A social network Christmas

Have a Merry Christmas! Here is a great video about the Christmas Story may have looked on Facebook.

Communications notes: New Facebook timeline is a great feature

Complaining about Facebook changes is a new national pastime.

This week, Facebook has finally launched its Timeline service.

Users have seven days to adopt changes before the feature becomes alive for everyone.

You may not like all of Facebook’s changes, but this one is amazing.

The service tracks all of your posts, adds notes on when you joined Facebook and most importantly allows you to document and share pictures and big events throughout your life.

You can sign up for the service here.

For more information about Facebook Timeline, Mashable has a fascinating Facebook Timeline guide.

– Speaking of Facebook, are you getting all of your e-mails through the service? Peter Shankman has a great blog post about this.

– Want to hear a great podcast? My two picks for most-listen tech podcasts are Digital 411 by Erika Pryor and Tech 411 by Oscar Santana and Todd Moore.

Viking Corner Store now on Facebook

Columbus Academy families can now follow the Viking Corner on Facebook by clicking here.

The school store, run completely by parent volunteers, is currently stocking up with lots of new items, including Nike, UnderArmour and CA-favorite Homage t-shirts.

A small change to the blog

In an effort to cut down on the number of blog posts each day, View From The Pugh will post twice on Mondays-Fridays and once on Saturdays and Sundays.

Extra events will be listed as Facebook and Twitter updates.

Be sure to pass the blog along to your friends.

Great advice on when to use pictures in social media

A picture tells a thousand words.

One of my goals in my personal and business use of social media is to post more pictures online.

But how do you determine the best use of pictures without spammimg your followers?

Peter Shankman has a great post on the Nine Best Practices for Linking Photos to Twitter.

What do you think about his tips?

Do you have any to add?

Follow @chrispugh3

No. 1: Steven Curtis Chapman’s new single can be heard on Facebook

Steven Curtis Chapman will release his new album re:creation, on Aug. 9. The set will feature new songs as well as covers of past hits like “Speechless,” “The Great Adventure,” and “Heaven in the Real World.”

“Because God is faithful, because he is redeemer, because he is all that he promises to be, he is bringing us into a new season as a family,” Chapman recently told The Tennessean for an article. “To begin to make those steps forward is a lot of what this music and this title, re:creation, is about.” Read the full story here.

The first single from re:creation is called “Do Everything” and can be heard on Facebook.

Why new media is essential to the survival of publications

Are newspapers, magazines and other publications dead?

Not at all.

The paper they are printed on may not be as valuable to the mass audience, but their content is as important as ever.

I wasted a fair amount of energy before leaving the newspaper industry in 2006 worrying about the future of newspapers.

What concerned me and my colleagues at the time was what would happen to the printed word with the growth of the Internet.

But we missed the bigger picture.

Your publication isn’t about the paper where it’s printed.

It’s about the content you find in it.

And as the publishing industry continues to evolve, publications can not only survive, but thrive by evolving with these changes.

With the growth of Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social media, news content is valuable and can reach a broader audience in your community.

It’s an audience who is looking for content on their smartphone, iPad and laptop, not just in the newsstand of a local store.

And smart publications understand how to monetize these forms of new media.

Personally, I’m excited to see how these changes are working.

The Willoughby News-Herald, a paper I worked for from 1999-2002, has done an incredible job at evolving with the times.

Reporters have Twitter and Facebook pages to interact with the community and the newspaper is actively using new media resources to report the news.

It’s great to see how these changes are practically working. I anticipate it’s having a positive impact on their bottom line.

Even if it does not produce immediate results, the newspaper is better set up for success in the future than publications who haven’t taken advantage of new media.

For my readers in the publishing industry, how are you using the Internet and social media to grow your business?

If you’re not or believe you need to do a better job, contact me at chris.pugh@sbcglobal.net

I’d love to help you out.

Why it helps to have a company social media policy (and why do we put so much stock in what pro athletes say)

We sure love our sports in America.

Not only do we spend lots of money and time idolizing people for their athletic abilities, we heavily contemplate every word they say.

And with the advent of Twitter and Facebook, athletes have the platform to comment on any issues around the world.

That’s when issues start to happen.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is the latest example.

One day after U.S. Special Forces killed Osama bin Laden in a raid, Mendenhall shared the following series of thoughts which show sympathy toward bin Laden:

• “What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side. I believe in God. I believe we’re ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge.”

• “We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style”

• “Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves.”

• “For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn in hell . . . I ask how would God feel about your heart?”

Mendenhall is taking his fair share of criticism for his comments from the media and Steelers officials.

Mendenhall has since taken down his tweet, but in honesty, why do we place such a high value on what athletes say?

I’m a Steelers fan in full disclosure, but Mendenhall commenting on bin Laden is like me commenting on nuclear physics.
We’re all entitled to our opinions, but that doesn’t make them always intelligent ones.

The interesting question here is if the Steelers have a social media policy for their players?

We’re entitled to our opinions, but we have a responsibility for what we say when we’re representing a larger organization.

How about your company?

Your employees may not have the name recognition Mendenhall has, but what they say in social media effects your company and your bottom line.

I would recommend your company or organization takes a serious look at adopting a social media policy.

This is important not just for what they say about your company or products, but on how they represent themselves.

Think Mendenhall’s comments have an effect on the Steelers?

Your employee’s words on public sites can have the same effect on you.

I’m available for consulting for company social media policies for a nominal fee. Contact me at here for more information.

UPDATE: Mendenhall clarified his comments Tuesday night. Here is a story about the blog he wrote about the matter.

How to make social media work for businesses

Peter Shankman has an inspiring blog about how small businesses can make social media work for them by referring new clients to their businesses through success stories and demonstrating knowledge of a subject.

He gives some great easy-to-use tips.

What advice are you trying for your businesses or clients?

How social media has become our CNN

Social media has changed the way we view news.

Television networks always argue about who can break news first, but Twitter is emerging as the champion.

I found through Twitter around 10:15 last night that Osama bin Laden was killed.

I turned the channel to CNN and they couldn’t confirm the story for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, while we watched the news last night, Facebook was a great way to share and comment on the breaking news with family and friends in real-time.

It was interesting to read reactions in real-time and catch up on what happened.

What a great way of sharing with your “community” of friends, family and contacts.