I wanted to make note of two public figures lately that have created a stir due to some knee-jerk retorts to their loyal disciples. Lets start with our favorite mock-turtleneck obsessed fan boy Messiah, Steven P. Jobs. Unless, you live in North Korea, you couldn’t help but notice there has been some negative reception surrounding Apple’s latest golden boy, the iPhone4. Sparing you of my whole karma theory surrounding this product since the get-go (just Google: Jason+Chen+front+door+bash), the sleek new antenna design appears to have been a move in the wrong direction, dropping calls regularly but only if you hold the phone like any normal human being since the first handset arrived in 1876. And if you can somehow manage to not touch the lower left side of the iPhone, then you might be able to make it through a call with ease. This is of course you one of the lucky few standing 5-feet from a local AT&T tower, but lets move on.

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Techies, professionals and IM junkies alike are talking about Google Wave, soliciting invites from friends and co-workers and brainstorming on ways to make the service better. While the potential business applications are numerous, the service developed by the internet powerhouse still has plenty of kinks to work out. (more…)

From a health perspective, I’m not quite sure who to believe.  Either Swine Flu will be the end of humanity, or that I’m more likely to die from the regular flu. Perhaps I’m more likely to die being struck by lighting? One thing is clear, Swine Flu has an uphill battle when it comes to PR.

Right now, both the CDC and a SwineFlu Account are managing PR on Twitter.  It is a TOUGH job to manage the danger of a Swine Flu pandemic.  You need to encourage people to be prepared and avoid person-to-person flu transmissions, without setting off a global panic.  Which I think is well underway.

Who I really feel for is the US Swine Industry.  Being from Indiana, I understand how crucial the livestock industry is to the US Economy and our global food chain.  There are talks of global embargoes on pork, questions about eating bacon, and even blaming this kid for all of our problems!

Using Social Media is a great way to spread panic, but its also a great way to control it.  Best of luck CDC!

@KristinMiller

Check us out at: www.twitter.com/sspr

As the Internet becomes more and more packed with consumer-generated media and content, it is increasingly important for companies to keep a close watch on their online reputations. Online reputation management (ORM) has begun to draw a great deal of attention because there are thousands of websites that have very low requirements—or no requirements at all—for people to enter them and post whatever message they want to, without having to verify what they say or even identify themselves.

Managing your online reputation isn’t limited to only social media sites and user-generated content sites such as YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. Content that could harm your online reputation may span professional sites, traditional journalism sites, or local news and media sites, as well as personal blogs, reviews, ratings, and any number of specialized websites targeted to specific audiences or subject matters. (more…)

According to several recent research studies and industry surveys, the economic impact of the current recession on the PR efforts of companies in the United States has been somewhat modest compared to other industries. Communication budgets may have shrunk a bit and purse strings are being watched more closely, but on average, PR firms have been holding their own. By avoiding dramatic reductions in staff, reducing payments to external agencies, and freezing or reducing salaries for internal employees, most PR firms are succeeding in meeting the challenges of the economic downturn. (more…)