ChapStick, how rude…

November 29, 2011

I remember reading about and seeing this ad last month when it first came out. I read the news stories, read the blogs and just thought, “Wow; that was really stupid.”

But then the other day, I was running at the gym reading my Us Weekly, and BAM, there it was. I actually hadn’t seen the ad in person but it brought back all the same emotions I felt when I saw the ad online. “Where do lost ChapSticks go?” Well…your ad is definitely hinting where! I know it’s not too big of a deal, but I’d like to talk to the head of marketing for ChapStick and ask “What were you thinking!” Of course, there would be backlash.

I wasn’t even aware that the ad was the first strike, but then ChapStick was deleting comments on its Facebook page from fans about the ad, which of course caused further outrage (and for good reason!). Strike two. Wow…let’s hope they don’t make the same mistake again. Yikes…

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Posted by Jackie

BranchOut – the next LinkedIn?

January 10, 2011

Did you know…. 80% of new jobs come through direct networking?

Now, you can use Facebook to see who your most connected friends are.

Just when you thought Facebook would stop changing for like two seconds, Zuckerberg comes out with something new. I think we all saw this coming — LinkedIn on Facebook, or as Facebook calls it, BranchOut. 

BranchOut is a new application on Facebook that helps you expand your career network. But this network can include everyone you possibly know on Facebook; everyone. Just like LinkedIn, on BranchOut you can search for jobs and connect with your friends (who also have the BranchOut app). You can send messages, upload your resume, and even endorse others. 

According to the BranchOut folks, “every time a Facebook friend joins BranchOut, you see where they used to work, where they work now, and where their friends work.”  This may sound great, but to be honest, I’m not sure if I want everyone and their mother’s nephew’s cousin knowing my career business. I would rather have the ‘say’ on who views my profile and who doesn’t. Yes, this may limit my networking span, but when I’m ready to search for a job, then I will be more open.

Though I am a part of the BranchOut community, I think I will leave my professional networking to LinkedIn where there is a more secure profile and I get to decide who views my profile and who does not.  Don’t get me wrong, I applaud Facebook for trying to do, well…everything. But, there is a place for fun and a place for business. LinkedIn is all business.  

What do you think?

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Posted by Jackie

Social Media Lingo, part II

October 19, 2010

Continuing off last week’s blog, here are more social media terms to help young PR professionals communicate effectively about social media.

  • Search Engine Marketing (SEM) — A form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages. According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization, paid placement, advertising and paid inclusion.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — The process of improving the volume and quality of traffic driven to a website from key word searches on Google and other search engines.
  • Social Bookmarking — A method for Internet users to store, search, organize and share Web pages with others. Delicious, Digg and StumbleUpon are examples of social bookmarking sites.
  • Social Networking Sites — Large sites that host multiple communities comprised of people with profiles who have similar interests. These sites offer a place where people engage with one another online and share content. Example communities include:
    • Facebook — An online community for people to connect or reconnect with others. Enables people to share videos, pictures and information about themselves.
    • LinkedIn — A professional online community used to network with fellow professionals.
    • MySpace — A site where people can meet others with similar interests, creating online communities by sharing videos, photos and personal information.
  • Tag — A keyword or term associated and assigned to an item of content (i.e. blog post, video, photo, etc.). Usually added to an item of content to enhance search engine optimization and make it easier to organize and find. (Tags for my blog can be found beneath each post).
  • Twitter — A micro-blogging community where posts, also called Tweets, are 140 characters or less.
  • YouTube — An online site for uploading and discussing videos. Videos can also be embedded from YouTube onto other social media

Sources: ConverStations, The Buzz Bin and Wikispaces

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Posted by Jackie

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