With Hurricane #Sandy barreling down in the East Coast and major power outages expected, @FEMA (The Federal Emergency Management Agency) issued a statement today urging people to stay connected via social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook when other modes of communication fail. One of many tweet reads:

People’s in Sandy’s path are also being urged to charge up their phones and to follow certain Twitter accounts, such as @FEMA, for updates, alerts and tips. Local governing agencies are also setting up or pointing people to certain Twitter accounts to keep people informed, since many might still be able to access social media sites via phone during the storm.

During many emergencies over the last few years — tornadoes, hurricanes and the tsunami in Japan — people who found themselves without a landline or land internet connection — were able to connect via smartphone. Many Twitter accounts, especially those for news services and government agencies, dedicated their Twitter accounts to posting information and updates about the disasters. People also were able to locate family members and friends via social sites.

Here’s a list of sites & accounts to follow during #Sandy:

National Hurricane Center - get text/email updates

@NHC_Atlantic - National Hurricane Center

@usNWSgov - NOAA’s National Weather Service

@WeatherChannel - The Weather Channel

@TWC_Hurricane - The Weather Channel Hurricane Updates

LIVE Updates/News from the New York Times

GOOGLE Map for Hurricane Sandy

GOOGLE Map Specifically for New York City

Tags: Facebook, Hurricane Sandy, Natural Disaster, social media, Twitter

Tweet

Tags: all my children, Facebook, one life to live, reality tv, soap operas, social media, Twitter

Tweet

Most people agree that when it comes to social media, one post alone won’t likely boost your business. Instead, each tweet or post is just one small piece over the overall social media marketing puzzle. Just as it takes many bricks assembled together to make a house, each tweet builds on the others until all of our efforts add up to something in the long run. It’s about creating relationships and interest in our products and services and most of the time it’s not about making a quick sale.

But while one tweet cannot make your business, can it break it?

One such scenario that made the news recently was a tweet sent out by designer Kenneth Cole (@KennethCole) that many considered to be in very poor taste. Here’s the tweet that was later removed from Twitter:

Kenneth Cole later issued the following apology on the company’s Facebook page:

“I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.” - Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

It is unclear what impact-if any-this will have on Kenneth Cole’s business. Today the company still has over 10,000 followers. However, there were dozens of comments left on Kenneth Cole’s Facebook page, reactions ranging from expletives, outrage and promises of boycotts-the kind of publicity no company desires.

So how does one avoid such a mess? It’s easy to say, “Don’t post anything stupid,” but sometimes that might be easier said than done, especially if your business has multiple people manning the social media helm. Here are a few tips to help your company send tweets that don’t garner negative reactions:

Think Before You Tweet. Sounds easy, right? But Twitter is a medium that by its very nature compels people to tweet their latest thoughts and opinions. That’s fine if this is your personal account seen only by friends. But for a business, every tweet becomes part of your public image and might be scrutinized by followers and media alike. It’s good to be current and ‘in-the-moment’ at times, but be sure to think about what you’re tweeting and the impact it might have on your followers. Be sensitive. And when in doubt, leave it out.

Set Standards. If you have more than one person representing your company on Twitter or Facebook, set guidelines for what should and should not be posted. Be explicit about what is and what is not acceptable and make sure everyone understands what is expected of them when tweeting. Just as you want to keep the lines of communication open between you and your followers, do the same with your staff. Regularly meet and discuss what your social media objectives are, what feedback your account has received from followers and fans, and what gets the best reaction. Make social media a team effort. Your online presence should have one consistent voice that followers come to identify and trust, even if many people comprise that voice.

Be Wary of Humor. It’s good for a business to have a personable ‘voice’ on Twitter and Facebook-to let people see that the account is not an automated robot, but rather populated by real people with real personalities who can respond when asked a question. But be careful if you try to make your posts humorous. Everyone’s ‘sense of humor’ is different; what’s funny to one person, might not be so amusing to another. Sometimes written humor can be misconstrued by the readers. Keep in mind what your purpose is. Is it to entertain? Then by all means, crack jokes now and then. But is it to inform and to interact with consumers and provide them with some form of customer service? Then it just might be best to leave the rubber chicken at home.

Be Wary of Politics. Often companies get involved in charitable causes and tweet about fundraisers or organizations they support. But be careful of tweeting or positing about anything of a political nature, unless you want to take a stand or know that the majority of your followers would agree with you. There is evidence that people do not respond or click on links if they do not agree with the political statements being made in them. If you want to engage your followers in a conversation and keep them talking to you (and about you), leave out the politics, unless that type of dialogue complements your business.

Tags: business, etiquette, Facebook, Kenneth Cole, Twitter

I love a writer who not only writes well but also who inspires at the same time. For me, one such writer is Bob Hall. Mr. Hall is a printing industry veteran and every month he writes an insightful column that is published at the beginning of every Quick Printing magazine.

It just so happens, I picked up his magazine this morning, just as I was getting down.

With the beginning of every new year, the prognosticators come out in full force. This year, many forecasts have focused on social media, specifically how social media can or cannot help a business succeed in marketing. The entire concept of using Facebook or Twitter for marketing purposes is so new, no one is 100% certain what the long term gain might be, though some may think they know. A few experts are calling it a fad. Some are saying it’s a waste of time and resources. A big ol’ flash in the pan.

This month, Mr. Hall’s column focuses on past predictions from the experts of their time. Here are just a few the highlights:

• 1880: The lightbulb is a ‘conspicuous failure’
• 1897: Radio has no future
• 1904: Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value
• 1916: The cinema is little more than a fad
• 1936: A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere
• 1961: There is no chance satellites will be used to improve telephone service in the U.S.
• 1962: Transmissions of documents via phone lines (fax) is possible, but not practical

There are so many experts out there who have formed opinions about social media. Some of these experts believe there is no value for a company to get involved in Twitter or Facebook. These experts want hard numbers-sales figures and ROI-and without them right now, they say venturing into social media for a business is pointless and a waste of time.

Some experts have also been critical of events such as Twitter parties, Twitter chats and Tweetups. They question the value of such events, once again claiming that these are a waste of time and money for a company to get involved in.

My prediction: I believe social media is here to stay, not just to interact with family and friends but also with businesses. I also believe that a company that does not get its feet wet now will be scrambling to catch up later. I believe in the power of social media to help us better connect with people whether they are acting as a friend or a consumer. I believe in the power social media can give a company to help it open doors and start conversations that one day will ‘pay off’ down the road.

Will sending one tweet today get you a big sale tomorrow? Probably not. Will throwing one Twitter party next week instantly give you thousands of followers? I doubt it. But this is about relationship-building, about long-term engagement. Isn’t that what I learned about years ago in a class about traditional selling? That it was not about a quick, one-time sale but rather about developing a long-term relationship with the consumer?

I think one of the points of Mr. Hall’s column was that none of us really knows what the future holds for social media. We can make all of the predictions we want, listen to ‘the experts,’ try to be experts ourselves, but until those predictions are proven or not, we really don’t know. That’s why we at TweeParties will continue to forge ahead with our goal of providing companies with the tools they need-at a fair and reasonable price-to hold events on Twitter and inform all of those users who are interested of the who, what, where and when of these events the best we can. Maybe I am a fool and someday the joke will be on me. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, I take all of the prognostications with a grain of salt. And I thank Mr. Hall for another dose of inspiration.

Tags: Facebook, social media marketing, Twitter

Each day, Twitter and Facebook gain thousands of more users. However, many businesses are reluctant to dive in and test the social media waters. Here are ten reasons why every business should consider having a social media presence:

1. It’s Free. Businesses can set up Twitter accounts and Facebook pages for no cost other than the time it takes for them to do it. If you’re looking for a low-cost way to connect with current customers or prospective ones, this is it.
2. It’s Easy. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but a custom Twitter or Facebook page can be. The learning curve for both is small. If you’re not at all technically inclined, chances are there’s someone in your company who is already familiar with using one or both social networks.
3. Everybody’s Doing It. Well, maybe not everybody, but many are—in fact, thousands more are each day. You might think your business and social media aren’t a good match, but most likely there are potential followers out there—clients, colleagues, friends—who would be interested in hearing from you. If you have a niche in your industry, you can probably seek out that niche on Twitter.
4. Social Media is Here to Stay. Will Twitter be here in 50 years? Maybe, maybe not—but the need for people to connect with each other through social media isn’t going anywhere.
5. It’s Fun. People gravitate toward Twitter and Facebook because they have fun interacting with others in those environments. And what better way to reach potential clients than in a place where people go to enjoy themselves?
6. It’s a Conversation Starter. Literally. Unlike traditional advertising methods where it might be difficult to judge just whose listening, if you send out a message on Twitter and Facebook, you’re likely to hear about your post from someone. Social media isn’t just a place to send out one-way sales communiques, it’s a great way to get feedback from users, engage them in a dialogue and learn about their likes and dislikes. It just might help you fine-tune a new product, redesign a web page to make it more user-friendly or change course with a marketing strategy.
7. It’s a News Source. More and more people get their news from users found on Twitter and Facebook. You can add to the mix by giving updates and links about news items related to your industry. The more you help people get quality information, the more willing they will be to listen to your own messages when you tweet them.
8. It’s a Virtual Customer Service Center. Many users are reaching out to companies for customer service issues on Twitter and Facebook. It’s quick and easy for them to send a tweet, and many companies respond more quickly on Twitter than through e-mail.
9. You’re Not Alone. If keeping up with a Twitter account seems like a never-ending, overwhelming task (log off and the tweets keep coming!), don’t sweat it: there are many free or low-cost, third party applications to help you manage your account. We recently fell in love with Social Oomph as a way to pre-program tweets and Facebook page updates. We still log on at least once a day to check for replies and comments to our posts (and to reply/comment back, of course!) but in case we get tied up in a meeting (or, as is typical in Chicagoland—traffic), we know our updates can still get out, even if we can’t.
10. The Possibilities are Endless. Uses for social networking sites are still emerging and changing every day. The exciting part is that they are only bound by the limits of your imagination. Have fun and come up with creative concepts to engage your followers (such as Twitter parties by TweeParties). In doing so, you just might find a new one who turns out to be your next client.

Tags: business, Facebook, social media marketing, Twitter

Yesterday I came across an old blog post someone had written about a year ago that questioned the use of Twitter parties as a social media marketing tool. The writer argued that the events tied up the Twitter stream for non-partying users. Also at issue was the effectiveness for companies. The blogger wondered if a party host could give a company tangible stats to prove that a party held gave some sort of results.

That was then and this is now. And fortunately, Twitter parties have evolved somewhat from a year ago. And they’ll keep evolving and becoming more and more useful for both the companies sponsoring them and the users attending them. Here’s why:

Cost effectiveness: I’ve spoken with many small business owners who have wanted to place ads in magazines only to discover that it would cost them thousands to do so and wasn’t in their budget. Broadcast media can be just as expensive. Pay-per-click advertising is more reasonable, but when someone clicks, are they really absorbing your company’s message or simply clicking? Maybe, maybe not. The great thing about Twitter parties is that they are low cost. You can learn to do them yourself, or have an organization like TweeParties help you for not thousands, but rather hundreds of dollars. And instead of simply posting an advertisement for someone to read or hear (or not read or hear, as they case may be), you’ll have a group of people engaged and interacting with you. People who are listening to your message might tweet about your party to their friends, and so on. How many magazine readers clip ads and pass them on to their friends?

Results tracking: In the past, it might have been difficult to track results, but not anymore. There are a number of web sites and applications that track the frequency of hashtags. Simply register your party’s hashtag in advance, and you’ll be able to see how many times that hashtag was tweeted, when it was tweeted, and what users tweeted it the most (typically the hosts during promoting phase of the event). Many hosts also do not request the e-mails of participants upon registering. TweeParties does, usually with a disclaimer that any e-mail correspondence will be limited to communications from the party sponsor and that the attendee can unsubscribe from the list at any time. In supplying a company with e-mail data from attendees, the party sponsoring the event can send a follow up e-mail thanking the user for attending, requesting that the recipient take further action (such as complete a survey) or receive a discount, special offer or product sample.

Technical issues: With any emerging technology, you sometimes hit stumbling blocks (look at the recent antenna issue with iPhone 4). Twitter is still evolving. With approximately 600 tweets per second hitting the Twittersphere, Twitter is constantly being pushed to its limits, and sometimes fails.  The blogger I mentioned above was concerned that very large parties could bog down Twitter and disrupt service for other users. Worldwide discussions about World Cup soccer bogged down Twitter; I seriously doubt a party with several hundred participants could. The only concern in the case of a party would be excessive tweeting by those several hundred participants, which thanks to Twitter’s policy of temporarily freezing accounts that tweet close to 100 tweets per hour (Twitter Jail), would be difficult to achieve. Besides, Twitter is constantly looking for ways to free up traffic. They recently announced they will expand to a large facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, in an effort to better keep up with demand and avoid outages caused by bugs. No emerging technolgy is perfect and most users understand that. Growing pains are common, but they have to be endured to grow into something even better.

I do not believe that a company should have one Twitter party and be done with interacting with its customers. It is just one piece of the puzzle, but one that I truly believe in. Social media does just that: it helps people socialize. Companies with a presence on social networking sites should keep finding ways to engage their clients. We at TweeParties believe that a Twitter party is a great way to open up conversations with consumers and keep them interested in your brand. Have Twitter parties, talk to your followers, answer their questions, come up with other contests & events to hold on Twitter and Facebook (or Foursquare). When it comes to social media, it’s all about engagement. Otherwise, you might as well drop $25K on a glossy magazine ad and be one with it.

Tags: Facebook, Having Twitter parties, interactive advertising, social media marketing, Twitter

Earlier this week, the British woman billed as “the world’s oldest Twitter user”—Ivy Bean—died. She was 104.

Ms. Bean had been active on Twitter (with 53,000+ followers) and Facebook, often posting entries about her daily life and sometimes video. I’m not sure if she did all of this herself, or had help, but the fact that she wanted to become involved on both Twitter and Facebook really says something.

It’s a simple lesson—and an old one at that—but when it comes to technology, perhaps a new one:

You’re never too old to learn something new.

Social media is proving that it is, in fact, for everyone—not just for tech-savvy youth. It connects entire families and has gained popularity as a way for Grandma to see that picture of Junior that was taken five seconds ago at the park. One could easily argue that social media has made people feel more connected; geographically distant or even extended families and friends have a greater presence in each other’s lives if they can keep up with them in real or nearly real-time.

Ms. Bean was not raised on computers, video games, or cell phones. In fact, when she was born—in 1905—people weren’t even using telephones. But she was drawn to social media and by measuring the size of her following, people were drawn to her.

Research has shown that the demographics of social media users might be older than some first thought:  18-34 year olds comprise the largest group of U.S. users on Twitter and the 50+ demographic has nearly the same number of Twitter users as the 13-17 year old demographic (via Quantcast).

Whether they grew up with technology or not, people are using social media and becoming less intimidated by the technology. Once registered, people might find the learning curve to be lower than expected and they get hooked. Besides, who wants to miss an upload of Junior’s first solo attempt at the monkey bars? Not @Grandma.

Erin Boudreau

Tags: age, demographics, Facebook, Ivy Bean, Quantcast, social media, technology, Twitter, users