Shel Israel has naked conversation with Ottawa communication executives

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Shel Israel met in Ottawa today with a group of about 30 government and private sector communications executives. Most of the attendees’ organizations have taken only preliminary steps in social media or have yet to engage with it. All were intensely curious about its potential impact on their organizations.

Shel led off with a brief introduction of the basic theme of Naked Convesations: Think of people having a conversation across their back fence. Without guile. One to one. Making judgments about what to accept at face value and what to dig further into. Through social media, people can connect via the Internet as if they were talking across their virtual back fence. And people with shared interests are seeking one another out and building new communities that transcend the confines of geography.

He then fielded questions from the audience.

How essential is it for a company to have a blogging strategy when making an announcement? It’s clear that people today go to Google as their first source of information. I want to know about a subject? I go to google. And blogs have “google juice” – they rank high on the search engine listings. So the answer is that companies should plan to reach bloggers in order to present a complete picture for those who will look for information regarding what the company is announcing.

How do you know who to trust? By becoming part of the community. By engaging in the conversation on an ongoing basis, you will identify the voices of authority and establish a trusting relationship with them.

What are the downsides for companies and organizations that fail to engage with social media? One, the MySpace generation – now 60 million strong – will not be keen to work for companies or organizations that do not adopt the kind of online communications that they have grown up with.

How to overcome the reluctance of senior executives to engage in blogging? Start with the recognition that the genie is already out of the bottle. Blogging is established and here to stay. Understand that companies that don’t blog will be suspect, regarded as companies that are not transparent and open to scrutiny.

Corporate fears? What if somebody comes to my site and says something nasty? Well, they’ll say it somewhere. Better that they say it on your site, where they’re like to be more polite and where you’ll see it and be able to react.

Seepage of intellectual property? There have been few instances of this. And employees should be covered with nondisclosure and ethics agreements as part of their employment agreements.

Ghost writers? Ghost writing is hokey. Better that someone writes with grammar mistakes and poor spelling than to have something polished by another voice. Readers can see through ghost-written blogs. And they rate them poorly.

Re Scoble and putting a human face on Microsoft. This can be done by other organizations. Companies can humanize themselves by freeing employees to speak about their enthusiasms, about what they and others believe about the place they work.

There are many people who believe that just being honest about our imperfections builds our credibility on the statements that we make. The resistance to own up to our failings is one of those things that distances and alienates organizations from their employees, their communities and their customers.

Blogs should be spin free zones. Authenticity is built by telling, not by selling.

Successful blogs are full of authority and passion. Shel pointed out that he periodically “picks a fight” with people. He speaks out if someone is spinning or denying the evident truth. He cited Robert Scoble’s recent calling out of HP as another example of a blogger speaking to their passion.

How to approach lawyers objections? According to Shel, lawyers are in the business of counselling you on how to avoid risk. But businesses cannot achieve anything without some risk.

Windows Live Writer rocks!

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I’m writing this post at 25,000 ft on board my return flight from the Ragan Strategic Public Relations Conference in Chicago. And I’m using Windows Live Writer Beta to do it.  Just like I used Live Writer for all my posts from the Ragan Conference.

I usually write directly into WordPress. And I’ve been very happy with the WordPress Write screen. I’ve found that it gave me all the flexibility I needed.  

However, in the past year, I’ve tried to Live blog the PRSA Counselors Academy Conference, IABC International Conference and now the Ragan Conference. At each one, the Wi Fi was spotty, working in some rooms but not in others.

At the earlier conferences, I composed my posts in Word and then pasted into NotePad to strip out any stray coding and then, finally pasted into WordPress to blog. And then I still needed to add links and insert images and pictures. What a time consuming process!

Enough of that! I decided to try an offline blogging platform at the Ragan Conference. So, I downloaded Windows Live Messenger Beta.

Wow!

A breeze to set up. I had no problems setting it up for both my external blog, ProPR and my internal company blog (accessible only behind our firewall.) It captured the different templates of each of my blogs and allows me to switch between them with a single click of a drop down menu.

And then I started to write with it. Even better! I found that it offered much more flexibility in handling images and quotes than the standard WordPress Write screen. I was able to add pictures and images while offline. And all of the text styles conformed exactly to my WordPress styles. It also captured my Categories so that I could add those offline. And it allowed me to prepare the framework for my posts in advance (picture of speaker, title, boilerplate description of topic), save the post and then open it for editing during the session with no need for wireless.

Great so far. But how about publishing? The best. One button publishing posted it to my Blog. It integrated perfectly into WordPress.

Bravo Microsoft. Windows Live Writer is a great application that does what it promises to do.

Shel Israel in Canada to discuss social media

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Shel IsraelIf you live in Toronto or Ottawa, you will have a chance this week to meet Shel Israel, co-author with Robert Scoble of Naked Conversations.

Shel will be speaking twice in Ottawa. On Monday evening, he will be kicking off the Third Monday series of Meet Ups for public relations types interested in social meda. On Tuesday at lunch, he will be the first speaker at this season’s series of OCRI Zone5ive gatherings of the Ottawa technology marketing community.Naked Conversations

On Tuesday evening, Toronto bloggers and podcasters will have a chance to meet and talk with Shel at the inaugural Third Tuesday gathering.

Register directly online to attend OCRI Zone5ive, Third Monday and Third Tuesday.

Join the conversation!

Ragan Conference – Steve Crescenzo

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 Executive Blogging: Is it worth it?

Many executives ask, “Should I blog?” In Steve Crescenzo’s experience, the right question for many of them is “Can I blog?” In fact, says Steve, many executives lack the writing skills necessary to blog.

For those who can write, the blog can be an incredibly effective tool.

In assessing whether an executive should blog, you must match the tool to the executive’s skills. If they don’t match, stay away.

Why do blogs work?

  • The technology is easy and simple. Anyone can use the software without any technical knowledge.
  • The conversational nature of the writing draws people in.
  • The two-way conversation that springs up around the blog makes it powerful.

Having said this, many senior executives are not inclined to learn even the basic software. They are also rarely conversational in their communication. Many executives have been trained to see written communications as formal and stiff. They may be great communicators in a one to one conversation. But they stiffen up and become formal and “official” in their writing. Steve calls this the “Homicide Detective Syndrome” – the tendency to clam up and speak in “officialese” the second the cameras turn on. This doesn’t match the conversational nature of blog writing.

Executives are also prone to spin. They are reluctant to acknowledge bad news. When was the last time you read an executive statement that said, “We have a problem.” No, you’ll read, “We have a challenge.” In corporate spin, “challenge” is used as a euphemism for “problem.”

Written executive statements also relentlessly use clichés. “The only constant is change.” “Employees are our greatest asset.” “We’re uniquely positioned in our global marketplace.”

None of this works on blogs.

So, why do executives want to blog?

  • To be seen as cutting edge
  • Someone else in the organization wants to be seen as cutting edge.
  • They feel it’s a great way to sell the company.

Why SHOULD execs want to blog?

  • They genuinely have something to say. If they don’t have something to say, they shouldn’t blog.
  • They want unfiltered feedback. This is the big issue. Many execs may say they want this. But do they REALLY want unfiltered feedback or are they just saying they do?
  • They are comfortable speaking in a candid, conversational fashion.
  • They are passionate about the company and not afraid to show it.
  • They are comfortable with the audience owning the conversation. Many executives are reluctant to give up control to the extent necessary to be a successful blogger.

Five mistakes to avoid:

  • Don’t try to fake a blog – a “flog”. Don’t put forward a ghost written “executive” blog. You can help the executive develop posting ideas. You can edit it. But the exec must be responsible to write it himself.
  • Don’t start it if you can’t feed it. If you start a blog, you have to generate enough material and find the time to post regularly.
  • Don’t use it as a sales tool. People resent being “sold to” on a blog. You can be positive and proud of your products. But don’t use the blog as a hard sales tool.
  • Don’t try to “own” the conversation. You can initiate. But then you become part of the conversation.
  • Don’t underestimate the visibility you might get. Blogs transcend borders and geography.

When do you know an executive blog is working? When your executive blogger is able to say that the feedback on the blog has influenced his decision-making. And when your community becomes actively engaged with you.

Bob Lutz’s GM Fastlane blog has both of these qualities. Why does it work?

  • He actually writes it.
  • He pays attention to the comments.
  • He doesn’t try to own it.
  • He’s comfortable with the comments.
  • He sees the value in interacting with the customers directly.

So, how to get started? An executive who wants to blog could start with an internal blog. This will allow her to find her voice and become comfortable with blogging before launching an external blog.

Internal blogs do not need to be open ended. Temporary blogs can be established around specific events, such as an industry conference, marketing expos, stakeholder consultations, etc. Such a “hit and run” blog enables the executive to blog for a finite period of time about a subject that she has something to talk about. When the event is over, the blog posts end.

Ragan Conference – Friday morning

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Ragan 2006OK. The last gasp. The home stretch. Man, are my fingers tired!

Today, I hope to take in and report on:

Journalists who blog: Are there new pitching ground rules?: The program did not tell me who will be on the panel. But with a title like this, how could I resist?

So your boss wants to be a blogger? Better talk to Steve first with Steve Crescenzo. 

And finally:

What’s killing PR and how can we fix it? Boy, the answer to this alone will be worth the price of admission!

 

Ottawa tech marketing community to be treated to Naked Conversations

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OCRI Zone5iveNext Tuesday, Shel Israel will kick off the OCRI Zone5ive season of meetups of Ottawa technology marketers.

Naked ConversationsShel is co-author with Robert Scoble of the definitive book on blogging, Naked Conversations.

So, if you are a technology marketer in Ottawa, click straight over to the OCRI site and register to attend Tuesday’s session with Shel Israel. It promises to be a great start to Zone5ive’s season.

 

 

Ragan Conference – Charles Pizzo

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Charles Pizzo’s hands-on workshop provided participants with a checklist for internet newsrooms.

He started by pointing out that newsrooms should make life easy for reporters. So, the navigation buttons and links should appear on every page in order to make navigating the site simple and quick.

The newsroom should be designed for journalists on deadline. One thing that too many newsrooms bury is the basic facts on the company. Reporters will need to check these facts for updates with every filing. So, they should be no more than one click away.

Some basic rules:

  • Content should be updated 24/7
  • Clear writing
  • Include ghost pages that can be filled in with crisis information when it becomes necessary
  • The newsroom should be mirrored offsite to ensure that information continues to be available and can be updated in the event of a disaster
  • Writing should be clear.

Corporate blogs and blogs should be interlinked with the newsroom. The blog allows for dialogue which has traditionally not been readily available in newsrooms. This information will now become part of the hard (factual) and soft (feelings, impressions) information that reporters will use in their research.

Newsrooms should be optimized for search engines. This is even more important in the era of blogs. As blogs rise to the top of search engine results, they are pushing corporate newsrooms down the list of search engine results.

RSS feeds should enable reporters to subscribe to streams of information that reflects their interests.

There should be one click access to the newsroom on the corporate website home page.

The most common mistake on net newsrooms is to provide the most basic information. Who we are. What we do. Some reporters would like 25 word and 5 word versions of the company descriptor.

Contact data should be prominently displayed in the newsroom and on the releases section. Mark media contact numbers clearly as “For media inquiries only.” Also post numbers for people looking for other contacts (e.g. accounting; customer service; central switchboard.)

Ensure that dates permanently appear at the top of all news releases in the archive.

Embed links in online releases. Use bullet points to ensure that reporters can scan quickly.

Provide links to “printer friendly” versions of all pages and releases.

Companies operating in a technical or specialized area should include “glossaries” of terms and acronyms.

Don’t be afraid to correct misinformation on your newsroom. Coca Cola actually has a “Myths and Rumors” section that provides authoritative information.

Most importantly, ensure that the newsroom has a Search bar.

Mix text and art in news releases to enhance readability and provide essential information. (What’s worth 1,000 words?)

Design the newsroom page to be scroll free. The entire page should be viewable without having to scroll down for additional content.

Newsrooms should contain in-depth information beyond news releases. Links to corporate responsibility; environmental policies; code of ethics, etc.

A FAQs page should contain responses to issues and questions that are topical.

Artwork should be posted in high and low resolution (printable) versions, along with corporate videos (e.g. quarterly results) and B-roll videos.

Post positions papers, white papers, presentations and research to reporters to download and use.

Finally, include a Feedback form to enable reporters to tell you what they liked and didn’t like, what they would like you to add or change.

Charles’ complete set of slides can be downloaded from www.charlespizzo.com/pr06.

Ragan Conference – Jeremiah Owyang

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Jeremiah Owyang spoke to the topic of Community marketing: Turn executives into powerful evangelists for the company message.

Community Manager is a new role that is now appearing in many companies.

The role of PR is to be message enablers. This will involve learning the new communication tools and helping other executives and product managers to use them.

Community marketing is about giving up control and sharing it with the community. It is message enablement, not message control. It entails getting everyone in the company involved.

Community tools that Jeremiah uses:

  • Online forums/message boards. At little cost, you can provide an opportunity for your community to come together and express itself.
  • Blogs. The job of the communicator is to identify the people who should be and want to blog and then to guide and help them to successfully blog.
  • Wikis: A means to bring together the interests and knowledge of an entire sector or community. You can place yourself at the centre of a resource for the sector.
  • Podcasts: A great way to distribute information in a format that increases user involvement.
  • Images for PR: Capture and share images and video and upload it to share with the interested community.

When looking for corporate bloggers, look for these factors:

  • they are chatty
  • they are vocal
  • they are subject matter experts
  • they do not have to be an executive or famous. Shel Israel suggests that the best bloggers are product managers.
  • they should also be native to the Internet.
  • they should have the commitment and will to blog. Test them for one month: ask them to send you a practice blog post via email once a week for a month. This will allow you to see their writing style and their enthusiasm.
  • they have to have “thick skin.”

Community marketing opens you up to critics. (e.g. Network Storage blog) How do you respond?

Engage quickly. If someone complains about a specific problem, engage them quickly and let them know they have been heard and promise a substantial answer/action as soon as possible. Robert did this with the Network Storage blogger. Following direct outreach from Jeremiah, the Network Storage blog became more balanced in its views.

In effect, Jeremiah had applied media relations practices to blogger relations. He demonstrated that he was taking the critical blogger seriously and made a genuine effort to respond to his concerns. The results: a critic who became a balanced commentator.

You are giving up a little bit of control to gain much more in benefits of positive community perceptions. Be part of the community, not the object of the communities frustrations.

Once you have credible bloggers, they can play a useful role in the announcement of new initiatives and products. If they are enthused about what is being announced, that enthusiasm will come through in their posts.

In initiating these programs, Jeremiah took the initiative without involving the IT Department. The hosted nature and low cost of most social media tools makes it possible to move forward without the overhead of IT Department involvement. According to Jeremiah, “It is better to ask for foregiveness than to ask for permission, which will not be given.”

How do you measure ROI? Blog resonation: Who’s linking to your blog? Technorati wil tell you that. Resonation: You blog stats will show you how long people are staying at each visit and what are they reading. Comments: If people are commenting, you have engagement with your community.

Things that Jeremiah has tried that required adjustments-on-the-go:

  • Hitachi’s CTO is an outstanding writer. People thought that his site was ghost written and the company was criticized for this.
  • Analysts were reading between the lines of the CTO’s blog and making projections. Consequently, the CTO has to be very careful about what he says.