Tag Archives: Blog

Media News & Moves for March

Posted on March 5, 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:

Over the past few years Newsweek Global (
https://twitter.com/Newsweek
) has endured several foundational changes including a 50/50 partnership with The Daily Beast in 2008 and the groundbreaking announcement of plans to go digital late last year. With a new year and a new digital Newsweek and Daily Beast on the horizon Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown (
https://twitter.com/TheTinaBeast
) unveiled a new name — NewsBeast.

Beginning in March, readers will notice one notable Editor missing from the Vogue (
https://twitter.com/voguemagazine
) masthead. Managing Editor Laurie Jones announced that February 28th would be her last day with the mag. Before beginning her iconic tenure with Vogue, Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour was hired by Laurie Jones at New York Magazine. Later Wintour brought Jones over to Vogue where she would become Managing Editor.

The International Herald Tribune, the New York Times Company’s 125-year-old Paris-based newspaper is getting a name change. This Fall the paper will be known as The International New York Times. In addition, the brand change will combine forces between the New York Times website and the Tribune’s to create one international news site for the rest of the world outside of New York, You can check out the newspaper here:
http://global.nytimes.com
 and
https://twitter.com/iht
.

Global pharmaceutical company SCRIP Intelligence (
http://www.scripintelligence.com
) names Brett Chase US Companies Editor. Chase was previously Deputy Managing Editor for Crain’s Chicago Business, Deputy Business Editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, health industry team Assignment Editor for Bloomberg News and Milwaukee Bureau Chief of the American Banker in Chicago. Contact Brett on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/brettchase

A rash of television station re-designs have occurred this past month with three in the South being updated. WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, WXIA-TV in Atlanta and duopoly WDRB-TV/WMYO-TV in Louisville have all recently undergone renovations. WTVC-TV in TN now features a high definition set with LED color changing lights, large back-lit graphics and a 1×4 strip of monitors in the Weather Center With a rear projection screen.NBC affiliate WXIA now includes a new Gannett graphics package. Also, the set has color changing, frosted plexiglas and flat screen monitors including a large freestanding 3′ by 4′ monitor array. While construction on the set of the Louisville stations has just begun, it is scheduled to be expanded by 11,000 sq. ft. The existing facility dates back to 1980 and is too small for the station, which has grown considerably in that time.

Being a field reporter has its dangers. Just ask News 14 Carolina Reporter Caroline Vandergriff. Vandergriff was struck by a car while reporting on a story about severe weather in the area. While reporting from a major intersection in Charlotte where the traffic lights were out due to the storm, two cars collided after one lost control and struck Vandergriff. She was immediately taken via ambulance to the local hospital where she ended up staying for a week. She is back at work now.

Entertainment Weekly announced two veteran Contributors would bid farewell to the Time Inc. magazine. Senior Writer and Film Critic Lisa Schwarzbaum was the first to accept a buyout package earlier this month. Shortly after TV Critic Ken Tucker followed suit. Tucker was a member of the founding staff of the magazine in 1989. According to Adweek, the buyouts are a result of a 6% overall cutback set in place by publisher Time Inc.

WSB-TV in Atlanta is just one of the many companies in Georgia donating to the relief of tornado victims.After a tornado struck down in Bartow and Gordon counties, the ABC affiliate donated $50,000 to the Red Cross to help victims of the tornado, which spawned winds of more than 135mph. The epi-center of the storm was in Adairsville, Ga., where three fatalities were reported.

WKYT-TV in Lexington is adding another newscast to its line-up. The CBS affiliate will now air news 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. This makes two early afternoon newscasts in the market with WLEX-TV of NBC being the other. WKYT-TV’s news will be anchored  by DeAnn Stephens. She was re-hired specifically for the show. She can be emailed at deann.stephens@wkyt.com. Stephens also can be heard on WBUL-FM in the morning. A pioneer in Carolinas television passed away last month.

Reporter Jane Harrington-Smith passed away at the age of 62 from heart failure. Harrington made history as the first black female Reporter/Anchor at Winston-Salem, N.C. station WXII-TV in the turbulent 70s. She also hosted a weekly program called “Shades of Ebony.” She worked there for six years before moving to Indiana. She worked at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, covering such big stories as the Mike Tyson rape trial in 1992. Harrington was a graduate of Fisk University in Nashville and a member of the Black Professional Journalists Association.

Last month, Reporter Ann Mercogliano (
http://twitter.com/AnnMercogliano
) departed WCBS and sister station WLNY-TV. This month she join joins WPIX-TV (
http://pix11.com/
) as a freelancer. She will be reporting both mornings and evenings when needed.

Ken Tonning, the President and General Manager at Tampa’s WTSP-TV announced he will retire in July. Before joining the station in 2008, Tonning worked for stations including KUSA-TV in Denver and WXIA-TV in Atlanta where he was the Sales Manager. Beginning his career in 1974, he was credited for altering traditional journalism and pushing the envelope of newscast reporting.
http://www.wfla.com/story/21058646/gm-of-st-pete-tv-station-to-retire-in-july

In a strange twist, Orlando’s WKMG-TV hires the son of an Anchor at a competing news station. Justin Warmoth joined WKMG as a News Reporter with the blessing of his father Greg Warmoth who is the Anchor for Orlando’s WFTV-TV. Surely journalism runs in the genes of this family.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2013/02/wkmg-hires-son-of-wftv-anchor-greg-warmoth.html

The Web Producer at WFOR-TV, Dave Game has passed away. Dave was only 57 and leaves a long legacy in the industry. Game, a veteran journalist, came to WFOR in 1985 where he served as a General Assignment Reporter, Investigative Producer and Reporter. He is accredited with creating one of the first broadcasting websites in South Florida for WFOR.
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/02/06/longtime-cbs-miami-web-producer-dave-game-dies-at-57/

WTVT-TV Channel 13’s Andy Johnson has left the Fox TV station after over three decades with the company. Johnson joined the station in 1979. A native of Tampa as well, the low key retired Meteorologist has not spoken on his plans hereafter.
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/content/wtvt-ch-13-forecaster-andy-johnson-leaves-air-today-after-33-years-marking-low-profile-depar

Journalist Mike Guy (
http://twitter.com/MrMikeGuy
) has stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of The Fix.com. He still regularly contributes to Playboy Magazine and Wenner Medias Men’s Journal. He will also continue to be the Editor-in-Chief of Hopper.com. Thrillist (
http://twitter.com/Thrillist)features
 off-the-beaten-path activities, restaurants and products found around the world. The website is easily accessed by each city; a total of 21 are featured, including New York, London and Miami. The site managers are looking to add more cities to explore in the near future.

London’s Daily Mail (
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
) is opening a new Washington, D.C. office and it will be headed by David Martosko (http://www.twitter.com/EditMeDavid). Martosko was the Executive Editor at The Daily Caller. Martosko’s new title will be U.S. Political Editor.

You can view the whole March issue of MEDIAware here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/%20

And all of the Regional Updates here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/March2013UpdatesByRegion.html

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

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Blog Notes: Coffee, Tech, Fashion & Politics

Posted on February 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

roundup4Blog Notes is a weekly helping of blogs recently reviewed on PR Newswire for Bloggers. Would you like your blog reviewed? Tweet PR Newswire media relations manager Christine Cube at @PRN4Bloggers.

It’s Monday. Like most Mondays – MLK Day and Inauguration Day included (happy greetings on both!) — many folks start off with coffee. A blog like Dear Coffee, I Love You is perfectly suited for the start of the week. This is a fun blog, and the photography is beautiful. DCILY covers a lot of ground: Brew methods, Coffee 101, coffee reviews, coffee touring, interviews, products, and roasters. Its posts focus on the intersection of coffee, culture, creativity, and design. Read the full review from PR Newswire for Bloggers here.

Fondly known as QOT, Quick Online Tips regularly publishes tips and news about all things tech. This includes, but is not limited to, tech news, practical blogging tips, social media, marketing, SEO, SEM, and useful computer software. Quick Online Tips was launched in 2004. It has a pretty strong following: More than 25,000 daily RSS feed readers and more than 15,000 engaged social media followers, according to the blog. It’s managed and edited by P. Chandra. One of my favorite write ups actually was its year-end piece on the Top Articles of 2012. There’s an incredible amount of information in there. Read the full review here.

For more than 10 years, Talking Points Memo has been a leading online destination for political news. In fact, it was the first online organization to win the prestigious George Polk Award. You may also have read about TPM on The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, NiemanJournalismLab, The LA Times, or TechCrunch. Or maybe you’re interested in politics, in which case you’ve probably stumbled across TPM at some point or another. And if you are interested in politics and NOT reading TPM, it’s probably time to start. Read the full review here.

Preston Davis spent 20 years casting models for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and fashion shows. Her blog Keep It Chic is incredibly beautiful and filled with fascinating people and profiles. The most recent write up is on artist Leah McCloskey. Davis says Keep It Chic is her way to “share my thoughts on fashion and style. I believe style should permeate every aspect of our lives — from home, to family, to where we go, and naturally, what we wear.” The blog features a host of profiles, places, and Davis’s things I love. Read the full review here.

Christine Cube is a media relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.

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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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‘Dear Blogger’ & Other Pitch Mistakes PR Pros Make

Posted on September 24, 2012 by | 22 Comments

“My time is worth something,” said fashion and celebrity blogger Cynthia Smoot, aka @OhSoCynthia, at last week’s Social Media Club of Dallas monthly meeting.

A PR person in the audience had asked the panel if bloggers always expect to get something for free. Every head in the room turned in unison to see who was at the microphone. I think I also heard a gasp from somewhere.

Cynthia took it in stride, lifting her chin with her Oh-So-Cynthia grace and crossing her legs to show the fabulous pair of boots she was recently given for covering a fashion event.

Dallas bloggers: @OhSoCynthia @TexasHolly @FoodBitch @LivingLocurto @Pelpina

Holly Homer, @TexasHolly contributed that they are bloggers, not journalists with a salary and expenses being paid for by a media company. They blog because they are passionate about what they write about and sometimes have a day-job. To cover an event or try a product they have to give of their personal time.

Food critic @FoodBitch works at an advertising agency by day and writes about food by night. She said some PR people have even expected her to pay for entry into their event, even though they invited her to come and cover it for her popular Dallas food blog.

I cringed. We in PR still don’t quite fully comprehend those writers who call themselves bloggers. And yet, our industry is constantly seeking to ‘work with bloggers,’ i.e. get them to promote our stuff to their audiences.

So let’s cover a few basics about working with bloggers that we’ve all heard before, but apparently we need to hear again.

First, a pet peeve, “Dear blogger,” is tops on FoodBitch’s list, as is “Dear _____.” Or how about “Dear Mommy Blogger,” suggested Amy, @LivingLocurto. All the bloggers nodded in agreement. This certainly aligns with the daddy blogger sentiment I wrote about two years ago in a post appropriately titled Don’t Call Us Daddy Bloggers.

Pelpina Tripp, @Pelpina asked that PR pros do their research. Don’t send her pitches if you’ve never seen her work and don’t know what interests her audience. She gets a lot of email. She doesn’t have time for pitches that are not appropriately targeted. Holly added, “If you don’t bother to check out my blog why should I care about your pitch?”

And while we’re on the research subject, Amy begs that if you mention someone in your pitch that you link to somewhere online that explains who they are. “Don’t make me do the research. I don’t want to Google the person you’re talking about.”

Cynthia then mentioned that a huge pet peeve for her are press releases without images to use in her blog or to see the product you’re talking about.

A PR practioner in the audience said, “But a lot of publications don’t accept attachments.”

“Bloggers accept attachments!” responded Cynthia. All the other bloggers agreed emphatically. They need images and only get them in less than 5% of pitches.

A few more suggestions included:

  • Make your pitch interesting for the blogger’s audience you are pitching
  • Write subject lines that capture the attention of who you are targeting
  • Make your email subject line clear about why you are contacting them

If you are a blogger or a PR and would like to add to this, please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

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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Inside PRN: Meet Blogger Relations Manager Thomas Hynes

Posted on July 24, 2012 by | 1 Comment

When it comes to building community, Tom Hynes is a natural.

More than a decade ago, Hynes single-handedly organized the Shippan Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving 5K in his Connecticut hometown to help benefit a local homeless shelter.   What began with a handful of runners in costume has grown in recent years to a few hundred participants (costumes encouraged, but not required).

Tom Hynes (right) and friends.

Of course, what’s a race without a colorful blog?

In addition to the race, this blogger relations manager stays pretty busy. Admittedly, he doesn’t get much sleep.

So what does the PR Newswire blogger relations manager do? Well, he blogs.

You can find Hynes’s work on PR Newswire blog, Beyond PR. He also keeps a personal blog and more than a year ago began with a friend another blog called Bike Gang! (Hynes manages the guest writers and riders who participate in it.)

But most importantly, the New Yorker said, he reaches out to and assists blogs.

“My favorite part of the job is anytime that I can help a blogger,” said Hynes, 32. “I also enjoy the writing part of it — writing blog reviews every week. I just jump into a subject, I get really into for a week, and then I walk away.”

Once in a while, he’ll receive a follow up from a blogger, saying that his write up summarized the blog better than anyone had ever done before.

“That’s really satisfying,” Hynes said.

Hynes got his start with PR Newswire in the editorial department in April 2005, and began managing blogger relations in March 2010.  Today, no two work days are alike. In addition to writing and keeping up with blogs, Hynes manages the company’s Tumblr page and PR Newswire For Bloggers.

On PR Newswire for Bloggers, Hynes loads releases, curates the stories there, writes blog reviews, and provides content for the blog.  He’s handy at troubleshooting with bloggers, helps the PRN sales team with assisting clients on the best ways to reach bloggers, freelances about PR-related material and speaks on panels. Most recently, Hynes spoke at PRWeek’s Social News Summit in New York.

To stay on top of the industry, Hynes attends conferences, tweets live, writes about the events, and shoots video blogs.

During Austin’s annual SXSW Interactive, Hynes shoots with Tom Miale, global account manager for streaming media with MultiVu, what’s become a popular series of five-minute daily video wrap-ups affectionately referred to as TnT. You can find the TnT videos on the PR Newswire YouTube channel.  A couple months ago, the duo shot a video on the social consumer.

Personally, Hynes is a loyal friend and has been in 11 weddings in the last couple of years. He anticipates at least a couple more by year end.

“Everyone calls me the male Katherine Heigl,” Hynes said, referring to the actress in 27 Dresses (2008).  Most recently, all this wedding experience has served him well. He profiled several wedding blogs on Beyond PR.

Hynes comes from an enormous family (I’m actually not exaggerating. He has only two biological sisters, but through his blended nuclear family with step-siblings and in-laws – Hynes’s total siblings number at 22). He literally has a chart – most might call this a family tree – but Hynes keeps a flowchart of his family nearby.

He also is a proud uncle to 22 nieces and nephews, with a 23rd “in the oven.”

Christine Cube is a media relations manager for PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.

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In the Company of Bloggers: Where Enthusiasm Lives.

Posted on May 30, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Earlier this year, Inc. magazine published the results of a survey of the social media strategies and planning of the Inc. 500.  Titled “The Inc. 500 Social Media Update: Blogging Declines as Newer Tools Rule” the study got a lot of attention, and decline in corporate blogging was put under the microscope.

The decline in blogging surprised me, given the increased interest in content marketing.  After all, blogging is a constant exercise in content creation.  So why have so many brands abandoned blogging? I had a bit of an epiphany a couple nights ago that offers an answer.

The personal side:

First, some context.  I really enjoy social media.  Updates from friends old and new pack my Facebook news feed.  Twitter and LinkedIn are invaluable professional networks.  Pinterest is full of inspiration and dazzling eye-candy, as are Tumblr, Instagram and (an admittedly old-school favorite of mine,) Flickr.  But for me, blogging is at the core of my social experience.

I have two personal blogs (one on mushroom hunting, and one on a specific horseback riding sport) and I obviously spend a lot of time writing for the Beyond PR blog, too.  As much as I enjoy social media, I like writing even more.  And even more than I like writing, I like reading.  For me, the blogosphere has been a gift.

I was thinking about this a few nights ago, as I raced home from a riding lesson, itching to blog. What a strange sentiment, right?  While I did kick off my dirty boots before firing up my laptop that was my only concession to creature comfort.  I wanted to record some thoughts from my lesson even more than I wanted to shower off layers of sunscreen, bug spray and general barn grime.   I tapped away furiously at my keyboard, and hit “publish.”

Was it time for that shower?  No.  It was time to read some other blogs.  It was time for my reward.

I love catching up with the favorites on my blogroll, learning from their experiences, commenting on their posts and responding to the comments they leave for me.  These are some really nice people, most know a lot more about the sport than me (and are more accomplished) and they are generous with their advice.

And finally, we’ve reached the point of my little aforementioned epiphany.  There’s more to this little cluster of bloggers than simply positive reinforcement.  Within this loose association of people is a community, and one that is highly, highly specific, focused on a particular type of horse (retired racehorses) and a specific riding discipline (dressage.)   In terms of subject matter and interest, this is the needle in the haystack.   And like most bloggers, we have a real connection from our shared common interest.   We pay attention to what each other says, we share links and product information, and we respect each others’ opinions.   This is where enthusiasm lives.

For me, this is where things get interesting from a marketing and communications standpoint.   When we talk about “targeting audiences” we’re really talking about finding nodes of connected people who care about a subject enough to write about it, obsess about it and build tribes of their peers.

The “tribes of peers” notion is very real.  This coterie of bloggers with a similar (and very narrow) interest is also active on Facebook and a variety of internet discussion forums.   In addition influencing each other, we influence others, too.   Collectively, we have an audience of thousands of fellow equestrians.

Taking the time to find people who share common ground with your brand – and are in fact passionate about related issues – is an invaluable piece of community building, and it’s necessary for your brand to build traction with an audience.

The business context:

I’ve developed similar relationships with fellow bloggers and thinkers in the PR community, who share my focus on the intersection of interest, intent and messaging.  I’ve met some of them in person, we’ve shared ideas and promoted each other’s blog posts and white papers, and we’ve given each other access to beta tests, speaking opportunities and un-published content.   As a vendor to the PR space, these interactions are invaluable to PR Newswire’s brand and business.  As a person who is really interested in this stuff, these interactions are rewarding, informative and help me build the network of socially connected, like-minded people who are also talking and writing about these topics.  Another word to describe these folks is influencers.

So I guess don’t have much patience for those who say corporate blogs don’t work.  Blogging is incredibly powerful if you do it right.  Like all other social media pursuits, it needs to be authentic and in tune with the audience.  Ghost-written, ego-driven missives espousing the brand’s POV, issued from the ivory tower, will not gain traction with readers.  Ultimately, the blogger has to care about the subject.  From caring comes credibility and passion, two qualities no successful blog lacks.  To win, you have to have some enthusiasm for the subject!

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media.  She’s the author of the free eBook, Unlocking Social Media for PR.

PR Newswire loves bloggers as much as I do.  We recently launched PR Newswire for Bloggers, a site dedicated to serving the blogger community.  There, bloggers can access featured news releases, a free widget for adding relevant content to their sites and a host of other services designed to help blogs thrive.

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Blog Notes: Asian American Edition

Posted on May 25, 2012 by | 1 Comment

This week my focus is on Asian American blogs. After all, May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.  Asian Americans influence and cultural contributions are as vast and diverse as, well, the continent of Asia.   Whether it’s entertainment, medicine, arts, sports, business or food, American culture would look pretty unfamiliar without Asian Americans. Not surprisingly, there are a great many blogs out there, telling the tale of Asian Americans. However, it does feel a little bit strange calling them, “great Asian American blogs.”  Because, really these are just great blogs. They just so happen to be written by Asian Americans. So with that in mind, let’s take a brief tour of these great blogs.

The name 8 Asians is a bit misleading. Sure, it’s a blog about the Asian American (and Asian Canadian) experience. But, really, there are more than eight contributors these days. Still, changing domain names each time the masthead grows would be prohibitively expensive. So, we’ll give them a pass on that one. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian American culture, specifically entertainment. Check out the full review here.

Angry Asian Man isn’t always angry. At times, he’s even funny. But, he has very little patience for the misrepresentation of Asians in the media. (We’re looking at you, Ashton Kutcher!) The blog also points out positive examples of Asian American cultural contributions, however. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian Americans and music or film. Anything at all to do with Jeremy Lin might also work. Check out the full review here.

Nikkeiview is written from the perspective of a Japanese American man. He’s a third-generation American, yet he was born in Japan. And that straddling between two cultures informs the tone and perspective of this blog.   If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Japanese American culture.  I probably wouldn’t pitch this blog stories having only to do with Japan or Japanese culture. There’s a difference. Check out the full review here.

Kimchi Mamas is a blog written by and for Korean mothers living in the United States in Canada. It covers the gamut of everything from pop music to relationship issues and just about everything in between. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian Americans and women. Parenting stories and general entertainment might also work here, too. Check out the full review here.

Absolutely Fobulous isn’t a misspelling. Rather, it’s a blog embracing the cultures that sit between two far away places. These bloggers may identify themselves as “fresh off the boat”, but the blog hardly seems naive or inexperienced.  At times, it’s a lighthearted. But, they’re also quick to point out injustices or misrepresentations. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that deal with Asian American’s contributions to entertainment or food. 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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CSR Blogs: The Business of Doing Good

Posted on May 4, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, is a somewhat new concept. For years, businesses and corporations were seen as having only one responsibility: profit. And, let’s be honest, that won’t ever go away. After all,  companies need to stay in business.   But things are transitioning. Maybe the environment is changing outlooks. Or maybe, the advent of social media and increased transparency is altering things. Regardless of how this came about,  corporate social responsibility is now part of the conversation. CSR, or “shared values”, is pervading into most corporate cultures. It promotes better communities and happier employees. Plus, it can’t hurt brand perception.  Not surprisingly, there are many great things being written on this subject. So with that in mind, let’s roll up our sleeves, lend a hand to those in need and take a brief tour through some of the best Corporate Social Responsibility blogs I’ve seen.

Realized Worth is a blog written by two CSR consultants. They spend their time, when not blogging, extolling the virtues and value of company-led volunteer work. And when they are blogging, they’re pointing out great examples of companies (and their employees) doing good.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories surrounding volunteerism and other examples of businesses empowering their employees as agents of positive change. Check out the full review here.

Sustainability Conversations is written by a PR professional in China. The blog aims to affect social change through communication. It’s a smart tactic. If behaviors are to change, mindsets must first be altered. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories relating to the PR industry’s relationship to corporate social responsibility. These types of stories that originated in Asia might do particularly well. Check out the full review here.

The Green Economy Post is a comprehensive digest of green industry news. If there’s something to do with sustainability, the environment, alternative technology, or some place where they all meet, you can expect to read about it on here. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look  for stories surrounding clean technology and alternative energy. Stories that sit at the intersection of business and the environment might also work. Check out the full review here.

Business Ethics Blog is not the start of a joke about oxymorons. Business and ethics actually can go hand in hand.  And in a lot of ways, they’d be smart to do so. Brand awareness and transparency are at all time highs.  Oh, and the environment could probably benefit, too. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories illustrating examples of businesses doing good work in their communities. Examples of companies empowering their employees might also work. Check out the full review here.

Earth & Industry don’t necessarily sound like two words that go together. However, these forces must work together if either are to survive. This blog outlines examples of sustainable businesses. In many ways, this blog is a look at what the future of business will look like. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories surrounding green technology, the solar industry and the impact business and the environment have on one another. 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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Video Game Blogs: Beyond the Penny Arcade

Posted on April 6, 2012 by | 1 Comment

This week my focus is on video game blogs. Most weeks, however, my focus is NOT on video games. I know. I know. That sort of goes against my unmarried, early 30s demographic. Basically the only thing I can do on an Xbox controller is access Netflix, poorly. I haven’t really loved a video game since PlayStation 1′s Driver. (Brick Breaker and Angry Birds don’t count, right?) But I grew up with Nintendo… and then Sega Genesis… and then Super Nintendo. Along the way, I’ve seen the industry grow, bit by bit. Today, I hardly recognize the format. Luckily, there are some really great blogs out there to get me up to speed. So with that in mind, let’s power up, blow on the cartridges (do people still do that!?!) and enjoy this brief tour through some of the best gaming blogs I’ve seen lately.

1Up gets their name from that wonderful moment in a video game. It’s when you get an extra life. It’s when you’re allowed to keep playing. And the blog will help readers do just that. Aside from news, reviews and commentary, the site also has cheat codes! Who doesn’t love those? If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with video games. Check out the full review here.

That VideoGame Blog  is maybe the most prolific blog on here. Honestly. As far as I can tell, they publish about twice an hour throughout the day. In other words, they’re obsessed. And they’re putting that obsession to good work on this blog. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, to do with the video game industry. Check out the full review here.

As the name might suggest, Gay Gamer is a video game blog dedicated to the gay and lesbian community. But let’s get one thing straight, this is a great blog for anyone who loves video games. It’s also a great blog for anyone with a sense of humor. If there was a story that had to do with video games AND the gay and lesbian community, this would be the first blog I’d pitch. Check out the full review here.

Brainy Gamer is not like a lot of other video game blogs. The posts on here can easily run over 1,000 words. The site covers most parts of the gaming industry, and they do so thoughtfully.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with video games, and I don’t know, Mensa testing. Check out the full review here.

I feel relatively certain that Game Politics is one of the few video game blogs that discuss the Department of Homeland Security and relaxation techniques. But don’t get it twisted, they talk about mobile gaming and even Star Wars a few posts later. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that sit at the intersection of video games and policy. 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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Sports Blogs: Let the Games Begin!

Posted on March 30, 2012 by | 2 Comments

This week my focus is on sports blogs. And can you blame me? This is one of the great times of the year for American sports. March Madness is coming to a head, baseball starts its 2012 campaign in a few days, and both the NBA and the NHL are gearing up for their respective postseasons. Even the NFL draft is just around the corner. It’s a good time to be a sports fan. And luckily, there are a ton of great blogs out there reporting on just about every sport, both on the field and off of it. So with that in mind, let’s huddle up, keep our eye on the ball and enjoy this brief tour through some of the best sports blogs I’ve seen lately.

When back page sports stars make front page headlines With Leather is one of the first websites I check. But there’s more to this site than just scandals. I also go when I want to laugh, read something interesting, or see a great video. Truthfully, I’m there about once a day. If there were ever a tell-all book about a famous athlete, this would be the blog to pitch it to. Check out the full review here.

Inspiring Sports Women is a blog dedicated to the athletic achievements of females. But don’t go thinking this is a Barbie doll sports blog. Far from it. Take one look at the muy thai section (or maybe even the rugby) and you’ll soon see this is a serious sports blog. It just so happens to be dedicated to women.  Not surprisingly, if I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories highlighting women in sports. Check out the full review here.

BeyondU Sports is dedicated to the world of college sports. And let’s face it, sometimes they can be a lot more exciting than the professionals.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with student athletes and/or higher education as it intersects with sports. Check out the full review here.

Deadspin definitely covers a lot of what happens during the game. But they also cover a lot of what happens outside of it. This blog takes on the content that ESPN might be afraid to touch. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything that touches on the lighter side of sports. Tell-all books or breaking scandals might also work. Check out the full review here.

Mets Blog is a great example of how most sports blogs are essentially hyper local. Blogging allows for publications like this to really focus on one team. Matthew Cerrone’s blog is a great example of a well-positioned site taking advantage of a rabid, at times downtrodden, fan base. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories about baseball or home run apples. But I’d leave out stories dealing with ponzi schemes. 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 twitter33 account.

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