Great article that addresses how PR firms can support a client’s desire to incorporate social media activities in a strategic, effective and transparent way.

I particularly like the emphasis on knowing your audience and planning.  In a sea of online activity, PR firms can help identify where a company’s audience goes to receive news, as well as what messages support – and are in line – with the overall marketing plan.

So here we are, on the cusp of the 2009 holiday season.

I’ll admit to you that I’ve been a bit of a Scrooge the past couple of years.  Bah-humbug, if you will.  I have two small children and on top of running a business, being a mom, keeping up the house, having a conversation with my husband, being a good friend/daughter/co-worker….well the holidays just felt like one more thing to cross of my expanding to-do list.

But this year, I told myself to stop being such a stick in the mud and enjoy the holiday season and everything it represents.  I mean, it’s time to get back to spreading some joy, for goodness sakes!

For me, that means taking a moment to stop and spend time (quality time, not time half spent typing on my Blackberry) with loved ones and colleagues.  It means taking my kids to the Christmas parades in both Greenville AND Greer (one can never have too many Christmas parades I’ve decided).

It means saying thank you to the clients, the friends and the business mentors who have been such strong supporters of Kim and me as we get Full Circle Public Relations up and running (and we mean sprinting).

I hope we can all take a minute this holiday season to pause and spend some time with those people who are important to us, give back to those less fortunate than us, and make time to plan for what’s sure to be a more optimistic year ahead.

So Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, all rolled into one! I would write more, but I’ve got to go fight the lines at Toys ‘R Us for that must-have toy on my kid’s Christmas wish list.  Cheers!

I have to say, I hate being a statistic, but this month, I was one of the millions of people who canceled my daily newspaper subscription.

It still feels a little weird – like when we take the Christmas tree down after the holidays every year – like there is an empty space where something tangible should be.

As I walk out the front door each morning to take my pup on a walk, something feels missing – and it is. The newspaper on my door step.

I really didn’t want to call and cancel my subscription, but I had been holding on to my love of the newspaper for too long. On a normal day, I would take the paper with me, only to realize that many times I never got around to reading it – and then I would just put it in the recycle bin.

You know the deal by now. While I still need to stay connected to a variety of current events, most everything is available online, breaking business news comes right to my BlackBerry, and I find out updates on popular headlines by following media contacts on my Twitter feed.

This shift in the newspaper model also means change for how PR practitioners approach media relations activities.  While getting coverage in a local newspaper might still be the best approach for a client, we also have to keep in mind where a client’s audience is getting their news.  And we can’t rest on the laurels of providing a clip report each month either – we have to show value in what we do, align messages with our clients’ overall business goals and concentrate on creating conversations with – and listening to – these key groups.

Do you still subscribe to local newspapers?  If so, which ones and what value do they provide you?

Are you a PR practitioner challenged with navigating “new media?”  We’d love to hear from you.

It’s no doubt the PR industry is in an evolutionary state (aren’t most industries now days, anyway?).  The rise of social media networks, the decline of traditional media consumption and the push for more authentic, two-way conversations has led public relations practitioners to not only evolve with the process, but serve as a more trusted client educator and advisor about how to navigate and communicate more transparently.

I came across this blog post this morning with a running list of “tired and fading PR industry words.”  Andy Beaupre lists words and phrases such as “press tours” and “embargoes” on the endangered species list.

I agree with most of his sentiments – most of the journalists I speak to agree that the time and effort it takes to host a news conference (unless it’s something truly news breaking and it’s the only way to get the correct information across to a group of media) is not time well spent.  They’d rather receive information pertinent to their audience in a succinct and efficient manner (hello, Twitter DM).

I’m glad to say most of the fellow PR practitioners I know in the business conduct their service in a way that’s valuable and measurable to the client.  But it never ceases to amaze me when I talk to journalists or peers and hear horror stories about the way “it’s still being done,” either because the client mandates it or because the PR practitioner isn’t keeping up with the times.

Check out the full blog post and see if these words are on the list of things you used to do (right up there with walking to school uphill in the snow both ways) or if you still use most of these methods in your day-to-day activities.  I’m not saying all of these tactics need to be thrown out – but rather it’s a good reminder to continue to ask yourself who is your client trying to reach and what’s the best strategy to help communicate with them.  Are you keeping up with the times?