You can read the whole story, including the story of how the iPhone came to be misplaced, at gizmodo.com. The story is fascinating. The features on this new device seem simply amazing.

I’ll admit that after reading the account of how the phone was lost, it all seemed quite plausible. An honest- albeit ginormous- mistake.

But what if it wasn’t a mistake? Any Apple fan has heard of the company’s top-secret nature. So to let something like this happen seems like such an implausible security breach. Could it even be possible for Apple to slip up like this?

If this was intentional, this is one of those cases where any publicity is good publicity, in my opinion. It’s brilliant! Word of a new iPhone is in the national news, it’s blowing up the Twitterverse and it’s got Apple dorks (I’ll put myself in that category) salivating around the world.

As a Lakeland and Tampa, Florida public relations professional, I’m always up for a new way to pitch a new product or service. It can be challenging to come up with something fresh, different, eye-catching- something that makes a reporter or blogger say something besides, “Who cares?” This little “I lost my iPhone prototype” scenario meets all of that criteria.

I hope Gray Powell (the poor guy who supposedly lost the phone), doesn’t lose his job over this. I hope he was a willing participant in this brilliant marketing effort. But even if this was all just an accident, I truly believe the media coverage generated from this will FAR outweigh any potential damage caused by leaking this product before Apple had intended.

What are your thoughts?

My first thought was, “Yikes! She’s sending a brochure?!” I mean, this Lakeland press release writer has written her fair share of brochure copy. I list it as a service on my site, even. But it’s been a day or two since a client has called and asked for that service.

Web copy? That’s another story. I just assumed that the times, they were achangin’, and public relations and marketing people were mouthing “he’s so 2000-late” behind the backs of clients requesting brochures.

What are others saying about the topic? Earlier this year, Mediasauce proclaimed the death of the brochure. But Matt Gonzales was quick to step in and say: not so fast.

Both sides have valid points. When you print a brochure, you run the risk of the information becoming dated. And what happens when the information is old and you still have 500 brochures left? Hello recycling bin.

The Internet, on the other hand, is instant. See a typo? Fix it. Need to change a name? Done. Business moved to a new location? You can update that in a flash. Discontinuing a service? Delete it.

I’ve mentioned before that the entire world seems to be on the Internet these days, and Generation Y and the Millennials barely know what a phone book is anymore. They search for everything online. So it makes sense to have a Web site and to post information perhaps once reserved for a brochure on that site.

But can the brochure really be dead? Matt Gonzales mentions a scenario in his defense of brochures, and I encourage you to read it.

I agree that there still are isolated instances in which a brochure is handy. I still grab the occasional brochure, particularly if I happen upon a booth at a community event and fear that I will forget the business name by the time I get home and want to look it up online.

So when I ask myself if the Internet has killed the brochure, I say: not yet. I firmly believe they still have a place in a company’s overall public relations campaign. But it’s important to consider these items when determining whether to design a brochure, or just simply add the info to your Web site:

- Consider your audience. It is possible that for some companies, their clientele are in an age demographic where brochures are a preferred method for information gathering.

- Timeliness of information. Information that is likely to change frequently probably isn’t best suited for a brochure.

- Budget constraints. Updating a Web site can be cheaper than updating printed materials on a regular basis.

If you feel as though you need to have something to give to potential clients, give them your business card- and make sure your Web site is listed on it. Now they have something to remember you by, and you have an opportunity to present far more information to them in the long run than you would have with a brochure.

When it comes to public relations, a good way for small businesses to garner publicity is to become known as experts in their fields.

That might be a difficult notion for some to buy into. After all, most of us were raised not be braggarts and to keep our self-confidence in check.

“Those in search of publicity have to get over those hang-ups,” said Lorrie Delk Walker, president of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., a public relations firm in Tampa and Lakeland.

For professionals to establish themselves as experts in their fields, they have to do a bit of self-promotion, and there are ways to look good without coming on too strong or making the wrong impression with potential clients, said Walker, an article and press release writer.

Walker shared these tips on how small business professionals can “take HEED,” when seeking to attain expert status by: Hiring a Professional, Education, Experience and Developing an effective Web site.

Hire A Professional
Getting your name “out there” as an expert may seem like a daunting task, and when in doubt, Walker recommends hiring a public relations firm to do the job right the first time.

“I’m a big believer in focusing your efforts on your own talents and hiring a professional with talent in the areas where you lack,” Walker said.

PR pros can offer a plan for assisting small business professionals in establishing themselves as experts in their fields. Some steps that Walker recommends include:

– Create a newsletter to send to interested readers.

– Add a blog to the company’s Web site and update it frequently with useful information.

– Join community and professional groups for networking purposes.

– Get involved in social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Education
Educate yourself. Although a degree isn’t always necessary to be an expert, many people associate education with knowledge and expertise, Walker said. So a framed diploma on the wall may impress some. But there’s a lot to be said for education that happens outside the classroom.

“To become an expert in your field, you must make it your mission to absorb as much information as you can in your area,” Walker said. “Read books, publications, findings and Web sites dedicated to your field.”

Communicating with others in the same field also is helpful, because it enables professionals to learn of other viewpoints and become well-rounded on topics.

Experience
Some things take time, and you can’t become an expert in a field in which you lack experience, Walker said.

Look for opportunities to take on additional projects and gain experience in different niches within your field.

Develop an Effective Web Site
Having a Web site with helpful information allows small business professionals to share their expertise with visitors. Frequently updating and adding new information gives those visitors something to return to, Walker said.

“You never know when a journalist researching a topic may happen upon your site,” she said. “Once they find useful information, they are likely to call you for comments for their articles and to remember you the next time they write about a topic in your field.”

Learn More
If you would like additional information on how a PR professional can assist in establishing you as an expert in your field, visit www.lorriewalker.com for more information, or call (863) 614-0555.

Call it an occupational hazard that goes with the territory when you are a writer and a public relations professional, but I saw this truck the other day and couldn’t resist snapping a photo of it. I felt like taking a red pen to this back window!

Actually, this truck and its poorly written message provides a great opportunity to discuss the importance of proofreading and editing.

The written word often serves as a business’s first impression to potential customers and clients. Think about it: if you produce marketing brochures or have a Web site that you use to attract business, you need to make sure these items are well-written, well-designed and error-free. Content full of misspellings, grammatical errors and omissions doesn’t build confidence in the minds of consumers as to your professionalism.

When you write content, whether it’s a marketing letter, a promotional brochure, Web site content, a newsletter or even a blog post such as this, read over your writing. Have someone else read over it. It’s important to catch those mistakes before they are seen by your potential customers.

Not everyone was born to be a writer or an editor. So if your talents aren’t in these areas, hire a professional to proofread and edit your work before it is finalized. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind in knowing that your printed materials will make a great first impression among your target audience.

How do you know if you need an editor? Well, let’s go back to the photo above for a little test. There are three errors in this saying on the back window. If you can’t find them, perhaps you should seek the services of an editor the next time you have a written piece that you plan to share with new and existing clients.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. offers editing and proofreading services. Visit our Editing page on our Web site or call us today for more information: (863) 614-0555.

Here are some basic tips to keep in mind to avoid plagiarism:
- Cite your sources. It’s ok if you find good information that you want to use in an article, but you MUST give credit where credit is due.

- Use direct quotations, but remember that you also must cite your sources when you paraphrase someone’s remarks.

- Whenever possible, gather the information for your article by conducting your own interviews in person or by phone. It’s impossible to plagiarize someone else’s work when you draw from your own sources.

When hiring writers to write articles for you, choose those with proven track records of writing good, strong copy. It is perfectly acceptable to ask a writer for the names and phone numbers of the sources they used when writing the article you hired them for. Don’t be afraid to follow up with those sources. It is better to be overly cautious than to assume everything is on the up and up.

Learning that a reporter has plagiarized his/her work leaves a bad mark not only on that writer, but on the publication that published the work. Ocala Magazine is in that unfortunate position today. They are having to do damage control and the next several months will be spent trying to restore their reputation.