Mike’s Points

If you ask the Center for Media and Democracy, the answer would seem to be yes.

Again, the CMD, a.k.a. PR Watch up in the great city of Madison, Wis., has again taken on VNRs trying to get the U.S. FCC to do two things:

1) Tracking VNRs that are sent out by PR firms, and documenting examples of when and how they are used.

2) Advocacy, such as letter-writing campaigns, as well as monitoring of news content at the local level to put pressure on stations to behave in a more transparent and ethical fashion.

Like a lot of things in business and just everyday life, there are unethical people. I’m not going to list examples of bad PR people doing bad VNRs. Go search for yourself.

One of the points raised by the author, is that TV news producers say VNRs are never used, while “PR people discuss video news releases fairly candidly.”

I agree that we can get into a well-deserved discussion about PR junk that is passed off as VNRs . . . or news releases . . . or blogs . . . or any communications tool used by the public relations industry. But, there is crap in every aspect of life, business and even watchdog groups. Generally speaking, let’s agree that there is far more quality — or at least mediocre — tools being produced than there is junk.

If the CMD is going to track VNRs, why not track news releases? Heck, there are far more news releases and media pitches making it into our “news” than there are VNRs. Geez, if you are going after the PR industry, why do the small stuff? Take real action!

Journalists — whether in print, radio, TV or another medium — are not stupid. They know that, when they receive a news release or even a VNR that is has some slant or angle to it. But, it is ultimately up to their news judgment whether or not to use it.

If CMD really wanted to attack the problem — in addition to going after news releases and etc. — why doesn’t it do something to ensure improved quality in journalism.

My education, early career, heart and passion are in journalism. The shrinking newsroom has had an effect in the quality of journalism output: Fewer people with the same or more news responsibilities mean more pressure to produce news products but less time to really investiage sources and develop real, meaty stories. (I served the greater good of society better as a journalist than I likely ever will in public relations. But, that’s another blog topic.)

So, rather than shoot the messenger, why doesn’t the CMD do some stuff of real value. Instead of just write books.
– Mike

Technorati tags: Center for Media and Democracy, VNRs, PR , public relations

(UPDATED: 1 p.m. 5/26/06 with (an)other great point.)
For your reading, browsing, thinking and amusement, I present to you:

Garfield, Why Don’t You Call?, Mike Manuel/Media Guerrilla. (Who says it’s a “dog-eat-dog world”?)

Good News for Fran O’Brien’s?, Fuzzilicious Thinking. (More on the future of Fran O’Briens, the former Capital Hilton restaurant that served free Friday night dinners to Walter Reed and Bethesda patients and their family members, and was booted out by Hilton.)

Global Warming: Still More Inconvenient Truth, ShopFloor.org, The Manufacturers’ Blog

Multi-author blogs and Strumpette, Colin McKay/Canuckflack

Blade Writer George Tanber Admits Pulitzer Letter, Michael Brooks/HistoryMike’s Musings. (It is alleged that The (Toledo, OH) Blade, per Tanber, held off on a story that some say could’ve impacted the Bush-Kerry presidential election. Tanber was reportedly fired Thursday by The Blade.)

Which Media, Marketing or PR Blog Is the Most Readable?, Scott Baradell/Media Orchard. (Mikespoints.com, by the way, has a Gunning Fog Index of 8.46, and a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 5.11. Meaning, it is written so people with those grade levels and above can read it. Keepin’ it elementary and understandable.)

Adapt or Die, American Journalism Review (preview from June/July 2006 issue). Courtesy of CyberJournalism.net.

– Mike

Overstock.com has it wrong. It’s not about the “O.” It’s talking about the wrong end.

It’s all about the E.

As in EGO.

No matter what line of business or what aspect of work you are in, to be successful, you need to appeal to others’ egos.

That is one of the core principles in Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”:
Become genuinely interested in other people: People are most interested in themselves.

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests: Find the interests of others and talk about those things.

Make the other person feel important: People yearn to feel important and appreciated.

One thing stressed in Carneige’s book (and, yes, I have read it, more than once) is that you must be genuine in your dealings with others. Flattery is insincere. You must have a genunine, sincere interest in others.

Want proof that one’s ego is his/her driving force?

Why else would people put such stupid, personal stuff on the Internet? Yes, stupidity plays a part; but it’s also because they like to see themselves published. On display. They want to be famous, even if in some small way.

Examples:

> Northwestern University’s women’s soccer team. Images, though taken down from Facebook.com, were captured by BadJocks.

> You can look at the bunch of stuff posted at MySpace.com.

Yes, you can label some of the above and other examples as simple stupidity (youthful ignorance?). However, ego — and the desire to be famous, known, seen, etc. — definitely plays a big part.

So, when you are done reading my blog and go back to work, or talk with your SO, or deal with a customer, remember, it’s all about the E.
– Mike

Technorati tags: Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, MySpace, Facebook, Northwestern University, Ego

Some say that blogging will lead to the downfall of public relations, or something drastic like that.

Not surprisingly, I disagree.

Blogs, as we pretty much all know, are a great way — though, just one way — for companies to enhance their relationships with customers, prospects, influencers, vendors and even the media. And, yes, not all companies should or need to blog. But, that topic has been done before.

Let’s look at media.

The traditional ways of trying to get publicity for a company — news release writing and/or pitching, story distribution, even stunts — are still valid for many companies and in many industries.

But, now, companies are being more creative and using blogs. The Chrysler Group of DCX is one. For details, see here. The example of DCX wanting to comment or get a point across on “Big Oil” is excellent. Before blogs, DCX would’ve had to try to get an editorial or a letter to the editor in a particular daily newspaper or trade outlet.

Now, it simply has to post its opinion on its www.TheFirehouse.biz blog, and hope media outlets will find it interesting enough to pick up. Still kind of the same as in traditional means. However, unlike traditional means, even if one doesn’t succeed in having the media pick up your story, you still got your point across to the media — a lot more media than you would if you’d pitch the story. And, if the blog is public, then you’ve also reached some of your audience.

(Though, if you are going to blog, leave your posts up.)

The LAPD is another example of an organization using blogs to work wtih the media. However, in this case, it’s using its blog not only “to communicate with the public and educate them about what we are doing at the LAPD . . . . But I also see it as an opportunity for me to respond to those issues where I feel the department is being misrepresented,” according to Police Chief William J. Bratton. (Registration will be needed to access the LA Times story. You can get a glimpse of it at Poynter.)

So, if you don’t like what the media is reporting about you — whether you feel it’s not complete, inaccurate, or just looking to get more details out — simply blog.

Okay, so “battling back with blogs” is a bit too strong for what I mean in this post. (But, I liked the alliteration.) Probably a better title would’ve been along the lines of “Create your own media empire.” Or, “Be a media mogul: Blog.”

Any suggestions?

– Mike

Technorati tags: blogging, blogs, public relations, PR, LAPD, DCX

Microsoft’s Robert Scoble generated some interesting discussion about what a blog is.

Essentially, according to Scoble, for a blog to be a blog, it must contain:

1) Ease of publishing.
2) Discoverability. (Pings weblogs.com or technorati or another ping server).
3) Conversationality. (Trackbacks or as-they-happen referer logs, or now being part of Technorati and other blog search engines).
4) Linkability. (All posts should have permalinks).
5) Syndicatability. (All content should be available in RSS feeds).

If you don’t have those five, you shouldn’t call your stuff a blog. Especially if I can’t link to it from here.

In #3, I would add the ability to comment.

Scoble’s point pique my interested because of a comment or two by Chris Houchens/ShotgunConcepts.

In brief, Houchens said:

A blog is a fully open two-way communication tool. It doesn’t need credentials to read. It promotes open discussion. And a blog would NEVER do this…–Vines’ commentary on “Big Oil” has since been removed from the blog because, according to Garsten, “it made its point.”–

I disagree that, just because a blog is not fully open and has some restrictions, it still is a blog if it allows for give-and-take. And, granted, I don’t think DCX was right in removing the commentary by Jason Vines. However, if nothing else, a blog is personal or at least your own (or your company’s) private property. You allow others in, and can do what you want. No one really asks you to visit (though we do want you to).

Last fall, I raised the same question as I do here, asking if a blog defintion is really needed.

Let’s take take apart the term Web log or Weblog. A log is simply: “A record, as of the performance of a machine or the progress of an undertaking: a computer log; a trip log.” (The 4th definition.)

Now, Web stands for World Wide Web, right?: “a computer network consisting of a collection of internet sites that offer text and graphics and sound and animation resources through the hypertext transfer protocol.”

Even if you look up Weblog, you get: “a personal Web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user, also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user.”

Nowhere do we read about conversationality or ease of publishing, etc. Those aspects — legit, I’d say — have evolved.

And, I say blogging or what a blog is or can be is also evolving. The blog development is still very much in its infancy. Yes, I think we can pretty much agree on at least some of the basics, but still there are and will be different types of blogs.

– Mike

Technorati tags: blogs, blogging, blog definition