Teaching PR

Your Digital Afterlife, by Carroll & Romano

Evan Carroll and John Romano's Your Digital Afterlife (2011) tackles an uncomfortable subject, but it also provides plenty of reasons that it's important to do so.

You've probably all seen examples of people -- and spammers -- continuing to write on a dead person's Facebook wall, or an unfortunate last tweet (one guy's last word, "w00t!!!", has been at the top of his page for a couple of years now). Carroll and Romano offer advice on how to avoid these problems.

First of all, they suggest, because laws haven't caught up with practices yet, we all need to document our wishes about the digital legacy we leave behind, just so loved ones know what you prefer. If a site has monetary value, it will need to be included in your will, but even if it's just sentimental value, it will be important to somebody. They provide a detailed plan, which starts with making a list of all of your sites and devices: the name, how to access it (who should do so and how), and your wishes (archive, share, delete, leave it up). 

Of course, different sites have different ways of handling death; most include this subject in the terms of service. Facebook can memorialize accounts (no new friends are added, but current friends can post on the wall); Twitter allows family members to remove the account or save public tweets; Gmail and Yahoo! require a death certificate and documentation of legal authority for someone to be able to take over the account.

It turns out that there are even sites that help you designate who should get your digital assets. The authors mention LegacyLocker.com, Entrustet.com, and DataInherit.com as examples.

They also discuss posthumous messaging -- a goodbye blog post (I saw this one recently), or an email that should be sent to people -- and online memorials (MyWonderfulLife.com, Online-Legacy.com, and Bcelebrated.com) which allow people to share their grief and memories of you. 

I haven't even looked at the sites mentioned here, so I'm not linking to them, but I do recommend considering your digital legacy.

I borrowed this book from my local public library.

 

"Issues, Insights, Ideas" ebook

I'm a bit late getting around to this, but I do want to mention Craig Pearce's thought-provoking e-book, "Public Relations 2011: Issues, Insights, Ideas" as it may be of interest to other PR educators and students.

Pearce recruited an international cast of PR professionals and educators to write brief essays on various aspects of 21st century public relations. I'll highlight a few points that really caught my eye.

• Jim Macnamara, a longtime pro and now educator in Sydney, argues that we need more, not less, theory in PR education, citing anti-intellectualism as one reason that theory is often denigrated or overlooked. "Theories introduce critical thinking," he argues, pointing out that like all fields, PR needs to improve. "A key requirement of universities is enabling productive citizens and leaders for the future, not simply churning out entry-level practitioners to satisfy specific industry needs over the next few years." Hallelujah!
• Paul Seaman takes issue with the notion of transparency, suggesting it's not always a good thing. "Surely, if every statement and action of a diplomat -- as Wikileaks would like -- was made transparent, politicians would avoid ever revealing the truth, or what they think, even in private among themselves in anything like formal settings. That would make them untrustworthy at virtually any level." Whoa.
• Pearce's essay "PR is Second Rate CSR" asserts that "If PR is truly fulfilling its potential, then it will nearly always be a manifestation of CSR," and that  "CSR really needs to have PR as an embedded part of it." Craig, what would you say about the statement I've often made to my students -- that if PR was actually doing its job, we wouldn't need CSR?
• Catherine Sweet, who teaches in the U.K., boldly states that "PR 'war stories' recounted by someone who actually survived them are the best way to reach students..." and that "...I believe you can't teach what you don't do yourself (which is why I think every academic teaching in the discipline should have a minimum of ten years of real experience....)" 

This is just a sample -- there are another dozen insightful essays on strategy, social media, crisis communication, issue management, and so forth. Information on how to get a copy of the ebook here.

And now, lacking my 10 years minimum experience, I'm off to find another job. Heh.

Book review: Human Resources Guide to Social Media Risks

When Jesse Torres, CEO of the Pan American Bank in Los Angeles, asked if I'd like to see a copy of his new book, Human Resources Guide to Social Media Risks (2011), I said "yes," and right away, because it's a subject that I knew almost nothing about. Of course I've warned my students about the importance of organizations having a social media policy, told them to check with employers before blogging or tweeting about jobs or internships, and explained (thoroughly) how important it is for them to be careful what they post when they're searching for jobs.

But that's about all I knew.

In reading Torres's quick (about 50 page) primer, I learned a lot more. Based on the assumption that "all organizations, regardless of their involvement in social media activities, are subject to social media risks in the workplace," the book walks through the basics of social media from a human resources management perspective.

The book begins with a quick review of social media tools for people working in HR who may not be familiar with social media in all its variety. It then discusses three main areas of concern: using social media for recruitment--he suggests stating that background checks may include review of publicly-available information (and then sticking to what's publicly available); employee use of social media -- including challenges like loss of employee productivity and disclosure of confidential information, among several other topics -- this section is the lengthiest in the book; and social media-based terminations. At the end of this chapter, Torres provides a list of action items for HR managers for all three areas of concern.

The book includes a bibliography with references to blogs, trade publications, and news media discussions of case studies and legal actions that would be helpful to anyone in human resources -- but also to employees engaging in social media and to organizational social media experts who may understand the tools but not their HR consequences.

I skimmed through this book in about half an hour and would recommend it to educators, students and professionals who would like a clearly written introduction to the HR implications of organizational uses of social media.

 

Book review: "How to Find a Job on LinkedIn..." by Brad and Debra Schepp

I'll be honest: I picked up this book at my local public library because I wanted to see how lame it was.

In fact, Schepp and Schepp's How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Other Social Networks (2010) is well-written, informative, and useful to all but the most social-savvy PR students.

The book concentrates, as it should, mostly on LinkedIn. But it's not just "Step 1: create a profile," as I feared when I saw the title on the library shelf. Rather, there's a whole chapter just on asking and answering questions, with helpful advice such as answering four questions for every one you ask, or using advanced search to make sure your question hasn't already been answered. My favorite subhead: "There Really Is Such a Thing as a Dumb Question."

The whole book is packed with examples of people who've used LinkedIn or the other sites in various aspects of job search or professional life more generally, and it doesn't ignore important issues like security and ethics. 

Although it's not geared only to college students, I'd recommend this book as a gift for juniors and seniors, who should be working on their online presence prior to the job search.

Book review: The New Rules of Marketing and PR

My colleague Kristen Smith is gearing up to teach our PR writing class for the first time, and she asked for my advice on what to do with the class. Some things are obvious and haven't changed in decades, but I don't think most of the PR textbooks do much with the Web and social media (and I haven't taught it in a while so please feel free to add a comment if you know of a good PR writing text). I mentioned, for example, that she'll need to talk about SEO when teaching about writing news releases, even if the textbooks aren't doing that yet.

Later it occurred to me that I already have a great resource on hand* for her and for students: David Meerman Scott's 2nd edition of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR." I used the first edition of this book when I taught a special topics ad/PR class on social media, and the students loved it. The second edition is out now, and it could very easily be used in a PR writing class.

The early chapters clearly explain how the Internet and social media in particular have changed PR and marketing -- primarily in that organizations can now reach individuals directly and cheaply. The second part of the book runs through different platforms -- blogs, social networks, Twitter, audio, video -- that can be used.

Part III introduces the idea of "buyer personas," in which the PR person pulls together research to draw portraits of different kinds of buyers and then to figure out how to talk to that kind of person, using the language they would use. That concept isn't anything new to PR, but somehow writing that little character sketch seems to make target publics more concrete to students.

The book includes a chapter on Search Engine Marketing, but in it Scott makes the point that "this entire book is about search engine marketing." As such it would make a great supplement to a PR textbook that focuses on more traditional writing (brochures, news releases, annual reports, etc.). I would definitely recommend it to someone teaching a PR writing course.

So, Kristen, check your mailbox. You can borrow, but not keep, mine.

*Disclosure: David knew that I used his book in class and asked me to write a blurb for the 2nd edition. You can find me on the bottom of page iii.

Book review: "Public Relations and the Social Web," by Rob Brown

At last month's Connect conference, I posed the question, "Is social media transformative to public relations practice?" We had a pretty good debate on the topic. On the contrary, Rob Brown's book starts with the assumption that "We are in the midst of a communications upheaval more significant than the introduction of the printing press." The democratization of the Internet, he argues, means that "organizations have lost control of the agenda."

I'm not so sure I agree with either point -- read Elizabeth Eisenstein on the history of the printing press, and someone will have to convince me that organizations ever had "control of the agenda" -- but that doesn't detract from this book's usefulness.

Brown, who has both professional and teaching experience in public relations, reviews the implications of Internet and Web 2.0 communication, including fragmentation of the media and changes in branding and communication. Chapter 4 provides a basic review of user-generated content, including blogs, wikis, RSS and social networks, which would be useful to anyone not already familiar with these platforms, and Chapter 5 discusses search engine optimization in concept (but not in how-to terms).

Often overlooked in new/social media books is ethics, but Brown includes a chapter on how public relations ethics have changed as a result of new communication tools, and another chapter talks about measurement. A third thing I like about this book is that it doesn't assume social media are the be all and end all of public relations practice. Chapter 10 provides a series of questions that a PR practitioner should ask -- "Who are our target audiences? Are there any characteristics of the web that suit our campaign or sector? Is there a traditional high level of engagement?" -- before planning a Web-based program.

If you're only going to read one book about social media, this isn't it. Brown provides a broad overview rather than an in-depth discussion of "how to use social media and web 2.0 in communications," as the subtitle suggests. But the book does introduce key topics that PR students (and professionals) should consider and would make a good text for a PR class, assuming the instructor supplemented it with other materials.

Book review: Online Public Relations (Phillips & Young)

In the second edition of Online Public Relations, David Phillips and Philip Young start with the premise that "nothing will ever be the same again." After a quick review of key online tools and terms (SEO, chat, new media release, etc.), the book turns to a series of chapters that discuss "a shift in culture, communication and value," developing a conceptual understanding of transparency, porosity and the nature of information, and exploring new models of information exchange. The authors consider collaboration, knowledge building and knowledge protection, and they consider PR's role in these processes. Both the Internet and public relations, they conclude, are about the exchange of information. 

The book's third section considers how online communication, including social media, can have an impact on public relations planning, strategy and tactics, and an important chapter discusses the risks as well as opportunities online communication presents to PR practice. Other chapters on ethics, monitoring and measurement, and corporate social responsibility provide insights on the very real problems that a public relations practitioner can, or will, encounter in organizations that get involved in the social space. 

The book is well written and provides theoretical and conceptual approaches rather than just tactical information-- not surprising if you read, as I do, Phillips' and Young's blogs. It would work well in a digital PR class, especially if it were supplemented by case studies and current events, but I think it works even better as a guide for people who are already working in PR and need to get up to speed on ways the Internet is changing the practice. 

Where does it fit with the recent discussion on this blog? The authors clearly state that the Internet (particularly social media) is driving a "new PR" -- it is, in other words, transformative to public relations practice -- while also stating that the fundamentals of PR, relationship management, have not and will not change. I think that means we agree.

Book review: Fire Them Up!

Richard Bailey will tell you that I'm always praising him for including book reviews on his blog. As the book review editor of Journalism History, I write and edit dozens of reviews every year, but somehow I never got around to doing one for my blog. So, when I presented with the opportunity to review Fire Them Up! by Carmine Gallo, I decided to jump at the chance.

Fire Them Up! promises to explain 7 simple secrets to "inspire colleagues, customers and clients," "sell yourself, your vision, and your values," and "communicate with charisma and confidence." American workers are unhappy in their jobs, Gallo argues, and the solution is better leadership.

The seven secrets (acronym: INSPIRE) are...

• Ignite your enthusiasm: "Successful leaders are fired up about what they do and have an extraordinary ability to generate excitement in others."
• Navigate the way: "Create an emotional connection with an audience by articulating a vision so bright, so magnificent, the rest of us cannot help but come along for the ride" (in 10 words or less).
• Sell the benefit: "People are inspired when they know how your product or service will improve their lives."
• Paint a picture: "Inspiring individuals sell themselves, their vision, and their values by turning their message into a story that piques your interest, keeps you entertained, makes it easy to remember key points, and, above all, leads you to take some sort of action."
• Invite participation: "Listening is not enough. Asking for feedback, and taking action based on what you hear, makes all the difference."
• Reinforce an optimistic outlook: "People who nail Simple Secret #6 always see a better tomorrow and help their colleagues, customers, or clients do the same."
• Encourage their potential: "Encourage people to reach their potential by effectively praising them, emotionally investing in them, and helping them to unleash their talents."

Each tip is illustrated with the stories of leaders, from top executives like Patrick Charmel, CEO of Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., to Krista Hawkins, Hyudai auto plant tour guide in Montgomery, Ala. Gallo, a communications coach and former journalist, hosts the Useful Commute podcast and is a speaker who also wrote 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators. This background explains why many of his tips include advice on making good presentations.

Part II of the book shows how individuals -- Steve Jobs, Disney teacher of the year Ron Clark, Peter Fleischer of Ketchum -- apply the secrets to their work. The fact that Gallo included a wide range of jobs and people throughout the book is a real strength, in my opinion.

Although I'm usually skeptical of a book that promises "simple steps" to anything, I would definitely consider assigning to my students various chapters from this book, such as "Paint a Picture" for PR writing or "Navigate the Way" for a discussion of vision and mission in PR administration. They're clearly written, lively, and provide relevant examples. Moreover, the book draws upon rhetorical theory and provides tips on using such literary tools as analogies and metaphors, which is not often the case in the popular business press. I would also include it on a list of choices for student book reviews in the administration class. It's a cut above many of the business/leadership books I've seen.

Labels: book review

Worth reading: "Responsible Advocacy"

I spent part of my winter break catching up on reading, and I came across a book worth recommending: Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy, edited by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Bronstein (disclosure: I went to grad school with Carolyn and she's a friend).

PR academics have been fighting for a long time now about what makes PR ethical. Some claim dialogue (symmetrical communication) is more ethical than persuasion (scientific or asymmetrical communication). Yet we pretty much all go into the classroom and proceed to teach students how to write "effectively" or plan "strategically" and it's hard to say why that's not persuasion. I like this new book because it recognizes, as PRSA did when it revised its Code of Ethics a few years ago, that advocacy is a core value. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I saw an immediate application for some of the ideas presented in the book for my PR Campaigns class and added it to my brief lecture for the first day of class, encouraging the students to think about the societal effects of their work, and not just the client's pleasure.

(I also uploaded it to Slideshare but can't get Blogger to accept the html code to embed it. In the spirit of the season, bah humbug!)

Addition: here's the most important slide.