BBC Documentary On Citizen Journalism

I was interviewed for a BBC documentary on global citizen journalism (Web page link here and audio link here). I talked about some of the implications for corporations. The two sound bytes the reporter (Ed Butler) included were:

1) a single person can easily and quickly spark a corporate communications crisis, i.e.,

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What’s Wrong With the KFC/TiVo Promotion?

Put aside the fact that the Tivo-friendly KFC commercial with the embedded coupon code for the new Buffalo Snacker is no longer news. I’ve been pondering it for some time. I think it really was clever and creative, but I have my doubts about the sustainability of such a tactic.Read the rest

Blog Buzz Helps Companies Catch Trends in the Making

Steven Levingston of the Washington Post wrote a nice front-page story on my company, titled "Blog Buzz Helps Companies Catch Trends in the Making". Excerpt:

ConAgra Foods Inc. got an early warning from chatter on the Internet that the low-carb craze was fading.

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Maxwell: What A Hotel Should Be

I’m in San Francisco this week staying at the boutique Maxwell Hotel. While this place is not ultra luxury, it’s exactly what I like as a business traveler:

  1. It’s downtown near everything
  2. It’s boutique and quirky, but also homey and well-kept
  3. Check-in was easy, and the staff was casual and friendly (not stiff and corporate)
  4. NO CHARGE FOR WI-FI INTERNET ACCESS
  5. NO SURCHARGE ON OUTGOING TELEPHONE CALLS
  6. NO 12-OUNZE BOTTLES OF EVIAN STRATEGICALLY PLACED ON THE BUREAUS WITH $10 PRICE TAGS
  7. And it has a really great name…MAX…I can relate.
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