Shuttle Endeavor being decommissioned in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

In a recent blog post, I mentioned attending a NASA Tweetup – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While in awe of the event’s tours, special speakers, close-up view of the launch and behind the scenes access, the public relations professional in me couldn’t get over the fantastic strategy behind the event.

Imagine if you were told the most popular and well-known segment of your company would be shut down. It’s a preposterous business scenario for most, but with the shuttle program officially closed as of August 2011, it was a dark deadline surely looming over the heads of the NASA communications team.

On January 21, 2009 the first Tweetup launched – and with great success. So successful, that the most recent Mars Curiosity Tweetup was the 31^st of its kind.

While astronauts aren’t currently launching into space at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA has found an innovative way to keep fans engaged and take a viral approach to cultivating new space fans when a less savvy organization could have quickly become lost and forgotten.

The results are astounding. NASA tracked 10,665 tweets originating from the 150 participants of the Juno spacecraft launch Tweetup to find the event yielded 29.9 million potential impressions. By many accounts, today’s Tweetups produce close to double the impressions of the Juno Tweetup.

With each Tweetup, the momentum behind NASA’s social media presence continues to snowball and more and more of the general population become engaged with the latest updates in space exploration. The Twitter handle @NASATweetup boasts 30,062 followers and @NASA ranks in at 1,636,046 followers. It doesn’t stop there, as the majority of NASA Tweetup participants continue to support and promote the space agency long after everyone returns home.

The masterminds over at NASA honed in on the inherent nature of social media – sharing information – and found a fruitful formula to spread messages across millions of Twitter accounts. Congratulations, this is one for the social media textbooks.

Up Close View of Atlas V Rocket

My husband recently turned to me and said, “you didn’t win anything on Twitter this week, now what are we going to do this weekend?” He was referring to my healthy social media contest winning streak that included tickets to many events as well as some rather interesting prizes.

I swam in a tank at the Florida Aquarium and watched the Weeki Wachee Mermaids perform just below me in the water. I have sampled restaurants before they opened and was even part of the Orlando Broadway Twitter Force, earning me season tickets and special access to each performance’s cast party.

The point is that businesses are finding creative ways to engage existing fans and attract new audience on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. An often-successful strategy is to offer what is referred to as a priceless prize – something money just can’t buy.

The social media realm is quickly becoming a crowded place and it’s going to take some pizzazz to stand out from the crowd. Offering a once-in-a-lifetime prize creates a brand ambassador for life, but more importantly, creates exciting buzz for your brand in the process.

In true once-in-a-lifetime fashion, I was selected to participate in probably one of the greatest examples of a “priceless” Twitter campaign. In an effort to attract new fans to space exploration, NASA began holding “Tweetups,” an exclusive event that grants unprecedented access to the Average Joe. Since the first Tweetup at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on January 21, 2009, the Tweetups have become high-demand events with thousands of Twitter fans entering to win, on average, one of 150 invitations issued for each Tweetup.

I was fortunate to experience the 31^st Tweetup, which was a two-day event to celebrate the launch of the Mars Curiosity Rover. NASA stationed the “tweeps” in an air-conditioned tent outfitted with Wi-Fi, power strips and workstations right next to the famous countdown clock. We heard briefings from the brilliant minds that made the mission possible, hung out with astronauts, toured the Vehicle Assemble Building and even got to visit Space Launch Complex 41 for an up close look at the Atlas Five rocket before getting front row seats to the launch.

Bill Nye the Science Guy from the popular children’s television program, as well as Will.i.am, member of the famed musical group, Black Eyed Peas and STEM education proponent, were on hand to speak to the crowd and add even more excitement to the event.

It was a truly amazing experience, but I also had my eyes opened to the fascinating projects NASA works on outside of the shuttle program and will continue to learn as I follow Twitter feeds, YouTube accounts and Facebook pages belonging to NASA.

Are you looking to make your social media debut or wanting to enhance existing efforts? Why not do it with a splash and offer something spectacular to turn heads online.

At the same time, I’ve seen an upturn in issues and crisis management activities.  Clients know that we have to stay ahead of the curve – identify and mitigate risks, prepare for full crisis communications and be proactive in handling issues transparently.  Much time and money is invested in building a respectable brand and it’s foolish to not protect it.

In the past year, I’ve led several media training sessions for clients.  Broken down into three modules, media training takes clients through the basics of understanding how to work effectively with media to intense on-camera interview training and individualized coaching on creating compelling messages and delivering sound bites.

While the media training sessions have focused primarily on traditional media, we are also working closely with organizations to understand the ramifications of social media on crisis communications.  Social media has led to viral transmission of information – many times inaccurate.  Organizations are finding they must place more focus on listening carefully to audiences and responding quickly, getting their stories out before someone else does it for them.

I can’t say we have all the answers – each incident presents its own challenges and the continually shifting media landscape keeps us on our toes.  However, the basics still work and taking a proactive transparent stance usually elicits a nod of respect from our audiences.

Honesty is not always easy – not everyone wants to hear the truth. And, having the courage to be truthful with a potential client can sometimes be a real deal-breaker. Committing to hard work takes time, perseverance and the risk of failure. Taking a leadership role takes courage and adds more responsibility and more hard work. Courage is the most difficult to sustain. Without courage, you won’t face risks, you won’t speak your mind and confront someone with truth. Without courage, you won’t lead. And, without courage, you risk allowing fear to rule.

A little more than 18 months ago, I was informed that Dad has Alzheimer’s. The decline has been sharp and swift. But in the face of this most daunting of challenges, I’ve observed my father to consistently exhibit both courage and humor. In fact, it’s the humor that seems most remarkable. Especially since it’s most often aimed at himself.

I hope to continue sharing the values that shaped my father’s life with my family and through my work with my colleagues and clients. But recent events have led me not only to reorder their importance in my life, but to also add one.
• Courage
• Honesty
• Leadership
• Hard Work
• Humor

The new Timeline format makes me want to be a better Facebook user.

Whaaaat? It’s true. I’m not being sarcastic, I honestly think that Facebook Timeline will change the way we use the social media platform – it sure has for me. Your wall is transformed into a digital scrapbook of your life and each user gets to serve as curator, expanding the timeline by adding milestone events, pictures, and more. But it really goes beyond entering fond memories and events that have already gone by.

Facebookers will change how they post content to enhance their timelines on the go. The much maligned Facebook location based check-ins now seem more attractive to make sure the map that is proudly displayed beneath your name is filled with fun and exciting adventures, same goes for adding a location to any photo that is uploaded to Facebook, and icons in the status update window make it a breeze to add a new life event or milestone.

The Timeline will make profiles even more descriptive than ever, providing more insight into likes, favorite restaurants, travel destinations, you name it. Take a rehearsal dinner for example. To take a better snapshot of all the festivities surrounding a wedding, a bride will be more likely to add the event as a milestone on her Timeline. She’ll check into the restaurant or venue along with its exact location, tag all her friends and add several photos to go along with the milestone. It’s a great way to capture the atmosphere of an event, and a real-life testimonial for how great your rehearsal dinner could be at Venue XYZ.

The question becomes, will marketers quickly jump on this new format and adapt to become a larger part of user’s Timelines?  Facebook has laid the groundwork, modifying the programming functions to allow other verbs than “like” (read, ate, watched), it will be interesting to see who is first to successfully capitalize on this new format.

Engaging indeed. According to the Washington Post, the CDC’s zombie apocalypse blog post garnered 30,000 hits, compared to the standard 3,000 hits other CDC blog posts typically receive. The Twitter handle @CDCemergency currently has 1,314,504 followers and the CDC boasts 162,448 likes on Facebook. Compare those figures to the Department of Homeland Security’s (@DHSgov) 52,050 Twitter followers or the U.S. Department of Labor’s 11,220 Facebook fans.

Using zombies to teach real-life disaster lessons to the public proved so successful that the CDC continues to use the zombie apocalypse theme to reach out to new audiences. Recently, a CDC VIP visited Dragon Con, one of the largest pop culture/science fiction conferences hosted annually in Atlanta. Rear Admiral Ali S. Khan, MD, MPH, who is the assistant surgeon general and director of the CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, participated in a panel discussion to discuss the real science behind popular doomsday plotlines found in comic books and film.

The CDC unlocked an important, albeit peculiar, key to connecting with larger audiences and many are following suit. Visit www.sears.com/zombie and you will be directed to two different sites depending if you are still among the living or not. Even the cosmetic company, Dermablend, strayed away from the typical celebrity spokesperson or supermodel, calling upon Rick Genest (AKA Zombie Boy) to sell its product in an unconventional ad spot.

Lesson learned: don’t be afraid to go for innovative and even off-the-wall concepts to attract the attention of your target audiences. If executed correctly, a zombie apocalypse might be just the trick to instill new lifeblood into your organization.

A solid public relations strategy, bolstered by great execution generally results in media coverage, but there are no guarantees.  Too many variables can get in the way – breaking news on a grand scale has interrupted many client interviews or drawn television coverage away from great community events.

Earned media is valuable.  But, despite the definition referenced in Godin’s blog, it is seldom free.  Earning media coverage in the form of a news story or opinion piece takes time –which is not free.  That’s why strategy is so important.  When you figure the costs of developing a 3,000 word by-lined article or even a 500 word opinion editorial, you want to be sure you’ve spent some time targeting the right audience and refining the message

I went ahead and upgraded to the Timeline format, possibly set to start going live for users on October 19 – though that date currently seems up for debate. I’m not going to lie there was a certain “wow” factor the first time I scrolled through my own timeline. Not so much visually profound as it is nostalgic.

It’s like a trip down memory lane. As you scroll through the years, Facebook pulls out the highlights of time gone by showcasing your memories through popular photos, status updates and wall posts. For me, I saw memories of graduating college, getting married in Italy, and many other milestones, like the day my husband’s Visa was approved and he came home from Europe. Pictures of me anxiously waiting at the airport alongside excited wall posts from family and friends, followed by photos of my husband and I enjoying life in the same country, brought a big grin to my face.  I can’t say I have ever had such a touching experience with any other social media account.

Oh I know, so cheesy! But if you’re an old sap like me, you’ll love the new changes. Here are some of the more “nuts and bolts” of Timeline:

• Cover Photo – a large photo that is much larger than your profile picture and is the first thing someone sees when visiting a Facebook profile. It’s an opportunity to further customize your page.

• Dashboard – stores all your vital stats, friends, photos, map, likes and more all in one place.

• Interactive Map – Arranges all photos that have a location denoted as well as check-ins, life events and other activities.

• Activity log – contains all recent activity and updates. It’s private and allows you to easily change privacy settings for posts.

• Timeline – top stories arranged chronologically with a navigation bar to let you jump from year to year. The Timeline also identifies milestones like “started working at EnSpire Communication” and lets you add a photo to commemorate the occasion.  You can also add in “life events” to enhance your timeline.

I’ll be curious to hear overall reactions to the new changes, but I for one, am excited about Facebook’s new look.

And, while many of us PR pros handle the social media presence for clients on a daily basis, it’s sadly not always apparent in our own personal profiles. I am the first to admit when managing multiple social networks for multiple clients, my own Twitter account often gets neglected. Vicki Flaugher, head blogger for Social Media Zone on Commpro.biz, recently “ranted” on this very same subject.

While I don’t agree that a public relations firm should live and die by its social media presence – let’s not forget it still is just one of many tools in our arsenal. It’s an important reminder to a common problem among communications professionals.

How can a company sell a client on its social media expertise when the Twitter feed hasn’t been touched since 2010? It’s time we all take a close look at our own social media presence and start leading by example. It’s not just a good habit, but a great way to prove your social media prowess with real-time examples.

I’m pleased to say that I joined EnSpire Communication at a time when lots of exciting things are in the works. In addition to getting ready to launch a brand new website, EnSpire’s own social media presence will soon be getting a major facelift. While we’ve done great things to help our client’s social media presence, it’s time our own accounts received a little TLC.

According to the blog post, “Florida federal judge Marcia Morales Howard ruled that these ad restrictions violate lawyers’ First Amendment rights”. Thank you Judge Howard!