Social Media & SEO

Twitter on Thursday reversed course on a change to its “block” feature following negative reaction from users. The move is a potent reminder for PR pros to listen carefully to their audiences and customers. In a digital age, decision making by corporate fiat increasingly seems like a losing proposition.

Facebook’s Instagram, announced its newest messaging feature that will allow users to directly message 15 friends simultaneously.

Winner: Chris Hook, Director of Enthusiast and Component PR, Social Media and Product Reviews, AMD At the beginning of 2013, Chris Hook inherited a portfolio in turmoil, a team of zero, and a mission to… Continued

Winner: Joanna Cochran, Director, Consumer, WCG Joanna Cochran has led crisis communications training and programming for Bugaboo strollers during a major recall, and has expertly guided clients through identification of key influencers and analytical insights… Continued

Winner:  Fred Sainz, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Human Rights Campaign Fred Sainz is the man who induced more than 10 million Facebook users to change their profile pictures to an iconic red equal-sign… Continued

Twitter shares soared to $49 on Monday, up 9% to their highest level since the social blogging network went public in early November. The spike in share price comes just a few days after Twitter rolled out a new ad program. The move gives PR pros yet another excuse to condition themselves to paid media programs.

It’s one thing when brands try and align their message with “Hallmark” holidays such as Valentine’s Day or April Fool’s Day. But it’s another thing when brands try and leverage solemn anniversaries, such as last weekend’s 72nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, as Cambell’s soup brand SpagettiOs has now learned the hard way.

Buckle up. Change in the PR field has been accelerating at a rapid clip in the last several years and 2014 will be no exception. As PR moves closer and closer to the core of strategic marketing, C-level managers increasingly expect PR pros to demonstrate their value and align communications with the organization’s overall goals and objectives, financial and otherwise.

Used properly, social-media platforms can be extremely efficient at uncovering trends, discovering influencers, tracking coverage and building a brand, all things that PR is accountable for. But it takes time to use social media well.

Google Catalog. Google Wave. Google Answers. They’re all part of the Google graveyard, online platforms that the Web giant rolled out in the last several years but ultimately shutdown. However, Google+, which launched in 2011, has been a raging success, now ranking as the second-largest social networking site in the world after Facebook. So how can PR folks leverage Google+?