http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com Conversation starters from the Ragan newsroom Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:37:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en OK, I've had it with the green movement. I really can't stand it anymore. If I see or hear one more silly tip on how I can save the planet, I'm going to spend every last dollar I have and buy a Hummer. And this is coming from a card-carrying member of ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/18/is-your-pet-green-do-you-compost-your-own-poop/ That crunching sound you're hearing in the distance is the sound of the information gravy train grinding to halt, or at least slowing down. In a move that sent the blogosphere into shrieks of anger yesterday, the venerable Associated Press announced its intention to challenge the posting of its copyrighted material ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/17/bloggers-versus-the-associated-press-the-fight-over-free-information/ How do you handle lies and rumors about your organization? Do you have a strategy when gossip appears in the blogosphere? What do you do when rumors circulate about layoffs or about the CEO having an affair? Rumors have always been around. But in the age of social media, they ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/13/fighting-lies-and-rumors-on-the-web-obama-provides-a-clinic-for-pr-pros/ Hillary Clinton's former spinmaster-in-chief is now trying to spin his way out of his new designation by the media: Loser. This is made all the more interesting because Mark Penn is the worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller. If anyone should know how to rehabilitate himself, it should be this PR kingpin. But alas, ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/11/why-did-hillary-lose-her-chief-pr-guy-launches-into-some-new-spin/ Is Bill O'Reilly's demise just around the corner? Is the man finally losing it? Readers of PR Junkie will remember the video clip we aired recently showing a crazed O'Reilly verbally beating up his camera crew because the teleprompter wasn't exactly how he wanted it. Now comes this video showing an O'Reilly ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/11/is-bill-oreilly-going-down-in-flames-its-about-time/ Do you work for a company that is always running scared? If you're a typical reader of Ragan.com, the answer is probably a resounding yes. Sure there are a handful of exceptions, but most companies seemed frightened out of their wits. This irrational fear of everything is at the heart of ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/10/its-hard-to-communicate-well-when-youre-terrified/ There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't watch a clip from Jon Stewart's Daily Show. I began this habit years ago after listening to a lecture on The Daily Show's influence with Generation Y. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who in my mind is the country's foremost expert on communication ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/09/is-jon-stewart-the-new-walter-cronkite/ I collect escape clauses. These are the hackneyed excuses used by politicians and their brilliant tacticians whenever they're nailed for being stupid, dangerous or both. We hear these phrases so often that we don't actually consider their literal meaning anymore. Let's take the example of Mark Penn, the worldwide chief ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/05/what-is-your-favorite-escape-clause/ Now for the hard part: What to do with Hillary. I have a question for all of you PR Junkies reading this. If you were part of Obama's inner circle, how would you handle this powder keg of an issue? If you were Communications Director, what would you advise? But first let's ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/04/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-named-hillary/ If this were the 18th century, they'd be meeting in a field at dawn with their single-shot pistols drawn and accompanied by their seconds. But we live in the Internet age, so the duel being played out by the Public Relations Society of America and CBS Sunday morning is happening ... http://MarkRagan.x.iabc.com/2008/06/03/were-all-liars-cheats-and-frauds-or-so-says-cbs/