Today all manner of ghosts, goblins and terrible things wander the streets looking to fill little loot bags with yummy treats. It is the only “holiday” to celebrate the darker side of our nature; a time when the lines blur between the living and the dead according to the ancient beliefs of the Celts. Read More

There has been much discussion and writing recently suggesting and even claiming that failure is the key to success. So, my point of view on “Failure is the Key to Success”… What a steaming load of politically correct bull shit! Read More

With Hurricane Irene affecting the Eastern US over the weekend emergency response and crisis management and communications will be foremost in the minds of many companies and public agencies. I spent two years researching and consulting creating emergency preparedness plans around the eventuality of an Avian Flu Pandemic. What I learned during that time is that the best planning and preparation fails if there is no ability to communicate effectively reliably and quickly during a crisis. Read More

While I have been meaning to explore this topic for awhile, a recent post by Olivier Blanchard has convinced me to write it now. If you read his post and the comments – and I recommend you do - you will notice he caused quite a controversy, not by his topic, but the inferences made within it and the style in which it was delivered. To me, it brings up the issue of blogger and author accountability. Read More

There seems to be a lot of hullabaloo about a new concept called "Social SEO" these days. While much smarter people than I wrangle with the delicate details of what it is and how it works, I would like to put forward a theory on how these two elements should be integrated and applied as layers in the Enterprise. In my mind, this opens a massive opportunity to institutionalize your brand in the customer mind and create ground swell in the market. How you say? Well, it all has to do with your perspective (how you see the world) and how the customer mind processes and then automates information. Read More

Do you ever feel like you’ve been screwed when you order a meal? The menu tantalized you with images and words that described a wonderful, sent-from-heaven meal and then when it arrives, you say “What the hell?!” This is how I have felt numerous times attending conferences, unconferences and events that espouse “advanced theory on social media” and “come hear from the experts”. It’s gotten to the point where even seeing these ads or hearing people talk about it triggers my gag reflex. Honestly, I would rather nail my head to the coffee table than sit through another minute of someone explaining Social Media 101 to me. Read More