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. | Twitter | http://twitter.com/ | Free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant messaging, email, to the Twitter website, or an application such as Twitterrific. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='twitter' | http://theblogconsultancy.typepad.com/techpr/2007/03/why_brits_are_t.html | | | At least one TV show has used Twitter for promotional purposes. | http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/Twitter.pdf | | | | | | | Can be used to research via buddy list very quickly | http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/Twitter.pdf | | | | | | | | | Can be used to build up WOM campaigns | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/what-is-twitter-for-exactly/#comments | | | | | Keep in touch with journalists. The last several major tech events were covered by Twitter. | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/what-is-twitter-for-exactly/ | Quick updates while on the move directing team members to areas of interest during information gathering | | Facilitate collaborative watching - When it comes to watching video content online or on television, Twitter can allow you to watch something "alongside" anyone anywhere by sharing your impressions and reading impressions from others as a program unfolds. This is a powerful new method of sharing feedback and ideas | http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2007/04/a_few_nonboring.html | | | | | | | Can be used to announce products | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/what-is-twitter-for-exactly/#comments | Can Twitter posts be analysed? | | | | Can Twitter be hooked up to RSS? Does this even make sense? | | News organizations such as the BBC are using Twitter as an alert service forheadlines | http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/Twitter.pdf | | | | | Keeping up to date with team members during fast-moving crisis | | | | | | Can be used to micropitch | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/what-is-twitter-for-exactly/#comments | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | Add a new dimension to promotions - Scavenger hunts, user generated content campaigns, and other reality based marketing promotions are growing popularity as ways to encourage interaction from customers. Twitter can offer a way of encouraging dialogue between promotion participants and adding an "instant message style" dimension to a promotion without the privacy and contact acceptance barriers normally associated with using IM for marketing. | http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2007/04/a_few_nonboring.html | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Deepen a static experience through live commentary - I saw an interesting story last week about how Fox is going to be using Twitter to promote their new show Drive by having the director provide live updates and directors commentary via Twitter throughout the show. We will definitely be seeing more of this type of marketing in the near future. | http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2007/04/a_few_nonboring.html | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | News organizations such as the BBC are using Twitter as an alert service forheadlines | http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/Twitter.pdf | | | | |
. | Google Trends | http://www.google.com/trends | Analysis tool which allows you to see how often specific search terms are being entered into the Google search engine | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='google%20trends' | http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum30/34280.htm
http://blog.clickinsight.ca/2006/05/google-trends-news-and-pizza.html
http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/05/25_things_i_lea.html
http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/05/dissecting_the_.html | | | | | | | | | Share of searches (share of voice) over time to assess popularity of brands and products or look at the impact of marketing campaigns. | http://beyondpr.blogspot.com/2006/05/google-trends-search-analytics.html | | | | | | | | | | | Following a timeline of news events, perhaps while using Google News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Does exactly what it says on the tin! | | Seasonal trends for pizza offered as example use. | http://blog.clickinsight.ca/2006/05/google-trends-news-and-pizza.html | | | | | Can be used to track reactions to campaigns, especially in concert with other blog analysis tools such as Technorati | | Steve Rubel offers an insightful post on how this could be used to track Windows Live online buzz. | http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/05/dissecting_the_.html | Jonathan Bernstein offers ideas for using Google Trends in crisis management. | http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/nl/crisismgr060615.html | | | | | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Could be used pre-campaign to ensure no leak before launch. | | | | Could be used pre-campaign to ensure no leak before launch. | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | News searches (Yahoo News, Google News), Blog Searches (eg Google Blog Search), Blog Tag Searches (eg Wordpress Tag Search) | http://news.google.com/ | Aggregated headlines and a search engine of many of the world's news sources. Blog searches also offer an insight into issues being discussed in the blogosphere. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='google%20news%20search' | | | | | | | | | | Extremely powerful search features, especially when tied to RSS and viewed through a reader. | | FG uses all news searches that generate RSS feeds extensively. This provides the aggregated feeds to the right of the FG blog, and is used as part of a team news syndication service, aggregating feeds direct from blogs together with news search results. | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/i-think-i-think-my-blog-has-a-usp/ | Useful for gathering background information about issues and interviewees | | | | Useful for gathering background information about issues and interviewees | | | | Vital for following up on the effects of a campaign. | | | | | | | | | | FG uses all news searches that generate RSS feeds extensively. This provides the aggregated feeds to the right of the FG blog, and is used as part of a team news syndication service, aggregating feeds direct from blogs together with news search results. | thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/i-think-i-think-my-blog-has-a-usp/ | | | | | News searches make possible the social media release. | | | | Could be used for monitoring trends when used with specific keywords. | | | | This is exactly what they are for! | | FG uses all news searches that generate RSS feeds extensively. This provides the aggregated feeds to the right of the FG blog, and is used as part of a team news syndication service, aggregating feeds direct from blogs together with news search results. | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/i-think-i-think-my-blog-has-a-usp/ | Could be used for monitoring campaign effectiveness when used with specific keywords. | | | | Listening in to the word around the blogosphere is essential - try and catch them and do something about them before they grow. | | | | Useful for gathering information about the client, business, competition and stakeholders, as well as monitoring news over a period of time leading up to the pitch to show awareness of changing issues and familiarity with subject matter. | | | | | | | |
. | Blog indexes (Technorati, Blogindex, Alexa, Blogpulse, Google Blog Search, Yahoo Site Explorer) | http://twitter.com/ | Listings of blogs with most recent posts, links to, mentions in the blogosphere etc | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='technorati%20blogpulse%20alexa' | | | | | | | | | | The web metrics available on Technorati etc allow for fairly sophisticated searches, not just for content but for information about bloggers, such as how popular they are. Note that influence and popularity are not necessarily related, although there are broad correlations. | | The FG PowerPR index uses Technorati, Yahoo Links, Google Blog Search and other metrics to determine popularity within the PR blogosphere. Other examples include the Power150 and the Onalytica study. | http://thefriendlyghost.wordpress.com/the-fg-powerpr-index/ | Can offer good sources for researching interview content and interviewee profiles. | | | | Can offer good sources for researching speech content. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Technorati will now provide real-time link tracking for all of their press releases. This will enable PR Newswire to provide its vast and global audience with not just the facts in a press release, but the real-time conversation around it—the big picture, so to speak | http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000453.html | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Edelman ... and ... Technorati have formed a relationship to enable Edelman multinational clients track global conversations about their brands, protect their corporate reputation and form insights that help them participate in a compelling way. | http://www.danwei.org/media_and_advertising/technorati_and_edelman_pr_to_c.php | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | Podcasts | | Podcasting, a portmanteau of Apple's "iPod" and "broadcasting", is a method of publishing files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='podcast' | http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2005/09/20_creative_use.html | Can be used to promote almost any product/service/event. Analogous to radio promotion. Could be placed as part of sponsorship. | | Michael Schuster of Knallgrau New Media Solutions (Vienna, Austria) presented a case study today called Antarctica 2005. His agency worked with an Austrian bank to sponsor one Dr. Melchior, who was traveling to the South Pole to break a world record for the fastest unsupported trek on the Admunson route (which he did). They decided to do a combination blog/podcast | http://ringblog.typepad.com/corporatepr/2006/03/antarctica_2005.html | Could provide outreach to local audiences on specific topics | | | | | | | | Podcasts are essentially audio shows with a distinct delivery mechanism (download from the web, often via aggregators and feeds). Therefore they are perfect for brand-placed interviews, often of niche products or services. | | Waggener Edstrom Worldwide has handled speeches and interviews via podcast | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | Delivery via podcast can be ideal | | Waggener Edstrom Worldwide has handled speeches and interviews via podcast | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | Podcasts can be used to deliver a campaign over a period of time. | | The Kodak 'Ink is it' blog/microsite used video podcasts extensively throughout its life. These were well received and seemed an integral part of targeting at home users rather than preaching from a big brand perspective. | http://www.inkisit.com/ | Podcasts could brief attendees before the event, and provide analysis during and after. | | Capture the live pulse of an event - This is one of the most popular marketing uses that I have seen for Twitter, where it is used to offer a visual display of conversations happening around an event. More and more interactive events have this, and I suspect other non-Web related events will start to incorporate it as well to offer participants a visual way to track the pulse of an event and determine where to spend time. | http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2007/04/a_few_nonboring.html | | | | | | | | | Podcasts are essentially audio shows with a distinct delivery mechanism (download from the web, often via aggregators and feeds). They could work very well with almost any social media release. | | General Electric uses podcasting for results announcement | http://trevorcook.typepad.com/weblog/2005/05/general_electri.html/ | Could be used to initiate trend analysis by calling to action for listeners to take part in surveys by visiting web pages. | | | | | | | | | | | | Could provide a compelling and up-front method of communicating message - potentially more personal than website message, email or even broadcast. | | | | As part of a microsite could be added to the message mix. Would work very well to showcase tech PR credentials. | | | | As part of a microsite could be added to the message mix. Would work very well to showcase tech PR credentials. | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There are several PR podcasts that make a useful and genuine contribution to the PR blogosphere. | http://www.grazr.com/read/cbasturea/pr-podcasts.opml | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | Google Earth | http://earth.google.com/ | Maps and satellite images for complex or pinpointed regional searches. Basic and paid-for ('pro') versions available. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='google earth' | | Multimedia can now be embedded into Google Earth - such as YouTube videos and flash. Could provide a multmedia tour of a geographic campaign eg HP and National Art Gallery tour | http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/video/ | A collection of 3D models for Google Earth built to highlight some of the locations in Manhattan where Spider-Man will be swinging during this movie | gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/04/spider-man_3_-_3d_models_for_google_earth.html | | | Google Earth las launched an outreach programme designed to give charities and other non-profits tools to best use the 3D landscape environment. | http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/363687/google-earth-launches-charity-outreach.html | | | Can be used with overlays to find statistics, such as murder stats and population | http://google.blognewschannel.com/index.php/archives/2005/06/28/google-earth-lunching-for-free/ | Could be used to show supporting location of interviewee as part of social media release | | | | Could be used to show supporting location of speech as part of social media release | | | | Build up locations as tour progresses | | | | Show location of conference, locations of conference attendees | | | | Team members add areas they have found of interest for potential conference, event locations | | | | | | | | Could be used to show locations of places in social release, similar to location finder in TV news coverage | | | | Overlays may show trends as well as static data, or static data could be built up by monitoring over periods of time | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Where the hell is Matt' is a website that grew massively popular following the travels of Matt as he danced in front of famous landmarks. | http://earth.google.com/gallery/kml_entry.html#tBe%20Where%20Matt%20Was |
. | | | | | | | | Audioslave - The artwork for the new album has a picture of the Earth from space with a new continent on the surface in the shape of part of their logo. They also have released a Google Earth file which shows their new "nation" overlayed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean called AudioSlaveNation. | http://music.netscape.com/story/2006/08/04/audioslave-uses-google-earth-for-promotion/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | YouTube | http://youtube.com/ | YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='youtube' | http://myperspective-w.blogspot.com/2007/06/you-tube-is-serious-pr.html
http://www.bizreport.com/2007/06/marketers_use_youtube_to_maximize_viral_campaigns.html | | | The American Museum in Britain is using YouTube to publicise its American Heritage exhibition with a tongue in cheek promotional video featuring a cast of characters from American history. | http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/bristol/news/ART47202.html | | | MacDonalds has a CSR video in YouTube featuring high-profile contirbutors such as Temple Grandin, the go-to figure for animal health in the US. | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bgP3ASUM4 | The YouTube Search engine together with RSS could enable video searching in much the same way as news or event research. | | | | Providing the interview is of sufficiently professional standard, could provide an ideal means for disseminating video content. | | | | Providing the speech is of sufficiently professional standard, could provide an ideal means for disseminating video content. | | How not to do it... | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJP3RWbdRU | Regularly updated videos throughout a campaign could prove very viral. | | The Kodak 'Ink is it' blog/microsite used video podcasts promoted on YouTube. These were well received and seemed an integral part of targeting at home users rather than preaching from a big brand perspective. | http://www.inkisit.com/ | Could provide a high-quality introduction to an event viewable by any and all attendees, promoting the content and venue. | | | | | | | | Could be an excellent resource for finding off-the-wall ideas for video execution. | | | | YouTube videos could complement social media releases. | | | | | | | | | | | | If YouTube is part of a campaign then feedback is immediately verifiable through the comments. | | | | If there is a video aspect to a crisis, for example news coverage, then monitoring reactions on YouTube could be an effective way to keep tabs as it develops. | | Jetblue CEO, David Neeleman has posted a YouTube video, to reach out to customers promising better times ahead. | http://frontiering.com.au/blog/index.php?s=jetblue&sentence=AND&submit=Search | Results from YouTube research could be incorporated into presentations as proof of concept eg show video clips that support the recommendation for the pitch. | | | | YouTube is tailor-made for virals. Typically a successful viral will include off-the-wall content, and can be created from lots of small snippets of user-generated content 'stitched' together. | | Ogilvy used a viral video on YouTube for its Johnson and Johnson campaign. | http://www.ogilvypr.com/case-studies/aveeno.cfm |
. | | | | | | | | Promos for Paris Hilton's new album will be among the first video ads to be offered on content-sharing website YouTube. | http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,1855742,00.html | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney went into full crisis management mode this week after revelations about his Senate campaign co-chairman became public. But in our Web 2.0 world, it is more difficult than ever to cover your tracks when the spagetti hits the fan. | http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2007/08/cleaning-up-after-yourself-in-web-20.html | | | | | | | | |
. | Wikiscanner | http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/ | A free, Web-based database application that tracks the source IP addresses of computers used to edit anonymous Wikipedia entries | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='wikiscanner' | | | | | | | | | | | | Run through list of IP addresses for a given organisation/person to see which pages it updated on Wikipedia | http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2171030,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532 | Could be used to try and pre-empt 'uncomfortable' questions for interviewee eg why did you change this page? | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Run through list of IP addresses for a given organisation/person to see which pages it updated on Wikipedia | http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2171030,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | Blogs (and Video Blogs) | | Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='blog' | | After the screening process to monitor bloggers, tools exist to identify influential bloggers which could then be treated through a specialist form of media relations to promote client products or services. | | The Kodak 'Ink is it' blog/microsite used video podcasts extensively throughout its life. These were well received and seemed an integral part of targeting at home users rather than preaching from a big brand perspective. | http://www.inkisit.com/ | Although targeted at a niche market, if targeted at connectors and mavens, could provide a useful focal point for community initiatives. | | | | Married to aggregators and RSS, blogs in total provide a 'long tail' approach to research - that is, total the amount of knowledge from many people, and you get the experience and advice equivalent to a few highly prized individuals. | | | | Prominent bloggers can provide rich material for insight through interview. Bloggers often 'guest blog' on other blogs, providing a channel for their expertise. Recognised industry leaders can use blogs as a medium for communicating - directly, and with credibility - with target audiences, whether specific or broad. | | | | Transcripts of speeches can be made available through many media, such as blogs and wikis. | | | | Blogs can be updated as campaigns progress. A dialogue of the ongoing campaign can be useful both for organisers and participants to exchange views. Transparency is key - and can be empowering. | | Waggener Edstrom Worldwide has created episodic blogs | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | A conference blog can provide a forum for exchange. Each blog posting could be with reference to a specific conference issue. The dialogue could provide the material for the next conference, or even material for post-conference publications/ | | Waggener Edstrom Worldwide used video blogs to support the Microsoft Tech Ed conference | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | Blogs provide a medium for an exchange of views. Therefore, they can be used within an agency to crystallise viewpoints, or for clients to arrive at positions in agreement with all stakeholders. | | | | Blog searches are rich pickings for the point of view of many stakeholders. They can form the basis of viewpoint to be taken into brainstorms. | | | | Social Media Press Release template from SHIFT Communications | http://www.shiftcomm.com/downloads/smprtemplate.pdf | webitpr has used a social media release. It uses a range of media to get the message across. In the webitpr release, video and audio is used, and journalists are also provided with a range of images. | http://news.prblogger.com/?page=6042 | Blog searches can provide a useful resource for figuring out the overall sentiment for an issue. | | | | Blog searches can be used together with news searches. Although they must be treated differently - bloggers are unregulated and therefore subject to rumour and speculation - when treated as such they are of equal value. It is equally important to know what the rumour and speculation is, as the official line. | | | | When used with RSS and aggregators, blogs can provide a very powerful means of identifying the impact of any campaign. This can be both qualitative - the sentiment of opinio in the blogosphere - as well as quantitative - the number of mentions and popularity of bloggers. | | | | Absolutely key to crisis management is the ability to stay on top of any developing situation. RSS and aggregators provide the means to trace the spread of rumour and innuendo - as well as fact - and the means to react via 'official' blogs. | | | | A company blog can provide a compelling corporate voice, as evidence of willingness to adopt new technology and provide an opinion which stimulates debate within the industry. Pitches can point to this as ongoing evidence. | | | | As influence grows, so does word-of-mouth. Traditional PR techniques - surveys, polls, interviews - work spectacularly well in the blogosphere. They can all provide compellingly viral ways of spreading messages. | | | |
. | | | | | | | | Cheddarvision was used to promote West Country cheese. To date it has been seen over 1.5 million times, and showcased in Metro and Radio 4's Today programme. | http://cheddarvision.tv/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you work sufficiently closely with bloggers then they may relish the chance either to participate in announcements or even 'break the news'. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you manage to work closely enough with prominent or influential bloggers and they are amenable to endorsing your case, they might be used very effectively to provide counter WOM during a crisis. | | | | If you work closely enough with bloggers in your clientspace then you could use them as a soundingboard for pitch ideas. | | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | hRelease is a community effort to define a new format for press releases via a community standard microformat | http://www.socialtext.net/hrelease/index.cgi | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | Wikis | | A website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively | http://www.makemyreport.com/cgi-bin/report_writer.cgi?search_term='wiki' | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dipen Jobanputra, a Digital Markets Sales manager, uses the wiki for his weekly teleconference to discuss clients. The session used to last 90 minutes, with much time spent keeping his staff current on the week’s events. But now, members update themselves on the wiki and that part of the teleconference takes only five to 10 minutes. | www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | | | Dipen Jobanputra, a Digital Markets Sales manager, uses the wiki for his weekly teleconference to discuss clients. “The rest of the teleconference is used for idea generation, being innovative" | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has used a wiki for a decade to improve communications between its different worldwide locations and business groups | http://www.prfirms.org/docs/2007/CPRF%20Social%20Media%20White%20Paper%20June%2025.pdf | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |