Marketing The World Cup To Sports Haters

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like soccer (football). I don’t like most sports. It’s not so much a sport itself, but rather the mass-marketing and the mass-marketed-to people surrounding teamed ‘n themed sporting franchises that puts me off.

I find conversations from people engaged by mass-marketed team sports to be clichéd, hyperbolic, robotic and grossly uncreative. In other words, people talking about sports bore me to tears. Within 1-minute of someone talking about and/or watching sports I’ve pretty much left the room.

Needless to say, I’ve watched zero seconds of World Cup action thus far.

Then why would someone like me, who hasn’t watched or cared about 3-seconds of World Cup action, (almost) buy a U.S. Soccer team/franchise jersey?

Because the purchase of a U.S. Soccer jersey meant something to me. It spoke to my ego. A single picture of a customized soccer jersey fed my ego and my self-centeredness, along with my need for instant gratification.

The U.S. Soccer team jersey I almost bought was cute, in a patriotic red, white and blue. Best of all it was customized. On a mock-up photo, auto-generated on Twitter to get my attention, “my” jersey had my Twitter name (@SpaceyG) stamped across the back.

I wanted that thing. And to be mine, it was just a few more taps ‘n swipes away on my iPhone. An impulse sale was almost made in a mobile environment, something very hard to do, so it seems. 

Black Social Speaks

Russell Simmons removes a (what I assume to be a parody) video regarding Harriet Tubman. And apologizes for offending sensibilities. Probably for the best. Black social slapped that stupid down, fast and hard.

If you need an explanation of “black social” then you probably need WaySouth Media’s consulting service

APS Embraces Social Media. Finally.

I’ve been watching everything the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) social media person has been doing with their social media outreach via their Twitter/blog/Facebook over the last few critical weeks.

I even met the APS social media person at the governor’s press conference to announce the results of the state’s investigation the other day. We set-up media shop next to each other, coincidentally. 

And WOW what an amazing transformation their social media game has undergone! Just in the last two weeks alone.

Suddenly, they are very responsive to the world around them. To their community here in Atlanta. They’re even dabbling in transparency and straight-up honesty too.

The live Tweets from @APSUpdate during a public forum with the new super Davis last week were very candid. And full of helpful and useful information.

• The APS blog is here.
• Facebook here.
• Twitter here.
• YouTube channel here.

What a difference a criminal investigation can make, eh? But the thing about social media, as any serious practitioner can tell you, social media is a garden; it only produces when meticulously tended.

Let’s watch and see. And participate, cultivate, in this transformation too.

Social Media and the Growing APS Mess

This particular social media swirl is playing out on my territory, and promises to challenge me to TRY to keep up! But you know I’m the woman for that job.

So, let’s over-simplify until I can do a full (video) report on this matter: Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is in a big brewhaha of a mess. It’s a two-prong mess. I won’t go into full mess details here, as that’s the AJC’s job. But first is the CRCT cheating scandal, and second is the APS board’s probationary status.

All could come to a lovely head of face-to-face steam at tomorrow’s APS board meeting, open to the public at 4:30pm, FYI. At APS. (Stay tuned for that live eventing. I may live-stream here. Haven’t decided yet if I want to venture out from behind the laptop yet though. And come early to sign-in. Who knows what APS might do about the posted times.)

What’s fascinating, in that horrible fascinating way, is being able to watch the social media tactics and approaches (I’m loath to call them *strategies* as it’s all rather amateurish right now) present… almost in real time. Even I may not be able to follow it all. But I’m sure gonna try.

Let’s explore, with a handy scoring system, where we are so far:

1.) APS social media scorecard – 1. And they get a score of 1 (out of 10) only because they have at least established a Twitter feed for their sunny-side-up bits. Sorry, APS. But you haven’t even touched your Facebook page since the summer of 2009. Not much going on your website. And APS Superintendent Beverly Hall’s letter explaining the accredidation probationary status APS is now operating under arrived at homes via the Backpack Network. Call Hermione for a better spell soon, APS. Or you’ll be overwhelmed. If you’re not already.

2.) A Facebook Group called Atlanta School Board: Step Up or Step Down already has 266 members, and was pointed out to me by an APS teacher, so seems some APS teachers are banding together with APS parents. And heating-up neighborhood discussion boards and email chains and petitions. That’s good. I give ’em a 6. They’ve got a’ways to go to keep up with this other group that’s sprung from the PR mess though.

3.) ReCallAPS, so far, is posting fewer Facebook friends than the above group, but I’m certain they will catch-up and surpass. They’ve got a blog going already, and a Twitter feed; Twitter being what will fuel the fires the fastest. Their message seems wishy-washy though, so I’m just giving them a 5. For right now.

For what it’s worth, social media is everyone’s field to play in for communications – crisis or otherwise. Have at it. Make it work for you. Just know it’s a game you don’t want to be on the sidelines merely watching.

Using Twitter In Breaking News. Case Study.

Apply this case study of how to use Twitter for breaking news to any crisis communication effort you need to stay on top of. Click photo to enlarge. From NYCTheBlog:

 

As you likely know, there was a deadly shooting in Arizona yesterday afternoon that has left six people dead, according to The New York Times. At approximately 2:00pm, Caitie Parker, a high school class mate of the shooter, noted on Twitter that the incident happened “2 minutes from my house.” When the media discovered her, likely because of a smart interview Anthony DeRosa was conducting with here, at least 35 public requests for comment, phone calls and interviews—from local newspapers to national news networks—came into Catie on Twitter from all over the country, as well as overseas.

Article in full here.

Carol Porter Is So Kim Kardashian

No, Carol Porter has no signature fragrance. I doubt she’s worn much bling out on the relentless, red-clay Georgia campaign trail for Lt. Governor, either. However, she is doing something just the way Kim Kardashian does it – Carol Porter is synching her real-time social media seamlessly into her online campaign presence.

Go to CarolPorter4GA and you are immediately connected to Porter herself – not to a static, processed appeal for donations as most campaign websites tend to present. Porter’s Facebook updates are presented as fresh, updated content on the homepage.

Porter works her Facebook updates very seriously, posting info and news of her day ahead by 6am that morning. You’ve got to be a seriously early riser to keep-up with Carol Porter, whether in social media or out on the grueling campaign trail. There are busy women; then there’s Carol Porter.

The Rise of the Big Media Three – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

I once made a ton of media at the beginnings of places like Kyte.tv and uStream and Vimeo and iReport. And strew that media around all over those places. Maybe others too I’ve forgotten all about by now. I was kinda surprised that some sites, such as Kyte.tv, are still going.

Honestly, now if it’s not Facebook, YouTube or Twitter (and my personal fave Twitter photo/vid upload app – TwitSnaps) I never even bother with tinkering around in the garages of other media sharing platforms.

With the rise of the Big Three I’ve gotten far less experimental, if at all, with the many other assorted media platforms out there. And that’s a pity, but it’s far more convenient to stay on three farms rather than dot the landscape with dozens of wee media sprinkles here and there that in a couple of years you forget all about.

I’m anxious now that I’ve always had, for reasons unknown, a superfluous two YouTube channels. And I stay awake thinking one day, soon, I simply must consolidate those into one. And then brand-out a separate corporate channel too. And be sure to put some Shout on that nice new skirt after that soy sauce spill. And the dog needs a flea med refill…

Oh woe is me. How the multimedia chores never end! What new media sharing platform are you liking that I should try to not ignore?

Twitter Hashtags In Crisis Communication/Atlanta Flood 2009

Grayson Daughters and Tessa Horehled talk using Twitter hashtags in crisis communication and disaster relief during the Atlanta, Georgia flood of September 2009. #atlflood

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Georgia and Atlanta Disaster Relief Orgs To Follow On Twitter

Please help add to this list of Georgia/Atlanta organizations that are Twittering flood/disaster relief  information out to the community in the Comments section. I’ll update accordingly!

• Georgia Power: http://twitter.com/GeorgiaPower
• City of Atlanta: http://twitter.com/City_of_atlanta
• GEMA: http://twitter.com/GeorgiaEMA
• CDC Emergency: http://twitter.com/CDCemergency
• Red Cross: http://twitter.com/redcross

Flooding in Atlanta: One Search To Bind Them All

Charlotte, NC communications blogger, Andria Krewson, took time out to notice the way we Atlantans used Twitter as a crisis communications tool in the flooding situation yesterday. And how a trending topic on Twitter is quickly spammed by jerks too, making Twitter a dubious crisis communications tool – at the trending phase at least.

Just as the TV news stations will have “EVEN MORE” coverage throughout the day,  online communications gurus will continue to use Twitter throughout this ongoing natural disaster in Georgia.

Here’s Krewson’s (@underaok on Twitter) post in full:

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Flooding in Atlanta: One Search To Bind Them All

About 6 a.m. Monday, Steve Burns, a freelance journalist near Atlanta, sent out a note on Twitter:

“WSB: Boil water advisory in Douglas County. #atlfloods”

An hour later, Atlanta blogger Grayson Hurst Daughters tweeted from her @spaceyg account:

“Atlanta commuters: use the hashtag #atlflood for Atlanta flood condition notices.”

She followed up quickly with a note to a local TV outlet:

“@11AliveNews, please consider using the hashtag #atlflood in your Tweets! That way all the notices can be indexed/RSS’d. Tx!”

The tag set the tone for an organized, findable stream of aggregated content that helped Atlantans and their friends stay informed as the rain kept falling, killing at least 6 people, swamping interstates and causing major delays at the airport. The Georgia governor declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.

We’ve all read posts about how Twitter provides immediate coverage of earthquakes or bloody election fallout. But this moment showed how a social media tool enabled aggregation of all local news coverage through one search, quickly, in a large city, for breaking news.

Individuals shared links to stories from the established local news outlets quickly throughout the day. And a picture on Twitpic of flooding on Atlanta’s downtown connector received more than 60,000 views in about 10 hours.

Considering it a victory for untrained “citizen journalism” might be a bit misleading. Burns has newspaper experience from California, Georgia and Florida, and Daughters is a writer and corporate communication professional who worked for ABC News for six years. Also heavily involved was Tessa Horehled, a strategic marketer who advises companies about social media plans. Tweeting at @driveafastercar, she braved the rain with a video camera numerous times throughout the day from her neighborhood, and posted pictures late into the evening as a creek approached her front door.

Iran and the Internet: A Conversation With Ariel Silverstone

Atlanta, GA. June 22, 2009: WaySouth Media discusses Iran and the internet with IT security expert, Ariel Silverstone. Silverstone explains how the internet functions in Iran… and elsewhere within government and citizenry.

Silverstone also discusses pending United States internet-related legislation, communication tools and privacy issues, global engineering initiatives, YouTube, Twitter, media, and the future of the internet-related communications. Silverstone’s blog is here.

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Find Media-Related Jobs On Twitter

Finally! Some good news for laid-off writers and journos and such…  there are two places/people you can follow on Twitter that are posting media-related jobs all day long!

• Jobs In Media
• The Media Is Hirin

You can post your resume and credentials and circulate them via Twitter here:

• The Media Is Huntn

Twittering the Gaza War

From the blog, Social Times:

Days after sending aircraft out to strike Hamas militants in Gaza, the Israeli government is launching a curated channel on YouTube and multiple Twitter streams in order to participate better in the blogosphere. Yesterday, followers of “israelconsulate” on Twitter could view live coverage updates of a citizen press conference held in order to further disseminate information regarding Israel’s stance on the war. Another Twitter stream tracks where Qassam rockets are falling in Israel.

Full post here.

The Magic of Twitter

I thought of Twitter as chiefly a news dissemination and babble-lite tool. Until it introduced me to Israeli political pop artist Mike Darnell and his powerful work. Now if I could only understand Hebrew, I could even hear his words! But art offers its own language of course.

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CNN Broke Twitter?

I bet @ricksanchezcnn finally broke Twitter for good. The fragile thing wasn’t meant for heavy MSM lifting. Between Sanchez on CNN at 3pm and the anti-Motrin ad moms today, the damn thing may never recover. Call some lawyers quick!

Twittering Through Election Night

My Election Night Tweets are as follows. From last to first:

God blessed America. 🙂 about 12 hours ago from web
I am just too damn old for this one-woman band shit. Two stops already kicked my ass. Going home. Need pizza. #current #election about 14 hours ago from mobile web
@Tessa, yeah. We can network with Todd Palin’s buds. Not. about 15 hours ago from mobile web in reply to tessa Serious Obama bling! #current #atlvote – Photo: http://bkite.com/02cXG about 15 hours ago from Brightkite The look of GA Dems. Wow! #current #atlvote – Photo: http://bkite.com/02cVJ about 16 hours ago from Brightkite Big GA southern shoutout at DPG party for Hagan NC win. #current about 16 hours ago from mobile web Now at Dem. Party of GA party at Hyatt. Huge cheer on PA win. Mayor Franklin here. #current about 16 hours ago from mobile web I like the hologram! I really do! #current about 17 hours ago from mobile web No virtual people here! #current – Photo: http://bkite.com/02cN3 about 17 hours ago from Brightkite Atlanta Manuel’s Tavern is primed to ROCK! #current about 18 hours ago from mobile web

Election Night – Two For The Twitter Road

Two people you will want to add ‘n follow for Election Night on Twitter will be former Atlantans Tony Dornacher and Tim State… now living in Chicago. They have their tickets to the Grant Park Obama Rally in one hand, and their mobiles and cams in the other. Plus, they’re just funny guys with a great way with their 140 characters.

Tim is: @timstate and Tony is @tonydornacher. Their website Morgan Terrace is here. And of course, I’m @SpaceyG on Twitter. See in real-time what’s happening in Atlanta on Election Day by using Twitter search and the hashtags #atlvote and #votereport.

Have a great day out there everyone!!

Social Media Poised To Rock The World On Election Night

Current.com (of Hack The Debate fame) has something really cool in the works for election night… with Twitter and Digg and Diplo. And of course – us. Afterall, we’re moreorless the rum in that punch! Video promo here.

And watch this blog to find out which old-school Atlanta politico-writer will be flying-out to Silicon Valley to offer “adult supervision” for this one historic night of good old-fashioned alignment of the political and social media planets!

HINT: It’s not under 30. Hell, it’s not even under 50! UPDATE: “It” was Tom Baxter of InsiderAdvantage’s Southern Political Report!

Traffic Conditions In Atlanta Via Twitter

Follow atlantatraffic on Twitter for Atlanta traffic updates. Couldn’t we just add the Twitter updates to a GPS somehow and voila… the very best real-time app for Atlanta’s traffic nightmare we’ve all been searching for? (Can you do that now somehow? I don’t have a GPS device in the car. Just Google maps.)

Atlanta traffic incidents and conditions do have a Twitter hashtag and it’s: #atltraffic. I encourage much more use of it!

UPDATE: 9:30am – Right now “Atlanta” is a hot “trending” topic on Twitter. Go figure that. But I bet it has something to do with the saving graces of the Twitter hashtag #atlgas for this here town during our recent gas availability, or lack thereof, issues. People are STILL using that thang. Sanjay adds his thoughts to the ATL gas matter here. I also advise reading anything he has to say on the matter.

Atlanta Gas Availability Info – Use Twitter

Best place for real-time gas availability updates in the metro Atlanta area remains Twitter. You can subscribe to the #atlgas hash tag for your news reader, and keep a real-time availability update right on your desktop or cell. Couldn’t be easier.

Too bad ATL MSM are too arrogantly ignorant about social media and crowd sourcing apps and tools to be able to inform their audience and readership about such kinds of consumer-friendly tips and tricks. Wasn’t like they hadn’t been warned. Pity.

While WXIA has cleaned-up it’s map act of gas availability some (all pins are now a neutral blue), it’s still cumbersome. Other TV stations and media are still linking only to that bulky gas price site, the one that gives no information about gas availability.

WABE informed their listenership today about the gas price site with some bizarrely lame aside of “if you are able to get online.” Like they have a listenership of only the elderly and severely disabled? Maybe they do… come to think about it.

But fer chrissake WABE, this is a gas shortage in a major metropolitan area, not a freakin’ natural disaster in Haiti! Who among the WABE listenership does not have “online availability” in some capacity? Other than some Luddite-weirdo types who might adore 6 hours of classical music a day, but I’m starting to diverge…

And this is what passes for “continuous coverage of the gas crisis” at Channel 46. No shit. Jeez Atlanta media… this is like handing out media maxi-pads when the sleek OBs are right on the other shelf.

Sunday 9/27 12:18pm UPDATE: AJC now sending all their (claimed) ga-zillions of eyeballs off the Cox Media Plantation (see title/link “Real Time: Where To Find Gas”) and over to Twitter Farm to give their “audience” what they want right now: those priceless real time gas availability updates. LMAO and cue the Peter, Paul and Mary.

CRASS APPEAL FOR YOUR EYEBALLS!!! Now that I’ve got ’em here… please take a moment and click-on a cool video promo for the upcoming Oct. 4th 688/Metroplex reunion show. It’ll make you happy, I promise.

HERE’S AN AD:

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