Tag Archives: Facebook

Social Media Home Runs for Press Conferences

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Press Tip of the Day - Use Flickr as your Consumer Photo Press Room

The Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour is in session and as such, major media corporations are presenting their new mid-season programming and providing re-caps of their performances by their top executives.

As of this writing, two corporations have been in house – PBS and NBC.  And with those two, I have found a couple of highlights regarding great press conference tools that I thought were brilliantly used.

FLICKR – PBS utilized Flickr as its Official Photo Press Room. They posted photos immediately after each session and because it was on the Flickr platform, bloggers could easily share these photos on their Facebook walls and twitter feeds. I LOVED THIS FEATURE and highly recommend other agencies consider using it when organizing press conferences. AWESOMENESS. Kudos to great PR work PBS.

Tag logos with Facebook calls to action and Twitter Account Names

LOGOS/GRAPHICS - I absolutely love how NBC is tagging each on-screen graphic of its shows with the respective twitter handle as well as  a call to action to “Like” the show on Facebook. Great social branding! Hat’s off to NBC for remembering these touches which aren’t small and have a large impact.

 

How to Best Use Google Plus

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What do you think about this new communication platform? It is a hit or miss?

In social media circles Google’s new social networking platform Google Plus is the most talked about new shiny toy. With Google Plus, people with gmail email accounts can organize their circle of friends in logical groupings and easily video chat with 10 people or less at the same time.

Many of its functions are similar to Facebook, so early adopters can understand its practical functionality.  For instance, you have status streams of recent posts from your friends on Google + and it easily allows for sharing of photos and video too.

If you haven’t received your invite yet to to Google +, don’t worry you will soon. I’m sure its Google intention to have everyone in the world on their social platform. Just wait, your invitation is forthcoming.

I’ve been experimenting with it over the last few days and I still am not sure of all its bells and whistles. So, with that, I’ve interviewed two social media strategists, Stacey Soleil and Darin McClure, about their views regarding Google Plus and that interview is below.  Enjoy and let me know what you think.

 

Add Cindy to your Circles

 

About the Author: Cindy Ronzoni frequently interviews colleagues about the latest new advancements in social media. Today, she tackled Google + with two experts who attend her social media club, Social Media Mastermind of Orange County (SMMOC). If you have a question about a social media tool, just let Cindy know. She’ll try and get an answer for you.

 

How to Write Killer Blog Content-Timeless Advice from C.S. Lewis

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C.S. Lewis' Advice is Timeless

C.S. Lewis never ceases to amaze me. For those of you who do not know C.S. Lewis, he was a renowned theologian who taught at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and authored more than 30 books in his lifetime, including the children’s Narnia series, Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

C.S. Lewis’ work is revered by many around the world. In fact, so much so that his life was portrayed by actor Anthony Hopkins in feature film “Shadowlands,” and his Narnia books such as “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” have been brought to the big screen. However, not only is his work memorable, he lived his life transparently and openly shared his thoughts and struggles through his powerful pen.

His work has had a profound impact in my life and I often re-visit his words when searching for answers about life circumstances. Recently I had such a time when I needed to heed his advice and as such, stumbled upon a jewel in regards to guidelines for creating incredible content.

Whenever I attend social media events, inevitably this one question comes up every time – how do you make content that others want to read? C.S. Lewis provides the answer.

In a letter written to a schoolgirl in America, who had written (at her teacher’s suggestion) to request advice on writing, here’s what he had to say. The letter is from December 14, 1959 and his advice is spot on for the 21st Century.

CREATING MEMORABLE BLOG CONTENT

C.S. Lewis’ 8 Tips for Writing Incredible Blog Content (Source: The Essential C.S. Lewis, edited by Lyle W. Dorsett)

  1. Turn off the radio. (Today that also includes the TV, Pandora, iPod, X-box, etc.)
  2. Read all the good books you can and avoid nearly all magazines. (This one is tough for me.)
  3. Always write (and read) with the ear, not the eye. (Excellent point)
  4. Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, nothing else.
  5. Take great pains to be clear. Remember that though you start by knowing what you mean, the reader doesn’t, and a single ill-chosen word may lead him to a total misunderstanding. (Brilliant point)
  6. When you give up a bit of work don’t throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later.
  7. Don’t use a typewriter. The noise will destroy your sense of rhythm. (I think he wouldn’t mind the computer keyboards now.)
  8. Be sure you know the meaning of every word you use.

So don’t take it from me on how to write content that gets shared…use these 8 points from the literary master C.S. Lewis. Who if he were alive today, I’m sure would be answering every Facebook and Twitter post personally.  That’s the stand up man he was.

Off to do a bit more reading.

Cindy

 

 

TAKE A DAY OFF! It Works for Chick-fil-A

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When Is Your Business Closed

Sundays are my personal days to be more human-like and step off the grid. I frown on forwarding and receiving business on this day of rest because I need to recuperate from the past week and get restored for the next. When I receive business-type tweets from others on Sunday, I feel really sorry the people who sent them for those tweets tell me that they are not resting. I rarely tweet on Sundays and when I do it’s about something that I found shareable that occurred at church or another social event. I rarely tweet out anything that I would normally do during a business week. Why?

BECAUSE EVERYONE NEEDS A DAY OF REST

In order to stay  balanced as well as mentally and emotionally healthy you need a day to rest from your electronic devices. You need a day to re-charge your batteries and chat on the phone with friends or go to a social event. Or just some time to do laundry or take a walk.

If you think by not sending business messages out seven days a week you’ll lose business think again. Look at how well does Chick-fil-A restaurants do on a six day work week. It was reported that last year the company’s annual revenue was $3.4 billion. Not too shabby huh.

In an interview with ChristianityToday.com VP of Chick-fil-A Dee Ann Turner said this about being closed on Sundays.

“It is doubtful that a public board of directors would allow Chick-fil-A to stay closed on Sundays…When we started in the mall business, Chick-fil-A always led all the restaurants on sales even though we were only open six days to their seven. I think that is still true even though the majority of the restaurants are now free-standing restaurants.

People always say to S. Truett Cathy (Founder of Chick-fil-A), “You could make so much money if you opened on Sunday.” His response is that we’ve been so successful because we have not been open on Sunday.

Truett’s children, two sons and a daughter, actually wrote a covenant that they would not do two things: 1) Sell the company or go public, and 2) Open on Sunday.

A lot of people believe the no Sunday practice originated due to Truett Cathy’s faith. And it did evolve to relate to that over time, but originally they closed on Sunday because Truett was exhausted. He needed rest. He said that if a person couldn’t earn a living in six days, then he needs to do something else.

It was about rest, but also about spending the time to rejuvenate and get strong again to serve his customers. As he hired people, he also realized how important it was for his employees to also have a day off.”

So what’s your philosophy on taking a day off? Do you agree with Truett Cathy? I do. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

How To Land the Right Job After College

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Grads: The World is at Your Feet...Copyright All rights reserved by Albert Kenyani Inima

The headline of “How To Land the Right Job After College” may be a bit loaded I know. Landing jobs are difficult for everyone, no matter when you graduated or will graduate. But, I do feel that recent college grads and soon to be college grads can get hired in the positions that they have always dreamed about.  By following a few of these suggestions below, any aspiring employee can get closer to the job of their choice or at least assist in job search.

How do I know? What makes me an expert on this topic?

I’m no job education expert, but I am an experienced executive who has worked at major corporations. I also am skilled in job search, due to a professional program I recently attended thanks to a former employer.  And I often speak at local colleges, so I do have a sense about what college students are feeling these days.  So for those reasons and those reasons alone, I strongly suggest you read on and heed some of my sage advice in this matter.  Here we go.

JOB SEARCH TO DO LIST

(1) When asked what type of job you are looking for..NEVER NEVER NEVER answer this way: “I’ll take anything really, I just need a job.” This is a wrong answer. Go immediately to Point No. 2.

(2). Did you know that 97 percent of all jobs are acquired through networking and people you know? That’s a true fact.  Therefore, if you don’t know what kind of job you want or what company you would like to work for…people like me can’t help you. I have no idea what you majored in or what your passions are. This answer hurts you more than it can ever help you. Never be vague. At least give us something to work with…

Some things that you could say if you aren’t preciously sure of what you are looking are answers like these…”I’m interested in an entry-level position at a national hotel chain (insert area here) and I would like to stay in this area.”  Or “I would like to work for a mortgage company and I will relocate for the best opportunity.” Or “I interested in pursuing a career in the action sports industry. I’d like to work in marketing and promote apparel lines and will relocate if necessary.”

Can you see how these answers are a major improvement? It helps give people a better sense of how they can help you. And people really want to help you. Heck, in this tight economy, everyone knows that we need to help each other.  It’s a given.

(3.) Now that you know what kind of position you want, you need to ask everyone and anyone to help you connect with the right companies and the right people who can hire you.  In job search, shyness isn’t allowed. You’ve got to overcome your job fright. Never be embarrassed when you meet people to immediately ask them if they know anyone in the area of your job search.  This applies to your parent’s friends who come over, your teachers, your pastors, your music teacher, your grocery clerk, your bank teller and your doorman. Heck, even ask people you meet in the elevator. Well, that may be a bit too much, but heck how can it hurt. You have to solicit for your job. I mean I’m constantly having my door bell rung with kids asking me to buy cookies, magazine subscriptions, or wrapping paper to support their school drives. If you could do it then, you can do it now. Say hello and then go into your job spiel…Hi I’m So and So. I’m graduating this month and I am looking for a position in organic farming. Do you know anyone in that field that I could talk to?  Again, don’t be shy. Heck, email me and ask me for help. I’m now a connection for you. Ask people on your Facebook page. Put it out there. We’re here to help.

(4.) If you’re still perplexed about what you want to do…stop right now for I have some homework for you. Write down the five companies where you would like to work. Remember once you get hired, that company is going to grab 40 or more hours of your time a week, so why not work at a company you actually want to work for! Try to work at those companies first.

And then add those companies to your job speech…”Hi I’m a recent graduate of BLANK and I’ve majored in engineering. I am looking for an entry-level position at one of these companies GE, Boeing, Apple, Microsoft or Northrup. Do you know anyone at one of these companies? And if so, would you mind contacting them on my behalf?”

You Should Feel Like A Winner When You Land Your Job

(5.) Be confident and don’t be desperate. You’re in charge of your destiny and your search. You do not have to take any job that comes around. First go after the companies on your target list. Do it. I don’t want you to wake up one morning and regret that you never worked at Facebook. You don’t know until you try. And once you get hired…remember to keep networking for you need to always be ready for your next great job…even if that’s a promotion at the same company.

So go get that job of your dreams. Or least one that is a close match. You have invested a great deal of time and money into yourself going after that college education. 

That’s why you deserve to work at a company that you want as well one that wants you.

If you ever need any encouragement, please contact me. I’d love to pass on more words to help you feel like “Rocky.”

Cindy

Love the Group of Students at Cal Poly Pomona and My Shirt! Thanks again.

(This post is in honor of all the students at Cal Poly Pomona. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know them over the last semester and from my time spent there, I surely feel our future is in good hands. Congrats Graduates and to everyone else I look forward to seeing you next year!)

 

About the Author: Cindy Ronzoni has spent the majority of her career in entertainment publicity at major corporations. She now wears an additional hat, that of, blogger. She blogs here and at her company’s website: SocialSpreadMedia.com. Feel free to friend her up on Facebook and follow her on twitter. She has a soft spot in her heart for students and is a big supporter of PRSSA local chapters.

 

A NICE PR PRACTICE

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Something that doesn’t get enough credit in the public relations arena and the world at large is when people are generally “nice” for no other reason or motive. When you stumble upon those times, which sadly are few and far in between, you cherish them.

I witnessed two such occasions of “niceness” in one day! And as such, it is a pleasure to tell you about them.

Masters Chairman Billy Payne Presents Hideki Matsuyama with 2011 Silver Cup Amateur Trophy Credit: Rob Brown/Augusta National

If you happened to watch the Green coat-award ceremony at yesterday’s 2011 Masters Golf Tournament on CBS Sports, you would have observed inspiring moments not only from its victor Char Schwartzel, but from its Silver Cup winner Hideki Matsuyama.

Asian Amateur champion Matsuyama earned the presitigous Silver Cup for Low Amateur scoring. He ranked in 27th place in the tournament, right in line with seven other pros like last year’s victor Phil Mickelson. Yes, it a great story how Matsuyama qualified for America’s most famous golf tourney, but, that’s not what I want to point out.  I was overwhelmed by his words in his acceptance speech. It was his acceptance speech that proved that this young 19-year-old college sophomore is a class act – a young man of great character. Why?

Matsuyama is a resident of Sendai, Japan – one of the cities that took a beating in the March 11 earthquake and the tsunami that followed.  Maysuyama attends Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, and although he won this coveted Masters honor, his heart and mind are on his country, his town and his friends, many of whom he still hasn’t reached.

In his acceptance speech he was  thankful for the honor, but now that the tournament was over, he was returning to his University’s dorm to see what’s left of it and to volunteer wherever needed.  He mentioned a couple of times how he was going to assist victims of the disaster and that was he primary plan moving forward.

Good for you Hideki. His actions were memorable and admirable.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A CEO Who Encountered "Nice-ness" Every Step of the Way While Visiting Baja Fresh Franchises

My second “nice” surprise occurred again on CBS later that night when I was watching “Undercover Boss.” This weekly TV series profiles CEO of major companies as they go incognito in their own company. It’s fascinating watching how these C-level executives are unable to perform many of the tasks that their employees do, and also, how much they undercover to make their businesses run more efficiently.

Last night’s episode particularly touched a “nice” spot in my heart, when Baja Fresh’s CEO David Kim was moved by the stories of his employees. The employees that he shared shifts with were all extraordinary people…the show did a wonderful job in casting.

But, you couldn’t help but not like Kim for the show opened up with him sitting in his office which is a normal run of the mill cubicle. He doesn’t believe in corner offices, for as he said, he wants to be where the staff is and be able to hear their valuable input. Very smart indeed.

Kim took that same approach and open attitude to every one of the stops he made. He wore his emotions on is his sleeve and was deeply concerned about every person’s struggles.  Not only did these cashiers and managers have an applicable life lesson for Kim, but for the viewers as well.

One story after the other were about perseverance, dedication and quality performance.  So much so, that mid-way through the experience, Kim had to find a church where he could humbly bow down to God and ask for forgiveness for taking so much for granted. His humility toward others and his desire for self-improvement were nice touches to be seen from a CEO at a major corporation.

I will frequent Baja Fresh more now and whenever in Las Vegas, I’ll be be sure to patron the special franchise Kim provided to Jose who was featured in the program.  I also live near Cypress and might try and visit the Baja Fresh that Anthony works at…he was a marvelous 20-year who was taking care of his mother and brothers and sisters.

If you missed the program, you can catch it online by clicking here. It’s a well-worth 44 minutes or so of  ”nice” television programming. Definitely worth watching. Also, congrats to how Baja Fresh has taken advantage of the “Undercover Boss” tie in. Their website provides additional information and special coupons and really plays up the show’s integration. What a fantastic extension of the program.

Also, take a peek at Kim’s personal Facebook page. He is getting rave reviews from many kind TV viewers…I’m sure that Baja Fresh’s sales are going to grow exponentially from this experience.

Wow! What did you think?

 

A+ brand extension from TV show to website for Baja Fresh

 

PRESIDENTIAL FACEBOOK LIVE GATHERING

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Honey, Hurry and Come Watch The Computer, The President is Speaking.

At 1:45 PM PT on Wednesday, April 20, I will be home sitting in front of my computer screen watching Facebook. My three favorite passions will all be in play with this event: I’ll be watching TV, engaging with Facebook and hearing President Obama live.

This is absolutely crazy! To think that a college student started up this multi-billion dollar Facebook company and  has turned it from primarily being a social network to a content provider. I love it.

President Obama’s former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was rumored to be in play for a position at Facebook. Hmmm. I wonder if he had any part in this webcast? My gut thinks he did.

The Wall Street Journal seems to think that President Obama is using this platform to engage with the younger voting community. And that may be true since its time to start thinking about his re-election. This live event will definitely reach a younger demographic on a platform they prefer.

The reason why I think this is a fabulous idea as a PR pro is the fact that is sends a signal that Facebook is now mainstream.  I am astonished that I still rub against folks who think Facebook is a fad. This just proves its not.

I’m sure if this live streaming event goes well, Facebook will be receiving pitches from other news makers desiring promotion on the Facebook platform. It could soon become a “bonafide” news channel! Unbelievable.

WILL FACEBOOK REPLACE TV SETS?

It’s just the start of many things to come via Facebook and I for one am anxious to see how the video will look. Will there be annoying lags? Will the audio drop?

Knowing the perfectionism that Facebook has shown us thus far, I would gander to think its going to be fine and remarkable.

Kudos to the White House press reps for suggesting it and for Mark Zuckerberg for making it happen.

Will you be tuning in as well? If so, what do you think about it?

 

 

An Investment You Can Afford – Empire Avenue

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Here's Another Site that Will Consume Your Time!

While lunching yesterday with fellow social media strategist/blogger Tim Tyrell-Smith he told me about this social media adventure called Empire Avenue. According to its website,“Empire Avenue is the Social Media Exchange, where you can buy and sell shares in any social media profile, meet new people, unlock Achievement badges, and earn boatloads of virtual cash by being active and social online! Buy shares in your friends, your followers, people with similar interests, brands you love, celebrities – anyone! All using a virtual currency and all for free!”

Tim was really excited about this social ranking website, mostly because it has a game-like component to it.  He wrote an in-depth blog post about it here and you should definitely take time to read it.

So, I had a few minutes yesterday and decided to check it out for myself.  And it’s really quite fun and I could see that for some social media types – Empire Avenue could be addicting. That is if you are one of those who is concerned about how you rank as a social media influencer. I don’t know about you, but for some reason I am concerned about my scores on Empire Avenue and on other such social media measuring sites like Klout and Peer Index. And I’m not too proud of that fact and would like to send this warning. Don’t let these sites trip you up so that you consume too much time or cause you to change your communication plans.

There are ways that you can increase your scores through little tricks like posting more on Facebook and sending more tweets to ratchet up your scores. I would like to forewarn you not to get caught up in all that. But in the end, does it really matter? These are not official rankings and not a true measurement of one’s success.

JOLLY GOOD FUN

There some things about this site which are impressive. The site exudes quality in every sense and presents numerous options to keep one interested.  It resembles the stock market and as such, it fun to buy and sell and evaluate stock in other humans, places and things. And the best part is that it’s not real money. You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s like a Monte Carlo event for online. And if you’re feeling really generous I’d love you to invest in me…the ticker symbol is THE RONZ.

Even though I’m not making money, Empire Avenue is. Empire Avenue has cleverly integrated advertising onto its site by allowing “investors” to earn more shares by engaging with products on its Shop Section.  Empire Avenue’s currency is called “Eaves.” You can earn additional Eaves by twittering and posting on Facebook and by shopping through its store.  Eaves can be acquired free or through real money.  You can watch videos, buy magazines, take surveys and purchase some through PayPal.

What I also like about Empire Avenue is that it allows me another opportunity to network online and become better acquainted with others I know.  I was really excited to invest in TRADERBECK, an advertising reporter friend of mine, and a few others fellow bloggers.

I was pleased as to how effortlessly Empire Avenue connected all of my social media activities into my profile. I was able to add in my blogs in the profile too and others are able to endorse them. As a blogger, I love that it helps spread my efforts to a new network of social media friends.

So the connections are good. The site is polished. And if I consider my time on Empire Avenue to be used as break from work, then its worthwhile.  If I think of it as a game, then I don’t feel as guilty investing my time.

But…there are some things on the other side of the coin that I have to look at like…

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

Finance is not my strong suit.  When it comes to the stock market and portfolio management I have a pro who looks after mine. So, I wanted to check this out with a friend of mine who’s a financial wizard of sorts. He loves the thrill of buying and selling and does a great job of it so I wanted him to tell me his opinion. When I called him to ask him about Empire Avenue he said that he doesn’t participate in such activities that resemble the stock market for fun. He said that there are other sites that represent this area and those sites are chock full of ads from investment firms and funds.  He said the main reason these sites exist is to help others start to understand the stock market and become more comfortable enough with it so that they start real online accounts. I do see his point. I don’t think this is the case for Empire Avenue – but, clearly this site is about earning a profit. If you dig a bit deeper in the “Shop” area, you will see that’s an integral part of the site…to buy sponsored products.

We all need to make money and that’s how Empire Avenue collects their paycheck through its Shop section.  They hope that a participant gets so excited about buying and trading that they will want to earn or buy more Eaves. And if a user engages with a advertiser they probably get a take of it as well.  And although, I’ve noticed this…I do appreciate that our home pages on Empire Avenue are commercial free.  The advertisers are only seen when you visit the Shop Section.

Empire Avenue also has a foursquare component to it where the user earns badges.  On foursquare it is quite difficult to earn badges, but not so on Empire Avenue. In 24 hours I’ve earned 55 badges. That’s a bit too much don’t you think?

A Partial List of My Achievement Badges Earned in Less Than 24 Hours

Also, every time you earn one of their achievement badges, they want you to tweet it out. If you do, you get three more Eaves.  Because of  this, Empire Avenue can become the Farmville of Twitter.  I tweeted a bit too much about this stuff wanting to earn Eaves before I realized how I was cluttering up my brand on Twitter and potentially infuriating my followers.

I did not intend for this post to be a downer about Empire Avenue. I really think you should check it out. But, in doing so, just be careful not to get too carried away by your personal score or by over-messaging to increase your “unofficial” social media ranking.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about such social media measurement sites. While they are fun…are they really not anything more than a waste of time? What’s your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU CAN WATCH THE MOVIE ON MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

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Facebook is becoming the new generation of TV sets.

Very shortly, you won’t be hearing this question much longer–”Which movie theater do you want to go to?”  That question will be replaced with — “Whose Facebook account do you want to use to watch the movie?” Crazy isn’t it!!! But, its real and its happening now.

Facebook will become the next movie-house, and in my humble opinion, this utility will make a dent into businesses like Netflix as well as Hulu and the other companies who stream movies directly into your homes. The only difference between Facebook and the others is its available library. It will only take a matter of time for Facebook to cut similar distribution deals like it did last Wednesday with Warner Bros. And sooner than later, you’ll be purchasing movies to watch off of Facebook on a regular basis.  So is Facebook becoming the new TV set? Yes.

THE SOCIAL MOVIE EXPERIENCE

I still can’t fully wrap my head about this idea and I personally need to see it in action. I do watch video now on Facebook through services like Ustream or Livestream.  And I have to admit those images are grainy, but that’s because they are live. When I watch posted videos on Facebook, the video is picture perfect, but the video lags and I have to wait for the video to catch up with the streaming…which is annoying.

So I am unsure as to how movies will play out on Facebook. I do have to endure commercial interruptions on broadcast and some cable TV, however, I don’t know if I will be able to tolerate long lag times while watching a movie.  For when the video stalls over the Internet, one is never certain of when it will return. Will be a matter of seconds? A minute or maybe two? And you can’t control when the lags will occur. I’d hate to have the movie stall at a crucial moment in the action. But, I do think that these transmissions will improve over time and that Facebook will become the new choice for movie screenings.

Fewer and Fewer People and Muppets will Patron Movie Theaters, Once Facebook offers more Movies. Flickr Credit: Positiviely Puzzled

FACEBOOK WILL REPLACE GOING TO THE MOVIES

Right now I use the services of Redbox to rent recent movies. I like the price (a mere buck) and the number of locations where I can find the rental units.  I do pay for a number of premium cable channels and through that distribution platform I do get my fill of movie choices and movie watching.

But, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict the future of movie theaters. They have just out-priced themselves. It has to be a spectacular movie for me to fork out $12 for two-hours of entertainment at a theater. I’d rather wait the 16 weeks for the DVD window. One month after that, it’s everywhere for rent. With the current sub-par movie fare I can wait that long and pay a buck.

But this is huge idea of watching Facebook movies and how you would watch them..on what device.  I do have a 27″ iMac screen, but I do not have an Internet ready television set yet. I could probably seat three comfortably in my office to watch a movie on Facebook, but the thought never crossed my mind to make my office function as a movie theater as well.

In fact, there really isn’t a room appropriate in my current home to transform into a movie theater-like setting. However, with movie theaters fading into the sunset, this new requirement will be need to be in every home. I have seen it done. I have visited two homes recently where the owners have transformed one of their existing rooms into a home theater.  And it was a great room in the house.

Home theaters will be replacing the family den.  They are the new den, where all the games and electronic gadgets are housed. And if I was going to purchase a new home now, I’d make sure that if it didn’t have a home theater, then one of the rooms could be transformed into one.

Now this is a Home Theater! Credit: jdesigngroup

If I worked at one of those home improvement cable networks, I would start producing a show on how to transform an ordinary space into a home theater “den” and of course, I’d emphasize cost-efficiency. This is going to be a real boom. I can just see it.

But this does come with a warning. If you are one of the first to have a home theater, then you must also love to host gatherings at your home. For it may be some time before your friends will be able to reciprocate and invite you over. You are welcome to come here and watch a movie on Facebook with me, but you’ll have to not mind my cramped office quarters er office/home theater.

Oh, how the times are changing.

In closing, I’ve got a few questions for you as I wrap up this post.

How do you plan on watching movies on Facebook. Over your iPad? Mobile phone? Home computer?

Do you have a home theater? If not, do your plans call for one in the future?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Cindy

 

 

When Did I Become a Sponsor?

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How do you like these Facebook apples?

Here’s an article I read yesterday morning from Geoffrey A. Folwer in the WSJ and it was alarming.  The first sentence says it all.

“Some of what Facebook Inc. users post to the social network will soon start showing up in ads aimed at their friends.”

What? When did I become a sponsor and an unpaid sponsor at that!!!

I'm not a Fan of the Facebook sponsored stories. Flickr Credit:roadkilltshirts

The article went on…”The company, as part of an effort dubbed “sponsored stories,” plans to allow advertisers to buy and re-publish Facebook messages that users voluntarily post about brands—such as a check-in at a local coffee shop for which a user clicks the site’s “like” button. The sponsored posts will get plucked out and posted again on the top right-hand column of the home page next to other ads. Sponsoring a post increases the chance friends will notice it, since new postings in the news feed push others down and off the page. The user’s name and photo appears in the ad.”

Again…what the heck? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a shill for the places I check into. Just because I like something, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only place I recommend.  Since when does Facebook think it has the right to draft off of my reputation for their gain? Oh, yeah, I forgot that they are taking over the world right now, so I guess they have the right with over 600 million users!

PROTECTING MY RIGHTS TO “LIKE”

Because I am Facebook Inc. user, I will have to roll over and let them use my likeness to push products.  I don’t want to give up Facebook and up until this point, I’ve never had a complaint, but this little news does make me mad. I feel its a violation of my rights.

As a PR practitioner, I am hyper sensitive to my alignments. And from this point on, I do know that I will make adjustments to my “like” strategy.  I often support others who are starting up businesses and therefore “like” their pages.  However, as an example let’s say I help out a friend by”liking” their assisted living facility.  Even though I “liked” it, I don’t want my photo to be on my friends pages saying that I sponsor their efforts!  That’s just crazy.

Sadly, from this moment on I may not “like” anything anymore.  This is total baloney.

Also, I want some of my friends to “like” my business page for Social Spread Media. But, I don’t mind if they “like” other PR agencies too.  But, with these ads our friends will think that we are advocating that sponsored story as our top choice for the product.

I’m not too happy about this and I would “like” to hear your thoughts on Facebook sponsored stories. Right now I’m FF’d (frustrated with Facebook!)  Zuckerberg you let me down, man!

Cindy