Facebook announced today that it will be finally offering vanity usernames. This landrush begins June 13 at midnight. Not sure what a vanity username is? This means that you will finally be able to control your FB profile url! Instead of the link to your FB page reading something that looks like: facebook.com/profile.php?id=987654321, you can have it be something like: facebook.com/FirstnameLastname.
I know what I’ll be doing Saturday night!
For more info, see what Facebook has to say here.
It seems like people asking are always me, “What IS social media?” Whether it’s a question on a panel (and it was the first question Michael DeAloia asked us at this panel!), part of a presentation, or part of every day conversation, someone is always going to be looking for the answer. (Note: One of my earliest posts, Social Media Find of the Week, even looked at this question.)
Well, look no further for your answer -at the Cleveland Social Media Club meeting in April 2009, we asked members: How do you define Social Media? The responses were compiled into a video, now on YouTube. Check it out below!
Last week I attended my first trade show – Windpower 2009 – on behalf of some of my clients in the wind industry. Not only was it a great experience to see everything happening with renewable energy and wind power throughout our country, but simply attending the show was a valuable learning experience.
Before I left, I asked the question to my Twitter followers to provide some tips. Not only did they prove a valuable resource, but I’ve come up with some of my own tips. Here are 5 of the best tips, compiled from my coworkers, some tweeple and my experiences:
1. Wear comfortable shoes
I was told by many Twitter followers (thanks @Hirsh @BenBrugler @ActivDefiance84) to wear comfy shoes at the show. But don’t just save the shoes for the standing at the show booth — wear comfy shoes at the airport, on the airplane, walking around the trade show floor, etc. You see the trend here? With so much going on at trade shows, pain is the last thing you want to worry about.
2. Bring lots of cash
I’m not the type of person that carries around a lot of cash – I’m often guilty of using my credit card to pay for a pack of gum! You cannot assume that every place you go will be able to take credit cards, and you never know when you’ll need cash to tip people (i.e. the people who carry your bags to your room). In our situation, we took a taxi from the airport to our hotel, only to find that the credit card machine was down, forcing us to pay cash. Thankfully, we had planned ahead – because that taxi ride was not cheap!
3. If you’re bringing press kits, flash drives, folders, etc., ship them ahead of time
I prefer to bring a small suitcase and carry my luggage on with me. My coworkers prefer to check their bags and carry few items on the plane. Whatever your packing system is, who wants to lug anything extra than they have to? We ended up packing two boxes of electronic press kits (flash drives), one box of firm collateral and a box of print press kits. Because we shipped them ahead of time, we didn’t have to worry about any bringing extra baggage.
4. Bring a sharp object to open those packages you shipped
While we had planned ahead and shipped those packages to our hotel, we didn’t plan a way to open them! Between the three of us, we had some nail files, nail clippers, tweezers, and other less-than-sharp objects. Next time: bring a knife or razor blade or package opener! (A warning: If you’re only carrying your luggage on, you probably do not want to bring a sharp object through security)
5. Know what’s essential to have with you at all times – and have a simple way to carry it all around
I found myself dragging two bags and three large boxes into McCormick Center. I was able to store most of these items at the booth, but what about when I met an interested member of the media when I was away from the booth (eating lunch/in the bathroom/walking the floor) and was without my supplies? You need to devise a way to carry some essential items with you. My solution: I had a good-sized purse with me, which carried my essentials (hand lotion, antibacterial wipes, mints, chapstick, my phone, and some press kits). Thanks to some great advice from my boss, I used my trade show badge (draped around my neck at all times) as a way of carrying the rest of my essentials: business cards and tickets to events.
Tradeshow tip honorable mentions:
As a PR practitioner interested in social media, I’m always looking for case studies and best practices, so I thought I’d share another case study for your files.
If you’re a social media “junkie” like myself, you probably heard about the Disgusting Domino’s video that swept the Web. If not, here are the basics of what went down:
Well, as you may imagine, the video spread like wildfire and tons of people were talking about it. It was all over the twittersphere, the blogworld and even online news.
Thankfully, Domino’s heard about the incident, and tonight (just under 48 hours after the video was released) Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s, issued a video response via YouTube to apologize, assure that the facilities of this particular Domino’s were profusely sanitized and state that the employees in the video have been punished (he says they were fired and warrants have been issued for their arrest). Watch the video for yourself and see what you think.
I think this is a perfect social media case study for the future – the crisis erupted via social media, pervaded the Web via social media and was extinguished a day later (also via social media). Here are 3 lessons we can take away from this event:
So what do you think? Was the Domino’s response appropriate? What could he have done differently? Will it repair their reputation, and ultimately, will their pizza sales be effected?
Are you constantly trying to meet up with friends but tired of taking turns of whose place you’re going to? I live on the West side of Cleveland, and it’s always a drag getting the East-siders to come over, so we’re constantly taking turns which side of town we’re meeting in for dinner, drinks, etc.
Well, here’s a great solution – how about meeting halfway? What’s the problem you say? Where exactly is halfway?
I found two great sites that help you find out the halfway point AND provide points of interest, such as coffee houses, restaurants, hotels, and more. These sites are:
I’m finding these sites especially helpful when I want to meet up with my family for the weekend who live in Upstate New York. How the heck am I supposed to know where to meet with them, especially when Upstate NY can seem like a vast drive through nothingness? I found MeetWays to be particularly useful for this purpose, as it chose a spot right along 90, thus easy access for both me and my family. A Place Between Us chose a place that may have been directly between us, but was more in the middle of no where and quite a drive from any major highways.
Pass these along – they’re great! Do you know of any other sites like them?
I recently purchased my first new car. Before this process, I knew NOTHING about cars. Honestly – I couldn’t tell you a fact about any car manufacturer, and like a typical girl, the only thing I ever noticed about a car was its color. I ended up learning that buying car, like many other processes, was like a science — there are actual ways to go about doing it, and actual best practices to follow. Here are 5 (plus one more!) things I learned (courtesy of my helpful coworkers, my Dad, the Internet and my experiences):
1. Don’t talk financing first.
Do NOT tell the dealer how much money you are going to put down on the vehicle. Instead, discuss the selling price of the car you want to buy. If the dealer knows you are going to put down more, he may jack the price up on the car. Also, if you are planning in trading in a vehicle, DON’T mention this EVEN IF THEY ASK YOU. Say you’re not sure — otherwise they will likely try increase the price of the quote as well, because they know you putting less cash down. Wait until AFTER you have gotten the quote you want before mentioning your trade in. And know how much your car is worth!
2. Research research research – and come prepared!
Use the Web. I tweeted some questions about buying a car and got a lot of good responses (see right). I googled “Buying a new car.” Also, visit edmunds.com to find out the MSRP of the vehicle, invoice price, and what Edmunds has compiled as “What others are paying.” This way, when the dealer tells you the car is going for $18,950 (as was the car I wanted) you can say, “Well I know the invoice is @ $16,900 so I don’t want to pay more than that.” If you’re trading in, find out what your car is worth. The dealer may offer you much less than you know the car is worth- so be prepared to have the pricing for your trade in available (check out Kelley Blue Book pricing).
3. Be PATIENT.
Allot at least 2 weeks for your car search – otherwise be prepared to pay more. Dealers like to take their time, and tell you that the price they are giving you is the BEST price out there, the BEST price you’ll see. And they have to spend 20 minutes even talking with their manager to get them to agree to it. This is all part of their game. Don’t settle – even if they tell you that if you walk out they cannot offer you the same deal. If you aren’t getting the price you want, leave the dealer. Come back later, or check out another dealer. Are you looking to buy a popular car? Most likely, then, your car will be there when you come back.
4. Check out multiple dealers – and call around!
After a round of bargaining, the first dealer I went to offered me $2,000 lower than MSRP. I knew I didn’t want to pay more than what Edmunds.com said others were paying and thought I could get the car for less. So I left the dealership. I immediately got a call offering me the $2,000 below MSRP plus 2 free oil changes. I still resisted. The following week, I called other Honda dealers in the area (I just googled Honda Dealers near Cleveland), told them the quote I had already received, and asked them if they could beat the quote. Calling the dealers made the process less painful (no need to actually go to a dealer and bargain face-to-face) and more competitive (I had a quote already and most dealers were already more than happy to beat the price). Some dealers even offer online chat for you to talk with their sales team via the Web, anonymously. With the lowest quote in hand (ask them to email you the quote so you can show the dealer you want to buy from) I called the dealer I knew I wanted to buy from and ended up getting it marked down $500 from my original quote! The next weekend (as I said, allot at least 2 weeks for your car search!) I bought the car of my choice, from the dealer of my choice, for the price of my choice.
5. Stay in control. Dealers like to make you feel like you are at their mercy. For example, when I turned down the original quote ($2,000 below MSRP plus 2 free oil changes), in hopes of getting a lower quote from a different dealer, I got 3 voicemails the next day from the original dealer, telling me that there was only 1 car left in the color I wanted, that the price he offered me was “only valid” for 24 hours, and “they would no longer be able to offer me the 2 free oil changes they had promised… This all served to make me feel a sense of urgency, as if I just HAD to buy the car immediately! I called the dealer back, telling him I had gotten a lower quote from another dealer, and automatically the 2 free oil changes were back on the offer, just like that. I was back in control and visiting other car dealers.
Bonus: You will feel like a horrible person
Buying a car makes you feel like a very bad/mean person. During this process you will most likely feel like you are:
Do not listen to them! You are not a bad person – you are actually just a good car buyer! You are spending YOUR money and should not have to compromise how much you want to spend or your integrity just to make a car salesman feel better. After the process is over, all the paper work signed, and your money spent, you’ll feel better if you stick to your guns.
That being said, those are just my experiences. Not all car dealers are mean, slimy people. The car dealer I ended up buying from was SUPER nice and accommodating, which is why I went with him.
For more information, here are some links that I checked out. They make the whole process a lot less painful!
Best of luck if you are buying a car right now. Comment if you have any suggestions or questions!
I am presenting on social media to a group of small business owners in a few weeks and in preparing for the presentation, have come across a lot of good information to share with you.
Like a lot of groups, small business owners are well positioned to gain from using social media. Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Social media evens out the playing field, meaning you can compete with larger businesses
Social media is personal and intimate in nature. Because small businesses are able to act more personally than larger businesses, social media is a perfect tool to take advantage of. Small businesses can also be more nimble and quickly adapt their business to using social media. Larger businesses may take longer to understand how to use it, and because more corporate sign-off is often needed, it may take longer for large businesses to respond and react to conversations.
Social media is affordable and effective
As a small business owner, your budget is never as big as your larger-than-life competitors. Social networking tools are a free or low-cost way of marketing your company and reaching out to your audience. If your audience is online, your communication with them through social media can often be more effective than more expensive means of communication, such as a full-page advertisement.
Social media helps expand your network.
Social media is one of the most efficient, effective and affordable ways of establishing relationships with your key audiences. Unlike many real-life networking opportunities, there aren’t membership dues or year-long commitments. You can use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to find individuals in your field and your geographic location. Once you join these social networks, you’ll find that developing social connections via social media is easy, effective and fun.
Your customers want you to be on social media!!
The Internet is not just for kids anymore. Your clients are most likely online and want you to be too. A 2008 Opinion Research Corporation study (as I mention in this blog post) revealed that 60% of Americans 18 and older use social media to converse, and of those, 93% believed that a company should have a presence in social media. Eighty-five percent of social media users believed that a company should not only be merely “present” but also directly interact with its consumers using social media.
Don’t leave your audience hanging. Get online and join the conversations.
And while you’re online, here are some other great resources to check out:
25 Tips for Small Businesses (Kyle Lacy’s Blog)
Ultimate Twitter Following List for Small Businesses (Smallbiztrends.com)
Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs (Mashable – just posted today!)
A while back (exactly 3 months ago) I posted an entry called Your Clients Want Social Media, which linked to a study that revealed that despite what you may think, most companies want to break into social media, they just don’t know how.
While this may be all great and true, I’m sure you’re still coming across clients, and even bosses, who are snubbing social media. If you’re like me, you’ve heard responses [from those who shall remain nameless] from friends, family, and business partners such as:
… and more.
So what is one to do when hearing that? Truth be told, sometimes convincing someone to go all out and try social media can be just as hard as trying to convince someone to melt peanut butter on top of their popcorn (note: it may sound strange/sticky/icky but it’s delicious!). It’s hard, it’s tiring, and it can be frustrating (especially when you know that you’re right!).
If you strongly believe that a client/family member/insert name of company here should be using social media, don’t get frustrated. I found this GREAT blog post that provides links to TONS of resources on how to sell social media, how to measure it, how to convince your boss to use social media and why you can’t ignore social media (I never thought I’d use the term “social media” that many times in one paragraph). It opens:
“Trying to make the case to someone on the benefits of using social media? Maybe a boss or a client or a co-worker who’s a little resistant? Maybe a lot resistant? Here’s an arsenal of articles with solid advice, data, and tips to help you think through your sales strategy and put together some convincing arguments.”
Too lazy to click the above link or read the post? Here are my 5 favorite resources they provide:
As a PR professional, I’m constantly looking at ways to monitor social media for my clients. I haven’t been able to justify paying for a social media monitoring service (just as Newswatch, BurrellesLuce and Cision do traditional media monitoring) when there are so many ways I know how to do this myself. There are many different ways I monitor social media, for free, including:
For me, right now, these free services work. Most of the time, I only have a few clients that require constant media monitoring, and the conversations are generally few and benevolent. If I wanted to monitor all the social media mentions for a particular client, you can see this would be an exhausting process, with many different steps to take. Multiply that times 10 or so clients, and the process becomes too time consuming.
Even if you’re only working with one brand, if you’re working with a big name brand or a client that has recently been all over the news, a pay-for-monitoring service may be more reasonable.
I don’t personally have a paid for service at this time, but found this old Mashable post that provides a great summary and review of what they consider the 10 best tools for social media monitoring.
As the post starts out:
“Reputation management is essential to both individuals and companies. The more popular your brand is, the more critical it will be to keep tabs on it and the more time it will consume out of your day. If you work at a startup and no one has heard of your brand, or if you’re an individual who has just started blogging, these tools are still useful to you.”
I’m not personally endorsing any of these, but I generally trust Mashable and will definitely keep this post in mind the next time I’m in the market for a social media monitoring service.
I hate to admit it, but my running has gone down n the past few weeks. I haven’t been lazy (though with the icky winter weather I am definitely hitting the snooze more) or too busy- the weather has just been downright unfriendly for running!
I tried running outside last week, and didn’t make it more than .3 miles without slipping and nearly falling on my face. The sidewalks were all covered with ice and I’m clumsy enough as it is! (I’ve already fallen twice this past month without ice..just me kicking myself on the sidewalk)
I can’t stop running – I’ve gotten really in the groove of it and am even starting to almost enjoy racing (key word: almost). But how can I keep it up during the winter, without having to always hop on a treadmill?
I went to my local Second Sole to see what they thought. Our convo:
Me: How do you keep running in the winter?
Extremely Fit Young Man: I have been running for 15 years, so that’s 15 winters. What do you mean?
Me: Well, don’t you slip on ice and wet snow and leaves?
EFYM: No, you just learn how to run in it.
Boooo!
EFYM then showed me some shoes with little spikes in them, saying that they are good if you’re “not used to running in the winter.” They were similar to these and just as pricey.
I didn’t really feel like buying new running shoes, especially at that price and that style (Now if they were cute $120 running shoes, that’s another story!) so I returned from the store empty handed and asked around my office for some tips.
A coworker found this online and said if I supplied the shoes, she would be able to take care of the screws and labor. I some older shoes (about 400 miles on them) that I had just sitting in my desk, so I figured, why not?
Well, here’s the end result! What do you think? How do you run in the winter?
I can’t wait to test them out and see how they work!
I Crashed The Web 