social media

Arriving at a Fixed Destination

Hank Stuever is all about fixed destinations.

His words from last evening’s New Mexico Press Women’s 60th anniversary Conference and Communications Awards Banquet have reached their fixed destination on this blog. I hope it’s a fitting destination.

Hank, an award-winning pop culture writer for the Washington Post’s Style section and a former newspaper reporter from Albuquerque noted that books, newspapers and movies at the theater are all fixed destinations and that these are “the things we are on the precipice of losing.”

He regaled the audience with stories from his early career in Albuquerque, fondly recalling chain link fences and cinder blocks. “I don’t know why I ever left,” he said drawing laughter from the audience.

But for him, “The more faded it gets the more beautiful it gets.”

He shared his love for storytelling and his need to share the stories of life, many of which are captured in his books, Off Ramp and Tinsel. “That’s the most important thing we do as media professionals – we tell one another’s stories,” he said.

And that’s the problem with new media, Hank says. “Now we’re too busy telling ‘my’ story.”

He recalled a time at a campground where he and a photographer stayed for three days. Some Europeans asked him in a broken accent, “Who it is you are all the time with cameras writing down things.”

It was an apt question for a man who has a need to observe and get it down on paper.

And while Hank might bemoan the loss of record stores, newspapers or going to the movies, he’s not writing off new media. “We’re undergoing a Renaissance,” he said. “And we need to stop taking the Renaissance so personally.”

His advice for the new media? Leave a fresco – “some really lovely painting, some really good work.”

What will your fresco be?

Text Me, Tweet Me, Love Me

Even the famous Conversation Hearts produced by NECCO have joined the social media world. You’ll still find CALL ME, but this year you also will find TEXT ME and TWEET ME. Taken out of rotation last year was FAX ME. Seriously, when was the last time you faxed someone?

The candy treats are the perfect way to share your sentiment on Valentine’s Day. And NECCO demonstrates that you don’t even need 140 characters to make your point. Most of the candy hearts are 10 letters or less.

The Conversation Hearts are produced from late February through mid-January of the following year to keep up with demand, according to the Web site. The entire production – about 100,000 pounds a day – sells out in just six weeks!

Who knew?

Now who should I share my candy hearts with?

How to Land the Job of the Future

If you hope to land a job in the communications field then you will have to master social media and the analytics that come with it, according to career experts.

The information was shared by Diana Middleton who wrote about “Landing a Job of the Future…” in the Dec. 29 issue of The Wall Street Journal.  

If you’re in the Web field then you will have to keep up with the latest in Web marketing, user-experience design and other Web-related skills.

As we continue to hear, social media has opened the door to the growth of new kinds of jobs. I recently hired a Community Manager. Her role is to engage in conversation and monitor the analytics of the social media platforms we use. I could have named the position, social media manager, but I deliberately wanted to convey that we are creating a world-wide community of supporters so I used a title specific to the job function.

My organization is not alone in creating social media teams. Coca-Cola Co., for example has done so. Ford Motor Company has, too, and its blogger, Scott Monty, is revered for his authenticity.

Middleton writes that “employment for public relations positions should increase 24 percent by 2018.  Job titles, like interactive creative director – will reflect the duality of the required skills sets.”

Other key skills will be search engine optimization to maximize Web traffic and marketing analytics to decipher the company’s target demographics. I admit, I knew nothing about SEO when I took this job, but I have read books, listened to Webinars and have asked hundreds of questions of my consultants so I’m up to speed.

When it comes to landing that next job be sure you have the skills in the emerging trends. Take an on-line course, read the books and attend the NFPW conference Aug. 26-28 in Chicago.

Leaping into Social Media

PR is undergoing dramatic changes in large part because of the social media landscape. So what does the future look like? Vocus, which offers on-demand software for public relations management, recently released its “PR Planning 2010 Survey Results.”

When asked what is the single most important thing you, as a PR professional, will do differently in 2010 than you did in 2009, Vocus reported that social media was referenced nearly 600 times of the 1,571 responses.

So what can you do if you are one of the few who hasn’t leapt into social media?

Start by experiencing the applications.

LinkedIn allows you to connect professionally. You develop your network. You post your resume. You comment on professional questions. You write recommendations for others. All of these activities place your skills and experience where it can be viewed by others.

Facebook can be social or professional. For many it’s simply a way to stay in touch with far-flung friends. But even when you’re doing that, you are learning how to monitor the conversation.

Start a blog. It’s free and easy and no experience is necessary. I did some research before I started mine. I thought about who my audience would be. For me it was primarily the NFPW membership, but also potential members. Once I knew that, I knew I wanted to focus on communications and the changing field. And really, my focus is more on integrating traditional and new media. I set a schedule. Then I started. I’m learning as I go.

Twitter is a microblog. In 140 characters you can share a message. It’s not easy to keep up with everything. It can be quite distracting. The younger generation seems fine with it. One thing I’ve learned from microblogging is how to write tight and how to convey my message succinctly – something we could all benefit from.

So as you start 2010 and think about your professional goals, think about where you might leap into social media.