The response to the post was phenomenal and prompted me to look at some more tools that might be worth adding to the 'must master' list.
So, without further ado, here is round two...
10 More Online Tools Every PR Pro Should Master - Part Two
TweetChat
Live Twitter chats are gaining in popularity everyday as it allows for a condensed period of conversation which can be moderated / led, achieving the best results for participants and organizers.
Most PR people will have to take part in one of these conversations at some point and one of the better tools is TweetChat which allows you to follow a subject / hashtag and and makes taking part in a live chat really simple.
PR Value: Several benefits to this one, but mostly it allows for real-time observation and participation in conversations that might be of interest to your clients / brands.
mobiReady + Mippin
The future of web is mobile. Fact. But is your website / blog optimized for interaction on a mobile device?
mobiReady runs a quick test to assess how ready your site is for mobile use, providing you with a snapshot of how it might look and particular handsets.
If it turns out your site isn't 'ready for mobile' you might want to consider Mippin - a free service which creates a mobile version of your site in a matter of seconds.
PR Value: If you want as many people as possible to access your content, then this is a 'no-brainer' - get it done!
Addictomatic
I didn't put this in the first edition of this series at the expense of Social Mention - but they really are two very different tools.
Addictomatic is an 'at-a-glance' dashboard which looks at mentions across the major social platforms - Blogs, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, Flickr and more.
PR Value: This is a great way to stay on top of brand / campaign mentions at any point in the day. What I like to do with this one is set up several searches, save them in my favourites / bookmarks, and check in on them 2-3 times a day. It occasionally misses things, but is pretty good for a free tool.
PostRank
PostRank does what it sounds like it should: ranks the quality of posts based on a set of variables.
If you see something with a PostRank '10' next to it, that's a pretty good indication it's a decent post.
PR Value: This is great to ascertain the value of content, providing a method / system to ranking posts in order of importance. The plugin available here is also a nice way to arrange your Google reader.
HootSuite
I think most people are aware of Hootsuite.
It is the easiest way to manage multiple social media accounts, especially across Twitter and Facebook, and it's scheduling system is a thing of beauty.
The associated analytics system isn't bad either...one of my favourite tools going around.
PR Value: Great for managing campaigns on a small / mid-sized scale.
Twitter Search - Advanced
We all know that Twitter is a great way to see what people are talking about.
Twitter Search (Advanced) is a great way to look back at what is being said about a particular topic, person, hashtag, brand etc
PR Value: Allows you to select exact time and origin details regarding a subject you are monitoring.
BoardTracker
This is something I use for my clients at Paratus Communications an awful lot.
It allows you to run searches on topics / key words that are being discussed in forums or discussion boards.
The great thing about BoardTracker is that it can tell you who is contributing to which topics and ranks them in order of frequency.
PR Value: This helps you ensure you are listening in the right places and taking note of the right people.
WhatTheTrend
I didn't realise how valuable this one was until a recent campaign I ran which was built around a 'hashtag'.
This allows you to define the details of a tag / trend, and in a way, claim 'ownership' of that tag.
PR Value: This is an incredibly powerful way of linking a brand to a topic but in a much more subtle way.
FeedBurner
FeedBurner is a service that helps generate a feed for your site / blog - it then helps deliver content and provides stats on usage.
PR Value: Running a blog? This will help measure its impact / popularity in an easy-to-digest way.
TwazzUp
As a friend pointed out the other day, this is a TERRIBLE name, but a GREAT tool.
It's another real-time search facility, but it's interface is what makes it great.
See what is being said by who, how influential those people are and how many people are taking an active interest.
PR Value: A handy way to see which influencers are attached to certain topics.
Now what?
Go and give these tools a try and see if they add value to your day.
As always, remember that successful communications activity doesn't begin and end with the tools.
They help get things done, and are great as far as listening goes, but they can be pointless if they aren't used in the right way.
Successful communications activity starts by first defining your situation, developing a route and then delivering that solution - these tools can help with each part of this process.
Enjoy!
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