It’s interesting to see a notable like Britopian leave the inner sanctum of Intel and his position as a social media strategist for the organization. Intel has scoured out a path of community engagement and interactive communications due (largely) in part to the work of Michael, and I’m sure they are very sad to see him go. But the larger issue is where Michael is headed: the largest independent PR firm in existence, with clients including Starbucks, Canon, Kraft and Wal-Mart.

Last year a similar move happened at Sandisk – with Rachel Polish (@rachelpolish). After a year of struggling to convince the memory manufacturer to embrace social media as a communications and business strategy, Rachel was picked up by Ogilvy, the 4th largest PR/Ad brand among WPP’s groups. Rachel is now instrumental in creating and directing some really cool social media initiatives and programs for a roster of clients that includes Disney, DuPont, LG Electronics and GalxoSmithKline.

The social media wave has generated a huge amount of backlash against PR as a practice and industry – but both Rachel and Michael have jumped directly into the PR fray because it’s the logical place for them to be. In these roles – as directors of community management, educators of content marketing and engineers of social media programs for clients – many more companies (as well as scores of agency flacks and internal PR teams) will reap the benefits of their innovative approaches to media and the consumer writ at large.

So it seems the PR industry isn’t so stagnant after all. For all the negativity it’s endured lately, PR is shifting its mindset to adapt to communication trends and demands (read Jason Mandell’s SVW guest post here.) We also know that many brands still struggle with the idea of sharing control of their brand and voice; and often PR takes (in the face) the brunt of client/executive insecurity about how much control to relinquish. Hopefully the learnings and leadership of former ‘insiders’ like Rachel and Michael will transform PR into the community-engagement discipline that so many demand these days.

The point is, change happens: it just doesn’t (and perhaps shouldn’t) happen overnight, folks.

Whoa – that’s a lot of teeth. With Lerin O’Neill of the Hoffman Agency.

First thing I learned from Rachel was that she is a FourSquare addict. Thanks Lady – ’cause now I am, too…

Second thing I learned was that she’s applying a whole new set of rules and fun – using social media strategy and solutions – to PR programs for some pretty unlikely clients. I won’t bore you with details, but let’s just say I could listen to her talk about plastic for HOURS.

During our chat she was frank about my experience and what it means to my career path. We brainstormed about the first Tweet-Up I’ve ever been tasked with managing, talked about the perils of leveraging her community popularity for a personal campaign, and discussed the methods of navigating client expectations and needs. All the while I was mapping out where I am in the greater scheme of things (not a bad place, actually) but more importantly – where I need to go.

I realized that I don’t want to become a “maven,” “guru,” “expert,” “notable” or “celebrity” for anything (unless it revolves around a highly popular Travel show) – but I do want to learn how to effectively advise people and brands on how to better connect with their customers. And the role that Rachel currently holds is precisely that. She’s working in a world that is no longer reliant on a stale, nutrient-deficient diet of only press releases, media briefings, and product reviews. She’s working on:

• Teaching companies to engage in “conversations,” – the processes, the participants and most importantly – the potential.
• How to integrate (and not just ‘slap on’) social media into the character of the company.
• Coordinating all disciplines to participate in coordinated and transparent customer communications: marketing, PR, advertising, R&D, finance, HR, sales.
• What to expect of community management – and how to measure its performance.
• How to listen.
• How to find and meet the people that are talking about you.
• How to get to know the people in the space who are doing something that others are paying attention to.
• How to manage blogger outreach programs.
• How to structure information, communication and feedback so that people LIKE hearing from you.
• How to tell a story so that people contribute their own experiences, pass it along to others and – most importantly - come back for more.

There are probably another 50 things I could add to this list, but instead I’m going to schedule another lunch date with Rachel and listen in some more. In the meantime let me know your take on my learning curve. What else will I need to know to get to where I want to be?

June 15^th – officially five months since I was laid off from my job(s) as Manager of PR for two consumer electronics product divisions within a local-grown Santa Cruz tech company.

I’m kicking off my first real blog post with this job-situation buzz kill because today’s 5-month anniversary also kicked off a serious search for a serious new media relations management position.

 I’m serious.

Its not that I’m out of work. I’ve had plenty of contract projects keep me busy since my former employer’s restructuring. But the luxury of independence and time has been a triumph: time dedicated to studying the PR landscape and realigning my ideas of what my job – as a liaison between brand and the beast – should truly be.

And here are my most basic observations: Contrary to claims that “the press is dying” the rules surrounding PR and traditional media still exist, and as long as they do I’ll continue building PR programs that suit the old model. For any company or brand that I believe in.

But the introduction of social media – with its end-run around media for a more direct connection to audiences – requires that brands readjust their conversation skills and information flow. I know – you’re probably screaming “DOH” at the screen right now, but cut an old lady some slack… I do PR for technology clients. I know my stuff. But this shift has had me – as well as the whole PR industry – acting like a bunch of sleep-deprived, first-time parents obsessing over every minor “Web 2.0” detail and constantly freaking out that we’re going to drop the kid on its head.

Change can be scary.

But here’s the good part: the change is also invigorating – and largely beneficial to the fairly recalcitrant media industry (and all of its sub-industries.) Scary doesn’t have to = bad… And the cherry on top is that this new paradigm is based on everyone having a seat at the developmental table.

Maybe it’s because I was doing the same job for so long (10 years) that the old, comfortable ways of generating news started to seem a bit stale anyway. Granted losing my job wasn’t at the top of my ‘goals in life’ list, but the ability to sit up high, remove myself from the influence of an employer and look beyond the lens of strict press relations has reshaped my views of how communications could and should be managed.  

Anyway – back to the point of this post: this site is meant to catalog (what I think) is the best *new* PR information available. Items that will hopefully make me better at what I do for a living. I’ll never claim to be an expert on anything, but I will read and regurgitate the opinions of those who seem to be. I’m not the most brilliant strategist around, but I will study, document and learn from examples created by those who are. And I’m certainly not the most witty, creative, pithy writer out there. But I promise to find good examples of story-telling and catalog them on this site occasionally – and perhaps muster up the courage to offer an opinion or two alongside.

I’ll leave this post with some social media + PR + branding sites I frequent:

Tom Always Has Good Insight – Do’s/Don’t of PR: http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/

Community + Social Media: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

Brand Elevation + Social Media: http://altitudebranding.com/

SM + Marketing Convos: http://www.pr-squared.com/

SM Guide: http://mashable.com/

Weblog Covering the PR Industry: http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/

And because I’m searching for work, I may also drop in job-hunting news and thoughts from time to time. Must-read job-search sites:

PR and Recruiting: http://lindsayolson.com/

Behind the HR Scenes: http://www.hrguru.com/

Now You Know…: http://nothired.com/