I found a really interesting annual study by Technorati called, “State of the Blogosphere 2011: Introduction and Methodology.” Of particular interest to me was the breakdown of the different types of bloggers and the motivations and consequences for blogging.  If I were to categorize myself in relation to this study, my blogging falls in two categories.  I am the Entrepreneur Blogger as well as the Hobbyist. I definitely don’t fit in the Corporate or the Professional Full Time or Part Time blogger.

As the Entrepreneur, I use blogging to discuss industry topics and to share my perspectives on public relations, social media and technology. I also enjoy blogging every week, because it’s my hobby. When I was younger I would horseback ride and participate in kick boxing.  Today, I find myself blogging for fun, to express myself, and my views about the changing media landscape. I’m also blog for my own personal satisfaction.

The Technorati study stated, “… we are seeing bloggers updating their blogs more frequently and spending more time blogging.  The type of information influencing blogging has shifted from conversations with friends, which was the primary influence in 2010, to other blogs, which for 68% of bloggers are having more of an influence in 2011.”  I recall in 2010, there was a question of whether or not people found blogs useful and if we were completely moving over to shorter forms of news and information (media snacking).  However, I still believe, blogging serves a specific purpose that you can’t find through other forms of social media, i.e., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

The main reasons why I rely on blogs/favorite bloggers is to get an inside view, deeper perspective, more insight on a subject or topic, to see if my perspective aligns with my influencers, and for information that only a particular blogger can review, breakdown and even translate for me (when a topic is complicated, i.e., technology).  I have been reading the same blogs for the last 3+ years and there’s a reason why I don’t deviate.  I am constantly learning from my blogger friends and I value the information that they are sharing. I trust them and the information they provide. I feel like I know them (in most cases I’ve even met them in person or had conversations).  I always look forward to receiving their posts through my RSS feed or even in my email inbox. As you can tell, I place a high value on these relationships.

Take a look at the Technorati study.  If you’re a blogger, it’s interesting to categorize yourself and to review the percentages of blogger motivations and consequences.  However, moving beyond the statistics, think about what really makes you want to blog and why you also rely on your favorite bloggers.  You might even want to let your bloggers know what it is you like so much about their community, so they keep delivering the most meaningful information.  I don’t think one study will ever make or break the State of the Blogosphere, but it’s great to see that bloggers are having more of an influence in 2011.

A Guest Post by Shonali Burke

As I’ve been getting more involved in social media over the last few years, one of the roads my career has seen me walk is that of teacher. Three years ago, I serendipitously landed an adjunct faculty position at Johns Hopkins, where, ever since, I have been teaching a course called “Communication dot Org; not-for-profits in the digital age.”

This has been rather a delightful turn of events. You see, I come from a family of teachers. Several of my father’s aunts and extended family were educators at the undergraduate and graduate level. It’s the same story on my mom’s side, with a few of the family founding schools that have, since their inception, grown extremely large. My mom herself became a teacher at a fairly young age, and retired as a senior administrator for one of India’s largest schools for boys (yes, they still have boys’ and girls’ schools there). Having completed her doctorate, my sister teaches… and now me!

So I suppose you could say teaching runs in the blood. Even in my theater days (I used to be an actress), while I loved the thrill of being on stage, what I enjoyed more than anything else were the workshops I’d hold for young people. I’d get to see them come out of their shells and grow in confidence. I’d get to watch them revel in discovering aspects of their characters they’d never before known existed. And to this day, I have former students who find me on Facebook, or Twitter, and say, “Ma’am, do you remember when…?”

It’s a heartwarming feeling and, no doubt, one of the main reasons so many wonderfully gifted people feel drawn to the academic world despite lower pay and less-than-ideal work environments.

If you think about it, though, all of us who practice in public relations are teachers, whether or not we are officially designated as such.

We teach up-and-coming professionals the right, and wrong, way to ply our collective craft. We teach our colleagues in other business units how to approach relationship building, the lifeblood of successful businesses. We teach – and learn from – other PR professionals by virtue of our tweets, our Facebook posts, our YouTube videos, our blogs. We even teach other organizations and businesses, sometimes clients, that “PR” isn’t just “spin,” or “publicity” … that it is a discipline that must be given its due if it is truly to help a business succeed.

I know many public relations practitioners who have teaching ingrained in them. They teach when they volunteer with PRSA or IABC (or other professional organizations). They teach when they become mentors to students. They teach when they participate in Twitter chats. They teach when they volunteer, through their sheer generosity of spirit, to help nonprofit organizations “get the word out” about campaigns.

They can’t help it. They are teachers.

So I ask you: if you’re not already teaching – consciously or unconsciously – what are you doing? Are you just going to work, earning a salary? Nothing wrong with that, we all need to do that. But what are you doing, over and above that, to advance our profession? What footprint are you leaving on the sands of public relations that future practitioners might some day walk in?

Who are you teaching today?

Shonali Burke is one of 25 women that rock social media. Her business turns your corporate codswallop into community cool. She also blogs, teaches, and cooks.

A Guest Post By Heather Whaling

As PR people, we’re constantly told, “Target your pitches” or “Build relationships with journalists” or “Help journalists meet their deadlines.”

But, are we practicing what we preach?

I recently used HARO (helpareporter.com) to find sources for a Mashable article I was writing. Normally, I’m the PR person responding to queries and pitching my clients, so it was a bit odd being on the receiving end of the pitches. Talk about an eye-opening experience.

While some of the pitches were fine – a few were even really good – a number of responses were examples of what not to do when responding to a HARO query … or pitching a reporter in general.

With that, based on my HARO experience, here are seven dos and don’ts for pitching media:

• Don’t be an annoying Twitter follower. I experienced two kinds of PR people through my HARO experience. The first kind sends a direct message before responding to the query, inquiring if the writer is interested. If you have a story that fits their query, then it’s safe to assume they’re interested. Respond to the query. Follow up after!

And that leads me to the second kind of PR person: The one who sends a random “at reply” just to say “Hey, I just sent you an email.” Well, great. I know sometimes we want to follow up with media via Twitter, but the message may be better received if it’s worked into a conversation. The out-of-the-blue reply felt a little spammy to me.

• Respect deadlines. If the writer’s deadline is Friday, that means he/she needs the info on Friday. (Seriously, I received multiple emails from people offering to send me information or schedule interviews the following week.)

• Pitch on target. My article was specifically looking for tips and best practices for incorporating Facebook into a product launch. I received multiple responses from PR people who went into extensive detail about their product … but didn’t tell me how they used Facebook. Don’t go on and on about your product, unless that’s relevant to the pitch. If I’m looking for tips, focus on that first. Then, give me the context.

• Offer enough “meat” in the pitch. Don’t just send a reporter an email offering to schedule an interview. Offer some insights about what kinds of tips, facts or anecdotes the interviewee can offer. Reporters will naturally gravitate toward the interview opportunities where they’re most likely to receive quality information for their story.

• Know who you’re pitching. I was working on a story for Mashable; yet more than one person sent me links to coverage their client received on competing sites. Even better, one suggested I pull information from that article. Why would I want to repeat information that’s already been published? And, if a reporter feels like your company’s story has already been well publicized, they won’t want to reiterate the same story. Give the reporter something fresh to work with.

• Be readily available. If you’re going to say, “Would you like details?” be standing by, ready to offer those details. Frequently, journalists work on tight deadlines, so they can’t wait days for you to respond. (And, yes, this means sometimes you even need to be available over the weekend.) I can’t tell you how many people took literally days to respond to my follow-up questions.

• Don’t respond and then go into hiding. Someone replied to my query and then went out of town. Everyone’s entitled to a vacation, but if you’re offering to connect a writer with a source, you can’t go into hiding. Turn on your out-of-office response and make sure it includes alternate contact information (either your cell phone or a back-up contact person).

What other tips would you offer to help PR pros brush up on their pitching skills?

Heather Whaling is president of Geben Communication, a boutique communication firm specializing in traditional and digital PR. Connect with Heather on Twitter (@prTini) on her blog (http://www.prTini.com) or on the company’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gebencommunication

Every week, it seems there is a new PR crisis sweeping across our Twitter streams. Groupon, Airbnb, Kenneth Cole, Esquire, the list goes on and on. Most recently, Netflix has faced backlash for their price hikes and response or lack there of. With all of these instances, it seems that companies still aren’t understanding the importance of a sincere apology. If they don’t understand, maybe they don’t know where to begin in this transparent climate. Well, here is the DNA of a good apology…

Timeliness

Growing up, my mom always made sure that I knew that an apology meant much more, sooner rather than later. The ability to apologize in the heat of an argument, issue, or mistake took great strength but resolved issues much quicker, and exhibited sincerity because it took courage to say and admit. Apologizing days or weeks later doesn’t mean nearly as much as a quick apology.

Companies and PR departments still are trying to grab this concept of timely transparency when it comes to admitting mistakes. It took Netflix weeks to address the price hike, as did Groupon when they were under fire for their Super Bowl commercial fiasco. Incidentally, those apologies were seen as hollow and didn’t diffuse the complaints that had been building. The opportunity for a calming voice came and went long before they actually stepped up.

Sincerity

As a 21 year-old in a long-term relationship, I guess you can say that I’ve had my fair share of experience in apologizing. First rule: Never say, “I’m sorry you felt that way.” Saying that, says that you’re not actually sorry for your actions; but rather you’re sorry because of the reaction you received. I can tell you right now that this is not a sincere form of apology and customers see right through it. Again, Groupon failed at this a while back, as have many other companies.

In today’s transparent line of communication from brands to consumers, you must admit fault or at the very least empathize with the angry customer. Remember, they don’t HAVE to give you their time and money. So, if you make a mistake, be sincere in your apology and understand what you did wrong… The customer is much more likely to understand and forgive for sincerity.

Resolution

I’ll tell you right now… an apology is not enough anymore.  Resolutions both requested and unrequested have become the standard. If you give an unhappy customer a resolution along with your apology at their request, they’ll be satisfied. Give a customer a resolution or gift without a request? You’ve just turned an angry customer into an evangelist. Don’t do either? Good luck.

People want to know you care, and while offering coupons and resolutions can’t save a bad product, it can definitely turn mistakes into fruitful opportunities. But beware, make sure that your customers would welcome these resolutions. I’m not positive how Netflix’s split into Qwikster will work out in the long run. But, I can tell you that it wasn’t a well-sourced change on Reed Hastings and co.’s part. The apology and resolution finally came, but the customer’s can tell that they are still not a priority.

We all make mistakes and will make many more. What separates the great companies from everyone else is the ability to express a human reaction in times where transparency is key. Being able to apologize and empathize in a sincere manner turns even the angriest of customers into believers.

Remember: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

This blog post was contributed by Harrison Kratz. Harrison is the Community Manager at MBA@UNC, the new MBA program offered through the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill which gives students the opportunity to earn their MBA online from a business school with a top twenty MBA ranking.  Harrison also sticks to his entrepreneurial roots as the founder of the global social good campaign, TweetDrive.

A Guest Post By Valerie Simon

• 1990:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I open up the yellow pages, or a copy of a local magazine to find a seafood restaurant nearby. I call two additional restaurants for more information and reservations.
• 2000:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I do a quick Google search and find several Seafood restaurants online in my area. I check out three websites, choose the one I want, and make a call.
• 2010:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I post a status update on Facebook asking for recommendations. Within 30 minutes I have numerous suggestions from friends with comments telling me what to order and even where to sit. I go to the website or FB page for the phone number and call.
• 2020:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I get dressed, hop in the car and  say “Grilled Tuna – $18” into an app on my mobile device and local seafood restaurants immediately respond matching my price, offering discounts and an online tour of the space. I click on the restaurant and see the reviews from all of my connections who have been there. Another click and reservations are set and an online hostess directs me to the parking lot.

Traditional advertising was all about the brand. Today companies understand that it’s about the consumer, and that companies are only important in regards to how they can satisfy customer needs. Until now, the burden of research for a sales transaction has been primarily on the consumer. Assisted by advertising, sales teams, marketing material, websites etc., it has been incumbent on the consumer to seek out prospective solutions. But why?

New platforms like Zaarly, described as the “the ultimate demand engine” by co-founder Bo Fishback, are empowering consumers in new and exciting ways. State what you need, and let others bid for your business. Social platforms like Quora and LinkedIn make it easy to crowd source specific expert advice, and in doing so influence purchasing decisions. And every new customer is suddenly an “expert” with the ability to share his experience with the marketplace;  New research by NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company, notes that 68 percent of social media users go to social networking sites to read product reviews.

Building and maintaining customer relationships has never been more important. Earlier today, watching the trailer for Brian Solis’s new book The End of Business As Usual, I was reminded of the harsh realities companies are facing in a new digital culture. A failure to listen to the marketplace, can be fatal, as Katie Paine recently noted, in her analysis of the now defunct VMS.

With such high stakes what steps must brands take to leverage the listening power of these new tools to create and grow brand evangelists?

Strive not to sell products or service, but relationships. At the end of the sales cycle, what have you achieved? Rather than “Always Be Closing” the new mantra should be “Always Be Opening.” Social media presents new opportunities to engage customers outside of specific sales. Find opportunities to open the door for continued conversation and to stay top of mind. Seek to turn your customer into an extended member of your sales team, someone who will be quick to offer  referrals, testimonials, and honest market intelligence.

Location, location, location… The social universe is grand. Your budget and resources likely are not. Carefully consider where your customers/prospects live online, before investing time and money. Extend your search beyond Facebook and Twitter. Those in the fashion and beauty industry certainly want to consider Tumblr. B2B organizations should consider taking advantage of LinkedIn and SlideShare. Seek out the forums and active industry blogs where your customers spend time. And if you cannot find a specialized network meeting the social needs of your customers, consider whether you have the resources to build your own community. Mercedes Benz does, and welcomed their youngest customers into “Generation Benz”, a branded social network that allows Mercedes to interact with customers and solicit feedback.

Implement a social CRM program that puts the customer at the center of the organizations operations Rather than pushing messages to customers, use social networks as a means to listen and converse with customers Listening is not a matter of simply hearing words. Listening requires a concentrated method of digesting the information, and using that information to take action. As this simple example from Fed Ex demonstrates, a strong social CRM program can help you head off potential problems and improve your customer experience.  Identify how customer feedback will be quickly heard and managed by the appropriate member of your organization. How will follow up responses and communications be efficiently managed?

Be on a continuous quest to add value Allow your customers and the greater marketplace to guide you in identifying opportunities to pursue and vulnerabilities to address. Listen not only to those issues that pertain to your product or service as it exists today, but seek to understand the greatest needs and challenges of your customers and in the marketplace.

What will the next level of social media platforms offer consumers? And out of curiosity, how do you think you will go about deciding what new restaurant to try in 2020?

Valerie is an innovative developer of teams, communities, products and communications programs.  Formerly Senior Vice President, BurrellesLuce, Valerie has directed the implementation of new and upgraded services, planned and executed social media initiatives, and used social media to build relationships and sales. She has had the opportunity to work with a gamut of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to regional hospitals and colleges to help integrate social media channels into existing marketing, communication and outreach programs and demonstrate ROI.  Valerie is passionate about the opportunity social media offers to build communities and business. Valerie is co-founder of #PRStudChat (PR Student Chat), a trending Twitter chat that brings faculty and students together for dynamic discussions with professionals and co-founder of HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out), an initiative designed to use social media to leverage relationships and help facilitate introductions between employers and prospective employees. Connect with Valerie on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+

As a job mentor, my main responsibility is to help my young professional friend find a new position. But, rather than discussing what he’s supposed to do to reach his job search goals, my post is geared toward my weekly responsibilities (not one but many) and what I have to accomplish to be more helpful and highly proactive in his search process.

Here are my weekly responsibilities as a job mentor:

• Review weekly reports submitted by my mentee that detail each day of the week and the different outreach approaches that are taken to connect with other professionals (emails with resumes, LinkedIn messages, telephone informational interviews, and letters sent to HR directors vs. PR professionals).

• Provide feedback on the reports to make sure my mentee is maximizing different types of outreach opportunities.  For example, I noticed early on that a great deal of his outreach was through LinkedIn, but there was not a lot of participation in Twitter chat sessions, with other PR professionals. Each week, I try to let him know exactly which chat sessions or Twitter hashtags (i.e., #prssa, #jobhuntchat, #happo, #prjobs) are great opportunities to not only network, but also learn tips and techniques for job hunting from other students and pros.

• Review job listings and pass along any opportunities that I hear about during the week.  I try to keep my eyes open and send along the opportunities as I see them, or I will make the direct connection, if the individual offering the position is a friend, or personal contact through one of my networks.

• Prepare for weekly interviews by discussing what questions might arise and how to answer them including: how much are you looking for in terms of salary, why do you want to work for our company, and what assets do you think you will bring to our organization?  We also review a few questions that are appropriate to ask the interviewer (these vary depending on the company/position), including the question about follow-up, especially if the interview concludes and the interviewer doesn’t mention the next steps in the process.

• Suggest in-person opportunities to attend each week. Social networking is great to make connections that can lead to an interview, however, there is nothing like the in-person networking event to really get to know potential employers or other professionals, who might lead you to an opportunity. I’ve already let my mentee know that this week’s job search event is HAPPO in NYC.  HAPPO is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a series of events across the country.  The HAPPO event in NYC is being held at Connelly’s Pub, and will have a wide variety of agencies including Burson Marstellar, MS&L, Devries, Peppercom, and Ruder Finn, who are actively hiring. The HAPPO event also has Meryl Cooper, managing director of the Home & Lifestyle at Devries Public Relations, and author of a book called Be Your Own Best Publicist, giving a brief 10-minute talk with some tips for job seekers.  I’ll be attending the HAPPO event, as one of the HAPPO NYC champions, but also I’m there to network and to share mentoring advice.

• Be available to answer questions as they arise during the job search process.  Being a job mentor is not just a once-a-week discussion because questions arise right before interviews, just afterward and really at all times during the week.  I try my best to answer in a timely manner because the job search can be stressful.  Sometimes I’m just there to guide, provide support and give encouragement. I realize that mentoring (just like any job) is not necessarily on a set schedule and you can work after hours too.  But, just like any job, I’m not on the clock and I work to get the job done.

As a job mentor, what do you have to accomplish each week to be more helpful and proactive in your mentee’s search process? And, as a job seeker, how are your job mentor’s helping you?

Last week I created a video blog about my reading regimen.  As I went over my favorite reading resources, two articles stuck in my mind.  It was the title of an Entrepreneur Inc. Magazine column called “THE WAY I WORK.” The first column highlighted Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, who described his work style as, “My style is to bust the door down and clean the mess up later.” I couldn’t get his work regimen out of my head.  Then when Iooked at the same column, a couple of months earlier.  Except this time, it was Gary Vaynerchuck letting everyone know that his style was, “Everyday, between every phone call – during every spare second – I’m on Twitter.”  These article had an impact on me. Although my post focused on how to stay “in the know” and how to keep up with the news with a daily reading regimen, in all honesty, that’s not why these articles or men stuck out in my head. The reason: there was something inherent in both of them with respect to their new influence … they truly owned it!

What do I mean by truly owning your influence? Once you achieve influence, which I’ll discuss in a moment, it’s how you maintain, manage and consistently give of yourself.  There are some new influencers, personalities such as Michael Arrington, Gary Vaynerchuck, Chris Brogan, Arriana Huffington, Charlene Li, and the list goes on, who I believe have reached positions of influence and to this day “own” their influence.  They continue to exhibit a combination of characteristics that have people riveted by their actions and following their every move.  It could be a combination of the driven attitude (“bust the door down”), the tireless energy that makes you never stop (“every day between every call on I’m Twitter”) or is it the power of social outreach and engagement that makes individuals soar to new heights of influence and remain as well known influencers.

When I think about influence, there are so many different definitions and calculations.  No one has said that there’s a right way and a wrong way to view influence.  And, no organization has come out with the only “influence” calculation. Studies are published every year about the top influencers and it’s a game of numbers from influencer rank to their reach and resonance.  But, if you really dissect influence, you have certain characteristics present with the fact that people (your peers) give other people influence because they registered high on a “value scale.” Then, if you don’t truly own your influence (manage and maintain it), as quickly as you gained influencer status, you can lose it too.

What about influence vs. popularity …  is it all about the numbers?  No, not necessarily, because as you gain popularity, the numbers most likely increase. However, at a certain point, you may lose touch with your closest circle or network, who gave you influence to begin with. In turn, this could make you less influential. You simply cannot maintain your close connection.  Of course, we can’t just look at the numbers because every web community has different influencers and the numbers in those influencer networks range from as small as a couple of hundred people to more than 1 million people.

So, what is the story behind influence…how does a person ride down the influence highway turning a page from ordinary communications to wild influence that’s driven and never sleeps, and, which affects people and the decisions they make?  I believe that influence starts long before you are ever named an influencer (it’s inherent in your personality) yet it’s not whether or not you are popular.  I bet today’s influencers have a story to tell about their steps to influence because it was a combination of factors over the years and more importantly, it’s what they are doing today to keep the influence.

Here are a few characteristics of an influencer:  Trust, in-depth knowledge, expertise of your industry, intense motivation and passion, a giving spirit, a winning attitude and the ability to “launch” with constant contact (both online and offline). Critical to influence is also having the right people around you, who will support your efforts and continue to be your champions. This is a “calculation” for influence, regardless of your numbers (Klout score, Twitter Grade, Twitalyzer).  If we can work more on these these characteristics, cultivate them (on a “characteristics scale”) to provide value and exhibit them consistently and tirelessly (owning it), then shouldn’t each and every one of us have what it takes to be an influencer?

What are the characteristics or your “calculations” that make an influencer and how does that influencer register on your value scale? And, whether they influence a few people or thousands, how do they own it?

The key to building an effective social media policy is to customize the guidelines to meet the needs of your organization. A well developed policy will guide your employees in the many ways that they engage in social communications. The best practice approach requires that your organization invest the time, resources, and effort to plan and build a policy that empowers the organization, allows people to understand the value of social media and helps them to see how they can better participate as internal brand champions.

I had the pleausre of working with PRSA to assist in the development of their social media policy, which was rolled out today. It was a great exercise because of the intricacies of an organization that serves more than 21,000 members. It’s a comprehensive policy, one that sets the standard for social media participation, gives guidance on engagement, and offers social media best practice resources to employees, volunteers and leaders. PRSA’s policy will grow and evolve as the organization extends its social footprint.

A best practices approach to creating the PRSA social media policy included the following steps in the development process:

• Finding a champion (in this case the PR manager) to spearhead the effort, corral the team and manage the process from start to finish.
• Building a coalition or core team that developed policy objectives across the organization so it would not only guide employees, leaders and volunteers, but also PRSA chapters, sections and districts. The coalition consisted of PR, marketing, executive leadership and the PRSA legal team.
• Conducting an in-depth audit to evaluate the current state of PRSA social media and to help standardize and promote better brand guidelines connected to social media participation.
• Encouraging participation and not stifling communication, going well beyond just the do’s and don’ts of social media. The policy also carefuly reviewed situations specific to the Society, and focused on where the organization needed to convey stronger messages, including legal concerns like privacy, intellectual property and disclaimers.
• Covering employee participation on behalf of PRSA, as well as including a statement on personal use. Understanding that employees will participate during their work hours and their own free time, it’s important that employees know the type of representation, responsibility and respect they must have for PRSA at all times.
• Considering several key areas in the policy, including access, account management, acceptable conduct and the rules of engagement, content, security and legal issues.
• Introducing leaders and members to the draft policy, asking them to evaluate usefullness by participating in a survey prior to launch. Feedback from the survey was incorporated into the social media policy to create an even stronger set of guidelines.
• Including other organizational policies — the PRSA Code of Ethics, the PRSA Branding Guidelines, the PRSA Style Guide and the PRSA Media Policy — fully integrating these policies into the social media policy, as they now relate to social outreach.

This is only a starting point for PRSA and its new social media policy. The Society’s policy will continue to evolve as the organization grows its social media presence and identifies increased opportunities for engagement.

It’s critical that the process of policy development continue throughout every phase of social media planning. PRSA will continue its best practices approach by implementing an organization-wide social media plan that allows departments to tailor it to their goals and strategies;  re-evaluating its policy during the strategic planning phase each year; and sharing the direction of its own social communications with leaders, volunteers and members.

What is your best practice approach to social media policy development and how has the overall process helped to create a strong set of guidelines for your organization?