But what I found most interesting is that my peers hadn’t prepared me for this revolution. Not just Twitter, but the whole notion of social networking for professional use.  Isn’t my generation supposed to be innovators – the people that change the way society functions?

I’ve been on Facebook for almost five years now and before I started at Vantage I hadn’t once considered using it to gain a professional advantage. I thought of it as something “all the kids” were doing and eventually I would have to grow up, get a job and let my Facebook identity become one my many fond college memories. Turns out, I need to grow up and join more social networking sites!

Much to my confusion, I get the vibe that updating my Facebook status as frequently as I do is not that as well-received by my peers as it is by my employer. It feels like my generation is rebelling the revolution. I can’t help but wonder if we are afraid of being able to connect and talk with people – we started texting to get off the phone, after all. Or maybe we’re so used to being able to hide behind carefully controlled Facebook and MySpace profiles it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that maintaining these profiles can unveil more about yourself than the real world can. Our masks have become transparent.

In the end, I’m relieved that I have discovered the many social networking sites that connect me with a world that’s out of my physical reach.  I’m enthusiastic about the relationships I am building with the professionals in my industry and hope that I can encourage my peers to come around and feel the same way.  

Social networking is a whole new way to see the world and a whole new way to get to know yourself. It’s a challenge to remain interested/interesting and to keep up at all times, but with all challenges come rewards and this one is too big to pass up.

Update: Tweet Up at Mobile World Congresson Wednesday Feb. 18 at 5 pm. Location: 7 Sins, Muntaner 7, 08011. Please check out http://blog.pr-vantage.com/?p=1036 for more Tweet Up details.

Surprisingly, less than a month before Mobile World Congress 2009, no one had set up a hash tag on Twitter for the major wireless industry trade show. A “hash tag” uses the symbol – # – followed by a name to allow people to search and find information on Twitter. With a hash tag, people attending the show could connect with other people at the show. Also, people not attending the show could follow in real-time what was happening at the show.

So into the breach jumped the Vantage Communications team. With the help of Tory Klaubo, we checked out who recently had posted Tweets on Mobile World Congress. We then got a discussion going and came up with #mwc09. Then we tweeted the name out to the community, and it was retweeted and retweeted. Our imediate goal is to connect more people attending the show via Twitter. Eventually, the plan is for me to be Live-Tweeting during the show.

Although social networking will be a hot topic for MWC 09, it is surprising that the organizer, GSMA, is not actively using Twitter, Facebook, etc. to enhance the experience of people attending the show. There have been sporadic posts on social media about trying to make a connection. Yet, there seems to be a large void in connecting these people. With travel budgets under siege, trade show organizers need to go the extra mile. Using social media to make connection seems like an easy and inexpensive way to add value.

Until this comes to pass, Vantage is stepping up. Join us by spreading the word about the show via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. To keep up with my Mobile World Congress experiences, follow me on Twitter: @robadler. If you want to meet at the show, e-mail info [at] pr-vantage.com, leave your contact information in the comments or send me a message on Twitter.  But social networking will only be successful if  we all are responsible and take action. Look forward to connecting with you.

Why should the media and bloggers have a monopoly in recapping last year’s events? Though most Vantge Points posts are about thought leadership, we want to get in on the action too. So here is the very first Vantage Communications Year in Review.

Despite a very challenging economic environment, it was a year of continued success for our clients as well as for our agency. Some of the 2008 highlights are recapped below: 

1. We re-launched the company as Vantage Communications with a new website and our Vantage Points Blog. 

2. 10 new clients joined our client family. This reflected strong growth in green building PR and social media.  We are also proud that 10 of our clients have been with us for over 2 years.

3. Multiple clients received recognition as recipients of elite awards including Wall Street Journal’s 2008 Technology Innovation Award,Aspen Institute for Innovation in Energy Conservation, Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 50, Light Reading’s Leading Lights Award, eWeek Top 10 Products of 2008 and Popular Science Best of What’s New.
4. Vantage Communications also cleaned up on awards with the Stevie Award for Best PR Campaign and finalists for Platinum PR Award, Sabre Award and Stevie Award for Best Company.
5. Our clients were consistently featured in top tier publications. Please check out our best of coverage which includes Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, NY Times, Fast Company, Forbes, CBS, ABC, FORTUNE, WIRED, and USA Today.
6. As an innovative communications company, we’ve truly embraced social media. Our staff is active on Facebook and Twitter and 18 people contributed to Vantage Points.
7. Vantage expanded its client services to include more new media capabilities such as video production & editing and audio podcast support, completing several client projects during the year.
8. Company-wide Vantage has added new green initiatives across its offices. It is important to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

We are very proud of our 2008 accomplishments. We could not have achieved what we did without the support of our clients and the members of the Vantage ecosystem. For this, we are truly thankful. We have more innovations in store for 2009. But for now, here’s a toast to our clients, our team, our partners, and the new companies we’ll partner with in 2009!

Recently, someone posted the Twitter addresses of all of the BusinessWeek editorial staff. What makes this especially interesting was that the poster was not a hacker or a wayward PR person, it was John Byrne, Editor in Chief of BusinessWeek.  In his article, Byrne stated:

“Two months ago, in a post entitled Twittering Your Way Into Our Newsroom, I invited readers to follow me and partake in an experiment to bring the outside in and the inside out. Some 2,640 people are now following me. Thousands of others are following the more than 30 journalists at BusinessWeek who are now on Twitter.

So if you are on Twitter, I invite you into our newsroom via my Tweets.”

The article resulted in the BW editors and reporters on the list receiving a spike of followers on Twitter. Of course, some of the people who took Byrne up on his invitation were PR folks.  The reaction to the reporters to PR folks in the newsroom was decidedly mixed. Some sent tweets welcoming their new followers. On the other hand, Steven Baker, one of the reporters, responded with a blog post, Freak out: Twitter infested by PR.  Baker noted that reporters “thought they shared their Twitter streams with a small group of friends and colleagues—and suddenly dozens of strangers were jumping on: Flacks!”  Baker estimates that half of his 2500 followers are PR folk.

The result is not particularly surprising.  Social media is becoming an important part of every PR campaign. PR agencies need to master social media tools before we can advise our clients on how to use them.  Tom Foremski of Silicon Valley Watcher said it bluntly, “I’ve always said that PR firms cannot claim to know anything about new/social media if they aren’t using it themselves.” 

This is one of the key reason that we created Vantage Points, and I proudly note that 17  people at Vantage have written posts for our blog. It also is why everyone at Vantage is on Facebook (including the CEO), we have our own Facebook Group, and most of us are twittering. For those of you who haven’t used Twitter, its like Facebook on speed, without all the pretty pictures.

So as the media and PR agencies jump into social media, we are finding that it is changing the way we interact with each other.  Facebook and Twitter shine a light on each other beyond the byline and the press release. Sometimes, it means that we see the frustrations that we each face in doing our jobs. Other times, it is sharing parts of our lives that are outside work, such as sharing opinions and recommendations on music.  Moreover, to help briidge the gap, there is now a  Journchat on Twitter,  which is a weekly (Mon 7-10pm CST) conversation between journalists, bloggers and public relations folks.

I also understand  how Stephen Baker felt.  That initial realization of being out in the open can catch you unaware.  I remember the first time someone outside Vantage (an editor!)  joined our group on Facebook.  It felt like someone snuck into our clubhouse.  But we quickly realized that it is really cool thing, and now encourage it.

And now, as John Byrne did…I invite you to follow me and some of my Vantage colleagues on Twitter:

@Robadler

@JenniferKutz

@lydhow

@CatrionaHarris

@lmchen

@cynthialai

@MarieGoltara

@rachelmarshall

@Klister

@toryk

@bschweitzer

@lyndastarr

@ar_perry

A tip of the hat to Catriona Harris for helping make sure this is the last post for 2008; rather than the first of 2009. 

As Brianna mentioned in her recent post, “Modern Day Networking,” “The lines between social and business networking are blurred by increasing demand for up-to-date and transparent communication…” – now more than ever it is important to become involved in online conversations. In order to succeed in today’s online world, you need to not only network (through Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) but you also need to join the conversations. The bad news…there are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and trying to read all of these could make you go a little crazy. The good news, though, is that most blog posts are short and you can just scan them. If something pops out at you, then you can dive in for a deeper read and ultimately, leave a comment to continue the conversation.

As they start their own corporate blogs, clients often ask us how they can get readers to pay attention. A recent blog from Leo Babauta addresses that, “Anatomy of a Post: How to Get Blog Readers to Pay Attention.” (Don’t be frightened by the picture as I was!) Leo provides some of the items to remember when drafting blog posts. It has some great points, but one I’ll add is blog often. The more you are posting, you will keep a readers interest, and s/he will want to see what you have to say next. Additionally, keep them short – under 300 words is ideal.

Best of luck in YOUR blogging adventures!

It’s no surprise that recent trends of social networks, YouTube celebrities and text messaging have created a social culture of always connected, self-broadcasting, social media networkaholics. And I mean that in a good way – I include myself as part of this culture.

Years ago networking implied in-person introductions, handshakes and piles of business cards. Although that is still the case in many instances, on an everyday level, networking today has extended beyond in-person or formal meetings. The lines between social and business networking are blurred by increasing demand for up-to-date and transparent communication, and the best means to meet this demand is through the always-on technology of social and mobile networks.

It is no longer acceptable to remain passive to the online scene, or only to socialize face-to-face. Friendster, MySpace and Facebook started the trend years ago, when online networking was at its infancy. But now social networks have multiplied to suit any and every nuance of taste, extended onto our mobile phones, overflowed our inboxes and even crept into the business world as a legitimate tool for making contacts.

Now, social networking is as hip for professionals as it is for college students or teenagers.

John Murrell of Good Morning Silicon Valley said it best when he stated, “it’s sort of funny that a system built by notoriously socially awkward geeks has turned into a mammoth, never-ending cocktail party.” John goes on to call the result of all this socializing a “world of constant acquaintanceship,” but that is where we, as public relations professionals, should disagree. At Vantage we have been embracing the new social and mobile networking with gusto, using it as a starting point to forge those good, old-fashioned “real” relationships with media, clients and other professionals in the industry. Feel free to join us on Facebook at the Vantage Group!

If you’ve been following the 2008 Presidential Campaign, you are well aware that Obama sent out his pick for Vice President via text message . This is another way his campaign has stressed Obama’s position as a young, tech-savvy leader who’s in touch with the American people. But as Monica Alleven of Wireless Week points out in her article, “Keynote cites Performance issues B4 Obama Text,” the plan to distribute Obama’s selection didn’t necessarily go as planned.

If you’re on Facebook, you may have come across the many status updates saying things like, “waiting for the Obama text” and then the next day… “didn’t get the text, but I got the email.” As Monica states in her article, Keynote Systems “believes between 40% and 50% of people who subscribed to get the VP selection text message may not have received the message in a timely fashion or “very likely” never received the text at all.” Some may have even received the text message as late as last Sunday.

In Monica’s article, she speaks with several experts who recommend having a back-up plan in place for these types of situations. And while many will agree this was a smart PR move for Obama to make his mark as the first presidential candidate to send out his VP choice via text message, I’ll bet the next time he does it he will have a back-up plan in place. I know I would.

While I am a huge fan of Facebook and use it everyday for updating my status, touching base with colleagues and friends and monitoring my groups – I haven’t been much of a gamer. However, after yesterday’s news I’m starting to think I was missing the boat!

In case you live under a rock – yesterday the popular game, Scrabulous, was taken off Facebook. And let me tell you – you wouldn’t believe the kind of coverage this is getting. Not only was it in a dozen newsletters that I read, but my friends were outraged enough by it that it was in their Facebook status and I even heard somebody talking about it yesterday (Yes, in the REAL world).

What exactly does this mean? For social media? For Hasbro’s marketing? Weigh in and let me know your thoughts. I’m very intrigued!

Recently, MySpace announced its plans to redesign its social networking site. Based on a series of online surveys, the company determined it needed to change its adolescent image to reach a more diverse audience.

This announcement is the latest example on how social media has changed the game in the business world. Sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are realizing its customers are no longer just teenagers searching to see what friends are up to on the weekends but rather men and women sitting behind corporate computers, hoping to build relationships with colleagues in their field.

Public relations practitioners have sinced jumped on the new media bandwagon and embraced the tool as a way to converse with co-workers, clients and even reporters in a laid-back setting. It’s a place where we can locate upcoming events, hear the latest news, and network through current friends. New Media has taken building relationships to new heights and made it clear that the days of issuing a simple email or making quick phone call have evolved.

Vantage Communications has signed a client whose technology revolves around social networking, Loomia. Offering a SeenThis? social convergence application, Loomia enables consumers to view items that are popular within there personal circles as well as products related to their individual interests. Both clients are strong representations of the direction of the industry.

In essence, public relations no longer consists of just issuing a press release but spans to the depths of new media sites and perhaps even knowing what your favorite reporter or colleague is having for lunch. And as we all continue to log-on and send messages, it seems more and more social media sites are going to have to rethink how it caters to its customers and revaluate its target audience to focus on the business world.

According to an article by Amy Schurr of Network World, Gartner has released the 10 technologies which every IT executive should keep in mind between now and 2012. Wondering if social networking is just a fad? Think again…

According to the report, social networking is here to stay. As Amy mentions in her article, “David Cearley, a Gartner fellow, said enterprise applications will begin to offer features found in popular social software such as Facebook and MySpace. These capabilities can help companies improve collaboration and tap feedback from customers.”

Other technologies that Gartner reports are here to stay? Multicore processors, web mashups, user interfaces, virtualization and fabric computing, cloud computing, contextual computing, augmented reality and semantics.

As PR and marketing professionals, this is great insight for us to keep in mind. How do these technologies affect our clients or our company? And if you’re not already “in the know” with them, it just might be the time to jump on the bandwagon!