One of the things I’ve been doing, other than not posting anything for three months, is trying to figure out Twitter. I’d been meaning to do that, and then accelerated the process at the behest of a client who’s doing amazing things with it. I’ve yet to find the definitive Twitter for Newbies anywhere online, but this video is a very good start. It doesn’t have anything specifically aimed at how PR people are using it, but it’s a great introduction nonetheless.
Their social bookmarking video is also excellent.
Categories: Video
Tonight I finally migrated this blog to wordpress.com, which saves me about $100/year. However, in the course of the migration my email service was interrupted. If you’ve emailed me within the past five days, I probably didn’t receive your message. Please email me again.
Categories: Uncategorized
Yesterday Matthew Karnitschnig wrote an outstanding overview of the latest ways that BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Fortune are responding to Web competition - and to Conde Nast’s Portfolio. For example:
“Still, both Fortune and BusinessWeek are responding. BusinessWeek is narrowing its focus by emphasizing core business coverage and retreating from lifestyle areas. [emphasis mine] The shift is reflected in the redesigned magazine, which sports a cleaner look. Gone is the magazine’s “Executive Life” section, which included lifestyle pieces on subjects such as New Zealand spas and powder skiing in New Mexico.
In a world of nonstop information and ever busier schedules, BusinessWeek’s readers want a concise take on the week’s business news, says BusinessWeek President Keith Fox. “Readers want an intelligent filter,” he says.”
Louise Story at the NYT has a related piece in yesterday’s paper, focusing on ways in which BusinessWeek’s redesign were at least partially in response to Web properties.
I find these kinds of articles to be invaluable. In PR, it’s so easy to fall into the trap that press has just one side - editorial. In reality, there are an awful lot of folks on the publishing side who are busting their humps to keep afloat in an ever-changing world. It’s important to understand both, and these two articles definitely helped my understanding.
Categories: Publishing · Uncategorized
I’m in the Bay area for the next two weeks - going to the TechCrunch 40 tomorrow morning, doing several days of client work onsite in Palo Alto, and spending the rest of the time at our sunny San Francisco offices. I’m meeting up with Dave McClure and Kyle Arteaga while out here, and would love to meet any other readers or folks who I know only from the blogosphere. Drop me a line via email or on Facebook if you want to meet up in SF, the South Bay, or anywhere in between.
Categories: Miscellaneous · Travel
Katie Hafner wrote a great overview of Wikiscanner in today’s New York Times. This story has gotten legs since Wired News uncovered the tool last week (I can’t locate a link to the original story anywhere - if someone bookmarked it, would you comment below?).
If you or your client have ever broken Wikipedia’s rules on editing or providing content without an objective point of view, the NYT article is a must-read. However unlikely it is that you’re called out on it, if you are, you want to have some good responses ready.
If you haven’t, then I still recommend the article, as well as my post from April this year that offers some words from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on how PR people can successfully interact with Wikipedia content.
Categories: Publishing · Wikipedia
