May 17th, 2008
WOMMA is the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Matchstick Marketing, the company I spoke about in my last post, is one of the charter members of WOMMA and helped to develop these guidelines.
After checking them out, I thought that they were important enough that everyone should take a look at them.
For more information, visit www.womma.org/ethics.
- I will always be truthful and will never knowingly relay false information. I will never ask someone else to deceive bloggers for me.
- 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.
- I will never take action contrary to the boundaries set by bloggers. I will respect all community guidelines regarding posting messages and comments.
- I will never ask bloggers to lie for me.
- I will use extreme care when communicating with minors or blogs intended to be read by minors.
- I will not manipulate advertising or affiliate programs to impact blogger income.
- I will not use automated systems for posting comments or distributing information.
- 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.
- 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.
- If bloggers write about products I send them, I will proactively ask them to disclose the products’ source.
Remember: Consumers come first, honesty isn’t optional, and deception is always exposed.
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By Colleen -- 1 comment
May 16th, 2008
After I posted about my friend, Rebecca from Miss604’s experience with Matchstick Marketing, I realized that I was basically doing exactly what I was trying to teach people not to do: I wasn’t getting a balanced view of the situation. Made me no better than a mud-slinger. So, I reached out to them and asked if we could chat.
Gillian Sloan, the senior account manager got back to me right away and we set up a time to chat with both her and Matthew Stradiotto, one of Matchstick’s founders.
They were both great to talk to, and were completely candid about what had happened with Rebecca and also what they were doing to make sure that similar situations don’t happen in the future.
Gillian and Matthew explained that Matchstick views the bloggers they work with as consumers first and foremost, which I thought was a great way to look at it.
The main thing that Matchstick wants to do, before sending product out to the people they’ve determined are influencers (what they call the bloggers and consumers they work work) is to understand them as people first, rather than just an influencer. They want to know what makes people tick so they are sure they’ve found the right fit.
Gillian has circulated one of Jason Fall’s “how to conduct blogger outreach” [post] around the office and they were meeting later this week to go over everything with their staff.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if all companies responded this way to a compliant or problem?? I have to applaud Matchstick for responding so quickly and for being as honest and transparent as they say they are. Hallmarks of any company operating in what is now a social media world.
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By Colleen -- 1 comment
May 14th, 2008
Since I’ve been writing for b5Media, I’ve found myself thinking more about citizen journalism vs traditional journalism. I think that everyone has to face the fact that we’re entering a new world, one that is more focused on peer-to-peer communications than we are someone providing news to us. Just look at how many more blogs there are in the world, and how many keep appearing daily.
While I’ve been pondering, things keep popping into my field of awareness about citizen journalism. Just the other day, I found “The Center for Citizen Media” site, and then today, after ages of not checking my Google Reader, I came across this:
San Jose Mercury News: Wanted: Los Gatos bloggers. We’re looking for community bloggers in Los Gatos who can write about such things as events in town, school fundraisers, the score of the latest football game. We need someone who would love a forum for reflecting on the latest buzz story in town, or even write things to do for runners, kids, moms, retirees or other groups in town. — Center for Citizen Media: Newspaper Asks Bloggers for Help
I thought that it was pretty interesting that a mainstream newspaper is starting to reach out to their citizens to assist with blogging. There was a little bit of kerfuffle (apparently that’s BuzzNetworker’s Word of the Week!) in the comments with people questioning whether the paper would be paying their bloggers and whether or not the Mercury was just trying to get “news” for free.
I don’t think that’s the point however. I think that the point of this even happening is that mainstream newspapers are starting to find that using real people to write about issues and topics only makes sense. It’s almost the equivalent of the “man on the street” opinions, only much better.
Now, if only more mainstream media started to understand and use social media…..
(image source: Newscom.com)
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By Colleen -- 4 comments
May 12th, 2008
Oh the drama and controversy swirling about the interwebs right now! (I refuse to use the term “blogosphere” (even though I just did) and also, I hate Weblog. STOPPIT. It’s just a blog now, ok? We’ve got that cleared up? Can we move on? Ok. Great.)
First, Chris Andersen published his vitriolic post about being pitched as Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine.
There was a big bunch of kerfuffle (now THAT’S one of my favourite words) over that among PR people and journalists alike.
Then, Gina Trapani from Lifehacker tweeted [past tense of having written a twitter message] a link to a wiki, called PR Spammers. I’m sure you can figure out what that’s about.
That started a whole new kerfuffle.
So, instead of re-hashing something that is now essentially, old news, if you want details, go read Geoff, or Jason, or Brian, or Todd. I didn’t even get them all. But that’s a good start. If you want to see the other side, take a look at Matt or Stowe.
Whew. Ok. So here’s my whole thing. I’m currently on both sides of the fence here. I’ve still got a foot in PR and Social media, and I’m still working on clients (none of my clients are in any of the fields I write about on any of my blogs). I’m also a writer, and actually working towards doing more of that in the future.
Through the course of this blog, and the one I’ll be launching on the Lifestyle channel, I’ve been dealing with a lot of great PR people. Some, not so great, but 90% of them have been fantastic. But, because I have a PR background, I talk to them like I would like to be spoken to and I reply to them in a timely manner because it’s how I would like to be responded to. (do unto others much?)
So who’s right here? I think there’s a bit of both right and wrong, on both sides of the fence.
I think PR people who pitch blindly, throwing a bunch of shit at the wall to see what will stick, and in turn are pitching the Editor in Chief are lazy. Chris is right.
I think that media people who aren’t clear on how they want to receive information, and then get bitchy when they are contacted, or break PR’s trust - breaking embargos, threatening exclusives and when not granted them, refuse to write about the company, or just act as though the person on the other end of the phone is obviously a complete idiot because they dared to say the words “Hi, My name is Colleen, and I’m from Type A Public Relations. Do you have a minute?”. I should have named my PR company something other than “Public Relations”, obviously.
Folks, it’s time to put down the gloves.
Not long ago, I asked for pitches for this blog, and I meant it. I’ve been getting some great stuff, and I can’t wait to get everything reviewed and written about. I can’t wait to do author Q&A’s with everyone I’ve been speaking to recently. I still welcome pitches - after all, without the PR people, where would the writers get all of our news? Email’s great. In fact, you can call me too if you want (604-215-0697), and I’ll talk to you, but in the end, I’ll probably ask you to email me anyway.
Also, any PR people reading this, know that I also cover lingerie, cocktails, food and wine, travel and beauty, personal care, health & fitness and homewares. Feel free to send me anything that would fit into any of those categories.
Images courtesy me, on flickr.
Technorati Tags: Gina Trapani,Lifehacker,Geoff Livingston,Wired,Chris Andersen,The Long Tail,PR Spammers Wiki,Stowe Boyd,Todd Deferen,Brian Solis,Jason Falls
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By Colleen -- 2 comments
May 10th, 2008
Now that I’ve got a several writing gigs, I need to read, a lot. A lot of news, a lot of opinions, a lot of sites. 
Tris Hussey pointed me in the direction of AideRSS, which is a very slick little tool to help calm the savage RSS beast.
AideRSS uses a slick technology which analyzes the posts in whichever feed you give the site, ranking them Good, Great or Best. You can then set the level of posts you want back from the site.
I’ve set a good chunk of my feeds - except those of friends - to Great. I just want the really good stuff… there’s only so much time I have to read al these feeds, and I need to get in, get my info and get out.
If you’re finding that you’re completely overwhelmed by the number of feeds you read, take a look at AideRSS. Totally worth it!
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By Colleen -- 2 comments
May 9th, 2008
Thord D. Hedengren recently interviewed me for both the Blog Herald and Blogger Talks.
The Blogger Talks interview is my take on PR and gettin’ famous.
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By Colleen -- 0 comments
May 9th, 2008
No, we’re not talking about Disney here.
I’m talking about sing the web to spread your message virally. David M. Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR has offered BuzzNetworker readers a free e-book download.
I’ll be speaking David in the coming weeks and I’m on his list for review copies of his upcoming books. Until I can schedule a time to speak with David, go learn something from him for free.
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By Colleen -- 1 comment
May 8th, 2008
I thought it was just me.
I thought that I was the only one not visiting facebook, not caring about event invites, updates or status updates. I find myself not checking into facebook for days on end. I don’t even look at the email notices that I get. Hell, I barely even check that account anymore. 
But, according to a survey posted on Mashable yesterday, only 13% of readers are not at all fed up with Facebook.
The data that prompted them to do the survey in the first place was by a group called 20bits. Their survey states that the number of active users has declined 27% since January, while the number of highly active users, as defined by 20bits, has plummeted 47%.
Even though data shows that there are still lots of active users of the site, I think that Brian Solis said it best: Facebook is the new MySpace.
What about you? Do you still use Facebook, and what for?
(image source, Mashable)
Tags: Facebook, Fatigue, MashableShare This
By Colleen -- 2 comments
May 6th, 2008
In 2008, the summer solstice will occur at 23:59 hours UT on 20th June (Friday). It is the first time since 1975 that it hasn’t occurred on 21st June. The summer solstice is, as you may know, the longest day of the western hemisphere.
To celebrate, BuzzNetworker, the Business Channel and b5media are having The Great Blog Off on June 20. Here’s the scoop:
1, At buzznetworker.com - and all over b5media - we will blog at least once per hour for each hour of the day beginning at midnight our time (I’m PST). Yep, that’s 24 hours straight blogging.
2, NO pre-posting allowed. So, everything that is posted will be fresh - or as fresh as can be whilst sleep deprived.
3, Guest bloggers ARE allowed and are, in fact, highly encouraged.
Yep, that last part means that I’m going to be looking for some guest bloggers. Ideally, you would agree to “cover” for me some time between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. PST on June 20. But even if those times don’t work for you, I’d love to have you participate. Send me an email (look for my email link in the sidebar) if you’d like to be on the guest post list (I’ll get you confirmations, how tos and more details later). You don’t have to be a PR pro or a social media guru - but you do have to write something about PR or social media (even if it’s that you don’t like about it) for the Great Blog Off.
And it gets better.
The Great Blog Off is also an opportunity to do something good! The Business Channel will be taking charitable pledges (details forthcoming). If, for example, you want to donate $1 for every hour that I blog on June 20, you would donate $24. Obviously, flat donations are also appreciated. No need to pull out your wallet now - there will be more information about this closer to the date.
The b5media Business Channel will be supporting Accion International as our charity for the Great Blog Off. The mission of Accion is:
to give people the tools they need to work their way out of poverty. By providing microloans, business training and other financial services to poor men and women who start their own businesses, ACCION’s partner lending organizations help people work their own way up the economic ladder, with dignity and pride. With just a little capital, people can grow their own businesses. They can earn enough to afford basics like running water, better food and schooling for their children.
Basically, Accion helps small businesses all over the world to become established through small, manageable loans and business advice. This concept of microlending is fabulous and their payback record is impressive.
Charity Navigator gives Accion their highest rating for, among other things, having a low administrative expenses to donations ratio.
I am really excited about this event. I predict that it will be the most fun day of the year to read my blog! Keep checking by for details…
Tags: b5 media, blog off, business channelShare This
By Colleen -- 2 comments
May 6th, 2008
The Blog Herald was founded by Duncan Riley in March 2003 as a premium source of blog and blogging related news for bloggers. It was the first blog dedicated exclusively to the news of the blogosphere and remains the longest (and largest) standing resource of its kind.
I was interviewed this week by Thord D Hedengren, from Sweden for Blog Herald and then, today for Blogger Talks. Here’s the Blog Herald interview, and I’ll post the Blogger Talks interview as soon as it runs.
On April 22, Colleen Coplick took the helm at b5media blog Buzz Networker, replacing former blogger Kevin Palmer. Taking charge of an established blog is always a hard thing, I know that for a fact (actually, it goes for most things), but it is something that happens all the time, with people buying and selling blogs. What makes this switch extra interesting is the fact that Colleen will be blogging about “PR 2.0″, which means social media and more, and she’ll be doing that with her 7 years of traditional PR backing her.
Should prove to be an interesting ride, so I sent her some questions, resulting in a short interview piece about Buzz Networker here, and a longer one coming to BloggerTalks later on.
Congratulations on taking over Buzz Networker, a b5media blog! What will you do with it?
I’m planning on examining the where PR, Social Media and Business intersect. I’ll be leveraging my network to interview as many interesting people in these spaces as I can including Loic Lemeur from Seesmic, Tara Hunt from HorsePigCow and Charlene Li from Forrester. I tend to be pretty opinionated however, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up generating some controversy. :)
You’ve branded yourself a PR rockstar. How will you use your knowledge in this on Buzz Networker?
I’ve been in PR for 7 years and understand very very clearly how to do it *right*. With the rise of social media, PR people need to understand how to use these tactics correctly. I hope to be able to apply my knowledge of both PR and social media to help people to understand how they can apply these tactics to their current promotions.
You got the gig more or less via Twitter, and have already written several posts about the service. What’s the ideal use of microblogs? What’s the point of 140 character messages anyway?
I love Twitter! It’s quite honestly changed my life. I know it sounds silly, but I’ve had things happen through Twitter that would never have happened otherwise. I think that the ideal use of Twitter, and microblogging in general is the conversation that is sparked. The connections made with people around the world - like yourself - that I would never connect to in real life. There are ways companies can use it to engage their consumers in conversation as well as promote their brands. The 140 character messages make you succinct. Anything you’ve got to say that’s longer than that needs to be reserved for blogs, emails or your website.
What are the 3 most obvious PR mistakes made by blogs?
I think that that most obvious mistakes made by blogs is that the writers aren’t honest or transparent. If a company is writing a blog, they need to be very clear about WHO is writing it. Take a look at the Southwest Airlines blog - they are very clear about who contributes the posts. Also, the frequency of the updates is important. you’ve got to be consistent - it definitely doesn’t have to be DAILY, but blogging is not something you can do once and then stop, especially if you want your readers to respect and believe you. The third main error that blogs make is in their posts themselves - no images, boring subject lines… you’ve got to engage your audience and make them want to come back to your site for more!
Congratulations to Colleen on her new gig, and thanks for answering these quick questions! Do visit Buzz Networker and see what she does with the blog, and keep a lookout for a longer interview focusing more on the PR aspects of blogging over at BloggerTalks.
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By Colleen -- 4 comments
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