Instagram was launched in 2010 and was purchased by Facebook last spring.  The service currently claims 100-million active monthly users.  They lost quite a few users after an unfortunate decision to change their privacy policy late last year.

Using Instagram is pretty simple, really, particularly if you’re already a Facebook and/or Twitter user.  If you think about mobile Facebook with only pictures, you’ll get Instagram.  Take a picture, apply filters and frames to the picture if you choose, and then post it.  You follow people and hope they follow you, and you can comment on each other’s photos.  You can adjust your privacy settings so only your friends can see your pictures, or anyone can see them.  Like Twitter, you can apply hashtags to photos so they can be categorized.

The Pros

• Signup is easy. 
• Applying filters to semi-ordinary photos can, in some people’s opinion, make them look very cool.
• The service is integrated with Facebook and Twitter, which means in one fell swoop you can post a picture everywhere.
• There are definitely business applications.  You can show your customers what goes on behind-the-scenes, and introduce them to your employees.  Once you get a healthy following, you can ask your audience to pitch in with product pictures of their own.

The Cons

• Photography enthusiasts seem to absolutely HATE Instagram. Most newer smartphones have higher quality cameras, but Instagram stores pictures in a lower quality format. Additionally, the filters are seen as gimmicky at best.
• The same privacy issues that exist on Facebook are present on Instagram.
• A LOT of younger kids use it.  While searching for people to follow, I found no less than five of my 10-year-old’s friends on Instagram.  Not one of them is technically old enough to be using the app.

Regarding that last bullet above — it’s an interesting phenomena.  The age limit for all major social media outlets is 13.  Despite that, a surprising number of kids below that age are using Instagram.  The reason, I’m told, is that parents don’t want their kids on Facebook.  I’m the parent of two kids who are under 13, and neither of them are allowed to use any social media sites, but I’m not going to pretend to be a parenting expert so I’ll keep my opinions on that to myself.

Do you use Instagram for personal or business reasons?  Tell us why or why not in comments!

1. They’re natural entrepreneurs…
   
2. …But they aren’t acting on whatever entrepreneurial instincts they have
3. They’re spendthrifts…
4. …And they’re broke
5. They’re socialists
6. They’re narcissistic
7. They’re politically engaged
8. They’re less religious
9. They’re stressed out

You can check out the full article for more explanation of that list.  Obviously each of these doesn’t describe EVERY Millennial, but overall I’d say it’s fair, based on my observations.  I might add one more — They’re connected.  More than any other generation, this one is likely to be found with its eyes glued to a smartphone or tablet.

What do you think?  Let me know in comments.

It’s a very modern thing, and unfortunately it’s happened lately with increasing frequency — our entire nation mourning via social media.  The latest incident was the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  If you went on Facebook or Twitter yesterday afternoon, the vast majority of the posts you saw were expressing condolences or passing along details of what happened.

Unfortunately, what you also saw mixed with the heartfelt and personal messages of shock and grief were branded messages that had nothing at all to do with the horrifying events of the day.  The companies behind those messages either weren’t thinking when they posted them, or scheduled them hours or even days in advance and then walked away.

How bad and damaging these non sequitur posts are is up for debate.  Peter Shankman, one of the true gurus (although he may hate that word) of social media, is particularly bothered by them and thinks they’re significantly damaging to a brand when they happen.  He would most likely believe that this blog post is unnecessary as social media managers should know better by now.  But, obviously if it’s still happening then more education is needed.  That’s why I present my Five Rules for Social Media Brand Management During a National Crisis:

1. Pay attention. You can’t afford to go into a rabbit hole and not pay attention to the news. Knowing what’s going on in the world is part of the job of a social media manager.
2. It’s okay to be personal.  Posting a short and very concise message of sympathy for the victims is not only okay, it reminds your audience that your brand is made up of people.  Be very careful in the wording, however, and make it genuine. 
3. Shut down.  Remove all non-relevant scheduled Tweets and Facebook posts, and stow them away for another day.  Not only will no one pay attention to them, continuing with “business as usual” may actually harm your brand as your audience may see you as not caring.  The exception to this rule is if your company has a personal connection to the tragedy.  Obviously, posting (for example) that the team your firm put together to run in the race is safe and sound is different than a branded message.
4. Adhere to the 24-hour rule. Other than a short condolence message, it’s best to stay “dark” with branded messages on social media for at least a day after the incident breaks.  When you return to normalcy is a judgement call, but 24 hours should be the minimum.
5. Let common sense be your guide. An hour or two before the Newtown school shooting, I posted a silly picture for “Friday fun” on a client’s Facebook page.  An hour or two after the news broke, I was planning to post a weekly winner in a contest we were running.  When I heard about the shooting, I not only scrapped the contest winner post, I also deleted the silly picture, as it no longer seemed appropriate.  In the end, if it doesn’t feel right then delete it or don’t do it in the first place.

And, a bonus: Help.  If your business is in a position to give help to victims or families, obviously give it but don’t brag about it. That’s not social media savvy … it’s just being good people.

What do you think? Am I missing a rule that should be included?

Those days are over.

Since going public and watching the company’s stock prices go far below what was expected, those who rule at Facebook have made it harder and harder for businesses to successfully reach their audience on the social media platform without paying for it.

It used to be that you’d start a page, gather fans (now “likes”), and when you posted something on the page, your fans would see the post if they were online around the time you posted it.

Later, Facebook decided IT knows best what people want to see on their own news feeds.  After that change, when your fans logged in and went to their news feeds, they MIGHT see what you posted.  This potentially reduced the reach the posts on your pages would have, but in the end it was still a system that worked well enough and could be optionally supplemented with paid Facebook advertising.

Recently, Facebook made changes to the algorithm, called “EdgeRank”, that it uses to decide what posts are shown on your fans’ news feeds.  These changes may have gone too far for some page owners.  The algorithm takes a number of factors into account to decide who sees your posts.  The recent EdgeRank change, which supposedly happened on September 20 but has been said to have started as early as the end of August, was reportedly made to “de-clutter” news feeds.  What it really did was make room for more sponsored posts.  After this “de-cluttering” change happened, page owners found that the reach of their posts was cut anywhere from 40 to 70-percent.

With this change and the addition of sponsored posts, Facebook is essentially saying that we have to pay to reach a higher percentage of people who opted in to receive our information by clicking “like”.  In fact, we have to pay to reach the percentage that we reached this summer!

So, what’s a business owner to do?  Here are some options:

1. Pay the piper: Fortunately, Facebook advertising is not terribly expensive, and can be worked into the budget of all but the smallest businesses.  Either use paid banner ads to boost your number of “likes” or use the money to purchase sponsored posts for your most important information.
2. Squeeze out what you can: Take a look at what you’re posting, when you’re posting it, and who is being targeted.  Make sure you’re posting interesting materials with as many bright pictures and/or videos.  Also, look at your Facebook Insights to ensure that you’re posting at the best time of day.  Finally, use Facebook’s targeting tools to target your key audiences with the right posts.  The more that individuals interact with your page, the higher the chance will be that they’ll see your posts in the future.  In the end, you’ll still have to get used to the idea that your reach numbers are going to be lower than they used to be.
3. Look for alternatives: Perhaps Facebook isn’t your cup of tea anymore.  It’s not sensible to completely abandon it, since it’s by far the largest social media outlet, but maybe for your business it would be a good idea to expend some energy on Pinterest, Twitter, or even LinkedIn.

What it comes down to is that going forward a successful Facebook campaign will almost be required to include an advertising budget in addition to the man hours it takes to manage it.

Becky wanted a clean design that reflected her business of organizing. Her new website uses light colors, clean lines, and judicious use of shadow effects to give it a 3d look in some spots. Use the link below to check it out, and if your nest needs to be neatened, be sure to give her a call!

Click here to visit Neatest Nest Professional Organizing Service, based in Mechanicsville (near Richmond), Virginia.

1. Facebook changes the rules, making those fan posts significantly less prominent.
2. Your fans notice.
3. They don’t feel like they’re “front and center” anymore.
4. Perhaps they even stop posting because they figure no one will see their posts anyhow.
5. All of your hard work has been wasted.

The above situation is a possibility that Facebook page administrators are dealing with, or will be dealing with after this weekend when the new Timeline for Pages format pushes out to everyone.

Click for a larger view.

Previously, posts from fans on a page were given the same weight as posts from the administrator, so long as the administrator allowed fan posts.  In the new Timeline format, that’s truly not the case.  While a few fan posts may make it into the “stream” the majority of them are now relegated to a small box on the right side of the page.  If you look at the image to the right, you’ll see the “Posts by Others” box outlined in red.  For the most part, this is the only place you’ll see posts by non-administrators.

You can switch the page view to show ONLY posts by others. If you click on a small grayed-out box above the main stream of posts (outlined in green in my screenshot) you can show views such as only posts by non-admins or posts only by your friends who are also fans of the page.  I’d wager, however, that most people won’t notice that button or bother with it.

It’s completely inexplicable that Facebook would set pages up this way when they claim to be all about sharing and community.  Most of the reason that people bother to post on social media sites is to be recognized.  If their posts are hard to find, it ceases to be worth the time.

The overwhelming opinion from those who chimed in was that right now brands and businesses have nothing to fear, because while Facebook has made a lot of changes that have ticked off its user base, the growth of that user base shows no sign of letting up.  What all of us in the discussion also agreed upon is that it will be very interesting to see Google+’s options for businesses and brands.  Those are due to be unveiled later this year.

In a roundabout way, this discussion led me to think about how Google+ can grow and become the default social media outlet for more people.  Right now, most people I know spend more time at Facebook and/or Twitter, and if they visit Google+, they do so as a secondary or even tertiary outlet.

I’m going use sweeping generalizations here, so bear with me, but I view Twitter users as people who want to find and share news and short opinions.  Facebook, meanwhile, can be used for similar purposes, but is also a place to see what your friends (and their kids .. grandkids .. etc.) are up to.  If I want to find news about something going on right now, I go to Twitter.  If I want to see pictures from last night’s neighborhood event (bad example, I know) then I go to Facebook.

So … when do people go to Google+?  It’s hard to answer that question.  Google just opened the service to the general public (no invite required) this week.  Until that day, the site was a haven for techies.  Few people who weren’t connected somewhat in the social media world had managed to swing an invite, or cared to go through the trouble of getting one.  As a result of that closed user base, the site has until now been a great place to find news about social media and technology, as that’s what people were sharing.  I have never once seen a post on there with pictures of someone’s new cat.

I view Google+ as being in between Facebook and Twitter in what it does. You can read posts from whomever you want without being invited, something Twitter has always been identified with but Facebook just implemented.  On Google+, however, you’re not limited in character count and can post images … like Facebook.   Being an in between service isn’t enough, though.  Right now, what will do the trick is still up in the air, as the site is still evolving.  What is clear is that Google+ needs to find its niche, and it needs to do it soon before the public forgets about it.

What do YOU think it will take for Google+
to become the default social media site?
I’d love to hear your opinions in comments.

This move is being widely reported as making Facebook more like Twitter.  I think those who are reporting that are missing something — this new feature makes Facebook more like Google+.  On Google’s new social media service, you can add anyone to a circle, which adds their public updates to your news stream regardless of whether you’re in their circles.  Sound familiar?

The question here is whether Facebook is a little concerned about the new competition from Google.  We may never know, as this could be a feature they’ve worked on since before Google+ launched this summer.

Once nice new feature that’s included in the “subscribe” addition is that Facebook is finally allowing us more control over what is shown in our news feed.  Do you have a friend who blathers on about her ex-boyfriend too much?  What about one who is addicted to FarmVille and thus is flooding your wall with updates on her radishes (or some such thing .. I’ve never played the game).  With this new feature, you’ll be able to go to their profile page, click on the subscribe button, and select which type of updates you’d like to receive from that person.  Nifty.

One thing you WILL have to note with this new feature is indicating who you want to see your own status updates.  By default, it’s set to “friends only”, but if there’s something you want the whole world (including non-friend subscribers) to see, you can select “public”.  Broadcast to the world!

The new “subscribe” button is being rolled out gradually across the Facebook universe.  If you don’t see it yet, you will soon.

A big “thanks” to Work It, Richmond, a website and newsletter produced by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  This week they included me in a feature called “People You Need to Meet”. The feature is an interview about me and EndGame PR. You can check it at this link: People You Need to Meet: Steve Mullen.

Lara started working with EndGame PR last week, and will be helping with several clients.  We’re thrilled to have her!

Once upon a time, there wasn’t really another way to do things.  Back in the day (wow .. I really sound old) you actually used a fax machine to send the release, but other than that the tactic was the same.    You blasted it out, started making phone calls, and hoped for the best.  These days, however, we have alternatives to bludgeoning the media with releases.  Here’s a look at the list of suggestions from the PR Princess:

• Pitch email (sending a customized email rather than just the release)
• Make a website posting (preferably a blog post)
• Send a Tweet
• Send a Facebook message
• Pick up a phone (call the reporter rather than just sending the release)
• Offer to meet the reporter in person

While I consider one of these a dead or dying PR tactic, I’m in favor of anything that teaches public relations people strategies to avoid creating the news release spam that journalists complain about so frequently.

I’d like to add a few more suggestions to the list:

• You can re-purpose these releases as part of a monthly e-newsletter to your clients and employees.  It will let them know what you’re up to.
• Create a custom Facebook landing page (new service EndGame PR is now offering — look for an announcement soon) and list releases there, along with special offers for Facebook “fans”.
• Post on a news release distribution service, and be sure to include a link back to your (or your client’s) website.  It’s a great way to spread your release around the web, and it’s good for SEO too.

It’s good to be a PR person in our social media age!

• The update includes a revamp of the look of the pages, making them look almost identical to individual profile pages. They put tagged pictures at the top, and eliminated the tabs (this is a big one for us as it’s where our landing pages lived — take note).
• One important change is that the links for the tabs have been moved over to the spot under the profile picture, and are now just links. Fortunately, the update didn’t change the requirements or measurements of actual custom landing pages, which is a good thing for those who build them.
• Another interesting feature is that administrators can now comment AS their page on other pages or other people’s profiles. To explain, previously we could only comment as the page’s identity (rather than as Steve Mullen, for example) while actually on that page. Now I could go on the Facebook Page for Twinkies (for example) and a comment from me would show up as the identity of my Facebook Page. This will come in quite handy.  Additional changes related to this include being able to receive email notifications of user comments on your Page, something previously only possible for comments on your personal wall.
• Another feature related to the one above, but deserving of its own bullet is the new ability to “like” other Pages as your page.  Previously you could only “like” something as an individual.  Very interesting.

The one change that is causing some consternation among Facebook Page Administrators is the switch from tabs to the small links under the profile picture. I’m not particularly fond of this either, since they’re not as obvious now.  In the end, though, there’s really no way around it.  We’ll just have to work harder to promote the content in those links.  If one of those links is to a custom landing page, it will of course be the default page seen by all “non-likers” (yes .. I just made that up).

If you administer a page and haven’t updated yet, you have until March 10, when it will be done for you!