Archive for January, 2007
Posted January 30th, 2007 by Andre
For the last few months, we here at DIG have been reading up on something that has been called a New or Social Media Press Release (nmpr) for short.
So here’s the scoop, as some in the Blog-o-sphere have been ranting: Old Press Releases stink. They don’t work for some blogger-journalists and other new media aficionados who want interactive, media rich content.
Solution: How do you please everyone? Well, let’s not reinvent the wheel. Let’s make it out of rubber instead of wood so that it grips better, has more traction, and lasts longer.
But the wheel is just the content. Everyone agrees that there has to be some amount of it that must be present: contact information, the headline, news facts, quotes, a boilerplate. But then comes the hard part: link? RSS feed? photos, video, multimedia? Del.icio.us? Technorati? DIGG?
If the wheel is the mandatory content, then the car is the extra. So here’s the question: What kind of car do you get?
Examples:
- Ferrari: The nmpr is bright and shiny and gets you from point A to point B with all the bells and whistles (Ajax, tabs, commenting). Hot bloggers love this nmpr, but could we be overcompensating for something?
- Volvo: Take the nmpr onto the safest route. Make it bulky and full of information so no matter what quote the person reading the release finds a crashing need for, there’s an airbag in a video ready to comment. This nmpr should also have a long lasting and enduring presence, maybe a boxy layout, too. This is the nmpr your parents might buy.
- Ford: This nmpr is very fast to build. It may have some sort of assembly line tool that makes it inherently easy to use. Just change the skin and shoot it off for a new client with good results. This nmpr is “blogger tough.”
What I would shoot for (and it’s maybe it’s a little biased since my family owns 3 of them):
- Toyota: Good design, reliable and affordable. This nmpr has the long lasting appeal of a Volvo and some of the bells and whistles of the Ferrari, but they don’t all come standard. This is more of a “mix and match.” It can also learn from Ford: it should be done in a way that creating more of these nmprs is easy and intuitive.
Finding the right mix is what we are all about, and you can be sure that DIG won’t be left behind. On a side note, here’s an idea: what about an organic nmpr? Release an nmpr with all the intended content, but let people who know about the topic and industry build it out for you, let them find those videos that tell the story, the photos that are important, the quotes that they need and let them Wiki it. It could work… Right?
Posted January 25th, 2007 by Char Lyn
When the news broke last Thursday that MySpace is again being sued for not doing enough to protect its members from sexual predators, the blogosphere reacted quickly. In a survey of over 40 blogs referring to the incident, all that expressed an opinion said that child safety comes from parents being more involved in their children’s online lives.
In 2000, the FTC tried to help parents by enacting COPPA, which requires commercial websites to actively protect the privacy of anyone under the age of 13. Although already in compliance with COPPA policies, MySpace is showing its commitment to safety with a new tool that will allow parents to track their children’s online usage. Some critics think this tool will lead to MySpace’s downfall, but I think it will survive. Trust me – determined kids will find a way around parental surveillance.
I don’t think the answer lies in technical solutions such as tracking software (though those tools do help). The answer is education.
My call to the blogosphere: Don’t wait for the FTC to create more stringent acts that restrict the rights of all. Instead, take an inexperienced parent or two under your wing and empower them with the information they need to guide their children through the internet. Whether you do it through friendship or teaching a class at your local public library, it’s a way for you to give back to the community and promote the value and diversity of the social media we all produce.
Posted January 22nd, 2007 by Kevin
Due to its successful integration into our everyday lives, Web 2.0 terminology is being shouted all over the world and becoming as popular in business as “synergy” and “proactive.” For some, however, popular terms like “Social Media” and “Consumer-Generated Media” have jumped the shark. It was only a matter of time before someone stepped up and rebelled against the herd.
Industry veteran, Steve Rubel, shared an interesting post today in his popular blog, Micro Persuasion, questioning whether “social media,” and similar terms, matter anymore. He states that “The problem with all of these balkanized phrases is that they connote that the content created by digitally empowered individuals is somehow bush league.”
Interesting thought, but slightly off the mark for two reasons:
1) More and more people are turning to User-Generated Content for the entertainment value, the availability of information, and the ability to provide information in a method they prefer instead of having it force fed to them by the traditional media giants. Not necessarily the definition of “bush league,” IMHO.
2) Social Media is still evolving and it is necessary to distinguish User-Generated Content from traditional media to appropriately prepare the audience and give credibility to the content. Credibility to all aspects of media based on the guidelines that govern each.
Based on the comments to Rubel’s posts, the community itself recognizes the need to maintain some distinction from traditional media… at least for now.
Posted January 19th, 2007 by Kelby
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Boston Social Media Club. Todd Defren from Shift Communications was there to discuss the past, present and future of the new media release which was particularly interesting as we’ve been working on producing a version of the Social Media Release that appeals to our clients, and more importantly, the audience that will be viewing them.
I’ve spoken to a couple bloggers to get their perspectives on the new release and the feedback has been pretty consistent. Most don’t really care how the information is organized (text, multimedia, tags, etc.) as long as it is available and easily accessible. As we complete our version of the SMR and begin to think about how to best get it into bloggers hands, I would love to feedback from people (PR folk, companies, bloggers) who have used the new release on what their experiences have been, and from others who haven’t seen one but have some thoughts of their own.
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