comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) today released July 2010 data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 178 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content during the month for an average of 14.7 hours per viewer.
Responding to the widespread dissatisfaction with traditional college rankings and the growing demand for universities to refocus on undergraduate education and value, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni unveiled today its 2011 college evaluations on WhatWillTheyLearn.com, a day before the release of U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings.
The free website evaluates more than 700 colleges and universities based on their general education curricula: the core courses aimed at providing a strong foundation of knowledge. Mel Elfin, founding editor of USNWR’s college rankings, praised the website as “an invaluable and unique additional resource for parents” and The Wall Street Journal called its focus on education “admirable.”
A new American Red Cross survey shows many Americans who are online would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies—and they expect first responders to be listening.
The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through a digital means such as e-mail, websites or social media. If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page and 28 percent would send a direct Twitter message to responders.
The latest from Nielsen research shows that Americans devote six hours of online time every month to social networking sites and blogs. That’s almost a quarter of the time they spend on the Internet, up from 16 percent just a year ago.
“Despite the almost unlimited nature of what you can do on the web, 40 percent of U.S. online time is spent on just three activities – social networking, playing games and emailing leaving a whole lot of other sectors fighting for a declining share of the online pie,” said Nielsen analyst Dave Martin in a press release.
Meet Pavel, a two-year-old Pit Bull who somehow found his way into my back yard last week. He was covered in ticks and emaciated – it was obvious he was a stray who had been roaming in the extreme heat for some time. Being the dog lover I am, I took Pavel in, tended to some of his wounds, gave him fresh water and food. He is a very sweet and docile dog who was clearly a great pet, but there was no way to identify his owners – he had no collar and no microchip. I posted photos of him on Pets911 and put up a public posting on Facebook. I checked with neighbors to see if any of them recognize the dog, to no avail.
As much as I wanted to keep him around, we already have three dogs and Pavel needed medical attention, so I called Maricopa County Animal Control. Pavel was taken to the County shelter on 27th Avenue in Phoenix. That evening, my friend Jordan Sperko asked me what would happen to the dog. He saw my posting on Facebook and was interested in taking Pavel in; he wanted to adopt a dog and was specifically looking for a Pit Bull.
Thrilled at this news, we contacted the shelter to see if anybody had claimed him. They said no, and we learned that he had been scheduled for euthanasia. Maricopa County takes in some 150 – 200 stray dogs every day and simply does not have the facilities to keep them all for adoption. In addition, Pavel’s physical condition would probably deter potential adopters.
Jordan immediately went to the shelter to see Pavel and it was love at first sight. He pleaded with the shelter manager to release the dog to him for adoption. This morning, I joined Jordan as he “officially” adopted Pavel! After some minor medical procedures, Pavel will be going to his new forever home on Thursday afternoon. I am beyond thrilled that this story has a happy ending! Please join me in applauding Jordan Sperko for being a hero – he has saved Pavel’s life… all thanks to Facebook! We look forward to seeing Pavel for doggie play dates soon!
Ear Candy Charity and Glendale Pawn & Jewelry have partnered to gather greatly-needed musical instruments for Valley children. From July 22 to July 25, Glendale Pawn & Jewelry will be hosting an Instrument Drive® with the hopes of collecting in excess of 100 instruments to be used by school children across the Valley.
The YMCA made numerous national headlines this week; the iconic organization announced that the nonprofit will simply be called “the Y,” marking the first branding change in more than 40 years. I’ve followed the coverage with curiosity because serving the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee as public relations manager was my first PR gig after making the switch from a career in media. (more…)
Spartan Boot Camps will hold a fitness boot camp on Saturday, June 26 to raise funds for Hope for Friends, a grassroots non-profit organization that raises funds to help support women and families financially when they need it most. The hour long event will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the Athletic Republic Scottsdale located at Bell Road and the Loop 101.
The popular “Biggest Looser” show on NBC, along with corporate sponsors, has put together a national contest to help local communities fight hunger. It’s called “Pound For Pound,” where you pledge to loose weight as part of a local team. For every pound you pledge to lose, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America®—enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local family.
According to a Nielson report released Tuesday, three of the world’s most popular brands online are social-media related (Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia) and people in the world now spend over 110 billion minutes on social networks and blog sites. This equates to 22 percent of all time online or one in every four and half minutes.
For the first time ever, social network or blog sites are visited by three quarters of global consumers who go online, after the numbers of people visiting these sites increased by 24% over last year. The average visitor spends 66% more time on these sites than a year ago, almost 6 hours in April 2010 versus 3 hours, 31 minutes last year. (more…)
One of the cool things about having a night club as a client? An awesome place to throw a huge party, of course! The wonderful folks at Disco Scottsdale have graciously agreed to open their doors for a private media / industry party Thursday, June 24, 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. (HOSTED BAR!).
So if you are a local media type or work in the hospitality industry, come and check out Scottsdale’s fabulous new night club and have a drink or two with Joe PR Guy! Disco is a must-see venue that features a custom, interactive LED dance floor that responds to your feet when you dance. We call it a post modern interpretation of the classic discothèque. Did I mention there will be an open bar?
Potential Entertainment, a company that specializes in the development and operation of unique entertainment concepts throughout the world, has unveiled details of its latest project; Disco Scottsdale will open to the public on Friday, June 4 at 10:00 p.m. The company has renovated the space located at 4301 N. Civic Center Plaza to create a stunning, world-class venue. In addition to a total overhaul of the building, Disco Scottsdale features a custom 10’ by 20’ interactive LED dance floor, state-of-the-art digital audio visual systems, custom seating, dance poles, balcony, two bars, huge patios and a massive disco ball.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) named Philip Beere of Green Street Development as the “Green Building Remodeler Advocate of the Year,” and named one of his company’s residential remodel projects, 150 West Elm in Phoenix, as “Remodel Project of the Year.” The association honored Beere with these two prestigious awards at the 12th Annual NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C on earlier this month.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized by NAHB with these awards,” Beere said. “It was a privilege to be nominated along side many national leaders in green building and sustainability; together, we all make an impact through our work, both in our communities and for the greater good of the entire nation.” (more…)
GlobalTranz, a Phoenix-based logistics management firm which specializes in carrier, supply chain and warehouse management has seen tremendous growth since its inception; the company announced expansion plans that will almost double its Arizona workforce with some 35 new positions at its Phoenix headquarters and more than 75 positions in Prescott, where the company’s customer service call center is located. These new positions include call center management, customer service, sales, accounting and freight brokerage with average starting salaries from $50-75,000 per year. GlobalTranz is also hiring at its regional offices in Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles. (more…)
According to a report released by Nielsen today, the total time spent on social networking sites by users worldwide grew more than 100% over the past year, as Facebook and Twitter posted massive gains in unique users.
Traffic to Facebook.com was up 69% year-over-year through March, while Twitter saw a 45% increase in site traffic during the period.
Globally, the total minutes spent on social networks monthly saw a more than 100% gain over the same time last year, driving the average time per person spent on social networks to over six hours per month.
View the report at http://blog.nielsen.com.
Whoever manages email marketing at U.S. Airways must have been asleep on the floor next to that air traffic controller.
I fly U.S. Airways almost exclusively because I like to support my “hometown” airline. For the past several years I’ve participated in the airline’s Dividend Miles, a frequent flyer rewards program. I was delighted to get this email from U.S. Airways on April 4 with the subject “They’re waiting in your account…”
YES! How cool, I thought. I do love reward travel. Sure 1,000 miles is not a lot, but it was a nice gesture that made me feel happy about supporting my hometown airline and participating in the program. I considered it an excellent customer relations strategy and I told several people about it. But much to surprise, confusion and utter disappointment, I got this email from U.S. Airways today with the subject line “Oops” (yes really, that was the subject line).
REALLY, U.S. Airways? I mean REALLY?!?! Everyody makes mistakes – I get that. What’s the cost of this mistake and subsequent horrible mishandling? The cost of my business – and it would appear others feel the same way.
I’ve always been loyal, even with the escalation of various fees (and cuts to service) over the past few years – I’ve spent thousands of dollars on U.S. Airways. I have the U.S. Airways Visa card and use it frequently so I can earn miles. I now welcome suggestions for a new airline loyalty program.
U.S. Airways should have accepted the error and kept the miles in the accounts of those affected – especially considering it went to loyal customers (participants in Dividend Miles). It takes at least 12,500 miles to purchase a one-way ticket, so 1,000 bonus miles is no big deal; I find it hard to believe they would incur any significant financial losses by honoring the original email without any notification there had been an error. I called the airline asking for an explanation but customer service agents in the Dividend Miles departent didn’t have a clue as to what I was talking about. I also contacted the PR department asking for an explanation but did not get a response.
I’ve decided to end my participation in the program and choose another airline for all future travel because apparently, U.S. Airways doesn’t want to see me happy (as they lead me to believe in the first email). This is an epic FAIL and example of bad P.R. in today’s social media age.
You lost me at “oops” – some advice for U.S. Airways
Lesson 1: Have a system of pre-release reviews in place if you are sending correspondence to thousands of customers. Anything going out en mass over email should be given as much importance as the CEO being quoted in the New York Times.
Lesson 2: If somebody screws up big time, eat it internally and don’t broadcast to the world that somebody in your marketing department has sh*%t for brains.
Lesson 3: When sending an email en mass to soon-to-be-pissed-off loyal customers, don’t try to be cute in the email subject line. “Oops” made me believe you didn’t really care that you screwed up.
Lesson 4: Hire people with competence in customer perceptions.
Seton Hill University wants to give students the best in technology and collaborative learning tools so they will be uniquely suited to whatever careers they choose. As part of the university’s Griffin Technology Advantage program, every full-time, undergraduate and graduate student will receive an Apple iPad, starting in the Fall semester of 2010.
LivingSocial, the social discovery tool for reviewing, sharing and organizing favorite things, today announced its new “Pick Your Five” feature, a viral phenomenon that has soared at a rate of up to 150,000 new users per hour, with more than 6 million new users creating 9 million lists in the first week since launching on Facebook.
The Arizona Humane Society (AHS) has a fashionable new way to find animals a loving home, thanks to the Westcor Corporation. Petique, a new adoption center and pet boutique at the Biltmore Fashion Park, utilizes an empty retail space provided rent-free by Westcor and a community celebration is being planned for this Saturday, March 20, from Noon – 2:00 p.m. at the Biltmore Fashion Park. A book signing by animal artist Ron Burns is planned along with the opportunity to meet special guest Asher, a young pit bull mix who lost his leg and was given a second chance at life, thanks to the AHS and its Second Chance Animal Hospital™.
Asher’s heartwarming story is the perfect example of the important work that AHS is doing; proceeds will go to support their Second Chance Animal Hospital, which saved Asher and found him a loving new home. Burns will also be there to unveil his painting of Asher and judge an animal art contest for youth from Starshine Academy. This event will have great visuals with animals, kids and artwork and AHS’ Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™ will be on hand to greet visitors.
The overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) use multiple platforms to get their daily news, according to a new survey conducted jointly by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio. Getting news online fits into a broad pattern of news consumption by Americans; six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day. (more…)
According to The Nielsen Company, global* consumers spent more than five and half hours on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in December 2009, an 82% increase from the same time last year when users were spending just over three hours on social networking sites. In addition, the overall traffic to social networking sites has grown over the last three years. (more…)
A national survey conducted by Cision and Don Bates of The George Washington University’s Master’s Degree Program in Strategic Public Relations found that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors now depend on social media sources when researching their stories. Among the journalists surveyed, 89% said they turn to blogs for story research, 65% to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52% to microblogging services such as Twitter. The survey also found that 61% use Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia.
This blog was written and posted online for client Nagle Law Group. Resulting story pitch and media pickup generated multiple TV segments across the country.
A recent study shows that more than half of Americans are on Facebook – chances are that includes you or somebody in your family. It is estimated that some 375,000 U.S. Facebook users will pass away this year; a number that will continue to rise as total membership continues to grow. Have you ever thought about what happens to your Facebook profile if something happens to you? Estate planning attorneys are now including instructions for Facebook and Twitter (and other digital assets) in estate plans. For example, when you pass away a family member must notify Facebook to either remove the profile or leave it up so people can memorialize you on your ‘wall’ (Facebook has created this form for loved ones to notify them of a user’s death https://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=deceased).
But beyond Facebook, it is important to include digital assets in your estate plans to prevent identity thieves from using your personal information after your death. Unfortunately, Arizona is one of the leading states for identity theft.
Designate the person responsible for managing your digital identity in your Will and let them know what your wishes are if something happens to you. This person may or may not be the personal representative designated in the Will. If it is not, the Will should specifically provide that another person has such authority and you might consider granting a limited power of attorney. In any event, the Will should address these types of items because the law has not caught up with technology in terms of predetermined rules. Digital information is not clear in terms of what type of asset (financial, intangible, etc.) or if it even is an asset that would be recognized under the laws of intestacy. Therefore, without addressing these issues in the Will and possibly with an additional written set of directions outside of the Will, these accounts may languish and a personal representative may struggle getting cooperation from the company maintaining the account.
Make some kind of file, whether it’s on a Flash drive, or in an actual physical notebook, with logins / passwords, accounts, etc. Keep it updated and stored securely, and make sure somebody (spouse/partner, loved one, sibling, etc.) knows where you keep it. There are some password storage applications you can use to keep all passwords in one secure place; this is also important so that people don’t steal your identity after your death. A person may want to differentiate between different types of accounts and who is responsible. For example, you may designate one person with authority to contact Facebook, to view personal email to notify friends and colleagues of your passing, and still have yet another person acting as the personal representative administering online financial accounts. Note that it is critically important to provide a list of all accounts (such as a Scottrade or TD Ameritrade account) to the personal representative since a person may own stocks or other financial assets and all communications are online (such as monthly statements); without a list and/or email access, the personal representative might never know about them.
Make sure to include your email password(s) in your file so that your designated person can access your email and turn off accounts. Regularly “clean out” your email rather than storing unimportant messages indefinitely; there is no need to keep 10 years worth of email messages. Create folders for email messages that are important and organize your email account with those.
Make some provision in the Will for disposition of digital assets such as photos. Unlike traditional photo albums, digital photos may be provided to more than one person, so designate all the appropriate recipients. If you decide you want your Facebook profile to remain as a memorial, designate what photo you want used. This might sound morbid, but what if something happened to you and the last profile photo you used was something silly or “just for fun?” Designate which profile photo you prefer to be used.
Blogs and personal websites. If the person maintains a blog, a trusted person should be authorized to not only close down the blog, but also process and/or maintain the intellectual property of the blog. For example, there might be copyrightable material that should be used or maintained in a particular manner for the benefit of the estate.
Planning for the future of your loved ones has become especially important given our current economic climate. Establishing a clear plan for the distribution of your assets (including your digital assets, like Facebook) and planning for your care in the event that you become incapacitated, protects your property, your health and your family members.
The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors has nominated Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., to be a new independent director, effective upon her election at the Company’s next annual meeting.
Among Women, Facebook Dominates and Twitter is Growing Rapidly; But Study Reveals Important Differences in Social Network Usage
Women have truly integrated social media into every part of their lives, from friends and family, to networking, to shopping. SheSpeaks today announced the findings of a new study, revealing 86% of women are now using popular social networks, a 48% increase compared to one year ago. In addition, social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, have emerged as key drivers of purchase intent among women, with one-half (50%) of social media users reporting they have purchased products because of information on social networking sites, and 40% reporting they have used coupon codes found on social networks.
The second annual Social Media Study of the national SheSpeaks membership, yielding more than 1,500 responses, revealed the most dramatic increase in social media use was among women 50+ years of age, whose participation grew from 31% in 2008 to 70% in 2009. Social media participation was up across all age groups this year, with participation among younger women up 10% compared to 2008. In addition, more women are frequently logging into social networking sites since 2008, with 36% more women reporting they log in at least once per day (73% vs. 53%).
“Last year our members were going online primarily to research purchases, but now they are looking to social media to help them research, guide and facilitate every kind of transaction, from social exchanges to purchases,” said Aliza Freud, Founder and CEO of SheSpeaks. “Women have become more comfortable using social media, and for marketers, the overall growth and habitual use of social media represents opportunities to reach and engage women of all ages, and influence their purchase decisions.”
Facebook has dominated social media this year with 95% of those women who use social networks on Facebook, up 46% from one year ago. MySpace participation declined over the last year (63% to 42%), while nearly 40% of the women surveyed reported they have Twitter accounts. Although many women use both Facebook and Twitter, an astounding 80% prefer Facebook. In fact, 25% of those surveyed abandoned Twitter after creating their accounts, while Facebook use only declined 7% for women after creating Twitter accounts. Facebook users also reported they are two times more likely to log in daily (72%), compared to Twitter users (36%).
“Although Facebook is currently more popular than Twitter among women, they each share a purpose in women’s lives,” said Freud. “Facebook serves women’s need to interact with friends and share photos, while Twitter has become a tool that is primarily used for professional networking and learning about up-to-the-minute news, promotions and deals.”
The study also found online video has grown in popularity over the last year. Almost 40% of the women surveyed reported they frequently watch video and TV content online, and 85% say they watch it frequently or sometimes. A separate poll of SheSpeaks members found that clips from news and TV programming were the most commonly watched type of online video in the prior week (68%), followed by videos that are forwarded (49%), full news and TV programs (40%), and videos posted by friends (40%). Entertaining advertisements were the least popular type of video, but were still watched by one-third of women within the last week.
“Our members are spending more time watching video on the Web, especially now that more premium content is available,” said SheSpeaks CMO Fiona Pietruski. “It is important for marketers to recognize that influential female consumers are spending their time with many types of digital media, where they can be reached with advertising and marketing messaging.”
Additional results from the SheSpeaks Second Annual Social Media Study can be found at: www.shespeaks.com/research.
About SheSpeaks
SheSpeaks is a social media platform that creates and operates consumer insights and influencer communities. At Shespeaks.com, women members gain access to products and services, and a forum to offer their honest feedback directly to the companies that create them. For participating brands, including Garnier, Heinz, Food Network, Philips, AOL and more, SheSpeaks offers a tremendous opportunity to spark consumer’s interest, obtain candid feedback, grow word-of-mouth awareness and build long-term brand advocates. Clients also work with SheSpeaks to facilitate branded experiences, including home parties and branded online communities. For more information, visit www.shespeaks.com/corp.
Hillsides Wins Nonprofit PR Award for Its Foster Soles Campaign
Year over year, the finalists for PR News’ Nonprofit PR Awards raise the bar for doing well by doing good, and 2009 was no exception. This year’s finalists, which represent industries and interests as diverse as organ/tissue donations, influenza preparedness and hunger prevention, overcame economic, social and political barriers to deliver results that exceeded even the loftiest of expectations. Hillsides, a foster care children’s charity serving families in Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, was among the winners at the Nonprofit PR Awards held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
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ComScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released a study of online engagement at the top worldwide properties based on data from its comScore World Metrix service. The study found that Microsoft Sites captured nearly 15 percent of time spent online worldwide in September, making it the most engaging global property, followed by Google Sites and Yahoo! Sites. Facebook.com, which continues to see significant growth on a worldwide basis, was the fourth most engaging destination with visitors spending 1.4 billion hours on the site in September, up 193 percent from the previous year.
The Institute for Interactive Journalism at American University has received a $200,000 grant from the McCormick Foundation to fund eight women-led start-ups over the next two years that will generate new ideas in the world of news and information and model a spirit of journalistic entrepreneurship.
A new study by University of Maryland researchers finds a growing use of Twitter among members of Congress, but that the purpose and content of their messages fall short of improving government transparency.
Jennifer Golbeck, assistant professor, a doctoral student and an undergraduate assistant analyzed more than 5,000 tweets sent by 69 members of Congress in February. They found that House and Senate members were using the social media platform mostly to promote themselves, rather than engage in dialogue with constituents and the public at large. (more…)
ABC News is coming — to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
The college will open the newest ABC News On Campus bureau this month, offering students the opportunity to work with and learn from professionals at a national broadcast news network. The On Campus program is a partnership between the ABC television network’s news division and seven leading journalism schools.