Archive for October, 2008

Peer Perspectives: Part II

By Ashley

Since moving to Austin, I have had the pleasure of meeting many amazingly talented individuals in the technology industry. One such individual is Kristine Gloria, an Account Executive at Waggener Edstrom PR Firm. Kristine has pioneered the use of social media within her company and understands the importance of both developing and maintaining an image of professionalism.

This podcast is a collaboration between myself, Sloan Chouest and Adam Raven. Refer to the Show Notes below for an outline of our interview and links mentioned throughout the podcast:


0:00 Intro

0:35 Describe Waggener Edstrom and your role at the firm?

a. Waggener Edstrom (WagEd) specializes in technology and is incredibly relationship oriented. Specifically, WagEd has a long track record with Microsoft.

b. Kristine Gloria is the liaison with account work and digital strategies.

1:17 How has social media evolved and what is your role?

a. Social media has grown from social networks such as Facebook, to micro blogging on Twitter, and has developed into a tool for both personal and professional purposes.

b. WagEd often uses LinkedIn to do bio searches on their clients and future employees.

c. Kristine’s role has been to implement these tools in the business. She is not an early adopter, but watches the space closely.

2:27 How did you gain an initial awareness of social media and how have you implemented it at Waggener Edstrom?

a. SXSW 2007: Sarah Lacy/Mark Zuckerberg Interview and the importance of Twitter

b. Took this momentum to the office.

i. Began a WE Digital Think Tank

4:06 What forms of social media do you use and how does it benefit you as a P.R. firm?

a. Twitter: “Everyday, every hour”

i. Relationships with reporters

b. Facebook

c. LinkedIn: Bio searching specifically

5:11 Commercial

a. FriendorFollow.com

5:41 What is Waggener Edstrom’s involvement with the blogosphere and how do you approach bloggers with pitches?

a. Active bloggers on external side of WagEd as marketing

b. Use of blogs internally

6:13 What do you think the relationship between bloggers and P.R. firms should be?

a. Understanding the avenue of communication is key

b. Building relationships is essential

c. Bloggers write what they want to write-it’s not personal

6:50 What social media tools do you use on an everyday basis and how have these tools expanded your personal and professional relationships?

a. Keep things professional

b. Social media has helped expand Kristine’s network

i. Helps others understand social media tools

7:41 You mentioned social media as a double-edged sword, can you elaborate on this?

a. Blurs personal and professional life

b. Social Media is extremely self-involved

c. You must be in tune to your own personal brand

i. Austin 3.0

9:12 Where do you see social media going in the future in both public relations and personal lives?

a. Kristine does not see blogging as taking over the journalistic venue

b. The public will begin to understand idea of the “double edged sword.”

9:53 Outro

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This entry was posted on October 31st, 2008 under Internet Technology, Peer Perspectives, Social Media.

How to Influence the Influencers

By Ashley

Many critics argue that if only 10% of the population is creating 90% of online material, what is the value of a company spending its precious time to impact online users? Last week, Rubicon published a study that analyzes the use of social media networks by companies. Specifically, its findings support the need for social media in influencing a market.

“Most companies don’t understand how online communities work, how they make a difference, and how to engage with them. Among the companies that have tried to work with communities online, many have found that the conversation is dominated by extreme enthusiasts rather than average users, and have concluded that online community is a distraction from their real customers.

That turns out to be a very dangerous mistake.”

Rubicon insists that although research shows 80-90% of the material online IS created by only a small minority, this material is extremely influential in initiating and maintaining public opinion. In fact,

“Online comments and reviews posted by the enthusiasts are second only to word of mouth as a purchase driver for all web users.”

Most importantly, however, is the understanding of how online communication should function. Most companies feel that they need to communicate with their audience. And although this is an ideal situation, it is not always the most beneficial. Instead, Rubicon suggests that companies need to view communication in terms of who is listening and who will respond:

“Online discussion is a poor way to communicate with the average customer, because average customers don’t participate. But it is a great way to communicate to them, because average customers watch and listen. Most content and discussion sites should be viewed as performances, in which the site’s organizers interact with a relatively small number of users in order to educate, persuade, or entertain everyone else.”

Other interesting findings include the top three types of sites most visited: “Social networking (such as Facebook and MySpace),  General news sites (such as CNN.com and NYTimes.com), and Online Banking.” More interestingly are “which sites are eventually visited by the largest percent of web users:” “Mapping (MapQuest and others), Retail (Amazon.com and others), and Reference (including Wikipedia).”
Rubicon’s study presents extremely important data pertaining to the use of online communication and social media tools. Specifically for businesses wishing to improve their online presence or even begin an online discussion, knowing how to interact and who to interact with will be essential. Read the entire study here, and decide for yourself.

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This entry was posted on October 26th, 2008 under Social Media.

Blog Action Day 2008: Support Thought. Support Business. Support Humankind

By Ashley

Upon moving to Austin this past spring, I was struck by the amount of entrepreneurs contributing to this city. From tech start ups (too many to name!) to drive through coffee, to cupcakes served from a trailer, Austin is bursting with raw talent and drive. Unfortunately, one of the key elements to a successful business is funding. 

Now, ask any entrepreneur with a great idea and he/she will tell you that the most defeating feeling is to not be able to get an idea out to the public. After all, where is an idea without implementation?

On that note, I recently discovered Kiva, a non-profit that enables individuals to loan a small amount of money to an entrepreneur in need. Over time, the entrepreneur pays this money back to the individual(s) that lent it initially. Unlike my friends and co-workers here in Austin, however, these entrepreneurs are spread across the globe and are working to pull themselves and their families out of poverty. From a seamstress that needs money to fix her sewing machine to a young father in need of money to keep his general store open, the money loaned through Kiva serves an important purpose in lives around the world.

Kiva is not an angel investing service or a bank loan. It is merely a service that supports and facilitates human kindness. Coincidentally, TechCrunch discussed Kiva for Blog Action Day today as well and has formed its own lending team if any readers are interested. 

No innovative individual deserves to be ignored because he/she cannot afford the materials, space, or help necessary. Further, if this innovative thinking will provide a stable income and/or improve one’s means of living, can we not sacrifice $25 to their cause? Support Thought. Support Business. Support Humankind.

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This entry was posted on October 15th, 2008 under Social Media.

TechCrunch Responds to Lawsuit…Yay or Nay?

By Ashley

There is certainly no shortage of professionals responding to the public through social media (ie: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Steve Jobs, etc.). However, I found one of this week’s stories particularly intriguing.

TechCrunch announced this afternoon that it was being sued by Earthcomber, a service that helps you find the local things and places you love. According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, this lawsuit is completely unjustified and may even have resulted from a simple miscommunication between himself and Earthcomber president, Jim Brady.

What caught my attention, however, is how Arrington handled the situation, as well as TechCrunch readers. After reading the title “Earthcomber Sues TechCrunch Out of Spite, Pisses Me Off Personally” one can continue to read and find several other passionate phrases such as “I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on the specifics of the patent claims, other than that they are absurd, since our lawyers have asked me not to,” “I’ve asked our attorneys to spend whatever it takes to kill this lawsuit, and to find a way to counter sue this guy into the stone age,” and finally “I would rather run TechCrunch into the ground and go out of business than let this guy win.”

As a reader of TechCrunch myself, I understand Arrington’s viewpoints and completely agree with his justifications. However, I wonder if this response is a positive use of communication with an audience or a negative one. Although there is a need to address the lawsuit itself, did Arrington cross the line with his anger towards Brady? Or does it simply not matter for a business that has a large number of loyal followers?

By scrolling down to the reader comments, you will find a great deal of support for Arrington’s statements which illustrates the number of like-minded individuals behind TechCrunch. Is this example then void of what we consider acceptable business behavior, or is Arrington correct in his public rant against Earthcomber?

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This entry was posted on October 8th, 2008 under Social Media.