On January 21 around 8:30 p.m., reports began surfacing that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno had passed away. It started when Penn State’s online news organization, Onward State, posted to its

Twitter account, “Our sources can now [...]]]>

Source: Poynter.com

The news was quickly picked up locally and nationally by other outlets, including CBS Sports, which tweeted the story and published an obituary of Paterno without attribution.

Around 9 p.m. that same night, a Paterno family spokesman made clear that the rumors around Paterno’s death were “absolutely not true.” Onward State and CBS Sports both made official retractions immediately following the family’s announcement Saturday night, but Onward State took it one step further.

At just 21 years old, Onward State Managing Editor Devon Edwards possessed the maturity to understand that a simple retraction was not enough. He published a personal apology letter on the publication’s website and Facebook page that is both well-written and genuine. The letter works because it is heartfelt, and he did not make excuses or place blame.

We can all learn something from Edwards. Thanks to social media tools like Twitter, every day brings headlines about crises, most of which immediately go viral. As professional communicators, we need to be as transparent as Devon Edwards in all of our communications–especially our apologies–in order to be effective.

Photo courtesy of acf_windy on Flickr

When we first posted about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout protest scheduled for January 23, we had no idea that Wikipedia and Reddit (which had planned a January 18 blackout protest) would persuade other sites to join their effort yesterday. According to the Los Angeles Times, more [...]]]>

Photo courtesy of acf_windy on Flickr

When we first posted about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout protest scheduled for January 23, we had no idea that Wikipedia and Reddit (which had planned a January 18 blackout protest) would persuade other sites to join their effort yesterday. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 10,000 sites participated in the SOPA protest by either making their sites inaccessible, or “blacked out”, on Wednesday or posting messages to encourage visitors to contact Congress about SOPA.

It appears their bold effort worked.

By the end of Wednesday, at least three lawmakers withdrew their support for the legislation – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) withdrew as a co-sponsor of the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) withdrew from SOPA, which is the House version of the bill. A few more may be added to that list this morning.

Google reports that at least 4.5 million people signed their online anti-SOPA petition during the protest. Even the White House received nearly 104,000 signatures on a We the People petition calling for President Obama to block passage of bills like SOPA and PIPA.

It is still too early for SOPA protesters to get excited, as support remains for PIPA and SOPA in the Senate and House, respectively. However, the success of the SOPA blackout protest thus far demonstrates how understanding your audience and using what they value to make them take action can spur policy change.

Internet users are constituents, and removing their access to content or interrupting their Web routines with SOPA and PIPA protest notices compelled them to get involved in the protest in their own way. It just goes to show that reaching your audiences where they are is an effective way for communicators to raise awareness and encourage action on an issue. Plus, it doesn’t hurt your cause if you get support from an opinion leader like Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

While time will tell if signatures to online petitions and increased calls and emails to Capitol Hill on Wednesday changed the outcome of the January 24 vote in favor of SOPA and PIPA protesters, it is already evident that the reach and response to yesterday’s Internet blackout will definitely impact it.

While I may not be able to foresee  the future, my media savvy crystal ball is suggesting that Monday, January 23, 2012, will be a dark day for communicators.

If you haven’t heard the troubling news already, Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Paypal and other major Internet mainstays will be staging a “blackout” on January [...]]]>

While I may not be able to foresee  the future, my media savvy crystal ball is suggesting that Monday, January 23, 2012, will be a dark day for communicators.

If you haven’t heard the troubling news already, Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Paypal and other major Internet mainstays will be staging a “blackout” on January 23 to protest proposed federal legislation that will make them liable for lawsuits for content posted on their websites.

Congress is considering a new bill – called the Protect IP Act or Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) – which would allow companies to sue websites for posting protected content without permission and force them to go dark. For example, if I posted a video on YouTube of my friend dancing at a party with our favorite Adele song playing in the background, the record company could sue YouTube and force them to close their whole website for my infraction. There will be a hearing on Tuesday, January 24, to consider this legislation, hence the January 23 protest that could endure for a few hours or an entire day.

For communicators, the uncertainty of the blackout compels us to find and plan for alternative ways to do our online-heavy tasks on January 23. It is rare for a public relations activity to have less than one Internet-related tactic, so, word to the wise: Avoid scheduling events or releases for January 23. It is likely to be a day when our world is narrowed to those we can communicate with in traditional ways so that protesters can enlighten us about our dependence on the World Wide Web and social media.

UPDATE 1/17/12 12:15 P.M. – Wikipedia and Reddit announced that they will blackout their sites on Wednesday, January 18 to protest SOPA. Be prepared as other websites may follow suit. However, it may be unnecessary now. Due to White House pressure over the weekend, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa announced this morning (on his website, ironically) that his committee is postponing a hearing on SOPA, essentially shelving the legislation and postponing a vote on the House floor on the bill. Time will tell if communicators need to be concerned about Internet blackout protests actually occurring since the bill seems to be old news now.

UPDATE 1/18/12 9:20 A.M. – Wikipedia and Reddit kept to their threat to go dark for 24 hours today in protest of SOPA, but other big Internet sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and AOL, have declined to participate. Google is just placing copy on their homepage today asking users to contact Congress about the bill. Looks like a widespread Internet blackout as predicted earlier this week will not materialize after all. However, the potential blackout did raise a lot of  interesting questions for communicators and Internet users.

Getting your message across has always been a challenge, but the shortened attention spans of audiences today make it even more difficult. Andrew Overton looks at how being persistent can help to spread your message, while Helen Mitternight looks at the importance of the messenger.

Source: JMR Photography

Long Term Engagement Is Key to [...]]]>

Getting your message across has always been a challenge, but the shortened attention spans of audiences today make it even more difficult. Andrew Overton looks at how being persistent can help to spread your message, while Helen Mitternight looks at the importance of the messenger.

Source: JMR Photography

Long Term Engagement Is Key to Moving the Needle

In the digital age, it’s no secret that attention spans have shortened. Retweets and Facebook shares aren’t enough to alter public opinion. It’s critical that audiences remain engaged over the long term if there is any hope of changing attitudes and policy. As communicators, going viral is a big deal, but we can’t end the conversation just as it is getting started. Imagine if the Occupy Wall Street protestors only spent one week in Zuccotti Park. Income inequality would never have become part of the national conversation.  Maintaining a conversation isn’t easy, but the burden lies on us to be innovative and persistent.

– By Andrew Overton

The Message Becomes The Messenger

In 2012, social marketing will become much more about “social” and much less about “marketing.” With the rise of social media and citizen journalists, people will care much more about who is delivering their messages than what the message is. For social marketers, this will increase the urgency of finding the right primary audiences to help push messages out to secondary audiences. The old adage, “the message is the medium” will become “the message is the messenger.”

– By Helen Mitternight

Today we look at the public relations workplace and the culture changes that could be ahead in 2012. We start off with a look from Mary Pat King at how CEOs and executives should maximize the involvement of PR professionals on staff. Rachael Siefert discusses a mentoring role reversal, and Vanguard’s vice president of [...]]]>

Today we look at the public relations workplace and the culture changes that could be ahead in 2012. We start off with a look from Mary Pat King at how CEOs and executives should maximize the involvement of PR professionals on staff. Rachael Siefert discusses a mentoring role reversal, and Vanguard’s vice president of operations, Tracy Ferrell, looks at how HR will begin to use social media in the hiring process.

More CEOs Depend on PR Executives as Chief Strategists for Organizational Management and Growth

As the theorists in the public relations industry work to gain consensus about the new definition of public relations, 2012 will see more professionals positioning themselves in the C-suite by demonstrating through regular reporting of evaluation metrics that PR communications strategies and tactics have a measurable impact on perception, as well as behaviors, purchasing decisions and brand commitment. Like our colleagues in marketing, the investment in public relations strategies — especially social media and grassroots engagement — will have tangible benefits.  For nonprofits, this translates into more voices promoting the educational messages of the organization, more participants benefiting from the organization’s mission, more advocates for the cause and ultimately more donor dollars.

– Mary Pat King

The Student Becomes the Teacher

Source: Masternewmedia.org

New professionals often seek out mentors who can guide them through their first few years in the workplace. In the coming years, those same entry level professionals may become mentors themselves. Recent graduates have an edge when it comes to new technology and social media because they have been using these tools in their personal lives for years. In 2012 and beyond, new professionals will be looked to more than ever for their social media and new technology expertise, and it won’t be uncommon to find them training a room full of executives on the benefits and use of Twitter, Pinterest or the latest must-have tool.

– Rachael Siefert

Increasing HR Use of Social Media Tools

In 2011, HR professionals were slow to adopt social media tools because of privacy concerns. In 2012, these professionals will more willingly adopt them as part of the job candidate search. Increased demand for social media skills, combined with the need for improved candidate response time and reduction in search costs will necessitate this evolution. HR departments will also begin to incorporate social media tools on intranets to improve internal innovation, mentoring and training.

– Tracy Ferrell

Source: Shantanu Gautam

Social media is an ever-evolving world, and communicators are working overtime to keep up with the changes. Gary Ritterstein predicts that a platform to integrate all social media will be the next big thing, while Scott Rieder looks ahead to a time when all media outlets use Twitter for breaking news. [...]]]>

Source: Shantanu Gautam

Social media is an ever-evolving world, and communicators are working overtime to keep up with the changes. Gary Ritterstein predicts that a platform to integrate all social media will be the next big thing, while Scott Rieder looks ahead to a time when all media outlets use Twitter for breaking news. Finally, Stephanie Dukes looks at how people will use social media specifically to spread the word about third party candidates.

Social Media Deck

Just as Google is using its new Plus platform to integrate its online tools, 2012 will be the year that at least one site will take the stage to bring everything together. With more platforms than ever, looking ever more familiar with each new iteration, it only makes sense to have a one-stop shop where you can follow news and friends, update your status or share content. Microsoft’s recently leaked “Tulalip” appears to be the first of its kind where “search meets share,” complete with a Facebook and Twitter login. This sort of Tweet Deck-type site could help communicators, both professionally and personally, better manage our online brand. As we attempt to find a unique role for each new platform, it’s only a matter of time before our new homepage is one page that does it all.

– By Gary Ritterstein

Extra! Extra! Tweet All About It!

Think about some of the most significant breaking news items of the past year – Osama Bin Laden’s death, the Royal Wedding and presidential campaign announcements. What do all of these items have in common? They were all announced via Twitter, becoming instant, breaking news to millions of people around the world.

Breaking news via Twitter is overtaking traditional news channels to adapt to a 21st century digital news cycle, and this will continue in 2012. Just as paper boys on the street corner and nightly news radio were replaced by television broadcast news, social media is now the best place to get news as it happens. With media outlets catching on as well (CNN’s Breaking News handle, @cnnbrk, has over 5 million followers), 2012 will be the year that every media outlet uses Twitter to report breaking news. As such, communicators will be even more engaged in the 24/7 breaking news cycle to stay on top of the social issues that affect us most.

– By Scott Rieder

Social Media: The Third Party Platform

“There is no way to have all the people’s ideas fit into two parties.”

That was the opinion of one respondent to Lab42.com’s survey “The Political Agenda.” The survey asked social media users a variety of questions about top issues, candidates and political news sources. Roughly half of the social media users surveyed said that they’ve posted political content on their Facebook pages.

From the 2008 election to anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Cairo to Occupy Wall Street, social media is now a powerful tool to galvanize instantaneous political action. In 2012, American voters who feel that neither Democrats nor Republicans speak for them will make significant use of social media to spread the word about third party candidates for election. There seems to be fertile ground for their efforts, with 59 percent of the survey’s respondents saying they would support an independent or third party candidate for president. Next year, keep a close watch on how Libertarians, Green Party members and others further develop their social media strategies to boost candidates who have historically had a difficult time reaching a broad cross-section of voters.

– By Stephanie Dukes

Instead of writing an apology letter to Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas per the request of her high school principal, 18 year old Emma Sullivan was commentating on first amendment rights and social media to CNN.

Twitter, the social media platform, shed light on Sullivan’s comments regarding the governor last week when he spoke to [...]]]>

Instead of writing an apology letter to Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas per the request of her high school principal, 18 year old Emma Sullivan was commentating on first amendment rights and social media to CNN.

Twitter, the social media platform, shed light on Sullivan’s comments regarding the governor last week when he spoke to Shawnee Mission East High School students.  Sullivan tweeted “Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot” to her 65 followers.  Before the advent of such public facing social media, no one would have been privy to criticism shared between a high school student and her friends.  But now, increased transparency reflects the diversity of all participants and a tweet like this can have the power to rise to the top of public discussion.

Gov. Brownback’s staff, who monitor tweets referencing their boss, identified this tweet as problematic.  Instead of engaging with Sullivan — or ignoring her tweet completely — they went to the school principal.  Sullivan was then instructed that she needed to write a letter of apology to the governor for her comments.

This begs the question, since when should someone apologize for expressing an opinion about a politician?  Isn’t that what social media is all about?  Engaging with new audiences of ALL opinions and persuasions is now standard for organizations, corporations and social movements.  As encouraging individuals to share own thoughts, ideas and opinions is a keystone of democracy, political uses of social media have been common place for years.  And it doesn’t mean that all of the participants are going to agree with you or like you.

Monday, Sullivan tweeted “I’ve decided not to write the letter but I hope this opens the door for average citizens to voice their opinion & to be heard! #goingstrong” to nearly 15,000 followers. Meanwhile, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback apologized for his staff’s “overreaction” to the tweet in a statement made at the State Capitol, as well as on his Facebook page, noting “My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms.”

Thoughtful and deliberate policies and procedures for social media communication are needed across the board. This means the strategists monitoring and curating social media content should have clear internal guidelines about how to handle feedback — the good, the bad and the quirky — for the organizations and entities they are representing.  This also means that online participants should have access to an established set of public guidelines, which can be placed on the “Contact Us” or “About Us” sections of websites.  Ragan.com has more great tips about how to handle social media interaction.

If engagement and two-way communication is what democracy needs, then transparency, honest interaction and difference of opinions should not only be respected, but upheld.

Earlier this month Andrew Overton, one of our bloggers, discussed whether the AP understands Twitter after updating its social media guidelines, stating that retweets with no comment can be seen as expressing an opinion and that must be avoided. Now an internal memo from the AP reprimanding staffers for tweeting about Occupy Wall Street (OWS) arrests [...]]]>

Earlier this month Andrew Overton, one of our bloggers, discussed whether the AP understands Twitter after updating its social media guidelines, stating that retweets with no comment can be seen as expressing an opinion and that must be avoided. Now an internal memo from the AP reprimanding staffers for tweeting about Occupy Wall Street (OWS) arrests before the news was published on the wire has been published in the online version of New York Magazine:

A high importance email went out to Associated Press employees early Wednesday morning to remind them of Twitter rules in the wake of staff arrests at yesterday’s local protests. “In relation to AP staff being taken into custody at the Occupy Wall Street story, we’ve had a breakdown in staff sticking to policies around social media and everyone needs to get with their folks now to tell them to knock it off,” went one version of the e-mail sent from on high, as obtained by Daily Intel. “We have had staff tweet – BEFORE THE MATERIAL WAS ON THE WIRE – that staff were arrested.”

While the AP’s social media guidelines do state that staffers should not break news that has not been published on the wire yet, this internal memo shows that AP is fighting a losing battle against the changing world of online journalism.

Media outlets are recognizing and using Twitter as a go-to-resource to get breaking news information in real time.  If wire services like AP don’t get on board with social media tools like Twitter being used as a social news service, it seems that they are missing a lot of opportunities to provide their loyal followers with real time information about important breaking news.

A Gigaom article titled “Memo to AP: Twitter is the newswire now” sums it up perfectly with this quote pulled from a tweet from Reuters reporter Robert MacMillan:

Reuters reporter Robert MacMillan made effectively the same point on Twitter, saying a news service that waits and tries to “save” the news for later is really just asking to be beaten by another service that decides not to wait.

The idea of “saving” the news doesn’t help reporters, outlets or professional communicators. As Twitter and other social media platforms have grown, professional communicators have learned to monitor Twitter for breaking news relevant to the industry and their clients. I would think that the AP and other news sources would want to take advantage of that by breaking news on Twitter.

It is apparent from AP’s recent memo and social media guidelines that the changing world of online journalism makes them nervous. The AP and others that are uneasy about the rise of social media tools in the world of journalism should try to figure out how they can use new tools, like Twitter, to their advantage and not fight against them.

If the AP starts embracing Twitter and other social media tools, professional communicators need to be prepared to compose their social media messages with the thought that the AP just may pick up the story. Communicators and news sources need to start thinking as breaking news sources and jump on opportunities to break news and weigh in on a relevant story while it’s still hot.

When we can use a Twitter app on our smart phones for the latest breaking news, do we want to get our news from a source that’s reluctant to adapt? And, does it really matter if we see the news from AP on Twitter before the news is on the wire?

When the Associated Press updated its social media guidelines yesterday, it became very apparent to me and many other Twitter users that the AP fails to fully comprehend this important communications platform. Let’s take a look at the new Twitter guidelines for AP staffers:

RETWEETING

Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that [...]]]>

When the Associated Press updated its social media guidelines yesterday, it became very apparent to me and many other Twitter users that the AP fails to fully comprehend this important communications platform. Let’s take a look at the new Twitter guidelines for AP staffers:

RETWEETING

Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that looks like you’re expressing a personal opinion on the issues of the day. A retweet with no comment of your own can easily be seen as a sign of approval of what you’re relaying. For instance:

RT @jonescampaign smith’s policies would destroy our schools

RT @dailyeuropean at last, a euro plan that works bit.ly/xxxxx.

These kinds of unadorned retweets must be avoided.

However, we can judiciously retweet opinionated material if we make clear we’re simply reporting it, much as we would quote it in a story. Colons and quotation marks help make the distinction:

RT Jones campaign now denouncing smith on education: @jonescampaign smith’s policies would destroy our schools

RT big European paper praises euro plan: @dailyeuropean “at last, a euro plan that works” bit.ly/xxxxx.

These cautions apply even if you say on your Twitter profile that retweets do not constitute endorsements.

Spend a few hours on Twitter and you’ll notice a phrase that appears on nearly every journalist’s Twitter bio: “RTs do not = endorsements.” Translation: “Hey! I only have 140 characters to work with here, so just because I share someone else’s thoughts doesn’t mean I agree with them.”

Still, AP writers are now required to insert a headline before each retweet. That’s not merely hard, it’s simply impossible for tweets more than 100 characters. Twitter users know the limitations inherent in the platform and are familiar with the “retweet rule.” So why does the AP need to make it explicit? It’s certainly not clear to me.

Sharing and resharing content is what drives all social media, and retweets are one of the main conversation-drivers on Twitter. Without a doubt journalists should be judicious in what they are sharing (see Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber rumors), but the AP is severely handicapping its writers. Changing the way we use Twitter is a losing battle. Don’t waste your time, AP.

Crystal Borde [...]]]>

Today is World Photography Day, an annual event celebrating photography through the simple act of sharing photos with other people around the world. This year, Vanguard staff chose to participate by submitting photos they have taken which are not only visually interesting, but also illustrate a lesson in effective communications. Enjoy!

Crystal Borde – As a new photographer with a digital camera, I took photos of everything. I didn’t spend time composing my photographs. It took a while at the U.S. Air Force Memorial near the Pentagon to take this photo. From this experience, I learned that beautiful photographs take preparation and time. Photography and graphic design are very similar in that regard. Like great photographs, well-designed products require strategic thinking, time and lots of patience to be great. For creative, effective materials, communicators must “aim high” like the U.S. Air Force motto, and as the U.S. Coast Guard say, we must be “always prepared.”

Andrew Overton – I took this photo at a Bon Iver concert at the 9:30 Club on Aug. 1. Simply using the Instagram and Twitter apps on my iPhone, I was able to edit the photo and share with my Twitter followers in seconds. It’s incredible to see how mobile technology and social networks have created living, breathing documentation of history—whether they’re small, intimate concerts like this or ground-breaking events like the Egyptian revolution and the London riots.

Brenda Foster – I’ve found that photography is about more than just being in the right place at the right time. It’s really about anticipating what the right place is going to be. During a beach vacation, I saw this Great Blue Heron stalking a fisherman, so I began stalking the bird. The heron was very bold, and in no time he had walked right up beside the fisherman hoping to steal the catch from his line. An odd couple was born.

Kathy Keller – Yes, dogs need good PR too! I volunteer with a local dog rescue, and so I know that the key to finding a home for them is to get great shots to post on their adoption profile pages—shots taken at their most relaxed moments. And everyone knows splashes of color are great at getting attention, so we have our dogs wear colored bandanas at our adoption events—and the photos of them are attention grabbers!

Rhea Jones – This photo ties into persuasive storytelling – it’s of my Aunt Laurel and her dog Brutus. The colors, background elements and expressions all play a part in telling the story. The picture makes the viewer feel like they’re experiencing the event firsthand.

LeAnne DeFrancesco – You’ve really never had a corn dog?! I didn’t think it was possible that people my own age in America could have missed out on this state fair and carnival delight. Like in social marketing campaigns, this revelation demonstrates that you should never assume you know everything about your audience … Focus group testing almost always reveals some surprises! This photo was taken just before my colleagues tasted their first corn dogs at Farm Aid 2011 in Kansas City.

Cameron Lane – I took this photo with a common point-and-shoot digital camera. It took nearly 30 minutes of scrolling through the camera menu, playing with the settings, and waiting for the right light to get this shot to come out the way I wanted it to look. This was certainly a case of making the best of the tools at hand to create something that perfectly communicates a moment.