Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Karine Joly: UB column on Media Relations site design

Karine Joly, just got her second (third?) UB column.

For regular readers of Karine's blog it doesn't provide all that much that is new. For others, it's a good summary of some of the best practices she's outlined over the life of her blog.

The summary at the end is somewhat helpful:

Seven Components of Highly Effective Media Relations Web Pages

1. A direct link from the home page
2. 24/7 e-mail and phone (including the area code) contact information
3. Mailing address (complete with town, state, and ZIP code)
4. An academic experts online directory
5. Searchable current and archived press releases with targeted RSS feeds or e-mail subscription (by category/by audience)
6. Background information (fact sheets, statistics, relevant links in press releases)
7. Downloadable, high-resolution photos (300 dpi)


Also, the stathound in me noticed this:

According to the 11th Annual Survey of the Media commissioned by Euro RSCG Magnet and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, released in 2005, 51 percent of 1,202 journalists said they used blogs regularly. Also, 53 percent of journalists who read blogs reported doing so to research and fact-check, 36 percent to find sources, and 33 percent to uncover breaking news.


These figures speak strikingly against the myth that blogs and mass media are somehow at odds. Blogs have become one of the most important feeder mechanisms to mass media, and for news organizations that have seen their research budgets plummet, blogs are providing "research packets": bundles of semi-processed information with enough direct cites to serve as the backbone for a story.

Of course, that's my hobbyhorse. Karine's article is much bigger than that, and focusses on the constuction of a decent Media Relations page -- you should check it out.

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