So, between Lee Odden losing his camera in the bay, and my failure to bring a charger to town, this will be less-than-visual post. Feel free to Google for a stock photo image of Robert Scoble, if you want the full effect.Scoble begins by informing us that he doesn’t have slides, but rather wants to give us a glimpse into his life. This sets the tone for a very informal presentation that introduces a variety of new social media platforms (even I wasn’t familiar with FriendFeed, but then, I’m something of a dinosaur). As such, I’ll give you all a very informal blog post.

Among his Twitter friends are none other than Barack Obama, yet more proof that his campaign is making an earnest effort to engage new media. I suppose all the campaigns have some social media presence, but Obama seems to be the only one effectively using it. A blog is just a blog until someone reads it. Then it becomes a tactic.

I am familiar with sliderocket, but Scoble illuminates perhaps its most valuable feature, which is version control. Presentations tend to be collaborative efforts, and revamping existing presentations to accommodate edits can be a chore. PowerPoint in real-time is a powerful idea, I think.

“Evergreen Magic: How To Make News When There’s No News”

This session is being introduced as PR for the “little guy”. That’s apropos. After a series of case studies highlighting all the great work Disney was able to do great things (on a shoestring budget, or so we were told), it’s hard not to wonder what a company with lesser brand awareness can do to create ripples.

Sandra Fathi begins by citing a familiar dilemma. Company a buys company b and launches product x gives reporter z’s, unless your company happens to be Microsoft (or, say, Disney). Her advice is to marry the message to the reporters needs. This should seem obvious, but it is vitally important to sell the importance of this to the client.

To the specific advice, Sandra proposes that smaller companies “ride the wave of trends”. Well, yeah. Isn’t that what public relations people do? Easier said than done, though, eh? Sorry, I’ll keep the cynicism in check. So what does she propose?

“The Future of PR: How New Technologies Will Transform the Way We Communicate

Duncan Wardle, VP of Global Pr for Disney Parks begins with a classic “Googlezon” 7 minute video (EPIC 2014) laying the groundwork for the death of “the fourth estate”. In the news (Google-run) future, media has ceased to be about reporting or news, and has become simply a collection of information. It’s an interesting (albeit histrionic) warning, and one that is all the more relevant in light of Charlie Rose’s admonition about ethics and authenticity. The video concludes with a world in which all news has been reduced to mere trivia.

As we engage social media, media relations folks are taking a larger role in crafting the message. The very credibility that makes earned media so valuable is potentially, as Ms. Shapiro would say, “up for grabs”. At a meetup of social media experts last night, one noted the trend of companies outsourcing social media efforts to India. Talk about defeating the purpose.

With the Media Relations Summit 2008 beginning in earnest tomorrow, I’m like a kid in a candy store. A very adult candy store, mind you, though there is candy available for an astronomical fee in the hotel wet bar. But for someone who digs this stuff (and I dig this stuff), the opportunity to pick and choose amongst a smorgasbord of interesting and important topics in the PR industry is like, well, see above.

That the Summit is held in San Francisco doesn’t hurt either.

The summit kicks off with one wail of a bag of chocolates, a keynote address by Charlie Rose entitled “The Art of the Story: Finding the Heart of Drama”. In an industry that often forgets what it is supposed to be offering (to clients and journalists alike), what better way to begin than by reminding us. We can talk about the latest tactics and the new media we can’t ignore, but it’s useless without the basics. Oh, and I happen to be a fan.

This week the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) International conference is being held in Philadelphia which is the largest organization for PR professionals.

TopRank Online Marketing CEO, Lee Odden participated on a panel called “Social Media, What Every PR Practitioner Needs to Know” moderated by Peter Himler and with Rob Key, Lee and Nicco Mele on the panel.

Peter Himler started out the session by having the panel introduce their company’s services and specialties. The panel then offered their thoughts on how PR practitioners can and should leverage social media. Rob Key’s work ranges from search marketing to PR to virtual worlds. His company, Converseon, recently won an OMMA Award for “Second Chance Trees“, a virtual world project directed towards promoting reforestation both virtually and in the real world.

As the webmaster for the online campaign website for Howard Dean, Nicco Mele discussed his company’s expertise at building communities online.

TopRank Online Marketing CEO, Lee Odden gave insight into how search marketing affect PR and social media. Important concepts discussed and previously published at Online Marketing Blog include: Push and Pull PR, holistic content optimization, top down keyword messaging with all digital communications, digital asset optimization and the effects both on influencing search results in a Universal Search environment as well as creating direct interaction opportunities with distinct search channels.

By Bill Arnovich, Media Relations Specialist

Most Public Relations Firms realize the abundance of issues in any industry work lends itself to PR client speaking opportunities at many available venues.

Speaking engagements are a uniquely effective strategic marketing and PR tool, IF a few important criteria are met. Effective public speaking builds your credibility and confidence in a particular subject matter, exuding competence and conviction to prospective customers. Here are several important considerations:

• Invitations to speak should be evaluated based on the opportunities they offer the organization to communicate with key audiences. Invitations, then, are prioritized and assigned to appropriate individuals in your organization, or declined if they appear to offer little value.

• Speaking opportunities are solicited before audiences upon whom the success of your organization depends.

• Recognize that every speaking opportunity is different.

• Every audience is different.

• Commit to prepare and practice all presentations.

The benefits to those executives or subject matter experts who speak and the companies they represent are many. Networking opportunities with the people who attend the presentation often leads directly or eventually to new clients. Another benefit is that press people are often in attendance at conferences or trade shows. They only target a select few so button holing to meet and attend the presentation before and after will be vital.

By Bill Arnovich, Media Relations Specialist.

Everyone in public relations knows that good publicity is the best advertising. A well placed article, a positive radio show or the right interview on TV are all what good publicists and media relations people dream about. It’s what clients hire public relations firms for.

When pitching the media, it’s important that you know something about who you are calling. If it’s a magazine read, not simply page through, a couple different issues and if it’s a radio show, listen to it.

I know this sounds simple, like what they teach you in PR 101, but I wish I had a nickel for every time that a News Editor, Producer or Reporter thanked me for doing my homework. I consistently hear from the media that PR folks about media relations people who not only don’t know, but don’t care to know, and simply call to get their pitch out.

Nothing boils the blood of any journalist or beat editor more than unknowledgeable media relations people. You not only hurt your chances of securing media coverage for clients, but you also make it harder for the rest of us who actually prepare themselves before they engage any media pitching assignment. It pays in the long run, and it’s a good practice.

One of the comparisons we often make when describing the need for ongoing link acquisition for our Search Engine Optimization practice is with media relations.

For example. as long as an organization wants coverage in their industry’s media, they need an advocate (agency or in-house) reminding journalists of company news and story ideas or the publication will end up writing about someone else.

For link building, a company needs to allocate ongoing resources to the pitching and acquisition of links because they are a critical component to how search engines rank web pages. Without ongoing link building, the search engines will rank pages with more and better quality inbound links.

In both cases there is a steady stream of competition and to persist (with the exception of Fortune 50 brands) in top visibility within standard search engines, it will require persistence in promotion. Of course there are other variables in both cases, but it’s a good illustration for ongoing attention.

Bill Arnovich, our Media Relations expert, has kindly contributed his insights on how to be a good interviewee and get invited back!

Always mention your company at least 3 times in a 15 minute interview
Most Producers know and understand that’s why you’re on their broadcast in the first place. Most will never bring it up so you have to be a “used car salesman” and mention it.

Be yourself!
Don’t try to be Rush Limbaugh or any radio announcer….it sounds phony and most Producers can see it coming a mile away.

Be concise
Summarize your main point in a crisp 3 minutes. That’s how long you will get when you’re on a TV program or a radio broadcast.

Think before you speak
Speak slowly; I didn’t say dead. Speak like you talk and think before you speak.

Offer your help
Offer the Editor or Producer help in ways to write or how to cover your story. Don’t be pushy, but you can offer valuable insight into possible angles for the story.

Always say thank you
Too many times a guest leaves without thanking the crew, the hosts, the producer. Trust me you need them like they need you. Kindness and manners go a long way.

You can’t fault Mr Super Proposal, J.P., in his PR efforts. With appearances on Good Morning America and CBS, not to mention the buzz in the blogosphere, J.P. was certainly successful in becoming known as the guy who wanted to propose to his girlfriend via a SuperBowl commercial.

So why did J.P.’s PR fail him in reaching his objective? It was a lofty goal to raise millions of dollars to buy a SuperBowl commercial, but I applaud him for his passion and commitment.

The success of any PR program is dependent on the end objective. You have to be realistic. While J.P. did not secure his SuperBowl commercial, the PR buzz generated did result in his commercial being aired last night during Veronica Mars (Pacific Time Zone Only).

Watch J.P.’s Supper Proposal and see his girlfriend’s reaction (she said yes!).