31 July 2009

I'll Be Moving Soon...

Lots I'd like to write about, but for now this is it. Enjoy your weekend.

29 July 2009

WOMMA Update...

John Moore, who among other things serves as WOMMA's spokesman, was good enough to comment on yesterday's post. Since most people don't read comments, I thought it would be appropriate to devote a post to his comment. Here's what he had to say:
Ethics in word-of-mouth online and offline is something WOMMA deeply cares about. Honesty of relationship, opinion, and identity is paramount to word-of-mouth retaining its credibility. We believe our code of ethics offers a thorough guidance on do’s and don’ts.

However, as Susan points out in her comments to my post, the BLOGGING WITH INTEGRITY code is less about marketing. Agreed. Understood. I've pledged by it.

David, I didn’t mean to come across condescending. Not at all. (That ain’t my style. That ain’t WOMMA’s style.) Your points are well stated.

FYI … WOMMA enforces its code with member companies through a review process. (You can learn more here: http://womma.org/ethics/disciplinary/.) And yes, some companies have been reprimanded.
I'm glad that WOMMA has a review process and has tried to provide some semblance of enforcement through reprimands. And kudos to John for starting his comment with the WOMMA talking point. He clearly saw my post as an opportunity to let everyone know what WOMMA is about, and he took advantage of it. That's his job.

There's a back story going on here, but it's really not mine to tell.

28 July 2009

Umm.... WOMMA? It's Not About You.

So four bloggers got together to start an awareness campaign they called Blog With Integrity. Basically they saw members of their own community doing things they thought compromised their community -things like plagiarizing content, failing to disclose financial relationships, and not treating others with respect. The discussion has been all over the mom-o-sphere.

They decided to build a website that had a badge you could take that basically tells readers "I try not to do any of those things."

That's it.

After all, it's not like they're the social media police. They certainly can't enforce some code of conduct. They figure - and I agree - that people who steal ideas, hide their financial interests, or treat others poorly will eventually be exposed. The badge is basically a reminder that bad behavior affects everyone, and there are people in the community who try to do the right thing.

It's not like you need a badge on your blog to have integrity, and it's not like having the badge proves you're ethical. But it's a nice idea. Further, most communications professionals - you know, the superheroes of marketing and PR and whatnot - will tell you that the best awareness campaigns are simple in delivery and scope, and make it easy for people to participate. So not surprisingly, the campaign gets noticed.

But then I see this post from the official blog of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) that seems just a leeeeeetle beet condescending and maybe a tad defensive:
I applaud the BLOGGING WITH INTEGRITY initiative. Love the grassroots nature. And love the passion behind the program. I just believe it could use a little more bite to better clarify acceptable behavior such as WOMMA provides.
OK, four things.

First, these four bloggers never claimed to speak for the entire community of online moms. They don't believe they have the market cornered on what's acceptable behavior.

Second, this isn't about what WOMMA thinks is or isn't acceptable behavior. They're parent bloggers. WOMMA is a group of marketers. It's a different community.

Third, the WOMMA code has some flaws. For some reason, WOMMA seems to believe that the only people in online marketing communications who shouldn't be paid cash for their time and effort are the bloggers - you know, the people who have worked for a while to make their online properties so influential that marketers would solicit them in the first place. Last time I checked, asking someone to work for free didn't fit the definition of "ethical."

Finally, it's the use of the word "bite." From which I infer WOMMA asserts its code has "teeth." WOMMA's code sure has a lot of words, but it doesn't have "teeth."

So how exactly does WOMMA enforce its very detailed and specific code? How do trade associations or whatever this group is actually require anything of its members? Or do they just assume that people who write a dues check agree to adhere to this code?

WOMMA member companies have most certainly engaged in behavior that runs counter to this code. Does WOMMA put them on probation or something? Do they expell the company? Do they write a statement of censure? Do they fine them? Do they put the company in time out?

Or do they allow the offending company to use WOMMA's "brand" for PR cover when the company gets caught?

OK, I know I'm being unfair to WOMMA. There are some good people working in marketing that I'm sure get something valuable from their participation there.

But let's get real about ethics. Let's not even BEGIN to suggest that a code with uber-specifics but no real enforcement mechanism is any better than a badge that simply says do the right thing. Let's not try to imply superiority over a legitimate grassroots campaign with a "bless your little heart" and a "maybe someday you'll be as specific as we will."

And seriously, WOMMA folks, it's just not about you. WOMMA members may get to decide which bloggers they'll work with, but WOMMA doesn't get to decide what behavior from bloggers is ethical and what isn't. Let the online mom community sort out what's best for the online mom community.

24 July 2009

Female Role Models

I read something at Matthew Yglesias' blog on Friday that really pissed me off.
I used to think that US Senate Barbara Boxer was an experienced legislator with a solid progressive record on the issues. But then I read this Politico article in which various anonymous people criticize her “abrasive personal style” and “outspoken partisan liberal” demeanor. Big trouble! And then I got to thinking, I recall having read similar critiques of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. And Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate and now as Secretary of State has been subjected to similar criticism. Nancy Pelosi, too.
If I ever called a reporter friend and said, "gee, Senator Kennedy was really mean to me today - he yelled and everything," I'd get laughed off the phone. The US Senate is the big leagues of American politics. If you feel the need to whine anonymously to the media, just don't show up for work.

But Yglesias touches on a more important point, and it's been happening forever. If a poweful, ambitious and smart man yells or says something mean, he's just trying to get things done. If a powerful, ambitious and smart woman does the same thing, she has an "abrasive personal style" - or much worse.

I thought this was the kind of attitude that led to the establishment of BlogHer - an important and influential organization that advocated for women bloggers. Something about giving those who hadn't really had a voice or a platform to assert their own abilities and form a true community. Helping people find their voice and advocate for themselves has always been the reason I've worked in public service. The stories of people using social media to have real influence on important issues are the stories I want to highlight most here.

And then I read the reactions to this year's BlogHer conference. I read about people throwing elbows -- AND HITTING BABIES -- to get at swag bags, stealing dolls, taking babies to bars, and launching attacks on Twitter when they don't feel they've been appropriately pampered. I read that only 30 people (of 1500 attendees) show up to a panel discussion about international activists with important stories, while a nearby discussion about "writing in the age of Britney" is packed to overflowing.

I think this is what Susan, Liz, Kristen and Julie meant when they started Blog With Integrity. But without being there and not knowing much else, I doubt this is all that happened at BlogHer and I definitely know this isn't what the community for which these four women care so much is all about. The way you restore integrity to a community isn't simply to point to examples of wrongdoing and say "we need to do better" - though that is, of course, important.

The way to restore integrity and this community's credibility is to showcase the examples of women who are using their blogs (and other social media tools) to amplify their voices and make people think. The truth is there are thousands of women (and men) who do this every day. So every so often I'm going to pick a few women - some moms, some not - who are doing this RIGHT. Someone an online mom can show her daughter and say, "See her? See what she's doing? See how she's living in the same world you are, with the same challenges you have, and see how she succeeds? THAT is how you do this. THAT is what I stand for. I want you to be like HER."

So here goes:

Amira Al Hussaini. Amira is the Middle East / North Africa editor for Global Voices Online, one of the world's only truly global aggregators of online news and commentary. She was the editor of Voices Without Votes, a special project of GVO and Reuters that examined what bloggers outside the United States were saying about the US Presidential elections. Amira is an award-winning journalist who has covered the United Nations and any number of geopolitical issues. She is a passionate advocate for free speech across the globe, particularly in the areas of the world she covers for Global Voices. She recently moved back to her native Bahrain from Canada. In my interview with her last September, she told me "I am applying my skills and expertise to help bridge understandings, mend fences, and show that it is a small world - and we are all the same in our hopes, aspirations, fears and dreams for tomorrow."

Sheril Kirshenbaum. Sheril is an associate at Duke University and co-author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future with Chris Mooney. She has two Masters degrees - one in marine biology, the other in marine policy, from the University of Maine. She was a legislative research fellow for US Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida). She's also the co-founder of Science Debate 2008, a coalition of groups and individuals that worked to get a presidential debate on science policy. The mainstream media essentially ignored Science Debate 2008 until they decided to go all social media on their asses - they were instrumental in getting a number of detailed policy responses on important science issues from both candidates. Sheril also co-authors a blog with Chris Mooney called The Intersection at Discover Magazine. Her next book, called The Science of Kissing, is due out in Fall 2010. Sheril is one of those people who is working to make careers in science cool for girls, and she's very good at helping to explain how science is important to all of us.

Joanne Bamberger. Yes, PunditMom. Joanne has spent the better part of her career standing up to the old boys' network. She calls herself a "recovering attorney." She was the deputy director of communications for the Securities Exchange Commission - you know, the government entity that regulates the stock markets and things like that. Her professional passion is clearly writing. Her personal passion is motherhood. Anyone who reads her blog knows how important it is to her to be a role model for PunditGirl, and to celebrate those who are role models themselves. She's worked incredibly hard to make her views known in political circles - and believe me, breaking into the DC chattering class isn't easy, particularly when everyone knows you intend to deliver your own dose of reality to that crowd. She achieved real success in this endeavor, with her spots on XM Radio's POTUS '08 among other things. Joanne contributes to BlogHer as a political editor, as well as Huffington Post. Her book, Mothers of Intention, is coming out next year.

Catherine Connors. Just read about her recent roadtrip and you'll see how much Her Bad Mother cares about community, and the people in it. Catherine has the academic credentials that demand respect - she was a member of the political science faculty at the University of Toronto - but she's decided to chart a new course. She's moved into blogging/writing full-time and can be found everywhere - Blog Her, Canada Moms Blog, everywhere - I'm especially impressed that she's on belief.net. Catherine is also the original writer for "The World According To Mom." As it pertains to the monetization vs. "keeping it real" balance, I think Catherine has found it. No one doubts that she gets a lot of traffic and is getting some compensation for her writing. She works with PR flacks like me from time to time. But she's no shill. Her writing is unquestionably authentic and provocative. People may have different opinions about how much she chooses to share. But everyone should respect her.

That's it for now. I may have more - it's not like there's a shortage of role models out there. I'm not a member of the mom community, but I think this is the way "Blogging With Integrity" will really work - show people how it's done.

23 July 2009

A New Green Podcast

As many of you know I have conversations from time to time with people who blog about environmental issues. Three of my favorites are Tim Hurst, Maria Surma Manka, and Jeff McIntire-Strassburg.

They're also three of the busiest people I know. Like me, Maria is in the PR industry. She leverages her considerable expertise on environmental issues for her company's green marketing blog, EcoLogic. She's contributed to some of the biggest green blogs out there.

I interviewed Tim a while back for this blog, and I've followed him quite a bit - he contributes to Red Green and Blue, Web Ecoist and and he's the managing editor for a relatively new blog I'm high on called Earth and Industry.

Jeff is the granddaddy of 'em all - a former English professor, he's a co-founder of Green Options, he's blogging for the Sundance Channel's Sunfiltered (yes, with co-contributor Robert Redford), and he's contributing to Tim's Earth and Industry blog.

Just for kicks, I asked the three of them to join me for a new semi-regular podcast I'd like to start on environmental issues. I wanted to keep it very simple - we come up with one question, and each of us answer it. I also wanted to keep it under half an hour. Tim came up with the first question. He told the group, "There seems to be a lot of discussion about whether the Waxman-Markey climate bill should be passed because it's a good start or whether it should be scrapped entirely in favor of something tougher or completely different. This could go lots of different ways, but it seems salient." I think we were all pleased with the discussion.

I know there's a large and growing number of green podcasts out there, but I wanted to do this for a few reasons. First, I like these folks and wanted to talk about environmental and economic policy with some smart people.

Second, I wanted to learn podcasting. Finally, I wanted to demonstrate how people can publish smart content (if not the most polished) without spending a dime - I'm using Skype to create a conference call, Call Graph to record it, Audacity to edit it, and The Internet Archive to store it. I'd like to do more of these and publish a series of green policy conversations to iTunes. I may try to do this with other topics as well.

The audio quality is so-so - I've heard worse, I've heard better. I'm still learning. So many thanks to Tim, Maria and Jeff for their participation in this - I'm looking forward to more.

Here's the discussion - it's about 26 minutes. Details and downloads can be found here.

22 July 2009

BlogHer Predictions

Sadly, I'm not going to BlogHer, though 2 of my colleagues are (@SallieB and @EmmieJ).

With all this talk about PR blackouts and blogging with integrity, here are some predictions.

First, some goofball marketing/PR flack who hasn't paid a lick of attention is going to stand up and shill a product or service or something in the middle of a panel discussion AGAIN - you know, thinking that it's just a subtle plug when everyone in the room will know what's going on - and get absolutely destroyed for it.

Then some male PR idiot is going to hit on a mom blogger - AGAIN - oblivious to the fact that these moms talk with each other. Yes, you read that right. I'm told it's happened before.

But finally, and most importantly - a lot of people are going to have an absolutely incredible time. They will learn a lot, renew friendships, start new ones, get more swag than you thought possible, and spend time with each other in an amazing city.

Hopefully my flackitudinous brethren and sistren will be smart enough to shut the heck up and stay in the background. I've given my colleagues just two words of advice: HAVE FUN.

21 July 2009

Bloggers are Leading the Health Care Debate

It should come as no surprise that the White House is reaching out to political bloggers to help them carry their message on health care reform - after all, Left Blogistan was instrumental in getting the President elected, and it has demonstrated an ability to mobilize activists and raise an enormous amount of money. Liberal bloggers have also written extensively on the topic, with great detail about the particulars of competing proposals. Ezra Klein, who has gone from his own blog to the American Prospect to the Washington Post, is widely regarded as the wonk di tutti wonks for the left on this issue.

Not to be outdone (though I'd argue they're getting creamed right now in social media), the right has its blog outreach ideas as well - a great example is former Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee posting at Red State on the issue. I think the problem Republicans have right now is they don't have a consensus leader, and historically their communication strategy is top-down, so they're experiencing the growing pains of adopting group discussions. They'll get there.

The thing to keep in mind, however, is that online political communities are relatively isolated - they show up well on social media tools like Technorati because they link to each other, but as I demonstrated earlier, the big political stories just don't register when compared to, say, pop culture. Talking to political bloggers will definitely have some impact, but it's really about "mobilizing the base."

Health care is a different animal - everyone has an opinion on it. Everyone is touched by it. And suddenly mainstream journalists have tucked away their criticisms of bloggers as crazy people who live in basements - now they invite them on television. For example, my friend Dr. Val Jones and her team at Get Better Health have done an outstanding job talking about health care, health policy, and reform - and they're getting noticed.

I was particularly struck by a speech Dr. Kevin Pho gave at the National Press Club. You may know Dr. Pho better as KevinMD. That's right - a doctor from Nashua whose real claim to fame is his blog is now giving speeches on health reform at the National Press Club. His speech struck a chord with me because I worked at the hospital he cited in his speech, but more importantly, he's discussing one of those non-partisan but incredibly important issues facing reform that just seems to get lost in the soundbyte-driven, substance-free rhetoric that currently dominates the political debate. GO READ IT.

I'm really thrilled that health care providers are leveraging social media to make such solid contributions to the reform debate. It's a significant step in the right direction. But it's just one step. Doctors are having influence with political types, but they're still a relatively isolated community online - doctors speak with doctors and only a small handful of others online. (There are a few exceptions, but frankly not many.)

A bigger step will be when government officials reach beyond their comfort zone of ideologically-compatible political bloggers and have meaningful conversations with the community that is, IMHO, the most influential and important online community today - moms.

This community is much, much bigger and much more diverse than the political folks or the medical community. There's really no comparison. A handful of the conversations there are ideological, but you just can't BS mom with the rhetoric we see today. The questions you hear from moms are grounded in real-life experience; they're not focus-group tested or necessarily designed to provoke. The values in this community are important - everything is about mutual respect here. You can be snarky without being uncivil. You can disagree over one issue and still have friendly discussions about something else. There just isn't the "us versus them" mentality you see in the political blogosphere, and while the doctors are trying, the conversations are just much more accessible and inviting.

There are two panels at this week's BlogHer conference that focus on health issues. I don't know if anyone will raise the health care reform proposals currently winding their way through Congress there, but I know it's been discussed in too many mom blog posts to link to here.

Another important thing I'd like to see is better integration between the medical online community and the parenting online community. There are some inklings of hope there - but that's a post for another day.

19 July 2009

How A Bill Becomes A Law...

I have a quick trip to San Antonio scheduled for Monday morning to give a presentation to the leadership of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses on legislative process 101. I'm looking forward to it - I developed the presentation a few years ago and while the Constitution hasn't changed, a lot has happened in how legislative staff and members get their information.

If the technology in the room allows, I was thinking I'd pull a page from my wife's playbook (she teaches a family policy class) and show this video to demonstrate the basics:



I remember watching it Saturday mornings, sandwiched between Superfriends and Scooby Doo...

Of course there's a lot more to it. Thanks to the internet and social media, the way members and staff (particularly staff) find and process relevant information has changed dramatically since I was on the Hill. Websites and blogs are particularly important the 24 hours before a vote - issue "experts" are often very difficult to reach quickly, and the way the process works (particularly in the Senate) you may see a dozen different and substantive votes in a single day, sometimes with little notice. Lobbyists and constituents remain very important contributors to forming policy. However, if you know precisely where legislative staffers go to get credible information online, you can also have a strong influence on the process - all without leaving your laptop.

16 July 2009

Bypassing Journalism...

Yesterday morning I was listening to CNN with interest as it took a break from its continuing "Michael Jackson is still dead" coverage and reported that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was delivering a "major foreign policy speech" to the Council of Foreign Relations that afternoon.

My first instinct was to ask "What is she going to say?"

I don't remember hearing an answer to that question in the story. I did hear that President Obama has already given a bunch of major speeches on foreign policy and that this must mean that people in the White House are trying to marginalize Secretary Clinton's influence and don't you know they're rivals and don't really trust each other and gossip gossip gossip. Maybe they covered the guts of the speech later that day - I have no idea. I do know they reported on another video of Michael Jackson's hair on fire in 1984.

This is the kind of thing that drives me nuts. I'm sure that Obama v. Clinton story is catchy, but it's not news, at least to me. It's gossip - and frankly, it's not the least bit surprising that a new President would make major policy speeches when there's a change of direction in policy. It's pretty much what you do.

Thankfully, social media tools let you bypass this gossip and get to the actual source. I've heard a lot of talk lately about the death of the news "business model" and the frustration so many journalists have over "crazy bloggers" drawing attention away from their serious journalism.

When I watch CNN I want news. Often times CNN gives it to me. But if they're going to make the editorial decision that video of a dead pop star's hair catching fire 25 years ago deserves to be in "heavy rotation," I'm going to turn off CNN and get the news myself. Yes, CNN is covering real stories like the confirmation hearings for Judge Sotomayor, but shouldn't that be the top story?

Maybe as we focus on journalism's business model we should also focus on the product.

In case you're wondering, here's the speech Secretary Clinton gave. She's smart.

15 July 2009

The Interview: Chris Hogan

Chris Hogan is a family man, an exec at a major trade association in DC, and an old friend. If you really know Chris, you know he has a very strong interest in men's clothing - not really what's "hot" or what the latest boy band is wearing, but the cultural and historic aspects of classic style.

To the best of my knowledge Chris doesn't have "formal" training in textile science, marketing or design. He didn't have many contacts in the field and doesn't have a long resume in the fashion industry. He just really knows his stuff. So when Chris decided he wanted to make a contribution to the body of thought leadership in this community, he did what many people are doing now - he started a blog in late 2006 that focused on the issues that interest him. He calls it Off the Cuff.

He still has his "day job," and he never did much to publicize his work - when he had time, he just kept writing thoughtful posts that demonstrated his knowledge of the topic and reached out to just the right people online. His readership grew steadily as more people learned about the blog. Now he has major publications asking him for contributions and companies asking for his advice on marketing. He's an authentic, credible, and independent voice in this community.

I asked Chris to answer just a couple of questions about what he's doing - I think Off the Cuff serves as a nice case study about how it's possible to take simple, sustainable, and strategic steps to build and strengthen a reputation in a specific community. This is how it's done, folks. The Q&A:

Why did you start the blog?

I wanted to explore if I could actually become an acknowledged expert in the menswear field. I've always had the interest and felt that my more intellectual and culture-focused approach might be attractive. I didn't want to write about what was "hot" - I don't really care about that - I wanted to write about how classic and timelss style can easily be fit into modern life.

How has it evolved since you started it?

The core goal of becoming a leading voice in the menswear/lifestyle world is fairly unchanged, but as the site and brand evolved I found myself addressing weightier topics, like the mass luxury movement and how it destroyed the concept of craftsmanship in favor of profit. I still write about day-day topics, but overall, I'm the old timer in the men's style blogging space. In fact, most of the sites on my blog roles didn't even exist when I started.

At the same time I was being approach by several entities to provide content for some major sites like MensFlair and now Nivea For Men's corporate site. I also recently sent in my first major publication, a piece for The Rake magazine that will be in an upcoming issue. So, the bigest change for me is the level of attention and genuine benefit a lot of my readers get fromthe site and associated content.

What are the tangible benefits you've gotten from it?

Obviously being considered a leading voice, someone worth talking to, is a big plus. I originally wanted to see if I would ever be considered and expert in the area of interest and the answer appears to be "yes". That helps me gain access to a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people, but it also allows me to extend the OTC brand and refine my style of writing and presentation.

I never advertised and I've never really pushed the OTC site or brand on anyone. all the attention has been natural and organic - to me that means even more because it tells me that I have something to say that others want to hear. that matter the most, being useful and relevant. Pumping up site traffic means nothing to me because there is no value there. So, the attention I am getting gives me a sense of purpose - it really matters. I have gained in a umber of ways - OTC is a relevant advice and style guide brand in the classic/preppy/Ivy League segment of the menswear space. Niche, yes; but valued. I get tangible benefits like products for testing and evaluation and significant discounts in some cases so that I can purchase products to test and write about. I have been invited to attend several very cool events and have also been able to interview some talented in engaging personalities.

I have also been able to expend my own skill set, notably in branding and strategy, so much so that I have provided some rather extensive advice to a UK based apparel/lifestyle firm.

All of this flows back to reputation and value. On the web, and certainly in my postion, reputation is everything.

What would you like to gain from it next?

I would like to build the OTC brand into a real consultancy of some sort. Branding and style/lifestyle advice. I would also like to take the Monocle route and develop a highly edited co-branded line of products. If nothing else, and I just wrote about this, the whole concept of branding and the marketplace it fragmenting and becoming highly decentralized. While Mr. Blackwell's list is entertaining, today people make up their own mind about what's cool, what's in and how to best create their own look and sense of style.

I want OTC to be a leading resource in market shift.

13 July 2009

So Much For A "Post-Racial" Society

Today the Senate begins a week of confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. One could argue the discussion about Judge Sotomayor has broken down ideological or possibly even partisan lines, but there's one facet to the discussion that is perfectly clear - when it comes to this nomination and confirmation process, we are absolutely and completely obsessed with the issue of race.

Here is a representation of the discussion about Judge Sotomayor in blogs, per Blogpulse:



And here is the subset of those discussions that mention race:



So how many blog posts that mention Judge Sotomayor also mention that she's a "Latina" or "Hispanic?"

That would be all of them. Yes, ALL of them.

A very small fraction of the cases that go before the Supreme Court have anything to do with race at all. A very small fraction of the 380+ opinions that Judge Sotomayor has written have anything to do with race at all. In fact, the only reason I had heard of her at all was her ruling that ended the baseball strike back in 1995. (I'm a bit of a baseball nut.)

Yet virtually every discussion about Judge Sotomayor has mentioned race. Granted, some of those posts have simply said she'd be the first Latina on the Supreme Court, but the overwhelming majority of those posts also have more references to race. And of course, Senate Republicans have unquestionably focused on race leading up to the hearings - from former Speaker Gingrich's now-infamous tweet to the invitation of a white Connecticut firefighter to testify against her because she wrote an opinion against his side in a labor case - a decision that the Supreme Court overturned by a 5-4 vote.

I haven't done any analysis of the mainstream coverage of Judge Sotomayor, but I suspect the composition is similar.

I think the online discussion shows that we're far more obsessed about race issues than Judge Sotomayor ever has been. And I see no evidence whatsoever of the "post-racial society" that's been bubbled about by some in the punditocracy.

Foreign Policy in Text Clouds

The Obama Administration has reportedly used four major speeches in four foreign capitals to outline its foreign policy vision - Prague, Cairo, Moscow and Accra. I'm a bit surprised that there hasn't been a major speech planned in Asia or South America, but I guess you can't hit every country in the first six months...

Here's what the speech in Prague looked like:


Cairo:


Moscow:


and Accra:



I found it interesting that the word "people" keeps popping up as the most prominent word. I think the word common in all four clouds we should be looking at more closely is "power."

Stay tuned.

11 July 2009

Today is World Population Day

Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability for women in developing countries - it accounts for more than half a million deaths each year. Imagine the entire population of, say, Wyoming, dying in a year. That's what we're talking about here.

To recognize World Population Day, here's some information on CEDPA - The Centre for Development and Population Activities - that highlights how investing in women can improve their health and the well-being of communities.

10 July 2009

The Tinkering Continues

I realize this is the kind of post that no one else cares about. So I'll try to be brief about the changes to the blog.

I try to do "smart" - I'm just not wired for "shiny."

Other people write about "how to make your email pitch really sing" or "blogging/twitter/email is dead - now I'm all about the next shiny toy" or "7 ways you can sell social media." There are some great PR practitioners out there who discuss best practices and that's important. But I also think there are a ton of bloggers in this space who really just invent a new nomenclature to restate the obvious. If you want that go read a self-help book, where "getting off your ass and working" becomes "re-discovering your inner awesome" or something like that.

I'll still write the occasional "here's how I think you should do this" post. But rather than tell readers what to do, I'd rather show readers what smart people are doing. That's why I've created the link list of interviews in the sidebar, and placed it above all my own posts. And I've added a blogroll of places I frequent - if you think I've missed you and you should be there, just let me know.

I've also gotten rid of some distracting widgets and pushed the rest down - the blog looks a little text-heavy right now, so I'll probably do something about that. Oh, and I retired the feet.

So if you care to chime in, feel free - I don't think I'm done tinkering. But no pressure.

09 July 2009

The Stimulus Discussion: Anything But Stimulating

Some Republicans think they've found the issue that will finally damage President Obama politically. They're arguing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - known by most as the "Economic Stimulus Package" - hasn't worked. It strikes me as a potentially damaging accusation - if it's true.

I've been following stories in the mainstream media about investments from the stimulus bill. There's been some very good reporting in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by Kristi E. Swartz, a business reporter who has covered media and technology. I asked Ms. Swartz via Twitter direct message if she thought the stimulus bill has had an impact there. Her response: "Frankly I think it's too early to tell." This isn't a surprising response. It makes a great deal of sense to me.

Some Republicans are saying already, however, that the verdict is in and the stimulus bill is a flop. Of course, some GOP stalwarts have gotten a little carried away with their claims, but I think at least one argument from a Republican Congressman merits some attention:



In the social media world, the White House responded quickly to criticism via a blog post from OMB Director Orzag (himself a blogger when he was at GAO).

But has the discussion resonated at all online?

Let's compare online discussions (at least in blogs) about the stimulus package to, say, climate change:

Climate change is a much more popular topic online - two or three times more popular.

OK, but that's all blogs, and climate change is a global issue while the stimulus package is purely a US issue. What if we just look at the people you'd expect to be all over this - the top US political blogs on each side of the ideological spectrum?

I borrowed a page from the Virtual Vantage Points playbook (since I wrote the page I don't think they'll mind) and combined the feeds of six top US-based conservative political blogs and did the same with six of their liberal counterparts. I then ran both feeds through the cloud generator at Wordle to see how prominent the discussion about the stimulus package was.

Here's a graphical depiction of the current discussion from Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, Red State, Free Republic, Powerline and Instapundit:

And here's what they're talking about today the Huffington Post (political feed), Daily Kos (front page), Eschaton, Talking Points Memo, MyDD, and Americablog:

Of course these aren't the only bloggers but they're representative of the more popular ones.

Notice what word you DON'T see there? At all?

It seems the messaging the GOP is pushing about the stimulus isn't stimulating discussions online, at least not yet.

08 July 2009

Honduras, Journalism, Government and Social Media

While most of the English-speaking blogosphere continues its obsession with dead pop stars, there have been a number of very important developments in foreign policy - even aside from the historic preliminary agreement between the US and Russia to cut their nuclear weapon stockpiles by a third. I'm finally seeing very strong integration between mainstream journalists, social media mavens, political entities and technology.

If you know where to look, you can find a wealth of information about Honduras, a Central American nation with about 7.5 million people. Shortly after President Manuel Zelaya tried to hold a non-binding referendum that would potentially change the country's constitution to let him remain in office beyond 2010, military leaders placed Zelaya under arrest on June 28 and shipped him off to Costa Rica, and swore in a new president from Zelaya's political party. Zelaya has tried to return, but his plane was prevented from landing in Honduras.

There has been some debate over whether this is a coup d'etat or not, and the best breakdown of it I've found is at, not surprisingly, Global Voices Online. They've assembled videos from people on the ground on both sides of the issue.

The Organization of American States has suspended Honduras' membership and demanded the President be restored to office. Further, Secretary Clinton made a point of attending the State Department's daily briefing personally to raise the issue. The journalists in attendance asked some very insightful and important questions. Here's the video of the briefing:


Now if we could only let the dead rest and move on with our lives...

06 July 2009

Media Evolution and Soap Opera Journalism

Is it me, or has the news just been one soap opera after the next for the past couple of weeks? Three stories that strike me as side shows - the death of a pop singer, the adultery of a Governor, and the resignation of another Governor - have absolutely dominated the news cycle. It's not as if there's nothing else going on.

Here's the sad truth - these stories are definitely newsworthy, at least to a point. While the public seems to think the coverage about Michael Jackson has been excessive, they clearly can't get enough of it. As for the Governors, they both seem to encourage more coverage, with Gov. Sanford continuing to grant interviews to AP and Gov. Palin threatening to sue everyone.

It's not as if these topics have been ignored in the online world, either. Statistics are harder to come by in this world, but per Nielsen's Blogpulse, it's clear to see that the "king of pop" was also the "king of posts" in blogs:



That big blue spike is mentions of "Michael Jackson." Those teensy little bumps are mentions of the Governors. I guess we know big entertainment news completely dwarfs political soap operas in the blogosphere.

I also found this - apparently the story about Jackson's death broke first on a blog. but here's what the college kids are saying about that blog:
This is NOT a story that symbolizes new media’s shining greatness. In fact, they are hardly helping matters at all...

So the story broke on TMZ, and many people followed it there and on PerezHilton.com. Who cares? Those two sites are part of the media establishment now anyway (whether the oldies like it or not)...

TMZ may not be the BIG media of yesteryear, but now, with its success, it has come to embody the same one-to-many media model we were raised on i.e. OLD not new.
I think the social media lessons learned here are twofold: first, the pace of integration between traditional corporate journalism and "new media" is increasing, and second, a popular blog that abandons true social media won't be popular for long.

05 July 2009

Tinkering

yes, the blog looks weird right now. just doing some tinkering and prepping for a face lift. It will look better soon.

I think it might be time to retire the feet.