“The time for putting party first is over. If you want to see a bipartisan #compromise, let Congress know. Call. Email. Tweet.” –BO

BO, our Buddy Ol’ pal, our Best (presiding) Officer— Barack Obama himself tweeting YOU to make a difference and take charge in the debt ceiling issue.

This was just one of the over 100 tweets spewed out from Barack Obama’s twitter account on Friday, August 1, 2011, pleading tweeters of all parties—all 9 million of his followers—to poke and prod at Republican legislators through any and every form of media in hopes of their surrender, and eventual compromise.

According to CBS News, New York Times reporter Brian Stelter said that White House Communications director Dan Pfeiffer truly believes the tweet blitz helped force Congress to come to some form of agreement, Obama lost over 36,000 followers on Twitter, and angry Republicans accused the White House of spamming.

Obama has been a social media maverick all along, using tools like Facebook to capture voters in his presidential campaign before Twitter was even born. Although this tweeting may have influenced the end decision, our buddy BO leaves us with some questions: Is twitter really powerful enough to sway a congressional debate?  And most importantly, does BO use Tweetdeck?

Obama’s loss of 36,000 followers is trivial in comparison to his 9 million loyal disciples; but if he keeps churning out tweets thinking he’s Justin Bieber, he could be at risk for losing many more. Though twitter is a new, hip platform: media is media. People don’t like being bombarded with messages from companies about promotions and special features 24/7; they become less special that way.

If Obama, or any firm for that matter, wants to keep up interest, they should send their messages—whether sent via snail mail, an electronic newsletter, Facebook post, or tweet— more sparingly to truly make them count.When using social media,  don’t  over tweet or put out more than one status or email blast a day.  It lessens the importance  of your message and eventually followers might just press delete or take themselves off the mailing list – and your messages will be lost altogether, forever.

It’s important to be strategic about sending out messages regarding your company. For CEOs, partners, and those with something to say, be smart about it. Keep those interested informed without attacking them with news. For Obama, it’s great that you’re using social media- but slow down there Mr. President! And get back to doing more important things, like getting us jobs!

Is your online-self really you, or just an alias? Google Plus seems to think you’re one in the same. That’s why the new social networking site, as an article on CNN Tech reveals in its title, is starting to “boot ‘fake name’ users.”

Though praised by the tech community for its innovative features like Circles and group video chats, Google Plus has instated a policy that users must use their real names “to fight spam and prevent fake profiles.”

The debate is simply whether or not people want to be identified by their image online, and take responsibility for it. Facebook wants you to escape into a parallel universe and care less about the reflection of your online behavior. You can go by a fake name, have a picture of the Lochness monster as your own, and call it a day. Google, on the other hand, truly wants people to be able to find you— the real you— through your Google profile.

A Google spokeswoman said in an email, “By providing your common name, you will be assisting all people you know— friends, family members, classmates, co-workers and other acquaintances— in finding and creating a connection with the right person online.”

But what if you don’t want to be found?

College-bound seniors and job-seeking young adults often change or abbreviate their names on Facebook to preserve their image for future bosses, co-workers, schools and universities. Though Google’s position may be a little strong, it’s important to remember that whether you’re a CEO or 17, you never know who’s watching you online.

If Google sticks to this position, it will be even more important to monitor the information you post and posts about you.

In an age where face-to-face communication seems to be on the outs, even the gruesome act of firing someone has transposed itself onto the social media platform. Rather than do the deed in person with a melancholic handshake to seal the deal, many have taken to mass media outlets instead.

Chris Colfer of Glee reported last week that he found out he was not going to be a cast member for the show’s third season…through Twitter. According to People Magazine, Creator Ryan Murphy took to Twitter before letting Colfer know he got the boot, and of course, thousands tweeted Colfer with their reactions.

“I didn’t necessarily know that it was going to be our last season next year,” he told Access Hollywood. Well, he certainly knows now! And Colfer isn’t the only one that’s gotten the bad news from the media. According to Crushable.com, former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi found out she’d been expunged via a news article, Fox-News on air commentator Marc Lammot Hill got notified of his expulsion by checking his own Google Alerts, and Alyson Hanigan reportedly heard she had been slayed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer by tuning into a co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Entertainment Weekly interview.

Though this certainly means bad news for Colfer and his fellow ousted co-stars, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, it could be worse for Fox if they don’t enact some sort of crisis communications plan. Having yet to comment on the incident, Fox needs to address the hurt done unto the three actors as well as the mistake made by the Glee producers.

And most importantly, while media, both social and traditional, is a current craze, some institutions require personal attention. As in, in person! If you’re letting someone go, do so respectfully. Look them in the eye, explain the reasons for your decision, and shake their hand.

Privacy is a hot topic in the social media industry and Google’s recent release of Google + is sure to stoke up the fire.  That’s because Google and Facebook see privacy differently.  Facebook encourages users to share more, to be more integrated with their network, to share links, pictures, updates their status with their friends.  Google, after weathering their own privacy storm (remember Google Buzz?), is taking a more conservative approach with Google +.  Google thinks users would rather compartmentalize their sharing, that is to share certain things only with certain people.  That’s the idea behind the circles – a Google+ user can choose to share pictures, updates and links with only the people or groups they want.

What does this mean for your business?

Privacy should always be a one of the top concerns for anyone who goes online.  Frequently checking and updating your privacy settings on any social media is important for maintaining control of your brand.  Do you really want to share everything with everyone?  We’ve written advice on drawing the line between your personal and professional  life on social media, but what should you know about privacy on Google +?

First of all, Google + allows you to add people to circles, but won’t show the person which circle you’ve added them too.   This allows you to share your company’s latest news with coworkers, colleagues and friends in the industry, but not share your kid’s latest preschool award.  Google + also lets you share in extended circles, meaning your update will be shared with your circle and also two degrees outside your circle (so your circles, circle).  This is especially useful when you’re posting something about new business or perhaps looking for a new employee.   You can also share with individuals only, much like a private message on Facebook or a direct message on Twitter.  Google + also allows you to set privacy settings on your account, so you can choose which sections of your profile are visible.

Will Google+ take over Facebook?

Only time will tell.  Google is banking that people want to control their online exposure while Facebook is banking on the fact that people care less and less about their online exposure.   For businesses, it’s important to remember that social media can be a powerful messaging and branding tool, but that like anything online it has to be managed!

Just when you thought social media wasn’t pervasive enough, Google has launched “The Google Plus Project”- their take on the networking frenzy. Though as the recent Miami Herald article explains, “For now, Google+ is for social media geeks,” the week-old site is still running on an exclusive basis— only dolling out limited invitations so they can continue to work out the kinks— many believe Facebook may have a run for its money. If G+ is successful, it could be the first real competitor for Facebook in terms of both users and advertisers.

G+ works on the simple premise of combining Facebook and Twitter while cracking down on privacy settings. With the site, you can compile your friends into “Circles” so you have more control over what you’re sharing and with whom. For example, “Co-workers” “Friends” and “Family” can now all be grouped separately, so you don’t have to share your family reunion photos with your boss or your bachelorette party pictures with your grandparents. The only person who can see your Circles is you, which is a big plus for those interested in having more privacy. Like Twitter, people don’t have to agree to be friends to see your feed of activity, but there is much more control over who sees a post than on Twitter. Unlike Twitter, you can disable other users from sharing a post you made— another attempt at beefing up privacy.

But there’s more to Google+ than just these circles. With the “Hangout” feature, you can instantly create a video chat room with up to ten of your friends, and you can also alert certain groups of friends as to when you’re hanging out. The “Sparks” feature gives you a continuous newsfeed that relates to specific keywords you choose. “Instant Uploads” automatically posts pictures and videos from your mobile device into a private album. From there, you can decide where to place the photos. And “Huddle” is a group texting device, so you can save time and text all of your friends at once in a group chat situation.

Stay tuned for “addition”-al information on the Plus Project. If the hundreds of millions of people with Google accounts take a liking to the sleek site and advertisers follow suit, G+ could be the next great social media tool on the Web.

Jeff Haden recently wrote about 8 words you should not use on your Twitter bio for his LinkedIn column. This should be expanded to essentially all bios – and other copy as well.  Too many brochures, websites, and other collateral use jargon that is so repetitive, it is meaningless.  How many things are truly passions?  What makes you an authority?  And what the heck is a technologist? Click on the image below to read his full article.

Also check out his “10 words you should never use on your website.”   Good stuff!

New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner, has had a “ca-tweet-strophe” for the ages. A photograph “mysteriously” surfaced on Weiner’s twitter account of an underwear-clad groin.  Subjected to puns for perhaps the rest of time, Weiner has consistently refused to say “with certitude” that the picture was of his, well, you know. But he hasn’t outright denied it either.

While the situation is utterly embarrassing to say the least, Weiner’s pickle provides a lesson for all of us in crisis communications, or the process of skillfully handling news stemming from a bad situation.

The congressman has said his account was hacked, but never went to the police. It’s important to have some sort of credibility in these situations. While a hacking was definitely possible, without a second source it’s harder to believe.

Weiner has also given contradictory remarks to various media outlets. Our advice to him would have been to “Pick a stance, defend it, and stick to it.”  After he said he was “not going to allow this to be what I talk about all week,” he sat down for approximately eleven hours of interviews with NBC, Fox News, CBS, CNN, ABC, and others. Through it all, he’s remained mysterious and said different things as to his breadth of knowledge regarding the photo, and if in fact it was taken of him.

As House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said on Fox news this week, “My advice would be to come clean and clear it up. I mean, perhaps he’s trying, but I know there’s a lot of explaining going on without a lot of clarity.”

Crisis communications isn’t about spinning bad news into good, it’s about limiting the fall-out from bad events and making sure the stain doesn’t permanently taint your good reputation. Weiner could’ve used some tips from Boardroom’s crisis communications experts.

To get his panties out of a bundle, (pun intended), Weiner could and should have done the following:

o Call his trusted advisors. As soon as word gets out, call your PR consultant versed in crisis communications, as well as your attorney.

o Think before speaking. Take time to assess the situations, and the irrevocable consequences.  If Weiner wasn’t prepared to speak he should not have expressed concern, as he told Fox News, “We’re concerned about saying anything indefinitely.”  Right there, it implies that Weiner has something to hide. If you’re not prepared to speak, say, “We are determining exactly what has happened and will respond with a statement when we can.” This shows you’re actively engaged and not avoiding the questions, and the truth.

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On Friday, June 3, 2011, Don Silver, COO of Boardroom Communications, will be the guest speaker at the Broward County Bar Association’s Breakfast for Bloggers event. The event titled, “What Should I say on My Blog?”, will provide ideas that will help bloggers build his or her audience, attract prospective clients, and gain media attention. With Don’s 25 years of successful public relations and marketing experience, he will defiantly have helpful tips for getting your personal or business blog up and running.

Don has been published extensively in local newspapers and in state and national trade journals. He is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from crisis management and public relations to marketing, new business development and community relations. His innovative ideas have proven to be successful for many of  his clients and he is always ready to provide helpful tips for getting your buisness noticed.

The event is free to BCBA members and $25.00 to non-members. It will take place at the Norma B. Howard Center, 1051 S.E. 3rd Ave., in Fort Lauderdale at 8:30 a.m. Continental breakfast will be served.   

To register visit www.browardbar.org or contact Traci Lewis at (954)832-3618 or traci@browardbar.org.

Hope to see you there!

The debate over using one’s personal social media outlets to promote client events or activities remains an ongoing topic in PR circles.  Those on the pro side argue that social media has already blended our work, social lives, personal and professional contacts anyway. While those opposed like to keep their personal and work lives separate and don’t want to barrage friends and family with impersonal work updates. 

Whichever side you fall on, it helps to keep a few tips in mind when talking about clients and their achievements on your social media, so that you don’t find yourself unfriended by half of your contacts.

1. Limit client updates and event invitations to a few a week. Let’s face it, your friends friended you, not your entire client roster.  It’s great to be proud of your and your clients’ work, but people will quickly grow tired of hearing you crow about someone who, in all likelihood, they have never met.
2. Don’t hit up friends or family for business for your client or try to solicit money for their causes.  If it is a client’s 5K event that you are participating in, for example, be sure to stress your participation.  It’s great to help your client bring in business, and if you think a Facebook friend would be good for a client’s business, arrange a personal introduction. Then step away.
3. Don’t clog up news feeds with 770 photos of a client event.  Be choosy-pick your 5 favorites.  Preferably some with bigwigs or celebrities in them to keep it of general interest.  No one, not even homebound shut-ins, would care enough to scroll through 770 photos anyway.
4. If you have friended clients, don’t ever, ever EVER complain about other clients (even if they aren’t friends), bosses or coworkers-this seems obvious, but it bears repeating.  At the least, you could end up with hurt feelings and at worst, you could end up fired. It isn’t professional, anyway.

 The blending of our social and professional lives is creating a brave new social media world. So let’s be careful out there.

In the May issue of Website Magazine, Linc Wonham updated readers on the recent disruption of “shady” SEO tactics in his article titled, “Grow Profits From the Farmer Update.”  According to the article, nearly 12 percent of all Google searches in the U.S. were affected by this change. Google is encouraging all online businesses to reassess its own content because of the change, especially merchants. 

Many e-commerce sites have seen their rankings slip since the change, without knowing they were practicing shady SEO tactics. Now the goal is that merchants’ content will be original, and this will help online consumers easily find the business and products they are searching for on Google. 

To ensure your rankings go up, start by auditing the content. It’s important to review all existing content from recent to past blog posts and clean up or remove anything that has errors, copied from another site or both.Then check the links. Linking your business to poor content will hurt your rankings.

Finally, produce great content. In Google’s eyes quality, originality, authoritativeness, presentation and value make for great content. Make sure you avoid misspellings, factual errors and outdated information. Don’t copy what users can find somewhere else. Lend expertise, make it easy to consume and that it’s visually pleasing and engaging for users.