Are You Using Social Media to Talk to Yourself?
Of all the people you follow on Twitter what percentage have interests or values different than your own?
A recent visit to our campus by journalist Chantal Hébert and her lecture “Missing the Forest for the Trees: A Look at the State of Political Coverage in the Social Media Era” had me thinking about how I use these tools.
For those unfamiliar with Hébert, she is best know for her work as a weekly participant on the political panel At Issue on the CBC’s The National (in Canada The National is like … if it was food you’d spread it on toast and have it sustain you for life. It’s a big deal here).
She is also a national affairs writer with the Toronto Star, a guest columnist for Le Devoir and L’Actualité, and has been covering the major moments of Canadian politics since I was old enough to have a driver’s license.
One of the key messages of her lecture was that – in her experience – social media tends to narrow people’s perspective, not widen it.
This Communication Plan Doesn’t Smell Like Christmas Cookies
Without the input of communicators and marketers far and wide I fear Christmas may be doomed. Let me explain …
The other night in a haze of nog and toddies I noticed that the table next to mine had elves – two of them. They were intense little creatures that smelt like cinnamon and cloves.
I watched as they spent the night furrowing their brows at the page on their table. They drank and wrote and pounded their wee little fists in frustration.
Did you know that when elves punch each other in the face glitter explodes into the air? It does. It also provides great cover for snapping photos with an iPhone.
Long story short, I photographed their comm. plan, a dismal thing that needs your input.
Christmas Communication Plan 2011
Prepared by senior communication elves: Peppermint Pete and Ernie Evergreen
Shanan & Kate’s Excellent QR Code Adventure
Okay, our adventure wasn’t as thrilling as traveling the Circuits of Time in a phone booth with George Carlin, but it was educational none-the-less.
This Fall the University at which I work hosted a career fair, cramming booth-after-booth of employers looking for new recruits into the main gymnasium.
It was a great opportunity for students to explore their options and a fun way for Kate (my colleague) and I to see how some organizations are using QR Codes.
Image: Optiscanapp via Flickr, CC 2.0
Here is what we found out:
