Take a business breather by giving

Check presentation at Geegan for penny drive from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

It's always great when a plan comes together. After Haiti's earthquake, we at Red Shoes PR felt compelled to give. And after @tommytrc and Mrs. Tommytrc told us about the penny drive going on at Gegan Elementary, we decided to pull our resources together.

In a matter of weeks, with a little bit of help from us at Red Shoes PR, Gegan Elementary school in Menasha raised $2,000 to donate to our local American Red Cross Chapter. Prospera Credit Union counted up the thousands of pennies. Simple Simon Bakery generously donated dozens of cookies for the winning kindergartners and Appleton Sign helped out with a giant-sized check -- which the boys and girls oooo'ed and ahhhhh'ed about!

Yes, we could have just written a check. But all of us working together to better the world in our own little way has huge rewards. It provided all of us at Red Shoes PR the opportunity to get out of the office, see how we could impact others and see firsthand the joy on all of the childrens' faces.That's worth its weight in gold.

Red Shoes Speak No. 16: Olympic Tape Delays

Red Shoes Speak No. 16: Olympic Tape Delays from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess Dennis and Tommytrc discuss the 2010 Winter Olympics and how social media is negatively affecting tape delays in programming. Can networks like NBC continue to control when live events are aired and whether participants can discuss the proceedings in their social networks? Are the big networks acting as gatekeepers and trying to control the message? Control freaks or not, discuss on Twitter using the hashtag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 15: Digital Hoarding

Red Shoes Speak No. 15: Digital Hoarding from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Are you a digital hoarder? Tommy and Jess discuss how Gmail and cloud computing have changed the way we store and search for information. Is Google changing the way individuals will file information forever? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter using the hash tag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 14 Kevin Smith & Soutwest Air Crisis Communication

Red Shoes Speak No. 14 Kevin Smith & Soutwest Air Crisis Communication from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) was asked to step off a Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) flight on Feb. 13, 2010 due to his size. With over 1.6 million followers, Smith’s Tweets about the situation quickly hit mainstream media and blew up in social media. The Southwest Twitter account responded very quickly and appropriately with multiple apologies. As companies continue to engage in social media, how do they prevent or respond to crisis situations such as this? Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 13: Toyota's Crisis Communications Mishap

Red Shoes Speak No. 13 Toyota's Crisis Communications Mishap from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

 

Red Shoes Speak No 12: Positive Influences on Twitter

Red Shoes Speak No 12: Positive Influences on Twitter from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Does it feel like people are too positive on twitter and social media in general? Do you gravitate to people who are positive in nature? Is your glass half empty or half full? Lisa and Tommy discuss this social media topic in this weeks Red Shoes Speak. #redshoesspeak

Don't over-complicate social media--It's based on relationships

 

 

I tweeted last week about how great it would be if all world leaders could start the day together over a cup of coffee, sitting around the table. There’s something really special about gathering people for a few moments before the day starts, chatting about nothing and everything while enjoying each other’s company. I think a lot of conflicts would be avoided if communication were built on relationships, not of necessity.

 

 

One year ago this month, we at Red Shoes PR attended our first-ever Tweet-up at the mall. To say the least it was a little overwhelming to meet our online friends in person. Fast forward 12 months later, the tweet-ups keep happening and the relationships keep growing.

 

This past Friday more than 35 of us “twitterers” met in person at www.affinityhealth.org St. Elizabeth Hospital for breakfast (full disclosure @AffinityHealth is our client.) to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our very first Tweet-up. For me, it was a celebration of relationships. It’s simply the best of all worlds—technology used to create and enhance relationships. And relationships built to make a better world.