GOODLINX: The tone of online comment; Humpty Dumpty does PR; Fairfax’s spin drought; PR etiquette of Twitter
From Crikey Editor Jonathan Green on finding the right tone in online discussions:
“The thing that Crikey has learned from its first real encounter in this past fortnight with the more floridly opinionated fringes of angrily politicised blog commentary is the importance not so much of immediate moderation of comments (that is now very much an given), but rather ensuring an overall tone in the conversation. To put it more simply, we don’t want to be that kind of site. We’d rather build a reputation for reason and well-turned argument than for insult and glib denunciation.”
From Publicity Queen, on how to turn a nursery rhyme into a press release:
“Larger than life nursery rhyme character Humpty Dumpty was put together with brushes and glue earlier today when all the king’s horses and all the king’s men were unable to render him the necessary medical assistance. Suffering major cuts, bruises and cracks from having a great fall, Humpty was expertly put together as good as new by a group of children who came along at just the right time.”
Fairfax boss Brian McCarthy is suffering from a spin drought, points out Margaret Simons:
“I am told there are those among his colleagues who think he doesn’t handle well the inevitable media exposure that comes with heading a company like Fairfax. He tends to the defensive when asked to explain himself, and it doesn’t come across well. In this context it is worth nothing that there has been no announcement on a replacement for Fairfax’s chief spin doctor, Bruce Wolpe, who this month is due to move to Washington to become a senior adviser in Barack Obama’s administration. You’d have to say that if ever a company needed good PR – let alone good internal communications – it is Fairfax right now.”
Carrie Ponder of PR firm Howorth on How PRs should behave on Twitter:
“To all the PRs who are regurgitating client messaging on Twitter: Stop. Stop. Stop. This is not what Twitter is all about. Twitter is about being a part of the conversation. Twitter is not about secretly stalking journalists.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Carrie – as a PR just jumping on the Twitter bandwagon (yes, I am completely behind the times) I found your article insightful and relevant. Thankyou!
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