Today, Brian Solis and Stowe Boyd have launched MicroPR, an effort designed to leverage Twitter for PR professionals and journalists. Initially, it will enable journalists to communicate directly with communicators to get help with stories, share pitching preferences, announce coverage changes, or solicit entries for awards and similar events. (continue reading)

In this week's Roundtable, Albert Maruggi, Chip Griffin, and Jen Zingsheim discuss the varying approaches different companies (and employees) take to responding to social media. "Bob," Motrin, and Toyota's "Saved by Zero" ad campaign are covered. (continue reading)

The next time you're in line somewhere, look around you--how many are fiddling with BlackBerrys, texting over cell phones, and so on? Mobile devices are everywhere, and they represent the best way to contact the ultra-connected. Wayne Kurtzman explores this changing landscape of customer contact. (continue reading)

Kyle Flaherty digs deeper and lets us know the questions we should be asking--and the steps we should be taking--to prove and improve the way in which social media affects business in a down economy. (continue reading)

Mark Story joins Jen Zingsheim and Chip Griffin to discuss the social media component of the elections, personal online reputation management's dark side, and employers blogging layoffs. (continue reading)

When trying to simplify complex issues for audiences, it's important for communicators to maintain the integrity of the issue, and not oversimplify things to the point of inaccuracy. Disney has done just that in an upcoming episode of 'Hannah Montanta.' (continue reading)

Albert Maruggi examines the barriers that have made those in the health care system slow to adopt social media, and looks at the areas where they are tentatively--and successfully--stepping into the waters. (continue reading)

Research firm Gartner has identified "Generation Virtual," a marketing segmentation with no age, gender, social demographic or specific geography. How will marketers respond to this segmentation--or will they simply ignore it in favor of the standard, readily identifiable groups? (continue reading)

Corporations have started to realize the value of social media, and are responding to customers quickly and with a very high level of service. Is this level of service scalable, or is scalability the Achilles' heel of social media? (continue reading)

Does "manners training" for Olympic athletes cause them to be less than authentic, and can it be compared to the standard "media training" that PR pros conduct? And, when an entire generation believes that everything it reads online is questionable, how should communicators approach them? (continue reading)

I wrote about it last week and have blogged about it as well, but now that the hype has faded and the dust has settled regarding last week's Twebinar conducted by Radian6, Cross Tech Media and Chris Brogan, I have some additional thoughts to add. With distance comes perspective, so I am adding two more cents to my commentary, making my total four cents. (continue reading)

Jennifer Zingsheim interviews Jeff Deck, the originator and principal behind the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL) about typos, misspellings, and his cross-country mission to correct bad grammar. (continue reading)

Welcome to CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly rundown of the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. There's a lot going on this week, let's get started! I wanted to kick things off with Donna Papcosta's Trafcom News, because her guest on the show this week was the same as Media Bullseye's own Roundtable podcast, the illustrious Katie Paine. (continue reading)

Is social media making all of us unbearably rude? With the increased popularity of social networks and tools, are we forgetting about the humans around us while interacting with others online, and if so, are we really being good communicators after all? (continue reading)

Welcome to another edition of CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly rundown of the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. This week features less discussion of the now-infamous Andrew Cohen remarks from last weekend than I'd have thought there'd be, but there are still plenty of juicy tidbits. (continue reading)

Welcome to CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly roundup of the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. After a vacation last Friday, we are back and ready to go with a fresh batch of all your latest podcasts. First up this week is CC Chapman's Managing the Gray, as CC becomes the latest blogger to fall under the spell of Comcast's latest customer service development--responding to complaints via Twitter. (continue reading)

Welcome to another edition of Media Bullseye's weekly Radio Roundtable. Joining me as always this week is Jennifer Zingsheim, a vice president here at CustomScoop. Our special guest this week is Kami Huyse. (continue reading)

When it comes down to it, there have to be professions that are more maligned than public relations, but it does seem to be a field where its employees are constantly on the defensive, forced to explain how they are contributing to the world. Peter Himler details how public relations' impact on world events may help its own PR cause. Also: time management, brand management, and more on Dell and social media. (continue reading)

Many will argue that there is no such thing as a social media expert, because of the new and ever-changing nature of this medium (not to mention that in PR, you should have many more skills in your arsenal than just a good knowledge of social media). Ed Lee points out that the strategies you employ are ultimately far more important to your overall success than just expert knowledge of the shiny new toys. Also: crisis comms in the new media era of direct communicaiton, and the changing role of marketers. (continue reading)

Is bad press is better than no press? The saying goes...but is it really true? Adages like this have been around business for ages. Most people know them, repeat them and offer them as consolation to friends and colleagues as appropriate. Until it happens to them... (continue reading)

Welcome to another edition of CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly rundown of the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. If you're wondering why our title this week is a bit more salacious than usual, it's that our favorite Dunkin Donuts dwellers dedicated a portion of their podcast this week to discussing sex and marketing. Find out what they and everyone else has to say this week, after the jump. (continue reading)

Welcome to another edition of CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly rundown of the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. If you're wondering why our title this week is a bit more salacious than usual, it's that our favorite Dunkin Donuts dwellers dedicated a portion of their podcast this week to discussing sex and marketing. Find out what they and everyone else has to say this week, after the jump. (continue reading)

I'm pleased to welcome Jason Falls to the program this week. Jason, Jennifer Zingsheim and I cover number of great topics, but I was especially interested in Jason's reaction to the Gina Trapani PR Spam Wiki incident that caught fire earlier this week. Also: Women in PR and social media; and Twitter featured in Business Week. (continue reading)

Spam stories interest me because I don't get as up in arms about spam in general the way so many do. Is spam annoying, intrusive, and sometimes downright offensive? Absolutely. Is there much we will ever be able to do to put a stop to it? Probably not. So can't we just try to get along while we work on it? (continue reading)

Public relations belongs to the "girls" in 2008. Some 70% of PR practitioners and 80% of PR students today are women. At Kent State it's closer to 90%. In the communication biz, PR has become the new nursing. I know what you're thinking: So what? Women do well in PR, don't they? They do, indeed. But if you embrace diversity as I do, you have to worry about the trend line. (continue reading)