Day: September 26, 2003

Richard Bailey and Jeremy Pepper have been writing about the use of Adobe Acrobat documents for online press rooms.

Here’s some additional thoughts on information formats online.

HTML

All press release posted on your website should use plain old HTML.  This means they can be read by anyone with a browser, and they can be easily copied and pasted into other documents.  Also remember to include your media contact details with every release. There�s a disturbing practice of removing PR contact details from posted press releases, but I think you should make it as easy as possible for a journalist to contact you so include those details.

Adobe Acrobat

While your press releases should be posted as HTML, it can be useful to also (not instead of) provide them in Acrobat format.  Why?  Well often HTML pages don�t print very well, so providing them in Acrobat solves that problem.

Microsoft Word

Never, ever publish press materials (or any other materials) as Microsoft Word documents.  There�s two primary reasons for this.  Firstly Word documents can contain viruses, but more importantly there are many documented cases of internal comments and changes being included, unbeknownst to the creator, in a published Word document. Don�t do it.

Plain Text

Sending press releases by e-mail should be done in plain text, end of story.  Save your funny fonts and your bright colors for children.

Attachments

For the love of God, Jehova etc. do not send press releases in e-mail as attachments.  No matter how many journalists flag this as a pet peeve, people still do it. Break the chain.

One of the major reason behind why I started this blog eighteen months ago was the dearth of good, relevant and regular PR-related content online.  As all the PR trade magazines moved to a subscription model, more PR content disapeared.

This blog was simply to be a kind of respository for PR information, with a few opinions thrown in.

In the intervening period we have seen an explosion in PR blogs.  Reading the usual suspects this morning it struck me that right now we have loads of intelligent PR people, writing interesting views and pointing to interesting content.

It’s fantastic that all this content, across most verticals or disciplines, from education to technology and journalism, is now available in your browser and in some cases your RSS reader. It’s also great the see all the various writers cross-referencing and discussing many of the issues.

Of course there’s always room for more, so why don’t you start a blog?

Anyhow here, in no particular order is some of the more interesting discussions taking place at the moment across PR blogland.

 G2B Group is looking at  the state of modern television broadcasting.

 Kevin Dugan covers RSS and the media (Kevin pay the $10!)

 Jim Horton writes up an BRAve PR stunt in Michigan <groan>

 PR Machine evaluates the importance of your CEO

 The Minnesota PR Blog covers Subway’s new advertising and an event in October offering PR people in Minnesota some insight into the local political process

 The ever vigilent PR Studies is covering effective press rooms

 Pop! Public Relations has an interesting post on a new RSS service for PR people and the move from large to small agencies – don’t get me started on that one 🙂 

 MediaMap as always have a load of news on media and PR moves

 PR Bop covers the 78-year old drag racer

 Jenane Sessum is (ahem) covering a Ketchum story!

 As predicted, PR Fuel, is tearing along, covering Zoos, Ketchum, Waggener Edstrom and Microsoft.

 Elizabeth Albrycht is looking at PR e-mail and expect some more dialog with Agency Analytics!