Guest Blog: First Take over Twitter, then Facebook, then THE WORLD: My take on Social Media

I’ve been asked to run my predictions for Social Media in the next few years. Luckily for the owner of this blog, I’m always happy to oblige.

My route to social media

Twitter had been around for a long time before I started using it. I always thought the idea of 140 character messages were ridiculous, and I even had an issue with Stephen Fry (who is otherwise one of my heroes) being silly enough to use it.

Even my close friends who had got involved with twitter had pulled out of using it very rapidly – something I believe is extremely common with Twitter users.

I’d already been burnt with social media. When I ran Fotogenesis – my third start-up and a photography company – I had a fan page on Facebook that I found almost impossible to maintain.

Also, I was the first person I knew to have a proper Facebook purge. If I hadn’t had 3 Facebook purges now I’d have over 500 friends (many who discovered me when I was doing the photography), but instead I have 199 and treat 200 as the target for which I run another purge.

Here’s my prediction #1: Call it unfriending, purging, or rationalisation – this trend is going to get bigger and bigger

My sudden Social Media revolution

Between January and March this year, I got control of my Facebook page. I have a list of colleagues, one for acquaintances, and my ‘access everything’ list of.

Then I joined Toastmasters, and started putting up my videos on YouTube (at http://www.youtube.com/setsights ) and more recently I started taking videos of interesting things I see and adding them on there too.

Here’s my prediction (or more of a statement) #2: Once you join the social media bandwagon, you tend to join multiple channels. Therefore there is going to be more convergence in accessing social media.

What I use Social Media for

Like many I use different types of Social Media for different reasons. I use YouTube because I love public speaking and want other people to see my videos. I do genuinely think they’re good, and I’m desperate to have this video - http://3.ly/haberdasher - go viral, as I think it’s the best bit of comedy I’ve done. Although I also recommend you look at my speech half in English and French on my youtube.com channel which can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/setsights

I desperately want to be a part time, or even full time, professional speaker one day (if I can’t be the next Stephen Fry) and these videos can help publicise me and my upcoming foray into the stand-up comedy scene.

Facebook is a personal-only thing. I mainly use it to find out what other people are doing, providing many of the same links I do on Twitter (such as the latest run I’ve been on, or my latest blog post) and keeping all my photographs in the one place.

I have a blog at http://blog.setsights.co.uk/ which Carly Smith, the owner of this blog I’m writing on today, has written for. It covers career development and personal development, which is the theme of Setsights Ltd which was my 4th start-up, now mostly on hold as I’ve gone into a career as a full time Management Consultant from September 2010 onwards after a chance in direction. It also covers dating – largely because I adore the human interaction of men and women – and occasional I pop in something personal – what I’ve learnt about a situation, or my opinions on Social Media etc.

Too many platforms = sore head

I’ve already said I can’t handle Facebook. I barely have the time to handle twitter.

Mind you, I’ve been impressed with Twitter. When I was thinking about buying a printer, I got an unsolicited message from Dell. When I was angry with M&S, I posted this on twitter and got a rapid reply and resolution.

Each channel is slowly developing its unique angle on social media use.

Prediction #3: Each method of social media will focus on a particular angle, and gradually each angle will be dominated by a single brand

Would Foursquare go and die already?

There are few things that really irritate me on social media. Posting information about your farm is one of them. Posting information on twitter about how busy the M25 is every 10 minutes is another.

And foursquare badge posts are the last. I do understand the point of location based services, I really do, but what I don’t understand it why they need to focus on badges etc. As more companies offer free drinks a la Starbucks and similar promotions, badges will become less and less necessary.

But at this point, Apple or similar will enter the Fray. If your phone has GPS and can detect your location, then sooner or later a company will integrate this into their phones. Or they’ll integrate Foursquare (or even Gowalla) into their basic set of applications.

Either way, I consider myself to usually be an early adopter, but like many people when it comes to something like location based services I don’t want to tie myself down to one format when it may lose.

Here’s prediction number #4: Location based services won’t take off until there is without doubt a dominant company, and yes, I think this will be Foursquare in the short to mid term

But here’s prediction number #5: The first location based service company to integrate augmented reality images into their software and make it work really well will be that dominant company mentioned above

Upcoming

With the rising popularity of guest blogging I decided to ask a few of my friends within PR and other similar disciplines if they would be so kind as to write a post for my blog.

The first blog comes from David Lurie, a serial entrepreneur who has founded no less that 4 companies - his latest being Setsights - a professional training and coaching company. More information can be found on www.setsights.co.uk .

When blog 'owners' invite guest bloggers to write for them I always wonder just what the connection is between them so I thought it would be a good idea for me to explain a little of how I know each of the people who will be writing a blog post for me.

David and I met on Twitter whilst taking part in #commschat - we both found ourselves fighting our corner and often had the same ideas and points of view. We now keep in touch through Twitter and emails. I have used the Setsights services too. My testimonial can be found at: http://www.setsights.co.uk/testimonials/. All in all David is a funny guy and is guaranteed to make you chuckle even on a bad day.

Enjoy his take on social media....

It's all around!

For quite a while now I have meaning to write a post about services marketing and it's effect on consumers.

It wasn't until I began learning about it at University that I even realised service marketing existed. A trip to the car garage was just that, I went in, discussed the strange noises my car was making and didn't give a second thought to the service unless a member of staff was extremely rude or particularly good looking...

I have just bought a new car - a Mini - and was having some trouble with the electric windows. I took it to my usual garage but because the problem was a little complicated they suggested I took it to the dealership. This is normally something which fills me with dread. You walk into the showroom with tiled floors, high ceilings and well turned out staff. I also tend to forget what I went in for when faced with all the new model BMW's. Plus it costs a bomb and once your car disappears into the back you have NO idea whats happening to it.

The first communication I had with Mini just oozed professionalism - the lady I spoke to on the phone was very friendly and helpful. This was the first critical incident point and they had succeeded in making it positive. The phone call was promptly followed up with a text message reminding of my appointment both that day and again a few days before I was due to take it in.

When I took my car in I was ushered towards a shiny desk where my details were in put into the computer. I left feeling like my car was in safe hands. They called when promised and the situation was explained fully to me in my language...I picked my car up the day after and was very happy with the service I had received.

It wasn't until I got it home however that I had the best bit...yes....indeed....they had washed it. I spent the whole afternoon thinking to myself how nice of them it was. Silly I know...probably one of the most expensive car washes I have ever had - the kids down the road do it for £3 and some sweets...but it was the little extra touch of customer service that left me smiling and made the level of cognitive dissonance I felt was limited.

At every critical incident point Mini dealership made an effort to make the experience a postive one. I believe they were focused more on the theatre metaphor, based on performances, with the actors encouraged to develop their own scripts with their smart attire being their costumes. The garage down the road however is based more on the factory metaphor, getting the cars in and out and the money handed over.

Going that extra mile for consumers and over delivering will more than likely get you repeat custom - give them something they aren't expecting.

End of the "Celebrity" - a bad thing?

Having just read an article on PR Week.com:

'Final Big Brother could signal end of the age of the celebrity, warns celebrity publicist.'

It got me thinking. Will the end of Big Brother really spell the end of the celebrity? Or will we just begin to find them elsewhere?

The launch of BB11 is on tonight - the last in the series of this iconic programme. The format has been used with celebrities, abroad and also as an elaborate con in Turkey in 2009. It has created a stream of 'celebs' to attend award ceremonies and grace our gossip columns.

So would losing these celebs really be a bad thing? Obviously from a business point of view there will be lose of revenue for channel 4, Davina will lose her pay packet, the potential for normal people to become 'famous' will be reduced and magazine sales may suffer.

My opinion is however that there won't be a fall in the number of 'celebs' but where we get them from will change - with shows like Britain's got talent and sites such as YouTube.com there will always be people who the general public become interested in....

Don't despair if you like your fix of celeb gossip there is still one series of Big Brother left !

I look forward to reading Ian Monk's full column later this week on www.prweek.com

Brand 'Me'

Should people see themselves as brands?

We all have reputations that other people have assigned to us. These reputations can sometimes bother us and we aim to influence them - just as brands do. Consumers, like friends, talk about our good and bad actions and give their opinions on them - sometimes more publicly than others.

Therefore should we apply the same rules to our lives that we, as marketers, would suggest to businesses we were advising?

To a certain extent I think we should....

Everything you blog, write, comment on and have written about you acts as a footprint about brand 'you'. Potential employers will be able to type your name into google when your CV lands on their desk and find out a wealth of information about you. But be warned make sure your privacy settings on your social networking site aren't set to allow everyone on your profile. However this for me could be a separate post all together - should you have your boss and colleagues as friends on Facebook? Keep tuned...

In a time when companies are being approached by hoards of applicants for one position they are looking for the whole package. They no longer just look at your CV, they want a certain type of person: a pro-active employee with a good, professional reputation.

As a student it would be ridiculous for me to say that if you want a job you can't go out and have a good time or have a Facebook profile to share laughs with your friends. All I am saying is...Think - before you join that Facebook group that could be seen as offensive, before you tweet that depressive status about your life and especially before you have your picture taken with your head in a toilet...

I would be interested to hear others thoughts on this so please feel free to comment.

How ignorant of me......

It's been a while hasn't it?! My apologies!

I have managed to bag myself a PR placement at Shooting Star PR in Lincoln, I have been writing articles for Behind The Spin.com and my time has been managed to be consumed by various tasks. But do not despair - I am home for the Summer so fingers crossed I will be blogging much more - if I get the inspiration!

Scary World of Business has been neglected despite the fact there have been some SERIOUSLY scary things going on - so keep your eyes out for my new posts!

It SHOULD be a relationship

I arrived home to visit my mum this weekend - made myself some crumpets and settled down to read my issue of PR Week - needless to say I developed a bee in my bonnet....

There is an on-going debate between journalists and PR professionals for those who didn't know - they don't like receiving our press releases if they aren't relevant and we carry on sending them - that's is the basis of the argument. A campaign has been launched by the Realwire chief executive Adam Parker named 'An Inconvenient PR Truth' and one their main policies is a PR 'bill of rights' which includes points such as after a PR practitioner has sent a press release they aren't allowed to 'chase' the recipient by phoning them. I agree with some of the points in this 'bill of rights' and think there are some good ideas however the name...inconvenient pr truth...I think they could have done it in a less 'spin' sounding way. However it has brought with it a lot of publicity which might have been one of their aims.

Both journalists and PR practitioners are busy - and we both have jobs to do. Why all the disagreement? As a university student I don't want to enter the world of work with such troubles - I live across the corridor from a journalism student and are the best of friends - because of living with each other we understand how we could use each other in the workplace effectively rather than seeing each other as a problem.

I understand completely that there are some agencies out there who are just concerned with sending out millions of press releases to people who wont find them relevant - but it is not all agencies. Angie Moxham the CEO of 3 Monkeys makes a good point in PR Week - 'It is all based on individual relationships with journalists' - we are taught about media relations in University so how is it that some people in the industry seem to have forgotten their importance?! Relationships are important both inside and outside the workplace - you wouldn't start telling your grandparents about your sex life (well I wouldn't...) so why tell a cycling publication who promote saving the environment about a new 8litre super car that's being produced?

I agree that sending irrelevant press releases to journalists is unprofessional and down right irritating for them - I was explaining this to my mum over the weekend - 1.7bn irrelevant press release emails are sent each year in the UK according to inconvenientprtruth.com - that is A LOT. As a PR student I am constantly being reminded on making sure that you send a press release which has been tailored for the journalist - regional paper? Give it a local swing. Make it relevant for them.

So before you click send on that email:

Just have a think.

Do the research.

Tailor it to them.

And journalists cut us a bit of slack :-) I am sure you find them interesting sometimes?!

Would be interested to hear others thoughts on this so feel free to comment.