facebook or twitter; which 1 is the best networking

twitter and facebook both are social networking which became a phenomen around the world today...but which is best??

How do we differentiate its features and how best its application in today's PR strategies in understanding the global village? Do we use both or do we have to target its medium and it's majority of users.

For me, I believe Malaysian are facebook frenzy rather than twitter, unlike US twitter-mania.

What say you? leave your comment...

Thanks

THE JOURNAL : Social networks and the challenge for public relations

This journal is taken from Asia Pacific Public Relation Journal, Vol 11 and being published in Australia back in 2010.

The Abstract

The Web is an increasingly important component of public relations. Organisations use Web sites to build relationships with key publics, and they can provide a variety of organisational information and services to a diverse group of stakeholders. The Web enables publics to be active and selective in their exposure to marketing, advertising and public relations messages. For public relations practitioners to act effectively on behalf of organisations, they must monitor and track both traditional and new media sources for potential issues, and respond to accordingly. This digital revolution has provided public relations practitioners with a new communication challenge: social networking sites. This paper explores this challenge for public relations practice in 2010.

please click at the following URL and u will find an intereting article about new media and public relations today.

http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/apprj/articles/11-mclennan-howell.pdf

Event Diary

 Social Media and Healthcare Comms

A One-Day Conference, 17 February 2011 Dexter House, Tower Hill, London

17 February 2011, PRWeek

Dexter House, Tower Hill, London

Strong, Cut-Through Communications

Advance Your Social Media Strategy & Overcome Shrinking Budgets Through Innovation To...

24 March 2011, Third Sector Magazine

The Ibis Hotel, Earls Court, London

Digital Fundraising

Harnessing social, online and mobile media channels to engage donors and generate...

11 May 2011, Third Sector Magazine

The Ibis Hotel, Earls Court, London

http://www.prweek.com/uk/events/article/7964/social-media-healthcare-comms/

5 Public Relations Tools for Small Businesses

At any size, public relations is essential for a company's success. As a small company, PR can seem daunting and a luxury for larger companies who can afford it, are already experiencing some WOM (word-of-mouth) or buzz, and who are already making profits. While it may be easier to perform PR tasks with larger budgets to play with, public relations is something small businesses should definitely partake in.


PR may seem like an expensive, unreliable source of advertising, but it very different; PR is not advertising at all, nor should it be seen as an alternative to advertising tactics. Public relations is what its name entails: relations with the public. It is a more honest and sincere interaction with buyers and the media. It can be a place for you to share another side of your company outside of the self-promoting advertisements you may use, which can cost much more than PR efforts.


The key to PR is to really convey yourself and your brand to someone else who will in turn talk about you to another person. It may seem like you are trying to convince them to like you (which may be the case), but it comes from their own interpretations and understandings of who you are that they begin to talk about you. Similar to high school gossip, which can be good and bad, real life companies, the media, and buyers will talk about you in both a good and bad light. Your task is to ensure you respond to what is said, encourage the good to be shared over the bad, and to be mature about it. Like the high school gossip that got a rumor started, your reaction can greatly influence its lifespan, believability, and overall 'success' as a rumor. (By success, I mean the impact it has on your reputation, its reach, and success in terms of expected results.)


As a small business, it is your responsibility to encourage the generation of publicity around your company. Media and potential buyers can't really know much about you unless you help encourage the spread of your company's buzz. This can be done by including a few things that are cost effective:

1. Press releases. Though press releases are cost effective and often times free to distribute, the main thing to remember is that there is much more to PR than just the press release. A press release can help your SEO (search engine optimization) efforts on your website and on other online press distribution sites, but that's about as far as it will go. To get media attention and further coverage of your story, you need to connect with the media, referencing the press release that you sent them.
2. Your blog and website. Websites and blogs can be a great place to share information with buyers. This can also be the place where you can list your press releases that have been optimized for the Internet, further increasing your keyword traffic. Moreover, a blog can be a place where you can begin the relationship building process with your buyers by offering them something of value (which is key), encouraging them to participate in the blog, and also helping them to better understand your position. Unlike bigger companies who may not take advantage of this free resource, you can further advance your brand and image by being a personified company with something to offer to buyers and other bloggers. This is a great tool to get connected with others in the industry who blog as well, and can help you build your network as a company or business professional.
3. Social media tools. Along with blogs, these are great tools to use to grow your network. Use these free resources to get connected with others in your industry and with buyers alike. This can be another place for you to offer things of value to your followers, such as tips, resources, and relevant offers from your company. There is a fine line here that defines advertising and PR; many followers of companies online are not looking to be advertised to, but to offer something of value to someone who follows you, such as an offer or sale, can be beneficial if implemented correctly. Use these tools to give your company and brand a face and personality.
4. Customer service. This means paying attention to your buyers online who are responding to your content, sharing your content, or ignoring your content. There are lessons to be learned from each of those situations. Did someone share your content because they were mentioned in it, or did they share it because there was something great and of value there that they wanted others to experience? Take note of that and further improve your efforts in the future. Customer service also means taking responsibility and being a responsive company.
   
   
   As publicity grows around your company, it becomes ever more important to monitor what your buyers or potential buyers are saying about your company. This allows you to respond and potentially diffuse a bad situation and potential crisis. Moreover, offering great customer service for buyers who purchase your goods or services (or even return your goods and services) can help to encourage positive WOM that can further enhance your company brand and image. A little bit of attention can go a long way, and customers will share their experiences with others.
5. Media alerts and other invitations to cover. These, like press releases, are only as successful as you want them to be. If you send a media alert out, be sure to follow up with them to remind media about your event and to ensure that you get some sort of a response. The important thing here is to get a reply, even if it is a declination. This can help you plan for your event and to incorporate the media that will be present. Use these alerts to, well, alert the media of your event. This can be an invitation to the media to attend and cover your event with the hopes of further generating some publicity.

Overall, remember to listen to your customers, monitor your online brand, and utilize some of the free resources available to you as a small company. The above tasks are first steps in helping your company's PR efforts to begin. There is much more you can do, and much more to the aforementioned steps than simply creating a blog or writing a press release; it takes persistent efforts and time to ensure your strategies work and to help ensure success.


As an employee of a small business, this blog has greatly helped to encourage people in my industry to get in touch with me, reach out, and to share my content with others. I made it easy for the content to be shared with the social media buttons, and I also made sure that my content is valuable and of a high quality by sharing what I know and what I've learned.

Using Twitter To Gain Publicity

Are you actively using http://www.twitter.com to build your business?

If you're not, you're probably making a huge mistake.

Twitter, in case you're not aware, is a service where people post up to 140 character updates on topics of interest to them. Those updates go out to the people who have chosen to "follow" them.

In essence, Twitter is a place where you build an audience of people who have similar interests to yours, then communicate quickly and efficiently with them.

It's taking the world by storm, growing at phenomenal rates, and more importantly, becoming a key communications element in the lives of many.

I have to admit, when I first looked at Twitter, I didn't get it. I saw a bunch of people there cheerfully announcing that they were going to eat lunch, that they were having a great day, and that they had just broken up with their boyfriends. There was no way I was going to join any service that helped me to more efficiently waste time, even if it didn't cost me anything.

But my attitude, and the world of Twitter has now totally changed.

Literally, it's a place to build a following and to proactively build and manage the conversations in which I'm involved.

And, it works with the media too. I've had a number of media contacts who have initially contacted me, started discussions, and even fact checked using Twitter.

Here are some tips to effectively use Twitter to build your business.

• Decide what areas you want to be seen as an expert on in Twitter, then post primarily (solely?) about those topics
• Regularly post thoughts, opinions, facts, and links to articles written by others on those topics.
• Don't fall into the trap of talking about stuff that people don't care about. Sharing details about your personal life and activities limits your audience.
• Be interesting, scintillating is even better!
• Search for and follow the top leaders in your areas of interest. You'll see what they're posting about, and it will start to build your audience.
• Post regularly, at least daily. Hey, it's only 140 characters! You can do this! Start today, even if you only have 5 people following you.
• Regularly invite people already associated with you to follow you on Twitter. Put it in your newsletter, on your website, on your blog, on your business cards, in your email footer, etc.
• Fill out your Twitter profile to let people know who you are and what you do. They oftentimes will use the content of your profile to determine whether they should follow you or not.

New PR Books on the market; Exploring Public Relation by Ralph Tench & Liz Yeomans, Second Edition

Author:
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Keywords: relations, public, exploring
Number of Pages: 696
Published: 2009-08-19
List price: unknow
ISBN-10: 0273715941
ISBN-13: 9780273715948

Book Description:

Exploring Public Relations is the definitive academic text on Public Relations. The first edition, which published in 2006, has sold in its thousands and is now essential reading on courses in PR at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This second edition continues to provide a critical analysis of the subject and a sophisticated blend of theory with real life, and includes many case studies, activity exercises, discussion questions and full colour photographs to illustrate the discussions in the text. There is also updated coverage on globalisation, media relations, and a new chapter on celebrity, to engage students of this exciting subject with the thought processes behind some of the latest PR stunts.

Features

Learning outcomes and chapter structures help with navigation through the text
’Think about’ boxes encourage critical reflection and class discussion
In-depth international case studies provide a global perspective
’Activity boxes’ invite you to explore other channels to help your understanding
Definitions of key terms throughout the text help unlock the jargon
Complete and fully downloadable instructor’s manual and PowerPoint slides for lecturers, and extra case studies, weblinks and online glossary for students