Archive for December, 2008
Young Adult Leaders: Changing Times
(Hluboka, Czech Republic) Someone emailed me to ask who was behind … who was sponsoring … the truly outstanding Changing Times Conference – held at the Townshend International School in the southern Czech Republic. The organizers are seen in the photo at the right … five young adult professionals from Europe, America and the Middle [...]
Focusing More on Results
I am in Europe this week to speak at the Changing Times Young Adult Forum. Before departing, I asked Marsha Friedman, Founder and CEO of the successful Florida-based EMSI PR agency, if I could repost an article she wrote for clients about how to develop a news angle that works. Incidentally, EMSI is one of [...]
Changing Times: Young Adult Leadership
Between now and the end of the year, I am attending and giving a series of lectures and workshops at the Changing Times European Young Adult Forum. It’s held at the Townshend International School in the southern Czech village of Hluboka nad Vitavou. I have never before known of such an astonishing conference that brings [...]
One of the World’s Most Important News Sources
(Prague, Czech Republic) I heard a lot about Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) during the Cold War. I was at CBS News at the time, and aware of the fine work done by RFE/RL journalists to inform the Russian people of what was really happening in their country, despite continuous attempts by the [...]
David Meerman Scott on The Media Savvy Leader
It is such an honor to read the following review posted at Amazon.com about my new book, The Media Savvy Leader, from David Meerman Scott, an icon in leadership consulting and online marketing. David writes: There are a bunch of books out there about media relations but almost all are flawed. The books to avoid [...]
Prague on a Winter’s Night
This is my first visit to Prague. I had heard the city is famous for its medieval buildings, dramatic bridges, good food and friendly people. On my first day here … walking through the old city with my wife, Kit … we found all that to be true. Prague is a lovely city. And, there [...]
Integrity … Defined
I have always had the greatest respect for Walt Mossberg, veteran high technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal. Walt has something on his blog – All Things Digital – that is important because it defines his integrity and character, as if he needed any help. It’s called, “Walt’s Ethics Statement,” and in it, Walt [...]
Video Story Treatment: The Barber’s Diaries
I have been working for some months with Outpost Worldwide – an indie film and cinema HD video production studio – and filmmaker/director Kevin Willmott to bring a remarkable, very timely and inspiring story to television screens … and, hopefully, the motion picture screens. It’s The Barber’s Diaries, the story of Charles Everett Ellis, who [...]
Web 2.0’s Wild West Days
Web 2.0, the Internet’s interactive phrase, is on the verge of becoming out of control with tools, toys and hype. It’s akin to the wild west days of the tech boom in the 1990s, except today it should have become more professional, ethical and honest. Not so. Like distant cousins of Professor Harold Hill, there [...]
A Distinguishing Photographer
In a world full of outstanding photographers, how does one truly great photographer distinguish himself? Well, among the first considerations are reputation that comes from authentic talent and years of experience. My old friend Ed Lallo is, certainly in my estimation, a great photographer, and he’s got a terrific reputation and decades of experience, including [...]
Post-It Note Debacle: Social Media Ethics
A recent online discussion with David Meerman Scott led to inviting him to contribute a piece on the subject of defining ethics for social media. He’s a piece David shares from his blog, Web Ink Now: One of the most amazing things about the Web is that when an idea takes off on the Web, [...]
What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists
When I read Anita Bruzzese’s blog posting, What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists, that appeared today on Chris Brogan’s outstanding and popular blog, I immediately sought her permission to repost her list of ten tips here. I am very happy she said, yes: It takes time to gain trust. If you post something that has [...]
TV’s One-Man-Band for News
WUSA television in Washington, D.C., has announced a significant change in how the station will cover and report news, a change that will certainly impact the quality, professionalism and accuracy of news reported by the station in the nation’s capital. For decades, TV news people in larger cities have worked in teams – a reporter [...]
Size Doesn’t Matter … Skills Do
Sincere thanks to Expert Access and my friend Steve Kayser at Cincom in Cincinnati for featuring my piece on leadership, Size Doesn’t Matter, Skills Do: During many interviews with corporations, organizations, and PR agencies—in addition to the media—in preparation to write my new book, “The Media Savvy Leader,” I found that not many corporate leaders [...]
You Know It’s Getting Bad When …
National Public Radio – NPR – one of America’s leading and most respected news organizations – plans to lay off seven percent of its staff, the first layoffs at the popular radio news and information national network in 25 years. The reason – NPR has been hit by the recession, like many other news organizations. NPR [...]
Online Rankings Really Count
In today’s competitive world, the online ranking of an organization’s site really counts, and is a measure of that organization’s appeal, popularity and success. I am frequently checking new blogs and Web sites I visit against Alexa.com, the free online site ranking service owned by Amazon.com. While Alexa has its detractors – often among webmasters [...]
