My latest post is now up on TechCrunch. What follows is the unedited director’s cut. The point of this article is to redefine how startups (not solely tech companies) view and define early adopters and the “echo chamber” in order to gain momentum in order to “cross the chasm” to the next tier of evolution, adoption, and monetization. This is about uncovering the very people who can benefit from what they’re introducing and in turn, evolve the product/service based on…
In A Down Economy, Tomorrow’s Leaders are Born Today
Thomas Kinkade According to news makers, analysts, and experts and their constituents, the sky is falling. You can’t run away or hide from this very grim reality. While we are in throes of a major financial crisis, it is during the most difficult of times when character is truly tested and defined. Panic only leads to the further declination and eradication of progress. Yes the market is slipping. Yes, the financial market is resetting. But the U.S economy, actually, the…
The State of Social Media 2008
Source I’ve been on a recent whirlwind speaking tour recently, sharing and learning all things related to the socialization of marketing and service as well as how to measure these new strategies and tactics. From San Diego to New York to SF back to New York and then Vegas and SF again, I was reminded that no matter how grand an expert one purports to be, the truth is that we’re all still trying to figure this out as it…
Coming Soon: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations
I’m extremely happy to announce that I just submitted the last chapter for my upcoming book with co-author Deirdre Breakenridge, someone for whom I have great respect and admiration. The book is already in production and we still have a few bits of final editing and tweaking ahead of us. We’ll follow up to let you know more once we have the final timeline available. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business…
The Socialization of Your Personal Brand – TOC
In the era of the Social Web, practically everything we create and share online is open to public discovery, interpretation, and feedback – positive, neutral and negative. While we can’t control perception, we can control what we share online. This series is about education and insight into how the real world works with the information that is available to them and how you can help cultivate and shape a powerful, personal brand online. Your digital identity defines who you are…
The Socialization of Your Personal Brand – Part III
Source Part three of a three-part series… Your Brand vs. the Brands You Represent Whether we believe it or not, everyone within an organization is at some level, responsible for Public Relations. Everything we do, online and offline, builds the public perception of not only our personal brand, but also of the organization we represent. As an active participant in Social Media and also a professional working in any capacity within a company, eventually an important and cognizant decision will…
The Socialization of Your Personal Brand – Part I
Source In the era of the Social Web, practically everything we create and share online is open to public discovery, interpretation, and feedback – positive, neutral and negative. It sounds sensational and perhaps a bit ominous, but it’s not meant to serve as a deterrent. It’s only intended to introduce the subject and the context of this subject as well as raise awareness for the need to be proactive about cultivating and managing your brand and your reputation. Your digital…
PR is Not Dead
Source Stop the presses…there’s another “PR is Dead” meme that’s circulating the blogosphere again. This time, all that’s new is that many bloggers are revealing that they prefer discovering new and interesting products on their own and breaking the news before anyone else. Welcome to the news business. Any print or broadcast news reporter would say the same thing, and honestly, it’s the competition and desire to break news first that’s driven the business for over 100 years. Did that…
Introducing The Conversation Prism
Last year, Robert Scoble and Darren Barefoot debuted the Social Media Starfish to visualize and document the rapidly evolving landscape for social tools, services, and networks. If you work in marketing, public relations, advertising, customer service, product development, or any discipline that’s motivated, shaped, and directed by customers, peers, stakeholders and influencers, monitoring and in some cases, participating in online conversations is critical in competing for the future. Over the last month, I worked with Jesse Thomas of JESS3, to…
SEC To Recognize Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure, What This Means for Wires and Press Releases
Note: This post originally ran on TechCrunch, “SEC To Recognize Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure. Can We Now Kill the Press Release?” Here’s the director’s cut, “SEC To Recognize Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure, What This Means for Wires and Press Releases” For several years, Sun CEO, Jonathan Schwartz has lobbied the SEC to allow disclosure of financial information through corporate blogs. In a landmark announcement, it seems that Mr. Schwartz may indeed get his wish, and with it, a…