Drive-by Blogging

I’ve got nothing at the moment – again. I had a few other important things to think about today, so we’ll return to your regularly scheduled program tomorrow.

In the meantime, watch some puppies. They’ll bring joy to your soul.

By the way, with recent mentions on sites such as Gawker and Dlisted, the viewership of the live puppy cam has shot up to an average of anywhere from 5K to 7K viewers (at least that’s what I’m seeing whenever I pop in to watch). I even saw the numbers reach over 9.2K one day. Amazing.

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I has it.

OK, not really. I have a  lengthy post coming, but I won’t finish it in time to make the requirements of NaBloPoMo. I am doing remarkably well at this compared to NaNoWriMo. Getting past 10 pages of a novel this whole month is my goal anyway. OK, I know I’m cheating here…, but who doesn’t love an Lolcat break?

Tomorrow.

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Ad Review: Diet Coke Bids You “Good Morning”

I’m kind of cheating here and using an assignment from a previous MBA class, but I’ve been thinking of starting a series of ad reviews for fun and reflection. Actually, I’m starting a whole bunch of things soon. Slowly, but surely. Anyway, pressing on.

Photo Credit: get closer

I actually saw this advertisement on a bus shelter as I was coming into Downtown one morning and it intrigued me. It featured a can of Diet Coke wrapped in a coffee sleeve. Typically, we’ll associate waking up in the morning after making the commute to work or school with a cup of coffee. Yet, this advertisement is enticing us to think about our mornings differently.

I normally don’t associate drinking soda with the morning rush and I’m sure most people don’t either, but the ad seems to be saying, “Here’s your alternative method for caffeine.” Furthermore, I think that it’s subtly saying there’s no virtually calories associated with this drink; whereas that venti quad extra caramel with whip mocha will run you well over 400 calories.

So, it’s like which would you prefer – chugging x number of calories at 7 AM to get your caffeine fix or enjoying a beverage that could provide the same benefits with virtually no caloric intake? Visually appealing with a slight bit of humor weaved in, it’s an effective advertisement.

Want to explore this more? Canada.com has an interesting article about the Diet Coke ad campaign and morning soda consumption.

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By the by, have you seen the new Pepsi logo design? I’m not sure how I feel about it. Tony Spaeth makes a good point when he says:

“It’s tilting the whole brand presentation from a classic expression of uniqueness and quality into something that is much more humorous, almost flippant. … It worries me that it is less durable, less permanent and classic. It comes across as more of a campaign idea than an enduring brand expression.”

The comments aren’t so favorable, either. I just find it interesting that Pepsi has revamped its logo so many times while the Coca-Cola logo (aside from the whole New Coke fiasco) has essentially endured. Why?

There’s been some outreach by Pepsi to 25 influential bloggers and a dedicated room on FriendFeed. I suppose the point is to get people talking, but is the average American aware of this move? Does the average American care what an A-list blogger thinks of his or her complimentary Pepsi shipment and the new design? Probably not and I think that’s one of the things we’re still struggling to figure out with social media – how to get more than a few of us to actually give a damn.

In an upcoming post, I’ll have some more commentary on other brands returning to “their roots.”

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NaNoWriMo & NaBloPoMo – Am I smart or just plain crazy?

For the last week, I’ve seen many people chirping about NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. Not knowing what the heck they were talking about, I turned to trusty Google search and discovered that these crazy acronyms stand for National Novel Writing Month and National Blog Posting Month, respectively.

More importantly, they’re a challenge. Should you choose to participate in NaNoWriMo, you have from today until Nov. 30 to complete a 50,000 word novel. There’s no prize money involved – only the pleasure of knowing that you attempted and completed such a huge feat. According to the official site, out of the 101,510 participants in 2007, only 15,333 completed the challenge.

If there’s one thing I’ve never been able to do, it’s complete a novel. I pride myself on being able to start a project and finish it. Novels are a whole different ballgame. I’m hoping to hit the 50,000 word mark, but I’d even be happy with getting past 10 pages. I’m making this up as I go, as you’re supposed to do, with a title and some sort of recurring theme (it’s semi-autobiographical) in place. The rest is a mystery. We’ll see how it goes.

NaBloPoMo, on the other hand, is a 30-day challenge in blog posting. Unlike it’s more long-winded cousin, there are prizes and so on involved, but I think the real reward is taking the time to sit down every day and finding something to say about what’s going on in the world. It will definitely be a good kick in the ass for those of us who want to blog more.

Best of luck to all who are participating in either or both of the challenges. Let’s get writing!

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OMG, Have You Heard the Word About Pittsburgh?

PodCamp Pittsburgh was not only a public forum meant to talk about social media, but also create it.

While we were off learning in the Sunday morning sessions, Chris Brogan led the charge to create a community-oriented blog that would showcase the best of Pittsburgh from the perspective of its most ardent supporters – its residents. Enter OMGPittsburgh.com.

It’s still in the infancy stage with the lack of a unique header (it’s coming) and just a smattering of posts, but what I can tell you is that already, its authors are sharing community news and their views on what they believe makes this city so great. I even took a moment to briefly recount my little journey here and why I’ve come to adopt Pittsburgh as my home.

The great thing is that whoever wants to have a voice can sign up for an account and post away. I’m not sure how many are signed up currently, but I think it is the hope of the blog’s organizing team that there will be at least 100 contributing authors.

Wow. Think about all of the different viewpoints and stories that could be shared by 100 people. This is something that Pittsburgh needs – an active voice beyond the tourism bureau and tucked away forums. Pittsburgh still struggles, in a way, to position itself to those outside of the city as a place that is growing and thriving. We know it, but not everyone else does. Therefore, it’s up to us with this initial grassroots effort to get out the word and make a case for our city.

Pittsburgh was thrust in the national spotlight recently over the whole Ashley Todd debacle. People, upon hearing the initial story, might have been quick to judge our city as violent and unsafe, but sites like Shopping Bloomfield (the neighborhood where the “attack” happened) and OMGPittsburgh (among others) will tell you differently. Take a look and give us a shot.

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I Came. I Saw. I PodCamped.

I had the pleasure of attending the third installment of PodCamp Pittsburgh this past weekend at the Art Institute. This was in fact my first unconference of any type involving social media and I must say that I was pretty impressed with the minds who came together to discuss how they’re using social media tactics for business or their daily lives.

I can’t really say that I learned too many new concepts, but what I do know is that I can be doing a lot more when it comes to my own little branch of social media, whether it’s blogging more (as I said I’d do) or exploring other tools such as podcasting and vlogging.

There were so many great sessions and it was hard to pick one for every time slot. I suppose I could have used the rule of two feet to swing into simultaneous sessions, but I can’t say I felt the need to leave the sessions I sat in on.

Here’s a brief recap of some of the sessions I attended:

Cynthia and Mike talk about blogging best practices.

Blogging 201: Blogging Best Practices – Led by Cynthia Closkey & Mike Woycheck, Co-Founders of Pittsburgh Bloggers

Before you start blogging, it’s important to think about your intended goal. Is it for creative expression? Community support? Discussion? From there, you must keep in mind that content is king. Cynthia and Mike also provided tips to help keep that mantra going and the audience involved:

• Update as often as you want people to visit.
• Post on a schedule so readers will know to look for it
• Have consistence in your blog’s tone and style
• Be upfront about your identity
• Be clear as to what you will moderate when it comes to comments
• Attribution is important

Grassroots Podcasting – Led by the Wrestling Mayhem Show and Should I Drink That?

It was a rumble of the minds mixing wrestling and beer enthusiasts alike as the discussion centered on how their respective podcasts started and how they manage to keep them going on a grassroots level.

The entire session can be summed up with this video:

As an aside, Should I Drink That? has been nominated for the 2008 Podcast Awards so please have a heart and vote for them under the Food and Drink category. If not, I’m sure a nice fellow from Wrestling Mayhem Show won’t hesitate to break legs.

Old + New, Unite! Using Social Media in The Arts – Led by Mike Cuccaro of The Black Sheep Puppet Festival and Kim Chestney Harvey of The Pittsburgh Technology Council

I was very excited to attend this session as someone who has worked in the arts. As the Pittsburgh arts scene is growing, social media provides great opportunity to connect and grow the arts patrons of tomorrow. Mike spoke about the platforms he’s using to promote the 10th anniversary of The Black Sheep Puppet Festival, among them Twitter and YouTube.

Kim, on the other hand, spoke about the Art & Technology Initiative, which is a collaboration of regional businesses and artists. Combining forces with some of the biggest cultural forces and technology companies in the city, this will be an exciting venture for the arts. I’m curious to see what happens. A kick-off event is scheduled for January 2009.

Community as a Full-time Job – Led by Walt Ribeiro

I selected this session on a whim and I must say that it was the best that I attended. Walt has so much energy and fully believes in what he’s doing. We learned that, if you want to venture into social media as a full-time job, it’s not going to happen overnight. Walt shared his story noting it took months to transition into creating community full-time. It’s important to know the audience and cater to them. Once sponsors come into play, you should make it a habit to create content everyday so they’ll know you’re reliable. Make yourself accessible and approachable. Walt’s key message: You’re not building a fanbase – you’re building a friendbase.

The Art Institutes: Social Networking Strategies – Led by Jamie Sterling & Kimberly Blackstone, EDMC

It’s my belief that social media can also help higher ed. institutions engage with their stakeholders, which is why I’m thrilled that EDMC has ventured into social media. Jamie and Kimberly gave a little case study on what they’ve been doing thus far. The Corporation has decided to target an 18-34 age range and is seeing an excellent return on its investment of a little time set aside every day to monitor its pages and engage with stakeholders, namely prospective and current students.

The Art Institutes in social media by the numbers -

• Facebook – 2,767 fans
• Myspace – 2,459 friends, 5,585 video plays
• YouTube – 1,005 video plays, 45 subscribers, 14 friends (since Sept.)
• Twitter – 56 followers (since July 31)

With continued work, I believe that the Corporation’s efforts will serve as an excellent example for other regional colleges and universities looking to break into social media. Keep it up, folks!

Chris Brogan, "Mayor of Podcamp"

In addition, several sessions did live tapings, adding to the spirit of the weekend:

Chris Brogan - Constructing Blog Posts and Content (recorded by Brandice)
Walt Ribeiro - Your Weekly Music Lesson with Walt

Dawn Papuga & Missy Sorg - Social Networking/Media 101

Find more content tagged with PCPGH3 here.

There was swag. There were drinks. There were laughs. What was most exciting was meeting some of the coolest people behind the social media movement in Pittsburgh, many of them on the organizing committee for this year’s PodCamp. Funny people, very passionate about the cause. Many people, myself included, wondered what would happen beyond this event since it was a first for quite a few of us. Fortunately, the organizers are keeping things alive with a series of meet-ups until next year’s PodCamp. The first will be held on Nov. 19 at the Firehouse Lounge in the Strip. Hope to see y’all there!

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I’m going to PodCamp Pittsburgh – how about you?

Heya, folks! Just dropping by quickly (yes, I know it’s been more than two weeks since my last post – no worries, I have posts coming!) to say that PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 is finally here!

I’m definitely looking forward to my first PodCamp – really, my first weekend to learn more about SM and new media technologies beyond the internet. Tonight’s the meet-n-greet portion at AlphaLab on the South Side. If you’re planning to go tonight, or this weekend, drop me a line @RockinPRGirl. It would be GREAT to meet YOU! Look for the girl with the crazy flamingo handbag (it’s the coolest), falling flat on her face (I’m a bit of a klutz, so I can’t make any promises) while talking about God-knows-what.

Happy PodCamping!

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Last Call – Sept. Blog Click-a-Thon (For Flight 93 Memorial Fund)

Today is the last day for the Flight 93 Memorial Fund click-through extravaganza over at Burgh Baby. (I mentioned the month-long initiative in my recent 9/11 post). I’m really trying to drive the point home because this is in the name of helping to preserve the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001.

The advertising revenue is based on page views, so please visit the site and read the posts. If you have young children, I’m sure you can certainly relate. Here’s a post about co-sleeping with spouses, kids and furry animals to get you started. No joke, I literally rolled around laughing my head off as I read it last night. (Sorry, lady)!

Help me, help M at Burgh Baby. Help us remember those who gave and lost their lives seven years ago.

Thank you.

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PCPGH3 Friday 5 – The Late, Late Edition

So, I tend to not read correctly sometimes. I noticed the Friday 5 – Podcamp Style over at the PodCamp Pittsburgh site, but didn’t read that my answers were supposed to be posted by this past Friday. I’m posting them now, … ’cause that’s just how I roll.

PodCamp Pittsburgh is only 20 days away and I am very stoked to attend my first “unconference.” I signed up to attend last year’s event, but couldn’t make it due to B-School finals. (Yeah, I had school on the weekends – it was actually fun /nerd).

Hokay, without further adieu–

What brought you to Social Media and what keeps you hanging around?

When I thought AOL was the greatest thing on Earth, I participated in these online magazines (‘zines) created for teenagers, by teenagers. The types of ‘zines were endless, ranging from music to personal journals. I wrote the music section for one at the tender age of 12 before moving on to running my own, “Crunkiez 4 NSync” (shutup, I was, like, 14) and The Tiki Lounge (a variety mag. covering everything from music and movies to college spotlights, as I was getting ready to press on to college). Everyone had something to say, and you wouldn’t believe how talented some of these kids were whether they had an eye for design with colorful layouts or exceptional writing skills.

Flash forward to the end of my college years. I had kept an online journal since the end of high school and wanted to start another one about my pursuit of a communications/current events study (which, as I’ve said before, never came to fruition) and I became wrapped up in blogging. I’d already been on Myspace, Facebook and other sites and it’s only grown from there.

I guess you could say I’ve been participating in some form of SM for more than 13 years now. (It obviously didn’t have a name back when I was 12). What keeps me hooked are the connections and content. There are almost seven billion people on the planet and they all have a voice. The internet has become that almost borderless platform where we can connect instantaneously.

Which social networking tool gives you the shakes when it’s not updated or is experiencing down time? (Podcasts, Blogs, Micro-blogging, etc)

I would definitely say Twitter and Plurk. Both allow for conversations and an exchange of ideas in real time. I love reading about other people’s thoughts, actions and knowing what’s important to them. It’s rough when you’re in the middle of an exchange and the Fail Whale decides to drop in for a visit. In addition, I also become sad when The Burgh Blog is down. It has the ability to make me laugh out loud or become weepy. It’s my main form of “blog crack,” but I really enjoy reading all of the Pittsburgh blogs in my Google Reader as well as others.

What kind of insight could you offer to others on a topic at PCPGH3? If none, then what do you most want to hear more about?

As this is my first PodCamp, I’m going to be more inclined to take it all in, but I am definitely looking forward to hearing about how other people are using SM-initiatives to share content.

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For Our Third Anniversary, I Got You This New Blog …

It’s the third anniversary of my blog. Well, the real anniversary actually happened several days ago, but as I deleted the original from Blogspot, I have no sense of the exact date.

So, here we are three years later and I decided that it was time for a rebirth. As you can see: new name, new location. As I strive to reclaim my personal brand, I feel that starting fresh is really going to help. I look at it as moving past the terrible twos where posting was sporadic and consisted of gobbledygook half the time.

The name was the first thing that had to go. I came up with “Shop Talk” about two years ago with no real purpose in mind. It was bland. Was I talking about PR or something else? I knew that if I wanted to breathe new life into this blog, I had to search for something that encapsulates what I’m trying to achieve.

Enter, “Can We Talk?”. The name is based on the same Yahoo! group I started two years ago (now defunct). This new start is meant to encourage conversation and I know part of that begins on my end. The point of social media and the blog-o-sphere is not only to listen to what others have to say, but also to be an active participant. With blogging, I’ve been guilty of just listening and broadcasting, but not thoroughly interacting and I know that before long, the conversation becomes one-sided. It’s really not the best way to learn and exchange ideas. Therefore, I am truly looking forward to this fresh start and redefining my perspective.

I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t thank Robert French for his tireless effort in creating such wonderful communities through PRBlogs and PROpenMic. It was because of PRBlogs that I began to follow some of the most talented individuals in the industry. I also had an outlet to convey my thoughts, so I will always be thankful for that. PROpenMic has also been a wonderful resource connecting students, the next wave of practitioners, with their faculty and seasoned professionals – something this industry truly needed.

Of course, I also have to pay homage to the “O.G.” – my favorite PR guy, Jeremy Pepper, for pointing me to PRBlogs in the first place. Jeremy is so dedicated to this profession and helping young professionals find their voice in the industry. I probably haven’t told him this (and I should), but I tremendously respect his advice and the wisdom he brings to the table.

So, without further adieu — happy anniversary, blog. Let’s make this a great year.

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