One evening, TTC rider Jason Wieler uses his iPhone to snap a picture of a TTC booth collector catching a few winks. A few weeks later he remembers taking the photo and posts it to his Twitter account with the caption “Yup, love how my TTC dollars R being spent…”

What happened next is a classic example of how technology and social media are completely changing the face of communication. The photo was re-tweeted and became a top news story in a matter of hours, following on the heels of bad press resulting from the recent transit fare increase. TTC officials were being asked to comment on a photo they may not have even seen yet, and Toronto media were trying to determine the identity of the worker who was photographed. Today, the story has come full circle and the man who was made unintentionally famous by all of this, George Robitaille, has released a public apology.

Thinking about this situation, I was reminded of the very first lesson I had in how an image can alter public perception from a University communications lecture – The televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. In a nutshell – those who listened on the radio thought Nixon had won the debate while those who watched the televised events thought that Kennedy came out on top. While listeners thought that Nixon’s arguments were stronger, Kennedy’s appearance, composure and charisma worked in his favor with TV audiences. The content seemed to play less of a role on public opinion than the image.

In a similar way whether it was due to “an underlying medical issue and side effects of medication” as TTC officials and Mr. Robitaille have released, or a case of an employee simply caught sleeping on the job, the photo of the TTC collector reclined and asleep in his booth is what most people will remember.

A picture is an incredibly powerful form of communication, and even after it has been explained or contextualized it is one of the first things we think of. It can impact or reinforce opinions, and change the way we look at individuals, companies or entire organizations. For better or worse, we are becoming an increasingly visual society who relies on images for “proof” and to capture our attention.

Watching the situation unfold with this particular TTC operator created so many questions for me regarding privacy, disclosure and how social media is impacting our actions, interactions and reactions.

How do you feel about the role social media and technology plays in the creation and sharing of information/news?

This is your life, in 140 characters or less! Constant status updates make sure that no one will ever have to wonder if you are having fun at that party you were invited to, or how you are feeling in the wake of your last emotional crisis.

I’ll be the first to admit I love social media and use Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and Blogspot. I enjoy the freedom of sharing my thoughts and ideas, and also keeping in touch with friends and family who are “plugged in”. I even have a friend who recently admitted that they started going on Twitter just to get a hold of me to make plans (I felt fairly guilty, and cocktails were on me that week). But now the tide is turning, and social media critics are vocalizing the issues they feel are created from these online applications.

Today’s Globe and Mail features a very interesting article “Detox du jour: unplugging from Facebook” which takes a look at the reasons behind (as well as challenges to) abandoning social media sites and technology in favor of “more human interaction”. Another great article brought to my attention today (by Joseph Thornley) is the news that actor, writer and until recently, Twitter enthusiast Stephen Fry has decided to “go offline” for a brief period in order to concentrate on his writing.

Want to take things a step further? A recent related phenomenon that caught my attention was the slightly over the top “Web 2.0 Suicide Machine” which flashes slogans such as “So many people you don’t care about”, “Say good-bye with dignity” and “Feel free like a real bird again and untwitter yourself”. The website application completely and permanently deletes your social media profiles in one foul swoop. I think the term “suicide” and the USB noose on the site are a bit dramatic, but are trying to use some dark humor to show how attached people are getting to their online persona.

Personally, I don’t see myself pulling the plug anytime soon. Social media has been instrumental in allowing me to network, meet new people, keep in touch with friends and family from my hometown and overseas as well as provide me with a global learning tool from the blogs of some innovative and respected professionals. Why would I want to abandon all that?

Still, I know many people who are opting for this social strategy in hopes of freeing up their schedules and making a commitment to increasing their face time with friends. Which leaves me with this question, do you need to be unplugged to be productive and social? If the line has been truly drawn in the pro or anti-social media war, which side do you find yourself on? Personally, I’m “pro” on this issue but would love to hear what you think.

Will you be unplugging in 2010?

In a slight shift from my posts where I have been talking about starting my career in PR, I wanted in light of recent events to talk a bit about Public Relations as an industry. Specifically, headlines such as Sunday’s Toronto Star; “Spinning in the First Week of Michael Bryant’s New Life” and today’s Globe and Mail article; “Michael Bryant’s political strategy: PR 2.0”.

Both articles discuss PR in relation to Michael Bryant’s case, and from my reading of it and as someone working in PR I was a bit put off.  To pull a few quotes from the Star article; “It helps to have friends in PR”, “Look, the headline of this story should be: ‘Navigator, changing your perceptions without you even knowing it” and “He refers, of course, to Navigator Limited, the smooth public relations firm hired by Bryant (when exactly is unclear) to massage the message”. The article then continues to a full page analysis of the inner working of the messaging surrounding this tragic incident. The Globe article takes a look at Navigator’s use of social media (Twitter, Blog and Facebook) in relation to their client.

Personally, I resent the fact that PR is often tied to “spin”, deception and manipulation. I do not feel that reflects the work that I do, or the many other professionals who are passionate about communication and social media. However I did find it very interesting that the article pulls into the spotlight a PR firm, whereas usually the agency stays in the background.

I want to make it very clear that I am not choosing sides and making statements about Michael Bryant’s guilt or innocence.  I feel this is a very tragic situation for both sides. Lives have been changed forever. But facing these serious charges and the media onslaught, I can sympathize with Michael Bryant for enlisting the services of Navigator just as I respect the work they are doing on behalf of someone who will be forever affected by this moment in time. PR does not change “the facts”.  A strong team of media savvy professionals helping in the face of any crisis can provide advice, support and direction.

What do you think of the role PR plays in image management issues when a crime or tragedy has occurred?

On behalf of PR Girlz I’d like to apologize for our month-long absence. Things have been quite busy around the TFC office and busy unfortunately turned into no time for PR Girlz posts.  But PR Girlz is important and we’re going to make an effort to post even when we are busy. And busy is ultimately good since we have more experiences we can share with you!!

I decided for today’s post, as it is Friday, that I would go ahead and bring back “Casual Friday’s“. They used to be a more frequent occurrence on PR Girlz  as way to ease into the weekend on a more lighthearted and not necessarily PR related way.  On that note I bring you, Casual Friday!

I’m going to play devil’s advocate and talk about the potential downsides to social networking sites. So, I saw the e-card above a little while back and besides making me chuckle, it actually got me thinking. Now I love Facebook and Twitter as much as the next 20-something who lives at their computer. I love the fact that I can keep in touch with my friends and family through pictures, wall posts, and 140 character messages. It’s awesome. But, after seeing this e-card, I asked myself ”Could Facebook and Twitter actually be doing friendships and relationships more harm than good ?”

Facebook and Twitter give you the ability to see basically everything about what is going on in your friends lives without ever talking to them. Sometimes it’s easier to look at someone’s Facebook profile every now and then instead of actually keeping in touch. Sometimes it’s just easier to write your friend a quick wall-post instead of giving them a call.

Have you ever felt awkward seeing someone after a while and asking what they’ve been up to even though you already knew full well what they’d been up to because you have them on facebook and have obviously seen every single one of their status updates and photos? I have! Even with my closest friends, we are so connected online that when I actually see them in person I sometimes feel like we have nothing to talk about because we’ve already said it all!

Is it just me, or have we somewhat lost the ability to communicate in more traditional ways? Sometimes I find myself just looking at my own brothers facebook profiles or sending them a quick wall-post and convincing myself that I’m “keeping in touch” with them. And that sort of makes me sad. Communicating solely through a computer can only get you so far. It erases the human factor of communication. There are no expressions, emotions… no human voice.

At this point I think it’s important that I reiterate that I love Facebook and I love Twitter. I think they are excellent communication tools, especially if you are unable to see people face-to-face and I can’t really remember life before them. But I think it’s important, especially for us folks who spend 99% of our time “connected” to realize that communication through social networks is only one part of communication. It shouldn’t replace the face-to-face communication in our lives, it should be an addition to it. It’s easy to get excited and constantly post everything we’re doing or thinking while at the same time forgetting to actually step away for a little bit and live!

Do you think we’ve lost the ability to communicate in traditional ways? Do you feel like you spend too much time on social networking sites? Or am I way off base?

After an interesting discussion during this morning’s weekly planning meeting, the PRGirlz have come to the conclusion that we’d like to add a little more life to the blog. As a result, we’d like to start a vidcast series to profile some of the great Geek Girlz in our community!  Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for our first clip.

In the meantime, we’d like to know who you want to hear from – tell us your favorite Geek Girlz and we’ll see what we can do!

As you may have noticed, Twitter is VERY “twendy” right now.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Twitter (the micro-blogging site where users can send and read other users 140 character updates known as tweets) has been ALL over the media lately. This was due in large part to the fact that Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) was the first Twitter account to reach 1 million followers. If you want to learn more, my colleague Dave Fleet did an interview with CityOnline on the subject and also wrote a blog post about it.

Twitter has been around since 2006, but only in the past couple months has it really reached its tipping point. I started on Twitter last September when it was still in its growth stage, and it has been very interesting to watch it develop into what it is today.

I like Twitter. I get a little sneak peak into the lives of the people I am interested in. I follow everyone from friends, to coworkers, to news sources, to people who tweet about subjects I’m interested in, to celebrities. And people even follow me too! There are a lot of great things about Twitter, but many people seem to think it’s just a fad.

I think the future of Twitter really depends on how people continue to use it. There are a lot of people who use it to foster an instantaneous and mass-audience type of communication that can’t be achieved elsewhere and also those who simply post really neat information and tidbits about their lives. However, there are others who unfortunately use it to spam or try to get the most followers.

Personally, I think Twitter is an amazing tool for communication and I can’t wait to see where we take it.

What is your opinion on Twitter? A useful tool for communication or just a fad?

Happy Tweeting

As Kerri mentioned in her latest post, last week was Third Tuesday Toronto. For those of you who don’t know, Third Tuesday is a free monthly meetup for people interested in new trends in and applications of social media in business. It usually includes a guest speaker who comes and talks about their experiences with social media and communications in their business. At each Third Tuesday I have attended I have certainly learned a lot from each of these speakers.

Beyond the speakers, there is another element to theses meetups — a HUGE opportunity to connect and network with the other attendees. Joscelyn, a former PR Girl, wrote a post about networking 2 years ago, and I think it is about time this topic was brought to the forefront again.

Networking has always been a bit of a scary word for me.  Like Jos, most people who meet me would consider me to be a shy person (but change their mind after they get to know me ). That said, being on the more timid side, I find it a lot easier to stick with the people I know rather than make the effort to meet new people. It’s not that I don’t want to network and meet new people, I do! It’s just that I find it incredibly intimidating; especially in a “work” type setting.

Something that really got me thinking was Alex Milroy’s comment on Jos’s post. She made a couple suggestions, one of which was to approach the person who is standing alone.
My first instinct was to think “I would be too nervous to do that!” But on the same note, it made me realize that I am always hoping someone will approach me!

So, what are your thoughts on networking? I for one, am determined to get out there and start to meet all the interesting people at these events! Any tips for a shy gal such as myself?

Sometimes we social media geeks forget that not everyone ‘gets it’ yet.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve said the words ‘social media’ and gotten blank stares. Or the times when I’ve made a comment about online engagement or relationship building and heard “Huh?”

One key point that I think we often forget when we spend so much time in this space, it that not everyone spends the same amount of time here. I realized this at Third Tuesday the other night when I was listening to Mathew Ingram speak about his role as the Communities Editor  for the Globe and Mail. I looked around the room and saw a number of unfamiliar faces. Translation: Some of them were newbies! This excites me, because it means that more and more people are sitting up and taking notice of this new form of communication.

My hope is that we, as current participants, welcome them with open arms and educate as best possible.  If people fail to see the value of social media, or understand the principles behind it, then we fail as a community and it stunts our growth. It should be our job as participants to encourage engagement and try as best we can to educate others in a way that they understand what’s going on.

One of the ways I often explain social media to others is by linking it to real world examples. I was asked at Third Tuesday about what exactly a Communities Editor would do. “He can’t control the discussions that are happening, so what’s the point?” My thoughts were to liken him to a workshop facilitator. My feeling is that it would their job encourage discussion, moderate the commentary and try to keep discussion on the right track so that everyone feels comfortable contributing and feels they are getting value from the conversation. The response: “Hmm…that makes sense.”

Another example I’ve used to describe social media in general is using the example of a community. You have a school (Facebook), a gas station (Twitter), a corner store (Flickr), a coffee shop (Third Tuesday), etc. and you have neighbours (other users). They all interact with each other, provide support and contribute to the overall development of the community.

Linking the online world to real life examples can help people to better understand this space and hopefully, with encouragement and support, the space will continue to grow. And growth IS what we want – this is not an exclusive space for early adopters. So next time that you start into geek-speak, consider who you’re chatting with – they may be smiling and nodding, but do they really ‘get it’?

How do you explain social media? Do you think you ‘get it’ yet?

Yesterday I took advantage of a great opportunity to hear from a group of people who not only know social media, but use it well. The folks at Molson (with the help of GasPedal) hosted an open conference call to recap their Blog Well Chicago presentation: “Molson & Social Media: Exploring, Innovating, Communicating”.

The call was hosted by Ferg Devins, Vice-President, Government and Public Affairs; Adam Moffat, Manager, Marketing & Brand Public Relations; and Tonia Hammer, Communications Assistant. Molson has been participating in the social media space for a few years now and has been quite successful with many of its initiatives including the Molson in the Community blog, the Brew 2.0 blogger outreach events, and its newest project, the Molson Canadian 2010 Mural Project. And while many interesting points were discussed on the call, one that really stuck out to me was Ferg’s observation that Molson tries not to get stuck in “paralysis by analysis”.

After working with a variety of clients now, and starting to see differing views on the use of social media in public relations, I have found it very interesting to see how many companies are reluctant to get involved in this space. When we pitch the idea of engaging in social media, we’re often asked to draw up a proposal to discuss at a later time. So we go away, do our research, provide measurement options and outline a budget. We’ll also look for examples of why they should be in this space – provide Twitter rants by their consumers, an interesting idea for a Facebook app, or maybe a blog post that they could have responded to. Then we’ll compile a proposal based on these factors.

Once submitted, sometimes the proposal is met with great enthusiasm, a thumb up and full steam ahead. But other times we’re met with some resistance. Clients want more information, or they want to think about it more, or they aren’t quite ready. All of this is perfectly reasonable; however, there is a trap that can occur if this goes on for too long. The situation can only be analyzed for so before a decision just has to be made. Jump in head first? Dip a toe in and see how it goes? Or just going to curl up on a beach chair watch everyone else play in the pool?

When you’re proposing a social media component to a client, it’s important to be sure of what their objectives are and how social media will help them achieve the results they’re looking for. And of course be respectful that the client will likely require clearance from a legal team as well as a protocol outline to show them the steps you would take in various situations.

But it’s important to keep in mind that every day the process gets delayed, more and more of their consumers are making waves as they cannon ball into the social media pool.

What you do to encourage companies to jump in and join the fun?

My First Impressions of PR and Social Media

Many of you have asked me some really great questions on Public Relations and social media from the perspective of a new PR practitioner. I will try and answer them now as best I can and give some insight into my first impressions of the PR world.

The transition from school to the workforce

I totally understand the fear of leaving school and entering the PR workforce. I was especially nervous making this transition because my background wasn’t even in PR and I had not had any experience with social media. The biggest thing I found was that there is truly nothing more valuable than actual hands-on experience. Even though you may have a degree, that doesn’t mean that you have learned everything there is to know about working in PR, or any field for that matter. I also found that people are always willing to help, which makes the transition a lot easier. And it doesn’t hurt that I work with some of the most creative and intelligent people in the industry! Yes, being a psychology student and then transitioning to working as an Account Coordinator at a PR firm was a little tricky. But I wouldn’t worry too much about the transition because I think you’ll find that if you have the right attitude and are willing to dive in head-first and learn everything there is to know, the transition will be a much easier one.

What I’ve found the toughest so far and how I’ve overcome it

Throughout the learning process that was starting this job, I have found a couple things to be a bit challenging. But I think the biggest thing that I struggled with and still struggle with is media pitching. This was something I didn’t start until recently because it honestly made me a little nervous! Even after my first couple attempts I still felt pretty lost. Right now I am actually in the process of resolving this issue. I decided to talk to someone about it. I asked if maybe I could sit in with someone and watch them pitch or perhaps have a colleague set up a work shop on the subject. There are a lot of things you might find difficult in your first PR job and the point is to ALWAYS ask questions and think of ways to make things easier on yourself. I’m sure that by having a workshop on pitching and seeing how another person does it, I will improve my skills and I’ll feel a lot more comfortable.

My thoughts on all this social media stuff

Social media was something that I never thought I would be interested in. However, a couple weeks into my job when I found myself passionately discussing it while out for dinner one night, I realized I might be slightly fascinated by it. It may seem overwhelming because there are so many ways to engage in the social media world… maybe too many! For some people, they are able to participate in many forms of social media easily and effectively. For me, I have chosen a couple tools to focus on. Social media started out as something I participated in as a job requirement but then quickly grew into a major part of my daily life. Reading and commenting on blogs and podcasts that you find interesting is a great way to start interacting with others in the PR and social media worlds (if you’d like some suggestions let me know).  Also, you don’t have to have your own blog, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts are a good step in creating your online presence, not to mention they are easy to create and maintain. In terms of staying engaged with twitter, I post things about my daily life, PR specific stuff or simply things I find interesting. The point of social media is to share and discuss, so find the tools you like best and contribute as much as you can to them.  And if you really feel like you don’t know anything about social media, I suggest going over to Common Craft and watching their videos .They discuss everything from Wiki’s to RSS to Twitter, all “in plain English”.

So those are my first impressions of PR and social media. I’d love to hear your thoughts! And for any other newcomers to PR and social media, what have your first impressions been?