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.

Spike Lee and Nokia announced today they would collaborating on a film project using cell phone camera coverage compiled from average users. The film will be produced by Nokia, and will consist of three parts, with an "assignment" released online and users given 4 weeks to gather their footage.

What do you get when you cross Google maps, a mobile-based GPS for your friends and Twitter? FireBall! Leonard Lin, one of the founders of Upcoming.org, is releasing his latest project at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco this week, where conference goers can test out the new tool in beta. We are sure to hear more about this as buzz radiates through the blogosphere.

The New Yorker, itself a print publication, thinks that print journalism is on its way out. I'm thinking we all ought to take a deep breath and stop obsessing over it. The Death of the Newspaper is a bit premature, and likely will not even occur in our lifetimes.

According to BusinessWeek, market research is showing that iTunes has become the number two retailer of music in the United States. The online music seller especially popular among iPod users, lacks behind only Wal-Mart in overall sales, according to NPD research.

Renowned journalist, pundit, and college professor Steve Roberts shares his views on the changing nature of journalism and new media. He offers thoughts on citizen journalists, the obliteration of the news cycle, the evolving business model of print media, and more.

Today, Google made a relatively small, but concrete step forward by releasing a series of applications specifically tailored for the Apple iPhone. Owners of the popular device can now take advantage of redesigned Gmail and other Google applications that are said to be faster and easier to use on the iPhone.

The days of Napster are long over, but online sharing of digital files (from music to unreleased theatrical films) continues regardless of the legal constraints. Does the ease of technological shortcuts encourage unethical activity?

Sarah Wurrey asks her Twitter community to pick the links for today's Blog Jots, and they respond in kind! Inside: Super-duper fast Internet, government blogging, a new metrics system, and some tips for social media success in 2008.

In arguably one of the bigger public relations gaffes of 2007, FEMA caused a stir last year when it organized a press briefing to discuss the California wildfires situation and lined the press room with staffers when reporters were not present. Kami Huyse sits down with John Pat Philbin, the head of FEMA’s media team at the time of the incident, and the media’s number one fall guy.