It’s A Whole New World

Yesterday I attended the Speed Networking event at MSU. Speed Networking is like speed dating, but your meeting and networking with professionals. I got to meet professionals from the fields of advertising, public relations, communication, and marketing. An overall advice from some of the professionals I met was that getting involved with digital media is important. Aspects of the traditional world is becoming intertwined with the new media world. It’s becoming faster to share the news, videos and pictures around the world. Individuals don’t have to wait to check their e-mail on their computers; they can receive it at a touch of a button on their phone or mp3 player (for those who have Wi-Fi capabilities on their players). You don’t have to be face-to-face to connect with another person. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking Web sites make it to where you can network with other professionals, potential clients or with someone of similar interests and hobbies. In essence, it is becoming vital to become a part of this new world.

There are some who are already transition into this new world. There are those who know about it but are hesitant to joint and then there are those who are either confused or don’t know anything about it, and it’s nothing to be ashamed about or viewed as a negative thing. Regardless of where your level of expertise on new media is, you may still have some things to learn about this world.

In my second post, I talked about a class that I was taking this semester called New Media Drivers License, which is being taught by Derek Mehraban. I am having a lot of fun in this class! I am also learning new things about new media that I didn’t know before. Taking this class will not only help me make a presence in the new media world but also become marketable to companies that I apply to for a job. This class has helped me with both. 

If you are trying to find your online voice, a professional who is trying to learn new public relations tactics, or just want to learn the basics, ADV 492 – New Media Drivers License is a class you need to take. So, if you’re in the state of Michigan and have two Saturdays to give up, then you should enroll. You will not be disappointed. To learn more about the class and see some of the assignments, go to the website and check it out. Also, go to the Facebook group, New Media Drivers License. 

If you’re already set and going to enroll for next semester, check out chrisg.com, a website that talks about the basics of new media.

Do You Want To Be On Top? Learn SEO

I recently Googled myself to see what will come up in the search. And I must say, I am impress. The first thing that showed up is my LinkedIn profile. How did I accomplish that? By planning and using specific keywords, relevant content and designs, it will allow my blogs, profile pages, published content and any other online marketing that I am creating to drive traffic to these Web sites. 

Let me explain. Search engine optimization or SEO is a way to reach your audience by providing great content and have a way to cater to their needs. Your publish content on the Internet must be “search engine friendly.” In his book, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” David Meerman Scott gives this definition of SEO: “Search engine optimization is the art and science of ensuring that the words and phrases on your site, blog, and other on-line content are found by the search engines and that, once found, your site is given the highest ranking possible in the natural search results.” Sounds easy, right? Believe me, you can get to the top on search engine sites.

Mediacollege.com explains how to use your keywords effectively on your page, blog, and profile to get the highest ranking possible. Here are a few things they noted in their article:

 

• Page Titles should use be short and describe the content accurately. Using keywords can be used also
• Search engines place an emphasis text and descriptions that are in heading tags (h1, h2, h3…). Use the list of keywords you have in these tags
• Make sure to have common words and text that your expected audience will search for on sites like Google and Yahoo!

 

Other ways to get to the top is by joining sites like Digg and del.icio.us and bookmarking the links to your pages on these websites. Use keywords from your pages for your tag words.

If you have Firefox, download the Google Toolbar. There is an Page Rank application to check the ranking of any page on the scale from 1-10. When I checked the ranking of my LinkedIn page it was 5/10.

Check out this site, The Digital Bus, for the basic on SEO. For more information, check out Google’s SEO Starter Guide and SEO Basics. 

Use these basics and check out recommended Web sites. Follow these tips and you too can get to the top of the rankings. 

Till Next Time.

Can They Come Back?

In the past couple of weeks, celebrities have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. With A-Rod dealing with his confession to using steroids years ago, Michael Phelps getting caught getting high and Chris Brown dealing with legal issues for his altercation with “ex” girlfriend Rihanna, you can’t help but to wonder whether if their images and careers can be saved.

A-Rod and Phelps admitted their mistakes and made their apologizes. However, can their careers over come this hiccup and continue being prominent sports figures? 

While A-Rod and Phelps speak out about their mistake, Brown has yet to speak to the media or even an apology to his fans or Rihanna. But there has been some rumors that he has been using Facebook to express feelings and comments through his statuses. If this is true, why would Chris Brown make his statements through Facebook and not through the media to the general public? Shouldn’t his PR people advice him against making comments on his “private” profile page? 

With new media having a influence right now, it may be a little difficult to begin damage control. Everyone is expressing their opinions, creating their own stories of what happen or starting negative websites. Pictures like these have been circulating around the web. Will this cause a slower stride back to the top?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a crisis, the number one rule is to own up to your mistake and apologize. Lying and keeping quiet will only make things worse.

Before commenting, please read this article from E! http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b99660_chris_browns_career_totally_doomed.html

Find Me Online – Social Networking

 

Lisa Atufunwa's Facebook

Social networking has become a very popular the past couple of years. I first began using social networking sites when I signed up for an account on BlackPlanet.com when I was in the 7th grade. During that time, it was more about meeting new people and keeping in touch with friends. On my Blackplanet profile page, I added pictures of my favorite music artists, talked about my interests, and gave personal shoutouts to my closest friends. Then, my interests on social networking sites were to meet new people with common interests, like music, movies, and sports.

 

Today, I continue creating profiles on social networking sites, but my interests on these sites have changed from when I was in middle school. I use sites like Facebook or Myspace to network with those who are in the entertainment, sports, and public relations/advertising industries. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are becoming more a way to connect with professionals, whether it is to network to build your list of clients or to connect with someone who can help you with finding a job. I currently “tweet” about the opportunities I have with PRSSA, school, work, and my quest to finding a entry-level position in public relations. I also use LinkedIn as a way to connect with more professionals who may not have a Facebook or Twitter account. In addition, it can serve as a mini online resume. 

If you have a Twitter account, you can follow me @lisaatufunwa. To see some of my experiences, view my LinkedIn page. And you can always Facebook me (when you are adding me, add the one with just “Lisa Atufunwa.” The other Lisa is my cousin’s wife). I am open to meeting new people. I believe that everyone is here to teach you something or help you out. So, don’t hesitate to find me online. Can’t wait to connect with you.

Lisa Atufunwa's Twitter Page

 

 

Till next time.

Google Adwords

Google never cease to amaze me. I remember when it was just a search engine that we used for research in middle school. I remember my teacher telling us to go to Google, and the first thing in my head was “What the hell is Google?” All I knew was either MSN, Yahoo, and Lycos (you remember Lycos?) Fast forward ten plus years later and Google is the top leader in the internet world. I can go on and on about the things Google has to offer to those who are following the new media movement, but I already went into detail about that in my last post on Google Earth. 

So I am going to move onto what I wanted to talk about, Google Adwords. Adwords is Google’s primary source of revenue. It is a pay-per-click advertising campaign that is triggered by keywords that are associated with the ad (in this case a banner that will show up on the side of the screen). So, if a person searched a word, say for example  ”Playhouse,” Google or Web sites affiliated with Google will have advertisements that will show up underneath the “Sponsored Links” column. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the experience of creating my own Adwords banner and have specific keywords that are associated with my blog. I must say the process was not difficult at all. When I first thought of creating a Adwords banner, I thought the process would take a very long time and will give me some sort of a minor headache. But, I was wrong. I set my budget to $10.00/month. The HIGHLY suggest against creating a budget below $50.oo. But, I was doing this for fun, so my budget did not matter as of now. I have chosen 14 keywords that will trigger for my ad banner to show up.  Here is a list of keywords I have chosen to advertise my blog page: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally here is my ad banner:

Ad Banner

 

 

 

 

 

 

I must say that this is a different avenue to do advertising. However, you have to know what keywords will help your campaign get awareness. In addition, you must have a budget that can help your ad get pushed to the top of the “Sponsored Links” column and have an increase number of clicks on the ad. I have learned a lot more about this form of advertising and hope to continue learn more. Not bad for my first Adwords campaign!

Till next time.