and you thought online dating was progressive!?!

So this is a good one. As I'm sure you've heard, actress Emmy Rossum and the lead singer of the Counting Crows are dating. What you may not have heard is how this little love affair began...

Of places...twitter.

"I was on tour with the band this summer. They invited me actually on Twitter," Rossum said Thursday on the radio show Valentine in the Morning. "That's how we met – on a dare. They dared me to come sing with them a song that I'd never sung before ... So I ended up on tour with the band, and it was very, very fun."

I was just beginning to wrap my mind around online dating but this has reached a whole new level. Is that what our generation is turning to?

Twitter is interesting in that you can direct access to anyone on the network. Whether this power will be used for good evil or even romance is up to us.

Choose wisely...and start looking out for Cupid's tweets!

staggering statistics.

Social media maven and established entrepreneur Mark Walmsley put together a really impressive slideshow on the evolution of our means of communication. Took a look, it's amazing:

Social Media, Social Influence Marketing and Super Peers

View more presentations from Mark Walmsley.

a hilarious hoax.

Amidst all the buzz about the ultimate Twilight couple, there is one photo that has set the rumor mill on fire. Spotted leaving the Charles De Gaulle airport, superstars Robert "R.Patz" Pattinson and Kristen "K.Stew" Stewart were...wait for it....holding hands. It has now been confirmed, from this photo alone, that they are in fact a couple.

As a result of the many means of social media, this picture has been seen by the masses. It has been re-posted and dissected down to how many fingers are intertwined. Comments have been made and hearts have been broken [myself included].

To highlight the absurdity of the conclusions drawn, two other Twilight superstars made a statement of their own and publicized it via Twitter. Instantly, the picture received a ton of media attention and landed its own article on people.com. 

This is PR at its finest. Instead of making formal statements to respond to all the rumors, the cast has embraced it and shown the world how ridiculous they are without outright saying it. PR requires creativity and at times, a little bit of humor.

  Well done boys.

back to basics.

When reading one of my favourite PR blogs, I came across this posting-- 9 rules that a kindergarten class compiled. It really struck a chord within me. Incorporating these fundamental messages into our daily practices will help as both public relations professionals and  human beings. I miss the days of scheduled napping and the times when I would carelessly eat as many cookies as I could digest for snack. We are so easily swept into the 21st century monster but in taking a step back, my perspective has been refreshed. I'll have to thank Mrs. Weisberg...take a look and pay tribute to story time, play-doh, and macaroni necklaces.

9 PR Rules Learned in Kindergarten: 

1. Say please
2. Say I'm sorry
3. Be friendly
4. Share
5. Play fair
6. Don't litter
7. Never hurt others
8. Say excuse me
9. Listen to others

1. Say please - This rule speaks to a sense of decency and politeness. Some days we get so caught up in our work and we forget to be thoughtful with our co-workers, clients, and unfortunately, other members in our community. Forgetting this rule can cause tragic disconnections that are sometimes difficult to mend.

2. Say I'm sorry - If you screw up, own up to it. The sooner, the better. This is true for individuals as well as organizations when things go wrong. Your community will be more likely to forgive mistakes and missteps if you can express honest remorse when needed.

3. Be friendly - Public relations professionals had better like people. I don't mean the "I'm a people-person" platitudes that so easily get thrown around. I mean PR people need to have others' interests in mind when planning, preparing, and implementing in order to be the stewards of information and counsel our community expects us to be.

4. Share - I appreciate this rule for the facets it represents in the professional life of a PR person. Sharing is another word for communicating. Being effective communicators is in my opinion the basis for the work we do. The share rule can be the difference in being a part of a community and being apart from the community.

5. Play fair - The PRSA Code of Ethics includes fairness as part of the core values: "We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression."

6. Don't Litter - I'll be honest, I wasn't exactly sure at first how I was going to fit in this rule as a relevant rule for public relations. However, then I thought about what litter was: trash. So for PR people, this rule is simply to not leave your garbage lying around. Clean up after yourselves. If you make a mess of things, clean it up. Not every idea is a winner. That's ok. If your idea gets turned down, learn from it. That's how we grow.

7. Never hurt others - You might think that this is just an extension of being friendly and saying your sorry. In reality, this rule is different. Hurting others takes a certain level of intention. What this rule is saying is never proceed with plans that you know will do widespread harm.

8. Say excuse me - In addition to fairness, PR people should be held to a standard of advocacy: "We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate." Sometimes I think we need to add the word polite to this notion of public debate. Being civil is never out of style.

9. Listen to others - There is an interesting duality to this rule.
A.) You don't know all there is to know about public relations. You need to continue to learn and hone your skills through discussion, research, and professional development. PR is an ever-evolving field and being able to adapt and change is what will make you stand out.
B.) You don't know all there is to know about your organization or clients. Active listening within your work environment, on behalf of your organization and through monitoring will mean the difference between taking shots in the dark and making educated and informed communication decisions.

[By: Richie Escovedo
http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/09/9-pr-rules-my-daughter-learned-in.html]

tomorrow's child.

Ray Anderson on Sustainability:

Show 'em how it's done.

Now this is how you go out there and turn what could have been a PR nightmare right around. She laughed at herself, addressed the salacious rumors while remaining composed, hilarious, and adorable. 
Atta girl T.Swift. Touche.

Shalom Chaver, שלום חבר

Well if anything, the man has a way with words. Though this may just be another way in which Obama is encouraging support from the Israeli public,  his words stand accurate, emotional, and poignant

To me, the assassination of Rabin was one of the lowest points in Israeli history. He was a military legend and a true visionary-- for once, peace felt within reach. 14 years later, I can barely wrap my mind around what that even felt like. In looking a little deeper, our aspirations were premature. I still cannot get over the irony of him being shot just after singing "a song for peace." 

Today we reflect on his passing of one of Israel's greatest heroes. 

His legacy will be honored when his dreams are achieved.

using the media to mediate-- my personal brand.

Using Media, to Mediate

View more presentations from LeahWalters.

15 Words.

The Cinderella Story 2.0-- hot topic

Ever since lead singer Steve Perry injured his hip in 1996, legendary '80s rock band Journey just hasn't been the same. Singers Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto tried filling Perry's big shoes (and tight jeans), but the band's success never reached its previous heights and Journey was reduced to a feel-good nostalgia act.

In December, however, their luck changed. 
Enter the magic of social media....

The Fairy Tale

Journey signed on new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, an unknown Filipino singer, who they found leading a Manila cover band on YouTube. He was flown to the United states for the very first time and instantly signed. Six months later, the band has kicked off a tour of Europe and the U.S. and released Revelation, a new album featuring original songs and re-recorded classics that has already shot up to the fifth highest-selling album in the U.S. since its debut two weeks ago. 

Hold on a minute...how did this happen? 

After the band fired their replacement lead singer, guitarist Neal Schon turned to the Web in search of talent. After two days of surfing on YouTube, he came upon clips of Pineda singing with his band, The Zoo, and nailing all the right notes in the toughest Survivor, Queen and Journey power ballads. "I heard his voice and my eyes got big," says Schon, who has been with Journey since its inception in 1975. "I thought, he can't be that good." Schon left his house, took a spin on his motorcycle to clear his head, and then contacted Pineda. At first, the singer thought the email was a hoax. "I didn't think the real Neal Schon would call a guy like me," says Pineda. "I'm just a guy from the Philippines." Four months later, Pineda signed on as Journey's new lead singer. "I've been waiting for this moment to come for 25 years," he says. "It's like shooting to the moon."

Well that's an incredible story, but how does it pertain to social media?

In using different means of social media including YouTube, blogging, twitter, and facebook, Journey was able to completely re-establish themselves. Journey garnered an incredible amount of publicity regarding the unconventional way in which they found their new lead singer but more than that, attracted the attention of a much younger demographic. YouTube gave them access to international talent that they never would have discovered otherwise and gave Arnel the opportunity of a lifetime. Journey capitalized on this new-found attention and subsequently developed different means of social media. They have thousands of members in their facebook group and consistently update their twitter account.

The trend of "YouTube" celebrities will absolutely continue to grow as its effectiveness is apparent. The topic will continue to be hot and hopefully, talent around the world can be given the platform it deserves.

Just goes to show...don't ever stop believing. 

overlapping identities.