Blogging and Online Communications – Changing the Face of PR
Last year, Topaz emerged as a leader in the next generation of public relations with the launch of a new suite of PR services aimed at helping organizations make understand and utilize the world of blogs, newsgroups and other online communications. We’ve seen increasing interest in online communications – and the rise of new issues, questions and concerns. Following is an update from the Topaz “Buzz Marketing and Online Communications” team on some of the topics PR professionals should be tracking today.

We're definitely seeing blogs and other online communication changing the face of public relations, and increasingly, Topaz has been communicating this to clients. While this movement is still in the formative stages -- and while this kind of online dialogue isn't an issue for every business -- there are some early examples.

We see online communication falling into a few categories -- tracking and monitoring online communication, participating in or influencing the online dialogue, and more proactively entering this space with one's own blog.

TRACKING & MONITORING
Blogs are an excellent source of market intelligence. We track this kind of online communications for many of the companies, looking for insights into customer concerns, competitive developments and other issues that might impact a company's image. Providers of market intelligence solutions like Cymfony (a client of ours) are extending existing media tracking and analysis to the online world in recognition of this trend.

PARTICIPATION AND INFLUENCE
It is inevitable that eventually a client will want to respond to something written in a blog. Clients are starting to come to us for guidance on how to address blog postings – either positive or negative. Many of our clients are also asking how to “pitch” a blog, and we’re quick to correct them. We’ve seen bloggers (Techdirt comes to mind, but there are many others) expose and rip apart PR pitches, many of which would have been perfectly acceptable to a print journalist. You have to understand the two different blogging camps, and where a particular blogger fits on the scale. These two camps are:

BLOGS AS THE NEW MEDIA
In this camp, blogs are a natural evolution of the “traditional” media. New Media Bloggers take a journalistic approach to the medium, and want to be recognized for many of the same attributes applied to traditional journalists. Blogs in this camp are complementary to traditional media. New Media Bloggers see their role as an important and growing alternative to traditional outlets. A New Media Blogger will still pick up the New York Times, if only to point out a story it missed or a bias it has. He or she will entertain a relevant, appropriate PR pitch — no phone calls please.

BLOGS AS ANTI-MEDIA
In this camp, the other extreme, blogs are seen as a disruptive, revolutionary medium that deserves a radically different treatment than traditional journalism. These Blogger “Purists” consider blogs not as complementary, but rather the very antithesis of traditional media. They do not read the papers — if it doesn’t have an RSS feed, it doesn’t see the light of day. A Blogger Purist will dictate the terms in which he or she can be reached (e.g., through a web form), and if you even try calling, be prepared to be flamed.

These are obvious stereotypes, but this is useful way to understand this new medium.

Participation in the blogosphere and online newsgroups is probably the most prevalent to date -- this is especially important with companies in markets where there is a healthy online community or a direct online connection to the company's business. One such example is HeyPix!, a Topaz client that is launching a new digital photo sharing and management service. We're in the early stages of rolling out the PR effort, and we've made online communications a centerpiece. Their market is one with an active online community -- in fact, the company has built in capabilities that enable users to post photographs on blogs. In terms of the roll-out, in parallel with our outreach to the traditional print and broadcast media, we're working through blogs like photographyblog. As would be the case with any blog-oriented initiative, we're mindful of blog etiquette -- we're not pushing a news story or market angle as we would with a traditional media pitch, but instead we’re simply raising awareness about this new service by mentioning it within the context of the informal dialogue stream.

Another example is work we did with Black Magic, a company in the digital video editing space. In preparation for the National Association of Broadcasters show we supplemented our outreach to the registered media with communication to the leading newsgroups covering this space -- Creative Cow and The Cut. We believed that these online outlets would help us reach NAB attendees as well as the media attending the show. Competition for media attention is particularly fierce around NAB, and the challenge is even more difficult for smaller companies like Black Magic. Largely as a result of this online effort, Topaz was able to schedule more than 30 meetings at the show.

GOING IT ON YOUR OWN
We're also talking to clients about establishing blogs and other online forums when appropriate -- a more direct and proactive approach to influencing perceptions through online communities. When taking this step it's essential that the blog is not designed to market and promote, but instead to inform and encourage dialogue. An example of this is Topaz's own blog, Tech PR Gems – topazpartners.blogspot.com. Tech PR Gems addresses the intersection of public relations and technology -- we share insights on new developments in this area and engage in and encourage a dialogue with those visitors who want to express their own opinions.

We made a deliberate decision to post something new to the blog every day, but also to keep the blog simple and focused so we don’t burn ourselves or our reader out.

These are just a few examples of how blogs and online communications is changing practice of PR. As awareness of and participation in blogs and other online groups grows, we believe we'll see more companies becoming more involved in online communications -- and we think this will continue to change they way public relations professionals help their clients shape and protect their images.

For more insights on activities in this area, check out news from two Topaz clients – Cymfony and HeyPix!.

Fortune’s Focus on Blogs
The impact of blogs on PR got the attention of Fortune’s David Kirkpatrick, who featured Topaz in a recent column on the topic.
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Tracking New Developments in PR
The Topaz team continues to meet with media, analysts and others to stay current on the publications and markets relevant to our work. Late last year, we hosted a “brown-bag” session with Howie Sholkin, director of corporate communications for IDG. Howie shared his insights on the work of IDG, publishers of ComputerWorld, CIO, IDG News Service and other technology news sources distributed around the world, and the parent of IDC, one of the tech industry’s most influential analyst firms.

Topaz was featured in an article in Positioning that looked at the challenges faced by tech PR professional. Positioning is a newsletter produced by Heyman Associates, click to read.

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Looking Ahead – What’s Driving The Media?
When it comes to identifying the trends and issues that will drive media coverage, few are as qualified for the job as Sam Whitmore. For years one of the tech industry’s most influential journalists, Sam now brings a unique perspective to this world through Sam Whitmore’s Media Survey, which helps public relations professionals establish good relationships with editors they don’t know, and reinforce the ones they already have – as well as become more knowledgeable about emerging technology trends. The important connection Sam makes in his weekly teleconferences provides fresh PR opportunities for smaller tech companies with editors who might normally be focusing on larger, more well known companies. Always on top of ‘what’s next’, we interviewed Sam on some of the factors that will impact tech media coverage in 2005 and beyond.

Sam on Blogs…
“Blogs are definitely important. Just like the adoption of the web and personal home pages, blogs need to go through a certain gestation period before becoming commonplace. RSS is the big one to watch out for. The technology and bandwidth now exists to easily receive many forms of media – text, audio and video. Automatically sending information through RSS is the next wave as is increasing use of video. It is growing in use in commercial applications, such as with eBay auctions, and not just as news distribution.”

Sam on New Media and the PR world…
“Media staff still relies on the phone and email to do their jobs. Some PR resources are adopting RSS and other methods to deliver information to the media, but it is an addition versus a replacement and the more tech savvy media may be the only ones using it…but the breadth of the adoption is something we will see in the coming year.”

Sam on print publications…
“Through large company mergers, there are a shrinking number of advertisers, and the budgets allocated by these few are focused more on online outlets versus print. Because there is less competition, advertising has become more of a lead generation tool than a branding tool. Print publications will become more an outlet for showcasing products and services, leading people to look for more information online.”

Sam on Analysts…
“Analysts are still a trusted resource because they are in touch with both the buyers and the sellers. Through consolidations and some bad press, smaller boutique analyst firms will most likely emerge with the traditional analyst research and analysis.”

Sam on 2005 trends…
“Video is the next big thing. Film quality is going up and production costs are going down. Bandwidth is easily available not just in offices, but at home, in hotels, etc. so this medium is easier to engage in. Plus, people are understanding the use of FLASH programming now which allows for the development of all kinds of new content including video imagery. The video market will finally widen past just the TV.”

To learn more about Sam Whitmore’s Media Survey, visit his web site – www.mediasurvey.com

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New Strategies to Raise Your Voice Abroad
For years, we’ve watched as technology has eliminated borders and brought our world closer together. As these changes occur, organizations are turning to PR professionals to help establish visibility and awareness in new markets abroad. Topaz believes any company – large or small – can take steps to take advantage of these new international PR opportunities. We’ve launched new International PR Strategies and Support services to provide organizations with the ability to make a mark in marketplaces abroad.

Topaz helps companies “localize” their messages and reach out to influencers unique to regional markets. We work with clients to develop their messages in a way that will resonate with target audiences. We help build an overall organizational message and conduct targeted outreach to positively position companies in front of potential and current customers or partners in the selected markets.

Members of the Topaz team are experienced in managing international PR programs – from developing program strategies to handling day-to-day logistics, but in some cases, we collaborate with partners agencies to support US companies abroad and organizations from Asia and Europe looking to make inroads in the US. Topaz’s work with Hong Kong based PR agency The Consultancy is one such partner – over the past year, Topaz and The Consultancy have worked together to support Cotco, OptiLED and Lighthouse, three Chinese companies that are emerging as leaders in the LED marketplace.

Other overseas clients include companies from Australia (Black Magic), England (CyberPatrol), Scotland (Nallatech) and Israel (Tecnomatix).

Topaz also works with many US companies looking to coordinate their efforts abroad –recent examples include our work with RAIDCore and CCBN.

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New Clients, New Opportunities
Some of the most interesting examples of the future of PR are the opportunities we have to put our services to work for the clients we support. Over the past several months, we’ve moved in many new directions. These newest clients include HeyPix!, creator of new online photo sharing tools; BlackMagic, a leader in the post-production space; and Cymfony a leader in market intelligence and media analysis.

Other new clients include Nallatech, a provider of FPGA computing systems based in Scotland; Blast Radius, provider of customer experience management and XML-centric content creation software; VXI, a provider of wireless headset technology; Powell Flutes, a maker of hand-crafted flutes and piccolos; and Bleck Design Group, a global industrial design and engineering consulting firm.

Good news for current clients Constant Contact and ImpactXoft. Constant Contact won best e-Commerce product in the Small Business Computing Awards. ImpactXoft was recognized by Germany’s CAD CAM magazine as Innovator of the Year for 2004 with their IX SPeeD Suite. Congratulations!

To find out about more happenings at Topaz, please visit our newsroom.

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Team Topaz

Terry Frechette
We’ve looked at new issues, services and clients that are shaping the future of PR, but behind all this is the team of people that make up Topaz. One team member that brings a unique perspective and focus to our work is Terry Frechette. Terry brings more than 12 years experience in public relations to this challenge. He has extensive experience with the telecommunications, hardware, and post-production industries, and he is also part of the Buzz Marketing and Online Communications “task force” that Topaz assembled to tackle “new media.” He has led successful online campaigns for BlackMagic and HeyPix!, garnering attention for trade shows and product awards. At Topaz, Terry’s clients have included Broadcom, iXi, and Pyxis.

Terry has longstanding relationships with media that covers telecommunications, networking, video editing and broadcasting, Internet infrastructure, carriers, animation and special effects, and consumer and SOHO technology. He has worked with a wide variety of trade and business publications, as well as some of the largest broadcast media in the U.S., securing coverage in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Today Show, USA Today, Dr. Phil.

Prior to joining Topaz, Terry was Public Relations Manager with Unisphere Networks, where he was responsible for the voice mediation switch, softswitch and service creation divisions. He also oversaw four PR agencies in Europe. Prior to Unisphere, Frechette was a PR Manager with Avid Technology, the leading nonlinear video editing company. He has also held positions at FitzGerald Communications and Miller/Shandwick where his clients included Compaq, Bay Networks, Digital Equipment Corp. and Juniper Networks.

Terry graduated from Syracuse in 1993 with a degree in Journalism with his first job at Miller/Shandwick while moonlighting as a correspondent for the Lowell Sun. He and his wife Roberta have two children, Hannah, 4, and Cam, 2. In his spare time, Terry enjoys playing rugby and hockey and winning 80’s trivia contests.

To learn more about our team, please visit our website.

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Topaz Partners - Who We Are
Topaz Partners is an emerging leader in the new generation of public relations. Our senior team combines proven PR strategies with groundbreaking approaches to business communications, always aligning our work with our client’s business priorities. We call this public relations with a business development mindset.

Visit us at www.topazpartners.com.

We’re Hiring!
Topaz Partners is currently seeking experienced tech PR professionals to join our team as we continue to change the face of public relations. Our clients range from early-stage companies to industry leaders, in markets that cover the spectrum of technology -- from consumer products to enterprise technology to engineering solutions, from hardware to software to services. Topaz is looking for PR professionals seeking new challenges by partnering with our team to help create and support new tech industry leaders. Strong relationships with IT media, business press and industry analysts and experience in tech markets are a must.

Topaz offers an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of one of the PR industry's fastest growing agencies -- and a chance to work in a challenging, fun and team-oriented environment. Please send all necessary information to HR@topazpartners.com.