Class 2, COM 540

PR Topics: Social MediaPractices and Analysis

Aug. 29, 2013

‘You Are WhatYou Tweet’

Murthy: Chapter 1

• What is Twitter?• Asynchronous

“conversation” 140 characters at a time.

• One of the largest and most popular social media websites.

Details

• Public-facing (usually)• @ replies and DMs• Retweets• #hashtags• Verified accounts

Why so popular?

• “… ease of use, instant accessibility … and short bursts of seemingly useless chatter.”

• Mobile• “Connection with very low

expectation”

Shape of communication

• Hashtags (#occupy) allow shared conversation

• Broadcast model (popular “channels”)

Distinct from Facebook

• Social media (Twitter): Broadcast-based

• Social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn) foster friend connections through social sharing

Microblogging platform whereby:

• Users have public profile• Messages become

publicly aggregated• Decide which to receive,

but not necessarily who receives their messages

Qualman:Chapters 1-3

• “Socialnomics”: The value created and shared via social media and its efficient influence on outcomes (economic, political, relational)

Today’s landscape

• Some core communication, marketing and business principles will still apply; others will become extinct

Word of Mouth

• From broadcast model to “The Long Tail”

• Positive brand presence: JetBlue

Information flow

• Social media and search engines: social search/social commerce

• News finds us• Shift in traditional news

sources

Preventive behavior

• For individuals• For businesses: Comcast• Responding to customers• Engagement, rather than

simply marketing

‘Anything I can assist you with?’

‘Guys, make it easy for someone to give you $$’

In conversation

• Brands are part of social media discussions

• “Honesty, transparency, listening and reacting” key for brands

Tutorials

• Tumblr• Google+• Hootsuite• Klout

Assignments

• Step-by-step guide• Discussion board posts