Twitter’s Link to the Business World

I just read Chris Brogan’s blog post 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business. I am a new Twitter user and I found Brogan’s tips helpful. Brogan’s tips make it easier for me to understand how to use Twitter. Businesses are using Twitter to explore the social media world. Some of Brogan’s tips that helped me include:

• Listening is important. Build a Twitter account and start using Twitter search to listen for your name, competitor’s names and other key words.
  
• Talk to people about their interests, it makes you human.
  
• Instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?” Answer the question, “What has your attention?”
  
• Ask questions. Twitter is great for getting opinions.
  
• When you talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
  
• Follow interesting people. When you find someone who tweets about interesting things, check out who they follow.
  
• Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
  
• Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.

Twitter can be used by companies as an opinion poll. Companies can see what people think about their products or their company in general. Twitter provides your reviewers with a place for discussion that allows you to study and listen. Twitter can help enhance customer service. Twitter can help you respond to people’s comments and criticisms. Listen to what people think and respond accordingly. People on Twitter are going to continue to have discussions; it is up to you to join in those relevant conversations.

I am still getting the hang of Twitter and learning about all the benefits it can offer. It is important to realize and understand how these social media tools can benefit you and your business.

The Women and Spirituality Conference Web Rewrite

For our mass communications research class, we are rewriting Rob Murray’s article “‘Politics of Food,’ other hot topics at Women and Spirituality Conference” from the Mankato Free Press.
We are rewriting the article for the Web as a search engine optimization release. Writing for the Web is different than writing for print. Tips for writing for the Web include:
1. Use short, simple sentences.
2. Use active verbs.
3. Keep paragraphs short.
4. Stick to the facts and get rid of fancy words.
5. Remember Keywords.

Rewrite:

The Women and Spirituality Conference comes to Mankato

The conference is designed to bring people together through spiritual growth.

MANKATO, Minn.--The 28th Annual Women and Spirituality Conference will be held at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Oct. 31 and Nov.1, 2009. The keynote speaker for the spirituality conference is Vandana Shiva. She will discuss “The Gendered Politics of Food” on Oct.31 at 11 a.m. in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom.

Vandana is an environmental activist, eco feminist, physicist, international leader and author of several books.
She founded Navanya, a national Indian-based movement to protect resources and promote organic farming. Vandana was described by Time Magazine as an “environmental hero.”

The conference includes more than 100 workshop sessions. Some session titles include:

• “The Spirituality behind Spectacular Success”
  
• “Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity’
  
• “Time: A Language of the Mind and Soul”
  
• “Dancing the Tree of Life”
  
• “Soul Breathing”
  
• “Dancing your own”
  
• “Listening and Caring for your Soul”

Visit the Gender and Women's Studies Web site for more information about this event.

Blogger Relations

A mistake commonly made in blogger relations is treating bloggers like traditional media. Public relations is about building relationships and connecting with people, not about blasting the “audience” with messages. Relationships should be the main focus in public relations. Talk with people on a one-on-one level. Get to know the people you are having conversations with and find out about their likes, dislikes and interests. Remember you are having a conversation with real people.

Commenting is an important part of blogger relations. Make sure to thank people for commenting on your blog. Commenting is one of the best ways to build and maintain a relationship. Frequently commenting on blogs shows that you care and you are interested in the topic. Make sure the comments are relevant to the conversation. Do not get into arguments. I know it can be hard to bite your tongue at times, but a public relations professional needs to listen to people and their opinions.

Remember when blogging, do not just talk about yourself. You may be an interesting individual, but only talking about yourself, your company or your product will drive people away from your blog. Not a good public relations strategy.

Brian Solis’s blog 10 Steps to Building a Better Blog-Relations Program also provides information about blogger relations.

The relationships built and maintained through blogging can definitely benefit your business or clients.

Skills to Pay the Bills

I just read a blog by Dave Fleet called 14 Key Skills & Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals. This blog really made me think about how the field of public relations is constantly changing. Fleet mentioned the traditional public relations skills such as writing, communication skills, attention to detail, media relations, being proactive, and work ethic. These are considered the traditional attributes that public relations professional still need in addition to the new skills. The new skills include blogging, microblogging, social networking tools, SEO, coding, RSS, RSS readers, blogger relations, and social media ethics.

After reading this blog I realized I might not be as prepared as I thought. I know I could always improve on my writing skills. I know writing is the foundation of public relations so it is important for me to be confident with my writing skills. Another thing I could work on is being proactive. I need to learn to get down to business and get involved. I also think I need to learn more about social media and the tools it has to offer. Search engine optimization (SEO) is something Fleet mentioned in the new skills category. This is definitely something I need to learn more about. Currently I am learning about blogging and social network tools and of course I have a Facebook account, but there is so much more.

I think Fleet made a good attempt to let us know what skills public relations professionals are going to need in the future to compete with other people in the industry. I think it is important to have the traditional skills, but also be willing to learn and embrace the new attributes.

Old Versus New

As you already know I am currently reading the book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge. Chapter 4 discusses journalists and bloggers. Let’s face it traditional journalism is taking a beating from online media. Online media is increasing while traditional media is taking the back seat.

In the book Solis said, “Armed with digital cameras, camera phones, handheld video cameras, podcasts, blogs and social networks, we've entered the era of citizen journalism and user-generated content.” These days news tends to find us.

Typically journalists earn their title by attending college and following ethical guidelines. I think if bloggers followed some type of ethical guideline, it would boost their credibility. I think if bloggers were held accountable for their content, they would be taken more seriously. People will read and comment on well written material that is reliable.

I feel like my peers and I are stuck in this shift between traditional journalism and new journalism. Our professors have crammed the AP Style guidelines and rules into our heads and taught us to be clear and precise when writing our stories. Now I feel that there has been a transformation. The traditional journalism practices that we have been taught are still important in the industry, but there is more. Now professors are trying to modify their teaching styles to prepare us for the changes in public relations and the evolution of social media.

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

I am reading a book called Putting the Public Back in Public Relations by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge. Public relations is changing, due to the evolution of social media. Public relations professionals need to embrace the idea of social media instead of ignoring the fact that it exists. In the book, Solis stresses that “new public relations is about people and relationships, not just new tools.” Public relations is about people communicating with other people using different tools to reach their public. Public relations professionals should grasp the idea of social media and use it to their advantage.

I found it interesting when Solis compared public relations to farming. “The more seeds you plant, the more crops (in the form of coverage over time) you will grow (as long as you spend time watering, caring for and feeding those seeds and new shoots).”

Twitter Cracks Down

I read an interesting post on Mashable.com by Jennifer Van Grove called 10 People you won’t see on Twitter anymore. Twitter has changed its terms of service and some Twitter accounts are in danger of termination. Van Grove states the users that will no longer be seen on Twitter include: 1.The Impersonator. People may not impersonate others using Twitter. They must have a verified account and actually be the person they claim to be. 2.The Bot. Robotic Twitter accounts may get the boot. If you are not human, you could be in danger. 3.The naked chick. Twitter is going to crack down on inappropriate images. 4.The serial Abuser. Twitter users who are following lots of people, but have few followers in return. This also includes people who have numerous Twitter accounts. Mass account creation will result in suspension. 5.The Squatter. This applies to people wanting to make money by creating appealing names on Twitter in hopes of later flipping them to make a profit. 6.The Slimy Salesman. Theses are people who think they can manipulate people on Twitter and turn Twitter followers into a marketplace for profit. 7.The Hashtag Spammer. These are the people who use hashtags in their tweets to potentially reach more people. 8.The Plagiarizer. People who tweet something someone else said without giving credit to that person. Yes Twitter now has a code of Ethics. 9.The Bully. Twitter will not allow people to post things that could be damaging or harmful to another person. 10.The Faker. These are people who fake having a verified account.

Overall I think Twitter is taking a step in the right direction. I do not think these rules are drastic or hard to follow. This could make Twitter a safer place to connect and communicate with other people. Maybe these regulations need to be put in place for Twitter to be used as a professional communications site. I think it will be interesting to see how Twitter enforces these rules. It will be interesting to see how and if Twitter changes due to these new regulations.