See & Be PR

Giving Readers What They Want…When They Want It

How to, Press Releases, Public Relations No Responses »

Feb 222012

A few weeks ago I had written a blog post about how keeping up with technological evolution, particularly in terms of social media, is essential in order for PR agencies to survive in the modern age. Interestingly enough, I recently came across a comment by Anthony De Rosa from Reuters, which suggests that this is indeed the case for newswires too!

The reason why this was a particularly intriguing read was that one would assume that newswires – who we as readers and both print and online publications rely on for ‘real-time news’ – would be just as effective as Twitter, for example, in communicating up-to-the-minute announcements. Continue reading »

Think you’re a Social Media Expert? Did you know this?

Public Relations, Social Media 2 Responses »

Feb 152012

You know what’s so funny to me? I can be engaged in a conversation with somebody who has no interest, whatsoever, in social media, and then the next time I run into them they’re setting up social media plans. The great thing about social media is that it really is self-taught, and unlike medicine or engineering, you can become a pro – or a ‘geek’ – in a matter of ‘literally’ only a few days.

They think they know everything, they’re now the ‘experts’, but let me ask you something…did you know this?
Continue reading »

Social Media Heavyweights

How to, Public Relations, Social Media 1 Response »

Feb 012012

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to become more social media savvy. While this may be second nature for the majority of the online community, for a traditionalist like me, it’s a mammoth task.

Until now, I’ve felt a bit too exposed by social media – take Twitter for example, I have a tendency to painstakingly think and re-think a tweet a hundred times before I post it. More often than not, I’ll write out my update…and then, just as my cursor hovers over that ‘Tweet’ button, that final step in the 10-second journey which feels more like several hours, I’ll buckle under the pressure and log off instead. I’m always a bit intimidated by these people you see with millions of followers, who have a constant stream of updates that are not only informative but also highly insightful – surely no one would be interested in what I have to say when they have all this instead? Continue reading »

The etiquette of Twitter

Do's and Don'ts, How to, Public Relations, Social Media No Responses »

Jan 092012

“I follow you, you follow me and if you don’t follow me then I won’t follow you.” Nowadays, it’s not just about who is a fan of who; it’s about following the right account that satisfies your needs when it comes to valuable information. But there are some forms of etiquette that every Tweep (Twitter User) should be considering.

Being Thankful
You wake up to find that someone has re-Tweeted your Tweet. Did you thank them for sharing, or just relish in the spotlight alone? Spotlight alone…bad move. Continue reading »

Now Press Release, play nice with Twitter…

Public Relations, Social Media No Responses »

Dec 192011

You’ve written the press release, taken into account SEO, now what are you doing to make sure it gets found on Twitter? If you’re still not on Twitter, you really should consider it, since it’s more effective in driving traffic to your press releases than Facebook.

How do you best go about tailoring your press release for Twitter?

Great Headline

There’s still the problem of SEO and making sure that the title is self-explanatory, but I personally suggest making it catchy and interesting. If it sounds so boring that you want to die just reading it, chances are people aren’t going to be clicking on the link. Continue reading »

Are we losing the personal touch?

How to, Media, Public Relations, Social Media 1 Response »

Dec 152011

With the ‘social media revolution’ in full force over the last decade, it’s no surprise that public relations professionals are now turning to their Twitter and Facebook accounts to help get their clients featured in top publications. But does this mean that the public relations industry is losing its human touch? After all, this was an element that used to be at its very core.

A recent article, written by Russell Working, argues that while these social media platforms may not be the ideal way to pitch a story, it could be a handy tool when it comes to building relationships with the media.
Continue reading »

If my fans are everywhere, what time should I post?

Blogging, Public Relations, Social Media, Uncategorized No Responses »

Oct 262011

Just tell me. When should I share when you’re all the way over there?

I swear, this is more confusing to me than Algebra (and I’m blond). Our resident techy geek, George Durzi, has been very patiently trying to explain: what, where and when to post. My problem? If I have devoted fans (ok followers) in Timbuktu (yes, it actually exists) what do I do. They’re sleeping when I’m awake, eating when I’m at the gym and off on a Sunday, when I just got back to work. So how on Earth can there be one specific time to reach them all?

According to an infographic by AddThis, who just celebrated a birthday (where’s my cake?) this is when you should: Continue reading »

Is it time to sue Facebook?

Social Media No Responses »

Oct 022011

Looks like you can sue anybody these days. The Egyptian government claims that Facebook stole its idea for status updates from hieroglyphs found on walls of ancient pyramids. ‘What were hieroglyphs if not an early version of social networking?’ asked Egyptian prime minister, EssamSharaf.

It doesn’t stop there; other countries are also claiming rights to elements deemed purely Facebook.

Archaeologists go on to say that just like the privacy problems we have today with social media, our ancestors faced them too. Lax privacy – with all their thoughts posted on walls – meant that everyone could read them, but that they were still important for communication and documenting key events. Another problem we can relate to – once your information is out there, it can be there forever. Continue reading »

‘Friend’ or Foe: The Dangers of Social Media

Social Media 2 Responses »

Sep 252011

It’s 1984, your life is under a microscope, everything you say or do is controlled and you’re deathly terrified of committing a thought crime. While George Orwell may have taken it to the extreme, (Did he? Do you know you’re being watched?), I couldn’t help remembering this book while reading a recent post by my peer about location-based social networking. Granted, working in PR, I should be more open to ‘social technology’, which I am; I’m still admittedly ‘wierded-out’ by it all. It dredges up thoughts of psycho stalkers knowing my every move, and if not them, then random organisations using my locations and where I like to go to target me (and isn’t that why we feel bad for the fish in the fishbowl?). I mean, if you want to know where I am…call me.

While I love social media – and what that has meant for finding that classmate from 6th grade who recently had a baby, I still exercise it all with a bit of caution. That’s why I’m still adverse to adding colleagues to my Facebook page (and rudely so, because people surprisingly get offended if you don’t want to be their ‘friend’ online, even though I am your friend in life). Sure, I don’t mind colleagues on LinkedIn and Twitter (which I keep as my more professional channels), but I still need one place that’s just me, where I can post goofy pictures of my son in a private folder for only my mom and sisters to see, and where I can joke about ‘how I shouldn’t be spending so much time on Facebook while I’m at work.’ Maybe this can help you figure out what channel to use for what. While that’s moving into a different topic, my point is the implications in our daily life: how much do we really want to share and what does this social revolution really mean when it comes to me and my personal space? Continue reading »

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