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Domino’s Fights Back, Web 2.0-Style

Using the same social media tools that harmed them earlier this week (regarding the “Disgusting Domino’s People” YouTube video), Domino’s is fighting to earn back the public’s trust via YouTube and Twitter.

Here’s a video from Patrick Doyle, President, Domino’s U.S.A., responding to “video of (now former) Domino’s team members.” The original “disgusting video” is no longer available on YouTube due to a copyright claim from Kristy Hammonds Thompson. The offending and offensive former employees have been arrested and are facing charges.

UPDATE (April 16, 10:20 a.m.) Though Doyle’s apology sounds sincere and I believe it is sincere, I do have to wonder what he was looking at during the filming of the video. A TelePrompTer, perhaps? Eye contact with his audience, like David Neelman’s in his Jet Blue apology video from two years ago, goes a long way to help us relate better. (Thanks to Scott Monty for suggesting a comparison of the two video apologies.)

And earlier in the day yesterday, I discovered this tweet from @dpzinfo, the official Domino’s corporate Twitter account:

dominostweet

Now, if only Domino’s can regain the Twitter accounts of @dominos and @dominospizza; both of those accounts have apparently been twittersquatted.

DISCLOSURE: I worked at a Domino’s franchise in Auburn, AL, while I was in college.

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Can Twitter Be Intimidating?

It’s always wonderful hearing from former students . . . and today I got a note from Fran Faulkner, who was in Corporate PR class with me last semester at Georgia Southern University:

 

I just wanted to let you know that I just started an internship with the Kannapolis Intimidators, a minor league baseball team in North Carolina. When we had our orientation meeting one of the things they mentioned was that they wanted to start using social networking sites more. They already have Facebook and MySpace and wanted to incorporate Twitter. Thanks to you and your corporate PR class I was the only one who had ever even heard or let alone used Twitter before. Even our supervisor knew nothing about how to use it. So, thank you for introducing me to that!

With that being said I was wondering if you had any tips for me on how to maximize the effectiveness of Twitter while using it not as an individual but as a representative of an organization. I know we looked at and talked about several organizations who are currently using but was just if you, as a person who seems to be a Twitter expert, had any advice for me.

So . . . if you’re currently working in sports PR, what advice would you have to share with Fran?

barbara_is_listening

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One Week of Twitter :: PRCA 2330 Spring 2009

Our One Week of Twitter assignment begins on Thursday, January 22, and will end at midnight on January 29. Your blog post about this experience is due before class on February 2.

Setting Up Your Twitter Account

  1. Go to Twitter. Click Get Started, and sign up. I prefer it if you use some version of your first and last name as your Twitter ID. (Avoid putting numbers in your Twitter ID, or you may appear like a spammer.)
  2. Upload a photo or avatar.
  3. Write a brief (140-character or fewer) bio. It’s good to mention that you’re a PR student.
  4. Send a tweet saying “I’m a student in @barbaranixon’s #PRCA2330 class” or something similar. Be sure to include the #PRCA2330 indicator.

Setting Up Your Following  List

  1. Visit the Twitter search page for #PRCA2330. Most of the people you see in this search will be your classmates.
  2. Click on the name of your classmate.
  3. When the Twitter page loads, click the Follow button.
  4. Repeat this process for at least 30 people in the class (preferably everyone!)
  5. Also, follow at least five of the following: Brett Pohlman, Leo Bottary, Ike Pigott, Neville Hobson, Jennifer Ryan, Chris Brogan, Geoff Livingston, Todd Defren, Christopher S. Penn, Jeremy Pepper, Jeremiah Owyang, Scott Monty (Ford),  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh , Jet Blue, ComCast Cares, CNN’s Rick Sanchez, Georgia Southern University . . . or others in the field of PR or communication of your choosing. (NOTE: It’s possible that some of these people may not follow you back. That’s fine. You will learn from them anyway.)
  6. You can have your Twitter tweets automatically update your Facebook status, if you want. (This is not required.)

Using Twitter

  1. Over the course of the next week, send at least twenty tweets (Twitter messages of 140 characters or less). Your tweets could concern something you’re doing or perhaps point others to something interesting or funny you read online. Maybe you could even pose a question that you’d like others to answer.
  2. Also, respond to at least two of your classmates’ tweets. To respond, click on the arrow after a tweet. Or you can type the @ symbol followed immediately by a username (such as @barbaranixon).

Additional Information

  1. Review my tips on how college students can use Twitter to their advantage. 
  2. Review Prof. Sam Bradley’s College Student’s Guide: Twitter 101.
  3. After the week is over, add a 250-word (minimum) post to your blog about the experience and what you got out of it. Be sure to include at least one way you might find value in continuing your account in Twitter. This blog post is due before class on February 2.
  4. There’s no requirement to maintain your Twitter account after this experiment is done; it will not affect your grade if you discontinue it. However, you might want to keep trying it for a while longer. I found it took me about a week to feel comfortable with it and really begin to learn its value.

Questions? Just send me a DM (direct message) or an @ (reply) in Twitter!

NOTE: Many thanks to Kaye Sweetser and Karen Russell for their ideas prompting this assignment.

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A Unicorn in a Balloon Factory

If you recognized the title of this blog post, you must have already read Seth Godin’s newest book Tribes. And if not, what are you waiting for?

Seth has provided a free PDF Tribes Q&A book. As he says at his blog:

The Tribes Q&A ebook is here and it’s free

Dozens of volunteers, working together, put together this ebook:

Download TribesQA.pdf

Yours to share or print or email, but please don’t sell it or change it.

Not only is there a juicy insight on every page, but I’m comfortable saying it’s the best designed PDF I’ve ever seen, worth making into a template for your next project.

Enjoy it.

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One Week of Twitter :: Revisited

In September, my Corporate PR students at Georgia Southern University were given the One Week of Twitter Assignment. Most of the students started their adventures with Twitter a similar feeling. They typically had two types of confusion: confusion about how Twitter works and confusion about why there is any value in Twitter. One student even commented in class and in her blog, “At first I didn’t like it…I thought oh great another stalking tool.”

What did they get out of the assignment? Here are a few of their comments:

When I was first given the assignment I wasn’t quite sure what I had gotten myself into. However, I’m really glad that my Corporate PR professor had given us an opportunity to explore this GREAT social network. Twitter has taught me an entire new way to be connected to people. Reina Heard

I would definitely recommend becoming involved in Twitter; it is an experience that can help you gain contacts in the field that you are interested in as well as making an online reputation that will help you in the future. Megan Piper

My personal advice for anyone who hasn’t yet gotten into Twitter would be to join up, secure your username and play around with it for a while. Michael Tarver [NOTE: Take the time to click through and read Michael’s whole post, where he describes his impressions of Twitter’s possibilities, limitations and usefulness.]

Last week I was working on an important presentation and was having difficulty coming up with ideas to get the audience involved… so I turned to Twitter. I asked a direct question relating to audience involvement and within two hours I had four replies. I used the tips and my presentation was a success! Heather Atha

I have already made contacts through the site and Twitter is officially a part of my everyday life. I would recommend this site to anyone who is interested in networking and expanding their social horizons. Becoming an active tweeter has made me more interested in using other social media sites, and I am more involved online all together because of this experience. Kelli Martin

I used Twitter and my comment showed up on Current.com [during a presidential debate]! That’s exciting. William Foster

Using Twitter on my mobile allowed me to see immediate reaction of others on these topics. I found this especially fascinating; because as I viewed an event unfold I could watch others response to the event. This allowed to somewhat observe the cognitive faculties that are employed in one’s opinion formation process. Donovan Sharkey

Of course, not all the students found Twitter to be something they’d like to continue even after the assignment was over. Here’s one final comment that is similar to several criticisms that I read in their blogs:

I personally did not like Twitter because I have a hard enough time finding time to check my e-mail or my school account. I think Twitter is a wonderful networking site for the professional world but not for me at this point in my life. Lauren Jackson

Will I continue to use One Week of Twitter as an assignment in my public relations classes? Definitely. And do I recommend that my students continue to use Twitter? Definitely. [Students: See Twitter for College Students: 7 Tips Plus a Bonus.]

Questions about how I used this assignment?

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Jumpstart on Spring Classes: Textbooks

If you’re looking to get a jumpstart on my classes at Georgia Southern University this spring, here are the books that I will be using. I’ve linked to many of them at Amazon.com, but of course you can purchase them from anywhere you like. I recommend you try the Facebook Marketplace first, so you can get a good deal AND help a fellow student.

For All of My Classes

A USB drive, at least 1G

Intro to Public Relations (PRCA 2330)

Wilcox, D.L., & Cameron, G.T. (2009). Public relations: Strategies and tactics (9th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Recommended but not required: Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston, MA: Forrester Research, Inc.

Public Relations Publications (PRCA 3339)

Morton, L. P. (2006). Strategic publications: Designing for target publics. Greenwood, AR: Best Books Plus.

Recommended but not required: Botello, C., & Reding, E. E. (2007). Design collection revealed: Adobe InDesign CS3, Photoshop CS3 & Illustrator CS3. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

 

Photo Credit: bookshelf, originally uploaded to Flickr by chotda

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The Groundswell Inside

Here’s an activity we’ll be doing in my Corporate PR class this week. Our focus this week is Chapter 11 (The Groundswell Inside Your Company) of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.

Directions: Think about an organization you’re currently a member of. It could be a campus group or even your current employer. How does or can your organization use the groundswell inside, with its employees or members?

Using The Groundswell Inside form, on your own, fill out your name, the organization, and the current state. Then in groups, brainstorm for future ways the organization could use the groundswell inside for each organization in the group. 

Case Study on Avenue A Razorfish (to help students start their brainstorming)