I blame myself, really. I watch, listen to and read way too much news. Yep, there – I said it. And, I’m not ashamed.  I’m a news addict.  No, the drugs and therapy sessions are not working.

This kerfluffle about Joe Biden’s statement that Obama, if elected, will be tested in some manner during his first year (six months, whatever) in office – it just spins your head, doesn’t it.  What will be the next lame issue these goobers beat like a dead horse. Someone call PETA, please!

Well, it is quite silly all the back and forth of the talking heads out there in our pseudo-journalism world today.  Where did journalism go?  Do you know where I can find it?  I miss journalism.

Why don’t they, instead of featuring talking (and often shouting) heads going back and forth on the matter … just do a wee bit of research to answer the question for their audiences?

Hey, if I can do it … don’t you think they can, too?

So, you decide for yourself. Here is a list of some major events from the first year of each President’s inaugural year, all the way back to good ‘ol Woodrow Wilson. You remember Woodrow, don’t you? )

Let’s look at these events (go ahead, if you’re tired of the ranting) – courtesy of InfoPlease.com – and you tell me, was there just one major event that tested the mettle of each U. S. President?

Why don’t these previously vaunted news organizations do this kind of research?  They have staff and resources. I have a dog, cat, computer and an internet connection. (George & Shekiya did the research. I just sat here and … watched news). You’d think the news organizations would want to offer a few facts mixed in with all their ratings seeking nonsense. ~sigh~

No, it isn’t a perfect list.  (Hey, they’re a dog & a cat.) I haven’t combed it completely – nor put them in perfect order.  Still, I seem to recognize at least one event in the first year of each President that seems like it could have been a challenge to their mettle.  How about you?

Did I mention that I miss journalism?

Yes, it was a stupid thing for Biden to say, given the environment of this election. He spun away from the message. He caused (as he is known to do) a stupid controversy to spin out of control. Still, he wasn’t really telling an untruth. Was he? And why in the world don’t CNN, MSNBC, FOX, the NYTimes.com and so many other ‘news’ organizations just do their damn homework! Hello?

1913 – Wilson

• Suffragettes demonstrate in London and Washington, D.C. Background: Woman Suffrage
• London peace treaty partitions most of European Turkey among the victors of first Balkan War.
• In second Balkan war, Bulgaria attacks Serbia and Greece and is defeated after Romania intervenes and Turks recapture Adrianople (June).
• Garment workers strike in New York and Boston; win pay raises and reduced hours.
• Sixteenth Amendment (income tax) and 17th (popular election of U.S. senators) adopted. Background: Amendments to the Constitution
• Bill creating U.S. Federal Reserve System becomes law.
• World War I begins (June 28, 1914): Austria declares war on Serbia; Germany on Russia and France; Britain on Germany

1921 – Harding

• Um, Teapot Dome.
• Major treaties signed at Washington Disarmament Conference limit naval tonnage and pledge to respect territorial integrity of China.
• Congress passes Budget and Accounting Act, which creates the Bureau of Budget (June 10).
• U.S. Congress, in a joint resolution, declares WWI ended (July 2).
• First burial is held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery (Nov. 11).

1923 (August) – Coolidge

• Adolf Hitler’s “Beer Hall Putsch” in Munich fails; in 1924 he is sentenced to five years in prison where he writes Mein Kampf. He is released after eight months.
• Earthquake destroys one-third of Tokyo.
• Occupation of Ruhr by French and Belgian troops to enforce reparations payments.
• The second Ku Klux Klan movement in U.S. history grows, stirring widespread controversy and violence.

1929 – Hoover

• Um, the Depression started!
• Trotsky is expelled from U.S.S.R.
• First large-scale Jewish-Arab violence caused by a clash at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
• St. Valentine’s Day gangland massacre in Chicago (Feb. 14).
• Stock market prices plummet (Nov.-Dec.). U.S. securities lose $26 billion, marking the first financial disaster of the Great Depression

1933 – Roosevelt

• Um, the Depression … still goin’ on!
• Reichstag fire in Berlin; Nazi terror begins (Feb. 27).
• Hitler becomes German chancellor (Jan. 30).
• Germany and Japan withdraw from League of Nations.
• Giuseppe Zangara executed for attempted assassination of President-elect Roosevelt in which Chicago Mayor Cermak is fatally shot.
• Roosevelt inaugurated (“the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”); launches New Deal.
• Prohibition repealed. OK, that doesn’t cound. Good news!
• Glass-Steagall Act bans banks from dealing in stocks and bonds.

1945 (April) – Truman

• FDR dies (April 12) and Harry S. Truman becomes president.
• Hitler commits suicide (April 30); Germany surrenders (May 7); May 8 is declared V-E Day.
• San Francisco Conference establishes the United Nations (April–June).
• Potsdam Conference (Truman, Churchill, Stalin) establishes basis of German reconstruction (July–Aug.).
• US drops atomic bombs on Japanese cities of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9).
• Japan signs official surrender on V-J Day (Sept. 2).
• Manhattan Project tests first atomic bomb in Alamogordo, New Mexico (July 16).
• A B-25 bomber flies into the Empire State Building, damaging the 78th and 79th floors and killing 13 (July 28).

1953 – Eisenhower

• Joseph Stalin dies (March 5). Georgi Malenkov becomes Soviet Premier; Lavrenti Beria, Minister of Interior; Vyacheslav Molotov, Foreign Minister (March 6).
• East Berliners rise against Communist rule; quelled by tanks (June 17).
• Korean armistice signed (July 27).
• Moscow announces explosion of hydrogen bomb (Aug. 20). Background: nuclear weapons
• Tito becomes president of Yugoslavia.
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in Sing Sing prison (June 19).
• Alleged Communist Charlie Chaplin leaves U.S. for good. Justice Dept. warns him any attempt to reenter the country will be challenged.

1961 – Kennedy

• US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba (Jan. 3).
• 1,200 US-sponsored anti-Castro exiles invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs (April 17); the attackers are all killed or captured by Cuban forces.
• East Germany erects the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin to halt flood of refugees (Aug. 13). (Here’s a hint: The Cold War)
• USSR detonates 50-megaton hydrogen bomb in the largest man-made explosion in history (Oct. 29).
• There are 2,000 US military advisers in South Vietnam. You do remember the Vietnam War, right?
• OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) formally constituted.

1963 (November) – Johnson

• There are 15,000 US military advisers in South Vietnam.

1964

• Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa (June 11).
• Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin Resolution after North Vietnamese torpedo boats allegedly attack US destroyers (Aug. 7).
• Khrushchev is deposed; Kosygin becomes premier and Brezhnev becomes first secretary of the Communist Party (October).
• China detonates its first atomic bomb.

1969 – Nixon

• Nixon begins “Vietnamization” in Southeast Asia.
• The United States, USSR, and about 100 other countries sign the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT).
• Russian and Chinese troops clash along the Ussuri River.
• 27-year-old Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi deposes King Idris of Libya and establishes a pro-Arabic, anti-Western, Islamic republic.
• Stonewall riot in New York City marks beginning of gay rights movement (June 28).

1974 (August) Ford

• Um, Nixon resigns.
• Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed. A collective military dictatorship assumes power (Sept. 12).
• Ford grants “full, free, and absolute pardon” to ex-President Nixon (Sept. 8).

1975

• Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge take over Cambodia (April).
• The city of Saigon is surrendered and remaining Americans are evacuated, ending the Vietnam War (April 30).
• American merchant ship Mayaguez, seized by Cambodian forces, is rescued in operation by US Navy and Marines, 38 of whom are killed (May 15).
• John N. Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman found guilty of Watergate cover-up (Jan. 1); sentenced to 30 months to 8 years in jail (Feb. 21).
• President Ford escapes assassination attempt in Sacramento, Calif. (Sept. 5).
• President Ford escapes second assassination attempt in 17 days (Sept. 22).
• Carter pardons Vietnam war draft evaders (Jan. 21).

1977 – Carter

• Deng Xiaoping, purged Chinese leader, restored to power as Gang of Four is expelled from Communist Party (July 22).
• South African activist Steve Biko dies in police custody (Sept. 12).
• Nuclear-proliferation pact, curbing spread of nuclear weapons, is signed by 15 countries, including US and USSR (Sept. 21).

1981 – Reagan

• US-Iran agreement frees 52 hostages held in Teheran since 1979 (Jan. 20); hostages welcomed back in US (Jan. 25). Background: Iran Hostage Crisis
• Pope John Paul II wounded by gunman (May 14).
• Israel annexes the disputed Golan Heights territory (Dec. 14).
• Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat is assassinated by Islamic extremists during a military parade in Cairo (Oct. 6).
• President Hilla Limann is overthrown in Ghana as Jerry J. Rawlings seizes power.
• President Reagan wounded by gunman, with press secretary and two law-enforcement officers (March 30).
• US Supreme Court rules, 4–4, that former President Nixon and three top aides may be required to pay damages for wiretap of home telephone of former national security aide (June 22).
• Reagan nominates Judge Sandra Day O’Connor, 51, of Arizona, as first woman on US Supreme Court (July 7).
• Air controllers strike, disrupting flights (Aug. 3); government dismisses strikers (Aug. 11).

1989 – Bush (41)

• US planes shoot down two Libyan fighters over international waters in Mediterranean (Jan. 4).
• Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini declares author Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses offensive and sentences him to death (Feb. 14).
• Tens of thousands of Chinese students take over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in rally for democracy (April 19 et seq.). More than one million in Beijing demonstrate for democracy; chaos spreads across nation (mid-May et seq.). Thousands killed in Tiananmen Square as Chinese leaders take hard line toward demonstrators (June 4 et seq.).
• Mikhail S. Gorbachev named Soviet President (May 25).
• P. W. Botha quits as South Africa’s President (Aug. 14).
• Deng Xiaoping resigns from China’s leadership (Nov. 9).
• After 28 years, Berlin Wall is open to West (Nov. 11).
• Czech Parliament ends Communists’ dominant role (Nov. 30).
• Romanian uprising overthrows Communist government (Dec. 15 et seq.); President Ceausescu and wife executed (Dec. 25).
• US troops invade Panama, seeking capture of General Manuel Noriega (Dec. 20).
• Ruptured tanker Exxon Valdez sends 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound (March 24).
• US jury convicts Oliver North in Iran-Contra affair (May 4).
• Army Gen. Colin R. Powell is first black Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff (Aug. 9).
• A San Francisco Bay area earthquake measuring 7.1 in magnitude, killed 67 and injured over 3,000. Over 100,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. (Oct. 17)

1993 – Clinton

• Twenty-two UN troops killed in Somalia (June 5).
• Yeltsin’s forces crush revolt in Russian Parliament (Oct. 4 et seq.).
• China breaks nuclear test moratorium (Oct. 5).
• Israeli-Palestinian accord reached (Aug. 28).
• Federal agents besiege Texas Branch Davidian religious cult after six are killed in raid (March 1 et seq.). Fire kills 72 as cult standoff in Texas ends with federal assault (April 19).
• Five arrested, sixth sought in bombing of World Trade Center in New York (March 29).
• Two police officers convicted in Los Angeles on civil rights charges in Rodney King beating (April 17); sentenced Aug. 4.
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg appointed to Supreme Court (June 14).
• US agents blamed in Waco, Tex., siege (Oct. 1).
• House of Representatives approves North American Free Trade Agreement (Nov. 17); Senate follows (Nov. 21).
• Clinton signs Brady bill regulating firearms purchases (Nov. 30).

2001 – Bush (43)

• Congo president Laurent Kabila assassinated by bodyguard (Jan. 16). Son Joseph Kabila takes over amid continuing civil war.
• Ariel Sharon wins election in Israel (Feb. 6). Right-wing leader chosen overwhelmingly as nation’s fifth prime minister in just over five years during worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years.
• The long-simmering resentment of Macedonia’s ethnic Albanians erupts into violence in March. The rebels seek greater autonomy within Macedonia. After six months of fighting, a peace agreement is signed (Aug. 13). British-led NATO forces enter the country and disarm the guerrillas.
• U.S. spy plane and Chinese jet collide (April 2); Sino-American relations deteriorate during a standoff. The 24 crew members of the U.S. plane were detained for 11 days and released after the U.S. issued a formal statement of regret.
• Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is delivered to UN tribunal in The Hague to await war-crime trial (June 29).
• Without U.S., 178 nations reach agreement on climate accord, which rescues, though dilutes, 1997 Kyoto Protocol (July 23).
• In response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and British forces launch bombing campaign on Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan (Oct. 7). Bombings continue on a daily basis.
• Irish Republican Army announces that it has begun to dismantle its weapons arsenal, marking a dramatic leap forward in Northern Ireland peace process (Oct. 23).
• At a UN-sponsored summit in Bonn, Germany, Afghani factions meet to create a post-Taliban government (Nov. 27). Hamid Karzai is selected as head of the transitional government (Dec. 5).
• Taliban regime in Afghanistan collapses after two months of bombing by American warplanes and fighting by Northern Alliance ground troops (Dec. 9).
• Israel condemns the Palestinian Authority as a “terror-supporting entity” and severs ties with leader Yasir Arafat following mounting violence against Israelis (Dec. 3). The Israeli Army begins bombing Palestinian areas.
• In final days of presidency, Bill Clinton issues controversial pardons, including one for Marc Rich, billionaire fugitive financier (Jan. 20).
• U.S. submarine Greeneville sinks Japanese fishing boat, killing 9 (Feb. 9).
• FBI agent Robert Hanssen is charged with spying for Russia for 15 years (Feb. 20).
• Race riots in Cincinnati continue for several days following a shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer (April 7 et seq.).
• Four are declared guilty in 1998 terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (May 29).
• Balance of the Senate shifts after Jim Jeffords of Vermont changes his party affiliation from Republican to Independent. The move strips Republicans of control of the Senate and gives Democrats the narrowest of majorities (50-49-1) (June 5).
• Bush signs new tax-cut law, the largest in 20 years – due to an economic downturn (costs him his future re-election bid) (June 7).
• Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh executed (June 11).
• Budget surplus dwindles. The Congressional Budget Office attributes this rapid change in the nation’s fortunes to the slowing economy and the Bush tax cut (Aug. 22).
• Terrorists attack United States. Hijackers ram jetliners into twin towers of New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashes 80 mi outside of Pittsburgh (Sept. 11). Toll of dead and injured in thousands. Within days, Islamic militant Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network are identified as the parties behind the attacks.
• Anthrax scare rivets nation, as anthrax-laced letters are sent to various media and government officials. Several postal workers die after handling the letters (throughout October).

‘Nuff said? Yep.

Don’t even get me started on the new round of red baiting that’s going on, either.

I was raised in quite a liberal household. My parents supported McCarthy. No, I don’t mean Joe, either.

It often suprises me that, having grown up in such a liberal household, I turned out to be so conservative. Still, conservative or not – I pray I can tell the difference between facts and BS! Sheesh!

/rant

The man is none other than Constantin Basturea. He is a kind and benevolent ruler. He gives away all he finds. See his latest gift.

Constantin’s latest offering is the use of Google’s Co-op search tool to sort through all the PR blogs and wikis he has cataloged over the years.

OK, I guess we should thank Google, too. But, the point is that Constantin is always looking for the latest tools and seems to find just the right way to use them – then shares them.

What are just some of the resources that Constantin has shared with us over the years?

• PR Blogs List
• The New PR Wiki
• Headlines from PR Blogs
• PR Community List
• New PR blogs
• PR Cripy News List

If that’s not enough, he keeps updating, tweaking and improving them, too. He’s just updated the PR blogs list – again. I don’t think he sleeps. Honestly.

There have been a lot of Constantines, but there is only one Constantin. Seriously, I appreciate all you do for us, Constantin. We all do. Thanks.

Um, I don’t know how long this will last … but, every PR blog is tied for first at PubSub.

The experience called “PubSub LinkRank scores” is akin to a roller coaster that has been hijacked by the Devil (thank you, George Carlin). Where is Scott Baradell? He’d love watching this wild ride.

PubSub Community Lists: The PR List

Technorati Tags: PR, public relations, blogs, search, parity

posted using performancing firefox

I created this to share with teachers, online-newbie communicators and students. The genesis for this idea came from posts by Kami Huyse at Communication Overtones and Josh Hallett’s “How Can You Not Google Yourself?” post. Both are on reputation management and search. Great posts. Check them out. I’ve just adapted my little tutorial for a quick post.

It was easy to set up a few RSS blog searches to see how bloggers, news sources and many other information sources (social media/WOM) may be talking about this story.

If are not familiar with RSS (Really Simple Syndication), RSS readers and RSS Search aggregators, here’s one way to do it. There are *many* ways to do this, I’m just sharing this one because it is relatively simple. And, once you are through with this, you may use this process to track all sorts of RSS feeds.

First, you need to get the Firefox Web Browser. It is free and easy to use. The saying goes, “Once you try Firefox, you’ll never go back (to Internet Explorer).” We’ll see if that holds true with the next edition of Explorer.

OK, now – using Firefox browser – go get the Sage feedreader extension. This is essentially a free plugin that allows you to read RSS feeds. You will click on the “Install” link at the top of the page and then click the “click here to install” on that page. Now, you must close/exit Firefox and restart the browser.

Done? Now, you’ll need to create a new tab in Firefox (press Ctrl+T on your keyboard). How cool, huh? Tabbed browsing in Firefox. This allows you to keep these instructions and bounce back and forth from here to the feeds. Next, select the new blank tab in your browser and go up to your browser’s top menu. Click on “View” to select “Sidebar” and then slide down to “Sage.” A sidebar frame will open up in your browser window. You are ready to import OPML files or create new bookmarks to the feeds on your favorite sites.

Hang with me, we are almost done. Next, you can download these sample OPML files which I created at Monitor This. Here are the files:

• Right-click on the links and choose “Save Link As…”
  and save it to your desktop.
• Coffeeville
• Coffeeville High School
• Sharon Rutherford (the teacher)

Got ‘em? Good. Now, you just need to import them into your Sage reader. So, in your Sage sidebar, click on “Options” and slide down to “OPML Import/Export…” to import each file one at a time. Each time you import one of the files a folder will appear in your Sage reader’s sidbar top box. Click that folder and see all the sources drop down. Click one source at a time and they will appear in the larger browser window to the right for you to find the links to various articles, blog posts and news items. Some sources provide excerpts and others provide the entire story.

Kinda scary, isn’t it? That is a lot of people talking about Coffeeville. Hundreds and hundreds of blog posts. Hundreds more instances of reprinted AP stories. Dozens of individual news sites – TV and print – with their stories. Folks, Coffeeville is a small town and a small school with only a little over 100 students. Now, apply that to a metropolitan area with a school having 1,000+ students and you get the point. Blog savvy kids will write about their school and others will write about your problems, too.

One idea – by schools, for example – might be to create searches like these for your school (or schools) name(s) and also put in promintent figures like superintendents, principals, board members, etc. Stack them all up in the Sage sidebar and check them daily or weekly. I bet it will open your eyes to online WOM (word-of-mouth). It may also help you catch something being written about you that needs to be watched further, or tackled before it snowballs. Businesses can do this, too. Think of it as a 30 to 60 minute investment that can pay off every day.

If nothing else, this serves as an example of online WOM and how you can track it – about any key term or phrase.

Update: From Slashdot, here is one more example of the tracking that is going on from MSNBC.

My next post will likely be about Eric Eggerston’s latest find – a “Blog-based Fund-raising Campaign” called Blogidarity. Thanks, Eric. Looks like a very interesting idea.

I love it already. Still, there are some aspects that I would like to see beyond this Beta version. Naturally, they are still working on it so here is my wish list.

A shared output that can be viewed like a traditional calendar. You know, with little boxes in rows and columns. Google’s, just like 30boxes, simply provides the feed. Why not allow a the caledar box view? Perhaps because it frees them from having to host such an animal. The way they are doing it, Google just has to deal with delivering the RSS feed.

The calendar already allows for pop-up notifications as well as notifications by email and SMS. You can have reminders sent to your cellphone. The calendars have public and “invite a friend” capabilities, too. Excellent idea by Google and much appreciated.

This tool has potentional to be tied into Google video and podcasting along with Flickr. The possibilities are many and broad. But, we’ll have to wait as the 3rd party developers get started working with the API.

Can’t wait to see the mods and hacks that will be coming down the line. CBS News reports:

Google is publishing an “application program interface” (API) which will enable independent programmers and web developers to create applications that work with the calendar.

That will almost certainly result in a number of rich applications including event web sites using Google calendar as well as added features such as two-way synchronization between Google Calendar, Blackberries and programs such as Microsoft Outlook.

On a day when Glaxo’s Michael Pucci is unleashing 8,000 sales people on the world as a speakers bureau and calling it wise PR, I thought this would be a hot topic.

In fairness, this is a timely topic and these sites may all post about it soon. This is just a simple (and perhaps flawed) test to see if I can really find timely authoritative opinion about a new story.

So, I searched in all of the blogs and sites Technorati lists as authoritative for PR and here is what I found them writing about. This post references those blogs indexed at: http://technorati.com/tags/pr.

#10 Darren Barefoot (Feb. 23, 2006) is doing PR for his friend by helping him find a job. A kind gesture and it is publicity – a function of PR. So, Darren gets a thumbs up. Hey, he is helping his friend.

#9 Robert Basic (Feb. 24, 2006 – he’s overseas) feels a linkfest similar to automated del.icio.us posts is the way to go. Hey, I do those, so I can’t complain. There are PR relevant links. This is good, but no Glaxo. Don’t they sell overseas?

#8 Handelsblatt – Thomas Knüwer (Feb. 23, 2006) shares how he, as a journalist covering the Olympics, is really only thinking about how to get home. The buzz is gone from the trip. He just wants outta there. (Mind you, that’s what I get from the translation via Google. It is a German blog and I don’t read or speak German.) See their post.

#7 AdFreak (Feb. 23, 2006) spoils Kentucky Fried Chicken‘s ad ploy by giving away the code that KFC is trying to get viewers to find (by being forced to watch the ad over, and over, and…).

#6 BlogAdvance (static page) is writing about themselves. Actually, authoritative link provided by Technorati points to their self-promotion “why we are special” page – not their blog. I’ll repeat that. Technorati is not pointing to their blog as authoritative. They are pointing to BlogAdvance’s “pay us to promote your blog” page. Is this yet another example of “playing the system?”

#5 Adland (Feb. 24, 2006) features a global brand campaign featuring wallpaper. The focus is on advertising, duh. Adland, ya’ know. Hey, if you tag your stuff as PR, Technorati doesn’t care. They think it is authoritative.

#4 Adrants (Feb. 23, 2006) features a press release promoting a “sham” viral video. Hey, at least they are talking about press releases.

#3 Creating Passionate Users (Feb. 22, 2006) is also at the Olympics, but they have easily the most interesting and unique post about the relationship between music, athletic performance, product brands and the Olympics. And, they are doing PR for iPod by virtue of the post.

#2 Gapingvoid (Feb. 23, 2006) is helping a business school student with their homework. Hey, at least he is doing something kind and postive for others. Some of the questions were interesting, but I fear it is a student getting someone to do his/her homework. No details about it, so I may be wrong.

#1 Steve Rubel (Feb. 23, 2006) – Um, he’s writing about himself. A personal media tour via podcasts and blogs where he asks people to ask him to interview them. Hey, you can’t make this stuff up.

For the record, I search all of the blogs for even the mention of Glaxo and found that none of the Top 10 have written about today’s topic. I will write about it tomorrow, for what it is worth.

Barefoot = 0 mentions

Basic = 3 mentions (from 2005)

Handelsblatt = 0 mentions

adfreak = 0 mentions

BlogAdvance = 0 mentions

adland = many ads, from 2005 back to 2003… nothing recent

adrants = 0 mentions

creating passionate users = 0 mentions

gapingvoid = 0 mentions

Rubel = 3 mentions (from 2005)

So, the top 10 most “Technorati authoritative” blogs / sites have nothing. Who does? Google, Yahoo! and many other search engines.

I like Technorati. It does have a useful purpose. But, their insistance upon using the term “Authority” is a sad mistake. Why they haven’t changed it yet, I have no idea. It diminishes their credibility by claiming credibility and having it so easily proven untrue.

What they are ranking is “link popularity” among sites. They cannot even assure you that the categories / tags they provide this supposed “authority” ranking to are correct. The tags are assigned by the users, not Technorati. Hey, a porn blog with 11 posts tagged “PR” ranks at #23. And those posts, among other things, feature a reposted PRWEB release. This is authoritative PR?

Finally, if you look through all the blogs listed as authoritative sites for PR, Public Relations or Marketing, you will realize that the combination of user generated tagging and Technorati’s hands off administration of the categories / tags gives us a completely unreliable and unjustifiable claim of authority. Some of them could hardly be described as blogs that primarily write about any of those topics. I know, it is the nature of the beast. The same could be said for del.icio.us, for example. But, it is a failing.

I’ll still use Technorati. I just wish they would stop kidding themselves. They aren’t kidding anyone out here.

Someone sent me a link to Steve Rubel’s blog where he posted a notice about Matt’s site – Buzz-o-phone. So, I thought I’d go look at what she was talking about.

Since Steve and Edelman have recently announced he “will be charged with helping the team win new word of mouth business as well as in developing/executing client programs” in his new role as a Senior Vice President for Edelman Worldwide, I thought he would be the perfect person to speak about the good and bad of these types of sites.

I thought an SVP would likely have some opinions about this kind of tactic. So, I commented on the post with some questions.

No commentary on the value of this? Good or bad?

How will businesses deal with the WOM this may generate? How would you counsel businesses to approach this new feed of consumer backlash for their product(s), service(s), brand(s) or company?

I would like to hear your counsel on these issues. I bet others would, too.

Richard Edelman believes Steve knows about WOM. He wrote, “I have always been impressed with his honesty, his passion for his craft and his commitment to changing the public relations business.” Even more important, in relation to this post – Edelman wrote, “What do we hope to achieve together? In short, we want to persuade our corporate clients to commit to the blogosphere.”

Well, I think this discovery of yet another WOM site is worthy of Rubel’s commentary – as a leader online. It deserves more than just a mention … a link. As of today, no response from Rubel.

But, I did hear from the site’s creator – Matt Galloway. His site is getting attention. Today Matt made it to RocketBoom with Buzz-o-phone.

Matt saw my comment and contacted me. Matt wrote, “I saw your comments on Buzz-o-phone over on Steve Rubel’s blog. You ask some great questions. It will be interesting to see if Buzz-o-phone gets enough momentum to be taken seriously by marketers. If you write about this in the future, please let me know. I’d love to read your thoughts.”

So, I wrote back with some questions. The questions, and Matt’s responses are below. I appreciate and respect his open and honest sharing of information. I have only edited for some stray characters that were created by the email transmission. His responses, and my questions, are in their original form.

A Note: There are some references in here that might offend the truly faint of heart, but they are – compared to some of the things I hear students say – quite tame by comparison. Nonetheless, I offer that warning. Some might say, “Robert, that’s silly.” However, I think about audience a lot. And the audience for this post could be anyone in the world. So, there ya’ go.

Danger, Will Robinson. This is long.

Q: Are there any liability issues at stake here for you, or those that call?

Matt’s Answer: Probably. If somebody gets way off topic then I suppose it could be a problem, but you have to look at consequence and recourse. First off, libel and slander go out the window as long as the speaker is clearly stating an opinion. I think, almost regardless of what the speaker says that the context of the site itself clearly demarcates the “rant” as just that. Secondly, if someone gets too far off base, I’ll probably pull the opinion (more on this later). Thirdly, if someone does get miffed to the point of legal action it will likely start with a cease and desist, which I would probably obey – at least until I could seek legal counsel on that particular issue. As long as the site is framed as opinion, and I comply with cease and desists, it would be pretty hard (and expensive) to pull me into court. And if they did, what are the _real_ damages? But let’s say they did. Buzz-o-phone is not a business. It’s just me. I’m not a wealthy guy. Someone _could_ go after me but we have a blood from a turnip situation.

This is one of the points that I’m trying to make with Buzz-o-phone. In regards to free speech, in most cases the consumer is more free than the companies. Consumer can and do say anything they want in any forum. As long as we stick to opinions and anecdotes that are honest, they are very defensible – no matter how damaging. Companies, on the otherhand, are much more resticted in what they say – by regulation, by stockholders, by culture – and they have much more to lose.

Think of the Jeff Jarvis-Dell thing. Form a practical standpoint, can Dell openly bad mouth Jeff Jarvis? No. Can Dell refuse to sell Jeff Jarvis computers? Not really. Can Dell tell HP and Lenovo and Apple not to sell stuff to Jeff Jarvis because he’s a “bad customer”? Of course not.

Jeff Jarvis, on the otherhand can publically denigrate Dell to his hearts content – as long as he’s clear that it is only HIS opinion and that his accounts are accurate. Who has the power here?

Q: Did you consult an attorney before beginning this project?

Matt’s Answer: Nope. I talked with an attourney a few times when I started blogging. I also did some research on slander and libel. My general strategy at this point it to monitor for clear attacks – stuff that’s beyond heated opinion – and proactively pull it. I hope that I don’t have to do this but I am prepared to. Also, if I got a cease and desist, I’d pull a recording and then seek legal counsel.

Q: What safeguards (if any) have you installed to assure that no slander occurs using your service? Or would it libel because, although spoken words, they are actually data files? I don’t know.

Matt’s Answer: First off, I _think_ it’s slander. Second, no safegaurds other than faith in the consumer. I know that sounds silly but because of the reasons stated above, I haven’t risked a lot here. Since Buzz-o-phone was created in about 15 hours with a total investment of about $65, I can shut the whole thing down without losing any sleep if I have to. And again, as long as folks stick to clear opinion – there is no recourse. Of course someone could lie – and if that’s brought to my attention I’ll respond. I have caller-id info on all the calls and, if needed, I can pull the call.

Q: Where does the ‘responsibility’ for ethical practice fall here …. with you … the callers … both? Or no one?

Matt’s Answer: Well, I certainly strive to act ethically and I feel that I have a responsibility to do so. We’ve been talking about detractors here – and I admit I’m afraid that Buzz-o-phone will skew negative – but so far there have been lots of positive calls. This whole thing is predcated on trust and also that CGM tends to be self-correcting. So I place a lot of trust on callers. If someone abuses that trust, I’ll take action. There are all kinds of things that I _could_ do to prevent abuse but I wnat to see if this can be done without those measures. If someone is out of line, I’ll pull their call.

Now, there is one call so far that I’ve gotten email about. The call sounds to be from a teenaged boy and he’s going on about getting a rash from applying K-Y Jelly to his “pecker”. I’ve chosen to leave this call alone. Why? Well, first off – as silly as it is – it represents how teenaged boys really talk about K-Y Jelly. Second, it’s clearly a prank – this is different from a shill or stealth marketing in that no reasonable person will listen and leave with the impression that K-Y Jelly causes skin irritation. Third, I think by leaving this recording up I create a sense of trust with the individual that left it – perhaps he’ll call back with a sincere contribution. And lastly, because it’s funny in its own juvenille way.

Now, if the boy had been more graphic than “pecker” then I would probably pull the call.

Can I tell when people are lying? Probably not but neither can you when you’re standing in the line at the grocery store and overhear a conversation. I think the platform of Buzz-o-phone is clear enough that people will be able to make up their own minds about what to trust.

As for legal ramifications – I’m taking a hide and watch approach.

Q: Since you are on iTunes, have you considered the inability to “un-ring the bell” in this practice. Once recorded and posted – then downloaded – there is no way to recall or recant anything malicious that has been posted. Do they now have liability in this process?

Matt’s Answer: Well, yes and no. When you have a podcast in the iTunes store, Apple only sydicates the RSS feed – not the MP3 files – they are still on your server. So I can always adjust the number of episodes available in the iTunes store.

However, once someone who is subscribed to the podcast downloads the file to their local computer, there is nothing I can do to “un-ring the bell”.

This is really the same thing that happens, for example, with television stations and ads. Here in Tulsa a while back, SBC ran some DSL broadband tv spots that talked about how horrible cable modem was. The local cable company (Cox Communications) sued SBC to stop airing the ads. Cox won.

Now, the televisions stations were not liable for SBC’s commercial content and all they had to do was stop distibution. The television station is not responsible for the TiVo’s and VCR tapes that now had that content on it. All you can do is stop distribution… and maybe publish a retraction.

To be clear though, I can prevent further distribution – even through iTunes.

Q: Certainly, if anyone gains from the service it will be great. But, like email stock hype scams, how will you defend that occurrence? Do you have any safeguards in place to monitor that?

Matt’s Answer: Right now all I’m doing is listening closely and recording caller ID information. I’ve already called some of the numbers back and talked with the people that left the messages. Right now I only have 19 calls and they all sound pretty reasonable and are all clear opinions. If this thing explodes than I might start thinking about doing something else, but I’ll also have to start thinking about revenue stream. And again, since it’s not a business and is not neccessarily intended to be, I can pull the plug on the whole thing if it all turns nasty.

Q: And, finally … if someone or some company does suffer discomfort (or worse, injury – whether financial or to reputation / brand) by any malicious or mis-stated commentary, do you feel any responsibility for that act?

Matt’s Answer: Well, if somebody clearly steps over the line I feel that I have an obligation to act. I won’t feel responsible if someone does post something out-of-line but I will take responsibility to take corrective action. If the experiment falls into chaos, then I feel that I have a responsibility to shut it down.

At this point though, how much harm could a call on Buzz-o-phone cause? Now, if it grows exponentially, I might have to rethink that. At this point though, I’m getting 2 to 4 calls per day and there is a very small listening audience, it’s pretty easy to stay on top of it.

I liken it to owning a movie theater. I can’t stop somebody from spontaneeously standing up in the front and yelling obscenities at kids. But once they start, the theater owner has a responsibility to react.

One of the amazing things about CGM though is how rarely this actually happens. Jeff Jarvis never seemed irrational when berating Dell. If you listen to the people that have actually taken the time to call Buzz-o-phone so far, they all sound amazingly sincere. Even the detractors seem to be offering suggestions for positive change more so than flat out bitching.

People, especially online posters, seem to be a lot more reasonable and compasionate than marketers tend to give them credit for.

Matt’s closing comments:

Thank you for your interest. You’ve really given me some food for thought.

I do want to re-emphasise that Buzz-o-phone is a hobby experiment and not a business model. I’m not professionally involved in marketing, PR or business communications. Some of the comments I’ve gotten feel like folks overlook this fact. This is really more about consumer empowerment and new media experimentation than it is about the viability of Buzz-o-phone as a business – which, at least at this point, it’s not.

Once you’ve digested this stuff, feel free to call 800-591-5375 and share your opinion about Buzz-o-phone -

good, bad or indifferent.

Thanks for your time,

Matt

My Comments

I appreciate Matt’s willingness to answer these questions. He appears open and honest in his replies.

I have added my thoughts about WOM – in general – in this post from earlier today. Please note that I raise the questions, not only for myself, but for my students to consider in their thoughts about social media and the effect it will have on their future PR experiences.

I do not think that Matt is malicious in his intent. I do think that the site poses risks for him and everyone out there.

There is a saying that comes to mind when I see sites like this. “Just because you *can* do something, doesn’t mean you should.” Now, the reality is that blogs are doing this kind of thing every day. They are spreading word of mouth opinions and claims – often sans evidence or credibility – and I wonder about the consideration given by the site owners (and participants) as to those pitfalls. Matt has simply taken podcasting and blogs and tied it into a social sharing experience not unlike the numerous 1-800 numbers out there today – just a lil’ bit different.

Matt’s site, even if well-executed technically, is also – sadly – just another open hole for juvenile nonsense to be poured into. Can it be postivie? Sure. Do I think it will be a positive experience overall? No.

I think of the possible victims. Who, in their creation of site’s like Matt’s or Facebook or any other site that encourages the sharing of “your recorded diatribe or approbation” thinks about those people – before creating their sites. In PR, this is called continency (or outcome) planning and strategy. I don’t see much of that kind of planning going on here. Yes, it is a reality. This site is here and there will be numerous spinoffs to social communities and sites like this down the road. So, we have to consider how to deal with them. We need strategic thinking from those touted as leaders in the field. And, we need that information shared in the community those experts profess to love, but often fail to use for these types of activities.

I doubt Facebook or MySpace has *really* considered what might happen if someone misuses their sites. Do they have PR counsel? Matt doesn’t. Should they both have it? You bet they should.

Most of these sites have not done much (if any) training – or heightening of awareness – among their users with regard to the possible harm that may come their way.

That, as a person, makes me sad. As a PR practitioner, it scares the heck out of me.

This story from CNN (CareerBuilder.com) offers valuable creative ideas for the phrasing that will serve you best. Check it out.

One interesting aspect to this story is the editor’s note that accompanies the article.

Editor’s Note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com.

So, CNN is in yet another 3rd party content provider relationship. This one link is getting a lot of pickup. As of this writing, 1819 people have chosen to “digg” it, for example. A good way to reach an unfortuante audience – people looking for jobs. But, it makes sense. More and more, people turn to the web first when seeking information.

And, on a related note, consider this release of this story by Fortune magazine – The 100 best companies to work for. Digg picked up the link and the comments are not very flattering. How might companies counter this kind of word of mouth (WOM)?

infOpinions? del.icio.us links for 2006-01-29

• CNN.com – 25 words that hurt your resume – Jan 20, 2006
  “So, you’re experienced? Before you advertise this in your resume, be sure you can prove it.”
  (tags: resume how+to student job+seekers)

In my WP-Stattraq plugin (which works in 2.0, by the way), I found a link from Six Apart’s subdomain site projetz.blogs.com in the referrals. Interesting.

Blogs.com resolves to Typepad’s site. The site – projetz.blogs.com/ – is password protected, so I cannot see what the link is referencing. I also cannot tell what post it is pointing to, either.

Now, my best guess is that they either have a RSS tracker of all posts about Typepad running there – or, they have a blog where they are writing about people that are criticizing/praising Typepad. I have written about them, so it makes sense that the link(s) might show up in their RSS search results.

I give them praise, if either of those possibilities prove true. It means they are watching the memes about their company and paying attention. Good job, Six Apart, if that is what you are doing. Can you tell us, please?

The interesting thing will be to see if (a) they are still watching, (b) this post shows up, and (c) if they come here to comment about it. Now that would be quite a revealing transparency experience, wouldn’t it? The only thing I would suggest is, whatever you are using for your tracking, it must be pinging something – like me. You are tipping your hand, Six Apart. If you want stealth, um – stop pinging as a referrer.

Check it out:

Society for New Communications Research Launches :: International, Multidisciplinary Consortium to Study the Impact of New Media & Participatory Communications

Palo Alto, Calif. – October 31, 2005 – The Society for New Communications Research (http://www.sncr.org), a new international, non-profit think tank, was announced today. The group was formed to provide a forum for research and education and a source of expertise focused on the broad theoretical and practical implications surrounding new communications methodologies, tools and technologies.

Vision

To be the leading think tank for the advanced study of new communications tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, i.e. blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, collaborative tools and the growing phenomena of participatory communications and their effect on traditional media, marketing, public relations and advertising, as well as their broader impact on business, politics, entertainment, culture, education, religion and society.

Mission

To investigate, develop, share and transfer in-depth and forward-facing insights resulting from our deep ongoing study, learning, and continuous mastery of new communications tools and technologies with the academic community and industry for the promotion of best practices.

Their Planned Activities:

In-depth Research Studies
Whitepapers & Case Studies
Best Practices & Standards Development
Industry Education: via Face-to-face events, Teleseminars, Podcasts, Videocasts, Publications
Journal of New Communications Research
Annual Research Symposium & Awards program

The journal idea sounds particularly interesting. All of it sounds great, actually.