What a Year this has been!

I realized, to my dismay, that is has been over 3 months since I have written a new post.  Much has happened in these past several months; all of which has centered on social media.  

I started writing this blog as a way to put into words what I was learning through observation and self-education about social media and its effects on the average person.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would find myself actual participating in the process; albeit in a very small and localized way.

Over the course of 2012, I have found myself administering; at its peak, 6 different Facebook pages and one Twitter account.  While this is not by any means a full immersion into the world of social media, the experience has taught me a lot about what works and what doesn't.

What works:

• Images peak your followers' interest and encourage engagement more than mere words;
• Responding to comments - both negative and positive - in a constructive manner will ensure that your audience will remain and inevitably grow;
• Being timely in your posts and comments.  

What doesn't work:

• Continually posting the same images becomes monotonous and loses your audience's attention;
• Ignoring; and worse, deleting the negative audience comments is a sign to your followers that you are insincere in your quest for engagement.

There has been so much more that I have learned and am still learning.  However, the above points are what I believe to be the most important.

While I have done this on a volunteer basis up to now; I am seriously considering looking into the possibility of turning this into a new career.  Of all the many different positions I have held over the years in Sales, Marketing, Finance and Customer Service, I have never felt as fulfilled as I have this past year.  

So, my resolution for this new year, is to continue to explore the world of social media and to work to become more involved in it.  

Thank you to all my readers who have read what I have written this past year.  2013 promises to bring on new and exciting opportunities for all of us.

Are Websites Losing Their Usefulness?

The internet would not be where it is today without websites.  Major corporations, political, social and religious organizations, education institutions and, even, individuals have websites set up as both branding and marketing tools.  Prior to the advent of social media, websites were the sole online presence of these entities.  If you wanted to find out about a product or service, you simply typed in the name into a search engine and off you went.


Much has changed since the early days of the Internet.  If you type in a company name or product into a search engine now, nine times out of ten you will come up with a link to a social media site. In fact, I have gotten into the habit of automatically searching within Facebook for something before using a stand alone search engine.  Many times, there is never a need to click through to the actual website since most Facebook pages are updated with the latest information and, if not, they are set up in a way where you can easily message the company or organization a question or comment.  


Now, don't get me wrong.  There are still reasons to have a website and for consumers to access them.  However, there needs to be an effort on the part of the owner to utilize social media to its advantage.  All too often, we find out about events, special deals or new products and services days or weeks after the fact because they weren't promoted via social media.  Marketing executives need to come to the realization that they are missing out on an opportunity to build their customer/supporter base.  Just because it is promoted on the website doesn't mean the message is being received.


As an example, XYZ Company has 1,000 Facebook followers, who in turn have 100 Facebook friends.  XYZ wants to promote a promotion, fundraising event, or a new product roll out.  Posting on Facebook will reach 1,000 people who may share this with their friends.  That is a potential initial reach of 10,000 people at any given time with no expenditure of marketing funds.  This is just the initial reach.  Imagine, if you will, if those 10,000 also continued to share.


So remember this the next time you are inclined to respond to question from a potential customer or supporter that "it was on our website."  Not everyone checks the websites on a regular basis.  However, 900 million active Facebook users check their news feeds regularly.

Remember to Diversify Your Message

How often do we see a business, organization and, even, an institution of higher learning become so focused on one product or service that they forget about diversifying their message to their customer and donor base?  The recent fiasco surrounding Penn State University is a case in point.

Throughout the years, their focus has been on the football program and its coach.  While I am neither willing or able to pass judgement on the validity of the accomplishments on and off the field of the program; I, like everyone else, am all too aware of the damage that has been done to the reputation of the university overall.  

The apparent shortsightedness of the university of focusing its branding activities solely on the football program will be extremely difficult to overcome.  They are now facing a major nightmare with regard to the students, alumni, donors and community at large.  They failed to diversify their message over the years and chose to focus on a single program to increase enrollment and donations.

Businesses and organizations, large and small, should be taking heed of these recent developments.  While it is wonderful that you have a top selling product or service, always remember the entire package.  You never know when disaster of any type will hit your business or organization.

Of course, should the worse case scenario happen, you will still be facing a public relations problem.  However, having the foresight of diversifying your branding message all along, the hit may not be as big as Penn State now faces.  I wish them luck in their reputation recovery efforts.

Has the Internet & Social Media Made Us More Gullible?

The above image and similar facsimiles made their way around the social media sites this week.  They traveled the internet highway faster than the Delorean in the referenced movie.  Unfortunately, the cinematic facts were wrong.  Marty McFly actually transported to October 21, 2015.


This does illustrate how gullible we have become with regard to what we see and read on the internet.  Granted, this image and many others like it are not life shattering in any way.  However, due to our increased sense of taking everything for face value, there are many more misconceptions being shared across the world wide web which could have a dramatic effect on us - socially, politically, environmentally and economically.


So before you click on that share or retweet button, make sure the facts are correct.  Do a little research on the issue.  Your clicking finger could probably use the rest anyway.

Print Journalism's Survival In the Social Media Age

The key to a successfully run newspaper is the content.  It is the driving force behind the readership numbers.  If these numbers are up, the publisher is happy; the advertisers are happy and above all else the readers are happy.  Having the wherewithal to anticipate the readers’ interests in a subject and then to report on it in a professional manner is a fundamental component of journalism.

In this age of social media, newspapers have lost some of their edge with regard to landing the “scoop”.  Many times, the subject is being discussed on the social media sites before the newsprint is dry.  A newspaper is best served when it utilizes the skills of the professional journalist in conjunction someone who has both the ability to follow the trends on social media sites and is familiar with the area it serves and its demographic base. By utilizing a teamwork approach as a management style, the work product tends to be of a better quality since everyone has had a hand in its creation.

A newspaper's staff must have a thorough understanding of economy’s effects on both local businesses and the residents.  They must realize the difficulties facing our education institutions and the effect they have on the residents.  In the instances where the newspaper is considered a local publication as opposed to a national one such as The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, the editorial board needs to recognize which political subjects are relevant in terms of newsworthiness.  Simply because a national political story is trending on the social media sites, does not mean that the newspaper needs to focus all their resources on that topic; unless it is able to relate it to how the event effects the local demographic.

Social media has created competition between all news sources and, in its quest for survival, print journalism has had to join in the fracas.  It needs to rethink its management style and the way it presents itself to the community it serves.  If it doesn't adjust to the changing times, it will only alienate it current readership and lose out on the potential of many more.

Update:  Since the original publication of this post on May 8, 2012, a lot has transpired in the world of print journalism.  Many newspapers have gone through a dramatic shift in how they engage with their readership both in print and online. Many papers have transformed their online sites into multimedia sites with the addition of accompanying videos. There has been an increase in the frequency of posts on the various social media platforms which affords their fans a greater opportunity for engagement. From all appearances, there does seem to have been an increase in fan comments. Unfortunately, this increase in engagement continues to seem one sided. Whether it be on Facebook, Google Plus and, even, Twitter, the newspaper sites are still lacking on their part in responding the reader comments.  Even more disconcerting is the fact that we have seen many experienced journalists lose their jobs all in the name of cutting operating costs.  In my opinion, that is tantamount to a dairy farmer getting rid of his cows so he can save a few bucks. Once the farmer resorts to such drastic cost cutting measures, is he still considered a dairy farmer? The experienced journalist - whether it be print, broadcast, or online - is the one asset a news organization must never let go of. Is the loss of experienced journalists the last gasping breath of the newspaper industry?