jack!

Evolution of Dance Star Launching Sequel!

Tweet

His dance-craze video has been viewed nearly 110 million times on YouTube, and soon Judson Laipply will launch his sequel live on YouTube and show a sneak peek on the Today Show. PC World got the story while covering the Consumer Electronics Show (CES09) this week.

read more | digg story