Snapchat?

What is Snapchat?...

 In my opinion snapchat was created, and continues to succeed because of its personal nature. The purpose of snapchat is so that once you send out your message or image it is watched once and then it is deleted for good, unless you use your daily 'replay' but even so the images/videos/texts are meant to be deleted after they are originally opened. This allows people to be more 'in the moment' and more carefree about their decisions. This is, to me, what makes snapchat differ to all other social media outlets. Generally when using 'Facebook' or 'Instagram' people tend to question their post, maybe even multiple times before actually going through with it, "Should i really put this up? What will people think of me?". The fact that everything only exists on snapchat for a moment reduces mental barriers and then suddenly we are able to enjoy social media without any inhibitions. 

Snapchat allows users to:

1. Creativity - Another original and fantastic aspect to snapchat is the ability to change your snaps and give them your own personal touch. You can add filters to your images and also text and drawings. This really means there is little you cant do on snapchat. You can also use the app to take your photos, edit them and save to your camera roll, meaning if you didnt want to send an image or video over snapchat but wanted to use the app for its other aspects and save the image you can do so. 

2. Communicate - Asside from its other many originalities, snapchat is first and foremost a social media outlet meaning its sole purpose is to aid communication. Snapchat accurately do this by allowing for all different types of multimedia contact such as images/videos/text. Throughout the different options on the app, you decide who you want to view your multimedia (who you want to connect with) by sending them directly to your contacts or setting it as your 'story', which means leaving it open for all your contacts to view. 

3. Experience -  Snapchat allows for a personal experience of events and people as the multimedia capture is generally of peoples day to day lives and can give a real personal insight into that person or event. This proves particularly true in cases of celebrities having snapchat and using that to communicate with their fanbase. This allows for people to view footage of their favourite singer/actor etc. just going about their normal day and not always on a formal set of a television or movie set. 

Snapchat in media and public relations

1. Previews and behind the scenes - Well known shows and events are known for using snapchat to create a more personal experience between them and the audience. Snapchat storys can offer sneak previews of upcoming shows/movies/events or even just personal insights into life behind the scenes. This has been shown to make the viewer feel more engaged with the company/organisation/celebrity involved. Snapchat is a great way to build up relationships with your target market.

2. Politics and public awareness - Snapchat is widely used for problem and political campaigns, even this years american election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump seen for some political campaigns. Clinton used the app to frame rival Donald Trumps quotes about the 2008 housing crisis.

3. Creative messaging - The creative messaging of snapchat has allowed for major pr campaigns to continue and build up awareness on serious matters. The World Wildlife Fund used snapchat to launch its award winning #LastSelfie campaign to raise awareness of endangered animals, showing the list and to not let it be the #LastSelfie, the campaign proved to be extremely beneficial proving the benefits of snapchat in media and public relations.

Bibliography

Han, M (2016). 6 ways pr is using snapchat. Available at: http://crenshawcomm.com/6-ways-pr-using-snapchat/ [Accessed 27 October 2016]

Hasty, J. (2016) Snapchat 101: what it is and how to use it. Available at: https://www.verizonwireless.com/archive/mobile-living/tech-smarts/what-is-snapchat-how-to-use-new-features/ [Accessed 27 October 2016]

    

 

Twitter?

 

 

What is Twitter?...

 

 

Twitter is microblogging. This being said, twitter can be used for a number of different things, personally and for the gain of media and public relations. 

 

 Twitter allows its users to; 

 

1. Instant messaging - Twitter is a blend of instant messaging, blogging and texting reaching a very broad audience with only brief content. 

2. News Reporting -Twitter is a way of learning about the world through another persons eyes. The easy-to-share nature of the sight allows it to be used frequently whenever anyone is in eyeview of a breaking news story or any form of public interest information and twitter can be a one step way to making your message go viral. 

3. Building a following -   Because Twitter is both personal and rapid, celebrities use twiter to build more personal connections with their fans. Many celebrities are known to be famous tweeters such as Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres and President Barack Obama. This is a great way for them to build up the quality and quantity of their relationships with the public which can be powerful for advertising purposes. Twitter is about discovering interesting people around the world and maybe building up a following of people who are interested in you or your work, hobbies or lifestyle. 

 

Twitter in Media and public relations 

 

1. Publicising - news, blog posts, videos, anything really of content that a company shares through Twitter they are reaching to the public with. 

 

2. Retweeting - This gives users the chance to share what you or other companies have said about them selves through tweets. They can share your message through their profile, opening up your message to a whole new group of users.

3. Participating in #followfriday - Follow Friday is a way that people recommend their followers in their tweets to other followers to follow on twitter. Participating in this twitter tool allows us to expand our audience.

 

4. Live tweeting - By creating a hashtag or using one already existing for an event means you can livestream from that event and give users that couldnt make it a chance to experience it through the social media site. 

5. Pitching -  Pitching to journalists on twitter. 

   

 

Bibliography

 

Burke, S. (2013) How to use Twitter for Public relations. Available at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-use-twitter-public-relations [Accessed 26 October 2016]

 

Gil, P. (2016) What exactly is 'Twitter'? What is 'Tweeting'?. Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/what-exactly-is-twitter-2483331 [Accessed 26 October 2016]

   

Facebook?

What is Facebook?... 

When it comes down to it Facebook can be considered a personal news site, where all the information portrayed is about you and your friends and family. It is a social media outlet where users can do many things but mainly;

Facebook allows users to:

1. Keep in touch with far away family and friends - Emphasising the SOCIAL part of facebook, it is a great way for us to stay in contact with family and friends around the world or even track down a new friend you met and would like to stay in contact. Facebook is a great way for those with busy lifestyles to stay in touch with the world around them.  

2. Share photos and information -  Facebook allows its users to share their own information on their "wall" so it is available for all their friends and family to see on their "news feed". Again, this is also the social aspect of keeping in touch but allows you to have your own personal profile for potential friends to see. 

3. Get your news - Facebook is also an outlet for journalists and other organisations and businesses to spread news and generate publicity. This is branching off into how facebook is a useful tool in the world of media and public relations. 

Facebook in media and public relations

The internet age has allowed for public relations to expand a great deal. It has created a 24 hour connectivity to the public and now provides a service to clients and customers like no other. In using Facebook correctly in the world of public relations we can really analyse media coverage a lot more accurately and reach a much wider audience.  

1. Instant Feedback - When facebook is used as a public relations tool it makes the publics response much easier and faster to calculate. The way users 'like', 'share', 'comment' and discuss on facebook constantly means we can get instant feedback on the publics reaction to something, making it a very reliable public relations medium.

2. Media Connectivity - Facebook is a very effective tool for media relations meaning it is a great place for media professionals to gather information and communicate with one another, such as influential social networkers or bloggers. 

3. Call to action - Based on the volume and type of responses retained companies are able to judge the success of their actions using facebook. 

4. Sharing -  CEO of TechSavvy Global, ranks easy-to-share content in his top seven tips for great PR, which is why facebook can provide such an advantage in the world of media and PR. The design and nature of facebook itself makes it incredibly easy to share. This gives great content the chance to go viral and have a huge impact on your pr campaign.

Bibliography

Fredrick, H. (2016) The advantages of using facebook for public relations. Available at: http://techin.oureverydaylife.com/advantages-using-facebook-public-relations-3993.html [Accessed 26 October 2016]

Andrus, A. (2012) FAQ's of (web) life: Managing your online identity. Available at: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/linkedin-facebook-blogging-email-hacked,review-1727-6.html [Accessed 26 October 2016] 

 

 

Instagram?

What is Instagram?...

Instagram is an image based social media outlet, available on iOS and Android devices. Since co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger introduced the app in 2010 Instagram has surely come a long way with other 50 million users. Instagram's growing success is amazing and in 2012 when the app was launched on Android its success led it to earn 5 million downloads in just 6 days. On the whole the app has been a raging success because it has remained simple, straightforward and social from the get go.

The apps main appeal is its ability to edit users images with a variety of different filters which can make a photo appear more professional by enhanching the colours or dulling the light to a soft glow to give an aged vintage look. Ofcourse the app has many other appealing factors.

Instagram allows users to:

1. Set up a personal profile - Where you can establish your own instagram identity and style.

2. Recieve Notifications - Instagram will inform you when any other users are connecting with your instagram profile in terms of requesting to follow your page and recieve your uploads, hearting your uploaded images and commenting on those images. 

3. Connect to Social media - You can now have your social media accounts connected and allow other outlets such as facebook to share your new instagram post. This allows your upload to reach a wider audience along various media outlets.

4. Video - Instagram has now moved on from simple still images and we can now add videos up to 15 seconds long. There are also other apps available that will condense your videos to fit into 15 seconds if they are longer by speeding them up. 

5. Follow users - Instagram allows for us to connect with all other users by simply clicking the button. 

Instagram in Media and Public Relations

Overall Instagram is a hugely successful social media tool and has proven to keep people connected all over the world. This means that it is a great asset to the world of media and public relations.

Instagram allows for public relations professionals to analyse another form of social media and see what their followers and competitors are saying. It also gives a wider audience to reach out to. Connecting through instagram means that through multimedia  we can have a more personal connection with the audience then through simple text.



Bibliography...

Buck, S. (2012) The Beginners guide to Instagram. Available at: http://mashable.com/2012/05/29/instagram-for-beginners/#LhPKY05Xv8qp [Accessed 19 October 2016]

Trotman, R. (2014) What is Instagram? Here let us explain. Available at: http://lifestylesdefined.com/what-is-instagram-here-let-us-explain/ [Accessed 19 October 2016]

Readia the Media?

Welcome to Readia the Media!...

Hey everybody and welcome to Readia the Media! 

Here at 'Readia the Media' i am going to be looking at the importance of Social media in Public relations. As a media and public relations student i am very interested in social media and the power it holds, especially within the field of public relations. As you may or may not know, public relations is, among other things, the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by any company, organisation or person. Social media is one of the easiest ways for us to analyse public image by using sites such as facebook, twitter, Instagram, youtube, pinterest and many more. Over the last three years social media has become a great tool for public relations practitioners and allows us to cast a wider net to get the message out there. Throughout this blog i am going to explain in detail the initial uses for these social media outlets and then look into how they help public relations practitioners to successfully do their job. 

Social media has helped to make many different areas of pr easier such as celebriry endorsement, it gives us a wider audience and also gives us access to a huge group of people for us to spread and receive information. Social media has also allowed for 'citizen journalism' which is the analysis of news and information by the general public. This means that our information is far more accessible to us as we are being exposed to not only news from journalists and professionals but also from everyday people like you and me who are seeing something first hand and sharing it with their friends and the rest of the world through social media outlets such as facebook, twitter etc. This means that in managing a clients image in the field of public relations we now have more to analyse!

Social media is a huge advantage in the world of public relations but also has some draw backs which I will continue to analyse within this blog. Here at Readia the Media I will be looking at all the different types of social media outlets and how they each help PR professionals to do their job. 

Bibliography

Patterson, M. (2014) 4 ways to use social media in public relations. Available at: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-in-public-relations/ [Accessed 07 October 2016]

Dougherty, J. (2014) 6 ways social media has changed public relations. Available at: http://www.cision.com/us/2014/09/6-ways-social-media-changed-public-relations/ [Accessed 07 October 2016]

Smarty, A. (2015) How social media can help with pr. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244051 [Accessed 07 October 2016]