For the PR pro: New Media tech tips

The New Media realm is rapidly evolving, and I have begun to realize that it is extremely helpful to have knowledge of both how to use new tools AND how they work. The beauty of effective online public relations (utilizing a variety of social media) is the ability to gain wide exposure at basically no expense.

Staying on the edge of what is possible with new media, here is a list of 8 tips that can help a PR pro stay on top of digital brand building:

1. Blog searching. As simple as it may sound, the search engine used to troll industry blogs can be a critical part of evaluating a company's reputation online. Google Blog Search and Technorati are usually good places to start.

2. URL rewriting. People pass along links constantly, using anything from emails, SMS, social bookmarking, etc. However, word of mouth is still the most potent form. Rewriting a web URL to an easy-to-remember format is key to maximize a web page's mobility.

3. Cloud Computing. Simply put, cloud computing is a technology in which tasks are assigned to a combination of connections, software and services accessed over a network. The network of servers and connections is collectively known as "the cloud." Using an access point, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or laptop, users can "reach" into the cloud for resources as they need them. Extremely handy for tech PR. A good example is Google Applications.

4. Traffic Monitoring. There are a variety of ways to track unique visitors and visitation time of web sites. Keeping track of these statistics is an essential way to continually redesign a page to a format that is most effective for the target audience it is intended to reach.

5. Social Media Applications. The most common example for Gen Y is the use of Facebook applications (coundowns, bumper stickers... basically little additions for a users profile). There are plenty of ways to develop these applications for free, then brand them with a company's message. Almost 90% of Facebook's applications are made by third party developers. It's the same story for applications used in conjunction with the iPod Touch and iPhone.

6. HTML blog and web utilities. The development of simple HTML or XML code can made into handy utilities for people's blogs or websites. By distributing the code for free, users can add them to their personal sites. Again, free exposure. The only catch for these tools (as well as SM apps) is to make the utility actually useful. The more unique, the better.

7. Keeping tabs on new content aggregators. RSS readers, feed readers, and search readers are just a few examples. With the explosion of SM getting larger every day, these tools are undoubtedly going to play a vital role in the consolidation of a user's multiple profiles and feeds.

8. Not SEO... SMO. Social media optimatization can be an enormous benefit to a brand entering the new media market. As most regular users are familiar with the idea, by allowing a web site's visitors to "join" and create a personal profile, loyatly and frequency increase while the bounce rate decreases. Additionally, it makes it much easier for common users to interact with one another. Facebook Chat is a great example of optimization.

And there you have it. If you have a question or would like to leave a comment, please feel free to leave it here or send me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com. Thanks!

The Future of Social Media

If you consider yourself even to be mildly Internet savvy, most people would be shocked if you haven't investigated at least one social media website. By the end of 2008, it is expected that there will be more than 230 million members of social media sites worldwide.

Social media is still a relatively infantile service, but there are literally thousands to choose from for any purpose under the sun, including professional, political, social, special interest, dating, and so on. But with boom of social media, where new sites are launched almost daily around the world, what is the main hype? What about 10 years from now?

One hotly contested topic is how to generate revenue from these sites. There are plenty of business models available (even some that work), but speculation is still widespread since the key characteristic to many popular sites is a free membership policy. Advertising is the largest profit contributor (by a wide margin), which made the social media industry worth more than 970 million dollars in 2007.

Furthermore, thousands of companies have slowly begun to realize the benefit of reaching their target demographics through social media outlets, which has sparked a slow revolution in cyberspace interactivity. Here are some predictions for the future of the social media madness:

1. Content aggregation will take the spotlight. Most companies or groups with a message are mostly interested in using "sexy" marketing campaigns. Viral video contests, build your own site or profile, etc. Content, however, will always trump other features. Searching for content can be a little inefficient for most sites, even for the monsters such Facebook, MySpace and Blogger. Therefore, finding what you're looking for can take some valuable time.

More and more businesses are literally spending millions of dollars creating mediocre widgets and "stuff" simply to throw their name and brand messaging on it. At a fraction of the cost, the same companies could aggregate the most important content in their brand, provide a utility that matters to the site's users, and get tremendous brand equity in return.

2. Mobility and utility equal survival. Within the next decade, it is likely that most online services will have some form of mobile access. Facebook Mobile and Twitter are common examples, but thousands of websites have developed a mini-screen format for their sites as well. While most new designs are made for the iPhone, Blackberry, or Treo, there are text-based versions for almost any phone with a screen and web access.

Because this technology is already available and improving exponentially, it is inevitable that it will be commonplace in the already saturated market of social media.

3. Out with the old, in with the new. Twitter's problems and debugging efforts are well known, but it certainly isn't the only service to only get it half right. With the emergence of newer companies with more sound software and API, it is possible that Twitter will become the Friendster of microblogging. As developers begin to interact in open sourcing (watch the Google Campfire One lecture if you don't believe me), it is a matter of time until popular sites and services are obsolete and new sites take their place.

Love or hate what you have read, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com. New site design will be up soon!

No such thing as an expert

"Nothing is sacred anymore."

Ironically, people must have been saying that 200 years ago. With the explosion of the Internet, there have been just as many inherent pitfalls as there have been benefits. Communication, commerce and efficiency are all common advantages when it comes to going digital. Unfortunately, the Internet is also intricately woven with misleading content, outright lies, and cyberspace traps. But you already knew that, right?

One of the biggest ongoing struggles facing the web today is establishing a standard for ethics and information distribution. While there are stories of predators, scams, and data theft, an unusually common annoyance is the self-proclaimed expert.

No one likes a know-it-all

From entertainment, to politics, the economy, or advertising (and the list goes on), no industry is safe. People everywhere on the Internet, and even in person, claim to have an expertise on some topic, but according to whose standards? Their own?

People are only experts on their own opinions. One may know a plethora about the medical field and have four Ph.Ds, but they will never know everything about the subject. Of course, the question becomes obvious; what is an expert? According to Webster's expertise: Expert: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

Because every individual interprets "expert" differently, it would be more accurate for a person to say they have "very specific experience and knowledge in a particular field." Otherwise, there might as well be no credibility to the title whatsoever.

The Bottom Line

It's as though some people claim expertise the same way that Knights claimed a kingdom in medieval England - by force, and mostly without the consent of others.

Love or hate what you have read, please leave a comment or feel free to send me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com!