Mea Culpa, Pinterest

I like to think that I’m an early adopter when it comes to innovation and technology in my field of communications. So it’s a hard pill to swallow that I’m THAT PERSON — the one who spent the last 10 months turning up her nose to the latest social media darling, Pinterest.

Introduced to me early on by different people as a site for sharing “hairstyle ideas” “arts and crafts” and “recipes,” I had myself convinced that it was not my scene before I ever used the tool. Months later, I broke down and created an account, only to have my prior belief reinforced. Why should I “pin” photos from outside websites to illustrate “My Style” to people I don’t know — or for that matter, to people I do know. After all, if they KNOW me they pretty much get my style; I wear it on my sleeve.

But, I AM a professional, so I persevered. I spent a weekend playing with the platform — replacing some of the template “boards” with my own topics:music, art, books, Flyers (!!!), movies, words, and yes, even “My Style” in a homage to vegan Doc Martins & Chucks.

And even though I connected with some friends on Pinterest, I lost interestpretty quickly. The writer and artist in me struggled to get my head around CURATING as opposed to CREATING content. I get the importance of content curation professionally, but the whole “me, me, me” aspect seemed a bit narcissistic (even for a compulsive Tweeter like me!).

A few weeks later at a professional communications conference, I worked the use of Pinterest into a conservation with my peers. The reactions varied from blank stares, to panic, to dismissal. None of them embraced the idea.

Yet, sites like Mashable are chock-full of articles about how some companies, like Whole Foods for example, are using Pinterest effectively — not only to promote their brands, but to engage in meaningful interactions with their customers.

And while I, at first, used my colleagues’ Pinterest reactions (or lack thereof) to validate my own opinions, I realized that the MILLIONS and growing number of Pinterest users must be on to something.

Determined to discover what that something is, I read everything I could find about Pinterest best practices for brands and created an account for my employer (a public higher ed institution). The key, it seems, is to strike a delicate balance between sharing relevant information and promoting one’s brand. When done correctly, the two are one in the same.

To my utter shock, in less than seven days, the account has an average of 50 followers on each of its 12 boards, and dozens of “re-pins” and “likes” — more interaction than we’ve seen on Google+ in close to a year.

In light of this success, it’s easy to say “mea culpa, Pinterest” without too much shame. In fact, it’s a humbling lesson I hope recall next time I start thinking I know best.

Media Round-Up

Here are some interesting communications-related articles/info from the past few weeks:

On Record with NPR Chief Gary Knell: ‘Radio Isn’t Going Away, It’s Going Everywhere’ – Nieman Journalism Lab, 3/4/12

I Was Going To Be a Copy Editor – JimRomenesko.com, 2/16/12

Newsrooms, Not Newspapers, Are the Asset That Needs To Be Saved – WHYY Newsworks, 2/20/12

Agile Alt Media Adapting to Digital Challenges — NetNewsCheck, 1/31/12

Poetry Revisited

The announcement of an upcoming poetry project prompted me to dig out some of my old work. And by old work I mean OLD — as in the disturbing ramblings of a teenager and very young adult from 1991-1997.

A few initial observations:

1) Okay, I now get why everyone was so worried about me. I mean, this stuff was DARK. Lots of blood and death, which — although mostly metaphorical — must have been pretty upsetting to others.

2) Someone should have TAKEN THE THESAURUS from the younger me. Good lord, I don’t even know what half those words mean. Thank god I went on to learn that stringing together 10 big adjectives doesn’t a good writer make!

3) Some of this stuff — if polished — could be really good.

Let me expand on #3. I have spent the last decade+ telling people I’m not a creative writer. I can write facts or opinions, but not poetry or fiction. That the younger me had this spark of creative flair is a kind-of reality check. I mean, that doesn’t go away, right? I’m still creative in other ways, so maybe I should revisit my former passion.

Perhaps I could start small — rework some of my old stuff — make it better, and see what happens…

Before Hollywood, There Was Betzwood

Today, I had the opportunity to write about the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Betzwood Motion Picture Studio. It’s wild to think that one of the most influential studios of its day produced hundreds of films in our own backyards and that people are still discovering studio artifacts on their properties.

Betzwood was founded by Siegmund Lubin in 1912 and remained in operation through 1923 in what is now West Norriton Township, Montgomery County, Pa. Lubin is credited with making the first attempt to mass market movies. In 21st century terms, that’s like being the first business to employ Facebook as a marketing tool or engage customers with Twitter. Cutting edge stuff!

Of the hundreds made, only 30 films and film fragments survived the ravages of time. Copies of 25 of those films/fragments are archived locally and will soon be available to the general public online thanks to a digitization project underway.

Click here to learn more from Lubin biographer Joseph Eckhardt.

Media Round-Up

Here are some interesting communications-related articles/info from the past week!

What Will #PR Look Like as We Approach 2015? — Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, 11/21/11

Penn State PR Majors Get a Crash Course in Crisis, Thanks to Scandal – Ad Age, 11/21/11

The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines – CopyBlogger, 11/21/11

Twitter, PLN, and Useful Education Hashtags — Mr. Shortreed’s Ed Tech Blog, 11/24/11

Playing with Paper.li

A few months ago, a paper.li tweet from a colleague showed up in my Twitter feed. Of course, I immediately set up a paper.li account of my own, put all of the Twitter accounts I follow into lists, and linked every single list as a content source of my paper.

Much to my disappointment, the result was a mash-up of information I didn’t care about. I played with it for another day or two, and then lost interest for a while. Then recently, one of my tweets made it into a friend’s paper.li. I checked it out again and liked the way she customized the paper to only a few topics. I drastically reduced the scope of my account, named the paper after this blog, and crossed my fingers.

Visit Communication Art

The results are a lot better than my first attempt — although I did go in and manually edit two of the top stories. And while most of the paper’s categories can be customized, I remain frustrated that I can’t delete the photo section (it seems the people I follow tweet odd and irrelevant photos).

It will be interesting to see how the paper.li tool will develop over time. The website itself notes that it’s still in its early stages of development. One of the criticisms about tools like paper.li is the lack of original content. However, I view it as another platform by which to distribute original content rather than as a means to dilute it.

Do you use paper.li? Add your comments to this post!

Media Round-Up

Here are some interesting communications-related articles/info from the past week!

Penn State’s Long Road Back — The New York Times (Opinion), 11/14/11

What Are People Doing Online? — The Next Web, 11/18/11

How Facebook is Ruining Sharing – CNET, 11/18/11

Media Round-Up

Here are some interesting communications-related articles/info from the past week!

Google+ Pages Won’t Save Search Giant’s Social Network, Slate Says — Huffington Post, 11/9/11

What Google+ REALLY Means for Higher Ed — Higher Ed Live, 11/10/11

On Becoming a Social Media Expert

“Find your niche and become an expert in that area. Stay on top of the latest trends and be confident that you are among the best at what you do.” — This is advice that I offer to aspiring writing and communications students that I mentor. It’s a new piece of advice for me — one I decided to start using myself about a year ago.

My niche is social media. I chose it for myself and followed my own advice. Every day I learn something new. I scour daily tweets from sites like Mashable. I form opinions on what I read. Most importantly, I apply it to my job.

Over the past six months, I started crafting national media pitches in response to queries from HARO and ProfNet (so much more productive that pitching blind!!!). While pitching others as experts in such areas as education, economics and psychology, I discovered that many queries sought experts in social media.

Following my own advice to students, why shouldn’t this be me! My advice when I was interviewed for the article, “How to Avoid Social Media Messes” published on Information Week‘s blog The Brain Yard on Oct. 31, 2011. 

The interview, for me, served not only get my name out there as a social media expert, but it boosted my confidence, renewing my commitment to, indeed, be among the best at what I do. It also gave me confidence to take my own blog, the one you are reading now, more public.

Author Junot Diaz on Writing & Artistic Process

Last night, I had the outstanding privilege of hearing a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize recipient Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. During his keynote, which kicked off Montgomery County Community College’s annual Writers Conference, Diaz discussed his artistic process and the role of the arts in our society. Here are some quotes and paraphrases from the keynote:

Young people choose majors out of fear. The arts are different. “All that is good in humanity is found in the arts.”

“Every time we touch the arts, the little bit of humanity we have grows brighter.”

You can’t serve two masters — art or capitalism. Are you doing something to make the world better?

Who you are always comes out in your art – including human limitations.

“People think that they have to write to be a writer. To be a writer, you have to read first.”

 ”The medium for a writer is other people’s nervous systems.” Most writing fails because the writer exerts too much control.

“The difference between reality & dreams is that the real world resists us.” The world must resist your characters.

“When you are reading you are off line. Literature functions at the speed of the human soul.”

Junot Diaz engages in a Q & A session with students before the keynote.

Media Round-Up

Here are some interesting communications-related articles/info from the past few weeks!

Linked-In Report: Women Without a Mentor – Forbes, 10/25/11

How to Get the Most Out of a PR Major – Ragan’s PR Daily, 11/1/11

Why You Hate Writing, And How to Lust After the Blank Page Again – CopyBlogger, 11/1/11

Linked-In Etiquette

Linked-In has established itself, for better or worse, as the career builder among social media outlets. However, many people, especially college students or recent graduates, make the mistake of using Linked-In the they use Facebook. In reality, the two have very different purposes, and what is acceptable on one is not necessarily appropriate on the other.

While both platforms fall into the category of “social networking,” LinkedIn should exclusively be used to build your professional reputation. Please consider the following tips when using LinkedIn:

• Instead of focusing on how many “friends” one can acquire on platforms like Facebook, Linked-In users should focus on the quality and impact of their connections. It’s not about reconnecting with former classmates or sharing photos of your children.
• If you post a photo, make sure it is a professional looking headshot. Don’t post photos of pets or children or of yourself in a bathing suit or at a party.
• Keep your updates professional. For example, share news about your industry or updates about projects you’re working on. It’s not about sharing 10 status updates every day about what you ate for lunch.
• If you want to connect with someone who is in your industry but who you don’t personally know, write a message first introducing yourself. For example, I have used Linked-In to connect with freelance writers in my geographical area to discuss potential work.
• Don’t ask someone for a reference unless they have first-hand knowledge of your work and skills. Being someone’s neighbor, former student or friend of the family does not, by itself, qualify them to endorse your work. It’s not a character reference.

Long Live College Radio!!!

In a perfect world, there will always be a place and a purpose for college radio — although many under-funded and under-staffed campus stations may need to reconfigure themselves in order to remain viable. At it’s roots, college radio has what even “university-modeled” satellite and Internet radio stations do not: authenticity. Students get to uniquely express themselves all while learning about the industry. The result is an indie techno rave hour, followed by international music, followed by sports talk, followed by a heavy metal request show — and all of them are 100% authentic. After all, where else can you hear a 48-hour KISS Halloween weekend marathon?

Of course, the real world is not always ideal. Financial and personnel constraints may cause some colleges and universities to eliminate the hefty costs of maintaining full-power AM or FM transmission. Let me assure you, there are other ways!

Streaming live, 24/7 via the Internet, Montgomery County Community College’s student-run radio station, Montco Radio, has cultivated an international listenership through its diverse programming. In fact, College Music Journal nominated Montco Radio as one of the top five college Internet radio stations in the country in 2009.

The station has come a long way since forming in the late 1960s as a student DJ club. In the early 1970s, the station began closed circuit broadcasting in MCCC’s cafeteria between 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Montco Radio went international in 2003 when it began broadcasting 24/7on the Internet, and it can be accessed today by visiting the MCCC’s website at www.mc3.edu and clicking on the green microphone icon in the lower right corner.

Earlier this year, Montco Radio and one of its Djs was featured in International News magazine for its diverse programing — specifically for Caffé Expresso, which features music, topics of the day and recipes—all in Italian. The show’s host, student Camilla Zeigler, a native of Milan, Italy, has inspired other international students to share their cultures on the air; for example, one student is currently working on developing a pre-recorded show in Korean.

The station has actually seen significant growth in listenership rather than a decline. In addition, there are always plenty of students interested in participating. MCCC’s digital audio production students are required to take a one-credit radio course, during which they are active with the station. However, the station, including management and board positions, is also open to the general student population as a student club. At any given time, the members are about 60% communications students and 40% other majors.

Exploring ‘Peer Review’ Possibilities

I am excited to have co-authored a case study titled “Using Technology to Impact Student Retention” for the winter 2010 edition of the national, peer-reviewed publication EDUCAUSE Quarterly. This is my second piece published by EDUCASUE. In 2009, I contributed to an article titled “Charting the Course and Tapping the Community: The EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges 2009,” which was published in EDUCAUSE Review.

Contemplating the ‘New Year’s Resolution’

A decade ago when I was working at the now defunct Trend Midweek, I wrote a weekly editorial column on a topic of my choosing—one of the few things I miss about that painful gig. I recall, in the first issue of 2002, writing about my “anti-new year’s resolution,” during which I resolved not to make a new year’s resolution. (Yes, I realize in doing this that I contradicted the entire point of the piece.)

But here I am, a decade later thinking about new year’s resolutions and how I haven’t really made any yet, three days after ringing in the new year. Resolution-making is a tricky business. Last year, I made several and spent the latter half of 2010 beating myself up for not following through. This is especially self-destructive, as one of the resolutions was to not beat myself up. And so, the cycle continues.

On Dec. 31, Mike Robbins wrote a piece for The Huffington Post about “Completing the Year Consciously.” In the article, he suggests reflecting on the highs and lows of the past year and doing and saying “whatever we need to in order to create a true sense of closure to an experience.” He writes:

Because we often have resistance to authentically celebrating and appreciating ourselves, reflecting honestly on our accomplishments or our failures, acknowledging our real results or lack thereof, grieving loss with depth, and more, we usually just roll through the end of things and either avoid completion altogether or move on to the next thing as fast as we can. When we do this, however, we miss out on a sacred and important process.

Ouch! The “avoid completion altogether” remark hits close to home, and, unfortunately is the way I deal with more than just unfulfilled new year’s resolutions. According to Robbins, “when we don’t take the time to truly complete something, we end up carrying baggage, regrets, fear and unresolved issues into our next experience,” all of which undermine our success and fulfillment.

No kidding!

In order to help bring closure to 2010, Robbins proposes asking oneself a series of questions and putting the answers in writing. They include:

• What were my biggest lessons in 2010?
• What am I most proud of from this past year?
• What were my biggest disappointments in 2010?
• What am I ready to let go of from this past year?
• What else do I need to do or say to be totally complete with 2010?

He even suggests sharing the answers with important people in your life. Then, and only then, will be in a place where you can effectively craft goals and intentions for 2011.

As I reflect on 2010 with less focus on the negative, I realize that I did take some steps—baby steps—toward some of the lofty resolutions I set for myself.  At least now, I am positioned in a more accurate—though still scattered—direction in some areas.

Perhaps the answer, then, is to not make grand and likely un-realizable new year’s resolutions for 2011, but rather to build on the goals (scaled back) set in 2010. Notice I said “goals” as opposed to “resolutions.” Goals can change as we grow. Resolutions feel as though they are set in stone.

Expert Advice on Getting Unstuck? Blow It Up!

Author and marketing guru Seth Godin (The Dip, Tribes, Linchpin) gives advice on “Getting Unstuck” in his blog, aptly titled Seth Godin’s Blog.

Godin concludes his post by writing, “If the only alternative is slow and painful failure, the way to get unstuck is to blow up a constraint, deal with the pain and then run forward. Fast.”

While the “cut and run” method of coping isn’t always the most viable method, I have begun, recently, to understand its value as a life tool.