Blog Archives
Guest blog: A case study on how bloggers can win the attention of the press
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Guest post from Nate Riggs of Social Business Strategies. You can read Nate’s blog here. The blog was originally posted Feb. 2).
I’ve been a big fan of the work of Brian Solis for some years now.
As one of the leading thinkers in the study of disruptive technology and its impact on business and culture, Brian is known for consistently has his hand on the pulse of what’s changing in the digital space.
In the case below, we’ll look at how Brian uses his blog, content marketing techniques and social networks to break news related to Facebook’s coming IPO. By executing these tactics, he’s able to build credibility and awareness for the Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm in which he is a Principal.
All that said, PR students everywhere should laud his approach to this blog post on the SEC Filing information for Facebook as a classic case study in how to leverage blogs to get the attention of traditional press and other online publishers.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: You can read the rest of Nate’s post here).
New way to post quickly on WordPress
WordPress announced a new way of publishing posts quickly.
If you’re logged in to the site, officials said “you can create and publish new posts without the leaving the page you’re on. So instead of having to visit your blog’s dashboard each time you want to publish a post, now you can start a new post the very second you’re inspired to create one.”
A company press release indicates all bloggers need to do is click the new post button on the right side of the toolbar to start.
MOTORISTS GETS MOBILE – Motorists Mutual has created a mobile app for policyholders. Policyholders can now download the free app from iTunes if using an Apple product, or from the Android Market if using an Android device.
Motorists Mutual Mobile gives customers instant access to their auto insurance policy information. The app also provides agent information and the ability to submit claims directly from an accident.
Additional features include an accident checklist, agent locator, pay by phone, the ability to view past claims history submitted via the app and more.
LINKEDIN FOR BUSINESS – Business2Community has a great article with advice on how to set up a proper business page on LinkedIn. You can read it here.
NEW ADS ON FACEBOOK – Facebook announced new advertising opportunities for businesses this week on the site. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a great rundown you can read here.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s View From The Pugh column features communications news and notes. E-mail viewfromthepugh@yahoo.com to submit an item for consideration for a future column. Picture is from WordPress e-mail).
Repository reporter: GateHouse wants to outsource many of our jobs
Several weeks ago, we wrote about a move by GateHouse Media, owner of The Repository in Canton, The Independent in Massillon and The Times-Reporter in Dover-New Philadelphia, to consolidate all copy desks in papers around the country to centralized desks in Chicago and New England.
Various sources indicate that the move could affect 17 jobs in the Ohio group.
Veteran Repository reporter Tim Botos posted the following update on the “Save The Repository” Facebook page.
I’ve been a reporter in the newsroom for 13 years, and a member of the Newspaper Guild for 20 years. I also sit on the Guild collective bargaining committee.
All told, there are about 180 Guild members at The Repository. Some of us know each other by name. Some of us know each other only by face. Some of us don’t know each other at all; we work different shifts, or in areas of the buildings that rarely cross paths.
All of us, though, share a common bond as members of this same union. The “union” isn’t our paid representative in Cleveland. It’s not the board members. It’s you and me and us. A union is only as strong as its members want it to be.
The employer wants to outsource many of our jobs, not to mention some of your non-union co-workers. The reason: They say they can pay outsiders less than they pay us. They say those outsiders, “professionals” they called them, can do the job just as well.
I disagree. You should too.
Doing the “right thing” isn’t always easy. It can take work. But the right thing now is to show the employer we are a union. That we stand by one another and have each other’s backs. The outsourcing proposal does not affect my job, but I do take it personally because of our bond. I stand by those affected, because I believe they’d stand by me if this situation was reversed.
It is the right thing to do.
We’ve started a mobilization committee. We want to send a message to the employer. I’d ask all of you to pitch in. If you have questions, just ask me, or any of the others whose names appear on the union bulletin boards.
Tim Botos
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE LAID OFF – Charles Apple has a fantastic blog on a resource guide for laid-off journalists, which applies to anybody else out there who may be laid off.
DISCUSSING PATERNO – I’m a week behind, but Nate Riggs wrote recently about how the Penn State sex scandal proved to be a tragic and swift death of an iconic brand. Definitely worth a read today.
FACEBOOK FAIL – Companies need to be careful when it comes to Facebook promotions.
Here’s a recent post from Bulldog Reporter about a advertisement which hurt a company.
GateHouse Media move could have huge impact on Stark, Tuscarawas county readers
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated with impact on local newspapers).
In a move that could have a major impact on employment for various newspaper employees across the country and for local readers in Stark and Tuscarawas counties in Ohio, GateHouse Media, the owners of The (Canton) Repository, The (Massillon)Independent and (Dover-New Philadelphia) Times-Reporter announced this week that they will lay out all newspapers it owns across the country from copy desks in Chicago and New England.
The memo, leaked to a national newspaper blogger, doesn’t specifically indicate if the changes include GateHouse Ohio’s local media cluster of The Repository, Times-Reporter and The Independent, but sources indicate that it would impact various employees at those newspapers.
Throughout the country, copy desks need to have local editors. I’ve worked at copy desks where having a working knowledge of the local community helps catch errors in stories, errors that news editors haven’t caught.
Second, recent downsizing at newspapers leave readers with gaping holes in news coverage. Can newspapers today cover all towns and cities in its coverage area? I know it’s an issue in Stark County.
Instead of downsizing, I propose newspapers restructure staffs to include “backpack journalists.” These can provide updates throughout the day which can be posted online. The additional content from all areas can add a compelling argument for businesses to buy ads and for readers to pay more for extra content.
What do you think, would you pay more for content as a reader and would you be more likely to buy ads if additional hometown news content was available online?
THOUGHTS ON SPONSORED CONTENT – Mack Collier had a great post on how brands are waking up to the power of sponsored content. It’s welll worth the read. Check it out here
LOOKING FOR A JOB – All Facebook had a tip of an interesting way to apply for a job at Facebook.
ATHLETES TO WATCH – Communications Pro had an interesting story about their picks for the ten most engaged athletes on Twitter. Here is their list.
WAKE UP CALL – Peter Shankman had an inspiring post on why it pays off to get up earlier every day. You can read it here.
Check your work before sending an e-mail blast
When sending an e-mail blast, you have to be careful.
The New York Times made a huge mistake when intending to sending an e-mail to several hundred people offering 50 percent off to renew for 16 weeks.
Instead, the newspaper sent the offer to 8.6 million e-mails on its list.
What compounded the error was when the newspaper tweeted that the e-mail didn’t come from the newspaper.
The newspaper did honor the discount at first before cancelling the offer.
A spokeswoman didn’t say how much money the mistake cost the newspaper in an interview with the Associated Press.
PHOTO MANIPULATION – When it comes to media errors, I guess this one from North Korea shouldn’t surprise me at all.
The country’s state news agency altered a photo from Kim Jong-Il’s funeral procession to take out several onlookers from the route.
When it comes to news, ethics dictate that pictures cannot be altered.
I understand that North Korea doesn’t follow ethics, but this should be a lesson to all news people to follow industry standards.
FACEBOOK’S TOP SIX – Do you have Facebook’s new Timeline feature?
One question I had with it was on the friends box, the site shows six of your friends.
How do they pick these six?
I found an interesting article on how Facebook picks your “top friends” here.
View from the Pugh 