Take some time to gain some valuable knowledge from this Professional Development Podcast from our state association featuring Scott Monty, Head of Social Media at Ford.

The Ford Motor Company is one of America’s iconic brand names recognized worldwide: one of the so-called ‘Big Three’ US automakers that includes General Motors and Chrysler – all presently embroiled in US government actions to support the industry with a proposed $14 billion bailout.

While this business backdrop sets the scene for mainstream media headlines and reporting, Ford continues to communicate and engage with its stakeholders and other interested parties, employing the full spectrum of tools and channels as appropriate.

It’s the area of social media and communication that is the prime focus of this “For Immediate Release (FIR) Interview” with Scott Monty, Head of Social Media at Ford’s worldwide headquarters in Dearborn, USA. In this conversation with FIR’s Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz, Scott talks through the events surrounding a Ford fan site and alleged counterfeit Ford parts, how criticisms of Ford’s legal moves blew up across auto-enthusiast and other websites and blogs in a 24-hour period, and the key role Twitter played in enabling Scott to rapidly defuse and help to successfully address those criticisms. Scott also talks about The Ford Story, and offers five critical tips for any communicator embarking on deploying social media in the enterprise.

Click here for podcast.

Join us for the March Space Coast FPRA Professional Development Program. This is an important and valuable program for any practitioner working in Brevard County.

Florida Today: Change and Multi-Media News
Special Guests: Bob Stover, Executive Editor

FLORIDA TODAY continues to expand its multi-media resources, taking news online and utilizing live video streaming. Bob Stover will talk about these new initiatives and address them from a PR perspective regarding how we can utilize these tools in our public relations programs AND provide FLORIDA TODAY editors with rich, relevant news material. He’ll help us understand the relationship between print and online and educate us on we can work more effectively with them. He’ll answer questions such as:

1) is there an online editor and do some stories go online and not in print, or vice versa?
2) Can I submit a video clip and caption or small blurb to be used … Or does FLORIDA TODAY shoot all their own material?

Bob will share video clips with us about how FLORIDA TODAY layers online and print work, as well as show a video on the new live video streaming. Bob will give us an update on the status of things at the paper and share where things are headed for the rest of the year. And to help us all refresh our outdated media lists, he has agreed to provide us with a new list of the how the departments are structured, along with a list of editors and reporters, and their contact information. This is a terrific opportunity to engage with a high level executive at our area’s largest newspaper and update your own tactics and strategies for working with them.

Bob Stover has been Executive Editor of Florida Today since June. He was managing editor of Florida Today 1999-2008 and has worked in other editing roles at the paper since 1992. Prior to that he held several editing and reporting positions at the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock. He serves on the BCC Entrepreneur Lecture Committee, the Associated Press Editors innovation committee and the Reaching Out Holiday Board. He has a BA from Ouachita University in Arkansas and a masters degree in journalism and urban studies from the University of Maryland.

EVENT INFORMATION
DATE: March 18, 2009
Holiday Inn Viera – Wickham Road and I-95
11:30 am Networking, Noon Program
Cost: $20 members and students, $25 non-members

Food options: Chicken Marsala with Penne Alfredo, Cheese Manicotti with Marinara
Includes salad, vegetable and dessert

RSVP Katherine Sonn: 722-4440 or via e-mail at sonncenturyoaks@cfl.rr.com

For those of you interested, the 2009 Space Coast Chapter Image Awards entry deadline is Tuesday March 24, 2009. Awards will be handed out at the April 21 professional development program. You will have time to tweak for entries for submission to the state Golden Image Awards, which will be due in May. You should be receiving the 2009 Call for Entries in the mail soon.

For now, please refer to last year’s Call for Entries for the local competition. You can download it here

For any questions on the Image Awards, call Amelia Woodbridge at 837-1000.