PR Ethics in the Social Media Era: 3 Tips to Remember

Kelli Brignac

Brian Williams “misremembered” being a passenger on a military helicopter that was shot down 12 years ago. Justine Sacco, a PR practitioner, sent a tweet on her way to South Africa that started as a joke and turned into the end of her career as she knew it. Although you may have forgotten about her by now, there are hundreds of stories just like these of people who made poor decisions and paid dearly for them.

In the days of social media, public shaming is more prevalent than it has been for the past 200 years, since criminals found themselves in stocks in town squares. I recently read an interesting article on the subject in the New York Times. Of course, the article made me think of myself – a young PR practitioner. While I generally try to put more thought into tweets, Facebook status updates or Instagram posts, Sacco’s situation could really sneak up on any of us given that there is little context in social media.

It also brought me to consider the code of ethics that we as PR professionals follow. (Yes, good PR people ARE ethical!) Below are a few key things to remember. If you want to learn more about our code of ethics, check it out on the Public Relations Society of America’s website here.

Be honest.

This seems to go without saying, but don’t lie. Don’t lie about anything. When I think about Brian Williams’ situation, I can only think about how little it matters in the grand scheme of things whether he was in a helicopter that got shot down. He can report on the conflicts in the Middle East just as effectively if he wasn’t in that helicopter.

Photo Courtesy to Flickr User JoTo PR

Beyond blatant lies, there are plenty of ethical issues involved with not “technically” lying, either. For example, a business may want to have its employees write good reviews online to counteract bad reviews. As a PR professional, I have advised against this very thing. It’s dishonest to have these people go out and pretend they’re unbiased and have no financial interest in the success of the business, even if they are technically customers. Does that mean that employees can never write online reviews? No. But it does mean they should fully disclose their employment status with the company when they do it.

Would you want your grandmother or your biggest critic to know?

At just about every school assembly, my high school principal used to remind us that “integrity means doing the right thing when no one is looking.” When you’re presented with a dilemma, ask yourself what you’d think if someone else found out. Would my grandmother like if I did this? Even more importantly sometimes, would my biggest critic look kindly on it?

When considering a course of action I’m unsure of, I’ve often brought it to friends, co-workers or other trusted sources. This goes for the text of an email I’m sending or even the advice I’m presenting to a client. That second set of eyes has been quite valuable to me in my career.

When in doubt, don’t.   

If you’re on the verge of sending a tweet that makes you think for even a second that it may not be well received, don’t send it. I’m sure the Kenneth Cole staff that approved the #Cairo tweet during the unrest in Egypt a few years ago would have given anything to take it back. But on the Internet, nothing can ever truly go away.

Got any ethical dilemmas or considerations you’ve experienced in life or at work? Leave them in the comments!

5 Reasons to Make Videos Your New Facebook Norm

Sarah Lichterman

If you manage Facebook for a business, I suggest you jump on the video bandwagon and add “lights, camera, ACTION!” to your vocabulary. The latest news in the highly competitive world of social media platform popularity is that Facebook recently changed their algorithms (shocking news, right?) to make video marketing a priority.

Currently, I manage seven different business pages for clients and monitor several more. That being said, I am on social media a lot. In the past few months, I have noticed – and enjoyed – the increase in native Facebook videos on my newsfeed. A “native” Facebook video is one that is uploaded directly from a camera to a Facebook post instead of shared on Facebook through another source such as YouTube or Instagram. Curious about this phenomenon, I did some research. Below are the top five reasons - in order of importance from my personal preference - on why companies should incorporate native Facebook videos into their social media strategy.

1. Proven results. Socialbakers, one of the world’s largest social media management and analytics companies, determined that video posts have a larger organic reach than any other type of posts. They found that out of 670,000 posts by 4,445 brand pages, video posts had an organic reach of 8.71 percent, while text-only posts had 5.77 percent, followed by link posts with 5.29 percent and photo posts with 3.73 percent. With Facebook algorithms changing often, it’s vital to diversify your business’ page with posts that offer high organic reach to ensure online visibility.
2. Auto-play is hard to avoid. When you post a video directly through the Facebook video tool, it will automatically play (sans sound) when viewed in a newsfeed. Not only are more people likely to pause and watch the video, but it also increases post engagement. In the first quarter of the auto-play feature being enabled, native video plays on Facebook increased by 134 percent with a 58 percent increase in engagement (while YouTube and others saw no change), according to Contently.
3. Tell the story of your message easier. Which are you more likely to remember – a 250-word Facebook post or a 20-second video? You can only say so much in the text of a Facebook post, making it hard to tie your brand story to a specific message. However with video, you have the ability to tie your brand messaging (logo, colors, etc.) into the specific idea you want to promote through the use of sound and images.
4. Build your brand personality. Highlighting various aspects of your company through video is an excellent way to show off the personality of your brand. If you are proud of your company’s culture, showcase it by featuring employees at work, going behind the scenes of your facilities or showcasing customer testimonials.
5. Boosted video posts = name-your-own-price for an online commercial. Through the Facebook Ad feature, you can boost native Facebook videos to specific target audiences. This is helpful for small businesses that don’t have the budget for traditional TV advertising or don’t want to commit to a digital advertising plan. In addition, you can start and stop a Facebook Ad and check its progress using the analytics tool as often as you’d like. 

Now that you have been convinced to incorporate videos into your social media plan, the next step is to decide what type of videos to create. Take advantage of the increased organic reach and engagement by making your videos entertaining and informative. For ideas on video content, check out this article from Social Media Examiner on ways to best utilize native Facebook videos.

‘One size’ doesn’t always fit when it comes to social media

Chelsey Ross

At some point or another, almost every company wonders whether they should jump on the social media bandwagon. The answer is that you absolutely need to, but in our current digital age, the many forms of social media can be overwhelming. If you don’t have a strategy, social media efforts can be a waste of time, effort and sometimes money. There are many different social media platforms that all serve different functions and will show off your brand image differently. You don’t need to have every platform to have social media success, so choose which one best suits your company needs. 

1. Facebook: Facebook has 1 billion users and gives your company the ability to connect with customers through posting about your product or service; answering consumer questions; giving customers the ability to like and share your posts; and tagging you when they buy or use your product or service. You can also use Facebook to advertise. Side ads and sponsored posts can help your company increase sales and recognition of your brand while growing your audience. You can target ads to reach certain demographics, ensuring you reach the right audience for your brand. Facebook also offers businesses analytics to give companies a better understanding of their customers and advertising/marketing choices on the site. Facebook is beneficial for almost any type of business seeing as the demographics of Facebook range from young to older generation. However, organic visibility has greatly diminished for businesses; higher levels of exposure will only come in a paid format through this platform. 

2. Twitter: Twitter has 232 million users and allows your company to communicate with your audience with short messages of 140 characters or less. The more followers you have, the wider audience you will reach. Retweets are a beneficial feature of the site because even if people don’t follow you, they can see your tweets if their followers retweet your posts. Tweet information your audience wants to hear and are interested in, whether that be your website, blog or tips and tricks of your industry. Use relevant hashtags to also attract a bigger audience to your page. Similar to Facebook, you can target a specific audience through advertising using keywords, interests, geographic areas and more. You can also use analytics to measure your Twitter performance. 

3. Instagram: With more than 300 million users, Instagram offers a unique opportunity very different from that of Facebook and Twitter. Images are necessary for Instagram posts and can only be shared from the smart phone app. Tell your company’s story through imagery and connect the image with a post related to the picture. This platform works better for industries that are visual and can tell about their brand through compelling and visually pleasing images. Instagram also uses hashtags and can draw in a larger audience when you use them in your posts. It also gives an option to advertise through the platform. As users are scrolling through their feed, sponsored posts will appear between posts by the people they are following. Advertising through Instagram though is growing, but hasn’t been utilized by as many companies yet when compared to Facebook and Twitter. 

4. Pinterest: With 70 million users, Pinterest is a more unique platform. Pinterest allows you to connect links to images. Users then ‘pin’ the pictures and links that they have interest in, which are then shared with their followers. This is particularly useful for companies that engage their audiences with blog posts, product pages, reviews or specific engaging areas of the website. Pinterest is also visual, requiring images to get users to click on the links. Rather than posts, Pinterest has short sentence blurbs to describe each picture/link combination. When it comes to advertising, your company sponsors a post and Pinterest charges you only when people go to your website through the pin. You can also use analytics to track user engagement. 

5. Snapchat: A newer platform that businesses are starting to use is Snapchat. About 100 million users snap pictures monthly. Snapchat allows you to “snap” a picture or video and share it for three to 10 seconds. Then, it disappears after a user views it. This is a good platform to use if you have a very visual industry that will attract users who want to view your posts. Include the picture or video in your story, which allows all followers to see what is going on. Snapchat is a great way to increase brand recognition, particularly among a younger audience. It offers advertising, which appears as stories in your audiences’ feed. Snapchat is a way to show your brand’s personality, so take advantage of it!  

6. LinkedIn: With 230 million users, LinkedIn in is “Facebook for professionals.” LinkedIn is a way to share your professional development and achievements. Connect with your industry contacts on the site, as well as friends and family that can help you network. The site also offers job opportunities and areas to post things about your brand. There are also groups you can join, which can attract more professionals to link with you company and learn more about your brand. Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn also offers side advertisements and sponsored posts to help get more visibility for your company. 

7. YouTube: Although YouTube doesn’t immediately strike many as a way to promote your brand, videos increase a person’s knowledge of a product by 74 percent. Additionally, YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google! Videos can range from how-to tutorials to staff interviews to informative videos about your product or service. YouTube also offers advertisements as commercials that appear between videos when people are watching. Creating your own YouTube channel allows you to tap into the site’s ever-growing audience while putting your videos to work in other ways (like embedding into e-newsletters and cross-posting on other social media platforms). Analytics are available that can help you track views and demographics, as well. 

Think Before You Post

Kelli Brignac

I gave a presentation to a group of students at McNeese State University. The topic of my presentation was “social media and your personal PR plan.” I was speaking to a room full of students and professionals representing industries like engineering, accounting and marketing, among others. My goal wasn’t to scare the students, but we all felt it was important for them to know that while social media can be wonderful for both companies and individuals, it’s important to know what you’re doing and how to use it appropriately.

Below is an outline of the presentation I gave. Have questions? Leave them in the comments.

What is PR?

The “official definition of public relations, according to the Public Relations Society of America, is that “public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” That’s true, but it’s fancy and vague, too.

Let’s start with what PR is not. It’s not what Samantha Jones does on “Sex and the City.” It’s not what you see on “Mad Men.” It’s not a last-ditch effort when something bad happens. And it’s not a bunch of spin-doctors hawking terrible products. It is strategic. It’s varied. It’s about communication. And it can work for you.

• As you read through this blog post, consider three things:
• It’s about your reputation.
• It’s about relationships.
• Brands aren’t just for companies. They’re for people, too.

Photo Courtesy from Marina Elena

What’s considered “social media?”

Social media is really anything that connects you with someone else over the Internet. Examples include Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, YouTube, message boards (i.e. Reddit), Snapchat and Google+. Of course that list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a start.

How can your online activity affect you?

Consider the girl who got fired from her job before she even started because she tweeted something pretty inappropriate the day before. That happened. Read about it here (and know there’s some language in the story).

What about John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, who had his message board history investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission? That happened, too.

Oh, and remember Justine Sacco? Her entire life changed after one tweet sent before she got on an 11-hour flight. By the time she landed she was a worldwide trending topic, she’d been fired from her job, and she was being publicly ridiculed.

There are lots of stories like this one. The bottom line is that you should never assume something you’re posting online is anonymous, whether it’s on Twitter or a message board. 

How can social media work for you?

• Social media can be awesome, too. Just know how to use it. Make sure you pay attention to:
• Privacy – Facebook is constantly changing its settings. I’d probably make an effort to check those every month or so.
• Connections – Connect with the right people. Make sure you know them or intend to know them and that you’d be proud to be associated with them.
• Use different strategies for different platforms. I consider Instagram much more private than my Twitter page, for example, and I have fewer followers there. I use LinkedIn for business, which is different than the way I use Facebook.
• Don’t overshare. Don’t use “stream of consciousness” posts, or you might wind up publishing something you regret later.
• Engage appropriately. Remember that you can’t hide your Facebook profile picture, so why not make sure it is something you don’t mind clients, employers or co-workers seeing?

Let’s talk specifics.

Here are a few closing thoughts for maximizing your presence on various social platforms:

• On LinkedIn, optimize your headline, get recommendations, don’t be an oversharer and use the functions.
• Note: In this case, an oversharer refers to notifying your network of every little change to your profile. You can share lots of great info on the profile itself, but it will annoy your connections to get an email every time you add a word to your bio.
• Snapchat does not actually go away! It’s easier than ever to take screenshots, and if someone really wants to recover a snap, they just need to find the hidden file when they plug their phones into a computer.
• As I mentioned above, Facebook is always changing its privacy settings. The defaults are NOT that private, so I’d recommend going beyond their “quick” privacy setup.
• Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back.
• Social media is awesome. You can keep up with family or friends. Gchat has made it easier for me to do my job with co-workers in different cities. And social media is awesome for brands to put their messaging out there. Just use it responsibly.

Social Media – PR Pros Should be Savvy, Not Sassy

Mary Catherine Banister

It is a PR professional’s top priority to make sure that all information presented about, and by, a client is sending the right (and appropriate) message. In the age of social media, it is all too common for an individual or a brand to present messages that are not conducive to the image it wants to maintain, or that is offensive or harmful to its audience. This can turn into a public relations nightmare and can tarnish the person’s or the brand’s reputation. That’s where we, the PR gurus, come into play. We work to prevent these problems from happening in the first place, but then we are ready to react appropriately on behalf of our client should an issue arise. It’s our job to deal with such situations, and we do it well!

Yes, we are able to recognize when an individual or a company posts a questionable photo and caption on Facebook or writes an insensitive tweet. We know where they went wrong, and how they should try to resolve the problem. But what about when it comes to our own social media presence? Are we always presenting ourselves with poise, dignity and respect to our audiences? Here are a few rules of thumb regarding being appropriate on social media platforms, especially when the line between being professional and being personal can get blurry:

• You have your right to free speech, but be mindful when putting your personal thoughts and opinions on the Internet. State your own points of view, but never attack others’ – you never know who you might offend with whatever “clever” political statement you decide to make while watching The State of the Union address.
• Don’t go overboard. I have been guilty of this a few times – when Auburn lost its bowl game over the holidays, I could have spoken my mind about it in 10 separate 140-character posts. But, I kept it to a short tweet about my Tiger pride and left it at that. Your followers don’t want to see a million tweets and retweets about a sports team or TV show that they might not even care about – you could lose credibility (and a few followers) if you let it all out!
• Post meaningfully. Don’t try to tell a long, drawn-out story via Twitter – if you feel the need to express yourself in a long post, use Facebook or a personal blog. Or, in all honesty, don’t post at all! Call your parents, have coffee with a friend or write in a journal – some things are not necessary to share publicly with your “closest” 250 Twitter followers or 1,500 Facebook friends.
• Keep your audience in mind. If your Facebook friends are primarily acquaintances from high school, college sorority sisters and relatives, posting a silly photo or funny video shouldn’t be a big deal. However, if your Twitter followers are a mix of friends, family, members of the media and coworkers, you should probably think twice about sharing that “super cute” #TBT photo of you and your BFF dancing on the bar at a fraternity formal in 2012.
• Watch your language. If you use your personal social media accounts to also interact with coworkers, the media or other professionals, you should always be on your best behavior. Not all of your posts have to be work-related, but steer clear of any foul language, inappropriate photos or emotionally charged interactions with others. Once it’s published online, there’s no going back!

Don’t be afraid to use your social media platforms as a way to appropriately mingle your professional and personal lives. You can brand yourself as a well-rounded and interesting individual if you play the game correctly, and that’s what it is all about. Don’t put yourself into a situation where you have to clean up your own social media crisis. Instead, stick to a plan and be mindful of your messages, and your reputation and image will continue to grow.

#NoFilter: Leveraging Instagram to Increase Brand Recognition

Ali Glemser

With more than 200 million monthly active users and 55 million photos shared daily, Instagram has become one of the most popular social media apps today. Capitalizing on the popular trend of sharing visuals through social media, the completely photo/video based app has made the average smartphone user a skilled photographer with various editing features, including its famous filters.

Just like Facebook, Twitter, Vine and Snapchat, brands can join the Instagram community, too, and connect to their existing and potential audiences if they leverage the opportunities Instagram presents. Below are four high points from an article about Instagram in the Public Relations TACTICS October issue.

#Hashtags – Similar to Twitter, hashtags are used frequently on Instagram and are a great way to tag your content and enter it into multiple conversations. Research hashtag subjects your targeted audiences are using and incorporate those into your posts appropriately, while also branding your content with one or two unique hashtags of your own. Promote those unique hashtags across multiple platforms to bring various audiences into the conversation.

Quality over quantity – This shouldn’t be the first time you’ve heard this rule in regards to social media. If you are constantly posting irrelevant or poor content, you’re likely to be ignored or unfollowed. The same idea applies to posting on Instagram. Post images that are unique, clear and bright to start conversation and build engagement. Find your inner artistic photography skills with the app’s filters and editing options. Also, in an effort to stay relevant, but not annoying, a good rule to follow is to post once a day.

Captions are key – Take advantage of the ability to attach a caption with your photo, but make it easily digestible and conversational. Nobody wants to read your marketing material copied and pasted below every picture you post. Take this chance to show there are humans behind your Instagram account, and use a little humor when appropriate.

Identify influencers – As with other platforms, identify the people or other brands that are first adopters in your industry and engage with them. Follow them, like them, comment and share their images, as appropriate. Showing that you can play nice in the Instagram community sandbox will help spread your brand awareness.

In conclusion, post content that is visually engaging often enough to stay top of mind, but not so often that you clog people’s feeds with your brand. Stay relevant in industry conversations and differentiate yourself with hashtags. Most of all, share the love! Comment on and like your followers’ posts. Give your brand a human element by staying timely, relevant and engaging with your exiting and potential audiences.

Gaining Traction on Twitter

Taylor Childress

Social media is one of the main ways people are getting their careers started, buzzing about their business, landing an interview and so much more. But sometimes, it is hard to gain followers and begin to be successful in the “Social Media World.”

In the social media landscape, Twitter is still one the most-used social media engines by business for activities like recruiting, meeting people, buzzing about an event or pushing out information. So, how do you gain followers? Here are three tips to gain more Twitter followers to make the most impact with your account.

1. Make your profile approachable:

Too often, people have a busy profile picture or too much wording in their bios. That isn’t necessarily bad, but simple is better when it comes to Twitter. Make sure your picture shows your face and isn’t too busy. Try to avoid angles with the picture and keep it square. Some companies like to have their employees use logos or random graphics. Try to steer clear of that so your account isn’t mistaken for spam, which can lead traffic on your page elsewhere. The bio should be clear but still tell who you are with pizzazz. Your bio will help people determine if they want to follow you. So, keep it simple and not too wordy.

2. Tweet and engage often: 

Consistency is key when it comes to any social media outlet, but with Twitter, it is very important when it comes to maintaining and gaining followers. If you don’t tweet often, no one will be interested. Tweet two times a day minimum. Remember to take into consideration the timing of the tweets, as well. If you tweet at 6:30 a.m. that might not be the best time. People are getting ready for work or getting to work and no time for their phone. Tweet around mid-morning, noon and evening. Also, keep in mind that engaging daily with your followers is just as important as how often you tweet. If you’re not talking to or responding to your followers, they will lose interest. Likewise, retweet others’ tweets that you find informative.

3. Hashtags, hashtags, hashtags:

Hashtags are still more important than ever on Twitter. Hashtagging opens up a new door in the social media realm. Monitor what is trending, and if you have something relevant to say on the topic, use the trending hashtag. People will check hashtags all day long and retweet your tweets, which in turn, gains new followers both from within the U.S., as well as from around the world. But, try to not over use the hashtags. Make them relevant and original.

Prioritizing your social media efforts for clients

Tiffany Cunningham

Eight hours in the day really doesn’t give a PR professional or anyone enough time to keep track and organize all the to-dos social media platforms put in front of us. Since we all live in “the social media age,” it’s way too easy to let pings, buzzes and notifications interrupt and distract us throughout the day. Nonetheless, being connected and involved with social media can be an asset to you and your client’s long-term success. Social media needs its own “time management” strategy to get down to business efficiently.

1. Social media return on investment

At the end of the day, where are your social media posts, tweets, etc. going to lead your client? In every account meeting when you’re discussing social media, it’s important for the client to understand that social media results take time. These efforts are valuable to businesses, but how much time should be devoted to it? Aside from the type of business and how you’ll operate all the social media platforms you want to be part of, your client will also want to consider the skills and abilities it takes for each platform. From taking photos to coming up with catchy headlines, it’s all in a day’s work of postings. All efforts lead to significant ROI when executed correctly.

2. Automate your posts

HootSuite and other platforms will become your best friends when deciding how to manage all the different posts. One task that has helped us at Obsidian is “task batching.” There are probably other terms for it, but essentially, spending several hours at one time planning out social media posts for weeks at a time rather than trying to create a new post or posts every day for each client.

That said, don’t make the mistake of trying to automate your client’s presence. When people tweet at your client or engage in the brand, whoever is managing the social media will need to be part of the conversation and react with a live post. You need to be engaged at all times, except when you’re trying to catch up on sleep.

3. Focus your attention

There are thousands of social networks buzzing around out there, but there are really only five that matter most to companies and businesses that hire you to operate their social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google Plus. Depending on your client, YouTube might be important, but obviously that is video oriented. You will want to emphasize to your client that these are the most important networks to be active on in the web of social networking.

4. Make time to disconnect

Whether it’s turning off your phone at night (if you can), setting your iPhone to “Do Not Disturb” for a scheduled period, or just leaving your laptop to release some energy and get fresh air, do it! At any rate, just make sure you have “UN-social” scheduled time in your regular workday.

Social media can take over and it does, but it’s OK to step away and look at something not technology based. I hope this post gave you some good ideas for improving your management skills for social media campaigns. If you have questions, please send me an email at tiffany@obisidanpr.com. 

Three Questions to Consider When Writing Social Media Posts

Jenn Taylor

Throughout my internship at Obsidian, I have been given various assignments. From the basic intern-type tasks, like collecting the newspapers in the morning, to the more in-depth tasks, like formulating a media contact list, there is one particular task that I feel has grown on me quite a bit. Researching content for social media posts is an assignment that I consistently do every week. While working on these projects, I have learned that there are three very important questions everyone should ask when writing these posts. 

The three questions are: 

What audience am I trying to reach? 

I believe this question is the most important of all because if we do not know to whom we are speaking, how could we possibly know what content would be of interest? For example, we would not want to write about fashion or about celebrity updates for an accounting firm. The update on the latest E! network show, “Eric and Jessie: Game On,” is probably not going to be beneficial to the firm’s current and future clients. Considering the audience not only shapes the message, but also the tone of any post we craft. 

What is relevant, and what is currently trending? 

Something that I did not think about when I first started writing social media posts was that, yes, we need to ultimately use the company’s information and updates to write the posts, but we need to also remember that important events and holidays are occurring outside of the company. This approach helps pull in your followers who may not be completely invested in the company’s everyday posts but could easily relate to a general “Happy President’s Day” post. If anything, the most basic and timely posts can help keep those followers engaged through a possible retweet on Twitter or a share on Facebook. 

What is the overall mission/message the company wants to communicate? 

We have all visited our fair share of company websites to learn more about a company. Usually, one of the first things we read about or notice on the website is the company’s mission statement. The mission statement lays out the purpose of the company or organization and its reason for existing. It is vital to understand the mission statement of the company you are writing for to ensure consistent implementation of the company’s values and beliefs into the content. This will also help connect to an audience that may be alike in those values and beliefs. 

With social media becoming a popular communication channel for businesses and organizations of all types, I believe this newfound knowledge will be useful to me in my future career in public relations.

Do you have #SochiProblems?

Kelli Eason Brignac

It’s Olympics time! I kind of love that the International Olympic Committee decided to stagger the summer and winter games, because it means we get to watch every two years without getting too much “Olympic fatigue.” 

I also love pretty much everything else about the Olympics (albeit not as much as my friend, Parker, who dedicates himself to watching every available second of coverage and blogging about it!). But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Olympic coverage changed forever a few years ago in Beijing, which was then dubbed the “social Olympics.” If 2008 was social, 2014 is a 24/7 two-way conversation between the athletes, the IOC, the media and everyone who watches the games. That can be great – but it can also be not so great. The experience has changed, and the networks and hosts will have to catch up! 

#SochiProblems

If you haven’t heard about #SochiProblems or the related Twitter account, @SochiProblems, you must be purposefully ignoring it! It all started when media began to arrive in Sochi to cover the games. They arrived to find that the hotels weren’t all ready, so many people didn’t have rooms. Those who did encountered “Sochi water,” which they were advised not to put on their faces, as it was dangerous. WHAT? 

In 2014, Russia couldn’t have expected that these things would remain secret for long. The reporters started tweeting about their experiences, resulting in some hilarious articles like this one.

But the issues didn’t stop with the reporters. One American bobsledder reportedly had to break down a bathroom door after he got stuck post-shower. The summer resort the IOC selected to host these winter games is reportedly too warm, and the snow keeps melting. And BOB COSTAS HAS PINK EYE!

Does this mean that these Olympics are a failure? No. Every host city has their troubles.  And my sister, who lives on the other side of Russia, assures me that she is allowed to flush her toilet paper and her water is safe to bathe in. What it does mean is that the host cities are under even more scrutiny than ever before, as any tourist activity that might be generated from the games could just as easily be lost by reports of poor conditions. 

Spoiler Alert! 

With so much media now, my least favorite thing about the Olympics are the spoilers. NBC paid a lot of money to exclusively broadcast the games on their network. But when the games are taking place halfway across the world, they compensate by taping and replaying the most popular sports during primetime. 

But there’s one small issue, NBC. All the other networks who don’t have that primetime coverage tend to spoil the results. (Looking at you, ESPN.) All the people who watch it live by streaming it online tend to put the results on their Facebook statuses, in their tweets or on their blogs. If you somehow manage to avoid spoilers all day, watch out for NBC, who often spoils its own results on the NBC Nightly News – which airs an hour BEFORE the primetime coverage! If you want to be surprised, I suggest avoiding social media or news programs altogether before you watch. 

That said, even when I know the results I still love to watch the games. Even knowing Shaun White would come in fourth and miss the podium, I was glued to the halfpipe coverage like something different could happen. As for the Sochi problems, they aren’t plaguing everyone. It’s worth noting that many athletes are very complimentary about the village and the venues. As for me, I’m just hoping to go to the Olympics once in my life. Maybe I’ll pick up speed walking and make an appearance in Rio. Or maybe I’ll just go as a spectator. Whatever works. 

Social Media: What’s your Game Plan?

Ali Glemser

Recently, an employee for the Lacoste clothing company posted a picture of his paycheck on his private Instagram account and wrote, “Paycheck. Still silly to me. Ever since I was a kid I've thought it was completely insane that we have to work all our lives. I still feel that way. Especially when it's only enough to live in a third world apartment….which for some reason in NYC is ok…I'm done with it.”

The employee was terminated after a “friend” of his showed a copy of the post to Lacoste. The company stated he violated confidentiality terms of his employment.  

Sure, the employee’s comments were negative and, by the transitive property, were associated with the Lacoste brand. But let’s consider the bigger picture, and perhaps, choose our battles more wisely. 

One, the employee had a private account, meaning he must choose who can view his pictures. Lacoste never would have never seen this comment without his "friend" bringing it to their attention. Two, the National Labor Relations Act protects wage discussions by employees. It doesn’t appear that Lacoste consulted the NLRA’s provisions before taking action. Three, the public might not know exact figures for job salaries, but most of us can guess the tax brackets certain jobs are in. I think I can speak for most people when I say that I wasn’t surprised to see the employee wished he’d earn a larger paycheck. 

Courtesy of Flickr

Considering these notes, who really caused the negative press for Lacoste? The employee letting off some steam to a small group of hand-selected friends? Or, the company that fired its employee after seeing information from an employee’s private social media account that they didn’t have access to?

Companies must be aware of their perceived image from other businesses, their consumers and their employees. Although companies should monitor these perceptions, they should be proactive in educating employees about social media usage as well. You can’t expect employees to be effective ambassadors of your brand image if you don’t give them the tools to do so. 

A social media plan for employees is important for informing them about your brand and what is unacceptable information to share with people outside of your office. The NLRA protects speech about wages, working conditions and other types of employee information. The NLRA's policies should be the foundation for a social media plan for employees that companies tailor to fit their business. 

Companies may form their own guidelines however they’d like, as long as their policies don’t infringe upon employee rights protected by state and federal governments.  The most important part of the plan is to make sure your employees know about it and that it is enforced fairly. 

Although, the Lacoste employee was unhappy with the amount of money in his paycheck, I’m sure he is worse off with no job at all. Chances are, he would not have risked his employment if he had known about his protected speech rights under the NLRA, and I’m sure Lacoste would have chosen to take action differently if there was already a social media plan in place.

Moral of the story: It is always best to be on the offense, rather than the defense, when handling social media.

Step Aside, Samantha Jones

Kelli Eason Brignac

This past weekend, I spent my Sunday watching past episodes of Smash. I love musicals, but I also happen to love the insight to the Broadway process the show portrays. But the recent prevalence of Agnes, the publicist on the show, made me wonder if what I’m watching is a true representation of Broadway. I got distracted from the rest of the plot by Agnes and how rude she is all the time, which in my experience, no PR person should be. It got me thinking about PR in general, and the assumptions people might make about the profession and the people in it.

Celeb-stalking party planners need not apply.
I’m looking at you, Samantha Jones. It’s probably a safe assumption that most people have some exposure to Samantha Jones, the feisty “PR professional” from Sex and The City. I say that with quotes around it because most of what Samantha does is…not PR. Most of the time, her job is mentioned because she is planning a big party or pitching a prospective client and guaranteeing Donald Trump will make an appearance at a benefit. While events are sometimes part of our job, even full-time event planners aren’t like Samantha. If nothing else, they don’t have near the free time she seems to have, because that is a really tough job. 

Spin makes me shudder.
A lot of people really love “Thank You for Smoking,” the movie and/or the book. I didn’t like it. I think that Nick Naylor’s take on spin is pretty far from how I, or anyone else I’ve ever worked with, would ever operate. Nick Naylor thought that “if you argue correctly, you’re never wrong,” and he applied the attitude to his work promoting the benefits of smoking. Real PR can do a lot of good for a lot of brands, and “spin” just has a bad connotation in general. We always try to promote the best about any organization, but we approach negative things or crises very strategically and in close collaboration with the client and the public, when necessary.

As for working for a client like the Academy of Tobacco Studies…I’ve actually turned down work I didn’t feel I could represent well. In my view, it’s not fair to the client or me if I can’t really get on board with their cause or brand.

It’s all like…Facebook and stuff. Or not.
Social media is almost a buzzword now. It’s everywhere, and everyone is an “expert.” Except they’re not! I know a lot about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs, LinkedIn and lots of other platforms. But it isn’t the only thing I do, and I’m of the opinion that these things should be used as part of a comprehensive approach.

If women ran the world, it would be organized and color-coordinated. Maybe.
PR is a field dominated by women, but it wasn’t always so. As recently as 25 years ago, the field was 80 percent male, but is now as much as 70 percent female. I think this actually works well, because the field requires strict adherence to deadlines and a godly level of organization. My need to plan and organize has spilled over into my everyday life, although my husband hasn’t decided if that’s a good thing or not. And female-dominated doesn’t mean there are no men. There’s still a good bit of diversity in the field. According to Abbi Whitaker, who owns Abbi Agency, “We are not all 23-year-olds wearing wedge heels, oversized sunglasses and colored jeans.” Well, I’ll still be wearing my wedges and colored jeans, but maybe not forever!

What are “people people” anyway?
You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m a people person.” Isn’t everyone a people person? No one actually hates everyone in the world, do they? Good PR professionals have to know a lot more than how to win friends and influence people. If I’m really personable but can’t write to save my life, no one will take me seriously in this business. It’s kind of like if you visit a friend’s restaurant but the service or the food is terrible. You’ll think twice before going back.

The truth about PR is…
It has to be strategic. It can be stressful. Your friends and family may never really understand what you do. Every day is a deadline, and if you were never good at juggling before, you’ll have to learn how to multitask like a champ. It goes everywhere, and it’s applicable to so many different industries. It can be rewarding for both the PR professional and the client, and no day is the same as any other. To all the AP style loving, spell-checking, brainstorming kindred spirits out there: write on, my friends.

Social media updates and a Game of Thrones infographic

Lauren Hannaford

Keeping up with changes among social media platforms can be daunting for small businesses and organizations. Here are the top five social media changes that you need to know about and links to more information.

1. Pinterest got analytics. Yay Pinterest! This social site is now more progressive than Twitter.   

       a. Six Pinterest metrics worth measuring:                                                           http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-analytics/

2. Facebook just announced it will support hashtags. Now, we can all stop becoming irate when some unknowing friend uses a hashtag on Facebook.
       a. http://mashable.com/2013/06/12/facebook-hashtag-support/
3. Vine is growing. That was not a pun. Most recently, Twitter released the Vine app for Android users.
       a. There are so many great articles about Vine on Mashable: http://mashable.com/category/vine/
4. You can now tag others in Instagram photos. http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/tech/instagram-photos-of-you
5. LinkedIn made a few big design changes again that should make things easier and more functional. http://socialmediatoday.com/node/1489206

On a side note, I came across this epic Game of Thrones infographic about social media history, where each platform stands now and how they work and don’t work together. Check it out. http://mashable.com/2013/06/02/social-media-game-of-thrones/ 

Use of social media revolutionizes the definition of a traditional resume

Sarah Burgess

Sure, we all know about social media. With sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it’s easy to get lost in the lighthearted or humorous side of online networking. But do you know just how vital things like what you post, the language you use and who you follow can be when searching for a job?

I read a Forbes article recently that discussed the growing trend of companies running online searches on potential employees. The author, Dan Schawbel, predicts that this movement will continue to rise and “online presence searches will become as common as a drug test.”

With more and more businesses using the Internet to search for prospective employees, cleaning up your language is no longer enough to attract recruiters. To win over a new boss, here’s a list of ways to improve your online presence:

1. First Things First – If you don’t have accounts with popular social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.), get an account ASAP!

2. Account Setup – Make sure your username or site address is professional and identifiable. While the Twitter handle “KittyLvr85” may describe you perfectly, it’s best to keep it simple by using your first and last name only (numbers at the end if necessary). Similarly, make sure all of your “Bio” or “About Me” sections are accurate and up-to-date.

3. Photos – Make sure your profile picture accurately identifies you.
Companies are looking for a profile photo that accurately depicts you, not a picture of you and 15 friends making silly faces at the beach. Today, most social media require a square profile picture, so choose a photo that will crop and resize appropriately.

4. Keep it Classy – This should be self-explanatory, but keep your account content appropriate. Be sure to check your pages regularly for any tasteless posts or tags from friends. The best rule of thumb is this: If you have to question it, get rid of it! Remember, even when you aren’t searching for a job, people are always out there watching.

5. Linking – Though many people aren’t aware or don’t take advantage of it, linking your various social media accounts back to an online resume (such as LinkedIn) or a personal website makes you all the more marketable to potential employers. A personal website can be created by purchasing an online domain (Schawbel recommends GoDaddy.com). If you have art, photography or designs to display, consider creating a free page on sites such as deviantart.com, beehance.net or wix.com. 

6. Friends and Follows – Just like in high school, whom you connect with speaks volumes about your personality and character. Instead of only following your friends and favorite celebrities like those of Duck Dynasty or the Kardashians (no offense, we love y’all!), connect with the accounts of professionals, organizations and those with expertise in your field. Plus, there are even accounts created for job listings! Some of these accounts include Tweet Smarter, PR Jobs and Intern Queen.

Got any more tips for increasing your professional presence online? Post them in the comments below!

Electing a Pope in the Modern World

Kelli Eason

Eight years ago, I was sitting in my trigonometry class at St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, La. While I usually dreaded the math class, that day was different. That was the final day the 2005 papal conclave – the first in my lifetime – which elected Pope Benedict XVI. We watched the white smoke billow out of the Sistine Chapel live right there in my class. Little did I know that I would experience another rarity (a papal abdication) and another conclave so soon. Nor did I realize how much would change.

Just like the most recent Olympics and presidential election, the digital world we live in makes this papal election quite a different animal than it ever was before. Consider the following:

·   Fantasy Conclave – This friendly competition is not unlike fantasy football except there is no money involved, and prizes are provided by sponsors. You choose the cardinal you believe will be the next pope, the day on which he will be elected and the name you think he will choose. (I went with Cardinal Rivera Carrera from Mexico, day three, and said he would choose the name Leo.) I’m sure my grandmother never expected something like this.

·   Pope Alarm – This digital notification service is only for the most dedicated conclave watchers. It sends a text message, email or both to registered users to notify them as soon as the white smoke appears, confirming the next pope. This may include a text in the wee hours of the morning as Rome is anywhere from five to eight hours ahead of the United States.

·   Papal watchers on Twitter – Mashable published a handy dandy list of five of the top papal watchers to follow during the conclave. The list includes a reporter who first broke the news of Benedict XVI’s abdication because she understands Latin.

This papal conclave also brought to the forefront the idea of campaigning for certain candidates. Although the church works very hard to maintain the secrecy of the ballots and the conclave, it seems that the more connected we are, the more speculation there is. I found several interesting articles on this phenomenon:

·   The Sweet Sistine – Tapping into the popularity of March Madness, the Religion News Service put together this bracket of what they believe is the most likely list of candidates. They even included odds provided by Irish bookmaker paddypower.com.

o   If you’re interested, here’s the final bracket developed from more than 40,000 votes.

·   A possible American pope – There has never been an American pope, but it seems that the American media was pretty excited about the fact that…there could be. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston and Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York.

·   A wide open field – There was no clear favorite, which may be why so many people were campaigning and speculating and hoping to influence the outcome.

The church hasn’t changed much in the last few hundred years, so I didn’t count on social media, citizen journalists or the 24/7 news cycle altering the process or the outcome. Still, it made for quite an interesting conclave, and it sure was fun to feel like a participant…even if it is just part of the Fantasy Conclave! Unfortunately, I was nowhere close to winning the fantasy league. Not many people were. Only 0.7 percent of participants, or 41 people, chose Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Only six correctly predicted that he would be chosen on day two, and no one was anticipating that he would choose Francis as his papal name. But I guess congratulations are in order for Michael Brennan of Wisconsin, who officially won and gets bragging rights for the remainder of Pope Francis’ tenure!