Category: General

News is slow these hot long Summer days, as can be evidenced by my past few posts.

However, even sitting in the dark, cool shade, one PR mistake that just keeps growing is SCO’s lawsuit against Linux, IBM and the industry.  We first tackled this back in May.

Phil Gomes, a committed Linux user, points to an opinion piece on CNET that examines the implications of trying to tackle a “movement” rather than a product – in this case the movement is Linux.

It contrasts IBM’s concilitory approach to Linux with SCO’s flurry of Linux-related subpoenas.

It’s an interesting PR concept and not one necessarily tied to technology. 

Getting back to SCO, I think their agressive stance is illustrative of how you can lose the battle for public opinion. Their partners are already distancing themselves from the fall-out.  Witness Intel pulling out as a top sponsor of their user event.

Compete in the market, that’s what it’s there for.

 Interesting look at PR around the PGA

 The Online Journalism Review has a lot of interesting articles on how journalists are using and adopting to the new Internet tools:

• Personal broadcasting opens yet another front for journalists
• Feeling misquoted? Weblogs, transcripts let the reader decided
• One man blogs prove there is money to be made from online journals
• News sites still figuring out what to do with online communities

Microsoft’s recent announcement that it would cease regular updates of Internet Explorer for Windows and cease development for the Mac version entirely is a silly move.

Now Internet Explorer for Windows, will only be updated with new versions of Windows. This is obviously a vain attempt at adding value to new Windows releases and therefore buttress declining growth in Windows sales.  But from a marketing perspective this is very strange. Internet Explorer is already lagging way behind new browsers like Mozilla and Firebird (my favorite), it doesn’t make much sense (unless you have a market completely dominated..).

Now Microsoft is ceasing all development on Outlook Express, arguably the world’s most popular e-mail client. If you’re using Windows, maybe you should look at Eudora again!

Sean Gallagher points to a fascinating new online database which trawls the Internet and builds profiles of people based on websites, press releases, SEC filings etc.

The Eliyon Corporate Alumni database is currently in beta test and while it’s not perfect, it’s very very interesting.

Search for a company you worked in and it returns people known to have worked there and where else they have worked. All based on data it’s spidered across the web.

It has the potential to waste hours of productive time.

The author of a new book entitled “In the court of Public Opinions: Winning your case with Public Relations”, believes the reason behind Martha Stewart’s recent poor financial performance was the failure of her attorneys to properly represent her case in a timely manner.

“The whole thing is very penny ante, and they are very difficult charges to prove, but because the prosecutor got the first bite of the apple here and it took a while for Stewart’s lawyers to get her side of the story out, most people think she is guilty,” James Haggerty said.

The quote comes from an interesting story in the Boston Herald.

Following in the footsteps of PR Watch, a new self-appointed PR watchdog has been established, this time in the UK. 

Anti-Spin.com describes itself thus:
“Anti-Spin.com is a not for profit organisation for those who believe that our society is being swamped by propaganda, half truth and untruth.”

One thing in this site’s favor, is that it is looking to create dialog.

Where PR Watch just bares it’s teeth at whatever comes to hand, at least Anti-Spin.com is open to discussion on matters relating to Public Relations.

The site includes an article from incoming President of the IPR (UK variety of the PRSA) Anne Gregory (also a colleague of popular PR blogger Richard Bailey):

“It is time that the representatives of both the press and the PR industry has a serious discussion about the rules of engagement. It is not good for society that the critical faculties of the press are being blunted. Neither is it good that the genuine contribution of PR to the public agenda goes unrecognised. There is a mutual responsibility for a respectful distance to be kept between both professions and an equal responsibility for both to act respectfully towards the other, and that means honesty and integrity must prevail if society is to be served.”

Debate and discussion is a healthy way to deal with issues that people are passionate about.  I’m all for it. Standing on the moral high-ground and preaching to the plebs below achieves nothing. I’m interested in how this develops.

Well good news for the blog reading public, the number of new PR blogs continues to grow. 

My latest discoveries include PR News a weblog for University of Miami  PRSSA members and Phil’s Place a PR weblog from Belgium. 

In what is becoming something of a common industry practice, another unauthorized press release hit the wires.

Hill & Knowlton erroneously sent out a press release announcing a financial transaction by their client NextWave Telecom on August 1. H&K were right on it and had a follow-up statement out the same day.

The approved release hit the wires last week.

Richard Bailey the UK’s PR blogging impressario and now full-time lecturer has kicked off a new PR blog for Leeds Metropolitan University.

Up2Speed has an interesting post asking who the new media influencers are. In particular who the major technology influencers are.

I think weblogs are creating a new generation of influencers, but at the risk of sounding pass�I think existing media influencers continue to be vital. I would look at the new bloggers as an addition to your existing list, not a replacement. Good writing and innovative thinking is unique, it doesn’t depend on the medium.