Usher Blogs

Intro to PR...

I am guest lecturing tomorrow at the CU School of Journalism for an Intro to PR class...What should I tell the students?

I am pretty sure I will start with my background and recount my days as a *very* junior person sending press releases via fax, hand clipping articles, and pleading with local media to attend a press conference at a local trash dump (Channel 7 in San Francisco did come, thank you very much.)

More importantly I will talk about the future of PR and how rapidly things have changed and are continuing to change.  That as future journalists or PR people, 'user generated' content is altering the way our game is played.  News content is no longer reliably filtered.  What we have to offer is credibility and that is one thing that is not easily earned though it is easily destroyed, so protect it at all costs.

As PR people it is increasingly becoming our role to really relate to the public and manage relationships with the public, not just "the media."  That as journalists or PR people a lot of what we do can increasingly be outsourced overseas and we have to find new ways of creating value.

I will of course tell them that they are looking at very exciting and sometimes very rewarding careers, provided they work hard, protect their credibility, and remain highly adaptable. 

Any other thoughts?

"The Next Wave of Unregulated Media"

On Thursday, July 14 at 8AM, I will be speaking on a panel with JB Holston, CEO of NewsGator, Linda Seebach, writer and columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, and Amy Gahran, editor of the/CONTENTIOUS.  The panel is being hosted by BusinessWire, moderated by Bob Mook, technology and telecommunications reporter for the Denver Business Journal, and will take place at the Denver Press Club.

This is a good panel because it is mixed with the perspectives of a blogging tools company, journalists, and a PR person.

I plan to talk about the role PR people can and should play in the blogosphere (previous posts of interest: "A Listers Don't Matter", "Future of Big Agency Life", "What Gives", and "Missed Opportunity."

If you have questions you'd like to hear addressed let me know.  If you can't attend, I'll raise the questions in your absence and blog back the answers from panelists including myself. 

If you are interested in attending, email Joanne Hirsch.  The event is free for BusinessWire members (if you're with an agency you're probably already set) and $15 for non-members.