Press Conferences in Virtual Worlds

Most press conferences are pretty typical - a podium, spokesperson and the press all crammed into a room where reporters can ask question and gather information they need for their stories. I've attended a couple of press conferences and enjoyed them.

But no press conference can compare to the recent conference put on by Ross Mayfield of Social Text. I read about his press conference in a recent article by Cade Metz of PC Magazine.

According to Metz, the press conference took place inside World of Warcraft, and reporters were not allowed to ask the CEO without challenging his avatar character - a knight - to a duel.

Apparently at least 30 journalists participated in the medieval virtual press conference. As I read the story, I was floored. Forget sending creative media kits to journalists. Why not ask them to come duke it out with your CEO in Second Life or some other virtual world?

In all honestly, though, I am impressed with the creativity of public relations professionals. I doubt this type of tactic would work for many of us, but it points to the fact that we as new professionals should not be afraid to think outside the box and try new creative approaches.

I have found that many of the "rules" I was taught in school are not actually followed today by the press or by fellow journalists. I still believe we should follow best practices. But rather than getting hung up on following formulas to successful public relations, I think we need to leverage our individual talents and abilities to creatively connect with the media, our customers and investors.