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It is about time that the public relations industry got to grips with SEO. As part of my work I have spent a lot of time building an SEO PR proposition, however many agencies still ignore the subject.
Apart from a few savvy PR agencies, the majority of PRs just don't understand the relationship between PR and search engine visibility, let alone how to measure if this visibility leads to some sort of 'conversion.'
Frankly, it's embarrassing.
Most public relations professionals are aware of some sort of link between PR and SEO and before you send out the lynch mob, those that read Econsultancy will probably be among the most well informed.
The close relationship of PR in SEO has come into the spotlight recent months thanks to the impact of certain black and white animals, i.e. Google's Panda and Penguin updates which have forced some to review their search strategies and focus more on content.
Why is SEO and PR converging? PR can influence all of these search engine ranking factors:
(Source: SEOmoz via Planet Content)
The ways in which Search and PR can complement each other are much more fundamental than content alone. The problem is that many PR agencies are missing some killer opportunities:
- Search data can provide killer insights for building PR propositions, targeted campaigns and messaging. But how many agencies really use these insights?
- PR coverage often includes links which influence PageRank, but how many agencies report on them or their impact?
- Public relations content can stimulate social sharing and other important search engine signals, but many agencies still focus on sentiment at the expense of how social influences search.
- Recently Google has thrown AuthorRank into the mix which is another way in which PR content can influence search visibility by creating 'super' authors who will appear more often in SERPs
There are countless other ways too. So, it is time for the PR agency big guns to step up and 'own' SEO right? Well, something tells me this might be a way off yet.
The problem is that few PR agencies have the knowledge to be able to talk objectively about the subject matter because:
- A shockingly low amount of PRs can demonstrate even a basic grasp of SEO, such as using Google's keyword tool, planning meta data, trying to explain Google PageRank or even the basics like the value of links with anchor text (don't believe me, just ask any SEO).
- Few PRs still can assess a domain or blog based on its domain authority or ascertain its authority based on, say, how many inbound links it has.
- Most agencies are unaware of a fact that most SEOs have known for years: that some of the most authoritative links pointing at a domain are often from PR and have been acquired often as a bi-product or even unintentionally.
- Fewer agencies will actually report on the number or quality of links their PR campaigns generate, or better the impact on search visibility and onsite conversions.
- A smaller number of agencies can use Google Analytics to track conversions and ROI (I mean properly use GA, like a search marketer can).
- A much smaller amount will be winning business by selling SEO PR campaigns
If your PR agency is already doing at least the above then well done. If you have more advanced measurement principles then have a pat on the back and take the rest of the day off.
Comments (56)
Great piece James but couldn't help noticing that you've used an image which I presume you've sourced from my blog post: http://www.planetcontent.co.uk/brighton-seo-role-of-pr-social-media-in-high-search-ranking
I generated that image for a link building training course I ran at Brighton SEO in April 2012 using SEOmoz's latest Google algorithm estimate and adding the letters "PR" myself.
If this is the case I'd be grateful for a citation on the graphic (e.g. source: SEOmoz via Planet Content)
Many thanks
Thanks Graham, much appreciated.
I'll drop you an email separately, I'd love to contribute blog posts for Econsultancy.
Hey Graham, the article is about PR and SEO but I see you have taken the link out to my website. It would be a fail on my part not to ask you to put it back in :-) Any chance.
As for the graphic the original one I submitted was sourced from SEOmoz.
James - as you probably know, I have been banging the SEO drum in the context of PR for many years now - and although I agree with much of the sentiment of your piece, I think the number of PR firms who "get" SEO is definitely on the rise (albeit from a low base). Certainly as a provider of SEO and analytics training to CIPR members, I can definitely attest to the large rise of attendees to these workshops - and the ongoing feedback from PR people who are actually implementing some meaningful SEO techniques (ie not the red herring of optimising press releases for example).
I think the bigger challenge is in the area of analytics. I entirely agree that many PR firms are missing out on the opportunity to really demonstrate the value of what they do by not appreciating what Google Analytics can provide for free - but it is also about moving clients away from vanity metrics like top level visitor traffic. For example, being able to use GA to show that visits from online press coverage results in more engaged and valuable visitors is surely the way forward. Using multi-channel funnels to demonstrate the direct and indirect contribution that PR activity makes to goals (of course, that presupposes that clients have goals defined - many don't - but again, this is another opportunity for savvy PR firms to prove their worth).
I agree that the PR sector still has a long way to go in terms of investing in SEO and analytics - there is clearly room for improvement, but I think that more PRs are making good progress than you might think ;)
I have an SEO client that has a great PR team. They really do have 2-3 newsworthy releases each month going out and they get a fair amount of attention for each. But what kills me is that no matter what I say or do they don't optimize them for SEO! There is so much wasted potential because they almost never include links in the body and it's the same anchor text again and again in the boilerplate.
If you compare where the PR profession is today, with where it was even just two years ago, then you'll find it is in a much stronger position.
I think the real challenge is that the PR/SEO blend is still seen as something to be looked at by a 'specialist' within the team rather than something that is everyone's responsibility. It's about thinking about it properly at a strategic comms level and as a standard part of day to day activity. There is still too much emphasis on campaigns rather than the far more important long-term reputational importance of search.
I agree with Stuart. Every PR should be thinking as an SEO in addition to the social head which they need.
As it is, SEOs are learning PR pretty quick as a way to build authoritative and diverse links, so those PRs that HAVEN'T got SEO yet built into their psyche had better wake up or start losing work to SEOs.
@Andrew Good points, as ever. I'd go beyond even the post-campaign analytics and always advise PRs to consider keyword-led campaigns, especially around seasonal SEO factors.
I don't think we're anywhere close to a pivotal point, and I don't have any evidence other than our own recent experience, but I'd say that inhouse digital decision-makers are increasingly starting to bring in PR and/or social media agencies for link generating briefs.
Work that, two or three years ago, would have gone straight to SEO agencies is now being tabled to agencies outside that particular discipline. Perhaps, if in a further two/three years, you were to chart the shift from traditional SEO agencies winning this sort of work versus PR/social/digital/other agencies winning it, the rate of change may well be reflective Google's algorithmic updates.
Would anyone care to suggest some good resources for help on this subject, particularly the " basic grasp of SEO, such as using Google's keyword tool, planning meta data" part?
Adrian raises an interesting point. One of the challenges that the PR industry, as opposed to the PR profession, has is that SEO/digital budgets are frequently much larger than PR budgets. It is the size of the beast, rather than skill or expertise, that is a factor in who gets the work. That's why I've noticed that digital/SEO agencies are increasingly keen to talk to me about how they can make their PR offer real, rather than the low-level tactical mish-mash that most offer at the moment. Digital/SEO agencies want to recruit good PR people and buy good PR consultancies. Some of them have the budgets to do it. Far fewer PR companies have the budgets to acquire decent sized SEO agencies.
@Paul Blatant plug for which I apologise in advance, but you could do worse than buy Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals and read @andrew's chapter and some of the others :-)
Disclaimer, both me and @andrew are co-authors.
@Chris - yes, sorry I wasn't clear - of course PRs should be using SEO tools and techniques as part of the planning process. It takes about a minute to use Google Insights for Search for example to check on key search volume trends, and to compare with sector averages - let alone the insight into seasonality, location, related searches, etc - if the Bank of England are happy to use this free tool for key economic indicators, surely PR folk could at least try it.
Or using the Google Keyword Tool to actually see how many people are actually searching for particular keyword terms (assuming they understand the distinction between broad, phrase and exact match). Think of the agony they will spare themselves when they point out to clients demanding to rank #1 for a keyword term that no one is searching for content with it (and yes, I know Google's Keyword Tool et al is less than perfect - but it is better than nothing at all).
Or being able to analyse WHY rival pages are ranking in the top slots - and being able to make informed decisions about whether an investment in SEO is even worthwhile (if you know that the number 1 ranked page is on a domain that's been around for 15 years and has acquired 50K quality backlinks, the likelihood that you are going to outrank it in the next 5 mins with a brand new page on a brand new domain is zero. Or else you are going to have to create content so compelling that gazillions of people on social networks will start linking to it so Google can't ignore the social signals and "freshness").
The best SEO firms have known for some time that getting links from high quality, high authority pages and sites is one of the key factors in SEO - and media sites often fit the bill - and who is, in theory, better qualified to influence the placement of that quality content (with links)? I thought it was very interesting that one of the SEO sector's leading lights - Kevin Gibbons - has set up a content marketing agency - to all intents and purposes, they are doing work that many PR firms profess to do ie create great editorial led content. The advantage Kevin has of course is much greater experience in terms of the SEO process - but I think the general point is that SEO and PR really are converging - those that can truly combine both sides of the equation are the ones that will be better placed to succeed.
@stuart - looks good, I'm heading over to Amazon now.
thanks for this article it is excellent and I agree with the points.
I work with a couple of PR /marketing agencies across digital comms and social media and encourage them to adopt some of those above measurement metrics as well as offering some training and instructions on how to use certain tools. I also try and help them win or retain this digital business which many PRs become frustrated about when they lose what should be communications budgets to digital agencies/providers.
However there is definitely a skills shortage there and (I believe) only a small number of PR agencies understand the opportunities that a more in-depth knowledge of SEO would give them - both for showing value to their existing clients and in winning new business.
I would also like to see more PRs and digital agencies working together in some cases.
Thanks for a great post. It is a shame that it might not get the visibility from the audience that most needs to read it here.
Having worked in-house as a PR/SEO professional and currently at a PR Agency in a similar role, I am of the opinion that a vast amount of companies / agencies still haven't grasped the value of Online PR for SEO. Particularly the benefits of online coverage vs. print coverage.
Many clients and indeed PRs are perpetuating the desire for print coverage, which, although beneficial in its own way, is rather short-lived (generally speaking). I feel there is, and always has been, a slight disregard for online coverage for being too 'easily' achieved in comparison to print, and therefore not as valuable.
I think PRs need to communicate the tangible benefits of online coverage over print to their clients. A piece of online coverage with a follow link from a reputable website with a high PageRank has long-term benefits in respect of increasing rankings, traffic, and therefore leads. Print coverage in a daily paper is potentially read by large volumes, yes, but it doesn't allow for immediate action and is therefore often forgotten.
So, in essence, online coverage with a link (in most cases) is for life, not to mention how measurable its success is with tools such as Google Analytics.
I'm afraid PR and analytics have never been the best of bedfellows.
The decades-old debate into how PR effectiveness should be measured (and the relative lack of real progress made there, despite claims to the contrary) tells you how much the PR industry generally struggles with anything beyond the most basic analysis. Offline, AVEs still rule. Online, it's all about followers, likes, fans and hits. Measuring the depth of the engagement? Tracking social media content into conversion? Forget it. So I'm not surprised very few PR agencies get the links between PR and search.
But, to be fair to PRs, SEO and search marketing are specialist skillsets, so to expect them to become search experts (or even search proficient) is somewhat optimistic.
So if we accept that most PRs don't get SEO, and probably never will, the real question becomes - how do we demonstrate the effectiveness of PR in search, and vice versa?
I think the answer is simple - PR agencies and in-house teams need to hire (or acquire) that SEO expertise and make it integral to their campaign planning and analysis, building search requirements into campaign objectives. And SEO firms need to take a similar approach to PR.
A PR trying to "think as an SEO", as someone suggested, will never be as effective as a PR and SEO working together, combining their skills.
I agree with Andrew Smith that SEO agencies have recognised how PR can support their campaigns, and that trend will surely continue. PR agencies (bar an enlightened minority) need to start looking beyond their industry or risk being marginalised.
Nice article Mr C.
Not being the sharpest of tools in the box I will leave the wider debate on SEO & PR to loftier thinkers.
My only observation is that at a grass roots level we see very few PR Course grads coming through with little if any SEO knowledge at all.
We recently interviewed for two positions and none of the PR course grads we invited in had a clue about SEO.
This is something we highlighted around 3 years ago and even spoke to several Uni's about when PRWeek ran our comments so it is a real shame that (seemingly) very few Uni's have added SEO to their syllabus.
IMHO I think this needs to happen before we will see a fundamental shift towards PR's understanding SEO.
That being said, whilst many PR agencies may struggle with SEO, they probably take the best course of action and keep schtum. Compare this to the SEO company side of things, where (caveat; the minority) some know very little about good PR tactics but instead of keeping quiet, talk a load of sh*t about how to do PR - which is usually, bang it onto every free wire known to man (or woman). :-)
@richard The continuing bias towards print in much of the PR world still amazes me. The amount of time we spend consuming print based content continues to dwindle (check out slide 17 on Mary Meeker's slide deck here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/30/heres-kleiner-partner-mary-meekers-latest-data-dump-mind-the-mobile-monetization-gap/)
And print coverage always had a short shelf life (3hrs for national press coverage). I have a client that still gets valuable traffic from a piece that appeared in the Telegraph online nearly 4 years ago. Using Google Analytics we can show that visitors coming via this route spend x4 more time on site and consume x5 more content than site average. We can also show the contribution this specific source makes to sales (it is an e-commerce site). Interestingly, visits from online coverage are generally assistive to a sale rather than generating sales directly - but the point is we can prove that indirect contribution rather than making vague claims for the value of PR.
Being totally selfish about it, the longer PR agencies don't 'get it', the better for us digital marketers. It allows forward thinking search agencies to grab budget that in the past they may not have been equipped to. SEO agencies are bringing in staff with traditional PR backgrounds and then educating them on how to join the dots.
It means SEO's can do something that many traditional PR's cannot; measure the output of PR based activity against commercial goals by aligning coverage and links with keywords and revenue.
With budgets squeezed and FD's questioning every penny spent this is a very attractive proposition in the current climate.
Always an interesting debate in this area! What I find interesting is the view from the PR industry on SEO and digital agencies. The assumption is that SEO agencies are all using a huge array of PR tactics to engage with influencers and link build.
The fact is that SEO agencies often understand what is required to rank highly but lack the PR/media relations skills required to make it a reality. So at that point they have two choices - either buy links and use dodgy tactics, or partner with a search/digital savvy PR (or possibly social) agency.
There really are very few SEO agencies that have integrated PR and media relations skills with the technical/analytical skills and content strategy required for successful SEO. So it's an open door for PR agencies to get involved and surely consolidation across tech-focussed SEO agencies and digitally-savvy PR agencies (or social agencies that understand search) is a certainty.
The good news for search agencies like the one I work for (which integrated PR skills back in 2008) is that it takes years, and investment, to bring together the different skillsets/cultures into one cohesive unit. So consolidation is the first step - a programme of investment and (internal) training would then be required before there was a consistent understanding of the full breadth of SEO across the consolidated agency, and the capability for top quality SEO.
It's certainly an amazingly interesting time to be involved in it all though and it will be fascinating to see how both the PR and SEO industries develop.
Completely agree with this - it's how to build a brand online - and this is now what Google looks for to give you visibility in it's results.
This is a great debate on a subject that always stirs up some interest.
As ever I completely agree with Andrew, particularly as summed up in his last sentence - SEO and PR are converging and those that can combine the expertise will succeed.
From what I hear and see I think that whilst there are some great examples of agencies who have embraced the changes (like Speed and Bottle), the silent mass of PRs have a lot of work to do to get there. Accepting the point that this is way out of the comfort zone for many traditional PRs, I would think there are a couple of options:
1 Attend one of Andrew's CIPR courses!
2 Get the most willing and digitally savvy person in the organisation to invest a day in getting familiar with Google Analytics, Insights for Search, the Keyword tool, and SEO for beginners (just Google it - loads of free guides), or
3 Either employ someone to whom SEO is second nature or buddy up with them for a knowledge exchange.
And when the penny drops and this gets taken seriously, have a shot at Jay Baer's "23 Social and Digital Services Your Agency Should be Selling (but probably isn't)" - now that's the future! :)
This is a fantastic debate. Great to James and Graham for hosting it here.
Some great points being made especially by Andrew and Stuart.
From my perspective the problem still lies in the perception of digital and social within many organisations. Senior executives think of it as an add on rather than a must-have, while juniors ignore it, most often because of the lack of time that it's given by campaign decision-makers.
Working not just here in the UK, but also overseas in Europe, the Gulf and Asia the problem is the little understanding of how SEO and Analytics can strengthen the proposition being pitched to audiences.
The landscape has changed, as have the required skill-sets to be a modern day Communicator. I am not a fan of the term PR in it's present term.
Ben hit's the nail on the head with regards to 'the longer PR agencies don't 'get it', the better for us digital marketers.' The problem though is digital marketeers and PRs reach the audience through different means. There is a need for both skill sets. Leaving it all to marketing will not, IMO, generate the level of brand buy-in that a clients would rightly want. Digital, SEO and Analytics can help achieve that holy grail of Integrated Comms.
SEO and Analytics have actually created more work in the development of campaigns, something that few want to pay for. Invest though and you will be rewarded.
It's also shocking to see that even those who care about links and SEO, include the links as complete URL like they've never heard of anchor text, keywords, etc. This is something you even see at the most famous PR distribution websites.
I don't know if they recommend the right practice or not, but companies should listen to such tips by PR distribution sites.
Rahman Mehraby
TraveList Marketing Blog
@Rahman Mehraby I like to mix it up actually with a mix of anchor text and full urls. The only reason for full urls is that if you are relying on a journalist to include a link they are more likely to include a full url, as some can't or won't copy and paste anchor text links. I.e. you are forcing inclusion of the link
I've got mixed feelings on this - on the one hand I'm equally frustrated that the PR industry hasn't been quick to pick up on an opportunity to increase and measure their effectiveness, on the other I think SEO experts tend to underestimate how much PRs do that they can't. Establishing and maintaining media relationships, creating unique and compelling content/events, shaping customer relationship strategies, crisis management - they're all very specialist skills. Adding some SEO expertise is the icing on the cake, but the baking the cake is the difficult bit.
Some great comments and observations. Moving PR companies from just delivering fluffy vanity exercises to the harsh commercial reality of online is difficult for many of them. Most people from a print background just don't get it.
Likewise, Ad agencies are one type of company that we just won't work with....most are stuck in promotional old style push marketing arty-farty land with practically no written content or unique offering.
No need to have even a basic grasp of search to find you lot - you're always here commenting on Econsultancy content!
I've worked in PR agencies, and now work in SEO. My experience is that there is not a great deal of difference between traditional PR and off-page SEO (obviously, on-page is a different kettle of fish entirely). At the heart is creating great content to get you or your client coverage. If you are going this for PR reasons, then why not leverage your existing PR for SEO benefits?
On the other hand, I know SEO's who idea of PR is sending a spammy press release over a low-quality syndication service. Thankfully though, these seem to be dying out due to the Panda and in particular Penguin update (what next, Porcupine?)these seem to be dying out.
I can't remember where I first saw it, but I've repeated this line several times "Done correctly, PR is link building on steroids".
@Paul Rayment you could do much worse than trying this - http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo.
But at the beginning, the best thing to do is play around with Analytics, dig around and see how detailed the stats can be. You don't need to be an advanced user to get started - it's designed to be intuitive.
The next thing you should do is sign up for a free months trial of SEOmoz - http://mz.cm/SlNy77 - navigate to the campaigns tab, and run a campaign for your website. Within a day or two, you will have tonnes of insight into how to better optimise your pages.
Anyone who is serious about knowing SEO should do this, as you will learn the absolute minimum basics very, very quickly.
Can you imagine the following exchange between a PR and a journalist?
Dear Journalist X,
I'd like my client to benefit as much as possible from the massive authority of your web site domain. And the value of a link from a page such as the one you are going to create by writing an insanely positive piece about my client.
I'd really like you to use the link I've provided with the specific anchor text I've suggested. And if you could place the link as close to the beginning of the article as possible, that would be really appreciated. Oh, and don't forget to include my keyword in the page title as well. Other than that, you have full freedom to write what you like (but again, if you wouldn't mind seeding your piece with my requested keyword, that would be fab too - but not too many mind. Google is quite hot on keyword stuffing these days).
Many thanks in advance for making my life easy.
Online PR
Dear Online PR,
Thanks for your SEO requests. I always have one key objective in mind - how do I provide maximum value to my readers. I can appreciate you would like me to do all of these SEO things to benefit you and your client. But making life easy for you isn't my job. If I choose to include a link, it'll be because I think doing so will be of benefit to my readers. And I'll decide what anchor text to use (if any). And I'll decide what I write about your client. If anything.
I'm sure you'll understand my position on this.
I exaggerate for effect, but I get the impression that some people from an SEO background don't quite get the nuance of the role of the journalist in all of this.
I feel like we've been here several times before but I'd like to think we can move things on.
In my experience, 95%+ of PR agencies don't 'get' search, not because many PRs don't want to but because outdated organisational structures and ingrained ways of thinking make it difficult for them to do do.
And, in my experience, 95%+ of search agencies don't get PR, too often mistaking basic PR tactics for strategies and links for authority.
So, I think we can say that, in the short term, this is - potentially - good news for the 5% on each side of the tug of war. Provided clients can see through the 95%+.
However, here are two, related questions I'd like to consider:
(1) Will search agencies exist in ten years' time?
(2) What about PR agencies?
I don't think either will. That's the real mid and long-term challenge.
Both industries emerged by way of response to circumstances and opportunities and have flourished while those circumstances remained relatively stable.
But the landscape has changed and is changing at such a rate that, if we remain focused on the PR vs. Search 'struggle' we'll all cease to be relevant.
Our existing skills and experience will remain relevant but the way the industries work must fundamentally change.
The growth in opportunities for amazing content - for recommendation rather than relevance - is just one example of an opportunity that 'traditional' PR and search agencies are ill equipped to act upon.
I'm sure you can think of more.
The good news is that integrated agencies (many of which seem to bring competency silos (SEO, PPC, social etc.) under one roof without properly integrating them) probably aren't equipped to reimagine themselves for this new world either.
There are a few agencies out there moving to 'higher ground' as things change faster than ever.
Those are the agencies I'm interested in, regardless of which side of the PR/search/social/content/whatever fence they're on.
I'm sure those are the agencies clients will be interested in too. Provided they're structured for these new circumstances too. (And that's another major challenge in the short, medium and long term)
I do like the fact that James' post has got us discussing this.
It's obviously worth discussing.
@andrewsmith - couldn't agree more. Yes, PRs need to get to grips with SEO techniques but, seriously, SEOs, don't underestimate the skills/experience required for good PR.
@martin Bartle Ah the voice of reason... Surely the internet is about trolling instead of reasoning? Seriously though, I agree with you.
I'm not sure can add much to the healthy debate above other than if I'd had to guess who'd comment on this thread I reckon I could have predicted with a certain level of accuracy.
I think that its about time that the PR should take notice of SEO and PPC advertising because for all we know, it will only take some time before it catches up. It is important for the people in Public Relations to get to know SEO because it can be an advantage to them in the future.
@Kelvin So true. We are missing Lexi. @simon wharton made a point on Twitter that there were about 10 PRs who get SEO. While there are more than this he has a point that it is the same old voices.
@james Perhaps we should form the PR SEO Bores club? ;)
@andrew Sounds like a plan. Over on Twitter @Simon Wharton and @Andybarr were having some good 'banter'. Could be merged with fight club?
Great debate guys.
In my opinion there's also an issue around silos; PR, marketing, web, social and SEO often still sit in separate departments or with separate suppliers. There needs to be someone, or department, responsible for making sure all the different facets are working in unison to shared business objectives.
Although I agree that PR professionals must have an understanding of SEO, and it would be in their benefit to report on this to their client, they aren't the experts in this field so the business needs to make sure that they understand what the objectives are and to ensure these are followed through in any PR activity. If the agency doesn't play ball I'd be wondering why I was working with them at all.
@James Crawford - I'd love to see the list of SEOs able to pitch a feature story to Vogue.com whilst organising a fashion show that gets international media coverage, the best models in the world to walk for free and a partnership with a major makeup/haircare brand. Sounds fluffy? The list of what PRs don't know about SEO is shorter than the list of what SEOs couldn't do because it's a totally different skill set.
A PR SEOs Bores Club skill swap/conference/booze-up sounds like a good idea to me :-)
Really enjoyed this article and having worked for an SEO agency and now running a small PR and marketing agency, I agree that a mutual lack of understanding is the main issue. Perhaps this boils down to a nervousness from both sides when it comes to knowledge sharing? Without sounding too hippy-dippy, a willingness to talk through plans of action and greater encouragement from clients to work collaboratively right from the start of the project would be a step in the right direction. Social media and content marketing are the points at which both are most likely to meet at the moment. I wrote a piece for Visibility magazine 5 years ago on online PR and although it focuses primarily on SEO PR releases, it's is surprising that SEO and PR agencies are still so often in separate camps. http://www.visibilitymagazine.com/guava/lotte-mahon/on-and-offline-pr-the-perfect-marriage#
I'm slightly confused in that we keep talking about SEOs as a homogenous mass. PRs aren't and we're not either...
If we're expecting each and every SEO/PR/whatever to (a) analyse search data (b) extrapolate insight from said data (c) develop compelling content for relevance and recommendation (d) sell in said ideas and cultivate influencer relationships to drive authority (e) everything else I've missed, we're kidding ourselves.
It's about building a team of people with (a) technical skills (b) creative minds and (c) PR and communications experience - sometimes (rarely) you find someone with the skills, experience and aptitude to do the lot (and enjoy doing it).
And I mean rare as in hen's teeth rare.
Otherwise, it's about taking advantage of the opportunity through teamwork.
I know people that are technical experts and who don't want to spend their days selling in (they just wouldn't enjoy it). I know others with technical chops but who are from a PR background and who love working with influencers etc.
I think both (and all in between) are SEOs, provided they are contributing to SEO results.
I also think the days of the one-man/woman-band SEO are numbered (probably reflects why we're having this debate) but that's sort of another discussion...
Even though I've worked with many SEO agencies over the years - now I'm consulting I do feel a little bit like a small fish in a big pond - but nevertheless here is my two pence worth.
I think both PRs and SEOs can learn a lot from each other; it's very easy to point the finger at the PRs but first it's worth looking in the mirror. As an SEO - no one is expecting you to be an expert in PR (unless of course you and/or your agency/company are claiming this is a skill you offer) but a good understanding can make you better at your job.
I think the skill swap idea mentioned is key to gaining better insights. A few months ago I in fact did a skill swap with a company who do traditional PR. It was a real eye opener - and gave me a much better understanding of how PR works.
It was really interesting to find out how much this company knew about SEO - and it was practically nothing - which actually I found shocking. However, I think both of us went away knowing that the knowledge we gained would allow us to get out of our little siloed thinking. I'm by no means now a PR expert, and I certainly don't offer it as a service and in fact, if my clients asked me for this service then I'd point them in the direction of a good PR firm. However, I think stepping outside your comfort zone and gaining a little more awareness and understanding of other areas can only be a positive thing.
I too saw Lexi Mills discuss this at the last Brighton SEO and she put across the argument about how SEOs and PRs can benefit from each other beautifully!
Thanks in support of sharing such a nice thinking, piece of writing is nice, thats why i
have read it completely
Now I wonder if the person who left that last comment might describe themselves as an SEO or a PR ;)
@kelvin I must visit that website he mentioned hotpennystockstowatchfor.com ? That comment was so persuasive.
It makes a lot of sense. PR people are used to being Gatekeepers to the Gatekeepers (Journalists). Just now, the walls are gone and people can go around them.
Lets not kid ourselves about how much of a privileged position this was and how much they need to be seen to ignore search?
I was recently told by a PR in Ireland that SEO was dead (wonder where he got that from) and that Social Media replace it somehow (amazing).
"I don't like it, so I will ignore it and call it dead" is the war cry of the PR Tribe.
Journalists are now posting weekly about twitter being bad (because twitter is an opinion piece?)
Journalists don't sell facts and they've been writing content for the editor who we assumed knew what the user wanted. Now that the user can get what they want online, media is falling over trying to kill it off.
Content and knowledge are very broad: Typically news is written to be short, concise and most of the time its just opinion. Who wouldn't want to protect it so that millions of readers only read their opinion. And couldn't disagree with it?
I every time spent my half an hour to read this blog's articles daily along with a mug of coffee.
I was actually wondering how, if and to what extent PR affected seo. Glad I came across this piece, it actually cleared up some confusion and some questions I had.
Just stumbled onto this, very informative but I was wondering how much of this if any of this is still relevant?
I realize this article is from several months ago but I love it. I've been trying to warn my fellow SEO folks that of PR agencies ever figure out SEO and start getting into the business they could put us out of business very quickly.


text:
Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota
Two of the hottest-selling cars in America aren't quite as hot as they used to be. The Toyota Camry and Honda Civic are both seeing dealer supplies increase in the face of renewed competition from the much-improved Detroit Three.
According to a report from The Detroit News, the Camry's dealer inventory is 15 days higher than its seasonal average, while the Civic is 25 days above average. Things aren't expected to get better for Toyota and Honda, as RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak marked the two Japanese offerings as "at risk for reduced output."
The Detroit Three, meanwhile, are seeing supplies dwindle as demand increases, especially for the Ford Fusion, which has seen an 18-percent increase in 2013 sales, and the Chevrolet Cruze, which was second only to the Camry in June 2013 sales.
Ford currently produces the Fusion at its Hermosillo, Mexico, factory, but to cope with demand, it has added a second shift at its Flat Rock, Michigan plant, which will begin production of the Fusion later this year.
Toyota Camry, Honda Civic inventories mounting as US automakers make inroads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Jul 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Alabama Softball Beats Texas A&M In Thriller, 10-9
Lexington, KY – With a full count and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Alabama sophomore Danielle Richard smoked a walk-off triple down the line in left to hand the Crimson Tide a thrilling, 10-9 victory over Texas A&M Wednesday night at John Cropp Stadium. The victory sends Alabama to the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament and moves its record to 42-12 on the season.
Trailing, 9-8, entering the seventh inning the Tide got its first two runners on base. After two quick outs, Richard supplied the heroics, driving in freshman Haylie McCleney from second and junior Molly Fichtner all the way from first for the win.
McCleney led the Tide at the plate with a 4-for-4 effort. Senior Kayla Braud batted 2-for-3 while junior Kaila Hunt and freshman Leona Lafaele combined to drive in seven.
Alabama carried an 8-3 lead into the sixth inning but Texas A&M started its charge, down to its final six outs of the contest.
Amber Garza hit a two-out grand slam over the wall in center to pull the Aggies within one in the sixth inning. Texas A&M then completed the comeback in the seventh as Cassie Tysarczyk hit a two-run home run to give the Aggies the 9-8 lead.
After Texas A&M took an early 2-0 lead in the first, Alabama answered with four runs in the bottom half. Back-to-back walks to Braud and Ryan Iamurri set the tone as McCleney snuck a hit up the middle to score Braud from second. Hunt then smashed her 13th home run on the year, a three-run shot that drilled the batting cage beyond the wall in left to give the Tide a 4-2 lead.
After the Aggies cut the Tide lead to one, Alabama answered in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. Lafaele lined her second career grand slam over the wall in left to give the Tide an 8-3 advantage.
Alabama sophomore Leslie Jury (16-6) earned the win in relief. Jury allowed one hit and walked one in just under an inning of work. Junior Jackie Traina allowed nine runs – eight earned – on nine hits. The right-hander struck out 10 and walked four in 6 1/3 innings.
Alabama will now face top-seed Florida in the quarterfinal round. The two SEC heavyweights will clash on Thursday, May 9, with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. CT.
Courtesy UA Media Relations


text:
Crude Exports Face Obstacles
Near-Total Ban Isn't Likely to End Soon, but Energy Boom Puts Idea Back in Play
Oil producers are enthusiastic about capitalizing on the shale-energy boom by exporting newly abundant U.S. crude. Some refiners and many politicians in Washington aren't.
That there is even a debate on easing or ending the 40-year-old near-total ban on U.S. crude-oil exports is a remarkable turnabout for the U.S.'s energy situation, where dependence on foreign oil has been a key driver of policies in several presidential administrations. The resolution of the debate carries important implications on the profit potential...


text:
Submarine Smart Phone
Lesson 6 of 14
Objective: SWBAT use a line to model possible locations in space. Students will understand the meaning of a line in terms of its properties.
Big Idea: Using lines to represent information about the position of an object. I know where your cell phone fell into the water!
Lesson Opener
Team Warm-up
Using the Slideshow, I display the Warm Up prompt for the lesson as the bell rings. As I take role and check for homework and required materials, I watch to see that students are following the Team Warm-up routine.
The warm-up asks students define a line. This will tell me if they have learned anything from previous lessons. Students will elaborate on or refine their answers at the end of the lesson.
Displaying the Agenda and Learning Targets, I tell the class that today we will learn another method of locating an object on a map. This one is based on the properties of lines, rather than of circles.
Resources (4)
Modeling With Lines
In this activity, students perform a triangulation to locate an object on a map. The activity is structured as a Team Jigsaw.
Displaying the Instructions, I distribute the Setup and ask for volunteers to read parts of the introduction out loud to the class. I explain that the team can only succeed if each student performs his or her part. Each student is a witness interviewer and must plot the information from his or her witness on the map. Together, the information from multiple interviews will allow the team to locate the last-seen-point where the cell phone went into the lake.
Each team will need a straight-edge and a copy of the Map.
As students get started, I distribute the Witness Interviews, which have been cut into strips. The activity works with 2-4 students in a team. If necessary, a student can plot the information from more than one witness interview.
As students work, I circulate. I am on the lookout for:
- Are students distracted by witness names, addresses, times, and other information provided in the witness interviews?
I explain that dive rescue personnel ask witnesses information (description of people or boats, time observed) that allow them to be sure that witnesses are all describing the same event. but students can assume that is the case in this problem. It is a real-world skill to be able to extract the relevant information from all the data that is available. (MP4)
- Do students recognize that the location from which a witness observed and the location of an object observed in the distance can be represented as two points on the map (MP4), and that the pair of points determine the direction in which the witness was looking when he or she saw the man fall into the water?
- Do they recognize that the point where the cell phone entered the water must be somewhere on the line between those two points?
- Do students recognize that one line represents only what we know about the cell phone's location, given its direction from a location of a single witness?
- Do students recognize that it takes directions from at least 2 witnesses to pinpoint the cell phone's location?
- Do students wonder why the plotted lines make a triangle, rarther than intersecting at a point?
I explain that this is the result in errors in plotting points (or in the witnesses' memories) since in theory the cell phone only entered the water at one point. Dealing with error is a normal part of using mathematics in the real world. A tight triangle usually means that the information was plotted precisely and accurately; a large triangle means that the points were not plotted precisely and might be inaccurate, as well. Precision in plotting improves with practice. (MP6)
Resources (6)
What Is An Intersection?
Once each team finishes performing the modeling with lines activity, I ask them to consider a follow-on problem.
Displaying the slide, I ask teams to discuss the scenario and answer the questions.
The goal is to get students thinking about the meaning of an intersection and to confront the misconception that an intersection must always be a point. The scenario also gives them an opportunity to consider an axiom of geometry: that two lines which intersect at more than one point are in fact the same line.
Axioms of points, lines, and planes and the topic of intersections will be treated more fully in the next unit, Dimensions and Structure. The trilateration problem provides an opportunity to address the axioms in a real-world context in order to make them more meaningful to students.
I hold a class discussion when every team is ready. Alternately, I will address teams individually.
Resources (1)
Resources (1)
Team Size-Up
Displaying the Lesson Close prompt, I ask students to summarize what they learned from the lesson with their team-mates, then select the best answer to write on the board. This activity follows the Team Size-Up routine.
Homework Set 1 problems #14 and #16 ask students to review the properties of lines and circles. Problem #15 is a modeling problem in which students must justify their choice of geometric object to use to represent where to search for a missing person based on the information available.


text:
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2004--Artisan Components, Inc., (Nasdaq:ARTI), a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP), today announced the introduction of its Velocity PHY(TM) (physical layer) Series for high-speed interconnect standards. The PHYs meet the stringent requirements for high-speed serial and parallel interconnect standards such as PCI Express, Serial ATA, XAUI, DDR, DDR2 and GDDR3. The Velocity PHY Series provides a comprehensive solution including support for leading EDA tools, detailed data sheets, application notes, silicon lab reports, characterization boards and expert customer support.
Growth in the emerging market for high-speed serial and parallel interconnect architectures is expected to be driven by the simultaneous requirements for increased performance and reduced cost in electronic systems. Artisan's Velocity PHYs offer silicon-proven performance, ease of integration and broad foundry support, and are fully compatible with Artisan's memory, standard cell, I/O and analog IP products.
All Artisan Velocity PHYs are architected for easy integration into complex system-on-chip (SoC) designs. Performance and feature sets are optimized to give SoC designers greater implementation flexibility at the system-level. As an example, the low jitter, small size and low power of the Velocity PCI Express PHY enables the designer more flexibility in allocating the overall system jitter, area and power budget.
Velocity PCI Express PHY
The Velocity PHY Series includes a PCI Express solution that offers a high-level of integration and includes a spread spectrum compliant PLL, dynamic impedance calibrator and PCI Express and PIPE (physical interface for PCI Express architecture) compliant PHY with all logic implemented in silicon for predictable and optimal performance. The Velocity PCI Express PHY is now available in 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x lane configurations for flip-chip and wire-bond packages on TSMC's 130-nanometer process.
Artisan worked closely with leading networking, graphics and ASIC companies to develop a rich feature set for the Velocity PCI Express PHY. The PHY's small size saves die area and reduces cost on many of today's I/O bound ICs. It also exhibits excellent low power performance with less than 80mw consumed per lane. The low transmit jitter and high receiver jitter tolerance enables error-free data transfer operation over a wide-range of operating conditions and environments.
Velocity DDR/DDR2/GDDR3 PHY
The Velocity DDR PHY is a comprehensive, programmable solution encompassing DDR, DDR2, and GDDR3 memory interfaces. Dynamic impedance allows for operation of up to 1Gb/s. Calibrated on-die termination resistors eliminate the need for external on-board components, reducing cost and design time, while improving performance. The complementary master/slave DLL with an operating range of 200Mb/s to 1.4Gb/s allows for a wide range of memory speeds, reduces the power/area product and improves performance, and has low jitter.
"The emergence of multi-gigabit interconnect standards is creating a need for sophisticated mixed-signal IP beyond the traditional Verilog and GDSII 'black box' approach," said Callan Carpenter, Artisan's vice president and general manager, Analog/Mixed-signal Business Unit. "The bar has been raised for IP providers. Artisan is enabling IC companies to more quickly capitalize on the growth markets served by these standards by providing comprehensive, silicon and system validated IP solutions."
Velocity PHYs Availability
The Velocity PCI Express and DDR, DDR2 and GDDR3 PHYs are immediately available. For more information about the Artisan's Velocity PHYs, visit Artisan's website at access.arm.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Artisan's introduction of the Velocity PHY Series, the performance and impact of such products, the market for high-speed serial and parallel interconnect architectures and the benefits of using Artisan's Velocity PHY Series products. These statements are subject to various risk factors including, without limitation, technical and other difficulties or delays in the introduction, implementation, adoption or performance of the Velocity PHY Series. We refer you also to the documents that Artisan files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the section entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" in Artisan's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q.
About Artisan Components
Artisan Components, Inc. is a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP) components for the design and manufacture of complex system-on-a-chip integrated circuits. Artisan's products include embedded memory, standard cell, input/output, analog and mixed-signal components, which are designed to achieve the best combination of performance, density, power and yield. Artisan has licensed its IP components to over 1,200 companies involved in integrated circuit design. Artisan is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. More information about Artisan Components, including free library access, can be found at access.arm.com.
Artisan Components and Artisan are registered trademarks and Velocity is a trademark of Artisan Components, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


text:
"It was the best fieldtrip ever! Our students learned so much and it fit right in with our curriculum on health and nutrition." - Teacher, Georgia
Great for teachers, parents, and home-school families.
Fifty minutes of song, dance and movement - promoting self-respect and motivating children to be the best they can be.


text:
2018 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
AMG C 63 S Coupe
Safety Ratings
Overall Rating
Overall Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall Side Crash Rating
Overall Side Barrier Rating
NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating
Not Rated
|Mfg's Report Date:
|Potential Number Of Units Affected:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling these vehicles: 2014-2018 CLA250, CLA250 4Matic, CLA45 AMG 4Matic, 2015-2018 GLA250, GLA250 4Matic, GLA45 AMG 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C63S AMG, 2012-2014 C250, C350, C300 4Matic, E550 4Matic, 2013-2014 C63 AMG, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2013-2015 C350 4Matic Coupe, GLK250 4Matic BlueTec, GLK350, GLK350 4Matic, 2016-2017 C350e, C43 AMG, 2015 C400 4Matic, 2016-2018 C63 AMG, GLC300, GLC300 4Matic, 2017-2018 C300 Coupe, C300 4Matic Coupe, C43 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, C63S AMG Coupe, C300 Cabriolet, C300 4Matic Cabriolet, C43 AMG Cabriolet, C63 AMG Cabriolet, C63S AMG Cabriolet, GLC300 4Matic Coupe, GLC43 AMG, GLC43 AMG Coupe, 2014 E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabriolet, E400 Hybrid, 2015-2017 E400 Coupe, E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabriolet, 2014-2017 E550 Coupe, E550 Cabriolet, B250e, 2014-2016 E250 BlueTec, E63 AMG 4Matic Wagon, 2012-2013 E350 BlueTec, 2012-2016 E350, E350 4Matic, 2015-2016 E400, E400 4Matic, 2012 E63 AMG, 2014-2015 E250 4Matic BlueTec, 2013-2016 E350 Wagon, 2017 GLC300d 4Matic, and 2018 GLC350e 4Matic. The driver's air bag may unexpectedly deploy due to insufficient grounding of the steering components if an electrostatic discharge occurs and the air bag clockspring is broken.
If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall began in December 6, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Manufacturer Recall Number:
The safety ratings and information is provided directly from the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
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text: Which is faster, bike or car? The debate has gone on for ages and the folks at Autocar have revisited the issue with this comparison video. Taking one of our favorite sports cars, the Nissan Skyline GT-R, and pitting it against the Bologna Bullet better known as the Ducati 1098S, we get to see some impressive results from both vehicles. Make your pick now, and see who won the track battle after the jump.


text:
Scientists and your mother agree: You should call home more often. A new study in Evolution and Human Behavior found that a phone conversation with mom lowers cortisol levels (a hormone related to stress), and boosts oxycontin (a hormone related to pleasure), according to The Washington Post.
Plus: Study Says at Least 2 Years Between Kids Makes Them Smarter
64 study participants, girls aged 7 to 12, were given a stressful test, and then split into four groups: one who talked to Mom face to face; one who called Mom; one with IM'd with Mom; and one who had no contact. Interestingly, although the effect was about the same whether the contact was face to face or via phone, IMing with mom provided little benefit. The study's lead author, anthropologist Leslie Seltzer of the University of Wisconsin, tells Wired, "the results suggest that mom's voice—its tones and intonations and rhythms, known formally as prosodics—trigger soothing effects, rather than what she specifically says."
Plus: Study Says Two-Daughter Families Are Happiest
Do you find talking to your mom calms you down? Are you able to see the same effect in your own kids?


text:
When it comes to pumpkin carving, the idea is to have fun. We've got tips on carving the best pumpkin as well as how to pick a good pumpkin for carving!
With these tips from the Almanac and a little imagination, the pumpkin-carving possibilities are endless!
How to pick a good pumpkin for carving
Look for one that is a little misshapen. Inspect it for soft spots (especially the end opposite the stem). Reject a pumpkin that has soft spots; they will cause it to deteriorate quickly. Remember, your pumpkin doesn't have to sit on its base; in fact, that's often its weakest spot.
Let the pumpkin guide the shape of the face: An elongated pumpkin should have an elongated face. A fat and happy pumpkin should have a fat and happy face.
Carved by "Farmer Mike" Valladao; Photo by Susan Valladao.
Hollow or whole?
There are two reasons for hollowing: (1) If the inside is going to be exposed (through the mouth, etc.), it looks better if it is hollowed neatly. (2) If you plan to light the pumpkin from the inside, it must be hollow. You can hollow it out from a hole in the back instead of the top, so that the look of the face isn't affected. If you're illuminating with a candle, you need to hollow from the top to allow the heat and smoke to escape.
The Tools:
Use a water-based marker to outline the face that you want to carve. First, draw a line down the center to establish symmetry. Then sketch the nose, the approximate center of the face. Once you're satisfied with the details, trace over the lines using a permanent marker.
For carving, basic kitchen implements, such as a paring knife or a steak knife with a standard—not serrated—blade that's not going to bend, work well. You can also use a standard jigsaw blade. Otherwise, improvise: Use a melon-ball cutter to make circles, for example.
Carved by "Farmer Mike" Valladao; Photo by Susan Valladao.
Make a face
To achieve a three-dimensional appearance, carve the entire pumpkin. Exaggerate the features. (If you aren't sure what teeth really look like or how the gum line works, smile and look in the mirror.) If the pumpkin is frowning, carve wrinkles under the mouth. To add character, carve a lot of "crow's feet" lines around the eyes.
Consider using the stem as the nose and inserts such as radishes for the eyes, or cut eyeballs from the back of the pumpkin and hold them in place with toothpicks.
Carve with care
Use two hands at all times: one to control the blade and the other to control the pressure with which you cut (and thus the depth).
Take care not to jab the blade into the pumpkin; you don't want to cut all the way through the rind—except to determine its depth. The thickness of the rind will vary, not only from pumpkin to pumpkin, but also within one pumpkin. To determine your pumpkin's average depth, cut a core sample where you want an eye or a nostril to be. Keep that piece nearby as a reminder of how deep you can safely cut.
Carved by "Farmer Mike" Valladao; Photo by Susan Valladao.
Enjoy it while it lasts
Pumpkins, which are actually a fruit, not a vegetable, are 90 percent water, so after carving they usually last only three days to a week. A jack-o'-lantern with a surface carving will last longer than one that is cut all the way through. Putting a candle or other light inside will shorten its life span, as the heat that results can "cook" the pumpkin and reduce its longevity to a matter of hours.
For a bright, shiny finish, spray Armor All on the pumpkin and rub it in. Paint will not preserve a pumpkin. However, if you decide to paint your pumpkin for decoration, use a water-based latex paint and wait at least an hour after carving so that the cuts you have made in the pumpkin have a chance to dry.
Carved by "Farmer Mike" Valladao; Photo by Susan Valladao.
Hope you enjoyed carving a pumpkin. How did it go? Please share below.
Find more seasonal ideas on our Halloween page!


text:
Commissioner Saltzman visits Open Meadows' Step Up Program (Nov 8, 2011)
Commissioner Saltzman visited Open Meadows' Step Up Program at Madison High School and just had to share this poem a student there wrote:
Finding Happiness
When I came from Jason Lee
I was just very lonely,
Then Step Up came to me
And there became a "We".
I found some great big hearts
That love and care for me.
Now I became a part
Of one big family.
I will never forget
What they have done for me.
And I'll never regret
Going out there to see
And know just what I feel.
I felt really happy
Because I know for real,
They really do love me.
*Thank you Step Up!!! You're the best.*


text:
Durant leads streaking Thunder past Bulls
Thunder 107, Bulls 95
Durant leads streaking Thunder past Bulls
Thunder 107, Bulls 95
Kevin Durant scored 32 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Chicago Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.
Russell Westbrook had 20 points and reserve Reggie Jackson added 18 to help the Thunder improve to 13-0 at Chesapeake Arena. Oklahoma City is the only NBA team with a perfect home record.
Joakim Noah had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the banged-up Bulls, who have lost four straight and seven of eight. Taj Gibson scored 16 points and D.J. Augustin added 15.
Chicago played without Kirk Hinrich (back tightness) and Luol Deng (sore Achilles), and Jimmy Butler left during the game with a right ankle injury.
Oklahoma City outscored Chicago 16-4 over a late 5½-minute stretch to pull away.


text:
By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a sign of the tough politics facing Republican supporters of immigration reform, Senator Marco Rubio, a leading sponsor of the Senate immigration bill, came under fire from conservatives on Wednesday over a provision that could provide mobile phones to Americans living near the Mexican border.
Rubio, a Florida Republican seen as a potential contender for the 2016 presidential race, along with three other Republican senators and four Democratic senators hammered out the 844-page immigration bill that would create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers.
Conservative bloggers have seized on a provision that would provide "emergency communications grants" to people who live or work in the Southwest border region to enable them to report illegal crossing and incidents of border violence.
According to the bill, the grants "may be used to purchase satellite telephone communications systems and service" that can provide access to the 911 emergency telephone line.
In a phrase that quickly circulated on the Internet and Twitter, Javier Manjarres of the Shark Tank political blog referred to the equipment envisioned in the bill as "MarcoPhones" and said they would add new costs for the "debt-ridden" United States and cash-strapped taxpayers.
Breitbart News and some other conservative sites also highlighted the phones provision in the immigration bill. Though Rubio has been a favorite of the conservative Tea Party movement, his strong embrace of the immigration bill could cost him support on the right, which is divided over the issue.
Rubio, in an interview with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, said the phones are aimed at boosting border security.
"Some of those regions don't have cellphone coverage. They're mountainous regions; they're remote regions in rural areas of the border. Some of the most desolate places in the country, that's why people cross illegally there," he said.
Rubio's office has set up a Web page devoted to rejecting what it considers false claims about the law. An item posted on Wednesday explained that the provision originated in a 2011 bill proposed by Republicans in response to the murder of an Arizona rancher, Robert Krenz, who was unable to communicate with law enforcement from his isolated location.
(Reporting By Caren Bohan; Editing by Fred Barbash and Mohamad Zargham)


text:
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Sichel, Edith. The Life and Letters of Alfred Ainger. [1910.]
Ward, Sir A. W., in Macmillans Magazine. April, 1904.
Bagehot, Walter. The English Constitution
rptd. from The Fortnightly Review. 1867. With an additional chapter. 1872.
Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of Natural Selection and Inheritance to Political Society. 1782.
Lombard Street: a description of the Money Market. 1873. With an introduction by Withers, H. 1910.
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Economic Studies. Ed. Hutton, R. H. 1880.
Barrington, Emilie I. The Works and Life of Walter Bagehot. 10 vols. 1914.
Stephen, Sir Leslie. Studies of a Biographer. Vol. III. 1902.
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The Roadmender [and other papers rptd. from The Pilot]. 1902.
The Grey Brethren, and other fragments in prose and verse. 1905.
Dowson, M. E. and Haggard, A. M. Michael Fairless. Her Life and Writings. 1913.
Bayne, Peter (18301896). Essays in biography. Boston [U.S.A.], 1857, 58.
Essays, biographical, critical, and miscellaneous. Edinburgh, 1859.
Life and Letters of Hugh Miller. 2 vols. 1871.
The Chief Actors in the Puritan Revolution. 1878.
Lessons from my masters, Carlyle, Tennyson, and Ruskin. 1879.
Two Great Englishwomen, Mrs. Browning and Charlotte Brontë; with an essay on poetry, illustrated from Wordsworth, Burns and Byron. 1881 [1880].
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Political Tracts. Edinburgh, 1868.
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The Selected Poems of J. S. B. Ed. with an appreciation by Walker, A. Stodart. 1896.
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The Bible in Spain. 3 vols. 1843.
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The Romany Rye; a sequel to Lavengro. 2 vols. 1857. Ed. Knapp, W. I. 1900.
Wild Wales; its people, language, and scenery. 3 vols. 1862.
Letters of G. B. to the British and Foreign Bible Society. Ed. Darlow, T. H. 1911.
Letters to his wife Mary Borrow. Ptd. for T. J. Wise. 1913.
Letters to his mother Ann Borrow, and other correspondents. Ptd. for T. J. Wise. 1913.
[Ballads and other poems by G. B. ptd. from unpublished manuscripts.] 37 pts. Ptd. for T. J. Wise. 1913.
Jenkins, H. The Life of George Borrow. Compiled from unpublished official documents, his works, correspondence, etc. 1912.
Knapp, W. I. Life, Writings and Correspondence of George Borrow. 1899.
Saintsbury, George. Essays in English Literature, 17801860. 1890.
Shorter, C. K. George Borrow, and his Circle. 1914.
Thomas, E. George Borrow. The man and his works. 1912.
Boyd, Andrew Kennedy Hutchinson. The Recreations of a Country Parson. 1859.
The Graver Thoughts of a Country Parson. 1863, etc.
The Critical Essays of a Country Parson. 1865.
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The Last Years of St. Andrews, September, 1890 to September, 1895
. 1896.
Sermons and Stray Papers
. Together with a biographical sketch by Tulloch, W. W. 1907.
Brimley, George. Essays
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English Literature. 1876. Partly rewritten and largely revised and corrected. 1896.
Notes on the Liber Studiorum of J. M. W. Turner
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The inaugural address to the Shelley Society. [Privately ptd.] 1886.
Dove Cottage: Wordsworths Home from 18001808. 1890.
Reasons for Secession from the Church of England. Points of Doctrine. (The Prayer Book.) 2 pts. 1891.
The History of Early English Literature: being the history of English Poetry from its beginning to the accession of King Alfred. 2 vols. 1892.
The need and use of getting Irish Literature into the English Tongue. An address. 1893.
The Development of Theology as illustrated in English Poetry from 17801830. 1893.
English Literature from the beginning to the Norman Conquest. 1898.
Religion in Literature and Religion in Life. Two lectures. 1900.
Tennyson. His art and relation to modern life. 2 vols. 1900.
King Alfred, as educator of his people and man of letters. 1901.
The Poetry of Robert Browning. 1902. 2 vols. 1905.
On Ten Plays of Shakespeare. 1905.
Studies in Poetry. (William Blake. Sir Walter Scott. Inaugural address to the Shelley Society. The Lyrics of Shelley. Epipsychidion. Keats.) 1907.
A Study of Clough, Arnold, Rossetti and Morris. With an introduction on the course of poetry from 1822 to 1852. 1908. Second edn. 1910.
Ten more Plays of Shakespeare. 1913.
Various volumes of Sermons, etc.
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Rab and his Friends. (Extracted from Horae Subsecivae.) Edinburgh, 1859.
Marjorie Fleming, a sketch. Rptd. from The North British Review. Edinburgh, 1863.
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Shairp, J. C. John Brown, M.D. Studies in Poetry and Philosophy. 4th edn. Edinburgh, 1886.
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Conti the Discarded; with other tales and fancies. 3 vols. 1835.
Memorials of Mrs. Hemans, with illustrations of her literary character from her private correspondence. 2 vols. 1836.
Chorley, Henry Fothergill. Music and Manners in France and Germany: A series of travelling sketches of Art and Society. 3 vols. 1841.
Duchess Eleanor: a tragedy. [1854.]
Thirty Years Musical Recollections. 2 vols. 1862.
The National Music of the World. Ed. Hewlett, H. G. 1880. Third edn. 1911.
Henry Fothergill Chorley: autobiography, memoir and letters.
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Broken Lights. 1864.
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Alone to the Alone. 1894.
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Collins, John Churton (18481908). Bolingbroke, a historical study; and Voltaire in England. 1886.
Illustrations of Tennyson. 1891.
Jonathan Swift; a biographical and critical study. 1893.
Essays and Studies. 1895.
Ephemera Critica; or, Plain Truths about Current literature. 1901.
Jusserand, J. A. A. J. Plain Truths. [A review of Ephemera Critica.] 1908.
Studies in Shakespeare. 1904.
Studies in Poetry and Criticism. 1905.
Greek Influence on English Poetry. 1910.
The Posthumous Essays of John Churton Collins. Ed. Collins, L. C. 1912.
Collins, L. C. Life and Memoirs of John Churton Collins. 1912. [A list of J. C. C.s works and contributions to periodicals will be found in the appendixes.]
Crackanthorpe, Hubert (d. 1897). Wreckage. 1893.
Sentimental Studies and a Set of Village Tales. 1895.
Last Studies
and an appreciation by James, Henry. 1895.
Vignettes. 1896.
Symons, A. Hubert Crackanthorpe. Studies in Prose and Verse. [1904.]
Dallas, Eneas Sweetland. Poetics: an Essay on Poetry. 1852.
The Gay Science. 2 vols. 1866.
Kettners Book of the Table: a manual of cookery. 1877.
Daniel, George (17891864). Miscellaneous Poems. 1812.
Merrie England in the Olden Time. 2 vols. 1842. A new edn. illustrated by Leech and Cruikshank. (The Chandos library.) [1874.]
Doran, John. Knights and their Days. 1856.
Monarchs retired from Business. 2 vols. 1857. Ed. Waller, A. R. 2 vols. (The Unit library.) 1902.
Their Majesties Servants. Annals of the English Stage, from Thomas Betterton to Ed. Kean. ActorsAuthorsAudiences. 2 vols. 1864 [1865]. Ed. and revised by Lowe, R. W. 3 vols. 1888 [1887].
Dowden, Edward. Shakespeare: a critical study of his Mind and Art. 1875.
Poems. 1876. With additions, ed. Dowden, E. D. 1914.
Studies in Literature, 17891877. 1878.
The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley. 2 vols. 1886.
New Studies in Literature. 1895.
Dowden, Edward. Essays, modern and Elizabethan. 1914.
Letters of Edward Dowden and his Correspondents. Ed. Dowden, E. D. and H. M. 1914.
Fairless, Michael (pseud.). See Barber, Margaret Fairless.
Forsyth, William (18121899). The Novels and Novelists of the Eighteenth Century, in illustration of the manners and morals of the age. 1871.
Essays, critical and narrative. 1874.
Foster, John (17701843). Essays in a series of Letters to a Friend. 2 vols. 1806.
An Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance. 1820.
Contributions, biographical, literary and philosophical, to The Eclectic Review. 2 vols. 1844.
The Life and Correspondence of John Foster, ed. Ryland, J. E., with notices of J. F. as a preacher and a companion, by Sheppard, John. 2 vols. 1846.
Garnett, Richard. Primula; a book of lyrics. 1858.
Carlyle. (Great Writers.) 1887.
The Twilight of the Gods and other tales. 1888.
Poems. 1893.
Coleridge. (Bells Miniature Series of Great Writers.) 1904.
Greg, William Rathbone. The Creed of Christendom; its foundations and superstructure. 1851.
Enigmas of Life. 1872.
Rocks Ahead; or, the Warnings of Cassandra. 1874.
Mistaken aims and attainable ideals of the Artizan Classes. 1876.
Groome, Francis Hindes. In Gypsy Tents. 1880.
Two Suffolk Friends. [Being recollections of R. H. Groome and Edward FitzGerald.] Edinburgh, 1895.
Kriegspiel: the War Game. [A novel.] 1896.
Hall, Samuel Carter (18001889). A Book of Memories of Great Men and Women of the age, from personal acquaintance. 1871 [1870].
Retrospect of a long life: from 1815 to 1883. 2 vols. 1883.
Hannay, James. Singleton Fontenoy, R. N. 3 vols. 1850.
Satire and Satirists. Six lectures. 1854.
Essays from The Quarterly Review. 1861.
Characters and Criticisms: a book of miscellanies. 1865.
Epinasse, Francis. James Hannay and his Friends. Literary Recollections and Sketches, pp. 301337. 1893.
Hare, Augustus John Cuthbert. Days near Rome. 2 vols. 1875
Cities of Northern and Central Italy. 3 vols. 1876.
Cities of Southern Italy and Sicily. 1883.
Venice. 1884.
Paris. 1887.
The Story of my Life. 6 vols. 18961900.
Haydon, Benjamin Robert. Lectures on Painting and Design. 2 vols. 18446.
The Life of B. R. H
. from his Autobiography and Journals. Ed. and compiled by Taylor, Tom. 3 vols. 1853.
Paston, George (pseud.). B. R. Haydon and his Friends. 1905.
Hayward, Abraham. Faust: a dramatic poem translated into English prose, etc. 1833.
The Art of Dining. 1852.
Biographical and critical essays. 5 vols. Series 13. 185874.
Hayward, Abraham. More about Junius. The Franciscan Theory unsound. Rptd. from Frasers Magazine, with additions. 1868.
Sketches of eminent statesmen and writers, with other essays. Rptd. from The Quarterly Review, with additions. 2 vols. 1880.
Hearn, Lafcadio. Two Years in the French West Indies. 1890.
Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan. 2 vols. 1894.
Japan: an attempt at interpretation. New York, 1904.
Bisland, Elizabeth. The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn. 2 vols. 1906.
(ed.). The Japanese Letters of L. H. 1911.
Gould, G. M. Concerning Lafcadio Herne
with a bibliography. 1908.
Helps, Sir Arthur. Thoughts in the Cloister and the Crowd. 1835.
Essays written in the intervals of business. 1841.
Friends in Council. 1847 ff.
The Conquerors of the New World and their Bondsmen; being a narrative of the principal events which led to Negro Slavery in the West Indies and America. 2 vols. 1848, 52.
Companions of my Solitude. 1851. Ed., with Thoughts in the Cloister, by Waller, A. R. 1901.
The Spanish Conquest of America and its relation to the history of slavery and to the government of the Colonies. 4 vols. 185561.
Realmah. 1868.
Brevia: short essays and aphorisms. 1871.
Henley, William Ernest. Views and Reviews: essays in appreciation: literature. (Dickens, Thackeray, Disraeli, Dumas, Meredith, Byron, Hugo, Heine, Arnold, Homer and Theocritus, Rabelais, Shakespeare, Sidney, Tourneur, Walton, Herrick, Locker, Banville, Dobson, Berlioz, George Eliot, Borrow, Balzac, Labiche, Champfleury, Longfellow, Tennyson, Gordon Hake, Landor, Hood, Lever, Jefferies, Gay, Boswell, Congreve, Richardson, Tolstoi, Fielding.) 1890.
Views and Reviews: essays in appreciation: art. 1892.
Essay contributed to the Centenary edn. of Burns. 1901.
Works. 7 vols. 1908.
See, also, under Stevenson, Robert Louis.
Hone, William (17801842). The Political House that Jack built. 1819.
The Political Showman. 1821.
Facetiae and Miscellanies
With one hundred and twenty engravings drawn by G. Cruikshank. 12 pts. 18272024.
Full Annals of the Revolution in France, 1830. 1830.
The Every-day book and Table book. 3 vols. 1826272839. Also 3 vols. 1841.
The Year-Book of daily recreation and information concerning remarkable men and manners, times and seasons. 1832.
Hackwood, F. W. William Hone: his life and times. 1912.
Horne, Richard Hengist (18031884). The History of Napoleon. 2 vols. 1841.
Orion: an epic poem. In three books. 1843.
[ed.] A New Spirit of the Age. 2 vols. 1844. Ed. Jerrold, W. 1907.
See, also, ante, bibliography to Chap. VIII, Vol. XIII.
Howitt, Mary (17991888). Wood Leighton; or a year in the country. 3 vols. 1836.
My own Story: or the Autobiography of a child. 1845.
Ballads and other poems. 1847.
M. H.s Sketches of Natural History. [1864.]
Mary Howitt, an autobiography. Ed. by her daughter Margaret Howitt. 1889.
Howitt, William (17921879). The Book of the Seasons; or the calendar of Nature. 1831.
Pantika: or traditions of the most ancient times. 2 vols. 1835.
The Boys Country-Book, being the real life of a Country boy. 1839.
Rural Life of England. 2 vols. 1838.
Visits to remarkable places, old halls, battle-fields, and scenes illustrative of striking passages in English History and Poetry. 1840. 2nd series. 1842.
Homes and Haunts of the most eminent British poets. 2 vols. 1847.
Woodburn Grange. A story of English country life. 3 vols. 1867.
Paston, George (pseud.). William and Mary Howitt. 1902.
Hutton, Catherine (17561846). The Miser Married; a novel. 3 vols. 1813.
The History of Birmingham
continued to the present time. 1819.
Beale, C. H. (ed.). Reminiscences of a Gentlewoman of the last century, letters of Catherine Hutton. Birmingham, 1891.
Catherine Hutton and her Friends. Birmingham, 1895.
Hutton, Richard Holt. Essays, Theological and Literary. 2 vols. 1871. 2nd edn. revised and enlarged. 1877 [1876].
Aspects of Religious and Scientific Thought
. Selected from The Spectator and ed. Roscoe, Elizabeth M. 1899.
Hutton, William (17231815). A History of Birmingham, to the end of the year 1780. Birmingham, 1781.
A Journey to London; comprising a description of the most interesting objects of curiosity to a visitor of the Metropolis. 2nd edn. 1785.
Poems; chiefly Tales. 1804.
The Life of William Hutton: including a particular account of the Riots at Birmingham in 1791. To which is subjoined, the History of his Family; written by himself, and published by his daughter, Hutton, C. 1816.
Irwin, Sidney Thomas. Clifton School Addresses
. With an introduction by Fowler, W. Warde. 1912. See, also, his essay in The Quarterly Review on Hazlitt and Lamb. He also contributed valuable articles to The Times Literary Supplement.
Jameson, Anna Brownell. The Loves of the Poets. 2 vols. 1829.
Characteristics of Women, moral, poetical, and historical. 2 vols. 1832. 2nd edn. corrected and enlarged. 2 vols. 1833.
See, also, ante, bibliography to Chap. II, and, post, to Chap. IX.
Macpherson, Geraldine. Memoirs of the life of Mrs. Jameson. [With a postscript by Oliphant, Margaret O.] 1878.
Jefferies, John Richard. The Gamekeeper at Home. Sketches of natural history and rural life. 1878.
Hodge and his Master. [Rptd. from The Standard.] 2 vols. 1880.
Round about a Great Estate. 1880.
Wood Magic. A fable. 2 vols. 1881.
Jefferies, John Richard. Bevis, the story of a boy. 3 vols. 1882. With an introduction by Lucas, E. V. [1913.]
The Story of My Heart: my autobiography. 1883.
The Life of the Fields. 1884.
Field and Hedgerow, being the last essays of R. J. collected by his widow. 1889.
The Hills and the Vale
. With an introduction by Thomas, E. 1909.
Masseck, C. J. Richard Jefferies. Étude dune personalité. [With a bibliography.] Paris, 1913.
Symons, A. Studies in two Literatures. 1897.


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I'm back from this year's annual conference of the Music Library Association, held in Chicago (during a snowstorm) Feb. 17-21. This year I also attended the pre-conference hosted by MOUG (Music OCLC Users Group). Some highlights:
Sound Recordings and Copyright
Tim Brooks of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections described the ARSC's work lobbying Congress to reform US copyright law on pre-1972 sound recordings. These recordings are not covered by federal law, but are often governed by state law, which tends to give copyright holders, in Tim's words, "absolute control." Tim cited some startling statistics: of all recordings made in the 1940s-70s, only 30% have been made available by the copyright holders; of recordings made in the 1920s-30s, only 10% are available; and of the enormous corpus of ethnic and traditional music from all over the world that was recorded by Columbia and Victor in the early years of the 20th century, only 1% is available. Because US copyright law for sound recordings is the most restrictive in the world, early recordings of American artists are currently legally available in other countries but not in the US — which means that American libraries and archives are unable to preserve this portion of our own heritage.
In response, the ARSC has made the following reccomendations:
- Place pre-1972 recordings under a single federal law.
- Harmonize US copyright law with that of other countries.
- Legalize use of "orphaned" works (whose copyright holders cannot be identified).
- Permit use of "abandoned" works, with compensation to the copyright holders.
- Permit "best practices" digitization for preservation. Libraries and archives are the most likely to preserve early recordings (they have a better track record on this than the recording companies themselves) and the least likely to re-issue recordings (so they're no financial threat to copyright holders).
Of ARSC's experiences lobbying Congress members, Tim reports that many were simply unaware of the situation, but were sympathetic when informed; that libraries are seen as non-partisan and a public good, "the guys in the white hats"; and that there is now much "soft" support in Congress. Other ARSC activities include a "white paper" for the Obama administration, and the establishment of an organization called the Historical Recording Coalition for Access and Preservation (HRCAP) to further lobbying efforts.
In another copyright session, attendees and speakers offered some good tips for approaching your legal counsel re digitization projects:
- Present your own credentials (copyright workshops you've attended, etc.) pertaining to libraries and copyright.
- Cite specific passages of the law (section 108, 110, etc.)
- Show you've done due diligence (e.g., you've replaced LPs with CD re-issues where available; you've determined other LPs are in deteriorating condition, etc.)
- Try to persuade counsel to adopt a "risk assessment" approach (i.e., just how likely is it that a copyright holder will challenge you in this case) versus the more typical "most conservative" approach.
- File a "contemporaneous writing" — a memo or other document, written at the outset of a digitization project, in which you explain why you believe that you are acting in good faith. This will go a long way towards protecting you if you are in fact challenged by a copyright holder.
Is the Compact Disc Dead?
This was the question addressed by a very interesting panel of speakers, including a VP of Digital Product Strategy at Universal Music Group; the CEO of the Cedille recording label; a concert violinst (Rachel Barton Pine); a former president of the American Symphony Orchestra League; and a music librarian at Northwestern U.
The panel quickly cited a number of reasons to believe that the CD remains a viable format: among these, the universal human desire to own a physical artifact "to give and to show"; the ability to listen on room speakers, not just earbuds; violinst Pine noted that she sells and autographs some 40-70 of her CDs after each performance, that people enjoy the personal contact with the artist, and relish being able to take home a souvenir of the concert. Flaws of downloadable releases were cited in comparison: garbled indexing, making identifying and retrieving of classical works difficult; frequent lack of program notes to provide historical context; the inferior audio quality of compressed files. Changes in student behavior were also noted: in online databases, students tend to retrieve only selected works, or excerpts of works; there doesn't seem to be the inherent incentive to browse like that offered by physical albums, with the result that students don't develop as much in-depth knowledge of a composer's works. On the other hand, the reduced cost of digital distribution has enabled smaller orchestras and other groups to reach a larger audience.
Concern was expressed over an increasing trend among major labels to release performances only in the form of downloadable files, often with a license restricted to "end user only" — preventing libraries from purchasing and making available these performances to their users. The panel proposed that performers and IAML (the International Association of Music Libraries) put pressure on the record companies. Alternative approaches? CDs-on-demand: Cedille's boss sees this as a growing trend. Also, consortial deals with individual record companies: OhioLink has recently done one with Naxos.
Finally, a concern was expressed about the aggregator model of audio-steaming databases: that these hamper libraries' responsiveness to local user needs, and the building of the unique collections important for research. The music library community needs to negotiate for distribution models that enable individual selection for traditional collection development.
How Music Libraries are Using New Technologies
- Videos demonstrating specific resources, such as composers' thematic catalogs (similar to Lauren's Research Toolkits).
- "Un-associations," in informal online forums like Yahoo or Google groups. There are currently groups for orchestra libraries, flutists, etc.
- Use of Delicious to create user guides.
- Meebo for virtual ref.
- Twitter for virtual ref and for announcements/updates.
- Widgets and gadgets to embed customized searches, other libraries' searchboxes, and other web content into LibGuides, etc.
- ChaCha (a cellphone question-answering service) for virtual ref. Indiana U is partnering with ChaCha in a beta test.
A JSTOR rep presented palns to add 20 more music journals to the database, including more area-studies and foreign-language titles. Attendees pointed out that popular music serials (Downbeat, Rolling Stone, etc.) are becoming primary source material for scholarly research — would JSTOR consider including them? The rep replied that JSTOR originally required that journals be peer-reviewed, but had recently begun to relax this rule. A dabate ensued among attendees as to whether the pop publications were sufficiently relevant to JSTOR's mission — some believed that JSTOR should stick to its original focus on scholarly literature, and that others could preserve the pop stuff.
Bibliographic Control and the LC Working Group (or: Music Catalogers Freak Out)
The MOUG plenary session gave catalogers a forum to discuss ramifications of the LC Working Group's recommendations on bibliographic control (see my blog posting for RTSS 08). Concerns expressed:
If collaboration is properly defined as "doing something together for a purpose," then the disparate (and sometimes opposing) purposes of publishers, vendors, and libraries means that LC's vision of collective responsibility for metadata and bibliographic control will not constitute true collaboration, but merely exploitation.
The Working Group appears to some to harbor a naive faith in digital architecture to meet all discovery and retrieval needs (it reminded one attendee of predictions that microform would solve all our problems). This is perceived to cultivate a gobal, generalist, one-size-fits-all outlook divorced from existing patterns of scholarly communication and "communities of practice" (e.g., the subject specialist and the community of practitioners that he/she serves). Bibliographic control should be "a network of communication between communities of practice." An MLA liaison to ALA's RDA committee noted that the RDA folks expected local catalogers to help fill in the gaps in the currently-vague RDA code — but when specialist communities actually propose details (such as a list of genre terms for music), they're "dissed."
Others fear that if LC backs away from its historical role as national library, relying on the larger community of publishers, vendors, and libraries to collaborate in bibliographic control, the actual effect will be that library administrators will think: "If LC isn't doing this work, then we don't have to either" — and collaboration will disappear.
Yet others fear the "commodification of cataloging." With the increasing availability of MARC records and other metadata from third-party sources, there seems to be a growing perception that all metadata is the same — and a concommitant decline in willingness to investigate its source and quality. Administrators increasingly speak of metadata as a commodity.
Remember Katrina?
I'll close with an item from the business meeting of SEMLA (the Southeast chapter) which was a cause of great celebration: our colleagues from Tulane University in New Orleans, whose music collection was flooded in Hurricane Katrina, announced that 70% of their collection has successfully been restored, and the last portion of it recently returned to them. They brought along a few representative items for show and tell — including a score died pink by its red paper covers. Recalling photos of the original damage, a 70% recovery rate seems a miracle!