connect 2012

may 2012www.nywici.org

WORKING SOCIALHow Social Media Are

Impacting Communications

Twitter Leads a news revolution

Page 7

PiX11 anchor Sukanya Krishnan

Page 8

Public relations Today

0

Digital marketing Tactics

Page 14

INSIde:

This new video series will be a living, informative and inspirational montage of the women who connect the world asking “What’s the Best Advice You Have Ever Been Given?” To become part of this series, visit

www.nywici.org and share the best advice you have ever received.

An exciting interactive video mosaic featuring Matrix Award winners Katie Couric, Arianna Huffington, Susan Lyne, Mary Lou Quinlan,

Patrice Tanaka and YOU!

nywici .org 1 c o n n e c t

We expanded our social media team and added

new platforms, including our interactive video

series, “Connect with the Women Who Connect

the World,” and a Pinterest board.

fr

om

th

e p

re

sid

en

t

Dear fellow members, It has been my pleasure to serve as your president during 2011-2012, a year of great transition—and exciting changes—within communications.

As I began my term last June, many of our members faced a changing work environment. Experienced professionals who had been laid off found that job opportunities required new skills. Student members who had just graduated were met with a tight job market. Members at all rungs on the career ladder were discovering that it was essential to become versed in social media if they weren’t already.

During the past year, I am pleased to report, New York Women in Communications has served as an invaluable resource to help members meet these challenges. Our members-only digital and coaching salons have continued to focus on helping our members update their professional skills. And in January, we hosted a special members-only event, an executive recruiters’ panel for seasoned profes-sionals who were changing jobs.

Social media have played a major role in this year’s initiatives. We expanded our social media team and added new platforms, including our interactive video series, “Connect with the Women Who Connect the World,” and a Pinterest board. Twitter chats every other Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. address a range of career issues. Tune in at #nywicichat.

In February, nywici hosted two panel discus-sions at Social Media Week (see page 16). In just four years, the weeklong event which began in New York City has expanded to become a global event.

When we decided to relaunch connect as an annual industry report, it was clear that the issue’s theme was destined to be social media. Inside these pages, I hope you’ll find useful advice, whether

you’ve just started tweeting and posting or you have already fully integrated your social media platforms.

As the year closes, I have many fond memories. I’ll never forget “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski at October’s Cocktails & Conversations urging women to demand what they’re worth, the topic of her book Knowing Your Value. As always, April’s Matrix Awards luncheon honoring eight women in communications was the highlight. At the event, we also presented 18 high school, college and graduate students with scholarships totaling $130,000.

This year’s Matrix honorees were: Tyra Banks, chairwoman, CEO and chief creative officer of The Tyra Banks Company, Inc.; Gayle Butler, executive vice president of Meredith Creative Content and editor in chief of Better Homes and Gardens; Glenn Close, actress/producer and co-founder and chairman of the board of Bring Change 2 Mind; Maria Cuomo Cole, film producer and chairman of HELP USA; Ann Curry, Emmy Award-winning co-anchor, “TODAY,” and correspondent; Laura Desmond, global CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group; Zenia Mucha, executive vice president and chief communications officer of The Walt Disney Company; and Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal columnist and author.

If you haven’t taken advantage of all our organization has to offer, I urge you to do so. I’m always in awe of the incredible sense of camarade-rie—and energy—among our members.

Best always,

Catherine Mathis Senior Vice President, Marketing and CommunicationsStandard & Poor’s Ratings Services

Mathis with author and “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski at October’s Cocktails & Conversations

2 new york women in communications

Contents 2012

10 7

4

8

13

4 Journalism: with soCial media, news travels faster than seismiC waves As journalists rely more heavily on social media to develop leads, investigate stories and disseminate news links, the qual-ity of journalism is improving.

7 how Journalists use twitter Twitter tactics that journalists find invaluable.

8 piX11 anChor sukanya krishnan Though she would love to

“unplug” from all electronic devices, the Emmy Award- winning newswoman admits that “digital has changed everyone and everything.”

10 publiC relations today: a roundtable disCussion Three pr veterans—and nywici members—discuss how social media shape their agendas.

13 mobile news Reviews of five of the best news-reading apps.

14 marketing: the Changing Consumer Conversation Tactics to leverage the marketing power of social media.

16 trending now... nywici takes on Social Media Week; the latest on our Facebook and Twitter channels; and @nywici twitterized.

In this issue

14

co

ve

r p

ho

to

gr

ap

hy

by

ma

rya

nn

e r

uss

el

l

nywici .org 3 C o n n e C t

int

ro

du

Ct

ion

: wo

rk

ing

so

Cia

l

Find us on: facebook.com/nywici LinkedIn.com twitter.com/nywici plus.google.com youtube.com/nywici pinterest.com/nywici/

in the early days, social media’s survival was often debated—and even joked about. Not long

after Twitter launched, late-night comedy host Conan O’Brien featured a segment called “Twitter

Tracker,” mocking Twitter users.

No one is laughing today. As of February 2012, 66 percent of online adults use social networking

sites, according to The Pew Research Center.

Social media’s influences are now felt throughout communications. As we went to press in April,

the Pulitzer Prizes were announced and included a winner whose story wouldn’t have been possible

before Twitter. The Tuscaloosa News of Alabama won in the breaking news category for its coverage

of a deadly tornado, and the judges cited the paper’s use of social media as well as traditional

reporting. While phone lines were down and power was out, reporters used Twitter to chronicle

the storm’s path.

The Huffington Post—with over 20 million social referrals a month—became the first online-only

daily news site to win a Pulitzer. David Wood won in the national reporting category for his 10-part

series “Beyond the Battlefield,” which focused on severely wounded veterans of the Afghanistan and

Iraq wars.

At New York Women in Communications, social media have become critical partners in the

organization’s efforts to communicate with members. “Every time we launch a new platform, whether

it is our student blog, or Pinterest board, or our newest initiative, the ‘Connect with the Women Who

Connect the World’ interactive video series, members are always eager to experiment with new

technology and new ways of connecting with each other,” says Maria Ungaro, executive director.

During the past year, we have expanded our social media initiatives, with a full team of members

now manning our platforms. “Social media have raised the bar in supplying a constant stream of

information, and our community team ensures that we keep our audience in the loop,” says Alexandra

Patchen, social media director.

Many members report that they are struggling to incorporate social media into their professional

lives. “Over the next few years, social media will continue to transform the communications industry

in ways that we can’t predict today,” says Gail Griffin, vice president of strategic planning. “As part of

nywici’s strategic plans, we will ensure that social media remain at the forefront. We want to help

prepare members for the changes in industry economics that will lead to new career opportunities.”

In this issue of connect, our first annual industry report, we bring you the latest news on social

media’s rise in the fields of journalism, public relations and marketing. We also offer tactics for

maximizing social media’s potential at the office—as well as a few tips just for fun.

—Patricia Maloney, vice president, editorial, Integrated Marketing & Communications Committee

“Over the next few years, social media will continue to transform the commu-nications industry in ways that we can’t predict today.”Gail Griffin, NYWICI vice president, strategic planning

LinkedIn was conceived of in co-founder Reid Hoffman’s living room in 2002, and the site made its debut on May 5, 2003. Working from his Harvard dorm room, Mark Zuckerberg brought Facebook to the web on February 4, 2004. Jack Dorsey posted the first tweet on March 21,

2006, and he officially launched Twitter with his partners in July of that year.


More and more, news consumers are turning to social media—and transforming the journalism landscape for reporters and readers

By RacheL ButtneR

with soCial media,

newstravels faster than

seismiCwaves

When an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook the Northeast on August 23, 2011, thousands of people turned to Twitter to record the

rare event—logging in about 5,500 tweets per second. The earthquake’s epicenter hit outside the town of Mineral, VA, at 1:51 p.m., and the shocks didn’t rumble through New York City until 30 seconds later. But before most of us knew that the cause of the shaking ground was shifting tectonic plates, Twitter was flooded with the #Earthquake hashtag. The social media platform recorded more tweets per second than at the time of Osama bin Laden’s death, and a similar number to those prompted by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. On Facebook, four minutes after the second earthquake hit, the term

“earthquake” had appeared in the status updates of 3 million users.

Today it’s common to learn of breaking news via social networking platforms—and to check in with them for updates. News sites now get 9 percent of their traffic from social media, up about 57 percent in two years, according to The Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media 2012 report (stateofthemedia.org), released in March.

What effect will this have on the quality of journalism? It’s changing it, and for the better, according to Alexandra Bruell, a reporter for Advertising Age. “Although publishing has its challenges, especially as we continue to dig ourselves out of the recession, the tools, informa-tion and outlets from which one can generate news, find news and promote news are astounding.”

Jo

ur

na

lis

m

“citizen journalism is slowly de-mocratizing the media.”Anjali Mullany, Daily News


Facebook vs. twitterSocial media have opened up new dialogues, between reporters and readers, and among readers. Currently, Facebook and Twitter are the social media news powerhouses, according to the Pew study, but more than twice as many digital news consumers log onto Facebook for news source recommendations. And the two platforms’ members report different usage. Facebook news consumers said that 70 percent of their recommen-dations came from friends and family and 13 percent from news organizations and journalists. In contrast, Twitter users relied on a more even mix of news sources, with 36 percent saying they receive most of their news links from family and friends and 27 percent from news outlets.

“It has always been vital that reporters go where the news is, and that applies to Facebook posts or Twitter streams in just the same way it would apply to a court hearing or a press conference,” says David Stringer, a London correspondent for the Associated Press (AP). In March, Stringer (@David_Stringer) was named to The Independent newspaper’s list of the 100 most influential Twitter users in Britain.

“Facebook and Twitter are great tools for showing our readers stories they may have missed in that day’s paper,” says Meredith Engel, the wellbeing edi-tor at Metro, the fourth most widely circulated and the most read free daily newspaper in the United States, with editions in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. “As a daily paper, it’s our job to stay on top of the conversation, and we’re finding that this is where the conversation is happening.

“Social media allow reporters to connect with readers, answer questions and share ideas,” adds Engel, a 2008 Fordham University graduate who joined Metro’s New York City bureau in the spring of 2011 as a proofreader and is now the wellbeing editor of all three US editions. She believes that

“the reporter-reader relationship that can develop as a result of social media is unprecedented,” but emphasizes that the need for good writing and reporting remains undiminished. “Social media are great for getting people’s attention, but once you have their attention, you need to provide them with a good story.”

citizen JournalistsSocial media are bringing journalists closer to their audiences, transforming the concept of citizen journalism, a movement that began more than 20 years ago. Remember when US Airways Flight 1549 crash-landed in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009? Images of that amazing event first exploded on Twitter and Facebook, and ordinary citizens got the scoop on the story before the news networks.

Occupy Wall Street is often cited as a citizen journalist movement driven by social media. Anjali Mullany, social media editor for New York’s Daily News, first found out about the protests on Twitter. “I saw hundreds of tweets about a protest downtown, so I went there with my iPhone

to check it out.” Mullany credits social media tools—including YouTube, Ustream, Livestream and SoundCloud, in addition to Facebook and Twitter—with helping the activists to document and broadcast their protests. She says that on September 17, 2011, when the protests began, there were few members of the mainstream press at Zuccotti Park, but “social media allowed the activists to tell the world what they were up to 24/7.”

As the first social media editor at the Daily News, Mullany has been running the paper’s social media efforts since 2009. In this role, she analyzes the newsroom and creates Continued on Page 6

“Social media are great for getting people’s attention, but once you have their attention, you need to provide them with a good story.”Meredith Engel, Metro

“For me and my colleagues, there’s never been a more important time to abide by strong reporting standards and place a premium on accuracy.”David Stringer, Associated Press


Continued from Page 5 and implements the organization’s social media strategy—which includes using social media as a reporting and investigative tool as well as a means of disseminating news links, and integrating social media into the paper’s website.

concerns about truthThe rise in citizen journalism has raised concerns about getting the facts right. “For me and my colleagues, there’s never been a more important time to abide by strong reporting standards and place a premium on accuracy,” says the AP’s Stringer, who cites the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as an example.

Following the 2011 shooting, several major news corporations, including NPR News, CBS and NBC, erroneously reported Giffords’ death. Making mistakes in the rush to release a breaking story is nothing new. But in today’s digital age, the swift nature of social media amplifies mistakes. One media outlet reports the story; it’s picked up by another outlet; then it’s posted to Facebook, tweeted and so on. Stringer says he and his colleagues were unconvinced by reports of Giffords’ death and refused to compromise on their journalistic standards—even under intense pressure.

twitter as a Reporting ResourceJennifer Ablan, an editor for Thomson Reuters, finds Twitter a useful reporting tool but agrees that it is not a replacement for traditional news-gather-ing techniques. “The beauty of Twitter is that it gathers around people who can say things crisply and entertainingly even though they may be

‘unknown,’ which is an important journalistic skill. I’ve incorporated [Twitter] into my daily routine because I see value in it for me. It is one way—and I emphasize one way—to find out what investors and traders are talking about,” she says. “It will never, ever replace good, old-fashioned reporting—calling and meeting sources. Nothing compares to that.”

Ablan has used Twitter to build a list of sources. When she tweets something about PIMCO bond manager Bill Gross or Greenlight

Capital’s David Einhorn, for example, she gets an immediate reaction without having to consult a series of individual Wall Street traders, analysts and hedge fund managers. And by creating an online network, she gathers many sources to help her develop the story she’s writing.

“I would argue that journalism is thriving because of social media. Readers respond strongly to compelling stories, engaging columns and deeply reported investigative pieces.”

Social media are creating new forms of storytelling—including photo blogs and interac-tive graphics—and also changing journalists’ agendas. “Citizen journalism is slowly democratizing the

media,” says Mullany, noting that if the mainstream media won’t cover an issue, individuals will now publish on their own, stealing coveted web traffic away from news sites.

But the challenge is still to explain why a given story matters, and reporters bear that responsibility. Their platform is simply broader than it used to be. Reporters at Engel’s newspaper, Metro, write articles for the daily print edition, but also tweet, post to Facebook and write stories for the web. “I think it’s part of a larger cultural shift—people want instant access to their news,” says Engel.

“Social media are now a crucial part of journal-ism,” adds Bruell. “It’s a fascinating time.”

“Readers respond strongly to compelling stories, engaging columns and deeply reported investigative pieces.”Jennifer Ablan, Thomson Reuters

“the tools, information and outlets from which one can now generate news, find news and promote news are astounding.”Alexandra Bruell, Advertising Age


Jo

ur

na

lis

m

some tactics n If they’re covering a breaking story via Twitter, journalists request photos, videos and detailed information early and often. They also monitor tweets and tweet updates constant-ly, share information and stay on the news until they have a story to file.n Successful journalists on Twitter take the time to become adept at Twitter tools and apps—from basics like hashtags (#), retweets (RT), “at” mentions (@) and direct messages (DM) to the intricacies of HootSuite or TweetDeck. For help, consult Mashable’s Twitter Guide, mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/.n To find and verify reliable sources, social and digital media journalists also use sites like Storify.com—“a view of the world through the eyes of the people on the ground where news is

happening”—and Storyful.com, which “uses the power of social networks to create an innovative, interactive and socially useful journalism.”

How often should a journalist tweet? Often enough to become a familiar face and then, as often as suits him or her. Some journalists, like NY1’s Roger Clark (@RogerClark41) and New York Times assistant managing editor Jim Roberts (@nytjim), are on Twitter all the time, commenting on the news, sharing links and conversing with people.

One of the best examples of a journalist using Twitter well was provided last May by New York Times reporter Brian Stelter. When a Category 5 tornado hit Joplin, MO, Stelter got on a plane and headed to his first natural disaster assignment. He quickly realized that tweeting from his cell phone was the only way he could file his report.

some examples“I thought I had seen the worst. I hadn’t. I think I have now.

More later. #Joplin”

“Just realized my feet have been soaking wet for hours. Gonna change my socks now. Writing some overnight stories in #Joplin”

“This trauma unit is being run by volunteers & Marine Corps vets who specialized in front-line medicine. #Joplin”

“Final edition of the A1 [New York edition front-page story] from #Joplin that I helped w/. Tornado ‘sucked the wind out of me,’ hospital patient told me: http://nyti.ms/kBBTVk”

Later, in a post called “What I learned in Joplin” that Stelter wrote for his Tumblr page, he said, “Looking back, I think my best reporting was on Twitter.”

how Journalists

Whether they’re covering breaking news, locating expert sources, researching background, verifying leads or connecting with peers, journalists are finding Twitter

one of the most versatile tools since the cell phone.

use twitterBy MicheLe huSh

A mediaite.com story on Brian Stelter and an Instagram photo that he shared while covering the Joplin tornado.


of Course, that’s not going to happen. Sukanya, or Suki, as she is also known, is the straight-talking anchor and reporter for the PIX11 “Morning News” in New York, Tribune Broadcasting’s CW affiliate. She admits, too, that she “loves the everyday hustle” of her job, in which she covers the New York City metro region, one of the world’s most demand-ing markets.

Suki is also a three-time Emmy winner, an icon of New York media, a dedicated newshound, a wife, the mother of a toddler son named Kiran, a sister and a daughter. To Suki, digital is as integral to her life as are a studio set, pen and pad, and hair and makeup.

“Digital has changed everyone and everything,” says Suki. She and her team, like news organiza-tions everywhere, cull leads from viewers or so-called citizen journalists as well as from police and firefighters, using Twitter and other types of digital tools and social media. For example, the first

image of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River last fall came from a Twitter user.

Suki herself is active daily on Facebook and Twitter (@SukanyaNYC), which means that she maintains the posts and tweets herself, a task that some anchors delegate to others. On Facebook, she is nearly at the limit of 5,000 connections (a total of your Friends and the pages you “like”).

“I like to respond to people who didn’t like what we did or are offended,” she says of messages she receives through social media. “You put yourself out there for better or for worse, so you have to put up or shut up.”

With so many digital tools at the ready, Suki at first says that “everyone can be a journalist,” then corrects herself. “Everyone” certainly can witness a news event, aid in gathering information and serve as a tipster, she notes, but it takes a professional journalist to report the story, nail down the facts and interpret them, and determine the news value in a way that makes sense for viewers.

Watching Suki switch with seeming ease from a kindergarten segment to a report on the assassina-tion of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi to breaking news of a fire in Queens, it’s hard to believe that she didn’t plan to be an on-air broadcaster. “It’s not like journalism is in my blood,” explains the daughter of doctors who emigrated from Madras, India, to New York when

Sukanya Krishnan entertains a fantasy about her participation in today’s hyper-connected world. She would love to “unplug” and live without her Black-Berry and iPad, as well as without her Twitter and Facebook accounts and, really, all things digital.

putting herself

out therepix11 Anchor Sukanya Krishnan on the Digital Connection

By MicheLLe Lodge

ph

ot

o,t

his

pa

ge

: m

el

issa

ha

mb

ur

g


pr

of

ile

“I like to respond to people who didn’t like what we did or are offended.”

she was seven.In fact,

she majored in Spanish at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, and also studied abroad in Malaga, Spain, because she found the romance language “so full of love and alma [which means soul in Spanish].” Later, as a journalist working in a Dominican neighborhood, knowing Spanish helped Suki do her job better because she could communicate with the residents.

It was a journalism professor at New York University, where she was taking a postgraduate course, who encouraged Suki to go into the news business. Later, when Suki interned behind the scenes at WLIG Channel 55 (now WLNY) in Melville, Long Island, she reported an on-air story and her broadcasting career was launched.

Among her other stops have been WUTR-TV, an ABC affiliate in Utica, NY; WCBS, in New York City, for five years; and WHP-TV, a CBS affiliate in Harrisburg, PA.

As an experienced broadcaster, Suki has advice for the next generation. Hone your skills and learn your craft before speaking up, she says, because at the beginning “no one wants to hear what you have

to say.” Dress appropriately for work: “No UGGs, flip-flops or sweats or pants with Juicy across your ass.” And treat your superiors with respect. At work, “we aren’t all friends,” she says. “You have to know when to pull back. There’s a line in the sand that you don’t cross. If Ms. Johnson [your boss] is now Jean, that doesn’t mean she is your friend.”

It is Suki’s “old school” immigrant background that contributes to her sense of propriety in dealing with both interview subjects and superiors. “I grew up in a loving family, not a formal family,” she says. “But we knew when the big dogs [the older generation] barked at us to get off the porch, we got off the porch.”

She encourages any talented, hardworking woman, or man, to go for a career in broadcasting, regardless of whether they fit the physical mold. She is well aware that the business can zero in on cookie-cutter looks, favoring people of a certain age, race, size and gender. When Suki started out, for example, South Asian women as on-air broad-casters were virtually nonexistent in the United States. In fact, she remembers one studio executive asking her to alter her eye makeup to give her eyes more of a Far Eastern look, because in those days Chinese and Korean on-air talent fit in better with the news scenario than a woman from India.

Now it’s hard to imagine New York media without Suki and her singular talent and perspective.

“I wish there were many more faces that looked like mine on-air,” adds Suki. “I love seeing people of color in broadcasting. It’s up to the next generation to make that change happen.”

Right: As news anchor and reporter for the PIX11 “Morning News,” Suki is often out on the streets of the New York metro area.

Below: Suki with her co-anchor Frances Rivera.

ph

ot

os,

th

is p

ag

e:

jef

f p

inil

la

/tr

ibu

ne

cr

ea

tiv

e g

ro

up


publiC relationstoday

In our roundtable, three pr veterans— and nywici members—

discuss how social media shape their agendasBy LindSey WahLStRoM

photogRaphy By MaRyanne RuSSeLL


pu

bl

iC r

el

at

ion

s

Public relations practitioners have always connected brands with consumers, but how they do that has drastically changed in recent years. In this PR roundtable, three NYWICI members—Tricia Kenney, managing director of

corporate communications at the Kaplan Thaler Group; Alissa Pinck, a PR agency executive; and Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, co-founder and managing director of Digital Brand Architects—talk about how the industry has evolved and what practitioners can do to find a niche in this rapidly changing field.

how has the industry changed since the beginning of your career?

alissa pinck: It’s now so much more about 360-degree communications than about media relations. Should companies hire PR agencies, or should they hire marketing agencies or digital agencies or entertainment agencies? There are a lot more people playing in the space, offering to connect brands to consumers.

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson: The field of PR is constantly changing and evolving to match the needs of brands and consumers, as well as to account for new media outlets and channels that continue to emerge. Bloggers, YouTubers and online content publishers have truly forced an expansion in the role of PR practitioners—and increased the channels and outlets that must be included in outreach strategies.

tricia Kenney: There’s never been a better or more exciting time to be in the field of PR than today. When you think about it, the world’s largest communications outlets are owned by the people: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Today no one can control the news, but as a PR practitioner you have more tools.

how have new media, especially social media, impacted pR?

tK: Because of the digital revolution and social media, you can [in effect] have one-on-one dialogues with lots of people at once. All news people have Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. Before, you could never get to a reporter directly without a good preexisting relationship. Now, if you can offer a new angle, you can have a dialogue— a 140-character dialogue if you’re using Twitter.

KBF: While the objective of PR has not changed, the pitch and the assets have changed. Working with bloggers from an editorial perspective requires an understanding of social media in general as well as the time to develop and nurture relationships with them.

ap: You have to be much more prepared for a crisis, as it could go viral in minutes. You need to know all the different vehicles a news person uses—do they write for a newspaper but also blog or tweet? Is the content you are pitching appropri-ate for all their vehicles? Continued on Page 12

Top left: tricia Kenney

Top middle: alissa pinck

Top right: Kendra Bracken-

Ferguson

“Think before you type, tweet or pick up the phone.”Tricia Kenney

Continued from Page 11

you have all been very successful in carving out a niche for yourselves. to what do you attribute your success?

ap: One of the reasons I have done well is that I have always had a sense of urgency, which is a huge benefit in PR. And I have always been really well read, so that I can speak somewhat intelligently on many different topics. And I love to write. So many people in PR can’t write, which is a shame because it really hurts them in their careers.

KBF: Staying on top of the trends, [taking advantage of] advances in tools and technologies and adapting to the new media landscape. We have carved a niche in terms of building out our digital PR capabilities and truly understanding the

nuances of working with bloggers to establish relationships on behalf of our clients.

tK: I have always treated my clients, their businesses, their projects and their money as if they were my own. I tell the truth at all times. So many people over-promise and under-deliver; I always want to under-promise and over-deliver. That, coupled with not always telling [clients] what they want to hear. I’d like to think that is my hallmark.

What is your advice for someone just starting in this field?

ap: In any industry, you have to ask questions and be willing to take construc-tive criticism. You also need to raise a red flag when something is going wrong or you are going to miss a deadline, so your boss doesn’t have to take the heat. In PR,

it’s all about following the news and reading, reading, reading. Know what is going on in the world across entertain-ment, politics, sports, media and lifestyle.

tK: The most important thing is to come up with a smart, funny, entertaining story idea or angle for the reporter on the other end. Think before you type, tweet, or pick up the phone, and make sure you have something worthwhile or interesting or entertaining that’s going to get the job done. You only have one shot.

KBF: Learn as much as you can in terms of social media, digital marketing, technologies, platforms, etc. Now PR professionals are pitching editors and bloggers through Twitter as well as through email and, at times, Facebook. There is tremendous opportunity to lead the next evolution of PR. Carpe diem!

It’s easy to feel pressured by a vague sense that you need to keep up, so start with the basics and define your goals. Do you want to expand your professional network? Attract clients? Make yourself more market-able? Your professional objectives should inform your social media com-mitment and strategy. Next, consider these tips.

divide and conquer Select one or two emerging platforms and do a deep dive for a week. Become part of the community. The experience will be useful even if you decide that LinkedIn discussion groups are more strategic for your goals than, say, Google+ or Pinterest.

Be a content creator If you blog regularly, you have a natural content hub for sharing on social media platforms. But if not, look for opportunities

to guest post on a topic about which you feel passionate or are an expert. Seek out blogs and communities in key areas and become a regular commenter.

Follow top Brands and Bloggers If your time is limited (and whose isn’t?), choose 10 innovative and interesting figures or companies and follow them. Consistency can be more valuable than a wide net.

test new tools Broaden your familiarity with new monitoring, measurement and analytics tools. Many, like Radian6, offer free trials, and a few hands-on sessions can be worth 10 white papers.

connect in real liFe There’s a tsunami of advice available online, but we often accomplish more through personal interaction. Attend seminars, workshops and conferences (like those that NYWICI offers) that place you in direct contact with thought leaders and others who have new ideas and inspiration to share.

Dorothy Crenshaw is the CEO and creative director of Crenshaw Communications. Follow her on Twitter at @dorothycrenshaw.

enhanCe your soCial media masteryBy Dorothy Crenshaw



mo

bil

e n

ew

s

instapaperAvailable for iPhone/iPad ($4.99), eReaders and the web (Free) Looking for an easy way to save long news articles for reading later? With the click of a button in your web browser, you can save article text to read later on this app or on instapaper.com. Instapaper even integrates with many social apps, so you can save Twitter links for later. Best of all, you can read saved articles via the app when you are out of service areas—such as on that long subway commute.

pulse newsAvailable for iPhone/iPad and Android devices (Free)Like Flipboard, Pulse makes it easy and visually appealing to follow several feeds at once. The app includes browse and search features to find your favorite news sources. Pick your feeds, and the app lays out the headlines and images for each feed horizontally on your landing page. You can also create separate lists by topic and use Pulse’s built-in save-for-later features. Pulse also lets you sync your sources across multiple devices.

flipboardAvailable for iPad (Free)Use Flipboard to create your own

“social magazine.” This visually stunning iPad app aggregates your favorite news sources—plus your Facebook and Twitter feeds—and presents the text and images in a magazine-like format. Customize the landing page with your favorite news feeds, and the app will do the rest. Long articles are displayed in two-column pages that can be

“flipped.” A full article may be available on the feed, formatted just like a magazine piece, or Flipboard will take you to the source’s website, where you can read the piece without leaving the app. There are also plenty of social sharing features.

CnnAvailable on iPhone/iPad and Android devices (Free)Many news organizations have their own strong mobile apps, but CNN is one of the most powerful. Headlines are laid out in visual boxes that scroll vertically on the landing page. Article text is easy to scan, and the app features breaking news notifications, videos and iReport content. If you have a cable subscription through certain providers, you can even watch CNN TV live through the iPad/iPhone app.

google CurrentsAvailable for iPhone/iPad and Android devices (Free)In December, Google released its own magazine-like news reader app, launching with more than 150 partner publications. Currents features a clean, elegant design. Log into the app with your Google account and “subscribe” for free to your favorite online publications for easy browsing by source. You can also add feeds from Google Reader. Most articles are laid out in easy-to-read, swipeable pages. The app will sync across multiple devices and even download articles and images from each source so you can read them offline. From the home page, click “Trending” to view breaking news stories by category.

best news-reading

appsIf you like your news to-go,

try these mobile apps for news reading

By KeLLi pLaSKet


as fast as marketers can master a social media platform, the medium continues to evolve. Tumblr, the micro-blogging platform that launched five years ago, grabbed a bigger share of the social media audience and nearly tripled

its unique US audience over last year, according to Nielsen’s Q3 2011 Social Media Report. Google+ went from the 54th most visited site to the 8th last September, Experian Hitwise reported, on the day after the site changed from invitation-only to open access. And Pinterest, which launched in 2010, hit 11.7 million unique monthly US visitors in February, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other independent site, according to TechCrunch.

If you’re struggling to keep pace, you’re not alone. An October 2011 IBM study found that 68 percent of chief marketing officers felt unprepared for the demands of social media marketing.

Sarah Meron, vice president of public affairs at American Express Company, says that for her organization integrating social media has been an evolution that started in 2009 with one dedicated person. Today, a team manages all social media initiatives and acts as a point of contact for other groups within AmEx. According to Meron, any communication through social media is “considered an external statement of the company,” and while all social media outlets are not created equal—Facebook is more personal, LinkedIn is more business-focused—“they all enable a richer, more personal brand experience.”

The following tactics from Meron and two other pros will help you build a social media strategy:

get Social, naturally. Gracey Newman, digital marketing manager of VH1 at MTV Networks and an online marketing and Google Analytics instructor, is often asked, “How do you know and keep up with all this stuff?” The answer, she says, is quite horrifying. “I am reading and keeping up with what is going on daily. It also helps to find websites that aggregate news for you. But other than that, there are no shortcuts.”

Start Small, Stay Focused. “Focus on the quality of interactions,” says Tammy Tibbetts, founder and president of She’s the First, a nonprofit dedicated to providing education for girls in developing countries, and social media editor at Seven-teen.com. Once that becomes more fluid, you can consider integrating the bells and whistles, such as live events.

Since She’s the First launched in 2009, its social media efforts have mainly targeted Facebook and Twitter. But the organization

used Tumblr for a poetry campaign that ran from February through April (shesthefirst.tumblr.com), and at press time, was revamping its YouTube page

for new public service announce-ments. “We are all-volunteer-run and

have to prioritize where we see the best return on the investment of our time. In an ideal world, I’d like to be on all platforms, but we have to stay focused on our main goals for 2012 and do a few things really well.”

These focused efforts helped She’s the First raise over $22,000 last November. During its Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off, the organization’s first national fundraising event, which marked its second anniversary, over 60 student

ma

rk

et

ing

the Changing Consumer

ConversationMaking Sense of the Social Marketing Environment

By Joan doWLing

soCial media power CupCake drive

the nonprofit She’s the First used Facebook and twitter to promote its inaugural tie-dye cupcake Bake-off from november 1–8, 2011—an initiative that raised over $22,000.


NYWICI’s Social Media Week event in February, “Bridging the Generation Gap: Reaching Baby Boomers, GenX and Millennials,” set out to answer the question, “How can communicators reach a diverse population when there is a new generation that is used to communicating in 140 characters or less?” With Stacey Sager, reporter for “Eyewitness News” on WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York, as moderator, panelists passed along tactics to engage your customers and colleagues as real-time brand advocates.

Here are some of their suggestions:

Phyllis Weiss Haserot, president and founder of Practice Development Counseln Favor quality, long-term relationships over countless Likes or Followers.n Find your target audience on the Prism of Age, a framework developed by The Sloan Center on Aging & Work (www.bc.edu/ research/agingandwork/) that considers

chronological age, tenure (years with your employer), career stage, etc.n Find industry-specific platforms, like LinkedFA for financial advisors.

Susan Rinkunas, online editor for Rodale’s Women’s Healthn Pay attention to which social media platforms excite you and your colleagues in real life. Women’s Health, for instance, started posting to Pinterest because their editors used it.n Post with intent. Women’s Health builds rapport with motivational tips (sans links) in the morning. They post lunch tips at lunchtime

and dinner ideas after work. Surveys go up around 8:45 p.m., when people are likely to be at home. n Check the “people are talking about this” metric—yours and your competitors’—on Facebook brand pages.

Nick Charles, editor in chief/executive editor of content with Kaplow Communications Inc. n Find brand ambassadors. Discover who’s mentioned, retweeted and quoted by conducting a listening study. n Reach out to mommy bloggers, who are significant influencers. But first, you will need to have these women look at and use your product.

Socialize by sharing content, resources and responses that reflect the character and values of your brand—and social media will be the life of your marketing party!

groups from colleges, universities and high schools held bake-offs—an initiative driven by Facebook and Twitter.

You need to understand that social media are not magic, adds Newman. “Opening a Facebook page will not bring hundreds of thousands of new customers to your business’s website. But having content that is interesting, share-worthy and adds value to your users’ lives is what makes for a good social media strategy.”

think Long-term, act Short-term. For marketing communications professionals, strategy has traditionally been planned six months to a year in advance. Now, we are challenged to develop strategies as events unfold online. But in social media it is still important to establish key messages for your organization, says Tibbetts. Use them as a touchstone for all those day-to-day tactics.

Make it Measurable. While measurement should be important to any marketing tactic you employ, it is especially important in the world of social media. “Search Engine Optimization [SEO] should be built into your website design at the very beginning and every time you make a change to it thereafter,” according to Newman. But metrics can blind you, warns Meron. “Don’t get trapped by obsessing over the number of your friends or followers. Rather, focus on the people who are taking the time to write a real response.”

soCial media marketing aCross generationsBy Deanna Utroske

buying power of 3 soCial media giants

Here’s how the household incomes of Facebook and Twitter’s active users

and LinkedIn’s registered users compare.

$50,000-$99,999$25,000-$49,9990-$24,999 $100,000+

Statistics taken from an infographic posted on OnlineMBA on March 8, 2012, entitled “A Case Study in Social Media Demographics.” For additional statistics on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as Google+, Pinterest, Reddit and how Americans use social media, view the infographic at: http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/social-media-demographics/

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0

tweets @nywici—4,411

twitter Followers @nywici—4,314

Follower:Following ratio 3 followers for every 1 following

tweets user sends per day @nywici—4.09

tweets user sees per day @nywici—1,427


tr

en

din

g n

ow

by the numbers: If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s third largest in terms of population, and twice the size of the United States. When Twitter marked its sixth birthday in March, it reported hosting over 340 million tweets per day. And who would’ve thought Pinterest—an online bulletin board startup that began with craft enthusiasts in 2010 and went viral—would attract over 11.7 million unique users by early 2012?

The numbers may astound, but they leave no doubt that social media are here to stay. Social networking probably touches most facets of your work, play and life—just as it reaches into every corner of NYWICI, which depends upon Twitter (where it has 4,314 followers), Facebook (2,829 fans) and LinkedIn (4,076 members) to commu-nicate with its members and non-members. In February,

the organization broadened its social reach, hosting two events during New York City’s Social Media Week (www.socialmediaweek.org; @socialmediaweek on Twitter). A global event first held in New York in 2009, SMW has expanded to 21 cities and hundreds of thousands of participants. The week’s website content provides a digital snapshot of emerging trends in social and mobile media practices around the world.

NYWICI’s events included: “Bridging the Generation Gap: Reaching Baby Boomers, GenX and Millennials” on February 13 (see page 15); and “Nonprofits and Social Media: A Perfect Solution” (see the Webinar: http://www.clickfiremedia.com/#/portfolio/social_ media_week_nonprofits_panel) on February 16.

According to Stacy Green, NYWICI’s vice president for branding, Integrated Marketing & Communications, and Mashable’s senior vice president, marketing and communications, “Social media have moved beyond growth to saturation. This year, social media will become the dominant form of online content creation and consumption in terms of time spent.”

Let’s continue to engage socially—online and off. See you at a future NYWICI event? (P.S. Don’t forget to check in for it on Foursquare.)

geeky grintweets more :) than :(

designerbased on tweeting behavior

likely oBsessionbooks, based on circumstantial evidence

twitter trailBlazerover 2,000 followers

nywiCi takes part in soCial media week

By Suzanne I. Cohen

on twitter (@nywici)n Ann Curry Addresses @todayshow Ratings Difficulties At #Matrix12

n Oh No! #McDStories marketing hashtag gone wrong serves as a cautionary tale to any social media pro.

n 10 Words You Should Never Use on #LinkedIn. n Pinterest is all the rage. Here’s a couple of helpful tips.

n Wow! Have you read about @NYWICI fdtn. scholarship winners? What an amazing group of recipients.

on FaceBook (facebook.com/nywici)n Digital Salon: Making the Most of Using LinkedIn

n New Rules of Engagement: Multicultural Marketing n Speed Mentoring

n Scholarship Recipient Katie Corrado Interviews Katie Couric n NYWICI Night Out: New York Women in Film and Television

—Alexandra Patchen, NYWICI social media director

nywiCi’s talking about…

@nywiCi twitterizedThis data-generated infographic by Visual.ly

tells us what NYWICI would look like as a person.To make a similar infographic using your own tweets,

visit http://visual.ly/

We would like to thank our corporate sponsors, who made

2011-2012 a memorable year.

CORpORAte MeMbeRS

2012 SChOLARShIp SpONSORSThe Carlozzi Family

Glamour Magazine

The Hammond Family Scholarship from

Horizon Publishing

Hearst Magazines

Interpublic Group

Daniel Ladner

The McGraw-Hill Companies

Meredith Corporation

News Corporation

Scholastic

WE tv

2011 StudeNt CAReeR CONfeReNCe SpONSORS

3M

Bravo

Columbia University

CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

DailyCandy

Fandango

FIT

Fordham University

iVillage

NYU SCPS

Oxygen

Publicis Groupe

Telemundo

2011-2012 VeNue CONtRIbutORSCBS News

Hearst Magazines

Jack Morton

JWT

Meredith Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

NBCUniversal

The New York Times

News Corporation

NYU SCPS

Scholastic

Top of the Strand

EDITOR margot witty Jamieson Witty Associates 212-877-4980 [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR Susan Soriano PR Consultant and Instructor, Columbia Publishing Course 917-692-3634 [email protected]

COPY EDITOR alison crisp Stockley Medical Copy Editor 917-613-0935 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS rachel Buttner 402-850-5279 [email protected]

Suzanne i. cohen Business/Employee Communications, Social Media 312-953-0708 [email protected]

Dorothy crenshaw CEO and Creative Director, Crenshaw Communications 212-367-9750 [email protected]

Joan Dowling Marketing Strategist, AT&T Business Solutions 646-290-0691 [email protected]

michele Hush 917-597-5887 [email protected]

michelle Lodge www.michellelodge.com

Kelli Plasket 609-472-0315 [email protected]

Deanna Utroske Founding Editor, Films for the Feminist Classroom 347-424-7555 [email protected]

Lindsey wahlstrom PCI-Media Impact 612-518-9576 [email protected]

DESIGN Tracie rosenkopf-Lissauer Tracie Lissauer Design 410-363-3554 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER maryanne russell Maryanne Russell Photography, Inc. 212-308-8722 www.maryannerussell.com

PRESIDENT catherine mathis Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services

PRESIDENT ELECT nancy weber Executive Vice President/ Chief Marketing Officer Meredith Corporation

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Linda Kaplan Thaler CEO & Chief Creative Officer The Kaplan Thaler Group

SECRETARY Erin matts Chief Digital Marketing Officer, Glam Media

VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE/TREASURER Leslie Hunt Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Sarah Lawrence College

ADVISOR nancy megan

VICE PRESIDENTS INTEGRATED MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Branding Stacy m. green Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Mashable

Editorial/Content Patricia maloney Senior Account Manager, Director, Client Relations McVicker & Higginbotham

Public Relations Tricia Kenney Managing Director, Corporate Communications The Kaplan Thaler Group

VICE PRESIDENTS MEMBERSHIP Debbie Kunen Manager of Special Projects Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP

Julie Livingston Director, Business Development & Accounts Child’s Play Communications

VICE PRESIDENTS PROGRAMMING alysia Lew Vice President, Communications Madison Square Garden

Lauren Skowronski Director, Media Relations MSNBC

VICE PRESIDENT SPONSORSHIP Joanne Sephine Vice President, Creative Bionic Crayon, Inc.

VICE PRESIDENT STRATEGIC PLANNING gail griffin General Manager Barrons.com, Dow Jones & Co.

VICE PRESIDENTS FOUNDATION LIAISON rachel Bowie Associate Editor—Digital Editions, Good Housekeeping Hearst Magazines

Stephanie Fraiman Associate PR Manager The Knot Inc.

PRESIDENT Susan Schulz Editorial Brand Director, Cosmopolitan, Hearst Magazines

TREASURER Linda Buckley Vice President, Media Relations, Tiffany & Co.

ASSISTANT TREASURER Susan goodall Editorial Development Director, Glamour Magazine, Condé Nast

SECRETARY catherine L. carlozzi Business Writer

ADVISOR nancy megan

VICE PRESIDENTS COMMUNICATIONS Kendra Bracken-Ferguson Co-Founder/ Managing Director Digital Brand Architects

Linda S. Levi Managing Director LSL Strategic Communications

VICE PRESIDENT DEVELOPMENT Jeanne-marie Byington President JM Byington & Assoc., Inc.

VICE PRESIDENTS HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH Judith Harrison Senior Vice President, Staffing and Diversity & Inclusion, Constituency Management Group

Saundra Thomas Vice-President of Community Affairs, WABC-TV

VICE PRESIDENTS MENTORING Erin galloway Publicist, Berkley/NAL Penguin Group (USA)

Beth-Ellen Keyes Managing Director SpeakerSpace

VICE PRESIDENTS SCHOLAR RELATIONS marie Dugo Marketing Coordinator NBC Owned Television Stations, NBCUniversal

Lauren J. gould Media Relations Manager Bullfrog & Baum

VICE PRESIDENTS SCHOLARSHIPS Joan cear Vice President Kellen Communications

Karen Karpowich MAI

VICE PRESIDENTS STRATEGIC ALLIANCES Francine E. ryan President, CMO The Ryan Group

audrey Pass Senior Director, Communications & Public Affairs, Fox 5/ My9 TV

VICE PRESIDENT YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Dorothy crenshaw CEO and Creative Director Crenshaw Communications

VICE PRESIDENTS FOUNDATION LIAISON rachel Bowie Associate Editor—Digital Editions, Good Housekeeping Hearst Magazines

Stephanie Fraiman Associate PR Manager The Knot Inc.

New York Women in Communications bOARd Of dIReCtORS 2011–2012

New York Women in Communications fOuNdAtION bOARd Of dIReCtORS 2011–2012

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage

pAId Baltimore, MD

Permit No. 6440

connect 2012

Documents

social media platforms

social media team

social media week

socialhow social media

new york women

new video series

new platforms

student members