Shel and I had such a rich selection of topics to discuss in the June episode of The Hobson & Holtz Report podcast, aka FIR 208 - recorded during the weekend of the G7 meeting - that it was quite a job to assemble the order of discussion! As always each of us provides three topics, making six in total for discussion in each episode. Here's the final list for June: Half of U.S. adults consider who publishes it as the key factor in assessing a story’s trustworthinessColgate launches its … [Read more...] about FIR 208: A timely PR stunt at the G7
Podcasting
Moving the podcast market
News that Apple's new podcast subscription service is being delayed until June because Apple needs to tweak the Apple Podcasts app is a good reminder of how important the user experience is and ensuring it delivers on expectations. It's also a great illustration of how a market moved. In the early homebrew days of podcasting, it was common for many podcasts to sound like they'd been recorded in the back of a garden shed on a rainy day, or the recording was somehow transmitted from the far … [Read more...] about Moving the podcast market
Subscribe or Follow a podcast: What’s in a word?
I subscribe to a lot of podcasts. Until now, I've never thought much about the word 'subscribe' and its meaning in the context of podcasts. To get a podcast, you subscribe to it. That's the way it's been since the dawn of podcasting back in the early 00s when we spoke of using a podcatcher to get your content. We needed to know about things like RSS feeds, the prime method for enabling your podcatcher to get a podcast each time one is published. While these things made it relatively easy … [Read more...] about Subscribe or Follow a podcast: What’s in a word?
FIR 204: Won’t you Join Us in our Clubhouse?
How safe is Clubhouse? asks Wired magazine in the latest critical look at the social audio service that appeared in April 2020 - less than a year ago. It's attracting huge attention globally. Alongside the hype and hyperbole that have been hallmarks of the perceived attractiveness and exclusivity of the invitation-only iOS app that passed ten million users in February - a five-fold growth since recording two million in January - there's increasing scrutiny of how the app works and how it … [Read more...] about FIR 204: Won’t you Join Us in our Clubhouse?
FIR 196: Speak up, Twitter
The June 2020 episode of The Hobson and Holtz Report features Neville and Shel discussing… Their appearance on Joe Jaffe’s broadcast showA report on the all-virtual IABC World ConferenceTwitter’s move to let users record and tweet audio (but only on iOS for now)Three new blockchain developments of interest to communicatorsFlipboard’s new Storyboard featureA user email that prompted Merriam-Webster to update a dictionary definitionHow Wikipedia became a battleground for racial … [Read more...] about FIR 196: Speak up, Twitter
FIR 187: It may be a Car but it Sounds like a Starship
With this September 2019 episode of The Hobson and Holtz Report or FIR 187, Shel and I discuss a handful of notable, even memorable, topics and include a segment we recorded two weeks beforehand in Winchester when we were together during Shel's UK trip. Automotive is a star feature of our discussion with a detailed exchange of views and thoughts on news out of the US about regulatory developments regarding electric cars, specifically on the sound they make. Which is a thing that concerns … [Read more...] about FIR 187: It may be a Car but it Sounds like a Starship
FIR 185: Hey Google, play me some content marketing
The July 2019 edition of “The Hobson and Holtz Report” features Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz discussing these stories: Have we hit “peak podcast”?Google’s trying social media againThese are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2019Communicators need to explore new channels for their messagesYou downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacyConsumers are less attentive to news on mobile devicesDan York reports on interoperability, the new Twitter interface, Twitter’s “Live … [Read more...] about FIR 185: Hey Google, play me some content marketing
FIR 183: Let’s get personal
The May 2019 edition of “The Hobson and Holtz Report,” aka For Immediate Release episode 183, features Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz talking about these stories: A trio of technologies — from Google, Amazon, and The New York Times — show how marketers will be able to get into your head, assess your emotional state, and manipulate your intent.GDPR is one year old. Has it succeeded in protecting Europeans’ privacy?PR professionals are relegating earned media to the dustbin.Arabic podcasts are … [Read more...] about FIR 183: Let’s get personal