I was just cleaning up my favorites sites on Internet Explorer. I have not updated my links section on this blog in awhile. I use these favorites for both my work as a fire department PIO and as a marketing and public relations professional for a national not for profit organization.  Over the weekend I will hopefully add some of these new sites to my links page.

I present to you the most often visited PR sites that I rely on for information.

Some of the sites I list have not been updated as frequently as I would like to see, or the content is many years old, yet they still contain valuable resources, lessons to be learned, additional links to other sites and tips. There are many other sites I visit that are listed in this blogs links sections.

PRSA Web Site

I am a member of the Public Relations Society of America and find their site to be a great resource for everything PR.

PRNewswire
A release clearinghouse.

Businesswire.com
A clearinghouse of corporate releases.

PR and Marketing Network

PitchEngine.com
Allows you to get media PR pitches via RSS instead of traditional e-mail or voicemail.

The Publicity Hound
An e-zine with free PR advice.

WebSite-Watcher
A clipping-type tool that automatically looks for changes on web pages, any page at any level), as often as you like (every 30 minutes, hourly, daily, etc.) and then highlights precisely where on the page changes occur. Results are delivered via the tool or via e-mail.

TrackEngine.com
A clipping-type tool similar to WebSite-Watcher.

WhatsNextOnline.com
A bi-weekly newsletter on Internet marketing and PR.

Media Industry News

Press Access
Free PR resources, and the site also tracks moves of reporters and editors to new newspapers, trade and business publications.

Ragan Communications Interactive Public Relations
A great online PR newsletter that features a free online forum.

MediaSource
This site provides headline and feature news, allows users to get online press kits for a variety of companies, to contact industry experts, obtain press releases and provides news on trends and new products.

Best Practices in Public Relations
From the Strategic Public Relations Center at USC’s Annenberg School of Communications, this document outlines best practices for public relations practitioners.

WritingWithClarity.com
An excellent site from Ken O’Quinn, a former news journalist turned writing coach/consultant.

HelpaReporterOut.com
A free subscription site that allows reporters to submit a query looking for sources. Simply enter your query into a form, and it will get posted on the site’s next e-mailing. Queries are sent out three a day to a list of more than 18,000 global sources. If a source has knowledge of a specific query, that source can just e-mail the reporter directly. Note that PR people are kicked off the list for off-topic pitching.

Newswise.com
Press releases and expert referrals in several academic areas.

iPR Newsletter
A good online media relations site for news and trends.

Ereleases.com
Writes and faxes press releases to more than 10,000 journalists.

Press Release Network
Tips and tools for circulating press releases. Listing of top releases and newsletters.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability News, Press Releases, Feeds, Events

24-7 Press Release Newswire
Press release newswire distribution and rss syndication service with dissemination to opt in journalists, online media, freelance writers, newspapers and more. Offers daily top news, and free journalist registration to receive daily headlines by email.

Competitor-Analysis.com

Information Advisor

News Bios
This is a Denver-based pay site, but it’s a great resource. Bios of 3,500 influential journalists.

MediaSource.com
A press release posting system.

Online Press Release Factory
A press release posting system.

ClickPress
A free press release distribution service which is crawled and aggregated by all the main web-based news search operations, including Google and MSN.

PR Newswire Press Room
A journalist-only site that has an archive of news releases and photos, expert sources through ProfNet, multimedia, a directory of company contacts and more.

Center for Media and Democracy
Combats misleading PR practices.

Kirk Hallahan’s PR Links
Hundreds of useful resources from Colorado State University. The site has not been updated in a few years but there are still many helpful links to sites that are active.

Public Relations Online Resources and Organizations
Dozens of helpful links from ImpulseResearch.com.

Internet Press Guild: Care and Feeding of Journalists
Tips on the care and feeding of journalists.

Monday Morning Media Minute
PR tips and trends. Also available as an e-update.

FrugalMarketing.com
This site offers dozens of articles on press releases and other marketing strategies, always focusing on low costs and high return.

PR Talent
An excellent job-hunting site. Includes job alerts, RSS feed, forum page and job-hunting tips.

National PR Network
Resources for business, arts, and travel, as well as on how to have fun cheaply, sustainable business practices and a page of peace resources. More than 500 articles.

EditorsWeb.org
A daily service, which gathers links to governmental and congressional press releases, is used by hundreds of editors and reporters.

About.com PR/Advertising Page
Links to dozens of helpful industry sites.

The NewsMarket
Provides free broadcast-standard video and multimedia content from corporations, government agencies and non-profits. Journalists can search, preview and request video and other content on demand, online, via digital download or can choose to receive tape-by-mail.

PRFirms.org: Council of Public Relations Firms
Resources galore, including job-hunting materials.

The NewsMarket, Inc.
A journalist’s resource for B-roll, this site provides thousands of images free to television newsrooms. Users can preview video, read press materials and order video clips online. Delivery options include digital file transfer via FTP, whereby the material moves from TNM’s server to the user’s server; satellite feeds via APTN or tape delivery can also be requested. There is no cost to news professionals. The NewsMarket’s primary service is providing broadcasters with video from the world’s leading companies and organizations; news stories and archived stock shots from a large and growing range of sources. Particularly helpful to business and medical-health reporters.

MarketingSherpa

Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Association

Creativebusiness.com
Site offers forms as base for interviewing a prospective client. All are in pdf and cover everything from an assignment questionnaire to pricing to how to prepare a marketing plan. Free too.

Online Public Relations
The site offers lots of links, including links to research sites, career resources and public affairs resources.

ContentBiz Newsletter
It goes out weekly to about 10,000 publishing industry execs.

Institute for PR

Council of Public Relations Firms

DigitalWork.com
Affordable press release distribution.

PR News
A newsletter on pr and marketing.

Press Access
Lots of media news and gossip. Folks moving within the industry, etc.

ARA Content
PRNewswire and Business Wire, but we specialize in feature articles. There are two ways we can be a resource. On the PR side, we distribute articles. On the editors side, editors use our articles to fill supplement and special sections and for filler copy. Articles are educational, informational, high-quality feature articles with very little commercialism.

MediaCampaign.org
A site for campaign stakeholders.

PRSA: Silver Anvil Award Case Studies
A resource for those interested in reviewing examples of “best practice” case studies as well as a resource center for entrants. Offerings include a Reading Room as well as a Power Point presentation prepared by members of the Honors & Awards Committee.

The Holmes Report
Several free PR resources (ideas, white papers, etc.)

Web Clip Art

PR Point
Contains lot of useful resource materials.

Deloitte Press Room
Several interesting studies by the consulting firm.

InternetWire.com

LeFile.com
This site comments on best practices of corporate (and government) Web sites using in-the-news events to prompt site reviews and commentary. The site includes a Homeland Security page.

The PR Place
Lots of links.

PR Professional Daily
An online newsletter devoted to the profession.

USA News Net
Press releases, corporate directory and more. Pay site.

MediaMavens.com
An Internet wire service for the media only. Publicity, celebrity marketing and mroe.

PressAccess.com’s Links to Publications and Broadcast Media

Press Access Free PR Links
Dozens of dynamite links.

InternetPRGuide
Public Relations Strategy and Tips for Internet professionals offers tips on press release writing, distribution and trade shows. Internet publicity pointers also cover dealing with the media and crisis management.

PR Web
A press release database, help writing press releases, help finding a PR firm, and more. Billed as “by PR professionals for PR professionals.

MediaRelations.com

Newstream
More wire-service content.

US Newswire

Media Training

News Broadcast Network

CyberAlert
Monitors Web traffic; offers news and news groups.

SpeakerNetNews.com
A weekly e-zine for professional speakers. A good way to promote PR seminars, books, etc.

Ezine Tips
A great online e-zine published on weekdays.

MediaPost.com
MediaPost provides an electronic directory of radio, TV and print media.

PromoteYourself.com
Sign up for several e-zines on promotions. Viz-Ability Marketing Tips is highly recommended.

ODwyerpr.com
Jack O’Dwyer Newsletter’s daily PR news. Jack, by the way, is retiring soon as editor.

URLwire.com
A news service just for site reviewers, portal guide editors, writers, and reporters who link to great web content.

TVEyes.com
Search software that tracks what’s being said on TV scripts.

Writing Releases
Great tips on the do’s and don’ts of writing a press release.

The Traditional Press Release is Dead
An article by strategist B.L. Ochman, an Internet and Outernet marketing and PR consultant, speaker, journalist and publisher of What’s Next Online marketing tactics newsletter.

Press Releases Are a Colossal Waste of Time
An article by strategist B.L. Ochman, an Internet and Outernet marketing and PR consultant, speaker, journalist and publisher of What’s Next Online marketing tactics newsletter.

The Measurement Standard
Product/service reviews of three media reputation indexes, as well as a detailed guide to measuring in cyberspace. There’s also a piece on “if you have six months to turn your PR around, what are the six things you need to do? — a month-by-month timetable. For the media there are the results of a recent survey of PR in the UK that indicates that PR’s reputation is at an all-time low.

WorldPressOnline
“Dedicated to online press relations for corporate communicators and trade press editors in the packaging industry. It’s a business-to-press site in which trade press editors, PR agencies and companies of the packaging industry can exchange information.”

eworldwire Press Release Distribution and Writing Service
With a full-time research department, this site claims its distribution databases are the most up-to-date in the industry.

PR Web
Press release distribution site.

Vocus Public Relations Software
Publishes free monthly white papers and plays host to free webinars on PR-themed topics.

MediaMap
Send a query to PR.

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I was recently looking at the “competition’s” websites as I often do to see what other departments are posting and updating. There are some really great fire department sites on Long Island. Unfortunately it dawned on me that even some of the top sites, and even in their contact areas, do not list an email address to reach.

I understand that it is crucial to list our emergency number and also our non emergency phone contact, but isn’t it equally as important to list our e-mail?

My department site lists both our info@ email address and my department PIO email contact on the site. We receive many email inquiries from folks wanting to know information on a wide range of topics from, how to dispose of combustible materials to how do I get fire prevention speakers? to what time does a parade start to how do I join the department and everything in-between.

Some people use email as their main form of communications. There are a group of citizens who would much rather email then pick up the phone. Maybe they feel a human voice would laugh at their question, or they would be put on hold and sent from extension to extension, whatever reason though, emailers make up a large number of people seeking important information that deserve to have their questions answered.

My department receives a fair number of e-mail inquiries. The info@ questions are routed to the appropriate parties and quickly responded to.

It has been my experience that once I start a dialogue with these folks, and even though I offer a phone number if they want to respond, the conversation still remains restricted to email communication. That is their comfort zone.

Don’t miss out on engaging the members of your community who use email as their primary form of communication with the “outside world.” Make sure your website and publications has email information listed.

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There was a time in life when folks would not receive a “free pass” for their indiscretions. Recently I was pounding away on the computer in the conference room at the firehouse when two of the younger guys walked in and sat at the table to shoot the breeze.

One of the guys was talking about a friend who cheated by hanging out with his girlfriend. When he confronted the friend, he admitted to his misdeeds and was forgiven. He got a “free pass.” In my younger days a similar situation would have ended with fists flying. That might not have been the correct resolution to the problem, but it did replace the “free pass.”

The question is how did the “free pass” develop? I blame it all on professional sports. Years ago the late George Steinbrenner, who I respected as a businessman, sportsman and Yankee team owner created the “free pass” which has lead to more problems then it has resolved.

In an era of paying athletes humongous salaries, there was a need to protect your investment. If the Dwight Gooden’s of the world were caught using drugs they received the “free pass.” Oh, as long as he admits to what he’s done and goes to rehab he’s welcome back. Oh, if he abuses his wife but goes for counseling, he’s welcome back.

Some of these athletes over the years have received multiple “free passes” for their lack of tact and judgment. Now it has crept into the world of entertainment, another venue for following and emulating poor celebrity judgment by impressionable youth.  Lindsay Lohan is in jail. In today’s culture kids think – that’s cool, she’ll serve her time go to rehab, which is probably like a vacation and then receive the “free pass.”

Unfortunately this attitude of a wimpy slap on the wrist has permeated society.

Where as in the past rules were meant to be followed, today they are bent to meet a specific agenda or need.

How often in our own fire service are guys given the old “free pass” for not meeting call quota’s, not appearing at events, work details or drills or acting stupid at Class A uniform functions?

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I have always feared the comma. Am I using it in the right places, not using it when I should, overusing it? There has been a lifelong cloud hanging over me in terms of my relationship with this grammatical little guy.

To come up with some rules of thumb pertaining to the comma, we direct your attention today to the comma guru, Don Ranly, who is a professor emeritus of the Missouri School of Journalism. Hopefully we can all gain from his commatic expertise.

If you’ve spent some time editing copy or working around writers, you’ve discovered at least three attitudes people have regarding commas.

1. Those who hate commas. They quote Mark Twain as saying, “As to the comma, when in doubt, leave it out.” I don’t think Twain ever said that. He did say, “As to the adjective, when in doubt, leave it out.” That’s a bit different. These comma haters take commas out whenever ever they can, or they go by the ridiculous rule, place a comma only where you want the reader to pause. How dumb is that!

Now if the subject of commas makes you comatose, for heaven’s sakes, stop reading this. If you don’t care about being correct and consistent in your use of commas, there’s nothing I can do for you. Go away.

2. Those who use commas for no particular reason other than that they feel better—or that they take them out because they feel better. The sentence seems to need them or doesn’t seem to need them.

3. And those who put commas everywhere. They love them. They will separate every set of adjectives and every compound subject and compound predicate with a comma every time.

I hope to persuade those of you who don’t think so that there are clear guidelines for many of the uses of the comma—guidelines that you can use every day of your writing and editing life. I shall go through these guidelines one by one, and then in the end, I shall present a page that I have given thousands of students and attendees of my seminars over the years.

Now I am not denying that you might have been taught different rules or that grammar books, even good ones, might have different guidelines that those I shall give you. What I promise you is that my rules are practical and for the most part, quite simple to follow. Most of all, they will enable you and your staff to be on the same page when you edit copy.

Staffs waste an enormous amount of time and energy when they don’t have guidelines. One person puts the comma in, the next person takes it out, and the battle continues. Nonsense.

Ranly’s rules: Punctuating for consistency

1. Always place a comma after words in a series but not before and or or unless the meaning is unclear. So there you go. The first rule is not an always. It also contradicts what many if not most of us were taught in grammar school about so-called “serial commas.” The rule comes from the Associated Press. You need not follow it—but why not?

Here’s an example AP cites as an exception: “I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.”

2. Always place a comma after an introductory dependent clause in a complex sentence. I know, that’s a mouthful. But it’s all a matter of vocabulary. Words and putting together words are what writers and editors work with.

Suppose you were in an operating room, and the surgeon said to a nurse, “Hand me that sharp thing over there. I don’t know what you call it.” Wow. Or if a carpenter wanted to drive in a nail and asked someone to hand him that thing with the steel head on it. Not too professional, eh?

Yet writers sometimes brag about not knowing grammar. They rely on editors to catch their errors and save them from embarrassment. The usual statement is, “Well, I used to know it.” Well, maybe.

A student once asked me why I called a word a gerund. I told him: “I don’t know. What do you want to call it? Why do you call a chair a chair?

If you don’t understand the words in Guideline No. 2, take a look at the definitions in the side bar. For most of you, this is just a refresher.

Here’s an example of a complex sentence that begins with a dependent clause.

Example: Since you began reading this, you have become more confused than ever.

Note the comma before the subject of the main clause. This is an every-time rule. There are NO exceptions.

Note, however, if the complex sentence begins with the independent clause, there is no comma before the dependent clause.

Example: You have become more confused than ever since you began reading this.

3. Always place a comma after an introductory independent clause in a compound sentence before the coordinating conjunction.

Example: She had a great grammar teacher in the seventh grade, and she has benefited from that experience all her life.

Note the comma before the and. Again, this is an every-time rule. There are NO exceptions. However, if the pronoun she did not follow the and, the sentence would not be compound, and it would not have a comma before the and.

Example: She had a great grammar teacher in the seventh grade and has benefited from that experience all her life.   

Here we do not have a compound sentence but a compound predicate. Never separate a compound predicate (or a compound subject) with a single comma.

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One of the more hotly contested Senate races taking place this fall is in Nevada where Sharon Angle is trying to unseat majority leader Harry Reid. I think it is safe to say that Angle, who was leading Harry Reid and is now trailing slightly in the polls, is starting to be looked upon as a “wingnut.” She certainly is not making any new friends in the media. Angle held a so called “press conference” recently in which she invited the media but bizarrely refused to even acknowledge their presence when they tried to ask her questions after the event ended.

The video in this post, especially the astute comments on it from Eric Herzik, a political science professor from UNLV, show how Angle and her team are shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to public relations and interaction with the media.

Note the reaction in the video when Angle’s press representative talks to questioners when he and Angle are entering their car. He has the personality and demeanor of a wet noodle. Who made this brilliant hire?

Some pundits have speculated that Angle’s media blueprint is based on actually avoiding the media, or controlling her interviews to a few outlets and delivering messaging via her social media channels. If that is the case maybe it is time to look at your current poll numbers and retool.

TO VIEW THE VIDEO AND COMPLETE STORY CLICK HERE

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One of the challenges of writing a daily firematic blog and serving as a PIO of a volunteer department is making sure that my opinions do not affect my department negatively. This is what I must do regarding the general public’s perception of my department and this is also what I must do in the blogosphere.

I do report on my own department and how we handle public relations and crisis communications occasionally, but I would, in my own opinion, be a fool to make my department look foolish to the folks from across the country who read this blog.

Recently a military blogger and Marine Corps. “civilian public affairs representative” Gina DiNicolo was  fired for disparaging comments she made about a military event, RIMPAC, off the coast of Hawaii. DiNicolo writes for the Military Officers Association of America’s blog Inside the Headquarters.

DiNicolo made fun of the annual exercise which consists of “38 days of nation building and joint operations off the coast of Hawaii.” DiNocolo wrote in her personal blog:

“SNOOZEPAC (her terminology) is 38 days of too many visitors gorging themselves on foreign and U.S. naval delicacies. Air assets become personal taxis transporting their fares from vessel to vessel. Maybe that’s how it got its rep as the world’s largest floating cocktail party.”

Here is the complete post.

DiNocolo said that her blog post is her own point of view and be taken separately from her work as a PR contractor. Obviously, the military thought otherwise.

My feeling? I am in many ways the public face of my department. My personal opinion matters, no matter where I state it.

Should DiNicolo have been fired? What do you think?

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Ever since the enactment of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 confusion has reined in our profession about exactly who and what is covered in the law, and what we can and cannot report on and take pictures of. I think allot of what we hear is fact but allot of the interpretation of the legislation is based on “folk law” handed down since the passing of the bill.

I recently received an e-mail from a fellow PIO and newsman asking for assistance in mucking through the separation of fact from fiction.

“…My problem lately is scene access to some outlying areas. I’m getting
the same story from them, “Got to worry about those HIPAA laws! Can’t
let you anywhere close to the scene”. I’ve searched and can’t find any
specific info on how the HIPAA laws affect emergency services and more
specifically, firefighters. Any ideas?

I’ve never been one to ask probing questions about injuries or specifics
at an accident or fire..my TV station is very firm about making sure we
don’t intrude and we also don’t show victim’s bodies, even if they are
covered by a sheet. We simply do not do that. I don’t ask for details on
injuries or deaths…all of that info comes from the state police. All
we ask for, and usually from the police on scene, is number of victims,
and which hospital? So it’s not like I’m asking for their credit card
numbers or something!
So do you have any info on how HIPAA is handled in the field? Or
suggestions on resources? Any help would be appreciated.”

Your suggestions, wisdom, knowledge and input would be deeply appreciated!

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To volunteer fire departments across the country local community newspapers are our bread and butter vehicle for getting news out to the community. Unfortunatly, like many other print publications, local papers are also suffering through hard times. I think it is our responsibility to tell as many members of our communities as possible that these new sources are vital to spreading the local word.

It seems local and community newspapers have been hit the hardest by the unstable economy. In fact, at least 120 local newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008, according to Paper Cuts, a website that tracks the newspaper industry. However, visit this site at your own risk. The map of newspapers that have closed or stopped publishing a newsprint edition is a depressing sight.

In order to spread the good word about the benefits community papers offer, the New York Press Association started a $4 million statewide ongoing ad campaign that started in the spring, highlighting the fact that local papers provide strategically tailored, demographically-focused information relevant to communities.  The ad campaign features about a dozen examples of failure — a pickup half-sunk in a river, a speeding ticket, a father and son staring longingly at an empty carnival site. The tag line on each is ‘Your Community Paper. Told Ya.’ You can see all the ads at Community Newspaper Branding Camapign

Local newspapers have an opportunity to offer news that readers aren’t going to get on TV, radio, or Web sites. Many feel that readership can be increased by focusing on local news coverage — like our fire departments, little league sports, school news, births, anniversaries, obits, etc.

One of the current problems with community papers is that publishers should focus on the unique benefits that these local papers can offer, like through the NYPA ad campaign, an not attempt to guilt the community into increasing readership and advertising spends as so many do.

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My “office” at the firehouse is in a corner of the conference room. I have a desk against one of the walls. On the wall in front of my desk is a bulletin board that has all the current 2010 new clippings from press the department has received. It’s just about full, and that’s both good and bad. Good for the press we have received on stories concerning fire prevention, community award ceremonies, parade appearance and member recognition but bad for those clipping that resulted in devastating fires and MVA’s or loss of life.

Yesterday we held a meeting in the conference room. I am a member of the departments training committee. During the training meeting one of the Chiefs looked at the board and commented on how full it was. I was surprised that the Chief had not noticed the board many times in the past, and in that there is a lesson to be learned.

For a number of years I ran a major special event on Long Island know as the Long Island Festival of Trees to benefit the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County. Each year over 50,000 people would come to see hundreds of designer decorated Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, holiday entertainment, gift shops and children’s rides and activities. It was a wonderful event with a great hard working committee.

It always amazed me that at times the committee chair people looked at their areas as the central hub of the Festival. The ladies who chaired the gift shops thought of the event as the Festival of Gift Shops, the group who handled the children’s area thought of the event as the Festival of Children etc.

Although each of these areas was crucial to the success of the overall event, they were not the event, simply a slice of a whole pie. If was difficult for many to understand that they had to do the best job possible to make their area a part of a bigger enterprise.

I should have learned from my own Festival experience. Although the Public Information Office is a major part of the overall function it is not the only thing on the Chiefs mind. I know some of my fellow officers look at their responsibilities as the Fire Department of Rescue or the Fire Department of Fire Police etc.

I’m proud of what I do but sometimes I have to put it back in perspective. I ‘m just a planet revolving around a larger Fire Department Sun.

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Anyone who has been in the public relations field for any length of time has used the AP Stylebook to help them at least try to look literate. For those novices a little background -

The Stylebook was first produced in 1953 as a stapled collection of rules totaling 60 pages, and has grown to a publication of more than 450 pages today. The book’s creation was prompted in part by a technical change in the way the AP transmitted news as well as a need for consistency among a worldwide editorial staff that produced stories for newspapers with a variety of style preferences. There have been major periodic revisions over the past few decades, the last in 2008, and the print edition is now updated annually.

The new AP Stylebook in hot off the presses and contains no less then 42 new social media guidelines.

 The new Social Media Guidelines section includes information and policies on using tools like Facebook and Twitter, how journalists can apply them to their work and how to verify sources found through them. Also included are 42 separate entries on such terms as app, blogs, click-throughs, friend and unfriend, metadata, RSS, search engine optimization, smart phone, trending, widget and wiki.”

I just looked at a copy of the 2008 style guide I have in my office and it’s totally amazing how the media world has changed in a short 2 year span.

For more info on the new 2010 AP Stylebook go to https://www.apstylebook.com/

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