Changing Faces or PR and Social Media: 2013

Friday, 10 May 2013

How Social Media has changed the meaning of being a Celebrity

Celebrities have always been people who the general public always wants to know more about, who they are intrigued by and some also worship and give them the treatment of royalty.

New technology has changed the way we see celebrities and smartphones and social media has made it very easy to gain access to them and their private and professional life. For most celebrities internet is their worst nightmare because once something is on the internet it can be impossible to remove. People nowadays as well as the paparazzi use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to post photos of celebrities because these sites allows a fast picture publishing method which is easily done and easily accessed. This means anyone is capable to take a picture of celebrity whether they are in their private moment or not to instantly take a picture and upload it anywhere at any time. On Instagram there is a self-created hashtag which is called #celebsighting .

Although the media and paparazzi make it really hard for celebrities by starting rumors, taking pictures without their consent etc. Celebrities also use social media to full advantage by interacting with their fans and telling what is the truth which avoids them from further rumours. Celebrities also post photos and like to inform their fans what they are doing and also promote their upcoming products and their brand just like any other business would do.

How has social media changed the news?

These days you don’t even have to watch television or listen to the Radio for news, because all the information comes to you wherever you are.

Nearly every single person has Facebook, twitter or any other type of social network these days. Social networks were used for interacting with one and other, however now it is a new way of communication and keeping In touch with the world. The way the public listen to the news has changed now from what it was 10 years back. All newspapers, magazines, blogs have their own accounts on these social network sites to keep their followers updated and acknowledging them of any breaking news or give the public updates about the latest news, gossip and more.

News accounts intend to make this easier for their readers by posting a link to the site so the reader does not have to search for it, they also post status’s and updates on the newsfeed, this makes it easier for the reader as they are able to simply click on the link and all the information they need is there. If a person if not following the account or any other they are still able to see the link or tweet if an individual shares the link on their account, retweets the tweet, the tweet can also trend on twitter due to the number of retweets it has gained. An example of this would be the BBC news twitter feed.

"We have had problems which we simply cannot overcome." Judge discharges the Eddy Shah rape trial jury bbc.in/YKtzYL
— BBC London Newsroom (@BBCLondonNews) May 10, 2013

Although to access some newspapers the reader has to pay online, most newspapers are there to read for free. Such as Daily Mail , The Sun , The Guardian and more. These newspapers also allows the company’s to know how many people are reading the news, what is the most popular article and more, this is because they all have a forum where people can write their opinions about they think of the story, if they want to read more news like this, how many likes and shares there are. All these factors allow the company to know what their readers like to read and what interests them the most. Whereas with paper news the company is not able to tell or gain any feedback that effectively in order to know what their readers like to read.

Journalists also pass around the news on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. One of the most popular news which escalated on Twitter was the death of Osama Bin Ladin. I found this quote on a blog post written by Hannah Vinter which quotes the CNN vice president and general manager, Peter Bale, who says ‘’ Osama Bin Laden’s death spread on Twitter to illustrate how quickly news can now move on social networks.’’ A man named Sohaib Athar, a Software Consultant tweeted about the incident of Osama Bin Ladin’s death which created a huge scene on twitter, and the news spread all over the media. Another example would be the Michael Jacksons death, I myself personally found out about this via Facebook through friends who were updating their status. Many people found out from various sources, for example people now have News Apps which are available on smart phones such as iPhone and many more which allow readers to access news wherever they are, also some apps send notifications when a news worthy piece is available which may interest the reader regarding their previous read articles. This is a podcast which explains what had happened by Sohaib Athar.

This an image I found reading an article by Heather Leonard which displays top 10 news websites visited via Facebook.

How do businesses connect to their audience?

Social media can change the way businesses interact with their customers and initially transform a business. Business use social media to interact with customers to observe their changing behaviours and to keep themselves updated on what are the likes and dislikes of the consumers, this is done through interaction and following what the consumers are talking about on their Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Blogger , Linkedin and many more.

Social media has allowed businesses to increase awareness about their services and products for free which associates with businesses making more profit. Also a big advantage of using social media is that it is free of use. Businesses do not have to spend a lot of money on promotion to inform the public about their new product unless the organisation pays the networking sites to advertise their brand and products. An example of this would be YouTube it allows people and businesses to make their own channels for free and upload videos, this is be a benefit to organisations as they do not have no pay for indorsing their product and brand and it can still be viewed by millions of people, also they will get instant reaction to their product as the public has the facility to leave comments, give likes and dislikes and share the video on other social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter which gives the organisation to target and reach a wider range of audience. This allows the business to introduce its audience to new products and get them talking and excited about it. Also it gives the firm an idea of what the public want from them. For example my brother had tweeted Mcdonalds complaining about customer service and Mcdonalds tweeted him back suggested what he can do if he is upset, this shows McDonalds care about their customers, and are open minded to criticism. And use social network to interact with their customers efficiently and fast.

This is the Chanel channel on YouTube, it allows the public to subscribe to keep them updated on what they are doing, interact with the public, and promote their brand, company, product and more

@sulemanraza Which country are you in? We can provide that website & customer satisfaction information. Thank you. ^JH
— McDonald's Corp. (@McDonaldsCorp) February 8, 2013

How to make the best of Instagram

Instagram was launched in 2010 and has since become one of the most popular social networks with approximately a hundred million users. Instagram is not only used by the public but also businesses and for career use. For example a lot of journalist, photographers, and photojournalists now use Instagram to express their views through photographs such as Michael Christopher Brown who is a photographer and displays his work on Instagram for his 57,000 followers. Also people such as Fashion bloggers, businesses also make use of Instagram.

For business to make their Instagram interesting they must post pictures frequently and on a daily basis, to keep their followers interested and to keep their page and photos trending. Other ways to make a picture popular on Instagram is to #hashtag anyone can hashtag and create their own hashtags. For example I had done an assignment regarding riverisland and had tagged the company in it by using #riverisland because of the tag my picture got a lot of ‘likes’ and River Island itself liked my picture. This is another way of getting your business and your picture recognised as hashtags can trend which allows the picture to go on the ‘Popular page’ of Instagram. For example if a fashion blogger tags River Island or another retail company they will recognise the blogger and their work which could create opportunities for both the individuals. This involves knowing who your audience is and when they are most active, websites such as Simply measured can help business, employees and bloggers to acknowledge this.

It is also important for business to communicate and connect with their followers by sharing or liking their pictures. Also not only to post pictures of their products but also show people what is going on behind the scenes. A good example of this would be Starbucks , who have over a million followers, not only do they display pictures of their products but also show pictures of what they are doing to help communities and show their coffee beans etc. This allows the consumers to relate and be more involved with the organisation.

Organsisations such as Topshop and Starbucks use their Instagram efficiently, for example not only does Topshop display pictures of their product but they also show models wearing outfits to give people ideas, show what their employees are doing to display a friendly working atmosphere, intereact with their customers, display pictures of events and more. A good example of this would be the Virgin Atlantics they also display pictures of their services and employee and show variety of facilities they provide. Virgin Atlantics tried to gain followers by offering their customers free tickets if they shared and tagged their pictures on Instagram.

This website shows the 10 best branded companies on Instagram .

Watch what you tweet – Paris Brown

Recently ‘’ Britain's first youth crime commissioner ‘’ quit her job role due to her inappropriate tweets. Paris Brown, a 17 year old Youth Commissioner from Kent was forced to quit her job when inacceptable tweets were discovered on her Twitter including racial, homophobic, drug abuse, violent and sexual feed.

A Youth Commissioner Job role is to be the person who is the messenger between the youth and the police and also the crime commissioner, and make sure the youth get their message across and is understood. As said ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ Paris Brown is a perfect example of this, in today’s date where social networks are so popular and used by millions one should be very careful of what they tweet.

Although Brown had tweeted these comments before she was appointed for Youth Commissioner, they will now signify her for the rest of her life. The Younger generation do not realise the power of social media, what they might think is simply sharing their thoughts on social networks might later be used against them in future and in the adult world. For example if you want to start your own business and you are looking for investors, or simply just applying for a job they will investigate what kind of an individual you are via social networks to get an idea of the individual’s life style. Employers will look at potential employees social sites to see what kind of a person they are and what kind of activities they are processing. For example if your twitter feed is presenting inappropriate pictures of, this reflects on your work life. Whereas if your feed if occupied with work related substance the employer is more likely to hire you because they will realise how passionate and involved you are in your work. What a person comments can affect an individual’s life and identity.

Ann Barnes , Crime Commisoner said ‘’ I was not recruiting an angel... I was recruiting a young person, warts and all'

User Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) is used by modern online organisations/agents. This includes news, gossip, and research. And can be easily accessed through modern technology. However, not all websites and content are always successful..

In terms of getting the audience to talk about you, the brand, organisation or your product and give reviews, whether good or bad, and to reach the target audience such as the youth, one must find the appropriate method in order to communicate with the audience. This can be presented through social network websites such as Twitter , Facebook, Flicker, YouTube etc. Also Podcasting , Forum , Blogging and many more.

Tips to have a successful content:

· Richness in content: very important, as it attracts the consumers and makes it easier for them to access the website and its different areas. Include Videos and pictures to make content visually attractive and more informative

· Reviews: Whether it is a product or an organisation people are heavily influenced by reviews of common people. Start a forum, provide rating for products, start #hashtag trends, encourage social discussions.

· Language: The type of language used can have a major influence on the consumer, it can allow the audience to relate, be persuaded, or allow them to become a promising customer, reader, enhance the popularity of the website, brand, organisation etc.

· Communication: the key is to communicate with the audience, to keep them coming back for more and be more interested in your content. This increases popularity, number of followers, consumers, and importantly widens the range and number of public. Also it is great for feedback to know what the likes and dislikes of audience. And gain general feedback overall.

It is important to know how to use online websites and agents in order to make them successful and to reach target audience.

Employability via YouTube

YouTube is the third most popular website on the internet just behind Google and Facebook . YouTube is definitely a platform for a regular person to get noticed by a larger scale of audience. However it has also become a platform to enhance and gain employability, and a board to apply for jobs.

It is always a benefit to stand out and get noticed, and employers like people who are creative and think outside the box. However this does not always mean that the job is yours, as employers are known to look at a potential employees social network pages before recruiting them, which is why it is necessary to keep your social media accounts private as they may see activity, use of language, pictures etc, which you would not want them to.

Zachary Sniderman describes 5 ways to get a job on YouTube , in his article he gives examples of people who have found success on YouTube and secured themselves, a job or have gained popularity. He gives an example of Tom Ferry who used YouTube to gain followers and subscribers and was offered jobs by uploading videos which were useful to his followers. Another example is Justin Bieber , he is the best success story of YouTube, Bieber’s mother posted videos online so his grandparents in Canada would be able to see him singing, with a bit of luck and talent Bieber gained more followers over the years and created a buzz on YouTube and was eventually signed to Island Records / RBMG Records , today Justin Bieber is one of the most successful and popular artists in the world.

However, cases such as Matthew Epstein do not always succeed, although the video went viral and got a lot of views, attention and appreciation he was not accepted by Google as they felt it was not very professional. However as his video got a lot of attention Epstein was offered a job by another company. In another case a girl called Erica made a video resume to apply for the Ellen Degeneres show, the video consists of all the skills Erica had and why she would be perfect for the job, this video was different and creative and had not been done by anyone who had previously applied to the Ellen Degeneres show, therefore it caught Ellens attention which resulted in Erica being a successful candidate. This is why is it very important to get acknowledge what kind of a firm you are applying to and how to approach it.