PR 2.0: March 2007

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Geoff Livingston Interviews Me for Diary of an Ad Man



I recently conducted an interview with Geoff Livingston who authors the well known blog, "Diary of an Ad Man."

We covered a wide range of hot topics including PR 2.0, Silicon Valley vs. the rest of the world, Web 2.0, the future bust, Social Media, Media 2.0, Corporate Blogging, and how to fix the PR industry.

It not an easy discussion on any of these fronts, but it definitely ignites thinking and also warrants several individual posts.

Here's the intro:

Brian Solis Sheds Light on PR 2.0

Sometimes you conduct an interview, and you realize the subject Really Gets It. Brian Solis, author of the popular PR 2.0 blog, has given some brilliant answers to the very real issues of PR in the new media era, corporate blogging, and the 2.0 trend in general. With strong statements like, “In the game of social media, PR is not invited to the party,” and the logic to back it up, here are Brian’s thoughts…

Update: Story picked-up in the UK, "Introducing the exception that proves the rule...Here's an American speaking sense! "



Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Extending My Support to Kathy Sierra, Maryam Scoble, and All Victims of Threats and Bashing



I can add nothing that hasn’t been said in the worldwide, frightening
discussion regarding the death threats made to Kathy Sierra and the unnecessary bashing of Maryam Scoble and other bloggers through hate posts and comments.

It is absolutely sickening that anyone would have to live life afraid of leaving their own home or have their brilliance silenced because their health is severely affected by fear.

Anonymity is unfortunately a cloak of courage which shrouds some people with a false-sense of power.

Michael Arrington
says, “In some ways, I see it as a cost to doing business. But if you find yourself making anonymous attack comments that may be going overboard, ask yourself if you really want to be causing people the kind of pain that Kathy is going through. And then just stop.”

Robert Scoble takes a firm
stance, “We should be safe from death threats and other sexual attacks…especially from other bloggers. So, since she doesn’t feel safe. I’m going to stop blogging [for the week] in support of Kathy…We have to fix this culture. For the next week, let’s discuss how.”


Sunday, March 25, 2007

Journalism is not Dead, but Newspapers are Dying

RIP Newspapers

On the heels of Infoworld's news that it is shuttering its print version and shifting its business towards events and online publishing, Tim O'Reilly reports that the San Francisco Chronicle is also in dire straits.

Indeed, traditional journalism is a dead man walking, but don't confuse newspapers with news. Reporting news on the other hand, is thriving in ways never before possible thanks to blogs, communities, networks, everywhere messaging, and everything else that defines the pervasive social media landscape.

According to O'Reilly, "Phil Bronstein, the editor-in-chief, told staff in a recent emergency meeting that the news business is broken, and no one knows how to fix it." He continues, "John Markoff (of the New York Times) remarked to me recently that every time I talk to my colleagues in print journalism it feels like a wake."

Newspapers continue to struggle in the new world of Social Media or as Doc Searls calls it, the
Live Web. The blogosphere has covered this topic to mind numbing proportions over the years, but most newspaper publishers continue to place their hands over their ears chanting "la la la la, I'm not listening to you," out loud, over and over.

After all, this isn't anything new. Last year, I also
reported that the San Jose Mercury News was also suffering, laying off 101 employees with many more slated for the near future.

We live in incredible times. Everything around us is changing with frightening diligence. So, where's the adaptation and desire to keep up with consumers? It can't be chalked up to simple underestimation or conceit, can it?

Many pundits criticize traditional media for not monitoring usage patterns or evolving to keep pace with people. Yet those that do, are also
criticized for not going far enough. For example, USAToday recently found itself between two camps when it socialized its online news presence. Some loved it, others hated it. But, as I mentioned before, it is a promising glimpse of how all news will enable viewers to interact with reporters as well as other readers and peers inside USAToday.com.

It's an online world now so most people have access to news as it happens, whether it's on their desktop, notebook, or phone. And something that hasn't been discussed nearly as much, is that people also have immediate access to posting and browsing classifieds ads in the same way as news. Classifieds are the lifeblood of many newspapers.

Are journalists at fault? No, it's the businesses in which they work and the institutions where the were trained. Old school news professionals and the people running the business of traditional news need to adapt and realize that there is an incredible shift transpiring while they sit in denial. This shift is not only evident in the online statistics available to anyone who bothers to check, it is also ominously evident in the dramatic quarter-to-quarter deciline in revenue.

There's still hope though - even though many believe it may be too late, I estimate that it's better late than never. At least there's a shot at staying in the game. Journalists, with updated training, will have an edge over bloggers because they will have access to the tools that separate popularity from respect.

Dave Winer
suggests, "First, reform journalism school. It's too late to be training new journalists in the classic mode...journalism like everything else that used to be centralized is in the process of being distributed. In the future, every educated person will be a journalist, as today we are all travel agents and stock brokers."

Dave's right. This is what I've been saying all along. Just look at all of the wannabe citizen journalists and camera phone photo journalists. They're capturing news as it happens and there are plenty of platforms out there dedicated to broadcasting their news to the masses. Why not embrace them? Why not crowdsource news?

Off all the
memes out there, Doc Searls provided the most poignant steps to help save newspapers. In fact, it is the manifesto that even I wouldn't even dare to top.

1) Stop giving away the news and charging for the olds.

2) Start featuring archived stuff on the paper's website. Link back to as many of your archives as you can. Get writers in the habit of sourcing and linking to archival editorial. This will provide paths for search engine spiders to follow back in those archives as well. Result: more readers, more authority, more respect, higher PageRank and higher-level results in searches.

3) Link outside the paper. Encourage reporters and editors to write linky text. This will encourage reciprocity on the part of readers and writers who appreciate the social gesture that a link also performs.

4) Start following, and linking to, local bloggers and even competing papers (such as the local arts weeklies).

5) Start looking toward the best of those bloggers as potential stringers. Or at least as partners in shared job of informing the community about What's Going On and What Matters Around Here.

6) Start looking to citizen journalists (CJs) for coverage of hot breaking local news topics -- such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires and so on. There are plenty of people with digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones and other devices that can prove mighty handy for following stories up close and personally.

7) Stop calling everything "content". It's a bullshit word that the dot-commers started using back in the '90s as a wrapper for everything that could be digitized and put online. It's handy, but it masks and insults the true natures* of writing, journalism, photography, and the rest of what we still, blessedly (if adjectivally) call "editorial". Your job is journalism, not container cargo.

8) Uncomplicate your webistes. I can't find a single newspaper that doesn't have a slow-loading, hard-to-navigate, crapped-up home page. T

9) Get hip to the Live Web. That's the one with verbs such as write, read, update, post, author, subscribe, syndicate, feed and link. This is the part of the Web that's growing on top of the old Static Web of nouns such as site, address, location, traffic, architecure and construction.

10) publish Rivers of News for readers who use Blackberries or Treos or Nokia 770s, or other handheld Web browsers.

11) Remember the higher purpose behind the most informative writing — and therefore behind newspapers as well.

More on the subject:

Stowe Boyd
predicts, "Journalists will, yes, have to get other jobs, or figure out how to make it online."

Don
Dodge asks "Has the Internet killed newspapers, magazines, music and video?"

Robert Scoble
declares, "Newspapers are dead. The industry has NOT invested in its future. It is reaping the rewards of that. How many future journalists are being trained for the online world? I can tell you how many: zero."

Scott Karp of Publishing 2.0
says the business just needs a little imagination, "It is true that the newsPAPER business is broken. It is also incorrect that “no one knows how to fix” the news business. What the news business and the entire media business are suffering from most right now is a failure of imagination."

Matthew Ingram
ponders, "But I don’t think it advances the debate any to throw around apocalyptic pronouncements — and I say that knowing full well that many people will discount what I’m saying because I work for a provider of dead-tree media."

Digg

Netscape

Infoworld to Fold Print Edition - Will Remain Online



IDG is expected to announce that it will stop publishing the print edition of Infoworld, its enterprise-focused technology weekly magazine. Reports from Valleywag and Sam Whitmore's Media Survey also have confirmed rumors.



Infoworld has provided technical analysis and reviews on key products, solutions, and technologies for almost three decades.

This is not unlike every challenge that most tech magazines, and magazines in general, face in the current shift to online, socialized media.

In the last boom, many publications profited from the seemingly endless infusion of advertising dollars, only to eventually succumb to the markets which helped them flourish. Industry Standard, Upside, Red Herring, Line56, etc., were among the several premier titles that folded as a result of the bust.

Red Herring was brought back to life by Alex Vieux in an attempt to cash-in on the new Web 2.0 resurgence. The company, however, is running into a new set of business challenges that plague the entire print publishing industry; how to succeed when the world is shifting online for its news and information. And, it doesn't help that popular tech blogs and rapidly expanding new media empires such as TechCrunch and GigaOm are not leaving much room for profitable competitors.

A few titles from the dot com era, Wired, Fast Company, and Business 2.0, have figured it out and continue to prosper. These publication broadened and sensationalized their content for a wider business audience than the typical Silicon Valley echo chamber, running compelling, but separate, content online and in print to keep readers coming back.

For now, Infoworld will remain online, and knowing Steve Fox and Ephraim Schwartz personally, they will ensure that it continues to be a top information source for IT professionals who rely on qualified news and hands-on reviews.

Update: New voices on Infoworld shuttering its print edition
Paidcontent
Shel Israel
Scott Karp - Publishing 2.0
Matt McAlister
Jessica Guynn - SFGate
Robert Scoble

Update: San Francisco Chronicle is rumored to be in deep financial trouble per Tim O'Reilly. According to O'Reilly, "
Phil Bronstein, the editor-in-chief, told staff in a recent "emergency meeting" that the news business "is broken, and no one knows how to fix it."

Robert Scoble wrote, "
On November 18, 2005, I told San Jose State’s Journalism school that my son would never subscribe to, nor read, a newspaper. The industry has NOT invested in its future. It is reaping the rewards of that."

Digg this.


Friday, March 23, 2007

Live from Under The Radar: Why Office 2.0 Matters


I'm currently at the Under the Radar: Why Office 2.0 Matters event in Mountain View. Held at Mircosoft, we're gunning through a series of presentations and demos from some of the most promising companies advancing the Office 2.0 movement.

I'll be providing live updates from the event via Twitter.

Check the site or the badge on this site for what's happening at the event.


Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Twitter Tools - Twittervision, Twittersearch, Twitterholic



Twitter is rocking the blogosphere, and with as much heat as it has drawn, it only continues to spread like wildfire.

For better or for worse, it has quickly evolved as a micro blogging platform that lets people share much more significant thoughts and ideas, rather than their personal status (eating, going to bed, etc.).

Today, many use it has a way to spark conversations, solicit feedback, share insights, update groups of people, reference notable items, and update contacts on status.

It is "lite" blogging and represents an important shift in communication.

Now don't get me wrong, there are still jovial uses for a product like this, which can misrepresent its true capabilities. But, the edglings have embraced it, providing everyone with a window into their day-to-day workflow and persona.

Recently, I've used twitter to maintain relationships with fellow bloggers, coordinate activity, solicit feedback for posts, promote new content, share information and media, and also help "followers" track and keep up with my status. It keeps all of those I value in the know at all times - without having to update each and every one of them individually.

For all of you who are new to twitter, there are some very cool tools out there, from basic to advanced. Here are a couple worth mentioning - quickly...

Twittervision, developed by Dave Troy, is map that highlights the activity of twitter posts against a visually rich map from wherever they're sent, as it happens. If you're bored, it could become quite addictive - and fun to watch - for a bit.

Twittervision

Twittersearch, also by Dave Troy, is a very cool search engine specific to finding relevant content (perfect when you have too many friends and you need to see who's reaching out to you directly in the sea of constant updates.)

Twittersearch


Twitterholic, developed by Humidity Labs, ranks the most popular people on Twitter. Right now the minimum number to have is either 160 followers or 106 friends. Leo Laporte holds the top spot for followers with 2,907 and Robert Scoble holds the top "friends" spot with 1,042.


Twitterholic.com

If you're looking for me on twitter, I'm at http://www.twitter.com/briansolis



Sunday, March 18, 2007

Heather Harde New CEO of TechCrunch


Photo Credit: Scott Beale of Laughing Squid

Note: see below for live updates from Twitter...

Om Malik broke the news, Michael Arrington also confirmed it yesterday.

Heather Harde senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions at Fox Interactive Media has joined TechCrunch as its new CEO.

Per Arrington, "I have the pleasure of confirming the rumors Heather Harde, currently the SVP of Mergers and Acquisitions at Fox Interactive Media, will start her new job as the CEO of the TechCrunch Network (and my boss) by the end of the month."

As one can imagine, there must be more to the story than simply running the affairs of TechCrunch - other than editorial. Harde managed a $2 billion budget and was charged with strategic acquisitions for Fox Interactive and was with the company for ten years. So are there acquisitions or investments in TechCrunch's future? Perhaps a new branch - TechCrunch Ventures?

It's already widely known that Mike has stakes in several startups, and isn't terribly concerned with editorial objectivity for covering these companies.

While there are rumors that Heather might explore media acquisitions to grow the TechCrunch empire, I question whether or not the return will be as great as other "acquisitions" or potentially early seed financing for up-and-coming Web 2.0 companies.

Just think about how much it must have cost to bring her on board (well, and to keep her there). Perhaps she joins Keith Teare as the third share holder of TechCrunch.

Arrington continues, "There is a lot for her to do. She will run every aspect of our business other than editorial, which I’ll be focusing on for now. Heather’s job will be to leverage the opportunities that we have sometimes let slip by, and to manage our organic and acquisition growth going forward."

According to Ben Metcalfe, "Many are speculating that TechCrunch will expand its media empire, like Gawker Media and GigaOmniMedia, into new topic genres. However this still seems like relative peanuts for someone like Heather and so I think TechCrunch will be getting into the Venture Capital game."

I agree. If this were the case (which it might be anyway through organic growth), then Heather's resume might be a bit over qualified. Ben pointed out that Tim O’Reilly, Mr. Web 2.0, recently launched AlphaTech Ventures and if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

Mike is sharp, connected, worshiped, and ripe with opportunity to take TechCrunch into an entirely new level of influence and financial stature - while solidifying an influential future post boom.

Either way, it's a huge move for TechCrunch. I look forward to what's next.

For those looking for additional information, check Techmeme 1, 2, 3

Updates from twitter:
Robertscoble2006
Scobleizer @briansolis: TechCrunch is going big with its new CEO. I've met her and she's the real deal.

Jason2
JasonCalacanis
Congrats to arrington on new ceo @ techcrunch! Let's go big baby!!!

Scobleizer @JasonCalacanis: what would you do if you were CEO of TechCrunch?

JasonCalacanis @Scoble: a) I would partner with Calacanis 4 a conference b) I would launch 3 subscription b2b/vertical blogs/newsletters for $2,000 a year

JasonCalacanis @Scoble: Doing those two things would give you three revenue streams--which will protect you when the recession comes in Q4/Q1

JasonCalacanis
@scoble: TechCrunch could have 500-1,500 paid subs in 1year for a highend newsletter/research product. @$2k a seat that's real money

Scobleizer @briansolis: what would I do if I were CEO of TechCrunch? Hire Jason as COO. :-) Seriously, extend the TechCrunch brand via video

Steve_rubel
steverubel @jasoncalacanis Should Nick Denton buy Techrcunch?

Scobleizer @briansolis: get out of Web 2 niche and into RIA niche (hire Ryan Stewart, etc) and other tech niches. Get outside of valley more

steverubel @briansolis Techcrunch should focus on building new revenue streams that will withstand an ad recession, particularly as they add headcount.

steverubel Techcrunch also needs someone who is savvy about Madison Avenue, ideally with a presence here in NY. They need to swim upstream.

JasonCalacanis steverubel asks: Should NickDenton buy Techrcunch? Jason says: he can't afford it. Look for techcrunch to buy cnet in 2 years

Tags:

Saturday, March 17, 2007

New Marketing and PR Resources

I'm often asked where to go for information and commentary regarding new marketing and PR (the kind of stuff happening on the edge) - outside of the traditional pubs and industry rags.

There are simply too many online resources, from blogs to communities, to list here. But, here are a few places to get started.
I'll follow up with a list of PR/marketing blogs that I read regularly.

newpr.crispynews.com

NewPR is a news site for PR news and resources where users submit articles and the readers choose which stories make the headlines.

beetobee.com

BeeTooBee attempts to translate popular consumer based community voting platforms such as Digg and YouTube to businesses. Anyone can submit relevant marketing related content from articles and whitepapers, to podcasts and webinars. They can vote on content they find useful, with the most popular stories making it to the front page.

Social Media Collective

Social Media
Today is a collection of the best writing from the Social Media Collective, a diverse group of bloggers, consultants, entrepreneurs, investors, journalists, and analysts who represent the web's best thinking on social media, marketing and Web 2.0.

Media 2.0

The Media 2.0
Workgroup is a group of industry commentators, agitators and innovators who believe that the phenomena of democratic participation will change the face of media creation, distribution and consumption.

If you have others to add, please send them in...

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Social Media Release in the Spotlight Again

IMG_3885.JPG

Click "download" to read it in Word.




Here we go again, but this time the discussion is finally happening among those who can benefit from the discussion the most – the PR industry. We took the conversation offlline to convince PR to be more effective with press releases first, before they can worry about the “why, how, when, and where” related to social media releases.

I recently spoke at the New Communications Forum on the
now controversial topic of the Social Media Release aka hrelease aka New Media Release as part of the panel that comprised of those most vocal about it - Todd Defren (the man behind the SMPR template), Tom Foremski (the journalist that started it all), and Chris Heuer (the social media evangelist who is bringing everyone together). Laura Sturaitis from BusinessWire and George Vazquez of PRNewswire also joined the discussion.

The goal of this panel was to deliver clarity and understanding to the critics and those generally confused about what the hell we’re talking about and what we’re trying to accomplish. This was, after all, one of the largest conferences dedicated to helping PR people understand new media, Social Media, and other online tools, and how to use - and not use - them in practice. And yes, this could be an entirely separate discussion.

Back to the panel.

I will start by saying that we didn’t really do the best job because we left attendees with more questions than answers. We were also sidetracked into an irrelevant discussion of wire pricing and disclosure, which monopolized the discussion. (Wire services should take note: there is a genuine hate/hate relationship with you. Drop your prices!)

Let’s start with the questions that were raised onsite and in the blogosphere:

What’s wrong with press releases as is?
How do we make it more affordable to cross on the wire?
How do social media releases comply with Reg FD? (It shouldn’t, move on.)
Where are the case studies?
Why don’t we get more input from journalists on what they want?
Why does it need to be socialized?

Look, I’m of the belief that most of the PR people shouldn’t even think about dabbling in the world of Social Media until they do much more than simply learn about it. In my opinion, they first need to determine what they stand for before they can even think about social media releases. But, there are some that are genuinely capable of participating.

Let’s start with what a Social Media Release is not…

It’s not a magic pill to cure the ills of the traditional press releases
It’s not about RegFD and disclosure
It’s not exclusively for journalists
It’s not designed to replace a press release
It was not created as a cash cow so that PR can create new value for itself
It’s not the same as a new media or multimedia release as advertised by wire services

And, here are the kickers…

It’s not at all about using a template, it was never meant to be…the original was designed to help explain how/where to start
It should NEVER cross a wire
And, it’s not about BULLSHIT or SPIN

Oh yeah…I just said that.

You know what it is? It’s a bigger discussion about sharing official news in way that reaches people (which should include bloggers and journalists too) with the information that matters to them, in the ways that they use to digest and in turn share with others through text, links, images, video, bookmarks, tags, etc., while also giving them the ability interact with you directly or indirectly. It also helps new people find the information in different ways. All this, without the BS.

We don’t need focus groups to ask journalists what they want. We already know that most reporters despise the press release - that should come as no shock to people, yet it always seems to.

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.

This changes the landscape and definitely reinforces the notion that one press release no longer serves all. You can still send a release to journalists, and at the end of the day, if you customize your story for different markets and the people within them, then you can only increase WOMM.

If you look back to Foremski's
original post, he says nothing about adding social elements, only media resources (links) and relevant information in a concise format (without being "spintastic.")

Wire services are expensive, and if you look at the very root of an SMR, I suggest that it has no place on a wire - it goes against the very premise of social media.

Wires already offer SEO advantages to traditional press releases that enable them to also reach users through search marketing in addition to journalists. I believe that SMRs can also reach people directly, but through different channels.

But, if you write a good release/s (almost as if it was the story you'd want to read in the press) with new media elements, such as integrated resource links, video, images, etc. (and lite social elements such as del.
icio.us and Digg), the release would enjoy more success with journalists and readers in general and will most likely cost no more than what you do today. Plus, it will have SEO benefits.

Now, if you created a dedicated blog-like platform, for example, and distribute your information in a genuine and hype-free way, that distribution channel, by default, is already socially-enabled. It is a recognized mechanism for socializing information simply by the way it is constructed with integrated comments, RSS feeds, social bookmarking, trackbacks, tags, etc. It shouldn't look like a press release, but it should provide what's new in a conversational, informative and resourceful format.

This does require an entirely new approach, but unlike traditional releases, if written the right way, it can engage readers in a way never before possible. But first, you have to know what you’re talking about and why it matters to those you’re trying to reach.

Maybe I have a different vision for a social media release, but I don't see it ever targeting journalists per se, and I absolutely don't believe it belongs on the wire. But, I guarantee you this, just by thinking about what you want to say, what you should say, distilling it in a way that matters to the people who read it, and provide links, resources, and other forms of telling the story, you will have greater traction with reporters, bloggers, and customers, whether social or not.

And let's not forget that nothing replaces relationships.

Here's a bit more on the subject:

Don’t Kill the Press Release, Shoot the
Messenger

Forrester's Josh Bernoff recommends using your brain


When Will We Afford a Social Media Release - Kari Hanson

Social Media News Release: The Right Tool for the
Job? – Kami Huyse

The social media release: the jury’s still out - Joseph Thornley (Who’s the jury?)

Social media release panel at the NewComm Forum - Mike Keliher

NewCommForum: The Social Media Press
Release – Chip Griffin




Sunday, March 11, 2007

twitter is instant "anywhere" messaging

twitter

twitter is the message heard around the world - so to speak or so to read.

It's an incredible phenomenon that is spreading faster than online parodies of Snakes on a M F Plane...and in my opinion, it has to be the fastest growing social tool out there right now.

It's everywhere, anywhere messaging so that you can stay in touch with friends, fans, stalkers, and associates whether on the Web, instant messaging, or through text messaging. Each update is broadcast simultaneously to your "friends" and "followers" so that the conversation can travel across borders and oceans faster than any blog post.

While the usual tech pundits are all over twitter, there are also some very interesting people that realize the reach of today's social tools. One such user, and definitely no stranger to Social Media, is John Edwards - yes that John Edwards. This is the guy that flew Robert Scoble in just to consult with him on how to integrate SM into his formal campaign launch. Let's just hope that it really is him and not someone from his campaign...that might not resonate well if it was tested and it proved untrue.

twitter

Other twitter fans (or maybe fanatics) include Stowe Boyd, Steve Rubel, Scoble, Chris Pirillo, Chris Heuer, Thomas Hawk, Jason Calcanis, Jeff Pulver, Jeremiah Owyang, Brian Oberkirch, Chris Brogan, among many others.

twitter also offers a badge to integrate into a blog post, social networks, or your web site, which displays your most current messages.

twitter badge

Get online, find your friends, and figure out how it can work for you. So far I've used it for project coordination, travel scheduling, as well as for pure socializing and simply sharing alerts of where I'm at and what I'm doing.

As an interesting experiment, just look at all of the conversations in and around SXSW.

Next time you're on, feel free to twitter me (that sounded a little dirty). Send a shout-out: @briansolis, I'm now on twitter!

Caution, it could be addictive.

Update: Seems that twitter is the top story on Techmeme right now. Here are some great conversations online:
twitter tips the tuna - Ross Mayfield
Much a twitter about nothing - shelbinator.com
twitter as a community tool - Chris Brogan
Can twitter save lives - Andy Carvin
twitter could become compulsive - Neville Hobson
twitter THIS - Karoli
Is SXSW going to be the death of twitter? - Chris Heuer
5 ways to use twitter for good - lifehack.org
twitter, a useful communications tool of SXSW - Jeremiah Owyang
Stowe Boyd on twitter
Is there a twitting point? - Rex Hammock
Why do I twitter? - J. LeRoy
A twitter top 10 - Marshall Kirkpatrick of Splashcast

Also, check out http://twitter.pbwiki.com/ for the 411 on twitter celebrities, politicians, hacks, etc. - Per Chris Messina



Don't Try to Control the Conversation



John Bell recently explored the
topic, "Who 'owns' conversational marketing? PR, Advertising or The People" over at Strumpette - The Naked Journal of the PR Biz.

I also recently covered the subject in my post, "Community, Conversational and Comment Marketing, Will the Real CM Please Stand-up."

Here's my take. Nobody owns the conversation (except for the people), and therefore we should not even try to dictate its direction. It is possible to subtly influence it by providing information and discussion points that help people see things in a different light.


But, in this case, it's easier to ask who shouldn't contribute in Social Media because the majority people in PR and Advertising are clueless about how to engage without coming across as marketing.

I agree with Bell's point, "Ultimately, it's a genuine respect for people and an understanding that they own the conversation that drives new PR. We can shine a spotlight on it, facilitate it, join in, measure it, even. What we cannot do is own it, control it or apply old school thinking from PR or advertising to succeed."

But instead of saying it is the genuine respect for people "that drives new PR," it is more accurate to say "should drive new PR."

Why?

Because right now, it's the lack of respect that's stealing the spotlight.

It is this respect that is exactly what's needed in new and traditional PR, advertising, and marketing - with an added element of expertise in the products/companies they represent.

I indeed wish it was the critical driver for PR's evolution today. Instead, there is a grave misperception that Web 2.0 is the "new PR" and therefore we now have the tools necessary to control the conversation.

That's absolute rubbish. Web 2.0 is not PR 2.0, and it's this narrow-minded view that will force these marketers into early retirment.

However, it is because of articles like the one by John Bell and others that will help us change things. The only challenge we all face is how to bring the worst offenders in PR, marketing, and advertising people into this conversation.
Most don't even know how to find articles like this unless we publish them in a book or contribute to industry trades.



Monday, March 05, 2007

Social Media Takes Center Stage - Advanced PR Forum in Los Angeles

Bulldog Advanced PR 3/2/07 - Artistic
Bulldog Reporter, Advanced PR Forum, Olympic Collection, Los Angeles

It's amazing how much difference a few months makes.

This past Friday in Los Angeles, I participated in a panel discussing the "Brave New World of Social Media," along with Jen McClure of the
Society of New Communications Research and Eric Schwartzman of iPressroom.

This is the second time in the past six months that I discussed Social Media at a Bulldog Reporter event, each with a radically different outcome. You can read about my last experience
here.

The last time I spoke in San Francisco, I found that most of the audience was completely unaware of tagging, flickr, Technorati, basic HTML, and the term social media in general.

Whereas in Los Angeles, the crowd - as a whole - was much more familiar with these tools simply because over time, they have been subjected to them as consumers, not so much as producers.

Some blog. More read them and also listen to podcasts. Several participate in social networks. Most have posted comments. Over half of the audience use Wikis. Many have used HTML limited to the confines of beautifying their
Craigslist ads. While still basic, it served as a much more balanced foundation of where to start the discussion.

In fact, I had recommended to Bulldog that they create a breakout conference in the near future, which basically is a Social Media bootcamp to help communications professionals learn without publicly humiliating themselves or the companies they represent.

While the Los Angeles group was ready to engage, there was still much ground to cover - much more than we could possibly squeeze into an hour. However, their questions were many, and all related to how to participate, ethics of participation, and how to convince their bosses and clients to let them engage on behalf of their brands.

Interesting discussion indeed, and it could have continued if it wasn't cut by the lunch bell. (Just a side note here, if anyone participated in this conference and you still have questions, please email me
here.

My charter was to help explain Social Media as it pertains to the democratization of information and the tools that help people engage in conversations.

NOTE: I was not there to help people jump in and make a mockery out of, or exploit, the dynamic of Social Media.

I am one of the very few ambassadors who represent social media as a marketing professional, but also wish to protect it from the wide-eyed, motivated gold diggers looking to cash in.

In my presentation, I let PR people know that they are not invited to the party, because the industry thinks that they're too
stupid to participate. And, with very good reason. Yes, PR, as a whole, is too stupid to engage at this level, and more importantly, at any level that requires believable engagement.



Afterall we are spin doctors. We don't get it. We can't write. We like adjectives. We are simply spammers of information and not at all able to speak to influencers (or the people formerly known as the
audience) because we're too dumb to understand what we're talking about and why it's important. And, we try to always control the message.

All this because as an industry, we have not done a good job of PR for PR.

I was there to encourage the select few to participate without an agenda to help change this dreadful perception. I asked them to either engage as a person with passions, hobbies, and ideas and when ready, participate at a professional level because they are experts with valid ideas, questions, and perspective to contribute to their field.

Both activities will provide participants with the experience necessary to understand the infrastructure of social media and the respect required to remain in the dialogue. And more importantly, if you don't have the expertise to contribute from a professional standpoint then don't bother. And I'm not talking about PR, I'm speaking with reference to your understanding of the product and market related to the company you represent.

Either change professions or go back and learn so that you can not only participate in the social world of media, but also provide a more valuable and effective set of services and strategies to your company.

This is all about making professionals more successful in traditional public relations and in the brave new world of Social Media. They are both necessary and distinct in the strategies and tactics that drive each towards success.

At the end of the day, this is all about shifting from monologue to dialogue, and this powerful shift will take no prisoners but will yield many casualties.

This is about people, on both sides of the conversation - not audiences.


  • Do not market to audiences or targets, engage in conversations
  • Read
  • Know what the hell you're talking about
  • Participate
  • Contribute
  • Be a resource, not a sales person
  • Become part of the community
  • Listen
  • Learn
  • Respect the communities you engage in and they will respect you
Afterall, transparent participation is one form of marketing - if it's truly genuine. Direct PR and marketing will only continue to be shut out from the conversation Take the time to listen and learn in order to participate because only you can determine whether you rise or fall in this new age of communications.

To view my presentation from the event, click "download" below or
email for a copy.









Resources: Social Media Club, Social Media Collective, Society of New Communications Research