We all know enough about something or other

Seth brings up a question about knowing enough. Do you know enough, he asks? That's an interesting question because I participated in a leadership conference this week and one of the things that stuck with me is that you need to make new offers every 15 minutes. Offers can be things like a media opportunity for a client, a new way of thinking about a solution or an offer to change the way you interact with someone. The opportunities for offers are limitless.

My point here is that we all know something. Whether it's how the Patriots can make the playoffs with the roster they have, what useful business apps there are for the iPhone or how to make a killer cup of coffee, we all know something. The key is, finding your sweet spots and using them to make new offers and become an expert or someone valued by others because of your point of view.

Do you know enough?

If not, what are you doing about it?

If so, who do you think you're kidding?

(Via Seths Blog.)

Read more!

If I had an alter-ego, Hector would be it

I'm a firm believer that everyone has two personalities. For example, I grew up in an urban neighborhood and consider myself very street smart. When it comes to books smarts, I'm a few pennies short of a dollar. However, I do have clusters of areas where I am an expert - take photography, graphic design, computers, socialnet and corporate PR for example. These are areas I have excelled at over the years. In fact, it's because of those clusters that I am in the position I am today - VP for a PR firm, working in the corporate practice, lead socialnet and tech go-to person in the office, etc., etc.

While in the office, I'm a mild natured sort of guy who brings a blue collar approach to a white collar job. On the other hand, when I'm with the fellas, at the Razor for a Pats game, I'm a different beast all together. Now I know that's probably not considered two personalities, but if you have ever seen me in action at a Pats game, you'll agree.

My point here is that everyone puts on a front at some point in their lives and that's not a bad thing.

If I were to have an alter-ego on the blogosphere, it would be my man Hector. I could go into all the details, but just read a few of his posts and you'll see where I'm coming from. Hector is raw. I'm more well-done. This is true in every way with the exception of sports. Hector is a Tampa Bay Devil Ray fan and I'm hoping that the Sox meet the Rays in the ALCS. I would love to read a long, fire-laden rant from Hector about how sick and tired he is of the Sox, especially after they stomp, spit and throw away the world series hopes of all the bandwagoners who now call the Trop home.

Despite all the profanity and hatred, Hector is a good writer and is pretty darn funny. Too bad his Rays are going to be playing golf sooner than the Red Sox will be.

(if you can't tell by now, this post was all about firing up Hector and getting him to spit something witty, trashy and down-right rude back at me. Why? Because it'll be funny as all hell) Read more!

Blogs, Celtics, and Long Weekends

Here's yet another pot of "whatever you can find in the kitchen" post. This time covering two news items surround blogs, Celtics game four prediction and a quick note about long weekends.

My gal friend, former co-worker, and fellow blogger Allison needs a blog name. You can read her story over at her blog, but basically, she's a cancer survivor and has recently dove head first into this "blogging thing." It's very hard to select your blog name. It's basically the start of the creation of your online ID. I'm simply known as the big guy. I'm a big dude so it was sorta easy. However, with Allison's story being more complex than mine, I'm sure it's tough to nail down a strong of letters, put them together to make words, then slap it on a URL.

Another blogger who I've been following just so happens to be the starting point guard for the Celtics - Rajan Rondo. Apparently, he's on the verge of blowing up the bloggy world with his own URL and an official myspace page.

Speaking of the Celtics, game four is tonight. My prediction? Celtics will lose. I don't see the C's winning back to back games on the road. Then again, I could be wrong. That's why they play the game right? Thus far, however, I've called each game - including the first loss at home and the first road win. The game is on tonight, the tail end of a long weekend....which leads me to...

Long weekends. ;)

I'm a big fan of long weekends. They recharge the batteries. They get your prepped for a work week much better than the Saturday/Sunday tag team weekend. This long weekend is thanks to the men and women that served our country. I thank them for the long weekend, but really thank them for the sacrifices they have made to make this country what is it. Read more!

Thoughts on retailers and packaging

Killing a little time via my feed reader this evening before the work week kicks in. On the list of feeds is Seth's blog. He posts a beef with retailers and packaging.

His point is that retailers can do better. You know what he driving at. Lots of retailers are wasting materials, killing the environment, etc. just to package their goods. However, what Seth is missing is that retailers - most of them at least - really don't give a rat's behind. They are in it to win it. Look at Apple's packaging. The iPod touch I recently bought came in a well designed package, but it wasn't the most eco-friendly piece. Lost of wasted paper and material for an item that's pretty thin.

Retailers won't change their bad packaging habits until they are told to do so by the government. It's that simple. Read more!

Listing of PR/Journo Blacklist coverage

Meryl has a done a great job in culling all the coverage online about the relationships between hacks like myself and journalists.
javascript:void(0)
Publish Post
Still this this matter comes down to kids being able to play nicely in the sandbox. Read more!

Blacklisting PR firms

To those outside of the PR/journalism/social media realm, you're going to be bored with this post. Don't both reading more. For those of you who are, please continue to read. Believe me, it won't be a waste of your time. I have some pretty poignant comments to make to both PR hacks like myself and scribes.

Sorry, maybe this isn't a ground breaking post, but rather my simple-minded thoughts on something being discussed in the blog/pr/social media world these days.

A massive part of the existence of PR hacks is to get media coverage for clients (and sometimes avoid it). Selling ground breaking widgets? Hired a new controversial CEO? Think you've created the best bread slicer in history? Whatever the "story" is, clients want to get media lovin'. They want heaps of it. They want it now, not later. They want it above the fold, read by millions, in front of customers/potential business partners...it makes them look like king tut. The point? They want coverage and it's our - PR hacks - job to get it.

Sounds like a pretty fun gig, right? Should be pretty easy to do, right? Just pop over an email, come up with a catchy subject line, slap together a few witty graphs, stitch in a press release and you're good to go, right?

Maybe this is true for the dot-com, www.4realmen.com, days. Not anymore. The media landscape has changed dramatically. There are no clear lines as to who is a journalist and who is a hack. Some hacks ARE journalists. If you're reading this, then I guess you could call me a SMS - social media scribe (you heard the term here first).

The changes in the media landscape have fueled the scribe/PR battle. The social media world is now is now blazing with talk about blacklists and using gmail filters to give hacks the heisman.

Now, by no means and I sticking up for my fellow hacks or slapping the hands of scribes. Here's my point to this waste of cyber space: can't we just all get along?

Kidding.

Seriously though, here's the deal as I see it.

SMS's are being bombarded with bullcrap pitches from everyone and anyone. I can understand their frustration and the move to blacklist or filter out hacks. At the same time, I know where the hacks are coming from. They have real pressures coming in the form of clients who want coverage and no excuses. Pressures that in some cases, mean employment with benefits or flipping burgers at McDonalds.

There needs to be balance in the force. Here's how we can make it happen - "we" as in SMS's and hacks. It'll be like the good and bad sides of the force coming together to make a better galaxy. So, without further delay, here are my three key steps that should help SMS's and hacks play together nicely in the sandbox:

To SMS's:
1. Respond - I know you can't respond to each hack email, but for those that are on target in terms of the focus of the pitch, yet you're not interested, reply back to the hack and politely say, "Thanks for the pitch. I'm not interested at this time. Keep the ideas coming. Thanks!"

2. Educate - To those that bark up the wrong tree, give them a second chance, but tell them that they f-ed up. If it happens twice or three times, put them in the filter bin.

3. Share - give us hacks a bit of insight as to what you need from us. It's all a guessing game, but if you take a bit more guessing out of the game, then we can be more in tune as to help. Maybe post a "here's how to pitch me" item - a road map or sorts, so we will be on target (or at least be in position to).

I know, this is asking a lot because once you bend over for one person, you gotta do it a million times a day. In the long run though, don't you think you'll get better pitches and smarter sources?

To hacks:

1. Think - Think about what you're pitching and who you are pitching it to. Think sniper, not shotgun. Be smart about what you're pitching and ensure that it is right in the wheel house of the person you're pitching it to. These folks don't have the time to read BS pitches. Think before you hit the send button. Think as a journalist. Are you giving them everything they need to make an intelligent decision about your story? Is it even a story? Just think. For the love of Pete, think before you hit the send button.

2. Communicate - To be part of the conversation, you need to engage. You need to be part of the conversation. SMS's will take you more seriously if you're blogging, are on twitter, understand their world. Don't always pitch. Ask about their family. What they drive. Where they grew up. Went to school. Anything, nothing, everything...just communicate. Be a human and communicate. Stop being a PR robot. Build a relationship with your contacts by communicating and coming to them with something of substance and be reliable. Clear communication is the building block to a fruitful SMS/hack relationship.

3. Share - Hacks need to do a better job at sharing their wealth of resources. It shouldn't all be about your clients media coverage. Provide sources to scribes even if it's not a client source. Share you expertise even if it means you'll get no kudo's for it. Help a reporter out, is what I'm trying to say. Be helpful and it will come back to you. Trust me. I've been doing this long enough to learn that it does pay to play.

So there you have it, words of wisdom from the big guy. It's not brain surgery. It's really just common sense when you think about it.
Read more!

Handmade Detroit...the ladies of spinning green

Got old newspapers lying around? How about cloths that you wore in high school that *might* be a little tight on ya? Don't be a fool and toss the stuff. And if you're in Detroit, you most definetly don't want to throw the stuff out.

For those of you who are green heads out there, check out Handmade Detroit

Lish Dorset, a long distance co-worker of mine, and her peeps are the McGuivers of spinning thread. Need a new bag? How about new shoes? No problem. These ladies are magicians. Harry Hoodini ain't got nuttin' on these ladies. The best part of it all is that they are doing their part to save the environment WHILE looking good.

Nice job ladies.

Do those shoes come in 13 wide?
Read more!

Can you die from over-blogging?

The Time has a piece today about the burdens of blogging for those that do it professionally or at least get paid for it. The question posed, is blogging coming at the expense of our health, mental stability and, gulp, life?

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

I love blogging. I love social media. I love following the trends. I love writing about them. I love interacting with smart people online. That's why I do it. Not because I get paid to do it (though I think that would be cool). I guess if I was in the "I get paid to blog" category, I would want to be the type that visitors were interested in my style of writing, my online personality, my wit, my jokes, my honesty, etc. I wouldn't want the pressures of being a breaking news blogger. No more are the days that you pick up the newspaper and there is "breaking" news in it. Breaking news happens all the time and by the time it's actually covered by the print media, it's old news. If any outlet has it the easiest, I guess it's broadcast. They can shoot and throw on the tube within seconds. Then again, they have to have the footage. If not, then we're just looking at talking heads.

Same goes for the social media reporters. It takes them a little time to gather their thoughts, write the post, quickly edit, and then go live.

However, micro-blogging sites like Twitter have now changed the game completely. All you need is a good story and 140 characters and you're breaking news. Check Mashable for an example of that. They are always breaking tech news. Steve Garfield and Steve Rubel are two other examples.

So while blogging is fun, informative and a great source for all the news that's fit to print, I don't think it's a real cause for people kicking the bucket. It might lead to unhealthy eating and abnormal sleeping habits. People just need to get a grip. Let's be smarter about what we are writing instead of always trying to beat the other guy. Yes, we need people to cover breaking news, but there has to be a balance of writing smart posts that really add to the value of the story versus pumping out 140 characters just to gain ad revenue. Read more!

Educating your social senses

To those of you who are bloggers, like to read blogs and are interested in pop-culture, entertainment, food, and fashion, you are on the verge of being treated like royalty. Well, maybe that's a stretch.

A co-worker of mine is on the verge of bloggy greatness. Actually, she's just launching a new blog that relates to all things mentioned above specifically relating to Boston. I can't give out the address yet because it's still under construction. I am secretly helping her with some graphic ideas and content just to get her rolling. But I've never met someone who isn't from this town who is so in-tune with what the city has to offer you from an entertainment perspective (all the things mentioned above).

So stay tuned people. Your senses, the "social" ones, are about to be piqued.

Read more!

Influencing the Influencers, i.e. Me Influencing Greg Brady

So, a week or so ago, I posted this about my fascination with the new Greg Brady Project. I've been following the posts regularly and then stumbled upon this post - basically about the Greg Brady iconic brand.

My idea. They stole my idea. So I posted something of that nature proclaiming my brilliance.

Just a short while ago, I'm checking my gmail and get this (in comment form) from Derrick Daye, one of the bloggers over at the Greg Brady Project:

Don,

Thanks for your post. I'm going to beat Barry to this and post a comment. You inspired us.

Is social media for everyone?

Yes it is.

Derrick Daye
TheGregBradyProject.com

I love his sign off. Yes, social media IS for everyone. How else can a kid from Cambridge, who now is married with two kids, living a normal, middle class life, impact the subject matter of what is becoming a very popular blog?

The answer? Social media. Anyone can connect with anyone online. It doesn't matter where you came from. What tax bracket you're in. What skin color you have. What your waist line is. What sports team you like.

Simply put, these interwebs are pretty darn cool. Read more!

Was that my topic?

I've been hooked on the "Greg Brady Project." I recently posted a blog about how I was hooked and how interesting it was that "Greg" has taken his character and turned it into a franchise or an iconic brand over the years. He is Greg Brady.

Then I read this post. Hello, can I get some credit for helping you develop a recent blog post topic?

Thieves. Read more!

Greg Brady

I'll admit it. When I heard that Greg Brady (Barry in real life) was starting a blog basically about nothing, I thought to myself that it was going to be a disaster.

I'm wrong so far and I can't get enough of it. Here's why:

- I like the design of the blog. It's very clean. Font is easy on the eyes. It's designed in that "we wrote this on paper look" that I wish I could do but don't have the time nor the patients to learn how to create style sheets (if any can point me to some easy online tutorials, I'll give it a shot.

- Content is decent. He has a number of writers contributing to the blog, along with himself. They have been covering a number of different things. The most recent post was about who the 10th Brady should be. Tough call IMO.

- I went into it drinking the hatorade because I thought to myself, "what the heck can Brady that's going to keep me coming back or at least subscribe to the feed?" Other than the first two bullets, I'm still trying to figure it out.

- The last thing that's caught my attention is just the branding of it all. Here's a guy who was on a hit 70s TV show that's of iconic proportion. He hasn't done much of anything else than be Greg Brady. That's who he is. That's is brand. However, it's worked and still is working for him. You can't drink the hatorade on him for riding the wave of childhood stardom and actually being successful at doing it. Look at some other stars that have come and gone. Yea, Peter Brady is sorta kinda there, but not like Greg.

For now, I'll keep the sub in my reader. It's entertaining at the very least. For you Brady fans out there or pop culture addicts, check it out. It'll help pass the time away on a Friday right before you start your weekend. Read more!

Newest addition to Google reader

Not sure why I would add this to my feeds, but maybe it's because I watched so many friggin' episodes of the Brady Bunch that I'm sorta attached to that time period. Reading his stuff sorta takes me back.

Read more!

David has been given a gift

A co-worker of mine has been given a gift from the commuter Gods, an empty train. If you're not using twitter to post random stuff from anywhere, you're not livin'. (kidding really).

Empty trains are nice. It's like having a million bucks to spend on whatever you want in Best Buy. Read more!

Great idea by Office Max

My PR friend and co-worker, who writes the equivalent of this blog but on the lady side, has a funny post this morning.

Kudo's to Office Max for developing this quirky holiday, web 2.0 "thing." While it won't get consumers to buy Office Max products, it'll drive website traffic for sure. People love this sort of stuff. Read more!