Cyber Security Awareness Campaign - Thought Leadership

BOCA Communications is proud of the recent thought leadership initiatives we spearheaded for Narus (www.narus.com) around a national trend: National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October.

Narus partnered with Converge Network Digest (www.convergedigest.com ) and GSN: Government Security News (www.gsnmagazine.com ) to create a survey that queried a cross-section of security professionals in a variety of industries. Using their audience as well as Narus clients we acquired opinions about security in relation to government entities and the telecom sector.

The findings were compelling. An astounding 71 percent of respondents are concerned that their company is not equipped to protect itself from cyber-attacks and approximately 88 percent think the government is not equipped to protect itself thus proving that security is a popular concern.

Upon completion of the survey, we packaged the results into a formal report and linked all our outbound communication to National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
BOCA used a blend of old fashion and social PR mediums to communicate the results to pundits that matter. We developed a dedicated landing page that highlighted the survey findings, leveraged Twitter and Facebook and also incorporated an old school mail out campaign complete with USB drives that housed the Cyber Security report, press release and letter from Narus marketing. The outcome was a success.

Defense Daily
Vendors Need To Offer ‘Best-Of-Breed’ Cyber Security Solutions, Narus Says
http://www.defensedaily.com/publications/dd/Vendors-Need-To-Offer-Best-Of-Breed-Cyber-Security-Solutions-Narus-Says_11493.html


Defense Systems
Are cyberattacks against DOD on the decline?
http://defensesystems.com/articles/2010/10/29/pentagon-cyber-attacks-decrease.aspx?sc_lang=en

Washington Technology
Cybersecurity firms’ values soar as attacks increase
http://washingtontechnology.com/Articles/2010/10/05/Insights-Cyber-Firms-Values-Soar.aspx?Page=1

InfoSecurity
Most network security managers doubt companies' cybersecurity protection
http://www.infosecurity-us.com/view/13000/most-network-security-managers-doubt-companies-cybersecurity-protection/

Government Security News
Narus - CYBER ATTACKS ON THE RISE
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/21581?c=access_control_identification

Converge! Network Digest
2010 Cyber Security Report
http://www.convergedigest.com/searchdisplay.asp?ID=31573&SearchWord=narus

Verbal Musicality in the Workplace

After spending years of my life studying classical music and jazz and eventually transitioning into public relations, there is a parallel I can now draw between inspired creativity in music and in the workplace. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a PR practitioner is identifying creative story ideas that we can then bring to the media. However, how do you get to the point where you can improvise words (story angles) as Mile Davis does notes on the trumpet?

I think the key is to make sure that you first understand the “fundamentals” of your client in the same manner that musicians must first master the fundamentals of playing their instruments. You can’t write a symphony without first knowing all the notes as well as some basic musical theory. When I studied jazz, we had to begin by learning scale progressions, from which we could later improvise. By the same token, when we begin work with a new client, the first thing we try to do is get to know as much about the company as possible. It’s from these often casual conversations that we are able later piece together interesting story ideas. If you know, and understand your clients like a musician knows the scales of an instrument, you can pick the right notes/words to create your own “symphony!”

Sammy

Know Thy Message

Last night I attended a networking function for entrepreneurs in NYC and had the pleasure of meeting a number of professionals who were selling a variety of interesting products or services. These people ranged from a gentleman who was using online video in what I thought was a novel way to a “relationship manager” who served women who were having difficulty staying in romantic relationships. And while all the people I met were clearly very passionate about what they do, a number of them suffered from the same problem: they didn’t have a clear message.

Though “messaging” is an often overused term in our industry, the value of doing it well can not be overstated. So, what exactly do I mean by “messaging?” In this context, messaging is the core language that we use to describe either what our company does or its primary value to the customer. Larger companies usually have their messaging nailed down but entrepreneurs will often begin selling their products or services before they do so.

One example of the latter was a woman who is selling what she told me was healthy coffee. (I gather it is infused with nutrients that traditional coffee doesn’t have while also containing significantly less caffeine.) However, she then handed me two business cards for her company, each one sporting a completely different message! The first one had a tagline that read “It’s Easy. It’s Simple. It’s Coffee” while the second read “Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life.” Needless to say, I thought the second message was far more powerful than the first. However, that’s a matter of opinion. What can not be debated, however, is that she needs to spend more time thinking about who her customer is, what message would resonate most strongly with this group, and then stick to that message. Once she does, then in my estimation, she will be ready to aggressively promote her business. As things stand now, she risks confusing everyone. Which is why, before beginning any marketing campaign, it’s critical to, as we like to say in the PR world, “know thy message!”

The Power of a Plan - Building a Plan around an Issue (Thought Leadership)

I have a saying, "build a plan, execute a plan and you have a result."

One day someone asked me “what do PR people not do enough of? “

My answer: think. We don't think enough.

People in general are so busy doing and responding to demands/requests that we don't sit back and think about the following:

- What are we trying to accomplish here?

- What is the big news and how can my client play a role in it?

- What are the assets I have to work with?

- What is my plan of attack?

It is so important to sit back and ponder about the key issues of today and determine how can we pro-actively insert our client's voice into those issues.

BOCA recently sat down with Devicescape to ponder - "What is going on in the world that is relevant to Devicescape." Once we mapped it out, we built a plan.

There is a major issue taking place with global carriers right now—Data Capping. AT&T, Sprint, O2 and others are capping their “all you can eat” data plans. Why? Carriers didn’t realize how much rich media people would actually use (nor be created by app developers). In turn, no one knew truly how expensive all this would be.

How does Devicescape fit in?

Devicescape is working with carriers around the world (Deutsche Telekom, The Cloud, Softbank) and device manufacturers (Nintendo, Nokia, RIM) to help solve the data problem. Devicescape is part of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, an organization where global carriers and leading WiFi companies are coming together to discuss bandwidth constraints, 3G offloading and the role of WiFi.

Carriers need to offload the traffic to WiFi. Device manufacturers need to build in WiFi capabilities to all the new devices (smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, digital cameras) enabling them to run on this cheaper, faster network.
Devicescape’s CEO Dave Fraser has something to say and proof to back his opinions. He can add value and insight to stories.

BOCA mapped out a plan and is now delivering against that plan which equals results.

IDG
AT&T, Verizon Join Wi-Fi Roaming Group
Stephen Lawson
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/199413/atandt_verizon_join_wifi_roaming_group.html

Wireless Week
Devicescape Benefits from 3G Congestion
By Maisie Ramsay
http://www.wirelessweek.com/News/2010/06/Technology-Devicescape-Benefits-3G-Congestion-Wireless-Networks/

CNET
AT&T & Verizon Wireless join Wi-Fi interoperability group
Marguerite Reardon
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20008476-266.html?tag=rtcol;relnews

Paul Boutin of VentureBeat & NYT - An Informal Interview

Last Friday we were fortunate to have Reporter Paul Boutin join us at the BOCA office. Thank you Paul!!!

Many people know Paul in the tech sector because he is an esteemed reporter with VentureBeat and the NYT. He also has written for Wired, the Wall Street Journal and Valleywag. Additionally, after studying at MIT, he worked there for several years on Project Athena.

What we learned about what Paul is up to these days...

Paul writes at least once a month for the New York Times, and his ultimate goal is to “give the reader what they want” while answering some of the most important technological questions, such as, how does one deal with technology in their own personal lives?

We spoke about the power of Twitter, and how it connects celebrities with their fans, but most importantly, how content on the internet is invaluable, and “the power of the click” is not only dominated by the number of clicks, but the time any person spends looking on a page, and the content that is presented. Lesson we continue to learn - content is King!

As technology continues to progress, we can only hope to see some amazing things on the horizon, and we thank Paul Boutin for taking the time to come out and chat with us!

BOCA - Facebook Fan Page

We were blogging regularly and the universal BOCA (we) promise to get back in the rhythm. That said, we continue to update our Facebook Fan page with everything from our great successes with Shipwire - the Export Vision 2010 - thought leadership initiative to the soft launch of Marketfish...case studies coming soon.

When we don't have an update - please just visit Facebook and you can learn about all the great activity taking place at BOCA.

Media Relations 101

While I might be the “founder” of BOCA Communications, I am also an account coordinator, expert researcher, media pitcher, writer and of course a strategist. This week I am a focused researcher and media relations expert.

The few things about media relations that people can never forget is that 1) it takes time due to thoughtful research and 2) smart targeting – you don’t want your PR person pitching the wrong reporter or the wrong angle to an outlet. Regardless of sophisticated, web based media tools like Cision (previously Media Map / Bacons), media relations comes down to knowing your outlet, knowing the reporters and picking up the phone.

So – what is my net/net here – research your targets, target correctly and pick up the phone with thoughtful, meaningful content.

GenArts Showcased at the Nab Show in Las Vegas

We were very excited when our client GenArts, Inc. announced yesterday that it will exhibit at the 2010 NAB Show, held in the big city lights of Las Vegas. GenArts will showcase a number of its cutting edge product demonstrations, including GenArts Sapphire™ 5 for Adobe After Effects and GenArts Monsters GT™ for After Effects. GenArts will also be available at NAB to discuss GenArts Sapphire™ for Autodesk Smoke on Mac, a highly anticipated release among the visual effects community.

This year, booth No. SL2607 will be the home to GenArts’ captivating demonstrations and long-awaited product sneak peeks. Monsters GT for After Effects and Sapphire 5 for After Effects will have their exciting debut at this year’s show, and sneak peeks of the two products will showcase new unique effects, and productivity and creativity enhancements that are all hallmarks of the GenArts brand.

NAB 2010 has also been chosen to be the venue to reveal details about the much-anticipated Sapphire for Autodesk Smoke on the Mac. See real-life examples of how GenArts products have impacted the feature-film industry. See demonstrations of the company’s use of GenArts products on Terminator Salvation, Transformers, and Best Visual Effects Oscar nominee Star Trek. GenArts is a sponsor at a number of events as well, including Filmapalooza, where free trial licenses of Sapphire will be available. Hope to see you at the 2010 NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center April 12-15.

Trust Building Using Crisis Communication

It is quite obvious that company is in trouble when you look at its website and see all the digital distress signals. Check out these sites of recently troubled or confused enterprises, including Maclaren, Toyota, Playtex, and Tylenol for examples of these distress signals.

When you look at its Web site, Toyota, which recalled millions of cars for their faulty accelerator pedals in January, seems to be going into a apology spring sale frenzy. The plan appears to be to express less chagrin than gratitude and largess. “Toyota wants to thank you with our biggest offers ever,” reads the home page. To the left of that declaration is an equally thrilling-seeming banner, this one red states why they are thanking you: “Recall Information: Get the Latest Updates Here.” Check out last months Toyota Trust Communications BOCA blog for more of their crisis communication. I think they should have followed Tylenols "gold standard" and been alittle less sorry and a little more transparent.

Johnson & Johnson is well known for its profound corporate recovery, in the way it finessed a comeback after the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders. The Tylenol Web site projects absolute self-assurance on in spite of January recalls of Tylenol and other of its medicines (Rolaids, Motrin, Benadryl) after complaints of a moldy smell. A big red button on the home page points a finger at “Important Recall News” and links to a matter-of-fact press release and to a handy way to tell if you’re holding a recalled Tylenol product. Though it lacks the distracting ebullience of the Toyota site, Tylenol plays its setbacks similarly, positioning recalls as though they were all in a day’s work for a scrupulous company that manufactures a lot of important products.

Seven people died in 1982 after taking Tylenol capsules, which had been tampered with and contaminated with cyanide. According to Effective Crisis Management, Tylenol’s market share quickly went from 37 percent to only seven percent. Johnson & Johnson faced a huge challenge. Not only did the company have to manage the crisis communication of just Tylenol, but also of the entire company’s reputation. J&J recalled approximately 31 million bottles of Tylenol from across the country and stopped all advertising.

Some say J&J set a standard for crisis communication when they “assumed responsibility by ensuring public safety first and recalled all of their capsules from the market,” despite the fact that the bottles were tampered with after reaching the shelves. Tylenol was reintroduced into the market with triple-seal tamper-resistant packaging, offered coupons for the products, created a new discounted pricing program, new advertising campaign and gave more than 2,250 presentations to the medical community. According to Managing Crises Before They Happen (Mitroff, 2001), J&J actually increased their credibility during the crisis because of the candidness of the executives. Notre Dame expert Professor Patrick Murphy said J&J set a “gold standard” in regards to business ethics as well because J&J was proactive and transparent.

“Industry expertise” vs. “skillset” - A BusinessWeek Case Study

One of the most frequently asked questions that PR professionals hear is “who (what journalists) do you know in my industry?”

I’ve always found this question interesting. Why? While it is important who you know, what’s more important is what you know, how you know it, and what skills you have that are transferable.

Sound counter-intuitive? Let’s take a look at Fortune 2000 CEOs and CMOs. They cross industries all the time. Take Edward Whitacre - previously a senior exec at AT&T and now CEO of General Motors. Clearly, GM thinks he’s extremely qualified despite the fact he didn’t come out of the automotive industry. What matters is the fact that Whitacre is a seasoned business professional and CEO.

A great leader is a great leader. A great marketer is a great marketer. A great communicator is a great communicator.

At BOCA, we often take on a new client in an industry that is new to us. One example is Shipwire, a company we began working with a few months ago. Shipwire is our first client (of many, we hope) in the SMB (small/medium-sized business) world. We learned its space, uncovered key reporters, and more importantly, used our seasoned communications skills to secure them a very nice position in the Small Business section of BusinessWeek.

Coincidentally, a technology writer from the same publication wrote a feature story today on our semiconductor client, Telegent. Two different writers in two completely different industries – one within which we’ve had years of experience (semiconductor) and the other new (SMB).

What’s the point here? Knowing the right reporter is a very small piece of the bigger puzzle. Being a seasoned, strategic PR professional who understands business and relationships is how one wins the game.

Read more:

http://www.career-line.com/job-search/new-gm-ceo-comes-from-att/

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/mar2010/sb20100318_940081.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-25/maxlinear-s-34-advance-signals-potential-for-telegent-s-ipo.html

The "Monster" SXSW Tech Week

South by Southwest (SXSW), the vast festival in Austin, Texas, covering music, film and interactive technologies, is starting off with a bang. Representatives from the likes of Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Spotify and hundreds of other companies of all sizes are addressing the tens of thousands of attendees throughout these first five days.

But what’s interesting about SXSW is not just the big names, it’s the smaller developers and start-ups who are presenting their ideas in the tucked away corners of Austin’s Convention Centre and the surrounding hotels into which the conference overspills. Finding them is another matter – the list of speakers runs to 41 pages.

The SXSW Web Awards took place last night (winners here), with location-sharing service Gowalla beating out Foursquare for best site in the mobile category and search site Wolfram Alpha nabbing Best in Show. TechCrunch liveblogged Twitter co-founder Evan Williams’s keynote Q&A. Evan did not go into details about the company’s new ad platform and was surprisingly tedious according to many audience members. But his Twitter posts about the event were followed in awe by millions. Other big news: Google Buzz was a “privacy fail” (via ReadWriteWeb), and music service MOG will let you stream any song on demand to your phone (via GigaOM).

This event is starting off like it was intended: “A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers lucrative networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.”

The Prestigious Information Security RSA Conference in SF

In the new information security age, you’re trained to expect the unexpected. Changes occur in a nanosecond. The RSA Conference in San Francisco, CA is the most all-inclusive forum in information security offering enterprise and technical professionals a place to learn about all those changes. A place where they can go there to learn about the latest trends and technologies, get access to new best practices, and gain insight into the practical and realistic perspectives on the most critical technical and business issues facing you today. This year’s theme is the Rosetta Stone, designed to remember “the Rosetta Stone’s legacy to modern Egyptology and its lasting message on the power of collaboration.”

Our client Narus spearheaded and spoke on yesterday’s panel, “Delivering a Unified and Resilient National Cyber Security Framework.” Moderated by Wall Street Journal reporter Siobhan Gorman, the impressive panel looked at the Obama Administration's concentrated effort to protect the U.S. national infrastructure from cyber threats, and the pitfalls it has encountered thus far in doing so. The panelists discussed how this problem may be solved with cooperation between government and the private sector. Narus CEO Greg Oslan and Cisco CSO John Stewart joined top national security advisors Melissa Hathaway and Bill Crowell for this lively discussion. The panel had about 175 satisfied attendees from major security agencies, defense contractors, governments and large enterprise companies.

GenArts & The Foundry Strategic Alliance

We are very excited about the recent strategic alliance between our client GenArts, Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, and The Foundry, the world-leading visual effects software developer. GenArts is a revolutionary plugin developer who has expanded its visual effects software portfolio (Sapphire, Monsters, Raptors and wondertouch) and the alliance should ensure its plugins work seamlessly with The Foundry's popular Nuke software.

GenArts will now be taking over development of The Foundry's Tinder and Tinderbox plugins. The companies also will collaborate to build the capabilities of the infamous Nuke, which has been adopted by a number of vfx shops, including Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

GenArts will start off big and immediately get started on all of the development, sales, marketing and customer support of Tinder and Tinderbox. GenArts' acquirement of The Foundry's Tinder and Tinderbox business allows both companies to focus on delivering best of class of product portfolios to the industry.

For more information on the alliance between GenArts and The Foundry please view the press release, FAQ, or check out the recent buzz in the news on fxguide, VARIETY, xconomy Boston.

The Wonderful New World That Allows You To Become “One” With Your Machinery

It is already perfectly ordinary to interact with a new wave class of devices entirely by using natural gestures. The Microsoft Surface, the iPhone and iPod Touch, the Nintendo Wii, and other gesture-based systems accept input in the form of taps, swipes, and other ways of touching, hand and arm motions, or body movement. These are the first in a growing array of alternative input devices that allow computers, like Hitachi, and PC makers that are on the brink of rolling out game consoles, televisions and computers that use gestures to control the machines. The idea that natural, comfortable motions can be used to control computers is opening the way to a horde of input devices that look and feel entirely different from the keyboard and mouse.

Gesture-based interfaces are changing the way we interact with computers, giving us a more innate way to control devices. They are increasingly built into things we can already use; Logitech and Apple have brought gesture-based mice to market, and Microsoft is developing several models. Smart phones, remote controls, and touch-screen computers that casually accept gesture input. You can make music louder or softer by moving a hand, or skip a track with the flick of a finger. Instead of learning where to point and click and how to type, we are beginning to be able to expect our computers to respond to natural movements that make sense to us.

The most common applications of gesture-based computing are for computer games, file, media browsing, and simulation and training. A number of simple mobile applications use gestures. Mover lets users “flick” photos and files from one phone to another; Shut Up, an app from Nokia, silences the phone when the user turns it upside down; nAlertme, an anti-theft app, sounds an alarm if the phone isn’t shaken in a specific, preset way when it is switched on. PicLens currently offers a small icon cue inset in each Web photo that lets users know they are at a site like Facebook and Google that can be browsed with the software. Some companies are exploring further possibilities; for example, Softkinetic develops platforms that support gesture-based technology, as well as designing custom applications for clients, including interactive marketing and consumer electronics as well as games and entertainment.

Because it changes not only the physical and mechanical aspects of interacting with computers, but also our perception of what it means to work with a computer, gesture-based computing has the potential to transform technology forever. The user and the machine become closer and the sense of power and control increases when the machine responds to movements that feel natural. Unlike a keyboard and mouse, gestural interfaces can often be used by more than one person at a time, making it possible to engage in truly collaborative activities and games. These activities that are used frequently in many casual sporting activities are suited now becoming suited for gestural interfaces on game consoles, televisions and computers.

Deviscapes Q4 2009 WIFI Report

Devicescape, the leader in Easy WiFi, performed a very detailed WiFi (preference and trend) report in 2009 with nearly 3,000 survey respondents around the world. The survey queried a cross-section of Devicescape's members, a group that includes a variety of professionals and students.

The report found that a majority of users (sixty-eight percent) will view advertisements in exchange for free WiFi. It also found that Sixty-three percent of respondents would like to receive coupons from nearby Easy WiFi venues for product discounts. If a condition is to view an advertisement for free WiFi access at a cafe or other Easy WiFi Network venue, the majority of respondents (eighty-one percent) are willing to view the sponsored advertisements. The report showed that a majority (67 percent) of respondents still will not pay for WiFi, while twenty-five percent stated they would pay up to $3.

We already know about the importance and demand for WiFi from prior quarters' reports, the most recent survey aimed to uncover compelling new trends that will shape the face of WiFi over the next few years. I think the use of advertising is an important trend to watch, one that will likely help offset the cost of providing free WiFi to users. In general, attitudes toward the ads were encouraging, as a majority of survey respondents indicated they would watch advertisements in exchange for free WiFi service. This opens the doors for endless opportunities in the near future.

Toyota's Use of Public Relations and Social Media to Preserve Trust and its Brand

It is interesting to watch the Toyota story unfold. But, as a marketing professional it is very interesting to watch its use of marketing—commercials, YouTube and etc.
Toyota used public relations, social media, and YouTube to deliver a message by Jim Lentz, president of Toyota’s US marketing, to reassure consumers over concerns surrounding the safety of its cars. They used the video-sharing website in an attempt to restore trust in the brand and avoid damage to its reputation, which reports estimated could cost the brand as much as £4bn worldwide. On the YouTube video, Lentz says, “I hope you will give us a chance to win back your trust.” Trust is a key value the company is also really pushing forward. We are the company you have trusted and you can continue to trust.

Effectively the company is using YouTube and traditional commercials in an attempt to restore trust in the brand and avoid damage to its reputation. While commercials are a great vehicle, a key YouTube element is that unlike television this clip will be around for public consumption for quite a long time and it can be embedded on blogs like this or Facebook, subscribed to on Youtube, and generally pushed around online so there is extra power in the message.

The "mythical" new iPad review

Like everything Apple designs, the iPad is intended to satisfy our cravings for simplicity and clarity. On the surface it appears to be little more than an oversized iPhone, a flat, black screen with a single button but underneath it wants to be a laptop.

The screen is about the size of a large paperback, but it's just half an inch deep. That big, glassy screen does leave it vulnerable to breakages, but could also make it much easier for people who are used to toting a laptop around with them.

Using it will be familiar to anybody who has tried an iPhone: it uses the same combination of swipes, pokes, jabs and sweeps of the finger of its smaller cousin. Sweep your hand across its reactive 9.7-inch screen, though, and everything feels more satisfying and natural.

The iPad attempts to do almost everything that your laptop can, while also offering almost everything your smartphone can do as well. Surfing the web was a breeze, while it plays video smoothly and handles a variety of games pretty well. You can use any of the existing iPhone applications straight away, though it is disappointing when you realise that they become blocky and almost childlike when expanded to fill the larger screen.

Switched into ebook mode, the way the iPad emulates the printed page feels fairly natural, if not entirely on a par with rival ebook readers such as Amazon's Kindle. When you get down to business, the iPad might not be enough for heavy users. The on-screen keyboard will take a little getting used to: unlike the thumb-driven flash of text messaging, typing on the iPad requires either a single finger stab or putting it down on a flat surface. But for casual entertainment, it manages to do plenty very well: the sort of thing likely to tempt customers who want a lightweight laptop but doesn't really need it to do any heavy lifting.

For anyone who loves new technology, getting the first touch of a new Apple device is a little seeing a unicorn: the first experience of a mythical object imbued with miraculous properties.

Jobs portrays it as exactly that, a magical device that will change the way we use computers in our everyday lives. And while playing with the iPad was not exactly a religious experience, it's not hard to see that the gadget, or at least the ideas it contains, will be with us for a long time to come.

Mobile News Update

It seems like more and more people are checking their email and social networks every morning. Most of us do it to find out what happened while we were sleeping. Except for we're not tucking into a newspaper with our coffee, we're scrolling down a Twitter or a Facebook app.

This is why news organizations have developed iPhone apps. I ran a search for news applications at the iTunes News Apps for iPhone and stopped counting at 3,240. I love convenience and no matter how small laptops become, my iPhone is always with me. Given the increase in the number of people who will have access to high speed, Internet-enabled devices in years to come, news organizations have joined many other companies that are ahead of the game on portability.

The best part on this is that news organizations have a new opportunity to be portable with relevance. In an age when magazines and newspapers are not a daily habit as much any more, news apps incorporate portability with immediacy - push notifications are an example of that.

What can businesses learn from news apps? I think a big part of it involves "providing value in exchange for presence" on mobile phones. Great brands provide utility, experimentation, design of experience, create a sense of community with customers, and change the model.

I believe the best way you get your news feeds on peoples phones comes down to:

1. Publishing great content - this is something you will continue to see improving everywhere. Feeding the web that feeds your phone a completely new and exciting way of organizing content.

2. Being real - we got past the empty "hi, how are you, I'm going to the store" kind of real. Technology updates, entertainment and engagement are good starting points, depending on what your brand stands for.

3. Giving the inside scoop - social networks seem to be giving you the uncut news more quickly now, because it is not monetized like the big news organization.

4. Being personal - a personal relationship still outweighs all the digital gimmicks out there.

5. Allowing a conversation - mobile begins to fare much better than social this year.

This leads to your own personal reflection of what news app works best for you and what you consider intrusive on your phone.

3 of the Most Incredible Things Public Relations can do for Your Organization

I want to share with you some of the incredible benefits of public relations, below are three of the most incredible. Public relations is the start of a relationship with a customer, and to get that ball rolling, you have to know why having that relationship is important. Customers trust someone they know, and using PR, you can gain that trust.Here are a few things PR can do for your company:

"Build your brand." I believe a good mix of public relations, not advertising, builds a brand. A brand cannot be built on advertising alone since PR is more credible and trustworthy than advertising. Advertising hopes to relay information, but a press release, social media, marketing, newspaper article, or trade show appearance can help to share information and have a meaningful conversation and connection with a customer.

"Create trust for your company and its products." This adds to the first bullet point: "Because public relations is viewed as more credible than advertising, it's a great tool for helping customers understand that they can trust your product." While trust is not gained overnight, PR can greatly increase your chances of generating that trust from customers.

"Shift the perception of your product.""PR is also a useful tool for changing the way customers view your product." Your product, depending on its stage in the life cycle, may already have a perception customers associate it with. These perceptions are sort of like stereotypes about a product that are very hard to change or shift. To change this perception, a company would need to use some major PR tactics. They would need to utilize the media and customers to help that perception change.

Thank you for reading. I hope to have shown you that with the right mix, Public Relations can be an invaluable asset to any organization.

2010 February 15-18 Mobile World Congress

GSMA Mobile World Congress (3GSM) in Barcelona is the biggest wireless tradeshow in the world. It combines the world's largest mobile industry exhibition with an innovative and exciting conference featuring leading mobile operators, vendors, and content owners from across the world. Approximately 50,000 key decision-makers in the mobile industry are expected to attend the 2010 Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Mobile World Congress presents an abundance of opportunities for mobile professionals and innovators from operators, value-added service providers, and equipment and device manufacturers from around the world. Mobile World Congress provides the ideal experience and environment for networking with a select circle of mobile professionals who can positively impact your business for an entire year. For more info check out GSM World.

The power of humanity through Social Media

It’s hard not to feel for the people of Haiti.

The recent earthquake has left Port au Prince devastated and resources to aid in the aftermath scarce or used up. According to The New York Times:

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told NBC’s “Today” program that 3 million people – about a third of Haiti’s population – had been affected by the quake, and that “there will be tens of thousands of casualties – we don’t have any exact numbers.”

I’ve noticed something as this disaster has unfolded – more than ever before, people are using social media to spread the word and help the relief efforts. People are posting Facebook statuses with their thoughts, prayers and personal connections. Twitter is especially abuzz about Haiti, with such trending topics as#HelpHaiti and #Haitirelief. Scores of non-profit agencies are also using Twitter to raise awareness – and money. The Red Cross and other groups are also accepting donations via text messages.

According to some accounts, a few online con artists are using the Haitian disaster as an opportunity to swindle generous people out of their money. But Twitter is facing up to that challenge as well, with people sharing links to helpful websites like Charity Navigator, which lets you analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of more than 5,400 charities. Another article making the rounds: Ten Tips to Help Haiti, Not Scammers from PCMag.com.

My point is this: social media has proven before and continues to prove itself to be more than just a frivolous time-waster – it can add real value and sense of community, especially in times of tragedy.

My thoughts and prayers are with those in Haiti.

It’s a Mash Mash Mashup World We Live In

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going on a tour of some of New York’s most renowned art galleries. (For those who are curious, the tour took us through 7 galleries in the famous Chelsea art district.) What struck me was the fact that roughly half of the works were one form or another of what we commonly refer to in the online world as…“the mashup.” One example is artist, Matthew Cusick, who cuts up multiple maps and reassembles them to replicate an image from nature. (Note his beautiful interpretation of a wave above – the blue pieces were taken from the oceans we see on a world map.)

However, the German artist, Martin Denker, may be more representative of the modern mashup wizard: rather than physically cutting anything, he finds, appropriates and develops his own pieces completely from his computer. According to our guide, Martin doesn’t actually create any of the individual elements from scratch – if you look closely at his various pieces (see example above), you’ll find images as diverse as a golf course in Dubai to a certain Mario Brothers video game character.

I think what’s interesting is what this new wave of mashup artists tells us about how we now view “art” generally: when some of the finest galleries in New York are showcasing these artists, you know the mashup has reached near full acceptance as something “worthy” in society. (I say “near acceptance” as major museums seem more reluctant to show these types of work.)

Of course, the mashup has existed in various art forms for many years. Hip hop artists – the Beastie Boys are a great example – have been “re-appropriating”(a.k.a “sampling”) other people’s music for at least twenty five years. And, “pop artists” such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol rose to fame in the early ‘60s using a similar approach. Who can forget the comic book strips Lichtenstein used as the basis for his art, including one of my personal favorites featuring the line “I Don’t Care! I’d rather sink…than call Brad for help!”

However, while the mashup has been with us for many years, what’s new is its sheer pervasiveness today, whether we’re speaking of artists working on canvas, in music, and increasingly, in the form of video. And, I think there’s little doubt that digital technologies have been the impetus behind the explosion of mashups both in terms of those that allow us to create (e.g. video and photo editing tools) as well as share (e.g. Youtube.) As technology continues to advance, the mashup seems destined to become an ever greater part of our daily lives.

Andy Warhol would have been proud.