socialTNT» SMNR

“3sday’s 3Q’s in 3 Min: Jeremy Pepper, POP! PR Jots”

Christopher Lynn — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:02:27 +0000

It’s cold outside. Why not warm yourself with today’s inflammatory “Stick It To The Man” edition of “3Q’s in 3 Min?”

Every Thursday, socialTNT channels the spirit of citizen journalism by putting bloggers, reporters, PR pro’s or anyone with something to say about social media in front of the camera for a short, three minute interview. The videos are meant to encourage dialog between reporters, PR/communications practitioners and marketers on the future of media.

This Thursday, socialTNT meets with Jeremy Pepper, PR Blogger and Director of Communications for The Point. As a notorious contrarian blogger, Jeremy is the perfect fit for “Stick It To The Man” week. In today’s “3Q’s in 3 Min,” Jeremy plays hardball with the Social Media News Release and offers a little advice to the Blog Council.

Jeremy Pepper is not new to social media; he’s been blogging for four and a half years. The New PR Blogger Timeline places Jeremy’s POP! PR Jots as the 16th PR blog on record. Some of his recent posts include: “PR Will Lose Social Media to Advertising Because of Sex” and “It’s a Shame,” a passionate post about blogger/media relations. Before you start firing your guns, you aspiring restless contrarian bloggers should check out Jeremy’s post on libel.

Fun Facts about Jeremy

Totally connected, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Once tied Miles Perkins (of Industrial Light and Magic) in a Valleywag “Snacky or Flacky” contest
Seems to love wearing flip-flops (He came to our interview in 30 degree weather wearing flip-flops!)
Originally from Detroit, Jeremy studied philosophy at University of Arizona (maybe that’s where he got a degree in Sandal-ology)

Watch as Jeremy tells us his thoughts on the SMNR and advises the Blog Council to open up a little bit.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH36afomnv0]

Is the Social Media News Release just another choice? Or does it have advantages and benefits not found in a traditional release?

Should the Blog Council pow-wow with PR peeps? Or do big corps really need privacy from the outside? Love to hear your response.

Once again, thanks Jeremy for your interview!

[The above picture of Jeremy, "Worlds Collide Hosted By Tim Ferriss: Jeremy Pepper," taken by Brian Solis and used under Creative Commons.]

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“From the Backseat: Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet?”

Christopher Lynn — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:18:46 +0000

Hats off to Ford and Maggie Fox at Social Media Group for making an exciting press release. It is another example of the changing evolution of the traditional news release. My question from the backseat is: “Are we there yet?”

When I was a kid, I used to love going to the car show at the State Fair. My favorite part was climbing into the cars, playing with the knobs and pretending I was driving my little brother. Running around the showroom floor, I would grab as many promo books and posters as possible. At home, I’d put the poster up or look at the glossy pictures or the stats in the promo books. Yes, sometimes I’d even cut out some of the pictures and make collages (hell, that Geo Metro looked pretty hot when I was 10!) My friends would come over and we would talk about the cars, but, after a while, the books would eventually end up in the trash.

I love the Ford Focus release. I am excited that we are finally shaking things up a bit. The release has tons of high-def pictures of the interior and exterior, as well as videos of the cars in motion. There are also bullet-pointed stats. It looks nice. You can post the pics and videos on your preferred social network and maybe mash it up. The kid in me loves it, but, ultimately, it feels like a multimedia version of the marketing schwag from the car show.

It’s nice to see big companies embracing change. It’s a learning experience for all of us. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the elements that were executed well and then look at how the release could have been beefed up.

First off, kudos for the Flickr pics and YouTube videos. Pluses for allowing these to also be embedded and distributed. To me, what really stands out is the video of the UCLA students playing with the cell phone/music player integration feature found in the new car. While obviously edited, it didn’t feel overly produced. Also, Ford gets a lot of respect for disclosing that these students were Ford “ambassadors.” Finally, the ability to bookmark the release in del.icio.us and add an RSS feed gives this release the feel of a sporty, fully-loaded SMNR, but something is missing.

I feel the Social Media News Release is not just a tool for content sharing, it’s about facilitating discussion. The ability to share content is one aspect. Ability to easily find content is another. For me, however, the ultimate goal is to create an exchange of ideas, opening up, and sharing between the company and the consumer to build increasing discussion around the product/brand. This release, to me, looks like a one-sided conversation.

On her blog, Maggie Fox at Social Media Group tells us:

“…with this implementation we were aiming for simply a way of sharing content with people who wanted it in formats they could use, all conveniently located in one place. Period. We didn’t include the ability to comment or trackback because not every interaction has to be a full-on conversation, sometimes sharing and enabling are enough.”

I know the fear that Maggie talks about. It’s scary to open up the conversation because you might not always like what comes out. The discussion is happening whether we like it or not. How are some ways that Ford could have used this release to create a voice that gives back to it’s consumers in a way that shapes the conversation?

My first idea hearkens back to the DVD era. Remember the value-add on DVDs? Besides the great audio/visual, it was also the Behind-the-scenes footage. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Ford had some videos made by the engineers or designers that lead us through the whole development process? I would share that with my friends and I think any tech/engineer/design geek would love it, too. What if they blogged during development? What about user submitted questions to the development team with digg-like voting? Or Twitter?! OMG!!

Ford has a massive following. Just doing a quick search on Facebook yields 500 hits with a handful of really significant user groups. What if Ford had harnessed the power of the user groups? They are already discussing Ford. It’s nice that Ford has it’s own (sponsored) group with a significant following. Wouldn’t it be cool if the Ford release linked to the Facebook group?!

Finally, what about blogger outreach? Remember those UCLA kids in the videos? What if real bloggers and vloggers were invited to try out the car and it’s features? [Oops, Trumped. Maggie Fox posted this comment today. However, the addition of a link to a del.icio.us page with coverage would help see what others are writing.] What about man on the street videos testing things out?

So that’s my take on the Ford Release. What do you think? Brian Solis and Todd Defren posted their joint “State-of-the-SMNR” slash response here. Stuart Henshall posts his here. You can also read more from Maggie Fox here.

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“It’s a Conversation, Stupid! Part 2: The State of the Union”

Christopher Lynn — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:09:02 +0000

Today continues the series “It’s a Conversation, Stupid!” If you missed part 1, check it out here.

This week, a lot of talk has been given to “Web 3.0.” Before discussing how to approach a social media campaign, it’s important to step back and look at some of the key points that got us to where we are today; look at two defining moments in media history; and figure out where we are going.

A Condensed History of the Internet

When the internet was invented, society was blessed with a way to access tons of information (content), regardless of distance. News sites posted their news, scientists their findings, etc. It was very one-sided.

Next, the internet was discovered as a means to communicate. People could email photos to family or forward funny jokes to friends. After email came chat rooms and instant messaging. Now we could communicate in real-time with others.

With the search engine, people were finally able to quickly and easily sort through all the stuff out there and find a great price on a camera or news about any company or person. Suddenly, we were able to get the information we wanted, when we wanted it.

One day, someone realized that the publishing capabilities and the communication aspects of the internet could be combined. Technology was developed that enabled users to effortlessly generate content. They became the creators and the distributors. They could respond to the news or to each other. Web 2.0 was born, and with it a conversation began.

OMG, there’s a lot of S**T out there!

Now that everyone is producing and publishing, there’s a lot of s**t out there. With search, you can find things, but how do we keep up with it all? How do we know what’s relevant?

News feeds (RSS and ATOM) made content easy to follow by providing a steady stream of updates to favorite blogs and news sites. Then, people started tagging (or adding keywords) to their content. This made it easier to find posts or discussions on a particular topic.

Currently, these tools are used by Social bookmarking sites like digg and del.icio.us so people can bookmark what’s important, easily organize with tags and then share with their friends. Technorati uses tagging and news feeds to help users organize blogs effectively. Tags on facebook help members find pictures others have taken of them. Also, when you log into facebook, a news feed aggregates your friends’ changes and let’s you know what’s going on.

These innovations, in addition to services like Twitter, have changed the way content is delivered, consumed, and distributed. These changes create interesting challenges for news publishers and PR professionals, while simultaneously creating new ways to reach audiences.

Television and Social Media: Two Defining Moments

I think most PR and Marketing pros can accept that, whether we like it or not, people now have the ability to exchange and share ideas quickly and in real-time. They want information as it develops. No more traditional news cycle, much less 2 month lead times. Cool. I can dig that. But why social media? Isn’t it just a fad?

Two very tragic events have been pivotal points in the history of media. TV news media had its defining moment with JFK’s assassination. During that chaotic time, the whole nation was gathered around TVs, watching events unfold in real-time. At that moment, TV became the primary source by which people got news, proving the technology’s power to effectively disseminate information to a large mass of people outside the traditional news cycle.

With Virginia Tech, the events and tragedy unfolded through SMS, IM, personal blogs and facebook. Sadly, people looked online to communicate with love ones by posting messages, emailing, etc. When the traditional news media covered the online developments, it became proof-positive to me that social media was, in fact, the fastest, most effective way to communicate.

Analysis

I don’t want to be another person who heralds the downfall of print. Instead, I would rather encourage people to embrace the new technologies. By becoming proficient in the social media tools, we can supplement our traditional PR and marketing campaigns to not just reach audiences, but actively engage with them. Go ahead and let them choose the content they want in the form they want, mash it up, and share it with their friends. It’s the future of the internet. Just let go.

Thoughts?

The next posts in the series cover the current tools available, how to approach a social media campaign and a few tips on what not to do during execution.

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“3sday’s 3Q’s in 3 Min: Tom Foremski, Silicon Valley Watcher”

Christopher Lynn — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:30:51 +0000

Once again, it’s time for our regular Thursday feature, “3Q’s in 3 Min.” In the spirit of citizen journalism, SocialTNT puts bloggers, reporters, PR pro’s or anyone with something to say about social media in front of the camera for a short, three minute interview. In addition to helping PR peeps pitch these individuals more effectively, the videos are meant to encourage dialog between reporters and PR practitioners on the future of media .

This week, Silicon Valley Watcher‘s Tom Foremski discusses the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, the changing media landscape, and the state of PR in the new ecosystem. For those two of you not familiar with Tom, he was the first (on record) to call for the end of the traditional press release.

More about Tom and the video after the jump…

Tom’s blog post from February 27, 2006, entitled “Die Press Release! Die! Die! Die!” called for a deconstructed press release to include these elements:

a brief description of the key elements of the story
quotes from CEO, C-Level spokespeople, customers, and analysts
financial data
links to other news stories or references

His sentiments were echoed through the community, inspiring Todd Defren to post a template for a Social Media News Release (SMNR) on May 23, 2006. (Rest of the history of the SMNR can be found here.)

Tom moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1984 and founded the international news agency, West Coast News. Fifteen years later, in 1999, Tom joined the Financial Times as a US Technology Correspondent and Columnist. In 2004, Tom jumped the print ship to try his hand at blogging full time. According to compete.com, Tom’s Silicon Valley Watcher received roughly 18,000 unique visitors in the month of August. Besides calling for the death of the press release, Tom is also notorious for uncovering the real life identity of LonelyGirl15′s Jessica Rose.

I had the opportunity to meet with Tom in his San Francisco flat earlier this week. Before the on-camera interview, we sat in Tom’s living room and chatted a little about recent industry news. A book case full of art books lines one wall, its shelves populated by miniature robots ranging from the 1950′s to a recent purchase from Kid Robot. On the top shelf sits a pair of vintage dioramas with scenes from the comic book Superman and some Doctor Who figurines. Children’s art and family pictures are scattered throughout the room, but my eye is drawn to a brightly colored poster hanging above the bookcase promoting The Haight-Ashbury Street Festival. Tom says he knows the artist personally–not surprising since he once published the neighborhood newspaper for the famous SF neighborhood.

Fun Facts About Tom:

He has a pet bearded dragon
He’s on Facebook and LinkedIn
He has two children

After our warm-up chat, we go outside to Tom’s backyard patio for the shoot. Please forgive the shakiness of the camera. I promise to have a tri-pod soon. At SocialTNT, we like to go above expectations; instead of three questions, this week’s video features a whopping FOUR questions! The fourth question is the meatiest!

Check it out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZvJE6msTU]

Do you agree with Tom? Is PR really in a state where change is an added bonus, not a necessity? Will PR ever be forced to evolve? If so, when?

Please feel free to comment on these questions or anything else Tom touched on in the remarks below.

Once again, thank you Tom for taking the time to share your insight with the SocialTNT audience!

Tomorrow, we continue with Part 2 of yesterday’s post,”It’s a Conversation, Stupid!”

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“Press Release Announces Video to ‘Demystify Social Media’; Crushes My Spirit”

Christopher Lynn — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:17:47 +0000

If there was ever a prime example of why the traditional press release must die, this release over the weekend has got to be it.

Take a look:

Video to Demystify Social Media and Web 2.0

ECommerce Rocks Video with Ben Wills helps demystify social media websites for business owners.

West Midlands, United Kingdom, September 29, 2007 –(PR.com)– Top US marketer Ben Wills is interviewed in a virtual web 2.0 video as part of video tutorial series.

As the buzz about social media grows ECommerce Rocks launches a new video interview with US Search marketer Ben Wills about web 2.0 and social media websites.

Interviewed by Gareth Davies of GSINC Ltd, Ben Wills discusses the key social media websites and what they can mean to business owners.

Whether it’s YouTube, Digg, MySpace or Bebo the video helps to explain the functions and value of these websites as part of the ECommerce Rocks series of virtual video interviews.

Davies commented:
“It’s always great to interview marketers like Ben Wills and I hope that folks can benefit from his enlightening commentary.”

He added “Hopefully the interview combined with the cutting edge format of virtual video means that others can benefit from Ben’s insights and advice, and that the video helps to explain to viewers the basics of web 2.0 in an engaging and easy to understand format”.

The latest ECommerce Video is available to watch online at XXXXXXX

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy! I wish I could say this press release was a joke. I wish I could laugh at it’s irony. But I can’t. Not even the Dadaist in me can look at this as art.

From the Headline and matching sub-head, to the shining cliched spokesperson quote, this release has it all. What makes this one particularly painful is that it’s announcing a product intended to explain social media to the ignorant. Here’s a concept: use a social media new release!

Let’s imagine this same announcement in a social media newsroom. First off, it’s a video announcement. Maybe a trailer? Interview outtakes? Come on guys, don’t be so lazy.

Think how much more engaging and valuable this release would be if it had links to del.icio.us pages with bookmarked articles discussing the importance of social media for marketers. Maybe another one with articles on or interviews with the “experts.” Hell, even a link to a wikipedia entry on this “top US marketer.”

We have to stop being contributers to the info-clutter. A press release should not be noise pollution. It should help reporters, Bloggers and Netizens quickly find key information, place it in context, validate the facts, and then use that information how they want to use it.

Take a look at the presentation Todd Andrlik gave at the Ragan Communications Social Media Summit. It offers a great discussion on the history of the news release and the importance of the new SMNR. (Thanks to Todd Defren for passing Todd Andrlik’s presentation along.)

Here are two great video explanations bBy CommonCraft on Social Bookmarking and Social Networking.

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