PHPRtv now up on YouTube

A couple of posts ago, I said that I would make a "PR for technology" video. I made the promise when I found there were no PR for technology videos on YouTube when I was playing with Google's Wonder Wheel.

I've finally launched PHPR's own TV channel on YouTube with the above PR for technology video. After years of clarifying messages for technology companies, I'm using the video to urge for clarity at the top end of technology communications to communicate with end users more effectively.

Like me, it's short and sweet - well, short, anyway!

Clear PR and Gobbledygook warning signal.

The Scotsman newspaper carried an article the other day on communications in business. It said,

"....good communication is more important than ever.
While corporate communications was once seen as a post-strategy delivery of information process, best practice communication is now firmly focused at the sharp end of business strategy development."

The above was written by a communications professional whose blushes I spare here because this wording seems laced with management speak. I can only imagine how any 'strategic target audience' a company has in mind would react to being an unwitting part of "a post-strategy delivery of information process." It sounds painful.

I assume it means something like: "the tail end of strategic communications" or "simple information delivery." But I'm not sure, and frankly,I don't care as I feel the will to love ebbing away...

But the article confirms a long-held suspicion that the word 'strategy' is a good "potential gobbledygook ahead warning signal." There are a few of them around and I'll no doubt return to the theme.

I also suspect that many people spray the word 'strategic' around with only a hazy notion of what their organisation's strategy actually is and how it differs from the vision, the mission and the goals, but that's another story.

The People's Boat Brings Sponsorship to Everyone

It's not often PHPR sponsors a round-the-world race yacht, but we have - and you can too - from £25! See http://ping.fm/hQzJJ

WhoLinksToMe verification test for PHPR

How Google's Wonder Wheel Sparked an Edinburgh Technology PR video idea

Google's wonder wheel is not well known, yet it's useful for generating ideas.

Using the wonder wheel option returns search results on Google arranged in a wheel that resembles a mind-map. The spokes represent search terms. The natural results for your search are displayed to the right of the wheel.

The wheel format allows you to quickly see the search results. Click a spoke and another wheel pops up with more results, allowing you to drill down and chase threads of ideas. Then it's easy to refine your results by choosing to show results for "images" or "videos" - which are displayed like the results of a regular Google search.

Using this wheel/refined search combo, you may find information gaps, as I did in this example.

Technology PR agency search spots a gap:

Key a search term into Google as per normal

When the results appear, look above them - just below the Google search box - to see a blue shaded bar containing the words "show options" - click on that.

A list with 4 groups drops down to the right of your search results. The group called "standard view" contains the "wonder wheel" option . Click and your results show a neat wonder wheel.

Click a spoke of your wheel to see another wheel popping up based on a further 10 results relating to the spoke you just clicked.

Follow your thoughts and click away to spark off ideas for articles or blogs - and throw up opportunities.

Using a search on "PR"(UK pages), I clicked on a"technology PR agencies"spoke because technology PR is one of PHPR's strengths. I refined the list to see "videos" - there were no results. Excellent. That means there's a gap in the market and I'm now off to make a technology PR agency video!