Media Relations

Consumer Humor Creates United Nightmare

Wondering why your boss freaked out when you suggested she/he should move the firm towards social media?  Perhaps she/he has seen this.  In PR?  Prepare to wince.  This four minute music video by Canadian Musician Dave Carroll easily produces lots of LOLs!  Now,take your A.D.D. medication and see if you can make it through the whole thing  :)

...And, be sure to read the story surrounding the video. It puts the situation in perspective and gives United Airlines credit for responding well.  My apologies to United for continuing rip the scar off the wound.  The video is really funny.  I couldn't resist.  

A Two Minute Tale of Social Media Burnout, And Laugh Away Your Anger At Wall Street

Social Media Burnout

A two minute V Cast documentary I can relate to: Social Media Burnout.  Starts out quite serious (face and voice of addict disguised).  It ends with...well, you need to watch it here.  Focus, two minutes...focus.  

Again, I bring up Steve Rubel's prediction of a coming "Attention Crash."

Angry at Wall Street?

Recently, I went on a "news fast" after watching the market free-fall.  Instead, I indulged in a "fake news" binge, watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report every night.

Laugh until you cry (don't drip on your stock statements), by going here for Jon Stewart's (The Daily Show) magnificently, cleverly edited rave about Wall Street.  You will need to commit some time for this, but it's worth it.  Gather the family around for 21 minutes...incredible therapy.  I watched it twice.  I feel much better now : )

Utah Inauguration Events, And The Sweet Tweet Of January 20

Utah may be red, but there's plenty of enthusiasm for Obama.  Local Salt Lake City events below - send me more and I'll post!

Big Screen TV Inaugural Celebration at University of Utah 

On Tuesday, January 20 at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City.  Tickets are free, and it starts at 9:00 a.m. Call the box office to see if any of the reserved tickets haven't been picked up.  If they haven't, you can have them.

But believe me, a number of online news sites, as well as TV and radio will give you all the access you need.

Block Parties, Balls (send me more)

Holding your own local (Utah) "ball", block party, or celebration? Let me list it here.

1.  Block party "3:00-10:00 PM, Tuesday 10th South and Windsor (850 East) 

2. Demo party ball at the Depot the evening of January 20, 7:00 - 10:00 PM

The Sweet Tweet Of Inauguration

Want to feel like you're really in Washington D.C. during the inauguration?  Sign up for Twitter - if you haven't already, then ask to get updates on the inauguration.  Traffic directions, bus directions, schedules...you name it.  I highly recommend you try it, just to see how Twitter can drive an event and keep things organized (let's hope so).

Also, don't forget to tweet your personal feelings as you watch the inauguration!

Quarantined News Media Face Huge Ethics Test On November 4th

On November 4th, those typical exit polls (those that many accuse of skewing election outcomes) will be conducted.  According to an interview on last weekend's On The Media, representatives from the four TV networks and Associated Press will be quarantined.  At 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, those individuals will be given some early and general trend information from those polls.  They are free to take it back to the newsroom where employees are supposed to embargo the information until the Western states have finished voting.

This will be the ultimate test of news media ethics.  After all, TV anchors will be ravenous for anything to say during the long stretch from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. EST Standard Time (when all polls have closed). 

The On The Media piece (click on the podcast Poll Me Twice) addressed the genuine concern that newsrooms may leak the forbidden info to bloggers/citizen journalists, who will then post online...allowing traditional media to simply "cover what's already out there."

And if it happens....will it skew the results as anchors release scraps of online information?  Will Western voters figure their vote won't count if they see TV report a "clear trend" from the exit polls.

The world will be watching.

Utah TV, Newspaper Layoffs - Amidst the Birth of New Media

The pen (or keystroke) is mightier than the sword. 

The oft used quote has a hollow ring  right now. The sword is cutting deep blows at two Utah news outlets.  At least several dozen employees were laid off at KTVX ABC4, and this summer, possibly more than 30 may be asked to exit their careers at the Deseret News.  Trust me, much more will come.

Content is still king.  Talk all you want about new media, but someone has to write the content, and someone has to like the content so that advertisers will spend money to cozy up to the content.   Yes, I know there's plenty of content online.  Does it serve the community and world?  Or does it serve the ego of the writer?

I recently read that a TV station in California laid off many of its newsroom staff and asked the community to "cover the news."  Would a car maker fire all the mechanics and expect the car buyer to assemble the vehicle at home? 

Some Americans would say the traditional news media - amidst its fleeing advertisers and audience - is getting a "comeuppance" for past bad behavior.  Trust me, no matter how powerful and protected you think you are, there will come a time in your life when you find yourself in a vulnerable situation, desperate for a fair-minded underpaid journalist to tell your side of a very ugly, life-changing story. 

Granted, the Internet has given some very talented people their 15 minutes of fame.  They may write well, and have enormous talent with video and audio.  But do they have a compass?  Can they be bought with a freebie, a pat on the back or the neighbors' praise? 

If America's great experiment in democracy is to survive, a free press (broadcast, etc), one that doggedly tracks the actions of government and the powerful, is the only protection we have from those who could evenutally undermine freedom as we have known it.

I'm a big fan of new media, but not at the expense of those who selflessly practice the true ethics of journalism. 

My fervent wish is this: That traditional media quickly finds a new business model online, AND most importantly, a new revenue stream to preserve and protect those who create content..which is still king.

Prepare For the Coming New Age of PR and Advertising. It's Already Here!

Quotes that say it all.  Three comments via Paragon Media:

“Online is getting to the point where it may be more important than the 30-second TV spot.”
     - Joel Ewanick VP-Marketing Hyundai Motor America

“The country’s third-largest advertiser (General Motors) is getting ready to shift fully half of its $3 billion budget into digital and one-to-one marketing within the next 3 years.”
     - Advertising Age - March 17, 2008

"As television implodes, marketing chiefs are turning to the Net to create branding initiatives.”
     - Wired Magazine - April, 2008

Super Newscast Planned For Super Bowl Sunday

Does the daily news depress you?  Make you feel hopeless?  Then beware Super Bowl Sunday pre-pre-game.  Grab your anti-depressants, set them right next to your salsa & chips.   Fox plans a big three hour news blitz the morning before the game.

We get a Super Newscast, a Super Bowl, and two days later....it's Super Tuesday in 22 states - presidential primaries.

Who knows, after three hours of news, even a boring Super Bowl might excite viewers :)

Too Much Information ... You Can Say NO! The World Will Not End.

I didn't post yesterday.  I wanted too...I so wanted to.  But it was a test.  Could I leave the blog alone for a day?  Instead I read a NY Times article that came to me at the right time and at the right moment in my life - from a colleague I haven't spoken to for years.

If you have the time...and I hope you can make the time...read it!  Then, make change in your life.

The article ran last Sunday, and it hits a raw red nerve with me.  Perhaps it will with you. 

So Proud of Myself! No More Guilt!

I've spent the last three days "unsubscribing" to a number of industry newsletters as well as shopping sites.  I want to see how my in box truly looks without all the junk.  Admittedly, I asked for all of these, thinking that each day I could scan all and be informed.  Didn't work.  All the in-box noise just stressed me out.  My daily log-in was torment. I'd advise all of you to try this for a week or so.  I've yet to feel guilty about not knowing everything going on in the world.  It works almost as good as a "news fast" where you deny yourself any consumption of news for a given time period.  I've only managed to "news fast" for three days...then I broke down (while on vacation in a mountain cabin) and drove to the closest Chevron, where I bought a newspaper.  It's like a baby blanket to me.  Not healthy....

From the Blogheart

Thanks for subscribing to my blog.

I won't be posting for awhile.  Just taking time to understand what's taking place online.  Its time to be a reader, not a writer.

What concerns me:

1. Online anger.
2. Some of the disregard of other's feelings and reputation.
3. The need to understand that the power of the keyboard (as in "power of the pen") could have lasting and hurtful consequences.
4. The need for disclaimers when people express their opinions.
5. My tennis elbow from too much keyboard :)

What I really like:

1. The amazing thinkers who share their thoughts with me daily.
2. All the genius I see in the world.  It is intimidating.
3. The expansion of my universe thanks to the Internet and blogging.
4. The lightning-strike change in the online world.  May I understand its role and keep it credible, trustworthy and kind.

What I want most:

1. To keep human sensitivity high and be kind to those I talk about, regardless of their deeds.
2. To understand the risk of being too blunt: The misunderstanding and the damage it can cause.
3. To hold my personal reputation and ethics to the highest standard I can grasp.
4. To never muzzle myself when something must be said - and to do it in the fairest manner.

Most of all, my true compass is on:

1. The real, physical world.
2. The precious nature of a phone call or a personal visit.
3. Simplicity...in a world of insane complication.

Stay well and be kind, my blogging friends :)

Jeri