Perceptions of Social Media and Social Media Uses

I am a firm believer in the concept “perception is reality.”  After all, it is the business that I am in, managing public perceptions.  This concept has even been adopted as PRMR Inc.'s slogan"Managing Perception. Promoting Reality."  

While browsing the Internet some years ago I found the attached image, which is a great example of how one's point of view determines reality. I looked at the screen at all angles and could see depending on my point of view, three or four columns (Image source unknown).

When PRMR Inc. started its Pinterest account (http://pinterest.com/prmrinc ) this slogan took new meaning as one of our picture boards was named “Perception Is Realty”. It depicts all the items in pictures that we created or borrowed from others that fall within this theme.  Our perception at the time was that Pinterest was about to be as big as Facebook. Do you know what is Pinterest? Before Instagram came along it was the best thing since slice bread for posting pictures to communicate a message. Now my perception is that it has lost ground and is losing its relevance.

Do you see your granny on Facebook?  Yes, the age demographic of Facebook has changed dramatically over the years.  The perception, that it was just for teenagers and young adults, has changed, and it is now the social media platform for more experienced adults.   Companies now see Facebook as an integral part of their communications strategy, a far cry from the days when it was scoffed upon as not being "corporate".

You can find a job on LinkedIn, and it is for business people.  That is the perception.  I have been on LinkedIn for a few years now and have not had any job offers. While some job opportunities are posted on LinkedIn, I am not sold on it value in this area. My perception is that it is a glorified “Facebook Business”.

Twitter is good for getting news out fast.  Without a website though to give you the full story Twitter leaves more questions than answers.  Twitter can also be a nightmare when creating stand-alone messages.  Who speak in 140 characters or less?  

There is a widely held perception where social media is concerned that if you are not on social media you will be left behind.  This is the perception that matters most.  You have to be on social media if you want your stakeholders to perceive you as a contemporary, responsive, community oriented company.  So get cracking!

Can A Politician Be Over Exposed

As a little girl I remember hearing a family story were my brother as a very young child would repeat the slogan "Hopping and Lowe, 3 and 4 ". It was a Democratic Labour Party Slogan back in the '60 for the St. George Candidates Air Hopping and Somebody Lowe (wasn't even born this is a second hand story butI am sure you get the drift). My mom is a die hard D. She does not hide this fact even when the Ds were in the doldrums she would be tooting her loyalty.

It was to my astonishment then that I heard her one night watching the news say over and over Esther Byer Suckoo is a like a lamp lighter. Esther Byer Suckoo is like a lamp lighter. Not being around in the lamp lighter days I had not a clue what the old lady meant so I said to her Mom what ever do you mean? She replied that her mother use to says the only person who is everywhere is the lamp lighter.

Beep! Beeeep! Flashs lights! Flash Lights! - clearly when ordinary persons are commenting on your media exposure you are definitely over exposed. Byer-Suckoo who started her ministerial term as the media darling is certainly starting to fall out of favour. Our local/international propaganda blog also just placed a condom on her head over the prison issue. This is sure to get Barbados' Internet class tongue wagging.

My free advice to the lady and all politicians is that you have to temper your exposure to the media. You must be seen to be doing serious business not at every frivolous dog fight. When you step into the lime light people should pay attention. You devalue yourself through over exposure. Media appearances should be planned to meet a set objective. Use the media rather than be used by the media.

Corporate Social Responsibility initiative in the Caribbean - The Environment

Holistic public relations practices goes beyond people.  You also have to take the planet into consideration.   In the Caribbean we most times neglect our environment but being environmentally conscious is also good for business.  

Do you know what the above symbols mean?  How do we dispose of waste in Barbados, Antigua or Guyana?  How much electricity does St. Kitts and Nevis or St. Vincent and the Grenadines use?  Is there a more efficient alternative?  Are our vehicles roadworthy, or are our trucks smoking so much they could be on the verge of lung cancer?  In Trinidad and Tobago their are environmental police officers but how many other Caribbean countries have this?  How many trees do we cut down on a daily basis – could you use a little less paper?  Do you use harmful pesticides?  These are the kinds of questions we need to ask ourselves if we are to truly take a holistic approach to our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative in the Caribbean. It’s not just a ‘one-way street’.

In a Pew Research Institute survey on American Values, 67% of respondents said that you should pay more to protect the environment, and 90% agreed that there should be stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment.  And, guess who the laws and regulations will ultimately be for? Companies, of course!  

So, why wait to be mandated to do the right thing? The consumer has spoken.  Rack up those brownie points and be viewed as a good corporate citizen by incorporating sustainable environmental practices into your business strategy.  Go the entire distance with your Corporate Social Responsibility efforts and be rewarded with long-term customer and employee loyalty. 

New LinkedIn Publisher

I became a publisher on LinkedIn in June.  It is fantastic to have this platform to add to my other blogs to share my thoughts on issues in the profession with other professionals.

Actually it has given me new impetus to write because I had fallen off giving away to my studies and daily paying activities, leaving my beloved hobby behind.  

Yes, some use this forum to sell themselves, this however is secondary to the real joy I get from writing and to seeing my work published.  I was reading a blog by @Timothy_Hughes today entitled "I Love Blogging"  and I agreed with him wholeheartedly and this inspired me to tell all my friends and well-wishers about my new blog on LinkedIn.

Click to to see my newest blog on China's "new" communications Strategy.