Brad Marley's Blog

Will The Last Person To Leave Please Turn Off the Social Media?

This scenario happens far too often to be good for anybody's mental health.

An influential person on Twitter is leaving on a jet plane, so they throw out a tweet to their people to recommend a good book for the trip.

What follows is hundreds upon hundred of recommendations for marketing, business, self-help and entrepreneurial books that nobody in their right mind would read on an airplane, but recommending it conveys a sense of savviness and marketing smarts.

Absolutely nobody recommends a work of fiction.

Of course, said person thanks everybody for playing and says they decided on "Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution"! This makes matters worse, and serves to solidify two false truths in our Twitter-addled brains:

1. In order to stay relevant on Twitter and in the eyes of influentials, everything you tweet must be grounded in your field of business. (Don't we all follow that guy who tweets stuff like "How to Attract New Customers Through Social Media" at 10 p.m. on a Friday night?)

2. If you decide to stray from your area of expertise, you will be shot on site.

The beauty of a site like Twitter is that it gives us access to like-minded individuals who are likely in search of similar dialogue. But these conversations are never-ending, so if you disappear for even a few days -- like, I don't know, taking a vacation? -- you risk missing out.

As it is in any type of social environment, there is pressure to keep up appearances.

How far are you willing to go to stay relevant?

Five and One With Brian Barthelmes.

I'm excited this morning because I'm finally posting the first entry in what I hope becomes a regular feature on my blog: the "Five and One" series.

It's where I grill people in the communications field with five questions related to the industry, and one random question.

So, without further ado, my first guest is public relations practitioner extraordinaire and colleague, Brian Barthelmes. (On Twitter he's @bdbarth. Go follow him.)

I chose him for two reasons: 

1. He's really good at what he does and all of us in PR could stand to learn from him.

2. He sits on the other side of the cubicle wall from me in our office, so I could easily pester him to stop doing work and answer the questions.

Let's begin!

Q: Why did you decide to pursue a career in public relations?

Brian: I graduated from Michigan State University in 2000 with a degree in advertising. I was always curious about public relations, and signed up for the one and only "public relations concepts" class offered in my sophomore year. I learned two things: (1) public relations is about helping people and organizations communicate a message despite all the "clutter" around them; and (2) writing was the centerpiece of the profession. Not only did I do well in that class, but it made me want to roll up my sleeves and jump from "concepts" to "application" to really get a feel for what the field was all about. As it happened, MSU offered a specialization in public relations during my senior year, and I'm the first "enrollee" in that program. A benefit of being part of the specialization was access to a very substantive advanced writing class. From writing and perfecting a press release with a 10-minute deadline to daily AP Stylebook quizzes to an end-of-class professional portfolio project, it was that class -- and the professor who taught it -- that made me realize a career was for me.

Q: What is the biggest challenge facing PR practitioners in 2010?

Brian: PR professionals will continue to be challenged to leverage -- and stay ahead of -- the pace, manner and methods of communication in the world today. When I graduated 10 years ago, social media didn't exist, and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn were barely visions in their creators' heads, and even the Internet was in its infancy. After having been successful in the public relations field for more than a decade, it's as though I've got to learn the practice of public relations all over again. All of us as PR professionals owe it to ourselves to roll up our sleeves, learn the social media landscape, understand its value, and be counselors to our clients looking to leverage it strategically.

Q: Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

Brian: At its basic level, PR is about helping people. The uninitiated might say we're not saving lives, but then again, maybe we are. Whether it's a recall of an unsafe product, the discovery of a harmful prescription drug or the response to the aftermath of the massive earthquake in Haiti, somewhere there are professional communicators -- PR people like me -- helping to tell people how to stay safe, how to help, how to get help, and how to prevent. And it's not all about communicating in a crisis. When deciding whether to pursue a career in journalism or public relations, our CEO told me and a roomful of employees that her choice was between reporting or making the news. Like her, I chose the latter, and I haven't looked back.

Q: What's one piece of advice you would give somebody who is exploring a career in PR?

Brian: Invest every minute of your time striving to be a professional who doesn't just write well, but writes well for public relations. What's the difference? The former is about adhering to the rules of grammar and usage, forming proper sentences, writing cohesively and generally following the rules. The latter is about all of that -- plus writing strategically to reinforce a particular message. And when it comes to the written word, more words don't mean half as much as using the right ones strategically.

Q: What is one skill that is imperative for somebody who wants to succeed in PR?

Brian: Commit to continuing your public relations education after graduation. To keep up with the pace, manner and methods of communication, continuing education is essential. The good news is that educational resources are everywhere. Look up your local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and take advantage of monthly luncheon events that offer the chance to network with professionals and learn from them as well. Sign up for a PRSA committee and work to line up topics that you want to learn more about. For example, I attended a "Social Media in Healthcare" panel discussion through the Detroit Chapter of PRSA last week, led my director-level social media professionals working in hospitals, physician practices and the media. It's this firsthand perspective about the challenges and opportunities associated with social media in healthcare that I'm now able to take back to my clients, which empowers me as a PR professional and a counselor to my clients.

Q: Finally, today's random question comes from Glassdoor.com's Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions Of 2009: What was your best MacGyver moment?

Brian: I once used a LARGE amount of duct tape to keep the bumper of my first car from dragging on the ground. Make no mistake, duct tape is probably the single best (and stickiest) product ever invented. Maybe the duct tape people need PR.

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The best stuff I read in 2009.

Like most of you, I'm sure, I did a lot of reading in 2009.

Whether it was a book, a newspaper article, or "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," 'the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of deriving meaning and/or constructing meaning' was something I partook in daily. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hill, would be so proud.

So as I bid good riddance to the year that brought us four-hour waits for flu vaccinations, the advent of TMZ.com as a legitimate news source (because they were the only media outlet unscrupulous enough to run a report of Michael Jackson's death before it was confirmed) and teenybopper vampire romance trilogies, I want to take one more look at my favorite blog posts and articles from 2009.

• NHL: Brand Resurrected (MarketingDaily)

• How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live (Time.com)

• How Social Media is Radically Changing the Newsroom (Mashable)

• Could Twitter destroy real journalism? (ESPN.com)

• PR People: Stop Being Bad at Stuff and Read This (Bad Pitch Blog)

• An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All (WIRED)

• How To Be Interesting (Copyblogger)

• Apocalypse Then: a two-part series on the lessons of Y2K. Part 1. Part 2. (Slate.com)

• Anything Jeff Pearlman writes about on his blog.

There you have it. Those are mine.

What captured your fancy in 2009?

Revenge of the Weekly Grab Bag of Links - 10.31.09

You probably think I have a ton of links saved up since I haven't posted a weekly grab bag of links since early September, right?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your thinking would be incorrect.

Truth is, work and baby preparation have gotten in the way of reading.

But with a week of little-to-no sleep on the horizon, I should have more time than I need to stay current on my blog reader.

For now, these will have to do.

• You don't mess with Montana's Communications students (Deadspin) - When Montana's football coach told his players to stop talking to reporters from the student newspaper, the student newspaper relatiated by covering the team's opponents. The coach has since allowed players to talk to the paper. Communications students 1, jocks 0.

• 5 Social Media Disasters (Penn Olson) - The headline says it all, really. Learn how Honda and Taco Bell handled social media the wrong way.

• An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All (Wired Magazine) - This is an article every parent-to-be should read. The topic of vaccinating your kids is polarizing, to be sure, but when the facts are laid out in a straightforward fashion, it's easier to make a decision.

• The Robots Are Coming! Oh, They're Here (Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com) - A group of students at Northwestern University have created a bot that writes game recaps that "captures the overall dynamics of the game" using stats from the game. It's called Stats Monkey, and I'm wondering if they set out with the intention to eliminate more jobs.

• Inside the NHL's social media innovations, growing pains (Puck Daddy) - This article explains how the NHL is actively trying to engage its fans (and fans-to-be) on social networking sites.

As always, you can see all of my links on my Delicious page.

To Retweet or Leave a Comment?

It's the dilemma facing hundreds, if not thousands, of people today.

Do I retweet a great post? Or, do I leave a comment? (I won't introduce the third option, which is leaving a comment on the blogger's Facebook page.)

From a blogger who's been at this for eight months point-of-view, comments lend legitimacy to the blog, but retweets potentially introduce your name to a wider audience.

It's a conundrum to be considered, for sure.

Try not to lose too much sleep over this.

Is Twitter just another place to complain?

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I bought a washer and dryer from Lowe's and scheduled an early-morning delivery so I could supervise the installation -- and make sure the delivery guys didn't track mud through the house -- before I took my daughter to daycare.

They called the day before to tell me they had to be at my house before seven because they were due at the store -- which is 15 minutes from my house -- by eight.

Perfect.

But when 7:30 rolled around and they still weren't there, I started to get annoyed. My annoyance increased threefold (at least) when I called the driver and he explained they were 20 minutes away because of truck issues.

I can be pretty forgiving, but I don't think a phone call was asking too much.

They finally showed up 45 minutes late, which pushed back my schedule by 45 minutes.

Rather than call his supervisor to complain, I turned to Twitter to voice my disapproval. The allure of the hashtag-tagged complaint held too much power. Even though my 140 character beef was met with Twilence, other consumers have been successful, turning Twitter into another hotline for customer gripes about their cable companies and commercial airlines.

And maybe to the general public, that's all it is?

Social media's numbers will blow your freaking mind.

To the general public, Wikipedia is about as reliable as a baseball mitt with a hole in it and Twitter is just a way to tell everybody when you're doing nothing.

Heck, I'm guilty of lessening the intended importance of Twitter. (I remain that sometimes it seems like 300 people yelling at me at once, but TweetDeck is slowly allowing me to change my mind.)

But yesterday I came across a video on the social media revolution that opened my eyes to its sheer magnitude and how prevalent it is becoming in our day-to-day lives.

The video doesn't tell us why theses sites are important, per se, but it gives us evidence, through statistics, why it is beneficial to join the discussion.

(Spoiler alert for PR people: This is where you will find your audience.)

I won't ruin your viewing of this video (which clocks in around four and a half minutes) but some of the stats were particularly eye-opening: 

• It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users, television 13 years and the Internet four years.  Facebook added 100 million users in less than nine months.

• If Facebook were a country, it would be the world's 4th largest, right behind the United States.

• 80 percent of companies use LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees.

• If you were paid one dollar for every time an article was posted to Wikipedia, you would earn $156.23 per hour.

Here's the video:

Weekly Grab Bag of Links - June 12, 2009

There are a lot of great links in this week's grab bag, and I'm not just saying that because I sifted through every single blog posted this week to the Web to bring you, my faithful handful of readers (whoever you are), the best of the best.

Now that you have been appropriately guilt-tripped, read on.

• Submitting News to the Media (Maroon PR) - This post by Stefan Lovelace explores the disappearing line between the traditional PR tactic of pitching media story ideas and pitching media already compiled coverage for their use.  The post contains a Q&A with Michael Anderson, the public relations manager of the Cincinnati Reds, who has become adept at driving local coverage through alternate channels.  Good tips in here for those in PR looking to drive more coverage for their clients.

• How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live (Time.com) - I think the title of this article is a bit misleading, but the writer uses the Hacking Education conference as an example of how we are using Twitter to shape our conversations.

• Ray Fitzgerald, Will McDonough and glory days of the Boston Globe (Sports Illustrated) - Rather than just bemoan the current state of the newspaper industry and the affect blogging has had on the traditional reporter, Kevin Armstrong harkens back to a time when reporters were considered kings and a job as a sports writer was something worth fighting for.

• How Social Media is Radically Changing the Newsroom (Mashable) - More and more newsrooms are beginning to give serious thought to the ramifications of social media on their business.  For example, the Wall Street Journal now has strict guidelines for their staff on "friending" confidential sources (don't do it) and getting into arguments on the Web (don't do it.) 

• There's an art to writing on Facebook or Twitter - really (USA Today) - Contrary to popular belief, great Tweeting is great writing.  As more and more people sign up for Facebook and Twitter, there is a drive to stop being boring and start being more interesting in your status updates.  "Going to the store" just doesn't cut it.

• The Real Secret to Becoming a Popular Blogger (Copyblogger) - I love everything about this post.  The copy explains, like the headline suggests, how to become a blogger that people will want to read. Essentially, inject some personality into your writing.  (Bonus link: How to be Interesting)

• Interview with a Jampire (GQ) - I'll admit it: I like the Dave Matthews Band. I've seen them in concert 11 times, and in July I'll see them for a 12th time. Every Dave Matthews interview is worth reading because he speaks his mind and isn't afraid to say something completely off-the- wall. This Q&A delves a bit deeper into that idea.

As always, you can find all of my links on my Delicious page.

Brad's Weekly Grab Bag of Links - June 5, 2009

After missing last week due to being busy/being lazy/watching Red Wings playoff games, I come roaring back with a handful of links for your click-thru enjoyment.

• ProPublica Wants Newspapers to Steal Its Stories (ReadWriteWeb) - ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom intent on continuing investigative journalism at a time when traditional newspapers are removing staff. The tactic? Giving away their coverage to other newspapers and on-line publishers.

• The Stanley Cup Could Use an Editor (Wall Street Journal) - I have hockey on the brain. The Stanley Cup, arguably the most famous trophy in sports, contains a litany of misspellings dating back to the 1930s.  (I was going to make a funny joke here about Sidney Crosby not having to worry about his name being misspelled because he'll never win a Cup, but then the second period of game four just happened, and now I don't feel so confident.) 

• The Next Media Company (Chris Brogan) - Interesting post. Chris Brogan lists some ideas and tactics that he thinks the next media company should integrate. I would argue a few already exist -- stories don't end, but are added to; coverage comes in many forms -- while the majority can, and should, pop up at some point in the future.

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (The Writer's Coin) - If you're like me, you've been meaning to read one of Gladwell's books but haven't felt like you are in the right frame of mind to do it.  Luckily, the dude over at The Writer's Coin took the time to write a brief explanation of Gladwell's latest book, so now I have no good reasons to not pick it up next time I'm at Barnes & Noble.

• E3: Protestors target Dante's Inferno game (Los Angeles Times blog) - In a brilliant move, it appears Electronic Arts staged a protest against their upcoming game, Dante's Inferno, in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center at E3.  Even more awesome is that it was originally picked up as a legit story.  The third comment down is my favorite, btw. 

• Struggling 'Pittsburgh Post-Gazette' Asks Sidney Crosby to Cover Penguins Playoff Series (The Onion) - A strangely relevant (and perhaps foretelling?) piece in The Onion where a local paper asks a player to cover his playoff series for them. You have to admit this satirical publication usually nails it.

That's all for this week.

Here's hoping Detroit can raise another championship banner come Monday.  

Is a college degree worth the price?

Four months ago my brother-in-law was unexpectedly let go from his management position at a rather large consumer technology retail chain.

As he prepared to join the ranks of the unemployed, he was faced with the uncomfortable prospect of not being able to immediately find a job and a standing phone date with MARVIN (anyone who has ever been unemployed in the state of Michigan can attest that MARVIN is not somebody you want on your speed dial). With a newborn at home and a mortgage to pay, he tightened up his resume and set out to find a new job.

I'm not sure if you've heard, but job prospects in Michigan are slim, made even more so if, like my brother-in-law, you were a few credits shy of a college degree. 

But he did have one thing going for him: by all accounts, he is a great manager.

This can't-be-learned-from-a-textbook skill quickly manifested itself into a job as a branch manager of a national bank.  Unlike a lot of people with college degrees who are still floundering, he found a solid job with a reputable company in a challenging economy.  A rarity these days.

So here's the question: Unless you are studying law or medicine, is a college degree worth the thousands upon thousand of dollars that you will inevitably spend to earn a piece of paper with your name on it?

Or, is gaining experience in an area in which you already have the skills the best route to go? Seems in today's world of social media, it's easier to gain visibility and become an expert in a certain field and parlay that into a successful career, but an argument could be made either way.

What say you?