NevilleHobson.com

Content summary: UserVoice listener feedback put into action; FIR Live on BlogTalk Radio May 24; FIR Interview with Craig Silverman May 16; upcoming FIR Speakers & Speeches podcast of Neville’s PRII Dublin presentation; OTRO interview with Josh Bernoff available; Shel’s being interviewed on Podcast Junction; discussion: PR spam victims bite back; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop; the evolution of the press release according to Brian Solis; ‘Nuts About SouthWest’ relaunches; Michael Netzley reports from Singapore on the Java Jive Challenge taking place in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand; listeners’ comments discussion; music by David Steele; and more.

Listen to FIR now:

 

 FIR #344 - May 12, 2008 [62:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)

Get FIR:

• Download the MP3 file (28.4Mb, 62:02)
• Subscribe to the RSS feed
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Messages from our sponsors: FIR is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years, www.ragan.com; Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir.

For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, for May 12, 2008: A 62-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the show notes home page for info.

• FIR #344 show notes at The New PR Wiki

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Join the FIR Discussion Forum and extend your conversations with the FIR community. You can also join the FIR Facebook Community and become an FIR friend.

So, until Thursday May 15…

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)

I’m still in Dublin following yesterday’s PRII conference at which I spoke about PR and social media.

I gather all the presentations will soon be online at the PRII website, I guess sometime next week.

It was a terrific event. The venue was the ballroom at the Conrad Hotel, a pretty big room. It was packed; I’d say there were at least 150 people representing the PR business in Ireland, agency and client sides.

I’ll have a post with some thoughts about the conference once I’m back in the UK. Loads of photos, too, which I’ll upload to Flickr.

We’ve been staying at Stauntons on The Green, a guesthouse-type hotel. Very comfortable and a place I’d definitely come back to. Free wifi, too, although the signal doesn’t reach to the bedrooms so I’ve been using the 3 mobile broadband modem which the folk at 3mobilebuzz enabled to work for me here in Ireland. Thanks again, guys.

Today has been one of relative relaxation. Laura and I spent the morning meandering around the centre of Dublin, dodging a rain shower here and there. Planning to take one of the 90-minute sightseeing bus tours tomorrow before heading back to the UK.

Bernie Goldbach has been a tremendous host, showing us the evening sights around the Temple Bar area on Thursday evening. He was at the conference yesterday with a variety of gadgets to record audio and video.

So, a wholly enjoyable experience on this trip to Dublin, my first time back here for any length of time in about 12 years.

Next - the meetup at 4.30pm today.

Content summary: Dan York reports; One-Minute News: social networking studies, Encyclopaedia Britannica Webshare, Twitterfone, reading on the Web, banks on Twitter; David Phillips reports; listener comments; music from No-Fi Soul Rebellion; and more.

[Messages from our sponsors: FIR is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years, www.ragan.com; Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir.]

Show notes for May 5, 2008

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 59-minute podcast recorded live from Chicago, Illinois, USA, and almost live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England.

Download the file here (MP3, 23.7MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod, subscribe with iTunes; good podcatchers include Juice and DopplerRadio, and RSS aggregators that support podcasts such as FeedDemon.)

In This Edition:

• #342 show notes at The New PR Wiki

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Join the FIR Discussion Forum and extend your conversations with the FIR community. You can also join the FIR Facebook Community and become an FIR friend.

So, until Monday May 12..

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)

 

 FIR #343 - May 8, 2008 [59:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (38)

Do away with boring text search and see what you’re looking for.

That’s the thrust of visual search from SearchMe, a startup search engine currently in public beta that offers you something a bit different, and visually more attractive, in your online searching.

The company has been around for some years. See this post on TechCrunch for detailed information including about the recent financial backing.

I’ve noticed the name quite a bit recently as I see it frequently in my server stats (this blog is obviously being indexed by SearchMe).

I tried SearchMe on something quite simple - my name.

Given that SearchMe readily acknowledges that their index is small - “less than a billion documents,” they say, so small is relative - I wasn’t really expecting much of a result.

Quite a surprise, though, to see the scope of the results, as the screenshot above shows. I found websites, blogs and references to me all over the place.

You navigate through the search results images with your cursor keys or simply click directly on one of them. Very simple and a pleasure to use.

If you make use of the Windows Flip 3D features of Windows Vista as I do, this behaviour will be familiar to you.

It’s a far more attractive way of searching than the traditional text-only way such as with Google.

But how do they compare, though? It’s all very well having a pretty and visual method but if it doesn’t give you the results you want, it’s not much good.

Well, my simple experiment is simple indeed. But it produced the result I wanted. Indeed, more than I was expecting.

More information on the rather good SearchMe blog.

One day, all search will be like this.

One of the new business books I have in my to-read pile is Groundswell by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.

My copy came last week courtesy of McGraw-Hill UK who distribute the book in Europe and South Africa.

I still have two other business books on the go at the moment - and two at once is about the max I can handle - so I’ve not yet started it. (I need to soon, though, as it’s slated for an FIR Book Review podcast with Shel which we plan to publish this month.)

Meanwhile, I’m keeping an eye on much of the online commentary I see about Groundswell.

Which is how a post on the Groundswell blog the other day caught my attention, with this chart:

The chart itself doesn’t make clear what ‘user-generated content’ means. In this context, it’s podcasts and video as a quick look at chapter two in the book, from which the chart comes, indicates.

Much to ponder here when you look at the usage differences between countries.

What struck me in particular was:

• No one in South Korea listens to podcasts
• Over half the Japanese read blogs
• There is a stark difference between Japan and South Korea in viewing user-generated video - 20% and 5% respectively
• The British and Germans don’t participate much in conversations on blogs compared to the Japanese and South Koreans

I would say much of the reasoning for these states of affairs is to do with differences in national cultures more than anything else.

Mind you, the book may explain it differently which I’ll find out when I actually read it.

How would you explain such differences?

Related post:

• Is business podcasting dead?

One of the more rewarding aspects of business podcasting is when you get an opportunity to interview some interesting and influential communicators and other business people.

That’s a privilege my podcasting partner Shel Holtz and I have been enjoying since we started our For Immediate Release podcast series in 2005.

One such example is the FIR Interview with Jon Iwata of IBM that Shel and I have done and which is published today.

The primary topic of discussion in that interview is The Authentic Enterprise (PDF), a report recently published by the Arthur W Page Society that examines the evolving role of the senior communications executive in 21st century business.

An additional topic Jon talked about is a significant change in the global communication and marketing functions at IBM which was announced internally within IBM yesterday.

I’ve not yet seen any public announcement from IBM so it looks like FIR has an exclusive! Again.

In our FIR Interview, Jon describes the integration of IBM’s global marketing and communications organizations under his leadership. Jon will become Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, effective on July 1, 2008.

Jon told us that the intent of the change is to create a capability for IBM that does not exist in either function today. He says:

The environment is changing, The context in which business operates is changing. Corporations have well established, very successful, tried and true models and mechanisms and tactics to reach customers, the press, employees.

It’s not that those things should suddenly be thrown out. But we are going through, as we say in the [Page] paper, this period of change.

New methods and models are emerging. The corporations that seize them first will be advantaged.

And there’s much more. That discussion starts at about 35:40 into the podcast, which you can listen to here.

Isn’t it good to see a communicator in charge of communication and marketing?

A recent white paper published by the Arthur W Page Society examines the evolving role of the senior communications executive in 21st century business.

The Authentic Enterprise: Relationships, Values and The Evolution of Corporate Communications (PDF) considers the rapidly-changing context for global business and society and the ability of organizations to manage successfully their relationships with customers, investors, partners, employees and other key audiences and stakeholders.

The report also includes the results of a survey the society conducted among the CEOs of 31 U.S. and international companies that have more than $2 billion in revenues, on those CEOs’ perceptions of how their own jobs are being reshaped.

In this FIR Interview, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz joined in conversation with Jon Iwata, Senior Vice President Communications, IBM Corporation, and Chair of the Authentic Enterprise task force for Page, about the key findings in the white paper including the range of strategic business options for CEOs and communicators; the role of Page Turner, the society’s new blog designed to enable ongoing conversation and dialogue relating to the white paper; and changes in IBM Corporation that led to Jon’s new responsibility as head of an integrated global marketing and communications organization, announced to IBM employees on May 5.

About our Conversation Partner

Jon Iwata is responsible for worldwide communications for IBM. In May 2008 IBM announced the integration of its global marketing and communications organizations. Jon will become senior vice president, marketing and communications, effective July 1, 2008.

IBM communications manages the company’s relationships with the media, industry analysts and employees. It is responsible for corporate brand strategy and design, and the company’s global intranet, which serves 380,000 employees. The function coordinates IBM’s corporate affairs initiatives and plays a leading role in instilling IBM Values into the company’s practices and culture.

Jon is a member of the IBM Strategy Team, the IBM Performance Team, and the company’s Intellectual Property Policy and Open Standards Advisory Council. He reports to IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano.

He joined the communications function of IBM in 1984 at the company’s Almaden Research Center in Silicon Valley. In 1989, he came to IBM corporate headquarters in Armonk, New York, and held a variety of communications positions, including providing support for the president of the company. He was appointed vice president of corporate communications in 1995 and assumed his current responsibilities as senior vice president, communications, on January 1, 2002. He was named chairman of the IBM Global Marketing Board in April 2008.

Jon is a co-inventor of a U.S. patent for advanced semiconductor lithography technology.

From 2006-2007, he served as chairman of The Seminar, a professional group consisting of chief communications officers of major corporations and institutions. He is a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society.

Jon holds a B.A. from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, San Jose State University.

Download the 44:16 conversation here (MP3, 17.7MB), or subscribe to the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio or iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)

 

 FIR Interview - Jon Iwata, IBM - May 5, 2008 [44:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (53)

John Cass started a meme back in March when he asked several bloggers to share their thoughts on five questions related to The Cluetrain Manifesto.

Bloggers including Phil Gomes, Richard Binhammer, Jason Falls and Valeria Maltoni, among others, have shared their answers.

We’ll run down the questions and some answers, offer our own thoughts, and hear what you think when we discuss John’s meme on our next FIR Live call-in episode, set for Saturday, May 24. The show will take place over the course of an hour beginning at 10am PDT, 1pm EDT, and 6pm BST.

You can listen by visiting FIR’s BlogTalk Radio page or by calling +1 347 324 3723, which is also the number to call if you want to participate.

Incidentally, John wrote a follow-up post that covered some of the responses to his initial post.

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)

Overflow from today’s FIR #342:

1-Minute News

• Nestle marketing blunder in Azerbaijan

Download FIR Cut MP3 - Nestle (6:26)

If you want to automatically receive FIR Cuts as they’re published, subscribe to the RSS feed.

(What are FIR Cuts?)

 

 FIR Cut - Nestle Azerbaijan - May 5, 2008 [6:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (43)

Content summary: Vote for FIR at Podcast Alley; next FIR Live on BlogTalk Radio on May 24; two new FIR Speakers & Speeches podcasts published; new FIR Interview podcast coming; FIR experiments with UserVoice; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop; the online reputation management industry; Microsoft and Yahoo: the communication perspective; Best Buy employee social network a model for big firms; Michael Netzley reports from Singapore on developments with social networks in China, and more; listeners’ comments discussion; music from Nine Inch Nails; and more.

[Messages from our sponsors: FIR is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years, www.ragan.com; Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir.]

Show notes for May 5, 2008

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 60-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.

Download the file here (MP3, 27.2MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod, subscribe with iTunes; good podcatchers include Juice and DopplerRadio, and RSS aggregators that support podcasts such as FeedDemon.)

In This Edition:

• #342 show notes at The New PR Wiki

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Join the FIR Discussion Forum and extend your conversations with the FIR community. You can also join the FIR Facebook Community and become an FIR friend.

So, until Thursday May 8…

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)

 

 FIR #342 - May 5, 2008 [59:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (43)