Open The Dialogue

Pew Internet and American Life Project and the Project for Excellence in Journalism released “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer,” on Monday and it has received a ton of attention around the key findings.  Notably, the majority of Americans (92%) use multiple platforms to get their daily news, and more than half (59%) are getting news from both online and offline sources on a typical day.

The degree to which Americans are personalizing and filtering this content is especially noteworthy, with highlights collected by MediaBistro including:

• 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones.
• 28% of internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and on topics that particularly interest them.
• 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
• 51% of social networking site users who are also online news consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow.
• 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on social networking sites.

This fits with the recent Cision report (pdf), which showed how media are using social platforms to publish, promote and distribute what they write (64% use blogs, 60% social networks, and 57% Twitter).  Additionally, a full 89% of media are turning to blogs for their online research, making this process truly cyclical.

With 70% of Americans noting that the amount of news and information available from different sources is overwhelming, I think we will see more and more trends pointing to users testing multiple news sources and filtering for perceived noise.  From a PR perspective, this points to the importance of brands telling a cohesive story over multiple platforms, providing a range of consumer touch points, and as always, creating content that is truly valuable for media and consumers.

This graphic tells a compelling story about just how central the internet is to communication and content development on a daily basis.  The numbers are amazing – and it looks pretty too.

Created by Online Education

Given that the next 48 hours marks the final days of shopping sanity for while, it seems like a good opportunity to talk quickly about social shopping.

A recent study by Deloitte showed that 17% of consumers would use social media during their holiday shopping. Just over one-half of that group was ages 18 to 29.  The graph to the right shows the breakdown from there.

Maybe more significantly, Deloitte showed that:

• More than one in five (22 percent) consumers anticipate they will shop primarily online this year and
• 44 percent of shoppers expecting to use a coupon they obtained online.
• 39 percent) indicating they often read consumer-generated reviews of stores or products online, and
• 25 percent) saying they will likely purchase a product this holiday season based on an online recommendation.

Similarly, E-marketer reported on a study that showed that while relatively few  (7%) online shoppers who plan to both research and buy holiday gifts online this year will look for ideas on sites such as Facebook, nearly one-half (45%) will use social networks to research items, compare prices and look for offers.

Mashable categorized social shopping into a few buckets- the most important of which, especially given the stats above are:  instantaneous product reviews, real time deals, and group gifting.  For products and brands – especially during the mayhem of holiday season –it is more important than ever to rise above the clutter and create incentives for shopping and recommending.

Social platforms like Facebook and Twitter provide quick and easy ways to promote customized deals and amplify those positive real-time product reviews.  While community-based shopping sites tend to fall into two categories.  Group gift sites, like eDivvy and others make it easier for cash-strapped consumers to make bigger ticket gifts, and curated gift sites, like StyleHive, and even Best Buy’s community forums that allow for highly personalized, recommendation-based gift ideas.

And with that – let the Black Friday games begin!

The topic of fund raising came up in a meeting yesterday, and when I got home and was trolling through my Google reader, I came across  KickStarter, a Brooklyn based site that allows users to pitch in to fund creative projects – artwork, design, animation, music, and more.  Donors receive updates throughout the process and can track the project as it travels from concept to reality.

I love that the concept of social networks and fundraising has the ability to translate beyond the bounds of charities and non-profits (which are obviously important), and help foster creativity and innovation and other under-funded pursuits.

The social web allows entrepreneurs, non-profits and ambitious individuals (often-times students) greater access to a wide range of potential donors.  We’ve seen sits like Kiva take off in recent years – allowing donors to provide micro-loans to fund small businesses in developing countries.  Closer to home, donors can help a student pay off their loans or help a friend save money for a trip.

Individuals, like Drew, have created movements through the use of sites like Twitter (just search for #blamedrewscancer), and major corporations have backed similar projects- equating mentions (awareness raising) to matched funds (#beatcancer is another).

One of my favorite examples is American Express’s Members Project, which allowed members to submit charities and projects needing funds, and vote on the most worthy causes.  American Express donated $1 million dollars to the cause with the most votes.  This concept has sparked others, such Target’s Bullseye Gives program, hosted through Facebook.

All of these opportunities- community based, often event-driven- succeed because they put faces to issues.  Through these social platforms, donors can track progress, follow the people they are helping, feel ownership though voting and promotions, and ultimately feel connected enough to continue the cycle of giving.

We’re excited to be hiring here in Dialogue Media.  As we take on new clients and our responsibilities grow, we are looking for several spots to fill – and fast.

Some detail about the jobs are below.  To submit a resume, please reach out to us at jobs at mww.com, or you can reach me directly with questions.

Across the board, we are looking for team members who are highly motivated, can work across multiple clients, are curious, enthusiastic and eager to apply their social media smarts to help us reach our client goals.

Digital Strategist (SAE-AS Level):  We are looking for someone who can develop effective social media programs on behalf of clients and assure they are managed to meet our agency’s “Aim high. Deliver” motto.  We are looking for a self-starter who thinks above and beyond what is asked, someone who can participate strategically in new business initiatives and who can provide training and development internally.

Digital Coordinator (AC-AE Level):  This person should have experience with a range of social media tools and platforms, stong communication skills, and the ability to think strategically and proactively.  This is a supporting role across a variety of clients, with lots of room to learn and grow.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

(Photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes)