Social media platforms, when it comes to sports, are often (if not always) a quick steam-letting tool, allowing individuals to express themselves emotionally. And while it’s a nightmare for Public Relations, it’s what makes the medium so endlessly entertaining.
So when @LaurenAshley07, a New Jersey Devils fan, emotionally stabbed at Florida Panthers’ president Michael Yormark on Twitter, the not-so-professional president took issue.
Long backstory short, it’s a running tradition for Panthers fans to litter the ice with plastic rats after each goal and victory during the NHL playoffs. However, those rats were finding their way onto the ice during run of play, which is a severe no no and could result in the home team being penalized.
Yormark, whose club was selling the rats, blamed Devils fans for working to sabotage the Panthers by hurling the plastic problems during play and cut the sale of the items. This accusation set Lauren off.
Catching wind of this story, the Devils supported Lauren. In less than a day and with the help of the mainstream media, her once questioned follower count jumped from 70 to 1200. Days later, Lauren passed Yormark’s 3,194 followers with 3,217.
Last checked, Lauren now sits at 4,294 — a number that didn’t go unnoticed by the previously snarky Yormark, who called to offer an apology and a gift. With Game 7 approaching between the two teams, Yormark invited Lauren and her father to Sunrise, Fla., to attend the game.
Lauren accepted.
HOW WOULD YOU HAVE HANDLED THIS?
What Yormark did is a PR nightmare, rife with stink. The emotional and below-the-belt response from a man of position to a college student and hockey fan, makes the president look bad, the organization look bad and the brand unlikable. Was the Game 7 invite enough to clear the air?
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Jessie Holeva is a media personality and budget fashion expert. As the founder and blogger behind TrendHungry.com, Jessie excels on showcasing trends with the skinny budget in mind. Jessie can be heard weekly on her syndicated radio segment and can be seen on NBC10, 6ABC, Fox29 and WBRE. For the fashion 411 follow @trendhungryblog.
There are SO MANY apps, groups, and affiliate sites for a fashion blogger to choose from. It’s overwhelming and takes major time to figure out which one’s are worth dedicating time towards. Through trying many of the tools out there, here are three perfect for the fashion blogger looking to take their work a little more seriously. These three are user friendly, take little time, and are used by many big bloggers. And away we go…
1.The Affiliate: Shopstyle.
If you’ve never used this, you will be amazed. It’s literally changed how I blog. You can search for specific items, brands, prices, and colors. Favorite items, create spreads, and even get paid. It’s basically affiliate linking. Promote items through their site and earn cash for clicks. I use the site anyway for my own personal shopping, so why not make a little extra money while using what I would be anyway?
The best part: you get paid per clicks. Readers don’t need to purchase, just take some virtual looks.
2. The App: Pose.
It’s like Instagram for outfits. Take a shot fo what you’re wearing, edit it using the app, tag items, grab followers. You can even share on Facebook and Twitter. That equals less work for you in the long run. Plus, you can save the pics to your library and then have edited images you can add to your blog. Outfit posting is now even easier!
The Best Part: You can get outfit inspiration without having to head to a million blogs. Follow your faves and looking at outfit postings are streamlined.
3. The Group: Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB).
This is the “IT” group for fashion bloggers. Everyone is in it. It’s free to join. They post about how bloggers are making money, tips of picture taking, how to get more readers, and pretty much anything and everything fashion bloggers want to read about.
The Best Part: They host a conference twice a year where you can meet your favorite bloggers, learn from big deal keynote speakers, and snag new fashionable goodies. The organization is all about supporting other blogs so it’s a bloghood you want to be a part of.
Migdalia is a social media specialist in Philadelphia with a range of clients in different industries. She loves to find great bloggers and websites and share them with the world on www.ohmydalia.com. Her interests range from emerging media, fashion, photography, graphic design and food along with all beautiful things inbetween! You can chat her up on Twitter (@ohmydalia)! And be sure to tell her you love her by liking her on Facebook!
A little bit ago I wrote a post about an up and coming social platform that allows you to put some of your favorite things in circles. CircleMe lets you capture all of your favorite things and connect with others to find and be inspired by other interests. It’s a great way to collect your favorite things and to also find some amazing new stuff too.
CircleMe has been quite busy! The went from closed beta to open. They went from computer use only to now having an iPhone app. (Is it just me or does everyone else’s iPhone seem to have at least 2 social platform folders nowadays?) And from the buzz around the app, it’s getting some great reviews by some pretty awesome publications. Click here to see all the publications or click here to see my favorite review from Mike Butcher for Tech Crunch.
Welcome to CircleMe from CircleMe on Vimeo.
The video above also goes over their newest feature, Last.fm integration!
“We all know how important music is in your lives, right? Here at CircleMe we also think that you’d love bringing all your likes to CircleMe in an easier way. So it was only fair to help you guys, by adding Last.fm to the list of services from which you can import your interests. Ramble on and rock our world!” – Blog Post by CircleMe
If you already have the mobile stay tuned for a really sweet update next week!
Be sure to share below what you think of this great social platform!
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Lauren Gray is a senior public relations major at Western Carolina University interested in PR, marketing and social media. She currently serves at the PRSSA National Vice President of Public Relations and an Editorial Assistant with Social Fresh. Connect with her on Twitter @laurenkgray for more information or just to talk!
As you may have seen if you’ve been reading Facebook, Twitter, any blog or been on social media at all, you know Facebook acquired Instagram.
Why did Facebook buy Instagram in the first place? What does this mean for social media for the future?
From Mark Zuckerburg’s post himself:
“This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.”
Basically: Facebook has realized that Instagram would have been a continued competitor with it’s mobile photo sharing and with the release of Instagram to Android, the company was about to explode even more.
2012 has proven to be THE year of visual. “For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family,” Zuckerberg said. “Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.”
Facebook saw the opportunity to buy this huge gold mind and they took that opportunity. Instagram was a wildly successful app in just a year. Facebook lacked a strong and really stand-out mobile photo sharing presence and it realized Instagram was excelling in that aspect.
Part of me really thinks that Facebook really wanted what Instagram had: more of a personal community. Instagram is more personal, to most people. You share your photos throughout your day and your life with your friends. Sure, people somewhat do that on Facebook too, but not to the extent of Instagram.
Should we be concerned, I do not think anyone is sure yet. Just because Gowalla shut down soon after Facebook bought it does not mean Instagram is shutting down. I think Facebook will mostly leave Instagram alone, but import a lot of the features Instagram offers over to Facebook mobile app too.
Zuckerberg has also said they would not change Instagram in a significant way. “We’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently,” Zuckerberg said on a post on his Facebook feed.
What we can expect from this for the future of social media is a continued focus on the importance of mobile apps and mobile sharing and a continued focus on the importance of being visual as companies and individuals.
Photo credit - http://cdn.androidcommunity.com/
2 Comments // Read more..Ten Ways Sports Utilize Facebook Timeline Cover Photos
Posted in Facebook, Sports by Ryan
12 Apr 2012
On March 30, 2012, Facebook forced brands into a change.
Moving from the traditional look of the simple box icon to the more dynamic Facebook Timeline, which features a large cover photo, allowed business page operators and social media specialists to think outside the box and brand through visuals.
While it was an annoying switch for some, Timeline broadened the horizon for customizable creativity by giving the brand an online billboard to showcase whatever they desired. Businesses have taken advantage of the graphic advertising opportunity, particularly the sports industry, which has done everything from sell a product, promote an event or just display their brand beautifully.
Below (in no specific order) are 10 examples of successful ways that the sports industry has grasped Facebook Timeline’s cover photos.
What’s better than a rivalry? Fans that frequent the Flyers’ Facebook are instantly greeted with a perfectly timed shot of the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins benches jawing at each other during a game. The two clubs face each other in the first round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs, making the photo one that creates an emotional reaction from the fan base.
When the NFL swapped jersey-maker Reebok for Nike at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Seahawks were the lone team to sport a new design to their threads. Promoting this change on their Facebook, the Seahawks took Timeline as an opportunity to display star running back Marshawn Lynch looking like a beast in the new unis.
Instead of try to sell a product, the Devils’ Facebook promotes its fans. Displaying a “Fan of the Week” photo in their cover photo, the Devils are pushing community-first tactics in a forum of supporters, forming a solid and loyal bond between the customers and the brand.
No one flashes more school pride than a college athlete or a fan of a particular college team. USC knows this and posted their cover photo accordingly. Listing an impressive numbers breakdown of their athletic program, USC is not only boasting to their chest-puffing supporters but winking at potential high school recruits.
Most Major League Baseball teams like to give their fans a cover photo of the home ballpark. The hi-res shots have the team’s Facebook community hearing the crack of the bat and smelling the summer beer. However, for a baseball fan, there is nothing like legendary Fenway Park at night and the Red Sox know this. Posting a summer photo of Fenway gives the community a nostalgic feeling and pushes them to get back to their baseball church.
While the Devils promote fans, the Red Bulls promote home games. In this example, the Red Bulls, an MLS team that struggles to fill a beautiful but large stadium in Harrison, NJ, are using their space as an e-billboard, pushing an upcoming contest against the San Jose Earthquakes. But what’s impressive about this cover photo is the embedded links to their Twitter and Facebook page — something many teams do without.
7. Arizona Cardinals Unite Assets for the Facebook Experience
In standard fashion, the Cardinals post a beautifully designed event cover photo to promote an upcoming draft party. Yet, the dazzle is in the categories, which are designed to match the primary photo. The Cardinals also post created and used cover photos in an accessible category for fan use.
8. Detroit Red Wings Tap into Tradition
Letting the photo tell the story, the Reds Wings tap into the nostalgia of Fenway and the pride of USC’s brag by posting their Stanley Cup Championship banners in a color-themed cover photo. One of the NHL’s most successful teams, the Red Wings have a long tradition of winning and make that very clear in their Timeline design.
9. New York Jets Sync Pictures for Action Shot
Timeline has given brands an opportunity to be creative and visually please their base. The Jets took full advantage of that with this look. Using the standard icon photo to match a great looking Jets-themed action shot featuring their well-known helmets, the Jets give people a reason to check out their page.
10. Manchester City Goes Blue to Brand
While selling a product or pushing a brand is the primary function of business cover photos, there is something to be said for flashing good aesthetics in the process. Looking at Manchester City, blue is the common theme and they stick to it tightly and beautifully when featuring fan-favorite players and crest. Rivals to the red-colored Manchester United, nicknamed the “Red Devils,” Manchester City is branding by looking good in blue.
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