be careful URL…

 

People spend so any hours of thinking and rationalizing things. When giving a name or a brand to something it actually takes some hours and even days to be finalized. Usually, it doesn’t stop there. Everything that could be attached to a name or a brand is well taken care of because it begins to be a part of their image.

 Sample common concerns were how should something be done and how would it appear to the audience. Companies are now trying to bank on search engine optimization (SEO) to be known or at least have presence online. However, there are times that companies overlook that it is not only the company’s name or brand matters online, websites or domains also count.

 Here are some of the websites/domains who happens to have a double meaning if misread:

 A holiday rentals company in Spain is called Choose Spain. Hopefully the vacation won’t be a painful experience:
www.ChoosesPain.com

 

ViaGrafix is a company selling CAD software and Learning CDs– quite innocent until a blue pill hit the market. The company is now called Learn2.
www.ViagraFix.com
 

Teachers talk is a community for teachers and student to discuss all areas of teaching… Even how to stalk teachers..
www.TeacherStalk.com

The small town Winters’ local newspaper is called Winters Express and can be read online at:
www.WinterSexPress.com
 

An eBay competitor was considering the name Auctions Hit, but found it to be a nasty name:
www.AuctionShit.com

The kids might look nice in their Childrens’ Wear, but remember:
www.ChildrenSwear.co.uk
 

 IHA Vegas‘ holiday rentals might have a special smell, since:
www.IHaveGas.com

  Could a Apple Macintosh make me more masculine? Read more in macHome magazine:
www.MachoMe.com

Even if you’re company is called Cumbria Storage Systems don’t even think about calling your website:
www.CumStore.co.uk
 

Alter Scrap Processing part of The Alter Companies use the domain:
www.AltersCrap.com

 Manufacturer of instruments for monitoring temperature, humidity and pressure Dickson didn’t think twice when they choose:
www.DicksOnWeb.com

 

 We often hear our elders say that we should think twice before doing something. But I guess, sometimes we should even think for a million times before giving a name. After all, a name is the  representation of one’s identity. 

 

 

more on strat..

Everything has its own way of doing something. More often than not the framework or strategies of an act serves as the post to ensure success or attainment of goal. If PR and marketing have their own strategies on how something should be done, social media strategy has also its four pillars to note:

•  Communication

All social media aims to communicate, though what makes them apart from one another is its purpose or key message.  Key message is an important aspect in creating and sending message for it is the focal point of a thought. Moreover, the communication in social media should always be a two-way interaction. A room for feedback would be the key. Gone are the days where people choose to be passive audiences, it is now the hype of responding and interacting.

•  Collaboration

            Interaction has brought more dynamic people in the picture. With this, more and more people learned to participate and contribute something. Ordinary people can now give their suggestions and be a decision-maker.

•  Education

            People hate it when a product or service tries too much to sell itself. People resist suffocation from the attack of those products or services showcasing why they are the best. In social media strategy, instead of killing a person with overloaded information, try changing their perspective. Educate them by going beyond what a product or service can offer. Again, it’s notifying the clients what they can benefit from it.

•  Entertainment

            Be creative. People are now open to different things, actually they prefer to be amazed by something new than glue themselves into the old one. Doing some experiment won’t hurt. If something didn’t work out you can still manage to change the pace and try other things that might work out.

 

Taken as a whole, social media should be about:

1.  Enabling real conversations- it should always be two-way interaction
2. Influence and not manipulation- conversation should not be controlled
3. Having economically viable relationships- it should help in boosting the sales 

 

 

the unspoken mêlée

Last days of our first semester is fast approaching, and I’m quite happy and gloomy at the same time. I feel happy because one more semester and we will soon march (but I should finish revising my thesis first.. =P ); at the same time depressed because we don’t have a long sembreak (that murders my plans.. =( ). Bu it’s okay. I’m sure there’s something fun I can do with few days noted as our break. Speaking of that, when I’m bored in our house I usually sleep, eat, and watch. But I am not really fond of seeing several commercials so I end up playing computer games, surfing the net, and checking my mail. At least there are fewer advertisements in the Internet over the television. But why is it that people would prefer to use new social media over traditional media, or vise-versa?

 

          Traditional media                                          New Social Media

Television                                                                   Vlogs

Radio                                                                             Podcasts   

Print media                                                                 Social Networking Sites

-          newspaper                                                          -    Facebook

-          magazines                                                           -     Myspace

-          brochures                                                           -     multiply

-          flyers                                                                    -     Plurk

-          posters                                                                -     friendster

                                                                                        Blogs

                                                                                       Corporate blogs

                                                                                       wiki

                                                                           

What’s the difference between the two forms of media? Let me point a few:

• In the traditional media such as television, people can’t really get away with commercials. If they want to miss it they could just switch channels every time there is a break, or turn the tv off. However, in vlogs there are no commercials. People can even watch what they want repeatedly or when they want to.
• If you like spending a lot to get exposure head to traditional media, otherwise meet your favorite word “free” and tag new social media.
•  Both reaches a wide audience however in new social media it’s more targetive, personal, interactive, and has no expiry. In traditional media, once your item was published/aired that’s it; unless you pay additional amount so it will be published/aired in longer span of time.
• In blogs you can add videos and music; in newspaper….. hmmm.. goodluck..
• Unlike print media, people can get their reader’s reactions quickly through comments. For example, I wrote something wrong in my blog. Readers can rapidly get my attention and correct me. I can easily change/alter what I have written unlike in newspapers it may take few days or weeks before it could be corrected.
• Anyone can contribute something in new social media. In traditional media, it would be hard to do so unless you’re an authority, skilled, expert and/or famous (popularity also helps).
• If you prefer interaction and formulate relationship with others exploit the power of new social media by means of social networking sites. However, if you are too generous and just want to give information without taking anything from the other end employ traditional media.
• Without a doubt, the traditional media is more established and known to all as a means of relying information compared to the other one.  On the other hand, new social media is considered to have more potential uses, easier, and faster to use than the conventional media.

 People may have different reasons why they prefer to use one type of media over another after all each type of media has its own advantages and disadvantages. Each platform of media tries to get people’s attention. But I think, people would favor to use something which is not only easy, convenient, and accessible but it should match with their changing lifestyle.

 

the little bird chirps out loud

 

Last Saturday was so different. I never thought that the soft blizzard would turn into perilous storm that would slay thousands of lives, shelter, and even future for some. Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) is so far the most destructive storm that hit Philippines breaking the super typhoon record happened during 1960s. Fortunately for us, we only got stranded for 17 hours in traffic and flood; and there’s no electricity at our house for almost three days. During that time, I never realized how much damage the endless rain made.

Destructions have been made, yet Filipinos are now going hand in hand to conquer the difficulty handed by Ondoy. Nevertheless, it’s good to know that other people from foreign countries understand our situation and tries to lend a hand. Twitter has been a way to provide other people an idea about what’s happening and their thoughts about it. A few famous people who made use of new social media (twitter) were Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Alyssa Milano, Josh Groban, Paulo Coelho, and Ricky Martin.

 A person tweets and your followers instantly get it, this is only one benefit of using new social media such as Twitter—real-time.  It is fast, easy, and immense. In just one click your thousand followers can immediately be aware of what you want to say. No need to spend money and too much effort to be heard and noticed. Unfortunately, since the transfer of information is rapid, comments or reactions are also quick whether you like the content or not.

 Just this morning, I received a text message from a friend. He forwarded a message regarding a tweet from a Korean and the statement goes:

             “Have you heard the news? The monkey island Philippines is flooded. I hope the rain will never stop to drown those monkeys”.

 Another Korean replied to the tweet and said:

             “They will all die because monkeys can’t swim”.

 Freedom—new social media have clearly enhanced the people’s freedom/right of speech. In a 140 spaced character palette, anyone can tweet anything. Everybody enjoys and loves the taste of freedom; however, some people use it in a poor manner.

  It’s true that new social media such as Twitter can be a platform to build relationship and identity, but it’s not definitely a place to show one’s insecurity.

 

i want nobody but YOU..

I want nobody but YOU…

I want nobody nobody but YOU..

I want nobody nobody but YOU..

Last Saturday, while I was on my way to school the song “Nobody” by Wonder Girls caught me. From the moment I stepped out from the FX until I opened our classroom door, I was humming the song. “I want nobody but YOU”. Hmm.. I feel like some how everyone has tried to say that line. And that thought further augmented as Mr Paulo Pangan from Yehey Corporation started his lecture about viral marketing.

It seems that everyone wants to give significance to another individual, or wants to be “connected” somehow. With the revolutionized Internet, there had been shift in views:

FROM          =>         TO

Passive                      Active

Macro                        Micro

Static                        Live

Dictation               Conversation

Promises                  Actions

Formal                      Informal

With the change and birth of social networking sites such as Friendster, Myspace, Multiply, Facebook, Twitter, and Plurk people found new avenues to generate more personal relationships with other people. An instance would be when President Barack Obama created accounts in different social networking sites to acquire online presence. And now the aspiring candidates for the May 2010 election are now utilizing the power of social networking sites to reach their market which is primarily the youth.

Candidates or famous people were not the only ones trying to market themselves through social networking sites; we also do. We join different social networking sites to get in touch with friends, classmates, groups, and even relatives. We somehow sell ourselves by adding other people, or when they actually invited us. Somehow, underneath our mindset, we want to be connected or to be part of them–just like how commodities bond with people’s lifestyle. We are both considered as a good and a consumer. We’re invited or added by other people when they think were important or special to them, and we follow or invite other people when they have hooked us. And from there,  you continue to accept and add more people; excited to gather more  “selected friends”.

Now, can I add you? =)

 

PR 101+1

Is this one of the PR equations that you know?

Companies w/   +     journalist +    media          = BE PUBLISHED

press release                                                (newspaper)

Yes? You’re not alone. I also think that way before—one way to get your company be published and be known was through press releases in newspapers. Media plays an important role to do PR. In fact, media was constant in the process. And one way to assess the effectiveness was whether the written press releases were actually picked-up and get published. However, there’s another equation which is more engaging.

YOU+ perspective on how can the product help the clients? + NSM =  PR

In the second equation, YOU can now be a part of the process. How? You can do it through blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and other new social media tools. Basically, what you will be publishing through blogs and other NSM tools would be more personal, direct, and authentic. There will be spin of perspective from other people who will read your piece; it is not anymore written by a company with just a mindset of promoting themselves and their product, but it is a piece created by an ordinary consumer/client with a viewpoint that may be similar to them. In that way you are connecting and engaging more to your stakeholders as well as to your potential consumers.

Furthermore, you give the audience the chance to participate plus you build personal relationships with them. Since you’re posting what you’ve done in the Internet, your audience can now actually give comments about it. If more people would comment about it the exchange of viewpoints between and among consumers would be inevitable. By that, you and the company would gather more information on what do the audience really think about it.

PR today is no longer seeing your boss or spokesperson of your company on TV; it’s having an online presence. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) enters. Almost all people in the world have tried to Google something when they want information about what they’re looking for. Therefore, it would be an advantage if the company would be visible when searched over the net (of course, there should be valuable contents with it).

I’m not saying that the traditional and conventional way to do PR should be totally abandoned. What I’m saying is it is not bad either if we try to utilize and explore other options given by modernity. After all, that is why technology and innovation is present–to make use of it and widen what it offers so that more people can benefit from it.

 

let’s be viral..

check out our viral video, “Talk like a  kid”. Sometimes it’s wiser to be a kid once in a while especially when expressing your thoughts. Plain and simple.

 

Hello?!

Are you a music lover or should I say more of an “audio” type of person? Well, good news for you. Due to creative thinking of utilizing more the power of internet, here comes the PODCAST.

PODCAST is like a radio on the web. Basically, you can listen to whatever topic you prefer listening to over the net in just one click. You don’t have to look for your radios just to start listening for something; because with the presence of your MP3, MP4, iPod, mobile phones, PSP, and other new devices you definitely made it easier to download and subscribe. Subscribing to it makes it easier for you to be updated with the latest published podcast. Moreover, there are several sites available where you can download and subscribe podcasts. Just explore! =D

I feel like more and more people are now engaged to do some creative thinking to utilize the power of internet. One example is when I heard DJ Mo and former MTV VJ G Tongi talking about their plan of doing some podcasts for the show. Well, I think if they would pursue with their plan it would be advantageous in their part. If ever they do it, I think they will be the first local radio show who would be using podcast and would raise the probability of gaining more listeners due to it. That’s the nice thing about podcasts—beneficial (to the listeners and the publishers), entertaining (relieves boredom), and uncomplicated.

It’s uncomplicated because anyone can do it. All you need is a microphone, a computer, and an internet connection, then you’re ready to go. I haven’t done it—not yet but I will (haha). Hmm.. but before I do it, I should think of what my subject will be. Well, that could be a start. =D

 

Blogging Goes to Org..

Filipinos like sharing stories so it’s natural for us to explore all the possible means just be able to tell to someone what were dying to say. With this, blogging has been a great avenue to express our thoughts and experiences—both good and bad. Most of the time, we use blogs for personal reasons, but what happens if we use it for the sake of the organizations were working with?

Corporate blogging (CB) is not really famous here in the Philippines. Personally, I haven’t seen any blogs for and by corporations; and I’d be happy to see one (haha). Corporate blogging, like all other new things, offers goodness with it. Unlike other promotional tools used by organizations, CB is easy to use and maintain. Moreover, its effectiveness are observable and measurable. It’s also a good way of showcasing your corporate values, culture, and needs for the content of the blog would really reflect the said characteristics.

Even though corporate blogging is beneficial to corporations, like I said earlier, it’s not a full-blown tool used by organizations. Like normal people, institutions have their reasons for not employing it. The main reason for them not to use blogs was due to confidentiality issues. Some corporations think that if they do CB, they have to publish some information that is confidential to them. But I think companies don’t need to fear to be transparent to other people if they don’t hide anything. Second, orgs don’t do CB because of legal liabilities. Well, they are old enough to be responsible for their actions or what’s the use of legal departments and law firms (*evil)? And the last one is that they don’t have anything valuable to say in their blog. Maybe what they can do is to screen competent and interested employees who want to take in charge in creating and maintaining the corporate blogs. And the employee/s who’ll be in charge would receive additional incentives or payment.

 

Undecided?

Orcom was not my first choice. I enrolled first as a Communication student in UP Baguio. Though it’s fun living there—good climate, new environment, new friends, independence—I chose to go back in Manila. However, my dilemma doesn’t stop there. Of course, I have to pass the course I chose to pursue which is Organizational Communication in UP Manila, or else I have no choice but to enter another university which I don’t want to happen. Let me give you a glimpse on what my course is all about.

Organizational Communication focuses on general communication processes, and its dynamics within and between organizations. Moreover, it does not only provide learning about communication and organizations; but the course also gives better understanding on the strategic functions communication fulfills in organizations. Therefore, it’s different from the course of Mass Communication and Communication that deals with how the information will be relayed to its target.

The course would help you to enrich your proficiency in oral, written, and interpersonal communication along with critical thinking. The subjects offered in Organizational Communication provide you a setting to recognize communication in business perspective. The major subjects are the following:

Orcom 101- Introduction to Organizational Communication

Orcom 104- Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication

Orcom 105- Dynamics of Public Relations

Orcom 107- Intercultural Communication

Orcom 109.1- Technical Writing I

Orcom 109.2- Technical Writing II

Orcom 140- Introduction to Organizational Structures

Orcom 143- Approaches to Communication in Management

Orcom 145- Psychology of Language and Communication

Orcom 152- Communication Trends and Styles

Orcom 153- Communication Strategies

Orcom 155- Organizational Communication Statistics

Orcom 180- Practicum

Orcom 199- Organizational Communication Research

Orcom 200- Thesis

Well, after four years of academic mind-set it’s time to put into practice what you’ve learned. There are several career opportunities you can choose to be a part of:  Marketing and Sales, Advertising, Corporate Communication,  OD Consultant, Events organizing, Public Relations, researcher, writer, or even an entrepreneur.

OrCom was far more different from what I thought it was (especially before I took the course). Even though OrCom is relatively new compared to other established courses, its worth is highly significant in business arena.

Still got the feeling of being lost in the course you’re taking right now? Then, maybe its time for you to take an OrCom step.