Four stops for all my social needs

With coffee in hand, I flick on my computer, sip … sip … sip … seconds later,  I am connected to the cyber world. 

I begin my day by checking in with Facebook to see what my kronies are up to. Next stop: LinkedIn, where I can tap into 100s of professional resources. An hour later I am bloggling (babbling) on my WordPress account.  

My final stop: Athlink.
Athlink.com, formally VirtuRace.com was started in 2005. In 2006, the site was relaunched to include not only one of the largetest results database for endurance races, but also a social network site, which includes a section where the athlete can see who he or she has compted against, and what the time difference was. 

Athletes can also track results, add a race calendar, as well as YouTub clips, to name a few. 

Check it out, I think you’ll like it!

 

The Next Trend in Digital Media

 

The Fifth Annual Digital Media Conferenceis right around the corner. The conference will focus on the latest developments in digital media from many perspectives: leading content owners, distributers, advertisers, Internet, mobile and technology compnaies, according to the Digital Media Conference Web site. Companies such as Google, YouTube, Microsoft, RealNetworks, AOL, Yahoo, Motorola, Verizon, Sprint, Viacom, ABC, NBC, ESPN, FOX, CBS, EMI, Sony, and BMG will particiapte Thursday, June 26 at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson’s Corner, VA, to discuss the next wave in digital trends.

Based on the agenda, this conference is a “must-do” for PR professionals.

Top Digital Media Trends
According to the Digital Media Web site this research driven topic will dicuss where the industry is headed; focusing specifically on consumer behaviors and attitudes, as well as channels, platforms, business and economic performance.

The Next Big Thing: Mobile Advertising & Marketing
Mobile marketing and advertising is in the spotlight. Text messaging companies, video clips, and free music downloads, which attract a young demographic are an integral part of interactive campaigns.

Two important questions will be addressed in this discussion: ”Is mobile advertising and marketing ready for prime time for the non-youth population? What are the lessons learned for those who are at the forefront of mobile advertising and marketing? “

Social Media: What’s Next?
Knocking on the door where the “new generation” spends its time is a key in building marketing strategies  and building brand awareness. Opportunities to target potential consumers through social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, imeem, and YouTube take on a whole new dimension. Licensing, privacy and pitacy are three main concerns. The experts on this panel will open the door to the “future of social media.”

What an exciting time to be a PR professional. Not only do we have the opportunity to help this new digital world evolve, but we also have an advantage, as we grew up with the technology and gadgets, to lead the way in how public relations will use the digital tools and social media to capture our target audience.

 

Trash Talk on YouTube

Beginning today’s post is somewhat difficult. Not for lack of content, but rather the content itself. What I heard on the radio yesterday surprised and shocked me — and that is not easy to do.

Normally I avoid the radio. I am not a fan of mainstream music. I was spoiled living in Seattle and Florida, where the radio stations played more progressive music.

While flipping through the stations yesterday, I stopped to see what Rover’s Morning Glory show was discussing. I admit, on occasion I will stop and listen to the show, not because the content is great; I find the show stupidly entertaining.

Yesterday, however, I was shocked for two reasons:

One
Rover was discussing a YouTube video, which should have never aired. Yes, I am being opinionated, but once you hear what the “Trash Man” has to say, I bet you will agree.

Two
Dumb,Rover’s phone screen took the liberty to bleep out the last names of the minors mentioned in YouTube video - kudos to him for having ethics, morals and the sense to follow some sort of editorial regulation, even if it was to save Rover’s butt from a lawsuit.

Dumb’s counter parts said he should have left the last names in, after all they were on YouTube.

YouTube regulations: none. In order to watch this video, the viewer must be 18 or older. The process to get in is simple, just type in the date you were born when you register.

Social media is cool, it’s fun and it offers a great way for people to stay connected, and perhaps is neat outlet to show case one’s “professional” talent.

Are people abusing social media? What is it going to take to have stricter guidelines? Who should be regulating sites like this?

Most importantly, how will the lack of regulations, guidelines, ethincs and morals affect the jobs of PR professionals?

Blog Misfits

In five weeks, more than 9,000 runners will line up to participate in the 31st Annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon(RACM), which is one of the 50 oldest marathons in the country. Yet, this race doesn’t enjoy the same prestige as the Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York Marathon (ING), nor the Akron Marathon, which made Runner’s World list of Marathons You Should Do in 2008.

In an attempt to get more people fired up about the 2008 RACM, Race Direct, Jack Staph and Highland PR created a
training blog.

To promote the blog, Highland PR sent out a press release and an e-mail blast to all registered participants (December 2007). The premise behind the blog was to get runners to interact online, ask questions, share opinions, news and plan training routes.

Posts are sparse. After four months later only 13 runners, 14 if you include my registration have posted.

After reviewing the blog, I see several missed opportunities.

Here are a few things I noticed:

Training and nutrition information: non existent. This would be extremely helpful, especially for new runners.

The site displays the ING Marathon, not the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Half Marathon and 10K.

There are no race pictures, which would provide energy and action.

There isn’t one thing on the site promoting Cleveland and according to the mission statement for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon: ” … to produce an event that highlights the Cleveland community and provides a positive economic impact for the community …”

Perhaps the most over looked aspect of the blog is the chief blogger. What is a blog without someone monitoring it? What about generating conversation, or providing feedback to the PR team and the race director?

All of these missed opportunities lead to what we can call a blog misfit.

Baby Boomers Exposed

How well do we know the Baby Boomers? Apparently not to well. According  to the third Quarterly Boomer Report, released April 15, by AARP Services and Focalyst, there are 10 myths, which surround the Boomers.

Of the 10, three should be of particular interest to PR professionals.  

Myth #7 – You can capture Boomers with mainstream advertising.

False: Offensive advertising is likely to turn away 67 percent of Boomers, according to the report. More than 66 percent of Boomers believe advertising has become crude.

Take away message: Crude advertising may appeal to a younger generation, but it is not appealing to Boomers.

While PR professionals are not responsible for marketing and advertising campaigns, they do work closely with these two departments. It is up to the PR professionals to steer the advertising and marketing professional away from the one size-fits-all campaigns. 

Myth #6 - Boomers are brand loyal and will not switch.

False: Brand loyalty is a thing of the past, according to the report. Sixty-one percent of Boomers agree that “in today’s marketplace, it doesn’t pay to be loyal to one brand.”

Take away message: The big question here is why?

PR professionals need to understand what is driving the Boomers away. This is were blogs will come in handy. Customer concerns, complaints and questions will open the door to rebuilding brand loyalty.

Myth #3 - Boomers are technologically challenged.

False: Boomers are technically savvy. According to the report, the evolution of computers, the Internet and e-mail took place while Boomers were still in the workforce.  Eighty two percent of Boomers use the Internet beyond e-mails. Instant messaging, downloading music and/or movies, financial transactions and online gaming are part of Boomers daily lives.

Take away message: PR professionals can capitalize on the Internet. Movies, financial transactions and online gaming are three areas to focus for this demographic. Simple, tactics can help engage the attention of Boomers.

The remaining six myths will also help shed some light on this significant population.

Myth #9 - Boomers are downsizing their homes
Myth #8 - Most Boomers are married empty nesters
Myth #5 - Boomers are all wealthy
Myth #4 - Boomers are winding down with age
Myth #2 – Boomers are the “Me Generation”
Myth #1 - Boomers are all the same 

Understanding the target audience is an essential step toward regainig brand loyalty, as well as what makes this generation tick.

Gaming would be an interesting way to capture this audience. A simple, sophisticated approach may be all it takes.  

 

 

 

 

 

Terrorism in the Metaverse

 

 

In recent posts I have shared my thoughts and concerns about what I have discovered in the ever-expanding cyber world, which I have come to learn is also called the metaverse. I have spoken about the “osphere” and its potential to create subcultures within subcultures. I have discussed how the information highway is connecting “sinners” to God. In my posts I have raised questions on how the cyber world can, and will affect the role of the PR professionals.

Today’s post is no different.

While reviewing Wired’s Web site, I was drawn to the “Danger Room.” The name itself was enough to capture my attention, but what I found inside intrigued me even more.

Terrorism in the metaverse.  

Security issues writer, Sharon Weinberger, posted a blog April 4, titled: Congress Freaks out Over Second Life Terrorism.

 

Philip Rosedale, founder and CEO of Linden Lab, dispelled the terrorism threats when he testified before House legislators, via telecom and the Internet, April 1.

“Second Life does not serve as a playground for terrorist activity,” Rosedale said. Though there has certainly been discussion [about terrorism in virtual worlds], we have never seen any evidence that there is any such activity going on in Second Life.” (source: PCMAG.com)

According to Rosedale, virtual activity is “somewhat more police-able” than real world activities and that in of itself “might make the virtual worlds a less attractive prospect for terrorists.”

The main reason: financial activity of members is policed by Second Life policies.

“We believe that the degree of scrutiny that is created by [policing methods] is quite rich and the pattern recognition of non-standard behavior, Rosedale said. “The average withdrawal from Second Life — from Linden dollars into U.S. dollars – is one dollar, so it’s “relatively easy to spot larger transactions.”

Regardless of the policing policies by Second Life, Congress plans to look into how virtual world activity might help the U.S. fight new trends in terrorism.

This is just a small glimpse into the metaverse universe. Only time will tell where the metaverse will  take us and how will affect our future.  

Perhaps we, as PR professionals should interact with the citizens of Second Life. In doing so we will learn a great deal about what drives “virtual people” and what their inner most needs and desires are.

We must also keep an open mind. If terrorism can make its way into the metaverse, why cant polygamy?

 

 

The Information Highway: Now connecting you to God.

 While watching the news last night I learned about another use for the Internet: confessing your sins. I was dumbfounded; I stared at the television for several minutes wondering if what I just heard was real. It was. I found several sites, one such example: ivescrewedup.com, which supported the newscast. I even found a blog from 2007.

Twenty-four hours later, I am still unsettled with this news.

I was raised in a catholic home. I followed the rules implemented by the church and my parents, until I was old enough to make my own decisions.

 While I do not agree with confessing sins to another sinner, even though it is a priest, in “God’s house,” I am not quite sure I agree doing it on the Internet is any better.

Is God really reading the confessions? How is the sinner repenting? Do they just choose the number of Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s that they feel is necessary to be forgiven? Is it just more “instantly gratifying? Or is this a “new” way to clear a guilty conscious?

At what point do we draw the line and stick with the “real world?”  The deeper people fall into the techno world, the less emotionally connected they will become. How will this lack of emotion affect the jobs of PR professionals? How will we connect with humans? Will we turn to psychologists to understand how specific types of humans are hard-wired? Will we have to tap into their psyche or will we have to focus on some type of subliminal messaging?   

 My fear: Human emotion will be erased from the physical world and people will  become humanoids. Humans will not have to speak directly to one another, look at one another (face-to-face) or interact with one another. Humans will become so consumed in, and by their own world they will forget what bonds them as humans.

This is my futuristic look at technology and how it could impact human emotion. I see it happening all around me, everyday, and I am guilty of it too.

Example 1: I love my iPod shuffle, so much so, I decided to listen to my music while I was grocery shopping. What I discovered, shopping in my own world: I didn’t pay attention to the people around me. I blocked the isles, something I am very conscious of  - normally. And I couldn’t remember anything that happened while I was shopping, not that anything exciting ever happens while I am grocery shopping, but I felt isolated and disoriented. I couldn’t tell you if there were more women then man shopping, or if the store was filled with bodies. That was the first and only time I ever shopped with my iPod.

 Example 2: While leaving the Kent campus one night, a girl on her cell phone stepped off the curb, right in front of my car. She wasn’t paying attention to anything going on around her. I screeched to a stop; she just kept walking like I wasn’t even there. She never acknowledged the car or on coming traffic. If she did, she did it subconsciously.

Two common examples of how technology takes people out of the real world and places them into their own world.  

          

…osphere: Blog?

 

 

Reading through the pages of “Wired” magazine, I was facinated  by the new technological advances that are in the works. I find the digital and technological world absolutely fascinating.

The first to catch my attention: AVAcore cooling shoe, O2 Tape and  Smart Insole. All three are new advances in the fitness world. There was not a great deal of information, nor a Web site for two of the products, but  what I read, excited me. As a former fitness professional and as an amateur athlete, I see a whole new world of competition evolving. 

O2 Tape: infrared spectroscopy imaging that can measure the O2 content in the blood, through the skin. Research is being conducted at the University of Essex, London. Source: “Wired,” April 2008.  

Smart Insole: calculates the runners body mechanicas while in motion. After the run, the athlete can download the information to his or her PC.

The fitness world is evolving. Perhaps with all the new technology, steroids can be wiped out and new levels of competition can be established, based on genetic potential and hard work, and of course, mixed with the right technology.

While the above products caught my attention, I was drawn to a new term, or at least a term that is new to me: Fatosphere. 

 

The Fatosphere is a blog for obese people. With an intense curiosity, I raced home to my PC, logged on to the Internet and found a plethora of information on the Fatosphere.  

What really intrigued me, as a PR major: How many fine-tuned niche ospheres are out there?  My mind became an open chalk board and written on the cold, black space: millions of ospheres.

This is a PR professionals dream. Every time I begin a new campaign I can go to the Web and locate fined-tuned ospheres to help me target the specific audience I need to speak to. I can see ospheres being created by the nano second: the Jockosphere, Blackosphere or the Blondeosphere.

Each osphere will be a niche market. In the Jockosphere there will be the “old high school jocks” reminiscing about their glory days. The Jockosphere can be broken down into smaller niches: baseball, basketball, football, etc. Within each niche you will find subopsheres: white men, blackmen and out of shape men; still trying to get their game on.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not picking on the guys, well maybe a little, but just in fun.

My point: as the osphere continues to evolve it will create a deeper dipping pool for PR professionals. Targeting a specific audience is easy now, but in years to come, I see the marketing world using PR in a whole new venue.

 

PR On Steroids

Last Friday I was in Columbus, checking out all the latest and greatest sport supplements, products and the “freaks” as they are called, at the annual Arnold Classic.   

Freak is not a word I would normally choose to describe another human being, but the true, die-hard bodybuilders look freaky. You may or may not agree with the word freak. But one thing we can agree on: their bodies turn heads.

 

 

    I took this picture of a woman in the heavy weight division.   

    She has the shoulders of an Olympic shot-putter and the body fat

   of women anorexic. Her actual body weight is approximately 160  

   pounds.

 

   The facial features of many female bodybuilders resemble men. I have 

    seen women with five o’clock shadows. And I have spoken with whose 

    voices are deeper than Berry White’s.

 

The well-defined muscles, which are stacked onto these 5-foot-6- inch frames are a product of hard work, intense dedication (diet and heavy weight lifting) and of course: steroids.  

One does not become a professional bodybuilder without the use of steroids – period. It’s a well-known fact that professional bodybuilders are on the “juice” a.k.a. anabolic steroids.  The IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding), the governing body for the sport of bodybuilding “tests” athletes, and I use this term loosely because there are huge loopholes in the testing process.   

Bodybuilding isn’t the only sport injecting steroids. In recent months the media has highlighted the use in  baseball, football, as well as professional triathlon/cycling and the Olympics.   

Depending on the sport, the repercussions of drug usage vary.   

• Marion Jones lost her five Olympic medals, (three gold).     
• Nina Kraft,a professional triathlete was banned from Ironman competition for two years after she admitted to doping. Kraft is routinely booed at races.  
• Professional baseball player Rafael Palmeiro was docked for 10 days after he tested positive for steroid use. Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco and Mark McQuire: no comment.  
• Linebacker Shawne Merriman was suspended for four games after he tested positive. Just four? 

               

Seems a little suspicious to me.  

The well-paid athletes receive a mere four game suspension or are docked for only 10 days.

The Olympian, who works twice as hard, had her metals taken away. 

The triathlete, who makes next to nothing (100,000 for a first place finish at the Hawaii Ironman), compared to football players salary is banned for two years.  

I don’t want to use this phrase, but for lack of better words, it just not fair. There should a standard penalty for steroid use, no matter what the sport, or who the athlete is.  I am not suggesting in any manner that this is male vs. female issue. But I do think this situation has a lot to do with the amount of money an athlete brings to an organization.  

No matter how you look at it, steroids are a dominant factor in the sports world. And not just in professional sports. Many teenagers, who admire professional athletes, are beginning to mimic drug-abusing idols.

According to the Web site www.rivals.com, the results from a 2006 study, Monitoring the Future, showed 1.6 percent of eight-graders, 1.8 percent of 10^th graders and 2.7 percent of 12^th graders reported trying steroids at least once.   

The advantage of the steroids: strength and speed, seem to out weight the serious side effects and consequences for most athletes.  

What if PR professionals threw caution to the wind and built communication campaigns on the speed premise? One of the most crucial steps would be left out: strategy.

Effective outcomes begin with a “G” and an “O”

 

Two months ago I began training for my third half ironman: the sixth annual Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon, which will take place in Southwest Michigan, Aug. 2.  

For the next six months I will build my aerobic base to sustain six-hours of training, test my athletic abilities by participating in various events (i.e. half marathons, trail races and Olympic distance triathlons).  

By measuring my performance after each race, I will be able to assess my strengths and weaknesses. This will allow me to effectively tweak my training strategy to fully support my goal, which  is to complete the 70.3-mile event in less than six hours. 

In order to achieve my goal, I will need to finish the 1.2-mile swim in 40 minutes, ride 56-miles in three hours or less and run 13.1 miles in two hours. 

The time and preparation that goes into training for such a race is comparable to how PR professionals begin building their communication plan for a client.  

There are two main focuses when building a plan: goals and objectives,

• Goals: provide direction and are typically stated in general terms.   
• Objectives: measurable tasks that will be used to achieve the goals

To illustrate the application of these two concepts, I will outline my race strategy.

As you know, my goal is to finish the race in less than six hours. Actually, I am aiming for five hours and forty-minutes. 

My best chance of achieving this goal, is to outline my objectives - in detail. 

To begin, it is important to train five days a week. Each day is a building day, which means my training duration increases as the week progresses.

 

Detailing the objectives.  

 

To finish the swim in 40 minutes, I will need to focus on three areas: drill work, speed work and open water swims. 

Drills: improve form and technique  

Speed: accomplished by swimming laps and  measuring speed and distance once a month

Open water: builds endurance and improves sighting

To complete the 56-mile bike leg, in three hours or less, I will need to focus on two specific areas: eendurance and speed.

 

Endurance: each month the duration of the ride increases.  The duration at this time is 60  to 90 minutes on the trainer. As spring approaches the ride will be moved outside on rolling terrain and slowly increase to four hours. 

Speed:is built using intervals and hill repeats.  

The final leg of the race is the run, which is a half marathon (13.1 miles).

Endurance is important here. By the time I reach the run I will have been going strong for almost four hours.

To complete the run in two hours, I will focus on two specific areas:                                      shorter, quickly runs during the week and long runs on the weekend. 

The shorter, quicker runs will last 60 minutes and include interval training, as well as hill repeats and tempo runs. 

The long runs will be on the Buckeye Trail, which is a hilly terrain that challenges your balance, coordination and skills.  

To measure my objectives, which will let me know how well I am progressing, I will use two tools: tests and a measuring device.

Monthly tests.

Each month I will test myself by participating in a race. With calculation of my time and duration in each discipline I will be able to tell if the drills, and other techniques are building my speed.

Measuring device.

I use the Garmin 305, a GPS unit that tracks, speed, distance, heart rate, calories burned, ascent, decent, and a whole lot more - don’t I sound like a commercial. But wait, there’s more.

The 305 is comes complete with a software program. After each run, I download information from  my watch to the computer and walla, I instantly have the above information charted.

Just like a PR professional, I use, goals, objectives, strategies as well as tactics, which I will talk about another, time to establish, measure and track results.

Without  all of the planning, it will be hard to hit my goal.

Could I do it without all this planning? Maybe. But, the planning is essential for future

races. Just as a well documented PR plan. This is were “we” get the tried and true data to 

 to grow, progress and tackle new challenges without doubt or hesitation.