Wide-eyed and Jaded

Before I explain what this is all about, please know I didn’t say one of these words about myself. That is exactly why this list was created. “You’re so hard on yourself” is a phrase uttered to me often, and I heard a lot of it this weekend at PodCamp Boston 3.

It’s hard for me to take someone else’s advice regarding my personal life because I’m so stuck in my own mind. But my amazing friends who attended PCB3 with me helped me step out of my head for a while and appreciate Rayanne for everything Rayanne is.

After the final day of the conference, my group/our clique/the awesome Seesmicers went out to make sure we said goodbye on a high note. When I wasn’t paying attention, my e-mom passed around a napkin printed with the words, “Rayanne is” and asked everyone to choose five words that they thought described me.

You’ve seen the result.

The phrase I most clearly remember from PCB3 is: Seesmic is emotional.

I spent the weekend with about a dozen people I met many months ago on Seesmic. I have gotten to know these people online as well as I would have if I met them in person. When we departed early Monday morning, I cried. And cried and cried and cried. When my co-workers asked me on Tuesday morning how my weekend was, I had to choke back tears and tell them I wasn’t ready to talk about it.

I feel like I’m going through a breakup. The feeling was especially present when I expressed my complete sadness to some of the other PCB3 attendees and got responses like, “Yeah, it’s sad, but we’ll see each other again soon.” I thought I was too emotionally attached and was about to torture myself further.

But my friend (and one of the group) ChrisCavs said it best on a Seesmic post with something like this:

I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s constantly checking Flickr for new pictures and videos. What is it with this weekend? I guess we all needed something like that.

So, I’m not alone. PodCamp Boston was a wonderful experience. Seesmic is emotional. And I’ll likely have more to say about that later.

Photos by MissSomething and Starman.

I went to FacebookCamp Toronto 4 tonight with my friends Eden and Miranda. According to the FacebookCamp wiki, the evening was “an unconference for everyone with an interest in building on the Facebook Platform. FacebookCamp brings together developers, marketers, strategists, technologists, and students, in an open and collaborative environment of sharing and learning.”

The speakers were from Facebook’s monetization team; representatives of Trapeze and Refresh Partners, who were the event’s organizers; and Facebook application developers.

First, some Facebook stats that aren’t necessarily new, but always cool:

• One third of Canadians are on Facebook
• Six per cent of Facebook users are from Ontario
• Ontario is the world’s most present state on Facebook
• There are over 30,000 Facebook applications
• There were only about 5,000 applications six months ago
• There is a significant growth in users signing up to Facebook in September

Facebook’s Rebecca Sawyer spoke about monetizing Facebook applications. Much of what she talked about surrounded the use of social ads and exact targeting. This information wasn’t new to me because this is stuff I actively seek to learn about every day. Further, I’ve been playing around with Facebook ads for work lately, so I understood first hand the slides she guided us through. But, I found her presentation particularly interesting because I heard it in terms of teaching developers how to target and attract audiences. She advised, “Target ads to smaller, more specific groups of users.”

Sawyer’s main points of advice to monitize a Facebook application are:

1. Take advantage of social actions
2. Target an exact audience
3. Write interesting, effective ad text
4. Create multiple ads to find out which are more effective
5. Optimize

Andrew Cherwenka from Trapeze introduced the attendees to Facebook’s upcoming new look and feel. He says Facebook “cleaned themselves up” because the clutter was starting “be a little like MySpace.” Profiles will soon be organized by tabs such as Info, Photos, Applications, etc. One of the first things I look at when I get a few Facebook friend is their education and work info. I’m excited to not have to sift through seas of monster applications and FunWalls in order to find this information.

The applications tab (and possibly the others) is fully customizable in terms of placement and organization. An optional tab will be made available for users to add their favourite app to their tabs. The tabs will most likely be the first thing seen on a user’s profile, so this option is a great way for developers to “pitch their own apps,” says Cherwenka.

The new interface (which will be live in about a week) is supposed to be available for viewing now at new.facebook.com, but doesn’t seem to be working for me right now. How about everyone else?

The Facebook application case studies presented were:

• Refresh Analytics presented by Roy Pereira, Refresh Partners
• Praize’n'raze presented by Sebastien Provencher, Praized Media
• MouseHunt presented by Joel Auge, HitGrab
• SlangBook presented by Daniel Cooper

I may post more about these apps once I have tried them for myself.

Overall, I really enjoyed FacebookCamp Toronto 4. However, I think there should have been some signage. The wiki, Facebook invite, etc. had the building and “downstairs” stated, but there were other goings-on at MaRS tonight, and figuring out where to go was slightly confusing—and I’ve been in the building for a conference before! The branded lanyards were cool, though.

Finally, Facebook was giving out $25 vouchers for social ads, which I was so excited about! Sawyer ended her presentation brilliantly by announcing the coupons would be given out at the exit. When I was ready to leave, Sawyer was busy chatting with someone. Someone else told me there was a queue to talk to/introduce myself to her, but all I wanted was the chance to make my own Facebook ads promoting my modest music career. There were other small complications in getting the voucher and I ended up home without one. Not a big deal, but I’m disappointed nonetheless.

Thanks to Trapeze and Refresh Partners for putting on another great event! Thanks also to the wonderful presenters and my great friends for joining me again!

I welcome and encourage everyone’s else’s thoughts on FacebookCamp and the topics discussed here—whether you were there tonight or not!

I went to the Canadian Public Relations Society’s (CPRS) 360 Degrees: All Things Connected event on Wednesday evening (May 14th) with my good friend Maricel. Actually, Maricel made this night happen for me. She told me about the event, encouraged me to go, purchased the tickets and signed us both up for sessions based on what she thought I would like. Talk about a great friend (and the sessions she chose were superb)!

I have a lot to say about things that were said and things I learned on Wednesday, but I’m going to stick to one subject for this post: the crisis communications round table with Marie Rochon, who works for the City of Mississauga.

Rochon presented many great cases she has helped handle, including SARS and the CBC strike. Her main points and pieces of advice bear repeating:

1. When you work in media relations, you get pulled into crisis communications
2. Communication plans, at best, guide you; no crisis is the same
3. Key messages evolve and they can go out the window at any time
4. An industry can change as a result of a crisis
5. Avoid using spokespeople during a crisis; a company’s CEO should be at the forefront. If your CEO doesn’t handle media well, get the next best person, but media train the brotha or sista

The session was quite insightful, but some issues were raised that I want to challenge. Rochon said she has good working relationships with reporters, but she doesn’t deal with them in personal situations. Unlike some of her friends and colleagues, she doesn’t take journalists out to dinner. She explained that people she knows have gotten into trouble by saying something in confidentiality (that was later leaked) to a member of the media. Nothing is off the record, Rochon warns.

It’s not the latter suggestion I have a problem with—it’s everything else. Journalists and public relations professionals have mutually beneficial relationships. At least that’s what I’m told, that’s what I’ve seen in my brief experience working in the field and that’s a goal I’m working towards. I can’t imagine not attempting to get to know media personalities on a level other than through pitches, looking for coverage and asking and answering questions. That can’t be enjoyable in the least.

I originally decided to go into PR because I wanted to help non-profit organizations reach out to their publics. After a year of incredible personal growth and learning, my path took a bit of a different turn, but my raison d’etre remains the same. I just really like people. A lot. I want to be there for reporters to answer any questions they have about the product or service I am introducing them to. I want them to feel the passion I have for what I do. I want them to like me as a person, not as another PR flack.

I realize nothing is off the record. But, I also realize it’s up to me to maintain both my personal brand and my clients’ reputations at all times. I don’t go home and forget about what I do at the office all day. I even dream about it—just ask my colleague Brenna!

How can we expect to have any type of relationship with others who work in the media if we decide to deal with them strictly on a professional basis? Who would even want this? Why can’t we be friends?

So, if you’re reading this and you’re a journalist or blogger, let’s do lunch (or something)! I just like making friends.

I have so much to update re: my internship at Veritas, but for now I want to invite anyone stumbling upon my humble e-abode to an event I’ve helped prepare for.

Join the Veritas Marketing PR team, GTA radio hosts and more tomorrow, May 15, 2008 at 11 a.m. at Dundas Square.

I promise you a fun, unique and zany time with a lot of hilarious and energetic people. You might even walk away with some pretty cool giveaways hand picked by yours truly! The team has been working so hard on this event. I’m so proud of the time, passion and creativity everyone has put into this. I can’t wait to see the results of many long days in action!

So please, if you’re in the area tomorrow between (around) 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., please drop by, say hi and bask in the best kind of madness.