I went to a very cool Tweetup at WBUR this week. (Lots of my Social Media heroes were there…like a kid at Christmas, I didn’t know where to turn first.) While there I got to be involved in a conversation about hyper-local news. While #journchat has hosted many a conversation about the future business model for the media, participants in this conversation seemed to have some real concrete and feasible ideas.
Information overload
Trying to get my retired schoolteacher mother to understand social media… I compare Twitter to a constantly changing conveyor belt buffet of thoughts, ideas and stories that scrolls past you. You see an interesting dish, reach out and sample it. If it is interesting, it might turn into a meal but otherwise it is a snack. (Unless it is #journchat or #GNO and then it reminds me of the “I Love Lucy” chocolate factory where the conveyor belt keeps the […]
Marketing to kids? Understand COPPA
Last night I had the rare opportunity to chat with another kid marketer in the Boston area about social networks for kids, online communities for kids, privacy,and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act). I say ‘rare’ because Boston isn’t really considered a mecca for consumer brands much less kid-focused brands and properties. We’re here but our density is low.
Old School PR – Is it Dead?
I started working in PR back “in the day.” I make interns giggle when I tell them about editing press releases by crossing out letters and words, using White-out and actually taping pieces of paper together to add additional information. We usually sent press release drafts to clients via courier or the mail.
Start-up Sanity Check
It happened again. I spent two hours last night catching up with a dear friend/former colleague whom I haven’t spoken with in a couple years. (We, like many people, recently re-connected on Facebook.) And I got to hear another fascinating business idea. In the last two months, I have been honored to be part of 6 such conversations. They are invariably fascinating and I learn something new with each one.
A Modest PR-oposal
Traditional Marketing is Like Dating a Jerk
Look out — a rant about PR agencies and journalists
Chief Surfer
I get up ridiculously early in the morning. If my gym opened earlier than 5:00 am I would probably be there then too. I also multi-task with relish. I have my iPod on (I still haven’t started listening to the Nature podcast my son likes but I will get there eventually.) I can put my latest read on the elliptical machine book holder and scan a row of televisions usually tuned to the news. (Although, to be fair, TNT does […]
Marketing Metrics
Early on in my PR career I discovered that I could very easily “defend” PR as a function when I showed management some numbers. My discovery wasn’t unique but I didn’t understand how unusual it was among PR people until I started hanging out with the crowd at Delahaye. In the mid ’90s I became their first global client, measuring PR results and message communication in every country we did PR in, which was quite a few. More importantly, we […]