Join Brian Wallace for Using Infographics as a PR Strategy at the PRSA HyperConnections Summit, presented by the Technology Section in Atlanta, Sept. 27–28.

In a day when content is king, it is no surprise that infographics have most certainly had their reign at the top. Now, with Google cracking down on what should and should not count as good content, the importance of infographics is coming into question. Some feel they should be eliminated from the SEO chain altogether. Others believe there is still quite a lot of value in infographics, granted they are done correctly. So, what side are you on? Is there really such a thing as a good infographic? And if so, have they been devalued?

Continue reading " Infographics: Marketing Gold or PR Nightmare? "

Join Joseph Grove for “What Readers Want: Defining Techspeak to Verticals That Care” at the PRSA Technology Section HyperConnections Summit in Atlanta, Sept. 27-28.

I admit it. I can be a real jerk.

I don’t respond to your emails. I don’t return your voicemails. If your call happens to catch me at my desk, I’ll  know within the first five words that you’re a public relations person — maybe an intern — who is pimping a press release, I immediately I will begin to wonder how fast I can get to goodbye.

But I also have to say that some of you kind of deserve it. And for every editor who’d just as soon hit the delete button on your message than read or listen to the whole thing, there is a public relations professional who could use a few pointers on how to convey her message in such a way it might actually make the news.

Let’s face it: We need each other. I asked one of my editors how much daily news she gets from press releases and other forms of public relations. Two-thirds, she said. Among all our sites, we published 4,177 news items for the first six months of the year. Assuming her percentage holds true for our other editors, that’s 2,785 pieces of public relations we picked up. Was yours one of them?

Here are a few things you can do to make sure you are part of the next 4,177 we publish.

Continue reading " Five Ways to Become More Than Just a Necessary Evil "

We live in a hyperconnected world that moves forward into new realms every minute — like augmented virtual reality for business uses being explored on Georgia Institute of Technology’s campus in Atlanta, and that means even more consumption of news and data of all kinds, synthesized and scrubbed for your viewing. Hyperconnected is often described as a term for “people who feel they need to communicate virtually — via email, mobile phone or text — 24 hours a day.” Several recent research findings have shown that some hyperconnected individuals may even wake up during the night to check whether or not they have been contacted.  Companies like Ericsson have predicted that connected devices could outnumber connected people by a ratio of six to one by 2020, and the scramble to make sense of that shows up in sociology discussions.

The multi-channel, multi-device approach to communications is accelerating for all of us, and data actually supports predictions that by 2020, the next young adult generation will be wired differently. Jack Loechner’s March 2012 Research Brief from the Center for Media Research looked at “The Impact of Hyperconnectivity,” and discovered that more than 55 percent of those surveyed believe that this statement will be true:

“In 2020, the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are wired differently from those over age 35, and overall, it yields helpful results. They do not suffer notable cognitive shortcomings as they multitask and cycle quickly through personal and work-related tasks. Rather, they are learning more and they are more adept at finding answers to deep questions, in part because they can search effectively and access collective intelligence via the Internet.”

But other experts, such as David Ellis, director of communications studies at York University, disagree. He indicated that he sees the hyperconnectivity experience making them less productive, and adds that most of them do not understand the digital tools, according to the report.

As public relations practitioners, we really do not have time to debate what is upon us.  Statistics in a number of categories prove out this intensity of hyperconnections, from no “real” vacations away from phones and tablet devices, to the mushrooming of new social networks with new learning curves that start with expanding personal networks, such as Pinterest and Google’s Goggles, but will grow into even more important business toolsets as time goes on.

Continue reading " It’s Time to Examine the Multi-Channel, Multi-Device Approach for Clients in a Hyperconnected World "

For PRSA members who are interested in international public relations, the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management (or “GA”) is an important resource that offers valuable networking, information and learning opportunities.

The Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA) was formed in Chicago on October 25, 2000, after a Public Relations World Congress sponsored by PRSA and the International Public Relations Association. Its main purpose is to serve as an umbrella for the collaboration of organizations public relations organizations, and has “a mission to enhance the public relations profession and its practitioners throughout the world.” PRSA was a founding member of the GA and has remained active ever since, currently serving as Treasurer of the GA.

At present, the Global Alliance is a confederation of many of the world’s major PR and communication management associations and institutions, representing 160,000 practitioners and educators in approximately 50 member organizations, an impressive reach given the Global Alliance’s resources. In addition to a modest cash budget of about $85,000 from membership fees and sponsorship, the GA also receives valuable “in-kind” support from USI (Università della Svizzera italiana), which has an executive MBA program in communications and contributes much needed staff and infrastructure to the GA.

As a practical matter, the GA provides a forum for the sharing of ideas and best practices, providing information, networking, and opportunities for research and inquiry, for example, into ethical standards and accreditation practices worldwide. In addition, members of one GA member organization benefit from being able to purchase services and benefits from other member organizations at the member rate.

Although over 98% of PRSA’s members reside in the United States, global issues affect all of PRSA’s members, regardless of their place of residence. As a result, PRSA has found that the GA is a very cost effective way to assist PRSA in carrying out four objectives:

1. For U.S.-based members, providing them with worldwide resources that make them more effective professionals;
2. For U.S.-members working abroad, keeping them connected to their profession and to their respective international markets;
3. For non-U.S. practitioners, offering a connection to the U.S. profession while understanding cultural differences;
4. Finally, to have a hand in shaping the global profession.

Continue reading " Global Alliance: Connecting PRSA Members with the Public Relations Profession Worldwide "

Mark Weiner, CEO Americas, PRIME Research, presents Research 101: Learn to Create, Implement and Manage Research Programs Within Your Organization, on May 16, from 1–5 p.m. at the pre-conference session for the 2012 PRSA Health Academy Conference, held May 16–18 at The Inn at Penn in Philadelphia, PA. His session also allows attendees to bring their research questions and examples for review.

In this post, Weiner shares his insights on the changes and trends in, and value of effective research and evaluation, in public relations. Joyce Lofstrom, MS, APR, co-chair of the conference and director, corporate communications, HIMSS, posed these questions to him in an email interview.

Continue reading " Quality Research and Evaluation Matters: Q/A with Mark Weiner, PRSA Health Academy Pre-Conference Speaker "