PR In A Jar

Management Today (but not Tomorrow)

The August issue of Management Today gives over its Master Class column to a riff, nay a lament, about social networking, including a broadcasting of the mistaken belief that all Twitter lets users do is issue 140-character messages max.

"Managing is going to mean getting a grip on these networks, whether you like it or not" is the closing volley.

I think they're assuming their readers are already opposed to social networking and the incredible opportunities it can provide, or else know nothing about it. I would have thought this demographic would have been more open to them ... come on MT!

Jane

How to Blog - Part 3 - The Resource

By Nathan Smith

Ever thought about using your blog as a valuable resource for your readers and followers?  Well if you haven’t you should learn how to do so now!

Following on from yesterday’s article on ‘The Review’, the resource blog is written with the reader firmly in mind.  You want the reader to come to your blog whenever they want to find out about something, in my case its PR. 

Let  me give you some examples of what I mean by this: when I think about my working day, and specifically all the time I spend actually doing PR, whether it be writing, emailing a journalist,  phoning a client, attending an event, whatever it is.   You know that you have your own resources to help you to carry out all these actions and tasks - it may be a book on the shelf that you always turn to,  or it may be a tip someone told you once about using the phone that’s always stuck with you.  It may even be a website or a piece of software that is integral to your working day.  In fact, when you start to write down all your own resources you’ll be amazed at just how much stuff you know. 

All this stuff is valuable, and valuable to your blog readers - so start to share it and start that conversation of sharing best practice.

A good example of a blog offering readers a value resource can be seen in Todd Defren’s piece alerting us tools to help us be better PR pro’s

Tomorrow in Part 4 – how to use your blog for Market research and feedback

'Dotcom Dinosaurs'

In the current issue of Director magazine, Martha Lane Fox complains about the way she was introduced at an event recently, which reflected how the web has moved forward.

British Business Usage of Web 2.0 under the Spotlight in 'Director'

Interesting article by David Woodward in the new issue of Director magazine about social networking, web 2.0 and to what extent companies are embracing it in the UK.

MIT 'digital world' triumvirate now on audio

(This piece first appeared in Jane's section of the Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus blog)

Back in April MIT's Communications Forum held an event discussing the pro's and con's of the digital world, where the three panellists were Harvard's Yochai Benkler, best known for his book The Wealth of Networks; the University of Chicago's Cass Sunstein, author of Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge; and MIT's own Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture.

WikiScanner claims two PR agency 'victims' ... or, why are so many PR companies unable to understand Web 2.0?

Oh dear, oh dear ... another week, another couple of PR giants caught misunderstanding the power of Web 2.0. WikiScanner has found that PR agencies including biggies Freud Communications and Weber Shandwick are still editing client entries on Wikipedia.

Charlie Leadbetter on the Power of Social Media

Due to popular demand (that means you Craig McGinty), here's the low-down on Charles Leadbetter's talk about social media and mass creativity at the Hay Festival last weekend.

Online PR

Had an interesting evening last week when I was one of three speakers at a sold-out Online PR seminar organized by Manchester Digital and the CIPR with Don't Panic.

Second Life Growth – if only someone was watching!

By guest author Nathan Smith

Celebrating its 3 millionth user last month, Second Life looks like it might just be here to stay despite its woeful active membership. At the time of writing, Wikipedia reminds us that despite an incredible growth of late there are only ever 25,000 concurrent users at any one time, although this may grow to 30,000 or 40,000 or maybe 100,000 next month - wow. No matter which way you look at this, SL is punching above its weight - and that for me is the real story.

Something Wiki This Way Comes

Interesting blog entry by Simon Collister on the hot topic of Wikipedia entries being edited by PR people.