What are “digital handshakes?”

So in the business world a relationship generally begins with a good, firm handshake. So often many forget, myself included, that to start a digital relationship you should do so with a handshake. Just think about it, how would a new relationship go if you walked up to someone and tried to sell them something (no questions, no hello, just this is what I want you to buy.) Or what if you met someone and the first words literally out of your mouth were about all of the great things you just did.

So with the digital world, should it really be any different? If you are at a party where you don’t know anyone you might browse around first and kindly join different group discussions as a listener. This is your way of discovering the folks you may like to hang with at the party, people with common interests or interests you’d love to learn more about.

Then comes the introduction. The handshake. So what is the digital world’s version of a handshake? Here are a couple I’ve thought of:

- follow on twitter: When you follow someone you also allow them to see who you are at the same time. By following a number of people you are also give people an idea of the types of things you are interested in.

- hello email: Not an email where you want something from the receiver, just a hello to let you know I’m out here and we share a common interest. It should be written in a way that the receiver doesn’t feel obligated to reply.

- complimentary link: A link on your blog that shows you appreciate the content of the other person and would love to promote it to your own readers

- join group on facebook: Join a facebook group moderated by the person you want to meet. If it’s a small enough group they may decide to check your profile.

I’m sure there are others. Anyone care to add a few to this list?

So this got me thinking, what about the digital handshake?

October 29th, 2007 - Posted in public relations, social media, twitter | | 0 Comments

High speed PR

If you are in the PR field and you want to experience the thrill of what it would be like to be the Press Secretary for the White House, join Twitter and tweet an event. Hats off to Kami Huyse as the official tweet correspondent for last week’s PRSA conference in Philly. I was working the booth in the exhibit hall for Radian6 but but I was able to follow her coverage of the event via my Blackberry. While the tweets of various speaker quotes were one thing – boiling it down to a few key words – it was the on-the-fly responses to other folks in the audience as they also tweeted with opinions that impressed me the most.

When there was a tweet based on insufficient context or background, she provided it. When there was a tweet that challenged the speaker’s position, she provided another view to consider. When there was a seemingly positive remark from a tweet on the speaker, she would occasionally amplify it. And doing all of this while paying attention to the speak at hand, not directly attacking any of the others tweeting the event, and monitoring the impact of her tweets on those opinions she was trying to potentially change through new information. And Kami kept her tweets real, meaning she developed real relationships virtually with all those watching and participating in the twitter-stream of the event. In fact, I surprised myself and Kami when we finally did meet in person because I felt like a simply handshake was too cold and a hug for a new friend was more appropriate.

So great job Kami. And for all those out there in PR world who think they are in need of a rush, try twittering an upcoming event you plan to attend or organize. It’s like no other experience, well, unless you are the press secretary for the White House.

October 29th, 2007 - Posted in public relations, twitter | | 2 Comments

Relationships grow only with vulnerability

So think back to those days in high school when you asked the first person out on a date. Scary right. And it generally stayed scary for awhile as each person gradually stepped deeper and deeper into the relationship, sharing a bit more with the other with each step, becoming more and more vulnerable. And of course, that’s why it would always hurt when the breakup came along.

Bloggers, twitter users, users of social media in general what to see vulnerability in communications with them. Keep your message tight and too the point but also share something – who are you, what do you stand for, ask for opinions, look for debate and discussion. It’s about relationships and not using folks merely as conduits for information transfer.

As a case in point that times are a changing – take the traditional press release – it’s generally a statement where most of the vulnerabilities have been tidied up and eliminated – designed to be an efficient communication from one to many. It still has a purpose with mainstream media but it’s darn hard to build relationships with it in the social media world.

October 29th, 2007 - Posted in public relations, social media, twitter | | 0 Comments

What’s in a name – TweetPR?

Jeremiah Owyang is right.  Media snackers are found in all age groups.  In fact, I would venture to say that most aficionados of social media may indeed be snackers, especially if they are big fans of Twitter.

I have to admit, when I first heard about Twitter I thought “Cool, but what’s the point.”  Telling the world that you are drinking coffee or watching some TV show didn’t seem to me to be all that valuable an exercise for the tweeter or the listener.  But the part of the equation I was missing was context – in the form of tracking by keyword or following folks of interest.  I’ve tried to explain this to others, as recent as last night at a party with PR and media types.  They hear what I’m saying but I really don’t think it sinks in until one jumps in with both feet. 

So this brings me to the name of my blog.  Whether it’s tweets via Twitter or short burst media of any type designed for the ever growing media snacking culture, the world of PR is being diced.  Everything is about to get thrown into the food processor, literally.  What will hopefully come out the other side is a whole new generation of communicators that “tweet” highly concise messages to highly targeted audiences that care to listen because of context and because of relationship.

So here’s to TweetPR, the blog.  Looking forward to lots of “tweets” and lots of “media snacking.”

October 28th, 2007 - Posted in social media | | 0 Comments