Word-of-Mouth Without Words?

New agencies are finding out that more and more, it doesn't take blogging and tagging and favoriting, but now the electronic book devices, known as Kindle is being used for exposure and spreading the "word."

Everyone knows the power of word of mouth PR can be great- but what if you can syndicate your blog and press release and news articles and anything, really with Kindle, instead of relying on disseminating information with broad internet outlets?

I've seen people reading Kindles... sometimes. It doesn't seem to be an extremely wide-sweeping phenomenon, though. I mean, I don't think that I personally am ready to give up the feeling of a book in my hands- and reading on a computer screen for too long gives me a headache, anyways. I digress... My point is, where's the bad in putting your words out in the kindle world? It shouldn't turn into a sudden advertising and PR frenzy, to the point where you can't read anything without being bombarded with ads, but if there's genuine interest in articles, or columns that can be attained through Kindle just like any other book- then I think being able to look it up on Kindlefeeder is a great thing for public relations.

here's what Jennifer Modarelli said about her company's use of Kindle:

"We saw the Kindle as part of the broader shift toward a more intimate level of one-to-one marketing for our agency. Our prospect gets to experience the Kindle and learn about White Horse. It's a word-of-mouth strategy without the words or the mouth." -Ad age

I think it might work... with reservations. It would be hard to make money off of, and the company would probably spend more time cultivating their client's relationship with the new gadget than creating buzz- but it certainly would be an interesting project.

http://adage.com/smallagency/post?article_id=141050

Pressures on Bloggers by Publicists

http://www.prblognews.com/2009/11/04/corrupt-bloggers-kvetch/

There's a wave of frustration going through the blogging world about PR practitioners and their expectations of blogging sources, almost as if some publicists are acting as a regulatory force, asking questions such as:

• “How many unique users?”
• “How many page views?”
• “How fast can you get our review on your site?”
• “Have you won any awards in the past?”
• “Send us links to past reviews you’ve written.”
• “What angle will you take with this feature? -- prblognews.com

Why shouldn't bloggers who claim to be media credible be held to the same standards of legitimate media? And at the same time, why are those who are product reviewers, etc. being pressured by publicists?

My stance on this issue goes along with the idea that some blogs are indeed corrupt and are not operating for solely professional purposes, but the internet is so vast now that there really are lines drawn all over the topic of what is acceptable media, such as the blog in question.

And then there's the tangled web of non-bloggers and free publicity that some bloggers have to face, as their popularity grows and according to a post by Krizia, the author of the link below,

"My theory is simple: Publicists and companies now know that bloggers have a lot of weight on the Web and with the recession hitting advertising budgets really hard, publicists are turning to bloggers to get the word out about their products and also as quick way to getting into social media networks without having to spend any money." -A guest post by Krizia from Eat Smart Age Smart

The original topic:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/11/02/pr-people-getting-pushier-with-bloggers-since-the-recession/

Libel

Libel: "A false communication that wrongfully injures the reputation of others."

Five proven things are needed: Defamation, publication, identification, damage, and fault. (The burden of proof)

Actual malice, or a higher burden of proof, where the source of untrue statements is proven to have known the falsity of their publishing. So where does privacy come in to all this?

Privacy has more to do with invasions in PR, and the growth of the internet is really something that is making the lines of privacy more and more blurred.

There are gray areas between political and commercial speech which PR practitioners must find understanding in. So the need to understand libel, privacy, and especially copyright laws is important.

In recent news, Tiger Wood's mistress threatens a libel suit:

http://blog.zap2it.com/thedishrag/2009/11/tiger-woods-rumored-lover-rachel-uchitel-threatens-libel-suit.html

here's an example of a libel press release:

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19228515.html

Cross Cultural Communication

Since a culture and a public are very different, and there are many obstacles to successful cross-cultural public relations, one has to think about the relationships between two or more very different business styles, and ethnic groups, etc.

As discussed in class, cross cultural communication really includes many aspects.

Awareness, commitment, research and partnerships, as well as testing and evaluations.

So since many cultures have different attitudes about time, for example, it has to be taken into account that the formalities of one business meeting aren't exactly the formalities of another. Formality, rank, religion, colors and symbols: Research needs to be done diligently to understand these aspects of a company one is working with.

An example of this is formality: Do you shake hands? Bow?

Cross cultural communication, according to the text, "works best when an entire organization commits to it. Commitment requires a persistent focus."

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/cross-cultural-pr.html

JetBlue

The JetBlue issue we discussed in class was a great example of the kind of thing that needs to be dealt with on a daily basis in the PR industry. The CEO, in my opinion, may not have handled the apology in the most graceful of manner, but he did convey his point articulately. But there were other factors that probably needed to be included in their plans before they could move on from their mistakes.

They needed to re-invent their image. This would not be like reintroducing Tylenol to the market after its 1982 crisis, where you could halt all advertisement containing a triple seal tamper resistant packaging. There really is no such thing as guaranteed problem-free plane flights. But they could "polish their tarnish image." Offering vouchers may not have been the most thought out solution. Maybe reinforcing your message, repeating what your new plans include, would have been more fitting.

But, it takes more than just a few appearances on Larry King Live to fix something like unexplained eight hour delays on your company's track record. Instead of letting the public know that their concerns were understood, what I would have suggested would have been to not ask for more business, but to show through our work efforts that we can prove how we have made the company less mistake-prone or more able to fix the bumps we come along. "We have a responsibility to prevent this from happening again," would be the most important message to convey.

http://www.jetblue.com/about/

http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/can-public-relations-polish-a-tarnish-image/

Kill the Press Release and Eliminate Journalistic Spin?

http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2006/02/die_press_relea.php

The author of this blog, first off, has the following:

Twitter: @tomforemski
Blog: Silicon Valley Watcher
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tom.foremski

So it's safe to say that his call to arms to slay the press release is from the heart. Former FT journalist Tom Foremski reports on the business and technology of media frequently. In his latest blast, he says that "things cannot go along as they are . . . business as usual while mainstream media goes to hell in a hand basket."

Foremski's proposal to assemble the online press release with tags is both understandable and didactic to my generation- those who will be entering the workforce soon, need to know these things.

Foremski also says that eliminating the fluff from press releases by making them more factual and concise makes it harder for journalists to use spin.

"And because we are dealing with tags that are attached to facts--there is no spin so there is no problem in printing the information as it is received."- Foremski

check it out.

350.org

http://www.350.org/

Sustainability. Our class is trying to raise awareness for 350.org!