Web 2.0 age

Web 2.0?

We are now living in a Web 2.0 kind of world. Social media websites are popping up left, right, and center these days; so it’s hard to keep track of all of them. More recently Google has decided to jump on the bandwagon as well. Earlier today, Google announced its new social media feature: Google Buzz. (They must have gotten the name idea from here). Google Buzz will face off with giants like Twitter and Facebook: the largest social networking websites to date. But what I really want to talk about today, is using Twitter and Facebook for PR purposes.

How do I use Facebook?

Facebook and Twitter are used for quite different purposes. Myself, I’ve been a member of the Facebook network since its early beginnings. I’m not sure why I even joined, but I knew once I joined that it was not going to be easy to get out.

I find that most people use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, but not necessarily too much to follow specific groups. Although those groups do exist, some of them are quite useless: Let’s see if this onion ring can get more fans than Stephen Harper. In the case of useful group like the Winnipeg Free Press, they have some tough competition. Competition? Yes. Competition.

The Winnipeg Free Press has to compete with some of my other friends who have updated their status. So instead of reading the top headline, I get to hear about how someone is attending such-and-such party; or, they are having a glass of orange juice. Comical, yes, but not headline news. I use Facebook as a form of entertainment, so I don’t mind if people post about orange juice drinking.

How do I use Twitter?

I was “forced” to join Twitter my last semester, and I’ve been logging on a tiny bit more frequently with every month that passes. I’ve found out that it’s a lot more clean version of Facebook. People still post about putting on their pants and having some cereal, but if its REAL news you are looking for, this can be easily accessed.

Keeping up with real news is what makes Twitter different from Facebook. At first I just followed my CreComm friends, but soon found out that I could keep up with what was making news in the music world…then the “real” world like The Winnipeg Sun.

PR Strategy

As far as which of these social media websites to use as part of a PR strategy, I would have to say that it depends on what you are promoting. If you are promoting a film I would suggest using Twitter as the main social media medium. But, I don’t believe Facebook should be ignored: some people only have Facebook accounts.

Which one would be more effective? - Probably Twitter. With a Twitter account you could start following people in the community who are known actors, directors, and maybe just film buffs. If these people decide to follow you back, then you can use this two way communication tool to build a relationship with them and give them a reason to attend the film.

If you are promoting a person, I believe that Facebook would be the right choice. Facebook gives the impression of a more personal relationship with someone.

So, in short, that is what Facebook and Twitter can do for PR.