Pan-Mass Challenge Heroes #16: John Potter

This is an ongoing series profiling some of the people I believe to be the real heroes of the Pan-Mass Challenge: the sponsors who donate their money to fund cancer research.

I have just $1,300 left to raise as I write this, but I can’t get there without help from more people like these Heroes. Please considering joining them by donating any amount to http://pmc.org/DH0159.

John Potter

One of the great parts of fundraising online via Twitter and Facebook is that people I hardly know jump in and help. It’s one thing to ask a friend to donate money, but how do you go beyond that circle to reach fundraising goals? What makes them join the circle? Chances are, I will get to know these people- and there are several of them- -better down the line after making this connection.

John Potter, one of the people behind the new site MoneyWatch (http://moneywatch.com), is one such person in this group. In fact, he leads the tech group for CBS Interactive Business Media (Moneywatch, BNET, ZDNet and TechRepublic).

John kindly answered my other questions as well:

- Why did you sponsor me in the Pan-Mass Challenge?

Saw it on your Twitter, and I’ve sponsored people in the past.

- How did you first hear about the Pan-Mass Challenge?

I’m a long-time Massachusetts resident who relocated to Palo Alto four years ago. I first heard about the Pan Mass challenge years ago when I sponsored a co-worker who was riding in it.

- Are you giving in the name or memory of someone you know who has had cancer?

In memory of my late sister-in-law Emily Potter who died of breast cancer.

John, thank you for sponsoring me. And thank you, everyone who has supported the Pan-Mass Challenge in any way. Please consider joining John Potter to sponsor my ride and fight cancer: http://pmc.org/DH0159. Please feel free to pass the link to others as well.

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Social Media Top (Five): How to Get Traffic Without Really Trying

How to Get Blog Traffic Without Really Trying:

I often refer to this blog- along with my other social media ventures- as a lab. I want to see what works, what people like, what gets you to read, respond and interact. Lately, I have had three instances that showed working methods of driving traffic to this blog, and for the most part I didn’t really try;

• Include a link in a comment on a mainstream media article: OK< for this one I did try-- I purposely included a link to a relevant blog post in a comment I left on a Boston.com (Boston Globe) article about the “Crack o’ Dawn” cycling club.
  When a mainstream media news site lets you leave links in comments (I reckon many still don’t even have links in their main stories- tsk, tsk), it turns out to be a good place to generate looks for your own site. For me, I had run into the same group of riders and had some video on a recent blog post, so was able to offer something relevant (not spammy, which of course is a no-no). I got steady traffic from that source for several days.
• Predict the death of a major celebrity: Two years ago, i wrote a post titled “Michael Jackson is Dead.” It was not about the King of Pop but rather about the quite-famous-in-his-own-right writer of the authoritative guide to scotch whiskeys. Frankly, he deserved the headline as much as Jacko does. Two years later, the performer Michael Jackson dies, and my post turns up in search engines, causing a huge, temporary and amusing traffic spike. Useful, maybe not. But an interesting look into the psyche of search.



• Have an authoritative Internet guru accidentally link to your post. When Cluetrain Manifesto co-author David Weinberger tried to link on Twitter to the “United Breaks Guitars” video that was just beginning to get attention via YouTube, a typo in the URL shortener he was using ended up leading his readers to, of all places, my blog. Actually it was a pretty good post about public relations from a year or so ago. Another traffic spike, which through coincidence and nothing else ended up sending some a ton of potentially relevant traffic my way. Thanks, David! And thanks for the tip on the video too.

  

Speaking of United Breaks Guitars, here is the video– it’s very well done, and a great way for someone with the means to get the upper hand against horrible customer service. From what I understand, United responded well, but a real response would be for customer service to prevent these kinds of reactions from happening in the first place. I won’t acknowledge applause for United liking the video. That’s not enough.

While I’m at it, here’s a statement Dave Carroll posted after United’s reaction. It’s only fair:

That’s not five, but it’s what I got for now

Posted in Public Relations, social media | 1 Comment »

Pan-Mass Challenge Heroes #15: Steve Sherlock

This is an ongoing series profiling some of the people I believe to be the real heroes of the Pan-Mass Challenge: the sponsors who donate their money to fund cancer research.

I have just $1,300 left to raise as I write this, but I can’t get there without help from more people like these Heroes. Please considering joining them by donating any amount to http://pmc.org/DH0159.

Phot credit: C.C. Chapman

Steve Sherlock

Steve is simply one of the nicest guys I have met in my association with Podcamp Boston. If you go to one of the events, he is the guy in the tri-corner hat, and one of the few people doing a lot of the work but not getting recognized nearly enough for it. If it weren’t for people like Steve, a lot of things simply would not get done (though a lot of us would sure be talking a lot about it).

Steve has multiple blogs, but his main online hangout is Steve’s 2 Cents (http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/), where he is currently writing about his current job search efforts, sharing the tips and tricks of using social media to find the next position.

More from Steve:

- Why did you sponsor me in the Pan-Mass Challenge?

I appreciate your participation in this worthy cause and want to help.

- How did you first hear about the Pan-Mass Challenge?

I heard about it several years ago from one rider who I met at Fidelity with whom I also shared a passion for soccer. Over the years, I have found a number of other friends taking part and contribute to their efforts.

- Are you giving in the name or memory of someone you know who has had cancer?

Not to any one individual. Unfortunately, I have too many to chose from. I lost my mother and her mother many years ago, and several members of the extended family have passed on with one of the variations of cancer.

- Name one interesting fact or story that makes you unique and interesting

The story behind the tri-corner hat is one conversation connecting New England’s heritage and learning events like PodCamp that can go one for sometime. I have written it up here http://stephensherlock.wikispaces.com/Social+Media+Student

Steve, thank you for sponsoring me. And thank you, everyone who has supported the Pan-Mass Challenge in any way. Please consider joining Steve Sherlock to sponsor my ride and fight cancer: http://pmc.org/DH0159. Please feel free to pass the link to others as well.

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Media Bullseye Article on the NYT ‘PR’ Piece

There has been bit of brou-ha-ha in the PR community over the July 5 New York Times "Spinning the Web" article. I have made my opinion known, especially over at Media Bullseye (http://bit.ly/I0CYS). In it, I link to several thoughtful reactions.

To summarize: I thought the Times piece did PR a grave disservice, portraying the kissy-face Rolodex style of PR as the norm. Those of us who practice public relations know that’s not true. I also note that articles like that tend to bring us together more as an industry.

Do you know of an article that accurately captures what PR does? Does it exist?

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Summer is Never What it Seems

"Summer is always dead."

Wrong. I spent ten years in the news industry, and now 11 in public relations. Every year, people expect summer to be slow. The weather is nice, people go on vacation, etc.

And every summer we are up to our ears in work.

This is not a statement about the economy and whether or not it’s recovering. It’s a statement about how repeated rebuttal doesn’t phase our ingrained prejudices.

Just look at the dragonfly in this photo. They not only don’t bite our sting us, they eat mosquitos. People who know this still scream and run away. Poor guy.

How’s your summer? Do you expect it to be dead, only to get swamped?

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Pan-Mass Challenge Heroes #14 – C.C. Chapman

This is an ongoing series profiling some of the people I believe to be the real heroes of the Pan-Mass Challenge: the sponsors who donate their money to fund cancer research.

I have just $1,400 left to raise as I write this, but I can’t get there without help from more people like these Heroes. Please considering joining them by donating any amount to http://pmc.org/DH0159.

I’m a Happy Digital Dad

Originally uploaded by CC Chapman

C.C. Chapman is a man who is always excited about something. His infectious enthusiasm is not some sort of bogus cheerleading, but a genuine storm of positive energy.

You can see that energy applied to his personal musings at www.cc-chapman.com, but also in his life as a marketer at Managing the Gray, a music lover at Accident Hash, and, best of all, a dad at www.digitaldads.com.

Having known C.C. since the first Podcamp conference in Boston in 2006, the cynical side of me has not been able to put a hate on the relentless positivity– because it’s not fake.

So, no surprise that C.C. is one of the many who have sponsored me in the PMC. More from C.C. himself:

- Why did you sponsor me in the Pan-Mass Challenge?

I always like to support friends in any way I can and I think that the Pan-Mass Challenge is a great fundraiser so it is a win win situation for me.

- How did you first hear about the Pan-Mass Challenge?

I don’t think you can live in New England without being aware of it. I don’t have a clue where I first heard about it, but every year I have friends involved in it.

- Are you giving in the name or memory of someone you know who has had cancer?

My family has been effected by cancer, but because it has happened to more then one person I did not do the donation as a tribute.

- Name one interesting fact or story that makes you unique and interesting

Few people know that I’m a published poet (note: including me. Now I know).

C.C., thank you for sponsoring me. And thank you, everyone who has supported the Pan-Mass Challenge in any way. Please consider joining C.C. Chapman to sponsor my ride and fight cancer: http://pmc.org/DH0159. Please feel free to pass the link to others as well.

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Pan-Mass Challenge Training Update– Crack o’ Dawn and the Longest Red Light in the World

As I continue to prepare for the Pan-Mass Challenge, a two-day bike ride across Massachusetts, in which all the participants raise money to fight cancer (this link goes to my fundraising page, so thank you if tou sponsor!), all sorts of natural obstacles are thrown in my path. today, for instance, I got in a quick 30-mile ride, interrupted by a flat tiure and one of the most incredible downpours I have ever been caught in.

Somehow, when I arrive back at the ball field where I started, there are baseball and volleyball games, a full swimming pool, and a general lack of acknowledgment of the ridiculous storm that took place a mere 10 miles away. As this has happened twice, I am convinced that there is a little black rain cloud following me around as I ride.

I don’t care, it makes me tough.

Earlier, on June 26, I grabbed some video from an early morning 30-mile ride, in which we encounter the infamous Crack of Dawn club, and we encounter the World’s Longest Red Light- twice.

Pan-Mass Challenge Training June 26, 2009 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Fundraising Update: Due to the strong response from my friends, I made my June fundraising goal, based on the percentage of the goal raised last year. Now, there is only $1,400 left to raise, with the PMC a mere four weeks away (August 1-2). Please join my team of sponsors at: http://pmc.org/DH0159

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Obsession with Numbers is OK

Between cycling, fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge, and generally being on the social networks, I’m pretty comfortable with numbers. By that I mean setting goals, asking for more, getting as much as possible.

In social media, there is a lot of backlash against “quantity.” “Quality” is first, right? But you don’t get quality without some quantity, and you need to pan a lot of dirt to make sure you get some gold.

Numbers make goals, even if it’s not all 100% clean in the quantity:

• More Twitter followers means more good followers (yes, you have to do a little work to search and filter)
• More miles means getting in better shape to ride (you have to ride all of them, not just the “good” ones- -whatever that means to you)
• More fundraising appeals means more funds raised (by the way, you can support me in the Pan-Mass challenge at http://pmc.org/DH0159)
• More business cards collected at a live event means more good contacts made (you will get better at it as you do it more)

Finding quality is hard work. Don’t take this as an excuse to spam and scam, but don’t be afraid of going after numbers.

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Pan-Mass Challenge Heroes #13: Larry Lawfer

This is an ongoing series profiling some of the people I believe to be the real heroes of the Pan-Mass Challenge: the sponsors who donate their money to fund cancer research.

I have just $1,800 left to raise, but I can’t get there without help from more people like these Heroes. Please considering joining them by donating any amount to http://pmc.org/DH0159.

I have known Larry Lawfer, Founder and President of YourStorys (www.yourstorys.com) for over three years in the “new media” space. More than most, he has represented the bridge from the quality and professionalism standards of old media to the mass (as in the masses) publishing and distribution of media in this new age of inexpensive, easy-to-get tools.

In other words, “new media” doesn’t mean the sacrifice of standards, and Larry’s media work has carried the standards, um, standard. More on PMC sponsorship from Larry himself:

I sponsor people, and you in particular, because of your passion to help, your willingness to sacrifice your time and energy, and the underlying
desire to give back to those who give.

I have been sponsoring people since the PMC’s inception, one reason why I
couldn’t jump on board last year. Yes I hear over and over from you, and
over again. This is what we marketing people do, right? (Note: OK, I can be persistent sometimes)

I actually have donated in the name of a close friend’s mother. She was an
absolutely wonderful woman who fought to the end. Ride well, my friend.

Larry, thank you for sponsoring me. And thank you, everyone who has supported the Pan-Mass Challenge in any way. Please consider joining Larry to sponsor my ride and fight cancer: http://pmc.org/DH0159. Please feel free to pass the link to others as well.

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Social Media Top 5: Social CRM Paparazzi, Leaning on Young PR Pros, and Fighting the Elements

Rockstars of Social CRM- in Pictures!:

I blogged about my side impressions from this event early in the week, but Warren Sukernik put together these entertaining slides that give the perspective of someone who joined the event via Webinar:

Are We Setting Up Young PR pros for Failure?
I have wondered aloud– with help of some PR professors about the state of PR education in colleges, and whether students are getting the education in newer communication methods– the answer, I think, is that there has been a lot of progress between now and a few years ago. David Mullen, in his article, takes a different tack; he wonders if young PR pros are being tagged as “social media experts” due to their Gen-Y credentials, and being given the keys to social media programs. Is this really happening? I don;t for example, feel that we do that at SHIFT communications, where I work. Are they being given the experienced management and strategic support they need to help their teams succeed? David seems pessimistic. I’d like to hear more.

*UPDATE* Karen Russell, who teaches PR at the University of Georgia, weighed in with her take.

…And a Partridge in a Pear Tree(?):
While self-brainstorming this week (ok, that sounds wrong somehow), I searched on the phrase “elements of a social media program.” The results I got made me chuckle. They included:

• Five Essential Elements
• Six Successful Elements
• Seven Critical Elements
• Forty Key Elements
• Oh- and Ten tips

There is no shortage of advice, is there?

Something in the Air:
I happened upon friend Colin Browning of New Marketing Labs at a Tweetup (Twitter meetup) during the Enterprise 2.0 conference here in Boston, and he corralled me for this Friday Funnies video now up at his Constructing Social blog. I think I did a good job keeping my composure.

Girl Dies While Tweeting:
No, it’s “Girl Dies While Using an Electrical Appliance in the Bathtub.” I’m sure there are plenty of things we can blame Twitter (or Facebook, or blogs) for. This isn’t one of them.

Posted in Public Relations, social media | 4 Comments »