New York Fries is on my side

So I was sent an interesting article ( Thank you Kate Parkes!) about a tongue-in-cheek online marketing campaign being conducted by New York Fries.

They created a Facebook application, where users can call out their friends on their annoying Facebook behaviour.

Once the users "like" the application, they can tag their friends in one of 14 posters, each one depicting different annoying Facebook behaviours. The posters will then appear in the friend's news feed, for all of Facebook to see. It's an attempt to raise awareness to the behaviour in a fun and interesting way.

I really enjoy this type of marketing. Not only do I know that I am not alone in being annoyed by stupid photo albums and status updates, but I appreciate the creativity of using social media as a way of thinking outside the box to promote the New York Fries brand. We're seeing this type of marketing a lot more now ( Old Spice, any one?) and it's exciting to see where else it can go.

So are you just as annoyed by me as that duck face girl popping up in your news feed? Get the application and tag away!

www.facebook.com/NewYorkFries#!/NewYorkFries/?v=info

Reflective Piece- What I've Learned

To take a break from the regularly scheduled Facebook sins, I want to talk about how my perception of public relations has changed since I started the post-grad program in January 2010.

It seems like a million years ago, I sat in the classroom on the first day, contemplating the journey I was about to take. A lot can change in six months, and my perception of public relations is no exception.

I always understood what public relations was all about, but what i did not know was how intangible it is to describe what PR practitioners actually do.

Sitting in numerous communications management classes, I heard over and over again that many people working in an organization have no idea what the communications department does. The only time they are truly acknowledged for their work was when a crisis struck.

This really bothered me; after all, up till this point I have always been acknowledged for my hard work and commitment. The fact that I may potentially be looked at by my co-workers and have them think, "what did she do all day?" simply did not sit well with me.

Now that I am here, I can safely say that this is no longer a concern of mine. Throughout both semesters, I am completely aware of how much work, time, energy and effort goes into working in communications and am prepared to politely discuss so if need be.

Another opinion of mine that has changed, is that working in PR is a lot more responsibility than I originally thought. A good example of this was demonstrated by a recent guest speaker, John Arnone of Bombardier. Bombardier had a crisis last year when one of their planes crashed and killed 49 innocent people. In the few days following the crisis, John had to both stand behind his company but also relay to the public how sorry they were for the tragedy.

In the end, the cause of the accident was not due to a malfunction with their planes. It's almost impossible to imagine how much pressure and stress John had to have been under during those times; but in the end he stayed true to his company and his public, by being completely honest.

Granted many of us will not have to endure a similar crisis, but the lesson I took here has to do with being as prepared as possible. Anything you do, whether it would be writing a press release or securing speakers for an event you are holding, has to be done with the utmost attention and accuracy. It only take one instance for you to make a mistake and have people begin to wonder if you really know what you are talking about. If John had slipped up once during those times of crisis, not only would his reputation be on the line, but that of his organization's.

So in short, do your work and do it well. No one will judge you for that.
And yes, being a communicator is a big responsibility, but luckily there are PR people who are willing to mentor and be available for questions as we embark on our careers.

Oh, and your boss will google you and find your Facebook, so make sure you have cleaned it up accordingly :)

Third Deadly Sin: The Gushy Couple

Love is a beautiful thing. Sometime you feel like you want the world to know how much you are in love. I fully understand this, but there are some things I've seen that I REALLY can't stand.

First example: This is a posting from a girl I have on my friends list, to her boyfriend. Keep in mind this was written on his wall, which then shows up in all her friend's news feed:

"Hey baby! I love you sooooo much. I can't believe it's been three years already. Every day with you just gets better and better. I don't know what I would do without you! You are my reason for living. I can't wait to celebrate our anniversary tonight in the lover's suite. I love you sooo much baby, see you tonight, I can't wait."

It's pretty obvious that this is overkill. I think most rational people will agree with me, that there is simply no need for this much gush. We really don't want to know how great your "special" night together is going to be. This type of message is more suitable for a private message, or a text message, or an e mail, or a phone call. When people post stuff like this, they are instantly written off in my head as attention-seeking and pathetic and it becomes hard for me to take you seriously ever again.

To add insult to injury, on the same day this message was posted on Facebook, they began treating us all to photo updates from their night together. Pictures of them kissing in bed ( in sepia tones of course, it just makes it look so much more romantic than normal colour photos) began to appear in my news feed. Puke.

Lovers, keep those hormones under control. No one really cares that much anyways.

Facebook and Your Brand Image

So I acknowledge that some of you may be wondering what gives me the authority to judge?

Who am I to say what is acceptable for Facebook and what is not?

Some very sage Facebook advice: Don't post anything on Facebook you wouldn't want a potential employer to see. Truthfully, it's not MY opinion that actually matters, it's those of your future employers.

Everything you do online contributes to your online brand image. With every comment, photo, tweet or status update, you are relaying to your public who you are. So if a potential employer decided to Google you, do you really want to be seen as that person passed out on a couch at a party, with obscenities written all over your face? Or that person who claims on a resume that they are a professional, yet their Facebook is cluttered with obvious spelling errors?

Here's an example of how a woman in North Carolina was fired from her serving job after complaining about a particularly bad shift on her Facebook status. Long story short, her boss read her status, didn't like what she was saying about the company and he fired her.

This doesn't mean that you have to brand yourself as devoid of any personality on your profile. Just try to be a bit more strategic in your representation, because you never truly know who is reading.

the link to the aforementioned article: www.chris.pirillo.com/waitress-fired-over-facebook-status/

Second Deadly Sin: The Attention Whore

This is a big one.

We all know a Facebook attention whore. It's an umbrella term for the user who seeks online attention and affirmation from their Facebook friends.

While in some ways everyone who owns a Facebook account is seeking attention to a certain degree, there are some people who cross the line as to what is normal Facebook activity.

Exhibit A: The "hot" girl who posts an album entitled, "Just Me"- where every picture is in fact, just her. Just her making a fool of herself, but of course she doesn't realize this. Every picture is carefully crafted to ensure her kissy pout is just right and that her tight shirt shows just the right amount of cleavage. She is usually posing in front of a mirror. 60 shots later, the album is complete- there may be various outfit changes or quick make-up touches, but this is the extent of the album.

While this in itself isn't the most offensive thing one can put on Facebook, it's the captions beneath said photos that really irk me. For example, take the kissy face photo. Why do girls have to write, " I don't really know what I'm doing" as a caption- it's as if this excuses the ridiculously pretentious behaviour. We all know you're intentions here- it's to look hot and to get your friends to tell you how hot you are- so at least own up to that.

I've also had some friends who like to advertise how awesome and crazy their Saturday nights are as their status updates. The one I read not too long ago was, " OMG LAST NITE WAS SOO CRAZY- DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN? LIKE, WTF- WHO DOES THAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO???"

Ughh. If you had a fun night with your friends, just say so. We all know you're BEGGING for people to ask you why your night was sooooo crazy- and then, when we do ask you, you never reply. SOOO ANNOYING.

So why does this all matter? Why should I care about what other people choose to do with their Facebook profile? Well, stay tuned for my next blog post, because it will explain a little thing called personal branding. Whether you realize it or not, your Facebook is adding to your brand image and how other people see you- and believe me, this matters.

First Deadly Sin: The 'TMI' User

Welcome to my blog.

Let's just get the business out of the way. I am by no means claiming I am a Facebook expert, or the final say in Facebook etiquette. I realize that it is a social networking site and people are free to express themselves in whatever fashion they choose.

This being said...

I have seen some ridiculous, disgusting and offensive nonsense posted on Facebook since I began using the site in 2006. While it is an excellent way of staying in touch with your friends, it is also an excellent way to offend other people and hurt your online public image.

So, let's get started with our first deadly sin: The "too much information" (TMI) User.
I know we all have at least a few of these 'friends' on our list. They are the ones that abuse Facebook as a place to share the intimate and utterly private details of their private life with the online world.

I'm talking about those gory details that should never be broadcasted. Case in point, (names have been changed) take Amanda.

Amanda is a seemingly normal young woman. Turns out she made a few bad decisions, and ended up unexpectedly pregnant. I know this because she posted on her status that "she just got back from getting an abortion."

Not only is this distasteful, I am positive no one wanted to read this in their news feed, next to so-and-so who just scored a cow in Farmville.

This is waaaaayyy too much information! In the era of social networking, the lines between what is acceptable casual conversation and what is private have become blurred. Not only was that uncomfortable for me to read that as her status, it made me sick to my stomach that a decision like that could be so casually brushed off as a simple part of her day, next to having breakfast or going to work. The fact that she would have no qualms about advertising this to all her friends makes me seriously question her state of mind.

On a lighter note, I also have a friend named Suzanne. Suzanne's beloved dog died. My condolences.

But for a few weeks after this, Suzanne's statuses were, " OMG BUGSY, YOU WERE THE BEST DOG ALIVE! YOU WERE SOOOOO HANDSOME AND SWEET. IF YOU WEREN'T A DOG I WOULD TOTALLY DO YOU!!!"

At what point are erotic emotions towards your dead dog acceptable?

The point I'm getting at here is, keep private details private. Reserve them for close family and friends in the real world. They are likely the only ones who really care anyways.

What do you think? Are there limitations to what you should share online? Does it even matter? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.