CustomScoop's PR Blog Jots

Average Joe Gets his Byline (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Corporate Blogs a Waste of Time?

Strumpette

In his weekly guest spot on Strumpette, Phil Hall questions the usefulness of the corporate blog, arguing that they—particularly the CEO blogs—are rarely genuine and not geared toward the average consumer.  Hall points out that the corporate blog as communications tool aren’t truly blogs, just another well controlled cog in the spin machine. According to Hall, the only worthwhile corporate blogs are the ones that strive to be interesting and original. “And is the corporate blog audience is designed for the benefit of media observers? Let’s be frank, does anyone genuinely suspect the CEO is going to sit down and blithely bang out a 500-word blog post, then submit it online without anyone else seeing it first, and hope for the world is amused? Obviously, the media observer differentiates reality from fantasy, and everyone knows these postings are heavily vetted by committees of lawyers, risk managers, and other corporate officers who don’t want to see red flags flying outside of their windows.”

Ultimate Citizen Journalism

Social Media Club

This week, Jay Rosen launched Assignment Zero, an online collaborative news effort inviting average citizens to pitch story ideas, take on assignments and contribute to online stories about specific topics.  Jason Chervokas is mixed in his reaction to the idea, a collaborative effort between Rosen’s NewAssignment.net and Wired.  Chervokas points out that Rosen and Wired seem to have different goals from the project, and that similar wiki-style news efforts have previously failed. “And one might wonder if central editorial control of crowdsourced information is really necessary. Doesn’t citizen journalism work because the community of users functions as an editorial board? Isn’t the most radical change wrought by citizen journalism the impact of citizen consensus on perceptions of truth, accuracy and free expression?”

Online Crisis Stories Outlast MSM

Crisisblogger

In a follow up to his recent posts on the New York Times story about the Delta Zeta sorority (in which the paper accused the sorority of expelling unattractive sisters en masse), Gerald Baron aptly notes that the online conversation surrounding a public relations gaffe can continue long after the mainstream media has abandoned the story.  This is an important lesson for crisis communicators to remember.  While the mainstream is driven by ad sales and ratings and producing interesting new content with each 90-second news cycle, social media can take its time mulling a crisis. “I commented yesterday about how the discussion about Delta Zeta and the NYT’s coverage is lasting well beyond the newspaper’s coverage. An important lesson for crisis communicators because this lengthens greatly the time of a crisis event and adds to the need to continue communicating. Those involved in the discussion after the media flash has gone are frequently the most interested and the most passionate about the topic (as some of the comments on crisisblogger can demonstrate.)”

#&%*@%! (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Coincidence, or Interesting Effect of Social Media on the Mainstream?

Tech PR Gems

Topaz Partners’ Todd Van Hoosear picked up on an interesting development today, noting a rise in the level of expletives used in some of his regular business publication reads. Inc. and Fortune have both featured articles recently with “naughty” language.  Todd notes that it may be the blogosphere tipping the publishing world in this direction, as bloggers and other purveyors of online content are free to use whichever language they prefer.  “Did I just drop in anyone's esteem by letting a few bad words slip by? Does anyone care anymore? Is congress and the FCC overreacting? Does all the fuss over public airwaves really matter when most kids will be able to get their expletives by surfing on the net, where no such restrictions exist?”

Google, Viacom and the DMCA

901am

With several sections of 1999’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act as backup, Muhammad Saleem argues that the billion-dollar lawsuit filed against Google by Viacom will probably be thrown out.  A section of the law specifically says that no infringement takes place if the material is transmitted through another person using the technology of another. As in, YouTube provides the technology, but doesn’t do any of the infringing itself; therefore, it is not liable in this case.  There’s more to it, of course, but Saleem argues that, “whether YouTube is found to be guilty or not, the ruling in this case will most certainly get lawmakers to take another look at the DMCA.”

Some PR Pros Still Not Buying Into Social Media

The New PR

Reporting on an otherwise uneventful panel involving public relations and gaming at last week’s Game Developers Conference, Ryan Anderson noted that many of the panelists dismissed social media as a communications tool.  This is surprising, considering the nature of the conference.  Wouldn’t PR execs assigned to such technological clients as gaming companies (many of which operate almost entirely online) look into online channels of communication as a way to promote their product? Anderson agrees. “As a PR person then, I would consider it my job to get the game in front of those who I think would be influential, and whose tastes I already have a sense for from past reviews, and get them to talk about it. I would empower communities around specific games or types of games to spread the word. To me, the industry pubs would be a secondary goal.”

Viacom vs. YouTube (and Other PR Blog Jots)

"YouTube is Your Friend"

Simonsays

Plucking the words right from my mouth, Simon Collister chides Viacom for its recently announced copyright infringement lawsuit against online video sharing giant YouTube.  Collister points to some similar cases occurring in the UK and wonders why major brands are balking at their content showing up on YouTube.  He rightly argues that online video sharing, particularly on a site as popular as YouTube, is essentially free advertising, and doesn’t grasp why Viacom and other brands seem to raise such a fuss. “When will big brands start to appreciate that You Tube is your friend. Making your content available via sites like You Tube and MySpace can help push it out to an audience who may never have seen your shows before. Look at the research done by CBS from late last year.  Not only that, but as consumers like - no, love - the ability to sample music and TV before buying, brands that prevent people from doing so by removing copyrighted content will only shoot themselves in the foot in the long-term.”

Mainstream Media Snatching Up Social Media

Buzz Machine

Jeff Jarvis notes the interesting developments lately between “big media” and homegrown, online websites.  Linking to the story of the New York Observer purchasing the political blog PoliticsNJ, Jarvis notes that it seems to be a recurring trend.  Just lately, TV Guide purchased the television-themed website Jump the Shark, and NBC-owned Bravo network snapped up popular television discussion site Television Without Pity. “All these web sites now have a market value. I’m not sure purchase is the only relationship big media need have with them if big media starts thinking like a member in a larger network. Still, it’s nice to see that this is a business.”

Viral Secrets

Bulldog Reporter Daily Dog

In an lengthy but excellent offering, Andrew Foote, of communications firm Peppercom, offers detailed advice for marketers trying to get a viral campaign started.  Foote notes that predicting whether a video will catch fire on YouTube is difficult, and notes that the rush of companies trying to cash in on this particular social media phenomenon without thinking it through has been the downfall of some (using unpopular YouTube postings of Samsung and Dove as examples).  The biggest downfall of companies attempting to go viral, according to Foote, is misreading the YouTube audience—or attempting to trick them.  Above all else, the content produced must be both transparent and exceptional. “In his book, Buzzmarketing, Mark Hughes talks about the typical characteristics of viral content and how to create ideas that will break through. He recommends pushing the six buttons of buzz: the taboo (sex, lies, bathroom humor), the outrageous, the hilarious, the remarkable and the secrets (both kept and revealed).”

Blog Monitoring to Avoid Crisis (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Blog Monitoring Critical

Online Public Relations Thoughts

Jim Horton responds to a reader question regarding how companies ought to deal with public relations scandals that—rather than originating in the “real world” and moving to the Internet chat rooms and blogs—originate in online social media sources, using “Dell Hell” as an example. Horton argues that the best way for any company to deal with an online communications crisis is to head them off at the pass by constantly monitoring the blogosphere (and other forms of social media) for potential troubles. “It is not difficult to monitor blogs. Several search engines comb through them. It also is not difficult to respond directly to individuals or to a situation through operational improvement, e-mail and other media. The key is doing it regularly and frequently to capture and resolve complaints before they radiate beyond control and into mainstream media.”

More SMPR Discussion

PR 2.0

In an extensively detailed post, Brian Solis examines the discussion of social media press releases that took place at last week’s New Communications Forum.  Solis delves into the reasons why updating the traditional press release is vital to the PR industry, but makes the interesting note that the press release should not be killed altogether. He argues that no one communications medium will work for every journalist or blogger, and that we should keep in mind that the release audience isn’t always reporters. “My argument is that there should be multiple flavors of a (well written and targeted) press release, traditional, new media, and social. No one tool reaches everyone, nor should it. Why limit the opportunity for distributing important information and why be so foolish to believe that one message matters to all who read it?  Too many people assume that releases (whether social or traditional) are only intended for the press (or bloggers). Stats already show that consumers are reading press releases that they find through search engines as well.”

All Are a-Twitter

Micro Persuasion

In one of the better of the seemingly endless number of posts about Twitter (for those who haven’t heard the chatter flowing out of the South by Southwest conference this week, Twitter is an instant-micro-blogging platform allowing for instantly mass-messaging contacts interested in certain topics—via IM, text messaging and other forms), Steve Rubel sings the tool’s praises.  He wonders, however, about its effects on our attention span, as humans are only capable of using so many different forms of technology before one ultimately replaces an older form.  In this case, Rubel wonders if Twittering will replace blogging. “What about one's Technorati link authority? It feels far less relevant now given the newfound pulls on our attention. All of these networks measure friends and connections, not links. This is the emerging currency of influence, just as it is in the physical world.”

Pitching Stats, YouTube vs the VNR, and Other PR Blog Jots

Pitching by Numbers

The Bad Pitch Blog

Kevin Dugan breaks down the math behind pitching a journalist with estimates on how many pitches it takes to get a story placed; noting that 50 percent of story placements generally occur after five pitches or less.  He continues with common sense advice for pitching, noting the cardinal rule of never calling to ask if the reporter received your initial pitch, and the difference between tenacity and stupidity. “So the pitching sweet spot is between three and five attempts over a two week pitching period. Reverse engineer your media relation campaigns accordingly. This becomes extremely important for time-based news. These numbers reinforce the importance, and long term value, of source filing. If you have established a relationship with the right news media, your pitching efforts will not take as long.”

Online Video Replacing VNRs?

Pop PR Jots

While praising video news releases as a successful public relations tactic for years, Jeremy Pepper notes that the future of video communications for clients may be the online viral video rather than the traditional VNR. Pepper links to the corporate online video sites of GM and Anheiser-Busch, but warns that while video may be the future of PR, companies shouldn’t rush a video online just because to do so is current and popular. “So my point? Well, that video is part of the mix now in PR. Moreso than before, and probably moreso than ever before. But, just like anything else in social media, it needs to be done well. Yes, video needs to be an integral part of communications - but have it a smart message, not manipulation or astroturf.”

JetBlue Blogger Meets with CEO

Micro Persuasion

In an interesting example of how social media is affecting corporate communications (particularly while mired in crisis), Steve Rubel points to the meeting between the author of the JetBlue Hostage blog (started after the passenger was stranded on a New York tarmac for twelve hours during the Valentine’s Day storms) and JetBlue’s CEO David Neeleman.  Rubel commends the company for setting up the meeting, and their continued handling of their PR nightmare from last month. “This is a great model for anyone in PR or customer service. I call it the cold french fry syndrome. If you go into a fast food restaurant and you get cold french fries, you're mad. So naturally, you start to complain. If the worker behind the counter takes the time to a) hear your complaint and b) try as best he or she can to solve it, there's a good chance they can win you back.”

The Role of Blogs in a Crisis

Pro PR

Joseph Thornley posts a terrific summary of a panel on crisis blogging from last week’s New Communications Forum, in which the importance of preparation is underscored.  The panelists noted that monitoring the blogosphere and other forms of social media for potential problems before they happen can be the most important aspect of using social media in a crisis.  They also mention the importance of having a crisis communication plan in place prior to a situation occurring, and that using blogs to communication during the crisis can be vital to getting through it unscathed. “One of the audience members pointed out that it is better to think about blogs as “opportunity communications” not crisis communications. There are many new avenues of communication and opportunities to connect with communities and concerned people, not only during the crisis but in advance of a crisis.”

Making a Successful Viral (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Everything You Wanted to Know About Viral Marketing

Communications Overtones

Blogging from the New Communications Forum, Kami Huyse reports from a presentation, led by marketing guru Susan Getgood, which discussed the factors involved in creating a successful viral marketing campaign.  Getgood lists the “5 C’s” of viral marketing: community, compelling, comedy, charity and contests.  Interestingly, the panelists note that even an extremely successful viral campaign (as in, one that receives millions of impressions) can still sometimes end up a failure if it fails to increase sales in any meaningful way.” I think that understanding what makes something viral is just as important for public relations practitioners as it is for those in marketing. More important, is what qualities make viral campaigns actually work. Just because a campaign is popular doesn't translate to sales or enhanced credibility.”

PR 1, Advertising 0

Micropersuasion

Steve Rubel notes an interesting figure from Ad Week that indicates that head counts are dropping at advertising agencies while they rise at public relations agencies.  Rubel thinks this indicates a fundamental shift in the way companies are communicating with the public in light of new technologies now available. “The PR biz is now driving the marketing agenda. Futher, the new two-way mode of communications - which is driven by users and Web 2.0 - plays to our industry's strengths in dealing with uncertainty and risk.”

This Just In: The Press Release is Still Awful

Pro PR

In a good recap of a panel discussion on the future of the traditional press release featuring Todd Defren, Tom Foremski, Brian Solis and others, Joseph Thornley lists all the arguments working against the press release, and wonders why it is still around—unchanged—after all these years. Panel members agreed that the press release probably isn’t going to go away, but that changes to it, such as incorporating elements of social media, will continue to improve its usefulness. “Five years from now, I’d like to hope that every piece of news that comes out becomes a micro-site in itself that enables every person who cares to engage with it and to discuss it.”

Boomers, Blogs and Tickers (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Boomer Blogs?

Social Media Club

Jason Chervokas links to a press release about a new social media network for baby boomers, and wonders just how far baby boomers are willing to participate in Web 2.0.  He points out that members of this age bracket have barely embraced Web 1.0; is this a generation that is willing to log on and join the conversation? Chervokas speculates that most boomers are familiar with email, IMs and other private two-way conversations online, but would be reluctant to post anything in a public arena. “A company can facilitate access to information about heath, finance, travel. A company can even get boomers to feel comfortable with Web bulletin boards. But will boomers become fully engaged participants in a social network?”

Battle Blogs

Online Public Relations Thoughts

Linking to a Business Week blog about the recent flap between Microsoft and Google, in which the software giant took a few shots at the search engine for its stance on copyright law, Jim Horton points out that so far the companies have been doing PR battle online only.  He suspects that from now on, we’ll see more of such behavior as company’s take their skirmishes online to blogs and message boards rather than traditional outlets. “We saw this happen in politics. It won't be long before the largest corporations will fight most of their PR battles in blogs and not in traditional media. Google and Microsoft are early leaders for a fundamental change in reputation management.”

Tickers a Threat to PR

Bulldog Reporter Daily Dog

Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it may be the end of traditional journalism—and have a great effect on public relations.  So says David Henderson, who worries that Americans’ ever-shortening attention spans may have an impact on PR and journalism in the age of instant news tickers, trimmed newspaper articles and other online instant news sources.  At the same time, however, Henderson argues that communications professionals are also contributing to the shortened news environment. “Can we in the communications industry criticize today's news media for delivering a story in four words when we load up YouTube, Digg.com and a host of other sites with obfuscated messages? Are we creating a public relations machine like none other, and for what purpose?”

Ghostwriting Ethics, Best Buy’s Crisis, and Other PR Blog Jots

Blogging Ethics: To Ghostwrite, or not to Ghostwrite?

Tech PR Gems

At the Boston social media event last week, a couple audience members questioned whether or not their agencies ought to be ghostwriting their clients’ blogs. While the consensus was “no,” Topaz Partners’ Todd Van Hoosear questions whether ghostwriting is truly inappropriate. He doesn’t believe PR agencies ought to be deceiving the public, but thinks they can offer more than just strategic advice. “I have nothing against transparency in corporate communications--I've been an advocate of it throughout my career. And I loathe any agency that takes part in any attempt to deceive the public. But I think PR agencies can do more than just help with blog strategy.”

AP/Microsoft's New Video Platform

The Flack

Peter Himler posts excerpts from an interview with Jim Kathman, head of the AP’s global broadcast strategy. The AP has joined with Microsoft to launch a new video platform that would allow newspapers worldwide to upload and access “locally-created video.” Kathman believes that up to 3,500 AP affiliates will participate in the new platform. “So what does this mean for us lowly PR types? All I can say is that if digital video is destined to dominate, The AP's ubiquitous network of subscribers makes the once staid wire service a force to be reckoned with.”

Best Buy's PR Crisis

A Shel of my Former Self

In the wake of reports that Best Buy has been scamming customers by using an intranet in their stores with higher prices than customers see online, Shel Holtz wonders if the blogs are reporting the whole story behind the crisis. Holtz speculates that the intranet, which he believes is an excellent employee tool, may only have higher prices than the Internet because, in retail, web prices often are lower than in-store prices.  It may just be a case of extremely poor crisis management. “The communications coming from the corporate office are uncoordinated to say the least, incompetent at worst. (There’s not even a statement or press release dealing with this on the corporate site.) It strikes me that there is probably an explanation for this, but that the company has thoroughly mishandled the communication, landing it in much hotter water than it needed to be.”

A Byline for the Average Joe? (And Other PR Blog Jots)

Avoiding Corporate Blog Mistakes

A Shel of my Former Self

Shel Holtz links to some recent PR blogs regarding common mistakes and risks in corporate blogs, including Kami Huyse’s Top 10 Risks for Corporate Blogs. Shel believes there ought to be more blogs regarding the positive steps new corporate bloggers can take to ensure success. “But I wonder why they have to be couched in negative terms? I imagine these articles can be flagged by naysayers as evidence that companies simply shouldn’t blog. Instead, can’t we list things to do to make sure your corporate blog succeeds?”

Citizen Journalists at USA Today?

Paul Gillin

In the wake of USA Today’s revamp of its online content to include reader feedback, Paul Gillin calls for the paper to take it one step further, involving its readers in the actual reporting. Gillin argues that he isn’t calling for printing reader-submitted stories, but rather allowing for news wikis.  While Wikinews isn’t currently successful, Gillin believes a paper with USA Today’s weight could be a boon for reader-submitted content. “The innovation I'm waiting for is when a major news site starts inviting readers to actually contribute to the reporting process. That doesn't mean deputizing citizens as adjunct reporters, but could involve them contributing background and first-person sidebars.”

Pitfalls of Online Media Rooms

Communications Overtones

Kami Huyse complains that current online newsrooms are not keeping up well enough with developments in social media, often integrating technological elements but not pulling everything together in an easily accessible format for reporters.  She likes Todd Defren's ideas for the social media newsroom, but still argues for creating each social media release listed on an online newsroom as it’s own “mini-website,” with all the elements of the story (photos, audio, etc) available on one page. “My point is that all of the multimedia assets, photography, video and audio should be seen directly with the press releases, and vice versa. In essence, the media room should become a bunch of mini Web sites for each story idea, with the ability to add corresponding links out to information off of the site (say to a purpose-built delicious site).”

MyUSA Today (and Other PR Blog Jots)

USA Today Joins Social Media Fray

PR 2.0

In a widely-discussed development among PR bloggers today, Brian Solis reports on USA Today’s decision to re-vamp its online features into a social media network.  The new features allow readers to vote for their favorite articles, comment on individual stories and interact with each other, all important aspects of social media. Solis applauds the development as a step towards changing the way consumers read the news.  “The key here is that it unlocks the world of Social Media to those who haven't yet engaged. It's an important step to get people introduced (and addicted) to a new way of reading, sharing, and voicing their opinions in a way that sparks further conversations.”

Employee Blogging May be Useful in a Crisis

PR Squared

Todd Defren muses about employee blogging, wondering how it may affect a company in crisis for better or worse.  In thinking about last month’s JetBlue public relations gaffe, Defren believes that employee blogs throughout the crisis may have prompted quicker action and a happier result for stranded customers.  He warns, however, that while such blogging may have positive short term effects, they may end up doing long term reputation damage.  “Ultimately the rise of employee bloggers is inexorable and – per my client’s deep thoughts – it’s a movement that should be embraced.  But corporate marketers must fashion blogging policies with their eyes wide open.  Every touchpoint is a potential landmine.”

Should PR Execs Ghostwrite Blogs?

PR Communications

In response to a post from Sterling Hager (in which Hager takes PR 2.0 proponents to task for recommending against ghostwritten blogs), John Cass points out that while it has very useful elements in the area of public relations, PR is not the sole reason for corporate blogging. Cass points out that above all, blogging is a conversation between writer and reader, and an element of authenticity to that dynamic goes missing when a PR pro takes the reins. “I think that in the perception of the reader blogging is more like talking with someone on a telephone or even in the same room. You would not expect an actor to take the place of the individual to whom you are chatting with on the other end of a telephone line, well it is just the same with blogging, when someone puts their name to a blog post the expectation on the part of the reader is that the person who wrote a blog post is the person whose name appears on the masthead.”