I’ve Become a Twit

While I’m sure my husband would say he already knew this, I’ve officially become a “twit”. In the last couple weeks, I’ve gotten a real education of Twitter, the popular microblogging tool that is taking the Internet by storm. So much so that the site is having real capacity issues these days, shutting down when too much “tweeting” is going on.

I never fully understood the power of Twitter until I wisened up and started using the Firefox browser instead of Internet Explorer (that’s fodder for another post, quite a difference there) with the TwitterFox add on. This allows you to, at the bottom of your browser, see a constant update of all the “twitterers” you follow and their “tweets”. It turns what, for me, amounted to every couple days going to the Twitter site and typing in something boring about what I was up to, into a real conversation.

I started following everyone who twitters here in Charleston, S.C. (100 or so) and am really getting to know some of the regulars. I’ve also added some reporters that I’m interested in, some news sites (CNN sends news alerts via Twitter, the National Weather Service sends weather alerts, etc.) Twitter lets you reply to someone in such a way so that it is directed at them, but that everyone who follows you still sees. You can also direct message someone, which only they can see. But it’s all still limited to 140 characters.

I must say, I’m starting to get into the lingo (which you may have noticed my attempt to look cool by using above) and learn all the commands that give it greater functionality. There are also a host of applications out there like Twitpic, which lets you share photos on Twitter, and TwitterVision, which maps your location.

AND, I participated in the very first “twebinar” last week. What’s that, you ask? Well, it’s a Webinar, but you “follow” all the presenters on Twitter, so you can follow their conversation as the Webinar takes place or ask them questions. You can also follow on Summize, a site that lets you search Twitter for specific words or phrases, any mentions of the “twebinar” so you can see in real time what people are saying. Gets a little confusing…one of those things you have to see to understand.

But, I think, case closed — I’m a definite “twit”.

Linked In Really Works!

After many, many months of Linked In serving as a status symbol of how many “connections” I had, it has finally become useful to me! Over the last few weeks, I’ve used it on several occasions in ways that were very helpful.

First off, I used the fairly new Q&A feature that lets you ask a question of your “connections.” I was looking for a person who could help me plan a small event and asked for recommendations. I got a lot of really helpful responses and ended up choosing the person I hired through one of those recommendations.

What I found interesting here was that some of these people who I sent my question to on Linked In I probably would not have felt comfortable emailing for some reason. They aren’t people I converse with regularly, but are my colleagues in the industry and somehow it seems OK coming from Linked In, a little less intrusive or something.

But the most amazing benefit to me was that a potential client from INDIA(!) found me on Linked In. I am still pretty floored by that. I also have a colleague who got a new client from Linked In recently. It was someone he had worked with previously who found him there and ended up hiring him to do some work with the person’s current company. Pretty cool!

I recently read another blog post about how to really maximize the use of Linked In and she makes the point that you really have to actively use its “introduction” feature. Look through your connections’ connections and see if there’s anyone you’d like to know or who looks like a good prospect and ask your connection to “introduce” you. Much easier than a cold call.

Anyone else out there had a good experience with Linked In? Please share!

One Size Does NOT Fit All

When it comes to Web 2.0 tools for businesses, one size definitely does not fit all. Lots of people fall into the trap of thinking: well everyone else is doing a blog, maybe we should too. That’s a poor way of venturing into the social media world.

Instead, just like any other marketing initative, think strategically. Which of these tools does your audience use? Is this an appropriate medium to distribute your message? Does it fit your brand? Do you have someone in place to manage these tools once they are in place? Do you even know how to manage these tools?

These are just a few of the questions your marketing team should be asking when considering how to use Web 2.0 to promote your business.

Please, don’t just start a blog just to blog. Don’t put up a MySpace page and never got there or add anything new. Don’t put a video on YouTube and not promote it elsewhere.

Think creatively. How can you blog in an interesting way that will engage your target audience? How can you make use of social networking beyond sending messages and adding friends?

Every company is different and not every tool is appropriate for every company. Bottom line: make sure you thoughtfully engage these tools, bring in someone who really understands them, set goals, create accountability, and measure the response. Then you’ll have a much better chance at success with your newfound investment.

Fun With Wordle

Check out this cool tool that really doesn’t have much benefit in the way of marketing, it’s just cool.

Wordle creates a “word cloud” of the most popular words in a block or page of text. It puts more emphasis on words used the most and “you can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes,” says the site.

Check it out: something fun since it’s Saturday. Below you will find my “wordle” for my blog’s home page.

Ah, the stuff we can waste our time with online…

Local Papers Try to Adapt

My local paper, the Charleston Post & Courier, recently underwent a total rework, which I suspect is an effort to adapt to the growing numbers of readers who are going online for their news.

The paper made a number of changes, which I’ll discuss below:
1) Narrower paper – I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect this is to save $$ as ad dollars increasingly decline with more advertisers spending online.
2) Charleston.net is on the top center of EVERY page – This of course is to drive folks to their Web site (which still needs a fair amount of help in my opinion).
3) Increased focus on local news – The paper beefed up its local news coverage with a new tabloid-style section. This is something many local papers are focusing on. Local news one thing they can provide to the reader that they can’t get as well online yet. The Post & Courier also competes with smaller community papers in the area and they also added a Police Blotter section in this new tabloid, which is a popular read in a competing community paper.

Previously, the paper added a Friday 5 section, which works very closely with the Web site with a corresponding blog. Each week they detail lists of 5, such as the top 5 things to do over the weekend, and these lists often relate to technology and social media.

The site has also launched a citizen journalism component called Your Report where readers can upload their own videos, photos and news happening around them. This is an effort to join the Web 2.0 revolution where folks don’t just take information from the Internet, but want to contribute to the conversation, as well.

It’s very interesting to see how newspapers work hard to adapt to this changing environment in order to stay alive. I, for one, don’t feel like online news can ever replace my local paper, but that might be a different story for Generation Y, who has grown up comfortable with getting most, if not all, of their information online. Good luck Post & Courier!

MySpace Gets a Facelift

Just read where MySpace is getting a makeover and a new look. Hallelujah! It’s about time. Man, do I hate the look of MySpace. It is so messy and cluttered. Maybe that appeals to Generation Y, but not Generation X , or at least not this Generation Xer.

Says a spokesman, “This is more than a facelift. We’re changing the way people interact with the site and with brands.” Here here!

Read more.

SC Abuzz With Social Media

It seems that lots of people across South Carolina are curious about, and talking about, Web 2.0 and social media, but it’s still a big step for many to actually try it out. In an effort to expand awareness about what we all know are awesome and necessary PR tools, I headed up to our state capital, Columbia, last week to participate in a panel discussion about social media and PR at the local chapter’s Public Relations Society of America monthly luncheon.

Also on the panel were Tony Mizzel of Chernoff Newman, Liza Jones of Payne Jones PR, and Kim Banks of Simko Communications. Jones and Banks together write the Palmetto PR Divas blog and you can read their post as well for their take on our event.

Everyone is aware that they need to be using these tools, but businesses and their PR professionals are still trying to find the right ways to use them to be most effective. We discussed hot trends, how journalists are using these tools and changing the way they research stories, how to convince company executives that these tools are valuable and much more.

We have a long way to go on this path, which is changing every day, every minute, even every second, so we must continue the discussion in such venues and all share our best practices, case studies, and good and bad experiences so we can find our way in this fascinating new world.

Keeping Your Blog Fresh

Well, since I’ve been delinquent on that over the last couple weeks I thought I would inspire myself (and you) by writing a post on tips for keeping your blog up to date.

Sure, writing your blog is one more thing on your to do list, but if you’ve chosen a topic carefully, you’ve picked a topic that you are truly passionate about and that you won’t mind spending time writing about.

That said, even the most passionate people may be hard-pressed to keep their blog fresh, say at least twice a week (which is what I recommend to all my clients). Soooo, here are a few tips:

1) You don’t need to write a long, introspective narrative every time. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. Folks online tend to have a short attention span and move on to something else quickly. So don’t bore them … and don’t waste your time trying to create a never-ending post.
2) No need to be poetic either. Be conversational. Be authentic. People want to know what’s on your mind and if that occasionally results in a misspelled word or random thoughts, so be it. It’s real and that’s what counts.
3) Read the news on your blog’s topic. Post a quick comment about your thoughts on a hot news story.
4) See my previous post for another example of a quick post. I found a really cool image on Flickr, which has a widget you can click on which automatically posts the image to your Blogger blog and let’s you make a quick comment about it.
5) Consider sharing a video that relates to your topic. No words needed.
6) Put writing in your blog on your to-do list, ideally the same time every week. That way you, and your readers, know when to expect a post. And you don’t think of it as something to do just when you have time. It’s just as important as your other work (really).

OK, lest I break rule No. 1 of my post here and blog on too long, I’m going to stop. Any other ideas out there about how to keep your blog fresh?