Public relations industry

Photo Credit: Adapted from Gateway Arch by docdevore

For the past five years my browser home page has been set to either Google.com or iGoogle. (I briefly flirted with the New York Times as my default but have integrated their feeds everywhere else.) This week I switched it to Gmail. With all of the features they have been adding lately, particularly through their Labs, Gmail is unquestionably my virtual Swiss Army Knife. It is not only my communications hub. It is my knowledge base and to some degree my feed reader. Some say it is becoming an enterprise dashboard - it is. It is my gateway to the web. (Note they added themes today!)

In this post I outline some recent ways I have tweaked my Gmail Personal Nerve Center by connecting Gmail with other web services. (Other posts on Gmail are here.)

Search the Web from Gmail

Gmail's search capabilities are top-notch. It's a big reason why I store tons of articles, factoids and even documents there. However, it's easy to miss the little button that says "Search the Web." These days I begin most of my web queries from Gmail. I even get a head start using their advanced keywords. (For example I type in new york weather when I want to know what the temperature is.) This will become even more useful once Gmail adds its SMS features later this month. Once that's back up you should be able to use it with Google SMS and get back search results via IM.

Update and Track Your Social Networks via IM

I am slowly in the process of trying to shift more of my communications out of email towards social software and IM. (More on this topic soon.) Still, I want an easily accessible record of all of these streams. So I am using Gmail much of the time to post to these services and also receive updates.

If you set up Ping.fm you can update all the major social networks via Gmail Chat. I post to Twitter via Ping.fm. I receive back replies by subscribing to a Twitter search feed for @steverubel via IM via notify.me. In addition, I receive Facebook alerts also by running my feed through notify.me. You can find your Facebook feed here. (You can also IM Friendfeed and Yammer directly and receive updates back from them too, which I do.)

Subscribe to High Priority Feeds and Alerts

I love Google Reader but I also like to be able to subscribe to some of my feeds via Gmail so that they are archived in a single place online and offline (via IMAP). However, I want to make this easily managed. So, I put all of my high priority feeds in Google Reader into a folder, make this folder public and then subscribe to the feed in Newsgator Online. Newsgator offers POP delivery so I have Gmail automatically fetch this account, scoop up the feeds, filter/archive them and tag them with the label "Feeds."

Track the Day's News with Gmail Clips

I am a news junkie and like to stay in the know. Gmail makes this a snap with Gmail Web Clips. I have pretty much standardized on the New York Times as my source of choice. In addition, I like to be able to track Techmeme too as well as all the news on the Presidential transition. So I have added a bunch of feeds to Clips including one from the awesome Times Topics site that stream into Gmail via a nice handy little news ticker.

Use Gmail as a Writing Tool

Sometimes writing can be intimidating, but it doesn't need to be. I like to start my writing in Gmail and then move it into other services where I can do more. For example, I wrote this blog post in Gmail and then sent it directly to TypePad. I also start documents here and then email them into Google Docs for additional tweaking (eg word counts, etc.). Finally I have a huge swipe file of articles and ideas stored in Gmail for inspiration and reference (for more on this concept see this great post from Write to Done). LifeClever offers some more thoughts here on using email for writing. See my other Gmail posts for how to use the service for storing ideas.

Build Links in Gmail to All Your Other Services

Finally, last but not least, when I do need to access other services they are all a click away in Gmail. I have added the Google Calendar and Google Docs gadgets to my sidebar. I store my To Do List in Google Docs so it's usually the top item in the gadget. In addition, I store my bookmarks in Gmail by exporting them to HTML and sending the page to myself using Ubiquity, which I pull up using Gmail Quick Links. Also, the links at the top of the page put me a click away to secure https versions of some of Google's other big services.

I keep adding to my system as Google rolls out features, but to me Gmail is my gateway to the web and the one web site I could never be without. Gmail turns five in the spring and I amazed how they continue to make it even more awesome once you start to really tweak it to your needs.

If you haven't seen it, Darren Rowse has a great new blog about Twitter called TwiTip. This week he and his followers interviewed me about how I started using the service, how I Tweet today and what companies who want to engage on Twitter should do. I won't steal his thunder, but want to share an excerpt here on a potential business model and where Twitter will be in five years time ...

If you were on the management of Twitter how would you monetize Twitter? (or would you) - question from @sachendra

It seems to me that Twitter is sitting on cash. It just needs to unlock the value. One way is through insights. I bet marketers would pay for advanced insights on what people are saying/doing. The other is through contextual search. Twitter should do a deal with Google or Yahoo to put pay-per-click ads on all the permalink tweet pages and then share the revs with users. The other idea is to monetize search.twitter.com, also with contextual ads. I think the only reason they’re delaying this is to make sure they don’t alienate their community. That’s the biggest risk they face.

Is Twitter just a passing fad or will it still exist in 5 years? How do you see Twitter evolving? - question from @AnitaBruzzese and @justcreative

I have been a participant and observer of online communities since 1988 - that’s 20 years. There’s no community where I am spending time today that was not born in the last five years. If I think back to what I used over the years it spans from Compuserve to AOL to GeoCities to Facebook, Twitter and Friendfeed today. No community has ever had staying power. TIme will tell if Twitter can break the trend. I don’t see a moat there yet.

Further, they’re at risk at becoming just infrastructure as people interface with the site through all of the other ports, most notably, apps, Facebook and Friendfeed. I hope I am wrong. Five years may not be a timeframe long enoughf for change.

• Being Peter Kim: A List of Social Media Marketing Examples The most useful page on the web - and continually updated too. (tags: CaseStudies socialmedia PR marketing Web2.0 Advertising)
• LIFE photo archive hosted by Google "Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today" (tags: Google images Search Magazines history)
• Report: Millennials Will Route Around IT Departments - ReadWriteWeb Fascinating study: "older Millennials still spend around 9.5 hours a week writing and receiving work-related emails, younger Millennials in the workforce only spend about 7.7 hours on email" (tags: millennials culture Trends socialsoftware SocialNetworking workplace Email Web2.0 geny)

Image Credit: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Over the last few weeks I have been curiously studying the rise of netbooks - which could become this year's breakout category. As of this writing, six of the top ten laptops on Amazon's... Steve Rubel

Conversation Agent: Why Start a Blog and 25 Tips to Make it Work (tags: Blogs tips) Poll: In the US when will tangible media become extinct? "Never, you're crazy Steve" is winning. (tags: anotherview media Trends) Will All Media Go... Steve Rubel

Majority of Kids Are Computer Savvy "An overwhelming majority (89%) of all kids age 6-11 in the US spend at least some time doing online activities" (tags: kids stats) Survey: Online Marketers Say Digital Spending To Fall 10% To 20%... Steve Rubel

Rolfe Schewe sent me a heads-up on Twitter tonight that Google Profiles now has added photo streaming. All you need to do is point Google toward Picasa, Flickr or any other photo sharing service that supports feeds and it will... Steve Rubel

I want to make a bet with you today. By January 2014 I will wager that in the US almost all forms of tangible media will either be in sharp decline or completely extinct. I am not just talking about... Steve Rubel

Companies and social networks | Losing face | The Economist "Communications specialists say the rise of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter make it all the more important to reiterate online guidelines frequently." (tags: SocialNetworking PR) Sanders Says: Interview social media expert... Steve Rubel

Image Credit: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC

Over the last few weeks I have been curiously studying the rise of netbooks - which could become this year's breakout category. As of this writing, six of the top ten laptops on Amazon's bestseller list are netbooks.

Since February I have been a dedicated Macbook Air user. I love the weight of the machine but have issues, particularly with the loud fan and heat. A chronic craver of all things new and shiny, I have been resitsting the emotional pull of netbooks, but I still may get one anyway. Hugh's account of the Dell Mini 9 didn't help. So far, I am resisting. (Note: Edelman, my employer, represents HP - a netbook manufacturer.)

When I can, I increasingly try to look at these technology trends in a more detached way without emotion and with greater reasoning. I am wondering if the netbook truly is a breakout category that's here to stay or something that's a stopgap. Is the category going to stick or is it just that smartphones are unsuitable for certain tasks and traditional notebooks are now serving the role desktops once did? Or is it that rising use of web applications reducing our day-to-day needs for a powerful computer? Further, then there's the recession. Why buy a laptop when you can get 90% of what you need from a $500 netbook and keep your old computer running a few more years?

Ultimately, what holds me back from jumping into the netbook fray is the size of the keyboard and screen. Jeff Atwood calls netbooks portable web browsers. However, I fear that the limited resolution may give rise to an entire new class of web sites much like the iPhone did when it launched last year.

What's your view of the netbook craze? Have you jumped in? Weigh in with a comment.

An interesting story has erupted on the microblogging site Twitter. Apparently a large number of moms reacted strongly towards an online ad for the pain killer Motrin that was posted Saturday on the company’s website. The advert discusses the pain supposedly caused by carrying around babies in various types of slings.



The moms voiced their opinion on the Motrin ad campaign and tweeted their thoughts on Twitter using the tag "#motrinmoms" so that conversations easily could be tracked. Within 24 hours a video was also created, showing tweets and images of moms carrying their children - without pain.



The volume of comments on Twitter is so high that there currently are several tweets per minute about Motrin, which now is the highest ranked term on Twitter, #motrinmoms being in second place.

As is often the case nowadays, bloggers joined in and then traditional media too. This is an extremely interesting case and I am sure we will read more details in the coming days. But it might not be so bad in the end for Motrin. Tonight there is a message on the front page of Motrin.com that states that the company has listened to the negative feedback and pulled the ad. All in all, perhaps there can even be positive effects on Motrin as they get credit for listening to customers?



Tags: motrin, twitter, motrinmoms, twitter. Ping.

• Conversation Agent: Why Start a Blog and 25 Tips to Make it Work (tags: Blogs tips)
• Poll: In the US when will tangible media become extinct? "Never, you're crazy Steve" is winning. (tags: anotherview media Trends)
• Will All Media Go Digital By 2014? | Six Pixels of Separation - Mitch Joel Fair point: "We all drink from the same water cooler, and it's important to not fall into the, 'I haven't bought a magazine in two years... so everyone else will stop too,' line of thinking." (tags: media Trends anotherview)
• Mashable: The Death of Tangible Media is a Little Murky I am going to start linking to people who have another point of view on the topics I have covered. Here's one from Mark. (tags: Trends media anotherview)
• Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know - Telegraph (tags: obama politics barackobama)
• Creativity: Twyla Tharp on Creativity, Failure, and Money "Being creative for the sake of admiration and recognition is different than being creative simply because you want to make something" (tags: creativity failure twylatharp inspiration success)
• Malcolm Gladwell asks is there such a thing as pure genius? | Books | The Guardian Another book to add to my list. (tags: books deliberatepractice excellence talent Ideas)
• Blog Content Influences Consumer Buying Behavior - Search Engine Watch (SEW) "50% of blog readers say they find blogs useful for purchase information" (tags: blogs stats Marketing SocialNetworking Search)

Your Fortune 1000 business brand resource vehicle for driving new media, PR and marketing. Copyright © Since February 2003

• Majority of Kids Are Computer Savvy "An overwhelming majority (89%) of all kids age 6-11 in the US spend at least some time doing online activities" (tags: kids stats)
• Survey: Online Marketers Say Digital Spending To Fall 10% To 20% In 2009 - Advertising Age "the industry's confusion over measurement is preventing marketers from accurately forecasting the market" (tags: Advertising Stats 2009)

Rolfe Schewe sent me a heads-up on Twitter tonight that Google Profiles now has added photo streaming. All you need to do is point Google toward Picasa, Flickr or any other photo sharing service that supports feeds and it will pull in your public photos. Here's my profile. (Also, if you haven't verified your Google Profile as I have below you might want to follow these instructions.)

Google keeps adding features to these profiles. Recently, they made them searchable. This is clearly a not-so-stealth social networking site being built right before our eyes. But I am wondering if they will turn this into a lifestreaming site that competes with Friendfeed. Keep an eye on this space.

Your Fortune 1000 business brand resource vehicle for driving new media, PR and marketing. Copyright © Since February 2003

I want to make a bet with you today. By January 2014 I will wager that in the US almost all forms of tangible media will either be in sharp decline or completely extinct. I am not just talking about print, but all tangible forms of media - newspapers, magazines, books, DVDs, boxed software and video games.

Don't believe me? Consider the following news items, all of which broke in the last month ...

• Microsoft (an Edelman client) yesterday opened up a store to sell all of its software online for immediate download (November 13)
• Apple is selling record numbers of downloadable games for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is attracting publishers because the lack of physical media is better economically for both consumers and video game creators (November 12)
• Oprah sparked a deluge of traffic when she endorsed the Amazon Kindle as the next big thing (November 3)
• Lots of alternatives are emerging for ebooks including the iPhone (November 3)
  
• Microsoft is set to open up the XBox 360 to user-generated games on November 19, all of which will only be available via download - there will be no DVDs (October 30)
• Netlfix is making its catalogue available over the Internet and on set-top boxes like the XBox 360 and soon TiVo (October 30)
• The Christian Science Monitor said it is folding its daily print edition in favor of moving it online (October 28)

Finally, if you need further proof, when was the last time you bought a CD? Exactly. For me it was back in 2003. I haven't purchased a newspaper in at least two years and the number of people who I see toting them on my morning train have declined too. I canceled my last print subscription this month and I am now living 100% "media green." Also I recently signed up for Safari Books Online and I am liking it a lot, though it's pricey and their iPhone client needs a lot of work.

We're moving fast toward becoming a society that consumes media entirely in digital format. Part of it is environmental, but a lot of it is because of broadband and connected devices. Now of course it will take a long long time for this to become a global phenomenon. But in the US at least, the pace has picked up a lot just in the last few months. Further, with the very green-aware millennials set to become the dominant demographic in the US by 2010 I would expect you will see even more of this.

So what do you think? Participate in the poll below. (Feed readers will need to click through)

British-Portuguese artist Mia Rose became an instant hit on YouTube after uploading videos of herself singing. The twenty-year old singer quickly grew a large dedicated fan base that loved her songs on YouTube, which has now been viewed many million times. Her channel on YouTube has more than 150,000 subscribers. Her popularity got her a record deal with a major record label, which she now has left for an independent label in order to be more in control over her career.



Mia performed one of her songs today at SIME in Stockholm and attended a panel together with Stefan Glaenzer, founder of Last.fm and Ulf Ekberg of Ace of Base. Last.fm according to Glaenzer "is the last destination you need in your life".

Swedish pop combo Ace of Base might be the next succesful example of the future of the music business. Ulf Ekberg showed how the band is preparing for a comeback after more than a decade in retirement. This morning the band launched a widget on its website that lets users remix and change the band's songs. People can share the widget with their friends on Facebook, MySpace, Piczo, Bebo, Blogger, hi5 and other social network. There is a sequencer where users can create their own remixes of both old and new Ace of Base songs, buy new loops and materials to add to the remixes. The band will also use the best remixes and put them up on the site. By engaging fans to make their own versions, Ace of Base creates a number of new revenue streams.

The former four man band now has three members, but as Ulf Ekberg stated:
- The fourth member of Ace of Base is now the consumer.

Tags: sime, mia rose, ace of base, sime, ace of base. Ping.

British-Portuguese artist Mia Rose became an instant hit on YouTube after uploading videos of herself singing. The twenty-year old singer quickly grew a large dedicated fan base that loved her songs on YouTube, which has now been viewed many million times. Her channel on YouTube has more than 150,000 subscribers. Her popularity got her a record deal with a major record label, which she now has left for an independent label in order to be more in control over her career.



Mia performed one of her songs today at SIME in Stockholm and attended a panel together with Stefan Glaenzer, founder of Last.fm and Ulf Ekberg of Ace of Base. Last.fm according to Glaenzer "is the last destination you need in your life".

Swedish pop combo Ace of Base might be the next succesful example of the future of the music business. Ulf Ekberg showed how the band is preparing for a comeback after more than a decade in retirement. This morning the band launched a widget on its website that lets users remix and change the band's songs. People can share the widget with their friends on Facebook, MySpace, Piczo, Bebo, Blogger, hi5 and other social network. There is a sequencer where users can create their own remixes of both old and new Ace of Base songs, buy new loops and materials to add to the remixes. The band will also use the best remixes and put them up on the site. By engaging fans to make their own versions, Ace of Base creates a number of new revenue streams.

The former four man band now has three members, but as Ulf Ekberg stated:
- The fourth member of Ace of Base is now the consumer.

Tags: sime, mia rose, ace of base, sime, ace of base. Ping.

The theme for this year's SIME event is the DNA of Change. This morning Joi Ito, the CEO of Creative Commons, talked about the different levels of change that has brought us the social internet of today. Creative Commons is the non-profit that hands out licenses for a new type of copyright. Ito described how copyright used to work, and to a large extent still does. If you want to use someone else's copyrighted work you have to ask for permission and then you need a written agreement. But today when all the tools online are available for users to take content and remix it into new work, there is a strong need for a model that makes content available for reuse without running the risk of getting a letter from a lawyer. And therefore Creative Commons have created a number of licenses that lets content owners approve in advance what users can do with their work.

Ito then went on to describe how a CC license can be used to drive sales. For example when the band Nine Inch Nails made their latest album available as a free download. Then on the site customers could buy different versions of the album and extra material. The music in this case was merely seen as advertising. In one week the band sold for 1.6 million dollars without almost any distribution costs.

Ito also described tecnobrega: "one of Brazil's most thriving pop scenes: tecnobrega, a musical movement that's expanding exponentially thanks to musicians and producers who see copying as a marketing tool rather than intellectual property theft."



Photo Credit: Dennis Stefani

Another example was when singer Gwen Stefani hired a photographer and shared a photo of her newborn baby under a CC license. Normally famous artists would sell baby pictures exclusively to traditional media for very large sums, but Stefani chose to take control of the process and use the photo as a way to get fans to talk about her and build engagement. Barack Obama also published personal photos from election night with a CC license.

Tags: sime, joi ito, sime, creative commons. Ping.