PAN Blog

The iPhone has been available to purchase for some time now, but I still find myself debating on whether or not I "need" it. I can’t get it out of my head, it’s just so good looking!

Normally, I get excited about a new product or service, make an impulse purchase, and, like most of us, never end up using it. I tell myself I’ll change and that I won’t keep falling for the latest and greatest. But this is different, just look at it! It’s super-hip, super-savvy and super-geeky all-in-one. My first thought was, "I must have it!" But, I behaved and practiced patience. Then I see the review, the review of reviews, and there it is..HE said it. Walt Mossberg called it beautiful and said it’s a pleasure to use. It may have some flaws, but it still looks good and does very cool things.
I recently turned off the website access feature on my phone, and one of the reasons was because I didn't want to be one of THOSE people. You know, the one that constantly checks email on vacation and drives their significant other bananas. Some people simply switch off and don't check their email or voicemails when they’re not at work. But that's not me, I know myself too well, and that's why I turned my back on the CrackBerry in the first place...

My first Apple purchase (well, it was a gift) was the iMac, then I had to have an iPod (that was a gift as well) and now the iPhone (this can be added to one of your wish lists, said the devil on my right shoulder)...

iYes to the iMac...iYes to the iPod...iNoooo to the iPhone...I'm sticking to my guns, but we'll see how long iLast...

To read the review, go to:
http://solution.allthingsd.com/20070626/the-iphone-is-breakthrough-handheld-computer/

So, this past week marked the tenth anniversary of blogging. Good coverage in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. As with most things Web2.0, it stirred up some controversy. Andy Beal has a good thread. But at the end of the day, does it really matter who started blogging? I am sure someone wants the recognition, and kudos to you, really. But, it’s been ten years, so let’s start thinking of how we can all use the tool of blogging to our benefit. There are countless studies out there by third parties that validate blogging and its place in our society. So, why hesitate? Join the masses. And I am not just saying that because I have my own blog, but because I truly believe that blogging, and all “new media” for that matter is just going to be how life is. You can relate it back to the Web and e-mail. Did we ever think that we would rely on email as much as we do now? I can tell you, when I started in PR ten years ago, email was not part of my job! It was all fax and yes, postal mail. So, here we are ten years later, no more faxes and I would almost venture to say, going down the road of ending email as we know it. So, to all the bloggers who are celebrating a Blogiversary, Congratulations. And for those who haven’t started yet, what are you waiting for?

I couldn’t agree more with Becki, This is such an exciting time for PR professionals as we capitalize on the impact new media can have on a company, executive, organization, etc. We now have an even greater opportunity to build strong relationships with our media contacts and other industry influencers. I am excited to work with each of my clients on placing an increased focus on blogging and new media. I don’t want to miss a single opportunity out there!

Forbes editor: WSJ newsroom may see cutbacks

Former WSJ newsie--and current Forbes Managing Editor Dennis Neil--had some pointed comments on NPR's American Public Media show yesterday (July 17). In light of Rupert Murdoch's bid to acquire the venerable publication, Dennis told host Kai Ryssdal that Murdoch would be wise to make three quick moves: cut the 500-person newsroom to 400, halt production of the Saturday edition, and abandon the poorly performing WSJ European edition.

Personally, I think the Saturday edition is a great read, but biz is biz, right?
-AB

This morning Tom Ashcroft interviewed writer Akiko Bush. Normally I don’t listen to most of the NPR programming discussing the latest read, because I don’t particularly find listening to interviews about books to be interesting but today I tuned in.

Akiko wrote a book entitled, ‘9 Ways to Cross a River.’ The book chronicles her travels swimming America’s rivers. She says that to own our rivers we must overcome our fears and swim the nation’s rivers to truly own them. She also said that there is nothing more freeing to the mind and soul than swimming.

This interview lead my mind back to childhood. I would call myself an extremely strong swimmer, but I have a deep fear of the ocean. I have vivid memories of riding on the nearest adult’s back so that my feet would not touch the bottom, for fear that I would be bitten by a crab or worse a shark.

I don’t mind ponds and I have been known to jump out of my kayak and swim a river or two. But it is interesting that today most people have a deep seeded fear of their local waterways. The population is discouraged from swimming in natural areas. Over time we have built pristine pools, man-made lakes, ponds and of course those beautiful oasis’s at golf courses. (don’t tell me you haven’t wanted to jump in!) But, for some reason or other we have shunned most of our natural waters.

We are educated by local scientists to believe that our waters contain bacteria, trash and the occasional fresh water shark. I think we need to ask ourselves, where did this big fear of the water come from? Deep down inside we all just want to jump in. Think back to when you were a child, swimming was the most exciting experience. As a kid you didn’t care what you looked like in a bathing suit and neither did any of the other kids. You could play for hours in the water and it was never boring or too cold.

As adults we are always after things that are free and fun. That local river or pond, is free and it is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Don’t think about the creepy crawlers on the bottom, or the plastic bag floating near the shore. Throw on your suit and wade in the water. I would like to encourage us all to start a movement, ‘The Swim Movement’ where we rekindle our love of the water and jump in.

What’s the worst that could happen?

As I am sure everyone is aware, Harry Potter mania is definitely in full swing. However as a PR professional, and someone who works with the media on a daily basis, I was very excited to hear that although it was reported that “spoilers” had received copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7) and posted the ending on the Internet, not one major news network has released the ending of the book. Sure, they have all talked about the story itself – that someone took photos of the book and is trying to retype them into something more legible, but no one in the Boston media (print and television) nor the national news (CNN, FoxNews, AP, etc.) has released the ending.

Some would say this is the biggest story of the summer so why wouldn’t the media release it? I think most are thinking however, that they would NEVER want to be the news station or newspaper that was associated for spoiling the ending of the most anticipated book of the year – for children and adults.

As a very big Harry Potter fan myself, thank you to the media. For once not releasing breaking news, you have made me and millions others Harry Potter enthusiasts very happy. A surprising twist near the end of the Harry Potter story.

Last night, while enjoying a "cold one" at Haverhill's local brewpub, The Tap, I came across a great article on beer bloggers in the popular publication, Beer Advocate.

Seems that breweries are figuring out that these hop-head aficionados have a loyal online audience and are an important part of the marketing mix!

Check out these popular brew blogs or start your own and see if the samples start rolling in!

A Good Beer Blog
The Brewsite
Hale the Ale

P.S. My favorite brews are the Belgian ales! Yours????

So, reading Heather Green's post today on Blogspotting got me thinking, or should I say, it reminded me of how important local papers are. Local papers are what started the media, then came radio and so on. Do you read your local paper? And if you do, do you read it with the same purpose as you did years ago? I have found myself reading the Nashua Telegraph late at night, and mainly for local events and the crossword. Just a few years ago, I would make time in the morning to read it before I started my day so I would know what was going on in the world. Now, I think I would paralyzed if I could not read my RSS feeds first thing in the morning. How do you get your news?

Nike has a serious PR problem brewing in the blogosphere.

If it doesn't move swiftly to distance itself even futher from Michael Vick , though he hasn't been convicted yet, the brand will start to suffer some real damage (it sure feels like people are just getting warmed up). The results page above is from Google Blogsearch. A regular Google search still brings up pages and pages of corporate Nike landing sites, but that'll change as more people add their blog and comment voices to this dogfighting thing.

Oh, the Atlanta Falcons are (rightfully so) taking shrapnel, too.

What’s happening???

It seems like the world of sports is crumbling. As we hear about one allegation after another, whether it’s basketball, cycling, baseball or football, I can’t help but feel extremely sad. Even a referee, the very person who we are supposed to trust, and is so vital to an outcome of a game, is in hot water. Poor David Stern, give the man a break, already.

I remember when Tonya Harding attacked Nancy Kerrigan, noone could believe it. But events such as those rarely took place, so when it did happen, it was shocking. We were angry at Harding, and couldn’t believe the unsportmanlike conduct she was capable of. Fast forward to present day, and it seem like temper tantrums, fights and trash talking are no biggie. It’s happening everywhere, including a little league team near you, and it’s getting worse.

I think one of the worst memories I have is the fight between the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and the fans. That truly disturbed me, and I was so embarrassed for them. What are we supposed to tell kids who look UP to these athletes? That these things happen? That it's ok?

We love athletes because they’re so good at what they do. Sometimes we adore them so much, we easily forgive them for the not-so-good things they do, same goes for celebrities. These are not the types of role models I grew up with, no way. I grew up with Bird, Magic, Abdul-Jabbar, Dr. J -- these are the guys I looked up to. They played the sport beautifully, and more importantly, with dignity, class and style. They played the game fair and square. I wish we could go back to the good 'ole days..'81...'84...'86...(well, the good 'ole days for the Celts, that is)..

I can't turn back time, but I do believe that college sports remain to be the most exciting to me. Sure, there are always going to be scandals here and there, but regardless, college sports are much more fun to watch – more passion, more spirit, less drama, less allegations...here's to Fall football and madness in March..it's Awesome with a capital A...

Go Spartans!

One thing that has always struck me as fundamental to life in America is that we like everything BIGGER. We have big cars, big companies, and big industry. We like the Super Stop & Shop, go to Target to pick up one tiny item we need (like toothpaste!), and revel in the ease of buying in bulk at BJs. But I’d like to take a moment to think about how this aspect of American life is changing.

Americans are thinking smaller and more efficiently. Smaller cars, better gas mileage, smaller planes, environmentally friendly products, and in many aspects of our lives, more efficient processes and less waste. For the last few months, my team and I have been working with our new client, Lean Enterprise Institute, on many of the issues just presented. As I was reading about the lean concept, it struck me that this is something that is affecting everyone, not just manufacturers. In fact, LEI just released a survey in which 36.4 percent of the businesses people polled listed lean initiatives as the biggest up-and-coming trend in their industry.

What does all this mean for us? Lower costs, better quality products, and a general change in the way we think about the world around us. Think about ways that you are trying to be more efficient in your everyday life, or the products you buy now compared to five years ago. Chances are you are experiencing lean in some way in your life every day -or at least you should be...

If you happen to live or will be in the local Boston area this weekend, check out the Lowell Folk Festival. I go every year and it's always a blast. A few good places to hit up: The Dubliner, always a good lobster to be found. And, at night, there is usually great music just outside of Cobblestone's. But the best place is the Courtyard, owned and managed by Dom's brother. And here is a composite list of all the ethnic food and where it will be. Don't miss it!