Facebook and Google have stepped up their anti-Online News Act campaigns, announcing that they will remove links to Canadian news.

Don’t be too worried. Before advertising-supported social media, there was RSS. And there still is RSS. In fact, I think it’s a better way to get the news you care about from sources you trust – delivered directly to a newsreader that you can open in your browser when you want. You, not the social networks algorithms, are in control of what you read.

I use Feedly to subscribe to news sources I trust. It’s simple to set up and then just works – reliably and constantly.

So, if you’re wondering how you will access trusted Canadian news sources after Google and Facebook turn off the taps, check out Feedly.

The Guardian is reporting that John le Carré will resurrect his classic character, Spymaster George Smiley, one last time. Publication date September 7.

Will I be preordering the book? You bet.

Le Carré’s novels have been an ongoing presence throughout my life. And I can’t wait to see how he wraps up Smiley’s saga.

Source: George Smiley to return in new John le Carré novel, A Legacy of Spies | Books | The Guardian

Inside PR 441 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week on the Inside PR podcast, Gini Dietrich, Martin Waxman, and Joseph Thornley chat about more changes to Facebook and their impact on our news consumption and publishers. Oh, and we couldn’t let Boaty McBoatface go by without comment.

Martin tells us that Facebook is testing sections in its newsfeed – sports, entertainment, lifestyle, politics, etc. A good idea that will make Facebook a better browser experience for news.

Gini wants us to be sure to note that Buzzfeed has demonstrated that Facebook Live Video can aggregate broadcast-size audiences. Over ten million people watched Buzzfeed staff wrap elastic bands around a watermelon until it exploded. At one time during the forty minute broadcast 800,000 viewers were watching concurrently. Could there be any clearer indicator that if Facebook will build a video platform, we will come?

And dredging up for Joe memories of happy hours spent playing with toy boats in the bathtub, Boaty McBoatface showed that the public may have a better sense of humour than people in authority. If you ask a casual question, be ready for a whimsical answer.

Finally, Martin points out the recent article on Wired, Facebook has seized the media, and that’s bad news for everyone but Facebook. News is important to Facebook. But it’s not what Facebook cares about. Instead, the platform is focusing on packaging content as an experience that will draw us and keep us. The content doesn’t matter to Facebook as much as the packaging and whether it holds attention.

We’d love to know what you think.

Leave a comment on the blog, send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the FIR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Facebook group, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joseph Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

This post was originally published on the Inside PR Podcast blog.

Inside PR 437 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Twitter turns ten. Four tips for good writing. And a legal decision that brings nothing good to anyone.

This week, on Inside PR 437, Gini Dietrich and I fly without Martin Waxman. But we’ll all be back again next week. So, please come back.

This week’s first #IPRMustKnow: Twitter turns ten. It changed communications for Gini and Joe – and it’s still as relevant for us as it’s ever been. There’s been a lot of talk about Twitter being in trouble. And while it may not be meeting the venture capitalists’ expectations, it meets our expectations for a useful tool that we use every day. But as we look back, we know that Twitter was a learned tool. Just take a look at the very different first Tweets that Martin, Gini and Joe published.

Gini was true to her form, using Twitter to try another tool:

First Twitter post-for me a bit like jumping into a cold lake. I’ve been standing on the shore for a while just contemplating. Here goes.

— Martin Waxman (@martinwaxman) September 1, 2008

And Martin was loquacious. Why waste a good communications opportunity?

Testing ping.fm

— Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich) December 6, 2008

Finally, Joe was dry and matter of fact in his first tweet.

trying out twitter

— Joseph Thornley (@thornley) March 10, 2007

For our second #IPRMustKnow, we point to an article by Sylvia Stead, the Globe and Mail’s Public Editor, warning against the four most common sources of mistakes by journalists. As Gini and Joe see it, these aren’t just the source of errors for journalists, but also for any research-based writer. Stead suggests,

“…it’s worth keeping these things in mind: 1. Stay focused. 2. Don’t hurry. 3. Never assume you know. 4. Check one last time – especially names, numbers and factual statements.”

Finally, Gini and Joe talk about the Jian Ghomeshi trial and verdict in Canada. Not an easy issue. One on which we all have views. And not something that Gini or Joe would go near.

This post was originally published on the Inside PR Podcast blog.

Young people who have grown up with e-mail and texting don’t have a clue how to talk to clients, says the Phone Lady

This article speaks some truths that we should all pay attention to. Too many people use email as their primary means of communication at work. Email is good for transactions, quick agreement or sharing info. But it sucks for resolving differences or building relationships.

Source: The lost art of making a business phone call

Gini Dietrich and I are back with another episode of the Inside PR podcast. This week, we talk about two more tools for communicators: Google Analytics and Postmatic. You can listen to this episode or subscribe on iTunes.