New Influencers wk9

Every week I dread doing my reading comprehension posts because I never feel like I have anything new to say. This week is no different, and after reading chapter seven in the New Influencers book I'm even more confused as to what I believe.

As probably only Aggy will know, my PR post this week was how social media tools shouldn't be used by everyone. I had that in the back of my mind as I was reading for this week and it kept nagging at me how Gillin kept raving on it.

With quotes like "Social media is PR's turn to shine," and "No profession stands to influence social media more than public relations," I'd have to say that Gillin makes social media seem like the end-all-be-all of where PR is headed. While I definitely understand the advantages it holds for PR, I'm not certain that it is the ONLY thing we need to study and have going for us.

PR professionals still need to be creative and intuitive. We still need to be good writers and organizers with impeccable people skills. Those are things social media tools can't replace, and I think the author of New Influencers tends to get wrapped up in that too much.

Now there's something to Twitter about.

Viral Marketing wk7

The viral marketing chapter in the New Influencers book was very interesting. After reading, I have to agree with something that was said within the first few pages. Gillin states that viral marketing, "is an inherently risky strategy. A viable message that doesn't catch on is a waste" (pg 180). It's amazing to me how many people are willing to take such a risk. You can have an idea, put it out there and it may catch on or it may not. It seems as though you really have nothing to lose but everything to gain. This is possibly why viral marketing is so attractive.

I've also wondered the same question B.L. Ochman wondered when he started his viral campaign "Up Your Budget": HOW DO PEOPLE FIND THIS STUFF??

The person starts a Web site that sends $10,000 to sixteen U.S. cities and basically allows any person to take the clues and try to be the first to find the money. Are there people who sit around all day just thinking, "hmm, maybe there's a Web site out there that will send me on a scavenger hunt for money?!" I'd really hope that isn't true, but sites like those and PostSecret, and Ethics Crisis that catch on and garnish tons of popularity still make me wonder HOW?

Tag, You're It! wk 6

Though I'm not a huge fan of the New Influencers book, I have to say that chapter nine began to spark my interest when it discussed the use of tags.

Unlike with my difficulty in wrapping my head around what an RSS feed is, I tend to think that tags are self-explanitory devices. I'd always noticed them at the bottom of articles or blogs, and I knew that tags played a huge part in the success of search engines, but I never knew just how important that made them in the grand scheme of social media!

One thing I will give this book, is the fact that for every subject brought up, Gillin will give about 5 examples to help clarify. I never knew that there were sites on the Web set up to specifically track tags and what they say. TagWorld, and del.icio.us are especially interesting to me after I checked them out and did a few searches. The possibilities are endless! It's amazing that I could probably sit around all day thinking of ways I'd like to be able to search for information, by what category, and there would be some specialized Web site out there that will do just what I wish!

With technology we're always wondering, "what will they think of next?" but with so much out there already, I have to sit back and wonder, "is there anything left to think of?"