Tag Archives: social media

What a Social Media World Leaves Behind

There is a man – I don’t know his name – that comes to our local Starbucks every morning, pushing his walker with the tennis ball feet and flashing a gorgeous toothless smile. He orders coffee. He finds a table and settles gingerly into his seat. And then he pulls out a newspaper and startsContinue reading “What a Social Media World Leaves Behind”

Being Connected Isn’t the Same as Being Social

I’m connected to my extended family – cousins, an uncle and assorted other relatives beyond my immediate biological circle. I know some of them. Others I couldn’t pick out of a crowd. Nevertheless, we are connected. But we are not social. We don’t hang out. We don’t call or write beyond the annual holiday nod.Continue reading “Being Connected Isn’t the Same as Being Social”

Brands Should Be Social, But That Doesn’t Make Them Your “Friends”

I have a friend who sells insurance. The problem is I never know when he is my friend or when he is an insurance salesman – he says he wants to be both, but I know deep down that what he really wants is a sale. We were friends in high school and didn’t reconnectContinue reading “Brands Should Be Social, But That Doesn’t Make Them Your “Friends””

Introducing “PEARL” – A Tool for Determining What People Will Pay for Online News

The easy answer to how much consumers will pay for online news – if there is such a thing as an easy answer – is “they’ll pay what it’s worth.” Of course that’s’ the problem: In a world where free access to news is a presumed birthright and stories have been reduced to commoditized piecesContinue reading “Introducing “PEARL” – A Tool for Determining What People Will Pay for Online News”

The Dangers of Distance: How to Get Grounded in Social Media

We are wired to learn more. From pre-school to grad school, we are trained to reach higher, dig deeper and get smarter and smarter until we become experts in our fields. We are told that the journey is one of ascension — that pushing ourselves to mine gorgeous details and surrounding ourselves with like-minded peersContinue reading “The Dangers of Distance: How to Get Grounded in Social Media”

Blogging and the Memory Preservation Society

The key to popularity in our digital world is being in the know. Whoever has information first is revered and re-tweeted; they are the thought leaders turned newsmakers and armchair analysts. Being in the know is better than being in the known. This latter state of perspective and history, however informative to current events, isContinue reading “Blogging and the Memory Preservation Society”

Implementers and Instigators: What kind of PR person are you?

There are two kinds of PR people: Implementers and Instigators. Implementers don’t go gently into the new. They practice a policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — if the client’s don’t ask, then there’s no need to tell. The problem is, once the client’s do ask (and they all eventually do), the implementers are forcedContinue reading “Implementers and Instigators: What kind of PR person are you?”

Murdoch, The Daily, and Journalism as Art

“I do certainly see the day when more people will be buying their newspapers on portable reading panels than on crushed trees. Then we’re going to have no paper, no printing plants, no unions. It’s going to be great.” — Rupert Murdoch, Sept. 14, 2009 “Thanks for the trial subscription, but so far, it isContinue reading “Murdoch, The Daily, and Journalism as Art”

Rock stars, the Kinks, and Social Media

Steven Tyler, despite the painfully obvious plastic surgery and creepy old guy infatuation with young female American idol contestants, is a rock star. Bono is a rock star. Bruuuuce Springsteen is a rock star. Lady Gaga and Kanye West are entire galaxies all their own. The social media world has its rock stars too, suchContinue reading “Rock stars, the Kinks, and Social Media”