As it's so public, you'd think people, brands and orgaisations would know how to behave on there wouldn't you? You'd think they'd use the right etiquette, given how close to 'real life' it is and how everyone can see what you're writing? You'd be wrong. 

You see, when it comes to individuals they forget that their tweets are presenting an image of themselves to the world. Instead of seeing Twitter as a chance to create a great reputation - one that potential employers would gain a good impression from - they completely abuse it.

They forget the old ethos about never writing something that you wouldn't say directly to someone's face. And they tweet out all kinds of negative, emotional and unwelcome rubbish. They forget that people won't enjoy political rants, negative attacks on others or strange tweets that can only have an unhealthy motive behind them.

For example, I had someone tweet me the other day something like - 'Your tweets seem really long since you changed your avatar...' Something I found really odd and completely ignored. Doesn't seem like much but it hardly made me want to follow that person, or help them out with anything in future.

But it's been worse than that. In the past, I've seen people insult others, telling them they're rubbish. I've seen people shove their political views down throats on countless occasions. Sometimes, people have asked too much of others or constantly hound people for their attention.

If this was real life, could you imagine how these tweets would be received? If someone came up to us and said 'You're rubbish!', for instance? Ok, so we can all chuckle about the mental picture I've just tried to paint. But it's a quite serious matter and one I think needs to be addressed.

And what about brands? Many still don't seem to understand the whole meaning behind social media. They self-broadcast and tweet out the kind of updates that wouldn't look out of place in a traditional advert. They don't listen either or take too long to respond to customers.

In my humble opinion, I think individuals and businesses should make every tweet count. They should remember that whatever they are putting out there, it's building up a picture and it's creating an impression. If all you do is tweet negative insults or complaints, you'll create a bad impression. If all you do is shout out 'Buy this!' or 'Buy that!' - you'll put people off.

Make every tweet count because once you've fired out an update online, you can bet that thousands - if not millions of people - could be watching and you really only have one chance to create a good first impression.

Posted on 22nd Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Faveous is more of an aggregation service for RSS, social media and video feeds combined. It allows you to add a bookmark tool to your browser, so when you're surfing the web and spot something you like or find interesting - you can 'Fave It', which adds to your Faveous account, allowing you to access later.

This is obviously very handy if you've discovered stuff 'on the move' and you're relying solely on 3G to download big videos, for example. It also makes sense to 'save stuff for later', before you forget what you've found - no matter whether it's an article, a tweet, a video or a news story.

Of course, Faveous is yet another example of our growing appetite for aggregated content. It means we're seeing more and more 'digital curation' wherever we look. It suits our demanding and busy lifestyles. It allows us to make the most of the web without becoming overwhelmed by too much information. It gives us the opportunity to better organise our time spent online.

Doesn't sound like it's anything new, I hear you say.

Yes, we've had Apps like Instapaper and ReadItLater. They've been around for some time and have become invaluable tools for saving web articles for future consumption. But these apps don't work well with every type of content.

And then there are great social bookmarking tools like Pinterest and Delicious but they only go so far.

That's where Faveous offers a fresh alternative. It combines written content, social media and video content altogether in one handy app. It is essentially a 'favourites' aggregator. It means you can find all the content you have marked as 'favourites', including links you've shared, across a wide range of online services such as Twitter, YouTube DailyMotion, Facebook and Google Reader - and put them all in one place.

But it's not just about convenient aggregation of favourite content. It's a chance to share your preferred digital content with the world. It can be used as a public or private resource, being public as default. You can also set a vanity URL making it super easy for other people to find your favourite content. 

So who's behind it all? Who started Faveous? An 18-year-old French entrepreneur called Arthur Monnet. The project is backed by funding and already has thousands of users. In its infancy, it's not perfect. It could do with some improvement and I'm sure that will happen if and when it becomes more popular. In the meantime, if you enjoyed this article, and you like it - 'Fave It', save it for later and share it with your friends.

Posted on 20th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

And I'm not alone. There are millions of us out there doing the same. That's why fashion brands are adapting to suit our needs. They're providing solutions that keep us buying their stock season after season. But who's doing it? And what are they providing to make online shopping a delight rather than a hindrance?

Just look at websites like ShopStyle. They are a type of digital curation that bring everything you need into one place. If I've got a specific item in mind (and let's face it - most of us have) then I can type it into ShopStyle and quickly find everything that's currently available from a wide range of online stores. For instance, put 'Navy Skirt' into ShopStyle's search box and I get hundreds of different choices at my fingertips. It saves me the hassle of trawling through the web myself. It solves a problem. Job done.

But it's not just about the curation of content that makes our lives easier. We also want inspiration. We want to be told what to wear, what's in fashion and what will go with those red shoes. That's why individual retailers are increasingly providing extra content on their websites to meet our needs.

Take Miss Selfridge as an example. They have special features to inspire women and they also have their own Style Diaries, a blog that shares a whole load of interesting fashion updates. Oasis has a Be Inspired section. While Asos - the current fashion giant on the web - has its own Fashion Finder where its community share their own loves and inspirations, all nicely linked up to its retail side of things.

If you think about it, retailers are almost turning into fashion magazines. They're understanding that the way we shop isn't as straightforward as they once thought. We do a lot of browsing and research before handing over our cash. We want to see what other people are wearing before we make up our minds. It's clear that online shopping is changing and it's content that is becoming king.

Posted on 19th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Why is it tracking us? Because data is the new currency. Google's business model relies hugely on advertising. The more it knows about you, the more it can offer lucrative advertising opportunities to brands who want to target you.

You can actually find out what Google knows about you through its Ads Preferences page. I looked at my own profile this morning. It says "Below you can review a summary of the interests and inferred demographics that Google has associated with your cookie..."

And what did it say about me? Well, Google thinks I'm a man. I suppose I am a bit of a Tom Boy and am not especially 'girly'. It thinks I'm between 25-34 years old. I'm 33. Even more worrying, it knows I love movies. It knows I love travel. And it knows I can't get enough of visual art and design, architecture or photography.

But this is just based on my searches. The recent addition of Google+ might seem warm and cuddly but it's just another clever way of tracking what we're doing. It's a way of building up profiles on all of us. And they can see exactly what we're doing, whenever they like.

And it's not just Google. Retailers are picking up on our consumption patterns to better understand the things we like and how to target us. Just look at what happened with Target in the United States when it figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did. They emailed her some baby product coupons based on her usage of their website. Scary.

Can you imagine if the secret service had profiles on us like this? Would they get away with it? No, they certainly wouldn't. There'd be uproar, riots, unrest on the streets. But it seems we're in an age where we're more than happy to give up our data to access these free services like Google or even just have the convenience of shopping online.

If you're outraged by Google and don't want to share your data any longer. If you want to fight the system and the powers that be, then support DuckDuckGo - it's a new search engine that doesn't 'track or bubble you'. It was started by just one person. And it's ethical in its approach.

Of course, don't expect the same level of quality as Google. Google provides fast, instant search results unlike anything else. It just depends on what's more important to you. The exchanging of your personal data for top notch services? Or a little sacrifice to ensure your privacy remains, well - private. Whatever you decide, just remember that Google is watching you.

Posted on 18th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

When it comes to PR firms, you'd certainly think some were just spammers, hell bent on making journalists' lives a misery.

In today's digital revolution when communication has completely transformed - you'd think this type of email 'spamming' would be a thing of the past. Particularly when PR people can now 'tweet' journalists and follow their likes and dislikes via the web. Especially when it's easier than ever before to establish relationships online. And we all know that good relationships with journalists lead to great media coverage.

So with this in mind, is PR the new spam? Well, actually - it's nothing to do with public relations itself. It's just PR executed badly. Because public relations has the same objective whether it's offline or online. 'PR spammers' are just pure lazy.

They know deep down that picking up the phone and talking to journalists will get them better results... but because they've got 300 newspapers and magazines to contact, it's far easier to just play the numbers game and fire out generic crap. They know they could follow certain characters on Twitter and build up a decent relationship but it's far more tempting to keep emailing those generic press releases.

A decent PR agency will always pick up the phone and establish a relationship with a journalist before they even consider sending something across. They'll find out what makes that journalist tick. They'll gather intelligence such as knowing the type of stories the journalist is interested in or being aware of deadlines. It isn't rocket science and it's nothing new. But you'd be surprised how many PR people can't be bothered to do these things.

More importantly, why would you want to target 300 newspapers anyway? Isn't it better to focus resources on quality rather than quantity? 

PR isn't the new spam. It's just that some PR people are spamming journalists when there's no need to. They've lost their passion and creativity to find ways to get their client's in front of the right audience. They're forgetting that PR offers so much more these days, i.e. it's not just about printed coverage and 'equivalent advertising values'.

Which leads me onto my final point - with today's digital revolution and the wealth of opportunities it brings, there is now no excuse for PR people to send out spam emails. There are so many ways in which a PR firm can boost its client's image. PR isn't the new spam. Not when it's executed the right way.

Posted on 18th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Because it would seem too many people place too much emphasis on Search Engine Optimisation. Too many think it's the mecca of marketing. That it's the only thing they need to invest in or worry about. This isn't the case.

What's worrying is that some SEO agencies are strengthening these wrong assumptions. They're making people believe SEO is the only way. After all, it works in their favour to do so, doesn't it!

And after hearing about some bad advice an SEO firm gave to a prospect client recently, I decided to finally write this article. Because this prospect was weighing up whether to invest in a PR agency or an SEO firm. What did the SEO company say? 'You don't have to worry about PR, you need to get people to your website! SEO should be your only priority!'

I completely disagree. And it was unethical of the SEO firm to say so. For the record, we turned down two clients this week because they wanted 'local SEO' and I told them how to do it in just 10 minutes at no charge. It's not something we usually do - offer advice for free. But when you hear they might be about to hire an SEO firm to pay them thousands of pounds to achieve easy keywords, I can't help but point them in the right direction. (Which makes me think.. are we the only business that isn't focused on just making money... is there anyone left out there who actually cares about clients and helping them to save money, grow and become a success?!)

Don't get me wrong, SEO is something you should keep in mind when tackling your own marketing. But it's not the only thing you should consider. Public relations is hugely important and I'm not just saying that because it's in our best interests. I'm saying it because it needs to be said. You see, PR helps to raise your profile, protect your image and boost your reputation. It helps to build relationships with your customers. Can SEO do any of those things? No, it can't. It's superficial to that extent. It ignores the whole point of marketing and that's people.

You see, it's all good and well having a website that's easily found for very specific, competitive keywords. But what happens when people find you? What happens when they land on your website and don't like what they see? This is where PR becomes so crucial. This is when great copywriting, enticing web design and a solid social media presence will benefit your business. SEO doesn't have anything to do with these things. It's just about getting people to land on your site. It does a tiny portion of the job.

Let me elaborate. Imagine I sent you an invite to an amazing party and you went along only to find that no one had turned up or that the event wasn't good enough. What would you do? You'd leave as quickly as possible wouldn't you! The same applies with SEO. SEO only gets you so far. It's an invitation to your business. It's only a small part of the picture.

But more importantly, SEO doesn't work like you would imagine. SEO firms make the wrong assumption that people only type in certain keywords. They then focus all their energy on achieving first page placement for those terms. But us humans aren't so predictable. We use search engines in different ways. Sometimes, we don't even know what we're looking for. Sometimes we ask Google questions and then discover products or services that provide solutions. Increasingly, we discover brands who are engaging with us, planting seeds in our minds, joining our passions and sharing our common interests - only to find we are then emotionally connected to them and thus more likely to buy from them.

And what about the whole idea of 'search' anyway? Today's savvy firms know that 'search' - although still hugely important - is only a jigsaw piece. They know that social media is something just as crucial, if not bigger than search. They know that clever digital marketing is about building relationships with actual people. Can SEO do that? Do keywords make people love your brand? No, they don't.

So you see, SEO isn't the only thing your business should worry about. It can only get you so far. It might get you in front of the right people but will it ensure they convert and become customers once discovering your website? Not likely. Not when there are so many other things to consider. Our advice? Keep SEO in mind but remember it's not the only thing you should worry about. Just remember that the next time you're approached by an SEO firm.

Posted on 17th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Make no mistake, the digital revolution means that digital public relations is changing fast. And it's changing all the time. But what are today's key trends? Well, let's look at the facts.

Firstly, there's a smell of saturation in the air. We've seen phenomenal growth of social media over the past five years and now there's a sense that it's hit critical mass. According to a recent study in the U.S., social media is on the verge of becoming the dominant form of online content - it apparently accounted for over 16 per cent of Internet usage last year. That's a scary amount of time spent on the web.

And with the rapid growth of mobile, tablets and 'connected to the web' TVs - it means we are now most likely spending our entire lives glued to different screens.

Think about it. What's your typical day? Mine starts with a healthy dose of BBC News on the Internet, a checking of emails and tweets, a catch up on my RSS feeds and favourite technology news websites. I then work (obviously) but then spend my breaks using social media or browsing the web. During most evenings, I will play with my iPad whilst watching streamed TV programmes or films from Netflix on my PS3. All this whilst checking my iPhone for any tweets, Facebook updates, Pinterest additions or new messages. I never seem to stop, and neither do millions of other people.

So if people are constantly connected and consuming all types of media - what does this mean for PR agencies? It's actually great news. It opens up a world of opportunities. It's a trend that you can't ignore and must really get to grips with if you're going to stay ahead of the game.

But it's not just about being constantly connected. Social media has transformed the world. It has literally destroyed the need for journalists - certainly in the sense of helping brands to connect with their customers. Today, brands are the media. They can talk directly to their customers. They don't need traditional press releases or marketing campaigns to do so. They can use the power of social media to engage (there's that annoying word again). 

However, before you go ahead and make the same mistakes as some traditional PR agencies - which is apply the same old marketing techniques to a new medium - take a moment to understand how things have changed.

Because today, people have the power. They are the influencers. People are using the power of the Internet to find like-minded folk and share passions and common interests. This means niche communities are popping up all over the place. This is great news for PR professionals because it's now even easier to find specific target audiences.

But once you've found them, you can't throw one-way messages their way. You have to share their passions. You have to engage (groan). And you have to be sincere, transparent and warm and cuddly in your approach. 

More than anything, when you're thinking about PR campaigns to suit today's digital landscape, remember this - if it didn't happen on the Internet then it's probably not worth talking about.

Posted on 17th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

As the Pinterest people say: "Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favourite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests."

It might sound superficial but it's apparently driving more traffic to websites and blogs than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. That's a huge amount of page views and hits when you consider it's only been around since early 2010.

So why the sudden Pinterest popularity? Why is everyone talking about this social network? Well, I think it appeals for various reasons. Firstly, Pinterest is moving away from the very public sharing of our private lives and all the usual complaints surrounding things like Facebook. In contrast, Pinterest is merely a chance to share the things we've discovered with like-minded people.

Secondly, it's part of a fast growing movement known as the 'curation of content'. Considered to be a bit of a buzz word, it's actually now a marketing staple for any brand that wants to be a success online. In fact, content curation has been happening all around us for some time now... RSS feeds, blogs, the things we share on social media, sites like Hacker News, where its community gathers articles and content they've seen elsewhere... This pulling together of content is only going to grow and grow.

Another reason is visual communication. It's so incredibly popular right now and we just can't seem to get enough of pretty pictures. Is this due to our increasingly busy lives? Are our Internet habits changing as we have less time to spend surfing the web? Probably. That's why quick and easy 'pinboards' offer the best solution.

And finally, Pinterest helps us to sift through masses of content on the Internet. It allows us to make some sense of everything that's out there while organising our likes and inspirations in an easy way. It's something that solves a lot of problems.

So why should we care? Why is Pinterest and its growing popularity so important? Well, Pinterest represents a changing digital world. It hints towards where the Internet and social media is going. And that's the curation of content, visual communication and less of a focus on our private information.

Like with everything, the people will decide and the industry will follow. The people have spoken with Pinterest. They're fed up with privacy issues. They're leading increasingly busy lives. They want to make sense of a huge amount of web content and clearly organise what they need with themselves and others. They want gorgeous visual inspiration. Pinterest solves all of their problems and more.

Mark our words, curation of content and sites like Pinterest are something we'll be seeing a whole lot more of in the coming months and years to follow.

Posted on 14th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Whatever the reasons, annoying websites only upset customers and that's because it all comes down to two things - and that's trust and transparency. If you can't demonstrate these two crucial elements that every website should have, then you might as well give up with your online marketing right now.

Because today, consumers have wised up. They don't like to be sold to. They don't like to be persuaded. They don't want to be conned. They'll see through every little trick and game you try to play in a bid to win their loyalty. Listen up - the old ways of marketing are gone. Today, if you want to be a truly successful brand, business or orgnaisaton - you have to be trustworthy and transparent.

And you achieve that - not just through how you operate and what you do - but via your own website. Because your website is like today's shop window. It's often the first thing people come across when dealing with you for the first time. If your website doesn't cut it, i.e. it annoys or upsets people, then you'll instantly lose their potential custom.

So when looking at your own website you should always consider things that could potentially annoy or upset your customers. You want to make their visit to your website an enjoyable one. How you do that is by presenting the information they seek in a logical and clean manner while leaving out any unnecessary features or distracting design details. You make their journey as smooth as possible by ensuring everything is easy to navigate. And you get across your key messages without going overboard with your sales talk. You also have to show the real you - the people behind your logo. It's all of these things and more that help to build trust on the web.

Some great examples of websites that are annoying? Well, Facebook for one. Whenever I try to ensure my privacy settings are at the highest possible level, they make it completely impossible to find the right controls to update. Blink and you could miss where it reads 'editing your timeline info' on Facebook's Privacy Settings. Never mind how often they change the damn rules, so they fool us out of our sacred information. 

That's just one example and there are plenty more. If you're worried your own website might be turning visitors off, then it might be time for an overhaul. After all, once you've got people there - don't you want to turn them into paying customers rather than have them running for the hills? 

Posted on 9th Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan

Well, these reviews and testimonials are starting to lose their value now that advertisers have exploited our love of 'real' feedback. That's because we - the consumers - have wised-up, knowing full well that we can't believe everything we read these days.

You only have to look at the recent news regarding TripAdvisor.com to see how the trust has been broken. Thanks to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) they can no longer claim all their reviews are genuine and based on 'real travellers' as they could be 'misleading'.

But TripAdvisor isn't the only website where reviews are now questioned for their authenticity. And with trust compromised, how do you build trust online? How do you show customers that your testimonials are indeed real?

There are many ways in which you can add extra credibility to your website. For example, you can hyperlink the review to the person's actual website. Or you could add a real photograph next to the account. Or what about adding video and filming actual testimonials to add further credibility and trust?

Then what about your company blog? This offers an excellent opportunity to show the real people behind your logo. Blogs are also a chance to show off your expertise and build relationships with your customers. 

Last but not least, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow that further interaction with real people while allowing you to show some personality behind your business.

Whatever you choose to do, there are lots of ways to gain people's trust online but more than ever before, it has to be genuine and it has to be real. You can't deceive people or try to fill up any cracks in your company's profile. If you're going to be a success and win people over online, then you have to get real and make a solid effort to gain their trust. It has to begin from the very core of your company. You have to be something that people will like and want to be associated with. Because if you're untrustworthy and relying on traditional advertising, then people will simply go elsewhere.

Posted on 2nd Feb 2012 by Katy Cowan