Re: [seul-edu] Schoolforge.net coverage in Singapore's Business Times

[William Abernathy <william@inch.com>]

Doug Loss wrote:

> 
> This was very nice!  People, this is how I hope things will go for many of
> us.  Harish sent the press release to the Business Times himself, with his
> name as a local contact.  I'm very happy to see that they contacted him for
> a local take on the announcement rather than calling Harry, David, or me.  I
> think everyone on this list ought to do the same.  Even if your local
> newspaper, radio, and television outlets are small, it wouldn't hurt to
> contact them with the announcement (with the date suitably changed so that
> it doesn't seem that we're just getting around to them after a week, even
> though we are :-) ).


While I concur with Doug's praise for Harish (way ta go!) and recommend that you 
all follow his lead, I must counsel against one practice Doug mentions. DO NOT 
CHANGE THE DATE on the press release. If you change the date, and a reporter 
later discovers that you've handed him or her week-old news with a modified 
(i.e. tampered-with) dateline, you can kiss that relationship goodbye. The first 
thing any reporter will do is look at the Schoolforge.net website, where the 
original is posted, so the reporter WILL discover that you've changed the date. 
Obviously, we can't make the release date appear as all things to all people. 
It's best stick to the truth and explain that you're trying to drum up coverage, 
or take your lumps and wait for your next press release. Reporters (and I speak 
from having been one) absolutely hate being lied to in any way, shape, or form. 
If you try to play them, no matter how noble your intent, it will come back to 
bite you in the ass, guaranteed.

While a big initial splash for Schoolforge is important, it's more important to 
work proactively as leaders in your local communities to develop strong personal 
contacts with a few select reporters who "get it" -- people who cover education 
and technology and have the ability to think outside the box described for them 
by (fill in your favorite media, education, software, or governmental 
mega-entity here). Even if you fail to get placement this go-'round, a kind note 
  with:
A) a brief apology for not getting this release to them until now,
B) expressing your interest in speaking to them about the launch, and
C) mentioning your availability as a resource for future education and
    technology stories,
will help you out with your own local organizing efforts, and help out 
Schoolforge down the road.

--William