As I said a few weeks ago, I wanted to start a completely new blog. Make it social media + music related and completely awesome. Well… so far so good. The url is www.rebeccacorliss.com.

Super easy subscriber link.

This is where I shamelessly ask all my lovely, lovely subscribers to sign up for my new blog. It has a much prettier design and will be 5 billion times better than this blog ever was, I promise.

And if you don’t feel like subscribing, at least go check it out. I’d really like your feedback to make sure it’s useful, fun and successful.

Thank you, everyone!

I thought I’d share this silly exchange between @skalik, @JamesConnors, @LaurieShuls and myself.

Plenty of people consider Twitter quite the nerdy medium, and I tend to disagree. Obviously only the coolest will engage in constant communication, sharing information freely at will. We are social! And social = awesome.

Are we nerdy? Hardly.

…It’s only coincidence that we also use Twitter to talk about our allergy problems and various remedies like nasal spray. Really. Coincidence.

Enjoy!

My social media PR class (and college as I know it) is almost over! One of my class’ final projects was a team podcast, and I thought I’d share my group’s work. It’s a pretty goofy and simple video on how to become a social media celebrity. It’s fun.

Also, here’s an example done by my classmate Pamela and her group. It’s a smart commentary on the Social Media Release, and I’m really impressed by the obvious thoughtfulness that went into their piece. Also, I thought including it might balance out the blatent sillyness of my group’s podcast. I think you’ll enjoy both.

My group’s project: “Social Media Celebrity 101″
(Try not to laugh at me too much. I’m a singer, not an actress.)

Pamela’s group’s project: “Advantages of the Social Media Release“

Many people don’t know that I started college as a music major. It’s true. I wanted to to be either a movie score composer or a super star. One year and a giant reality check later, I decided to pursue PR. Best decision ever.

After I retired music from a professional ambition to a hobby, (a cappella singing keeps me sane!) I’ve wondered how I’d be able to keep my passion an active part of my life. Is there a way to combine my professional ambitions with my love for the arts?

Which brings me to this: I’m thinking about starting a new blog that would be fusion of music and social media topics. As a musician and art lover, I feel like there would be plenty to write about, from music videos going viral, MySpace Music, American Idol-like competitions on YouTube, etc.

My question is, would people enjoy that? I really would like to find a space where I’d have plenty to contribute.

Thoughts? What social media/music sites do you already read? What would you like to see on a blog like this?

I’ve been a heavy duty advocate for anything social media for a few months now. But sadly, many of my friends just don’t get it.

They really misunderstand my blogging. And of all people, you’d think today’s young adult generation would appreciate the blogworld. Unfortunately, many college students and soon-to-be grads still compare blogging to that Xanga or LiveJournal they had as a freshman in high school.

It’s too bad. Blogs aren’t just for nerds or the Xanga-egocentric anymore. Blogs are about interesting THINGS.

But I’m not giving up hope. Thankfully, some young people — even those detached from the techie world — are starting to catch on. They’re understanding blogging can be useful. Perhaps fun!

Case in point: My dear friend Alessandra. She is one of the smartest girls I know: an academic to the tenth degree. She’s in a dual degree program here at BU, studying International Relations and Broadcast Journalism. Indeed, she is a nerd. But you wouldn’t really think of her as a blogger nerd.

Allie, after hearing all about my SM love, decided to join me in the blogosphere by authoring her own blog, A 20-something Spin on Global Affairs. She is THRILLED and says it’s a perfect outlet to express her frustration for foreign policy, troubling current events or even give her take on how to improve some problems going on overseas. It’s a smart site, and I’m really proud of her. Through her blog, she can share her great ideas with the world.

Long story short? Smart people who have good ideas shouldn’t keep them to themselves. ESPECIALLY young people. So enlighten us! What you got?

This post is a follow up from the social media seminar I gave this past Wednesday to a friendly group of national speakers. To those who listened (or anyone else, for that matter) feel free to use this as a resource for your future SM endeavors. Good luck!

And the recap begins….
The key to your successful social media campaign is useful, valuable information and content. I know. Your product is your knowledge. But think! By showing a sampling of what you have to offer through your own blog and online interactions, you could develop a following of people who might hire you in the future. If they need a speaker, they will likely choose someone who has helped them once before.

Remember the David Meerman Scott example?

What is a blog?
A blog (Web log) is an online journal that is constantly updated with new information, or posts.

Where can I sign up for a blog?
WordPress, Blogger and TypePad are a few good ones.

Why is a blogging a good idea?
1) You release more content by blogging = bigger web presence.
2) You give your industry’s online community a reason to visit you often.
3) Blogs are interactive. People can comment and ask you questions.
4) As your blog gains popularity, you could become an industry leader via the Web.
5) People get a sense of your voice, which is especially relevant to speakers. Your business, in essence, is your voice.

What do I write about?
Write about what you feel. What new discoveries have you made about your industry? What helpful information can you give others? What projects are you working on? How does your industry relate to things going on in the news?

If you reference something you read online (blog post, online news article, etc.) make sure to include a direct link to where you read that information.

How can people subscribe to my blog?
Use a service like FeedBurner to create an RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication.” Sign up, enter your blog’s name to burn the feed, click the “Publicize” tab and follow the steps. It will give you an html code to put into a widget for your blog’s sidebar. There are tools to make an email feed as well.

Why is blog monitoring important?
It is just as important to monitor what people are saying about your industry online as well as offline, i.e. magazines, newspapers, television shows, etc. People could be talking about you online and you wouldn’t even know! Or maybe there’s a trend going on that you haven’t heard of yet.

As you start getting to know your industry’s blogs, start commenting on the blogs you read. Share your perspective. When commenting, remember to put your blog’s address in the URL spot. This way people who read your comment can go back and visit your blog if they want.

How do I find blogs that matter to me?
Use Google Blog Search or Technorati. Check out other bloggers’ blogrolls.

Where can I collect the blogs I read all in one place?
iGoogle. MyYahoo. Bloglines.

What is Technorati?
Technorati is an index and search engine for blogs. It does three major things:

1) Provides a search engine to find blogs or blog posts about a certain topic.
2) Gives users the opportunity to “favorite” blogs.
3) Provides a ranking system for blog popularity, called “authority.”

What can Technorati do for my blog?
Create an account and submit your blog so people can find it in Technorati searches. Also, add a Technorati icon to your blog so viewers can add you to their “Technorati favorites.” (A link to your blog will go on that person’s Technorati profile, saying they like your blog.)

How do I get Technorati “authority?”
As other people include inbound links to your blog on their own blogs or Web sites, your “authority” numerically increases. This is good, because it means bloggers are using you as a resource and people can access your blog directly from other locations.

What is Facebook?
Facebook is a social networking site that organizes member’s profiles, social connections and interests. Through Facebook you can have your own profile. Talk about your hobbies, where you went to school, where you’re from and include some contact information.

How can Facebook help me?
Think “network compiling/organizing service.” Friend people that you meet on the road and they can friend you. Now you always have a way to get in touch with them, send them a quick message or follow up with what they’re doing.

1) Check out your friends’ friends lists. Should you introduce yourself?
2) Join Facebook groups to meet others in your industry or those who might be interested in your services.
3) Use the events option to invite your friends to your speaking gigs.

What other social networking sites can I join?
LinkedIn, MySpace, Squidoo and many, many more.

Remember, this is only a very, very brief introduction. Always, the best way to love and live social media is to read all about it.

Here are a few great resources to help you even more:
Common Craft’s RSS In Plain English

Problogger’s Search Engine Optimization for Blogs

Harvard Bussiness’ Why Your Company Needs to Be on Facebook

Todd Defren’s PR-Squared’s Social Media Tactics Series: Making an Entrance in Social Media

Shel Holtz’s Participatory communication: It’s time to break the broadcast habit

A very cool thing happened to me that furthers my belief that SM is the future of media relations, and to ignore this phenomenon would be a horrible mistake! So… why do I say this now?

Last night I was on Twitter and I noticed two of my friends having a conversation about the season premier of the wonderfully vapid show, “The Hills.” I piped in and said this:

repcor: @pamelump and @amandagravel the hills is my guilty pleasure. I’ve been looking forward to this day for weeks.

A simple tweet, right?

Well! Immediately after, I got an e-mail from New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter, who said he was using Twitter Map to contact fans of “The Hills” for a blog post about the season 3 premier.

I responded right away (of course, after I had finished watching the show) and told him what I thought of it.

Here’s the result: You Decode: The Highlights of The Hills (New York Times Blog “TV Decorder”)

I’m the second quote from the top! (My friend Amanda Gravel has a comment two below me.)

The media is getting smarter, and I think Stelter’s idea was incredibly creative. He gave “normal people” the chance to offer their two cents while featuring a specific SM tool. Perhaps this was a collaboration with NYT and Twitter?

Either way, I think it’s fantastic and I am proud to have been a part of it!

Early February, my group Chordially Yours competed in the ICCAs (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella). One of my very close friends recorded our performance for us, and our videos are finally uploaded. Take a look. It was quite the exciting night.

No. This has nothing to do with social media. This is just something that makes me feel proud.

I am giving my first seminar via phone conference next Wednesday, March 26 on how to use social media to promote a professional speaking business. One of my clients asked if I would share some insight with her national speakers group, and I agreed. I’m excited and happy to help.

My 30 minute presentation will be a basic introduction to SM. I plan to cover…

• How to use a blog to promote services and build awareness.
• What is Facebook and how to sign up; how social networking sites can help your business.
• What are Digg and Technorati, and how to use these sites to increase your business’ web presence and follow what people are saying about your industry.

I plan to recap here after my seminar, so attendees can continue to use me as a resource.

More updates soon!
-Rebecca

I want to thank all of the fantastic BU alums who hosted my PR group on our tour. I had a wonderful time and I learned a lot.

And now… a story for your entertainment purposes:
“A very unfortunate moment in NYC.”

The weekend before my PR agency tour, I visited one of my best friends on Long Island. Early, early Monday morning, I took a train up to Penn Station and met up with two other PR girls so we could go to our hotel, drop off our bags and start the exciting week. Both girls, each staying for three days only, had packed pretty light. However, I had packed for eight days and I was quite anxious to get rid of my 45 pound bag.

Knowing that we would have minimal time to get to the hotel and our first PR agency stop, all three of us already were dressed in our fancy diggs, including nice suit pants, heels, etc. Unfortunately, the trek to the hotel included three train connections, requiring us to go up and down approximately 40 billion flights of stairs in not-so-walkable shoes.

As I was walking down the final staircase, I noticed that my friends had gone ahead and gotten on a train that was now waiting on the platform. Trying to pick up the pace, I picked up my bag with two hands and started hustling down the stairs.

With four steps left, I tripped on my pantleg and crashed down each of the remaining stairs, finally collapsing onto the cement ground…. with a train-full of people as my audience. Terrified of being separated from my friends, I picked up my bag as quickly as I could, chanting “I’m a champ. I’m a champ,” to myself as I hobbled onto the train.

A half hour later, after dropping off our stuff, we got to the first stop of our tour. We met up with the rest of our group and my friends joked about my accident. Everyone got a good laugh.

Then my professor said, “Well, Rebecca. I guess you really fell for New York.”

Badum cha.

Anyhow. My week was fantastic. I’m taking my unfortunate fall as good luck. Karma always balances things out.

Here was our tour schedule:

Monday: Ketchum and Burson-Marsteller

Tuesday: G.S. Schwartz, Cohn & Wolfe and MTV
(followed by a BU networking night)

Wednesday: Showtime and Marina Maher

Good times.
-Rebecca