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Facebook’s Conservative Scrap: ‘Biased’ Algorithms or Not, Brands Must Pay the Piper

May 30th, 2016 by

It’s a PR 101 conundrum: Charges are made against an important brand; the brand’s stature and the nature of the charges result in press coverage; the brand delays its response and a story is born. The brand then reaches out to the complainants and listens to their charges. Within a few days the brand investigates and concludes the charges are untrue. Some of the complainants agree with the brand’s assessment, while others say the investigation was faulty and demand increased transparency from the brand. The story results in many people thinking deeper about the brand and what it does. For some, the perception of the brand will change, if even just slightly.

This is a grossly simple way of looking at the story about conservative groups saying Facebook’s algorithm has been giving short shrift to stories with a conservative viewpoint. With 1 billion+ people using it each day, including 8 billion+ video views, Facebook arguably is the dominant social platform and a major component of brands’ social outreach.

Peter Thiel, Gawker’s Denton Pick Ironic Battleground for PR Slugfest

May 27th, 2016 by

It’s telling that, in the war between blog mogul and tech tycoon, the most substantive discussion is taking place in the pages of “The Gray Lady.” The Times, for many, is still the number one place to go to learn the facts or let the facts be known.

The Person Behind Donald Trump’s Twitter is…Donald Trump?

May 27th, 2016 by

Donald Trump’s use of Twitter has often influenced entire news cycles, and his proclivity for the platform is well known—often tweeting 10 times a day, once as many as 59 times in a single day. But the question remains: Is Trump actually the person behind his famously contentious Twitter presence?

5 Vocal Exercises for Your Next PR Client Pitch or C-Suite Meeting

May 26th, 2016 by

You’re about to lead a pitch meeting with a new client, or present your PR measurement results to your CEO. Has your mouth gone dry? Butterflies fluttering in your stomach? Voice reduced to mouse-squeak level? You may never be able to quell those butterflies—even Frank Sinatra suffered from stage fright—but you can practice certain exercises to get your voice ready even if your stomach may never follow suit.

14 Do’s and Don’ts for Working With Volunteer Spokespeople

May 26th, 2016 by

Social media is clearly a crucial part of any PR strategy, but it’s also a vast and sprawling world comprised of various platforms and countless users and content creators. Many organizations are turning to volunteer spokespeople to meet this challenge—not only to cover more ground, but also because of the authentic passion that a fan of the brand can bring to the conversation.

Twitter Update Allows Users to Do More With 140 Characters

May 25th, 2016 by

Twitter is staying committed to its 140-character limit, but in an effort to free up coveted real estate the micro-blogging network announced that it will stop counting media attachments and other content towards its iconic character limit. Many of the changes will allow users to have more control over their messages by doing away with its current practice of factoring in usernames and media attachments to the total character count.

8 TED Talks That Teach Public Speaking (Infographic)

May 25th, 2016 by

Nervous about speaking in public and worried that it’s holding you back in your PR career? Help is on the way. Effective public speaking is the subject of PR News’ June 23 webinar, which will feature presenters Leticia Ebb of Northrop Grumman Corp., Jonathan Rick of The Jonathan Rick Group and Dan Weckerly of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board.

Who Runs Hillary Clinton’s Social Media?

May 24th, 2016 by

At Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, Katie Dowd has a content production powerhouse at her disposal. There’s little doubt that social media has found its place in politics and Dowd is hoping to use her vast online communications experience to not only generate donations, but also utilize her team of content creators to make connections with voters that will last long after the ballots are cast.

3 Ways Brands Can Use Facebook’s New Continuous Live Video

May 24th, 2016 by

Just as communicators are coming to grips with the possibilities of live video on social platforms, Facebook throws us a new twist: It will now allow “nonstop, long-form” live video. The Continuous Live Video option allows for 24/7 broadcasting, although there is no way to rewind the stream or download it.

San Diego Padres Commit PR Error in Response to Gay Men’s Chorus

May 23rd, 2016 by

There have been several years where the San Diego Padres haven’t been tantamount to futility in baseball. Founded in 1969, the club has managed 14 winning seasons and captured the National League pennant twice.

Still, reputations die hard. The Padres, who once played in embarrassing-looking chocolate-brown uniforms, did themselves little good over the weekend, botching an ostensibly positive show of diversity. The incident contains a plethora of PR lessons.