Looking for another time waster on the Internet (other than this blog)?
Go have some fun at WillitBlend.com. The PR geniuses at Blendtec have produced a series of videos in which they blend a variety of everyday household items and answer the question I'm sure we've all asked ourselves: Will it blend?
Check out the iPod! And, in time for Christmas, see what happens when he tries to blend a couple Nutrackers!
This site is great fun...and a good example of how a business came up with a viral marketing approach that draws attention to their website, gets people to talk about it (like I'm doing now), and shows off the features of their product. Very, very savvy!
Now excuse me while I go buy a Blendtec blender!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Five Best Books on Public Relations
OpinionJournal published Michael Kempner's list of five best PR books:
1. "Propaganda" by Edward Bernays (Liveright, 1928).
2. "American Hero" by Larry Beinhart (Pantheon, 1993).
3. "The Eloquent President" by Ronald C. White Jr. (Random House, 2005).
4. "Thank You for Smoking" by Christopher Buckley (Random House, 1994).
5. "All's Fair" by Mary Matalin and James Carville (Random House, 1994).
Other than "Propaganda," authored by the father of the public relations industry, the rest of the list are surprises. These are not your typical PR text books, and I'd never even heard of "The Eloquent President," a book about the eloquence of Abraham Lincoln. I'm a big Lincoln fan, so I don't know how I missed it, but I'm off to BN.com to pick it up.
Regarding "All's Fair," this is a terrific read. I'm proud to own a signed copy--signed by BOTH Matalin and Carville. They were the keynote speakers at the IABC conference in Washington DC in '95. If you haven't read it yet, go get it. It's fun for political junkies (like me) and PR pros (also like me). Enjoy!
1. "Propaganda" by Edward Bernays (Liveright, 1928).
2. "American Hero" by Larry Beinhart (Pantheon, 1993).
3. "The Eloquent President" by Ronald C. White Jr. (Random House, 2005).
4. "Thank You for Smoking" by Christopher Buckley (Random House, 1994).
5. "All's Fair" by Mary Matalin and James Carville (Random House, 1994).
Other than "Propaganda," authored by the father of the public relations industry, the rest of the list are surprises. These are not your typical PR text books, and I'd never even heard of "The Eloquent President," a book about the eloquence of Abraham Lincoln. I'm a big Lincoln fan, so I don't know how I missed it, but I'm off to BN.com to pick it up.
Regarding "All's Fair," this is a terrific read. I'm proud to own a signed copy--signed by BOTH Matalin and Carville. They were the keynote speakers at the IABC conference in Washington DC in '95. If you haven't read it yet, go get it. It's fun for political junkies (like me) and PR pros (also like me). Enjoy!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
PDA Users Suffer from Email Overload
I love my Palm Treo, but do I think it makes me more productive? No. Isn't it SUPPOSED to make me more productive? Yes!
Well, a study put on by my beloved International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) found that 85% of the 1,700 business communication professionals interviewed had productivity issues thanks to email.
Sixty-two percent of respondents to the IABC survey said they receivetoo much e-mail, compared to 75 percent of PDA users. In addition, almosthalf of the respondents (44 percent) agreed that they send too much e-mail. In comparison, 56 percent of PDA users are guilty of sending too much e-mail.
I'm not sure that my Treo's email capability is what hurts my productivity...it's just always being available (as with any cell phone), and having it loaded with games that are too fun to pass up when I have some time to kill (ok, time that I COULD spend doing something more productive).
Oh well...productivity is highly overrated.
Well, a study put on by my beloved International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) found that 85% of the 1,700 business communication professionals interviewed had productivity issues thanks to email.
Sixty-two percent of respondents to the IABC survey said they receivetoo much e-mail, compared to 75 percent of PDA users. In addition, almosthalf of the respondents (44 percent) agreed that they send too much e-mail. In comparison, 56 percent of PDA users are guilty of sending too much e-mail.
I'm not sure that my Treo's email capability is what hurts my productivity...it's just always being available (as with any cell phone), and having it loaded with games that are too fun to pass up when I have some time to kill (ok, time that I COULD spend doing something more productive).
Oh well...productivity is highly overrated.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
What Abe Lincoln can teach us about email
Telecom expert Tom Wheeler says that Abraham Lincoln, the first U.S. president with access to the telegraph, developed a personal code of electronic communications that modern-day netizens would do well to adopt in their email habits.
Wheeler describes Lincoln's "T-mail" etiquette and the lessons we can learn from it, like:
Less is More - Whereas many saw the blank telegraph form as an invitation to an essay, Lincoln's telegrams were short and to the point. "Your long despatch of yesterday just received," Lincoln chided General George McClellan about a 10-page telegram sent in May 1863. Then the president required only three additional sentences to reply to the general's endless essay.
Responding to a long-winded message with only a few words is indeed a great way to train others how to use email.
Read about it here:
What Abraham Lincoln Taught Me about Email
Wheeler describes Lincoln's "T-mail" etiquette and the lessons we can learn from it, like:
Less is More - Whereas many saw the blank telegraph form as an invitation to an essay, Lincoln's telegrams were short and to the point. "Your long despatch of yesterday just received," Lincoln chided General George McClellan about a 10-page telegram sent in May 1863. Then the president required only three additional sentences to reply to the general's endless essay.
Responding to a long-winded message with only a few words is indeed a great way to train others how to use email.
Read about it here:
What Abraham Lincoln Taught Me about Email
Saturday, October 28, 2006
RSS is killing blogging
From ComputingUnplugged:
RSS is killing bloggingBefore RSS, Web surfers could just browse and google for news, opinions, and hacks. Since RSS feed readers became popular, only the highest volume blogs get personal syndication. Small bloggers are getting no RSS Traffic and minimal browsing traffic. RSS is killing bloggers, so bloggers ask, what can be done for us underdogs?"
Jason Calacanis of AOL and Engadget.com once stated that a secret of successful blogging is "fresh and frequent blog postings." So readers subscribe to only the most frequently updated and well known blogs RSS feeds leaving for-the-love-of-journalism-bloggers "under the syndication radar." Simply due to low posting volume, the vast majority of key bloggers get little to no readership. The founders of ZNITCH.com made it their mission to level the playing field and expose non-celebrity bloggers using what they call, "the opposite of RSS."
Monday, October 16, 2006
Mobile Etiquette
One of my favorite mobile tech analysts is Gerry Purdy, now with Frost and Sullivan. Here are his tips on the new social etiquette required because of public use of mobile technologies:
Social Etiquette in Mobile
New mobile technologies create wonderful new capabilities, but they also create the need for new social dynamics. The most obvious benefit is the ability to make or receive a call wherever you are. This can be a lifesaver when you’ve arrived at the airport on a flight and want to know where your ride is. It reduces anxiety, and the person picking you up is relieved to know that you’ve arrived. All is good.
Now, take that same capability and put yourself in a restaurant or another quiet place, such as a church. Someone is trying to reach you, and the phone goes off and makes a loud noise. You’re embarrassed and others near you are bothered. The person calling doesn’t know that you’re in a quiet place, and it just deteriorates into a bad situation. Thus, new mobile technologies create new services that really benefit users, but they also create the requirement for a new “mobile etiquette” that we must develop so that the capabilities are utilized, but are only done so in the right social rules of etiquette.
Let’s review that restaurant situation again. Someone needs to reach you. It could be a nurse desperately needing to reach a doctor about a patient. Or it could be a family member that’s trying to reach you about an important matter. You know that it’s impolite to have your cell phone ring in quiet places, so you put your phone on vibrate mode. The person calling doesn’t know if you can talk or not, so they know that it’s best to send you an SMS text message asking if it’s OK to talk. You feel the phone vibrate, look at the screen, and text back that you’ll step outside so you can talk. Thus, using “mobile etiquette,” everyone’s needs are met and the new “must reach you now” capability is still able to be used.
Now, take a different situation that involves data. Often, it’s just not socially acceptable to bring your notebook PC into a meeting. The screen creates a barrier between you and the others in the meeting. You are clearly doing email while others are talking. What do you do in this situation? Pray of course! You walk into the meeting with your BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Nokia e61, Motorola Q, or other similar device. You feel the phone vibrate and notice that you received an important email. You hold the phone under the table and pretend to “pray” while you “thumb” your reply. The same is true for SMS messages. As a result, some important topic can be addressed without bothering anyone in a meeting.
Just like with any other technologic advance, things taken to extreme are not positive. For example, if you tried to answer 40-50 email messages while you were in a meeting, others would know what you were doing and feel that the slight diversion to address something important had been violated by your not participating in the meeting.There are some times that you need to turn your cell phone off or not even look at the display if you feel it vibrating in your pocket. Every situation is different, and you have to adapt the new technology to the surrounding social setting.
There is a new network infrastructure under development, called IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), that will help most of us handle difficult social situations. IMS will provide “presence” and interactive messaging so that you can see if the person you’re calling is available to take a call or not. That alone will be a tremendous advance in the use of mobile phones.
My recommendation is simple: honor people’s privacy and use mobile technologies in ways that are socially acceptable. I’m glad that we have created wonderful new communications capabilities with cell phones, but a responsibility goes along with those capabilities, and that is to use them in a manner that is acceptable to most social situations.
Social Etiquette in Mobile
New mobile technologies create wonderful new capabilities, but they also create the need for new social dynamics. The most obvious benefit is the ability to make or receive a call wherever you are. This can be a lifesaver when you’ve arrived at the airport on a flight and want to know where your ride is. It reduces anxiety, and the person picking you up is relieved to know that you’ve arrived. All is good.
Now, take that same capability and put yourself in a restaurant or another quiet place, such as a church. Someone is trying to reach you, and the phone goes off and makes a loud noise. You’re embarrassed and others near you are bothered. The person calling doesn’t know that you’re in a quiet place, and it just deteriorates into a bad situation. Thus, new mobile technologies create new services that really benefit users, but they also create the requirement for a new “mobile etiquette” that we must develop so that the capabilities are utilized, but are only done so in the right social rules of etiquette.
Let’s review that restaurant situation again. Someone needs to reach you. It could be a nurse desperately needing to reach a doctor about a patient. Or it could be a family member that’s trying to reach you about an important matter. You know that it’s impolite to have your cell phone ring in quiet places, so you put your phone on vibrate mode. The person calling doesn’t know if you can talk or not, so they know that it’s best to send you an SMS text message asking if it’s OK to talk. You feel the phone vibrate, look at the screen, and text back that you’ll step outside so you can talk. Thus, using “mobile etiquette,” everyone’s needs are met and the new “must reach you now” capability is still able to be used.
Now, take a different situation that involves data. Often, it’s just not socially acceptable to bring your notebook PC into a meeting. The screen creates a barrier between you and the others in the meeting. You are clearly doing email while others are talking. What do you do in this situation? Pray of course! You walk into the meeting with your BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Nokia e61, Motorola Q, or other similar device. You feel the phone vibrate and notice that you received an important email. You hold the phone under the table and pretend to “pray” while you “thumb” your reply. The same is true for SMS messages. As a result, some important topic can be addressed without bothering anyone in a meeting.
Just like with any other technologic advance, things taken to extreme are not positive. For example, if you tried to answer 40-50 email messages while you were in a meeting, others would know what you were doing and feel that the slight diversion to address something important had been violated by your not participating in the meeting.There are some times that you need to turn your cell phone off or not even look at the display if you feel it vibrating in your pocket. Every situation is different, and you have to adapt the new technology to the surrounding social setting.
There is a new network infrastructure under development, called IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), that will help most of us handle difficult social situations. IMS will provide “presence” and interactive messaging so that you can see if the person you’re calling is available to take a call or not. That alone will be a tremendous advance in the use of mobile phones.
My recommendation is simple: honor people’s privacy and use mobile technologies in ways that are socially acceptable. I’m glad that we have created wonderful new communications capabilities with cell phones, but a responsibility goes along with those capabilities, and that is to use them in a manner that is acceptable to most social situations.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Journalists surveyed on effective PR contact
From the Publicity Insider (www.publicityinsider.com):
Unless you work in a newsroom every day, it is hard to gauge reporters' likes and dislikes when working with publicity seekers.
Thanks to public relations firm Bennett & Company's annual surveys, we can take the media's pulse. Here's some findings from their Annual Media Survey:
Unless you work in a newsroom every day, it is hard to gauge reporters' likes and dislikes when working with publicity seekers.
Thanks to public relations firm Bennett & Company's annual surveys, we can take the media's pulse. Here's some findings from their Annual Media Survey:
- Email: Fifty-eight percent of all journalists surveyed preferred email as the main way to receive information, followed by wire service (15%), regular mail (13%), fax (10%), and telephone (4%).
- In addition, 70 percent of journalists said that they read every e-mail they receive except for obvious spam. Bill's Note: Keep in mind these results are the media's preferences - not what gets the best results for the publicity seeker. When appropriate, the telephone's human connection is still a publicists' best friend.
- Personalized Address: Fifty percent of the media polled said they respond more readily to a personalized address and 4 percent said that a general editor address will do. The remaining 46 percent did not have a preference. Many noted that while they do not have a preference, personalized communications reach them quicker.
- Availability of Multimedia: Fifty-nine percent of media polled said that the availability of multimedia (photos, charts, graphs, audio and video) does enhance the chances of a story being used.
- How important are weekend, night and cell numbers for contacts on news releases? Back in 1990, 44 percent of journalists said they were not necessary. Currently, 72 percent deem full contact info important.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
CTIA Day II
Had a few good meetings today... I really like Audible.com--though I remember that they were the ones that got slammed by the keynote speaker at a PalmSource Developer's Conference for their awful website. You can use Audible to put your podcasts, audio newscasts or audiobooks on your Java, Palm, Symbian, or Windows Mobile device. The company makes it very easy for you to have your favorite content downloaded to your device in minutes and purge your system of old content. Very cool.
Macroport is pretty cool. www.macro-port.com. They allow you to put content on a storage card, and the software on the card identifies what kind of device it has been inserted into and then automatically launches your content in the proper format. Users usually don't know what kind of operating system they have on their device, so this makes it irrelevant. If you publish content--examples I saw were promos of video games and trailers for upcoming movies--this eliminates the stupid factor when dealing mobile content.
JuiceCaster is one of my favorite things I've seen here so far. Juice Wireless now allows you to publish your pictures, text, videos to whatever website you have that enables HTML publishing. Then you can share it with a select group of people or with the public as a whole. The demo I saw was a video they took with their cellphone, uploaded to the juice account, then downloaded on another mobile device to be viewed, then also available on a personal blog. There are so many potential applications for this, but just for personal use it's a great way to share pics and videos with family and friends scattered all over the world. They say that JuiceCaster "connects the user's cell phone to their entire online life." See it at www.juicecaster.com. I dig it.
More to come later. I need to get to the airport.
Macroport is pretty cool. www.macro-port.com. They allow you to put content on a storage card, and the software on the card identifies what kind of device it has been inserted into and then automatically launches your content in the proper format. Users usually don't know what kind of operating system they have on their device, so this makes it irrelevant. If you publish content--examples I saw were promos of video games and trailers for upcoming movies--this eliminates the stupid factor when dealing mobile content.
JuiceCaster is one of my favorite things I've seen here so far. Juice Wireless now allows you to publish your pictures, text, videos to whatever website you have that enables HTML publishing. Then you can share it with a select group of people or with the public as a whole. The demo I saw was a video they took with their cellphone, uploaded to the juice account, then downloaded on another mobile device to be viewed, then also available on a personal blog. There are so many potential applications for this, but just for personal use it's a great way to share pics and videos with family and friends scattered all over the world. They say that JuiceCaster "connects the user's cell phone to their entire online life." See it at www.juicecaster.com. I dig it.
More to come later. I need to get to the airport.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
CTIA news
Today was my first full day at CTIA and it's been a fun rush of meetings...mostly with people I know, but I also took the time to check out a press conference and look for the smaller "what's new" people. Amazingly enough, according to their press releases they are all the "leaders" in their industries. Never heard of them, but I digress.
This one is pretty cool, actually. A London-based company called Mobix announced peer-to-peer mobile video sharing called "Shoot 'n' Share" in which you can send videos to your friends from your mobile phone. You can send them to another phone, an email address, or a website, or you can send them to a cell phone from your online video storage website.
www.mobixinteractive.com
Bango has signed a mobile search marketing agreement with Yahoo!, and "will offer Yahoo search advertising products and services to mobile content providers, through the integration of Bango's platform and Yahoo's mobile marketing service. This also creates a one-stop solution that allows businesses to establish a mobile presence and billing capability, then create mobile search advertising campaigns on Yahoo to target users who are looking for products and services through their mobile devices."
www.bango.com
My favorite subject: taxes! Keep your filthy taxes off my wireless (and my Internet while you're at it). MyWireless.org launched a new ad campaign to shine a light on how state and local taxes and regulations "threaten to pull apart" the nation's successful wireless framework.
www.mywireless.org
This one is pretty cool, actually. A London-based company called Mobix announced peer-to-peer mobile video sharing called "Shoot 'n' Share" in which you can send videos to your friends from your mobile phone. You can send them to another phone, an email address, or a website, or you can send them to a cell phone from your online video storage website.
www.mobixinteractive.com
Bango has signed a mobile search marketing agreement with Yahoo!, and "will offer Yahoo search advertising products and services to mobile content providers, through the integration of Bango's platform and Yahoo's mobile marketing service. This also creates a one-stop solution that allows businesses to establish a mobile presence and billing capability, then create mobile search advertising campaigns on Yahoo to target users who are looking for products and services through their mobile devices."
www.bango.com
My favorite subject: taxes! Keep your filthy taxes off my wireless (and my Internet while you're at it). MyWireless.org launched a new ad campaign to shine a light on how state and local taxes and regulations "threaten to pull apart" the nation's successful wireless framework.
www.mywireless.org
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
CTIA IT Wireless & Entertainment
I'll be traveling to CTIA next week in LA and will be blogging from the event. I'll report on social networking, mobile marketing and electronic communications that is cool and noteworthy--the greatest cutting edge stuff I've ever seen I'm sure.
I'll also have a photo SplashBlog set up so you can see pics as I'm moving around the show.
I've got great meetings set up and I'm excited about the stuff I'm going to see there.
I'll also have a photo SplashBlog set up so you can see pics as I'm moving around the show.
I've got great meetings set up and I'm excited about the stuff I'm going to see there.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Radio Shack fires off an email
Well, another big case of the impersonal termination of employees via electronic means. Radio Shack sacked 400+ workers and alerted the immediately displaced workers via email. I wonder if the email message was colored pink?
I don't care if you personally alert people in advance that they may lose their jobs, and if they do it will be electronically, that doesn't make it an acceptable approach. It may not be personal to you (yeah, it's just business, got it), but it's personal to them. These are people who dedicate themselves personally to their job with your company and you owe it to each and every one for a supervisor at some level to personally be the bearer of bad news.
I don't care if you personally alert people in advance that they may lose their jobs, and if they do it will be electronically, that doesn't make it an acceptable approach. It may not be personal to you (yeah, it's just business, got it), but it's personal to them. These are people who dedicate themselves personally to their job with your company and you owe it to each and every one for a supervisor at some level to personally be the bearer of bad news.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
"Google" is NOT a Verb (lest ye be sued into oblivion)
The lawyers for Google have something to earn a few fee dollars on now. I just saw a tidbit in Tidbits about how these wiley lawyers are all bunched up about the word "Google" being listed as a verb in the latest edition of Websters and have been sending out terse notes to media organizations that they had better not use the word as a verb.
This is the problem with being too successful and establishing your brand as a universal word for something like web-searching.
Poor Google...getting their company name in the dictionary. How sad for them.
This is the problem with being too successful and establishing your brand as a universal word for something like web-searching.
Poor Google...getting their company name in the dictionary. How sad for them.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Firing someone by Texting them
I love text messages, especially since they're so easy to fire off with my Treo. "Fire off?" What an ironic choice of words considering the story I just read:
U r sckd: worker fired by text message
No matter how awful it is to can someone to their face (trust me, I know), let's not get so impersonal that firing someone with a text message ever becomes acceptable.
U r sckd: worker fired by text message
No matter how awful it is to can someone to their face (trust me, I know), let's not get so impersonal that firing someone with a text message ever becomes acceptable.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Blog Ads
If you're interested in making money from your blog, you might want to read this bloggers' guide to advertising revenue for bloggers.
Is it true that bloggers don't like to make money? How provocative! I guess you'll need to read their paper to find out if it's true!
Is it true that bloggers don't like to make money? How provocative! I guess you'll need to read their paper to find out if it's true!
Bigg results with Digg hits
Here's an interesting post on Cybernet on the impact that a front page hit on Digg will have on your web traffic and RSS subscriptions.
Digg is a "user driven social content website." I've posted about it before, and I love it. Users pick the stories THEY think are important and "digg" them. The stories with the most diggs gets ranked the highest on the site.
My.yahoo also ranks stories, but according to the most popular (those that get the most click-throughs). I like the Digg model better, because just because I click on a headline doesn't mean I value the story. Once I get to the story, it may not live up to the headline and I wouldn't recommend others clicking into it like I did. Digg lets me tell others that I think the story is worth their time. And I digg it!
Digg is a "user driven social content website." I've posted about it before, and I love it. Users pick the stories THEY think are important and "digg" them. The stories with the most diggs gets ranked the highest on the site.
My.yahoo also ranks stories, but according to the most popular (those that get the most click-throughs). I like the Digg model better, because just because I click on a headline doesn't mean I value the story. Once I get to the story, it may not live up to the headline and I wouldn't recommend others clicking into it like I did. Digg lets me tell others that I think the story is worth their time. And I digg it!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
TK Magazine whirlwind
It's been a crazy week and a half, and the whirlwind will continue this week.
See pictures of the TK Magazine launch party here.
We had nice press coverage by 13 and 27...you'll see pics of us being interviewed. Thanks so much to those stations, especially 27 and Nate Hill in particular for broadcasting live from our event.
On July 6th, we "made history" by presenting the first issue of TK Magazine to the Kansas Historical Society & Library. I'm a history buff, and one of the thrills of making a local magazine like TK is becoming a part of the historical record. Kansas history, in particular, is a hobby of mine. It's so colorful. Few states can boast of the rich history of Kansas--full of treasure seekers, trails (before we were flyover country, we were wagon-through country), gunfighters, and the whole 'bloody Kansas' thing that really got the Civil War going. Now, with a full color magazine for Topeka, our history of today can be recorded (literally) much more colorfully.
This week we are prepping for a big live broadcast with Majic 107.7 downtown. Our "TK Girls" will be downtown passing out free magazines while Lola's Cafe sells sandwiches and drinks for $1.07. This will happen on Wednesday. Hopefully we'll see you there.
I'll be getting back to posting about communications technologies and the like very soon.
See pictures of the TK Magazine launch party here.
We had nice press coverage by 13 and 27...you'll see pics of us being interviewed. Thanks so much to those stations, especially 27 and Nate Hill in particular for broadcasting live from our event.
On July 6th, we "made history" by presenting the first issue of TK Magazine to the Kansas Historical Society & Library. I'm a history buff, and one of the thrills of making a local magazine like TK is becoming a part of the historical record. Kansas history, in particular, is a hobby of mine. It's so colorful. Few states can boast of the rich history of Kansas--full of treasure seekers, trails (before we were flyover country, we were wagon-through country), gunfighters, and the whole 'bloody Kansas' thing that really got the Civil War going. Now, with a full color magazine for Topeka, our history of today can be recorded (literally) much more colorfully.
This week we are prepping for a big live broadcast with Majic 107.7 downtown. Our "TK Girls" will be downtown passing out free magazines while Lola's Cafe sells sandwiches and drinks for $1.07. This will happen on Wednesday. Hopefully we'll see you there.
I'll be getting back to posting about communications technologies and the like very soon.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
TK Magazine
We are 1 day away from the launch of TK Magazine! Our launch party is tomorrow night at Jul's. Our goal with TK is to provide Topeka with a classy magazine that showcases the business in the local business and lifestyle scene.
Our big unveiling of the cover (and we have a BIG cover printed up) will be at 6:45 p.m.
Go to the site and subscribe to our RSS feed so you can always get the latest business and community news.
Our big unveiling of the cover (and we have a BIG cover printed up) will be at 6:45 p.m.
Go to the site and subscribe to our RSS feed so you can always get the latest business and community news.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Regulating the blogs
Could the end of free blogging be near? Read this column.
The Internet is the newest and most free medium of communication, which can be used to check both government and the mainstream media. This means, of course, that the government is already looking to regulate it. If certain legislators have their way, the end of free blogging on the Internet will come sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Better podcasting
Yeah, yeah...it's been awhile since I've posted to the blog. I'm sure you're all dying out there.
A little magazine project kind of took over my life. See www.tkmagazine.com. It's a new lifestyle and business magazine for Topeka. I'll tell you more about it later.
But for now, here's a great piece on what makes a great podcast. I love podcasts...especially now that I received an iPod from my kids (read: my wife). Podcasts give you a great opportunity to connect with an audience on a personal level and communicate with audible learners. Oddly enough...that's not me. I remember more from what I read, but I still enjoy listening to very good podcasts (though I often couldn't tell you at the conclusion what it was about--funny how the brain works so differently).
A little magazine project kind of took over my life. See www.tkmagazine.com. It's a new lifestyle and business magazine for Topeka. I'll tell you more about it later.
But for now, here's a great piece on what makes a great podcast. I love podcasts...especially now that I received an iPod from my kids (read: my wife). Podcasts give you a great opportunity to connect with an audience on a personal level and communicate with audible learners. Oddly enough...that's not me. I remember more from what I read, but I still enjoy listening to very good podcasts (though I often couldn't tell you at the conclusion what it was about--funny how the brain works so differently).
Monday, June 05, 2006
Getting Fired for Email Abuse or Using Surveys for Big PR
Here's a CNN story on how a third of companies surveyed have fired someone for violating email policy.
This is interesting, and something companies should think about. Do you have an email policy?
But, to me, the more interesting thing is that Proofpoint, a company that helps companies reduce email risks, used this survey that they sponsored to get big press coverage (a CNN story!) for their company! And surveys can be a very inexpensive way to create a story
Proofpoint reported that employers are ever more concerned that outgoing e-mail could pose a risk to the company. As a result, many companies are hiring staff to read and analyze outbound e-mail. According to the study, 44 percent of major U.S. companies have hired employees to do so.
Blogs and Instant Messaging are also a concern to many employers. Seven percent reported that an employee was terminated for such a violation while 17 percent reported that an employee has been disciplined.
This is interesting, and something companies should think about. Do you have an email policy?
But, to me, the more interesting thing is that Proofpoint, a company that helps companies reduce email risks, used this survey that they sponsored to get big press coverage (a CNN story!) for their company! And surveys can be a very inexpensive way to create a story
Sunday, June 04, 2006
PR rules for dealing with bloggers
Different strokes for different folks, and that includes bloggers. Some will take any and all contact from PR people, some want contact only under specific conditions, while others don't want to hear from you at all.
Go here to read an interesting idea from Mobhappy on how PR pros can recognize the preferences of the blogger.
For the record, here is Mobhappy's own "policy":
1. Please make sure that the information is about mobile technology, or at a stretch, technology generally. Read the blog - is there a good chance we might publish it?
2. If you keep sending us rubbish, we won't read your pitches any more.
3. Keep it brief please, in the first instance. We can always ask for more info.
4. Don't use the comments section on our blogs to blatantly promote your or your client's products. It REALLY pisses us off. You have been warned.
Here is a blog post from awhile back that used ME, of all people, as an example of how to pitch to bloggers. It's amazing how many people who I know saw this post.
Go here to read an interesting idea from Mobhappy on how PR pros can recognize the preferences of the blogger.
For the record, here is Mobhappy's own "policy":
1. Please make sure that the information is about mobile technology, or at a stretch, technology generally. Read the blog - is there a good chance we might publish it?
2. If you keep sending us rubbish, we won't read your pitches any more.
3. Keep it brief please, in the first instance. We can always ask for more info.
4. Don't use the comments section on our blogs to blatantly promote your or your client's products. It REALLY pisses us off. You have been warned.
Here is a blog post from awhile back that used ME, of all people, as an example of how to pitch to bloggers. It's amazing how many people who I know saw this post.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Search Engine Optimization
Here are some nice tips on getting search engines to find your web site, thanks to Amy Campbell:
1. Use keyword-savvy "page titles," and strategic and proper metatagging on all pages.
2. Allow search-engine robots easy access throughout your site via text links, alt-tagged navigation icons, or a site map.
3. Register your URL with major search engines, directories and specialty sites, as well as select paid directories (such as Yahoo!).
4. Use strategic home page content (keywords in context in HTML text).
5. Use hyperlinks to further weight in-text keywords.
6. Encourage in-bound links from other relevant sites to your pages.
7. Add an integrated web log to your web site.
8. Add/update content frequently. (Write dammit!)
9. Avoid Flash-based opening home-page screens, improper metatag code, as well as any schemes meant to "trick" search engines.
10. Get a search-engine optimization audit for your web site.
1. Use keyword-savvy "page titles," and strategic and proper metatagging on all pages.
2. Allow search-engine robots easy access throughout your site via text links, alt-tagged navigation icons, or a site map.
3. Register your URL with major search engines, directories and specialty sites, as well as select paid directories (such as Yahoo!).
4. Use strategic home page content (keywords in context in HTML text).
5. Use hyperlinks to further weight in-text keywords.
6. Encourage in-bound links from other relevant sites to your pages.
7. Add an integrated web log to your web site.
8. Add/update content frequently. (Write dammit!)
9. Avoid Flash-based opening home-page screens, improper metatag code, as well as any schemes meant to "trick" search engines.
10. Get a search-engine optimization audit for your web site.
Build a Better Blog
I've got a link for anyone wanting to build a better blog. Why does your blog stink? Good question...here's a blog with good answers:
www.whymyblogstinks.com
It's a fairly new blog, but includes insightful tips on improving the smell of a stinky blog.
www.whymyblogstinks.com
It's a fairly new blog, but includes insightful tips on improving the smell of a stinky blog.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Mobile Marketing
I love gadgets. I love marketing. You would think I'd be the ultimate expert on mobile marketing! I really need to get into it.
Here's a nice article on it.
Excerpt:
Here's a nice article on it.
Excerpt:
Mobile marketing should encompass more than just building brand awareness. It needs to be a robust part of the overall marketing strategy, helping companies to not only manage their overall brand message, but also to improve customer relationships, educate customers about products and solutions, and essentially give the company even greater control over its sales funnel.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Blogging and search engines
It's no doubt that adding a blog to your business site is good for business--creating open lines of dialogue between you and your customers, especially when needing to generate buzz prior to a product launch, just makes sense.
A blog is also good for search engines. Not just good--terrific! Search engines love blogs!
If you want in-bound traffic from search engines to your site, you couldn't ask for a better way to achieve your goal than by adding a blog. Why?
There are plenty of reasons to start a business blog, and search engines are one of the best ones.
A blog is also good for search engines. Not just good--terrific! Search engines love blogs!
If you want in-bound traffic from search engines to your site, you couldn't ask for a better way to achieve your goal than by adding a blog. Why?
- Search engines favor relevant content, and blogs that are regularly updated with keywords commonly searched by surfers are ripe for the picking. If your blog is updated frequently and on a common theme or topic, it will find favor with the search engines.
- Search engines like sites with incoming links--and links are what brings blogs alive and connects them to related content. Search engines give extra weight to links from sites focused on the same topic. Referrals from other blogs add credibility for your own blog in the eyes of the search engines.
There are plenty of reasons to start a business blog, and search engines are one of the best ones.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
The Story Behind Digg
Don't be a Johnny-come-lately when it comes to knowing about Digg and it's democratic approach to news. There WILL be imitators and anyone in PR and business communicators will need to know about it.
Here's the story.
Here's the story.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Hold the press (releases)
TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington spoke about likes and dislikes from PR folk. One stand-out suggestion: don't send him press releases. This is a common view from bloggers...they'd much rather have something quick, personal, and with good links.
Summary here.
Summary here.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Candor in Communication
Read this dandy column on how refreshing candor would be in political communication.
It certainly goes against the grain, as PR folk, to NOT put the best spin on every piece of communication; yet, people long for authenticity. They're almost starved for it in this age when no one admits fault or that they don't know the answer to the question being asked.
Perhaps a dose of candor would go a long way toward building credibility with your audience!
It certainly goes against the grain, as PR folk, to NOT put the best spin on every piece of communication; yet, people long for authenticity. They're almost starved for it in this age when no one admits fault or that they don't know the answer to the question being asked.
Perhaps a dose of candor would go a long way toward building credibility with your audience!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Podcasting, MP3 Players Stealing Radio's Audience
PodcastingNews reports:
Podcasting and MP3 players are stealing radio's audience, according to the latest figures from Bridge Ratings. According to Dave Van Dyke, President of Bridge Ratings, "By 2010, today's 94% penetration for terrestrial radio will have sunk to 85%."
27% of people 12-24 attribute their reduced use of radio to MP3 use; 22% attributed it to tired radio programming; 3% attributed it to podcast listening.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
New RSS Services
NewsGator has been busy! Here's the latest:
03-28 NewsGator Technologies, an RSS platform company, announced NewsGator Inbox 2.6. Previously known as NewsGator Outlook Edition, the new offering includes clippings synchronization with the NewsGator Online Web-based RSS aggregator, integration with FeedStation, NewsGator's podcatcher, and the ability to view Web pages while working offline.
03-28 NewsGator Technologies also announced FeedDemon 2.0. The new version of the company's desktop RSS aggregator for Windows adds seamless synchronization with the entire NewsGator Online platform, and improvements in usability and system performance.
03-28 NewsGator Technologies, an RSS platform company, announced NewsGator Inbox 2.6. Previously known as NewsGator Outlook Edition, the new offering includes clippings synchronization with the NewsGator Online Web-based RSS aggregator, integration with FeedStation, NewsGator's podcatcher, and the ability to view Web pages while working offline.
03-28 NewsGator Technologies also announced FeedDemon 2.0. The new version of the company's desktop RSS aggregator for Windows adds seamless synchronization with the entire NewsGator Online platform, and improvements in usability and system performance.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Outted by Plaxo
Anybody who uses Plaxo to keep their Outlook Address Book up-to-date should be warned: you can blow the news of a job change or company acquisition simply by updating your own Address Book entry!
I know a guy whose company was acquired by another company. It was to remain a secret until a later date, but he went ahead and changed his contact information in his Address Book--and lo and behold pretty soon hundreds of his contacts received Plaxo updates that included his new title, employer and contact info.
Within hours, there were blog and news postings about the acquisition and they had to speed up plans for their announcement of the acquisition.
I know a guy whose company was acquired by another company. It was to remain a secret until a later date, but he went ahead and changed his contact information in his Address Book--and lo and behold pretty soon hundreds of his contacts received Plaxo updates that included his new title, employer and contact info.
Within hours, there were blog and news postings about the acquisition and they had to speed up plans for their announcement of the acquisition.
Monday, March 13, 2006
PR is Stale at Yale
Yale recently admitted a former top Taliban official as a student and refuses to answer questions about it. This is the same Yale that refuses to allow the establishment of an ROTC group on campus. Anti-military and pro-Taliban? On an American campus? Gosh!
From today's Opinion Journal:
Pretending that your crisis will go unheralded and it will all go away if you simply don't answer questions is a guarantee that your crisis will be blown into bigger proportions than ever. Yale responded to the Wall Street Journal writer by saying it wouldn't respond. Perhaps the communications officer is a former member of the Bush Administration. Bush is, after all, a Yale alumni and heads an administration that famously makes poor use of proven communication strategies.
Here are some tips on crisis communications:
From today's Opinion Journal:
"Yale is practicing a most unusual media strategy," says Merrie Spaeth, a public relations executive whose father and uncle went to Yale. "I'd call it 'Just say nothing.' " Another PR expert characterized Yale's strategy as "Trust that people will lose interest in the questions if there are no answers."
Pretending that your crisis will go unheralded and it will all go away if you simply don't answer questions is a guarantee that your crisis will be blown into bigger proportions than ever. Yale responded to the Wall Street Journal writer by saying it wouldn't respond. Perhaps the communications officer is a former member of the Bush Administration. Bush is, after all, a Yale alumni and heads an administration that famously makes poor use of proven communication strategies.
Here are some tips on crisis communications:
- Before a crisis hits, you should have a crisis management team established, including key officers, a spokesperson, and a communications strategist (if not the spokesperson);
- As soon as a crisis storm starts to brew, start pulling together the necessary facts (the who, what, where, when, why, and how);
Be quick to share the information you think the media should have and will want to have;
If they don't get the information from you, they'll get it from somewhere else--sometimes giving information is painful, but it's better coming from you than someone else;
Don't shoot from the lip--if you don't have the answers, say you'll find out and get back to them; - During or after a crisis is a great time to demonstrate that your organization is a good civic citizen--do something good for the community;
- Don't act like Yale.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Speaking of speaking...
Yesterday I was the guest speaker to a Washburn University "senior seminar" class of Mass Media students. I spoke to them about lessons along the pathway of my career.
While I was talking about some of my key rules for managing your career, the big rule that I should have remembered was to bring bottled water with me. By the end of my 45 minute spiel I was so cotton-mouthed that I sounded like Harry Belafonte (without all of the ridiculous political statements, of course).
While I was talking about some of my key rules for managing your career, the big rule that I should have remembered was to bring bottled water with me. By the end of my 45 minute spiel I was so cotton-mouthed that I sounded like Harry Belafonte (without all of the ridiculous political statements, of course).
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Can your CEO speak better than Jon Stewart at the Oscars?
I didn't watch much of the Oscars. It was a bad movie year--the ones I enjoyed weren't nominated for hardly anything and the ones that did likely won more for their appeal to the liberal glitterati of Hollywood than for their artistic merit. I've heard that Jon Stewart didn't go over well as host, which is somewhat surprising to me--but Bulldog Reporter has pulled out some lessons that PR practitioners can glean from his example:
- Don’t assume your client who speaks well in front of 20 people in his or her own conference room can make an instant transition to speaking in front of 100 people in a convention center.
- Don’t assume your client who speaks well in front of 100 people can make a smooth transition to speaking in front of 1000 at a trade conference.
- Help your clients get conformable with the size and sound of the room by rehearsing in the same room where they will be giving a speech.
- Any new technical equipment (e.g., wireless mics, TelePrompTers, lights) needs to be rehearsed with in advance—not used for the first time in front of a real audience.
- Help your clients build their confidence levels by exposing them to increasingly larger audiences—don’t make them jump from an audience of five to 500 in one presentation.
- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse (and do it with video).
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Measuring the Influential Experts on Business Blogging
Onalytica decided to measure influential experts on business blogging and makes some good points about the difference between popularity and influence:
Check out the findings at the end of the post. It may lead you to some very helpful information on the topic.
When Technorati ranks blogs they count the number of link sources pointing to a blog. So a blog that has 10 inbound links has higher rank than one that has 5 inbound links. So far so good. The blog with inbound links from 10 different sources is clearly more popular than the one with 5 link sources. However, when they use this measure of popularity as “authority” they are stretching it too far. David Letterman may be popular when it comes to the topic of US national politics, but few would call him an authority on the topic.
Check out the findings at the end of the post. It may lead you to some very helpful information on the topic.
iSift
I've become a fan of Digg.com, where you have the opportunity to vote for stories that you "digg" and raise its ranking on the page. More popular articles get higher placement, and rather than being chosen by an all-powerful editor who uses his own subjective bias to determine ranking the big stories are the ones most popular with the readers.
Here's a new one: iSift. From their home page:
Here's a new one: iSift. From their home page:
iSift.com is a community for publishing and rating Internet-related news and content. Submit content or vote for submissions that you think are interesting. You can also give a story a negative vote. iSift has been inspired by digg.com and del.icio.us but places a greater emphasis on independent news and content.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Does blogging help or hurt?
This Bulldog Reporter op-ed makes the case that blogging may not be all it's cracked up to be. He advises against jumping into the latest "craze" and, instead he advises "increasing investment in real advocacy education and civic debate in order to achieve goals." He says that blogs encourage people to only tune into messages that reinforce their currently held beliefs rather than exposing themselves to alternative viewpoints. This is valid because blogs that one visits are most commonly linked to other blogs that support the same viewpoint. But then again, so what?
Blogging is going to happen whether you "invest" in it or not. Who do you want to influence? In business, you want to invest in communications that targets most likely consumers. If you sell toilet paper, you're going to have an audience of just about anybody--but who wants to go to a blog about toilet paper and its uses anyway? Blogging is effective when it draws a crowd of people with specific interests and engages them in dialogue. Operating a blog and engaging those who operate blogs that target those with a common interest is smart business, and there are few communication tools out there that could do it more effectively than blogging.
Even if you're a politician or a civic organization, why not blog? I don't get the point of arguing against it. You want to energize your base with a blog and keep your natural constituency informed. Those on the other side will do the same. Those in the mushy middle will have blogs of their own and may visit blogs on the right or left. Blogs may spread false propaganda, like tabloids in the checkout lane, but they can also accomplish for you what the MSM won't. You don't have to look further than Rathergate to know that the blogosphere can hold the MSM accountable.
To me, it's all good.
Blogging is going to happen whether you "invest" in it or not. Who do you want to influence? In business, you want to invest in communications that targets most likely consumers. If you sell toilet paper, you're going to have an audience of just about anybody--but who wants to go to a blog about toilet paper and its uses anyway? Blogging is effective when it draws a crowd of people with specific interests and engages them in dialogue. Operating a blog and engaging those who operate blogs that target those with a common interest is smart business, and there are few communication tools out there that could do it more effectively than blogging.
Even if you're a politician or a civic organization, why not blog? I don't get the point of arguing against it. You want to energize your base with a blog and keep your natural constituency informed. Those on the other side will do the same. Those in the mushy middle will have blogs of their own and may visit blogs on the right or left. Blogs may spread false propaganda, like tabloids in the checkout lane, but they can also accomplish for you what the MSM won't. You don't have to look further than Rathergate to know that the blogosphere can hold the MSM accountable.
To me, it's all good.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
The Voicemail Opportunity
My friend Cyndi Menzel, Communications Director of the Kansas National Education Association, doesn't waste an opportunity. Her email messages are always signed with the organization's tagline: "KNEA: Making Public Schools Great for Every Child." And her voicemail echoes the same message. She concludes her voicemail message with something along the lines of "We're busy making public schools great for every child."
I'm shocked at how many people waste the voicemail message opportunity. Not only do they blow it by not even using the name of their company, they fail to seize the chance to emphasize their brand message.
I cringe when I call someone on their work number and their voice mail says something like, "Hello, this is Bud. Leave a message and I'll call you back." Yuck!
Sad to say, many calls find your voicemail more than they find you. What is the experience you are offering your callers? If they have made it through voicemail hell to get to your extension, make it pleasant and your message to the point. Don't do the ordinary, lame message. It is not just your business brand, but your personal brand that is being wasted.
Here is a nice article on other ways to promote your personal brand.
I'm shocked at how many people waste the voicemail message opportunity. Not only do they blow it by not even using the name of their company, they fail to seize the chance to emphasize their brand message.
I cringe when I call someone on their work number and their voice mail says something like, "Hello, this is Bud. Leave a message and I'll call you back." Yuck!
Sad to say, many calls find your voicemail more than they find you. What is the experience you are offering your callers? If they have made it through voicemail hell to get to your extension, make it pleasant and your message to the point. Don't do the ordinary, lame message. It is not just your business brand, but your personal brand that is being wasted.
Here is a nice article on other ways to promote your personal brand.
Friday, February 24, 2006
IABC Leadership Institute
I am currently attending IABC's Leadership Institute in Charlotte, NC. It concludes tomorrow. This is not a conference on great new communication skills, but how to run a thriving IABC chapter. You can see our pics on our IABC Photo Blog.
Blogging tips
Here's an article that includes some great tips on blogging.
Robert Scoble, Microsoft's best known blogger, and Shel Israel, a veteran consultant for start up companies, have teamed up to write Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers, a book the authors say is intended to tell businesses of all sizes and in all places why they will benefit from blogging. The ZDNet article is an excerpt from the book.
Robert Scoble, Microsoft's best known blogger, and Shel Israel, a veteran consultant for start up companies, have teamed up to write Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers, a book the authors say is intended to tell businesses of all sizes and in all places why they will benefit from blogging. The ZDNet article is an excerpt from the book.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Right Wing Podcasts
There was a Townhall column today by Jennifer Biddison on how political conservatives are using podcasts to supplement their dominance on talk-radio. The column includes a how-to section on getting started with listening to podcasts.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Rewriting history -- on a wiki
Check out this post from Computing Unplugged on how senatorial staff members have rewritten the bios of their bosses on Wikipedia to tone down the negative and highlight the positive.
This is the tricky part of wikis...if it's wide open to everyone, then anyone can change the facts as they see fit. In this case, they tracked down the culprits and resulted in some bad press (just what politicians need).
This is the tricky part of wikis...if it's wide open to everyone, then anyone can change the facts as they see fit. In this case, they tracked down the culprits and resulted in some bad press (just what politicians need).
A Good Apology
It was slow in coming, but Dick Cheney's apology was refreshing and well done:
It's amazing that when he clearly points the finger of blame toward himself, editorialists and political opponents still claim that Cheney is blaming the victim. Huh? But that's for another blog. The point is that this apology is great. It's contrite, non-political, and accepts full responsibility. Kudos.
"Ultimately I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and that's something I'll never forget."
"The image of him falling is something I will never be able to get out my mind. It was one of the worst days of my life."
It's amazing that when he clearly points the finger of blame toward himself, editorialists and political opponents still claim that Cheney is blaming the victim. Huh? But that's for another blog. The point is that this apology is great. It's contrite, non-political, and accepts full responsibility. Kudos.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
"Smart" press releases
Bulldog Reporter has a nice article on the death of the stagnant "text only" press release, replaced by "smart" press releases that include multimedia: photos, video, and audio.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
"Quick Draw" Cheney (AKA "Slow Response" Cheney
The overhyped media story on Dick Cheney shooting his hunting buddy reveals a couple lessons:
But let's focus on the shooting incident. First of all, media people: get a grip! This is as non-news as you get. Fodder for Leno and Letterman? Absolutely. For CNN and the CBS Evening News? Maybe as a blip on the night after it happened. Do you really think anybody cares about it? It doesn't affect anything or anybody other than the poor lawyer who got some character added to his flesh. To me, this event highlights the elitism of the White House press corp...how dare we not find out about this story first? Yes, I think they should have been told first, but their hyped-up reaction when there are so many critical stories they SHOULD be investigating shows their true colors.
To the Bush "communications people" -- did you think nobody would know or find out? What were you thinking? You give your enemies (the media, of course) ammunition by not being forthcoming. You make a small story much bigger by trying to pretend it didn't happen. There wasn't a crime here (other than perhaps the lack of a $7 hunting permit), so why the cover up? There is at least a perception of a cover up. I know it's not his style, but Cheney should speak to the matter: "We were having a great time...the accident happened...I feel terrible that he was injured...I wish him the best." I probably wouldn't crack an Aaron Burr joke because it would be inappropriate and would be awfully contrived or scripted. But he is the 2nd most powerful man in the U.S. and he needs to say something to the American people about it. He should have issued a statement immediately after it happened.
One thing is sure...the "secrecy" thing in the Bush White House (created and implemented, from what I understand, by Cheney himself) needs to stop. Even if this IS a non-event (which I agree), get in front of the story!
In a related item, Opinion Journal has a nice review of a book by a Pentagon spokesperson that should be a good read for anybody involved in high-stakes PR. "Lipstick on a Pig" by Torie Clark tells of the communications effort by the Pentagon during the Iraq war. The book tells tells "how to deliver bad news, defuse scandal and build trusting relations with constituents and customers." Give it a read.
UPDATE: Linda Chavez's latest column discusses the Cheney issue and reiterates my point in more detail.
- At a time when Iran is working on a nuclear arms program, the media would rather spend all of their time pouring salt on the wounds of the Bush administration;
- The Bush administration regularly cuts open wounds and holds out its arm for the media to pour salt on.
But let's focus on the shooting incident. First of all, media people: get a grip! This is as non-news as you get. Fodder for Leno and Letterman? Absolutely. For CNN and the CBS Evening News? Maybe as a blip on the night after it happened. Do you really think anybody cares about it? It doesn't affect anything or anybody other than the poor lawyer who got some character added to his flesh. To me, this event highlights the elitism of the White House press corp...how dare we not find out about this story first? Yes, I think they should have been told first, but their hyped-up reaction when there are so many critical stories they SHOULD be investigating shows their true colors.
To the Bush "communications people" -- did you think nobody would know or find out? What were you thinking? You give your enemies (the media, of course) ammunition by not being forthcoming. You make a small story much bigger by trying to pretend it didn't happen. There wasn't a crime here (other than perhaps the lack of a $7 hunting permit), so why the cover up? There is at least a perception of a cover up. I know it's not his style, but Cheney should speak to the matter: "We were having a great time...the accident happened...I feel terrible that he was injured...I wish him the best." I probably wouldn't crack an Aaron Burr joke because it would be inappropriate and would be awfully contrived or scripted. But he is the 2nd most powerful man in the U.S. and he needs to say something to the American people about it. He should have issued a statement immediately after it happened.
One thing is sure...the "secrecy" thing in the Bush White House (created and implemented, from what I understand, by Cheney himself) needs to stop. Even if this IS a non-event (which I agree), get in front of the story!
In a related item, Opinion Journal has a nice review of a book by a Pentagon spokesperson that should be a good read for anybody involved in high-stakes PR. "Lipstick on a Pig" by Torie Clark tells of the communications effort by the Pentagon during the Iraq war. The book tells tells "how to deliver bad news, defuse scandal and build trusting relations with constituents and customers." Give it a read.
UPDATE: Linda Chavez's latest column discusses the Cheney issue and reiterates my point in more detail.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Wanna Wiki?
If you would like to experiment with a Wiki and explore the possibilities in your organization, try StikiPad. Get started for free. You can collaborate on a document from within a browser.
From their web site:
From their web site:
Wikis have been around for years, but have been limited to either internal business communication or to tech-savvy users who have the know-how of setting them up. A wiki is a piece of software that allows anybody to edit pages and post feedback - it lets you communicate with however many people you wish, and keep communication all in one place. A wiki is similar to a public message board in that any user can register and post their comments. Where a wiki differs is the capability of creating an inter-connected database within its pages. In your StikiPad, you can make several pages and link them together - this keeps your data organized while still immediately accessible.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Employee Communication via RSS
Back to the subject of RSS:
How can it be used for internal communication? Many think of RSS as simply a way to allow people outside an organization to easily view new content that has been published. It is not yet used commonly on intranets, which could really improve internal communication. Probably most employees don't have their intranet set as their default home page--it's more likely to be ESPN.com or some other site that really delivers the stuff they crave every day.
Using RSS with your intranet enables employees to subscribe to content they are interested in, increasing the likelihood it will be read. Make it easy for them by providing a standard RSS reader that allows them to create their own personalized employee news outlet.
What kind of content should you publish via RSS? Here are some obvious ones:
How can it be used for internal communication? Many think of RSS as simply a way to allow people outside an organization to easily view new content that has been published. It is not yet used commonly on intranets, which could really improve internal communication. Probably most employees don't have their intranet set as their default home page--it's more likely to be ESPN.com or some other site that really delivers the stuff they crave every day.
Using RSS with your intranet enables employees to subscribe to content they are interested in, increasing the likelihood it will be read. Make it easy for them by providing a standard RSS reader that allows them to create their own personalized employee news outlet.
What kind of content should you publish via RSS? Here are some obvious ones:
- Benefits updates
- Corporate news
- Department news
- CEO blog
- Community relations opportunities
Monday, February 06, 2006
Remember when...reflecting on the Dot-Com busts
Here's a blast from the past...with some great lessons on what NOT to do with building your online business.
Some wisdom gained by the dot-com busts:
From Webvan: even if you have a good idea, it's best not to grow too fast too soon.
From Pets.com: advertising, no matter how clever, cannot save you from a bad business concept.
From Kozmo.com: even if you're selling online, the cost of the sale needs to be less than the amount your customer is paying (duh!).
From Boo.com: being a global business means knowing the language (and the currency) from around the globe.
From MVP.com: celebrity endorsements ain't worth Jack (unless Jack Nicklaus is behind it...then maybe...) in the long-run.
I started in "high tech" PR during the height of the dot-com era, though never landed any of those companies who had so much money they had to blow it on PR guys like me. In fact, I recall the one dot-com company that seriously considered us. Our proposal would have given them a great campaign for four-figures, but they went with an agency that their VC funder liked for five-figures (a month!). Simply brilliant...and of course the company no longer exists.
Some wisdom gained by the dot-com busts:
From Webvan: even if you have a good idea, it's best not to grow too fast too soon.
From Pets.com: advertising, no matter how clever, cannot save you from a bad business concept.
From Kozmo.com: even if you're selling online, the cost of the sale needs to be less than the amount your customer is paying (duh!).
From Boo.com: being a global business means knowing the language (and the currency) from around the globe.
From MVP.com: celebrity endorsements ain't worth Jack (unless Jack Nicklaus is behind it...then maybe...) in the long-run.
I started in "high tech" PR during the height of the dot-com era, though never landed any of those companies who had so much money they had to blow it on PR guys like me. In fact, I recall the one dot-com company that seriously considered us. Our proposal would have given them a great campaign for four-figures, but they went with an agency that their VC funder liked for five-figures (a month!). Simply brilliant...and of course the company no longer exists.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
RSS Rules!
I've talked to several groups of student or professional communicators and I'm amazed at how few of them know anything about RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a tool that enables users to easily subscribe to and read or track content on web sites or blogs without having to "surf" (bop around from site to site to see everything that's out there). RSS is revolutionizing the way a message gets moved out there, and professional message movers aren't clueing in for the most part.
Simply put, instead of having to go to your favorite websites or blogs to see if anything new has been posted, you check your "RSS aggregator" which pulls in the RSS feeds to which you are subscribed.
If you're a content publisher, this is big news! RSS also allows you to distribute content to a host of sites that may subscribe to your site's content. This may make "hit counters" look less impressive, but the point is to spread the word rather than collective traffic statistics--right?
Try it out for yourself. Go download a news aggregator (also known as RSS Reader), such as www.newsgator.com, www.pluck.com, and www.feedster.com.
I'm going to get back to RSS in a later post (how you can use it for internal and external communications). Just spend some time experiencing it, and then let's reconnect on it.
Simply put, instead of having to go to your favorite websites or blogs to see if anything new has been posted, you check your "RSS aggregator" which pulls in the RSS feeds to which you are subscribed.
If you're a content publisher, this is big news! RSS also allows you to distribute content to a host of sites that may subscribe to your site's content. This may make "hit counters" look less impressive, but the point is to spread the word rather than collective traffic statistics--right?
Try it out for yourself. Go download a news aggregator (also known as RSS Reader), such as www.newsgator.com, www.pluck.com, and www.feedster.com.
I'm going to get back to RSS in a later post (how you can use it for internal and external communications). Just spend some time experiencing it, and then let's reconnect on it.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Direct Mail and Branding
I graduated from the school of thought that any form of marketing communication (and even non-marketing communication) between you and your target publics is an exercise in branding. After all, your brand is comprised of the thoughts, messages and images that people store in their head and pull out when they think of your company.
But what about direct response marketing? I just came across an interesting opinion piece in the Sept. 2005 issue of Deliver Magazine (focuses on direct mail marketing). The author, Robert W. Bly, said:
I went back to a previous issue (July 2005) for an opinion written by Steve Cuno, who held a contrarian view:
I'm not an expert at direct marketing, but I suspect the truth lies in the middle: people respond to recognized brands, so leverage them in your direct mail, but focus your copy on getting the highest response rate from your audience.
But what about direct response marketing? I just came across an interesting opinion piece in the Sept. 2005 issue of Deliver Magazine (focuses on direct mail marketing). The author, Robert W. Bly, said:
Direct response copywriters...have a responsibility to do one thing and one thing only: to maximize return on investment (ROI) from every promotion they write. Direct response isn't a branding tool...Whenever copywriters subordinate ROI to worrying about the impact their work has on the brand -- or anything else -- they compromise the ability of a promotion to maximize response.
I went back to a previous issue (July 2005) for an opinion written by Steve Cuno, who held a contrarian view:
...markets respond to strong brands...though brand perception is not its primary calling, direct marketing leaves an impression among far more people than those who respond. While we might throw wild parties to commemorate a 4 percent response, non-respondents -- the other 96 percent -- also receive an impression about the brand.
I'm not an expert at direct marketing, but I suspect the truth lies in the middle: people respond to recognized brands, so leverage them in your direct mail, but focus your copy on getting the highest response rate from your audience.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
PR and bloggers
Go here to read an excellent piece on "blog relations."
Ensight.org's super-blogger Jeremy Wright once posted on how PR people should approach bloggers--and used an email I had sent him as an example. Now, wouldn't you know it, I can't find it anywhere on his site! What happened to your archives Jeremy?
In short: make it short, make it relevant, make it personal.
Good bloggers get to the point in their posts, and appreciate it if you would get to the point when you are approaching them about something you want them to post about.
Don't send them content that they wouldn't naturally blog about. Don't "stretch their imaginations" too much. Look for blogs that focus on the type of information you are peddling.
Spend some time on a blog and find out about the blogger and address them by name. Do your best to make it at least appear that you know about them. Address them by name in your email.
Whatever you do, don't just send them a press release. If you have news you think they would find interesting, send them a summary and a link to where they can find the rest of the story.
Ensight.org's super-blogger Jeremy Wright once posted on how PR people should approach bloggers--and used an email I had sent him as an example. Now, wouldn't you know it, I can't find it anywhere on his site! What happened to your archives Jeremy?
In short: make it short, make it relevant, make it personal.
Good bloggers get to the point in their posts, and appreciate it if you would get to the point when you are approaching them about something you want them to post about.
Don't send them content that they wouldn't naturally blog about. Don't "stretch their imaginations" too much. Look for blogs that focus on the type of information you are peddling.
Spend some time on a blog and find out about the blogger and address them by name. Do your best to make it at least appear that you know about them. Address them by name in your email.
Whatever you do, don't just send them a press release. If you have news you think they would find interesting, send them a summary and a link to where they can find the rest of the story.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Bad PR
I know a thing or two about bad PR. In fact, I got my start in PR at the WORST agency in the world. When we started Talon, we did so by "reverse engineering" every stupid thing we learned from our boss. Unfortunately, there are plenty of PR people just like her. As evidence, read this little snippet from one of my favorite news sources on mobile gadgetry, ComputingUnplugged:
Here's a simple rule: don't be a stupid PR person. Treat the media as if they are paying you to provide them with your information. Give them what they want, when they want it, and in a form that they can use.
Thanks for all the pens
In the ongoing mystery that is PR peoples' minds, we find, from time-to-time, weird promotions that make no sense. In fact, one of my many fourth-tier goals is to create a site called the "Bad PR Hall of Shame," just to showcase some of this bad PR. Now, this isn't just because bad PR is fun to pick on. It's worse. Small companies (and some large) often spend a lot of money on PR agencies and while we've had the pleasure of working with many great PR agencies, some others are very, very bad.I hate seeing hard-working developers squander their marketing budget on bad PR. But I digress. Today, we got a letter in the mail marked "personal and confidential". Inside was a press release about something called TUT (yeah, we don't know either). And it had two pens. No software, no hardware, no Web links, just your typical promotional-grade pens. They're nice pens. Denise claimed the pink one and I got the yellow one. So to the folks who wanted PR for "TUT", here it is. Bask in the joy of knowing you got press. And, someday, let us know what the heck you're trying to promote.
Here's a simple rule: don't be a stupid PR person. Treat the media as if they are paying you to provide them with your information. Give them what they want, when they want it, and in a form that they can use.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Good Writing
I really like to write, and I think I'm good at it. I'll devote myself to writing a news release or article for a client and think I've done a bang-up job on it. Write. Review. Edit. Revise. Beautiful! Then I send it to my editor, Tracy, and it comes back hashed up with reviewer's marks.
One rule for good writing is to have a good editor. You are not your audience, and writing to your own satisfaction is not the goal--writing so that your audience understands your message and is, perhaps, inspired to action should be the benchmark. No matter how wonderful you think your writing is, you need someone else to look it over.
Here is a nice article on good writing.
One rule for good writing is to have a good editor. You are not your audience, and writing to your own satisfaction is not the goal--writing so that your audience understands your message and is, perhaps, inspired to action should be the benchmark. No matter how wonderful you think your writing is, you need someone else to look it over.
Here is a nice article on good writing.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Our new blog
Winning Rules! I really believe that...which is why I hate playing sports. I'm a lousy athlete and winning doesn't come easily--unless I'm competing against somebody on crutches.
But I can still experience the thrill of victory at my favorite sports--entrepreneurship and business communications. There's nothing more exciting to me than the thrill of scoring a big article in a major newspaper or closing a big deal with a new client. I love enterprise, and communications is one of the most important ingredients to a successful business.
What are the Winning Rules for business and communications? There are a lot of them...which gives us a lot to discuss in this blog! Stay tuned!
But I can still experience the thrill of victory at my favorite sports--entrepreneurship and business communications. There's nothing more exciting to me than the thrill of scoring a big article in a major newspaper or closing a big deal with a new client. I love enterprise, and communications is one of the most important ingredients to a successful business.
What are the Winning Rules for business and communications? There are a lot of them...which gives us a lot to discuss in this blog! Stay tuned!
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