Catapult Public Relations

Facebook – Can I Have A Do Over Please?!

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:47:27 +0000

We all have Facebook accounts, right? If not, I am surprised you are even on the Catapult blog reading this post. All kidding aside, with 500 million active users worldwide and with those individuals spending more than 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook it has become a regular part of our daily lives. We check in daily from our mobile devices telling our friends where we are having breakfast, what we did over the weekend and of course posting photos of nearly every aspect of our lives.

However, I have one question - can I have a Facebook Do Over?

Seriously, I started an account several years ago and rarely if ever checked it. People would send friend requests and I would accept. Some names I knew and others sounded familiar. However, with the goal of not offending anyone or worrying about remembering someone's married name I accepted the requests without considering the impact.

Recently, with close to 1,200 supposed "friends" I made a decision to take a step back and follow the advice I provide clients. Increasingly there is no longer a line between our professional and personal lives. As such, I have some very close clients who I consider friends and former students who I like to hear from about their successes and challenges in the PR field. I would recommend asking the following questions:

What is the objective of your Facebook page? It is for personal/business or both?
How much information do I want to share with those I have decided to be friends with?
What photo should I use as my profile pic?

These are just some of the questions to consider. Just to be clear, I am not suggesting you defriend everyone or anyone; but I do recommend thinking a bit more about your Facebook page and how you intend to incorporate it into your life.

What additional suggestions do you have for items users of Facebook should consider? Feel free to share!

Keep the PR Fire Burning

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:54:53 +0000

Every industry is facing demanding challenges right now. The important thing for tech companies no matter what their size (small - big - start-ups) is to remain visible in 2009 through marketing and PR efforts. Such efforts will help you stay connected with the most important people, i.e., the users and buyers of your technology products and services. Instead, now is the time to actually increase your visibility through marketing and PR efforts for your company and products. The worst thing companies can do now is to go quiet. It can give potential customers, partners and other important constituents the impression that your company is *not* doing well (along with providing ammunition for your competition). Also, you lose all the mindshare and awareness you just worked so hard to create. Remember, perception is reality.

Social media PR begins with listening

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:16:38 +0000

Increasingly, we are asked about how to embrace the new Social Media. There's blogs, Twitter, Digg, Delicious, RSS and the list goes on. So, what's the best way to get started? Funny, it's the same simple rule that any form of communications follows: Listening. Traditionally, PR agencies have monitored publications and websites for client mentions. The growth of social media, provides an instant opportunity to hear what others are saying about your company, clients, competitors and industries. Before you embark on any social media campaign, it's important to listen and hear what is being said. That way, you can properly position your remarks and choices in the most appropriate and effective way.

The first step? If you haven't done so already, set up your Google Reader and start listening to hear what topics are creating a buzz in your industry. If your company is okay with it, start commenting on some blogs you follow, remembering to be transparent about your identity.

To get started on Google Reader:
http://www.google.com/help/reader/tour.html