Social media = Social change

Human rights history was made in Saudi Arabia this week when King Abdullah announced his intention to grant Saudi women the right to vote and run in municipal elections. The change can be partially attributed to a very powerful social media campaign launched this summer, which caught the media’s attention. In May, a Saudi woman by the name of Manal al-Sharif posted a YouTube video of herself defying a widespread custom in Saudi Arabia - she was driving.

There is no formal law that bans women from driving. It is a cultural norm within the country that women rely on male relatives or chauffeurs for their transportation needs. Manal al-Sharif insists this law must be changed. Women with children, poor women or women with husbands or male relatives unable to assist them are left to find chauffeurs. Hiring a chauffeur is costly and most women cannot afford this luxury.

Her YouTube video and subsequent social media campaign, #Women2Drive, created significant media buzz. The #Women2Drive initiative uses Facebook and Twitter pages to spread its message. The campaign’s Twitter account has 12,261 followers, while the Facebook page has garnered 17,070 ‘likes’.

These pages reinforce the plight of Saudi women and give them a voice. The use of social media helps in creating awareness about the cause. A positive outcome from the campaign involved Saudi women organizing a day of protest in the streets, designating June 17, 2011 as #Women2Drive day.

The social media effort serves to empower women in Saudi Arabia, earning them significant media coverage around the world. This is an example of how powerful social media has become in spurring social change. Are there other examples of social media being used as a tool of social change?

Disaster Response Goes Wireless

Hardly a week goes by without headlines filled with stories of huge disasters. Events like Hurricane Katrina and the recent Japanese earthquake show that even in more developed countries, the human impact can be enormous. Fast, accurate information can help people deal more effectively with the crisis.

While the news media have traditionally been responsible for reporting the situation, they are sometimes charged with sensationalism. But using social media, emergency responders now have the ability to communicate with people directly.

The message for communicators? Get the word out.

Here’s what emergency responders can do:

Use the web for preparation.

Preparedness is key to success when disaster strikes. Governments and NGOs already have lots of information out there for people to use, right down to a study guide for budding emergency responders. As good and clear as this information is, how many people actually have a 3-day emergency kit prepared in their home? First responders can’t rely on the entire population being prepared, so the Internet’s job doesn’t end here.

Engage with online communities.

There are many bloggers out there with a focus on disasters and emergencies. Best practices, experiences and innovation can come from them. If they’ve taken the time to blog about their experiences, they would likely be happy to give advice to the organization that asks for it.

When disaster strikes, be social.

There are many people with smartphones. This throws social media into the mix even if the power is out. Dependent only on wireless coverage, they can be a great resource for people. For example, a police department spreading word about a crisis through social media may have fewer requests for information, freeing operators’ time. There are many uses for social media in emergency situations, all of which work together to save lives.

Have you ever used social media to find out about breaking news? Would you trust the information you find there in a high-risk situation?

The Future of Social Media in Business

The Montreal Gazette reported today that Chris Hughes, one of the co-founders of Facebook s

poke to a group of 600 paid guest yesterday at

the Palais des congress in Montreal. His message was directed to the corporate industries that lacked the knowledge of how to effectively use social media for the greater good of the company. I think all of us in MSTU 106 – Social and Digital Media, would agree that social media can and has shaped most industries.

The inevitable question that arises from a business standpoint is: How do I use social media to better my business? First you need to do some research and ask your self the following:

§ What types of social medias are out there?

§ What social medias apply to my business?

§ How can I maximize the effectiveness of the social medias?

§ Who is my audience?

§ How do I educate, entertain, and engage my audience through social media?

Chris points out that there are many social medias out there with numerous opportunities for businesses to build their online community. It is up to the businesses to figure out which ones will be most beneficial to them. For any of you skeptics that think social media is not here to stay, it’s being reported that investments in social media are at a steady increase this decade and will continue to do so for years to come. Check out these social medias that are up and coming with millions of followers already.

§ Zynga

§ Spotify

§ Tumbl

§ Instagram

The social networking guru leaves us with this statement, “Businesses in the future won’t ask whether they’re on social media but how they’re using it”.

To read more about Chris Hughes and his visit at the Palais des conger click here:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Facebook+founder+Chris+Hughes+finds+friends/5467185/story.html

A Victory for Women...Kind Of

As women in Canada, we sometimes take for granted our rights and freedoms. We are considered people. We have the right to vote and run for political office. We can roam our streets and establishments freely. We can drive ourselves to get groceries. We can hold hands with our significant other in the mall. We can wear whatever we want.

As Canadian Women, we take for granted our rights. For many women around the world though, these rights are just a dream, not a reality. Things weren't always perfect in Canada, we fought for the right to vote. We fought for the right to be considered persons. More recently we have even fought for workplace equality.

This week Saudi Arabian women were finally given the right to run for election and the right to vote. This is a hugely significant victory for women in their country, but the fight isn't over yet. Women in Saudi Arabia are still extremely marginalized compared to other countries around the world. Saudi Arabian women experience significant gender segregation. For example, women must stand in different lines than men, and must sit in a separate section of a restaurant.

If a Saudi woman wants to leave the country they must be granted written permission from their husband or male guardian. They also do not have the right to do something as simple as drive.

Saudi Arabia has definitely just taken a huge step forward in terms of gender equality, by allowing women the right to vote and run for political office. In the same week, the have also taken steps back, encouraging the marginalization of women by charging and physically punishing women for driving.

So the next time you decide to hop in your car to run errands, and maybe meet up with a friend for coffee, take the time to appreciate that not every woman has that freedom. Also, come October 6th, exercise the right that Canadian women fought so hard for. The right to vote!

What other rights do you think we as Canadian's take for granted?

Internet fame in real life

Even if you aren’t a fan of the endless cat clips and wipeout videos on YouTube, you have to admit the site has given us a new platform to express ourselves. The odds are still tipping against you, but if you really wanted to, you could become an online celebrity. All the tools are there: a YouTube account to upload your videos, social media like Facebook and Twitter to promote yourself and blogging sites like Tumblr or Wordpress to advertise. It’s no wonder that regular people are gaining fame on the internet at an alarmingly fast rate. It allows even the unlikeliest of heroes, such as Stanford University graduate Issa Rae, a stage to perform.

Rae’s genius comes to us in the form of a successful web series called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, or ABG, which is streamed on YouTube. Tired of stereotypes and unequal representation, Rae began the show online as a way to reach a more diversified and specific audience. What began as a small, low-budget production eventually spiralled into a budding internet success through the power of social media. Each episode averages 150 000 views and the show has nearly 20 000 fans on Facebook and 8000 followers on Twitter.

The entire show is based around fan interest and donations, including a campaign on Kickstarter that raised over $56 000 for production costs. And this was all done through Twitter, Facebook and word-of-mouth marketing over the internet.

Even though the campaign is over, you can check out the ABG Kickstarter promo here:

There is no mainstream media involved in advertising and sponsoring. You won’t ever find an ad for ABG during the commercial break of Modern Family. But does it really matter? Are the lines of distinction between internet success and real-life success blurring? In a world where we gather to talk about that website we all visit or that clip we saw on YouTube, is there truly a huge difference?

I'm following your Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel. Who am I? You'll never know.

There are over 800 million people that have Facebook, 200 million users have Twitter and millions of us have YouTube channels worldwide. Everyone online has a social media outlet, where they are expressing their thoughts and feelings freely.

With Facebook and twitter updating constantly throughout the day, it makes me wonder if we are beginning to lose our privacy in the Web 2.0 world. We have become a society that constantly needs to be in contact with someone and needs to say something about anything. We have become more open and honest online about our lives than ever before.

It use to be that the internet was a scary place, where we didn’t want strangers to know who we are, where we were or what we did. That has changed with social media; small town individuals are becoming celebrities with a video camera and computer. That’s the story of YouTube and Justin Bieber.

Strangers around the globe watched his YouTube videos religiously, while he lead a normal life in Stratford, Ontario. He's made millions of dollars, had teen girls devote their lives to him, all because of social media. But where does that leave us who will never be on TMZ?

I purpose that we do have fans, just not the ones that will say they're following you. These fans are secretly “creeping” our moves and never telling us about their activities. Social Media has allowed the public eye to be turned on us; only our news feed and tweets have become the US weekly.

Our communities have made us into the celebrities.

Knowing people are watching our actions on social media sites, does this influence how much information you share?

Facebook Gets a Facelift?

This morning you probably went through your typical routine. You woke up, brushed your teeth, combed your hair, and checked your Facebook, which probably resulted in a mini crisis. After you scratch your head a couple times you text your best friend and complain about how your whole day is now thrown off.

This week Mark Zuckerberg announced that the Facebook we all know and love is undergoing a few changes that will help to increase user engagement and member sharing, and some people aren't happy about it. The real question is why are we so upset by these recent changes? Before I dive into that question, let’s take a look at just a few of Facebook’s recent changes:

• the introduction of a "Timeline" that will document certain milestones of your Facebook "life"

• developing new ways to share music/video with friends and even watch TV by teaming up with third-party websites like VEVO and Hulu

• a new, smaller scrolling news feed on the right side of the screen (similar to a Twitter feed)

• an updated homepage layout

• a blue corner on stories in your news feed that Facebook “thinks" you will find interesting
  

• you will soon be able to do more than just “like” a friend's picture or status. Soon you will be able to click "watched" on a video, "listened" to a song, and a plethora of other verbs.

Some believe that Facebook has made these recent changes in in a reactionary move to all the hype surrounding Google+, which has been toted with bearing much more user friendly, functional utilities.

There have been mixed emotions when it comes to these changes, which can be seen all over blogs, Twitter, and ironically, Facebook itself. Some argue that they are pushing the envelope even further when it comes to privacy and security. Although, security and privacy concerns seem to be outweighed by the sheer fact that people just don’t like change.

It's understandable that in a world of rapidly changing technology and social media outlets, that it's important to stay relevant, fresh and innovative. Although, I think it can be argued that even though change is good, maybe not all at once. Facebook is a website that most of us use on a daily basis and by changing so much, so fast, it's bound to upset a few people. It has yet to be seen if this was a smart move on Facebook's part.

The following is a video of Mark Zuckerberg unveiling one of Facebook's newest features at the F8 Conference in San Francisco earlier this week.

What is your take on the recent Facebook Facelift? Do you think these changes are a smart move for their business, or will too many changes deter people from using?

'Winning' at the Emmy's

The red carpet, shiny trophies, and glamorous ball gowns couldn’t overpower the presence of PR at Sunday night’s  Emmy Awards . After months of planning, prepping, and dieting, on the night of the big event it all comes down to the three W’s;  Who, What and Wear.  Who are they, what are they promoting, and what are they wearing?

Nominees certainly have their hands full with preparing an appreciative speech and practising their ‘this is so unexpected’ reaction. For all others, the Emmy’s is an occasion to see and be seen at. Fashion designers and publicists prepare for weeks, what better promotion than two seconds of screen time on the red carpet pre-show?

Ten years from now few will remember who won the award for Host for a Reality or Reality- Competition Program, but chances are the Oscar de la Renta gown worn by Julie Bowen will be referenced for years to come. What to wear to an event as elaborate as the Emmy’s is as much an issue of Public Relations as personal choice. Whether you end up on the ‘Best Dressed’ List or the ‘What were they thinking’ list, this is a case of all publicity is good publicity.

Possibly the best example of PR at work during the 2011 Emmy Awards was seen in the apparent lack of tiger blood and Adonis DNA in Charlie Sheen's onstage presentation. The widely criticized star geared his appearance more as an apology rather than the 'violent torpedo of truth' style chaos he is known for. Charlie praised the team working on Two and a Half Men, and was full of well-wishes for the upcoming season. What did you think of Charlie's attempt for damage control, is he 'winning' in the world of PR?

Was this all just an example of strategic PR practitioners at work, or is this really the new Charlie?

To Talk or Not to Talk? That is the Question

Like most people in their early 20s, I consider my cell phone a lifeline. It stores my friends’ numbers, has replaced my watch and is always with me when I leave the house. For someone so attached to my phone I rarely make phone calls, but will text or use Blackberry Messenger (BBM) throughout the day.

In Social and Digital Media class last week, our teacher Andrea Tavchar, caught my attention when she mentioned her son preferring her to text him instead of calling him while with his friends; reminding me of my friend who only responds to text messages. Is calling people becoming a thing of the past? As if I sent the question out into cyber space, Mashable.com discussed my answer yesterday.

In a recent project done by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, Aaron Smith discovered 83% of Americans own cell phones, and 73% of those cell phone owners use text messaging. When adults (18 and older) were asked about their preferred way to be contacted on their cell phone, 31% of adults choose via text message, 51% prefer a voice call and 14% believe it depends on the situation.

Young adults (between 18 and 24) send over 100 text messages each day, adding to over 3,000 texts each month for the average user. Now I understand why my dad switched me to unlimited texting. 95% of users 18-24 are texting at least twice as much as adults, and the study indicated people who own smartphones tend to send and receive significantly more texts. Could this be because of access to instant messaging applications such as BBM, WhatsApp or LiveProfile?

Why text instead of talk? Most responses indicated because:

• it can be done discretely
• there is a buffer in response time to think about how to structure your reply
• it is easy to stop. When you run out of things to talk about, there are no awkward silences.
• it can prevents getting in trouble. Parents can't hear background noises or yell back.

In contrast, 78% of teens are usually more willing to phone their parents and family. Perhaps their parents are unfamiliar with texting, don’t check their phones for texts (like my mom), or maybe teens are trying to avoid appearing on the website Why Parents Shouldn't Text, showcasing embarrassing texts or basic texts from parents gone awry.

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How do you use your cell phone? Are you a talker or a texter? Which do you think is a better way to communicate?

Here is my challenge to you:

Keep track of how many messages you send and receive in one day. The number will probably be shockingly higher than you think! Compare this to how many phone calls you make in that day.

Netflix Fails... Again

Today as I sieved through the morning news, I came across a particularly funny PR predicament. The situation involved the decision for Netflix, Inc. to separate its online movie streaming service from its DVD-by-mail service. The name Netflix will remain for the online movie streaming sector. The DVD-by-mail however, will be ‘cleverly’ rebranded as Qwikster and will offer a more diverse service for a higher price.

What wasn’t remotely clever about this move was the blatant lack of research. Certainly they would want to utilize their massive following on Twitter, and would make sure the handle for @Qwikster was available? Apparently in their haste, CEO Reed Hastings and his team completely overlooked this.

Alas, it was taken. A foul-mouthed, seemingly illiterate pot-head allegedly named Jason Castillo had beaten them to the chase. Mr. Castillo, who typically posts about his bench press, smoking weed, and being “bored as shyt,” is portrayed in his display picture as Elmo from Sesame Street smoking a joint. The followers came in hoards. And of course, the online amusement ensued.

What makes matters worse? All this happened in the wake of their stock dropping nearly 50% since the company announced the split on July 12. I am only beginning my third week as a student of public relations, but I think we can all agree that this is some bad PR. Especially interesting was how Mr. Hastings approached the situation.

Mr. Hastings has since posted an apology both on his blog and as a video on Youtube. He does explain his decisions and justifies the price increases fairly well. He does not however, address the Twitter situation at all.

As students of public relations, do you think Mr. Hastings should be responsible for addressing such an obvious slip up?