Saturday march 26th, 8:30-9:30pm

Call for social media to spread the word for earth hour

This year, the world’s first global election is taking place, an election between earth and global warming. It’s not about what country you are from, but what planet you are from.

Your light switch is your vote. We need one billion votes for earth, because our planet is worth saving.

Earth Hour is asking bloggers to help spread the word about the importance of turning your lights out for one hour at 8.30pm on March 26. Please feel free to use any of these assets in your blog.

Vote Earth by simply switching off your lights for one hour and join the world for Earth Hour.

• Reach more than one billion people
• Is present in 1000 cities around the world

See more pictures on Flicker.

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour 2011 is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community.

It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility and to get involved in working towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to The Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world will turn off their lights and join together in creating the vital conversation about the future of our precious planet.

Earth Hour is a message of hope and a message of action. Everyone can make a difference.

Please watch the trailer and support our initiative.

Get social ! Earth Hour Online

• Flickr
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook Group
• My Space
• Bebo

1.What You Can Do To Make The Difference

Turning your lights off for an hour is a great start. But there are many other actions that you can take to make Earth Hour 2011 a success. Join us to know tips and tools to reduce your carbon footprint everyday.

2. 10 Ways To Protect The Environment

To save our planet, you can do 10 simple things to respect and preserve the environment.

3. How to Reduce Climate Change

To reduce climate change, everybody can limit his consummation of energy and water resources. Restrictions concerning the transport or the use of carpool are possible to reduce the carbon emission, which harm the ozone layer.

4. Ten Things A Company Can Do To Support Earth Hour

To create a deep impact protect our planet from the global warming, organizations can take a part of this initiative. Here are 10 ideas for way your organization can support and publicize Earth Hour.

5. Why is important to turn off the light

Simple things like turning off appliances while not in use and switching your light globes to energy efficient bulbs, will all help us reach our goal of reducing our annual emissions by 5%. Even something as simple as turning out lights when you’re not in a room and switching to cleaner sources of electricity like “green power“, make a big difference.

See the video of the campaign 2011 on the official Website or join us on Facebook or mySpace.

To reduce climate change, everybody can limit his consummation of energy and water resources.
Restrictions concerning the transport or the use of carpool are possible to reduce the carbon emission, which harm the ozone layer.

Interview

For more information, watch the interview of Boris Johnson, Mayor of Earth Hour London, who is talking about his project of a new low carbon economy for London.

In my imagination, Japan seemed like a mysterious country with beautiful landscapes and lot of big cities. I imagined Tokyo as an “Asiatic New York”, a huge and modern bustling town…

My Tokyo Trip

A city of smaller cities, Tokyo’s neighborhoods are individual and unique in what each can offer, from cultural sights to vast shopping malls. Get ready for a whirlwind of modernity and tradition – this is Tokyo!

Tokyo is caracterised by social and economic effervescence. This huge, wealthy and fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan, and has something for everyone.

Kaminarimon, the outer gate

Tokyo’s districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture mecca of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa. If you don’t like what you see, hop on the train and head to the next one, and you will find something entirely different.

Tokyoïtes are very courteous and friendly. In Tokyo, you won’t  bedisappointed if you like Fashion, new technologies or entertainment. For instance, you can visit Harajuku for fashion inspired by anime and manga or Ginza for shopping. Blend old and new to get a taste of Tokyo’s great diversity.

International and local influences intertwine in cuisines, festivals, music, galleries, shopping and even accommodation. Bizarre and fast-moving, yet peaceful and intrinsically religious, Tokyo’s identity is above all, distinctly Japanese, despite existing as a world of its own.

What was the most striking for me?

The constant impression of calm and peace. I do not know how to explain that but even Japanese cars are quiet. It’s strange because there is a paradox between what you see: the large places swarming with people, and what you feel: an impression of order, security, respect and peace.

Before arriving in Japan, I was a little bit anxious because I didn’t know anything about the culture but I was sure this trip would be full of surprises… which was the case!! I was enchanted by Japan and now I think it’s a fabulous country, clean, quiet and beautiful…

City Districts and Shopping Areas

Temples and Shrines

Side Trips from Tokyo

Basic Orientation

Tokyo by night

Tokyo is covered by a dense network of train, subway and bus lines, which are operated by about a dozen different companies. The train lines operated by JR East and the subway lines are most convenient for moving around central Tokyo.

Major JR train lines in Central Tokyo

The map below shows Tokyo’s major railway stations and the five JR lines that are most relevant to people who travel within central Tokyo.

Tokyo’s most prominent train line is the JR Yamanote Line, a circle line which connects Tokyo’s multiple city centers. The city’s 13 subway lines are operated by two companies and run largely inside the Yamanote circle and the areas around Ginza and Shitamachi. Most of the countless suburban train lines commence at one of the six major stations of the Yamanote Line (Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa).

Yamanote Line
Circle line that connects all major city centers.

Keihin-Tohoku Line
Runs parallel to the Yamanote Line on the eastern half of the circle.

Chuo/Sobu Line
Runs across the Yamanote circle (local slow service).

Chuo Line (Rapid)
Runs across the Yamanote circle (rapid service). Connects Tokyo and Shinjuku.

Saikyo/Rinkai Line
Rapid service parallel to the Yamanote Line on the western half of the circle. Connects to Daiba.

Shinkansen
Tokaido Shinkansen trains stop at Tokyo and Shinagawa, while bullet trains to the north stop at Tokyo and Ueno.

Graham Cawthon

 On Wednesday, March 4, at 1 p.m. mass communication students of Winthrop University attended a presentation  from Graham Cawthon, a city editor for The Star in Shelby, North Carolina.

 Cawthon started as a reporter in October 2005, and recently took over as city editor.

 During this presentation, he talked us about new media and society, but also the differences and the similarities between traditional and new media journalism. 

 Broadcast & Print Breaking News

“The relationship between print and broadcast journalism is very blurry,” said Cawthon to describe the way of working on breaking news.

Stories in broadcast can be reported with more depth than print, thanks to multimedia content, such as photos, audio, videos, map and so on.

How To Use Social Networking

Using social networks to spread a message for example Facebook or mySpace is a good way to connect people and  establish a tie with readers or viewers based on truth. People can post their comments or send some pictures; that’s why we can say that journalism media allows more interactions than print.

News Online

How to catch the audience?

• Hot News: Writers have to find a story which stimulates the interest of the public

You have to begin the day with police reports which will be posted online creating web traffic.

• Keep the web site active: with frequent postings and updates

What is a Big Story?

You have to update key news constantly. If you can’t, tell readers that you’re looking for new information, they will keep coming back for more. Meanwhile, you can add some content, such as:

• Map
• Audio file
• Videos
• Photos, slideshows or gallery
• Link to a pdf document (for example a summary, official documents or press releases)
• Anything relevant or related will do

You can also create a chat room or add a chat function enabling people to post comments.

Map everything

Maps give much information to the readers, such as places of killings, cold cases, car accidents, Wi-Fi Hot Spots and so on. Possibilities are endless.

Thanks to tools like mapalist.com, you can use Microsoft Office Excel spread sheets to generate google maps.

To conclude, journalist industry is changing but the basics of good reporting have not changed, and it is important for journalists working on all media to realize they are all working together.

Accuracy, attention to detail, and clear communicating of thoughts and ideas are paramount to being a good journalist. Numerous tools and viral websites can help considerably journalist to spread their message thanks to word of mouth and the public involvement.

To get in touch with young community, street marketing agencies choose young agents, also field agents that spend lot of time on the streets where young consumers live, work, play and shop.  To identify their publics faster, agents seek some signs, such as the dress code, and then approach them to distribute some promotional leaflets, free product samples or gifts to their prospects.

For this, street marketing agencies also called alternative agencies employ social, outgoing, and high-energy individuals who are enthusiastic, friendly and have good communication skills. 

Why people like street marketing?

Caroline Sancho, 22, is a french woman who used to be approached by agents in her southern hometown called Montpellier. She talks about the advantage of street  marketing activity:

“I like discover original products or new brands. I’m very curious about what is new and I think the street marketing is a good way for this. Thanks this activity, I can be quickly informed about what happen this week-end or what music group play tonight in the city center.” 

Street marketing is often used to inform about cultural events, such as festivals, concerts, special parties in nightclubs or even sport games. It’s a cheap to do advertising focusing on social network and social influence. 

It’s the fact that the youth are generally curious and like new experiences.

“By testing products or services, they can appreciate discovering new things would be good for us. I think we are always looking for places to socialize and we’re often in a good mood and more receptive in a social setting,” Sancho says.

However, some people squarely refuse to take advertisements because they are annoyed or fed up  with this activity.

Whatever your product or service, a street marketing plan will ensure that potential customers know about it. Why? Because you will be telling them about it first-hand.

But what is exactly street marketing ?

What are the differences between viral marketing and buzz ?
How companies can use these  tools in their communication strategy ?

Street marketing is taking the promotion for a business directly to the people. Ideally, agencies intend to create some “buzz” in the process of distributing a promotional message. Street marketing can be very elaborate or really simple. The possibilities are limited only by imagination.

Street marketing often refers to put forward a product getting in touch with -different groups or people- called targets. Aiming directly to consumers and providing customized brand marketing campaigns for products, services and events.

Sticker for Mr. Clean on a pedestrian crossing

For the bigger clients that had partnerships with department stores, street marketing agencies organize some operations directly in shopping arcades in order to optimize the impact of their campaigns. Interfering with consume during their normal routines, the field staff stations themselves near  business areas and  universities, but also  in front of train station and while all kind of cultural events.

The job of the agents includes sometimes ”flyering” outside of event places, handing out stickers or posters to young people. The goal is to promote other products or services susceptible to interest such or such group of persons  also called community.

The street marketing operations can be located near shopping areas and supermarkets. In Montpellier, a lot of the operations take place around the “Comédie” area and close to the “Polygone” shopping center.

Marketing is everywhere

In the recent years, the interest in outdoor marketing activities has been steady and growing . It is obvious that outdoor offers outstanding value for budget and nice ways to get high exposure. Whether matched with other media to extend reach or used extensively on its own to impact a market, outdoor can’t be beat. Its “global” presence insures that when a consumer is ready to purchase, the brand is top of mind. Today, it seems that consumers are in a hurry and outdoor provides quick and concise information to help individuals make rapid purchase decisions.

“Outdoor is roadside, outside, inside, above and below ground and on the move.”

Sticker for Amnesty International

Nowadays, companies cannot anymore rely only on tradional medias (TV, Radio, Press etc) to do advertising.

Internet is evolving really faster, so are the consumer. Now thanks to blogs, forom and consumer service websites, people want to know what consumers think about such or such products or services, sharing their opinion with other consumers online.

More and more, people are influenced by friends, family and also strangers over other promotional channels when they make decisions about what to buy and where to go.

Please read the article on eMarketer entitled “The rising roar of word ofmouth” or click on the image below to see a larger version of this graph.

As you can see on the image above, word of mouth is now much larger. Therefore, it has to be taken into consideration.

For companies, it’s important to know what people think about their products, because when consumers are unhappy, they don’t stay quiet about it. The “average unhappy client” can talk to dozens of people about his bad experience. On contrary, if consumers are satisfied, they would recommend a company or brand to friends or colleagues. In this case, word of mouth can be used to predict sales increase.

1. The Internationalization of the websites developing multilingual website,
2. The Web 2.0 (Wikis and Blogs) and Social networking (like Facebook or MySpace),
3. Instant Messaging, such as Msn Live Messenger
4. Web TV browsers and Video Portals (You Tube),
5. Mobile Network technology.

 While the Internet is becoming an ever more global network extending to more and more countries and reaching a constantly increasing number of people, the standards, protocols and software on which it is based are beginning to show their limitations in terms of the increased number of user languages.

Web 2.0 allows people to discuss and interact on collaborative websites. Wikipedia is one of the best examples of what a worldwide cooperation can become.

With the creation of social networks, people can meet on the Web and share their experiences and thoughts about various topics.

Live Chatting and Instant Messaging

As Yahoo Messenger or Msn Messenger, Chatting and messaging are the most widespread tools to converse, sending real time messages to another Internet user. Including voice and video, instant messaging is comparable to chatting in your own private chat room, with only those people you choose to invite.

Web Browsers and mobile phone improvements

The apparition of the Web TV, Web Radio and Video sharing website like “You Tube” or “Daily Motion“ have a great social impact. The wide range of topics covered by YouTube has turned video sharing into one of the most important parts of Internet culture.

The development of the mobile phone has permitted to enjoy multimedia services like Web TV or Radio via a mobile device. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) gives access to the Internet from a mobile phone or PDA.

In 2008, the next generation of mobile network technology is appeared. With the 3G+ you can access your email, the internet and your office networks up to seven times faster than standard dial-up. Some of the most popular services include e-mailing, conference services, Web browsers, music downloads and so on.