• Live Tweeting: What You Need to Know

    Live Tweeting: What You Need to Know

    If you keep up with the Matter Portland office on social media, you may already be aware that we recently attended TechFestNW, an event showcasing the Pacific Northwest as a digital and cultural hub.  As our office lead on social media, I thought the event offered us a great opportunity to engage with the local tech community as well as share our commentary for both our Instagram and Twitter accounts. While we engaged on both platforms throughout the event, we focused more of our attention on Twitter interaction, which would allow us to post more frequently during the event and provide a broader picture of happenings throughout the week. With the help of my colleagues, Nick, Anna and Lydia, on the ground, we live tweeted the two-day event, from key note speakers and award recognition to the afterhours VR-themed parties.

    In case you’re looking to do something similar for an upcoming event, we thought it would be helpful to share our experience, as well as the key takeaways for making live tweeting a success:

    Preparation is key

    From having ample battery power to identifying fellow attendees before you get there, the more preparation you do before the actual event is important. The day before the show, I sat down with Nick to discuss which topics were most interesting to us and to our audience, and which speakers we knew we were going to want to engage with. After all, TechFest attracts an amazing crowd, from Nicole Perlroth at the New York Times to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden! We also discussed logistics including who would be handling the actual live tweeting, interactions or monitoring responsibilities.

    It’s a team effort

    Our team decided that it would be best to have just one person actively tweeting while at the event, with the support of a monitor back at the office (in our case, yours truly) and supplemental posts from other team members on their own accounts. My job while monitoring was double checking that all the tweets going out were accurate and tagged the correct handle, while also paying attention to other conversations at that event so we could interact appropriately.

    https://twitter.com/anna_reinhard/status/845384723358609409

    Mistakes happen

    With the number of tweets taking place it is inevitable that the wrong handle is used or a spelling mistake gets through. Take any mistakes in stride and utilize it as a moment to interact with followers. During the event, we tagged a journalist in reference to a speaking panel, but as it turned out, he had been switched out in the last moment. Luckily, one of our followers alerted us to the error. We adjusted the tweet, thanked the follower and it led to a great interaction with the correct journalist on that panel, who appreciated us sharing the event.

    https://twitter.com/CmmrBourque/status/845379230561058816

    Keep the content interesting

    Be sure to include photos as well as your own thoughts about the event throughout the day, in addition to pertinent quotes from speakers. Including diverse content, whether it’s pictures of speakers or other attendees, gives a fuller depiction of the event you’re live tweeting, and makes followers feel more connected to the story you’re telling.

    Identify a goal

    Whether you would like live tweeting to lead to more followers, real-time connections at the event, interactions with other attendees, or interactions through calls to action, it’s important to have that goal in mind throughout the event. We specifically wanted to interact with other attendees who we wouldn’t normally have a reason to engage with, and ultimately hoped to increase our followers. So, we targeted our posts with that objective in mind. Not only did it help with knowing what we wanted to tweet during the event, but it also allowed us to categorize our efforts as a success once we reviewed data the next day.

    Now with our first experience securely under our belt, the Portland team will definitely be live-tweeting additional events we attend. Be sure to follow our Twitter as we live-tweet even more! And even though you obviously can’t live tweet on Instagram, we love our followers there, too!

    Cait Buckley

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  • Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – Arthur Ashe

    I am excited to share that the talented professionals here at Matter have reached their objective of dedicating more than 500 hours of volunteer time to worthy entities and initiatives across five offices nationwide.

    Since the start of the year our dynamite staff served meals at homeless shelters in Boston, Boulder and Newburyport, provided books to needy children in Portland, worked with the Ronald McDonald House in Providence, and all offices walked in “awareness events” for a worthy cause. And that’s just the beginning: on a monthly basis our team has been a force of goodwill by delivering on their promise to give back – and having their time as working professionals be even more meaningful. They’ve rolled-up their sleeves and got things done, and I am tremendously proud.

    We launched our Helping Hands initiative at the end of last year, and it has been embraced with gusto by employees who want to collaborate outside of the office in the spirit of making a meaningful impact on the world around them. In most cases, the monthly event in each office has a waiting list of participants from so many generous volunteers eager to participate. I am so grateful for the willingness the staff has shown to sacrifice both professional and personal time to give back to the communities that we care so much about. Please join me, in tipping my hat to this kind and tremendously generous crowd.

    People in need matter. Helping hands matter.

    Scott Signore

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  • 3 Ways to Win at Social Media (like the CIA)

    I’d like to congratulate the U.S. Government. You’re winning at public relations right now. No, really. Two well-known and often maligned government agencies have found respective niches to educate and entertain, helping to project a friendlier image to the masses. There’s a few lessons we can all learn from their social media triumphs.

    Let’s start with the CIA. The agency renowned for keeping tight lips about its intelligence gathering and secret keeping efforts turned the spotlight on itself with a tongue-in-cheek announcement that it would be tweeting news and updates in 140 character bursts.

    The CIA wasn’t afraid to poke fun at itself. It was smart: more than 300,000 people Retweeted their first Tweet.

    A slight twist on the iconic spy catch phrase garnered more than 302,000 retweets and over 188,000 favorites. Now the government agency with secret agents operating incognito around the world has more than 712,000 followers watching its every tweet.

    The TSA has been on Instagram for a little over a year now, but Wired.com recently profiled some of the unusual, and even frightening, items that have been confiscated from travelers. It’s both scary and funny to see what people have attempted to smuggle on airplanes. And yes, these are apparently batarangs someone had in their carry-on:

    From bizarre to extremely serious, the TSA uses a mix to send a message on Instagram that security screenings are working.

    Mixed in the assortment of weapons are photos showing the good work of TSA agents (and their K-9 teams – another smart move because, well, dogs are social media gold) and key messaging about important TSA travel initiatives. The overall point being made to the TSA’s 77,000+ followers is crystal clear: those controversial body scanners and ensuing pat downs are making a difference with regards to safety.

    Here’s my three takeaways for what we can all learn from the newfound social savvy of the CIA and TSA.

    1. Pick a channel that fits your message: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Vine, Snapchap – there seems to be a new social media channel popping up every month, and it can be daunting to try to master each one. Every channel is unique. Instagram, with an exclusive emphasis on photos, is the perfect fit for the TSA to showcase bizarre, confiscated items. (It has a Twitter account too, but with only a quarter of the audience.) Don’t try to conquer every network at once. If you’re just starting out, pick one or two that best suit your needs.
    2. Don’t take yourself too seriously: Mission critical is a cliché tossed around in business all the time, but when it comes to the CIA, its work is truly mission critical to our safety. But that doesn’t stop it from taking an irreverent poke at the pop culture spy vs. spy perception most of us have of its operations. There will be plenty of time to broadcast your company’s core values, key differentiators and repackaged sales collateral. With the need to post up to three times a day depending on the channel, there are also many opportunities to inject personality and pop culture in your brand (within reason, of course.)
    3. Make a commitment: Social media is not one-time deal. Rather, it is a full-time if not 24/7 endeavor. Even though the CIA is already approaching three-quarters of a million followers, not everyone will experience that rapid growth. When it comes to a brand or executive looking to build a following, growth is achieved through a steady stream of content and engagement. If you want to reach an even larger audience, seriously consider tossing a few advertising dollars to support the effort.

    It’s trendy to make jokes about Big Bureaucracy, but in this instance, we should tip our hat to the CIA and the TSA. They’ve provided creative examples of how brands that at first glance have no business being on social media are totally winning at it. (And maybe with this praise, the TSA will let my teams cut to the front of the airport security line the next time we travel to support a client’s trade show efforts or shoot a video.)

    If you want to check out the CIA’s Twitter or the TSA’s Instagram, just click the links. If you enjoy shameless plugs, I’ll plug myself right now with a link to my own Twitter right here. Most importantly, for a great example of the best way to leverage a collection of social media networks, I’d encourage you to check out Matter’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

    OK, we’ll stop asking.

    Do you follow any businesses, organizations or brands that unexpectedly have a sneaky good social media channel? Let us know who it is and why its great in the comments section.

     

     

    Matter

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  • ‘Girls’ Social Media Marketing: Provocative and Almost Seamless

    ‘Girls’ Social Media Marketing: Provocative and Almost Seamless

    HBO’s wildly popular show ‘Girls’ premiered their third season on Sunday night after extensively using social media to promote the new season.  Many brands and television shows have used Facebook and Twitter to reach out to fans and promote themselves, but ‘Girls’ went above and beyond to create a complete social marketing scheme.  Companies take note, because ‘Girls’ is doing it right!

    Here are five ways ‘Girls’ used social media to promote their new season.

    1. Instagram

    Hype for the third season began with the release of a YouTube teaser trailer. The show, based on 20-somethings in New York, tailors their trailer to their target audience by simply showing a series of Instagram photos taken during production. 

    Instagram is a simple way to show behind the scenes aspects of your brand.  The pictures can not only show up in follower’s Instagram feed, but can also be tweeted, posted on Facebook, or even used to produce a video. ‘Girls’ helps to show how Instagram pictures can be leveraged through several different social mediums to reach fans and potential customers.

    2. Snapchat

    The official ‘Girl’s’ twitter account announced the creation of a Snapchat account just over a week before the premiere.  Soon Snapchats were sent out giving clues for the next season while also highlighting favorite parts from previous episodes.

    Brands can use Snapchat to send out a mass picture to their followers to show a more personalized view of the brand.  It also allows fans to tweet screenshots to show how much they are connected to their favorite brand.  As a more recent addition to social media, the first brands to leverage Snapchat will be able to show their true understanding of social media.

    3. Seemless

    Seemless, a food delivery website, sent out a tweet along with an email to their users late Sunday afternoon offering 15% off orders for the ‘Girls’ premiere. The excitement for ordering food during the premiere along with the Golden Globes and the Chargers v. Broncos game actually crashed the website for a portion of the evening.

    A great way for brands to reach new fans is to join up with another relevant company on social media. Pairings like a television show and a food delivery website can help both brands expand their audiences. ‘Girls’ demonstrated how if the pairing is done correctly, the results can be overwhelming. Make sure to learn from Seemless and anticipate the possibility of a large response to avoid any kind of backlash for not being able to handle the joint effort. 

    4. YouTube

    Potential viewers of ‘Girls’ can forgo paying for the HBO subscription because the first two episodes are on YouTube for four weeks, which already have 120,511 and 71,513 views respectively. The release on YouTube will not only help to catch the attention of new viewers, but also will allow current viewers to catch up on the season after its premiere on such a popular Sunday night.    

    Giving away something free to fans can help the popularity of a brand.  If the brand doesn’t have television episodes to give away, YouTube can still be effective medium to detail giveaways in a more interesting type of post that can be repurposed for both twitter and Facebook.

    5. Twitter

    The official HBO ‘Girls’ twitter account is as active as most accounts to publicize a brand. ‘Girls’ uses this account to bring together all of their other social media efforts. Some of the Snapchats sent to fans were tweeted out to followers and a link to the first two episodes on YouTube was also tweeted. 

    Twitter is a great place to connect all of your social media efforts. If you are trying out a new social medium, make sure all your Twitter followers know and can continue to follow you on the newest platform. 

    Social media always changes quickly. While Facebook and Twitter are essential, brands should look into new and interesting ways to reach their target audiences. ‘Girls’ effort to promote their third season shows how a creative social media plan can enhance the excitement among your target audience for a new release or product.  

    Matter

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  • Apathy Interrupted: How Smart Marketing Wins

    Once upon a time, a movie camera was invented. What would follow were silent movies, movies in black and white, movies in color, movies with sound, special effects and eventually even 3D movies. There would be cult classics, box office biggies, busts, rom coms and everything in-between, and there would be public relations efforts for each one. These days there seems to be a new multi-million dollar movie, hitting the box office every weekend. We see articles, reviews, advertisements, and blog posts discussing both the good and bad points to the movie.

    The novelty has worn off. What used to be so special has seemingly become mundane. Today, it seems like movies’ life cycles fly by at the speed of light, hitting the box office, making millions (or not), heading straight for DVD, and becoming quickly forgotten. So how can they stand out, is PR the answer?

    Innovative and creative PR – break the normal consumer experience. Disrupt the pattern. Use different methods than the overused techniques of: online, on TV, on Facebook and all of the places we expect to see them. Do something different, generate awareness in a unique way.

    Recently two movies have done just that. Carrie and The Book Thief have interrupted my world, with their witty and thoughtful integration from the big screen into real life.

     

    Carrie

    If you haven’t seen the viral video check it out here.

    The video brings the movie to life, literally embedding the movie into the lives of those in the vicinity, in this case some seriously bewildered New Yorkers. Interacting with these people not only interrupted their typical consumer experience, but also completely shattered their sense of normality, and gained unique awareness for the movie. Watch the video and note the shocked and confused, startled and freaked out faces of those in the coffee shop. By directly involving those specific New Yorkers, and those watching the video later at home, Carrie was able to directly impact their reality by bringing the plot of the movie to life, and to create an unforgettable experience.

    As is often the case with these types of viral PR, the initial exposure is far amplified by traditional media, and social media sharing. The video has been seen by over 45 million people on Youtube, and the prank has been written about in publications from The LA Times, CBS News, and The Huffington Post, to Express in the UK and more.

     

    The Book Thief

    On Wednesday October 23rd the readers of The New York Times flipped a few pages and stared in disbelief. Blank. Pages. In the middle of section A. What in the world could be going on?

    Picture Courtesy of BuzzFeed

    The answer: The Book Thief.

    By leaving two pages of The New York Times blank, but including a URL for the movie’s website, The Book Thief interrupted the typical consumer experience. Not only did they use a non-typical channel for raising movie awareness, but they also did it in an innovative way that sparked curiosity, conversation, and created an experience. This is especially brilliant public relations because of the movie’s premise. The Book Thief is based on Markus Zusak’s novel of the same name, which follows a girl in Nazi Germany stealing books to share with others because of their scarcity. These two blank pages in The New York Times allowed the readers to experience the world inside The Book Thief.

    The blank pages immediately generated conversation. It was instantaneously discussed on BuzzFeed, Deadline New York, The Huffington Post, Business Insider and more. The Book Thief was a hot topic on Twitter, with readers of The New York Times, and those who had just heard about it, discussing what they thought about the blank pages.

    Imagine a world without books, imagine The New York Times without words – can’t do it? Then you didn’t read Wednesday’s paper. But I bet you have heard about it.

     

    Takeaway

    What can other brands learn from these examples? Doing something unusual is a great way to jumpstart coverage and awareness while giving you the opportunity to make your brand unique. Use innovative and creative PR to break the normal consumer experience.

    Here are five steps to help you find that perfect PR innovation

    1. Brainstorm – list ideas that do not follow your industry norms
    2. Use a different channel – think of where consumers see your brand, now put it somewhere different
    3. Create a unique experience for your brand – an experience that involves people immediately and that can be experienced by others after the fact
    4. Stay relevant – make sure that the experience you are creating is meaningfully connected to the brand
    5. Craft materials that are easily sharable – and that people will want to share. Ask yourself – Would I share this?

    Matter

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  • A Lesson AT&T Will “Never Forget”

    A Lesson AT&T Will “Never Forget”

    We have all heard it time and time again: From the moment you send a tweet or post to Facebook, your words are forever on display for the entire world to see – even if you press delete.

    Talk about pressure! Social media marketers and public relations professionals are well aware of the embarrassment the simplest typo could cause a brand. You don’t have to remind us that larger blunders have the potential to destroy reputations and lose business. Yet, mistakes happen every day.

    The latest winner of the epic social media fail award goes to… AT&T!

    While the rest of the country honored September 11 with somber ceremonies and emotional tributes on its 12th anniversary earlier this month, the telecom giant took to their social media channels with a Photoshopped version of the annual Tribute in Light display, as seen through the camera of one of their smartphones, with the caption “Never Forget”.

    The image has since been taken down – but not before it accrued more than 300 retweets, 400 shares on Facebook and countless jeers shaming the company.

    AT&T took note of the loud criticism and quickly issued an apology, stating that “the image was solely meant to pay respect to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy.”

    But this adver-memorial still infuriated the social media masses, who accused AT&T of a “tasteless,” “tacky” and “disgusting” marketing gimmick. Some referred to the incident as product placement and others even claimed that they would never shop with AT&T again.

    Regardless of their true intentions, AT&T was instantaneously caught in the middle of a 140-character controversy, while plenty of other brands – from American Express to Waffle House – managed to commemorate 9/11 without the backlash.

    The difference? AT&T’s branded tweet focused too much on their product instead of the remembrance, which came off as insensitive, offensive and self-serving. And we all know that the way our message is perceived is just as important as the message itself.

    Matter

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  • Pitch Please!

    Pitch Please!

    The art of the pitch – it can be delicate and precise like threading a needle, to something much more direct and forceful, like demolishing a wall with a sledge hammer. Regardless of your style, if you are going to get into PR, you should enjoy breaking down the walls and building relationships with the media. As PR Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion does not exist to me) would put it, pitch please!

    I am by no means a vet, but as the months and years roll on it seems as though I am seeing increasing hesitancy from younger PR pros to hit send, or even, dare I say it, pick up the phone. I don’t want to be too sweeping here or condemning, there are definitely those younger folks who are hungry for media interaction, and also ready for it – kudos to you!

    Disclaimer aside, for those considering joining the PR ranks or those just getting started, the pitch is where it’s at. In my experience, there is not much in the course of an average day that is more rewarding or exciting then breaking through to a top tier publication or journalist, and getting them to see things your / your client’s way. It is like a dance of give and take, and whether or not it seems like it at the time, as the PR pro you are always leading.

    I like to think that I have a pretty good track record with the media, and while I don’t believe in a set equation for landing a story, there are definitely some pitch tactics that I have come to love and those I have grown to hate. Homework is perhaps the most important. Get to know the journalist, reference a recent article, and maybe even check them out on social media. Who knows what you may have in common that could serve as an ice breaker. It sounds corny and maybe even creepy, but see where they are geographically – what’s been big in the news there recently, maybe sports or weather – all it takes is one reply or one answered phone and your door is open.

    Once you have done your homework, you can and must be confident when you pitch – confidence is paramount. Insecurity rings out over the phone, it bleeds from your words in an email and it diminishes your credibility, making you harder to listen to. A journalist or editor from, oh say Bloomberg for example, will sniff out an ill-informed, insecure PR pro in an instant, and shut them down just as quickly. This can be very unpleasant – but it is important not to be shaken, to learn from it and move on to the next target.

    It is also very important to always remember that journalists are people – TALK TO THEM LIKE PEOPLE. Though they hold the keys to something you want, you are both just people who go home at the end of the day and do the same things that all people do. It is important to both give respect, but also earn and demand it back. All this said, conversation can’t and shouldn’t always be about shop, niceties like – “have a good weekend!” or “I hope you have been well since we last spoke!” – go surprisingly far.

    As Bill Gates so eloquently put it back in 1996, “content is king.” While many debate this stance in a world filled with more and more screens, and constantly increasing stimuli, I still think the sentiment rings true for a PR pitch. With that said, leave the marketing speak at the door! How do you expect to cut through an inbox with hundreds of other pitches when you sound like a pre-programmed Teddy Ruxpin spewing marketing rhetoric? Don’t copy and paste from that white paper or case study because it is easy and you need to send out 25 pitches today, just don’t do it – they’ll know – and your pitch will join many others just like it in the trash. Focus on your subject line; it is your first line of attack and often your only chance of getting through. Up-level your story and make it instantly interesting and attention grabbing; do this in seven words or less and you will cut through the noise, more often than not.

    Finally, “no” or “not now” are not always as cut and dry as they may seem. If you feel that you have a story that is just too good of a fit to simply let die at the hands of an editor who might not have even read or listened to your whole pitch, then don’t be afraid to push back. Do so very carefully and at your own risk, but often it is safe to say, “I appreciate your feedback, what about this angle,” or, “are you sure that you considered this piece of the story, it just really seems like a good fit.” It is scary and a bit risky, but believe me sometimes a well-informed argument works, and you come out the other side with a great story and a new level of respect from the journalist. At the very least you will not likely be forgotten anytime soon.

    These are just some little tips and tricks that I have learned over the course of thousands of pitches, hundreds of pieces of secured coverage and quite a few denials – you can take them or leave them. Perhaps what is most important it to develop your own set of guidelines, keep track of what works and what doesn’t, and build your repertoire of best pitching practices. Tips and tactics aside, you have to be in it to win it, so pitch please!

    Ryan Lilly

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  • Reacting in Real Time: Social Media and the Boston Marathon Bombings

    Anyone who has turned on a television, radio, or computer in the last few weeks is painfully aware of the tragedy that occurred at this year’s Boston Marathon. Those of us who spend significant amounts of our days trolling the web, checking social media, and are rarely found without a screen in our face, have been inundated with news stories since the minute the attack happened…on live television. The fact that millions of people were already tuned in to watch the attack take place certainly fueled the near instantaneous surge of social media buzz. People ran to their computers and smartphones to update their Facebook statuses and tweet their thoughts and prayers. The pervasive trends in sentiment were shock, fear and sadness.

    As the afternoon hours seemed to crawl by, especially for residents of the Boston area, people remained glued to their TVs, computers and mobile devices, watching anxiously for updates. Would there be another attack? Are there any immediate leads on who was responsible? What was the extent of the damage? All of these questions continued to hang in the Boston air, unanswered, as the city was forced to resume a sort of automated return to normalcy the following day. Citizens of Boston gingerly went about their everyday lives until the chaos erupted once more early Friday morning. Essentially the entire city of Boston was on lock-down for more than 12 hours. Thankfully, the crisis was resolved that same evening, and the healing process could begin. Throughout the 5 days representing the core of the Boston Marathon mayhem, social media was continuously ablaze. Now that the drama surrounding the incident has simmered down, I want to take a brief look back at the effect social media had on the situation while we were in the midst of it all.

    The Boston Marathon incident was the first of its kind, in relation to media. The world is connected like never before, with countless outlets and sources of news information spewing off tweets, posts and blogs almost nonstop. Social media was ever-present starting the moment the first bomb exploded, but did this presence create positive or negative influence? The sentiment of the online world is a mixed bag, but the answer is both.

    Social media allows for near instantaneous reactions to events to be communicated to millions of people. In the case of the Boston Marathon, several institutions utilized Twitter to reach as many people as they could as fast as possible with critical information. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Association issued a tweet telling people trying to reach friends or family in Boston to text instead of calling, as many were experiencing blocks on incoming and outgoing calls, and texting used less bandwidth. Tufts Medical Center and the Red Cross coordinated emergency response efforts via Twitter, directing where patients in need of care should enter the hospital, and providing locations where those uninjured could donate blood.

    Social media also provided a sense of security. People could stay on top of breaking news without sitting immobile in front of their television screens. If anything new happened or an important update needed to be shared, the general public could be notified right away by checking social media outlets such as the Boston Police Department twitter handle. On Thursday, April 18th, when the F.B.I. released photos of the two suspects, the information was instantly in the hands of millions as the government implored the public for its help in the identification process. In seconds, the suspects’ faces were recognizable across the country. Their own social media footprints were easily traced, providing additional support in tracking them down. Lastly, social media did play a significant role in bringing in donations. Constant updates, posts and picture sharing made the attack very “in your face”— pushing people to respond to their emotions and give support to the cause.

    Now here’s a good transition to the negative effects. The fact that viral photos of the injured and deceased made people feel bad and want to contribute to the relief fund isn’t anyone’s fault. However, when companies used the tragedy to take advantage of people’s emotions and boost their own social media numbers, they cross a line in my book. For example, NBC Bay Area posted a picture of a child recovering in the hospital, asking people to “Like” the photo and wish him a speedy recovery. That is literally guilt-tripping people into clicking a button and increasing activity on NBC’s Facebook page, and does nothing to actually help the poor kid recover. Ford issued its heartfelt appreciation to the law enforcement involved, but incorporated this thank you into an advertisement. It would have appeared far more sincere to post it as a stand-alone thank you. This is certainly an example of less outright manipulation, but is still ethically debatable. 

    The other large issue was the spread of misinformation that occurred across social media channels. We already know how news spreads like wildfire on social media, but unfortunately there is no way to prevent this spread when the information is wrong. Before the suspects were officially identified, the New York Post issued a cover page falsely stating that the F.B.I. was looking for the two innocent individuals in the photo. The New York Post was not the only media outlet that failed the general public. CNN falsely reported on Wednesday, April 17th that authorities had arrested a Boston Marathon bombing suspect. The release of this news prompted AP and Fox to follow suit, convincing huge numbers of people that a bomber had indeed been taken into custody. Of course, the situation was hastily rectified, but the damage of this erroneous report was hard for the people of Boston to take, and is thought to have contributed to several other incidents that day including a bomb threat and subsequent evacuation at the South Boston Court House.

    Retrospectively, social media was responsible for more good than harm, but the situation has still left a lot of people, including myself, more skeptical of news they see on social media platforms. The matter at hand isn’t whether or not you should use social media for news, because in our day and age you really have no choice, and it has the capability to do so much good. The issue comes down to how you use it, and ensuring you are careful and smart when it comes to the information you read. Before spreading news on your own pages, make sure you confirm the story with multiple platforms, and remember that while social media is an incredible tool that keeps our world connected, the age-old saying of “don’t believe everything you read” may still apply. Perhaps we can even mold it into a new, age-appropriate saying: Think before you re-tweet. 

    Matter

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  • Seeing Red on Boston’s Red Line: Social Media PR Combats Proposition 8

     

     

    I rode the Red Line into our Boston office yesterday morning and was greeted as usual with the glow of smart phones in the hands of commuters. The difference this time was the repeated flicker of red squares skimming past on people’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds. I pulled out my own phone to check up on the club I hadn’t been invited to.

     As a strong supporter of equal marriage, it turns out I was already in the club – I just hadn’t donned the badge to reflect it on social media.

    Though I already have an idea where most of my friends stand on the issue regardless of their profile picture, seeing the flood of new defaults served as an in-your-face, all-day reminder about this critical “moment in time” concerning Proposition 8. Though the repetition of red may have caused you to get a bit dizzy by day’s end, the display is something that I deem great PR for the cause of equal marriage.

    What commanded more attention on your news feed – the red badges or the standard profile pictures?

    Was your feed dramatically red-heavy in general? Mine was. To me, that seems to shout that the mindset of my social network was largely in favor of equal marriage.

    Who got more media attention today from TIME, ABC, MSNBC, Mashable (etc., etc.)? Surely it was the people who chose to change their pictures over those who did not, illustrating for all that there’s a hellavalot of people supporting same-sex marriage in this country, be it grounded in generational opinion or a changing mindset overall.

    The Human Rights Campaign got some great PR today. Their creative take on the organization’s usual logo had much of the country seeing red, turning the attention of supporters and non-supporters alike to an important issue in this country’s history. It also landed the organization in the headlines of major, respected news harbingers across the nation – not because of the controversy they stirred up, but for the positive response they received by millions.

     

     

     

    Matter

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  • An Infographic on Infographics?

    What’s trending on Twitter? In addition to the #SAGAwards and #GetHappy at the moment, infographic posts are another hot commodity on this social platform. In fact, posts linking to infographics outweigh the number of traditional posts by nearly tenfold. The increasing popularity of infographics coupled with the rise of social media have contributed to these visual representations going viral, fueling the need for instantaneous results. Whether you’re enhancing your social media, technology or health story, infographics are here to visually enhance your message (and so is Studio-C).

    Okay – so they’re popular on social media, but how successful are infographics? Let’s turn to—yes—an infographic on infographics courtesy of Mashable, which breaks this down to a science, and offers insight on infographics in recent history:

     

    Are you burned out on infographics? Are you a fan? What’s the best one you’ve seen recently?

    Matter

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