The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #71: September 26, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments discussion (building engagement; figuring out b5media; the problem with Google Print; good and bad batteries; ID3 tags; finding the needle in the haystack); soundvertising with Senseo; sound quality challenges with podcast interviewing by phone; podcasting: tech challenges and communication opportunities; new business podcasts; tagging; Lee Hopkins report; end of the road […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #72: September 29, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments, an update on the iPod nano, Wikimedia’s open-source textbook project, more on soundvertising, Neville’s cheese sandwich, a great quote for making the employee blogging case, Whirlpool starts a podcast, a business podcasting white paper, Neville’s new mixer. Show notes for September 29, 2005 Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & […]

Think of blog spam as cockroaches

I’m very glad that I implemented comment and trackback moderation on this blog (and on my other blogs). Today, this blog plus my other one and my two experimental ones collectively get hit with an average of 8-12 spam comments or trackbacks a day. Because of moderation, they don’t appear on any blog – I […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #73: October 3, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments discussion; changes to podcast show notes; PR waking up to social media; Nielsen survey on RSS subscribers; Wikipedia article posted on Wikipedia; book publishers using podcasts; blog spam forces a blog to close; Lee Hopkins report; Yahoo! to start digitizing books; US GAO publishes Ketchumgate findings; podcasting at The Conference Board. […]

IBM’s credible message: Blogging means business

Two senior IBM executives are featured in an informative and engaging series of audiovisual presentations that present the case for blogs as strategic business tools. Presented by Harriet Pearson, IBM’s Chief Privacy Officer and Vice President for Corporate Affairs, and Willy Chiu, Vice President of IBM’s High Performance On Demand Solutions Group, some very interesting […]

Can Ketchum now walk their talk?

Via Jeremy Pepper, news that the Ketchum PR agency has now launched a blog to support its ‘personalized media’ offering. Regular readers will know the story of Ketchum and how their entrance into the PR blogosphere in June attracted almost universal derision by members of the PR community. If you didn’t follow that story, let […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #74: October 6, 2005

Content summary: Edelman/Technorati survey results, AOL’s instant messenger hits the blogosphere, a threat to Microsoft Office, Apple’s upcoming announcement, a new communications podcast, the Conference Board podcasts, a report from Dan York, a cautionary tale of comment spam and fake blogs, listener comments, and way, way more. Show notes for October 6, 2005 Welcome to […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #75: October 10, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments discussion (employee engagement; bad PR gimmick with a fake blog; how to stimulate blog comments); Cillit Bang PR debacle update; helping victims of the Pakistan earthquake; US court ruling on not identifying an anonymous blogger; Yahoo! Podcasts launches; Google’s RSS reader; CBC employee lockout follow-up; Lee Hopkins’ report; the new FIR […]

Speaking at E-Day Amsterdam

Heading off to the Emerce E-Day conference taking place today in Amsterdam. I’m participating in a panel discussion broadly titled Public Relations in The Blogosphere. My fellow panelists are Scott Rafer, Frank Janssen, Paul Molenaar and Hans Mestrum. We hope to have a stimulating and dynamic multi-lingual discussion (Dutch and English) on issues and strategies […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #76: October 12, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments, Emerce Eday in Amsterdam, RSS use study, Microsoft’s proposed RSS logos, Skype cordless handset, Microsoft and Yahoo link IM clients, Google Library project update, The Spinfluencer interviews Ron Bloom, reactive vs. proactive communication, Apple launches video iPod, the anonymous Publix employee blogger, and more. Show notes for October 12, 2005 Welcome […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #77: October 17, 2005

Content summary: Listeners’ comments discussion (more on, and from, the anonymous Publix blogger; loving the new FIR logo; transcribing show notes; proactive vs. reactive again); IABC’s new website; software to help eliminate jargon from writing; Technorati’s latest state of the blogosphere; Lee Hopkins’ report; The Conference Board Europe’s communications meeting; no podosphere PR yet; PR […]

Improving weblog usability

Website usability guru Jakob Nielsen published his top 10 weblog design mistakes yesterday, and the list plus his commentary are interesting reading. Weblogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, Nielsen says, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author. You can read Nielsen’s detailed commentary, […]

Can you blog when serving on a jury?

Josh Hallett in Florida might be conducting an interesting experiment – blogging on jury duty. In a series of short posts on Monday, Josh gives a point-by-point commentary of his thoughts and impressions about his jury selection process. Laptops weren’t allowed, Josh says – so he blogged via his Blackberry. And in his final quick […]

The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #78: October 20, 2005

Content summary: Splogs and Blogspot, questionable observations from IABC’s Canada conference, an intimidating panel, a new publisher lawsuit against Google, LA Podcasters’ Freeway Series, Dan York’s contribution, a fake Harriet Miers blog, two blogging studies, listener comments, and more. Show notes for October 20, 2005 Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, […]