Holiday Reading For The Geek In You

A few years back, my most erudite #2 son admonished me for spending too much time with short form real-time media. He explained that books — digital and otherwise — offer context that one simply can’t extract from the ephemeral world of streaming media.I thus decided to periodically post links to those books that generated…… Continue reading Holiday Reading For The Geek In You

A Musky PR Pitch

I recently wrote about Tesla’s PR travails (think burning car), and how company founder Elon Musk took it upon himself to directly and earnestly respond to the fallout. This was the second time that Mr. Musk (does anyone call him Mr. Musk?) penned a point-by-point refutation to quell criticism.What did I gain for my timely attention…… Continue reading A Musky PR Pitch

Content is King, Distribution is Queen

The hype surrounding native advertising, sponsored content and/or promoted content is deafening. Online publishers, faced with diminished digital ad dollars and un-engaging ad creative, have turned to marketing-driven content that natively mimics editorial to invigorate reader engagement and revenue. Suddenly, a cottage industry has risen to help commercial entities come off as, well, less commercial.The…… Continue reading Content is King, Distribution is Queen

Google Goes On The Offensive

Edward Snowden (Photo: VentureBeat)The NSA revelations from one strange cat named Edward Snowden and his enabler, the lawyer turned political activist turned commentator turned journalist Glenn Greenwald, put Silicon Valley’s biggest brands on the defensive.Reports by Mr. Greenwald writing about Verizon’s breach of its customers’ privacy (in the news hole of The Guardian) were quickly overshadowed…… Continue reading Google Goes On The Offensive

The Shifty Press Release

The debate over the value of the press release has raged pretty much unabated for the last seven or eight years. My pal Todd Defren literally built his PR firm on the back of his pathbreaking effort to re-imagine the press release of the future. (Yesterday, his company Shift Communications was named PR Agency of…… Continue reading The Shifty Press Release

Of Cookies & Cruises

Anyone who’s ever conducted a Google search has encountered that moment when one, two or seven days later up pops a related product ad in your desktop, laptop or mobile browser’s window. These cookie-enabled ads seem to surface on some of the most random sites.The issue of how online marketers use tracking cookies and one’s…… Continue reading Of Cookies & Cruises

Facebook Advertising: To Like or Not to Like

As the Facebook IPO frenzy crescendos, the media pendulum has swung from fawning friendliness to sudden skepticism catalyzed by one giant automaker’s decision to pull its $10 million ad budget from the 900-million+ strong social network.Interestingly, and mildly reminiscent of its defiant public posture during the government bailouts of its rivals, Ford Motor Company promptly…… Continue reading Facebook Advertising: To Like or Not to Like

Commander in Control

One of the points I had hoped to emphasize in my last post was that Twitter, blogging, Facebook and Google+ offer an even more controlled communications environment than what a fastidiously prepped/messaged executive might face in a media interview.David Carr may give Rupert Murdoch props for his more authentic Twitter persona, but it’s Mr. Murdoch…… Continue reading Commander in Control

Pando’s ‘Cuda

In case you hadn’t noticed, a very refreshing bi-product has risen from the ashes of the rather acrimonious breakup between TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington and his wealth-creating nemesis, AOL. The tech/social news-savvy site PandoDaily, led by former TechCrunch ed-at-large Sarah Lacy (aka @sarahcuda on Twitter), burst onto the scene only a week or so ago…… Continue reading Pando’s ‘Cuda

My Big Messy Social Life

My social life is a mess. And I know I’m not the only one mired in the digital muck. Here’s the lowdown, which stands  in contrast to just two years ago:  I’m feeling pressure to bolster my presence on the red hot Pinterest even though the app (on Chrome) couldn’t find the image of Danny Meyer’s…… Continue reading My Big Messy Social Life