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 Above the Fold
   News from Eiler Communications
-March 2009-
Newsletter Contents
Watchdog Function Dissapearing
Michigan The Helping Hand State
Facebook vs Twitter
Twitter
Eiler Insights

About Eiler

Eiler Communications is a public relations and marketing communications firm in Ann Arbor, Mich., servicing established and emerging companies in the technology, financial services, biotechnology and healthcare industries.
 
Did you know that there are 175 million people on Facebook and counting?

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We can show you how! Contact Eiler today to learn about our Social Media Marketing educational packages?


Michigan- The Helping Hand State. Found out how your business can apply for recovery money!

EILER THOUGHTS....

FACEBOOK VS TWITTER COLLISION?

Dark clouds are swirling in the battle between the social media king, Facebook and the upstart Twitter. Facebook attempted to purchase the fellow social networking web site last year for $500 million in Facebook Stock, according to Business Week' Sarah lacy. Twitter, a networking tool centered on users' real-time updates in 140 characters or less, rebuffed the bid instead choosing to focus on loftier goals.  Since the offer was rejected, forecasters believe a quiet David vs. Goliath battle for social media presence has developed pitting Twitter, backed by a respectable 6 million users, against Facebook and its colossal 175 million members.

While the knockout blow may not appear for a few years, the two contenders have already thrown punches.  Each web site has borrowed technologies pivotal to their competitor's platform.  Twitter users are now able to search all Tweets and discussions, an option Facebook offered since launching in 2004. Business and public relations users can use this tool to find relevant topics and monitor brand messages and imaging. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded with a guerilla analysis, openinga personal Twitter account
(thezuckerberg). This month, Facebook reconfigured thier homepage with Twitter-inspired real-time "Status Updates" and less distinction between private and public profile pages; both elements key to Twitter's appeal.  As described by the Washington Post, "These changes will allow celebrities and businesses to effectively communicate with fans and consumers on arguably the preeminent social media network.  Are these the actions of respected rivals or vicious opponents?"
   
Zuckerberg has yet to publicly target Twitter, but history proves has reason for concern.  In 2006, Yahoo attempted to purchase the young and fledging Facebook for a speculated $1 Billion according to TechCrunch.com.  Similarly, Twitter, launched by CEO Evan Williams in 2006 has taken a few years to find its footing, now bringing in over 4.43 million unique visitors per month.  That total is up from 500,000 at the outset of 2008 according to Mashable.com, an online social media guide.  Williams has coyly vowed more to come from Twitter in coming months.

Only time will show if the two social media networks are destined for a showdown, but a rivalry has definitely sparked.  Both web sites are operated by savvy networking strategists committed to hearty growth and superior products which are becomng easier for businesses to utilize for brand marketing.

Case Ernsting
Difference Between PR and Publicity?
I recently read a blog by Seth Godin. The blog was titled, "Difference between PR and Publicity" It got my attention because I don't think that many people really do understand the difference between PR and publicity.

PR is about crafting a message that differentiates you from your competition and brings attention to your service or product. Usually, this is a positive message involving a success in a business, a new product line or new developments in the industry, etc.  Of course, there are cases when it is not positive news about a business or service, but those messages are usually crafted by a PR team to ensure that they have some type of "positive spin" on them.

Publicity is just the act of getting face time or "getting ink" and appearing in as many media venues as possible. A publicity firm will tell you how to get your picture taken and make some type of noise or commotion. This can be good for the ego, but not all publicity is positive publicity and you have no control over your message.

As Seth said in his blog, "Regis McKenna was great at PR. Yes, he got Steve Jobs and the Mac on the cover of more than 30 magazines in a year it lauched, but that was just publicity. The real insight was crafting the story of the MAC ( and that is PR)."

PR is about storytelling  and spreading the word with a concise message to the right people. A message that you can control and even have a drawer statement prepared if something should happen to take a negative spin.

It seems to me that you should think about what type of firm you really need to hire.

Do you need your picture to show up anywhere and everywhere? Or do you want a crafted, thoughtful message spread to a target market?

Sometimes it's quality not quantity that is important.

Jennifer Peak
Eiler Insights

By Larry Eiler

Watchdog Function Disappearing

"As Americas newspapers shrink and shed staff, and broadcast news outlets sinks in the ratings, a new kind of web-based operation has arisen in several cities, forcing newspapers to follow the stories they uncover." The New York TImes, November 17, 2008, Richard Perez-Pena.

See www.voiceofsandiego.org, which provides a brand of "serious, original reporting by professional journalists..." In the past few years, similar "papers" have been started in Chicago, New Haven Seattle, St. Louis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New Haven.. and ANN ARBOR.

Newspapers have for many years been the watchdog over government, business, society in general.

But as newspapers ebb in their influence and new and social media-more immediate and deliverable and in demand by us all-there is a growing presence of community web sites that are picking up the function and watching what officials do.

One of these is exemplified right here in Ann Arbor-The Ann Arbor Chronicle. It covers offbeat and eclectic topics, but also covers what people are hearing and saying. Its audience is now small, but growing rapidly and covering a space that needs to be served.

And this type of digital publication is appearing across the nation in large cities and medium and small cities. As people's quest for sound information remains, so these new methods of delivering news on the Internet is coming to live.

While these sites do fully fill the void left by lack of coverage they do provide a start to another new way people will get information in the future. A future of new and social media that have current problems with monetization, but which nevertheless continue their appearance and develop into one more way people get news in new digital delivery forms.



The Helping (Hand State)

Don't turn on the news tonight. Take a night off. I'll spare you the suspense... Unemployment is high, the markets are down, and the Red Wings (probably) won.

The negative economic circumstances dominates newscasts these days, but we rarely hear about the financial aid available. President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February 17th thereby generating thousands of dollars for business owners seeking aid in the tough economy. The ARRA is designed to stimulate many different industries around the country, with unique investments here in Michigan. In efforts to accelerate the economic recovery, Governor Jennifer Granholm's administration has created a website filled with helpful hints on obtaining grants and tax aid for state businesses. Granholm and her staff should be commended on the launch of this site, for Michigan is one of the only 17 in the nation to offer ARRA information with such ease. Sites assisting the search for recovery financing:

www.grants.gov
www.recovery.gov
www.Michigan.gov/recovery


 Work is being done to fuel the local economy as well. Ann Arbor SPARK 's focused on continuously supporting regional businesses and entrepreneurs throughout these tough economic times offering programs, resources, and proactive backing. many businesses have heard about the benefited from SPARK's commitment to Ann Arbor innovation.

Hopefully, your business has stood up to the downward sloping economy, but if you're having trouble, make sure you apply for grants and financial assistance soon. Many grants have a "90 Day Window" for applications. The economy can't wait, and neither should you.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Case Ernsting
Eiler Intern
University of Michigan Student