Wikipedia: Understanding How It Works – Part 1

Posted by Leah Ludwig

Just this week, I attended a PRSA Philadelphia event titled, “Learn to Speak Wikipedia” featuring Jake Orlowitz, a Wikipedia editor; author of The Plain and Simple Conflict of Interest Guide; designer of The Wikipedia Adventure, a dynamic learning game for new Wikipedia editors; and the list goes on.

The event was held to address the following topics: Wikipedia’s size, scope and PR impact; core policies that keep Wikipedia functioning and reliable; best practices for writing effective Wikipedia copy; and much more. The event was packed with information – in fact, I could write a short thesis on what I learned during this program, but instead I’m going to share the topline tips that I believe will be most helpful to The PR Lawyer readers – in a two-part post.

What is Wikipedia? As stated by Orlowitz, “It is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit, whose mission is to summarize published reliable sources. It is not a dictionary, a publisher of original thought, a soapbox or means of promotion, a blog or social network, a directory, etc.”

Core Policies of Wikipedia

Orlowitz shared Wikipedia’s four core policies which really are the standards and guidelines that the entire Wikipedia community follows:

Neutral point of view: It is important to know and remember that a neutral point of view is valued and the only view accepted by Wikipedia and the Wikipedia community. Articles (referring to what you and I may consider an entry or profile) mustn't take sides, but should explain the sides fairly and without bias.

Verifiability: Articles published on Wikipedia must reference verifiable and reliable sources. Verifiable and reliable sources mean previously reported information from a fact-checking source such as a newspapers, book, website, radio, journal, etc.

Original research: Wikipedia will only publish analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to advance a position. 

Civility: The Wikipedia community is based on consideration and respect. Everyone’s focus should be on improving the encyclopedia and all users are expected to behave politely and reasonably.

The main gist of the first portion of Orlowitz’s program was really to drive home the importance of understanding Wikipedia, how powerful and empowering the site is, and that it is truly a unique and collaborative community. One must truly embrace the site’s culture before it can fully and effectively collaborate within the space.

Press Releases: Cutting Through Clutter and Sharing Useful Content

Posted by Leah Ludwig

No matter the industry, if you want to promote the good work of your business and its offerings you must be able to compile engaging promotional copy. One communications tool to do so is the almighty press release.

In the past few days, I have read a several blogs that collectively assist all of us promotional copy writers in getting to the point, catching our readers’ attention and trimming the boring content out of an otherwise average press release, to make it worthy of attention.

Starting with the headline of your release, PRDaily.com’s Mark Nichol shared “8 simple, yet powerful types of headlines.” In his blog, Mark identifies different approaches to making your headline stand out and supplies some helpful examples – see a few of them below.

• Direct: Lawn Mowers on Sale
• News: Remote-Control Lawn Mower to Debut in April
• How-to: How to Select the Best Lawn Mower for Your Yard
• Question: Is Your Lawn Mower the Right One for the Job?
• Command: Go to Lawn Mowers R Us for the Best Deals

Bottom line: keep your headlines concise (no more than 10 words). Also, search for originality. Mark encourages writers to “copy and paste your final draft into a search engine. If it comes up, consider altering one or more words or starting over again.”

Andrew Hindes’ insightful article “PR With Benefits: What 'Mad Men' Can Teach Us About Writing Press Releases” shared in PR News helps us to really think about the overall message of release content. Andrew compares journalist messaging to advertisements and addresses how ad copywriters, as featured on the show Mad Men, have turned that kind of persuasion into both an art and a science.

The main point that Andrew drives home is that the benefits of a product or service are far more compelling to potential customers than its features. You may wonder, what’s the difference? Andrew explains that “features describe the positive qualities of a product or service. Benefits describe the ways those qualities positively affect the consumer—usually by making his or her life better or easier.” So, when writing your next release, make sure you clearly explain how your product or service makes your customers' lives simpler.

And last, but certainly not least, another struggle that press release writers face is keeping it short and simple. PRDaily.com’s Laura Hale Brockway shared a blog about the “20 phrases you can replace with one word.” She talks about how circumlocution is the use of many words when one will do – which is so prevalent in today’s corporate writing. Check out her list of redundant phrases by going to her blog post.

So don’t forget: keep you headline short and impactful; make sure your content speaks to the benefits that you are bringing to your audience; and keep it concise and to-the-point.

Upcoming Economic Forum for Small Business Owners

On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, Gina Rubel, Esq., President/CEO of Furia Rubel Communications, will speak at the Small Business Solutions Center of Delaware County Community College’s “Your Business and the Economy 2011” economic forum. Rubel will address “Marketing and PR on a Shoestring Budget: How to Manage the New Economy.” The event will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Terrazza in Newtown Square, Pa.

Brad Segall of KYW Newsradio will moderate the program. Other participants include: Rob Wonderling, President of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, who will talk about “Next Gen Job Creation for the Greater Philadelphia Region;” Kim Huggins, President of K HR Solutions, who will speak about “Bridging Generation Gaps and Understanding the Impact on Your Business;” James Revels, CPA, MST and Partner with Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLC in Philadelphia, who will explain how to “Be Prepared: Small Businesses and the New Tax Code Changes;” and Andrew Miller, Chief Lending Officer for Beneficial Savings Bank, who will explain “Borrowing Money to Grow Your Business.”

Beneficial Bank of Philadelphia and the Widener University Small Business Development Center will co-sponsor the event. A full lunch will be served and admission is $10. To attend or learn more about this event, call the Small Business Solutions Center’s Danielle Cipolloni at 610-723-1229.

Six Recommended Marketing and PR Blogs

Written by Lauren Sullivan & Laura Powers

Marketing, social media and public relations are blogged about every hour of every day. To keep up with opinions, advice and trending topics in these arenas, The PR Lawyer follows many sites including other blogs. Below is a list of blogs that we frequent - we hope you enjoy them.

Scobleizer: Exploring the 2010 Web
- Author and blogger Robert Scoble explores a variety of topics on Web publishing for business through his blog. He is the author of a great book called "Naked Conversations."

Chris Brogan: Community and Social Media
- Chris Brogan's blog advises businesses, organizations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.

Mashable
- Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and social media news. It’s a great resource for PR and marketing professionals who are interested in utilizing Web 2.0 and social media initiatives in PR and marketing campaigns.

The Steve Rubel Lifestream
- Steve Rubel is SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital. This blog helps clients identify emerging technologies and trends that can be applied in marketing communications programs.

How To Change The World
- Twitter guru Guy Kawasaki has written many books on sales and marketing and uses this blog to show how online publishing can be a useful tool for business growth and other initiatives.

Greg Verdino: Marketing, Media, Technology & Trends
- Greg Verdino is a futurist, marketer, writer and speaker who works as Vice President, Strategy & Solutions at full service social media agency Powered, Inc. In his blog, Greg discusses trends in media and marketing along with changes being brought on by disruptive technologies, new business imperatives and the rise of the empowered consumer.

PR Squared
- In this blog, Todd Defren discusses Web 2.0 in the public relations arena. He frequently speaks across the country on social media.

Posterous- Easy Posting For Blogging Experts And First Timers Alike

Posted by Amanda Walsh

I´m pleased to share with ThePRLawyer audience another amazing tool for public relations and marketing professionals called posterous.com. This website is designed for just about anyone to post music, videos, pictures and content on the Internet just by sending an email. There are options for first-time bloggers with simple instructions to get started and more advanced options for seasoned blogging experts.

Getting started is easy, sign up by sending an introductory email to posterous@posterous.com with the option to attach files like photos or videos and voilá! The reply is almost instant and you are set up with your very own part of the information superhighway. A variety of platforms (up to 30!) such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and/or Picasa can be integrated with your posterous. Once set up, you control where your information is going to be posted. It´s just that quick and easy.

Duct Tape Marketing´s John Jantsch explains the benefits for users by pointing out that "for many people, particularly those that rely on email as their primary communication and storage tool, this is a great way to create and curate content." Jantsch also points out that posterous can be used as a hub for distribution with easy options to pick and choose what information to post and which platform it will be sent to.

Social media expert, Steve Rubel, first wrote about posterous in a post on June 25, 2009 saying he was giving up traditional blogging for posterous' "Lifestreaming" ease of use. His blog, now fully based on posterous proves to be a social media and public relations goldmine of resources. Shortly after reading this post last summer, I decided to explore my own posterous and use it to supplement my personal posts on Facebook and Twitter. I was amazed at the easy of posting!

In addition, posterous has rolled out the new Facebook "like" button feature that can be added in posts. It's surprisingly simple to add to your posterous website. Check out the posterous blog for more information. Another neat feature is linking Google reader and posterous. Rubel explains how to easily share content between the two sites at his blog here.

I hope you take a minute to check out posterous and consider it as another tool in your PR toolbox for sharing news and events with your clients.

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

Gina Rubel Tapped for PR Career Tips in Culpwrit Blog

Ron Culp, Partner and Managing Director of Ketchum and head of the PR agency’s Corporate Practice in North America, recently interviewed Gina Rubel and tapped some of her legal PR expertise for his PR career-focused blog, Culpwrit. To read more about Gina's career and resume tips, reading habits and her thoughts on the importance of a first job, click here.

Navigating Social Networking Sites: To Join or Not to Join?

Posted by Katie Noonan

People today are more strapped for time than ever, which makes Dan Schawbel’s recent blog on Mashable-Twitter, Facebook, Digg: Can You Join Too Many Networks? especially topical and a great resource for those in the working world.

Schawbel urges readers to be selective when deciding on which social networking sites to join. With so many sites to choose from, it may be difficult to determine which is best for your specific professional needs. Below are recommendations based upon Furia Rubel’s work with our clients and their successes.

• Facebook. Facebook is the pre-eminent social networking site for the 18-24 set, and increasingly for professionals and people in their 30s and 40s as well. With almost 200 million users, MySpace is technically the largest social networking site, but Facebook has a level of credibility and innovation which MySpace has so far been unable to match. Facebook has a social component to it which makes it a great resource for networking and re-connecting with old friends, classmates and colleagues who could potentially be new business prospects or referrals. It is better for showcasing your personality than your business credentials, but an appropriate Facebook profile with information about your business could open some doors.
• LinkedIn. LinkedIn is often referred to as “Facebook for grown-ups.” With more emphasis on business networking and less on socializing, LinkedIn users are professionals hoping to grow their professional circle and their business. Unlike Facebook applications like Bumper Sticker, Super Wall and the recreational-like, the applications recently introduced to LinkedIn are more geared toward business, especially carrying out office tasks with greater ease. If you join one social network with a goal of generating new business, I would recommend LinkedIn.
• Twitter. With its 140-character tweets, and the help of supplemental sites that allow you to track what other people are saying about your business, Twitter is an easy and efficient way to promote your business and connect with people. While building a Facebook page or Twitter profile can be time intensive, Twitter allows you to post short blips and let other people find you. A link on your company’s website to your Twitter page will grow your following tremendously within the span of a few days.

There are many other social networking sites out there, but Schawbel urges, and I agree, that individuals should avoid joining too many, or those that seem like they could fizzle. The best way to determine which to join in my opinion is to go with the tried and true, and those that have a million users or more. Realize that social networking sites do take time- both to start up and maintain, but they come with measurable PR benefits and business development potential. Set aside a few hours to build your social network profiles, and then a block of time each day to maintain them to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Tactics of Hope

Posted by Gina Rubel

My cousin, Peter Furia, is an owner of Seedwell Productions. He sent me this video that they produced about individuals from all walks of life who are creating positive social and environmental change through a movement known as "social entrepreneurship". The groups discussed in the video have been celebrated by Oprah, Jay-Z, Bill Clinton, National Geographic, MTV, CNN, PBS, NBC and others.

This video outlines the core concepts of their book "The Tactics of Hope: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Changing Our World". It explains what social entrepreneurship is, why it has the power to change the world in profound ways, and how people can join the movement.

Video: "The Tactics of Hope - Join the Social Entrepreneur Movement"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MokRURNnSC0



The Tactics of Hope mission is to support and inspire individuals to move from concern to action around the issues of poverty, human rights, social justice, and the environment."

The Tactics of Hope Book can be found on Amazon.com.

Just think - how can you and your business make a positive difference in the world through grassroots public relations? Tactics of Hope is a great tool to get your PR motor running.

SpinSpotter Spots Media Bias - New Web Ap

Posted by Gina Rubel – Check it out – what a fun PR application http://www.spinspotter.com/. It’s said to spot spin and bias in news coverage. The “spinoculars” help you spot spin but they’re only available right now for FireFox 3. The site says they’ll be adding the ap for IE 7 soon.

So here’s what the homepage says about the new Internet application:

Spin doesn't belong in the news. It's like putting motor oil in the mojito. We have tremendous respect for journalists, but who would argue that the media circus isn't out of control? A full 66% of Americans think the press is one-sided. Now there's a website and software tool that exposes news spin and bias, misuse of sources, and suspect factual support. At SpinSpotter, you'll experience the news in a profound new way. Yes, the truth is back in town.

My two cents:

Penny 1) This could be an interesting public relations tool to measure the message in media coverage – we’ll have to wait and see.

Penny 2) Don’t mess with the mojito!

PR Disasters Blog By Gerry McCusker

I recently discovered a great blog – http://prdisasters.com/. Gerry McCusker’s blog is chock full of what not to do in public relations. His profile touts the site as designed to “help you avoid killing your PR career or crippling your corporate reputation by showing PR counselors and non-PR’s alike, how not to turn a PR job into a PR nightmare.”

He says the site “tracks the real PR cock-ups; the gaffes and howlers made by spin doctors, PR firms and the client organizations they represent while … offering a perspective on PR (mal)practice that, hopefully, helps you in your work.”

Bottom line – I like it. This one gets added to the blogroll too! Way to go Gerry!