Social media is a dynamic process that involves consistent participation. Let us then consider what the point of the Internet and social media really is:  a venue for communication & transactions. Why is that special? Because it’s instantaneous. It’s a chat, a tweet, a blog, a link. Every element of web 2.0 is driving communication as quickly as it occurs face-to-face, and oddly is becoming just that. Changing how we as individuals communicate means that as PR professionals, we must change our tools of communication as well.

As PR professionals, we thrive on understanding the viewpoints of our audiences. Social media is becoming the most relevant source to finding this information. Web 2.0 is providing opportunities to engage, market, respond and interact with consumers. This means that as professionals, we will need to be on our game – learn about new tools and engage in those communities, create relationships with real people and with the virtual communities, and ultimately, BE ONLINE. Why? To listen, interact, respond. Audiences are utilizing the Internet to go viral or to simply get their voice heard. If we choose not to be online or engaged, we will fall behind.

The point is: professionally, we need social media and will become a part of it.

Jamie Zawinksi is the name behind Mozilla. His hope with the development of Mozilla derived from an unfortunate Netscape. JWZ wanted to create a browser/a code that would speak to its audience, asking “outsiders” to participate. Whether successful or not, his hope mirrors that of Wiki: developing projects that require and thrive off the input of outsiders. This was a change in authority – anyone was asked to contribute, and for free!

This is the theory behind social media. The audience creates and develops the messages and meanings.  The best projects thrive from participation: ie. Twitter, Wikipedia, Youtube.  Online communication and participation develop into physical, material projects and ideas. The Internet is developing new sources for knowledge, participation and thus, changing what impact individuals have with others and organizations.

Consider Doritos’ X-13D challenge. Social media is being utilized to increase engagement, participation and input to develop better products that entice audiences and more. Social media is the new media but it only works if online users are willing to contribute and participate. When it is free, people mobilize.

The point here: inviting outsiders in powers projects and ideas, especially when free.

The power of an online brand

Beyond his Mozilla project, JWZ has created an online brand for himself. No longer apart of Netscape or Mozilla, JWZ is known for his attitude and knowledge in the online sphere. A simple Google search results in pages of JWZ blogs and blips. His online participation has developed his brand. Reflecting on our personal brands, incorporating interests, knowledge and past experiences help to develop who you are online. As the world becomes more virtual, who you are online is equally as important as who you are in real life. An online brand positions you and creates a vault of information about you/your opinion.  Although we may resist, online presence takes you further, 24/7/365. If we aren’t ready to do it ourselves, we can just contract others to do it.  A brand can develop you and drive you beyond your career ala JWZ, Perez Hilton or Ashton Kutcher.

The point here: get an online brand or watch yourself become average.

A medium is “any extension of ourselves” – the medium of language extends our thoughts from within our mind out to others. There are 4 elements, McLuhan’s tetrad – Enhance, Obsolescence, Retrieval and Reversal. The way we generate messages is constantly changing and each element is utilized, and questioned. Is the medium really as important as the message?

Enhance:  Social media is the revolution of communication – turning snail mail to email to twitter. Social media challenges us to move beyond traditional forms of communication to a network of ever-changing media and messages.
Obsolescence: Social media identifies what was traditional and creating an online format to suit our new online lifestyles – and thus the creation of all the web 2.0 applications that are meant to enhance our traditional lives and give us options to share. It is not so much that the traditional becomes obsolete, but that web 2.0 provides innovation and thus is intriguing to those who catch on. Some do not, but most are online in some way, shape or form and as PR professionals, it is about being ahead of the game (proactive, not reactive). This is where we find ourselves online.
Retrieval: Sharing. Social media allows us to collaborate globally. As PR professionals, this allows us have access to ideas and people we would never have had through traditional communication. We must, however, always ensure the message suits the audience. If the medium were to change tomorrow, the message must remain consistent and at the core of the discussion. The medium is not as important as the message. The medium can affect how the message is interpreted; however, if the message is clear through whichever medium (and augmented to suit whichever medium), it should remain the same. It is the role of PR to ensure the message can persevere through the medium, and with social media, to recognize when and if the message should match the medium (ie. A news release through facebook? Not so much).

Reversal: When is social media too much? In my opinion, we need to adapt. Social media reflects a change in communication across the world and if we do not adapt, we’ll be left behind. Instead, we should take advantage of this while it exists. Social media gives us new options for developing brands and messages – the sky’s the limit with technology.

“…Making the site a useful form of real-time human documentation and a revolutionary bully-pulpit for everyman. This free, collaborative and populist approach to information collection and dissemination threatens the traditional, editorial and hierarchical structure that pre-existed it. No longer do the victors write the history books, we do: you, me, and everyone else. The Internet has empowered the masses to connect, unite and now, thanks to Wikipedia, to build our history: one unfiltered and, in theory, unbiased worldwide encyclopedia for us, written by us.” Although I would argue that this is an unbiased source, I think that it is important that every participant has the opportunity to be apart of history. Traditional history has reflected biases and eliminated the voices of those whom need to speak – ie. Women, cultures. The moral behind a dynamic form is that the opportunity exists on the same level for all participants – if they have access to it. Access being another issue in itself.

In an online forum, authority may not matter. The nature of such a dynamic forum is that experts arise from the “average person” – it is not so much that one person or few people are experts, but that we can all become experts or be recognized as such. I think the point is that authority becomes nullified and becomes a shared responsibility. Regardless, knowledge grows with more perspective and opinion – wiki’s provide the opportunity for a global collaboration which means our knowledge base is only going to grow and give us the opportunity to learn in ways that we were never possible before. Though, taken with a grain of salt, it is our responsibility to be the gatekeepers for ourselves and decide what is authentic and what is not. This is made even more relevant by Colbert.

The point here: if you have access to the Internet, you can affect history and leave your mark. In absorbing the info provided: user beware, consume at your own risk.

PR 2.0 is a concept driven by the new methods of communication. Combining the Internet with PR provide new means of access and encourage collaboration with influencers and audiences – and thus creating a conversation prism.  Everyone is involved as participants or listeners. PR 2.0 challenges the existing understanding of PR and allow PR professionals to become influencers themselves, rather than facilitators.  Social media opens the lines of communication so PR professionals can communicate WITH audiences and provide them the information they are looking for based on feedback, blogs, tweets etc.
PR 2.0 also reflects the change in human lifestyle, recognizing that the online world offers everything and more. The Internet has become apart of our human lifestyle – socialnomics. Because audiences are online, PR professionals need to be proactive rather than reactive. If PR professionals choose not to get involved, they’ll fall behind as online communication grows and more people log on for reasons x,y,z.

The point here: the online audiences are growing bigger every second and PR professionals need to recognize this change and need to be apart of it.

Are you one of the 80% of youth (aka 72 million of MTV’s 90 million viewers) that want to get involved, but doesn’t know how? Well, Viacom-owned MTV has found the answer. MTV developed a network of celebrities, big name philanthropic organizations and young people looking to change the world, one link at a time – welcome Think MTV. Created on September 20, 2007, Think MTV is the result of  ”Just Cause“, a year-long study that explored socially conscious teenaged minds. Not only did youth want to get involved, but they knew what they wanted –  an online forum, self-expression through blogs and photos, education about social issues and a chance to connect with other like-minded kids. MTV partnered with top philanthropic foundations: Case Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goldhirsch Foundation and MCJ Aemlior Foundation. This collaboration gives Think MTV the credentials to succeed in the social change arena. These foundations act as advisors and help direct traffic of smaller not-for-profits to the site.

This isn’t the first time MTV has entered the social issue realm – MTV has a history of socially-changing campaigns such as Rock the Vote. MTV is taking its interest a step further by provoking dialogue through a social network.

Motivating change with celebrities and giveaways

MTV is the helm of coolness and Think MTV makes participation cool and rewarding. “Get Rewarded” is a key incentive to be apart of the network. For every socially conscious effort, members get rewarded with “action badges” that can be redeemed for top-notch prizes. For registering to vote, you could be seeing Kanye West at the VMAs! If that doesn’t motivate you to do good things, I don’t know what will. So far, it’s working. For all the other thousand kids that won’t win tickets or dance parties (or other equally glitsy prizes), there is still the chance to be Think-MTV-friends with celebs. Members can add celebs and organizations to their “think tank,” aka friends list. What’s a social media app without friends? Though I might be out of luck as this site is only open to my southern friends, the Americans. Because of the nature of MTV’s viewership, the site hosts opportunities for young people to get involved but also gathers the traffic of volunteers and educators. I’ve learned that I can befriend Adam from MTV’s The Paper. He’s a featured member. Featured members, like featured videos on Youtube, stream through the top of every page. When you do well, you become featured. Becoming a featured member also encourages the possibility of being on MTV, the channel.

Design: only for the social media-savvy

Moving on, I hate clutter and wow, talk about a cluttered interface. Flashing headlines, featured members, tags, videos, blogs, ratings! Think MTV is really trying to throw everything at youth – I understand “Get Educated” is one of the five pillars of the site, but c’mon! Throwing every possible medium at a user is too much. As a first-time visitor, I didn’t know where to start and quite frankly, I was turned off. How can I make change if I don’t even know how to edit my profile?

Messy interface is information overload.

The layout of this site looks like a mash-up of Facebook, Youtube, MySpace and every other social networking site used by youth today. You have to be a social media expert to really navigate your way here, and that’s the point. The users of this site are expected to blog, post videos, chat (etc.) about their interest in social issues. This social media expertise is what drives the site. Furthermore, it amplifies the impact of youth and creates a collective voice to help combat various issues. Extensive multimedia give youth a variety of options to educate themselves and respond.

Affecting change through online education and community

Social issues options galore!

Ok, now onto the “Take Action.” The website’s frame contains the various social issues a kid might want to explore. This includes everything from discrimination to poverty to eco-friendliness. Simply by clicking, you are led to more links and features about the issue of your choice. So far, it’s all about education and “meeting” people that have similar interests. To learn about how to physically get involved, clicking “Take Action” unravels the volunteer opportunities and actions, such as signing petitions. This feature basically leads kids to other organizations’ websites for details. If sticking to online friends is what you’re after, a refined member search allows you to seek out the activists in your area, or the celebs or the organizations. This site could be the next great networking tool, a Linked In for the socially conscious 18 yr old.

In other words…

50 Cent or social change? Why not both?

In my honest opinion, the site seems to be gaining attention and after two years, it has survived and mustered the ability to give away attractive incentives like $500,000 scholarships. A great pat-on-the-back for MTV. It seems like MTV asked the right questions of their audience and produced what they wanted. For MTV to expand its agenda beyond reality TV and Carson Daly is a very strategic move, not to mention gains brownie points for potentially generating insight and compassion in America’s youth. Think MTV also helps gravitate and boost MTV’s online presence. MTV.com receives 38 million hits – let’s assume that 1% of that population checks out Think MTV, that equates to 380,000 hits. Not too shabby.

If there is anything that will bring this site down, it is the ugly and unmanageable design. Though maybe this says something about MTV’s priorities: they want to get the job done. I guess that’s another point for them… although they could try looking at sites that share the same motive but are easier on the eyes.

Overall, I’d give MTV 5 stars for objective, 1 star for design… Ok, 3 stars for design. Though the site is ugly, it has all the features of popular social media sites and it gives American kids plenty of options to show off their social issue expertise. I’d also throw in 4 stars for ingenuity. Using celebrities to motivate youth to get involved is an added touch of charm and throwing in chances to meet them? Well, I’m sold. 50 Cent here I come!

I once had my tarot cards read and the last card said that the world would be my oyster. With the abilities of the Internet, the world is everybody’s oyster. The Internet is providing opportunities I never knew existed – from ordering Swiss Chalet online to watching reruns of Hell’s Kitchen – but there is always the fear that our generation will get sucked into a world of bandwidth and URLs. Well, getting sucked in wasn’t a concern when the uh-oh of ICQ was allowing us to chat with multiple friends simultaneously and our offline popularity was affected by how many hundreds of friends we had on Facebook. The online community is bringing more meaning to our lives – at least that is true for a soon-to-be Batman.

An unnamed user on Facebook is offering to name his son “Batman” if he receives 500,000 friends on Facebook (let’s call this campaign, Baby Batman). At this point, he is only 2354 friends away from the … goal? Unfortunately (or fortunately), the campaign is just a gimmick for KZ-Entertainment, an entertainment website from Dewsbury, England. Despite the ploy, wouldn’t you want to see what happens when the fan base reaches the desired 500,000? It’s too bad that the result may just be spam emails about celebrity sightings.

KZ-Entertainment is onto something. Why not use an already successful social media tool to captivate your audience? Throw something unexpected into the mix and see what happens.

The web is a network of networks.

It is the “web” after all - an interconnected mesh of audiences and interests where finding your audience is easier than ever before, and if the audience doesn’t exist, create it! Baby Batman has brought together half a million people since created in July 2009. Talk about exposure. Mashable highlights five ideas for social media marketers to utilize and Baby Batman touches most of them: themes, advertising in new spaces, being extreme and twitter. Despite Baby Batman being a gimmick used by an entertainment website, gimmicks have proven to work — ie. Blair Witch Project. At the end of the day, you want hits on your URL and utilizing the creativity of the Internet and its users are the best way to get that. Let us focus on Mashable’s notion of using an extreme: the goal is really to get people talking.

For any organization, hype is a good thing but as individuals on the Internet, what are we trying to obtain by being online? Are we really just looking to connect and network with friends, or is there more? A fellow blogger highlights that just connecting with friends is already changing (and no, I do not want to be your mama or auntie). The basic concept of the Internet is changing the way we live our daily lives and reflects the changing society we have ahead of us. Despite how long some will resist the urge to plug in, the Internet is creating a whole new medium for students and professionals alike to showcase their insights and ability. An online brand becomes a virtual curriculum vitae. Having said that, we should all be thinking twice about what we have released into the web in the past and starting to think about what we should be including in the future. Let us consider what we want people to be saying about us and what image we are portraying to those who will may only use the Internet to dissect us. The bigger question is how are we going to get our names out there? What tactics should we use? Baby Batman may have utilized a high-profile gimmick but I am not about to do the same… yet. Are you?

Okay – so now I need to start thinking about how I am to utilize this blog to sell me and my distinct set of abilities, beyond creating writing and everyday mumblings . This is where the pressure sets in – what am I going to say and who will listen? The toughest part is really taking into consideration who will listen. I’ve created my theme: a budding student in PR at Humber College . That was the easy part. To say the least, at least I’ve started to understand the basics of blogging and the opportunities that lie within social media. Now, I just need to find my place, choose my bull and grab it by the horns. Maybe that’ll come in week two of PR boot camp.

I understand that all organizations and especially media have the opportunity to voice their opinions and on the radio, much of the joy is from being able to discuss hot topics or add a little humour – sure, what is a morning radio show without humour? It makes me wonder how these DJs can continue their show without ever being penalized for their inappropriate and insensitive banter or if there has ever been a discussion about sensitivity in their workplace. For a radio show that is broadcast throughout the GTA, I would wonder how long it would take for them to retract their statements and add, even just a slice, of maturity.

Looking at the media where communication can often be a one-way stream, there need to be measures to ensure that the message that the sender conveys is appropriate and will invite the audience to continue their participation rather than to be turned off. Obviously, I was turned off. This reminds me as to why I wanted to be apart of the PR world – I wanted to be able to start adding another element to what communication means and for whatever organizations I would be apart of to realize that language is powerful and in order to grow, one has to learn about the diversity of the audience.