Future Camp- The Future begins now!

As the final Social Media #HumberPR class comes to a close, It was time to experience future camp. I had no idea what to expect. I knew discussions would arise about what we've done and where we go from here. What I failed to recognize was the need to focus on the networks we have been building thus far and importance of continuing to connect with those we already know.

The Beginning:
A class about social media seemed simple enough, but when it began I was extremely overwhelmed. I hadn’t realised how many social and digital media tools existed and was very unaware of how they worked. At the time I didn’t understand the value of such things like Twitter and Blogging. It was very foreign to me. As time went on the overwhelming necessity to connect and engage in conversation using these communication tools took over a huge chunk of my day. The value was evident. The importance of creating and maintaining relationships with those you are connected to was a major priority. We’ve learnt a lot over the past four months and today reminded me that it has only just begun.

The Future Looks Bright:
Moving forward into our prospective careers, it is essential to determine which tools will be most important to carry with. As I look towards a future in PR, I now understand the value of having a blog, twitter, Facebook and especially LinkedIn, as it helps paint a picture of who you are and what you are all about. Connecting with people in this industry face to face is of course ideal, but often unlikely. Social and Digital Media has opened up a whole new world for people to learn from one another and participate in worthwhile conversation.

Consistency in social media is vital. Either give it your all or don’t bother trying. The more information that you put out there, the more people will be inclined to follow you.

Follow me on Twitter @h_farb and follow my fellow PR Arts and Recreational junkies

Cheyoka, smtupper and JacquelineAnne2

Celebrity Twitter Update

After blogging about celebrities on Twitter a while back, I decided it was time to test the theory further. I had already begun following a number of celebrities and began to monitor their tweets a little closer. My initial blog post about one-way communication among celebrities and their followers still rings true. As Twitter evolves, this is not true in all cases.

It’s typical to find John Mayer tweeting about nonsense and Britney Spears tweeting about her trials and tribulations, but announcing a breakup on Twitter is a new phenomenon. Celebrities use Twitter as a way to send out messages to their fans, keeping them informed and making them priorities. Jim Carrey’s recent announcement of a breakup with long-time girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy over Twitter was an interesting way to make followers/fans feel in the know and important. Celebrity breakups are often dissected on twitter but never announced using this social media tool. Is this a good thing? What was the real intention behind it?

Not all celebrities would agree but a crowd of attentive Web users could become an audience for marketing or branding tool. This is beneficial for some of the more “washed up” celebrities that try to remain current and in the spotlight.

Take Alyssa Milano for example. She has an unbalanced number of the people she follows to those that follow her, but those that she follows she communicates with on a weekly basis. With her new show debuting last week, she uses Twitter as a forum to thank her fans for watching and believing in her. This humanizes celebrities on Twitter and engages them in conversations, which most celebrities have yet to do. Over time, engaging and participating in conversation with fans, may become more of a norm banishing the hierarchal way of viewing celebrities and their participation on social media tools.

Celebrities can and should begin to use Twitter as a way to give back and appreciate their fans, as opposed to just informing them. Only time will tell if the shift of PR 2.0 will influence celebrity tweeters to alter and strengthen their ways of communicating.

Ford Fiesta Social Media Campaign

Ford’s trend-setting way of capitalizing on the new Ford Fiesta by way of social media is unique in its own right.

Ford Motors had a very strong and successful presence during the recent economic recession and came out on top against competing auto makers. They’ve now seized the opportunity to further their popularity and online presence by creating this social media campaign. They have successfully created buzz around the Ford Fiesta and connected with consumers through Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks.

The company took a very ambitious risk by placing 100 Ford Fiesta vehicles’ in the hands of consumers who expressed interest in the campaign initiatives. These “agents” were meant to drive the vehicles for a total of six months and complete a series of tasks and then report back on their findings and opinions. Kind of like an interactive focus group of sorts.



This movement signals a desire to keep up with the on-going trends of our time and shows the initiative that Ford is taking to connect with their consumers on a more personal level. They are learning what their consumers want by way of blogs, twitter and video feedback, all without spending a dollar. This is very valuable information they can use towards this product launch and future launches. They used social media as a marketing technique.

Ford targeted millenials for their campaign, which is smart as they are an emerging and important audience. They also chose “agents” with well established social media profiles. This was beneficial as it helped gain public notoriety at a fast pace.

Was this a success?

Essentially, YES! The statistics for this campaign reveal success on many levels. Check out their Facebook page and Twitter page to see the kind of feedback they received.

As of now, according to Mashable, they have received:
Over 4.3 million views on Youtube
500,000 + views on Flickr
6,500 followers on Twitter

The fact that a campaign like this has never been done before, made the Ford Fiesta Movement buzz worthy and memorable.

For more insights into the Ford Fiesta campaign check out Shelley, Jen, Lauren, Owen and Sabrina’s blogs.

Do celebrities’ use of social media detract from its main purpose?

Celebrities Influencing Twitter


Celebrities have a lot of power and influence within and amongst their publics. They implement and utilize this power through social media use, fundraising, promoting, career-building etc. The uses of social media involve engaging in conversation for the sake of interest and connection. For celebrities it is especially hard to build and maintain these connections and conversations. They cannot quite connect and engage with others in the same way most “ordinary” people can.

Through social media they are able to provide wisdom and advice and display insight into their lives, but not necessarily connect with all of their followers on the same level. It is not for a lack of trying in most cases; however, realistically it is impossible for celebrities using forms of social media, to monitor their pages well. It is especially hard with the use of Twitter.

Influence has been the most popular way of differentiating people on twitter. Influence is simply seen as popularity, which is measured on Twitter by total number of followers.


John Mayer for example follows 86 people on Twitter, while over 3 million follow him. He cannot possibly have conversations with each and every one of his followers. His fans are listening to him, but he's talking at them, not necessarily with them. The same can be said for some of Twitter’s top celebrity tweeters like MC Hammer, Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears and Shaquille O’Neal.

Despite the fact that celebrities use of social media may go against the traditional meaning intended, its use does allow inspiration and life changing opportunities for some sprung out of power and influence.

Sarah Killen’s recent fame came courtesy of newest celebrity tweeter Conan O’brien, and has literally managed to change her life overnight. His decision to choose her as his one person to follow on Twitter, catapulted her popularity within minutes of his announcement. It is amazing how “celebrity/influence” can be used as means to alter lives through use of social media.

The video below indicates just how much Sarah Killen's life has changed since Conan O'Brien decided to endorse her.



When celebrities engage in social media applications, they draw attention from those that are interested in hearing what they have to say. With microblogging applications like Twitter, they run the risk of too much intake and not enough output to generate proper fulfillment of social media terms of use. They do however provide people with entertainment and a look into their lives, which "ordinary" people may not have been able to see otherwise. Many celebrities tweet to get their messages across, but also to prove their popularity amongst the online world.

Twitter's blowing up around the world- not just for celebrities!!

The Entertainment Review

ENTERTAINMENT PR/ TELEVISION CRITIC

The idea of formulating a personal brand/online reputation so early into the Humber PR program had me running scared. There was so much to consider and difficult to know where to begin. Personal Brand Camp 2010 was extremely useful for guidance and direction. I found myself more confident in establishing what I’m good at and what I know as the main focus for my online reputation.

Entertainment and pop culture has been an on-going passion throughout my life. Mix that with my need to critique everything around me and I have a pretty solid brand.

A communication junkie to the core, I have an opinion on everything and anything entertainment. My main focus will be on critiquing daytime and primetime television and all that surrounds it. I’m not sure where my brand will lead me, but stay tuned to find out!

Hayley's Personal Brand Plan

View more presentations from Hayley.

A new level of connectivity

The evolution of the web is similar to that of human growth

Are we conforming to social media standards or are they conforming to us?

The state of social media is evolving. PR. 2.0 is the next step in the evolution of social media, which allows connectivity between companies and the public like never before. This growing form of social media is all about two way dialogues and the sharing of information. It's all about building trust amongst those you are trying to reach.

The shift has been made from focusing on the creator of the information towards the users of the information.This is done using forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger etc.

With the emergence of broadband communication we have become highly connected individuals. It involves utilizing all forms of social media to take part in two way conversations with people learning from each other on a daily basis. It is important as a PR practitioner to learn from the feedback you can now get, show people you’re learning and have everyone join in the conversation.

Generation Y no longer interested in listening to a bunch of noise. We want to take part in the noise and make it relevant and worth listening to.

Deirdre Breakenridge and Brian Solis are able make clear the importance of broadband connectivity. Check out the video below to hear Solis’s take on PR 2.0
“Putting the “public” back into public relations”

With all of the changes and the expansion of social media. I anxiously anticipate what will burst onto the social media scene next.

The light dims on daytime dramas

The Death of the Soap Opera Genre

It pains me to acknowledge the deterioration of my daytime guilty pleasure. I have been an avid watcher of daytime soaps for years; labelled a soap junkie on many occasions. Rushing home to catch the last few minutes of The Young and the Restless was arguably the highlight of my day. Action packed shows filled with sex, intrigue, passion and drama galore; daytime dramas had it all. Over the last few years, soap operas have become a dying breed. Major networks are opting to replace them with cheaper to produce reality and game shows. The ratings for the six remaining soaps are lower than ever and continue to decline.


With the recent demise of Guiding Light and recent cancellation of sister soap As the World Turns; the future of daytime soaps is looking rather bleak. Daytime soap operas have been plagued with cancellation rumours for years, but there’s still hope of survival. Ten years from now, soap operas may no longer exist on regular daytime television, but may ultimately find new homes on cable television or even online. With my every day guilty pleasure on the line, one can only hope.

SocialAppReview- Grooveshark

Discover all types of music for free and receive personalized recommendations

What is it? And how did it come about?
Grooveshark is a company of about 40 young entrepreneurs. It is essentially a music service that rivals similar applications such as Last.fm and Pandora, the two major players in legal music discovery and ‘free’ music streaming. It is owned by Escape Media Group Inc. and runs out of Gainesville, Florida. It was founded in 2006 by Sam Tarantino. Began as peer to peer file sharing in 2006, and has since changed to a streaming model.

Features:
* Upload your own music collection and stream it from anywhere you go
* Search for pretty much any song or artist you can think of. Find the song and stream it instantly over the web
* This application allows you to save playlists, bookmark and “favourite” your songs.
* You can network with other users, share favourites over facebook, twitter etc.
* Grooveshark Lite: Unlike the full Grooveshark service, no application download is required to use Grooveshark Lite (Click here to view for YouTube clip)

Grooveshark Artists:
- Grooveshark Artists, offers pay-for-play audio real-estate matched to its existing track recommendations. It provides analytics tools for track placement optimization.” (Click Groovshark artists link above to discover more about this application).
- Designed to complement the streaming on demand site and give independent artists a chance to find an audience. For $500 an artist can purchase 500 song plays on Grooveshark. The songs will be played to listeners who have chosen to listen to other songs or artists similar to theirs. Listeners can rate the songs, and artists can see how the audience is responding to their music.

This tool can be useful for PR practitioners to stay on top of past, current and future trends. What is hot and what is not.

Will it survive?

Based on the unpleasant history of digital music start-ups to date, the chances of Grooveshark’s survival are very low. This does not mean it is doomed to fail; however, its staying power decreases each time they have copyright issues. They have been sued by major music labels, such as EMI and Universal Music. Whether this service is actually legal or not is still questionable. The issue with EMI has since been resolved- Click here to read Grooveshark’s statement regarding its troubles with copyright infringement or check out Danyel’s blog to read more.

On a final note, I thought this YouTube video of a teenager pitching why he loves Grooveshark, was extremely amusing. If you have time, click the YouTube link above to check it out.

How to Embed a video

Learning new computer software and techniques is never easy. To be a PR practitioner it is imperative to always be on top of your game. With social media becoming such a major trend, being computer savvy is increasingly more important.

Video Embedding is the topic of this post.

Reduces search time and makes numerous links available on one single webpage.

HOW TO EMBED A VIDEO? Most people wouldn’t know where or how to start the process.

Embedding a video was something I had heard for the first time very recently. Apparently I’m not as computer savvy as I had initially thought. I thought that learning how to embed a video was going to be a challenge that is until I came across this informative YouTube video. This video takes you through the step by step process of embedding a YouTube video into any webpage. It’s as easy as cutting and pasting. You will have no trouble learning from this video, as it incorporates both audio and visual guidance. Follow the steps carefully and you’ll be a pro in no time.

Not all sites are as advantageous to use. Some sites like Fluffbucket.com are not as helpful, without the use of visual representations.

YouTube tutorial video’s cover many elements needed to make you a computer savvy PR practitioner. It would most definitely be my first point of reference to check out any other “how to” purposes.

For further information on video embedding, please check out Shelley and Jade’s blogs.