It’s been a week or so since the new Facebook fan page design took hold and as someone who’s agency is spending a tidy some of money with an online newsroom company (and not using it btw), I’m wondering out loud…Can my company’s Facebook Fan Page replace our online newsroom? Don’t get me wrong, a nice online newsroom where the media can find elements easily may still have a place in the world. But, and hear me out here, I have no problem steering a…
Read MoreSome quick thoughts after the latest Wizard launch in Northern Virginia. Amazing how budget cuts have impacted large TV markets like DC. Two reporters were “one-man banding.” Meaning they were acting as videographer and reporter at the same time. Would never happen in the old days. Also amazing how many reporters and editors across the board are blaming lack of manpower as a reason for not covering a story. This will make social marketing even more important as our ability to push out and control…
Read MoreIt’s been hard to find a free minute to breathe never mind blog over the last few days but since this the blog is supposed to be about the journey of “old” to “new” I would not be a good blogger without reporting on the progress of our current project. THP and its partners (client, Virginia’s Community Colleges, Siddall, Inc., Compleo Apps, BVC, Woody Coates,ShaveFX and others too numerous to name) launched Virginia’s Education Wizard on Wednesday. The launch event was nearly flawless and was highlighted…
Read MoreOn Saturday I once again found myself with a group of students (this time of the graduate variety) at VCU’s School of Mass Communications. I could only spend about an hour with them because of family commitments, but I was about to sit in and listen to final presentations on digital or social marketing projects the group had been asked to collaborate on. The interesting thing is that just a month earlier most of these students were just using Facebook to talk amongst themselves and not…
Read MoreLate today a ripple was sent though the social marketing universe as Facebook announced long-awaited changes to both people’s home page design and the design of Fan pages. My initial gut reaction is that more than ever CONTENT is king. On the people side, the Wall will be replaced by a Stream that updates posts from your friends in real time and seems to allow you to interact with them as well. Your status bar now becomes a “publisher” where you can update status and…
Read MoreFirst off, a big thank you to Judy Turk who heads up VCU’s School of Mass Communications. She included our blog post about the visit over there in her latest blog post and school newsletter. After my last post on the future of newspapers, Stacey Brucia, our “Employee #1,” and I were discussing the future of media relations and we noticed two interesting trends. First, she mentioned to me about the increasing number of freelance journalists who were reaching out to her in her work…
Read MoreEvery night this week on the nightly news we’ve seen stories about newspapers laying people off, going bankrupt or about to (Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle) or even worse just plain ending publication (Rocky Mountain News). So what is the answer, what is the new model? Is it Newsday’s decision to start charging people to view online content? Or is it a different model like the folks at PressDisplay.com tweeted to me this week. In the PressDisplay.com model, you can sign up for daily or…
Read MoreThin crust or thick, Coke or Pepsi, Michael or LeBron, Tiger vs. (okay, no debate there)…these are some of the great debates of our time. In recent days as social marketing has exploded another one is emerging, is it better to start and nurture a Facebook Group or a Facebook Fan page. ((BTW, here’s the THP fan page, please become a Fan. No back to the blog.) When I first dove into Facebook for our business not that long ago, I did it like many…
Read MoreI’ve has so many conversations recentlyabout the intersection of public relations and social marketing, ranging from official presentations to casual chats over lunch, I’ve begun losing count. They have been as helpful for me in helping me crystallize a point of view as I hope they have been for friends and clients who we are either working with, working for, or hopefully will be working with and for in the near future. The ultimate bottom line for me in all of this is that to…
Read MoreOver the last month or so I have been having many conversations about social marketing ranging from friendly one on ones to more elaborate presentations. Some of those were philosophical in nature, others designed to present a base understanding, and other to clients and potential clients to offer our current thoughts as marketing pros so they could decide whether to use social marketing in their marketing mix. As I have spoken or presenting I have been reminded of something I learned during my days at…
Read MoreBased on the number of college students we meet with for internships and jobs I have been concerned about the quality of education being offered by some college public relations programs. Many times the folks we meet with just don’t seem to “get it.” They don’t seem to have the public relations acumen and general go-getter attitude we need at THP and I assume others need as well. One of my other criticisms is that they are often taught by folks who are not now,…
Read MoreBased on our growing but still limited experience, a good rule of thumb when presenting the concept of social markerting to clients or friends is to remember that everyone’s needs and level of understanding is different. As a group we have now done this a number of times and you can gauge the room or the individual you’re talking to by either the glazed look on the faces or the flashes of recognition. Those reactions are usually based on they are using social marketing in their current personal…
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