July 9, 2009
I’ve been a deliquent blogger lately, but I’ve returned (cue Return of the Mack) bearing gifts of sorts.
Washington, DC area folks should plan to make a trip Topaz Bar downtown on Monday July 13th @ 6pm.
Why?
I’ll be there, and since work has returned to mild version of this lately, I’m sure it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.
Need another reason? Ok, here’s the real deal. I’ll be there, but I’ll be with a few friends checking out the new social aggregator nomee.

Have a complimentary libation and learn about a new social media aggregator, nomee. Members of the nomee team will be on-hand to walk attendees through the newly-relaunched app, and to answer questions about how nomee can simplify users’ lives.
When: Monday, July 13
Where: Topaz Bar 1733 N St NW, Washington, DC
RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=102413401747
nomee:
- FREE all-new social networking software created in Adobe AIR.
- Integrates with 120 social networks and sites, with more being added every day.
- The ultimate sharing and following tool for individuals, celebrities and icon brands. Follow your favorites, feed your fans with nomee.
Hope to see you there!
1 Comment |
PR, Professional Development, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Media, Social Networking | Tagged: Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, nomee, PR Prescriptions, Return of the Mack, social, social aggregator, Social Media, Social Networking, Social Technology, Topaz Bar |
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Posted by jaywalk1
June 11, 2009

Going to BlogPotomac? If so, let me know. Leave a comment here, email me at james.walker@prprescriptions.com, @ me or DM me. I won’t make the happy hr tonight, but it would be great to meetup with you during one of the breaks tomorrow.
I know it seems like I’m writing a personal letter to the world, but just throwing out the line… See yall tomorrow!
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PR, Professional Development, Public Relations, Social Media | Tagged: BlogPotomac, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions |
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Posted by jaywalk1
June 8, 2009
Entrepreneur magazine’s June 2009 issue featured a short piece titled “Get Thee to a PR firm.” In the article, 5 Entrepreneurs shared thoughts on when they knew it was time to hire a PR firm. Stories varied, but here’s when it clicked for them:
- People started talking.
- The specialty niche became a trend.
- The entrepreneur dreamed of going national.
- Sales came to a halt.
- It just became too much.
So, is there a specific point in the business growth process when you should hire a PR firm?
No, I think that’s clear from the range of responses provided from this small sample of entrepreneurs. Each business and circumstance will be a little different, and you will be looking to communicate a variety of different things from updates on the business to awards to new focus/products/services/offerings and the list goes on.
There IS, however, a specific point when you should engage a PR professional.
When? Five minutes after you begin to think about engaging with the public.
Why five minutes? It’s enough time to figure out if you’re ready to take that step (budget), but not so much time that you begin to brainstorm and become wedded to your own ideas. That’s why WE are here!
I was being a bit cheeky there, but in all seriousness, it may take days, months or years before you truly need a firm to assist you, but you should be engaging a PR consultant from the very beginning to discuss your strategy.
How can a PR consultant help? There are millions of ways, but here are a few keys areas:
- Providing an outside perspective on messaging - How are you describing your business and the service it provides? Is it as effective as you think it is?
- Defining and Targeting audiences – Most of the entrepreneurs whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting generally have a great sense of who they would like to target. However, knowing who your audience is does not directly translate into knowing the best ways to communicate with that audience.
- Strategy and Solutions - PR pros rarely get the credit we’re due for strategic thinking. We are, at our core, strategic thinkers who come up with solutions. Note that I didn’t limit this to communications solutions. The truth is, depending on the pro, we do a great deal more than that. Our work and experience can blend in other functions (marketing, advertising, fundraising, etc) and several sectors (health care/ health policy, technology, corporate responsibility, etc).
- Getting Funding - This one comes straight from Entrepreneur. According to a survey they conducted, “Companies engaging in PR campaigns were 30 percent more successful in attaining funding within 1 to 3 months than companies without a campaign.”
It may be wise to hold off on hiring a firm for long-term work, but a working relationship with a solid PR consultant is definitely an extremely valuable thing to have in your arsenal as you set out to grow your business or organization.
2 Comments |
PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources | Tagged: defining audience, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Magazine, Get Thee to a PR firm, James, James S. Walker, James Walker, messaging, PR Firm, PR solutions, PR strategy, Public Relations, Public Relations for Startups, Public Relations Strategy, target audience |
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Posted by jaywalk1
June 2, 2009
I may not have many things in common with Alltop founder and walking success story Guy Kawasaki, but it turns out that we share a common distaste for a few things that people do online.

His June 2009 Entrepreneur magazine piece titled “Website Marketing Turnoffs” lays out 13 “silly and even stupid ways some companies are hindering adoption of their products and services.” One place where I’ll deviate from Guy’s thinking is his application of these things to companies. To me, this applies to everyone online, companies and definitely anyone blogging. As I read the list, I couldn’t help but think: “Yes! Right! Seriously! EXACTLY!!”
A few that made me mad just visualizing the offenders in action include:
#1 Forcing immediate registration: Requiring a new user to register is a reasonable request—after you’ve sucked him in. The sites that require registration as the first step are putting a barrier in front of adoption.
I hate this. As a PR guy, I know the value of capturing the email, but as an online PR guy, I also know how fast a visitor can click off a site if something jumps between them and the content they seek. Something to think about…
#3 Windows that don’t generate URLs: Have you ever wanted to point people to a page, but the page has no URL? Did the company decide it didn’t want referrals, links and additional traffic?
Yes, yes…oh and yes! And bloggers, please do both me and yourself a favor, make it easy for me to point to specific posts. There is nothing like trying to send a post to someone only to find that my sole option is sending the main URL with a date and title.
#6 Limiting contact to e-mail: Don’t get me wrong; I live and die by e-mail. But sometimes I want to call or even snail-mail a company. Many companies only let you send an e-mail via their “Contact Us” page. Why can’t companies be honest and just call it “Don’t Contact Us”?
I agree with Guy, but I’m going to take this one in a slightly different direction. When I’m reading up on bloggers, there are times when I’d like to share info or ask a question that is not suited for everyone’s eyes. I have little faith in contact forms (that they work and that they get read), so please people include an email address. Gmail is FREE! Open a new account just for people like me and maintain your privacy with your personal account. You don’t have to check it every five minutes…every ten will do.
Those are just a few that jumped out at me. You can read the full list here.
*Flickr Photo Credit – PaloAlto
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Just Fun, PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources | Tagged: Alltop, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Magazine, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, Great Minds Irk Alike, Guy Kawasaki, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions, Website Marketing Turnoffs |
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Posted by jaywalk1
May 27, 2009
Alright folks, I’m late with this post, but there’s still time for you to take action. Here’s the “sitch.” Ryan Stephen’s, awesome blogger and all around cool guy, rallies the online masses every month to vote for the Top 10 Gen Y blogs.
Not that I’m trying to influence the votes or anything…but you just might see a familiar blog listed in the 4th position of the 7th grouping of blogs listed…
Seriously though, take a look at the list. I follow many of the blogs which made the cut, and I’m sure there’s a couple worthy enough to be added to your reader as well!
2 Comments |
Gen Y | Tagged: Awesome Bloggers, Gen Y, Gen Y PR, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions, Ryan Stephens, Ryan Stephens Marketing, Top 10 Gen Y Blogs, Top 10 Gen Y Blogs for June ‘09, Viralogy |
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Posted by jaywalk1
May 20, 2009

Ok so maybe this isn’t exactly a new osbession for me. I did write about Ahead of the Curve and their brief fall from grace in December, but I have forgiven them and just in time too!
Poking around the source of all (Twitter), I came across a link which led me to something which will definitely be a major time drain in a good way, the Harvard Business Publishing Twitter account (@Harvardbiz).
If you share my love for reading about brands, business, corporate social responsibilty and anything else under that amazing umbrella, you’ve got to follow them.
Here are a few of their more recent pieces that I found interesting:
1 Comment |
Professional Development, Resource, Resources, Social Media, Thoughts | Tagged: @harvardbiz, Ahead of the Curve, encourage weakness, For a Charity or the Money? You Can't Work for Both, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, Harvard Business, Harvard Business Publishing, Harvard Business Review, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions, trusting colleagues |
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Posted by jaywalk1