The Houston Museum of Natural Science may stink to high heaven, but the Digital Influence Weekly is coming at you with that fresh Old Spice scent!
The corpse flower, now blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, has been the big buzz this week in Houston. For those not familiar, the flower (affectionately named Lois) is supposed to give off a powerful stench when it blooms. Yes, it is odd to go out of your way to see something that smells like a rotting corpse, but it is truly a chance-of-a-lifetime experience. There have only been 28 recorded bloomings in the U.S. Why are we talking it about it here? A museum fan has given the flower a voice of its own through Twitter. Lois the flower is now tweeting at CorpzFlowerLois. Capitalizing on Houston’s corpse flower frenzy, the museum has embraced the account and has used it to keep the fascination with Lois strong and the visitors coming through the museum’s doors. The lesson – keep an eye out for opportunities to capture online momentum generated by the community.
Traditional media outlets are gearing up to make their sites and social media programs more effective for their readers. This article from Mashable talks about the six things traditional media has done, needs to improve on and will be doing in the future in regards to social media. Many media outlets are still adopting these tactics so be sure to keep an eye out for new venues to offer up thought leadership and engagement for your company. Your company’s expertise could help shape the caliber of conversation in online forums.
It’s always a good idea to keep your company’s social media policy updated. If you are curious about what other companies are doing in terms of social media policies, check out this Fast Company article. The article includes links to the social media policies for many recognizable companies and organizations. These policies run the spectrum from highly detailed (CNN and BBC) to sparse (Ford). An effective social media policy should be simple and reference existing company policies where applicable.
Digital Influence is a weekly update of big news and hot happenings in the digital world.