Sprint Nextel President and CEO Daniel Hesse has his share of problems bringing his company out of the doldrums, but he has a nice asset in the Palm Pre. The Pre, which runs on the Sprint Nextel network, has received solid reviews. CNET gives it 3.5 stars out of five, applauding its multitasking, notification system, […]
United’s nightmare not over by a longshot
On July 17, 2009, Dave Carroll’s video was the number three search result for “United Airlines.”
♫ United breaks guitars; everyone sing along! ♫
Good morning class: For today’s lesson, please view this video: Now, please take note of the number of views on the video (as of this posting, it’s more than 1,300,000). Now, please visit Twitter search and see the traffic: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=united+breaks+guitars Now, let’s review the ways it pays to “be good”: 1. It’s a nice feeling. […]
Dear graduate,
I’ve been looking for the right words for some time now, but it always comes off preachy. So instead I will rely upon the words of others, and keep things short. My gift to you! Paul Hawken gave a brilliant graduation address to the students at the University of Portland. I urge you to take […]
Who are you?
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
The end of a newspaper … and rising from the ashes …
The Rocky Mountain News had a good run, but it’s over. Here’s a 20+ minute video on the end. It’s worth your time: Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo. While the news coming from the newspaper industry is almost universally bad, there are some glimmers of hope. There are many, many more reasons to […]