Archive: October 2013

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The Plight of the Daily Newspaper

This year’s State of the Media from Pew Research showed newsrooms at their lowest level since 1978. Yet, most people still turn to the daily newspaper in one form or another, which explains why this media type remains a primary target for PR. Brian Cafferty has spoken with 100+ newspapers over the past three years, …more

The Missing Element in Some PR RFPs: Budget

Much has changed about the communications business since we opened our doors in 1987. Yet, some companies continue to send out PR RFPs with no mention of budget today as they did 25+ years ago. I’m guessing these same companies did not enjoy the scene in Jerry Maguire when Cuba Gooding Jr. tells Tom Cruise …more

Why LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner Should Look Under the Customer Support Covers

Dear Jeff, I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn. Your mashup of a digital Rolodex and content creation – both original and curated – has a certain business purity that appeals to the white-collar crowd. Just last week I was singing your praises in sharing three LinkedIn hacks: While the social media platform started as the …more

Social Media Changes Social Media

That’s not a typo in the headline. Nor am I trying my hand at keyword stuffing. Back in June a post detailed how social media, in this case Facebook, reshaped the storytelling behind a Navy squadron rescuing a family lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Here’s an example of interactions on social media …more

Three LinkedIn Hacks

Conducting a training session for a client yesterday, I was reminded that many people still associate LinkedIn with the job market. While the social media platform started as the darling of recruiters, it’s evolved into something much more, blending the attributes of social media with storytelling (content creation) and what amounts to a news service. …more

Who Moved My Story?

Dear “Who Moved My Story,” I’ve been there. You’re there now. Every human being who writes for a company as part of communicating to the outside world has experienced the frustration of seeing his or her copy pruned again and again … and again. Forget trying to humanize the narrative. You’d be happy if the …more

And the Best Twitter Profiles from Universities Are …

If there’s one safe haven to push beyond the status quo and experiment, it’s universities. With this idea as the backdrop, I thought it would be a revealing exercise to review 100 or so university Twitter profiles and select the best five. The winners would show what happens to the simplest of communications – 160 …more