we are the media passion squared blog nina kovner

We Are The Media

October 6, 2017Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it.” Abraham Lincoln (lol!)

Long before the election, fake news existed. Long before the internet, fake news existed. Long before social media, fake news existed.

Propaganda- One of the only things I remember from history class

One of the few things I remember from my early schooling was a term called propaganda. It is defined as information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Do you remember The War of The Worlds? If not, Google it. There is also something called “satire”, like The Onion, while not fake news, for those who do not understand it, it too can become a type of fake news.

Fake news is not news we do not like or agree with, it is actually FAKE, it’s fiction, it’s propaganda, it is simply untrue.

Remember The Infamous Facebook Hoax?

I continue to see many get angry with the media. Blame the media. Finger point at the media. Loves, WE ARE THE MEDIA now. With that, comes great responsibility. And sadly, this is no longer about that lame “Facebook disclaimer” hoax, god, I wish it was as simple as it was back then. But it’s not.

The Responsibility of Research

Doing your research takes but a moment. A moment of Googling, cross checking, and most important, thinking. Thinking of the implications and impact of your voice. Thinking of your sources. Thinking of the bias of those sources. Thinking of the credibility of those sources. Just fucking thinking.

Here are a few steps I take before hitting the share button;
1. Check Twitter for insight on “all sides” and sources
2. Check major publications (Crazy as it sounds, TMZ has proven to be a very reliable source for celebrity news)
3. Google it and again, check the sources behind the story
4. Snopes (I know Snopes is known as a “liberal” site, but whatever, they are usually right on)
5. Wait… This may be a tough one, but particularly with breaking news, I do my best to wait until I can get a more clear picture before commenting or sharing)

Every Action Counts

Every like, comment and share matters. Each time you take an action, you are publishing. You are influencing. You are spreading truth or you are spreading fiction. And as a business, you must remember your content is your marketing. Every action you take on behalf of your business is telling a story about your brand. Every single action.

No matter your views, beliefs, or politics, you can be part of the problem or part of the solution. As long as you are honest about your intentions.

Please, I beg you, take a step back and consider the implications of your actions. They all matter. And so do you.

With love, always- Nina ❤
@passionsquared

Facebook LIVE vs. Periscope blog header

Periscope vs. Facebook LIVE

January 23, 2016Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Be where your clients are.”

UPDATE: Facebook LIVE is now available for Facebook business pages as of April 5, 2016. Yay!

With the influx of LIVE streaming platforms and apps, I have been getting several questions on this topic and while LIVE streaming and broadcasting is nothing new, with the launch of Periscope, it seems to have been gaining momentum in some business categories.

So here are my thoughts….

As with any social platform, I always recommend starting with a clear objective of why you are engaging, how you are engaging, who are you engaging with, a content plan and a commitment to consistency. If you can only commit to one platform, then do that, and do it awesomely.

And with all of that, comes the last, and maybe most important thing, be mindful of how and when you choose to broadcast. Too much noise? You lose people. Too much TMI? You lose people. Too much sharing of events where people paid to attend, well, you know the answer to that one. #notcool

Periscope
App based (Periscope)
Links to Twitter
Lots of trolls
Save video option (but be mindful, context is key, so saving them and posting to YouTube may simply be out of context for the viewer)
Potentially high engagement
User can set notifications of broadcasts
Disappears from page in 24 hours
Sometimes poor quality
Comments feed for engagement
Hearts as likes
Light analytics in app

Facebook LIVE
App based (Facebook)
Available to verified pages and personal pages only, not business pages (yet)
More qualified audience (if you have been using your personal page for business as well)
Save and share video option (can share to biz page, if relevant, as well as embed on your website, but again, be mindful of the context when sharing to other platforms)
Stays on your timeline as long as you want it to
Can be edited post broadcast (Go to videos, select video, select edit)
Users can “subscribe” to get notifications of future broadcasts
Potential high engagement, depending on your personal page following and sharing plan
High quality
Comments feed for engagement
Likes as likes and comments as comments
No analytics per se (since its done via your personal page) but as with any Facebook native video, you can measure views and of course, measure likes, comments and shares.

At the end of the day, I will go back to be where your clients are. Are they on Periscope? Go there. Are they on Facebook? Go there. But always be mindful of your intention for broadcasting and the value you are bringing to the conversation.

My take? Facebook LIVE could be a game-changer, as there are a billion more people on Facebook than Periscope. I love the “no trolls” aspect, as well as the quality of experience for the broadcaster and the viewer. And at the end of the day, quality is what our audience wants, quality of content and experience.

Time will tell. And with all that is happening on the social web, it will change in a blink. Again.

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

PS: Do you want to catch my Facebook LIVE chats? You can follow me by searching Nina L. Kovner or click here to follow. Thank you!

PS: I know you likes your post.

PS: I Know You Liked Your Post

September 29, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Focus on how to be social, not do social.”

Jay Baer

 

 

Liking Your Own Posts?

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

So I asked a very simple question last week on Facebook and Instagram, thinking I would get a pretty straightforward answer. “Is it OK to like our own posts on Facebook, Instagram or any other social platforms?” I applaud all those who courageously shared their thoughts. Thank you!

Now I could have been more clear, I was speaking about business pages and posts, not personal. So this post is about business pages and my professional view is based on countless hours of engaging myself, reading, researching, following respected leaders in the space, and watching my own and my clients behaviors and analytics.

The short answer
No, there is no need for your business to like its own posts. And if people are paying attention, it looks kinda lame and desperate.

The longer answer
Why Are We Even There?
The purpose of engaging on social platforms for business is to share, engage, listen, build relationships and create connections. Based on the objectives of the business being on a social platform, those actions could result in increased traffic to your website, referrals and revenue.

How Can We Create More Engagement?
1. Sharing your business posts to your personal pages (if the target audience is similar) can increase engagement on Facebook, since personal pages seem to show up more in the news feed than business pages.

2. Creating a content strategy that creates value for your followers.

3. Posting consistently and often. How often? It depends on your audience. And only trying different approaches and measuring them will give you that answer.

In the end, the goal is not to try to game the system, the goal is to create relevant, meaningful content that adds value to your community. Whether its on Facebook, Instagram, a blog or e-newsletter.

We move towards what we focus on. So instead of focusing on likes or being seen, I say we focus on how we can be of service to the humans that choose to follow us and listen to us. And liking your own post just does not fit into that.

What are your thoughts? Please share your comments below, or on Facebook, and of course, you can always inbox me. I’m listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)