Our panel proposal can be read in full detail HERE, but to put it simply, our goal is to discuss the implications of three types of relationships: Familial, Professional, and Romantic. This video highlights one of those categories by following the evolution of a romantic relationship, online.

The relationship in this video will not appear unusual and it most certainly does not represent the downfall of interpersonal communication as our title may suggest. However, what is interesting about the evolution of this relationship is how public it is, how engaged both members are online, how social networks affect bonding and separation, and how desensitized we have become as a community to each of these phenomenons:

(If you’re on your iPhone, watch the YouTube version HERE)

If chosen, we hope to bring attention to the dynamic shift occurring in interpersonal relationships. We will discuss research in the field of communication as well as examine what positive and negative repercussions we can expect in the future as technology continues to progress.

We all engage in interpersonal relationships, whether it be with your spouse, your parent, your boss, or your child. Technology will help us do this, but it will also change the rules by which we play. Help us get to SXSWi 2010 and we’ll help you understand these changes and how to use them to your advantage. Thank you to everyone for the continued support and we look forward to seeing you in Austin this March!

UPDATE: We were accepted! If you’re attending SXSW this year, please check out our panel, Friday at 3:30pm in room 12AB at the Austin Convention Center. More info here.

“Is Technology Weakening Interpersonal Relationships?” from Ashley Brown on Vimeo.

We are all aware that celebrities such as Britney Spears, Shaquil O’Neal, and Demi Moore jumped on board the Twitter train. However, until now, they merely co-existed with the remainder of the population.

This week, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), decided to challenge the news network, CNN, to a race to 1 million. Kutcher commented on the state of our media by insisting that he could impact just as many people as an entire network. As with all celebrity brawls, however, there were petty shots. Larry King attacked Kutcher by saying “Do you know how big we are? Do you know what CNN is?!” Nevertheless, Kutcher continued the fight and prevailed early Friday morning around 2:00am. CNN also reached 1 million followers…only a half hour later.

The race itself did not bother me. We should be used to these online cattle drives by now considering the floods of Facebook groups touting “1 million to bring back the old Facebook!” or “1000 and I’ll shave my head!”

In actuality, it was the backlash of this experiment that has disheartened me. After seeing Kutcher’s success, Oprah decided to make a huge statement, and join Twitter. Although Oprah’s actually significance is debateable, her influence within pop culture is undeniable.  In my opinion, her decision to take part in this new media experience will revolutionize Twitter. We may see soccer moms organizing weekly snacks via Twitter, single dads trading healthy recipes via Twitter, or maybe retired grandparents grumbling about last week’s Bingo game via Twitter. Whatever the outcome, us social media enthusiasts will need to make some room on board the nerd ship.

Unfortunately, we are already experiencing growing pains. Some “haters” just launched HereBeforeOprah, a site dedicated to demeaning Twitter users that are likely joining due to Oprah’s popularity. And just in case you are worried that followers doubt your authenticity, you can tweet the result to everyone (hooray for self-importance!)

Yes, Twitter is still not entirely mainstream and yes, the majority of users work in technology. But, that is not its goal. Twitter is not meant to be an elitist society of users that wear FailWhale shirts and have Tweet-ups to talk about how they use Twitter.

If soccer moms want to join Twitter, who cares? The best part about using Twitter is that….hold on, this may be difficult to grasp….you CHOOSE who to follow. It’s not like Facebook where you are bloated with external group requests and follow requests and highligher parties with friends from 6th grade. Twitter allows you to create your own network of followers.

How is communication expected to advance if users feel that only a certain number of people are entitled to its use? I am excited to see the outcome of this revolution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more insight into our constantly evolving communication system.

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

Cullen Wilson is a tech entreprenuer who was born and raised right here in Austin, Texas. He has worked for multiple web development studios and is currently the co-founder of a local web development and design company.

What role do you see Social Media play in business on an everyday basis?

Social media plays a huge role for both small and large businesses and this growth will only continue. From the smallest businesses to freelancers trying to find new partners and clientele to corporate conglomerates attempting to curb their images and appeal to a wider audience or even fix a failing image, social media is paramount to the success of your business. You are either behind in the game or simply losing out on a potential market by not using all of the resources social media provides- especially the free ones!

How does social media affect your business and how do you use it to portray your company and yourself in a positive light?

One of the great things (or in some cases the worst) about social media is that it gives the general public a ground level view of how you operate your business and how you interact with potential customers. For example, anyone who follows my Twitter stream will know intimate details about my day to day duties which you would otherwise never know. This gives a business the opportunity to let a potential client or partner know exactly who they are going to be working with.

Would you say that social media use has changed over recent years, and if so, how?

Definitely. I think it’s become easier to use, much more accepted, and just generally more important in day to day operations. A few years ago the Washington Post did not have “Digg This!” buttons under all of it’s articles and political figures didn’t use Twitter to update supporters on their day to day lives.

How do you see social media being used here in Austin specifically?

Austin is pretty unique in that we are ahead of the crowd when it comes to the use of technology-specifically social media. We have social media companies headquartered here who are developing new tools, a huge community of freelancers and small business owners who use services like Twitter to connect and expand on a daily basis, and of course all of your standard larger companies who would be in any “tech city.”

As a professional in the web development industry, what would you recommend to students that are beginning to use social media tools in both their personal and professional lives?

Pick one tool and master it, then move onto another tool. Far too often I see students and even professionals who have been in their respective industry for years attempt to jump into using social media tools but become overwhelmed because they sign up for every service available to them. The nature of many social media tools requires you to constantly update them and because of this, it can quickly become a full time job just to let others know what you are up to. Many of these tools can also take a while to master, or fully understand, so jumping from using nothing to a full suite can be very daunting unless you have absolutely nothing else to do.

What are your favorite social media tools-both professional and personal?

I use various tools every day to stay connected with friends, peers, and even clients. Many of the websites I have developed, including my own blog, are all run by Wordpress, which is the best platform out there when it comes to hosting a blog or simple site. I’m an avid Twitter user- although when I am swamped with work I make it a point to stay away from it as much as possible (it can suck your time away pretty fast). I also use a few tools that are a bit more unique to my industry but are quickly gaining traction elsewhere like Basecamp for project management and collaboration within a team and your clients. Last but not least are all of the standard social networks like Linkedin, Facebook, etc.