Jeff Stephens
exploring the confluence of energy, water, and people. More →
Del.icio.us Coverage
In a follow up to my Google as a Clipping Service post, I want to plug the social bookmarking service Del.icio.us. For those unfamiliar, think of it as the 'Favorites' tool in Internet Explorer or the 'Bookmarking' feature in Firefox. The only difference is that the bookmarks live on the web and not on your [...]
Networking your Communications Budget
Just about every organization regardless of business structure (i.e., non-profit, for-profit) suffers from either a lack of communication staff time, or an insufficient outreach budget, or (likely) both. So how can organizations overcome these communication hurdles? They tap in to their self-interested stakeholders. First, you must recognize that customers/members/suppliers are motivated by self interest. They [...]
The Yin and Yang of Communication
It's troubling when employees read about company initiatives in the mainstream press rather than hearing from management. Even worse is when employees hear about initiatives from customers who read about them in the press. According to an IABC publication called Vital Communications, many firms "conclude that externally-directed communication is the sole purpose of a formal [...]
Google as a Clipping Service
Imagine a room full of people with grease pencils tirelessly pouring over trade journals like American Vegetable Grower, Logging and Sawmilling Journal, Produce News, and Medical Construction and Design Magazine. These readers work for clipping/media monitoring services that scour print publications looking for key words like 'compost', 'plywood', 'organic citrus', and 'patient care'. Businesses pay [...]
The Rebirth of the Press Release
In 2006, the press release celebrated it's 100 year anniversary — not that too many people took notice. Since then, there has been a lot of talk in the high tech pr industry about the 'death of the traditional press release' and the emergence of the social media release (aka new media release). The best [...]
Using White Papers to Sell Green Services
One of the best methods for selling a green service is the white paper. White papers can be an effective method for educating potential customers by providing unbiased information and analysis regarding a business problem (and potential solution) your prospects are likely facing. Public relations helps line up those experts needed to speak on the subject. [...]
Is Green Building the Next dot.com?
"One of the most exciting things that has changed in the last 12 months has been the customer pull for green products," said Nancy Floyd, the co-founder and managing director at Nth Power, an investment firm. According to an AP article in Forbes, venture capitalists and other funders interested in clean technology are finding a [...]
My Annual Carbon Emissions: 12,725 lbs
According to the Slate Green Challenge, my annual carbon emissions are 12,725 lbs. That's equivalent to the emissions from 1.25 passenger cars. I'll try to reduce these using the Green Challenge. Average carbon emissions (lbs) per year, per person: United States: 44,312 Qatar: 117,064 France: 13,668 India: 2,645 Kenya: 440 Start the Slate Green Challenge [...]
Is there a Wiki in your future?
Quick…What's a wiki? A wiki is "a type of website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration." The most visible wiki is, of course, Wikipedia. What's the relevance to public relations? The goal of public relations is to [...]
Removing Barriers to Press Coverage
How easy is it for the media to cover your company? Are you inadvertently throwing up barriers to coverage? You are when you don't assemble all of the key facts about your company or organization in one location. An online media kit makes it easy for the media and other stakeholders (e.g., customers, agents, [...]
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