Two speaking gigs in two days might be a regular sort of week for some people, but for me it’s kind of a big deal.

Thursday night I gave a full hour presentation on this subject for the Ann Arbor Ad Club and right now I’m ramping up to deliver a brief version of of the same presentation to a group at the Module Midwest Digital Conference.

Other speakers here today at Module include:

Chris Brogan – @chrisbrogan
Amber Naslund – @ambercadabra
Scott Monty – @scottmonty
Marcel Lebrun – @lebrun
Ken Burbary – @kenburbary
Adrian Pittman – @adrianpittman
Jeremy Tanner – @penguin
Oz Sultan – @ozsultan
Damian Rintelmann – @drintelmann
and Terry Bean – @terrybean (graciously agreed to moderate the presentation despite it also being Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers)

Also, thanks to Tracy Lindsay (@tracylindsay) and Annie Wolock (@A2Annie) for inviting and arranging everything for the Ann Arbor Ad Club.

Here are the slides I used to give both presentations:

We all know there are a lot of obstacles to integrating social media, but I think it helps to understand why. I think it’s all about culture… what do YOU think?

Overcoming Obstacles to Social Media Integration is a post from: Very Official Blog

Yesterday I received a pitch in the comments section of one of my recent posts. I’ve received pitches like this in the past and I’ve generally ignored them. However, this one in particular was upsetting for a few reasons:

1. It was for a product that I already like, but now I would be much more reticent to actually buy the product.

2. The person’s lack of understanding of my post made me feel diminished somehow — unimportant, unheard, trivial.

3. The public nature of posting a trivialization of what I wrote embarrassed me on some level.

4. The public nature of the pitch also made it seem like the person didn’t care whether they piqued the interest of me or my readers. I don’t spend my free time writing here to provide a free billboard for other companies. There are very few places on the Internet where I feel I have a bit of control over what goes down; this is one of them.

5. Just because I use a keyword doesn’t mean what you’re pitching has anything to do with what I typically write about. I still consider myself a PR professional first and this kind of pitching makes us all look bad.

The original post was about using the metaphor of a cake recipe (specifically, a carrot cake recipe) to help people explain the importance of sharing what they know in a corporate blog.

Apparently, the metaphor fell flat for the person posting the following comment/pitch:

Sounds like you really appreciate Carrots. Anyone who loves Carrots is a friend of ours ;-)

How’d you like some products to sample?

They may not be as good as your Granny’s cake, but we hope you like them.

Drop me a line with your address and we’ll get them out the door.

The company is a skin/haircare company called Yes To Carrots. As I noted above, I actually already like the products and I think there was a missed opportunity to reach out to me in a way that doesn’t trivialize what I wrote.

I’m sure my reaction would have been completely different if the person tried to start a conversation with me via email about what I actually wrote, fessed up that my use of the word “carrot” triggered their alert and that they were just trying to gauge whether I would be interested in sampling some of their products.

A real conversation would have been nice.

I really don’t like posts that abuse PR pros for bad pitches. So many blog posts outing a particular PR pitch have made me totally uneasy and I understand the grave nature of messing with someone’s livelihood. I’m really just hoping that we can all learn from this.

I outlined my feelings above in the hopes of helping both sides understand why this behavior upsets so many bloggers. I understand a lot of pitches can simply be ignored and that’s exactly what I typically do when something doesn’t interest me.

Am I just being a cranky blogger? Is it silly for me to feel so diminished by this person’s treatment?

How can both sides work to improve the situation and work better together? Would things have been different if I had a PR pitch policy posted on my blog?

****UPDATE****

I received a phone call this morning, on Thursday, April 2,  from the Yes to Carrots representative who left the comment on my previous post apologizing for his mistake. Read the details here.

Photo by //endless∞

PR pitches disguised as blog comments make me feel so dirty is a post from: Very Official Blog

True, I stole the title of this post from Jeremy Tanner, but I don’t think he’ll mind too much since we’re speaking on a panel together this weekend at the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas along with Steve Swedler and Todd Huffman.

How Social Networks are Killing the Revolution
I know, there’s a lot of drama in that title, but there’s a lot of drama on the Internet. For a bit of a preview on what we’ll be addressing in our panel discussion, Steve participated in an interview with Belinda Acosta in the Austin Chronicle, along with two other participants in upcoming SXSW panels, on how the Internet — or rather if — the Internet helps foster positive social change.

Some thoughts from Steve:

I think that one of the big problems we have with the Internet are expectations. We talk about the Internet as shrinking the world and creating a global economy and community, but this is simply a dream. The number of people not on the Internet still outnumber those that are. And the number of people using the Internet for purposes of connecting with the global community is far less than people would have us believe. My supposition is that the majority of online “friendships” fall into three categories: “familiar,” “validating,” and “false.” We seek out those types of relationships because they are safe and comfortable.

From the perspective of someone in communications, I can’t help but think about this in terms of new barriers. Just because web-based communication helps tear down some of the old barriers, or at least make them less relevant doesn’t mean we aren’t putting new barriers in place.

The digital divide is just one such barrier.

In the past we had geographic barriers, socio-political barriers, race barriers and/or class barriers that held people from different groups at arm’s length.

So the question I would like to pose to you is, are we creating new silos of information and relationships on the social web, or does the Internet just redefine our definition of local?

Where the fun's at is a post from: Very Official Blog

Update: Startup Weekend Detroit has been postponed to March 27 – 29, 2009. 

I am working on organizing Startup Weekend Detroit and my friend and fellow organizer, Shauna Nicholson wanted to interview me about why I chose to take on this responsibility and what I thought it might do to help the struggling Detroit economy.

The original post with the interview appears on the Startup Weekend Detroit blog and on Shauna’s blog.

Here’s what I had to say:

Shauna: Why did you decide to organize Startup Weekend in Detroit?

I don’t know that it was actually a conscious decision. I was able to attend part of Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, and had several friends who attended that event. When I came home, I started looking deeper into the Startup Weekend organization and reading up on the process to bring Startup Weekend to a particular city. I realized there was a voting process and saw that Detroit was already nominated, but only had 20 votes. To give you an idea of where we stood, we were behind Corvallis, Oregon.

I just thought that Detroit could really use this more than most places. There is so much bad news coming out of this city — especially when it comes to job losses and the overall economy. I thought an event like this would help bring out some of the area’s talent and help jumpstart small business development in the city and the region. It was also my hope to generate a few positive news stories as a result of the event.

Why is it important for the event to happen NOW?
Detroit, and the surrounding region, is facing some of the most challenging times in its history. The future of the economy in this region is going to depend on the ingenuity of individuals who can start small. Most of the new jobs being created in this economy are from small businesses. I believe that there are as many talented, skilled and passionate people in this city as any other, but we haven’t been so great at forming a really solid community around networking and innovation. Community is an essential ingredient to fostering the kind of supportive environment for new businesses to be able to thrive.

Who attends events like this?
Just about anybody with an idea or a skill or both is welcome to participate in this event. Usually Startup Weekend attracts people with deep technical/programming skills as well as design professionals, marketing and public relations professionals, project managers and venture capitalists. Most companies that have formed as a result of a Startup Weekend have been web-based, but there are many notable exceptions to this rule.

Can companies sponsor this initiative?
Yes, we are still looking for companies to help sponsor some of the costs of the event. Sponsorship packages are available. Companies interested in donating to offset costs, or providing swag to attendees should contact me.

Can we help get the word out about this event?
Yes! Please share this information with everyone you know. Add this event to your Facebook profile or Upcoming, and join our group on LinkedIn. Click on the ShareThis button at the bottom of this post and add it to Digg, Stumble or Delicious. Please feel free to reblog this post, or any of the other posts on this blog and link it back to http://detroit.startupweekend.com/.

How can I sign up?
The cost to attend is $40. Register to attend at http://detroitstartupweekend.eventbrite.com/

What should I bring?
What you bring is really up to you. Ideally, attendees should bring a laptop computer that can connect to the Internet via a wireless network. We will also need volunteers to supply extra extension cords and power strips to accommodate everyone’s electricity needs.

Who can I contact for more information on Startup Weekend Detroit?
Anyone interested in helping out or getting additional information may contact Shauna Nicholson, Brian Ambrozy, or me.

Shannon Paul (734) 968-9065 or shannonpaul5[at]gmail[dot]com
Shauna Nicholson (248) 722-2685 snicholson[at]biznetis[dot]net
Brian Ambrozy (586) 693-3509 brian[at]icrontic[dot]com

Brain Ambrozy is an editor and owner of the ultimate Detroit Tech online journal, check it out at http://icrontic.com

Shauna Nicholson is the web marketing strategiest at Biznet Internet Solutions. She blogs about marketing, web strategy and social media at http://shaunanicholson.com/blog/ 

To learn more about Startup Weekend, go to http://startupweekend.com/

To learn more about Startup Weekend Detroit, go to http://detroit.startupweekend.com/

My role in Startup Weekend Detroit is a post from: Very Official Blog

In a survey conducted by U.K.-based Parker Wayne & Kent public relations, nearly 53 percent of PR professionals said that offline (print) coverage was more valuable than online news coverage for their company or client.

Other findings from the survey include:

• 63.8 percent of PR professionals believe their stakeholders refer to print coverage more than online, television or radio.
• 52.9 percent of PR professionals believe their stakeholders are more influenced by print coverage than television, online or radio.
• 11.7 percent PR professionals believe offline (print) coverage is becoming less relevant to PR campaigns.

Downloads of the survey are available on the Parker Wayne & Kent website.

The survey illustrates a major disconnect between PR industry folk and consumers of information with regards to the perceived value of print -vs- online news coverage and information.

The stark contrast in perception becomes readily apparent when compared with results from consumer surveys like one conducted by Fleishman Hillard and another by Experian Research Services.

According to Parker Wayne & Kent’s press release announcing the survey results:

• Fleishman Hillard’s study found online coverage to be eight times more influential than printnd twice as influential as television with consumers.
• The Experian report concluded levels of consumer engagement with online content to be much higher than when the same information was presented offline. For instance, there was a 25 percent increase in engagement when television shows were presented online.

Even though the survey of PR professionals was a rather small sample of PR professionals in the U.K., I think this perception gap is far more widespread in the industry.

PR strategies in general are geared toward aiming for print coverage for a few reasons:

• Print guides TV coverage – The old joke in the news industry is that TV news producers go in to work and read the headlines of the local paper to decide what they should cover that morning. The exception to this rule, of course, is traffic jams, accidents and violent crimes aka non-PR generated coverage. My hunch is that people are thinking this way about online coverage, however, I may be wrong.
• Print is easy to measure according to the old standards – Traditional methods of ROI calculations like ad equivalency can satisfy the bean counters even if it doesn’t really mean much in the real world.
• Print is tangible – This one has no roots in logic, but rather more with the emotional resonance associated with seeing something in print.

Am I forgetting anything?

The reality is that online coverage typically has far more traction with consumers of information. That’s why there’s a strong imperative that we learn how to measure it properly. The number of unique visitors to the site and level of engagement with the news item in the form of comments and trackbacks provide a much better indicator of visitor interest and sentiment than arbitrary dollar amounts.

How do we go about educating executives and clients about the influence of online coverage?

Print may be tangible, but it’s tangibility doesn’t encourage engagement with the information. I know it’s our job to satisfy people who may want print, but isn’t it also our job to educate and counsel?

PR people prefer print despite consumer preference is a post from: Very Official Blog

The plumber’s sink always leaks, right? Maybe that’s why the reputation of PR people and the industry at large always seems to be suffering.

People either don’t understand what PR does, or they think PR is evil. Obviously, neither is ideal.

An unfortunate side effect of this perception, combined with newsroom financial woes, is that pay for play media placement is reportedly on the rise.

An article in Advertising Age by Michael Bush provides some rather alarming statistics regarding engagement in pay for play coverage among chief marketing officers and marketing directors in the sixth annual MS&L Marketing Management Survey:

• 19 percent said their organizations had purchased advertising in exchange for news coverage.
• 8 percent said their organizations had paid or provided a gift of value to or producer in exchange for news coverage.
• 10 percent said that their organizations have had implicit or verbal agreements with a reporter or editor that you can expect to see positive coverage in exchange for advertising.
• 53 percent said the marketing industry as a whole is not following ethical guidelines in the new media realm.

While the numbers of CMOs engaging in unethical activity is hardly the majority, the numbers are all up from previous years. This trend has the potential to undo credibility of the publication and further erode public trust, especially in an age when anyone with a blog has the ability to start drawing parallels between a publication’s coverage and its advertisers. Pardon me if this seems like several really bad PR situations in the making.

The reality is that PR engagement is an incredible bargain when compared with the cost of creating and placing an ad. If these organizations had sought PR, they could have garnered the same positive coverage ethically by working with the reporter to deliver helpful and relevant information.

How should the PR industry help educate others about the role of PR? It seems to me that groups like the PRSA have focused solely on fostering relationships between PR pros and journalists, but not so much on relationships involving people in other marketing roles.

In an age when everyone’s job title and responsibilities in marketing and PR seem to be converging, isn’t it time to start sharing some of the nuances of our individual functions so that we can work together to keep ethics in check? Wouldn’t it also be helpful to educate those individuals in a position to actually engage PR, like say, a chief marketing officer?

If they don’t understand our role, why would they ever seek our counsel?

The PR industry desperately needs PR is a post from: Very Official Blog

Shannon’s Very Official Guest Post

My guest post on Twitterstars is all about Twitter and how online relationships are just as real as offline relationships. Click here to check it out: Twitterstars.com

My Very Official Guest Post on Twitterstars is a post from: Very Official Blog

If you’re anything like me you run into this attitude a lot. Just for fun, I have been compiling a very short list of responses that diffuse rote contradiction and unnecessary conflict when I encounter this mindset.

1. “There is no try. I really think we can make this happen.”

2. “Maybe it just wasn’t the right time before. Maybe the right time is now.”

3. “Do you think I shouldn’t try?”

The last one is my favorite and almost invariably elicits an apologetic response from the other person. Nobody wants to tell somebody that they shouldn’t try to improve something — especially when they’re passionate about changing things for the better.

How do you move past the hump of mediocrity? How do you inspire others to move past it with you?

We tried to change things before; it doesn't work. This is the way we've always done it… is a post from: Very Official Blog

Earlier this week, two of my coworkers showed up to the office wearing the same exact dress, and of course they were both horrified. However, this got me thinking about how important recognizing individuality in ourselves and others is to our ability to feel seen and heard, as well as our ability to see and hear others.

There is a reason showing up in the exact same outfit is a fear that most women have — it invites scrutiny and side-by-side comparison — someone always feels like the other person looked better wearing the same exact outfit. While it may feel safer to some extent in a larger group dressed alike, it gets much harder to get noticed.

Let’s imagine 20 people show up to a party wearing the same dress. Okay, how about 75? Because that’s the number of PR people AdWeek‘s Digital Editor, Brian Morrissey, estimates exist for every journalist in his recent interview in the Bad Pitch Blog and from the way he describes it, a bad pitch being like porn — you know it when you see it, most of us are still showing up in journalists’ overstuffed inboxes clamoring around in the same dress.

If you didn’t catch that estimate, know this: According to Brian, the best thing PR people can do is “Recognize that media organizations are shrinking while PR is growing.”

If you’re in PR and that estimate doesn’t strike fear in your heart, well, it should. What that means is that the old, impersonal methods of pitching won’t work anymore. Sure, people with 20 years experience that have already established rapport will still be able to pick up the phone (with reduced success), but anyone new to the field will not.

Despite his reputed dislike for PR people, Brian succinctly summarizes a major challenge that many seem unwilling to face, “What it means for PR people is your job is harder. The best PR people I know simply connect me with people that can help me. They know what I cover, what I don’t and how their clients do and do not fit. That means a lot more work before the email and the call. It also means knowing when to get out of the way.”

What that means for most of us is that we have to take off the same old dress and establish new ways to connect and get people talking about our clients and the organizations we represent. There simply isn’t enough ink to go around, or even enough Web real estate for mainstream digital publications because there aren’t as many people typing these days on their dime. Period.

Now what? What are you doing to be creative? How do you propose to get people talking about your company/organization? What still works? What are you doing to set yourself apart?

Is everyone in PR wearing the same dress? is a post from: Very Official Blog

I recently put together a plan for a social media newsroom and think I may have stumbled on new way to add extra incentive for subscribers – the ability to give them special access to the information before it posts publicly.

This may not be anything extremely new, and it may not make sense for everyone, but it makes a lot of sense for this company and I thought I should share it here. Let me know what you think.

A social media newsroom is basically an extension of a company’s website where journalists and bloggers can go to pull press releases and all the factual information, images, audio and video clips to use in their coverage.

In many ways, a social media newsroom looks and functions like a blog, and for good reason; blogs are extremely efficient in delivering information in a way that is flexible, easy to navigate and they put the most recent stuff up front.

For a primer on social media newsrooms, download SHIFT Communications’ template for a social media newsroom here: http://shiftcomm.com/, or visit Ford Motor Company’s online newsroom for a good example of what a social media newsroom looks like. If you know of other examples you wish to share, please feel free to post them in the comments.

While it’s not unusual to have RSS feeds delivering new posts to the company’s online newsroom via reader and email, in this case I thought it would help increase the incentive to subscribe if subscribers were promised early delivery of the new posts before they showed up on the public site.

Rather than having the traditional RSS feed that delivers new posts via reader and email at the same time as the post shows up publicly, this feed would deliver the company’s news to subscribers first, offering a 6-hour lead time to journalists and bloggers interested in breaking a story.

To do this, I asked Ross Johnson of 3 Point 7 Designs and co-owner of Ingenex Digital Marketing if it were even possible, since I have a strange tendency to think that I can do anything. Luckily, he said it could be done.

Basically, Ross said, you would have to have two identical sites — one private and one public. When interested visitors to the site sign up to receive automatic updates, rather than subscribing to the RSS feed for the public site, they would instead receive updates from the private one.

There would just be a little feed switcheroo. The public site could then be automated to post the information on a 6-hour delay after the identical information on the private site posts.

Since timeliness, and the ability to ‘scoop’ the competition is one way blogs and news publications add value to their readers, this way, they could have their posts up and stories filed before the release hits publicly.

But, this got me thinking that other special nuggets of information could be distributed from the private feed as a means of adding value to being a regular subscriber.

And, beyond being a regular feature to an online newsroom, bloggers, and traditional media outlets could also have the potential to do something similar, thereby giving people more incentive to subscribe to their information since they receive something over and above what is posted on the public site.

Maybe others are already doing this, I’m not sure. If so, how does it work for you? Do you foresee any problems that I may be overlooking?

Please, let me know your thoughts and many thanks in advance!

Early delivery: Another way to add value for subscribers is a post from: Very Official Blog