Monthly Archives: June 2011

Jason Mollica

Engagement…Is There One True Definition?

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I was scouring the blogosphere last week after getting some recommended posts via re-tweets. Of the three I read, all had different definitions of engagement in social media. In our ever changing world, we’ve had to define and re-define certain aspects of PR and marketing. I would think we’d have engagement pretty well narrowed down by now.

However, I don’t think having a solid definition of engagement is a real issue. Why? Because we all talk about engagement in certain ways. Some see that re-tweet that directed me to a blog as the ultimate form of engagement, while others believe that it is responding to a post on Facebook. And if you got into an argument, both of these answers COULD be correct. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Google’s Savvy Marketing Launch of Google+

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Some quick thoughts from a marketing, PR and ad perspective on Google’s just announced new foray into social networking — the terribly named Google+ (as Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land terms it*).

As I tweeted earlier in the day:

keithtrivitt: Prediction: Ad buyers will be all over Google+. More open analytics plus more targeted networks to tap into http://t.co/usHznta

I like that Google has started out by opening Google+ to only a select few and allowing them to invite their friends. Continue reading →

Jeff Esposito

Quintessential Summer Reading

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With the weather heating up and Fourth of July weekend around the corner, I find myself nostalgic for the summer vacations of my schoolboy years. While most of the memories are fond ones, I also remember the last month or so of the summer where everyone tried to cram in the required summer book list. Although it was somewhat of a drag, the activity actually kicked your brain back into gear for the coming year.

Flash forward to present day and your summer distractions. Chances are that you don’t get June to August off of work and your Little League games have probably been replaced by slow-pitch softball leagues where winning flip cup at the bar is more important than winning the game. Even with these changes, it is important to keep your mind fresh. Continue reading →

Nathan "PRCog" Burgess

How Do You Use Facebook Lists?

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Going back to an earlier post of mine, at “another” blog 😉 the issue will certainly begin to arise for the recently hired (or anyone really) who may have the pleasure of administering Facebook pages on behalf of clients, or your own firms – “How do I separate work (client), work (colleagues and bosses), and friends on Facebook?”

After all, for the last n number of years Facebook has been your playground and you’d like to keep it that way – at least a little bit. Further, for the “older” folks who have a larger outside-of-work life they’re now dealing with the question of friending clients on Facebook. Continue reading →

Nathan "PRCog" Burgess

Dear PR Pros…

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This is why you need to revisit your lists on a regular basis and if at all possible do as much background checking as you can.

This is not the first press release we’ve received from this organization. At first we thought it might just be a mistake. Then they kept coming. For no apparent reason.  You tell us, reader, on this glorious (depending on where you work) Friday – how does this fit into our wheelhouse?

Continue reading →

Jason Mollica

Want to Run Your Own Business? There’s a Book for That

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So, the time has come and you want to be your own boss. Maybe you’ve been forced into this because of a company’s downsizing or maybe you would rather work from home to have additional freedom. If you do a Google search, you are sure to find a ton of links to books and seminars to assist you along the way.

I’ve been contemplating my own future, so when I had an opportunity to read Richard Walsh’s book, “The Start Your Own Business Bible,” I jumped at it. If you are even close to thinking like I am, this book is worth a read.

Walsh breaks down each business into how much you will need to start, with statistical information at the beginning of every entry. It shows you potential earnings, start-up cost, advertising, and the bottom line, to name a few. Continue reading →

Rebecca Denison

There’s an Easier Way to Create Standards: Conform

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The latest focal point of measurement fanatics has been standardization. Most recently public relations professionals convened in Lisbon for AMEC (The International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) to set standards for measuring PR and social media.

While I applaud their efforts, and they were able to make some important steps toward standardization, it seems the whole industry is going at this problem from the completely wrong direction.

The approach seems to be to try to find standard, but unique methods to measure PR and its value. Continue reading →

Tim Otis

With Your Twitter Pitch, Where’s the Timehook?

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Oh Twitter… receiving a suck notice , being told it has a stickiness problem. Are you really still useful to PR pros, if not just for helping us craft more weighty headlines in 140 characters? Besides the obvious observations for how a tweet helps PR pros pitch more effectively, one thing is definitely overlooked and it’s something I stumbled upon just today: the timehook. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Friend or Foe? Online Reputation Management Firms

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As many people know, I’m a vocal advocate for the value of PR. Hell, I wouldn’t be doing my job at PRSA if that weren’t the case, and it’s something I sincerely believe in. Yet from time to time, like most folks, I get down about certain aspects of the business. This is the story of one of those moments.

And it has to do with the growing use of online reputation management firms and the increasing prevalence of spurious tactics some of these firms are using. I point to two recent articles in The Times of London (sub req’d) as exhibits A and B. But you don’t have to look far to find other examples. Continue reading →