Karen’s PR & Social Media Blog

I have been off from teaching classes for the last couple of weeks, so this has given me time to work on research, conference presentations (I have four coming up in two different states and two different countries), and prepping for projects and classes for the fall. However, it has also given me time to catch up on shows my students, friends, and family members have recommended to me to see as soon as I have free time.

One of these shows of course has been the HBO hit Game of Thrones. This show is finishing its third season and the books go up to five (so far) – but there are some interesting themes that emerge from the series. One in particular is the issue of power – how it makes people do whatever is necessary to get it and can be almost corruptive in nature.

When thinking about this very issue, I saw this article talking about how brands can be looked at from this standpoint as well from the Game of Thrones perspective. After seeing this, it raised an interesting question – can we look at academia the same way? Are we searching for power and are there the same elements emerging in our field as in this book and TV series?

Interesting question – and I would have to say that the answer is indeed yes. Here are five ways academia is like the Game of Thrones:

• Rise of Power for Academic families:  Like in Game of Thrones, there are “academic families” that have dominated or are strongly present in the field. There are successions and quote “academic offspring” that are supposed to follow the line and duties from the previous research and so forth. However, if you do not have an academic family, you are technically looked down on, which is unfortunate and not fair. Look at what happened with John Snow in the book and series.
• A huge focus on where you came from: This is not necessarily based on location, but this really does focus on your academic institution. This does have a judging impact on the overall perception and reputation of an academic professional – and it is almost something that embodies the overall identity of the researcher. However, shouldn’t the work and personality of the person dictate how they should be perceived? You almost have to introduce yourself as not necessarily I am so and so, son of x, lord of xyz, etc – but you do have to introduce yourself with your position and where you are from.
• Gatekeepers role in power: I see this all the time in academia – the gatekeepers that position themselves to decide who gets published, who presents their research or gets a position on a specific committee, and other activities that are not necessarily judged based on the work presented. The same goes with the Game of Thrones – this is a powerful message to say that life is not fair, but you have to be able to handle the deck of cards you are dealt with and strategize how to get around the gatekeepers. Sometimes it is tough, but it can be accomplished, even in academia. Everyone wants to be on the “iron throne” or the position of being a changer in the particular field they are in.
• Growing need to formulate your own “teams” and alliances: The world for Game of Thrones characters is a tough place to be in, so they have to formulate teams to help them accomplish their goals and objectives.  Alliances have to be made, so you are seeing this with the Starks and the Lannisters in the series and book. Same in academia – there are going to be those that will do whatever possible to see your work not get published and there will be others that will help you and support you. Find these similar professionals and collaborate with them on projects to accomplish your goals. I have been very fortunate to have been able to work with some amazing professionals in the field on collaborative projects, which is good.
• Triumph over adversity and challenges: Lots of the characters are either killed or are challenged during the course of the series, but some have overcome these challenges and obstacles. The same goes with academia – persistence and hard work will allow you to accomplish your goals and objectives.  If you get a rejection from a journal, find another outlet to publish in. If you find a conference where there are tons of politics going on, find another one. Look at the potential opportunities each action can give you – and go for it. Do things that are not excepted to keep people guessing – this is one of the things that worked well with Rob Stark with his war efforts in the book.

In summary, what are seeing here is a connection to the TV and book series with academia. There are times where we see great challenges ahead of us and that there are some things life throws at us in our field that are not fair. It is how we handle these situations and overcome them that makes us stronger, which is one of the lessons we can take away from Game of Thrones.

Staying focused, working hard, and thinking outside the box and formulating teams are just a few best practices we can look at when operating in the field of academia. We are seeing this become more of a trend and challenge for young professionals trying to establish themselves in the field and the growing pressures due to the tough economy and lack of job opportunities.  It’s definitely tough out there. As they say in Game of Thrones – winter is coming.

Hope you all are having a great day.

Best Wishes,

Karen

I thought I saw it all when it came to how brands would respond to customer reviews and interactions on social media.  Well, now I have seen one example that really surprised me from a crisis and social media perspective.

With Amy’s Baking Company in Arizona, I think they have set a whole new standard to how not to respond to online criticism via Facebook.  Here’s their Facebook page if you want to check this out for yourself. Buzzfeed gave a detailed account on the various posts, social media updates, and interactions the bakery had with others on Facebook in their article as well. Consumerist also highlighted this particular case as well on their page with some updates as well.

It all came up due to being on Gordon Ramsey’s famous reality TV show called “Kitchen Nightmares” and this actually was the first time that the well-known chef actually quit the show – which was pretty surprising in its 82 episode history. There are two videos from the show related to this business on this website as well or can watch the full episode here.

What we are seeing here is a translation from behavior offline and it is happening online – and the reputational damage for both of these cases is huge.

There are many issues here to look at with this case, but what has escalated a already tense situation on the show to a whole other level is the behavior displayed via social.  This case has become viral and everyone – from traditional media to crisis communication professionals – has started commenting, sharing, and disseminating this information across multiple platforms and channels online.

I’ve seen many crisis situations emerging from brands online, but this one I think takes the cake as being the most extreme one I’ve seen in my years working in social media and crisis communications.

I think Gordon Ramsey handled himself appropriately in the show and you could see his emotion that he wanted to help this business, but he couldn’t help people that didn’t want help. What is shocking about the clips from the show and what is being played out online is the fact that this is behavior that is displayed publicly – so we have to wonder what happens when there is no filming crew or interactions online.

Hope you all are having a great day.

Best Wishes,

Karen

Just some of the statistics related to cyberbullying are pretty amazing – however, this issue has been around for years before the age of social media.  It seems these numbers are growing each day as the technology and platforms evolve.  First there were discussion boards and websites, then it was Facebook and Twitter, and now we are seeing cases involving Instagram and Snapchat.

Melissa Agnes has a great list of resources and best practices on how to deal with cyberbullying and social media. This past week, I was invited to do an interview with WAVE3 News here in Louisville on the subject of cyberbullying. I think this is a very important issue to discuss since social media continues to evolve and change every day.

Interview w/ WAVE 3 News on cyberbullying & social media

I sat down with Scott Adkins of WAVE 3 News for the interview where I showed him various resources like Samepoint, Social Mention, and Statigram for parents to use to track hashtags, monitor usernames, and document conversations that could be considered to be inappropriate. In case you want to see the interview, here’s a Ptch of the interview I had with Scott. Thanks again to WAVE3 News for inviting me to be part of their story related to this important issue.

With cyberbullying, not only was I talking about this issue from a professional researcher/professor perspective, but I have been on the other side as well. I have experienced cyberbullying first hand as a student-athlete in track and field.  My first lesson came actually when I was first starting out in track and field when I was 14 years old on a discussion board dedicated to the throwing events.  What was amazing was to see who these individuals were – some were athletes, but there were coaches and parents as well who were involved.

There were many lessons I learned through this experience, which helped me become the person I am today.  I had an ongoing conversation with my parents growing up on this very issue – and I think this is key for parents and children to realize today.  I’ve shared my experiences not only with others, but also with my students who are taking my social media classes.

In summary, bullies are out there – one of the lessons I learned early on is that not everyone is going to like you. However, what we need to do is to know what steps to take to protect yourself and those you care about online and what tools and resources we have at our disposal to help handle the situation accordingly. Taking action proactively in this situation is key.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

We had another great guest speaker today come to my social media class here at the University of Louisville today. I first met Jason Falls back a few months ago at the Emerging Media Summit in Louisville, and I was very impressed.  I have followed Jason’s work on Social Media Explorer as well as his personable, memorable, and insightful comments on social media over the years, so I was truly excited to meet in him person.

We have stayed in touch and when I was about to start my social media class here at the University of Louisville, I asked Jason if he could possibly come to campus for a guest lecture.  He said yes – and I was very excited! It is not every day you get to hear from one of the most influential social media professionals out there today.

Jason Falls speaks to UofL Social Media Class

Jason came to our social media class today (last official class meeting before our finals week and their campaign proposals), and the topic originally was going to focus on research.  However, Jason asked if it was okay to talk about what was going on in Boston related to social media and the implications this would have for social media practitioners. I said absolutely – this is something that is happening right now and there are many implications we have to discuss as PR professionals regarding social media practices.

Notes from Jason’s presentation

Jason’s presentation to the class was very captivating – his ability to share stories, insights, and perspectives across various disciplines from journalism, business, government, and even legal – was amazing.

We were able to have an energetic conversation about what were some of the major things we are seeing right now with social media, especially at a time of crisis.  Crowdsourcing news (good and bad), level of trust and credibility attributed to various sources, and the legal implications emerging through these conversations were just some of the things discussed today by Jason in the full class period.

I have seen Jason present several times, and I have to say that this was a presentation that was captivating across all levels. Personally, I walked into class with one mindset in place and walked out of class with lots of questions and points I wanted to look  into more as a social media researcher and professional myself.

Thank you Jason for opening the door into these conversations on these emerging issues and trends in social media.  This was enlightening not only for my students, but for me as well.

Hope you all are having a great day.

Best Wishes,

Karen

One of the activities I had my social media class do this semester involved social media analytics. More employers are expecting to have students not only know the various social media tools out there, but how to apply them and analyze the various components of them for clients.

So, is there a program out there that allows students to get certified in social media? Well, there is a program out there available for professors to use in the classroom, and it is called Hootsuite University. I have to thank Dr. William Ward from Syracuse for sharing this information with me – this is a great program for professors to incorporate into their social media classes. Thanks!

All of my students were asked to complete the certification from Hootsuite University.  They were able to watch videos, complete worksheets, and complete several exams on topics covered in the curriculum. Once they were able to complete this, they were listed among certified professionals in Hootsuite based on location.  Here is the list of students who are now certified in Hootsuite from my class.

One of the other components of this assignment for my students in my social media class was to write several blog posts about their experience with the certification process. This was an opportunity to share their experiences with the program and what they learned from the experience and how this will help them enhance their overall social media skills.

Lizelle discussed the various components that were part of the Hootsuite certification process and how this helped her understand and gain practice with social media analytics both in class and in her intership with athletics. Kara emphasized some of the benefits she took away from participating in the program as well. Natasacha wrote a great blog post (thanks also for the kind shout out too! ) about the program and what she took away from the certification experience.

Overall, I was very pleased with the process with Hootsuite University.  Their customer service representatives were great – they have a Twitter handle titled Hootsuite_Help that was very professional and quickly responded to my questions about the program.  Thanks Hootsuite!

I would highly recommend incorporating this program into social media classes for sure.  This was the first time I did this for my social media class at the University of Louisville, and I will continue on with this in my future classes. It is important for professors to continue to look at tools and educational experiences that will help our students be marketable in the workplace – and Hootsuite University is one of them.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen