Disqus - Latest Comments for Vedo

Re: My friends (and followers) aren’t for sale!

Vedo — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:43:40 -0000

Nicole - I'm with you. I can't stand those twitter spamming/gaming programs that sell a fake network. (I also wrote about this a bit ago: http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/07/...) I came across "a presumably popular downloadable software that claim that you'll 'be able to time-warp past years of network building to become a Twitter Elite in a matter of days?'

I really hated seeing that line in their promo page.

To me the line should be corrected to read: It's ok to be a jerk-face with no real marketing or networking skills because I'll just game the system to make it look like I know what I'm doing."

For me, it's still true to this day. Thanks for taking up the charge against these fake network-builders.

Re: The Cost of Bad Publicity

Vedo — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:09:38 -0000

I watched the video a couple of weeks ago and thought basically the same thing, that United was going to take a hit with this one. And I think in general it is a great example of the potential for damage and worth noting for companies to help understand reputation management.

However, I've recently spoken with people (outside the social web) about the United breaks guitars video and they didn't know what I was talking about. Granted, this was a small sample of people, but I'd say a pretty good cross-section. (One group was the jury I sat with for a couple of days last week)

I say all this to point out that you are right in your assessment that bad publicity has a cost. But I do think there is a limit to that cost based on reach. Just a thought.

Re: Online Community Unconference - free pass!

Vedo — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:42:31 -0000

Hey cool. Count me in Jake.

Re: drew olanoff dot com. - Ok, that's it. The next time I hear the word "User"...

Vedo — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:10:48 -0000

This takes me back to my days in the service industry as bartender and waiter - the best restaurants/bars that I've had the pleasure of working in or being in treated people as "guests" instead of a herd of cattle. My guess is that people who disagree with the elimination of "user" never worked in the service industry (or if they did, they were not very successful).

Re: Smells like social media

Vedo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:47:39 -0000

In my opinion this is a positive I.D. of early social media in act. Consumers/users/customers/community members/etc. weighing in on something that is important to them using a format (phone call) that is open.

Re: What The Social Media Group-Livingston Split Doesn’t Mean

Vedo — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:07:55 -0000

Jason,

I think what this shows us is that there still are business models to be developed and integrated in social media consulting and delivery. This is nothing more than a blip on the radar for these two strong organizations. It is quite encouraging for small start-ups to see the potential for larger conversations is possible if not probable. The SMG/Livingston consolidation was exciting at first, but then it just seemed like it could be one in a number of future SM business deals as early adopters become entrenched and late adopters keep learning and help spread the conversation.

Re: Must-Read Books for the Social Media Marketing Newcomer

Vedo — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:15:02 -0000

I read Now is Gone and in the middle of Groundwell. Both excellent choices. New Influencers and Naked Conversations are already on order.

The one thing practitioners need to remember is, we need to be involved and experiment with the various social media technologies, tools, and theories before giving advise on them to clients and/or companies. Knowing your craft is different from knowing of your craft.

Thanks for post.

Re: What Were Your First Steps

Vedo — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:11:12 -0000

...first steps into social media? Had a vague understanding, then heard a presentation by Geoff Livingston on integrating social media into communications plans. Read his book (Now Is Gone) and have been totally geek-ing out on SM ever since

...early people you admired and followed? Geoff Livingston, Kami Huyse, Lauren Vargas, Brian Solis, Giovanni Gallucci, and others

...get started? Started with social networking sites MySpace then graduated to Facebook. I put some ideas to work in my first blog. Presented a Social Media for school districts for some fellow school PR professionals

...advice? jump in, the water's fine

...next few months with social media? I've been asked to give a Social Media for Newbies presentation for Fort Worth PRSA. Things are looking good so far. I am excited to see where this goes.

Re: 50 Steps to Establishing a Consistent Social Media Practice

Vedo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:52:29 -0000

I agree with Cameron on the listening tools point. In many cases you can use these as an early warning device for issues that would otherwise blind-side you and/or your organization.

I noticed the majority of these steps relate to blogging (or at least they seem to me to be related to it.) I think this makes a lot of sense because blogging is such a good entry point into using social media tools. Plus, if done effectvely, can show the human-side of businesses/organizations. I think that people trust people not companies. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Workflow- Social Media School Teacher

Vedo — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:49:12 -0000

Chris - you paint a very hopeful and progressive future for education. For parents I recommend reading Marc Prensky's "DON'T BOTHER ME, MOM -- I'M LEARNING" : How Computer and Video Games Are Preparing Your Kids For Twenty-first Century Success -- and How You Can Help!

In it Prensky refers to the youth as digital natives and the older generations as digital immigrants which is a very telling way to express the differences in comfort-levels with technology.

I work in education (Communication/PR) and would love to see SM integration in and beyond the classroom.

Great conversation starter as always.

Re: Marketing Consideration for Social Media Types

Vedo — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:49:47 -0000

Chris, I would only add to your list the following: Be prepared to share first (at no cost) some initial ideas as a way to educate target audience. Not everyone gets SM (yet.) We still need the basics available for various industries.

Re: Dad, the Cleaner…(part 1) - Diaper Confusion

Vedo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:14:34 -0000

Just make sure you don't make the mistake and assume 7-10 lbs. for example means that's the diapers maximum capacity - huge mistake!

Re: The Three P's of PR

Vedo — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:06:40 -0000

I like your thoughts here. I would add a couple more words to the post brought to you by the letter "P" - Personality and passion.

Personality is that by which your organization/company can become authentic in the eyes of your stakeholders.

Passion can go along with your thoughts on promotion.

btw, I look forward to seeing where you take this new blog.

@vedo

Re: Social Media isn't a band-aid for Communication Value

Vedo — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:11:17 -0000

Thank you for the reminder for human communication being augmented with (not replaced by) social media. BTW, I would *love* a hovercraft!

Re: Words Every PR Pro Should Know (Well, According to LAF)

Vedo — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:40:48 -0000

Interesting concept for a post Lauren. I would include the word Deadline - Journos have them and and Comm/PR folks need to understand, accept, and adapt to them.

Personally, i don't want any of my media friends picturing "me sitting in front of them in a cute dress and smiling." but that's just me.

Thanks for sharing.

@vedo

Re: LAF Loves Bacon (And Why You Should Too)

Vedo — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:58:48 -0000

As a public school district employee, I can speak on how difficult it is to have to weigh so many competing options in order to make tough decisions that impact district communities. You are right, knowledge and education are key.

And, BTW - According to U.S. government agencies and a Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) fact sheet, swine flu cannot be transmitted through food, including pork. Customers can be assured that they will not contract swine flu by eating pork products.

There is no evidence of swine flu being transmitted through food, including pork (raw or cooked), raw vegetables, juice or other foods.

Not a pig problem, it's a human hygiene issue.

Re: The LAF version of #followfriday

Vedo — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:21:31 -0000

Wow, Lauren. I am honored to be included in your list. I'll be checking out your recommendations as well. BTW, this is a good way to share the Follow Friday love.

Re: Don't Feed The Journalists

Vedo — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:47:15 -0000

To echo Sheema, David, Mary, and the other commenters who get that this was satire meant to give a few solid media relationship lessons I will say thanks to Chris for writing and thanks to Lauren for sharing.

And it's worth repeating Stuart's point, "It’s important to have a sense of humor about these matters…especially since we all tend to take ourselves far to seriously."

Re: Public Relations: The Decision is (Ultimately) Yours

Vedo — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:07 -0000

I think much of it comes down to work ethic. Those professionals with the strongest work ethics will be the ones who take the extra time to work on their craft, learn how to use new tools, and ultimately are better prepared for the "what's next" that inevitably comes to us all.

Re: PR: Not the final puzzle piece in Social Media

Vedo — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:19:37 -0000

Lauren, you bring up interesting points here. I agree that the PR professional shouldn't be the default/fall back point person. However, I do think that if a PR professional is going to be of value to their organization, she/he will already be a "conversationalist" well versed in many effective communication tools (including social media tools) and thus campaign responsibility and oversight will fall on their shoulders. My $.02

Re: Men in PR: What's the Big Deal?

Vedo — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:18:05 -0000

As a male in public relations I can honestly say I have never been ashamed about my chosen career. I would hope professionals in our field would fiercely protective of the craft, but sadly that is not always the case.

You bring up some interesting points to ponder here in light of what seems to have been such a grotesque and infantile display at the conference.

- @vedo

Re: Me, Me, Me! The Effect of Personal Branding

Vedo — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:06:09 -0000

Thanks for sharing another insightful and thought-provoking post Lauren.

@ jaykeith - I get what you are saying in general terms, however I think there is a difference between being friends and being friendly in the Social Web. I am connected to and enjoy conversing with friends using social media tools. These tools have also provided the conduit to find and converse with new people.

If a content creator comes up with interesting posts/case studies/pictures/etc. that are relevant and useful, there is nothing wrong with heaping an appropriate amount of praise for their work. Ultimately, this gets (keeps) conversations going.

Being friendly to me means wanting to take part in the conversation, either by participating or broadcasting links to get to it. Hopefully, these things are done so in a thoughtful manner rather than just being friends calling each of awesome. My $.02

-@vedo

Re: PR pros: Overwhelmed by social media? Stop complaining and start taking action.

Vedo — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:53:17 -0000

Arik, I think it can be frustrating to see communicators who at this point have (for whatever reason) chosen not to participate in the social web. You are correct in your assessment that the barriers to entry for many SM tools are small. In fact, at this point, they are small in comparison to the larger barriers to communication being built around audiences if you are not participating.

- @vedo

Re: The How (Not) Guide to PR

Vedo — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:07:53 -0000

I agree with Stuart on essentially needing the ability for adaptation and change. PR people have to understand and prepare for sudden changes whether it's media-related, something screwy at an event, crisis response, or industry-specific changes that have an impact on day-to-day operations. Our ability to counsel and explain hinges on our research and information-gathering prowess. Great post Lauren.

@vedo

Re: Kick-BEEP Start to the Summer for T.G.I. Friday's – Good PR Move?

Vedo — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:44:35 -0000

I actually don't think it is *that* bold of a move nor do I think their brand will take a hit a few reasons:

* It's summer time and one could argue a more relaxed, easy-going feel is nothing new;

* I don't think the general population (read: their restaurant-going target audience) has this on their radar so they likely wouldn't be offended; and

* It stands to reason that it would take a media outlet making an it an issue or calling it into question on a professional level.

Just some thoughts. Yet another good question, Lauren.

Re: Are PR Pros Entitled to an Opinion?

Vedo — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:15:39 -0000

This is an interesting topic. I work for a public school district (government agency) and there are many times when my views have to be kept internalized. This is especially true when dealing with questions, explanations, etc. on decisions/ramifications from higher authorities (national, state, agency, municipal, and local board) have for the organization and our operations. I have to remember to keep my big mouth shut and not interject my very opinionated/argumentative thoughts into conversations in my spokesperson role.

Actually, for me (and other school PR people) having an opinion around your friends within the district community could end up being an issue.

Re: The Difference Between PR and Publicity

Vedo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:05:13 -0000

It remains to be seen if this does anything for or against public relations as a profession. I'll be honest and say it wasn't even on my radar until you pointed it out. The subject of this celebreality show certainly will not speak for me and my chosen career. I suspect it will be similar to what was discussed during Sex and the City's run, where Kim Cattrell's character portrayed a PR professional who seemed to primarily focus attention on the special events aspect of the field. (Yes, I watched that show w/ my wife, so I know a little too much about it.)

Maybe we'll come to a point where there will be enough sitcoms, "reality" shows, feature films, etc. that people might get a glimpse in to the many aspects of public relations as a discipline. Maybe we'll get to a point where PR can break free in the public's eye as being something more than media relations. Maybe.

Thanks for starting the discussion even if I probably won't watch an episode.

-@vedo

Re: There's More to a Millennial than Updating Your Profile

Vedo — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:17:51 -0000

Lauren and Kasey - Thank you for writing a respectful response to the original post. I think you brought up three very important points to discuss that judging by most of the comments here and in the Twittersphere were important to address.

Samra - I really appreciated your earlier comment: "I think what we all should do...is understand that professionals, regardless of their age or experience in the field, bring unique talents and expertise to every job, and that should be considered in hiring and giving out work assignments."

Arthur - I think some of your emotions and desire to stick up for your fellow co-workers at PRSA national might have clouded the issue just a bit. At least that's how I took your second comment here.

I am a Greater Ft. Worth Chapter of PRSA Board member serving alongside Lauren Fernandez. In my opinion, as PRSA members we have a responsibility to foster dialogue and learning that ultimately advances our chosen profession. Posts like this that question and continue the conversation are what help us hone our skills.

@vedo

Re: Three Signs You’re a PR Pro

Vedo — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:38:06 -0000

Another sign you are a PR pro is that you critique the news instead of always taking it at face-value. You know there is usually more to a story than what is presented, especially if it's bad news. Interesting discussion as always, Lauren.

@vedo