Our primary goal at Gorkana is to continually improve the conversation between journalists and PRs. To that end, Gorkana has introduced Twitterati, a daily feature of our daily Gorkana Alert that lists the Twitter handles of both journalists and publications. Following these feeds can provide PRs with a real-time insight into the stories journalists are working on and quickly answer any questions they have about an issue well before the story gets written. Not only do journalists benefit from broadening the conversation about the subject matter on which they are writing, but the promotion of their Twitter account to our large and expanding network of PRs and journalists can also lead to an increased number of followers.

If you are a journalist who would like your Twitter handle promoted in an upcoming Twitterati, please send the details to twitter@gorkana.com.

If you are a PR who would like to sign-up for a FREE trial of the Gorkana Alerts, please click here.

Ralph Kugler has joined the board of Gorkana as we ramp up our operations and consider opportunities in overseas markets and related sectors.

He spent more than 28 years with Unilever and has worked in six countries, including as regional president of Unilever’s business in both Europe and Latin America, and as chairman and CEO of Unilever’s Thai and Malaysian businesses.  He was also an executive director on the boards of Unilever Plc and Unilever NV from 2005 to 2008.

Ralph said: “I’m joining Gorkana at a very exciting time. It’s crucial that the company remains committed to its core market, but I am also very excited about some of the developing opportunities.”

Founder and chief executive Alex Northcott said: “We have managed to build a great client list over the past five years and we’re committed to delivering the value and support our clients have come to expect.  Ralph’s experience in nurturing some of the world’s most recognised brands will help keep us focussed on our clients’ needs.”

Ralph is also a non-executive director of Intercontinental Hotels Group and Byotrol Plc, as well as senior adviser to 3i.

We are pleased to announce that we have recently joined forces with Visual Media, a leading UK-based visual communications agency, to film and produce webcasts of our Gorkana Breakfast Briefings.

 VisualMedia provide business-to-business video, photography, hosting and distribution services to companies, organisations, PR agencies and the media.  Their national and overseas network of photographers and videographers undertake all manner of assignments, including press announcements, executive portraiture, new appointments, corporate events, annual reports and company brochures in the photography space, and a comprehensive range of video services, from webcast to broadcast.

With over 40 years of combined experience, the management team includes PR specialists, former national newspaper picture editors and broadcast journalists.

For more information about VisualMedia, please visit www.vismedia.co.uk or call Scott Shillum on +44 (0)20 7613 2555.

We are pleased to announce that Gorkana is sponsoring the capital’s first micro blogging event, media140.

The event, on 20 May, will bring together journalists, bloggers, publishers, and social media advocates to discuss and debate the effects and impacts of Twitter and other social media tools on mainstream media.

media140 was founded in February 2009 by Andrew Gregson as a means to raise money for Mencap UK.  It has since turned into a huge charity event, generating coverage across a wide range of media and attracting an eclectic mix of attendees wanting to engage with thought leaders on this topical subject.

To find out more about the event, check out a today’s article on www.gorkanapr.com, the source of all the latest PR industry news and features.

We recently asked PRs questions about Twitter and how widespread its use is throughout the PR industry. We were inundated with responses from in-house and agency PRs across all levels and sectors, and this is what they told us…

• While Twitter use is pretty widespread throughout the industry, with two-thirds (62%) of PRs saying they have a Twitter account, most companies do not have a Twitter strategy in place (64%).
• One of the most surprising statistics was that nearly three-quarters (70%) of PRs say they have no way of effectively assessing their activity on Twitter.
• A fifth of PRs who responded have generated coverage via Twitter and most people (41%) spend up to half an hour tweeting each day.
• While nearly half of those who responded (44%) think Twitter helps them do their job, more than half (55%) think that Twitter is a fad that will be superceded by the next big thing in digital technology.

If nothing else, Twitter divided opinion amongst PRs who thought it was essential and others who think it’s a waste of time:

• My only rationale for engaging with Twitter is to keep track of what journalists and publications are posting on it. The main issue is how does one keep up with some many outlets without wasting huge amounts of time.
• Infantilising, enervating one-way stream of trivia: may be of some use for celebrity-obsessed teens, aspiring stalkers or haiku writers who aren’t fussy about punctuation. Not much else.
• We use Twitter Facebook and other social media to promote ourselves and we also manage accounts for our clients to help them raise profile.
• We see this as an important part of PR – it is a simple and effective way to broadcast information.
• We have actively looked into Twitter and whilst we don’t have a strategy for using it, we have taken an informed decision not to use it.

Check out www.gorkanapr.com, the source of all the latest PR industry news, for a feature article on Twitter by accredited Business Communicator Barbara Gibson.