eriksr on September 18th, 2008
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia recently cut 25 jobs. The San Francisco Chronicle is doing yet another round of lay offs; 125 employees this time. The LA Times, no, don’t get me started on the wave after crashing wave of lay offs there.
And, of course, circulations figures almost across the board are slipping, slipping, and slipping yet again.
So what is a journalist to do? If they are anything like me (I wrote about technology for the likes of CNET and Fortune and so on), they will jump ship and run, run I tell you, to the nearest port. Which, for journalists, has always been public relations.
WELCOME TO THE “DARK SIDE”
Journalists moving into PR is not a new thing. PR, after all, is where the money is, at least once you get past the account coordinator level. But, as of late, that trickle has grown into a tidal wave, with journalists jumping ship either of their own accord or with a mighty push from mother publisher.
So “welcome to the dark side” as one PR person said to me when I made my jump.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
For the journalists who can adapt (“What, you mean PR writes those quotes and not the people being quoted?”), this can be the start of an exciting new career. And for the PR firm, this can be an influx of journalistic research and analytical skills, resourcefulness, an insider knowledge of how a newsroom works, contacts, and perhaps best of all, a clear and succinct writing style.
AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
PR firms are growing and fees are going up, up, up. So it looks like PR is will be a friendly haven for journalists for some time.
So welcome to the dark side, one and all. Welcome.
eriksr on September 15th, 2008
BusinessWeek wrote a fascinating article on gender and the Internet. Now, you can slog your way through the whole thing here or, for the time-pressed, you can read my one sentence overview, below.
I see you have decided to read me. Wise move, grasshopper.
Okay. For the really time-pressed, here is the one sentence overview: “. . . if you’re going to create the next hot Web 2.0 site and you want it to go viral, you’ll target women.”
Want an explanation? Okay. Here we go.
WOMEN ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF WEB 2.0
Sure, men tend to be the early adopters of new technologies, but social media is about, well, being social. And women are nothing, if not social. So, women rule online far more than men.
We know this by looking at social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Flixster. Not only are women much more active, but older men, above 30 and especially those that are married, aren’t even joining. (What are the guys doing? Can you say World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto, online poker, and so on?)
WHEN THE MEN ARE ON SOCIAL NETWORKS, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
According to the article, “Sex, of course, has long been one of the strongest drivers of online usage.” So they flock to social networks to fulfill this need. But put a ring on their finger and social networks tend to become a thing of the past.
WHAT’S THE KEY TAKE-AWAY HERE?
That “. . . a dollar spent marketing to acquire a female user goes a lot further than on a male user.” So, hello ladies!
eriksr on September 2nd, 2008
So, yeah, okay, like what’s the point of social media?
I mean, we are so busy rushing around and doing it that we never stop, take a look at ourselves, and see if we are actually accomplishing anything of value.
Well, those days are about to end. And they are about to end with a book called “Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs” by Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis.
Read the rest of this entry »
