Mack the Flack

Mack recently bought an iPod at an Apple Store. The clerk’s name tag identifying him as “Tyler, Product Genius”.

Tyler was a nice guy; he was good at his job, but genius?

Job title inflation – sales clerks are “chief listening officers”, receptionists are “directors of first impressions” – has spun out of control.

“Title-fluff” is rampant in the PR industry:

· Edelman – “Executive Vice President/Global Strategy and Insights”

· Fleishman-Hillard – “International Advisory Group – a jaw-dropping list of distinguished thought leaders”

· Burson-Marsteller – “Director and Media Strategist, Global Consumer and Brand Marketing Practice”

Ottawa Citizen’s Roger Collier writes that people with grandiose titles, when asked what they do at work, sometimes respond with their titles. “This happens, I believe, because they are themselves unsure of what exactly they do.”

Learn PR, whatever your title. Apply for SFU’s Public Relations Program.

QR codes are dead… not quite

It’s a good idea to not believe everything you read. For instance if you were to search “QR codes” you’d end up with about a zillion articles about how QR codes aren’t long for the world and are soon to be replaced.

They’ve been saying that since 2010, yet QR codes are still around.

If you haven’t heard of QR codes or Quick Response Codes, here’s the Reader’s Digest version: It’s a kind of barcode that, when scanned by a smartphone using QR code reader software, directs you to a website. They were first used in Japan and are now commonly used in marketing and for product information.

People in marketing seem to either love them or hate them. But the biggest complaint about QR codes should be levelled at those who use them improperly, which appears to be the majority of marketers.

The biggest mistake they make is using the code to direct people to a website not optimized for the mobile web. It seems rather common sense that, since a smartphone is required to scan a code, you would be taken to a website that can be viewed properly by a smartphone user. More and more people are accessing the web almost exclusively through mobile devices and they are becoming fickle – not willing a view sites that are not mobile-optimized.

Another mistake you see is the inappropriate placing of QR codes. Users have to be able to scan them, which can be nearly impossible if they’re located on a billboard 40 feet in the air. It’s also not recommended to place a QR code for an ad about erectile dysfunction or diarrhoea relief in a crowded public place.

Wikipedia has a great article on the history and mechanics of QR codes and Vancouver digital marketer JP Holecka has written a interesting blog entry about how codes are used improperly.

– There’s a growing need for digital communicators. Enrol in the Digital Communications Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies and learn from industry experts.

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The Penguin is Google's latest search algorithm. It ranks higher good website content that engages audiences.

The world’s most popular search engine made a statement with its latest search algorithm: content is king. SEO, which has been described as false advertising, no longer reigns. Long live the king.

Penguin, the code name for the latest search engine algorithm, rewards good content by measuring how others interact with it. Google figures that if people like your content enough they’ll create links to it using their social media accounts. They’ll also repost it, comment on it and share it. Marketers won’t be able to artificially create sharing or engagement because the search algorithm weeds out the fakes.

So what does this mean to all those people employed as SEO specialists, analysts and managers? Will they be out of work since they can no longer fool search engines by creating web sites for search bots and not audiences?

Hard to say, but most have already adapted their practices and realize the importance of creating ‘organic SEO.’

If you’re interested in reading more about this, Ken Krogue recently wrote a great piece in Forbes, The Death Of SEO: The Rise of Social, PR, And Real Content. I would also recommend the articles Google’s Pending Algorithm and The Real Relationship between Social Media and SEO.

– There’s a growing need for digital communicators. Enrol in the Digital Communications Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies and learn from industry experts.

Follow Digital Spin on Twitter and Facebook to learn about the latest digital communications trends and issues.

Old school journalists will freak when they read this but anyone who’s grown up with social media will probably think, ‘Yeah, Duhhh.’

Recently when two people were killed in a Toronto shooting, Reddit ran an interesting article on the incident, full of first-hand reports and comments. There was even some background about the gang affiliations of those involved. The story was online within hours and all of the reporting was done through Twitter.

Reddit user BitchSlappedByLogic compiled the report. Here’s a sampling:

“Apparently, it was this guy’s party, as he says here. He’d been planning this party since July 7th. This guy apparently anticipated that problems might happen at the party. This girl, too. This guy too. So this could be the result of a pretty well-known beef. This personwas shot. As was this person. This person was also shot — twice. This person was also shot, according to this tweet. This may be her in recovery, though I can’t be sure.”

As you can see there are no names, only links to tweets and Twitter accounts.

Gigaom has a great post on the article and it’s journalism implications.

To learn more about digital journalism, enrol in the New Media Journalism Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies.

For more discussions and articles on digital journalism, go to SFU’s New Media Journalism on Twitter and Facebook.

Mack loves American Idol.

Specifically, he enjoys watching self-esteem obsessed “I am the centre of the universe” teens crash and burn in the show’s early auditions.

The judges’ rejection of these “not so special” contestants is a bucket of ice cold reality for these over-praised, unfairly rewarded little darlings.

A Boston-area English high school teacher delivered the best grad speech ever this June when he told his teen audience: “You are not special. You are not exceptional.”

David McCullough Jr. urged grads to recognize accomplishments, not awards for simply participating. He challenged them to be creative, independent and caring.

“The fulfilling life, the distinctive life, the relevant life, is in achievement, not something that will fall into your lap because you’re a nice person or Mommy ordered it from the caterer,” said McCullough.

Learn PR that contributes. Check out SFU’s Public Relations Program.

If you want to get ahead of the technology curve, or at least ahead of most people using technology, think mobile.

The mobile web, which we access using our smartphones and tablets, is the fastest growing part of the Internet. That’s because smart companies and organizations know that sometime before 2014  most North Americans will access the web with their mobile device, and not their personal computers. Heck, the sale of smartphones now outpaces the sales of computers on a unit by unit basis.

Newspapers and digital journalists must be early adopters of mobile by making sure their websites are mobile optimized and taking advantage of mobile tools like SMS (short message service), QR codes and Near Field Communication. The Wired Reporter’s favourite mobile-ready newspaper websites is www.bostonglobe.com. The site was created using responsive web design so it will fit any screen size perfectly.

With the London Summer Olympics about to begin, now is a great time to learn about the mobile web. The major TV networks, news agencies and content providers covering the Olympics will likely be making the mobile web a dominant communications platform. The evidence is there that consumers will use mobile to consume their news. During the last Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, NBC’s web pages were viewed more than 58 million times during the 11-day games,

For more discussion on the mobile web as it relates to news organizations, check out this article in 10,000 Words.

To learn more about digital journalism, enrol in the New Media Journalism Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies.

For more discussions and articles on digital journalism, go to SFU’s New Media Journalism on Twitterand Facebook.

Canadians use the internet every day. Some use it all day.

As one of the most digitally engaged nations on earth we seem to have an endless appetite for all things social media.

Cool 2012 digital facts:

· 51.22% – Facebook penetration in Canada (0.03% in China)

· 79% – Canadian households with internet access

· 110 – average number of minutes Canadians spend on Twitter

· 93% – Canadians online using e-mail (68% news, 58% social networking)

· 25% – people who don’t bother with any kind of privacy settings

· 130 – average number of Facebook friends

· 15 – average number of minutes per day Canadians spent on YouTube

· 97% – fans of Pinterest’s Facebook page who are women

· 1-in-5 – couples in Canada who will meet online

Learn how to work with social and other media.  Apply for our Public Relations Program

A survey of US College students reveals that technology was so much a part of their lives that they couldn’t go a waking hour without it.

Fantasy fiction master Ray Bradbury, who died at the age of 91 last month, was ambivalent about much today’s technology. He never had a driver’s license, wasn’t keen about the internet, never owned a cell phone, rarely used a computer and only flew on an aircraft once.

He resisted one of the innovations he anticipated, e-books. He finally relented and allowed his most famous novel, Fahrenheit 451, to come out as an e-book in late 2011.

In return Bradbury was paid a great deal of money and exacted a promise from his publisher, Simon & Schuster, to make the e-book available to libraries, the only S&S e-book at the time that library patrons were allowed to download.

Learn a job that is sometimes stranger than fiction. Apply to the SFU Public Relations Program

Photo courtesy of The Failed Estate.

Financial journalist Jim Parker has written an insightful blog entry about how Fairfax has been the author of its own demise. The company has bumbled and stumbled trying to stay current during the digital era. Parker blames it on clueless management that has never grasped the importance of keeping up with its readership.

Parker’s insights can be found on his blog The Failed Estate.

To learn more about digital journalism, enrol in the New Media Journalism Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies.

For more discussions and articles on digital journalism, go to SFU’s New Media Journalism on Twitter and Facebook.

That’s a question some my ask when there’s so much buzz about Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and other social media platforms. It’s easy to overlook blogging as a means of digital communications.

But before you dismiss blogging as old school and “so 2005,” consider these thoughts:

“In one sense, (blogs have) become the equivalent of a social media full meal.” – Elisa Carnahort, Mashable.com

“Committing to this blog is one of the best professional decisions I’ve made.” – Gabriel Weinberg

“When it comes to blogging, the process of making sales is not nearly as complicated as we sometimes make it.” –Marcus Sheridan, Social Media Examiner

“If you’re not blogging, you’re missing out on some important business benefits.” – Patricia Redsicker, Social Media Today

“When high quality content is consistently produced, a blog can engage, connect and enrich you, your business and your readers.” – Craig Klein, Sales Nexus

That’s just a sampling of professionals who believe a blog is an important part of any digital communications or marketing strategy.

Here’s a few links where you find tips on blogging.

– 7 Tips to Make Your Blog Stickier

– 5 places to find legal pictures for your blog

– There’s a growing need for digital communicators. Enrol in the Digital Communications Certificate program offered by Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies and learn from industry experts.

Follow Digital Spin on Twitter and Facebook to learn about the latest digital communications trends and issues.