Reporters' Gold

Interactive case study using Blogs

brian — 2004-11-16T13:28:41-06:00

As this is a personal blog, I hope to not mention work-related stuff too often. As we all know, most reporters love case studies with actual customers commenting on their experience with a product or solution.

If you can convince a customer to blog, what you get is a real-time, interactive case study. How cool is that? CDW has created Tech Twister, a makeover and mentor program that will award five small businesses with makeovers valued at up to $75K each using technology from IBM, Intel and Linksys.

After the technology is deployed, a special online site will be created to showcase the companies' experience with the technology. The site will include video footage, case studies, expert commentary from tech experts and a blog.

Not really sure what will become of the blog, but I am definitely anxious to see whether it takes off. I am not aware of anyone else using a blog as a customer testimonial. Have you?

If you want to know more, smallbusinesscomputing.com wrote about it, and you can find the press release here.

Response to Scoble PR Policy

brian — 2004-09-19T20:53:39-05:00

If you are reading this, you are probably familiar with Robert Scoble. He announced that he is now vetting all press requests through MS PR or their agency. I posted a comment on his blog, and I will share it below. Also, a month ago, when there was much debate about whether blogging would kill PR departments, I posted a response on Steve Rubel's Micro Persuasion. I share that below too.

An Internetnews.com article published a month ago helped ignite a debate over the question of whether blogging would kill corporate PR departments. I argued that blogs would make PR departments even more valuable especially ones from public companies or ones from companies hoping to go public.

Markets may be conversations but the rules say you have to give everyone a fair shot to participate or at least listen. I call it distribution equality. When you share information with one reporter or one investor and not everyone, you can get into a lot of trouble (Just ask Google after they spoke with Playboy).

I think Microsoft is doing the right thing to give Scoble additional resources to manage press requests. I doubt it is because they don�??t want him to share information. They are probably more concerned about creating an unlevel playing field for access to MS information. As Scoble�??s popularity rises, people may think that his opinions represent that of the company. That could expose MS to a lot of problems including lawsuits.

The fact is that Scoble has become an authoritative MS voice and that carries many of the same responsibilities and obligations as when Gates and Balmer speak.

Besides some of the vetting may give Scoble more time to do some actual work. My original argument about why blogs won�??t kill PR can be found at Reporters' Gold.

Blogging won�??t kill the PR Star but they will help each other more as they evolve.

Act like a grand piano and stay tuned.

Brian

Thanks

---------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Internetnews.com's article
I don�??t buy the idea that blogs will eliminate corporate PR departments especially ones from public companies. Blogs, more likely, will force companies to be more transparent but that signals an even greater need and importance for PR professionals.

Internal and external blogs are additional stakeholders that will have a major impact on how messages are disseminated but that portends a threat to news distribution services like Business Wire or PR Newswire more than PR departments themselves.

In some ways, good companies need to be paranoid about their communications, obsessed with accuracy and distribution equality to all stakeholders. There are good reasons to control messages and messengers. If a blogger, sanctioned or not, reveals information material to future earnings, that exposes a public company to a whole mess of headaches, just ask Martha.

While blogging clearly has benefits and are good things, allowing them to emerge as a primary communications strategy is chaotic folly. The perceived credibility they can offer can vanquish as misinterpretations arise or contradicting messages emerge (read: the lawsuits and investigations come). It often takes years to build a credible brand particularly in competitive marketplace. Yet, we all know that all that effort can evaporate instantaneously. Blogs can be used for good or evil, and they are checks against each other.

In the big picture though, I think blogs and PR departments are complementary that will help each other. Suggesting the demise of corporate PR departments is simply a pipe dream. Blogs will insure that not work against it

Stunned!

brian — 2004-09-14T20:06:13-05:00

Like many tech PR pros, when the area code on the caller ID says 516 or 781, my adrenaline pumps. This morning the 781 popped up. It was from a part of Massachusetts (my home state) where an odd number of town names end in ham (Needham, Dedham, Framingham etc.)

Anyway, the caller was the director of public relations for TechTarget. She noted that she saw a previous post that linked to an IDG press release that announced editorial changes at IDG's Computerworld. She noted that the TechTarget release included additional details particularly about where Maryfran Johnson has landed. You'll recall that Maryfran who formerly served as editor-in-chief at Computerworld (IDG is the parent company) has joined TechTarget.

I wouldn't expect IDG to go into too many details about Maryfran because I think the primary objective was to celebrate and announce a number of promotions (you can read a nice send-off commentary from Maryfran.

The stunner here, as a novice blogger, is that someone noticed! Even more shocking is that someone took the time to ask me to update my blog to include their information. I credit TechTarget for being on the ball. The WOW factor for me is the role reversal. Perhaps, over time, I will gain an empathy for journalists (no I am not one but that is another discussion).

I do read a lot of the TechTarget pubs especially Storage Magazine. I've never met any of the folks over there (they're on my list of like to meets) but if you want to get some good industry snapshots, check out the trends section edited by Alexandra Barrett.

Thanks TechTarget for noticing.

As always, act like a grand piano and stay tuned.

Brian

Generating News From News

brian — 2004-09-08T10:34:20-05:00

Yesterday, many news outlets including USA Today and CNN reported on a study by the Texas Transportation Institute's annual Urban Mobility Report that detailed the impact of increased traffic on the roadways on people. Basically, it said that traffic costs us billions of hours a year. What a productivity drain.

That got me thinking. What a great opportunity for tech PR pros. What does this study mean for teleworking solutions, bandwith, security etc.?

Anyone want to share data or a good end user story about how technology can address some of the challenges addressed in the report? P.S. Based on the e-mails I have received, a few reporters are taking a look so maybe you'll pique an interest (wouldn't that be cool?)

As always, act like a grand piano and stay tuned,

Brian

New Editor @ Computerworld

brian — 2004-09-02T08:35:55-05:00

According to a press release, Computerworld has a new editor. Below is an excerpt:

Veteran technology journalist Don Tennant, who has led Computerworld's news team for the past four and a half years, has been promoted to editor in chief. Prior to joining Computerworld U.S., Tennant spent eight years as editor in chief of Computerworld Hong Kong. Tennant replaces Maryfran Johnson, who leaves Computerworld to launch a startup venture.

I've had a few dealings with Maryfran, and she always was helpful. Good luck wherever you land.

Welcome Don. I see we have working in Hong Kong in common. I am fortunate to have placed an article in Computerworld HK. Seems like so long ago. The media environment in HK is fascinating especially as it relates to tech coverage. Maybe that would deserve its own post.

Don: Hope we can meet for yum-cha ( Cantonese for dim sum) sometime.

A better bridge between reporters and PR pros

brian — 2004-08-30T23:02:34-05:00

Dan Forbush (not sure if that is his surname or a political statement) asked how I would I would like ProfNet to work for me. Since he posted his comment in a public section, I will respond in the public section. My answer would be the same for Business Wire�??s ExpertSource or other similar services. (If you use my ideas and make millions, could you at least send me comp memberships?)

ProfNet and ExpertSource, in my view, act like a bridge between a reporter and a PR pro with relevant content. It works well but it is time for a new bridge.

The reason PR pros value these bridges is because they give us the opportunity to serve reporters, our customers. If we serve them well, they will come back to us. I like to say that the more proactive we are serving reporters, the more reactive we get to be as a destination for them.

I have never asked a reporter about how he or she likes the process of submitting queries, so I don�??t know how well that serves them. As a PR pro, I wish reporters would use blogs with RSS feeds to disseminate information requests. That way, we could subscribe to appropriate ones. I like the idea of providing a blog to each reporter that uses the service. You could create a template to make it work. Posts could be aggregated and sent out like the way they currently are on ProfNet and they could be simultaneously linked to the reporter�??s personal ProfNet blog (Perhaps you could alternatively offer each publication a blog).

Relationships require two-way communication. So you need RSS for the other side of the equation. ProfNet posts are already categorized. So you could create a blog for each category. Reporters could subscribe to the categories that interest them. Ostensibly, that could help reporters organize submissions more efficiently and respond to the ones that interest them.

The Holy Grail for my blog is to be a blend of the two types of blogs I just mentioned. Sort of like a virtual community where PR pros come to share credible and interesting resources and reporters come to share insights with folks who can provide data that can support or refute their ideas. The online property that does this best will become the center of this do-it-yourself PR phenomenon I keep hearing about. I haven�??t figured out how to do this yet but someone will.

By the way, it is a subject for another post, but I don�??t think blogs are going to harm corporate PR departments especially for public companies. Blogs are just another stakeholder like any other audience, and I think they strengthen the argument for corporate PR departments rather than weaken it. The irony is that blogs may have more negative impact on the main distribution services like PR Newswire or Business Wire than on corporate PR departments while at the same time boosting services like a ProfNet or an ExpertSource blog. Companies would use PR Newswire for financially material announcements or other ones required by the SEC. Blog networks could distribute non-material announcements...they can be just as interesting sometimes.

So, act like a grand piano�?�and stay tuned. (I need a signature sign off�?�how do you like that one?)

Exec Survey on IT Spending

brian — 2004-08-28T23:08:01-05:00

Bain & Company surveyed business executives about IT spending. The company issued an announcement on August 24. Information Week picked up the story.

According to their release, 60 percent of respondents said that IT was inhibiting growth. So, evidently IT does matter just perhaps not always like we think. Not surprisingly, the closer the IT application is to serving a core business need like retaining and growing customers, the more likely the executives thought the IT enabled growth, Bain found.

The closer you are to the customer, the more valuable you are going to be. It is true for people as well as technology.

VoIP Market Research

brian — 2004-08-27T17:54:35-05:00

CRN published a story today by Jennifer Hagendorf Follett about a VoIP research report from Synergy Research Group .

The story cited Synergy's research stating that the "worldwide enterprise IP telephony market grew about 75 percent in the second quarter of this year to $728 million, up from $414.7 million the same quarter last year. "
It also quotes John Graven of Computer Telephony Concepts (CTC). "It's all about IP today. No one calls and asks us about anything but IP."

Getting Started

brian — 2004-08-26T12:41:42-05:00

Gartner Group issued a recent press release about server shipments and revenue for Q2 '04
Server Shipments Grew 24 Percent in the Quarter
Worldwide server revenue surpassed $11.5 billion in the second quarter of 2004, a 7.7 percent increase from the second quarter of 2003
Computerworld picked up an IDG News Service article based on the release.

A Wi-Fi article in Computerworld attributes this stat to Gartner: Through 2006, 70% of successful Wi-Fi attacks will occur as a result of the misconfiguration of APs and client software.

CNET wrote about an IDC survey of at least 400 business and technology executives in the United States. Respondents predicted IT spending growth of 12.9 percent over the next 12 months. But IDC disagreed with the findings. Read the article here.

The Radicati Group issued a press release last month highlighting some of their research. Two things struck me. They say that today there are 578 million e-mail users and that the number will grow to 762 million users by the end of 2008. As a total percentage of the overall global population, seems like we have a long way to go. They say that one of the biggest growth areas in the areas they track is identify management. They estimate the market will go from $748 Million this year to $10.2 billion over the next four years. Wish my portfolio grew by that much.

My first thoughts at posting a few of these is that I may have to develop some categories or guidelines as to what gets included. If it is too random, it will be less useful, I think.

While it is only mildly relevant, I did notice that the The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced that it will provide Nextel BlackBerry 7510(TM) wireless handheld devices to all of its full-time MBA students at the start of the fall 2004 semester. Very Cool. The School of Business counts Carly Fiorina among its grads. Yours truly is a Terp, having been graduated from the College of Journalism.

Inaugural Post...Birth of Reporters' Gold

brian — 2004-08-26T00:29:05-05:00

Hello. Thank you for stopping by.

I�??ve been watching all the blog action with much fascination from the sidelines. Now, it is time to give it a shot. I�??ve tried to create something useful for reporters, particularly information technology-focused ones.

The dream is patterned after Profnet. I love Profnet, and I will love it even more when they publish an RSS feed (can you hear me?). I hope that I.T. reporters and media relations folks find out about this place. To PR people, the media are our customers. So the focus is on serving reporters. Where reporters go, PR people will follow.

Most technology reporters love hard numbers to illustrate or refute points. At this blog�??s commencement, the main purpose is to aggregate data points and insight relating to the information technology (I.T.) industry from different sources.

Each day, I will cull through press releases, Google and other sources to find published survey information, statistics, growth rates etc. Then I will share them with you ---not the entire press release ---just the numbers�?�drizzled, perhaps, with a little analysis. As a rule of thumb, I�??ll share a link, you decide if it is worth the KB on which it is stored.

I am a novice blogger. After I get a little more comfortable, I would like to figure out a way to serve as a clearinghouse for posting and discussing end user case studies. Candidates could be stories that have appeared in one of the leading Tech trades like Computerworld or Information Week. They could also be about stories that have not yet been published but are interesting none-the-less.

You are all welcome to serve up feedback or offer suggestions. Let me know how I am doing or what you think of the concept.

Lastly, I came up with the idea for Reporters�?? Gold at home, and I will use my personal equipment and resources to maintain it. The views expressed by me are mine and may not reflect the views of my employer, pets, in-laws etc. To help this place endure, I assert all copyrights and privileges regarding the reporters�??gold concept and blog that the government allows

P.S. I begin posting stats I find starting Thursday night. Thank you for your time.
Brian