What’s Your Web View?

By Suzanne McGee, Internship Program Director(@mcgeepr)

Before the explosion of social media, your potential employer had several ways to learn about you: the interview, resume and work references. It was a relatively simple way to get information about your past performance to determine how you would fit in the new environment.

But, with the advent of MySpace and Facebook, along with blogs and Twitter, most college students have another reference: the online world. What does yours look like? Have you Googled yourself? What do you see? What happens if a potential employer pokes around?

FAST COMPANY’s Kit Eaton takes a look at a new CareerBuilder survey. Take a moment to read through her piece, “If You're Applying for a Job, Censor Your Facebook Page.” The survey finds that 45% of potential employers are checking social networks to see if they can learn more about you. What will they see?

Now is the time to make sure you are using your privacy settings to keep your private life private. All of these networks offer ways to control access to photos, walls, status updates, etc. Use them to ensure that your image is one you want to present to employers.

When in Recession, Create a Personalized Media Community

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Apparently, the Marines agree with the title of my blog post from last week. They truly believe there is much more to life than Twitter. The Marines have eliminated social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, from their network, describing the outlets as a safety hazard.

Mark Walsh, the author of the MediaPost.com article You've Gone Too Far, Twitter, questions the Marines’ decision by asking, “If the Marines are training future leaders, what better place to find followers than Twitter?” I second Walsh’s notion. Almost every time I watch TV or go see a movie, I come across a commercial promoting the many benefits of joining the Army, Navy or Marines. A social media outlet like Twitter, equipped with continuous updates, could be the perfect interactive place for a person to learn more after viewing the commercial.

On the completely opposite side of the spectrum (they are not even in the same spectrum) is Lane Bryant, a plus size women’s clothing store. Lane Bryant has been feeling the struggle of the economic times like everyone else and wants to find a better way to get closer to their customers and maybe (if they are really lucky) even boost sales. In an attempt to do so, Lane Bryant recently created a social media Web site entitled “Inside Curve.”

“The company, already active on both Facebook and Twitter, says the new site will allow for more interaction, with members able to access “up-to-the-minute insight on style, trends and behind-the-scenes features,” describes Sarah Mahoney in her article Lane Bryant Launches Plus-Sized Social Community.

Lane Bryant is not only accepting the social media phenomenon, but using it to better their company. They hope to not only promote sales of their clothing, but that “Inside Curve” will serve as a place to inform customers about promotions and sales and bring on new customers. Mark Walsh’s article explains that even the Department of Defense, “embraces social media as a recruiting and outreach tool.” Clearly the Marines could learn a thing or two from the Department of Defense and Lane Bryant.

I say: when in recession (unfortunately not Rome), take advantage of established social media outlets or make a Web site of your own! The possibilities are endless.

There's More To Life Than Twitter

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Every time I browse the latest PR-related blog posts and articles, the one reoccurring theme throughout almost all of them is social media. After reading some, it seems that having a smart phone in hand and being Twitter savvy is all you need to succeed in PR. However, I did find a blog post, which of course spoke about traditional vs. social media, but also touched upon a subject that many PR pros seem to forget. It is not only about keeping up with the latest technologies, media outlets and trends, but holding on to strategies and values that were around in, dare I say it?, the old world of media.

Rohit Bhargava explains in his blog, Influential Marketing Blog, that one of the oldest and most important PR strategies is how a PR executive interacts with journalists and other members of the media. He makes it clear that just like print media, social media requires an interaction between a PR person and a journalist, editor, blogger, tweeter or whatever it may be. In Rohit’s blog post What All PR People Should Know About Journalists, he explains this interaction from a journalist’s perspective. He describes what journalists are really saying about PR and pitching.

The first and most blunt being: “Your BS is obvious.” The next and harsh reality is “Timing trumps all.” I have experienced the importance of timing first hand when contacting the media for story placement. Social media outlets help to almost eliminate this timing issue that, at times, seems to be a toss up. Most members of the media have Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (many have all three), which allows for information about proper pitch timing.

With the help of the Fusion team and my own personal research, I am now able to understand and at times already know about the topics being discussed in blog posts and articles written by esteemed PR and marketing pros.

And you thought this day would never come

By Meghan O'Hara, Internship Program Coordinator (@meghan_ohara)

A report was recently released in which Matthew Robson, a 15-year-old Morgan Stanley intern, provides insight on the teenage consumption of media. This report garnered a great deal of attention, being described as "one of the clearest and most thought provoking insights," generating more feedback than the team's usual reports.

But while the media loved it, the report also received less than flattering feedback. Some readers didn't see what was so groundbreaking about the thoughts of a 15-year-old. Others thought that the only reason it created a frenzy was because it had the Morgan Stanley logo all over it. No matter, it definitely caused quite a stir.

So what can you, as an intern, learn from Robson?

While you may be 'just an intern,' you do have a lot to offer your employer. Why else would you have been hired? Robson caught the attention of many senior executives by describing his friends' online behavior. While his document also received backlash, people paid attention to what he had to say.

As a college student, chances are, you spend a great deal of your time on social media sites. Does your manager have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile? Perhaps you could discuss the benefits in creating one. Find the areas in which you excel and demonstrate that to your employer. You bring a new perspective to the table. Do not be afraid to speak up and share your knowledge. Gone are the days where no one listens to the youth. We are now living in an era where a 15-year-old's thoughts are front page news.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – But It Will Probably Be on Twitter

By Sylvia Ogilvie, Intern (@sylviaillini)

As I come to the halfway point of my internship at Fusion PR, I can’t believe how fast the time is going. I feel like it was yesterday that I came in here, feeling over-dressed and under-prepared, and now I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of things. As I continue to work on the familiar award and trade show lists, as well as phone calls and emails to publications, I’m also beginning to learn how to do new things. I’ve been introduced to concepts that I either didn’t understand before, or didn’t understand the importance of before. For example, recently I’ve been working on a social media blogs list, which identifies the top industry blogs that we should be reading and keeping track of.

Through doing this, I’ve learned about how important things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook can be when my previous impression was that it had been mainly used for casual social networking through updates. These applications are changing what we see as necessary media outlets – not only can we get the news from the newspaper or TV, we can get it from reporters blogging about new technology or reviewing a new product. The way we think of news and information is quickly evolving, and there’s no better place to be than working in a PR firm that works in the fast-paced world of technology and social media, both which are constantly evolving.

For example, the recent wave of celebrity deaths in the past week has sent shockwaves throughout the Twitter and Facebook community. As opposed to learning about these tragedies through traditional news outlets, the majority of the population found out through tweets and Facebook status updates. In fact, news of Michael Jackson’s death was such a hot topic that it almost took down several major online news outlets due to the surge of Internet users trying to get updates on the incident.

Additionally, the broadcasting of the death of Iranian citizen Neda Soltan took Twitter and YouTube by storm- showing full clips of the young woman’s death uploaded from a cell phone. Traditional outlets such as CNN and NBC showed a shorter, censored version of the clip. In this case especially, we are seeing the power that Twitter and other online social networking services can have on the dissemination of the news.

That's Hot

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Prior to interning at Fusion Public Relations, I had severely underestimated the importance and ever growing phenomenon, Twitter. I still do not have an account (sorry Justin), but plan to make one soon. My previous refusal to join the Twitter community stemmed from my belief that it was essentially the same as other social media outlets, and equipped with fewer applications than Facebook and MySpace. I also thought that those who were obsessed with Twitter simply used it to “follow” celebrities. In the past, those fans that would “follow” their celebrity idols were considered stalkers.

However, as I have recently learned, Twitter can certainly go beyond celebrity cyber-stalking. I have read many articles and blogs that describe Twitter to be extremely useful and beneficial to people with a wide array of occupations, but particularly those in the public relations and marketing fields. One blog post in particular, found on The Bad Pitch Blog, sums up the top four reasons why Twitter can improve PR pitches. It describes that Twitter can enhance a pitch’s brevity and value, help to include more links, and it is an effective place to pitch because it is always on. Twitter has a 140 characters count and therefore does not allow the pitch to be long at all, which forces a straight to the point and high value pitch.

Kevin, the author of the Top 4 Ways Twitter Can Improve Your Pitches, sums up his blog with, “Twitter won't cure disease. It's a handy utility. But it can also help improve your pitches. And that's hot.” “That’s hot,” Paris Hilton’s go-to phrase, can successfully describe Twitter ability to keep friends, family, and even celebrities in touch while connecting PR executives with members of the media.

How Safe Is It?

By Kemba Francis, Intern

Last week, I read in New York Magazine an article titled “Do You Own Facebook? Or Does Facebook Own You?” by Vanessa Grigoriadis. The title immediately caught my interest, as I am fairly a new user of social media.

The article started out with the change in Facebook’s Terms of Service. Originally, once your account was closed with Facebook, they automatically forfeit their rights to any material you posted while your account was open. Facebook’s new Terms of Service now gave them the right to do anything they wanted with the information you posted on Facebook, even after your account was closed. Am I the only one that thinks so, or does this become an ethical issue? What are the real objectives behind Facebook? The way we know Facebook is as a social networking site where people can connect with others in an informal matter.

With other social networking sites available to endless of users, it is really important to send a message to its users giving them that sense of security and privacy they look for. As cliché as it sounds, “monkey see, monkey do,” it’s not always the best to follow in the others footsteps.