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	Phil's Blogservations Friday, December 30, 2005 Posted by philgomes 2:49 PM In 2006, Let's Try A New Focus In 2006, Let's Try A New Focus I've been thinking a lot about the some of the directions that PR- and online-marketing-related blog chatter has been taking. In the vast majority of cases, I've found the discussion rewarding, interesting, thoughtful, and constructive. I'm also excited that 2005 saw the emergence of a number of strong new voices in the PR blogging community, like John Wagner and Scott Baradell, to say nothing of the great work that Robert French has been doing with his students, one of whom Edelman is fortunate to have in its Atlanta office. However, I see a little too much emphasis on some of the following &mdash not enough to be chronic, but disturbing nevertheless: Tips, tricks, and ways to otherwise "game the system" somehow. This, I feel, is unsustainable and is not what PR is really about. Unfortunately, a bit of this discussion takes place in PR's name. Finger-pointing at "who's doing it wrong" and not enough of "who's doing it right." This, I feel, is not very constructive. Somewhat artificial and meaningless double-talk that takes the form of: Face #1: "Companies and business leaders must blog!" Face #2: "But, as soon as they do so, I'm going to shed my thin veil of "thoughtful communications counselor" long enough to jump up and down, point, scream, and jeer about how so-and-so doesn't 'get it' instead of offering constructive criticism or sound arguments." (And you know how much I love the term "gets it.") My NYE 2006 wish, and resolution, is as follows: We need to get back to focusing on the craft of writing. As my former colleague Bill Mandel used to say, "Writing is the user interface." If someone's style or tone works for their blog (and the online community in general), let's ask "Why?" Are there any broad truths we can discover and share? Are there elements that only work in a specific field-of-use? Let's also focus on the rhetorical arts — argument and persuasion — and, beyond that, what elements (if any) might be most useful in the blogosphere. (For example, I see hyperlink usage as bringing the technique of praeteritio to its fullest possible effect.) I've started casually re-reading some of the great works of classical literature and philosophy. I've also taken a look into more modern thinking in the art of persuasive communication. All told, I'm coming away with the notion that Aristotle pretty much wrote the best marketing book when he penned Rhetoric. Save for this book and a few others, most everything else is just rather trendy or otherwise ephemeral window-dressing. Looking forward to the new year. My best wishes to you all. Update: Double-entry accounting between Notepad and Blogger.Com resulted in some bits missing when this was originally posted at the date above. Links added and errors caught/corrected just a couple of minutes later. Technorati Tags: pr, public relations, writing, rhetoric, argument, persuasion Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Posted by philgomes 9:43 PM Shel, Richard, Outbound Linking, And Stuff Shel, Richard, Outbound Linking, And Stuff Yes, it's taken me a few days to get to this. 38. Shel Israel points out that Richard Edelman's blog doesn't link out very often. Some others have offered perspectives as well. Oh, the drama. I do take Shel's point, though, as it is one that has sometimes been discussed here at work. 'Tis a shame Shel felt the need to render his argument using somewhat overwrought and/or ad hominem terms like "appalling," "lazy," and "self-centered." (I must wonder what adjectives he'd use to describe, say, "racism," "couch potatoes," and "Paris Hilton," respectively.) Heck... He even threw in a "damned" for good measure. Temper, temper. To paraphrase, the argument is essentially: "Richard's blog doesn't have a lot of outbound links, so that must make him 'lazy' or 'self-centered' in an 'appalling' way." I'm sorry, but there just aren't too many other ways to read that post. Goes to show that, while being quick to post that 2+2 must equal four, sometimes you have to sit back and consider that 1+3 also yields the same sum. "Appalling," though? Connotatively, it seems a strong term to use. I'd hate to think about what Shel would say if he had me over for dinner. I mean, I use the wrong fork with my salad all the time. And I might bring red wine knowing that he's serving scallops. Synthetic cork. Maybe even a screw-top. Inexcusable, since I started in wine/food PR, but nevertheless... Seriously, folks... If some leading voices in the online world see typos as a measure of authenticity (8th para.) — a specious idea, I think, but anyway — then forgetting to pop in a hyperlink or choosing to lean more on personal experiences for blog content might similarly be afforded the status of "unfortunate oversight." Simply put, the fact that outbound links are rare on 6AM isn't indicative of "disdain" for other bloggers. God bless John Wagner. At least he took the time to examine the issue and ask questions worthy of exploration, even if it is framed within his favorite "but-can-the-big-agencies-do-[X]" topic. I acknowledge that Shel certainly has been generous in his other appraisals of Richard, and I do believe that his argument has a good degree of merit. (It's actually been a matter of discussion around here for a couple of weeks and, in fact, I see the need for Edel-blogs and such related things to be more community-friendly as a greater part of my duties going into 2006.) Since Richard does listen to and care about these things, I'm pretty sure you'll see more outbound linking in the future. However, it's just unfortunate that the delivery vehicle for this argument suffered from such ill-advised language choices which, in my mind, greatly blunted its overall value. Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, edelman Friday, December 23, 2005 Posted by philgomes 11:26 AM Christmas Haiku Christmas Haiku Traveled like a fiend About to take a long drive To Bay Area Back on twenty-eighth Need to totally unplug Happy holidays! Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Posted by philgomes 8:11 AM NYC: Perfect Timing NYC: Perfect Timing So, I'm here in NYC on the day of the transit strike. Kind of like what I'd grown accustomed to in the Bay Area, only here it's far more severe and with far greater economic impact. Gotta dash. More later. In the meantime, here's a representative photo from Esther Dyson. Monday, December 19, 2005 Posted by philgomes 12:49 AM "It's Tuesday, It Must Be Atlanta..." "It's Tuesday, It Must Be Atlanta..." I'm packing up tonight and spending the day in the air tomorrow. I'm due to visit the Atlanta office on Tuesday morning. It will be my first time in Atlanta and, of course, I can't think about Atlanta without remembering a story my Mom told me about a trip she took there with my Dad. You see... Mom was going shopping and managed to walk into a bookstore. I was in high school at the time and one of my friends, whom I'd known all my life, was a really big Civil War buff. Mom thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I brought home a book on the Civil War from the south?" Searching high and low, she eventually found the history section and, within that, the war history section. However, the inventory of Civil War books amounted to just a few, ratty, used, dog-eared paperbacks. Finding this curious, she asked the storekeeper where the Civil War books were. Looking over his glasses, the storekeeper flatly told my Mom from behind the counter, "Ma'am... You do know we lost that war, right?" Be warned... By this time tomorrow, another generation of Gomes yankee will be in town. From there, two days in NYC await. Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, edelman Thursday, December 15, 2005 Posted by philgomes 12:29 AM Career Home, Silicon Valley Yet another tape-delay blog post, this one from a plane to SEA/TAC airport. I've left Silicon Valley, having spent one day in that unique region that started my career. Lacuna Coil on the MP3 player. Sleeping businessman to my left. Fellow laptop-wielding geek to my right. (Note to dude on my right: Just because you have an iPod and I have a Rio does not make you cooler than me! You probably have Creed playing in that thing.) My visit to Silicon Valley got me thinking... The discussion seems to have gone by the wayside, but there used to be a pretty heated argument as to whether Silicon Valley was a "region" or an "idea" that could be lifted clean and quickly replicated in other regions. I keep vacillating about this one, but my current opinion is the former, at least for right now. Yes, I know that there's "Silicon Alley", "Silicon Glen", "Silicon Orchard", "Silicon Tundra", "Silicon Prairie", and probably even "Silicon Swamp". Maybe it says something that "Silicon [land-type]" is meant to describe "A place where technological innovation meets wealth-creation", whether or not actual silicon-based products are even involved. But here are some more reasons why I'm currently of the "Silicon-Valley-As-Place" mentality: History: The roots run pretty deep over there. To give you an idea: When Intel started up, the region was so small-town that the local paper supposedly ran Bob Noyce's and/or Gordon Moore's home phone number in a small article about the opening of the business , just like with any other new hometown enterprise. Education: Stanford in the 650 area code, Berkeley in the "Nickle-Dime" 510. You don't have to reach too far to get top technical talent. Venture Capital: Sand Hill Road. 'Nuff said. Regional Attitude: The counterculture traits that cause some folks to label us northern Californians as spaced-out crazies also fuel innovation and, to some degree, entrepreneurship. Of course, there's quite a bit about Silicon Valley that might open it up to its fair share of jeers. Yes, the region is generally about as architecturally interesting as a floor covered with shoe boxes. Yes, the area must contend with the fact that San Francisco, to the north, remains the area's pre-emptive cultural destination. Yes, it's inevitable that you'll have the singular experience of being talked down to by a newly minted MBA who (ab)uses the word "strategy" several times in a meeting, as if its very frequency-of-use milled a set of keys to the C-suite. In sum, a fair cost that I'd pay gladly again and again. Now, I'm not one of those "Valley Bigots" who take the insane, inane, and insular view that the region has the technology-based value creation game sewn up. Far from it. That said, it will still be a while before other regions around the world can build a mature infrastructure such that Silicon Valley's success can be replicated. It's just that, right now, it would seem that Silicon Valley is still a very unique place. Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, edelman Monday, December 12, 2005 Posted by philgomes 11:13 AM "Sweet Home Chicago" "Sweet Home Chicago" Well... Not really. I'm not even from anywhere near Chicago. However, I've been here three times since joining Edelman and there's something about this town that's uniquely welcoming. (Besides which, I've always liked the song "Sweet Home Chicago.") Some things I've learned: Calling Marshall Field's "Macy's" is a lot like calling Candlestick Park "3COM Park" (or "Monster Park", or whatever the hell that stadium has whored its naming rights to). Just don't do it. Common winter-time phrase: "[Insert underground 'pedway' walking directions here], and that way you won't have to go outside." Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, edelman Friday, December 09, 2005 Posted by philgomes 11:45 AM Dear Terrorists (Domestic & International) and/or Drug Cartel Members Dear Terrorists (Domestic & International) and/or Drug Cartel Members There is apparently some confusion. Evidently, either or both of your respective organizations might have a funny-looking bald man within their ranks, too. I've come to this conclusion after being "randomly" selected for full search at the passenger inspection area for as many as four out of my past eight airport trips. I figure this means that I fit someone's description. Perhaps that of one of your lieutenants? My colleague says that the frequency of these searches might have something to do with my penchant for dark clothing, as well as my somewhat sinister-looking facial hair. Or maybe there's something to the fact that I've been known to occasionally wear smartly polished leather combat boots with my business suits. Call it a trademark. Thing is, I'm a total teddybear. Really. I bring this up because I have a lot of travel planned during this month of all travel months. Over the next two weeks, I'll be in Chicago, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Atlanta, and New York. I'll be writing in this blog. I'll also be keeping a photojournal on Flickr. But, thanks to your funny-looking bald man, this funny-looking bald man is going to have a hard time of things at the inspection arch. Just great... This is one journey that really is about the destinations. I very much like Chicago, NYC, and Seattle; Silicon Valley is "home", career-wise; and this will be my first time in Atlanta. You're probably not so much interested in this, but colleagues, friends, and family can follow the journey with me. Best, /pmg Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, edelman Sunday, December 04, 2005 Posted by philgomes 10:53 PM Random Thoughts -- December 4, 2005 Random Thoughts -- December 4, 2005 Dear hotel: I won't be burdening your holiday-overwhelmed billing system with the $9.99 you want to charge me per day for Internet access. A nearby WiFi AP does the job just fine. Thanks. I've been traveling all last week and will be back in LA on Thursday. Since I parked on my street in LA, I was in some danger of having this one persnickity neighbor call it in as an "abandoned vehicle". Fortunately, trusted parties have moved it. One of Edelman's clients in the LA office is a firm called Ignited Minds. One of the team members, knowing I'm kind of a metalhead, sent me a link to their holiday parody-metal video. Funny stuff. Thursday, December 01, 2005 Posted by philgomes 5:40 PM Thought Experiment: Dell Debacle Thought Experiment: Dell Debacle Now that we have a little bit of perspective since Jeff Jarvis' first "Dell Hell" post, I'd like to invite you all into a little thought experiment. Here is the scenario: It is two weeks before the first "Dell Hell" post. You are a management consultant with Seymour Butts Unter & Bleachers and have achieved unflinching trust within the C-suite. You tell Michael Dell: "Something will happen in two weeks that will do great damage to your brand. Now, I know you have little, if any, online engagement strategy at this time. Too bad. Should've thought about that. Anyway... We have a magic wand that will make this inevitable debacle simply not happen." This is not vaporware. This magic wand has been in the consultancy's skunkworks for decades. Question: Since Dell trusts you implicitly and recognizes that a real online engagement strategy suffers from a case of "too little, too late", how big a check do you think he would sign? What is the dollar value of the brand damage? (Looking at the stock price doesn't count, because the big dips can be tied to earnings announcements.) Technorati Tags: Public Relations, PR, Dell, blogs HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil.	ABOUT THIS BLOG This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. EMAIL phil[at] philgomes[[dot}]com SYNDICATE Feedburner ARCHIVE YAHOO! IM SKYPE WISH LIST PITCH POLICY MY PHOTOS www.flickr.com Photostream RSS Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones. Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.