An Educated View

With the popularity of social media continuing to rise, it’s common for incidents to arise from online accounts. A few months ago an employee of the Philadelphia Eagles got fired after he posted a comment on Facebook about an Eagles player being trade. This week, news came about via Mashable’s Web site about the NFL creating fake Facebook profiles in an attempt to get dirt on potential prospects. At first I was taken back and immediately criticized the NFL. But looking back on it, I don’t have an issue with the premise behind the tactic; but I do see the actual tactic being unethical.

It’s common sense that employers check the online profiles of potential candidates when interviewing. There’s the common adage “if you don’t want your mother to see it, then it probably shouldn’t be online.” I have no problem with this and actually think it’s a great thing to do. You can learn a lot from people by their Facebook profile or blog. It’s an easy and cheap way for HR personnel to quickly weed out those who they feel wouldn’t be a good match for their organization.

So what’s the difference between Company A doing it and the NFL? The NFL is a business and with their push to improve their image, monitoring online accounts makes sense. However, creating a fake profile simply to gain access to view a profile reminds me of a snaky con-man. It brings up the image of that used-car salesman that everyone tries to avoid - it’s slimy.

One of the issues with the emergence of Web 2.0 is knowing and understanding the motive behind the participant. Some companies and employees are great about coming out and announcing their affiliation. Others, not so much. This has been a criticism of PR professionals for years and PR 101 teaches the importance of identifying yourself and your intentions. Actions like this - the NFL creating fake profiles - go completely against what an organization should be doing to sharpen its image.

A few keys to remember when integrating Web 2.0

• Identify yourself .
  
• Be clear, be concise.
• Don't post anything you wouldn't want your mother (personal) or CEO (professional) to see.
• Info on Web 2.0 travels fast.
• Make sure your online message matches/compliments your offline message.
• Use common sense. You would think this would be common sense, but often times it isn't.

* Image from gossipboulevard.com

Labels: Cost of Social Media, Facebook, NFL, Public Relations

Read more!

There’s a big push in marketing and communications toward businesses and consumers developing a presence in social media. You’ve all heard of the numerous platforms and I’m confident that a majority of you currently participate on one, or have at least used one in the past year. However, despite all the rage to learn and experiment with SM, I think it’s important to remember to go back and touch up on some PR basics.

Like the popular saying, “Remember where you came from,” I think it’s important for a PR professional to remember the groundwork that pubic relations is built upon. With the emergence of social media, I fear that the basic skills; such as writing and research, will go to the wayside. Being able to craft a clear, concise message is vital to PR. Texting is up, face-to-face interaction is down. 140 character tweets are the “hot thing,” picking up a phone is dying. Heck, even the role of a traditional journalist is changing.

A few keys to remember if you are involved in PR:

• Writing is key. No matter the medium, a clear and concise message is the most important aspect of a successful PR campaign.

• Research. I think this is one of the more overlooked aspects of PR. Often times, people think you can simply jump and get immediate results. My question: how do you know the results you are looking for if you haven’t done any research?

• People skills. Despite the technological advancements, having the ability to develop relationships and carry out face-to-face conversations is still vital to PR. After all, isn’t that what we’re suppose to be experts at doing?

• R-A-C-E. This was the first thing I learned in PR and to this day, remains the absolute first step in any PR activity I do. Research. Action. Communication. Evaluation. Know this, use this.

While I agree that PR needs to continue to evolve and I am fascinated with the new resources communicators have, having a strong foundation is still vital to successful PR.

Labels: PR, Public Relations

Read more!