IPRT Blogging Sphere

PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences

2008-05-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

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!

PODCASTING

2008-04-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

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.

PR AND THE BLOGOSPHERE

2008-04-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

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.

MOBILE PHONE SPAM

2008-03-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

ABCnews.com produced a video exploring the implications of mobile phone spam. Posted on March 11, 2008 the link connects to previous discussion regarding push and pull technology.

This spam 'crisis' has created an environment making users aware of the implications of mobile phone use and cautions one must take when signing up to add extras to your phone. If we peer into the PR sphere, how will this impact the environment? One implication might be that using cell phones to ‘push’ a product might backfire if mobile users start blocking what appears on their phone. Another more serious implication would be how Spam might interfere with important and confidential documents. It seems that many professionals are using mobile devices to communicate with their clients as well as their office. The intrusion of Spam is becoming more dominate as the technology increases. Will Spam force PR professionals to alter their modes of communication? From the professionals I have talked to in the field, life without mobile devices would be quite difficult. Will spam force the profession to find safer ways of delivering information?

BETTER COMMUNICATORS

2008-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

After reading Irene's post: Social Networking: A new PR tool, I did some research of my own and found an article discussing Facebook. In the article "Facing up to Facebook", Stewart Kirkpatrick, a digital content consultant states, "using social networking tools or blogs actually makes employees better communicators". Kirkpatrick further reveals, "through these activities they (employees) are more likely to come across intelligence that could be to their employer's benefit". Kirkpatrick then argues the point that "staff who use the full gamut of online options are more valuable assets than those who do not". While I see merit in Kirkpatrick's statement, I would disagree that online communication equates to better communicators. Maybe when he uses the work communication, Kirkpatrick is talking about written communication. Just because someone can use Facebook, doesn't mean they have the interpersonal skills to connect to clients and work with other employees. His comment about staff being more valuable if they use the full gamut of online options is another issue that I have to disagree with. While the online systems are a valuable component in today's society. It is not the only quality an employee must possess to be an asset to the company. Even though the article does not distinguish between different professions, I feel that a PR professional must acquire many different types of skills to be an asset to a company. Even with the technology influence on the profession, interpersonal communication is a quality that cannot be overlooked.

PUSH VS. PULL

2008-03-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

With the advancement of mobile technologies new methods of communication are being formulated. Two terms that have developed from this advancement are push and pull technology. Push technology involves information (e.g. emails) being 'pushed' to the user as soon as they are sent to the messaging service. In contrast, pull technology refers to when a user (or recipient) initiates the transfer of information. “The original BlackBerry was the first popular example of push technology in a wireless context"(wikipedia). Since then, many mobile devices offer push technology.
The mobile phenomenon has drastically changed the PR realm. It has allowed communication to occur at a faster pace (you are no longer limited by location) and more often (people are able to be contacted 24/7). However, does this bode well for PRs? Some believe mobile devices allow them more flexibility when communicating to clients and co-workers. What about the concept of personal time? Does it exist with mobile devices?

Wikipedia. Push Technology [accessed March 6,2008]
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Push_technology&oldid=182636889

MOTOROLA BRICK

2008-03-06T02:39:00.000-08:00

Hello Derek,

I believe this is the infamous phone you were talking about. I have no idea why these phones went out of style!

A BLAST FROM THE PAST!

2008-02-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Featured above are various cell phones from 1992 to 2004.
Legend:
1. NEC Cellstar 500 series (1992)
2. Nokia 2110 series (1994)
3. Nokia 5120 (1998)
4. Kyocera 2135 (2002)
5. Audiovox CDM8300 (2002)
6. Samsung SCH-A650 (2004)

Picture located on Wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mobile_phone&oldid=194348065. Accessed February 27, 2008.

ENTERING THE DOMAIN

2008-02-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome PR Technology Seekers!

You have entered a domain dedicated to the exploring the influence of technology on the public relations field. This blog has been created partly out of interest, but also as part of a module in the PR MSc program at the University of Stirling.

I am looking forward to sharing, discussing and learning about the impact of technology on PR. I am keen on reading your comments and hope this is a useful tool for others interested in this area.