With all the writing that has swirled around social media in recent years, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and also to assume that all the good, stimulating, provocative questions have already been asked. Yet judging from last week’s Critical Issues Forum, the discussion around social media is far from stale. Panelists, facilitators, and audience-members alike…

Some eighteen months ago, the Firm Voice ran a piece highlighting resistance to social media and cautioning firms not to ignore conventional forms of communications outreach. It’s worth revisiting the point, not for the sake of prophesying doom and gloom, but with an eye to examining how we can make public relations activities even stronger….

It seems we can’t take anything for granted these days. As a columnist in the New York Times recently noted, men and women alike are now botoxing their faces to such an extent that it’s becoming difficult to discern the visual cues we rely on as part of normal, everyday communication. Meanwhile, that erstwhile mainstay…

Research has shown that people who talk on their phones are about as cognitively impaired as someone who drives intoxicated. But what about those of us who talk while we’re supposed to be listening to others? I’m referring to the phenomenon of “simultaneous conversations,” which thanks to Twitter and other social media, is rapidly becoming…

How cool would it be to walk into a hardware store and see advertisements and coupons for exactly the plumbing fixture we’re seeking? Well, it could be cool. Sort of.

As a commentator for businessinsider.com recently reported, “SXSW Is Officially A Must-Attend Event Now.” This year, we at the Council had the pleasure of discovering that first hand as we sponsored a jam-packed panel discussion on the first day, entitled: “Marketing Budgets Have gone Social -  Is It Working.” With public relations increasingly at the…

This post originally appeared in Text 100′s Hypertext Blog I was one of the lucky ones who got a seat at the “Marketing Budgets Have Gone Social – Is it Working?” panel discussion at South by Southwest, sponsored by the Council of PR firms. The crowd came in droves to see if  David Witt of…

With our industry evolving, and with recent news that social media companies are falling over one another to hire and retain talent, we’ve been wondering: What kinds of employees will public relations firms be fighting over three to five years from now? And how will young public relations recruits develop those skills?

Austin is the “Silicon Valley” of social media. It is a hub of thought leadership, venture capital and resources for the burgeoning social marketing industry. It’s not surprising that the interactive conference at Austin’s hugely popular SXSW festival has become a “must-go” for both social marketing experts and those who want to learn more. This…

It’s an auspicious time to be taking over as Chair of the Council. After a difficult economic period, client uncertainty, and shrinking budgets in 2009, our industry is in high gear. Wherever I look, I see real optimism and excitement (see results of the Council’s 3rd quarter survey), and 2011 looks to be even better….