Back in August 2008, public relations professional, author of the book Putting Public Back In Public Relations and creator of the term “PR 2.0″, Brian Solis released what is called the Conversation Prism. But what exactly is this Conversation Prism? According to Solis, it’s to help “provide a visual representation of the true expansiveness of the Social Web and the conversations that define it”. There has been a lot of new tools and applications that have appeared over the past few years and this has become a pretty crucial means of keeping track of how people engage in conversations online.

So what does it all mean? It looks pretty convoluted so here’s an explanation to help make it pretty clear:

The core of the conversation is the brand. It’s the main reason why you’re going to have a conversation. From there, your goal is to become the observer, listener, internalizer and router. This is where you look to find the communities you should participate in and to gain the research on how to improve your relationships with your customers.

After listening and researching how you can enter the conversation, you need to create an environment inside your company and brand that will respond to the conversation being had. So what type of infrastructure will you have to handle crisis communication, product & sales,  marketing & public relations, and even community? It’s in this phase of the conversation that you’ll need to help determine who will be managing each component. Is it a community manager? Do you have a committee who will determine the next course of action but with a single leader?

According to Brian Solis, the next cycle after establishing your brand, listening, and determining the authority on managing the conversation will complete the “image of the conversational workflow”, but not the cycle. It should be noted that this is where you begin to participate. You, as the community manager, will begin to shape the dialogue through active participation, building online relationships (which will help build brand visibility and strengthen its value), engaging in researching for ongoing feedback and insight, and finally recognizing that conversations extend beyond the online realm – it’s also about meeting people in real life.

Okay, now you know the steps to creating the conversation, where do you talk the talk?

This is the outer part of the Conversation Prism. You seek out where your customers/community are and then engage them there. One step to begin would be to create what’s called a social map. Take your customers information and research and find out where on the social networks are they having a dialogue. As Solis points out, doing so will help you identify exactly where relevant discussions are taking place, as well as their scale and frequency. The outer realms of the Conversation Prism are categories of social networks and examples of specific sites within each category. So if you’re finding that your customers are active on photo social networks, you might look into seeing what conversations are being had on Flickr, Photobucket, SmugMug, Picasa, or others.

Solis recommends that anyone serious about conversations should conduct an audit and gauge where customers are and track the results. He also suggests measuring the rate of occurrence, whether each instance required a response, and if so, by whom, and also the potential reach of each dialog by quantifying the network of friends and friends of friends in order to establish priority, authority, response strategies, and urgency. You can read more about the idea of the Conversation Prism here.

The idea behind diagramming how conversations can take place online is a pretty great one and Brian Solis has done a great job putting something conceptually together. Combined with a great aesthetically pleasing diagram by Jesse Thomas, the Conversation Prism is a glowing representation on the ever-expanding universe of the social web. Regardless of the type of conversations being had on social networks, the point is that they should. Learn to focus on the brand, the infrastructure, its management and the effort in participation and you’ll have plenty of discussions for years to come.

Image credit: Brian Solis/Jesse Thomas (ConversationPrism.com)

I recently read Putting the Public Back In Public Relations written by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge and it had some profound information on how to handle the relations between a business and a blogger. Granted, this book is all about public relations, but for businesses, shouldn’t this be important? After all, businesses should be interested in how the public perceives the company, not the shareholders, banks, investors, etc. Instead of publicity, which to me makes it seem like it’s a celebrity, the term “public relations” conveys a more congenial tone & reflects the business’s intention to serve its citizens.

So what exactly are some tips that businesses can use to reach out to bloggers?

First, learn what blogs exist that relate to your product/brand. Do some searching on sites like Technorati, Google, Delicious, even on Twitter Search and find out whether they are credible enough or not. Are other people citing their articles as evidence of their street cred? Would you be comfortable in their writing style and also do they have a big enough audience? This all falls in line with the next point, which is to read what the blogger is writing.

Perhaps the most crucial of all the tips I could possibly give, if you don’t actually read what the bloggers write, then how can you build a rappor or relationship with the author? Answer: you can’t. Imagine if you happen to be publishing a book or writing your own blog post about a subject you know very well – say it’s automobiles. Then, you get an email from a company out of the blue with a press release for their latest product. If the press release was on gardening tips and trends and they also wanted you to write about it using the info given in the email, you would find that insulting because first of all, that’s not your expertise and you’re not writing about it in the beginning, and second, you have no idea who the person emailing you is so there’s no connection.

What to do next? I’d say let’s look at the posts the author is writing about & since it’s in your industry, you might as well begin the conversation by commenting on some of their blog posts. No, I’m not talking about simiply saying “Hi. Great post.” but something much more interesting. Begin the conversation. C’mon. You are in the industry so you’re telling me that there’s not something you can talk about in a blog post about your industry? Either agree or disagree with something in the post and explain why. If there is a reaction to that blog post, then respond with a reply. Don’t just leave it with one comment and think that it’s enough…because it’s not.

Be authentic & upfront. If you’re going to have a genuine conversation and rapport with bloggers, then don’t lie to them because they’ll definitely find out. And if they find that you’ve been lying to them or have deceived them in some way, you’ll not only hear from them on their blog, but word will quickly spread not only about you, but also your company. Authenticity (yes, that word) is a powerful tool in getting bloggers to pay attention to you. If you’re upfront with them & tell them who you are when commenting or in your correspondence in emails, Twitter, Facebook, etc. then you’ll be better rewarded for it.

Speaking about correspondence, learn how the bloggers prefer to be contacted. I know that one of the most famous technology bloggers, Robert Scoble, prefers a certain method of getting contacted and if you don’t adhere to it, then you only increase the blogger’s ire & distrust as they know you don’t really know anything about them. Pay attention!

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations gives great details on how you should view bloggers. It should be noted that blogger relations will NOT happen overnight. Start now to cultivate these relationships. Another thing to take away is that you always want to be showing bloggers you care and in four distinct ways:

- Know who they are & why what you say is something they need to pay attention to.

- Customize your story to the bloggers. We’re beyond the generic story at this point.

- You’re an expert in the field and bloggers should respect that. You also know key players in the industry.

- Bloggers should view you as a resource NOT as a PR spammer. Learn to give info when asked & just talk.

Brian Solis has also published a free ebook on blogger relations that has much more detailed information than listed here.

As typical with social media and the web, the main point to take away is that you need to listen to the public and also bloggers. Read what is being said and respond accordingly. Do not fear what is being said and through active conversations, you will be able to generate a team of bloggers who will, from time to time (not all the time), be willing to write about your product.

Here are some quick recaps:

Brian Solis, Author of PR2.0, CEO Futureworks: Small businesses now have direct access to the people who can help them make their businesses grow, on a mass scale. Now, small businesses can be influential and become authorities, and build communities around them, based on their expertise.

Rohit Barghava, author, “Personality Not Included“: Small business owners understand the power of word of mouth marketing and customer referrals. It’s cheap, viral, and works.

Tim Ferriss, author, The 4-Hour Workweek: To get online, first get offline — go to conferences, meet people, have credible people online vouching for you — then connect with them online.

Steve Hall, Publisher, Editor, Adrants: Reach out to everyone in your industry, get to know them, and broaden your circle of social friends. Eventually, you’ll be able to use the network to help spread whatever you’re trying to spread.

Toby Bloomberg, CEO Bloomberg Marketing: Small businesses especially build businesses through relationships, which they can do through through blogs, podcasts, video. Social media was built for small businesses, and lets them scale further.

Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV: It’s an incredible opportunity for small business to bypass filters to get to core customers. The tools let you create conversation that you just can’t do through traditional media.

Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger: If starting out again, he’d spend a lot of time defining his niche, establishing self as expert, offering to guest blog in other expert blogs (for free), to get own his content and expertise out.

David Alston, VP of Marketing, Radian6: Small business can use social media to build a brand, in a highly targeted way. Talk to the people in your space and reach out to them.

Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist: Radical Strategic Visibility — your goal is to be ubiquitous, in a way that excites people.

Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog: Use the internet to become irresistible — know which type of people on the Internet they’re going after — readers, people who do, offer and sell things, and people who pass on info to their friends.

Paul Chaney, President, Int’l Blogging and New Media Association: Small business is best suited to use a lot of these tools — an example is a custom signmaker with a blog, who shows the process and tells the story of making the sign, to help customers get to know him.

Find anything particularly meaningful (or offbase) here among our experts’ opinions? Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the social opportunities for small business.

The stars are in our midst … and small businesses can only benefit.

Late October, Network Solutions hosted the Solutions Stars video conference featuring exclusive conversations from BlogWorld Expo. Those in the Solutions Stars series talked shop on everything from building strong web presence to understanding social media strategy.

Say what?! listen, listen, listen
This week, I revisit another clip in the series about listening to your communities through social media. Watch the full clip below as these marketing leaders, top bloggers, and entrepreneurs discuss who to listen to online — and where to find them.

But first, the players … :

David Alston, VP of Marketing, Radian6
relates a key tenet of social media to sales & party-goin’ strategy

Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.tv
tells more on businesses “answering the social phone”.

David Berkowitz, Director, Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i
reveals a source of inspiration for what your next step should be in a social media initiative.

Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
gives a Web 2.0 lay-of-the-land for learning what’s being said about your business.

Matt Dickman, VP of Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
recommends an easy approach to finding relevant influencers and customers in your space.

Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo Development Network
shares how small business can “stand out” when it comes to listening to communities and customers online.

Chris Brogan, VP of Strategy, CrossTech Media
names (3) sources where small businesses can start finding online conversations about them.

Jason Falls, Director, Social Media at Doe-Anderson; blogger for Social Media Explorer
Outlines tips for keeping your business’ ear to the ground toward your customers.

Brian Solis, CEO, FutureWorks, and author of PR 2.0
gives the scoop on how to see what comes up online that’s related to your business.

Watch the whole series(!)
Just click below for the full clip on listening with social media or check out all (9) of Solutions Stars video conference interviews.

Questions for you
What ideas from the Solutions Stars video appeal the most for your interests, needs? Where have you unearthed conversations about your business online? And which tools or social networks helped you find them?

Photo, Stars at Your Feet, by Janusz I under Creative Commons A-ND-NC 2.0

If you’ve been enjoying the events that we’ve been bringing you, then you will NOT want to miss this one! This one requires no travel you can attend it from the convenience of your office or home! We’ve created a free video conference that’s jam packed with insights & online marketing tips for small businesses!

Mark your calendar because on October 29 at 1 pm we’re providing the Solutions Stars Video Conference! Geoff Livingston, author of Now is Gone, & Network Solutions Social Media Swami Shashi Bellamkonda met with 32 top bloggers at BlogWorld Expo. We asked them to share their insights & tips on online marketing for small businesses for you. It was all captured on video & now we have a conference features nine different documentary style video sessions:

• Building Web Presence
• The Social Opportunity
• Start with Listening
• Strategy Drives Outreach
• You Need Social Networks
• To Blog or Not to Blog
• Visibility Through Search
• Rising Above the Noise
• Time Demands

In addition to the Solutions Stars Video Conference site, please visit the event pages on Facebook and Upcoming.

Here are the steps:

a) Bookmark this page – http://www.solutionsstarsvideo.com/

b) Create a calendar event for themselves

c) Choose the event time

d) Come up with good questions for the chat room

We’d love it if you’d grab a badge for your blog or site.

Brian Solis is Principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning PR and New Media agency in Silicon Valley. Solis blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us, and regularly contributes PR & tech insight to industry publications. Solis is among the original thought leaders who paved the way for Social Media. He’s a co-founder of the Social Media Club, is an original member of the Media 2.0 Workgroup, and also contributes to the Social Media Collective.

During the book signing, he and Geoff had a discussion about the transition that Public Relations is going through called “PR 2.0″.

To get some perspective, Brian defines “PR 1.0” as “all about broadcasting and pitching”. He goes on to explain “PR 2.0” that “it is about telling a story and creating relationships that gets people involved and caring about what is happening. The goal is to create a relationship that turns into a buyer but also a loyal long-term customer.”

Here are some key highlights from the interview:

The PR Industry is ready to go through a shake-up

According to Brian, “over the years, the PR 1.0 publicity machine lost its way and its spark. We got caught up in hype, spin, buzzwords, and spam, and forgot that PR was supposed to be about Public Relations. But, its still how many companies continue to approach PR today.”

He goes on to say “for many years the focus has been on farming press releases and seeing how much you could get out there to get a quick hit and hopefully an article mention. PR people are trying to force the old model on to the new one and it doesn’t work. Many companies in the next few years won’t make it and there is a shake up of how PR gets done coming over the next 12-18 months.”

Don’t confuse Social Media with Online Marketing

Enter Social Media and the democratization of the Web and content. Now media and content producers are pushing back, demanding a more targeted and relevant form of outreach. Brian has a unique take on social media and online marketing. He likes to say “for those who confuse Social Media with online marketing, Social Media is anything that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations between people – it is not the practice of social marketing. I say people, because it humanizes the process of communications when you think about conversations instead of companies marketing at audiences.”

Bloggers can be your ally

In the past, many PR people thought of bloggers as noisy annoyance that got in the way of real news reporting. This is changing dramatically with the inclusion of blogger relations into a PR strategy. Bloggers can be your ally but you must work to have a dialog with them. It has become the first step to understand what a community is saying about your company and possibly what you may need to do to prevent further problems or grow what is working with the public.

Learn more about PR 2.0

For more information about PR 2.0, check out Brian’s Blog, PR2.0. Also, for more information about how to engage with Brian to help your firm, check out his firm, FutureWorks, web site.