Get Googley

Insight can come from many directions. It can come from experience, observation, or understanding. It also comes from the knowledge of others.

I'm reading a book called, Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned From Google by Aaron Goldman. I don't know if I would go so far as to say it's fascinating, but it's definitely enlightening.

In the book, Goldman looks at 20 specific tactics Google uses to make it one of the most successful companies – and most popular noun/verb combo – on Earth. Ever.

Halfway through the book, Google's lodestar and its importance are explained. It gets shrunk down to one four-letter word. Data.

Google bases every decision on data. If no statistical evidence is presented to support a business direction, the decision is basically a hunch involving too much risk and a road not taken. One story goes that Google even tested 41 shades of blue for its toolbar before choosing the right shade.

A large part of the public relations profession is data collection, measurement, and analysis. If these necessary steps are not taken, we are essentially throwing darts into the night sky aiming for Orion's belt. While Google may takes this practice to the nth degree, you can't argue with the results.

Personally, I like Google's shade of blue.

PR Newsonline: All the News That's Fit to Post

Not a day goes by when I don't sit back and wonder at the awesomeness (not a word I use often) of the Internet; particularly, search engines.

In a few short weeks I will be conducting a presentation for my classmates and awesome instructor she's entitled, "PR In the News." In this assignment, students take a current events topic from the news that relates to Public Relations in some way and discuss it in front of the class–complete with a slideshow. As my presentation date draws nearer (Dec. 6), for fun I typed "pr news" into my Google search engine. Lo and behold, what appears before me at the top of the list?

PR Newsonline.

Why it had never occurred to me to type these two short words into Google I'll never know, but it appears I've discovered a great resource. PR Newsonline is the online version of PR News' print version. Articles on Public Relations abound and there is even a video window called PR News TV where professionals in the industry give short interviews about their profession or area of interest.

You can gain access to PR Newsonline's content via a simple exchange of your name, address, and email.

This is a site I'll be returning to on a regular basis.