The document discusses the importance of engaging with diverse communities online through social media, emphasizing that these conversations often go unnoticed despite their cultural significance. It outlines a mission to foster awareness and representation in digital spaces, while proposing six steps for successful social media engagement. The content is interspersed with personal stories and lessons from various individuals highlighting the multifaceted nature of cultural diversity in online interactions.

1. Socially Diverse
Engaging With Diverse Communities Online
By James S. Walker
Monday October 18, 2010
PRSA International Conference

2. #SOCDIV #PRSA_IC

4.  Social Media & Fashion
 Marketing & Branding for Fashion Businesses
 Social Media & Linguistics
 Bare Words, Bare Bones, True Culture
 Social Media & Crisis Communications
 Effective Communication When It Counts

5. Fashion Crisis
Linguistics Diversity???
Any Underlying Connection?

6. Conversations
Tools Facilitating
Relationships
Interaction

7.  Social Media Mirrors Culture
 Social Media Reflects Culture
 Social Media Creates Culture
This is the underlying connection.

8.  Merriam - Webster Definition: The condition of being diverse :
variety; especially : the inclusion of diverse people (as people of
different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
 A few reasons for my focus here:
 Diversity online goes largely unnoticed. So many interesting
conversations are happening in corners of the internet. So many
cultural projects of great value. So many people that should be
highlighted.
 Diversity issues, specifically lack of representation, is
acknowledged but there is not enough solutions-focused activity. A
large part of the problem is that we are not all as aware and as
connected as we could be. I set out to do something about that.

9.  Socially Diverse was conceived on July 22, 2010
@ DC Media Makers
 Sparked by a discussion about gender diversity at
panels
 Personal interest in Diversity manifested in two
ways:
 1. Diverse representation among practitioners
 2. Diverse conversations and projects in the online
space
 Mission: Socially Diverse was created
to highlight unique, interesting, diverse
conversations online and the people who
lead them.

10.  Six Steps for Successful Social Media Engagement
 1. Listen (Research, Get the conversation pulse)
 2. Map out participants and communities (Connections)
 3. DIY (Do-It-Yourself, Develop Your Own Strategy)
 4. Rules of Engagement (Plan for Managing Interaction)
 5. Exit Strategy (Timeline, Transition, What’s Next?)
 6. Measurement & Evaluation

12. Socially
Public Diverse
#SMCEDU
Relations
PR
Prescriptions
James S.
Walker
Social -
@jaywalk1
Diversity
Media LinkedIn

13. PR
Prescriptions
Public
#SMCEDU
Relations
Social Socially Diversity
Media
James S.
Walker
Diverse
@jaywalk1
-
LinkedIn

15. 4 4
DAYS DAYS

16.  Name: Johnny Laird
 Age (or range if that’s better): Think Yoda!
 Blog: johnnylaird.net
 Twitter handle: @johnnylaird
 Profession: Blogger, connector, communicator,
change agent & social activist… friend of the
geek & radical
 Location: Oxted, Surrey, UK...close to London
 Place of Origin: Aberdeen, Scotland.

17.  Adopted Culture (The one you are most
connected to): I guess I’m a Londoner as much
as anything else and a South Londoner at that.
By being a Londoner, it means I’m likely to have
been born outside of the city. I will have lived,
learned, worked, played and partied with friends
and family from all over the world. My cultural
influences will have been many and varied, and I
am as likely to enjoy a Jamaican pattie or
a Chicken Tikka Massala as I am fish and
chips. That said I am a Scot....with an elastic
English accent. Londoners are a patchwork. It’s
entirely possible to be a Scottish Londoner.
 Lesson: Sometimes diverse convos come to you!

18.  Name: Nichelle Stephens
 Age (or range if that’s better lol):
thirtysomething
 Blog: http://pepsiweinspire.com
 Twitter handle:
http://twitter.com/niche
 Profession: Editor, Blogger, Social
Media Strategist
 Location: Brooklyn, NY
 Place of Origin: Birmingham, AL
 Adopted Culture African American

19.  Launched in August 2009
 6 great icons, all Black women who have
made great contributions on a professional
level and with their greater communities
 African American women are the
primary audience members
 Content and storyteller roles are open
to all women
 Have been contributions by men as
well.
 “To love who I am and what i do and
express that through my poetry and to
those around me. So to Pepsi and all the
inspiring Women on Pepsi we inspire
THANK YOU – 14yr old reader
 Pepsi We Inspire is more than a URL, it is
an online community for all of us.
 Lesson: There won’t always be a label!

20.  Name: Angela Benton
 Age: 29
 Blog: Most Notable: BlackWeb20.com however we
also have YBPGuide.com and Politic365.com; You
can also check out BlackWebMedia.net
 Twitter handle: @ABenton
 Profession: Publisher/Mom/Superwoman
 Location: Charlotte, NC
 Place of Origin: Birthplace - Chicago, ILL. Lived
most of my life however in the Washington DC Metro
area.
 Adopted Culture (The one you are most connected
to): I am a bit of an eclectic perso,n so I am most
connected to new cultures that I haven't experienced
yet. I love and can appreciate how other people live.

22.  Name: Manny Ruiz
 Age (or range if that’s better): 40
 Blog: PapiBlogger
 Twitter handle: @papiblogger
 Profession: Entrepreneur,
Former Journalist & PR Pro
 Location: Miami, FL
 Place of Origin: Miami, FL
 Adopted Culture (The one you are most connected
to): Cuban-American by birth but Latino at heart
 Creator - Hispanic PR Wire, Founder National
Hispanic Market Practice of Porter Novelli, One of the
catalysts “PRSA Diversity Today” podcast

23.  “Moms get the attention because they are perceived as the
major decision makers when it comes to household purchases
and the marketers almost universally believe that dads only
buy cars, video games and cologne.
 Another reason why mom bloggers are vastly ahead in this
game is because they blog in such greater numbers than dads
and until now dad bloggers have not united to support each
other as the moms have.
 Unfortunately, until research and dad bloggers don’t make a
stronger factual case indicating that they actually buy
groceries or at least influence many of the things that are
purchased, marketers will heap all the money and attention
on mommy bloggers.
 What is going to change is that following the recent M3
Modern Media Man Summit, the first of its kind for male
bloggers, male bloggers will unite. I think we will succeed in
showing marketers how they need to include us more in their
blogger campaigns.”
 Lesson: Sometimes diversity is literally JUST OUTSIDE
your normal circle of people.

24.  5 months
 21 posts
 11 Interviews
 9 cities
 3 continents

25.  Dealing with Diversity means Dealing with Labels
 Be Bold
 Acknowledge
instead of avoid
 Never Assume
 Be Aware of
Nuances
 Personal Preference
Always Wins

26.  You can’t tip toe around Diversity
 Politically Correct is not the
same as Culturally Correct
 Sometimes You Just Have to Be
Humble and Ask the Right
Questions

27.  It’s okay to start at home, but don’t get too comfortable.
 The web is so unbelievably
diverse.
 So much to see. So much to do.
So many people and projects to
connect with.
 Start with the man in the mirror
and expand from there.

28.  Issue-Focused Approach to Diversity
Group
Issue
Group
YOU
Group
Issue
Group

29.  Network-Focused Approach to Diversity
Issue
Group
Issue
YOU
Issue
Group
Issue

31.  6 hours per week
 5 months
 20 weeks
 120 hrs
 @ rate $125/hr: $15,000

32.  Expanded Mindset
 Enhanced Brainstorming
Sessions
 Creative Pitches
 Informed Execution
 @ rate $125/hr: INVALUABLE!

33. So…What’s Next?

35. Socially Diverse
Engaging With Diverse Communities Online
 Blogger, Public Relations Professional, Connector
 @jaywalk1
 james.walker@prprescriptions.com
 http://prprescriptions.com
 http://sociallydiverse.posterous.com
#SOCDIV