Earlier this month, Matt posted on the proposed FTC guidelines regarding marketing and endorsements as they relate to bloggers and online media. Last week’s BlogHer conference in Chicago served as a platform to continue to look into blogging ethics and PR professionalism.

Following BlogHer, Kevin Pang of the Chicago Tribune wrote that “If there’s a hard news peg attached to BlogHer ’09, it’s the Federal Trade Commission’s proposal to regulate blogger endorsements of products.” Kevin notes the rising market influence of bloggers is the reason why the industry is now looking to identify the difference between subjective reviews and paid advertisements. Additionally, Lee Woodruff of Huffington Post wrote about the power of the female blogging community, commenting on a discussion she participated in that splits writers into the ‘new blogger generation versus the old:’ those that promote products versus those that focus more on writing and personal issues.

The interesting thing to me is this discussion of the two blogging camps – call it ‘fun’ bloggers vs. ‘profit’ bloggers. The remarkable part of the division is that, it seems to me, the blogging community is actively beginning to regulate itself. Paid promotion continues to be a grey area in all forms of media, but some easy steps are helping bloggers set themselves apart as trustworthy sources. Websites like DisclosurePolicy.org and BlogwithIntegrity.com offer templates and pledges aimed to ensure professionalism and disclosure. Personal transparency statements are popping up in an increasing number on blogs we work with, letting their readers know policies on product reviews and endorsements. Let’s not forget why blogs started posting reviews in the first place – because it’s an effective way to communicate likes and dislikes, and most importantly, foster discussions among like-minded readers who have a genuine interest in a product’s effectiveness or ability to please.

It all boils down to professionalism between bloggers and PR reps, honest communication, and realistic expectations. While bloggers are indeed influential media personalities, they are also moms, writers, freelancers… just regular people sharing thoughts to an online audience. As PR professionals, our job is to identify those ‘fun’ bloggers, and respect their personal feelings on product reviews (if a blog doesn’t post reviews, don’t pitch them on the latest, greatest gadget – makes sense, right? Is a post extolling the virtues of wrinkle cream going to appear in between pictures of Jane’s 5^th birthday party and a post about making cupcakes? Probably not.) We must realistically expect what a blogger’s interest level will be and conduct ourselves accordingly. It’s simple professionalism, research, and respect.

Are FTC guidelines necessary to preserve transparency and integrity? Perhaps. But can bloggers and PR professionals work together to address these issues effectively outside of official rules and regulations? Absolutely.

From all the emails, phone conversations and pitches a publicist makes in a day, it’s very rewarding when a client calls to say that they received direct results from a media placement – whether it appeared online, in print, or on television. But it’s not often a client from the non-profit sector calls to say they received a $25,000 donation from a business they have never solicited or even heard of. Needless to say, this is like winning the lottery for a non-profit that has to sustain its existence from fundraising. The non-profit soon learned that the check was sent out of passion the donor experienced from reading a feature in a regional magazine on the organization’s cause and accomplishments.

It’s nice to know that people are still giving to causes they believe in or just read about.

I’ve read that Frank Lloyd Wright soaked himself in creativity, sourced from the beauty surrounding him. There is no doubt he found inspiration in the landscape as well as from his choice in furniture, artwork, and some say the company he kept.

PR practitioners are tasked with being creative everyday. Our proposals need to stand out to new business prospects, our plans must strike the right balance between creative approach and simplicity (so they can be implemented), our pitches must break through the noise journalists hear day in and day out. I’ve had clients admit they source their creativity from us. When the well has run dry and they need inspiration, they call us – even when it’s not directly related to the PR program. What a compliment that is.

So where do we get our creativity? Team brainstorms help – but I suspect most agencies tap team members for jolts of imagination. Those among us who are parents talk about how kids provide a constant source of creativity, others share that clearing their minds through exercise helps out-of-the-box thoughts flow.

But if I had to put my finger on the commonality, I’d say it is our passion for our clients’ success. Passion born from a collective respect for our clients, which manifests itself in a commitment to their success. We are advocates for our clients, and by nature, are innovative about the approaches we take on their behalf. When something doesn’t work, we fix it. When something works well, we push the envelope further.

Where does your creativity come from? Does your agency partner bring you creative value? Which one of us will make Fast Company’s Most Creative list?

There is an ongoing debate in our offices about whether it is best for us, as professionals, to maintain one, unified social media presence, or to draw a distinct line between our personal and professional interactions, particularly when it comes to Facebook profiles.

It makes for interesting discussion because, as communicators, we strive for transparency in our work. We build relationships with our colleagues, our clients and the media based on open and honest interactions. But do our clients need to see pictures of us with our family and friends? And do our college friends want to hear about the latest campaigns we’re developing in the office?

Those who are for a unified presence argue that transparency should extend to our social media profiles. We are, after all, parents, siblings, friends and professionals at the same time. Shouldn’t our Facebook profiles represent all of these things? Further there are plenty of simple guidelines for guarding privacy on profiles. Those who make a case for separate accounts reason that, no matter how benign, the contents of personal profiles are just that: personal. Perhaps they had a Facebook profile long before using the service as a professional tool, or perhaps they do not want to be bothered with constantly having to monitor privacy settings and thinking about who is viewing the various parts of their profiles.

Personally, I fall on the two-is-better-than one side of the house. I like to think I’m a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of girl, but I still prefer to separate my personal and professional interactions; and privacy settings just aren’t enough for me. I don’t see it as managing multiple personalities, but rather as targeting and controlling my social media communications for two distinct audiences: the first consisting of personal friends and family, the second consisting of professional colleagues and acquaintances. Targeted messages: isn’t that also something we strive for as communicators? Further, unless they ask, I work under the assumption that the first of the aforementioned audiences does not want to be bombarded with information about my clients and work projects and vice versa.

A client recently asked about this exact issue. After explaining both options to him, he decided to abandon his personal Facebook profile for business purposes and create a separate account from which to network with colleagues and others in his industry. It was the first client discussion I’d had on this particular topic, but I was completely confident in supporting his decision.

None of this is to say that our personal and professional lives do not or should not overlap; they surely do. The decision about how to manage the overlaps and identify distinctions between the two in the social media sphere, though, is worthy of careful consideration, as Web Worker Daily recently noted in a thoughtful post about being transparent without ruining reputations.

So how do you manage your social media presence? And what advice would you provide a client? Until someone can convince me otherwise, I’m sticking to my two-Facebook-profile approach. In the meantime, if you want to know about my family, weekend plans or life goals, just ask; I’ll be happy to share.

Now that you know about LNS, below are best practices and tips for working with an LNS outfit.

If your client is holding or sponsoring an event (ribbon cutting, award ceremony, sporting event and the like… not a detailed or in-depth story) that you would like have covered, LNS should be your first call. There are a couple of keys in pitching an LNS outfit.

Paint your event with the broadest strokes. As always with television immediately create an image of what your event is going to look like. For instance: “Picture Governor Patrick, Mayor Smith and business leaders standing on the steps of a beautiful new 23 million dollar facility with dozens of the 250 people the business will employ looking on as a giant red ribbon is cut by Senator Kennedy…”. Remember that LNS and television as a whole is a business of pictures before story content!

Use LNS’ youth to your advantage. Most LNS outfits want to also become the go-to bank for B-roll (generic video that runs as a reporter/anchor voices a story), but that’s hard to do when you’ve been around for a year and a half or less. There may be value in some of the generic images from your event like the governor shaking hands with business leaders,  video of office space (with or without workers), crowd shots, etc. Make sure that if you think that there is a chance that your event will contain good generic B-roll that you tell the assignment editor.

To that end also use industry terms that will help an LNS assignment editor relate to you and the event. Even though LNS is giving stations more bang for their buck, there is still a great deal of pressure for them to gather as much usable video in a day as possible. If you know that your event isn’t going to lead a newscast, but might make for a nice segment before the end of the show, use phrases like: “This is the perfect Spray ‘n Run event” or “I’ve got a story every station will want in their D block.”

Spray ‘n Run is where a photographer gets to your event (sometimes minutes or seconds prior), shoots video of the ribbon cutting and hand shaking, maybe conducts a quick interview with the featured speaker and in a matter of a few minutes they are gone with a press release about the event in-hand. Using terms like Spray ‘n Run lets the assignment editor know that you understand their time limitations and where your story will fit in a newscast. Using this kind of lingo will increase the likelihood that your event gets into the mix of daily assignment for LNS photographers.

D Block is traditionally the segment of time towards the end of a newscast where interesting, but not pressing news stories are aired. As much as you and/or your client may think that your event should run as the top story, that rarely is realistic. On a day when the news cycle is slow, every station needs D Block material and they’ll most likely turn to LNS to fill it.

Backdoor to LNS

If you call your local CBS station and the assignment editor says that they probably won’t be able to make it to your event, ask them if it would make a good LNS segment and if they would pass the press release or advisory to the LNS assignment editor. This is good for two reasons. First, assignment editors may come across as short or even rude sometimes, but really they are helpers and enablers by nature.  Making the LNS suggestion gives them a person to pass the buck to without looking like the bad guy. The second reason is that a release or advisory sent to LNS from a member station carries much more weight than one from a PR flack and they are more likely to put your event higher in their to-do list.

LNS has its own problems for PR professionals

There are a few downsides to LNS for a PR professional. If an LNS photographer shows up to your event it could mean that the story will run on 4 stations or it may not run on any and there is no way (right now) that the LNS assignment editor can tell you one way or the other. You see, while LNS creates a friendly agreement between competing stations, story placement in a news cast is sacred and there isn’t a chance that the local CBS affiliate is going to tip their hat to LNS who might tell the local Fox affiliate about their story line-up. You might get a probability that it will run, but as of now it is a roll of the dice and you will have to monitor every LNS member station in that market.

If you are looking for the flash or sizzle of a big, logoed television van or truck showing up at your event with a reporter waving a microphone flag and interviewing numerous people, LNS is not for you. They will likely show up in an unmarked or LNS logoed vehicle that is small and non-descript. There will not be a reporter accompanying the photographer (there might be a producer or intern on rare occasions) and while the cameraman may interview a person or two, they won’t be waving around a microphone flag  with a logo that people in the crowd will recognize.

Many of my old contacts in the television world are now looking for jobs, have been absorbed into government media relations positions or are changing titles and helping television transition into this new video age. It is the third group that has been a wealth of valuable information on new ways to get television coverage for clients and events. Many stations are trying to keep it quiet, but in several markets there is a new video service for TV stations that you can utilize as a valuable coverage tool.

Reporters aren’t the only employees feeling the sting of unemployment. Photographers are losing their gigs left, right and center. The problem with laying off photographers is that the length of a newscast doesn’t change and there is still a need to cough up an hour’s worth of compelling video. The solution in a growing number of markets is LNS (Local News Service). Chicago was one of the first markets to launch an LNS program that has been widely successful. Here is essentially how it works:

The local CBS station and the local Fox affiliate both contribute two photographers and an assignment editor to LNS, in return both stations get to use the video that all four photographers shot. In Chicago they have four of the five local affiliates contributing to LNS, so each station gets four times the amount of video for the price of one photographer. Because the video isn’t exclusive, LNS focuses on events in which every station would typically send crews (such as a press conference or sports events).

Boston has quietly launched an LNS project between Fox 25 (WFXT) and WBZ (CBS 4). It has only been in existence since July first officially, but already there are rumblings that NECN and WCVB may be the next two media outlets to join.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss best practices in pitching your local LNS outlet.

Back in April, C.G. Lynch wrote about finding a balance between personal and the professional content when using Twitter. While discussing the difference between personal and private, he quotes Kirsten Dixson, “As an example, you don’t want to write that you’re ‘going to the gym,’ but it might be nice to say, ‘I just set a goal to run a marathon.’” The quote has stayed with me ever since. Whatever it is that you have to project to the masses, give it value. You’ll be easier to relate to, and there will be an actual intellectual or emotional benefit that you provide your friends/followers.

Obviously, the concept goes far beyond the world of micro-blogging. We see is everywhere in everyday life – it’s a key to building successful relationships, especially in business. And now, more than ever, it hangs heavily over the PR bubble, threatening to burst it wide open. PR blacklists and blackouts and the ever-spreading controversy about paid blogger reviews are forcing us to constantly re-examine our practices and become better Pros. It’s a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time, but it pays off. I have started many more conversations with members of press by politely introducing them to an idea, rather than a brand. I pitch them an article, rather than a product. I resist the urge to name-drop and flash famous logos in front of their eyes. And the responses have all been positive. Even if they ultimately decide to pass on the specific idea, I’ve established a valuable connection with someone that I’m perfectly comfortable approaching again in the near future (and perhaps is looking forward to hearing from me).

We all make it our primary practice to personalize our outreach and try to illustrate clear connections between our clients and media members, but we need to continue to take it to the next level. We need to be writers and columnists at heart. We need to present them with ideas that they can use – that they find valuable – and who knows? Someday, we could earn “We Heart PR Pros” week.

Last month Cisco released a study forecasting that video will overtake 90 percent of consumer IP traffic and 64 percent of mobile IP traffic by 2013. While the company’s $590 million acquisition of Flip Video in March likely colored their findings, the increasing popularity of video cannot be denied. As a PR guy well-educated in the declining readership of print media, this report got me thinking about how the spread of video alters our work and how we can maximize it for our clients most effectively.

No sooner had I read the study, when the subject of upping the use of video came up in an intra-agency client call. PR reps from New York to Newburyport had the same question: how can we create, edit and circulate footage in a manner that is successful and authentic, while not cutting in too deeply to our time on the phones with producers, editors and bloggers?

Video hosting sites offer a low-cost opportunity to reach consumers and journalists. To create content for these sites, we’ve created the Matter Media Center, where our teams can easily craft and rework the visual and audio components that make compelling multimedia content.

To help further a client’s use of video in a time-conscious way, consider events and opportunities where video can be easily incorporated. We already attend store openings, press tours and trade shows for our clients, so why not take the extra step of bringing along a handheld to shoot an insider’s view? As newspapers and magazines continue to integrate video into their online platforms, be an asset to editors by offering in-person, taped interviews with CEOs and customers to enhance their burgeoning use of multimedia.

It’s important to note that whether a video is watched on television or online, audiences are conditioned to determine within the first few moments of viewing something whether it’s advertorial or not. So, it’s vital to anchor the use of video around a cardinal talent of a good PR person:  the ability to tell an engaging, honest story.  Here’s a fun example of a successful video from one of our clients, Verizon Wireless.

As the discussion of the use of social media in our field continues, a recent article on Ulitzer caught my attention with more commentary on exactly how social media strategies fit into the work we do on behalf of our clients. The article describes how social media further blurs the lines between traditional PR and marketing with a “push vs. pull” analogy. Where traditional programs are centered around pushing the news out to media in an effort to influence our clients’ customer base – social media strategies rely on the successful engagement of end users, potential customers and industry influencers by pulling them into these communities. I’d take this one step further, given sometimes we have to give a little push to certain clients in order to pull them into the world of social media.

Social media presents the opportunity to stretch as professionals into new mediums and makes us look long and hard at the messages we are getting out there – are they significant and clear? I think this makes our job all the more exciting – with opportunities to participate in conversations (be them via Facebook, Twitter, etc.), we have many more ways in which to not only get the story out, but get real-time, honest feedback from an ever growing number of people.

There’s been quite a bit of buzz lately about the FTC’s proposed guidelines regarding marketing and endorsements related to bloggers and online media in general. We’ve been closely tracking it since many of our clients pursue coverage on blogs, especially since consumers increasingly rely on third parties and their peers to give no-nonsense product reviews before they make a purchase. The NYT had a pretty interesting article yesterday that took a look at some bloggers, Twitter users, etc. who accept fees for posting about a company or product, and how they disclose that info to their readers. Nothing ground-breaking here, but it’s a well balanced article on the topic and was enough to provoke some thought internally on where this is all headed.

It’s funny – in some ways, it makes total sense for the FTC to get involved and update its guidelines, like holding bloggers liable for content they write about a product if they’re being paid to write it. In theory, it’s not that different from holding a company responsible for claims it makes in an ad.

On the other hand though, sometimes I read this stuff and I instantly hear Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler chiming in with “Really?!?! REALLY, FTC?!??!?!” because it just seems like people are honing in on something that has been happening for years and years with very little abuse and need for regulation. People don’t get upset that movie and TV critics receive screeners and advance (complimentary) viewings before rating a film or program. And we don’t question whether the opinions we get are credible and un-influenced by the fact that they got this access for free from the studio or network trying to promote its project. So why are people looking at product reviews on blogs like they are so very different than other kinds of “traditional” reviews? What do you think? Take a look at the article and weigh in below in the comments.