CustomScoop's PR Blog Jots

How many tools does it take to communicate? (And other PR Blog Jots)

Multiple Channels

Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Jeremiah posts the responses to his single tweet, asking “@everyone quick, count the many tools you’ve communicated over today. Twitter, FB, blog, email (personal and work), phone, cell =7.” The variety of tools we are using to communicate daily is increasing, and the responses to Jeremiah’s question reinforce this observation. He points out that his network consists of early adopters, but as such it raises the question: will this be overwhelming when these tools move from the early adopters to majority users?

Don't Label Me!

PR Squared

In a thoughtful guest post responding to Tom Foremski’s call to have all news releases labeled “Not for Distribution by News Aggregators,” Shift’s Chris Iafolla argues that this perhaps goes too far. In addition to challenging the notion that journalists are without any inherent bias, he hits the heart of the issue by pointing out: “I do appreciate the need to uphold ethical business practices.  But, Tom's intended goal (in his own words) is to "allow people to make their own judgment on the quality of the content."   By putting a disclaimer across the top that says our purpose is to promote a product, are we not cheapening the message contained in that release?  In effect, we would be removing any hope of allowing a consumer to judge the quality of the content because we are telling them up front that we have a hidden agenda.”

Just *don't* do it...

The Bad Pitch Blog

Kevin posts on the continued fallout from Wired’s Chris Anderson’s decision to publish the email addresses of PR practitioners who have sent him unsolicited releases. He encourages PR pros to learn from this, stating: “Follow the discussion this one post has created. Print out all of these posts. And the next time you are asked/told/encouraged/instructed to mass pitch, push this stack of vitriol across the table as just one reason you shouldn't mass pitch.”

How many tools does it take to communicate? (And other PR Blog Jots)

Multiple Channels

Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Jeremiah posts the responses to his single tweet, asking “@everyone quick, count the many tools you’ve communicated over today. Twitter, FB, blog, email (personal and work), phone, cell =7.” The variety of tools we are using to communicate daily is increasing, and the responses to Jeremiah’s question reinforce this observation. He points out that his network consists of early adopters, but as such it raises the question: will this be overwhelming when these tools move from the early adopters to majority users?

Don't Label Me!

PR Squared

In a thoughtful guest post responding to Tom Foremski’s call to have all news releases labeled “Not for Distribution by News Aggregators,” Shift’s Chris Iafolla argues that this perhaps goes too far. In addition to challenging the notion that journalists are without any inherent bias, he hits the heart of the issue by pointing out: “I do appreciate the need to uphold ethical business practices.  But, Tom's intended goal (in his own words) is to "allow people to make their own judgment on the quality of the content."   By putting a disclaimer across the top that says our purpose is to promote a product, are we not cheapening the message contained in that release?  In effect, we would be removing any hope of allowing a consumer to judge the quality of the content because we are telling them up front that we have a hidden agenda.”

Just *don't* do it...

The Bad Pitch Blog

Kevin posts on the continued fallout from Wired’s Chris Anderson’s decision to publish the email addresses of PR practitioners who have sent him unsolicited releases. He encourages PR pros to learn from this, stating: “Follow the discussion this one post has created. Print out all of these posts. And the next time you are asked/told/encouraged/instructed to mass pitch, push this stack of vitriol across the table as just one reason you shouldn't mass pitch.”

Battle of the Brands

Battle of the Brands
Brand Flakes for Breakfast
Is a parent company responsible for maintaining message parity throughout its brands? Darryl Ohrt examines an interesting mashup of one of the recent Dove Campaign for Real Beauty spots. The producer of the mashup clearly thinks that Dove’s parent company, Unilever, doesn’t exactly practice what it preaches. Unilever also owns Axe, a sort of “Dove for men” line of soaps and colognes, which runs numerous ads featuring women as sex objects, something the Dove campaign clearly opposes. Is this a problem for Unilever, or is the fact that Axe and Dove are two very different brands who happened to share a holding company an excuse for the apparent hypocrisy? “Granted - separate brand teams, probably separate agencies - and likely entirely separate companies, outside of the Unilever holding company status. But if you're going to take a strong positioning against sexy advertising...well, you might want to look into your own back yard first.”

Social Media Overload and Your Personal Brand
Personal Branding Blog
Dealing with the nearly endless array of social networks flooding the Web, how do we sift through and discover the networks that will best benefit our personal brand? Dan Schwabel examines the issue, noting that with full-time jobs and personal lives, there is really only so much time we can dedicate to the often tedious process (bacn, adding the same contacts repeatedly, etc) of managing our social networks. I agree with his idea that you should stick with the big ones, but want to stress not to rule out some of the niche networks. The best advice is to determine your goals and find the networks that best meet those goals. “We join networks to solve certain problems and we hear about them through word-of-mouth marketing. In general, if you can’t pinpoint a reason to join one of these networks, then you are wasting your time. It is a better and more productive use of your time to stick to the ‘usual suspects.’”

17 Ways to Tweet Better
What’s Next Blog
Participating in social media requires interesting content. Not everything has to be the next blockbuster viral sweeping the web (and trust me, it won’t be), but if you can’t raise the interest of your target audience, you’re not going to get far in achieving your social media goals. This aspect may make using Twitter wisely challenging for some people; how can a person be compelling with only 140 characters to work with? BL Ochman offers up some great tips in effectively using Twitter without boring the pants off your followers. “Some people consistently write Twitter posts that inform, break news, engage, or raise thoughtful questions. Others tell us what they’re having for lunch or when they’re going to work out. Or what cute thing their cat is doing now. Yawn. Here are some winning practices of top Tweeters.”

Is it All About the Benjamins? (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Lessons from PodCamp Boston
Six Pixels of Separation
During a terrific weekend at PodCamp Boston 2 (I will be posting extensively about it on my various blogs myself in the coming days), blogger and podcaster Mitch Joel reflected on the future of the un-conference. He questions those who’ve expressed concern over the corporate sponsorship of PodCamp, pointing to the multitude of interesting and informative sessions presented free-of-charge by some great speakers as a result of those corporate sponsors. The idea of money hung in the air throughout the conference as participants wondered about the future monetization of social media, podcasting in particular. The monetization issue was a major topic of discussion and debate, and one with no easy answers. “Podcasting (for most people, including me) is a hobby. It's not clear where the money is (or if there ever will be any). It is clear that those who are Podcasting are quickly being acknowledged as recognized authorities. That Podcasting is a great Marketing channel to start relationships, to start helping people by clarifying ideas, and a great way to get your name out there to a select group.”

Causing PR Crisis from Real Life Crisis
Common Sense PR
The foolishness on display from whomever was in charge of FEMA’s wildfires presser (that they scheduled at the last minute and ingeniously decided to populate with their own communications staffers when invited reporters couldn’t make it) is the buzz of certain parts of the blogosphere today, with PR blogs no exception. Eric Eggerston makes the obvious point that lying is bad, but also makes the better point that if you decide to lie (which…just don’t), at least be good at it! He points out that harder you have to work to make it seem like you’re not lying, the more obvious your lie probably is. “I can just imagine the discussion happening at FEMA. ‘We want to look like incompetent boobs. Postponing until the media can get here might make us look competent. Let’s destroy any remaining shred of credibility we have by having staffers throw softball questions at Our Glorious Spokesperson, and sending out the video feed. As long as reporters and the public are mentally incompetent, we can pull this off!’”

Mmmm, Grammar, Mmm..
Copyblogger
In my continuing push to plug grammar and writing blogs in a space generally reserved for thoughts on public relations and marketing, I heartily applaud this rundown of common blogging punctuation mistakes (Mistake’s? No!) from David Sccoco. While we all (hopefully) grasp (though sometimes I wonder) the basics of grammar, spelling, and good writing, punctuation can be trickier. Comma splices, misused apostrophes and hyphens, overabundant punctuation marks and other mistakes can be just as damaging to your credibility as a spelling error. This post is a must-read, and based on the 48 (and counting) comments, I’m not alone in loving it. “When the comma is used to separate independent clauses, there must be a conjunction connecting them. If the conjunction is not there, we have a comma splice. You can fix this mistake by using a period instead of the comma, or by adding a coordinating conjunction.”

Blogsuits?
Marketing Conversations
The only thing surprising about the recent story regarding lawsuits over postings on blogs or message boards is that there haven’t been more of them. The blogosphere’s freewheeling, self-governing atmosphere lends itself easily to attacks on others, and when others feel attacked, they will often respond, sometimes legally (one of the suitors of the “Washingtonienne” famously sued the blogger after she posted about their affair on her site). Kevin Donlan examines the corporate implications of the legal issues surrounding blogging, with tips from a First Amendment lawyer on how to avoid getting into hot water. Some of them seem a bit strident, but it never hurts to remember to use common sense and good judgment when blogging. “The Internet is allowing more and more people to exercise their First Amendment rights, and companies and individuals alike are recognizing this and fighting back in the courtroom over what can and cannot be said over the net. Lawyers have had to become much more internet savvy over the years, but as they have, a great deal of business has been generated from internet related cases. As we move into the future of blogging, look for alot more “high-profile” blog related cases to arise…”

CustomScoop's PR PodJots

Welcome to CustomScoop's PR PodJots, our weekly analysis of the PR and marketing podosphere. This week, we welcome back Michael Seaton of The Client Side podcast, in a discussion of what goes into the client-agency relationship in marketing.

The Client Side – Exploring the Agency—Client Relationship

This week marks the return of the Client Side podcast, and Michael Seaton explores the relationships between clients and agencies. Naturally, (as you can tell from the name of the show) Michael takes on the client side of the relationship, wondering if the responsibility for maintaining good relations is solely that of the agency. What can the client do to ensure the relationship stays strong?

A recent study shows that less than 20 percent of companies are happy with their ad agencies. So what seems to be the problem? Michael cites an article in Ad Age highlighting the longstanding relationships built between certain agencies and their best clients. He questions what the fundamentals of a long term partnership may be, comparing the relationship to a marriage. Competition has grown fierce, and the pressure to remain on the cutting edge can drive a wedge between even the best agencies and their clients.

Michael thinks that the metrics have changed, as there are dozens of choices for marketing clients; it’s not just TV/print/radio anymore. He examines how to cut through the clutter facing clients and focus on building a trusting relationship with your clients.

Around the PR Podcast Horn (in alphabetical order):

Disruptive Dialogue – CustomScoop CEO Chip Griffin interviews Brian Oberkirch this week, discussing tech startups. Brian’s recent post about starting a tech company outside of Silicon Valley inspired the chat. Chip and Brian cover the particulars of web startups, and whether Silicon Valley companies look to build companies just to sell them, while entrepreneurs are often looking to build a company that can last.

FIR #286 and #287 – On Monday’s show this week, an Internetless Neville and an international Shel (he’s in Denmark) field reports from Lee Hopkins, check in on the PRSA international conference, and the troubles of changing blogging platforms. On Thursday’s episode, they talk Facebook and Microsoft (is the platform really worth $15 billion?), a report from Dan York (whose blog recently landed him a new job), and more.

Inside PR – Terry Fallis and David Jones discuss client communications plans on Inside PR this week (one of the best elements of this very informative show is its tendency to focus on “regular” public relations issues, rather than focusing entirely on social media elements). They can be as different as the professionals putting them together, and while many shops use a template to set out their specific goals for each new client, Terry prefers plans that are custom built to meet a client’s needs. He generally puts in specific headings in his plans, including goals, strategic considerations, target audiences, strategy, key message points, timing and budget in this plans, and the pair discusses each element of the plan in-depth.

Jaffe Juice – In his newly rebranded podcast this week, Joe Jaffe discusses his book, "Join the Conversation," and his efforts to Bum Rush the charts at Amazon.com. He also gives a recap of his recent DMA workshops on blogging and podcasting, and introduces a series of conversations, beginning with going “green” as a corporate entity.

Marketing Over Coffee – Two podcasters I am looking forward to seeing and learning from at PodCamp Boston this weekend, John Wall and Chris Penn, discuss (as usual) a wide variety of topic over coffee in their episode this week. In particular, it’s a rather kid-friendly episode this week, as they cover topics from Club Penguin to Hannah Montana, and discuss how virtual communities are targeting children.

Marketing Martini – Interested in purchasing a new domain name? Marketing Martini host Bill Sweetman discusses Traffic EAST 2007, the domain name industry conference. He interviews Moniker.com CEO Monte Cahn about the world’s largest domain name auction. Cahn says that domain names can go for as little as a few hundred dollars to several hundred thousand, to other brand names that can be worth millions.

On the Record – Eric Schwartzman interviewed PR blogger Kami Huyse at the PRSA International Conference in Philadelphia this year. Kami discusses her efforts surrounding the PRSA’s official blog. The conversation covers online analytics and measurement, a topic frequently discussed on Kami’s blog and of great interest to many clients. Kami also talks about using social media to improve communications throughout an organization.

PRobecast – In the latest episode of the Topaz Partners podcast, Doug Haslam, Tim Allik and Adam Zand discuss popular marketing blogger BL Ochman’s pitching tips following some recent pitching atrocities she’s encountered. They also touch on a host of other good stuff, everything from trade shows, the Red Sox world series hopes, and politicians’ use of PR and social media.

The Rundown – In the second episode of his new podcast, Luke Armour welcomes Nettie Hartsock. Luke and Nettie discuss the particulars of being an online publicist in the literary world. Nettie uses her history as an Internet journalist to help get the most of web exposure for her PR clients. She thinks the journalists and PR pros work together to put together great stories.

Six Pixels of Separation – Mitch Joel welcomes blogger, podcaster, and crayon president Joe Jaffe to the program. They discuss Jaffe’s new book, Join the Conversation, and Jaffe’s plans to “Bum Rush the Charts,” as he encouraged his friends in the social media community to purchase copies of his book on Amazon, driving his tome to the top of the Amazon rankings. They also discuss Life After the 30-second Spot, and the recent name change of Jaffe’s popular podcast.

Does PR Need Some Sex Education? (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Will Advertisers Take Over Social Media?
POP! PR Jots
“Public relations vs. marketing” is an age-old battle, and Jeremy Pepper not only sees that battle spreading to social media, he predicts the marketers will win. Slick, sexy campaigns will blind clients to the importance of community building, and they will begin to see the “community” more like a “commodity.” Jeremy argues that PR ignored the web in the early days, losing the corporate web sites to marketers and advertising campaigns when they could have used it to spread positive messages about their companies. In order to win, he recommends education programs for social media in every PR firm, and an emphasis on community building (while some of the commenters also argue that PR needs a bit more sex appeal to compete with sex-obsessed marketers). “The reality is that it does not matter if PR, advertising and social media are all marketing communications - what matters is who is going to get control of social media, and make it right for clients and the agencies. In my view, it should be public relations because social media is very public and socially oriented. You cannot just pop in there and try to be part of the community, to never return again.”

Snack Time
Web Strategy By Jeremiah
I like to think of PR Blog Jots as a media snack. I imagine a big chunk of our readers are those who don’t have the time that day to sift through their feeds, and just want to read a few very good posts that hopefully cover some of the major happenings out there in the PR and social media blogosphere. Jeremiah Owyang wonders if media snackers, those digesting small chunks of data at a time and then moving on, get enough respect from bloggers or social media professionals who are up to their necks in new media for the bulk of their day. He lists the ways he tries to respect the time-strapped among us, and the ways he may not. Do you respect the media snacker? “Keeping my blog posts tight and concise, I need to work on that more, I’m known for excessive writing, and it likely scares people off. I also publish too frequently, which is also not respecting your time, as I get busier at work, that will naturally change.”

Red Cross, Disasters, and Social Media
Communications Overtones
In yesterday’s Jots, I linked to a post from Fleet Street PR pointing out all the ways that California could be using new media to communicate information regarding the wildfire situation better. Today, Kami Huyse reports on the efforts of the Red Cross to do just that. The venerable relief organization has set up a Twitter feed for minute-by-minute updates, allowed people to log into the Safe and Well Website using a cell phone, and set up a del.icio.us account dedicated to post information from the media. The Red Cross is also making it very easy to donate money to help relieve the victims of the fire, and Kami urges us all to spread the word. “Steal this post and put it up on your own blog (no credit necessary).  There is nothing like viral word of mouth to make this campaign a success and to help support the people that have lost so much to this fire.”

The CEO Blog Debate
DIGtrends
At the second Social Media Breakfast earlier this month, Larry Weber made the somewhat controversial claim that CEOs shouldn’t necessarily be blogging—he thinks the blogging efforts should be coming from lower-level employees in the thick of the action rather than the C-suite. Was he right? Kevin of Digital Influence Group (of which Larry Weber is chairman) tends to agree, arguing that just because social media has given anyone the ability to blog, doesn’t mean that they should. And shouldn’t a CEO of a major company be concering himself with more important matters? I think it depends on the company. “As most bloggers know, it’s about the conversation not just generating content. I for one would rather have my CEO talking with potential customers and creating corporate strategy then writing thought leadership posts to educate and entertain the industry or commenting on posts about the latest shiny object and how it will lead us to the Web 3.0 promise land.”

"R"OI (and Other PR Blog Jots)

What's Your "R"?
Conversation Agent
Many bloggers wave off the idea of ranking lists, even the venerable Power 150, as unnecessary link-bait, and pay no mind to Google Rank (except perhaps privately…). Some might argue that placement on these lists and a high Google ranking represent the “R” in “ROI.” But does ROI always have to mean big numbers? Really, according to Valeria Maltoni, that “R” is pretty subjective, meaning something different to individual bloggers. Perhaps it’s the relationships you’ve been able to build through your blog, despite its small audience numbers. Or maybe it’s just the chance to become a better writer and communicator. Valeria wants to know, what’s your R? “I really light up when I have deeper conversations with like minded people who may stumble upon one of my posts and decide to stick around and meet the person and vice versa, I love discovering well written and thoughtful resources and getting to know the author(s). Red carpet treatment for people who share ideas in the comments.”

Scaredy Cats
The Buzz Bin
When it comes to social media, what are we so afraid of? Geoff Livingston argues that slow adoption of social media practices and strategies on the corporate level can almost all be linked to fear. Be it loss of message control, negative feedback (beware of troll), legal concerns (beware of troll, and also lawyer), or maybe just a plain old fear of change. If a company has based their entire business model, for example, on flying beneath the radar, adjusting to “Social Media: Land of Transparency!” might not be the easiest undertaking. In the end, however, Geoff thinks that corporate America’s competitive nature will win out. “Competition will eventually force most companies to adapt social media tools, but it’s going to take time. And we who have already adapted need to be patient. The role of the social media savvy is not to chastise these folks, but to help them. I’ve called it evangelism, but perhaps the right word is coaching.”

New Media Crisis Communications: The California Wildfires
Fleet Street PR
In wake of the terrible, tragic shooting at Virginia Tech earlier this year, I began seeing many blog posts regarding how new media might have been beneficial for crisis communicators working with the school to get necessary information out to the media and to students and families. New media’s ability to reach out in a crisis in ways mainstream outlets cannot separates it from the pack. Dave Fleet highlights the many ways that the California mainstream media outlets are using web tools to communicate through the very real crisis of the wildfires raging in the state. He also makes numerous recommendations at what the state itself could do better, recommending using its web resources more effectively. “Why didn't California take the bull by the horns and turn its own site into a communications hub during the crisis? Why not do what the news outlets did and use this technology to provide up-to-the-minute updates?”

Who, What, When, Where?
A Shel of my Former Self
Frustrated with the number of conferences that pass him by unpublicized, Shel Holtz asks a very timely question: why isn’t there a wiki-calendar for social media events and conferences worldwide? We may both be missing it, along with some other bloggers asking the same question, but it doesn’t appear there is a central location online to find out information on upcoming social media conferences. Hopefully, many others will link to this post and sound the alarm, let’s get a calendar together, assuming there is not one already. “What would be great, we agreed, is a single calendar somewhere listing all the upcoming social media conferences. I can’t find one (so if you know of one, please point me to it), so can we start one? I’ll be happy to set up a wiki if others think this is a good idea—and I’m open to alternative means of organizing a collaborative effort to list all these upcoming events (such as Podcamp Boston, BlogWorld, the list goes on...)”

Laughter Through Tears (and Other PR Blog Jots)

It's (not) Funny Because it's True
Common Sense PR
Wired covered an admittedly hilarious “tool” called the Web 2.0 B.S. Generator, inspired by the insipid language engorging crappy press releases throughout the land. Eric Eggerston rightly points out that while it’s pretty funny to make fun of the glut of poorly crafted releases, once you realize how ubiquitous they are (and how on the money tools like the B.S. generator are), it’s maybe just a bit less funny and a bit more pathetic. I’ve banged the bad writing drum repeatedly, but it increasingly feels like shouting at the rain. Eric offers up a tongue-in-cheek solution: find a way to make money out of “de-jargoning” the press release. It’s so crazy it just might work. “Now if we can get a Web 2.0 startup to monetize the dejargonization of business semantic tag clouds, we could revolutionize corporate motivation-triggers. We can call it RealSpace. Or Gabopia. Or Jabberpedia. Or Camindu! I can taste the venture capital funding already…”

Influencers 2.0
The Flack
Peter Himler examines the Hillary Clinton campaign’s decision to offer Clinton antagonist Matt Drudge an exclusive on a story regarding her fundraising prowess, going to the notorious blogger even before hitting the major outlets. The New York Times picked up the story, and the buzz flowed from there. A-list bloggers are becoming the go-to influencers for, as Peter puts it, PR pros looking for a little “kindling” for their buzz fire. “A while back, this blogger wrote about a new media pecking order in which the most influential bloggers have gained the upper-hand for setting the national news agenda -- in spite of fickle audiences spawning in a 24/7 news flow. From Arrington to Huffington to Levin (and even Drudge, if you must): if you're not cultivating those A-list RSS-fueled journos that operate in your client's space, you soon may be guilty of PR malpractice.”

Doing the Hulu
Marketing Conversations
In the past, I’ve been baffled when major networks, movie studios and other media outlets have balked at their content appearing on YouTube. YouTube has essentially served as free advertising to each network’s target audience. If they see a clip on YouTube and think it’s funny, doesn’t logic indicate that user will be more likely to check out what other content the outlet has to offer? Yes, I understand the copyright implications, but I don’t view the content on YouTube instead of my regular viewing, if anything it enhances it. Seeing an old SNL sketch might inspire me to check out the latest season to see what’s up; YouTube to me represents free buzz. That being said, I must grudgingly admit that NBC has the right idea in pulling all their content from other online sources (including iTunes) and setting up shop for their own online video channel, Hulu. Jonathan Trenn argues that it shows YouTube’s vulnerability in the online video marketplace. “On YouTube, someone can watch 10 minutes of something and then hop over to a video of a guy picking his nose.  NBC will essentially own their traffic.  They can measure it better, the can monetize it better.  They’ll be able to create greater brand affinity and loyal communities of interest.  The ROI could be excellent.  The model is unproven at this point, but so is YouTube.”

One Aggregator to Rule them All (and Other PR Blog Jots)

My Kingdom for an Aggregator
Brand Flakes for Breakfast
To me, this has always been one of the biggest kinks in the armor of social media—what if you just don’t have enough time to belong to 38 social networks and keep them all constantly updated? What if you don’t feel like Digging everything you tag in del.icio.us? Isn’t it all sometimes just a bit much? Darryl Ohrt examines the possibility of One Aggregator to manage everything, and streamline the process. I for one can’t wait for a good one to come along, and perhaps make my networking efforts just a little less daunting in the morning. “Aggregation will be a part of the solution, but I fear that it's going to be necessary to limit the amount of content we consume, too. I've sadly nearly eliminated books from my life. No time. Replaced by RSS and other media. Aggregation can allow us to consume more, faster - but there's still a limit to the amount of media that a human can ingest.”

Can you Digg It?
Twist Image
Digg has become a powerful force in media and marketing, and Mitch Joel isn’t sure that’s such a good development. He worries that by allowing the consumer to take on the role of editor, deciding which news is the most important, marketers may overlook the consumers that prefer to get their news the old-fashioned way. Mitch worries that by appointing the consumers as the editorial board, we overlook the professionals who are far more experienced in culling what’s important from the myriad newsworthy events around the globe each day. “Marketers needs to embrace the people who like to submit and vote on news as much as those who like to be informed by items that have a strong editorial vetting process. There are those that are very engaged, and there are those who want someone to engage them. Marketers need to appeal to both types of consumers... understanding that they are very different beasts.”

Get Ready for PodCamp
Chris Brogan
PodCamp Boston 2 is on the horizon, a scant three days away. Are you prepared? Some people find social networking situations rather difficult, particularly if they are not a naturally outgoing or gregarious person who feels at ease surrounded by 1,200 Internet geeks (1,200! Can you believe it? I can’t wait.). In preparation for the kickoff, Chris Brogan lists out some advice on how best to get through the weekend without descending into a social anxiety attack, and it’s advice everyone should read, even those of us who aren’t exactly shy. After all, it never hurts to brush up on your networking techniques in an age when real life relationships have become essential to business. Perhaps you can put Chris’ advice to the test at the Social Media Breakfast 3 taking place at PodCamp on Saturday. “FOR PEOPLE AFRAID AND SHY: It’s okay to use “life raft” friends to move and meet new folks. But at PodCamp, we LOVE people, and you have permission to pretend to be un-shy in small doses.”

Humanity Helps PR?
The Buzz Bin
The CustomScoop blog covered this issue last week as well, but I think Michele Capots has an interesting take: Zappos, an online shoe store, sent flowers to a customer upon learning of her mother’s death. Some major blogs have been buzzing with the good word-of-mouth the action earned Zappos, including Seth Godin and Consumerist. (The tale reminds me a bit of the inadvertent PR that Valeria Maltoni is reporting about Silly String, which is being used by soldiers in Iraq to hunt for hidden bomb trip wires. The company didn’t plan it, but they’re getting some accidental PR and business boost.) Michele argues that while Zappos’ move was probably a combination of humanity and PR, shouldn’t humanity always be in PR? If companies were smart, they would include deeply personal touches in all their marketing efforts. “As a result of their actions, and the customer placing her story on the blog, this is the best type of pr. It’s the kind of stuff that people will remember them for, and when it comes to pr, that’s what you want.”

Calling Jerry Remy (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Mainstream Outlet Gets Twitter Right
Canuckflack
Brilliant! Just last night, during my hours-long Tweet-a-thon of the final game of the Red Sox/Indians ALCS, Dan York wondered if ESPN or another outlet was providing live Tweets of the game for Twitter users who couldn’t be near a television. ESPN does indeed have several Twitter accounts, most of which are rarely updated. Wouldn’t that have been a great opportunity for them? Colin McKay praises the BBC for embracing Twitter, and setting up two of its reporters covering the Rugby World Cup with accounts to add to their existing coverage. It’s the best use of Twitter from a major media outlet I’ve seen yet; I could only hope that some of my favorite local sports journalists would follow suit, and spice up the upcoming World Series coverage. “And the BBC has done a very smart job of integrating their Twitter messages into the overall reporting package. Tom Fordyce and Ben Dirs are “blogging their way around France in a camper van,” as the BBC tells us. In addition to blogging and twittering, they are posting pictures to flickr. Twitter seems a perfect application for sports reporting, especially in a high profile game like the Rugby World Cup final.”

How To Eat an Elephant
Communications Overtones
My father complains regularly to me about being entirely unable to brag about me to his friends, or send them blog posts I’ve written, because he doesn’t understand what I do and never has even the slightest idea what I’m talking about on my various blogs. Dad is a smart guy, so this is always an important reminder that many, many folks out there still don’t comprehend the value of social media, even those in public relations. To learn, they might start with Kami Huyse’s Social Media 101 post, listing links to five lessons from PRSA San Antonio, from fellow PR pro Christie Goodman. Any one of the lessons would be a helpful primer for those looking to get started in social media. “Each “assignment” can be completed in less than an hour, and each lesson can be spaced out over five months (one or two assignments a week). The best part is that there are no grades and nothing to turn in. My rationale was that if PR folk wait until they have a free week to focus on learning about social media, it’ll never happen. So I figured we could learn together one bite at a time.”

The Crisis Revolution
Crisisblogger
The concept of social media and its impact on any industry as a “revolution” has always sounded corny to me, and I’ve always balked at describing it as such. At the same time, is there really another word for it? Gerald Baron makes the case for revolution quite compellingly in his latest post, detailing the ways that social media has forever impacted, indeed revolutionized, crisis communications for businesses. Call the death of the audience, as he argues that there is no more audience to address when your company is in crisis mode, only friends. “Interactivity is the key to understanding the direction of the future in crisis communication. It is not about the audience any more. In fact, the audience concept seems headed for the dustbin of history. It is about friends. It is about talking directly to one or millions individually and at the same time. You say it can’t be done? I say it must and will be done.”

Do As I Blog
PR Blogger
After Paull Young raised the call for young PR bloggers to offer three do’s and don’ts for his upcoming Podcamp Boston presentation with fellow Converseonite Christie Eubanks, Stephen Davies responds with a post examining how to use social media without embarrassing yourself (see my own contribution to the conversation in the comments on Paull’s original post). Stephen advises newbies quite well, aiming to keep a balance between personality and reputation protection. We line up exactly on the call for originality and personality, despite worries about Google. “Just because you are easily google-able it doesn’t mean you’ve got to be seen as a square. Everyone who has some sort of online presence - be it on a blog, MySpace or Facebook is ‘image building’. Let your online presence be an extension of your real personality.”