Mutually Inclusive PR

Flatland Bloggers - Plain Talk by Plain Folk

There's not a lot pretension among bloggers here in Saskatchewan.  We got together for a barbecue in Wascana Park Saturday, and there were more baseball caps and t-shirts than references to social media and Web 2.0.

That's not to say the IQ level was lower than you would expect among a group of bloggers, or the level of technical innovation here is somehow substandard. We just don't like to make a big deal about things.

There were 10 bloggers and another dozen friends and family on hand for burgers, cake and some beer surreptitiously sipped from travel mugs, at the picnic benches just up from Wascana Lake. It was a nice chance to meet in person the people you bump into online.  And there were some folks whose blogs I had never visited, who I've now checked out. (Where a blogger is anonymous online, I've used their online nom-de-plume.)

Typically, one of the organizers of this get-together is Stephen Glauser, a Saskatchewan guy who now lives in Calgary. With that city now officially exceeding the population of our province, there's no secret here about where many of Alberta's new recruits to the workforce have come from over the past decade.  Stephen sent an e-mail explaining why he couldn't make the event. managed not to make it to his own event, but what do you expect from an Albertan? ;-)  The other main organizer, Saskboy, arrived with Mom and Dad, gf and friends in tow, and they are the nicest folks.

Miraculously, there was no jello salad -- a staple of potluck dinners across the province. To celebrate Soulfood's birthday, she brought a cake with the Saskatchewan flag in yellow, green, red and white icing (photo by Saskboy). In addition to dogs, kids, games, food and all that jazz, there were bocce ball jugglers.

I had some family obligations, so I didn't make it to the Riders game after the barbecue, and I ended up missing everyone at the bar after the game. But at least I now have faces to attach to blogs, which makes me feel more like a part of the Sask blogging community than I did last week.

Special thanks to Lance Levsen, whose Saskatchewan Blogs Aggregator makes keeping track of who's blogging here, and what they're saying, much easier.

Other bloggers:  Kate McMillan, Brandon and Lins, Krydor, Uncle Meat, Andrew Pilon and Pilot.

Some photos here and here. I've got some photos that I'll add tomorrow.

Tags: saskatchewan, blogs, bloggers, meetup

Powered by Qumana

PR Briefs - News Items July 21, 2006

1. Building the Yes-And Web: “First thing we do, is Kill (some of) the Comments”

    

   Britt Blaser (no name on his blog, so I'm guessing) has a proposal for making comments on blogs better connected with the content they refer to, and a suggestion that bloggers and blog developers build on what's already been done, rather than always tearing down what others are doing. Oh, and he suggest moderating or otherwise demoting comments that don't contribute to the conversation.

2. Oh, the Comments! Responses to Blaser's proposal.

3. Lying and Transparency

    

   Jim Horton published another white paper, this one on the use of half-truths to appear truthful.

4. Too Extreme?

    

   Pete Shinbach's response to Jim Horton's think piece about transparency and lies.

5. I Tube, You Tube, We Tube

    

   Pete Himmler on the buzz about social media and PR.

6. Racing Card

    

   Steve Gillmor provides a quick look at the top dogs in technology commentary, and what strengths and weaknesses they have.

7. Learn about WordPress

    

   Neville Hobson points to some WordPress learning resources.

8. Before You Brand, Check the URL

    

   On Scott Baradell's blog. Ha! The www.gotahoe.com URL that I mocked last year made it to the Fark list of Worst URLs.

9. The next Web is the human Web

    

   Robert Scoble on the need to present a human face on websites, blogs, etc.

Blog Trend Monitor

Colin McKay no doubt used a very scientific technique for developing this graph:

Blogging During the Dog Days of Summer

Better Blogging Behaviour, at the Expense of Traffic

A free e-mail newsletter hit my Inbox today (not spam, something I subscribed to), and I applied my usual critical lens while reading it.

Normally, I would write up my thoughts in a blog post, and send it out into the online world to express my thoughts, attract attention, perhaps draw comments from others, and maybe add to my small bit of online immortality.

But the snarkiness of being a blogger is starting to get to me.  I'm not Maury Povich, Jerry Springer or Bill O'Reilly.  I don't have advertisers demanding that I deliver an audience.  I do this because there are things about the world of public relations and human behaviour on which I want to share my opinion.

When it feels right, I still believe in forceful, blunt writing that draws attention to intolerance, stupidity, arrogance and naivete.  But this time, it didn't feel right.

So, instead of yet another post about the blunders that surround us, I wrote down my thoughts and sent them off to the author of the newsletter. And because it was something written directly to that person, I toned down the language, and made sure I included equal comments about the things I thought were well done.

Next time I sharpen the daggers for a well-aimed public stab at someone's errors, I hope I remember to do the same thing -- ease up on the nasty comments, and include appreciation for what was done well.

That approach may receive less attention, but that's okay with me. When criticizing or attacking someone, it's easy to forget they are people first.

(No, this is not a promise to never act like a boorish ass in the future.)

Buzz can Replace Media Comps, but it Takes Work

As Gnomedex organizer (with Ponzi Indharasophang) Chris Pirillo notes, there are times when a conference is priced low enough for media to afford the full fee, and organizers don't need to give them a free or reduced pass.

But anyone who doesn't have built-in buzz from bloggers (see gnomedex on Technorati), or some other method of motivating their target market to action, will still want to comp enough media to keep their conference in the news (most conference coverage is promotion for your next conference).

Pirillo has depended on media coverage in the past, and likely will in the future.  But he also has the reputation and network to get the word out on the conference.  He and Ponzi run a well-oiled promotion machine for their projects, so someone considering raising barriers to free media access would do well to think about the profile the Seattle tech mini-magnate has created for his global microbrand (to borrow a phrase from Hugh MacLeod). Pirillo and Ponzi have put in a huge effort at building an audience, establishing relationships in the technology field, positioning him as the ultimate early adopter with a positive attitude, and making sure something cool happens at the 400-person Gnomedex conference every year. 

There are no simple shortcuts to that kind of reputation.

Tags: conferences, tech, gnomedex, chris pirillo, media, blogs, promotion

Powered by Qumana

Separated at Birth - CBC Logo and Fossil

The CBC logo carved in the tindalstone of the CBC building bears a resemblance to the fossil embedded in the stone.

Anally Retentive PR at its Best (Worst)

As if we needed another example of a company getting all shirty about its intellectual property, Paramount fired a legal salvo at a fan site that leaked a photo of a film (perhaps that's too artsy a term) due for release this summer.

The Movie Blog's John Campea describes Paramount's blunder here and refers to the situation again here, conspicuously not mentioning the film in question (that would sort of help Paramount with their promotions, wouldn't it?).

Chris Thilk joins the informal blog boycott of coverage of the film on his Movie Marketing Madness blog. These are all blogs that normally help generate that all-important opening week buzz that can make or break movies financially.

Mack Collier comments:

"Paramount didn't see John as their marketing partner, they saw him as their enemy. And because of their actions, now that's exactly what he is."

The studio claims it was all a mistake, but one wonders whether they would have apologized if the bloggers in question had less traffic...

Reminds me of the fan site that was hit by a cease and desist order a few years ago.  Hank Mishkoff persevered in court, and showed how heavy-handed legal maneuvers can backfire against companies.

Link via NewPR

Tags: movies, film, hollywood, cease and desist, rights, promotion, publicity, mistakes, blunders

Powered by Qumana

Author Podcasts Supplement Book Promotion Effort

HarperCollins Canada is adding podcasts of interviews with authors to its bag of tricks for generating interest in new books coming out this summer.

The interviews, conducted by podcaster Cathi Bond, will feature a HarperCollins author talking about their recently published book.

But HarperCollins Canada's Steve Osgoode (in a response to my e-mail) says the podcasts will supplement, rather than replace, the company's regular marketing and promotions.

"All of the books will have significant marketing support behind them on top of being featured in the podcast program," he said. That includes Flash trailers posted on the HarperCollins site.

Osgoode points to the podcasts created by science journalist Jay Ingram to support promotion and sales of his book Theatre of the Mind (also by HarperCollins), as proof that podcasting and book publishing can be a good match.

HarperCollins and their PR firm Sequentia Communications engaged Tod Maffin's Four Sevens Podcast Network to produce the podcasts (Bond has a podcast in the Four Sevens family).

How will HarperCollins measure the success of the podcasts?  Within the context of the overall marketing effort.

"Obviously we’re going to be tracking downloads and subscribers but we’ll look at those numbers within the context of them supporting the rest of our marketing," said Osgoode. "I definitely think we’re going to continue to experiment with podcasting and we’re just going to pilot as many different methods as we can around our books and our authors."

Among the titles to be featured is Dennis Bock's The Communist's Daughter, Rebecca Godfrey's Under the Bridge, Gautam Malkani's Londonstani, Jon Evans' Invisible Armies, Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, and Lydia Millet's Oh, Pure and Radiant Heart.   

Tags: books, canadian, publishing, promotions, publicity, authors, podcasts, podcasting, cathybond, jayingram, todmaffin

Powered by Qumana

PR Briefs - News Items July 3, 2006

Canada’s Prime Minister Podcasts - kind of - PM Stephen Harper is now posting speeches on iTunes. Joseph Thornley comments.

A Point of Irritation - New IABC chair Glenda Holmes outlines her priorities for the year.

Corporate Blogging 101: What You Said - Kami Huyse links to various posts about corporate blogging.

How PR Fails Customers - Dennis Howlett shows how his attempt to get contacts through PR folks failed, while his network of contacts came through for him.

Blogs Improved Credibility - David Phillips on why corporations use blogs.

Tags: canada, politics, iabc, blogging, corporate, business

Powered by Qumana