#bestappsforsuccess

Now that you have a basic understanding of how to tweet your way into the minds of an audience, it's time we find the sticks and rocks for your nest. (In Twitter-speak, that's when we successfully create a widespread presence on all our social networks.)

A number of people have created tools, called Twitter apps, to use twitter uniquely and  in conjunction with other websites. There are hundreds that exist, but we will share our top 5 apps to increase your fan base and develop a positive image among your followers.

1. Twitpic: Anyone will tell you that by far this is the most commonly used app. It  provides a platform for users to easily upload pictures to Twitter. Even citizen journalists often use this app to upload photos with stories that they are reporting on in real-time.
www.twitpic.com

2.Tweetdeck: A desktop app that lets you lets you manage multiple Twitter accounts from one place. It is an organizational tool that helps your filter tweets, schedule tweets and stay updated with all your followers. This is a very useful tool for public relations professionals to manage their many clients' accounts in a more structured manner.
www.tweetdeck.com

3. Twistori: This app gives you control of not only the present, but also the past. Twistori backs up all your previous tweets and allows you to organize them into a calender, such as  iCal or Google Calender. You can you archive an individual's tweets on a single calender, and also, a whole company's tweets too. For PR professionals this is a way to track growth and success and see the common trends at different points of a month or year.
www.twistori.com

4.  Monitter: Keeping track of specific keywords is an important job to better understand your publics and people in general. Monitter lets you search and watch several keywords at a time in a sleek columned layout with a pause button. It gives you the power to track topics in real time without the refresh button.
www.monitter.com

5. BubbleTweet: So, you've got pictures and your written words on Twitter, why not video? This app lets users record short videos and post them to their tweets in the form of a url. When users click the url, it takes them to the BubbleTweet website for them to view the video in a small bubble that pops up on the screen. This app is new and exclusive to Twitter. At the moment, you can only use it on your computer, but mobile uses are in progress.  
www.BubbleTweet.com

In conclusion, there are so many ways to use Twitter, and the applications discussed here may assist you and help boost the creative ways you reach out to followers.

Until next time, sweet tweets! 


- Kathryn and Allyson-

Life Advice - Wear Sunscreen

Three weeks. We have three weeks left in college.


Although for many, finals week is the most challenging, I think my writing partner (Robin Ezell) and I can agree that this week will be most difficult for us. It is our last week as active members of our sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha. ASA has provided us with some of our best college experiences and memories. The sorority has developed us into the women we are today. It will be so very difficult to say goodbye.


So, this week we would like to share a YouTube video with you, our amazing reader. The video is for the song, "The Sunscreen" by Baz Luhrmann. Its lyrics come from an essay "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young," by columnist Mary Schmich. It first appeared in 1997 in the Chicago Sunday Tribune.


The song is inspirational and contains great advice for all of us, no matter our age or stage in life. It's a bit long but we encourage you to watch the entire video. Be moved!

Love in PR,


Lizzy & Robin

8 Great Tips for Interns

8 Great Tips for Interns

1. Come to work prepared. 

Before you set our your suit the night before, prepare a binder full of examples and previous work you have done in school. Give yourself examples of blog posts, press releases and other forms of media that will become useful when you are stuck. If anything, the work in the binder will give you a boost of confidence knowing you capable of getting things done right.

2. Khakis and a polo do not qualify for a suit.

OK, so none of you would actually wear khakis and a polo to work. But keep in mind that anything other than a suit is not appropriate unless your employers have otherwise told you so. Looking professional will make you feel professional and will encourage you to demonstrate your best work ethic. Even if you decide to wear those black pants and button up, bringing a jacket will do nothing short of keeping you prepared. You never know who you will be meeting that day you decide to dress down.

3. Ask for more work.

Do this only if you can tolerate it. If you still have a PR plan and 3 press releases to finish by the end of the day, this might not be the best idea. When you can, just send an email to your supervisor or coworkers and ask them if they need someone to post on the company blog or if they have any other work that they would like assistance. Your coworkers will appreciate the help and will remember it later on when it is the end of the day and you are overwhelmed. 

4. Be open to criticism. 

We are not perfect by any means. You may think you write awesome press releases, but when the supervisor returns it with critical comments, take the time to read and fix them. When you take the criticism to heart, you will remember how to fix it before you hand the next press release in. Just remind yourself not to take the criticism personally. They are just tips on how to improve your work.

5. Eat lunch with your coworkers. 

There may be days when you want to get out by yourself, but take the time to invite your coworkers on occasion. Keep in mind that in this industry, it is important to make relationships and network. You don't have to be best friends with everyone, but getting to know people outside the office environment will help you better understand what they are about. Plus, taking a break is necessary. Why not do it with people who can give you advice and share stories about what you are interested in?

6. Try not to make the same mistake twice.

When you are surrounded by people who have been in the business for years, they have their own way of doing things. They may be stressed out some days and impatient. When they are telling you to fix the same mistakes, they may get short with you. Just remember that this is a stressful industry and don't take their frustrations to heart. You are still learning. Take notes and keep copies of corrected work so you can reference it later on. 

7. Get a Mentor.

Use your coworkers as mentors. Develop relationships with them that will become helpful later on and look up to them. Find someone who you can look to for advice and that can help you when you need it. Maybe someone stood out during your lunch date that you could see yourself keeping in touch with long after the internship.

8. Find out ways to help your place of work.

Once you have settled in and have a better idea of what your projects will be, figure out ways to help your organization. For example, start a blog. Contribute to social media efforts by posting updates on social media channels. Helping your place of work will be appreciated and gain experience. 

Taking the time to do your work efficiently and gain experience will benefit your overall relationship with the company. Never forget your primary reason for taking the internship, to learn more about the overall industry.

Tia and Abigail

Click here for the PR Daily article.

Mistakes Journalists Make

Common Mistakes among the Journalistic World

          As journalists, we are constantly checking social media, our phone and other devices in which we take part in. Our social life and professional life can sometimes be a blur. This is where we need to remember to be responsible and careful about the pictures and messages we post.

          Eleven percent of "sext" messages are accidentally sent to the wrong person, according to a British study. "Sexting" is the act of sending an X-rated message to another person over text messaging. While this is rarely ever a good idea, if done, this can easily be put in the wrong hands. Even if you send the message and delete it on your phone afterward, the information can end up on the Internet.

          Other activity that triggers a big no is checking out inappropriate information on the job. What you do at home is none of our business, however, even if you delete your history on the computer at work, you could possibly still be caught. 

"In a case from Australia, a government employee was terminated after he Googled the word "knockers" on his company laptop, at home. Being naive, that term seems rather innocuous to me, but it turns out that this has nothing to do with hardware for your front door. (Please don't google this word. I don't want any of my readers to get in trouble with their jobs.)

Despite the fact the man deleted his browser history, the computer he used, a work-provided laptop, had the program Spector360 installed. That programs takes "snapshots" of a user's Internet and desktop activity every 30 seconds.

Leave all "private" moments to your private computer. Just because your boss isn't standing over you doesn't mean he doesn't know what you're doing. Companies can and do monitor computer usage, not just usage on the company servers."  -cbsnews.com

      Yes, you should have a life beyond the desk. And yes, you should have a healthy relationship with your significant other. However, be aware of the effects that can occur through a simple click of a button. Think before you hit "send". Think before you post something inappropriate on a social media site and never forget the image of what could happen in the worse case scenario. 

Take time to ask yourself one simple question; How would my boss feel if he or she seen this?

Tia and Abigail

How to Manage Complaining Customers and Negative Word of Mouth

Complaining occurs when consumers actively seek out someone to share an opinion regarding a negative experience. Generally, when we think of dissatisfied consumers, we are reminded of complainers. However, not all customers report dissatisfied consumption. In fact, only 17% healthcare consumers complain upon experiencing some problems with the  service they are receiving. A recent survey among restaurant consumers suggests that no more than 5% of consumers with a problem complain. 

Is a complainer a considered a negative customer for a company? The answer is no. In reverse, complainers are valuable sources of feedback about potential problems in service quality, product performance or system malfunction. When a consumer complains, the marketer has the chance to rectify the negative situation. A consumer that sulks away also takes away the valuable information with him or her. The complainers are more likely to become satisfied consumers and return into the business again. 

Negative word-of-mouth takes place when customers pass on negative information about a company from one to another. WOM is powerful because of high source credibility. Negative word of mouth happens to every company. Nobody is immune, but great brands have a plan that helps them convert a lot of the angry critics into happy fans. 

What you should do: 

1. Act quickly

When a customer is upset, you need to act fast. A quick response (even if it's just to say, "I'm sorry, I hear you -- let me get back to you") helps soothe the original critic and also helps avoid an outbreak of more negative sentiment from others. It's common sense, but it's also been proven in studies. In one experiment, when a single table complained about food in a crowded restaurant, 26% of guests made similar complaints. 

2. Be human

A canned response is worse than no response at all. Identify yourself, speak like a real person, and give them a way to follow-up with you. No frustrated customer has ever been won over with corporate jargin, and there's no reason to expect it to start working anytime soon. 

3. Write for the record

When you're responding -- especially in online forums -- remember that you're not just writing for the original critic, but for everyone else who reads it later. You want people to see that you tried to make things right. Even if you can't fix the problem, it's important to show that you're listening and that you care about keeping customers happy. 

Today is easier than ever to make complains publicly. Here are some websites you may want to

check out:

• www. complains.com
• http://esupport.fcc.gov/complains.htm
• http://www.bbb.org

Until next time!

~Abby and Meng

4 Easy Ways to Track Traffic from Pinterest

Pinterest is a fast growing social media site that brings people together across the country, using things they have in common.

1. Referral reports- Easiest way to track how many visits are coming to your site from Pinterest. Go to Traffic Sources > Sources > Referrals report.


2. Custom Reports-  Custom reports let you mash up just the specific information you want to see.

3. Dashboards- For tracking Pinterest, there are several key areas to monitor – daily visits from Pinterest, how many of those visits are from mobile devices, how long they stay and how many pages they look at, what’s your most popular content.

4. Multi-Channel Funnels- To get a more complete picture of how many conversions can be fully  attributed to Pinterest, we can look at the Multi-Channel Funnels reports in Google Analtyics. First, take a look at the Assisted Conversions report. SelectSource/Medium as the primary dimension, and filter for pinterest ). This will tell you how many times Pinterest assisted with a conversion (it wasn’t the last source before a conversion) and how many times it was the last source before a conversion.

Stay Analytical Murray State

Lindsey & Cory

Get LinkedIn with a job

People are getting job offers everyday through LinkedIn. The hard part is where do you start? Here are a few helpful tips to get you on the right track for the opportunity with a future employer:

• Search companies who are hiring in your area: If you are looking to stay close to home or have a particular area you would like to relocate to, do an advanced search for companies hiring with your specific skills. For example if you are experienced in Photoshop, do a search with the area code for companies looking for that particular skill.

• Become acquainted with the hiring manager: It is important to connect with the proper people who can get you a job. The hiring manager is someone that you need to build a positive relationship with and analyze their profile for future references during an interview. This will show that you truly care about the company and your future position.

• NETWORKING: We cannot stress the importance of networking enough; who you know can go a long way. For example, one person who you are associated with can help you build connections with different companies or individuals. And you never know, that connection may provide a future job opportunity for you.

There are plenty of ways to make you more desirable to future employers: recommendations, current profile and showing your expertise in the Q&A boards. By being active on LinkedIn, you have a better chance of being recognized by future employers. SO stay involved and check this link out!

Stay Connected,

Mandy&Kelly