Earlier this month, I read a blog about headphones in the office. As a PR agency, we have a no headphone policy, because really if you have headphones in your ears, chances are you aren’t picking up the phone. That seems obvious.  But as we’ve grown, we have writers and creative designers in the office and their work lends itself to getting lost in music or drowning out chatter to increase those creative juices.

But the article revealed a few things that got me thinking.  Maybe those headphones are just as bad for the creative people as they are for us, just in a different way. And what about the gchat sessions that everyone has up, yes a few may be with co-workers, but how many are with friends or family. What do those do for our productivity level? That could be an entirely different blog post!

So here are my questions, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

If you are wearing headphones or g-chatting with your BFF…..

Are you missing out on opportunities to contribute and advance? The best ideas often come from impromptu group conversations, not scheduled meetings.

Are you isolating yourself in such a way that you aren’t building personal relationships with co-workers?

What does it say about your office culture if you can’t walk up to someone’s desk without the feeling that you are interrupting something super important?

Obviously, there are pros and cons to headphones and technology advances such as gchat, and the pros may outweigh the cons,  but every office must decide on a balance that fits its situation and culture. What are your thoughts? Do you wear headphones? If so, would love to hear from you!

By, Heather Graham

Tumblr Plans to Cash In. Will 53 Million Bloggers Agree?
http://www.thedailybeast.com//content/newsweek/2012/04/29/tumblr-plans-to-cash-in-will-53-million-bloggers-agree.html

Tumblr, the five-year-old blogging and social-networking site, plans to let a small number of advertisers purchase new ads on its dashboard and directory pages, which highlight content categories and various blogs. The company’s 25-year-old CEO, David Karp, said advertising content will be a slow build and that the user interface will remain the way its 110 million monthly visitors love. Tumblr has spent the last year studying how companies use the site, and has hand-selected the first ones to make use of the new service. Tumblr wants to provide a good platform for marketing without marring its existing aesthetically pleasing and user friendly design.

Suggested Tweet: @tumblr launches new advertisement platform with slow build to keep same feel that 110 million monthly viewers love http://bit.ly/Ii1NGx

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Demystifying Social Media
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Marketing/Digital_Marketing/Demystifying_social_media_2958
As the marketing power of social media grows, it no longer makes sense to treat it as an experiment. Here’s how senior leaders can harness social media to shape consumer decision making in predictable ways. This article breaks down social media’s four main functions – to monitor, respond, amplify, and lead consumer behavior – and links them to consumers purchasing decisions.
Suggested Tweet: #SocialMedia has the ability to monitor, respond, amplify, and lead consumer behavior. Use this strategically. http://bit.ly/HWfwpQ

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Facebook Urges Members to Add Organ Donor Status to Profiles
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/technology/facebook-urges-members-to-add-organ-donor-status.html?_r=1

Facebook announced a plan Tuesday morning to encourage its 161 million members in the United States to add their organ donor status to their profiles, along with their birth dates, schools, and other personal information. This initiative aims to decrease the statistic that shows nearly 7,000 people in the US die each year while waiting for an organ transplant. Facebook hopes this movement will nudge more people to register as organ donors.
Suggested Tweet: #Facebook urges members to add organ donor status to profiles to reduce deaths from lack of avail organ transplants http://nyti.ms/ISW6zN

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Leaked images of upcoming Facebook Messenger for iPad

http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/facebook-messenger-for-ipad/

A series of screenshots from the yet-to-be-released application – which is essentially just an enlarged version of the iPhone app – hit the web, in an article originally published by 9to5Mac . As you can see in the gallery of images, nothing in the iPad application appears to be radically different: like the iPhone app, Facebook Messenger for iPad will offer one-to-one messaging, group chats, support for push notifications and more. According to 9to5Mac’s source, this is an early beta version of the application – meaning we potentially have a while to wait before Facebook releases the application in the App Store.

Suggested Tweet: RT @mashsocialmedia Leaked: Pics of Upcoming #Facebook Messenger for iPad – http://on.mash.to/ITtUuU   via @appadvice

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Global social media revenue to reach $14.9bn in 2012, with substantial growth forecasted through 2020

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/8026b0/social_networks_strategy_and_outlook_global

Global Social Media revenue has reached $10.3Bn in 2011, a 41.4 per cent increase from 2010 revenue of $7.3bn. Worldwide Social Media revenue is forecast for consistent growth with 2012 revenue totaling $14.9Bn, and the market is projected to reach $29.1Bn in 2014, $58.1Bn in 2016, will touch magical mark of $100Bn towards early part of 2018 and by the end of 2020 it will grow substantially closing at around $233Bn.

Suggested Tweet: Global social media revenue is forecasted to reach $14.9bn in 2012. Growth will continue, according to this report. http://bit.ly/IqoXOH

Several of my colleagues at Trevelino/Keller carry iPhones (all of them on Verizon Wireless, as we have a long standing relationship with that company).  My husband and several friends also have them. And app developers clamor to get their app on that iconic device first.  My question is: WHY?

As an Android user, I find the OS platform of that device much more sophisticated.  Even typing is easier with the Swype technology offered on the Droid.  As USA Today recently reported <http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-03/apple-iphone-android-smartphone/53334436/1> , Droid’s integration with Google is also a huge advantage that the iPhone doesn’t offer: “Gmail’s ubiquity means that just about everyone can benefit from Android’s superior native Gmail app. Beyond Gmail, Android’s version of Google Maps <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Culture/Computers+and+Internet/Google+Inc>  offers some unique and extremely useful features like Google’s Navigation, a GPS-driven, turn-by-turn directions app for the car that’s a solid substitute for a stand-alone GPS system. If you’re plugged into Google’s Web world, you’ll feel right at home on Android.”   They also agree with me regarding the OS: “On the whole, Android is a more flexible OS. If there’s something that bugs you about your phone or some setting you’d like to tweak, odds are an app on the Android Market does just that. Even a simple setting on the phone itself may control what you need. A set of slick apps known as “launchers” can even modify the look and feel of Android entirely. Truly, no two Androids are alike.”

But perhaps most importantly, I question why anyone would get a device that is NOT enabled for 4G.  The speed of everything you do on your phone when you are taking advantage of a carrier’s 4G network is nothing short of amazing.  It makes you more productive, more efficient and I would argue even better informed. The LTE version of 4G (offered by Sprint and Verizon Wireless) offers speeds as much as 10 times faster than the more ubiquitous 3G networks. Why would a small business, for example, want its staff working slower? And as for the app developers, why let users experience your app on a slower network?
There has been no shortage of iPhone vs. Droid articles written in both consumer and tech trade publications.  Most reviews about the devices’ functionality come out fairly equal.  But not enough emphasis is given to the 4G functionality of the Droid devices, in my opinion. In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal’s tech guru, Walt Mossberg, compared the 4G networks of the four largest telecoms in the U.S.–Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Mossberg found Verizon’s LTE network to be up to 32 times faster than some public Wi-Fi networks.  Thirty-two times faster, people!!!!  That’s like racing Mario Andretti on your 10-speed bike.  Why would you do that? You wouldn’t . . . if given the opportunity, you’d use an equally fast car.  So why be a Verizon customer, for example, and NOT have a 4G LTE enabled phone?  I don’t get it.

I’m not arguing the iconic nature of the iPhone and even the easy-to-understand interface of that well-designed device.  I am, however, suggesting that by being sucked onto the iPhone bandwagon users of that device don’t know what they are missing in terms of what today’s wireless networks can offer. Real speed = greater efficiency in today’s super busy culture.

What do you think – have you experienced 4G LTE speeds? Does the iPhone design outweigh 4G benefits?

-Kira Perdue

@KPerdue

If Pinterest doesn’t already have you scrambling to catch up, Tumblr is about to set you over the social media edge. “Blogging platform Tumblr has exploded within the last year or so,” states David Karp, Tumblr creator. According to the site, the company already has 20 billion posts and 50 million blogs and the numbers are projected to grow every day.

“Some brands have already taken note and set up shop on Tumblr. Fashion companies, for example, have set the standard in how Tumblr should be used to support the lifestyle branding mentality. Media companies have also trickled in to share content with legions of followers. But Tumblr isn’t blogging in the traditional sense like you’ve come to know it on platforms such as WordPress and Movable Type. While you can create text-based posts, Tumblr skews more towards the ADD audience. Links, images, and videos are the most popular pieces of content. You follow people as you would on Twitter, and their posts show up in your dashboard. From there, you have the option of reblogging their posts. As brand managers, your success on Tumblr will largely rely on your ability to inspire your followers to reblog your content,” states Kevin Allen, social media freelancer for PR Daily.

Here are a few tips to engage consumers on Tumblr:
· Start with the basics
Where will your Tumblr posts originate?
If your brand creates media—through a blog, YouTube channel, or some other online avenue—there’s a built-in content stream. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to curate and aggregate from around the Web and from other Tumblr users.

· Understand your goals
The basic questions you need to ask:
Who are you trying to reach?
How will this medium help you accomplish that?
Tumblr is not a place for shameless promotion. If anything, you’re promoting a lifestyle. You’re promoting links, videos, audio clips and images that will interest your audience.

· Establish your benchmarks for success
There’s no go-to formula for establishing success benchmarks on Tumblr, so it’s best to create a mix of qualitative and quantitative goals you’d like to meet. You can establish a number of followers and re-blogs you’d like to hit, but it might serve your brand better in the onset to measure individual success stories and quality interactions. Becoming a valuable asset to the Tumblr community should be your initial focus.

· Think temporary
There’s still a mindset in corporate marketing that blogs must be permanent things that last for years and exist in perpetuity. That’s not necessary true. Tumblr’s nature is such that you can create a temporary blog to highlight an event or product launch. In these cases, think of Tumblr as more of a living marketing slick that will lose its relevance eventually.

· Focus on Images
Take a look at Vogue’s Tumblr. The magazine is currently posting a few times a week, yet each post receives a high engagement level. That’s because of the strong imagery. They’re not just shoveling out a ton of content because they can. They’re using the best images—the most relevant content for the medium.

· Avoid embarrassment
There haven’t been any brands to make major gaffes on Tumblr—yet. You don’t want to be the first. If anyone in a brainstorming session says something like “We should create a meme!” that should be your cue to take pause.

· Consider highlighted posts
There has been plenty of speculation in the past year on how Tumblr expects to monetize its platform. We got the first hint when the company unveiled highlighted posts, which, for $1 a pop, help your highlighted post stand out in the dashboard. This feature may be a good way for your brand to grab some attention on Tumblr. But avoid overdoing it. Remember, you’re trying to inspire audiences, to create a lifestyle around your product or service—not drown them in sales pitches.

By, Drew Mailloux | @ DrewMailloux

Can Your Brand Benefit from Inconsistency?

http://www.talentzoo.com/beneath-the-brand/blog_news.php?articleID=13822&utm_source=SubscriberMail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Your%20Dose%20%2D%20An%20SEO%20Primer&utm_term=&utm_content=7ce9b5718adc4b0bb60cf1a8d1df0917

Consistency has long been a linchpin in marketing strategies. The more consistent the message is across all points of contact, the more likely the brand becomes recognizable to the consumer. So recognizable that it almost controls the public’s perception of the product, not to mention turns consumers into customers — at least that’s our hope. But with so many ways to now reach consumers, can consistency do damage to a brand’s relevancy? Can it make a brand more forgettable than memorable?

Tweet Suggestion: Can Your Brand Benefit from Inconsistency? http://bit.ly/Iuu1kd via @talentzoo

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Google Plus Gets a Makeover

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/google-plus-gets-a-cleaner-makeover/?ref=socialnetworking

If Google can learn anything from the $1 billion sale of Instagram to Facebook this week, it’s that many people see mobile as one of the most important platforms for sharing on social networks. The Web, it seems, is becoming a lean-back viewing experience.

Suggested Tweet: Can #Google+’s facelift help its ghost town population? In other news, people still like Facebook more. http://nyti.ms/IzQHju

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Ads Need Hilarity, Not Absurdity

http://www.talentzoo.com/beyond-madison-ave/blog_news.php?articleID=13834&utm_source=SubscriberMail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Your%20Dose%20%2D%20An%20SEO%20Primer&utm_term=&utm_content=7ce9b5718adc4b0bb60cf1a8d1df0917

In an age in which people can easily zap past commercials using their remote controls or watch a commercial-free video on YouTube, it is a necessary evil for companies to create ads with humor, which can be searingly painful and infuriating to the audience.

Suggested Tweet: @TalentZoo says stop trying to be funny and just make us laugh! http://bit.ly/Ic8xav

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The most pinned—and re-pinned—words on Pinterest

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/11354.aspx

As more brands look to Pinterest to engage with fans in new ways, pins and re-pins are supplanting Facebook’s likes and comments in measuring success.
So how do you garner more pins and re-pins? HubSpot’s Dan Zarrella has some ideas, based on data from 11,000 pinned images. Check out his findings in this infographic, which includes the most pinned and re-pinned words on the site:

Suggested Tweet: @PRdaily gives pinteresting pinsight into Pinterest with their new pinfographic. http://bit.ly/Hwzm7o

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Why Instagram Was Worth $1 Billion to Facebook

http://mashable.com/2012/04/12/instagram-worth-1-billion/

Instagram was beating Facebook at its own game, and the social network needed to stop it before it was able to do more. The photo-sharing app is essentially everything Facebook wants to be on your mobile phone. Facebook wants people using its mobile app to share photos of what they’re doing with friends and to share their location -– something Instagram users have no problem doing.

Suggested Tweet: ATTN: Why Instagram Was Worth $1 Billion to Facebook http://on.mash.to/IzrMLH via @mashable

A new study has found sites such as Twitter and Facebook actually reduce the impact of customer complaints.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/social-media-makes-you-hate-customer-service-less/

According to CFI Group’s newly released Call Center Satisfaction Index, social outlets such as Facebook and Twitter allow consumers to more easily interact and vent their frustrations, in turn causing them to feel that they are better heard by the vast, faceless companies with which they have problems. The simple act of posting can be cathartic for many: As Terry Redding, director of development and delivery for CFI Group asserts, “What we are seeing is that, if you have a bad experience, you post it once on Facebook for all to see and then you’re done with it.”

Tweet Suggestion: New #PRResearch points to #Twitter and #Facebook reducing customer complaints. http://bit.ly/HjjQgA

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Is Social Media Still Important? The 2012 Social Media Report

http://www.socialmediamanagement.net/blog/2012/04/04/is-social-media-still-important-the-2012-social-media-report/

The folks over at the Social Media Examiner released the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry report. I am a huge fan of Michael Stelzner, and look forward to this report every year. This report surveys marketers on an annual basis to learn more about how businesses are using social media, which social media sites bring the most impact, and predictions for social media trends in the near future. It basically examines the “who, what, where, when, and why” of social media.

Suggested Tweet: SPOILER ALERT! #SocialMedia is still relevant in 2012. Meanwhile, people still like Facebook. http://bit.ly/H9iAuZ

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100 Things to Watch in 2012

http://www.jwtintelligence.com/2012-and-beyond/?gclid=CLDg_uT9m68CFQYEnQodwm9ycA

JWT’s 10 Trends for 2012 report is the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted by JWTIntelligence throughout the year.

Suggested Tweet: Check out these awesome #SocialMedia videos by @JWT! http://bit.ly/HdItgp

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5 Best Practices for Creating Viral Branded Videos

http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/viral-brand-videos-how-to/

While many people have an opinion about what causes videos to go viral, there is now a growing body of knowledge based on publisher data analysis, YouTube trends and academic research that can help marketers understand what viral marketing is really about. Here are a few great insights to consider when creating a brand video that will thrive on the social web.

Suggested Tweet: @Mashable creates the 5 Best Practices for making a viral video! #PR #Branding http://on.mash.to/Hf94c0

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Facebook Is Building a Search Engine

http://mashable.com/2012/03/30/facebook-social-search-engine/

A team of more than 20 Facebook engineers — led by a former Google programmer — is at work on a vastly improved search engine within the site, according a Businessweek report. The idea, according to two sources, is to take better advantage of the heaps of content Facebook users create on — and off — the site every day. With people sharing status updates and supporting brand pages on the network, as well as using Facebook’s “Like” button to mark articles and videos from external sites, there is certainly a lot to take advantage of.

Suggested Tweet: ATTN: #Facebook is creating a search engine to more easily find people based on keyword searches! http://on.mash.to/HtTcTO

With more than 11 million active users, Pinterest is the latest social media obsession making its way across the globe.  Once viewed as a consumer-only tool, businesses are now creating their own boards and determining if having a Pinterest account makes sense for the brand.  At Trevelino/Keller, we believe that this unique and innovative social sharing platform is not only fun and addicting, but is also great for companies looking to increase SEO and become more engaging with customers and fans. Pinterest can give life to any brand and product, so we have put together our top tips for companies on how to use Pinterest effectively.

1.       Don’t Be Too Promotional – You can absolutely upload pictures of your product, your brand, etc. to Pinterest, but be sure to also pin and add photos that may be of interest to your target consumer base.  For one of our clients, TCBY, not only does the popular frozen yogurt brand show product images and interior shots of their locations, they also include travel, family activities and health tips to deliver engaging content for their consumers.

2.       Link Your Photos – When uploading pictures to your client’s Pinterest account, be sure to link all photos back to the company’s website.  This will not only help showcase your client’s various product offerings, but also will help grow the company’s web presence and SEO.

3.       Hold Contests – To encouraging pinning, utilize the company’s current social media accounts to promote the Pinterest account.  Giveaway prizes for those Facebook and Twitter users that share your pins via their personal social media accounts.

4.       Update Frequently – Be sure to update your page frequently by adding new boards and deleting any old boards.  Also, take time each week to pin others boards to your page.  This will encourage these “pinners” to view your page and potentially pin items from your Pinterest account.

5.       Associate Yourself with National Media – Many national consumer publications have a Pinterest account and often these sites attract the most users. For example, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine has one of the most pinned accounts on Pinterest.  By following these accounts and pinning items from these pages, these media outlets are more likely to “pin” items from your account, therefore giving your page more exposure.

6.       Make Sure Your Website is “Pinable” – Many websites today have great flash features and photography, but they aren’t Pinterest compatible.  Be sure that the beautiful photos displayed on the website are pinnable, so that your customers can “pin” directly from your website.  This will  help encourage engagement with customers that may be scrolling through various websites.  In addition to making these changes, be sure to add a “Pin Me” button on your website to encourage your customers and fans to pin your products or images on their personal Pinterest boards.

7.       Make sure Pinterest is Right for Your Company – Pinterest isn’t right for every company, so it’s important to know who you are trying to reach and if Pinterest is the best way to do that.  Currently, 68.2 percent of users are female, primarily between the ages of 25-34.  This link from Mashable can provide some more demographic information and can ultimately help determine if you should be on Pinterest.

Written by, Kelly Ronna  | @karonna

While the morning air was perfect for a 5K race, breezing comfortably at about 65 degrees, the course that lined the streets of one of Atlanta’s most picturesque neighborhoods was eager to consume the field of 300+ runners in its series of unforgiving hills. Personally, I don’t recall running a course that was almost completely uphill or downhill.  Unfortunately, having run much of the course in reverse direction for a cool down, my Boomeragnar teammate and I acknowledged the race course to have considerably more uphills.  Maybe next year we can reverse the direction.  Nevertheless, the Boomeragnar team had a strong showing with lead-off runner, Rob Scheinman making his running debut since officially joining the Boomeragnar team.  He paced himself with fellow teammate, Lisa Cohen.  With a sub-18 minute leader tackling the hilly course with ease, the rest of the field fought hard for second place, including Boomeragnar teammates, Phil Finley and myself.  With Phil on my heels this race, a reversal of sorts from last week, we managed to move into second place briefly before relinquishing it on the final hill to two other young bucks.  For Boomeragnar, we’ll take the Master’s title and highly respectable fourth and sixth place finishes.  On to next week’s next race.

By, Dean Trevelino  |  @dtrevelino

http://boomeragnar.com/runner-x-blog/

By, Dean Trevelino | @dtrevelino

Are you ready for tradeshow season? As we make our way through the first quarter of 2012, you may be reviewing your list of tradeshows and conferences for 2012 and getting ready to put on your networking hat.  For some, the thought is overwhelming or a bit exhausting. If you’re looking for ways to best prepare for the long list of events, here are a few tips to get yourself in networking mode:

• Research the attendee list prior to the show. Do your homework, know who will be there and set a goal of talking to 3-5 people during the conference to get the most out of your experience. You never know what it may lead too!

• Social media. Track the social media properties of the conference. Do they have a Twitter account and a hashtag? If so, use them! Have your smartphone or tablet ready and applications downloaded so you can easily connect and communicate with other attendees via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Also, check out CardMunch, a LinkedIn iPhone application that lets you easily collect business card information and transfer it to your mobile device.

• Show time. Kick off the day of the conference with breakfast! Like mom and dad said, it’s the most important meal of the day and you wouldn’t want to be caught yawning while talking to a new contact or business lead. Make sure you pack your notebook or tablet to take notes, track leads and trending information that you can take advantage of. Don’t forget to network, network, network!

• Post show. Evaluate your list of new contacts. Send follow-up notes and connect via social media with the contacts that were most relevant to your line of work. Also, don’t forget to evaluate the overall experience. Did you pay to attend? If so, is it worth attending in the future?

Regardless of your experience try to make every new experience worthwhile and beneficial on some level! Even if it is only a few new social media followers.

Happy networking!

By, Carrie Crabill