The Internet and Social Media Chapter 13

The Internet’s Lightning Growth 

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First created as a tool for academic researchers in the 1960s, the Internet came into widespread public use in the 1990s- and the rest is history Browsers such as Internet Explorer and search engines such as Google have made the WWW accessible to billions of people It took nearly 40 years before there were 50 million listeners of radio And 13 years until TV had 50 million viewers Only four years passed before 50 million users were logging on to the Internet YouTube, Facebook and Twitter didn’t exist fiveto-seven years ago!

Amazing Numbers! 2 billion: Internet users worldwide  16 hours: amount of time per week U.S. Internet users spend online, up for 9 hours in 2006  13, 500: Average number of emails received per person annually 

(2010)

1 billion: YouTube views per days  5 billion: mobile phone subscribers in the world  100 billion: texts are sent in average month  400- texts average user sends monthly 

PR Perspective     

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Distribution system in cyperspace to: Market products and services Post news releases, position papers, videos, photos Interactive, feedback inviting tools Among journalists, corporate websites rank as the No. 1 research tool “The days of just posting press releases on your website are gone.

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“Today, journalists, investors, all audiences expect to find media kits, photos, annual reports, and multimedia presentations about your organization at your press center” online. Journalists extensively use websites to retrieve current news releases and other information So it’s imperative to keep websites current and “newsy” to better take advantage of news and feature coverage opportunities And to strategically use other social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, especially

Tips for Designing a Website   

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Place organization’s name and logo on every page Provide a search tab if the site has 100+ pages Write straightforward and simple headlines and page titles that clearly indicate what the page is about Don’t cram everything about a product or topic into a single page; use hypertext to structure content

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Use product photos but avoid pages with lots of photos; have option to enlarge pix If most big sites do s’thing in a certain way, then follow along- users will expects things to work same way on your site Test your design with real users as a reality checkyou’ll learn from these usability tests

Blogs: Everyone is a Journalist/Expert Dating to 1998, blogs have become mainstream media in terms of numbers and influence  Free software (Blogger, Tumblr) allow anyone to create one from individuals to small and large companies  There are virtually no start-up costs  Format/writing informal, which can give an organization a friendly, youthful human face  Links can be made to other blogs and webpages  Readers can post direct comments  Material can be updated and changed instantly  Aggregation possible from hundreds of blogs at once  Gives organization an outlet to participate in the online dialogue and to show expertise  Free of traditional media gatekeepers 

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Texting 

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Marketing and PR pros say they are vital for: gaining customer insights, building brand awareness, creating customer loyalty “Embrace online video and watch how creative, genuine, and cool content becomes incredibly viral. Words can carry the message just so far, but video is an opportunity to showcase the product while entertaining viewers.” “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” authors If YouTube is the king of videos, Flickr is the queen of photo sharing- people can share photos with the rest of the world Flickr is primarily for personal use, and organizations are strongly discouraged from trying to sell products or services- OK to encourage people to post photos (Monterey Aquarium example)

Texting Especially popular among college students 90 percent text on a daily basis  Organizations and PR staffs text to reach employees, customers, and key publics  Sign up to receive text messages from groups, organizations, news sources (RSS feeds)  Text donation campaigns have proven successful (Haiti earthquake) 

Twitter   

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Messages limited to 140 characters/letters Is Web based, so advantage over texting is that posts are indexed by Google and readily available to anyone with Internt Proven no fad but here to stay 2010 survey found 65% of Fortune Global Companies have active Twitter accounts In contrast only 54% have Facebook page Way companies use Twitter vary (p. 346) Use Twitter to create ways to engage the public, make organization stand out, and bring awareness to the brand Don’t be a “twammer”- limit # of Tweets you post Don’t just post announcements and links, instead use to engage in a conversation with your followers Post only important and relevant information Good to post once a day to keep your name in front of followers Excellent tool in crisis/fast-breaking news- should be one of the first steps in providing up-to-the minute details or reactions to a crisis

Coming up next… In a few short years, we’ve seen mobile phones become universal throughout the world, among both rich and poor  Surprised that U.S. level of cell phone adoption ranks below that of 71 nations?  Look for even more mobile-enabled content and platforms for Web access  “Apps” for smartphones will continue to expand  Expect more mobile phone use as virtual credit cards, as files that store a person’s medical records, and even a form of money that allows users to make a purchase by waving the phone over a scanner  More spoken controls also on the way, eliminating tap and click navigation 

Chapter 13 Case Studies      

Phoenix Suns Tweeting a Slam Dunk (p. 347) Texting Raises Millions for Haiti Earthquake Relief (p. 345) Think Before You Talk, Tweet, or Text (p. 344) Pizza Chain Ambushed by YouTube Video (p. 343) Coca-Cola Uses Social Media for Global Outreach (p. 336) Ways Organizations Use Their Website (p. 330)

Receiving the PR Message 

A survey of journalists nationwide finds the Internet is a rapidly growing means of receiving… – news releases – story ideas – and even audio and video files…

…from public relations sources

Gone are the Gatekeepers! With technology PR people have more direct access to key publics  The challenges and frustrations of working with traditional media gatekeepers can be bypassed  Through the Web, thousands of companies, organizations, media and individuals tell the world about themselves; they can sell their wares, and promote their ideas, communicating to tens of millions of “netizens” worldwide 

The Digital Divide Despite the ubiquity of the Internet, a huge digital divide exists across the globe  This poses a strategic problem if communications resources are devoted exclusively or predominately to new media channels  Key public may be missed altogether  But despite this issue, the Internet is the most intriguing of the new electronic methods that are changing mass communications in general and providing PR with innovative new tools 

The Computer’s Value As a research tool, computers make an immense amount of information easily accessible through analysis of data  E-mail and chat forums enhance environmental scanning and issues management  Three skills essential to PR success– project management, time billing, and digital presentation– all are made more efficient through the use of computers 

Spin Control and Vocus These are examples of software programs used in PR to manage the media relations process  These are designed to develop media contact databases, track mail and phone pitches to those contacts, and record news coverage obtained from the media relations effort  They can also help target key journalists who cover your field  Send out personalized news releases to journalists in under 10 minutes and view their interactive responses  Eliminate expensive clipping services with delivery of your news in real time  Produce clip books and reports in seconds 

How PR Pros Use the Internet 

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E-mail distribution– from individual messages to news release “blasts” to hundreds of media outlets; also photos, videos, newsletters, direct mail postcards Web sites- provide a way for organizations to tell Internet users what they do, to publicize projects, and to advocate policies; a company’s virtual “storefront” Wikis are a new type of website that are collaborative spaces where ideas or guidelines can be shared and developed (Wikipedia is one)

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Blogs, Moblogs, and Vlogs–

– Blogs or web logs are regularly updated online diaries that can also feature links to related websites, blogs, etc. Blogs can serve as excellent public forums for public discourse about issues such as global warming. – Moblogging-using cell phone cameras to post on the Internet from a mobile or portable device such as a cell phone or PDA. – Vlogs, or video blogs, are becoming more numerous due to the increasing ease and affordability of digital video cameras and posting software

More on How PR Pros Use the Internet RSS (Really Simple Syndication)– an emerging technology that may very well supplant the majority of printed news releases sent to reporters and editors. RSS is a web-based process of searching and gathering together news and information that is then fed to the users’ computer or wireless device such as a cell phone. This allows the consumer (or journalist/editor) to be more selective and precise in choosing information content/sources  Brochureware—refers to online versions of brochures and related material that organizations provide to stakeholders. Ex: magazines, annual reports 

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Podcasting– the name is associated with the Mac iPod but the range of devices to receive online radio, TV and even film content runs the full gamut. The podcast consumer can either select a particular program for download or can set up a regular delivery of a program automatically whenever a new one is created. – Those who are able to create audio and/or video news releases/products than can be delivered to highly targeted audiences will have an additional tool for reaching key publics with compelling multimedia content

Specific Ways PR Uses Websites To provide info to reporters and/or the public during a crisis or breaking news  To answer questions  Webcasting can help increase coverage of important news conferences 

To link people in similar situations, such as a website to support cancer patients and loved ones  As a way for a leader to address critics and field questions from concerned citizens 

Key Aspects of the Internet

PR Pros should keep in mind these important facts about the Internet

Its reach is worldwide– a message intended for local or regional use may draw reactions, good or bad, from unexpected places  Internet content is virtually uncontrolled– while lack of editorial or gatekeeper control permits unfettered freedom of speech, it also permits distribution of unconfirmed, slanted, or even potentially libelous material  Issues tracking, a major component of professional PR management, can be more thorough using the Internet and far more immediate 

More on Issues Tracking There are services, such as NewsEdge, that monitor Web-based news and wire services, then alert users when relevant topics appear in Internet news sources  By monitoring the Internet, practitioners can keep track of what competitors, opponents, the media, and the general audience are saying  Thus informed, PR people can better shape their own tactics and messages as well as respond in real time to forestall erroneous or unbalanced stories from gaining momentum without correction 

Internet Problems 

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Increasingly search engines are prioritizing search results based on fee payments from companies and organizations, thus biasing search results It can be said that the Internet lacks certain diverse points of view because to access the web still requires a certain level of computer savvy and expertise Controversial security problems and legal questions of copyright infringement, libel, invasion of privacy, and porn remain unsolved “Cyberheckling”—people being attacked unfairly through bogus Facebook and Wikepedia entries, or the use of embarrassing Facebook info and photos (be careful!) “Astroturfing” online—when purportedly grassroots organizations actually turn out to be sponsored organizations; can also include made up videos (similar to “front groups”) (examples p. 348) Spammers continue to clutter e-mail channels with bogus or dubious offers

How Reporters Use Web Sites 

To find a PR contact –

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Check basic facts about a company – –

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Tip: Clearly and prominently label information meant for reporters– Media, Press, News links for example Tip: Provide fact sheets, executive biographies, financial data, and product information

Discover a company’s perspective on events – –

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Tip: Put contact info on every page of your site, especially the phone number to help reporters get answers quickly

Tip: Have an easy-to-find news releases link Tip: Make releases searchable by topic/date

Check financial information – –

Tip: Have links to annual reports/earnings reports Tip: Post latest stock prices

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Download images to illustrate stories –

Tip: In your newsroom site, have company graphics, logos, photos of products, executives available to journalists

News Release Delivery Services 

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More than a dozen U.S. companies deliver news releases electronically to large newspapers and other major news media offices The releases are “fed” into computers at the receiving newsrooms and examined by editors Companies pay for e-distribution companies to send out their releases; the receivers (news organizations) pay nothing to receive them Electronically delivered news releases have an advantage over mailed or faxed ones, tending to receive closer, faster attention Business Wire and PR Newswire are among the largest (p.353-4)

Other Tools 

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Cell Phones– allow PR people to be available anytime and at any place– double-edged sword! PDAs (personal digital assistants)—phone, email, texting, PowerPoints, Excel for budgets and spreadsheets

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YouTube, Facebook, MySpace– having a social network presence is important today Twitter– hottest new tool

(Dr. McGee sends one-to-three messages a day to students, focusing on Comm job hunting trends, announcements specific to Comm UG and Grad students, course availability and waiting lists, congrats on student/faculty accomplishments)

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Memory storage devices: DVDs, CDs, +/-R/RW, flashdrives, external hard drives, etc.

PR and the New Media Future “Social Media” or “Web 2.0” are ways to describe the current array of Internet features. Web 2.0 implies that this is part of the second generation of software and Web site functions  Public Relations professionals will continue to find ways to harness the human urge to relate to each other on the Web and to create and assemble compelling content that is shared with others  The challenge in PR will be to avoid manipulating social media in ways that alienate users or lead to backlash (follow the PRSA Code) 

PR and the New Media Future 

On the other hand, forthright and transparent use of social media for PR objectives will be accepted as part of the mix of ideas and positions that are shared online

Future Developments Tablet Technology—digital newspapers?  Computers will become even more compact and portable  Wi-Fi and Wireless Broadband will make wireless computers and cell phones as fast at browsing, loading and communicating as desktop machines on cable or DSL service today 

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Virtual Presence– with increased online capacity through broadband services PR pros and webmasters can create highly detailed virtual environments, even scents and smells possible! Virtual Worlds– we’re starting to see the potential with the growing popularity of Second Life– a 3-D online digital world Intro to Second Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72Cvv MuD6Q Second Life home page: http://secondlife.com/ Processing Speed and Memory Capacity Increases– one prediction is that computer processors will be 25 times faster in five years. Artificial intelligence to assist with crisis, issues management, complex event management, and visual design will become commonplace ###