Thursday, April 28, 2011

No Twitter During The Royal Wedding?

Posted by Amanda Walsh

As most of us know, the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton will take place tomorrow afternoon in London. Many of us can’t escape the media frenzy and seemingly 24-hour coverage of the anticipated event.

One report came out stating that wedding guests will not be able to send tweets from inside Westminster Abbey. According to a Yahoo! News article, “guests won’t be able to access Twitter because wedding planners arranged for signal-blocking technology to be installed in Westminster Abbey. Royal family members suggested the privacy enforcement, which was approved by police and security personnel.”  Upon further investigation, this report seems to be false, perhaps to discourage any cell phone use during the ceremony. CBS News is reporting that “Metropolitan Police spokesman Eddie Townsend said, ‘The story is not true, rubbish.’”

What is notable about this story is the amount of thought that goes into a ceremony of this size and scale. In today’s highly-connected world, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have helped historical events gain worldwide attention and should to be consistently monitored. For example, recent reports indicate that a British guard was removed from duty for posting negative comments on Facebook about the bride-to-be. Even if this cell phone technology report is false, it makes me wonder what could happen to a guest if their cell phone buzzes or beeps during the ceremony!

We will all see what happens tomorrow when those of us in America will be up at the crack of dawn, with tissues in hand, to witness an historical milestone between a young couple beginning their life together. Maybe they will send out a tweet when the ceremony is over.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Lessons In Driving Traffic To Your Blog

Posted by Amanda Walsh


Gina F. Rubel, Esq., President/CEO of Furia Rubel, frequently writes for The Legal Intelligencer’s blog. Her most recent post, Measuring a Lawyer's Use of Social Media Marketing, was featured earlier this week.


Gina shared the blog post on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. She also made sure to engage readers, and those who shared her article, in conversation. As a result of the buzz around the Gina’s post, it was featured on Law.com’s Texas Lawyer and has been used as a reference by other bloggers.


This is a great example of how social media and blogging work hand in hand to drive traffic and encourage the sharing of ideas. Gina regularly advises Furia Rubel clients and colleagues to only begin a blog if they feel that they can create content of value for others on a consistent basis. She has a proven track record of producing posts and conversations of value that people are following, which most likely played a key factor in the number of reposts in this instance. Over time and through consistent blog posts and regular sharing of posts, you and your law firm can create a social media community through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn similar to the thought leadership that Gina has built.


Logo courtesy of Law.com's Texas Lawyer

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Creating A Measurement Dashboard

Posted by Leah Ludwig

I recently participated in a PRSA webinar on “Creating Your Own Measurement Dashboard.” Angela Sinickas of Sinickas Communications was the speaker and she discussed some very interesting topics regarding the dynamic world of PR and marketing measurement. She refers to her vehicle of internal and external communications measurement as a “measurement dashboard.”

Angela provided some insightful take-aways that I thought I would share. Her measurement dashboard method revolves around measuring four key factors:
- Communications activities (channels and messages)
- Audience perceptions (knowledge and attitudes)
- Changes in audience behavior
- Financial impact on goals

First, she advised webinar participants to gather all appropriate metrics on what it is we are trying to measure. This could be previously conducted surveys, sales numbers, Web statistics, etc. One may be planning to rollout a new marketing or PR campaign; this is the perfect time to put a measurement tool like Angela’s in place. Gathering the appropriate metrics helps to establish a baseline, or starting point, for the measurement of the targeted campaign, or whatever it is we are trying to measure.

At this point in the measurement process, communicators need to decide how to grade, categorize and classify the metrics information that is being compiled for measurement purposes.

Second, Angela encouraged us to set realistic goals to achieve – valued according to the same metrics that were gathered for our baseline measurement. Think about what is reasonable to you and your manager, general company expectations, etc., to determine and assign this number.

The next step is identifying how often you will record these measurements – quarterly, annually, etc. This may depend entirely on the length of the campaign that you are measuring.

The final step is providing feedback or progress reports to management on the status of the campaign indicating whether you are on track, exceeding goals or missing your target regarding the four key measurement factors – communications activities, audience perception, changes in audience behavior and financial impact on goals.

Angela’s dashboard measurement method has sparked some very stimulating conversation in the Furia Rubel office and I hope this post provokes some thought about your company’s measurement methods.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Local School District To Adopt Social Media Policy

Posted by Amanda Walsh

An article in today's Intelligencer announced that the North Penn School District will put a social media policy into place that outlines what is considered acceptable and unacceptable communication between students and teachers.

This news comes in light of recent examples of teachers in the area conducting questionable or inappropriate communications with students.

In Central Bucks, teacher Natalie Munroe was suspended after her blog surfaced with posts mocking her students.

Furia Rubel CEO Gina Rubel was quoted in several news stories concerning the Munroe situation including, Natalie Munroe has been making herself heard: Good idea or bad idea? and Teacher's blog brings online issues up for debate.

Gina frequently advises clients of the major risk-management issue that a company can face by not having a social media policy. People are on social media, it’s a fact. It is important for companies and school districts both to inform employees in the proper usage of these prevalent tools.

It’s nice to see that the North Penn School District is working to come up to speed with the Web 2.0 world we live in today.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Public Relations Tactics is a monthly industry publication for PR and marketing professionals produced by Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). I recently read this article, “EQ is the new IQ: The vital role of emotional intelligence in public relations” by Susan Balcom Walton, M.A., APR, of Brigham Young University.

According to the article, emotional intelligence, is “the ability to be attuned to the people around us – to consider their emotions, and our own, as we make decisions and navigate through our organizations. Our EQ is our measure of that emotional intelligence.”

Walton brings to light some challenges that public relations professionals typically face on a daily basis. I can speak from my own experience as an account coordinator at busy boutique-size firm. Interfacing with clients, the media, as well as my own colleagues at work, can make for a constantly changing communications environment. In addition, PR professionals are often the spokespeople or the “voice” of a company or brand and receive a lot of pressure from various stakeholders regarding ROI and high expectations.

Gina Rubel frequently speaks about her favorite book, the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. One of the agreements, “don’t take anything personally,” is one she references a lot. In the fast-paced world of PR many new professionals may find it hard to stay in tune with their emotions when faced with changes thrown at them from every angle. It’s easy to get upset about a brusque email or someone’s tone of voice, but if we remember to not take things personally, we realize that whatever is motivating someone to act in a particular way is fueled by their personal issues, not ours.

Walton gives a great tip, “hear the words, watch the signs.” When working with others it is important to not only hear what they are saying, but take note of body language and cues. In addition, EQ requires an understanding of “the people we work with and what they need from us.” This relates to figuring out how to best communicate with not only clients, stakeholders and the media but learning that Harry in marketing likes to be called on the phone or that Julie the accounting manager likes face-to-face meetings. Many times we spend so much time on social media, emailing or texting that we can forget that we work with other human beings and that human interaction can be invaluable in building relationships.

Lastly, to work on your personal EQ, welcome and embrace feedback in order to grow. Engaging your co-workers with your perspective from your various interactions will become a valuable piece of the puzzle that you can bring to the table.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

"Fair & Balanced?" Media Panel Presented By PPRA

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Be sure to register for the upcoming luncheon program called "Fair & Balanced?" on Wed., April 27 presented by Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) Public Affairs Committee,the Society of Professional Journalists Greater Philadelphia Chapter and the Bar News Media Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. 


Our Gina Rubel, Esq., President/CEO of Furia Rubel, will serve on the panel of experienced communications professionals who will tackle the issue of how this changing media landscape alters the complex relationship between the public relations professional and the working journalist.

Other media panelists include Michael Days, managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer; Kingsley Smith, vice president of news & news director at FOX 29 Philadelphia; and Michael Berry, Esq., partner with Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, L.L.P. Cynthia Sanz, assistant managing editor of People magazine will serve as the moderator.

This PPRA event will be held at Estia Restaurant in Philadelphia with networking and registration from 11:30 a.m. to noon with the luncheon program following until 1:30 p.m. To learn more or to register, please visit: http://ppra.net/content/calendar/viewevent.aspx?eventid=53.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Top News Links In Social Media, PR & Marketing

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Check out some of the latest news stories in the social media, public relations and marketing industry.


Who is Epsilon and why does it have my data? - Cnet
Meet +1: Google’s Answer To The Facebook Like Button - Search Engine Land
When It Comes to Brands and Content, Simplicity Matters - Burrelles Luce Blog
Google to Revamp YouTube With 'Channels' - Wall Street Journal Tech