New RSS Services

NewsGator has been busy! Here's the latest:

03-28 NewsGator Technologies, an RSS platform company, announced NewsGator Inbox 2.6. Previously known as NewsGator Outlook Edition, the new offering includes clippings synchronization with the NewsGator Online Web-based RSS aggregator, integration with FeedStation, NewsGator's podcatcher, and the ability to view Web pages while working offline.

03-28 NewsGator Technologies also announced FeedDemon 2.0. The new version of the company's desktop RSS aggregator for Windows adds seamless synchronization with the entire NewsGator Online platform, and improvements in usability and system performance.

Outted by Plaxo

Anybody who uses Plaxo to keep their Outlook Address Book up-to-date should be warned: you can blow the news of a job change or company acquisition simply by updating your own Address Book entry!

I know a guy whose company was acquired by another company. It was to remain a secret until a later date, but he went ahead and changed his contact information in his Address Book--and lo and behold pretty soon hundreds of his contacts received Plaxo updates that included his new title, employer and contact info.

Within hours, there were blog and news postings about the acquisition and they had to speed up plans for their announcement of the acquisition.

PR is Stale at Yale

Yale recently admitted a former top Taliban official as a student and refuses to answer questions about it. This is the same Yale that refuses to allow the establishment of an ROTC group on campus. Anti-military and pro-Taliban? On an American campus? Gosh!

From today's Opinion Journal:

"Yale is practicing a most unusual media strategy," says Merrie Spaeth, a public relations executive whose father and uncle went to Yale. "I'd call it 'Just say nothing.' " Another PR expert characterized Yale's strategy as "Trust that people will lose interest in the questions if there are no answers."

Pretending that your crisis will go unheralded and it will all go away if you simply don't answer questions is a guarantee that your crisis will be blown into bigger proportions than ever. Yale responded to the Wall Street Journal writer by saying it wouldn't respond. Perhaps the communications officer is a former member of the Bush Administration. Bush is, after all, a Yale alumni and heads an administration that famously makes poor use of proven communication strategies.

Here are some tips on crisis communications:

• Before a crisis hits, you should have a crisis management team established, including key officers, a spokesperson, and a communications strategist (if not the spokesperson);
• As soon as a crisis storm starts to brew, start pulling together the necessary facts (the who, what, where, when, why, and how);
  Be quick to share the information you think the media should have and will want to have;
  If they don't get the information from you, they'll get it from somewhere else--sometimes giving information is painful, but it's better coming from you than someone else;
  Don't shoot from the lip--if you don't have the answers, say you'll find out and get back to them;
• During or after a crisis is a great time to demonstrate that your organization is a good civic citizen--do something good for the community;
• Don't act like Yale.

Speaking of speaking...

Yesterday I was the guest speaker to a Washburn University "senior seminar" class of Mass Media students. I spoke to them about lessons along the pathway of my career.

While I was talking about some of my key rules for managing your career, the big rule that I should have remembered was to bring bottled water with me. By the end of my 45 minute spiel I was so cotton-mouthed that I sounded like Harry Belafonte (without all of the ridiculous political statements, of course).

Can your CEO speak better than Jon Stewart at the Oscars?

I didn't watch much of the Oscars. It was a bad movie year--the ones I enjoyed weren't nominated for hardly anything and the ones that did likely won more for their appeal to the liberal glitterati of Hollywood than for their artistic merit. I've heard that Jon Stewart didn't go over well as host, which is somewhat surprising to me--but Bulldog Reporter has pulled out some lessons that PR practitioners can glean from his example:

1. Don’t assume your client who speaks well in front of 20 people in his or her own conference room can make an instant transition to speaking in front of 100 people in a convention center.
2. Don’t assume your client who speaks well in front of 100 people can make a smooth transition to speaking in front of 1000 at a trade conference.
3. Help your clients get conformable with the size and sound of the room by rehearsing in the same room where they will be giving a speech.
4. Any new technical equipment (e.g., wireless mics, TelePrompTers, lights) needs to be rehearsed with in advance—not used for the first time in front of a real audience.
5. Help your clients build their confidence levels by exposing them to increasingly larger audiences—don’t make them jump from an audience of five to 500 in one presentation.
6. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse (and do it with video).

Measuring the Influential Experts on Business Blogging

Onalytica decided to measure influential experts on business blogging and makes some good points about the difference between popularity and influence:

When Technorati ranks blogs they count the number of link sources pointing to a blog. So a blog that has 10 inbound links has higher rank than one that has 5 inbound links. So far so good. The blog with inbound links from 10 different sources is clearly more popular than the one with 5 link sources. However, when they use this measure of popularity as “authority” they are stretching it too far. David Letterman may be popular when it comes to the topic of US national politics, but few would call him an authority on the topic.

Check out the findings at the end of the post. It may lead you to some very helpful information on the topic.

iSift

I've become a fan of Digg.com, where you have the opportunity to vote for stories that you "digg" and raise its ranking on the page. More popular articles get higher placement, and rather than being chosen by an all-powerful editor who uses his own subjective bias to determine ranking the big stories are the ones most popular with the readers.

Here's a new one: iSift. From their home page:

iSift.com is a community for publishing and rating Internet-related news and content. Submit content or vote for submissions that you think are interesting. You can also give a story a negative vote. iSift has been inspired by digg.com and del.icio.us but places a greater emphasis on independent news and content.

Does blogging help or hurt?

This Bulldog Reporter op-ed makes the case that blogging may not be all it's cracked up to be. He advises against jumping into the latest "craze" and, instead he advises "increasing investment in real advocacy education and civic debate in order to achieve goals." He says that blogs encourage people to only tune into messages that reinforce their currently held beliefs rather than exposing themselves to alternative viewpoints. This is valid because blogs that one visits are most commonly linked to other blogs that support the same viewpoint. But then again, so what?

Blogging is going to happen whether you "invest" in it or not. Who do you want to influence? In business, you want to invest in communications that targets most likely consumers. If you sell toilet paper, you're going to have an audience of just about anybody--but who wants to go to a blog about toilet paper and its uses anyway? Blogging is effective when it draws a crowd of people with specific interests and engages them in dialogue. Operating a blog and engaging those who operate blogs that target those with a common interest is smart business, and there are few communication tools out there that could do it more effectively than blogging.

Even if you're a politician or a civic organization, why not blog? I don't get the point of arguing against it. You want to energize your base with a blog and keep your natural constituency informed. Those on the other side will do the same. Those in the mushy middle will have blogs of their own and may visit blogs on the right or left. Blogs may spread false propaganda, like tabloids in the checkout lane, but they can also accomplish for you what the MSM won't. You don't have to look further than Rathergate to know that the blogosphere can hold the MSM accountable.

To me, it's all good.

The Voicemail Opportunity

My friend Cyndi Menzel, Communications Director of the Kansas National Education Association, doesn't waste an opportunity. Her email messages are always signed with the organization's tagline: "KNEA: Making Public Schools Great for Every Child." And her voicemail echoes the same message. She concludes her voicemail message with something along the lines of "We're busy making public schools great for every child."

I'm shocked at how many people waste the voicemail message opportunity. Not only do they blow it by not even using the name of their company, they fail to seize the chance to emphasize their brand message.

I cringe when I call someone on their work number and their voice mail says something like, "Hello, this is Bud. Leave a message and I'll call you back." Yuck!

Sad to say, many calls find your voicemail more than they find you. What is the experience you are offering your callers? If they have made it through voicemail hell to get to your extension, make it pleasant and your message to the point. Don't do the ordinary, lame message. It is not just your business brand, but your personal brand that is being wasted.

Here is a nice article on other ways to promote your personal brand.

IABC Leadership Institute

I am currently attending IABC's Leadership Institute in Charlotte, NC. It concludes tomorrow. This is not a conference on great new communication skills, but how to run a thriving IABC chapter. You can see our pics on our IABC Photo Blog.

Blogging tips

Here's an article that includes some great tips on blogging.

Robert Scoble, Microsoft's best known blogger, and Shel Israel, a veteran consultant for start up companies, have teamed up to write Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers, a book the authors say is intended to tell businesses of all sizes and in all places why they will benefit from blogging. The ZDNet article is an excerpt from the book.

Right Wing Podcasts

There was a Townhall column today by Jennifer Biddison on how political conservatives are using podcasts to supplement their dominance on talk-radio. The column includes a how-to section on getting started with listening to podcasts.

Rewriting history -- on a wiki

Check out this post from Computing Unplugged on how senatorial staff members have rewritten the bios of their bosses on Wikipedia to tone down the negative and highlight the positive.

This is the tricky part of wikis...if it's wide open to everyone, then anyone can change the facts as they see fit. In this case, they tracked down the culprits and resulted in some bad press (just what politicians need).

A Good Apology

It was slow in coming, but Dick Cheney's apology was refreshing and well done:

"Ultimately I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and that's something I'll never forget."

"The image of him falling is something I will never be able to get out my mind. It was one of the worst days of my life."

It's amazing that when he clearly points the finger of blame toward himself, editorialists and political opponents still claim that Cheney is blaming the victim. Huh? But that's for another blog. The point is that this apology is great. It's contrite, non-political, and accepts full responsibility. Kudos.

"Smart" press releases

Bulldog Reporter has a nice article on the death of the stagnant "text only" press release, replaced by "smart" press releases that include multimedia: photos, video, and audio.

"Quick Draw" Cheney (AKA "Slow Response" Cheney

The overhyped media story on Dick Cheney shooting his hunting buddy reveals a couple lessons:

• At a time when Iran is working on a nuclear arms program, the media would rather spend all of their time pouring salt on the wounds of the Bush administration;
• The Bush administration regularly cuts open wounds and holds out its arm for the media to pour salt on.

I'm a Bushie, I'll admit it--meaning that I agree with him on policy more than I disagree with him. But his communication team is the worst in presidential history. Why haven't they all been fired a long time ago? Ever since Karen Hughes went back to Texas and Ari Fleisher started making real money, it's been downhill. Let's face it, the Prez needs the BEST the communications industry has to offer to help him. He's not The Great Communicator by any stretch of the imagination.

But let's focus on the shooting incident. First of all, media people: get a grip! This is as non-news as you get. Fodder for Leno and Letterman? Absolutely. For CNN and the CBS Evening News? Maybe as a blip on the night after it happened. Do you really think anybody cares about it? It doesn't affect anything or anybody other than the poor lawyer who got some character added to his flesh. To me, this event highlights the elitism of the White House press corp...how dare we not find out about this story first? Yes, I think they should have been told first, but their hyped-up reaction when there are so many critical stories they SHOULD be investigating shows their true colors.

To the Bush "communications people" -- did you think nobody would know or find out? What were you thinking? You give your enemies (the media, of course) ammunition by not being forthcoming. You make a small story much bigger by trying to pretend it didn't happen. There wasn't a crime here (other than perhaps the lack of a $7 hunting permit), so why the cover up? There is at least a perception of a cover up. I know it's not his style, but Cheney should speak to the matter: "We were having a great time...the accident happened...I feel terrible that he was injured...I wish him the best." I probably wouldn't crack an Aaron Burr joke because it would be inappropriate and would be awfully contrived or scripted. But he is the 2nd most powerful man in the U.S. and he needs to say something to the American people about it. He should have issued a statement immediately after it happened.

One thing is sure...the "secrecy" thing in the Bush White House (created and implemented, from what I understand, by Cheney himself) needs to stop. Even if this IS a non-event (which I agree), get in front of the story!

In a related item, Opinion Journal has a nice review of a book by a Pentagon spokesperson that should be a good read for anybody involved in high-stakes PR. "Lipstick on a Pig" by Torie Clark tells of the communications effort by the Pentagon during the Iraq war. The book tells tells "how to deliver bad news, defuse scandal and build trusting relations with constituents and customers." Give it a read.

UPDATE: Linda Chavez's latest column discusses the Cheney issue and reiterates my point in more detail.

Wanna Wiki?

If you would like to experiment with a Wiki and explore the possibilities in your organization, try StikiPad. Get started for free. You can collaborate on a document from within a browser.

From their web site:

Wikis have been around for years, but have been limited to either internal business communication or to tech-savvy users who have the know-how of setting them up. A wiki is a piece of software that allows anybody to edit pages and post feedback - it lets you communicate with however many people you wish, and keep communication all in one place. A wiki is similar to a public message board in that any user can register and post their comments. Where a wiki differs is the capability of creating an inter-connected database within its pages. In your StikiPad, you can make several pages and link them together - this keeps your data organized while still immediately accessible.

Employee Communication via RSS

Back to the subject of RSS:

How can it be used for internal communication? Many think of RSS as simply a way to allow people outside an organization to easily view new content that has been published. It is not yet used commonly on intranets, which could really improve internal communication. Probably most employees don't have their intranet set as their default home page--it's more likely to be ESPN.com or some other site that really delivers the stuff they crave every day.

Using RSS with your intranet enables employees to subscribe to content they are interested in, increasing the likelihood it will be read. Make it easy for them by providing a standard RSS reader that allows them to create their own personalized employee news outlet.

What kind of content should you publish via RSS? Here are some obvious ones:

• Benefits updates
• Corporate news
• Department news
• CEO blog
• Community relations opportunities

Don't miss out on using one of the best tools ever available for delivering news and information in a manner that will increase readership.

Remember when...reflecting on the Dot-Com busts

Here's a blast from the past...with some great lessons on what NOT to do with building your online business.

Some wisdom gained by the dot-com busts:

From Webvan: even if you have a good idea, it's best not to grow too fast too soon.

From Pets.com: advertising, no matter how clever, cannot save you from a bad business concept.

From Kozmo.com: even if you're selling online, the cost of the sale needs to be less than the amount your customer is paying (duh!).

From Boo.com: being a global business means knowing the language (and the currency) from around the globe.

From MVP.com: celebrity endorsements ain't worth Jack (unless Jack Nicklaus is behind it...then maybe...) in the long-run.

I started in "high tech" PR during the height of the dot-com era, though never landed any of those companies who had so much money they had to blow it on PR guys like me. In fact, I recall the one dot-com company that seriously considered us. Our proposal would have given them a great campaign for four-figures, but they went with an agency that their VC funder liked for five-figures (a month!). Simply brilliant...and of course the company no longer exists.

RSS Rules!

I've talked to several groups of student or professional communicators and I'm amazed at how few of them know anything about RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a tool that enables users to easily subscribe to and read or track content on web sites or blogs without having to "surf" (bop around from site to site to see everything that's out there). RSS is revolutionizing the way a message gets moved out there, and professional message movers aren't clueing in for the most part.

Simply put, instead of having to go to your favorite websites or blogs to see if anything new has been posted, you check your "RSS aggregator" which pulls in the RSS feeds to which you are subscribed.

If you're a content publisher, this is big news! RSS also allows you to distribute content to a host of sites that may subscribe to your site's content. This may make "hit counters" look less impressive, but the point is to spread the word rather than collective traffic statistics--right?

Try it out for yourself. Go download a news aggregator (also known as RSS Reader), such as www.newsgator.com, www.pluck.com, and www.feedster.com.

I'm going to get back to RSS in a later post (how you can use it for internal and external communications). Just spend some time experiencing it, and then let's reconnect on it.