A for Effort (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Good Effort
Brand Flakes for Breakfast
Darryl Ohrt reviews Wal-Mart’s recently launched Facebook application, which offers college roommates the chance to meet up online to decide on décor for their dorm room together. Darryl praises the effort, and notes that many companies haven’t bothered to reach out via Facebook (or any social networking sites) at all; Wal-Mart’s commitment to getting online is commendable. He questions how well they know their audience, however, and thinks they should focus more on the conversation. “Forgetting that your audience of college kids are smart. And cynical. Why not turn the conversation into the focal point? Talk "green", talk economics of walmart, and ask ‘what can we do different?’”

The Internet Never Forgets
Online Public Relations Thoughts
Noting the scandals currently plaguing Sen. Larry Craig and football star Michael Vick, Jim Horton ponders the idea that the Internet is incapable of forgetting human failures. Get mired in one scandal that spreads across the Internet, and spend the rest of your days living it down. Jim thinks the key to protecting reputations of the future is to build as much positive online information as possible—even if it is forced to coexist beside that which we’d just as soon forget. “In this light, the internet is the modern scarlet letter that hangs on reputation and doesn't allow forgiveness. As individuals and organizations understand the internet's persistence, there will be efforts to wipe out the past (which have started) followed by deeper concern for reputation from the outset, which has yet to begin.”

Hits vs. Sales
Communications Overtones
In a thoughtful examination of the impact of viral video, Kami Huyse wonders what the true goal of online media undertakings should be. That is, when Mentos launched its wildly popular MentosIntern.com site earlier this year, was the desired outcome just the millions of hits the site received? Obviously not, the point was to raise awareness of the product, which would ultimately drive sales. “Which brings me to a final point, which is that a good campaign has goals that measure outcomes, not outputs. In the end, a successful campaign has nothing to do with how many "friends" you have on Facebook, or how many "followers" on Twitter, but rather on how many of these are converted to a more positive attitude about your product or service that leads to a behavioral change - namely, that they buy the product or contribute to the cause.”

So You Think You Can Blog?
Disruptive Conversations
Think you have what it takes to blog? Dan York reminds us that blogging is easy, but keeping the blog going with interesting content can be tough for those who aren’t natural writers. He argues that blogging will come easily and naturally only to those who truly love to write, and gives a history of his own love of writing and blogging. Dan is quick to point out, however, that not loving to write doesn’t mean you can’t blog, it just may be a little more difficult. “Let's face it... starting a blog is trivial.  Keeping a blog going takes a good bit of work.  It helps tremendously if you have this compulsion to tell stories... if you are driven to communicate... if you love to write.”

You've got a (or 24,817) Friend
Micro Persuasion
This is a meme that’s been circulating a bit lately: what does it mean to be a friend? Are we forced to change the definition with the advent of online “friending?” Are there any other grammar nerds horrified by the fact that the word friend is apparently becoming a verb? Steve Rubel remarks on the changing nature of the definition of friendship. “I am friends with people in social networks from other countries. Technology makes that possible. On the other hand, these same technologies enable anyone to add me as a friend, even though we've never met. It leaves me all confused about what friendship will look like in 10 years. It seems like it's declining in quality, even as technology scales it in quantity and helps our networks spread far and wide. What's your view?”