Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook to share spotlight at national conference

PR and marketing professionals charged with building awareness and community for their brands will get the opportunity to immerse themselves in the latest best practices in leveraging the most important three social networks at PR News’ “The Big 3 Conference” on Aug. 9 in San Francisco.

Just as social media initiatives must be integrated into overall communications strategies and bottom-line imperatives, PR News has integrated Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook tactics into one intensive day of learning at San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency on Aug. 9. Among the brands that will be sharing their expertise in the use of Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook at The Big 3 Conference are American Airlines, Old Navy, Adobe, Boeing, Cisco, Buddy Media, American Heart Association, Esurance, Norwegian Cruise Line, Burson-Marsteller, H&R Block, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Shine America.

Communications thought leaders from these brands will share ideas, tactics and lessons learned in using Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook to advance PR & marketing efforts. The conference also includes networking opportunities, breakfast, a keynote luncheon, an interactive clinic on team resource management and a cocktail reception.

For more information on the conference visit

AD SUMMIT PLANNED – Ad Age has announced the first Ad Age CMO Strategy Summit July 18 at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago.

Inspired by the pages of our agenda-setting CMO Strategy section, the conference features notable CMOs – from Crocs, Ikea, ZipCar, and Build-a-Bear – who have accomplished their marketing goals with innovative tactics and lean-and-mean budgets.

For more information and to register go to adage.com/CMO2012.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s View From The Pugh column features communications news and notes. E-mail viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com to submit an item for consideration for a future column).

University of Findlay plans PR boot camp

Non-profit professionals are invited to attend “PR Boot Camp 2012” on June 12 at The University of Findlay. The daylong conference will focus on how to do more with less using public relations, digital media and innovative collaborations.

The Department of Communication at The University of Findlay is hosting the conference, which has been made possible with a grant from the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

Delivering the keynote address, “Town and Gown: A Partnership of Excellence,” will be Dr. Janet Rice McCoy, associate professor of advertising and public relations at Morehead State University. Before returning to the university to teach, McCoy spent more than 20 years as a project coordinator, event planner, editor, grant writer, technical writer and trainer. With a passion for non-profit organizations, McCoy regularly integrates service learning into her teaching and actively engages her students with non-profit organizations (NPOs) throughout Kentucky. She also serves on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road Council.

Registration is $10 and includes a continental breakfast, boxed lunch and a series of workshops conducted by experts in strategic communication, social media, organizational communication and grant writing.

Space is limited to the first 50 registrants. Those interested in reserving a seat should contact Barbara Glock at
glock@findlay.edu or 419-434-6982.

TWEET-UP PLANNED – The Columbus Social Media Club will hold a tweet-up 7:30 a.m. April 17 at Camelot Cellars Winery in the Short North, 958 North High Street, Columbus.

Admission is $5 and you can register at the event page.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s View From The Pugh column features communications news and notes. E-mail viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com to submit an item for consideration for a future column).

What to do when your Facebook font size is too small

I had some strange issues a few weeks back with Facebook.

After hitting a couple of buttons, I soon discovered that the front sizes were way too small.

If you run into that problem, there is an easy solution.

All you need to do is hold the Control or Command key and press the plus (+) key to increase the size.

To decrease the size, hold the Control or Command key the press the minus (-) key.

STORIES TO NOTE – Here are five recent communication stories from the communications industry you should check out.

– Seven Great, Simple Rules for Engaging in Social Media via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

– Faith and Technology: The Good and the Bad of Ministry Tech.

– 4 job interview tactics to help you go from good to great.

– 7 ways to get your blog noticed in a crowded niche.

– New Google maps include real-time traffic info.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s View From The Pugh column features communications news and notes. E-mail viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com to submit an item for consideration for a future column).

When it comes to social media connections, quality is SO MUCH MORE important to quantity

When it comes to social media, it’s not able the number of “likes” or “follows,” it’s about how you use them.

Successful community managers need to interact with those who follow the page.

It’s not about selling, it’s about building relationships.

Relationships lead to brand awareness, the potential of new sales and your audience sharing your information with others.

I remember working in restaurants through the 90s in college where “if a customer has a bad experience, they share it with seven others” was drilled into my mind.

From a positive side in the social media world we live in today, how about the power of your customers sharing positive experiences online. There’s a lot of untapped resources here.

It’s important to understand that you have to give someone a reason to like your page.

Content is vital. The information you share must be interesting and fun.

In addition to content, what else can you offer your audience?

The answer may vary depending on your company or organization, but you need to give your audience a reason to listen.

EXTRA, EXTRA – Facebook unveiled a new feature which allows you to read your news feed as a personalized newspaper. Mashable has the details.

NOT VIRAL – A recent report from All Facebook indicates only 2 percent of Facebook posts are shared.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s View From The Pugh column features communications news and notes. E-mail viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com to submit an item for consideration for a future column).

GateHouse Media move could have huge impact on Stark, Tuscarawas county readers

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated with impact on local newspapers).

In a move that could have a major impact on employment for various newspaper employees across the country and for local readers in Stark and Tuscarawas counties in Ohio, GateHouse Media, the owners of The (Canton) Repository, The (Massillon)Independent and (Dover-New Philadelphia) Times-Reporter announced this week that they will lay out all newspapers it owns across the country from copy desks in Chicago and New England.

The memo, leaked to a national newspaper blogger, doesn’t specifically indicate if the changes include GateHouse Ohio’s local media cluster of The Repository, Times-Reporter and The Independent, but sources indicate that it would impact various employees at those newspapers.

Throughout the country, copy desks need to have local editors. I’ve worked at copy desks where having a working knowledge of the local community helps catch errors in stories, errors that news editors haven’t caught.

Second, recent downsizing at newspapers leave readers with gaping holes in news coverage. Can newspapers today cover all towns and cities in its coverage area? I know it’s an issue in Stark County.

Instead of downsizing, I propose newspapers restructure staffs to include “backpack journalists.” These can provide updates throughout the day which can be posted online. The additional content from all areas can add a compelling argument for businesses to buy ads and for readers to pay more for extra content.

What do you think, would you pay more for content as a reader and would you be more likely to buy ads if additional hometown news content was available online?

THOUGHTS ON SPONSORED CONTENT – Mack Collier had a great post on how brands are waking up to the power of sponsored content. It’s welll worth the read. Check it out here

LOOKING FOR A JOB – All Facebook had a tip of an interesting way to apply for a job at Facebook.

ATHLETES TO WATCH – Communications Pro had an interesting story about their picks for the ten most engaged athletes on Twitter. Here is their list.

WAKE UP CALL – Peter Shankman had an inspiring post on why it pays off to get up earlier every day. You can read it here.

Interesting article on how Facebook will have role in 2012 election

I’m fascinated about how politicians are using social media.

If you like him or not, you have to admit social media played a big role in electing President Obama in 2008 and smart politicians would be wise to use these tools well in 2012.

All Facebook had a great article this week on seven political trends to watch for on Facebook this year.

WHAT MT MEANS – I love Twitter, but I admit I have no idea what MT means.

Here’s a great explanation of what that term means on the social media site.

Check your work before sending an e-mail blast

When sending an e-mail blast, you have to be careful.

The New York Times made a huge mistake when intending to sending an e-mail to several hundred people offering 50 percent off to renew for 16 weeks.

Instead, the newspaper sent the offer to 8.6 million e-mails on its list.

What compounded the error was when the newspaper tweeted that the e-mail didn’t come from the newspaper.

The newspaper did honor the discount at first before cancelling the offer.

A spokeswoman didn’t say how much money the mistake cost the newspaper in an interview with the Associated Press.

PHOTO MANIPULATION – When it comes to media errors, I guess this one from North Korea shouldn’t surprise me at all.

The country’s state news agency altered a photo from Kim Jong-Il’s funeral procession to take out several onlookers from the route.

When it comes to news, ethics dictate that pictures cannot be altered.

I understand that North Korea doesn’t follow ethics, but this should be a lesson to all news people to follow industry standards.

FACEBOOK’S TOP SIX – Do you have Facebook’s new Timeline feature?

One question I had with it was on the friends box, the site shows six of your friends.

How do they pick these six?

I found an interesting article on how Facebook picks your “top friends” here.

Communications notes: Mashable offers top 10 Tweets from 2011

Five recent stories of interest in communications and social media.

– Twitter’s top 10 remarkable tweets from 2011 (via Mashable) http://on.mash.to/v74RiA

– Three ways you should be using e-mail in your business (via Manta) http://bit.ly/w4Czbq

– How to cultivate reporter relationships on Twitter (via PR Daily) http://bit.ly/uQYTn4

– Ten picks for the most engaged brands on Twitter (via The Pulse) http://bit.ly/vtFqlU

(EDITOR’S NOTE: You can submit information for this column to viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com)

– Manta helps small businesses navigate the Internet (via The Columbus Dispatch) http://bit.ly/stGA4h

Westerville and Twitter

One of the many great things about living in Westerville is how active city departments are on Twitter.

It’s a great way of keeping up with what’s going on in the city.

All-City news and information:
@tellwesterville

Westerville Parks & Recreation (program news, announcements, cancellations)
@WestervillePark

Westerville Electric Division
(outages, alerts and energy tips)
@WvilleElectric

Westerville Division of Police
(public safety information, alerts)
@WestervillePD

Does your city government do Twitter?

Follow @chrispugh3

The value of rewarding your Twitter followers

Lauren Drell of Mashable recently wrote a great post sharing six easy ways of rewarding your Twitter followers.

These are very insightful tips I look forward to using on future social media campaigns.

Out of curiosity, what do you do to reward your followers? What makes you follow a company on Twitter?

Your turn.

Follow @chrispugh3