Charlotte Snow Storm Illuminates Twitter Benefits

"Winter Storm '09," as the latest winter weather system was so simplistically named, dumped half a foot or more of rain, sleet and snow on much of the Charlotte area Sunday night. Typical of the below-freezing fallout in this part of the country, people freaked. Rightfully so in some instances: Duke Energy reported as many as 185,000 power outages in NC Monday.

Information and communication are critical in times of emergency, be it weather related or otherwise. We need to know the facts; the when, where, how much, what the $%&* is going on, and everything else. Social media like Twitter are ideal platforms for real-time communication with customers, friends, media, businesses, government, etc. Some organizations are participating, some haven't caught on yet.

That said, here are 10 Charlotte area "Emergency Tweeps" to follow, because you just never know...

• Duke Energy Storm updates - @DukeEnergyStorm
  
• Fox Charlotte - @FOXCharlotte
• Charlotte Weather - @cltweather
• The Charlotte Observer - @theobserver
• The Weather Channel - @TWCi
• Charlotte Traffic - @cltraffic
• News14 Weather - @CharlotteWX
  
• WCNC News - @WCNC
• US Airways - @USAirways (not using this medium to the max)
• Lowe's Home Improvement - @Lowes (another good one that could provide more updates: Winter weather tips, sold-out items, generator supply/prices, etc.)

• And one more to really keep in mind in a few months: The National Hurricane Center - @NHC_NOAA

If you're like me, you're wondering why these folks below AREN'T on Twitter. Listen up list, you have followers in waiting, get a move on!

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (and other area systems)
  
• Charter Communications
• NC Department of Transportation
  
• Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
• City of Charlotte

I may have missed a few, or maybe these organizations are on Twitter and I overlooked them. Hey, I'm human :) What other organizations would be ideal on Twitter during an emergency? Leave a comment with suggestions or corrections and I'll add to/republish a list of emergency-related groups in the Charlotte area that are/need to be on Twitter.

The more inclusive a list we can develop, the better off we'll all be! Stay in touch, stay warm, and most of all, stay informed!

PRSA Charlotte Hosts Peter Shankman

Kudos to the Charlotte social media scene for showing up in numbers at PRSA Charlotte's luncheon with Peter Shankman today.

Shankman, founder of The Geek Factory and the famous (at least in PR circles) and free Help a Reporter Out (HARO) service, gave a fun and informative presentation on the past, present and future of social media and communications.

In case you missed it, here are some key summary points from my copious notes:

• "Viral" marketing is when something is good enough for others to trust and share.
  
• Talk to your audiences! Don't waste opportunities to become a resource.
• Newspapers are NOT dying; condensing and evolving perhaps, but not dying...
• ...thus we all must work to make information available to our audiences when and how they wish to receive it and provide what they're interested in. Be relevant.
  
• Privacy as we know it is dead - get used to the fact that everything I, you, we do is on the record.
• Refer to Mashable's Top 20 Social Networks and register now (even if you don't use them, claim your spot/name). Check out 12seconds as well - next "big one."

Four keys to being a successful business communicator today:

• Transparency - as it sounds, tell your clients, investors, employees, etc. what's going on!
  
• Relevance - Research, research, research! Tell people things they're interested in/report on.
  
• Brevity - max 5 lines w/ no attachment in media emails.
  
• Top of Mind Presence - it's good to say "Hello" sometimes without an ulterior motive.
  

My experience today also confirmed that a) Large amounts of the PR/communication field in Charlotte are using Twitter, and b) Those that aren't using Twitter likely should. Twitter certainly isn't for all businesses or individuals, but from a personal networking and trust/brand building perspective, Twitter = Priceless.

Finally, some resourceful contacts on Twitter from today:

• @PRSACharlotte (Charlotte chapter) and @brandonuttley
  
• @lisahoffman
  
• @jakrose
  
• @fredsexton
• @scotthepburn
• @philiptater (Philip Tate)
• @tjustinmoore (Had to do it...)
• @skydiver (Peter Shankman)

P.S. I shamelessly "borrowed" PRSA Charlotte's logo above. It fit the bill and I included it in my footnotes :)

"Our best thoughts come from others." ~ Emerson

Power of Perception

I had a conversation this week with Brent Friar, an everyman web programmer and owner of BNR Branding (that's a compliment by the way), regarding online networking and the use of social media in Charlotte. We both are fairly frequent Twitterers (@tjustinmoore and @bnrbranding) which led to the question: "What makes someone an expert online?"

The question holds extra weight in today's technology and social media driven society. The face-to-face, although the most authentic and effective means of communication, is losing ground as people rely more on hand held devices to do "hands on" work. How can I trust someone I've never met or barely know with my business interests?

It reminds me of the scene from Dumb & Dumber when Lloyd (Jim Carrey) tells the little old lady in the motorized chair to watch his stuff while he breaks a dollar - he returns to no old lady and no possessions. Funny, but real.

What identifies someone as an expert? More specifically, how do you accurately judge someone's level of expertise based on their social media status/profiles alone? Maybe I'm a trust Scrooge, but that doesn't tell me much.

Is it their thousands of followers on Twitter? Is it their name appearing high on Google's SERPs?

Thousands of followers implies credibility and expertise - sense enough - but who accredited that person and why? How responsible is it to take a stranger's word when it comes to the expertise of someone who communicates in 140 characters or less?

It boils down to one word, one concept, one phenomenon: Perception.

Human beings live, breath, purchase, eat and communicate based on how they perceive a given situation, item, product, person, etc. So what determines our perception?

"Motivation affects perception," according to psychologists. For example, if a person is driving down Main Street with an empty stomach, they'll notice all of the restaurants. If their "check engine" light is on, they'll spot all of the gas stations. If it's Valentine's Day and they haven't bought their significant other a present (be honest), the jewelers will likely jump out.

The moral of the story: Be mindful of your motivations. Yes, it sounds like something Yoda would say. No, I didn't steal the line from him.

Whether you're job hunting online, expanding your social network, looking for a garage door repair service (Charlotte seems to have enough of those), or just absorbing local news, take into consideration your current state of mind and why you're pursuing that information.

A few additional tips for prepping your perception:

• Google it - yes, this is somewhat contrary to one of my skeptical statements above, but you need to acquire as much info about this person, product, place, etc. as you can before making a final decision.
  
• Create a measuring stick and use it! If the person doesn't meet your expectations at first look but they seem to have a lot of "street cred," go with your initial reaction.
  
• Follow their followers - if the endorsement comes from someone who has nothing to do with the industry, is it really an endorsement?

Good luck and may the force (of perception) be with you!

Online Social Networking in Charlotte

If I had a dollar for every hour I've spent engaged in online social networking endeavors, well, I'd no longer need to worry about social networking. Alas, the big picture, or in this case a smaller picture, has appeared before me...

Twitter, LinkedIn, Guru, Facebook and similar social media sites have been my primary focus of online networking. This is not a bad thing. You, me, we all want and need visibility on these sites for various reasons, but I had overlooked vast and valuable local social networking opportunities in Charlotte and the surrounding areas.

As a result, I've transitioned my efforts towards local online networking groups the past couple of weeks. Yes, the light bulb came on a little late (should be using CFL's!), but it's burning bright now.

A sampling of good social networking sites in the Charlotte area:

• Charlotte Online
  
• Social Media Charlotte
• Pitch Engine (more of a social media PR service, but it's well worth a look)
  
• Social Media Club Charlotte
  
• PRSA Charlotte

Some great Charlotte area public relations professionals and social media gurus on Twitter:

• Jason Kintzler @pitchengine
• Harry Hoover @MyCreativeTeam
• Buck Lawrimore @bucklawrimore
  
• Charlotte Observer @theobserver
  
• Lisa Hoffman @lisahoffman
  
• Brandon Uttley @brandonuttley
• Justin Moore (me!) @tjustinmoore
  

My Creative Team has a great list of Twittering journalists from around the globe.

Cheers and congrats to the fine folks in the Charlotte area who help the public relations, marketing, communications and general social media family grow on a daily basis!

Plugging the Portfolio

My professional experience and responsibilites in a communications capacity have included,

• public relations
• marketing
• market research
• brand positioning
• relationship building with local and national clients from multiple industries.

I've regularly developed...

• media relations strategies
• key contact databases and execution plans
• key messages
• positioning strategies
• online content (web editing)
• creative client materials
• internal communication documents
• unique public relations campaigns and initiatives
• wide variety of written materials, including editorials, press releases, newsletters, reports, training manuals, brochures, web copy and ad-based copy.

I've also supervised multiple interns while working on and leading professional and diverse account teams representing major brands.

Whew! Say that three times fast...

After all, career seeking is one giant self promotion, right?
(Try clicking on the drawing board looking icon at the bottom right of the presentation for a "full screen" view if your browser cuts off the right edge.)

"To establish oneself in the world, one does all one can to seem established there already." - François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680), French writer, moralist