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Does PR spam do more harm than good?
30Email blasts from public relations people have become the norm — everyday is a new battle for managing my inbox, and trying to sort the crap from the valuable information. But at this point, how can we even tell what’s valuable and relevant to us, when almost every blast looks and sounds the same?
I asked this question to the Twitterverse this morning: “This is an honest question, not intended to be snarky: Do people read PR blast emails? Or just delete on sight? Depend on the product?”
The response was huge, and overwhelmingly leaning toward “delete on sight.” There were also many with a slightly less itchy trigger finger, like Michael Gaines (@istarman) who says: “Depends. I know whether I should read the whole thing after the first sentence.” I’m in that boat as well, as long as the first sentence isn’t written in all caps.
Clearly, it costs almost nothing to send an email blast to thousands of people, so the return of just a few bloggers and journalists writing about the topic is probably worth it to them. But do these emails turn people off of a product that they might otherwise be interested in? I’ve built spam filters around entire people and companies now, since they had such a bad track record of poorly executed form emails. If they suddenly represent a product that I might enjoy, I’ll never know. Sure, I could spend time creating complicated filters or scripts for my email, but hitting the Spam button is far easier.
With all the info that pours in everyday, I’ve taken to rely on the wisdom of crowds: if there’s news that’s worthwhile for me to know, it’ll pop up on Techmeme or Twitter/FriendFeed soon enough. As for PR blasts, I know it’s hard to write a personal note (and adding the recipients name at the top doesn’t count) but it will assure that the email is read, at least in my case. If you’re in the field of public relations and want to know how to better reach your audience, Rafe Needleman has an excellent blog called Pro PR Tips that could help with avoiding potential faux pas. Ryan also has a post about how to not pitch a blogger.
With so many different options out there today for reaching your target audience, why alienate them with spam? We’re all hungry for information, but with the signal:noise ratio these days it’s becoming harder to separate the worthwhile from the worthless. If you’re landing directly in a spam filter, you never even had a chance.
My interview with FayerWayer (in English)
14
This week, I did a fun interview with Latin American tech blog, FayerWayer.com! The editor, Alexander Schek, selected his favorite reader-submitted questions, and I answered them to the best of my ability. Since the whole thing was translated into Spanish, some of my English-speaking Twitter friends were wondering what the interview was all about (and using Google to revert it back to English left a little lost in translation!). Here’s the full interview:
How much do you spend in technology a month?
Depends on what I need for the month! If I’m not making any huge purchases, like a new laptop, then I’d guess around $100. Usually that’s for a video game or two, or books for the Kindle.What OS do you use and why?
I use OS X for my main laptop, and then XP for my PC gaming box. I used Windows exclusively until I went to college, and needed to use Macs for the audio and video programs for my classes. I guess I fell in love with Macs then!Do you consider yourself to be a Geek Girl?
Of course! Wait, isn’t that why I’m here answering these questions?
What are your goals for the next 20 years?
20 years is a long time to plan ahead! I’m on the 5 year plan right now. I’d love to keep doing video hosting for as long as I still enjoy it, and then maybe move into more writing at some point. Everything has happened so fast that I’m still trying to figure it all out!Have you ever considered to collect old and vintage tech gadgets like a Commodore 64?
I have considered it a lot! I’d love to build a big collection for my house, but there just hasn’t been time. Maybe when I get a little less busy I’ll start thinking about it more. I’m really interested in vintage audio gear, too.What do you think about Free software?
I think free is great! As long as the developer intended it to be free, that is. I don’t like it when people steal software. I try to use a lot of open source software, which isn’t always free, of course. But there are a lot of free and open source programs that can replace really expensive stuff that people might be inclined to pirate.What is in your bag at day… What is in your bag at night?
My daytime “bag” is a huge laptop backpack. I have my 15 inch Macbook Pro, my power adapter, iPhone, T-Mobile G1 (testing it), my wallet, a few USB drives, my makeup for shoots, headphones, Kindle, and whatever other crap ends up in there throughout the day. At night I usually keep it to iPhone, wallet and keys!
What is the first thing that comes into your mind after hearing the word “google”
I think of it as a verb… “to Google.”Did you met your boyfriend on Xbox Live?
Nope! We actually met at a cell phone conference called CTIA. He was there with Engadget, and I was still at CNET at the time. I think that’s probably nerdier than Xbox Live even
What is the gadget you would love to own but currently don’t have?
Part of me wants to buy a Macbook Air, just because I travel so much (I’m writing this from Amsterdam, actually) and carrying around my 15 inch laptop gets tiring. Maybe an Eee PC would be fun to, or the MSI Wind.What is the best advice you can give to a female to be part of this geek tech world?
Just go for it! There’s really nothing stopping you. If you love geeky things, it’ll show.Can you survive a weekend without any technology?
I’ve tried, and it usually doesn’t work very well. If I don’t have my phone near me, I get nervous!How do you envision the Internet in 10 years from now?
By then I think everything will be online, but that goes without saying. All our devices will be networked and online, and our lives and work will all be a part of the “cloud.” We’ll be able to access our data from anywhere, and rarely save anything locally. Hopefully, it will be free for everyone by then also.How can you spot a Geek Girl in the distance?
What an odd question! I don’t know if you can… well, maybe if I’m wearing my World of Warcraft t-shirt or using my Kindle in public. Otherwise, it’s pretty hard to tell! Hehe.What was the weirdest Twitter you have ever written?
Well, since I can’t go too far into the past to see them all, I’ll give you the weirdest one lately! “I’m in the middle of a sheep field. It’s cold and muddy, and they’re eying me strangely.”
I was trying to keep my answers short and sweet, but if you have any other questions just let me know in the comments. Thanks again to FayerWayer! Gracias por todo!
Not loving the new Flickr redesign
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There have been a few notable redesigns lately, but the one that I’m really not enjoying is Flickr. The interface change just hit me the other day, and I’ve been trying to come to terms with it. My eyes keep going to all the empty space on the right, which begs to have other sections dragged into it, Facebook app-style. But alas, it remains a big white rectangle of unused “Welcome” page.
I also miss the “Comments / Comments you’ve made” links, which has been replaced by “Recent Activity” (a little too “news feed” for my tastes). I’m not usually one to be anti-change, but I’m just not seeing an improvement. Are you feelin’ it?
Soulja Boy: The next Yahtzee?
203 years ago
I saw the following video yesterday on Joystiq, in which rapper Soulja Boy does his damnedest to explain the brilliant game Braid to his YouTube audience. But then today I was talking to Josh, and he said something even more brilliant: “He is the next Yahtzee.”
Let’s compare (and btw, neither of these videos are particularly safe for work):
Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation:
So, is Soulja Boy the new liaison for gamers to the mainstream world*? Discuss.
*Wouldn’t that be hilarious?