PR Start by Nick Lucido

How to start in the public relations industry.
July 12, 2009

My Shifting Social Media Presence

Posted by : nicklucido
Filed under : Social Media

The other day, a good friend of mine sent me a link to a post by Meg Roberts on how her online presence has changed since she became a professional. This really struck a chord with me, as I transitioned to a full time intern at a public relations agency during the end of May.

Because I work for clients, I don’t think it’s appropriate to sit on Twitter, read blogs and everything else when my work is being billed. Before you yell and shout at me on how it’s important to do all that stuff, know that I get it. I know it’s important to be part of the conversation. I know learning on consuming this information is part of my professional development as a student. I know I need to build relationships and a solid network.

But there are only 24 hours in a day. And eight or more of them don’t really belong to me.

There. I’ve said it. Of course, I haven’t given up on social media for myself. I have had to make some important adjustments. Here are some things I’ve been keeping in mind as my social media presence shifts:

  • I represent clients now, meaning I represent a lot more than my personal brand. If I mention a client in a tweet, I disclose that they have a relationship with the firm I work for.
  • My time is not my own — at least at work. It’s no secret that agencies bill for time spent on projects, so when I sit on Twitter scrolling though hundreds of tweets, I have to question if I’m actually helping the client.
  • Efficiency is key when it comes to aggregating information. Before, I used to subscribe to a whole lot of awfully great blogs and read most of the posts shared by those I follow on Twitter. Now, I’m realizing how important it is to be efficient with what I’m reading or else I’d be sitting on the computer all day. Lately, I go through my Google Reader (cleaned out a lot at the beginning of summer) before work and before bed. I also peruse posts from daily newsletters I receive from PRSA and PRNewser, among others.
  • To be knowledgeable in social media is to use it for personal use, too. Working on the digital team, I find that my personal experience with blogging and social networking to be just as important as my professional experience with it. Sometimes, it’s nice to read hilarious blogs, video chat with friends and share dumb things on Facebook.

If anything, I hope my scarce tweets and blog posts somewhat show that I do have a life offline. I even ride out on my yacht occasionally. OK, no yacht yet.

IMG_0027

Anyway, how do you find balance in social media? Are the lines clear between professional and personal use?

  • Share/Bookmark
Tags : , , , , , ,
  • I have been meaning to reply to this post for days - but being a young professional who struggles with juggling myself, I only get to it now.

    My take on social media in the workplace is not unlike Ari's. I do read a few tweets and occasionnally a blog post while at work, but I keep it to the minimum.

    I figure it's no different that someone taking a coffee or a cigarette break. We're not machines and can't be expected to work straight for eight (or ten... or twelve...) hours! I even found that a few minutes to unwind even boosts my productivity.

    However, my rules are as follows: if a client or colleague is waiting on something, then my tweetdeck disappears. And if I do take a few minutes to read a few tweets, then these minutes will not be billed to a client.
  • Hi Claude, thanks for reading. I think that's a good rule, and you're right -- it's good to use these tools as a break. You obviously have it under control, but I'm thinking of those people who take two-hour "breaks" for social media. Moderation is key.
  • I agree with much of your post, but as you know from a post of mine you read, the workplace environment is changing and it should.

    You say things are different now because you are billing clients for your time. But what difference does it make what time of day or what day you are finishing a project for them, as long as it's done when it needs to be done and done in a quality manner? They know you're not working on their single account all day long, because you have other clients. So why not work on Client A's stuff, then Client B's stuff, then social networking, then a quick personal email, then back to Client A's stuff then on to Client C's stuff?

    Clients A, B and C won't know from your billable hours sheet which hours of which day were devoted to them specifically. All they care about -- or should care about -- is how many hours they are paying for and how much work you accomplished during the time they paid for.

    What it means is maybe you're working at night or on a Saturday, but that's your choice to make the work/life balance a work/life blend. In the end, the result should be the same for the client. I would argue it might even be better because you're more well-rounded, more creative and more productive because you have outlets you can tap into.
  • That's a very interesting perspective, but to me, there are only so many hours in a day. Of course, working full time has really shown me how hard it is to balance everything well (you're one of those people that can do it). Even though it might be surprising, but for me, it's nice to leave the office and actually leave the office. Of course, I go home and I have work to do for other commitments, so I guess I'm learning not to spread myself too thin. I think you're right in that we will continue to see more of this and it will be interesting to see how it affects practitioners. Thanks for providing your insight.
  • Mary Slonske
    Great post, Nick. I agree with you that leveraging social media sites and networking are of value, but the time spent on them should be during personal time.

    I think too many young professionals abuse the use of new media during work hours; however, those that strive to go above and beyond for colleagues and clients will be most valuable employees and better off in the long-run. While emerging trends are exiting to get immersed in, there are some traditional business practices that should continue to be honored.
  • Hi Mary, great to hear from you! Glad you agree. I think where it gets tricky would be justifying it to our clients, and the basic business practices hold true. Thanks for dropping by.
blog comments powered by Disqus

 Subscribe in a reader

About This Blog

My name is Nick Lucido and I am a public relations student at Michigan State University. For the past three years, I have been active in the PR industry with internships and PRSSA. I hope to share what I learn with you.

I also manage the PRSSA Blog and post weekly. Check it out at prssa.org/blog.

Categories

Pages

View Nick Lucido's profile on LinkedIn

PR Open Mic


Visit PROpenMic

My Pages

Archives

Recent Comments

RSSTwitter

Google Reader Shared Items

Shared Items

Meta