Networking company Cisco Systems launched their first public blog last month. It’s a very interesting blog as it’s not the type of blog that would immediately spring to mind. Called the High Tech Policy Blog, it’s owned by Cisco’s Worldwide Government Affairs department and clearly forms a key element of the company’s overall lobbying and […]
Category: Public Affairs
Edelman and Intelliseek highlight the growing influence of blogs
A newly-published white paper on blogs from PR agency group Edelman and marketing intelligence firm Intelliseek explores the importance of blogging for public relations and marketing, and provides a first-of-its-kind directory of influential bloggers, segmented by industry. The report, Trust MEdia: How Real People Are Finally Being Heard (22-page PDF available for download from both […]
Prince of Wales “momentary lapse”
Just catching some of the TV coverage of today’s marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, I saw a brief BBC TV interview with the Prince’s communications secretary, Paddy Harverson. Amongst the tame chit-chat about today’s event (eg, was the Prince feeling nervous and how many letters of support there have been from the public) […]
Corporate responsibility reporting enters the mainstream
International accounting firm KPMG has published the results of its latest survey on corporate responsibility reporting. The survey report shows continuing support for corporate responsibility and open communication by the leaders of many of the world’s most successful and biggest companies: Corporate responsibility (CR) reporting in industrialized countries has clearly entered the mainstream, with Japan […]
Does Europe need an EFF?
If we don’t let the politicians know what we’re worried about, we’ll inevitably end up stripped of the rights we presently have, says Nicole Simon. Prompted by a call for support for a UK-based tech/civil liberties organization by Cory Doctorow, Nicole has just launched a pledge to garner support for establishing such an organization at […]
Plain speaking on Katrina by New Orleans mayor
It’s a very clear and simple message: "Get off your asses and let’s do something and let’s fix the biggest goddam crisis in the history of this country." Powerful, emotional plain-speaking from Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, in a 13-minute interview yesterday with New Orleans radio station WWL-AM. This is a very angry […]
New blogging white paper from Edelman and Intelliseek
Edeman and Intelliseek have just published their latest white paper on word-of-mouth marketing called "Blogging from the Inside Out: The Rise and Effective Management of Employee Bloggers." The 22-page PDF document is a rich source of information that includes: Original data on the role employees play in shaping corporate reputation and on the frequency with […]
Celebrity self destruction
BBC News: Fashion store H&M has done a U-turn and says it will drop Kate Moss as the face of a campaign after drug allegations. Tabloid newspaper claims that Moss had snorted cocaine initially led H&M to condemn the British model but vow it would continue using her. Many of H&M’s customers are teenage girls […]
Telling the EU what we want
What do online Europeans want from an e-enabled government? asks William Heath: Public sector computerisation will cost Europe €88bn in 2005. But did we ever say what we wanted? Are e-government projects designed for citizens? Do we use them? Will they make life easier and meet our needs? Should we trust them? Unless we ask, […]
Oil blaze communications challenge for Total Oil
I’m following the still-breaking news about the massive oil terminal blaze in Hemel Hempstead in the UK that started on Sunday – what some reports are saying is the biggest fire of its type in Europe since 1945 – and thinking about PR. In an event that’s making news headlines worldwide, this has all the […]
FIR Interview – Gerald R. Baron, author, “Now is Too Late” – January 11, 2006
In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel enjoyed a 55-minute conversation with Gerald Baron, author of the crisis communications book, "Now is Too Late: Survival in the Era of Instant News." Download the conversation here (MP3, 21MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and our future interviews […]
Blair and Cameron podcast firsts
You know podcasting has now definitely entered the mainstream when two politicians – one a Prime Minister no less, and both leaders of their parties and members of the government – use the medium in conjunction with two national newspapers to convey particular messages to voters in the UK. Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair was […]
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 […]
Imagine if Chevron had used a blog instead
Listening this morning to a BBC World Service radio interview with Peter Robertson, vice-chairman of the Chevron oil company, I was struck in particular by his commentary about a website where the public can join Chevron in an online discussion about the future of energy. Overall, I found it a fascinating interview, with its discussion […]