If the characteristics of all social media tools were combined into the characteristics of a human – constantly changing, hard to navigate, frustrating, always on the go – then I would NEVER want to date that person. It seems like everyday there is a new social media tool or a new interface that we need to relearn and become “masters” of.

When I started at Hunter Public Relations early this summer, I was very excited to learn that I would be a part of the LinkedIn Task Force, a social media tool that I feel has been relatively consistent since its start. Social Media Task Forces are very important at Hunter PR as they allow people with similar social media interests in the office to work together and share their knowledge. I recently participated in a webinar titled “Effectively Leveraging LinkedIn – How to Use LinkedIn as a Powerful PR Tool” with PR News. The webinar featured three speakers who discussed being digital leaders in your organization, how to engage communities on your personal and professional LinkedIn pages, and the best ways to be seen and stay connected.

I never knew how important personal profile optimization was on LinkedIn. For example, the headline on my personal LinkedIn profile says that I am a Junior Account Executive at Hunter PR. However, people are searching for specifics, and if I include words like “public relations,” “consumer,” or “food” in the headline then my profile would be more likely to show up in searches and therefore drive more people to click on “Hunter PR” from my page.

I think it’s very important to stay on top of social media trends because (like that person you’d never want to date) they really are changing every day!

-Lisa

I’m always looking for new music.  But who has the time to ask all your friends for suggestions, search the web or iTunes for the top artists in a genre, or really hear everything the radio has to offer? 

Fear not, music junkies!  Spotify has landed in the U.S and taken the free music streaming competition by storm upon experiencing great success in Europe (I was introduced to the service by my co-worker Brittany.) Spotify allows you stream from their portal of music of over 15 millions songs.  All music saves to your account, which you can access anywhere as long as you’re logged in.  I’ve become addicted to artists including Foster the People and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Spotify lets me listen instantly (over and over again!)

Curious as to what your friends are listening to?  You can link your Spotify profile to Facebook to see their playlists, then click the playlist and drag into your own library. 

If you want to avoid commercials every 10 songs (this service is ad-based), upgrade to an Unlimited account for $4.99 a month.  If you can’t go anywhere without your Spotify playlists, you can also upgrade to a Premium account.  For $9.99 a month, you can access your music from any computer, your mobile device or offline. Everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to Demi Moore to the LA Times and TIME Magazine are raving about this service, so check it out to see what you’re missing!

Spotify lets me check out new artists that without spending the money first.  You can sign up for an invite on Spotify.com, and check out more about the service here.  Have fun with it!  As Spotify says, “it’s how music was meant to be shared!”

-Stephanie

This year marked my first visit to BlogHer, an annual conference that brings together thousands of bloggers from all walks of life.  Here, they can interact with brands & distant friends, learn about new & existing products, and get advice from fellow bloggers & PR professionals. 

This year’s event was held in sunny San Diego from August 4^th–6^th and attracted bloggers & brands from all over the world.  Since it began in 2005, BlogHer has grown to more than 3,500 attendees and attracts people who blog about everything from parenting to technology to finance.  You name it, you’ll find someone there who blogs about it!

If you are like me and have never attended BlogHer, here are some helpful tips for surviving next year’s event:

Wear comfortable shoes!  No matter if you’re attending or working, you’ll be on your feet throughout the day so be sure to dress for function.

Pack lightly…because there is tons of swag for attendees that you will want to bring back with you.  From food to personal care products to glassware, you’ll want to save room to bring back all of the goodies to try (and blog about!).

Bring plenty of business cards.  Think about how many you think you’ll hand out.  Now, double that.  No matter if you’re a brand representative or a blogger, BlogHer is all about networking so it’s important to have your contact information easily accessible to share at all times.  They run out quicker than you think!

Download the BlogHer App.  The smartphone application will help you navigate the many sessions, demos and parties that are offered.  Also included are a map of the expo floor, a list of sponsors and a live twitter feed of all tweets about BlogHer ’11.

Till next year!

-Melody

It’s a little known fact around here that I’ve always had a can-do attitude toward crafty do-it-yourself projects (not to mention an inexplicable affinity for glitter which goes hand in hand with said crafting). For these techniques, I mostly credit my mom’s penchant for ‘weekend art projects’ and Martha Stewart’s omni-media presence.

Lately, my Martha intake has increased ten-fold thanks to Twitter. With 2,162,682 followers, Martha Stewart is one of the most popular celebrities on Twitter and in following @MarthaStewart, I’m privy to Martha’s thoughts, TwitPics, whims, questions and contests, the latter of which I recently won.

What was my prize you ask? It wasn’t her latest Easter Egg Dying iPhone App, nor was it a subscription to one of her fabulous magazines, it was a VIP invite to attend a live taping of Martha’s Sirus XM Radio show. Her guest? The ‘tastemaker of technology’ and Tri-Founder of Twitter, Mr. Biz Stone.

With my iPhone charged, a front row seat and my trending hashtag ready (#MarthaBiz), I was able to live-Tweet the entire event along with the rest of the listening world. Below, I’ve compiled some of my favorite Tweets from the interview, Tweenjoy!

Fun fact: @biz 's real name is Christopher Isaac Stone. #MarthaBiz "my mother used to tell people it's short for Elizabeth."

"We'll always keep Twitter totally free." @biz #MarthaBiz

"We don't monitor content or screen Tweets but we do have policies in effect re: violence" - @biz (paraphrased) #MarthaBiz

"I make pocket Tweets and butt Tweets all the time." - @MarthaStewart #MarthaBiz

"Having a lot of followers doesn't necessarily affect influence." -@biz #MarthaBiz

"The constraint (140 char) breeds creativity in Tweets." - @biz #MarthaBiz

"...And you could use a little haircut." @MarthaStewart to @biz #MarthaBiz

@Jenna_Galloway

I appreciate a good prank every now and then… as long as the appreciation is done from a spectator seat faaaaaar away from the action [read: no one come near me with whoopee cushions, silly string, or whatever newfangled items kids these days are using].

In celebration of the time-honored holiday known as April Fools’ Day, let’s revisit some of my favorite hoaxes perpetuated by now-legendary prankster, Google (which I may or may not fell for):

1.  Gmail Paper: Who says you have to sacrifice physical copies in this digital revolution? Request a hard copy of any email and have it delivered to your door. Of course, this isn’t cheap, so the costs are offset by advertisements displayed on the back of your prints… just like your supermarket receipts.

2. Google Romance: It only makes sense that the world’s most-renowned search engine would help you find your one-and-only with its Soulmate Search service. Then Contextual Date pays for date night, as long as you and your honey don’t mind sponsored ads. It’s like Match.com partnered with… well, Google.

3. Gmail Custom Time: Calling all liars, this is the solution for you! By utilizing an e-flux capacitor, Gmail lets you send email to the past, showing up in your recipient’s inbox in the proper chronological order. Caveat: you can send only 10 pre-dated emails per year before messing with the fabric of time.

After years in the hoax biz, it’s expected that Google will announce something on April 1 and we probably won’t even fall for it anymore. Despite being jaded, here’s hoping they come up another doozy to make us forget the date (and recover from last year’s Topeka non-funny joke). 

In the meantime, please watch out for saran wrap, tripwire, and coworkers who have read this article!

- Kelly

The Interactive portion of SXSW (or as I like to call it, college all over again) brings together the world’s brightest minds in tech all onto one “campus” in downtown Austin. Its focus on emerging technologies has earned SXSW Interactive a reputation as one of the best predictors of where the industry is going, and many of today's biggest web and mobile apps were launched during SXSWi, including Twitter and Foursquare.

So what were some of the breakout stars of SXSW this year?

Group texting: Without a doubt, the talk of the town was apps like GroupMe and Beluga that allow you to have create group chats on any phone. These apps were especially useful to connect with fellow students, aka festival attendees.

Networking made easier: Another app that was a huge hit was Hashable, which allows you to ditch the business cards and exchange contact info with the new friends you make at that party. All you have to do is enter their email or Twitter handle into the app and it downloads their contact info. Also, it allows you to see who all your friends are connecting with.

Social TV: One of the most interesting ideas talked about was social TV, and how viewers are posting on social media sites while watching their favorite shows. This was especially interesting to hear about in a panel about the marketing of True Blood, a show that had really embraced the concept of social TV by reaching out to fan communities and providing them with exclusive content.

Being at SXSW completely felt like I was back in college for a week, with early morning classes (panels), meals with friends between class and parties at night. I learned so much and had a great time meeting some of the most interesting people from all over the world.

Olivia

It seems that everything in New York has its own week – Fashion Week, Restaurant Week among others. So why should the ever-developing field of social media not have its own designated seven days?

 New York wasn’t the only city that jumped on the bandwagon. February 7th-11th was designated Social Media Week in more than nine cities including Rome, Hong Kong, Istanbul and more. This global event was attended by 30,000 people.

This conference is overarching, covering almost every aspect of technology and emerging trends by presenting panel discussions on a variety of social media subjects. Due to my responsibilities with the entertainment department here at Hunter Public Relations, I decided to check out a panel called “Celebrity Spokespeople in the Digital Age.”

Moderated by Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the panel featured participants like actress Denise Richards and bloggers Rob Shuter (PopEater) and Bryanboy (Bryanboy.com, fashion). The discussion shed some insight on how to leverage celebrities, who themselves have become brands. Outlets like Twitter provide stars with a direct channel to engage with their fans to promote their projects, charitable initiatives and their own public image.

The panel gave the example of the Kardashians, specifically Kim Kardashian.  According to The Hollywood Reporter the clan brought in over $65 million dollars last year, all because of their smart branding. The family has a collective 13 million Twitter followers which Kim Kardashian took advantage of during the designing and launching of her fragrance. She gave her fans a direct say in her product by posting two options for her perfume packaging and let them decide which one would be produced. Check out the panel to learn more!

Although Social Media Week may be over, don’t fret! Thanks to LiveStream.com, you can check out many of the over 200 events and panels online. Happy browsing!

Paulina

Last week, a handful of staff members were able to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI). During this tour we were delighted to learn about GHRI’s various departments, testing processes and research staff (scientists, engineers and nutritionists, oh my!).

Below I’ve compiled a ‘Top 5’ list of a few things that blew our PR minds:

1. The GHRI was founded in 1900 (that’s before the FDA) and has been committed to informing consumers and improving the lives of readers through education and product evaluation ever since.

2. They have a super-futuristic climate control sealed room that can produce freezing temperatures (ideal for winter coat testing) or can create hot and humid weather (to test anti-frizz hair products).

3. More than 11 U.S. Presidents have dined in Good Housekeeping’s dining room, which is a complete replica of the 100 year old room that was in the first GH office.

4. Good Housekeeping guarantees the quality of each product that bears the Seal – They’ll even reimburse consumers that are unhappy with their products.

5. And the kicker: When scrambling to remove a stain, regular water works JUST as well as seltzer water (oldwives tales be damned)!

Obviously, there are about 1,000 more interesting tidbits from our trip to the storied GHRI Headquarters that I wasn’t able to include (especially for a girl who recently conducted lab-like research of her own before buying a blender). Luckily, Good Housekeeping has posted everything you should know about the GHRI on their web site (which just so happens to also have a wealth of information on every product imaginable).

Jenna

Imagine, for a moment, if celebrity chef Richard Blais, Lady Gaga and the entire editorial staff of the Wall Street Journal were on a road-trip together and their VW van ran out of gas in the middle of the desert. Sound like a good time? Well stop imagining – it’s the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas! 

CES 2011 media centers. From upper-left, clockwise:  NBC-Universal, Future Publishing, WIRED, CNET.

 For one week each winter the world’s media relocates to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.  And, where journalists and celebrities go, so does PR. True to that trend, last week, several staff members from Hunter PR made an annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the show.

Curated here are my personal Best of Show awards from the 2011 edition of the Disneyland of Technology.

BEST TWEETS FROM JOURNALISTS

It goes without saying that none of these are in reference to Hunter Public Relations or our clients.

BEST BAR

The “Area 51 Bar” at the PEPCOM Digital Experience media preview. Nothing says a good-time better than a carbon tube-encased Gray.

BEST PRODUCT DEMO

TASER tazing audience volunteers.

Toby

After months of hard work, I have the honor – as one of the digital designers on this project – to introduce you to, Hunter Public Relations’ new iPhone app: TWEET HUNTER!

(Trumpets) Dun, dururun, dun, dun, duuuuuuuuun!

You’re probably thinking, “Why all the fan fare?” Well, here at Hunter PR, we’re pretty big on creativity, and are always brainstorming new PR concepts and ideas for our clients. For years, we’ve wondered how can we share some of our brainstorming techniques with the rest of the world. Enter Tweet Hunter.

Tweet Hunter “hunts” tweets in order to reveal what people are saying about any word you enter into the app.  For example, if you type in “BBQ” into the Tweet Hunter app, roughly 30 words will be shown to relate to “BBQ” such as “sauce,” “Sunday,” “grill,” and “party.”  These results are ranked by frequency of use in conjunction with “BBQ” so you can easily see what people are talking about most on the topic.

Since so much of our brainstorming process centers on word association, Tweet Hunter can be a useful, on the go tool for sparking ideas and getting the conversation started.

If you want to download our app, it’s available for FREE via this link: on iTunes.  We hope you’ll find it as useful and helpful as we do.

Enjoy!