Wide-eyed and Jaded

Thanks to FASHION Magazine’s Reporter Search, I am so overwhelmed with my new discovery of interesting and talented fashion bloggers. Until now, I thought I was doing a pretty good job at keeping up with these unique Canadian fashionistas. I was mistaken!

Posts highlighting bloggers’ individual styles, tastes and hometowns were judged by members of the FASHION team, and 20 finalists spanning our home and native land were named. The regions represented are Eastern Canada 1 and 2, Montreal, Toronto, Ontario, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. I love how many of the participants’ entry posts, bios and personal blogs exude their whereabouts. That’s Canadian regional pride in action, my friends.

I’m particularly interested to see how the search pans out for ridiculously cute Jill Butler in St. John’s, N.L., ultimate Belleville, Ont. hipster Isabel Slone and the ever lovely Terri Potratz in Vancouver, B.C.

Visitors to the contest site can choose between two bloggers per region to vote for once per day. FASHION says, “the one with the most votes wins a trip to New York City! The 10 winning bloggers will become key players on our web site, reporting on the latest shopping scoop in their cities.”

Great campaign, FASHION! I’ll be voting every day.

One last thing: Will you all please dearly vote for Terri on my behalf? Terri’s blog, The Conveyor Belt, is rich with dynamic conversations about fashion, beauty, arts and culture and more. She has been so good to me since starting at Veritas, and I can’t think of a better way to thank her!

Tags are called labels on Blogger, right? I was just reading my friend David’s blog (it’s private, so no need to link) and became really happy at the sight of his labels.

In school, at PodCamps, etc., we’re taught tags and labels are a great way to have more people find your blog, website or what have you. Don’t call me on this, but I think David’s labels are more of a personal filing system. If he talks about his girlfriend Andrea, the post is added to his blog’s Andrea category. The majority of his labels are names of his friends. I just think it’s really sweet to see such a personal touch brought back to this space for me.

I love his blog, BTW. He writes his daily accounts living in Ottawa. Before he started this one, he wrote everyday in a blog about Toronto life. I think writing so simplistically every day helps him as a writer. And, it reminds me how important it is to have other things to do online than socialize with the same people who do the same things as you.

If you don’t already, I strongly suggest you find some blogs to read about every personal interest you have. I’m probably repeating myself, but it helps re-humanize this space.

The blurred lines between authenticity/transparency and good ol’ fun with our good friend social media is a pretty hot topic in the Toronto PR realm right now. After listening to the latest episode of Inside PR, I realized I have a few thoughts to sort out about the issue.

Local screenwriter Jill Golick presented Story2Oh! at CaseCamp Toronto 7 a couple weeks ago. In very basic and not at all sufficient language, her idea to bring her work online lead to the creation of a group of fictional characters that live and interact online with each other and with real people. Golick’s characters had Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, posted videos on YouTube, etc. I was amazed by the presentation and intricacy of the entire phenomenon. And, I couldn’t wait to get home and look these people up on the many social networks they are part of.

But, when I got around to doing a Facebook search (the next day, oops!), I discovered Ali Barrett et al. no longer live on the site. Someone at Facebook learned of Terms of Service compromise and removed the four from Canada’s favourite social network.

Okay, that’s fair–Golick broke the rules (unlike my brother’s friend) and paid the consequences. She knows this, and she has been nothing but professional and diplomatic about the situation that blew up in the blogosphere the following few days. I wish the same could be said for the other writers who have her back.

My good friend Eden asked a question about transparency after Golick’s presentation. She said one of the characters requested to be her Facebook friend and she found no obvious explanation of her falseness on her profile. Golick apologized for the confusion and said she made sure to point that fact out every place her characters live. My favourite part of the question from “the woman with dark hair” was when she pointed out that many people toy with their 160 character bios on Twitter. People write all kinds of cutesy things. Saying “I’m a fictional character” shouldn’t always be taken at face value in that space.

Eden was attacked after the Facebook profiles were deleted. She was accused as reporting Golick’s imaginary friends to Facebook–which never happened. In order to straighten out the situation and explain her stance on transparency, Eden wrote this post on One Degree. I was disgusted with a lot of the feedback she received, particularly this gem from Bill Cunningham:

…

But what’s really heinous is the idea that people who attended a conference in “new” media were so closed-minded and somehow offended (though I really don’t see how they could be. You would think they would want to learn how it was done) that they decided to “tell on” Jill and her storytelling team instead of simply ending the “friendship.”

Those folks will never think to the future. Those folks will never be able to innovate, adapt or overcome. Those folks hold the rest of us back. They are a sign of the “grim meathook future” (look it up) that awaits us if we keep doing things the same old way we always have instead of getting down to the business of learning and growing up.

…

Here’s what I had to say:

And to Bill re: new media people being closed minded–I completely disagree. These people use social media every day for both personal and professional reasons. They are paid based on their transparency; their ability to interact with people online while fully disclosing who they are, who they work for and why they’re in a specific space. These people are making sure the blurred line of authenticity isn’t completely crossed forever.

I don’t disagree with everything you said, but most of the people who attended CaseCamp aren’t in the business of interactive screenwriting.

That still doesn’t say much to the topic I introduced this post with, but I felt it was important to tell this person that there were two very different groups of people with different backgrounds approaching the situation.

As to having fun with flogs (does it really have to be a negative word every time?), see my post about the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall on glossblog. I say let them have fun!

On IPR 110, Terry Fallis said he has no problem with these promotional blogs as long as there is some up front, honest information about who is really writing the blog and what is really going on. You know… I don’t even think I’d go that far. Peter Bretter’s blog didn’t do that.

There is, of course, a huge difference between RVing around America, sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots and blogging about the experience all the while hiding the fact that you’re a journalist hired by the firm handling the company’s PR and blogging from the perspective of a character in a movie or an Aussie party boy.

In the case of the latter, I think these blogs challenge the reader to figure things out and put pieces together. Let’s make our audiences as smart as we want them to be. It is possible.

Photo by Jill Golick

Howdy folks,

I have a couple posts up my sleeve, but to tide you over until I re-gain some post-work energy, take a look at my first post on Veritas’ gloss blog: YOU LOOK GREAT IN THAT CAMPAIGN SARAH MARSHALL.

gloss is Canada’s first marketing communications division devoted to women under 30. The blog creates discussion about topics that cater to this demographic and those interested in marketing to it.

Thanks to my classmate Rhonda Bowen for sparking my interest in the Sarah Marshall campaign.

My friends, colleagues and regular readers know how big an issue ethics is to me. So, in keeping with my theme of being as transparent as possible, I need to let you all know that I am writing this post not entirely upon my own free will. Don’t get me wrong—this topic is near and dear to me. But, I might be putting more thought into today’s entry than some of my others.

Without further ado, I’m writing to say this post will count as part of my final grade in my Online PR course. The assignment “requires a posting that takes a look a particular development of social media as it pertains to corporate communications or public relations,” as written by my professor Gary Schlee.

Let’s get on to the goods, shall we?

While researching what professionals are doing to maintain ethics in their industries, I found the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s Ethics Code. The six points of the code are:

1. Consumer protection and respect are paramount
2. The Honesty ROI: Honesty of Relationship, Opinion, and Identity
3. We respect the rules of the venue
4. We manage relationships with minors responsibly
5. We promote honest downstream communications
6. We protect privacy and permission

The code isn’t impeccably applicable to many of the problems I have with maintaining honesty and integrity online. But, I highly respect WOMMA for making that “first step in the complicated process of building an industry based on consumer respect and fundamental ethical principles” (Source). And, I think it’s important for everyone to have their own standards when it comes to their own online communication.

Lately, I’ve been bothered by a certain personal blogging practice. I’ve noticed that a lot of bloggers are pretty much ignoring some of the comments left on their blogs. This rubs me the wrong way because I think it’s important to recognize and acknowledge those taking the time to say something about what you’ve written.

I asked my Twitter pals, “What is your personal philosophy on responding to comments on your blog?” Here are some answers:

• I always try to respond to comments on my blog, but sometimes I forget
• I respond in some form, as long as it’s not spam
• I only respond if it moves the conversation along
• I respond if I have something to say or something that adds value. No “Thanks for the comment” posts, though.

There is, of course, an exception to my thought process. And, the last two points on my list speak to that. Just as a comment you make should add value to the post, so should your response to a message left on your blog.

Joel Postman recently had an interesting encounter with JetBlue Airways. The company created a Twitter account to keep those interested (customers, potential customers, fans?) up to date on the goings-on within the organization.

This is not the first time a company or organization has appeared on Twitter. However, I think JetBlue is doing something relatively new. Not only is it tweeting about JetBlue, it is engaging in conversation with other twitterers.

Joel was talking to someone on Twitter about the possible spam position the company is risking as a non-individual randomly following strangers. JetBlue picked up on the conversation (attention to details, people!) and began to follow Joel and the others participating in the conversation.

He didn’t take too pleasantly to this at first. And, I would have the same initial reaction considering it’s a little creepy to utter a word and see the repercussions instantly. But, JetBlue recognized some discomfort, and took itself off Joel’s (and the others’) list of followees. On top of that, one of the company’s corporate communicators contacted Joel and politely apologized. Even more, the two continued to discuss the topic via a series of e-mails.

I realize signing one’s company up on Twitter is just a communications tactic. But, here is one business that’s doing it right. Purposely or not, it is abiding by the WOMMA’s Ethics Code quite a bit.

JetBlue lets people “form their own honest opinions, and they decide what to tell others.” It recognizes it “cannot control what real people say or how a message will be presented after multiple generations of conversation.” And, it promotes “the Honesty ROI in downstream communications” (Source).

Bonus: A lot is said about a company’s reputation when it has 745 followers on Twitter (only 68 fewer people than it follows). That is pretty impressive compared to other organizations that have been attempting this tactic longer than JetBlue joined the party.

And, hey, Joel’s post even generated a thoughtful, value-adding comment from a reader! : )

People are always going to hate on Pitchfork for the same reasons people are always going to hate on Kanye.

But, you know what? It doesn’t matter. When you’ve been around—doing the same thing thousands of people are trying to mimic—for so long, you get respect. Period. The folk at Pitchfork may be pretentious and often say outlandish things, but they will always be read.

Here’s why:

Witty buggers, aren’t they?

For those of you who don’t quite get the joke, the scenario is: Radiohead initially released the album independently as a digital download. Fans/customers could buy the download for as much as they were willing to pay. IT’S UP TO YOU. Things are a little different now. I mean, Starbucks is selling the album, but them’s the breaks.

(And yes, I spent about half an hour taking many screen shots to make the pictures the same size. I’m cool like that.)

In closing, I present you with the funniest record review I have ever read. I strongly urge you to click the link. Give me 10 more seconds of your life. You won’t be sorry.

This here, folks, is a reality check.

I empathize with so many of you (particularly my colleagues) who are stressed about making that first frightful step in the blogging world. But, some of you are dead-set against the practice of blogging, have written about hating it and are only doing so because it’s required for our Online PR course.

I think what’s important to keep in mind is how fortunate we are to have professors who are genuinely interested in helping us get where we want to be.

You may ask, “Why are we doing this?” and think blogging is nothing more than an online diary. But, believe it or not, we are ahead of the game. Students learning social media is more rare than you think.

As Gary recently posted in the course blog, two practitioners have written about the fact that PR students at Centennial have started blogs as part of the curriculum.

I suggest you go read the discussion on Joseph Thornley’s blog that reaches both ends of the argument. I find James McNally’s point of view particularly interesting. But, as I pointed out in my comment (which is currently awaiting moderation), I think PR students can prove their worth in the blogosphere.

Also of interest is Bob LeDrew’s entry asking for feedback from PR and communications students who are learning about social media. Drop him a line and let him know what you think about what we’re learning. He’s genuinely interested!

LeDrew also recently wrote about Joseph Jaffe’s new book Join the Conversation, about using Web 2.0 and applying it to your business. He offered up a copy of the book to an Ottawa-based student studying PR, communications or journalism who left the best comment about “joining the conversation.” But, no one posted!

So, he gave a friendly reminder about the contest to students in Ottawa, while threatening to open the contest to students elsewhere:

If I don’t see any comments coming from local students, I’m gonna open the gates up to any student in Canada. I regularly see pings from places like Centennial College, Mount Royal, and Grant McEwan, so maybe they just want to work on the cutting edge of communications more.

When responses finally started to arrive, LeDrew made this comment in response to an entrant:

You might be interested in this post (from my boss, who should get well soon, by the way) about some of what’s happening at Centennial College in their PR program: http://tinyurl.com/223bm3

Might be time to ask your profs why they aren’t doing something similar.

You see, folks—we’re cutting-edge! Let’s stop doubting the unfamiliar so much and learn the benefits of joining the conversation.

I’m glad Lisa posted this because I was toying with the idea for a while. I think it’s a great idea that we share some things about ourselves that, while not too personal, would not likely come up in our typical conversations.

So, I’m going to pretend Lisa tagged me, and fill out this little meme myself. And, I will tag some of you to do the same. Do it! Come on, it’s fun!

Without further hesitation, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about me:

1. The town I lived in for the first 11 years of my life has a population of about only 300. My mother grew up there, her parents lived there and it was just a fantastic place to grow up. My house was steps away from the Atlantic Ocean. We had a big bay window, and we’d watch whales play all summer days long.

My house was not far right of these two. Ours was one of the larger houses in the community; a two-and-a-half story home, updated with a beautiful skylight window in the upstairs.

The closest “city” was a 45-minute drive away, and its population was about 5,000—the same size as Napanee (where I went to high school), which everyone thinks is unbelievably small.

2. Some of you already know this because of my stories during the planning of our mock media conference, but when I was little, my imaginary friend was Wayne Gretzky.

That’s right—I wasn’t imaginative enough to create my own imaginary friend. I had to borrow one from the LA Kings. I didn’t even like hockey growing up, and I still barely do, but my dad was pretty into it, and he’s always been a huge role model for me.

One time, my brother overheard me having a conversation with myself in the sandbox. When he asked me who I was talking to, I said, “Wayne Gretzky.” There you have it. Oh, and my mother still has copies of letters I wrote to Wayne, telling him I planned to visit him and his family in LA.

3. I was voted mostly likely to work for Rolling Stone in my high school yearbook. This is largely because I was on the yearbook staff, and I refused to believe I was meant to do anything else.

4. I LOVE back-to-school shopping, but I have never needed to do so. I have more empty notebooks and unused pens than I do used.

5. My parents are ministers. That’s right—both of them.

My mother went into the ministry when she was 17, but left after under three years because she found it difficult to handle as a young, single woman. Mom and dad went back to the training college when I was 11, and my family lived in a college with about 30 other students and their families for two years.

6. I boast about the east coast of Canada like I’m getting paid for it, but I’ve never been farther west than Toronto. (Don’t worry, I really want to go some day!)

7. I own probably more than 50 pairs of socks. (I’m obviously not counting.) I’m not much into buying them anymore, but there was a time when I couldn’t step into a clothing store without buying a pair of socks. My close friends and family know me as a person who loves socks, so I add at least a half-dozen more pairs to my collection every Christmas.

8. I go to a lot of concerts. The first musician I saw live was contemporary Christian artist Ray Boltz in Mount Pearl, N.L.

Hilarious, right? Here’s a more recent photo:

When I moved to Ottawa for university, I began going to shows by myself because I didn’t have many friends who liked the music I did. Since coming to Toronto, I’ve been to about 12 shows.

I’ve seen Hot Hot Heat four times and The New Pornographers and Tegan and Sara three times, just to name a few. This number may pale in comparison to others’ lists, but keep in mind, I haven’t been going to shows for that many years (I’m young!).

9. I don’t wear jeans. I just don’t like them on me. I wish I did, but they just don’t work for me. I wore a pair one day last semester, but it was a lot less weird for you guys (my classmates) because you didn’t know this about me!

10. I used to blog on a site that no longer exists, called Teen Open Diary.

I had a personal journal and one under the moniker -Alexis Bledel-. Yes, the girl from Gilmore Girls. There was a tightly knit community of people on the site that role played as famous people. We would update our blogs about our fake lives, befriend other celebrities and even find role playing boyfriends and girlfriends. There was no live chat, so we’d meet on one person’s page, leave comments to each other and refresh the browser every 30 seconds for hours on end.

…I am lame, I know.

As promised, I tag the following people to share some of their unknowns with us:

• Miranda
• Megan
• Rick
• Joe
• Natalie

I apologize for writing so much, and I’ll try to keep my posts shorter from now on. They will usually be less colleague-centred, also.