| With the rise of Blogs across the U.S., a new type | | | | experts in their technology, created a two-part |
| of information dissemination has grown to | | | | plan to dominate the initial search results found |
| mammoth proportions-consumer generated media | | | | whenever someone was seeking information on |
| produced by blogs. Pew Internet & American Life | | | | any of its clients. The process, known as Press |
| study reports that 7% of the 120 million U.S. | | | | Direct, involves creating professionally written, |
| adults who use the internet say they have | | | | interest grabbing articles and press releases that |
| created a blog or web-based diary. That | | | | are linked in terms of story content and then |
| represents approximately 8 million Americans. | | | | distributing the articles to dozens of article content |
| Twenty-seven percent of internet users say they | | | | hubs. These content sites provide news stories, |
| read blogs, totaling 32 million people. What most | | | | articles, and commentary to tens of thousands of |
| people don't know is that search engine spidering | | | | users such as TV and radio news directors, print |
| technology is attracted to web sites whose | | | | editors, popular web sites, news sites and other |
| content "changes" constantly. This means that | | | | information destinations. ITMG subsequently |
| blog content has a higher likelihood to find its way | | | | distributes the related press release, which is |
| to the top of search engine results as compared | | | | targeted to media contacts, after the prior |
| with static web site content. This is the primary | | | | articles begin popping up all over the internet.The |
| reason for the POWER behind the growth of the | | | | article hubs aren't just any media outlets. These |
| blog as a media outlet.The birth of blog related | | | | sites are selected because of their substantial |
| consumer generated media has played havoc with | | | | distribution reach and Alexa ranking is tantamount |
| the fundamental goals of public relations firms. As | | | | to the Neilson of the internet world. Alexa ranks |
| late as ten years ago, all a good PR firm had to | | | | web sites worldwide in accordance with their |
| do to control the image of its clients was to | | | | visitor traffic levels). Each article and related press |
| maintain good relations with the three major TV | | | | release is search engine optimized based on the |
| networks, the fifteen major hub newspapers that | | | | most popular keywords connected to a given |
| feed content to hundreds of other daily | | | | industry so as to make it search engine friendly |
| newspapers, and the 3 or 4 major radio | | | | before placement. Once the initial article is |
| networks. Currently, a PR firm has to contend not | | | | submitted and that same article finds its way |
| only with the mainstream media, cable and radio | | | | onto thousands of other web sites via the |
| networks, but also a tidal wave of information | | | | content hubs, a press release version is |
| flooding onto the internet from blogs.This new | | | | distributed to major wire services and to a large |
| wave of internet related content may not have | | | | home grown list of media contacts owned by |
| been a problem if the role of the World Wide | | | | ITMG, numbered in the thousands."We figured out |
| Web had remained in the hands of the universities | | | | that we should write an appropriate 'linked article' |
| library system and DARPA (Defense Advanced | | | | in conjunction with a press release", describes Bob |
| Research Project Agency) where the internet | | | | Cefail, Chairman of In Touch Media Group, "and |
| was spawned. Unfortunately for those companies | | | | place the article into as many of these article |
| recently targeted by negative commentary via | | | | hubs as possible. The effect was breathtaking |
| the blog network, the following chilling internet | | | | when we saw that the article we had written |
| user statistics are quite relevant. On a typical day | | | | was sweeping across the internet". What ITMG |
| at the end of 2004, some 70 million American | | | | figured out was to first lay the ground work for a |
| adults logged onto the Internet to use email, get | | | | press release through the use of a well designed |
| news, access government information, check out | | | | article. What ITMG didn't expect was that the |
| health and medical information, participate in | | | | article, placed in the hubs, and the follow-up press |
| auctions, book travel reservations, research their | | | | release would completely dominate the first few |
| genealogy, gamble, seek out romantic partners, | | | | pages of any internet search on almost any topic; |
| and engage in countless other activities. That | | | | thereby, pushing negative content back into the |
| represents a 37 percent increase from the 51 | | | | back pages of the search results.When considering |
| million Americans who were online on an average | | | | the fact that huge article hubs have ever-changing |
| day in 2000 when the Pew Internet & American | | | | content numbering in the thousands of daily |
| Life Project began its study of online life. This | | | | changes, one can see why the search engine |
| trend is ONLY going up.Another Pew study | | | | spiders are highly attracted to the article hubs. |
| identified that fact that over 50% of all online | | | | One can liken these content hubs to "super blogs" |
| purchases are now PRECEEDED by an internet | | | | in terms of their effectiveness in search engine |
| search. Thirty-six percent of all internet users | | | | ranking versus normal blogs. The key to In Touch |
| under the age of 30 say that they could not live | | | | Media Group's success can be tracked back to |
| without internet search engines. This illustrates | | | | the ancient teachings of a Chinese Military figure |
| what many ad agency executives now take for | | | | named Sun Tzu. The famous general wrote in his |
| granted-that people, in higher and higher numbers, | | | | well known book, The Art of War, that when one |
| are using internet information, not mainstream | | | | has a larger opponent, one must get a bigger |
| media related advertising, to make buying | | | | friend. By using what amounts to "bigger blogs" in |
| decisions. Every day, more and more people are | | | | its efforts to help its client, In Touch Media Group |
| turning on computers versus the TV set for | | | | was able to out- create negative consumer |
| information and entertainment.Public Relations | | | | generated media produced by consumer |
| Firms Must Adopt New StrategiesPublic relations | | | | blogs.The Press Direct campaign also accomplished |
| executives and professionals must begin to | | | | several other significant results. With one movie |
| develop new strategies for controlling what is said | | | | company client, the Press Direct service resulted |
| about their clients on the internet. This can be | | | | in over 400 media pick-ups of just one press |
| done in one of two ways: 1) focus efforts | | | | release story over only a 7-day period as |
| towards influencing bloggers in terms of what | | | | reported by In another case, an ITMG faith-based |
| they are saying about their clients and change any | | | | media client, whose Alexa ranking was 2,398,449, |
| negative attitudes (the way PRs used to address | | | | had its ranking bettered to under 94,000 in less |
| potential negative messages distributed through | | | | than a month!With consumer generated media |
| the limited number of mainstream media outlets | | | | creating as much as 40% of all search results |
| of yester year); 2) control what is found on the | | | | presently, a substantial percentage of which is |
| first half dozen pages of internet search results | | | | negative in nature, potential candidates for search |
| when their client's information is being looked up. | | | | engine content management and control includes |
| The goal of the latter solution is far more | | | | politicians, entertainment, sports, and large public |
| attainable than the first solution. With millions of | | | | corporations. Consumer product companies are at |
| bloggers, and the number is growing hourly, | | | | particular risk as concerns negative blog |
| pumping out terabytes of information each and | | | | commentary because their products or services |
| every day, control of their message is an | | | | reach such a large mixture of clientele. If just a |
| impossible task. Only through some revolutionary | | | | small percentage of clients find reason to |
| content control techniques can a PR begin to win | | | | complain, a large company's search results can be |
| the battle with the bloggers.This report will track | | | | critically damaged and no amount of traditional PR |
| the progress of one company, In Touch Media | | | | firm repair work can remedy their online image. |
| Group, in its daily efforts to control client search | | | | Only a highly targeted campaign involving the aid |
| results through tools it has recently developed and | | | | of article content hubs, search engine optimized |
| streamlined ( one of just a few companies that | | | | articles and press releases can stem the tide of |
| have been awarded the prestigious Google | | | | negative commentary. |
| Adwords Qualified Company status given out to | | | | |