Artists in Action: Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke is most famously known for the widespread success of his band Radiohead. Their latest album In Rainbows caused a media frenzy when the band adopted a pay-what-you-like strategy, and Kid A was the #1 album of the decade on both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. But it is not Yorke’s band or music that has spotlighted him in the media lately. It is his social activism and commitment to combating climate change.

Yorke played a central role in The Big Ask Europe, a movement which saw a law passed which requires the UK to cut its emissions by 80% by 2050. Even more, Yorke found a way in to the United National Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. Although this event was not open to the public, Yorke found a way to get inside. "I'm here as a press person," he told a group of journalists with a smirk. "Do you imagine they'd let me in otherwise?"

The Radiohead website is now the host of Yorke’s blog, Dead Air Space, where he shares his opinions on issues ranging from environment and climate change to his favourite playlist of the week. Here is one of Yorke’s excerpts from Copenhagen:

“leaders are still apparently still having heated discussions. where? no-one knows?…….i have had a load of cameras and recorders stuck in my face now and tried to say what and outsider walking in to this madness might think. one who is perhaps concerned about the rise of global temperatures…..…..one who may have even voted in their leader on the basis that they may do the right thing on this issue….. i hope that the fog clears sometime tonight. but that they dont pretend to have an agreement that they do not. i hope this is not over.”


Like many other artists showing their support for Haiti, Radiohead played a benefit show for Haiti in L.A. last month. They played a 24 song set and raised $572, 754 for Oxfam

Most recently, Yorke announced he will play a Green Party benefit gig on Feb. 25 at Cambridge’s Corn Exchange. Yorke doesn’t usually get this heavily involved in politics, but the politician he is supporting is Tony Juniper, who accompanied York to the Copenhagen conference and was the director of Friends of the Earth, the organization that spearheaded the Big Ask campaign.

What sets Yorke a part from his industry peers is that he doesn’t include himself in these activities to ‘look good’ for the media and increase his positive publicity. These are causes he truly believes in. He has a powerful voice people will listen to. He knows what he does and where he goes will be documented by the media, so why not use that attention to spotlight something important? In fact, Radiohead’s In Rainbows distribution strategy created such a cultural, political and economic revolution, Yorke was placed 63 in The Guardian’s Media Top 100 2008 chart.

Yorke’s approach is great PR. More attention is drawn to him, leading to greater exposure and increasing his fanbase for those (very few and secluded) who may never heard of him or his little band Radiohead.

Overall Grade: A

Seeking: Social Media Mentor

There are 85 individuals who have signed on as Humber PR social media mentors including, David Jones, Deborah Weinstein and Bob Pickard. Yet there are still two or three industry professionals who I believe are the best in the industry and align with my interests and career goals.

The Humber College PR certificate program has presented me with numerous challenges. The results have included treating my CP Style Guide as a bible and making me a Twitter-hater turned addict. Although the recent task of finding a professional PR mentor for my social media class has perhaps, been the most noteworthy.

I have particular interest in connecting the with top public relations professionals in the music industry, CSR and social welfare. The selected mentor would only have to contribute 20 to 60 minutes of their time over the course of the semester, and the entire interaction could be done online or over the phone.

I know I will find a mentor who is right for me. I have learned so much from following them on Twitter already and am eager to develop a closer affiliation in the near future!

Leaked Roo Lineup 2010

good. not great.
I'm not wowed.
Good thing I can't go this year.

Roo Clues on the Mind

My profound interest in new music can leave you quite annoyed. Ask any of my friends. It usually goes something like this, “Have you heard this new band ‘x’? Come with me to the show next month!” “Yeah, sure Rob. Whatever.” I have adjusted to these constant rejections, but take comfort that I have found my go-to concert loving friend to accompany me to almost all shows of interest. Thank God for Sam!

Thanks to BonnarooClues, (and Twitter in general) the relentless banter I continue to throw at my friends has only gotten worse in recent weeks. I think it is safe to say I am not alone on this one. The annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee has implemented one of the best PR teaser campaigns in the new digital age. Powered by Twitter, it keeps festival-goers guessing who will make an appearance at the 2010 festival. Their Twitter feed is continuously updated with what they call “BonnarooClues,” giving vague insight into the highly anticipated 2010 lineup, out Feb. 2.

Clues:
Time for you all to step up your clue-cracking game. Today I give you this -- 'The warmest monkey and offspring' -- Stay tuned for more.
My Guess: The Gorillaz

It's Saturday! Time for cartoons. Today's clue: 'Tom And Jerry, without Art.' #bonnarooclues
My Guess: Paul Simon

Lollapalooza also has its own social media campaign. “Be the Lolla Booking Agent! Tell us 5 artists you want on the 2010 lineup. We’ll review 'em & try to work some magic.” Even though I have already submitted my five, it just doesn’t have the same appeal. We know who is touring this summer, and artist schedules are essentially finalized. It leaves behind more of a “how much influence will I really have” feeling.

Conversely, Bonnaroo followers constantly have “The Roo” on their minds, ransacking their brains for who each clue could lead to. By tagging #bonnarooclues, fans can feed off each others thought process and work together to uncover the artist behind each clue. As if we weren’t excited enough, this teaser strategy only heightens our anticipation for the festival. Followers can also share their frustrations or anticipations. The reactions have been a mixed bag:

The long day continues...#bonnarooclues YOURE KILLING ME!!!
sarah_maria

I'm in "clue withdrawal" can't wait to get back-ta guessin' tomorrow. #bonnarooclues

The reaction type doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, talk is talk and BonnarooClues has definitely got people talking.

Here are some photo highlights to give you a glimpse of what all the buzz is about:

Social App Review: UserVoice

How can companies improve their products to meet the changing needs of the consumer market? Customary market research techniques are expensive and the timeliness of the information is a little lack lustre.

Introducing…UserVoice.

Founded by Richard White & Marcus Nelson in 2007, UserVoice acts as a liaison between customers and organizations. By fostering community around your business, it invites collaboration and communicates real-time feedback on customer needs.

Suggestions, Forums & Voting

UserVoice is like a suggestion box. It encourages customers to suggest product improvements, report flaws and give feedback. Customers are allowed a maximum of three votes per suggestion, minimizing the impact of a vocal minority. UserVoice automatically ranks the votes accordingly (similar to digg.com), allowing companies to see how important each idea is to users.

But wait, it gets better…..

UserVoice has a feedback widget to upload to your website (look to your left!). Once opened, it will display the top 3 suggestions. When users click, it takes them to the full company profile on UserVoice where they can view all suggestions posted.

Registration & Profits

All that is needed is an email address and username. But the site is also integrated with facebook, twitter, google, yahoo!, openID and MySpace, making it so easy to sign up! The profits come from the six account options companies can register for with fees ranging from $19-$589/month. I opted for the 15-day free trial.

My Favourite: This is more than just a user-friendly social app. It allows companies to communicate to consumers on how they are taking action to remedy user concerns by updating its status. These include options such as, “planned”, “under review” and “completed.”

Check out this great step-by-step video of Marcus @ Information Week 2009

Investors

This B2B company based out of Santa Cruz, CA recently raised $800,000 from various VCs including Baseline Ventures & Betaworks. Their client base includes Facebook, Tweetdeck & NASA to name a few, and Bob Pearson, former vice-president of communities and conversations at Dell Inc. recently joined their team as an advisor. Needless to say, this company is definitely a gamechanger!

This is one of the most important PR social application tools because it creates mutually beneficial relationships. It empowers users and enables companies to uncover and monitor the most important and specific consumer needs in real-time. This all-in-one social application closes the feedback loop between users and corporations. Any company looking for long-term success needs to sign up for UserVoice NOW!

For some info on UserVoice competition in the market, visit the SalesForce.com site.

Check out Kara's blog for more info on UserVoice and make sure to watch this great video she found!

New Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Skeletons

snakes on the street

New XX Video: VCR

The xx VCR
by le-pere-de-colombe

This is definitely one of my favourite tracks off the XX's self titled debut. Their album dominated my iTunes for a good month or so and I was lucky enough to catch their sold out show with Friendly Fires in December, which can only be described as a melancholic bliss of heavy bass vibrations. I even got a chance to meet Oliver Sim (lead male vocalist) post show. Although he was one of the most mysterious & sleek individuals I have ever laid eyes on, he was so sweet to us. They'll be back in TO in April opening for Hot Chip on the 20th and at the Phoenix on the 4th. Enjoy the new video for "VCR"

if you say Spank Rock i am there

Staygold ft. Spank Rock & Robyn - Backseat Live @ P3 Guld 2010

The performance is a little random considering there are hoochie dancers who really add nothing to the song but it's still legit. Just make sure you stay tuned for 2:08s so you can check out how killer Spank Rock just really is. Oh yeah, and Robyn isn't too bad either. I like her hair and we have the same name.

preview of new Of Montreal album?

...loving the beard Kevin

HOW TO: Get More Followers on Twitter

This wikiHow article provides three easy steps to quickly increase your Twitter following.

The most difficult problem I have faced adapting to Twitter has been that anyone and everyone can follow you – and you know NOTHING about them. That is why I like this article so much. It provides tips on how to gain followers in a targeted niche. My following on Twitter won’t be filled with randoms, but with individuals and organizations with similar interests whom I can network with and learn from.

1. FOLLOW EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS YOU
This will increase your exposure to your target market. Perhaps someone will “@” you if they post something they think will interest you, giving you exposure to

2. FOLLOW MORE PEOPLE YOURSELF
The easiest and fastest way to gain more followers! Most people who you follow will follow you back, and thus, you will gain more followers. Also, there are applications available to help you efficiently add targeted followers. Check out TweetAdder and SocialOomph

Here are some how-to videos to walk you through the steps:

TweetAdder

SocialOomph

3. REGULARLY UNFOLLOW PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T FOLLOWED YOU BACK
This step is more imperative than you may think. Twitter has certain limits on the ratio between people you follow and people following you. When you reach 2,000 people you follow, you will not be able to follow anyone else until you reach 2,000 followers. That is why it is so important to choose who you are going to follow wisely, and quality check your numbers regularly. TweetAdder can help you with this service as well.

Check out my group members posts: Bronwen, Amanda & Jeff. Also, Don't forget to browse through the Master List

Hot Topic: Can You Post Your Tweet & Eat it Too?

Watch out fellow tweeters, the hidden risks of Twitter may be overshadowed by its popularity and user friendly nature. Mark Askin, a veteran producer for Leafs TV and former employee for Hockey Night in Canada may be the latest individual to fall victim to this trend. Like many other major names in Canadian broadcast media, Mr. Askin has a Twitter account. He uses it to dispense his candid opinions on industry related subjects. This includes the recent controversy surrounding Don Cherry’s unprofessional rant to the media. To his dismay, Askin learned the hard way that two wrongs don’t make a right. He faced a media backlash of his own and almost a two game suspension from MLSE for putting the entire company’s reputation in jeopardy.

The Twitter controversy started Dec. 19. Don Cherry refused to apologize for swearing at a journalist and refused to engage in a debate with a neurologist about violence in hockey. Askin took to his Twitter with this:

@ LeafProducer: Amazing eh ! .. Listen to Cherry swear .. Listen to how much he enjoys using that language .. He knew he was being recorded .. He got caught

And later that day saying:

@ LeafProducer: Notice how cherry does not want to talk to the doc .. Nor did he apologize for his F-rant .. Just defended what's convenient .. Chicken shit

I am not indicating that these controversial comments are unfair. The Twitter design is, after all meant for free and open discourse. The problem at hand arises from a PR perspective. Leafs TV and CBC are not only competitors, but partners as well. Askin publicly criticized CBC. This is a major faux-pas known by anyone in the TV industry, and consequently jeopardized the media giants’ relationship. Immediately upon discovering the tweets, MLSE had to carry out damage control by sending their apologies to CBC and Hockey Night in Canada. After further consideration and a personal email from Askin to Hockey Night, MLSE decided against the two game suspension.

The official statement is as follows:

“We talked about it,” Anselmi said. “And I think Chris (Hebb, MLSE’s head of broadcasting) talked to Mark about it, that maybe you should go home and cool off for a couple of days or something. But he’s a valued employee. He screwed up and he knows it, and we’re moving on.”

As a veteran in the industry, Askin should have known better. I am sure this isn’t the first time executives at CBC and MLSE have had conflicts nor is it the first time sports executives have had conflicts with Mr. Cherry.

This is where the risks of social media come in to play. The discourse that Twitter has created often results in frank language and sharp attacks. Especially by those who have become increasingly reliant on Twitter as a venting outlet to relieve inner angst. We cannot blame these individuals, since this feature that has been a catalyst of Twitter’s widespread success. As an educated executive at one of the most well-known companies in Canada, Askin should realize that his actions are a direct reflection on his company. This is just one of many examples that leaves people wondering if Twitter is more dangerous than it leads on to believe. Watch what you Tweet!

Click here for a full Globe & Mail article