Drew B's take on tech PR

33 Digital is nine months old... and we're moving

It's an exciting day for the 33 Digital team. After launching on 7th May 2009 and spending our first nine months in 33 Dallington Street with Hotwire, we've reached the point where we need more space to grow. We've found a home to call our own and today... we're moving.

 

[our new digs]

Our new headquarters are on Clerkenwell Green in London. We are looking forward to having oodles of open space to expand (our first nine months as an agency have been kind on us - we've grown in every way a company can). All of us will miss the Hotwire team that we have been part of (sob!). And most of us will be looking forward to frequenting the new luxury of having our own coffee bar on-site.

Thank you everyone for your support so far. Look out for our 1 year birthday celebrations which will be coming up in May.

You can follow our move on our Flickr stream and on Twitter.

[pic courtesy of dylans]

Why privacy is not the issue for social media: how all social media is unsafe and why everyone uses it anyway

One of the most common question marks over the future of social media I hear from people is that of privacy. Many people say that it is too much an invasion of privacy to share personal information online.

This week, the privacy topic took a twist with the launch of PleaseRobMe.com, the site that collects information about where people are, and therefore where they are not, all from their social stream, and tells robbers where to rob. 

 

It's a joke website, but the issue at the centre of this is simple. Why would you share private things with the whole world online? About four years ago I asked myself a similar question. I simply chose to take control of privacy settings on social networks and exercise common sense. Then the value of social media far outweighs the perils. But many don't see these controls. They just see danger.

And PR and marketing practitioners know their social networks, and they know their privacy controls. They see beyond the 'rob me' danger signs and see a customer that chooses to use places like Foursquare and Twitter instead of something older. The brand knows that the choice is between engaging or not. The privacy issue is old and irrelevant. 

This isn't just about Foursquare, Google Buzz, Latitude, Gowalla, and such like. To illustrate how common location privacy is across social media, check this link, which is a search of Facebook posts of people 'heading out'. (you won't see my status updates there - I use privacy controls)

 

Some think the privacy issue will kill some social networks. Seriously? Why would 400 million people update their status and share photos on Facebook? Why have 75 million Tweeters told the internet what they're having for lunch. And why, now, are over 300,000 early adopters chosen to stick a pin in the map and say where they are on Foursquare? 

If you work in a company and you have anything to do with PR, marketing or maybe sales, you know your customers have chosen to use PRIVACY-SCARE social media to keep in touch and to read the news. You'll no doubt realise you need to figure our how to engage with your customers through these social networks. 

And that is where this privacy debate, from a PR and marketing perspective, completely falls apart. 2010 is not about whether it's unsafe to use social media. People just do. It's everywhere. The big question should be how will social networks help give consumers control, brands access, and which community will win favour with the tune-out generation next. 

Twitter hires a PR person: Sean Garrett joins as VP Comms

My first line of this post was going to read: "The time has come after four years of operating as a business, Twitter has hired a PR person. I saw the news this morning on the Read Write Web blog." 

Then, I read to the bottom of said post on RWW and it identifies at least three other comms department staffers inside Twitter already. That happened pretty quietly... and based on RWW's feelings they need more and better PR still: 

    "Twitter desperately needs communications help. The company has grown in importance faster than it's been able to keep up with. Garrett's phone will no doubt be ringing off the hook. He'll be working in the Communications Department with Jenna Sampson, who came from Yahoo!, former CNN correspondent Alexa Lee and Emily Pinkerton, among others. You can follow all four on Twitter via this list."

So Twitter's new Vice President of communications is a chap called Sean Garrett, a founder of 463 Communications. His announcement is here on his blog. I've worked agency-side for a number of social media hot-houses so will follow their PR growth with great interest. 

Google Buzz launches: 5 first look tips for PR and marketing practitioners

This evening Google announced its newest social media service, called Google Buzz. 

The much talked about new system takes your Google email, address book and instant messenger and gives them social features such as those found in Twitter. On its blog post announcing the launch of Google Buzz, it is described as "a way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more." 

Reactions from watchers have been varied. Some are saying it will be the Twitter/Facebook/Foursquare/Friendfeed killer. Others say it's Google's play on reorganising the world of email. Some say it will be bridge a gap to Googe Wave. 

I'm thinking some initial thoughts and key issues though for PR and marketing practitioners who may want to have a top line view on what this new launch means and how much time to invest in looking at how it should be treated. Here are five first takes from me whilst I devour the launch 'buzz' and have a play with the service myself: 

1. Google Buzz will integrate very nicely with mobile phones and maps. So this will further impact mobile social networking and online communities on the go. This could affect events PR and marketing quickly
2. It will be easy to use (where many say Twitter isn't). Google Buzz has already been described as something so simple 'your mother' would use it, according to one watcher I'm following
3. Search engines will find content much more easily than with content on Twitter. For brands this is a reputation management issue
4. For PR people, the address book has always been valuable. Whatever your current email address book is, exporting it into Gmail as well will create an instant social network
5. There will be an 'enterprise' version of Google Buzz coming soon. This will change the way internal communications works as well (and might thwn also create the Yammer.com killer)

Four ways to make yourself indispensable: break rules, make change, ship it and impress

There's a write up on the Business Week innovation blog by Helen Walters of Seth Godin's talk today at PSKF, which was part of global Social Media Week. Fascinating stuff and all of which I totally subscribe by, and wish more people would. (oh, by the way, we hosted a talk for the same event in out London office this morning as well...). 

Seth's four ways to make yourself indispensable (also read as how to be good at work). 

1. Make your rules

2. Make change that matters

3. Get stuff done quick and move on (aka 'ship it')

4. Everything is an opportunity to do best and impress, not to just to complete get by

The long version of this four is on the Business Week blog. A must read.