The news today of reserach by Dr Brad Rawlins of Brigham Young University's Department of Communication, as reported in Internal Coms hub showing a link between corporate openness and employees' belief in the companies they work for should come as no surprise.
On the other hand it does have wide implications.
Transparency is not a nice to have. It does need strategic consideration in its implementation.
The first thing to note is that transparency is the enemy of hype, hyperbole, spin and bling. Making the values systems of an organisation transparent is perhaps the first step and then making a clean breast of the values the organisation can honestly support for its products, services and brands is next in line.
As part of the strategic decision making package what should be openly transparent (radical transparency) is a big question for the organisation. Indeed explication what should not be transparent and why is also important and part of the transparency package.
I remember when a company I was working for was taking over its competitors at the rate of one per year, journalists would spend a lot of time trying to find out who was to be the next target. My response was that it would be unfair on all parties to disclose the M&A thinking of my organisation but that if a suitable opportunity arose we would take it. I disclosed the extent and limitations that the organisation was prepared to go to in its efforts to be transparent.
Part of this was internal communications with just about every employee singing the same song partly because it was the habit of managers to tour the factories and store rooms with visitors from bankers to customers, school kids and journalists and where visitors could freely hold conversations with all employees (incidentally, the best press spokesperson for a company is a line fitter on a production line - earthy or what!).
So, in thinking about transparency, one might think of bloggers in companies or employees blogging (Porosity); Microsoft's Channel 9; IBM and other organisations.
What we are seeing a strategy that is taking organisations closer to radical transparency set in a communications setting. The values of the organisation are available to all (as well as a mass of Intellectual Property). It offers people with similar (convergent) values to make a contribution and helps motivate them.
The alternatives to transparency are not very pleasant and range from uncontrolled disintermediation to low productivity with associated loss of competitiveness.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Walk in Wiltshire
On occasion, a bunch of people go for a stroll and chat about common interests.
On one occasion they agreed that Avebury was an early supermarket and we also fond on another occasion that Silbury Hill is really made of sugar.
Well on Friday 8th June there will be another of these walks and For Immediate Release listeners will know that they are invited as are any PR practitioners who want a stroll in the lands about Stone Henge.
If you would like to come, contact me here and I will fill in all the details.
On one occasion they agreed that Avebury was an early supermarket and we also fond on another occasion that Silbury Hill is really made of sugar.
Well on Friday 8th June there will be another of these walks and For Immediate Release listeners will know that they are invited as are any PR practitioners who want a stroll in the lands about Stone Henge.
If you would like to come, contact me here and I will fill in all the details.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Google blogs - so many to watch
I was looking at what our research is showing for what Google is up to and saw that Girish has created a Really Selective Sources page for Google blogs.
It really is a remarkable number even though the company is huge and the thing that is fun about it is how open Google is about things most companies would keep under lock and key such as new product development.
Google is exposing its values and people with similar values are attracted to it and that means they build relationships.
Relationships (as YouTube teaches us) are money in the bank.
It really is a remarkable number even though the company is huge and the thing that is fun about it is how open Google is about things most companies would keep under lock and key such as new product development.
Google is exposing its values and people with similar values are attracted to it and that means they build relationships.
Relationships (as YouTube teaches us) are money in the bank.
Monday, May 21, 2007
A symmetrical marketing
The American Marketing Association has re-defined marketing this year. Last time they did it was in 2004. fast moving stuff huh!
I suppose the critical difference between marketing and the relationship value model is that marketers have an interest in a value and relationships are about convergence of many values.
The latter, being richer is harder but more rewarding.
"Marketing is the activity, conducted by organizations and individuals, that operates through a set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging market offerings that have value for customers, clients, marketers, and society at large."Of course, no one is mentioning that this might be one type of symmetrical activity - money is expected to flow the other way. More spin and hype then.
I suppose the critical difference between marketing and the relationship value model is that marketers have an interest in a value and relationships are about convergence of many values.
The latter, being richer is harder but more rewarding.
Friday, May 18, 2007
RSS Juice
I was checking RSS feeds that have, due to considerable laziness on my part, whiskers.
Absolute joy. David Meerman- Scott has his new book out and very kindly is sending me one. But - just look at the quality of the contributions - wow!
Absolute joy. David Meerman- Scott has his new book out and very kindly is sending me one. But - just look at the quality of the contributions - wow!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
After YouTube
I am spending a lot of time thinking about how Public Relations can manage a future where the the platforms and channels for communication are changing fast.
That TV viewing figures fall when homes get broadband is interesting, not startling. It will be a bigger issue when broadband is 50 meg instead of 8 which is happening in places where there is cable (not in the hills about Stonehenge you understand).
What is important for us is to be able to identify the new and next media journey, the next process in relationship building and an ability to evaluate the new as well as its implementation, effect and possible outcomes. These are tools we must have and they must be part of the PR management package at every level of practice.
What we have to do is look at some of the thinkers in this area like Malcolm Gladwell Author of Tipping Point and Blink.
In addition, we can call on the techniques used in engineering, mathematics and management.
People like Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe with their five essential qualities for 'Managing the Unexpected' : preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise, are invaluable.
Of course, part of this thinking includes how we approach risk management.
These are things we now have to put into PR planning and management.
They do need a lot of thinking about as part of a managed strategy for PR
That TV viewing figures fall when homes get broadband is interesting, not startling. It will be a bigger issue when broadband is 50 meg instead of 8 which is happening in places where there is cable (not in the hills about Stonehenge you understand).
What is important for us is to be able to identify the new and next media journey, the next process in relationship building and an ability to evaluate the new as well as its implementation, effect and possible outcomes. These are tools we must have and they must be part of the PR management package at every level of practice.
What we have to do is look at some of the thinkers in this area like Malcolm Gladwell Author of Tipping Point and Blink.
In addition, we can call on the techniques used in engineering, mathematics and management.
People like Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe with their five essential qualities for 'Managing the Unexpected' : preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise, are invaluable.
Of course, part of this thinking includes how we approach risk management.
These are things we now have to put into PR planning and management.
They do need a lot of thinking about as part of a managed strategy for PR
Where is the value in TV and film programmes
The punch-up between Viacom and Google reminds us how far the copyright debate has to go.
It seems to me that most people in companies have a funny idea about the value of their value systems.
Most have not read the 1994 John Perry Barlow article in Wired Magazine.
Lets take a simple example. There is a special thrill in reading good old fashioned newspapers. The paper, the layout the mix and match of style and context makes this a special experience. It is the same with magazines both consumer and B2B. There is a special relationship between a reader and the mag. Even if you read the story in a newspaper, the magazine take is different. You buy both magazines and newspapers.
The trouble is that content in newspapers (and magazines) has a limited exposure and a short shelf life. From time to time some people try to increase the reach of a story or its longevity.
They take clippings. Reading clippings is not the same as reading the original. It is sanitised and comparatively ugly. Now here is the rub. Publishers don't like people taking press clippings because they feel that this is an abuse of copyright and if someone wanted to read the article, they should buy the whole newspaper. The reality is that, with few exceptions, the value of a clipping content as an experience is not enough to prompt people to buy the newspaper. The value is just not worth it most of the time. So the publishers limit the longevity and reach of their copyright in the UK through an agency set up to do just that.
Some people read content online. Once again the story has an increased circulation and life. The experience of reading press stories online is very different to reading it in print. People read more words online (yes - that is a surprise). The content is in a different context. But publishers don't like us doing that. They want to charge subscriptions, or get at email addresses to shout at people who want to read their journalists' content (but possibly not the publishers' advertisers' content) . Alternatively, the publisher serves up advertisement and online readers will accept some of that interference in exchange for reading the editorial.
What the copyright holders find hard to understand is that these three media (and there are lots more) for their initial copyright are different experiences. The commercial model can be different too.
Trying to make copyright fit all platforms and channels for communication is stupid. The experience is different and what and how people are prepared to pay for it is different. I like listening to the verbal declamation of some newspaper journalists, as well as reading their writing in print and online and the added blog comment as well as some of the online video.
The same goes for music and video. I am listening to Guitar music (Mario Parodi - Fur Elise on Sky.fm) as I write using a headset. I could be listening to a track on my laptop in a range of formats. It is different to using earbuds, LoFi and HiFi CD players, and broadcast radio, indoor concerts, and outdoor gigs, the London Underground busker or (horrors) in a supermarket.
Like the publishers of news, publishers of music and video are just rubbish at getting the most from their copyright. They want a one stop suits all method for getting the best value from journalists or artists.
What they miss is the value of copyright. In reality it is worth nothing.
It gets value in an exchange with, guess who, you and me.
Today, its digitised and can spread and replicate and transcend platforms and channels for communication and the publisher can still have it and hold it as its own.
Keep upsetting me, I say to publishers, and I will just go somewhere else or will just break your rules and end up in court where you win the case and I win the argument.
With just a tiny bit of imagination - publishers are not renown for it - the ways of making pots of money and creating massive assets are available to all copyright holders.
When Roland Gribben says " DaimlerChrysler was born out of ego, arrogance and an element of naivety. Jürgen Schrempp, Prussian-style chief executive of Daimler Benz, was on the ego trip." Its a great statement. Here is a long standing and respected global commentator making a powerful statement. To hear that in podcast form, on YouTube or in debate, could be a much richer and added experience. The drama is everything in print and has great potential elsewhere not least in the PR exchange that always follows such statements.
Drama that a lot of people would want to exchange for real money.
It is in the morphing and Internet Agency where true value arises online. Digitisation releases information and knowledge creativity and authors from the place where copyright has its hold.
Value is in the values that go with the content and delivery channel and changing values into a new metaphor for value (OK so you want money) is a different trick altogether.
It seems to me that most people in companies have a funny idea about the value of their value systems.
Most have not read the 1994 John Perry Barlow article in Wired Magazine.
Lets take a simple example. There is a special thrill in reading good old fashioned newspapers. The paper, the layout the mix and match of style and context makes this a special experience. It is the same with magazines both consumer and B2B. There is a special relationship between a reader and the mag. Even if you read the story in a newspaper, the magazine take is different. You buy both magazines and newspapers.
The trouble is that content in newspapers (and magazines) has a limited exposure and a short shelf life. From time to time some people try to increase the reach of a story or its longevity.
They take clippings. Reading clippings is not the same as reading the original. It is sanitised and comparatively ugly. Now here is the rub. Publishers don't like people taking press clippings because they feel that this is an abuse of copyright and if someone wanted to read the article, they should buy the whole newspaper. The reality is that, with few exceptions, the value of a clipping content as an experience is not enough to prompt people to buy the newspaper. The value is just not worth it most of the time. So the publishers limit the longevity and reach of their copyright in the UK through an agency set up to do just that.
Some people read content online. Once again the story has an increased circulation and life. The experience of reading press stories online is very different to reading it in print. People read more words online (yes - that is a surprise). The content is in a different context. But publishers don't like us doing that. They want to charge subscriptions, or get at email addresses to shout at people who want to read their journalists' content (but possibly not the publishers' advertisers' content) . Alternatively, the publisher serves up advertisement and online readers will accept some of that interference in exchange for reading the editorial.
What the copyright holders find hard to understand is that these three media (and there are lots more) for their initial copyright are different experiences. The commercial model can be different too.
Trying to make copyright fit all platforms and channels for communication is stupid. The experience is different and what and how people are prepared to pay for it is different. I like listening to the verbal declamation of some newspaper journalists, as well as reading their writing in print and online and the added blog comment as well as some of the online video.
The same goes for music and video. I am listening to Guitar music (Mario Parodi - Fur Elise on Sky.fm) as I write using a headset. I could be listening to a track on my laptop in a range of formats. It is different to using earbuds, LoFi and HiFi CD players, and broadcast radio, indoor concerts, and outdoor gigs, the London Underground busker or (horrors) in a supermarket.
Like the publishers of news, publishers of music and video are just rubbish at getting the most from their copyright. They want a one stop suits all method for getting the best value from journalists or artists.
What they miss is the value of copyright. In reality it is worth nothing.
It gets value in an exchange with, guess who, you and me.
Today, its digitised and can spread and replicate and transcend platforms and channels for communication and the publisher can still have it and hold it as its own.
Keep upsetting me, I say to publishers, and I will just go somewhere else or will just break your rules and end up in court where you win the case and I win the argument.
With just a tiny bit of imagination - publishers are not renown for it - the ways of making pots of money and creating massive assets are available to all copyright holders.
When Roland Gribben says " DaimlerChrysler was born out of ego, arrogance and an element of naivety. Jürgen Schrempp, Prussian-style chief executive of Daimler Benz, was on the ego trip." Its a great statement. Here is a long standing and respected global commentator making a powerful statement. To hear that in podcast form, on YouTube or in debate, could be a much richer and added experience. The drama is everything in print and has great potential elsewhere not least in the PR exchange that always follows such statements.
Drama that a lot of people would want to exchange for real money.
It is in the morphing and Internet Agency where true value arises online. Digitisation releases information and knowledge creativity and authors from the place where copyright has its hold.
Value is in the values that go with the content and delivery channel and changing values into a new metaphor for value (OK so you want money) is a different trick altogether.
Olympics in the near field
Near field technologies and social media have a potential to be both part of the security system for the London Olympics in 2012 and a key part of the public relations activity for the Games.
While there are squabbles over who gets what contract, PR agencies are exploring how the same near field technologies can be used to optimise sponsorship and develop new channels for reaching one of the most savvy audiences in the world who will attend the Olympics.
Near field communication, which can be as simple as a Bluetooth add-on to downloaded value added widgets to most mobile phones can be activated at any pinch point such as turnstiles and Underground ticket terminals.
This will be a really nice way to add value to the Olympic experience. Or it could be more marketing bling, spin or hype - depending on where companies think they can get the best ROI or loose most of their reputation.
While there are squabbles over who gets what contract, PR agencies are exploring how the same near field technologies can be used to optimise sponsorship and develop new channels for reaching one of the most savvy audiences in the world who will attend the Olympics.
Near field communication, which can be as simple as a Bluetooth add-on to downloaded value added widgets to most mobile phones can be activated at any pinch point such as turnstiles and Underground ticket terminals.
This will be a really nice way to add value to the Olympic experience. Or it could be more marketing bling, spin or hype - depending on where companies think they can get the best ROI or loose most of their reputation.
Adverts turned into conversationtional value
I want to comment further on the post by Charlene Li on the acquisition of Right Media by Yahoo!
While here post and the Right Media (not to mention Yahoo!) focus on serving up advertisements, I want to change the setting somewhat.
If instead of serving up ads, the 'advertiser' served up ideas or even dynamic conversations what would happen?
The advertisement would become a conversation and although push in the first place could quite quickly become the method for pull.
The concept turns online advertising into a form of interaction not dissimilar to RSS feeds.
Instead of shouting, PR can enjoy a conversation with interested parties.
What will be happening will be that values will become a currency between users and organisations... nice thought.
While here post and the Right Media (not to mention Yahoo!) focus on serving up advertisements, I want to change the setting somewhat.
If instead of serving up ads, the 'advertiser' served up ideas or even dynamic conversations what would happen?
The advertisement would become a conversation and although push in the first place could quite quickly become the method for pull.
The concept turns online advertising into a form of interaction not dissimilar to RSS feeds.
Instead of shouting, PR can enjoy a conversation with interested parties.
What will be happening will be that values will become a currency between users and organisations... nice thought.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Estonian attack - cyber tank outside Parliament and economic sanctions announced
European and U.S. leaders have repeatedly accused Russia of using its energy resources as a weapon against its neighbors. Russia has always denied it, citing different technical reasons for energy supply halts.
Now Estonia Russian oil firms are re-routing a quarter of their refined products exports away from ports in Estonia and Russia's railways halted deliveries reports Reuters.
This is set againts what Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip called 'continuing cyber-attacks from the servers of Russian state authorities' a few minutes ago.
The Russioans have a cyber tank on the lawn outside the Tallinn parliament and now have economic sanctions in place.
I guess that we are still waiting for the EU to imagine this is not happening ahead of a nice long week end break.
Now Estonia Russian oil firms are re-routing a quarter of their refined products exports away from ports in Estonia and Russia's railways halted deliveries reports Reuters.
This is set againts what Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip called 'continuing cyber-attacks from the servers of Russian state authorities' a few minutes ago.
The Russioans have a cyber tank on the lawn outside the Tallinn parliament and now have economic sanctions in place.
I guess that we are still waiting for the EU to imagine this is not happening ahead of a nice long week end break.
Russia shuts Ken Livingston down - EU delegation on its way
Let's suppose, for a second, that London was Estonia. Imagine if the statue of Karl Marx in Highgate Cometary was to be re-located to Westminster Abbey.
Two days later would we hear Ken Livingston, Mayor of London, reported as saying: "cyber terrorists'" attacks against Internet pages of City of London government agencies and the office of the Mayor originated from Russian government computers."
Well, according to the BBC and other media, that is what is happening in Estonia today. This is State sponsored cyber terrorism. It is an attack on the government of a NATO and EU member just as powerful as a tank on the lawn.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on Wednesday called on Russia to "remain civilised" amid a spiralling diplomatic crisis sparked by the removal of a Soviet war memorial."It is not customary in Europe to demand the resignation of the democratically elected government of another sovereign country," he said in a statement. "It is not customary in Europe to use computers belonging to public institutions for cyber-attacks against another country's public institutions.
There are deep ethnic divisions and a cruel history at play here which is not part of this post. This post is about how governments can invade the cyberspace of a nation's peoples. But one cannot but wonder if this is not a row that is part of the NATO concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to freeze his nation's compliance with a key arms control treaty
F-secure list many Estonian government sites, that have been subject to attack and on Saturday this was the situation:
www.peaminister.ee (Website of the prime minister): unreachable
www.reform.ee (Party of the prime minister): reachable
www.agri.ee (Ministry of Agriculture): reachable
www.kul.ee (Ministry of Culture): reachable
www.mod.gov.ee (Ministry of Defence): reachable
www.mkm.ee (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications): unreachable
www.fin.ee (Ministry of Finance): reachable
www.sisemin.gov.ee (Ministry of Internal Affairs): unreachable
www.just.ee (Ministry of Justice): reachable
www.sm.ee (Ministry of Social Affairs): reachable
www.envir.ee (Ministry of the Environment): reachable
www.vm.ee (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): unreachable
www.pol.ee (Estonian Police): reachable
www.valitsus.ee (Estonian Government): unreachable
www.riigikogu.ee (Estonian Parliament): unreachable
If it were London, there would be a run on the pound, the Stock Market would be in free fall and reaction on behalf of the European Union to the behaviour of Russia would be as vigorous as possible.
We would hear Ken saying "This could mean suspending different talks between the European Union and Russia or not commencing them at all. The postponement of the European Union - Russia summit should be also given full consideration."
For the last few days I have been watching how this skirmish has been panning out.
The world media has been following the story with a bigger bias of Russian coverage than European
To ensure that Estonian Government statements can get to the wider world, bloggers have been spreading them, some with nervouse statements about membership of NATO and the EU. One gets the impression that some Estonians are not sure if they can count on the support of the European Union or NATO.
Blog spam has been brought to bear but not to great effect because the spam is the same content on lots of sites (I expect it will pop up here soon too).
Ross Mayfield (founder of Socialtext) has been following (fighting?) the propaganda war on Wikipedia.
There is a war of video and pictures on line too. YouTube is caught up in the propaganda war.
Twitter has been involved in distributing news and Podzinger is showing podcasts on the subject too.
The attack on Estonian sites has been effective but its interesting to see how Social Media has come into play and offered a range of perspectives.
In addition, social media is showing that shutting down web sites is no longer the threat it once was and that an online interactive conversation, even when passions is high, a range of views are available and in play allowing a wider and global population to align with the value of people they would support.
There is a lot more to come on this story.
Two days later would we hear Ken Livingston, Mayor of London, reported as saying: "cyber terrorists'" attacks against Internet pages of City of London government agencies and the office of the Mayor originated from Russian government computers."
Well, according to the BBC and other media, that is what is happening in Estonia today. This is State sponsored cyber terrorism. It is an attack on the government of a NATO and EU member just as powerful as a tank on the lawn.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on Wednesday called on Russia to "remain civilised" amid a spiralling diplomatic crisis sparked by the removal of a Soviet war memorial."It is not customary in Europe to demand the resignation of the democratically elected government of another sovereign country," he said in a statement. "It is not customary in Europe to use computers belonging to public institutions for cyber-attacks against another country's public institutions.
There are deep ethnic divisions and a cruel history at play here which is not part of this post. This post is about how governments can invade the cyberspace of a nation's peoples. But one cannot but wonder if this is not a row that is part of the NATO concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to freeze his nation's compliance with a key arms control treaty
F-secure list many Estonian government sites, that have been subject to attack and on Saturday this was the situation:
www.peaminister.ee (Website of the prime minister): unreachable
www.reform.ee (Party of the prime minister): reachable
www.agri.ee (Ministry of Agriculture): reachable
www.kul.ee (Ministry of Culture): reachable
www.mod.gov.ee (Ministry of Defence): reachable
www.mkm.ee (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications): unreachable
www.fin.ee (Ministry of Finance): reachable
www.sisemin.gov.ee (Ministry of Internal Affairs): unreachable
www.just.ee (Ministry of Justice): reachable
www.sm.ee (Ministry of Social Affairs): reachable
www.envir.ee (Ministry of the Environment): reachable
www.vm.ee (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): unreachable
www.pol.ee (Estonian Police): reachable
www.valitsus.ee (Estonian Government): unreachable
www.riigikogu.ee (Estonian Parliament): unreachable
If it were London, there would be a run on the pound, the Stock Market would be in free fall and reaction on behalf of the European Union to the behaviour of Russia would be as vigorous as possible.
We would hear Ken saying "This could mean suspending different talks between the European Union and Russia or not commencing them at all. The postponement of the European Union - Russia summit should be also given full consideration."
For the last few days I have been watching how this skirmish has been panning out.
The world media has been following the story with a bigger bias of Russian coverage than European
To ensure that Estonian Government statements can get to the wider world, bloggers have been spreading them, some with nervouse statements about membership of NATO and the EU. One gets the impression that some Estonians are not sure if they can count on the support of the European Union or NATO.
Blog spam has been brought to bear but not to great effect because the spam is the same content on lots of sites (I expect it will pop up here soon too).
Ross Mayfield (founder of Socialtext) has been following (fighting?) the propaganda war on Wikipedia.
There is a war of video and pictures on line too. YouTube is caught up in the propaganda war.
Twitter has been involved in distributing news and Podzinger is showing podcasts on the subject too.
The attack on Estonian sites has been effective but its interesting to see how Social Media has come into play and offered a range of perspectives.
In addition, social media is showing that shutting down web sites is no longer the threat it once was and that an online interactive conversation, even when passions is high, a range of views are available and in play allowing a wider and global population to align with the value of people they would support.
There is a lot more to come on this story.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Social Media can be controlled
There are riots in front of European Union offices in Moscow
There is almost no media coverage about it. There is even less Google news juice. There are few blog posts about it. Its just as though someone was working really, really hard at Denial of Service against a plan that has been in place for a long, long time.
The story could have been written by Ian Flemming and is about Russian imperialism and the scars that go back to Nazi and Russian deals over the Baltic states that kept peoples in shackles for fifty years.
It is a story about ethnic Russians abandoned by their own country and forced to face the ire of their one time subjects and Russia using both sides to drive another wedge between European interests and Russian ambitions.
So, how come a DoS attack?
What if wikipedia was closed to new edits? What would happen if some newspapers' stories seemed not to get indexed except in the copy of secondary pages - by Google? What if the news aggregators have lots of content from Tass and Interfax but not much from the mainstream European or US press?
It would seem odd. It is odd. Tim Wilson reports on DoS attacks which seem very slick and comprehensive for a country of a million people, even the clever Estonians.
It will be interesting to see if you have similar experiences.
If there is a way to hide/bury or deny a competitor space online would n't that be a good products to sell to the command and control freaks?
There is almost no media coverage about it. There is even less Google news juice. There are few blog posts about it. Its just as though someone was working really, really hard at Denial of Service against a plan that has been in place for a long, long time.
The story could have been written by Ian Flemming and is about Russian imperialism and the scars that go back to Nazi and Russian deals over the Baltic states that kept peoples in shackles for fifty years.
It is a story about ethnic Russians abandoned by their own country and forced to face the ire of their one time subjects and Russia using both sides to drive another wedge between European interests and Russian ambitions.
So, how come a DoS attack?
What if wikipedia was closed to new edits? What would happen if some newspapers' stories seemed not to get indexed except in the copy of secondary pages - by Google? What if the news aggregators have lots of content from Tass and Interfax but not much from the mainstream European or US press?
It would seem odd. It is odd. Tim Wilson reports on DoS attacks which seem very slick and comprehensive for a country of a million people, even the clever Estonians.
It will be interesting to see if you have similar experiences.
If there is a way to hide/bury or deny a competitor space online would n't that be a good products to sell to the command and control freaks?
Sunday, April 29, 2007
What do we need to know about the media
There are many channels for communication. More arrive every day. What do we need to know about them if we are going to use them for public relations activities?
Here is a small list:
Here is a small list:
Title (e.g. email)
Definition
History (wikipedia or another resource)
Fast Facts (how would you explain this channel for communication really quickly)
Communication platforms (p.c, laptop, cell phone, print - yup I guess the dead tree society deserves to be included in social media resources).
How do people (the public/s) contribute to this channel? To what extent is this common (past/now/future)
How does the public share knowledge of content in this channel - using this channel and across other channels. To what extent is this common (past/now/future).
Risk analysis (issues, future opportunities, threats - read the lecture and fill out the risk assessment matrix )
What services are available to help you set up/deploy this channel (software, suppliers and/or contractors; are there expert people that you could employ on behalf of a client)
How to implement the technology (what are the steps involved)
Internal/external policies (examples of such policies will be needed if you are going to use this channel)
How do you optimise this channel to help people find/use it (e.g. Search Engine Optimisation)
Monitor (what is there out there that can help you monitor the effect of your work using this channel - e.g. can you set up and RSS feed or a search engine monitor. Can you monitor how this channel is affecting its audience and how? Do you need to use a monitoring company and if so who has the expertise - and how much will it cost?)
Metrics (what numbers are available in the public domain? What numbers are available in the private domain? Is this best measured as page views or is it the number of references it generates in Digg) or a combination or are the metrics completely different?)
Evaluate (How do you set realistic targets and outcomes; how can you measure how hgood you are at using this channel for communication; how can you evaluate the effectiveness of using this channel for communication as part of a relationship building campaign?)
Overcoming barriers to dominant coalition (what are your arguments; how are they supported with real and verifiable evidence; can you call on quantifiable evidence and case study supported reasoning?)
Case studies of good and bad practice (Can you find case studies and can you look at the best examples and the worst and then identify the risk mitigation or opportunity optimisation policies you need to have when using this channel for communication).
Relevance to organisations and practice
Training (training resources, training examples, etiquette)
Friday, April 27, 2007
Evaluation by another name
The discussion at E-consultancy’s March 2007 roundtable on Web Analytics offers some interesting insights.
They suggests that this form of measurement is now an industry worth some £56 million (2006).
They also offer some ideas as to how outcomes can be measured in this post.
The importance of all this is that it is now part of the mix of reporting data needed for PR in our Internet Mediated world.
They suggests that this form of measurement is now an industry worth some £56 million (2006).
They also offer some ideas as to how outcomes can be measured in this post.
The importance of all this is that it is now part of the mix of reporting data needed for PR in our Internet Mediated world.
Opinion Polling is showing half of the story
Sir Robert Worcester FIPR has been offering his opinion polls to the PR industry for years. Mostly these services offer useful information and sometimes insights (you might imagine that, in another life and as the founder of Media Measurement, I had some occasion to monitor what was offered and used by some of his clients).
Today I read his comments about uptake of the Internet and why we should not rely on it because it does not reach a range of segments of the population.
To begin with lets be clear, the Internet is not a channel for communication and it is as much a place as a range of technologies. Thus if people do not access the Internet using a PC, they might by using a cell phone of television set, Skype phone or Playstation3. Thus the Mori factoid offered in Profile Magazine does need to be read with salt and a wake-up pinch.
Mr Worcester's contribution offers us this:
"...But still only about one in four of those 65 and older have taken up the Internet, and there has been no growth during the past 18 months.
"- And still fewer than one in ten of those 65 and older in DE households living on state benefits are taking part in the benefits of the internet.
Just as one would not depend on SMS for interacting with these segments of populations, one might also not use Blogs or telemarketing the over '80's.
That the Internet - a place - is where a lot of people visit and is not far from anyone, does not mean that it is in the least bit appropriate for direct relationship building any more than Heathrow Airport.
All That Robert Worcester's polls tell us is that loads of people use PC's to use the Internet - Wow! another victory for the pollsters.
This was just a plea to get PR people to use Newspaper interactions and is just nuts. If a campaign is worth its salt and is only exposed on one of, lets say 60, Internet mediataed communications channels, the media will report it.... no need for press releases - just good journalists who are on the look out for a good story. The newspaper proprietors will eventually learn that there is a need for good journalists for print as well as online and that printed newspapers are different to digital news (Read differently, at different times, using different channels etc).
If Robert wanted to get to the meat, he might ask if a story is relevant for the constituent and if so which media is not reporting it. You see, if the story is not on a tape, my 90 year 'old other person in the household' would not read it in a newspaper either - she is one of the nine in ten of the over 65's not using the Internet everyday (well except DAB radio) and is blind.
Come on Bob - it was a cheap article.
Today I read his comments about uptake of the Internet and why we should not rely on it because it does not reach a range of segments of the population.
To begin with lets be clear, the Internet is not a channel for communication and it is as much a place as a range of technologies. Thus if people do not access the Internet using a PC, they might by using a cell phone of television set, Skype phone or Playstation3. Thus the Mori factoid offered in Profile Magazine does need to be read with salt and a wake-up pinch.
Mr Worcester's contribution offers us this:
"...But still only about one in four of those 65 and older have taken up the Internet, and there has been no growth during the past 18 months.
"- And still fewer than one in ten of those 65 and older in DE households living on state benefits are taking part in the benefits of the internet.
"It is also true that the majority of wealth is in the hands of the oldest third of the country, who did 43 per cent of the voting at the last election. If you are thinking that communicating to your audiences is so easy now that the internet is so ubiquitous, think again. You might not reach all of your target audience using traditional media, it is also true that you won’t reach all these people via the internet, without also using the traditional media."
This is using an opinion poll as a 'PR exercise' on behalf of the newspaper industry (big Mori customers one cynically might add) .Just as one would not depend on SMS for interacting with these segments of populations, one might also not use Blogs or telemarketing the over '80's.
That the Internet - a place - is where a lot of people visit and is not far from anyone, does not mean that it is in the least bit appropriate for direct relationship building any more than Heathrow Airport.
All That Robert Worcester's polls tell us is that loads of people use PC's to use the Internet - Wow! another victory for the pollsters.
This was just a plea to get PR people to use Newspaper interactions and is just nuts. If a campaign is worth its salt and is only exposed on one of, lets say 60, Internet mediataed communications channels, the media will report it.... no need for press releases - just good journalists who are on the look out for a good story. The newspaper proprietors will eventually learn that there is a need for good journalists for print as well as online and that printed newspapers are different to digital news (Read differently, at different times, using different channels etc).
If Robert wanted to get to the meat, he might ask if a story is relevant for the constituent and if so which media is not reporting it. You see, if the story is not on a tape, my 90 year 'old other person in the household' would not read it in a newspaper either - she is one of the nine in ten of the over 65's not using the Internet everyday (well except DAB radio) and is blind.
Come on Bob - it was a cheap article.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A backgrounder
We spend a lot of time going through the background of what is happening to media and so I have created this slide show. If you want to use it its available under the Creative Commons Licence (say where you got it from):
It is downloadable from here too.
It is downloadable from here too.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Internet Archive
One of the great places to put out of print books and papers that you always meant to submit to a journal but just could not face the form filling is the Open Archive.
I have put my first book about the Internet there.
It saves having to back it up every so often.
I have put my first book about the Internet there.
It saves having to back it up every so often.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Managing the risk of technology
The graphic below comes from a post by John Milan in Read/Write web and is very germaine to PR practice. We are not going to stop Internet Transparency or porosity. We have to manage it.
If you look at the image, it offers the means by which the senior practitioner can manage lack of IT knowledge and responsibility or innovation.
Using the techniques of Risk Management, Organisations can asses thier level of risk along both axis (1-5) and can then look ate what can be done to mitigate the risk and test the assumptions again.
Sophisticated applications of these types of approach offer a good idea of ROI for managing risk (and opportunities).
Nice graphic!
If you look at the image, it offers the means by which the senior practitioner can manage lack of IT knowledge and responsibility or innovation.
Using the techniques of Risk Management, Organisations can asses thier level of risk along both axis (1-5) and can then look ate what can be done to mitigate the risk and test the assumptions again.
Sophisticated applications of these types of approach offer a good idea of ROI for managing risk (and opportunities).
Nice graphic!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)