Top news vs. top chatter

The Pew Research Center’s New Media Index for the last week of January shows the blogosphere was more interested in a film shot by chimpanzees than President Obama’s State of the Union Address. On the flip side, it shows the State of the Union Address as the top story covered by the mainstream media. The report also shows that the iPad announcement was the number one news topic discussed on Twitter.

Unfortunately, mainstream media sources are likely to use this kind of report without any kind of analysis or context, and folks who blog and tweet are going to get painted as some kind of out-of-touch geeks again.

While I respect the Pew Center’s Excellence in Journalism project and I often find their research valuable, I can’t always agree with the evaluations of their data.

To run an apples-to-apples comparison of top subjects between mainstream media, blogs and Twitter doesn’t make sense. Those of us involved heavily in social media and blogs often think the world is running alongside us, keeping up with the latest in this new form of communication. The reality is very different though. Sure, Facebook’s numbers are through the roof and Twitter is still growing exponentially — but in the grand scheme of things, those involved in social media are still the minority in this world. Meanwhile, the mainstream press is just that: mainstream. That means folks who have never used social media or who are clueless to its power and attraction are still getting the bulk of their information from newspapers and TV. And, the news industry still adheres to keeping the masses informed with the most basic of information with the widest appeal. The State of the Union address certainly fits that bill more than Apple’s latest gadget or the next blockbuster from a band of chimps.

The blogosphere and Twittersphere are sharing news but they aren’t the primary sources of news. That’s because the users often are commenting on things both serious and sublime, important and insignificant. That means that comparing leading topics is difficult. There’s a difference between top news and top chatter.

Regret or rejoice – it’s your choice

My daughter Lainee has been writing poetry lately as part of her 8th grade Language Arts class. She’s been a voracious reader and prolific writer of stories for years — both of which make me a really proud dad. Now, thanks to her class, it seems she’s taken to channeling her thoughts into poetry. Here’s a great example of not just an “A” on her assignment, but an “A+” on learning about life at a young age. With her permission, here it is:

Flash

By Lainee Adler

Life is like a camera flash, or a droplet’s splash

Stop time if you dare

To live as you seek

Stop and smell the roses, strike a couple poses

It is only fair

To warn the strong and the weak

That once that flash has faded, your life won’t be so jaded

Time is like a bear

Hunting down its prey

Don’t run, just have fun

It’s better that way

Live in the moment

Things don’t happen twice, you’ll have to pay the price

If you skip ahead

Get out of the fast lane, take it slow

Laugh and shout, cry and pout

When you’re lying in your bed

And your life is just a glow

The end is near, but do not fear

If you took my advice, you won’t pay the price

Of regretting the years in your life

Instead of rejoicing the life in your years

(This picture of Lainee is nearly a couple of years old now, but it’s always been one of my favorites, and I thought it went really well with this poem. ~ aba)

All the world’s a stage, and all your employees can play a part

I heard Scott Monty speak yesterday at the Lansing Economic Club and, as well as being an engaging speaker, he also has the advantage of delivering a message from a company that really seems to “get it” when it comes to social media and its potential. For those who don’t know who Scott is, his official title is Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for Ford Motor Co.

It probably helped that I saw Scott right in the midst of my prep work for a presentation I’m doing at a Ragan/PRSA conference in February. I’m preparing to talk to people about why they have a huge untapped potential in their employees as brand ambassadors via social media. Coupling that with Scott’s presentation about Ford’s incredible foray into this realm has me even more impassioned about the issue.

Employees have always been brand ambassadors. Successful companies learned how to keep employees happy and may have offered some training on how to express that happiness.  They probably talked to them about how to answer the phone and how to transfer calls to the right department if they couldn’t help. Maybe there were some tips on what to say to friends and neighbors if they asked about something going on at the company – with most of the tips being to say as little as possible or to say that’s not really your area and so you don’t know what’s going on.

But that kind of simplistic, command-and-control style of employee engagement simply won’t cut it anymore. The Internet is widespread and faster than ever, with broadband access sometimes giving people faster upload and download speeds at home than they have at work. With smartphones, Blackberries and iPhones, people now are able to receive and send information to anyone, anywhere, anytime. There are hundreds of news sources available 24 hours a day and there are dozens of ways for stories to be rebroadcast, repeated, re-tweeted and shared around the world in the blink of an eye.

There’s an old quote that goes, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.” It’s attributed to Winston Churchill. Imagine what the English prime minister would say about the way news, rumors and information travel today compared to what was happening during the WWII era.

If you ever get a chance to hear Scott talk about what Ford is doing and why, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. After his presentation, I cornered him with my Flip camera asked him to reiterate something he said on stage. He had mentioned that people easily recognized the Ford name and the iconic blue oval, but that it’s important for people to now see behind that oval — to find out what’s really making Ford tick. Social media allows them to take that peek. I asked Scott why that was so important.

Here’s what he had to say:

Hey, down in front!

Whatever happened to common courtesy at movie theaters? Is it because they’re in a darkened space that people feel less responsible for their actions? For one reason or another, I have seen more movies in the theater lately and the level of civility seems pretty low.

Here is a list of five things I’d like every moviegoer to keep in mind. Have you got any you’d like to add to the list? Please feel free to do so.

• Don’t talk loudly during previews. Admittedly, most people have figured out that you shouldn’t talk during the feature because at $8 to $10 and more being spent for a ticket, your risk of getting a beating is pretty high. But what about the previews? Sure, you  may want to react to a preview and share your thoughts with your companion about whether you want to see that movie or not. But can’t you do it in a whisper so we can watch the next preview without having to listen to you talk?

• Don’t forget your mother doesn’t work at the theater and isn’t going to clean up after you. Granted, the system is somewhat flawed. After all, the artificial butter-flavored grease can be messy, and so can the powdered chemicals you’re invited to sprinkle on your tub of popcorn. The pop machines are a sticky mess waiting to happen; those stupid dispensers are destined to put out more unwrapped (and unsanitary) straws than anyone can use. But shouldn’t that be all the more reason to be careful and try to minimize the disgusting blend of crap you’re leaving all over the counter for the next people to avoid while trying to get their treats ready for showtime?

• Again, your mother doesn’t work there and isn’t going to clean up after you. So take your crap with you and dump it in the trash cans they have now placed almost directly in your path as you exit the theater. It’s your trash, take it with you!

• Don’t forget to turn off your mobile phones. We paid to watch a movie and hear great dialogue and a stirring soundtrack, not your ringtone.

• Don’t jump out of your seat the second a movie’s version of “The End” hits the screen. A lot more time, money and energy are being spent on end credits. Sometimes there are more scenes to watch. Sometimes there’s more music to listen to, or the people behind you might like to see the credits to learn an actor’s name or figure out where the movie was filmed. If you aren’t patient enough to sit still for another five minutes, then at least get up and quickly get out of the way. You make a lot better door than a window, so down in front!

(Photo courtesy of ChrisGoldNY.)

Move over, content; consumers will be kings this year

Here’s a piece I was commissioned to write by Ragan Communications. Thanks to the great folks quoted in this article who were willing to spend time helping me with it.

Published: 1/4/2010 Move over, content; consumers will be kings this year By Ari B. Adler A customizable Web and mobile apps and augment users’ already formidable clout From banks and Big Three automakers that needed rescuing, to the governors and golf pros who couldn’t master monogamy, 2009 may well go down in history as the year of the bailouts. Public relations professionals have spent a tremendous amount of effort trying to fix things for their clients while the news broke faster than birds can tweet. So, what’s in store for 2010 in the communications industry? That depends on whom you ask, but a common theme is the idea that consumers will have even more control, whether they are consumers of a product or of information about that product. In short, communications professionals will have to fight even harder for their client’s reputations. “As social networking adoption continues, frontline communications and PR will become the responsibility of everyone inside a company,” said Charlie Wollborg of Curve Detroit. “Social media will stop being ‘some newfangled doohickey the kids play with’ and simply become the de facto way business is done.” If Wollborg is right and social media use continues to grow, which is likely, will consumers eventually reach a saturation point? “As more companies build an online presence, the ability or desire for consumers to keep up with all the content generated will max out,” said Amy Mengel, a communications professional from the capital region of New York. Mengel believes we’ll see increased filtering in 2010, particularly in the field of tools that allow people to sort, rank and prioritize content. The sorting of information is going to be especially important to keep tabs on if you have a client targeting the younger population, says Becky Johns, communications coordinator for Delta Dental of Michigan and a member of the Millennial Generation. “We don’t find the news anymore; the news finds us,” Johns said. “As PR pros, we need to package our messages in a way that they will actually reach young people who aren’t out trolling for what’s going on.” She said that for the younger generations, the source is still important because the information needs to be credible, but they care more about how relevant the information is than where it comes from. “The Internet has made everything so customizable that there is no need or room for anything not relevant to what someone is looking for,” Johns said. “We grew up typing a set of words into a box and being fed information about whatever we want, whenever we want it. We have choices beyond the mainstream media and dealing with that reality has to be a priority for PR pros in 2010.” A year of transition For Jason Kintzler, founder of PitchEngine, 2010 will be the year social media is tested as a resource, perhaps because people like Johns aren’t as concerned about sources anymore. “We’ll see some ethical questions raised,” Kintzler said. “False reports, investor mishaps and other fails will likely spark some mainstream dilemmas. People flocked to Twitter and Facebook in 2009. They began to consume news in ways never imagined. Many of them even shut off their televisions and closed the newspaper. In 2010, questions of trust will run rampant.” Johns and Kintzler do agree that metrics will be tested this year. “We need to take ownership of the way communication has changed,” Johns said. “Social media is still widely considered broadcast media, and the focus is all on ‘What can we put out there?’ when it really should be on ‘What can we learn from it in order to do business better?’ ” Kintzler said success in PR and advertising will need to be measured on more than impressions alone. “With marketers getting savvy to the ways of the social web, they’ll adopt more organic ways of reaching consumers and new forms of reporting,” he said. Get familiar with mobile apps The use of video and mobile applications also will see an uptick in 2010, according to Kintzler and Wollborg. “Company YouTube channels and video blogs will replace company text blogs and news feeds,” Wollborg said. “Company iPhone and Droid apps will become as ubiquitous as company Web sites, and you’ll see PR and communications firms rebrand as ‘community relations firms.’ ” Kintzler said startup companies will see a boom as retailers find ways to connect fans and followers to their brick-and-mortar stores. “Consumers will use their smart phones on a transactional level, and retailers will salivate,” he said. With all the buzz about social media, mobile devices and online interaction, will there be any room left for old-fashioned PR basics? Absolutely, says Sam Sims, APR, account director at Jones Public Relations in Oklahoma City. “With the outburst of new communications tools, mediums and vehicles, successful PR practitioners will root themselves in the foundations and be successful regardless of hype,” Sims said. “What’s new to PR in 2010 is really not new. It’s the four-step process centered on communications theories. Call it retro, antique, rustic—it’s good old-fashioned PR foundation.” Ari B. Adler is a media relations professional with experience as a newspaper reporter and editor as well as a government and corporate spokesperson. You can follow him on Twitter at @aribadler.

Sometimes, you need to say no

Here’s a column I was commissioned to write by Talent Zoo about one of my experiences on the front lines at a PR firm:

Public relations professionals often are looked at as guides to the media. Clients want to know how they can get news coverage. Do you ever use the opportunity to tell them they won’t?

When tasked with media relations, you often will go to great lengths to get that client’s news placed anywhere, so you can show them how valuable you are. Sometimes, you’re even willing to cash-in a little professional collateral with a reporter you’ve befriended over the years, landing at least a brief mention in a column.

But if you’re only willing to use your professional collateral with the media and not your client, you’re doing everyone a disservice. When I was working at a PR agency a few years ago, I had to help the folks around me learn this – both the younger PR practitioners and the seasoned pros.

Too often, public relations practitioners focus on the tactics, the strategies and their never-ending drive to get something accomplished. But what if the best tactics and strategies you come up with aren’t enough? What if, no matter how well-crafted your pitch is or how well you know the local newspaper editors, there is no way your client’s “news” will get covered?

Media relations isn’t just about getting a story published. It’s about being a media counselor as well. If your client’s story isn’t newsworthy, you need to help them understand why.

While at the agency, one of the account teams I was on was for a large law firm. They had intelligent people on staff who were successful in their field. These people often had smart things to say and their opinions were worth listening to. But what the firm considered newsworthy often wasn’t.

When I joined the account team, there were young professionals pulling their hair out trying to find a way to get this law firm’s self-proclaimed news published. They were constantly apologizing to the client, vowing to work harder.

By the time I got involved, this had been going on for months and no one was satisfied. The demands were growing and the agency executives were worried about losing a prestigious client. Meanwhile, the agency staff was exasperated with the client’s demands, frustrated with the executives’ constant pushing and demoralized by their lack of success.

I suggested that perhaps the best course of action was to tell the client they didn’t have any real news to share. We could tell them we’d try to make the information more newsworthy, but that even then, our success rate might be rather low. I also suggested we find events occurring in the region that were newsworthy and would benefit from the law firm’s principals speaking out about them.

The agency staff was excited to try something new. The agency executives were only cautiously supportive. But I prevailed and was told I could stand up to the client, albeit gently. We had to agree that their news was worthwhile, but perhaps we could incorporate some other ideas to get them additional media coverage. In other words, we took a limp-wristed approached to media counseling. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to learn that we failed.

All it meant, of course, was that now the account team had to work harder because we were still trying to get things published that weren’t newsworthy while at the same time monitoring activities in the region so we could place the client as a thought-leader. Essentially, we were doing more work for the same amount of pay.

To make matters worse, the client was unwilling to get involved in anything controversial or newsworthy that was happening in town. They insisted, instead, on pushing forward with their own news as the first priority. Eventually, we were fired.

Had I been given the green light to provide true media counseling – an honest assessment of the client’s strengths and weaknesses and a forthright review of ideas on how to get them in the news – things might have gone differently.

Instead, I was hamstrung by having to focus on the client’s ego first. Getting the job done correctly was a secondary consideration. Of course, once we lost that client, I gained an account team able to focus on other clients and record some accomplishments. I also gained a team that was enjoying a newfound morale boost from no longer having to sit through a weekly client berating.

I also learned a great lesson from this experience. I always treat clients and employers with respect when it comes to a disagreement over media relations. But if I don’t speak up and tell them when they’re wrong, it’s my fault, not theirs, when things go awry. I learned never to just say, “Sure, we can try this,” when I know it will never work.

Public relations professionals need to remember that we often are hired to say yes, but the greater value may be in earning our pay by occasionally saying no.

Will your beneficiaries benefit like they should?

I’ve often joked with folks about how I plan to live forever — and I’m obviously going to give that my best shot. But, the reality is there is only so much I can do before I leave this world, hopefully on my own terms and in a blaze of glory.

I’m headed off on my honeymoon next week, which involves a rather long plane ride there and back. (For those of you about to tell me I’m stupid for telling everyone I’m leaving my house for a week, please note that we have folks staying there, so you can let it go.)

I’m not a fan of flying. Never really have been. And in today’s world, who knows what might happen or when or how. I’m not looking for trouble, but of course you often find things when you aren’t looking for them, so who knows.

The point of this post isn’t to be morbid or depressing, but to raise an interesting point that I recently stumbled upon and that everyone should think about whether you’re traveling long distances or not. First, if you have people in your life who depend on you and your income, make sure you have life insurance. Second, make sure those people know what to do in the event that they actually need to get to it.

I’ve had life insurance for a long time — started buying it when I became a dad and have paid one company or another ever since then to make sure my kids were going to have some financial protection should something catastrophic happen to me. I was sending my ex-wife my travel itinerary so the kids could keep up with where I’m at, but also in case she needed to get a hold of me in case of emergency.

It then occurred to me that the reverse might be true. What if I need to get information to my family in case of emergency, or worse, death? Outside of seances and Hollywood movies, contacting people from beyond the grave isn’t all that easy. So how would they know what to do in case I don’t make it home?

That’s why I sent a second email to my ex-wife, giving her contact information for my insurance agent and my human resources department at work — both of whom would be involved in distributing my life insurance benefits.

If you’ve been responsible and purchased life insurance in case of your untimely demise, take that next important step and share the contact information with someone. Sure, you have a policy tucked away safely somewhere at home or in a bank safe deposit box. But if you’re not there to get to it, will your beneficiaries benefit like they should?

(Photo courtesy of David H-W via Flickr.)

Your holiday greetings for 2009

It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about crazy deals saving you money on stuff you wouldn’t have bought in the first place, or the chance that the one dreaded fruitcake left in the world will be re-gifted to you. I’m talking about that awesome tradition of family holiday greetings letters. You know, the ones that are now typed, mass printed and placed on holly jolly paper so you feel more festive while reading about why someone else’s family is way better than yours.

To help you compete, I’ve created a simple format for you to copy and paste into a document. Just fill in the blanks, print, sign and share some holiday joy – MadLibs style. 

To our dearest (relationship),

Greetings from (weather adjective) (adjective) (state)! I hope this letter finds your family doing as (adverb) as ours did this year!

This was a busy but exciting year for us with (name)’s (event) and (name)’s (event). We never thought we’d survive the (noun), but thankfully our faith in (deity) has allowed us to reach another (holiday) season. Of course, we were saddened by the loss of (family relation) (name), but we know they are in a better place now with (deity).

(Name) is making us all so (adjective) since they’ve decided to (noun). And we’ll have another busy year since (name) is finally going to (noun.)

I don’t know how we kept up with everything this year, what with our trip to (location) and the whole (length of time) that (name) was recovering from their (type of injury) (body part).

The (type of dwelling) is looking better now that the (type of plants or trees) have started to grow in. In (month), (name) came for a visit and their (relationship) coming with them was a surprise but we enjoyed our time with them. In (month), our beloved (pet’s name) was stricken with (disease) but the vet says they lived (number) months longer than anyone could have expected. Thank (deity)!

Well, we’re busy here preparing for the (holiday) feasts we’ll be hosting, now that (name) is married and has (number) beautiful children who will help fill our home with the sounds of (sound) for a while. We hope this letter finds you doing (adverb). Can’t wait to share all the wonderful news from our family with you again next year. May (deity) keep you (adverb) and (adjective) in the new year.

(signature)

(Image courtesy of familyshoppingbag.com)

National PowerPoint contest includes Mid-Michigan Battle Decks

Back in November, Mid-Michigan Battle Decks took place at Michigan State University in East Lansing and those in the audience got to enjoy the quick wit and cleverness of some great communications professionals. Now, the whole world can vote on who is the best of the best.

Battle Decks was a local version of a national competition called PowerPoint Karaoke that is sponsored by Imation. All of the local contestants from around the country were invited to submit videos of their performances. Imation staff narrowed all the entries down to the top 32. Those 32 are now on a bracket where people can view presentations and vote for their favorites.

As I mentioned in the blog post after the event I hosted in East Lansing, we have some serious talent in Michigan. Now it’s time for them to shine on the national stage. So go here and check out the videos if you haven’t already so you can vote for your favorites. If you’ve already seen the videos or attended the event, then you can just go straight to the site and vote.

Either way, vote soon so some of our mid-Michigan talent can keep moving forward!

Best of luck to Charlie Wollborg,  Josh Hovey, Natalie Scott, Dan Hogan, Veronica LaDuke, Jessi Wortley Adler, Ivy Hughes and Lauren Leeds. May the best deadly bullet points win.

Mr. Publisher, rebuild that wall!

The news is spreading about the Dallas Morning News memo to its employees explaining how the editors of various sections will now report to sales managers, who are being renamed general managers. Robert Wilonsky does a great job in this blog post detailing how the issue started and even has interviews with the paper’s editor and publisher.

As a former journalist, the concept of having editorial content people reporting to advertising people gives me the shivers. When I posted the original story to Twitter the other day, I commented, “I weep for the future.” My comment was predicated on the one made to me by Becky Johns when she sent me the post with the note, “Read and weep.”

There has always been an invisible wall — and sometimes a physical barrier — between the editorial and advertising departments at newspapers. It’s been there as a protective barrier for employees on both sides, as well as their customers — the readers on one side and advertisers on the other. Journalistic integrity and credibility are two of the pillars that have kept journalism strong in this country. They have helped readers trust that what they are reading is not tainted by bias. It also has kept advertisers confident in the paper’s power to attract an audience that will, in turn, see their ads.

Certainly, advertising is an incredibly important part of any newspaper, because it is, after all, a business. Advertising revenue is what drives the newsroom budget and determines the size of the paper’s news hole. But I’ve always seen advertising as a necessary evil and certainly nothing that should be embraced by the editorial staff.

I found the following two things the most interesting:

1. The publisher was most bothered by the line, “In short, those who sell ads for A.H. Belo’s products will now dictate content within A.H. Belo’s products…” that was in Wilonsky’s original post.
2. The publisher’s comment that, “This is much ado about nothing…”

It seems to me that the publisher is bristling at the idea that editorial staff will be affected by what their new managers — remember they used to be called sales managers — is because Wilonsky cut a little too close to the bone. I don’t know how anyone can see this as anything but editorial reporting to sales.

I also can’t believe the publisher suggested people are over-reacting to this news and we’re supposed to believe nothing is going to change in terms of the editorial decisions the paper makes. Really? If nothing is going to change, then why reorganize? The paper’s management claims it’s going to help make things more audience-focused. But, their memo to employees clearly states, “Their (general managers) responsibilities will include sales and business development. They will also be working closely with news leadership in product and content development.”

You cannot have a manager in charge of sales and not expect them to try to influence the news when working with leadership on “product and content development.”

It’s been called a bold idea, but bold doesn’t always mean good. In this case, it’s a bad idea that needs to be abandoned before it can do any real damage. Mr. Publisher, rebuild that wall!

(Wall photo courtesy of frankartculinary via Flickr.)