Just in case you have been out of commission and haven’t heard of Pinterest, according to its About Page, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web […] Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”
The site was (soft) launched less than two years ago and is still by-invitation-only, but has exploded in popularity in the past few months. According to ZDNet, Pinterest received nearly 11 million total visits in the week ending December 1, 2011. That’s 4,000 percent growth on visits during a single week in just six months, points out CNET, bumping it into the top 10 social sites among the more than 6,000 properties that Hitwise tracks.
We all see cool stuff online that we’d like to share or save (aka “pin”) – I have some Facebook friends that I wish would use Pinterest instead of filling my stream with kitten images and quotation graphics, but that’s for another post. Snark aside, it is no surprise that people are finding use for this online pinboard. Friends and colleagues that are engaged are pinning wedding themed items, foodie friends are pinning recipes, fashion junkies are pinning wish-list items, etc.
So, I get the individual use, but what, if anything, can this do for companies or organizations? (more…)
The BurrellesLuce website rankings are based on data reported by Alexa for the month ending Dec. 22, 2011, in the case of the U.S.; and for the three-month period ending Dec. 22, in connection with global standings, as indicated by Alexa Global Reach scores. On Dec. 22, the Global Reach figures for the four leading sites were as follows: Google, 49.79; Facebook, 43.48; YouTube, 33.87, and Yahoo!, 22.54. Other websites finishing in the U.S. top 10 that also attained double-digit Global Reach scores were Wikipedia, 13.79 (ranked #7 in U.S. and #6 globally), Blog Spot, 12.39 (ranked #9 in U.S. and #7 globally), and Windows Live, 11.05 (ranked #10 in U.S. and #8 globally).
While evaluating Google+ last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice a lot of questions regarding how to engage in this new environment in the ways that we are familiar with on Facebook or Twitter. While that is understandable, perhaps, we can get to even better answers, not to mention engagement, if we stop focusing on how to replicate the way we currently do things and start asking about how to address a need not currently being filled with existing social media networks. In other words, let’s use this new platform to break out of our comfort zones and reconsider our social needs.
Building a list or circle is not a need; organizing and managing our communications in a more efficient and effective manner is. What are our real social needs? For example, I don’t think the question is whether the “Plus 1” feature in Google+ is equal to a “like” in Facebook. Perhaps it is more about, “How do I indicate that I am nodding ‘yes’ in agreement as I read your post or acknowledge that I have seen and read your post without actually having to comment?” And if I “Plus 1” a post does that mean I am endorsing you and how does that effect SEO? And maybe that leads to a greater need to convey additional emotions in a single-click and move beyond conventional algorithms.
JOHNA BURKE: Hi, this is Johna Burke with BurrellesLuce, and we’re here at the PR News Media Relations Summit. I’m joined by Gary.
Gary, will you please introduce yourself?
GARY WELLS: My name is Gary Wells. I’m the senior managing director for media relations and global communications at Dix & Eaton.
BURKE: Now, Gary, you just gave a presentation talking about how traditional media and social media is incestuous. How do you manage the media relations, knowing that?
WELLS: First, a little bit of context about why I suspect that they are so incestuous. There’s been a lot written about the fact that the news media, mainstream media, are having financial difficulties, which is true; however, it’s a bit exaggerated. The mainstream media are not going anywhere, which means in a crisis situation they’re no less important; in fact, more important than they have ever been before for a number of reasons, not the least of which is what happens in the mainstream media drives much of the commentary on blogs about a crisis or an issue when it emerges. And what happens in the blogs then drives much of the chatter on social networks, as well. So mainstream media, from that standpoint, will continue to be very important.
At the same time, what happens–and this is where the incest, so to speak, comes in–and that is that social media and blogs report on what the mainstream media says, as well. So each genre reports on what the other says and treats it as a story. That’s fine as long as it doesn’t segue into falsehoods or inaccuracies because the story is perpetuated, but in this case so are the falsehoods or the inaccuracies, as well. In that situation, you have to move very quickly to monitor what’s being said about you not only in the mainstream media, but also in blogs and social media, and correct any inaccuracies as quickly as possible.
BURKE: Gary, thank you so much. I think those are incredibly valuable messages for media relations professionals and PR professionals at all times.
WELLS: My pleasure.
BURKE: Can you tell us where people can find you in social media or online?
WELLS: Sure. Probably the best place is to start with our website. It’s www.dix-eaton.com, and also the same address for Twitter.
To summarize the panel: location apps (e.g., Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt) serve as another way to enhance a consumer or stakeholder’s experience and interaction with your company, brand, or client.
Tara Dunion, Consumer Electronics Association, looks to enhance the attendee experience at the International Consumer Electronics Show each January by creating an official location page on Foursquare and aggregating all the social media coverage on the website. (And they even plan to add additional locations for 2011). She commented that many exhibitors have multiple locations available for check-in, which also buys-into the game aspect of Foursquare.
Danielle Brigida says, The National Wildlife Federation wants to get you outside enjoying nature, so they employ Whrrl and Foursquare to help people share their experiences with others. Whrrl works well for their needs because it allows the user to upload a picture to help tell their story.
A recent story on Mashable by Dan Klamm highlighted how universities and colleges can use location-based tools to promote the school, foster school spirit, drive revenue and promote the community. One idea included offering special badges for exploring places on campus.
However, not all location-based tools are gaining momentum. When Facebook Places premiered, Foursquare had a record number of new sign-ins because it connects with the new Facebook app. A few weeks later, few people are using Facebook Places. Dan Frommer explored the possible reasons on Business Insider, commenting, “Only 2% of My Friends Are Using Facebook Places…”
After the panel ended, I enjoyed brainstorming with others on how they might use these tools to help their organizations. How could you add geo-location social media into your PR toolbox? What questions do you have about the tools? Please share your thoughts with me and the readers of BurrellesLuceFresh Ideas.
media networks. In other words, let’s use this new platform to break out of our comfort zones and reconsider our social needs.
PR News 2010 Media Relations Summit: Gary Wells, Dix & Eaton, interviewed by Johna Burke, BurrellesLuce
Monday, October 18th, 2010Transcript –
JOHNA BURKE: Hi, this is Johna Burke with BurrellesLuce, and we’re here at the PR News Media Relations Summit. I’m joined by Gary.
Gary, will you please introduce yourself?
GARY WELLS: My name is Gary Wells. I’m the senior managing director for media relations and global communications at Dix & Eaton.
BURKE: Now, Gary, you just gave a presentation talking about how traditional media and social media is incestuous. How do you manage the media relations, knowing that?
WELLS: First, a little bit of context about why I suspect that they are so incestuous. There’s been a lot written about the fact that the news media, mainstream media, are having financial difficulties, which is true; however, it’s a bit exaggerated. The mainstream media are not going anywhere, which means in a crisis situation they’re no less important; in fact, more important than they have ever been before for a number of reasons, not the least of which is what happens in the mainstream media drives much of the commentary on blogs about a crisis or an issue when it emerges. And what happens in the blogs then drives much of the chatter on social networks, as well. So mainstream media, from that standpoint, will continue to be very important.
At the same time, what happens–and this is where the incest, so to speak, comes in–and that is that social media and blogs report on what the mainstream media says, as well. So each genre reports on what the other says and treats it as a story. That’s fine as long as it doesn’t segue into falsehoods or inaccuracies because the story is perpetuated, but in this case so are the falsehoods or the inaccuracies, as well. In that situation, you have to move very quickly to monitor what’s being said about you not only in the mainstream media, but also in blogs and social media, and correct any inaccuracies as quickly as possible.
BURKE: Gary, thank you so much. I think those are incredibly valuable messages for media relations professionals and PR professionals at all times.
WELLS: My pleasure.
BURKE: Can you tell us where people can find you in social media or online?
WELLS: Sure. Probably the best place is to start with our website. It’s www.dix-eaton.com, and also the same address for Twitter.
BURKE: Thank you so much.
WELLS: Thanks.
Tags: Blogs, BurrellesLuce, commentary, communications, crisis, director, Dix and Eaton, falsehoods, financial, Fresh Ideas, Gary Well, global, inaccuracies, issue, Johna Burke, mainstream, managing, media, Media Relations, messages, monitor, news, PR, PR News, professionals, reports, Social Media, Social Networks, traditional
Posted in Career Advice, Industry Events, Media Outreach, Media Relations, Online Video, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »