New technologies are always evolving and changing the way we communicate. According to research from IPG’s Universal McCann and AOL, “One out of every seven minutes of media consumption today takes place via mobile devices…That’s expected to grow by 60 percent over the next two years.” Many of our clients are looking into website redesigns in order to make them more mobile-friendly. It’s interesting to see this shift. No longer is just having a blog good enough. Now it must be mobilized. And in doing so, we are finding that content must be refreshed more frequently, so as not to get lost in the shuffle

MediaPost recently reported on a new survey by Princeton Survey Research International, which found that 90 percent of Internet users between 18 – 29 use video sharing sites, up from 72 percent one year ago. But that’s not all. Online adults ages 30 – 49 also showed big gains over the past year; 67 percent now use video-sharing sites, up from 57 percent in 2008. So we now work with our clients to produce more video content and add pictures and videos to press releases.

Additionally, how we get news and information is changing on a regular (dare I say, daily?) basis. As PR professionals, we focus on people who are influencers. Traditionally, this has been the media or industry analysts. While these folks remain influential, there is a new group of influencers. There are blogs that comment on or repackage the news, some of whom have larger followings than the original content (e.g. Gawker).  People  now regularly forward news to their friends and colleagues via social networks and Twitter.

PR is also an ever-evolving game. Not so long ago, press releases went out via fax. You read that right, fax. That little machine in the corner of the copy room that the interns look at in bewilderment. That was cutting edge. Then came e-mail. Now, as how people get their news is in a state of constant change, we are continually adapting to make sure that we are getting the word out to the right people in the way they want to receive it.  I guess it is not surprising that change has come to news, which after all, is the business of reporting on change.

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.

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!

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!