Murphy's Law

• Featured Windows Download: Fingertips Controls Outlook and More from the Keyboard
  (tags: outlook productivity tools)
• GetFingertips.com
  (tags: outlook productivity tools)

• JeffKirvin.net › Fast GTD on Windows Mobile
  (tags: GTD pocketpc)
• 10 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity – Lifehack.org
  (tags: GTD productivity)

Off-line, no e-mail, RSS, conference calls, twitter, or blogging for a week 🙂

Now I’m the first person to point out that the great thing about most research is that anyone can bend the findings to support their own opinions. 

So indulge me here.

Some of my biggest issues with the prevalent Web 2.0/Smeedia thinking are:

• The belief that the demise of traditional media is a good thing for society – and that the media’s demise is a “fact” (it’s not)
• The acceptance of content that’s “good enough” rather than researched, reviewed and objective
• The online, self-styled, Web 2.0 experts, who have never practiced Public Relations in their life, but feel they are qualified to provide in-depth analysis on the impact of new online media and tools on our profession. (I’ll post more on that particular topic at a later date.)

The idea that sites like Wikipedia are a great thing – regardless of how accurate the content is – because loads of people collaborate, is flawed. I don’t like it as a citizen, as a parent, as a consumer, or as a PR practitioner. We must fight for standards ladies and gentlemen.

A report from UK media research firm Metrica [Flash alert], which included 3,000,000 articles from 700 UK media organisations over the past decade has some interesting findings.

It found that online coverage was far more likely to deliver “high message delivery” and a company spokesperson than traditional media:

Haste and paste: High message delivery and spokespeople mentions suggest the emergence of a copy and paste publishing trend in online media. Online featured the strongest message delivery of any media type with half of coverage delivering key messages, and an average of three message deliveries per article.There is also some indication of a similar trend amongst regional titles.

Now obviously as a PR guy that’s what the client is looking for. But as a citizen you want to ensure there is a strong media providing consumers with a balanced news agenda – after all if you’re getting fluffy coverage, so is your competitor.

• According to the research for 2007, not surprisingly, the UK daily and Sunday newspapers are the least favourable outlets, while regional TV, print and radio are the most favourable.
• The most favoured sectors are charities, trade bodies, media and leisure, and entertainment.
• The least favoured sectors are finance, government & public sector, retail, fashion, health & beauty and transport.

I accept that no research is perfect, but it presents an interesting view and perhaps presents a case why the survival of traditional media (whether in print or online) is important to society and business.

Read more at the Metrica blog.

Update:

Stuart Bruce has pointed to a site I’d never seen before, the Churner Prize 🙂

• Thinking of starting a corporate blog? John Cass offers some practical considerations before you start.

• Todd Defren has an interesting post on how they managed bloggers at their client’s event, the RSA Conference.

• I was surfing (is that an old person’s term now?) around and found this post on PR Week: “Social media is crucial for an agency”, the post is a little ‘hype-ful’ but led me to the author’s blog which I hadn’t come across before: Adam Metz.

• The Semantic Web – none of Public Relations’ business? – Semantic Web Company – Semantische Technologien, Web 2.0, Social Software, Ausbildung, Seminare, Studien
  (tags: PR web2.0 reading)
• Clay Shirky – Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations (Event Video/Audio) | Berkman Center
  Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.
  (tags: reading web2.0 presentation)
• Amazon.com: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations: Clay Shirky: Books
  (tags: Book)
• Is PR a matter of semantics? « Heather Yaxley – Greenbanana views of public relations and more
  (tags: reading PR)
• Your Individual Development Plan – Lifehack.org
  (tags: reading)
• Tempo – Tour
  (tags: projectmanagement web2.0)
• A Personal Example of One GTD System | GTD Times
  (tags: GTD reading)

Someone sent me this link to a classic piece of stand up from the late great Dave Allen (not to be confused with the time management David Allen) on teaching your kids to tell the time…

";” alt=””>