Communication Overtones Comments
Hi Kami,
Nicely done!
It's Jon, BTW...
Jon Udell
Hi Kami - there's another timeline of this discussions on press/news releases on the NewPR Wiki: Hot Issues - Are Press Releases Dead?
Of course, I'll add your entry to the list 
Kami,
I'm afraid you left out another new-age method that will replace news releases: podcasting and all things audio/visual.
With *everyone* buying an iPod or a PDA with A/V capabilities within the next 9-12 months, typed communications as we know it will disappear by first quarter 2007.
The video news release will become the norm. That way, consumers can get their direct-to-consumer "vid releases" while taking the subway, driving their hybrid cars and SUVs, while in meetings, etc.
Mock my words! You heard -- er, rather read it here first!
Mike
www.mikespoints.com
Jon: Sorry for misspelling your name, mine is misspelled all the time, and my husband's name is Luc rather than Luke, so I feel your pain and am expecially sorry.
Constantin: I should have thought to check the PR Wiki for a full timeline. It never ceases to amaze me what a great resource the Wiki really is. You might also want to add the article that I cited in my post, since it appeared in the year 2000, and it cites blogger B.L. Ochman.
Mike: Believe it or not I actually did have them in there at some time and must have acidentally edited them out, I added them back in red in honor of your momentous prediction.
ROFL, that was amusing, Kami, thanks.
You wrote, "Let’s face it, journalists hate press releases but see them as a necessary evil."
Um, well, most journalists I've spoken to about thiss topic would strike "necessary" from your lead sentence.
I'm sure plenty of people will continue to use press releases and insist that, because on rare occasions a traditional release "works" in whatever sense its success is being gauged, that this vehicle is still a great way to communicate.
Well, I suppose there are still some supporters of rotary-dial phones out there too.
To each their own.
- Amy Gahran
Actually, B.L. Ochman wrote the article entitled "The Press Release Is Dead" in 1999. http://whatsnextonline.com/wno/
n...er9.html#topic1
Hilariously, when the article appeared in Internet Day, the sponsor they'd chosen to feature with my article was a press release distribution service. Har!
BL
BL: Thanks for that update, I couldn't find it but knew you were the first to say it.
Amy: Indeed, to each his own. As I have said elsewhere, the press release is of limited use, but there is no sense forcing it out. It is finding its own way.
Hi Kami
You wrote, "As I have said elsewhere, the press release is of limited use, but there is no sense forcing it out. It is finding its own way."
Hmmm... by that logic then it doesn't make any sense to defend, promote, or protect press releases either, right? Just leave the option available for those who insist on clinging to it and let the rest of the world move on?
I'm cool with with that -- but I could never in good conscience mislead anyone into thinking that traditional press releases are generally effective or even a good idea.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
- Amy Gahran
Contentious.com
Rightconversation.com
If the press release does finally die, what will B.L. and Amy have to kvetch about? More importantly, what do they win if it does die?
It's kind of like the coyote and roadrunner. What happens if Wylie finally catches up with the bird?
We don't want either to happen.
Amy: I am not defending it per se, but indeed saying it is really a non-issue, and that there are other things at the core of the debate that are more important. Post to come later today about how I use press releases every day in my work as a trade press editor.
Kevin: Indeed, it seems a topic we all like to talk about.
LOL, Kevin, don't worry, I'll always have something to kvetch about
- Amy Gahran
Contentious.com
RightConversation.com
Um. I am a g/a reporter, and I get 40-50 press releases in my email each day ... from everyone from the Dept. of Defense to the Harvard School of Medicine to Sen. Clinton. I don't see them going away anytime soon, and frankly, I wouldn't want them to. I need to be able to sort through all these tidbits quickly and easily.
But ideally, a press release is just a start. It can be followed by a telephone conference call, an online chat, or just making corp. executives/study authors/etc. available by phone.
Thanks Derek. Which is why, it seems to me, that if a PR person is sending information to journalists, it would work better to put it in more of a tipsheet format than a traditional press release.
- Amy Gahran
Hmm. You mean like a sheet with various bullet points? Sometimes I get those instead of a press release... sometimes both. Which is best probably depends on what the information is and what you want the reporter to do with it.
Sometimes a tidbit is just going to be a small element within a much larger story, perhaps just a paragraph or two.
For example, during the NYC transit strike, I got a cute pitch from someone representing a foot-doctor, giving advice on how to survive the long walks. I wouldn't write a story around this advice ... but it might become an element in a larger story. In which case, I might want to just pull a quote or two from a press release. Ideally, I'd interview the doc by phone, but sometimes there just isn't time.
Derek:
So are you saying that information that is short, sweet and on-target, regardless of its format (press release, tipsheet, etc.) are fine with you?
um. sure. not that i am necessarily representative of anyone other than myself, but yes.
I realize you can only speak for yourself, but this is actually my point.
My contention has always been that the job of PR is to provide resources in whatever format is that is best for each audience (media, public, shareholders, etc.), then just get out of the way.
The problem isn't press releases, it's the idiodic way some people approach the media.
On the issue of consumers bypassing traditional media and gaining information straight from organizations, not all consumers have the time to string through the amazing amount of information available on the web. Has anyone ever heard of information overload? Consumers will continue to purchase newspaper, magazine and trade publications, listen to radio, watch TV, use their PDA and utilize a computer to access information.
Communication professionals will continue to use media releases and fact sheets. As long as the vehicle used to send information aligns with the preferences of the individual receiving it, the message will be successfully conveyed.
Danielle;
I agree with your assessment. This was a little satire to punctuate this point. I think that communication professionals will need to have all the resources at their fingertips.
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