PR and Social InkLings for the Week of July 18

Compelling Infographics, “Circles” Fatigue, Community Manager Road Maps, the Internet vs. Journalism, Typos and Street Meat

With summer now in full swing, people (especially us sun-deprived New Englanders) want to soak up every last minute of precious outdoor time and the demand for quick, convenient meals is on the rise. But for the health-conscious and mature palates out there, choices were limited…until the food truck craze. A far cry from the questionable “street meat” cart, these gourmet trucks offer delicious specialties, and according to Mashable.com, many are now also becoming social media savvy. Using their Facebook walls, Youtube channels and Twitter feeds to promote contests, host fun videos and make it easy for customers to follow their travel routes, these innovators on wheels are proof that social media creates a buzz that pays off. Not peddling fancy cupcakes? These same strategies can be effective for any company’s social media plan.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, why do infographics, visual representations of information, data or knowledge, often fall short when it comes to improving one’s blog or website? The problem may be that because infographics are a unique type of content, you must actually embed them on your site; an action that many protective bloggers and site administrators are not thrilled with. But designers, don’t fret if your efforts haven’t been successful, just check out this article for great pitching tips.

Just a few weeks into the Google+ excitement, and one of the site’s initial draws, Circles, might be turning out to be its biggest turnoff. The process of categorizing friends by your personal relationship and assigning each a specific name can become overwhelming and leave you with more Circles than you know what to do with. Psychologist Barry Schwartz calls this problem the "Paradox of Choice," meaning that "too much choice actually makes it less likely [users] will take advantage of a feature." Worried that you’re suffering from “Circles fatigue?” Fast Company can help diagnose you here.

As companies begin to increase social media activity, many find the need to assign a point person as the “voice” of the brand—a community manager. This is a great idea, as it helps to streamline messaging and ensure consistency when engaging online relationships. If you are your company’s community manager, but are in need of a “strategy road map,” this article can help you navigate.

Is the Internet making journalism better or worse? Everyone in the communications industry has their own opinion. Easily accessible, and often free, online content has caused profits to plummet for many print-based news outlets, but at the same time it provides new tools—search, online databases, etc.—to anyone who wants them. Over the past couple of days, The Economist has been hosting this debate between journalism professor Jay Rosen and digital skeptic and author Nicholas Carr as part of an ongoing series about the future of media. GigaOm weighs in here. So, whose side are you on?

The more multi-tasking you do, the more likely you are to make a mistake. We have all experienced the same scenario: you’re reading an important company email, and when you reach the end you see it—a big, glaring typo. Doesn’t this lack of effort (everyone has spell check these days, right?) sort of discount the seriousness of the message in your mind? There have been recent examples of how these mistakes can be not only embarrassing, but potentially harmful to brands. A recent update from a NBC-owned Twitter account said that the president would have a “personal” statement when the intended word was “personnel." Those two letters changed the message entirely, inciting speculation. We are human, so err we will, but hopefully this article will help you do it less often.