Air Force One Through Expert Eyes
My good friend, Ed Lallo – a professional photographer based in Austin, Texas – has posted a commentary on his blog, LalloPhoto.com, that’s made me chuckle.
Ed has evaluated the photo taken recently of Air Force One flying over the Statue of Liberty in New York. It’s the controversial photo that led to the resignation of [...]
The Passion and Inspiration of Video
The latest popular thing to do among many organizations and PR firms is to create videos that they believe will deliver some “killer” message, and put it on YouTube. There are hopes the videos will be viewed by millions, and somehow make the earth stop dead in its tracks while people are thrilled by what [...]
Build an Online Newsroom, Using Wordpress
As you have no doubt noticed, I’ve written quite a bit about the overuse and ineffectiveness of press releases. In this Internet era – a time when the ways of public discourse are changing, whether online or otherwise – one-way shouting out an announcement no longer is effective. Press releases are shouting. We are in [...]
The Short Lifespan of Press Releases …
Let’s talk practical, and about the real world. As we all know, the news media is undergoing seismic changes. Maybe it’s more accurate to call it, chaos. Newspapers are failing. Broadcast news is losing audience. There are layoffs every which way your turn in mainstream media. Online media is all over the map when it [...]
Is PR Out-of-Sync with the Internet Era?
When I wrote on this blog a few weeks ago about the fact that public relations people are woefully slow (or maybe fearful) at learning and developing expertise about latest developments in today’s online world, including even the basics of blogging, a fellow on the digital team of one major PR agency objected.
He said that [...]
A Remarkable View of the World
During a trip to Houston recently, I had the pleasure of visiting with an old and treasured friend, Ed Lallo. Ed is a professional photographer, and we have worked together on client projects for many years, from Kansas City to St. Petersburg, Russia.
In a world filled with many talented photographers, Ed is ranked at the [...]
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, and [...]
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 crowned [...]
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 Washington, [...]
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 it, [...]
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 me [...]
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 Tips [...]
