Real-Time social networking matters

Hello Friends,

I have decided that for the remainder of the semester I am going to post about my PR readings first. This is not the most exciting topic to blog about, nor is it the most to read about. I should also try and get it out of the way at the beginning of the week and save the topics I enjoy blogging about for the end of the week. Something to look forward to I suppose.

We are still reading Real-Time Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott. So far, I have actually enjoyed reading this book and I feel that it does have valuable information in it (probably the reason why my professor chose the book).

This week we discussed how company websites are transforming into real-time marketing and sales machines. David Meerman Scott lists in the book elements of a technology infrastructure that are crucial to support a real-time business.

1.Real-time news and commentary: Data feeds from external sources including mainstream media, analysts and information databases.
2. Real-time social web: Real-time blogs posts, tweets, online video and other social networking content.
3. Real-time web site traffic: Information on your company's web sites updated in real time as people interact.
4. Customer database: Includes all existing customers and their purchasing history, plus records of who has contacted them, when and about what.

I believe that all of these elements are important not only for customers, but for employees of a company. A solid technological infrastructure allows a company to stay informed about its target market and gives them the ability to respond in real-time to the needs of all their customers. As a consumer, I appreciate a company that has product information that is easily accessible for customers.

TOPSHOP is a retail clothing store that utilizes real-time social web extremely well. They cover all of the major social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Pintrest. Customers can use all of these different mediums to search for information about products, new trends, events, designers and other topics related to the business. I feel that companies that include social media networking content do a much better job at reaching their customers than those companies that don't.

Some people may think having more than one social networking site for a business is excessive, but you have more of a chance to reach your target audience. I love that I can follow TOPSHOP on Pintrest, Twitter and Facebook because I really like their clothes and they always have really interesting up-to-date content on their sites.

Do you have a company that you follow that utilizes real-time social networking?

Until next time,

Katie

Podcasting for Dummies

Hello friends,


We've now switched back to David Meerman Scott's book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR.. This week, I got to read all about podcasting, and I might need to do some more reading. I have never done my own podcast or listened to one for that matter. Now I have been assigned to create my own podcast with another classmate for a grade. I definitely don't want to be the weak link, so I've found the chapter about podcasting extremely helpful.

This chapter featured some tips on starting a podcast. I want to share the ones that are going to save my butt.

Show preparation- This includes gathering ideas for the show and creating a script. ( I had no idea a podcast required a script.)

Recording when you are near your computer is done with a microphone that delivers audio into your computer. You need podcasting software as an interference to create and publish your podcast.

Phone interviews require a digital recording switch device, such as those that connect to your telephone. 

Post production editing sometimes includes running a noise-reduction program and sound compression. 

Tagging the audio involves adding text-based information about the audio to make it easier for people to find. This information is what appears in the search engines and audio distribution sites.

For those of you who already know everything about podcasts, don't laugh at me. I've just recently added my public relations minor, so I'm playing catch-up. This chapter was definitely a crash course, and I hope that the information it provided will help me to successfully complete my podcast assignment.

If anyone has any tips or additional information about podcasts that may help me out, please share!

Until next time,

Katie