My self-hosting experience and advice (WordPress)

Posted by jameswdcrawford on November 27, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

WordPress is, for me, the number one social media platform, and it is not just me that thinks this, according to recent reports.

I took my blog ‘self-hosted’ this week, an action which coincided with a report in Techcrunch that highlighted a boom in blogging compared to micro-blogging.   

Personally I think Twitter is responsible for this boom because for millions of users like myself the service is the gateway to finding the best blogs on the blogosphere, inspiring others to take up writing.  Also, the demise of Twitter is much over reported.  Yes, growth in visitor numbers to Twitter.com has flattened, but who visits the site anyway?  Most of us use Tweetdeck or another sort of client.

But, alas, I digress….

I wanted to write this post to celebrate the beauty of taking your blog self-hosted, share some of the highs and lows, and to thank @vinceapplemac who helped me.

Hopefully this post will prove useful to someone else going through the self hosting process. I’m better at developing content than technical geekery, and I guess there are lots of people like me, who could find this post useful.

Firstly, I decided to use WordPress.org as a content management system (CMS), because the tool is itself a form of social media and there is huge interaction with other bloggers on the platform and beyond.  The ‘social’ aspect of blogging platforms are often much overlooked because many just consider blogging as another form of publishing. WordPress.com was simply brilliant because it is so ‘social’. I think .org is even better in this respect, so think wisely before choosing your CMS!

I also chose WordPress.org because it has much wider functionality than WordPress.com, which was so easy to use when I was starting out.  The .org version is even better because there is added fun to be had via a myriad of plug-ins.  The plug-ins cover everything from widgets for buttons to LinkedIn , through to SEO optimisation .  There is a widget for everything. 

Next I bought a domain name, storage space on a server which sounds complicated, but is in fact easier than buying your shopping from Tesco.com.

Being a PR person, I am much better at the content side than the technical aspects, so I sought the counsel of @vinceapplemac , who linked WordPress.org to my domain and migrated the content from my existing blog to the new site.  Vince tells me this process is also easy, but it was a bit complex for me, so I recommend seeking some help for this step.

The next few days were spent setting up functionality, playing around with the plug-ins and reading up on some of the differences between .org and .com. 

I also found this resource which I think people will find useful.  The presentation is for beginners, but I guess some people reading this will be beginners too and might find it useful:

I hope this was helpful for you!

@JohnPrescott is the real deal

Posted by jameswdcrawford on November 17, 2009 under PR | Be the First to Comment

Obama should become more like British politician John Prescott.

In a week when Obama disclosed that he has never sent a tweet in his life, despite having over 2million followers, John Prescott’s web presence should be lauded.

Like him or loath him, in a world where PR tries to control every message, Prescott is keeping it real. His views are his own, his principles are there for all to see and it is this honesty that is part of his charisma.

You might not like his views on Unions etc but if the Tories win the next election, then we will go back to a day when Britain was run by old Etonians, who have some strange views on Europe and anywhere north of Luton.

The rest of the political world should be looking at the approach of John Prescott to social media. As there are some easy wins here. Especially on blogger engagement.

I am sure John would say that he’s not a techy, and I can see ways in which he can make better use of social media tools. (Get on Posterous or Tumblr John! They are great easily for sharing information), but this technical skill matters not.

What works for John is that he can shoot from the hip and by and large be on message. Social media is perfect for politicians who feel able to do that.

John is combative and also interacts with his audience and retweets things he agrees with.

His blogging is insightful and you warm to the guy because he makes statements that he believes in, whether you agree with him or not.

I used to work with a chap who was one of Prescott’s special advisers, Tony Sophoclides, and he told me what a genuinely great guy John is. At the time I didn’t believe him.

Bland political figures are ruining politics and feeding groups such as the BNP, so more open politicians are needed.

Thanks to social media you can now get up close and personal to politicians in a way in which you couldn’t before. In my view all politicians should follow the Prescott model – starting with Obama.

Posted via email from jamescrawford’s posterous

The Sunday Times. Links 15.11.09

Posted by jameswdcrawford on November 15, 2009 under PR | Be the First to Comment

Here are a few interesting stories from The Sunday Times (yes, Rupert, I did buy a copy).

Tories to cut licence fee and niche BBC channels (it is interesting to see this position now that The Sun is backing The Conservatives. Has a deal beeb done?)
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=1

Media law continues to make it easy for practitioners of the ‘dark arts’ of PR and Marketing, while at the same time putting publishers under too much pressure. (See my previous post on media law, which was featured on Social Media Today)
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=99403&tid=3019&cat=Search

Obama visits China this week. The backdrop to this story goes beyond the relationship of the two superpowers and will also showcase the latest situation on internet censorship. Will Chinese bloggers be censored?
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=99443&tid=3019&cat=Search

Palin is back! American satire hasn’t been the same since she went underground. I am sure this book will be full of material.
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=99415&tid=3019&cat=Search

Europe is wealthier than the United States (So there has never been a better time for The Tories to be farting around with fringe far-right groups, has there?)
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=99415&tid=3019&cat=Search

How to monitise your blog, according to the Sex Blogger
http://timesmobile.mobi/ms/p/times/op/s8eSFmUrcEuX5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=99456&tid=3019&cat=Search

Posted via email from jamescrawford’s posterous

The Blog Paper, nearly a brilliant idea

Posted by jameswdcrawford on November 11, 2009 under Blog | Be the First to Comment

The Blog Paper is a new online publication with a difference: it aims to print the best postings every month in a bona fide publication. It is very nearly a brilliant idea.

I love its premise of taking the best content from the Blogosphere and turning it into a magazine.

Some might say the concept of printing the very best blogs goes against the blogosphere’s bedrock principles of immediacy and shareability and ‘social networking’. Others will say that by taking the publication into print, the Blog Paper is paradoxically mirroring the media that ‘online’ is supposed to replace and the content will be ‘old news’ by the time the publication hits the streets.

However, while I recognise this argument, I really like the concept. Call me old fashioned, but I like to read from good old paper. In this intermediate period, between the predicted demise of printed publications and the time when we will all own handheld electronic reading devices, the Blog Paper has a great proposition.

If The Blog Paper is successful in printing its first edition, it will also expose thousands of people to blogs new content.

So, why is it not a brilliant idea? It is good, but not brilliant. Well, the publication is only available in London. I know start up costs will be tight, but I am sure someone somewhere would distribute it in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow too.

It would also nudge closer to brilliance if uploading onto this site was easier. As it stands I think it takes a lot longer than I am used to with Posterous, RSS Feeds or the WordPress publicise tool, which lets you email content. If this glitch was improved upon then I think the site would become incredibly popular.

I hope the Blog Paper does well. I can’t wait to see its first printed edition! Maybe someone will post one to me?

http://www.theblogpaper.co.uk

Not enough hours in a day to blog?

Posted by jameswdcrawford on October 30, 2009 under Public Relations | Be the First to Comment

“Time and tide waits for no man,” so the saying goes, and nowhere are man hours more precious than in the world of work, where the management of seconds, minutes and hours has become a science. So the following guide is useful:

- when encouraging clients to use social media
- for consultancies trying to keep staff use of Social Media productive

Click here for the full article

The guide might be teaching granny to suck eggs for some, but no doubt most of those involved in Social Media will have a time management conversation sooner or later.

My favourite news curation sites

Posted by jameswdcrawford on October 26, 2009 under Social Media | Be the First to Comment

Curation of the news is one of the most exciting innovations on the internet.  The internet is an enlightening place to keep up to date with current affairs and news, but now with news curation sites we can access, sort, consume and share thousands of news sources from around the world.

Fernando Rizo, a digital PR chap at Ketchum who I’ve met and respect, says he thinks that Google Reader is everything he could ever need.  See his post:

http://fernandorizo.typepad.com/blog/2009/05/google-reader-is-all-the-social-network-that-i-need.html  

However, I think I need my news in a more consumable format, so here are my three favourite ways to consume news (in no particular order):

-          www.popurls.com

The site recommends top content from all the main international sites, networks and blogs and aggregates it for you.  OK, so the content is far too US centric, but I find the layout excellent and the content engaging.  I’m also fascinated by the US, so the nature of the content doesn’t bother me.  It also presents images and video in a simple and visual way.

-          http://my.alltop.com/jameswdcrawford

Alltop.com is tremendous and above is a link to my Alltop list.  The great thing about Alltop is the user can choose the news sites and blogs from which they want updates.  The site also makes sharing incredibly easy.  One criticism is that if a user only turned to their alltop.com profile for news then they might never find out what is happening on, say Fox News, or another media channel, which they wouldn’t normally give a second glance.  

-          http://www.twittertim.es/jamescrawford

Twitter Times is a bit clunky still, but I love the way it curates news from my Twitter Network and provides it in an engaging way.  I can also see uses for this for my clients, say for example internal communications (for example a way for an MD to keep his staff up to speed on industry topics).  I also think Twitter Times is an intriguing insight into a person and their network.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has any better sites, or other curation tools which they think are more useful, or just different.

Panorama vs Ryanair

Posted by jameswdcrawford on October 12, 2009 under PR | 2 Comments to Read

An eye opening insight into Ryanair’s approach to Media Relations. (see link below)

Panorama.pdf

 The problem faced by Ryanair is that the company behaves like a challenger brand despite being the market leader.  That’s just plain arrogant. 

In this email exchange it looks like Ryanair have gone the distance toe to toe with Panorama.  I’m saving my judgment until everyone has had time to view the programme…  What will be the post-broadcast fall out?

Ralph Lauren's PR crisis

Posted by jameswdcrawford on October 7, 2009 under PR | 3 Comments to Read

Ralph Lauren and blog BoingBoing.net are today at each other’s throats over images used by the fashion brand showing a rather skinny looking model.

The image, Boing Boing claims, has been touched up in photoshop and today on the blog another picture was published showing how a graphic designer had “unworked” the advert to show a healthy looking woman.

Read about it here:

http://craphound.com/10-2-09LettertoPriorityColoinrePRLInfringement.pdf

So assuming Ralph Lauren is in the wrong, what can it do to halt the damage to its reputation? (note I say assuming, but it looks pretty certain that this woman is not this shape through exercise alone!)

1.  Speed is of the essence.  Deal with the problem and deal with it quickly before it gets worse.  Ralph Lauren can’t stop the story getting out but it can halt interest in it.
2. Get to the bottom of what really happened.
3. Provide a statement accepting that Ralph Lauren made a mistake.  (We all make errors!)
4. Show some humanity.  Perhaps try ‘empathy’…  Show that Ralph Lauren understands the damage anorexia and bulimia causes.
5. Demonstrate that this is a one off incident.  (make sure it is first)
6. Demonstrate commitment to an anorexia charity and / or create company guidelines on the manipulation of digital imagery.  This can’t be tokenistic, so be generous.
7. Follow up the crisis a month later with media relations to show that Ralph Lauren “meant business” when the fashion brand said this wouldn’t happen again
8. Continue to be proactive on the topic of eating disorders, photoshop distortions, and skinny models

(I’ve assumed that Ralph Lauren have got all the basics in place. E.g. a crisis trained spokesperson, a crisis manual has been prepared prior to this event, media monitoring is in place and an international network of PR agencies is ready to support the brand)

SOCIAL MEDIA AND OPPORTUNISM

Posted by jameswdcrawford on October 6, 2009 under PR | Read the First Comment

Fernando Rizo is the Head of Digital at a PR agency called Ketchum.  I met him today at a PRCA event and he talks a lot of sense. 

I am sure he’ll correct me if I get the details wrong here, but he is the man behind a campaign in America which saw Stride Gum try to stop German director Uwe Boll from producing film franchises based on video games. 

I think we can all safely say this genre is crap but his films are nothing to lose any sleep over.  To gamers, however, a poor film franchise can kill all that was good and great about their Nintendo-packed-pastime.

If the petition gets to a million Uwe has said that he will never make another film again.

The motivation for Stride Gum, of course, was publicity in one of the biggest blogging communities on the internet – gaming.  And I am sure that there were cinematic reasons too.

There are more details here:

http://kotaku.com/388018/uwe-boll-vs-stride-gum

and here:

http://StopUweBoll.org

I not only love this campaign for its simplicity but for the brave way the Stride Gum bit the bullet without fear of a lawsuit.

It was also fascinating because the case study reaffirmed three key things and gave me a greater focus.  These points were:

1. Beg, borrow and steal your audience.  In Stride Gums’ case the gaming communities (but don’t do a Habitat and hijack the Iran Elections). 

2. Topicality is king.  Even for corporate blogs topicality, speed of reaction and quick stunts can pay dividends.  You don’t need to have a “wacky” theme like with Uwe Boll. 

3.  Find your niche and rinse it!  Don’t dabble in a Facebook page here, a Twitter account there.  Find one tactic and make it the best out there.

Visit Fernando’s blog @ http://fernandorizo.typepad.com/