Sunday, April 27, 2008

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.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

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

Sunday, April 20, 2008

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!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

PODCASTING




George recently presented in class and posted on his blog:The Use of Podcasting For Web PR. It made me contemplate...Podcasting, a useful PR tool or an annoying audio element? Wondering if podcasting is a viable option for PR professionals to use? One member of our class suggested that podcasting is useful way of delivering information to people on the go. I agree with their view, but as a PR tool I am not sure if it is a method that would work for every company or product.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

PR AND THE BLOGOSPHERE



After reading Mattias' post: Blogging Big Business, but at what price, I was inspired to do some investigation of my own. I found this clip by video caster Chris Pirillo where he discusses PR's involvement in the Blogosphere. He welcomes public relations practitioners to participate in the blog environment, but is clear to lay out 5 rules on the "blogging road".

I find Pirillo's suggestions helpful, but am shocked that he goes beyond assisting PRs about blogging and feels the need to tell professionals how to do their job. Point number four is most surprising for me because it is such a fundamental element of PR... know your public. Granted, there might be a few PR professionals out there who do not direct emails to the appropriate people but that does not mean that all PR agents are careless.

I must admit that I am sceptical of PR's place in the blogging environment. It seems that blogging has the potential to reach a vast number of individuals in a short amount of time making it a viable communication option. If you are clear about who you are (state you are a PR professional) and have something to contribute then possibly PR could blend into the blogging sphere. However, I am not convinced that blogging is an appropriate way to reach the public. Many individuals are already weary of PRs "spinning power". Why reinforce negative opinion of the profession if we are constantly poking our PR noses into blogging spaces.