Read PR Week lately?  I don’t mean the online edition—I’m talking about the old-fashioned print version, which now comes out … monthly.    I still read printed material when I can, because it helps me spot things I typically miss on a computer screen.

For example, I caught their piece on corporate press sites in the March 2010 issue (my apologies for not enclosing a link—you need a subscription to read it).  They hold up media sites from Microsoft and GM as examples of a trend: redesigned news rooms aimed not only at professional journalists but also at the general public. Read More »

Dear CEC Members,

I’ve learned a lot about you all recently. In the past six weeks I have visited every single one of your company newsrooms. (This task falls into the “you never know where life will take you” category—but still a very educational experience.) And let me tell you, you’ve got some work to do. No worries though—we’re going to do it together. First, I’ve got 10 “yes or no” questions for you: Read More »

By Rebecca Canan

Springtime means new energy, new chances, and a fresh outlook.  I’m a sucker for spring cleaning—and pretty much any opportunity for a new start.  (Case-in-point: I was the Catholic school kid who actually looked forward to going to confession.)  Spring in DC especially brings out this tendency in me—the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the sun is finally shining after a very snowy and cold winter!

I think spring is also a great time for Communications to do a bit of cleaning and starting-over. To inspire your spring cleaning spree, I wanted to give you a few tips and ideas:

Spring Cleaning Checklist

• Clean out your list of projects. If you’re like many communicators, you have a habit of piling on activities and to-do’s without asking yourself, “Is this just clutter?  What’s the value of doing this?”  To strip out the inessentials, just copy this easy idea from PepsiCo.  Each year PepsiCo‘s Head of Communications challenges staff to fill out a worksheet with activities that they believe no longer merit Communications’ support.  This simple exercise has “turned off” ~15% of work volume for their function.  CEC members can access that worksheet here (page 15). Read More »

I am not a journalist (but I blog and tweet). And in most cases, I am not a shareholder (but I could be once my next bonus comes in.) But, one thing I am is a consumer—of information that is. In the last few years of my life I’ve been transitioning from my old, academic self to my real world, professional self. The old me enjoyed debates over issues and theories. The new me craves information about the products I buy, the companies I support, the trends of industries I care about, and, oh yeah—trying to keep up with the political world of Washington DC right outside my window.

The NYT is my homepage and, after Facebook, Google is my most visited site. And let’s say this time I’m looking for information about you. What are you? My cable company? My energy provider? My favorite retailer? It doesn’t really matter, but let’s pretend earlier today I had an interaction with one your frontline staff and said to myself, “Hm, haven’t heard much about them recently. I wonder what they’re up to.”

You didn’t make the NY Times this month and I haven’t seen you in my Twitter feed, so obviously I go to Google—“Company name, news.” Great, first item, Company name—Newsroom. (I really hope it doesn’t say ‘Company name—Pressroom’ and you’re hoping I’ll find information there. I’m not the press. It must not be for me.) Read More »

Free Willy was one of my all-time favorite childhood movies. In addition to a love for MJ’s classic song “Will You Be There,” this movie established my lifelong dream to swim with the orcas.  Willy was anything but “Killer,” and it’s hard to believe “Shamu” would be either.

I’ve been following the story of the recent tragic death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau—both due to my personal interest in the relationships between humans and animals in captivity, and my professional interest in how SeaWorld would respond to this crisis situation.  As a curious millennial, the first thing I did was log on to the SeaWorld website to see what they had to say about the incident.

Day 1 after the incident, I visit the SeaWorld press room—nothing.
Day 2, I try the press room again—still nothing.
Read More »