Just how important is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn,a business oriented wedsite aimed at professionals is very popular in Ireland. Started in December 2002, it has grown to have 472,687 irish users. (Irish Social Media Statistics). How can it work for you? As LinkedIn is basically a huge big database of professional people it can be used as a "get in touch" website as the searches can be more specific - you are searching within a specific demographic unlike Facebook etc that can have a broad reach. It can be used to get information and help from the exact people you need to talk to - the ones with the expertise in their chosen fields, so you can join a group or discussion board and get all the help you need. You can use it as your online CV. Remember - empoyers check these websites BEFORE they hire you for that full time position. Here are some basic dos & don't 1. DONT put up that cool picture of you at the PR ball last year with a pint in your hand. Ideally, it should be a corporate shot with the logo of your present employer in the background. KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL - facebook can be used for social chats. Keep you CV updated with the lingo from your chosen field - ie it's better to say I'm an expert in java script, coding etc than say your a computer programmer.. Dont be afraid to approach people - thats what its there for, ask for that meeting or to keep you in mind if a job comes up. www.linkedin.com Lorra

How to keep up?

With the never ending development of all things online and social media I find it really hard to keep up with all the new sites and apps. Here are two that I think are worth a look:

Sanebox and Rebel Mouse.

Sanebox basically takes your inbox in hand and files all your non important emails into their sanebox file. The really cool thing about it is you can train the software to re-file emails into your main inbox if you think they are important enough.

Rebel mouse is a personal website that you can set up but that can link all your social network sites onto it. You then have
control over what goes where in one easy site, personalised to you.

It's hard to keep up with everything, but these are two I find helpful.

www.sanebox.com
www.rebelmouse.com

Lorra

Space Tweets & Public Relations

These two subjects would normally not have much in common, but since Commander Hadfield has started tweeting from his space station we have an insight into life as an astronaut. Commander Hadfield is the flight engineer on expedition 34, aboard the ISS. He is giving a lesson in Public relations as he responds to a lot of tweets and not just the geeky ones either. A father, on behalf of his 5 year old daughter asks: what does she need to do to become an astronaut? His reply: "To be an astronaunt you have to be healthy (eat your greens and exercise), smart (do your homework) and trustworthy (do your jobs well). Then you get the suit and the rocket."In this crazy world of celebrity and the "having it all" lifestyle it's quite refreshing to me to read a guy who has worked hard and smart to get where he is and is using social media in a way thats new to all of us. Remember, the rocket that flew to the moon in the 1960s had less memory than your smart phone you're probably reading this from now. What a way to get children interested in space - a true public relations success! To read more from Commander Hadfield & see some really cool pictures of the earth check him out @Cmdr_Hadfield.Lorra

Are we breaking the rules?

In this 21st century of social media, data controllers and data processors, it is hard to keep up to date with  all the new legal developments and requirements that you should know. One of the more important new legal requirements is the Data Protection Regulations 2011. The Data Protection Commission report on Facebook's re-audit from September 2012 can be found here

According to themarketingshop.ie there are certain things as a business or PR professional that you cannot do anymore. Here they are:

* You cannot ask people to "like & share" to enter a competition, apart form the fact that you are spamming all your Facebook friends, you cannot as a business or contestant participate in a "fair competition" because of privacy restrictions.
* The "like" button, the share function, the option to upload photos or comment on a post are not permitted by Facebookto be used for promotional purposes.

* Acknowledgements that the promotion is not "sponsored by, endorsed by, administered by or supported by Facebook" i.e. you are required to completely release Facebook from any association with your promotion. You are also required to advise exactly who any information provided is being released to and whta you intend using it for.

 *Third party applications - starting from free and available widely across the web or customised to suit, these are the ONLY way you can run a promotion on your Facebook page.

* Lottery Competitions - I'm always astonished at the number of pages that think it's approriate to ask people to "like & share" a photo of a lottery ticket in order that they should win the main prize, they can claim a share of it. Quite apart from the fact that "like & share" competitions are not permitted on Facebook, gaming legislation and licences are in place for a reason and apply to the online world just as it does to the offline line world. This is one that will make for an interesting court case should anybody ever win and should be avoided at all costs.

* Interestingly, you are also not permitted to announce a winner in a Facebook status update, via a message to their inbox, or using the chat function within an account.

(Not a full list - check the report above for further details).

So, as Facebook is trying to adhere to these new regulations, Twitter and all the other social platforms that are being used as advertising tools for big & small business will surely have to follow.

Lorra

Has social media gone a step too far?

According to Ralph Reigel of The Herald, a senior judge has warned that the court system is now being plagued by social media.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain warned a Circuit Criminal Court jury to stay off the internet and away from social media sites at the opening of an indecent assault trial.
You can read the full article here.

I don't know if I could stay off all social media sites for the duration of a criminal trial. Even to pick up your emails there is a possibility that you will see something you shouldn't in relation to the trial.
Have we taken social media to a new level? Has social media become more important than physical contact with our friends/neighbours? Do we put too much effort into our "social media selves" as opposed to our real selves?

Could we see something on a social media site like Facebook that would genuinely change our minds on how to vote at a trial?

According to the 2012 Neilsen Report, there is a mix of emotions associated with the use of social media. Initially it was thought that there was positive emotions in using social media but on further investigation it showed a number of negative emotions like jealousy, anger and sadness. It also showed that the negative emotions outweigh the positive emotions in both weight and occurrence.

Maybe, Judge Sean O Donnabhain was correct in what he directed the jury to do. In a very emotive case it is prudent to keep the jury away from all social media as negativity rules.

Bring back sequestering I hear you say!!

Are you a "Two Screener"?

I know I am & I love it.

My two main "two screener" programmes are The Late Late Show (I know) and Vincent Browne.

But what exactly is "two screening"?

According to Gavan Reilly "it is a new online phenomenon whereby you use a laptop or smartphone while watching a TV show and commenting on the content on sites such as Twitter".

A survey from SKY has revealed that almost 50% of adults use another device while watching TV to discuss the contents of the show they are watching. Although, in the same survey 70% said they would  use Facebook to discuss what they're watching, with nearly half of all surveyed said they regularly send text messages to discuss their programme of choice.

With the increase in ownership of tablets (half of all homes expected to buy a tablet device by 2013) is this going to make a difference to how the traditional media is going to use the new online media as a means of growing their audience and ultimately their bottom line?

With developments last week of the Anglo Bank debt deal, there was a frenzy on twitter (#vinb) only adding to the general excitement and possibly lending to the viewing numbers of the show.

The traditional media has not really utilised this type of social behaviour as yet. I think that sometimes the comments on the show you are watching can often be more entertaining than the show itself - just check out #lls or #latelate some Friday night!

But can the PR professional use these new behaviours to their benefit?

I think that you can develop your chosen brand by embracing this new phenomenon. You can truly build familiarity and raise awareness of your brand in the consciousness of your followers, along with other online media.You can start a conversation with your public, which will be an  interactive one and it could be argued building brand loyalty as you go.Also, as the industry moves from 9am -5pm, what better way is there to communicate with a large audience at 9.30pm on a Friday night and not have to pay for advertising?

Two Screening can be fun too - just try it!

Lorra

Tweet Tweet

Twitter - How important is it?

With the recent news that Twitter was hacked, the "sophisticated"
hackers may have gained access to 250,000 of the 200 million user details, you have to wonder should we be concerned?

There was widespread media coverage but there did not seem to be the same public disquiet as there was when other sites were hacked. Maybe this is due to the fact that everything on Twitter is for public consumption anyway?

Both  The New York Times & The Wall Street Journal who were hacked recently have reported that their computers had been hacked by "China-based hackers" who were likely to monitor media coverage that the Chinese government deemed important. (RTE News)

There may be questions asked if these are linked, as your twitter account has your email address attached.

Twitter is now so important that the hacking of a relatively small number of users has made headlines.Check out the full blog here.  Twitter Blog

Personally, from the amount of coverage that the hacking received, I think it's only fair to say that Twitter IS really important - for the moment at least!

Lorra