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With all of the digital news articles online and print, and with social media itself (Facebook, blogs and Twitter) spreading facts and rumors like wildfire, it sure is difficult to keep a secret these days. This week, we’re joining in the online version of ‘telephone’ to bring you the social media scoop. Below, learn the ins and outs of Facebook and how to avoid a blogging blunder. Oh, and Twitter’s set to receive $100 million dollars from seven separate sources. From who, you ask? It’s a secret!
AllFacebook.com “10 Less Known Facebook Features” - Sure, you’ve been poking people since back in ‘04 and throwing sheep at them since ‘07. But did you know that you can group your cartoon animal-receiving friends into groups to easily send invitations and messages?
Mashable - “Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How To Avoid Them” - Blogs are a dime a dozen, but there is a way to break through the clutter and stand out among the crowd. This piece tells you how to get people talking about your site - in a good way.
AdAge - “What Should Twitter Do with $100 Million?” - If past 360PR blog posts haven’t convinced you of Twitter’s tenacity, this article may be the clincher. As the old saying goes, money talks. And the Tweeple have spoken. Expect improvements in the service over the coming months, as the green is expected to be used for the benefit of Twitter users. A business deal where everybody wins is a sweet way to start your weekend.

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Big news for Facebook over the past week…they’ve hit the 300 million member mark. Believe it or not, as Michael Malone at ABC News points out, Facebook is now the 4^thlargest “nation”, just behind China, India, and the US. And, not only has Facebook reached a huge membership milestone, they also recently announced that they are profitable. For anyone wondering whether or not social media is just a fad, this is pretty darn good proof that social media is here to stay.

To give you a better sense of demographics, according to Inside Facebook, the fastest growing group of users in August 2009 were males ages 13 - 17, followed by men ages 45 - 54. Among women, the highest growth was in the 45 - 54 and 55 - 65 age ranges.

Hopefully Facebook can keep up this growth, as there is a huge opportunity for brands. Facebook unquestionably offers tremendous reach. Not only is it an accessible platform that helps brands make simple, authentic connections with loyal fans, the site is also used by a myriad of influencers including bloggers, journalists and “Alpha Consumers.” Beyond that, brands use Facebook to gain instant customer insights for business planning, to cultivate fans and drive trial, as well as to extend and integrate with other marketing efforts.

And while Facebook is not necessarily right for every business - in a July study from Burson-Marsteller, more Fortune 100 companies are on Twitter (54%) vs Facebook(only 29%) - many brands have already been successful using the platform to reach customers. Needless to say, Facebook’s future looks bright. And that’s good news for brands.   

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

It’s undeniable that Twitter is the newest, most buzzed-about craze to crack the social media world. In fact, Twitter usage is projected to reach over 26 million users in 2010, an over 200 percent increase from 2008. We typically spotlight several different online social networking tools in our Weekly Digital News round-ups, but we thought it fitting to dedicate today’s post to the single service making waves (and tsunamis for that matter) in the internet world.

eMarketer “US Twitter Usage Surpasses Earlier Estimates”- New statistics tell us that between 11 and 13 percent of all internet users are actively tweeting. Considering those numbers, it’s not surprising that approximately 18 million adults in the US access the service monthly. We wonder if celebs like @Oprah and @BarackObama had any influence?

MarketingVox “20% of Tweets are Brand-oriented” - If 40% of tweets are pointless babble, and 20% of Tweets are brand-focused, what are the other 40% of tweets comprised of? Brands, take note. You’re being talked about - for better, or for worse - on Twitter. If there wasn’t reason and evidence enough already, this piece should drive the point home; brands need to listen to the tweeple.

Mashable “How To: Use Facebook’s @Mentions Status Tagging- They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Twitter’s so popular, even Facebook is homage. Facebook users can now use the @namehere function to ‘tag’ other Facebook users, brands, fan pages and more in their status updates. We’re left to wonder - how long until all updates are limited to 140 characters?

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

It’s September and summer vacation’s clearly over.  Most of us have it engrained from the day we start kindergarten, backpacks on and lunchboxes in hand, that September means business.  This September’s no exception - and we’re thankful for that.

In one week at 360, we’ve had three client events spanning a range of product categories:  an event to introduce Stonyfield Farm’s YoBaby Meals featuring Stonyfield CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg and Boston Mama’s Christine Koh; a car seat safety briefing by Dorel Juvenile Group at the ABC KIDS Expo (#abckids on Twitter); and, a Snuggie fashion show during Fashion Week emceed by Ross “The Intern” Mathews from The Tonight Show.

A model wears one of the new Snuggie designs on the runway during Fall Fashion Week in New York.

We have two more events and multiple tours still to come this month, and we’re just one agency.  Multiply that by hundreds of agencies and brands with launches planned in September.  Imagine being a reporter or blogger on the receiving end of it all?  In fact, we’re hearing from bloggers that they’re being inundated with invitations – increasingly, it’s gotta be something pretty special to pull them out these days.

And at ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, editors from the leading parenting books were moving at a rapid clip, covering more ground with fewer staff.  Some were breathless.  It was interesting to see traditional media outnumbered by bloggers, and refreshing to see marketers spending after a cautious start to the year.

If September’s any indication, it’s going to be a noisy fall.  And it seems consumers are finally ready to listen – especially if the price is right!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

This week, the 360PR team took on Vegas for the 7^th annual ABC Kids Expo.  This year was my first trip to the show, and I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of juvenile product companies exhibiting.  Anything you think a baby or parent-to-be would need/want was there…and then some!  Stainless steel baby bottles, eco-friendly cloth diapers, and multitudes of edgy, cool baby furniture were just some of the many highlights. 

It’s always a blast to look at the latest designs and fashions for baby (everything is just too darn cute!); however, the most important feature when little ones are concerned is always safety.  

The timing for ABC Expo was perfect, as Saturday kicked off National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is a nationwide effort sponsored by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).  To start the week, car seat check events were held throughout the nation on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to attend a local event sponsored by Safe Kids.  I met the inspiring and dedicated folks behind Safe Kids, including the Training Manager and Technical Advisor, Lorrie Walker (pictured below).  Safe Kids reports that a whopping 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly. 

The theme of child safety continued, as we held a car seat safety briefing at the Safety 1^st booth at ABC Kids Expo.  The panel discussed the danger of side impact crashes for children and new innovations in testing methods and technology to protect our kids on the road.  We had a great turn-out - including top-notch editors, bloggers and industry advocates.  This briefing also caught the attention of NBC Las Vegas, as they broadcasted live from our booth to report on the Safety 1^st Air Protect Side Impact Technology for their morning show - which meant a 3AM wake-up call for me.  In true Vegas fashion, the streets were bustling at that hour anyway!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Media and Press, Parenting by BrittanyWelch - 1 Comment →

It’s time for a change of pace. Summer is over (according to the powers-that-be and the lack of white in our wardrobes,) the temperature is dropping, and the leaves in the Northeast are already beginning to turn color and shed from the trees. In other words, it’s the perfect time to try something new, (in addition to a Pumpkin Spice latte from @Starbucks.) This week, we’re encouraging you to look before you leap into the digital sphere, and check out articles about introducing kids to the World Wide Web, creating Facebook competitions, and finding the best free photos online.

eMarketer “Kids Jumping Online” - Surprisingly, according to Nielsen Online, “the number of children internet users in the US is growing faster than the number of US children.” What’s not surprising in the least is what kids are looking for and watching when they log on: Pokemon and Barbie. They may be tech-savvy, but kids will be kids.

Web Worker Daily “Looking for Free Stock Photos? Try Everystockphoto” - It’s often difficult to find the perfect picture to accompany your blog post, or to use in the background of your website. Everystockphoto.com to the rescue! Scan the site for an easy-to-download image to enhance your text. Best of all, all photos are free-of-charge.

AllFacebook “5 Mini-Competitions That Will Get Your Facebook Fans Talking” - Surfing Facebook can, at times, be a bore. All the humdrum status updates, party photo uploads and poking has a tendency to get old. Everybody like prizes, so why not introduce a contest to your Facebook friends to generate some virtual excitement? Stimulate your right brain with ideas from AllFacebook.

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

I have been meaning to post about an interesting article from TIME Magazine that ran a couple weeks back, but the end of summer is just now letting me breathe.  Operating under the mindset of “better late than never,” here we go.

TIME’s article, “Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper – To Save It,” describes an interesting move by Advance Publications, the owner of the recently-deceased Ann Arbor News. Using the Michigan newspaper as a litmus test, of sorts, Advance shut down the print edition of the newspaper and re-launched www.AnnArbor.com - - slashing staff by approximately 80%. The goal of this seems to be to see if there is money to be made in this new media climate by crossing traditional news reporting with social media in a larger media market (BEFORE the paper dies on its own).

Living in Boston, we have become accustomed to the threats of losing our largest traditional media outlet in the Boston Globe. As a regular visitor to Boston.com, I am on the fence about whether or now I would be OK with that becoming the ONLY way I can access the Globe. Part of me says “that’s how you primarily read it anyway,” while the rest likes the way that the newspaper feels in my hands on a lazy Sunday.

The jury is still out in Ann Arbor, as it will undoubtedly take some time for people to make their final decision whether to accept or reject the new format. And as the TIME article points out, “A lot of U.S. newspapers, and their readers, have a stake in whether the experiment in Ann Arbor succeeds.”

I wonder how closely the Globe and the New York Times Co. are tracking the success or failure AnnArbor.com.  Do you think this is a model that could work in Boston, or are we too attached to the traditional Boston Globe?

Filed under: Uncategorized by JohnLeRoy - 2 Comments →

With football mania in full-swing as rabid fans attend pre-season games and buy enough jerseys and foam fingers to outfit a small army, we’re devoting a slot on this week’s digital news round-up to perhaps the most anticipated activity of fall. We’re also offering creative ideas to meetup, tweetup and market yourself or your business. After reading the below pieces, you may be inspired to gather your tweeple for a simultaneous Monday night game viewing and Twitterfall via 8coupons and Foursquare. No idea what I’m talking about? Read on, my soon-to-be social media-educated friend.

Newsday “NFL Limits Twitter on Game Days” - It’s amazing how rules need to be adapted due to the emergence of technology. This season, players need to put their BlackBerry thumbs to rest at least 90 minutes before they take the field, as a new Twitter usage ban goes into effect. Keep your head in the game, not in the Twitterverse, boys.

TwiTip “10 Ways to Create a Community Around Your Tweetup” - Tweetups, or gatherings in which Twitter friends and followers participate, have been around for some time now. As I’ve mentioned before, variety is the spice of life - so how do you get your tweeps excited for an offline rendezvous? TwiTip has some fresh ideas to get the party started (and keep it going!)

Mashable “5 Fresh Ideas for Social Media Marketers” - A mass shipment of chocolate-covered grasshoppers? Your company’s name on a college-student’s t-shirt? This day in age, a catchy radio jingle or clever TV spot just won’t cut it. Or will it? If it’s creativity you’re lacking, check out this article and pick up a few tips on innovative ways to reach your audience.

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →