Book Review: The New Rules of Marketing & PR

David Meerman Scott was one of the first names I came across when I started this whole social media adventure.

At the time I was writing white papers and press releases for the launch of a new web site. This was something I had never done before, and I found the whole experience rather boring....

Social Action Networks Defined

One of the more significant trends in online politics and public affairs over the last few years has been the rise of Social Action Networks.

A Social Action Network is an online community that allows members to connect and organize around shared political passions.  If visiting a social network like Facebook is like walking into a bar,...

Red Cross Utilizes Text Messaging for Aid After Haiti Quake

In response to Tuesday morning’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti, the American Red Cross has been reaching out across social networks to urge aid donations.

Supporters can donate using their online form or text HAITI to 90999. Text messages will donate $10 to the relief effort. Charges will be made to the user’s cell phone bill....

Ranking the Twitter IQ of Newspapers

In our newspaper study, released earlier today, we developed a formula we call the Twitter Interactivity Quotient (or Twitter IQ for short) as a way of measuring how newspapers were using their accounts.   If tweeting, which consists of original tweets, responses to tweets, and retweeting others’ tweets, is viewed as a conversation,...

The Use of Twitter by America’s Newspapers

Twitter was seemingly everywhere in 2009, with sports stars, celebrities, politicians and journalists using the micro blogging platform to promote everything from themselves to their employers to the issues they advocate for.    After several years of assessing the general online presence of the top 100 U.S. newspapers, this year we decided to produce a study specifically about how newspapers and journalists are utilizing Twitter as a way of promoting their content and interacting with readers....