Who are We? Why are We Here? (and Other PR Blog Jots)

What is it All About?

PR 2.0

In a long and engaging must-read post, Brian Solis definitively explains the factors contributing to PR 2.0, and how it has changed the industry. He argues that new PR cannot be simply defined as “blogger relations,” or any of the other tools that social media has brought to light.  The key is the use of these tools, and how the PR practitioner engages with a community rather than simply throwing messaging at it. “New PR is a milestone that documents the shift of PR from a broadcast machine to community participation. It is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists, but also engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers. It is also our ability (and opportunity) to talk with customers directly so they can, in turn, spark additional conversations. This is the new live Web (as coined by Doc Searls).”

All News is "Local"

Below the Fold

While outsourcing has been affecting American jobs in numerous industries, one might think that local journalism wouldn’t necessarily be something a reporter in India could accomplish.  Until now. Edelman’s Gary Goldhammer laments that a Pasadena news website has outsourced coverage of the local government to reporters in Indiaeasily enough, as city council sessions are broadcast on the Internet. He sarcastically points out that news has become just another product that can be cheaply manufactured elsewhere, so why bother with actual journalism? “Let’s face it: Real reporting is a hard, thankless, drab existence. It requires ‘people’ skills, the ability to discern nuance and distill facts from those for whom truth is often a matter of opinion. It takes intuition and intellect. And most of all, it demands a connection to community and love for storytelling that takes a whole lot of time and emotional energy.”

Measuring Up

Communications Overtones

After serving on a PRSA panel with Katie Paine of KD Paine and Partners, Kami Huyse posts Katie’s “Super Six Steps to Effective PR Measurement,” and they are a bit different than one might expect. For example, the first three steps revolve entirely around laying out goals rather than diving right into facts and figures. Kami agrees that more emphasis on this type of measurement is sorely needed in an industry obsessed mainly with number of clips as a metric. “Too often the public relations campaign goal is media clips rather than business goals, like building relationships with key stakeholders, or driving sales. The question should be, “what keeps your big boss up at night?” And helping to drive that objective, whatever it is in your industry or organization, should be the focus.”

Comments

[Kami Huyse]

There is also a video of Katie laying these out on my site. You can just follow the link in my comments to see it.

[Sarah Wurrey]

Thanks for pointing that out Kami, what an oversight on my part! :) Everyone should indeed check out the video.

[Kami Huyse]

I just want everyone to see Katie in her cool pink suit (lol). No worries.