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Mind What You Have Learned Re: Video Production

September 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment

The proliferation of novice video production has corporations and their legal counsel rushing to re-write employee policies and procedures. Simultaneously, our YouTube world has PR pros scrambling to leverage the medium and also provide crisis clean-up, when necessary.

According to Stephanie Armour at USA Today, while amateur workplace videos are creating new legal worries and PR concerns for companies, the videos are also creating welcome publicity.

As a red flag, Armour sites the recent video by a disgruntled former employee of Lockheed Martin. As a green flag, Armour references the Cubitt Jacobs & Prosek spoof that turned into a recruiting tool for the PR firm.

Thankfully, production values will increase with time since audio/video production is being taught as early as elementary school is some areas. Unfortunately, just like Star Wars, the young video Jedi’s can just as easily grow up to use the dark side of the force.

It’s been a while since I saw Star Wars, but I seem to recall Yoda warning Luke Skywalker about the dark side of video production. “Mind what you have learned,” Yoda cautioned!

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links, Public Relations, Video

Get Your Link On 09.25.06

September 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment

White & Nerdy (video)
50 Smartest Things To Do With Your Money (CNN Money)
South Park Studio (flash)
Eragon Trailer (video)
Best of the Web 2006 (BusinessWeek)
Little Superstar (video)
US Hypoallergenic Cats Go On Sale (BBC News)

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links, News, Video

Arrrgh… Me Marketing Presentation

September 22, 2006 | 4 Comments

Leo Bottary of Hill & Knowlton recently covered a range of topics helpful to junior staffers. He closed the blog series on the topic of client presentations by providing some valuable senior perspective and pointers.

Unfortunately, Leo failed to mention perhaps the biggest and most important trend in presentations today. Differentiation. Or, as a few brilliant practitioners call it, presentation positioning.

Essentially all presentations are the same - person in front of a group, talking, PowerPointing, etc. To truly distinguish yourself in today’s cluttered world of presentations, there is only one option… talking Pirate. Sorry, Leo, it’s a fact.

Regardless of your level - junior staffer, senior staffer or an awkward tweener - you can all benefit from a quick refresher on the lost romance language of Pirate. Look no further, bookmark this post as it will single-handedly teach you the ways of pirate speak. First, let’s start out with a “How to Talk Like a Pirate” orientation video:

If you still need help with your Pirate lingo after watching the video, feel free to use these English-Pirate translators and other helpful Pirate links:

Sadly, this post is a couple days late for Talk Like A Pirate Day, but don’t let that stop you from incorporating Pirate into your presentation today!

Just in case it helps those seasoned Pirate speakers, below is my post in Pirate:

Ahoy me shipmates. Leo Bottary o’ Hill & Knowlton recently covered a range o’ topics helpful t’ junior staffers. He closed th’ blog series on th’ topic o’ client presentations by providin’ some valuable senior perspective an’ pointers.

Unfortunately, Leo failed t’ mention perhaps th’ biggest an’ most important trend in presentations today. Differentiation. Or, as a wee brilliant practitioners call ‘t, presentation positionin’.

Essentially all presentations be th’ same - swabbie in fore o’ a squadron, talkin’, PowerPointin’, etc. T’ truly distinguish yersef in today`s cluttered world o’ presentations, thar be only one option… talkin’ Seafarin’ hearty. Sorry, Leo, ’tis a fact.

Regardless o’ yer level - junior staffer, senior staffer or an awkward tweener - ye can all benefit from a quick refresher on th’ lost romance language o’ Seafarin’ hearty. Look nay further, bookmark this post as ‘t will single-handedly teach ye th’ ways o’ buccanneer speak. First, let`s start ou’ wi’ a “How t’

Talk Like a Seafarin’ hearty” orientation video:

If ye still need help wi’ yer Gentleman o’ fortune lingo after watchin’ th’ video, feel free t’ use these English-Gentleman o’ fortune translators an’ other helpful Gentleman o’ fortune links:

Sadly, this post be a couple days late fer Talk Like A Seafarin’ hearty Tide, but dasn’t let that avast ye from incorporatin’ Seafarin’ hearty into yer presentation today!

This was originally posted on my old blog, so the comments can be found here.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Marketing, Presentations, Video

Bringing Ronald McSexy Back

September 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Long before Justin Timberlake brought Sexy Back, Ronald McDonald attempted to bring it back with a change in style… and gender.

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG4jiVeTPPg”]

While we’re on the topic of McDonald’s, here are a few other relevant links:

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Video

Top 15 Q-Sites: The Best Mobile Friendly Small Sites

September 15, 2006 | Leave a Comment

I love my Motorola Q. It’s by far the best cell phone I’ve owned. Lately, I’ve been craving more small-screen content so I can better utilize the phone’s smokin’ fast internet.

To consolidate and filter the oodles of smart-phone sites (many of which are just junk), I created the Top 15 Q-Sites, a mobile-friendly list of the best mobile-friendly websites. Feel free to bookmark it on your phone or PDA. It’s a great one-stop shop and conveniently located at www.toddand.com/q.

In the spirit of small screens, I’ve also launched a mobile-friendly version of my own blog, which can be found at www.toddand.com/mobile. Enjoy!

Any other small site suggestions for the Top 15 Q-Sites list?

Wanna Get Small? If you’re interested in shrinking your blog for the small screen, just log onto Feedburner, click your feed, click “Publicize,” and pick the “BuzzBoost” option. Pimp out your BuzzBoost options and away you go. Just copy and paste the script code that Feedburner provides you into any new web page and presto… you’re small!

Of course, your smallness will be a bit redundant to all the other feedreaders that already serve the same purpose, but it’s still pretty cool in my book.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links

Transparency Month No. 2

September 15, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Today is my two-month anniversary of blogging. As part of my transparency tradition, below are my stats. To date, I’ve had 3,774 hits - up 2,266 since my last stats purge. My best day ever was 166 views.

In two months, I’ve posted 77 times and received 130 comments. As the truest measure of my success, I’ve been protected from 112 spam comments.

(Only four members have ‘favorited’ me including one from myself! Any help in that category would be appreciated, thanks!
My top 10 blog posts over the last 30 days:

Embarrassing Email (189)
An Analysis of the Accreditation Debate (94)
“I’m A Mac” Guy is Kevin Rose? (76)
The MKTG/PR Top 10 of Top 10s (63)
Coakroach Hunter and the Weathermen (42)
PR vs. Advertising - Who’s The Heavyweight? (26)
Proximity Marketing Gives People The Blues (21)
Monkeys On A Plane… And In Your Inbox (20)
Blogger’s Block (20)
Pick of the Toddchard 09.07.06 (20)

My top referrers (in no particular order):

My 30-day WordPress blog and feed stats:

According to Feedburner:

So, if I add Feedburner and WordPress subscribers I’m pushing 50. I’m thrilled with one subscriber (assuming it’s not myself), so I’m thrilled times 50! Thanks for the support!

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Public Relations

Old And New Media Join Forces To Out lonelygirl15

September 13, 2006 | Leave a Comment

The identity of lonelygirl15 is no longer a mystery. She isn’t big business or a creative marketing agency… just a starving artist working with friends to find a movie deal.

I’ve been following the debate surrounding her vlog for a couple weeks now. Since June, her viewers have suspected a hidden agenda. The theory was that a larger entity with a grander purpose (other than just a shy, innocent teenager or two) was behind the high-quality production.

Earlier today, Silicon Valley Watcher’s Tom Foremski broke the news of the vlogger’s true identity. Tom best sums up the reason why I - and so many others - have tuned into this mystery:

“What is is so great about this LG15 saga, is the cooperative effort to break out and make public information that others tried to keep secret,” Foremski wrote in a comment follow-up to his original post. “This saga is a great example of mainstream and citizen media working together, that’s the future of journalism, IMHO. Mainstream media and blogger media are complimentary forces, and all are part of the larger mediasphere.”

Chalk this one up as a great social media case study. For more details, just do a Google News search for lonelygirl15. Any other mystery cases being followed by anyone?

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Media, Video

One Link Is Better Than The Others

September 12, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Seven out of the eight links listed below are pretty good. It’s up to you to find the one that is REALLY good! Trust me, one link is better than all the others.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links

Never Forget September 11, 2001

September 10, 2006 | 1 Comment

It was just like every other morning. I caught the 7:51 a.m. (CST) train from the suburbs and headed toward my office in downtown Chicago where I worked for Weber Shandwick (then BSMG).

As the train neared my stop (circa 8:35 a.m.), I heard a lady behind me on her cell phone say, “you’re kidding, two planes!?”

I assumed two planes collided in mid-air – just a unique occurrence that I would read about online when I got to work.

As I exited the train at the last stop before downtown Chicago, so I could catch my express bus to the Hancock Center, I recognized a quiet buzz starting between passengers.

Per my standard procedure, I met up with my colleague, walked over to the bus stop and hopped on the No. 33 bus headed straight for the Magnificent Mile.

We sat down in the back of the bus as the news was becoming clearer. A man in a suit was on his cell phone getting the reports from someone watching television at home. He quickly shared his updates with the anxious passengers around him. Like kids during classroom story time, we all listened attentively to those who were getting the scoop. The bus was eerily quite with only sporadic updates from the cell phone users. A lady who had just hung up her cell phone explained to us that “two planes went through the World Trade Center.”

Not taking myself seriously, I told my colleague it sounded like terrorism and questioned whether we should go to work in the high-profile, 100-story Hancock building today.

The Hancock is the third tallest building in the third largest city in America. It is a major state icon and rests right off the shore of Lake Michigan.

As my colleague and I entered the Hancock, we found a large gathering of people in the elevator lobby. A few of our other colleagues were there and quickly approached us with the latest.

“The Pentagon has just been hit! We’re getting out of here.”

It sounded like an all-out assault on America. I was physically shaken up.

All of my colleagues and I spent the next two hours gathered with many strangers at a small diner four blocks away watching the horrific events unfold on television.

Everyone gasped as the first tower collapsed.

It was as if we were watching a big budget Hollywood film. None of us could believe it. It didn’t even cross my mind that just two weeks earlier my fiancée and I were in NYC walking around lower Manhattan.

Minutes later, one of my colleagues pointed to the television and said, “Look! They’re showing a replay.” I watched, but I knew it wasn’t a replay. It was the second tower falling.

In the next hours, days, weeks and months, my mind ran rapid with bizarre thoughts and concerns. What if there are more attacks? Should I move to a more rural setting or another country? Should my fiancée and I get married now instead of waiting? Can I possibly raise kids in a world like this? Do I go back to work knowing that I spend all day inside one of the tallest buildings in the U.S.?

On September 12, 2001, things were different. People were nicer. More patient. Priorities in life seemed to realign. Everyone was ultra patriotic. I put a USA flag decal on my car. Five years later, it’s still there. Not faded.

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