Even since 9-11, fear has become a marketable commodity in America to the point where we have become a fearful nation, fearful of darn near everything. The military markets enlisting to become a warrior, and there are competitions of so-called gladiators on TV. Yet, at the very core is fear.

Fear is not a new method of controlling the public.  When I was a kid, it was the fear of nuclear attack, from either the Soviets or Martians.  We’d get under our school desks in “duck and cover” drills.

For the last seven years, America has been governed by a White House that has skillfully made manipulation of public opinion through fear into a dark and terribly destructive art form.

Fox News was among the first to use TV news to market fear in order to build ratings and enhance advertising revenue stream. Then, the other cable channels, TV networks and local stations piled on the fear bandwagon.

We hear of law enforcement agencies over-reacting out of fear, perhaps of the sky falling.

Now, because a few people possibly became ill from salmonella from tomatoes, Five Guys, the chain of burger joints, is among restaurants that have stopped serving tomatoes, maybe for good, for fear of … something.

Good grief! What about, as an alternative, seeking confirmed safer sources (and higher quality) of tomatoes and washing them in mild organic soap and warm water?

A business acquaintance was telling me that he hoped his company might emulate the style of Dell Computer’s corporate blog. Not wanting to throw cold water on his hopes, I kept silent. But Dell’s blog is not my concept of a contemporary transparent and open interface with customers. Rather, it is more focused on product promotion, chockful of predictable corporate hype and jargon. Example - “Providing Mission Critical Assistance to ProSupport Customers …” That’s self-aggrandizing ad copy, and simply not believable or credible.

Here’s a clue that Dell’s blog is not engendering great support - the miniscule number of comments. Corporate blogs that are successful focus on creating a transparent, interactive online environment. Dell, on the other hand, appears to be using its blog as another advertising platform to push corporate sales fluff.

Here are eight tips to successful corporate blogs:

1. Ask “why” - Why do you want to have a corporate blog? What’s the real purpose, the objective? If it’s to sell, advertise or overtly promote, go buy an ad. The objective of a CEO or corporate blog should be to engage customers/clients in an online discussion, no-holds-barred. If a company has a damaged brand image or reputation, a corporate blog is a good way to give unhappy customers a voice and hopefully win new friends.
2. Post often - get to the point - be brief - invite comments. No one will bother to read long-winded corporate jabber. Make it clear that you want to hear what people really think, especially if they don’t agree.
3. Develop a thick skin. If a corporate blog is genuinely successful, it needs to be a forum for anyone to express any opinion about the company, profanity excluded. Read the full article
   Tags: corporate blogs, Dell, Outpost Worldwide

One of the big mysteries in the television business is why Comcast has refused to carry HDNet. HDNet is one of the finest examples of original HD programming and professional news reporting that is available on television today.  

You may be recall that ex-CBS News anchorman Dan Rather joined HDNet, and Rather today is doing some of his best work there.  The spectrum of high definition TV channels that comprise the HDNet networks is available on nearly every cable system in America except … Comcast.

Visit HDNet’s Web site, and there is a page that says, “Comcast has chosen not to make HDNet and HDNet Movies available …”

I asked a Comcast representative for comment, and he could offer no explanation about why HDNet is not carried by Comcast. I have exchanged emails with Mark Cuban, Founder and owner of HDNet, and he wrote, “I can’t figure out why they won’t carry us.”

One thing is for sure — an enormous slice of the U.S. population that’s served today by Comcast cable TV is being denied outstanding news, sports and entertainment programming from HDNet.

I rarely write on this blog about a motion picture that I have seen.  In fact, this is the first film review I have ever written, and I am not skilled at such things.  But I know what I like, and Bunker Hill deserves great praise as a courageous and realistic film.  Bunker Hill is a highly relevant, timely and meaningful motion picture for the times we live in, and I highly recommend it.

Bunker Hill is a new independent feature film from infinitely talented and noted director Kevin Willmott (left in the photo with me at the screening in Washington, DC), who is based in Lawrence, Kansas.  Bunker Hill is now making the rounds nationwide of film festivals and screenings.

The film stars Emmy and Peabody Award winner James McDaniel (NYPD Blue, Sunshine State); Saeed Jaffrey the legendary actor from India who has starred in more than 150 films including Gandhi, Passage to India, My Beautiful Launderette and The Man Who Would Be King; and Laura Kirk, star and co-writer of the acclaimed feature film “Lisa Picard Is Famous,” which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival.

Bunker Hill is the story of a former Wall Street executive who leaves prison after 9-11 and heads for the small town of Bunker Hill, Kansas, where his ex-wife and their children have started a new life. Soon after he arrives, an apparent massive terrorist attack against America darkens the town. Cut off from the world, the town’s militant past is reawakened and forces coalesce to protect citizens from an unseen enemy. The town’s fear leads to the creation of a posse of gunmen, torture, illegal searches and eventually, murder.

Look beyond what seems like a lot of violence (actually not much at that) to the honest and raw realness of Bunker Hill.  It is a film not to be missed.

You may be sick of reading about Comcast on this blog, and I guess I don’t blame you.  But the point I am trying to make is that when a company, such as Comcast, constantly has a poor reputation for customer relations, it is not the result of marketplace competition.  It is, in fact, because of self-inflicted wounds.

In Comcast’s case, it is a defensive and inwardly-focused culture that inhibits building positive relationships and transparent conversations with customers. To borrow an often-used phrase, it is an analog corporate culture in a digital world.  Comcast exclusively creates its own external problems that injury the company’s reputation, starting with its Web sites and lack of an interactive blog.

Customers hate Comcast because it consumes hours and hours simply to get the company to fix simple issues. Additionally, it’s so darn hard to find anyone at Comcast with the authority or competence to fix anything.  Simple as that.  

I would like nothing better than to see Comcast change, and here’s why - the company’s Internet and cable TV service is pretty good, other than the fact that Comcast has banned the outstanding HDNet network channels (more about that in a later posting).  

The formula for improving Comcast’s reputation is neither difficult nor time-consuming nor expensive to achieve.  The company could see quantifiable improvements within a few months that would result in favorable buzz and glowing reviews among customers, the media and stake-holders.

While I know the formula, I will not give it away here because such consulting is what I do for a living.  Yet, the essential elements include openness, transparency and becoming more ethical.  Comcast might begin by studying the terrific examples of Apple and Zappos.

A source at Apple tells me that a cosmetic difference between the original iPhone and the new iPhone 3G is that the new model will have a plastic case. Buyers will have a choice of black or white plastic.

That could be a issue to some iPhone purists - the brushed metal case of the original iPhone is pretty classy looking.  On the other hand, anything Apple creates is classy.  Besides, the metal is slippery in the hand while plastic might be easier to hold.

The iPhone 3G is expected July 11.  As I have previously written, it is the software update for my original iPhone that I am looking forward to on that date.

When a Washington Times reporter this morning referred to blue collar voters as “Lou Dobbs democrats,” I laughed out loud about how gullible we’ve become as a society … even the media.

The nightly rants on cable television by Lou Dobbs over the plight of so-called blue collar Americans are an act, a dramatic show, done for the sole purpose of revitalizing his CNN ratings, which were on a steep slide against MSNBC, and to enrich himself and his employer. If you really believe anything he says, then let me ask you this — why isn’t Dobbs outside the studio, shirt-sleeves rolled up and doing something tangible, other than talking? He has no record of community service or activism, just talk. The only time he leaves the studio is for a speaking engagement where he collects a fat fee.

What Dobbs is doing today isn’t really much different from what Rush Limbaugh has done to appeal to right-wingers for decades - extremist ranting to create publicity … saying outrageous things they want to hear but are afraid to say themselves. The purpose is to make money from inciting anger.

Limbaugh, too, is an act honed while a talk show host in Kansas City, and he has since made millions from hateful and often inaccurate and harmful extremist opinions.

It’s all just hot air.