Day: July 25, 2008

Out of Blog…

Well I am delighted to inform you that I am off for two week’s holiday to the wilds of Ireland with no Interweb, RSS feeds, twitters or e-mail.

See you around the 11th of August…

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Some PR on a Friday…

Trevor Cook has a very interesting post titled "The revolution may not be blogged" which ponders whether the "new media revolution" has stalled somewhat.

Moreover, when they do blog organisations, like Telstra, often find it extraordinarily difficult to see their social media efforts as anything more than just another way to get out messages and push products. In the hands of a PR pro, the opportunity to bypass the ‘media gateway’ can just mean an open invitation to pump out unfiltered propaganda.

Overtime, more organisations will adopt social media tools and they will have to become just a little more open, transparent and accountable to get the full benefit. Sadly, it will be a slow process.

More on Trevor’s blog.

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Heather Yaxley has a great post on "fast" and "slow" Public Relations.

Everyone in PR should know that quick reactions are required when called by media working to deadlines – this Fast PR is even more important in ensuring online media audiences get their fix of Fast News. 

But we also need good old fashioned Slow PR skills in building relationships, identifying possible feature articles, developing individual angles and stories, thinking outside our traditional media relations focus and taking the time to be accurate, informative and effective.

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Bill Sledzik continues his recent strong run with a post on what PR is not..

 

Public Relations is NOT… Advertising… Promotion… Publicity… Media relations… Public affairs… Selling… Marketing…

 

Read the full post here.

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This blog is operated under the "greenhouse code", particularly when dealing with the "outing" of PR people.  Well you just never know do you?  You might be tired one morning, send a sloppy e-mail and next thing you’re RSS-meat of the week.

Mark Rose takes the New York Times’ Joe Nocera to task for Nocera’s outing of a PR person who was pitching on behalf of a manufacturer of "juvenile transportation devices" – I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Fair play for Rose, but the use of the phrase "children have become fashion accessories" is at the very least ill advised.

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Finally, it’s Friday… New Media Douchebag  [Hat tip to Lee Hopkins]

The passing of a great human being…

Back in October I first became aware of Randy Pausch. 

I’m sure there’s few of you who aren’t aware of the man who delivered the famed "Last Lecture".

His talk inspired me.  His talk saddened me.  His talk made me laugh.  But most of all, his talk made me think.

What an incredible gentleman.

Since I first saw the video I have kept an interest in his progress via his web site [it seems to be down] and today I was truly saddened today to hear of his passing.

You know Randy Pausch has done something few can claim, he has made people around the world, to stop, think, take stock and hopefully make decisions on what is really important in their lives.

While Mr. Pausch was interviewed on every major US television channel, for me, his original, unedited Last Lecture is one of the most powerful and thought provoking pieces of video on the Internet.

Do yourself a favour, watch the video, buy the book and invest your time thinking about what really matters to you.

I can only imagine the pain and suffering of the Pausch family at this incredibly painful time.  But I hope that in the weeks, months and years ahead that they are consoled in the knowledge that Randy Pausch was, and is an extraordinary human being who touched people’s lives.