January 29, 2007
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Update: For the latest post on this study and highlights of the in-depth interviews. But please read this one first — for backstory.
It appears not everyone, even public relations pros, have bloggers on their radar screens. According to data from a recent Kent State/ BurrellesLuce survey, 72% of PR professionals say they have NO formal system for monitoring buzz in the blogosphere. Only 19% say they do.
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I recently reviewed aggregate data from the survey that drew responses from 938 clients and prospects of BurrellesLuce, the media monitoring and analysis company. It’s a self-selecting sample, to be sure, but for now we’re exploring, not generalizing.
My colleague, Jeanette Drake, and I are trying to develop a base understanding of how PR professionals track and use blogs in day-to-day practice. We’ll present the finished study at the International Public Relations Conference in Miami in March. Read the rest of this entry »
22 Comments | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing, PR, PR Education, PR Research, Public Relations | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 26, 2007
It was a similar headline on PRSA’s “Issues and Trends” email that set off my WTF radar this morning. sheep-googly.gif
I clicked the link to the International Herald Tribune and found a fascinating story about out-of-control communication doing violence to truth and good scientific work. The case presents a challenge to PR professionals who must explain and defend complex science in an increasingly rumor- and emotion-fueled media world.
It started when Robert Roselli, Oregon Health & Science University, launched research to explore why approximately 8% of rams prefer sex with other rams. Not only did a lot of folks misinterpret Roselli’s intentions, many of them — including the Times of London — got the story wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Crisis management, PR, PR Education, PRSA, Public Relations, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 25, 2007
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In a thought-provoking essay defending the “traditional” news release, PR blogger Jeremy Pepper gets to the heart of it somewhere around mid-post.
The press release isn’t broken. PR people nowadays just can’t write for shit. Hell, some of the PR bloggers can’t write for shit, but at least by blogging, they should be getting better at writing (maybe not grammar and punctuation, but at least concise writing).
Jeremy’s post is part of the ongoing discussion about the social media news release and its place in PR practice. With all the buzz about social media and their impact on the business, it’s easy to lose sight of the core skill we all need to use any medium effectively: We must write well. Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Edelman, Kent State, PR, PR Education, Public Relations, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 24, 2007
If you were awake during the 1996 presidential election, you know where I got the headline for this post. I got the idea for it from PR’s favorite blogging vixen, Strumpette.
Yeah, I’m giving “Amanda” some ink this week, but she’s earned it.
In yesterday’s post, Strumpette takes to task Matt Szabo, press secretary to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Seems that Szabo tried to set some last-minute ground rules for an interview betweeen LA Times columnist Steve Lopez and the city’s transportation director. Szabo thought he had a deal; Lopez didn’t. You can read the complete column, but here’s the gist of it: Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Media, Media relations, PR, PR Education, Public Relations, Public Relations Ethics, Strumpette | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 22, 2007
As a relative newbie to this PR blogging thing, I still get a thrill when someone posts a comment to my site. So imagine my excitement when I awoke Sunday morning to find a comment from one Amanda Chapel, aka, Strumpette.
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Known for her slash-and-burn commentary about the PR biz, Amanda chimed in about my post of 1/19/07. She was very nice about it — which isn’t her style at all. You can read my post and her comment here, or just scroll down until you see the smiling baloney sandwich. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Blogs, PR, PR Education, Public Relations, Social Media, Strumpette | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 20, 2007
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Four months as a blogger hardly qualifies me as an expert. But this post deals more with observations of other blogs than authorship of this one. Observing I’ve been doing for a whole lot longer. Here’s my take so far.
Blogs are not the second coming of Gutenberg – not for news people, not for PR people, and certainly not for Joe Six-Pack. Are blogs relevant? Of course. Do they “change everything”? Hardly, and I don’t think they ever will.
Blogs won’t replace MSM. Mainstream media will need to morph, and quickly, if they hope to remain part of our lives. And I think many will, as there’ll always be a demand for clear, concise, tightly packaged information vetted by professional editors. The blogosphere, by contrast, is “edited” largely by a community of volunteers with wide-ranging opinions and quality standards. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Blogging, Blogs, MSM, PR Education, Public Relations | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 18, 2007
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Most of my colleagues won’t admit it, but I know they occasionally visit RateMyProfessors.com (RMP) to see mtv.jpg
how students grade them. Visited by 10 million college students so far, this website is about to get even more popular on the heels of this news from Online Media Daily.
ADDING WEB SERVICES THROUGH ACQUISITION, MTV Networks has agreed to buy a professor rating-service for college students named RateMyProfessor.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The site will not only become part of mtvU’s online presence, but will serve as a model for other college-related rating services, according to Stephen Friedman, general manager of mtvU.
“Every time we asked our audience about tools they use online, RateMyProfessor always came up,” he said. “Now we’re talking with them about how we build on this idea–best dorms, best places to eat around campus.” Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Higher Education, Kent State, PR Education, Public Relations, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 17, 2007
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Sorry, but I’m a sucker for alliteration.
Besides, bad behavior begs to be blasted by boisterous bloggers. This case is right out of Public Relations 101.
My target today is Big Wally — aka WalMart — and this nugget from Springfield, Ohio.
Seems that Tashina Byrd and Brian O’Neill experienced a condom malfunction the other night. So the next logo_planb.gif
morning, Tashina went to the pharmacy at Big Wally to get a dose of Plan B, the over-the-counter morning-after pill. Plan B is stashed behind the counter, as women under age 18 need a prescription to buy it. So Byrd, 23, had to ask for it. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Blogging, Employee relations, PR, PR Education, Public Relations, Social Networking, Walmart | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 15, 2007
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By now, you’ve heard the story of the 28-year-old California woman who died after drinking too much water in a radio-station contest. The story spread across the globe like lightning. I’d laugh if it weren’t so tragic.
Seems the woman was a contestant in a radio-station gimmick called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii.” The winner? The person who drank the most water without making a trip to the can. The prize was a Nintendo Wii video game worth about $500. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Crisis management, PR, Public Relations | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
January 12, 2007
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Just when you think the corporate stiffs have their shorts wound way too tight, one of them surprises you. It’ll take you less than 4 minutes to watch this clip from Kodak — a case study in how big organizations are connecting via YouTube — and entertaining us in the process.
The description says “Winds of Change” was created to help motivate the troops inside Kodak. But it was such a hit in-house that they opted to release it to the world. So far it’s drawn almost 160 kodak.jpg
,000 views.
The actor in this video is reminiscent of the Howard Beale character in the 1976 film, Network. He’s funny and outrageous. But the message comes through loud and clear, even as you chuckle. Count me among those who perceived Kodak as a corporate behemoth that lacked the creativity and adroitness to compete in a digital world. Remember, these are the same folks who gave us the disc camera back in ‘82! Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Marketing, Viral Marketing, YouTube | Permalink
Posted by Bill Sledzik
