Taylor Swift Challenges Two Auburn Students
Taylor Swift Tells Auburn Students :: Good Deeds Are Rewarded with Hugs

In a continuing story, Taylor Swift finds the site AHugfromTaylorSwift.com launched by two Auburn students. She challenges the students for a chance at that hug they so deeply desire. Click image for video.

This is turning into a pretty funny story. Nicole LaMontagne first wrote about it in A Hug from Taylor Swift. “Two 22-year-old college students, Michael Wekall and Ryan Leander, are campaigning on Auburn’s campus and making a documentary in hopes to receive a hug from country pop star idol Taylor Swift.”

Help an Auburn Student Win $50K
Student Entrepreneurs Get Paid for Their Passions
IAFE Video Competition

Help an Auburn student win $50,000. Most views wins. Carrie Williams’ “story has been selected to move forward in the final round to win $50,000, however, in order to win” Carrie needs you to click this link and watch her video. Read more…

“Carrie Williams reports on Auburn’s future up-and-coming entrepreneurs. With unemployment rates at 10.2 percent, these student business owners have ditched the suit and tie, nine-to-five, everyday corporate life-style and are creating their own employment euphoria. From owning a skate and surf company to creating unique jewelry pieces, all it takes is a little bit of determination and passion to prosper.” Visit the Free Enterprise YouTube Channel.

Noel is on a trip around the world:

on 07 july 2007, noneck noel (aka noel a. hidalgo) will depart new york city for a journey around the world to learn from you. affably named “on the luck of seven” or “luck of seven.” this is an open-source journey documenting free culture, social innovators and global change.

for seven months, i will stand on the seven contents, dive into the seven oceans, and contemplate seven topics of freedom. while on the way, i will document the journey through stories, photos and videos. this is not my story, this is our story. though your hospitably, donations, projects, connections and friends, our stories will merge into one. (Source)

Noel isn’t the only one being deported. The protesters were also deported, after a 10-hour interrogation.

The action came a day after three Americans from the group were detained while displaying Tibetan flags near the entrance to National Stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony for the games Friday night. They were deported Saturday on flights to New York, the group said. On Wednesday, four other members hung pro-Tibet banners from two light poles outside the stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest. They were led away by police and later deported to Europe and the United States.

The video has been viewed 32,567 times, so far.

Jim Long, NewMediaJim on Twitter, posted a link to the video. He, too, was taking video of the event. But, Jim works for NBC (see his blog), and had his “permission slips” in hand.

Something tells me that phone calls to qik.com will now be blocked from China. We discussed in class this semester how qik.com is a perfect tool for spot news coverage. This is one great example. Reported live as it unfolded in Tiananmen Square, this incident will, I believe, bring more attention to qik.com. Hope their servers can handle the new traffic.

I believe the answer is now a resounding Yes!

I realize this example is from a Governor’s Office, but the technology required to accomplish it – and the ease of doing it – now proves, to me, that this is doable for others to begin considering video delivery to TV stations.

A camera capable of producing this video is now available for approximately $1,000 and the rest of the requirements – like hosting – are now available for as little as $25 per month. So, why not try it?

Here’s the latest example I’ve learned of, from a former student.

Most recently the Alabama Governor’s Office has offered up two videos and had pickup from state TV stations.

• Alabama Homeland Security Director Discusses State Efforts Before Congressional Committee
• Governor Riley Opens State Motor Pool’s E-85 Pump

Why do I mention this now? Well, it is being done by a former student, Todd Stacy. How cool.

Todd has been providing a password protected FTP download for the stations, and some have been taking him up on the offer. The downloads are not all that big. Certainly the file sizes are several gigabytes, but that has not stopped stations from taking the release and using it.

I think this is much more likely for the future than we think it is. I believe that Alabama, through Todd’s efforts, is way ahead of other states in doing this. Can anyone tell me of other such efforts?

Congrats to Todd for the great work, by the way. We love to tell you about our graduates!

If you aren’t confused, re: Farmers in Appalachian Valleys, then I’ll appreciate your help – ’cause I am confused. You see, I have never written about Appalachain Valley farmers and press releases (have I?), but apparently Stowe Boyd thinks I did.

The title of this post is but part of a comment left by Stowe Boyd on the post, Blogs are Soma to So Many. At least he liked the metaphor – sort of. His comment is in blockquotes below. I respond.

Stowe Boyd: I think the metaphor is pretty, but misleading. You could make the case that anything that any group advocates is like Soma. I don’t buy it. Blogging is not like taking an anti-depressant. It is (at a physical level) a collection of tools for web publilshing, and (at the societal level) a social medium through which we gain understanding of the world. Not a drug.

Actually, my intention re: the use of the metaphor is as follows.

The assertion that blogging will right the wrongs of poor corporate and organizational communication with stakeholders gives blog enthusiasts solace. Enthusiasts hope and believe that social media’s conversational form will bring relief to the distress of poor customer service and customer relationship marketing / management. So, it is the idea of a blog revolution that serves as your soma. You embrace it as something that will make society and corporations, for instance, co-exist in harmony. And, you seem to expect us to get in line – quick.

I agree that blogging is a medium, but I’m a little surprised that you used that term. Isn’t “place” or “space” the blog-speak appropriate term, along with “people” instead of audience? I wouldn’t want you to be drummed out of the Blog Thought Leaders Club. (See David Weinberger’s JOHO the blog, your own reference to Doc Searls, Dan Gillmor’s The Former Audience Joins the Party, and Jay Rosen’s The People Formerly Know as the Audience.)

Those enthusiasts are, after all, creating waffle words or jargon. (See Milton Friedman.) But, wasn’t this supposed to be the movement that did away with required appropriate norms of speech and definitions. Isn’t it the movement that frees all to speak in their own voice? The implication being, if you don’t subscribe to the dogma, “you don’t get it.” I think Stowe Boyd used that phrase.

Stowe Boyd: Your argument boils down to the fact that established mechanisms of PR have been baked into law and other conventions, and therefore blogging — which wasn’t foreseen when those where codified — shouldn’t be used in place of old timey ideas like press releases distributed by newswire services. I have suggested that we could work collectively to get these conventions, or laws, if necessary, changed.

No, my argument is two-fold. But, yes … we can work to change the old laws. However, it will take a lot of time.

First, you fail to do research in advance of your claims, because if you had, you would have known that there are many more legal reasons – alone – to use traditional news releases. And those required practices cannot be achieved via blogs. I will, if you wish, go into the whole reality that PR is much more than media relations, publicity and press agentry. But, I get the feeling you think that’s all it is.

Second, I assert that you make bold sweeping claims about using blogs instead of news releases, yet you fail to recognize the scope and breadth of PR practice in the world. I suggest to you that many, if not most, of these PR practitioners – the ones I believe you care not to acknowledge – cannot necessarily reach their publics / audiences /people via blogs or any online media. At least not now, anyway. In the future, maybe. Now, nope – not all. At best, they should only use blogs and online as one aspect of a communication mix.

An example of a broad sweeping claim? How about your recent post:

Jack Welch on Corporate Blogging: Just be authentic. Be clear in your vision, and have one message and one view that are authentic. I worked somewhere once where they had different messages for employees, analysts and the press. There should be only one message for everyone, and fight like hell to get that message across everywhere you go.

Stowe Boyd: I don’t how you can do this today without blogging, do you?

I hope you realize that it is possible to be genuine … authentic – without a blog. On television, Walter Cronkite, Ophra Winfrey and even Bill O’Reilly have convinced their believers / followers that they are being authentic. On radio, Paul Harvey and Larry King pulled it off. Even Don Imus is believed to be authentic. In print, Maureen Dowd and Thomas Friedman have done it. So have Paul Krugman and Frank Rich. And you and I both know that local columnists have done it for years. In the military, Ernie Pyle was certainly authentic … and heck, even Gomer Pyle was embraced as authentic by his fans. From the pulpit and on TV, Bishop Sheen and Mother Angelica have accomplished the feat in their respective generations. Come to think of it, authenticity can be achieved going door to door. Alfred C. Fuller started doing it in 1906 selling brushes.

Now you and I may not think they are authentic, I don’t know. But we both know that their audiences – the people they interact(ed) with truly believed they were/are authentic. And, gee. I don’t think any of them ever had a blog. I could go on with many other examples, ya’ know.

Stowe Boyd: But no, let’s instead just keep the status quo. I hear nothing more than “Get a horse!” style kvetching, here.

Well, you may only hear that, but hearing and listening are two different things. I don’t like the status quo, but I realize that it is sometimes all you have – for awhile. Change takes time. It cannot be forced.

I’m not kvetching. I’m reciting reality and facts. I am suggesting to you (practically begging you) to listen to, talk to with, the people you choose to berate (“Don’t get it“) and offer ill-advice. Why? So that you may learn what the realities of their world (public relations and marketing communications) is and how they must deal with that reality. (By the way, do you realize that Shel wrote the first book – Online PR Strategies? It is used in business school marketing classes.)

Stowe Boyd: And, oh, by te (sic) way, the idea that PR folks are communicating directly to farmers in Appalachian valleys through press releases is patently crazy. PR is principally directed to media: newspapers, et al. And they all have internet now, even if they are in Boondocks LA or wherever.

OK, I have to admit, I’m stumped to discern where in the world you pulled the “farmers in Appalachian valleys” line from, but I’ll address that, too. You want “patently crazy”? You offer it.

Are you aware that:

Fifty-four percent of all U.S. farms own or lease a computer, up from 50 percent in 2001. Farms using computers for their farm business increased from 29 percent in 2001 to 30 percent in 2003. It appears that computer usage, ownership and Internet access on farms have begun to level off. (Source: USDA report from NASS – 28th July 2003, referenced at the Pig Site. Love that name. Those swine farmers do their research.)

And, I did an interesting thing, re: the Appalachian farmers, and Appalachia overall … I called the ARC – Appalachian Regional Commission – and visited their Web site (they don’t have a blog, sorry). ARC is tasked with economic development in the vast area of Appalachia ranging from Mississippi and Alabama all the way up to New York and Pennsylvania. Their role includes developing better connectivity to rural areas for business development, distance learning and overall education.

You know what I found?

Links to the future reports – 2000 and an update from 2004 (based on 2002 data) and other reports.

There is even this PDF file of the Information Age Appalachia report from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Now, in there you will see that even broadband (cable and DSL) access is limited. ARC does not have statistics on phone service availability, as the FCC compiles that in their Wireline Competition Bureau Statistical Reports (formerly FCC-State Link).

Suffice to say, regarding phone service, the ARC suggests that most people in Appalachia have phones (and thereby, possible access to dialup). Perhaps +95 percent have phones. Now, that doesn’t mean they have internet service. You see, there are not sufficient statistics (that I can find – and I asked ARC) on availability of ISP services in the broad areas of Appalachia.

Oh, and about that broadband access – for using YouTube and other social media networks requiring great internet access – the ARC says beware. The statistics compiled by the FCC – re: availability – is greatly over stated. Why? Well, in their sampling, if there was only one person in the area (defined by zip code) with broadband access of any kind, the FCC counted the whole county as having broadband access. Not very trustworthy statistics, are they. Gee, the swine farmers seem to be doing a better job. Bad FCC!

Now, the ARC is doing great work. They also realize they have a long way to go. They are trying to encourage thinking about planning – like laying of conduit and ethernet cables in new construction (buildings, roads, etc), but only where it makes sense – economic sense for the developers and phone/cable/ISP companies. That’s just a small part of what they are doing, but I think you get the point.

All that to say, Stowe, your claim that news releases to print publications in order to reach farmers (and others) is “patently crazy” is — well, “patently crazy.” Um, it is the print and broadcast mediums (radio/TV) that still seem to have the edge in Appalachia.

Guess how you reach them?

Well, I would suggest a mix of traditional tactics and perhaps online – all in a strategy that mixes the right approach for each media outlet / market.

Finally, when you state, “PR is principally directed to media: newspapers, et al.”, you reveal how little you know about public relations and marketing communications. I’m not suggesting that you, “Don’t get it”, because I think you get a lot. Still, Shel has a book. You might want to read it. If you want a copy, leave a comment. I’ll send you one.

OK, I’ve been a little snarky. I apologize. I’m really not trying to fight with you, Stowe. I’m begging you to at least try and see it from other sides of the discussion. There are many sides, you know. I promise not to come and try to tell you how to run your startups.

And, while we agree on medium, Todd Defren reminds us all that it is the message that matters most. But, then … you know that, don’t you? /Message

So, there ya’ go.

If you are going to read one book about the events of November 22, it might as well be this one. When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963 (Hardcover), by Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, Wes Wise.

It is a great book.

The stories of these four men are quite remarkable. Students, they were – for the most part – just starting out in their careers. Imagine that for a moment. Powerful stories.

Excerpt from the Publishers Weekly review of the book:

Before November 22, 1963, people depended on the morning or afternoon newspaper for their news. But once Kennedy was shot, America turned to television for up-to-the-minute reports—most of which were supplied that fatal weekend by Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise of Dallas’s KRLD, a CBS affiliate. As Huffaker explains, back then a TV reporter had to be able to do everything, from getting the scoop at the scene to writing the piece and reading it on the air. Mercer describes the huge sound cameras they’d lug, with film that they’d have to process and edit in time for the next newscast. As each of the authors gives his account of the segment of the Kennedy assassination he was most involved with—the race to get the injured president to the hospital, Oswald’s flight and capture, Ruby’s shooting of Oswald and Ruby’s trial—he opens a window into that earlier era of broadcast history. In the conclusion, the contributors make comparisons to today’s “embedded” reporters. One big difference emerges: in 1963, the KRLD crew had a whole nation awaiting their latest report.

I am really excited about this news. Emily Melton – a former student and recent AU graduate – is working with CSTV on Mission: SEC. She is blogging and vlogging SEC football! The world of social media and college football will be changed forever.

…this will be a fun fall odyssey as Emily Melton turns college football and the SEC on its ear…

Mission SEC is a 100 day road trip through the Southeastern Conference leading up to the December 2nd SEC Championship game in Atlanta.

They are blogging and sharing videos about the culture of SEC football. There are three videos up now and tomorrow I believe we’ll start seeing the long list of interviews with many of the colorful characters of SEC football.

Funny thing is, they’ve got one of the most colorful and enjoyable characters on their team. Emily Melton is terrific. She’ll be an absolute delight to watch. Seriously, CSTV could not have picked a better person for this project. Now we just need to pray for Jean Neuberger and Glenn Anderson, her cohorts in this 100 day marathon.

So, good luck Emily. We’ll all be following your odyssey. This is going to be fun. War Eagle!

P.S. I really hope you guys will be putting these videos up on YouTube.com. There are a lot CSTV videos at YouTube, but I don’t see these in there, yet.

For context, if you are not familiar with SEC Football, it is basically a religion here. Compare it to the popularity of cricket in the UK, Australia and India or football (soccer) in Latin and South America and Europe, I guess. The SEC is the Southeastern Conference of university sports programs – 12 universities. The SEC drew about 1.5 million fans to their baseball parks this year, alone. Football in the SEC has outdrawn every other college conference for 25 years. Last year, SEC college football programs drew over 5.5 million fans to stadiums and untold tens of millions watched on TV. It is big business. CSTV is a CBS company.

Here is just one example of the revenues generated:

The SEC (distributed) approximately $116.1 million to the 12 league schools in its revenue sharing plan for the 2005-06 athletic year…

Broken down by categories, the money derived from $47.4 million from football television, $20.7 million from bowl games, $13.2 million from the SEC Football Championship, $12.1 million from basketball television, $4.4 million from the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and $18.3 million from the NCAA Tournament. (Source)

Auburn University has released a PSA that aptly reflects our unique greeting, “War Eagle”. The phrase, I imagine, draws curious looks from the unaware. Perplexing looks – kind of like a puppy staring at a ceiling fan and thinking, “What is that?”

Real Player | Quicktime | Windows Media

It is currently receiving a lot of play locally. Too much, if you get my drift. It is popular and the local cable provider has used it to fill ‘every’ open avail. The spot is also now the halftime spot du joir for all Auburn TV games. Seriously, I think you’ll like the spot. I do.

See all of the currently available PSAs here. Also visit War Eagle Moment.

The spot is based upon real world experiences. I’ve seen it happen and I’ve even done it myself. Check it out.

War Eagle! Not what you’d expect. It means belonging – and a lot more.

Read on for a detailed story of the phrase’s mythical origins.

Waaaaar Eagle! Is the cry that is heard from the fans in Jordan-Hare Stadium, alumni gatherings or as Auburn students greet each other. It is a symbol of the Auburn spirit and continues to bind Auburn men and women of all ages. Although several stories of Auburn ‘s battle cry have been passed down through the years, the true origin is anyone’s guess.

The most popular story dates back to the first time Auburn met Georgia on the football field in 1892 and centers around a spectator who was a veteran of the Civil War.

In the stands with him that day was an eagle the old soldier had found on a battlefield during the war. He had kept it as a pet for almost 30 years. According to witnesses, the eagle suddenly broke free and began majestically circling the playing field. As the eagle soared, Auburn began a steady march toward the Georgia end zone for a thrilling victory. Elated at their team’s play and taking the bird’s presence as an omen of success, Auburn students and fans began to yell “War Eagle” to spur on their team. At the game’s end, the eagle took a sudden dive, crashed into the ground, and died. But the battle cry “War Eagle” lived on to become a symbol of the proud Auburn spirit.

The 1914 contest with the Carlisle Indians provides another story. The toughest player on the Indians’ team was a tackle named Bald Eagle. Trying to tire the big man, Auburn began to run play after play at his position. Without even huddling, the Auburn quarterback would yell “Bald Eagle,” letting the rest of the team know that the play would be run at the imposing defensive man. Spectators, however, thought the quarterback was saying “War Eagle,” and in unison, they began to chant the resounding cry.

There is another story surrounding the 1914 Carlisle game. Each time the Indians had scored during the season, fans and the Carlisle players yelled, “War Eagle.” But on this particular afternoon, it was Auburn’s own Lucy Hairston who adopted the battle cry as he danced across the goal line for the only touchdown of the game.

Another version of the War Eagle story comes from Indian lore. Legend says “War Eagle” was the name given to the large golden eagle by the Plains Indians because the eagle furnished feathers for use in their war bonnets. The rarest version of the origin of the “War Eagle” cry grew from a 1913 pep rally at Langdon Hall where students had gathered the day before the Georgia football game. Cheerleader Gus Graydon told the crowd, “If we are going to win this game, we’ll have to get out there and fight, because this means war.” During the frenzy, another student, E. T. Enslen, dressed in his military uniform, noticed something had dropped from his hat. Bending down, he saw it was the metal emblem of an eagle that had been loosened while he cheered. Someone asked him what he had found, and Enslen loudly replied, “It’s a War Eagle!” History was made as the new cry echoed throughout the stadium the next day as Auburn battled Georgia.

No one knows which of these stories is the most credible. While the origin of the “War Eagle” cry is subject to some question, the actual presence of Auburn’s eagle has been a steady presence through the succession of six Golden Eagles and will continue with the most recent, “Tiger” or “War Eagle VI” ad as always, the soaring spirit of Auburn will be embodied in the voices of its students as they echo that unique cry of victory…

Source: Auburn Tiger Cub Online

One word is turning a lot of heads and drawing much controversy. “I think it is dramatic,” says Joseph Ansell, Interim Dean for Auburn University’s Department of Liberal Arts.

The theatre department is promoting “The best little whorehouse in Texas” by hanging a banner on the theatre. It reads “Whorehouse coming fall 2005.” Ansell says, “Given where we are and the fact there is a lack of support for the arts in the region and certainly on this campus, getting people to pay attention is important.”

A little background will likely be helpful here.

Auburn University is a state land grant university. It is public. It is also a rather conservative environment.

The public relations quandries are: (a) this is the bible belt, (b) the banner is up as thousands of state high school students are on campus for a wide variety of camps, and (c) Auburn is considered by ‘some’ to be one of the world’s largest Baptist universities.

The latter is not true, of course, but it does – in a way – define the environment this little controversy is taking place within. Auburn actually started as a Methodist college.

Among the activities taking place on campus while this banner flies? Camp War Eagle (freshman orientation), band camps, cheerleader camps, sports camps, various conferences and much more. All draw not only students, but their parents, to the Loveliest Village on the Plains.

Some aren’t happy.

Me? I think it is harmless. However, the double entendre is not the banner message I would have chosen – given the environment. The one thing I learned in many years of promoting activities on university campuses is this – it is quite political.

So, how would you handle this PR problem? I wish the Theatre good luck.

The good news from the story? One of our graduates, Sally Pitts, was the reporter. Sally is a wonderful young woman and has a bright future in broadcast news.

Do You Podcast?
by Cory Treffiletti
From: MediaPost Publications Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines

If you take note over the last few weeks of my columns and those of my colleagues, you will continue to see more and more proof that we are losing control. We are losing the battle for ownership of the media we create. The consumer is becoming a partner in its development by demanding what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. Sooner or later, it’s inevitable that the consumer will completely own the relationship. The iPod ad, the Nike ad, the Volkswagen ad… these will be examples of the future. This year might be recognized as the year when the consumer overthrew the throne. A virtual coup, if you will.

I, of course, think that this ‘losing of control’ started a long time ago. Perhaps the first real change was the VCR. Maybe you could go back to the days when making cassette tapes of albums was seen as so cool. But, those are minor compared to the loss of control going on today.

But the changes for newspapers, TV stations and even radio have taken place during the last 5 to 10 years.

Biggest changes? Let’s look at just some.

Peer-to-peer music sharing. The “sharing of MP3 files started long before Napster got popular in 1999.” (Source 1 and 2)

Tivo. In the USA, Tivo was “proposed by Mike Ramsay and (Jim Barton) in 1997. It “launched in the UK in October 2000“.

Blogs/CMS (particularly opensource, free). “The term, coined by Jorn Barger in 1997, refers to a web site that is a ‘log of the Web’, indicating a record that points to material available on the World Wide Web.” The first blogs started way before that, but 1997 serves as a good date to identify the beginning of today’s burgeoning trend.

Think of Kryptonite Locks, Dan Rather, Swift Boats, et.al.

RSS. It began in 1996 [Web RSS (Syndication) History], or in 1997 [The Evolution of RSS], depending upon which version of the story you prefer. Short story, which I’m sure would draw many differing views, is that Ramanathan Guha pioneered the concept/process. Dave Winer, an early adopter of the process, went on to refine and evangelize the present day process and practice.

Internet. The real innovation. Listed as #1 in CNN’s “Top 25: Innovations”, the internet – as we popularly refer to it today, is only about 15 years old.

Although he doesn’t accept the title of inventor of the internet (but did accept some prize money for it ), the title is given to:

“British software consultant Tim Berners-Lee. Frustrated by the multitude of information systems requiring complicated access, Berners-Lee fashioned a universal one that made information readily available.

He created HTML (hypertext markup language) and its rules of usage (HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol) and in 1991 unveiled the World Wide Web, making no money from any of them.”

Bottom line: consumers rule because they are now producers, broadcasters (podcasters/shoutcasters/vidbloggers), publishers/editors and – very capable of being loud critics. Ah, technology.

An op-ed by Douglas MacKinnon, press secretary to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole from 1998 to 2003, was published at chicagotribune.com on May 8, 2005.

This is a great editorial and everyone should read it. Then, write to every major news source: cable, network, print (they all did it, you know) and demand better practices in the future.

Note to the news media–with an emphasis on the cable networks: Enough is enough.

Your continual focus on, and reporting of, missing, young, attractive white women not only demeans your profession but is a televised slap in the face to minority mothers and parents the nation over who search for their own missing children with little or no assistance or notice from anyone.