Tag Archives: blogger

Blog Notes: ‘I’ll Tumblr For Ya’

Posted on December 30, 2011 by | 4 Comments

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.  And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.

This week my focus is on tumblr blogs. You’ve heard of tumblr, right? It’s the fastest-growing blog platform out there, so I figured I ought to take some time investigating it.  Tumblr is both a publishing platform and a newsfeed. I like to call it a long-form version of twitter. It’s like facebook, but without updates from people you knew in junior high. On the one hand, tumblr is a great place to see the internet’s most truly random offering. For instance, The Cosby Sweater Project, Feminist Ryan Gosling or this one that publishes the same picture of Dave Coulier every day. Tumblr can be the home of the internet’s latest fads. But on the other hand, I’ve discovered serious news has a home on tumblr. Classic brands like Newsweek, LA Times, The Economist, Mother Jones, The Atlantic and NPR have not only embraced this format, they’ve thrived here.  And as we’ll see below, a host of newcomers have helped wrangle this frontier. So with that in mind, let’s get ready to “like” and “reblog” as we enjoy this brief roundup of some of the best tumblr blogs I’ve seen lately.

As the name might suggest, Brooklyn Mutt is a lot of things. It covers news, politics media and pop culture. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something to do with the parameters I just mentioned. Or I’d look for something to do with New York sports and hope it spills over to his personal blog. Check out the full review here.

ShortFormBlog is all, or anyway a lot of the day’s stories delivered quickly. It’s the perfect news site for the ADD-impaired among us. If I were to pitch this tumblr blog, I’d keep it quick. Seems to me they might not appreciate any long-winded correspondence. Check out the full review here.

The Future Journalism Project is a news site that covers news, but also the news of news… if that makes sense. They’re interested in today’s stories. But they’re also interested in how tomorrow’s stories will be reported. If I were to pitch this tumblr blog, I’d look for anything to do with technology and publishing. Check out the full review here.

Soup is the “uncontested king of tumblr” according to the New York Times. So if you’re new to the format, maybe give him a follow. If I were to pitch this tumblr blog, I’d make sure it’s a good one as Soup seems to be a no-nonsense kind of guy. Having said (typed?) that, I’d look for anything to do with social media and journalism. Check out the full review here.

NewsFlick is a snapshot of today’s news. The site moves easily from updates from the Middle East to animal pictures.  If I were to pitch this tumblr blog, I’d look for stories having to do with foreign affairs. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog (or tumblr) 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… AND a tumblr page.

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Blog Notes: All About the Benjamins

Posted on October 14, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.  And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.  This week my focus is on  personal finance blogs. Personally, finance baffles me.  I try to save and do right. But there’s so much in the way of online shopping and food trucks to make me lose sight of my long-term goals. So I’m glad there are blogs like these helping people like me. Because even though I’m not an expert, my bottom line is still, well, my bottom line. And like most people, I could stand a little help with my own bookkeeping. So with that in mind, let’s tally up our loose change, balance our checkbooks, and take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best personal finance blogs I’ve seen lately.

Don’t let the name fool you. The Motley Fool is a smart personal finance blog. And that’s partly due to the fact that they’ve been writing about finance for almost 20 years. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with finance. Stories that directly affect and, ideally, assist the individual investor are also encouraged. Stay away from “penny stock” schemes, however, unless you want them ridiculed. Check out the full review here.

Man Vs. Debt is the story of a man (and his wife) selling off their possessions in order to see the world and be debt free. The site that popped up around this endeavor strives to help readers reach the same debt-free status. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything that helps families save money. And I might skip product giveaways, as they’re not all that into the whole possessions thing. Check out the full review here.

My Bank Tracker is a site dedicated to the consumer. This site tracks everything from candidates’ economic policies to bank hours. If there’s something of interest to a bank customer, you’ll more than likely read about it on here. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something that had to do with banking as it relates to the consumer. Check out the full review here.

Christian Personal Finance is a blog for people who want to do well financially. But it’s also the blog for those who want to do well by their fellow man.  This blog is about making money and saving money. But it’s also about giving away that money to those in need. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something to do with finance and social responsibilty. Check out the full review here.

Wise Bread is not the type of blog that will tell you what not to buy. In fact they want their readers to live as great of a life as they can afford. Still, afford is the operative word here. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something to do with coupons, discounts, giveaways and anything else that will help people (specifically Wise Bread’s readers) save some dough. 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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Blog Notes: Latina Edition

Posted on September 23, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.   And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.  This week my focus is on Latina blogs.  I don’t need to tell anyone that the Latino population is on the rise in this country. If you don’t believe me take a look at the television or the web (or the Census report). Latino culture is threading its way into the fabric of our culture and from the looks of these five blogs, that’s a very good thing.  So with that in mind, let’s brush up on our Espanol and take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best Latina blogs I’ve seen lately.

Media Moves is the blog of record for the growing representation of Latinos in the media. If there’s a hiring, a firing or any other move in the media concerning a Latino, this is the blog to check out. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for any stories concerning Latino individuals in the media, as well as anything to do with Spanish-language properties such as Univision and Telemundo.  Check out the full review here.

LaCosmopolatina is a lifestyle blog for Latino women. This is a blog for those looking to strike a balance between their aspirations and their heritage. But don’t get too caught up in the Latino part. This is a blog about travel, health, beauty, social media, entertainment, gadgets, relationships and just about everything else under the sun. It just so happens to be written by and have an audience of Latinas. Keep that in mind when pitching. And whatever you do, don’t use the terms “spicy” or “caliente.” Trust me. Check out the full review here.

Many parents out there are striving to raise their children to be not only bi-lingual, but also bi-cultural.  Spanglish Baby is the blog for these parents.  But really, it’s a blog, and ideally a valuable resource,  for all parents. This is about families. This is about people trying to raise their kids as best they can.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something on parenting, families or children. Check out the full review here.

Mi Blog Es Tu Blog is as inviting of a blog as the title sounds. Walk in and see for yourself.  This is Laura Marinez’s blog. And it moves around a lot. It can be at once serious and then silly and light in the next moment. If I were pitching this blog, I might look for something to do with Latinos, but I’d also keep in mind that Laura is a very accomplished journalist. Check out the full review here.

Click Latina is one woman’s take on entertainment, social media, news, fashion and lifestyle, told through the lens of her Latino upbringing. She also does quite a bit of product reviewing. If I were to pitch this blog, I wouldn’t look for Latino-first items necessarily. It’s written by a Latino woman, yes. But there’s more to it than that. 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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Blog Notes: Home Design Edition

Posted on September 2, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.   And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day. This week my focus is on home design blogs. I must confess. I’m researching these blogs for work, yes. But, I also possess ZERO home design skill or acumen. And more times than not on each of these blogs, I find myself saying, “That’s a brilliant idea that I would have NEVER thought of myself.” So with that in mind, let’s organize ourselves, measure twice and take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best home design blogs I’ve seen lately.

Young House Love is not only one of my favorite home design blogs. It’s one of my favorite anything blogs. This is a great resource for home repairs and upkeep. It can also serve  as a cautionary tale; highlighting mistakes and pitfalls other DIY-ers can anticipate. It’s also a great story. Like I said, it’s one of my favorite anything blogs. If I were to pitch them, I might look for something with home furnishings, construction or family. I’d also keep in mind that they want to do it themselves. Check out the full review here.

The blog Freshome  covers architecture, design, furniture, apartments, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and just about everything else home-related.  But it’s not necessarily a blog just for experts. My personal favorite part is the “Ideas” section. Because, truthfully, I’m open to ideas on how to have a cooler living space.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories on architecture, furniture and possibly even construction. Check out the full review here.

Apartment Therapy is a blog dedicated to helping people find peace of mind in their homes. And they’ve got a great staff of writers located around the country prepared to help. It’s also a pretty great place to peruse some of the really interesting trends shaping the industry. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that accentuate home furnishings and simplicity. The blog’s editor lives in a 265-square-foot apartment with his wife and newborn. (You read that right.) In this case, less really is more. Check out the full review here.

Decor8 is not only a home design blog, it’s also the story of a woman who quit her corporate gig in pursuit of her passion. And it seems to have worked out well. Today, Decor8 is a leading voice in home design with tens of thousands of daily readers to attest to it’s influence. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories on home design and furniture with a Do-It-Yourself angle if possible. Check out the full review here.

Shelterrific is the site I think most of when I say, “Man, that’s awesome, but I would have never thought of that.”  My two favorite aspects of this site are the “Want It Now” feature and the “Blog Watch” feature, where they point out examples of quality blogging around the internet… Hey that sounds like what I do, you guys! If I were to pitch this blog, I’d go with home furnishings. I’d also pitch them any out of the ordinary, yet totally awesome products. This kitchen scrubber made of bamboo featured on the site comes immediately to mind. 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…

Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations.

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BlogHer: Implementing Community Features on Your Blog

Posted on September 1, 2011 by | 1 Comment

As a blogger, when it comes to building a brand, your community plays an important role.

“Community is a brand extension,” said Sara Rosso, with VIP Services of Automattic. “Don’t feel like you have to do everything. Maybe just work on profiles for now or just the forums. You don’t have to turn on everything. You can test things slowly and see if you need to turn on more features.”

Rosso (@rosso) has two blogs, Ms. Adventures in Italy and When I Have Time. She was among the three-person panel speaking about blogger implementation of community features during the recent BlogHer conference in San Diego.

Blogger Adria Richards (@adriarichards) told the audience that it helps build communities and stimulate readers when you stay active within the community.

She encouraged bloggers to survey their readers. Ask them about their likes and dislikes. What could be done differently or better.

Reinforcing the point early on, Richards drew in the BlogHer audience by taking an informal poll on the blog platforms that the audience was using.

Roughly 95 percent of the bloggers in the room were users of WordPress. (That was interesting.) One-third had a BlogHer account. Already, common ground — and a community — was established in the room.

Holly Hamann (@hollyhamann), co-founder of BlueFrog, encouraged bloggers in the audience to reward their super users of their blogs.

“They’re community leaders,” Hamann said. “Recruit your superfans. You could have five or 10 community leaders. On Blogfrog, they have a special avatar. You can designate your community leaders.”

Here are some helpful tweets that came out of community features session (#bh11addcommunity):

  • Via @sofiaquintero: People hear “open source,” they think “free.” I think “community-developed” by people with common vision. – @adriarichards #bh11addcommunity
  • Via @debrasimpson: Book suggestion – “Don’t Make Me Think” – Steve Krug #bh11addcommunity #blogher11
  • Via @debrasimpson: Charging for content – better to have 10,000 free engaged mbrs vs 100 non-active pd mbrs #bh11addcommunity
  • Via @debrasimpson: When planning community look at where you want to be in a year not tomorrow #bh11addcommunity
  • Via @eva_smith: Q: Best way to filter community? A. Know your audience, connect the people, build the trust, become the glue #bh11addcommunity

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

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BlogHer: Your Blog Can Make You a Social Media Marketer

Posted on August 30, 2011 by | 4 Comments

For blogger Marcy Massura (@marcymassura), Google+ has been a big help with social media marketing and building her brand.

Massura, who serves as a community manager and strategist for Weber Shandwick, said she amassed as many followers on Google+ in six weeks as it took for her to collect on Twitter over four years’ time.

“I’m in pretty deep,” Massura told a room full of bloggers during a BlogHer 2011 talk called Your Blog Can Make You a Social Media Marketer (#bh11smmarketer). “Google+ is the biggest change to blogging. It’s a game changer. It’s a long format publisher and in many cases can replace a blog.”

But that’s not something she recommends, Massura said. She said it’s still important for bloggers and brands to have business sites.

At the very least, it’s worth exploring Google+, she told the group.

Massura was joined by thousands of bloggers recently at the San Diego Convention Center for BlogHer 2011, learning from other bloggers and brands about doing business.

Elisa Page (@elisac) with Blogher.com said she preferred Google+ over Facebook because of the diversity of content there.

“I’m friends with lots of moms with small children and when I joined Facebook – there’s a lot of talk about moms and their children,” she said. “With Google+, the conversation is more about me. It made suggestions for me and found people like me. So I’m building a community there — more diversity of content and people.”

Other lessons from this panel via Twitter:

    • Via @halogenmedia: “when you represent a brand you are a digital spokesperson, 24/7″ – Marcy Massura @theglamlife #blogher11 #bh11smmarketer
    • Via @catherinekaram: Unlike social media gurus, bloggers are actually doing social media, not just retweeting Mashable. #BlogHer11 #bh11smmarketer // AWESOME!
    • Via @lyzl: “Stop tweeting inspirational quotes. That’s our PSA for the day.” @melissalion #bh11smmarketer #blogher11
    • Via @mummytime: If you’re a brand wanting to engage with bloggers. Forget about the ‘A’ list. Create and find your ‘A’ list. #blogher11 #bh11smmarketer
    • Via @juliey: @melissalion advice: Social media is all about content. Look at types of content hiring managers need. #bh11smmarketer
    • Via @bostonblogmom: Don’t say it on the internet if you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying it your boss’s office. @melissalion #bh11smmarketer #blogher11

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

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BlogHer ’11: Strategic branding or over-gifting?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Brands at Blogher: strategic marketing, or just too much swag?

I’ll start with the fake eyelashes.

Why fake eyelashes? Because at BlogHer 2011, sweets company Skinny Cow was offering them — and free ice cream — and the attitude at BlogHer was very much “Why not?”

So I snacked on an ice cream truffle bar and stood in line for a beauty professional to stick fake lashes to my eyelids. The gluing was less than pleasing, but I was incredibly amused by the whole experience.

I’m guessing that was the point.

The expo at BlogHer in San Diego last weekend took conference tchotchke to a new level, and brands literally handed over products by the boxes like we were trick-or-treaters.

Companies heavily wooed bloggers with swag, and the goodies were over the top. Free pens, reusable grocery bags, and big bowls of candy didn’t cut it with this crowd.

We’re talking some serious loot.

Pfizer (#pfizerblogher) handed out yoga mats, Robitussin, ChapStick, ThermaCare heated back wraps, Advil, and Caltrate.

Dr. Scholl’s was giving out smushy inserts for heels and reuseable flats for tired conference feet.

Lindt gave out big chocolate bars.

Quaker gave flip flops.

Ella’s Kitchen handed out baby food by the squeezy bottles.

Johnson & Johnson reps strolled the expo floor, unloading gift bags with toothbrushes, baby shampoo, and Band-Aids.

Office supplier 3M gave away Post-it products and highlighters.

Veteran BlogHer attendees (who clearly knew the takings were good) shamelessly deposited gifts into rollerbags.

I had never seen anything like it. As a journalist, there are major ethical reasons why the taking of such gifts is prohibited. But it seemed — at least at this conference — that the rules for bloggers are a little different.

All companies at the expo hoped that bloggers would like the products well enough to write something up.  And when brands didn’t have actual goods to give away on the floor, some companies chose a different tactic:  Send a gift box to the blogger’s home after collecting their contact information.

That was P&G’s strategy with its ‘Home Away from Home’ at house at BlogHer — a mock home on the conference floor that allowed bloggers to tour, and visit each room and product (Tide, Pantene, Swiffer, Cascade, etc.).  At the conclusion of the tour, bloggers could drop their info into a computer and order a gift box of products to be sent free to their home.

Other companies offered other experiences like cooking demonstrations and plenty of food stops.

Lee Jeans offered jean fittings with the help of a special tent on the expo floor.

Tropicana invited E! News host Giuliana Rancic to pose for pictures with fans, while other conference attendees sat in the back getting pedicures.

Google reps took the opportunity to showcase Google+ and show bloggers how to use Circles and Hangouts.

One mommy blogger said it took her four hours to get through all the vendors at the expo. The variety of companies at BlogHer truly was impressive.  For BlogHer watchers, it’ll be interesting to see how high the bar was set this year with conference swag.  Could this be a trend with blog and social media meetings?  Does the swag distribution pay off for brands?

We shall see.

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

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Blog Notes: Green Edition

Posted on August 5, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.   And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day. This week my focus is on green blogs. I try to do my best to be green. I bike to work. I try to remember to bring my own bag to the grocery store. But there’s always more that can be done. And as I’ve recently discovered there are a LOT of great blogs out there leading that charge. More times than not these blogs highlight how green living can pervade everything we do. Blog after blog shows us how we can easily change our impact on our world… for the best.  So with that in mind, let’s take out the recycling, unplug those not-in-use phone chargers and enjoy this brief roundup of some of the best green blogs I’ve seen lately.

The Mother Nature Network is for “everyday people who simply want to make our world better.” Nowadays, making our world better is everybody’s concern and responsibility. MNN helps readers navigate how best to take care of their part of the world, be it their house, their family, their health, their business, or even their planet. If I were to pitch this blog, I might look for an angle that promoted family households and business to be more green. Check out the full review here.

Tree hugger used to be an insult flung at hippies. But the folks over at, well, Treehugger have embraced that name as a badge of honor and as a brand. The site covers a wide array of topics that intersect with being green, because they think that being green should intersect in just about everything we do… and buy… and eat. If I were to pitch this blog, I might go for any and everything that has a green angle. Check out the full review here.

The folks at Grist have been preaching green since long before it was fashionable. They’ve been at since 1999, in fact. But this is by no means a stuffy or academic publication. Grist handles the very weighty issues of climate change and environmental impact with a light, often times funny tone. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something that coincides with consumer issues. Check out the full review here.

ecofabulous blends sustainable living with fashionable living. It’s the type of blog that your yoga teacher might write for, or in my case, does. (Hi, Sara!)  As green as they are at ecofabulous, they won’t be pushing patchouli oil on their readers anytime soon. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something along the lines of sustainable/socially responsible fashion. Stories pitching green home improvement might also work well, too. Check out the full review here.

The folks at Cleantech Blog have been writing about cleantech for so long they were able to get the easy-to-remember domain name, cleantechblog.com, before anybody else. The blog authors don’t pretend to be journalists, but rather experts in their field writing about what they see. And really who better to get information from than an expert? If I were to pitch this blog, I might try something with clean or alternative (or green) energy. 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.

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The controversy around the changing face of blogging

Posted on August 4, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Source: Shani Higgins, CEO of Technorati, presented at the recent PR Summit conference.

Technorati CEO Shani Higgins raised a few eyebrows with her comments around pay for post at the recent “PR Summit Conference” in San Francisco.  More bloggers are writing about brands than ever before and the expectation is higher around compensation, she said.

“There is no longer a stigma around paid posts,” according to Higgins as she delivered highlights from Technorati’s annual blogger survey.

It was quite the buzz at my lunch table afterwards and some veteran PR professionals expressed surprise.

“My concern is when brands do this, they’re making bloggers into commercials,” said Jeanne Alford of Alford Communications. “We need to have some framework of what’s acceptable so the information the consumer gets is balanced.”

It comes as more consumers turn to blogs to get the facts.  According to Technorati’s findings, 34% of consumers questioned said they take blogs more seriously as important sources of information.

And brands aggressively reach out to bloggers with a following.  Some 50% of professional bloggers say they’ve been approached by a company to write about their brand according to the survey.

To win blogger favor, many brands now embark on creative tactics such as picking up the cost of registration to key industry conferences for bloggers as ways to turn the writers into “brand partners”.

It is a changing landscape as journalism bleeds into blogging.  “What’s critical is that bloggers continue to build transparency so readers know what the relationship is to the brands they’re writing about,” says Alford.

The majority of bloggers are aware of the FTC’s ruling on disclosure according to Technorati’s findings.  Many bloggers say it’s simply about “compensation for their time.”

 

Overall, more and more bloggers are trying to develop authority and influence.  The task at hand remains creating value for their audience.  And their audience is growing.  Technorati reports in its survey that nearly 40% of consumers say still they will be getting their news and entertainment from blogs than from traditional media in the next five years.

Author Diane Harrigan is an account manager in PR Newswire’s San Francisco office.   She also authors the beautiful “Postcards from SF” blog,, a visual homage to San Francisco, and you can follower her on Twitter @postcardsfromSF .

Additional resources:  Shani Higgins’ PR Summit presentation:  pr summit keynote technorati shiggins 7.26

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Bloggers Working With PR, Google+ for Reporting, News of the World vs. WikiLeaks

Posted on August 2, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week from Profnet editor  Jason Hahn.

How Bloggers Should Work With PR: Bloggers working with PR professionals basically have three tasks at hand: 1) dealing with PR pitches that make it into your inbox, 2) approaching PR/businesses for reviews and giveaway opportunities, and 3) doing your own PR to get publicity for your blog in the media. This blogger discusses each of these tasks and shares some bottom-line reminders: you must have news, you can invent news and you can attach yourself to existing news. (Three Li’l Princesses)

Google+ Used for Reporting Breaking News: If you’ve been wondering if Google+ matters for reporting breaking news, look no further than this anecdote from The Trentonian, a newspaper based in New Jersey. While covering an apartment shooting, the paper posted a link to the story on Google+. A reader saw the link, responded and said she thought the victim was her cousin. The identity of the victim was eventually confirmed after frequent correspondence with the reader. This serves as a reminder that newspapers should use all available tools, not just some of them. (Mediabistro’s 10,000 Words)

Twenty-One New-Media Innovators: While journalism remains in a “state of chaotic flux,” with pundits continuing the war between old and new media, there are brave innovators who have thrown themselves into the gap and created exciting and interesting tools. “We call them innovators, but really they’re just finding the best ways to pursue their interests, while the rest of us get to benefit from their dedication — whether it’s news updates at the speed of light, precision-guided viral stories, or a return to ‘slow’ reading.” Here’s a list of 21 of these new-media innovators, which includes the likes of Andy Carvin of NPR, Ky Harlin of Buzzfeed and Heather Murphy of Slate. (NYMag.com)

What’s the Difference Between News of the World and WikiLeaks?: The phone-hacking scandal that took down News of the World is basically mirrors last year’s fallout over the sensitive information released by WikiLeaks. There are many similarities between the two incidents and the bottom line is that both are terrible examples of journalistic malpractice. “So why is one a scandal, replete with arrests, resignations and parliamentary inquests, while the other is merely a controversy, with Mr. Assange’s name mooted in some quarters for a Nobel Peace Prize?” (WSJ.com)

Social PR: What’s in, out and Trending: Here’s a look at “social PR fashion trends for fall.” Gone are the days of Facebook blue — here are the days of Google+ and its array of colors.  Niche Twitter chats are in, fighting over who owns social media is out and Triberr is trending. This post covers what else is in, out and trending. “The social PR fashion forecast: Add bright accessories to your look, (think Google+). Be smart and keep the balance. Too many social media colors in one look is proactive, playful, and interesting, but can become brand delusional.” (Search Engine Watch)

Three Things to Do With a PR or Communications Degree: Just because you graduated with a PR or communications degree doesn’t mean you have to land a job at a PR firm. Working for an agency, working for a private company, or starting your own firm or freelancing are among the many options to choose from. This post also offers some tips for how to find your first PR job, including titles to search for, where to look and Twitter tactics to employ. (Lindsay Olson)

Nine AP Style Rules PR Pros Should Know: Mastering the art of writing, and AP style specifically, is crucial for PR interns. “We want to write in their language, and make it easy for them to use our words and content.” This post offers a rundown of nine commonly used AP style rules that PR interns (and everyone else in the industry) should know: 1) numbers, 2) time, 3) percentages, 4) ages, 5) dates, 6) dollar amounts, 7) street addresses, 8) job titles and 9) states. (Weber Shandwick Seattle)

Decline of News Outlets: Bad News for PR: Media critics who bash the growing ranks of PR professionals are missing the bigger point: “The reason why PR pros numbers are growing is because the number of journalists is decreasing.” While there have always been more PR pros than journalists, this gap has been made even more obvious because newspapers are struggling. Having fewer news outlets makes it more difficult for PR pros to get clients placement. A consequence of this trend is that PR pros are now being forced to create and publish content, which blurs the line between a news release and the actual news. Placing a client in a publication operated by the PR pro doesn’t quite have the same authority as placement by a third party. (PRBreakfastClub)

Top 10 Ways to Succeed in PR: This PR and social media professional discusses 10 ways to succeed in PR. Among them are speaking up during internal team brainstorms, being a news hound, speaking up if you’re unhappy with something, always asking to try new things and not getting comfortable at your job. (PR at Sunrise)

How to Be a Quiet Leader in the Newsroom: Introverts, fear not — you have much to offer as quiet leaders in the newsroom. This self-professed “quiet leader” talks about what he thinks introverts in the newsroom can offer, including being a good listener and observer, using credibility as a platform to speak from, and finding ways to genuinely show your enthusiasm. (Poynter)

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