“Well, nobody’s perfect.”

When TV writers go on strike, the studios can pull out a few years’ worth of reruns. But what can the movie studios do when their scripts dry up? They’ve stored up so many classic lines—the American Film Institute, in fact, issued its Top 100 Movie Quotes a couple years ago. Why not recycle them for a do-it-yourself script?It’d be kind of a “service-oriented architecture” for assemblers of film scripts that allows them to borrow proven, effective lines from the best-in-class of the past.

Thanks to the AFI list, we might end up with something like “Terminator on the Golden Waterfront”:

HER: “Hello, gorgeous.”

HIM: “You talking to me?”

HER: “Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?”

HIM: “You had me at hello.”

HER: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’”

HIM: “I coulda been a contender, instead of a bum, which is what I am.”

HER: “Listen to me, mister.  You’re my knight in shining armor. Don’t you forget it.”

HIM: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

HER: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

HIM: “They call me Mister Tibbs.”

HER: “Rosebud. I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

HER: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

HER: “La-dee-da, la-dee-da.”

HIM: “I’m walking here! I’m walking here!”

HER: “Go ahead, make my day.”

HIM: ““Hasta la vista, baby.”

HER: “Tomorrow is another day.”

On second thought, perhaps what we’ve got here is failure to communicate. Writing, like doughnuts, really must be fresh to be palatable. It gets stale pretty quickly so, the next time you pass that harried writer in the back cubicle, say hello (and thanks) to your little friend.

-- Steve Friedman

The importance of Face(book) to Face(book) interaction

Once an avenue for college students (with a verified university e-mail account, mind you) to post pictures of last week’s tailgate, or break up with their significant other, social networking is now being embraced by the mainstream. And it’s got me wondering how the social networking phenomenon affects me, as a PR professional. It wasn’t so long ago that the only ways in which we considered reaching a reporter were by placing a phone call or sending an e-mail.  But posting on their wall…um, I beg your pardon?

I conducted a media opportunity last week with a business journal in the Midwest and had the opportunity to work with a reporter who was a recent college graduate.  Before my return trip home, I had some downtime in the local airport, so I took a few minutes to see if she was, like so many of her brethren, using a social networking site.  Sure enough, I found her name and was tempted to click on the link prompting her to add me to her list of contacts.

But the question begs itself:  When is it appropriate to ask a reporter to be my “friend”?

Do I run the risk of nixing (or worse, becoming part of) the story before it runs?  Should I wait until I’ve had an extended relationship with this reporter? Does she really want to see pictures of my newborn baby?

As a PR professional with a huge technology company on my client roster, I’m constantly in touch with reporters who are trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology. And whether I’m forging connections with old colleagues or new clients on sites like Facebook, I’m seeing more reporters popping up on their “friends” list.  It would behoove me to look into the possibility of connecting with my contacts in much the same manner.

But like any new type of technology, determining proper protocol is just as crucial as learning how to use it.  I’m part of the generation that has a hard time remembering a time when we didn’t have cell phones.  I would imagine getting a reporter’s cell phone number back in the day prompted the same type of questions I’m asking myself. Now, many reporters use their cell phone as their main source of verbal communication.

There seems to be a need for networks that draw a line between professional networking and personal profiles. Maybe social networking is the wave of the future.  Or, maybe it will become yet another way for reporters to ignore PR professionals.  Either way, I think it’s too important to ignore.

-- Brad Marley

Public relations needs to change in new media world

The New York Times is reporting what most of us have known or suspected for some time – more people are getting their news online vs. in print. Journalism job descriptions are changing to include social media and SEO.

B.L. Ochman talks about the importance of Twitter, including breaking news and stories that incubate there before going mainstream.

What does this mean for PR? Public relations practitioners should be well aware that their field is already changing. Newspaper readership is declining. More media Web sites are using blog features such as comments and consumer-generated news. An increasing number of clients are requiring that their agency be schooled in social media, SEO and other online tactics.

Startups and small businesses are being encouraged to look online when determining their PR and marketing plans. Smart PR people should be familiar with a client’s (and potential client’s) industry, competitors and influencers online.

How to keep up – and get ahead? Start reading. A lot of thoughtful blogs and social media groups are extremely active online. You can find out who has landed on the Bad Pitch Blog or has been blocked by an editor.

Take a look at Jeremy Pepper’s social media PowerPoint. And coming in February, be sure to become well-acquainted with the third Global PR Blog Week, which always includes great content from PR professionals around the world.

-- Tonja Deegan