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!
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:
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.
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.
