All in Social Media

ESPN and the Catholic School Teacher

Don Martelli
Media, ,

So I've had some time to sit on the ESPN-Twittergate story. If you haven't followed it, ESPN told employees that they were going to prohibit the use of Twitter unless posts served the needs of the network, i.e. don't post about what you're drinking, post about how many K's Beckett had last night.

The guidelines were sniffed out by Mashable; was tweeted by Ric Bucher, a NBA beat reporter for ESPN and ESPN.com with over 18k followers; and was analyzed by a zillion other bloggers/media outlets and tweeted like there was no tomorrow.

To get the word from the horses mouth, read this article on Sports Business Daily. But basically, ESPN.com Editor-In-Chief Rob King, one of the architects of the new plan, said:

Sometimes I forget that I know a lot

Don Martelli

By no means and I a social media expert. I am just a guy who's worked in the journalism and communications business for over 14 years. I've had a lot of experiences; worked with a variety of clients; managed a number of programs; and, have had my share of success and failures. One common thread throughout my career is technology. I've built websites. I've managed databases. I've fixed computers. I've set up small business networks. I've managed intranets. Since early 2000, I've utilized a number of online services that have now been classified as social networks.

My point here is that I know a lot about the PR business and I just so happen to be a big tech geek that knows a lot about all the tools jammed into the crowded space called social media. Am I am an expert? Nah...people at the office my say otherwise, but I'm just doing my job and keep us ahead of the tech curve.

This leads me to this morning. I was asked by the Boston Chamber of Commerce to organize and moderate a panel discussion on developing social media strategies. Overall it was a success. I got lots of positive feedback and made some great new connections on the social web.

What the MJ media madness has taught me

Don Martelli
Entertainment, Media, Music,

Yes, we all know that Michael Jackson died. It's hard NOT to know considering the amount of media coverage the King of Pop's passing has received and continues to receive. Don't worry, I'm not going to write about his music, the allegations, how much of a freak he was or wasn't, etc. This post is about what the media madness around the MJ story has taught me as a PR professional, former journalist and social media hound.

I first caught wind of something being "up" with MJ via my Blackberry Storm by way of a New York Times news alert. The headline read, "Michael Jackson hospitalized with heart problems," or something to that extent. I was hanging out with my co-workers at the time and after I announced that to the group, someone said, "Oh man, imagine if he died?" Within a second of that comment, I received an instant message on my BB from my wife, "OMG...Michael Jackson died!" I turned to the group and gave them the news. We all immediately grabbed our mobile devices and started checking out Twitter and Facebook. We then turned the TV channel to CNN.

I remember when the news broke that Magic Johnson had HIV. I heard a rumor in school and it was that MJ had aids. I was thinking Michael Jordan, not Jackonson or Magic. I got home after school, just in time for the press conference on one of the major networks - think it was ABC at the time. However, from the time I heard the rumor to the time I actually confirmed the news, it was a span of two to three hours. With the Michael Jackson story, I got initial word, rumor confirmation, web confirmation and finally news confirmation all within 20 seconds of each other. That's how fast news spreads in today's internet-based news environment.

#favfriday The Big Move Edition

Don Martelli
#favfriday, ,

So today MS&L Boston moves from our location at 745 Boylston Street to 33 Arch Street. Really excited about it as we'll be bunkering with the wikked smaht people at Digitas (not to mention creative and cool).

Without any further adeu, here's today's #favfriday:

One of the advantages of being at 745 Boylston was the fact that I was right down the street from the Apple store. Ironically enough, today is the official launch of the iPhone 3Gs.I had to include spot-on location coverage of all the crazy Apple fans waiting in line to get their new toy (I'd normally be in that line, but I'm no eligible for the upgrade just yet).

Online ID Brand Jacking

Don Martelli
Branding, ,

Since the explosion of social media, brands have looked at it like it was the wild wild west. For the most part it was. Remember back in the mid to late 90s when there was a dot-com for everything? People were snatching up URLs like looters during a riot. 

With the announcement of Facebook usernames and Twitter verified accounts, brands (personal or business) need to step up their game and solidify their online identity before it gets jacked. In the same vein, they need to have a slush fund for those folks who are going snatch up account names JUST so they can leverage it with a brand and get paid. It's going to happen. Trust me.

PR Dark Ages

Don Martelli
PR,

You know when you are in the PR Dark Ages, when:

1) You spend more time on lists than content

2) You look for the "easy button"

3) Your headline is a string of optimized keywords that don't make a sentence

4) You "dry fire" a press release without any context or actual media contacts

Return on Engagement

Don Martelli

Reading this post got me thinking (yet again) about social media and measurement. 

There is a lot of talk (years of it actually) about tracking links with shorteners, following threads for positive and negative comments, surveys, retweets, followers, etc., etc. 

Yes, these are all legit forms of measurement. However, talk to the VP of sales. Are they excited about someone retweeting a link from their company's president who was talking about their banner year? 

Probably not. 

Wanna know why? 

Because that retweet, while it might have reached 10,000 Twitterers, didn't turn into a sale, a donation, an inquiry, etc. 

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