David Kamerer

Associate Professor of Communication, Loyola University Chicago

Graduating students: don’t listen to me; listen to these media pros

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It’s an exciting time in the halls of the academy these days; graduation is near. And it’s also a scary time, because graduating students are entering a marketplace in shambles. Old structures are crumbling; new ones have yet to figure out how to monetize. Ack! What to do? Get to work, that’s what. Do something, for someone; build your networks; gain some experience; and do some good in the world. And listen to these guys, who feel your pain.

Who are you?

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knowem.gifLast 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 she shares a name with an adult film actress. What to do?
There are no magic answers here. But everyone can proactively manage this problem. Use your name consistently. If it’s common, think about using your middle initial or nickname. Secure relevant domains. Create a Google Profile. Participate intelligently in the social web. And register for services that can help create “breadcrumbs” that lead back to you. 
I counsel clients to sign up for Twitter, or other services, even if they have no intention of using them. At least you know other parties can’t use your identity.
If online identity is a concern to you, take a look at knowem.com. This service can instantly check if your preferred name is available on 120 social media websites. For about $65, the service will sign you up for all of ’em. That’s right, every one, from Aviary to Zooomr (If you’re not familiar with all of these services, you’re not alone.)
For an additional $20/month, the service will continue to sign up for new services as they launch. (Please note that I have not evaluated this service.)
It might be overkill for most individuals, but a quick scan of the list will show some services that you probably should consider. Of course, you can sign up without paying a third party. The takeaway is to a) think about who you are and want to be; b) take steps to identify and protect this name; and c) build the infrastructure of participation so the web is working for you, not against you.
Just remember: you can’t opt out. The online conversation will continue and grow. So stake your place in it, and manage your online identity.

Miles Davis: 50th anniversary of “Kind of Blue”

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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. And then really give it a listen. It’s not music that just fits into the cracks of your life. It deserves your full attention.
If you’d like to know more about “Kind of Blue,” I highly recommend the book on it by Ashley Kahn.

In search of ethos online

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aristotle.jpgAristotle, 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 as social media evolve, we need to fix this, or the communities will fall apart.
Arthur Frommer wrote last week of widespread shill reviews on travel sites, including popular sites like tripadvisor.com. Frommer reports that one travel site, beatofhawaii.com, says up to half of tripadvisor’s reviews appear to be placed by PR firms, restaurants and hotels – all on their own behalf. He further reports that Royal Caribbean Cruise lines has engaged in a “pay for play” scheme to “wine and dine” frequent cruisers, in return for positive reviews on social media sites (note: do this search to see the blowback from consumer advocates about this program).
Locally, at kansas.com, the portal for the Wichita Eagle, the comments on stories are filled with hateful, cloaked comments, cheapening the site.
So, what can we do about this?
  • Require registration. Anonymous comments have no value. Only cowards hide behind anonymity.
  • Registration is a start, but websites and news services should require people to use their real names. A newspaper wouldn’t publish an anonymous or cloaked comment, so why should a website?
  • People who carry out discourse publicly should want to tell us who they are. If you’re a company or blogger, you can provide a link to your site. If you’re not, consider a suggestion by David Meeman Scott, author of World Wide Rave: create a Google Profile (here’s mine). A Google profile is free, easy to create, and provides basic contextual information about who you are. 
You might use a LinkedIn or Facebook identity, but as Scott points out, you need to be a member of that network to see your page. Anyone can see your Google Profile.
Professionals should know better than to post phony reviews. As a member of the Public Relations Society of America, I am bound by the PRSA Code of Ethics, which includes the following:
  • Avoid deceptive practices
  • Reveal the sponsors for causes and interests represented
  • Be honest and accurate in all communications
It’s not rocket science. Any professional should know that it’s wrong to lie or fail to disclose an interest. And still, people do it all the time. And drilling down to the level of comments left on an online newspaper, there’s no pretense of professionalism. It’s a literal free-for-all.

In the end, people will tire of this tainted marketplace of ideas. Maybe that’s what it will take to get people to pay for content online. Online communities that are honest, ethical and policed for trolls. Like a country club, you charge a fee to weed out the undesirables. And then say good bye to the public swimming pool. 

In my daily life, I’m very selective about who I’ll call a “friend.” Online, I would also rather hang out with friends than people who won’t even tell me their real names. 

Let’s raise our standards online, treasure our friends, and say goodbye to the trolls.

No wonder journalists hate PR; look at what we make them read

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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 place? If so, this blog post is for you. 
David Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave, has conducted a content analysis of press releases, and has identified the top 25 Gobbledygook words and phrases from 2008.
Scott used Dow Jones Insight to analyze more than 700,000 press releases. In the pursuit of knowledge, he took a lot of flack, so to speak. 
Our writing is not getting better. Like many other communication tasks, it has been deskilled, either by haste or economics. You know the drill: “just give me some verbiage for this panel.” Business moves fast. Writing is a slow process.
So here’s my plea: let writers do the writing. Not the executive secretary. Not the director of development. Not someone from IT. I marvel at how many computer geeks still write web copy, even today. 
And let’s learn from our brethren at newspapers: bonus points if there’s an editor in the chain.
You can test your writing for cliches using Hubspot’s Gobbledygook Grader. Just paste your text into a window, and the service will email you with its analysis (I have not thoroughly evaluated this tool).
Write conversationally. Write copy that you would want to read. Treasure your audience.
And, as William Safire so eloquently put it, avoid cliches like the plague. 

A new opportunity, a new town

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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 my privilege to be part of it.
So what makes it special? 
The University has made a strong commitment to the program, hiring a new dean (Don Heider), a talented group of new faculty, and creating a new facility (The Clare, at 51 East Pearson in the heart of Chicago’s business district). It’s literally steps from the Water Tower, and near many of the city’s ad agencies and media outlets.

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At Loyola I’ll be able to pursue my interest in social media through a combination of teaching, research and professional practice. I’ll be working with a collegial faculty with deep academic and professional training. And I’ll be able to connect with industry professionals working at the highest levels for national accounts.
Oh, and in one of the most exciting cities in the world.
I’ll leave Wichita State with sadness. I have great affection for my colleagues and students. And I’ll miss the wonderful group of friends I’ve made through the years. So you can be sure I’ll return regularly.

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I don’t leave Wichita State lightly. But there’s no permanent position for me there. So it’s time for a new adventure. And I couldn’t have asked for a better one.

These times call for … radical transparency

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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 just put lipstick on the pig, hoping to fool their customers with the appearance of good customer care. Their business model is: up front, we cherish you and your money. In the back, not so much.
Here are some examples from my daily life of this “partial transparency”:
• I subscribed to a new magazine, and received the first issue yesterday (March 12). It was the February issue, which probably was on new stands around Christmas. Also in my mailbox: the March issue. So here’s my question to Rodale Press, which publishes the magazine: am I your customer, or just a convenient way to monetize your excess back inventory? I called Rodale, and they agreed to extend my subscription for one issue. No apology though, though I did get a “not a problem.” I might still cancel the magazine.
• I flew United Airlines to Chicago, and on the way home thought I should join the frequent flyer club. It’s easy to do so before you fly. After you’re safely home, however, it’s another matter. I endured a long-time tactic of an organization that wants to discourage a certain customer behavior: information buried deep in the website so no one can find it (hint: search for “retro credits”). When I finally found the right page, I was told I had to wait 72 hours after the last flight (translation: come back later, we’re confident you’ll forget). 
• How many other organizations “talk the talk” of customer service, but absolutely fail to deliver it? Have you ever tried to call amazon.com? One customer who has had it even created a website full of codes that bypass the computerized voicemail hell that so many companies erect to keep customers out.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to see when companies get it right. When they’re on Twitter, answering questions and acting like human beings. When there’s a live chat option, so you can interact with a customer service agent. And when someone, anyone, says “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” Or, “I’m sorry; how can I make that right?”
Social media is about media, for sure, but it’s first and foremost social. We now have the tools to be social in a computer-mediated environment. And the spoils go to those who welcome their customers and treat them like the royalty they are.

Free tools for managing your store’s web site

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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 web designer, complex software and an arcane process called FTP to send information to a server, it’s too complicated to do regularly. 
But it doesn’t have to be that way. A new kind of web site – a content management system, or CMS – makes it easy to administer from a secure dashboard. And when it’s easy, you’ll update it when you’re having a sale.
A CMS can be expensive, as a custom-designed and programmed site might be. Or it can be free, if you use an off-the-shelf or open source tool. Many companies use blogging platforms such as WordPress or Movable Type as their CMS. If you need more power or control, there are open-source tools like Joomla or Drupal. When you choose one of these, you gain support from communities of experts who provide free programming modules or visual themes.

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