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Public Information on PR & Comm.: The world's second oldest profession is blogging.

 We all know the world's oldest profession.  Suffice it to say parctitioners of that profession know a thing or two about love.  Wonder what the world's second oldest profession?  It's the military.  And they know a thing or two about war.  Seems they now know a thing or two about PR and social networking.  The U.S. Army has enlisted bloggers to tell followers what Army life is really like.  If there ever was an industry that suffers from negative PR it's the military (not the soldiers.)  I'm uncertain whether the effort will deliver the desired results. All it takes is a handful of disgruntled GIs, even a small minority, and the whole thing goes down in flames (pardon the metaphore.)  We'll be watching.

 

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4 lessons your brand can learn from the U.S. Army

Yes, the U.S. Army is still dealing with the tragic shooting that occurred on Nov. 5 at Fort Hood and the public relations ramifications of that event. However, what they’ve been doing on the social media front when it comes to recruiting and opening up real, honest conversations with potential soldiers is nothing short of amazing.

 
 
Public Information on PR & Comm.: With HARO you can be a hero with your client and the media
Of all the ways to pitch a story to a reporter, none is as straightforward "Help a Reporter Out" (HARO.)  This free service enables journalists to send out feelers for input they might need for a story they're preparing.  Instead of going begging, with HARO, you can be a hero to the client as well as the reporter.  I get two e-mail request updates everyday.  I review them to see if I can help by finding topics for which my clients could provide expertise or a quote.  This article is about the do's and don't of working with HARO.  Many of the rules apply generally to dealing with reporters, but they're worth reviewing anyway.  To see what HARO is about click here .

 

 Click on the title to access the complete articel.

 

How to pitch reporters on "Help a Reporter Out”
By Jessica Levco
jessical@ragan.com

A list of dos and don’ts for PR pros contacting journalists on Peter Shankman’s free service

"Forget the days when journalists called you for stories and waited for you to call them back.

"Thanks to Help a Reporter Out (HARO), journalists now have the resources they need at their fingertips. Created by Peter Shankman, this free Web site provides reporters with access to more than 50,000 PR pros representing a wide range of clients.

"After sending out an e-mail inquiry, reporters receive responses from PR reps offering information and experts who can’t wait to be their number-one source. For 21st century journalists, beggars can be choosers.

"But how do journalists choose? And if you’re a PR rep, how can you make sure your pitch gets noticed?

"Here’s what you should know about responding to a journalist’s inquiry, according to HARO experts:"

 
 
Public Information on PR & Comm.: Gestures say as much ad words.

Your gestures are an integral part of your communication whether you'r talking to a small group or to a large audience.  This is a very well thought out article about how different gestures in different situations impact what you're trying to convey.  This is a keeper.

 

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Are your Gestures Too Large or Too Small

Nov 16th, 2009

"Are Your Speech Gestures Too Small, Too Big, or Just Right?

Speech Gesture Size Should Scale with Your Audience"By now, you know that you should be complementing your speech with gestures.

"But do you know how big these gestures should be?

"In this article, you’ll learn to match the size of your gestures to your audience and venue.

 

"What is meant by gesture size?

"Just as your voice can be loud or soft, your gestures can be large or small.

"For example, consider the spectrum of hand and arm gestures.

  • Gestures involving your fingers only are small gestures.
  • Gestures pivoting at your wrist are a bit larger.
  • Gestures pivoting at your elbow are larger still.
  • Finally, gestures pivoting at your shoulder are large."

 

 
 
Public Information on PR & Comm.: How not to Lobby

 There's $27 billion in fines on the line for something Chevron did not do.  I don't know their financial status, but I suspect that that much money will significantly impact the dividends it distributes.  So they turn to lobbying.  Seems they faltered here as well.  The article is discusses what the company is doing to try and influence law makers who will ultimately decide how and where the penalty decision will be made.

 

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Chevron's lobbying campaign backfires

"Facing the possibility of a $27 billion pollution judgment against it in an Ecuadorean court, Chevron launched an aggressive lobbying and public relations campaign to try to prevent the judgment as well as reverse a deeply damaging story line.

 

"Chevron’s tactics — ranging from quietly trying to wield U.S. trade policy to compel Ecuador’s government to squelch the case, to producing a pseudo-news report casting the company as the victim of a corrupt Ecuadorean political system — were designed to win powerful allies in Congress and the Obama administration as well as to shape public opinion and calm shareholders.

 

"But many of the company’s moves have backfired, drawing fire from environmentalists, media ethicists, state pension funds, New York’s attorney general, members of Congress and even Barack Obama when he was a senator."

 
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