A Lesson in Press Treatment

Chuck Zimmerman

Poultry Expo Media RoomHello from Atlanta and the International Poultry and Feed Expos. It took a while but I finally got in. I have to say I’ve never had a more unpleasant welcome than trying to get my badge here. When I got to the media room they didn’t have me on a list and wondered how I got in past security (they never asked me for a badge). I explained that I had spoken with the communication director in charge personally by phone a couple weeks ago and that I had emailed in my media registration form two times at her request since I guess they didn’t receive it the first time. They called her on the radio and she denied ever having spoken with me and to send me out to exhibitor registration where I should be able to find a press badge. I went all the way out there and since I wasn’t on a list I was told to either register as a general attendee or leave.

Now I presented my IFAJ international press card and other forms of identification. However, that made no difference. So I had to stand in line and pay my way in with a badge. It’s certainly not the $50 that’s an issue. However, this has cost me over an hour since I walked in the door. For a media blogger that’s cutting into my posting time.

I’m sure the staff is overwhelmed but when you’ve got a legitimate reporter on your doorstep who wants to provide you with online coverage should you turn him away just because you can’t “find him in the computer?” Oh well, no big deal but I thought this presented a lesson in how not to treat the media. I’m still going to cover this event like I planned and I hope you’ll find it interesting.

I would offer the staff here a suggestion though about having some more table space with electric outlets and wireless internet access would be nice. If they’d like to learn how to really set up a media room they should contact Joe Schuele and Grace Webb at NCBA!

Farm Shows, Media, Poultry

Sheep Dip Tanks in Iraq

Chuck Zimmerman

Sheep Dip TanksThe reports are coming in regularly now from Paul McKellips, Global Outreach Officer, US Embassy Baghdad, The Green Room – Public Affairs GO Team. In fact I’m a little behind getting them posted. This one is about sheep dip tanks and from the looks of this picture they dip goats too.

The U.S. military is having an enormous impact on Iraq’s sheep population. A massive effort has been underway to build permanent and portable sheep dip tanks so that the country’s 12 to 16 million sheep can be cleaned of parasites such as ticks and lice. The impact in remote villages has resulted in a powerful economic boost to farmers. Dipping has increased wool production by 30% or more.

Full Report (Word doc)

Listen to his report:

sheep-dip-tanks.mp3
Audio, International

Media Registration For Pork Industry Forum

Chuck Zimmerman

National Pork BoardAgricultural media are invited to get their registrations in for the upcoming National Pork Industry Forum. I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend this one but hopefully we’ll get some information to share with you.

The National Pork Industry Forum will be held March 1-3 at Hilton Anaheim Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. The theme for Forum is: “Accountability, Trust and Social Responsibility – Defining Pork Production in the 21st Century.” Producers who have followed news reports about our industry in recent months know that this is a theme that should give us much to discuss and debate.

We invite you to attend The National Pork Industry Forum. Registration materials are due Jan. 31. For (media) registration information and a schedule of events, visit: http://www.pork.org/NewsAnd Information/porkForumInformation.aspx.

Ag Groups, Media, Pork

Heading Down South

Chuck Zimmerman

International Poultry ExpoIt’s another travel day for the Zman. I’m heading down to Hotlanta for the International Poultry Expo which is also combined with the International Feed Expo. I should be in and out of there over the next several days and will be posting on various items I find of interest.

I’ll be online at stops along the way so keep me on your email list to send announcements and ideas for posts you think other readers would be interested in.

Poultry

We Are All Media

Chuck Zimmerman

I’ve pointed you to Steve Rubel, Micropersuasion, a number of times. I hope he’s on your feed list. If you’re in media, marketing or communications I suggest it’s a must have. Anyway, Steve just wrote a great post about how we need to change the way we describe new media. He seems to like “all media” as a term. Here’s some excerpts from his post.

With the democratization of media we’ve come to rely on a bunch of terms that are now completely unnecessary. These include “social media,” “user generated content” and – my favorite – “consumer generated media.” Do any of these matter any more?

The problem with all of these balkanized phrases is that they connote that the content created by digitally empowered individuals is somehow bush league. It’s like we’re a separate entity from the rest of the so-called “mainstream” journalists, filmmakers, photographers, etc. who do what we do and get paid more for it. We sit in a special dish like leftover meatloaf so we need a special name. If you use these phrases you’re unintentionally perpetuating that myth.

The fact is that everyone who is contributing to the dialogue – be it in video, text or photos – has earned the right to be called media. Let’s can the compartmentalization and recognize once and for all the world has changed. We are all media – period.

I like the idea of being a digitally empowered individual. While I was at the IFAJ meeting last week one of the leaders looked at me and said, “You’re always online.” Out of about 30 journalists there I was not only the only one online. I was the only one carrying a computer and using it. And I didn’t have my mobile phone with me and I can’t tell you how many times I reached for it. I felt a little naked without it I can tell you.

One thing I didn’t mention in my post on this week’s ZimmCast is that Adrian Bell, the guy I interviewed, says in the interview that his professional career matches the public introduction and development of the internet. He doesn’t even know a professional world without it. Think about what our young farmers and ranchers are growing up with today (besides websites like AgWired)! In case you’re wondering, I was working professionally before there was an internet. We can learn if we want to.

Media

Zimfo Bites

Chuck Zimmerman

Zimfo Bytes

Fresh Talk Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

Packer BloggerThanks to Paul Conley for pointing me to Fresh Talk, “Comment and analysis from the National Editor of The Packer,” Tom Karst. What I wonder is how the traffic on Tom’s blog compares to The Packer website. Keep it up Tom. It looks like you’re getting into a groove with it.

Uncategorized

Promote With Cow Umbrellas

Chuck Zimmerman

Cow UmbrellaRob McAlister at Umbrella Heaven sent me an email with this just in case any of you are looking for an out-of-the-ordinary promotional item. They’re cow umbrellas.

Here’s his contact information:

+44 1525 219794 (Telephone and also Fax)
+44 7881 677929 (Mobile Telephone)
rob@robmcalister.com

Rob McAlister Ltd
117 Plantation Rd
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 3HJ
United Kingdom

No charge Rob. Cool looking product. Wish I’d had one in Berlin last week.

Uncategorized

Farm Podcasting in the United Kingdom Pharo Style

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast103 - Adrian Bell - PharoI’m just jet lagging a little bit this morning and I think you can probably hear it in my voice on this week’s ZimmCast. Bouncing back and forth across the big pond does have a cost. In this week’s program I’ve got an interview with Adrian Bell, Pharo, a full service agency in the United Kingdom with a focus on agribusiness. Adrian was a panelist at the IFAJ professional improvement seminar that took place in Berlin, Germany this past week. I think Adrian brought a very interesting perspective to the discussion as it relates to journalists working with public relations people.

Adrian Bell - PharoAdrian talks about using new media in work his agency is doing for its clients and makes a point that there’s not an either/or decision to be made when it comes to using new media. By that, he means and I agree, that a company should still work with traditional media outlets and journalists while using new media as an additional new channel of communications with their client and one that allows them to communicate directly. I brought this up during the seminar and I think that some of the journalists and even company representatives in the room are afraid that new media will replace what they do. I think they should embrace it themselves and use it for the same reasons that companies are themselves.

Bayer PodcastsIn this week’s program Adrian talks about a podcast series his agency has developed for Bayer Cropscience (United Kingdom) called “Four Seasons Live.” I play a short excerpt for a program for you. You can subscribe for yourself if you’d like, which I’ve already done. I’d love to know what you think about what they’ve been doing this past year.

To listen to my complete interview with Adrian you can download the ZimmCast: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 103 (19 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast103-1-22-07.mp3

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes.

Agencies, Agribusiness, Audio, IFAJ, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Back in the U. S. of A.

Chuck Zimmerman

IFAJ FellowshipI know it sometimes seems like we do a lot of this at an IFAJ meeting. It’s called fellowship and I think it’s one of the important elements of an IFAJ meeting. As I sat with these guys at our dinner on Saturday night that was hosted by the Irish Food Board (thank you very much), I listened to them talk about meetings from years and years ago. Like many professional organizations IFAJ allows members to not only develop contacts and skills but friendships that last a lifetime.

I took a few pictures as usual at this meeting. You can find them online here: IFAJ/Green Week Online Photo Album

In case you’re interested we ate at the Old Emerald Isle which is “The alternative Irish Pub in Berlin-Kreuzberg.”

Farm Shows, IFAJ, International