Evidently if you feel the need to pay attention to the news, then most of you get it from at least 4 different sites. That is according to a Pew Research Study that came out last month. I am definitely one of those people - a news junkie.
Some of the most compelling information about the study included:
People still read local newspapers and watch local television news coverage.
TV is how most get their news, with the internet coming in a close second.
Over a third of cell phone users access the news on their phones
Out of all internet users, almost 40% participate in the news
-- creating the news (iReports)
-- commenting on the news
-- forwarding the news via email or social networking (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace)
I get my news from at least 6 different sources via Twitter and forward it from Twitter, post it to my Facebook site or email it. I also check news gathering sources like Yahoo News, Google, Drudge, Huffington and Early Bird. Not to mention I switch my office TV between CNN and FoxNews throughout the day.
What I like about this study is that it shows that although newspapers around the country are struggling, people are still more likely to use local sources for their news. That tells me their is still a market for a local source. Tapping that source is important. Utilizing a mobile app or internet site would benefit those trying to project a message. Now, it's a matter of marketing the site.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Military Facebook - Is it Worth it?
So there is a new study out that basically says people want Military Facebook pages but the military doesn't know how to engage very well. Or maybe it's that the military wants to engage but doesn't have the manpower to engage. I think it's a matter of both.
Janson is a PR firm that focuses on the Defense Industry. Their 17-page report can be found at their website (click on the title of this blog or go to www.jansoncom.com). Looking at nearly 700 military Facebook pages, the trends they found were pretty telling. Here is my interpretation:
-- The military would like to be engaged in the social media realm because it hits the demographic they need. After all, 40% of the Air Force is under the age of 26.
-- The Marine Corps seems to get this better than all the other services. Go figure, they are better at recruiting than any service as well. Semper Fi!
-- There is little to no interaction on the pages (84%) but the fans want it. Well, the same is true in the "real" military too. We all like it when the higher ups make us feel a part of the team -- a real part. Social media is no different.
-- 74% of location pages gave no updates on real information. This one brings up another of the military's problems -- divulging information. They want to play the game but they don't know how to effectively. Information exchange is what social media is all about but the military is traditionally tight lipped. Gonna have to loosen up and that goes against all they know.
-- On a decent note, only 4% turned into "zombie" pages, which means nothing had been updated for months. That's a good note. It's critically important to update often if you want to stay relevant.
All in all, for those of us in military Public Affairs, the Janson study didn't widen any eyes but it did give us some ammunition with the boss (they like hard facts). We want to play ball but there must be people to update the page, interact with the fans and we must be allowed to put real information on the page. Otherwise, we can just use a military internet site & avoid interaction altogether.
(Most stats and info about the study came from Military Facebook Study, Janson Communications March 2010. Air Force stats came from the Public Affairs Center of Excellence, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama)
Janson is a PR firm that focuses on the Defense Industry. Their 17-page report can be found at their website (click on the title of this blog or go to www.jansoncom.com). Looking at nearly 700 military Facebook pages, the trends they found were pretty telling. Here is my interpretation:
-- The military would like to be engaged in the social media realm because it hits the demographic they need. After all, 40% of the Air Force is under the age of 26.
-- The Marine Corps seems to get this better than all the other services. Go figure, they are better at recruiting than any service as well. Semper Fi!
-- There is little to no interaction on the pages (84%) but the fans want it. Well, the same is true in the "real" military too. We all like it when the higher ups make us feel a part of the team -- a real part. Social media is no different.
-- 74% of location pages gave no updates on real information. This one brings up another of the military's problems -- divulging information. They want to play the game but they don't know how to effectively. Information exchange is what social media is all about but the military is traditionally tight lipped. Gonna have to loosen up and that goes against all they know.
-- On a decent note, only 4% turned into "zombie" pages, which means nothing had been updated for months. That's a good note. It's critically important to update often if you want to stay relevant.
All in all, for those of us in military Public Affairs, the Janson study didn't widen any eyes but it did give us some ammunition with the boss (they like hard facts). We want to play ball but there must be people to update the page, interact with the fans and we must be allowed to put real information on the page. Otherwise, we can just use a military internet site & avoid interaction altogether.
(Most stats and info about the study came from Military Facebook Study, Janson Communications March 2010. Air Force stats came from the Public Affairs Center of Excellence, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Olivia Hair Salon
JR gives one amazing shampoo and it's almost insulting to call it that. I would go back to this hair salon on Taylor Road in Montgomery every day just for it!
I used to think the girls at the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison were the best. Little Korean girls who were taking your scalp off also took your headaches away. These little demons with fire on the ends of their hands massaged away anything that might have been a thought. I've held onto that for over six years.
But today long, very strong fingers ran over every inch of my head and neck. No thought entered my normally frantic brain. Muscles that plague into migraines were tamed and phrenologists from the 18th century would have been jealous of the knots he smoothed into submission.
Not quite ready to yank the gold from the Koreans and hand it to JR...I'll have to go back for another try and it will be so worth it!
I used to think the girls at the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison were the best. Little Korean girls who were taking your scalp off also took your headaches away. These little demons with fire on the ends of their hands massaged away anything that might have been a thought. I've held onto that for over six years.
But today long, very strong fingers ran over every inch of my head and neck. No thought entered my normally frantic brain. Muscles that plague into migraines were tamed and phrenologists from the 18th century would have been jealous of the knots he smoothed into submission.
Not quite ready to yank the gold from the Koreans and hand it to JR...I'll have to go back for another try and it will be so worth it!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Social Networking
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, GovLoop..... which one? All of them? None of them?
How did we ever make friends growing up? Do you ever wonder?
In the playground of digits and keyboards, social interaction has become an avatar and screen time. Not face-to-face interaction but acronyms and shortened phrases that our parents won't recognize. Conversations are short and to the point and meeting people has become an electronic game of who knows who.
I can remember when my sorority sister met her fiance through an online dating service and all of us were appalled. Being from the south, it was unheard of. Simply not done. To put yourself out there without the protection of your sisters. Entirely too independent. The safety net of the flock nowhere to be found.
Now it seems the way to find a job, a colleague, information for your work project is to post it out on Twitter or Facebook or LinkenIn and see who can help you. It's fast and efficient and who knows what matter of expert is out there to assist you.
The way we work has changed and the way we make friends has changed.
And I like it. There are people all over the world and social networking has opened up avenues so far beyond the backyard playground that our experiences can expand so far past what we once knew. Exposing ourselves to other cultures and ideas that the possibilities are limitless.
So I say pick Facebook to reconnect with your hometown buddies, LinkedIn for your professional life, Twitter to stay on top of things, GovLoop if your a DC careerist and use Google or Yahoo if none of these work for you. Cynic? Privacy feign? Look into them. They have the settings and you determine what you want to put out there.
This is just the tip of the iceberg folks. Those silicon valley basement geniuses will come up with something even better next.
How did we ever make friends growing up? Do you ever wonder?
In the playground of digits and keyboards, social interaction has become an avatar and screen time. Not face-to-face interaction but acronyms and shortened phrases that our parents won't recognize. Conversations are short and to the point and meeting people has become an electronic game of who knows who.
I can remember when my sorority sister met her fiance through an online dating service and all of us were appalled. Being from the south, it was unheard of. Simply not done. To put yourself out there without the protection of your sisters. Entirely too independent. The safety net of the flock nowhere to be found.
Now it seems the way to find a job, a colleague, information for your work project is to post it out on Twitter or Facebook or LinkenIn and see who can help you. It's fast and efficient and who knows what matter of expert is out there to assist you.
The way we work has changed and the way we make friends has changed.
And I like it. There are people all over the world and social networking has opened up avenues so far beyond the backyard playground that our experiences can expand so far past what we once knew. Exposing ourselves to other cultures and ideas that the possibilities are limitless.
So I say pick Facebook to reconnect with your hometown buddies, LinkedIn for your professional life, Twitter to stay on top of things, GovLoop if your a DC careerist and use Google or Yahoo if none of these work for you. Cynic? Privacy feign? Look into them. They have the settings and you determine what you want to put out there.
This is just the tip of the iceberg folks. Those silicon valley basement geniuses will come up with something even better next.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
'Get the Terrorist' Program for All
Flight 253 from the Netherlands to Detroit - One 23-year old Nigerian is taken out by passengers Alain Ghonda and Jasper Schuringa. That tells me that maybe what we need is to take the 3 oz bottles out of the little plastic baggies. Keep our shoes on and leave laptops in the bags. I'm pretty sure the marmalade I brought back from Barbados wasn't loaded.
But instead how about training all passengers on self-defense?
Let's forget forboding, irritating security at all airports worldwide that is obtrusive, annoying and evidently not working. Forget massive amounts of troops overseas for years on end that seem to result in Al-Quaida moving training camps to more fertile breeding grounds (read Yemen.)
Let's put our effort toward training every day Americans on thwarting threats. Rather than relying on ill-trained TSA guards or putting our faith in drones flown out of Nevada, how about we each take a little piece of responsibility in our own protection?
So here's my idea: a two-day "Get the Terrorist" program. Teach regular Americans how to identify suspicious activity, radicalism, fundamentalism and how to report it. Volunteers of course. This should also teach the difference between a regular Joe and fanatic. Obviously this isn't easy. But if you notice someone who checks no bags, pays with cash, wears a skull cap and shouts "Allahu AkBar" as he boards your plane, I might reconsider my trip to Aunt Bessie's and call my local FBI agent.
Of course, if all of this gets missed and you end up on the plane or bus or train or some very crowded public place that could cause mass casualties with a person like this, then the program should teach you how to take this person out. Just like Alain Ghonda and Jasper Schuringa had the nerve to do. Just like the Flight 93 passengers had the nerve to do. When it comes to terrorism on American soil, our military is not going to be there to do anything about it.
We, the American people, are going to be there. We need to be able to do something about it. And we need to be able to recognize the difference between a bottle of water and the PETN that this kid exploded in his pants - or at least be able to put it out, take him down and land the plane safely.
(Time Magazine article in the link above on What We Can Learn from Flight 253)
But instead how about training all passengers on self-defense?
Let's forget forboding, irritating security at all airports worldwide that is obtrusive, annoying and evidently not working. Forget massive amounts of troops overseas for years on end that seem to result in Al-Quaida moving training camps to more fertile breeding grounds (read Yemen.)
Let's put our effort toward training every day Americans on thwarting threats. Rather than relying on ill-trained TSA guards or putting our faith in drones flown out of Nevada, how about we each take a little piece of responsibility in our own protection?
So here's my idea: a two-day "Get the Terrorist" program. Teach regular Americans how to identify suspicious activity, radicalism, fundamentalism and how to report it. Volunteers of course. This should also teach the difference between a regular Joe and fanatic. Obviously this isn't easy. But if you notice someone who checks no bags, pays with cash, wears a skull cap and shouts "Allahu AkBar" as he boards your plane, I might reconsider my trip to Aunt Bessie's and call my local FBI agent.
Of course, if all of this gets missed and you end up on the plane or bus or train or some very crowded public place that could cause mass casualties with a person like this, then the program should teach you how to take this person out. Just like Alain Ghonda and Jasper Schuringa had the nerve to do. Just like the Flight 93 passengers had the nerve to do. When it comes to terrorism on American soil, our military is not going to be there to do anything about it.
We, the American people, are going to be there. We need to be able to do something about it. And we need to be able to recognize the difference between a bottle of water and the PETN that this kid exploded in his pants - or at least be able to put it out, take him down and land the plane safely.
(Time Magazine article in the link above on What We Can Learn from Flight 253)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Blind Side - An SEC girl loved it!
For a Bama girl, The Blind Side is a must-see movie! Even if you’re aren’t a hotty-toddy from Ole Miss, this is a Southeastern Conference football lovers must see. And the cameos by Nick Saban, Phil Fulmer, Lou Holtz, Tommy Tuberville and Houston Nutt are just the tip of the iceberg.
Leigh Anne Tuohy is the loud mouthed, tell-it-like-it-is typical NRA-card carrying girl from Mississippi and Sandy Bullock plays the role to perfection. My favorite scene is when the family goes to one of 'Big Mike's' first games and he is heckled repeatedly by one of the rednecks in the stands; Leigh Anne stands up and says, "Hey! Deliverance. That is my son and if you don't knock it off, I'm gonna come up there and make you." or something like that. But she is brash and so bold as to walk in the ghetto and tell off drug dealers who you know are packing that you just have to love her. She absolutely steals the show.
It will have you hate the NCAA just as the Bear did when he said if one of his boys needs shoes, he'll give 'em shoes and damn the NCAA. And it will have you cry in the end when Mike goes to the Baltimore Ravens in the 23rd round of the 2009 NFL draft.
I hate the line a 2 thumbs up but it sure was for me. Tim McGraw is a hoot as Leigh Anne's college sweetheart husband who apparently hit it big buying up franchises in Memphis. And Kathy Bates scores as Mike's tutor from Ole Miss who tells ghost stories about Tennessee...just in case he thought about playing ball at that god forsaken place. A definite touchdown and two point conversion!
Leigh Anne Tuohy is the loud mouthed, tell-it-like-it-is typical NRA-card carrying girl from Mississippi and Sandy Bullock plays the role to perfection. My favorite scene is when the family goes to one of 'Big Mike's' first games and he is heckled repeatedly by one of the rednecks in the stands; Leigh Anne stands up and says, "Hey! Deliverance. That is my son and if you don't knock it off, I'm gonna come up there and make you." or something like that. But she is brash and so bold as to walk in the ghetto and tell off drug dealers who you know are packing that you just have to love her. She absolutely steals the show.
It will have you hate the NCAA just as the Bear did when he said if one of his boys needs shoes, he'll give 'em shoes and damn the NCAA. And it will have you cry in the end when Mike goes to the Baltimore Ravens in the 23rd round of the 2009 NFL draft.
I hate the line a 2 thumbs up but it sure was for me. Tim McGraw is a hoot as Leigh Anne's college sweetheart husband who apparently hit it big buying up franchises in Memphis. And Kathy Bates scores as Mike's tutor from Ole Miss who tells ghost stories about Tennessee...just in case he thought about playing ball at that god forsaken place. A definite touchdown and two point conversion!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Hijacking Christmas
So I read another magazine article about hijacking Christmas and apparently this is not a 21st century phenom. It's been going on for quite some time. In the 20s, the Jews were blamed. In the 40s, it was the Commies. In the 60s, it was the ACLU liberal bastards. Now it's the PC socialists.
I was at a commander's call when the lieutenant who was "voluntold" to run the "Holiday" Party got up to give us all the schpiel on what to expect. He told us it was the "Pick your Holiday" party. That about sums it up.
Kwanza - don't know what that is.
Hannukah - a holiday that my Jewish friend forgot was going on two years ago when we had to work on Christmas day.
Yule - my Wiccan friend celebrates while surfing out in San Diego.
And Christmas - still celebrated with a Nativity scene on the courthouse steps in my hometown.
Hijacked or not. I'll continue to go to Midnight Mass and send out Christmas cards and say Merry Christmas and put up my Christmas tree and have Christmas Parties. I've decided that it's worked for 2000 years and people don't seem to be offended when I give them a Christmas gift. If they are, then that sort of defeats the purpose of the season regardless of what you call it.
So, sit on your PC crap and Merry Christmas!
I was at a commander's call when the lieutenant who was "voluntold" to run the "Holiday" Party got up to give us all the schpiel on what to expect. He told us it was the "Pick your Holiday" party. That about sums it up.
Kwanza - don't know what that is.
Hannukah - a holiday that my Jewish friend forgot was going on two years ago when we had to work on Christmas day.
Yule - my Wiccan friend celebrates while surfing out in San Diego.
And Christmas - still celebrated with a Nativity scene on the courthouse steps in my hometown.
Hijacked or not. I'll continue to go to Midnight Mass and send out Christmas cards and say Merry Christmas and put up my Christmas tree and have Christmas Parties. I've decided that it's worked for 2000 years and people don't seem to be offended when I give them a Christmas gift. If they are, then that sort of defeats the purpose of the season regardless of what you call it.
So, sit on your PC crap and Merry Christmas!
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