K Street Cafe

Using Comments To Take On Detractors During a Crisis (The Blog Council)
The Blog Council commends General Motors for allowing all comments – positive and negative – to be posted even during their bailout crisis.

Survey: Almost Half of Journalists Use Facebook and LinkedIn To Assist in Reporting (PR Newser)
Media attention is just another great reason why using social media could benefit your organization.

10 Things To Think About In Social Media (People Like to Share)
As marketing and advertising budgets begin to dry up amidst the struggling economy, organizations will turn to free social media tools as a way to continue to stay in the game

Why Big Companies Are So Scared of Social Media (Advertising Age)
B.L. Ochman offers her insight on how big organizations can get into social media and avoid the types of big blunders Motrin made recently.

Want to Figure Out Your Social Media ROI? Consider a Plan. (MarketingProfs Daily Fix)
Beth Harte suggests that marketing and PR professionals come up with a plan for measuring ROI in advance to show the value of social media tools and tactics.

President 2.0 (Newsweek)
Daniel Lyons and Daniel Stone weigh in on the future of President-Elect Obama’s grassroots network, predicting that any of the options will come with complicated legal difficulties and political ramifications.

GE Uses Blog To Talk About Re-Org (Blog Council)
GE provides another great example of using new media to reach customers and provide a clear explanation of company changes.

Poll: Internet Now Considered More Reliable Than TV, Radio News (Read Write Web)
Even at a time when almost anyone can publish online, a new poll finds that the majority of people look to the Internet for reliable news.

Could a “Craigslist for Service” Actually Work? (Tech President)
Nancy Scola takes a look at one type of online forum that might be used to harvest volunteerism under the new Obama administration.

The Real Shaq Twitters With Friends (Word of Mouth Marketing)
NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, better known as Shaq, is an excellent example of taking control of your name in the social media world.

Fight Fire With Fire: Using Corporate Blogs to Upend Crises Online (PR News)
Patrick Seybold takes a look at how companies and organizations can learn from the examples of Dell and Whole Foods, who brought negative talk back onto their own “turf” by engaging effectively through corporate blogs.

Obama Campaign Testing the Waters for an Ongoing Grassroots Movement (Tech President)
Obama’s transition team recently released a survey to its grassroots supporters to gauge their opinions on whether the campaign’s vast network should be maintained as a separate entity or folded into the Democratic National Committee’s established online community.

In the continuing debate over new media vs. old media—what’s online vs. what’s offline—the sub-debate about advertising is instructive.

On one hand, online ads are vulnerable to the tyranny of choice. The metrics can be overwhelming, the jargon can be off-putting and success can be mistaken for failure. Moreover, unlike traditional ad buys, online campaigns demand continuous monitoring and fine-tuning.

On the other hand, if you’re tired of one-off shots in the dark—where your one-page spread for life insurance runs opposite to an article on video games, or your spot for an SUV runs in the middle of a segment on high gas prices—then online ads may be right for your organization. Here’s why:

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Right Wing Bloggers See Their Chance (The Hill)
Bloggers whose political affiliation leans to the right see the potential for real action with the new liberal administration.

Facebook to Verify Trustworth Apps (Read Write Web)
Verified Facebook applications can provide organizations a safer way to maintain a presence in a social media environment.

Six Stupid Mistakes Companies Make With Their Online Communities (Advice & Opinion)
Esther Schindler examines six of the problems that cause organizations to have difficulty in creating and maintaining their involvement online.

Burson / PRWeek CEO Survey: 62% See Social Media as Having an Impact on a Company’s Reputation (PR Newser)
A recently released survey continues to show that CEOs just aren’t understanding the importance of social media in the reputation of their organizations.

Motrin Bows to Social Media Pressure From Moms – Removes Controversial Ad (Read Write Web)
This weekend, Mortin fumbled with a new ad and received a great deal of negative attention through social networking communities.

Obama to Address the Nation Each Week on YouTube (Read Write Web)
Rumors are circulating that President-Elect Obama will be broadcasting weekly on YouTube in an effort to continue to reach the masses of new media users who elected him.

Former Feds Mentioned as Possible Federal CTO (Next Gov)
With all the names being thrown around for Obama’s cabinet, Allan Holmes wonders who will be named to the position of Chief Technology Officer.

Survey: Kraft’s Sincere Messaging Helps Its Reputation (PR Newser)
A new study found a slight correlation between the perceived level of sincerity in a company’s messaging and the probability that the company has a better reputation among consumers.