Sunday, September 28, 2008

Atlanta Area Gas Shortage and Social Media

We are starting to see the real power of social media. As the gas shortage in the Atlanta area continues, traditional news media are unable to keep up with where you can actually find gas. Sites that tracked prices are no match to the speed of fuel showing up at stations and then running out. Some gas station managers have been quoted saying their supplies are lasting no longer than 7 hours. So, where does social media step in? Check out Twitter where Atlanta drivers are informing each other of gas stations that have fuel. A special hash tag #ATLGAS has been created so that drivers can track the conversation, post questions based on location, and, most importantly, see where gas is available.

The power of social media and the crowd is amazing and was even more exciting during the Obama vs. McCain debate. Twitter has a live feed Election 2008 page that is both fun to participate in and fun to watch.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

University of Georgia CONNECT 2008 Conference

I presented today at the University of Georgia CONNECT 2008 conference. Presentation went very well and the questions from the students, professors and professional attendees was outstanding. I also enjoyed listening to the other speakers, particularly Lionel Menchaca of Dell, Kami Huyse of My PR Pro, Prof. Kaye Sweetser and Doug Isenberg. I also wanted to especially thank Prof. Karen Russell for having me present. Great day and hope to attend and participate next year.

CONNECT 2008 Blog

CONNECT 2008 Website

Monday, September 8, 2008

BusinessWeek Article on Corporations use of Twitter

It has been a while since I posted anything, but today I am posting two articles that I was interviewed for. The most recent is in BusinessWeek today: How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands written by Rachael King. I was quoted as follows:

But social media sensations are like quicksilver. Today companies may need to pay attention to Twitter. Tomorrow, they may have to join Pownce, Jaiku, FriendFeed, or Plurk, especially if outages keep hobbling Twitter. Newell Rubbermaid (NWL), owner of more than 30 brands including Rubbermaid, Graco, and Sharpie, is hedging its bets by trying several different microblogging sites, including Twitter, FriendFeed, and Pownce. "Eventually we'll determine which ones work," says Bert DuMars, Newell Rubbermaid's vice-president for e-business and interactive marketing. Dumars cautions that brands can't expect instant results. "It's a long-term commitment," he says.

Jim Deitzel's efforts on behalf of Rubbermaid were also mentioned as part of the slide show portion of the BusinessWeek article.

The second article was in the Atlanta Constitution Journal where I was interviewed but not quoted. A co-worker and good friend, Lindsay Lebresco, was quoted and deserves the credit for the article coming out so well. The article is titled: Look Where Customers Are Talking Now written by Peralte C. Paul.

And yes, Lindsay, Jim and I all work for Newell Rubbermaid. I work in Corporate and Lindsay works in our Graco brand and runs the Graco blog; Jim works in our Rubbermaid brand and runs the Rubbermaid blog.