It feels like yesterday when Angela Hernandez (@angelahernandez) asked me to contribute to her blog interview series, “Is PR Right for Me.”  What blossomed out of a blog post is our dynamic PR community, #PRStudChat.  Valerie Simon (@valeriesimon) and I are both happy that our community, which is dedicated to collaboration and educating students and PR professionals, has grown from a few to over 1,100 people (according to the @PRstudchat profile and number of followers). Hundreds of PR enthusiasts routinely participate in the monthly conversations creating more than 1,000 tweets in each hour-long session. Within this active community countless professional and personal relationships have evolved.

The very first #PRstudChat took place on August 19^th 2009. With our one-year anniversary quickly approaching, we wanted to do something really special by inviting a guest that everyone would know; someone who has made an incredible contribution to learning and collaboration. We’re honored to have this extremely busy social media professional and Internet entrepreneur join us on August 25^th at 8:30 p.m.  Our special guest is Jimmy Wales (@jimmy_wales), founder of Wikipedia!!

I met Jimmy a couple of years ago when he interviewed with me for my book, PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences. I was so impressed with his contribution to communications and the story of Wikipedia.  Jimmy joins us to answer questions about social media, collaboration and how PR professionals can participate in Wikipedia (the right way).

We’ll have more information shortly on the details of the session and more about the questions we will be asking.  For now, please help us spread the word that Jimmy Wales will be our #PRStudChat special guest for a super special one-year anniversary celebration!

Here are a few of the statistics that stood out:

eMarketer published a study by Digital Brand Expressions (May 2010) where:

• Approximately 71% of US companies use the marketing department as the area responsible for the creation and maintenance of the social media communications plan.
• Approximately 21% of US companies use their corporate communications department as the area responsible for the creation and maintenance of the social media communications plan.
• Approximately 78% of US companies are using social media sites, however, about 52% are working without a game plan.
• According to US companies, approximately 45% prepare and distribute protocols and policies for ongoing communications, in their social media plans (including how to respond to negative comments).
• According to US companies, approximately 39% distribute guidelines for all employees regarding their general use of social media, for both professional and personal use.
• According to US companies, approximately 29% prepare and distribute social media policies/guidelines for the use of social media by different departments within the organization.

One of the most important messages conveyed from these numbers is that social media planning includes policy development and distributing guidelines to an organization’s employees (in some cases by department). Did you develop your social media policy as a part of your communications planning in 2010? If so, is your marketing or communications department spearheading the development?

From my own knowledge and interaction with both of these companies (my only disclosure is that I’ve used the Marketwire newswire service and the Sysomos platform for my clients), I definitely see how the acquisition made a tremendous amount of sense. It’s important for PR and communications professionals to take note of how Marketwire is maximizing technology to advance communications.

Here are a few of the things I learned during my chat with two very busy business executives, post acquisition announcement.

One of the first questions I asked was, “How do your customers benefit from this acquisition?” They explained that their customers have been facing the rapid conversion of traditional and social media.  It’s apparent that there’s a great deal of confusion and also a concern in the communicator’s mind on how to handle social media because social media has “literally exploded.” The acquisition is a serious step forward for Marketwire and it addresses a large need in the market.  As a PR professional, I talk a great deal about listening to what customers and stakeholders are saying. That’s exactly what Marketwire did.  Their customers were the main rationale for the acquisition of Sysomos.

I also wanted to know why the Sysomos technology was the clear choice, with all of the other monitoring platforms, and how closely the brands aligned, even in terms of culture. We discussed “Why Sysomos?” and after listening to the explanation, it was clear to see that the Sysomos technology and the organization’s progressive way of thinking aligned closely with the Marketwire brand.  It was also mentioned that, “the Sysomos technology speaks for itself.”

In addition, the two brands fit together because of their philosophies and style; both companies, early on, were innovators in the market.  When Marketwire was doing its due diligence, it immediately recognized how both organizations had a strong commitment to customers and their values and business principles were very similar as well. Another  interesting fact that I didn’t know, Marketwire and Sysomos are neighbors, practically in each other’s backyards, only four blocks away from one another.

When I asked about the Sysomos platform and if it would stand alone, I learned that Marketwire will immediately begin offering the Sysomos product set, which includes Hearbeat and MAP.  These products will continue to exist under the Marketwire brand.  Marketwire is also investing in the integration of the Sysomos product set into a Marketwire platform.  For the next 24 months, there will be an entire roll out of additional comprehensive features and new products to come. The acquisition is truly representative of Marketwire’s conversations with PR professionals and hearing what they had to say by addressing their pain points and helping them to make smarter business decisions.

Touching a bit on whether or not the acquisition would open up new markets and channels for the company, we discussed how communications, as a whole, is segregated.  Marketwire’s new offerings will integrate rather than separate communication into silos (I’m all for integration).   And, for the Sysomos product set, Marketwire brings to the table a well-established sales team with a direct sales force and the marketing background and backend administrative process the company needed.  Sysomos is a younger company, three years on the market, so the acquisition broadens the reach for its product set.

Through this acquisition both executives envision a world where communications professionals can release information and have quantifiable measures that demonstrate ROI.  So many companies will be able to benefit from the acquisition, from the large to the mid-size and smaller organizations.  Both Marketwire and Sysomos work with some of the largest multinational companies (PR agencies), so there’s a big appeal for these brands.  However, mid-size and small companies are also a major piece of Marketwire’s strategy and direction.

Then, I asked the million-dollar question, “So, what’s next?”  Both executives expressed how, in the immediate term, people are really looking to turn information into true intelligence (into ROI).  When you have good intelligence you can, in turn, use this to improve strategy.  The acquisition offers a truly integrated solution that also provides an intelligent workflow.  They touched upon the broad vision and the communications cycle; how the right tools release information and from there you need to understand the reach and engagement.  It’s imperative to bring this information back to the corporation and be able to quantify the impact (to know what works and what doesn’t work).  Sysomos furthers Marketwire’s capabilities to make this possible for its customers.

My last question asked both executives to impart advice to PR and communications professionals (and students) with respect to technology and the changing media landscape. Their response was focused on the importance of staying on top of technology and the tools (advice that is close to my heart).  They mentioned how the basic fundamentals of communications are not changing yet the technology is advancing rapidly.  Social media and the integration of technology mandate that you stay current.  This is especially important with students, who, hopefully, will be introduced and experience changes in technology as a part of their academic curriculum.

I believe we will see some excellent solutions and exciting advances in technology from Marketwire.  PR professionals definitely need integrated solutions as we find ourselves increasingly accountable to our brands for strategic social communication, engagement, monitoring and measurement that reveal impact and ROI.

I wake up nice and early during the week.  I immediately grab my blackberry (soon to be a Droid) to check my email.  I log onto to my computer to access my headlines delivered to my email inbox, which in include NYT, InformationWeek, PR Week, PRSA Issues & Trends, Daily Bulldog, PRNewser, PR Daily, etc.  A quick check of my RSS feeds tells me what I’ll be viewing over coffee, later in the a.m.

Getting ready for work, I flip between channels including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN and Fox & Friends.  My morning ride to work is over an hour (on the way home too) so I’m hooked on National Public Radio.  As my day continues, I find myself online where I scour many different blogs and news sites depending on my projects.  I also look forward to perusing the magazines on my desk (which are always in a neat little pile to the far right).  In the pile sits Entrepreneur, Wired, PRSA Tactics, Adweek and CFO magazine.

The weekend has a similar routine, with the exception of reading the weekend paper over coffee with my husband, who also looks forward to holding a newspaper in his hands.  My routine continues during the day with TV, as I get ready for Sat. & Sun. festivities, I’ll put NPR when I go to the supermarket and I have my daily checks of email news subscriptions and RSS feeds.

I look forward and rely on this routine.  Here’s why I’m a creature of habit.  On Sunday, July 4^th, the Asbury Park Press was not delivered to our house!  My husband was annoyed; the universe did not feel aligned.  We were both upset and sat on our patio sipping coffee and eating breakfast with out the newspaper.  What I find the most interesting is that this situation didn’t make us grab our laptops (and we have wireless outside) for the morning news.  We didn’t run inside and log on to our computers.  Instead, we were disappointed, but continued our routine by turning on the TV when we were getting ready for the day.

What I’ve discovered about myself is that I’m a perfect blend of the hybrid consumer and so is my family. We’re hybrid in the sense that we combine traditional, digital and social media into our daily routines. I see this almost every day when I observe the kids as they watch TV, while their on Facebook with their friends and text other members of the family, who are in the very same house.  You can’t just find us online because we’re also enjoying other forms of media: watching TV, reading the newspaper, and flipping through articles in magazines.

Recently, I’ve been discussing the hybrid professional and how PR, Marketing, and Web must work together so that brands can better communicate and interact with consumers.  A good look at my own news and information consumption reveals that a hybrid consumer drives this hybrid movement.  I’ve said that social media pushes the integration of PR, marketing and Web, but if you step back, it’s really the consumer that is driving the change behind everything we do.  What do you think?

Recently, Joe participated on the PRSA T3PR New Era of Blogging panel in June and Valerie had the pleasure of moderating Joe’s roundtable discussion at the Bulldog Reporters Media Relations Summit this past Monday in NYC.  After seeing Joe in action and being fans/avid readers of PRNewser, we both felt he would be the perfect guest for #PRStudChat.  Joe will be answering questions related to blogger relations and also providing insight on how media is changing and affecting the PR industry.

A few of the questions during the session will include:

Q1:  How should PR pros shift their thinking to accommodate changes in the media?

Q2:  What is the difference between media relations & blogger relations?

Q3: What do new influencers expect from PR professionals?

Q4:  How do PR pros get your attention (good/bad examples)?

Q5:  Where do you go to verify/confirm tips and how can a PR pro help?

Q6: What will tomorrow’s media look like & what does that mean for PR?

We hope that you will join us on July 14^th to chat with Joe Ciarallo and to share insight on your experience with bloggers and new media.  As always, Valerie and I welcome your comments and encourage you to post any questions you have for Joe on our LinkedIn discussion group, prior to the 14^th.

If you want the PR scoop, then join us for the #PRStudChat session with Joe Ciarallo.  We’ll “see” you then.

It’s tremendously important to familiarize yourself with a few of the key differences between the various content management systems (CMS) because we’re listening and observing people and behaviors in web communities to build better relationships.  These platforms, including Posterous, WordPress, TypePad, Drupal, Joomla and Vignette (as identified and detailed in the chart) enhance or facilitate the communication between parties.  As PR professionals, we need to know which are the best ways for our brands to build communities and what types of platforms or technology will serve this purpose (to make an even greater experience for their stakeholders).

So, for example, when we are discussing two-way communication, sharing social objects and building community, should the brand be using Posterous? Or, a more advanced CMS such as Vignette.  The article outlines what might be the needs of the brand, what the CMS is good for and what it’s not so good for, some of the famous users, as well as the price.  Yes, we need to think about every step of communication and the technology that helps to make interaction and collaboration more successful.

For starters, here are a few key difference when it comes to CMS and what to use based on what you need:

• Posterous: Used for a blog, is free and easy to use.
• WordPress and Typepress: Used for blogs, homepage, uploading photos and videos.  WordPress is free but you may pay for design services if you want a customized site. Typepad has a monthly charge of $8.95.
• Drupal & Joomla:  Used for blogs, homepage, uploading photos, videos, ecommerce, ad servers and community features.  Drupal is free but it’s open source so according to the article there are many plug ins that you can use, but you may need to be a “ninja coder” for the install.  Joomla is also free but you will need assistance from experienced designers and programmers to build and maintain the platform.
• Vignette is everything mentioned above and you can practically add in the “kitchen sink.”  Vignette is for large businesses, with big budgets that want major customization on their websites and features such as reservations and online payments.

I hope that you will check out the Entrepreneur article and keep in mind the different platforms as you are strategizing for the best way to build a relationship or a community experience for your brands.

What platforms are you familiar with and what have you found to be helpful?