Twitter Tells Users Who to Follow

If you are a Twitter user, you have probably noticed the new "Who to Follow" feature on the sidebar. According to Twitter, the purpose of the feature is to suggest people that you don't currently follow and may find interesting. The suggestions are based on several factors, including the people you follow and the people they follow.

This feature is similar to Facebook's "People You May Know" and "Recommended Pages" features, which recommend people and pages based on mutual friends and interests. Some find these features useful in connecting with people and interests through social media, while others find these features annoying.

From the PR perspective, the "Who to Follow" feature may be helpful to people or companies looking to gain followers from a particular demographic. In theory, once they begin following users with similar interests, Twitter will suggest more users for them to follow and also suggest their page to users who may find them interesting. This could be particularly useful to those who are new to Twitter and unsure about who to follow and how to gain relevant followers.

What do you think about Twitter's new feature? Do you find it useful or annoying?

I HATE Steven Singer!

Those of you who are from or are familiar with the Philadelphia area have likely seen a series of billboards on I-95. The billboards are characterized by a simple black background and the words "I Hate Steven Singer" in bold white lettering. At the bottom of the billboards reads the URL for a website: "www.ihatestevensinger.com."

It turns out that the billboards are part of a campaign for a Philadelphia jeweler who has become "hated" by men all over the city because his cheap prices and excellent selection both make women love him and make it hard for men to find an excuse not to buy. Besides being intriguing, as pointed out in a blog post by Rohit Bhargava, this series of ads is demonstrative of some important marketing lessons:

1. Use a long-running campaign
2. Fuel-- and play off of-- human curiosity
3. Own your region
4. Focus on a different audience from your competitors
5. Show personality
6. Hold a signature event

I found all of these to be valuable tips. I was particularly interested in tip #4, though, because I feel that this technique is one in which PR practitioners have a unique opportunity to add a lot of value to a campaign. As PR practitioners, we are taught to reach out to various publics by strategically researching, analyzing and targeting audiences. This campaign really highlights the fact that in addition to analyzing target audiences for our own client, we must also take into consideration the audiences targeted by our client's competitors and be careful to differentiate our client in that respect. As this campaign demonstrates, doing so can make all the difference between a successful and an average campaign.

Be sure to read Bhargava's blog post to learn more about utilizing these techniques and check out Steven Singer's website to learn more about this unique campaign!

Rebirth of the Passenger Rail in the U.S.

The Obama Administration is pursuing a high speed rail in the U. S. so that Americans can ride sleek 220 mph bullet trains, like the ones already popular in Europe and Asia. The Administration wants to improve Amtrak trains as well so that they too will move faster. The new network will cost billions, meaning it may take a good public relations campaign to gain the support of our car-crazed nation.

Realizing how accustomed Americans are to their vehicles, the Obama Administration hopes a new network of faster trains will create attractive alternatives to long drives and short flights, which would also relieve road and air congestion. In an effort to further persuade the public, the Obama Administration has pointed out numerous other benefits that will stem from a new and improved rail system including saving gas, reducing carbon emissions, not having to find parking, no traffic, no long lines and security hassles, and the chance to relax and enjoy the ride. A new network of trains would create jobs, jump start a new domestic manufacturing industry, and keep our railroads up to speed with Europe and Asia, who currently have the fastest trains.

America’s rails have been in need of repair and renovation for a while, as the focus has primarily been on aviation and highways. Do you think a good public relations campaign can convince Americans to embrace the shift from cars to trains?

This guest blog was written by staff member Trish Wyatt.

"Best of Philly" Client Winners

Every year, Philadelphia Magazine releases their "Best of Philly" edition, the region's guide to the best places to eat, things to do, people to hire, places to spend, ways to save, and more. Earning the "Best of Philly" title is a great honor that is given to well-established businesses as well as those that are up-and-coming and show great promise. As you walk down the street, many businesses who have earned this recognition proudly display the "Best of Philly" decal on their window.

PRowl Public Relations is thrilled to congratulate two of our past clients on their recently announced "Best of Philly" titles!

• Casa Papel (client from fall 2009 to spring 2010) has been announced as Philly's Best Stationary.
• Ursula's About PHace (client during spring 2009) has been announced as Philly's Best Completely Over-The-Top Specialty Beauty Treatment.

Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of Philly" edition is on newsstands now! Congratulations to all the winners.

For those on the job search...

After pondering what I should blog about for this addition of the "Alumni Thursday" Series, it wasn't necessarily a public relations related topic that crossed my mind. Instead, I have been thinking recently about my job search and potential career paths. Coincidentally enough, week's Time Out New York's cover story is about the "Best Jobs in NYC." Included are success stories, career/company profiles, tips on networking and more. Learning about all the different career opportunities out there is always exciting, so even though the jobs highlighted aren't exactly what I might have had in mind for my personal future, its just a reminder that we should all keep an open mind!

Here are some of my favorite picks from the feature story:

-Startup company Pixable (pixable.com) aggregates and prints photos from social media sites like Facebook and Flickr. Their site has generated over a million visitors and they've really found a niche that no one had thought to tap into sooner. Plus they're also hiring! Send your resume and cover letter to jobs@pixable.com

-Learnvest (learnvest.com) is a site offering financial advice for women. They've assisted over 500,000 women since launching in January 2009.

-You can't hear it enough-the importance of networking. Meeting people by networking, through something such as Ed2010's Speednetworking event (visit ed2010.com for more details) or sign up for invite-only happy hour mixers with the Connectors NYC (theconnectorsnyc.com).

-Also be sure to check out company profiles of Gawker (gawker.com) and Elle magazine on the site, which were also interesting.

I hope you to head to your nearest news stand, Barnes & Noble or bookstore to pick up this week's issue of Time Out New York or click here to read more online!

Happy Job Hunting!

Shark Week: The Ultimate PR Campaign for Sharks

This week is the 23rd annual Shark Week and people all over the world are celebrating by tuning into the Discovery Channel for a myriad of television specials highlighting the sheer awe that is demanded by one of our world's most powerful and feared creatures.

Although many tune in for blood and gore, Shark Week's main focus has always been to educate the population about sharks in an incredible attempt to save them from their impending extinction.

Let's face it- sharks are a tough creature to create a PR campaign for. Animals such as the panda bear or the polar bear are much easier to generate sympathy and compassion for. However, the Discovery Channel has successfully cultivated a popularity for sharks that did not exist, lets say, back when Jaws first came to theaters.

With nearly one-fifth of all sharks critically close to extinction, and over 70 percent of the world's oceans shark free, humans have been destroying the world's shark population through pollution, fear-fueled killing, habitat destruction and human induced global warming.

With over 30 million viewers and counting, Shark Week is creating quite a buzz. With so many people tuned into this week long special, different conservation groups across the world are receiving support from viewers everywhere. With the increase in support, these groups are able to further strengthen their efforts in saving sharks from extinction.

What is your opinion on Shark Week? Is it a great media campaign to raise awareness or just another television fad? Let us know!

Be sure to check out all that Shark Week has to offer by visiting their website!

Check Your Email Etiquette

Although e-mail exchanges are a major means of communication between people in the professional world, some people could still use a reminder about email etiquette. An article from CNN.com describes three common e-mail mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are the highlights:

1. Be careful of recklessly BCC'ing and forwarding e-mails: BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) should be used when you are sending a mass e-mail and you don't need everyone to see everyone else on the recipient list. BCC should not be used to secretly let someone know about an e-mail exchange. If the BCC'd person doesn't realize they were BCC'd, they may hit reply-all and blow your cover. A better way to clue someone in is to forward them the exchange. However, remember when forwarding that the whole chain of emails up until that point will be read by your recipient.

2. Be courteous: Most email exchanges involve asking for or supplying information, so it is important to remember your manners. Some people think sending a "thank you" once they receive the information they requested will just clutter the sender's inbox. However, when sent back right away, it should not interfere with their e-mail checking. If more than 20 minutes has elapsed, you may want to include your "thank you" in the next email exchange with the person.

When you are the one providing the information, avoid pasting and sending without a salutation or a sign-off. This makes it sound like you are annoyed that you had to help. A short reply with the information such as "here you go, thanks" sets a better tone.

3. Have some tact and avoid playing fascist dictator: Address your employees the same way you would address your boss. Hitting the question mark three times is not the most sensitive way to reply to someone's email when you are unclear about their message. Think about the tone of your emails before you send them. For those who have difficulty judging how your e-mails come across, there's a plug-in called ToneCheck that flags harsh phrases in your emails.

Can you think of any other common e-mail blunders that need to be addressed?