NevOn

The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #113: February 20, 2006

Content summary: Luke Armour's PR paper download; New Communications Forum 2006; announcing IABC conference podcasts; what we've been up to this past week; the Techcrunch party; IABC Communication Commons launches; influential authorities on business blogging - survey; WELS goes to the next level; the Guinness UK marketing blog; Donald Rumsfeld's call for better US government PR; Robert Scoble shoutout; Lee Hopkins report; listeners' comments discussion; FIR community on Frappr; the music; and much more.

Show notes for February 20, 2006

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, an 86-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Download the file here (MP3, 35MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you'll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).

Listen to this podcast now:

In This Edition:

Intro:

• 00:28 Shel introduces the show; what the show’s about; how to give your feedback; show notes; what’s in today’s show
• 02:03 Luke Armour's PR report available for download (PDF)
• 02:40 Shel and Neville will be running a workshop on podcasting at the New Communications Forum in Palo Alto from March 1-3
• 07:00 Announcing IABC conference podcasts - we'll be producing a series leading up to and during the IABC 2006 International Conference in Vancouver, Canada, from June 4-7
• 08:51 Our first time back together live for a while: we recap on what we've been up to - Shel: travel, client work, Techcrunch party, lunch with Robert Scoble; Neville: travel, client work, Manchester conference, knocked for six, preparing new blog
• Neville's writing a review of Naked Conversations for IABC's Communication World magazine

News and Commentary:

• 17:22 IABC Communication Commons launches
• 22:51 Onalytica survey: influential authorities on business blogging - what's the difference between influence and popularity?
• 36:31 WELS goes to the next level with RSS
• 42:43 Guinness UK launches a marketing blog - and it's good
• 51:35 US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld calls for better US government PR
• 56:23 Robert Scoble shouts out! (out-take version first)
• 58:53 From Our Correspondent Down Under: Lee Hopkins - weather RSS feeds and TV news broadcasters; FeedDemon2 beta; serendipitous reads and why blogrolls shouldn't disappear any day soon; Newbie Nifty Nev and the Podcast Institute.

Listeners' Comments Discussion:

• 71:04 Steve Rubel responds to our commentary last Thursday on his move to Edelman
• 73:36 Howard Harawitz with a tip on the role of a blog in teaching journalism

Outro:

• 76:44 Neville wraps the show; let us know your views about today’s discussions; how and where to send your comments; where to find the show notes
• 78:37 The growing FIR community on Frappr
• 80:09 Only Shel live for next Thursday's show with recorded contributions from Neville
• 81:00 Outro podsafe music via the Podasfe Music Network - The Engine Driver by The Decemberists

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at [email protected], or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We'll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

So, until Thursday February 23...

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel's and my podcast blog.)

The Hobson and Holtz Report - Podcast #112: February 16, 2006

Content summary: Steve Rubel and Micro Persuasion move to Edelman; approaching communication issues using new media; delivering the new PR in Manchester; has PR figured out podcasting yet?; Technorati and the Magic Middle; Dan York's report; listeners' comments discussion; the music; and more.

Show notes for February 16, 2006

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 77-minute podcast recorded live from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and almost live from Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

Download the file here (MP3, 36MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you'll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).

Listen to this podcast now:

In This Edition:

• Detailed show notes to come

Content start points guide -
- Intro 00:28
- News and Commentary 03:10
- Listeners' Comments Discussion 51:50
- Outro 70:23

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at [email protected], or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We'll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

So, until Monday February 20...

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel's and my podcast blog.)

The Hobson and Holtz Report - Podcast #111: February 13, 2006

Content summary: Low ethics pay-for-placement PR; Luke Armour's PR paper; RSS software converts content into spam blogs; Eric Schwartzman interviews The New Yorker Magazine's Ken Auletta; Coca-Cola sends bloggers to Torino; NBC's The Office character blog; Lee Hopkins report; are there libel concerns with using coComment?; listeners' comments discussion; preview: potential new FIR intro music; the pros and cons of IABC and PRSA; the music and much more.

Show notes for February 13, 2006

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 91-minute podcast recorded live from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and almost live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Download the file here (MP3, 42MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you'll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).

Listen to this podcast now:

In This Edition:

• Detailed show notes to come

Content start points guide -
- Intro 00:28
- News and Commentary 04:08
- Listeners' Comments Discussion 59:52
- Outro 83:36

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at [email protected], or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We'll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

So, until Thursday February 16...

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel's and my podcast blog.)

Daily Telegraph's new media expansion

Another indicator of how some mainstream media see podcasting as a big opportunity - The Daily Telegraph is advertising for two Podcast Reporters/Producers:

[...] We are looking for two individuals who are capable of creating high quality and engaging Podcasts that feature comment and opinion from both internal and external sources. The successful candidates will be expected to write, voice, edit and upload audio content. A proven track record in journalism is essential. Full training will be provided on the technical aspects of the role.

The Telegraph launched its daily podcasts last November, and hired a podcast editor in December - apparently the first role of its kind in the mainstream media in the UK.

(Via Hugh Fraser)

Interesting things going on with other new media at the Telegraph - they now have ten journalists with individual blogs and a group blog.

Related Nevon post:

• Blair and Cameron podcast firsts

Engaging podcasts from IBM

I've been subscribed to IBM's investor relations podcast series "IBM and The Future of..." since IBM started this series last August.

Eleven podcasts so far, each one providing a worthwhile learning experience on wide-ranging topics relating to society, business and technology.

The latest one, IBM and The Future of Privacy, is a great example of how any organization can use this medium to address what might seem to be a pretty dry subject in a way that captures and holds a listener's attention. Engages the listener, in other words.

From the broad communication point of view, this series also demonstrates how podcasting can subtly reinforce a company's credibility and authority about the subject being addressed. And it doesn't matter how big or small the company is - you don't need to be a global corporation like IBM to realize the benefits from podcasting.

Not only that, it enhances one's overall perceptive view of that company and how it gives you another choice of getting hold of information and opinion in a way that gives you additional insight into the company and some of its people.

If the podcast is also one element among other open and connected communication channels - as is the case with IBM - then you have another good foundation for building sustainable relationships with your audiences (who then become participants).

Worth subscribing to.

Related NevOn posts:

• IBM's credible message: Blogging means business
• IBM starts investor-focused podcasts
• IBM publishes guidelines for employee bloggers

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The Hobson and Holtz Report - Podcast #110: February 9, 2006

Content summary: Nvidia and its PR agency are accused of unethical viral marketing; follow-up to Google’s removal of BMW from its search; Gallup assesses the importance of blogs to web users; your value decreases the longer you’re unemployed; NPR opens the podcast floodgates; new services from Odeo; a report from Dan York; listeners' comments discussion (time for effective communication in the EU; opening a window on culture; a report on the separation of PR and marketing); the music.

Show notes for February 9, 2006

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 73-minute podcast recorded live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Download the file here (MP3, 29.5MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you'll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).

Listen to this podcast now:

In This Edition:

Intro:

• 00:28 Shel introduces the show; what the show's about; how to give your feedback; show notes; what’s in today’s show

News and Commentary:

• 02:26 The dark side of viral marketing - are graphics card maker nVidia and PR firm AEG engaging in underhand practices in gamers' forums and employing some peculiar PR tactics to respond to such accusations? We discuss wide-ranging commentary from Christopher Carfi, Thomas Hawk and the Digg crowd, adding our own perspectives as we ask: What should nVidia do to address this issue, and is such activity symptomatic of business un-ethics today? We also discuss a Wall Street Journal story today regarding FON and positive commentaries by bloggers who don't fully disclose their interests.
• 28:58 BMW's return to grace after trying to game Google; an alternative view that presents an 'end justifies the means' case for why brands should spam search engines
• 37:06 Was Google's lack of engagement over the China search engine furore the right communication approach? Brad Bellaver thinks so
• 40:16 A Gallup report provides some answers to the question on how many people are reading blogs - is that even the right question? How this fits in with ideas from PR bloggers like Steve Rubel on developing new metrics about blogs and communication measurement
• 44:06 The longer you're unemployed, the more your value decreases, according to a report from the Royal Economic Society
• 49:15 The podcast floodgates open at National Public Radio in the US with a directory featuring 250 titles from 79 public radio stations as podcast downloads reach 13 million
• 51:29 Odeo introduces a way you can record comments to podcasts, send audio messages and call in comments via a phone number
• 55:04 Steve Lubetkin shouts out!
• 55:33 Dan York reports - it's snowing in Vermont, beta testing Windows Live Messenger, Gmail for mobile devices, moderating a panel discussion at IABC Yankee Chapter, can't make it to the New Communications Forum next month but hopes to get to Vancouver in June for the IABC 2006 conference

Listeners' Comments Discussion:

• 61:21 Philip Borremans says, yes, it's about time for effective communciation by the EU
• 62:53 David Phillips opens a window on culture (and we say we're looking forward to meeting David at the New Communications Forum)
• 66:28 Luke Armour's research into the separation of PR and marketing (we have copies and we will be talking about it soon)

Outro:

• 67:43 Neville wraps the show; let us know your views about today's discussions; how and where to send your comments; where to find the show notes
• 69:49 Outro podsafe music via KillRockStars.com - The Unhappy Song by John Doe

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at [email protected], or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We'll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

So, until Monday February 13...

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel's and my podcast blog.)

Record audio at Odeo

Odeo, the podcasting service and directory launched last July, now offers a recording capability where you can record a commentary about a podcast:

[...] There is now a "Reply" button under the audio player on Odeo pages. This way, when you record and share an Odeo with people, they will be able to record a response. (You'll get email notifications of this activity so you can keep up with the conversation.)

I definitely want to see how Shel and I can implement this feature for For Immediate Release. Our podcast is listed with Odeo so you can also subscribe to it there. We've already added an instant-play feature to the podcast blog (just click to listen to a show); if we can also provide a way for listeners to easily make an audio comment there and then, while the impulse to do so is hot, that would be terrific.

Now if iTunes had a feature like this...

Odeo has also introduced a rather neat audio messaging service where you can record a message and send it to someone. And you don't need to have an account with Odeo to use this service.

Do give it a try!

The Hobson and Holtz Report - Podcast #109: February 6, 2006

Content summary: The latest state of the blogosphere according to Technorati; new media in the travel business; practicing safe surfing and the global blogathon; the Google internet; BMW gets kicked off Google; Lee Hopkins report; tracking conversations with the Conversational Index and coComments; the Superbowl and the Six Nations Championship; revitalizing the press release; Eric Schwartzman interviews Walt Mossberg; listeners' comments discussion (Stanford on iTunes; PR gets a bad name; FIR goes viral; those cartoons); the music.

Show notes for February 6, 2006

Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 76-minute podcast recorded live from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and almost live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Download the file here (MP3, 35MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you'll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).

Listen to this podcast now:

In This Edition:

Intro:

• 00:29 Neville introduces the show; Shel's not here live today; what the show’s about; how to give your feedback; show notes; what's in today's show

News and Commentary:

• 03:11 Technorati's state of the blogosphere - it keeps doubling every five months, now 60 times bigger than it was three years ago; tagging is the big growth area
• 07:17 Shel takes a break during the Superbowl and explains why he's in Philly all week
• 08:46 What's going on in new media as it relates to the travel business - quite a lot, says Shel
• 11:26 Tomorrow is the EU's Safer Internet Day and the start of the global blogathon
• 16:02 Is Google planning a separate internet and is EPIC looking less like fiction? And if you try and game Google, you'll get kicked off the search engine as BMW found to its cost
• 22:29 Cruisebox shouts out!
• 22:48 From Our Correspondent Down Under: Lee Hopkins - Heidi Miller's great podcasting microphone podcast, RocketPost blogging tool, Telstra's PDF on emerging technologies, and on reading your email out loud; Neville adds some commentary on RocketPost, and on QumanaXP beta
• 31:32 Tracking conversations with the Conversational Index and coComment (plus a "yes, but..." note by Jeremy Pepper)
• 38:36 Shel's finished watching the Superbowl...
• 39:55 Revitalizing the press release - PR Newswire adds del.icio.us tags to press releases, says Steve Rubel, to create more discoverability for online content; Gary Goldhammer's rating system for today's modern press release;
• 49:07 Neville's response to Shel's Superbowl comments - what about the Six Nations Championship rugby!
• 50:26 From The Spinfluencer in LA - Eric Schwartzman has an interview with Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, on the importance of online communications

Listeners' Comments Discussion:

• 61:30 Howard Harawitz points us to Stanford on iTunes, the university's offerings of university-related podcasts via iTunes
• 63:12 Clarence Jones says no wonder PR gets a bad name with this example of the threats of legal action against Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing
• 65:05 FIR goes viral thanks to David Phillips
• 66:21 Dan Hill on the cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed; Neville adds some comment about freedom and responsibilities of the press

Outro:

• 70:44 Neville wraps the show; how and where to send your comments; the FIR community on Frappr continues to grow; where to find the show notes
• 73:23 Outro podsafe music via the Podsafe Music Network - El Puente Closing Theme by Larry Sayer

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.

If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, email us at [email protected], or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We'll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

So, until Thursday February 9...

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel's and my podcast blog.)

Never mind the Superbowl, what about the 6 Nations Rugby!

What a tremendous weekend for contact sport!

While every American I know was glued to the TV (or plugged in to the net) yesterday for the Superbowl - in case you didn't know, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 - there was some fantsatic rugby going on in Europe throughout the weekend.

Three matches were played between all the participating nations in the Six Nations Championship - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales - all of which were broadcast live throughout Europe on one TV station or another.

I managed to watch some of the Scotland vs France game on Sunday on the BBC. What a treat! And what an upset! Scotland beat France 20-16 in a nail-biting game that confounded the pundits' predictions of an easy victory for favourites France.

If you want to get great background into the teams, with interviews and reports, The Six Nations website offers a series of podcasts complete with RSS feeds so you won't miss any content. And for general news and stories throughout the run of this championship - the highlight of the Rugby Union calendar - you can subscribe to seven RSS feeds: six focused on news about each team plus a catch-all feed that gives you everything.

Sound comfort for sailors

It's comforting to know that HMS Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's latest Type 45 destroyers launched on Wednesday, is fitted with the most advanced state-of-the-art weapons and defence systems. For instance:

[...] The main armament for the new destroyers will be the world-beating Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) - a collaboration between the UK, France and Italy. This capability represents a major step forward for the Royal Navy, putting the UK at the cutting edge of area Anti Air Warfare and ensuring that the Type 45 can defend her consorts and allies for decades to come.

The new generation of missiles could be sea-skimming, high-diving, supersonic, stealthy or highly manoeuvrable. Attacks could come from any direction and in salvoes. With its advanced combat system, the Type 45 will greatly enhance the ability of the Royal Navy to defend its warships and other vessels it is accompanying from anti-ship missiles and from attacks by aircraft and land-based threats.

More comforting for the crew, perhaps, is their living environment:

[...] HMS Daring's 230-strong crew should be happy too. She and her sisters will be the first "gender-neutral" warships to enter Royal Navy service, and the Hotel Facilities, as the living quarters are known, are the most opulent ever fitted in a British warship. Mess decks are replaced by individual cabins, each with their own I-pod charging points, CD player, internet access, five channel recreational audio and larger berths.

(Bold text is my emphasis.)

No jokes about this in this post! It's not too far-fetched to look at the iPodding of the crew's quarters, with its internet access as well, as a podcasting opportunity for the Navy as an employer to communicate with the crew as employees in a new and interesting way...

(Via Engadget)