September 28, 2009

Lost on language

I’m feeling quite lost today, linguistically speaking. For those of us obsessed by words, their origin, and their proper usage, yesterday was a sad day. Our favorite language maven, William Safire, passed away from pancreatic cancer.

I’m not sure I can summon the words that best capture how I feel. So, please, forgive me if my words are dull, without verve, and minus any clever alliterations. Frankly, I’m not up to it. Not that I ever expected to be up to his standards, but I’m disappointed that I can’t coax something more profound from my lexicon to memorialise him.

But I can share a few simple stories.

There was a deliberate pattern to my Saturday morning. Gym, coffee, New York Times (newsprint edition). Real estate section, the Lives column, the Ethicist, On Language, then random articles throughout the Saturday and Sunday editions. In essence, I saved Safire for last, so that I could savor the anticipation of his column.

Once, we were having breakfast at the diner, and I began exclaiming, “oh my god,” over and over.  I can’t fault my husband for looking alarmed. But it was only Safire, who had mentioned that my company, Factiva, “sometimes outgoogled Google.” I headed up PR for Factiva at the time and really felt that this time, he’d chosen the wrong word. Always would have been more accurate.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve noticed other bylines adorning On Language, but I was busy with the end of vacation, the beginning of a new season of work and a new year of school. I assumed Safire was on vacation (wasn’t he always off for a couple of weeks in August?). I didn’t know he was battling cancer. The news made me feel guilty.  I should’ve known. Friends pay attention, right?

Isn’t it funny that a writer can make you feel this way? I felt as close to him as any friend, a regular in the bar, a colleague at work. I’m convinced I knew him because I read his columns. Of course, I didn’t; but like his friends, I’ll now need to learn how to move on without him. Saturday mornings will be different.

It seems appropriate to let him have the last word, even in this blog post. Here’s the farewell column he wrote when he retired from the NYT Op-Ed pages. Watch out for the traps.

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July 19, 2009

Don’t Read this Tweet while Driving

About three years ago, the car I was driving was nearly hit head on by a minivan driven by another mother as she pulled into the Exit Only of our high school. She never saw me, never heard my horn blaring, never once looked my way, even as she drove right past where I’d swerved onto the grass in order to avoid collision. Still engrossed in her cellphone conversation, she continued entering through the exit and on into the school parking lot. Luckily, it was well past 3 p.m., so no student drivers were around for her to pick off on her way to pick up.

Since then, I’ve been a big advocate of hands free and focused driving habits. That’s why today’s recommended read is an article in the New York Times, Driven to Distraction. I think we’ve all experienced many of the situations described. Just yesterday, for example, as we headed to the beach on the interstate, I cautioned my husband to get ahead of the Lincoln Aviator we were following. The driver was erratic and had swerved several times into the adjacent lane, once very nearly colliding with the car next to it. I pointed out that we were close enough behind to be involved if a crash did occur. As we passed the Aviator, I looked over at the driver. Sure enough, she was on a cell phone.

The Times article points out that although we know that fiddling with our devices while driving is dangerous, we’re still very unlikely to stop doing it. Admittedly, I haven’t completely stopped multitasking while driving, though my cell phone/BlackBerry use has become much rarer. Still, 5 seconds is all it takes to change a life. Which is why I do think laws are needed and it’s disappointing that lawmakers are reluctant to pass limitations.

Apparently the cell phone industry has taken a neutral stance. That’s too bad, because it would be a good public relations move to align itself with public safety. It might provide a good value proposition for new voice-guided GPS smartphone applications too. A couple of weeks ago, I came very close to buying AT&T’s new Navigator app for the iPhone, but it came at a price of $9.99 a month. No way! I thought. Get a grip on your pricing, AT&T! Why would I pay for this? How’s it better than the Garmin?

But after this article, perhaps I might rethink the app for safety reasons. $120 a year seems a small price to pay for not having to look down every few minutes at a silent navigator. Interestingly, if you watch the flash for AT&T’s Navigator, you’ll notice that safety isn’t part of the AT&T pitch (having GPS with you all the time, and finding the lowest priced gas and a wifi spot is).  And, yikes!, it includes a photo of a woman behind the wheel staring at her phone (though it’s not clear if she’s on the road or parked – but why include such an ambiguous photo?!?!).

I’m also thinking that it might be a good idea to get my teen to sign a driving contract. I found a pretty comprehensive one here that can be modified to individual situations.

Bottom line: Driving without distractions is the way to go.

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June 15, 2009

Are you anti-social?

Recently, my husband arrived at our nephew’s bar mitzvah before me. He settled himself at a table with his 85-year-0ld father and one of his brothers, both of whom need a little prodding to engage in prolonged conversation. Three women sat directly opposite. I think he might have panicked a little at first. I know he wished I was there.

Here’s the problem. I am very social; I like to talk and ask questions. My husband really isn’t anti-social, but he is very proper: polite, but not overly aggressive. I, on the other hand, will walk up to a stranger in a crowd (as I did one night last week and introduced myself to nearby runners at the Corporate Challenge). His decorum extends to the types of questions he’ll ask. Certain things are off limits. (“You asked them what?!” he’ll say, aghast, when I mention how much a neighbor paid for a newly installed patio.) Consequently, it’s usually up to me to get the conversation going. Otherwise, we don’t get much further than first names.

“I was you,” he proudly said to me later. “I asked their names, found out where they lived, where they worked, and how they knew (our sister-in-law).”

And he did more: he shared. He told them where I was, why I was late, all about our children; so that when I sat down, to my surprise (and some disappointment, as I also enjoy storytelling and, ahem, being the center of attention), they already knew me.

Such sharing of experience, background and knowledge is also a critical skill at work. Employees that are willing to open up and socialize in the office tend to gather information that helps them do their jobs better. Organizations that make collaboration easy either through technology or culture can turn the wisdom of crowds into competitive advantage.

At Dow Jones, two of my colleagues – Daniela Barbosa and Greg Merkle - collaborated with social media pioneers, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel on an ebook about social networking and collaboration in the enterprise. The Conversational Corporation looks at the impact of social media and Gen O (the online generation, also known as digital natives) on corporate social networking programs. It also offers some tips for developing a more conversational corporation.

So, how social is your organization? Does it make collaboration easy? Are employees banned from FaceBook and Twitter (this will change; remember when companies banned employees from the Internet? Medieval times, they were). Does your organization encourage conversations via social media tools both inside and outside the organization?

Here’s my favorite anecdote from the ebook:

There is yet another reason that we feel Gen O is the killer app for social media adoption. Companies that do not embrace social media will be hard-pressed to attract the best and brightest new employees. Ethan Bodnar, a Cornell-bound high school junior and an Eagle Scout, was interviewed by Shel for the SAP survey. Shel asked him if he would ever work for an employer who prohibits blogging.

“Why would I work for company that doesn’t trust me enough to let me talk about my job?” Bodnar asked. Shel had no answer.

For those of us in PR, the answer to the last is tricky. Our CEOs are definitely jittery, wondering where in the socialsphere the next reputational disaster will hit. And who wouldn’t be? How many kids are out there with a Flip camera, a wicked sense of humor, and a limited appreciation for the potential consequences of their actions?  Yeah. No wonder the PR profession is holding steady in these economic times.

My PR friends have been telling me that they need to monitor everything – mainstream media, blogs, boards, Twitter, FaceBook, digg, YouTube, and on and on. Listening strategically is what will help us pinpoint the next brand disruption. Engaging regularly in conversation both internally and externally is what will help us avoid the risk. But it’s on us – the PR team – to make sure the external conversation is distilled and delivered inside to key executives as well. That’s how reputational disaster is avoided.

Speaking of internal conversations, I have good news: Earlier this month, the PRSA NJ Chapter recognized my ebook, “Talk to Me: 10 Tips for Translating PR Results into the Language of Business,” with a Pyramid award. Thanks so much to the chapter for this. The ebook is based on my research as a grad student at Syracuse’s Newhouse School. With so many disruptive technologies and behaviors challenging our profession – not to mention the economic crisis and some profound changes in journalism – I think it’s more relevant today than when I completed the study three years ago.

So, now I’m interested to see if my husband’s newly found disruptive behavior will continue. I plan to test him out this weekend at Trenton’s Art All Night.

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May 20, 2009

Reinventing Brand You

A few years ago, feeling warmed by the home-baked gingerbread house ambiance of our local elementary school, I told the principal that I wished I too could work there. Pause. A couple of beats. “If only I liked kids.”

It’s not the last alternative career considered and destroyed in a moment. I’m fascinated by medical science and would jump at the chance to solve medical mysteries as a doctor. Except for those body parts and fluids. Also, I’m not the nurturing type (just ask my kids!).

Currently, novelist is at the top of my alt career list.  Second is managing my own small business. Coffee shop? Running store? Hmmm.

Everyone has an alternative career list, yet our collective fortune up until now hasn’t really forced us to seriously consider it.  But there are now laid-off investment bankers becoming math teachers, and reporters becoming nurses - people are reinventing themselves.

And I find I’m having conversations a lot more frequently about what people can do in this environment. Not just to keep their current job, but steps they can take to stand out, be different, create their own brand.  And this reminds me of a story I read in Fast Company 12 years ago (don’t ask me why – with my notoriously bad memory – but a few things do just stick with me, including useless movie trivia).

The Brand Called You is still relevant today – maybe more so. The current work environment is more competitive and more cutthroat than ever.  Think management knows what distinctive qualities make you invaluable? Can you articulate the link between what you do and the bottom line? If you can, you’ve got to say so loudly and frequently. Like that frankly frightening eTrade baby.  You need a brand.

Your career isn’t unlike trying to cross a wide, rushing stream. You’ve got to choose the right stepping stones, withstand the force of the water, and keep an eye out for slippery moss.

Here are three ways to develop Brand You and survive the downturn.

1) Cross train. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or have 30 years on the job. Look for ways to improve your current game with continuous learning. But also shake things up. Every now and then, try another sport. If you’ve always been in product development, take a chance to learn another part of the business. Move to sales.

2) Get a crystal ball. You should always have a six-month line of sight into your organization’s future. And yes, it is possible to develop highly plausible scenarios based on information available today. Review sales, OI and economic trend data. Know your organization’s goals and strategy for achieving them. Find the insiders and ask questions.  Then, put yourself in management’s shoes and be honest: will they need your group six months from now if revenues continue to decline? Which areas are they investing in? Do you have skills that would be valuable to these areas?

5) Then…Reinvent yourself. My favorite piece of advice. You – Brand You – stands for a distinctive combination of core qualities, skills and personality. Knowing your essential value prop and your strengths will also help you recognize when they can be rescrambled into something new.

I’ve always joked that I’m only good at one thing: writing. But I’ve cross-trained over the years, picking up business development, research, crisis management, public relations, and marketing skills along the way.  And, I’ve been pretty adept at sizing up the stepping stones and recognizing that the seemingly logical path might leave me stranded in the middle of the stream – or worse, knock me downstream.

Reinvention doesn’t mean swapping one set of responsibilities for an entirely new set.  It means recognizing that you have multiple strengths that can open up a range of vastly different career choices.  When I came out of college, I thought writing was the only way I would ever make a living.  But, today, I know that I can easily package up my math, critical thinking, and leadership skills and trade my PR job for a marketing one. Or as owner of my new coffee shop.

Latte, anyone?

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May 3, 2009

All Along Broad Street: Volunteers

At Wachovia Spectrum: people directing traffic. SEPTA: express trains. Mile 2.1: Gatorade. Mile 4: Water. Traffic light: Philly cop keeping cars at bay. Mile 6.5: EMT caring for a runner on a stretcher.  Mile 8: Cheery and cheering woman handing out more Gatorade. All along route: bands, gospel singers, drummers. Finish line: kids with bottles of water.

It wasn’t until I hit the 6 mile marker of the Broad Street Run this morning that I began to consider what it takes to organize a race of 26,500 runners.  As the web site says: hundreds of volunteers.

I know that we don’t say it as we run past, but we runners really appreciate the people who spend a day – or months – doing the tasks that make the run possible.

It may seem a simple thing, to fill cups with water and offer them to passing runners.  I know from my own experience that I never really see the outstretched arm or the smiling face. I’m just focused on the cup. Get. Cup. Drink. Run.

So, I’m sure that while volunteers may sense that their work is appreciated, they may not know how much. Let me tell you: I may not look beyond the cup, but I do see you, and I’m extremely glad you’re there.

This was my first time at the Broad Street Run, and I really enjoyed it. It’s one of the best organized races I’ve been to. Everything was simple, despite the rain and a field of more than 23K.  It was a breeze to register and pick up our packets on the day before the race. I thought parking and getting to the start line would be a nightmare with so many people. It wasn’t. Frequent, free express SEPTA trains made it easier. The corral system worked because runners were started in waves, which avoided the bunching up of the field at the start. There were plenty of water stops. And everyone working along the route supported the runners with great enthusiasm.

This is what makes the race fun – but it’s also what makes it possible. Thank you, Broad Street Run volunteers, for sharing your city with us and helping to make this a successful run.

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April 30, 2009

Gobbledygook, ROI and ESI

I know, I know. Awful title for this post – crazy word plus acronyms. Yuck! But all are good, interesting things I’d like to share.

Per my OED, Gobbledegook (we spell differently in America), is “official, professional, or pretentious verbiage or jargon.” David Meerman Scott agrees and what’s more, he hates to see it in press releases (or marketing, for that matter).  I completely agree. That’s why we at Dow Jones enthusiastically helped David analyze 711,123 press releases for frequently used (actually, overused) jargon. We produced this analysis with one of our coolest services: Dow Jones Insight, which is used by PR pros to measure media coverage and identify the hot spots in social media conversations about their organizations.

ROI usually stands for Return on Investment, but lately when we use the acronym, it’s about Return on Intelligence. This is a knowledge economy, and we can’t underestimate the value of the stuff that fuels our ideas: information.  Brigitte Ricou-Bellan just published an ebook that offers some ideas on how to justify the investment in knowledge and information management solutions. My colleague, Ken Sickles, extends the conversation on this topic in his blog, Let’s Talk Knowledge.

Finally, ESI stands for the Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator, but I really think it’s best described as an optimism indicator. You’ll want to check this out. We’ve paired the proprietary algorithm of Dow Jones Insight with the economic expertise of Dow Jones editors to produce a new leading indicator of the state of the economy. We’ve tested the optimism indicator against other well-regarded indicators – and it has been a better predictor than all of them. It will be the one to watch over the coming months.

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March 19, 2009

The new rules according to Twitter

Twitter is everywhere these days.  This morning, the Today Show (@todayshow) ran a funny segment on the basics of Twitter. But it was yesterday’s story in the New York Times about how Twitter and the Internet have contributed to mistrials that had me ruminating about some new rules of life. Twitter is not the biggest contributor to mistrials – it’s actually jurors searching for case details on the Web during proceedings – but when we see senators twittering during presidential speeches… Well, it doesn’t take much imagination to see where this might be heading.  How will we define the new rules of justice?

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March 17, 2009

Kindle is a noun

It’s true; kindle is a noun. According to the OED, it’s a litter of kittens. Of course, we all know it as a wireless reading device from Amazon. Neither of these definitions are in the built-in dictionary that comes with the Kindle, but that’s ok. There’s still plenty to like.

I ordered my Kindle after reaching the 3-minute mark of the 6:22 demo video on Amazon. That’s all it took to sell me.

A lot of folks – particularly my literary friends – have questioned my reasons for buying a Kindle. And of course, by contrast, my techie friends have been wowed.

My literary friends have their reasons:

1) You can’t share books. True, but Kindle books, while not free, are cheaper. And, I like to point out, just having an wireless reading device doesn’t mean I’ll never buy another hard copy book again. Which brings me to complaint 2:

2) We like to show off our book purchases in our bookshelves. Yes, but, not all of them. Several times I’ve bought the book for book club because all other copies had  been loaned out already.  Then, it turns out to be a mediocre book, and one I don’t want to show off in my bookcase.  Now, what do I do with it? Kindle will minimize the clutter in my house.

3) It’s overpriced. Perhaps. But I only need to buy 18 best sellers to recoup my cost. I buy a lot of books, so 18 over the course of 2-3 years seems reasonable.

I’ve had the Kindle for about two weeks, and here’s what else I like:

  • The seamless buying experience. The first email told me it had shipped; the second told me that I could start building my library now – while the Kindle was in transit. I ordered six books. When the Kindle arrived three days later, I turned it on and my books immediately downloaded.
  • Built-in dictionary. Highlight a word and the definition pops up. I love this feature! It’s nice not having to pull out the 10 pound SOED from underneath my bed (two volumes!).
  • Saves my place automatically. No more digging around for slips of paper to use as bookmarks.
  • Easy to change font size (for those of us who need bigger type).
  • Compact. I usually read 5-6 books at a time. I can bring them all on vacation and not add more than 10.2 ounces to my carry-on.

I do think the Kindle could use a few improvements (and to reassure my techie friends, yes, I will send an email to the Kindle team):

  • Touch screen technology. Kindle doesn’t have it, and I’m sorry, but the iPhone has permanently spoiled me. Make the reading screen bigger, use touch screen technology to turn the pages and add a virtual keyboard.
  • The joystick. Not very user friendly. Again, touch screen technology!
  • Rubber grips. I know this is going to sound silly, but its sleek design has caused it to nearly slip out of my hands.

It’s becoming my constant companion – and I haven’t yet subscribed to any newspapers. Of course, thanks to the Kindle app for iPhone, I don’t really need to take my Kindle everywhere to have my books available anytime and anywhere I want.

Final assessment: I love it.  I expect that the Kindle will do for books what the iPod did for music.

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February 22, 2009

Leaps of Faith and Pockets of Prosperity

I have a 16-year-old son – with a driver’s permit. What do you think it takes for me to get in the car with him, just two months after his first driving lessons? I’d say it takes a leap of faith to entrust him not only with my car and my life, but with the thing I value most – his life.

It’s not so different, really, from the way I think about the titans of finance and government and their ability to drive the economy. It’s a leap of faith to entrust them with not only my fortune – but my son’s. And, given the bubbles we all live in that limit our perspectives, it’s a huge leap of faith. When I hear bailed-out bankers complain about being forced to live on half a million dollars, I do wonder if that leap is possible for me at all. I’m not sure they understand how little sympathy they’re getting outside of lower Manhattan.

Let’s face it, many of the titans are living in what I call pockets of prosperity, which might skew their perceptions of what needs to be done to manage this crisis.

If you were with me, my husband and some friends last night, you might, like us, be justifiably puzzled about the existence of this so-called “recession.” At the sushi restaurant, we waited half an hour for a table, despite having a reservation. The comedy club was full to capacity. But we live in one of those pockets of prosperity. For weeks now, every time we go out, we’re met with a crowd of spenders – the movies, the clubs, and the restaurants. There is no recession in our pocket of the world.

But that’s a dangerous perception that can lead to even more dangerous assumptions. There is a recession in other, less prosperous, pockets.

We can only hope that the titans have good communications pros advising them, who can provide them with insight from disparate viewpoints – from the small towns in the West to the streets of south Florida to the suburbs of LA and NYC – that allow them to understand the crisis as it affects everyone.

Even my son is learning how to be a better driver by listening to different voices. His driver’s ed teacher explains road conditions using scenarios; the driving school instructor focuses on technique; my husband is a calming force in the passenger seat.

And then there’s me, working on that leap of faith, trying to find new ways to describe how to decelerate besides “BRAKE!”

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February 4, 2009

The $10,000 Device

Mass-market advertising is not dead. In fact, sometimes it can be immediately and powerfully effective. Apple, the hip, cool, and bleeding-edge company, spent $133 million in 2008 on advertising, which includes TV commercials. The other night, a minute or two after watching an ad for Apple’s iPhone, I downloaded a new app (“as seen on TV!”); five minutes later, after a second commercial, I downloaded another app (Classic books!).

Appropriately enough, both commercials ran during NBC’s Medium. Though not the definition for the subject of the show, one way OED defines a medium is as “an intervening substance through which a force acts on objects at a distance or through which impressions are conveyed to the senses.” I’m thinking airwaves here. Very influential airwaves.

As it turns out, I’d been wondering recently how much I’ve spent on iTunes since I bought my first green Mini in January 2004. Although I fell instantly in love with the device, it took me a while to warm up to iTunes. Most of the music I initially downloaded was from CDs I already owned, so it’s not really surprising that in the first 20 months, I spent just $8 in the music store. In 2006, I spent $12. It wasn’t until 2007, when I bought my second iPod, that I really began tapping into iTunes for both music and video. Over the next two years, I spent a whopping $100.

I think the problem was that even as I thought the iPod was the coolest thing I had ever owned, I still treated it as if it were my old Sony Walkman. A single purpose device.

And then I bought the iPhone. Suddenly, iTunes looked completely different to me. It was no longer simply a place for music. I discovered podcasts (NPR on demand!); I renewed a childhood interest in word games, stayed connected to friends via social networks, and iTunes gradually became my preferred – and only – provider of music. In ten weeks of ownership, I’ve spent about $80, roughly about eight times my monthly spend pre-iPhone.

I’ve been joking that my iPhone will become my $10,000 device. Truth be told, if you add up all the costs – the iPhone itself, the monthly fees, 3,000 or so songs, a few hundred megabytes of apps, video and audio – it might be a $4,000 device. That’s still a staggering number for a small electronic device that slips into my purse.

Yet, I won’t be surprised if it actually ends up costing me more than that, particularly since I can swap files with new podcasts, audiobooks, etc. After all, my external storage device holds 500GB.

The reason the Apple iPhone apps ad is so effective is that it does a good job of making me aware of applications that are relevant to my life. Apple then makes it extremely easy for me to find and download those apps – instantly. It may be that wireless download is the future of mass advertising.

People keep talking about how innovate Apple is. First they change the game in the phone market, next they’ll change the game in wireless downloads (I’m all for instant gratification, by the way). And now they’ve figured out how to innovate an old medium by making mass advertising relevant again.

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