FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

Nearly 300 bloggers and blog enthusiasts from throughout Florida and across the nation gathered at Rollins College in Winter Park today for BlogOrlando.

Sponsored by the Orlando Area Chapter of FPRA, the day kicked off with a keynote presentation by social media expert Shel Israel of Silicon Valley, Calif. The remainder of the day's sessions were divided up into four separate tracks: Public Relations/Communications, Media, Technology and Life/Local.

The day concluded with a presentaton by blogger Chris Heuer of San Francisco, Calif.

Visit the BlogOrlando account on Flickr to see images of the day.

Thanks to FPRA's own Josh Hallett who coordinated this informative and engaging event!

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Over a thousand canceled flights. Hundreds of stranded passengers. Millions of dollars in lost revenue. What would you do if you were an airline in this situation?

Find out at this year’s FPRA Professional Development Workshop on Thursday, October 25 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando.

Jenny Dervin, director of corporate communications at JetBlue Airways, will share how her company dealt with the winter storms crisis and how they came out the other side as a stronger airline.

Additional breakout sessions will include: preparing your company’s crises plan, pitching to opinion editorials and alternative outlets, creating creativity in PR and more.

Make sure to mark your calendar for this half-day workshop and luncheon. Stay tuned for details!

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Did you know that Web sites are going to have scents that you can smell? Did you know there is a new online currency in a virtual world called Secondlife? Discover what it takes to be on the cutting edge of marketing’s next generation of internet marketing. This knowledge-packed presentation provides tactics and strategies that you can apply immediately and successfully. About 80 attendees were at this session.

New technology is moving so quickly is it difficult for even the experts to keep up with. Sometimes you just have to try something and see if it works for you, your company.

Today
- Social networks
- consumer-generated media
- mobile marketing
- click-and-know
- virtual worlds
- scented CD-ROMs and Web sites
- video e-mail
- blog marketing

Continue reading "FPRA Annual Conference: Breakout 3B, The Latest and Coolest in Internet Marketing - Hillary Bressler" »

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In a recent opinion piece submitted to the Pensacola News Journal, a Santa Rosa county resident questioned the need for a full-time public information officer position in the county. Joy Tsubooka, FPRA board member and a former Escambia County Office of Public Information and Communications employee, was selected for the position.

In response to the opinion, the FPRA Pensacola chapter board of directors agreed to submit a viewpoint authored by chapter president Jeff Nall, APR to dispel common misconceptions about our industry and highlight the important role public relations plays in any organization's overall success.

I would encourage you, as a member of FPRA and a practitioner in the field, to review this Viewpoint and post a comment online in support of our profession. By educating our community about the many duties of public relations, together we can dispel the suggestion that communicating is a part-time job and prove the value of our professional efforts.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Richardson
Vice-President of Communications
Pensacola Chapter - Florida Public Relations Association

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"The blogosphere is not a market, it's a community." -- Josh Hallett

FPRA member Josh Hallett is quoted in an article in today's edition of the Orlando Sentinel describing a growing and controversial Web-based business: PayPerPost. The article raises ethical concerns about paying bloggers for postings that promote products or services. The practice of paid blogging without disclosure also violates FPRA's Code of Ethics.

Josh had a series of posts on his blog about this issue dating back to June 2006.

Click here to read the Sentinel article.

Thanks, Josh, for representing FPRA and its Code of Ethics so well.

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Space Shuttle Discovery lit up the darkened sky at Kennedy Space Center this evening as the spacecraft blazed off the launch pad for the first nighttime liftoff in four years.

The crew of seven astronauts lifted off from Launch Pad 39B right on time at 8:47 p.m. The illumination from the shuttle's engines and booster rockets turned night into day at the press site.

After a scrubbed attempt on Thursday night, tonight's launch was cause for celebration. FPRA and its volunteers have once again contributed to the success of the nation's manned space program!

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The next launch attempt for Space Shuttle Discovery will be at 8:47 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. Friday's weather forecast is predicted to be a 90 percent chance of "no go" so NASA officials moved the next attempt to Saturday.

That's the latest news LIVE from the Kennedy Space Center. Signing off for now...

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There will be no launch today. A low cloud ceiling and thick clouds over KSC did us in.

NASA could try launching again as early as 9:13 p.m. tomorrow, but weather conditions are expected to be worse on Friday.

Stay tuned...

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They can only hold here for 4 minutes, 40 seconds. After that point, the launch window for today will close and a launch will no longer be possible.

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The countdown clock has restarted, but the weather at KSC is a "no go" at this point. Mission managers are going to take it down to 5 minutes and make a decision at that point...

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We've begun the 46-minute hold. We'll come out of this hold at 9:27 p.m.

Countdown clock: T-minus 9 minutes and holding.

(left to right) Bryan Beaty, executive assistant to the president for Indian River Community College; Cynthia Lambert, public relations specialist for METROPLAN ORLANDO and Linda Herridge, public affairs writer for InDyne, Inc.

Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at night with media satellite trucks in foreground.

(left to right) Chris Gent, manager of corporate communications for Kissimmee Utility Authority; Bill Randolph, CPSM, JCR Consulting.

Space Shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39B. Photos by Chris Gent, KUA.

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The countdown clock has resumed and will count down to the 9-minute mark. At that point the clock will stop for 46 minutes while the launch director, mission management team and NASA test director conduct final polls for "go/no go" to launch...

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We've just begun a planned 10 minute hold in the countdown. Weather is looking better...

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(left to right) John Harris, director of outcome management at Early Learning Coalition of Orange County; Jessica Rye, APR, public affairs officer for NASA and FPRA State President; and Bill Randolph, CPSM, JCR Consulting.

Media gathered inside the NASA News Center covering the story. Photos by Chris Gent, KUA.

FPRA is well represented here at Kennedy Space Center as STS-116 crew members begin taking their seats inside Space Shuttle Discovery as the vehicle awaits liftoff at 9:35 p.m. EST. Weather at this point appears to be the only obstacle to a successful liftoff.

A cold front moving through the Central Florida area is producing a blanket of clouds, gusting winds and isolated light rain. The NASA launch team will press on with the countdown for now, in case the weather cooperates after all. Currently, there is only a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather.

Among those FPRA members working so far this launch include Sharon Arnold, Bryan Beaty, Chrysten Burzio, Helena Finnegan, Chris Gent, John Harris, Jennifer Hobbic, Cynthia Lambert, Andrea Meyer, APR, Karen Plunkett, APR, Bill Randolph and Laurel Smith, APR.

The STS-116 mission is the 33rd for Discovery and the 117th space shuttle flight. During the 12-day mission, the crew will continue construction on the International Space Station, rewiring the orbiting laboratory and adding a segment to its integrated truss structure.

We're LIVE from the Kennedy Space Center....

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Love seafood? Then reward yourself with a trip to Red Lobster, McCormick & Schmick's or Shells ... and you better hurry.

According to a recent study in the journal "Science," the world's supply of seafood will be depleted within the next 40 years. The paper concludes that "overfishing, pollution and other environmental factors are wiping out important species across the globe, hampering the ocean's ability to produce seafood, filter nutrients and resist the spread of disease."

American's have a growing appetite for seafood. Consumption totaled 16.6 pounds per person in 2004, the most recent data available, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's a lot of seafood!

Joshua Reichert, head of the private Pew Charitable Trusts' environment program, pointed out an even more important issue: worldwide fishing provides $80 billion in revenue and 200 million people depend on it for their livelihoods. For more than 1 billion people, many of whom are poor, fish is their main source of protein, he said.

With all this said, I wonder if the communicators at these seafood chains have this issue written into their crisis plans? Having no seafood to serve at a seafood restaurant would most certainly affect the bottom line!

And what about the countries who could lose the main source of protein for their citizens... have they prepared a plan to educate and communicate?

Some may doubt the dire predictions of the study, but either way the communication should begin now...

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The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is releasing a series of guidelines for interacting with bloggers. The guidelines are not 'official rules' by any stretch; they are merely meant to provide guidance for firms just learning about social media.

Of course firms are free to ignore them (and some will) but hopefully many will follow the guidelines since WOMMA reminds us: Consumers come first, honesty isn't optional, and deception is always exposed. The guidelines are listed below:

1. I will always be truthful and will never knowingly relay false information. I will never ask someone else to deceive bloggers for me.
2. I will fully disclose who I am and who I work for (my identity and affiliations) from the very first encounter when communicating with bloggers or commenting on blogs.
3. I will never take action contrary to the boundaries set by bloggers. I will respect all community guidelines regarding posting messages and comments.
4. I will never ask bloggers to lie for me.
5. I will use extreme care when communicating with minors or blogs intended to be read by minors.
6. I will not manipulate advertising or affiliate programs to impact blogger income.
7. I will not use automated systems for posting comments or distributing information.
8. I understand that compensating bloggers may give the appearance of a conflict of interest, and I will therefore fully disclose any and all compensation or incentives.
9. I understand that if I send bloggers products for review, they are not obligated to comment on them. Bloggers can return products at their own discretion.
10. If bloggers write about products I send them, I will proactively ask them to disclose the products’ source.

I like what I see so far. You can read all the details on the initiative at: http://www.womma.org/blogger/

While some argue that the markets and community will decide what is successful, i.e. PayPerPost, there are ethical issues at hand for PR professionals. Many of the colleagues that I work with are members of either FPRA, PRSA or IABC. Each of those associations strive to represent an industry which often is dragged down by less than ethical or professional behavior. It's that type of behavior that the professional associations are trying to stop.

When you join a professional association such as FPRA you pledge to adhere to a set of ethical guidelines. Those same guidelines apply to the blogosphere. As we've seen recently, if you don't follow the guidelines, chances are you'll be caught....rather quickly.

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The worldwide diamond industry is nervous. So nervous, in fact, that they have launched a $16.7 million public relations campaign in anticipation of the release of a new Hollywood movie, Blood Diamond.

The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is set in the Sierra Leone civil war of the 1990s, a conflict that claimed 400,000 lives and was bankrolled by the sale of uncut diamonds – known as "blood" or "conflict" diamonds.

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, now awaiting trial for crimes against humanity, fed a series of internal conflicts in his country and neighboring Sierra Leone between 1989 and 2003 through the illegal sale and trade of the diamonds.

The World Diamond Council, afraid of losing its lustre in light of the film, has launched a campaign that it hopes will educate consumers and head off possible negative fallout from the movie, due to be released Dec. 15. The council's campaign is fueled by concerns by diamond producers, such as South Africa's De Beers, that the film could affect the holiday sale of diamonds.

The campaign includes a new informational web site, www.diamondfacts.org, free confidence kits, tactical seminars, as well as social responsibility brochures that will speak directly to consumers, trade and the media. The campaign also includes a major advertising effort that features full-page print ads in ten major U.S. and international newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Times (UK), International Herald Tribune and Financial Times.

Diamondfacts.org offers a wealth of information about diamonds: from facts about the history of the trade and the social and economic benefits diamonds provide nations around the world, to reporting on how the industry is grappling with various challenges including conflict diamonds.

The Canadian Broadcast Corporation, CBC News, has run a story about this issue. Click here to read the article.

Do you think the movie will impact diamond sales?

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(Bob asked me to cross post this to the FPRAblog from my blog...so here it is)

Yes that title is a bit over the top, since I am not an official 'rule' maker, I'm just one person offering my opinion.

Much has been written about the role of PR in blogs in the wake of the Edel-Wal story. Recenty, Robert posted his notes and Shel says enough (with some great comments). The entire affair has brought forth a discussion on ethics, disclosure, transparency (the new buzzword) and if PR can truly co-exist with blogs.

When working with a client here are some basic rules for developing a blog that PR wants to be involved in. If you can't adhere to all of these, then you shouldn't even start. It will sound a bit like a cliche, but remember blogs are about conversation and building relationships. Just like any relationship, whether it be with a significant other, friends, family or customers there needs to be openness and honesty.

1. Don't Lie. The truth always comes out. And when the truth does come out, you've got some explaining to do. You don't lie to your friends or your family, so why do it with blog readers.

2. Don't Hide Important Facts. Similar to number one, but some people say that there is a difference between a lie and hiding the truth. If you want to get technical, yes there is a difference, but in the end, the result will be the same. You will have broken the fundamental trust with the other person, and that's hard to get back.

3. Don't Pretend to be Something or Somebody You're Not. This also goes back to the first one, the truth will always come out. Just think about anytime you told a potential girlfriend/boyfriend a small fib to impress them. How did that turn out when they discovered you didn't really know Brad Pitt, or had never really run the New York Marathon?

4. Be Yourself. Perhaps another way of saying number three, but it's worth repeating. As with relationships in real life, you want people to like and respect you for who you are, not what you 'appear' to be. By putting on a front, you might achieve a short period of happiness/success but ultimately you'll be unhappy and you'll strain the relationship. Write in a style and tone that you're comfortable with...that will help with burnout as well.

5. Improve Yourself. Improve the product not the pitch. Many times people don't follow the previous four rules because they are ashamed of something, or trying to hide something. So rather than fixing their own problem they'll lie, hide it, etc. The original problem is still there and will continue to cause issues. If you're blogging and have to lie or pretend to be somebody else, what does that say about you and your position?

To use that other standard cliche, treat your blog readers the same way you would like to be treated. Think about it, if you had a friend which didn't follow the rules above, they wouldn't be your friend for long. With a blog, if you're not following the rules above, you won't have readers for long, and if the transgression are serious enough, you'll impact your reputation in a big way.

I have had corporations approach me to assist with blog projects, and for some reason or another they couldn't follow the rules above, so I don't take on the project. As an independent consultant I have that luxury. Things are different when you're working for a large agency or internally for a corporation. That's the billion dollar question with the Edel-Wal issue. Was is really some account group working on their own and not realizing they were breaking the rules? Or did Edelman say, 'We can't do this' and the client saying, 'Yes you will, otherwise we'll take our huge account somewhere else'?

People often say that blogs can be used to 'humanize' a corporation, and this is true to some degree. The corporation isn't really humanized, but a blog exposes the actual 'humans' within the corporation. This exposure allows two humans to actually have a conversation, which if done right can be a rewarding experience and build an actual relationship between the company (via the blogger) and the customer. However, if you don't follow the rules you're ultimately setting yourself (and your company) up for failure.

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Dan Ward, Vice President of Orlando-based Curley & Pynn, wrote an op-ed that was published in today's Orlando Sentinel. His My Word column, in response to recent scandals in Central Florida, addresses ethics within public relations. The scandals and Dan's commentary provide a valuable lesson for all public relations professionals. It also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the Code of Ethics subscribed to by all members of FPRA.

Dan closed his op-ed with the following statement:

My only hope is that the rest of the business community, those involved in public-relations consulting and students preparing for careers in public relations learn from these mistakes and commit themselves to communicating openly and honestly.

Indeed.

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Yesterday, Richard Edelman and Steve Rubel posted comments on their respective blogs regarding Edelman's creation of a fake blog for Wal-Mart. I post this news not to provide commentary about the issue; a Technorati search on the topic will reveal many opinions from others. Rather, I post the news to provide a case study for FPRA members to learn a valuable lesson about the importance of transparency in all that we do as professionals.

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Darren Rowse at ProBlogger wrote yesterday about increasing the number of comments on a blog. This is an important topic for FPRA Blog. A blog like FPRA Blog reaches its maximum benefit when readers (members) comment on posts and begin conversations about various issues in our profession. The more members who participate in the dialogue, the better the blog will be. Otherwise, it is just an online newsletter.

According to a study noted by Rowse, only one percent of blog visitors actively comment. The remaining 99 percent are simply listening. His post lists 10 ways to increase comments so that more visitors join the conversation.

If you read FPRA Blog, I invite you to comment on any of the posts. For example, if a post is on a Hot Topic, share your opinion. If a post is about a recent FPRA event, let us know whether or not you liked the event. Your input will benefit other readers.

If you are new to blogging and not yet comfortable with this communication tool, read the following for more information.

Blogging Basics

New Tools for Issues Scanning

If you have any questions about blogging, contact us (link also at the top of this page.)

I hope you will join the conversation.

(h/t Steve Rubel)

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Hill & Knowlton blogger Leo Bottary wrote a post today about blogs becoming a permanent fixture in public relations. He states that PR professionals who choose to ignore blogs are doing so out of ignorance or fear. Yet fear, he writes, is exactly why he blogs. He is afraid that if he does not keep up with new trends in PR, including blogging, he will become irrelevant. However, as he infers in his opening sentence, he is preaching to the choir. Anyone who reads Leo's blog is already knowledgeable about blogging. So Leo recommends printing out his post and taping it to the chairs of your late-adopting peers. Sometimes you have to use old tactics to teach new ones.

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On his blog, Josh Hallett recently wrote a post titled, "How to Blog a Conference." I mention this for two reasons.

First, Josh uses his experience blogging the 2006 FPRA State Conference as the case study for the lessons he shares. That alone is reason to read it.

In addition to this reason, his post provides valuable information we can all use in our jobs. Public relations practitioners often have a role in planning and cooridnating large business meetings, trade conferences, public hearings or other special events. The case study provided by Josh provides a "how-to" primer on incorporating blogs into these meetings and events.

We all witnessed the benefits blogging added to FPRA State Conference. Why not add these benefits to your next event or meeting?

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Does the term, "flack" bother you? It bothers me. As I was scanning my daily reads this morning, I came across a blog post titled, "Flackalicious" by Christopher Swope at Governing.com

My first reaction was anger. My immediate thought was to send a reply to Mr. Swope to ask him what he thought of journalists like Jayson Blair. The media certainly aren't the ones to cast the first stone.

But then I calmed down and reflected on his blog post. I am not a flack; and my fellow FPRA members are not either. We pride ourselved on practicing public relations with ethics and honesty. But we all know that our profession includes less-than-honest practitioners. So while Mr. Swope is wrong to subjectively use the term "flack," as a profession we all have a responsibility to further make the term inaccurate.

First, we must look within. Are we practicing what we preach? Every day?

Second, we must be our brothers' (and sisters') keepers. Through FPRA, we need to continue to promote professional development and accreditation. This will help foster integrity and professionalism.

Finally (and continually), we must not be afraid to engage in dialogue about unethical behavior within our profession. Case studies, such as the Armstrong Williams scandal, can serve as valuable lessons and teachable moments for all of us. These lessons are especially important for younger members.

Last year, Richard Edelman wrote a related post about this topic on his personal blog. I recommend reading it, along with Christopher Swope's article. While we may not like criticism of public relations (fair and unfair), we can learn from it.

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