Calling All PR Pros...Be Bold!

Years ago, I had a CEO client who used to like to prod and poke, and wonder when his "story" would be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, above the fold of course. He'd usually cap it off by saying, "will they need my picture for the pencil sketch, or do they send an artist to draw me?" All joking aside, I used to tell him that I could guarantee prominent treatment like that if he, like...

Do Us All a Favor - Think Before You Pitch!

Every generation has a few dates that are forever burned into their memory. For my parents and relatives, it was the shooting of President John F. Kennedy, for others it may have been the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster, and for many now, it is 9-11. This is not a post about that day, or the tragic events that impacted so many lives, and still do to this day. However, that event, like many others serve as a reminder, especially to...

How far have we come in Media Relations?

One of the benefits of tidying up the office is you run across presentations, materials and information you forgot you had. Take the presentation I stumbled across under one of several piles on my office floor, "Building Effective Relationships with Press and Analysts," dated June 5, 1996. What struck me most, besides the fact that there were ZERO references to social media, community building and engaging non-traditional media and analysts, were some tips that are still relevant today, after more...

Why There's No Snoring in Storage

While it's safe to say there probably aren't many technologies I don't like, I've always had a soft spot for storage. And, yes, there are a few who know I take it seriously enough to "Heart Storage." With that said, one of the benefits of working in the industry for as long as I have, is that you get to meet some interesting people. Jerome Wendt, president and lead analyst at DCIG is one of them. I had a chance...

What's Your Magic Number?

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't receive at least 30 emails with headlines like, "Top Ten X," or "Six Best Tips for Y," or "Five Ways to Maximize Your Presence on Z." For those of us in PR, and in particular for those of us who spend hours working in Technology PR, the number varies. Sure, many can point to David Letterman and Late Night TV for some of the best "Top Ten" list creations but...

Good News for Bad PR People

Last month, The Economist reported on a recent study titled, "Positive Effects of Negative Publicity: When Negative Reviews Increase Sales," by Jonah Berger, Alan T. Sorensen and Scott J. Rasmussen, which drew some interesting conclusions. Guess what? Not all bad PR is bad after all. In fact, if you're a small, relatively unknown company or if your product or service is little known, botching PR might actually be a good thing. There’s always been a few in PR that would...

Are We Doing the Storage Industry a Disservice (#SNWUSA)?

Storage is hot. There I said it. If there’s one thing that is resonating loud and clear from the Santa Clara Convention Center, home to the Spring Storage Networking World Conference (#SNWUSA), there are still a large number --2,000+ if you believe some -- that "heart" storage and are alive and well. While I have waxed poetically in the past about the prospects for SNW, here, here and here, the age old questions still remain. Will the conference remain relevant?...

SNW to Offer Free Access to Press Room, Embrace Social Media, MORE!

Next week marks the annual Spring pilgrimage for many to Storage Networking World, best known as SNW. This Spring, the conference comes to the Santa Clara Convention Center in California. This is a first as SNW hasn't been in California for as long as I can remember, if ever. And what sets this conference apart from the past is that now the media room will be available to everyone! No longer will those who have no passes have to worry...

InfoSmack Live from London! A Survivor's Tale...

Last week all of London was a-Twitter with news that the heralded InfoSmack podcast hosted by the creative and sometimes less conventional genius of Greg Knieriemen and Marc Farley was going to record "live" from the Golden Fleece. Taking advantage of scheduled travel from leading bloggers for HDSday, and two excellent events,#StorageBeers (created as a "social gathering of storage and infrastructure folks") and #vBeers (created as a "social get together of like-minded virtualization enthusiasts"), 50 or so lucky people got...

Are you *@$%#* kidding me? Thoughts on social media fiasco in Detroit

While a vast majority of the Twittersphere are focused on how many followers a certain former sitcom star can generate, which coincidentally is being used as one more reason why Twitter is valuable, a certain social media practitioner working on behalf of his client Chrysler decided knowingly or unwittingly to post a tweet using profanity through an official Chrysler Twitter account. I have to tell you, I'm not a fan of sailor talk on Twitter but know it's widely practiced...