The Byline: PR and Marketing Insights from Eiler Communications

“Nerd” has attained positive new popularity across Michigan in the past few weeks since Rick Snyder, well known entrepreneur and strong advocate of building new businesses, began his “nerd” television campaign. As a former head of Gateway Computer and an investor in numerous technology businesses through his investment businesses, Snyder proclaims himself a nerd in the positive and meaningful sense — someone who passionately pursues intellectual activities and is familiar with all of the emerging technologies and businesses that are succeeding across the state.

Nerd is what many people may be emulating as we move inexorably toward Internet 2.0 — the latest iteration of technologies that are compelling all of us to learn anew — and to learn to use new media and technologies to our advantage. Internet 2.0 is commonly associated with web applications that allow interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration.

An Eiler intern from 2009 has an interesting blog post on Web 2.0 and its place in the college classroom. Case Ernsting interned for Eiler last year, learning the ins and outs of public relations and the developing field of social media marketing. Case continues to explore digital marketing in his new role as Marketing Representative at MetaSpring Web Design in Ann Arbor. In a recent post for MetaSpring’s blog, Case outlined some key issues with Web 2.0 as it relates to job preparation for today’s college graduates.

Web 2.0 for Your Career
We’ve speculated on the job market in a few posts on this blog. It seems like college grads have the deck stacked against them in many ways. Whether it’s the economy, or skill set, many job seekers are having trouble.

Web 2.0 is a valuable asset to any college grad’s resume. More and more companies are looking to expand their digital presence. As a result, they expect entry-level employees to have the ability to implement web-based strategies. As Casey’s post points out, many recent college graduates are unequipped for these roles.
Here is a clip of the Casey’s post entitled, “Career Development 101: Teaching Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom”.

“Colleges need to step it up. As a recent college grad, I see academia’s sluggish embrace of technological innovation and Web 2.0 as a disservice to my fellow students. Today’s job market has suffered in these tough economic times, but employers still seek workers who can gather information, assess it and act. Those in the workforce already rely on the web-based information-gathering tools daily, but if you’re currently enrolled in undergraduate college classes, you probably don’t even know they exist.”

For the rest of the post, jump over to MetaSpring’s blog: “Piece of Our Mind”.

Planning for and managing crises are valued components of public relations especially during economic downturns. The reputation and well being of all businesses, non-profits, schools and governments are at risk when there is no plan for action when the wolf is at the door.

“We just do not have a ready handle on how to handle the new situations we are encountering because of new situations due to the economy,” said the CEO of one large organization of businesses.

His plight is common. Bankruptcies threaten financial institutions in each of our 50 states. Governmental units, fire and police services and educational systems are under fire for redundancies in services or for financial mismanagement. Restaurants, banks, and other businesses routinely are hit by burglars. These are all crises. They involve doing business in ways that differ from normal times.

Here are seven steps that any organization can take to manage a crisis.

Candor
Publicly identify and acknowledge the problem. Frankness and honesty are always the best policy.
Say what you will be doing, when, and provide updates as you will acquire new information.

Explanation
Identify situations as you are able. Explain them clearly.

Declaration
Specify the steps that you will be or are taking to resolve the issue. Explain your role as spokesperson and provide 24/7 contact information.

Contrition
Accept responsibility.
Do not place blame.
Offer apologies, regrets, sympathy or whatever is appropriate to the situation.

Consultation
Ask for help from relevant parties.
Seek engagement from those most directly affected.
Use collective ideas to plan how further situations will be prevented or communicated.

Commitment
Promise to take actions to eliminate potential further situations.
State what will be done in assessing and evaluating solutions.

Restoration
Explain how you will remediate the problem.
Emphasize management’s focus on prevention.

Larry Eiler

“I’m working on a dream

Though sometimes it feels so far away

I’m working on a dream

And I know it will be mine someday”


- Bruce Springsteen

If Bruce Springsteen can get his dream, why can’t you? According to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) Optimism Index, small business’ hopefulness is out. In a time of economic hardship, companies are becoming increasingly pessimistic about their future. But why give up on your dream altogether? No one said being successful would be easy.

There are many ways for businesses to fight through the economic recession, mainly by cutting costs. First, save money on advertising. Joining social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter allows your company to promote itself for free. That’s right, I said free! By completing a simple sign in page, your company can create a profile that informs followers of important business or industry news. Additionally, join LinkedIn. By joining this site, your company has the potential to meet prospective clients and employees. Once again, membership is free and partnering with new clients can lead to a number of new opportunities.

By implementing these small changes, you can improve your company’s standing in today’s economy. Look at the glass half full and stay motivated. Follow in Bruce Springsteen’s footsteps and work on your dream to further the chance of making it a reality.

- Sami Kraslow

A study from Harvard Medical School suggests that happiness could be contagious. And so could obesity, smoking, depression and grumpiness.

The article “Social Networks and Health” from the Annual Review of Sociology suggests that if your good friend is happy, you are much more likely to become happy. And if your good friend is overweight, you are more likely to become overweight. Scientists think these occurrences are due to humans mimicking those around them, eating the same foods, performing the same acts or just maintaining the same outlook on life.

This all seems logical with friends you see face-to-face, but what about through social networking online? Could a tweet on Twitter about getting a new job make your friends a little happier, or could a Facebook photo of you sulking just bring your friends down?

Currently there isn’t much in research on whether your cyber-friends affect your happiness, but it seems possible to some degree. Online social media allow friends to connect with you, share photos and video, even offer support. Though not as personal as, well, in-person connections, social media is allowing more people to share and be happy together.

Concerning if your Internet friends could contribute to your weight, smoking habits or mood swings, that may need a bit of research but happiness seems a sure thing. So tell your followers, connections, buddies and friends on the web that you’re happy. I’m sure they’ll pass it on.

Alyssa Eckles

Free television shows you can watch on your computer? It sounds too good to be true? That’s what Hulu, the online video player, is beginning to think as well.

Hulu.com showcases the latest episodes of shows from major cable channels for free. It’s simple to work: just find the series you want to watch and click on an episode. There are commercials and Hulu will remove television shows after a short period of time, but overall it’s a great concept.

Despite its popularity and general success, Hulu is considering a huge change. The video player has announced it would like to start charging viewers in 2010, turning the “free-for-all” website into a subscription service.

If Hulu starts charging its viewers for content, it will lose quite a few significant audience groups. People who just want to catch up on a series won’t continue with Hulu, and neither will those who use it as a surrogate television. Most major television channels will offer the three most recent episodes of a show for free, if you don’t mind their finicky media players. Many users will be hard-pressed to find something positive about a media player which charges it viewers for something they had been getting for free.

Hulu will need to evolve if it wants to charge viewers and remain the top online-video site after YouTube. The first thing will be to cut all commercials; nobody wants to pay to sit through the same McDonald’s commercial five times in a 20-minute show. Hulu will also need to beef up its content. Currently, it only offers maybe 5-10 current television shows from each main channel and only a few shows from smaller specialized channels like Syfy. More shows from more channels would be a great way for Hulu to keep its audiences.

The biggest thing Hulu will need to do to remain popular with subscription fees is simply to be the best. Whether it’s offering more than 300 television series in their entirety or featuring full-length movies before their release on DVD, Hulu could survive a major change. Without something extraordinary, though, Hulu won’t make it to another season.

Alyssa Eckles

As technology advances, people are increasing their ability and preference to be in a state of constant contact with others. However, when this expansion of communication reaches a point of pervasiveness that interferes and distracts from an individual’s primary tasks the results can be disastrous.

With the growth in cell phone usage, more and more people are prone to utilize their phones while they drive. This is not limited to teenagers or younger adults; people from all ages are increasing the use of their phones and other electronic devices in various capacities while driving. This includes such things as dialing a phone number, checking email on a mobile device, changing the music on a digital music player, and sending text messages.

Driving is primarily a visually dependent activity, thus any action that removes the driver’s eyes from the road is potentially dangerous. Beyond merely seeing the road, driving requires the diver to be mindful and aware of what is going on around them. Texting and similar actions take both the drivers eyes and mind away from the road.
Various studies, both in real and simulated scenarios, have established the hazards of this distracted driving. According to research conducted at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, when a car driving at 55 mph texting takes the driver’s concentration off the road for the equivalent of traveling the length of a football field. Furthermore, a study conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory at Wokingham, Berkshire England found that texting while driving is as impairing as drunk driving. Yet, regardless of all the tests all the evidence, even first hand experiences in close crash situations a large number of people continue to text while driving.

The legal regulation of texting and driving is gaining support on multiple levels all across the United States. Nationally, President Obama signed an order that forbade all federal employees from texting while operating a federally owned vehicle. Additionally AAA is lobbying for a bill that would force all states to adopt no texting while driving laws and enact them by 2013. On the smaller scale a little under half of all the states so far have passed laws that outlaw texting while driving.

This is a great step towards reducing the problem, but it is difficult to actually enforce the laws. Simply spotting the behavior, beyond being a poor/distracted driver, is difficult let alone actually proving that whatever the driver was texting. It only takes a couple clicks to erase all text messages on a phone. Theoretically this is can occur in less time then it would take for a police officer to pull a person over and walk from their patrol car to the other vehicle. Thus without subpoenaing cell phone records confirming that the person was indeed texting and driving would be extremely difficult. Even then, a person could delete the text and not send it, thus making the subpoena irrelevant. The punishment for texting while driving varies throughout the states that have banned it, but the standard seems to be a moderate fine, which increases per offense.

Where legal regulation falls short, technology is stepping up to help. Although the advances in technology and increased level of communication lead to the danger these distracting dangers, several steps are being taken to correct the problem. One example of this is the development of Microsoft and Ford’s Sync technology. Sync allows a person to connect their phone wirelessly to the car using Bluetooth technology. When a text is received, Sync provides a number of prewritten responses that can be keyed in and sent using the appropriate number on the dashboard. Sync also includes voice command technology that allows a person to vocally control various calling features of their phone. Specific music artists and tracks can also be vocally selected from a digital music device when one is connected to the vehicle. Although there is currently not adequate technology to allow for talk to text/text to talk interaction reports claim that Ford and Microsoft are currently working on further development. All of these applications allow for a more seamless, less distracting, driving and communicating experience.

Not waiting for legal regulation and technology to take their full affect there are groups attempting to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. Many of these stem from established groups that are aimed at aiding and informing teenagers and their parents. The most shocking effort of the anti-texting and driving movement is a public service announcement made by a British police department, with the intent to be shown to teenagers. The extremely graphic video shows a teenage girl whose texting and driving has devastating results. Click here to view the video: Texting and driving PSA. While the video is indeed disturbing, the intention is to illustrate just how dangerous texting and driving can be.

In the end, the main goal of all of these efforts is to encourage drivers to keep their eyes and minds focused on the road. The law, technology and community groups are all moving forward to eliminate texting and driving, hopeful that society will soon follow suit.

Mike Witkowski

It never ceases to amaze me how much technology has come into my life in the past 20 plus years. Email was wonderful, but has become a dumping ground for unnecessary things. Phishing is terrible. It takes me longer to go through my email to find the relevant messages.

Looking at the social media spaces that I have set up is time consuming as well. When do I or anyone else have time to do their “real jobs.”

Articles are being written that many employers are banning employees from engaging in social media on company time.

Sandy Eiler

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you know that the economy is in bad shape right now. As a recent college graduate, this has had a tremendous impact on me. Throughout my time in school, I always thought all my hard work would pay off and I would land a great job once I graduated. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Even though sometimes the search for a job can feel hopeless, I’ve found that there are many different things you can do to help your job search.

Social media has taken the business world by storm so it only makes sense to use it as a job search tool. This is a powerful way to network with potential employers and let them know more about yourself, your skills and professional/educational background. LinkedIn is a great site to use to do this. Your profile page is like an online resume and you are able to connect with past colleagues, friends and employees at companies you are interested in potentially working for.

New grads should also consider doing an internship while looking for fulltime employment. It allows you to get hands on experience in the field that you are interested in. You are getting in valuable experience for your resume.

A big challenge in the current job market is getting the opportunity to interview with a company. Businesses are receiving hundreds of resumes each week. Job seekers need to find a way to stand out from the rest. A new trend is video resumes. In these short videos, a candidate talks about who you are, your education, professional experience and anything that you would put on your resume. This is a more personal way to connect with employers and show them why you are the best person for a job.

The most important thing that I have learned throughout this is to remain positive. You are not going to get a job by sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself. As frustrating as it is to have people constantly asking me if I have found a job yet, it’s much easier to smile and talk about all that I am doing to try to find one. As long as you remain positive and are creative in how you look for open positions, you will land your dream job in time.

Amanda Deluca

Social media (SM) users are relying on the web 2.0 sites for more than just networking these days. Might SM’s greatest contribution be mental health? SM’s use as a therapeutic outlet was studied and explored by Mental Health Camp, a Canadian-based conference in April 2009. This collaborative project investigated SM’s influence on mental health, both from a PR perspective and as a therapeutic outlet.

The all day Camp looked at ways to erase social stigmas associated with poor mental health “one tweet at a time” through social media marketing. Camp presentations and discussions pitched SM as an opportunity to release public service announcements from a personal perspective.

Additionally, presenters positioned SM as an outlet for those dealing with stress and anxiety. In terms of daily relief, individuals can blog and tweet away mental angst. According to Mental Health Camp counselors, mental health ranges from mental wellbeing (e.g. minimum stress, interpersonal problems) and serious illness (e.g. addiction, schizophrenia, anorexia). Mental wellbeing is our focus in this blog. Rather than keeping thoughts and burdens weighing on your mind, why not write a soothing blog or post on Twitter? In this sense, SM is a new age, productive version of the punching bag or stress ball.

Although the Camp concluded in April, online therapy continues on the Mental Health Camp’s website (here) as well on sites throughout the internet. As we have documented on this blog Web 2.0 and SM continue to weave into communication networks in productive ways.

Personally, I find blogging and other SM software both fun and therapeutic. In addition to a quick cure for boredom, networking with friends on Facebook is a great distraction from daily stresses. And when my girlfriend and roommates are sick of listening to my rants about my favorite sports teams, I continue the discussion on the blogoshpere. I know, I know…how pathetic right? Well, the stigmas surrounding these online outlets are quickly disappearing while the benefits are becoming more apparent.

Case Ernsting

Now is the perfect time to become an entrepreneur. That’s right, I said now.

With many older, established organizations running low on capital and funds, failed business models are being washed away. There’s room for fresh, new ideas. Obviously, it takes more than an idea to make it in this economy, and Ann Arbor is lucky enough to have three economic developers poised to incubate your burgeoning idea.

Automation Alley
This driver of economic growth relies on collaborative efforts to build workforce and development initiatives. Automation Alley hosts networking events and skill-building exercises. Every level of business leader can find opportunities at Automation Alley. The Alley has created the Entrepreneurial Initiative of Southeast Michigan (EISEM) to highlight regional entrepreneurs. EISEM holds a bi-monthly forum with keynote speakers and local startups in order to extend each business’ message with customers and investors. The next forum will be held at Detroit’s TechTown on August 13. Please visit automationalley.com for more information and events.

SPARK
This heavily lauded economic development corporation, headquartered in downtown Ann Arbor, strives to realize the tremendous amount of potential pouring forth from surrounding communities (U of M, EMU, tech groups, etc.). Like many economic developers, SPARK hosts networking events throughout the area and looks to educate and refine start-ups to their maximum potential. Entrepreneurs can open an account with SPARK and set up a profile to advance their networking potential on their website: www.annarborusa.org.

The Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest
The GLEQ extends their economic vision throughout Michigan, inspiring venture capitalists and entrepreneurs throughout the state. GLEQ provides a tremendous database of educational resources to member companies. Unique to the GLEQ is the competition they hold for new participants in two categories; New Business Idea and Emerging Company. Cash prizes are awarded to top finishers. Read more about the GLEQ and their competition at www.gleq.org.

Many other economic organizations exist in Michigan with the mission evolving from education purposes to inspirational efforts amidst these economic downturns. While the auto-industry reassembles and reinvigorates, the work of economic developers and venture capitalists cannot be overvalued. Ross Perot said, “Most new jobs won’t come from our biggest employers. They will come from our smallest. We’ve got to do everything we can to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.” And for that reason, the time to explore your entrepreneurial spirit is now.

Case Ernsting