Mick Greer, a Manchester based advertising copywriter, mentioned a new concept today: digital ghost towns.

(I suspect digital media professionals like Simon Wharton are familiar with this term and I am just pre-empting a comment to that effect).

Digital ghost towns are big corporate websites that are essentially static and dull and receive far fewer visitors than they should.

Mick referred to the Scamp blog, written by a creative from advertising giants BBH, which gives some light on the subject.  But better still there are two awful examples of companies with powerful budgets producing static unengaging sites that are mentioned: Budweiser and Texaco.

Scamp actually mentions BudTV, but I came across the Budweiser UK site first, which I have linked to above and is duller.  I guess it doesn’t help that I like real ale and view Budweiser, Fosters, Carling, Strongbow as tasteless mass produced piss.  Sorry I put it like that, I should be harsher.

The thing that gets me is that content, whether traditional PR, online PR or digital media or pieces that cross over,  is king.  Of course the distinction is not always clear nor can it be most of the time.

I believe we will see more businesses using their web more constructively, especially if we have to fight harder for business.

But there will still be plenty of digital ghost towns, or should I say villages, populating the web for small enterprises that need to punch above their weight in the harder times we have now.

I am a regular reader of How-Do and I am surprised how many readers do not track back – this could be applied to many sites that offer track back

Of course many use How-Do to anonymously pour scorn on some subjects of the stories.  I know one leading digital marketer in Manchester that really enjoys having a bemused laugh at some of the bitchiness.

However many comments are supportive or neutral.  Yet no open identity and no tracking back.  A missed opportunity to use a powerful site to boost links and search engine ranking in the short and longer term.

You would have thought marketing people would be putting small comments just for that purpose, even if the comment wasn’t saying much.  It also has a PR value.

Just a note on my last post about YouTube blocking a satirical look at Sarah Palin.  It could be just that there are copyright issues.  But if I initially got the wrong end of the stick – and I cannot say what the reason is with certainty – surely it makes sense to communicate the reason?

Lack of communication creates more unnecessary problems than it should.

When it comes down to it all old and new media it is just about communication, connection and conversation.

Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has decided to open up domian names to include personalised, business endings and non-latin script endings.

The .co, com, org and certainly .biz could find themselves eventually outnumbered by the .artisan and .rob noveau domani names that will appear.

It is certainly is an opportunity for cyber squatters.  I like the look of .tesco and .shell myself.

Open up the west once again so I can be rich.

I am looking for the definitive or at least an insightful book on online PR

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I have looked at Amazon and nothing has really impressed me.  I need to revisit Waterstones.

Ideally published in the last year or so and of a reasonably high level, not an introduction.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

The Manchester Evening News is using its online muscle to try and persuade Frank (the City owner) to keep Sven.

The MEN is using Twitter, Flickr, a linking strategy to blogs (such as this) that are supporting the campaign and the makings of a viral campaign combined with the newspaper and the accompanying image to stick in your window.  There is no irony here this image is in my window!

A reflection of how things have changed.

Simon Wharton (pictured) of online search marketing agency PushON is not one to shy away from offering strident, and often perceptive, statements on online marketing.

In this issue of NW Business Insider Simon makes no exception with his view on the common lack of understanding of the Internet amongst many PR and marketing agencies:

“Traditional PR and marketing needs a kick up the backside – a lot of it is hugely dated. PR and marketing agencies don’t understand the Internet.”

“A lot of Manchester PR agencies are absolute rubbish – saying you’re a full-service agency is just words.”

Sharon Nash of Simpson Burgess Nash and Mike Ryan of Idaho, who I pitched to get featured, are less controversial in their comments but no less interesting can be seen in the November issue.