thebluedoor pr

Taking shelter from the Twitterstorm

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:24:00 +0000

The term ‘Twitterstorm’ is fairly regularly used now in the media, describing an event when hundreds of Twitter Tweets (140 character messages) are sent by individuals at the same time on a particular topic. This has become the way for the online generation to express their opinions. It can be in response to a comment in a newspaper, a consumer product issue, controversial advertising campaign – in fact, pretty much anything.

PR agencies , especially in the digital PR space, are aware just how quickly public opinion can be shared using the web and the rapid impact (positive or negative) it can have on the brand reputation of their clients’ products or services.

What’s interesting is that the legal system has not yet caught up with regulating this type of activity. Protection for brands in the event of a negative Twitterstorm is not yet available from the law.

So it is increasingly important for brands and their marketing and PR agencies to monitor the web for feedback – positive and negative. Web 2.0 provides the most amazing opportunity for brands and their audiences to engage – providing direct feedback and enabling brands to hear what the end user sees as being positive / negative about the products and services they offer. It is essential that brands listen and learn from this valuable insight.

No matter the tone of the consumer feedback, it is important for brands to acknowledge the input. It could mean the difference between the success or failure of the product or service. Also, if a consumer has taken the time to provide comment, it should be acknowledged.

Web 2.0 is all about engagement and that involves both parties – brands and consumers.

Are Twitterstorms going to be the only future forum for expressing public opinion? That’s a space to watch. However, until regulation catches up with technology developments, brands must remember that Twitter and the web are powerful communication tools available to the widest possible audience. For brands, this could be the biggest opportunity or threat, depending on whether they engage now or decide to wait and see. No matter what approach they decide to take – listening right now is an immediate priority to ensure they are prepared for potential bad weather ahead.

The Future of PR – is it really digital?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:48:00 +0000

Digital PR is increasingly being talked about in the PR and Marketing media. PR agencies are starting up divisions or spin off companies to focus on digital communications services for potential and existing customers.

There’s no doubt that online communication tools such as Twitter, social networking and blogs are all part of society today, but so are conversations at bus stops, in coffee shops and in people’s homes. These face-to-face conversations are driven by information from print newspapers, TV and word of mouth news and views. We’ve got to remember that not everyone spends their day connected to the Internet.

However, with ongoing technology developments, these online and offline worlds may be merging even further. At the recent CES event in Las Vegas, new innovations were displayed including the latest in combining TV and Internet. With products like the Samsung Widget TV, the traditional living room that is dominated by the family TV, may now give that same family easy access to the Internet via their TV screen. The need to boot up a laptop or computer in order to access the web will be a thing of the past.

The distinction between web-based and more traditional information sharing sources is definitely blurring. PROs and Marketers must remember that it’s essential to understand the target audience you are trying to reach and ensure you include the correct media channels in order to reach them. That means being aware of all online and offline channels, and with increasingly rapid technology advances there’s plenty to keep up to date with!

It’s an exciting time and one that PROs should embrace in its entirety rather than focusing on one area alone.

Surrey Tweetup: digital networking in real life

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:13:00 +0000

Last night, thebluedoor - Surrey based digital PR agency - hosted the second Surrey Tweetup in Farnham with very generous support from iBundle.

Organised through the power of Twitter - specifically using the recently rolled out lists and geolocation functions - 45 people came along to a very successful Surrey Tweetup. Kindly sponsored by innovation hub, iBundle, those attending were not only treated to drinks but also to an insight into the complex issues surrounding digital data interoperability by iBundle's founder Julian Ranger.

thebluedoor is committing to organising this free digital networking event on a monthly basis (we hope!). We are aiming to ensure that those attending will have plenty of networking (and drinking / social) time. In addition, we hope to source an interesting speaker to start the digital conversations flowing. A significant challenge in the digital world is its massively fast changing nature - cloud computing, real-time web, hyper-local, privacy - therefore each month's expert speaker will provide those attending with a relevant and meaningful update on a specific topic (rather than a business pitch).

The next #SurreyTweetup will be held on 25th March 2010 (venue to be confirmed - although it will be in Farnham). This event will take a slightly different format as it falls on the global Twestival event. Harnessing the power of Twitter, people will be meeting up around the world on the 25th March to raise much needed funds for Concern Worldwide.

So we are bringing Twestival to Surrey in the form of Twestival Farnham, which we're very excited about. As soon as the url and organisation information is released by the Twestival global organising committee, thebluedoor will be launching a dedicated Twestival Farnham blog where everyone will be able to get all the details. In addition, we will keep this blog up to date with Twestival Farnham information, plus there is already a specific Twitter Twestival Farnham feed: @twestivalfarnhm (missing the a because Twitter won't allow a longer Twitter handle). And in April, we will be running a 'regular' Surrey Tweetup gathering.

In the meantime, thank you all for attending last night. As promised, below is a list of everyone on Twitter who came along. Don't hesitate to put those I've missed out in the comments section below. And see you again!! (And next time I will be bringing labels so we can write our Twitter handles on - good suggestion from @k4thybrown.)

@jhhypnotherapy, @mewcenary, @neil_p, @emmafirth, @jamesfirth, @SEOtipsntricks, @rangerj, @benjaminellis, @thelastromantic, @mrmatthamm, @velohub, @emmabandey, @opensourcerer, @k4thybrown, @twentynine12, @suesearle, @4legs, @poldings, @andypike, @1minus1, @georgeLMoore, @projectfive, @pascalw, @asaltbde, @nickykriel, @wiggo, @rachela8, @knockbuckle, @mintytorus, @bhardcastle, @the_jchristie, @jeniferdav, @toni_jane, @guy1067, @rgosc, @abigailh, @sheila_parry

Success for Startups that look to the future

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:44:00 +0000

We’ve all watched entrepreneurs with ‘brilliant’ ideas struggling to make an impact on Dragons Den. Okay, some of the ideas aren’t so brilliant and some are just plain mad but why is it that some truly brilliant ideas fail once they have the word ‘incorporated’ tagged on to them?

At the end of last year Jason Fried of 37Signals gave a talk at Y combinator’s startup school in Berkeley, you can see the summary of Jason’s talk on TechCrunch. Among the many insights into the pitfalls of starting you own company, Jason gave the advice that ‘failure is not a pre-requisite for success or a rite of passage.’

Having worked in and amongst startup companies, I find this advice very sage. Starting a business is a huge undertaking and, to be successful, every step taken needs to be carefully weighed and measured and small successes built upon and expanded.

This considered, the business and its brands should be planned with longevity in mind. It’s easy to put off making big decisions when you are building a business but it’s sometimes those bigger decisions that will determine your success.

A useful and insightful piece of advice for any new company comes from David Liss’s article on brandchannel: “Successful companies begin by addressing the important questions that prove there is a need for their product or service, a market exists to buy it, and that they have the capacity to meet the needs of this market.”

And this is why the process of branding begins by demonstrating that there is a need for your specific service or product in the marketplace. Determining market need and identifying who your consumers will be is a crucial first step for any new business.

Investing time and money up front to explore these issues and create a cohesive brand story alongside your business plan will ensure that your business looks to the future and has a greater chance of success. This is something we are experienced in at thebluedoor, helping you create a brand strategy and plan which will look to the future.

Social media and Web 2.0 statistics: a round-up

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:50:00 +0000

In order to truly understand a business sector and develop an expertise, an avid reading habit is required. thebluedoor is a digital PR agency so consequently our reading material is quite varied to cover both the PR sector and those of our clients. Our PR focused reading list is quite broad (both online and in dead-tree format), and includes Wired, New Media Age, .Net, PR Week, Marketing Week, B2B Marketing and The Economist.

I thought it might be useful to post some of the recent digital media and online PR statistics that we have read about.

Facebook:

300 million global active users
22 million UK active users
50% log in and spend 25 minutes daily
Average 'heavy' users spent 125 hours over the last 12 months
59% year on year growth
75% of all time spent on social networks
8,325 billion minutes spent in the UK in September 2009

(Sources - B2B Marketing; NMA/Nielsen)

LinkedIn:

52 million users globally
3 million in the UK
Growing at 1 million every 12 days

(Source - B2B Marketing)

Twitter:

1,959% year on year growth
US leads by Twitter countries, followed by UK
6th largest social media site
There have been over 8,000,000,000 Tweets to date, and counting

(Source - NMA: Nielsen; GigaTweet)

Wikipedia:

3,1720,120 articles in English
19,245,419 pages in English
684,000,000 visitors in 2008

(Source - Wikipedia)

iPhone App Store:

30 million iPhone users
20 million iPhone Touch owners
Over 2 billion apps have been downloaded from 100,000 apps
AdMob estimates that $200 million worth of apps are downloaded per month ($2.4 billion per year)
By June 2009, the app software-development kit had been downloaded 1,000,000 times

(Source - Wired: AdMob)

3G Phones:

3G mobile penetration in western Europe has risen from 17% in 2007, to 29% in 2009
It is forecast to reach to 67% in western Europe by 2011
In Japan penetration rate is 67%
$43 billion was made from mobile Internet in Japan in 2008
610 million of the first two billion App Store downloads were for paid applications

(Sources - Wired: Morgan Stanley, Pinch Media)

Blogs:

133,000,000 blogs indexed by Technorati
3,561,000 RSS subscribers to TechCrunch
346,000,000 people read blogs
900,000 new blog posts every 24 hours

(Source - Technorati)

I tend to bookmark interesting articles on Delicious. Do have a look at what I've been reading recently, and I would be grateful of any recommendations. Thanks!

The year of innovative communication – a PR view of CES 2010

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Las Vegas has been the place to be this month for anyone with an interest in technology and/or PR. So for an active digital PR person like me, it was a dream to follow the latest news online and via Twitter. The 2010 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) saw more than 2,500 technology companies introduce more than 20,000 new products over the four-day event.

From a PR perspective, there was a vast amount of work to be done. The show itself claims in its official press release to have launched the ‘next decade of innovation’ with a record number of new consumer electronics products being announced.

The main consumer focus has been on the amazing new technology being launched and the impact it will have on our daily lives. But without effective PR to communicate the key messages and news accurately in a way that consumers from around the world can easily digest, that innovation - and ultimately sales - could easily be lost.

The PR effort doesn’t stop at just the event. Each of the exhibitors had a story to tell and that means:

- product launch announcements

- company information updates

- press packs

- visuals and photography

- interviews with company spokespeople

- product demonstrations.

This all involves a lot of logistics and forward planning. However, a lot of the PR activity has to happen just before the start of the event: last minute details about new product launches, availability of company representatives, products for demonstration, etc. These are all things that often can’t be finalised until the last few days before the launch event. And that’s not even mentioning the need to gain legal and third party approvals on announcements.

That’s when a PR agency can be invaluable for a company – ensuring the external communication of news on time and to target. Equally important is also sharing key messages consistently to that potentially global audience.

As a start-up or an established company with an innovation to share and a target audience to reach, having effective PR consultancy can make the difference between success and failure at new product launch stage. When it comes to the crunch, communication is the true key to successful innovation.

Twestival Farnham: 25 March 2010

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:41:00 +0000

On 25th March 2010, cities and towns across the world will be harnessing the power of Twitter and digital media to raise much needed funds for Concern Worldwide. Twestival is a global event organised by a fantastic team of volunteers, and for those interested in hosting a similar event, the UK Twestival office is run by the very helpful @claireatwaves and @arengrimshaw.

In the charity's own words: "Concern’s work is informed by a vision for change and their education programs target the poorest people in the poorest countries in the world, with particular emphasis on reaching out-of-school children such as girls, orphans, street children, working children, children affected by conﬂict, children affected by HIV and AIDS, and children with disabilities."

Twestival can truly make a difference. The first Twestival event, held just under a year ago, involved 220 international cities and raised over $250,000.00. The money donated funded the building of over 55 water wells in Uganda, India and Ethiopia, positively impacting over 17,000 people.

thebluedoor has decided to organise a Twestival in Farnham, with the generous support and sponsorship of iBundle, the Surrey based innovation hub. We know that there are a fantastic number of people and businesses in Surrey who actively use Twitter to network, do business and have fun. We hope that people will be inspired to support this event by coming along, lending a hand (in kind or in sponsorship), and helping us to raise some funds for a truly wonderful charity.

We have set up a Twitter account - @twestivalfarnhm (yes we know, it's missing an 'a' - Twitter won't let through longer account names LOL) and hashtag #twestivalfarnhm so interested peeps can keep up to date with our progress. Very soon we will be launching a farnham.twestival.com blog as an official source of event information and the global organisers are planning to ensure that tickets will be on sale some time in February. One way or another, thebluedoor will aim to keep everyone up-to-date with our progress.

If you are interested in finding out more, helping or even sponsoring an aspect of the evening's events (give-aways, prizes, music etc), please don't hesitate to let us know - info at thebluedoor dot com. We'd love to have you on board and are committed to creating an interesting, fun and productive event worthy of the main Twestival event.

Surrey networking: Tweet-up in Farnham, February 2010

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Twitter has become an established part of the digital PR communications tool-box for companies around the world. Twitter has increased the opportunity help businesses engage effectively and transparently with target online audiences, whilst evolving established communication processes in the public relations and journalism sectors.

As a PR agency based in Surrey, and following the success of thebluedoor’s last Tweet-up in December, we have decided to organise a second Surrey networking event on 3rd February 2010. And we’re very pleased to thank locally based iBundle for kindly agreeing to sponsor the evening’s drinks. iBundle is an innovation hub for software and web companies, providing innovative new tools and services for their target markets.

As before, proceedings start at 7pm at the Slug and Lettuce on East Street, Farnham. For those that are driving, there is a convenient car park at Sainsbury’s on South Street, and the nearest train station is only a ten minute walk away from the venue.

The Tweet-up offers an opportunity to meet up IRL (in real life), network with the local digital community and enjoy discussing some of the key developments in the digital space.

I hope that this is the start a regular Surrey-based free networking event. All are welcome: PRs, journalists, developers, programmers, freelancers – in fact anyone on Twitter or in the digital space who is interested in meeting up for a drink and a chat.

If you’re planning to attend, please let us know via email (info at thebluedoor dot com) or leave a comment below. We wish all the local tweeting community a happy new year and we look forward to seeing you all again in person.

P.S.: Date for your diaries – thebluedoor is already looking forward to supporting the global charitable event Twestival 2010. We will therefore be organising a Tweet-up in Farnham, Surrey on 25th March to raise funds for Concern Worldwide. Further details will appear on our blog shortly.

Digital PR: my education at thebluedoor

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:11:00 +0000

I am thrilled to be starting 2010 with an eight week internship at the Surrey PR agency, thebluedoor. After completing PR placements in London in the travel and tourism sector last year, I am eager to continue my education and learn from a PR agency that is growing rapidly with exciting prospects for the year ahead.

thebluedoor – its clients and its digital PR expertise – offered me an internship which I was delighted to accept. As a relatively new PR agency I felt that I would be able to both learn from their experience as well as significantly aid the team in implementing PR strategies and campaigns for their wide portfolio of impressive consumer, B2B and digital brands. And from speaking to the team, I know that the coming two months will greatly improve my knowledge of PR and the importance of digitised communication for businesses.

And I’ve not been disappointed: on my first day I was I was asked to help organise a Tweet-up, inviting interested Tweeps in the Farnham, Surrey and Hampshire areas to meet and celebrate Twitter and its effects upon the world of PR, communications and business. I’m really excited about this project as it will provide me with first-hand knowledge of digital and social networking tools such as blogs and Twitter, and getting to grips with their power beyond sharing what I’ve eaten for breakfast.I know I’m going to be challenged and supported whilst at thebluedoor, they have committed to ensuring that I learn rather than just being thrown in at the deep end. And having met the team, I know that as well as some hard work, there should also be plenty of fun to be had along the way.

Written by Liam Sherry, Intern at thebluedoor

Technology and PR networking events for January 2010, plus a review of TechCrunch (#xmascrunch)

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Tuesday's TechCrunch for the UK and Europe's vibrant start-up sector, organised by @mikebutcher, @PetraJohansson and @rassami, was excellent. This now-regular gathering provides a place and a space for the latest thinking in the technology space, attracting start-ups such as Catwalk Genius, established businesses such as Skype, VCs and angels such as Balderton, as well as journalists, PR and SEO communities. Here is an excellent review of the day's proceedings by Basheera Khan.

In front of an audience of almost 1,000 (including those via live-streaming) key notes speeches delivered by TweetDeck, Festbuzz, Seesmic, The Filter and Tweetmeme provided some interesting insights into developments in the Web 2.0 space. Key themes for 2010 that came up again and again were hyperlocal, sentiment analysis, and real-time.

Here a selection of my Tweets from the day:

Tweetdeck - has 19% of non twitter based applications
Tweetdeck 10million downloads to date - but what's next! Funding, services eg: LinkedIn, updates to directory, mobile
Tweetdeck essentially locks people in via lists/organised experience
Sentiment companies are chasing the Holy-Grail. There will always be a trade-off in real-time.
What does 'real-time' mean to you? Immediate? Soon? Later?
It is reputation, content, context or location that makes information relevant
Same content different delivery: successful paywalls are rare
Location in online delivery is going to be a significant theme for next year. 09: cloud + real time, 10: real time + hyperlocal
Quality journalism is not dead, long live quality journalism
Info about info is more valuable than the info itself
Vertical and real time is where the true value of search lies

Networking is an essential part of building any business. January 2010 is much quieter (probably due to detoxing requirements after December's frenzy of events), however here are just some of the technology and PR events happening up in London that we could find:

21/1/10: CloudCamp London - unconference style event striving to advance cloud computing
27/1/10: Digital Lounge - topic to be announced, but always a great group of people
28/1/10: MashUp - Apps: What's your strategy? - investigating the link between mobile web strategy and apps
2/2/10: First Tuesday - To charge or not to charge - though leadership seminar
15/2/10: The Debating Group - topic to be announced, but a great proper debate held in the heart of the House of Commons

Twitter: Surrey networking - a review

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:46:00 +0000

Last week, we organised the first Twitter networking event in Farnham, Surrey (aka a Tweet-up). On a busy week full of festive gatherings we were delighted with the interest and attendance.

We organised this gathering following encouragement from all sides, led by @emmafirth of the Daily Telegraph. It was great to see quorum of Twitter enthusiasts rocking-up, including: @jamesfirth, @andypiper, @guy1067, @toni_jane, @jeniferdav, @kwright5, @pascalw and rachel_adams88.

There were a good number of conversations including:

Telegraph expenses story
Paywalls / free content
The rise and rise of Google
The digital goldfish bowl
Programming: Ruby, Adobe AIR, .NET
The perils of marathon running (!? - @guy1067 is gearing up to his second Marathon and is tackling London in April 2010)

We will definitely have another evening Tweet-up in the New Year, so the conversations can continue.... currently thinking end of January, beginning of February. Do let us know if you would like to come: info at thebluedoor dot com, and when.

Is there such a thing as online privacy?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:22:00 +0000

On Friday night, we spent an interesting evening in London listening to a talk by a security expert and well-respected author of titles such as Beyond Fear and the Crypto-gram newsletter. Bruce Schneier is a world-renowned security technologist and has researched issues of security spanning password protection through to illegal wiretapping.

The focus of Friday’s talk was the ‘Future of Privacy: Rethinking Security’. It was an extremely informed insight into the digital footprint of the average person today – from Gmail accounts, social networking sites such as Facebook, through to surveillance technology set up at Government level aimed at protecting our personal security, such a security cameras and licence plate monitoring.

It’s not realistic to be a full member of today’s society without having an online or digital social footprint – whether proactively created or not. And the majority of what is captured about us digitally can help us in our daily lives – for example behavioural marketing. How many of us are still impressed by Amazon proactively offering us suggestions for other books we’re likely to enjoy based on past purchases? We’re all seduced by the convenience of what technology can offer us.

What does raise concern is that legislation is lagging behind technology developments. Technology is amazing as it disrupts and changes the balance of the way we work and live – normally for the better. To ensure there is a good balance between liberty and privacy, however, laws like the data protection act are required. And these laws need to keep pace with technological advances to ensure our licence plate details, for example, are used for the right reasons.

As is often the case, it may take a scandal for the general population to change their online habits and become more aware of sharing too much personal information online. Few people realise that a closed Facebook account still exists, it just can’t be seen. And how many of us check the privacy settings of our email and social networking accounts before blindly accepting the default option?

Bruce Schneier pointed out that it is now cheaper for companies such as Facebook and Google to retain our data than it is to destroy it.

Although I won’t be stopping writing blogs and talking to friends and family online, I will be thinking more about what I share from now on.

This talk was organised by the Open Rights Group (ORG), an organisation set up to protect the public’s rights in the digital age. Founded in 2005, ORG has become the UK’s leading voice defending freedom of expression, privacy, innovation, consumer rights and creativity on the Internet.

The talk was a real eye-opener and based on the number of questions that kept on coming at the end of the evening, I’m guessing there’s a lot of information to process both on and offline for the majority of the audience and will be for some time to come.

Social Media and Online PR: Econsultancy's 2009 report

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:29:00 +0000

PR has been through a torrid 18 months, as have most sectors across industry. We launched thebluedoor in Surrey 20 months ago and have grown through the eye-of-the-storm. By taking the necessary lean approach, we are winning business, growing accounts but most importantly delivering our clients fantastic results and great service - exactly what we are paid to do.

Key to our offering is integrating online into PR communications strategies, which is why yesterday's report - 'Social Media and Online PR' from Econsultancy has been a must-read for us all.

WPP's Sir Martin Sorrell has been extremely vocal about the role online has in taking PR out of recession - it has an important role within any communications strategy. And this report into the state of the Online PR industry certainly demonstrates that his prediction is more than just crystal ball gazing.

Econsultancy is (in their words) "an invaluable resource for Internet professionals who want practical advice on all aspects of e-business". And, as a word of caution to the results, by its very nature, the people involved and interested in its community and research are digital practitioners or at the least curious about the role online has in business.

Just some useful insights into the social media and online PR industry include:

Just 10% of businesses are not engaging with any social media activity
Smaller companies are quicker to jump into the digital space and use the digital tools, due to their inherent ability to be flexible, as well as willingness to experiment
Twitter's 'darling' status is clearly demonstrated: micro-blogging is the most widely adopted tactic used by 78% of companies
59% of respondents do not have social media rules in place for employees to follow

I was interested to see that 24% said that measurement - or lack of - was a significant barrier to more effective social media engagement and direct traffic to sites was the most commonly used metric to measure social media activity. I am currently working with Kate Hartley of Carrot Communications to produce the first online PR measurement guide for the PRCA. To be published in 2010, it is planned to be a useful, practical and informative overview of the best practice methods currently being used.

I have also got a keen eye on the types of agencies delivering social media and online PR for companies - particularly as the SEO industry is going through significant changes. Search is loosing its snake-oil qualities and its value is moving into reputation management, conversations and transparently - the pillars of PR. In Econsultancy's report the highest supplier sector is traditional PR agencies at 15%, followed by Digital agencies (11%), followed by Specialist online PR agencies and Search agencies level-pegging at 8%. (Interestingly 42% responded by saying that no external agency was involved in delivering social media and online PR activities.)

In Econsultancy's 2010 report, I am sure that we will see significant changes in this pecking order, unless traditional PR agencies work harder to up-skill and jump into the digital space properly. And this means using it and doing it rather than simply reading the books, blogs and research papers.

'In digital, data is the only currency' - discuss.

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:54:00 +0000

Last night, I attended a debate at the House of Commons organised by The Debating Group and sponsored by the IAB. The motion was 'In digital, data is the only currency'. For the motion were Matt Brittin of Google UK and Louise Ainsworth of Nielsen, and against were Graham Hales of Interbrand and Mark Cridge of Glue.

To a packed audience assembled in Committee Room 10 (normally reserved for the discussion of finance bills which seemed rather appropriate), both sides presented eloquent arguments. These included:

For:

Data is pure, simple and beautiful. It efficiently connects businesses and people
data makes businesses smarter, faster and more efficient
data enables ideas to be tested
data allows people to be safer, healthier - it even saves lives
data provides granular insights to enable survival
data allows us all to build reach, frequency and impact - ensuring increased engagement, and enabling an increased, creative world.

Against:

Data cannot be the 'only' currency online - if we truly believe this, humanity is reduced to the mere binary
data is the new glut of 'stuff' for us to deal with - wine lakes and butter mountains of data
digital is about the human and social connections: it is about what we choose to do with the data that makes it valuable
ideas change lives, not data
the true currency is what we do with the data
if we only value data, we risk knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing
human intuition is the most important currency online, data is just the canvas.

And then it was the turn of the floor to propose opinions and questions. There was significant, eloquent resistance against the motion. One orator reminded us of the story of Phineas Gage - a 19th century labourer who suffered an appalling brain injury with a pole skewering through his head. Remarkably he survived, able to compute, understand and communicate with intelligence and lucidity. However, he lost his human values, emotional resonance and ability to make rational decisions. Data enables computers to compute, ensure logical results and access to information - however without the human interpretation, it is meaningless - a currency with no value.

I am glad to report that the argument was not carried by the popular vote (approximately 65% voted against the motion) - the flaw was surely in the wording of the motion.

I believe that the true value of digital networks and tools lies in how we interpret the data and what we do with it. But as Alan Patrick cautioned the audience, if data is even being considered as possibly a global currency, then it is one without regulation, laws or governance. This surely must be an challenge that is tackled before too long.

Festive tweet-up in Farnham

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Twitter has taken the world of journalism and PR by storm. With its 1,959% year on year growth, its use in the world of communications is firmly established. Although the world of Twitter is online, I have met some interesting, inspirational and awesome Tweeters in real life.

So to celebrate all things Twitter and Christmas, and with encouragement from fellow Farnham Tweeters @jamesfirth, @emmafirth and @guy1067, we have decided to organise a festive gathering in Farnham, Surrey on 10th December 2009. Kick-off is at 7.30pm, so come along and meet up in person at the Slug & Lettuce on East Street. For those of you driving, there is a handy Sainsbury's car-park on South Street, and for those of you coming by train it is just ten minutes walk from the station.

Let us know whether you are coming by either sending us an email or leaving a comment below. It would be great to meet up with the Surrey Twitter community in person, and of course raise a glass to the festive season.

Technology sets entrepreneurs free – or does it create a Second Life?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

We’re in the middle of Global Entrepreneur Week, so it’s no surprise that there is a focus on start-ups and entrepreneurs in the media at the moment. Although there have been some conflicting messages.

New research conducted by business advisory firm, Deloitte found that 75% of entrepreneurs in the East of England have found business opportunities during the recession.

However, another piece of research conducted by small business specialist Intuit UK showed 40% of those interviewed were waiting until the recovery kicks in before they start up their new ventures – hoping for better conditions.

The Times newspaper today gave a good overview of the possible scenarios, but two messages remain clear to maintain those great initial business ideas:

– the need for effective funding

- a well-considered business plan.

Having attended an excellent seminar by Business Link in Guildford last night, it was great to be in a room of self-starters. The scale of operations being run by the people there varied, but everyone in the room was keen to learn more about how technology can help small businesses manage their time to help them focus on their core business.

It was an insightful whistle stop tour as there are so many technologies that help companies across a range of areas, such as:

- Organisers/ virtual assistants

- Remote working tools, like GotomyPC

- Collaborative software, for example Webex and Sharepoint

- Internet based communications, such as Skype

All great ways to cut out time spent on administration or needless travel – how many of us travel 3 hours each way to attend a one hour meeting?

What interested me particularly this week is that social media is still considered a technology for the future for businesses.

Considering the number of companies effectively using the virtual world of Second Life already - for training, meeting with prospects, etc. - it seems a shame for this free medium to be ignored now. Its popularity within corporates is supported by the creator’s (Linden Labs) launch of Second Life Enterprise earlier this month targeted at the corporate world.

And it doesn’t have to be an expensive investment. There are numerous free tools available to aid collaboration – the key word that describes Web 2.0 – which make them perfect for small businesses looking for cost-effective ways to enhance their operations.

Whether it’s a Blog that provides a direct channel to a wide potential audience or Twitter which can work as an effective customer service tool, there are easily accessible tools to suit every need.

The main concern for most entrepreneurs and small businesses is finding the time to research these tools and try them out – yes, how ironic! As with any business equipment, from computers to mobile phones, it’s important to find the right tools to meet your individual needs.

Take some time to really think about what help/ support you need:

- What are the areas of the business that take up the most time (travel, administration, etc.)?

- How comfortable are you with existing technologies (phone, computer, etc.) and how do you use them now?

- What is the key focus for your business currently?

- Budget!

Once you take the time to review these things, your range of options will become clearer and easier to select from.

Trying them out can then be much easier to schedule into your day and the benefits are outstanding – in the short-term as well as the long-term future.

Social media, journalism and politics: a fatal embrace?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and now SlashKey are all continuing to grow with stunning speed according to exclusive research by Nielsen Online published in new media age (05/11/09). Key to their growth is the fight for their online audience's time. UK online population spent 11.1 billion minutes using social media sites during September 2009, an increase of 83% on the previous year.

Twitter - public enemy number one or popular darling, depending on whether you are a 'typical' BBC Moral Maze listener or enthusiastic Reuters news pundit - continues to grow. Currently standing at sixth most popular social media sites by unique users (4.43 million to be exactly), it is the fastest growing online real estate (1,959%), with 5,734,350,000 Tweets to date and counting.

Earlier this week, I attended a debate at Reuters to discuss with other Twitter users from the worlds of journalism, politics and PR, to discuss Twitter and social media's role in shaping the world. Top of mind were recent debates including BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze programme where people on Twitter were described as a "baying mob", as well as the recent Jan Moir/PCC event, plus Trafigura.

Of course at a self-selecting event such as this, there will always be an element of the digital gold-fish bowl preaching to its-self. However, I came away feeling that the reason why these tools are important are for the same reason that a complaints line, or marching against the poll-tax have always been important. Whilst I doubt that Government ever will take such tools to the heart of their communications strategies, social media certainly has a place, a powerful one too, at the table for those with ambition, aspiration, ideas and desire to make a difference. However, these same tools become less permissible as people progress up the food chain - the voice of the one has to bend to the voice of the party (a touch of the Stalins creeping in here), particularly in our current 'democratic' process of party line and party whip.

In today's anguished world of publishing where the debate on free vs. paid seems to rumble on towards its doomed end, social media has added a layer of complexity to the mix. Does a publication compromise the truth for the need to be the first to break a story? Speed puts the industry under immense pressure, however many of the journalists attending, particularly the younger ones, kept on reminding the audience - nothing has changed. The tools have evolved but the reasons haven't.

Digital PR: Google 4 grown ups

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:53:00 +0000

Google is the daddy - that was the message from the seminar I recently attended. Not that I had any doubts on that subject, with Google funneling the majority of search queries as well as developing extended services like Google Wave and Google Docs, no-one is currently in a position to challenge their status.

Being interested in web optimisation and ever keen to keep up on the latest methods that Google is using to crawl, index and serve up search results, I was looking forward to the seminar hosted by Thoughtbubble and delivered by Tim Ireland. And I wasn't disappointed. Tim is an excellent speaker - his experience and knowledge is vast.

If you have been following our recent debates: PR vs SEO, you will know that we, at thebluedoor, believe PR and online PR, and SEO are complimentary but very different skills that share one common goal: raising and maintaining "brand" reputation.

Hearing Tim talk about his experiences and showing live examples of his work underscored what we have heard from Matt Cutts and other Google gurus: reputation is key. There are no shortcuts and no substitute for longevity: well written keyword rich text and strong inbound links gained through sucessful partnerships are what really count.

Surrey strides out for charity

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:26:00 +0000

It was fantastic to take part in the Farnham Stride on Sunday - a 10Km sponsored walk around the beautiful Surrey countryside, taking in the Frensham Ponds area. This local event was just one of the many activities being run in aid of Cancer Research.

It was a great turn out with people of all ages from around the Surrey area taking part. There was real camaraderie amongst the participants and the ladies from the fitness centre, Curves really showed their team spirit by wearing brightly coloured pink wigs and setting the pace for the entire group.

Events like these are an amazing way for groups and individuals to help to support charities, but they don't just happen overnight. Working in the PR industry, we know what a great deal of organisation is needed to make events a success - from the promotional material, through to the administration and logistics. Whether it's a professional events team or volunteers, the organisers play a vital role that requires dedication and hard work.

To co-ordinate a diverse group of people, as well as motivate, cater for their needs and ensure they get the most out of the event takes a lot of effort, which can often go unnoticed if things run without a hitch. But the knowledge of a job well done can go a long way. So that just leaves me to say a big thanks to everyone involved in making the Frensham Stride such a success - and to share some images from the day!

PR sector and recession: in or out?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Last week I, along with many of the other managing directors of the PRCA's PR agency members, attended the PRCA/CorpComms conference optimistically titled 'Emerging from a recession'.

However optimism was certainly not high on the agenda. Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, delivered the key note speech which firmly stated that any hope of an upturn was not being translated into fees or orders.

However he did highlight three trends for 2010:

Geographical focus: although the PR/communications sector is stagnant in Western Europe, there is a 'gold rush' in Asia.
Online is key to any PR offering and currently accounts for 25% of the WPP business - and this growing.
Agencies offering consumer insights are highly regarded by clients and seen to deliver true value.

In addition, Sir Martin did share the opportunities for the PR world (and as opportunities, these can easily translate into threats if not acted upon):

Globalisation: there is a key shift in economic power from Western Europe through to Asia, Africa and Latin America. And for those of us in Europe, coming out of recession will be slower and tougher.
Overcapacity: the PR industry in Europe is bigger than the client need, therefore differentiation is critical.
War on talent: the global demographics are resulting in a restriction on the supply of talent, therefore it is vital that agencies continue to incentivise, motivate and retain good staff.
Internet: understanding and embracing Web 2.0 is vital, along with the associated understanding that it is increasingly what we know rather than who we know.
Retail: this is a powerful force, and brands will need to maintain - even increase - promotional spending in order to main shelf space.
Internal communications: after this period of deep recession, a focus on internal communications is now more important than ever. It is vital that a 50:50 resource focus is put on internal and external communications in order to ensure that CEOs adequately communicate strategic and structural change.
Client centralisation: with the opportunities of globalisation and the internet, agencies will experience clients becoming more centralised.
CSR: even in the dark days of recession, CSR continues to be vital for businesses - not as a charitable or altruistic response, but due to its fundamentals of good business practise.
Government: as the biggest advertiser, the government is the UK's most significant client and as such represents a huge opportunity for the PR sector.

Sir Martin ended by saying: "Things are less worse, not better.... and those with a strong focus on branding and innovation will win."

As a member of the audience, I feel hopeful that our innovative focus on helping clients to integrate digital PR into their communications strategies will enable us to continue to grow through the death throws of this current recession. I also feel hopeful for our clients who have positively, even ruthlessly, responded to the opportunities that the downturn has brought.

SEO Chinwag London event: a PR's round-up

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:59:00 +0000

There were some interesting insights at Chinwag's Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) event 'Search is dead, long live search'.

Chinwag had once again assembled a brilliant panel, all who contributed their expertise and opinions, including: Alan Patrick, Nick Garner and Teddie Cowell. It was chaired by Jon Myers.

As well as covering and debating current ground, the panel were asked to look into the future, and the following points were highlighted:

Discount Bing at your peril: definitely one to watch and is growing share quite dramatically at the moment,
the future of search is about conversations i.e. PR, and these conversations must be helpful and truthful,
real time search is growing in importance: Google was taking four to six days to index Twitter, now it is six hours,
hyper local relevancy is going to gain in importance,
there are many people focusing on tackling filtering / relevancy of search results – these will lead the game,
the war on spam from affiliates has only just begun,
ignore mobile at your peril: markets such as Korea and Africa where mobile penetration is at 120% will be leading the charge imminently,
there is currently a changing of the guard re: Google – they are the incumbents: innovation is being driven by the new kids on the block.

The event delivered lots to think about, but interesting that the SEO sector is moving ever closer towards PR. Therefore, an understanding of SEO is a vital skill for any PR agency to embrace.

Social Media Boosts Business in Surrey

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:42:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe that we’re already in October, but I guess that’s a sign of what a busy year this has been at thebluedoor as the time has just flown by.

With our specialism in digital PR and integrating online into more traditional communications strategies, we’ve had a lot to talk about this year as increasingly companies are seeing the opportunities that Web 2.0 has to offer their business.

So we’re really excited about being able to share our research and practical knowledge at the Woking Means Business exhibition this Thursday (October 8). Aimed at growing companies in the Woking/ Surrey area, the event is promoted by the excellent local Chamber of Commerce.

I’ll actually be giving a lunchtime talk on ‘How Social Media Can Boost Your Business’. As an SME ourselves, thebluedoor team is well placed to explain the practical business benefits of engaging with social media tools and give some guidance on how best to approach Web 2.0.

As a digital PR agency, we understand that social media is all about conversations – listening, engaging, and learning. And Woking Means Business will be a great opportunity to put some of those skills into practice!

Already sold out and with over 75 exhibitors, we’re really looking forward to the event.

If you’re able to go along, it would be great to see you.

Woking Means Business takes place between 9.30am – 5pm on Thursday, October 8 at the HG Wells Conference & Events Centre, Church Street East, Woking.

The Ultimate Digital PR Technology Wish List?

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Reading the FT this weekend, I came across an article about a hi-tech treasure hunt (geocaching) as part of a feature on ‘pursuits – the things we long to do’.

It got me thinking about the technology we long to use and those bits of kit that we can no longer do without.

The list of potential gadgets I’d like to have access to is endless – from a 3D home cinema to interactive computer screens in the office. However, as a digital PR professional, I know that realistically most of the technology I crave is linked to enhanced communication.

Like many people, I can’t be too far away from my Blackberry. Not only is it my link to email and phone, but also Twitter, Video, Web and much, much more. What better way to capture an important moment and be able to share it with others while on the move? While your PDA of choice may differ, the desire to keep in touch via multimedia remains fairly consistent for most people – just look at the ongoing demand for the Apple iPhone and the forthcoming Palm Pre.

This week, the Guardian carried an article by Charles Arthur on how technology journalists seem able to spot the latest tech that is likely to succeed and still be used in five, ten, twenty years. It was an interesting insight into how leading journalists such as Rory-Cellan Jones work, but also reminded me why following the tech media is vital as the findings truly do impact our daily lives.

At the start of my career in PR (some fourteen years ago!) the communication tools available were landline phones, fax machines and the Royal Mail. Even working at the forefront of technology it was some time before we had the excitement of a dial up Internet connection for the entire team to share.

Now being contactable 24x7 is the norm and patience for information to be sent or retrieved is limited to a few seconds. Forgotten are the labour intensive research tasks we used to undertake using telephone directories and encyclopaedias.

I believe technology advances are an essential way of enhancing our lives – don’t forget the same tech that keeps us in touch with the office keeps us in touch with our friends, family and leisure pursuits. The possibilities are endless - we can all become farmers via a Facebook application or learn cutting edge new skills via virtual training sessions on SecondLife.

So, what would communications technology would you find essential for your ultimate weekend pursuit? I’m still working on my technology wish list –at least there’s still 90 days to go before Christmas…

PR vs. SEO: the great debate

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:22:00 +0000

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) agencies have been extremely vocal about how the PR (Public Relations) industry apparently does not understand digital. Let's just knock that myth on the head - we do.

In this month's Communicate magazine's regular @loggerheads slot, I was given the opportunity to debate with Andrew Girdwood of Bigmouthmedia. Neil Gibbons, the editor, asked: "Who is better placed to assist a company in its social media strategy - a specialist PR firm or a SEO consultancy?"

The @loggerheads debate format doesn't really allow either side to win, and when two opposing sides are arguing from thought-out (dare I say, entrenched) sides it would be unlikely for either side to concede ground in such a public forum. However I stand by my principle that I have argued before and with Andrew during the debate: PR and online PR, and SEO are different but hugely complimentary skills.

The argument that SEO agencies such as Bigmouthmedia keep on recycling - that PR agencies just don't get digital - is null and void. We do. The standard of best practice and knowledge that I see coming out of the PRCA and its Digital Committee, as well as the industry in general, is amazing. Genius practitioners such as Mat Morrison at Porter Novelli, have deep and clear knowledge of both PR and the web (its technologies, its algorithms and its psychologies).

As an industry, PRs should stand up and be proud of our digital knowledge, our multi-channel experience and our online skills. SEO is extremely important in any social media strategy, however just one part of an online / off-line delivery specific to each client and their objectives. It's vital that both sectors understand and value each others' benefits, and work together in a way that delivers meaningful results.

Maths and the media - a lively debate at the British Science Festival

noreply@blogger.com (thebluedoor) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:53:00 +0000

Last night, some of thebluedoor team went along to the British Science Festival talk on ‘Why journalists love stupid equations’. Having worked in the PR industry for many years, we were intrigued by the topic.

This extremely interesting talk was led by Simon Singh, accomplished author and journalist specialising in science and mathematics.

The seminar was packed full of people from a range of backgrounds – journalists, academics and members of the general public with an interest in the topic.

‘Why journalists love stupid equations’ focused on the use of formula by companies to promote their product or service. Humorous examples given included: the perfect goal, the perfect day to shop before Christmas, and my particular favourite - the perfect way to pour gravy. Some of these were also highlighted by Mr Singh recently in The Guardian.

Simon Singh gave a comprehensive insight into his concerns about some mathematicians who provide formulae that are only developed for promotional purposes and are not based on actual mathematics. As these types of stories tend to gain a lot of media coverage, they could cause confusion for readers over what is real and what is fantasy – potentially giving scientists and mathematicians a bad name.

The talk was informative as well as hugely enjoyable. Based on the number of questions at the end, it seems that the debate over the use of such formulae by the media and companies to promote their products is likely to go on for some time!

Having enjoyed this event so much, I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s talk on ‘The House That Twitters’. And of course, I’ll be Tweeting about it!