Learn Social Media Tools and Services Fast with Links to 200 Social Media Sites

The biggest challenge for anyone working in marketing is how fast the entire Web 2.0/social media/social networking scene is moving.

In fact, things are moving so fast in the social media/networking space, if you blink, you’re suddenly behind the curve. 

It’s with this in mind that I point readers of TheBettyFactorblog with this link to a great resource I just found online written by blogger Jason Mayfield at OpenJason.

Specifically, you should check out his blog post titled “Knowledge is Power: Here’s 200 sites that give you power.”

is Jason’s list comprehensive? No, as some very obvious social media/networking services/tools are missing from his post, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace, just to name a few.

However, it’s a very good list and a great starting point for anyone looking for a fast overview of just some of the Web 2.0 things people and companies are doing on the ‘Net.

Good job, Jason.

Case Study: Ford Uses Social Media as a Fire Extinguisher

The lightning speed of the Web is usually a great thing for us communicators, but, ask any company that has misstepped, or has been the butt of a viral video, and any corporate communicator will tell you that the speed of the Internet makes matters worse.

This is where the adage, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” is a real invaluable piece of advice. Scott Monty (@scottmonty), Ford’s head of social media efforts, posted a great case study of Ford’s use of social media tools to deal with a recent crisis communications event.

The case study is courtesy of Ron Ploof

The Ranger Station Fire

Unleash Social Media like CheapOair and Win!

If I’ve learned one thing after nearly 25 years in the marketing communications business it’s this:

Never be afraid to steal borrow a good idea from anyone!

In this case, the good idea comes from CheapOair, the discount online travel company (a competitor to companies like Travelocity and Orbitz).

The idea? CheapOair is running an online contest to give away nine $500 gift cards with a twist: It’s asking fans to spread the news about the contest on Facebook, on their personal/corporate blog(s) and via Twitter.

Three winners will be selected at random from each of the three social media/social networking platforms, and all nine winners will receive a $500 gift card good for purchases made on CheapOair.com. What a deal!

In other words, since CheapOair qualifies as a travel agency, it’s going to give away $4,500 in retail value that it will purchase at a discounted wholesale cost — AND (wait for it) — it’s asking people like you and me to spread the word via Web 2.0 technologies to our friends, associates, family members and strangers.

Go straight to the head of the class, CheapOair marketing department.

For this fantastic idea, I award CheapOair a Happy Betty Award!

This is an idea I intend to steal, umm borrow, for my clients ASAP!

[NOTE: There are other conditions to the giveaway. Check out this page on the CheapOair blog for more details.]

The TechCrunch Manifesto

The PR/Journo — Sharks and Jets — fight just went another round thanks to everybody’s favorite tech blogger Michael Arrington. Michael is no newcomer to slamming down the PR industry. The problem with this back and forth, I believe, is that it’s more about egos than actually fixing a problem — and that’s on both sides of this little war 2.0.

No one likes to be told what they’re doing is wrong, that’s a fact. And changing the behavior of an industry takes a lot more than a vicious, embarrassing blog post by a journalist/blogger. While it seems cliche to say, the only thing constant these days is change. We are all learning, both on the PR side and the journalist side. The lines have blurred, however, because there are a lot of bloggers who get the online media tools a lot better than some journalists and therefore become a very visible, vocal minority for the journalism field.

A discussion that has still not been put to rest: Are bloggers journalists? The answer, I think is yes, but it depends. Do I consider TechCrunch journalists, sure, they report the news in a timely fashion, while they are subjective, that’s why I read blogs, and that’s the difference between a blog and a newspaper. But the heart of story finding and reporting are both present in blogs. I like working with bloggers, they usually are more down to earth, and more open to building a relationship. But, this latest tirade by Arrington leads me to question my stance on whether I can/should lump bloggers in with journalists.

Arrington’s antics include the announcement that his tech news site, TechCrunch, will no longer honor NDAs and embargoes. Wow! Talk about killing a fly with an axe. This is really too bad, because it creates a couple problems for journalists, PR peeps and companies trying to get coverage:

• TechCrunch is a huge site, and has a tremendous following. How many PR peeps or companies will think twice before offering TechCrunch exclusives.
• TechCrunch’s stance gives the journos a bad image. Let’s be honest, NDAs have been broken, but to outright say that one will give his/her word and then break it, come on! There are a lot of good journalists who are willing to honor these agreements because it’s good for them, their publication and their readers.
• Trust is a huge part of the relationship between PR peeps, companies and journalists. Throwing that out will create a very chaotic, back-stabbing environment and no one will prosper — not TechCrunch, not anybody.

Sure, we can all do a better job.

But I think this response is ridiculous. I understand Michael’s frustration. How about on the PR side? When a blogger or journalist breaks an embargo, we look bad too, and it hurts our relationships as well. But taking the low road is always wrong. Honestly, I’d rather a reporter tell me “no, I won’t honor embargoes,” and show some integrity, than to lie about it.

This is a problem to which I don’t know if there is a simple solution. I can’t control what other PR peeps do any better than Michael can control how well his competitors enforce embargoes. But I do know that this is a foolish stance to take. I think the bigger company has the bigger responsibility. I also think this needs to be an ongoing discussion, PR folks obviously benefit from the media, and if I’m doing my job right, the media benefits from what I’m doing — whether I pitch the story, or just put the facts and info out there to be found.

Here’re what others in the industry have said about the No Embargo Manifesto:

Fantastic, thanks a lot. Besides being dishonest and douchebaggy in a purely human sense, it is basically a Hobbesian rebellion against the social contract and industry norms that we all follow for our own good. If everyone keeps the embargo, everybody–including the reader–wins. If one publication, acting in self interest, breaks embargoes as a matter of policy, everybody loses, including the rebelling publication.

~Kyle Monson, Web Editor at PC Mag

And this,

But in this bruising contest, TechCrunch clearly does not dominate, based on its size, as it did with the easier press release exclusives. In the new environment, in fact, tiny little voices that are accurate and insightful have just as much impact.

So, my takeaway from Arrington’s rant could be boiled down to three words: “GIVE ME EXCLUSIVES!”

~Kara Swisher, BoomTown

Michael is definitely outspoken, and while I don’t agree with his choice to blatantly violate embargoes, I do think savvy PR minds should weigh in.

What are your thoughts?

How to Revolutionize Education Forever: Social Media Tools and Strategies = Education 2.0

First it was Web 2.0, a term designed to categorize a more-engaging and interactive form of the World Wide Web. Then there was PR 2.0; here again, a new way of thinking about and deploying public relations strategies and tactics.

I now believe it’s time for Education 2.0.

Education 2.0 signifies the dawning of a new era of teacher-student interaction and improved teaching outcomes in the process.

Universities, colleges, schools, professors and teachers who want to be more successful at teaching and end up with better educated students (as a result) should immediately adopt Social Media and Social Networking tools and strategies in their classrooms and their educational planning.

Taking such a Web 2.0 approach would revolutionize education because it would help the vast majority of these students utilize in school many of the social media/networking tools and services they’re already using in their personal lives.

Shown below then are 10 specific Web 2.0 suggestions of how educators and teaching institutions can use social networking/media services and tools to shake-up (and improve) their teaching methodologies and results.

(Photo by Yuri Kim, http://lifeinboxes.blogger.com)

1.     Begin a classroom blog

Each professor/teacher should have a classroom blog, a blog dedicated specifically to the education process itself. At a minimum, this blog should include the following:

• a biography,
• classroom hours,
• office hours,
• info on classes being taught this semester/quarter,
• contact information (and preferences), and
• links/info about everything else shown below.

In addition, the blog needs to include an RSS feed capability so students can sign up for RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds (should they choose to do so). I would also expect professors/teachers would use the blog to provide

• updates,
• new info,
• links to breaking news relevant to class,
• etc.

Although teachers/professors could respond to individual comments posted by students, students might find it useful to use the comment section/ability as a way of sharing thoughts/collaborating online.

2.     Post the syllabus for each class taught online within your classroom blog

I recognize that some professors/departments/institutions see writing/producing/selling syllabi as a vehicle for making additional money, but I suspect most students would prefer to have access to your syllabus online versus in paper format. (Besides, printed syllabi are so “anti-green.”)

Naturally, some students might also want to purchase a printed copy.

But by posting it online, you also have the ability to update your syllabus in real-time, making it possible to delete or add information at a whim.

I’ve found the easiest way to update materials published online is to use the strikethrough font to alert readers that something has been deleted, and a colored font to note new content that has been added to a blog post/page.

Students can then be alerted via text message or tweet that a change has been made to the syllabus. (More on both below.)

3.     Create a YouTube Channel, record each lecture, and post each lecture online

Yes, I’m absolutely serious - I want you to digitally record every lecture you give and make that video available (for free) online.

Naturally, this will involve a little extra work, but if you can pull this off, your students will love you to death for it.

Obviously, if your college, school or department will handle this for you, so much the better.

If not, at a minimum you can use a digital video camera setup at the back of the room on a tripod with a wireless microphone to record each lecture. Be sure to set the recording field to be wide enough to capture you on camera if you tend to wander as you walk. Experiment in advance with the recording volume levels too to ensure your voice can be clearly heard.

Uploading videos onto YouTube is not difficult. And creating a YouTube channel is not that difficult either. (Here’s a link to Part One of a Two Part YouTube video about creating a YouTube channel.) 

Once a new lecture has been recorded, I would post the video onto YouTube, then embed the new lecture from YouTube into a new post on your blog as well.

If you don’t already own one, digital video cameras can be purchased for $200 cheaply if you don’t already own one. Wireless mics can be picked up for under $150.

(NOTE: Some educators might feel threatened by such an approach, thinking maybe “I’m not that good of a lecturer and students will find out if I post my lectures online.” Others might worry about seeing in-class attendance drop-off.)

I can’t do anything to help you improve your lecturing style. However, from personal experience I do know that it’s often a real eye-opener for people to see videotapes of their public speaking and/or lectures, which can reveal bad habits most were not aware they had.

As far as the possibility of diminished in class attendance, let me offer a few ideas.

• It is likely that comments/questions made in class by students will not be picked up very well by the camcorder. This will hurt those students only viewing the video online.
• Attendance in class can be part of the grading system. Some of my professors gave in-class attendance a 10 percent weighting to the final grade.
• Students who participate in in-class discussions learn more.
• Students who attend class become known by their professors/teachers. This can be critical to future instructor-student interaction, including leniency on late/missed assignments, potential subjective grading, and professor recommendations for the student for internships, job opportunities, acceptance letters, etc. Smart students understand this; smarter teachers help their students understand this dynamic.

Just some thoughts.

By the way, if you haven’t seen what a lecture looks like on YouTube, here’s the now world-famous “Last Lecture” of former Carnegie Mellon Professor, Randy Pausch (10/23/1960 - 7/25/2008). This lecture was given on September 19, 2007.

Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon

4.     Make audio versions of your lectures available online

With the digital video recording of your lectures in hand, creating audio versions is relatively straightforward.

Again, if your college, school or department will handle this for you, so much the better. If not and your work in higher ed, chances are a Teacher’s Assistant or intern or student would be happy to do this for you, either as part of their regular duties or for a small fee (including extra credit).

If possible, save the files in MP3 format at a minimum. Virtually any personal computer will be able to play these files. They can also be listened to via an iPod, and the vast majority of your students will own at least one iPod.

These audio files should also be noted via a new post on your blog, with the links embedded within the specific post.

5.     Make audio versions of your lectures available as delayed podcasts

With the audio version of your lectures now in place, you should also create a podcast.

Doing so will mean your students can listen to your lecture online or download a version to an iPod so they can listen to it on the road.

There are a number of free podcast software tools on the Internet. Google returned nearly 2,000 links this morning for the search term “free podcast software,” while the term “podcasting made easy” generated more than 16,000 links.

6.     Create a Flickr account for your classes

If you don’t already know about Flickr, in simplest terms it has become the largest online repository for photos and images in the world, many of them available for free downloading.

As an instructor, what you can do is begin to upload your own Flickr photos and images is to create a Flickr account. To do this, go to the Flickr sign-in page and follow the instructions. It’s that easy.

Built into Flickr is an RSS feeder, which means your students who sign-up to receive your Flickr RSS feeds will automatically be notified whenever you upload a new image or photo. Cool, huh?

(NOTE: The graduation photo used above was found on Flickr.)

7.a.   Use Twitter as an up-to-the-moment communications tool

Twitter is one of the hottest new social media services on the planet, with more than six million Twitter accounts since the service was launched in early 2006.

Known as a migroblogging tool, Twitter allows people to send and receive messages no longer than 140 characters in length. Within Twitter, you can search for and “follow” people (which is much like “friending” someone on Facebook or MySpace) and others, in turn, can follow you.

Twitter usernames are chosen by each person and may be any combination of letters, numbers and the underscore sign (_) not already in use that is less than 16 characters long.

If someone you are following writes a tweet(a microblog post), you can Reply to them in a manner that allows everyone to see your tweet, or you can reply just to them through a Direct Message (known as a DM) that only they will be able to see and respond to. With the rapid growth of Twitter, a number of Twitter-related tools and services have been launched by other individuals and companies to support the Twitter universe or Twitterverse.

I envision every professor/teacher setting up a single Twitter account just for educational purposes. At the beginning of each semester, students should be given a basic tutorial on Twitter (perhaps included as a page on each instructor’s blog).

Then as appropriate throughout the semester or quarter, the instructor should tweet to update students in real-time (between blog posts) about course-related information, including

• breaking news,
• quiz reminders,
• last-minute assignments,
• etc.

Smart students will also use Twitter as a way of connecting with and staying in touch with classmates, as well as those in their social, educational and/or professional circles.

NOTE: I currently have three main Twitter accounts: @dpolitis (for tracking technology- and Utah-related people and accounts), @PoppaP4SOAR (for tracking people and accounts in the sports, outdoor, athletics and recreation markets), and @DavidPolitis(for tracking journalists, major bloggers and industry analysts).

7.b.   As a backup, consider using text messaging (SMS) as a way of sending messages to students

Probably 99 percent of your students will have a cell phone, virtually everyone of those phones will have text messaging capabilities as well.

If you don’t use Twitter, at a minimum you can use text messaging as a way of near real-time communication with your students for any last minute updates or class/study related changes. (Obviously, text messaging is NOT a form of social media, per se, but it seems to make sense here nonetheless.)

8.     Utilize an online research tool (like SurveyMonkey or Zoomerang) for student research

Did students understand what you taught last period or a certain topic germane to your ? Certainly you can determine this by giving a pop quiz.

BUT . . . you could also conduct a quick online survey just as easily, one made available to all of your students in a given semester, one designed to survey your students on various topics, including their awareness of current events related to the subject matter and/or their comprehension of what is taught in class.

SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang are two inexpensive online services for conducting primary research, both of which are quite easy to use.

9.     Use SurveyMonkey or Zoomerang to conduct tests, quizzes & exams too

Both Zoomerang and SurveyMonkey include the ability to send personalized quizzes, tests and exams to your students. These can then be taken either in class and/or at home.

10.     Create/maintain a Facebook and/or MySpace account

Last but not least, create at least one account on either MySpace or Facebook. Include info about yourself, your field of endeavor and any other information that may be of interest to prospective students, including links to everything mentioned above.

(NOTE: For more professional connections, you also might consider joining either LinkedIn and/or Plaxo; I’m a member of both and membership in both is free.)

I’m convinced that professors, teachers and instructors who begin to utilize some or all of the Web 2.0 strategies, services and tools outlined above into their teaching efforts will see

• greater class participation,
• increased student-teacher interaction,
• improved learning & retention by their students, and
• greater student demand for your classes.

Welcome to the world of Education 2.0.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Special thanks to Erin Spurgeon and Linda Walton for their inspiration for this blog post, whether or not you knew you were getting my noggin thinking in new directions. Erin is the still new Communications Manager at Utah Valley University and Linda is President of The Walton Group and an adjunct professor at UVU.

Want Better Results? Write Better Headlines!

Regardless of the specific industry you work in, everyone is always looking for ways to be more successful and generate better results. For those of us with marketing and/or communications responsibilities, that means getting more people to read, listen to and/or watch our stuff.

Why? Because the more people we can engage with our marketing/communications stuff the more successful we will be and that invariably means MONEY!

So if you really want better results, that means writing better headlines . . . at least that’s what MarketingSherpa says.

MarketingSherpa is one of the leading publishers of information and data on what really works in all areas of marketing and marketing communications. They have hundreds of thousands of subscribers to their free online newsletters, and do a substantial business in selling reports and studies and producing conferences around the U.S.

Last week, MarketingSherpa.com ran a great story in their online newsletter titled “4 Takeaways from MarketingSherpa’s Newsletter Subject-Line Analysis.” (Not necessarily the snappiest headline, but it does follow one of the four rules. See below.)

In summary, MarketingSherpa had their own people go back and analyze every headline for every article they had published in the last year to see if they could identify which articles were the most successful. Naturally, each article topic stands on its own and one topic may be inherently more interesting and/or relevant to more people than the rest.

But by the time they were all done - particularly analyzing click-to-opens (the number of people who clicked on a link to see an entire article) and reviewing clickthroughs (the number of times people clicked on a link within, or connected to, an article) - they came up with Four Takeaways, namely

1. The first two words in any headline are the most critical (such as How To, Top 12, Simple Email, and HTML vs, among others),
2. Use “trigger words” in your headlines (you’ll need to read this one because there isn’t a simple rule to follow, but they did suggest you “dedicate at least a few hours to the subject line“),
3. Avoid hard-sell headlines or headlines that ask for reader action (NOTE: The worst performing 10 headlines for MarketingSherpa last year ALL USED HARD-SELL LANGUAGE OR REQUESTED READER ACTION), and
4. Use “hot brands” in headlines wherever possible and practical (headlines that included company names like Facebook, Google and Wikipedia pulled the best for MarketingSherpa articles).

They also came up with a BONUS TAKEAWAY, which is

• Shorter headlines are ALMOST ALWAYS better (but there are exceptions, and MarketingSherpa provides a few examples).

This article has really inspired me to work smarter, harder and longer (when necessary) when it comes to writing any headline.

I believe that anyone who is focused on following the principles of The Betty Factor will do the same.