You Must Pay Attention to Social Media, Bloggers, Online Community Publications

The numbers are pretty overwhelming when it comes to social networking. As I am writing these words, Facebook reports the social networking site has around 700 million members. Amazing! If you don’t know about Facebook, or any of the legions of social networking sites, you are either living in a cave, don’t own a computer, or you don’t have teenage children. If you run a small company, a nonprofit group, or some kind of community organization read further about how social networking can help you.

Social networking has revolutionized communication by allowing people throughout the world to connect in an interactive, digital world. The social networking phenomenon has exploded over the past several years thanks to the proliferation of online communities where users keep in contact with family, friends, colleagues and former classmates.

All of the generations joining Facebook are doing more than socializing. They are using the channel to receive and transmit information, just as previous generations used the newspaper, radio and television for information gathering. Facebook and similar sites are playing larger roles in how people learn about world events. For example, to work around the ban on professional journalists in Iran, supporters of the Iranian opposition candidate used Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to inform the world of the violence their government was using to silence them.

To increase exposure, some news organizations are making links to their articles available through Facebook and other sites, so that users can share them. You need to join in on the sharing and the socializing.

You have probably been putting it off for a long time, but if you have not jumped into social media with both feet you are missing out on some great (and free!) opportunities to connect with your communities. Even if you are not ready to jump in with both feet, you should at least consider dipping in your big toe. I think you will find that you will see results fairly quickly.

Things I Have Learned by Teaching Communications

Being an adjunct college instructor is a lot of work, but it is also enjoyable and rewarding. I have been teaching writing and communications courses, mostly through online programs, for over a year now. Evenings and weekends are taken up with grading assignments, papers and discussion threads. One of the spare, upstairs bedrooms is where I conduct classes online and hold “office hours.” It has been a rewarding experience so far.

If I had to name one thing I have taught myself through teaching writing and communication courses, it would be that I still have so much to learn about writing and communication.

The majority of the students I teach are adult learners. Many of them are working full-time and going to school part-time in order to improve their opportunities. Many of them are people who could not finish college when they were of traditional “college age”, but now they are going back and trying again. You have to give these students a lot of credit (no college pun intended). They want to earn that degree and better themselves.

And here is what I have learned, and continue to learn from teaching: I am not even close to having all of the answers. Just because I have the teacher’s edition of the textbook does not guarantee that I have all of the answers. It is humbling.

I have learned that just because I have that teacher’s edition textbook that might have additional information on a specific communication concept; it does not guarantee that I fully grasp that concept. Reading and re-reading helps.

I have learned I do not understand every rule of grammar and punctuation. I also have learned that many of the rules I do understand, I still think are illogical, just as I did when I was in elementary school.

What I have learned by teaching communications is that there are so many theories and principles that I might never get around to studying, understanding or teaching so many of them. We are all students. Always.

How to Avoid Looking Like a Deer in the Headlights

Press interviews can be intimidating, even for those with a lot of media interview experience. A spokesperson must know how to articulate the “company line” for lack of a better phrase and how to advance your organization’s goals, viewpoints and objectives.

The person chosen for this role has a lot of responsibility because the media’s power cannot be ignored and sometimes you only get one shot and representing who you are and what you do. You have to get it right.

Some people get that “deer in the headlights” look when they’re being interviewed. In fairness, not everyone is good at being an interview subject, at least at first. It takes practice.

So, here are some tips to help you prepare for that media interview:

• Think of questions you’d most likely be asked by reporters and practice your answers.
• Develop a standard set of “message points” about your group, organization or company. Have them handy or have them memorized.
• Set up a mock press conference and have staff ask you questions.
• Videotape your mock press conferences to see how you performed. Ask staff members to watch the video replay with you and offer brutally honest critiques.
• Take your practicing seriously by watching how others handle the task. Watch televised news conferences to see how interview subjects are handling the questions and the pressure.
• Practice and plan.

Two final tips: If you don’t know the answer to the reporter’s question off the top of your head, or from your notes, it’s okay to say “I don’t have an answer for that now but will get back to you.” And, if you are not clear what the reporter is asking you, it’s okay to ask that reporter to repeat the question if you are not sure what point he or she is trying to make.

Media training is taken very seriously in the world of big business. According to a 2004 survey by Impulse Research, nine out of ten CEOs have had some sort of formal media training. Why are so many corporate bosses going through media training? Nearly 84-percent of those CEOs questioned for the same survey said that media interviews were the most effective way to get their message across.

Is New Media Killing Journalism?

I’m a former reporter and lots of people think I’m just being an old grouch when I complain about the current state of journalism. But I can’t help it. I think real, true journalism is becoming a dying art.

Reporters are forced to work too fast these days, what with filing their stories, posting on Twitter, giving updates on Facebook, shooting pictures and video for their websites, all while trying to follow the actual story. “News gathering” organizations spread their already thin staffs way too thin.

Which leads me to talk about this announcement by the University of Colorado Boulder: The school is considering pulling the plug on its school of journalism in favor of some kind of “new media” program offering.

According to an Associated Press story, Chancellor Philip DiStefano said in a written statement: "News and communications transmission as well as the role of the press and journalism in a democratic society are changing at a tremendous pace. We must change with it."

Change sure, but kill an entire worthwhile program? Where will our future journalists, real journalists come from?

Again, the grouchy former reporter here... I know the times they are a changin’ but reporting the news and reporting it well and accurately is a really big deal. And the people doing the reporting have to know what they’re doing. They have to be trained well. They need to have a foundation.

David Hazinski, an associate professor at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a former NBC correspondent, told DailyFinance: “Ethics and standards will become even more important as the sea of opinion grows deeper. The content and context will be distributed over many platforms but someone has to be at the top of the information food chain. Those people will be skilled journalists, not technicians."

Reporting the news is serious stuff and has to be taken seriously by people who know more than just the glitzy, high-tech side of things. They have to know about accurately gathering and reporting the facts, and what to do with them.

When I graduated from Penn State many years ago, I graduated from the School of Journalism. A few years after I graduated, the university combined Journalism, Advertising/Public Relations, Film-Video and Media Studies, and Telecommunications under one roof of “The School of Communications.”

The name change still makes me cringe a little. That’s what happens when you’re an old grouch. I hope the “new media” grads that the schools are turning out know what they’re doing. Journalism is too important to treat lightly.

Honesty in Communication – Quite a Concept

Question: How can you tell when a corporate spokesperson is lying?

Answer: When his lips are moving.

Okay, that’s a really lame version of a worn out joke but it reflects how a lot of people think these days.

The corporate spokesperson faces the camera and spouts the company position. But do people believe the words coming out of that spokesperson’s mouth? Not really. Consider everything and anything former BP exec Wayward Tony Hayward said during the oil crisis in the Gulf Coast. He’s a prime example.

So, why do company spokespeople say the things they say? Why do they tell untruths? In the great article Why Honesty Is the Best Policy, Bennett Freeman spells it out simply when he says: “They are frankly challenged by the demands of credible, transparent reporting and by the dynamics of stakeholder engagement.”

They are torn between the truth and protecting their companies, as well as their behinds. When push comes to shove, they protect their companies AND the behinds.

But while consumers may be buying the products corporations are selling they are not necessarily buying what those corporations are saying. The Corporate Eye Blog hits the nail sharply on the head:

“Consumers aren’t naive anymore. There was a time when consumers believed the marketing messages in ads. There was also a time when many people believed in political propaganda, but thankfully, with advances in communications and technology, more people than ever can see through those skewed messages.”

We receive tons of skewed messages everywhere. Banks took billions in bailouts but continue to struggle. We aren’t sure why. Car makers took billions in bailout, yet they’re still “losing money.” What do we hear from them and what are we supposed to believe?

One of the best corporate quotes comes from Howard Schultz, the CEO for Starbucks. He left Starbucks in 2000 and then came back to run the place in 2008. When he returned, the place was a mess. The company was losing business, losing customers. There was a real “anti Starbucks” mentality brewing. So, what did Schultz do? He took a long and honest look at the company and delivered an honest message to employees and other stakeholders about rebuilding the company.

Schultz told the Harvard Business Review:

“We had to admit to ourselves and to the people of this company that we owned the mistakes that were made. Once we did, it was a powerful turning point. It’s like when you have a secret and get it out: The burden is off your shoulders.”

That’s why transparency and honesty in corporate communications is vital. People DO see right through the smokescreens. They smell the crap as corporate execs dish it out. People need and want something to believe in. They really want to trust. But they need a reason to trust. Companies need to deliver the truth.

Is Social Networking Really Working in PR?

Social media has really enhanced communication. It’s connecting people who’ve never thought of connecting before. That’s a huge plus as far as I’m concerned. But while social media has improved communication, I’m still trying to get a handle on how it can improve PR.

I know it’s there but I’m just not making the clear connection. I am open to any and all suggestions, sales pitches and interventions to show me the way.

I know a lot of folks who are convinced that social media holds the key to PR’s future. They are “friending” everyone possible on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites. While their friends are posting status updates about where they went to dinner or thoughts about that driver who cut them off and ticked them off, PR practitioners are posting info you’d typically find in press releases or similar announcements.

Is this working?

In May/June 2010, the Oriella PR Network conducted a survey of over 750 journalists in 15 countries. They wanted to find out if how digital media was changing journalists’ news gathering habits. It seems journalists are tapping into social media for info but they are not completely sold on it yet. 75% of journalists surveyed still like to get press releases via email. That’s the “old fashioned” way in this tech savvy age.

The Social Media and Online PR Report conducted by Econsultancy, in November 2009, found nearly one-third of the companies surveyed said they are not spending any money on social media. More than 60% said they’ve looked into using social media to promote themselves but, admittedly, they haven’t done much.

Of course, November 2009 is light years ago in the social media world. So, maybe more companies are using social media as a PR tool.

Right now, reporters working in the conventional media – TV, radio, newspapers and magazines – seem to still prefer the traditional press release as opposed to Facebook postings or tweets on Twitter. Janet Thaeler, author of the Online PR Book, writes: “While social media and putting out the word yourself is a good idea, it shouldn’t replace sending press releases to the media if you have newsworthy content.”

Blogger Christina Warren says: “Having a goal in mind or a main focus can be very important when using social media for any reason.” So, maybe that’s the key. Not just using social networks just for the heck of it or because that’s what all the cook kids are doing. It’s about having a goal, a focus.

But still, am I just not getting it yet? Please show me the way.

Think First and Then Communicate. NOT the Other Way Around, Dr. Laura

This is from the COMMUNICATE FIRST, AND THEN THINK file. But it’s an example of how we need to THINK FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNICATE.

By now, you’ve heard about Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s mammoth mistake during her August 10, 2010 with roughly 7-million people listening. Call it one of the biggest communications screw-ups EVER!

During the radio talk show a woman named “Jade” called. She’s a black woman married to a while man. She said feelings get hurt when her husband doesn't stand up to people who make racial generalizations and use the N-word.

That’s a great discussion topic. Maybe if you THINK FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNICATE. But rather than delve into the issue, Dr. Laura blasted Jade for being hypersensitive. She noted black comics use the N-word constantly. Here’s what she said, if you can believe it:

"Black guys use it all the time. Turn on HBO and listen to a black comic, and all you hear is n****r, n****r, n****r. I don't get it. If anybody without enough melanin says it, it's a horrible thing. But when black people say it, it's affectionate. It's very confusing."

That’s one of the best/worst tirades of all time. It was a tirade made without thinking before talking, which, I guess, is the definition of a tirade. But rather than think (at all) Schlessinger dug a deeper hole when she spat out this gem:

"If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race."

The heat got so intense that Dr. Laura announced she’s quitting. In fact, in her blog, she wrote she’s following her own advice, which she calls the Four R’s: “Take Responsibility for your mistake. Make an immediate apology. Show true Remorse. Don’t try to explain away your action or defend it. Repair what is in your power to Repair. Repeat. “

Political blogger Keli Goff – who is black - wrote that Dr. Laura should be thanked for her N-word rant: “Arbitrary rules about who can say the N-word and who cannot simply do not work. Dr. Laura felt justified saying what she did because a host of rappers and comedians continue to validate her perspective.”

True enough. But don’t you think she could have validated her perspective by THINKING FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNCIATING?