Media Bullseye

While PR traditionally works as a behind-the-scenes entity, Joe Thornley argues that the future of PR is in the spokesperson as the public face of the company, and as a public figure. Social media has forced that into being. Also: Finding an audience in the Tivo era, media databases and PR spam, that blasted Kindle and Zappos on Twitter.

Welcome to another edition of CustomScoop's PR Pod Jots, our weekly rundown of all the best of the PR and marketing podosphere. It seems many of our favorites have returned from spring break refreshed and ready to discuss PR, social media, and all the latest online tools and trends.

In today's Blog Jots, Mitch Joel has thoughts on the idea of citizen journalism, noting that citizen journalists have achieved a level of credibility whether people like it or not. Also in this round, more answers to John Cass' Cluetrain questions, and more proof that customer service is important to PR and marketing.

While Second Life itself may have hit the "trough of disillusionment" on its hype cycle, it's on the way to the enlightenment phase; and virtual worlds beyond Second Life are still something to which you ought to be paying attention, because they're on the cusp of a major expansion.

Online shoe retailer Zappos and CEO Tony Hsieh have developed a dedicated following online, particularly on popular microblogging platform Twitter. Soren Jacobsen delves into the company's culture, ideas on transparency, and customer service to discover how they became an online force to be reckoned with.

Vanity Fair shoots a revealing photo of teen star Miley Cyrus, and the media loses its mind. Am I the only one who thinks this entire scandal and the ensuing media circus was completely coordinated by a PR machine? Whether it was the publication, photographer, Disney or Miley herself, everything about this story seems calculated. Was this reaction truly not anticipated?

Slowly but surely, companies and brands are understanding there is something profound happening in this new media world, and increasingly it's something they want to be a part of. But how can they know to whom to turn for advice on engagement? Is it their PR or marketing agency? Their technical group? Or is it someone else entirely?

Spike Lee has signed on to "direct" a film project consisting of footage taken from users cell phones. Lee is calling the project the "democratization of film". In reality, the Nokia-produced film is an attempt at using user-generated content to create a long-form advertisement while fostering a community based on brand loyalty.

I was pleased to welcome Darryl Ohrt to the Roundtable this week. Darryl is a founder at design and branding firm Plaid and the author of one of my favorite blogs, Brand Flakes for Breakfast. He joins me and Jennifer Zingsheim to discuss his company's quirky summertime marketing, Earth Day, and online ethics, among other things.

Today's Jots feature some good advice for young people coming out of college into the work force. Building a personal brand is not just about selling yourself and getting a job, it's about building personal relationships and then using your network to find the right place for you. Also: More Earth Day news, and the nuances of internal and external communications.