Pressitt the Social Media News Release service is searching for a talented web developer to learn the Pressitt system and help develop the platform further.

If the first project goes well there is plenty more updates/concepts/user feedback to be integrated into the current platform.

The Role: freelance/short term

To develop and improve Pressitt.com on a freelance basis or short term contract, as and when required.

Working closely with our lead developer and front end coder, you’ll be responsible for coding various parts of the site, including bespoke and custom newsrooms from basic php functions within Code Igniter down to in-depth classes.

Built on Codeigniter, Pressitt is a fully featured site with combined client-side and server-side technologies allowing users to create rich and detailed news releases.

Required Skills

• Object Orientated Programming
• Model View Controller/Frameworks
• Linux Systems Administration
• Content Management Systems
• Social Networking (Web)
• Internet usability
• Accessibility (Web)
• Front end coding and javascript

Required Products

• Codeigniter
• PHP
• MySQL
• jQuery
• XHTML/HTML
• CSS
• LAMP
• Wordpress (not essential)
• Zend Eclipse (not essential)

So, if you can deliver on the above, live preferably near London/the South East, are hard working and able to work to strict schedules, please get in touch via email at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you.

— Andy Merchant @andymerch

White paper: Has the Social Media News Release (SMNR) finally come of age?

Guest blogger Nathan Greenhalgh introduces the results of research he carried out for Liberate Media to identify the issues around the traditional Press Release format and development of the Social Media News Release as an alternative. Director Wendy McAuliffe guided Nathan in the scope of the research and collation of the data, acting as mentor/editor for the production of the White Paper.

Pressitt launched in public beta last April, and to coincide with its re-launch and coming out of beta this month, we decided to carry out our own research into current perceptions around the traditional press release, and its successor the SMNR. Our findings are presented within our white paper entitled: Has the Social Media News Release (SMNR) finally come of age?

We hope you will find the time to download and read the white paper, which brings together some of the main industry arguments for and against the SMNR. However to entice you, here is an overview of our findings…

1)      The rules have changed and the traditional press release is no longer adequate. Increasing pressures on journalists, coupled with the rise of the “online citizen journalist” indicates that there will be more demand for a greater range of information than just text.

2)      Our research found that while general press releases are still useful, and up to now the vast majority of journalists have been happy to receive them by email, new pressures on time mean that they also need quick access to images, video and links.

3)      The style of information and formatting is crucial - that means no PDFs as the only source of information. Video is increasingly important, as are embeddable links and links to other sources.

4)      The SMNR has been sitting in the wings for a few years now, not quite managing to make the most of its potential. It would appear however that journalists could finally be coming round to making the most of the advantages SMNRs offer over the traditional press release.

Regardless of whether you are a Pressitt user or not, we would welcome your views on the subject. If you are new to the SMNR, we invite you to give Pressitt a go.

Download the white paper: (PDF) Has-the-social-media-news-release-finally-come-of-age ?

— Andy Merchant @andymerch

Here are some SEO optimisation tips to help your Pressitt Social Media News Release get a headstart on Google, Yahoo and other search engines.

1.Instead of just dropping copy in your release and hoping it will be picked up by search engines, use keyword tools such as Google AdWords keyword tool and Wordtracker’s FREE keyword suggestion tool.

Google AdWords keyword tool

You can either enter the keywords you want to research into the top box, or you can enter a URL of your website if you want to research that in the subject area.

The second half of the screen shows the actual keywords being searched into Google, the competition on Google Adwords and an indication of Search Volume (how many searches  per month).

2. Your most important keywords should feature once in the Pressitt headline, once in the summary/overview, several times in the core facts and in the boilerplate/company information.

When adding your keywords make sure your SMNR still makes sense to both your audience and to Google.

3. When adding images and documents to your Pressitt Social Media News Release make sure they are correctly labelled to tell the viewer what the images are or what the documents are about. All the images and documents can be indexed by Google.

4. Use the social feature within the Press Contacts section and relevant links to create a clear path back to any online ways inwhich you can be contacted, and social profiles/websites that can help widen your brand reach.

5. After you have published your SMNR you can re-edit, or change your keywords to try and attain a higher ranking in Google.

6. Search engine rules change for time to time as do search algorithms. Pressitt will try and keep you updated with the best way to write your SMNRs.

7. Most importantly, make sure your release is well written and of interest to your audience.

This post was written by Ian Howie Account Director at 1upSearch

Twitter: ihowie

Web: www.1upsearch.co.uk

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianhowie

— Andy Merchant @andymerch