Public Relations | Paul Werth

Not Your Mother’s News Media?

January 21st, 2010

Today’s news media are a far cry from what my mother experienced in the Walter Cronkite-era of my youth. Social media invigorate our communications, broaden our networks and make content-sharing much more immediate.

How will our communications possibilities be transformed by the mainstreaming of social media this year? Here are my thoughts:

People will continue to gravitate toward news that is shareable. We are social beings, and there’s power in using our social networks to share news in real time. On Sunday mornings, I curl up with my newsreader and share content with friends separated by time and space. Big news organizations realize this and have made the ShareIt icon ubiquitous, because news shared in context takes on greater meaning. There are more news stories out there and more in-depth discussion as a result of sharing content.
News publishing that encourages us to be the correspondent isn’t just more engaging – it has more impact for the news audience. This interactive map from The New York Times’ site is a good example. The before-after impacts of the Haiti earthquake are palpable. It’s clear that we like to share the news with our friends, and we like it even more when it’s combined with visuals that “take us to the news.”
Action-oriented news can make a difference. Recent fundraising for Haiti relief efforts and geo-targeting police abuses in Iran give us practical ways to use Twitter for human benefit. When news becomes meaningful information that people care enough to do something about, it makes a measurable difference.

Simply reading a two-dimensional paper at the kitchen table in the morning like my mother used to do is no longer enough. We must be able to experience the news through our senses, in multiple dimensions – along with friends on the other side of the world.

The kitchen table “newspaper” experience just got personal, global and substantive. And, because new media are breaking down communications barriers, even my mother is tapping into the possibilities. She recently joined Facebook.

If you are marveling at the new media mix and relishing the possibilities, drop me a line at kratcliff@paulwerth.com, or comment here. I look forward to reading your thoughts – and starting the dialogue.

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Social Media Time Management

November 30th, 2009

What’s that sound? It’s the sands of time, the ticking clock and and my unfinished to-do list — all being eaten whole by Facebook, Twitter and my blog. Prioritizing social media time is a challenge in today’s communications world. How do people draw the line between true engagement and online time-wasting?

I was recently asked a question about this on a panel. The question was:

How do you find hours in the day to “do” social media for yourself and clients? Doesn’t it take up all of your time?

The answer? It can — if you let it. The best way to carve out the time is to set limits on how much time to devote to each social media footprint. The worst thing for me is to leave my time wide open. Like most of us, I can’t usually afford to let my time evaporate. I’ve got a family to get home to, client deadlines to meet and other normal life commitments.

I try to spend 30 minutes on each Twitter account per day — 15 each in the morning and the afternoon or evening. I keep myself focused on content within my industry areas of interest and don’t get sidetracked. With the blog, it’s a couple of hours a week. Just one post a week, usually. And then I’m reading others’ blogs through my reader, usually an hour a day.

Then there’s Facebook. How much sharing is enough, really? I try to limit myself to sharing just a few items per day of others’ content, with a couple of status updates and/or content of my own.

It does add up, all told. At least 10 hours a week is a standard commitment for just one social media account.

What are others’ experiences? Amber Naslund, director of community at Radian6, recently put up a good series of posts about time management in the midst of social media. Bottom line, it’s about knowing one’s goals and setting priorities aligned with them. She shares helpful information to guide social media priorities.

For me, it’s all about the balance. Easy to write about, not easy to strike! DM me on Twitter with questions, or leave a comment here on the blog if you have ideas that work for your own social media time management.

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National Adoption Day Takes National Stage

November 20th, 2009

We’re extremely proud of the media attention we have attracted in the lead-up to National Adoption Day 2009, Saturday, November 21.

We invite you to check out below some of our biggest media successes for the campaign to increase foster care adoptions. Check back as we’ll be adding video from more major interviews about the campaign here.

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PR and Legal Counsel Work Together to Prevent and Manage Digital Crises

October 21st, 2009

Thanks to those who attended the “Balancing Legal and Communication Perspectives on Social Media” workshop from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. and Paul Werth Associates on October 20, 2009.

We hope you enjoyed hearing perspectives from both fronts on how social media impacts our workplace and our brands.

The presenters, including myself; Susan DiMickele, a partner at Squire Sanders; Traci Martinez, an associate at Squire Sanders; and Kim Ratcliff, a vice president at Werth, sat down to provide an overview of the insights shared during this complimentary workshop.

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Balancing Legal and Communication Perspectives on Social Media

October 9th, 2009

On October 20, Paul Werth Associates is pleased to partner with the Columbus office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey on a presentation discussing how social media impacts brand reputation and how important it is for the communications and legal teams to coordinate efforts. This pre-registration only event will take place 3-7 pm close to the OSU campus.

The presenters, including myself; Susan DiMickele, a partner at Squire Sanders; Traci Martinez, an associate at Squire Sanders; and Kim Ratcliff, a vice president at Werth, recently sat down to provide a sneak peak of the insights to be shared during this complimentary workshop.

If you’re interested in registering, click here or please contact Adla Blackwell at (614) 365.2319.

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