Pinterest and the college student

As someone who loves taking and looking at photographs, Pinterest is a great website that can be used to sort out ideas and discover new things. 


According to Mashable.com, "Pinterest is a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these images become known as Pins, which the user can place on customized, themed Boards. You can create Boards for any topic imaginable, from cats to classic cars to cats driving classic cars. The possibilities are endless."


This can be a helpful tool for college students working on projects who need to put there ideas together in one place. It could also spark a new interest in various career paths. 


When I hit a writing block or can't get my creativity flowing, looking at random photographs can be inspiring. 


Pinterest allows you to "pin" photos you take yourself or find on the web. However, you need to be invited to use Pinterest or be put on a waiting list. 


Only real-world application will help me decide if Pinterest is just another social network to waste time on or if I can use it to my advantage. 

Social Media Opportunities

According to a Ragan Communications article, 42 percent of U.S. companies are in social media infancy. 


The biggest problem for the companies? They create accounts on popular social networking websites without a strategy for how they are going to use and maintain the accounts. 


The study, conducted by InSites Consulting, studied 400 marketers total; 200 from Britain and 200 from the U.S. 


Here are some conclusions from the study: 
• 42 percent of American companies are still in their infancy when integrating social media in their company. 
• 16 percent of American companies have fully integrated the new media.
• 66 percent of the companies have a Facebook page, 51 percent a Twitter account, and 44 percent a company LinkedIn page
• Companies from the financial and health industry are lagging behind, while tech and telecommunications and the media sector are ahead
• The main barrier to change is the unclear financial return. This survey shows there is a positive correlation between the extent of social media integration and the financial results. 


This could potentially benefit new communicators in the job market. 


If you can make yourself a valuable consultant when it comes to strategizing social media efforts, you may be able to pick your next job opportunity. 


So start researching!  

Internship Sources

There are numerous online sources that can help students find an internship. The most important ones are the ones that facilitate networking.  


Networking is always a good starting point when looking for an internship. Sources like LinkedIn and LunchMeet can aide you in networking. 


LinkedIn lets you browse profiles of various professionals, students and companies and connect with them. You can also view job postings and join groups. 


LunchMeet takes LinkedIn a step further. Using your LinkedIn account, you can log in to LunchMeet and let people know when you are available to meet and invite others for coffee or lunch. This might help a student secure a meeting with someone working for a company they want to intern with. Requesting the meeting, even if they say no, shows you are a self-starter and know how to utilize social media to your advantage. 


Internships.com offers a search tool which can be helpful, depending on where you live. The site also offers advice, assistance on creating a resume and stories from interns. 


Networking in an important part of any job, whether you are searching for a job or already have one. Take advantage of all of the professional online networking sources! 

College and Cell Phones

After reading an article on Mashable about how cell phones have changed the college experience, I began to examine my own experiences. 


When I started college I was in the Air Force living in Turkey. No one there had a cell phone unless it was for work. The same was true in Germany for the most part. Of course, no one had iPads or the internet on their phones either. The classes seemed more focused. Was it because no one was distracted by their phones or have smartphones in general made us all more scatterbrained, even when we aren't using them? Are we all turning into the people from those Bing commercials?


It wasn't until I started college in the US in 2010 that I began to notice people using their phones in class. Personally I think it is rude, especially when students try to be sneaky about it. I then fall victim to distraction, stop listening and keep looking over thinking "are they really on their phone?" I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the Words with Friends screen is pretty unmistakable. The majority of cell phone use in class is not beneficial.


But can they help it? The article states that 60% of all students have tech addiction. That's not surprising when 75% of students say their phone never leaves their side. 93% of students say their phones make their lives easier, which is probably true. However, when are we going to cross that line when our tech addiction starts to make our lives harder? 

Facebook vs LinkedIn

Most job seekers put their best foot forward on LinkedIn, but what about Facebook? It would be naive to think that potential employers are only going to look at your LinkedIn page.


According to Mashable, the online recruiting research lab Potentialpark found that "While employers continue to use professional networking site LinkedIn for recruiting, especially when hand-picking for executive positions, they prefer interacting with students and graduates via Facebook rather than LinkedIn."


When Potentialpark asked HR professionals why they preferred Facebook for recruitment, this is what they had to say,

• "1. It’s more engaging. With Facebook, employers can follow a “let them come to us” strategy by setting up a business page for recruitment and career purposes. Recruiters noted that the interesting content on pages leads to comments, discussions and more personal interactions. With LinkedIn, the communication is very much one-way in the recruiting world, as employers proactively search for candidates and message them.
• 2. Facebook is where the action is. Recruiters perceive that few students and recent graduates actively update their LinkedIn profiles, whereas they are quite active on Facebook. Therefore, it just makes sense to connect with them where they already hang out online.
• 3. It’s free. Employers like that Facebook enables them to upload advanced recruitment content, such as testimonials, videos, pictures or a job search — and it’s all free of charge. This broad range of tools enables a company to showcase itself as an attractive employer.
• 4. It’s a bigger network. Facebook offers a larger audience, with more than 800 million active users worldwide, compared with LinkedIn’s user base of around 120 million members.
• 5. It’s more open. Facebook is free for all members and requires no premium accounts to use certain features. As a result, it’s a more open network than LinkedIn.
• 6. The Like button. When it comes to career website integration, Facebook takes the cake — Facebook feeds and the Like button are easier to integrate.
• 7. It’s better for branding. Recruiters report they tend toward LinkedIn and other business networks for networking, screening and recruiting. However, when it comes to employer branding activities and talent communication — especially with students, graduates and early career professionals — many prefer Facebook."

Many people are concerned with privacy on Facebook. A lot of personal information can be gathered from one's Facebook page, so many people have their profiles set to private. This raises the question, could setting your page to private hurt you when recruiters go searching?


The answer could vary depending on the type of company you are applying to. In the end, it's a personal judgement call.

Job Search: Infographic CVs and Video Resumes

Two trends to hit the job hunt are video resumes and infographic curriculum vitaes (CV). What is the difference between a traditional resume and a CV?


According to About.com, "The primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are the length, what is included and what each is used for. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. While a resume is brief and concise - no more than a page or two, a Curriculum Vitae is a longer (at least two pages) and more detailed synopsis."


An infographic CV takes it one step further, using charts, graphs and other graphics to display information.


An excellent example of an infographic CV is one created by Gareth Case. He has received excellent feedback on the project. According to Gareth, "The majority of us are visual creatures, turned on more by the eye, than the depth of detail. To that end, my CV has attracted some lovely comments and in less than a month, 954 downloads. Would my standard CV have received the same level of interest? No chance. So I am embarking on a new journey, to turn our ‘detaily’ product collateral into slick, one page infographics that convey the essence of our key message in a few seconds, rather than a few minutes."


The blog, Cool Infographics, features a great post examining 16 different infographic resumes.


Video resumes are also a creative way to show who you are to a potential employer.


If done right, a video resume can help you market yourself to potential employers. About.com features some tips on how to have success in create a video resume.


You can find numerous professional video resumes on YouTube. One example is Shelly.


One of the characters, Barney, on the show "How I Met Your Mother" poked fun at the trend, possibly showing job candidates how not to make a video resume.


Although infographic CVs and video resumes may not replace the traditional resume, both of these resume styles are sure to make anyone stand out as a job candidate!

Netflix's PR Nightmare

As far as I am concerned Netflix has ruined their relationship with me as a customer. They did this by charging me for both streaming DVD and mailed DVD services separately, doubling what I was paying before.


First of all I felt blindsided after receiving very little notice that this price increase was coming. Second, it came across as greedy on their part.


The DVDs they offer on the streaming portion are old, not new releases. In a good month, where I have some free time, the maximum DVDs I would be able to receive by mail is five with the one DVD at a time service. Even then there is usually a wait for the new releases.


Why would I pay for both services when I can just go to the Red Box and pay $1 for a movie I know I will have time to watch?


The Netflix company's solution? Re-name the DVD mail portion to Qwikster, apologize and hope for the best. They have already lost over 1 million customers and there stock has dropped significantly. Personally, I don't see this helping their image.


Their actions seem impulsive and rash. I think they need to re-think how to fix the relationships with those 1 million customers they lost, not re-brand themselves.

Social Media and the Job Hunt

As I enter my last year of college, I have inevitably started gearing up for the job hunt. Reading various articles on what and what not to do, I have begun to sense a common theme among what employers are at.

A recent article on Mashable offers 5 tips for managing your social media when looking for a job. The tips include keeping it clean, showing some personality, using various platforms, and connecting with the companies that you want to work for.

I think new job candidates often undervalue the use of social media. Following the company you want to work for and connecting before an interview can make you stand out as well as determine if the company is in fact the type of company you want to work for.

Exploring new social media platforms is also a good tip. Don't limit yourself to Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn, Tumblr and other blog sites are a great way to communicate within an industry.

I feel like it is said a lot, but keeping it clean is very important! Profanity does not get your point across more effectively. Does everyone really need to see the pictures from your friends bachelorette party or you doing shots at the club? Probably not.

While these tips are not anything new, I feel they have been repeated because people are still not getting the hint. Definitely worth taking into consideration whether you are looking for a job or want to keep your current one.

New Look

My blog started out last semester as a project for my Internet PR class. The main focus was the fashion industry using the internet for PR campaigns. 


As I enter my senior year of college as a PR student, I decided to keep my blog going, but in a new direction. The focus will be examining social media and PR from the view of a new professional.

Burberry Reaps Benefits of Facebook Collaboration

Last year Time magazine listed the British brand Burberry as the number one fashion house on Facebook with 1,509,167 fans. As of today, that number has reached over 4,651,907. This strong following is most likely a result of Burberry’s 2009 collaboration with Facebook.

According to Reuters, Luxury goods group Burberry has hooked up with social networking company Facebook to launch a Web site celebrating its trench coat, becoming the latest retailer to use social media in a bid to boost its brand. The Web site, artofthetrench.com, will allow members connected via Facebook to submit images and stories about Burberry trench coats and share them with one other. First designed by Burberry founder Thomas Burberry for British army offices in 1914, the trench coat is still one of the company's top-selling garments.

Burberry also uses their Facebook page to showcase everyday people using their products as well as promote up-and-coming Indie bands.

According to Time magazine, “It's style with substance: those efforts are helping the firm court hip young things who will grow into tomorrow's luxury consumers.”

Burberry is now reaping the benefits of using Facebook in order to reach a new demographic of consumers. They continue to do a great job connecting to consumers using various social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. They are a great example of how even the biggest companies can connect to loyal customers and engage in one-on-one conversations.

Derek Lam's eBay Collection

Derek Lam had a special treat this Spring for his eBay devotees. The designer created a sixteen dress collection for fans to vote on, as many times as they want, on his eBay site. The top five pieces were announced March 1st and will be available for purchase in May.

The inspiration for the project? The designer’s greatest hits.

"I went back to my archive and said what seems to keep popping up?" Lam told StyleList. "There was a T-shirtdress, the peplum, a bohemian look... It was really a spontaneous project. There was no market research."

And the designer's favorite? "If I had to choose, I love the dramatic long gowns."

Lam recognized his avid eBay followers and marketed a project directly to them. The audience generated feedback is a great way for shoppers to get excited about the new line. Letting fans vote also worked in Lam’s favor by building media hype around the new line. Not only will potential customers view the line to place their vote, but they will also return to his eBay store to view the winners and possibly return again in May to purchase the dress they voted for.

I think this project is an excellent way to build great public relations. The project helped Lam build a mutual relationship with his customers. He not only recognized his loyal customers, but also let them participate in choosing the pieces for his new line.

The project is a fun, fresh and clever way to engage customers and build interest in new products.

DKNY Utilizes Streaming Technology

Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and blogs have all successfully been used by fashion designers to communicate with consumers, but some designers are looking for the next big thing.

According to Mashable, DKNY, Donna Karan’s bridge collection, partnered with BigLive, a new streaming/chat room technology, to bring viewers a preview of the spring collection that would be debuting in stores shortly. Certain items featured in the live fashioncast were already available on dkny.com for purchase during the show. Just over 1,200 viewers actively participated in the DKNY fashioncast hosted by DKNY’s Twitter persona, DKNY PR Girl.

With the endless possibilities of social media and the competitive world of fashion, I think DKNY is proving to be a top competitor by exploring new technology. It was also ingenious to offer some of the pieces for purchase during the show, as well as building hype over pieces coming soon.

Having the even hosted by their Twitter persona was also a clever idea. If viewers were not already avid Twitter users and DKNY followers before the fashioncast, the likelihood of them being so afterward would be increased after building a relationship with the DKNY PR Girl.

In an interview, Mashable asked DKNY, “BigLive is a relatively new technology, why did you choose to use it?”

BigLive was a way for DKNY to connect with a range of customers across its different brands. By using social media tools, they were able to speak in a way that made the most sense for their clientele, said Patti Cohen, EVP of global marketing and communications for Donna Karan International. Thrilled with the results, Cohen said they’d be looking for more ways to use BigLive and reach out through digital tools.

DKNY won’t be the only ones looking for more ways to use BigLive in the future. I think Fashioncasts will be utilized on runways worldwide in the near future.

Fashion Week via Twitter

It’s no surprise with fashion’s use of social media that New York Fashion Week would take over Twitter.   According to social media measurement platform Trendrr, which produced the infographs below, more than 165,000 tweets pertaining to Fashion Week were posted between Thursday, September 9 and Thursday, September 16. Friday, September 10 was the biggest day at 34,000 tweets; hashtag #nyfw also became a trending topic on Twitter that day. Of the tweets delivered during that period, 70% came from female users, 50% were positive and 17% were negative in sentiment.

Twitter is a great way to increase coverage and followers for designers. The key to being successful, as with other social media platforms is to be active! Encouraging customers who can’t attend Fashion Week to still actively participate can generate substantially more positive reviews.

The conversation generated a number of benefits for brands who were active during the week, most of which received a healthy increase in followers. Diane von Furstenberg led the way with an increase of 3,000 followers, whose show garnered positive reviews both in print and online. Betsey Johnson and Michael Kors both netted around 2,000 additional followers, the latter of whom received positive feedback in 65% of the tweets posted during and after the show.

I would consider myself an average consumer when it comes to fashion products, far from a “fashion elite.” So, why should designers care if I can follow their fashion week shows with live updates? Not only does letting everyone participate generate positivity around designers, but it also leads consumers like me to buy fashion magazines featuring their clothes and shop at stores carrying their products. I may not be buying designs “off the runway,” but I can afford shopping their department store lines.

Social Media and Fashion Week

Social media has transformed fashion week into an event for all to watch, not just the elite. With live blog, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook updates during shows, those at home can keep up with events with a just as close, if not better, view of the action.

It all started in 2005 and 2006 when bloggers began to give same-day photos and updates from the shows. While top fashion websites and magazines were taking 24 to 48 hours to update on runway shows, fashion bloggers were dominating the search engines.

One of those early pioneers, Julie Fredrickson, co-founder of fashion blogging network Coutorture (acquired by Sugar Inc. in 2007) and now manager of social and digital marketing at Ann Taylor, says that back then brands had little idea of who fashion bloggers were, but were “willing to roll with you so long as you were related to some sort of tenuous publication.”

Since then the use of social media has grown tremendously. This year, more than 20 labels, including Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta, hosted live streams on their websites, often accompanied by widgets that allowed viewers to comment on the looks on Facebook, Twitter or on-site with each other in real time.

From live streaming and crowd sourced coverage, to debuting and selling collections immediately online, Fashion Week is shifting from an event for media and buyers to a spectacle for consumers.

I think the instant access to fashion, like all things, can be a good thing and a bad thing. If there are any mishaps during the shows, designers will have no time to do any preliminary damage control. On the other hand, all of the backstage access will give viewers a better understanding of the chaos behind the scenes and the hard work that goes into each runway show.

Social media also forces designers to build a relationship with the media's top players as well as the up-and-coming. There is no telling which story, video, or tweet could go viral, so it is important for designers to be on good terms with all media outlets.

The use of social media is a great way to broaden the once closed circle of the fashion-elite. It also gives a chance for anyone who is passionate about fashion instant and unedited access to the excitement and chaos that is fashion week.

Designers Utilizing Bloggers

Designers and retail chains are teaming up with fashion bloggers to promote their products. Not only is this great for the bloggers who are extremely passionate about fashion, but also for the brands themselves.

One of the biggest fashion communities is on the blogging site Tumblr. According to Mashable,”The blogging platform recently hired Rich Tong, the founder of social fashion site Weardrobe (acquired by Google in mid-2010), to serve as fashion director. His first big project? Sending more than 20 bloggers to New York Fashion Week next month. Eight bloggers are already stationed in New York; the rest will be flown in for the nine-day series of shows and parties, which run from February 9 to 17. Tumblr is fronting the costs for all participants, including flights, hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, etc., and handling all of the invites to fashion shows.”

Tumblr’s goal?  “More than anything, this is just to build awareness around the fashion community on Tumblr because it’s one of those communities that we [at Tumblr] have noticed but not everyone in the [fashion] industry has,” he explained.

This will give bloggers a chance to showcase their work and prove their credibility as legitimate reporters. Tumblr’s initiative is also a great way to raise the designers’ awareness on the benefits of inviting bloggers to their shows.

By creating a blog, fashion designers can also showcase their work in a more interactive format. Not only can users comment with their thoughts and opinions but the designers can instantly upload photos and videos, giving fans a sneak peak at their latest products and designs.

Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, and Ann Taylor have already established a presence in the blogging world. “We wanted to be blogging because we knew it was relevant; that’s what smart, stylish woman do these days: they blog or read blogs,” Julie Fredrickson, Ann Taylor’s digital marketing manager, says of the latter project. “We wanted to get our voice out there in a way that wasn’t contrived, that was as natural and beautiful as we are as a brand. Tumblr has been good for telling the holistic story of who Ann Taylor is,” she says.

According to Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp, approximately 180 of the top 1,000 Tumblr blogs are fashion-related. And fashion-related Tumblr posts are re-blogged on a much greater scale than general Tumblr posts, Tumblr Fashion Director Rich Tong says, suggesting that “there’s a huge capacity for fashion content to go viral on Tumblr.”

Using blogs to highlight fashion merchandise and trends is a step in the right direction. People interested in fashion look to the internet for the latest tips and advice, rather than waiting for a monthly magazine to hit newsstands. By providing an instant look at what’s new and “hot,” designers can get ahead of the competition by building a reputation as a trendsetter.   

The Foursquare shopping experience

Major brands including Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, and Cynthia Rowley have all engaged their customers by utilizing location-based applications like Foursquare to build buzz around new merchandise.


Marc Jacobs first used the application to give shoppers badges when checking into one of his stores. Four of those users were then given tickets to his prestigious NY Fashion Week show. Marc Jacobs is also using social media to reach his customers by streaming his runway show online. The Fashion Week collaboration gave both Marc Jacobs and Foursquare “word of mouth marketing.”


Jimmy Choo launched a Catch-a-Choo campaign, giving the first customers to check in at certain locations in London a free pair of his new sneakers. Over 250 blogs covered the Catch-a-choo campaign and sneaker sales rose 33%. The campaign was also mentioned more than 4,000 times on Twitter.


Cynthia Rowley collaborated with Foursquare when she launched her new line of bridesmaid dresses on June 3rd. Users who checked in to her Bleecker St. location in NYC were awarded a $25 gift certificate and 15% off bridal goods at dessy.com. Similar events took place in her other store locations over the summer.


I think the biggest downfall for companies would be to start using location applications to promote a new line or event and fail to offer any future incentives after a successful launch. I would have to know for sure there is a chance of some reward or coupon in order for me to take out my phone and check in to a location. If consumers help companies successfully launch a line by taking the time to check in, they should be rewarded too.


Using location-based applications can be a great tool for retailers to enhance shopper experience, product referrals, and improve customer loyalty. The incentive of receiving discounts and rewards is a great push for consumers to get to the stores and start shopping!