Inside PR 2.51: Stepping up

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This week we start with a listener comment – a tweet, really – from @autumnthompson who asks what a new person like her can do to further her career. In past episodes, we covered advice for students looking for their first job, but we haven’t discussed how to move ahead in your career. So thanks Autumn.

Joe starts by saying you’re never too young to stand out: be curious, listen, learn and talk about what you know and build your network. The people you meet at the beginning of your career are going to be with you throughout your work life. And always strive to do your best and be outstanding.

Gini adds that you should use social networks to get outside your four walls and find people to connect to inside and outside your agency and develop relationships.

Martin suggests you should begin those relationships early.  Just because you’re connecting with a potential employer doesn’t mean you’re looking for a job.  Martin also references an article by Susan Balcom Walton in the Spring edition of PRSA’s Strategist, entitled ‘Demonstrating value to boomer bosses: a memo to millenials’, that offers helpful advice on navigating the work force during the early part of one’s career (subscription required).

Martin asks Gini about her recent blog post on things organizations should consider when they’re entering the social arena. Gini says the post is based on a five-step process she and her team take clients through as they help develop a strategy.  They begin by listening, then assess where a company’s customers and prospects are. This is followed by engagement, measurement and refinement.

Joe suggests including two more items at the front end. He encourages businesses to start by asking: is there a business case; and does social media make sense within the corporate objectives? And then they need to look at the questions around governance.

Martin says companies should establish a social media policy for staff from the beginning, making sure people know and understand the parameters. Joe thinks social media policies should go beyond responding and should include privacy, security, intellectual property, accessibility, liability, data jurisdiction and communications/languages policy.  According to Gini, this really isn’t any different than an employee code of conduct for real-life events.

And that’s a wrap for this week.  Next week, it’s the first anniversary for Gini, Joe and Martin.  Any ideas on how we should celebrate?

Do you have comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini DietrichJoe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR 2.50: Practice what you preach

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On this week’s Inside PR podcast, Joe, Gini and Martin talk about the importance of not just knowing about social media, but using it as well.

Just like you would never hire an agency or a public relations consultant who has never written a press release, it is hard to justify hiring the same agency or person who has never used any social media tools.

It is official. Social media is not a phase and it is not a new toy. Clients and companies around the world know that social media is something they need to use to communicate with their audience.

However, just knowing about social media and knowing its importance is not enough. As public relations professionals, we need to learn the inside and outs of social media tools.

For example, Gini Dietrich talks about updating the software and plugins behind her blog and receiving a fatal error. It was a mistake she is glad she went through, because now she knows the importance of backing up files and information. Not only is this new skill beneficial for her, but she can now advize clients on best practices, when and how often to back your blog information. This is a skill only someone who actively uses blog would have ever figured out.

In conclusion, just do it. Get a Twitter account, start a blog, use Facebook and LinkedIn, check in to Foursquare, etc. Welcome to public relations and welcome to the skills you will need to know to be successful in public relations.

Do you have comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR 2.38 – Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Martin, Gini and Joe talk about the three questions that need to be asked before accepting a controversial client.

0:27 Martin opens the show.

0:49 Joe is recording from Calgary as he is accompanying C.C. Chapman on the Content Rules Third Tuesday digital media meetups across Canada.

2:04 Gini has been following along and recommends that everyone check out Joe’s blog for interviews with C.C.

3:27 Joe starts off this week’s topic: how to approach controversial clients.

5:01 Martin believes that everyone deserves to have their voice heard, however, he feels he has the right to decide which clients he wants his agency to represent.

6:43 Gini draws from experience earlier in her career on working with tobacco clients. However, she notes that as an agency owner, she has a say as to who she wants to work with and is in a unique position.

8:15 Gini adds that it’s also incredibly important to look at the entire organization when taking on a new client because you want to benefit the company as whole.

9:25 Martin feels culture and leadership are also important things to consider when taking on a controversial client.

12:01 Listening to your organization as a whole is important. Early on when Joe had first started his agency with Terry Fallis, they chose not to work with certain businesses for personal reasons. As the agency grew, there were other opinions to consider.

12:30 Joe recently wrote a blog post on three questions you need to ask before accepting a controversial client. He talks about them.

15:06 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.35 – Wednesday, January 5, 2011

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Martin, Gini and Joe kick off the new year by talking about what they think will be the next big thing in 2011.

0:24 Martin opens the show.

1:36 Following up to the previous episode on Inside PR, Martin mentions that this week, they will be talking about three things that may be on the next big thing in social media or PR.

3:40 Using the example of Facebook raising 500 million dollars from Goldman Sachs, Joe wonders if this trend will lead to companies rushing to sell rather than thoroughly develop their product.

6:16 Gini feels like it’s 2000 again with all the money being thrown around these days.

6:35 Joe hopes that government will go past the experimentation stage with social media and really embrace it.

8:05 Martin wonders if the WikiLeaks controversy will affect how governments approach open data.

8:55 Joe points out that WikiLeaks wasn’t the result of a social media problem, but rather a leaky employee problem.

11:05 Gini talks about the FCC’s decision on net neutrality and how there are two versions of the internet now.

14:00 On the CBC Spark podcast, Barbara Van Shewick was interviewed about internet architecture and innovation. Joe recommends listening to it as the interview explores interesting and complex issues.

17:15 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.34 – Wednesday, December 22, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Martin, Gini and Joe finish discussing the trends of 2010 in their final episode of the year.

0:30 Martin opens the show.

1:36 Joe continues on the discussion by talking about his next trend, the social networking darlings: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

3:32 Gini references a chart by Business Insider that demonstrates how Twitter is being used.

4:00 Joe cites two Canadian examples of how Twitter is being used as a newswire of sorts.

6:16 Gini brings up the next trend: The PR industry talks about measurement a lot but we don’t really seem to know how to do it.

7:31 Joe mentions a post by Jeremiah Owyang on the subject that he recommends checking out.

8:35 Martin doesn’t think algorithims can explain it all. We need a human perspective.

9:00 Martin talks about a new trend: Too many PR practitioners are focusing too much on broadcasting and not enough on building relationships.

10:06 Joe talks about his final trend for 2010: The drop-off of unique, interesting voices in the blogosphere. He mentions a blog post by Brian Solis on the state of the blogosphere in 2010 on the importance of blogging.

13:26 Gini fears another dot-com burst with all the Google-Groupon type deals taking place.

16:05 Martin announces the last trend of the episode: The reemergence of Wikis.

19:40 Martin recaps the trends discussed in this week’s episode.

20:35 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.28 – Wednesday, November 10, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Martin, Gini and Joe think back about what, if anything, they would change about their careers.

0:27 Martin opens the show.

1:44 Martin shares a comment from two listeners. The first comes from Victoria, a PR student. Victoria mentioned Inside PR as a podcast she really enjoys listening too.

2:09 Eden Spodek, who was mentioned in last week’s episode, shares the best way to approach bloggers to get them to talk about your client or their product.

3:34 Martin talks about a pharma conference he recently attended and wonders if social media and pharma policies go together?

7:07 This week’s topic comes from a comment posted on Gini’s blog. Rachael Seda asks “What is one thing you wish you could’ve done differently (or just done period) in the beginning of your careers?”

7:31 Joe doesn’t think he has any regrets.

8:43 Martin tells us what he would have done differently.

10:49 Gini wishes she realized how resourceful the people she worked with were.

12:48 Joe thinks young people need to realize the mobility they have in their careers when they were young.

15:52 Gini believes young people have a unique perspective on communications, one that they should be confident in sharing.

18:14 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.27 – Wednesday, November 3, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, MartinGini and Joe talk rogue accounts and what, if anything, a company should do about them.

0:29 Martin opens the show.

1:53 Martin shares a comment from Daniel Davidzon. Daniel was wondering if Martin, Gini and Joe can weigh in on the proliferation of rogue accounts on Twitter.

2:40 Joe believes it should be a company’s responsibility to reserve their name on any social site and identify themselves as the owner.

5:15 A reporter had recently asked Gini if a company should own negative or derogatory names on social networking websites so others can’t use it  for bad purposes.

6:06 Joe thinks it’s a good idea for companies to do that.

6:52 Martin wonders if a company is doing a good job with their customers, does it matter when someone creates a “companysucks” site?

7:13 Joe and Gini believe it does.

12:28 Martin shares a comment from Eden Spodek and a question of his own that stemmed from it – how overt should PR people be when encouraging others to tweet or share about a client?

14:50 Joe thinks transparency is key.

18:57 Gini shares some thoughts about Follow Friday (#FF) on Twitter.

23:27 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.25 – Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Martin and Joe talk about how the media landscape is changing online.

0:28 Martin opens the show.

1:54 Martin introduces an audio comment from long-time listener, Jody Koehler, founder of Coopr PR in the Netherlands. Jody comments on his own use of Twitter.

3:44 Joe agrees with Jody about the power of Twitter and how it transcends geography.

4:40 Joe encourages listeners to share both audio and video comments on the Inside PR Facebook Group.

5:15 Martin announces this week’s topic: further changes in the media landscape. He comments on how the Toronto Star is now including content from the NY Times.

7:30 Joe mentions The Globe and Mail’s recent revamp and how it ties in with what Jeff Jarvis is saying about publicness.

10:15 Joe adds that papers are taking steps to monetize content online.

12:00 Martin shares an observation from Matthew Ingram, the former community manager at the Globe and Mail.

13:00 Joe notes that newspapers are having the same problem as bloggers with articles posted online – the conversation is moving away from the source. Joe wonders about the implications this has on public relations.

15:03 Joe believes that if you want to deal with the media these days, it helps to follow reporters and have them follow you and be able to offer something of value.

19:00 Martin suggests discussing the future of publishing in a future episode.

19:30 Joe recommends checking out Jeff Jarvis’ recent video on Buzz Machine about publicness and how it will effect the future of newspapers.

20:35 Martin closes the show


Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.24 – Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, MartinGini and Joe talk about the recent changes to Facebook.

0:28 Martin opens the show.

2:25 Martin shares a comment from Yasin Sterling Akgun who asks Martin, Gini and Joe to discuss using blogs for press releases vs. print media.

3:02 Gini shares per perspective on the matter.

6:00 Joe thinks news releases are the best container for authoritative information.

9:15 Martin announces this week’s topic: the new changes in Facebook.

10:08 Gini references how Michael Arrington demonstrated the lack of control over the new group features by adding Mark Zuckerberg to a group without his approval or consent.

13:23 Joe says that since the last few privacy missteps from Facebook, he has cut back on his number of Facebook friends.

16:20 Martin finds it interesting that Facebook keeps introducing opt-out features despite negative reactions to previous opt-out features.

17:02 Joe isn’t as fond of Facebook as he once was.

19:19 Martin wraps up the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.

Inside PR 2.23 – Wednesday, October 6, 2010

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, MartinGini and Joe talk Twitter. #NewTwitter, that is.

0:23 Martin opens the show.

1:43 Martin announces the topic of this week’s show: Twitter’s new platform.

2:29 Gini tells us how she first started using Twitter.

3:31 Martin shares his introduction to Twitter and how his use of Twitter has changed over time.

6:53 Joe tells us about how he was first introduced to Twitter.

9:12 Gini mentions that she has never used Twitter.com and wonders if Joe and Martin use the website to access Twitter? Gini prefers using TweetDeck and HootSuite.

9:29 Joe uses the new Twitter app for the iPad. He uses TweetDeck on his desktop.

10:48 Martin uses the Twitter website and has gotten #NewTwitter. He does enjoy using HootSuite as well.

12:34 Joe asks if follower count matters?

14:50 Joe wonders if Klout really measures influence?

18:58 Martin asks Gini and Joe what it takes for them to follow people?

24:14 Joe wonders if Gini and Martin use Twitter differently from Facebook?

25:15 Joe asks Inside PR listeners how they use Twitter?

26:25 Martin wraps up the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de SzegheoRoger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Yasmine Kashefi.