Whilst I worked at Microsoft UK I often stared in disbelief how interns were allowed to take full control over official Microsoft Twitter account presences. Most interns had no prior PR knowledge and there was no social media code of conduct which was readily enforced. One meeting I even raised the point of the CIPR’s Social Media Code of Conduct – I doubt any interns bothered reading it. In my... 

Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin whilst studying at Stanford University. The company’s mission statement was, “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. Google has been said to actively inspire creativity within their employees which has resulted in many other Google Projects to appear over the years. The most influential of... 

Guess what? Social media isn’t new anymore. We all know how to use the tools and I still stand by my blog post from June that social media ‘experts’ are not qualified to do their role. The shift into 2012 will see more organisations seek to have their social media strategies merged into the wider marketing mix. Online communication channels have proved in 2011 to hold the integrity of a brand. Last... 

Social Media Analytics by Marshall Sponder 316 pages, McGraw-Hill, 2011 Marshall Sponder has proved himself to be one of the world’s most thought provoking social media practitioner and thinker with the recent publication of his book “Social Media Analytics” (Amazon affiliate link). Learning exactly how to measure the ROI for a campaign relies upon campaign objectives but a PR professional... 

List of the different tools available: Self-Service Systems Manual analytical tools usually work on a search, measure, filter and report basis. The best will also allow you to engage with any conversations occurring. The downfall of these systems is that they can be complex to understand. However they are cheaper than the automated alternatives (read down for these). I have listed three manual tools... 

Pete Cashmore on Google+ It was inevitable that businesses quickly took the social media opportunities generated by Google+ when it was released. Within a couple of days business had attached their name and motto to a Google+ profile and tried their hardest to gain traffic and influence. Google didn’t like it and they started to suspend business named profiles (more info here). This was for two reasons: A... 

“Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint” – @behindthespin Guess what, @behindthespin (aka Richard) is absolutely correct. Student bloggers should be aware that starting a blog is part of a longer game. Some myths about student blogging: You will receive instant attention / online fame It will only provide a positive and rewarding experience Blogging is easy   Let’s not be pessimistic... 

In this article I will deconstruct the art of conversation to make the best use of a one on one networking situation (ie a prearranged meeting with a professional who you wish to impress). The most important skills for any Public Relations Professional are not knowledge of social networks or how to write a media release. Instead it is understanding the art of conversion. Despite the number of online... 

The biggest challenge for the modern day Journalist is the speed to deliver. Investigative Journalism for the most part has taken a backseat as many who have the opportunity to report news will aspire to follow the easiest path to do so. I got the opportunity to speak to speak with a PR Professional who works for a large organisation in London (Not Microsoft) who explained that when meeting with a... 

Wired Magazine made a fantastic point concerning online privacy in their February issue by uniquely constructing front covers containing personal details aimed at some of their readers. Channel 4’s Benjamin Cohen was one of their targets.   Funny Facebook Update (Bit Rude!) Social Networks sit on a foundation of our personal data. Your very essence and life experiences are a currency which Wired... 

Mixing Marketing and Charity is always a difficult tightrope to walk. There is a fine line between assisting a cause and using a difficult/disastrous situation for marketing purposes. Over the last few days I’ve spotted a few companies who are using Japan’s crisis as a means for their own marketing. Yes, they are still donating but couldn’t they have just donated all the money in the first place?... 

At 8:25am this morning I deleted my Facebook account. In this article I have detailed the reasons and perhaps why you should do the same. Before sitting down to write this article I had to consider the many factors which may come to haunt me in the aftermath. As a student who prides himself by pushing ahead of the social media game, not only leaving Facebook but then negatively writing about it could...