The GP Spin

Budding bakers, wannabe fashionistas, do-it-yourself designers, and vacation dreamers are flocking to Pinterest – the latest social media craze.

Pinterest is different from other social media platforms.  Rather than post messages, Pinterest users “pin” photos or videos which link to the website where the content came from.  Users pin the photos to specific categories (e.g., recipes, books, clothing) so that they can easily look back at their pins.  Essentially, Pinterest allows you to create visual collections of the things that you like and find on the Internet.

Although Pinterest users must receive an invitation to join, the social network has grown explosively in the past six months.  As of November 2011, Pinterest had attracted nearly five million users, up from just 418,000 in May.  Pinterest is surprisingly popular among Midwesterners, who are 102% more likely to join than the average U.S. Internet user, according to ComScore.

Many social media experts believe that Pinterest represents a shift in social networking toward “social content curation.” Rather than produce their own content on blogs, many social media users now prefer to collect and consume content in an organized manner, especially through images and graphics.  Just like Twitter’s “retweet” feature, Pinterest’s “re-pin” button allows users to easily add a photo to their collection and share it with others.  Repinning can create viral energy around a specific photo or video.

How businesses can take advantage of Pinterest

Pinterest is a great way for businesses to drive traffic to specific products, websites, and/or blog posts.  In January 2012, Pinterest was responsible for 3.6% of Internet referral traffic, up from 0.17% in July 2011.  Even though Pinterest is the “new kid” on the social media scene, it is already keeping pace with Twitter, which accounted for 3.61% of referral traffic in January.

Businesses can capitalize on Pinterest’s recent popularity by pinning pictures from their websites or blogs.  This will automatically create a link to your website and can help you build exposure for your brand.  Pinterest can be a free way to subtly advertise to millions of potential customers each day.

The retail industry has quickly embraced the power of Pinterest referrals.  In fact, some clothing companies have posted their entire catalogs on the site to try to attract new customers.  But Pinterest can also be useful to other businesses and nonprofit organizations that want to drive traffic to their websites, build exposure, showcase your company culture, or raise awareness about a specific cause.  For example, an animal shelter could post photos of dogs or cats that are ready for adoption, or a business could post behind-the-scene photos of a commercial shoot.

While Pinterest is especially popular among women (70% of users are women age 25-44 years old), guys don’t need to feel left out.  Two software designers recently launched Gentlemint, a site geared toward men that is home to mustache photos, eclectic products, and The Big Lebowski movie clips.

January 2012 will go down in the books as one of the mildest Minnesota Januarys in recent memory.  But around the water cooler, people in the Twin Cities were buzzing about much more than just the weather.  From a half-submerged Target semi-truck to Red Bull Crashed Ice, below are some of the stories behind the stories that made the front page.

Chalk one up for Patch

When word got out on January 10 that Shakopee was putting its name in the hat for the “stadium location sweepstakes,” guess who broke the story?  Star Tribune?  Wrong.  MPR?  Try again.  One of the TV stations?  You are mistaken.  Try Shakopee Patch.  The hyperlocal news site dedicated solely on the city of Shakopee is one of 25 Patch sites in the metro area.  Each site has one full-time editor and a cast of freelancers providing content.  Don’t expect this to be the last time Patch breaks a big story in the Twin Cities.

Target on ice

Courtesy of the Minnesota State Patrol

On January 6, the driver of a Target semi-truck lost control of his vehicle and skidded off I-94 in Monticello into an icy pond.  The driver suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital shortly after he arrived.  No big deal, right?  Not so much.  While in the waiting room at the dentist that day, I noticed CNN was airing live aerial footage of the truck stuck in the ice.  The story had exploded onto the national scene (CNBC, Huffington Post, Yahoo! and FOX News, just to name a few).  Why did this seemingly insignificant story go national?  Two words:  great video.  Target is one of the most recognizable corporations in the nation, and its logo was peering just above the ice as if it was staged for the media.  To quote one of the CNBC anchors:  “That is an amazing picture.  That’s going to get a lot of play.”  TV news types are suckers for great video.

What’s oozing out of the Cathedral?

Courtesy of the Pioneer Press

Many were buzzing about this stunning aerial photo taken during Red Bull Crashed Ice, which drew more than 80,000 spectators to downtown Saint Paul.  The photo, which looks like a giant radioactive snake wrapping its way through the streets, was taken by Pioneer Press photographer Ben Garvin.  In an interview with MinnPost’s David Brauer, Garvin said Pioneer Press photographers go up in planes just once or twice a year to capture aerial shots.  We’re glad this was one of those instances.

Replacing a legend

After spending 45 years at Minnesota Public Radio, Midday host Gary Eichten signed off for the last time on January 20.  How does MPR replace a Minnesota legend?  Rather than try to replace someone who has been a well-respected radio fixture for decades and risk losing listeners, MPR decided to cancel the Midday show altogether.  A few days after Eichten’s retirement, MPR announced that it will launch the “Daily Circuit,” hosted by Kerri Miller and Tom Weber.  The show, which will air weekdays from 9 a.m.-noon, debuts on February 21.

Unnecessary roughness

On January 9, a story was released about the recovery of Michael Philbin’s body in a Wisconsin river.  He’s the son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.  While this is not a Minnesota story, I couldn’t avoid commenting on what I read in the last paragraph.

“Michael Philbin was sentenced to six months in jail in 2009 after he was convicted of misdemeanor counts of sexually assaulting two teen girls and two counts of battery.”

Why did the reporter mention Philbin’s criminal history in a story about his death?  Journalists are taught to never speculate and never include unrelated information.  The only situation in which it would have been acceptable to include such information is if investigators said Philbin’s death may have been related to his criminal past.  But they didn’t.

Investigative resurgence

Despite newsroom cutbacks, we’ve noticed a rise in solid investigative reporting, especially at Minnesota Public Radio.  On January 20, MPR ran a comprehensive piece outlining how the Republican Party of Minnesota came to be $2 million in debt.  Three days later, they filed a report of similar magnitude detailing a difficult first year for construction of the Central Corridor in Saint Paul.  Instead of skimming over the issues, these reporters dug deep into their stories, and it was clear they spent a great deal of time and resources producing them.

For many years, it appeared the news industry was heading in the direction of “quantity over quality.”  But two of the four major TV stations in the Twin Cities are currently seeking investigative reporters.  Perhaps local news organizations are learning that the public appreciates top-notch, in-depth pieces.

That’s all for the month of January.  Be sure to check back with the GP Spin next month for the February edition of Minnesota media highlights.

Whether you’re at a business event with a keynote speaker, a sporting event, or a public hearing, there’s a good chance that someone in the audience is tweeting about that event in real time.  Thanks to Twitter, audiences can now receive news and information faster than ever.  I enjoy following journalists and bloggers who tweet in real time because they do a great service – provide information to interested people who don’t have the time or resources to attend every event that affects their lives.  However, live tweeting can be ineffective – and even annoying to followers – if the tweeter doesn’t do it correctly.  Below is a list of tips for live tweeters to consider.

1. Create a #hashtag
Select a hashtag for your event that is appropriate, concise, and easy to remember.  Keep it short and sweet.  The longer your hashtag is, the fewer characters you have for your message.  Plus you increase the risk of having your followers get it wrong.  If a hashtag has already been created, don’t worry about creating a new one.  Piggyback off of that hashtag to interact with people who are already tweeting about the event.

2. Notify your followers
This is arguably the most important step because if people don’t know that you are live-tweeting, no one will read your information.  On the day of the event, send several tweets informing followers where you’ll be and what #hashtag they can follow to join the conversation.  But don’t just publicize your live tweeting on Twitter.  Write about it in your blog, and post it on Facebook and LinkedIn as well.

3. Think outside the quotes
Anyone can access meeting minutes to read what was said.  That’s why the best live tweeters take their followers inside the meeting and provide unique information that can’t be found in the minutes.  Challenge yourself to tweet about things like body language, tone of voice, and crowd reaction.  Post pictures to complement your tweets.  There’s so much more to an event than what people are saying.  Go beyond the quotes and give your followers the priceless information they crave.

4. Be careful about quotes
It can be very difficult to quote people in 140 characters or less.  Be sure to attribute all quotes and do not take them out of context.  When you’re live-tweeting, time is of the essence.  But that doesn’t mean it’s an excuse for providing inaccurate information.

5. Use a Twitter management application
If your tweets generate a great deal of discussion, you’ll likely become overwhelmed with questions and comments from followers.  When this happens, you’ll need more than just the Twitter app to handle your needs.  I recommend using an app like TweetDeck, which allows you to separate your tweets, replies, and hashtag-specific content into different categories.  This will help ease your live-tweeting experience.

6. Interact with followers
It is a compliment when people follow your live tweets.  For that reason, be sure to acknowledge people’s tweets and answer their questions whenever possible.  When you interact with followers, be sure to Tweet at the specific followers you intend to reach.  Use Twitter handles of people and organizations involved in the event you are tweeting from to increase interactivity.  Twitter users are more likely to pay attention when you call them out.

One thing to keep in mind as you flood the market with real-time information is that some people might grow tired of reading your tweets.  They might even heckle you.  Ignore them, and keep reminding yourself that there are people who appreciate what you’re doing.