Morning dip – how I manage the social media overflow

I'm often asked how I find the time to what I do, which translates into: how I stay so active on social channels and especially Twitter and still get my work done.

A question for the ages…

It's not hard, really. But you have to make choices. 

(more…)

The face of a new media company

With all the talk about the upcoming Facebook IPO and the insights into their revenue (85% from advertising), it's hard not to consider them a media company. And if you've ever seen a presentation by the Facebook sales team, you've already figured that out. They start with data and effortlessly segue into ads. 

Then there's YouTube, (soon to be launching original channels with shows by well-known producers), not to mention Google+ and all the other Google products.  Twitter may claim otherwise, but aren't they really a social newswire?  LinkedIn has hired editors.  Pinterest is still in beta, but as a souped up catalogue with social elements, imagine the possibilities. 

(more…)

If the media model is broken, is PR far behind?

We all know MSM is in trouble and has been for some time. And because of that, many outlets are experimenting with innovative ways to reinvent themselves. This isn’t new. But it was reinforced recently at MESH11.

Emily Bell, formerly of the Guardian and now director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, says media has been shaken, turned and dropped from 30,000 feet and the new media landscape will comprise low revenue streams, low profitability and smaller organizations.  Huffington Post’s social media manager, Rob Fishman, claims that because information is no longer scarce, content becomes more about value than cost.

We accept that media is changing (has changed) irrevocably and the pay wall is not a fortress they can hide behind.

Which got me thinking: what does that mean for PR? (more…)

Is it time to ban voicemail?

Every Friday morning I look forward to our BPK sessions… er, ‘bitchin and pitchin in the kitchen’. The entire Toronto office gets together over breakfast to talk about the past week, identify trends, share ideas, celebrate wins, commiserate when we need to and just try to get better at what we do.

As often happens, we were chatting about the best way to reach out to journalists; in other words what can we do to help them and ensure they don’t consider us pests.   (more…)

A few nuggets from the editor of the Harvard Business Review