Andi Narvaez: Re-learning PR

This is cross-posted on Communi-K: A KGBTexas Blog

Yesterday at retweet frenzy o’clock we heard about the latest news from Facebook. The social network will soon support @mentions within our beloved status updates. Only a few hours later, Mashable’s Ben Parr published a post in which he listed the following five ways the new @mentions on Facebook could impact Twitter.

1. More of the conversation moves to Facebook
2. Users could update Twitter through Facebook instead of vice versa
3. Facebook becomes more attractive to big brands
4. People move to Facebook for breaking events
5. Developers flock back to Facebook

I was watching an episode of The Office where Michael quits Dunder Mifflin and recruits Pam and Ryan to start a new paper company. In this episode, Michael tries to get his former Dunder Mifflin clients to switch over and buy paper from his new company. In an effort to thwart Michael, Dwight tells him, Pam and Ryan to meet him for lunch and then sneaks into their empty office to steal Michael’s rolodex with all his clients’ information.

Pam mentions that she had spent months entering all the contact information into Michael’s Blackberry so that he wouldn’t have to use the rolodex anymore but I’ll save that for another post. Moving on.

Yesterday I caught a guest blog post on TwitTip (some great Twitter 101 gems in this blog by the way) about Twitter backgrounds and why I should change mine. I had intended to update my Twitter background some time ago but I never got around to doing it because I wanted to list some of my other social network accounts; however, due to the nature of social media, I have yet to come up with the ONE list of my social networks. Since Twitter backgrounds are JPG images, I didn’t have to go back to Photoshop every time to update my ever-growing, ever-changing list of social networks. I think I’m not alone in this.

A post on Mashable today, reposting the news about  Birmingham City University’s new social media graduate program got me thinking about the implications of more universities offering courses in new media, social media and all of the above.

I have a great passion for education and, especially when it comes to communications, I believe there is nothing better than when scholars’ work goes hand-in-hand with that of those who pratice the profession in order to improve best practices.