Archive for April, 2009
Town Hall or Community?
How do we create innovation through words? How often do we overuse words? How original are we with words, and when do words lose passion? I watched a panel discuss President Obama’s use of “town hall” meetings recently on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and the pundits all praised the President for inventing the concept, [...]
Iran … Where Americans are Imprisoned
While Iran, the country, must be a lovely place … and Iranians are good people … the country has been ruled for decades by a theocratic regime known for its extreme use of torture and denial of human and religious rights. In January, a journalist named Roxana Saberi – who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota; was [...]
Saturday Night at Amtrak
President Obama is calling for increased federal funding to improve Amtrak, the passenger train company in America, especially in what’s called the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston. He wants to give Amtrak $1.3 Billion. Sounds like a pretty good idea but I doubt if the President has ever ridden on an Amtrak train between [...]
Jane Told Claire, Claire Told Me
Word of mouth marketing is like third party endorsement. It’s the most influential and powerful form of social media. It’s the original social media. Here’s an example – Jane Paznik-Bondarin, a writer and professor in New York City, told our daughter Claire about a small coffee shop that she found to be remarkable. Claire loved [...]
Unique Positioning in One Sentence
Boosting awareness for a business, not-for-profit organization or association doesn’t start or end with a mission statement. In fact, mission statements are a waste of time in today’s world because they are singularly inward-looking and useless. Awareness comes from a single distinctive positioning message that stimulates a conversation, and a desire to know more. Let [...]
10 Twitter Tips for the Workplace
Among the rash of tips about online social media, this piece by Carolyn Duffy Marsan of Network World is outstanding, and clearly the best in my book. She knows what she’s talking about, and provides a wealth of links to back-up her examples. Carolyn has graciously given permission for me to excerpt her 10 Twitter [...]
Plain Language is Sexy
Plain language … it’s clear, to the point, meaningful, and it’s such a cool approach, it’s … sexy. In today’s noisy world, there’s no better way to cut through competitive clutter than with the instant clarity of plain language. The new online Gobbledygook Grader – recently announced by HubSpot, David Meerman Scott and Dow Jones [...]
Nobody Ever Kicked in the Door
Back when I was an on-air correspondent for CBS News, I witnessed how many organizations reacted in crisis. It was usually a fumbling manner that fell into into one of three different yet predictable styles: Pull down the shades, turn out the lights, say nothing, pretend it will go away, and discuss changing the name [...]
Pillars of Leadership in the Internet Era
Among upcoming appearances, it is my pleasure to speak at the Bronze Quill Awards of the Houston IABC on April 30. Here is a piece the Houston IABC chapter requested to post on their blog: It used to be that we just had to keep track of journalists as they moved around their industry. Today, [...]
Realigning Public Relations for the Internet Era
News programs, newspapers and the media are full of stories about business in turmoil, many companies struggling to stay alive and viable in not only these tough economic times but also in a world that has changed dramatically. Change has happened quicker and more profoundly than many of us comprehend, partly because we have no [...]
