Jobsinsocialmedia.com (and an interview)

It’s been a while.

Well, to get back in the mix, here’s a quick lil’ update: Grad school @ Hopkins almost done, got a job as a digital strategist and moving to the Waterfront DC. The latter is probably the most exciting 🙂

If y’all are interested, though, Jim Durbin over at Jobsinsocialmedia.com interviewed me (I got my job via a posting on his site):

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Chris Rottler applied to a position he found on the JobsinSocialMedia job board, and he’s now a digital strategist at a PR Firm. So one, if you’re a company looking to hire, it’s the {ahem} blue box to your right, and two, if you’re a candidate, hopefully these answers shed some light on what companies are doing. Congratulations, Chris.

1. You were hired from an ad here on JSM. What was the process to apply? resume submission, call, some other form of contact?

I e-mailed my resume and cover letter. They eventually contacted me for a phone interview, then I had to in-person interviews at the office.

2. Did the company have a clear idea what they were looking for, or did that role evolve over the course of the hiring process?

They had a pretty clear idea what they wanted/needed.

3. I tell candidates they are hired for their background, not their social media chops. Was that true for you? Did your background lead the way, or were they most interested in the results of your social media campaigns?

Mostly my background, but during the in-person interviews I was able to describe my social media experience. It’s a health communications firm and I had written for a couple of daily global health pubs at my previous job.

4. Did anyone hold the position before, or was it just created? And in what division do you reside? Marketing/IT/Corporate Communications/Other?

It’s a new position. I’m under the public affairs umbrella of the company.

5. Did they have a salary in mind when they approached you, or did you negotiate it as the position became clear?

They had a salary in mind.

6. Are there any current social media guidelines in place for the company?

We’re creating them right now 😉

7. Were there any competitors for your job? What strengths did you bring to the table that the company really liked?

I’m not sure how much competition there was. I think they company really liked my writing experience, as well as my knowledge of social media (tools, trends, etc.)

8. Did you have metrics of your success in place prior to your hiring, or will you write them after you get comfortable?

The latter 🙂

9. Care to pitch anything about the company?

This is my first week, so far so good 😉
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Wow, I excessively use emoticons.

Web 2.0 – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tweeting at the G8 summit

This lil’ blurb in the Washington Post is all about Gordon Brown and his staff using Web 2.0 technology at the G8 summit.  The power of Web 2.0 tech. is pretty obvious, but this article shows how these new tools are letting regular people experience and be apart of something that they would never had had the opportunity otherwise.

Here’s his Blog/Twitter/Flixr

Viral Marketing – “Ball Girl”

A few newspapers have published stories about this viral marketing campaign, which was supposed to be scrapped. Apparently, Gatorade (or Pepsi) dropped the company who made the ad because they were dissatisfied with the work, but the ad was leaked online and became a big hit.

The ad was suppose to be aired on T.V., so I wonder if it would have had the same impact as it has had online if it were merely a television ad. I wonder if being online drives more interest to an ad. The thing is, when it’s online, people don’t necessarily know it’s a fake campaign. So perhaps that fact increases interest – the possibility that it might be a real video.

Here is a recent story from the Chicago Tribune. 

Viral Marketing

A new category: Viral Marketing

This series will feature, critique and solicit comments on various viral marketing campaigns I come across. Lately, I’ve become more and more intrigued about how companies and organizations use the technique and the metrics used to determine the campaigns’ successes and failures.

VS.

The first two campaign in this series are BMW’s “The Ramp” and Paltalk’s (video chat community) campaign that allows people to integrate a name into a video.

The latter is pretty creative and apparently a big hit. I personally sent it to about a dozen of my friends. BMW’s “Mockumentary” is unique, but it’s 30 minutes. The Wall Street Journal wrote a pretty good story about BMW’s campaign, as well as the risks involved when launching a campaign that essentially misleads target audiences.

As a viral marketing campaign, I think Paltalk’s is more effective because it integrates people into the process. Although I don’t necessarily think that that component will make or break a campaign, it doesn’t hurt to have people involved to increase interest and prompt the campaign’s distribution, which is the ultimate goal of such a campaign.

If you want to send out Paltalk’s campaign and trick your friends, you can either watch the link above — the form will appear at the end — or just click here 🙂

Social-networking (a shameless promotion)

After reading a post from one of my favorite blogs, Web Strategy by Jeremiah, I decided to create a couple of social-networking sites.

I started DCLeagues and CyclistsUSA so feel free to become a member or forward the URL to anyone you might know that either lives in Washington, D.C., or likes to bike.

They’re both under construction, but I’m going to start blogging about the trials and tribulations of starting such networks. It should be an interested journey and a great learning experience! If you have or are thinking of creating a social-network, feel free to comment or impart some advice/wisdom.