PRSA Launches a Conference Blog - Five Reasons to Launch a Blog - A breakdown of the five reasons to launch a blog: Influence policy, reinforce an image, support customers, give advice and educate (Communication Overtones).

The Myth of Evil Corporations in Social Media - A discussion that dissects and dismisses the general negative attitude towards companies in social media (Chris Brogan).

Restoring the Faith in Popcorn - An excellent example of crisis PR at work in the blogosphere (Conversation Agent).

The Participation Ethos - The mindset organizations need to embrace to be successful in social media.  Pre Blog Orlando session write-up.  The post mortem will be here (Buzz Bin).

Every week, Copywrite Inc.’s Rich Becker and I discuss a blogging best practice on BlogStraightTalk, a Bumpzee community. This week we discussed Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) a new social-media enabled web site: www.prsa.org.

PRSA’s social media effort turns the font page of the site into a blog, allowing readers to comment (albeit minus the ability to tage blog sites). This social media enabling of traditional news outlets and Web sites is a relatively newer trend, most notably with the Gannett based USA Today’s incredible Web site revision earlier this year.

Kevin Dugan reviewed the social media aspects of many of these news vehicles on Strategic Public Relations. prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2007/…

Chris Heuer also reviewed USA Today’s social media efforts to date:
www.chrisheuer.com/2007/08/16/why-usa-today-is-not…

On to the reviews!

Take One: Livingston

• Many PR practitioners don’t monitor blogs or social media still. Worse, they treat bloggers like journalists, and attempt to manipulate blog readers. This move really does enable PRSA to start a great discourse with its membership and encourage the adoption of social media-oriented public relations. I applaud the move.
• As to the actual site, it leaves me non-plussed.
• All in all, for a first time effort within a larger organization that’s used to controlling the message, I applaud the effort. I give it a B+.

Take Two: Becker

• While I applaud the effort, the execution seems haphazard. Enough so that I wonder if speed to market convinced PRSA to make the move too quickly or perhaps without a plan. The posts seem a bit hit or miss, without linking to the source in some cases.
• Social media is becoming an ever-increasing important piece of the communication puzzle but that does not dismiss the responsibility of practitioners to remember that the message is more important than the medium.
• While I can join Geoff in giving PRSA a B+ for effort, I only see a D+ in terms of execution. Just a few tips on the front end: the front page has too much noise, the PRSA news roll moves too fast, and readers need more than a headline to coax them into a story.

Rich ended the session with a particularly prescient point, “PRSA has an opportunity to be enabled to educate public relations professionals about social media. So the bigger question is … do they know enough to do it? Considering I was introduced to their new blog by a senior member who felt disenfranchised by it, only time will tell.”

Most organizations are not as well known as PRSA.  They have the luxury of being able to “experiment” by participating in the community for a little while. That in turn allows them to find their social media voice, the role they play in the community. In essence, experiences create the ability to better navigate the social media realm.

Unfortunately for PRSA, it is a well known organization so the halo effect for trying social media will last for only a short period.  Hopefully, they will monitor results and quickly adapt.

BlogStraightTalk publishes every Monday. Join us.

Now is Gone is on Amazon.com and is available for pre-orders. Woo hoo!

Release date has not been officially set yet. And many have asked for autographed copies. We’re working out a way to make that happen. Details on these are forthcoming this week.

Social Media All-Star Brian Solis helped me shape the book’s direction, and wrote a killer introduction. Now Is Gone seeks to help businesses embrace Social Media intelligently. Readers can learn if their organization is ready, how to begin, the predominant participation is marketing approach that other businesses are using, social media marketing strategies, and general social media insights.

In addition to best practices, the book is laced with case studies that demonstrate corporate successes. This primer provides the quickest way for executives and entrepreneurs to figure out social media marketing.

“We can blog if we want to,
we can leave your friends behind…”

Markets are Conversations. We’ve heard it so often, we take it for granted. And it may well yet stand the test of time as a metaphor that defines our future. But there is another powerful idea in the offing: You are your brand.

In essence, the second is just a logical postulate of the first. If a “market” is really a “conversation,” then there must be real people (with real faces and real voices) taking part. I’m okay with that so far.

“’cause your friends don’t blog and if they don’t blog
Well they’re no friends of mine”

To be a part of the conversation, you have to have a voice. “Blogs” used to be the atom of online conversation, and commenting was the proof. In fact, to this day I still have many coworkers and others that I respect who continue to be hung up on the definition of a “blog” including commenting. “If it doesn’t have comments, it’s just a website.” Never mind that many of the pioneers of modern online communications don’t allow comments. (Seth?)

“I say, we can write what we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind”

If the Conversation is now the essential element, then those who are duplicitous in their conversations are going to freeze themselves out of the Marketplace. How can you trust someone who says one thing here and another thing there? Unlike the world of the fractured song-lyric above, there is “no place where they will never find.” Hello, John Mackey?

“Say, we can act if want to
If we don’t nobody will
And you can act real rude and totally removed
And I can act like an imbecile”

Yes, you can act like an imbecile or even worse. But remember, you are participating in a Conversation, and as such, you have a face. Or at the very least, a facade. With the interlinking and intermingling of social networks, it is even permissible to be a little more sarcastic on one than on another, as we expect each to bring out a different aspect of our personalities. At the end of the day, though - you still need to be accountable for what you say. The script is flipped, and you don’t just own what you write. What you write can own you.

“We can write if we want to
We’ve got all your posts and mine
As long as we abuse it, never gonna lose it
Everything’ll work out right”

…and that’s where the song fades out. It won’t work out right.

Some within the Blogoverse now see Jonah Bloom - the Executive Director of Ad Age - in competition with himself. Jonah wrote a blog posting under the Ad Age banner quite critical of Joseph Jaffe, whose already catching enough grief watching his crayon melt. This isn’t so much a problem for Bloom as it is for Ad Age. All of the tenets of Social Media and New Marketing lead back to the individual owning up to his/her words - yet there remains the expectation that “the corporation” has a “corporate identity” and a “corporate voice”, and the law even recognizes “the corporation” as a legal entity, just like an individual.

I know of what I speak first-hand. I used to blog in a more critical way about how other people, agencies, and businesses handled their crisis communications statements. Now that my name is more closely aligned with my present employer, I chose to pick a different direction so as to avoid confusion. I wasn’t asked to do so - not once. But I did it, because I understand human nature.

Human nature sees people with faces, and doesn’t get fooled so much by what’s on top of our heads. In the world we’re just now entering, there’s so much more riding on our personal reputation because it is all so eminently searchable. If the Market is truly a Conversation, then we’re still doing business one-to-one.

And even if there is no direct eye-contact, rest assured that we’re not paying as much attention to “which hat” you were wearing when you started dropping e-bombs on someone else. In the next frontier of marketing - we are all Men Without Hats.

Part of participating in social media is sharing. Bloggers such as Todd Defren are rightfully calling for us to share more practical and successful social media case studies.

So, last week, I dug up a few case studies I had been saving as my own best practices guide and shared them at my main blog, Communication Overtones. This included one I had written up as well.

But it didn’t seem like enough. Geoff and I came up with the idea to start a running list of social media case studies here at “Now Is Gone.” It is the perfect venue to share and share alike. So you might notice the bright, shiny “Case Studies” tab in the top right corner. And selfishly, we can take a look at some great best practices on a regular basis.

So, consider this post a “call for entries.” Write up your case study on your blog and let us know so that we can link to it, and while you are at it, turn it into a pdf and send it to Jen McClure at the New Communications Review, where you can find a growing list of case studies as well. Better yet, enter the Excellence in New Communications Awards, which are due on September 28, 2007.

In a comment to this thread on David Jones’ blog, Brendon Hodgson made a comment that really resonated with me:

I also tend to think there’s way too much punditry out there and (still) not a lot of crunchy doing (for clients, and for ourselves)…I’m feeling less inclined to read those who talk, and focus more of my time on those who ‘do’….”

So, let’s show off all of that crunchy doing!

tags: Case+Study, Case+Studies, PR, Marketing, New+Media, Social+Media

Toby Bloomberg and I wrote a Yellow crayon post last Friday taking Jonah Bloom to task for his crayon coverage. Boy, did that set off a firecracker. Bloggers thought it was an OK post because it was just a blog rant, and others saw it as a defense of, or an opportunity to talk about crayon — and Jaffe in particular.

Unfortunately, our intent was to call out Bloom on a perceived abuse of ethics — not defend crayon’s performance. This redux post serves to refocus the conversation on the ethics at stake, and the blurring lines of blogger versus journalist. These issues are increasingly at play as the blogosphere garners more respect and the traditional media has begun moving towards social models.

Because the offending post is under the Ad Age masthead, I personally hold great issue with it per reasons outlined in the original post. Again, Jonah’s post occurred on an official Advertising Age blog with a by-line from its executive editor. That means it may as well have been its editorial opinion page.

Believe me when I say that crayon’s prospective clients who read that post with its Advertising Age masthead will see it that way. Jonah’s blast will live forever in the ether as official editorial coverage, not a blog rant. Thus in my mind, it demonstrated extreme abuse of Jonah’s power and position.

In summary, as someone who grew up in a newsroom, served as a journalist and has a ten year career as a PR pro, and now a two year career as a blogger, I believe that newspapers and trade pubs have a right to editorial opinion. But they need to present a balanced view somewhere associated with this, either as a cross linked companion piece or as a counter opinion. With all of the cursing and very pointed remarks, this was a long, far cry from balance.

And Toby said in both comment streams:

I’ve been thinking more about why Jonah’s words hit a nerve for me. The post was so off target of what I expected from a leading professional publication.Of course Jonah has every right to his opinion. But for me this was like a school yard bully - because of the reach and influence of Ad Age - throwing mud at a mate. My expectations of Ad Age’s content, developed over many years, was thrown off balance. And was dis-concerting .. thus my reactions.

Ethics of Journalism versus Blogging

This does bring the question of what separates a journalist from a blogger ethically. Given the FEC’s recent ruling — judging blogs as a form of media — we can see there is much gray here… perhaps the post should have been dubbed gray crayon instead of yellow. What would someone from Annenberg or Northwestern or NYU — what would a Jay Rosen think of Jonah’s post and its context: A journalist blogging under the publication masthead?

CK asked some great questions in Toby’s version of the post, which I will attempt to answer in this new, refocused thread:

CK: What would have been ethical in your opinion? If Jonah hadn’t been so strong…or if Jonah had used several examples, not just one?

You got it, CK. For reporting and editorial actual reporting, facts and a professional tone would have done better instead of the atypical blog rant in the form of a personal attack. Criticism from a journalist is fine, but it needs to be backed with facts and more than one incident.

I think Jonah was commenting on crayon, not Jaffe bad writing. If it was just writing, what was Jonah smoking that day? If you’re going to do this, then cite all of the missteps, call Jaffe out on Nikon, Holtz and Hobson’s departure, his perceived demeanor. Discuss the difficulties of launching new businesses and start-ups in unproven markets. But this had no merits beyond a ridiculous mocking in a Strunk & White falsetto.

Strong is subjective. Strong writing could have occurred without the blog rant tone. The New York Times, New Yorker and the Washington Post serve as benchmarks in this realm… And yes, their reporters blog without these kind of rants.

CK: Or if Jonah hadn’t blogged on it at all?

Ahh, the real issue. Well, if journalists want to blog under a publication masthead then they are still governed under the ethics of journalism. Thus the unwavering point of view. Blogging yes, fine, but clean it up and play by the rules… Or conversely, post it on a personal blog.

Just because a journalist blogs doesn’t mean they lose their role in the conversation. But they have a different tone and ethics — which by the way makes them more credible than the average blog.

One of the best examples of an executive editor blogging with a decent voice is Federal Computer Week’s Insider blog written by executive editor Chris Dorobek. Chris blogs, has tone and personality yet doesn’t sacrifice the integrity of the masthead like Jonah did.

Is it as opinionated as some blogs? Maybe not. But is Gig-Om as opinionated than a lesser ranked blog? Maybe not. Break out your gray crayon.

Have a social media marketing case study? Want us to feature it on Now Is Gone? Email your link to geoff [at] livingstonbuzz [dot] com, and we’ll write it up and include it in this list.

• Click TV - Blogger Relations for Click TV (April 17, 2006): An outline of a blogger relations campaign for a Web 2.0 company, Shel Holtz, results here
• Coca Cola’s Community Approach to Second Life (April 17, 2007): Coca-Cola’s new social media strategy in Second Life featured an approach other than buying real estate and creating a store, Shel Holtz & Crayon
• SeaWorld San Antonio: Journey to Atlantis (May 3, 2007): The launch and results of an “event” site to support the opening of a new ride, My PR Pro
• Splashcast’s Social Media for Marketing: (May 16, 2007): Splashcast used social media for marketing purposes, and succeeded by directly engaging the community, Marshall Kirkpatrick
• GeoCommons Social Media News Release (May 29, 2007): An outline of the pitfalls and successes of releasing news via SMNR, Livingston Communications
• New Adventures of Old Christine (June 14, 2007): The show was about to get a new day and time, and she thought outreach to parent bloggers was a perfect fit, CBS via Marketing Roadmaps
• Sci Fi Channel Digital Press Tour (July 12, 2007): Sci Fi channel begins blogger relations program by providing access to filming setsSci Fi, Channel via Marketing Roadmaps
• Goodwill’s Social Media Strategy (August 29, 2007): How Goodwill used social media to rebrand its vintage clothing, Livingston Communications
• Five Lessons from the SIGGART Online Word of Mouth Campaign (August 30, 2007):  Thiseco-friendly aluminum water bottles company chalked up tons of quantifiable results, including 8000 unique visitors who visited for an average of 17 minutes, Gold Group
• Gates Foundation ED in ‘08 (Sept. 25, 2008): This very successful case study shows social media tools from video to Facebook, and calls to action like ordering endorsement kits, Mindshare Interactive
• Social Media Case Study: CMP’s TechMash (September 27, 2007) Social media forms used to garner attendance at CMP event, Horn Group
• A Social Media News Release from Eurekstar (October 2, 2007): Shift Partner and Father of the SMNR breaks down form and function in this one, SHIFT Communications.
• Marketing Pro Lewis Green discusses how his BizSolutionsPlus blog yielded four clients in one year (October 15, 2007).
• Dell Computers does a complete 180 and reverses Jarvis’ Dell Hell to become a company admired across social media circles. And Jarvis writes them up for their great progress in BusinessWeek (October 18, 2007).

This is a special edition of Great Blogs of Fire, usually hosted on the Buzz Bin! For the last two months, a post noted the five bloggers that were influencing me the most during that month. It’s a good idea to recognize influencers, so this will be a continuing monthly feature to be hosted on the Now Is Gone blog.

September’s Top Five Influential Bloggers

1) Jeremiah Owyang: Jeremiah went into overdrive with impressive weekly round-ups, primers, and great trade publication-esque tutorials. Then he went and got acquired by Forrester, demonstrating his incredible value to the industry. And that blogging can lead somewhere. Great job, Jeremiah!

2) Toby Bloomberg: Toby, the blue-chipper, because she is always reliable and helpful. Graceful, masterful, and really thoughtful. Her blog is a driving force in the marketing marketplace, and many credit her W-List posting as the tipping point for that meme which gave so many lady bloggers outstanding links.

3) Shel Holtz: Shel’s had a lot of great content lately. I don’t always agree, but think that any marketer can benefit from a weekly perusing of the wares here. He pointed out Delta and A&P, and this week features a podcast (with Neville Hobson) noting a study that demonstrates Facebook causes productivity downturns.

4) Ike Pigott: His blog is humorous, but make no bones about it: Ike’s one of the leading marketers in the biz. A thought leader at the Red Cross, he is leading their charge to adapt social media. He is commenting everywhere. Off-line chats are impressive. And almost every prominent PR blogger cites him. But the funniest thing about Ike is that the Ad Age Power 150 won’t list his satirical blog thus demonstrating that sometimes getting banned is a good thing.

5) Seth Godin: I do tend to stay away from A-Listers, but I’ve been reading a lot of Seth lately. Simple, always thoughtful, and very useful. Seth Godin’s blog always sends me away thinking.

Honorable mentions go to Kami Huyse (back from maternity leave and blogging again!), Valeria Maltoni, Brian Solis.

Quick recap: August’s top five in order were Valeria Maltoni, Rich Becker, Shel Israel, Toby Bloomberg, and Eric Eggertson. July’s were Brian Oberkirch, Chris Heuer, Kevin Dugan, Jeremiah Owyang and Kami Huyse. Yes, continued link love for the rest of the year for all noted parties.

I started assigning weights to these: Five points for first place down to one for fifth place, and cumulating the score. Yes, this is completely silly and subjective, but as the list changes quite a bit from month-to-month, ranking by cumulative score allows for a better picture of my most influential bloggers. And this also creates a nice year end post.

• Jeremiah Owyang - 7
• Toby Bloomberg -6
• Valeria Maltoni - 5
• Brian Oberkirch - 5
• Rich Becker - 4
• Chris Heuer -4
• Kevin Dugan - 3
• Shel Holtz - 3
• Shel Israel - 3
• Ike Pigott -2
• Eric Eggertson - 1
• Seth Godin - 1
• Kami Huyse - 1

At a TIE-DC event this week, I watched a Microsoft employee compare it’s mobile platform to Apple’s. Pretty crazy, huh? But it just goes to show you how important mobile is becoming to the Internet and social media.

More and more social networks and internet services are creating mobile versions. Consider m.twitter.com, mobile Facebook, and mobile Google.

As a former wireless reporter and someone who has published an analyst report on the diffusion of wireless Internet technologies, I cannot tell you how thrilling this is. The dream of broadband mobile environment is within our finger tips. I know what an explosive catalyst this technology will be for our world.

Recently on Facebook, I asked some of my friends which technologies they thought would impact us most. Many thought mobile broadband was key.

Chris Abraham: My business partner, Mark Harrison, mocks me from Berlin, where HSDPA/UMTS technology is ubiquitous. At 6-15 mbps, these modems and devices change everything. Look to Japan for ideas for potential. Micropayments, etc…

Jane Quigley: I think the wider adoption of microformats and mobile broadband connectivity is key to the next step of social platforms.

Chris Parandian: web 3.0 is the mobile internet and it has huge potential. more spectrum for service providers and devices that allow consumers to connect via 3G, Wi-Fi or Wi-Max is a recipe for success…

Others saw variants or different technologies as leading disruptors…

Jonathan Trenn: I agree with the broadband part, but I’d say it is broadband overall. Not just mobile. We’re not there yet.

Doug Haslam: Multimedia collaboration, offline editing capabilities. ok that’s 2.

Chris Edwards: A technology that has yet to be invented, frankly. That’s not a cop out. I think that the growth curve right now is pretty steady in a normal pattern. The game will change when something even more accessible comes along to encourage greater participation.

However the crystal ball bounces, it sure is an exciting time. What do you think?

Some of the more interesting links in the past week:

In part one of a two part series, Josh Hallett chats up companies’ dependence on individuals as blog personalities, and the corresponding impact on brands (Hyku).

General Motors has launched a social media-enabled newsroom for its European operations (PR Squared).

Burying bad news or negative posts doesn’t work. The negativity always wells up again, making the company look bad. Best to focus on good work and transparency (Seth Godin’s blog).

Procter & Gamble are exploring a hybrid show format a la caveman for cable. A unique approach to content generation that again demonstrates the old forms of promotion aren’t working (Copywrite).

Facebook is about to become SEO friendly (Inside the Marketers Studio).