X-Message-Number: 1550
Date: 06 Jan 93 01:14:22 EST
From: STEPHEN BRIDGE <>
Subject: PR philosophy

 
Charles Platt asks:
 
>What we really need is a policy. Is PR a good idea or a bad
>idea? Does Alcor want more publicity, or not? Perhaps our
>incoming president has views on this. It would be nice if the
>issue could be clarified.
 
>--Charles Platt
 
    With only seven staff members, even with many competent
volunteers, publicity is a mixed blessing.  I've been here at Alcor
this week, watching the telephone calls and radio interviews resulting
from the Omni contest filling up our time. Co-incidentally, I was also
here three years ago during the publicity storm created by Thomas
Donaldson's lawsuit asking for pre-mortem suspension rights. I was
doing 2 or 3 radio interviews a day plus one or two tours on many
days.  And I was only third or fourth in line to do them. Carlos
Mondragon and Mike Darwin (not to mention Thomas himself) were nearly
overwhelmed.
 
     The ideal situation is probably a brief flurry of promotion,
followed by time to catch up on normal activities, as well as to
consolidate our gains (i.e., sign up those interested people).  I
don't plan to seek extraordinary amounts of publicity.  I would like
to take most things as they come and, when we have something new to
offer, do the occasional big promotion.  Big promotions with planning,
as the Donaldson case was, and as the Omni production is (although the
uncertain time factor made it difficult to be as well prepared as we
were for Thomas's case), will still be excellent ways to jump our
membership, increase our visibility, and enhance our reputation.
 
     But until we are large enough to have a fulltime publicity
department, promotion will also be very painful in lost time from
other requirements.  Ideally, we would like to do more.
When the ideal gets here, I'll let you all know.
 
     Steve Bridge (Incoming Alcor President)

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1550