Escape from Cubicle Nation

Escape podcast: Take the brute force out of your fears

All aspiring entrepreneurs have fears about starting a business.  These fears pack tremendous emotional punch and can stop you in your tracks if you aren't careful.  Listen to my 7 minute podcast on the topic by going here:  Take the brute force out of your fears by dissecting them. 

Fears can be:

1. No one will ever buy my product or service
2. I do not have enough experience to start a business
3. All my competitors have superior products (besides which, they are smarter and/or better looking)

Some people stay paralyzed and never move forward, while others find ways to overcome their fears and experience success. In this episode, I walk you through a specific exercise that you can use to diagnose and alleviate your fears.

You may want to listen to it when you are sitting at a desk where you can scribble notes, or in front of your computer where you can create a simple table.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast feed, you can sign up here.

If you do this exercise, please let me know how it works, ok?  If you share your learning here via the comments, everyone can benefit.  Thanks!

I live for these emails

The absolute best part of writing this blog is when I get emails like this from my readers:

"I wanted to let you know that I've left my University job of 12 years to do workflow consulting. I read David Allen's book "Getting Things Done," which made a huge improvement in my life and lead to a crash-course studying modern productivity techniques. I then created my own seminars and started doing one-on-one consultations, with great feedback. So far I've been working in the Northeast with people from mid- to large-sized organizations, including senior staff and faculty at UMass, and the results have been exciting. I'm now getting requests from around the US, so it looks like it's time to expand."

In this particular case, I am so thrilled that the person writing is my long-time devoted reader and often thoughtful commenter Matthew Cornell.  He has been talking about leaving his "employee gig" for a long time and starting his own business, and he took all the right steps to make it happen.  He didn't leap without looking, he carefully researched his market and planned his business, he started a blog on his topic of interest and cultivated a body of readers eager to learn from him and he was helpful, supportive and friendly to other bloggers in the spirit of true camaraderie, not self-interest.

Matthew, congratulations for making the leap!  You are in good company, joining the other EfCN readers who made the leap as well, like basquette and Timothy King.

If anyone out there is in need of some serious help with work flow consulting to manage the overwhelming volume of "stuff" inundating your life, check out Matthew's new business!

I know we are all cheering you on Matthew - congratulations.

 

How not to be a cultural knucklehead in a global business world

These days, even the smallest-scale entrepreneur working out of her home office in Boise, Idaho can have a circle of clients and partners from around the world.  She may have an Australian graphic designer create her logo.  She may  manufacture her product line in China.  She may hire technical developers and e-commerce experts from India.  She may have customers from Bolivia and Belarus.  But if interacting with global partners is all new to her, she may be missing some important communication skills.

Ten years ago, while working at a financial services firm, I cracked up when a smart and seasoned investment adviser told an assembled group of employees:  "There is a lot of talk these days that the world is getting more and more global.  I am here to ask you:  when has the world not been global?"

As a North American who has spent significant time living in different parts of the globe and working with large, multi-national corporations, I would like to offer some helpful tips for effective communication.  Although I have certainly met many well-traveled and sensitive fellow Americans, I have also seen my share of completely clueless lunkheads who embodied the term "Ugly American."  Most of these were drunken college students on Spring break in Mexico.  But a few were seasoned executives who managed large, global organizations and who should know better.

If global business etiquette is really new to you, here are a few tips for effective communication:

In presentations and meetings:

1. Don't use baseball analogies when talking to a global audience.  People around the world certainly know what baseball is.  But it is not nearly as prevalent as football (aka "soccer") in most countries of the world.  So if you are going to use a sports analogy, use one that most of your audience can relate to.  I have felt very annoyed when hearing an  executive address a global audience and use metaphors like "hitting it out of the park," or "throwing a curve ball."  The rub is not that the global audience will not understand, but that the executive did not take the time to think of a metaphor that is universally applicable.
2. Stay away from "country insider" metaphors and analogies.  My favorite is when a presenter talks about a business idea and says something like "but that is just Motherhood and apple pie."  If you are American, you will nod your head in agreement since you know that this means that the concept is wholesome and prevalent.  But if you are not American, you may scratch your head and wonder how mothers and pies relate to business.
   
3. Speak clearly and enunciate.  You don't have to slow down until you sound like a kindergarten teacher, just make sure you enunciate your words.  This will benefit not only your audience members who speak English as a second language, but everyone else as well. A tip:  if you smile while you talk, your words will come out clearer. 
4. Accompany your talk with written notes.  I have experienced the agony and ecstasy of operating in another language.  The first time I walked into my all-French language Swiss classroom as a high school exchange student , I felt like my brain was turned on  hyper-speed.  I tried to grasp philosophy, chemistry, history and calculus in French, and my head almost exploded.  Even a person very fluent in English as a second language will have to work extra hard to make sure he understands what you are saying in a presentation.  So provide written notes as backup which will allow your non-native speakers to fully grasp the materials, and review them after the meeting.
5. Avoid potentially offensive metaphors.  I once attended a meeting which included Native American participants.   Another non-Native participant said to illustrate his point: "We have too many Indians and not enough chiefs."  His face did turn three shades of red once he realized that it was offensive to those in attendance.  It is best to banish these kinds of metaphors from your vocabulary, as frankly they are unbecoming in any context.
   
6. Plan for a level of interaction appropriate for the culture of your audience.  The first time I taught a class in Europe, I felt like I was a comedian playing a really hostile comedy club.  I tend to be a very interactive presenter, and frequently ask the participants questions.  Each question dropped like a lead weight in the room, and I was met by cool stares.  At the break, I checked in with a colleague, and was told that for this group in Amsterdam (with participants from England, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland), large group presentations were often more formal, and people would often not speak up until they got in smaller groups.  They looked to the instructor to be well-prepared and knowledgeable, not to act as a talk show host.
7. Ask people what they prefer to be called before you introduce them.  Americans have the wonderful quality of making friends quickly and using informal terms with each other.  But you might want to ask Prince Charles how he prefers to be referred to, before introducing him as "My Main Man Chuck."
8. Include social events that meet the needs of all global participants.  A favorite pastime  after many  American and European business meetings is to go drinking.  Some of your participants may not drink alcohol for personal or religious reasons.  Some will feel fine going to a bar and drinking a non-alcoholic beverage, while others may feel very uncomfortable.  So try to schedule a mixture of activities that will meet the needs of all participants.

In electronic communication:

• Include your time zone in your email signature in the form of "GMT +/-"  Here in the U.S., we are used to using time zones such as Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern.  But outside the U.S., not everyone is as familiar with which states fall in which time zone. 
  A handy global measure is to use the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as a standard.  In 1884, an international conference agreed to adopt the Meridian of Greenwich, England as the starting point for reckoning longitude and to divide the world into 24 time zones of 15 degree longitude each. (Amazing how the center of the earth happened to fall in Europe, huh?  The after-effects of colonialism is another topic for another day.) So if you live in Arizona like I do, my time zone is GMT-7.  If you live in Tokyo, your time zone is GMT+9.  This can make scheduling global meetings much easier.  (I have a handy "World Time Zone" map to decipher GMT times from Streetwise Maps.)
• Include a salutation.  Email culture in general tends to be shorter and less formal than traditional written communication.  But many cultures have a more formal written protocol than in typical email style.  So the first time you approach a new business partner in Japan, make sure you don't say "Hey Jim -- read that you are doing interesting things with green technology.  Call me and let's discuss. -Joe"  A more appropriate greeting might be "Dear Mr. Tanaka," or even better, "Dear Tanaka-San."

Lastly, here are just a few common global stereotypes I have run across:

1. Canadians are basically American, with warmer coats.  Don't believe it for a minute.  Although it may be hard to tell the genetic difference between a fresh-faced American and Canadian, the cultural differences are many.  They have a different form of government.  They have a very different foreign policy.  They have a very distinct culture.  They have a different history ( I made the mistake of calling Canada Day "Canadian Independence Day" in a blog post.  Glenda, my saucy Canadian friend quickly shot me a snide email:  "Canadian Independence Day?  Independence from what?")
2. Brazilians speak Spanish.  They speak Portuguese, as they were colonized by the Portuguese, not the Spaniards.
3. To ensure someone with a strong accent understands you, speak louder.  Comprehension will happen by using clear, jargon-free language, not by raising your voice and shouting. And just because they have a strong accent does not mean they don't comprenhend you perfectly well.
   

I have always bristled at the term "political correctness," as applying these global etiquette principles is neither about being political nor being correct.  It is about showing respect and consideration to people that you interact with on a daily basis.   By doing so, I guarantee that you will expand your world view, and feel more connected and "related" to your global partners.

I would love to hear your tips for effectively communicating across cultures!

Announcing my new coaching program with StartupNation!

After a lot of creative brainstorming and work, I am thrilled to announce the fruits of a juicy collaboration with StartupNation which is the 10 Steps to Open for Business Coaching Program.

This is a 12-week coaching program starting on February 14 (Newsflash:  due to a timeline switch in testing the online environment, we pushed the 1/31 launch to a later start)that combines weekly 75-minute group coaching sessions over the phone with a lively private online forum for the class participants and 1:1 coaching sessions with me.  We have also partnered with John Jansch of Duct Tape Marketing who will be personally coaching these first groups with me on the topics of Branding and Sales and Marketing.

Some of you may have visited the StartupNation site and found the content of their 10 Steps to Open for Business helpful.

Through this program, we aim to offer group structure and support to ensure that you not only grasp the material in the 10 Steps, but actually do something about them and get your business off the ground!

This program is for you if:

• You have a specific business idea
• You're intrigued by the thought of going into business for yourself
• You don't have an organized process for how to do that….yet!
• You're stuck in your day job and working on your business on the side, and your next big step is to go full time in your business
• You're a self-starter who would appreciate some support and structure
• You're ready to take action!

To register for the class I am teaching from February 14-May 2, go here.

To register for the class Philippa Kennealy is teaching from February 16-May 4, go here.

And an update for those who can't quite swing the whole payment at once:  you can pay in three installments over the three month program.

The virtual-Web 2.0-social networks-do-good backstory

The birth of this program is an example of the power of blogging and social networks.

About a year ago, Rich Sloan of StartupNation discovered my blog and we began talking.  We discovered that we had a natural synergy in both our personal values and approach to entrepreneurship.  And our businesses fit nicely together since as I helped people escape their cubes, he would readily welcome them into the world of startups.  I wrote a series of articles for StartupNation, as well as did some other projects with Rich and his brother Jeff.

As I referred more and more people to the 10 Steps to Open for Business information, I had a "lichen business strategy" moment, where I saw a natural  fit  for my coaching services within Startup Nation's offerings.  Rich agreed, and we got busy working on the program.

Then, as we saw that it involved a lot of design and input, I brought in my good friend Philippa Kennealy, The Entrepreneurial MD, to help design the program and teach her own session.  Philippa and I met virtually as participants in a coaching program, and became friends and "mastermind" partners for over 8 months.  After experiencing what a gifted coach and business person she was, I knew that I wanted to work with her.

John Jansch of Duct Tape Marketing was in conversation with StartupNation about integrating their marketing materials with his excellent coaching and information.  This coaching program seemed a great way to get John and his Duct Tape Marketing coaches to get hooked up with people who were ready to apply the information.  So another partner and asset to the program was born.

I share this "backstory" with you to demonstrate that you can grow your business and establish wonderful business partnerships through the medium of web, blog-based and virtual business.  I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to work with people I enjoy, and most importantly, to work hands-on with a group of cube dwellers who are actually going to take action and fly the cube!

After lots and lots of individual coaching, blogging and podcasting, it feels great to release a real, live program.

Enrollment is limited for this first session, so if you feel this is "your time," go for it!

If you have any questions about the program, email me at [email protected] or call 480-663-3252.

Choosing between a crack pipe and a shot of wheatgrass juice

Living in the world of abstraction, it is easy to think that making decisions about the direction of your business will be straight-forward and simple if you have done the hard work of setting life priorities, choosing a target market and creating a business plan.

Reality is much more complex.

Yesterday, I had a jolt of adrenaline which I would only imagine could be equated with the rush felt by crack addicts.  I was asked to facilitate a meeting of high-powered female executives, politicians and movie stars all in support of a really good cause.  It is the kind of opportunity that is the consultant's version of a P Diddy video, except instead of vats of Cristal and scantily clad beautiful women, it is elbow-rubbing with Gucci-clad female executives, exchanging gold-plated business cards and magical phrases such as "you should really talk to ..."

My social self, driven by status, power and external validation, was in overdrive as I considered the long-range implications of the experience.  Then I learned that in order to do it, I would have to devote a big chunk of time organizing the event.  And I would have to fly to Washington DC for two long trips.  And that I would be in the ultimate support role for movers and shakers.

Thankfully, my essential self spoke up.  None of the activities described above are related to my current life plan or business vision of helping oppressed corporate employees escape cubicle nation.  Spending weeks of time away from my baby would not only be a logistical nightmare, it would make me feel like a crappy Mom.  I didn't wait 38 years to have a baby to spend it whispering goodnight through a phone.  And taking time away from the current steps to build my business would just delay my goals and dreams.  What I really needed to do was to back away from the crack pipe and take a big swig of wheatgrass juice.

Wheatgrass juice, for those who don't know, is a soupy green liquid made by grinding blades of wheatgrass together. It is full of vitamins and turbo-charges your blood with oxidants and other life-enhancing nutrients.  I love the taste, although I have heard others equate it to chewing cud.

Keeping clear with my life purpose and business vision, which I call drinking wheatgrass juice, will give me long-term physical, emotional and spiritual satisfaction.  It is not a fast high, it is a lifetime of making smart, healthy choices.

Succumbing to the seduction of a high-powered consulting lifestyle, which I call smoking crack, will give me a short-lived euphoric high, shortly followed by a rapid descent into the meaningless pursuit of wealth and power for its own sake.  I will lose touch with myself and my family and find my life spinning out of control.  Not to mention losing my teeth and many other decidedly unpleasant experiences.

I have nothing against cavorting with interesting, creative and powerful people.  I will be the first to organize a "Million Drone March on Washington" demanding to cut the shackles of our unhappy corporate employees and celebrate freedom at work.  I will gladly speak and dance alongside (former Bain consultant -- correction 1/19:  he worked at The Boston Consulting Group, not Bain) John Legend as he sings on the Capital Mall.

But for now, from my corner of suburbia here in Mesa, Arizona, I am meant to be here writing blog posts, changing diapers and slowly chipping away at my dream business.  Wheatgrass is good.

Be wary of a dressed up crack pipe.

Interview with Randal Pinkett, Apprentice winner and author of Campus CEO

One of the great perks of being a blogger is that I get to talk to a lot of really interesting people.  A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Randal Pinkett, last season's winner of The Apprentice and author of the new book Campus CEO.  This book was written as an all-encompassing how-to guide for college student entrepreneurs so I was immediately interested in interviewing him.  Besides, who doesn't want the inside scoop on what goes on behind closed doors at Trump Central!

With all respect to Randal, I admit that I did not watch the show at all during the season that he was on it, so despite his gigantic media exposure, I went into the interview not knowing much about him besides what I read on his biography.

Wow, was I impressed.  Despite an almost obscene number of degrees at a young age (Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Oxford University in England, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and MBA and Ph.D. degrees from MIT), Randal was already a successful entrepreneur with a multi-million dollar company when he joined the cast of The Apprentice. 

In the interview, he was kind, thoughtful and engaging.  He talked about his first start up business as an 18 year old college student, and the successive growth that led him to graduate with a trunk full of degrees and no school debt! We agreed that was a great selling point for the book.  :)

I wondered that if hotshot college students were starting businesses before graduating, if some of us late-to-the-game-but-enthusiastic entrepreneurial geezers should be worried.  He assured me there was room for everyone.

I find it so rare in today's world to find a truly savvy business person with a profound personal commitment to social change and justice.  Because I spent many, many years of my life working with young people from neighborhoods without a lot of hope and resources, I walked away with a tremendous respect for Randal's personal mission and positive attitude.

I invite you to listen to our conversation.  It is about 40 minutes long.

If you are in college or have entrepreneurially-minded kids who are, I encourage you to buy the book.  I really enjoyed the read, and found it has both good overviews and very practical "how to" checklists and resources.

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I will post a transcript of this and the Martha Beck interview soon ... sorry for the delay, there has been a glitch with my transcription service.  Thanks for your patience.

No matter how busy you get, there are some things you should not forget

All of us are very busy.  We have consuming jobs, families, businesses to manage and errands to run.  If you are in the process of simultaneously working full-time as an employee and building a business on the side, your time pressures are even more extreme.

This is no excuse for letting certain things slide.

I called my best friend Desiree today (Tuesday) to catch up on the latest from her corner of Americus, Georgia.  And during the course of our conversation, she let it slip that her birthday was on Sunday.  Yeah, the Sunday as in two days ago, the one that I, her best friend, forgot.  Despite the fact that we had chatted about it on the phone last Thursday.

After apologizing profusely, I couldn't shake the very crappy feeling I had for letting the details of my life overtake that which I hold most dear.  It got me thinking:

There are certain things you should never let slide such as:

• The birthdays of your spouse and kids
• The birthdays of your parents
• The birthdays of your grandparents
• The birthdays of your siblings
• The birthday of your best friend
• Your wedding anniversary (if married)
• Uttering (with real feeling) the words "I love you" to your spouse and kids each day

I don't say this to guilt trip anyone, for guilt is highly overrated and generally leads to misery, not action.  I say it so that you make sure to do the following things:

1. Create your own list of "I must remember these dates."  Don't make it too big -- no one cares if you don't send a Saint Patrick's day or Halloween card.
2. Examine each item, and decide what action you want to take on each.  For some, it may be just a phone call.  For others, it is buying and shipping a gift or setting aside a whole day to spend time together.
3. Place each item with the corresponding time required in your calendar.  So if your brother lives across country and you want to send a gift as well as call, put one date for "ship present to bro" and another (on the birthday itself) for "call bro and wish happy b-day." If you are really into organizing, schedule time to shop for and buy the gift as well.
4. Get a system of accountability in place to make sure you complete the task.  Sometimes calendaring the item isn't enough.  You may need to send a post-dated email to yourself to remind you.  Or have your assistant (if you have one) put it in his/her tickler system for you.  Or put a huge post-it note on your bathroom window.  Whatever it takes for you personally to get it done.

Human relationships are fragile.  I have learned this the hard way by being "too busy" and letting some precious friendships slip through my fingers. 

Desiree and I have been through a lot together in our 22+ years of friendship, so I know this is not a deal-breaker.  It will not stop us from cackling with no teeth in our rocking chairs when we are 92. But I do know that it has motivated me to step up and take action so that it doesn't happen again.

Learn from my mistake -- get your "important" list done today.

Escape podcast: Interview with Martha Beck

The first of my interview podcasts is now available:  Interview with Martha Beck:  Your left toe holds the clue to your right life.   It is about 40 minutes long.

Martha is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Finding Your Own North Star:  Claiming the Life You are Meant to Live and a monthly columnist for Oprah's O Magazine.

This discussion centers on the premise that in order to discover the right business to start, you first must get in touch with the work you are meant to do.  Martha has some insightful and surprising advice, including tidbits such as:

• How your left toe may lead you to marry a different person than you intended
• The technique of "shackles on, shackles off"
• What is really contained in the "and" from "Do what you love and the money will follow

I will post a transcript of the call here a little later on this evening.

Readers shared some great questions for the interview (see comments on this post).  I got so carried away that I only asked one official question, but I think she provided insight that will help to answer many of the questions submitted. For those that weren't, I have tagged them for future blog posts.

I shared a few weeks ago that I wanted to include longer interviews with my personal entrepreneurial heros every other podcast, to be able to dive deeper into the brief subjects I talk about in my usual 5-7 minute format.  I welcome input about this change, as well as suggested guests (the next lined up are John Jansch from Duct Tape Marketing and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki.)

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Since I have been sharing my learning about podcasting as I go along, I did notice a few things about my first interview:

• I have the severe need to exorcise the phrases "kind of" and "you know" from my speech.  I never realized how much I said them until I listened to a playback of the recording.
• My questions can be too complicated (just ask one of my coaching clients who told me the other day after a particularly long-winded question "Can you rephrase that?" --translation -- What the heck are you talking about?)
• The "um humms" that we use everyday when talking to someone on the phone to let them know that we are listening to them are deadly on recorded interviews.  I had about 25 of them in this 45-minute interview, and I had to have the tape professionally edited by the pro Tim "Gonzo" Gordon.  (The very patient Anna Farmery from the excellent podcast The Engaging Brand was kind enough to try to walk me through the audio editing process over Skype.  My time ran out, as I have a lot to learn, but I plan on practicing what she shared for future episodes.)
• Finally, I discovered that despite all the things I have to learn and improve, I LOVE to conduct interviews.  This has even led me to enter into discussion about my own radio show -- stay tuned for more about this.  (And I have to give total credit for exploring this idea to my buddy Robert who is perhaps the most encouraging person on the planet.)

I hope you enjoy the interview.  Please share your thoughts about it!

Doing business in your bathrobe

In the spirit of relationship-based networking and promotion that I just talked about, I am happy to share info on the contest my buddy Kristie T is promoting called Doing Business in Your Bathrobe. 

I have to admit that some days, I am so groggy from late night emailing that I begin my work day in my PJs.  But I don't recommend it -- after about an hour of working in my jammies, I tend to feel like a gigantic sloth and hightail it into the shower.  It always feels vaguely scandalous to be having a professional conversation on the phone with crazed hair and fuzzy slippers.

That said, even though I don't like to hang out all day in my jammies, I am happy that I can if I want to.  Such are the perks of home-based entrepreneurs.

Here is what Kristie says about the event:

"Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day is coming on February 12th, 2007 - a day to celebrate the freedom of owning your own home business! This holiday was established to recognize the hard work and dedication it takes to be an entrepreneur. It's an international holiday to call attention to the millions of home business owners who have waved goodbye to the corporate rat race and settled into a better quality of life.

We felt it was high time to recognize the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. And I'm excited to share that already one mom has gotten a TV story for her business from it. Tracy Ebert, from Virginia, already sent out the local press release and got calls from one TV station, a print publication, one online resource! Way to go Tracy!

• Get your local press release (Pam's note:  no, it's not in the Social Media format!) for Doing Business in Your Bathrobe here to get publicity for YOUR business
• Enter to Win Tons of Great Prizes in the Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Drawing
• And finally, don't forget to send us a picture of you working in your bathrobe and we'll post it on Webmomz! Send that to [email protected] Put "Bathrobe picture" in the subject."

There is nothing wrong with having a little fun, especially if it garners some positive PR for your company.  So if this kind of thing floats your boat, please do participate! 

No more boring press releases: Redefining the relationship of PR, traditional media and bloggers

It is kind of amazing how convergence happens.

Last night, I finally got to attend the Phoenix chapter meeting of the Social Media Club. The room was packed, and it felt so good to get out from behind my computer screen, and see some real live human beings that I had only met before through email, like the spunky Francine Hardaway, Dave Barnhart, Matthew Moran, and John Seiferth. 

The topic of the meeting was the new Social Media Press Release, which was developed by PR Squared and attempts to upgrade the decades-old format of the traditional press release so that it includes places for "Web 2.0" stuff like links, graphic files, video clips, del.icio.us tags and rss feeds.

The problem it attempts to solve is making it easier for journalists or bloggers to learn about a story, and have quick access to useful background information that is not strictly text-related.

It has its skeptics, like Teresa Valdez Klein of Blog Business Summit who wrote how this snazzy new format of the press release wouldn't keep her from ignoring it, much like she does with "old school" press releases.

I voiced a similar concern at the meeting last night, from the perspective of a blogger who is beginning to get traditional press releases since my readership has increased.  Sometimes, they seem to come out of the blue with no context, and make me feel very uncomfortable since I am afraid of hoodwinking my hard-fought readers with thinly veiled advertising.  I wondered if any other bloggers felt uneasy receiving press releases from PR firms.

I talked about it in my  How to avoid fright-inducing link sharing techniques, inspired after writing about Joel Splosky's review of a Sprint phone that was thrown at him by an eager PR firm. 

Here is where the convergence comes in.

A few months back, I had a wonderful interaction with APCO Worldwide, a communications firm that was working on behalf of Greenstone Media, the first women-owned radio network championed by Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda.  They wanted to involve a number of women bloggers in conversation about the launch of the network.  Their approach was no-hype, conversational and open, and resulted in a once-in a lifetime opportunity for me to interview Gloria Steinem and fly to New York to meet her in person and attend the opening the launch event for the network. 

This morning, David Wescott who works for APCO, sent me a summary of the "points of consensus" from a recent roundtable discussion about how PR Firms can best court bloggers:

January 9 Blogger Roundtable Consensus Points

The blogosphere is a trust-based medium where credibility varies from source to source.  Anonymity offers certain protections, particularly in political discussions, but it also can create doubts as to the validity of information and the interests of the writer.   These issues are addressed effectively when writers have the ability to speak openly and directly as an advocate. 

A new phenomenon in the blogosphere is the degree to which traditional media will follow blogs and react to them.  This places greater importance on the accuracy of the information published on blogs and the transparency bloggers display.  In political blogging, this writing does not exist in a vacuum and there are some methods of accountability, such as FEC reports and scrutiny from other bloggers.

One of the challenges PR Firms face is the varying standards bloggers employ.  Some bloggers consider themselves journalists and operate accordingly, while others see their blogs as personal journals expressing opinion.  Still others take pride in revealing sources or publishing information meant to be “off the record.”  PR firms have to understand the rules each blogger adopts to work constructively, and there is no blanket ethical code binding bloggers.

Blogs have self-policing tools the mainstream media lacks.  Comments can show up in a blog contradicting an original post, while publishing a “letter to the editor” can happen days or weeks later, if at all.  Other bloggers often work to correct the record; this is common between political blogs at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.

Relationships remain the most effective currency in working with bloggers.  Generic press releases are generally ignored – or worse.   Further, some bloggers are inherently skeptical of being “pitched” by a PR firm – the act itself implies that there is an issue to be spun.  PR firms have to do a better job explaining to bloggers that their work is often nothing more than the outsourced extension of an overworked client.  To cut through the clutter in bloggers’ inboxes, bloggers rely more on information from familiar sources.

Participants in the forum included bloggers Pat Cleary from Shopfloor, William Buetler from Blog PI, Joanne Bamberger from Punditmom (Joanne, I know you read my blog, so share the inside scoop in the forum, ok?), Joe Sudbay from Americablog and David All from The David All Group.  PR Professionals included Evan Kraus from APCO Worldwide, Kathy Cripps from the Council of Public Relations Firms, Aedhmar Hynes from Text100 Public Relations, John Bell from Ogilvy Public Relations and Matt Shaw from the Council of Public Relations Firms.

Speaking as a blogger who had a very positive experience with a PR firm employing these practices, I am encouraged that we are trying to improve the way that we all connect, support and inform each other.

What do all of you think about the new relationship between traditional media, PR firms and bloggers?  What should it look like?  And will the Social Media Press Release help?