It seems that there is a large amount of optimism around about social media ROI this year. However, I remember a colleague of mine saying that there is not, nor ever will be, a holy grail for social media evaluation. I agree that while attempts will be made, it's unlikely we'll ever find a figure that equates to the inaccurate AVE value that was adopted by PR industry to measure editorial coverage.

a variety of free tools for publishers and online information consumers to discover the best blogs, news, and articles by topic; to perform comparisons of engagement performance among a group of sites by topic; or to analyze their own site’s content for audience engagement in real-time and over time.  

I'm delighted that Robert Scoble didn't back up his blog. If it wasn't for him, I never would have realised that Google Reader is one of the greatest archives ever created. As previously posted, I lost all my posts that originally appeared on the PR Media Blog. Thankfully Google Reader has preserved my words of wisdom dating back to March 2008.

I'm looking forward to reading those again, comparing my thoughts to how the world has moved on and  posting them here for all to see. Hope you enjoy reading them (again if you read them first time around). 

Hope you can join me in a retrospective look back which will indicate how social media has moved on and look forward to hearing your comments.

I spent this weekend camping in Wales and while there I went with friends to visit the caves hosting the King Arthur Labyrinth. What's all this got to do with social media and online PR?

Well on site there were a number of small shops, each specialising in different materials - wood, glass, jewellery, crafts, leather, candles etc. In each there was huge selection of gifts you would typically find including clocks, ornaments and necklaces, all made out of different materials.

Customers were treated to a vast display of clocks made out of glass, wood or leather. Not one of these gifts could be considered better than any other. It really was a matter of taste. What does the customer want? What suits there needs? What would look better on their living room wall?

Walking around those shops was like walking around the marketing industry with many different types of 'shops' out there - PR, digital, SEO, media buying, advertising, social media - the list goes on. Right now each of these shops is fiercely selling social media, with many claiming to be 'experts'. Each version of this packaged 'social media' is slightly different but, just like the clock, not one of them can claim to be better than another. It's really a matter of taste. 

Back in February, I followed a debate on Twitter between a number of people about which type of agency is better placed to manage reputation online. Subsequent posts by Stuart Bruce and Pete Young looked at the issue from different view points and both posts are worth a read. Personally I agreed with both parties. I firmly believe that PR is all about reputation yet by not acknowledging the importance of SEO, PR agencies are losing out. Quite simply, it doesn't matter what is written about your client if it can't be found through search.

This is just one debate highlighting what has become a crowded battlefield in the war to win social media. All kinds of agencies are claiming to 'own' social media, explaining why they are best placed to carry out work in this emerging field. Well no-one today can own the concept of a 'clock'. Neither can they own 'social media'. Just like TV, radio or print, social media is a platform where we can conduct our marketing business on behalf of our clients using the skills we've developed within out respective industries. Some clients will prefer to focus on the SEO aspect of social media to drive them up search rankings, some will prefer to place a targeted and personalised advert on Facebook while others recognise that managing online reputation is more important to them and so look to PR. 

No one industry can win this battle. Each type of agency needs to focus on adapting the skills they've already developed, learn from other industries and recognise that integration is the key to delivering campaigns for clients that achieve remarkable results. We're already seeing PR agencies bring in SEO experts and vice versa while other agencies from a variety of disciplines merge or buy each other out. There's no doubt this will continue as agencies continue to explore the world of social media and attempt to incorporate as many skill sets as possible under one roof.

So if you are a client, you need to ask yourself: 'what do you want your social media to be made out of?'

Welcome to my brand new blog. Now I know what you're thinking.“He’s not a blogger. He doesn’t have posts from years ago. Why would I listen to him about online PR, social media and the digital future?” Well if I’m right and that is exactly what you are thinking I should either become a professional psychic or give you a little background on what brought me to this point. It’s a little late for such a dramatic career change so I’ll settle for the latter.

I started experimenting with blogging back in 2007 with a little blog called All About Image which was a combination of my thoughts on PR 2.0 (as it was known back in 2007) and photography. My photos rarely made it to the site but I was keen to voice my opinions so while working at my former PR agency, I became one of the co-founders of PR Media Blog which explored the ever-changing relationship between media and public relations. Sadly on leaving the agency, I had to leave the blog in some very capable hands which are still tapping away on keyboards, posting stories to this day. I urge you to go visit them and hear what they have to say. They’re the first in what will become a comprehensive list of ‘people you should listen to’. However, due to an accident in the space-time continuum, all my posts on that blog were wiped out leaving no trace that I ever existed there at all.

Going it alone, I’m now writing here on my new blog simple entitled michaeljcooper.co.uk. Let’s face it. All the good (and most of the bad) names have gone and keeping your name in the title didn’t do Chris Brogan or Seth Godin any harm.

And so standing on the shoulders (or should that be in the shadows) of giants, I’m taking a bold step with my brand new blog. Please let me know your thoughts on the design (which will change), my opinions (which will also no doubt change) and my passion for online PR, social media and the digital future (which I hope won’t).

I look forward to seeing you around these parts more often. Don’t be a stranger.

UPDATE: I've found all my previous blog posts through Google Reader and are all posted below. 

Ofcom has released a report stating that half of eight - 17-year olds have a profile on social networks. The report also reveals that some under-13s are bypassing age restrictions (who knew??), that the average adult social networker has profiles on 1.6 sites and most users (30%) visit the site once a day.

As expected, the big three all feature heavily with Bebo the choice of children, Facebook the choice of ABC1 adults while C2DE adults are more likely to have a profile on MySpace.

Most media outlets are focusing on the privacy of information issue as expected with two thirds of parents claiming to set restrictions but only half of children agreeing with them.

Mostly information we already knew but the report is packed full of lovely stats that clients crave so much. My favourite part is the breakdown of personalities found on social networks. Personally I see myself as a ‘Faithful’ when it comes to social networks but what are you?

You can see the BBC report here or dowload the full Ofcom report here.