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For all its attractions, technology is sometimes just plain overwhelming. This fact of life was especially apparent at the Web 2.0 Expo that I attended last week in San Francisco.  You can really lose your perspective surrounded by thousands of Internet techies in a part of the country populated by hundreds of thousands if not millions of high tech workers.

For much of the week, I was speaking with vendors of social networking and blogging platforms. As I evaluated pricing and feature sets, a persistent question of mine resurfaced: What does a PR professional need to know about technology — especially for those advocating social networks and blogging?

“Absolutely nothing,” quipped Sam Lawrence, Jive Software’s CMO and blogger. Jive makes social networking software used by companies like CNN and Bank of America.

Sam was maneuvering through a crowded Expo floor in a wheelchair with a stuffed octopus suspended overhead. He had recently broken his foot while getting up from his couch to grab his iphone – case in point that technology can in fact inflict mental anguish if not physical pain.

Sam’s point, “It’s not that technology isn’t important, but it shouldn’t be the focus. Marketing is already overburdened in overseeing the message. For marketing professionals, it’s far more critical to understand the nature of the tools and the theory behind them.”

Views from the Front Lines

And what do communications professionals at some of the largest companies and agencies think?

Ken Kaplan a blogger who helps manage broadcast and new media relations over at Intel’s Global Communication Group explained to me that he “is not a technical guy; I’m a story guy. Tools after all are just tools.”  Ken’s approach is to learn by using. New situations may require new tools, and each tool adds to his collective knowledge.

Ogilvy Public Relations Digital Executive Rohit Bhargava is in full agreement. A highly ranked blogger and author, Rohit also told me that he studied coding earlier in his career. Now I appreciate that code is not essential to his workaday world but that knowledge gives him a certain confidence and ability to connect with programmers and product developers that I don’t have (aside from the Basic and Fortran I used on a mainframe in high school.)

David Churbuck, vice-president of global web marketing at Lenovo and a well-known blogger believes you need very little technical knowledge. It’s more important “that you understand the whole ecosystem-gestalt of this stuff — e.g. how does a trackback work? Why is a blog so powerful and different from a forum, or a basic web page? (I would argue it’s about detection of who is linking, who is commenting, who is subscribing.)”

Mike Prosceno who runs “new” media relations at SAP has a similar take.

From his perspective, many of today’s tools are pretty intuitive, and you don’t need much technical know how to create and maintain a blog or use social networks or feed readers. In creating a corporate blogging platform or community site as part of your company’s web presence, he does advise (and your CMO will demand) using an information architect and web designer to ensure that your effort has the look and feel of your brand.

Mike emailed:

“I think those [who know technology] will have an advantage, although I am of the opinion that it’s not mandatory. The real advantage is having a PR professional that understands how to convey your company’s information in a manner in which your constituency wants to consume it. In the high tech or telco industries it’s definitely a plus to have coding and mash up skills, but in some industries it’s just not important.”

And speaking for a non-tech industry, Adam Brown director of digital communications for The Coca-Cola Company here in Atlanta wrote:

The next steps for PR2.0 are probably going to come from someone who ‘gets’ BOTH the technical and communications side of the effort. I believe the future of our PR industry depends on our understanding of and passion for both the words as well as the new places and ways those words can be shared.

So what is my take? Overall strategy is my key consideration. Tactics and tools help get me there. And lest we forget, results for our clients and executives are by far the most critical. The journey is much less relevant. Nevertheless I want every competitive advantage I can find, and understanding the underlying technology gives me one.

How meta data works

Why linking matters and how to do it

How to embed multi media objects

How to use social bookmarking

How to use social distribution methods (Facebook, Twitter)

What key word density is and how to use it

How to setup analytics for websites, blogs, audio, video

How to make information portable and easily shared via email and mobile devices

Tools after all come and go. Instead we looked at how social media has changed the way we do our jobs in the broadest sense. Together this list covers the boardwalk of authoring, publishing, finding and reporting.

It comes down to information flows and the way people receive and digest news. It goes to a new way of doing corporate communications where PR and marketing are more integrated. It goes to the heart of technology where how the news is delivered is as critical as the news itself.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0 Expo; PR Tech Essentials; Sam Lawrence; Ken Kaplan; Rohit Bhargave; David Churbuck; Mike Prosceno; Pete Fasano; Max Levchin;

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I was up early here in San Francisco thanks to the benefits of jet lag. My body said 8:00 AM when the clock read 5:00 AM. (Ahh to have jet lag every day.)

If you are such a company or are just in town, please send me an email - dangtech2000 AT yahoo DOT com. It would be great to hear from you.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0 Expo; Blogging Platform; Social Networking Platform;

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When it comes to social media, do agencies get it? Apparently not according to a TNS/Cymfony study that polled more than 60 marketers.

To corroborate their findings, I spoke with executives from several national PR agencies here in Atlanta to get their perspective on how their jobs are changing as a result of social media.

To paraphrase a former president, my conclusion is that it depends on your definition of what “it” is.

It’s a complex question confronting agencies anywhere. More than a matter of attracting qualified employees, agencies must keep up with a changing marketplace and new tools. Clients also point out that agencies are not using these tools themselves.

On the other hand, agencies must also contend with clients who send conflicting messages. Skepticism, fear, inertia or unfamiliarity temper client curiosity for social media. What seems like a mandate or the price of entry in San Francisco is still a nice to have in Atlanta.

Silicon Valley vs Atlanta

While Silicon Valley based Sun Microsystems leverages social networking on its Openeco site…

Atlanta-based Home Depot’s Eco Options does not and instead is focused on its in-store strategy.

By way of example, consider Sun Microsystem’s Openeco and Home Depot’s Eco Options. Two sites, focused on green awareness, similar in name, but very different. Sun is based in Sunnyvale, California in the heart of Silicon Valley. Home Depot is located in Atlanta, Georgia. Openeco is dynamic; it encourages collaboration and builds community. EcoOptions is static; its purpose is to help customers find Home Depot’s complete inventory of green products. For Sun, social media is fundamental to the site’s success. For Home Depot, social media is gaining acceptance but it is not critical to its focus on the in-store experience.

For me, the sites reflect the challenges and opportunities that PR agencies face – whether you are in Atlanta or most any city outside Silicon Valley where the business culture is slower to embrace the power of social media.

The corporate social media record in Atlanta does not appear to be extensive but agencies are making inroads.

Edelman built a blogger outreach program for Char-Broil, a client based in Columbus, Georgia, for a New York City press event. Edelman brought together, for the first time, bloggers with a passion for grilling. The bloggers were given the exact same access as mainstream reporters. The coverage in the blogosphere reflected the bloggers appreciation for this treatment.

Fleishman has built an internal wiki for the Center for Disease Control to help promote brand continuity and identity across the CDC’s various departments.

And Ketchum created Nokia Mosh.a mobile content site where community members upload, distribute, find and manage content to be viewed and enjoyed on mobile devices.

PR agenices see opportunity and growth. While they are using their national network of in-house social media specialists, Atlanta agencies are also turning to existing local executives or staffing up with new social media experts.

Ketchum South recently hired James Andrews, who previously worked in the record business at Sony Music and has done interactive advertising and marketing. GCI Group appointed Diane Lore, a strategist, journalist and former editor of momseasychair, “one of the leading online spaces for women, who are also mothers.” Manning Selvage & Lee brought in Melanie Babcock-Brown, the first person at the Atlanta agency to hold the title of senior vice president digital strategy and solutions. Meanwhile, Marilynn Mobley is Edelman’s senior vice president, strategic counsel. She regularly contributes to her blog Babyboomerinsights that examines the lifestyle of the baby boomer generation. It’s very different than James’ blog Thekeyinfluencer, which is an amalgam of politics, music and youth culture. At Fleishman Hlillard there is Tom Barnes, whose mission is to help people make sense of digital communication methods and practices.

His challenge is helping Ketchum develop a strategy that speaks to the business culture here in Atlanta without compromising the culture of social media.

And that business culture is cautious. Ogilvy PR Managing Director Mickey Nall describes how everyone wants social media, but many are “tiptoeing” through it. Mickey is trying to use social media as part of fully integrated marketing campaigns that address the whole brand. But many clients are still at the early stage of gathering intelligence and monitoring online conversations.

Marilynn Mobley talks about the “paradox” here in Atlanta.

“It is known as a progressive city that embraces opportunity and is open to new ideas. At the same time, the corporate culture here leans a little toward the conservative, so there’s also a healthy skepticism about trying something that seems kind of ‘out there,’ as many people view social media.

She added,

“When it comes to the success of social media programs, companies don’t get to declare it for themselves. Only the people who engage with companies can decide if they’re successful. And they make that decision based on whether they believe the company is authentic and transparent.”

Or as Tom Barnes said, “A lot or people are afraid of losing control. But whether they like it or not, online conversations about the brand are still taking place.”

Ultimately I think Brad McAfee, managing director at Porter Novelli said it best. “The reward will outweigh any risks of loss of control. But companies will only figure this out if they take a risk. They may fail, but ultimately they will learn how do it better in the future.”

Taking the Lead

There is one thing that all agencies do get however.

Given that we are in the early stages of social media adoption, all the PR agencies I talked to emphasized the real opportunity that social media represented. Not just new business, but the chance to wrest power from advertising and marketers.

As Tom Barnes said, “It’s ours to lose.”

Or as Melanie Babcock-Brown said, “Communicators can’t wait; marketers will seize the opportunity.”

Social media is about building relationships and managing reputation. Whether we are talking about traditional or new media, that’s a role the PR agencies are best suited to perform.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: TNS Cymfony; Edelman; Fleishman Hillard; GCI Group; Ketchum; Manning Selvage & Lee; Ogilvy; Porter Novelli; Atlanta; Char-Broil; Nokia Mosh; Eco Options; Openeco;

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Openeco: Sun’s online comunity designed to help companies become green

Recently, a Silicon Valley vice president told me of fear running through technology companies. They worry they aren’t green enough. At least she could take solace in knowing that she is not alone.

Green is the new black as green marketing and green investment have become hot or at least getting warmer on a global scale. The pressure is now on to show your green stripes.

How far we have come from my early green experiences. Back in the early 1990s, companies espousing green principles were met with suspicion, and environmental groups who reached out to the other side were corporate sell-outs.

In 1993, my very first Internet experience was with the EcoNet. At speeds of 9600 baud, I was connecting online to a hearty band of educational institutions, non-profits and small businesses. Environmental groups were using the network for Internet access, but fast and robust it wasn’t. And it certainly didn’t leverage the power of online communities.

Fast forward to 2008. Not only has the environment become corporate, but of course the way we communicate has changed.

Environmental groups and corporate communications professionals now have blogs and social networks to drive their green messages to a much wider community. They can provide far greater detail, far more cost effectively and to far more people.

On the flip side, it is a lot easier for critics to expose false claims, identify bad practices and call out inaction. It’s a complicated equation. As you tout one initiative, you lay yourself open to criticism in other areas. Given social media’s capacity to amplify and magnify, it’s enough to make some companies avoid green marketing altogether.

So how do corporate communications professionals manage complex dynamics that govern traditional and social media? The blogosphere can be rather unforgiving with many more voices weighing in. Similarly, how do you address the media’s ever changing focus on the latest environmental threat? How do you prioritize the many global threats and competing solutions out there? How do you handle the public’s desire to do right thing and the sense of fear and lack of knowledge that fuels public debate?

Some companies seem to be doing it right. Take Sun Microsystems. It’s winning praise and coverage for how it’s approaching its green initiatives.

With its Eco Innovation Initiative, Sun is committed to an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its U.S. operations by 20 percent by 2012.

Sun’s David Douglas

As David Douglas Sun’s vice president for eco-responsibility explains.

At Sun, we don’t say we are green. Rather, we say we are getting greener. We recognize that anything bad is going to get picked up at photon speed. We try to be transparent and post data because it will be found anyway. It’s better to get out information in a controlled way. Getting out information to the public also establishes a benchmark or a point of reference that others can point to.

That’s a lesson that Nike learned.

For some time, Nike would experience a new round of criticism each time another overseas factory was exposed. Rather than endure a continuous drumbeat of negative news for its working conditions, they decided to posted the entire list. A bigger bitter pill yes, but Nike was praised for taking “an important step forward” and exhibiting “transparency.”

At Sun, transparency is a virtue. David Douglas has a blog. Sun also launched Openeco – a forum to share ideas, facilitate discussion and find solutions. Yes, discussions can be done at a conference, but an online community is a quantum leap in lowering barriers and sharing ideas.

They are currently collecting tons of data. They are creating a tool to manage and disseminate data. The information is nonproprietary. The site is collaborative, and the goal is community building. Several hundred companies are now involved.

Success can be measured at the societal level. As a company, Sun is promoting the state of the art, environmentally safe products and policies. But in strictly business terms, they also hope these efforts are a differentiator and will provide Sun with a competitive advantage to attract new customers.

But David concedes that it is not all possible. Sun eliminated 99 million sheets of paper by going electronic for their annual report. They looked at corporate travel and didn’t see any substantive impact by making significant changes.

David advises that you look for areas where you can quickly make the biggest headway. “No company is entirely green, but you find places to improve.” Public pressure is a catalyst, but is not the reason to go greener.

What’s the biggest social media take away when building a green program? Honesty, transparency and something Dave said. Going green is “not about products; it’s a value.”

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Green Marketing; Green Initiatives; Sun Microsystems; David Douglas; Open Eco; Nike;

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[Today’s entry is the first in a series of postings about the social media community here in Atlanta. I call this series New South Media Buzz. I hope to profile individuals, companies and firms who are leveraging non-traditional media to create new business models and new marketing strategies.]

Georgia Tech student and blogger: Paul Stamatiou

His technology blog is one of the most widely read. His idea for a company was launched over a weekend. He helped build Yahoo’s corporate blog during a summer internship. And he is not yet 22.

His name is Paul Stamatiou – a Georgia Tech computational media major – a field of study, which wasn’t even offered when he was a freshman.

Paul is a member of the small social media community in Atlanta. He stands out because of his knowledge, accomplishments and, of course, his age.

Paul’s blog has a Technorati ranking of 293 and an Authority of 2,837. Technorati lists it as “a tech news blog with a twist of what’s going on in the college life of a student at Georgia Tech. Mainly tech guides, reviews, news, how to’s and everything in between. Paul is keen on support and answers your tech questions.”

Needless to say, for a blog created as a place to post tech articles, it is now in the top 500 as rated by Technorati.

Paul was able to parlay this experience into a Yahoo internship, but his experience was different than most.

In the first few weeks at Yahoo, he was helping to lead the effort to build Yahoo’s corporate blog — Yodel — and experiencing a Silicon Valley rite of passage – a mention in Valleywag.

His Yahoo colleagues kidded him and joked that “the voice of the company was built by a teenager.”

This past fall his idea for a company was selected as the winning business concept in Atlanta’s startup weekend.

Three days later a company was born, and it was one of the most successful start-up weekends.

Skribit was based on Paul’s desire to cure writer’s block by allowing readers to offer suggestions for future postings.

Skribit is a free, customizable, user-generated content suggestion application for blogs. It helps bloggers gain reader insight. At the same time it enables readers let bloggers know what interests them. Skribit also connects readers with fellow readers, increases their value in the blogging community, and helps them discover related blogs.

As Paul envisioned it – “It’s where you go for tomorrow’s news or a Techmeme for tomorrow.”

Startups appeal to him. “I am a tinkerer; I enjoy making it work and learning as I go. Start-ups are where I get my passion. I can do something instantly and avoid bureaucracy. It’s not just about the money. It’s about building community and following your passion. Effective social media should not only benefit the creator, but the community as well.”

As for the future of social media, Paul doesn’t see it slowing down. He feels he is typical of his generation, but his accomplishments and belief in the power of community make him a breed apart.

Paul is planning to move to California after graduation. Skribit’s success may delay his departure, but he is drawn to the Bay area. I don’t blame him and have often thought of moving there myself.

Paul’s success and his future plans are why I selected him for my first posting for New South Media Buzz.

He is the best of what Atlanta’s young high tech community has to offer. He also represents the challenges and promises of building a high tech community in Atlanta or any area that is trying to attract and retain high tech professionals.

I think Atlanta and Paul have benefited from each other. He came to Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech has given Paul an excellent foundation.

So why California? As he explained it to me, his motivation is not just about money; it’s about community. California offers much more opportunity. He knows many like-minded people out there and is attracted to a culture that is focused on technology.

Atlanta has technology companies, but the dynamic is different. In northern California the community is decentralized, but it has a high concentration of users. Atlanta is also decentralized but its community is less concentrated. For now, we need to develop a more centralized infrastructure and create a clearinghouse of activities to nurture the growing number of individuals who are focused on social media.

And while Georgia Tech has a strong tech engineering focus, it is still in the early stages of building web apps and online communities programs that can produce the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In speaking with Atlanta-based CEOs, I feel Atlanta is making inroads, but we are not there yet. If Atlanta is going to build a thriving social media business community, it will need to find ways to incent more young tech professionals to move and stay here. We need to build programs and a community where social media can flourish and prosper. We need to create a culture that rewards social media, and we need successes to spur more investment and help businesses overcome any skepticism or fear they may have.

I am confident we are creating that business climate in Atlanta. It will take commitment and economic incentive. In coming posts, I hope to identify companies that are showing the way.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Paul Stamatiou; Georgia Tech; Atlanta High Tech; Skribit; New South Media Buzz;

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I came across something unexpected during my visit last week in San Francisco, a city deeply immersed in technology and social media.

While reconnecting with a former colleague well steeped in the ways of the Internet and blogosphere, I learned she was essentially blogging offline. (In talking to Andrew Getsey over at Atomic Public Relations about it, I liked his term — analog blogging.)

My colleague and a few of her friends have created what is known as a circle journal. While others are posting the most intimate details of their lives online for the world to see and read, her group of friends is sharing personal thoughts and experiences with each other using paper and pen.

The circle journal is not about rejecting technology. It is recognition that private conversations are not only personal; they are powerful. Friends share their emotions in their own handwriting.

Describing her experience, she said,

“We don’t write anymore. It’s a way for us to stay connected even though we live in different cities. It’s safe; but it’s dangerous. It’s about trust. It’s also a physical thing. I can see their heart beat in their writing. It’s raw. Typing is very different. With circle journals, there is no spell check. There are no penalties for sloppiness.”

Ultimately, it’s not about expanding your audience. It’s not about instant gratification. Its power is in keeping thoughts private and physically holding friends’ trust in your hands in a journal that moves from one person to the next and back again – full circle – in the time it takes to write and mail a document.

At first glance, this topic may seem off message, but it goes to the heart of online conversation. As professionals we are so focused on what people are saying on blogs and social networks. At its best, social media facilitates open and honest conversations. It fosters engagement and customer loyalty. At its worst, its irreverence and lack of decorum can blur the boundaries between public and private, decent and indecent, respect and disrespect.

For social media advocates, it’s easy to forget there are limits to transparency. Not everything is suited for corporate blogging and public disclosure. Power is not always found in wide distribution. That’s often a lesson lost on many in the MySpace generation who may someday regret the utterly personal pictures they post online. Circle Journals are also a reminder of the many conversations that don’t make it online.

Living in a world where reputation is everything, I would not participate in a circle journal, but I can appreciate their allure.

They represent to me a basic desire to build connections that can only exist in the private sphere. It reinforces the need to be selective and vigilant in what we say, when we say it and how we say it.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Circle Journal; Blogging;

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