Dan Janal of Shorewood, MN, owner of PRLeads, writes: “I subscribe to UseQwitter.com which tells me when people stop following me on Twittter. “I recently became very active on Twitter and many people started following me—more than 400 in a week. However, UseQwitter now tells me that 20 people have stopped following me. “Was this a scam… Read More
Social Media Trends
Let’s meet at Stompernet event March 5-8 in Atlanta
If you’re a member of Stompernet, the world’s largest membership site for Internet marketers, and you’re attending the Stompernet LIVE 7 event March 5-8 in Atlanta—or if you’re attending as a member’s guest—let me know. I’d love to meet you, say hi and maybe even buy you coffee. I’ve cut back drastically on travel because I hate… Read More
Twitter and text-speak are poisoning the English language
Maybe it’s just me, a grumpy former newspaper writing coach. But I fear our love affair with Twitter, text messaging and even those ubiquitous emoticons is poisoning the English language. Mari Smith’s Twitter Lingo Demysified includes a list of the most popular terms that many active Twitterers use in everyday tweets, to help them keep their posts within the 140-character limit. Even if you don’t… Read More
Hungry reporter gets a free gourmet burger, thanks to Twitter
Twenty years ago, when I worked in the newspaper business, if a local company had delivered to my newsroom a free gourmet burger that I could enjoy at lunch, I probably would have turned red from embarrassment, then eaten it, with my fellow newsroom buddies watching. Gourmet burgers, after all, didn’t fall into the “anything… Read More
Social networking tips and success stories
I’m quoted in the July issue of Cleveland Business Connects magazine, explaining why I’m in love with Twitter, the free micro-blogging tool. (“It takes far less time than many other social networking tools and can produce incredibly powerful results.”) Publicity Hound Lynne Meyer, APR, who reads my ezine, The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, asked if… Read More
New social networking site for New Age, spiritual communities
New Age Directories—sort of a MySpace or Facebook of the New Age, spiritual and alternative communities— has just gone live. “Create your own online world and promote yourself, your ideas, your dreams; share your thoughts, expertise and advice; share your healing, love and gratitude; find, seek, look, listen, ask; make friends, business contacts, even romance – anything… Read More
How long before criminals start monitoring Twitter?
Maybe it’s just me. But I fear that one day soon, criminals will discover that Twitter is one of the best places to find empty houses vulnerable to a break-in, or Twitterers who make it easy for them to commit far more serious crimes. I expect to see lots of details in tweets about what… Read More
Journalists using social networking sites to find sources
The 2008 PRWeek/PRNewswire Media Survey reveals some interesting results about the way journalists do their jobs. When they hunt for sources and do research before writing, many of them use three popular social networking sites to save time: LinedIn, MySpace and Facebook. PRWeek surveyed more than 1,200 journalists and bloggers. One out of four say they have a… Read More
Social media ‘Unconference’ off to a fast start
I’m in Chicago, at Ragan Communications’ “Unconference,” the daylong brainstorming session just before the big two-day event, designed to help corporate PR people understand how to use social media. After the first hour, here are some quick notes in Q&A format. Q. What is social media? –Wikis (Editable HTML pages) –Blogs (Posts with commenting) –RSS feeds… Read More
Tech trends podcast: What’s hot in 2007
Technology journalists from top-tier media outlets will predict what’s hot and what’s not in technology for 2007 when they participate in a panel discussion that starts in a few hours in San Jose, California. “Tech Influencers Predict: What’s Hot & What’s Not” is sponsored by the Silicon Valley chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The discussion… Read More