The position of "community manager" is relatively new. It's also increasingly important. The person in charge of tending to your online tribe needs to possess certain skills. Obviously writing, the ability to produce multimedia content, comfort with tech, experience, work ethic and intellect matter - as they do for any modern day…
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BP and its complete ineptitude at PR continue to amaze. The company recently hired a bunch of "workers" to clean up a beach because Barack Obama was in the area. These workers did not actually do anything. They were for show and left the area shortly after the Pres departed.…
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Ever wonder if your crisis communications program is failing? Here are a few signs that it is A smarmy bastard opens a fake Twitter account using your firm's name and logo. Because this smarmy bastard is extraordinarily hilarious, said Twitter account quickly gains over 61 000 followers. That's more than most social…
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PR folks hate to admit this, but business is often good when things are bad. In fact, if it weren't for loudmouth blowhards, dumb politicians, over coked celebs, and other bringers of bad vibes we all be a lot poorer. And, unlike our fourth estater cousins, PR people LOVE cash.…
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One of the most difficult things about media relations is that you, the PR person, never have full control of the process and outcome. This can be a hard lesson for young people starting their careers. A reporter may get your name wrong, misspell your website, decide to ignore your…
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I've spent a good chunk of the last two days going over key messages with staff and clients. Perhaps because of time spent in politics early in my career, terms like "key messages" and "talking points" have negative connotations for me. Here's the thing: talking points - including the ones…
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I saw this excellent report on the Communications strategy Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals are employing to deal with his prolonged and willful use of steroids. McGwire is working with former Dubya Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer to mitigate negative media coverage and rehabilitate his tarnished image. I…
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