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PRobecast Podcast # 71 - Top Ten PR Myths

August 8th, 2008 by Tim

In these dog days of August, Tim Allik and Rob Capra take a shot at being PR contrarians in this special edition of PRobecast, with the latest, greatest Top Ten (Socal Media) PR Myths:

1. Social media is new
2. The phone is worthless
3. Email is useless
4. Print outlets are dead and insignificant
5. The press release doesn’t matter
6. Live tweeting at conferences is worthwhile
7. Social media increases PR productivity
8. The ability to multi-task is key to any PR project
9. CEOs typically give great media interviews
10. Reporters hate PR flaks more than ever

Don’t agree? Write a comment and let us know why!

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Category: Blogging, Journalism, Marketing, Media Relations, New Media Release, PR, PRobecast, Podcasting, Predictions, Social Media, Tips & Tricks | 6 Comments »

PRobecast Episode #70

July 29th, 2008 by Tim

This week on PRobecast, Tim Allik, Wendie Larkin, and Glen Zimmerman discuss:

How uncool is Cuil? The new search engine launched with the best buzz money could buy - but landed with a thud. The PR lesson learned? Terrific PR just isn't enough without a great product or service behind it.

Corporate blog relations. Friday's New York Times covers the trials and tribulations of blogger Brandon Dilbeck, who gripes about Comcast on his blog - and then complains when the company emails him to ask if they can do anything to work things out. Earth to Brandon, you can't have it both ways. If you want to keep your thoughts to yourself keep a personal diary. Otherwise, prepare to engage. And kudos to Comcast for reaching out.

Help a Reporter Out. At www.helpareporter.com, Peter Shankman's effort to distribute reporters' request for sources is taking the PR world by storm, with 20,000 subscribers to the service in just a few months. Are the folks at Profnet quaking in their boots? They probably should be, because HARO is free. D'oh! Our panelists float and consider a related idea: Could PR folks create a aggregated list of PR pitches (protecting embargoes and anonymity, of course) that could then be distributed on a regular basis to reporters? What do you think?

Is the press release dead? Before you start yawning in the face of the age-old question, consider our experience at Topaz with our client Language Weaver, a leader in statistical machine translation. We distributed a press release that linked to a podcast with one of the company's founders. The release itself was interesting enough for famed inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil to link to it from his website, www.kurzweilai.net. The one element missing from this equation? A reporter.

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is “Chase Me On A Bike” composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: Blogging, Business, Journalism, Media Relations, New Media Release, PR, PRobecast, Tips & Tricks, Web | 3 Comments »

PRobecast B2B Special #1: John Cass

July 20th, 2008 by Todd

There are lots of good examples of B2C social media successes out there (you have to dig, but they're out there).

But try looking for B2B examples. They're few and far between.

We're trying to put an end to that. We're therefore launching a PRobecast series that will highlight the B2B social media examples and (hopefully) successes.

Our first guest of the series is John Cass, SNCR founding fellow and online community manager at Forrester Research. I had a chance to meet up with John at Podcamp Boston 3 this weekend.

John shared some excellent B2C examples at the June Social Media Club Boston event, but these weren't really focused on B2B.

So today, John and I talked about a few B2B social media examples, including:

* Scuderi Group
* Emerson Process Management
* Indium Corporation

Oh yeah. And this one:

Do you have examples of B2B social media success you'd like to share? Drop us a line! We'll have you on the next installment!

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is “Chase Me On A Bike” composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: B2B, PRobecast, PRobecast Special | 4 Comments »

PRobecast #69: Google, National Public Radio and swearing

July 19th, 2008 by Todd

Todd Van Hoosear is joined by Rob Capra and Stephanie Shultis for this week’s PRobecast, number 69!

This week's topics:

1. THE NEW YORKER CARTOON SCANDAL

2. BUMPER STICKERS AND FACEBOOK GROUPS

3. SWEARING ON THE JOB

4. GOOGLE: LAMENTS THE DECLINE OF NEWSPAPERS WHILE IT CUTS BACK ON ADVERTISING

5. NPR SACKS BPP WHILE IT OPENS UP

6. HAVE FUN AT PODCAMP BOSTON THIS WEEKEND. WE’LL SEE YOU THERE!

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is “Chase Me On A Bike” composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: PRobecast | 1 Comment »

PRobecast Musical Interlude 2

July 4th, 2008 by Todd

Happy 4th of July, Canada Day, etc. Since there’s nobody left around here but me, it’s time for another musical interlude. As with the last time, all this music is available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our first artist is Michael W. Burgess performing "The Broken Promise." He's followed by Lauren Zettler's "Over My Head" and Matt Stevens' "Dolls House."

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is “Chase Me On A Bike” composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: Music, PRobecast | No Comments »

PRobecast #68: Gloucester, Bad PR Jobs and Pay Gaps

June 28th, 2008 by Todd

Rob Capra is joined by Chia Hsuan-Wu, Wendie Larkin, Stephanie Shultis, Katelyn D’Eramo, Malinda Singh and Todd Van Hoosear.

Our topics this week:

1. GLOUCESTER HIGH: The not so perfect storm

2. COMMUNICATIONS VERSUS PR

3. EIGHT MOST CHALLENGING JOBS IN PR

4. PR GENDER PAY GAP

5. WHO’S MORE TRUSTWORTY, BLOGGERS OR TRADITIONAL MEDIA?

6. PR TOOL OF THE WEEK: TWINGLY

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is “Chase Me On A Bike” composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: PRobecast | No Comments »

PRobecast #67: The A.P., Ownership and Measurement

June 20th, 2008 by Todd

Hello and welcome to episode #67 of PRobecast, Topaz Partners’ weekly podcast exploring the latest developments in the world of social media and public relations! Todd Van Hoosear is joined by Amy Krigman, Stephanie Shultis, Wendie Larkin, Chia-Hsuan Wu and Rob Capra. Our topics this week:

1. THE A.P. CRACKS DOWN ON BLOGGERS
The A.P. “has seen the enemy, and it is blogs”. It issued takedown orders to the Drudge Retort for including quotes of AP content. Is YOUR blog next?

2. WHO OWNS SOCIAL MEDIA?
Jeremiah Owyang is putting together a series of social media FAQs, and yesterday he asked “who owns social media?” It’s a VERY good question.

3. MEASUREMENT
Poor K.D. It seems that ‘ad equivalency” just won’t die. Why?

4. THE CAMPAIGNS EMBRACE SOCIAL NETWORKING
On Tuesday, Obama hit the 1 million supporter mark on Facebook. McCain is putting videogames and videos up on his site. People are competing to get seats on campaign buses. What’s next for the campaigns?

5. For more on the A.P. story, Twitter and Twebinars, check out this week’s Media Bullseye Radio with yours truly as a guest.

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music was composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: PRobecast | 1 Comment »

PRobecast #66: Tweeple, Spam and MySpace’s Facebooklift

June 16th, 2008 by Todd

Hello and welcome to episode #66 of PRobecast, Topaz Partners' weekly podcast exploring the latest developments in the world of social media and public relations!

Todd Van Hoosear is joined by a crack panel of account executives and coordinators, including Joanna DiTrapano, Malinda Singh, Katelyn D'Eramo, Chia-Hsuan Wu and Stephanie Shultis.

1. TWEEPLE RULE. What's YOUR favorite word, technological or event mashup?

2. SPAMIVERSARY. Can you believe it's been 30 years?

3. SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE ENTERPRISE. A recap of Enterprise 2.0 and the Boston Social Media Club Enterprise events.

4. MYSPACE GETS A FACEBOOKLIFT.

5. RIP TIM RUSSERT.

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music was composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: PRobecast | No Comments »

PRobecast #65: Scottygate, Popcorn and Summer Reading

June 6th, 2008 by Todd

Hello and welcome to episode #65 of PRobecast, Topaz Partners’ weekly podcast exploring the latest developments in the world of social media and public relations!

Todd Van Hoosear is joined by Tony Sapienza, Wendy Larkin, Glen Zimmerman and Ann Dalrymple.

1. SCOTTYGATE
CBS News’ Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen blasted the PR profession, but is the legal profession any better?

2. POPCORN AND CELLPHONES
Scary, but is it true? And what should Orville Redenbacher and CTIA do about it?

3. PRESS RELEASE GRADER
David Meerman Scott called our attention to HubSpot’s new Press Release Grader

4. Are technology companies losing their edge?

5. SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Lessons for PR folks from eWeek’s Joe Wilcox on why PR people shouldn't try to hide information.

6. Have you gotten in line for your iPhone yet? Do you like Apple? Do you like how Apple markets its products?

7. SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS
Ours include:
* Tom Perkins (of Kleiner Perkins), Valley Boy
* K.D. Paine, “Measuring Public Relationships”
* Josh Bernoff, “Groundswell” – at least for the case studies
* Don Tapscott’s and Anthony D. Williams’ “Wikinomics”
* A couple of USA Today reporters got together to write “Zero Day Threat”, a real-life book about cybercrime that reads like a novel.
* I guess we have to add Scott McClellan’s book too…

8. WHAT TO DO NEXT WEEK
Enterprise 2.0 is next week, and with it is their Enterprise 2 DOT OPEN show. Also, LP&P is hosting this month’s Social Media Club Boston event on enterprise social media case studies.

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here: View RSS XML

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music was composed by our own Rob Capra.

Have a listen to some of our past PRobecasts…

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Category: PRobecast | 4 Comments »

Probecast Interlude

June 2nd, 2008 by Todd

A musical interlude for you, courtesy of PRobecast and the Podsafe Music Network (http://music.podshow.com/). We’ll be back on Friday with a new edition of PRobecast!

MP3 File

ARTISTS:

1. Blake Morgan, No Surprises (Radiohead, Authorized Cover)
2. Karmacoda, Skylines
3. CSHC, Nerd Illuminati

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Category: Music, PRobecast | No Comments »