Online communities are networks of people that share common interests and want to discuss those interests in some sort of online context. Online communities can build relationships among its members and contributors, or may be used mostly for informational purposes. Virtual communities can include message boards, chat rooms, virtual worlds and social networks. Here are some tips for building an online community that people will want to join: 1. Know Your Audience and What They Want. Let’s face it, if you don’t have an audience, your community isn’t going to be a success. Who are you looking to reach with your community? Do you have a specific age range, gender, social class or other demographic that you are aiming for? All of these categories of people have different wants and needs. Make sure that your community caters to the needs of your desired demographic. 2. Encourage Interactivity. This is, after all, the point of an online community. Social media has changed how people get their information. Whether they’re looking for information on products or their favorite band, people appreciate and, more importantly, expect to be able to participate in the conversation and sharing of this information. 3. Make the Conversation Easy to Follow. Have you ever been on a forum and just gave up reading because it was too difficult to follow? Maybe the participants went off topic frequently, or maybe the organization of the page hindered readability. This can be extremely frustrating and cause people to leave the community. When conversations stray off topic, moderation can make a huge difference. You have the ability to direct people to stay on topic and enforce rules if they don’t. As for readability, make sure your community is organized in a way that is easy to read, follow and search topics. 4. Publish and Enforce a Code of Conduct. Without rules, you have no real basis to enforce actions against members of your community. You want to make sure you have a set of rules for people to follow that includes provisions for inflammatory comments, hate speech and otherwise negative posts. When a community participant posts offensive material, you will have the rules of your community to back you up with any enforcement action you need to take. These rules may not guarantee a successful community, but they will definitely give you a good chance of having one.
4 Tips for Building an Online Community October 30, 2011
(Angry) Birds in Space
Angry Birds is already an international hit game, but now they’re going intergalactic. Sort of. The next manned launch to the International Space Station will include an Angry Birds stuffed toy. The toy was chosen by the daughter of one of the astronauts to be the zero-g indicator. In other words, when the toy starts to float (or launch itself at thieving pigs, whichever), the astronauts will know that they have escaped Earth’s gravity. Additionally, the next unmanned flight will deliver iPads to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, which are going to be used purely for entertainment purposes. One can assume that Angry Birds will be one of the games loaded onto the iPad.
It’s fascinating to me that something that was once just a game for the iPhone has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon the way the Angry Birds has. From multiple versions of the game to stuffed toys, and this year, a best-selling Halloween costume and inspiration for jack-o-lanterns everywhere.
What causes something to become so wildly popular? Is it the fun factor? Originality? Marketing? Something else? Maybe it’s a combination of all these things, and maybe it’s something else entirely. For me, it’s the fun and originality combined with the purely addictive quality of the game. When I get bored, the first thing I do it pull out my phone and start playing Angry Birds. Once I start playing, I feel like I can’t stop until I’ve gotten three stars in the levels I’m playing. Does anyone else feel the same way? Judging by the over 9 million likes on Facebook, I’d say yes.
At this point, the phenomenon shows no signs of slowing, and I’m certainly not complaining. I’m very much looking forward to the next release.
What about you? Do you play Angry Birds? Do you have a favorite version? Let us know in the comments!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some big green pigs to defeat.
(Image copyright Rovio via Angry Birds Facebook page)
Benefits of a Business Background in PR October 23, 2011
I major
ed in Business in undergraduate studies. Seems like an odd beginning for someone who is now working towards a Masters Degree in Communication, with an emphasis in Public Relations and Mass Communication. Turns out it’s not quite as weird a pairing as you might initially think.
Sure, a person going into public relations tends toward the creative side, but one needs to have a more grounded, logical side as well. A business background can provide just that – an ability to approach situations analytically, with an eye towards the bottom line. Knowing how a business works is a great base for promoting a business to the public. Additionally, you are able to better communicate with businesses when you know where they are coming from.
What if you wanted to start your own public relations firm? You may not have the funds to hire a business manager at the beginning, which makes it even more important that you know something about how a business works. You may be a fantastic public relations practitioner, but if you don’t know how to run your business, you may very well run it into the ground. A basic knowledge of accounting, finance, management and administration will go a long way in helping you run your firm.
Let’s talk marketing. I don’t know of two other disciplines could mesh any more perfectly. Marketing is all about figuring out what the public wants and needs, and then determining the best strategy in sales, business development and communication that will best get that information to the public, resulting in sales. Public relations involves courting the public’s goodwill. So, any good marketing strategy involves a good public relations strategy.
These are just a few of the ways that having a business background can help in a public relations career. If you have a chance, learn basic business practices, and it will take you far.
4 Ways Your Smartphone Can Improve Your Health October 22, 2011
Did you know that your smartphone could be used for more than wasting time playing Angry Birds? Or, that it could even help improve your health? Here are four of the top ways your smartphone can be used to make you healthier:
1. Calorie Counters
It can be a real hassle to count out your daily calories. This can be especially true if you are keeping track of other factors, such as fat content, daily allowance of vitamins and/or carbs. Luckily, there are a lot of apps out there that will do this work for you! These apps don’t just keep track of individual foods, but entire recipes, along with adjustable serving sizes. Many of these apps also have information for your favorite restaurants, which means you can go go out and have fun with family and friends without worrying about how much you’re eating.
2. Exercise Apps
If you’re on a diet, or if you are just interested in your health, you know that exercise is important. However, it an be difficult to figure out how much you need to get the results you want. Exercise apps on your smartphone can help with that. These apps can track the amount of exercise you do, the calories you burn, and can even project the effect it will have on your overall fitness. They can be pretty accurate, as many take into account your current height, weight and gender. It isn’t just conventional exercise these apps can calculate, either. If you own something like Wii Fit or Kinect fitness system, these apps can calculate calories burned for many of those activities. Additionally, if you go on a cleaning spree, the apps can calculate how many calories you burn while sweeping or cleaning the bathroom. This seems like a whole new motivating factor for cleaning the house.
3. Medical Website Apps
People are using the internet in ever increasing amounts for finding health information – whether it’s looking up symptoms, 
drug interactions or using message boards. Now health information can be accessed on the go. Smartphones can access the internet to look up a regular website, or can be used to download apps. WebMD, a popular health information source, has a regular website, as well as a downloadable app, so information can always be at your fingertips.
4. Connection to your Doctor
Even your doctor may have an app. Many hospital systems now have apps that allow patients to check their medical records or test results or contact their doctor directly. This is extremely handy when health information that you need is not available through general websites. It can also allow for establishing stronger doctor-patient relationships, which is always important when it comes to your health.
Overall, your phone can be a useful health tool, tracking not only your diet and exercise, but allowing you to take charge of your health through online research and close connection with your doctor. Not that there’s anything wrong with playing Angry Birds, too.
Ah, Fall… October 16, 2011
So glad fall is here!
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Rise of the Rally Squirrel October 15, 2011
I’m following a squirrel on Twitter. Not just any squirrel, though – @BuschSquirrel, aka Rally Squirrel.
If ever there was a good example of the viral aspect of social media, this would be it. A squirrel runs across home plate during a baseball playoff game, and suddenly it’s got its own Twitter and Facebook pages. When I began following @BuschSquirrel, the account had approximately 5,500 other followers. This was the day after he ran across home plate. Eleven days later, the account has 25,724 followers. Not too shabby. The Facebook page isn’t quite as popular, but over 14,000 “likes” isn’t too bad for a squirrel.
The idea that a seemingly random event can spawn such a huge reaction is intriguing to me. What causes something as ordinary and everyday as a squirrel to become such a phenomenon? I think a lot of it is the novelty aspect. It’s fun, new and a little odd. It is also a way to show support for a favorite team. The Rally Squirrel has become a kind of “rallying” point, around which Cardinals fans can share their love of baseball. It’s a bit of an icebreaker, too. “Hey, have you heard about the Rally Squirrel?”
The sudden rise in popularity of the bushy-tailed rodent has become more than just random tweets and shared jokes. Cardinal Glennon Children’s hospital has been able capitalize on the popularity of Buschy, as he has officially been named, to raise thousands of dollars for its Medical Center by selling t-shirt, trading cards and hats emblazoned with a Rally Squirrel logo. I will neither confirm nor deny that I have purchased one.
Rally Squirrel has been an interesting and fun example of the power of social media. I look forward to more tweets, for the rest of this post-season, as well as seasons to come.
In the meantime, I leave you with this…
Benefits of Using Social Media in Non-Profits October 9, 2011
So, we all know that organizations are using social media to try to pull in customers and drive sales. We’ve seen the Facebook and Twitter icons on their products, and their advertisements have told us to “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. However, perhaps those that most need to pull in money are non-profit organizations. They are trying to help as many as possible with very limited resources, but don’t have media relations and advertising departments dedicated to pulling in donations. The answer: social media. Here are some ways that social media can be the best fit to help non-profits:
1. It’s Free or has Minimal Costs! All the major social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogging websites – are completely free of charge to use. Additionally, there is a lot of free tracking software to keep track of how many people are visiting the sites. A word of warning: even though the platforms are free, be careful of other costs. Unless using an unpaid intern to keep up the social media sites, there will be costs associated with paying someone to keep up the sites. Those duties can always be added to the workload of someone already working for the organization, but don’t forget that will take their attention away from other duties.
2. It Can Reach a Large Number of People! Facebook alone has over 800 million users. 800 million! Chances are, the audience a non-profits is trying to reach is on Facebook at a minimum, and likely on multiple social media platforms. Even if initially only a few people follow the organization, they will likely have a huge network of people that will see it from their page, and so on. Thousands of people can eventually be reached just by initially reaching one or two.
3. Sharing Information is Easy! Just a few clicks, and the information the organization wants the public to receive is out there. Most platforms are very user-friendly and can be learned very quickly. If the user is having trouble using the platform, hlp is just a Google search away.
4. Interaction with the Public! Perhaps one of the most important aspects of using social media is that an organization can connect directly with the public. For an organization that is directly reliant on donations, the more communication that can be had with the public, the better.
It seems to me that a non-profit organization almost can’t go wrong by using social media to promote their efforts. By promoting their organization, they can help a lot of people in the process. What are your thoughts?
Social TV – Interacting with your Favorite Shows October 8, 2011
TV and social media – it seems like a great combination. So, how are networks taking advantage of the possibilities that social media has to offer, or are they even taking advantage at all?
The answer is, “yes,” they are, but in different ways.
This article on Mashable provides some insight on Social TV, they ways it is being used and the ways that it can be used to optimize the outcome for both the end user and the network. As mentioned in the article, True Blood has a Twitter page that allows users to discuss episodes as they are airing. The show also has an official Facebook page and discussion boards on the official website. While some shows may
not have discussion boards, a large number have Facebook pages. Even if a show doesn’t have an official Twitter page, interested viewers can still carry on discussions using hashtags.
Psych, a comedic crime show on the USA network (and one of my favorites), has taken social TV to a new level. The network has launched a social media tie-in game for the show called #HashTagKiller. Users can visit the official website and sign up to play through Facebook. The aim of the game is to solve a murder through the clues and messages given on the website and Facebook. This is a seven-week game used, presumably, as promotion of the show’s upcoming sixth season. The online messages and clues are only part of the game. New, original video clips were created which feature the stars of the show, James Roday and Dulè Hill, and evoke the feel of the show. The game works as a great way to promote the show and inspire show loyalty by engaging its audience.
I think Social TV is a great idea, and can be a lot of fun for the audience, particularly in the example of Psych. What are your thoughts? Have you had any experience with Social TV, or would it be something you’d try in the future?
The Netflix PR Nightmare October 2, 2011
In July, Netflix announced plans to separate the streaming and DVD packages, and hike the price of susbscribing to both services by 60%. As expected, this announcement caused quite an uproar. Customers the world over were threatening to cancel their subscriptions, crying greed on Netflix’s part. It took a full two months before the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, addressed this matter via email and Facebook to offer a mea culpa, and in the same post, announce that Netflix was splitting into two companies: Netflix for streaming and Qwikster for DVD service. However, judging by the almost 11,000 comments the September 19 Facebook post has received, in addition to stock price drops and lower-than-expected revenue, customers are still upset about the whole thing, with many cancelling or threatening to cancel their service.
Blockbuster, who filed for bankruptcy around a year ago, thanks in part to losing so much business to Netflix, is trying to take full 
advantage of Netflix’s missteps. This blog from the Wall Street Journal details the steps Blockbuster is taking to win business back. Blockbuster’s Twitter account (@blockbuster) is offering free one month subscriptions to their Total Access mail delivery service with the hashtag #goodbyeNetflix. Netflix apparently didn’t do its due diligence before renaming the new DVD service “Qwikster,” as it turns out that Twitter handle (@Qwikster) is already taken. Blockbuster took full advantage of that by sponsoring @Qwikster, so that whenever that name was searched, Blockbuster messaging would pop up at the top of the page. Blockbuster is also trying to get Twitter users with larger following to promote Blockbuster in exchange for free Total Access subscriptions.
It’s too early at this point to tell if Blockbuster’s strategy will work, or if Netflix can bounce back from all the negative publicity, but one thing everyone can agree on, is that in the early stages, the PR for Netflix has been almost entirely less than favorable.
Brad Belote and Lauren Matter – Using Social Media October 1, 2011
On Monday night, we had the pleasure of having two guest speakers from local news outlets: Brad Belote, Digital Content Director from KY3, Inc., and Lauren Matter, anchor and reporter from KSPR. They talked with us about their jobs, how they used social media, and how social media affected them.
Brad and Lauren brought up an interesting topic: managing public and personal profiles while being a public persona.
Brad said that many of the KY3 anchors have both a public Facebook profile, where they answer viewer questions and provide news updates, and a private Facebook profile. Lauren, who has both a public profile and private Facebook profile, as well as a public Twitter account, said she manages each account in different ways.
In regards to her private Facebook account, Lauren has adjusted the setting, so that her profile is viewable only by friends. However, she said that is still important that she keep her posts somewhat professional, as they could eventually end up in a public forum.
For her public profile, Lauren posts news stories, responds to viewer questions and comments, and posts “teasers” to that night’s broadcasts. She made a great point, by saying that having a public profile and using that profile to interact with viewers is very important. She is able to show her personality, drawing in viewers and fans, as well as use her account to promote the news station she works for.
Lauren uses her Twitter account for both her job and for communicating with friends. She said she uses Twitter as a more informal and quicker way of communicating. She will joke around with her friends and fans, but will also use it to post breaking news updates and teasers to the evening news.
The most important piece of information I took away from the discussion Monday night was that while it is certainly important to show personality and have fun in a social media setting, you have to be careful about what you post, because anyone could see the information, private profile or not.
Thanks to Brad and Lauren for coming in and speaking with us!
Perspectives on PR 