Out with the old, in with the new- PR is changing...can you keep up?

A change in PR occurred 10 years ago with the advent of the internet.

• the internet is not simply a resource for people in the PR industry, rather, it IS the industry



• Thus, with the internet came PR 2.0
  
  

PR 2.0

Deirdre Breakenridge (blogger and author extraordinaire) states in PR 2.0: A communicator's manifesto that a new breed of PR professionals has been born. Brands are now immediately connected to customers through online activity and broadband connectivity. CEOs, executives, stakeholders and even products are able to directly communicate and participate in dialogue with consumers. You can follow the head of the company who made your car on twitter, you can read blogs about McDonalds' employee treatment written by an employee, and you can become a fan of your favourite beer on facebook. These are all aspects of good PR. The product/company is putting its name out there, and remember- there's no such thing as bad publicity!

In our global market consumers have buying power and choices. We can boycott certain brands and access products and services across the globe. Therefore, consumers can expect a lot from their favourite brands. Deirdre states that consumers "desire direct communication, to hear firsthand about products and services,to be able to ask questions and receive quick responses, to hear a person’s voice and to learn the company’s position on an issue in its industry, and to believe they can trust the people behind their favorite brands."

Some organizations have taken the opposite approach and are staying off of the social media bandwagon. Marshall McLuhan coined the term "the medium is the message." This indicates that how a brand communicates with the target audience IS the message. The internet IS our industry. Marshall McLuhan stated that narcotic numbness describes how multiple organizations only embrace the technology they are familiar and comfortable with. Michael Cayley's blog post adds to this and compares an organization's fear of new branding tools to the story of the Wizard of Oz. David Lee King added great insight with his blog about inviting active participation. He implies that individuals need to start actually participating rather than simply listening. This advice applies to organizations that are just getting started connecting with the public through social media. Rather than participating passively they need to jump into the dialogue head first and build relationships with consumers.

Sick of being labelled a "spin doctor," Deirdre hoped the collaboration of PR with technology would increase the credibility of the public relations industry and thus decrease the negative stigma associated with it.

"Putting the public back in PUBLIC RELATIONS"

PR 2.0 puts the “public” back into public relations by reaching an audience on a much greater scope. Brands can now connect with people that they never would have reached in the past. The concept of putting the public back into PR is driven by technology and behavior of the modern day consumer.

• Deirdre states, "we are all learning and together, as professionals we are reinventing the PR industry, breathing life into our profession through the use of socialized media. We are truly Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.”
  

Another way that the public has become a key player in public relations is that organizations can now listen to bloggers, tweeters, etc. to find out exactly what the consumer wants! There is no more guesswork involved. In the past, products were created and PR would raise awareness for them. Now it is the opposite. Before a product is created organizations can listen to their public and see what people like and what they want and create products to suit these wants and needs. The public has become an essential part of public relations.

Why Blue Mountain Needs to Up the Ante

Rosy cheeks and powder snow are my combination for a perfect day. It’s official- I love to snowboard! I grew up as an avid skier. My family would travel every other March break vacation to a different ski resort. I have been to Vermont, New York, Quebec, and British Columbia to ski. Four years ago I decided I wasn’t getting any better as a skier and challenged myself to try snowboarding. I was hooked.

The past two weekends I spent at the closest decent ski resort, Blue Mountain. It seems they are still recovering from the warm winter that struck two years ago and doing everything possible to make money.

Unimpressed.

• Sky high prices



• Ridiculously long chairlift lines



• The hills are so crowded it's almost dangerous to get down the mountain



• The advanced hills intersect with beginner hills- making everyone scared that they will run someone else over
  

Is capping the number of skiers that can be on the hill each day an option?

One reviewer echoed my thoughts by stating Intrawest has expanded the Blue Mountain village with multiple dining options outweighing the capacity of the actual hill. Interestingly enough, if you go to the Blue Mountain Resort website the main image on the page is of the village- not the mountain. It could be a clever marketing trick. Perhaps they are trying to appeal more to the non-skier and get them to spend their money, rather than to the person who loves winter sports and will spend either way.

SocAppReview: ClipShack or Clip-whack?!

ClipShack is a free video sharing site - but don't confuse it with the infamous YouTube. Reality Digital is the parent company of ClipShack and this site was originally launched to help corporations share videos and other media. In 2005 ClipShack was born and the idea behind it was that if they could make a site for corporations to share videos, they could also make one for individuals. This site appeals to videophiles who can post video clips for the viewing pleasure of friends, family and strangers. ClipShack claims to be "the friendliest video sharing site"- whatever that may mean. What makes one site friendlier than another?

Similarities to Other Video Sharing Sites:

ClipShack QUICKLY and EASILY allows you to upload videos directly from your desktop or from the web.

ClipShack sorts uploaded clips by Topic, Most Watched Clips, Most Discussed Clips, etc.

Getting a ClipShack account is absolutely FREE!

ClipShack allows tagging. Also, you get to decide once you post your clip whether or not you want others to be able to comment on it.

How ClipShack is Unique

ClipShack prides itself in being ahead of the trends and thus has added a Google Maps feature. This enables the user to map the content they upload and also to search by location. For example, when i searched the location Toronto, forty four clips came up- everything from videos of concerts in Toronto, to Toronto party pics. I think that this is a pretty cool feature and it will only be a matter of time until other social media sites like Facebook and Youtube offer this. Critics would argue that this is an invasion of privacy. But let's be honest, when you are posting pictures or videos obviously you know that you are revealing information about yourself, and chances are you want people to know about your life and where you hang out.

Another cool add-on to ClipShack is CS Interactive. This is a branch of ClipShack which allows users to rate movies, books, video games, and even jokes! ClipShack-ers use a thumbs up or thumbs down rating system and add comments as they choose. I like this feature because it is a very unbiased way to find out what strangers think of different entertainment options.

One final feature about ClipShack that is unique is the extremely strict regulations about uploading appropriate content. You must be 18 years old or older to use ClipShack, and even then you may not upload anything remotely suggestive, including "I will talk about anything," and "Tell me your wildest dreams." Conversely, YouTube allows users of any age. I think this will limit ClipShack's audience and market potential.

I think that ClipShack is a useful video sharing site and is extremely beneficial for the corporate world. The Google Maps feature probably won't be enough to get users to switch from YouTube and start using ClipShack, but it will be useful for current and future ClipShack-ers. For more information about ClipShack, check out Sarah Long's blog about it.

My video review of ClipShack