A 20-something's Perspective

Remember when Facebook was hip and cool? When only you and your 10 best college friends from that Fourth of July kegger had access? Yeah, me too...

Video is courtesy of AgencySpy.

Everyone has a different policy about "friending" people online. Some will accept any request, while others are a bit more selective. The duck in this video reminds us to take a second to think before we hit "accept."



What is your policy on following, fanning and friending online?

I remember walking around campus my freshman year of college, and hearing everyone talk about this new thing called “Facebook.” Eventually I jumped on board and found that Facebook was everything MySpace wasn’t. At that time only college students could sign-up for Facebook, so there were no annoying bands trying to get you to buy their CD’s and no creepy 40-year-old men wanting to be your friend. There weren’t any corporate fan pages or groups. It was simply a place where you could hang out online with your friends. Everything was authentic.

Today, Facebook has evolved to include many things I once praised it for not having, but I have evolved too. I like that I can keep my account even though I’m not in college, and I like that my friends and family can join the hip social networking site with me. The corporate fan pages and groups are so-so. On a personal level I sometimes wish they didn’t exist, but given my profession I can’t hate them entirely. After all, if used correctly they can bring a lot of value to their “fans” or “groupies.”

However, with all this evolution I do have one complaint. You see, when I was in college the only people who “friended” me were those I had actually met. Even if I hadn’t talked to someone since high school there was still a connection. We shared an AP European History class or we were both in Concert Choir. You did not “friend” someone you never met, and you certainly did not friend someone just because you ran in the same circles. Facebook was a place to talk with your current friends, not a place to make new ones.

Somehow, there has been a shift, and these unspoken rules of my past have not translated to the Facebook of today. Lately, it seems like every week I get a friend request from someone I’ve never heard of. Sometimes I let them hang there and others I ignore right away. I am always puzzled when after ignoring a friend request someone decides to try again. I wish I knew what they were thinking. Do they think the request did not work? That I happened to not notice? That I was having a bad day, and I’m sure to accept them this time? Or, do they think that by badgering me I will eventually accept them into my circle?

Let me clear something up for these people right now. I ignored your request for a reason. Over time I’ve given in to some of my Facebook rules. I will accept friend requests from co-workers even if we aren’t really “friends” outside of work. I’ve started to monitor what I say and do on Facebook for professional and personal reasons. But the one thing I am not willing to do, is invite someone into my inner circle who I’ve never met!

Now, I realize that everyone uses social networking tools in different ways. That’s fine, but I believe the majority of Facebook users still use Facebook as a personal online playground. It’s a place to talk to friends, play games, create events and post photos. If you are using Facebook for business purposes, that’s great. Create a fan page or a group. If you are using Facebook to network with new people, cancel your account and join LinkedIn, Twitter or another social networking site where it’s appropriate to talk to strangers.

Maybe I’m trying to hold onto the past. Maybe I’m just upset that things can never be the way they were, but you know where I stand. If we haven’t met and you want to connect with me online, seek out my LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. It’s not that I don’t like or trust you. You just haven’t made it to my inner circle yet.

A couple weeks ago I was having lunch with one of my PR friends when the conversation turned to social media. My friend confessed that he carefully guards his online identities stating the infamous, “I like to keep my personal life personal.”

There was a lot of social media and travel news last week. Look below for the new Skittles web site, find a way to make yourself look thinner on Facebook, find the best cities for Shopaholics and a list of the top 10 U.S. cities for vacation value.

• RT @telie Find out when it's best to tweet someone: http://www.tweetoclock.com
• RT @stedavies Wanna make yourself look thinner on your Facebook profile? A new site that helps you http://tinyurl.com/abp659
• Kudos to #Skittles for trying something new. I'm not sure if I like it though... http://skittles.com
• RT @JeffCole53 @StephenTiano @guykawasaki Are bloggers journalists? Ask the House. http://adjix.com/5eg8
• RT @sorayad @jonathanlandman A new thing for NYT: Local Websites Bklyn http://bit.ly/PlLuI & NJ http://bit.ly/7ZkaH - I hope it's a success.
• RT @davitydave Where Does the Dollar Do Best? Frommer's Global Price Index for March 2009 http://twitclicks.com/loms
• http://twitpic.com/1tncr - I was just handed this orange from my fellow B+Lers. A new Wellness Program at Boelter+Lincoln? Only good can ...
• RT @VisitChicago Chicago made the list: Top 10 U.S. Cities for vacation value http://bit.ly/TGvCw - Some locations surprised me. Atlanta?
• RT @theGlenn Saw last night's perf. of Pride and Prejudice @ the Rep. It was a great show. See it! http://is.gd/lMya
• RT @boelterlincoln @Charno @onmilwaukee Downtown Dining Week May 28 - June 4 http://bit.ly/EJf3G - Mark your calendars!
• RT @msnbc_travel Top 10 cities for shopaholics http://snipurl.com/d5ngx
• RT @jaimy_marie Reading: Freebies + Social Media = Hot Restaurant Strategy (via @microgeist) http://is.gd/l5Hy

I have been an ATT* customer for the last five years, and rarely received mail that was not a bill, so it surprised me to see a magazine from them in my mailbox. The magazine had articles like "Texting & Dating: the New Rules" and "New Offers that won't Break the Bank!"

I was confused. First, I had never received a magazine like this before and second because I am signed up for paperless billing. Wouldn't an e-newsletter be a better choice? Clearly, they don't know their audience. With all the crap ATT has gotten for their 300 plus pages of iPhone phone bills you would think they would be a little more conscientious about printing materials.

I know some people would still rather get a hard copy, but for those who clearly do not want to waste the paper wouldn't you distribute the information electronically? That really got me thinking.

Sending a newsletter is a pretty old tactic. To be honest, I don't think many people read them. Sure, you might scan the headlines but a newsletter from my cell phone provider is pretty low on my priority list. Isn't there a better way to reach me? Creating a Twitter account might be a good start. What about creating cool apps that only work on the ATT network? ATT has started to use Facebook, but in my quick search I couldn't find an official fan page.

Here's an idea. One of the things ATT is known for are their rollover minutes. In fact, I have hundreds of rollover minutes that expire each month because I never use them. (Many Gen-Yers would rather text than talk. Most of the time it's faster, and there's no need to "make nice" with mindless banter about the weather.) My point?

What if ATT really started to embrace social media and create a Facebook app where ATT users could donate their rollover minutes to other ATT users? What a great story that would be! Can you feel the potential? People could start connecting with other ATT users all over the globe. Surely that would be a better way to spend time and money than writing cutesy articles and printing what I can only imagine is thousands of magazines.

So after all this I have only one thing to say. ATT, please stop sending me pointless magazines and start engaging me in ways that matter. To ME. Thanks.

*For some reason blogger won't let me use the "and" symbol so bear with me.

Not so long ago, when people punched out and went home for the day they were done worrying about their professional image. They were free to relax with friends, and even get a little... Crazy. This does not hold true today. In an era where competition is as fierce as ever, my generation does not only need to worry about getting into the best schools, having the best grades or even landing the perfect internship. Instead, many are worrying about their online presence and how it may be affecting their current job and job search.

With everyone Facebooking and Twittering the social media space does not only belong to a circle of close friends. For many it is not uncommon for an aunt, uncle or even parent to be part of their social network. Furthermore, many people are "friending" colleagues.

I am a big fan of social media, but I must admit that sometimes I yearn for the days where the only harm an unflattering picture could cause is a mild humiliation in class on Monday.

Today I manage five to six different social media accounts. Not only do I try to make sure all of these online spaces are kept current, but I also worry about the messages I send out. Would my coworkers and family approve of my Facebook status? What about that last tweet? There's no complaining about work or the company when one of your friends is a V.P. Is it ok to decline a coworkers friend request? And, how much is too much, or not enough? If I don't tweet everyday will I be considered out of the loop? If I tweet 10 times a day will people think I'm neurotic?

The hardest and greatest part about social media is there are no rules. There aren't even many social norms. What is appropriate and what's not is completely up to the person and their social network.

On either side of this debate are two, I think, valid arguments. The first is that the Internet is a public space, and if a person is leary about some of their "extra curriculars" they should think twice before posting online. The second deals with the right to privacy. I think it's safe to say that most social media web sites allow the user to play around with their own privacy settings. For instance, I block all of those who I have formed professional relationships with from viewing my photos on Facebook. To all my professional friends it's nothing personal, but as I try to brand myself online I don't want you looking at photos from my latest Saturday night at the bar.

Which brings me to my main question. Is there a way to enjoy all social media has to offer without compromising yourself? Is it possible to keep parts of your private life private online? If we remain professional it can take much of the fun out of social media. If we strip our Facebook profiles to look like nondescript paper cutouts we are left with little sense of authenticity and character.

Is there a solution? A way to have fun with social media while not scaring away potential clients and job offers? What about creating two online persona's? One with an alias to be used with close friends and another to be used for business?

Right now I am debating whether or not to post this to my Twitter and Facebook account. How will my colleagues react when they see my hesitation towards sharing my whole self with them online? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Until then, how do you manage your professional and private lives online?

Attending a PRSA luncheon today it was painfully obvious which PR professionals were tuned into social media and which were not. As I sat at a table with five other PR practitioners the MotrinMoms incident was brought up. Only two of us had heard of MotrinMoms. Coincidentally, we were the only two who had Twitter accounts.

The Motrin Campaign
So what is the MotrinMoms incident? Motrin developed an ad campaign aimed at Moms who carry children in baby slings. The ad claimed that Mom's do this to look like "an official Mom." Adding that baby slings are a great cause of neck and back pain. The solution? Motrin, of course!

The ads were placed online and in magazines. Once Mom's saw the ads they were deeply offended and began posting furious messages on Twitter. They organized and used a #MotrinMoms tag to make their tweets easy to find. To their credit, Motrin was able to respond to the outcry over the weekend and has since removed the ads. To view the ad and Moms responses view the videos below.





The Industry's Awareness
My question is after all this, how did only a select group of PR professionals have any knowledge of the event? The simple (and scary) answer is that many PR professionals are still not tuned into social media. I find this astonishing when social media is talked about at luncheons, at the PRSA National Conference, in news articles, trade publications... Social media appears to be so prevalent in our industry that popular PR vendors (Cision, Vocus and PRNewswire to name a few) are holding Webinars.

If Motrin has taught us anything it's that it is very important to listen to what people are saying about your company online. If PR professionals are not listening their clients will not be able to respond to negative attacks or benefit from this new medium.

The Solution
The only way to get comfortable with these new tools is by using them. My advice? If you don't have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account get one now. Never heard of Digg? Google it and start learning. The only way PR professionals will be educated about social media is if they invest the time to learn about it, and that means playing with these tools.

If you aren't convinced that Twitter is a valuable tool go to http://www.summize.com/ and put in your companies keywords. It will generate a list of tweets of what people are saying about your company. I urge all communication professionals, old and young, to start learning more about social media. I am confident that failing to immerse yourself in this new medium will cause you to find yourself unemployable.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that those in the PR profession often forget that there's more to public relations then media relations. True a large part of our job is to reach out to media to get our message heard, but sometimes we forget who the audience is. Ultimately it's the consumer, not the reporter.

I realize what I just said completely disregards the fact that a story has to be interesting to a reporter before a consumer can hear it, but bear with me.

For PR people the big pay off is the article in the New York Times or the segment on Good Morning America. Big national media will have big flashy ad values to show clients, but what our industry somtimes fails to remember is it's what that article or segment will do for the business that's truly important. What is the media coverage trying to achieve?

The simple answer is to increase business. What story are you telling the consumer that will make them buy your product or visit your destination? And, if media relations is a way to talk to your consumer might there not be other ways?

Obviously, media relations is a key component of any PR plan but other ways to speak to consumers need to be considered. In many cases social media should be another key component.

Right now I only see large established companies like Dell and Urban Outfitters catching the social media bug. Perhaps it's because they have more resources, but smaller companies need to realize that even with a smaller audience and budget social media can still be valuable.

If you are a local women's clothing store in Milwaukee there has to be some Facebook group of Milwaukee fashionistas you could target. If you're in the tourism industry surely you'd want to target people who list traveling as one of their hobbies.

The bottom line is the more you engage your customers the better chance you'll have of increasing business, but you have to be strategic. Facebook and Twitter are not right for everyone. We need to remember, today's world is all about communication and building conversations and you don't have to be on a major network to do it.