PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences

What I feel I have learn the most from this technology class is the need to keep up-to-date on the latest technological forms entering the PR sphere. One way in which we can accomplish this task is by involving ourselves in the technological environment (blogs, virtual realities, etc..) and also by reading. Public Relations professional and author Deirdre Breakenridge has recently publish a book called, PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences. A great tool to understand how the Web changed everything in the PR domain.

MOBILE DEVICES IN A PR WORLD

As Dave Forde indicated on his post, PR Newswire one of the world’s largest text and multimedia distribution services has partnered with Vancouver-based Contec Innovations to deliver content via mobile devices. This means that PR Newswire customers’ press release will be made available on a mobile publishing service. ‘This distribution will give customers the opportunity to reach new audiences around the world,’ commented Joshua Cohen, director of Content Licensing & Distribution of PR Newswire. With an estimated 3.3 billion mobile phone subscribers it is no surprise that PR has tapped into this resource. In many countries, mobile phones outnumber land-line phones and thus the “always on” stream of individuals exist making it a PR communicators dream. Messages can be sent and received anywhere and anytime. Mobile devices have engaged individuals who do not have access to the internet. Using the mobile device as a communication stream…viable option for the future of PR.

http://www.princanada.com/pr-newswire-contec-innovations-partner-to-deliver-news-to-mobile-devices

ENGAGING WITH FANTASY JOURNALISTS….SERIOUS STUFF

In what way could PR contribute to life in a virtual reality? I have thought about this question since listening to a presentation on virtual realities. It seems as though people go ‘into’ Second Life (for example) to escape from reality. Why on earth would they want to be bombarded with publicity and PR messaging? Unless... we view it a different way (spin??) and reflect on how public relations contributes to dialogue. PR isn’t just about forcing a message onto unknown civilians? It is about creating discussion and Second Life, World of Warcraft and other virtual reality sites do just that. In an interview on Beet.tv PR junkie Steve Rubel comments on virtual realities and how engaging with fake journalists is very real. Steve goes onto to emphasise that virtual reality is serious business. ‘Big marketers are paying big buck to be in the world, so PR people better start cracking’. It seems that if there is a demand….then it is a viable PR option!

Video depicts how Dwight Shrute lives in Second Life!

STUMBLE UPON

A recent post by Mark Evans on 'Four Reasons Why Blogging is Easy; Getting Traffic is Hard' lead me to a new website called Stumble Upon. I had heard that this website was making Google obsolete and I was curious to see why. Stumble Upon differs from Google because it allows you to discover web sites, videos, photos, blogs and more - based on your interests. Everything is submitted and rated by a community, thus taking the frustration out of having to search through website after website to find the one that is most applicable to your search. From a PR standpoint, Stumble Upon could change the way in which our information is received. We may no longer have the choice of what websites individuals visit, especially if community members are deciding what is important.

The video posted above provides a visual of Stumble Upon function.

RSS...Feeding it to the sharks

Whether you choose to call it Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary, RSS ARE having an impact on journalist. When first introduced to the topic of RSS, I was curious to know the general PR consensus about RSS feeds. As it turned out, many professionals believed that RSS feeds were ‘too techie’ for journalists. Fortunately, a new study from Bulldog Reporter and TEKgroup reports that journalist do in fact use RSS feeds. The report indicates that journalist’s use of ‘online newsrooms, RSS and social media is much higher than PR professionals believed and the need to access news 24 hours a day online is being referred to as the biggest change in journalism practice’. (press-feed.com). Now that it is settled…let’s get with it PRs and start RSS feeding!

Information sourced from: http://www.press-feed.com/blog/?p=118

FLOGGING IT

We have the ability to blog, but was anyone aware of the ability to flog? For some, fake blogging (aka flog or flack blog) is another method to promote a product in a “disguised” fashion. The object of the flog is to generate traffic and interest 'in a product disproportionate to the interest a company could generate using the same budget on traditional means of advertising'(Wikipedia). Those who write Flogs pretend to be an individual writing a blog for enjoyment or personal-interest, when in fact the whole blog is a manipulated piece of advertising. A Flog 'is often applied to corporate blogs or those 'written' by politicians, when in fact it is the creation of the public relations firms or departments.

I am not sure about anyone else, but doesn't this feel a little like spin? Unless one is clear about their intentions to promote and who they are, why try to intentionally deceive the public?

The picture depicts McDonald's attempt at a fake blog. Check out Strategic Public Relations to learn more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_blog&oldid=204934226

CANADA JUMPS ON THE WEB BANDWAGON

2008 marks the third year that Canada will host mesh: a web conference. The event will run from May 21st-22nd 2008 in Toronto, Ontario and cover a range of speakers and topics. Due to the enthusiasm of five people involved in the web and all the next-generation things happening in the world, Canada will be another country participating in the Web 2.0 conversation.

Around the world events connecting Web ideas and leaders of the future are going on- Geneva has LIFT, Paris has Leg Blogs, New York has BlogOn and now Canada has mesh!