+1: Google's Response to Facebook?

Is "+1" the new "Like"? This is what some people believe about the new social tool launched by Google. The +1 button in Google search results is going to be a way to share recommendations with people. Be clicking on it, it's like saying "it's pretty cool".

Sometimes it feels nice to find what you want, when one of your firends has already found it.Through these recommendations from your friends but also from people across web who have pressed the button, you can find what you want at the time you want it and in the right format through the search results. In order to click on the +1 buttons, you should first have a Google account. Once you have created a profile, it's visible to anyone. Also, your contacts can easily find it through your e-mail address. However, you may keep it private if you just want to have a record of the things you like. 

So, that's how it will work: 

Once you click it, you can also undo or delete it from your profile list

How it looks when people from your network +1'd the page

You can also +1 ads. Advirtisers will have the opportunity to see stats

I think advertisers are going to love the new Google tool since it is going to be an indicator for a company or a product and in this way people can easily view which sites are very popular! Indeed, it's nice when you search for something to see that a specific page is recommended by your firends or other people. According to Matt Cutts, "The primary benefit is that search gets better. It gets better in the user interface immediately, and we'll look at it as a potential signal ot improve search quality as well. I find social search extremelly useful, especially with the recent updates.".

Google is thinking of launching the +1 button to web sites as well. Hence, publishers are going to include it in the web sites along with Facebook's Like and Twitter's Tweet.

So what you are waiting for? Go to the sign-up page of Google to be informed by mail when the button is going to be available!

Sources and pictures are taken from:
http://www.techno360.in/1-button/
http://www.google.com/+1/button/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/1s-right-recommendations-right-when-you.html
http://searchengineland.com/meet-1-googles-answer-to-the-facebook-like-button-70569

No Compulsory Redundancies

                                                        


The video above consists of an interview from a student of Aquaculture Institute and some parts of the strike inside the campus of University of Stirling in order to protest about redundancies.

University of Stirling faces a strike action after the decision making body, the Court, to start redundancies in one of the most famous research programs of the university, the Institute of Aquaculture. According to the University College Union (UCU), "the university has again failed to complete constructive consultation with the union before making the decision to axe staff".

It is said that the redundancies are going to happen since the Institute of Aquaculture has not provided any surplus to the university. This is not fair since the Institute focus on research. For two weeks now, on 21th of March and on 24th of March, many members of USC, students and teachers from aquaculture programs were protesting against job losses across UK. It is impressive that alumni who work at the Bangladesh Agricultural Univeristy organised a rally in their university  in order to protest for redundancies at the University of Stilring. 

           Alumni at Bangladesh Agricultural University

After some interviews that I had with postgraduates from the MSc Aquaculture program, I found out and mostly I noticed how much devastated they were. They explained me that they were losing their supervisors with whom they were working their projects all these months. During my conversation with them, I felt their anger and sadness since I could be in their shoes. This strike is not the end...it's the beginning!

Sources are taken from: 

http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/14481/redundancies-at-the-institute-of-aquaculture-stirling

http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5422

http://www.aqua.stir.ac.uk/

PR Awareness Campaign Against Sunbeds

Nowadays, more and more young people are being exposed to sunbeds in order to get a fake tan. It seems for them that tanning is the latest trend. Ok, we all want to look pretty but getting a fake tan, this has nothing to do with prettiness.

There are some people who admit they are tanaholic and that they do not pay attention on the tremendous consequences, such as skin cancer. Sunbeds which use Ultraviolet light (ULV) can highly cause Malignant Melanoma. Accodring to the Cancer Research UK, this type of cancer is the 6th most common type in UK. More than 8.900 people are diagnosed with this kind of cancer and about 1.700 people end up dying.

After the new Government legislation in England and Wales that invloves the banning of sunbeds' use to young people under 18, the Cancer Research UK launches a PR Awareness Campaign which is created by the digital agency, named Nonsense. The campaign tries to increase awareness and inform adults aged 15-18 through social media. For this reason, a special video has been created and it is being promoted through Facebook, YouTube and various blogs under the name of 'Leatha Face".

The video which has been shot to like a web camera is all about a teenage wannabe rapper,called Leatha Face. He expresses his beliefs about tanning by rapping rhymes. Furthermore, he claims that by tanning he feels special and different in contrast with the other rappers. In this video, a great emphasis is given to his friends who warn him about both his addiction to tanning and the health issues that can arise because of the sunbed use (such as skin cancer and skin ageing). It has been found that if people under 35, use sunbeds, they have a great risk to develop a skin cancer by up 75%.

According to the health campaigns manager of Cancer Research UK, Caroline Cerny, "By creating an engaging video we hope to influence the attitudes of young sunbed users and show them that it's not just the heavy sunbed users who are risking their health and their looks." The video which is being promoted though digital media tries to reach young people and show them that tanning is not a safe solution.

It is ironic how people think that by getting a fake tan they can look better and more attractive; they better look like a premature, old person. They have to realise that every time they are using sunbeds, they are destroying their skin and making it look worse in the long run.



Pictures and sources are taken from:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7567712/Children-banned-from-using-sunbeds-in-new-law.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP46cBoGOm8
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/type/melanoma/about/melanoma-risks-and-causes
http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1059841/Cancer-Research-launches-major-PR-campaign-danger-sunbeds/
http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/advice-and-prevention/sunbeds/
http://www.closeronline.co.uk/Dietsandhealth/HealthNews/sunbed-cancer-risk.aspx
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/healthsafetyguide/E4.htm

Social Media+PR=The Recipe of Success?

Social Media started flourishing around 2005. Companies started exploiting these social media networks when they realised that they could establish effective customer relationships through the use of them. Public relations has made a huge progress in the way it functions due to the fact that it has adopted the use of digital media.


PR is all about creating a mutual beneficial understanding between an organisation and its publics and now companies and organisations are actually trying to succeed that through the use of technology.


For instance, there are a lot of fashion companies which take advantage of digital media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, My Space, Linkedin and many more in order to promote a specific product, organise a campaign or inform  customers about upcoming events. According to SocialBakers below is the list with the the top 10 fashion companies operating in Facebook with a great success: 

Another example of companies that use social media is the famous food industry, called Taco Bell, which recently launched a PR campaign in Facebook. The purpose of this campaign was to promote the different variety of Mexican food it provides and build a trusty relationship as well as a loyal customer base by specifically providing free coupons for a free crunchy seasoned beef taco. This approach would further improve its image to its customers. 


Companies all over the world have trusted and used the social media tools and they have showed to us that if used correctly, they can be a powerful tool for the promotion of a company. According to Gartner Information Research Technology on Using Social Media to Strengthen Customer Relations, companies that use social media should consider first the role and purpose of it as far as the control and the rewards that they are planning to provide to its publics in order to be effective. 


Digital media provides many advantages for PR professionals and I think the most important is that they have the chance to establish a continuous and a long-term relationship with their publics. Social networks is the future for organisations and companies. Based on Adam Singer, traditional and digital PR will merge in the future.


A quote that really stimulated me is by Willian Gibson: "One of the things our grandchildren will find quaintaist about us is that we distinguish the digital from the real...In the future, that will become literally impossible." 


Nowadays, people spend most of their time using social networks as a tool to get more information and the usage of news sites has declined dramatically. People are exposed to more and more information everyday. Hence, PR companies have the chance to distribute, promote through a selected content and engage with their audiences.


If the use of this newly founded trend is used correctly I think that PR will have the chance to flourish even more. Combining PR and Social Media is a fascinating approach and will benefit both of them. PR through social networks modernises PR and PR steps away from traditional PR techniques. Finally online PR campaigns have a great advantage since the campaigns can run for a longer time and be viewed from a wide audience at any time. 




Sources and photos are taken from: 
http://jonnewman12.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/pr-firms-the-socialdigital-line-no-longer-exists/
http://www.socialbakers.com/blog/51-top-10-fashion-companies-on-facebook/
http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-albany/taco-bell-pr-campaign-has-facebook-freebie
http://business.ezinemark.com/using-social-media-to-strengthen-customer-relations-16fbde4aa41.html?act=articles&hex=16fbde4aa41
http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/11/social-media-pr/