Tear down those walls. In today’s social media infused PR & Marketing environment it’s no longer to your benefit to only publish content to your campaign website. No, in fact in today’s iPhone wielding, Twitter, & Facebook obsessed world it’s to your advantage to Syndicate your content to as many platforms as possible.

Such a concept of sharing content used to be a dirty thought, as you wanted to control your content and simply drive audiences directly to your website. However, while that is still true today, the strategy for obtaining and reaching consumers of your content has shifted; and the focus is now on spreading your message as widely as possible and having the audience further disseminate your content and propel new eyeballs in your direction. As audiences become more and more fragmented it is increasingly important to share your content and extend its reach in order to help meet the increased diversity with which content is consumed.

Sharing your content and syndicating it benefits your campaign in a number of innovative ways:

• By increasing the availability of the content, creating more pipes that lead back to your website & allowing you to reach broader audiences.
• Engaged audiences take ownership and will proactively share your news, and spread the message on their own to their own friends and contacts.
• Allows target audiences to opt-in and manage both when & where they interact with your information.

Beyond these aspects, there are other advantages, not the least of which is having the opportunity to syndicate any type of content from the latest news release, to a Podcast interview with your spokesperson, or simply a link to a related article via Twiter. The benefits are endless and will allow you to maximize coverage for your efforts.

Over the past year, as a Nation we have witnessed a financial meltdown, which has been unlike any other series of events that many of us have lived through. Millions have lost jobs, and confidence in the market has eroded. Certainly, it is normal for the market to have fluctuations and for corrections to take place from time to time, but the last year was beyond what anyone including the “experts” had envisioned. The repercussions from these recent events run deep and have impacted millions; leaving many wondering what tomorrow will bring.

As organizations look to the future and to moving forward beyond the financial crisis, and as markets strengthen and projects move forward, perhaps the most important component to the recovery is Communications. I do not write that flippantly, nor because it is the arena in which you or I practice. Instead, in order to get our Nation back to work, and to ease everyone’s concerns we must leverage the opportunities before us in today’s new media landscape to openly and honestly communicate and share the direction that our organizations and clients envision. Whether that means sharing notes and information via today’s social media tools such as Twitter, or Facebook, or doing a periodic Podcast interview with members of the C-Suite, or doing a media tour to promote events and campaigns.

Utilizing these tools affords us the opportunity to share where our organizations (and our client’s) are heading with both internal and external audiences. Further, sharing our message will help to ease people’s fears, and instill confidence in the greater business environment and to our customers.

While the news these days is often about the high unemployment rate and the many negative aspects to today’s economy, despite those headlines, there are millions upon millions of hard working people heading to their jobs every day. They are our colleagues in research and development, customer service, shipping & management and collectively they are doing great things and helping their organizations move forward. As for us, as communicators, PR flacks, & marketers it is our role to shine the light on the positive stories and demonstrate to our communities both locally, domestically, and abroad that we are holding our heads up high and moving the economy forward.

There is no doubt that blogging is becoming a major part of business and how business can help themselves grow.  Blogging is a great method to spread your message from a personal standpoint and allow your clients or the general public to learn a little more about you as the individual.  With that said, there are an ethics to blogging.  Recently The Wall Street Journal ran an article that discussed bloggers who were talking up a Spanish internet start-up called FON Technology SL.  They courted a wide range of respectable bloggers to talk-up their company in their respective fields, which has since sparked an ethical debate about the validity of one’s blogging.

The issue at hand is why some of these "hired" bloggers disclosed they had a financial stake with the new company and others did not.   FON says that these bloggers might be compensated for their work in the future but aren’t being paid at the time.  That leaves an ethical gray area for those involved.   Technically, they are talking up a good company they think might make an impact within its field.  However, if they are under the impression they might be paid for their internet work in the future, morally should they disclose that information?

Bob Steele, an ethics specialist with the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL says, "While many bloggers don’t consider themselves journalists, anyone putting information into the public domain about people or companies has certain ethical responsibilities."

A few bloggers involved have taken different approaches.  One blogger posted in a previous blog his ties to the FON company but doesn’t disclose it in every blog.  Others merely leave the detail out. 

The debate is really just getting started on the role of ethics in blogging.  Mr. Steele is correct, bloggers are not all journalists, therefore should they be held to the same ethical standards?  I tend to think so, especially when their intent is to sell a company these bloggers will benefit from in the future.  We’ll continue to monitor the debate here at The Media Backpage.

Richard Edelman, President of Edelman Public Relations recently wrote a very eloquent and spot on analysis of the implications of new communications tools for PR professionals.  His essay reminds me of a study that was done several years ago that pointed to internet audiences gravitating to user created content.  At the time they referenced tools such as e-mail and instant messaging.  Today, the tools have developed further and include rich media solutions such as audio and video podcasts, blogs, and RSS.  With these new techniques, the communications dialogue has evolved and grown from peer-to-peer sharing of personal content to a much broader and engaged space on virtually any topic that includes corporations, non-profits, stakeholders, and individuals. 

Clearly the rules of engagement for the communications community have been redefined.

Link:

Richard Edelman’s Post on His Blog 6AM

So I’m a bit skeptical on the issue because we’ve addressed it before on The Media Backpage.  The issue is how can the advertising community best utilize the latest craze of video iPods?  Advertisers are still navigating these unfamiliar waters with the further development of the video iPod and recently companies are trying to take their traditional 30-second spots for television and reformat them for your iPod.  This is the wrong approach.  Advertising executives need to think outside their traditional realm as video blogs and programs are their own medium and need to attract uniquely crafted messages.  The sooner companies learn how to capitalize on this new medium, the better chance they have of getting their product or service noticed by this ever-growing population. 

Keep monitoring the trend on The Media Backpage - we’re all over this trend.

Two weeks ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL and Google all showcased their new online video portals, which were set to debut later this year.  The idea was to challenge the stranglehold Apple already has on the market for both free videos, but more importantly those that content providers are charging for including television shows and movies.  Google has already cut a major deal with the NBA, for consumers to download games and highlights from around the league for their viewing pleasure.

As we have covered on The Media Backpage, major content providers like Walt Disney and CBS have already cut deals with Apple.  However, this week Google snuck one past everyone by launching it’s service way ahead of schedule.  They have now officially launched their site, Google Video.

Everyone’s excited to have options for online video, especially those with video iPods and similar players, with that said though some are not thrilled with Google’s first offering, especially those at the New York Times ripped Google’s beta version.  The service leaves a lot to be desired and isn’t as comfortable as Apple’s iTunes, but it is still certain to have a huge impact on the emerging video-download world.

Check it out and let us know what you think…

“Vlogging”, or Video Web Logging is definitely a new term that is on the verge of sweeping the industry. It basically combines those with access to small production operations and an opinion to make a name for themself worldwide. The Wall Street Journal tackles the new movement and discusses the potential impact it can have on the web community. Vlogs are in the early stages of operation but with video iPods the most popular gadgets on the market, you can bet they are going to take off in a short period of time.

According to the Center for Media Research, podcasting downloaders will reach approximately 60 million by 2010, with the average user downloading 6 different podcasts a month. This prediction only documents what we already have learned: podcasting is part of the growing media landscape. It will become even more an integrated part of our lives. Radio Ink, also points out iTunes is the most popular portal for podcast downloads. Curious to see what the next year brings in the world of podcasting.

…that is the question. It seems whereever we turn these days there is a difference of opinion of who should blog, who shouldn’t, and what belongs in a blog and when. The questions organizations have to ask themselves are many including what information is for public consumption and what is best kept internally. Now, a name many regard for its fine thought pieces Harvard Business School has added to the debate with an essay on their Working Knowledge site. What are your thoughts? We want to hear from you!