Open The Dialogue

We’re really excited about launching the M.insight mobile app today, for the iPhone/iPod Touch, Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices.

Our colleagues often ask our recommendations on great blogs covering marketing communications and social media.  And quite honestly, with a bewildering number of blogs covering the space, it can get a bit overwhelming trying to decide which ones to read regularly to stay on top of news affecting our industry or clients.

Well, M.insight is designed help.  It’s a simple, free mobile app that aggregates content from a hand-picked group of highly respected blogs and news sites within the industry so you don’t have to dig through hundreds of blogs to get to articles that really matter to you.  And M.insight delivers this up-to-the-minute content right to your smartphone, so you can catch up on your reading whenever you have a few spare minutes.  You can add as many of your favorite feeds as you like, or delete feeds you don’t care about.  You can even monitor social media right from your smartphone.

Check out mww.com/minsight to learn more about the app and download it to your smartphone.

We really hope this app becomes a useful and time-saving tool for our colleagues and peers.  We’d love to hear what you think!  Let us know in the comments section.

M.insight Splash Page

M.insight Categories

There have been lots of examples of brands and individuals getting hacked on Twitter. In some cases, this results in exciting opportunities (think @The_Real_Shaq), in others, it can be a threat to personal or brand reputation (think Exxon or, most recently Tony LaRussa).

In response to the lawsuit filed by Cardinals manager, Tony LaRussa, last week, Twitter founders had the following to say, “Impersonation violates Twitter’s Terms of Service and we take the issue seriously. We suspend, delete, or transfer control of accounts known to be impersonation. When alerted, we took action in this regard on behalf of St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.”

In addition, they’ve previewed a new service, coming this summer, that will seek to authenticate brand or personal accounts so that owners and users can have a clearer sense of who they’re talking to and why they may or may not be getting the responses they’re looking for. Verified Accounts will come with a badge, like the one below.

Twitter Verified Account

Now, until this service is launched, there are a couple things you can do as a brand to be prepared.

1. Do your homework. Even if you aren’t ready to start a Twitter account, you should take ownership of your brand name and a few derivatives. This will prevent people from stealing your name. While you’re at it, check out Name Check, and see where you are susceptible to hacking all over the web. There are other services out there as well, such as Reputation Defender, that can help individuals track and improve your online reputation.
2. Set up Live Listening. Use an RSS reader. Set up searches for your name and your company’s name. Pay attention to where you are being mentioned and how.

Also, it’s important to remember that not all hackers are bad. Really? Yes. Take, for example, the hack-job done in conjunction with one of my favorite TV shows, Mad Men. You can follow @Don_Draper and the gang on Twitter – but these characters are not from AMC or their agency. This network of profiles was set up by fans of the show. After initially trying to disband the characters, they were allowed to continue tweeting, and continued to grow an audience and provide fans a way to connect with the show. Big win all around.

Jeff Pulver is one of the leaders in social media networking, having hosted dozens of social media events around the world, including the upcoming 140 Characters Conference taking place in New York City on June 16 and 17. He is also the founder of the Social Communications Summit and the host of Breakfast with Jeff Pulver.

Jeff is the Chairman and Founder of Pulver.com and one of the pioneers of VoIP, founding FWD, the VON Coalition, PrimeTimeRewind.TV, Vivox and is the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage.

Jeff can be found in a myriad of places online, namely Facebook, Twitter and his blog on pulver.com.

DialogueMedia: How did you get involved in social networking? How have you seen social media enhance your business?

Jeff Pulver: Social Networking is part of our day-to-day lives as much as anything else it. The only thing is that for a long time we didn’t have a name to describe some of the things we do each and every day from the time we made our first friend in the sandbox to the time you met the person for the first time last Tuesday.

The moment we meet someone new we become networkers. Without networking (social media based or otherwise) it would be challenging to be in business. I’d like to believe we have all been engaged in a form of social networking since we were all kids.

You are a master networker – what suggestions do you have for people who are just starting to attend tech, social media and PR events?

Before you attend your first event make sure you exist on Twitter and Facebook.

Be prepared. Look at the names of the people planning to be there. Spend the time googling the names and the people. On Twitter start to follow the people you want to meet the most and be sure to read their respective feeds the week before the meeting. This way you will have plenty of things to talk about in the event you are lucky enough to get into a conversation with one or more of the people who wanted to meet.

Do NOT hang out with the walls at the event. This means both the people who are leaning against the walls as much as the walls.

Do make an effort and walk around the room. Be mobile. And be available for a conversation.

You’ve also created a number of your own events, like SocComm, The 140 Characters Conference, and your series of social media breakfasts that you host pretty much everywhere. What inspires you to create so many events? What do you hope to accomplish?

I believe that the next person you meet may change your life. I would like to believe you have a chance to meet that person at one or more of my events.

As a business professional, how do you manage your work/life/social media balance?

I don’t look to create walls between work / life / social media so I don’t really have that much to balance. Depending upon the context my answers may vary but at any moment my blog may have a story reflecting something from deep inside my soul or it might represent my latest idea for where a certain technology is going to evolve. Connect with me at your own risk, as your milage with me may vary with use.

You travel to Tel Aviv, Israel frequently. Have you noticed any differences in the way businesses and individuals approach social media, compared with the U.S.?

Tel Aviv is a city of innovation and opportunity where some people work what feels like 25/8 in pursuit of a dream. I am not aware of many other cities anywhere in the world where this is also true. When you are around people who are driven it effects you.

Israel is not a leader in the adoption of twitter but it is a Facebook friendly nation and it is a place where the use of twitter has seen extreme growth of the past 6 months.

Thousands of newly-minted PR professionals are about to graduate this spring. What is one lesson or piece of advice about public relations that Professor Pulver would like to impart?

To be in PR means that you should not be LAZY. Please read this post.

What three blogs do you recommend to someone just getting started in social media?

The answer varies depending upon which industries they plan on being involved in.

I personally don’t read a lot of blogs but when I do, chances are they are written by people like: Fred Wilson, Chris Brogan or stories posted to places like TechCrunch and Mashable.

Laura Halsch is the newest Digital Strategist on MWW Group’s digital media team, DialogueMedia, having joined our team in May 2009. Laura will help develop and execute strategic online communications programs for a number of our top clients. Before joining our team at MWW Group, Laura was a digital specialist in the 360˚ Digital Influence Group at Ogilvy Public Relations, and also served as an account executive in Olgivy’s Washington D.C. office. Laura is a graduate of Georgetown University, and can also be found on Twitter at @lauraah. – AB

DM: My first question is the class job interview question: Why did you want to become a PR professional? Was this something you always wanted to do?
LH: I always liked writing and was interested in art and design, but I was an English major in college and didn’t really know where that would take me. My Junior year, I started taking journalism and marketing courses and that set me on track to work in PR. While I do have a traditional PR background, I’ve always liked looking at the intersection of PR and other marketing disciplines.

How did you get into social media? Were you on Facebook in college?
For me, social media was always a part of my online experience. I remember getting all these emails inviting me to join Facebook during my semester abroad in college, and it became this great way for my friends to keep track of each other while we were all around the world. I read blogs, watched online video, and joined local social networks, but it was always just for fun.

When I started in the Consumer Marketing group at Ogilvy PR, I was drawn to the work being done in the Creative Studio and the Digital Influence Group. By hanging around their team, and picking up work when they were over-capacity, I started to learn about creating social media programs as part of PR efforts, and was eventually invited to join the team full time.

What do you like about working in digital media, versus traditional media? Why do you think it’s important for companies to be involved in social media?
The reasons I like digital media fall in line pretty closely with the reasons for companies to get involved, so I’ll answer these together. It allows companies to connect directly with the people who are passionate about them to create additional value, reward their fans, and help their detractors. It is constantly changing and evolving, which creates a challenging work environment but a huge opportunity for companies to try new things and grow and evolve with the landscape. Especially as younger generations age, digital media is becoming the primary source of information, and it is our obligation as PR practitioners to make sure our clients are represented there.

You’ve also worked in Washington D.C., when you worked for Ogilvy. Do you notice a difference in how social media or public relations are approached between D.C. and NYC?
Government organizations and partners obviously have a big role in everything that’s happening in DC. It was exciting to be a part of and watch as government organizations started getting involved in social media and really began to see results from their efforts. In DC, I had the opportunity to work on more issues-driven projects, whereas here in NY my work has largely been in the consumer space.

What advice does Professor Halsch have for all the newly-minted graduates about to start working in public relations, especially when it comes to landing a job?
The job market is definitely different now than it was when I started out. Recent grads need to work to stand out among their peers and demonstrate their passion. The best advice I’ve read recently was from Charlie O’Donnell, over at Path 101. If you follow these steps, you’ll be more than set.

What are three blogs you think everyone should visit?
For quick-bites on WOMM and Customer relations, Church of The Customer.
For technology, healthcare and social media, and just a really passionate guy, Andre’s Blackman’s Pulse and Signal.
And to get some laughs from a smart social media enthusiast: Catch-Up Blog.