Press releases, social media education and strategy were the topics of a lively discussion
Social Media arrived in LA yesterday. Chris Heuer set the scene for the meeting with the aims of the SMC – education about social media, teaching social media literacy to kids and adults alike, setting ethics and standards and facilitating discussions and unconferences about best practices in social media.
The meeting was hosted by Expansion Plus and PRESSfeed.
Robert Niles, the editor of the Online Journalism Review and Phil Gomes of Edelman were both there.
PR Newswire attended, but the MarketWire folk were out of town.
We had a very lively discussion ranging from where we see social media influencing journalism and PR to our personal hopes and fears for social media.
The consensus was that more communication is a good thing. Social media has made it possible for anyone and everyone to have the power of voice.
It is indeed changing the business and PR landscape. But the big fear is that vested interests will hijack the freedom social media has brought to consumers.
A recurring concern was that people are not aware of the consequences of publishing their every thought or action online. There is a big need for education on how to use social media responsibly and with an eye to the future.
Kids who post compromsing content on MySpace have not thought about the effects it might have on them later in life – like when they apply for a job. Some adults have posted content on sites that has come back to bite them. Apparently they did not know that all content online can be found in Google.
So while it’s a real freedom to give everyone a voice, it does have a downside. And it is refreshing to find a group that sees both the positive and the negative sides of social media and is willing to take responsibility for educating the public and the corporate world about how social media can affect them.
It was an immense pleasure to spend two hours with this group of very smart people who totally get my passion in life. I could not have asked for a better birthday party.
