I'm Just Sayin'

I'm Just Sayin'

#trending: the rise of infographics

Alana Seale - Friday, February 03, 2012

There are many trending topics happening this week. I could discuss this year’s best Super Bowl ad. The return of Ferris Bueller – hands down, am I right? Seriously... I think I’ll just watch FBDO for the 1,000^th time on Sunday instead of the Super Bowl. Why aren’t my days off half as glamorous as that one? Must be the car…

Anyways, today I’ll be talking about Infographics. Infographics are everywhere. Just go on Mashable and every other entry contains an Infographic. There are Infographics about what people look up on Facebook, how we use Twitter, the economy, the election…there are even infographics about infographics...lots of them

Wouldn’t all this information be better presented in a list? I know you’d love that Dave….

Some people just love Infographics.... here's what Blue Wheel Media says about them:

"Infographics have the ability to transform a boring collection of statistics, facts and figures, into a stunning masterpiece that you won't be able to keep to yourself. Upon finding a great infographic, the reader is overcome with a thrill of discovery - almost like an adrenaline rush, triggering desire to share."

So if this is true, how can you apply this latest trend to your business and have the biggest impact with your documents? If I had any design talent, I would create my own infographic with pie charts, symbols, squiggly lines and shiny colours, but I’ll just have to do a list

People respond to visuals – so don’t be too texty.

Using visuals to explain your position is a great way to draw people into your content. They draw the eye in and are a great tool to get people to finish reading something than pages and pages full of heavy text. Colours, graphics and different fonts can turn a dry subject into something really interesting to your audience.

Keep it short

People are busy, we have lots of things to do and we get distracted easily. So if you want us to read your quarterly sales report, keep it short…because after page 1, I’ll be bouncing over to YouTube or checking out Perez Hilton.

And it the same vein:

Keep it simple

Avoid jargon, fancy abbreviations or acronyms. Don’t use 4 words when 1 would suffice. Forget complicated – use simple, direct, easy-to-understand words that every single one of your audience will get. No one wants to feel condescended to when reading that ubiquitous sales pitch. Indubitably!

Don’t just dress it up, back it up

Graphics, charts and colours can make your document visually appealing, but unless you have the facts to back your content, you are wasting everyone’s time.

So to have the maximum impact with your documents, your reports, your fact sheets, the key is to compliment rich content with stunning visuals, not to mask it. Better get trending!

Alana Seale

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3 Reasons I Hate Blog Posts that Feature Lists and # Reasons

Dave Siekanowicz - Wednesday, January 25, 2012

See what I did there? Very tongue in cheek (if I do say so myself).

This blog is a combination rant,commentary and airing of grievances all in one. As part of my daily research to keep up-to-date with all things social, digital and PR, I go through a bookmarked list of blogs that feature the latest posts related to said areas of interest. I then check my Twitter lists to see what the important people are Tweeting about. Since Twitter is a great sharing platform I figure any worthwhile stories, blogs and articles will eventually be tweeted.

And I must report that I have noticed an annoying trend. Let me know if you see it:

5 Tips for First Time Managers
5 Ways Social Media is like a Networking Event
5 Facts You Didn't Know About Facebook Edge Rank
7 Reasons Every Job Seeker Should Have a Blog
11 Things That Annoy Journalists and Bloggers

Numbered Lists! The most frequent post titles read like the cover

of a Cosmo Magazine! I don't believe that everything we discuss

and share can be summed up in a list of points or steps. Since when

did everything become so black and white? Especially in the world

of new media! Those "4 Steps to Gaining more Followers on Twitter"

can become passe, annoying and outdated methods a week from now. On the other hand who says it takes 4 steps? Is there no 5th step, is there no way to take it down to 3 steps? Cheeses Murphy- what about those who have a 1 step method that gains them more followers than anyone else (having the name Justin Bieber usually helps with this).

So, what are we to say then? Is it the chicken, or the egg? Have we begun to expect a quick fix via a list of steps and procedure to the problems in the world of professional communications? Or is this step listing method the holy grail, the special sauce, the ancient Mayan paradigm that actually holds the answers to all our communication problems? Maybe numbers just intrigue us in a way words cannot; must be that shiny toy syndrome.

You may notice that I did not actually list 3 reasons as my title suggested- my point being it doesn't matter. It's fun to read said blogs and they are oh-so-easy to Tweet out to our followers, but we must remember that the numbers can change from day to day [correction- they do change day to day]. Just when you thought there are only 11 things that annoy journalists and bloggers you may be surprised to find out you subconsciously posses the hidden "12th thing".

Dave Siekanowicz

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#trending

Alana Seale - Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I thought for my inaugural blog post as the newest Account Manager at Infinity Communications, I’d talk about something that I find absolutely fascinating, especially in light of some recent events that happened this weekend: #trending.

#trending might sound a little complex but not to worry, it really isn’t. It simply means that many people are talking about a given topic through Twitter at a greater rate than other topics, so the topic becomes singled out…and trends.

Twitter has changed the communication landscape. People can get breaking news the second it happens, as long as they are on Twitter. Nobody has to wait for it to be reported in that evening’s news broadcast or in tomorrow’s newspaper (I can’t even imagine waiting that long to get news anymore). Everything is instant. Then people talk about it and then more people will talk about it and before you know it, the topic is now trending.

These days, trending is now a goal. I get inundated with twitter messages asking me to retweet something to get it trending. Sometimes I participate, most times I don’t. To me, it’s the same thing as spam. Once in my news feed, there was a message about a girl who had passed away and her wish was to become a trending topic, so pls RT! – hashtag sad. Obviously they didn’t read the rules about Trending Topics from Twitter’s Help Centre:

This past weekend, we had two big trending topics in the Twitter-verse, #tebow and #BlueIvy.

#tebow was trending in a big way this weekend after Tim Tebow’s and the Denver Bronco’s game-winning OT performance in Sunday’s NFL game. Twitter exploded with everyone talking about this game…to the point that it made records. It became the 2^nd highest Tweet Per Second topic ever with 9,420 tweets going out each second about Tebow and the game. That is over 565,000 tweets per minute!

(FYI the highest Tweet per second topic was ‘Castle in the Sky’, a Japanese anime movie that had 25,088 tweets per second… I can’t even wrap my head around how many tweets per minute that is – over 1.5 million!)

Now Tebow has become a bit of a social media phenomenon, with his touchdown stance of kneeling to thank God becoming a trend in itself. All you need to do is google #tebowing and you can see all the websites, the blogs, the YouTube videos, the t-shirts and all the photos uploaded with Instagram of people copying the stance.

#BlueIvy... In case you haven’t heard, Beyonce and Jay-Z became parents this weekend! Beyonce gave birth to her daughter and named her Blue Ivy Carter. It’s worth noting that when Beyonce announced her pregnancy, she placed third in the Tweet Per Second record books with 8,868 tweets per second on the topic, so it’s well established that Beyonce has a powerful brand and a heavy following.

Within seconds of the birth announcement, #BlueIvy was trending and with that came all of the critiques and conspiracy theories about the baby’s name.…in the past 48 hours since she was born, several more trending topics have emerged: #B.I.C., #Glory – after the song Jay-Z released commemorating the birth, #whatIwouldnameBeyoncesbaby. This baby is already famous and she’s only two days old!

Now it’s all in good fun talking about the latest pop-culture topics in social media, but what does this mean for your business?

Well first of all, if your business isn’t already set up on Twitter, DO IT NOW!! Get your voice out there, connect with people and start conversations with your target demographic and key players in your industry!

Get people talking about your business by posting relevant, engaging content and interacting with your followers. Talk about your business' products and services, promotions, calls to action. Keep your eye out for the negative and do your best to diffuse any situation and turn your foes into fans.

REMEMBER– be strategic and careful with the messaging that you post. As easily as positive messages can go viral and trend like #tebow and #BlueIvy, the not-so-positive messages can trend just as fast and just as much. And the last thing you want is to be associated with a controversial, trending message.

Leverage the power of your brand and your followers will become your advocates and ambassadors. Odds are you won’t see trending numbers like #tebow and #BlueIvy are getting, but positive word of mouth will only drive your business forward. So get out there and get #trending!

Alana Seale

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Cutting Through The Clutter Part 3- You're Supposed to be Social... Say Something!

Dave Siekanowicz - Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Happy New Year!

I know, I'm only 4 days late but hey- it's been a while. I should have probably finished this series before the holidays but things just got crazy busy here (crazy is good)and the blog got put on the back burner. But alas! I have returned to finish this mini series: Cutting Through The Clutter. Here's a quick recap of what we discussed in the previous posts:

Of all the social networking sites out there, less than 5% really matter to your business
That 5% of the pie is also important to 95% of your competitors
Your 5% varies on your industry, location and culture- so make sure you get it right
Bottom line: everyone's putting all their eggs into the same basket
The goal: cut through the clutter and rise above your competitors to reach your audience

Today's final addition to your social media tool belt (think of it more as that cool belt Batman had with everything from shark repellant to ninja stars): being social. Now this may sound simple enough, but you'd be surprised how many people completely ignore this step. Once you have your tiny little piece of the social media landscape all set up and running it is crucial that you actually use it to communicate with your audience.

I find that the quiet individuals (the companies that will soon be left in the dust of the social media race) make one of two errors that result in their silence. Firstly, they are afraid to interact with their audience, quickly falling into the category of the faceless corporation. If someone writes a negative comment, don't be afraid to respond. If someone asks a question, especially a tough question, don't ignore it. Fear of taking on posts that may be challenging will usually result into your audience tuning you out. Interaction is key, it is not enough to just talk- you have to be a part of the conversation.

The second type of quiet death (creative eh?) comes as a result of fear to say anything that may draw an opinion. Companies make the mistake of assuming that playing it safe means not recognizing or making comments on anything related to politics, religion, international events, taboo topics, different holidays, important sporting matches or anything too scary, too emotional or too challenging. Everyone else knows what's going on, you might as well say something about it. If there is a major political election you should say something, you don't need to out right endorse a candidate but feel free to remind people to vote, volunteer or just get informed. If a local tragedy happens don't avoid it and write about the weather, instead make an appropriate post or comment that will help your audience remember you're also human- and sometimes life just sucks.

Regardless of what your approach is remember that in social media silence is deadly.

Dave Siekanowicz

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Cutting Through The Clutter: What Really Matters?

Dave Siekanowicz - Thursday, November 24, 2011

I recently heard someone begin a presentation on social media and the importance of social networking to a prominent group of business individuals with these words, "There are over 1000 social networking sites out there". Insert furrowing brow coupled with a classic case of face palm.... HERE. Social media is a bit of a weird devil with its own set of rules and exceptions. I feel that if I was to ever write a book on social media and business over 3/4 of every page would be footnotes with explanations and exemptions. Well, I doubt I'll get around to writing a book so why not address some concerns I have in a mini-blog series entitled, Cutting Through The Clutter.

Firstly, there are more than 1000 social media websites (I'm combining networking based sites and new media sharing sites in this statistic). Wikipedia (arguably one form of social media) has put together a large lists but cites that it's not exhaustive, rather limited to notable, well-known sites. Yet despite this list of "well-known" sites, I would bet money that any individual reading this blog can only name about 5 of the listed sites and has probably actively used less than 5. This is one of those footnote sections that highlights how unique the world of social media is. Follow me here for a second:

Let's say there are a 1000 social media sites out there, yet only the top 3 really matter to your business. Naturally you would think wow, that's better- now I only have to focus on 3 and not remaining 997. Sure- you and 95% of your competitors; because you see the only 3 sites that matter to you, also matter to everyone else. So now you have to leverage these 3 social media sites in a way that let's you cut through the millions of competitors who are fighting for your audience. You are essentially a needle in a haystack- unless you have a strategic plan and consistent method of implementation you will remain that needle, and nothing more. That's where we come in ;). Shoot us an email and we'll see what we can do.

That's long enough for now, join me next time for part 2 of Cutting Through The Clutter: Wait, where am I supposed to be?

Dave Siekanowicz

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Spidey Senses Foretell New PR in Future

Dave Siekanowicz - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Today as I was doing my morning blog roll, I came across an interesting line written by Alan Cross (a popular music historian and guru) in a recent post on his Explore Music blog. The post was in regards to the latest reviews of the new Broadway Musical written and scored by Bono & The Edge of U2 fame, entitled "Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark". So far the musical, now dubbed The Most Expensive Broadway Production Ever*, has not been a favourite of the critics. With constant criticism, a poor story line and dangerous stunts that sent several actors to the emergency room, the new Spiderman musical couldn't catch a break.

Despite all the setbacks, the musical opened again to favorable reviews. Much work still needs to be done, but at least it is no longer a complete disaster. Alas I digress, the line which stuck out to me was Cross' final comment in regards to the future of the production "And there is still much work to be done on the PR front. It [Spiderman Musical] needs many weeks of big crowds just to break even".

Regardless of the many technical improvements, the poor PR the production has been plagued by thus far has left some deep scars the public will remember when buying tickets. This is just one of the many illustrations that helps put the weight of brand/image/public reception at level with basics concerns such as quality/product/expense. Without the proper framing, branding and marketing that PR professionals provide, even the greatest product can suffer. All the hard work and investment that goes into production, development and distribution can be time/money wasted if members of the public (future customers & clients) are not properly engaged.

What will happen to the Spiderman Musical in the coming months will either serve as an excellent case study of how much PR can accomplish if implemented properly or an example of how all the re-vamping and TLC’ing in the world can’t help resurrect a show if the PR misses the mark.

Is your PR working for you?

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Crazy Canucks Rioters - You Suck.

Rachael Carswell - Thursday, June 16, 2011

As most of you probably know, the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in a disappointing 4-0 Stanley Cup final last night. As many watched the game, many also watched the aftermath of the loss unfold in Vancouver. Naturally, the first thought for many after watching their home team lose a hockey game is - "let's riot"! Note the sarcasm there.

Rioting outside the Rogers Arena became more violent and more intense as the night went on, and most of the activity was captured for all to see in pictures and videos from smartphones and cameras. Citizens watching the rioting first hand then uploaded this content to YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. #Canucksriot is still trending on Twitter. Some of the content can be seen here. It's been reported that many rioters actually posed for pictures! Well those will be some nice ones to send to Mom.

Didn't anyone learn from the stupidity of the G20 protests? Rioting ruins the city, destroys businesses, puts people in danger and puts the city in a bad light on the world stage. Do people think that setting fires to cars, looting stores, and confronting police will change the outcome of the game? But really, what's the purpose? I think many people share my frustration reading about the riots today.

One thing that may ease frustrations is knowing that the police are getting more and more tech savvy! They will gather the pictures and videos of rioters and use them to make arrests. The Vancouver Police Department took to their Twitter to post their disappointment and will also be posting how people can submit photos and videos to evidence. You can look to @VancouverPD for all these updates.

Social media is also helping with the aftermath. On Facebook, a group has been started to encourage people to identify those that participated in the riots and there is another group asking members to gather together to help clean up the city. I am hoping that all these social media efforts help Vancouver spring back from last night's events and help punish those who took part.

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Facebook Ups Security: What are we protecting?

Dave Siekanowicz - Thursday, May 19, 2011

A few days ago Facebook implemented a new mobile confirmation security measure to help prevent "profile hijacking" (please note that we are living in a world where that term exists). The new security function works by partnering your mobile number with the computer you mostly frequently use when visiting Facebook. Once you have completed this step, Facebook will be programmed to send you a text message if there is a log-in attempt from another computer. If you are just switching computers, then you will simply need to enter the confirmation code found in the text message. But if you find you are not trying to log-in from another location you will know that someone else is attempting to hijack your profile. Luckily, with the new text-based code confirmation they will not be able to log in even if they do have your password. And there you have it, Facebook security is no longer limited to a mere password.

What's great about new developments such as this is how much they reveal about popular culture, more importantly the greater social media community. Facebook is no longer just a social networking site. Facebook has become people's lively-hood, source of income, business rolodex, branding tool, marketing platform and picture/video album containing precious memories. Having entrusted so much of our professional and personal lives to Facebook, we depend on constantly developing security measures to protect our profiles and precious data. A "profile hijack" is no longer a simple internet prank, but can cause devastating effects that could ruin relationships or destroy your business.

Facebook has power; profiles have power. With effective management and maximized utilization, a Facebook page can help acquire new customers, generate revenue through ads or market your brand to millions all over the world. To see this power fall into the wrong hands can have devastating effects. The bottom lines remains- the world has recognized the force that is Facebook (as reflected by the ever increasing security development).

Has your business realized the power of Facebook?

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The Power of YouTube in Canadian Politics

Dave Siekanowicz - Thursday, May 12, 2011

Last week Canadians witnessed a great change in Federal politics when the NDP and Jack Layton managed to become the leader of the opposition to Stephen Harper's majority, gaining 102 seats in the House of Commons. That's an amazing feat considering that five weeks earlier they had a mere 30-something seats. This sudden rise in NDP popularity was clearly reflected all across the country, especially in Quebec. Aside from partisan affiliations and individual vote based on research and conviction, it's interesting to see what other forces affect elections. Since we do specialize in Social Media and Digital Strategies at Infinity, I was quick to gravitate towards researching the role each of these played in the NDP's successful campaign.

I'm sure most of us have already read about the important role Facebook played in Barack Obama's 2008 Presidential Campaign. Using Facebook, Obama and his campaign team were able to notify. mobilize, network and connect with a myriad of young voters from across the US. Many political commentators say that it was Obama's smart use of Social Media that helped him gain these votes and spread his message. Early on Obama was smart enough to hire Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes to act as his Director of Online Operations (or Facebook Expert for short). While his campaign victory cannot be credited solely to Facebook and other Social Media outlets, it is important to acknowledge the important role each played in the success of his campaign.

In our recent election I witnessed the NDP hustle on YouTube like no other political party. You couldn't view your recent subscription update or search for that viral video of the little monkey riding on the back of a big without seeing Jack Layton's face on the giant masthead ads the NDP purchased during the election. Not only were viewers constantly exposed to these ads, targeted at Canadian IP addresses, but they were often forced to view a 10-30 second commercial clip before viewing the video they had selected. On top of that most of the ads were interactive, linking the viewers back to the NDP's YouTube channel where they would be able to consume more videos. While gaining views on their personal channel wasn't amazingly successful, their constant advertising and pre-video commercials exposed millions of users to their message and platform. Considering all of this came with a high price it's safe to assume that the NDP realized the value of YouTube in reaching and engaging with voters in a new way.
A great example of how much benefit can come about as a result of proper use and optimization of Social Media and Digital Strategies.

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"You Can't Always Trust Facebook"- Martin Luther King Jr.

Dave Siekanowicz - Thursday, May 05, 2011

It's quite amazing to see the validity-free power Facebook users can experience and exercise on a daily basis as they share, message and post just about everything and anything they want. I can list myself as having attended Harvard, or check in somewhere I'm not with people who aren't with me while updating my status to any ridiculous activity my mind chooses. While this can all be fun and games, the end results can generate some less than credible information (or just pure lies).

A few days ago, following the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden, a popular Martin Luther King Jr. 'quote'* began circulating on Twitter and Facebook, "I mourn the loss of a thousand precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." Sounds nice enough right? The problem: it's made up! It wasn't a malicious invention designed to tarnish the words of Dr. King, but rather a mix up. On Monday a Facebook user named Jessica wrote the aforementioned statement and proceeded to follow it with a quote from Dr. King. A few of her friends liked it so much they decided to repost and retweet it, assuming the entire posting was a quote from the great MLK. Within hours Facebook and Twitter were buzzing with a newly popularized MLK quote.

Of course the people at Atlantic Monthly and The Washington Post noticed that something was off and after some research were able to bring the story forth and set the record straight. Now it's not a terrible mistake, but it is a mistake that reveals the power of Facebook and Twitter. Social media can now help legitimize and spread information at rates faster than any other service. This is why this story is so particularly interesting: it could have only worked with Facebook. The quote would have never been as widely received if it would have been shared using email, Myspace, YouTube, texting or the countless other forms of new media.

The lesson here: situations such as this reveal the unequivocal power and speed with which Facebook and Twitter can spread information and messages. They could very well be the most effective tools you have at your disposal. But the question is, are you using them correctly? Or could you use a helping hand to guarantee improved results?