I created an e-newsletter for the members of the Facebook group, Addicted to The Office, the official Facebook group of the NBC show, The Office.  If you are a member of that group, an e-newsletter will be sent to your e-mail address for you to read and to use every other week. 

My newsletter is bursting with activity for the readers.  On the first page, I inserted 3 links: two for Twitter and one for Michael Scott’s start up paper company.  You can follow The Office on Twitter (theofficenbc) and Kelly Kappor (IamKellyFierce), thus I provided both links, included one for SMS users.   Finally, I included a link to the RSS feed for receiving IamKellyFierce’s updates.

On the second page, right next to the appropriate clothing article, I included two links for fans to purchase Office memorabilia.  One link will bring in traffic to the NBC Office Web site because they host an online store.  The other link  will drive our readers back to the Facebook group, Addicted to The Office, since they sell Office items. On this page, I inserted the Addictionary, a where fans can sift through oldies but goodies of Office terms.  There is a Word of the Day daily and also links to Browse the Addictionary, Add a Word (e-mail NBC to approve pop-up, There Outta Be a Word where you can fill in the blanks, and Contests that reward you for your wealth of Office termonology.

Finally, the third page offers a link to buying Andy’s old acapella CDs from his serenading years at Cornell University.  The link takes to the Web site of that acapella group at Cornell (there has been a name change) where you can buy their music.  Then, I hyperlinked the profiles of Andy’s , Angela’s  and Kelly’s profiles on match.com.  Finally, fans like to contribute to the show’s content, so I provided an e-mail where they can throw out some ideas for The Office’s Party Planning Committee.

The key is to have options to generate ultimate interactivity.  I’ve designed this newsletter, so that the members of Addicted to the Office, do not leave the links off my newsletter for a few minutes.

Here comes the problem, how do you charge a child with distribution of child porn, if they put the picture out themselves?  We need to educate our children on the dangers of posting to the web.  They do not even realize that as soon as they click an send, that picture is public information and can forever be accessed by anyone, including pedophiles.

The best way to protect our children is to educate them.  Start the education early on in the classroom.  Let them know about the dangers, let them know about the consequences, just let them know.  They need to know so that when they click and send, they are fully aware of the repercussions that are going to occur.  It is completely devastating to think of a child who just wanted to send a sexy picture, and they are now being prosecuted and pursued.

Patrick Doyle, president of Domino’s USA decided to use a social media outlet as well when he addressed the issue.  Like his scheming and disgusting employees, he decided to create a YouTube video as well.  In my opinion, he did a good job addressing the issue (even though it was blatantly obvious that he was reading from a script).  He informed viewers that Domino’s was taking the incident seriously and was doing everything in their power to make sure this doesn’t occur again. 

However, here’s the thing:  I feel that every time you order food, you’re taking a risk.  If you’re a drunk college kid who is shouting obcenities to the pizza phone operator at 2 a.m, there’s a good chance they will tamper with your food in some way.  This isn’t an issue that can be controlled or managed extensively because every branch has different management and different employees.  The cliche phrase “don’t be mean to your waiter or they will spit in your food” had to start somewhere and while the video showing the Domino’s employees mutilating the pizza was revolting and tested my gag reflex, it’s probably not an isolated incident.  They were just stupid enough to film themselves.

If there are any lessons to be learned from this snot-filled PR nightmare, they are: 

1.) Be nice to the people that handle your food

2.) Know that social media is powerful enough to take a single YouTube video and make it viral within hours or even days.  Therefore, if you want to blow your nose in a ball of dough, keep the camera away.

3.) Stupid people are everywhere.

The video

Twitter offers individuals to post 140 characters of expression on anything.  A college student could say how laudry is his or her demise.  Shaquille O’Neal could offer free tickets to the first person to touch him at the location he gives out.  A PR professional on his way to a presentation for a big client could say how he would rather die than live in Memphis.

Wait?  A PR professional would do what?

Yes, all of these hypothetical situations actually did occur.  James Andrews, a high ranking official for Ketchum, actually posted how he would rather die than live in a city like Memphis.  Like you, I immediately thought how much of an idiot Mr. Andrews is with his dumb tweet.

Perhaps there was an overreaction by the executives at FedEx, but who cares.  If you are going to post on your Twitter account about anything, anythign at all, make your account private.  Any PR professional should know the effects of media convergence, especially with social media.

The last thing you want is to have your tweet be a twitch.  Ask James Andrews about his experience.

On a trip to Memphis, TN to visit with top client FedEx, Andrews made some insulting comments, basically saying that he would rather die than live in such a city.  FedEx employees found the comment and circulated it throughout the company.  Needless to say, Andrews was criticized for making the comment, especially when he was giving a presentation to FedEx employees on the do’s and dont’s of social media.

This incident shows how dangerous social media can be.  A simple comment can heard around the world.  A line from Disney’s Bambi comes to mind:  if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say nothing at all.   Andrews never should have made the comment in the first place, least of all in his situation.  This incident is a warning to all to watch what you say, even online.

In regards to the people flocking to Twitter for Swine Flu updates…If you are checking out a new media’s site, than that is acceptable, but there isn’t nearly as much content on the subject matter than if you were to rush unto FoxNews, CNN, or MSNBC.  I always try to be time efficient and accurate, so I would urge these people to stick to the main stream media, not social media, when it comes to hard news.

The downfall about social media is that a lot of it is opinion based, which is wonderful-to be able to share your feelings with others and get responses.  However, these emotions are not factual and viewers get this reactions and turn them into facts.  I am not a fan of Henderson, however one thing he did strike me as semi intelligent is:

“I should note that lack of confirmation didn’t stop New York publicist Peter Shankman from blogging about it last Friday. But, it was unsubstantiated, and just recycling rumor which, I personally believe, will eventually erode and detract from the credibility of blogging.”

People read blogs and take them as the truth sometimes, when we should remember that the beauty of blog is self expression.

That’s why the Ketchum and James Andrew case offers a great example of media convergence in today’s world.  Everyone, especially PR people, should know that no matter where you say something now, either on a company website or personal blog, it can be tied back to your organization. Andrew’s Twitter account was not related to Ketchum and neither was his post. So many people are using networks like Twitter that it doesn’t matter if it is business or personal related, both peers will somehow see.

I think that anyone who uses social media should be aware of both what is said about them and what they say themselves.  No one else will be thinking of being “fair” to you, so you must look out for your own best interests.  On Facebook, for example, anyone could post incriminating pictures of you from last weekend’s party, or post a message on your wall detailing the embarrassing accounts of that night, but it’s up to you to decide whether you care about your professional image through that medium.

Similarly, Twitter gives people a chance to briefly update others on their thoughts, feelings and activities.  Twitter statuses are voluntarily updated and can be accessed limitlessly by others.  Anyone with a Twitter account should know this and be aware that what they post on Twitter could be read by unexpected publics.  Therefore, I think it’s the individual’s responsibility to self-monitor and hold him- or herself accountable.

In my other PR class, I recently compared the use of Twitter versus AIM for companies.  I believe that Twitter is a more easily accessible network for companies because it requires less effort and is more widespread.  Therefore, professionals should know the effects of Twitter and be smart about what they say.

Social media sites such as facebook, and twitter where people are taking over, or might I say they have taken over.  People are constantly connected to their friends and associates 24 hours a day via cell phones and internet.

People use these sites for business and social reasons, but where does the line become drawn.  Does your professional environment and or job have an effect on what you can say even when you do not claim affiliation with the entity on the social media site?

Or does a person always represent the company he or she is working for even on off hours?  The line has become blurred.  Where do my rights as an indivivual come into play.  I have the right to free speech, and I am not claiming affiliation with the company…so why can’t I state how I feel?  That is what facebook is for..isn’t it?

But am I always a representation of the company?  Yes, I am.  And what I do outside the office ahs the ability to affect the business of the company.  It is important to not bring down the reputation of a company.  Yes freedom of speech is important, but it is also important to be wary of what you say.