Cue Damien Mulley’s Online PR Training Course.  I attended the inaugural one last Sat (23rd Jan 2010) in Dublin.  Damien not only possess the theoretical knowledge, he’s also a hands-on practitioner and an avid industry-watcher.   Addressed were the issues of getting your information out into the online space in terms of channels, approaches and etiquette.  Also on the agenda were:

• Developing a Business Communications Bible
• Developing an Online Communications Philosophy
• Clever ways of utilizing the free online tools available
• Crisis Communications – the one we all hope not to have to use but the one it’s most critical to get right.

Bad crisis management remains evident on the Internet for a long time.  Darragh Doyle, Community Manager of Boards.ie, spoke about how they dealt effectively with the fallout of their very recent hack attack.

There was a broad range of participants, some good questions and discussions.  One topic that I wondered about afterwards and perhaps it’s something to touch on briefly in future courses was Truth/Ethics:

• At what point does online PR become more than engaging with users, guiding an online conversation or responding to misinformation?   At what point does it become misleading, untruthful and loaded with the potential to damage the reputation of the organization?
• We all want to promote positives about ourselves, our companies and our achievements. So how do we do this while remaining truthful to less appealing aspects and not leaving ourselves open to accusations of spin?  How can organizations build this into a communications philosophy or bible, given the subjective nature of truth and ethics?
• Google famously adopted a ‘do no evil’ company philosophy from very early on.  Whether that philosophy is truly reflected in how they operate is debatable and whether that sort of philosopy is compatible with ambitious business expansion plans is also debatable.
• Consider the ethics of bare-faced lies crafted to protect a company and its shareholders (as per Apple’s spin on Steve Job’s illness).  Which is the greater evil, allowing the truth to potentially harm a company or deliberately crafting an untruth about something that may indeed impact on company performance?

Good course, well delivered by a highly regarded practitioner.

Having a browse for a Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine this morning I wanted to see if I could beat the price I found on Amazon.co.uk.  A quick look in Google showed me that Bewleys were advertising in Google Adwords “Gaggia Espresso Machine”.  However, clicking on the advert brings users to a page where they can sign up to the Bewleys online club.  No sign of Gaggia or any other coffee makers for sale.  So I navigated to the Bewleys shop at buy4now.ie and found that there were indeed coffee makers, but nothing by Gaggia.

So I am annoyed after a pointless diversion and Bewleys have paid for an irrelevant visitor who is not going to make a purchase.  Who is running Bewley’s Adwords campaign?

Launched today was the affiliate hotel bookings website HotelDealsIreland.ie.  Activate has devised a broad online marketing strategy to include Email Marketing, Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimisation, Facebook & Twitter.

Hotel Deals Ireland enables users to book superb rates on wide stock of  hotels in Ireland.  Categories include:

• 5* Hotels Ireland
• 4* Hotels Ireland
• Budget Hotel Breaks Ireland
• Hotel Deals Dublin

Accommodation is a extremely competitive sector in Ireland and the site will need a strong push to make any impact.  We plan to revisit this client as a case study later in the year to analyse &  share some of the results of the online marketing push.

I really enjoy the meat from McCarthys of Kanturk and currently have a good stock in my freezer.  I placed an order online last Saturday for a relative of mine in Dublin.  Said relative is currently unwell and I wanted to make sure that (a) she would be home when the delivery arrived and (b) that she would have someone at home to help her with the delivery.  So after ordering online on their website, I sent an email to McCarthys to follow up with delivery instructions and tell them suitable dates.  By Wednesday (the day AFTER I had requested delivery) I had heard nothing.  So I picked up the phone and gave them a buzz.

I discovered that the “fella who looks after that is away for the week, and we don’t have passwords or anything for the computer”.

I believe said fella is back next week, so I have a good chance of delivery sometime next week.

Retailers who conduct online transactions, and are happy to take immediate payment from customers, need to understand that online doesn’t operate on a 9am -5pm, Monday to Friday basis.  And you certainly can’t put a ‘Gone Fishing’ sign up on the door.

Hi there, you’re part of a beta group receiving this feature, which means you may start seeing retweets in a new way. People who don’t have this yet will see your retweets prefaced by “RT”.

I also noticed that when following new users I was given the option of either opting in or out of receiving their Retweets.  I thought this would be useful functionality where many of the people you follow overlap and know each other.  It is not uncommon to see the same RTs on many occassions within certain sets of people.

Logging in this morning and seeing the new RTs in action has been a letdown though:

1. Retweet Display

Image 2: What a RT now looks like

• The profile pic of the original poster is shown in your timeline & you only see a small text attributing the RT to the user you follow. I think this is mistake #1.
  • I trust the people I follow before I trust people I don’t know.  It is disconcerting to see unknown profiles show up in my timeline.
  • I shouldn’t have to search to see who sent the RT -  I should see the profile pic of the person I am following.
  • The above example was Retweeted by @Eirepreneur, a Twitter user whose input I value and whose RTs I am likely to read.  However I see the profile pic of someone I have never heard of (no offence to mikebutcher).
  • This indicates to me that Twitter don’t realise how users read Tweets.  I scan quickly for anything of interest, I do not read all of the Tweets or RTs in my timeline.
  • Logically, I should see @Eirepreneur’s profile pic in my timeline and only the username of the Retweeted user.

2. Retweet Functionality

Image 3: Automated Retweet Link

• There is a new “Retweet” link underneath each Tweet as per image 3 above.
• However this “Retweet” option is not as handy as it first seems unfortunately.
  • The Tweet is automatically send to followers without giving users the option of editing or commenting on a RT!
  • I can’t stress enough that this ability to edit and add to a RT is a fundamental part of the spirit of Retweeting.
  • Users recommend articles, ideas, users etc to their followers.
  • Users comment on RTs.  Users compliment, ridicule, discuss, debate, encourage.
  • Ideas propegate and develop via creative use of RTs.

We can still of course use the ‘old-fashioned’ method by copying and prefacing with the letters “RT”.  That’s what I’ll be doing until Twitter listen to the feedback and make some changes before they roll out the new functionality across the board.

These are my initial thoughts.  Any other comments, compliments or gripes about the new functionality are very welcome!

However, this week I heard from Temple Gate that they had an issue with a client who booked a room under the impression that the Temple Gate Hotel is close to the 02 in Dublin (some 240km away).  In fact they had found the hotel in Google by typing in ‘hotels near 02 dublin’.  I tried to replicate the search myself and found that Temple Gate Hotel was showing up on the map in the local search results, and for some strange reason Google maps was now placing them firmly on Ennis Grove in Dublin 4!   Not only that, their map listing for Ennis related searches had disappeared.

I have come across cases where it took some time to get an old address updated, but this is the first where I have seen Google change a correct location to one that has absolutely no connection to the business in question.   We have now tried to reclaim the listing and update the address.  Any of you who have gone through this process will know that the options for doing so are limited.  You can either get Google to send an automated text or phone the telephone number they have on file for the business  to confirm.  I didn’t fancy the chances of an automated Google call to the receptionist so opted for the postcard.   It’s rather ironic really that we are waiting for snail mail from the U.S. from one of the the biggest Internet companies in the world.

On Saturday morning I decided to head into the city centre with my daughter to do a few bits and pieces and sit down and have a coffee / hot chocolate together.  We had a lovely morning, enjoyed the atmosphere, looked at the Christmas display in Brown Thomas and had our few treats in the coffee shop.  We had arrived at 9.40am and were leaving just before 1pm.  I had parked in one of my ‘regular’ car parks – Q Parking at Harvey’s Quay, the one over Dunnes.

I put my parking ticket in the machine and had a fiver in my hand, which is roughly what I usually pay for a few hours parking.  I thought I may have to dig out a couple of coins on top of the fiver, but was not expecting to be asked for €9.20.   So I buzzed down to reception and told them there seemed to be a problem with the ticket machine.  He told me to come down to him and he would sort it out.  When I got there however he explained that that was the price.  That they have introduced a new pricing system.

ME: “You have increased your prices by a large margin in the middle of a recession?”

HIM: “It’s actually cheaper now for short periods.  Our reseach has shown that lots of business users use this carpark and would like the ability to pay by the quarter hour.”

ME: “I don’t know who conducts their business in 15 minutes. It takes 5 mins to get out of this place.  The price has shot up for me and I’m really not happy about it.”

HIM: “Did you not see the prices?”

ME: “No.  They are not displayed at the entrance of the carpark.  They are only displayed at the parking meter.  It’s too late then.”

HIM: “Lots of people are happy with the new pricing.”

ME:  “I find that very hard to believe.”

At this stage a woman gets out of her car at the barrier, waving her ticket and shrieking at him.

WOMAN:  “I’m only here two hours!!”

So just a little warning.  Q Parking now charge per €0.60 per 15 minutes for the first 3 hours, supposedly to accommodated their many business users who are apparently able to conduct their business in a much more timely manner than I can!  Pricing reverts to €2 hourly after the first 3 hours.  Cornmarket Square charges a more reasonable €1.50 per hour.

In April, Limerick City Council orchestrated a major push to encourage people back into the city centre shops.  This was widely supported by the local radio and print media. It is a well known fact that Limerick City parking prices and availability are strangling city retail at the moment.  When the price that car parks charge affects footfall in the city it is time for Limerick City Council to intervene on a more longterm and meaningful basis.

The evening itself was greatly enjoyed by myself and my client Joanne Grehan of LookWest.ie.  Compliments to Damien Mulley for organising it and Rick O Shea for presenting with such style.  The focus was on fun and informality.  The giant bags of all things ‘crispy’  (e.g. Wagon Wheels, Taytos, Chickadees, Onion Rings) and the t-shirts  thrown by Rick  into the audience caused much swapping and passing along.  I didn’t see any fights, but I can’t vouch for what went on behind me.

I can also reveal here that there was almost a Kanyeesque moment.  Sitting half way down the room, as the shortlist for the Best Practice website was announced, I spied a screen shot of what I thought was my brother’s website.  My brother however had texted me a few hours earlier asking if I fancied joining him for few bevvies.  So I thought that  we had a situation whereby he was shortlisted and didn’t know about it.  I wondered what would happen if  his website won.  Should I go up on stage and accept the award on his behalf?  I texted my brother “What is name of your cars website” (yes I know I am a bad sister for not remembering).  Before I got an answer CarsIreland.ie was announced as the winner.  I scanned the room and initially didn’t see any takers.  I steeled myself for walking right up there and making some excuse for my brother.  I looked around one last time for good measure and saw the rightful owner of the award making his way to the podium.  Stage invasion narrowly averted!  My brother says CarsIreland.ie were worthy winners of the award by the way, but he thinks an invasion of the stage would have been a great guerilla marketing campaign for his site.

I got the opportunity to meet loads of people with whom I’ve communicated via Twitter but never met.  Sabrina Dent, the offer of a meal,  bed and lift from station was geniune, I will get in touch.  Joe Scanlon amazingly remembered that I threatened a sulk if he didn’t make good on his promise to link to my blog.  It worked well and I’m wondering if sulking as part of my overall link-building strategy has legs to it. It was  lovely to meet Damien Mulley and I was very encouraged by his words about the LookWest campaign.  I also met @IDAIreland who very deservedly won the Best Government & Council Website category.

At some silly hour of the night I found myself heading home in a taxi with many packets of tayto stuffed inside my handbag.  The taxi driver was very appreciative of a late night snack.  I myself placed a packet of Chickadees beside my pillow.  You wouldn’t want to be overcome by hunger in the middle of the night.

We’re delighted to be shortlisted in the prestigious Irish Web Awards 2009 in the Social Media Campaign Category for our client LookWest.ie.

LookWest.ie is an iniative of the Western Development Commission, a State body which promotes Ireland’s  Western region as a great place to live, work and do business.

2009 saw LookWest.ie take the social media bull by the horns and make a concerted effort to connect with their target demographics in engaging and meaningful ways.  Social Media can of course be risky, in that opening up a two way dialogue with users means sometimes you may need to accept the criticism and rough and tumble of two-way dialogue.  Something that government bodies are traditionally reluctant to do.

I am delighted that the spirited & dynamic approach of the LookWest team has paid off and that we’ve made the shortlist.

The awards take place on 10th October at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Dublin.  We’ll be there, keep your fingers crossed for us!