Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tips for Social Media from Your Grandmother

We often get asked by clients: What should I post on social media sites? How much is too much? What persona should I maintain online?

Eric Fulwiler makes some great points addressing online behavior in a recent blog post:

10 Things Your Grandmother Can Teach You About Social Media


It's a quick-read and very creative!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Google Voice and Why Attorneys Should Know About It

By Guest Blogger Jennifer Ellis
jellis@pbi.org
Associate Director - Media Technologies
Pennsylvania Bar Institute

Are you an attorney? Do you know about Google Voice? If you don't you should. Google Voice is an invitation only Web based service which provides a free phone number that can be connected to other numbers. The GV number can be made to ring to a series of phones, home, office and cell, all at the same time or one after the other. I connect GV to my private cell phone so I can be reached (or not) when I am out of the office. If I don't want to be reached, I put the service on Do Not Disturb. If anyone calls when I am in DND mode the call is routed directly to GV voicemail. When I call out from my cell, I can make it appear as if I am calling from my GV number, same for sending a text.

In addition, the service provides the ability to send or receive texts right from the GV Website. When you don't have GV set to ring your phone(s), you can arrange to receive an alert whenever you receive a voicemail or text message. As an attorney, you might find the GV service useful or you might feel you have no use for it. Regardless, you should still know about GV, and here is why. GV provides a full transcript of any voicemail message. It provides transcripts of every text message sent or received through the service.

GV also provides the ability to record a phone call. At the start of the call an announcement states that the call is being recorded. Your average person doesn't have the tools required to record a phone call and so has to rely on his or her memory to state what was said during a call. Then it has to be determined who is properly stating what happened on the call. Not with GV, every word is recorded.

Whether you choose to use GV it is still wise to be aware of this service. Your client could be using GV and end up with an e-discovery request that would contain an incredible amount of well organized information; or you could seek the same from opposing Counsel. Or perhaps the individual on the opposing side could be using GV to gather a lot of information about your client, all in his or her own words.

Using Yahoo! Pipes To Monitor Conversations

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Have you heard about
Yahoo! Pipes? If the answer is no, don't worry. Even if you answered yes, you may not have realized the full potential that this RSS tool can provide for your business. I love sharing new tools with The PR Lawyer reader audience, so when I heard about Yahoo! Pipes I jumped on the opportunity to write a blog post to share the news.

After some research on the topic, I have discovered that
Yahoo! Pipes is a free online service offered by Yahoo! that PR and social media professionals can use to combine RSS feeds, filter them and receive only specific, relevant information for their clients. It debuted in February of 2007, but to my knowledge it is not a well known or heavily used tool. It does however provide many benefits by allowing users to monitor conversations and create customized searches through RSS feeds.

Why would Yahoo! Pipes be valuable to you as a PR professional?

Many professionals use the feed aggregators
Google Reader or Bloglines to follow blogs and news outlets in order to keep tabs on company and client news. These are great resources, but Yahoo! Pipes is a service that can streamline all the information from those RSS feeds into one customized feed that provides only the specific information that you want.

1. Yahoo! Pipes allows you to customize hundreds of feeds into one. The feeds are filtered by a trigger message that you define and then Yahoo! Pipes delivers only the specific information you requested. This saves you time and energy from combing through your Google Reader or Bloglines.

2. Creating feeds like this can also be shared throughout an agency where employees can tune into very specific information.

3. Online conversation monitoring of target audiences is less complicated because you are more easily tuned into what people are saying.

4. And, you can improve the speed of customer relations by receiving messages quicker and providing a timley response.

Tech journalist at Read Write Web, Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote a post in 2008 with some useful instructions of how to get started on Yahoo! Pipes. The service has many benefits as Kirkpatrick shows through his post and easy-to-follow video.

Although the Pipes service may seem intimidating to use at first, in the end I believe that it provides a streamline and simple way to monitor news. Here are some other resources that can be helpful in setting up a Yahoo! Pipe:

1. The Yahoo! Pipes Team demonstrates some useful tips and explains what exactly Yahoo! Pipes is.

2. This link to the blog, Duct Tape Marketing, by John Jantsch, outlines some easy steps to start your own pipe for your clients or business.

3. This is a great resource that teaches you how to add a customized feed to your Facebook page.

4. Squidoo gives illustrative pictures to help you manage the user interface of Yahoo! Pipes which can be a little confusing at first.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Social Media Not an End in Itself

Gina Rubel, President and CEO of Furia Rubel Communications, was recently quoted in a Law.com article about the importance of attorneys leveraging social media in their communication efforts.

"By joining social networks or blogging to talk about things that matter to clients and prospects, attorneys will ultimately build relationships with people who share similar interests," said Rubel. Google and social media sites are today's business directories, and the well-marketed attorney is easily found there.

To see the article in its entirety visit Law.com.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Network Now Hosts Career Connection - Session 11: Managing Your Online Image: How and When to

**For our female, Philadelphia-area readers**

Network Now is hosting a great event on Thursday, April 29 from 9-11am on how to manage your online presence.

Social Media networking & marketing tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have drastically changed the landscape of how we communicate. If used and managed correctly, these tools can significantly help you to succeed in business. If left unmanaged, they can negatively impact your message, your business and your image.

Our own Gina Rubel will provide attendees insight on how to effectively develop and manage your online presence and provide you with guidance on what to communicate and on which online platform to ensure your message has a positive impact on your professional image, company and brand.

Check out Network Now's site for more information on this and other great area events.

The Importance of Law Firm Social Media Policies

President and CEO of Furia Rubel Communications, Gina Rubel, aka ThePRLawyer, recently wrote an article for the National Law Review in which she encouraged law firms to create social media policies for their staff.

To read the article in its entirety check out the National Review's Website.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Social Media Puts The Doctor-Patient Relationship To The Test

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Social media sites like Twitter and moreover, Facebook have brought the idea of “friending” colleagues, acquaintances and health care providers like your psychologist into a new light. Established boundaries between doctors and patients are being reassessed thanks to the popularity of social media sites where users may share too much personal information. Is it wise to "friend" your doctor? And, if your doctor rejects your “friend” request, how are you going to feel?

Some medical professionals believe that patients should use Google to research the credentials and experience of their doctors. But on the other hand, should doctors research their patients? “There is no need,” says Dr. Daniel Sands, director of clinical informatics for the Internet Business Solutions Group at Cisco Systems and physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. However, chief resident of McLean Hospital’s adult outpatient clinic, Dr. Benjamin Silverman, believes there are many appropriate justifications for doctors to Google their patients, such as in order to address concerns about a missed appointment or even more serious suspicions of suicide plans.

If seasoned doctors are focusing more on patient-doctor relationships online, what about those that are new to the field of medicine or psychology? According to an article on Boston.com, "a study of medical students and residents at the University of Florida, Gainesville, for instance, showed that only 37.5 percent made their Facebook sites private." Many of whom were not rejecting friend requests from patients but should be aware that photos, videos or other content could possibly compromise relationships with patients.

Points that health care providers may want to consider when setting up social media accounts include:
  • Choose wisely. Information posted online can be seen by anyone - patients, colleagues, and superiors alike.
  • Set boundaries. Policies for accepting or denying friend requests from patients (or clients) should be clear from the beginning.
  • Be honest. If a doctor has researched a client, some professionals believe full disclosure is important and necessary to ensure the integrity of the relationship.
  • Maintain trust. Above all, many professionals agree that trust in the doctor-patient relationship can not and should not be violated.
Professionals from all backgrounds should be vigilant over online relationships regardless of their nature.

Internet Law, Social Media and Litigation - Pennsylvania Bar Institute

Yesterday, I presented a social media for lawyers CLE at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (on twitter @PBI_CLE) Internet Law Program. I captured the Twitter Stream using wthashtag.com (included below) so you can get a glimpse of some of the tips. What is so fascinating about social media is that it changes daily as does the legal playing field. In fact, I was advised by an attendee that the Library of Congress has acquired the entire Twitter PUBLIC archive since 2006; public being a key word. Here is the @librarycongress Tweet about it:

Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive: Have you ever sent out a “tweet” on the popular Twitter... http://bit.ly/d0DYZj

One of the things I also confirmed is that lawyers are still reluctant to adopt social media as a means of communication and information gathering. In fact, last week I traveled with a colleague from a large law firm and she told me that her firm continues to block all forms of social media in the office. Although some disagree with me, I believe blocking social media can lead to malpractice. Why? Because there is missed information. Jurors are Tweeting about cases (when they shouldn't), Judges are friending litigants online (which is no longer permitted in Florida), expert witnesses are friending the attorneys who hire them (which could be used to show bias), and parties to lawsuits are sharing information that can be used to get them to settle cases or to discredit their testimony. This is all information attorneys need to discover -- but how can they if social media sites are blocked in their law firms.

I also said is that there is no such thing as a "social media expert." This thought isn't mine alone. Social media changes so rapidly and encompasses so many vehicles of communication, that's it's just impossible. However, there are thought leaders who are leading the conversation like Pete Cashmore (aka) Mashable, Laura Fitton of OneForty, Steve Rubel, John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, Guy Kawasaki of alltop.com and Rick Klau of Google Buzz. I encourage readers to check these folks out.


So, here is the Twitter transcript from the program yesterday. Enjoy. 

WTHashtag Logo

#pbiint

wthashtag.com/pbiint

Transcript from April 19, 2010 to April 20, 2010


All times are Pacific Time
 
April 19, 2010
12:35 pmPBI_CLE:Attending Internet update? Tweet to #pbiint. Thank you.
12:48 pmPBI_CLE:If you wish to tweet questions to the faculty of PBI's Internet update, you may do so. The hash tag is #pbiint
1:29 pmPBI_CLE:You may view the slides for today's Internet Update seminar at http://bit.ly/9QlyTB. The materials will be up later today. #pbiint
5:26 pmPBI_CLE:Time for @Ginarubel She will be speaking on social networking, so it is a good time to tweet. #pbiint
5:27 pmPBI_CLE:An Introduction to Social Networking and Social Media #pbiint
5:27 pmPBI_CLE:both a legal and participant perspective #pbiint
5:28 pmPBI_CLE:#pbiint talking about how much communication has changed.
5:30 pmPBI_CLE:It is a shame that some firms block social networking, for many reasons. #pbiint
5:31 pmPBI_CLE:Be aware of the relevant rules of Conduct. Be aware of how the social networking tools affect litigation. #pbiint.
5:33 pmPBI_CLE:Example of a case that has a lot of information online: a young man was shot in front of the Fox News building in Philly. #pbiint
5:33 pmPBI_CLE:How much information are you missing, as an attorney, if not checking social media? #pbiint
5:34 pmPBI_CLE:The jury needs to have a social media instruction. #pbiint
5:36 pmPBI_CLE:Many types of social media about which attorneys need to be aware. #pbiint
5:38 pmPBI_CLE:You cannot know what people are saying about you, your clients, your witnesses if you don't know what is on social media. #pbiint.
5:39 pmPBI_CLE:At minimum people who handle discovery should have access with social media policies. Social media policies are imperative #pbiint
5:40 pmPBI_CLE:Be careful what you post about others, judges, clients, etc. #pbiint
5:41 pmPBI_CLE:Common for people to think nobody is going to see it. People will see it. #pbiint
5:41 pmPBI_CLE:Judges should not use social media to discuss cases in which they are involved. #pbiint
5:42 pmPBI_CLE:In Florida judges are not permitted to friend a litigant. This will be the trend across the country. #pbiint
5:44 pmPBI_CLE:Best to know if involved parties are talking about a case. Mediator, Juror, Judge, etc. #pbiint
5:45 pmPBI_CLE:In PA attorney cannot ask a 3rd party to friend a witness on facebook - recent opinion. #pbiint
5:47 pmPBI_CLE:Ohio Defendant charged with stat rape. Able to introduce evidence - victim held herself out on myspace as an 18 yr old. Aqcuitted. #pbiint
5:47 pmPBI_CLE:People are affected by what they read on social media. Can affect a case. #pbiint.
5:48 pmPBI_CLE:Can have an impact on divorce. Mom said no drinking - myspace showed drinking. #pbiint
5:48 pmPBI_CLE:When attorneys don't get info they need, it is malpractice. #pbiint
5:52 pmPBI_CLE:Jurors are influenced by the news online and in social media. #pbiint
5:53 pmPBI_CLE:Courts are barring use of social media during trials, but how do you track it? #pbiint
5:55 pmPBI_CLE:Jurors have access to social media all the time, regardless of whether they are supposed to. Need instruction, need proper voir dire #pbiint
5:55 pmPBI_CLE:Not changing the practice of law. Just have more tools we have to manage. #pbiint
5:57 pmPBI_CLE:A lot of ethics resources out there to help with social media. #pbiint
5:57 pmPBI_CLE:Set up google alert for self, law firm, clients, witnesses, etc. #pbiint
5:59 pmPBI_CLE:What are Google alerts, how do you use? http://bit.ly/6VIQSN #pbiint
6:01 pmPBI_CLE:Tweetbeep.com is useful for currently following twitter #pbiint
6:03 pmPBI_CLE:What is being said online may require strategic alteration to how handle a case. #pbiint
6:05 pmPBI_CLE:Important to stay ahead of the curve #pbiint
6:05 pmPBI_CLE:#pbiint be selective in who you friend.
6:06 pmPBI_CLE:All manageable, discoverable and valuable in many ways. #pbiint
6:10 pmPBI_CLE:There are many benefits, ex business development, etc, to having a presence on social media. #pbiint
6:10 pmPBI_CLE:linkedin is particularly useful #pbiint
6:14 pmPBI_CLE:Be careful what you say online. Lawsuits are coming out of what is posted on twitter. For example:http://bit.ly/fTc3p #pbiint
6:27 pmPBI_CLE:#pbiint make sure you can be found online, at least linkedin if nothing.
6:28 pmPBI_CLE:Thanks @Ginarubel I learned a lot. Wonderful job! #pbiint
7:17 pmPBI_CLE:We tweeted Gina Furia Rubel talk on Social Media at Internet Update. Take a look at Twitter.com at #pbiinthttp://bit.ly/aN3G6o
7:28 pmJLE_CLE:RT @PBI_CLE: Time for @Ginarubel She will be speaking on social networking, so it is a good time to tweet. #pbiint

Monday, April 19, 2010

Furia Rubel's Merger - Most Discussed Online


The HG Marketing Group merger with Furia Rubel received a lot of attention with the online business community last week. The story was one of the most discussed according to the Philadelphia Business Journal!

To read Peter Van Allen's full post, click here.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Facebook More Popular in the Workplace than ...Work

Posted by Katie Noonan

According to a recent study by Network Box, more business internet traffic goes to Facebook than to any other internet site, including Google and Yahoo.

Analysis by the company showed that in the first quarter of 2010, 6.8 percent of all business internet traffic went to Facebook, while YouTube was the most frequently visited bandwidth stealer for the quarter.

From a productivity standpoint this is pretty disconcerting. Friend, colleague and productivity guru, Neen James, encourages clients to use Facebook for 30 minutes a day, once a day, and fight the urge to log in every time someone comments or posts something on their wall.

The study also lends even more credence to the idea that companies should adopt social media policies which clearly state what kind of social media use is permitted and how often. In some industries, and for some roles within companies, social media engagement may be all in a day's work and thus, perfectly acceptable for office use. But if your employees are on Facebook solely for the purpose of completing "Watermelon mastery" (seriously, Farmville?) or to move illegal weapons (Mafia Wars), that's a problem. For the record, I am clearly biased, and, as an old-school Facebook user, have it out for these third-party aps that clog up my news-feed. In fact, in my Facebook-using heyday, there was no such thing as a news-feed or photo albums, but I digress. The point is, employers need to make it clear that Facebook activity which doesn't in some way, shape or form, benefit the company is not permitted unless it's during breaks, if that's the policy, or not at all if, that's the policy. There should be no gray area.

Do You Know About Foursquare?

Posted By Amanda Walsh

According to Burrellesluce's Fresh Ideas blog, social location-based networks like Foursquare, Yelp and Gowalla are the latest tools in public relations and marketing. These emerging social networks are driven by GPS-enabled smartphones and applications that allow "Geotagging.” Conrad Hall over at Social Media Examiner, explains that "geotagging takes advantage of the GPS technology that’s built into smartphones to build community at the street level instead of just at a global level." Lately, I've been seeing a lot of news about the interactive Web site, Foursquare, so I decided to take a closer look at this location-based social media network.

The introduction video on Foursquare's Web site explains users need only a smartphone and the Foursquare application to begin. After getting these simple tools, the next step is to take to the streets to discover new businesses, restaurants and stores in your city. Later you can send messages from these locations using the application and share what you’re doing. It is easy to find where fellow Foursquare friends are hanging out, too!

Foursquare also adds a competitive edge to the fun, which I think has aided it's popularity among users. When users repeatedly go to the same places or are always discovering new spots to hang out, they win points and in turn, earn badges. These badges help businesses' recognize that person as a loyal customer and many times can be offered discounts or rewards.

What are the benefits for PR professionals from these types of social networks?

Well, this is a whole new take on ways local businesses can market directly to consumers in our 24/7 "connected" society. These social media networks are opening up communication between consumers and local businesses more than ever before by:

1. Facilitating word of mouth marketing and advertising, and allowing consumers to share news with their network – which is always much more effective than business to consumer marketing or advertising.
2. Featuring benefits for users who are loyal customers to local businesses.
3. Adding elements of competition like points and badges to encourage regular use of the application.

More and more we are seeing interactive applications being designed for smartphones. I can't wait to save up for a smartphone myself upon my return to the USA this summer.

To read more from Social Media Examiner and business tips for using Foursquare, check out this link.

Twitter stream for Rubel's Presentation to Legal Marketing Assoc. Metro. Philadelphia Social Media for PR

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to present Leveraging Social Media for PR at the Legal Marketing Association Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter. Before the program, I created a Hashtag on Twitter #LMAPHL (which I hope the chapter will continue to use) and pre-scheduled tweets of what I was going to say using HootSuite.com. I shared this with the group at the beginning of the program too.

Today, I went on wthashtag.com to capture the Twitter stream and share it with our readers (thanks to the help of @tjeong who set it up for me at http://bit.ly/cJTVNO. Although there is often redundance because people re-tweet what has been said, wthashtag captures the transcript and converts it to chronological order which makes it much easier to read.

Here is what the dashboard looks like on wthashtag.com for #LMAPHL:



I have also copied and pasted the transcript below for your convenience.

wthashtag.com/lmaphl

Transcript from April 15, 2010 to April 16, 2010: All times are Pacific Time

April 15, 2010

3:50 pm GinaRubel: Today I'm presenting Leveraging Social Media for PR to the Legal Marketing Association Metro Phila Chapter #LMA will be tweeting at #LMAPHL

4:05 pm GinaRubel: Social media benefits for Lawyers = biz dev, referral source relations, community relations, crisis mgt, info and event sharing #LMAPHL

4:10 pm GinaRubel: Social media benefits for Lawyers = internal communications, issue advocacy, marketing, PR and media relations #LMAPHL #LMA

4:15 pm GinaRubel: Lawyers should blog b/c it's authoritative, great for SEO, should be niched, supports law firm marketing strategies #LMA #LMAPHL

4:15 pm GinaRubel: Social media benefits for Lawyers = network building, reputation mgt, thought leadership, client advocacy, litigation mgt #LMAPHL #LMA

4:18 pm CRMSuccess: About to hear @GinaRubel speak to #LMAPHL about social networking and PR.

4:20 pm GinaRubel: Lawyers PR strategy for LinkedIn should be to create content then share then engage #LMAPHL #LMA

4:20 pm GinaRubel: Blogging support PR and marketing for lawyers through exposure, thought leadership, SEO, brand reinforcement, rep mgt #LMAPHL #LMA

4:20 pm GinaRubel: RT @CRMSuccess: About to hear @GinaRubel speak to #LMAPHL about social networking and PR.

4:22 pm aleiter: RT @GinaRubel: Lawyers PR strategy for LinkedIn should be to create content then share then engage #LMAPHL #LMA

4:25 pm GinaRubel: Lawyers should engage carefully on Facebook b/c of inherent litigation issues although great biz dev tool #LMAPHL #LMA

4:25 pm GinaRubel: Lawyers and law firms should ALL have profiles on LinkedIn which should fit w/i firm social media policy, support brand #LMAPHL #LMA

4:30 pm GinaRubel: Watch out for litigation issues = jurors use of social media, witnesses friending attorneys, parties sharing case info #LMAPHL #LMA

4:35 pm GinaRubel: Twitter is a great tool to leverage PR for legal marketers / lawyers #LMAPHL #LMA

4:40 pm GinaRubel: Great social media tools include HootSuite, OneForty, TweetBeep, iGoogle, Google Alerts, Feedburner, HelloTxt #LMAPHL #LMA

4:41 pm LindsayGriffith: RT @GinaRubel: Social media benefits for Lawyers = internal communications, issue advocacy, marketing, PR and media relations #LMAPHL #LMA

4:41 pm LindsayGriffith: YES RT @GinaRubel: Lawyers PR strategy for LinkedIn should be to create content then share then engage #LMAPHL #LMA

4:41 pm LindsayGriffith: RT @GinaRubel: Lawyers should engage carefully on Facebook b/c of inherent litigation issues although great biz dev tool #LMAPHL #LMA

4:44 pm johnmbyrne: Listening to @GinaRubel present to #LMAPHL on social media for law firm PR. Good stuff!

4:45 pm GinaRubel: Twitter strategy for PR & Mkt should be to follow then listen then create content then engage in conversation #LMAPHL #LMA

4:50 pm GinaRubel: Target law firm audiences on Twitter = biz and community leaders, media, clients & prospects, colleagues (con't) #LMAPHL #LMA

4:50 pm GinaRubel: Target law firm audiences on Twitter =competition, family, friends, gov't officials, judges, industry experts, referral sources #LMAPHL #LMA

4:53 pm CRMSuccess: Lead by example. Use the tools. @GinaRubel #LMAPHL

4:53 pm alinwagnerlahmy: RT @GinaRubel: Social media benefits for Lawyers = internal communications, issue advocacy, marketing, PR and media relations #LMAPHL #LMA

4:55 pm GinaRubel: Great social media, marketing, PR and biz dev tool for lawyers / law firms = JD Supra #LMAPHL #LMA

4:55 pm CRMSuccess: Your audiences don't want to listen to 'all about you' - make it about them. @GinaRubel #LMAPHL

5:00 pm GinaRubel: Lawyers need to leverage video content - YouTube + SEO when done right - strategy create good content, post and share #LMAPHL #LMA

5:20 pm LindsayGriffith: RT @GinaRubel: Great social media, marketing, PR and biz dev tool for lawyers / law firms = JD Supra #LMAPHL #LMA

5:23 pm nancymyrland: Gina = Smart! RT @johnmbyrne: Listening to @GinaRubel present to #LMAPHL on social media for law firm PR. Good stuff!

5:23 pm CRMSuccess: You can't do it all. Pick a few social media tools and use them well. @GinaRubel #LMAPHL

8:27 pm JDSupra: thx! RT @LindsayGriffith: RT @GinaRubel: Great social media, marketing, PR and biz dev tool for lawyers / law firms = JD Supra #LMAPHL #LMA

8:30 pm legalisi @GinaRubel did a fine job at the LMA luncheon today. Lots of interesting ideas and tips for SM in legal marketing. #LMAPHL

April 16, 2010

1:09 am gaillamarche: RT @GinaRubel: Twitter strategy for PR & Mkt should be to follow then listen then create content then engage in conversation #LMAPHL #LMA

The Art of News and Storytelling in the Age of Social and Digital Media Recap

Posted by Leah Ludwig @furiarubel

Yesterday, I attended a social media panel hosted by Gregory FCA @gregoryfca in Philadelphia. The panel, The Art of News and Storytelling in the Age of Social and Digital Media, featured the following high-powered journalists: Ted Anthony @anthonyted – Assistant Managing Editor, Associated Press; Laurie Burkitt @lburkitt – Writer, Forbes; Sara Clemence @SaraClemence – Co-Founder and Editor, RecessionWire.com, Deputy Business Editor, New York Post; Jennifer Preston @NYT_JenPreston – Social Media Editor, The New York Times; Sree Sreenivasan @sreenet – Associate Professor and Dean of Student Affairs, Journalism, Columbia Journalism School; Riva Richmond @rivarichmond – Freelance Writer for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal; and Brian Dresher @bdresher – Manager of Social Media and Digital Partnerships, USA Today.

Here are just a few take-aways for our readers:

  • Traditional journalists are now working toward the title of tradigital journalists – traditional journalists with a digital overlay
  • When using social media sites like Twitter, always be a pointer and point out the good work of others – sharing good links and helpful resources
  • One of the most precious/scarce resources in the 21st century will be human attention
  • If a company builds a large media following, journalists are more willing to take them seriously when considering including them in a national story
  • Tradigital journalists are still looking for good stories from PR people – trend stories
  • The New York Times @nytimes is linked to every 4 seconds on Twitter
  • Newspapers are no longer newspapers – they are news organizations, trying to engage their readers, collaborate with other news organizations and involving their readers in the creative process
  • When tweeting, use 120 characters to make it feasible for others to retweet – look at newspaper headlines (always under 140 characters and the title tells a story)
  • Breaking news takes on a new meaning because of Twitter
  • Industry-focused social media outlets and traditional media outlets will take on a new meaning to PR folks when pitching stories for their clients

Check out the twitter stream at #gfcapanel or http://tweetchat.com/room/gfcapanel for more great insight from the panel.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Congrats News from The PR Lawyer

Posted by Leah Ludwig

The PR Lawyer has some congratulations news to share on behalf of a few colleagues and clients - a little congrats shout out, if you will.

Attorneys Deirdre R. Wheatley-Liss and Steven A. Loeb of the New Jersey law firm Fein, Such, Kahn & Shepard, P.C. have been selected as 2010 New Jersey Super Lawyers® Rising Stars. The result of a rigorous, multiphase selection process, the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list recognizes outstanding up-and-coming attorneys statewide. After evaluation on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are selected.

At its annual awards ceremony held on March 10, 2010, at the Ceremonial Courtroom in City Hall, Philadelphia legal services organization Philadelphia VIP (Volunteers for the Indigent) honored Philadelphia personal injury law firm Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig with its “Chancellor’s Award.” In addition to receiving the Chancellor’s Award, Feldman Shepherd is pleased to announce that Law Firm Administrator Gilbert J. Marquez was honored with the VIPeoples Choice Award for his outstanding support and services to the staff of VIP. Marquez is a long-time supporter of pro bono legal services, having chaired VIP’s Communications Committee, served on its Executive Committee and served two terms on the organization’s Board of Directors.

Also, Philadelphia union-side labor law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson was honored with the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Award at the annual Philadelphia VIP Awards Ceremony. The award recognizes the extraordinary time and effort Willig, Williams & Davidson attorneys have dedicated to VIP, a legal services organization that serves more than 1,500 low-income Philadelphians each year.

Again, well done to these clients, colleagues and friends!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Tweets Heard 'Round The World

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Living across the pond in Madrid offers some amazing opportunities to learn and experience the Spanish culture and language, but I still want to know what is going on back in the States and around the world. As I've blogged before, Twitter has been a great tool to stay "in the know" with what is happening in many industries including PR, marketing and technology. Now, I have begun to use it as a source for breaking global news. For example, tweets alerted me to the recent earthquake disasters in Haiti and Chile.

Did you know that 60% of Twitter accounts are from users living outside of the United States?! I discovered this intriguing fact in a Mashable.com article posted by Jolie O'Dell. The article highlights recent statistics released by Twitter. O' Dell writes, “international expansion has been on the rise since last year, when Twitter began launching in languages other than English."

Through Twitter's work in translation and expansion throughout various countries, the mini blog has successfully become a tool used in crisis and times of need. For example, lead engineer for Twitter’s international team, Matt Sanford, cited the tragedy of the earthquake in Chile. "Signups spiked 1200% and nearly all of those were using Spanish as their language," he says. Other examples of international growth include a 300% increase of users in Columbia and a 100% user sign-up increase in India. Sanford notes these spikes in memberships could be due to publicity of Twitter use by famous politicians and film stars around the world.

To read more, check out Jolie's article on Mashable.com here.