Last week I spent some time in my campaigns class helping students think about life after graduation. Identity, online and off, was a topic. The main goal is to be “findable” online, which is easier for someone with an uncommon name and much more difficult if your name is “Smith” or “Johnson.” One student said […]
Miles Davis: 50th anniversary of “Kind of Blue”
Fifty years ago today, Miles Davis completed the album “Kind of Blue.” It’s my favorite recording of all time, and also the best selling jazz record in history. While this post is off-topic, I just wanted to share this short documentary on the album, below. If you don’t own “Kind of Blue,” go buy it. […]
Links for 4-20-2009
Great visual directory of online collaboration tools: Robin Good’s Collaborative Map (thanks, Bobby Rozzell) Look at what Google Labs has cooked up now: Google News Timeline Become a lean, mean, Tweetin’ machine with iGoogle, from Micropersuasion
In search of ethos online
Aristotle, the father of rhetoric, taught us about the three great appeals: logos, the logical appeal; pathos, the emotional appeal; and ethos, the appeal of reputation. Who you are matters. And as we go through life, we create meaningful relationships with people, in large part based upon ethos. But all that falls apart online. And […]
No wonder journalists hate PR; look at what we make them read
The next time you attend a theatre performance, check the program to see how many of the performers are “thrilled” to be in the cast. Answer: most of ’em. And now, take a look at your press releases. Is your solution “cost effective?” Is your client a “leading provider?” Is there “synergy” all over the […]
When Twitter’s too much: Flutter!
A new opportunity, a new town
I normally don’t write about my personal life, but I’ve got exciting news to share with my friends, students and colleagues: I’ve accepted a faculty position in the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago, and will start there this fall. Loyola is in the process of creating an extraordinary school of communication, and it’s […]
These times call for … radical transparency
In a world of communication-empowered customers, businesses are starting to figure out that treating customers well is … well, good business. They may also be treating customers well because they’re scared to death of the consequences of not doing so (see: Vincent Ferrari tries to cancel AOL). And that’s OK, too. But many businesses have […]
Free tools for managing your store’s web site
My favorite store is having a sale this week, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at its web site. That’s because the site just sits there. It’s little more than a business card with some pretty pictures. The site isn’t updated because it’s a hassle to do it. If the job requires a […]
Skittles “tastes a rainbow” of sites
Visit Skittles.com for a bold experiment. The candy company has temporarily taken down its normal website. In its place is a dashboard that directs you to its portfolio of social media sites. Click on “chatter” and it redirects you to a Twitter search of “skittles.” Click on “friends” and it takes you to Facebook. Brilliant, […]