In addition to changing how we communicate and share information, social media has also changed how people watch sports.  Whether you’re at a sports bar, hanging out with friends, or watching the game alone, fans can instantly become a part of a much larger conversation via social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. During [...]

WIBW-TV employees panicked last weekend when it appeared that the Topeka, Kansas, CBS-affiliate’s Facebook page had been hacked.  A series of messages were posted on the page that criticized Topeka and praised the city’s rival, Manhattan. The station quickly discovered that the “hacker” was the general manager, who had mistakenly posted on the WIBW Facebook [...]

Facebook’s decision to buy Instagram in April was more than just another tech-focused, media-hyped story about people making a lot of money selling a trendy product.  According to technology experts, the purchase officially marked the end of the Web 2.0 era and the start of something new – the age of mobile. What this really [...]

You see the title everywhere, in job postings, resumes, in news stories, and online. “We are looking for a social media expert who can [INSERT JOB DESCRIPTION]”… “We interviewed social media expert [NAME]”…. “I am a social media expert who can [INSERT RESUME SUMMARY]” But how does one earn this title?  Did they pass a [...]

A growing number of online news outlets (most recently the St. Cloud Times) have started using the Facebook platform in their reader comment sections.  This could be a huge breakthrough, as it could signal the end of anonymous postings.  Under this new platform, readers must have a Facebook account in order to post a comment.  [...]

Many companies rely on dozens of social media accounts to reach different audiences.  Maintaining a regular presence on all of these channels can be time-consuming and challenging.  Some companies have linked their accounts so that a post to one account will automatically be posted to the other accounts. While linking your social media accounts is [...]

After a 90-day trial period and a strict “invitation only” policy, Google+ opened to the public this week.  Facebook responded with more layout changes that are strikingly similar to its growing competitor. Since its launch, Google+ has made 100 tweaks and additions to the social networking service, which has already surpassed the mark of 20 [...]

The world’s largest online social network is constantly evolving to meet the demands of its growing user base.  In recent years, users have heavily scrutinized Facebook’s privacy controls.  The newest round of changes, which will go live tomorrow, addresses some of these concerns.  The changes also reflect some of the features of Facebook’s newest competitor, [...]

These days, information is always at our fingertips.  It’s possible to find nearly everything on the Internet from the number of species in the Amazon rainforest (5 million) to the number of words in the English language (171,476 words in current use and 47,156 obsolete words). In fact, humans have created 1.8 zettabytes of information [...]

Reporters who follow these steps to engage their audience in the newsmaking process will earn respect. While my business card says I’m a PR guy, I can’t ignore the six years I spent as a television and radio reporter.  When Facebook and Twitter exploded on the scene, respectively, I was scratching my head in the [...]