I’m going to yak about Yahoo! SmartAds in a moment, but I’d just like to take a second and rant about yet another plain vanilla press release.  Right now, at the top of Techmeme, is the Yahoo Press Release for SmartAds.  Once you take a look at it, maybe you’ll do what I did, and have your eyes glaze over while you almost fall out of your chair in a somnolent stupor.

BOOOOOORING.

Disengaged.

Out of the conversation.

Dammit, why can’t we see more press releases or news rooms that are smartly integrated with social media?

Hell, isn’t Yahoo! trying to take a more social media bent, what with its Web2.0 acquisitions?  I know, I know — PR is different, and yes, maybe I am hallucinating about Yahoo!’s future.

But jeebus, why can’t we for once see a major product launch (or service launch) with

a) Just the facts: You could pare down the Press release into about 5 or 6 bullet points.  And the most important point in the Press Release is actually buried somewhere in the middle.  Did you read it?  It said “SmartAds generally resulted in click through rates of two to three times higher than static, non-customized display ads using the same targeting and placement.”  But I’ll bet most DIDN’T because its buried in paragraph SIX.

b) Links to ongoing blog “reactions”: Technorati — are you listening?

c) Examples: Why not show exactly what SmartAds does?  Either link out to sites that are doing it, or actually show demos and case studies.  The first — fine, they’re still testing it.  But jeebus, man, instead of telling us, just show us.  Or get Scoble to do a video on it! (PodTech, are you listening?)  In fact, I’m kind of surprised Scoble *hasn’t* done a video on it.

Yes, I know, I know. Press Releases have their time and place.  You need to get everyone on board and have the important principles to sign off.  Its a corporate statement.  And so on.

But for the love of pete, this was a great opportunity!  Yahoo! could have really gotten with the Peanut Butter to create something that people would go back to — as social media news rooms act like a hub *for* conversations.  I love Techmeme like everyone else, but why let Techmeme have all the fun?  Yahoo! started the conversation — why not let host it for real?

Ok … ok … I’ll get of my soapbox now. ;)