Social Networking: Navigating Uncharted Waters
Joshua W. ThomasMedia Relations Manager, Port of Portland
Transpacific Maritime Conference, March 2, 2010
Outline
1.Social networking is more evolutionarythan revolutionary- Old concepts, new applications
2.Moving forward can start with a step back- Do you have a usage policy?
3.Control your message or someone else will- Take ownership, leverage capabilities
Evolution?
Years it took to reach 50 million users
•Radio - 38 years•Television - 13 years• Internet - 4 years• iPod - 3 years•Facebook - 100 million within 9 months
Source: Social Media Revolution
News travels fast …
iPhone photo by Janis Krums, posted to Twitter four minutes
after splashdown
590,755 fans
318,141
views
News travels fast …
Two categories of (mis)characterizationsDismissive
• Just a passing fad• It’s for kids• A waste of time, resources• Lacks a business purpose• No employee usage policy• Identity theft threats• Too complex to learn• Wait it out, do it later
Overblown
• “Communication Revolution”
• Need it to stay relevant• Can replace ads, outreach• Bring in consultants• Everybody is doing it• They are talking about us• Reap results like celebrities• Do it before it is too late
Campaign Examples
Orville and Wilbur Wright• Twitter, ads, news release, newsletter,media appearances, essay contest
I Fly Nonstop• Facebook fan page, You Tube, ads,testimonials, Haiku contest
Be a Local Superhero• Web video contest, ads, news release, newsletter
Portland Harbor: Behind the Scenes
Other Examples
Model usage policy examples
•Massport•Port Everglades•Port of Beaumont•Port of Tacoma•Port of Long Beach
•Kodak•Wells Fargo•Edelman•Mayo Clinic•U.S. Army
It is happening with or without you.
Source: mashable.com
Resources
Monitor• Google News Alerts, Blog Alerts• Tweetbeep tweet alerts
Adopt a policy• Findlaw’s legal technology center• American Association of Port Authorities• Colleagues, industry contacts
Assess capabilities, strategy• Your own employees/coworkers, your network
Resources (continued)Establish a presence• Free Linked In business page, Google Business Profile page
• YouTube channel, Flickr photostream• Start Facebook and Twitter accounts with limits and controls
Measure success• Edelman Tweetlevel, Quarkbase, Radian6, Google analytics
• Free surveys, polls
Stay informed• Brian Solis, Chris Brogan• Mashable
Source: vedlo.com
Remember the “social” in social networking
Our tools are changing
Source: Brian Solis and Jess3
Thank you.
Joshua W. ThomasMedia Relations Manager, Port of Portland
www.linkedin.com/in/mrjwthomas