One of my favorite questions to ask almost anyone I meet is: “Where do you get your news?” As someone who is fascinated by all forms of media and communications, I love hearing about other people’s media habits, what strikes them as newsworthy and perhaps most interesting, where they are finding good info and insight… Read the rest of this entry
Monthly Archives: April 2011
A Search for a Quack: Why I Think Aflac Got It Right
“AFLAC!” “AFLAC!” “A FLACK!” We’ve all heard that quack from the TV ads which annoying comedian Gilbert Gottfried made famous. As a PR pro, I cringe whenever I hear it because it sounds like the duck is calling me “A FLACK!” Personally, I didn’t really care whose voice it was behind “AFLAC!,” but when Gilbert… Read the rest of this entry
What We’re Reading at PRBC
Every week it seems like there is a new list coming out listing the top 20, 50, or 100 blogs in a particular industry. These are usually based on available public stats, people submitting themselves or, for some, some nepotism. I often wonder if the list creator reads any of these blogs or simply relies… Read the rest of this entry
New Platforms: Pinterest
Oddly enough, only a few months ago I was lamenting the rapid influx of new social media platforms trying to supplant (or support, depending on how you looked at it) the holy trio that are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Yes, I know YouTube, Flickr, etc. all have their own history and their own niche markets,… Read the rest of this entry
The Media is Missing the Real Story on PR
I have to admit, I can be a bit of a crank when it comes to how the mainstream media covers PR. It either verges on a near fascination with celebrity publicists — one minor faction of the broader and fast-growing public relations industry — or the belief that PR can easily be wrapped up… Read the rest of this entry
Tricks of the Trade: E-Mail Etiquette
Communication has changed over the years, and I’m pretty sure that everyone would agree that most of our daily communication is over e-mail. I think sometimes people forget that they are still talking to people even when they are writing to them. A lot of things irk me in life, but when I get an… Read the rest of this entry
PR Job Descriptions: Professional Social Media Experience Now Necessary?
There have been abundant ramblings on how the emergence of social media has changed PR, for better or worse. Whether you are a social media guru or a non-believer, the requirements of the public relations profession has undoubtedly become more “social.” Here is a sample pulled from a PR coordinator job posting in 2005, and… Read the rest of this entry
Are You Getting Credit for the 3Rs of PR?
I don’t think PR professionals give our industry enough credit. And it starts with the fundamentals. As in those of us who are practicing them aren’t claiming them. And that’s our bad, because we should be. Why should we claim things “everyone” should be doing? Because when we don’t continue to talk about doing the… Read the rest of this entry
Are Mobile Health Apps the Answer?
An estimated 500 million people worldwide are expected to be using mobile healthcare applications by 2015. As of November 2010, there were nearly 17,000 health apps available in major app stores, with 57% aimed at consumers rather than healthcare professionals (HCPs). So what does this mean? Basically, if you design a mobile app that doesn’t… Read the rest of this entry
Will Hollywood Be the Next Industry Consumed by the Internet?
As someone who recently turned the big 4-0, I can say that I have seen a lot of technology come and go in my time. I remember the days when families used to gather around a black and white TV, and you had to get up to change the channel. The stations would also shut… Read the rest of this entry