Come one, come all to the BNI Embarcadero Best Damn Karaoke Night/Talent Show/Leadership Turnover.

Plan on raising your voice, strumming your ukelele, tickling the ivories at Martuni’s on Market St. at Valencia at 5 pm on Monday, October 3.

More details will follow, but mark your calendars and start rehearsing.

This Saturday! July 30, 2011

Time:
1pm to 4pm/5pm (pending weather)

Phil will be firing up the coals at 12 Noon if you want to join in or get an early start.

Local:
Golden Gate Park
Speedway Meadows (on JFK Drive* nr. 25th Ave) – See map*

Consumables:
Courtesy of BNI Embarcadero
Grillables on the barbecue pit, salads, nibbles and drinks For the culinarily inclined – bring a favorite dish to share

Welcome Additions:
Spouses, partners, kids, dogs, frisbees, guitars, balls, etc.
Badmitton equipment will be on deck!

Dress:
Layered (and some warm) clothing to match the changing temps – especially, later afternoon chill

RSVP by 12 Noon Friday (if possible – but just come!!!!!) A head count will be helpful so we can appropriately plan for food and beverage

*Map: Google: Speedway Meadows Golden Gate Park

Directions To Speedway Meadow Picnic Area:
(Saturday, Sunday & Holiday)

From. Hwy 101 from San Jose & Bay Bridge: Once on Fell Street, stay in the right hand lane, go west on Fell St. to Stanyan; make a right onto Stanyan and move into left lane to make a left onto Fulton Street Continue down Fulton until 30th Avenue and make a left ont 30th Avenue. Make a left on John F. Kennedy Drive. Drive up to the next big Meadow (around 25th Ave ), Speedway will be on the right hand side.

From Hwy 280: Take Hwy 280 North to the I 9th Avenue exit. Continue on 19th Ave into park (which turns to Cross Over Drive, stay if left hand lane, Left lane comes to a stop light. Continue through light and make a quick left onto Transverse Drive. At stop sign make a right onto John F. Kennedy Drive and Speedway Meadow will be to the left hand side.

Golden Gate Bridge: Off of I9th Ave. Exit. , Follow Park Presidio, make right Onto Cabrillo Street. Continue down Cabrillo Street to 25th Avenue- Make a left onto 25t h Avenue. Stay in right hand lane. After crossing Fulton Street, veer to right, onto Transverse Drive into Golden Gate Park. At stop sign make a right onto John F.. Kennedy Drive. Speedway will be on the left hand side.

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 20 from 5:30 – 8:30 for the next BNI social event. And even though I am not officially the Social Chair until April 1, I wanted to make sure that NO ONE books anything else that night.

Just to whet your appetite:
Teams of 4.
Treasure Hunt.
Party at an undisclosed location.
Drinks and appetizers.

You won’t want to miss this one.

Details to follow.

Phil

Traditional media-focused PR is certainly taking its hits – newspapers, magazines, investigative reportage are all slowly changing. And many folks who worked in these fields have had to change with the times. They all explore the on-line media world, find and nurture respected industry bloggers, and start social media campaigns for clients. And the faster the industry changes, the more obvious it becomes that just knowing new technology and new media is not always enough.

Communications and messaging will only be enhanced with the new media. However, we must remember that Facebook, Linked-in and blogging are only a few elements of the communications mix – brochures, annual reports, promotions, trade shows, one-on-one briefings will be around for years to come. Communicators need to have enough experience to know how different audiences are getting information and how it is influencing their decision making process.

Another note frightening new communicators: good journalism will never go away. Even though the general public is reading shorter and shorter tweets and blogs, it does not mean everything that was taught in journalism school goes out the window. On the contrary. To be effective in the new media, we need to go back to the basics of journalism and choose our words carefully for maximum effect. If the quality of writing does not engage the new media audience, our efforts can easily be clicked into oblivion.

The key to all media – both traditional a new — is content. This is where seasoned PR folks have the most to offer. They understand how to message and create content. They understand how a client’s message fits in with the other news trends of the day and how it relates to what else is going on at the world. The key to making the most of new and evolving media is to craft great content and deliver it through the channel/media that’s most appropriate for the audience. And PR pros have been doing that for years. They bring years of writing, communicating and analytic experience to the table. While social media provides a valuable tool, the people using it need to know when and how to use it effectively. Even though a company has a facebook page or a blog, they will not necessarily meet business goals unless there is careful consideration of the principal goals of communication. New campaigns need to have strategic plans, a well-investigated knowledge of key audiences, an analysis of various communications tools, and honed skills to manage communications.

And these days, the old guys have moved into the new millenium faster than the time it will take the young bucks to get decades of experience in the field.

Phil Siegel is principal at MediaWorks and an old buzzard who has stepped into new media to offer the best PR available.

A specialist in the art of media relations for over 25 years, Siegel works to ensure that clients remain in the media spotlight. Mr. Siegel has a broad knowledge of consumer and business media, and works to develop stories that will have appeal to editors, reporters, bloggers and producers. In the new media environment, he creates strategies to ensure that clients are using social networks to their maximum advantage. His goal is to strategically fit clients into current media trends and water cooler discussions by providing traditional and new media outlets with practical, timely and provocative story ideas.

As Supervisor of Media Relations at Ketchum Public Relations (1984-1990), he conducted national and local programs for clients ranging from a cattle manure-powered energy plant to the California Raisins.

Siegel founded MediaWorks in 1991 to aid the publicity efforts for clients at a variety of Bay Area companies, large and small, as well as San Francisco’s leading public relations agencies.

In addition, he was a principal on the team that did the local, national and international media relations for the opening of the new Terminal at San Francisco International Airport. Siegel is the creator of the award-winning Bike Messenger Fashion Show , which was developed as a publicity vehicle for the AIDS Bike-A-Thon. He is past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club, a professional organization of 175 Bay Area publicists.

“Phil is a rare find. Someone who works hard, provides great results, doesn’t require constant guidance, and does it all at a reasonable fee. He’s very well connected in the Bay Area, but won’t take an assignment if he can’t deliver the goods. We have worked together many times and I always appreciate his counsel, work, humor, and end product. If he’s not on your speed dial, you’re missing out.”    -  Gus Whitcomb, Cathay Pacific

“Since working with Phil, my company has increased its online visibility by implementing a social networking strategy. In addition, my professional visibility has increased among peers and decision makers in the field. We have worked together to develop traditional media stories that will have a timely appeal to editors and reporters who speak directly to my target audience. He is a pleasure to work with, and makes a good addition to our team.” – David Markham, CEO, CM Peletz Co.