Data on Social Networks

Learning About Social Media from Your Desk

In June, Advertising Age reported on the growth of online social networks (June 11, 2007, page 14). Here are some key points they made.

MySpace = 57 million unique visitors
Largest and most diverse of the social networks. Audience is still growing. Unique visitors up 49 percent in the last year. Airs Fox TV shows and is a partner in NBC-News Corp. joint venture.

Facebook = 14.4 million unique visitors
Opened up membership last year. Unique visitors up 152 percent over the past year. Claims 85 percent of market share at universities, but more than half of users are out of college. Fastest growing group is 25 and up. Founder built the site while at Harvard. Recently started allowing developers and advertisers to create applications and widgets for use in Facebook.

Bebo = 1.7 million unique visitors
Unique visitors up 109 percent since last year. Has a younger audience than the previous two sites. Popular in Texas and the U.S. Midwest. International expansion is expected.

Gather = 1.7 million unique visitors
Average age is 42 and 72 percent of audience has a college education. Grew 11 percent in May alone. Trying to become more portal-like with content from Harvard Medical School and soon-to-launch partnership with CareerBuilder.com.

Friendster = 1.3 million unique visitors
Ad Age says this was the original social network (though Wikipedia gives the honors to Classmates). Experiencing a small resurgence. U.S. visitors doubled in the last year. But time on the site and page views are down. Still carries some kind of stigma.

Flixster = too small to count
Median age is 18. Focuses on movies. Currently trying to grow the audience before tending to making money.

Ad Age states that while MySpace is in front of them all by far, others are growing faster.

Note: Ad Age did not report on Zooped, which was mentioned by a commenter to my previous post. I had never seen it until tonight. It has quite a variety of features, including business networking. But I have to admit, I was a bit creeped out by someone’s raunchy profile photo on the home page.

Social Networks: Lesson 5 in Learning About Social Media from Your Desk

So far in this learning about social media series we have covered RSS, blogs, podcasts and Delicious. I was going to talk about something else this month, but social networking has seen a surge of interest of late.

First, what is a social network? In this context, it’s a way of networking online. When you go to a PRSA meeting, you catch up with people you know and you meet new people. The same thing happens online. In social networks, people tend to find others with similar interests.

According to Wikipedia, the first social networking website was Classmates.com, which began in 1995. Many others have sprung up since then. Some are focused to a particular demographic or industry. Others, like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn are more broad.

When you join a social network – typically for free – you will be able to set up your own profile page and start looking for “friends” who are also in that network.

LinkedIn’s profile pages are designed mostly for resume-type information. It’s designed for professionals to find each other.

Facebook has garnered much attention lately because it has opened up its infrastructure to allow for users to bring in non-Facebook applications, like to-do lists, Twitter posts, maps and movie ratings. (Though I did find it a little creepy that the sign up page asks if you are interested in men or women and if you are looking for a relationship, dating or random play. Hopefully, that will change as more and more professionals are using Facebook.)

Homework: Your first assignment this month his to ask three to five people you know if they are using a social networking site. Find out what they like and don’t like. Share it in the comments to this post. If you are using one, share what you like and don’t like.

Ethics of Photo Manipulation Blasted Again

It feels like it should be obvious by now that magazines and advertisers “edit” photos of attractive people to make them impossibly attractive. It’s been going on for years. They tell us they have to do it so we will pay attention, so we will buy the thing, so we will trust them. Everyone knows it’s misleading. Everyone knows it furthers the myth that perfection is possible.

But it’s one of those things you know in your head but not in your heart.

Take the recent Redbook cover with Faith Hill. The folks at Jezebel.com got their hands on the original photo that was used for the doctored-up cover. On the cover, Faith is missing some blemishes. OK fine. But she’s also missing body parts. Her arm is thinner without the traces of natural flab that were there before. And that part of you that bunches up around a waistband has disappeared.

I look at the cover shot and think, wow, she’s in shape. How does she do that – especially after having kids? I never could. But I should. And so it goes.

And it’s worse for kids who don’t know the secret yet.

The ironic part is that Faith Hill is really attractive without any adjustments. So why do they do this?

The Today Show covered the story (which you can view online). The Redbook editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison had the audacity to say: “In the end, they're not really photographs. They're images.” Uh huh, and I have some swampland for sale.

One of the guests also said, “That’s what women want to buy.” Which is total *%#. It always has been but it is especially so in today’s world of reality and transparency.

They way I see it, making people appear better than is humanly possible is a deception. Rationalizing doesn’t take away the lie.

And this lie is harmful.

It’s harmful to adults – men and women both – in terms of our self concepts and expectations of each other.

And clearly it’s harmful to kids and teens. Jezebel.com come said it well: “In a world where girls as young as eight are going on the South Beach Diet, teenagers are getting breast implants as graduation gifts… it's __ing wrong.”

As a parent of daughters, as a woman, as a consumer, as an advocate of media literacy, I’m grateful to the likes of Jezebel.com and Dove.

Shel Holtz recently shared that he uses the Dove "Evolution" viral video campaign as an example in his presentations. One of those days, a participant slipped out during lunch, went to his hotel room and e-mailed the video to his daughter. She’d been having serious problems and was even suicidal. He later told Shel that the Dove video changed his daughter’s life.

Media images have an impact. Each of us has to decide everyday if we want that impact to be good or bad.

PR Podcasts up for Podcast Awards

The third annual podcast awards are now open for listeners to submit their votes to recognize the best podcasters in the world. More than 335,000 podcast listeners and podcasters this year submitted more than 6 million nominations with 4,097 submitted shows.

Two podcasts that I’ve recommended on this blog are up for awards in the business category: For Immediate Release and Inside PR.

If you are a listener to one or both of these podcasts, you know how good they are and how deserving they are to be awarded. Please go to http://podcastawards.com/ and vote. You can vote every day in fact.

If you have never listened to For Immediate Release or Inside PR, I encourage you to check them out. You can listen from your computer if you don’t have an Mp3 or iPod. I learn something from every show.

There’s one more podcast I want to pitch for that’s up for an award in the education category (mine was nominated but did not make the cut). Pediacast is a podcast by Dr Mike, a board-certified pediatrician. He is entertaining and highly informative. If you have kids at home, this is a great podcast to listen to. Try it out, and then go vote for it.

Don't Miss Our Local Teleseminar on Integrating New Media Into Mainstream PR Campaigns

PRSA is hosting another teleseminar on Tuesday. Our chapter will be hosting a viewing site to save you money. It normally would cost $150 for PRSA members and $250 non-members.

But at the San Antonio-sponsored location, it's free for members and only $20 for guests.

But who care's if the topic is relevant and if the speakers aren't good.

Well I can vouch for this one. I've heard one of the speakers (Katie Paine) and the moderator before. They are excellent speakers and they are practical and very helpful.

Here's the description of the teleseminar:

In the age of citizen journalism, businesses can no longer hide behind a veil of secrecy; they are naked to the public eye. One false step can have devastating consequences for a company’s online reputation.Spurred by the advent of online publishing tools like blogs and podcasts, organizations are circumventing the news media filter.

Forward-thinking PR practitioners are telling their stories themselves, and they’re utilizing search engine optimization, web content management, audio and video on demand, RSS, social bookmarks, social networking and virtual environments to do it by engaging their constituents in a constructive, mutually beneficial dialogue. Find out from these PR thought leaders how they successfully integrate new media into mainstream PR campaigns, and how you can apply their techniques, in this latest “Meet the Media” teleseminar.

You will discover:
• Why PR professionals are best situated to capitalize on social media.
• How to win internal and external support for new media initiatives.
• The benefits and drawbacks of the various enabling technologies.
• How these subject-matter experts create a compelling business case that wins budget approval for social media initiatives that take organizations and clients into uncharted waters.

Moderator: Public relations executive and new media pioneer, Eric Schwartzman, founder and chairman of online newsroom provider iPressroom and managing director of Los Angeles public relations firm Schwartzman & Associates. He also produces the PRSA award-winning PR Podcast “On the Record...Online.”

Panelists:
Phil Gomes, Vice President, Edelman
Greg Jarboe, Founder, SEO-PR
Katie Paine, author of KDPaine’s PR Measurement Blog

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
American Red Cross, San Antonio Area Chapter, 3642 E. Houston St.

So come on. It's not that much time out of your day and you'll learn useful information. Plus it won't cost much -- especially if you are a member.

Register now!

Cool New Use for Jott

I have discovered a really cool use for Jott. In case you haven’t heard of this tool, it’s a free web service that lets you call a toll-free number and leave a message. The service then transcribes your message and sends it by e-mail. The transcriptions aren’t perfect. But they’re pretty close. It takes about 60 seconds to set up an account. And they don’t ask for personal information except your name, cell phone number and e-mail address.

I heard about Jott on Bryan Person’s “Tools of the Trade” segment on his NewCommRoad podcast.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been sending myself reminder messages, like “Postpone dentist appointment” and “Buy calamine.” That’s been really useful for this working mom of two little tykes.

But I’ve just come up with a use that is even more valuable to me. You know those cute little things children do that you don’t want to forget? I keep a MS Word file of little stories like that. It serves as a journal in a way. I used to be real good at updating it back when I was e-mailing photos of the kids to family members. I’d include a little story too. But now, I post those photos online. So I’ve gotten behind with the updates.

Enter Jott.com. When I’m away from my computer and I think of a cute, funny or touching story about one of my kiddos, I just Jott myself. Then when I get home, I can copy it into my master file. Like this one:

I was reading a story to [my 4-year-old]. There was a drawing of a dairy cow. She said, “Look Mommy. There’s a pig coming out of that cow’s bottom!”

Que cute!

Using Delicious in Public Relations

Learn About Social Media from Your Desk

In this set of lessons, I introduced readers to Delicious and talked about the value of using it to share your bookmarks. But what I find fascinating is how many ways there are to use Delicious in your public relations work.

One thing is to come up with a special tag for a particular topic, and then you and others can start building a set of bookmarks related to your topic. The advantage is that your searches will filter out items you are not looking for. For example, the folks who have been coming up with the social media release formats are using the tag: hRelease. I don’t know how they came up with that particular tag, but they’ve been using it, along with any other relevant tags.

You also can set up an account for a client or your organization and tag related items. For example, let’s say you are about to have some major announcement to media. You could create a “purpose-built” Delicious page that already has a set of bookmarks for web pages and related news stories on your topic. Include a link in your news release. Todd Defren of SHIFT Communications wrote more about this in his blog post, “Tagging: ‘Crowdsourcing’ vs. ‘Purpose-Built.’”

But why limit this to when you have big news announcements. You could do the same for topics that you deal with consistently. By creating a Delicious account for such a topic and tagging new items regularly to keep it updated, you are helping journalists in their research, but the information can seem more credible because it’s not always created by you. More on this too by the insightful Todd Defren in his post, “Daily Servings of del.icio.us Delights.”

Of course, you can use Delicious to help you keep track of trends in your industry or to see how your issue is being covered prior to your big announcement – along with your other media and web monitoring tools.

Some excellent tips are available on the Information Age Education blog post, “5 Things You Need to Know Before Using Del.icio.us, a Social Bookmark.”

For those who are feeling brave and a little geeky, Web Worker Daily provides some useful suggestions at “8 Tips for Better del.icio.us Bookmarking.”

If you haven’t started using Delicious, give it a shot. This is one social media tool that is really easy to jump into.

Goin’ Postal Company’s Response a Good PR Lesson

I recently posted about my dismay that someone would name their company, Goin’ Postal. A couple of days after I sent my letter, I got a response by e-mail. They could have said: "We’re sorry you got offended. We didn’t mean to. We were just trying to be clever."

But they didn’t.

The full response is below. (I did check with them before blogging this. Sorry it’s so long, but there’s good reason to share the whole response.)

Dear Christie,
Hello!

Thank you for taking the time to write to us. The name “Goin’ Postal” describes what we do, as we offer a variety of shipping and mailing options to customers.

To date, we have received 14 correspondences from folks who felt our name might be deemed offensive, but we explained that quite the opposite is true. We are firm believers in karma/the golden rule and the power of positive thought. If you believe in your heart that you can change negative conditions, and if you are willing to expend the energy to effect that metamorphosis …that positive change will make the world a far better place. We hope that Goin’ Postal will soon become a household name that is synonymous with family values, low prices and old-fashioned customer service, and that the former, negative connotations associated with that phrase will be shed and long forgotten.

Our chain is a family oriented network of locally owned and operated stores, and GPFC trains all franchisees not only to participate in their existing community activities, but also to create new community events for the benefit of the people and pets residing in those cities and towns nationwide. Our stores make a positive difference in every local community where a Goin’ Postal store exists. In short, our stores are focused on working diligently to provide low-cost shipping AND to making every community a better place in which to live though the owners’ and staff members’ active participation in areas of interest to them.

Goin’ Postal Franchise Corporation is also committed to making the dream of owning a successful business a concrete reality, especially for those folks who don’t have the high dollar savings required for the expensive franchises out there. Our store owners are former homemakers, teachers, military personnel, folks who were downsized in their former corporate careers, civil servants, and regular folks from all walks of life. Speaking of civil servants…many of our stores are owned by current and past postal workers, and the United States Postal Service is signing up our stores as Approved
Shippers almost as fast as we can open them, so the USPS is obviously not offended by the name. Many of the customers at every store are also postal workers, especially at Christmastime when they need to ship gifts to their friends and families. We often receive thank you notes and letters from postal employees who are pleased that a once negative phrase is swiftly becoming a positive phrase, due in part to the new association between the phrase and our chain’s high caliber of customer care, community involvement, and low prices.

A little known fact is that the USPS (United States Postal Service) also owns several trademarks to the phrase “Go Postal”, and the USPS has registered to use this phrase on a line of merchandise to be sold in Post Offices. Please take a peek at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov/) listings
at http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=tjqull.4.2
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=tjqull.4.3 http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=tjqull.4.7

While we get an occasional email from someone who is temporarily upset by the name (14 correspondences in 4 years), those folks usually understand that we are attempting to put a positive spin on something that was once only known as terribly negative. Also, the USPS obviously doesn’t think the name is a bad one since the USPS wants to sell merchandise with a very similar name on it (Go Postal), and we feel that the USPS should be applauded for working to turn the phrase into something positive, just as we are.

While our first store opened 4 years ago in Zephyrhills (Florida), which is just outside Tampa, we have only been franchising for 31 months. In just 31 months, our chain has grown to over 205 stores strong, and is growing daily. We seem to be a big hit across the entire country…with our franchisees, their customers, the carriers, and vendors.

We hope that you will stop by to visit with the friendly family that owns your local Goin’ Postal store, to perhaps join them at their local events (low-cost spay and neuter clinics, child safety and i.d. events, bike rodeos, family sing-a-longs, and more) to help them to make your community a better place to live…and to join them in rendering the global community a more positive place for all.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to us, and to ask more about our company. We hope that we will have the good fortune of serving you as one of our customers in the near future.

Warm Regards,
Dr. M.J. Price
Vice President, Goin' Postal Franchise Corporation

What an excellent example of public relations as shown by the company clearly being genuine and honest. They were obviously prepared for questions like mine. But more importantly, they had a clear vision in mind before choosing the name of their company – a vision that was both tied to and bigger than their specific business goals.

This response demonstrates:
• There was careful thought before choosing the company name.
• There is deliberate intention for good – rather than being gimmicky.
• There is buy-in from the very people who could most be offended by the name.
• The company is monitoring responses about the company name.
• The company is taking specific actions in communities to remove the negative connotations associated with the phrase, Goin’ Postal.

I am still tremendously concerned about insensitivity in the marketplace and entertainment industry.

But from what I’ve learned about the company, Goin’ Postal, and the response I received, I have turned from a critic to a fan in this case.

How Can Having a Seemingly Insensitive Name Attract Customers?

Is it just me, or has there been a sudden rise in companies using insensitive names to gain attention. Do you remember the car dealership with the Jihad sale?

I thought I’d seen it all until while driving my kids to the doctor, I saw a new store called, Goin’ Postal. Can you believe it? Goin’ Postal, that derogatory term that arose from disgruntled and sometimes ill people who charged into a post office shooting people. Dead. I know people have used the term since then to be funny. But a store? A franchise to boot. Really?

That’s it, I thought. I’m not going to stay quiet this time. So I went to their web site to investigate a little bit.

Then I wrote a letter (e-mail). This is what I wrote:

I was just visiting your company web site and was heartened to see your emphasis on family and good customer service. So I'm wondering about the story behind the name of your company. What made you choose "Goin' Postal" over other options? Have you had any negative feedback due to the term's origins?

I first got an automated reply: “This email is an automatic reply. We'll reply with a more personal email soon.” It included details on where to get information in the meantime and about how important franchisees are (in case the reader is a current or potential franchisee).

Then I got an email from the vice president saying she was unavailable and would respond to e-mails on xyz dates. She included how she would prioritize which e-mails would be dealt with first. I found that quite thoughtful and transparent. Here’s her priority list:

(1) emails from franchisees' company email addresses
(2) ad approvals
(3) sign approvals
(4) requests for press releases
(5) requests for vendor approvals
(6) exams for grading
(7) continuing education emails
(8) questions from potential franchisees
(9) all other types of emails

But I was still waiting for a reply to my questions. Stay tuned for Part II for a surprise.

Forward Slash vs. Back Slash Smackdown

Let’s resolve the debate: Do web site addresses use back slashes or forward slashes? You hear both when people spell-out a web address. I suppose the “/” symbol to some people looks like it is leaning back, thus it’s a back slash. And to others, the slash is pointing forward, so it’s a forward slash.

Guess what? It doesn’t matter. There’s only one kind of slash in a URL! On most keyboards, it’s that key with the question mark.

So web site addresses are: www dot something dot com slash something. Don’t bother with the back or forward clutter. Keep it simple.

Mommy Podcasts do Nichecasting with a Capital N

I decided to take my own advice and look for some podcasts that are related to my hobbies rather than just those about my profession. For over a year, I’ve pretty much only been listening to PR/communications-related podcasts – really good ones that I’ve recommended here before (see posts on April 12, April 30 and May 28, 2007).

But a couple of weeks ago, I started exploring other topics. Here’s how it went: Let’s see. What are my hobbies? No time for scrapbooking or music or exercise or… Hmmm. So what then? Well, I can stock a child’s backpack in 120 seconds. I can cook a 30-minute meal in 20. And I can kiss an owie and make the hurt go away. Yep. That’s it. Mommyville.

So I started looking for “mommy” podcasts. I happened to hear Shel and Neville talking about Manic Mommies on For Immediate Release. And soon after, I heard Eric Schwartzman of On the Record Online talk about MommyCast – which he listens to as a dad. So I tried out both and am hooked. TOTALLY.

These are not little podcasts that reach a few hundred people. Manic Mommies was recently awarded Best Parenting Podcast in the Winter '07 Podcast Peer Awards. MommyCast is a Webby honoree and has sponsors like Huggies, Oral B and Nesquik. Their deal with Dixie is reported to have been for $100,000.

And these women are savvy. Both podcasts have other online features, like branded merchandise for sale. Manic Mommies is planning an “Escape” conference for moms this fall in Newport. MommyCast has an excellent online media kit. And – are you sitting down? – it states that according to Nielson NetMetrics, more than 2 million people listen to MommyCast.

Personally, thanks to these two podcasts, I’ve so far learned that either I’m not as crazy as I think I am, or I am that crazy but at least I’m not alone.

Sharing your Delicious Bookmarks

Learn About Social Media from Your Desk

The best part about using Delicious is that you are sharing your bookmarks with others – and they are sharing theirs with you.

Let’s say you are looking for information on scubadiving. You could spend an entire day doing Google searches and mostly find web sites that are selling gear. Or, you could go to Delicious, and search for the “scubadiving” tag. Or maybe you’d be more specific and search for “scubadiving tips.” Your search will display a list of the web sites other people found helpful on your topic. And you can see which ones have been bookmarked the most.

There’s more. But before we go on, you need to do some homework. Your next assignment is to bookmark a few web pages on any topic you like.

The first topic I focused on was web sites that have free or cheap photos and clip art. Then I gave the link to my co-workers so they would stop “borrowing” my CDs. Worked like a charm.

No Comment, No Dice: Investigative Reporter Shares Why You Should Confess

The basics of crisis communication are to admit you have a problem, made a mistake, or are overwhelmed by a situation; make any necessary apologies; and take immediate action to fix the problem.

The reporters that uncover these "problems" can often show up on your doorstep at a moments notice, making it easy for some in management, and even PR, to lose their cool.

So, what can be done to make it a little more constructive when bad news descends on an organization?

To find out, we turned our camera onto Brian Collister, a News 4 WOAI investigative reporter in San Antonio, Texas, and asked him to share a few tips for public relations professionals when someone like him comes calling.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Collister came to the PRSA San Antonio meeting this week to share his insights. My favorite quote that he gave was:

"I know you have a a canned answer, but I don't want your canned answer. I am looking for something more."

He also said that the public relations person is usually the last person he calls in the process - by that point he already has something that he has investigated and is looking for the organization, or person, to give its side of the story.

Though it is in the video, I think that it bears repeating that Collister, and most investigative reporters, see themselves as getting out information to the public that they have the right to know.

His advice, don't get caught up thinking that you are talking to him, but realize that you are talking to the people that you serve. In other words, don't take it personally, use it to connect with those that will affect your organization.

Cross posted at Communication Overtones

tags: Journalism, Crisis+Communication, San+Antonio, Brian+Collister, PRSA, Texas

Lesson Four: Using Delicious

Learn About Social Media from Your Desk

So far, we’ve been focusing on the basics of social media: RSS, blogs and podcasts. But there is much more. So if you’ve been worried that you’re not being “social” enough because you haven’t gone to the trouble of starting a corporate blog or podcast, you can relax. There are some tools online that will help you with your everyday work and hobbies and they don’t require planning teams.

One of these is Delicious (or Del.icio.us). This is a social bookmarking site. Basically, when you find some web page online that you want to bookmark, rather than adding it to your favorites – which are stored in your computer or server – you bookmark it to your personal Delicious page. You assign it “tags” or keywords. And wa-la, you’ve dipped in your toe, and you’ll never turn back.

One advantage is that you can access your bookmarks from any computer. You can also add to your bookmarks from any computer. But this is just the beginning. There are several ways Delicious can help you in your PR work. More on that later.

Your first assignment is to set up a free Delicious account. Go to http://del.icio.us/. Click on “Get Started.” All you need is a username and password.

Then be sure to do the next step to installs buttons. That way, when you see a web site or blog post that you want to bookmark, you can just click a button on your browser bar. And you’re off!

Interview: Red Cross Seeks Bloggers as Volunteers

Yesterday, I had a chance to sit down with Ike Pigott, who is the communications director for the American Red Cross’s Southeast region.  He also is a blogger at Occam's RazR.

Under Ike's direction, the Red Cross is starting to use blog engines to communicate critical information to the media and the general public in the midst of a disaster situation.  And the volunteers don't have to be in the field to participate. 

Online Videos by Veoh.com

 

Shel Holtz also interviewed Ike a few days ago, so if the 3 minute video isn't enough for you, you can listen to Shel's 24-minute, in-depth conversation with Ike about how the Red Cross is embracing social media as a tool during disasters.

If you are interested in being a volunteer, leave a comment here, or e-mail me at kamichat [at] yahoo.com and I will get you in touch with Ike. [Disclosure: I have been a Red Cross Public Affairs volunteer since 2001].  You can also see a sample disaster page about the 2007 Tornadoes in Georgia.  The portal page, where you can check for new pages and general information is on the Red Cross Online Disaster Portal Page.

Cross posted from Communication Overtones.

tags: Ike+Pigott, Red+Cross, Blogging, Volunteer, Kami+Huyse, PR, Public+Affairs, Public+Relations, San+Antonio

Is Ghost-blogging OK? It Depends…

There’s been a resurgence in the debate about whether or not “ghost-blogging” is ok. Some say no because the expectations in the blogosphere are different than in other spaces. And ghost blogging is not “authentic.” Others say it either is fine now or will be soon as social media evolves.

I think the answer really is… it depends (as FIR listeners are accustomed to hearing).

At its worst, the writer is putting words into the mouth of someone. Readers are lead to believe that the thoughts are from the “blogger” when they are not. It’s like the PR person who writes a speech for a CEO and then stands in her place to deliver the speech while pretending to be the CEO. The expectation of the audience is to hear from the CEO, in this case. Not a stand in. The same could be said about the expectations of readers of blogs.

On the other hand, not everyone has time to write all their thoughts down. Not everyone has good writing skills (that’s another issue). So for someone to employ the writing skills of another person is not only fine, it’s appropriate. In this case, the writer is putting someone’s thoughts into words.

This is typically what we do in speechwriting. When I write a speech for my boss, we sit down together first and she outlines her main points and how she wants to make them. I go back and write a draft. She’ll review it and give feedback. I’ll have another go at it and then hand her the disk. She always makes a few changes from there. She could do it all herself, but she is after all a CEO with other responsibilities.

When she delivers the speech, the words are her words. The thoughts are her thoughts. The same would be true if it were a blog rather than a speech. (Though the process likely would have to be quicker.)

I also don’t think that in these cases we should demand there be a statement on the blog about who actually wrote it. I know this is another controversial point. But in a speech, the speaker never announces that he or she didn’t actually write every word even though many, many people don’t understand that there was probably a speechwriter. In public relations, you just get used to writing things and not signing your name for credit.

But when a PR person is blogging on behalf of someone else and practically has carte blanche authority to write whatever, that's another story -- and one I would have concerns about.

So I guess what I am saying is: ghost-blogging is deceptive when it is deceptive, and it’s right when it is right. Like most other ethical issues, it just depends on the situation. Sorry, no black and white rules here. That is why it is so healthy to have these discussions.

For more on the debate listen to or read the following podcasts and blog posts. They are much more eloquent than I.

Inside PR podcast episodes #59 and #60

Dan York’s Disruptive Conversations blog
“Ghost blogging and the coming end of the Golden Age of blogging and transparency”

Sallie Goetsch’s Author-ized Articles blog
"Ghostwriting Does NOT Preclude Authenticity"

Bryan Person’s Bryper.com blog
“PR pro blogging on client’s behalf: Where’s the disclosure?”

Mitch Joel’s Twist Image blog
“What’s Wrong With Ghost Blogging? Or Insights From Inside PR #59”
“Ghost Blogging Continued...”

Lesson Three: Podcasts – A Review

Lesson Three Review: Next Installment of Learn About Social Media from Your Desk

Here’s a review of what we’ve covered to date about podcasts.

Lesson Three: The World of Podcasting (Monday, April 09, 2007)
First homework assignment: Set up an iTunes account if you don’t already have one.

Sampling a Short Podcast (Thursday, April 12, 2007)
Homework assignment: Subscribe to the Advertising Age "Why It Matters" audio show podcast and listen to at least two episodes.

Podcasting to Your Niche (Thursday, April 19, 2007)
Homework assignment: Find a podcast about a topic that interests you. One that is not work related.

Benefits of Podcasting (Sunday, April 22, 2007)

Understanding the Podcasting Listener (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)

PR- and Communications-Related Podcasts (Monday, April 30, 2007)

Six Lessons from Starting a New Podcast (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)

Podcast Resources (Monday, May 21, 2007)

Our next lesson – starting next week -- will be Delicious!

Are Newspapers Going the Way of the Dinosaur?

There has been a lot of discussion recently (and, really, for the last decade or longer) about whether or not the newspaper is a dying breed. Newspaper subscriptions have been on a downward trend for about 15 years, with many news junkies turning to radio, television and the Internet as their preferred sources of news. San Antonio Express-News public editor, Bob Richter, recently posed to his readers whether or not newspapers are dying, or rather, committing suicide. His reasoning for this question was based on a recent newsroom discussion begun when one of the paper's editors sent out a recent PBS article discussing the trend of many publications sending their readers online to get additional information or “the rest of the story.”

Richter goes on to discuss Internet access around the U.S. and the impact of directing people online. "Most studies of Internet penetration indicate that about 70 percent of Americans have access to it. A Pew Internet & American Life Project survey last year agreed with that figure, but cited others that indicate access isn't that high in South Texas, precisely: Only 33 percent of people 65 and older, 56 percent of Hispanics, 49 percent of those earning under $30,000 a year and only 36 percent of those who lack a high school diploma use the Internet, said the Pew survey."

Richter cites a complaint from one of his readers who doesn't have or want Internet access. His reader says whenever the newspaper refers readers to a Web site it also should provide an 800 telephone number for readers who don't have Internet access.

In a brief discussion with Richter about this topic, he pointed out that the newspaper industry has never really given their readers all the news. “We used to just leave it on the composing room floor,” he says. “Now we're trying to give readers more, but we're just insulting these old readers by letting them know what they can't have.”

Perhaps it’s not so much an issue of the internet cannibalizing on the newspaper as much as it is a generational issue. The 18-34 set doesn’t depend on the ink and paper version of the news that our parents and (to a much larger degree) our grandparents craved for their information. And, with so many other seemingly faster (and more timely) sources of information, perhaps the daily paper just isn’t “high-speed” enough for our on-demand world. If I can check the latest box scores on my cell phone, why do I need the sports section?

Besides, the black ink that rubs off on my hands doesn’t really go well with my new manicure (maybe I could pay extra for a laminated copy?). And, it’s so cumbersome to stretch out that huge newspaper format across my lap when I can just poke around on my Blackberry while driving 75 miles an hour down 281 on my way to work.

Other Communications-Related Podcasts to Try Out

Next Installment of Learn About Social Media from Your Desk

One of the difficult things about podcasts right now, is how hard it can be to find good ones. It doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. But there are soooo many that just don’t scratch your itch.

In an earlier post, I suggested some communications and PR focused podcasts to try out (see "PR and Communications-Related Podcasts" and "Sampling a Short Podcast"). Here are some more.

Across the Sound Podcast
by Joseph Jaffe
http://www.acrossthesound.net/

The Client Side Podcast
By Michael Seaton
http://www.theclientsideblog.com/podcast/

Managing the Gray
By C.C. Chapman
http://www.managingthegray.com/

Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast
By Mitch Joel
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/

Earshot
By Phil Gomes of Edelman PR
http://www.edelman.com/insights/

Better Communications
By Lee Hopkins
http://www.leehopkins.net/hbct/communications_mp3s.html

Better Desirable Roasted Communications Cafe
By Lee Hopkins and Allan Jenkins
http://commscafe.com/

PRWeek Podcasts
http://www.prweek.com/us/podcasts/

Forward: For new and upcoming PR professionals
http://www.forward-moving.com/blog/category/podcast/feed/?cat=26

Six Steps to Effectively Measure PR

I just got back from Los Angeles from the PRSA Travel and Tourism Conference where I served on a panel about public relations measurement with Katie Paine, of KDPaine & Partners and Cara Schneider, of Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing.

The session was moderated by Donna O’Daniels of the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission.

Afterward, I asked Katie to outline her Super Six Steps to Effective PR Measurement so that I could share them here, and she kindly obliged.


Super Six Steps to Effective PR Measurement


Online Videos by Veoh.com

1. Define your objective(s)
2. Define your audience(s)
3. Define the metrics you will use
4. Benchmark this against yourself or your competition
5. Pick your measurement tool
6. Analyze the results

The one that I find most critical is step number one. 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.

This article is reposted from Communication Overtones.

Tags: Measurement|Katie Paine|Kami Huyse|PRSA|Byline Blog|Public Relations|PR|San Antonio|Texas|

PRSSA at UTSA Has a New Name!

During the fall 2007 semester the PRSSA Chapter at UTSA will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Throughout those ten years there have been several faculty advisers, however only one continues to stand out because of his dedication to our Chapter. That adviser is Dr. Steven R. Levitt.

Steven R. levitt, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and current Faculty Adviser of the PRSSA Chapter at UTSA came to UTSA in the fall of 1991 to help create a new degree program in Communication. He was the principle author of the degree proposal that was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for implementation in fall 1994. He then served as Assistant Division Director for the Division of English, Classics, Philosophy, and Communication from 1997 until 2001 when the Communication Department became a separate department. He has served as chair since that time. Since the program began it has grown to over 800 majors with approximately 2/3 being Public Relations majors and added a Master's degree, inaugurated fall 2005.

Dr. Levitt served as adviser when the PRSSA Chapter was chartered in fall 1997 through 1998, during 2004 through 2005 and summer 2006 to the present. In all Dr. Levitt has served as the faculty adviser for half of the Chapter's existence. Dr. Levitt has been very influential in many of the directions that this Chapter has taken over the years, while allowing the executive board to act as a separate entity. During his different years as adviser our Chapter has been recognized by the PRSSA National Committee in several areas which is evident by the many plaques that hang in the Department of Communication office at UTSA. Dr. Levitt has been a true champion of the PRSSA Chapter at UTSA at times even providing opportunities for members through personal scholarships that he has donated.

Because of his dedication, in conjunction with our Chapter's anniversary, our executive board has passed a measure to honor Dr. Levitt by naming our Chapter the PRSSA Steven R. Levitt Chapter. In the fall we will be hosting a formal announcement in the form of a Roast of Dr. Levitt. This event will also act as a fund raising opportunity for the Chapter and we will be inviting members of the PRSA Chapter of San Antonio to participate. Please check back here and watch teh PRSA San Antonio Byline newsletter for upcoming details.

Podcast Resources

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

Here are four resources for you related to podcasts.

How to Listen to a Podcast
Heidi Miller walks you through using iTunes to subscribe to and listen to a podcast.

Book
Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting
by Michael Geoghegan and Dan Klass
This book walks you through starting up a podcast and even includes the technical details in user-friendly ways. It became my key reference book.

Book
Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans
by Jason Van Orden
This is the book I’m currently following to kick-off a promotion campaign for my organization’s podcast. It has been superbly helpful.

Book-in-the-Oven
How to Do Everything with Podcasting
By Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson
Of course, I haven’t seen this book because it’s currently on the presses. But knowing Shel and Neville, this one will be excellent. It’s scheduled to be ready in mid-June. Amazon is reportedly taking pre-orders now.

Get Well Soon

This one is personal, but you’ll understand why in a minute. I just heard from my dad. He went in for his six month check-up following a battle with esophageal cancer. This is the kind Ann Richards had. My dad has been cancer-free for four and a half years – and, thankfully, he still is.

The doctor told him that he sees a new case of this kind of cancer every week. My dad is one of his only two survivors. The other is a fireman who just made two years.

I am sharing this both as a celebration and because this week I’m also thinking of those in our midst who are dealing with the Big C. He/she/they probably are not reading this, but I’m sending my prayers and well wishes anyway. They’ll get where they need to go.

Reforestation in Second Life: An Oxymoron?

Not exactly.

For the price of 300 lindens (roughly equivalent to US $1) one can purchase and plant one of 10 species of trees on Second Chance Trees island and it will trigger Plant-It 2020, a non-profit organization founded by the late singer John Denver, to plant the same species of tree in the endangered rainforest to which it is indigenous.

So, after a bit of a hiatus, we will have a meetup of “Second Thursday in Second Life” THIS Thursday on Second Chance Trees Island to discuss how this is working out for the non-profit Plant-It 2020. (BTW, I do realize it is the third Thursday, but our speakers were busy last week). We plan to meet right after the weekly Coffee with Crayon, so grab your coffee then head on over to Second Trees Island (see SLURL below).

Rob Key, CEO of Conversion, will present on “karmiccommunication', environmentalism in Second Life and Converseon's approach to engaging with virtual world communities.

If you wonder what “karmicommunication” is, you aren’t alone, but you will have to show up to find out.

A hint: Conversion has partnered with non-profit Plan It 2020, a foundation dedicated to properly planting, maintaining and protecting as many indigenous trees as possible worldwide.

Details

Date: Thursday May 17, 2007
Place: Second Chance Trees Island (SLURL)
Time: 6:30 a.m. Pacific (SL Time) | 7:30 Mountain a.m. | 8:30 Central a.m. | 9:30 a.m. Eastern (convert to other timezones)

For more information on the project, you can read the media release, visit the Second Chance Trees website and look at some pictures on their Flickr site.

It should be an interesting look into how a non-profit is using Second Life to deliver its core message and get real support in a virtual world. We will have a virtual tree planting, so be there!

Tags: Second Life|Case Study|Public Relations|PR|San Antonio|Texas|MYPRPRO

Six Lessons from Starting a New Podcast

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve coordinated a new podcast series for my organization. We launched in September and are still very much in the early stages, but it’s coming along quite well. We’ve received positive responses, growth in listenership and even an award.

Naturally, I’ve learned a few things along the way. Since there’s tons more to learn, I’m going to share a list about getting started. And these are coming from the perspective of an organizational podcast.

1. Do your homework. Listening to a variety of other podcasts can help you decide which format and style is best for you. Plus, listening to podcasts about podcasting will help you learn about trends, what to expect, setting realistic goals and new technologies. You don’t have to know all the technical details, but it helps to know what to ask for.

2. Start with a plan. It doesn’t have to be 100 pages long. But the basics are important – purpose, prospective audience, etc. Plus, having the plan on paper can help you get support from higher up and the resources you need. I posted the outline of my plan a few months ago.

3. Getting outside expertise to get you started is priceless. This may sound contradictory to my first point, but do not – I repeat – do not wait until you know everything there is to know. If you wait for that, you’ll never get started. It’s ok to learn as you go. Our first episode doesn’t even have the intro music.

4. “Low barrier to entry” refers to money not time. It’s taking us about 10 hours to produce a 20-25 minute podcast every two weeks. This includes the time for planning and conducting the interview, editing, creating shownotes, writing corresponding web text and posting in online. And I haven’t even started spending real time on promotion.

5. Podcasting requires easy approval processes. It’s one thing to have several levels of supervisors word-smith a printed piece, but you can’t produce a podcast that way. My directors don’t hear our podcast until it’s online.

6. Integrate the podcast into some facet of the organization’s work. Don’t let it be your hobby at work. If you want it to last, it has to relate to the organization’s goals.

Several of these learnings have been advised by other podcasters, but now I can say I’ve experienced them firsthand.

Podcamp in San Antonio May 19

Speaking of podcasting… If you are even remotely interested in learning more about podcasting, this is an opportunity you cannot pass by. Podcamp San Antonio is a FREE “unconference” about new media. And it’s right here in our own backyard.

Don’t let the “unconference” label throw you off. I’ve never been to one, but I hear that since the participants decide what they want to learn about, the chances of you actually learning useful stuff are much higher than a traditional conference. And you don't have to be a podcaster to get lots out of it.

Check it out and be there. And then pleeeease tell me all about it.

I’m sorry to say I won’t be following my own advice. But I am thrilled to say that my family will be participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica in San Antonio that day.

PR- and Communications-Related Podcasts

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

I promised to direct you to some podcasts that you may want to try out. I am a regular listener to each of the shows listed below. They provide very useful and entertaining information about social media.

For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report
The twice-weekly podcast of Neville Hobson, ABC, and Shel Holtz, ABC, “a pair of communication professionals who think they have something to say.” Hobson is based in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, while Holtz is located in Concord, California, in the United States. This podcast is updated on Mondays and Thursdays.

This is the one everyone will tell you to start with. And I strongly agree.
http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/index.php/weblog/about_us/

Trafcom News Podcast
Podcasts for people who care about communicating with employees, customers, prospects and the world, hosted by Donna Papacosta.

Donna focuses many of her shows on podcasting itself. If you feel lost by jargon in other podcasts, know that Donna is clear and easy to follow.
http://trafcom.typepad.com/podcast/

Inside PR
A weekly Canadian public relations podcast hosted by Terry Fallis and David Jones.

This podcast focuses on the world of PR firms. It also gives advice to new PR professionals. Even though I have never worked for a PR agency, I still find this podcast useful and entertaining.
http://www.insidepr.ca/

New Comm Road Podcast
Launched in May 2006, explores how new media tools are changing communication in business, in the media and in our everyday lives. Hosted by Bryan Person.

Bryan gives easy to follow instructions on how to use different social media tools. Hel’ll also keep you up-to-date on the latest tools. (Disclosure: Bryan consults with me for my organization’s podcast – award-winning podcast.)
http://www.newcommroad.com/

On the Record...Online
The story behind the story as reporters from the mainstream media and newsmakers discuss how information technology is changing media news and entertainment, and business to business and consumer marketing. Hosted by Eric Schwartzman.

Eric’s podcasts give you insight into the business and media perspective of social media. I have no idea how he lands such high-level guests.
http://ontherecordpodcast.com/pr/otro/

There are quite a few more that are top-notch in our field. Readers, now’s the time for you to share your favorites!

Understanding the Podcasting Listener

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

So if the first rule in communications is to know your audience, then here is a little info on podcast listeners.

• Podcast listeners expect authenticity and transparency.
• They expect informal style of conversation and not heavily polished productions.
• They refuse to be sold to.
• They will listen a long time if the content is interesting and relevant to them.
• They may pause and restart several times when listening to a single podcast.
• They will go back and listen to past episodes they missed.
• Regular listeners will feel part of a community, especially if they share feedback and it is included in the podcast.

You may find that your listeners are your most vocal advocates. They have gone out of their way to hear your message. They likely have networks of people who trust them.

A Big Thank You!

This semester has been absolutely crazy for me and the PRSSA Chapter at UTSA. We were able to plan and execute two events that had never been done for our Chapter.

In March we had our Shadow Days Month: Learning from the Pros. This allowed our members the opportunity to shadow PR professionals from the PRSA Chapter of San Antonio for a day. While it went off smoothly, I am hoping to have some comments from the members who participated by early May. As you may know April is the final month of the semester and our members are very busy with getting ready for finals , etc. We want to thank the 23 professionals who donated their time during this special event. We look forward to being able to schedule a shadow day month for the month of October. Keep an eye out for more information in the months to come.

On April 21 we hosted our first PRSSA/PRSA Pre-professional workshop. While it was held on the first weekend of FIESTA, we still had a group of very interested students who learned some excellent tools to utilize when building a portfolio, writing a resume, writing PSAs, feature stories, putting together media kits and writing press releases. We would like to thank Jennifer Milikien, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for St. Mary's Hall; Elizabeth "Beth" Graham, Public Relations Manager for the San Antonio Public Library; Cassandra Miranda, Senior Director of Cause Marketing Initiatives, American Heart Association Texas Affiliate and PRSSA Assistant Liaison for the PRSA Chapter of San Antonio; and Robert "Bob" Sheldon, Director of Public Relations for Creative Communications Cusultants, Inc. and
PRSSA Liaison for the PRSA Chapter of San Antonio for donating their time and expertise on a Saturday.

Benefits of Podcasting

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

Eric Schwartzman of On the Record Online podcast fame posted a list of benefits of podcasting (supported by considerable research) on his blog, Spinfluencer (April 18, 2006 post).

• Podcasts allow listeners to time-shift and place-shift media consumption
• Podcasts are 100 percent efficient, since episodes are only downloaded by listeners on an opt-in basis
• Podcasts are easily accessible to a global audience that is not defined by geographic boundaries
• Podcasts are heard by a niche, influential audience
• Podcasts afford organizations the ability to leverage electronic programming without an outside news media filter
• Podcasts are the most cost effective electronic media distribution channel available

Then I created my own list from an organizational perspective, which echoes his.
• We can provide information quickly to targeted audiences.
• We can provide information directly to targeted audiences.
• We can make information more understandable and compelling through a verbal means.
• We can provide timely information to audience members who do not have time to read our print materials.
• We can expand on information contained in our printed and other communications.
• We can build a network of engaged audience members.
• We can further promote services.

Podcasting to Your Niche

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

Last time we covered a bit about the narrowness of podcast audiences. It is in fact this narrowness that appeals to PR folk. Let’s look at a traditional method and a new method of communicating.

Let’s say you want to promote a festival in Texas. At that festival, there will be a barbequing contest. The proceeds will support your non-profit. In the old days (last month), you might send out a news release, make your director available for interviews, and get a famous barbeque expert on a morning television show. For each newspaper story, you’ll report the circulation knowing that only a fraction of the subscribers actually looked at the paper that day, a fraction of those saw the story that mentioned your event, a fraction of those remembered the story five minutes later, and an even smaller fraction entertained the idea of attending.

And, in today’s world, you may still use these tactics. But you could add a podcast series leading up to the event. It could include interviews with expert barbequers. And you could promote your podcast on other popular barbeque podcasts, like Barbeque Secrets.

In this scenario, you’ll be reaching one of your target audiences directly. And they will be people who asked to receive your message. Imagine.

So your homework today is to find a podcast about a topic that interests you. One that is not work related. To do this, go to a podcast directory and do some topical searches. You can usually listen to an excerpt before you decide to subscribe. Some places to look include: iTunes podcast search, Google (type in a topic with the word podcast after it), and Yahoo podcast search. There are hundreds of directories. These will be enough to get started.

You will probably find many that don’t scratch your itch. But keep looking. Let us know what you find.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

So I was filling out an online survey the other day about applications of social media for organizational communicators. I believe it was hosted by Ragan. And I found one of the questions bothersome. Here was the question:

7. What barriers do you face in using social media in your work?
a. Lack of executive support
b. Lack of employee interest
c. Budget
d. Lack of understanding about the use of social media
e. Lack of measurement
f. Fear of change
g. Fear of loss of control
h. Legal concerns
i. Fear that employees will waste time

Why is there no recognition that there may be – how shall I put it – smart reasons for not using social media or certain elements of social media?

For example, perhaps one reason is that the communicator has not found ways to integrate social media that are appropriate to the mission or goals of the organization. You can understand social media in your sleep and still not have yet found an application that will support the organization’s goals.

Or, perhaps the issue is that the organization’s key audience is not using social media. Now I know some people think everyone is online. But they aren’t. What if your audience is comprised people who have no access to the Internet at all?

It’s not just about the survey (which probably should have at least had an open-ended option for “other”). It just struck a chord with me because I’ve been noticing the same tone in communications podcasts and blog posts.

Sure, these reasons likely are what’s holding some companies back. I don’t dispute that.

But opting out doesn’t automatically have to mean you are afraid or ignorant. And it’s a bit arrogant for early adopters to make that assumption.

In my own case, my organization is podcasting. There are specific strategic reasons that it is a good tactic for us. Blogging, on the other hand, is about for us as appropriate as renting billboards. But I don’t hear anyone calling us scaredy-cats for not using billboards.

Don’t get me wrong, I think PR folk have a responsibility to their employers and clients to learn about social media. Otherwise, we can’t give good counsel for when to use elements of social media and when not to. Social media can be the best tool ever for some strategies, but it is not the million-dollar answer to everything.

Sampling a Short Podcast

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

If you’ve been with this series from the beginning in January, then you’ve already listened to some podcasts. And I will soon suggest several others. But today, we’re going to look at one in particular. It is a podcast produced by Advertising Age, called the "Why It Matters" audio show. It is produced weekly, and is usually less than 10 minutes.

Your homework is to subscribe to this podcast and listen to at least two episodes.

One thing you’ll see is how a podcast can supplement a printed publication. It can also draw listeners to the printed or online publication.

You’ll also get to see the format of a professionally-produced podcast. By professional, I mean created by a large company likely with plenty of resources. Yet, there’s no fancy music lead in, no promotions and no advertising. It gets right down to business.

Many podcasts do use a touch of music for certain purposes, and others include a short promotion (several of the NPR podcasts do this to recognize a sponsor). But they are not intrusive if they want to keep their listeners.

For the Ad Age podcast, you can guess that there is a specific audience that doesn’t have time for pleasantries. This is the most significant fact about podcasts. They have extremely narrow audiences. In the old way of mass communications thinking, that’s a bad thing. But today, we understand the value of targeting our messages.

So listen to this one and share what you observe.

Lesson Three: The World of Podcasting

Lesson three of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

Now we’re getting into an area that I love. I’ve been listening to podcasts for a little over a year and producing a podcast for my office since September. Podcasting has only been around 31 months, but already, 12 percent of Internet users are listening (see story at podCast411).

So just what is a podcast? Well, many make comparisons to radio shows. But that’s only partially true.

How podcasts are like radio shows.
* You listen to them.

How podcasts are not like radio shows.
* You listen to what you want.
* You listen when you want.

The advantage of audio is that you can be doing other stuff while you listen, like driving or exercising. And yet, audio still has a unique intimacy.

Despite the name, podcast, most listeners listen through their computers. Others use their iPods or other kinds of mp3 players. The cool thing is, that when you find a program that you like, you can subscribe to it, for free, using RSS. You don’t have to go back to the program’s web site to see if a new episode has been released. Instead, it comes to you. It’s the RSS feature that turns an audio file into a podcast.

There’s a great article at Entrepreneur's Journey, “What is a Podcast and How Can I Use One?” if you want a bit more detail.

There are several “podcatchers” out there. But the most used nowadays, by far, is iTunes by Apple. It’s free. It’s not limited to Macs. And while it works best with iPods than with other players, it’s fine for listening from your computer.

So your first homework assignment this month is to set up an iTunes account if you don’t already have one.

Krause’s English 328 Web Site and Blog has easy step-by-step instructions, "How to set up iTunes and an RSS Feed.”

World’s Oldest Paper in Circulation Goes Print-Free

About a month ago or so, I saw a tiny item in my local paper about a newspaper in Sweden that will no longer be printed. It didn’t shut down though. It now provides its news only online. No more above-the-fold stories. No more ink-smudged fingers. No more coin-operated newspaper stands.

Today, in order to read the Postoch Inrikes Tidningar newspaper, you have to have a computer.

This was the world’s oldest paper still in circulation. It was founded in 1645 by Sweden’s Queen Kristina. Yes, you read that right, 1645.

I know times have changed. And I’m not saying this was a bad decision or good decision. It’s not my place. It just seems like there should be a moment of silence or something.

Getting Acquainted with the Blogs -- Review

Lesson Two Review – Learning About Social Media from Your Desk

This ends our second lesson on Learning About Social Media from Your Desk. Below is a review of this lesson, in case you are among those who just found out about this tutorial.

Again, I urge you to leave a comment and tell about what you tried, questions you had or still have, or what you learned. It’ll help others.

1. Lesson Two: Get Acquainted with the Blogs (Wednesday, February 07, 2007)
First assignment: Read some blogs. Leave a comment and let other readers know what blogs you like best.

2. Monitoring Blogs without Going Crazy (Sunday, February 18, 2007)
Assignment: Set up a free account with one of these services to monitor blogs.

3. First Reason for Monitoring Blogs for Public Relations – And a Word About Reporting (Sunday, February 25, 2007)
Assignment: Set up some RSS searches for your organization.

4. Second Reason for Monitoring Blogs for Public Relations (Sunday, March 04, 2007) Assignment: Test out some searches using terms related to your organization or a client. Compare the results you get from different search terms and different search services.

5. Third Reason for Monitoring Blogs for Public Relations (Thursday, March 08, 2007)
In this new world of social media, the number of blog posts is pretty trivial. It’s all about the conversation.

6. Resources for Learning about the Blogosphere for PR Folk (Thursday, March 29, 2007)

Resources for Learning about the Blogosphere for PR Folk

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk."

As we wrap up this two-month lesson about blogs, I have listed some resources for you below. We spent two months on this topic because there is so much to cover. And we will actually come back to it later on to focus on blogger relations more specifically. The resources below are in no particular order.

1. "Introduction to Blogs" (I mentioned this one in a Friday, June 02, 2006, post)
The full title is: Introduction to Blogs: A quick guide to understanding and maximizing communication efforts in the blogosphere. This five-page document by Bacon’s Information Inc., discusses four reasons blogs have gained popularity, four general types of blogs, tips for working with blog writers, tips for monitoring the blogosphere, and tips using blogs as a marketing tool. While not being as comprehensive as some of the other resources I’ve found, this is a quick-read and good as an introduction (as the title indicates).

2. Waggener Edstrom Worldwide has several useful resources that I listed in a Monday, July 17, 2006, post, including: Are You Listening: Understanding the Blogosphere from a Communications Perspective (Part I) and Engaging the Blogosphere: Creating Connections and Fueling Conversations (Part II) (in pdf).

3. Online Tutorial Introduces You to Social Media (from my Tuesday, August 01, 2006 post). Capture the Conversation has posted on their web site a set of tutorials that are really cool. If you’re waiting for someone to show you how, you can stop waiting. These tutorials range from about three minutes to 10 and give you basic info on how to use a particular tool and why. Here are some related topics they’ve created tutorials for: How to Post a Comment on Blogs, Receiving Blog Trackbacks, Strategic Blog Commenting, Subscribing to a Blog via RSS Feed, and Setting Up a Technorati Account.

Next week, we’ll start a new topic: Podcasts!

2007 PRSA President Outlines Her Goals

Today, I had a chance to sit down to lunch with PRSA San Antonio's President for 2007 Fran Stephenson. I asked her about her goals for the organization as she serves in the role of president for 2007:

1. Building on the success of the Del Oro award program
2. Launching the Marilyn Potts Endowment Fund
3. Professional development and the strength of our programs

Listen to what she has to say in our first ever PRSA-SA Video Cast, maybe we will do more of these in the future:

Tags: PRSA|San Antonio|Professional Development|PR|Public Relations|Public Relations|PR|San Antonio|Texas|MYPRPRO

Remember the Basics – Paying Attention to Avoid Going Up in Smoke

Locals are well aware of the pesky mulch fire just outside of San Antonio. The fire began on Christmas and still is burning. Officials have argued about who will pay the millions of dollars it is taking to put it out – before trying to put it out. Air quality experts have been arguing with water quality experts about which is more important. And the rest of us have been coughing and wheezing back and forth to the doctor. School children and local residents have even been relocated. Experts have been assembling from across the state.

During the same time, I’ve been painfully reminded that while learning about new media, you still have to tend to the old. Beginning at about the same time as the mulch fire, our chapter web site has been “under the weather” as well. The web-based editing tool we’d been using started having trouble, and the software company wanted us or our web host to by a service agreement before they would help fix the problem. Which of course we refused to do. So our web host has been looking for a new program and agreed to make our edits for us. But they’ve got bigger fish to fry and have kind-of forgotten about us. In the meantime, visitors in March were seeing promotions for an event in early February.

Wow, the local PR association can’t even keep its web site up to date. Just like the mulch fire, no one is at fault (except for the match-holder). But it can’t go on.

So this week, we set up a temporary web page using Google’s cool page builder tool, which is in beta, and set up a redirect.

We are also taking steps to create a whole new web site. This was actually already in the works, which is why we weren’t yelling at the web host to find new software faster. The new site should be ready in a couple of months. It will include new features like a directory of local PR firms, information on what our local PRSSA (student) chapter is up to at UTSA, and a section on our chapter’s community service.

It will also enable us to ramp up our blog to include basic tools like tagging and displaying photos. It’ll be like a breath of fresh air!

Nominate a PR Professional in the San Antonio Area

You have four workdays left to nominate a colleague for a Del Oro Individual Award! The deadline for sending your nomination letter by email is the end of Thursday, March 15, 2007.

The Del Oro Awards are individual awards, recognizing leading public relations practitioners in the following areas:
• Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement,
• Public Relations Professional of the Year,
• Community Service, and
• Horizon (recognizing a young PR professional "rising star").

There is no entry fee for the Del Oro individual awards. All it takes is a good letter of nomination! Details and entry guidelines are online at the chapter's web site.

If you feel someone you know is deserving, write down why and send in a nomination. Your colleague can't win otherwise!

Third Reason for Monitoring Blogs for Public Relations

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk"

The third reason in public relations to monitor blogs is to know what online conversations are related to your industry or company. In media relations, you probably report media coverage and group it by the event or whatever that started a set of coverage. But it pretty much stops there.

In this new world of social media, the number of blog posts is pretty trivial. It’s all about the conversation.

So when you are monitoring by post and tag searches and find relevant results, don’t think of them as a stream of unconnected mentions. Keep an eye on things like: the volume and content of comments, the links included in the post and the trackbacks (inbound links), and blog posts that mention other related blog posts. Go and track those links. Notice the direction of each conversation.

Then, you’ll need to decide when and how to join in the conversation. You can add comments to blog posts of the more influential bloggers. But do so judiciously. Do not try to sell something (even an idea). Be open about who you represent (this is really, really, really important). Express gratitude. Offer information. Gently provide corrections to errors.

Joining the conversation is important, but as a public relations professional, you have a special responsibility in how you go about it.

Second Reason for Monitoring Blogs for Public Relations

Next installment of "Learning about Social Media from Your Desk" (I know it’s a new month, and we’re supposed to be moving to a new topic. But we’re going to stay on the topic of blogs for a bit.)

The second reason to monitor blogs is to know what certain bloggers are saying about your industry. To get started, you need to identify which bloggers you want to watch. By ego-surfing regularly, you may start to see which bloggers are focusing your topics of interest (pro, con or otherwise). You will also see which ones are most influential by virtue of them having a number of comments and inbound links.

Then you can go back to Technorati, Blogpulse and Google blog search (or others like Ask or Blogdigger as suggested by a commenter) to search for key terms. Be sure to search in “posts” and in “tags.” Searching in posts will give you a list of blog posts that use your term. That’s handy, but depending on how generic your terms are, you may get a list of irrelevant and random posts.

A tag is the key term that the blogger has assigned to his or her post. Usually there are a few tags per blog post. By searching in tags, you’ll see posts that are specifically about your term. Of course, you can subscribe to tag searches too. Over time, you’ll learn which terms give you the most useful results.

There are good reasons for searching posts and tags. For example, not every blog uses tags (like this one, due to software troubles). But start paying attention to tags. It’s one tool that makes social media so dynamic.

Your homework is to test out some searches using terms related to your organization or a client. Compare the results you get from different search terms and different search services.