Positioning the Experts

by Kim Taylor

One of the best things about the Web is the speed at which new platforms are developed.  Among the latest and greatest is Quora, a “continually improving collection of questions and answers.”  Sounds a bit like Wikipedia for subject-matter “experts,” or a finely tuned version of Google.

Either way, the concept is intriguing.  You can ask or answer questions, position yourself or your client as a subject-matter expert, or browse three categories of questions (latest, open, or unanswered, and best) for items of interest.

Quora’s quest is to create a place where eventually everything you’d ever want to know is asked and answered.

Let’s say your client is an expert in the development of thin-film batteries.  He or she can ask or answer questions on the topic, positioning himself as an expert on the topic.  But, it doesn’t end there.  Others can edit the questions, add to the answers and organize it as they see fit.  But unlike Wikipedia, changes are tracked by person so it’s easy to see who’s helping or hurting your topic … and users of Quora can vote on answers promoting them as the “best” answer.

I’m not sure I’m qualified to judge the usefulness of Quora yet, but I already see tons of opportunities; and based on this list of reporters already exploring the site, PR should pay attention.

NPR Owns Up to a Major Error

by Dan Ward

We have all seen how the rush to publish can sometimes lead to errors in news reporting.  Kudos to NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard for providing a detailed, step-by-step explanation for one such mistake made by her organization this weekend.

Soon after breaking the story of the rampage shooting in Tucson, NPR unfortunately followed up on its “scoop” by mistakenly reporting that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had died.

While defending her organization for being transparent and apologizing for its mistakes, Shepard spares few punches in explaining how those mistakes were made, and how they could have easily been avoided.

Her closing comment, “many people will remember the mistake and not the correction,” is one that virtually all PR people have voiced themselves at one time or another, after fighting for a tiny correction on A2 after some news outlet published incorrect information.

Competition to be first is resulting in more and more mistakes.  And the instant-sharing capabilities of Twitter mean those mistakes are seen by more eyes.  That’s why we advise clients in our Message Matrix^® training sessions that monitoring what is being said about you and your organization is now a round-the-clock responsibility.

Waiting for a correction is a thing of the past.  When a news story mistakenly starts a wildfire, it’s YOUR job to put it out