Mike’s Points

(UPDATED 4/20/07, 10:30 a.m. with two Virginia Tech links of interest.)

For your browsing, reading, laughing and thinking pleasure (not necessarily in that order), I offer:

PlanetBlacksburg: Stories (with commenting available) and photo galleries.

PlanetBlacksburg on Twitter (courtesy of Jim Long on Twitter)

Virginia-Pilot page (from Weds.), NewsDesigner.com: “Striking front page by the Virginian-Pilot today. And a gutsy editorial choice.”

How To Work Faster on High-Res Screens, the thinking bog.

Crack Smoking And Swamp Walking Do Not Mix, The Futon Report

Thursday Afternoon Caption Contest, PR Differently

‘ . . . a naked grab for bucks,’ The Bad Pitch Blog

– Mike

. . . and other digital image altering tools.

If you’re not in the Toledo, Ohio-area or don’t have eye tuned into journalism, then you might have missed the stories about veteran Blade photographer Allan Detrich saying he mistakenly submitted a photograph that he altered. And, that image wound up in print.

Of course, manipulating an image to change history — even if only for aesthetics — is a sin in journalism. The Blade’s review of other photos Detrich submitted turned up many other images that he doctored. (For a good column on the subject, including Detrich’s comments after the Blade review, see here.)

I bring up the incident to raise a question: For those of us in media relations (including social media relations): What ethical guidelines should — or must? — we follow regarding photography we provide to media?

I’ve never had a reporter question the legitimacy and honesty of any image I’ve supplied. I assume that’s because there is a level of trust that reporters assume when they receive images from PR pros.

For the most part, the images I’ve supplied to the media have had little touching up. For the most part, the retouching has dealt with improving the contrast, lighting, and other work to make the image better looking; of a higher quality. For the most part, I believe I followed the guidelines of what Washington State U. has in its WSUWiki. (It’s a site I found within the last week, courtesy of a ToledoTalk.com member.)

I say, “for the most part” because I know I’ve never had total control over all of the images I’ve used before I used them. Sometimes they were used in ads. Sometimes in direct mail or on the Web. Before using any images, should I have checked for any altering before submitting them to the media?

Ultimately, as stated above, what ethical guidelines should the PR profession follow in submitting images to the media? What about our duty to clients or our employer to represent them as best we should?

In a black-and-white world, I know where I stand. Realistically, however, I’m a bit wobbly.

Thoughts?

– Mike

Image of The Serpent, by Guy Rowe

(UPDATED: approx. 12:30 p.m. 4/17/07 with clarification on my point — at the end.) 

I’ve done it. I’m sure we all have. Focus on one line or point — forget the rest — and the launch your critique. And, with Twitter, you can do it easier because the thoughts often are broken up into smaller pieces.

Courtesy of Tom Brio, I was made aware of a guest piece by PC Magazine Editor in Chief Jim Louderback at BC/AC’s blog called strumpette.

Louderback’s piece dealt with a seemingly off-the-cuff comment Twittered by Steve Rubel of Edelman/Micropersuasion:

“PC Mag is another. I have a free sub but it goes in the trash”

If you look at the stream of Rubel’s twitters, you’ll see he was not necessarily pointing out PC Magazine. He was talking about where he looked for his product reviews — going to blogs rather than print and other established media:

“Does anyone read CNET anymore? Webware rocks, but that’s the only site of theirs I visit.” 05:43 AM April 13, 2007

“PC Mag is another. I have a free sub but it goes in the trash” 05:44 AM April 13, 2007

“I search blogs for tech reviews when researching a product.” 05:45 AM April 13, 2007

Yes, Rubel was trying to strut his stuff, with a poor judgment of a comment. There are enough times when Rubel comes off as arrogant. And, this was one. So, if you’re going to be critical, be critical within the context of a piece; don’t single out one bit for the sake of a post.

My big point is that Steve Rubel’s initial comment was not so much about PC Magazine, but it was about established media in general (at least when it comes to tech product reviews). It is in that view that he is wrong. 

Point to ponder: Don’t get bogged done by minutia. Look at the big picture — whether planning for a client/your employer, or ripping a blogger’s post or twitters.

Also, Rubel has a post, explaining his side.

– Mike

For no particular reason (or value to society for that matter), here’s a few thoughts that have popped into my head during the past week . . . .

• I find it kind of funny (at first glance) when a person apologizes over his/her lack of recent blog posts, or the self-admitted poor quality of posts. One could look at it as arrogance. I tend to look at it at those posts (or, now tweets) as the person being realistic that he/she does have a level of regular readers (me, for instance), and maintains a passion and sense of pride over the quality of his/her work.

• I think all bloggers should have a brief audio recording of their voice to help personalize their blog(s). Am I going to do it? Naaaaa. I stutter at times and think I sound too nasally when I hear a recording of my voice. I have talked with Kami, Ike, Phil, the BC part of BC/AC, Peter, and I think that’s it. (Did I miss anyone?) So, on some level, I feel as if I know them better than other bloggers.

• Badges?! Badges?! We don’t need no stinkin’ badges! (Okay, it’s not an exact quote, but close.) . . . . in agreement with Phil’s post on Tim O’Reilly’s draft of a bloggers’ code of conduct.

• Why do thaw and dethaw mean the same? I guess for the same reason that flammable and inflammable do?

• And, inspired by a bit of Twittering back and forth with Andrea Weckerle (plus a comment from Ike Piggot): When will business cards be able to include a small screen or an audio chip with speaker to allow them to offer the card holder a personal glimse into the name on the card?

You may now rejoin your regularly-scheduled life, already in progress.

– Mike

For your reading and browsing pleasure, I offer some great reading, and a few new blogs I’ve added to my Bloglines account.

Retooling the Public Relations Industry, Ed Lee/BloggingMeBloggingYou. Ed makes some great points in the changing ways we receive information and the change our industries needs. However, IMO, print and broadcast will still be major players for many years to come (especially magazines).

Marketing in Second Life, Todd Zeigler/The Bivings Report. The key is Todd’s final couple of sentences: “Bringing an old mindset to a new medium doesn’t accomplish anything. Your only chance of having real and sustained success is if the mindset shifts as well.”

My First Time on Second Life SUCKED, Aliza Sherman/Rants and Raves. As with the cyberbullying issues of a few weeks ago, real live creeps into the cyber world.

Eight Meaningful Measures of Social Media, Kami Huyse/Communication Overtones. Yeah, I know, I’m late on this one. But, in case you haven’t read Kami’s blog post, now you know about it.

SoSaidTheOrganization.com. “How Government Organziations Communicate and Integrate Social Media.”

PresentationZen.com. “Garr Reynolds’ blog on issues related to professional presentation design.”

TechnoMarketer: Matt Dickman on “exploring the convergence of technology and marketing.”