Vocus Hits the Big Time: The New York Times That Is
November 25, 2013
Who cares about news releases? Apparently quite a few folks do. I read “Swatting at a Swarm of Public Relations Spam.” I thought the write up was interesting, but it seemed short on facts. Here’s the key passage in my opinion:
Woo-hoo.
I liked this part. Also interesting was this passage:
But this one step seemed insufficient. P.R. spam is fed by companies that hire P.R. companies that pay database companies like Vocus, or their handful of competitors. So if you want to focus on root causes, you must ask: Why would any company spend money to blanket reporters with email they didn’t ask for and almost surely don’t want?
We have tested one of the Vocus systems and discovered some interesting factoids. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary:
ITEM. I did a story for Citizentekk.com based on my research for an uptown investment back. We submitted a short news release to PR Web, a Vocus “property.” The publicity professional I use reported that PR Web told her that I was not a recognized authority to PR Web. Furthermore, the information about Google’s investments in synthetic biology were not known so the news release would not be distributed. I found this interesting because the investment bank who commissioned the initial research published a report and the Citizentekk story generated some buzz and follow on commentary.
Is PR spam a food? Image source: http://goo.gl/kSKJEZ
ITEM. One of the editors for the Search Wizards Speak series of interviews tracked down the co founder of Silobreaker. This is an intelligence oriented online system that has a very strong following among the police and intelligence services in the European Community. We were told that my publicity person had to verify who she was and then provide two phone numbers for me and a valid email address. This was after PR Web had my Visa card and the short news release highlighting two key points in the interview.,
ITEM: Vocus pays its president $5 million per year. (Source: Hoover’s Company Records). At the same time, the October 23, 2013 quarterly financial results reported declining revenue ($45.217 millio0n against $46.615 million a year earlier). The net loss was $3.85 million against a net loss of 3.851 a year earlier. (You will need a subscription to Reportlinker to view other details or you can dig out the numbers at http://goo.gl/VeAH6g)
ITEM: Vocus is involved in a legal matter with an outfit called BWP Media USA doing business as Pacific Coast News. I am no attorney so the matter may be without merit. The dispute seems to involve copyright violations. Source: US District Court, Maryland, Case 8:13-cv-03322-RWT. I would reproduce the image attached to the legal document I saw but I found it unsettling.
ITEM: The missing phone numbers for Vocus executives are available at from LexisNexis and LinkedIn; for example, Barclay, Julianne, President; Foltz, Roxanne, Chief Executive Officer; and 46 other senior managers.
ITEM: To fight homelessness, the Vocus CEO (Rick Rudman) slept out. He allegedly said, “Every kid deserves a safe place to sleep.” I loved this statement: “Rudman’s dedication to Covenant House and America’s homeless youth mirrors Vocus’ philanthropic culture.” (Source: http://goo.gl/duP7Ja) I want to ask the New York Times, “Is spam edible?”
My thought is that the New York Times’ story could have included some additional details about the company. I find it difficult to believe that 50 phone numbers and email addresses for Vocus executives are bad.
Anyway, my thoughts are:
- PR spam is indeed a real issue. The reason is that Google has created value in spoofing results. Search engine optimization folks are at their wits end trying to get their clients unvisited Web sites traffic. Ergo: Create “news” and fire it out.
- Vocus is not the reason why I get PR spam and have to talk with PRatronizing PRunfessionals. I am listed in a directory as a “journalist.” As I make clear on my About page, I am not a journalist. Whether PR Web knows me or not, I am regarded as someone who knows a bit about certain topics. I get directory generated PR spam.
- The volume of disinformation, reformation, and misinformation is going up. I have tried to quantify the percentage of baloney to actual verifiable information. I keep trying. Some of the goslings keep trying. So far, I know that results lists are usually a starting point. Old fashioned digging that would have given the New York Times’ story more beef if not colorful writing is mandatory.
In closing, may I quote the New York Times? “Woo-hoo.”
Stephen E Arnold, November 25, 2013
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