CPRS 2009 national conference – Twitter notes

If you’re following me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed my recent propensity to live-tweet at events. I’ve tried to take my cue from Joe Thornley, who sets the bar high. And while I do like being an ersatz ‘reporter’, I know there’s a trade off between filing stories in 140 and full concentration. (I’m sure some psychologist will conduct a study to measure it.)

Here are some of my Twitter highlights from the CPRS national conference in Vancouver (or search the hashtag #CPRS2009):
@thornley Old PR is dying, our eyeballs are moving over to social media; the world is changing, media is evolving

@briansolis Press release just over 100 yrs old; journalists and bloggers have yet to get as excited about it as PR folks

@briansolis Reason why PR is in a state of crisis – we act like publicists, not evangelists

@dbarefoot: Social media sin 3: foist not thine spam upon yon rabble

@julieszabo: Social media sin 6 abandon not thy blog (try not to lose steam-that is easier said than done)

@terryflynn: 74 pct of Canadians felt Maple Leaf CEO had credibility during crisis; higher than Obama had on inauguration day

@maggiefox: In Social Media it’s important to focus on relentless innovation; the internet never sleeps

And finally…
@martin waxman: How much to we miss by live tweeting? I like doing it, but have to admit some trains of thought do leave the station without me. Just asking

Special thanks to the On The Edge organizers and to the student bloggers, @LesleyChang, @apparently_so, @mikedefault, @ashletts, and @stephleung who really added a lot of content and energy as they chronicled the event.

Should a business have a website?

It’s hard to believe that question was seriously debated by companies not that long ago (OK, in the ’90s). There was this newfangled worldwide web thingy and many organizations were just not convinced it was going to last.

I actually worked at a PR agency at the time where the senior partners felt it was too forward for a communications firm to have a website; they didn’t want to give away ‘proprietary’ information like the fact we did media and investor relations.

No kidding!

I even wrote a site for the agency (on my dime) and bartered my hours by doing pro bono work for a design firm who brought it to life. And even when I showed the principals the finished product, it was still shot down (post Y2K, no less). Bitter? Not anymore. But I don’t mind saying the lack of a website put us out of the running for a number of great accounts.

So why do I bring this up? Well, my very good friend, Gini Dietrich, wrote a post yesterday where she convincingly disputes a Newsweek story that contends there’s no value in social network if you’re a CEO.

And it took me back to the fearful, wrong-headed, backward-thinking, anti-internet agency I once worked at – and (thankfully) left.

Granted, change is difficult for many individuals and organizations. But ignoring an emerging trend is worse. Especially when that new technology can help you build and strengthen relationships.

Yes, it’s important to be strategic, think critically, make smart choices, not fall for all the pretty, shiny things. But wouldn’t we, as business leaders, want to embrace meaningful ways of engaging with our customers and actually having an honest and open dialogue with them?

I think CEOs are missing out on many potential opportunities if they’re not listening, understanding and participating in social communities of relevance to their businesses and them.

Who knows what we might learn?