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@SocialMedia411: an expert who ‘doesn’t suck’

2012
11.16

Californian Jeff Pester has perfected the craft of utilizing social media to discuss, promote and critique social media.

It’s hardly redundant.

In fact, it’s genius: His market of adamant, interested people is already gathered in one place, ready and willing to ingest the information disseminated with a click of his mouse.

With a tagline touting the phrase “Highly recommended by people who like things that don’t suck,” most people wouldn’t expect Pester’s Twitter-based organization Social Media Insider (@SocialMedia411) has many insightful things to say.

It’s this sort of casual confidence, however, that makes his account so effective and well-received by a relatively young, tech-savvy audience eager to analyze today’s rapidly evolving technology.

Social Media Insider curates highly relevant content for more than 130,000 social media practitioners, according to Pester’s LinkedIn profile. The account congregates social media news, commentary and insight in one place, providing links to outside sources on a constantly updated news feed.

The account was named one of the “35 Influential People in Social Media” by The Poynter Institute and was ranked No. 5 on the list of “25 Twitter Accounts Corporate Communicators Should Follow.” Twitter Grader ranks Social Media Insider 100 out of a possible 100.

Although I’m not involved with corporate communications and I’m not a social media guru, I still found Social Media Insider interesting, entertaining and insightful. Its links ranged from quirky news stories to hard-hitting business news, as well as information of general interest to a Twitter-using community.

A few articles that caught my attention Friday while I was writing this post discussed the following topics: Facebook’s stock shares increasing, updates to Twitter resembling a visual format similar to Instagram and a Catholic Minnesota teen being denied the sacrament of confirmation due to a pro-gay marriage Facebook post.

I found all this information in a matter of minutes.

Simply put: I was impressed.

Anyone wishing to improve their online presence or stay up-to-date on social media trends should definitely follow Social Media Insider.

Expert insight like Pester’s will only become more valuable as social media continues to play a vital role in all aspects of our lives.

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An advocation of moderation

2012
11.13

While writing a story this summer, I interviewed a woman who uttered a quote that has lingered in my thoughts: “Everything is good in moderation — including moderation.”

She chuckled, continued the conversation, and I logged the statement in the back of my mind.

Although I never used her quote in my story — it was relevant to our trust-building small talk, but not my assignment — the borderline cliché is arguably the most influential thing a source said to me during my summer internship at The Columbus Dispatch.

I wonder, is it true?

Would it be best if all things were done in moderation? Or is it acceptable to occasionally succumb to the instinct to overindulge?

In my experiences, I’d argue the latter. Although we know moderation is good and usually desired, often we don’t realize it until we’re analyzing a situation in clearer hindsight.

It’s human nature to enjoy something in excess if it’s available. And each time we overindulge, during our analysis we’re reminded how important it is to moderate. Hence, the concept of “moderating moderation.”

Many of us have seen friends have too many alcoholic drinks in one sitting or children consume their entire bag of Halloween candy in one night. Likewise, most Bowling Green State University students have heard stories of best friends who chose to live together during college and, by the end of the semester, couldn’t stand to look at one another.

We all know how those stories end: with hangovers, tummy aches and hurt feelings.

These things, understandably, sound very negative. However, I think these unfortunate circumstances serve as necessary reminders to keep people on track.

Occasionally splurging makes a moment memorable — a celebratory bar crawl,  a night of downtown trick-or-treating or the months spent getting to know a new friend every day — but doesn’t constitute an everyday lifestyle.

Eventually, however, that splurging makes us learn that balance is key.

We soon realize the buzz from an alcoholic beverage every few weeks is better than daily binging, that eating only one piece of candy per day makes it taste that much sweeter, and that days spent away from friends make days spent with them much more meaningful.

I’m curious: What do you guys think?

Is it OK to moderate moderation? Is there anything in which a person can overindulge at no cost, or is less best in most situations?

Feel free to leave a comment and join the discussion.

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Google Maps aid areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy

2012
11.05

Usually a map is used to navigate how to get from Point A to Point B.

But as the United States’ east coast copes with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, those staying put may still find a map to be one of their most helpful tools.

Several days before Sandy ripped through the east coast, inflicting at least $50 billion of damage, Google released a “Superstorm Sandy Crisis Map” highlighting shelter and recovery locations, traffic conditions, power outage information and more.

Google’s Crisis Response Team, an organization formed in 2005, created the interactive map through its free Google Maps service. It was released Oct. 28 on Google’s official blog and it quickly spread on social media because the company provided an easy-to-use “share” feature.

You can view a map of the entire east coast HERE, or you can check out a New York-specific map HERE.

Google’s crisis map is a prime example of how people can collaborate and utilize social media to aid others before, during and after disasters by providing valuable hyper-local information to those with Internet access.

For example, Google has already updated satellite images of areas devastated by Sandy through its Google Earth services.

Through crowdsourcing, Google has also begun to assess damage along the coast and has posted that color-coded information on the map as well.

Many organizations are now also using their own Google Maps to notify the public about locations in need of donations or additional clean-up volunteers. The “Hurricane Sandy Relief Volunteer Opportunities” map located HERE, for example, allows users to drop pins at sites in need of help.

Although the crisis map is already its own form of social media, it also encourages users to take advantage of additional social media services to stay informed and alert. It provides links to areas with local emergency Twitter feeds, webcams and related YouTube videos and is constantly updated as new information is provided.

The crisis map, therefore, has a limitless outreach online. It can help victims seeking refuge, concerned family members across the country, journalists seeking new leads or volunteer and relief organizations.

Although it doubles as a cost-effective method of positive promotion for the company, Google’s philanthropic efforts to aid the hurricane victims is admirable and effective and I praise Google for its creation.

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YouTube gives homeless man a ‘golden’ opportunity

2012
10.20

Ted Williams is internationally known as “the man with the golden voice.”

But without modern-day social media and a chance encounter with a Columbus Dispatch videographer, Williams might still only be known as “the homeless man on Hudson Street” in northeast Columbus, Ohio.

Williams was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the limelight in January 2011, when the Dispatch’s Doral Chenoweth recorded an interview with him and posted it to the newspaper’s website. Once determined to become a radio personality, Williams, 53, had fallen victim to drugs, alcohol, criminal activity and apathy. Even though he was now clean of drugs and alcohol, he was left homeless, panhandling for change with a sign that claimed he had “a God given gift of voice.”

An anonymous user copied the video and posted it to YouTube, where it quickly went viral. (You can read the original Dispatch story and watch the video here.) The world was mesmerized by “the man with the golden voice” and his plea for a second chance. Williams soon received several job offers and donations while simultaneously garnering attention from mainstream media, bloggers and Twitter and Facebook users.

Williams ultimately landed a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, who also offered him a home. He has also done other voice-over work on television including commercials for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. After getting a job and getting clean, he was reunited with his 90-year-old mother, whom he had lost contact with because of his addictions. You can learn more about his work and his story on his website.

Unfortunately, Williams’s story does have its setbacks. After achieving overwhelming popularity and success, he began drinking heavily again and lost his job with the Cavaliers. He is now clean of drugs and alcohol once again, thanks to the help of his girlfriend, a sober living coach and two trips to rehab.

Williams now works out of his home in Dublin, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, as the voice of New England Cable News. He also wrote a book about his struggles on the path to success, “A Golden Voice,” which debuted this May.

Without the assistance and receptivity of the Internet community, Williams would have probably been unable to get his life back on track and reunite with his family. In countless interviews he has said he is very grateful those who helped share his story. Williams’s story is a true tale of “social media success,” and it illustrates how much social media can change peoples’ lives for the better.

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Anonymous Twitter trolls take insults too far

2012
10.07

When you visualize a “troll,” what do you see?

It probably isn’t a furry creature of folklore lurking under a bridge or a plastic doll with an unkempt hairdo from the 1960s.

The birth of the Internet and its subsequent population by thousands of bitter, crafty pranksters have significantly altered the meaning of the ages-old word “troll.”

Does a blog reader keep posting negative comments? Troll.

Do you click on a link expecting to find a risqué website and find a sub-par music video instead? Troll.

Although “trolling situations” sometimes make for good conversation (and a pretty funny meme, pictured above), anonymous trolls sometimes take seemingly harmless insults too far. And with its global reach and quick, easy-to-use platform, Twitter is the perfect tool for trolls to attack their feeble targets.

On a college campus, where free time is abundant for some less-than-average students and wit is in high supply, campus-themed Twitter accounts sprout up like springtime daisies. The anonymous students manning the accounts quickly gain a reputation with the student body, utilizing inside jokes and quirky insults to poke fun at college-specific characteristics.

Some people may think they’re funny. But to me, most of them are just trolls.

The trolls have invaded Bowling Green State University, with accounts @Falcon_Problems and @OnlyatBGSU dominating for at least a year and @BGslutz, @Vagina_Rock, @BGSU_Squirrels, @FrattytheFalcon and @McFAILCenter playing catch-up in comparison. A handful of other accounts exist.

While the first two accounts often make me chuckle — admittedly, I follow them to my phone — the rest rarely do. Often, they’re just outlandish. Sometimes, they’re sexist and politically incorrect. Frequently they’re just plain mean and trying way too hard.

I don’t blame them for trying — after all, seeing the two successful accounts gaining so much respect on the Internet must fuel a desire for a piece of the egotism pie. And with Twitter’s shield of anonymity preventing any real-world backlash, what’s the harm?

Unfortunately, these anonymous accounts can inflict much more damage than their fledgling operators realize.

The victims: The older man, a non-traditional student whose picture is circulating as you mock him. The school Quidditch team and Anime club, as you poke fun at their passions. The women, Greeks, gays and freshmen whose stereotypes you perpetuate. The student journalist who wrote a story you criticized without even reading.

(Yeah, the last one is me.)

To me, a successful joke doesn’t require insulting someone in the process. I think this is why @Falcon_Problems and @OnlyatBGSU succeed among BGSU students, while the other BGSU-themed accounts, relying almost solely on insults, fall short.

As we’ve discussed in this class, to successfully utilize social media, the golden rule is “think before you post.” Even if your account is anonymous, this rule still applies.

 

I plan to expand on this topic in my weekly Wednesday column for The BG News. Comment with any feedback, questions or suggestions that may be helpful for the final product.

 

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Does Ragú really ‘hate dads?’

2012
09.22

When initiating a viral social media campaign, companies should never ignore the concerns of the audience they’re trying to reach.

They also should never send a spam tweet that could be considered offensive to a marketing expert with a well-established Internet presence.

Ragú, a popular spaghetti sauce brand owned by food giant Unilever, unfortunately did both last year when attempting to launch a Twitter marketing campaign with a video of mom bloggers criticizing their husbands’ poor cooking habits. The two-minute video — which is, admittedly, rather boring and condascendingly sexist — was sent via spam messages from Ragú’s Twitter account to a few dads with an Internet presence.

Ragú’s solution for dads who can’t cook? Use their sauce — it makes cooking easier for the seemingly incompetent male population. The brand’s social media managers most likely thought dads would find the campaign amusing, blog or tweet a response to the mom bloggers, and then spread the message.

Responses from dads, however, were anything but amused. Many criticized Ragú’s video for implying men are incapable of cooking (and, likewise, that women are more apt to do housework-type activities like cooking, circa 1950s). A prominent blogger, author and online marketing expert, C.C. Chapman, received the tweet and immediately took to his blog to criticize its poor taste with a post entitled “Ragú hates dads.” Soon after, he kindly offered the company advice on how to improve its strategies for the future. But he also vowed he would never consider buying Ragú.

Chapman wrote a few follow-up blog posts and it took Ragú almost 24 hours respond. Finally, the brand contacted Chapman and later posted a generalized response that still didn’t leave Chapman or other dad bloggers satisfied. You can read it here.

As Chapman said in his blog posts, I think whoever planned Ragú’s Twitter campaign was severely unaware of how to successfully engage an audience with social media. The campaign touched on a sensitive subject in a discriminatory manner that could be offensive to some people. Ragú sent the message to several dads in an impersonal way, and when they responded negatively, Ragú took too look to reply — and even when it did, there was no real person to interact with, just someone hidden behind the persona of a jar of sauce.

Social media should be a two-way conversation between a company and its consumers. When Ragú’s Twitter campaign went awry, it went silent. It was a poor marketing strategy that left the brand more damaged than when it had started.

I don’t think Ragú really “hates dads” — but it certainly doesn’t know how to interact with them on social media.

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Social media is our generation’s second nature — why not capitalize on it?

2012
09.15

Doesn’t an ages-old saying state “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”

It appears a handful of company owners and Internet gurus want to challenge that mindset, based on some articles and blog posts surfacing online.

Authors are advocating for businesses to think before they hire young college graduates to operate their social media services. It appears they want to teach older employees how to use social media, rather than hire someone new who already has the skills to utilize it.

A recent article in Inc. Magazine is bold enough to blatantly warn business owners “a 23-year-old shouldn’t run your social media” in its headline. Although the author contradictorily retracts the generalization in the first sentence of her article, the statement still irks me, because it is hugely inaccurate.

A majority of the Inc. article’s 11 reasons to not hire fresh college graduates to manage social media services are based more on stereotypes of younger adults than on fact. (For example, this statement: “… if you hire a young person to manage your social media, you may also need to need to worry about how he or she is actually spending his or her time. Will you need to be monitoring the person?)

I hope businesses would conduct normal hiring practices when considering to hire someone for a position to manage social media. I agree, it is foolish for a company to hire someone strictly based on their young age, but it is also foolish to assume a younger person is too immature to handle a position if they are more qualified than any other candidates for the job.

While interning at The Columbus Dispatch this summer, I met a younger staff member who was hired a few years after she graduated college to help operate the newspaper’s Internet presence, including its Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr. She works with a Web staff of several people. When she gave an engaging presentation to the interns about social media it was clear she knew more about it than the rest of the staff members combined.

She taught us — no one had to teach her. And she was definitely mature enough and skilled enough to handle the position.

Social media is second nature to a majority of recent college graduates. Hiring a young employee with fresh ideas — someone who is responsible, hard-working and knows how social media works — is not a bad idea. If the new hire has the right credentials, it’s smart and cost-effective.

A person’s age shouldn’t be the only reason he or she is hired. But if a person is qualified, age shouldn’t be a reason he or she isn’t hired, either.

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Politwoops: revealing U.S. politicians’ deleted tweets since 2012

2012
09.08

When you delete an unsightly tweet from your Twitter feed, it’s gone for good, right?

Wrong.

Several United States politicians learned this the hard way this summer following the launch of a new watchdog website, Politwoops. The project follows the official Twitter accounts of members of Congress, President Barack Obama and numerous presidential candidates to track when they delete tweets and to record the elapsed time before removal.

Politwoops’ archiving system has already accumulated thousands of tweets since its May unveiling by The Sunlight Foundation, an Internet-based nonprofit organization with a goal of holding government officials accountable. Deleted tweets range from those containing minor typos to embarrassingly honest revelations — but unfortunately for the politicians, their attempts to permanently delete their messages are just too little too late.

I read about Politwoops this summer when it attracted the attention of news outlets across the country and the website immediately interested me. It illustrates how, as we’ve discussed in class, nothing “deleted” on the Internet ever disappears permanently.

This topic is revisited often. For example, the Library of Congress announced in April 2010 it acquired the entire Twitter archive, meaning every tweet sent since Twitter’s inception — and every tweet for, presumably, the rest of history — will be digitally archived, regardless if it’s deleted soon after.

The thought makes some people uneasy. Others, especially those who enjoy scrutinizing public officials, are overwhelmingly in favor of websites like Politwoops. As a journalist, I’m in the latter category, and I praise The Sunlight Foundation’s initiative to keep Congress in check.

Anyone utilizing social media, regardless if they’re a politician, should use strict discretion when determining what he or she publicly posts. Information unveiled on the Internet is permanent, despite the availability of the misleading “delete” button. Instead of tweeting carelessly and then deleting offensive tweets as a form of reactive damage control, social media users should be proactive and follow a simple rule: think before you tweet.

And if you’re still not convinced, head over to Politwoops and check out its up-to-the-minute RSS feed. It contains plenty of great examples of what happens when you don’t use discretion before hitting the “tweet” button.

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When does “creeping” cross the line?

2012
08.29

Social media users today have given the term “creeping” a whole new meaning. What was once a frowned upon real-life invasion of privacy has morphed into a socially acceptable digital practice, with a great number of people participating daily.

It’s perfectly fine to thoroughly examine someone’s Facebook profile, Twitter feed, LinkedIn page or Instagram photos from the comfort of your home — after all, they’re posting the information for you to look at in the first place, right?

But is there ever a time when this so-called “creeping” crosses the line, specifically in the business world?

Late this spring and early this summer, media outlets across the country quickly nabbed attention with stories of businesses demanding social media passwords of potential employees prior to their hire. The idea was to investigate websites like Facebook for information that could influence their hiring practices (or simply put, to “creep” on potential employees in search of drunken photos, offensive posts, etc.). Most Americans, including myself, were outraged by the practice.

It’s worth noting that I think it is perfectly acceptable for employers to utilize social media to learn more about potential hires or current employees. Today it’s not uncommon to perform a Google search on everyone from our college professor to our upcoming weekend date. We have the tools to do so with ease and it’s foolish to expect employers not to utilize what’s available to anyone with an Internet connection. This is why it’s important for working adults to keep their social media profiles both personal and professional.

I do not, however, think it is acceptable for employers to demand passwords to Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites to learn more about potential hires or current employees. The act is a blatant invasion of privacy and a threat to a person’s online security. If an average person (or average employer) surfing the Web cannot find the information due to privacy blocks, why is it necessary to obtain that information with a password? It doesn’t threaten a person’s reputation or a company’s reputation if it is not easily accessed online.

Social media is free and readily available for anyone with an Internet connection. It can be used for great things in the professional world, including obtaining feedback and establishing relationships with customers. Unfortunately, I fear employers may deter employees from utilizing social media altogether if they ask for employees’ passwords and they place so much emphasis on constantly reviewing it.

A little common sense goes a long way, and I think that’s all employers need to emphasize to keep social media professional, safe and effective for everyone.

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