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The internet crash. This time it’s no joke!

January 31, 2008 | 1 Comment

Wow! Did this six-month-old video predict today’s internet failure or what?!

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under News, Technology, Video

Presentation Training from Politicians

January 27, 2008 | 4 Comments

In my humble opinion, Bill Clinton was the last great communicator in the oval office. Unfortunately, the 2000 and 2004 elections featured candidates with sub-Clinton communication skills, which may have contributed to them being two of the closest races in U.S. history.

In 2008, all politics aside, I think we have two extremely well-spoken, articulate and generally likable candidates - Barack Obama (D) and Mike Huckabee (R). Hillary, Edwards, Mitt, McCain and Rudy have bits and pieces of potential, but Obama and Huckabee easily take the best communicators cake in my eyes. And while both Obama and Huckabee sound a bit preachy at times… wow, can they deliver.

Huckabee is brilliant at effectively interjecting humor and has much more of a straight-talking, quick-wit delivery. Check out his Leno appearance. Obama is king of the pregnant pause and has much more of a passionate, sincere delivery. He also has a great sense of humor as demonstrated on his Leno appearance. Both have unbelievably quotable material.

For those of you who missed Obama’s victory speech last night, it was one of the best I’ve ever seen (watch it below) - better than Iowa and the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I believe. Also below is a great montage of Huckabee’s greatest clips. Again, all political views aside, there are oodles of presentation skills and best-practices to be learned from these two.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, Humor, Politics, Presentations, Video

Classic DVDs Available Next To The Toys

January 23, 2008 | 1 Comment

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Humor

Surprisingly Smooth Skin

January 23, 2008 | 1 Comment

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Humor

Power Profile: POP! PR Jots

January 20, 2008 | 8 Comments

Meet Jeremy Pepper of POP! PR Jots. Sure, he had one of the first PR blogs, which he launched almost five years ago. Sure, his blog was once considered the third most influential PR blog by an Edelman/Intelliseek white paper. Sure, he has won some big industry awards. BUT! Did you know that Jeremy Pepper was Selma Blair’s grade school boyfriend (no joke)?

How would you describe your blog to your mom?
It’s about public relations, and what is going on in the industry.

What blog post (of your own) are you most proud of and why?
I have a few that I am proud of – my interviews with the industry leaders and founders of PR, in particular, because they were great learning experiences. I also am proud of my libel blog post because I was ahead of the curve on that one, and actually got an interview with the NYT’s attorney.

What blog post do you most regret publishing and why?
The early stuff, because I was finding a voice, but I don’t regret publishing what I have.

THE INTERVIEW CONTINUES - Read more

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Marketing, Power Profiles, Public Relations, Social Media

Dubai Skyscraper with Rotating Floors

January 19, 2008 | 2 Comments

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Random

The Philosophies of Butter

January 18, 2008 | 2 Comments

Nod: Neatorama

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Humor, Strategies+Tactics

The Office Orchestra

January 15, 2008 | 1 Comment

HP Office Orchestra - The best video clips are right here
Nod: Neatorama

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Music, Video

The First American Newspapers

January 14, 2008 | 5 Comments

Collecting rare and historical newspapers is exhilarating because you’re reading first reports and eye-witness accounts of the news as it was reported in its time. And we’re not just talking any old news here… no, we’re talking about the stuff from your history books - actual pirates in the Caribbean, the plague in London, the Boston Tea Party, the pivotal battles of the American Revolution and Civil War, George Washington crossing the Delaware River, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Wright Brothers first flight, the great Chicago fire, the gun fights of the wild west. Newspapers are the first draft of history!

Unlike old baseball cards and coins, which have millions in circulation, historic newspapers are scarce. Back in the early 1700s, the earliest newspapers only printed a few hundred copies. In fact, the very first American newspaper – The Boston News-Letter (started in 1704) – was the only newspaper in the colonies for 15 years, but it never exceeded 300 subscribers during that time. Prior to 1870, newspapers were printed on very durable rag linen paper - made from the linen in clothes and ship sails. That said, newspapers from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars are actually in better condition than yesterday’s newspaper, which is probably already yellow and brittle because it was printed on wood pulp. The durability of historic newspapers from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s make them an excellent collectible - unlike the newspaper from when the Chicago Bears last won the Super Bowl in 1985, which is already shredded and faded. Just look at the photos of the 18th century papers on the left/above - they’re unbelievably well-preserved for being close to 300 years old (and the ink doesn’t rub off on your fingers).

I recently did some research to find all the earliest American newspapers and think I have a solid list of the first 20+. The list includes the start date and length of first run for each title - many of which restarted, often under new management, at later dates. Keep in mind that this list does not include Publick Occurrences, which was printed on September 25, 1690, but was banned after the first issue and therefore doesn’t qualify as an actual newspaper.

The First American Newspapers
1. The Boston News-Letter – April 24, 1704 - 1776 (Boston)
2. The Boston Gazette – December 21, 1719 – 1798 (Boston)
3. The American Weekly Mercury – December 22, 1719 – 1749 (Philadelphia)
4. The New England Courant – August 7, 1721 – 1727 (Boston)
5. The New York Gazette – November 8, 1725 – 1744 (New York)
6. The New England Weekly Journal – March 20, 1727 – 1741 (Boston)
7. The Maryland Gazette – September 16, 1727 – 1734, 1745 – 1820+ (Annapolis)
8. The Pennsylvania Gazette – December 24, 1728 – 1815 (Philadelphia)
9. The Weekly Rehearsal – September 27, 1731 – 1735 (Boston)
10. The South Carolina Gazette – January 8, 1732 – 1775 (Charleston)
11. The Rhode Island Gazette – September 27, 1732 – 1733 (Newport)
12. The New York Weekly Journal – November 5, 1733 – 1751 (New York)
13. The Boston Weekly Post-Boy – November 18, 1734-1775 (Boston)
14. The Boston Evening-Post – August 18, 1735 – 1775 (Boston)
15. The Virginia Gazette – August 6, 1936 – 1750 (Williamsburg)
16. The Pennsylvania Journal – December 2, 1742 – 1793 (Philadelphia)
17. The New York Weekly Post-Boy – January 3, 1743 – 1747 (New York)
18. The Independent Advertiser – January 4, 1748 – 1749 (Boston)
19. The North Carolina Gazette – August 9, 1751 – 1759 (New Bern)
20. The New York Mercury – August 3, 1752 – 1768 (New York)
21. The Connecticut Gazette – April 12, 1755 – 1768 (New Haven)

According to this list and highlighted in The History of Printing in America by Isaiah Thomas, only four newspapers existed in 1754 – all weeklies printed in Boston and they never printed more than 600 copies. Still, between April 1704 and April 1775, 78 different newspapers were printed in the colonies. And when the American Revolution started in 1775, there were 37 newspapers printing in the colonies. Soon after the Revolutionary War, daily newspapers were printed in Philadelphia and New York with 20 more published by 1810. In 1800, there were at least 150 newspapers in total, and 10 years later the newspaper count was more than 360.

According to America’s Historical Newspapers, after the Civil War, the number and size of newspapers continued to grow rapidly. The adoption of the telegraph and the prevalence of the Associated Press contributed to a second transformation of the newspaper industry during the second half of the 19th century. Daily editions replaced many weeklies, and—by the early 20th century—nearly every town in the United States had its own newspaper.

Today, newspapers are shrinking, so we may eventually see them get closer to the dimensions of the first American papers - most of which were around 8″ x 12″. History repeats itself.

Sources Used or Recommended for Newspaper History:
The History of Printing in America (Thomas)
The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media (Emery)
History and Bibliography of American Newspapers 1690-1820 (Brigham)
Collecting American Newspapers (Lyons)
The Mitchell Archives
HistoryBuff.com
About.com: Journalism

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, News, Newspaper Collecting

Tribune Debuts New Design

January 14, 2008 | 1 Comment

With an 80-minute commute, I get my morning news from AM radio and my cell phone. There’s no time for printed newspapers anymore. But when I heard on WGN Radio this morning that the Chicago Tribune was unveiling its new design I stopped at the next gas station and purchased a copy.

Like others, the Tribune narrowed its pages and simplified its design. Newspaper 2.0 if you will. The slimmer design should save big bucks as the Wall Street Journal estimated $18 million in savings from its size loss.

Overall, I find this entire newspaper industry transformation fascinating. I predict we’ll eventually see even smaller newspapers and perhaps technology will take the paper out of newspaper. Here is the Tribune’s comments on the change:

Most of the changes are subtle and meant to improve readability throughout the paper. But one change is more dramatic, and that is the redesign of the Page 1 Chicago Tribune nameplate. For 26 years, that nameplate has been printed as white type on a blue background. When it was introduced, it was intended to loudly compete on the newsstands, while also emphasizing our color capabilities. But those reasons have less currency today given the extensive use of color throughout the Tribune and the fact that most of our readers prefer the convenience of home delivery… We also are converting our presses to produce pages that are one-half inch narrower than before, a change that follows an industry trend. That change conserves paper and partially offsets rising newsprint prices. When we previewed the new format, readers said they found the size easier to handle.

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