Cable disrupted the TV industry like the Internet disrupted traditional media

Think about it, in the 80′s there were three television networks that dominated the airwaves, they didn’t want to invest in cable so they lost out and it hurt them. Fast forward 20 years, traditional media didn’t dive into the Internet rightaway and now they’re taking the hit.

Longtime media analyst, Ken Auletta recently released his new book “Googled: The End of the World As We Know It”. In the book he shares his findings and insights after having spent more than two years with Google and traditional media outlets studying just how much the Internet has changed how news spreads. He did a very interesting interview on C-SPAN this week regarding the book and how late in the game traditional media are in regards to investing in the Internet. My favorite line from the interview:

“… There are two types of people in this world. There are people who lean forward and there are people who lean back. And the people in traditional media were leaning back. And in this new world which is changing so fast, you gotta lean forward.”

Lean forward guys, it’s gonna be a fun ride!

Social Media can be a Reporter’s Secret Weapon

From the Desk of Elaine Schoch…

Last Friday’s news from the Washington Post regarding new social media guidelines reminded me of a conversation I had several years ago with a reporter from the Denver Post. After more than 20 years as a hard-core, traditional print reporter he was BEING TOLD to write a blog. He would begin being measured by how many readers it generated, subscribers to his RSS feed and other web metrics, all leading back to the Denver Post’s goal of generating more ad revenue. He wasn’t happy. I thought it was brilliant.

While news outlets have been onboard for blogging – something they can control on their site – few provided reporters the education on how to effectively use social media, write for search, etc. The freedom of what people can now say and do through newer social media channels like Facebook and Twitter has clearly freaked out traditional news outlets.

Not only should news outlets encourage and teach reporters to engage in social media to build their brand and drive traffic back to the site to generate more ad revenue BUT reporters should be all over these social channels to build their OWN personal brand. I’m still amazed at how few reporters (outside the tech world) are not on Twitter or have their own blogs…

It’s no secret print pubs – both newspapers and magazines – are shutting down left and right. Reporters have an opportunity to leverage their platform (the news outlet they represent) to build their name, online reputation and create a community of dedicated followers/readers. (People want to get their news from trusted sources and reporters are still seen as such.) This community can and may save them if they find themselves needing a new job, using their own blog as a source of income, writing/selling a book, etc.

Social media channels like Twitter and Facebook are changing how people get their news, in turn changing the news landscape. People are seeking WHO they get their news from instead of having the news delivered to them. Reporters and news outlets alike have to choose if they’re going to be one of the resources people come to for information or not.

Style Conscious: AP Style + Social Media

From the Desk of Ef Rodriguez…

On matters of style, PR peeps defer to the AP Stylebook as a rule – largely because some of our most critical interactions are with reporters and editors, almost all of whom adhere to AP style in their publications. To that end, we have all taken time (at one point in our careers) to learn AP thoroughly.

But as our communication targets widen to include consumers directly via social media, is our style changing to reflect that? As we reach out to people via social media, what are the new language standards as they relate to web parlance? (For example, I should have capitalized Web in the previous sentence, but that looks strange to me on a blog.)

At what point do we decide for ourselves how best to communicate with our audiences? Sure, the AP Stylebook is just a set of recommended guidelines – we are certainly free to write as we see fit. But for the sake of consistency, many pros side with AP style, even if it makes their online outreach seem a little stiff and oddly formal.

Consider words like:

• tweetup
• website
• email
• startup

How do you handle style issues as they relate to technology and social media? I know some agencies and companies have developed internal stylebooks – I’m starting to think that’s a good idea.