Cristin Norine Spends 30 Days in a Social Media Prison

Christin Norine, a resident of Portland, Oregon, has isolated herself in a glass window display for 30 days to explore how social media has changed the way we communicate.

"We think we are being social on these gadgets," she said. "And it can be a really great thing when people live in different states, but when you are at dinner or you are trying to have a conversation and you are being distracted by these other things. Or maybe you are just not going out as much because you are staying home and are online."

As people walk by the storefront-turned-gallery, they can watch Norine 24/7 in her small self-imposed prison "cell". Her only contact with the outside world is through social media. She spends her entire day on twitter, facebook, skype and updating her blog. At times, she tries to take a break and just relax on the couch or exercize but she has found herself "addicted" and unable to stay away from the computer.

Norine is anxiously awaiting December 1st, when the project is over and she can engage in human interaction.

Christin Norine's Blog
CNN Article

FCC considers texting to 911

The FCC is considering texting 911 for help in addition to calling.

With this digital age, 70 percent of 911's phone calls are from cell phones. Now, texting and video from your phone may soon be acceptable. In 2001, 911 allowed GPS to track where callers are located when calling for help. Clearly, this has been beneficial to helping those in need.

911 still cannot handle text messages or submitted videos, but the issue is being considered. The ingenious thought sparked 911 call centers when they realized students from Virginia Tech were desperately trying to send text messages when the shooter entered the room. Unfortunately, local dispatchers never received the messages.

In Tuesday's press release, it said, "The technological limitations of 9-1-1 can have tragic, real-world consequences, ... If these messages had gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with firsthand intelligence about the life-threatening situation that was unfolding."

It's possible allowing text or video messages could save more lives. What do you think?

Here's the article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/11/23/fcc.911.texting.wired/index.html

U.S. Post Office Goes Green for Christmas

The Postal Service is making changes to save the environment and money.

USPS offers environmentally friendly packaging in the design of both their Priority Mail and Express Mail supplies, and a majority of ReadyPost boxes, envelopes and labels..

All their 27 billion postage products, including stamps, personalized envelopes and stamped postal cards, are now certified to be safe and environmentally responsible.

Customers can order free online shipping that can be pick up and delivered by the Postal Service the next day. Even the trucks use alternative fuels like electric vehicles and zero emissions. They also have trucks fueled by natural gas, propane, ethanol, and fuel cell.

The Postal Service also supports recycling with bins in more than 10,000 Post Office lobbies.

It is good to hear that USPS is green-washing too. I hope this trend continues to spread.

You would think the NFL would get it right

This past weekend, when the Vikings played the Packers, a major spelling error occurred. Five-time Pro Bowler Kevin Williams played with his name misspelled on the back of his jersey. One would think that with a simple name like Williams, it would not get misspelled, especially when they have more complicated names such as Tahi, Kleinsasser, Shiancoe, or Loeffler. Hopefully the NFL will pay more attention next week.

To read more on the story, follow this link.

Twitter Helps Sell Cars

Auto makers used to use celebrities to help market their cars, but now they are turning to the high profile social media gurus. They want to turn away from the famous and more towards the average. They chose certain people that have a big influence through the web to drive the new cars around their hometowns, and post videos on their pages. Auto makers now see that the people buying their cars need to be able to relate to the people promoting them. It is also going to cost the auto makers a lot less money to hire average people to take the cars for a spin rather than a huge celeb.

Chinese Woman Sentenced to Labor Camp Over Tweet

It's story's like this that make you appreciate that we live in America. A Chinese woman, Cheng Jianping, was sentenced to labor camp after retweeting an angry tweet her fiance sent. Her finance was sentenced to jail but was released after 5 days. Cheng is waiting her appeal. Twitter is illegal in China and anyone caught using it can be arrested.

Fed. Trade Commission Social Media Restrictions

When reading this weeks WSJ article on Tweeting to Sell Cars, I was most interested in the last paragraph. The Federal Trade Commission is paying close attention to advertising that is posted in non-traditional contexts ie: face book, twitter, blogging etc. There are guidelines that state that "bloggers must disclose any compensation they receive in exchange for writing product reviews."
Also, celebrities must disclose whether or not they are being paid to speak on behalf of a company or product via social media.

I think these guidelines are interesting and necessary. If people are posting what are thought to be unbiased personal opinions about products, I think it is necessary that followers know whether or not they are being influenced by a paycheck.

Do you think these guidelines are necessary? Do you think the Federal Trade Commission is going to be able to discern and regulate contractual tweets/blogs from personal social media?

Tweeting to Sell Cars

Abraham Lincoln $1 coin

147 years after the Gettysburg Address was delivered, the United States Mint introduces the dollar coin with Abraham Lincoln's face on it. There will be a ceremony at 10 a.m. on November 18th at Lincoln's cottage in Washington D.C. The coins can be purchased at every bank after the ceremony.

I think this is amazing, especially because they are doing it on the anniversary of the delivery of the Gettysburg address. Four $1 coins will be released every year in the order of our president's service.

For a picture of the coin visit : http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/?action=Photo#Pres.

Apple annouces Beatles now on iTunes

Many have been anticipating this mornings announcement from Apple's iTunes. Apple Inc. announced that it will sell music by The Beatles through its iTunes store, bringing one of the rock world's most famous holdouts to its online catalog. This will most likely give the Fab Four's record label a much-needed capital boost. The deal covers the band's 13 original studio albums and special box sets. Individual songs cost $1.29, most albums are priced at $12.99. The popular "White Album" also costs $19.99.

The iTunes software has grown from a simple media player into a vast electronic store that buyers of Apple's iPods, iPhones and iPads use to find music, movies, television shows and mobile applications to play on their devices.

I think Beatle fanatics have been awaiting this release and are probably super excited that the songs they listened to on vinyl for years are now available digitally through iTunes.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101116-709742.html

Social Media At Work Increases Productivity

A new study shows that people who use personal social media sites moderately at work are more productive and more likely to not deviate from their work goals. The study calls moderate use is two minutes out of every hour. This mental break helps people stay focused and on task.

The study also shows that people under 30 are better at multi-tasking because of social media. People above thirty can comfortably handle 5-10 tasks, while people under 30 can comfortably handle up to 20.

The social media uprising over the past few years has changed the way we communicate. The study shows that people are now more to the point. Emails are only a couple sentences long and tweets are shorter.

This study focuses around the point that social media is here to stay and will help us further advance as a society.

Twitter Help for Athletes

With an increasing amount of news and media attention focusing on the Twitter woes of athletes trying to utilize the popular social media tool, it is about time a few helpful guidelines were published. A recent blog post on PlayerPress outlines what every athlete should do if they want to engage in the use of Twitter without making costly mistakes.

The full article can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/14DleY

Honestly, most of the ten pieces of advice offered in the article apply to us normal people who have more than 3% body fat and jobs that do not focus on completing tasks with various types of balls - seriously, have you ever thought about how much money people are paid for hitting or throwing balls into designated areas? But I digress...

The article discusses the importance of using a clear, identifiable username and the importance of being an active participant in the conversation, rather than just an outsider following along. Two interesting points made that apply more to athletes is that they should have their accounts verified (a fake Terrell Owens account once had 40,000 followers) and to make a point to follow 20 - 30 random people, regardless if they are fans.

The rest seems obvious to us PR types, but it is all good information nonetheless and all of it can be valuable to any new twitter-er.

Man in trouble after tweeting bomb threat joke

Be careful what you tweet people--Sports figures are not the only ones getting burned for their Tweets--A South Yorkshire native was arrested after posting a Tweet containing a threat of blowing up an airport after it was closed due to a snow storm. Paul Chamber, the man facing the charges, could be charged under bomb hoax or anti-terrorism legislation. However, some believe the fool could be penalized with laws under "nuisance calls."

The exact tweet is as followed:

“Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”

I especially liked and couldn't agree more with this statement from the original story:

"The line between free speech and yelling “fire” in a crowded theater is becoming less and less clear in the age of both anti-terrorism laws, and the public and global nature of social networking."


See full text:
http://mashable.com/2010/11/11/twitter-bomb-threat-appeal/

VH1 Supports the Troops

The problem with this campaign is that it didn't hit enough people. OR, enough people didn't care about spending VH1's money! Only 1,228 people had posted their profile pic upon my viewing of this website (http://on.vh1.com/bx6OWS), and they weren't making any restrictions to the pictures, like, they have to be military-related.

Perhaps you need to be a VH1 junkie in order to have found out about it. Or, a Twitter follower of VH1. The USO retweeted it, so that's how I found it.

It's interesting to see how some organizations use social media, but some don't seem to have figured it out yet. Weaving it into an entire campaign is the trick.

Wedding Day Social Media Etiquette

Blue Nile launched the Ring it. Sing it.  online contest earlier this month. Eleven contestants can win a personalized song and an Infinity Love Knot, and one grand prize winner will receive a proposal in New York City, (airfare and hotel included,) plus a Blue Nile diamond engagement ring. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, Nov. 16. The online jewelry retailer also sponsored Mashable's Wedding Tech Series.

I found this information while browsing a story that caught my attention in the Wedding Tech Series called: HOW TO: Tastefully Use Social Media at Your Wedding. This entry gives everything from inappropriate times to be tweeting and facebooking to other innovative ways of incorporating social media for those of us that just can't seem to stop. I highly recommend this blog to anyone that loves social media, and definitely bookmarked it for myself.

Social Media Smarts

So I came across this story that made me have a "what were they thinking?" moment. A Connecticut woman was fired for calling her boss a "dick" on her Facebook. People need to realize that people need to be careful with what they say online. What you say is out there for everyone to see and employers constantly are monitoring employees actions on the sites.

For the whole story:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372467,00.asp

ESPN Under Fire

ESPN.com is currently under fire for revealing the name of the woman accusing New York Mets' pitcher Johan Santana of rape. The woman has a civil lawsuit against Santana in a Florida court and she has been using the name Jane Doe on all court documents. Monday, the judge ordered the woman to submit her real name. Following this, an article covering the court proceedings from ESPN.com revealed the woman's name.

Now the woman's attorney is firing back by telling TMZ that "ESPN has now set a dangerous precedent in telling rape victims that this will be their punishment if they attempt to pursue accountability for their celebrity offenders." The attorney also accused ESPN of "irresponsible journalism". What do you think?

ESPN has the right to publish her name, but it's a question of ethics. In my opinion, ESPN was being irresponsible. If the article is not removed within the next couple of days I will be shocked. ESPN is owned by Disney and they will not want a reputation of being unsympathetic to victims of rape.

STD Test? There's an app for that

Soon people will be able to take an STD test by peeing on a stick and sticking it in their cell phone in the Europe area. They said that millions of pounds will have been funded to this project in Britain where infections reached a record of over 400,000. "Your mobile phone can be your mobile doctor. It diagnoses whether you've got one of a range of STIs, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea and tells you where to go next to get treatment," Dr Tariq Sadiq, the sexual health expert from the University of London who is leading the project

how would you feel downloading an app on your phone and then testing yourself for an STD? Talk about true privacy there!

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/mobile-phone-std-test--killer-app-or-fantasy-20101109-17lbl.html

Facebook PR Exec Leaving Company

Facebook’s Director of Corporate Communications Brandee Barker is leaving after more than four years at the company (the article makes a point to mention that she was employee #120). The article from Mashable discusses that Barker is leaving to create her own early stage business consulting firm. It goes on to say that she prefers to work with early stage companies.

Facebook is definitely beyond the "early stage" of its business. An early stage company has many things to deal with. It seems many of the social media sites (Facebook and Twitter) are losing their higher up execs for various reasons. And from how the article reads Facebook is losing a PR exec that is very talented and will be missed by many writers and bloggers.

Facebook might be looking for a new PR exec but be careful you have some pretty impressive shoes to fill :)

Longtime Facebook PR Exec Leaving the Company

Hey, even the president is doing it.

In late Oct., The Nation reported that press secretary, Robert Gibbs, would be taking Twitter for the first question in the White House briefing. This is very nontraditional, considering the first question is usually given to wire service reporter, and then to big named journalist and newspapers. Gibbs used the hashtag "#1q" to collect the different question from the public. Within an hour of the announcement "#1q" was collecting several hits. The idea is that everyone can see all the questions being asked, and therefore can see if Gibbs picks an easy question.

It was later clarified that the question would be answered in an online video, and not at the actual podium address itself. They also stated that answering citizen questions would occur on a regular basis

Cardinal Rules for Dealing With the Media

I thought this was a good article to read for someone like a PR specialist who has to deal with media issues every second of the day. These rules were actually pretty interesting, and the story about a guy named Tom who broke all these rules and gave examples of dealing with the media poorly in a time of crisis. I think all PR people should take a look at this, especially because you might have to help your client deal with media in a crisis.

Here is the full story.

Here are the Seven Cardinal Rules to remember so you don’t fall in to the same media trap Tom did:

1. Create YOUR STORY rather than letting the media develop their own. Remember the media is looking for a STORY. A story means there is an interesting angle that the viewer will be intrigued with. If you don’t provide that angle they will try to capture it with editing and trapping questions. You need to know BEFORE you meet with the media what the STORY is that you want them to share. Think from THEIR perspective not yours. If you only defend what happened I guarantee they will try to put you in a more negative light.
2. Watch telltale nervous or combative body language signs such as fidgeting, shifting feet, and breaking eye contact. These are all signs that on TV appear to the viewer that you are HIDING something. Since body language is tied to your thoughts any thing you are thinking WILL come out in your body language. This is why you can not be thinking about defending what happened or else your body language will be nervous or combative.
3. Avoid all “yes” or “no” answers. Why? Because as you saw with Tom your answer can be edited down to that simple word and the rest of your explanation left out. Always focus your answer so it can NOT be edited down.
4. Speak in terms of sound bites. Reporters are looking for short phrases and succinct messaging. Therefore, if your answer is too longwinded they will opt to just NOT use it as it is too hard to edit it down. Try to give quick concise answers.
5. Avoid the words “but” or “however” as they can edit out what you say before or after that message and completely turn around what you were saying.
6. Use proactive body language that shows confidence and leadership. This includes looking directly at the viewer (that would be the camera), have your feet firmly planted about shoulder width apart, relax your shoulders, keep your hands up by your waist or completely down at your sides, and have your weight balanced slightly more on one hip (this will give a relaxed pose).
7. Talk to the reporter the way you would convincingly talk to a good friend over a cup of coffee. Keep it professional but relaxed. Don’t try to impress them. Instead make sure you know in your head and heart the story you wish to deliver. Then you can take each question the reporter asks you and ALIGN it with the STORY you are trying to deliver so you can put the positive spin on it.

Don't drink and facebook

Ever regretted something the next day you did online wether it was through facebook you tube or twitter? Web security company Webroot released a new Firefox plugin called "The social media sobriety test" with the tag line "nothing good happens online after 1 a.m." All you have to do is download the plugin and customize the settings for a variety of different social media sites. you can set your hours of intoxication and if you try to sign in on one of those sites during those times you will be asked to pass a test. I think this is a hilarious yet smart idea. We all know there was some point in time where you wish you wouldn't have done something and there was nothing to stop you.

click here for more

Starbucks Experimenting with Alcohol

Starbucks  is trying to sell alcohol in one of its stores for the first time. The Olive Way store in the Seattle-based chain has added craft beers and wines to its menu, the first of the chain's stores to do so. Beer and wine will go on sale each day after 4 p.m. The move is part of an overall effort to get customers spending time in Starbucks even after their morning jolt; additional offerings will include more options for savory afternoon treats. Over two-thirds of its business comes before 2p.m. The coffee shop is looking into serving liquor and cheeses. 

It will be interesting to see if this catches on. I would not mind having a glass of wine in Starbucks with a group of friends or while studying. I would like to see the case study with their goals for this new avenue. 

 

http://www.thirdage.com/news/starbucks-experimenting-alcohol_10-20-2010

Google Collects Private Info

Well, it wasn't really Google; it was Google maps. Specifically, their streetview camera car. It somehow collected personal information from people's WiFi as it was roaming the streets. The Canadian government figured this out, and is requiring Google delete the collected information by February.

http://rww.to/b9KSLs

Now, I wonder how much personal information it collected while roaming the U.S.? Did it get some of mine? I've seen my house on the Google map streetview. Will someone follow up on this Canadian discovery, and hold Google's feet to the fire here in our country?

My last question: How do they know the private information isn't sent somewhere else before being deleted? Hmm.

Pandora teams up with car manufacturers

Pandora, the personalized internet radio service, is in the top 5 apps on all smartphones. Founder Mark Westergren is now trying to extend the listening platform to cars. In March, Pandora partnered up with Pioneer, maker of in-dash receivers, allowing consumers with the iPhone or iPod Touch to have touch screen access to Pandora stations in their vehicles. Westergren is now in the works with car manufacturing companies, including Ford, to embed the application into new car models that will be detected through bluetooth. The application will work with any smartphone and will be voice controlled for hands-free access to create and change stations.

I love listening to Pandora in the car and I think this is a great move, making it easier and less distracting than fumbling with a phone while driving.

Watch Westergren's interview with CNN here

Seven Essential Skills You Didn't Learn in College

Wired.com posted a funny article about the skills for future careers that we may not get in university classes.

-Know how to read through propaganda statistics. For example you are more likely to die from texting while driving than a shark attack, but statistics can make the latter look more alarming.
-Know the new leaders and constituencies of diplomacy beyond governors and senators. These are the people shaping the world and causing a ruckus outside of Washington.
-Reuse and reinvent past successes. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Artists draw from older work, therefore professionals should use the skills proven successful in the past and adapt them to present conditions.
-Know the inner workings of the brain and why people do what they do. Sociologists get it, understanding people and their actions can create better business and understanding of consumers.
-Know how to fit an idea into 140 characters! Make a message accessible to any outlet, no matter how short or long.

Laying Dowing the Law

Location-based social network, Foursquare, is adding a new feature that allows owners of venues to remove mayorship from those who didn't rightfully earn the coveted title. Since many locations offer real-world discounts to their Foursquare majors, people who are employees, or just happen to walk by and check in often recieve perks unfairly, such as being bumped up to the top of a waiting list at a popular restuarant. Foursquare believes that its new mayorship revokation rules will help people understand and use the social network better. With the new rules comes more opportunity for growth, participation and meaningful investiment. The location-base social network will be continue to expand more of its new features soon.

Although I don't use Foursqure myself, I think the new rule is great. Keeping a social network fair makes it even more attractive and would push me to want mayorship of a certain location even more, and to get that title I would have to go to the venue more often. I think that with the new feature everyone wins.

Read Article.

TO’s Terrible Twitter Trouble

Terrell Owens is being fined…again. This time, however, it isn’t for trash talking or arguing with the coach. He is being fined $25,000 for tweeting too close to game time. His tweet was to reward a loyal fan with an autographed souvenir during the game, but broke the NFL’s “No tweeting within 90 minutes of the start of a game” policy. I was personally unaware of that rule but at least TO’s finally playing nice. Now he just needs a rulebook.
Fun Fact: the tweet was exactly 25 words… meaning that it cost him $1,000/word.

For more information click the following link:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Terrell-Owens-tweets-too-close-go-game-time-wil?urn=nfl-275870

Google's Android + Sony's Playstation = Game Over iPhone?

A few days ago, this photo surfaced on the internet. It's the mysterious PlayStation phone that has been rumored to be in production for some time.

Since Engadget released this photo, rumors are now circulating as to when this interesting piece of technology will be released to the public. Experts suggest early 2011-- not in time for the holidays.

Will gamers buy into this? Will normal people buy into this? Is this Game Over for the iPhone? Probably not. It's still pretty cool, though.

You can find the article here.

Changing the Face of an Old "Network" to Use the New

On the serious side of things, the Children's Miracle Network has totally revamped their marketing department. This agency is old, but, to keep up with the times it has taken a serious look at the best ways to connect with funding sources: everyday folks. We are all familiar with the organization's balloons, sold at many restaurants and stores - pay $1 and your name goes on a balloon that gets taped or pinned to the wall. But needing more than $1 to continue the many avenues of research it is conducting and the many children it is treating through member hospitals, the network has re-created its direct marketing division in order to utilize the new technologies now available. They not only e-mail and text their donors these days, they are even taking advantage of some video game opportunities.

At http://bit.ly/bA0Nox you can find more detail, including the fact they have their own IT bureau. But, here's their new organizational chart:

"McRib is Here!"

I couldn't resist. After our lengthy discussion on the WSJ article in class about it, I had to let you know that the McRib is in the little town of Startzville, on the south side of Canyon Lake. However, it has not yet been posted to the McRib Locator website, and I'm not going to be the first to announce that the high-sodium, questionable content, sandwich has been once again revealed in this little town!
After doing a little research online, I noticed something I didn't know, and probably didn't need to know: McDonald's has some serious Internet marketing going on. I suppose you could even like them on FB, if you were to look that far. Eegads, then what would you see pop up daily on your page?
Just for fun . . .

Bobcats to Div. 1

Last week it was announced that Texas State would be invited to join the division one Western Athletic Conference. This is a huge step for the bobcats in gaining national attention. Conference officials say they would like to invite all new members within the next 30 days. "It basically means that our athletics are going to the next level and that they're going to be in line with what we believe our university is, a big time Texas State institution," said Rich Koch.
I believe this is a great platform for Texas State to PR to stand on. Texas State has been shifting its image the past five years and this might be the big break we have been waiting for. If I were in charge of Texas State athletics PR I would be pitching this to anyone I could get my hands and notifying alumni to start building the excitement.

What do you think this means for Texas State?

Texas State Bobcats invite to WAC-News 8 Article

Betty White Judging Felines

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/betty-white-joins-sergeants-pet-care-products-and-morris-animal-foundation-for-the-happy-healthy-cat-photo-contest-105878433.html

Betty White will act as the judge for Sergeant's Pet Care 'Happy, Healthy Cat Contest.' Betty White is a huge animal activist and says that cats do not get the respect they deserve. Having as huge of a celebrity as Betty White as the judge for the contest will boost the reputation and overall audience of it.

The 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It is almost that time again. Macy's is already planning their 84th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. New floats and balloons will be added this year including Kung Fu Panda, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the Kool-Aid man. Performers at the parade will include Kanye West and Jessica Simpson.

The parade kicks off November 25th at 9:00 AM at 77th Street and Central Park West and ends at 12:00 PM in Macy's Herald Square. The parade is expected to have 3.5 million spectators on the streets of New York City and over 50 million viewers on television and online.

What could be a better way to promote a movie or product then to have a balloon or float featured in the famous parade?

The number of people exposed to the coverage of the parade is exponential. The time and effort put towards making a float or balloon memorable, can determine how successful the movie or product is at reaching the target audience. The more that TV stations talk about a company's float, the more attention they will get.

I don't know why more lesser-know companies try to get involved in the parade. It would boost awareness of their product/ company.
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