Shamu attack exposes social media risks

By Stephen Rouse - 11 days ago

Interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel on the downside of social media engagement in light of the death of the trainer at SeaWorld. It will be interesting to see if the organization fights the urge to pull back on its social media program, as having worked to build a social following, this dialogue may play a critical role in SeaWorld's ability to navigate through this difficult period.

Article in The Economist suggests PR is benefitting from shifts in advertising

By Stephen Rouse - 7 weeks ago

PR has done well in part because it is often cheaper than mass advertising campaigns. Its impact, in the form of favourable coverage in the media or online, can also be more easily measured. Moreover, PR firms are beginning to encroach on territory that used to be the domain of advertising firms, a sign of their increasing clout. They used chiefly to pitch story ideas to media outlets and try to get their clients mentioned in newspapers. Now they also dream up and orchestrate live events, web launches and the like.

The Need for Corporate Social Media Policies

By Stephen Rouse - 2 months ago

Several of our clients are now talking about the "consumerization of the enterprise" which could significantly change the old workplace paradigm of sitting at a workstation and collaborating mostly with email and IM. As a new generation of twentysomething employees who use Facebook, Youtube and Twitter at home on on the road enter the workplace they will be looking to use these various new "consumer" social technologies to perform tasks. But with these new technologies will come the need for businesses to review existing communications policies and develop new policies and practices to ensure employees don't unintentionally damage the company's reputation or release competitive information.

Mark Evans has written a recent post that lays the issue bare, along with a link to IBM social media practices.

Mashable's social media guide for small business

By Stephen Rouse - 3 months ago

Mashable's excellent overview for social media is an excellent resource

LinkedIn Tips for B2B Marketing

By Stephen Rouse - 3 months ago

A lot of people are beginning to look beyond consumer-based social media for ways to connect on the B2B front. LinkedIn is starting to come of age, but people are still trying to understand how to get the most from participating on LinkedIn. Here are some basic tips to start.

One suggestion - Ignore everybody.

By Stephen Rouse - 4 months ago

Mesh Marketing - who owns the brand in the social media world?

By Stephen Rouse - 4 months ago

Interesting discussion at Mesh Marketing with various marketers sharing ideas on the massive change social media has on the traditional marketing mix.

Digging for a new online revenue model

By Stephen Rouse - 4 months ago

Popular Web 2.0 site Digg is searching for a new online revenue model. This Globe and Mail story talks about a new advertising offering Digg is about to launch in an attempt to combat the precipitous drop in online users clicking on web advertising.

Follow the link to read the story, and while you're in the Globe article roll over the links in the story itself (the little magnifying glass) to see how the Globe is also trying to drive more revenue from online advertisements that serve up related stories along with an advertisement.

While reporting on Digg, the Globe itself is leveraging its content to serve up a new format for contextual ads.

Digg piloting new online advertising format

By Stephen Rouse - 4 months ago

Popular Web 2.0 site Digg is searching for a new online revenue model. This Globe and Mail story talks about a new advertising offering Digg is about to launch in its attempt to combat the precipitous drop in online users clicking on web advertising.
Follow to link below to read the story, and while you're in the Globe story roll over the links in the article itself to see how the Globe is also trying to drive more revenue from online advertisements that serve up related stories along with an advertisement. The Globe is leveraging its content and to serve up a new format for contextual ads.

Digging for a new model for online advertising

By Stephen Rouse - 4 months ago

Popular Web 2.0 site Digg is searching for a new revenue model. This Globe and Mail story talks about a new advertising offering Digg is about to launch in it attempt to combat the precipitous drop in online users clicking on web advertising.
Follow to link to read the story, and while you're in the Globe story roll over the links in the article itself to see how the Globe is also trying to drive more revenue from online advertisements that serve up related stories along with an advertisement. The Globe is leveraging its content and to serve up a new format for contextual ads.