Cassandra's Blog

Social Media News Release

2007-12-04T11:10:00.001-06:00

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Cassandra Franceschini
St. Edwards University
Email: case1200@aol.com
Blog: http://www.cfran.blogpsot.com

Recently graduated student in the Communication field seeking to gain exposure and experience in the area of public relations, marketing, and event planning

Qualifications

* Proficient in MS Office, Windows, XP, and the Internet
* Familiar with the application of social media in the public relations field
* Graduated Summa Cum Laude
* Member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society
* Member of Pi Eta Honor Society for the National Communication Association
* Member of the National Communication Association
* Held an internship at the Austin Children's Museum in event planning for Special
Events
* Served as a Teacher's Research Assistant in a research over successful fundraising techniques for non-proft organizations

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Download
Another New Citizen Podcast

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Product Placement PSA Video

I am a recently graduated student from St. Edwards University who is looking to expand her career into the public relations, marketing, and event planning field. I am interested in pursuing my passion of the market by working in a company that specializes in one of those fields. I am responsible, professional, organized, creative, a self-starter, as well as a team player. My internship as a Special Events planner enable me to gain some exposure to marketing, advertising, budgeting, planning, and research. My future entails attending graduate school at St. Edwards Univeristy to get my master's in Project Management. I consider myself to be a dependent employer with exceptionally well people skills. I am looking for a career that is in-line with my interest in the communication field. I enjoy communicating with people and consider it to be one of the most valuable resources that companies can utilize in their connection with the consumers.

RELATED LINKS

Cassandra's Blog

Blogs reflect the use and application of social media to public relations

Xo Laptop backfire

2007-11-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

In a previous blog of mine I had mentioned the $100 Xo Laptop that was being created to give to third world children as a way of educating them and providing them with the same resources as the rest of the world. It initially sounded like such a great idea to me and I couldn't wait to see this plan of action actually get implemented. However, just the other day I came across this article that pointed out a lot of flaws that the Xo laptop was facing. I thought it would only be fair to present you with both sides of the argument on whether or not these laptops are in fact a good idea and if they are in fact beneficiary to the children. You decide.
So the article raised a good point. The fact that the Nigerian Prime Minister was raising concern over the necessity of the laptops is something that I think most people are overlooking. He stated the following: "What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when they don't have seats to sit down and learn; when they don't have uniforms to go to school, where they don't have facilities?"
I think he raises an important issue that needs to be considered. I think most people are so wrapped up in the PR that giving third-world countries laptops is helping to educate the children, that people are forgetting the bigger issue at hand. Although technology and internet access would be beneficial to any child, I think that a proper educating facility is far more important. In addition, the $100 laptops are no longer a cheap $100. They have raised the price to $188, which is almost double of the original cost. I think the increase in the cost is a really bad PR move and I think that is puts the third-world countries in a compromising position. They were probably able to afford the $100 laptops and I am sure that it created a buzz over there, but how would the children react if all of a sudden their country was unable to afford the computers? It will be really interesting to see how this turns out. There are already a few countries who are on board and have alreay purchased the $100 laptops in the bulk of one million (which is the amount needed to complete an order). So the governments are basically paying hundreds of millions (sorry my math is a little off today) to get these laptops to the children. I am just wondering if the money should be spent on other things that would be more beneficial to the education of the children, such as building new schools, hiring new teachers, uniforms, etc. So in the end, are the laptops really benefiting these third world countries and their education system?

What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when they don't have seats to sit down and learn; when they don't have uniforms to go to school in, where they don't have facilities?"

Project Beacon

2007-11-27T11:37:00.000-06:00

In class today we discussed Facebook's new application of 'Project Beacon.' For those who were not in class or are curious to learn more about it, the application is basically another attempt for Facebook to stalk their customers in the attempts of advertising to them. Anytime you make an online purchase, such as a DVD or a book, the company sends your purchase information as part of the news feed on Facebook. So forget doing your Christmas shopping online, because now all of your friends will be updated on all of the gifts that you buy for them and for yourself. You can read more about the story here. I think that this is yet again another bad PR move for Facebook. Facebook seems to be completely ignoring their consumers. I thought that by now they would understand that we don't like being marketed or advertised to and that we expect our privacy to be respected. I only post and submit things on Facebook that I want my friends to know about. I think that submitting information that I would not typically want to submit to Facebook is in fact violating my rights and privacy.
Facebook needs to re-evaluate their PR on this and make sure that they work out all the kinks before they attempt to turn-off all of their consumers. They need to work on promoting this application in a way where it is not so obvious that people's privacy rights are being taken away. They need to mention the pros of this application. Facebook is not really doing a good PR job in managing the interests of their customers. Inserting another advertising application only seems to reflect how poorly Facebook is taking the interests and wishes of their customers into mind. In my opinion, Project Beacon is not something Facebook needs to add on. I don't see why Facebook needs to do this because they are already making plenty of profit off of their current ads and investors. I think it is a selfish move for the creators of Facebook to add an application that has the potential to threaten the security and privacy of their consumers.

Crossing the line

2007-11-24T20:25:00.000-06:00

During my visit home for Thanksgiving, I was shocked when I came across a story in the news about a young girl who committed suicide. Megan Meiers was a 13 year old girl who had committed suicide after a boy named 'Josh', someone she met through myspace, had turned against her and was bullying her. They had started a friendship on myspace that had progressed into a crush. She became depressed when shortly after he started bullying her and calling her a 'slut.' Well here is where the story gets interesting. It turns out that 'Josh' was actually a profile created by a mother whose daughter had been bullied by Megan. The mother, who actually lived down the street from Megan, created a fake myspace account so she could get to know Megan closely and figure out what she was saying about her daughter. It seems clear that the mother created this fake profile as a form of revenge so that she could let Megan experience the same bullying that her daughter had felt. It is evident that the mother was messing around with the young girls emotions by pretending to be a 'hot' 16-year old boy who was interested in her.
In my opinion, the mother clearly crossed the line. I think this is a good example of how dangerous social networking sites can be. There have been advances made in the security of these sites, but there is still no way to prevent someone from creating false information and using a fake profile. Granted, Megan was only 13 and a year below the legal age allowed on myspace, which makes me wonder how she was able to get on in the first place. I think that myspace needs to figure out a way to monitor people from creating fake profiles. Using a social networking site as a form of bullying is something that hasn't been addressed, but there is no doubt in my mind that it is going on. I think that cyber-bullying is something that needs to be taken seriously on the social networking sites because of the fact that it is a medium that actually allows people ot bully without their identity being known.
You can read the full story here.

Reaction to SXSW podcast

2007-11-24T20:01:00.000-06:00

The SXSW podcast assignment discussed conversational marketing. It was moderated by Tony Conrad, and the guest panel included John Betell and Toni Schneider. They talked about why conversational marketing is important and how it is a good tool to manage your reputation online. The best ways to engage in conversational marketing was also a topic of discussion. One of the more interesting things that I learned from this podcast was how the interactive media has changed everything for marketers. Marketers are just now realizing how to manage the interactive media, because according to them, marketers have a tendency to be a little behind when it comes to adapting and coming up to speed on how to engage and utilize mediums. The main focus of this discussion panel was the importance of conversation between the consumers and the company. Conversational marketing is driven by 'conversation, not dictation.' It is important that the audience engages with each other and with the brand. The concept of conversational marketing is driven by the idea of dialog.
Another interesting thing that was mentioned in the podcast was the use of advertising in blogs. People are now starting to blog purely so they can put up ads and make money, which is taking away from the purpose of why blogs were created in the first place. Blogs were mentioned as an 'authentic and genuine' media, which is why it was appealing to so many people. For instance, Wordpress.com prevents people from using ads to make money in their blogs, even if they are getting a bunch of hits. In my opinion, it seem s understandable that if a person is getting a lot of visits on their blog, why would they not want to capitalize on it and make money. However, I also agree with Wordpress.com when they said that they are doing marketers a favor by not allowing them to control the ads on blogs because it is not always a cultural fit. In conversational marketing, it is important that marketers are invited into the dialog and that they don't just aggressively make their presence known.
Lastly, another interesting point mentioned is the use of blogvitorial (..not sure if that's how it is spelled). I never really knew that another way marketers and advertisers were contributing to conversational marketing is by contributing to the blog by actually writing one of the posts. The sponsor post is written by the advertisers and they pay to put their blog on the person's blog. I honestly did not really know that advertisers were doing this on blogs. I agree with the panel when they said that if advertisers are going to be doing this, then it is important that the same voice and tone is maintained.

Writer's Strike

2007-11-16T09:53:00.000-06:00

So before I get into the topic at hand, I feel that I should give you a background on the events surrounding the topic. For those of you who are confused as to why you are catching re-runs of your favorite shows and confused about why some shows are in talks of ending their season shorter than expected, it is because of the recent strike going on in Los Angeles. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) had their contract expire on November 1st, and most producers and executives assumed that they would be continuing to work out of the kindness of their hearts until they were able to write up a new contract. They were hoping that they would finish out the series and then negotiating would begin. However, the WGA has put their foot down this time. The writers are still upset about the negotiations made in the last contract, in which they were receiving no benefits from DVD and ITunes sales. You can read more about the details of the writers strike here.
So with that said, the topic that I am going to be blogging about is something that I came across when watching TV Guide (I am currently at a funk with my cable so I have to tune in sometimes to see what will be on). On TV Guide they were discussing the strike for a brief minute, but then they mentioned how some shows are now showing 'webisodes' for their fans. For instance, Lost has created a 'webisode' that attempts to carry on where the writers left off. They want to keep their fan base strong by providing them with more information and not letting them down, which I think is a great PR move. The reason I chose to blog about this topic is because I think that it is a smart move for the production companies to try and make up for the strike by still staying connected with their viewers. The fans are at the mercy of the writers and it becomes really challenging for the networks, especially with February sweeps just around the corner. Creating the 'webisodes' is a good way to maintain good PR, but it also makes me wonder if networks will just start investing their time and money to the 'webisodes' instead of meeting the demands of the writers. The 'webisodes' are not full episodes but just provide viewers with a small taste, leaving them wanting more. It will be really interesting to see how the PR of television is handled and managed during this strike.

Everything is Miscellaneous

2007-11-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

The podcast that was posted for our reading was featured on Tech Nation podcast and interviewed David Weinberger on his book Everything is Miscellaneous. The thing that I loved most about the podcast was how he states that we are living in the day in age where the miscellaneous stuff is now important. He first compared the miscellaneous to something I think we could all relate to, that one kitchen drawer we have that is full of random crap that we all swear will serve us some purpose. But not to worry, he states that the unorganization of all the miscellaneous stuff does in fact serve a purpose...well at least in the Internet world. He states that any order reduces the meaning of material. Everyone has their own different meanings so it is impossible to just put one classification or assign one meaning to all the materials floating on the Internet. It is limiting to reduce the amount of information by ordering it, and in his opinion, 'digital disorder' is good. Furthermore, he goes on by describing to the audience what a 'metabusiness' is and how they obtain value. Value is added to information through a series of aggregating information. He makes a really good comparison by relating it to finding a flight on line. For instance, why limit yourself to just one airline and all of their flights availability when you can go to a place like Orbitz and pick from a selection of airlines and flight schedules. The internet allows for companies to aggregate the aggregating information, which in turn adds informational value to the business.
In addition, Weinberger also discusses how the Wikipedia is in fact a reliable source of information because of the fact that it is current and it covers a wider range of topics than let's say a Britannica would. He states that the Wikipedia also gives a perspective insight as to the human interest because of all the millions of different categories and topics that are on there. What really seemed to grab my attention though was when Dr. Moira Gunn was talking about how she was able to find her name on Wikipedia one day and then the next day it was gone. She then did a search on her co-host and found that he had a more 'PR' professional looking page. That got me to thinking how people can actually put their names on Wikipedia as a PR tool. I always assumed that the Wikipedia just covered objects, events, history, etc. I didn't really think about how it could be used as a PR application for companies.

The Game Has Changed

2007-11-07T15:47:00.000-06:00

After touching briefly on P.Diddy using YouTube as a search engine to find his new assistant, I was shocked to read that colleges are now doing the same. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that companies are utilizing the new social media as a way to recruit their employers. It is a great tool for the companies to use because they are ultimately able to reach a mass audience and receive feedback from people they were never able to reach before. However, in the article The Game Has Changed (found on Blackboard - sorry I didn't do a direct link to the article but I didn't want to risk you guys getting access into my account...if that makes sense :D), I was a little put off by the idea that colleges are now attempting to recruit individuals using the new social media. I don't like the idea that now we can 'no longer behave irresponsibly online without potential consequences towards our future.' I mean don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm out wrecking havoc on the internet, but it does kind of scare me to know that college professors and the admissions office of potential grad schools would be basing my admissions on my facebook or myspace account...yikes! I thought that the whole point of this new social media was so that we had an outlet to express our creativity and individuality without worrying about rules and regulations. I thought the reason the social media sites were such a success was because it gave people freedom to say and do what they wanted. I would hope that the colleges would know better than to turn to facebook and myspace for recruitment.
The idea that colleges will use your site to judge and evaluate your academic integrity seems to be wrong in my opinion. The information that I put on my blog and facebook account are intended for those that I allow to see my site, which are typically my friends. I would be interested to know exactly how these colleges were planning on recruiting individuals using the social media. For instance, if they decide to use undercover bloggers and create false facebook accounts, I think that would be deceitful and misleading. I don't think that people should be objective for interrogation if they never consented to it in the first place.

YouTube's greatest hits on Oprah!

2007-11-07T15:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's show on Oprah was dedicated solely to YouTube: YouTube's Greatest Hits. The founders of YouTube, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, sat down with Oprah in a rare appearance. They claim that they rarely do interviews because of their crazy schedule. When asked about their potential plans for the $1.6 billion business, they stated that there is "still so much we need to do to improve the product and kind of define this video market to provide opportunities for people around the world." I personally think this quote speaks wonders because it recognizes that the video market is something that needs to continually be worked on. The video market will have a strong presence in the market place and it is good to know that the founders of YouTube haven't cashed in on their profits and called it a day. They are really looking on expanding the video market, and I am curious to see all the new additions that they add.
In addition, all of the biggest YouTube hits were flown down to Chicago to make a special guest appearance on the show. One interesting interview that Oprah conducted was with legendary business mogul P.Diddy. Diddy decided to use YouTube as a means for finding a new assistant. He used YouTube as a form of recruitment, which I think is a new and interesting utilization of YouTube. Check out his search for a new assistant here. I have never heard of someone using YouTube as a means of searching for employees. P.Diddy said that the main reason he decided to broadcast his search for a new assistant over YouTube was because YouTube reaches millions of people, including those in 'Middle America.' He said that those who would normally never have the chance to even apply for the job or meet a celebrity because of their location and the financial burden of traveling to an interview could now get the opportunity. I think that it is great that he is recognizing that there are tons of people throughout the United States who are indeed qualified for the job, but just don't have the means of landing that interview in the first place. P.Diddy seemed to really utilize YouTube in a new way, and I am interested to see if using YouTube to search for potential employees or for interviews will slowly take over YouTube.
Another YouTube success was the winner of Britain's Got Talent, Paul Potts. In all honestly, Oprah should have warned viewers about what they were about to see because I literally got gossebumps after watching his video!! It is so moving...no wonder it got over 25 million hits! He was a shy cell phone salesman who was hesitant to even try out for the show, but finally decided to give it a chance after flipping a coin! I strongly suggest you view his video. Check it out here.
Lastly, it comes as no surprise that Oprah has decided to take over YouTube. On her show yesterday she announced that she will be featuring her own channel on YouTube for all to log onto. In my opinion, I don't even think that this is necessary for her because she is one of the few television shows who actually have people willing to tune in. Even though you can always go online to catch the favorite shows that you miss, I honestly don't think Oprah has the kind of audience that would even miss her show in the first place... we all just love her!

Going Viral

2007-10-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

In chapter ten of The New Influencers, Paul Gillin discusses the technique and effectiveness of viral marketing. B.L. Ochman created EthicsCrisis for SRF Global Translations, which was an interactive site that allowed employees to confess their deepest and darkest work secrets. As we have discussed previously in class, the reason that this website was able to become such a hit was because of the power of word of mouth. Interestingly enough, the author states that 'if each person tells five friends and those five friends, in turn, tell five more friends, more than one million people will have beard the news after only twelve tellings' (pg. 180). This section illustrated just how fast and powerful word of mouth can be on the Internet, and why most companies are now looking to viral marketing to get the word out. Gillin mentions many successful campaigns that have relied on viral marketing, such as Budget Rent-A-Car's 'Up Your Budget', Burger Kings' 'Subservient Chicken', General Motors' 'Chevyapprentice.com', and my personal favorite, USA Network's 'Showusyourcharacter.com'. More importantly, Gillin states that the driving forces that have caused marketers to become interested in this new form of marketing are as follows:

1. Declining response rates (boo for click-throughs)
2. Technology developments (welcome to the world of Web 2.0)
3. Demographic shifts (younger consumers are less interested in traditional media)
4. Customer preference (people trust people...not marketers)
5. Low cost (cha-ching!)

However, we need not to forget that viral marketing is not necessarily suitable for everyone. When you begin to push your product on people aggressively, people will become turned off by it, and most likely spread the word to others about how annoying the marketing was. In order to gain success in the viral marketing medium, it is important to consider the following:

1. The product best be good
2. Make the campaign intriguing and innovative (get people to create their own ads!)
3. Don't push it (enough said...)
4. Reward people for coming (incentives are always a plus!)
5. Let go (don't try and control your campaign once you've aired it...it's out of your hands)
6. Use the medium (contact influential bloggers)

The best marketing technique that seems to always catch my eye is viral marketing. I personally like it because it gives me the choice to choose whether or not I want to become marketed to- I am not being constantly swarmed by advertisements. In addition, I think that NightAgency best exemplifies the techniques that marketers should me exemplifying, which is thinking outside the box. They incorporate viral marketing in their campaigns because they know that it has the ability to reach the masses and be effective. More importantly, they use 'guerilla marketing' as part of their marketing technique. They come up with these crazy and smart tactics that 'generate chatter by inserting brands and concepts into people's say-to-day lives' (pg. 191). They understand that it is all about getting your audience to interact with you, because doing so generates a buzz of interest and loyalty. Overall, I think that this chapter was very insightful on why companies should really consider incorporating viral marketing into their marketing budget.....not to mention how cheap it is to do so anyways! :D

Another New Citizen PODCAST :D

2007-10-25T11:18:00.000-05:00

Check it out! Another New Citizen is a podcast that was created by Cameron Brooks, Andrew May, Blair Toungate, and yours truly!

When Work Becomes a Game

2007-10-23T14:36:00.000-05:00

So after writing my last blog about Second Life, I was actually quite shocked to come across this article when I was browsing my BBC newsfeed. I guess that the virtual world really is making it's presence in the work place, but now companies are trying to implement the 'game-like' aspect of these virtual worlds into the workplace. And why might you ask..? Well according to the article When Work Becomes a Game, the average gamer is 33, and has at least ten years of experience under their belt. With that said, companies are realizing that these people are bringing their leadership and aggressive manners into the workplace, which can be a good thing if refined properly. Experience in these virtual worlds has ultimately taught the gamers how to be aggressive and stay on top of their game. They have a winner-take-all attitude and know the skills that it takes to win the rewards and rise in rank. For instance, the article mentions how:

Convinced that games can help them thrive, some companies have turned work groups into
guilds, rewarded staff with experience points when they complete tasks, giving out titles and
badges when a guild finished a project and portraying objectives as quests.

Companies are realizing that people who are familiar with the games can bring a competitive element to the work place, and can influence other employers to stay on top of their game. It also mentioned how some companies were considering creating a virtual 'currency', which would allow employers to buy things, such as things for their office space. I personally don't think that a virtual currency is such a great idea because it instills a different sense of competitiveness in which people are ultimately fighting for more money- I just think that too many people would complain about how unfair the policies are regarding who gets awarded money for what, and that would just create a negative working environment. I think that it will be interesting to see just how far business will implement the virtual gaming world into their companies!! :D

Second Life

2007-10-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

Today Professor Martinez came to our class to teach us a little about Second Life, and I must admit, I found it to be quite bazaar! I think it is really weird how a virtual world has had the ability to make people into millionaires, nonetheless, how it has been able to revenue something near 15 million dollars a month! For recreational reasons, I do not see why people would want to spend their time and money on goods and services that are not physically tangible. For instance, why would I waste money on clothes at Second Life when I can use the money to buy real clothes for myself? However, I do think that there are a lot of PR advantages for using Second Life. I think from a business and educational point of view, investing money in Second Life would be profitable. For instance, we talked about the Text 100 PR company in class and why they decided to make their presence in Second Life. Upon doing further research, I came across an article that went into more detail about Text 100's reasons for going into Second Life. I think that the reasons they described for joining are reasons that all companies should consider when debating whether or not to take that bold first move into the new social media. One reason companies should consider making a social presence into Second Life is the ability that it has for companies to educated and train their employees on new market and product ideas. Secondly, Second Life has enabled Text 100 to hold global conference meetings, something that will be beneficial to them when trying to collaborate with their offices located all over the world. In addition, Second Life has been a virtual platform for Text 100 to receive valuable and useful feedback from their customers. In my opinion, I think that Second Life is an effective form of PR because of the demographic that it is reaching. I have learned in class just how powerful and persuasive Social Media is and will continue to be for companies. With that said, users of Second Life are internet savy and most likely understand the influential power that the internet has on consumer's interest and purchasing decisions. Moreover, I think that it is great how Second Life is creating a new learning platform for schools and institutions. Professor Martinez is using Second Life as a virtual classroom, and the best thing about that is that she will have the ability to access a lot more information and tools than she would be able to normally. She can take her students on a guided tour of all the organizations that have set up in Second Life, which is a great way to illustrate how organizational communication is used in companies. I think that for PR and teaching purposes, Second Life is a great tool that people should utilize. However, I wonder if this will soon replace our normal interaction with each other and how that will in turn effect our communication. I guess we will have to wait and see where this virtual world will take us! :D

Thinking Green becomes Nobel

2007-10-16T13:32:00.001-05:00

Al Gore, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in bringing forth the 'global warming' issues into the spotlight. Gore has been notorious in his campaign for getting the message out about the dangers that our environment is facing due to global warming, as seen in his film An Inconvenient Truth. Gore said that he will be using his notoriety from the award for good by promoting the issues that caused him to support the documentary in the first place. Not to mention that he plans on donating $1.5 million to The Alliance for Climate Protection. Gore is warning the public of the dangers that is going to come from the climate change. States and countries have already experienced drastic changes that have resulted in such disasters as floods, which ultimately leads to a shortage of clean water. Although he did receive congratulatory support from the White House, Bush is still taking his stance on the global issues and not changing his policies- which has done little to alleviate our current global warming crisis. In agreement to Ayysita, I think that Bush has only contributed to the global warming policies by enacting laws that benefit his supporters- the oil companies. I think that what Gore is doing is 'Noble' in the sense that he is ultimately bringing awareness to the public about the environmental issues that are deeply affecting their standards of living. I think that most people fail to realize how much danger our Earth is actually in, and I think that awarding Gore the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmentally friendly efforts is great!
The article also mentioned how there has been some criticism this week from a British judge who found nine 'significant errors' in the information presented in the documentary (Times Online). For instance, it was noted that:

The drying of Lake Chad, the loss of Mount Kilimanjaro’s snows and Hurricane Katrina were all blamed by Mr Gore on climate change but the judge said the scientific community had been unable to find evidence to prove there was a direct link.The drying of Lake Chad, the judge said, was “far more likely to result from other factors, such as population increase and overgrazing, and regional climate variability”. The melting of snow on Mt Kilimanjaro was “mainly attributable to human-induced climate change”.

There has been talk of showing this documentary film in all schools as an educational piece, which I think is a great idea. The nine 'errors' that the judge sited were reasons why some argue that the film should not be shown at all school across the country. I think that people are missing the bigger picture here, which is also the main focus of the film. There is an environmental crisis and people need to be informed about it, especially at a young age. The only way people can change is first through knowledge. People need to understand what is going on before they can try and figure out a plan of action. I think that despite the nine 'errors' that were found in the documentary, the film should be a mandatory film for all students to see. Even though the judge cited nine questionable statements, he did support numerous other claims made by Gore in the film and seems to give an overall approval of the film.

Bloggers serving time

2007-10-16T11:36:00.000-05:00

In the article Report Highlights Blog censorship, BBC noted that bloggers are now just as subjective to censorship as traditional media journalist are. Bloggers are being denied their freedom to press when they're blogs are being under scrutiny from the government. It seems that the main reason for the crack-down on bloggers is due to the fact that 'governments realize the internet is now a key tool in promoting democracy' and that the blogs can be used by bloggers to help 'curb' the democracy in which they are against. The government's of these countries, such as China, fear that the blogs are a platform for their citizens to speak against their government. In my opinion, censorship of blogs is crossing the line of the freedom of expression and freedom of the press that journalists have. Now whether or not we are to consider bloggers as actually journalist is something that needs to be more defined and established by the governments. It seems a little absurd that people are having to serve time for merely speaking their mind. Blogs were ultimately created to serve as a platform for people to get their voices out, and the government should not view it as a threat. If people are using their blogs to curb the government, then maybe the governments need to reevaluate their system and the problems that the protesters have with it. I mean let's be honest, not everyone is going to support their government, and people have the right to speak out against it. Many journalists are being imprisoned...and for what...something that the Constitution gives us protection over..? Or at least in the United States that is. Maybe that is the reason that I am having a hard time understanding how the government has the right to imprison bloggers for posting their comments for the world to see. In the United States we are granted the freedom of expression and the freedom of press. More importantly, I think another issue to be brought up is what is considered press. Is blogging considered a form of press, or is it merely just a platform to express opinions.
More notably, an Egyptian blogger named Abdel Kareem Soliman was sentenced to serve his time in jail for four years for merely speaking against al-Azhar University. Since when were students not allowed to voice their complaints when they feel that they're education system is doing them wrong? He accused the Institution of suppressing free thought...and now I am beginning to see where he got that idea from. He called the university the "university of terrorism', which can be harsh, but not as harsh as the sentence he received. He also called the President of the University a dictator, which actually resulted in an other year being added on to his sentence. Abdel's case was the first time that blogger had been prosecuted in Egypt. It seems absurd that a student would be jailed for speaking against the president of their university. I think that there should be some type of protection granted to bloggers, especially since the blog-0-sphere is not government regulated. It is a free space for people to voice their opinions, and since it is not regulated by the government, why should the government try and control it?

Tell me something I didn't know...

2007-10-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

An article that I came across on BBC News seemed to reveal the obvious of all obvious statements: Google dominates world search. Of the total worldwide searches of 61 billion, Google accounted for 37 billion of those searches. Even though I know Google is the go-to of all search engines, I didn't really realize that it was the go-to for other countries. I found it shocking that China's search engine, Baidu.com, came in third, with a pathetic tally of only 3.2 billion. Even more surprising is the fact that the study revealed that most of the search-engine browsing did in fact occur in the Asia-Pacific region. Baidu.com is a Chinese-language search engine designed to be the Google of China- so why are people going to Google instead? It is undeniable how much information Google can provide their users with, I think the numbers speak for themselves. In addition, the article also revealed that eBay had more search engine hits than Lycos and Ask, which to me is quite odd since eBay is nothing more than a website where you can buy and sell your junk.
In a related article, Pursuing Needles in a Digital Haystack, the writer discusses how all search engines offer the same features that Google does, so why the 30 billion difference in searches? Easy. The logo says it all. According to the article, Google is used more because it is a trusted logo, a brand with credibility. The other search engines have tried to add new features and applications in hopes of appealing to the masses, but with a name like Google, they are finding it to be easier said than done. The article discusses the different strides that each search engine is making to stay in the race. So what exactly are they doing...? Let's take a look!

Yahoo has been able to attract as many visitors as they have mainly due to their features of Flicker and their role in mobile search. As noted, Yahoo has done "a deal with Spain's Telefonica to become the main search engine on its networks in Europe and Latin America" By putting their efforts on other countries besides the US, Yahoo has been able to attract a new demographic of users that could ultimately help them in claiming a bigger piece of the pie.
And what about Microsoft? Well they have decided that to gain that extra edge in the search engine world, they should stick to choosing to focus on what has worked best for them. They are working and refining the four main areas of their search engines that are most used- entertainment, health, maps, and shopping. In my opinion, it's a smart move to work on what has been proven to work for you in the past- but will that really be enough?
Ask is attempting to stay in the race by embracing the impact of social media. By collaborating with Bloglines, Ask has created a feature that allows for its users to 'search and track blogs'. I think that this is a great way for Ask to stay in the market, even though I am currently a Google blogger member. I think that if Ask wants to gain an advantage in the blogging world, they need to do some kind of PR because I didn't even know they had a blogging feature.
Well you gotta give them all an A for effort, but let's face it, the search engines need to focus more on building brand loyalty instead of new features and applications if they really want to stay in the game.

To Blog or Not to Blog...?

2007-10-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

In Chapter 5 of The New Influencers, author Paul Gillin answers the questions that are corporations are asking...do we dare blog? Although there are many pros and cons of starting a corporate blog, Gillin notes that corporations should only start a blog if there is a goal in mind. With that said, he notes that the four main reasons corporations should consider starting a blog are as follows:
1. Tell your story: Blogs should be used as a medium for corporations to tell their side of the story, as was noted in the GM example mentioned previously in the chapter. Corporations should utilize the blogs as an alternative medium outlet and recognize that it is a platform for them to tell the public their rendition of what is really going down.
2. Tackle an issue: The blogs allow for corporations to address a controversial issue that is happening either within their company or in society. Blogs enable the public to speak their mind to the corporations, which allows the company to respond head on to the crisis at hand. For instance, Gillin mentions the blog of Benetton Talk, a company who goes beyond blogging about company issues. Benneton uses their blog to discuss a variety of topics that range from AIDS to global warming. If corporations decide to start a blog to address an issue, they should really illustrate their willingness to discuss that issue as well as their plans in tackling it.
3. Feed a frenzy: Starting a blog is beneficial to those corporations who have a strong fan base. The blogs allow for the company to speak to their customers on a large scale. Blogs allow for a two-way communication to exist between them and all of their supporters. This form of mass communication cuts down the hassle of companies trying to reach all their fans that are spread throughout the world.
4. Promote a product: I would agree with Gillin in saying that corporations who decide to blog to promote a product should proceed with caution. Bloggers can recognize a marketing gimmick and are looking for substance in corporate blogs. People don't need to be advertised to, and blogs that do such will make it even more easier for bloggers to disregard the credibility of that corporate blog.

Moreover, Backbone Media presented an article on corporate blogs that seemed to address the same issues that were discussed in Chapter 5 of The New Influencers. Gillin goes on to discuss that the driving factor behind the corporation's decision on whether or not to blog derives from the ROI. The article from Backbone Media summarizes the investment potential of corporations blogging by stating "...these companies are enjoying tangible returns in their blogging investment in the form of increased sales, partnerships, business opportunities, press coverage, and lead generation" The article also highlighted a point that Gillin makes as well: investing in blogs allows for corporations to establish a personal connection with their audience. In my opinion, this is the most valuable tool that comes from investing in a corporate blog. Corporations can communicate with their audience about the pros and cons of their products and services, and can make changes accordingly. So after all the reading on corporate blogs I have come up with the best answer to thy question...blog baby blog... :D

i heart facebook

2007-10-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

So thanks to one of our fellow bloggers, I was able to find this post that Mark Zuckerburg, creator of Facebook, posted. Zuckerburg basically posts an apology to Facebook users for the lack of privacy controls featured on the news feeds and mini feeds. I admit that I was definitely quick to jump the gun and join the 'I hate the news feed group' facebook. I was so not about the idea of facebook posting when people 'recently broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend' because the minute it does that's when all the posts come snow-balling in from friends wanting to know what happened...as if they break up wasn't bad enough. I thought that his apology on his blog was actually a great PR move because he was able to acknowledge that there was a problem with the privacy settings and was working on a new application. I thought it was great that Zuckerburg thanked the people for joining these hate groups because he said that through those groups he was able to really see what was wrong with the application. I think that this is a good example of how The Power of One can effect a company and their consumers. The one who started the group was able to get others to join and to get their voices heard. It was a platform for people to vent about what was wrong with the news feeds and mini feeds. Moreover, he acknowledged how useful these groups were to his decision to restructure the applications, and he even thanked people for protesting. In my last post I discussed how Jackie Huba addressed the importance of companies accepting the new social media, more specifically blogs, because it allows for problems to be addressed. The facebook example illustrates how social media (social networking) can allow customers to confront companies with the issues that they are having.
In addition, Zuckerburg also mentions links readers to his new group Free Flow of Information on the Internet. This group basically sums up what he is trying to do with the new applications of Facebook, which is to help people share information with the people that they are trying to share information with. This group exemplifies how important it is that customers remain active in the social media. The group states that 'the free flow of information is important because many times corporations or governments try to control this flow and that impedes good communication between people.' Cheers to that!!

The Power of One

2007-10-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

So one of the authors from Citizen Marketers, Jackie Huba, graced us with her presence in class last weekend and I must admit that I found the lecture to be so intriguing. Usually book writers are stuffy and boring, but I found her insight to be so interesting and she really got me to consider the role of social media in my future. Out of lack of knowledge, I think I have been in denial about how important social media will be in my future as a prospective marketer/advertiser, because let's face it, I am not too into the whole blogging atmosphere. One interesting point that Jackie made was her response to my question in that she believes citizen marketers will one day become their own industry. I really think that this aspect is being overlooked by the companies who are hesitant to take that brave leap into the social media world and learn how to interact with their consumers using unfamiliar methods, such as blogging and news feeds. I think one of the key points that she mentioned in her lecture was the importance that social media plays because of it's ability for companies to really listen to their consumers. The interactiveness of this new media allows for consumers to speak their minds, which is a terrifying thought for companies. Moreover, I have always supported the policy of someone telling me a problem that they have with me to my face instead of behind my back, which is something Jackie touched on. Incorporating social media in the workplace allows for problems to be brought to the companies attention right then and there, which I think will be ultimately useful for them for it allows them to correct their mistakes immediately.
In addition, in Chapter Six, The Power of One, Jacki mentions the Neistat brother's iPod example. After reading the example, I admit that I You-tubed it and found the 'iPod's Dirrty Secret' to be an effective form of protest. Why you may ask..? Simple: the Neistat brothers were able to create a 'meme', in which Huba describes as a cultural transmitter that distinguishes and idea from the billions of others that float in the primordial soup of daily human existence (pg. 123). What made the video a hit was that it was accepted (assimilated) and spread (transmission) throughout the internet, it was a memorable campaign (retention), and it was unique in it's form of expression. The iPod example, along with Huba's lecture, made me realize that power really can subside in just one customer, which is something I think major companies overlook. I was always hesitant to blog about anything because I honestly figured that no one would read it or even care what I had to say, therefore making it pointless. However, this chapter really made me recognize that I have more power than I thought, and that I have the potential to do some good or some bad with that power. I think I am going to go with the good though. Maybe I'll open up my own marketing company and hire all citizen marketers to be my employees...but they'll probably have more power than me...so maybe I will just stick with a few :D

XO Laptop

2007-09-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization is currently in the testing phase for launching their $100 laptop, and hopes to go into mass production in October. The OLPC is trying to produce low-cost laptops, the XO, for children in the developing world, hoping that doing so would give children a tool to connect with the rest of the world. I think that it is great that OLPC is attempting to give laptops to children in the developing world because they see it as an opportunity for them to 'explore, experiment, and express' themselves, and I couldn't agree more. I mean honestly, how great would it be if classrooms here were able to engage and interact with classrooms in the developing world? The BBC ran an article about how OLPC is considering an offer for the first two weeks of November that would allow us to buy two laptops for $400, one for ourself, and one to be sent to a child in the developing world. The "Get One Give One" would only be available through their website xogiving.org and only for two weeks so as to ensure that they meet their production demands. Upon doing further research within the BBC, I found that the XO laptop is powered by solar, foot pump, or pull string powered chargers, is waterproof, and has a 1GB flash memory. In spite of how great of an idea I think this is, I still have my doubts. I am wondering how great of quality the laptop is going to be, and if it will include internet access. In addition, the OLPC commented that they are going to try and get the price down to $100, which I think may be more of a challenge then anticipated.
Moreover, after going to visit the OLPC website, I found that they had their own wiki about the project and the stages of production. They is an open forum where people can add comments and ask questions about the process of the program. I thought the wiki would be loaded with all types of facts, but I failed to realize that this computer is still in progress and the only facts that can be presented about it are going to be slim. I think the wiki is a great PR move in the sense that since the laptop is still in production, it is a good way to inform the public about what has been done and is being done. Speaking of PR, I also think that it was a very smart move for OLPC to make it available for Americans for only two weeks. Laptops nowadays are so expensive, and the thought of having one for just two hundred dollars seems like a bargain!! As a college student, I don't know if that laptop is right for me, but I think that it would be a great teaching tool for elementary school children. The 'limited time offer' puts a lot of hype around the product, resulting in a higher demand. The fact that the laptop has so much PR and is still in the production stages illustrates how much of a success or failure this idea will be. In my opinion, I think that this will be great :D

IKEA's casa es su casa

2007-09-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

From a PR perspective, the point of the 'America at Home' campaign is to instill a sense of sincerity into the Ikea brand. IKEA's new slogan of 'home is the most important place in the world' places a new emphasis on where there company is headed. The America at Home page asks its users to download intimate moments that they experience with their family. The website is making use of video-blogging in the sense that they are asking users to create a picture diary of their family for a week. This interaction with consumers allows for IKEA to market themselves as a brand that truly cares about what's going on in the lives of their customers.
In relation to Brian Solis' blog, he notes that marketing is trying to change from a 'bullying and deceptive' image into more of a 'respectable and personalized' one. Asking consumers to tap into the emotions of their home illustrates how IKEA is shifting their marketing tactics to one that is more subtle and taps into the personal experiences that a person can have: experiences with their family.
I think that 'Home is the most important place in the world' theme is appropriate because according to Solis, marketers need to earn the right to join in on the conversations going on in the conversational market. The only way for a marketer to earn that right is to truly 'listen to the people and study the culture and sociology of their community'. Using such a personalized theme reflects how the company is attempting to get close with their consumers. The best way to get close to your customer is to get to know them and the things they value. There are only a few values that all Americans share with one another and can relate to, family being one of the most important. I think emphasizing your stance on a shared value is a strategic marketing move because it is making a connection, and in my opinion, making a connection shows that you're listening.
The UK approach differs from the U.S. approach in that they are taking a similar approach to creating a more personalized campaign, but I think that they are still using a more 'bullying' approach. The UK's campaign of 'not going anywhere' seems to come off as a more of an aggressive request that they are asking their customers to make. They are asking people to 'take a stand' and go against the real estate market place and love their home for the value that it has. However, I think that the value of your home they are referring to is the value that your family adds to it (i.e. the memories). Even though the meaning is inferred, I think that a campaign that shows a sense of animosity towards another marketplace is still coming off as a little aggressive.

..With Liberty and Youtube for All....

2007-09-19T14:12:00.000-05:00

Chapter Four of The Citizen Marketer discusses how with the help of the tools of the internet, everyone has the ability to become their own publisher or broadcaster. Everyone now has a medium to express themselves for all to be heard, and it is easier to do so now than ever before. More importantly, the chapter discusses how MySpace and YouTube have become the phenomenon they are because of their ability to democratize the 'tools of self expression' (pg. 90).
I love how they referred to MySpace as the 'new mall' (pg.90) for teenagers because of how people can customize and style their page as if it were their wardrobe. The ironic thing about this to me is that I happen to really love expressing my creativity through my sense of style, but MySpace drives me nuts! I think that it is extremely overwhelming and that it takes too much time and effort to get your space to look like you want it to (which explains why I never sign on and only have three friends- LOL).
In relation to PR in the real world, I thought that this chapter made a very important point when it outlined the 'six lessons of YouTube that are instructive for any organization considering creating its own democratized community' (pg. 92).The Six Lessons are as follows:

1. YouTube was designed and built with community as its founding principle.
2. YouTube made sharing content really easy.
3. YouTube was loaded with statistics.
4. YouTube encouraged its users to personalize their public
profile pages.
5. YouTube's user interface was restrained and simple.
6. YouTube's search functionality was better than Google's.

I think that the YouTube community can teach people an important lesson on how to successfully manage your own community because YouTube actually listens to their customers and is designed for the people by the people.YouTube kept things simple and easy, yet still gave people the creative freedom that they desired. Unlike other corporate businesses who are all about the dollar, YouTube was centered around the needs of the people. I think that this chapter made it evidently clear why YouTube has a strong user base and user loyalty. God Bless YouTube.

From YouTube to MTV

2007-09-18T14:16:00.001-05:00

So I can't help but notice how many people are cashing in on their success from YouTube. It all seemed to start with LonelyGirl 15, which documented the fictional character of Bree, played by Jessica Rose. LonelyGirl 15 documented her life through a series of video blogs on YouTube that soon gained the attention of many and made her an instant star. It was soon discovered that it was all a hoax, but not before Jessica was able to reach to stardom for her stint. Her YouTube diaries earned her the Biggest Web Hit Award for VH1's Big in '06 Awards. In more recent news, thanks to the use of my BBC social bookmark, I discovered a new YouTube dynamic duo making their way to the mainstream. It turns out that the spoof rap duo of Million Dollar Strong, featuring comedian Mike O'Connell and actor Ken Jeong, will star in an MTV comedy. I had never heard of this duo so I decided to watch their music video 'Whats it Gonna Be' on YouTube, I found it to be funny, but not turn-into-a-movie-on-MTV-funny. But then again, what made for MTV movies are all that funny anyways..? It seems that most frustrated and undiscovered actors have found a new medium to showcase their talents on, YouTube. I think that it is interesting that actors and actresses no longer see their agents as the only source to score them a movie deal. They have discovered the power of the everyday people, people who have different types of humor- lame, sarcastic, knee-slapping, vulgar, dry, or witty. It seems that YouTube audiences are all just looking for a good quick laugh, and up and coming actors seem to be taking note of this. I just think that it is a little odd that everyday people on YouTube have found a way to climb the ladder of fame simply by posting a quirky video. I think it is absolutely brilliant that actors have found a way to utilize the social media as a PR tool. I think that marketing yourself on YouTube can be beneficial if you are able to get it seen by a mass audience, which now a days doesn't seem to be all that hard.

The 1%

2007-09-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

I was honestly shocked at the data that was presented within Chapter 2 of The Citizen Marketers. I had always assumed that the contributors to the articles in Wikipedia and other communities were all contributed by paid employees. As naive as this sounds, I thought that a committee of professors, experts, and qualified officials regulated the information put on the site. However, this reading proved me wrong, and I learned that most contributors are 20-something year old, computer savy males. It is interesting that less than one percent of the sites' visitors actually contribute to the content. I think that it is a problem that only a minority of users are contributing to the community sites that they visit, and I think that sites should follow the example of Discovery Education. In order to gain access into the site and the materials, one has to submit a piece of content. I think that it's a good idea for sites to require people to contribute content to gain access, even if it is just a little bit of information.
Moreover, I agreed with the statement that 'building a solid core of early adopting volunteers or contributors is critical to creating a successful community-driven Web site' (pg. 38). I think that web-sites need to focus on getting committed and consistent contributors to provide information and feedback to their site if they want to expand their network. With that said, that got me to thinking about a point that was brought up later in the chapter: Should the 1 Percenters be paid for their contributors? The funny thing is, my first reaction was: Without a doubt! However, after reading, I couldn't agree with them more that contributing information is a hobby for these people, and getting paid for it would only take away from the fun (not to mention the salary would barely cover my rent! :P ) If you paid me to do something that I truly love to do, it would seem like a bonus at first, but then it would soon seem to take the form of a job, and expectations and stress would shortly come into the picture.
At first I was a little disappointed to find out that only 1 % of people contribute to content, but then read that the one percent amounts up to about 48 million people. It was a little more comforting to see that number over the one percent because it makes you wonder whether or not the material you are reading is accurate.

Facebook

2007-09-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

In the latest headlines for BBC, an article that came across my interest was one titled "Facebook Costs Business Dear". The article discusses how business are apparently losing money for their employees who are using Facebook and Myspace as a tool for social networking. In addition, the Sydney Herald posted a similar story that claimed businesses in Australia were losing about $5 billion a year because of the time their employees spend on Facebook. I thought it was interesting that they noted if each employee spends just an hour a day on Facebook, which let's admit, we all do, then it costs the company $6200 a year!
In all honesty, I think that the businesses are wrong in the sense that I do not see using Facebook as a loss. People are spending time at work instead of time at home for social networking, which businesses see as a problem. However, I feel that the businesses fail to realize the potential benefits that Facebook can bring to their social network. Most Facebook users are students, and I feel that the businesses are run by an older generation who is not familiar with just how resourceful the network really is. I don't think that they are looking past the dollar signs at the bigger picture. Facebook does offer a variety of tools for users to use that are beneficial to the companies, such as Online Office, To-Do, a Calendar, and more importantly Groupware. The ReadWriteWeb blog notes that using Facebook at work is beneficial because people are able to create groups, and groupware allows for networks to be built and connections to be maintained.
I think that it is inevitable that young adults are still going to use Facebook as a means for social networking, especially when they are getting into the work sector. I think it's absurd that so much money is being lost because of this, but I also wonder what exactly they're basing this number on. So, what do you guys think... should companies limit the time their employees spend on Facebook?