Trending topics reveal much more than the objects that captivate the hearts, minds, and keyboards of Twitter users around the world. Twitter’s trends is a cultural mirror that reflects the state of attention and intention. And as such, Tweets then offer an MRI that visualizes the minds of consumers and more importantly, serve as a crystal ball that reveals the future of products and services before and soon after they’re released. For the most part, however, the vast amount of…
Twitter Gets an Extreme Home Makeover with Release of New Home Page
In July 2009, Twitter debuted a new home page to appeal to the early market majority who were suddenly introduced to the popular microblog, but not quite sure what to make of it. Version 2.0 of the home page spotlighted popular themes and conversations through trending topics and real-time search to lure new users into the service through context rather than technology. Almost nine months later, Twitter continues its race towards mainstream ubiquity with the release of a new home…
Redefining Viral Marketing
In September 2008 at Web 2.0 Expo in New York, I shared something that many, to this day, believe to the contrary, “There is no such thing as viral marketing.” The declaration was empathetic in its direction to those marketers who have been on the receiving end of directives instructing them to create and unleash viral content. In parallel, the statement was aimed at those decision makers who assign such projects. Content, no matter how brilliant, creative, abstract, or controversial,…
Mark Drapeau’s New Job: Corporate Public Diplomacy via Innovative Social Engagement
Guest post by Mark Drapeau For a good part of my career, I was a scientist researching how animal behavior is controlled by genes and neurons. Desiring something more, I got a terrific fellowship from the scientific society AAAS in 2006 and was able to conduct science and technology policy research at the Department of Defense for a few years. That experience opened my eyes to everything from the inner workings of the military, to how the government purchases goods…
The Proliferation of Online Video
Source: Shutterstock Online video continues to capture the attention of producers and viewers, with the market as well as industry leaders, leading us into a more pervasive form of video entertainment, communication and education. With YouTube quickly transforming from a user-generated video network into an invaluable repository for content, the associated behavior for creating, uploading, discovering, and watching online videos is evolving. What many have yet to realize are the effects YouTube has aroused. It is where many online experiences…
At Your Service: Twitter Data and Sentiment Analysis
Source: Shutterstock For the last year, I’ve served as a strategic advisor to PeopleBrowsr. While many of you may know PeopleBrowsr as a Web-based client for Twitter and other social networks, the real story is that over the past several months, we’ve quietly built a comprehensive foundation and supporting infrastructure for capturing, organizing, and analyzing data, sentiment, and corresponding activity to reveal the indicators, hotspots, opportunities and trends that define the Twitterverse and ultimately, business. As such, I’ve spent a…
Blogger Relations is a Two-Way Street
Guest Post by Tamar Weinberg: Read her blog | Follow her on Twitter Source: Shutterstock As bloggers, we’ve all experienced it: the completely off topic pitch. After pouring blood, sweat, and tears into our blog that clearly is known for addressing a specific subject matter, we get an email from a public relations agency that takes us for someone completely different. Where do they come off doing that? A few months ago, Brian talked about an off-topic pitch about a…
One in Five Tweets are Related to Products
According to a recent study, 20 percent of tweets published are actually invitations for product information, answers or responses from peers or directly by brand representatives. Jim Jansen, associate professor of information science and technology at the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at Penn State, along with IST doctoral student Mimi Zhang, undergraduate student Kate Sobel and Twitter chief scientist Abdur Chowdhury, investigated micro interaction as an electronic word-of-mouth medium, using Twitter as the platform. The results were…
Using Twitter to Connect PR Students, Educators, and Professionals
Credit: Shutterstock I recently participated in #PRStudChat, a recurring discussion between PR experts and those looking to learn on Twitter. I found it enthralling. The interactive forum was created by Deirdre Breakenridge, my co-author for Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, and Valerie Simon in response to an ongoing series of questions they received from students seeking advice or insight into how PR was changing in the face of the “now” or real-time Web. In one such interview, PRSSA…
Implement Social Media Guidelines, Now
Guest post by Dan Schawbel: Follow him on Twitter | Read his blog Source Technology has united our professional and personal identities into one. You are no longer just the financial analyst, doctor, lawyer or “social media guru” during work hours. People all around you, sitting in cubicles, in offices and even the secretary can find out more personal information about you, with a single search in Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. There is no hiding anymore and our identities will…
