Would You Trust Your Social Media To A College Intern?

If your business spent $104.6million in capital expansions in 2008 and 28 Million alone was spent on software implementations, and expansion, growth, and cash are all favorable in 2009!


Would you trust your Social Media to a College Intern to implement a new media social engagement strategy for the entire company?

The Job Posting:
Implementing a new media social engagement strategy, this will include content management and development, posting and monitoring user-generated activity, user experience optimization, and potential development and management of third-party relationships.


The Topic du jour in Brands is their adoption of Social Media. The conversations are high noisy, speculative and theoretical. Social media expert, like Barbara Segal have the answers. Their strategies have proof, of Why? Because they have worked in fashion, Media, and community. At the heart of branding conversations are questions related to community. It’s interesting to see how brands adopt social media while also trying to balance their exclusive appeal with the social masses. Does social media make a brands too accessible and diminish the brand value and perception of affluence? 

No, not if implemented correctly. That’s why retailers such as Gucci and Mercedes Benz are creating their own private networks for their most affluent customers or making niche content sites that focus on limited product selection. They are doing this while also marketing to the masses on Twitter and Facebook. As brands move marketing efforts online, they need to focus on creating unique, experiences. Whether the medium is their own communities, or Facebook, brands have to engage their audiences, and they have to do so on a consistent basis.

Hiring an Intern? Lets say you worked your whole life for a red Ferrari, and you now have one. It is a dream car, an asset, and part of a luxury image you keep. The Ferrari serves a very important role in your life. Your 19 year old daughter, comes home from college and wants to go someplace she can impress her friends with Daddy's car. She is a Junior in Harvard, you trust her, you love her, and she is usually responsible. Would you give her the keys to your Ferrari?
 

Social Media is the new Public Relations and technology of today's Brands. A publicly traded company, can NOT afford to take the chance on Interns- non degreed college kids running their Facebook and Twitter.  Here are a few you see running across TweetDeck, "come all my Bit@#es" or twitters saying, "this beer can lid will not pop," at 2am in the morning.  Why is that Corporations are not understanding that Social Media is the new Branding and Public Relations of today. Not a temporary position for a Intern who is on-the-job training.  Tweets of inexperienced and poor net etiquette can quickly damage a corporate reputation and branding. One social media blow, can cost a company its brand.  An Intern on Twitter who is basically a college KID in job training,  running Twitter of a Corporate Brand, is asking for corporate mutiny. If you do not believe me, read the Twitters "everyone of them." Recently, I went to a party where they, "Sacrificed an Intern to the Gods" at a Recording Studio in Santa Monica, CA. It was a rather wild party.

Are You Using Twitter For Your Brand?

WTF is Twitter and why should I care?

View more presentations from 3w pr .

Are You Hollywood Branding Your Business?

Hollywood Branding is the new economy's oldest and best love affair!

The Oscars bring Luxury Companies, Royalty, Celebrities, Studio Heads, Actors and Actress, Product Placement, and Society Networking into a Strong week of Branding in LA. It brings
A List Society, Models fresh from Fashion Week, and Families like the Chopards, the LaCoste family are in LA attending Awards and Branding as they have for centuries. The Swarovski Crystal family was scene looking stunning, at the Costume Guild Awards.

The 17th Annual AIDS Foundation Party at the Pacific Design Center, Elton John party is where you can expect to rub elbows with everyone from Hollywood royalty like Elizabeth Taylor and Pop Icons musicians like Madonna. The late night affair that everyone is talking about is the now-annual bash Prince is throwing at an undisclosed location. Can't get on the list? Don't fret Prince is filming the event for broadcast on his new Web site: http://www.lotusflow3r.com/.

Film Independent's 2009 Spirit Awards will celebrate indie films Saturday with an awards bash on the beach in Santa Monica where they can lounge at the Elle "Beach Chic" Green Room and later hit IFC's Indie Film Celebration at Shutters. The 12th Annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films. The award includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant, funded by Piaget. Sponsored by Elle, AMC, Heineken, Lacoste USA, Acura, and Garnier.

The best part for stars unlike the Oscars, you can show up in chic beach, this means jeans and flip-flops. Barbara Segal and Associates is professionally grounded in Santa Monica so blogging, twittering, Facebook, Myspace, and real life socializing, smiling for photo ops is all part of Social Networking, Viral Marketing, Branding, and Internet Public Relations.

Tonight's ladies night with the non-profit organization Women in Film and Perrier Jouet host the second annual salute to female nominees in the Bel-Air home of mogul Peter Guber.
From outstanding media exposure to celebrity product placement, the Awards this week in Los Angeles offer the opportunity to reach the film industry's young opinion makers and a fashionable, trendsetting, market-leading group. Is your company ready to work in Hollywood?

Barbara Segal and Associates at Babssegal@gmail.com based in Santa Monica can take your brand to the celebrity and outstanding media expose.

What Are The Top Social Media Sites Of 2008?

This years Top Social Media Sites are a mix of social networks and blogging platforms. Facebook stands out as the social giant taking shares from not only other social networks but blogs and other social media as well.

Blogger (222 million)
Facebook (200 million)
MySpace (126 million)
Wordpress (114 million)
Windows Live Spaces (87 million)
Yahoo Geocities (69 million)
Flickr (64 million)
hi5 (58 million)
Orkut (46 million)
Six Apart (46 million)
Baidu Space (40 million)
Friendster (31 million)
56.com (29 million)
Webs.com (24 million)
Bebo (24 million)
Scribd (23 million)
Lycos Tripod (23 million)
Tagged (22 million)
imeem (22 million)
Netlog (21 million)

In 2008 Brands have mostly failed in social media, because they have relied on the myth of viral distribution. Whether a Facebook application or a YouTube video, many brands have taken a blurred approach to encouraging users to spread their messages. In 2009 they need to make it worth their while. People are publishers of social content and Brands are learning that the only way to insert a brand into social media is to give some kind of benefit to people. In 2008 more and more marketers started to understand this.

Why This Recession Is Not Going To Send Us Into Depression?

TIS THE SEASON

Early in December I was asked by a friend, if his son could interview me for a class report, on the economy. The friend who is a "Director"was quoted in the Financial Times this year in an article "That he is glad he saved his shekels." Myself a Blonde Heiress who is known to spend on Chanel, Prada, Gucci, and Travel answered"sure" I would be glad to do the interview for the kid.

Several weeks later on December 14, 2008 at 1:00pm I sat down for an interview with the 7th grader, DK let's call him, as he interviewed me. Upon my arrival it started out that the father was upset the Son was not going to write it down take notes like we did and have been trained to take notes. Being an Internet Marketing and Media leader since 1995 I watched the generation battle it out.

The 7th grader whining back, but DAD this is what we due "we do it on the computer." At 1:15pm privacy was given and the 12 year old who started asking the Questions while typing at his computer as only a 7th grader knows as his generation was weaned on Leapfrog. His questions were:

Has the economy effected you?

How has it changed your life?

Do you think we are in a Recession?

Do you think we will go into a Depression?

How long do you think it will last?

How can we change it? I ask we..he said the people....

Who do you think is the blame for our economy?
That one was easy, Bush I said.
But then I started to think, who's fault was it really?

How can we (the people help) went through my head all night? As a Internet Media and Marketing Consultant I feel blessed to be in the creative fueling forces of the Internet. The impact it has in my life makes me feel secure, informed and connected to the positive changes the Universe brings us.

Viral Marketing -makes me feel closer to my friends, family and business colleges. this year I joined Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace became boring but there. I was blessed to see new babies pictures within hours, girlfriends hot on the town, family, events, travels and thanks to Facebook. I became friends again with far away business contacts, cousins, nephews, my girl friends brother and mothers, my clients niece, people I just met and my ex husband 20 years later. You can say, Ignore (meaning-no go away) and hey you, the wall means "to the world" "graffetti on the 405."


Net-Ettique - In 2008 it became apparent that their was a reason for Net etiquette. This year brought..jokes, mistakes, and lessons of did the world need to know you party like "a slang word" or every move you made on twitter.

The instant access of the Internet makes my consulting business a necessary evil for many. Netiquette matters in business!


Blogging - Became more main stream and tool a significant financial platform on the iphone and Backberry. So we caught celebrities with client products, made People magazine to name a few, did Hollywood Premiere's, jumped on wordpress. Then viral marketed, social networking and Blackberry and iphoned it with the amazing speed of the new worlds fast reply and results.

Photography- Pictures tell a million stories. In 2008, Barbara Segal and Associates had the pleasure of meeting, working with and being phographed by the famous Patrick McMullan. Pictures, videos, podcasts all move through the Internet. This year moving photos faster (within 24 hours) to Editors, Publishers, on Blogs and via Facebook, iphone, and Blackberry.

Video - You Tube In 2008 uploaded Videos became common, necessity, business as usual. It became a Marketing Tool, an Educational, a main stream form of entertainment. President Elected Obama contributed his winning to his Internet Videos, Facebook, the Power of Oprah and started Change.gov with Videos keeping the Public informed.

What will I do during this economy? I for one will "Hang Tough" as my Uncle Richard Winters who commanded Company E during World War II always writes. Can I make a living as an Internet Media and Marketing Consultant, with out a Detroit Automobile or living outside of Illinois?

Absolutely!


How has the economy Affected You?


At this Holiday time of year, be thankful for your friends, for your family, for your health, and your job as I read in yesterdays "New York Times."

This Holiday we can all Skype, iphone, blackberry, text, and e-mail from afar and teach the children we recognize there is a recession.

How Could One Ever Become Board?

Barbara Segal, Liz Goldwynn, and Dita Von Teese
Photo Credit Patrick McMullan West Coast

Heading back to the West Coast from Chicago was a calling for former Madison Avenue Advertising Director, Barbara Segal who has over twenty years history in Los Angeles. Chicago is my kind of town, New York is where I'd rather be, Washington was boring with the Republicans running town , however Los Angeles is Hollywood, Fashion, Entertainment and Glamour. Above and beyond working as a Blogger For Hire, Internet Marketing and Media Consultant, Barbara Segal serves on the Board for LACMA Costume Council where she does Media and Marketing. Barbara Segal & Associates mission is to give back. Using her creative juices, getting press coverage, meeting deadlines and philanthropy all comes with the making of a passionate PR maven.


With Facebook comes a new social way of networking and marketing. Making new business contacts, new friends and finding old friends thru events such as this one is always part of the fun of Public Relations. The Costume Council at LACMA, "From Burlesque to Couture" was the Ultimate Show and Tell on Monday, November 17, 2008 and was hosted by Liz Goldwyn with special guest Dita Von Teese who introducing burlesque dancer Ava Garter. The evening was sold out it went up on Patrick McMullans International media wire. Now one has deadlines, however with the Fame Game, Facebook, Linkedin it all seems a bit more revealing.

Is Your Business Blogging and Social Networking?

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own."
Benjamin Disraeli

With over 8 million businesses in the United States, each one needs to try to stand-out from the crowd and grow their market share. Current public social networks for business people might not seem like a gain today, but what you can learn by using them for practical gain tomorrow. That’s why claiming your space makes sense for you now. If you don't claim your corporate name or business now, who will?

Personalized business network are and will be the future once everyone of your customers and prospects knows how to social networking. The tools like building profiles, sharing video and connecting based on mutual interests, your job of building your own social business network around your own very specific community of niche will be the future of small and large business.