What is this new Pinterest thing?

Hello everyone,

In the past few months the newest type of social media has emerged called Pinterest. Pinterest is the newest type of blogging that incorporates the sharing of pictures, videos, quotes and so much more. One creates a pin board and will post their pictures to this board based on the category. The catch is for one to join Pinterest they must be invited by either a member who is on Pinterest or go on a waiting list to join.

In the last few months Pinterest is becoming one of the most visited sites on the web passing up Google+. The site is most popular with women between the ages of 25-44. Generally speaking the site would hold a liking to anyone due to the wide range of "pins" or pictures available to look at.

In the recent few weeks it is now being noted that many businesses are being involved in Pinterest to get their products out there in the world. Stores such as Crate & Barrel, Express and Nordstrom have all been noted for joining this new type of social networking.

Personally, I've become one of the new addicted people of Pinterest. I'm on it daily and get caught up in procrastinating homework with pinning my life away. I definitely recommend it to others because of the wonderful ideas available on Pinterest for crafts, home decor, wedding, travel ideas and so much more.

Check it out!

Have a great day!

Becky*

Blogging Connected to Public Relations

Hello eveyone,

This past week I did a presentation on the importance of blogging used in the public relations world today. Heres what I found involving blogging.

Blogging is a form of social media that has been around since the 1990s. Although blogging has changed very much from the beginning it has so far to go.  In the definition blogging is used as a marketing technique to reach stakeholders, specific target markets and in addition to understand what their customers want within a company. Blogging is a combination of PR, SEO, marketing, writing, journalism, product marketing, customer service and many more disciplines. Through this the messages are brought to the rights peoples attention.

Blogging is used for many different reasons in the world today as I mentioned before. There are always different cites coming about with different ways of showcasing information in order to reach their target audience. The main goal is to get messages out to the publics and in return get feedback on their thoughts. The publics messages back to a company or organization maybe positive or negative but it will help a company understand if what they’re doing is right or not.

Blogging matters in our world today because of the extra outreach it has on customers, stakeholders and the target market. The main reason that blogging is effective is because it holds a conversation between many organization and their customers. Blogs don’t have a professional manner to stating new possibilities within a company or speaking of the changes happening. The posts generally have a casual tone, which in turns allows the customers, and readers feel as though they can speak their mind back to the organization.

The main reason that blogging is still very popular despite new technology coming about is because it is every changing and growing. Most blogging sites are free to use and you just design whatever you would like your blog to look like with a format. The impact it has on many people to design their own blog to fit their personality are just others ways that they are able to express themselves. New designs and new websites are always coming out and attracting businesses to be involved in.

The top blog websites that are available are WordPress,Tumblr, Blogger, Pinterest, SquareSpace and Posterous. Pinterest is the newest of the blogs and is designed around the topics of board sharing and people sharing ideas with others. Just recently businesses have started using Pinterest to post there clothing for example to draw in more customers. This is just another great example of how blogs are ever changing and creating great customer awareness.

I believe that blogging will stay around for a very long time. As I mentioned about technology is ever changing but so are blogs and the way that they are formatted. Public Relations professionals are going to use blogs as a tactic and tool to reach their publics as long as they are willing to listen and learn more.

Have a great day!

Becky*

Tablets Helping or Hurting Public Relations?

A staggering new finding reported that 23% of all Americans currently own a tablet or e-reading device. Now more than ever Americans are subscribing to newspapers, magazines and many websites. Applications connected to the tablets or e-readers are also drawing in record numbers and causing websites to spend more time in creating a better application than others. According to PR 2.0 Trend: 10 Ways Tablets Will Impact PR people aren't just reading on these devices but watching videos, researching and looking for new ways of media. The article also listed 10 ways that public relation professionals can make sure they're doing a great job in keeping up to date with technology. 

1. Produce more video content.

2. Make better use of visual materials.

3. Socialize your new releases.

4. Curate more content.

5. Write crisp, concise content

6.Re-purpose content. Offer a choice of formats.

7. Design for mobile applications.

8. Create two-way channels.

9. Recognize the shift in consumption patterns.

10. Measure your digital ROI.

These simple ways of making a website look more appealing and different from others via tablet. The key is making your site unique yet easy to access. Having to many colors, graphics and fonts can have people stay away from the site/application due to be overwhelmed. 

Tablets are causing a new trend not only in technology but in the public and media relations worlds too. To read more on the article visit: The PR Coach

Importance of Blogs

I've recently read over an article explaining why public relations professionals should blog regularly. Although like most public relations students I'm told how to blog this article struck me and made me realize why I should write on my blog regularly. Here are the top ten reasons that E-Strategy Blog has listed.

1. The Process
2. Developing Technical Experience
3. Analytics
4. Search Engine Optimization
5. Key Research
6. Online Behavior
7. Empathy
8. Appreciation
9. Knowing What You Think
10. Thought Leadership

These are some generalized statements about the importance but the two reasons that stuck out to me most were key research and online behavior. Stressed to us in school almost daily is the importance of research before discussing a topic or presenting a topic. Without researching a blog post and knowing how to look up research many public relations and communication students wouldn't have much of a future. Online behavior is also very important to me because knowing upcoming trends and new topics online will help you create a better blog in addition to having more people read your blog. I would recommend to everyone to read The Impotance of Blogging: 10 Reasons PR People Should Blog .

Have a great day!
Becky*