Kara Kane - public relations and communication

Are they dangerous? Hardly. Yesterday, one of our “poofs” (Silkies) gave chase to my dog. Yes, you read that correctly. My English Springer Spaniel, a bird dog, was chased by a chicken. I trust my chickens around children of any age. The same can’t be said about your average dog or cat.

Are they loud? When we had roosters, they were no louder than the wild birds that make their home on our land. And the hens – most of the time I don’t even notice that they’re around.

Are they smelly? If you had several dozen, the smell could get bad, especially if they are concentrated in one area. But with 10 or even 20 at our house, we let them roam free, and scoop up the poop in their coop as needed.

Are they hard to raise? Not at all. In the winter, we bring them fresh water, set up a heat lamp and make sure they have enough feed and a clean coop. In the summer, they run free, attacking the bug population and keeping to themselves. Year-round, we feed them table scraps (corn and watermelon rinds are favorites). We’ve been averaging five fresh eggs each day too – even better and fresher than the expensive free range/organic eggs from the grocery store.

Bottom-line: chickens are harmless, valuable, low-maintenance animals that anyone with a spare bit of land and a few extra minutes a day can handle. Our son has learned responsibility from participating in their care and feeding. I am hoping the best for the Amherst family who has to deal with an uncooperative town board.

Fave Five Friday:

Kara Kane — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:20:38 +0000

[New Post] New Facebook Timeline Pages: A Look at Cover Trends in #highered http://t.co/vHfRPIHS

March 7, 2012 8:03 am via twitterfeed ReplyRetweetFavorite

@karinejoly

karinejoly

A simple response to a tweet by @karinejoly led to Medaille’s Facebook timeline cover photo being included in her roundup on collegewebeditor.com on colleges who very quickly made the switch to this new feature. I’m in good company!

The Story Of "Keep Calm And Carry On" http://t.co/J9FiA6UY

March 7, 2012 12:51 pm via Buffer ReplyRetweetFavorite

@prsarahevans

Sarah Evans

The story of Keep Calm and Carry On, one of the more recent graphic memes that card-makers and hipsters enjoy.

If you missed Patrick Desjardins' article "How I Helped Destroy SWG", be sure and check it out! http://t.co/j6Dy4ena Read and RT!

March 7, 2012 4:37 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@mediumdiff

Medium Difficulty

“How I Helped Destroy Star Wars Galaxies“: an article from the new site @mediumdiff, offering commentary on gaming and culture. And gaming culture. I loved that this article touched on psychology, economics and the highest of all geekery forms: Star Wars.

Buffalo Niagara CLS gives WNY a single source for free data. Demographics, labor, business lists, & more http://t.co/h4vJzSon #smallbiz

March 6, 2012 10:58 am via webReply RetweetFavorite

@BNEnterprise

Buffalo Niagara

A single source for demographic, labor and business data, via the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise.

Interactive map of the world's underwater Internet cables: http://t.co/tYSkQGaV

March 4, 2012 10:58 pm via Twitter for Mac ReplyRetweetFavorite

@kaepora

Nadim Kobeissi

An interactive map of the world’s underwater internet cables via @kaepora. Fascinating stuff for geography nuts.

IABC Buffalo – Agenda for March 6

Kara Kane — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:47:30 +0000

Just in case people are interested.

IABC Planning Meeting
March 6, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
Buffalo Niagara Enterprise

I. Welcome & acknowledgments

II. Introductions

III. IABC in a nutshell

Mission
Provide lifelong learning opportunities that give IABC members the tools and information they need to be the best in their chosen disciplines.
Share among our membership best global communication practices, ideas and experiences that will enable communicators to develop highly ethical and effective performance standards
Shape the future of the profession through groundbreaking research.
Lead the way in the use of advanced information technology in the profession.
Unite the communication profession worldwide in one diverse, multi-faceted organization under the IABC banner.

Industries/Job Roles
Public relations/Media relations; Corporate communications; Public affairs; Investor relations; Government relations; Marketing communication; Community relations; Writing; Editing; Training; Advertising; Photography and video production; Graphic design; Human resources; Teaching

IV. Open questions
Is there a core group of communication professionals in Buffalo and WNY who could develop, charter and sustain an IABC chapter?
Would this core group need to look beyond Buffalo to build membership?
What would this group look like?
Would an IABC chapter duplicate the quality, established professional associations that already exist in Buffalo (upstate)?
What could an IABC chapter offer to Buffalo (upstate) in terms of skills development, career advancement, networking and community service?
Other questions?

V. Next steps?

Fave Five Friday: Higher Ed Edition

Kara Kane — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:00:31 +0000

NEW BLOG POST: Building a Facebook Timeline for Higher Education http://t.co/BiQOOcQb #highered

March 1, 2012 10:40 am via Tweet Button ReplyRetweetFavorite

@patrickjpowers

Patrick Powers

A definitive post from @patrickjpowers on Facebook for higher education.

My latest article-- Colleges & Pinterest: Great marketing tool or waste of time? http://t.co/tXxipgUT #pinterest #socialmedia #collegesearch

February 29, 2012 2:44 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@emilyatteberry

Emily Atteberry

Colleges and Pinterest via @emilyatteberry.

Best Practices for Pinterest in Higher Ed, by @aaron_jaco http://t.co/uyRD6xFR

March 1, 2012 2:02 pm via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@higheredlive

HigherEdLive.com

Best practices for higher education and Pinterest via @higheredlive.

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. ~ Malcolm Forbes

February 27, 2012 6:56 am via smqueue ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Your_Say

Your_Say

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” ~ Malcolm Forbes

Check out our newly completed speaker list, with new additions @Cusick and @bestzeller of @Bravotv! http://t.co/ZLuE8lZa

March 1, 2012 1:29 pm via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@140cuse

#140cuse

the #140cuse conference on April 19 at Syracuse University (@140cuse)

NASCAR as a Media Innovator?

Kara Kane — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:03:11 +0000

So the zooms and shrieks of the Daytona 500 are a dull hum from our living room, and over this weekend I’ve had a brief but lively schooling in the level to which media and social media have become embedded within the racing industry.

Did you know that the NASCAR season starts with its biggest race – the total opposite of other sports? I guess that means I’m calling NASCAR a sport. Once you start reading about the gentlemen (and occasionally ladies) who race around tracks at breakneck speed, you just can’t stop. Or at least, I couldn’t.

The announcers and drivers all have Twitter handles – and the chyrons, voiceovers and general chatter actively promote that fact.
Live tweets from the drivers, pit crews and fans are displayed on the screen.
Fans can access the radio traffic and the readings (speed, whatever) from their favorite cars through their smartphones. For just $99/year.

As younger drivers take to the track and bring with them familiarity with social media tools and, frankly, the craving for the types of celebrity that a huge Twitter following or Facebook fans can conjure up, it’s no wonder that we’re seeing this type of media innovation for this sport.

I’m almost tempted to sign up for NASCAR Nation and see the other services they offer – badges? live chats? blogs? Maybe this NASCAR season will be the one that brings Twitter to the masses – small-town folks from middle-America, and an international audience. It’s brought it to my attention, at the very least. I’m rooting for the M&M car.

A better writeup than I can do – from a fan’s perspective – on NASCAR and social media (DalyPlanet)
Mashable had a good writeup, Can Social Media Turbocharge NASCAR on TV? Because you have to cite Mashable if you’re talking about social media.
The ultimate fan reward from driver Brad Keselowski.
Follow your favorite drivers on Twitter.

Fave Five Friday: FOOD

Kara Kane — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:40:59 +0000

March is for Mac and Cheese Lovers. Check out the details for Lactali's Mac&Cheese Challenge, 20 restaurants competing http://t.co/xCRTZRCK

February 20, 2012 3:14 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@BuffaloEats

Buffalo Eats

Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite food groups.

Yummy popcorn from PEEPS & COMPANY! Have you tried it?

February 22, 2012 3:34 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@PEEPSANDCOMPANY

PEEPS & COMPANY®

Peeps and Company, just in time for the Easter season. I bought purple sanded sugar and will be experimenting with making Giant Homemade Marshmallow Peeps.

What’s More Disgusting Than Watching Guy Fieri Eat? That's right, watching Guy Fieri eating in reverse. Thanks, Conan. http://t.co/DYcAS4TR

January 26, 2012 3:01 pm via TweetMeme ReplyRetweetFavorite

@FNHumor

Food Network Humor

On weekends, when I can wrestle the remote away, I love watching the Food Network. And now I have a new favorite humor site: Food Network Humor.

An unexpected and pleasant Presidents' Day donation from a youngster. http://t.co/UhJSndOZ #Buffalo #WNY

February 21, 2012 11:08 am via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@FoodBankofWNY

Food Bank of WNY

News from the @FoodBankofWNY always makes me smile.

Thursday 2/23/12- Where's Lloyd? at NorthPointe 11:30-1:30, Roaming Buffalo at the FNC 11:30-1:45

February 23, 2012 3:11 am via Facebook ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Bufffoodtruck

Buffalo Food Truck

List of Buffalo food trucks by @buffalopundit. Only two subscribers to a one-stop list of all Buffalo’s mobile vendors? I’m shocked. See also @Bufffoodtruck.

(Tweet graphics made possible by the fantastic Blackbird pie plugin for WordPress.)

Intuitive Leaps: Brands and Consumer Behavior

Kara Kane — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:26:58 +0000

Target knows: a sampling of lip glosses rescued from the depths of my purse.

The N.Y. Times article, “How Companies Learn Your Secrets,” didn’t scare me; it just confirmed much of what I’ve already suspected about the sophisticated ways in which brands can just know what you need.

Thinkgeek knows that I buy stocking stuffer-ish products each December.
Target knows that I have a dog, a lip gloss addiction (image) and a weakness for the children’s clearance clothes section.
Sephora knows that I’m most likely to buy from it, either in the store or online, after receiving its catalog. They must also know about my weakness for lip gloss. Hmm.

Digging through my foggy memories of logic classes, the marketers and statisticians behind the decisions made by these brands are making inductive leaps – making a case and a plan from observations. Any company that provides a product or service to customers can make the types of intuitive leaps that Target is making.

You won’t have the force of super-computers and super-statistical-brains behind you, but even anecdotal accounts from front-line staff, vendors, and your best (or worst) customers provide invaluable feedback. It’s the type of information that can give businesses a personal touch. Insurance agents send out birthday cards – actually, a lot of businesses send out birthday cards, specials and coupons. Service providers like plumbers and electricians, and car dealerships contact customers on service anniversaries to check in on potential needs. Salons and clothing stores can look at their client lists and predict which are most likely to take advantage of upsold products and services. Target and other megacorps are just taking that to the next level. If that’s the type of competitive edge that businesses can faithfully rely on, we’ll only see more sophisticated and subtle applications of this across every market – consumer products, retail, service – you name it.

At least this is a system from which we can inoculate ourselves to some extent. Buying with cash and buying local would be my best recommendations. That’s better for your credit and for your community.

NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross (another Buffalo connection!) had this related story on how companies define your worth online.

Twitter Networks and Geography

Kara Kane — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:45:14 +0000

NPR had a piece this morning on Barry Wellman’s recent work analyzing Twitter networks and geography: “Why Twitter Ties Resemble Airline Hub Maps.” It’s a new spin on his catalog of research, which I remember reading much of as a graduate student.

Dr. Wellman teaches at the University of Toronto (not too far from Buffalo, incidentally), which has been the source of research for media theory and technology out of its (Marshall) McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology.

Anecdotally, from using #knowyourfollowers, I learned that most of my followers on Twitter identify as being in New York state. For as universal a reach as Twitter allows, knowing that Twitter is operating more powerfully on a local level should be instructive for most individuals and brands who use Twitter for customer/client outreach.

Fave Five Friday: Social Media, Chickens

Kara Kane — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:16:44 +0000

Find out the demographics of your Twitter followers with knowyourfollowers.com.
Become a Twitter ninja (lordy, I hate that word) in 30 minutes a day via @tweetsmarter
Get circled on Google+ via @glengilmore
Urban Chicken Backlash by @dlepeska via @rachelbarnhart
As long as you have a big enough yard and are prepared to deal with chicken droppings on a regular basis, I just don’t see the problem. And I know of what I speak!
Vertical Chicken Farms by Wired UK
And as an aside – searching “chicken” on Twitter produces an alarmingly large number of results.