Women in Social Media

Women make up the largest social media user group on many prominent social media sites. According to Mashable, women outnumber men on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, MySpace and Bebo. If you’re interested in finding out more about women and their usage of social media,  I strongly suggest you check out this video by Porter Novelli.

I try to participate in Follow Friday (#FF) on Twitter as often as I can. When I do, I make sure to share one person who inspires me and who I know will inspire my followers as well.

Last week I Tweeted the following :

dominiquejoli Feb 11, 2:31pm via HootSuite

                  Today's #FF is @casiestewart simply because her blog ROCKS!

Then I started thinking about all the other savvy women who have impacted social media. In fact, I can easily name a dozen. I decided to keep it short and sweet and share with you the three women that I turn to when I’m looking for credible information on everything social media.

Amber Mac

Social media bragging rights:  Amber is an author, columnist, blogger and technology host on all things new media.

Why you’ll love her: She’s ahead of the game. Amber can spot social media and tech trends from a mile away.

Sarah Evans

Social media bragging rights: This self proclaimed “social media addict” is the founder of her own PR and new media firm called Seven Strategy. She also moderates #journchat on Twitter and runs a blog.
Why you’ll love her: Sarah offers valuable tips and advice on various topics in PR and social media. It’s no wonder why she’s been recently popping up everywhere as a social media expert.

Julia Roy

Social media bragging rights: Julia blogged for the fund-raising campaign "Making Change for Katrina". Roy also blogs at Juliaroy.com and hosts her own web video series “Tweet Week”.

Why you’ll love her: An expert in her field, Julia encourages others to participate in online conversations and has a loyal fan base.

                                                                                                             

Who inspires you to get involved in social media? What’s the best social media advice that you’ve ever been given?

The Power of Community

Last week I braved the snowstorm that hit the Capital and headed out to a presentation about crisis communication in the age of social media. As expected the speakers, Keelan Green and Sean Howard, presented us with many interesting case studies.

My favourite example demonstrates the power of online communities. The Motrin Moms example confirms that there has been a social shift due to social media. With this shift, organizations no longer shape opinions and interests. Instead people go online to connect around things they like, want, believe in or dislike.

According to Ad Age “mommy bloggers” are one of the most sought after communities in the blogosphere. So when a company like Motrin put out a national ad that refers to babies as accessories mommy bloggers took their opinions online. Eventually, the controversial ad was pulled and Motrin replaced their homepage with a message addressing the ad.

However, had Motrin known to monitor what “mommy bloggers” were saying about the ad they could have had an immediate indication that there was a problem. They could have also actively engaged with key bloggers like Jessica Gottlieb before the issue escalated into a bigger story that was soon picked up by traditional outlets.

What are some of your favourite crisis communication case studies?

Dear Selection Committee

All necessary documents have been signed, sealed and delivered by express mail. Over the weekend I applied to graduate school. The most difficult part of the entire application process was writing my statement of intent. During the last two years of my undergrad, I knew that I wanted to pursue a Masters degree. I first began to write my letter of intent last year. “Why do I want this?” I kept asking myself. There were so many reasons but I had a difficult time neatly packaging my short and long-term goals on paper. Before I knew it, the deadline had come and gone and I still wasn’t satisfied with my letter. I soon realized that my hesitation was caused by a lack of experience in my field. I knew that I couldn’t make such a decision based on internships alone.

A year later, the words that I once could not express quickly flowed onto paper without a moment of hesitation. I wrote about how my passion for the field of communications has no barrier. How it spills out of my work life and into my personal life. I also wrote about how my life is enriched from continuous learning. I wrote about my experience and how it has shaped me into the young professional that I am today. Finally, I touched on my enthusiasm for sharing my knowledge with my future classmates and learning from their experience in return.

Having had the time to reflect on the application process, I would now like to share with you what I have learned:

Research schools: The first step is to decide what schools you’re going to apply to. Sounds easy right? No so much. Here are a few things to ask yourself when selecting schools: Do you want to do your courses by distance or in person? Are the professors well recognized in the field? Do you want your program to be course based or research oriented? How long is the program? Does it offer a flexible part-time option if you expect to work full-time during your studies?

Start early: Gathering all required documents, getting references and writing your letter of intent take a lot of time and dedication. Give yourself enough time to edit your essay several times. This way you can avoid panic on the day you send out your application. I also sent my applications by express mail to make sure that they made it to the schools in time.

Be yourself: The selection committee will assess your grades, your CV and your references. Your personality is what will enable you to stand out from other applicants that are similar to you on paper. Your letter of intent or application essay is your chance to tell the selection committee your story.

Volunteer and intern: The selection committee is looking for people who will be able to participate in class discussions and provide concrete examples. This is one of the reasons why they are looking for candidates with work experience. Due to the competitive workforce, some people choose to pursue graduate studies directly or soon after completing their undergrad. Internships and volunteer work will help prove that you are ready.

Now I am going through the second most difficult part of the application process: waiting for a decision to be made. Not always easy for an impatient person like myself. 

Have you been through graduate school? Are currently a graduate student? Are you applying to a graduate program? I would love if you shared your story!