Words to live by…

I recently sat in on a brainstorm for a client that will be launching a product. We were debating video when the idea of a slide show popped up. I quickly said that would not work. And when asked why, I simply pointed to my mobile device.

I'm wondering how many people read this post on a mobile phone?

The reality is that according to Comscore, 69.6 million mobile users accessed an application on their phone in April 2010, an increase of 28 percent from the previous year. And, it’s my honor to be discussing tactics and techniques for creating messaging that is simple, yet actionable and effective at BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2010 (Affiliate link)!

The future present of media consumption

Mobile is how people consume media. All you have to do is get on any form of public transportation. Look at how many headphones you see. Those people are all consuming media. I frequently receive and send email, tweet and read on my mobile device. The fact that Apple sold 1 million iPads in mere weeks after it launched shows that our society has evolved into one mass of multi-tasking, shape-shifting people constantly on the move.

And publishers must be aware of this. Which also means that as PR pros, we need to be aware of it too. If your website does not detect the version of a browser being used and redirect to a mobile version if necessary, then that is a fail. I have abandoned countless page loads because the site tries to load the full version.

Sure, this still counts as a page view, but just one. If I don’t read your content it is safe to assume I probably won’t be back.

When pitching stories, we need to remember the adage “Brevity is Beautiful.” Here’s some things to consider when pitching to your influencers:

• Format your mail, press release etc… with a short, tight summary. Call it twit pitch, elevator pitch, escalator pitch or whatever, just keep it short.
• It’s OK to have longer text, just on a different page. Keep your digital media concise, but make sure product pages are robust, multi-media enabled and complete.

I’m only giving you two. Remember, Brevity is beautiful

How we package our pitches makes a difference. Finding new, innovative ways to will always be at the forefront of “good” PR. What tips do you have for packaging a story for the mobile age? Share in the comments!

And also go register for BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2010.

I get it, you’re busy, you have hundreds of companies pitching you per day. But for those of us in the PR field that have adapted to the shifting practice for placing stories, it can be frustrating to jump through the aforementioned hoops and see nothing. So how do we move on?

Well, you keep pitching. Journalists are busy. We’re busy. And pitching is the circle of life. Silicon Valley Watcher also has what it calls the killer pitch. That’s a topic for another day…

Yesterday we saw posts issuing a call to action for the self-labeled expert and today, we have the retort. In his post, Jason Falls at socialmediaexplorer.com states that:

… my frustration has turned more toward those whining about the 20-something trying to make his or her way in the social media world, hoping to ride the wave like other digital natives and put food on their table. I don’t fault the uninformed for claiming to be something they aren’t. We’ve all spit-shined our resume a bit much at one point in time, I’d bet. I hope brands and companies are smart enough to see through that.

As one of those 20-somethings trying to make it in the PR/corporate communications world (note that I didn’t say social media), I want to point out that it’s people of all ages that can suck at what they do. If you’re going to call yourself an expert, you had better be able to prove it. And the number of twitter followers YOU have—That’s not proof.

Quantifiable metrics such as unique impressions; engagement such as time on Web site, videos viewed or even retweets; pipeline created (in a B2B world) or sales made are all proof points of the success of a program. Now, this blog is not the place for me to post my resumé, but rest assured that to this 20-something, those are important metrics.

Regardless of your age, social media is but a platform. How you use it is the key. And the results and goals are the locked door. Do good work and you’ll be successful.

It helped me to recharge and refocus on some tasks at hand. Making somethings happen that I’ll blog about here when I have a few free moments. But for now, I just want to encourage you all to take at least a weekend and be quiet. Go explore the woods. Go fishing. Go hunting. Go bowling. Whatever.

Just get off the Internet And, if you do go fishing or hunting, take me.

I have worked for a public company and have had to work with rules such as Regulatory Fair Disclosure, which determines when material information can be released and the methods a company can use. It was that experience that prompted me to submit a session to the BlogWorld and New Media Expo.

Well, I found out recently that they accepted my proposal! I get to speak on a panel with some great minds that we are still working to confirm. Look for an announcement soon.

So, go register for the event and come watch me speak!

Here’s the quick background: TechCrunch obtained multiple documents from an alleged hacker who had broken into Twitter employee’s email accounts, Google Documents (There’s a reason it’s not compliant, but that’s a different issue) and other documents and information. TechCrunch verified w/Twitter and its lawyers the accuracy of the documents and even interviewed them. Then they published some of the documents. They were even kind enough to redact personal information.

Journalism 101

From the days of muckraking and yellow journalism, obtained documents have been one of the best sources of great information for reporters. The methods and tactics used to acquire these documents range from the legal (Washington Public Records Act, Federal Freedom of Information Act) to the potentially unethical.

But here’s an important step that separates journalist from sensationalist: The journalist attempts to verify the information before publishing. The Sensationalist does not.

As a holder of an actual, real-life journalism degree, I sat through hours of press law and have filled out my fair share of information requests. I have also obtained information through anonymous sources or obtained information in other ways. And I used those documents. But after verifying on my own.

The right to publish

Now, the debate over whether or not TechCrunch should have published or not is broken into two parts:

• Is the information newsworthy?
• Is the information “off limits?”

The newsworthiness discussion is for another day. I am focused on the ethics involved in publishing the documents. TechCrunch absolutely acted within the boundaries of accepted journalistic ethics in publishing those documents. If it had simply published the entire .zip file without making an attempt to check facts or redact personal information, it would have been very out of line.

Instead, it looked for the information it deemed “newsworthy” and ran with it. To recap, it verified the information with Twitter, attempted to elicit on-the-record comment from Twitter and published the information that was applicable to the story it accompanied. TechCrunch even solicited comment from third-party companies named in the documents.

One could also make the argument that Ev and Biz and some of the Twitter team are “Limited Purpose Public Figures.” This means that some of their information is subject to federal and state open records laws and that their expectations of privacy are a bit different than the average citizen.

In this case, the combination of a good journalist and a good lawyer are difficult to beat.

Should they have published

Well, in my opinion yes and no. If TechCrunch wants to use this as a standard for applying journalistic ethics to its reporting (coverage?), then great. But the fact is that TechCrunch is a blog. Its writers express opinion and insert themselves into the stories they are writing. Independant sources are a rarity, as is interviews with the subjects they’re writing about.

I’ve written about the difference between blogger and journalist before, and I think it is completely applicable here. And this gets right to the heart of the debate. If the New York Times had published those documents, would we have even flinched?

I’m sure my opinion is different than some, so tell me what you think.

I bought a house. I bought a dog. I changed full-time jobs. I even changed BBQs. It’s been quite an interesting year, which is why I wanted to share some of it here. I also have a “personal” blog, but that’s mostly for ranting. This is more of a “rave.”

Growth as a person

Getting older means nothing if you are incapable of learning from the past. The ability to take lessons away from your experiences are what will help make your future better. Lessons like, it’s great to be able to say yes, but it’s even better to be in a place where you can say no.

Or one I learned this year myself: Having patience and understanding will help you get pretty far in life. It’s OK to be wrong wonce in a while and I think a lot of us forget that. When you are patient enough to take a deep breath or three and acknowledge your mistake, you can often come out further ahead than if you had dug your heels in to be “right.”

Another lesson I’ve learned is on what a true “friend” is. I’ve written about it on this site in the past even. But having folks that you can rely upon is one of the most important things in life. One thing I learned recently was the “Soup Metric.” A concept that can really affect your outlook on who you associate with.

Growth as a professional

I recently took on a new challenge and joined a company that has been pushing me to be better than I thought I was. Being able to succeed in this role is very important to me and I am finding that I have the skills and talent to be great.

I am meeting new people and making new relationships that are helping me realize some of my goals. I have learned a lot from the people I have met such as Micah Baldwin, Geoff Livingston and, recently, Drew Olanoff. I have had a blast with people such as Aaron Brazell or Erin Koteki-Vest or Aubrey Sabala.

I have also recently joined the board of Social Media Club Seattle. I am viewing it as a “practice what I preach” adventure. But I already have found many exciting opportunities and look forward to seeing where this pathway of life leads me.

A birthday without gifts?

I simply couldn’t have a birthday without gifts. But this one’s for you, the readers. What I have is a copy of Hugh McLeod‘s book, “Ignore Everybody” that I am going to give to somebody who comments on this post. I want to hear about who you are and why you’re here and how you have grown in the past year.

To put a nice little bow on top, if you’re in the greater Seattle area, I’ll hand-deliver it over a beverage of your choosing.

So tell me, how have you grown in the last year?

UPDATE: I have closed comments. Send an @ reply to me on Twitter to vote for who gets the book.

I have been doing tons of research about various conversations that are occuring around specific verticals. One thing that I’m learning is that so much of blogging is hand waving and not hand holding.

So, I’ve decided that I am going to create a blog that fosters a true sense of community. That informs; a blog that educates; a blog that helps people make good decisions. Now, of course a few conversions along the way will be OK as well.

So, what tips do you have? How should I do this? I have my ideas, but I want yours too.