HC+T Update: September 13, 2013

From: "HC+T Update" <shel@holtz.com>

Subject: HC+T Update: September 13, 2013

Date: September 13th 2013

September 13, 2013
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I've spent much of this week wrangling with a new online training software package called Storyline, from Articulate. It's great, but like any sophisticated software, it takes some getting used to, particularly figuring out work-arounds to enable functionality that isn't built into the tool. I eventually figured it all out, and the results will be part of an eight-week course I'm developing for Ragan Communications, an introduction to employee communications. But enough about me. Let's get to this week's news.

A strategy for marketing during solemn times: Don't

Individuals and media outlets alike were abuzz yesterday over the tasteless, inappropriate and offensive 9/11 tributes tweeted, Facebook'd and otherwise promoted by brands. While many business tributes were tasteful, they still carry the risk of everything from indignation to outrage. The best defense: just be quiet for the day. Read more here.

This week on FIR

In FIR #720, Neville and I talked about the publication of Share This Too, a major player in article recommendation that ceded control to readers, the fact that most Fortune 500 CEOs don't own the domains for their own names, and a ferris wheel in development that, in addition to being the world's tallest, will incorporate augmented reality for sightseeing and other uses. In our News That Fits section, we looked at brands and digital newsrooms, Google's alliance with Nestle over the naming of the next Android update, the authenticity problem in PR, and whether self-destructing tweets have a future.

The big stories this week centered on twitter's IPO, announced (of course) in a tweet, and tasteless brand tributes on the solemn anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. (If you haven't seen AT&T's tweet or the sign in the Marriott lobby, did you just awaken from a coma?) In the Friday Wrap, I try to report on smaller stories of great interest to communicators that might have slipped by unnoticed. You are most welcome to visit my link blog, LinksFromShel.tumblr.com, where I collect the stories from which I choose items for the Wrap. The link blog also serves as the source of stories for my podcast, For Immediate Release

Digital on the rise

Executives are getting more deeply involved in shaping and driving digital strategies, according to a global survey from McKinsey & Company. The survey asked respondents about five trends: big data and advanced analytics, digital engagement with customers, digital engagement with employees and external partners, automation, and digital innovation. "Specifically, we inquired about their companies' adoption and focus on each trend, what impact digital technologies can (and do) have on their businesses, and what obstacles companies face in meeting their digital goals." The results: Despite challenges, executives are bullish on digital. Respondents say they're engaging more with customers and reaching them through new channels; many are making it a top-level strategic priority. Customer engagement ranks highest among digital prior ities, with 56% saying digital engagement of customer is "at least a top-ten company priority, and on the whole respondents report notable progress since 2012 in deploying practices related to this trend." Conversely, companies have been slow to implement internal social media as well as digital channels for partners and suppliers. Most interestingly, "larger shares of respondents report that their companies' senior executives are now supporting and getting involved in digital initiatives." Thirty-one percent say their CEOs personally sponsor digital initiatives, up from 23% in 2012.

Social media career opportunities may be declining

Social media skills are important in a growing number of jobs, but there seem to be fewer jobs focused exclusively on social media, according to a report from Indeed, a job site. A review of job listings from the end of August 2012 to the same date this year shows a 50% growth in the number of jobs with social media in the title. That's significant growth, but nowhere near the 100% surge seen between 2011 and 2012. In the meantime, the number of jobs that mention social media in the description, but NOT the title, grew by 89%. If you're looking for a job that includes social media, you're 13 times more likely to find it if you don't need it in the title. "We're seeing increased demand for social savvy candidates across the business -- from human resources to product to customer service," says Amy Crow, Indeed's communications director. "In addition, we're seeing this demand span many levels, from executive assistants to senior vice presidents." (Crow is quoted in Amy Elmer's article on Quartz.) Does this mean there's no need for a coordinating level? Not at all. Many companies have filled positions that didn't exist before, while more and more organizations recognize that social media skills are integral to the performance of a lot of different types of jobs. Besides, the same study showed that "social media expert" experienced a 1,600% increase in listings in the last year.

Social media is still a woman's world

It can be jarring to think back five short years, when only 29% of online adults used social networking sites. Seventy-two percent of us use these sites today. The surge in usage hasn't changed the demographics, though. Women were the most frequent users in the early days of social media and they still are. Today, 74% of online women participate in social networks compared to 70% of online men. That usage varies from site to site, however. Considerably more women use Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, while men and women use Twitter and Tumblr about equally. Men dominate on reddit. The numbers come from a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center. The data shows that social media usage for all online adults has risen 800% in eight years.

Disney brings second screen into theaters

Mobile devices are ubiquitous, but there is still one sanctuary from people hunkered over their glowing screens: a darkened theater. That won't be the case with Disney introduces Disney Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid, in theaters today. My podcast partner Neville Hobson reports on his blog that Disney has invited you to "Bring your iPad with you to the special screenings of The Little Mermaid to interact with the film, play games, sing along, find new surprises and compete with other audience members." An iPad Mini will work just fine -- the second-screen experience will be delivered through an iPad app -- but Android users are out of luck. Whether this is the test that introduces in-theater interactivity or just a novelty remains to be seen. If it does become common, it'll most likely be like 3D movies: You'll have the option of watching in a theater aglow with mobile devices or in one free of the distraction.

Google gets into the MOOC game

You know how WordPress became the easy, free, open-source means by which anybody could publish content to the Web? Google wants to bring the same idea to MOOCs, the Massively Open Online Courses that have been riling up the academic world. In an announcement this week, Google said it's partnering with edX, a not-for-profit online learning initiative from Harvard and MIT. Sometime next year, they'll launch MOOC.org, allowing anyone -- universities, businesses, NGOs, government agencies, individuals -- "build and host courses on any topic and in any format for a global audience," according to Anya Kamenetz writing for FastCompany. While MOOCs have been a big deal at the university level (I took a Wharton course on gamification via the Coursera platform), they also have potential in business. One recruiting company, for example, has launched a MOOC to teac h HTML5 in order to increase the pool of candidates with the HTML5 qualifications its clients need.

Also new from Google: embedded posts

Google introduced a new tool this week that lets bloggers and content creators embed Google+ posts on other sites. Embedding is becoming a routine part of the Web infrastructure, with Twitter having enabled embeds this year; they've been standard for content from YouTube, SlideShare and other sites for years. According to Mashable writer Kurt Wagner, "Users who wish to highlight a Google+ post within a news story or on a personal blog can do so by clicking the "eEmbed post' tab from the drop down menu in the post's upper righthand corner. Users can then copy and paste the available line of code to embed the post, including text and photos." The post will be fully interactive wherever it's embedded, so you can +1 it, comment on it and follow the post's author from within the embed. "We want to make it easy to expand your audience across the web," Set Ster nberg, Google's director of the Google+ platform, said in a blog post.

Livefyre's Storify acquisition will help brands be better storytellers

I love Storify. I maintain several ongoing Storify stories where I curate content on content marketing, employee access to social media, mobile for communicators and other topics. I was relieved when I learned that the free level of service will continue now that Storify and its team have been acquired by Livefyre, the company behind the commenting system on hundreds of top-tier web properties. Most people use Storify differently than I do, curating content around news stories over a short term instead of broad topics over a long term. but curation wasn't Livefyre's focus, according to CEO Jordan Kretchmer, quoted in a Ken Yeung piece on The Next Web; it's storytelling. "It's one thing to be providing a single perspective, but for many people who want to get the whole picture about what's taking place, pulling information from witnesse s and other sources will truly help someone understand the scenario," says Yeung. Kretchmer wants Livefyre to become "the social control center for brands, in that they can find all the tools and resources to manage all of their conversations, both from a proactive to reactive approach."

Facebook rolls out integration of conversations into news broadcasts

A select number of news organizations can now integrate Facebook conversations into their broadcasts through the display of public Facebook posts on the screen. CNN's News Day is one of the first to tap into the service, according to John Glenday writing for The Drum. The show presents Facebook feedback about the latest breaking news during the broadcast. "This functionality extends to distilling the number of posts mentioning a specific word over a period of time down to a demographic breakdown of the sort of people using that term." Other initial partners include Buzzfeed, NBC's Today Show, Sky TV and Slate, "who will each gain access to Keyword Insights API and Public Feed API, an aggregate of the total number of posts mentioning a specific term and a real-time feed of public posts mentioning a specific word."

Kenneth Cole taps Instagram for video response

No stranger to controversy Kenneth Cole was at it again last week, tweeting a promotion for his products on the back of a dicey political issue: unilateral U.S. military intervention in Syria. His tweet: "Boots on the ground" or not, let's not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear" Not surprisingly, the backlash was swift and furious. The last time Cole was behind such a kerfuffle, he used Twitter to apologize. There was no apology this time. Instead, Cole responded in 15 seconds using Instagram's video capability, the first such use of the service that I'm aware of. In the video, he says, "I've always used my platform to provoke dialogue about important issues...I am well aware of the risks that come with this approach, and if this encourages further awareness and discussion about critical issues, then all the better." The video was "liked" by nearly 200 people and earned a string of comments that turned into a di alogue. After a few comments expressed disgust, one commenter said, "This is not the corporate Instagram but the man behind the brand making a statement. He is not ADVERTISING anything -- no link, no specific article of clothing, no sale." More to the point, the Instagram'd statement got widespread media coverage. Could Instagram become a new default channel for companies to respond to issues or even break news? Given that Instagram engagement is 10 times greater than Twitter's, it's not an outrageous idea.

Just added to my calendar, I'm speaking at PRSA Sacramento's monthly meeting on September 26.
On September 25, I'm speaking at an Intuit conference for its company communicators and writers on the writer's role in the social visual communication world.
I'm speaking about content marketing and gamification to IABC/Orange County on October 8.
I'll have a speaking slot at Ragan's Intranet Summit in Chicago on October 16.
I have three speaking gigs the week of October 20: one at the Canada regional IABC conference, one at The Mayo Clinic, and one at IABC's intranet conference in New York, held in conjunction with Prescient Digital Media.
I'm conducting a workshop November 6 at Chesapeake Energy Corporation in Oklahoma City, part of a three-day ragan conference on the role of communications in creating best places to work/
I'll present a webinar on December 4 for Lorman Education on social visual communication. It'll be available to the public.
Next February 6, I'll speak at an industry conference for manufacturers of Omega 3 products on crisis communications. The session is in Salt Lake City.

Learn employee communications from the ground up

If you're new to employee communications or looking to get into the field, join me for an eight-week course you can take from the comfort of your own home...or office...or local Starbucks. The interactive course has three components. The cornerstone of the training will be interactive learning modules you can engage with at your own pace. One new module will be released each week. We'll talk about the contents on a private Facebook group and then gather once a week for an hour-long conference call. This multiple-media training is available now for registration at Ragan Communications' website.

Since 1996, HC+T has helped organizations communicate effectively in the emerging online space using intranets to reach employees and various dimensions of the Internet to communicate with other stakeholder audiences.

HC+T provides a full range of services for large organizations, from speaking and training to communication audits and strategic plan development.

Visit us at Holtz.com.

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