One of the great big whopping lies about social media is authenticity. Because – let’s face it – there isn’t much that’s authentic about social media. There’s lots of spin, cherry-picking, and bright-side propaganda from both individuals and brands going on. Few people and brands are truly genuine about their attitudes, personalities and opinions on […]
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You’re Not Married to Your Social Networks – You’re Just Dating
April 12, 2013 
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Because if history is any guide – social networks come and go. Mostly go. So don’t go off and get hitched. As my astute colleague Greg Swan recently noted: “You would think the track record of social network migration (i.e. users emigrating from Compuserve to AOL, AOL to Friendster, Friendster to MySpace, more recently MySpace […]
Read moreShould We Block Big Brother Tactics by Companies?
April 4, 2013 8 Comments
Gmail reads my emails. … so they can serve me targeted ads. Amazon analyzes my book buying habits. …to serve me up ads via recommendations. Facebook studies my posting habits and likes. …to sell my profile to advertisers so they can target me with ads. Google collects and analyzes my search habits. …to serve me […]
Read moreFear of Storytelling & Other Tales of Brand Failure
March 27, 2013 2 Comments
The Internet is killing Advertising. Or at least what we would consider traditional advertising. Fewer people believe the claims. More people tune it out. Or just avoid it all together (fast forward anyone?). The Internet has ushered in an era of transparency, openness and instant access to information. There’s no place to hide. So claiming […]
Read moreThe Eyes of Lots & Lots of Strangers
March 25, 2013 3 Comments
They are watching you. And if you install Ghosterly on your browser, “they” will finally have names. Names like KissMetrics, Quantcast, Google Analytics, ChartBeat and MediaMind. These are just some of the many companies pilfering your data online. They are watching and recording your every click and then selling it to corporations, governments and private […]
Read more3 Ways to Save Journalism from Extinction
March 21, 2013 13 Comments
Let this statistic sink in for a moment. Total number of journalists in the U.S.: 40,000 Total number of Google employees: 54,000 Google was founded in 1998. Journalism may have died around the same time. Try this one on for size. There are 3.6 public relations professionals for every single journalist. Nearly 4 to 1. […]
Read moreHas Journalism Become Elitist?
March 7, 2013 13 Comments
The answer, unfortunately, might be yes. At one point, only a couple of decades ago, newsrooms were filled with reporters culled from the ranks of blue-collar and working class families. When I started in journalism, newsroom were gritty places. Profanity was not only common, but as permanent as the water stains on the ceiling tiles. […]
Read moreSaturday is the New Friday
March 5, 2013 4 Comments
Let’s face it: The 40-hour work week is dead. And all that blather about 4-day and 3-day work weeks is just that: blather. Workers, especially professional workers, have lost the gains made by labor unions in the 19th and early 20th centuries to win the eight-hour day and 40-hour work week. The Fair Labor Standards Act […]
Read moreWhy Tech Companies Love Patents & Hate Copyrights
February 19, 2013 3 Comments
Technology companies adore patents. They gobble them up like Pac-Man snacking on digital pellets. And they use the patents like clubs to bludgeon everyone and anyone who dares “to violate” them. Patent battles are making headlines everywhere. As a recent Boston Globe article noted: “Patents have become a costly and controversial part of the business […]
Read moreCommunity Management Isn’t Content Creation
February 11, 2013 21 Comments
Here’s the job of a community manager: Managing social media assets Monitoring conversations/posts/tweets Engaging with the community Providing a voice/face/contact for the community Providing expertise and counsel about utilizing social/digital channels Here’s what the job of a community manager shouldn’t be: Primary content creator Yet many brands have their community managers providing most – if […]
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