The recent incident at the Cape Town Press Club with Agriculture Minister, Tina Joemat-Petterson, has brought up a whole discussion on the topic of “newsmaking”. I am pleased to read Brent Meersman’s response in which he sets the record straight about the purpose and processes of press clubs, not just in Cape Town.
I was less impressed by Chris Vick’s comment on Business Day’s Opinion & Analysis page yesterday. His spin on the debacle is, in a nutshell, that the press clubs have become more a platform for non-journalists to rub shoulders with the media members of such clubs: “… in reality these clubs (…) exist primarily to provide PR people with an opportunity to press the flesh with journalists”.
 
I can most certainly say that the reason why I am a member and occasionally join press club meetings is based on the newsworthy topics they provide, as an “educational” exercise, if you want, because of “the questions and answers” that Meersman mentioned in his article. Sometimes I get alerted to an event by journalist friends of mine, who ask me to join them for a particular topic. As Chris points out himself, “journalists are not a threatened species, nor particularly hard to find”. Quite right, so what’s the basis for his claim in first place?
 
Besides, in the online world of social media and blogs, isn’t everyone a producer of news? What can be observed is that the gap between the role of a PR and a journalist has become dangerously narrow. As a PR agency we are experiencing a trend of freelance writers getting paid by the client for the article they write and place, and no longer by the actual publication. Here goes the gate keeper. Journalists top-up their salaries through media consulting, publishers double up as event organisers and PRs turn feature writers. From my overseas journalist friends I hear that this would hardly be possible at the media houses where they work. You are either a journalist or you are not. Once you move towards PR and attempt to butter your bread on both sides, your credibility and independence is gone. It is almost impossible to be taken serious as a journalist again, after such a stint.
 
So, whilst I am proudly attending a press club lunch as a PR, at least I do so under the bright daylight of my chosen profession, and not as a journalist moonlighting as PR or the other way around. I don’t have to. Our agency has healthy media relationships and we let the (real) journalists do what they do best whilst we do, what we do best.

Coming back to Chris Vick and his rant against “these so called press clubs” and PRs: I do agree with his last paragraph and sentence in which he expresses his “yearn for more ethical journalism” and “a clear distinction between those who make the news and those who report it”. What he has overlooked in his eager quest for professional distance between editors and PRs is that his opinion piece is underwritten with “Vick owns Black, a communications consultancy”. Now, look who is talking! Building up a big case over four columns to lose all credibility on a technicality at the end. As if that wasn’t enough, on his company’s website, his profile credits him as “an experienced spin doctor and media strategist”. Do a google search on ”spin doctor” and you will find definitions along the lines of “a person who publicises favorable interpretations of the words and actions of a public figure, especially a politician”. Go figure who pays his bills!

Surprised by the increase of men in suits in Cape Town’s foreshore over the past few days? About the top evenings spots in our city being booked out by global finance houses, fund managers, and leading companies in the resource industry?
Well, it was, once more, the annual Mining Indaba that kept Cape Town’s hospitality industry busy over the past week.
Each year, more than 6,500 people from more than 1000 international companies fly into Cape Town to discuss investment in African Mining; I don’t want to speculate what investment they are already making in Cape Town over the period of the conference, but it must be considerable with all those high profile parties in top locations. What puzzles me though, is the absence of Cape Town Tourism. What better opportunity to reach out to potential international visitors to convert them to come back, with their families and more time at hand.
It’s the 4th year that I have been visiting the Mining Indaba, as we are doing Investor Relations and Design work for clients in this sector. The feedback of the international delegates I talk to is consistent: Cape Town is an amazing city, and they would love to come back.
How about making the “coming back” for them a bit easier? It does not even have to be a booth – although players like ExecuJet and even the World Wildlife Fund have a presence at Indaba, clearly banking on getting their piece of the cake.
This is not about living and loving it. It’s about converting people from the world’s finance capitals and beyond, to stay on or come back as tourists. To bring their partners and families next year. A great opportunity for the city to market itself as a destination where business and leisure can go hand in hand. Let’s grab it!

Last week-end, after a soft opening in October and major crash tests before the Coldplay and Kings of Leon concerts at the Cape Town soccer stadium.
We are convinced that the hospitality concept of the café, which sees 50+ outlets across Germany serving breakfasts, lunches, dinners and cocktails pretty much around the clock, will soon become a favorite spot among Capetonians.
The burgers and goulash soup that I tested so far get 5 stars for value for money and authentic taste. And whilst the service staff is not yet fully up to speed, the few hick-ups can be written off as training in progress (particularly since I know that good restaurant staff and waiters are hard to find…).
Knowing Managing Director Guido’s professional experience and dedicated approach there is no doubt that he is in the process of shaping a team that carries the drinks and food as well as the Café Extrablatt brand with professionalism and pride. 
Whilst everyone is encouraged to nominate their own signature dish, my personal must-tries would be: The goulash soup. The coffees (not “overglamourised “as lifestyle or religion but never the less excellent quality). Their breakfast buffet.

Visit Café Extrablatt on facebook www.Cafe-Extrablatt-Cape-Town.co.za

Last week I started my digital detox. I have informed my facebook community that I will only be checking in once a month. Same goes for two other networking sites. My BlackBerry will be switched off, or at least moved out of sight, from 8pm. My Twitter account has been dormant pretty much since I opened it, in fact, I don't even remember the password for it. And I am contemplating changing my email address to combat the amount of newsletters I receive on a daily basis. Some, I did indeed sign up for at a time, when the digital information overload had not reached its full extent and I did actually have the mental space to read through design updates, luxury blogs, branding trends and industry news. Others have just emerged from god knows where, unrelated to our line of business, resistant to any "Block sender" and "Report Spam" attempts. Luckily I have learned early to avoid the "like this" button which would catapult my digital DNA into space for future use in additional promotional emails.

I am not the only one who feels an increasing resentment towards social network and digital information overload. Articles in old media newspapers, moaning the lack of time, the number of social profiles one has to update and unsolicited newsletters are on the increase. Initially I thought it was a question of age. Once you are in your thirties with generally increased responsibilities in both work and personal life, off-line time becomes precious.

But the other day I browsed through a fashion magazine, which was introducing a selection of 10 up-and-coming South African models. When asked: Twitter or Facebook, the majority opted for Facebook with one responding "Who has time for Twitter?" Now, if this Mxit generation of 17 something year old aspiring models, no longer have time for Twitter, something worth observing must be happening.

Slow Media is a movement pursuing a more conscious use of new technologies instead of high speed information and communication via email, smart phones, TV and video games. Slow Media champions are not opposed towards new technologies or broadband but promote a more thoughtful use of such technologies.
"Technologies should be chosen, not embraced blindly; should serve, not be served" ("Backlash against digital chatter", Roger Buddenberg, Omaha.com).

So will the future go back to quality instead of quantity?
In the PR industry, Social Media has most certainly found its place, even if it's perhaps not always used to its full potential, or, at times, inappropriately. When Facebook, Youtube and Twitter became mainstream, the hype was on among companies and brands to get involved. A Facebook group became a must, corporate videos were placed on YouTube and the communications department was tweeting "key messages" on behalf of the company. The "Me-too" effect is great. As long as the friendly Facebook and Twitter icons are shining from the company website, indicating not just a link but in essence membership to a whole social media community, no one cares who the friends and followers actually are, as long as they come in large numbers. When I opened my Twitter account I posted a semi-philosophical comment on South Africa and the build up to the World Cup. Then I did nothing and waited. Within 24hrs I already had 20 followers, whom I have never heard of before. Who are these people?

After the increase of Social Media over the past five years, what can we expect for the next five years? What will shape our relationships?
Slow food, one particular advanced field of the whole Slow Movement, has directed our attention away from fast and convenience food to the importance of eating consciously. The growing popularity of organic markets speaks for itself. Slow media puts a spotlight on our distorted relationships through too much texting, emailing and tweeting. The focus is on true relationships with real conversations, bringing back personal connectivity as opposed to online connectivity.

In Public Relations, this means the focus moves from "Public" to "Relations". With increasing competition and information overload, a saturation level has been reached. There is only so much information a consumer can relate to and keep. At the same time, word of mouth has never been so strong, at a time where it can be multiplied within seconds. Companies will need to take a more critical look at their Social Media Strategy. Do I need to have a Facebook group, just because my main audience is the youth? Do I need to be tweeting to an unknown and potentially irrelevant audience? And if so, what service and value do I provide these audiences with?

What we need to be asking is, who is shaping public opinion? People we know and trust or a potentially uncritical mass? Meaningful conversations with selected audiences and opinion leaders will become the focus. The question is not only how many followers I have but how many people are following those who are following me. The verdict of an opinion leader holds more credibility among his group of befriended peers than a carefully crafted communications message.

Twitter usually works best if there is an existing relationship between sender and follower, for example if the writer has already made himself a name through another channel and therefore has already opinion leader status. Another example for successful tweeting is in niche markets or specialist industries with a large degree of development and a need for updated information. In this scenario, tweets of credible sources have great potential in shaping perceptions and communicating ideas across an entire industry.

I have always had a critical eye on the aspect of Social Media, probably because the gap between proper use and abuse is so narrow. Online communication picks up its own dynamic, so needs to be well thought through and implemented to ensure once you release the snowball, it's rolling in the right direction. It can also be expected that the law will be amended soon to prevent unsolicited spamming. In Europe, people have moved towards suing companies who contact them with unsolicited SMS's, calls and emails. Companies who think ahead ensure that they have permission to start a dialogue. Will the Slow Media movement also leave its mark in South Africa? I cannot see how it couldn't, if companies want to cut through the information overload.

For the time being, I will stay unplugged, exploring what insights there are to gain with the additional personal bandwidth that becomes available once one switches off. Or to say it with World Herald writer Roger Buddenberg's words: "Technologies should be chosen, not embraced blindly; should serve, not be served."

There has been great debate about the SABC’s ability to broadcast the World Cup, their planned studio and their choice of local and international soccer analysts, before the World Cup has even started. Local analysts and presenters complained about the discrepancy in fees paid to them in comparison with their international counterparts. Be that as it may, the SABC could have done some more homework on broadcasting an event of the magnitude of the World Cup.

Here are some pointers:

For starters: Allow time before the game and after the game to capture the mood on and off the pitch. Show us how the winning team celebrates, show us the fans, in the stadium and the Fanparks and don’t just switch to your sport studio right after the final whistle has blown. Particularly embarrassing: We only got a glimpse of Nelson Mandela and his wife on the pitch before the finals. Where was the SABC? Were there no cameras allowed to show Madiba’s only public moment at the stadium at this World Cup? Instead, in the last 30 minutes leading up to the kick-off of the World Cup final in South Africa, the SABC is airing a trailer of the new upcoming evening soap opera – as if anybody would care at this moment. I repeat: this is the FINAL of the 2010 SOCCER WORLD CUP in SOUTH AFRICA, Nelson Mandela enters the pitch and the SABC shows us a soap opera preview. So much for priorities.

After the game: Don’t rely entirely on your expert panel but make sure that your team on or close to the pitch gets a glimpse and possibly one statement or two from a player or coach. Remember, these statements are available for free!

SABC expert panel: Yes, it’s true, Luiz Felipe Scolari comes with a huge price tag which might be frustrating for South Africa’s own analysts. But I am sure, once they coach Brazil to a World Cup title, they could ask for the same amount of money. Perhaps they did not know Scolari’s accolades well enough – the SABC sports team surely didn’t as he was introduced on screen as Portugal coach 2003 – 2008, and not as World Cup Winning Coach with Brazil in 2002, which is, in my humble opinion, the bigger achievement. I do however understand the outrage about appointments of “analysts” such as Bernard Lama. He was introduced as French Goalkeeper and World Cup Champion 1998, conveniently forgetting that the man between the goal posts in 1998 was actually Fabien Bartez, and Lama was only his deputy. I am not sure if he played a single game in that World Cup. I also understand that there is huge pride among African soccer experts over the successes of their respective countries but they should be briefed to be neutral when appointed as an analyst. Jay-Jay Okocha was the exception – but then, there was also nothing really to be proud of with Nigeria’s performance. All in all, more thought should have been placed into putting this expert panel together.

Walter Mokoena: Did a fairly good job in keeping his panel talking, but could have also done his homework better. For the record: Spain is not only the second team after Germany in 1974 to hold both the European and the World Championship title at the same time. There was France in 1998 and 2000. Seeing that Mokoena has set his eyes on moving to France to scout African players for European teams, this is a glitch that he better not repeat once he has settled in his new country of residence.

Generally as a host broadcaster, you should not be biased and openly support a particular team, apart from, of course, your own nation. Showing a feature of Spain in the time leading up to the final kick-off with a Viva Espana message and not covering Holland in equal measures is simply unprofessional.

And last but not least:  HOW ON EARTH could you bore your audience with a pre-recorded message from your Chief Executive, read off the prompter, after the final game? All people want to see and hear at that stage are interviews, celebrations, clever commentary, analysis, but SURELY NOT Solly Mokoetle, talking about the great work the SABC has done over the World Cup. Let your viewers be the judge.