My birthday Klout bump
Remember when you were a kid and it was your birthday and you’d get the bumps? Well, that happened to me this year too.
Except virtually.
It was my birthday earlier in the week and I got a little present from Klout – my score increased from 66 to 68.
I got a Klout bump.
And while I appreciate the algorithmic gesture , I’m pretty sure the upswing is strictly artificial – and short-lived.
My sense is it was caused by all the activity on Facebook, the well-wishing and back and forth – that I really appreciated by the way!
Those greetings had an immediate positive affect both on my psyche and Klout score. (more…)
Are you socially insecure, part two
Last week I wrote about online security and how important it is to change passwords in order to safeguard your accounts and privacy.
Now I want to talk about that other type of insecurity – the psychological kind.
As individuals who are otherwise perfectly well adjusted, centred and completely at one with ourselves (aren’t we? 
), we all have those gnawing feelings of self-doubt. And our online interactions often heighten them. As in: We went to high school together, why is that person taking so long to friend me?; I followed that colleague, shouldn’t they follow me back?; I just shared their blog post, the least they could do is say thank you…
The list goes on and on…and on. (more…)
Are you socially insecure?
Many of us are – insecure, that is – though we may not realize it. And I’m not referring to our personal psychological states (maybe in another post).
Last Friday evening, I got an email from Twitter saying my account may have been compromised. I often get emails like that from spammers pretending to be banks or PayPal and attempting to get information. I never click on those.
The same goes for Twitter DMs that claim someone has a photo of you that is…well, shocking.
So I wasn’t sure about the Twitter situation and decided to check the site’s blog. Sure enough there was a post indicating up to 250,000 accounts may have been hacked. There were other stories about it too. (more…)
Hello again…
- Well. You’re back.
- Um, what?
- It’s been a while since we’ve seen you here.
- Yes. Yes, I guess it has.
- So… what have you been up to?
- What do you mean?
- I mean, where were you? (more…)
Buying gifts is a lot like creating content
Today, as I was making my holiday list, it occurred to me that giving gifts is a lot like creating good content.
Sure you can dash it off or recycle an old idea. But if you want to really engage people you need to put some energy and imagination into it and not simply go through the motions so you can cross it off your to-do list. (more…)
The ups and downs of Everest and PR: two holiday gift ideas
If you’re a last-minute shopper like me – hey, there’s plenty of time – at least four days left – you’re probably starting to think about your gift list.
So in the spirit of the season, here are two suggestions. One is fiction, the other is not, but both are great stories that aim for the heights – and I happen to be friends with the authors (and in one case the publisher too). (more…)
Tablets are like digital shopping malls for content
I’m a big fan of shopping malls (as many of you know ).
And last month, after seeing Jason Konopinski’s post on his transition to reading more ebooks, I realized I’m on a similar path, though I haven’t given up on print completely.
Like many of you, this move away from the traditional goes beyond books to include note taking, paper files, videos, blogs, email and social sharing.
And my all-in-one device of choice is becoming my iPad.
It’s like a shopping mall for content.
Create your own personal infographic
It’s that part of the year when we’re inundated with predictions, look-backs and best-of’s, like the recent video Google did on search and Twitter‘s report on conversations and trends. Facebook takes a more personal approach and, in addition to the global Zeitgeist, gives you highlights from your own timeline. And in case you missed them, here’s a list of the top viral videos.
All of these are brief, but pleasant strolls down memory lane; nostalgia-light for the events of the past 12 months. (And yes, I click on those links every time.) (more…)
Living and working asset light
Mary Meeker of Kleiner, Perkin, Caulfield and Byers released a new study on the state of the Internet that explores, among other things, how we’re making the transition from an asset-heavy society to one that’s asset-light.
What does that mean? Basically, we’re shedding (or have shed) many of the encumbrances of our pre-social/digital network lives.
Examples include the movement from extra-large to compact: that is, three-car families to Zipcars or Hailo, face-to-face meetings to Google+ Hangouts, desktops to mobile, boxes and boxes of paper files to documents in the cloud. (more…)
New U of Toronto Certificate in Digital Strategy and Communications Management launches winter 2013
And speaking of education…
Well, it’s official and I’m excited to announce a new digital and social media program created by the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.
We’re launching a three-course Certificate in Digital Strategy and Communications Management in January 2013.
The classes are geared to communications and marketing professionals who want to fine tune their skills and learn how to adopt a strategic approach to digital and social networks. And we combine the why and how with hands-on instruction in the tools and the way they work. (more…)
Introducing my 2012 social media class
One of the things I like best about the social media class I teach is seeing the students create their blogs and bring them to life. Each person chooses a subject they’re passionate about and presents it from a personal point of view.
Now that we’re well into the term, I thought I’d introduce this year’s group.
As before, the subjects are as eclectic as the students and range from a hockey goalie’s perspective on the ice (and off); profiles of visual artists from northern Ontario; an urban view of fashion, beauty, travel and photography; a shoppers guide to finding great deals… (more…)
Social Media Barometer meets NCPRSA
This year, I’ve been taking my Social Media Barometer talk on the road, sharing my perspective on some of the trends and pressure points facing PR/marketing and offering a forecast on how to put things into a context that makes sense for communicators.
Some of the changes I cover include why you see what you do when you search; the 21st century generation gap; walking around with our heads in the (internet) cloud – that is, living in a state of constant mobility; and the part we’re all playing in shaping the new media companies.
On November 15, I’ll be in Chappel Hill, NC as one of the presenters at the 2012 NCPRSA PR and Marketing Seminar. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll drop by. (more…)
Chirp Guide: a ‘TV listing’ for live-tweeting events
With all the chats, hashtags and events being shared in real time, it’s more challenging than ever to wade through the streams and discover topics of interest.
Enter Chirp Guide, a new platform still in beta, founded by Rob Schutz. Chirp Guide is community-based resource that organizes Twitter events lets people have a ‘TV Guide’ overview of what’s happening and when. You can follow the programmed streams (news, politics, sports, TV), customize feeds and find, add or rate the quality of live tweeted events.
I like the concept and had a chance to ask Rob a few questions about the site. (more…)
My content sweet tooth
I always like guest posting on SpinSucks. To me it’s like the Vanity Fair of marketing blogs – sharp, timely, stylish and all filtered through a highly creative mind.
So my blog would be running on November 1 and it struck me that the post-Halloween candy cornucopia is a lot like social media (i.e. so much to savor, so little time).
Stay with me here.
Let’s start with two assumptions: (more…)
PRSA International Conference – Twitter notes
I tweet a lot at conferences (no kidding!) to share content that stands out for me. And a few years ago I noticed my Twitter stream was becoming a virtual notebook from events.
Last week I was fortunate to attend the PRSA International Conference in San Francisco, as a speaker and sponsor – Inside PR is PRSA’s podcast partner. And I want to thank everyone who attended my session. I enjoyed meeting all of you and appreciated your questions. If you’re interested, I posted my Social Media Barometer slides online.
One thing you can count on from PRSA is they put a good deal of thought into the content. There’s always a first class line-up of keynote speakers and presenters and a terrific opportunity to network, chat with and get to know some really smart people. (more…)
