From Ben McConnell of Church of the Customer - Chicago Domino's leader applogizes for screwed-up order.
http://www.viddler.com/explore/dpzramon/videos/19/
Ben comments: Over the years, we've featured several ways to apologize for service problems.
This is my all-time favorite apology.
Beth introduces us to Ramon De Leon, who owns several Domino's Pizzas stores in Chicago. Ramon apologized to a customer named Amy recently when one of his stores fouled up her order.
What I love about Ramon's video apology:
He's not reading from a script.
He includes the general manager of the store in question, who performs his video penance well.
He apologizes with flair, not like a corporate drone.
It's the flair, of course, that pushes this video apology over the top, making it something Amy, her friends, co-workers -- and those of us immersed in customer experience minutiae -- are sure to talk about, if not love.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Groups: The Secret Web of the Social Web
Excellent article from ReadWriteWeb on the value + need to sort your web world into groups -http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/groups_the_secret_weapon_of_the_social_web.php
Universal Taps Twitter Buzz In Rich Media Ads
MediaPost reports: Universal Pictures plans to integrate Twitter into rich media ads that will promote two separate movies scheduled for release this summer. The tweets will appear in the banner similar to a ticker feed. People will have an option to read and monitor the buzz written by other fans directly from the Web page.
Keeping the News Crawl Running During Ad Breaks
NYT reports: In theory, cable networks that keep their news and information tickers rolling during commercial breaks could upset advertisers, which might feel that viewers are being distracted from their message. But media agency buyers and creative executives say they embrace the concept.
Keep those eyes on the screen baby!
Keep those eyes on the screen baby!
Baltimore Sun Cuts Nearly One-third of Newsroom
Baltimore Sun reports: The Baltimore Sun has cut its newsroom staff by nearly a third in a reorganization the company said would help it not just survive but succeed in one of the worst economic downturns in decades. The news company laid off 61 newsroom staffers, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Tories pledge to protect local media
MediaWeek reports: Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the Conservative Party would not protect the old regional media business models if it came to power, but insisted the party would seek to protect local media.
Speaking at a local media summit held by the Conservatives today (30 April), Hunt said there needs to be "a strong business model" for local media because there are hundreds of thousands of advertisers who want to advertise at a local level and the Government needs to look at "how legislation and the law can facilitate that".
Hunt said the Conservatives agree with the regional media industry that the OFT needs to look at the competition and merger rules and what "constitutes significant parts of the UK", and whether it is appropriate for the Competition Commission to be involved in mergers at a local level.
Although the media industry is going through structural change, Hunt said there are things that can be done "in terms of public policy" and media organisations must look at new business models that offer a "cross-media solution".
Speaking at a local media summit held by the Conservatives today (30 April), Hunt said there needs to be "a strong business model" for local media because there are hundreds of thousands of advertisers who want to advertise at a local level and the Government needs to look at "how legislation and the law can facilitate that".
Hunt said the Conservatives agree with the regional media industry that the OFT needs to look at the competition and merger rules and what "constitutes significant parts of the UK", and whether it is appropriate for the Competition Commission to be involved in mergers at a local level.
Although the media industry is going through structural change, Hunt said there are things that can be done "in terms of public policy" and media organisations must look at new business models that offer a "cross-media solution".
Governors who use Twitter
Bob Riley (R-Ala.)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.)
Bill Ritter (D-Col.)
Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.)
Bobby Jindal (R-La.)
Martin O’Malley (D-Md.)
Deval Patrick (D-Mass.)
Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.)
Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.)
Haley Barbour (R-Miss.)
Bill Richardson (D-N.M.)
Mark Sanford (R-S.C.)
Rick Perry (R-Texas)
Jon Huntsman Jr. (R-Utah)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.)
Bill Ritter (D-Col.)
Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.)
Bobby Jindal (R-La.)
Martin O’Malley (D-Md.)
Deval Patrick (D-Mass.)
Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.)
Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.)
Haley Barbour (R-Miss.)
Bill Richardson (D-N.M.)
Mark Sanford (R-S.C.)
Rick Perry (R-Texas)
Jon Huntsman Jr. (R-Utah)
Twitter becomes political tool
Kiera Manion-Fischer reports in a special article to Stateline.org: Young people have been using Twitter, an online social networking tool, for three years to gossip among themselves in text messages or “tweets” of 140 characters or less. Now state government officials and agencies are tapping into its possibilities.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) used Twitter Tuesday (April 28) to let people know what his state was doing about swine flu. And one of Schwarzenegger’s would-be successors – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) – alerted supporters that he would run for the state’s highest office in 2010 via the same process.
Schwarzenegger and Newsom are among a growing number of politicians and agencies taking advantage of the latest tool in text messaging to inform the public and rally support. Twitter is a free service that any computer-savvy individual can use to send very brief notes – or “tweets” – on their computer or cell phone to a network of friends, family, coworkers and other “followers.”
Web watchers estimate that 3 million Twitter messages were sent each day in March, and more than a million people used the service. The Pew Internet & American Life Project, which, like Stateline.org, is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, reported that as of December 2008, 11 percent of American adults who use the Internet accessed Twitter or a similar service.
Arkansas House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson (D), who maintains a blog and a Twitter feed, told Stateline.org he sends Twitter updates to constituents and state Capitol insiders after a vote in his judiciary committee. “I’m able to get my information out there before my local daily newspaper does,” he said. Harrelson said he uses social media for government transparency and because of its immediacy and lack of media filters..
The National Conference of State Legislatures has a directory of state legislative caucuses which use social media. Thirteen caucuses twitter about their activities. State Senate Democrats in the state of Washington send out messages like: “The Senate is out of caucus and is heading back to the floor to hear more bills!” They go on to list bills that are being voted on.
At the federal level, TweetCongress tracks U.S. senators and representatives who use Twitter and encourages those who don’t to sign up. The site’s database is searchable by name and location and includes a state-by-state breakdown.
Chris McCroskey, one of the creators of TweetCongress, said he’s open-sourcing — or giving away — his site’s design so others can copy it to track the federal government or state government on Twitter.
GovTwit, a directory of “all facets of government on Twitter,” lists officials and agencies at all levels of government as well as contractors, journalists and academics. The directory is updated by Steve Lunceford, a spokesman for BearingPoint, a management and technology consulting company. Lunceford said there are about 230 names in the state and local category out of 1,000 in the directory as a whole.
Among the 12 governors who use Twitter, Schwarzenegger’s page is the most popular – more than 54,000 people subscribe to it. New Mexico Democrat Gov. Bill Richardson has the fewest number of Twitter devotees at about 200.
Most governors’ pages offer fairly bland news releases, but a few offer occasional personal commentary. Will Franklin, director of new media for Gov. Rick Perry’s re-election campaign, said the Texas Republican looks at Twitter on his Blackberry and tweets personally.
Perry sometimes responds to messages. The only thing Franklin does on Perry’s account is to follow back people who follow him – considered Twitter etiquette.
Twitter is not the rage for everyone. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) scolded legislators for using it during her state of the state address this year.
Perdue delivered the tongue-lashing while discussing education problems. “For too many students, they actually ignore what's going on in the classroom while they are busy "tweeting" on Twitter. Just like I see some of you doing while I’m talking,” she said.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) used Twitter Tuesday (April 28) to let people know what his state was doing about swine flu. And one of Schwarzenegger’s would-be successors – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) – alerted supporters that he would run for the state’s highest office in 2010 via the same process.
Schwarzenegger and Newsom are among a growing number of politicians and agencies taking advantage of the latest tool in text messaging to inform the public and rally support. Twitter is a free service that any computer-savvy individual can use to send very brief notes – or “tweets” – on their computer or cell phone to a network of friends, family, coworkers and other “followers.”
Web watchers estimate that 3 million Twitter messages were sent each day in March, and more than a million people used the service. The Pew Internet & American Life Project, which, like Stateline.org, is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, reported that as of December 2008, 11 percent of American adults who use the Internet accessed Twitter or a similar service.
Arkansas House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson (D), who maintains a blog and a Twitter feed, told Stateline.org he sends Twitter updates to constituents and state Capitol insiders after a vote in his judiciary committee. “I’m able to get my information out there before my local daily newspaper does,” he said. Harrelson said he uses social media for government transparency and because of its immediacy and lack of media filters..
The National Conference of State Legislatures has a directory of state legislative caucuses which use social media. Thirteen caucuses twitter about their activities. State Senate Democrats in the state of Washington send out messages like: “The Senate is out of caucus and is heading back to the floor to hear more bills!” They go on to list bills that are being voted on.
At the federal level, TweetCongress tracks U.S. senators and representatives who use Twitter and encourages those who don’t to sign up. The site’s database is searchable by name and location and includes a state-by-state breakdown.
Chris McCroskey, one of the creators of TweetCongress, said he’s open-sourcing — or giving away — his site’s design so others can copy it to track the federal government or state government on Twitter.
GovTwit, a directory of “all facets of government on Twitter,” lists officials and agencies at all levels of government as well as contractors, journalists and academics. The directory is updated by Steve Lunceford, a spokesman for BearingPoint, a management and technology consulting company. Lunceford said there are about 230 names in the state and local category out of 1,000 in the directory as a whole.
Among the 12 governors who use Twitter, Schwarzenegger’s page is the most popular – more than 54,000 people subscribe to it. New Mexico Democrat Gov. Bill Richardson has the fewest number of Twitter devotees at about 200.
Most governors’ pages offer fairly bland news releases, but a few offer occasional personal commentary. Will Franklin, director of new media for Gov. Rick Perry’s re-election campaign, said the Texas Republican looks at Twitter on his Blackberry and tweets personally.
Perry sometimes responds to messages. The only thing Franklin does on Perry’s account is to follow back people who follow him – considered Twitter etiquette.
Twitter is not the rage for everyone. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) scolded legislators for using it during her state of the state address this year.
Perdue delivered the tongue-lashing while discussing education problems. “For too many students, they actually ignore what's going on in the classroom while they are busy "tweeting" on Twitter. Just like I see some of you doing while I’m talking,” she said.
Orders of Magnitude Easier to Start a Business Today
Coments from Howard Greenstein the Inc. Start-Up Toolkit blog: "Now is a great time to start a company," according to David S. Rose. David should know, he's started several, and is Chairman of the Board of the New York Angels, Inc., the leading angel investment consortium in the New York region.
Last week at New York Entrepreneurship Week's BootupNYC event, Rose's keynote discussed the differences in cost and investment between starting a tech based business just a few years ago, and starting one now. The orders of magnitude are considerable.
"When the Internet started, it was the Wild West, so everything was custom created, both for business models and engineering," says Rose.
When he launched AirMedia in 1993, a venture funded wireless internet broadcast "newscatcher" product, it took roughly $20 Million to finish the hardware and software development. The company became an Inc. 500 company, though the product was somewhat ahead of its time and they restarted the company.
In 1998, Airmedia became an Internet backend to let others create information, and it took $2 Million to create a shipping product and platform. When Rose invested in WIFI startup Joltage, a competitor to the "WIFI only in certain coffee shops" model popularized by T-Mobile in 2001, it took only $200k to ship the product.
Earlier this year, NY Angels funded Pond 5, which created a user-generated video stock footage website. They had a team of 3, and they had started their company by bootstrapping a site to the point of generating revenue. The cost? $20,000. Because they were able to show revenue and demand, NY Angels invested $500,000 to grow the company.
It is common to hear of developers creating iPhone applications at $2000. $2k is a long way from $20 million - because there's much more Internet infrastructure to support your development. Back then, Rose said, "You had to convince people that your concept had a chance to work, then you raised capital and developed a Proof of Concept. Today you should be able to develop a web site before you show it, and get much, if not all, of your product created out of your own pocket or with funds from friends and family."
Once you do that, Rose advises, get the product out there and find an audience. "Investors need you to show that you have users and traction before they will fund you. At that time you can use angel funding to accelerate your marketing and growth to show real customers spending real money on your product. The new reality for companies is to get to break even-or to profit-on angel money, and then you can get a follow-on round and really grow the enterprise. But remember, fewer than three companies out of 100 get angel funding, and the only ones who do are the highest quality ones. These are the startups with all the pieces of the puzzle pulled together: large market opportunity, great product, scalable business model, demonstrated customer acceptance, competitive advantages, tight operating budget, clear exit strategy, and above all, great management with a proven ability to execute."
(Disclosure: NY Angels' incubator provides space to NYSIA. Greenstein is a consultant to NYSIA).
Last week at New York Entrepreneurship Week's BootupNYC event, Rose's keynote discussed the differences in cost and investment between starting a tech based business just a few years ago, and starting one now. The orders of magnitude are considerable.
"When the Internet started, it was the Wild West, so everything was custom created, both for business models and engineering," says Rose.
When he launched AirMedia in 1993, a venture funded wireless internet broadcast "newscatcher" product, it took roughly $20 Million to finish the hardware and software development. The company became an Inc. 500 company, though the product was somewhat ahead of its time and they restarted the company.
In 1998, Airmedia became an Internet backend to let others create information, and it took $2 Million to create a shipping product and platform. When Rose invested in WIFI startup Joltage, a competitor to the "WIFI only in certain coffee shops" model popularized by T-Mobile in 2001, it took only $200k to ship the product.
Earlier this year, NY Angels funded Pond 5, which created a user-generated video stock footage website. They had a team of 3, and they had started their company by bootstrapping a site to the point of generating revenue. The cost? $20,000. Because they were able to show revenue and demand, NY Angels invested $500,000 to grow the company.
It is common to hear of developers creating iPhone applications at $2000. $2k is a long way from $20 million - because there's much more Internet infrastructure to support your development. Back then, Rose said, "You had to convince people that your concept had a chance to work, then you raised capital and developed a Proof of Concept. Today you should be able to develop a web site before you show it, and get much, if not all, of your product created out of your own pocket or with funds from friends and family."
Once you do that, Rose advises, get the product out there and find an audience. "Investors need you to show that you have users and traction before they will fund you. At that time you can use angel funding to accelerate your marketing and growth to show real customers spending real money on your product. The new reality for companies is to get to break even-or to profit-on angel money, and then you can get a follow-on round and really grow the enterprise. But remember, fewer than three companies out of 100 get angel funding, and the only ones who do are the highest quality ones. These are the startups with all the pieces of the puzzle pulled together: large market opportunity, great product, scalable business model, demonstrated customer acceptance, competitive advantages, tight operating budget, clear exit strategy, and above all, great management with a proven ability to execute."
(Disclosure: NY Angels' incubator provides space to NYSIA. Greenstein is a consultant to NYSIA).
Time Warner/AOL = Breakup
In a regulatory filing, Time Warner announced plans to spin off AOL.
MarketingVox reports that AOL remains the fourth-highest trafficked online property in the US, just behind Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. It served 104 million uniques in March (via comScore). But the company's suffered some relevance pains: in January it cut 10% of its workforce — 700 employees. And it recently cut CEO Randy Falco out of the picture, replacing him with ex Google ad exec Tim Armstrong.
Time did not reveal an ETA for when AOL would be spun off, but it did relate plans to buy back the 5% of AOL equity presently held by Google.
MarketingVox reports that AOL remains the fourth-highest trafficked online property in the US, just behind Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. It served 104 million uniques in March (via comScore). But the company's suffered some relevance pains: in January it cut 10% of its workforce — 700 employees. And it recently cut CEO Randy Falco out of the picture, replacing him with ex Google ad exec Tim Armstrong.
Time did not reveal an ETA for when AOL would be spun off, but it did relate plans to buy back the 5% of AOL equity presently held by Google.
New Google feature: “public data search”
Gapminder reports: Google has just launched a new search feature that makes it possible to search and compare public data in an interactive graph. In this first version, data for unemployment, for all US states and districts, are available and the results are very interesting:Click this link to see and investigate US unemployment rate
Also read Google’s official announcement:Google Blog: Adding search power to public data
Also read Google’s official announcement:Google Blog: Adding search power to public data
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
AOL ups the ante with release of Socialthing
Brand Republic reports: AOL has released its newest weapon in its battle against Facebook and is looking beyond Bebo with the rollout of social networking aggregator Socialthing website.
Socialthing is AOL's answer to Facebook Connect, which allows users to "connect" their Facebook identity to any social media website, like Digg.
Socialthing is AOL's answer to Facebook Connect, which allows users to "connect" their Facebook identity to any social media website, like Digg.
60% of Twitter users abandon website after one month
Brand Republic reports: More than 60% of Twitter users stop using the social networking site one month after signing up for the service.
Data from Nielsen Online found that Twitter has a "retention rate" of about 40%, meaning four in 10 users will continue to use the site from one month to the next.
In comparison, Twitter's retention rate is about half the size of rival websites Facebook and MySpace during their first three years of existence.
Furthermore, when Facebook and MySpace went through their explosive growth phases, much like Twitter is now, their retention rates only went up, both sitting at nearly 70% today.
However, the study fails to convey the general acceptance of social networking into the mainstream over the past few years.
More importantly the study doesn't reveal how many users are using third-party applications to access Twitter, such as the popular Tweetdeck application, without actually signing in on Twitter.com.
David Martin, vice president of primary research at Nielsen Online, said: "Twitter has enjoyed a nice ride over the past few months, but it will not be able to sustain its meteoric rise without establishing a higher level of user loyalty."
Data from Nielsen Online found that Twitter has a "retention rate" of about 40%, meaning four in 10 users will continue to use the site from one month to the next.
In comparison, Twitter's retention rate is about half the size of rival websites Facebook and MySpace during their first three years of existence.
Furthermore, when Facebook and MySpace went through their explosive growth phases, much like Twitter is now, their retention rates only went up, both sitting at nearly 70% today.
However, the study fails to convey the general acceptance of social networking into the mainstream over the past few years.
More importantly the study doesn't reveal how many users are using third-party applications to access Twitter, such as the popular Tweetdeck application, without actually signing in on Twitter.com.
David Martin, vice president of primary research at Nielsen Online, said: "Twitter has enjoyed a nice ride over the past few months, but it will not be able to sustain its meteoric rise without establishing a higher level of user loyalty."
Microsoft rumoured to be launching iPhone killer
Time.com = White House Behind-the-Scenes
100 Photos for 100 Days: Time photographer Callie Shell documents the President Obama's historic start on the job.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
My Tech + Strategy Blog Reading List
Silicon Alley Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/alleyinsider
TechCrunch
http://www.techcrunch.com/
Technologizer
http://technologizer.com/
RedHerring
http://www.redherring.com/Home/
VentureBeat
http://venturebeat.com/
A VC
http://www.avc.com/
Seth Godin’s Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/
TechnologyReview
http://www.technologyreview.com/
BoingBoing
http://www.boingboing.net/
Mashable
http://mashable.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/alleyinsider
TechCrunch
http://www.techcrunch.com/
Technologizer
http://technologizer.com/
RedHerring
http://www.redherring.com/Home/
VentureBeat
http://venturebeat.com/
A VC
http://www.avc.com/
Seth Godin’s Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/
TechnologyReview
http://www.technologyreview.com/
BoingBoing
http://www.boingboing.net/
Mashable
http://mashable.com/
Favorang = "What Do You Need?"
I have a colleague back on the East Coast who is working on a May 4 private beta launch for Favorang @ http://www.favorang.com/.
Favorang is a compelling concept that is definitely worth checking out. All of us are familiar with the current social media outlets that are providing online professional networking and they work well. I know that I have benefited directly from using LinkedIn. But Favorang has added a much needed twist and targeted user value. Favorang is similar to current models in that once a profile is established, users can begin networking for free, but their service is based upon favor exchanges.
When a new user logs in, they are presented with a simple question….”what do you need?” and by answering this, they can post a favor request based on geography – be it local or national – as well as by community, topic or individual. A good example of how this service can add immediate value – consider an entrepreneur who logs in and posts a favor - “I am getting ready to launch a new company, and need part time consulting on Marketing/ PR”, or “I have a great business plan I’d like a successful entrepreneur to review”.
The point is, whatever the need is, it can be posted, broadcasted and searched by all Favorang users. Straight away users have a method to dramatically increase their network reach. As Favorang is need driven and not connection driven – you have the ability to ask in a non-threatening and friendly fashion for help, assistance, advice or guidance. Instead of asking for favors to people who don’t have the experience or time you need within your immediate network - you can now ask for favors from a much larger audience to individuals with the right skill set necessary for the task or even the time available to help you out.
I have created a profile already and have invited some entreprenuers I know to join as well - and the reposne has been positive.
So as you check your LinkedIn, LikeMe, and MySpace today, add Favorang to your list. There’s got to be something you need, and you have nothing to lose by posting it in this forum. Check out http://www.favorang.com/ and create a profile - it would be a favor to me.
Favorang is a compelling concept that is definitely worth checking out. All of us are familiar with the current social media outlets that are providing online professional networking and they work well. I know that I have benefited directly from using LinkedIn. But Favorang has added a much needed twist and targeted user value. Favorang is similar to current models in that once a profile is established, users can begin networking for free, but their service is based upon favor exchanges.
When a new user logs in, they are presented with a simple question….”what do you need?” and by answering this, they can post a favor request based on geography – be it local or national – as well as by community, topic or individual. A good example of how this service can add immediate value – consider an entrepreneur who logs in and posts a favor - “I am getting ready to launch a new company, and need part time consulting on Marketing/ PR”, or “I have a great business plan I’d like a successful entrepreneur to review”.
The point is, whatever the need is, it can be posted, broadcasted and searched by all Favorang users. Straight away users have a method to dramatically increase their network reach. As Favorang is need driven and not connection driven – you have the ability to ask in a non-threatening and friendly fashion for help, assistance, advice or guidance. Instead of asking for favors to people who don’t have the experience or time you need within your immediate network - you can now ask for favors from a much larger audience to individuals with the right skill set necessary for the task or even the time available to help you out.
I have created a profile already and have invited some entreprenuers I know to join as well - and the reposne has been positive.
So as you check your LinkedIn, LikeMe, and MySpace today, add Favorang to your list. There’s got to be something you need, and you have nothing to lose by posting it in this forum. Check out http://www.favorang.com/ and create a profile - it would be a favor to me.
What Has Team Obama Done For Your State?
Check out what Team Obama has done for you state - simply hit this link for an interactive map with cool facts and figures.
These guys never miss a chance to advocate.
These guys never miss a chance to advocate.
Cool Job Annoucement -"REALLY GOODE JOB" Pays $10,000 per month for wine country gig
The Murphy-Goode Winery has a "Really Goode Job" for the right person. The Sonoma County winery is looking for an outgoing, web-savvy, articulate communicator to tell the story of the great mountain vines and artisan winemakers of California, tasting the "goode" stuff and experiencing the unique Sonoma wine country.
"A Really Goode Job" will pay $10,000 a month for a six-month contract that includes private housing in the heart of wine country: Healdsburg, California.
Throughout the course of the job the successful applicant will learn about viticulture, winemaking, Sonoma County and Murphy-Goode wines. He or she will prepare and post dispatches on their experiences though social media tools such as Facebook, blogs, internet videos and Twitter as well as traditional media.
The application process begins in San Francisco at 11:30 a.m. April 28 at 120 Market Street near the Hyatt Regency. Visitors who arrive at the "A Really Goode Job's" purple and white kiosk between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. will meet the boss, receive job tips and get a 24-hour head start in the application process by being provided with a code that will give them immediate access to the www.areallygoodejob.com web site.
On April 29 the website for job applicants will open to the public at large. All applicants are required to complete an employment application and upload a one-minute video, demonstrating their special qualifications for the position. (Videos more than one minute in length will not be viewed.) Applications close on June 5, 2009 at 11 pm Pacific Time.
Murphy-Goode Winery will then select 50 candidates and from there narrow the list down to the top ten who will be interviewed from June 27 to July 1. The person chosen for the job will be announced on July 9 and begin work on August 1. All applicants must be at least 21 years old.
Murphy-Goode is a family-owned winery located in the heart of California's Alexander Valley. Though laid-back and unpretentious, winemaker Dave Ready, Jr. takes immense pride in his craft, resulting in wines of the best possible quality at appropriate prices. The winery motto is: "We take our wines seriously. Ourselves....not so much."
"A Really Goode Job" will pay $10,000 a month for a six-month contract that includes private housing in the heart of wine country: Healdsburg, California.
Throughout the course of the job the successful applicant will learn about viticulture, winemaking, Sonoma County and Murphy-Goode wines. He or she will prepare and post dispatches on their experiences though social media tools such as Facebook, blogs, internet videos and Twitter as well as traditional media.
The application process begins in San Francisco at 11:30 a.m. April 28 at 120 Market Street near the Hyatt Regency. Visitors who arrive at the "A Really Goode Job's" purple and white kiosk between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. will meet the boss, receive job tips and get a 24-hour head start in the application process by being provided with a code that will give them immediate access to the www.areallygoodejob.com web site.
On April 29 the website for job applicants will open to the public at large. All applicants are required to complete an employment application and upload a one-minute video, demonstrating their special qualifications for the position. (Videos more than one minute in length will not be viewed.) Applications close on June 5, 2009 at 11 pm Pacific Time.
Murphy-Goode Winery will then select 50 candidates and from there narrow the list down to the top ten who will be interviewed from June 27 to July 1. The person chosen for the job will be announced on July 9 and begin work on August 1. All applicants must be at least 21 years old.
Murphy-Goode is a family-owned winery located in the heart of California's Alexander Valley. Though laid-back and unpretentious, winemaker Dave Ready, Jr. takes immense pride in his craft, resulting in wines of the best possible quality at appropriate prices. The winery motto is: "We take our wines seriously. Ourselves....not so much."
Top 25 Daily US Papers
Top 25 daily papers, released yesterday by Audit Bureau of Circulations (from Editor & Publisher):
USA TODAY
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
THE NEW YORK TIMES
LOS ANGELES TIMES
THE WASHINGTON POST
N.Y. DAILY NEWS
NEW YORK POST
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
ARIZONA REPUBLIC
DENVER POST
NEWSDAY
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
(Minneapolis) STAR-TRIBUNE
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
BOSTON GLOBE
(Cleveland) PLAIN DEALER
DETROIT FREE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
(Newark) STAR-LEDGER
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
(Portland) OREGONIAN
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
USA TODAY
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
THE NEW YORK TIMES
LOS ANGELES TIMES
THE WASHINGTON POST
N.Y. DAILY NEWS
NEW YORK POST
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
ARIZONA REPUBLIC
DENVER POST
NEWSDAY
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
(Minneapolis) STAR-TRIBUNE
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
BOSTON GLOBE
(Cleveland) PLAIN DEALER
DETROIT FREE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
(Newark) STAR-LEDGER
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
(Portland) OREGONIAN
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Social networking business models to shift in 'colonisation' era
Brand Republic reports: Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will look at identifying their most influential members, and what they are saying, in a bid to become more useful to brands doing marketing, a new report claims.
Forrester Research's 'The Future of the Social Web' report looks forward to an era of "social colonisation" on the web, as people who have multiple identities on the web via sites like LinkedIn and MySpace adopt the OpenID system -- currently being developed by web giants including Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft.
This will allow people to migrate more easily across web communities with a single identity.
The report says that at the same time there will be a shift in social networks' business models away from being funded by ads.
Instead they will use the data they collect to help brands better target users. The upshot will be fewer ads, but those that remain will be more interactive and relevant, leading to better click-through rates and higher CPM.
Jeremiah Owyang, author of the report, said: "A simple set of technologies that enable a portable identity will soon empower consumers to bring their identities with them - transforming marketing, e-commerce, CRM, and advertising."
The report also suggests that television networks will take a leaf from the likes of online radio station Pandora and create personalised television stations, based on a users likes and recommendations from friends.
This, in turn, will cut down on the amount of channel surfing to find the "least worst" programme.
Forrester Research's 'The Future of the Social Web' report looks forward to an era of "social colonisation" on the web, as people who have multiple identities on the web via sites like LinkedIn and MySpace adopt the OpenID system -- currently being developed by web giants including Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft.
This will allow people to migrate more easily across web communities with a single identity.
The report says that at the same time there will be a shift in social networks' business models away from being funded by ads.
Instead they will use the data they collect to help brands better target users. The upshot will be fewer ads, but those that remain will be more interactive and relevant, leading to better click-through rates and higher CPM.
Jeremiah Owyang, author of the report, said: "A simple set of technologies that enable a portable identity will soon empower consumers to bring their identities with them - transforming marketing, e-commerce, CRM, and advertising."
The report also suggests that television networks will take a leaf from the likes of online radio station Pandora and create personalised television stations, based on a users likes and recommendations from friends.
This, in turn, will cut down on the amount of channel surfing to find the "least worst" programme.
Bookie makes Downing Street favourite for UK's top Twitterer in 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Study: Twitter Users = Information Junkies
MediaPost reports: Rather than ego fulfillment or networking, what appears to truly motivate Twitter users is learning new things and getting information in a timely manner, according to new data from research firm MarketingProfs.
The study of some 425 Twitter users, conducted in early and mid-April, found that nearly 100% respondents agreed with the statements "I value getting information in a timely manner," and "I find it exciting to learn new things from people," while about 80% "like to be connected to lots of people."
Still, about 70% of respondents did agree with the statements "I find it gratifying to have people follow me," and "I want to generate new business."
How greatly do members of the Twitter community value large numbers of followers? Respondents appeared to be evenly divided on the matter, as about 50% agreed with the statement "People who have a large number of followers are more respected than those who don't."
Nearly 40% of the survey sample, meanwhile, agreed with the statement -- most of them "mildly agree" -- 34%. The remaining 60% were roughly equally divided among "neither agree nor disagree," "mildly disagree," and "strongly disagree."
All respondents, however, strongly disagreed with the statement "People who have a large number of followers are smarter than those who don't."
Also of note, Twitter users do not appear to need instant gratification by way of responses from the rest of the community. When the survey asked how strongly Twitter users agreed with the statement "I feel bad when I tweet something and nobody responds," about 50% implied they aren't too troubled by a lack of response.
Less than 2% said they strongly agreed with the statement, whereas those who strongly disagreed constituted a plurality -- nearly 32%. The remaining two-thirds were roughly equally divided among "mildly disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," and "mildly agree."
The study of some 425 Twitter users, conducted in early and mid-April, found that nearly 100% respondents agreed with the statements "I value getting information in a timely manner," and "I find it exciting to learn new things from people," while about 80% "like to be connected to lots of people."
Still, about 70% of respondents did agree with the statements "I find it gratifying to have people follow me," and "I want to generate new business."
How greatly do members of the Twitter community value large numbers of followers? Respondents appeared to be evenly divided on the matter, as about 50% agreed with the statement "People who have a large number of followers are more respected than those who don't."
Nearly 40% of the survey sample, meanwhile, agreed with the statement -- most of them "mildly agree" -- 34%. The remaining 60% were roughly equally divided among "neither agree nor disagree," "mildly disagree," and "strongly disagree."
All respondents, however, strongly disagreed with the statement "People who have a large number of followers are smarter than those who don't."
Also of note, Twitter users do not appear to need instant gratification by way of responses from the rest of the community. When the survey asked how strongly Twitter users agreed with the statement "I feel bad when I tweet something and nobody responds," about 50% implied they aren't too troubled by a lack of response.
Less than 2% said they strongly agreed with the statement, whereas those who strongly disagreed constituted a plurality -- nearly 32%. The remaining two-thirds were roughly equally divided among "mildly disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," and "mildly agree."
Hoover's Builds Searchable Social Network
MediaPost reports: Hoover's wants to improve search features and become a social network. So the Dunn & Bradstreet business directory has created a developers' network, opening its backend infrastructure through an application platform interface (API). It allows companies to integrate business information into their apps and platforms.
Similar to Google, Microsoft, eBay, Sony Ericsson and others that have built businesses on the back of third-party developers, Hoover's aims to build out a business-related social network. While the project launched in private beta late last year, it has yet to officially roll out. Developers can find the code at HooversAPI.com.
Broadlook Technologies, Pewaukee, Wis., and dozens of other companies such as Basho Technologies have begun integrating the API into their applications, according to Peter Poulin, executive VP of marketing and business development at Hoover's, Austin, Texas.
Broadlook's technology skims the Web collecting publicly available company information to help marketers develop sales leads, but cannot access data protected behind firewalls. "With an API from Hoover's, Broadlook can collect that information and build a better profile of companies for customers," Poulin said. "They provide a targeted solution to a niche market we might not have otherwise pursued."
Think of Hoover's as the dashboard. The entrance into a host of applications made available through a data connection on the back end. But the information also can flow into a CRM platform by Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Oracle, for example.
Similar to Google, Microsoft, eBay, Sony Ericsson and others that have built businesses on the back of third-party developers, Hoover's aims to build out a business-related social network. While the project launched in private beta late last year, it has yet to officially roll out. Developers can find the code at HooversAPI.com.
Broadlook Technologies, Pewaukee, Wis., and dozens of other companies such as Basho Technologies have begun integrating the API into their applications, according to Peter Poulin, executive VP of marketing and business development at Hoover's, Austin, Texas.
Broadlook's technology skims the Web collecting publicly available company information to help marketers develop sales leads, but cannot access data protected behind firewalls. "With an API from Hoover's, Broadlook can collect that information and build a better profile of companies for customers," Poulin said. "They provide a targeted solution to a niche market we might not have otherwise pursued."
Think of Hoover's as the dashboard. The entrance into a host of applications made available through a data connection on the back end. But the information also can flow into a CRM platform by Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Oracle, for example.
(Newspapers) Slouching Towards Oblivion
NYT's Maureen Dowd commentary on the state of the newspaper industry: Maybe it’s because I’m staying at the Sunset Tower on Sunset Boulevard, but I keep thinking of newspapers as Norma Desmond.
Papers are still big. It’s the screens that got small.
Now that everybody can check their iPhones and laptops for news that personally interests them, now that they can Google, blog and tweet, as well as shop — and stalk — on Craigslist, old-school newspapers seem like aging silent film stars, stricken to find themselves outmoded by technology.
As a disgusted Desmond asks from behind dark glasses: “And who have they got now? Some nobodies — a lot of pale little frogs croaking pish-posh.”
Eric Schmidt, the Google C.E.O., reassured me that newspapers would last 500 years, but only for a boutique market: commuters taking trains, cabs and subways on the East Coast and in cities like London and Paris.
“For somebody who lives in the suburbs,” he said, “especially if they’re driving and they have kids screaming in the back seat, why would they prefer a physical newspaper over something that is more personal.”
Journalists are still hot in Hollywood. Russell Crowe, playing a messy and morally ambiguous Washington investigative journalist, teaches the self-regarding blogger, Rachel McAdams, a thing or three, including why a pen is necessary. “The Soloist,” based on an inspiring story about a schizophrenic musician by the Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, was shot in the Times newsroom.
But in real life, journalists are feeling the chill. Calling his purchase of The L.A. Times and The Chicago Tribune “a mistake,” Sam “The Sham” Zell said, “It’s very obvious that the newspaper model in its current form does not work and the sooner we all acknowledge that, the better.” He said he probably would not try for a merger because “that’s like asking someone in another business if they want to get vaccinated with a live virus.”
Many L.A. Times journalists were outraged over a recent front-page NBC ad for the cop show “Southland” that was tarted up to look like a real news feature story (a tactic the paper repeated with an ad supplement for “The Soloist”).
“It’s one thing being marched to the gallows by an uncaring and unappreciative public, sentenced by shifting technological and cultural habits and a few bonehead moves of your own,” Phil Bronstein, San Francisco Chronicle editor at large, said in a blog, summing up the attitude of the 100-plus journalists at The L.A. Times who signed a petition protesting the “Southland” ad. “But it’s quite another having to go to your death stripped naked as a jaybird.”
When I met up with Bronstein in San Francisco — where The Chronicle was bleeding nearly a million a week last year — he said he thought the L.A. Times reporters had overreacted, and that newspapers should not be so prudish.
“The principle is a sound one — you don’t want to deceive your readers,” he said. “But I’m not all that convinced your readers are so deceivable. A lot of readers think we’re biased, and because we think we’re unbiased, we think they must be stupid. But they’re not. They’re just opinionated.”
Bronstein prefers action to self-pity: “The death spiral stuff is all so self-referential, a lot of fake righteousness.”
I asked him to take me on a justify-your-existence tour.
He started by driving me past an old journalism hangout. “That’s kind of a dead thing, a newspaper bar,” he said. Continuing with the obsolescence theme, he showed me the Linotype machine in the lobby of The Chronicle and his old conference room upstairs.
“This is called the Komodo Dragon Room, for obvious reasons,” he said dryly, referring to the time his ex-wife, Sharon Stone, gave him a meet-and-greet session with a Komodo dragon, who mistook his foot for a snack.
We pass another conference room where the San Francisco political consultant Clint Reilly tangled with Bronstein and left on a stretcher with a broken leg.
We drove around the city for hours, looking at places where journalism had had an impact. At police headquarters, he told of The Chronicle’s coverage of police brutality that forced the department to create a database tracking misbehaving officers. He talked about the paper’s AIDS coverage as we drove through the Castro and past San Francisco General Hospital, where the AIDS wards once overflowed. Parked outside the Giants’ ballpark, he praised the paper’s reporting on Barry Bonds and the steroids scandal, noting that “there are far fewer fly balls going out in the bay.”
His tour ended with cold comfort, as he observed that longer life expectancies may keep us on life support. “For people who still love print, who like to hold it, feel it, rustle it, tear stuff out, do their I. F. Stone thing, it’s important to remember that people are living longer,” he said. “That’s the most hopeful thing you can say about print journalism, that old people are living longer.”
Papers are still big. It’s the screens that got small.
Now that everybody can check their iPhones and laptops for news that personally interests them, now that they can Google, blog and tweet, as well as shop — and stalk — on Craigslist, old-school newspapers seem like aging silent film stars, stricken to find themselves outmoded by technology.
As a disgusted Desmond asks from behind dark glasses: “And who have they got now? Some nobodies — a lot of pale little frogs croaking pish-posh.”
Eric Schmidt, the Google C.E.O., reassured me that newspapers would last 500 years, but only for a boutique market: commuters taking trains, cabs and subways on the East Coast and in cities like London and Paris.
“For somebody who lives in the suburbs,” he said, “especially if they’re driving and they have kids screaming in the back seat, why would they prefer a physical newspaper over something that is more personal.”
Journalists are still hot in Hollywood. Russell Crowe, playing a messy and morally ambiguous Washington investigative journalist, teaches the self-regarding blogger, Rachel McAdams, a thing or three, including why a pen is necessary. “The Soloist,” based on an inspiring story about a schizophrenic musician by the Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, was shot in the Times newsroom.
But in real life, journalists are feeling the chill. Calling his purchase of The L.A. Times and The Chicago Tribune “a mistake,” Sam “The Sham” Zell said, “It’s very obvious that the newspaper model in its current form does not work and the sooner we all acknowledge that, the better.” He said he probably would not try for a merger because “that’s like asking someone in another business if they want to get vaccinated with a live virus.”
Many L.A. Times journalists were outraged over a recent front-page NBC ad for the cop show “Southland” that was tarted up to look like a real news feature story (a tactic the paper repeated with an ad supplement for “The Soloist”).
“It’s one thing being marched to the gallows by an uncaring and unappreciative public, sentenced by shifting technological and cultural habits and a few bonehead moves of your own,” Phil Bronstein, San Francisco Chronicle editor at large, said in a blog, summing up the attitude of the 100-plus journalists at The L.A. Times who signed a petition protesting the “Southland” ad. “But it’s quite another having to go to your death stripped naked as a jaybird.”
When I met up with Bronstein in San Francisco — where The Chronicle was bleeding nearly a million a week last year — he said he thought the L.A. Times reporters had overreacted, and that newspapers should not be so prudish.
“The principle is a sound one — you don’t want to deceive your readers,” he said. “But I’m not all that convinced your readers are so deceivable. A lot of readers think we’re biased, and because we think we’re unbiased, we think they must be stupid. But they’re not. They’re just opinionated.”
Bronstein prefers action to self-pity: “The death spiral stuff is all so self-referential, a lot of fake righteousness.”
I asked him to take me on a justify-your-existence tour.
He started by driving me past an old journalism hangout. “That’s kind of a dead thing, a newspaper bar,” he said. Continuing with the obsolescence theme, he showed me the Linotype machine in the lobby of The Chronicle and his old conference room upstairs.
“This is called the Komodo Dragon Room, for obvious reasons,” he said dryly, referring to the time his ex-wife, Sharon Stone, gave him a meet-and-greet session with a Komodo dragon, who mistook his foot for a snack.
We pass another conference room where the San Francisco political consultant Clint Reilly tangled with Bronstein and left on a stretcher with a broken leg.
We drove around the city for hours, looking at places where journalism had had an impact. At police headquarters, he told of The Chronicle’s coverage of police brutality that forced the department to create a database tracking misbehaving officers. He talked about the paper’s AIDS coverage as we drove through the Castro and past San Francisco General Hospital, where the AIDS wards once overflowed. Parked outside the Giants’ ballpark, he praised the paper’s reporting on Barry Bonds and the steroids scandal, noting that “there are far fewer fly balls going out in the bay.”
His tour ended with cold comfort, as he observed that longer life expectancies may keep us on life support. “For people who still love print, who like to hold it, feel it, rustle it, tear stuff out, do their I. F. Stone thing, it’s important to remember that people are living longer,” he said. “That’s the most hopeful thing you can say about print journalism, that old people are living longer.”
Twitter's Impact More Than Numbers
Wired's John Abell: Twitter more than doubled U.S. visitors last month to 9.3 million (19 million worldwide), making it the fastest-growing site. Numbers that impressive mean Twitter is more than just the net's latest craze -- it means the service has become an inescapable cultural phenomenon.
Facebook Opens Site to Developers
WSJ reports: Facebook Inc. is expected to announce significant plans to open up core parts of its sites -- namely the information that appears in the stream of updates on users' homepages and profiles -- to third-party developers so that they can build new services on top of it.
Tech-Savvy Duo Steps Onto Federal Stage
WaPo reports: Aneesh Chopra and Vivek Kundra met nearly a decade ago as entrepreneurs in Northern Virginia's Indian American business community. They worked together in Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's administration and then as technology and innovation advisers on President Obama's transition team.
Now the two longtime friends will work in tandem to help meet Obama's ambitious goals of using technology to improve public access to government data, create new jobs, expand broadband services, reform the way health records are stored and build a modern electric grid.
Chopra, Virginia's secretary of technology, last week was named the nation's first chief technology officer, although he still awaits confirmation by the Senate. The long-awaited announcement comes six weeks after the administration named Kundra, former chief technology officer for the District, to the post of federal chief information officer.
The chief technology officer will focus on overall technology policy and innovation strategies across departments while the chief information officer will oversee day-to-day information technology spending and operations within agencies.
They will work within the White House with direct access to the president. Chopra will be in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Kundra in the Office of Management and Budget.
Now the two longtime friends will work in tandem to help meet Obama's ambitious goals of using technology to improve public access to government data, create new jobs, expand broadband services, reform the way health records are stored and build a modern electric grid.
Chopra, Virginia's secretary of technology, last week was named the nation's first chief technology officer, although he still awaits confirmation by the Senate. The long-awaited announcement comes six weeks after the administration named Kundra, former chief technology officer for the District, to the post of federal chief information officer.
The chief technology officer will focus on overall technology policy and innovation strategies across departments while the chief information officer will oversee day-to-day information technology spending and operations within agencies.
They will work within the White House with direct access to the president. Chopra will be in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Kundra in the Office of Management and Budget.
Domino's Unwelcome Delivery
Business Week reports: Domino's Pizza (DPZ) has become the latest company to learn how quickly a brand can be tainted in a Web 2.0 world—and how important it is to monitor social media. On Apr. 13 a prank video made by two Domino's employees in North Carolina hit YouTube (GOOG). In it, one of the pair sticks cheese up his nose and "sneezes" into a sandwich he's making—using that cheese. After Domino's learned (from a blogger) about the video, it issued a statement and created a Twitter account to answer questions. And in a YouTube message, Domino's USA President Patrick Doyle conveyed his outrage, announcing the impending arrest of the workers (who said they never delivered the befouled food), a scrubdown of the outlet, and extra vigilance in hiring.
But such responses may be too little, too late these days. Doyle's apology didn't come until 48 hours after the gross-out video was posted, at which point it had racked up nearly a million views—and lots of play on other social media sites. Twitter had been abuzz with questions about Domino's silence. On LinkedIn, users created a forum on what the company should do. ("Develop a new store model with visible/viewable food prep areas," suggested one PR professional.)
Then there's the question of how to counter such a visceral image. According to University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Paul Rozin, who studies disgust, words aren't enough. "Disgust is powerful," he says, and not easily neutralized by reason. While regular patrons who have positive associations with Domino's may be less affected than others, Rozin says, the company can't do much to dispel the offending image—short of showing "pictures of attractive people eating Domino's pizza next to waterfalls."
If there's a lesson here, experts say, it's that companies must have an active presence on the Web—to monitor their brands continuously, perhaps enlisting loyal customers to help deal immediately with any damage. Domino's, says Scott Goodson, CEO of Web-savvy ad shop StrawberryFrog, "had to stand up to the video all by themselves." Pizza Hut (YUM) just announced it is seeking a Twitter-based intern to monitor its reputation online. And Domino's own Twitter account now has more than 1,000 followers. The company hadn't wanted to "jump in without a strategy," says spokesman Tim McIntyre. But "we were kind of pushed."
But such responses may be too little, too late these days. Doyle's apology didn't come until 48 hours after the gross-out video was posted, at which point it had racked up nearly a million views—and lots of play on other social media sites. Twitter had been abuzz with questions about Domino's silence. On LinkedIn, users created a forum on what the company should do. ("Develop a new store model with visible/viewable food prep areas," suggested one PR professional.)
Then there's the question of how to counter such a visceral image. According to University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Paul Rozin, who studies disgust, words aren't enough. "Disgust is powerful," he says, and not easily neutralized by reason. While regular patrons who have positive associations with Domino's may be less affected than others, Rozin says, the company can't do much to dispel the offending image—short of showing "pictures of attractive people eating Domino's pizza next to waterfalls."
If there's a lesson here, experts say, it's that companies must have an active presence on the Web—to monitor their brands continuously, perhaps enlisting loyal customers to help deal immediately with any damage. Domino's, says Scott Goodson, CEO of Web-savvy ad shop StrawberryFrog, "had to stand up to the video all by themselves." Pizza Hut (YUM) just announced it is seeking a Twitter-based intern to monitor its reputation online. And Domino's own Twitter account now has more than 1,000 followers. The company hadn't wanted to "jump in without a strategy," says spokesman Tim McIntyre. But "we were kind of pushed."
Canada Issues a Wake-Up Call: You May Be a Citizen
WSJ reports: Thanks to a new law, Canada will bestow citizenship Friday on what its government believes could be hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting foreigners, most of them Americans.
The April 17 amendment to Canada's Citizenship Act automatically restores Canadian nationality to many people forced to renounce it when they became citizens of another country. It also grants citizenship to their children.
The Canadian government doesn't know the precise number or location of individuals affected by the legislation. But it believes most are U.S. citizens, a spokeswoman for Canada's immigration office said. U.S. Department of Homeland Security records show 240,000 Canadians were naturalized in the U.S. from 1948 to 1977; the new law fixes problems that occurred during those years.
To reach that amorphous group of beneficiaries, the Canadian government has turned to YouTube. It's running an ad there titled "Waking up Canadian," in which a man awakens on April 17 to a room festooned with red-and-white Canadian flags. He's met by a welcoming committee consisting of two stuffed plush moose, a hockey player, and a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The April 17 amendment to Canada's Citizenship Act automatically restores Canadian nationality to many people forced to renounce it when they became citizens of another country. It also grants citizenship to their children.
The Canadian government doesn't know the precise number or location of individuals affected by the legislation. But it believes most are U.S. citizens, a spokeswoman for Canada's immigration office said. U.S. Department of Homeland Security records show 240,000 Canadians were naturalized in the U.S. from 1948 to 1977; the new law fixes problems that occurred during those years.
To reach that amorphous group of beneficiaries, the Canadian government has turned to YouTube. It's running an ad there titled "Waking up Canadian," in which a man awakens on April 17 to a room festooned with red-and-white Canadian flags. He's met by a welcoming committee consisting of two stuffed plush moose, a hockey player, and a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Newsweek plans to turn over a new page with its relaunch
FT reports: Newsweek, the once-mighty rival to Time magazine, celebrated its 75th anniversary last year with its first loss in recent memory. Annual revenue fell 13 per cent and at a faster rate than its parent company's flagship newspaper, the Washington Post.
This year will herald a low point for the newspaper and the magazine businesses, Don Graham, chairman of the Washington Post Company, warned shareholders this month in words that echoed the sentiment across the US print media.Mr Graham promised a push back to profitability but admitted that "how we'll get there is not clear".
Newsweek's senior management does not share that sense of uncertainty. For more than a year, Thomas Ascheim, the former Nickelodeon cable television executive who is Newsweek's chief executive, Jon Meacham, Newsweek editor, and Fareed Zakaria, international editor, have been plotting the radical remaking of a product that lost its relevance as a news source years ago as readers turned to the internet, blogs and 24-hour cable news channels.
In November, with the recession in full swing, the team submitted a strategy to return to profit within five years. "You can keep doing what you have been doing all the time and march nobly off a cliff or you can adapt and change," Mr Meacham said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Key Points:
Redesign will be launched in early May
Will coincide with relaunch of www.newsweek.com
Will publish best content/links on website - even if it comes from rivals
Intends to court highend audience - plans to leave mass market
Lower guaranteed subscribers from 2.6 to 1.5m
Focus on smaller but devoted readership earning an avg. 100k a year
Capture market dominated by The Economist and The New Yorker
Summing up the new strategy, Mr Ascheim said: "We've not been the first place for the first word. But we'd like to be the first place for the last word."
This year will herald a low point for the newspaper and the magazine businesses, Don Graham, chairman of the Washington Post Company, warned shareholders this month in words that echoed the sentiment across the US print media.Mr Graham promised a push back to profitability but admitted that "how we'll get there is not clear".
Newsweek's senior management does not share that sense of uncertainty. For more than a year, Thomas Ascheim, the former Nickelodeon cable television executive who is Newsweek's chief executive, Jon Meacham, Newsweek editor, and Fareed Zakaria, international editor, have been plotting the radical remaking of a product that lost its relevance as a news source years ago as readers turned to the internet, blogs and 24-hour cable news channels.
In November, with the recession in full swing, the team submitted a strategy to return to profit within five years. "You can keep doing what you have been doing all the time and march nobly off a cliff or you can adapt and change," Mr Meacham said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Key Points:
Redesign will be launched in early May
Will coincide with relaunch of www.newsweek.com
Will publish best content/links on website - even if it comes from rivals
Intends to court highend audience - plans to leave mass market
Lower guaranteed subscribers from 2.6 to 1.5m
Focus on smaller but devoted readership earning an avg. 100k a year
Capture market dominated by The Economist and The New Yorker
Summing up the new strategy, Mr Ascheim said: "We've not been the first place for the first word. But we'd like to be the first place for the last word."
Twittering executives reveal more than they realise
Lucy Kellaway of FT reports: A few days ago, Adam Brown, the head of digital communications at Coca-Cola, got his car washed and the sun shone down on him in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Bart Cas, his opposite number at Pepsi, went for a run on the Brooklyn Bridge.
I happen to know these details because last week I stumbled upon Exec Tweets, a collection of about 100 executives who like to express themselves in chunks of up to 140 characters on Twitter.
Thus I have come to be a disciple of Bart and Adam, but I like Bart best. His latest tweet goes like this: "Worked late, woke up feeling tired but driven forward by the many exciting possibilities a new day brings - seize the day!" An earlier one says: "Or Got home - my son told me he loved me - my daughter was as precious as ever . . . suddenly the wind was at my back again . . . "
In The New York Times last week Maureen Dowd made fans of Twitter very cross by suggesting that this craze, which has now afflicted 10m people, is a waste of time .
She may be right for most of us, but for business people, I don't agree. I think it is potentially the best communication tool there is; the trouble is that most executives are making a complete hash of using it. Either they fill it with mundane personal detail, or they fill it with mundane professional detail - which is possibly worse. The first scores higher on embarrassment; the second on tedium.
Jeffrey Hayzlett, chief marketing officer of Kodak, is a tireless twitterer who reports hour by hour on just how he is spending his day at work. Here is a typical tweet: "Now meeting with the Kodak marketing team for lunch to talk about general items and get to meet the team." To meet the team in order to meet the team doesn't seem like something that the 3,453 people who follow him will really need to know.
Yet his tweets last week were perfect - short, clear and informative. They made me think that if the Budget can be done on Twitter, it must be possible to do all corporate communications the same way, and put e-mail in the dustbin forever. To force everyone to say what they have to say in 140 characters deals with the communications overload at a stroke. Not only would messages be quicker to read and easier to understand, most would not get sent at all. The bulk of internal e-mails are exercises in back-covering or throat-clearing, and so if they were forced down to their barest essentials it would become clear that there was nothing there at all.
To communicate this way - either on Twitter or on Yammer, which is a similar service aimed at companies - would have another advantage. It would make clear who are the really powerful people in a company. Humble employees who happen to have good ideas could easily have more followers than the chief executive.
Still more revealing would be the ratio of followers to followed, as it tells you whether people are not just talking but also listening. On this score, I'm afraid to say, my new friend Bart falls down. He is only following nine people.
I happen to know these details because last week I stumbled upon Exec Tweets, a collection of about 100 executives who like to express themselves in chunks of up to 140 characters on Twitter.
Thus I have come to be a disciple of Bart and Adam, but I like Bart best. His latest tweet goes like this: "Worked late, woke up feeling tired but driven forward by the many exciting possibilities a new day brings - seize the day!" An earlier one says: "Or Got home - my son told me he loved me - my daughter was as precious as ever . . . suddenly the wind was at my back again . . . "
In The New York Times last week Maureen Dowd made fans of Twitter very cross by suggesting that this craze, which has now afflicted 10m people, is a waste of time .
She may be right for most of us, but for business people, I don't agree. I think it is potentially the best communication tool there is; the trouble is that most executives are making a complete hash of using it. Either they fill it with mundane personal detail, or they fill it with mundane professional detail - which is possibly worse. The first scores higher on embarrassment; the second on tedium.
Jeffrey Hayzlett, chief marketing officer of Kodak, is a tireless twitterer who reports hour by hour on just how he is spending his day at work. Here is a typical tweet: "Now meeting with the Kodak marketing team for lunch to talk about general items and get to meet the team." To meet the team in order to meet the team doesn't seem like something that the 3,453 people who follow him will really need to know.
Yet his tweets last week were perfect - short, clear and informative. They made me think that if the Budget can be done on Twitter, it must be possible to do all corporate communications the same way, and put e-mail in the dustbin forever. To force everyone to say what they have to say in 140 characters deals with the communications overload at a stroke. Not only would messages be quicker to read and easier to understand, most would not get sent at all. The bulk of internal e-mails are exercises in back-covering or throat-clearing, and so if they were forced down to their barest essentials it would become clear that there was nothing there at all.
To communicate this way - either on Twitter or on Yammer, which is a similar service aimed at companies - would have another advantage. It would make clear who are the really powerful people in a company. Humble employees who happen to have good ideas could easily have more followers than the chief executive.
Still more revealing would be the ratio of followers to followed, as it tells you whether people are not just talking but also listening. On this score, I'm afraid to say, my new friend Bart falls down. He is only following nine people.
Corporate Blogs and 'Tweets' Must Keep SEC in Mind
WSJ reports: An eBay Inc. effort to broaden communication through the popular Twitter Web-messaging service highlights the hurdles facing corporate users of online social media. The online auctioneer launched a corporate blog in April 2008. Two months later, blogger Richard Brewer-Hay began "tweeting" -- posting updates on Twitter -- about Silicon Valley technology conferences, eBay's quarterly earnings calls and other topics.
The growing Twitter audience also attracted the attention of eBay's lawyers, who last month required Mr. Brewer-Hay to include regulatory disclaimers with certain posts. Some followers think the tougher oversight is squelching Mr. Brewer-Hay's spontaneous, informal style.
His experience shows the tension that can arise as more companies tap social media to reach investors, customers and others. Eighty-one Fortune 500 companies sponsor public blogs, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Chevron Corp. and General Motors Corp., according to the Society for New Communications Research. Of those blogs, 23 link to corporate Twitter accounts.
On Thursday, a Johnson & Johnson executive reported for the first time on the health-care giant's annual meeting via Twitter, which allows users to post "tweets" of as many as 140 characters from devices with Internet access.
Such efforts raise thorny questions. Blogs and tweets can run afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations on corporate communications. But sanitizing such posts risks hurting credibility with online audiences.
"This is all new to companies, and they're not sure where they can go," says Dominic Jones, editor of IR Web Report, an online newsletter for investor-relations professionals.
The growing Twitter audience also attracted the attention of eBay's lawyers, who last month required Mr. Brewer-Hay to include regulatory disclaimers with certain posts. Some followers think the tougher oversight is squelching Mr. Brewer-Hay's spontaneous, informal style.
His experience shows the tension that can arise as more companies tap social media to reach investors, customers and others. Eighty-one Fortune 500 companies sponsor public blogs, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Chevron Corp. and General Motors Corp., according to the Society for New Communications Research. Of those blogs, 23 link to corporate Twitter accounts.
On Thursday, a Johnson & Johnson executive reported for the first time on the health-care giant's annual meeting via Twitter, which allows users to post "tweets" of as many as 140 characters from devices with Internet access.
Such efforts raise thorny questions. Blogs and tweets can run afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations on corporate communications. But sanitizing such posts risks hurting credibility with online audiences.
"This is all new to companies, and they're not sure where they can go," says Dominic Jones, editor of IR Web Report, an online newsletter for investor-relations professionals.
NY Jets - NFL Draft and Twitter
Owner Woody Johnson announced the trade/selection of Mark Sanchez on his Twitter page, saying: "We have selected Mark Sanchez. Go Jets." Kicker Jay Feely also tweeted: "Great trade for the Jets!! To only give up our first and second this year to get the fifth pick."
Sanchez, who was scheduled to be introduced at a news conference at the Jets' facility Sunday, also greeted fans on Twitter late Saturday night: "J-E-T-S ... Jets! Jets! Jets!!!" Sanchez wrote. "Hello NYC!"
Will next year's NFL Draft be off ESPN and on Twitter?
Sanchez, who was scheduled to be introduced at a news conference at the Jets' facility Sunday, also greeted fans on Twitter late Saturday night: "J-E-T-S ... Jets! Jets! Jets!!!" Sanchez wrote. "Hello NYC!"
Will next year's NFL Draft be off ESPN and on Twitter?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Digital in a Downturn: Smart Strategies for Tough Times
Ogilvy on Recession: “There are digital options at your disposal today that simply didn’t exist in previous downturns. In fact, just within the past couple of years, a number of new channels, media properties, and techniques have emerged. So the starting point is to be aware of and consider some of the newer options,” Ogilvy wrote in the booklet “Digital in a Downturn: Smart Strategies for Tough Times.”
The online publication is one of seven booklets that Ogilvy has published and posted on www.ogilvyonrecession.com.
These booklets highlight strategies and tactics across different marketing disciplines that illustrate how companies can support and build their brands even during these uncertain times.
“This is our way of helping ‘unknit the digital fog’ and help marketers discover for themselves the benefits of tapping digital channels, specially in these tough times,” OgilvyOne Worldwide managing director Elly Puyat said.
The online publication is one of seven booklets that Ogilvy has published and posted on www.ogilvyonrecession.com.
These booklets highlight strategies and tactics across different marketing disciplines that illustrate how companies can support and build their brands even during these uncertain times.
“This is our way of helping ‘unknit the digital fog’ and help marketers discover for themselves the benefits of tapping digital channels, specially in these tough times,” OgilvyOne Worldwide managing director Elly Puyat said.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Help Michigan Tourism
Ask President Obama and his family to spend their summer vacation in Michigan - simply join the "Hey Mr. President - Come to Michigan for Your Summer Vacation!" Facebook group @ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=76310527635&ref=mf
Never Miss a Chance to Advocate - DC Street Scenes
I was in DC this past week and witnessed some great and compelling "street advocacy." I should note (and probably need to note) I have no opinion on any of these organizations or causes, I just like to see advocacy in action. So with that said, here are the photos:
Outside Scientology in DuPont Circle
Outside Scientology in DuPont Circle
Union HQ on 16th Street - mere blocks from Team Obama's White House
AFL-CIO HQ - lobby entrance banner
Union HQ - banner nearly four stories high
Outside Scientology in DuPont Circle Outside Scientology in DuPont Circle
Union HQ on 16th Street - mere blocks from Team Obama's White House My New Office
As an entrepreneur who is getting several projects off the ground on both sides of America - I found myself working where ever I can these days. Here are some recent photos:
Virgin America: IAD to LAX
Back of a cab in WDC
Why SBUX is in Trouble - @ 530am Starbucks Closed - Dunkin' Open
After arriving on red eye flight from LGB to BOS - I was looking forward to a little cup of fresh coffee. Here is what happened next:
Dunkin' open.
Starbucks closed.
Dunkin' open.One would think you would try a little harder in your opponent's backyard.
Tracking Heavily Lobbied Bills
Under the Influence reports: K Street firms and self-employed lobbyists are required to list 'specific lobbying activities' on the disclosure reports they file with Congress. The Center for Responsive Politics has a new feature to highlight the bills that have generated the greatest amount of lobbying.
On Top Bills, readers can view legislation ranked by the number of lobbying reports mentioning that bill. From 2005 to 2008, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2638) had the greatest number -- 1,225. Click on the bill number in the left column to see a full list of unique clients lobbying on that piece of legislation. For the same period, the four most-heavily lobbied bills were appropriations related -- private money chasing public money.
The center notes that not all filers list the title of the bill in their lobbying disclosure report. "Specific lobbying activities" is subject to interpretation, and some filers provide vague answers. Hence, the "Top Bills" data is a good indicator, but not a precise measurement of lobbying activity.
On Top Bills, readers can view legislation ranked by the number of lobbying reports mentioning that bill. From 2005 to 2008, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2638) had the greatest number -- 1,225. Click on the bill number in the left column to see a full list of unique clients lobbying on that piece of legislation. For the same period, the four most-heavily lobbied bills were appropriations related -- private money chasing public money.
The center notes that not all filers list the title of the bill in their lobbying disclosure report. "Specific lobbying activities" is subject to interpretation, and some filers provide vague answers. Hence, the "Top Bills" data is a good indicator, but not a precise measurement of lobbying activity.
Cal-EPA chief is all a-Twitter in China
CapitolWeekly reports: If you're all atwitter to read about Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams' trip to China, here's your chance: Adams is posting updates on her trip with blogging, Twitter and Facebook, accompanied by photos of Adams at Chinese restaurants and meeting government and business officials.
"The California Environmental Protection Agency is joining the social networking revolution," the agency told "friends and colleagues" in an April 22 email.
Joining the revolution means that Adams - or somebody on her staff -- is posting brief updates on Twitter - a popular networking site where burst messages are limited to 140 characters - and on Facebook, where people post details about their activities, colleagues, friends, family and other items of interest.
The tweets aren't breathless or compelling -- this is government, after all - but they are informative and give a sense of real-time pacing, which is the point.
It's routine stuff, but in world of the state bureaucracy, it reflects something of a sea-change: A powerful state agency using social networking devices to get real-time messaging directly to readers and viewers.
"The California Environmental Protection Agency is joining the social networking revolution," the agency told "friends and colleagues" in an April 22 email.
Joining the revolution means that Adams - or somebody on her staff -- is posting brief updates on Twitter - a popular networking site where burst messages are limited to 140 characters - and on Facebook, where people post details about their activities, colleagues, friends, family and other items of interest.
The tweets aren't breathless or compelling -- this is government, after all - but they are informative and give a sense of real-time pacing, which is the point.
It's routine stuff, but in world of the state bureaucracy, it reflects something of a sea-change: A powerful state agency using social networking devices to get real-time messaging directly to readers and viewers.
At the White House, Lobbyists Complain of Restrictions
Dan Eggen of WaPo reports: A group of lobbyists were invited into the White House Friday, where they aired complaints about new restrictions on registered lobbyists attempting to land stimulus money for their clients.
Under rules announced by President Obama last month, lobbyists are banned from making phone calls to government agencies about specific stimulus projects and must put all such communications in writing. Lobbyists may speak to government officials about general policy issues, the rules say, but all communications will be logged and posted on a government-run website focused on the stimulus plan.
An unusual alliance of groups, including the American League of Lobbyists, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), complain that the restrictions are unfair and impinge on First Amendment rights to petition the government. Representatives of the groups held a meeting on the complaints Friday afternoon with Obama's chief ethics adviser, Norm Eisen, who was one of the original co-founders of CREW.
Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said Eisen and other administration lawyers seemed "surprised" that CREW, the ACLU and the lobbying league agreed on so many points, since the public-interest groups are often at loggerheads with lobbyists. She also said that the Obama officials "seemed comfortable with their position."
Wenhold's group has threatened to sue the administration on First Amendment grounds if the rules are not modified.
"Through the U.S. Constitution granting citizens the right to petition government, lobbyists help citizens communicate factual information on a wide range of important issues," Wenhold said. "...Keeping lobbyists out of the discussion also keeps out the millions of citizens they represent."
Under rules announced by President Obama last month, lobbyists are banned from making phone calls to government agencies about specific stimulus projects and must put all such communications in writing. Lobbyists may speak to government officials about general policy issues, the rules say, but all communications will be logged and posted on a government-run website focused on the stimulus plan.
An unusual alliance of groups, including the American League of Lobbyists, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), complain that the restrictions are unfair and impinge on First Amendment rights to petition the government. Representatives of the groups held a meeting on the complaints Friday afternoon with Obama's chief ethics adviser, Norm Eisen, who was one of the original co-founders of CREW.
Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said Eisen and other administration lawyers seemed "surprised" that CREW, the ACLU and the lobbying league agreed on so many points, since the public-interest groups are often at loggerheads with lobbyists. She also said that the Obama officials "seemed comfortable with their position."
Wenhold's group has threatened to sue the administration on First Amendment grounds if the rules are not modified.
"Through the U.S. Constitution granting citizens the right to petition government, lobbyists help citizens communicate factual information on a wide range of important issues," Wenhold said. "...Keeping lobbyists out of the discussion also keeps out the millions of citizens they represent."
Event: Digital LA - Twitter for Entertainment Panel
Digital LA is hosting a panel entitled, "How is Twitter being used in Entertainment?" on Tuesday - April 28 @ 700pm.
Speakers will share their experiences experimenting with Twitter as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Discussion includes:
* Movie Marketing: How are studios using Twitter to promote their movies, trailer releases, etc. * Webisodes - How can interactive series incorporate Twitter with character or show tweets
* Writing: Some writers create Follower-attracting 'voice' in 140 characters or less. How?
* How are TV shows, games, bands using Twitter? When should you personally tweet ur projects?
* Twitter Twoubles: outtages, fake accounts, can't track, low traffic, buzzword?
Speakers:
* Ann Glenn, Sony Pictures Imageworks Interactive, Senior Web Producer @sonypictures
* Alex Barkaloff, Lionsgate, Executive Producer Digital Media @lionsgatefilms
* Barret Swatek, actress (My Two Fans webisode series, Quarterlife) @KateMaxwell
I am planning on attending this panel Tuesday evening and will post what I learned - let me know if you are going to be there.
Speakers will share their experiences experimenting with Twitter as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Discussion includes:
* Movie Marketing: How are studios using Twitter to promote their movies, trailer releases, etc. * Webisodes - How can interactive series incorporate Twitter with character or show tweets
* Writing: Some writers create Follower-attracting 'voice' in 140 characters or less. How?
* How are TV shows, games, bands using Twitter? When should you personally tweet ur projects?
* Twitter Twoubles: outtages, fake accounts, can't track, low traffic, buzzword?
Speakers:
* Ann Glenn, Sony Pictures Imageworks Interactive, Senior Web Producer @sonypictures
* Alex Barkaloff, Lionsgate, Executive Producer Digital Media @lionsgatefilms
* Barret Swatek, actress (My Two Fans webisode series, Quarterlife) @KateMaxwell
I am planning on attending this panel Tuesday evening and will post what I learned - let me know if you are going to be there.
Obama Getting Super-Secure BlackBerry In A Few Months (RIMM)
Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider reports: The president will be able to send secure texts and emails and make calls to other secure BlackBerry devices.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Us Weekly First to Sell Facebook Page Sponsorship
MarketingVox reports: Celebrity magazine Us Weekly has offered its fan page and the sponsorship of its new Facebook profile to insurance giant State Farm – the first time a media company on the social network website has done so, reports Advertising Age.
Us Weekly's former Facebook page had just 2,918 fans, a small figure for such a large-scale publication. (By comparison, The New York Times page has 447,749 fans, National Geographic 453,013, and ABC's "Lost" has 785,093 fans.)
The company hopes the new page, which includes prominent news updates, more accessible video, a tab to view the magazine's tweets, a print subscription offering five issues free and other elements, will attract more viewers.
Sponsorship comes on top of a campaign State Farm is already running with the magazine. And afterward, Us Weekly plans to open up the page to other sponsorships, offering independent ad inventory, or added value, to other advertisers.
The initiative is part of a more aggressive stand in digital media that Us Weekly has adopted after the hiring of Steven Schwartz as chief digital officer at Wenner Media, the magazine's parent company.
Us Weekly's former Facebook page had just 2,918 fans, a small figure for such a large-scale publication. (By comparison, The New York Times page has 447,749 fans, National Geographic 453,013, and ABC's "Lost" has 785,093 fans.)
The company hopes the new page, which includes prominent news updates, more accessible video, a tab to view the magazine's tweets, a print subscription offering five issues free and other elements, will attract more viewers.
Sponsorship comes on top of a campaign State Farm is already running with the magazine. And afterward, Us Weekly plans to open up the page to other sponsorships, offering independent ad inventory, or added value, to other advertisers.
The initiative is part of a more aggressive stand in digital media that Us Weekly has adopted after the hiring of Steven Schwartz as chief digital officer at Wenner Media, the magazine's parent company.
The secrets of winning Twitter headlines
Copyblogger reports: Want your tweets to stand out? Brian Clark passes along a few guidelines for writing eye-catching headlines. Among the traits he prizes: The tweets should be useful, urgent, unique and very specific.
How Nokia connects with social media
SmartBlog on Social Media reports: Ahead of next week's BlogWell, Nokia social-media expert Molly Schonthal talked to SmartBrief about using social media to communicate inside and outside the company and measuring its effectiveness. Among her advice: "Accept and acknowledge criticism where it is fair. Don't just listen to feedback and comment, act on it."
New Study Examines Technology Generation Gap in the Workplace
LexisNexis Technology Gap Survey Finds Impact on Workplace Etiquette and Blurred Boundaries Between Work and Home.
This national survey of American white collar workers found that while technology is widely embraced among working professionals, significant gaps exist among generations regarding its use and application in the workplace. The newly released Technology Gap Survey found generational differences in the effect of technology on workplace etiquette, the blurring boundaries between personal and professional tasks, and the impact of technology overload. The survey - commissioned by LexisNexis, a leading provider of content-enabled workflow solutions - examined the impact of technology in the workplace. It compared technology and software usage among generations of working professionals, including Boomer (ages 44-60), Generation X (ages 29-43) and Generation Y (ages 28 and younger).
Key Points:
Impact on Office Etiquette
Blurred Boundaries Between Work & Home
Technology Overload
The Technology Gap Survey was commissioned by LexisNexis. WorldOne Research, an international market research agency specializing in the collection and analysis of data for leading organizations, conducted this survey of 450 professionals. Findings are available online at (www.lexisnexis.com/media/pdfs/LexisNexis-Technology-Gap-Survey-4-09.pdf).
This national survey of American white collar workers found that while technology is widely embraced among working professionals, significant gaps exist among generations regarding its use and application in the workplace. The newly released Technology Gap Survey found generational differences in the effect of technology on workplace etiquette, the blurring boundaries between personal and professional tasks, and the impact of technology overload. The survey - commissioned by LexisNexis, a leading provider of content-enabled workflow solutions - examined the impact of technology in the workplace. It compared technology and software usage among generations of working professionals, including Boomer (ages 44-60), Generation X (ages 29-43) and Generation Y (ages 28 and younger).
Key Points:
Impact on Office Etiquette
Blurred Boundaries Between Work & Home
Technology Overload
The Technology Gap Survey was commissioned by LexisNexis. WorldOne Research, an international market research agency specializing in the collection and analysis of data for leading organizations, conducted this survey of 450 professionals. Findings are available online at (www.lexisnexis.com/media/pdfs/LexisNexis-Technology-Gap-Survey-4-09.pdf).
CA Top 100 Political Players
Capitol Weekly has just released their list of the Top 100 list of California political power brokers- for 1-50 - click here and for 51-100 -click here.
Larry Summers nods off at a meeting with representatives of credit card companies at the WH
AP: National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers nods off at a meeting with representatives of credit card companies at the White House today.WSJ Capital Journal reports: Yes, it’s true. National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers took a little nap during the credit card meeting at the White House yesterday.
Hopefully you’ve read the account the White House pool reporter filed of it, which was on Washwire yesterday. And Time.com even has a more excellent shot of the incident on their Swampland blog as well as a caption that describes Summers as being in “rare form.”
And while, yes, it IS rare for economic advisers to catch a catnap during such an event, it’s not a first for Summers. At a “fiscal sustainability summit” in February, Summers also had a bit of trouble staying alert.
After the event, the Financial Times pointed out, “Although Lawrence Summers, head of the National Economic Council, fell asleep on the podium, most attendees, including Republicans, appear to have appreciated the exercise. There was even some light-heartedness.”
Social Networking Raises Over $28K in 24 Hours
Liberal OC reports: Gavin Newsom’s campaign proves value of social networking after Twitter announcement of his gubernatorial run results in more than $28,000 in Act Blue donations in one day. Newsom’s campaign launch also resulted in a spike of 18,000 new supporters on his facebook page.
AOL's New Plan: Content, Content, Content
BusinessWeek reports: Revenue-challenged and consummately uncool AOL is readying a blitz around Web content through its (unfortunately named) MediaGlow unit, which encompasses all of AOL's content sites. There now are more than 70. And MediaGlow has previously disclosed plans to launch at least 30(!) more in 2009.
Yahoo Pulls the Plug on GeoCities
Reuters reports: Yahoo Inc. is shutting down GeoCities, a free service that hosts personal home pages for consumers, which it acquired for more than $4 billion 10 years ago during the heyday of the dotcom boom. The move comes a few days after Yahoo said it would lay off nearly 700 workers.
How Tyson uses social media to promote philanthropy
While Tyson Foods faced some initial skepticism when it first started promoting its hunger-relief efforts to online communities, most doubters receded when they realized the food processor had been running the philanthropic effort for more than seven years, Ed Nicholson, director of community and public relations for Tyson Foods, explains in this interview on SmartBlog on Social Media. "We have a track record. And we have friends, partners and supporters in the hunger- relief community who were quick to vouch for us when that kind of criticism arose."
Struggling US newspaper industry finds political ally in John Kerry
Brand Republic reports: The former US presidential candidate John Kerry is bringing the woes of US newspapers to the attention of lawmakers with a series of Senate hearings next month.
Kerry, who chairs the Senate committee on communications, technology and the internet, is to hold the hearings from May 6.
The Democratic senator for Massachusets was spurred into action by the predicament facing a key newspaper in his state capital, the Boston Globe.
Kerry, who chairs the Senate committee on communications, technology and the internet, is to hold the hearings from May 6.
The Democratic senator for Massachusets was spurred into action by the predicament facing a key newspaper in his state capital, the Boston Globe.
Gathering London Marathon tweets
Brand Republic reports: Digital marketing agency Worth has launched a website called London Twitterthon to gather feeds found on micro blogging site Twitter that are associated with the London Marathon.
London Twitterthon allows users to share the excitement of those who are about to race in the gruelling event and gives participants an online space for advice and guidance in the days leading up to the 26-mile race.
Comments that have appeared include: "Only three more sleeps till I do the London Marathon", as well as "Running London Marathon for charity and will be tweeting on the way."
Mark Ralphs, Worth director, said: "We thought it would be a bit of fun to see what people were feeling and saying about the Marathon -- before, during and after the event.
"Twitter is a phenomenon in terms of allowing people to provide social comment on day-to-day events so we thought it would be great to put all their thoughts about this amazing event into one space."
The London Marathon is on this Sunday, April 26 and Twitter users are tagging tweets with #londonmarathon and #flm09.
London Twitterthon allows users to share the excitement of those who are about to race in the gruelling event and gives participants an online space for advice and guidance in the days leading up to the 26-mile race.
Comments that have appeared include: "Only three more sleeps till I do the London Marathon", as well as "Running London Marathon for charity and will be tweeting on the way."
Mark Ralphs, Worth director, said: "We thought it would be a bit of fun to see what people were feeling and saying about the Marathon -- before, during and after the event.
"Twitter is a phenomenon in terms of allowing people to provide social comment on day-to-day events so we thought it would be great to put all their thoughts about this amazing event into one space."
The London Marathon is on this Sunday, April 26 and Twitter users are tagging tweets with #londonmarathon and #flm09.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Google’s Answer to Facebook: Profile Search
This afternoon Google posted about a new feature which enables users to search for “me” to find their own Google profiles. Google recently upgraded their profile features but the company is now investing heavily in making profiles a more integrated part of search.
US CTO Named
Guardian Tech Blog reports: Barack Obama finally named his choice for America's first chief technology officer - Aneesh Chopra, the secretary of technology in Virginia. He's had a mixed reception from Silicon Valley - with a slug of jealousy mixed in with disappointment that the job will be more of a functional role than one with visionary scope.
Jimmy Wales: Social Web Marketing - Good for Some, Not for All
According to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, there are too many Indians and not enough Chiefs in the world of Web 2.0 marketing today. "There is a lot of advice about how brands should be interacting [online]," he said in a keynote presentation at Ad:Tech San Francisco today. "But, unless your brand is information dense, this highly interactive marketing is both expensive and useless."
The good news however, is that communities offer the best bang for your buck in this miserable economy and Wales sees return on investment (ROI) as an "incredible steal right now," when it comes to consumer generated media.
The good news however, is that communities offer the best bang for your buck in this miserable economy and Wales sees return on investment (ROI) as an "incredible steal right now," when it comes to consumer generated media.
How Newsom Twittered
RT@GavinNewsom It’s official- running for Gov of CA. Wanted you to be the first to know. Need your help. Check out video:
America's Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire
Mark Penn reports: In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers or firefighters.
Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.
The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income. That's almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click -- whether on their site or someone else's. And that's nearly half a million of whom it can be said, as Bob Dylan did of Hurricane Carter: "It's my work he'd say, I do it for pay."
Microtrends
Forget about huge, sweeping megaforces. The biggest trends today are micro: small, under-the-radar patterns of behavior which take on real power when propelled by modern communications and an increasingly independent-minded population. In the U.S., one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change. This column is about identifying these important new niches, and acting on that knowledge.
This could make us the most noisily opinionated nation on earth. The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. If journalists were the Fourth Estate, bloggers are becoming the Fifth Estate.
Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.
The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income. That's almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click -- whether on their site or someone else's. And that's nearly half a million of whom it can be said, as Bob Dylan did of Hurricane Carter: "It's my work he'd say, I do it for pay."
Microtrends
Forget about huge, sweeping megaforces. The biggest trends today are micro: small, under-the-radar patterns of behavior which take on real power when propelled by modern communications and an increasingly independent-minded population. In the U.S., one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change. This column is about identifying these important new niches, and acting on that knowledge.
This could make us the most noisily opinionated nation on earth. The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. If journalists were the Fourth Estate, bloggers are becoming the Fifth Estate.
Newson Announces for CA Governor by Twitter
TechCrunch reports: This morning San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced his bid for California Governor via Twitter, instantly sending his new campaign video (embedded below) to his 270,000 followers.
No doubt inspired by President Obama’s successful campaign over the last two years, Newsom is looking to social media to help connect with voters. Alongside this morning’s Tweet, Newsom also sent out a message to his 37,000 Facebook fans.
I suspect Newsom will be able to strike the same chords with an online campaign as President Obama did - he’s relatively young and a Democrat, with an online presence that’s already quite well established. Now the question is whether his opponents will be able to effectively use the same tools without ringing hollow. Among Newsom’s opponents in the race for the 2010 election is former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who only has 2,100 supporters on Facebook and a measly 850 Twitter followers.
No doubt inspired by President Obama’s successful campaign over the last two years, Newsom is looking to social media to help connect with voters. Alongside this morning’s Tweet, Newsom also sent out a message to his 37,000 Facebook fans.
I suspect Newsom will be able to strike the same chords with an online campaign as President Obama did - he’s relatively young and a Democrat, with an online presence that’s already quite well established. Now the question is whether his opponents will be able to effectively use the same tools without ringing hollow. Among Newsom’s opponents in the race for the 2010 election is former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who only has 2,100 supporters on Facebook and a measly 850 Twitter followers.
Reshaping the student election
MediaPost Communications/Notes From the Digital Frontier blog reports: The "use of the Internet as a means of campaigning has increased dramatically" at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., according to this article. Facebook groups, Web sites and Twitter accounts supplemented the staple T-shirts, buttons and fliers.
6 million visit Pepsi's RefreshEverything Facebook page
ClickZ reports: PepsiCo's RefreshEverything campaign, aimed at people ages 14 to 29, has attracted 6 million Facebook visits and hundreds of video submissions that have received 4 million page views. Online ads invited consumers to create YouTube videos in the form of open letters to President Barack Obama.
Fox News, MySpace debut citizen-journalist service
MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily reports: Two News Corp. divisions -- Fox News and MySpace -- are joining forces on a new citizen-journalist initiative called uReport. The service allows MySpace members to upload photos and videos in a variety of news-related categories; a select few will be featured on Fox News Channel and FoxNews.com.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
G5 Adds Social Media To Local Platform
MediaPost reports: G5 Search Marketing is launching a social media tool in its Local Marketing Platform. The move aims to change local advertising by making the connection between consumers and brands more interactive.
The tool, announced Tuesday at ad:tech in San Francisco, targets new ways that people find local information. Algorithms through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) assist searchers in finding local companies, but as the Web evolves, "social relevance" through sites such as Facebook and MySpace will play a key role in local search.
The tool, announced Tuesday at ad:tech in San Francisco, targets new ways that people find local information. Algorithms through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) assist searchers in finding local companies, but as the Web evolves, "social relevance" through sites such as Facebook and MySpace will play a key role in local search.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Chopra named nation's first CTO
The Wall Street Journal/Digits blog reports: As the nation's chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra will be charged with finding ways to use technology to improve security, lower costs and make the government more efficient, President Barack Obama said. Tech industry heavyweights welcomed the appointment. "Aneesh is an inspired appointment. His smarts and experience in technology, health care and investing will serve us well," said one venture capital leader.
How Twitter accelerates the damage-control cycle
Los Angeles Times reports: Amazon, Domino's and CNN recently faced potential reputation crises either brought on or exacerbated by the speed and reach of Twitter users. CNN responded to a challenge to reach 1 million Twitter followers by hiring the user who had established himself as an independent provider of CNN updates via Twitter. Domino's was able to tamp down online reaction to a damaging YouTube video with Twitter outreach.
Reading List Alert
The University of Virginia's Larry J. Sabato is out today with a 296-page, paperback anthology, 'The Year of Obama: How Barack Obama Won the White House.' $10.76 from Amazon.
From Mike Allen's Playbook email: 'The big idea of this book is that 2008 looks to be a realigning election-a very rare event in American history. The previous three were 1896, 1932, and 1980. Translation: The Democratic majority is going to last for a while. There have been 38 presidential elections since 1860, and Obama received the 6th highest share of the vote for a Democrat. Only FDR (four times) and LBJ (once) exceeded Obama's percentage.
There were three giant demographic shifts that powered this:
1. The young broke more than 2-1 Democratic, and it was an intense preference unlikely to fade quickly. As this group ages and replaces older voters, Democrats will benefit even more since this group's turnout will go up.
2. The proportion of minority voters (black, Hispanic, and Asian) shot up and is likely to climb consistently every four years (mainly because of Hispanics). Democrats get about three-quarters of the votes of minorities, taken as a collective group.
3. Americans with post-graduate educations have begun to move firmly to the Democrats, not just because of Bush and the economy but also because of the GOP's conservative stance on social issues (abortion, gay rights, etc.)
'Republicans will be in the wilderness for a while, whatever they do. If they want to shorten that time, though, they need to focus on the three populations we discuss in the book. There are many ways to increase their attractiveness, but one essential ingredient is to deemphasize social issues-as unhappy as that may make some fundamentalist Christians.'
From Mike Allen's Playbook email: 'The big idea of this book is that 2008 looks to be a realigning election-a very rare event in American history. The previous three were 1896, 1932, and 1980. Translation: The Democratic majority is going to last for a while. There have been 38 presidential elections since 1860, and Obama received the 6th highest share of the vote for a Democrat. Only FDR (four times) and LBJ (once) exceeded Obama's percentage.
There were three giant demographic shifts that powered this:
1. The young broke more than 2-1 Democratic, and it was an intense preference unlikely to fade quickly. As this group ages and replaces older voters, Democrats will benefit even more since this group's turnout will go up.
2. The proportion of minority voters (black, Hispanic, and Asian) shot up and is likely to climb consistently every four years (mainly because of Hispanics). Democrats get about three-quarters of the votes of minorities, taken as a collective group.
3. Americans with post-graduate educations have begun to move firmly to the Democrats, not just because of Bush and the economy but also because of the GOP's conservative stance on social issues (abortion, gay rights, etc.)
'Republicans will be in the wilderness for a while, whatever they do. If they want to shorten that time, though, they need to focus on the three populations we discuss in the book. There are many ways to increase their attractiveness, but one essential ingredient is to deemphasize social issues-as unhappy as that may make some fundamentalist Christians.'
PIzza Hut hunts college student for Summer of Twitter
BrandRepublic reports: Pizza Hut in the US is hunting for a college student to spend the summer months as a member of the PR team in charge of tweeting about new developments at the restaurant chain.
The company is advertising for students to apply for the 10-12 week long "twinternship", based in its headquarters in Dallas.
Duties include:
1. Sharing insights and experiences via social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
2. Attending marketing meetings, ad shoots and other events; monitoring social media for happenings that may be of interest to loyal Pizza Hut fans
3. Working on PR programmes
The internship is paid, although the job ad does not reveal the salary.
Applicants are expected to prove that they have knowledge of social media and, if shortlisted, will be required to "submit a portfolio of social media know-how".
The company is advertising for students to apply for the 10-12 week long "twinternship", based in its headquarters in Dallas.
Duties include:
1. Sharing insights and experiences via social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
2. Attending marketing meetings, ad shoots and other events; monitoring social media for happenings that may be of interest to loyal Pizza Hut fans
3. Working on PR programmes
The internship is paid, although the job ad does not reveal the salary.
Applicants are expected to prove that they have knowledge of social media and, if shortlisted, will be required to "submit a portfolio of social media know-how".
Bloggers Love Costco, Hate Walmart
MediaPost reports: In the increasingly influential blogosphere, wholesale and club stores receive the most favorable coverage among retailers, while traditional department stores and mass merchandisers trail far behind, according to a new study from media analysis company Carma International.
Praised for its low prices and quality product offerings, wholesale giant Costco receives the best coverage from bloggers -- while mass merchandisers like Walmart and Sears, along with traditional department store Macy's, emerged as the retail industry's laggards for the medium.
Walmart was the subject of the largest number of negative blog posts across the industry, and many of these posts were highly critical of the retailer, calling Walmart "evil" or other similar invectives.
"We thought Walmart's financial coverage in the mainstream media would foster positive attention overall from the blogosphere, but that wasn't the case," said study author and Carma vice president Christopher Scully. "We were surprised."
Carma's analysis, meanwhile, showed that only Kmart witnessed a larger share of intensely negative coverage than Walmart among retailers that appeared frequently in blog coverage, with 12% of blog posts on Walmart depicting the retailer with intense negativity.
Only the wholesale and club store sector received favorable blog coverage overall, with few aspects about wholesalers coming under criticism. Nearly 60% of all blog posts on wholesale and club stores were favorable, while only 9% of posts were unfavorable.
In contrast, the blogosphere published unfavorable reporting overall on mass merchandisers and neutral reporting overall on traditional department stores. Both faced significant negative attention from bloggers about their financial struggles in today's economic climate.
With the help of social media monitoring company CyberAlert, Carma searched more than 50 million blogs each day during the first two months of the year for mentions of selected retailers, finding and examining some 3,700 blog posts containing relevant discussions about 17 key retailers.
Carma analyzed a sample of these posts using its research methodology to determine the focus of this blog coverage, the reasons that bloggers praised and criticized the retailers, the frequency with which bloggers discussed the current economic environment, and the favorability with which bloggers depicted the retailers.
Carma included in the study the largest chains from the selected retail sectors as determined by number of stores nationwide, along with several high-end traditional department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus.
Other retailers examined for the study included BJ's Wholesale Club, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Ton, Dillard's, JCPenney, Kohl's, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Sam's Club, and Target.
Praised for its low prices and quality product offerings, wholesale giant Costco receives the best coverage from bloggers -- while mass merchandisers like Walmart and Sears, along with traditional department store Macy's, emerged as the retail industry's laggards for the medium.
Walmart was the subject of the largest number of negative blog posts across the industry, and many of these posts were highly critical of the retailer, calling Walmart "evil" or other similar invectives.
"We thought Walmart's financial coverage in the mainstream media would foster positive attention overall from the blogosphere, but that wasn't the case," said study author and Carma vice president Christopher Scully. "We were surprised."
Carma's analysis, meanwhile, showed that only Kmart witnessed a larger share of intensely negative coverage than Walmart among retailers that appeared frequently in blog coverage, with 12% of blog posts on Walmart depicting the retailer with intense negativity.
Only the wholesale and club store sector received favorable blog coverage overall, with few aspects about wholesalers coming under criticism. Nearly 60% of all blog posts on wholesale and club stores were favorable, while only 9% of posts were unfavorable.
In contrast, the blogosphere published unfavorable reporting overall on mass merchandisers and neutral reporting overall on traditional department stores. Both faced significant negative attention from bloggers about their financial struggles in today's economic climate.
With the help of social media monitoring company CyberAlert, Carma searched more than 50 million blogs each day during the first two months of the year for mentions of selected retailers, finding and examining some 3,700 blog posts containing relevant discussions about 17 key retailers.
Carma analyzed a sample of these posts using its research methodology to determine the focus of this blog coverage, the reasons that bloggers praised and criticized the retailers, the frequency with which bloggers discussed the current economic environment, and the favorability with which bloggers depicted the retailers.
Carma included in the study the largest chains from the selected retail sectors as determined by number of stores nationwide, along with several high-end traditional department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus.
Other retailers examined for the study included BJ's Wholesale Club, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Ton, Dillard's, JCPenney, Kohl's, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Sam's Club, and Target.
Friday, April 17, 2009
ESPN Prepares To Launch Sports Information Site
Curious where Shaquille O'Neal went to college? How many seasons Mickey Mantle played? ESPN wants to break the Google-to-Wikipedia flow chart that so many sports fans turn to for those kinds of answers.
So, it's set to launch ESPNDB.com (the DB stands for database) -- a site it hopes will serve as a sports encyclopedia-archive- statistical compendium. On one level, the goal is simply an ESPN-opedia -- although the content would be thoroughly fact-checked and would come from professionals. (Like Wikipedia, however, there will be some user-generated aspects.)
ESPNDB will debut sometime in the next few days in what is being termed a "pre-beta" stage. The venture has been in development for more than a year, and its operation falls under ESPN's digital media group.
The rise of a two-click solution for finding sports information online -- via a search on Google and then a click-through to Wikipedia -- cannot be understated as an impetus for ESPNDB.
"It was a significant factor," says Jim Noel, the vice president who oversees ESPNDB. "Wikipedia has experienced tremendous growth over the last five years ... and we believe that we can offer a better, more definitive, more credible resource for finding facts and figures and information than anybody else."
So, it's set to launch ESPNDB.com (the DB stands for database) -- a site it hopes will serve as a sports encyclopedia-archive- statistical compendium. On one level, the goal is simply an ESPN-opedia -- although the content would be thoroughly fact-checked and would come from professionals. (Like Wikipedia, however, there will be some user-generated aspects.)
ESPNDB will debut sometime in the next few days in what is being termed a "pre-beta" stage. The venture has been in development for more than a year, and its operation falls under ESPN's digital media group.
The rise of a two-click solution for finding sports information online -- via a search on Google and then a click-through to Wikipedia -- cannot be understated as an impetus for ESPNDB.
"It was a significant factor," says Jim Noel, the vice president who oversees ESPNDB. "Wikipedia has experienced tremendous growth over the last five years ... and we believe that we can offer a better, more definitive, more credible resource for finding facts and figures and information than anybody else."
Czar your crazy!?!
David J. Rothkopf, on ForeignPolicy.com reports: 'It's official: Obama creates more czars than the Romanovs: 'With [the] naming of Border Czar Alan Bersin, the Obama administration has by any reasonable reckoning passed the Romanov Dynasty in the production of czars. The Romanovs ruled Russia from 1613 with the ascension of Michael I through the abdication of Czar Nicholas II in 1917. During that time, they produced 18 czars. ... In addition to Bersin, we have energy czar Carol Browner, urban czar Adolfo Carrion, Jr., infotech czar Vivek Kundra, faith-based czar Joshua DuBois, health reform czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, new TARP czar Herb Allison, stimulus accountability czar Earl Devaney, non-proliferation czar Gary Samore, terrorism czar John Brennan, regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, and Guantanamo closure czar Daniel Fried. We also have a host of special envoys that fall in the czar category including AfPak special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, special advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia Dennis Ross, Sudan special envoy J. Scott Gration and climate special envoy Todd Stern. That's 18.'
More Than Half of Adults Used Internet to Follow 2008 Campaign
The Internet became even more ingrained in American politics during the 2008 campaign with nearly three-quarters of web users going online to look for news and information or to communicate with others about politics, according to the Pew Research Center which gathered the data between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 of last year.
That number represents 55 percent of the adult population and Pew says this was the first time that more than half of the voting age population went online to connect to politics during an election cycle.
Data Points:
Six in 10 used the internet to get news or information about the campaign -representing 44 percent of all adults, and nearly one-fifth did so on a daily basis
Pew found that politically-active internet users are gravitating towards sites that share their points of view rather than news sites that do traditional journalism
43% of Democratic online users said they visit politically like-minded sites, up from 34 percent in 2004, and 35 percent of Republicans do the same, up from 26 percent in 2006
How did people communicate with each other the most when it came to sharing views on politics?
Well, even though you might not think so from watching all the people next to you texting away, those who talked to people in person topped the list at 59 percent, followed by those who used the telephone at 45 percent. Eleven percent did so by email, 8 percent by text messages, 4 percent by posting their experience on a social networking site, 4 percent by posting a comment on a website or blog and 2 percent by writing their thoughts on their own blogs
That number represents 55 percent of the adult population and Pew says this was the first time that more than half of the voting age population went online to connect to politics during an election cycle.
Data Points:
Six in 10 used the internet to get news or information about the campaign -representing 44 percent of all adults, and nearly one-fifth did so on a daily basis
Pew found that politically-active internet users are gravitating towards sites that share their points of view rather than news sites that do traditional journalism
43% of Democratic online users said they visit politically like-minded sites, up from 34 percent in 2004, and 35 percent of Republicans do the same, up from 26 percent in 2006
How did people communicate with each other the most when it came to sharing views on politics?
Well, even though you might not think so from watching all the people next to you texting away, those who talked to people in person topped the list at 59 percent, followed by those who used the telephone at 45 percent. Eleven percent did so by email, 8 percent by text messages, 4 percent by posting their experience on a social networking site, 4 percent by posting a comment on a website or blog and 2 percent by writing their thoughts on their own blogs
How personal branding changes the game
Knowledge@Wharton reports: Social networking and new media are critical tools for professionals looking to reshape their careers, experts say. "The most important part is being consistent, [to establish] brand consistency across the various channels," writes Eric Bradlow, co-director of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative.
NFL takes Draft Weekend social
CNET reports: Ahead of what some call the second-most-important day in a football fan's year, the NFL has deployed a comprehensive set of social-media tools to help fans follow their teams during Draft Weekend. Currently, the league's weaker teams (i.e. the ones that need quality draft picks the most) are the ones seeing the most action in the War Rooms.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Greenpeace appoints veteran organizer to its top post
Greenwire reports: Greenpeace USA -- an environmental group that blends colorful protests, organizing and lobbying -- announced the appointment today of its top organizer, Phil Radford, as its new executive director.
Radford, 33, the grassroots director, has been with Greenpeace since 2003 and was behind the launch of the "Frontline" initiative that nearly doubled the organization's annual budget to $30 million, the group said. He was also instrumental in mobilizing Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter users.
"Phil Radford has helped make Greenpeace more robust, more powerful, and more technologically savvy," said Donald Ross, the chairman of Greenpeace's board of directors, in a statement. "This is not your father's environmental movement."
Oh My!
Radford, 33, the grassroots director, has been with Greenpeace since 2003 and was behind the launch of the "Frontline" initiative that nearly doubled the organization's annual budget to $30 million, the group said. He was also instrumental in mobilizing Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter users.
"Phil Radford has helped make Greenpeace more robust, more powerful, and more technologically savvy," said Donald Ross, the chairman of Greenpeace's board of directors, in a statement. "This is not your father's environmental movement."
Oh My!
Researchers say social media essential for national security
Nextgov.com reports: Two researchers at the National Defense University plan to release a paper that concludes the Defense Department must adopt a comprehensive strategy for using social media to improve national security.
"This is not just techie-geeky stuff, but serious stuff with national security ramifications," said Linton Wells, a distinguished research professor at NDU who co-wrote the report. "We can't ignore [social media] if other nations are using it, both friends and adversaries. If the government keeps not making use of these technologies, we'll fall behind and be unaware of things that could affect us."
The policy paper, which was co-authored by NDU associate research fellow Mark Drapeau, examines how software applications that allow groups of people to connect and communicate online affects government security and how Defense should use social media in its operations.
Drapeau said the paper is written for senior decision-makers and attempts to answer how social media can help government meet its missions.
The authors divide government uses of social media into four categories: sharing information within the agency or department, or inward sharing; sharing information with other agencies and external groups, or outward sharing; obtaining information and input from the public and outside organizations, or inbound sharing; and sharing information with people outside the government, including the public and other nations, which they call outbound sharing.
Drapeau said he was particularly interested in the implications of social media for global security and stability. The paper describes how social applications have affected recent worldwide events such as allowing citizens to organize protests in Pakistan, Columbia and Egypt, and providing firsthand accounts of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and a coup d'etat in Madagascar.
"It's still important to be aware of the power and reach of these tools," he said. "If you work in national security some of these things happening in other countries may affect your job or mission. What's happening over the past couple years is people in other countries are using Facebook, Twitter and blogs to organize. In some cases even when government security knew it was happening, they were overwhelmed by the amount of people who show up."
"This is not just techie-geeky stuff, but serious stuff with national security ramifications," said Linton Wells, a distinguished research professor at NDU who co-wrote the report. "We can't ignore [social media] if other nations are using it, both friends and adversaries. If the government keeps not making use of these technologies, we'll fall behind and be unaware of things that could affect us."
The policy paper, which was co-authored by NDU associate research fellow Mark Drapeau, examines how software applications that allow groups of people to connect and communicate online affects government security and how Defense should use social media in its operations.
Drapeau said the paper is written for senior decision-makers and attempts to answer how social media can help government meet its missions.
The authors divide government uses of social media into four categories: sharing information within the agency or department, or inward sharing; sharing information with other agencies and external groups, or outward sharing; obtaining information and input from the public and outside organizations, or inbound sharing; and sharing information with people outside the government, including the public and other nations, which they call outbound sharing.
Drapeau said he was particularly interested in the implications of social media for global security and stability. The paper describes how social applications have affected recent worldwide events such as allowing citizens to organize protests in Pakistan, Columbia and Egypt, and providing firsthand accounts of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and a coup d'etat in Madagascar.
"It's still important to be aware of the power and reach of these tools," he said. "If you work in national security some of these things happening in other countries may affect your job or mission. What's happening over the past couple years is people in other countries are using Facebook, Twitter and blogs to organize. In some cases even when government security knew it was happening, they were overwhelmed by the amount of people who show up."
Domino's nightmare holds lessons for marketers
USA Today reports: It's a PR nightmare scenario: A national fast-food chain has to respond to a video, spreading rapidly online, that shows one of its employees picking his nose and placing the result in the food he's making.
That's exactly what Domino's (DPZ), the nation's largest pizza delivery chain, has spent the past several days doing.
Two employees — fired and facing charges — posted a video on YouTube on Monday that shows one of them doing gross things to a Domino's sub sandwich he is making. Among them: sticking cheese pieces up his nose and passing gas on the salami.
The video had been viewed more than 550,000 times by Wednesday.
For Domino's, the PR response hasn't been easy. The video reflects some of the worst fears consumers have about food purchased from restaurants. The video and discussion of it has moved on to Facebook, Twitter and dozens of other social-networking sites.
But Domino's is getting fairly high marks from social-networking and crisis-management gurus about its response.
And marketers are getting an instant lesson in the dangers of an online world where just about anyone with a video camera and a grudge can bring a company to its knees with lightning speed.
"Nothing is local anymore," Domino's spokesman Tim McIntyre says. "That's the challenge of the Web world. Any two idiots with a video camera and a dumb idea can damage the reputation of a 50-year-old brand." Advocacy 2.0 point: "Viral is the new local"
Here are key things experts say marketers can do to quickly catch and respond effectively to similar social-networking attacks:
• Monitor social media. Big companies must actively watch Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social sites to track conversations that involve them. That will help uncover potential crises-in-the-making, says Brian Solis, a new-media specialist and blogger at PR2.0.
• Respond quickly. Domino's responded within hours. "They responded as soon as they heard about it, not after the media asked, 'What are you going to do?' " says Lynne Doll, president of The Rogers Group, a crisis-management specialist.
• Respond at the flashpoint. Domino's first responded on consumer affairs blog The Consumerist, whose activist readers helped track down the store and employees who made the video. Then it responded on the Twitter site where talk was mounting. "Domino's did the right thing by reinstituting the trust where it was lost," Solis says.
• Educate workers. It's important that all employees have some media and social-media training, says Ross Mayfield, co-founder of Socialtext, which advises companies on new media.
• Foster a positive culture. Workers who are content and customers who like your product are far less likely to tear down a company online, PR guru Katie Delahaye Paine says. "This would be a lot less likely to happen at places like Whole Foods."
• Set clear guidelines. Companies must have clear policies about what is allowed during working hours — and what isn't, Doll says. "It won't prevent everyone from breaking the rules, but at least they'll know what the rules are."
That's exactly what Domino's (DPZ), the nation's largest pizza delivery chain, has spent the past several days doing.
Two employees — fired and facing charges — posted a video on YouTube on Monday that shows one of them doing gross things to a Domino's sub sandwich he is making. Among them: sticking cheese pieces up his nose and passing gas on the salami.
The video had been viewed more than 550,000 times by Wednesday.
For Domino's, the PR response hasn't been easy. The video reflects some of the worst fears consumers have about food purchased from restaurants. The video and discussion of it has moved on to Facebook, Twitter and dozens of other social-networking sites.
But Domino's is getting fairly high marks from social-networking and crisis-management gurus about its response.
And marketers are getting an instant lesson in the dangers of an online world where just about anyone with a video camera and a grudge can bring a company to its knees with lightning speed.
"Nothing is local anymore," Domino's spokesman Tim McIntyre says. "That's the challenge of the Web world. Any two idiots with a video camera and a dumb idea can damage the reputation of a 50-year-old brand." Advocacy 2.0 point: "Viral is the new local"
Here are key things experts say marketers can do to quickly catch and respond effectively to similar social-networking attacks:
• Monitor social media. Big companies must actively watch Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social sites to track conversations that involve them. That will help uncover potential crises-in-the-making, says Brian Solis, a new-media specialist and blogger at PR2.0.
• Respond quickly. Domino's responded within hours. "They responded as soon as they heard about it, not after the media asked, 'What are you going to do?' " says Lynne Doll, president of The Rogers Group, a crisis-management specialist.
• Respond at the flashpoint. Domino's first responded on consumer affairs blog The Consumerist, whose activist readers helped track down the store and employees who made the video. Then it responded on the Twitter site where talk was mounting. "Domino's did the right thing by reinstituting the trust where it was lost," Solis says.
• Educate workers. It's important that all employees have some media and social-media training, says Ross Mayfield, co-founder of Socialtext, which advises companies on new media.
• Foster a positive culture. Workers who are content and customers who like your product are far less likely to tear down a company online, PR guru Katie Delahaye Paine says. "This would be a lot less likely to happen at places like Whole Foods."
• Set clear guidelines. Companies must have clear policies about what is allowed during working hours — and what isn't, Doll says. "It won't prevent everyone from breaking the rules, but at least they'll know what the rules are."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)