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If you’re a newshound, you probably have a certain number of newspapers, Web sites and networks you turn to. One of mine admittedly is Fox News. I watch it to see stories you don’t see on other networks. And sometimes — like in the case of Glenn Beck — I tune in for a giggle. I am often critical of Fox News and the way it covers a lot of stories, but truth be told, I can find fault with all the networks. After all, you don’t have to look too hard to find flaws in 24-hour news coverage. But lately, a friend of mine asked why I was so obsessed with Fox News. Can’t I just turn it off?
He’s right. But it’s not just obsession. It’s also fear and anger. When Fox News’ Sean Hannity used video from a different event to “prove” his particular ideology was gaining ground — only to be caught by none other than comedian Jon Stewart — I got angry. And not because it’s Fox. But because no matter its bent, it’s still a news network. These days, it seems that networks claim to be news, but most of the coverage is in fact opinion. Opinion has its place, but it should have some basis on reality. On journalism. And that’s fading too quickly for my taste.
Too many Americans don’t realize that Sean Hannity is not a journalist. Glenn Beck is not a reporter. Rachel Maddow? Nope. Keith Olbermann? Sorry. He, too, is a commentator. Being on TV and being a journalist are not the same thing. But real journalism, real reporting, real news can’t compete with the ratings. And to some extent, I get it. People yelling is entertainment. But even as commentators, you’d think there would be some obligation to truth. Biased truth, fine. But truth.
So, for my friend who thinks I’m obsessed … Yeah, OK, maybe. But we are living in a world where Walter Cronkite has died, and Jon Stewart is our most trusted news source. And I don’t know who to trust. And that’s the real problem. That’s my real obsession.
On Sunday morning, I received a link to a Wall Street Journal blog from my dad. The blog focused on what’s viral online right now and included two videos — one for Evian using rollerskating babies and one about United breaking guitars. That evening, my mom forwarded me the YouTube link to the Evian commercial. Come Monday morning, half a dozen of my Facebook friends had posted one of these videos. Another linked to a BlueCross BlueShield gem with adorable — and funny — children. (See all links below.)
In the case of the United music video, it’s not a commercial for the airline — obviously. It’s a cautionary tale of what can happen when you irritate the wrong people. So, it’s no wonder this one caught on. But the other two? They’re commercials! I’m a fairly recent convert to DVR. Before that, I at least muted the commercials, and here I was voluntarily watching commercials. Something is very wrong with this picture.
As we all know, videos go “viral” for a number of reasons — often because they’re funny. But how genius is it that companies are actually getting US to use our personal Facebook pages to share their messages! The WSJ is linking to them. Heck, even my non-social-media-equipped parents were among the first to share these latest videos with me.
In this (and any) economy, it makes sense to get extra mileage out of your ad dollars. And maybe it makes sense to cut back on TV advertising costs if you can earn traffic online for free. If nothing else, it means better commercials for the rest of us, right?
If you happened to have missed the few I mentioned, check them out on YouTube:
In a recent conversation with a colleague, we embarked on the subject of social media. For those of us in media/marketing/communications, social media is so often where our conversations end up. How can we make Facebook and Twitter work for us? How can we get more hits on YouTube? Etc.
I personally include “social media integration” as one of my services. That’s because I think these techniques can be a valuable element of SOME marketing campaigns. Not all. But it is still about strategy. There are organizations signing up for Twitter accounts because they hear that’s how they get the word out these days. And yes, it’s one way. But you should still have goals and objectives for this medium — just as you do for direct mail, media relations or your Web site.
My colleague and I noticed that several agencies are hiring “social media interns.” Is this a way to capitalize on a young person’s knowledge of the technology? Is the strategy being considered, or are they just setting college students free and asking them to build fan pages all day long? Without being on the inside, we can’t know for sure what the hiring strategy really is.
Nonetheless, when it comes to social media, make sure that if you hire a consultant or agency to help, that you have a plan — a strategy — in place. Just because Twitter and Facebook seem “easy” doesn’t mean they are throwaway tools. Think it through, and make sure that your agency or consultant is, too.
There are a lot of components to being a good PR/Marketing/Media professional. Yes, being a good writer or editor is one expectation. Understanding the business. Delivering creative ideas. Providing stellar customer service — or at the base level, at least returning phone calls and e-mails. (This gets missed more than you might realize.) And we’re also expected to understand and engage in social media.
But here’s something that I’m finding is often overlooked — if you’re a reporter, follow your sources. If you’re a PR/marketing pro, follow the reporters that cover your industry. Work for an agency or maintain clients as an indie? Follow your clients.
It seems so basic, but we’re so absorbed in this world of social media, and everyone is trying to figure out how to monetize it. How can you drive traffic to your Web site via Twitter? How can your YouTube video become viral? How can Facebook help your blog get noticed? Great goals, but as we sit around figuring out how to grow our business or make money or get noticed, we’re focused on our output. And when we focus on the output, we’re probably ignoring what others are saying. We stop listening (if we ever were in the first place).
But there are reasons — obvious ones! — to listening as much as you speak. In the world of Twitter, short bits of information are broadcast at a rate that is often hard to keep up with. But the problem with tweeters is that they tend to follow people who are trendy (Grrr, who cares about Ashton) or who they want to follow them back. Instead, your strategy should be to sure, follow people you find entertaining, but also follow those who can teach you something, enlighten you or help you in your work. Reporters seek out sources via Twitter — so why aren’t you following the reporters who cover your industry?
What about following clients? Unless you’re maintaining your client’s Twitter account or ghost writing the blog, you should be reading these communiques. It A) Provides you with additional insight into the company, which may provide an opportunity for business — or least keeps you looking engaged and B) Gives you information that you can use as a conversation starter — again, showing your client you care enough to use nonbillable time to keep tabs on the company.
Yes, we’re all busy. But many of us are busy putting messages out into the world through our blogs, our tweets, our fan pages, etc. So, why not take some time to sit back and listen. This may be one of the most important things you can do to perform better at your job.
When you think of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networks, it’s easy to think two things:
1. Young people.
2. What a waste of time.
And while Twitter’s demographic is actually a bit older than you might suspect, social networks of all stripes are gaining in popularity in all age groups — yes, even seniors. But the reason isn’t the one you might think. It’s not about marketing or re-connecting with old friends or getting popular online (Ahem, Mr. Kutcher). It’s about fighting boredom and loneliness — and having a reason to keep going.
While it’s hard to think we can replace human interaction with online networks and be just as happy, this just goes to show you that social media has a place no matter who you are. I was struck by this notion and by the following New York Times piece on the subject. Enjoy!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02face.html?_r=2&ref=technology
Here’s some not-so-shocking news: A majority of executives say they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, according to a Deloitte LLP survey. Also not shocking: Employees say they disagree.
But what IS surprising is that only 53 percent of employees believe their Facebook and Twitter lives are none of their boss’s business.
Execs – I hear ya. Your employees are critical to your brand. If Sally in Accounting tells her 300 Twitter followers that your company is the worst place in town to work, that damages your brand. But instead of worrying about what Sally or your other employees are saying, it’s probably best to monitor your staff’s views through anonymous internal surveys and take the time to make changes where possible. Those efforts will help ensure you have fewer disgruntled employees.
But what about staff members who think it’s OK to reveal details of internal staff meetings? (Yes, NYTimes reporters, this one’s for you.) What’s a boss to do? For these issues, companies should have official policies in place. But as this survey shows, few companies do. Though it’s a bit unsettling that special rules have to be made for online social networks. Why isn’t it implicit that anything that’s a corporate secret should be honored in ALL mediums by staff?
Twitter’s a very open social network, so if you really want to monitor your staff, you could. (And this survey says … well, you do.)
Facebook, though? C’mon. While some people use Facebook to appear more popular than their friends, this site is frequently more personal with smaller networks. It’s a way to keep up with friends and view family photos. You may not want Sally to tell her Facebook friends she’s unhappy with her job or your company’s policies, but she could also tell them at the next cocktail party or over the phone. So, unless you think you have a right to wiretap your staff, why do you have a right to monitor their Facebook pages? (And people, please. If you post stuff you don’t want your boss to see, maintain tight privacy restrictions on your FB page.)
So, is anyone else surprised that only 53 percent of employees said their social networking pages are none of their employers’ business?
Check out the full survey at:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_150509.pdf