the press release is here to stay

March 5, 2013 Darren Caveney

Never let it be said that we're not a broad church. Prompted by the debate around the future of press releases one press officer has written this defence of the channel.

by Kam Mistry

In a world obsessed with social media I’ve been asked to scribble a few words, well a few hundred words, in defence of the press release. Some argue that the ability to tweet and blog instantaneously means that traditional channels and methods are redundant – newspapers’ days are numbered. This is far from the case, and the press release as a tool in the professional communicator’s kit is far from humble.

True, twitter and other social media allow us to get messages out quickly, and as someone who works in local government I have found it invaluable, especially when we need to get messages out promptly, for example during flooding, heavy snow or during emergencies. People trust the information we provide, because it comes from a trusted source – and trust is important with all forms of communication.

digital communicators: we are the change agents

March 4, 2013 Darren Caveney

Digital comms has a perfect way that it can demonstrate it's worth. They can help tranform services. That's a bit exciting.

by Kathy Kyle

Among the many topics discussed at this year’s Communications Camp (@commscamp | #commscamp13), the one that resonated most with me was how to best demonstrate the value of digital communications. If we can’t measure our impact as communicators, how can we influence and transform our organisations?

the year our business went social

February 21, 2013 Darren Caveney

Just under a year ago, Northwards Housing introduced Yammer to their organisation, changing the face of internal communications. One year on and Steve Finegan brings us right up to date with more fascinating insights into the benefits of implementing a social enterprise network.

by Steve Finegan

In 2012, my guest post described how Yammer had been an instant hit with our employees as we set about finding a replacement for our out-dated intranet. Our voluntary adoption strategy of simply allowing employees to join the Yammer network started us on a journey, quite literally, into the unknown. This journey was also reflective of the wider business of course, because we’re constantly evolving and responding to the environment around us. This is an area where Yammer is strong. It can be very responsive to change and discussions on the network regularly reflect live issues rising organically from literally anywhere across the organisation.

lessons from 'house of cards'

February 10, 2013 Darren Caveney

There's lessons on the re-make of the political thriller House of Cards. Not just that if you live tweet a row with your boss you'll become an online hero.

by Will Mapplebeck

"Power is a lot like real estate. It's all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value." - Frank Underwood.

What's so different about Netflix's House of Cards?

After all, it has everything we'd come to expect from a hit US drama - high production values, a razor sharp script and a Hollywood actor (Kevin Spacey) in the lead role.

But this one is different and it has a relevance for the world many of us work and communicate in every day.

Difference one is how the show has reached our screens. House of Cards, a remake of the BBC original, is made and broadcast by Netflix, a subscription based video-on-demand website.

Netflix is the first content carrier that has gone from simply buying up and broadcasting other people's programmes, to making its own.

picture this...

February 5, 2013 Darren Caveney

Move over crusty meeting minutes, forget scribbling in notepads and word documents are so yesterday. How about graphic recording the next time you run an event or a creative session...

by Claire Holgate

My name is Claire and I'm a graphic recorder. I draw pictures and graphics to help people understand things better.

I’ve worked in lots of different roles throughout my career and I’ve sat through my fair share of meetings and workshops in my time.

doing a newcastle: on balancing voices

January 26, 2013 Darren Caveney

Right across the public sector there are tough budget decisions being made. Some will make more noise than others but how do you give a voice to ordinairy people alongside the voice of a powerful lobby?

by Will Mapplebeck

In November, Newcastle City Council launched a consultation on its 2013-16 budget.

Like other local authorities across England we found ourselves faced with some awful choices to balance the books.

if the residents' mag goes, what then?

January 15, 2013 Darren Caveney

Newsletters used to be a standard way the public sector used to let people know what was happening. But increasingly their days are starting to be numbered. But what next? As one organisation shows, the answer is likely to be digital.

by Lisa Green

The guillotine is hanging over our council magazine in circulation since 1992, and I'm waiting for it to fall.

When I heard our much treasured magazine was on the table as part of 'the spending cuts' I had two thoughts – first was a genuine concern about how we would communicate with our older residents if we didn’t have the magazine and the second was, bugger that’s part of my day job!

Our research has shown that the magazine’s readers are typically over 55 and we all know that there’s a strong relationship between how well informed residents feel about what their Council is doing, and their overall satisfaction with us. The magazine has been the principal vehicle through which we communicate with our residents for 21 years, it’ll be like saying goodbye to an old friend, but savings have to be made and if the blade falls, what then?

one challenge for changing comms

January 10, 2013 Darren Caveney

So, what happens when services are done by other people? Do you stop communicating? Actually, no. You keep at it. But the role of the corporate comms team will change.

by Emma Rodgers

Across the country, local government is all under the same strain – to save money and improve services. Some of the action taken has seen traditional salami slicing and others have taken a more radical approach.

And as a result more councils are deciding to commission services, moving away from traditional provision for obvious reasons.

In Staffordshire, we’ve put in place a new way of working - one which is focussed on commissioning the right service in the right place at the right time.

So what are the implications for communications?

Everyone knows higher resident satisfaction directly links to feeling informed. Knowing what services are on offer, what the council is doing for me and making sure you’re giving me value for money are the reasons quoted when residents say what helps them to feel informed.

why the NUJ is for pr people

January 6, 2013 Darren Caveney

Unions? Aren't they for factory workers? Well, actually no. Some say they've never been more revelant than today for people in public relations.

By Chris Morley

In my years in the regional media, one of the most common career paths is from mainstream newspapers or broadcasting to PR.

When this happens, those who were members of the NUJ often think the union will not be able to represent them in their new work or is not appropriate in some way as they no longer regard themselves as a journalist. This then leads them to resign from the union.

However, the real situation is quite a bit different. The NUJ does represent PR professionals (this is part of its constitution) and we welcome them into membership. In fact we have something like 2,000 members in this sector.

tips on social media for local government

December 20, 2012 Darren Caveney

In some cases local government and social media don’t mix. Many councils haven’t been actively using Facebook and Twitter and that has to change. It can be a long and complicated process. Here are some tips to get you started.

by Maria Loupa

Plan ahead

It is vital to understand that SM should form part of an overall comms plan

A comms strategy should be already in place and social media will be integrated gradually into it.

You need to comprehend the mentality behind each channel; each organisation is completely different and tools need to be customised to its needs. You need to experiment and see what works; different tools might apply to particular campaigns.