Are you a social media addict?

I have a confession to make: I think I am.

And I wonder if you may be one too.  Worried? Not sure where to turn? Do you want to know the signs?

If so, please check out the guest post I did on the Spin Sucks blog.  Anonymity is guaranteed; no one will know you read it…

And by the way, I hate to admit it, but  even though it’s a holiday in Ontario, I’m still online writing about it.

Special thanks to @ginidietrich and @danielhindin for asking me.

Let me know if you have any more symptoms to add – and if we should start a virtual 12-Tweet meetup.

Recent thoughts on social media

I’ve done a couple of interviews on social media in recent months: Barbara Nixon’s Public Relations Matters (skype video interview); and Andy Donovan’s Tweep in Profile (‘old-fashioned-new-fashioned’ print).

And I want to say a big thank you to both of you for thinking of me!  It’s much appreciated.

And… if you want to hear more (watch out for the plug), I hope you’ll check out Inside PR, the weekly podcast where Gini Dietrich, Joe Thornley and I talk about what’s happening in PR and social media.

I’m always interested to hear what you think.

A small point of clarification

For anyone who’s read my last two posts, I just want to mention that, no… I am not transitioning this to a travel blog.

Thanks for sticking with me.

The other side of the coin

I feel privileged to be of the Toronto folks selected to spread the word about Virgin America’s new TO/LA or SF flights. Actually, when I first got the email offerng a ticket, I thought it was a scam.  It wasn’t!

So here I am, in-flight, and posting from 30,000 feet (or so). OK, I know this is no moon walk, but it’s feels pretty amazing being connected up on high.

What do I think of Virgin America?

Well, they’re friendly and helpful – from check-in to the gate to the plane – and they have a more casual and humourous attitude than some of the other airlines I fly. You see it in the FAA-required info video, produced as a quirky animation (‘if you’re one of the .00001% of the population that doesn’t know how to buckle a seatbelt, here’s how you do it…’).  From a design perspective, the interior reminded me of an old house renovated and modernized with stylish colours and accents. I liked having the option of chatting with people in other seats via the AV system – not that I did.  And of course, there’s the wi-fi… Would I fly it again? I guess I should really wait till we land before answering, but I so far absolutely. Would I recommend it to people? Yes.

As I was sitting in the airport waiting to board and thinking about my post, it occurred to me that it would be the result of being pitched and, like a media person PR firms invite to an event, there was a reciprocal, if implicit, expectation in place.  I would receive the free trip and, in exchange, hopefully be motivated to share my experience.

I first heard about this concept of reciprocity from author and psychologist Robert Cialdini. The essence is simple: if I give you something, you will feel an obligation to give me something in return.

And really that’s the core of media/blogger relations.  We provide a story/information/news and hope that we get editorial coverage.  I also wondered whether the reciprocity might make me (or anyone) a little kinder in my review (they gave me something after all).  Probably.

Because so many PR people are blogging, we often find ourselves on the other side of the request.  (We talked about this on Inside PR 2.13.)  And this gives us an opportunity to experience what a pitch feels like.  I always suggest that young practitioners try their hand at being published (and yes blogs count!) so they can gain an understanding of a journalist’s perspective more clearly. And hopefully, by empathizing and learning we will improve our approach.

But back to the matter at hand.   I’m ready for more pitches and I sure do like cars :).

There’s no business like PR business

OK, there is… there is…

But the business part of running an agency is often considered second to the practice of PR.   It’s been said that communicators don’t understand the intricacies of business goals and this lack of knowledge has been one of the things that’s relegated the industry to a seat at the kid’s table (as opposed to the grown up table in the C-suite).  And perhaps this is reinforced in PR schools,  where the emphasis is on communications (of course) but few, if any, classes cover business.

So where can we find the expertise we need to successfully understand our client’s businesses and run our own?

I get it from PRSA’s Counselors Academy’s annual spring conference, happening May 21 to 23.   I’ve blogged about the organization before and am the Canadian rep on the executive committee.  Counselors is my annual PR agency business summit – three days of learning, sharing and socializing that provides me with the tools I need to improve my firm.

This year’s theme, ‘Looking Up: Lessons and Conversations to Move Your Business Forward’ explores strategies we need to do to emerge from the recession and once again build businesses focused on innovation and growth.  And it fits in well with the locale – the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina.

Here’s a link to the program.  There will be keynotes by PR 2.0 author and thought-leader Brian Solis and leadership expert Randy Hall; a pre-con session geared to creating a smashing social media plan by Jay Baer; and many first-class sessions and roundtables including how to grow leaders within an organization, a panel on the new listening and monitoring, strategies to successfully add social media and digital capabilities to your agency mix, Darryl Salerno’s fourth annual English as a Second Language (you really aren’t smarter than a fifth grader) and much more superb content.   It’s also a wonderful time to network, get answers to tough questions, and meet and become friends with an incredibly sharp, insightful, friendly and open group of people.  I’ve said this before but it’s the highlight of my PR year and I come back energized and excited to be in the profession.

Here’s where you go to register.  Hope to see you there.

Note: My Ex-Comm buddies Abbie Fink and Roger Friedensen suggested I also include Counselors’ Facebook and Linkedin pages to give you a bit more flavour.  (Thanks.)

Southwesterly pilgrimage – testing

I feel like I’m on a pilgrimage of sorts, heading to SXSW for my first time. And, sitting at the airport waiting to board an early flight (having braved the March break crowd), I figured I’d test the mobile WordPress app I downloaded.

It works fairly smoothly. Not sure how to embed URLs yet. I may have to do that post-publishing. Any tips are welcome.

I’m hoping to do some mobile blogging during the Festival, alternating that with Twitter.

We’ll see…

Two Ps in a PodCamp (Toronto)

That’s people and programming.

And at PodCamp Toronto 2010, the two are inextricably intertwined.

For anyone who hasn’t been, the annual event takes place February 20 and 21 at Toronto’s Ryerson University. It’s an energy-filled, somewhat entropic, fun exchange of social media ideas, applications and conversation – a place where all the Twitter avatars you’ve gotten to know meet IRL.

The eclectic line-up of sessions – with more being added every day – ranges from business and mobile case studies, to a walk through social media marketing ecosystem, tips on editing an interview as if it were music, death and your digital legacy, saving newspapers…  There’s even a live recording of Inside PR (I hope you’ll drop by with questions…).

Here’s where you go to register.

My big questions is: will anyone have an iPad to preview?

Hope to see you there.

Moving day… (for the blog, that is)

Happy 2010! It’s hard to believe I’ve been working on my blog for three years now – and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and sharing your thoughts as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

I’ve learned a lot in that time, met so many great people – both online and off – and look forward to continuing – but with a slight twist.

One of the things I did during the holidays was pack my bags, set up a blog on WordPress, migrate my entries and comments and, painstakingly add in all the tags – one at a time. (They came through as categories.) And other than the little glitch with the tags, the transfer was pretty seamless.

The blog will have the same name and focus: PR, social media and trends. But it will now have a different domain, platform and slightly new look. The new address is: www.martinwaxman.com (here, that is).

For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be tinkering with the design, so think of this as the beta version. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

I’m also going to be cross-posting in both blogs for a while. But I’m hoping to be fully moved in and settled by the end of January. So drop by, sat a spell, y’all come back now…

The secret of comedy?

…Timing.

Yes, that’s the punchline to an old joke but it’s also very true. And for a comic, material (content) is key – but equally important is its delivery (timing).

In other words, is your message getting to the people you’re trying to reach when they’re looking? (That’s what retail is all about.)

I was thinking about timing this morning; I always do at the end of the year reflecting on what’s ahead, looking back.

And I realized that, in addition to standout content, timing is of the essence for PR and social media.

For example, if you’re trying to reach a business audience, should you post a new blog entry on Saturday afternoon or would it have more impact on a weekday? When are the people you’re trying to build relationships active online? Are they too busy thinking about something else (the holidays, for instance) to pay attention to your message? What’s the optimal time to publish to reach your goals?

I think as social media moves to the mainstream, we need to blend immediacy with appropriate timing. Sure we want to share some things right away – but before we do, let’s stop for a moment and think about whether this is the best time to publish or press send.

Of course, I should probably hold this post till after the holidays, but sometimes you break your own rules.

Thanks for sticking with me and reading my blog this year. I want to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a truly enjoyable holiday season. It’s time!

Introducing my social media class

Well, the social media for PR course I’m teaching at McMaster University is half over (hard to believe) and the students are busy working on their blogs. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce and welcome them to the online community.

Name	Blog title	Twitter
Devorah Abrams Farmer	Devorah’s Blog	@dvora24
Suad Abukamla	Suadabukamla’s Blog
Natalie Ardanaz	Natalie’s Blog	@prNatAttack
Lisa Atkinson	Lisa M. Atkinson blog	@weezie130
Christine Davis	My New Digs	@MzCrisy
Sonja Dowbiggin	Staying Alive in the 905	@sonjaferne
Donna Drake	Dawna’s Blog	@dawnadrake
Paul Jones	Collapse of the West	@jonespt
Giselle Kimos	HR and more…	@gisellekimos
Lesley Morris	It’s All About Relationships	@LesleyM100
Julia Oudeh	JuliaOudeh’s Blog	@JuliaOudeh
Jotsna Pervin	JBPV’s Blog	@aeyshapakhi
Helen Powers	Socially Responsible Thoughts	@HelenEPowers
Madeline Robins	You, Me and Poverty	@madelinerobins
Margaret Shkimba	In the Sisterhood	@inthesisterhood
Mark Skeffington	About Cities	@markskeffington
Allyson Wenzowski	Allyson’s Publicity Works School Works Blog	@allysonpw
Kaan Yucel	Kaan’s Dervish Lodge	@soulician

If you have a chance and visit their sites, you’ll see an eclectic group; original voices writing about a wide variety subjects including living the unemployed life, corporate social responsibility, city politics, HR, women in society, being a new homeowner, a doctor’s view of the mind, and many more.

And, if you do drop by, please share your comments and thoughts. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.

Special thanks to Joe Thornley for suggesting I do this.

Musings on meshmarketing

Last week, I attended meshmarketing – a one-day gathering in Toronto highlighting social media case studies and best practices.

The event took place at CiRCA, a Toronto nightclub. And I have to say, I wasn’t ready for the stanchions, bouncer attitude and red carpet at 8 in the morning. In fact, it felt like I was entering a super-cool boutique hotel – dark and with plenty of attitude. I got the impression that many of the staff had not been on the job at that time of day in a long, long time.

However, my eyes (and attitude) adjusted before the sessions. Here are my Twitter-notes highlights:

Keynote Gaping Void/Hugh MacLeod:

– Human beings socialize around objects; we talk about them; share knowledge.
– Web 1.0 = search. Web 2.0 = share.
– Products don’t go viral just b/c you throw a lot of money behind them.

Facebook’s Elmer Sotto:

– Facebook thinks people want to interact with brands in much the same way as they connect with friends.
– Think about FB user experience, profile, compelling profile visual (doesn’t have to be logo) & thumbnail image.
– On FB brands should pace their posts, establish an ‘editorial’ calendar and [not] overdo it.

Measurement guru Katie Delahaye Paine:

– Measuring eyeballs shifting to measuring engagement; numbers go down but quality of dialogue goes up.
– People measure; computers count. You need people to analyse the results.
– Improve reputation by changing conversation: listen first then respond, and stop doing stupid things.

With one exception, the sessions offered useful tips and practical approach – the same high calibre as Mesh but in a change-of-intensity setting. And I liked that the level of information was aimed at people with a working knowledge of social media and not at the beginner level.

I also had a chance to record a couple of 4Qs for a future Inside PR podcasts.

If you were there, do you have any other nuggets to add?

CPRS Toronto gets connected

As many of you know, I’m the president of CPRS Toronto and, if you’re in the city, I’d encourage you to attend our first fall professional development event.

It’s a panel discussion on October 15 called ‘Get Connected: Building Virtual Relationships to Expand Communications’.

It features three savvy social media strategists, Michael O’Connor Clarke, Eden Spodek and William Young, talking about how we can use social media tools to engage and connect with our communities online and in real life.

I’ll be moderating the session.

If you’re interested, here’s some information on the event. Hope to see you there.

The PR list

I was recently honoured to be part of Valeria Maltoni’s list of 100 PR people to follow on Twitter. I can only imagine how much research it took her to assemble and review each person, read their blogs and put in all the links.

It features some really smart PR folks and original thinkers (many of whom I’ve been following for a while). Talk about being in good company…

And, if you go here, Neville Hobson’s assembled the group so you can easily select the ones you want to check out.

Thanks to all the new folks who found me. I’m trying to catch up, but it will take me a little time. In the meantime here are a couple of things you may want to know:

• I look at every follower’s profile, read a bunch of tweets and often click on your website to get a sense of who you are and your personality
• I’m particularly interested in people who work in PR/communications/social media, but I’m also open; again it’s all about personality
• I try to follow back if we have a couple of conversations
• I never auto-DM

Looking forward to ‘meeting’ and engaging with you.

And a special thank you to Valeria for including me!

Inside PR #170…recording

In the grand broadcast tradition of summer re-runs and new fall shows, we’re happy to say that Inside PR is back!

This season, the shows are going to be completely scripted… OK, maybe not. But they will be tighter with a main theme and some special features including 4Qs: four-questions for PR and social media luminaries; and ‘-30-‘, where Terry, Dave and I sound off on a topic of our choice for half a minute. (I promise I’m going to time my segment from now on.)

We’re also planning to take the show on the road for more live recordings.

And you can follow us on Twitter @Inside_PR.

I hope you’ll tune in, keep sending us your ideas (either as a comment or via Twitter) and continue to share your thoughts.

And thanks for listening.

-30-

Back to school

Every fall, I (and a ton of other folks) get nostalgic about returning to school. Of course, I never did, though there were times when I seriously considered it.

But now I am heading back to the hallowed halls of academe – as a sessional instructor at McMaster University’s PR program. I’m teaching a class in Social Media for PR (you need to scroll down to see it).

As a first-time course, there’s a lot to think about and prepare. My goal is to present a strategic framework that shows how to integrate social media and PR. There’s going to be a significant hands-on component as students jump into the conversation and explore blogs, Twitter, podcasts, video other social networking tools.

I’m hoping to include some emerging trends and issues as they happen (hey, isn’t it all emerging?). I’m also planning to invite some guest lecturers, both live and online.

From time to time, I’ll be posting about what we’re doing in the class, asking for your thoughts/suggestions and hopefully introducing some new voices.

It’s starts on September 12 and runs through the fall (and – plug – there are still a couple of places left).

So after all these years, I get my wish. Now, I just have to figure out which coloured pencil set to buy…

See you in September…

I suppose I’m a bit late writing this, since it’s been about three weeks since my last post. But my alternating half-cation throughout August (away with a few meetings/back at work/away with a few meetings/back at work, etc.) has left me trying to catch my breath at the office and at home. It reminds me of my old friend, comic Lou Dinos’, routine about a greasy spoon: I’m not sure if I should ‘stay or go…’

And, while I have a number of half-started posts and, of course, a case of blogger’s guilt – so much to say, so little time to rewrite – I’m heading out again tomorrow and I won’t be back to the blog for at least another week.

That said, it’s been fun experimenting with cut-up holidays. I feel both refreshed and exhausted (but almost completely in the loop). I’ll probably keep it up but with more consecutive time away next year.

So, as they used to say in the teen movies, see you in September (sealed with a tweet)…

Self-promo: one on one…

Dave Forde, publisher of PR in Canada, recently launched a series of interviews with PR/social media folks across the country called: ‘One on One’.

My take on the industry is featured today.

I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

(Thanks Dave.)

Coming soon…

It’s been a while since I posted. And those of you who follow me on Twitter probably know I’ve been traveling, meeting and tweeting – and trying to keep up with emails.

But I will be back shortly with a number of posts, including updates on Counselors Academy and CPRS conferences, three things I’ve learned from the recession (so far) and some ideas on the new PR.

Stay tuned.

A few words from the new CPRS Toronto president

As many of you know, I recently became president of CPRS Toronto. This was not the result of any astute political campaigning or soon-to-be-broken promises, but part of the regular succession process (I was first VP).

I’m excited to be taking the reins of the organization – one that I believe in – at a time when I think we’re at a crossroads in profession (both economically and in its practice). I feel there’s a strong opportunity for CPRS Toronto to really become a leader in combining social media with traditional PR, something I talk about in my first prez’s message.

But it’s not up to me alone and I look forward to hearing from members with their thoughts and ideas about how to achieve this.

I also wanted to let you know that from time to time, I will be highlighting CPRS Toronto events and programs (not that I haven’t in the past).

And I would like to thank past president Lawrence Stevenson for his vision, passion and commitment to the organization. Big shoes to fill, Lawrence (and I don’t mean that literally).

PodCamp 2009

If you’re a PR person interested in social media, blogging, podcasting and the latest developments, tools and trends, I’d encourage you to sign up for PodCamp 2009 in Toronto, Feb 21 and 22. It’s a great opportunity to learn more and have a chance to trade stories and meet other practitioners.

This year, Palette is pleased to be one of the event sponsors.

Hope to see you there.