Deirdre Breakenridge

I’ve been thinking a lot about how many companies are taking their first steps into community building through social networking and PR 2.0.  I even recently mentioned during my Awareness, Inc. Webinar that some brands are taking some good steps, others are taking some missteps and there are several taking no steps at all.  If [...]

I was introduced to Mike Lewis (@bostonmike) of Awareness Inc., through Justin Levy (@justinlevy) of New Marketing Labs. What a great connection! I participated in a Webinar with Mike on May 27th and it was not only on an interesting topic (Building Community Through PR: From Virtual to Physical) but the Q&A with Mike was dynamic and even at one point stumped us both for an answer.

I had the pleasure of visiting Tallahassee this week and speaking to the members of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA). This was my first trip there and it was a memorable one. From the beautiful buildings (especially the old Capital building and Florida State University) to the hospitality of the people and the friendly welcome, I have a new appreciation for Tallahassee. Another unforgettable part of the trip was the professionalism, energy and forward thinking of the FPRA.

I think one of the biggest issues that organizations face today, as they navigate the social media landscape, is how they view the consumer disruption as a result of Social Media. Brands, in my opinion, could be helping to alleviate the chaos by lessening the noise that comes out of their own organizations. They need to learn how to become valuable resources to their stakeholders in the market. Of course, it takes time, effort, resources and commitment to develop a Social Media program and to participate in the social economy the right way.

I’m working on a presentation for the Florida Public Relation’s Association. Their annual conference, PR Under Fire, is in August 2009. My presentation will help PR professionals to understand how they can be better partners with their clients by focusing on three important factors: attitude, education and technology. Here’s are some highlights from the presentation.

Video is one of the most powerful communications tools on the web. There are a number of reasons why you would want to incorporate video into your communications toolkit.

Last week I had the privilege of presenting with a group called “Social Connections” founded by Eva Abreu (@eva_abreu). We gathered at the Franklin Township Library in Somerset, New Jersey to give a presentation titled, Social Media: Do you get it?

I read a great blog post by Chris Brogan that discussed all of the extra chores that social media adds to our daily “To Do” list. Chris’ post maps out his very busy day, from the time he wakes and monitors his Google reader (to see what people are talking about or what they are saying about him) to reading 700 blogs and sifting through his 500 emails. Yes, Social Media definitely takes time and effort. It’s not a one day or once a month type of adventure. And, it’s definitely not a spectator sport. Actually, Social Media is an everyday commitment (in some cases, it becomes an addiction) and for me is one of the best ways to build human capital and turn a new virtual friend into a valuable physical relationship.