The Cacc Attack (PR)

I'm Back...maybe

2011-09-05T00:16:00.002-04:00

My last post was around 7 months ago.

Where have I been you say?

Well, I got a big boy job. Yay, me!

It's at a PR firm (I'm sure if you dig through my social media properties, you can figure out which one), but here's the shocker: I'm not doing PR. Gasp. I know.

I'm doing SEO - Search Engine Optimization. I interned for this PR firm doing SEO and absolutely fell in love. I'm now a full-blown search nerd.

What's that mean? It means instead of pitching, I'm link building; instead of writing press releases, I'm editing blog posts' titles and copy for keywords and optimizations. Instead of looking up PR trends, I'm looking at what Google and Bing are doing. I'm also analyzing why people come to a given site. I've found my calling...and it's nerdy as all hell.

Anyways...what this means for this blog?

It's more than likely going to get a little nerdy and focus on SEO and search trends. I can also see this turning into a "hey, check this out." Or it might just turn a little on the personal side...who knows.

All I know is that in the up-coming week, I'll talk about Spotify (love it) and some record labels not participating in it (not loving it).

Mission Failure

2011-02-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post the original "I'm doing an experiment" blog, but I've never gotten around to writing it.

Basically, I was attempting to do everything work-related online or through technology. I figured it'd be great to not take around a notepad/Post-It note pad everywhere I went. I could simply download an app (like Dropbox and Evernote) and take it wherever I went.

Dropbox: Dropbox is an online storage site. The coolest thing about it is that I can write a document, upload at my work computer, look at that same document on my Droid and then download it on my Mac at home.

Evernote: Evernote is an online note manager. You write a note/document and you can view and edit it on your phone and/or another computer. (I particularly love it for meeting preps and my grocery list.)

For my notes I used Google Tasks to keep myself updated on what I had to do and check the items off when I completed it.

Findings

I found some success with Evernote and Dropbox. I absolutely love having my documents and notes within arms reach everywhere I go. I think it actually has helped my productivity. I can walk and read what I need to read while on the walk to work. I can also print out documents at home for my own reading.

I failed pretty bad with the tasks end. I realized that it ended up being more of a distraction than helpful. I constantly had to switch my open pages to find the list and cross it off. It was always in the background, not the foreground and obvious to me. I'm going to stick to my Post-Its. I noticed that the Post-Its allowed me to slow down and see what I actually have to do rather than with the Google Tasks. For some unknown reason, my Tasks list ended up being overly complicated: remember K.I.S.S. Plus, my Post-It notes were always in front of me.

Conclusion

I think I'm going to adapt a hybrid of tech/traditional work lifestyle. For example, I will be writing down my tasks to do for the day manually on Post-It note pads. I will use technology for updating and uploading documents between my phone, Mac and PC. All in a glorious harmony.

The Force is Strong With This One

2011-02-04T19:02:00.002-05:00

For this Super Bowl inspired (sorta) blog post, I'm just going to post the first viral video of the Super Bowl commercial season.

This video has double meaning for me. First, this video is spreading like wildfire. Who among us can't relate to the little kid pretending to weild the Force? (Don't pretend like you've never done it.)

The second resonant part for me is that for some ungodly reason I didn't have the Holy Trilogy (original Star Wars) on DVD. Weird, I know. After the realization, I immediately jumped on Amazon and ordered it. Guess what I'm doing this weekend pre-Super Bowl?

Super Bowl pick: Packers by 3.

Speaking of Falling

2011-02-02T20:17:00.001-05:00

Remember a week ago when I posted (i.e., stole from Mashable) about the woman who was texting and fell into the fountain?

Well, she's suing.

I want to give her a Face Palm Award for this, but it seems a little too easy.

Really? You, who were too dumb look where you were walking, to use your peripherals, are now suing the mall?

Ok, that'd make even the least bit of sense, if you weren't the anonymous "lady who fell into the fountain."

The only people who knew that you fell into the fountain were people who worked at the mall and people you told about the incident.

Instead of just taking it in stride and taking your falling as a laughable thing, you lawyer up and run to the media. Thus, going from the lady who fell into the fountain into a real person. (I'd rather not post her name, you can read the article here for her name and the entire story.)

So congrats! So now instead of being an anonymous joke, you're putting yourself in the forefront and making yourself known.

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

2011-01-31T13:00:00.003-05:00

I've always said that while I've used tags such as Snowpocalypse, the snow wasn't a big deal. Suck it up and move on.

That is until I was walking down my driveway to head to work and I hit some black ice and landed clear on my left buttocks/back (I live on a hill). It wasn't one of my most graceful moments. Anyways, I hurt my lower back pretty good, so needless to say, I'm not in the mood to write a brooding political/tech piece today. (I PROMISE TO WRITE ABOUT THAT LADY FALLING IN THE MALL FOUNTAIN AND THE STATE OF THE UNION.)

In the tech spectrum, I've been addicted to Feedly to read my Google Reader. It makes your rss subscriptions into a pretty layout (like a magazine). I subscribe to a ton of rss feeds, and this extension (for Mac, Firefox and Safari) makes it a lot easier to read and is more aesthetically pleasing.

I've also discovered the Gestures app for my Droid2 - you can search your phone by writing letters on your phone. I'm not giving the app justice. Just download it's free awesomeness (use the QR code to the left).

Here's a cool Heineken viral video. Enjoy, and I'll be back to my blogging self in a few days (hopefully).

State of My Union (Just Kidding; Just the Links)

2011-01-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

Apparently nothing has really been going on worthy of ridicule/note.

Yes, I know about the State of the Union was this week, and I promise to talk about it next week.

Anyway, I'm just going to write up a quick blurb and link-out post.

There's a new website that is basically a fan-run record label. Crowdbands allows fans to become the decision makers in a band's career.

From Mashable:

"Fans can sign up for Crowdbands — it costs $25 per year — and thereby become involved in the decision-making processes of a variety of bands. In a sense, they become the band’s de facto record execs, while the site itself is the label."

Check out Mashable's article about Crowdbands. This is such a cool idea; I hope it's successful.

Spain came up with a really cool use for QR codes. It'd be kind of cool to see this kind of stuff in DC around the different monuments.

Cool little infograph about the history of social media.

R U serious?! I'm really not buying this. The only reason is because my 15-year-old cousin texts me all the time with horrendous spelling and little to no grammar. I can kinda see how it could benefit students - most phones now spellcheck so you can see the correct spelling of a word, but that's such a stretch.

3D phones! 3D phones? 3D phones?! Are you kidding me? File this as the most absolutely unnecessary thing in the world. Or maybe we are just one step away from some Star Wars-esque kinda stuff. I want a lightsaber - just food for thought.

Tune in next week, where I promise to actually write some good ole fashioned blogs (maybe).

Just The Links

2011-01-24T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've had an interesting week, so I've neglected the blog. I'm sorry.

One of the cooler things that happened to me last week was my first time in Capital Hill. I was way too excited for that. What can I say? I'm a huge nerd.

Anyway, today's post will just be a just-the-links kind of post.

It feels like a do nothing kind of day. Don't worry there's a website for that kind of thing. Do Nothing for 2 Minutes.

Google Reader got a demotion. That saddens a lot of people including me. :'-(

Living Social and Amazon = hearts (and savings). Living Social offered a $20 Amazon gift card for just $10. Apparently, about a million of people (including myself) responded.

Did you know the cops can look through your phone if you don't have a password on it? I didn't either.

Tag you're it. Nike+ allows for a game of tag.

Stealing the line from Mashable: Don't text and walk or everyone will laugh at you. (NOTE: There will be a more in-depth story about this video this week.)

Starbucks is at it again. Not sure where to start: They have the Trenta The 31-ounce goodness that I am more than likely going to enjoy on some occasions. Not only did they roll out a massive coffee size (which is larger than the human stomach), they made a sweet mobile app to complement their Rewards program. Basically, you can buy drinks directly with your phone app's barcode. Don't worry my Droid brethren, we'll be getting an app soon. Dearest, Starbucks, I do love you. (Here's another link about the app.)

Can you pass the social media relations quiz by Bad Pitch Blog? No one in PR wants to end up on this blog (hell, I'm mortified to pitch in a bad way, just on the off chance I somehow get mentioned). Though, I read it to NOT do the things that get put on there - which, I'm sure, is their intention.

PRSA poses the question: should there be a law to shield journalistic sources in the social-media age?

After living in the DC area for all of four months, it's apparent that people around here are nuts when it comes to snow. An inch of snow doesn't require panic. This is coming from a kid who is from a NJ town that doesn't get a lot of snow. Relax, it ain't that bad (besides the DC area hasn't gotten any snow.) Here's a video to lighten up the mood:

RIP Sargent Shriver.

RIP Jack LaLanne.

No Comment

2011-01-17T17:15:00.000-05:00

It's been about a week since the tragic shooting in Arizona.

I'm going to be honest here, this blog is about Sarah Palin's response to the shooting.

If you haven't been aware (I'm sure you are), Palin had a picture on her website with a map of Congress members who voted for the healthcare bill. The Congress members' districts were marked with a crosshair. Some people are blaming Palin for the shooting.

Their thought process is that her map (and the aggressive and mean-spirited political climate) were the inspiration for the gunman.

The messed up part about this whole thing is that no one except for the shooter will know why he did what he did (unless he decides to open up about his motive). More than likely, he was deranged; nothing more, nothing less.

Back to Palin.

I have no clue where Palin got her press secretary/PR support, but he/she needs to be fired. In the wake of this tragedy, Palin released a video. In the video, she spends a few minutes talking about the tragedy and feeling sorrow. Well-played; show your sadness and let that be the end of it. Palin then continues and gives us a lesson about the American government. She tries to make the point of saying political discourse has never been civil. Palin then mentions dueling. (Are you kidding me? In a response in which you are trying to defend yourself against allegations involving a shooting, you reference DUELING! Are you out of you mind?!)

I'm going to offer some free advice here. The beginning of your video was good; saying you felt sorry and was saddened by the shooting was good. The truth is always a good policy, and it's an appropriate response to the tragedy. That's when her video should have ended.

If she wanted to respond to the map accusations, it's really not that hard. She should just said the magic words after this statement: In no way was my map intended to be used as a hit list. I'm sorry for the actions by one individual. I pray that Gabby is doing well and will make a full recovery.

What are those magic words? I have no further comment on this matter.

But Anthony, the press and public will be mad and there won't be any answers. She will still be accused and the public will hate her.

That may be true, but has her response done anything to help her reputation?

NOTE: The magic words aren't just for just Sarah Palin; they are for every politician and/or public figure.

Anyway, I can't embed the video of the response due to copyright laws and will not link the CBS Youtube page because of the ridiculous and offensive comment thread. Instead, I'll link to the ABCNews site with the video and a news article about it.

I found a picture of the map from The Huffington Post.

The Random Link Post

2011-01-14T13:04:00.001-05:00

I'm a little too lazy to a post long-winded article today. Instead, it's going to be strictly a linking out kind of thing.

Did you know Facebook is shutting down? Me neither. Just kidding.

Speaking of Facebook, here are some tips for Facebook photo privacy.

Here's Mashable's 10 Apps to Watch in 2011.

These kids these days and their confounded technology and politics.

I'm sure by now we've all heard about Ted Williams' and his amazing radio voice. No, you haven't? Seriously? Well, ok, here's the link.

Like Coldplay? How about System of a Down? How about a mash-up of Coldplay and System of a Down? It's pretty awesome to be honest.

Hate getting up in the morning as much as I do? Peter Shankman has some tips and reasons to get up early. I will just stick to my coffee, thank you.

Speaking of coffee, Starbucks has redesigned their logo. It's pretty cool to be honest.

The woman who was on the iconic "We Can Do It" World War 2 poster has died. RIP Geraldine Doyle.

PRSA has a list of 2011 PR trends to look out for.

Recently, a UFC fighter decided he'd take the political angle and said he'd want to fight President Obama next. Here's a Jay Leno clip showing Obama's response (and the subsequent story):

You hear about the iPhone coming to Verizon? Of course you did; I won't insult you by linking to them. (NOTE: It's cool, but realize that Verizon is getting an older, non-4G version. Here is a biased comparison of the iPhone and two new Droid phones coming out.)

Speaking of the iPhone, @Verizon tweeted from its iPhone and then deleted it. Classic.

Are you on Quora? I'm on Quora. It'll be interesting to see how this may or may not be used in the PR/social media field. How small businesses can use it by ReadWriteWeb.

The First Face-Palm of the Year.

2011-01-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

Are you excited? I sure am. I've been a little busy, but it doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention to the news.

Have you heard about this?

A publisher of Mark Twain's classic, Huckleberry Finn, is being censored. It's being censored for children in school.

I can't fathom why on Earth you would want to censor a CLASSIC literature.

It saddens me how politically correct we've become where we have to censor a classic because it has offensive language.

I believe that the book shouldn't be censored, first and foremost, because it was written during a specific time period. During this time period, African Americans were called a derogatory word. It's unfortunate, but it's how it was. Censoring it is akin to censoring the history behind it.

How about we edit the history books as well? The Holocaust was horrendous and millions of people died. Let's just pretend that didn't happen. Or that women never had the opportunity to vote. Or that Native Americans were subjected to disease and murder. Oh, I know, let's pretend that African Americans, weren't slaves, then weren't subjected to being second class citizens.

That isn't going to work. History happened; we need to learn from it and try to make sure we never make that same mistake.

Anyway...(as I step down from my soapbox).

So, for the first time this year, I am awarding the Face Palm Award to two recipients. The first is going to NewSouth Books, the publisher of Huckleberry Finn. You get it for ruining a classic.

The second award goes to the American public. Because of you, books are being censored and free speech is being hindered in some capacity as well because you are too sensitive. But I digress.

If you want a laugh about the reason for the censoring, comedian, Louis C.K. has a joke about the N-Word and the idiocy behind saying the N-Word over the actual word.

NSFW

Congrats to NewSouth Books for your Face Palm Award. And thank you for ruining a classic and depriving future generations from reading a masterpiece.

Get Well Soon Rep. Giffords

2011-01-09T19:39:00.011-05:00

If you haven't paid attention, a few days ago, Congresswoman Giffords was maliciously gunned down, allegedly, by Jared Lee Loughner.

Apparently, people are taking pot-shots at each others' party because of this. That is absolutely apprehensible. I won't make a comment on that idiocy.

Instead, I'll just post some links about the event as of the time of writing.

Get well soon.

I found an interesting perspective of how social media played a factor in what happened.

Sorry for Being AWOL

2011-01-07T13:09:00.003-05:00

I've been crazy busy as of late, so I apologize. I promise once I get used to my new schedule, I will blog again regularly. Expect the blogging to resume next week.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's.

In the meantime here's a Tom Petty video:

And of course, The Simpsons featuring "The Waiting." (NOTE: Homer is waiting for a gun; now you'll get the random targets and ducks.)

Snowpocalypse pt. 2

2010-12-28T16:09:00.004-05:00

I have no clue how bad it is in the DC area, but I can only imagine.

I'm up in New Jersey with my family for the holiday season. If you don't know, we got hammered with snow.

I've been told somewhere around 10-14 inches, but it definitely seems a lot more (especially, since I had to shovel).

I remember last year's Snowpocalypse and heard from friends what had happened last year in the DC area. Let's just say around NJ, it was more of the same and about the same level of chaos.

Anyways, I thought this was a cool use of Twitter and the government.

Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker used Twitter to reach out to his community to update what the municipality was doing in their snow efforts as well as helping individuals who needed help getting their cars dug out and/or driveways shoveled.

Here's the Mashable link to read the entire story. Apparently, it's not the first time Booker has used Twitter to keep people in the loop.

That's a great use of social media for social good. Hopefully, we can see more politicians adopting social media and becoming more transparent in general.

Here are three pictures I took of my back yard in NJ:

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

2010-12-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'm more than likely going to take a mini-vacation from blogging while I'm home for Christmas.

I figure I'll post some classic Christmas videos to get in the mood.

If you don't know, I'm a HUGE horror movie buff. There has to be a few of you out there reading this so I'll also post some trailers for some Christmas-themed horror faves.

The Snow Miser and Heat Miser song from The Year Without a Santa Claus:

Frosty the Snowman:

The Island of Misfit Toys from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

Put One Foot in Front of the Other from Santa Claus is Coming to Town:

The Chinese Restaurant scene from A Christmas Story. I really could put any clip from this classic. Who doesn't love this movie?

Horror Movie Trailers:

One of my favorite horror movies. Black Christmas (the 1974 original).

This movie was actually banned and caused quite a controversy back in the day. (It's actually timid by today's standards.) Silent Night, Deadly Night.

I watched this with little-to-no expectations at all. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ok now that I've probably scared you, I'll throw in some Elf to bring back the Christmas cheer:

Merry Christmas to all; I'll be back after sometime next week.

Personal 2010 Recap and 2011 Resolutions

2010-12-22T20:06:00.010-05:00

So 2010 has just about ended, and I might as well jump on the recap bandwagon.

For me 2010 had it's ups and downs. But overall, it was a decent year setting up for a great 2011.

Here's a list of my personal recap of 2010:

1. I began this blog.

What better way to show a future employer that I can write and have my ear to the ground for pertinent topics. Or at least, it's a way I personally stay on top of issues that I find interesting.

2. I landed my first PR internship.

Ok, while this is technically the end of 2009, I'm counting it as 2010. I worked my tail off and got some killer experience. I wrote and edited a ton of material that definitely has helped my writing.

3. I got a mentor.

Simply put, he's helped me tighten up my resume and meet some cool people in the PRSA.

4. Went to the PRSA International Conference.

That was such a cool experience for me and helped me meet some cool people in the industry.

5. I began going to networking events.

This is a first for me. Truthfully, I tend to be on the shy side, so going to a networking event where I had to talk to multiple people about me was tough. But it helped me lead to my most important decision and event in 2010.

6. I moved to DC-metro area.

This was by far the scariest thing I've ever done. I said, "screw it" and threw my Hail Mary to find a job. I wanted to find a job in DC and living in NJ was hindering my search. After returning from a networking event in DC, I was convinced to move to help me in my search. I saved money during the summer, and in September, I moved to Arlington.

I noticed immediately that the move has helped me out greatly. I've had a bunch of interviews, and I can't complain.

7. I got an internship in DC.

At least I'm beginning the new year with a new job in the city I moved into. Things can only go up from here.

My Resolutions/Bucket List for 2011:

1. I will continue to blog.

I'm still shocked that people read my blog, but I'm appreciative. I will continue to write it. I may even throw in some video blogs in the near future.

(DISCLOSURE: I would have done it sooner, but I typically blog in the afternoon and am not in camera-ready form.)

2. I will have a full-time, real job.

2010 set me up with a ton of experience, and without a doubt by this time next year I will have a career.

3. I will read a lot more.

In 2010, I read a ton of books. Most of them were over the summer, but I read around 10 books. Not too bad. I plan on reading at least 10 books in 2011 including Putting the Public In Public Relations, Engage and a bunch of fiction (I'm a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan).

4. I will get my motocycle's license and ride.

I know, it's a little personal, but I want to get my license and ride a motorcycle. I think it would be pretty cool to ride around DC and take in the city on a bike. Of course, this is when it gets a lot warmer.

5. Take guitar lessons to brush up.

I've played guitar since I was 16. I haven't played as much as I have, and it saddens me. I want to take some lessons to brush up and get better. Besides, those who play music tend to be more creative; it'll definitely help me professionally.

I do have a few more, but I'm sure you've read the major bucket list items.

My next post will be in 2011! Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve.

Grinch-Tastic

2010-12-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

I might be in a Grinch-like mood.

But with that, I'll maybe help you out with some basic HTML coding.

I have a few pet peeves. I'll forget mistaking it and it's; your and you're; their, there and they're; and etc. I'll talk about how some people still can't do the most simple HTML coding.

In this day and age, it actually aggravates me when I click on a link and it takes me on the same page. Why would you want someone to navigate AWAY from your page? It seems counter-productive, especially, when your blogging.

The funny part is that it's really not that hard to link out of your blog to another site in a new window.

How to put a link in your blog (for the sake of argument, I will be linking to my LinkedIn page).

‹a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycaccavale"› My LinkedIn Page ‹/a›

What that will produce is: My LinkedIn Page

By clicking the above link, you will leave my blog. Just by adding one more step gives you the desired effect of leaving the page with a new window.

‹a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycaccavale" "target="_blank"› My LinkedIn Page ‹/a›

This gives you My LinkedIn Page which will open in a new window while you stay on this blog post.

Simple right?

Also, Google is your absolute best friend if you need to learn how to code. In fact, I used it to learn how to add ‹ and › to this post.

Also, here are some quick tips:

Every code needs to be closed; e.g., for a new paragraph you need ‹p› to begin the code. After the text is entered you would use ‹/p› to close the code.

New paragraph: ‹p› ‹/p›

Bold: ‹b› ‹/b›

Italic: ‹i› ‹/i›

Happy blogging/simple coding.

Another Quick Post

2010-12-20T14:23:00.009-05:00

Gimme a break, ok? I've got less than a week until Christmas, and I'm definitely feeling somewhat lethargic.

So instead of a winded post, I'll just post a few quick mini-posts.

1. DC Metro hires Ad Agency?

I like the initiative; I really do. But is it really necessary? The WMATA spent $1.2 million on hiring an ad agency for helping its image, guerrilla marketing and street teams.

I just have a few quick inquiries. How would guerrilla marketing help the Metro? How would a street team help the Metro with its image? I get harassed enough just taking the Metro, I don't want more people talking to me about how awesome it is.

I have a brilliant idea for the Metro to improve its image. Are you listening? Maybe instead of spending $1.2 million on an ad agency, you know maybe, just maybe, fix the Metro's problems - like the escalators and/or beefing up security.

Ever try walking up the escalator in Rosslyn? It's not fun.

2. Groupon continues to grow.

Groupon is amazing. I love it and have used the site to buy many of things (including a much-needed oil change for $19).

They recently rejected Google's acquisition off of $6 billion. What do they do? Hire former Amazon executive as CFO.

Bravo, Groupon, bravo. I can't wait to see Groupon's 2011 growth. There's apparently speculation of international growth.

(I found this story via Mashable.)

3. Mall of America social media brilliance.

Some people aren't like me. See, I'd much rather get done my Christmas shopping done quick and early (I've been done since December 1). I don't have to deal with the insane crazy lines and intense traffic. Don't worry, hopefully, by this time next year, many shopping centers will follow Mall of America's suit.

Mall of America is reserving holiday parking spots for its Twitter followers. Their Twitter page's followers has jumped from 4900 to over 5400. That's great considering, in reality, it's a local mall.

That's a great use of social media to help its brand and ensure loyalty.

Don't Ask...Do Tell

2010-12-17T14:19:00.001-05:00

One of the big issues facing Congress right now is the repealing of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT).

I'd rather not pick a side on this heated issue, but I don't really see the big deal in letting homosexuals participate in the military. But I'm not in the military so I don't really know how they feel.

Since it's been a big issue for quite a while, it's always kind of funny to see how Congressmen and high-ranking officials react.

Case in point: Senator John McCain.

The former Presidential candidate seems to be the foremost proponent of keeping DADT in place. I can understand this from a former military man. Though it's funny to see him squirm about his past comments about the issue.

In 2006, McCain went on record saying that he would support the repealing of the ban once high-ranking officials agreed with the change.

"The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it," McCain said in October 2006 to an audience of Iowa State University students. (NOTE: taken from the Washington Post.)

That day has passed.

So, what's changed in four years? I'd bank that McCain is still playing the party game rather than being the "Maverick."

It's definitely one of the issues to watch in 2011. (Let's be honest, DADT won't officially be repealed until the very earliest 2011.)

I'm UnbeLEEvably Annoyed

2010-12-16T15:12:00.000-05:00

I find that one of my obsessions is the New York Yankees. It was so bad that I had issues sleeping on Monday night because we didn't sign Cliff Lee (don't know who Lee is? I got you covered.).

The almost violent illness that came upon hearing that Lee wasn't going to the Yankees and was going instead to the Phillies cannot truly be described. But it made me think of why.

Then it came to me. It had to be a PR issue for the Yanks.

I talked about it briefly with the Jeter deal, and my roommate actually brought it to my attention.

Think about it: why would Lee want to sign with a team that "treated" a legend who really doesn't care about it's star player (who is a future Hall-of-Famer)? It makes a lot of sense.

The Jeter debacle made it look like the Yankees don't care about it's players or what they have done in the past. It ultimately has hurt the Yanks this off season. I can see a lot of players not wanting to come to NY for fear of the management when their contracts come up for renewal.

It also doesn't help that Nolan Ryan played the best PR attack ever by placing Lee's wife on the edge of the visitor's section to get heckled and spit on. (As a side note: you put any player's wife in the visitor's section, she will more than likely will get heckled as well. So let's not talk about it being NY fans. We all know Philly and Boston fans would do the same thing.)

The Yankees problem is that they didn't properly respond to Lee's wife's issue. Instead of coming out and saying not all fans are bad or putting any kind of positive spin on it, they let it go. It was stagnent. They let Ryan and the Texas Rangers dictate the story.

If I was the Yankees' PR team, I would try to stop the bleeding somehow. Maybe, have a get together with the entire team and leak the story to news outlets. Have some players talk about the organization. Publicly donate to charity. Just some thoughts.

Oh, Glenn Beck

2010-12-15T13:18:00.000-05:00

I just can't fathom how people can take this man seriously. I just really can't understand it.

At least Bill O'Reilly will say things that makes sense, and at least has numbers to back them up.

But not you, Glenn Beck. Nope.

Your numbers are just pulled out of the air.

Huffington Post posted a story about how Beck stated on his show (and in his book) that 10% of Muslims are terrorists. So, in perspective, 157 million Muslims in the world are terrorists*.

*This number was taken from the Huffington Post story which was taken from Think Progress.

I won't comment how ridiculous it is that this man has a show where he spouts blatant inaccuracies. I would give him a Face Palm Award, but I just don't see the point.

For the record, every religion has its extremists. If you take the percentages of extremists in each, it'd probably be quite a lot. How about we just stop spewing hate for hatred's sake, and I don't know, maybe, give the news?

Music Marketing Innovation - It's About Time

2010-12-13T12:02:00.000-05:00

I must be in a music industry/music kick lately (or at least more so than normal).

We all know the music industry is in a funk. My opinion on how that happened in simplistic terms is that they refused to adapt and are now trying to catch up to the times. Think about the late 90s. The Internet was surging with music. Instead of adapting to it and trying to use it for marketing/promoting/selling, they fought and sued (granted, rightfully so).

So, where are we today?

I have two prime examples of a magazine and a band doing it right.

If you read my blog, you'll probably get the feeling that I'm a metalhead. And you'd be right. I live and breath metal. I even interned at a metal-focused record label one summer. I read blogs and magazines devoted to metal.

In this month's Decibel magazine, I opened the magazine to find a flexi disc of a track. A flexi disc is basically a vinyl record that's flexible and can fit into magazine (for example). Sadly, I don't have a turntable, but I know many metalheads that do.

(Sorry for the terrible picture, but I figure it'd be easier to show a picture of the magazine with the flexi disc. If you want to see more pictures of it, I've done the Google search for you. You're welcome.)

This is such a great idea to bring in subscribers (flexi discs are mainly available to subscriptions only). Congrats to Decibel to coming up with an original idea to make something unique for your readers. And talk about niche. Many fans of metal/hardcore/punk/etc. love old school vinyls - I have some at my parents' house - and they know that many fans love having NEW records on vinyl.

The next example is from the band Graf Orlock. We all know the music industry is having issues with pirating. People would rather sit there and download free music than go out and spend $10-$20 on an album. The band's upcoming album will have their newest EP, their newest EP on vinyl and their three previous EPs. That's not the coolest part: the box folds out into an cardboard, old-school boombox. How much is this mega-pack of awesomeness? $15. (I'd link to the site to buy it, but it's got some very NSFW writing.)

Again, knowing their audience, the band created something that everyone will enjoy. I'll be completely honest, I've heard of Graf Orlock in passing but don't have any of their albums. I'm more than likely going to pick this up because it's cool and I get their previous records as a bonus. All for a decent price.

NOTE: I swear I'm not working for them or their label. I just really love their idea. What can I say? I'm a sucker for cool packaging/art work.

Kudos to both Decibel and Graf Orlock for being innovative and doing some market research. Hopefully, it pans out and they both see return.

Heads Up About This Spam Email

2010-12-10T12:34:00.005-05:00

So, as I was getting ready to leave my apartment last night, I received an email from "Marylee Andrade."

The subject line stated simply "Job Listing."

Now, if you're reading this blog, you're more than likely in the PR field, job seeking and/or intelligent, so please don't take this as insulting. It's simply a warning for you to share, or just a heads up in general.

Here's the email in full. Of course, I'll add some commentary underneath of it.

Hey, thanks for responding to us.

In case the posting was not clear, the responsibilities of this position are as follows: you will be answering the telephone and taking messages whenever applicable, you will be scheduling the corporate meetings, and running errands for the corporate for things for example buying supplies and making bank deposits (you will be supplied with a company automobile). While you're running errands, you will also be given 1 of our company credit card(s) for all business purchases.

You seem definitely qualified for our job opening, and much more so than the other four applicants we received applications from. I would like to take the next step with you. However, prior to I am able to schedule a formal meeting, my company will need that you acquire a recent (past 14-21 business days) credit score report. We started this because our company had some poor incidents with prior employees taking benefit of having access to a company credit card.

Both myself and the company will prefer it that you use this Credit Report to acquire your check as their scores usually report back the most factual and accurate info.

Once you submit all of the required info, they'll show your personal report. Then, you need to email me the reported credit score score, a telephone number that you can be easily reached, and your availability schedule to arrange an interview.

I ask you to not email me the whole report, as it'll have private content. In the event you have a lower than expected credit score score, it'll never stop you from a position with us. I had a fairly low score whenever I was hired.

In the event you don't wish to complete a recent credit score check, unfortunately the corporate will need that I contact the second choice.

Personally, I am hoping to fill this position with a new friendly face and am looking forward to your fast response.

Possess a great day,

Kind Regards,

Really?!

Ok; I have no clue where to start on this debacle of a scam.

1. I've never received an email from a company that started out as simple as "hey, thanks for responding to us." If it was going to be that informal, they at least use my name.

2. Marylee never identified the company. Her email isn't any indicator as well. Who still uses Hotmail anymore? Big red flag number 1.

3. Terrible English. The first paragraph is a huge run-on sentence. Big red flag number 2.

4. I've never applied to be a go-for. Big red flag number 3.

5. Four other applicants. I've NEVER EVER been told how many people have interviewed for a job before. I've been told I was the second choice, but that was from my uncle who knew the person I interviewed with. HUGE red flag number 4.

6. This is where I started to laugh. They have a link (that I didn't put in this so people wouldn't click on it) that apparently goes to a credit score checking site. That's because the company has had problems with people stealing. Once I get the report back I only have to send them my score, not the report itself with all of my important information. Wow, what a great deal. I know it's legit because they didn't want my report; just my score. RED FLAG NUMBER 5.

That's pretty scary stuff right there. These new scammers aren't even preying on the greedy, but the hungry, everyday person who is unemployed. Be careful guys.

RIP to a Metal Legend

2010-12-08T16:42:00.005-05:00

I'm going to keep it light this week. Next week I'll probably be blogging about some political stuff (like good ole Glen Beck and the DADT policy), but for now it'll be a video-heavy post.

We all know today was the day that John Lennon was gunned down, but six years ago another music legend was also gunned down. Dimebag Darrell Abbott, of Pantera and DamagePlan, was shot and killed by a crazed gunman in Ohio.

He was simply fantastic at playing and inspired countless people (myself included) to pick up and practice a guitar. I've never met him, but it seems he was well loved within the metal community. One of my biggest regrets is never seeing Pantera (or his subsequent side projects) live.

Rest in Peace Dime. You are surely missed in the music scene. \m/

Pantera-Walk

Pantera-Cemetery Gates

Pantera-Domination (my favorite song, but REALLY NSFW).

Pantera-I'm Broken

Pantera's YouTube Channel

Dime playing.

Six Degrees of Awesome

2010-12-06T15:25:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy past few days and weekend; I won't bore you with the details. Today is just going to be a post of a commercial with Kevin Bacon.

You have to love that Bacon has a sense of humor about himself.

I can't figure out why I find this commercial as funny as I do. It might be because I just can't help but think of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, and how this might be a play on that. I digress: funny is funny.

The same goes with this commercial:

This'll Be a Quickie

2010-11-29T17:57:00.016-05:00

I need to stop eating turkey. Seriously, I'm exhausted.

This will be a quick link-to kind of blog post.

1. Derek Jeter vs the Yankees.

I was going to write an entire blog post about this, but it seems kind of trivial. You have a huge PR crisis. In one corner, you have the Yankees Captain, Derek Jeter. He has led the Yankees to 5 World Series Championships, 7 appearances, 13 post season appearances, MVP awards, Gold Glove winner and multiple All-Star appearances. He's done this with class and no off-the-field issues. He is and will be a Yankees legend. In the other corner, you have the most winningest baseball organization. The Yankees have a storied history, multiple World Series Championships and multiple Hall of Famers. Long story short: you have a player who wants more money than he's worth (I love the guy, but it's the truth) based on his past, while the club doesn't want to pay for the past and is evaluating the player on his past season performance. Basically, a PR clash of a classy individual and a storied franchise. I'd link to some stories, but turn on ESPN and you'll find some stuff. Or read the NY Daily News or do a Google search.

2. USA Today has more entertainment reporters than reporters cover Congress.

Really?! This is just plain sad. And it's not even the newspaper's fault. Sadly, people would much rather read about Taylor Swift than what's going on in the government.

3. 10 Words to not use in your copy.

This is something a lot lighter for you. A top-10 list of words that shouldn't appear in your copy.

4. WikiLeaks

You have heard about WikiLeaks right? Or maybe not. Maybe you were too busy paying attention to what Kim Kardashian was doing. Here's the gist of what WikiLeaks has released: correspondence from the US and other foreign governments relating to Iran and its nuclear program. There will be more leaks to come.

5. Edelman vs Deadly Spin and Deadly Spin vs Edelman

Richard Edelman fired back has issues with the author of the critical PR book, Deadly Spin. Author, Wendell Spotter, fires back.

6. This just plain saddens me.

They've made a Yogi Bear movie. Will Hollywood stop doing this? Stop trying to make "easy money" by creating movies with characters from the past. Be creative and think for yourselves. It looks terrible and sullies Yogi's character. (Think I'm being overdramatic? Look at the live action Scooby Doo movies, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Underdog and Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.) What's next? Droopy Dog, Secret Squirrel or the PowderPuff Girls.

Hey USA Today reporters, let's call some of your Hollywood contacts and tell them to stop ruining kid shows with crappy movies.

7. RIP Leslie Nielsen

"Surely, you can't be serious." "I'm am serious...and don't call me Shirley."

Cyber Monday

2010-11-29T17:27:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I blame the Turkey hangover (I had so much, I actually have a ton of leftovers that I brought back from home). I'm blaming the tryptophan (or the severe overeating) that made me be somewhat lethargic recently. On the plus side, I've had 3 interviews in around of a week's time; so, I guess I've been somewhat busy.

Anyway, it's Cyber Monday.

This seems to have been around for a few years, but it seems to be more popular today. If you don't know what it is, online stores (such as Amazon, Best Buy.com and etc.) are having sales online only. Think Black Friday but online and on Monday. I scored a cheap copy of Mass Effect 2 from Amazon.com (don't jude me).

This is such an interesting trend. Many retailers are claiming an increase of online shopping this year than the last. And it makes perfect sense. Who wants to get up early and rush to a crowded store? (I do.)

It's going to be interesting to note how technology has impacted literally everything we do. I'd much rather stay home and order from Amazon than go out and deal with cashiers. In fact, I constantly tell my parents to shop online rather than spend more money at a physical store (seriously, I can grab "Fight Club" for under $10 shipped; whereas Borders sells the book for $9.99-$14).

The main issue I have with online shopping is the fact that things sellout a whole lot quicker online than in person. For example, Amazon had their Kindle 2 on sale this Friday for $89. It sold out in under a minute (or at least felt like that seeing as I couldn't grab one even though I tried to order it at exactly 12:01 pm).

Obviously, there are pros and cons to holiday online shopping. Not going to lie, I'm done shopping for my parents for Christmas, and I got their stuff a lot cheaper because of ordering it online.

It's going to be interesting to see how this trend will shape up in the future. Maybe some QR codes to bring in people from online to the stores? We shall see.

The First Ever Face Palm Award.

2010-11-18T11:44:00.008-05:00

Normally, I like to have some humor in my posts. Especially, when it comes to politics.

But I just can't help but be annoyed right now.

I was reading Huffington Post and came across this gem about Texas State Representative Leo Berman (R) wants to pass a bill that requires future presidents and vice presidents to produce original birth certificates. This is an obvious jab at President Obama. (I really have no clue where this Republican rhetoric has come from.)

Instead of trying to pass legislation, Berman is trying to pass a "birther bill." So, let me get this straight: in a troubled economy, a ridiculous unemployment rate, two wars/conflicts, lack of healthcare, financial crises and other critical issues facing our country, one Representative is trying to pass a bill where future presidential and vice presidential candidates will have to show original birth certificates. In essence, we'd rather take jabs at our current president than actually getting to the root of real problems facing this country.

Instead of going on a tirade of how pointless this is for our country, I'm just going to skip it and present for the first time on The Cacc Attack, the FACE PALM AWARD*. This award is presented to idiotic people or companies that I find so moronic, I can't fathom the words to describe how asinine you truly are.

(*NOTE: I totally ripped off the Face Palm award from another blog that's escaping me at the moment. It might be Metal Sucks.)

Here's to you Texas State Representative Leo Berman (R). Congratulations on your Face Palm Award for trying to pass a bill that has nothing to do with progressing our country's interests.

Open Letter to GenY Dissenters

2010-11-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

This is an open letter to people who put down my generation (Millennials). A sort of rebuttal of BusinessWeek's article on etiquette.

Dear (Insert agist person's name here),

It's come to my attention that you keep bashing my generation because we lack etiquette, don't work hard, believe things should be handed to us (entitlement) and are so engulfed by technology we don't know how to talk to people. I must respectfully disagree.

1. Etiquette. First and foremost, handwriting classes are pointless. There, I've said it. It doesn't mean anything that I can write nice and neat. I'm sorry; it doesn't. Second, etiquette is taught and learned. For example, I was taught to hold the door open for women and older people (or just people in general. They, in turn, are supposed to say, "thank you." About 90% of the time I will try to hold the door open for people behind me because I was raised to do so. (As a side note, most of the older generation whom I hold the door open for does NOT say thank you.) I was also raised to say, "bless you" when someone sneezes (which I do) and to thank someone when they do something nice for you (which I do). I also write Thank You emails (snail mail is too slow) after I have an interview.

2. Millennials don't work hard. I find this absolutely laughable. Every generation has their slackers and generalization is insulting to everyone. You can't tell me that there are statistics and percentages that show Baby Boomers have a harder work-ethic than Millennials. Personally, I've NEVER had a complaint about my work-ethic (and I NEVER will).

3. Entitlement. Again, this is a learned attribute. I believe things SHOULD be handed to me. Let me explain: things should be handed to me if I work hard for those things. Let's rephrase this, shall we? If I earn something I should be able to obtain that thing. I've never been handed anything that wasn't earned. If I had the mindset of things should be handed to me, I wouldn't be applying to countless jobs, reaching out to countless people, working a night job (that literally has nothing to do with my degree) and possibly working at another job until I finally land a real job. So, will I think my career will be entitled after I busted my hump in high school, college and general work? Yes. But, it'll be earned.

4. Technology-minded. This is, by far, my favorite comment against us. Let's be clear, my generation (at least the 20-25 year old niche) was NOT raised on social media. Let me repeat this, WE WERE NOT RAISED ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I like to reiterate this fact because for some reason, older generations like to say that we have no people skills because of the rise of social media. Now, for younger generations you may be right (I don't know for sure how that will play out quite yet), but MySpace was popular when I was a sophomore in high school, and I started using Facebook in 2005 as a freshman in college. That means I was about 16 when I first started using social media. I can safely assume that my people skills were quite developed by the time I was 16, so technology had no bearing based on my communications skills. Yes, my generation is more apt to send a text or email than place a call; I can't deny that. But to say that my generation lacks social skills because of it is ludicrous.

Before you write your next article, please stop and think about who you're writing about. I don't blame my parents for my shortcomings or my actions (except for etiquette). I work hard and expect to be rewarded for my hard work (you know, the American Dream). I own and use technology, but I can talk to people and don't mind doing so.

And don't all of our generations have issues?

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Anthony Caccavale

P.S. Oh, and remember older generations, be nice to us, we control what kind of nursing home you go into. :-)

Well, That Was Disturbingly Fast

2010-11-11T11:50:00.004-05:00

Kudos to Amazon.

I was actually going to post a blog blasting Amazon for keeping a book on their website about pedophilia (a guide to doing it). They had, at first, responded to Techcrunch that:

"Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."

I was curious to see how they were going to react when multiple sources found out about the book. I was more interested to see how they were going to react when mommy bloggers got ahold of what was going on and started a boycott right before the holiday season.

I believed that the book was going to be taken down by Black Friday. I was wrong. They have already taken it down.

According to Kindle Review, the book has been taken down, but there are others.

It's definitely great to see that Amazon responded to its customers and acted promptly.

Kindle Review even pointed out some great takeaways:

"5 quick takeaways for me -
1. A lot of respect for the people who were willing to boycott Amazon and switch their Kindle or stop buying from Amazon – even though it would be very inconvenient. It’s just absolutely great to see people stand up for what, in any civilized society, would be considered the right thing.
2. This highlights the need to have a Nook and an iPad and a Sony Reader as options. A single company, in any area, getting too much power is a terrible thing.
3. It’s disappointing to see people use defences like ‘it only gives the book publicity’ and ‘its freedom of speech’. You have to draw the line somewhere and we’re already not giving our next generation a good-enough education (recent budget cuts, etc.) or a healthy economy (all over the world there are collapses and debts) or any sort of sustainable energy solution (don’t know if it’s possible). The least we can do is make sure they are safe and get a proper childhood.
4. Corporations are very different entities from humans.
5. Customers control everything now. The customer may or may not be always right but the customer always decides who wins and who stays in business. There’s little doubt from the responses that people would have made Nook the eReader of Christmas 2010 if Amazon hadn’t pulled the book. A lot of people were willing to boycott Amazon and quite frankly no company can survive a mass boycott."

It is still going to be interesting to see if Amazon will keep up looking and removing illegal books.

In the meantime, good for Amazon for responding to a pre-crisis and actually doing something before the story got out of control.

(NOTE: some people were claiming that the book should be left up because of the First Amendment. Books that promote pedophilia (e.g., a guidebook) is AGAINST the First Amendment and is NOT protected under the Constitution. The Constitution does not protect pedophilia in any way, shape or form - through books and/or pornography.)

Change via Social Media?

2010-11-03T13:57:00.016-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last month (and subsequently, the last few days), we've had a major election where the Republicans took control of the House. So, President Obama will be having some problems getting legislative passed (not that he didn't with a full Democrat-controlled House). More of the same.

Maybe, the change will promote things getting done in the government. Who are we kidding? There's going to be more gridlock and more arguments.

It made me think how can there actually be change within our governmental system where those with the ability to raise money through campaigns truly have the best chance to obtain a seat in the government? Or how can the government become partisan - the two party system is doing no one any good.

Can social media be a catalyst for change? The brilliant Malcolm Gladwell (*author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers) says no.

*NOTE: These books are great in my opinion. I highly recommend reading them if you get the chance.

In a recent New Yorker article, Gladwell vehemently disagrees that social media can truly bring around social change. He uses the Civil Rights movement as a case study. He also brings up arguments about other countries' uses of social media for social change and dismisses them. Read the article here. Gladwell says that because social media presents weak-tied relationships rather than strong tied relationships, social media can't bring about social change - which makes sense.

Jason Falls recent Social Media Explorer post agrees with Gladwell.

"Networks are phenomenal structures for disseminating information, but inefficient at calling people to true action. Gladwell’s point was that while networks are awesome at asking people to raise their hand to say they care, they don’t have the offline, reality check of asking people to take a bullet.

Networks are passive motivators. If it doesn’t cost me much time, money or energy, I’ll “Like” your cause on Facebook. I’ll retweet your plea to sign a petition. I’ll perhaps even donate a few bucks to clean up oily pelicans.

But weak ties won’t motivate people to stand in front of a moving tank, defy a government known to kill those that do or surrender a kidney for a complete stranger."

Of course, many users of social media in the social change spectrum are up in arms. I won't post the rebuttals, but one sticks out to me. NPR posted a rebuttal by Dave Pell.

Pell comments, accurately that:

"What’s the point of arguing that a communications platform doesn’t replace the personal and group characteristics required for activism? Of course Twitter and Facebook can no more do that than could two cans attached by a string. But it seems equally absurd to argue that communicating through the most modern channels will somehow erase those activism-driving traits."

Who do I agree with? Both. I do agree with Gladwell that social media does typically promote *weak ties. How easy is it to "support" a cause by clicking the "like" button but not really caring about the cause itself? I do, however, agree with Pell that new technology can help foster social change. I do feel that you can have your strong ties on social media reach out to their strong ties and create a change. Think of it this way: I post something on my cousin's wall about a rally for whatever cause. He posts it to his best friend. His best friend posts it to his girlfriend. His girlfriend posts it to her best friend. Sounds like a word-of-mouth campaign doesn't it?

*NOTE: I can literally count on one hand how many of my Twitter followers I've met. Because my Facebook is more personal, I have more friends (literally people I've met and befriended) on there, but I don't talk to every single person on there.

A social change can be STARTED with social media; it just needs to have other elements to it. Using social media alone will ultimately make the campaign static and passive. Think about it: social media can create apathy among its users; the very thing that can't happen if you want true social change.

Social media should be used as a tool to get people to your cause. Take The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear that happened this passed weekend. It used advertising, social media and phone apps to make people aware of its cause. More than 200,000 people went, and that wasn't all because of strong ties.

What does all of this have to do with the past election? I think this has EVERYTHING to do with the past election.

Let's be completely honest with ourselves here, will there truly be change, or within another two years, will we be clamoring for a Democrat-run House yet again?

It will also be interesting to note how social media will be (or not be) used in the future in regard to social change, and if it will be effective.

Imagine the state of the government when you can Tweet your Congressman and he/she Tweet you back a response.

It's also interesting to note that Mashable poses the question in a recent article: Did Facebook Popularity Predict Election Results. I wonder how social media will be an indicator in the future for elections and/or social change.

UFC and WEC to Merge

2010-10-28T21:48:00.007-04:00

I've commented on the UFC before, and I'm going to do it again.

The UFC and WEC will merge come 2011. For casual fight fans, this isn't a big deal, but for hardcore fans, this is huge. It's also huge for the WEC fighters.

For those who don't know, the WEC is owned by Zuffa, LLC, who also owns the UFC. The WEC features lighter weight classes.

(Personal note: the WEC hasn't had a boring card in quite some time and has one of the top fighters in the world in Jose Aldo.)

What does this mean for those fighters? It means that they will be getting bigger exposure on a bigger stage.

Why is this a great move for the UFC?

Besides, the fighters having more exposure, it will give the UFC more TV spots. The WEC is already on Versus. The UFC will definitely have fight cards on VS and thus, getting more viewers for the UFC as well as VS.

As I said before, the WEC hasn't really had a boring card in quite some time. This means that some excitement might come back to UFC cards (I'm sorry, but the Jake Shields-Martin Kampmann fight and Mir-Cro Cop fight were just plain boring).

Here are some discussion points during the press conference from Cagewriter:

- Versus will present four UFC cards in 2011
- The winner of the Ben Henderson-Anthony Pettis fight on Dec. 16 will carry the WEC lightweight belt over to the UFC and get an immediate shot at the winner of UFC champ Frank Edgar versus Gray Maynard. It could be promoted as a unification bout, UFC versus WEC.
- It's likely that all UFC featherweight and bantamweight title fights will now be on pay-per-view.
- This opens the door for "The Ultimate Fighter" to feature fighters from the 135 and 145 pound weight classes.

Basically, that means that the lightweight division will be getting more and more diverse which will be great for the pay-per-views. It also stretches out the UFC "reality show" (The Ultimate Fighter) for more seasons.

Simply put: the UFC/WEC merger means a lot more money for Zuffa.

I think this is a great move for the UFC and Zuffa. It's going to be interesting to see how Zuffa will be using social media and PR (see how I tied that in?) in the upcoming months to promote the merger.

Time Travelling Back to The Circus

2010-10-28T20:01:00.005-04:00

Halloween is just a few days away (not like I haven't alluded to it a few times before, right?). This might the creepiest and/or coolest thing I've seen in a while.

Mashable is showing a clip of a man who shows a video of what appears to be a woman talking on a cell phone. I know, I know, it's 2010; what person isn't on a cell phone these days?

The video is from 1928 at the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's The Circus*.

*Great movie by the way.

I'm going to link to Mashable's description of the video as well as embed the video. The embedded video explains and shows it all. It's definitely kind of creepy.

Once you see the video, is there really something there or are Mashable, George Clarke and I imagining it? A former teacher/baseball coach of mine seems to think that she might be listening to hear the ocean in a sea shell; is that a possibility?

Is she a time traveller or just some crazy woman talking to her wallet? And is she really a he?

Well, I'm signing off for the weekend for Halloween and for the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally in DC.

Want to Play a Game?

2010-10-26T23:02:00.007-04:00

Halloween is right around the corner (less than a week to be exact).

And for the better part of a decade that means another Saw movie will be coming out.

For the final installment, it will be shown in 3D (shocking right?).

What makes this kind of cool is that in a theater in Australia.

Digital Buzz explains it better:

Here is a freaky little experiential campaign recently created by Mitchells in Australia for the opening of SAW VII with Hoyts. People could enter a SAW VII branded photobooth to watch the trailer (at their own risk!) and then get a free Halloween photo taken while still inside. The catch was, that on the third flash, Jigsaw would appear from behind as part of their photo that was also shown instantly on screen to add a little excitement to the experience…

Here's the video:

It's such a great way the Saw brand increased the terror for some people while hyping the movie. I wish they did this in U.S. theaters. Oh well.

I'm Tired

2010-10-18T10:42:00.005-04:00

I've tried not to post updates that are filler, but I just had to phone it in today.

I'm exhausted from attending my first PRSA International Conference here in DC.

In fact, I'm going to be posting about my experience (tips) about the Conference within a week or so.

But today, I'm resting and collecting my thoughts and heading out to a PRSA-NCC event.

Here's some videos about sleep:

The Three Stooges:

Goofy's How to Sleep:

and Rusty the Narcoleptic Dog:

I Went to School to Use My Braaaaiiiinnnnssssss.

2010-10-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

This isn't PR-related, but I'm going to post about it any way.

I'm sorry for the terrible headline, but I really couldn't hel myself.

I have a few vices (we all have them).

One is being a crazy die-hard Yankees fan; another is being a crazy die-hard Virginia Tech fan. One of my major vices is enjoying horror movies - mainly, zombie movies.

I have no clue why. Ninety-nine percent of them are terrible, but that's probably why I love them. You watch them knowing full-well that it's going to be terrible acting and maybe decent special effects. Of course there are exceptions (see: George A. Romero's ...of the Dead series, Re-Animator, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Zombie, Dead Alive, Fido and a few others).

How much of a zombie genre movie nerd am I?

Remember the Windows 7 commercial (see below) about knowing what a zombie is like on the inside where they show a clip of a zombie and a shark? I can tell you what movie it is: it'd be Zombie (or Zombi 2, depending on who you ask).

Why am I posting about zombies? Because I, or Len Kendall (you should probably follow him, too; he's got some great links) to be exact, found this great course at a college about zombies.

I'm ridiculously jealous. I wish I had a course that taught about zombies and zombie movies back when I was in school.

Check out an article with the professor here.

For those who scoff at zombie films as having an educational value, George A. Romero (the father of Zombie films) wrote his ...of the Dead series (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and etc.) as a political satire of the government and society.

The Greatest Cover Letter Ever - From Hunter S. Thompson

2010-10-07T20:50:00.000-04:00

Mark Ragan, from Ragan Communications, tweeted about it, but instead of linking to it, I've got to post it word-for-word.

Writer, Hunter S. Thompson, had to submit a cover letter when he had to apply for a job, too. Weird, right? Of course, it's in his own unapologetic and "honest" style.

Here's the background from the cover letter from the BoingBoing article:

In October 1958, a pre-fame Hunter S. Thompson applied for a job at the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

Here it is; Hunter S. Thompson's Cover Letter:

Vancouver Sun
TO JACK SCOTT, VANCOUVER SUN

October 1, 1958 57 Perry Street New York City

Sir,

I got a hell of a kick reading the piece Time magazine did this week on The Sun. In addition to wishing you the best of luck, I'd also like to offer my services.

Since I haven't seen a copy of the "new" Sun yet, I'll have to make this a tentative offer. I stepped into a dung-hole the last time I took a job with a paper I didn't know anything about (see enclosed clippings) and I'm not quite ready to go charging up another blind alley.

By the time you get this letter, I'll have gotten hold of some of the recent issues of The Sun. Unless it looks totally worthless, I'll let my offer stand. And don't think that my arrogance is unintentional: it's just that I'd rather offend you now than after I started working for you.

I didn't make myself clear to the last man I worked for until after I took the job. It was as if the Marquis de Sade had suddenly found himself working for Billy Graham. The man despised me, of course, and I had nothing but contempt for him and everything he stood for. If you asked him, he'd tell you that I'm "not very likable, (that I) hate people, (that I) just want to be left alone, and (that I) feel too superior to mingle with the average person." (That's a direct quote from a memo he sent to the publisher.)

Nothing beats having good references.

Of course if you asked some of the other people I've worked for, you'd get a different set of answers.
If you're interested enough to answer this letter, I'll be glad to furnish you with a list of references -- including the lad I work for now.

The enclosed clippings should give you a rough idea of who I am. It's a year old, however, and I've changed a bit since it was written. I've taken some writing courses from Columbia in my spare time, learned a hell of a lot about the newspaper business, and developed a healthy contempt for journalism as a profession.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity. If this is what you're trying to get The Sun away from, then I think I'd like to work for you.

Most of my experience has been in sports writing, but I can write everything from warmongering propaganda to learned book reviews.

I can work 25 hours a day if necessary, live on any reasonable salary, and don't give a black damn for job security, office politics, or adverse public relations.

I would rather be on the dole than work for a paper I was ashamed of.

It's a long way from here to British Columbia, but I think I'd enjoy the trip.

If you think you can use me, drop me a line.

If not, good luck anyway.

Sincerely, Hunter S. Thompson

How cool is that? Imagine the kind cojenes on him to send someone that cover letter and expect a job. Maybe, I've been doing it all wrong. Or maybe not - he didn't get the job at the Vancouver Sun.

I just love the arrogance.

Either way, the cover letter is from The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 (The Fear and Loathing Letters, Vol. 1)

Don't know who Thompson is? Well, what's wrong with you?

You've at least seen (or heard of) a movie about his book, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," starring Johnny Depp. If not, here's the trailer:

Salem Called; They Want Their Witch Back.

2010-10-05T12:24:00.008-04:00

It’s October. That means it’s time for ghouls, vampires, zombies (personal favorite), werewolves and things that go bump in the night. Witches seem to be the “creature” that’s making a lot of noise in the nation right now.

I was actually not going to mention this because I thought I missed my timely window to post on this. But God bless the Huffington Post. (Read Huffington Post's commentary about this issue here.) And Tea Party candidate, Christine O’Donnell.

This all started a few weeks ago on Bill Maher’s show where he called out the ultra-conservative O’Donnell to be a guest on his show - Real Time With Bill Maher. She was previously on his older show (over 20 times) and would be releasing videos of her comments unless she agreed to come on his show.

His first video is one where she talks about “dabbling into witchcraft.” I’ve posted it below.

This is a huge blow to someone who’s an Evangelical Christian and running on that conservative platform. Especially, with her responses (or lack thereof).

This isn’t going to help either:

I just can’t help but laugh (and feel sorry at the same time). The election for the Delaware Senate seat is Nov. 2. This is a crucial blow to someone who is seeking a nomination to run for Senate.

I can’t understand why she just didn’t do what her video is exclaiming: be like me; be normal. If she was like me, she would just answer the question honestly. Or at least downplay it.

Maybe say something like this:

“I was young and trying to find some direction in my life. I had friends who were Wiccans and decided to see if it was for me. It was a great experience, but it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until college when I found my true calling: Christianity. I then found politics.”

That so hard?

Would it work? Would all be forgotten? Would O’Donnell become the front-runner in the election? Probably not. But it’s better than just spouting the dribble of “I’m not a witch; I’m like you.”

Now, your upsetting the Wiccan community (granted not a huge majority, but a majority noentheless). And you’re still upsetting your conservative voters. And your turning your undecided voters against you.

In politics, it’s do or die. But hey, at least she could try to do something not a lot of politicians do: tell the truth and act human.

We've got about a month to see how this all plays out.

Broken Bats: The MLB's Newest Issue (Or At Least Should Be)

2010-10-03T13:24:00.008-04:00

Besides reading about PR and social media, I’m a huge baseball fan. So it’s always interesting to see how the MLB reacts to pending issues (e.g., its failure in the steroids saga).

In an age of pitch counts and day-rests, it’s astonishing that owners, players and the MLB’s front office aren't making a move to protect its fans and players.

In this new case, they, and the Players Association, are doing a terrible job and aren’t properly responding to a potential crisis.

Shattered bats are dangerous occurrences that happen baseball every single game. Think about it: a 90 mph ball being swung at by a wooden stick that goes from wide to narrow. Chances are the hitter will not hit the ball with the fat part of the bat (the sweet spot). Thus resulting in a broken bat.

Sometimes the bat goes flying into the field and/or in the stands. Recently, Chicago Cubs outfielder Tyler Colven was gored by broken bat. He’s lucky he wasn’t killed.

This isn’t the first time someone has been hit with a broken bat and will not be the last (see Mariano Rivera closing a game), unless something drastically changes.

NOTE: Mariano Rivera’s (the New York Yankees closer) cut fastball breaks a lot of bats. Ironically, baseball is a statistical game, but there is no clear number on how many he’s broken in his 15-year career. Let’s just say it’s quite a lot.

Now, there is a problem, but what solution is there?

There’s a company out there called BatGlove that puts a polymeric film above the handle of the bat (where most bats break). They’ve done numerous and rigorous tests through the MLB and Rawlings Sporting Goods and have passed with flying colors. Yet, it’s still a relatively unknown company and solution. (In fact, I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t read about it from a NY Yankees blog, It's About the Money Stupid.)

While BatGlove isn’t the only solution, it seems that baseball writers (whether blog or newspaper) are starting to clamor for a solution to the problem. (Examples: here, here and here.)

My, and a lot of other people’s, issue is when will the MLB act? Does someone have to die for the MLB to take a solution seriously?

On the PR side, the MLB should have taken a lesson from its steroid crisis and take preemptive matters. Not waiting until someone dies or until it becomes the spotlight on Sportcenter. Doing something now will make the organization look better in the eyes of baseball enthusiasts as well as sports fans. The MLB could be an organization that cares about its fans’ and players’ safety – what a novel concept.

The MLB’s player association needs to take a stand as well. If they call for an action, the MLB will definitely take notice. Or it could be self-imposed. The players themselves can use the BatGlove (or some similar solution) to protect themselves and fans.

For baseball, and sports fans in general, it’ll definitely be an issue to watch the coming post-season, off-season and future seasons.

Here’s a link to BatGlove’s website where they have more information about their tests.

INJURY LIST to both player and fans due to broken bats.

Death Penalty Tweet Raises Some Questions

2010-06-28T22:51:00.000-04:00

Recently, Utah's Attorney General has been under fire (zing!) about his Tweets regarding the execution of convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner by firing squad.

Here's his Tweet:

@MarkShurtleff: I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner's execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims.

For some reason I can't figure out, people are really outraged. Is it really that bad? It wasn't graphic. It wasn't derogatory. It may have been inappropriate, but for God's sake, it's Twitter (90% of Tweets are inappropriate*).

NOTE: I don't care where you are and/or where you are eating. Just go in, eat and stop clogging my Twitter feed.

And realistically, is the Tweet anything different from the news?

NY Times: A double murderer in Utah was executed by firing squad early Friday after last-minute court appeals failed.

Washington Post (via AP): A barrage of bullets tore into Ronnie Lee Gardner's chest where a target had been pinned over his heart. Two minutes later, the twice-convicted killer was pronounced dead as blood pooled in his dark blue prison jumpsuit.

LA Times: Ronnie Lee Gardner, the convicted double-murderer executed by a firing squad in Utah in the predawn hours Friday, died in a manner that even the state that killed him no longer wants to use.

I suppose it is the medium. If it was a quote in one of these articles, it really wouldn't be so bad - I would even bet that it wouldn't have been an issue.

I'm going to break this issue down in two ways: the PR way and the citizen/free speech/government way.

Free Speech/Government:

Whether you love it or hate it, Shurtleff has the right to say what he wants on Twitter (again I'm assuming there's no contract issue or anything prohibiting him from having a social media site). Just like I have the ability to comment and say what I like on my personal account, so does he.

Maybe it's me. I love the fact that a government official actually uses social media and doesn't use a ghost Tweeter (President Obama). Government officials should all use social media and post on it. At least that way, the people (remember "We the People"?) can have some say in our government. I'm all about governmental transparency.

PR:

I'm going to speak very slowly here: When. You. Post. Something. On. Social media. It's. Public.

It's the age of the Internet (maybe Age of Facebook? - if someone trademarks that I'm going to be annoyed). Everything you post is public. There is no "off the record" online. Government officials need to be aware of that.

Now that AG Shurtleff did post something (which wasn't all that bad), he's made it worse for himself. In a true head-slapping moment, he decided to respond to the Tweets:

@MarkShurtleff: WARNING! This page informs on real world of crime and punishment. "If u can't stand the TWEET, get out of the TWITCHEN" Harry Truman

Ok, that's not too bad. I get it; you're clever and upset. As a PR person, I'd still advise against this, but ok.

But Shurtleff had to go one step further and really egg things on.

@MarkShurtleff: Astonishing that no retweet whiner express outrage that Gardner shot 2 men in the face, & a cop; nor one word of empathy for their families.

You have to assume that everyone is going to read it and comment about it. From the PR perspective, I could care less about the initial Tweet, but his followups are just absolutely absurd.

Shurtleff, if for some odd reason you are reading this, here's some advice: people are going to comment on posts (especially on hot-button issues like the death penalty). Turn the other cheek and ignore them - it's only going to make more of an issue.

Read Write Web put it the best way:

"The issue here is less one of the capital punishment's morality - Twitter is not responsible for the decisions made by representatives of the state of Utah - and more the way this public servant chose to use the service. The tone of Attorney General Shutleff's subsequent Tweets seem strident and unprofessional. All other things being equal, that is any Twitter user's right. But not if you are representing your government, your state and its people. Then, it strikes a terribly discordant note, as the Tweets might illustrate.*"

*Note: the Tweets referenced here are the two that are mentioned above.

I wonder what the repercussions will be for government officials using social media. Once elected will officials have to sign a confidentiality agreement to not post anything that their state, government and its people could be offended? Then again the definition of offensive/obscene is very broad.

I guess time will tell to see how this issue and the issue of social media and the government will play out.

No job? No interviews? Always Look on the Bright Side.

2010-06-25T15:15:00.009-04:00

I've been super busy with work (all 3 of them). I really haven't had the time to send out applications or really be able to blog about anything, so I've decided to embed the uplifting and inspirational Monty Python "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

Enjoy!

Dana White is the Man

2010-06-16T11:37:00.010-04:00

Again, I've been crazy busy and haven't had the time to really blog about anything - there's actually a decent amount of stuff to talk about (e.g., E3 Convention, the Senator who attacked a college kid, Google Voice* and some BP spoofs).

*NOTE: I'll probably have a review for Google Voice in the near future.

Instead, I'll comment on a Mashable (shocker, right?) article talking with UFC president Dana White about his use of social media.

I've posted articles in the past about PR and MMA (here and here), and I can't resist an opportunity to talk about it again. Let's be honest here, White is a genius. He took a fledgling company, helped regulate it and help make it into a multi-million dollar venture. Now, that's progress.

The quick rundown of the article is that White uses social media to help him stay ahead of his competition (mainly Strikeforce).

Full disclosure: I follow White on Twitter.

White uses Twitter on a daily basis and even replies back to most comments. What's cool about this is everyone is equal. White replies to the everyday fan AND the celebrity fan (e.g., Shaq). It helps create a rabid and loyal fan base.

White also uses Twitter for giveaways and chances for fans to meet him personally. He'll give a location and say to meet him there. Most of the time, he'll give away tickets to the next UFC event. Again, how cool is that?

The Mashable article also touches upon White's personality as why White's social media prowess is helping the UFC. The man is brutally honest and doesn't pull punches (pun kind of intended) when he talks. He was the first to comment on the brawl at the end of a Strikeforce event) and made note how that never happens at the UFC. He also was one of the first to apologize for Anderson Silva's lackluster fight/showboating.

I also found a video of White on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" talking about Twitter (I read some quotes from it, but because my speakers aren't working, I have no clue what is said).

White has also used the "reality show"*, "The Ultimate Fighter," to solidify his personality. On this season, a fighter who was out of the show had an opportunity to get another fight. The fighter ran down White after White announced that someone would have an opportunity to fight again. The fighter told White he was ready to fight and really wanted the fight. White commented that no one has ever done that to him before. So White agreed and gave him the fight. It makes it seem as though White is more of a fan than he is the president - heck I'd have a beer with him.

(*I say reality show in quotations because it started out as a reality show, but is now basically a UFC prospect tournament).

Because MMA is really only starting to gain speed in the mainstream (ESPN just started covering it relatively recently), White talks to a lot of bloggers regarding fights and fighters. Having a relationship with bloggers is definitely a good thing in today's changing newspaper/news climate.

Ok, I'll stop raving about White and the UFC; again if you want to read the article in its entirety (and it's a great article to show a client about the usage of social media and its effects), click here.

How true is this quote about social media quantification: "A buddy of mine brought his friend who's a marketing guy, and he asked me, 'How do you quantify Twitter?'" White said. "I said, 'How do you quantify a billboard or newspaper ad?' But I said, 'I'll show you the power of Twitter.'

"We're in Montreal, Canada. They don't speak English up there. It's French. So we walk across the street to an Esso station. I Tweet and say, 'I'm on the corner of here and here at an Esso station.' Thirty-six seconds it took for the first person to show up. By one minute, there were like five people there. Within minutes, there were hundreds.

"That's the power of Twitter."

You can also follow Dana White on Twitter and/or many other fighters.

M.I.A.

2010-06-07T11:34:00.010-04:00

So, I've been missing in action for a couple of weeks for a few reasons:

1. I've been very busy at my one internship - being a tourism-based PR firm, Memorial Day was critical for us.

2. I've had a few interviews to concentrate on.

3. I drove to the DC area for a networking event.

4. I've picked up a third job with some weird hours. (Next time someone says my generation is lazy and hasn't paid their dues, I might snap).

But I digress.

Today, I really haven't found anything to blog about that's worth blogging. Yes, the BP crisis is huge, but there is already enough commentary on that. I could make a post in defense of my generation, but that really won't do any good. I could also defend the reasons I haven't blogged based on this Chris Brogan article about how blogging isn't my job (INTERESTING NOTE: there's also been a skydiving challenge issued from blogger/HARO founder Peter Shankman to Chris Brogan; check it out here). Instead, I opted to do something short and light for a Monday.

Most of us remember the infamous Star Wars Kid. He was basically the very first viral video star before we knew what viral was. It was before the YouTube era, so as Mashable notes, it's amazing at how popular it became.

Rather than rip off Mashable, I'm just going to link the story back to them.

So here's the Behind the Viral Video: Star Wars Kid.

I've embedded the original video below.

And again because it's a light Monday, I'm embedding this way-too-cute (don't judge) "Iron Baby" video.

Are We Too Connected?

2010-05-19T12:19:00.007-04:00

On Monday, it really dawned on me; we are way too connected.

It was my friend's birthday: there are at least five - yes a MINIMUM of five - ways in which I can wish her a happy birthday (I've done four of them) the day of. I say day of because I could send her a card, but who really does that any more for people under 25?

The possibilities are astounding really; I can email her, text her, BlackBerry Message (BBM) her, Facebook message her/write on her wall/chat with her, tweet her, message her, Instant Message her, Skype with her and/or create and send her a YouTube message. I almost forgot; I could actually call her too.

This poses an interesting question: are we really too connected?

Technology is moving at such a fast pace, do we really have a choice? The future (or so it seems) is location-based programs like FourSquare. Now we are taking it to a whole new level - telling people where we are at a given time.

This takes me back to my feelings toward my first cell phone (the infamous Nokia Brick); I despised it. I truly hated carrying it with me. It was bulky, and truthfully, I didn't want to be reached by my parents as I roamed my New Jersey town. This was only less than 10 years ago.

Today, it's an entirely different ballgame. Now, I feel naked without my phone. God help me if I ever leave my phone behind. I actually feel panic without it.

How scary is that? In less than 10 years I went from "I despise this thing" to having the shakes if I don't have the phone near me.

It's amazing that at any given time, I'm getting instant messaged, BBM'd, Facebooked, Tweeted, texted, emailed and called. Where's my alone time? I can be reached 24/7, 365 days a year.

If you break down my typical day, it gets even scarier about how connected we truly are (I can't be the only one):

I wake up and check my emails on my Blackberry. I go to my internship and scan my Google Reader list (if something strikes my fancy, I click "Keep Unread" to read later when I get home or during lunch). I get work done. I grab lunch and check my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. I get back to work. I get emails, Facebook requests and Tweets throughout the day on my BlackBerry. I go home and check my email on my laptop that I didn't read from my BlackBerry (it really is a Crackberry to me). Again I recheck my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages.

How do you feel about it? Are we too connected? Comment below, email, Tweet, Facebook, BBM or INSERT MODE OF COMMUNICATION HERE your opinions.

In the meantime, I've found another way to wish my friend a happy birthday - via blog (Happy Birthday!).

RIP Dio \m/

2010-05-17T10:36:00.006-04:00

This isn't PR news or anything of the sort, but I just couldn't ignore it.

We lost a great musician yesterday in Ronnie James Dio.

I've kind of hinted at this in this blog, but I'm a huge metalhead, and this loss comes with great sorrow to me (and millions of fans).

While he might be lesser known then Ozzy Osbourne to the casual music fan, his impact on music and in metal is tremendous.

Here's a little background on Dio:

He was born on July 10, 1942. He performed with Elf; Ritchie Blackmore's post-Deep Purple band, Rainbow; post-Ozzy, Black Sabbath; his own solo project, Dio; and Heaven and Hell (basically they are/were Dio-era Black Sabbath).

Dio's contribution to metal and music is undeniable. Without Dio, there wouldn't be metal's most signature hand gesture - the Devil Horn. The story behind it is he got that from his Italian grandmother to ward off the evil eye, or the "Malocchio."

He is also credited as helping revitalize Black Sabbath after Ozzy was fired. They released Heaven and Hell to much praise and recorded three more albums as Black Sabbath. Recently, Dio and Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven and Hell, recorded The Devil You Know which received great critical praise.

I'm not going to really get into his entire bio, but if you want to look into it, check it out here.

Besides being a legend in metal's history, there was not a bad thing said about him. In just about every interview, someone mentions how nice he was to everyone and how much he loved his fans.

I was lucky enough to see Heaven and Hell perform a few years ago, and Dio was absolutely amazing. Playing to the crowd, interacting with the band and the fans and jumping and running around like a wild man; it was great to see his energy.

He will definitely be missed.

I've embedded his classic song, "Holy Diver." \m/ Enjoy.

That Totally Is What Your Girlfriend Says: Betty White pt. 3

2010-05-12T12:49:00.011-04:00

I swear this is the last time I'm going to be posting about Betty White and SNL.

Last Saturday, White finally hosted SNL (with the help of Facebook). What were the results?

According to an NBC news release, it's the highest watched SNL episode in over 18 months.

From the news release:

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, the May 8 edition of "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 5.1 rating, 20 share in adults 18-49, also the show's highest rating since November 1, 2008 (5.2/18).

"Saturday Night Live" was the #1 telecast of the night, topping all primetime programs on all major networks in metered-market results. In households, "SNL" doubled the #1 telecast in primetime, ABC's coverage of the NBA Playoffs (4.4/8 in the metered markets).

Versus the same night last year, "Saturday Night Live" is up 66 percent in metered-market households (8.8 vs. 5.3).

The national viewing number should be released tomorrow.

Mashable is also reporting that the viewing of the SNL show on Hulu is "dominating" the website.

White mentioned Facebook in her monologue (see below).

It's kind of funny to note that even none PR/Technology blogs have picked up on this. Metalsucks (a metal music blog) has also picked up on the Betty White Phenomenon (NOTE: the Blog title is NSFW if you happen to click on the link; however, the video is fine). Here's a clip of her singing a death metal happy Mother's Day message.

As I've said before (HERE and HERE), it'll be interesting to see how other shows will be using social media incorporated into their shows. Now that the ratings are in and they were the highest they've been for over a year, I wonder how many viral campaigns can get people on TV (e.g., Carol Burnett has her own SNL host campaign).

I've linked to the Mashable post of the Betty White SNL show. You can watch specific skits or the entire show.

MMA PR Done Right

2010-05-10T13:41:00.012-04:00

Sorry for the lag in blog updates; I've been somewhat busy and sick. I had an interview last week. I also am being destroyed by my allergies - come on NJ, I need some rain!

MMA has yet another issue regarding post-fight shenanigans. Luckily, this wasn't seen on national TV and the UFC handled the situation promptly and efficiently.

During the UFC 113 card this past Saturday, Paul Daley and Josh Koscheck fought in one of the main event fights. Daley and Koscheck were trash-talking all the way up until the fight, so there was some tension. After a unanimous decision by Koscheck (the fight ultimately frustrated Daley), Daley swung and punched Koscheck well after the bell (at least 10 seconds after).

This is inexcusable.

Some of you may remember a few weeks ago, I, and many other blogs, posted about the Strikeforce Brawl. And how Dana White (president of the UFC) was the person commenting about the UFC's rival's PR gaffe.

This time around, White's promotion was on the line. He handled it perfectly. White promptly responded and Daley has been suspended/kicked out of the UFC.

Taken from Maggie Hendricks' article from CageWriter (CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE):

"He's done. I don't give a [expletive] if he's the best 170-pounder in the world, he'll never come back here again," White said in the postfight press conference.
"He'll never come back. I'm probably the most lenient guy in sports and this is probably one of the most lenient organizations. You know we're all human, we all make mistakes, things happen. There's no excuse for that. These guys are professional athletes. You don't ever hit a guy blatantly after the bell like that whether you're frustrated or not."

I'm not going to lie, it's another black eye (pun totally intended) for the sport, but luckily, White stepped in and handled the situation quickly - like Strikeforce should have in their issue.

So sports promotions (NFL, NHL, MLB, etc. and so forth), pay attention. This is a good example of how disciplinary action in a timely manner can help your organization out.

Read the fight recap
here as well as the details about the suckerpunch.

"That's Not What Your Girlfriend Says" Pt. 2 - UPDATE!

2010-04-28T12:21:00.013-04:00

That IS what your girlfriend says.

About a month ago, I (and a lot of others) posted about the Betty White Facebook fan page that was trying to get her to host SNL. Apparently, it worked.

Betty White is hosting SNL on May 8, and here's a promo of her thanking the Internet.

Congrats Betty White! I'll more than likely be tuning in (or at the very least DVR-ing) this.

I wonder what this'll mean for the future of sketch shows and TV shows? Will public demand automatically mean that someone will get to be on-air?

Hopefully, White's hosting of SNL's ratings will be high. If they are, the internet and TV's dynamic might change - not sure if it's for the better. Imagine if every time a video goes viral, that person (if it's a person) has the possibility to go on TV simply because their video goes viral. That might be the downfall of TV - not that Flavor of Love, Rock of Love (feel better Bret) and The Hills (or INSERT REALITY TV SHOW HERE) are doing anything for the medium. But I digress.

Again congrats to Betty White!

Here's the Snicker's Commercial from the Super Bowl:

Am I an Android? I Dreamt of Electric Sheep

2010-04-26T11:42:00.013-04:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just did a Philip K. Dick reference. But I really couldn't think of anything clever for this. (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was made into Blade Runner, in case you didn't know that.)

Mashable posted about a Twitter account where people can have their dreams analyzed. Of course, your dream(s) needs to be described in 140 characters or less - which can be quite complicated.

Go to Dream Shrink's Twitter page.

I'm taking this directly from Mashable:

"Dr. Jennifer Parker, a British psychologist from the University of the West of England and a member of the Association for the Study of Dreams, wants Twitter users to tweet their dreams to her. She will analyze the reveries for her research, and the best 10 dreams will appear on http://www.twitter.com/dreamshrink/ on Friday, April 30."
The idea for the dream tweets comes from movie-streaming site blinkbox.com, which hosts the on-demand release of Avatar. It's kind of a cool way to use social media for a product tie-in.

James Cameron, director of Avatar (like you really didn't know that), got his idea for Avatar (and Terminator) from dreams.

So if you've been having the underwear in class or falling down dreams, why not submit it to see what's really going on?

On a personal note, I do believe that dreams have meaning (I've even documented a few of mine that have stood out). Appraently, my subconscious wants me to calm down and not take things so serious. Here's a link to a dream dictionary. Simply look for the main symbols in your dreams to get what they may mean - e.g., if you see a baby, look up "baby".

The Tradigitalist

2010-04-23T13:18:00.000-04:00

It sounds like a Sci-Fi film or a weird movie title, but in reality, it's what I am (and what most recent grads are).

I recently went on an interview and was asked what I liked about public relations and what I like to do. I promptly responded that I absolutely loved using technology - e.g., social media and the like - but I also still love writing and implementing traditional means of PR - research, crafting the news release (and other media), media outreach and etc.

My interviewer responded that I was a "tradigitalist." I had to do a double-take, but once explained what it is, I whole-heartily agreed.

After doing some research for this post, it seems that tradigitalist is an artform. It also has been coined before in PR/Marketing terms, so I'm shocked that it's not in every PR/Marketing/Advertisers vernacular. Apparently, it's been around since 2008 - Fleishman-Hillard even posted about it back then.

The tradigitalist is a person who uses both technology and traditional means in their PR efforts. Basically you're not outsourcing duties. You draft a news release, research who to email it to, pitch bloggers and run a social media campaign, and you enjoy every minute of it.

Now the question here isn't am I a tradigitalist; it's why isn't everyone a tradigitalist?

I understand that for workers that have been in the industry for 10+ years that social media is a brand new medium that has challenges and etc.; however, shouldn't we, as PR professionals, learn to adapt to emerging media?

Shouldn't we learn how to properly adapt to incoming and emerging technologies quickly and effeciently? Every PR agency should have a social media presence, but sadly, they don't.

It's going to be interesting to see how the iPad (an alleged game-changer) will be used for PR efforts in the future. Location-based programs like Foursquare are emerging as the next step in advertising/marketing/PR.

I absolutely love adapting and challenging myself (for example, being out of my element and going out and networking with people ). I'm also curious to see what emerging technology will impact PR - the iPad and location-based programs (e.g., Foursquare).

I'm proud to be a tradigitalist and can't see myself as anything else.

I'm not going to lie; I love the word (and definition) and want to see "tradigital" become PR vernacular.

MMA's PR Gaffe

2010-04-21T13:39:00.017-04:00

In a giant head-slapping moment, the legitimacy of mixed martial arts was almost KO'd this past Saturday on CBS.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is starting to really make some headway in the sports world. It was once deemed as human cockfighting by Senator John McCain, but it is now well-regulated and a legitimate sport (and even getting coverage on ESPN). However, this past Saturday, the MMA world took a HUGE step back.

CBS and MMA promotion Strikeforce aired a fight on Saturday night. After the surprising and relatively entertaining Henderson-Shields fight, a brawl broke out between other fighters. I won't get into the culprits because casual fans probably won't know who they are anyway (though one fighter does host an MTV show), but it's interesting to see the PR moves going on (or not going on) between Strikeforce and its competitor UFC.

(NOTE: You can read more about the Brawl HERE and HERE. You can also read a "Top Villians of the Brawl" according to CageWriter HERE.)

The brawl was bad enough, but the situation wasn't helped when CBS announcer Gus Johnson stated the obvious and really irrelevant "Gentleman! We're on national television!" and then idiotically saying "sometimes this happens in MMA." It does not happen in MMA.

There hasn't really been any damage control from the Strikeforce side, which is surprising. Dana White, co-owner of the UFC, has immediately commented on the brawl and mentioned how it doesn't happen in the UFC (a jab at Strikeforce). Why for the love of the sport has no one from Strikeforce come forward and say anything? CBS hasn't come out with a comment yet either.

MMA has taken great strides to evolve from a street brawl to a legitimate sport - like making fighters wear gloves and not allowing them to kick a downed opponent in the head. Regulations for the sport has also helped its legitimacy. For example, a fighter wasn't allowed to fight on a UFC pay-per-view because there was a possibility of him getting a severe head injury.

If I was involved with Strikeforce, I would immediately make a comment and dish out some punishments to the brawlers. As of right now, the only comments are from UFC's Dana White. That's like allowing the Boston Red Sox comment entirely about something the New York Yankees did - it just shouldn't happen.

Scott Coker, who owns Strikeforce, also needs to comment for the sake of MMA. There have been numerous articles written demeaning the sport and claiming how it's too violent (in reality, it's no more violent than boxing) and lacks proper rules and regulations. By laying down the law, Coker can help MMA's reputation, or at the very least, help make it not look like a street fight. The same can be said for White, who really should punish the one UFC fighter that was involved in the brawl.

Strikeforce might also be in some trouble with CBS, who already has had issues regarding MMA. With this brawl, it'll be interesting to see how CBS will react (will they drop the promotion or continue to air the broadcasts? As of right now, they don't seem to be dropping the promotion.).

After an amazing night of fights, it's sad that after an upset of an MMA legend, all everyone is talking about is this brawl.

So, MMA leaders (looking at you White and Coker or even well-known fighters like Chuck Liddell), make your comments known, talk to national sports shows (ESPN might be a good start) and try to redeem yourselves in the eyes of the casual fan/hater.

Mmm...Donuts

2010-04-19T13:23:00.009-04:00

I'm working on a few blog posts about technology and PR, but I really just couldn't help posting this.

And I really couldn't resist tying technology (creating a donut on a website) and the Simpsons together; I'm sorry.

A few months ago, Dunkin Donuts launched their annual create your own donut competition through their social media sites and a donut-building website. There was apparently well over 100,000 submissions.

Mashable and Dunkin Donuts have released the 12 winners.

Here's the list (I'm absurdly excited for the Full Moon):

Cop Cake – A cake donut with chocolate icing, topped with white sprinkles and chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Created by Chris Schinnerer of Clackamas, Oregon.

Full Moon – A cheesecake kreme-filled donut with white icing, topped with shredded coconut and Hershey’s Vanilla shavings. Created by Pat Coope of Ponte Verde Beach, Florida.

I Like You a Latte – A chocolate cake donut with maple icing, topped with white and chocolate sprinkles. Created by Rosemary Burian of Joliet, Illinois.

Let Freedom ‘Ring’ – A blueberry cake donut with white icing, topped with red and blue sprinkles. Created by Jack Turchetta of Cranston, Rhode Island.

Mango Fandango – A berry mango-filled glazed donut, topped with pink and orange sprinkles. Created by Rachel Llanes of Miami, Florid.

Monkey-See Monkey-Donut – A bananas foster-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings. Created by Rachel Davis of Sharon, Massachusetts.

Mornin’ Paper – A chocolate butter kreme-filled donut with white icing, topped with chocolate sprinkles. Created by Catherine Kunkle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Much A Do About Nut Things – A chocolate cake donut with peanut butter icing, topped with shredded coconut and chopped roasted almonds. Created by Stefanie Schwalb of New York, New York.

Nut N’ Fancy – A peanut butter-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings and whole Reese’s Pieces candies. Created by Lisa Burns of Medford, New Jersey.

Pumpkin to Pie-n For – A pumpkin cake donut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings and graham cracker crunch. Created by Kelly Rice of Orlando, Florida.

S’morgasbord – A marshmallow-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with graham cracker crunch. Created by Chris Wiley of Medford, Massachusetts.

Snack-o-Lantern – A pumpkin cake donut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings. Created by Jennifer Hayes, Hardwick, Masschusetts

It's ok to wipe away your drool now.

One donut will be the winner and will be available at Dunkin Donuts. Vote here. Voting is from now until May 3.

I Always Feel Like Someone's Watching Me

2010-04-09T10:51:00.019-04:00

How many times have you heard "don't post that on (insert social media site here)?" I've even sort of hinted about it before. Although you've done that and carefully untagged all of those pictures of you from college, you seem to still be blacklisted from employers.

What happens is bizarro you - oh yeah, rocking a Seinfeld reference - is an idiot and posts pictures of themselves doing something they shouldn't and you end up being mistaken for them. Don't panic; just take some necessary steps to assure you are who you say you are.

It should be noted that you need to have some common sense and not post pictures of yourself doing anything you wouldn't want someone finding out. If you do have pictures up, make sure that you have privacy settings secured (for example, my Facebook page is purely for personal usage and is not for public view).

Here's the smartest advice to take from posting pictures/posts/comments of yourself: BE AWARE THAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU SAY/POST HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING SEEN BY OTHERS!

Since monitoring is a crucial PR skill, let's start there. Setting up an alert, I use Google Alerts, is the most simple and effective way to monitor your name. Simply, create a new alert to be emailed to you directly, and it's just that simple. Any time, your name pops up, you'll get an email that tells you the source and a link to the web site. Doing this tactic, I've realized bizzaro Anthony is a little bit of a creeper. (Don't know how to set up a Google Alert? I've got you covered.)

Now that you realized that there is a bizarro you, differentating yourself is the next logical step. Simply use your middle initial (or an appropriate suffix like Jr.). For example, if you search "Anthony Caccavale," you will get mutiple different versions of people with my name; however, if you search for "Anthony M. Caccavale," the result shows my portfolio, my resume and my Twitter page (as well as a newspaper article saying I made Dean's List while I was in school - go me!). That's definitely way more favorable than the bizarro Anthony's stuff.

Realizing how search engines work can help you understand why bizarro you's posts go ahead of your posts. Here's a quick link of how Google works. Just do some basic searches, and you'll start to grasp some understanding of the subject. You can also go here for a basic understanding of search engines.

Learn about social media sites' security/privacy. Facebook (some security measures can be found here) allows its users to be completely and totally private or completely and totally public. Most of us know how to make it private, but I would make sure that you cannot be searchable on search engines (there's a check mark box in privacy settings). The same can be used for Twitter and other sites, (I like having my Twitter page public and being found in the search results).

Control, control, control - as best as you can. When you send an email, make sure you have the correct links to your respected site. I put links to my blog and portfolio site in my email signature. My business cards have links to my blog, portfolio site, Twitter and LinkedIn sites. My resume and cover letters each feature my portfolio website address. This can help limiting the mistakes of finding bizarro you.

This all seems like common sense, but it's really scary that a lot of people don't understand the usage of social media and the internet in terms of screening for a potential career. Hopefully, this might help some people who don't understand.

Sadly, none of these tips are full-proof; however, by being proactive and monitoring your internet identity, you can help limit people going to the wrong person and getting the very wrong idea about who you are and what you are about.

28 Days Later - Warner Bros.' Dumb Move

2010-04-07T16:41:00.006-04:00

Ok, this is going to go in the “what were you thinking” file. It’s taken me some time to write this post, but I figured it’s not necessarily timely so I had an opportunity to sit on it and see if there would be any more developments. There really hasn’t been.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I own, use and love Netflix.

What could you possibly be thinking if you are Warner Bros.? In case you haven’t heard, Netflix and Warner Bros. signed a deal where Warner Bros. movies wouldn’t be released on Netflix’s service for nearly a month (28 days) after the DVD/BluRay’s release; instead, they are going to be released in Blockbusters*. Not only is holding back rentals from Netflix idiotic in terms of business, but it’s just plain dumb public relations. (As a side note, Warner Bros. has allowed Netflix to receive more movies for instant viewing.)

Now, I’m going to say this: Netflix isn’t in the wrong here; do they really have a choice? They can’t make movie distributors upset. They have to give in to the distributor’s ludicrous demands.

Let’s get back to Warner Bros. Hmm. This is the greatest business strategy ever: by not allowing Netflix to have our movies for one month, logically, that means if people want to see our movies, they will go out and buy them. BRILLIANT!

There’s really no other way for them to get movies right? You can’t just download them from the Internet...right? Or people won’t just rip and burn the DVDs without paying for them. No, people will just go and buy them. That makes total sense.

On the PR side of things, I can’t be the only one who’s upset about this. I’m just surprised that there really isn’t a major spike in numbers of comments about this on blogs or in the news. Or at the very least in PR aggregates like Alltop PR – especially that Blockbuster just inked a deal to get the Warner Bros. movies in their stores.

This is why the music industry and the movie industry are dealing with piracy (NOTE: I do not endorse or condone piracy). We all like money. But when you allow true greed take over, you’re going to get burned in the long run. Look at what happened and is continuing to happen in the music industry: people were tired of paying $20 for an album, and instead just download them (most of the time illegally).

When you alienate your publics/stakeholders, you hurt your business! In an age of technology where you can download a movie for free (even before they are released on DVD/BluRay), alienating your target markets can kill your sales.

I for one will be boycotting buying new Warner Bros. movies, until the company stops being idiotic with their DVDs. It’s a shame too, because I’d more than likely buy “The Informant.”

*FULL DISCLOSURE: I despise Blockbuster with every ounce of fiber in my being. Late charges, a horrible selection and horrid customer service are the norm; hence why I went to Netflix. I’m happy that within another year they will be essentially as sparse as the mom-and-pop stores they destroyed in the 90s. And again, what is Warner Bros. thinking? You’re really going to try and get on board a sinking ship? I just want to meet your CEO and shake him/her profusely until they get the point that alienating your consumers hurts business.

Here’s an article supporting Warner Bros. decision

That’s all folks! (I couldn’t resist a shot at a Porky Pig comment.)

An Introvert's Guide to Networking

2010-04-05T11:34:00.006-04:00

Truth be told: I'm actually a pretty shy and conservative person - or an introvert. When I go out with my friends, it's very, VERY rare that I meet new people. It's uncomfortable for me. (Let's be honest here, I'd say most people don't really venture off and talk to strangers when they go out to bars or other social situations.)

While I'm an introvert typically, once I know you, I don't really shut up.

So last week, I attended my very first networking event. I travelled over three hours to Washington, DC to try my hand at a very crucial job-seeking (and business) strategy. I didn't know a soul walking into that bar. I want to come up with a clever metaphor here, but the only thing that comes to mind is that I was a fish out of water.

So here's how I made myself think so I could talk to complete strangers.

Prepare.

Reach out to people who have done it before.

Be there for a purpose.

Find something unique about yourself to say; HOWEVER, don't rely on it.

Do NOT give your business cards out haphazardly.

Talk to EVERYONE (and be selective).

Get a wingman; HOWEVER, don't rely on him/her totally.

Learn body language cues.

Connect.

But be genuine

F**k it.

I'm not going to lie; I had an absolute blast at the PRSA-NCC's networking event. I met some cool people and made some nice connections. I wouldn't say I'm an ex-introvert, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for me. Despite going the complete opposite direction on the metro (hour and a half ride), I'd do it all again.

Here's a great resource for a a great book on body language.

Non PR-Related: Kurosawa Turned 100

2010-03-24T12:22:00.013-04:00

Ok, this isn't PR news or technology news, but I found out about it through a news release (does that count?). Maybe in a few days when I have some time to think, I'll try to apply samurai movies to job seeking/working. Any way...

Yesterday was a huge day in cinema. Akira Kurosawa, a major influential director, had his 100th anniversary (basically, it would've been his 100th birthday if he was still alive). My memory is failing me right now, but one of his most famous movies, "Seven Samurai," was being played in a theater in L.A. to commemorate the event.

For those of you that don't know who he is (FOR SHAME!), Kurosawa was a Japanese director who is well-known for his film's in the samurai genre (think like Japanese westerns).

Kirosawa's influence on film is still felt today. George Lucas has stated that he based his Star Wars saga off of "The Hidden Fortress." "Yojimbo" has been remade into Sergio Leone's "Fistful of Dollars" and the horrid Bruce Willis movie "Last Man Standing." "The Magnificent Seven" was a remake of the brilliant and classic masterpiece, "Seven Samurai." Many directors cite Kurosawa as major influences on their films.

There's really not much that I can say about Kurosawa's genius. I'm a huge fan of his and have seen most of his samurai movies. Happy 100th.

I've embedded trailers of "Seven Samurai," "Yojimbo," "The Hidden Fortress" (sorry I couldn't find English subtitles for the preview) and "Rashomon" below.

Wiki Wiki. It Might Be As Accurate As You'd Hoped.

2010-03-15T11:03:00.013-04:00

This is going to be short and sweet today. It's rainy and I'm not necessarily in the mood to write a lengthy blog post. Besides, ReadWriteWeb did an awesome job; why mess with that?

ReadWriteWeb posted a story today where they defend Wikipedia as a valid online resource for news. I couldn't agree more.

While I was in school, I took a writing for the web class where we learned how to write html coding and how people read on the web (they skim). I'll never forget one thing my professor told the class: "People bash Wikipedia, but it's a valid source of information." He then gave us some study numbers, but I can't remember them, and I don't want to mess that up. Basically, the numbers/study showed that most of the posters on Wikipedia are experts in their field or know the information very well; so, the information is typically right.

Think about it: who would really want to go online and post information about topics unless they care and know about the subject? You have log on, type it and then if you're wrong or being maliciously wrong, you get banned from Wikipedia. That's a lot of work to purposely make stuff up.

Of course there's always exceptions to the rule. It's why I used words like "basically" and "typically." For example, comedian Daniel Tosh told his viewers of Tosh.0 to make stuff up on Wikipedia (see below). Wikipedia eventually locked his page.

Tosh.0

Wikipedia Updates

www.comedycentral.com

Web Redemption

2 Girls, 1 Cup Reaction

Demi Moore Picture

Might be NSFW - there's no cursing, but some language might offend.

But ReadWriteWeb poses a great point: "Traditional media get bits of breaking news wrong all the time, but we accept that as part of the game."

Just to back that up, good ole Fox News has done some things that aren't exactly trustworthy either. For example, using videos from the day after September 11 to show how "successful" a rally was in 2009. (Taken from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart). For some reason, it won't let me embed the video here, so here's the link.

Now, I'm not necessarily bashing just FoxNews; other news stations do the same kind of things. It's why most of my generation gets their news from sources like The Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

Who knows? Someday Wikipedia might end up being the credible source of information and news.

Here's a link to a CNET story on a Wikipedia study regarding accuracy.

He Shoots; He...Has An Opportunity

2010-03-12T13:35:00.017-05:00

It seems to be a slow PR/Technology day - SXSW might be the cause of that. Sorry about the delay on this story. Better late than never I suppose.

He shoots; he scores!

How many times have we heard that this past Olympic season? If you haven't, where have you been? Gotta love sports announcers (except Joe Buck, but that's another time and another blog). Hockey, in my opinion, has some of the better sports announcers; they are excitable and typically knowledgeable.

With the US winning the silver, and Canada winning the gold, the National Hockey League - and it's announcers and sponsors - can be primed to making a US comeback.

I would just like to say that the US-Canada Gold Medal game was simply amazing - although sad we didn't win. I haven't seen my Facebook page buzzing about anything sports related since the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. So clearly, there is an interest in hockey once again. Hopefully, the NHL (whose PR/Marketing tactics after their strike was very impressive) won't squander its apparent opportunity.

A few weeks ago, Mike Schaffer (Blog Post about the NHL's Opportunities) gave three great tips for the NHL to maximize the Olympics. I'm going to elaborate on those and elaborate on them:

NEED

I absolutely love this idea

Let's be honest here. The NHL will never be as popular as the NFL; however, if they utilize their opportunity from the Olympics, they have a shot to make some headway to garner some more interest in the NHL and/or gain some fans back from their recent strike. At the very least, get the NHL put back on ESPN.

"That's Not What Your Girlfriend Says"

2010-03-10T12:03:00.008-05:00

Ever since that great Snicker Super Bowl commercial (see below) featuring Betty White getting laid out, getting up and smack talking her teammate, there has been a huge social media push to get her to host Saturday Night Live.

It's interesting to see how social media can make people take notice. There is a Facebook fan page dedicated to having Betty White host SNL. As of a month ago, the page had well over 400,000 fans. Apparently, it has worked. Rumor has it, White will be on the show in the near future - though, it might not be hosting. It's still a huge win for fans of White and fans of social media.

What does this mean for social media?

Personally, I believe it means that while Facebook and social media aren't necessarily the number one motivator in effecting people's attitudes and behavior, it has opened the door for people to use social media to affect attitudes and behavior. The key here is that the show/person of influence has to be monitoring the social media for there to be a change. For example, SNL used to get tons and tons of mail regarding their shows - e.g., Sinead O'Connor ripping up a picture of the Pope (see at around 2:27 mark). Now, it seems that they are monitoring social media for what people are saying. The people of influence - SNL - are taking note and adapting their plan.

If White gets the hosting gig or makes an appearance and SNL receives a boost in ratings, who knows what that could mean for TV programming. Or the entertainment industry as a whole. Look what blogging and message boards did for "Snakes on a Plane." Or if in the near future, politicians can monitor social media and determine if certain actions based on what the people want. Wouldn't that be something?

Using Twitter To Help With Your Job Search

2010-03-08T13:34:00.002-05:00

Lately (when I did last blog), I've been blogging about #HAPPO's Twitter Initiative and the psychological aspects about searching for a job/failure. I'm not exactly sure why, but the psychological/sociological aspects have always intrigued me. Today, instead of blogging about that stuff, I'm going to focus on implementing Twitter in your job search.

For me, Twitter began as a personal medium. For example, I followed (and still follow) my favorite bands, companies and people. Then as months passed, I realized that using Twitter in the hunt for a job is something EVERY PR/Marketing/Advertisting job seeker should be doing. You can network with HR people, PR people and companies. I'm following companies so when they have a job opening I'll know almost immediately.

Here's a list of advice for using Twitter to help your job search:

1. This might be the most obvious and most important thing to note: Make your Tweets (relatively) professional. We all have had bad days and enjoy ranting about it (I do it too), but remember, your profile is going to be used by employers to see who you are and what you are about. So tweeting about when your girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with you or your professor is a jerk might not be the best idea.

2. Link to your blog, portfolio or LinkedIn page. You want as many people - or at least targeted people - to view your pages, why not list them on Twitter for people to see? This leads to number 3:

3. Have something valuable to post. Yes, we all know you have a sweet porfolio website, but why should I go there? This is more important for blogs. Don't just Tweet your blog's site, link to specific stories to draw viewers to your site (if it's good they'll more than likely navigate your site regardless how they got there).

4. Understand Twitter lingo. Know what "Tweet," "@," "DM" (direct message), and "RT" (ReTweet) mean. You should know what a hashtag is (#), popular hashtags searches and how to use them. For example, #HAPPO, #prsa, #EntryPR and etc. Save them as a search, and look and see what's out there.

5. Follow people, organizations and companies of influence. I follow Heather Huhman (@heatherhuhman), Waggener Edstrom's Careers (@We_Careers) and PRSA (@prsa).

6. Create a list. If you don't want your home page flooded by job tweets, simply create a list. Naming and using a list is a great way to organize people and organizations you want to follow. For example, I have a list specifically for PR jobs (it follows @dcprjobs, @getpubrelajobs and etc.).

7. Check out other Twitter websites such as TweetMyJobs. This aggregates jobs posted on Twitter for you.

8. Interact with people on Twitter. If you like something that's posted, ReTweet it, reply to them or DM them. Creating a rapport with people online will help you in the long-run (however, realize that person-to-person networking is also very important).

Now by no means am I an expert; I don't even have a paying job at this point. However, while I'm not an expert, these are just pieces of advice that I've noticed other blogs have given and some tactics that I'm using in my hunt for a job.

You can follow me at @VTCaccavale.

Tough Week = A Little Break From the Bloggersphere

2010-03-05T12:49:00.006-05:00

Ever have one of those weeks where pretty much nothing goes your way? You are at a fork in the road and seem to pick the wrong route. I'm not complaining; I'm just a tad bit stressed.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything this week. I will be posting some cool ideas and reviews (yes, reviews) next week. Here is what I'll be working on: using Twitter to help the job effort, a review of one of Heather Huhman's ebooks, Betty White and Facebook vs SNL, how the NHL should use the Olympics as a catalyst, maybe a post about Toyota's lovely branding and maybe something else (who knows what's going to happen in the impending week).

In the meantime to lighten everyone's day/week, here's the viral video of past SNL characters portraying presidents (including Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush):

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Following Up Is (Not) Hard To Do

2010-02-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Another day, another lesson. It's still kind of weird being out of school for little over eight months and still learning new things. I'm not necessarily learning from books or professors, but rather through my failures (see past blog post).

In my long (too long to admit the actual length) job search, I've done some things to try to stick out of the pack. I've created a professional-ish Twitter account and a LinkedIn page. I've also hand-made a website portfolio (that's right, no templates were used there). But one thing seemed to get the most reactions from HR people: I used my creativity and distributed something* to them via snail-mail.

NOTE: I'm not saying what it is because I'd rather not have people use my idea.

This item drove people to my website and had them on there for a decent amount of time; however, that was the end of it. There were no calls; no job offers for my creativity. I was getting frustrated. This was about 3-4 months ago.

A few weeks ago, while my power was out because of a blizzard, I realized why it hadn't worked the way I wanted it to. I didn't follow up. This may seem obvious now, but it didn't dawn on me to call and make sure they received my item and talk to the HR person I was contacting. I was too passive; I was expecting them to call me and interact with me. That won't be the case from here on out. Interning has taught me a few things, but one important thing has been to follow up when you email/mail something out - whether it's a press release, an interview, an event or your resume.

Next time, when I specifically mail something out to an agency, job, HR person, etc., I'll definitely be calling to make sure they received my package. That way I can create a dialogue with that company. Worst case scenario, I give them my elevator pitch and move on. Best case scenario, I receive some kind of feedback and continue to develop my skills.

Man, I keep learning new things every day.

Winning the Little Battles

2010-02-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

Like war, job seeking can be Hell. You apply to countless jobs, and if you don't fit the company (or they don't want you), you basically get ignored. During my search I've realized to take things in stride and take solace in the little battles that were won.

Winning the little battles will eventually win the war in finding a job. This past summer, I was too engulfed in the broad picture rather than focusing on the smaller more manageable tasks. Focusing on the war rather than the winnable battles caused me to be utterly consumed by my failures. In hindsight I was plugging away and doing the little things (creating a social media brand for myself, creating and maintaining a website portfolio, joining the PRSA and etc.), but by not focusing on the little battles, I failed to realize that what I was doing was valuable in the long-run. Instead of realizing that I was chipping away at the job hunting war, I became frustrated by my continuing unemployment.

Flash-forward to now (where I'm focusing on the little battles that can be won):

I wasn't expecting a job offer after the #HAPPO Twitter event last Friday, but of course, I had a small inkling of hope. Did that happen? Nope. However, my network did expand with some up-and-coming PR grads (like myself), seniors from college, PR professionals, HR professionals and PR bloggers. It was great. And I'm excited to keep my network open with these people. I'm also excited for the future of the PR industry - the creativity exhibited by some people during the event was amazing.

I also won a little battle by increasing a lot of traffic to my website. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone on my site and looking around. People were also reading this blog (and someone even posted a comment)*.

*NOTE: I'm on such a level of excited about that, it's kinda sad.

Finally, on Friday night something good and bad happened in my job search. The bad was that I got rejected from a firm that I really want to work for (again); however, I got a nice email saying I was rejected(the good). I wasn't ignored, which was and is a huge win in my book.

Winning the little battles is crucial to keeping your sanity. Eventually, with perseverance you'll win the war. I know I will.

I'm a PR Lineman - Huh?

2010-02-19T13:48:00.001-05:00

We all know and love cliches. That's why they are cliches: they are used over and over again. So as I'm watching over and participating in #HAPPO's massive PR job initiative, I've noticed a cliche that seems kind of contradictory: PR Rockstar. Everyone wants to be a rockstar or famous sports athlete, but is that something you really want to portray while looking for a job?

Breaking down the rockstar cliche means that you are a star in your industry - meaning that you have experience (which you more than likely don't have) and have quantifiable results. It also implies that you have an ego (famous examples: Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, Kayne West or Axl Rose). As a rockstar you have to have an ego or you'll just look stupid.

For me personally, I'd say I'm a PR lineman. Don't laugh. Linemen are the unsung heroes of football; they block and create plays for the quarterback and/or runningback. Isn't that what you want from a PR employee? No egos; just confidence and hard work that benefits the entire team. There's not just one lineman but multiple linemen to get the job done; just like in PR.

OK, this is my last "pitch" blog post, I promise - here's my other pitch post. If you want to talk to a team-player. A PR lineman, if you will, here's are links to my portfolio site, Twitter page and LinkedIn profile.

Son of a Pitch

2010-02-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

I'll jump on the pitch yourself through blog bandwagon that I'm seeing on #HAPPO and #HAPPODC.

The key question here is not why should you hire me (I'm not even asking that), but why should you want to interview me?

I'm going to be the worker that's going to bleed for his company; I'mto be very loyal to my sports teams, friends, coworkers and organizations. I will do what needs to be done (of course only ethically) to make the company and client succeed. Aside from all of the logistical stuff that we all typically know how to do (writing, pitching, graphic design, html coding, social media and etc.), I'm easy to get along with - there won't be internal drama with me.

I'm not afraid to speak up if I have an idea or don't agree with a higher up. In that spectrum, I can take criticism and won't be discouraged if my idea doesn't get used.

If you like what you are reading and want to talk to me in person or on the phone to see that I'm not just saying all of this stuff, here's a link to my porfolio website to see some samples of my work, my resume and contact info: Caccattackpr.com.

#HAPPO to Meet You

2010-02-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

Finding an entry-level job right out of college sucks. I’m not going to sugarcoat that; it sucks. I don’t wish what I’ve been through to find a job out of college on anyone (I’m still unemployed). So when I finally do get a job in the PR industry and make my way through the ranks, I will definitely be helping those out of college try to land a job.

There is a new, cool initiative happening in the PR field trying to help get a PR person a job. The aptly titled Help a PR Pro Out (@HAPPO or #HAPPO) aims to help PR pros whether fresh out of college or a seasoned vet of the industry get a job – or at the very least help with networking.

I’m going to be honest here: I absolutely love this idea, and I’m hoping it’s successful enough to warrant more events. I’m almost taken aback by how many people are posting on Twitter and plugging it on their blogs. In fact, Heather Huhman (an HR guru) who runs the the ever useful #PRintern | EntryPR LinkedIn group is one of HAPPO’s DC champion. Huhman also blogs about how to land a job and gives general advice to entry-level candidates. In a recent blog post, she allowed candidates to give their elevator speeches for employment and linked them to either their Twitter accounts, LinkedIn profiles, portfolio sites and etc. (Full disclosure: I’m on there).

HAPPO shows that although the economy is brutal and finding a job can be hard, the PR industry as a whole tries to help where they can.

The HAPPO event will happen on February 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Twitter (save the #HAPPO tag).

In Defense of Palin

2010-02-11T13:13:00.000-05:00

I’m actually kind of nervous as I write this. I feel the purpose of The Cacc Attack blog is to showcase my writing and show that I’m up-to-date on current issues. Writing about politics is always a dangerous game. It’s just like a first date or going into a bar; you never talk about politics or religion. But in the theme of the classic Tom Cruise movie, Risky Business, sometimes you just have to say f*** it.

With all that being said, I’m going to point out a few personal things before I jump in:

1. I’m an independent voter. This means that I vote for the person, not the party.
2. I think Sarah Palin is an idiot. The Turkey Video – be warned it’s quite graphic (where were her PR people on this one?) and seeing Russia from her house.
3. I believe she is a major reason that Senator McCain didn’t have a fighting chance against President Obama. I for one refused to vote for McCain because of her.

Recently, Palin was caught with talking points on her hand at the Tea Party Convention this past weekend. Again, Palin does something stupid. Talking points on your hand? Seriously? As a Vice Presidential candidate you should be prepared for a speech you were going to give. If not, at least go old school and have some index cards with notes. I think she might do this intentionally to continue to get attention (or her PR people are really that bad)**.

Now, everyone is getting on Palin for not knowing her speech and writing talking points on her hand. In fact, Press Secretary Gibbs was even making fun of her in a speech this past week.

In the grand scheme of things, however, is this really that big of a deal? Yes, Palin should be professional and know what she’s going to talk about, but the government and the media should be more concerned with the state of this country rather than an attention-hungry Vice Presidential candidate’s antics.

At least Palin took some time to write something down and didn’t do the “um, er, uh” staple that is a public speaking class in college. Overall, her speech wasn’t bad; in fact, if you like her and her opinions, it was very good. Yet that wasn’t covered in the media. Actually, I had to Youtube the speech to find out what the speech was even on.

This doesn’t even go into what my blog is about. It’s not PR tactics, it’s not PR strategies/cases, it’s not technology and it’s not really anything aside from the bi-partisan bull that’s plaguing our country. It’s Gibbs lampooning Palin or Palin taking shots at Obama. That’s basically what this all comes down to.

So while Palin does stupid actions and seriously diminishes her agenda to us non-party voters, the government and the media should just grow up and do their jobs (you know run the government and report on the news OBJECTIVELY).

I need to go take a shower because I feel dirty.

Here’s Palin’s Tea Party Speech:

**As Palin’s publicist, PR person, advisor or whatever how the heck do you let her get into these situations? I would have stopped her and found a piece of paper at the very least.

Failure Is Not an Option...or Is It?

2010-02-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I'm very competitive and hate failing. Whew; that felt good to admit. Not that people like to fail, but I sometimes take it to heart.

I've learned a lot of things in my internship this last past 3 months - writing media advisories, pitching the media and etc. One of the most important things I'm learning is how to really bounce back from failure and not letting that failure hurt your performance.

Poker players have a term for what happens after you fail: being on tilt. Being on tilt really hurts your performance while playing poker. You make bad bets, bad reads on opposing players and just make horrible decisions. The thing about being on tilt is that it's a very slippery slope. You are upset, that emotion forces you to make bad decisions and those decisions make you fail even more. One time, I folded pocket Aces. I don't know why, but I felt like it was the best decision; it wasn't. I realized I would have won the hand and a good amount of money; instead I was on tilt, and it took me awhile to bounce back. It cost me a decent amount of money to pull me out of tilt.

Recently, I had to make my first pitch to the media. I'm not going to lie, to me it's not that hard to be on the phone (I was on the phone for 8 hours a day in a previous job), but pitching is a totally different monster. Pitching is something we never really were taught in college. It wasn't a disaster, but having spent a lot of time preparing and rehearsing my pitch only to have it basically cut down to "Oh, yeah, I'll send it to your email" killed me. Now, I'm probably being hard on myself, but I took that as a huge failure. I was on tilt. Then, I sat down and thought about what had happened. I could take it that I had failed and should never call the media again, or I could take it as I failed, but next time I'm not going to say this but say that instead. I chose the latter and grew from my experience. My next pitch went better, in case you were wondering.

I've learned that failure is not necessarily a bad thing. Take what Robert F. Kennedy said about the matter:
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

Here are some other cool quotes about failure.

Trust Me I'm a Musician

2010-02-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

I learned an obvious and important lesson this past Friday. The lesson is to be thankful and promote that you truly care about your consumers/clients, and they will be good to you. This of course can be from typical CSR or just reputation management (sometimes they are one and the same).

Let me flash back to Friday.

I went to see my favorite band - Killswitch Engage - at the Showboat at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. The show was absolutely amazing. Because there was an impending blizzard, I opted to get a hotel room at the casino rather than risk my life and drive home. My friends and I gambled a little bit and as we were walking back to our room, I saw one of the guitarists from Killswitch Engage (KsE). We talked to him a little bit as we all were walking back to our respective rooms. He must have said thank you 10 times. He thanked US for coming to the show and supporting them. He was genuinely a nice guy (which makes me respect the band that much more). Some time later I decided that I wanted to gamble a little bit more and then grab a drink at the bar. Who do I see there? That same guitar player that was so nice to me earlier (instead of being a creep, I left him alone and sat on the other side of the bar). I ended up chatting with a guy who was a friend of the band. The guitar player came over a few times and chatted with us and again was very nice. Fast forward a few hours of talking and having a good time, I decided I needed to sleep. I said my goodbyes, and he AGAIN thanked me for coming and mentioned to tell my friends the same thing.

What does this have to do with PR? EVERYTHING. Being nice and having an open dialogue with a fan/fans is something that not only bands should do, companies should do as well; however, not all do. My opinion of the band is even higher than it was because of this interaction. Let's take this another way. Killswitch Engage can be considered a company. I can be considered its public. KsE did what it typically does - plays a concert for it's public. Now, KsE could have been rude to me (the public) and said go away or just not genuinely care when I attempted to have a dialogue with it. Because the guitarist didn't shut me out, the company's reputation is now stronger for interacting with its public. Their reputation might even be stronger because I've definitely shared this story to multiple people, and I'm sure I'm not the only person the guitarist was nice too.

Basically what I'm getting at here is to be open and genuine with your clients and publics. They will love you that much more for it. In fact because of this openness, in this day and age of downloading music, I will continue to purchase KsE's albums and merchandise, and I will definitely be seeing them live again.

If you want to check out Killswitch Engage's music here's the link: Killswitch Engage MySpace

NOTE: I do know the guitarist's name, I'm deciding to withhold it.

What They Don't Teach You In College...

2010-02-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I've written. I've been kind of busy talking to my new mentor and revamping my resume. In the meantime, I'm also working every other day in an unpaid internship. I've also picked up a second internship. This got me thinking about what school left out after I graduated.

During my internships, there are multiple things that I'm learning that I just wasn't taught in college. Aside from the pecking order in a career (not the teacher-student relationship), there are relationships with clients. As a student there is a basic understanding of the relationship; however, in a real-world situation, you realize that - as in customer service - the client is always right (at least in theory). For example, we have a client who is a town with an amazing downtown scene. The town has a 9 day promotion leading up to Valentine's Day where there are a lot of discounts, window decorating and music. The client doesn't want to publicize the discounts because they don't want to look cheap. Try pitching the media with just window decorating and music. If I had the authority (remember I'm an unpaid intern), I'd have stressed the shopping aspect to bring in consumers. Let's be honest here: last minute shopping + Valentine's Day + sales = great TV news story feature on where a man could buy last minute gifts for his honey. (For the sake of this example, I'm saying man buying; of course, a woman can buy for her honey as well.) But no; they want to focus on the window decorating and music. I digress.

A major skill that wasn't taught to me for some reason is media pitching. I'm not sure how other schools are, but I get the impression that it's not being taught widespread. Luckily for me, I have experience on phones and in the radio. Laugh all you want, but being on the radio definitely helps while being on the phone - think about it, if you can talk to 26,000+ plus people, you can talk to one measly little editor/reporter/newsroom secretary. Email pitching is definitely something that is very new to me.

It's expected from my generation, but social media skills aren't directly focused upon while in school. I understand that it's taken for granted that our generation is supposed to be amazing at social media; however, I can just about guarantee that most recent grads will have trouble using social media in a strategic manner.

Now, I loved my education. I learned a lot. My writing now is a million times stronger than it was back when I graduated high school. I'm also more attuned with publics and thinking in a public relations mindset because of school. I just wished I was more prepared to deal with other aspects. Someday if I become a professor, these and other techniques will definitely be touched upon. I'm very lucky to be at an internship at a very small agency where I can learn all of these skills and continue to develop my PR skills that were taught to me.

iPhone Makes a Baby

2010-01-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

How far we've come.

The iPhone has helped conceive a child. There's no typo there. Mashable found the story from England's The Sun about 30-year-old Lena Bryce's trying to conceive a child. She was desperate to have a child when her husband gave her an iPhone for her birthday. “It began to weigh heavily on us. We were considering IVF and adoption when [my husband] Dudley gave me the iPhone for my 30th. I typed in ‘get pregnant’ and downloaded five apps,” said Bryce.

She followed the The Free Menstrual Calendar [iTunes Link] app (see screenshot below), which highlighted her most fertile day. Within two months Bryce became pregnant and gave birth on the exact day app said she would.

Mashable does bring up a good point:

Was it really necessary to download an app in order to conceive? One would think that a trip to the doctor would yield the same results. Regardless, the free app was certainly cheaper than a consult with a fertility doctor, and most likely cut down on time spent in the waiting room, reading outdated copies of Highlights. So I guess there’s that.

I'm going to disagree slightly here. I find it amazing that someone used an app to help conceive a child. It's amazing to see how far technology has come (or scary depending on your viewpoint). My question to pose is how will phone apps impact healthcare professionals in the future? It's definitely cheaper to find stuff like a menstrual calendar. I just wonder if there will be a day when you can pay for a doctor's app or get healthcare through a webcam (there are some of these services up and running) and get help that way, rather than waiting in a doctors office.? Besides, a free app is cheaper than a co-pay.

Not All Publicity is Good Publicity

2010-01-22T18:29:00.000-05:00

Any press is good press...or not. Heidi Montag (of "The Hills" fame) can attest to this. Her album, "Superficial" (yeah, she apparently sings; who knew?) has only sold 658 copies according to Neilson SoundScan.

Author's Note: I'm not going to comment on the obvious irony her album's name evokes; you know, being superficial and having plastic surgery, trying to sing and her general demeanor.

This number has got to be a huge blow because she has been in the media a lot lately (see left) - granted, it's to talk about her plastic surgery - and has reportedly dropped $2 million. Ouch; that's got to hurt. Plus, The Hills is a widely watched show on MTV (not exactly the brightest musical lovers); the album should have done a lot better.

I'm going to post a comment she made with Entertainment Weekly (try not to laugh at some rationale Montag makes):

“I think it’s gonna do great,” said Montag. “I have a million Twitter followers and they’re all very excited. So that’s at least a million people right there. It also takes time. I don’t expect it to be instant. Maybe it’s the biggest album in a couple months. Maybe it’s the biggest album in a year. This is the first album of many to come. As long as I can keep affording it and keep doing it, I will because it’s my love and my passion.”

There are a few concepts in here if you look closely enough. The main and most obvious one is publicity and celebrity status doesn't necessarily garner sales. I guess that's where true (or perceived) talent comes into play. The second concept is that a million followers/friends on social media doesn't mean that your product will increase sales. Remember, there's always a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior. I may say I'm going to buy something; when in reality, I won't.

Because it's so evil, here's a video of a Montag singing "Higher." It's bad; you've been warned.

The Power of Social Media - The Jersey Shore Edition

2010-01-22T18:18:00.000-05:00

Paying attention to your online presence is critical in promoting your brand or even yourself. Now this should be obvious, but even I was shocked to get a real life example. Full disclosure: I’m from New Jersey, I’m Italian and I spike (not blow out) my hair, but I’m not a Guido . With that being said, recently, the MTV’s The Jersey Shore came to Atlantic City. Two cast members, Vinny and Situation, made out with the same girl in the same night. That girl – which will remain nameless – was a graduate of my high school class and a Facebook friend to a lot of classmates and me.

Now, what does this foray into horrible pop-culture that spits on New Jersey and Italian culture? The night that the show aired Facebook statuses from my high school classmates lit up with comments like “Did I see who I think I saw?” and “Did anyone see the Jersey Shore tonight?” This was followed by multiple comments of people exclaiming they did. I, who never watched the show up until that point, was immediately interested. With the power of social media, that girl – who I theorize went on the show as a way to further her modeling career – was immediately humiliated. She blocked wall posts and took down her profile picture. I don’t believe she thought about the consequences of her actions in regards to social media.

The lesson to be learned here is that social media is instantaneous – something that should be obvious but should be stated nonetheless. It can be great to help you promote a brand, yourself or a company, but on the other hand, it can cripple you and/or your company. Being aware of what you are doing and what could possibly post up online and/or on social media platforms is critical to a brand. Unfortunately, the girl didn’t consider that before rushing up to the V.I.P. area of the club and doing things that were regrettable.

For a job seeker like myself, there needs to be realization that dumb things you do may end up as a Facebook status seen by others; or worse, it could land you on MTV seen by millions of people worldwide.

Augmented Reality + Valentine's Day + Hallmark= <3

2010-01-18T17:12:00.000-05:00

Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us, so it’d be a good idea to have something in the back of your head for your special someone. Now, flowers and candy are classics, but I can see some people finding this too cliché. Have no fear; Hallmark is here! I found this gem from ReadWriteWeb, and I must be a softy at heart. This is pretty cool. Hallmark has created Augmented Reality - a term to describe the layering of digital content over real-world objects and images - greeting cards for Valentine’s Day. All you need to do is go to Hallmark’s website and follow some directions. And of course you need a webcam.

The best part about this is that the price doesn’t seem too bad; they range from $2.99 to $5.99.

Here’s a video that demonstrates the card and Augmented Reality:

Author’s Note: Stereotypically, a guy doesn’t like to buy cards. I fit into that stereotype; however, I would gladly spend time purchasing a cool card like this for my Valentine.

McGwire, PR and the MLB Network

2010-01-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

PRSA has an article commenting on how networks owned by sports leagues are beginning to (or will) threaten traditional outlets. I’m going to play the Devil’s advocate and disagree slightly.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Mark McGwire recently admitted to using steroids on the MLB Network. It shouldn’t be rocket science on why his PR team chose the MLB Network. It wasn’t because of the network challenging traditional outlets; it was because it was easier to control the situation. McGwire, and his PR people, chose the MLB Network for a simple and easy reason: they could control the questions that McGwire would face. Realistically, Bob Costas wasn’t going to ask the hard questions that baseball fans really wanted to know.

It’s smart from a PR aspect. Who would you rather face? Bob Costas and the MLB Network or rabid sports journalists in a national press conference? Or how about the panel from Around the Horn? Or Jim Rome’s Rome is Burning? I think Mark McGwire’s PR team did a great job in controlling the first wave of questions and allowing McGwire to tell his story rather than answer questions. The Cardinals’ and the Athletics’ PR team/people should also be commended on how there has been no blowback on them. You can’t tell me with Jose Canseco and McGwire, no one knew about this going on in the A’s clubhouse.

As far as a real threat to traditional outlets, I can’t really see it. However, I do have to agree with the PRSA post when quoting the Philadelphia Inquirer “the lines between news and public relations have blurred.” That goes along with what I’ve been writing about here.

I can see a possible future where the athlete skips the middleman – the news outlets – and just talks to the public via social media. Can you imagine the Tweet Big Mac could have written? I wonder how you can admit to taking steroids in 140 characters or less?

Sarcastic Tendencies?

2010-01-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

Well this is interesting. Am I being serious or am I being sarcastic? Well now, with the SarcMark (seen left), you’d be able to know. It’s a new emoticon that allows the reader of emails, texts and IMs to know that you are being sarcastic. And it’s only $1.99.

I find that this could be an extremely useful for clarity – especially, if you are like my friends, who are quite sarcastic. It’d be great to know when they are being serious; however, paying $1.99 might seem a little steep for just an emoticon. Though is $1.99 really that expensive for clarity? The main issue I can see is having to explain the SarcMark to my friends every time.

Here’s what the website has to say about the product:
“With the spoken word, we use our tone, inflection and volume to question, exclaim and convey our feelings. The written word has question marks and exclamation points to document those thoughts, BUT sarcasm has NOTHING! In today’s world with increasing commentary, debate and rhetoric, what better time could there be than NOW, to ensure that no sarcastic message, comment or opinion is left behind Equal Rights for Sarcasm – Use the SarcMark.”

To download the SarcMark follow the link:

SarcMark

Supported for Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista and mobile devices for use in Word documents, e-mail, instant messaging and more.

Mini Palin's PR Upstart Kind of Depressing

2010-01-14T17:15:00.000-05:00

Kevin McCauley from O'Dwyer's PR Blog blogged his point of view, and I can't help but agree. Now, I am a recent graduate who's trying to find gainful employment so I find it kind of hard to stomach someone with NO PR EXPERIENCE being able to run a PR firm. It must be nice to have a famous mom. I'm just going to copy all of Kevin's story for you to read:

You go, girl!

PR people are wide-mouthed with bombshell news that Bristol Palin is hanging out her own PR shingle.

That's right. The 19-year-old daughter of Alaska's former governor and best-selling author, Sarah Palin, has filed papers with the state's Commerce Dept. to open BSMP (Get it? Bristol Sharon Marie Palin) LLC. That firm is cleared to "provide lobbying, public relations, and political consulting services." Yours truly can't wait to see the client list that BSMP runs in the O'Dwyer Directory of PR Firms.

Now, young Palin is sitting pretty in the Last Frontier, a hotbed for PR. Alaska has a permanent chip on its shoulder. It seems to issue an RFP once a month with the goal of gaining greater understanding and appreciation from the snobs in the Lower 48 who view Alaska as a frozen wasteland with oil wells.

The latest push: hands off the polar bear. Alaskans don't want any meddling by the feds who are positive that global warming is killing off polar bears. What’s next? Will the feds have the audacity try to end the slaughter of wolves by "hunters" sitting comfortably in airplanes? PR rides to the rescue of capitalism and hunters’ rights. That job would be a good one for Bristol.

This blogger has received a ton of emails from PR people who are scratching their heads about Bristol's foray into the PR world. They scoff at her "limited" qualifications and think Palin’s plunge into the PR waters somehow diminishes the standing of the profession. Nonsense to all of that.

Bristol has been in the media spotlight, trotted out as a prop in her mom's campaign. As "ambassador" for Candie's Foundation, a pro-abstinence organization, Bristol talks from experience about the challenges involved in raising a child as a single mom. She also faced a ton of cheeky press following word that former boyfriend Levi Johnston decided to pose in the buff for Playgirl.

Bristol has taken all the media dished out. She is ready to play the media game on her own rules and is as qualified to do PR as her mother is qualified to become president of the U.S.

Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard and the rest of the gang, however, have nothing to fear about competition from BSMP, which some may confuse with the old BSMG Worldwide that was merged into Weber Shandwick in 2001. They would be in for a big surprise when Bristol opened the door.

My hunch is that BSMP is nothing more than a platform for Bristol to grab some consulting fees from the Palin in '12 campaign. Raising a kid is pricey. Levi's modeling career is iffy. Counseling Team Palin is only the first step for Bristol.

If John Kennedy could make brother and 1960 campaign manager Bobby his Attorney General, the world is Bristol's oyster in a Palin administration. Press Secretary? Propaganda Czar? Secretary of the Interior? Education Secretary? Everything is up for grabs.

And besides, it would be easier for Bristol to raise Tripp -- not to be confused with uncles Trig and Track -- in balmy D.C. rather than Wasilla.

The First Post

2010-01-14T17:13:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to start a blog for a little while now, and I guess I finally did so. The focus of this blog is to show some of my writing style and comment on what's going on in society, technology and/or PR. It will have a PR focus but other things might show up.

In the meantime, the layout of this blog will change when I have the time (right now the writing and blog posts are way more important than the layout).

Enjoy.