THE PRACTITIONER

Building a Strong Social Media Program: How PR Agencies and Clients Can Work Together

Though it has existed for several years, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the power of social media on today’s landscape. In fact, an April 2009 report by Forrester Research predicts that corporate spending on social media will more than quadruple over the next 5 years from $716 million to greater than $3.1 [...]

Technology Companies: Claim Your Piece of the Stimulus Pie

As any large government spending bill would, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has its share of supporters and opponents. What the ARRA also has is some great opportunities for technology companies to generate new revenue. Along with $787 billion dollars, the ARRA doles out requirements for government transparency that are far [...]

Who can best deliver social media results to companies?

Yesterday I listened to a radio broadcast on Comet Branding Radio in which Jennifer Leggio and Nicole Jordan previewed some of the findings of the recent ZDNet survey about PR Agencies and social media practices. I am looking forward to reading the full results of the survey when it is published next week, but I [...]

Social Networking: the ultimate sorority phone tree

Last weekend I caught an airing of “Legally Blonde 2” on television. Being frank, I didn’t care for it much, despite the presence of some of my favorite actresses: Reese Witherspoon, Regina King and the incomparable Jennifer Coolidge. But one thing that did make me chuckle are the references to college sorority life. Two of [...]

Another Nutty Recall: how companies in crisis can use social media to manage through the threat

This is nuts! Yesterday the news broke that pistachios are at the center of another nationwide product recall for salmonella contamination, as did a recall of spice products, also attributed to salmonella. Everyone remembers the recall around the turn of the year that ultimately caused Peanut Corporation of America to file for bankruptcy protection last [...]

The Evolution of Social Media: from email forwards to microblogging

Remember in the mid 1990s when email really shot to widespread use? This was the first opportunity that people had to engage their social networks whenever they wanted to and say, “Hey, I found this really interesting, take a look.” The majority of this was forwarding an email sent initially by someone else, usually a [...]

Social Media Lessons From Early 90s SNL

I was discussing with a client today how companies can effectively use social media to communicate their corporate messages. The point was reiterated that companies must approach social media in ways that create discussion, or conversation, among people – to get people talking to one another publicly about its products or news. I see many [...]

People Are Talking About You, and You Could Be Missing It

We as human beings have various phobias. I once knew a guy who was afraid of the ice-cream truck –something that typically evokes excitement, fear’s emotional opposite. Fear of the unknown, is a much more common phobia, and one that seems to be holding many companies back from entering the realm of social media for [...]

“24″ Reminded Me of My Job

No, I’m not in my office thwarting a terrorist attack by uncovering a secret conspiracy to infiltrate the federal government… but nonetheless, I was reminded of work while watching last night’s “24.” The show is definitely a guilty pleasure, and I suspend disbelief and let them get away with a lot in the name of [...]