The Bailey Blog

I also am not an expert on juggling bean bags nor am I the creator of “Linglish,” which apparently is the cross between etymology and English.

I don’t live in Morrice or Rockford, Michigan – at least not anymore.

I am an adjunct instructor at Michigan State University. I have served as a legislative spokesperson. I used to be a fountain of knowledge about projects for the Michigan Department of Transportation and, of course, I work for John Bailey & Associates Public Relations.

You would find all of these things out about me – the truth, the former truth and the truly absurd – if you did a Google search of my name.

With the growth of Internet search engines like Google and Yahoo!, the amount of information one can find out about oneself is astonishing. When you start factoring in the miscellaneous web sites that specifically track people, the amount of information is either a) absurd, b) unsettling, c) somewhat amusing or d) all of the above.

It’s gotten to the point that it would behoove every one of us to spend some time on Google, Yahoo, Spock, Wink, and Pipl, not to mention the ever-expanding Wikipedia to find out a little about ourselves and the companies we work for.

Our tagline here at JB&A is, “Your reputation is our business.” It’s a great slogan, but it’s more than that. It’s a commitment we make to clients to help them understand how important their reputations are and how to keep them as polished and respected as possible. We always counsel clients about how it’s not enough just to know what’s being said about you. The old adage that the best defense is a good offense is true for the electronic age as well.

That might be tough for some of the younger generation today who are insisting on putting their lives on display for all to see at sites like Facebook and Myspace. But at least they are choosing to publicly post their antics. I don’t doubt they’ll truly regret that decision when their children become teenagers and whip out a Myspace entry to win an argument over their selection of clothing, friends and extracurricular activities. But, it is a voluntary decision.

On sites like Spock, your reputation is only as good as the coded “tags” that are associated with it by a computer that crawls through the Internet searching for ways to describe you in an ever-expanding database. That explains how one fellow who started blogging a lot about a suspected child molester is the same guy who scores high on searches for “pedophile.”

And on Wikipedia, corporations are routinely run through the public relations grinder as people edit entries to suit their own point of view, inserting their own biases and sometimes deliberately playing loose with the facts just to stir up trouble. It’s tough to keep track of these 21st century hooligans, and it’s even tougher to defend yourself against them.

Some companies have started making a point of checking their Wikipedia entries regularly to counter-edit what’s being said. It’s frowned upon by Wikipurists, which is a term I just made up but then, as far as you know, I created “Linglish,” so cut me some slack. One person even recently started another web site where you can track which companies are editing their own entries.

Apparently, if a corporation writes something positive about itself in Wikipedia or edits a negative posting, they are seen as doing something wrong. On the other hand, those who promote their personal or political beliefs about a corporation are seen as doing something positive.

It seems to me that what’s good for the crusading goose should be good for the Gander Corporation.

Whether you agree with me or not about who has the right to edit your reputation, you should take a few minutes today to follow the links in this blog and see just what people around the world are learning about you. The possibilities are more numerous than you can imagine.

Who knows, you, too, could be a juggling porn star who created a whole new language.

From interactive Webinars with PR professionals and national media to spreading a client’s message virally on YouTube, the face of PR is rapidly changing. While our tried and true techniques can still achieve the desired results, as professionals we have a responsibility to explore the latest technology that can maximize results for our clients.

JB&A is currently working with Campaign for Smokefree Air (CSA) on a podcast series that was launched in late June 2007. Since its launch, the series has resulted in more than 200 podcast downloads and contributed to a nearly 50 percent increase in CSA Web site visits – serving as an effective way to reach an increasingly tech-savvy public.

More people are embracing technology now than ever before, especially in their daily communications. In May 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 71 million blogs worldwide. What started as an online “Dear Diary” has grown into an important communications avenue for PR professionals to consider. From individuals to businesses to media outlets – the powerful and ever-present voices of bloggers can’t be ignored in the next target audience section of your strategic plan.

So what’s next…a press conference in Second Life?

For those of you still living only in First Life, Second Life is an online virtual community where residents, known as avatars, live and work in a variety of 3D environments. Second Life now has 9,164,372 total residents and $1,200,897 U.S. dollars spent in the last 24 hours – that’s right spent. The virtual world has its own built in economy where your client can launch their own island and conduct First Life business in meeting spaces ranging from an amphitheater to a relaxing spot virtual beachside.

No, this is not an episode of the Jetsons; this is PR in the tech age. Welcome aboard.

In the most recent barrage of on-line and technical advances that are changing every sector of business, like YouTube, MySpace, podcasts, Second Life and blogs, I have come to a realization…I’m a bit of a nerd. I love all of those things and am fascinated by how they have captured many peoples’ way of living and working.

I have not posted a video to YouTube or set-up a profile on MySpace, but I have always been interested in the application of these “non-commercial” means as far as my work and personal life go.

I created an avatar on Second Life, vowing never to spend my money there, but just to check it out and see what the fuss is about. I can see the potential to become addicted to something like this. It allows you to interact with other people around the globe and do things that you cannot do in real life (like fly and beam yourself)- which gives you a new-found sense of freedom.

Blogs have re-revolutionized the way that news is reported. News junkies – as many, if not all PR people are – can get the scoop before even the TV stations can. RSS feeds make it even easier to keep in touch with your subscription list of favorite blogs as the newest posts are put directly in front of you with an aggregator.

Across the hall from my office, a colleague and I have been debating the benefits of Linux and whether we should try it out. Of course, Linux is not a new trend like the rest of these listed, but it does go along with the spirit of user-generated freeware. Linux users can create their programs and edit them as they use them, or as I like to call it, collaborative programming. Answer this question. Can you change the programming of MS Word so the “track changes” function is gone forever and can you incorporate features that you want your word processor to do? No.

What does all this mean to you? Maybe not as much as it means to me, but it should at least affect the way you do business. The companies that take advantage of this new media, or Web 2.0, or whatever you want to call it, will thrive in the virtual world while the others scratch their head and wonder what hit them.

So, for now, I will go and watch my “Photoshop Killer Tips” podcast, followed up by the “Coffee Break Spanish” podcast and be the nerd that wants to learn how to better utilize this technology.

In the last blog post, Mike talked about how his co-worker didn’t see the promise of inter-office e-mail because it’s just as easy to write a note and drop it on the desk.

Don’t be that person.

In a recent staff meeting, one of our team members was giving an overview of the latest online phenomenon, Second Life. The interactive fantasy world allows you to create your online alter-ego who lives in the online community of Linden and interacts with other “residents” – real people who have created their own second lives.

My first reaction… “It ought to be called ‘Get a Life.’ Who is going to waste their time on that?”

And then, a conversation I had with a co-worker in 1991 hit me like a ton of bricks. I had suggested …inter-office email, which was jus taking off at the time.

“Why do we need THAT?” he shot back. “We can just get up and drop notes on each other’s desks!”

Okay, he wasn’t exactly a visionary.

But, maybe I’m not either. After a little digging, I found out more than 6 million people have created an “avatar” (the technical name for the online alter-ego) and are currently residents of Linden.

Even more surprising, major brands are using Second Life to extend their brand and create relationships online. These include household names like Pepsi, IBM and Pontiac. Residents can accumulate Linden dollars (a fraction of real US currency) and buy and sell every type of product imaginable. In fact, over the last 24 hours, over $1.5 million has been spent in Second Life.

So to anyone who rolls their eyes when they hear about Second Life, I say give it a shot. It is certainly different, but it’s also immensely popular. Though it’s in its infancy today, smart marketers will learn to use it to their own advantage. I’m probably not going to log on and create my own avatar today, but we will be keeping an eye on this thing.

After all, that email thing back in ’91 wasn’t such a bad idea!

A recent story in the Oakland Business Review caught the eye of many of us here at JB&A. In the January 18 issue, “Sending the Message - In-house marketing catches on, saves money”, Duane Ramsey reported on a local company that has done just that.

As a long-time agency public relations counselor, and having worked in a corporate communications team setting as well, I understand both sides of the argument.

One point of view that wasn’t included in the story is the added value that agencies of all types (public relations, marketing, graphic design, advertising and others) bring to their clients. Agencies function in several capacities on behalf of clients. Our clients view us as a strategic partner, executive trainer, creative director, event planner, media relations manager, writer, marketer, internal communications counselor, spokesperson, crisis communications manager, extra staff, meeting coordinators … the list goes on.

We also provide clients with access to senior communications professionals, with experience that companies otherwise could not afford to hire in-house. For example, our management team at John Bailey & Associates Public Relations has more than 100 years of combined experience in a number of different industries, from automotive, retail, professional services, government, higher education, chemicals, and technology, among others. Our team of 30 offers clients a wealth of diverse experience that would be unmatched in most corporate communications team.

Agencies also operate in an environment of extreme flexibility, where we can provide one, six, 12 or 20 people to meet client needs at any time, in order to provide support for projects and programs. The depth of our team allows us to call upon our most experienced professionals in a particular practice area or industry based on client need.

While some companies do well to hire some of their talent in-house, in today’s business environment, it makes sense to evaluate all options before ruling agencies out.

According to an article in the New York Times entitled Who Americans Are and What They Do, in Census Data, adolescents and adults now spend, on average, more than 64 days a year watching television, 41 days listening to the radio and a little over a week using the Internet.

That translates into more than 1,536 hours of television, 984 hours of radio and nearly 168 hours of surfing the Internet for each American annually. In total, these mediums control 112 days each year, nearly one-third of our lives. It is mind-boggling to think that we have time for family, work, and other activities with these distractions.

But somehow, we do.

Oftentimes these mediums are tied into other activities that we do in our lives. Television is one of those activities that we engage with our families or friends on a daily or weekly basis. I remember watching family movies and I now I meet with my buddies to cheer on our favorite football teams. These hours add up, but I would be the last to admit that my time spent in front of the TV was nearly two months. If we are in front of a television that long, I would be amazed to see the stats on cell phone usage in this country.

Forty-one days of radio is not an astronomical stat because we listen in so many places. Many of us listen in our cars or at work. For some, it’s a main source of news.

As for Internet usage, it’s only a week a year? I can’t believe this stat isn’t higher. I think that over the next few decades, Internet will be on the top of this list because children are using instant message programs, Facebook and MySpace in excess before they even reach their adolescent years.

Don’t let these staggering numbers scare you away because most of the time spent with these mediums is meaningful. However, if you still feel lazy and dormant because you spent nearly a third of your year watching television, listening to the radio and surfing the Internet than just get up from your Lay-Z-Boy and do something that makes a difference — like exercising or playing with your children!

Time Magazine has named the most important person of the year…surprisingly enough, it’s YOU…and me, and everyone else that has contributed to the shift from institutions to the individuals, or as Time called it, the citizens of digital democracy.

It seems a bit vague and un-inspired to name everyone the person of the year, and a little bit like a shortcut because no one really stood out as the true person of the year. Time’s Managing Editor, Richard Stengel, said that if they did give the award to someone this year it would have been Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The magazine, however, did mention 26 “People Who Mattered,” including Pope Benedict XVI, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and North Korea Dictator Kim Jong II. These people are shoe-ins every year, so no surprise there.

This wasn’t even the first year that a person wasn’t the most important “person” of the year. In 1982, the computer was chosen. In 1975, American women were named.

Call me cynical, but shouldn’t the award be given to the most important person of the year, not a group of people or a new phenomenon? Maybe give it to the two guys that created YouTube or the Google founders, or at least someone specific that forged the “digital democracy.”

I can understand why they wouldn’t give the honor, or platform for that matter, to Ahmadinejad, but pick someone that did the most good. Didn’t Warren Buffett give nearly $31 billion dollars worth of stock to the Gates Foundation? That seems pretty important to me.

I respect Time Magazine and its editorial staff; they produce a great product and bring forth very important matters to their readers. I just feel that they could have done this award more justice by selecting someone…not everyone.

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