Inside Facebook

On a recently released page on Facebook’s help site, users can read about the way this new ad unit will display in their Feed. These featured stories will be denoted in users’ News Feeds by the word “Featured” on the bottom right hand side of the post. It is important to note that these Featured Stories are part of the Sponsored Stories ad unit and will only be shown to users who currently like the Page buying the ad unit. This means your news feed is safe from unsolicited ads, for the moment.

This ad unit is being rolled out slowly and users will only be exposed to one featured story in their News Feed a day.

Have you seen a featured story yet? Do you think it will affect your Facebook usage?

Katchpole is the Washington, D.C., graduate student whose angry social media petition sparked a nationwide revolt against Bank of America’s plan to charge customers $5 per month for their debit cards. After losing thousands of accounts, B of A backed off.

The target of Hardwick’s online petition is his employer: Target. His ire was sparked by Target’s decision to fling open its doors to Black Friday bargain-hunters at midnight on Thanksgiving. “All Americans,” Hardwick declares, “should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night’s rest on Thanksgiving!” With a little more than a week to go before Thanksgiving, Hardwick’s petition had already racked up more than 154,000 signatures, many from fellow Target employees.

And Hardwick isn’t the only one facing an early wake-up call. Macy’s, Kohl’s and Best Buy are also opening at midnight. Wal-Mart, which had hoped to steal a march by opening at 10 p.m. Thursday, has since been one-upped by Toys “R” Us, which announced a 9 p.m. start.

It’s not just employees who are angry, though. There are growing signs that even the most hardened shoppers are fed up. The New York Times recently reported that outraged Black Friday veterans are flocking to the social media barricades, declaring that they’re not going to cut short or eliminate family gatherings just to save a few bucks at the nearest big box store.

Battered by the Great Recession, retailers are understandably desperate to boost sales any way they can. But there’s an intriguing question here. Will a grassroots social media drive again thwart the plans of big business? Are customers really ticked off enough that they’ll gravitate to stores like J.C. Penney – which says it won’t open until 4 a.m. Friday to allow its employees to spend Thursday with their families?

Or will finance trump family, with value-seeking consumers blearily charging through the doors at midnight because they need to save money any way they can?

The answer is coming soon to a Twitter feed, a Facebook page and a shopping center parking lot near you.

Those who called for Paterno’s ouster – following his handling of an alleged 2002 pedophilia incident by former assistant Jerry Sandusky – believed he failed that victim and all subsequent victims when he did not use his power to force those in the athletic department and university administration to contact the authorities, instead of allegedly opting to deal with the problem internally.

The reported actions of those top decision makers at Penn State, which began in the days following the 2002 locker room incident and continued until this week, all shared the same misguided goal: Protecting the institution at all costs.

Those involved in the scandal likely thought they were being successful crisis managers the past nine years because the story never reached the media. That all changed on Sunday with news of Sandusky’s indictment and the filing of perjury charges against University Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley for lying to the same grand jury that indicted Sandusky.

Even in the face of such unprecedented scrutiny, University President Graham Spanier stuck with the broken game plan of protecting the institution at all costs by placing unconditional support behind the two men charged with perjury when a statement calling for an internal investigation would have better served the university.

According to many reports, when the media arrived on campus earlier this week and demanded answers, Spanier did not allow Paterno the opportunity to host his weekly news conference, which could have served as a forum to express even the simplest words of concern for the victims. Instead, silence prevailed once again.

Yes, the leaders at Penn State did manage to protect the institution’s name for nine years by keeping this information away from the public, but for what? This short-sighted and frankly dangerous attempt at crisis management made the situation so much worse and has potentially ruined the legacy they were all working so hard to protect.

Effective crisis management is so much more than keeping negative information out of the news. As this week’s events have shown, word will eventually get out. Acting as if it will not is a flawed crisis management strategy.

Being ready to accept accountability, acknowledging fault and explaining how things will be repaired are the real key tenets of crisis management that never found their way into Penn State’s strategy – until last night.

While not everyone is pleased with Joe Paterno’s firing – as evidenced by the riots on campus in State College – it was the only option left on the table for the Board of Trustees, the real top decision maker at Penn State and the one that actually understands how public relations works.

Removing Paterno (and Spanier for that matter) sent a clear message that Penn State University understands its responsibility to protect the institution AND the importance of having the support of its fans, alumni, faculty, donors, state and federal education officials and the general public. Being connected with those who were part of the alleged cover up could not continue.

The trustees understand very well that without public support there is no Penn State University. It’s a shame it took this long for this storied institution to finally properly manage what is likely the worst scandal in college sports history.

So you might be thinking at this point (if you don’t run an adult entertainment site), what does this have to do with me? Unfortunately, a lot. See, if you don’t act now to protect your domain name, trademark, company name or product, before you know it, you could find your brand associated with a pornographic site.

In fact, ICM, the registry operator that fought for the new domain extension, stands to make over $200 million a year from members of the adult entertainment community and from brands defensively registering their domains.

So, now that I’ve frightened you sufficiently, what should you do? Between now and Oct. 28, 2011, if your organization owns a federal trademark registration, you can file to block anyone from using that mark with the .xxx extension as a domain name (example: MGHus.xxx). Through domain registrars like Network Solutions and Go Daddy, intellectual property holders can pay a one-time fee to block the future use of their name with the .xxx extension. By submitting an application, your brand will be protected year after year. This process is being called Sunrise B – Block for Trademark.

To be eligible to participate in Sunrise B:

• The applicant must be the holder of a valid trademark or service mark that has obtained registered status in a country of the work prior to Sept. 1, 2011.
• The applicant does not intend to use the .xxx domain name to host a live website and will not participate in the Membership Application Process to become a member of the Sponsored Community.
• The applicant will complete all necessary Assignee Supporting Declaration Forms (if applicable) by Nov. 2, 2011 at 12 p.m. ET.

Visit Network Solutions or Go Daddy to begin the application process, and select the Sunrise B option.

If you don’t have a trademarked name, but still wish to protect your brand, you can pre-register to purchase any available domain with the .xxx extension through Network Solutions or Go Daddy. If you don’t participate in Sunrise B or pre-register, domains will be first come, first serve starting Dec. 6, 2011.

We highly recommend that you take the steps now (or contact MGH and we’ll help you through it) to protect your brand from what’s sure to be the first of many new online threats.

Wren’s most famous design is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, whose dome vies with the towers of Parliament as the city’s most recognizable structure. When Wren died, his body was placed in a crypt there. A nearby plaque states, “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.”

As I looked around our family room, I saw my daughter’s iPod, sitting on the table next to my MacBook laptop. My wife was watching a TV show on her iPad. Both she and our older son have smartphones that use systems based largely on the iPhone.

I didn’t have to seek Steve Jobs’ monument. It was all around me.

One of the most prescient quotes I heard on Jobs’ passing was someone who said, “He knew what people wanted before they did.” Steve Jobs’ innovations weren’t as much about technology as the way we use technology. It started with the original user-friendly Mac operating systems – which forced PC programmers to respond by developing Windows. It continued through downloading music or an app to find the closest Chinese restaurant.

Quite simply, Steve Jobs understood how many things the average person could accomplish with technology if it was made easy to use. And he delivered that technology in stylish packages that said “smart” simply with their elegant design.

All of which is a lesson to us in marketing and advertising. In order to succeed, we must do what Steve Jobs did: Focus on how consumers use our products and services, both in product design and in advertising. Does this service save me time? Does this product save me money? How do I use it in concert with my smartphone, my computer, my social network?

If the product or service fits – and the advertising clearly demonstrates how it fits – we will succeed. And we will find our audience. Because in the end, it’s all about the consumer. It’s all about what benefits we can offer.

Steve Jobs always remembered that. Which is why we’ll never forget him.

But what exactly is Google+ and how does it match up against the dominant players in this space?

What is Google+?

At its core, Google+ is a social network that allows its users to build personal profiles, post status updates, upload photos and videos, share links, and the other standard social networking activities.

Upon logging in to the site, users are presented with their “Stream.” Think of it as Google+’s version of the Facebook “News Feed,” or in other words, a running feed of all status updates posted by one’s network of friends.

Unique to Google+ is its “Circles” feature. With “Circles,” users can group their friends into various categories, such as “Friends,” “Acquaintances,” and “Family.” This feature allows users to target their posts to specific audiences.

For example, if I didn’t want my friends to know that I spend my weekends practicing show tunes from various Broadway musicals (which I’ve been known to do), I could choose to exclusively share my audition videos with my “Family” circle. This would prevent anyone outside of my family from seeing my embarrassing post.

As part of the “Circles” feature, users also have the ability to target posts to an “Extended Circle,” meaning that their posts could be seen by one’s friends of friends. Additionally, users can select the “Public” circle, which would allow any user to see their posts.

Google+ users can also use these “Circles” to filter their “Streams.” For example, if I only wanted to see posts made by my work friends, I could choose to view the “Work Stream.”

Users also have the ability to form “Hangouts,” which are Google’s version of group chat rooms. In a “Hangout,” up to 10 users can participate in a video/audio chat, and have the option to watch YouTube videos as a group.

Photo courtesy of RavensTools.com

The +1 button, as seen sprinkled throughout the site, is Google’s answer to the popular Facebook “Like” button. +1’ing something serves as a user’s endorsement for that piece of content. It’s another way of saying, “I like this thing you’ve shared.”

Once logged in, users also have the ability to +1 content outside of Google+’s walls. For example, when visiting Gizmodo.com, a Google+ user could +1 a certain article that he or she enjoyed. This would then be shared with the user’s network of friends via a +1 section of his or her profile.

Additionally, Google has incorporated the +1 button into its search pages, allowing users to +1 and bookmark their search results. Users are also able to use this functionality to +1 search engine ads. These +1’s may then be displayed to a user’s friends who may be performing similar searches.

Advantage

Without question, Google+’s biggest advantage is Google itself.

Let’s face it – Google owns everything. It owns search, email (Gmail), video (YouTube), online advertising (Google AdNetwork), analytics (Google Analytics), blogging (Blogger), etc. And once it begins integration of + and +1 features into these popular tools, you better believe the public is going to pay attention. They won’t have any other choice.

For now, Google+ also benefits from offering a unique way to hide personal information from specific groups. One of Facebook’s most common complaints comes from users who demand more privacy. “Circles” offers just that – a new level of sharing privacy.

It’s yet to be seen how users will come to adopt this method of content targeting, but for now, it’s something to keep the media talking about why Google+ is the savior of all social media.

Google+ Statistics

With a built-in potential user base of 200 million (a recent count of Gmail users), the search powerhouse has had no trouble in getting the word out about its newest product. In just a matter of weeks, Google+ proudly announced that it had acquired 20 million registered users.

But what does a “registered user” really mean? Well, not much. It simply means that someone signed up for an account, regardless of whether or not that account was ever used.  And with a flurry of Google+ invites flying left and right over the past month, it’s no surprise that the new social network was able to acquire so many users in such a short period of time.

So that leads us to the question of, “What about usage?” After all, a social network is nothing without a highly active user base. Well, things aren’t lookin’ so hot in this category.

In the week ending July 23, 2011, Experian Hitwise announced that Google+’s total visitor count had dropped to 1.79 million (non-unique visitors), far short of its total user base of 20 million.

Only time will tell whether or not Google+ has staying power, but in the short-term, the social network seems to be suffering from “flash in the pan” syndrome.

Businesses and Google+

For marketers hoping to begin exploiting taking advantage of the new opportunities offered by Google+, the powers that be have asked that you hold on to your horses…for now.

While Google+ will eventually allow brands to create their own profiles and interact with users (just as they do through Facebook and Twitter), the site isn’t there yet. Google is still testing various methods for this brand-to-consumer engagement, and has actively shut down brands that have created their own profiles.

As a temporary solution, the company has offered brands the option to engage with consumers via personal profiles. So if you have a particularly social CEO or customer service rep, he/she could use the network to begin seeking out conversations and interacting. Not an ideal situation, but something to get you through these tough times.

Question

So here it is. We want to hear from you: Are you using Google+ yet? What are your thoughts so far? Does it feel like a ghost town? Where will it go from here?

This news comes as no surprise to industry insiders, who for months have predicted a partnership between the two or even an acquisition of Foursquare  by daily deal giant Groupon.

And the partnership makes sense for both parties– Groupon boasts close to 90 million subscribers, but has yet to move into the mobile app space, a market whose profits have skyrocketed this year. And with a subscriber base of 10 million and no clear monetizing strategy, Foursquare will reap the benefits of partnering with such a high-profile, revenue-driving company.

I’m less interested in this particular partnership than in what it signifies about the direction these three dominant species in the internet kingdom – daily deal sites, geo-location services and social networks – are headed. Is Foursquare a geo-location service? Yes. Is it a social network? Yes. Is it a daily deals site? Now, yes. The same goes for Facebook. And it looks like Google’s making moves in the same direction with rumored connections between newly launched Google+, Google Places and Google Deals.

Lines are becoming increasingly blurred between what we were previously able to separately identify as social networks, deal sites and geo-location services. Groupon’s partnership with Foursquare isn’t the first time we’ve seen this type of crossover. Facebook Places Deals, Foursquare specials, and even Groupon’s other partnership with the less popular geo-location app Loopt are all evidence that these types of companies are actively seeking to adopt elements from one another.

Now that Groupon’s throwing itself into the mobile social networking mix, it’s becoming more and more clear that to be just a daily deal site (or for Foursquare, just a geo-location service) isn’t enough. And with Groupon’s $750 million IPO on the table, this partnership appears to be just another aggressive move towards establishing the deal site as a viable long-term company. Like its partnership with Expedia announced in June, Groupon’s agreement with Foursquare indicates its strategy to put its hands in as many pots as possible, so to speak.

Now my question is this: is the amalgamation of these different internet entities leading each individual company to participate in its own demise? Or is this encroachment on each other’s territory a sound business decision?

As a PR professional, I was a bit annoyed. I’ve participated in numerous webinars – including the one with Pogue that seemed to have spurred this controversial article – that have featured tips for those of us in PR. Many are the same: Don’t follow up; if we’re interested, we will call you; include a brief pitch concisely describing your news release; always use email; be familiar with the reporter and their beat, etc. While it’s helpful, I can’t really see how Pogue offering advice – paid or unpaid – on what news he likes to get and how he likes to receive it as providing “insider” trading tips that would taint the reputation of the New York Times.

Regardless of what Pogue might have divulged, I highly doubt that the hundreds or thousands of participants in said webinar actually convinced him to write a story about their client with said tips. Because no matter how convincing a pitch or creative a press release – or how many “useful” professional webinars you participate in – the journalist can easily delete your email and avoid your phone call. For the most part, they have full discretion in terms of what they write. On a personal note, even if I have a relationship with a reporter, that doesn’t mean that I have any more “influence” in getting them to write a story. It might help them read it or offer me a suggestion or two (which is good to do from time to time), but it certainly doesn’t mean that I have enough influence to get a story written.

(I wish it were that easy!)

I get that one of the main points of contention with Pogue participating in PR events is that he was compensated; however, this discussion brings up a bigger issue of the relationship between the media and public relations professionals.

It’s these kinds of situations that occur within the realm of PR that get people confused about what we do. First off, we don’t have the kind of “influence” that most people seem to think we have. And, most of us don’t really do that “spin” thing, either. What we do is creatively package a news story and accompanying pitch in order to grab a journalist’s attention. We do research up front to make sure that our client’s story is reaching the most appropriate reporter, and ultimately, the most appropriate audience. And we follow trends that we may be able to leverage for a client. It’s our job to educate the public about our client’s news, and in order for us to do that, it’s sort of imperative that journalists educate us about how best to communicate with them so that our client’s goal becomes a reality.

But, the bottom line is that journalists can’t live without PR professionals, and PR can’t live without journalists. It’s a weird and sometimes contentious relationship really, but most certainly not a “cozy” one. Ask any PR professional if they’ve ever been yelled at by a reporter, and I guarantee that nine folks out of 10 have. However iffy the relations are between PR pros and journalists, it is a mutually beneficial one.

For example, journalists call us to see if we have any story ideas on slow news days or send us requests when they are looking for clients or people we may know who may be a fit for something they are work on – and we try to help as best we can. That doesn’t mean that they owe us one, but we want to be helpful to build on that relationship. That’s why it’s called media relations.

And on a local level, our local Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) chapter and Baltimore PR Council are constantly hosting events with local media to help us better understand the content they are looking for and how they want to receive it. People might leave the event and email the reporter or editor, but that connection may or may not lead to a placement.

With the media constantly evolving and reporters changing beats every couple of months, it’s important for journalists to educate us to make sure we know what kind of news they want, via the means they want to receive it. At the end of the day, it’s for everyone’s benefit that will all learn how to work together. The equation is simple:

Informed PR people = Better pitches = Intrigued reporters = Awesome stories = Happy viewers/readers/subscribers + Happy clients + Happy news editors

This confession serves to preface my stance in the Foursquare vs. Facebook Places battle that rages on in the world of marketing blogs and in the screenlit chats of geo-location enthusiasts. I’m here to swear my loyalty to Team Facebook Places, and before any of my Foursquare friends accuse me of hypocrisy, I’ll admit that I use both. But that’s because I quite honestly don’t know how to handle myself when I have to wait more than five seconds for a table or when I’m standing in any formation resembling a line.

Yet if pushed to choose between the two, I’d side with Facebook Places without question. And my reasoning isn’t based on numbers or statistics, but on one thing that we all know yet don’t want to admit (avert your eyes, Mom and Dad, because I know you’re convinced that a Facebook post gone awry will result in me getting burgled or worse).

Here’s the secret about me and most of the people I know: I want people to know where I am and what I’m doing.

If we’re honest, we’ve all got a little bit of the mythological Narcissus in us. The only difference is that the image of ourselves we can’t seem to tear ourselves away from is reflected on a computer screen, not a Grecian pool. We love seeing the way we appear to others, and we love when other people notice us. Admit it – you stand just a little taller when you hear the self-validating “ping” of a new Facebook notification. You collect “Likes” as if they’re the adult equivalent of gold star stickers. New friend requests are proof that you’re putting yourself out there, making friends, having fun.

But it’s not just an obsession with ourselves that we’re cultivating on Facebook; it’s that we are, more than ever, in control of how other people view us. We just want to be “Liked.” It’s human nature, an understanding of which Facebook has capitalized on – and something that smart marketers can take advantage of, too.

Which brings me back to Facebook Places. Ultimately, I check in at a given place to share some insight into my life with my friends, coworkers, family members and even those people who fall into the “maybe I met you but have no idea who you are” friend category.

I want local friends to see that I’m at the corner bar so they can meet up for a drink. I want my sixth grade frenemy to know that I grew out of that awkward hair phase and am now seated at the salon whose waitlist spans the duration of an entire human gestation period. I want my foodie friends to see that I’m dining on kangaroo and pear cactus at that quirky new fusion restaurant in the city. I want my former soccer coach to notice my regular gym check-ins and accept them as a belated apology for the daggers I shot at him with my eyes for making me run sprints after practice.

Sure, I can check in at any of these places on Foursquare and a handful of people will see. If they go to the trouble of looking. Alternately, I can check in using Facebook, where my location pops up on my profile and takes its rightful place on the news feeds of hundreds of my closest friends, even those without smartphones.

I know I said I wouldn’t, but let’s talk numbers. If we take the average number of friends people have on Foursquare and Facebook (5-8 and 229, respectively), there’s a potential for at least 221 more people to see my check-in on Facebook . Which is a lot more. 2762% more. And if I tag my friends in my Facebook check-in? You don’t need an exact percentage to figure out that exposure to hundreds of people is more beneficial for your business than a tiny fraction of that.

For those of you with a hankering for more statistics, Facebook just reached 750 million active users. Foursquare claims a mere 1.3% of that number with 10 million users. More numbers, you say? Thirty million people were Facebook Places users as of last October. Which is, math lovers, three times the total number of people currently on Foursquare.

Okay, okay, I know people can “share” their Foursquare check-ins on their various social networks. But only 20% of people push their check-ins to Facebook and Twitter. Thank God – the only thing more annoying than seeing the big square Foursquare map clogging up my Facebook newsfeed is when someone posts about a catastrophic failure of their internet corn or a bad sale of virtual livestock.

My point is that if I’m going to check in somewhere, I’m going to do it where my online self and my online friends live. Which is why, if you’re a business, you want me to check in to your Place on Facebook. Some people may need a little more coaxing to check in, but creating a Facebook Deal is a simple trade-off for all of those impressions.

If I come to your place, I will be your best word of mouth marketer. You won’t even have to pay me for it. You may never even meet me.  But the chance is pretty high that one of my 900+ friends will find themselves thinking of you after they’ve seen your name alongside “Most delicious sandwich I’ve ever eaten” or “Relaxing at the spa!” or “OMG Best bar in the universe!!!!!!!!!”

Did you make me feel special? Did you offer me insider privileges if I “Like” you on Facebook? Am I on your e-mail list for discounts – especially if we’ve done business before? Even snail-mail and print coupons can work if I have a reason to consider you.

How about TV commercials? Have you built a strong image of your brand so I know what you stand for? Is there a central idea that’s reinforced by all of your spots? Do the production values make you look cheap – or credible? Especially compared to your bigger competitors?

Then there’s radio; that rare chance to hit me with your message while I’m out and about. But since I’m probably driving, make sure your spot cuts through the ambient noise. The writing should be crisp and engaging. It should convey your unique personality. And wherever you can, harness the power of the medium. Paint a vivid picture in my mind, rich in music, sound effects and stereo.

Did you catch my attention with a Web banner? That’s another great place to make an offer, if you’ve done the research, and know the sites I’m likely to visit.

Oh, and print isn’t dead yet, either. Some people – some very affluent and well-educated people – still read. Maybe I’m one of them. Have you talked to me in the right newspapers or magazines?

Is there a PR effort to extend your reach beyond paid media? Have you hired my neighbor, rolled out a new product or supported a worthwhile cause in my community? If so, do I know about it?

Modern marketing demands that you seize every opportunity to make sure that I’ve seen or heard your message as close to now as possible. Because as a consumer, I live in the now: the breaking news, Twitter-feed, what-have-you-done for-me-lately world. And if you haven’t prepared me for this crucial moment – when I decide whether I buy from you or someone else– you’ll lose the sale.

I’m deciding right now. When was the last time you gave me a reason to choose you?