To Write is To Write

Alphabet Bash, Networking Tips

I recently attended the first annual Alphabet Bash, and my friend Leah and I made it on the website.  This premier networking event was a collaboration of the Minnesota chapters of PRSA, IABC, AdFed and AMA. It was a wonderful event held at one of Minneapols' newest nightclubs Trocaderos, and one that was very instrumental in building many good relationships between communications professionals in the Twin Cities.  Here are some networking tips from this year's event. I am very much looking forward to next year's.

Women's International Podcasting Expo Starts Today

If you want to learn more about podcasting and how to utilize podcasting in your business, be sure to check out the Women's International Podcasting Expo that starts tonight and runs throughout the weekend.  There are three FREE seminars and many others on the schedule worth checking out.  I've registered and plan to attend those seminars that I can.  If you are interested and plan to attend, click though my referral URL to register. 

I am certainly curious to how this virtual expo works and will report on it and the seminars next week.

Technorati Tags: Podcasting, Women's International Podcasting Expo

Anyone Blogging/Vlogging from VloggerCon 2006?

The second annual VloggerCon is happening this weekend June 10 -11 in San Francisco. 

I am totally bummed I won't be there.  I am in definite need of learning more about vlogging, and there are some great panels scheduled.  Anyone blogging or vlogging from VloggerCon this year or know of anyone who will be? 

Technorati Tags: Vlogs, Vlogging, VloggerCon

Blogosphere Teleseminar for PR Professionals

If you are not busy May 9th at 3 eastern, check out PRSA's latest teleseminar:

Blogosphere: Why PR Professionals Should Sit Up and Take Notice

The speakers will be Debjani Deb and Kyung Han, both are managing partners at EmPower Research. 

They describe it as a content rich seminar and will give you a comprehensive view at today's blogs.  You will learn how the new universe of Web logs (blogs) present different types of opportunities for understanding and evaluating the consumer mind.  You will learn not only how to collect vital insights from blogs, buta also how to leverage this powerful medium to communicate with the consumer.

Listeners will learn several techniques:

- Identification of key blogs

- Monitoring and tracking methodologies

- Understanding the feedback and messaging provided within blogs

- Analysis and evaluation of blogs and blogging communities

- Market research and blogs

- Guidelines for building a corporate blog

They say this presentation will make you ask yourself  these questions: Who needs to pay for a survey or focus group when there is free feedback to be garnered? Why pay large dollars to assess the impact of pubic relations, when direct feedback on communications is readily available?

Sounds like a mighty good one!  Register here.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Public Relations, PR, PRSA

FPRA Blog Week Wrapped Up--Great PR Articles

The FPRA Blog Week 2006 wrapped up last Friday.  If you have not been to their blog event site yet, be sure to check it out.  There are great articles and perspective from some of Florida's finest in public relations.   

The goal of the FPRA Blog Week was to showcase the talent of the Florida-based PR pracitioners, which it certainly did that.  What I wanted to reiterate in my post about it though is the stellar use of a blog to reach their goals.  To reference McLuhan, the medium is the message here.  The FPRA is using blog technology to raise awareness of its association, to provide valuable knowledge about public relations for those seeking it, to showcase their members expertise and to attract potential members by highlighting their innovative thinking. 

Of course, this is similiar to Global PR Blog Week and has been done before.  Yet, this type of usage of blog technology is still underused in my opinion.   Businesses in other industries have an opportunity to embrace and utilize advancing technology to bring folks together, to engage in deeper and more thought provoking conversations and to do so in a more efficient way then ever before.   Folks should look to events like this as a great example to showcase their organizations, to gain valuable feedback on new and/or existing intiatives/products/services and to further develop relationships with their publics.  Bravo FPRA! 

Technorati Tags: Public Relations, Blogging, Blogs, FPRA Blog Week 2006, Business Blogging

Blogging Jobs Gone in 2016

Last night I attended an IABC networking event here in Minneapolis.  I have been a member of IABC for about eight months now and last night was my first official appearance at any meeting with my local chapter.  I have to say that I was rather impressed by the turnout for the event and was impressed with the variety of communicators who attended.  I got to meet many existing and future board members and definitely look forward to getting more involved in my chapter.

The one thing that I wanted to mention though that bothered me to hear last night is about a comment (and a facial gesture) from one of the past presidents (who I will not name because I was rather impressed with this person minus this one thing). 

I always talk about my excitement surrounding blogging and other forms of new social media.  And last night was no different.  I inquired with many folks about their thoughts on new media and how they are or are not using them in their professional lives.    When I asked this of her,  she grimaced and referenced the recent Fast Company article about the "Six Jobs That Won't Exist in 2016," which includes bloggers.  Well, from her response, I inferred that she is not on board with blogging or the like. 

Now, I understand that blogging and other consumer driven mediums are scary for some, but when I hear things like this, and I do quite often in my local market, I start to wonder if all that I read about new mediums and all that I surround myself with are just all livin' in a crazy-ole world? And then to see it in Fast Company.  Is this just another way that MSM is not embracing the new mediums?  And then I think...is this how folks advocating for television felt when the radio people were speaking out about "this new fad"? 

My thought is...even if you are not going to embrace new mediums, shouldn't you as a professional communicator be open enough to learn about them in order to be able to offer your clients and/or your organization the very best strategies for their business objectives?  or am I just livin' in the crazy-ole, drinking-the-blogging-kool-aid world too?

As for the blogging jobs issue (that started my rant), do you really think they'll be gone in 2016?

NewCommunications Forum 2006--Educate Yourself about New Media Strategies

The 2006 New Communications Forum, being held in Palo Alto, is right around the corner!

Attendees to this event will learn about how blogs, wikis, podcasts and other emerging tools, technologies and modes of communication are affecting organizations and how communications professionals from across the spectrum are harnessing these tools to engage in market conversations, deepen and strengthen relationships with key audiences, gain new insights into their audiences' perceptions and behavior and achieve bottom line results.

Pre-Conferences Boot Camps will be also happening!  These are meant to be "101s" on blogs, wikis, podcasts and vlogs to prepare attendees for the discussions during the conference.

This is the 2nd Annual New Comm Forum, developed by Elizabeth Albrycht of Corporate PR and Jen McClure of the Society for New Communications Research, and looks to be a very informative and exciting conference!  I wish I could go!