readings in social media and pr for 18 November 2011 #NCA11

"My friend Margarita Kefalaki posted this dinner picture while we were at a wonderful Psychology Convention in Greece! Today, I am in New Orleans and thinking good thoughts of Emerile's wonderful Delmonico's tonight!

Here is what I am reading between NCA sessions:

• PR lessons from Penn State Crisis

“Karen Freberg, who teaches strategic communication at the University of Louisville, wrote to us with three key points on how Penn State can effectively communicate throughout this crisis:

Acknowledge action steps with strong rhetoric. While there has been a change of staff with the University administration and football team with a new interim head coach, internal cultures do not change overnight. Penn State needs to state exactly how it is going to make sure this does not happen again. One way to initiate this is to establish a new evaluation code for all athletic staff members. Academics are reviewed every year and are observed in their classroom, but there is no such program set in place for coaches or other athletic officials. Actions in this case speak louder than words.”

• what your tweets tell others

“Imagine a tiny little sun, just bursting with heat and light, but trapped inside a hard metal cover with a few holes to let beams of energy stream out from inside. Now imagine there were millions of those little suns, maybe the size of basketballs or tennis balls, all rolling down an assembly line one after another, each with a unique pattern of holes and beams of light streaming out into the world.”

• what marketing says about the future

“In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype; Facebook’s and Twitter’s advertising platforms gained momentum; Google joined the social networking party with Google+; social became a mainstream component within search-engine results pages (SERPs); and Congress called for increased disclosure by companies providing location-based services.

As 2012 follows on the heels of such events, what digital changes and trends should forward-thinking marketers anticipate? Here are Optify’s Top 12 predictions for the year ahead.”

• NCA Convention — New Orleans!

“”Once again, the general sessions that conclude each day of convention programming will be webcast. The NCA Opening Session, the Carroll C. Arnold Distinguished Lecture and the NCA Presidential Address and Awards Presentation will be webcast live from New Orleans. This is a great opportunity for members and other interested parties who are not able to join us in person to still be able to participate in these unique and important events.”