Google+ Is Better Than You Think

How many people currently have a Google + page? In my circle of friends, hardly any. I know that a majority of people are not on Google +, however, the more I read about it and learn about it, the more I love it! There are so many unique features, ones that I cannot wait to learn how to use. Here are just a few of my favorite features:

1.       Direct Connect allows businesses to become easily searchable by just enter + [Page Name] into the search operator Google.com. Most people do not look past the first page of search results, so having another social media outlet that can be pulled in the Google search engine is a big plus.

2.       Topic Circles: Users can create a post about a certain topic and ask others to comment on it. From there you can create a circle around this topic with the users who expressed interest. This allows for people to have a more personalized experience and puts them in contact with others who share similar interests.

3.       Hangouts on Air: This is basically live streaming video. Up to ten people can participate in the chat and an unlimited amount of people can view it. Currently, only certain businesses can use this feature but it is definitely a great tool! I am sure that it will soon be available for everyone to use.

There are a lot more features that are pretty awesome on Google + so if you have time make sure and check it out! If you create a page, make sure and add me! That’s all for today’s post, short and sweet.

What Can We Learn From The Penn State Situation?

As a majority of us are already aware, Penn State has been involved in a massive sex abuse scandal. Accusations have been made against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. However, Sandusky is not the main face under attack by the media and the university; instead it is head coach Joe Paterno.

The interesting part about this crisis is how the university is handling the situation. They have not conducted one press conference and have cancelled the remaining press conferences originally scheduled. No one is saying a word to the media. What this crisis at Penn State really teaches us is to address situations head on. Ignoring the media, students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans is a bad idea in a situation such this severe.

During my Mass Communication Theory class last night, we discussed the Penn State crisis, all agreeing that as an organization, Penn State cannot nor should not hide from the media. The university should have held a press conference (not taking questions or anything) with just a brief statement of the facts such as, “We are investigating the matter and will let you know when we learn more.” Easy and simple, yet it does let people know that the university is aware of the situation and taking steps to solve it.

I also am having an issue with Joe Paterno’s statement last night. I just cannot wrap my head around who advised the university to let him give that statement.  For starters he called the children involved “victims.” While it appears that these people are indeed victims, it has not been officially investigated to prove the accusations. Therefore, Paterno makes it sound like he already believes the accusations against defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Audiences thinking that Paterno believes the accusations will make it more difficult for the university to solve and handle. Paterno is the face of Penn State, so his opinions can and most likely will influence and be shared by a majority of fans.

Also, Paterno ended his statement with a Penn State cheer. In this type of situation, a university should want their leaders to be professional. Leading a cheer made Paterno appear as if he didn’t think the sex allegations were a big deal, almost as if he was not taking the situation seriously.

It will be interesting to see what Penn State decides to do crisis management wise in the upcoming days and throughout the investigation. I believe that this scandal will be studied by PR professionals for many years to come. How much damage was done to the universities image by this situation? How could they have prevented it? How could their crisis communication plan been activated and implemented differently? How many years will it take the university to get back their reputation and image?

Technology and Social Media in the Classroom

Guest Blogger: Meaghan Warren

I am currently teaching geometry in Arizona. As a teacher, your always trying to find new ways to reach your students and get them to learn. Since technology has become such a big part of this generations up bringing, I have tried to incorporate it as much as possible into my lessons. I am currently using social medias, such as facebook, a website, cell phones, computers, internet, QR codes, etc.

If you had been there when I first told my students they were going to get to use facebook in class, you would of thought I had just given them a million dollars. I am sure your thinking facebook in school? How is that productive for students? My class has a facebook page and I post daily questions where students can "vote" or submit their answer to daily review questions. I keep track of their posts. I also post critical thinking questions for homework and all the students have to do is get on and respond. If I had asked them to do it on paper, it just wouldnt be as exciting. It also gives me the chance to have them respond to each other, almost like a blog. I also post important reminders, etc. which they can see daily.

Our class also uses tools such as a website, where students can find all the resources we use in class online. It is a great tool when a student is absent and is also a great study tool. We use the internet almost everyday whether it is just looking up pictures or examples of the current content or watching youtube videos. Search for the Quadratic Formula Rap...its a good one! The kids love it because it directly relates to what they are interested in.

If you have ever taken a minute and observed teenagers at a mall, school, or anywhere for that matter there is a cell phone glued to their hand. Last year, I collected over 100 cellphones throughout the year for students texting in class. It hit me at the end of year..why not just incorporate it into the lesson? There are some great websites where you set up questions and students can text their answer. They provide great feedback for teachers. It gives you a graph of correct answers and incorrect answers and is a great tool for check for understanding. Also, there are a thousand websites where you can create QR codes. I created a QR code for a project and kids went nuts because they got to use a new app on their phone and could scan it and find their project. Never in my life have I seen so many kids so excited to do a project. So anytime you can put technology into a lesson, your bound to get some good results.

Social Media Campaigns: Happy Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween everyone!

Today’s post is a simple concept that took a haunted house website to the top. Nightmares Fear Factory (located in Niagara Falls) is open 365 days a year. The company claims that over 10,000 people have bailed out of the haunted house tour because they were too scared, giving it the name “The World’s Most Frightening Experience.” So how did this place up its website traffic and image in just a short few hours? Easy. The company began snapping photos of people at the scariest points in the haunted house and posting them to social media sites such as Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter which allows people to view the scared physical reactions of those who toured the house.  

The company began posting October 6, 2011 and within 24 hours traffic jumped from 600 visits per day to 60,000 on the company’s website. The photos have received press coverage as well by being covered by ABC News, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tosh.O, and more.

All I can say is what a perfect example of how companies can successfully utilize social media to generate traffic to their main websites. People love seeing photos of themselves which makes it instantly shareable, which then creates attention and increases word of mouth about the company. I love love love this marketing campaign implemented by Nightmares Fear Factory and think others could easily follow this example to execute a successful campaign for their business.

You Can’t Hide If You Use Social Media

The Washington Post recently circulated an article about how police officers are using social media to track gangs. We all know that social media sites can allow others to see personal information (if people do not set their privacy settings to protect themselves) such as home address, location, phone number, photos, personal activities, etc. Even with the privacy settings, agents and officers are granted access to individual’s social media pages by obtaining permission from the court system.

Examples included agents using Myspace to track down a gang who was utilizing the site to threaten federal witnesses, using Facebook to identify gang members, and using Facebook to locate a wanted gang member. As one federal law enforcement official said, “Gangs are just following societal trends.”

This is a smart and unique tactic employed by law enforcement professionals to catch/track current as well as future gang members. Social media is being utilized by law enforcement to not only track and catch, but also to obtain information. Photographs can help identify people, location check-in points can tell police where they are at that exact moment, post made by friends can offer insight into their activities, etc. Police even read comments posted by teenagers, and visit homes of these teenagers to warn parents of the violent threats and comments made online.

This article is an interesting read. A majority of us are not criminals or gang members, but the article does demonstrate just how easy social media makes it for the world to know our every move as well as personal information. I am not saying this is a bad thing (trust me I love social media), just pointing out that ease of access is there and will continue to be there. Just remember, once you put something out there on a social media site, it remains there.

Digital Divide: Will The Gaps Ever Close?

Throughout my time as a Public Relations Masters student at Texas Tech University, a good chunk of the conversations in my classes each semester focus on knowledge gap in relation to the digital divide. The Internet is definitely one of the newer mass media channels but with the Internet came social media sites. Even though the Internet has been around for a long time and is in over 70% of U.S. households, it still amazes me how little people know about it.

Two very simple examples:

1.        I was teaching my Hip Hop dance class about a month ago and had two new international students. At the end of class, these young ladies asked me the title of the song and where to find it, which I of course replied “ITunes.” They then proceeded to fill me in on how they had no idea what ITunes was!

2.       I have spent time teaching members of my family the basics of Facebook (this seems to be an ongoing task). The biggest problem they have with this social media site is privacy. I am constantly logging into to all of their accounts just to update their privacy settings or sending an email with step by step details on how they can do it themselves (which they usually just end up having me do it).

Let’s look at the digital divide from another point of view. Numerous studies have proven that the elderly population is joining Facebook at a rapidly increasing rate, but does this mean that these people understand how to use the site to its full potential? My guess is no.  

The Internet and its various sites offer a large world of knowledge and information. Yet, as I look around I notice more and more that people do not feel the same way. The majority of the population is at the same level with their Internet skills and literacy, but what about that small percentage that is behind and not understanding? Do we leave them behind? What if there are not people around to teach others Internet literacy? And of course the ultimate, overall question: How do we close the digital divide gap?

YouTube Gets Political

YouTube is definitely moving in the right direction with some new changes. In order to become one of the leading sources for political news, the site will soon be launching a YouTube Politics Channel. This channel will air a mix of videos so people can follow speeches, interviews, etc of the 2012 campaign. The Internet is the main media source utilized by citizens seeking political information so this channel could take the site to a new level. According to Jennifer Martinez, a technology reporter for POLITICO Pro, features will include, “Charts that show a tally of which candidates are receiving the most video views, search queries within YouTube, subscribers and video shares. YouTube visitors can also keep track of which candidate videos are getting the most views each day, week or month on the site.”

Earlier this year, YouTube launched the Town Hall platform which showed videos of members of Congress battling over various issues. Barack Obama, as well as some Congress Members, have successfully created their own YouTube channels to push their political views and messages.

Although I am not big on talking about politics, I do think the YouTube Politics Channel is a unique way to reach citizens across the country. Because a YouTube membership is free, every citizen with access to the Internet will be able to use this channel to receive political information. I bet this will be a success and cannot wait to see how many viewers tune in!