Ed Schipul to Midwest PR Pros: Future Viability Depends on Knowledge of Social Networking Technologies
HOUSTON, Oct. 23, 2006 – Ed Schipul, founder and chief executive officer of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company (www.schipul.com) continues his nationwide speaking tour this week with stops in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Schipul will present a half-day seminar for the PRSA – Northwest Arkansas Chapter on October 25th titled, “Integrating Social Media/New Technologies into Your Public Relations Plans” followed by a luncheon presentation featuring a panel of bloggers. Both discussions will focus on how public relations professionals can adopt the latest technologies, such as RSS, blogs, podcasting and wikis, to engage in a conversation with their audience and outpace the competition.
The following day, October 26th, Schipul will serve as the keynote speaker for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – Tulsa Chapter’s Professional Development Conference 2006, “DIY: Your Career, Your Way.” His presentation, “The Latest High-Tech Gadgets for the PR Pro,” will describe how social networking technologies can be integrated into public relations strategies to forge closer bonds with target audiences.
“The latest surveys indicate that fewer than one in 10 public relations professionals have experimented with blogs, which is way too low,” said Schipul. “By getting out on the road, I’m hoping to expose the PR community to how simple it is to tinker around with social networking tools and explain how they can weave these tools into their public relations strategies. Their future viability depends on them becoming experts who can guide their clients and their companies.”
A recent Nielsen/NetRatings report reveals that user-generated content sites – platforms for photo sharing, video sharing and blogging – continue to grow quickly. Five out of the top 10 fastest growing Web brands over the past year were so-called “social networking” sites, including Flickr, Heavy.com, ImageShack, MySpace and Wikipedia.
The half-day seminar in Fayetteville begins at 8:00 a.m. with the luncheon featuring a panel of bloggers immediately following from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Fayetteville Town Center, 15 West Mountain in Fayetteville. Registration is $40 for members and $45 for guests for the seminar and lunch. RSVP to DeLane Cox at. delanec3@earthlink.net. Additional information is available at www.nwaprsa.org.
Mr. Schipul’s keynote presentation in Tulsa is part of a half-day conference that runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on the OU Tulsa campus at 41st and Yale. Registration is $55 for PRSA members, $65 for non-members, $45 for non-profits and $25 for students. Additional information is available at www.prsatulsa.com.
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About Schipul – The Web Marketing Company
Schipul – The Web Marketing Company developed and builds on the Tendenci® membership management software. Schipul is based in Houston, and provides marketing services on the Internet to a variety of service industries in local, national and international markets. Schipul’s clients include Clear Channel Exhibits, National Pharmacy Technician Association, The Children’s Fund, Wolff Companies and DPK Public Relations. Additional information about Schipul is available at www.schipul.com and www.tendenci.com.