Category Archives: Uncategorized

Media News and Moves for January

Posted on January 8, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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MEDIAware, PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department newsletter, features recent media news and job changes in the industry. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Sporting News Editor Garry Howard (twitter.com/SN_GarryD) announced this Charlotte-based publication would go to a digital only format on January 1st and no longer print the publication. Their content will be available online, tablets,smartphones and via apps. The last issue printed by the venerable pub was a college football bowl guide. Sporting News is online at: www.sportingnews.com and on Twitter at: twitter.com/sportingnews

Clear Channel (www.clearchannel.com) has cut several employees in substantial layoffs that affect many of its clusters including Chicago and Detroit. Layoffs in Detroit include Frankie Darcell, the Afternoon Host at Urban Adult WMXD-FM; Morning Show Producer Jenna Cork; Afternoon Host Kristin Burns; and Weekend Host Danielle Car at Hot Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM; Website Program Director; and Afternoon Host Eric Chase at Sports station WDFN-AM. Layoffs in Chicago include at least four on-air positions and elimination of an unspecified number of positions in other areas.

A childhood memory for many Boston viewers, Dr. Timothy Johnson is retiring from the airwaves at year’s end. Johnson has been with WCVB-TV since its inception in 1972. He is currently Medical Editor at the ABC affiliate as well as Senior Medical Contributor to ABC News. He also provides on-air commentary for ABC programs, such as “World News,” “Nightline,” “20/20” and “Good Morning America.” Johnson has received many awards during his distinguished career.

A new architecture magazine is launching. Residential Building Products & Technology (residentialbuildingproducts.com), a digital magazine, is scheduled to publish in mid-January 2013. Nigel Maynard (www.twitter.com/products_hound) has been named its editor. He was previously Senior Editor at Residential Architect and Builder. Maynard can be emailed at nmaynard@lf.com.

Caribbean Travel + Life has ended publication. However, some of the articles it covered will be found in Bonnier Corporation’s sister publication, Islands Magazine. Islands (www.islands.com/magazine) will increase its frequency to 10 times per year and produce two Caribbean-themed issues in May and November. It will also publish regional editorial in each issue.

WZTV-TV Reporter Erika Lathon was the victim of a robbery at a Nashville ATM earlier in the year. Lathon was shot in the left arm despite handing over her money to the two robbers. Lathon was able to drive herself to a nearby hospital to be checked out following the incident and did not need to be admitted. Police are still investigating the robbery, which occurred at a well-lit ATM. Lathon has been a Reporter with the Fox affiliate for a dozen years. Well-wishes can be sent to her at elathon@fox17.com. The ongoing investigation can be followed on the station’s website at www.fox17.com and its Twitter account at www.twitter.com/wztv_fox17.

Anschutz Corporation buys The Gazette (www.gazette.com) in Colorado Springs, previously owned by 2100 Trust.

The Orange County Register (www.ocregister.com) recently introduced a new weekly automotive section called Wheels. Susan Carpenter joins the paper as the Auto Critic for the section. Follow Susan on Twitter at twitter.com/OCRcarpenter.

Hearst renegotiates its contract with San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfgate.com) printing company Transcontinental, saving Hearst about $30 million. The new contract will take effect January 1 2013 and will not expire until 2024.www.newsandtech.com/news/article_a43a769….

The National Journal (www.nationaljournal.com) annnounced a plan for their future and unfortunately that will include ten more layoffs. They are planning to streamline their newsroom into two groups: one working for members and the other working for digital. National Journal is on Twitter at: twitter.com/nationaljournal/

Conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham (www.lauraingraham.com and twitter.com/IngrahamAngle) is taking a break from her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show” on Talk Radio Network (www.trncorporate.com). She plans to return to the air at some point but not with Talk Radio Network.

Nexstar Broadcasting (www.nexstar.tv) has laid off 15 staffers at its newly acquired Salt Lake City stations KTVX-TV and KUCW-TV, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune. The Tribune also reports the station’s accounting, research and traffic departments have been eliminated and will be handled by other Nexstar sites. The stations were part of a 10 station package Nexstar bought as part of a deal with previous owner Newport Television.

You can view the whole January issue of MEDIAware here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

And all of the Regional Updates here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

You can also follow all of the latest media moves and news from PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department on Twitter at: twitter.com/PRNmedia

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Content We Love: Anna’s Linens Dreamy Headline

Posted on January 4, 2013 by | Leave a comment

ContentWeLove“Content We Love” is a weekly feature written by a team of our content specialists. We’re showcasing some of the great content distributed through our channels, and our content specialists are up for the task: they spend a lot of time with the press releases and other content our customers create, proof reading and formatting it, suggesting targeted distribution strategy and offering SEO advice. In Content We Love, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the press releases and other messages that stood out to us, and we’ll tell you why. We hope you find the releases enjoyable and the insights gained from discussing them enlightening.

Dreamy Headlines and SEO

Dreams are powerful. They take us on great adventures, push us to great heights, and sometimes visit while we are sleeping. And if you’re anything like me, you’re also completely smitten with a little shut-eye. I love sleep!

Yet when I read the headline, “National Sleep Survey Pulls Back The Covers On How We Doze And Dream,” instantly I was wide awake.

Headline Nerd-Time:

  • Did you know that search engines only index the first 65 characters of a headline?
  • Did you know the headline is sometimes the only thing visible on a release?

This headline opens the information in a way that sparks your interest.

Remember the phrase growing up, “it’s not what you say, but how you say it“? Headlines 100% follow this rule. How so? By uncovering the story in a headline in a way that is pithy and interesting, you are inviting your audience to read the entire release! Which is the point of a press release– to tell your story!

Surveys are common. Chances are, you’ve completed a survey once or twice in your lifetime. So what happens to the results? If you’re Anna’s Linens, the choice is to publish the results in a fresh and SEO-friendly way.

“If you’re counting sheep at night, chances are you’re doing it on your side, in your pajamas, and between 10:00-11:00 on a Sunday night, according to a new national sleep survey conducted by the home furnishings retailer Anna’s Linens.”

Jargon. Modern language.
It’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Modern SEO (Search Engine Optimization) actually works against if your release is laden with complicated jargon meant for computers. Confused?

You get better results when you write for people.

People read your release (not computers), so how imperative is it to write in an easy-to-understand way. When a release is clearly not written for people, search engines actually respond the same way a person would: Zzzzzzzz.

Take a read of the survey. It is pithy, dynamic, insightful, and definitely not a snore. When you’re writing, keep SEO and headlines in mind. That will take a great press release from a pipe-dream to a reality.

*Writing your release and want more information on SEO? Keep these tips in mind: SEO Best Practices

Big thanks to Anna’s Linens for providing a great release for us all to read!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-sleep-survey-pulls-back-the-covers-on-how-we-doze-and-dream-184798691.html

Author Emily Nelson is a Customer Content Specialist for PR Newswire. Follow her adventures on www.bellesandawhistle.wordpress.com or on twitter www.twitter.com/emilyannnelson

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Readers’ Choice: The Top Blog Posts from 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Picture-Quotes-For-New-Year2-600x450It’s always interesting to look back over the year and see which blog posts were most popular with our readers. For 2012, the most popular posts were a blend of commentary on emerging PR trends, tried and true PR tactics -served with a side helping of humor.

Without further ado, here are the top posts for 2012, in descending order:

1) Trends in Public Relations for 2012

Trends are a popular topic, which is no surprise in the fast-changing field of PR.  We do our best to stay on top of emerging technology innovations and changes in the media and information markets, in order to help PR and communications pros capture as much attention (and opportunity) as possible.  We’ve started identifying 2013 PR trends, too.  See our two PR trends for 2013 posts :  Outcomes & Tactics and Evolving Media & Social Business

2) 33 Signs That You Work in PR

Sometime, laughter is the best medicine.  Bookmark this hilarious post by guest author Beth Monaghan (@bamonaghan)  for when you’re having one of those days.  It’s guaranteed -  at the very least – to elicit a wry smile.

3)  Getting on Daytime TV Talk Shows

Written in 2011, this post has been popular since it was published, because it offers detailed advice on the devilishly difficult challenge of garnering a spot on daytime TV for your client or your brand.

4) 5 Emerging PR Trends & the New Public Relations Skill Set for 2012 (& Beyond)

This post, published mid-year, considered trends in terms of the skill sets required of PR pros now – and in the future.

Promoting a Blog

Another oldie from 2011, this post tells the somewhat ridiculous story of how we (okay, in truth, I) came late to using our own newswire service to promote this blog.  Needless to say, the tactic worked in spades, and we now regularly use the wire to promote not just the blog, but other content we publish.  Simply put, you can’t deny the necessity of distribution in any publishing model – including the publishing found in  content marketing and public relations.

Auld Lang Syne

As this year closes and we look forward to 2013, we’d like to thank you all for stopping by and reading our blog this year, and to wish you all a very happy and prosperous upcoming year.

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Content We Love: LendingTree’s Outstanding Infographic

Posted on November 30, 2012 by | Leave a comment

“Content We Love” is a weekly feature written by a team of our content specialists.  We’re showcasing some of the great content distributed through our channels, and our content specialists are up for the task: they spend a lot of time with the press releases and other content our customers create, proof reading and formatting it, suggesting targeted distribution strategy and offering SEO advice.  In Content We Love, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the press releases and other messages that stood out to us, and we’ll tell you why. We hope you find the releases enjoyable and the insights gained from discussing them enlightening.

Without a doubt, we live in a visual world. All around is a panoply of color and information coming at you a mile a minute. Standing out is difficult.

A very audible, “oooooh!” was heard when I read LendingTree’s release ranking all 50 states by an average monthly mortgage payment.  The release is chocked full of great information… but then again… most releases are.

So what made this one stand out?An outstanding infographic!

Infographics– Information by way of a graphic are a fantastic way to present information in a lively way. It makes your story jump off the page, transforming text to something more tangible.

  • There is a reason we like the picture books. There is a reason we adore movies. It is dynamic and exciting— no reason for a release not to be the same!

LendingTree’s release itself is a perfect example of working in a visual world with the text broken up with bullets, bolding, hyperlinks, a great table, and images. By adding the images and making it easy to read, the chances of connecting with your audience skyrocket! (Plus weren’t you just a little curious to see the infographic?)

* Know another great perk of an infographic and images on a release? Not only does it boost your visibility, but thanks to sites like Pinterest, your content can grow wings and fly! Are you pinning and using social media? Loop it together for a unified message you’re sending.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lendingtree-ranks-the-50-united-states-according-to-average-monthly-mortgage-payment-180992531.html

Author Emily Nelson is a Customer Content Specialist for PR Newswire. Follow her adventures on www.bellesandawhistle.wordpress.com or on twitter www.twitter.com/emilyannnelson

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7 Deadly Social Sins

Posted on October 30, 2012 by | 6 Comments

Scott Stratten at BlogWorld 2012

The BlogWorld & New Media Expo, a three-day conference and tradeshow for bloggers, podcasters, Web content creators and social media innovators held earlier this year, offered more than 130 sessions, of which I was only able to attend a fraction.    The  opening session,  titled “7 Deadly Social Sins,” presented by the likeable and funny Scott Stratten, offered a raft of great pointers for brands (and their stewards) utilizing social media.

Stratten is a well-known speaker and expert on viral, social and authentic marketing (aka “unmarketing”), which is about positioning yourself as a trusted expert in front of your target market.

Following are highlights from his entertaining and insightful presentation:

“Social media is not about being everywhere. You just have to be great where you are.”

And being great on social media only really requires you to be average, added Stratten, “because everyone else sucks.”

Want to not suck at social media? Don’t commit these seven social sins:

1. Gluttony. Engagement is the biggest benefit of social media, said Stratten, so if you’re automating your feeds without engaging with your audience, you’re not being present. The shelf life of a tweet is about five minutes; if you don’t engage with someone who responds to your tweet, you lose the chance to have a conversation.

2. Pride. Posing questions like, “What’s your favorite product of ours?” is not the right way to engage your audience. It’s not about you – it’s about them. Also, don’t be the company that allows only positive comments. “You don’t make the rules,” said Stratten. Doing this will only cause people to make fun of you, and that’s the wrong way to get people to share.

3. Sloth. Social media has changed the timeline for responding. Whereas companies used to be able to say, “We will get back to you in 5-7 days,” response time is now measured in hours, if not minutes. “If you’re not going to monitor social media regularly, delete your account,” said Stratten. “If you don’t have the time, don’t do it. If you hate people, don’t do it. Don’t try to have a presence without being present.”

4. Greed. We’ve all seen the ads: “I will get you 1,000 followers for $50.” There’s no shortcut to being social. It’s not a numbers game – it’s an engagement game. If you want more fans, more readers, more shares, create better content.

5. Lust. Stratten reminded us of the cases of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (who accidentally tweeted sexually explicit pictures of himself) and the Red Cross employee who drunk tweeted on the Red Cross Twitter account instead of her own.

Never do anything on social media you wouldn’t want on a billboard that your mom, your priest, your kids will see, said Stratten.

But if you do make a mistake, get in front of it. “When it hits the fan,” he said, “it’s not time to hide behind the fan.”

Stratten applauded the Red Cross for the way they handled the errant tweet.

 6. Envy. Stratten puts the “self-retweet” in this category. Don’t only retweet when someone compliments you. Don’t be selfish. Don’t “humble brag.”

7. Wrath. Social media has given people power. You have to respond when there’s a complaint or a problem.

If it’s a troll, delete it immediately. But if it’s constructive criticism, don’t remove it – reply to it.

“It’s a chance to be awesome,” said Stratten.

And if you do follow up with someone privately, make sure you close the loop publicly so it’s obvious you’ve addressed the problem.

Other tips:

  • Apathy is social media’s biggest enemy, said Stratten. For example, so many companies send out untargeted, uninteresting event invites on Facebook that people have become apathetic to all invites, making them irrelevant. “We’re breaking social,” one of the best things of recent years, he added.
  • Be passionate. Any great social site was drive by passion. Pinterest, for example, was successful because it tapped into people’s passions. But then business came and ruined it (e.g., “the ROI of a pin”).
  • Don’t forget mobile. You have to look at your apps through the eyes of your audience. If you make your audience work to see your content, you’ll lose them.
  • Don’t use technology for the sake of using technology. For example, QR codes have such great potential, but “we’re already breaking it,” said Stratten. QR codes on billboards on subway tracks (where there are no phone signals) are one way companies are misusing them. “Every time someone scans a QR code and it doesn’t work, we’re running it.”

Author Maria Perez is director of news operations for ProfNet, a service that helps connect journalists with expert sources. To read more from Maria, visit her blog on ProfNet Connect at http://www.profnetconnect.com/profnetmaria/blog/

Image via Flickr user BlogWorld & TBEX Events.

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Preventing yesterday from happening tomorrow

Posted on October 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Reblogged from Building Shareholder Confidence:

Click to visit the original post

Due to the nature of this blog, I have a vested interest in discussing yesterday’s RR Donnelley and Google affair. To be clear, RR Donnelley is a competitor and I want all their clients to switch to us. In fact, I want everyone to use PR Newswire and Vintage Filings.

Now that’s cleared up, let’s talk about IR and compliance.

Read more… 429 more words

Investor relations compliance isn't the most exciting subject, but good practices can prevent turmoil for public companies. This post, written by Bradley Smith, director of marketing for Vintage Filings (a PR Newswire company), appeared earlier on the Building Shareholder Confidence blog.

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Social Media & The Presidential Election

Posted on October 17, 2012 by | 1 Comment

With only a few hours to go before the second presidential debate, a session at the 2012 PRSA National Conference titled “Social Media in the Presidential Election: Its Impact, What We Can Learn” offered timely and interesting insight.

The panel was comprised of:

Joe Garofoli, national political reporter, San Francisco Chronicle -

David Almacy, senior vice president, digital strategies, Edelman PR -

The session was moderated by Lawrence Parnell, public relations program director/associate professor, The Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University.

Regardless of one’s political affiliation or interest in political discourse, it is virtually impossible to not be aware of how social media is playing a role in politics and driving forward the messages in the upcoming presidential election.  For the first time in a presidential campaign, Twitter and YouTube usage and engagement have virtually skyrocketed in the sheer number of tweets, re-tweets, followers, and postings about the campaign and recent debates.

Social engagement is clearly working for both campaigns, and producing profound top-line results. Donations from individuals have broken records, and the number of donations between $50 – $100 for both Romney and Obama has never been higher.  Each campaign has invested heavily in staffing around their social and digital strategy and this trend is trickling down to local and regional campaigns.

An area where social media has specifically played a huge impact has been around the debates. During the first Obama/Romney debate there were 10.3 million tweets.  Two weeks later, during the Biden/Ryan vice presidential debate there were 3.5 million tweets.  During the Republican National Convention there were 4.5 million tweets.   The Democratic National Convention had 9.5 Million tweets.  We also saw both campaigns use Twitter to highlight their own points as to who won the debate and highlight specific messages to their constituents.  While these numbers are staggering, what do they really mean? Do we know the sentiment of the tweets?  Do we really know if these tweets impact the result?  Is this information overload and is the electorate becoming smarter and more knowledgeable?

Some key points made by the panelists:

  • Dissemination:  While social media is driving widespread dissemination of content and messaging, there appears to be little dialogue.  Or put another way, lots of distribution of messages but is it impacting the message or opinions of the electorate?  Most data is showing that it is not changing behavior.
  • Campaign websites – Mostly used to drive donations and drive followers to social sites.  They are not focusing enough on driving policy discussions or engagement around the issues.
  • Non-major parties – Green, Libertarian, etc. are doing more with Twitter and Facebook and investing less in their website presence.  They are using Twitter and Facebook to get their message out due to limited resources to pay for media/TV placements.
  • Anonymity – Social media is allowing ‘non-elites’ to drive conversation. Any witty or creative person can post something and make a message go viral.
  • Social Media in campaigns is more about discussing things that have happened vs. driving dialogue about new stories or breaking stories about policy.
  • ‘Knowledge’ is not increasing – There’s a lot of distribution of information and sharing, but is it not driving new opinions or increasing the electorates’ knowledge of the issues.

We know that as social sites continue to grow, all political campaigns will put resources toward their digital strategy.   We also know that the only true test to know if one candidate has a better strategy around Social is who wins on Election Day.

Author Andrew Meranus is PR Newswire’s vice president of new business development & agency relations.

The campaigns are doing a great job of streaming content out to social networks, fueling the conversations that spread their messages and galvanize their constituents.   To learn more about how creating a “brand stream” for your organization can boost visibility for your messages (and the results your communications deliver) read our free white paper,  Earning More Media Through Brand Streaming.

(Image via)

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To Disclose or Not Disclose: FTC Disclosure Guidelines for Bloggers

Posted on October 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

If you bring up Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations in front of writers, especially bloggers, a lot of ‘opinion’ and hearsay come up.

I posted about a Social Media Club of Dallas blogger panel a couple of weeks ago. The panel covered tips and recommendations from bloggers for PR and communications professionals and received quite a bit of attention and lively conversation on the subject of FTC regulations around endorsement and disclosure.

One Dallas journalist in particular wrote that the bloggers I mentioned and others are not complying with FTC ‘disclosure of material connection’ regulations.

So I did a bit of research on the FTC website and discovered a terrific video explaining what they expect:

FTC Endorsement Guidelines for Bloggers Video

FTC endorsement guidelines for bloggers explained by Mary Engles.

I have included the full transcript of the video at the bottom of this page, but take particular note of the following statement by narrator Mary Engle in particular: “What does the FTC’s announcement mean for bloggers? Well for most bloggers not very much. We know that most bloggers are out there talking about their daily lives and their thoughts, and so it really doesn’t mean much for them. But if you’re one of those bloggers that is in a marketing program with an advertiser and you’re being paid to blog about a product, or you’re receiving a steady stream of products from a company, then you need to disclose that relationship you have with the company.”

Not nearly as scary as some might believe.

And if a blogger ‘does’ have a  relationship with a company that needs transparency it’s really simple to be in compliance according to Engle: “You can just say, “ABC Company gave me this product to try,” or, “XYZ Company sent me to their theme park to try it out for a day.” It’s not too complicated, and it should just be straight forward and upfront.”

Disclosure of receiving something from a company that one writes about is simple and in a lot of cases perhaps not even ‘officially’ required, although as a consumer and as a regular reader of blogs I would hope that anyone (blogger, journalist or otherwise) that gets into an event for free or receives product or a gift and writes about the company would be transparent about it.

Transparency contributes to credibility for the writer and assures that consumers (all of us) are protected from potentially false advertising.

Here are a few more good links to FTC information. Do check them out:

***

Transcript for the FTC video “The Endorsement Guide”:

Narrator:
What’s new about Endorsement Guides?

Mary Engle:
The Endorsement Guides have been around since 1980, and they’ve always required that endorsers disclose their relationship with advertisers. What’s new here is that we’re applying this principle in today’s world, in the world of social media, where you can’t always recognize an advertisement just by looking at it.
 
Narrator:
Why did the FTC update the Endorsement Guides?
 
Mary Engle:
There’s been a lot in the news about the FTC’s Endorsement Guides lately. What’s the story? Well the FTC cares about protecting consumers, and we know that nowadays when consumers want information about a product or a service they’re thinking of using, they often go online to check it out and see what other consumers have to say. Don’t you want to know if the reason a consumer is giving a rave review is because they’re being paid by the advertiser to say it, or they’re getting a steady stream of free products from that company? We just want to bring some transparency to the process so that when there is a relationship between an advertiser and a reviewer the reader knows about it.
 
Narrator:
What do the Endorsement Guides mean for bloggers?
 
Mary Engle:
What does the FTC’s announcement mean for bloggers? Well for most bloggers not very much. We know that most bloggers are out there talking about their daily lives and their thoughts, and so it really doesn’t mean much for them. But if you’re one of those bloggers that is in a marketing program with an advertiser and you’re being paid to blog about a product, or you’re receiving a steady stream of products from a company, then you need to disclose that relationship you have with the company.
 
Narrator:
How do bloggers follow the Endorsement Guides?
 
Mary Engle:
If a blogger does have a relationship with an advertiser that needs to be mentioned, it’s pretty simple. You can just say, “ABC Company gave me this product to try,” or, “XYZ Company sent me to their theme park to try it out for a day.” It’s not too complicated, and it should just be straight forward and upfront.
 
Narrator:
Is the FTC planning to sue bloggers?
 
Mary Engle:
Is the FTC planning to sue bloggers? Well, let me put it this way: that is not why we issued this guidance. We issued this guidance to make it clear that everybody should be playing by the same rules, whether you’re a professional reviewer or an amateur reviewer. Just be upfront about the connections you have and any conflict of interest you might have with the company.
 
Narrator:
Where to go for more information.
 
Mary Engle:
To find out more about the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, go to our website at ftc.gov. There, you’ll find the Guides themselves. They have a lot of practical examples that really may help answer a lot of the questions that you have.

***

Victoria Harres is Director of Audience Development at PR Newswire, the main voice behind @PRNewswire, social media lead for @Business4Better and a frequent speaker and writer on social media for business. 

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Fitness Blogs: Let’s Get Physical!

Posted on September 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

 

This week my focus is on fitness blogs. And, truthfully, fitness should be everyone’s focus every week. As far as I know, these are the only bodies we get. Treating them well through exercise and care should be everyone’s priority. It stands to reason that other parts of our lives will probably see improvement as a result. Commuting can become easier. Anxiety can be decreased. Weights can even be lifted well into our golden years. So with that in mind, let’s tighten our laces, take a few deep breaths and enjoy this brief tour through some of the best fitness blogs I’ve seen lately.

Tight Laces in 50 Places is the story of one (possibly insane) man’s quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states.  He likes to jog. He wants to see every state in the Union. This is his blog. Call him crazy. (I did.) But, don’t say that it’s not an impressive effort. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything that sits at the intersection of jogging and travel. Check out the full review here.

Daily Cup of Yoga is the story of a man learning the daily practice of yoga. And just to be clear, he really began from nothing, having really never tried it only a few years back. Today, he’s not only practiced yoga relentlessly, he’s also read and collected just about everything written on the subject. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories surrounding yoga, as well as any products that come along with it. Check out the full review here.

Seacoast Fitness Daly is a blog dedicated to healthy living in coastal New Hampshire, specifically Portsmouth.  But, don’t get it wrong. This site extends way beyond the confines of this one town. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that have to do with exercise. Anything to do with road races, triathlons or other sporting events in New England would probably also work. Check out the full review here.

High Heels & Two Wheels is not only the name of this blog, it’s also what this blogger can be seen sporting most days. That is to say, just because she’s traded in the four wheels of her car for the two wheels of her bicycle, does NOT mean that she’s making her wardrobe suffer. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories surrounding biking and fashion. Check out the full review here.

Stumptuous is not technically a women’s weightlifting blog. It’s technically gender neutral. And while I can safely say that a man can also find this blog helpful, it’s definitely geared toward the fairer gender. It’s also worth mentioning that this blog is hilarious. What’s more, it’s a great resource for anyone who wants to feel their best. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories on weightlifting. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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Back-to-School Curriculum for PR: Cool Stuff You Can Learn Now

Posted on August 23, 2012 by | 3 Comments

It’s time to wake up and learn some new things!

Their backpacks stuffed and alarm clocks set,  the under-18 set are ready to strap in an begin another school year.  Hopefully this school year will leave them basking in new experiences, enjoying new friends and reveling in a trove of newly acquired skills.

Why should they have all the fun?

Anyone who’s done PR for more than a couple months by now appreciates the changes coming fast and furious in our business.  New technologies are constantly changing how audiences consume information, and how we communicate.  So as the kids go back to school, let’s do the same.  Here’s a list of apps and technologies every PR person should try and learn.

Staying organized & on top of things

Evernote (Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Mobile): Evernote’s incredibly robust and potent program takes note-taking (and later synthesis) and organizing the stuff you find interesting to a new level. In addition to scribbling a note to yourself, you can also take pictures, save web pages, record voice reminders and save tweets.  You can organize your notes into Notebooks, which are also searchable. You can email and share notes, too.  Basic version: Free

Business Calendar Free (for Android):  While I’ve not used this app myself, the reviews from Android users warrant inclusion.  The killer functionality here is the application’s ability to import all calendars tied to your accounts.  It also works seamlessly with Google Calendar.  If you live and die by your calendar, and use an Android device, this is worth checking out.  And it’s free.

Flipboard: At this point, it’s an “oldie” but Flipboard, in my book, is still a real goodie.  Flipboard renders the links shared by the people you follow on Twitter and your friends on Facebook.  The end result is an incredibly easy-to-read “glossy” digital magazine, enabling you to quickly flip through the content they’ve shared, and read what is of particular interest to you.  If you’ve taken the time to create and curate good Twitter lists, the results can be particularly valuable.   If you struggle to stay on top news and information, Flipboard can make you a faster and more efficient information consumer. Free

Any.Do (iOS and Android):  This little app was an editor’s pick on PC World’s “Best Apps of 2012: Shockingly Useful Apps for Android & iPhone” list, and it is a good one.  In a nutshell, Any.Do synchs and integrates your calendars and synchs them up with Google Tasks.  You can set reminders to return missed calls, and you can add tasks to your to-do list as they pop into your head.  Free

Documents, Content & Collaboration

Google Drive:  Known previously as Google Docs, Google Drive enables you to store all your docs in the cloud. You can access your content from everywhere, and you can easily share documents with other people – and you can collaborate real-time.  An available app enables you to upload and edit docs easily from mobile devices.  Free

Open Office:  This free office suite includes word processor, spreadsheet and presentation programs.  It’s intuitive and easy to use, and (importantly) is compatible with all major document formats. Free

GoodReader for iPhone: GoodReader lets you manage documents – in pretty much any format – from your iPhone.  Import files from Dropbox, Google Drive (and other servers), open .txt and word files, mark up PDFs – GoodReader handles them all.  $5

Photo apps:

Camera+  (iOS):  Camera+  puts functionality that was formerly the domain of professional photogs right at your fingertips – literally.  Using Camera+ on your iPhone, you can adjust exposure and focus with your fingers, which is pretty cool. You can also choose modes similar to those you find on today’s point & shoot digital cameras (night, portrait, etc.) as well as cool filters a la Instagram.  $.99

Flickr: Okay, I know Flickr isn’t an app.  But this grand-daddy of photo hosting and sharing is a major source of easy-to-use, Creative Commons content.  It has a huge base of users, and is extremely search engine friendly.  For these two reasons, if your brand publishes visuals that you’d like people to see, share and embed in their blogs, you’ll want to post in on Flickr (in addition to Pinterest.)  The Flickr app lets you upload right from your mobile.  Free, pro versions available for a nominal fee.

Social media for PR:

If you’ve not done so already, it’s time to start thinking about how you can use social media to expand the visibility of your messages and the engagement with your audiences.   If you’re a neophyte, the best way to get started is to simply start following people who are tweeting about subjects you care about – unrelated to your job – and using Flipboard to read the content they serve up.  Observe which individuals and brands consistently share the content you like.  Put on your communicator hat and noodle on how that content contributes to their strategies in terms of acquiring audience (hey, you’re paying attention to them now, right?) and furthering their objectives (have you read something then clicked on a link embedded within? Yes? Congratulations, you’re now a qualified lead.)    Once you’ve taken the time to listen and develop an understanding of the landscape, go ahead and start interacting. Share content  you find interesting and useful. Retweet things you like that others sent.  As you go along, you’ll start to build followers and become enmeshed in the community of your shared interest.   Take these lessons, and apply them for your brand.  (And if you need more ideas on adding social media tactics to your PR toolbox, read my free ebook, Unlocking Social Media for PR.)

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media.

Photo by Jennifer Barr & courtesy of Creative Media Memories.

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