If you’ve heard about Pinterest and were wondering what all the fuss is about, this post gives you an introduction to the network and some tips on what to look out for.
1. Familiarise yourself
Pinterest is a social network that was founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp. It works as an online pinboard, where you’re the ‘pinner’ and you manage themed ‘boards’ based on things you find interesting.
You can attach (‘pin’) content from websites to your boards, copy (‘repin’) content from other people’s boards to your own, and comment or ‘like’ information that has been pinned.
When you join the network, some boards and suggested people to follow are created for you automatically. You can edit or delete these suggestions and create new boards to reflect your personal or professional interests. You can also look for people or boards sharing those interests, to see what people are sharing and potentially connect with them. (This is a useful differentiation; you may like the look of someone’s work on a specific topic but not want to follow all of their boards, for example).
Michelle Hallmark writes about her return to a whole new world after some time ‘off’ on maternity leave.
They (as all good journalists now know, I should have a source here, but I don’t know who said it. And nor does google. Answers on a tweet please) say you never forget how to ride a bicycle. I’m not about to test that theory for your comedy value , but I’m hoping that if my brain can forever retain push-power, there’s hope for me having not forgotten how to communicate. Or punctuate. Or calculate*
After nearly a year off (‘off’ probably needing inverted commas as I wasn’t exactly sunning myself on a beach), I return to a work place where Lord Justice Leveson rattles off the tongue, the housing sector actually has a hashtag and tbg has acquired a new company. And with it a hypen and some extra initials. By 2013 I’ll be answering the phone ‘hello, VU-tbg’ but until then, please bear with me. And if there’s any reporters hacking said phone, don’t report me to Nicola or our branding police. Or they’ll be telling me to, well, urm, get on my bike.
This is all a (very) long way of saying, ‘hello’ and ‘I’m back’ for those that noticed my absence. I look forward to working with you all again and getting back in the very-much-metaphorical saddle. Now to find out what I missed and start the catch-up. The media has a theme that 2011 echoes 1981 so perhaps I’ll just have to find some Bucks Fizz tapes and a copy of the 1980 Housing Act and that’s my first return-to-work challenge overcome…
It is with huge excitement that we launch our annual VU-tbg Brand Amnesty – your chance to win two days of design. That’s two full days of design work, completely free of charge to help give your brand a boost for 2012. All you need to do is get in touch via our dedicated Brand Amnesty website. And remember we’re not just talking about logo’s, but any branded materials from brochures to your website, adverts or social media. Submit your entry through the website or drop us an email at marketing@vu-tbg.com.
They say that everyone has 15 minutes of fame in their life. If that’s right then I’ve only got 10 more to go.
I was asked by staff at our client WM Housing Group to be videoed about my thoughts of their organisation. I’ve been assured that my words will be just one of a compilation of many videos, all of which will be shown at WM’s upcoming corporate celebration evening taking place next week. I will be present at the event, and I can assure everyone that will also be there that when I appear on screen I’ll be looking somewhere into the mid distance, or down at the floor, or in fact anywhere but at my own projected image!
The Government is planning the biggest shake up of benefits ever seen under the Welfare Reform Bill, due to come in from April 2013. The bill presents many challenges to housing associations.
Kelly Field, chair of the NHF’s East of England PR group, former head of communications at Cross Keys Homes and new associate consultant at The Bridge Group, offers some tips on how to manage resident communications and make the most of PR opportunities.
It may feel too soon to be thinking about annual reports, but some early planning can really pay off.
The best annual reports put residents in the driving seat – and if you are going to give residents a real say then you can’t take any shortcuts in the production process.
Many organisations start by looking back at what they did last year. It’s a good place to start – and hopefully you will already have a bank of customer feedback to review alongside.
But don’t let your residents be limited by the format you have taken in the past.
Research from a new Shelter survey has revealed that almost one million people have used payday loans to help pay their housing costs – a method which Campbell Rob, Shelter’s chief executive, rightfully identifies as “totally unsustainable”.
Payday lenders charge extortionate interest rates and impose tight timescales for repayment. It’s the original bridging loan on acid – and although legal, these lenders take no prisoners, often expressing the jargon-ridden lending terms in the smallest of the small print.
If ever a month needed some PR support it’s January.
I am not surprised it gets a bad rep. After all, when the build up to Christmas begins in September, we are likely to feel a little deflated.
The media doesn’t help. First it hails January 3 the most depressing day of the year.
The human brain is the most complex entity in the known universe and despite the best endeavours of scientists, there are still many mysteries about the 1.5kg crinkled blob between our ears. I remember first hearing that we use just a tenth of our brains in the 1970s when I was at school. And how amazing, I thought, that there might be a way to unlock that whopping 90% of unused brain capacity. What would not be possible with all of my grey matter in action?
We all know the importance of brands and the race to achieve a strong brand ranking. If we look at the well respected Brandz Top 100 as published by Millward Brown, the measurement is put together through teaming customer value perceptions with company financial information. And from Brandz Top 100 it is clear the tech companies have been charging ahead. Apple takes the number one spot, followed by Google and IBM. Meanwhile global branding company Interbrand’s 2011 ranking report, which grades brands on a mix of financial performance, role of brand and brand strength, gives the top three spots to Coca-Cola, IBM and Microsoft.
