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It’s easy to get distracted by the flash if not the substance of the yearly consumer electronics show known as CES. This year’s edition was every bit as gaudy as those of past years, even without the lights on. The question, however, is what all the gadgets and promises of revolutionary capabilities mean for communicators? David Wolpert, social media manager at Bell Helicopter, offers some thoughts.

If you thought Mark Zuckerberg’s New Year’s resolution to “fix” Facebook was just like your resolution to stop eating candy (as in, never going to happen), think again. Late Thursday, Zuckerberg announced major changes coming to the platform—namely, a de-emphasis of branded content in news feeds—and those changes will likely have a serious impact on your brand’s approach to the platform.

In 2017, Carmen Collins became the manager of Cisco’s talent brand social media team globally, a year after creating one of the industry’s top employee advocacy programs. Launched as a pilot in the spring of 2016 and a full-fledged program in the summer of 2016, the WeAreCisco Snapchat channel was Collins’ brainchild. In the last 12 months, the program has doubled unique daily views while flashing completion rates of 60% to 70% completion rates are way above industry average research.

With continuous pressure on journalists to produce clickbait, PR pros may feel that providing sensational content is the only way to get a reporter’s attention. That’s not entirely true, says Nisha Morris, executive director, communication, for Providence St. Joseph Health, but there are some essentials to keep in mind.

Are you afraid to face your inbox, which probably is overflowing with email that’s of little or no use? And is the lack of a research assistant looking up names and addresses of key journalists slowing your workflow? Fortunately, it’s 2018 and there’s a bevy of tech tools that can help PR pros like you. Here are 12 that will raise your productivity immediately.

PR pros know the importance of controlling the message. On Tuesday afternoon President Trump went far off script, allowing cameras to roll during an hour-long session where Republican and Democrat lawmakers negotiated about immigration issues, with the president overseeing the proceedings. The gamble worked, as it allowed Trump to appear presidential and in control, countering the image portrayed in a recent book about his administration’s first year. It’s an episode with lessons for communicators.

Now in its 51st year of operation, CES is more relevant than ever given it’s the biggest global stage for companies to demonstrate what technology products and services are likely to be commercialized in the year ahead. Beyond commercial interests, CES also provides an opportunity for company leaders to demonstrate a path forward to a brighter future for the tech industry, which has recently experienced an unusual backlash from a cross-section of audiences.

Lou Williams was one of the leading advocates for having public relations research, measurement and evaluation focus on the outcomes of PR campaigns rather than message outputs. Through speeches, workshops and seminars, he did his best to help make PR measurement and evaluation more meaningful. He once scolded judges of several of the industry’s major awards competitions for not being critical enough while assessing research and measurement.

Many companies measure their reputation via a yearly poll. Others wait until a crisis hits to commission a survey about how stakeholders perceive their company. Still others feel measuring reputation should be an ongoing operation. This fourth article in our series with PublicRelay discusses the best ways to measure reputation and why it’s important to do so.

Intern of the Year Delaney Lanker was tasked with drafting HP’s pitches, researching media targets and conducting outreach to lifestyle, travel and parenting magazines. In less than a month, she placed HP product Sprocket with Travel & Leisure, which has a print audience of 6.3 million. A natural leader, Lanker also shows HP’s other interns—many of whom have never had a “real” job before—best practices for taking notes in meetings, writing blog posts and asking for feedback.