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5.0 out of 5 stars
The social media ARE the message if you understand how to use them., March 14, 2010
This review is from: Making News in the Digital Era (Paperback)
David Henderson is that increasingly rare independent PR guru who hasn't forgotten his newsperson roots. He totally understands how to tame the new media technology and without compromising those roots, will helps you understand it too. This slim, easy-to-read book contains everything you need to know about communicating successfully in our 24/7, social media-driven age. Forget the blast PR release, Henderson says. To connect with younger people especially, companies have to be a lot more honest and transparent - and much less self serving in their messages. And lest you forget --- he reiterates all the communication basics that are still at the heart of any class-act public relations campaign. So thorough is this book that Henderson risks putting himself out of a job, although he does point out early and often that most of the huge, corporate-owned PR agencies of the day remain clueless about how to strategize a media campaign in the age of Twitter followers and Facebook fans
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Give your organization a voice in today's information ecosphere, October 25, 2011
This review is from: Making News in the Digital Era (Paperback)
Professionals and students, read this book to figure out how to give your organization a voice in the crowded, changing information ecosphere. "Making News in the Digital Era" acts as a reference manual but reads like a collection of short stories. It's a manifesto about the growing importance of certain principles - transparency, openness, credibility, and building relationships - and a warning of the perils of not practicing them. Communication professionals have heard it before. We think we know this stuff. So then why do we struggle to implement it? Henderson explains some of the psychology behind the factors that create the wide gap between what works and what we're doing. Read ONLY if you are ready to look in the mirror... Part 1, "Torrents of Change," is about discovering innovations and authenticity. The chapters guide readers through the organic changes taking place and make the case that emerging technologies offer an organization new opportunities to become a more genuine version of itself. On the other hand, the chapters warn, if an organization does not innovate or heed advice to more toward transparency and openness it gets left behind in the movement toward credibility and relationship building. Part 2, "Get in the Game. Make a Difference," is about surveying and fitting into the new media landscape. It encourages taking both value-driven and values-driven approaches in determining where to invest an organization's time and resources, with prime examples of do's and don'ts. How have communication strategists, both in-house and outside consultants, achieved success in strong messaging? Henderson gives several compelling examples. Part 3, "Reaching. Engaging. Influencing," walks readers first through corporate storytelling. What does it achieve? How does it work? Why? The answer is about getting people to care. To illustrate, Henderson draws on the example of Steve Jobs at Apple. One needs only to think back to the days and weeks following Jobs' untimely death to know how much he got people to care about his company. The chapters address the elements of good storytelling: reading reality, speaking plainly, finding ears to listen, answering questions, etc. Then, in the final nine chapters, Henderson tackles strategic planning directly. No, not tactics to get cheap results, but strategies and clear vision for achieving enduring, trusting and meaningful relationships. He also gives tips on how to prevent distractions like slogans, mission statements and poor interview performance from getting in the way. Again, Jobs' leadership at Apple provides a perfect model, as well as Zappos CEO Tony Hseieh. As a journalism professional who has worked in print, TV and online, I found I already did much of what Henderson suggests based on my reporter instincts. But one thing I've learned working in media relations for the past year is that most people in organizations do not share those instincts, and this book gave me the language to reason with them. I admit, it also taught me more than just a thing or two... When you put on the other hat, the lure to fall into the same traps can be overpowering.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Must-have book for people doing - or buying - PR services, November 21, 2010
This review is from: Making News in the Digital Era (Paperback)
David Henderson is, like so many of us in the public relations business, a former journalist. You can tell that by looking at the blurbs from former CBS newsman Dan Rather and ABC's Greg Dobbs on the back of his book Making News in the Digital Era, which was published in 2009 by iUniverse. This points to the fact that Henderson first thought of his job as a PR guy to be about media. Once upon a time, that would have made perfect good sense. When the main way to reach an audience was through the media, journalists were naturals to move to PR, since they had newsroom contacts and an understanding of newsroom culture. But Henderson has seen that the changes social media has brought to light allow organizations to talk to audiences far more directly than ever before. A corollary to that fact is this: what allows organizations to speak to audiences directly also allows audiences to talk back, and to talk among themselves. This 170-page book is one that ANYone interested in the practice of media relations or public relations today and into the future ought to have, for a number of reasons. Henderson is an excellent writer. His sentences are well-constructed and his arguments are made logically and thoroughly. That makes the book useful. The content is excellent too. He quotes from a number of top-shelf people from the world of business, not-for-profits, and from the public relations industry too (including Ottawa's own Kathryn Schwab, I was pleasantly surprised to see!) The book is divided into three parts: "Torrents of Change"; "Get in the Game. Make a Difference"; and "Reaching. Engaging. Influencing." Some of the chapter titles are a wee bit cliché ("The camera never blinks" or "Crisis never takes a day off"), but they are appropriate for the content. One of the great things about this book is that Henderson finds lots of examples that haven't been beaten into the ground yet. My buddy Mark Blevis has been writing about the fact that some case studies in social media are getting tired. Not that Ford's social media initiatives aren't a great story, but how many times do you need to hear it? This is NOT a gee-ain't-social-media-cool book. This is a book that gives concrete examples of how organizations can USE social media to communicate with audiences -- including the mainstream media -- and do good media relations in the "digital age." One of the best case studies in the book is one that Henderson was personally involved with. In 2002, Henderson became involved in the plight of 12 Kuwaiti citizens who had been taken into custody by American forces and taken to Guantanamo Bay. In the chapter, he discusses how he worked to get media attention to this controversial topic, and how he helped shape the key messages that were important to get out. He follows that chapter with one on a lawyer named Layli Miller-Muro and how her Tahirih Justice Center works with the media. Those chapters alone are worth the cost of the book, in my opinion. The other thing that I greatly appreciated in the book is Henderson's willingness to point out that there are many PR firms that are either choosing to ignore social media or to merely put a gloss of social media on top of their proposals. He's not shy about discussing what he considers unethical or less-than-competent practices in the industry, and he gives the reader some useful advice on how to choose wisely and what to look for in a PR counsel. Overall, this is one of the best PR books that I've ever read. The biggest weakness I can point out in it is that its design is simple to the point of utilitarianism. It looks like a self-published book, which it is. If its cover design sends people away, that's a shame -- for Henderson and for the reader, who's missed an opportunity to get a LOT of great advice.
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