SMR? SMPR? SMNR?
If you’re involved in PR and social media you’ve probably heard people talking about social media releases, social media news releases or even social media press releases and the accompanying acronyms.
In the olden days, journalists were called ‘the press’ (an example of synechdoche) because the primary form of media was the newspaper, which was printed on
If Google trends is anything to go by, the majority of people still think that those releases that go out on the wire are called ‘Press Releases.’
However, most modern-day communicators will probably agree that this is an antiquated term, and that we should be calling these ‘News Releases’ or ‘Media Releases’ instead.
So, that gets rid of the term ‘Social Media Press Release’ and its ugly acronym “SMPR.”
We’re now left with Social Media Release and Social Media News Release, and I’m going to argue that the former is better than the latter.
I’m fine with calling a traditional release a News Release or a Media Release, and I think you’ll agree with me that calling it a Media News Release or a News Media Release is a little bit redundant (and referring to it as just a ‘release’ sounds odd unless you’re talking to people from the industry).
So why do we need to refer to PR’s hottest new tool as a Social Media News Release? Yes, it has a bunch of fancy Web 2.0 features that enable it to be easily shared. That aspect is covered by adding “Social” to the front of ‘Media Release.’
I’d actually be happy with either Social News Release or Social Media Release, but I think that the latter sounds better.
So, can we agree to standardize the name as Social Media Release?
-Parker
image courtesy of vivid tangerine on flickr
October 6th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I was having this very same thought on the streetcar ride home this afternoon. I am in agreement with you — Social Media Release. No need for press these days, and SMR is nice and tight.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
This is a branding issue, and branding is very important.
I know that “press” is a little tired. In fact, all most all wildly successful Web 2.0 platforms nod to the predecessor technology
Face “BOOK”
You”TUBE”
Flickr (a photography term sans vowels
“WordPress”
“Moveable Type”
etc.
etc.
I stick with Social Media Press Release. There is no guess work to what it is.
Here is why.
Social Media because it reflects both the target Audience and the type of content
Press - Because we want to be inclusive to traditional folk as a Secondary Target Audience
Release - Because that’s what it is
I don’t like Social Media News Release because it may not be news! It may simply be an update on specs. It’s too limiting. I agree with you there.
I would concede to SMR when the old skool/ no-skool catch up with the cool kid technology… but that’s just me. We are not there yet.
I find excluding the “P” has the potential to exclude the Press… that would be very sad missed opportunity. The Ford stuff I worked on with SMG got lifted by traditional press from time to time… not sure it it was related… but it didn’t hurt.
October 19th, 2008 at 3:18 am
You definitely make some great points, Collin. I must admit that I hadn’t thought about the ties that social media tools have to more traditional counterparts when it comes to names.
When it comes down to what to call the new-fangled news-makin’ tool that we both know and love, It sounds like we agree on the terms “social” and “release” but not much else.
The reason I think that the word “press” is unnecessary is because the word media already covers it. At it’s heart, it is a “media release” - in that it it is a release intended for the media. To have both terms is redundant. I think that in this day and age, we can’t really differentiate as easily between traditional media and blogs that we made even a year ago. As much as we complain about the state of newspapers (as even I did last week), they are getting smarter, and the best ones are resembling blogs more and more every day. Similarly, some of the top blogs are becoming to resemble more traditional media points in their structure and style of reporting.
Tack on the “social” to the beginning, and you explain the elements that make the release easy to share and engage with.
So that’s why I stand by Social Media Release.
Even if we don’t see eye-to-eye on the name, I’m looking forward to hearing from you about how it should function and be used.