Mashable's Social Media Day Recap

This past Monday marked the 5^th annual Mashable Social Media Day. Created in 2010, the international event works to help recognize the current digital revolution. Across the world, thousands of people attended meetups to celebrate the way social media has changed our lives, focusing especially on how it can be used for the betterment of social good.

Philly was no exception, with local social media enthusiasts celebrating with a meetup at Benjamin’s Desk to discuss local issues and how social media can create a difference.  To begin the event, City Representative and Director of Communications Desiree Peterkin Bell read Mayor Nutter’s proclamation announcing June 30^th to officially be Social Media Day in Philadelphia. The meetup continued with a panel of social media experts from different areas of communication. Panelists included Peterkin Bell, local American Red Cross spokesman Dave Schrader and Slice Communications’ Social Media Account Supervisor Kwan Morrow. They spoke on everything from slacktivism to digital volunteers to even their favorite social movement created online.

It was one of the few events I've ever attended that actively encouraged its attendees to be on their smart phones throughout. In fact, moderator and CEO of Twitchange Shelton Mercer explicitly asked the room to live tweet quotes and answers to keep the Twittersphere updated.

The meetup concluded with an opportunity at casual networking with other attendees over food, drinks and music. With pizza, beer and Twitter, this year’s Social Media Day has easily been one of my all-time favorite events. But truly, it was a perfect opportunity for some of the city’s most social media active and socially conscious to come together for discussion and collaboration that will potentially lead to real social change.

(PRowl staffers and alumni alike attended Social Media Day 2014)

Couldn't make it to the event? Search #SMDayPHL on Twitter to recap with panelists' quotes and photos. For updates on future meetups or next year’s Social Media Day, be sure to follow Social Media Day Philadelphia on Twitter.

Tech Giants Let NSA Collect User Data

In a world where technology is king and data leak scandals are prevalent, we never truly know who could potentially collect our user data. We blindly put our trust into technology companies, whose privacy policies that we never actually read, without skipping a beat. 

That is why it should be no surprise that tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple and Yahoo knew of the existence of the Internet surveillance program PRISM.  According to the NSA's top lawyer, quoted in a recent Mashable article, these companies complied with the government order however they just didn't know it was called that. This revelation comes after months of repeated — and very similar —denials by the tech companies.

As it turned out, the NSA can't just press a button and read a target's emails. The NSA has to get a Section 702 order (which refers to the part of the law which serves as its legal basis) and then the companies comply with it, delivering the data in different ways.

To put this is a PR perspective, it’s a disturbing thought that something you post for a client on Facebook or something you search for on Google while at work could cause three SUVs to materialize in your front yard while six plainclothes police officers fan out to case the joint and ask you a few questions. Sensitive client information should only be used while in private web browsing mode. 

What is your opinion on this recent government scandal? We want to know!

Taking The Creative Approach To Your Cover Letter

Is getting a new job one of your New Years' resolutions? If so, now is the time to spice up your job application materials! I believe the most important part of the job application process is your cover letter.

Your cover letter is supposed to catch a prospective employer's eye, but that's easier said than done when it's buried under a pile of applications. As a result, nearly every professional has his or her own advice when it comes to writing one of these formal introductions and bids for employment.

Instead of following the typical formula, why not try a more inventive technique to get your application noticed. Mashable highlighted these five innovative approaches yesterday:

1. The Direct Approach
Lindsay Blackwell wanted to be social media director of the University of Michigan. Instead of typing up a typical cover letter, the tried and (sometimes) true method, she created a website with a video directed at Lisa Rudgers, the university's vice president for global communications and strategic Initiatives.

While Blackwell didn't ultimately get the job, she did land an interview for the position — an impressive feat on its own.

2. Using the Changing Communication Landscape

Video: YouTube, Graeme Anthony

Graeme Anthony, a PR practitioner looking for a job, uploaded his professional information to YouTube rather than creating a traditional cover letter and resume. Anthony's interactive video application included a breakdown of his skills and timeline for potential employers. It showed his video-producing and editing knowledge as well as his ability to use online resources.

In the end, it helped him land a job at Manc Frank. If a simple series of videos is enough to get you noticed, the sky's the limit.

3. The Power of Being Honest
Sometimes employers appreciate sheer honesty above well-written prose and assertions of dedication and passion. An unnamed applicant applied for a summer internship on Wall Street with a short but honest letter.

Whether the lack of embellishment helped secure the position for the student is unknown, but it made quite a splash online and proved that honesty really can be the best policy.

4. A Little Design Goes a Long Way

Image: Alice Lee

With a company as geared to the visual as Instagram, it can take more than a well-worded letter to catch the team's attention.

Twenty-year-old Alice Lee used her design skills to create an interactive website, complete with an Instagram stream with the social network's API. Instagram didn't end up hiring Lee, but she did get to speak to CEO Kevin Systrom, and Lee's site eventually led to an internship with another company.

5. Using Ads to Your Advantage

Video: YouTube, Alec Brownstein

Most of us have Googled ourselves at least once or twice, if only to make sure that nothing strange turns up with our names. With that in mind, Alec Brownstein decided to buy ads that would appear when specific people searched for creative directors' names, or more importantly, when said directors Googled themselves.

The ads led to Brownstein's site with a message that simply read, "Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too." Brownstein now works at Y&R New York, and the ads only cost him $6. It isn't exactly a cover letter, but it isn't a bad strategy.

Which creative approach will you take?

The Super Bowl and Social Media

If you haven't realized that Superbowl XLVII is just a few days away than I am not sure you are a true American! This year's game is a face off between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Like most people, I still have a few more things to do in preparation for game day. As I was searching the social media world for new information regarding Sunday's showdown, I stumbled upon this lovely infographic posted on Mashable a few days ago.

If you are an aspiring PR pro and as social media obsessed as I am, be sure to use this information to know which reporters and players to follow, which hastags to use and how to find each team's website. You never know when it'll come in handy!

Even if 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh thinks "Facebooking and the Tweeter" are a waste of time, if you want to become a future public relations professional, it is best to brand yourself and get your social media imprint out there now!

Take a look and let us know what you think: