Classic portrait of Phil Gomes from Phil's Blogservations
Phil Gomes is a social-media denizen to the core.
How do I know?
Late last week, Phil dropped me an email to say thanks for including him in Sledzik-Curran Social Media Project. This was before I knew Andy had posted the clips to YouTube, and before I’d prepared this post to promote them. What can I say? I’m 55 and no longer move at digital speed.
Phil has his ear on the digital world 24-7 — constantly monitoring the landscape. Social media, he says, invigorated his career and “kept him in PR.” Read the rest of this entry »
The Canada Goose may have brought down Flight 1549. At my place, they just poop in the yard.
How many birds struck commercial airliners last year? You may never know if the Federal Aviation Administration has its way.
The agency that oversees U.S. flying machines fears that data about bird strikes may create undue public concern about the safety of commercial aviation. Last Thursday, according to this AP report, the FAA made a stealth move to keep bird-strike data secret, quietly publishing its proposal in the Federal Registry in the late afternoon.
Turns out the AP has its own agenda on the bird issue. The wire service requested the FAA bird data (via FOI) shortly after the “miracle” landing of Flight 1549 brought the issue to prominence. The agency’s “secret” database is said to include more than 100,000 reports of bird strikes going back nearly 20 years. All were voluntarily submitted by the airlines.
I have a love-hate relationship with social media. If you come here regularly, you know that.
On one hand, I’m in awe of SM’s power to connect people and communities, and I’m excited about its growing role in public relations. On the other hand, I’m put off by the self-centeredness of so many in this space, and the self-righteousness of some of its “thought leaders.”
First a confession. When I re-entered Twitter in 10/08, I lurked for a while under the pseudonym “PR Preacher.” I didn’t want the pressure of being “on” from Day One, and I fully expected to stay a few weeks and leave — just as I had in the spring of ’07. This time, though, I found value in Twitter and opted to stay, but under my own name. Read the rest of this entry »
As Part of the Sledzik-Curran Social Media Project, we asked Jason Falls how clients at Doe-Anderson are using SM to advance their objectives. You may access all 11 clips at the YouTube site or link to them individually from this post. Just to warn you, the clips on the YouTube site are out of order thanks to some uploading snags.
Six of our 11 clips with Jason focus on cases. The clip embedded here highlights the Maker’s Mark Ambassador program — a social network that has online and face-to-face components. The Maker’s Mark program fosters a community of bourbon enthusiasts — so it certainly got my attention! Check it out. (Run time: 3:47)
Other case studies under “Who Experiments with Social Media?”
Part 1: Almost every client is experimenting with SM (Run time 1:28)
Part 2: The National Center for Family Literacy (Run time :59)
Part 3: B2B Connections for a Health Care Client (Run time 1:38)
Part 4: Social Media for Internal Communication (Run time 1:56)
Part 5: Knob Creek and the Whiskey Professors (Run time 1:06)
On these clips, Jason addresses other social media issues:
I don’t think much about Facebook. I just have fun with it.
My friendz* on the site range from people I know extremely well to people I’ve never met — 302 in all, built up over 4 years.
I don’t take Facebook seriously — ever. And that’s part of its charm: There’s no pressure to be “on.” In my spoof of the “25 Things” meme I said: “I’m a Facebook whore who accepts friend invitations from almost anyone. In the end, it really doesn’t matter much, because we’re just pretending to be friends.”
Turns out, that’s not really true. Most of my 302 friendz are folks I met while passing through life, and I know most of them reasonably well. But I certainly haven’t met them all. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m too busy for serious blogging this week, so chomp on these random nuggets on how social media are affecting our lives:
@SenJohnMcCain has over 180,000 followers on Twitter. The Senator isn’t big on conversation, but that’s not why he’s using the world’s hottest social network. For McCain, Twitter is a broadcasting tool for hammering home messages about pork-barrel spending in Washington. His tweets are crisp and his messages are clear.
Some say McCain doesn’t get social media. I mean, where’s the conversation? Fact is, conversation doesn’t fit McCain’s strategy for this campaign. He’s using Twitter as he would the mainstream media: to create awareness/buzz about his positions and to galvanize support. And it seems to be working. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this week I wrestled with a handful of social-media purists who could not/would not acknowledge my arguments on ghostwriting and blogging. If you missed it, just scroll down one post.
Nothing I said or will ever say on this issue can change their minds. They’ve covered their ears, as we all sometimes do.
Yes, we all have issues on which we won’t compromise. No matter how reasonable the opponent’s position, we stand firm. And we often completely disregard contrary points of view to protect our own. It’s human nature. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week, I promised Beth Harte (as part of this thread) to clarify my views on an issue as old as the blogosphere:
Is it ever OK to ghostwrite blog posts for your client or employer?
Social media’s “true believers” say it is not. I say it is, provided the task is handled by an ethical professional working in close partnership with the blogger to create the content. I’ll support that position using a simple model for ethical reasoning. You may agree or disagree.
Posted by Bill Sledzik 
