As Twitter Shuts down, The Truth Comes Out

By Kathleen Mongero

Just when a recent study by the folks over at LinkedIn and Harris Interactive had branded social media sites such as Twitter an “ineffective marketing tool” based on lack of U.S. consumer interest in the Web site, the blasphemous words caused the gods to part the skies and send a message of wrath from above.  On August 6, the world froze in horror as they failed to log on to favorite social media sites, mainly Twitter, due to a “denial of service attack” caused by hackers.  The alleged Russian-based cyber assaults left the online community baffled as to how they were going to get to the bottom of the Twitter mystery without consulting Twitter, and forced them to resort to prehistoric methods of gathering news and information such as media outlet Web sites, television – and dare I say– the newspaper.

If anyone is in the mood to join the debate about consumer interest in social media, now is the time.  Evidence of the impact that the 5-hour tweetless eternity had on the public is being made clear through news reports, the popular topics hashtag #whentwitterwasdown and the blogosphere with post titles like “The Day The Social Media Stood Still.” If you look closely, the August 6 events actually served as a true revelation of what social media has come to mean to people, and how reality contradicts the current critics.

We know about the networking aspect, being able to connect with more people and getting a glimpse at those we only get to see on TV or read about in magazines.  What is less examined is the fact that these outlets have come to provide us all with another measure of self-worth and importance.  The integration of that personal aspect presented by this new form of two-way transparent communication is the marketing tool – not the social media Web sites themselves.  As we found out this week, people invest hours each day building and maintaining relationships using resources such as Twitter.  As a result, which business do you think is going to build the better relationship with their consumers; organizations like news networks that give its publics 30-second periods of fame each night when they feature local tweets on primetime TV, or the company that only allows you to contact them through their controlled feedback form via their Web site? What’s more, who does not think that direct, honest and timely feedback from consumer interactions is more effective than taking the time to put together surveys with questionable validity and the risk of poor response rates?

Companies have entire departments dedicated to finding the most effective ways to reach their audiences, and even as it is handed to them with a bow on top, some still refuse to accept it.  Most of what we hate about marketing and advertising is the fact that it feels inhuman and impersonal, however, outlets like Twitter and Facebook are revolutionizing the tired salesman act  by allowing organizations to  interact with their consumers through the creation of content and reawaken their motivation.  Instead of looking at a company’s use of social media as a mere marketing attempt, we are all being forced to look at the bigger picture.  Sure, social media betters your brand by participating in conversations online, but it also builds a brand relationship and allows you to get valuable information from and about your consumers – did I mention it was free?

“Changing Of The Guard” Spells New Frontier For Next Generation Of PR Pros

This post has been brewing for quite some time but recent events in the tech world have finally got my fingers moving on the keyboard.  Both social media and open source are red hot topics right now.  Companies embracing the technology of open source code and the community of social networking are on the rise.  The battle lines are being drawn and the old guard (read: Microsoft)  won’t give in easily.

On one side, we have Microsoft, Apple and other companies that see the future of computing as being program-based.  This is the cash cow model.  Create a program people are willing to purchase and provide licenses (did you know you don’t actually own your copy of Windows?).  It is the control of the source code that provides the value but it comes with a host of problems:

1. Time to market- Only employees can work on the code.  This is time consuming and lends itself to a lot of coding problems that cannot be easily fixed.
2. Loss of Control – Pirating of licenses and software is common place.  It costs money and significant manpower trying to police and challenge software being used illegally (this goes for the RIAA as well).
3. Value Issues - If a similar product on the market is free individual users will likely use the free product.  This is a bit different in business because organizations still largely rely on paid software.

On the other side we have open source and social media.  The best new media applications rely on open source code.  A company builds a web-based program or service and releases it out to public (or at the very least an API).  If the idea is good enough, coders from the open source community will identify uses for the web-based application beyond the original intentions of the developer (Twitter is a perfect example). By following this model, companies are more agile, can bring a product or service to the market much quicker and have a true value proposition to present to individuals and businesses.

It should come as no surprise than that companies like Google and Red Hat who are building services (some paid) using open source code are killing it, even in a down economy.  The basic question on the future of computing is web-based apps vs. traditional programs and for my money, I think the web-based apps are going to win.  If the web-based apps win out so do social media and open source.

So what does this have to do with PR?  Well, a lot, actually.  Public relations, at its core, is all about communicating effectively and relationships.  Social media relies on the open source community to be relevant and agile in identifying needs and creating products and services to fill the needs.  In turn, the best social media websites and apps foster collaboration, communication and building relationships.  If you are a student interested in a career in PR, marketing or advertising its worth getting started on a few social networks and it is worth taking a basic HTML class.  A bit of underlying knowledge will go a long way in the high tech future of PR.

In a blatant @chrisbrogan end of post rip-off…  What do you think?

North Hills Fun for All Ages

By Natalie Fioto

In difficult times, communities often come together to support one another.  Well, in this turbulent economy one local shopping center is helping to bridge the neighborhood, connecting people all over the Triangle.  Without spending a dime, you can take the whole family out to North Hills and have a great evening out, as it proves to be more than just a shopping center.  North Hills hosts many events and compiles them on a comprehensive calendar on its Web site, which includes restaurant specials to help us all save a couple bucks.

Every Thursday throughout the summer months, North Hills hosts Midtown Flower Market during the afternoon and the Midtown Beach Music Series in the evening.  Children play on the grass eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, teenagers hang out with friends listening to the music, and adults drink cold beers and shag the night away.

North Hills also hosts competitions throughout the summer.  On June 6, professional shag dancers from up and down the east coast flocked to the North Hills Commons to compete for plaques and prizes.  In addition, North Hills is currently holding the Plein Air art competition, which it plan to hold annually, where competing artists must paint “in the open air” on North Hills property.  The art submissions will culminate in an art festival in August featuring a silent auction of the works.  Proceeds  will benefit the United Arts Council.

Junior Jazzercise, geared toward children ages 2-8, is held two days a week to get kids active and learn the importance of exercise and health.  With North Carolina’s alarmingly high obesity rate, this is likely to be a vital lifelong lesson.  Raleigh residents can support local farmers and enjoy live entertainment through November by attending the Midtown Farmers’ Market and buying fresh organic produce from a variety of vendors.

North Hills, a mixed-use community, should also perform mixed services to the surrounding neighborhoods.  It is the an all-inclusive destination to live, work, shop and socialize because North Hills is focused on building relationships within the Raleigh community.  With enormous amounts of money going into the continued construction of North Hills East, it is important that the community maintains its positive view of North Hills’ contributions to the neighborhood.  Its activities are a great way to reach out to the public and also encourage some spending to stimulate the economy at the same time.