It didn’t happen. Social media didn’t go away. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred: Social media has exploded in its usage and ubiquity, and now significantly influences many communications around the world. The challenges of strengthening corporate reputation and building trust among stakeholders can prove difficult for any professional communicator. Across investor relations circles, the practice of supplementing more traditional IR strategies with social media is not widespread. Certain functions specific to IROs, namely the disclosure of material news, make adopting social media and using its channels as primary communication tools something to be thoughtfully considered. So, for the sake of this brief discussion, let’s sidestep the legal department and address the “relations” function of the IRO so that we can better understand how channels like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and corporate blogs can work to enhance shareholder relations and improve the corporate bottom line. (more…)

Todd Defren, principal at high-tech PR firm SHIFT Communications and author of the popular blog PR-Squared, is the inaugural guest in our Ask the Expert series.  As the PR industry is morphing (thanks in great part to social media), so too is SHIFT with a new office in The Big Apple. We picked Todd’s brain on both fronts: (more…)

On Friday, December 4th, Marketwire attended the public unveiling of the new CBC/Radio-Canada Vancouver integrated newsroom in support of the broadcaster’s annual Food Bank Day Fundraiser. To help promote the event and draw a bigger crowd of “do-gooders”, we organized a tweetup with other marketing and journalist professionals. (more…)

Paper, glass, or plastic — how do you like your news delivered? Are you traditional and tactile, with newsprint-stained fingertips and a fondness for the weekend paper? Do you still tune in regularly to TV news programs and all-news stations? Do you own a radio? How about your iPod, BlackBerry or Kindle – if someone snuck a peek at your news apps and downloads, what would they say about you? Chances are, you’re a “blended” news consumer who likes a little of everything. (more…)

Admit it. You can’t resist it. Thanksgiving in the U.S. has, since I can remember, signaled the start of shopping and socializing. And no one is immune. Including you. Black Friday beckons to all and in the digital age never before has this siren sounded so loudly. And never before have so many of us answered her call, taking shopping and socializing traditions to new heights and new forms. (more…)

Web 2.0 technologies have irrevocably changed the volume and speed of news delivered and consumed on a daily basis.  There has been a shift of influence from professional journalism to social media as many news consumers now rely on a significant mix of traditional and online sources.  In a recent CBC Radio show, Ira Basen explores the changing landscape of news delivery from news 1.0 to news 2.0, and asks whether the world is ready to part ways with traditional news media. (more…)

After an eventful first day, Day 2 of the Online News Association’s annual conference opened with a bang as CEO/Founder Lisa Stone, BlogHer, talked about the evolution of “the mommy media.”  She spoke about the transformation of B2B and B2C marketing through blogging.

Some of the top sessions centered on hot-button topics, such as “Journalism for the Mobile Generation” with panelists like Benjamin Moss, director of mobile products, Associated Press.

Other sessions discussed the ethical considerations the media must take into account when using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and included tutorials on best practices when using SEO and SEM to reach your audiences. Take a look at J.D Lasica’s (founder, Socialmedia.biz) presentation on social media best practices. (more…)

It was made abundantly clear in discussions at the fifth annual IR Magazine Canada Think Tank, held October 1 in Toronto, that social networks, Web 2.0, and our real-time, mobile nature of communicating with each another have radically changed the practice of investor relations.   A growing percentage of the Canadian financial community is embracing social media and reaping its rewards.  They are tapping into channels like Facebook and Twitter to listen to and engage stakeholders, employees and analysts, and they are utilizing digital channels like YouTube, SlideShare, and podcasts to expand the reach of corporate messages and materials. (more…)

The fifth annual Online News Association conference is being held this year in San Francisco and includes an amazing line-up of speakers and networking opportunities.  At the top of the conference, participants had already learned about Twisten.fm (Pandora’s cousin – a social media site for music), Muckrack (a journalist-only Twitter feed), and caught a quick glimpse of Yahoo!’s new editorial style guide. We collected a ton of marketing shwag and chatted with the editorial director of CNNMoney.com. (more…)