Eric Schwartzman

How PR firms book celebrities for special event appearances, making a paid celebrity endorsement authentic, and the impact of social media on the culture of celebrity with Rita Tateel,  president of The Celebrity Source, at the 2009 Public Relations Society of America International Conference.   

PR Celebrity Endorsement Insights

00:54 – Past projects Schwartzman & Associates did with The Celebrity Source include securing High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale for the Girls' Day San Diego and Hayden Panettiere for GenCon Indianapolis, two special events.  

01:41 –Achieving measurable business objectives through celebrity appearances and the most commonly asked questions public relations practitioners have when investigating the possibility of booking a celebrity for a special event or product launch.  

02:01 – Choosing celebrities based on a target audience and why a one-size-fits-all strategy never works.  

02:56 – Matching celebrities to product launch campaigns based on key messages to authenticate the endorsement.  

03:38 – Celebrities may be a great way to get people’s attention, but can they ever be more influential than one’s online social network?  

04:40 – How the clothing line Von Dutch was launched based on a few well-placed celebrities who were seen wearing those baseball caps and t-shirts, scoring influential brand recognition.   

05:35 – Can celebrities influence consumers on more than just lifestyle brands?  Do consumers trust celebrities when considering purchases, like health care, financial services, or political candidates?  

07:35 – How the world of celebrity endorsements has changed in the age of social media and transparency.  

8:12 – Joe Jaffe’s prediction that Twitter is a bubble waiting to burst, the Edelman Trust Barometer ranking on the influence of celebrities and whether or not the emergence of micro-celebrities who find fame with a smaller audience online will change the way we regard pop culture celebrities.  

09:50 – How Twitter is enabling pop culture celebrities to directly engage their fans, build a more passionate audience base and establish greater influence than disengaged celebrities.  

10:36 – Does the fact that a celebrity is paid promotional endorsement cancel out any credibility?  

11:24 – Using celebrity endorsements for corporate cause-related marketing initiatives.  

12:43 – Does Twitter and social media make it more difficult to keep a celebrity on message?  

13:23 – How to effectively brief a celebrity on your key messages prior to a special event appearance.  

14:01 – At what point do you monitor social media influencers? Before, during or after a celebrity appearance?  

15:23 – How to maximize the impact of a celebrity appearance and the most common mistakes organizations make when book a celebrity for public relations event.  

17:29 -- End

Why Twitter’s a bubble waiting to burst, inside-out social media marketing and the sweet spot between personal branding and community engagement with Joseph Jaffe, president and chief interrupter at Crayon.

This marketing podcast was recorded at the 2009 Public Relations Society of America International Conference. Jaffe recently released his third book, Flip the Funnel, about leveraging your existing customer base as a source of recommendations and referrals. 

He has a blog, made his initial foray into podcasting with Steve Rubel on Across the Sound, which is now a solo effort renamed Jaffe Juice   

01:10 – Why it’s dangerous to measure and judge the effectiveness of social media by old media standards, how podcasts generate business opportunities, and how to reach the right audiences versus large audiences.  

02:34 – Jaffe talks about his three books, the conceptual thread that binds them, and building businesses from by marketing from the inside out.  

06:16 – The sleaze factor associated with incentivizing people to recommend brands to their online social networks, how recommendations can determine the degree of trust, credibility, authority, and consistency we have for someone, and how “street cred” or social currency is starting to become a factor in keeping people honest.  

08:55 – Erik Deutsch asks via Twitter, “How should clients balance corporate branding with personal style in social media.”  

09:30 – A discussion about personal branding, repositioning, controversy, and why putting too much value on your self-worth can sidetrack you from achieving fundamental business goals.  

11:11 – Trolling for criticism, the importance of self-confidence, and standing for something you believe in, even if it is just giving away a free iPhone.  

13:09 – Being first, taking risks, experimentation, and analysis paralysis.  

14:42 – Giovanni Rodriguez asks via Facebook, “Is social media up-leveling or marginalizing people in the PR profession?”  

15:51 – Applying public relations skills, such as grassroots relations, media relations, and nurturing relationships, to social media marketing and the mad dash among PR agencies, ad agencies, and clients to lead in social media engagement.  

18:04 – If you thought Second Life was the be-all-end-all, here’s why Twitter is a bubble just waiting to burst.  Looking at the finger instead of where it’s pointing.  And how to effectively leverage Twitter in organizational communications.  

22:18 – Why PR firms, ad agencies, and clients should NOT lead in social media engagement, and how to realign the corporate org chart to join online conversations.  

24:19 – The findings of the Digital Readiness Report, by Tom Smith, Don Spetner, Barb McDonald, and myself, and which department inside the organization is leading social media engagement at most companies.  

26:15 – The difference between consumer-generated content and consumer-generated media.  

27:16 – The difference between viral campaigns and memes.  

29:22 – Whether or not marketers can and should actively engage in social media or if they’re better off focusing on building an environment where communities can grow organically.  

31:39 -- End

This PR podcast interview with Beth Kanter on marketing strategies for nonprofits covers how 501.c.3. organizations are using social media effectively, new market research from PR firm Weber Shandwick and Philanthropy Now about the ROI of social media at nonprofits, and much more.  

Fast Company Magazine named Beth Kanter one of the most influential women in technology and one of Business Week's Voices of Innovation for Social Media.

Nonprofit Marketing Insights

01:05 – An explanation of the visiting scholar program at the Packard Foundation and her upcoming book with Allison Fine, tentatively titled The Networked Nonprofit, to be published by Wiley.  

03:05 – The threats and opportunities that self organization via social media presents to nonprofit organizations.  

04:28 – Leaving social media ant trails online so people interested in your cause can find you and start leaving their ant trails online to create a network effect.  

06:24 – The work of self-organizing, online collaborative activity specialist Eric Eugene Kim and the idea of leaving digital ant trials over time.  

07:59 – How the social media marketing strategies of nonprofits differ from those of commercial organizations and government agencies and a discussion of how Dr. Richard Leakey, chairman at Wildlife Direct, is using a blog to organize a grassroots community of conservationists and leave what she calls ant trails to consolidate relationships among passionate wildlife conservation and raise money through microdonations online.  

09:45 – Delivering value to the community before asking for money and a discussion of how the March of Dimes Share Your Story online community for parents of babies born prematurely or who have spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit rallied around the family of a child that died, covering the family’s funeral expenses and sending proceeds for the March of Dimes.  

11:54 – A discussion of Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s give-to-take ratio, as prescribed in their book Trust Agents editorial.  

14:40 – A discussion of how to effectively promote the new Facebook page launched by the US Dept. of State to extend the reach of the delegation’s participation at the COP15 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.  

16:29 – Partnering and connecting with like-minded online influencers to proliferate a key messaged through peers via social networks and use print collateral and signage to drive traffic online.  

18:58 – Cross-promoting your Facebook badge on your blog and using conventional promotions to encourage social media engagement.  

19:54 –PR firm Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact Survey is somewhat misleading because it asks the wrong questions, which is also quite helpful because it suggests that social media is less about building visibility and more about engaging communities.  

22:37 – Beth Kanter’s reaction to the results of Philanthropy Action’s report on Social Networking and Mid-Size Nonprofits.  

23:33 – Beth Kanter responds to Alison Noonan, who asks, “I’m currently working for a children’s charity.  Any suggestions on compensating for lost funding with social media?”   

26:07 – Translating the donor pyramid into a practical social media strategy for nonprofits, a study by Pew Internet found that large charitable donations are more likely to occur online.  

27:03 – Beth Kanter responds to Kevin Skarrit, director of new media at EduGuide.org, who asks via Twitter, “If resources are available, should NGOs create their social networks or only participate in other big ones like Facebook?”  

27:50 – How websites are becoming more social, and content is getting a social life through outposts like Facebook and Twitter and your home base, such as your website or blog.  

28:51 – Planned Parenthood has reorganized its internal structure to form a content department, which manages content on its website and repurposes that content through social media channels.  

29:42 – A discussion of the Social Media Game created by David Wilcox and Beth Kanter, designed to take people through a simulated process of mapping a social media strategy to specific organizational objectives.  

38:51 – End   

Photo by Cambodia4kids.org

Dr. Karin H. Czerny, Head of the Press Section at the United States Embassy in Vienna, and Eva Muhm, Director of the American Reference Center at the United States Embassy in Vienna, discuss handling public affairs on behalf of the US Dept. of State via mainstream news media and social media in Austria.

Public Affairs Insights

00:34 – An introduction to the featured guests on this podcast and the context of the conversation.

00:49 – Internet penetration and blogging culture in Vienna, Austria, compared to other countries.

01:21 – The use of the social web during political campaigns and political bloggers.

03:53 – The conference on The Future of Journalism, organized at Amerika Haus by the US Embassy in Vienna.

04:39 – Using the US Embassy in Vienna’s website to post press releases and media relations announcements.

05:36 – The solvency and reach of newspapers versus online news in Vienna, and who reads what.

07:57 – Using a recent student protest as an example of how people are organizing and communicating online, the guests discuss using social media to communicate effectively on behalf of the US in Austria.

08:44 – How the US Embassy in Vienna uses social media to practice public affairs communications via Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter, and what they hope to achieve through these channels.

10:46 – The public affairs strategy driving the US Embassy to Vienna’s engagement and how they decide what information should be distributed online.

11:41 – The most significant challenges associated with communicating on behalf of the US Embassy in Vienna.

13:49 – Unique characteristics and requirements of communicating with the Austrian mindset.

17:02 – Whether or not the mainstream news media coverage and online discussion of the US domestic health care reform debate has impacted the credibility of our foreign policy decisions in the international community.

18:49 – A discussion of the types of topics and speakers that the US Embassy is hosting in Vienna.

21:15 – Hopes and expectations for the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

22:10 – The social media readiness of Vienna compared to other European Countries.

23:29 – End

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

U.S. Dept. of State Foreign Service Officer Liz Murphy and Public Affairs Specialist Billie Gross of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs discuss using social media for climate communications, rebuilding bridges with the international climate community, and extending the reach of the UN Climate Change Conference via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.  

Climate Change Public Affairs Podcasts

Climate Scientist Michael E. Mann Reveals Culprits in War Against Science

How to Prepare for Climate Change with New York Times Bestselling Author David Pogue

MIT PhD Joe Romm on the Fossil Fuel Industry's War Against Science

Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes Talks About Her Book Merchants of Doubt

To win support for responsible climate policy, you need bipartisan support. In this exclusive interview, public affairs specialists share the strategies and tactics they use to promote climate action policy.

Public Affairs Guests 

Liz Murphy, Public Diplomacy Officer

Before this assignment, Liz Murphy served as a Public Diplomacy Officer in Baku, Azerbaijan, and as a Consular Officer in Monterrey, Mexico.  She has an A.B. degree in history from Harvard.  

Billie Gross, Public Relations Specialist

In addition to her work at the State Department in 2006, Billie Gross also serves a public relations specialist at BRG Public Relations.  Before joining the State Dept, she worked as an assistant human resource specialist at the U.S. Dept. of Energy.  

Climate Communications Insights

01:03 – How the US Dept. of State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs promotes transformational diplomacy by advancing global environmental stewardship, encouraging economic growth and promoting social development.  

03:03 – Facts about global warming:  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s authoritative scientific consensus on climate change, is indeed occurring.  The IPCC shared the Noble Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007.  

04:06 – How the Bureau responds to the claim that U.S. carbon emissions per capita are among the world’s highest.  

04:58 – The international community’s response to renewed efforts from the US to play a role in capping carbon emissions after the Kyoto Protocol.  

06:19 – Preconceived notions of developed and developing nations in the international climate community towards the US and hard emissions targets, emissions trading, financing objectives, and securing room for future growth.  

07:24 – What the US Dept. of State’s diplomatic delegation hopes to achieve at the COP 15 UN Copenhagen Climate Conference.  

08:46 – The impact of an article in the New York Times titled “Leaders Will Delay Deal on Climate Change” on the US Dept. of State delegation’s morale and momentum.  

09:56 – Propel Media Events asks via Twitter, “Where did you begin? What type of social media plan did you start with? What are the key metrics to ensure success?”  

10:31 – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s attitude toward social media engagement and the various social media channels the US Department of State has established, including the DIPNOTE blog, to extend the reach of their activities online.  (The State Dept also has a presence on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter.)  

11:57 – Can the U.S. Department of State effectively achieve global electronic engagement in the age of social media without violating the Smith-Mundt Act, as discussed with Mountain Runner public diplomacy blogger Matt Armstrong in a previous podcast episode?  

14:32 – What was involved in establishing a Facebook Page to extend the reach of the U.S. delegation’s activities at the COP15 conference, and how the Bureau plans to use the Facebook presence there?  

16:08 – How the Bureau is working to draw fans to its new COP15 UN Climate Change Conference 2009 Facebook page and a discussion of the US State Dept’s Facebook page and the Office of Global Women’s Issues Facebook page.  

17:25 – A discussion of where climate change ranks in importance in global issues and whether or not the number of fans attracted to the COP15 Facebook page could impact the legislative process.  

19:48 – The different panels, speakers, and other live events will be occurring at the COP15 conference and simulcast on the Bureau’s new website, the centerpiece of the State Dept’s social media strategy at the conference.  

22:01 – The social media strategy by which the Bureau will determine what kind of content to release through which online media channels and in what sequence.  

24:58 – The bureau’s online video strategy for simulcasting live and serving up video on demand.  

27:01 – The schedule of events will be posted on Twitter and Facebook.  

28:28 -- George Clark asks via Twitter, “How will they use the US Dept. of State's field network, embassies, consulates, etc., to enhance their approach to social media?”  

29:30 – Tapping into US Embassy networks and regional offices worldwide to stimulate participation in live online chats to solicit questions and feedback on a global basis.  

30:32 – What foreign policy changes could the US make to lessen domestic carbon emissions, and how to get actions at home into an enforceable, international agreement?  

32:33 – Liz Murphy and Billie Gross discuss lessons learned as professional communicators that could be applied to the private sector, like building consensus and tailoring messages to different audiences.  

35:20 – The US Dept. of State challenges participants to win an all-expense paid international exchange program in the “Change Your Climate, Change Your World” video contest.  

36:49 -- End

Photo by Garrett Sears on Unsplash

Music Public Relations Firm Ariel Hyatt on using social media to get signed to a record deal, how P. Diddy tweets without ruining the mystique of his stardom and using social media engagement to empower fans to promote their music organically online.

01:07 - Ariel Hyatt of Ariel Publicity and author of Music Success in Nine Weeks describes her journey from conventional mainstream public relations executive to promoting musical artists exclusively online.

03:07 - Ariel Hyatt talks about immersing herself in social media by launching a blog, podcasting, hosting meet-ups, going to Podcamp and becoming a contributing member of the community.

04:17 - Candace Joy asks Ariel Hyatt via Michael Butler of the Rock 'n Roll Geek Show, "How would you get a recording artist signed by a record label?"

04:30 - Creating a groundswell social media movement online by building a vibrant fan base community as a proof of concept to lure record labels to sign you to a record deal.

05:50 - The Marie Digby online promotion scandal.

8:50 - Just how long it takes to build trust, learn to communicate authentically and actually see the benefits of social media engagement.

10:30 - In a question submitted via Twitter, Rick Goetz asks, "What's more important for blog love: doing newsworthy things or knowing people?"

11:43 - Is the transparency of social media stripping away the mystique of the rock star?

12:28 - Finding out that Henry Rollins was never on Twitter.

13:31 - Musicians Pete Wentz, Dave Navarro, and John Mayer's use of Twitter and Mylie Cyrus's recent decision to quit Twitter.

14:24 - How P. Diddy repeatedly captures widespread interest and taps into the popular nerve and why talent alone may not be enough to ascend to rock star status.

15:45 - P. Diddy's now famous Popeye's vs. KFC chicken TwittyTV online video.

17:09 - Inside the social life of Ariel Hyatt, a massive Ska, Punk, Rock indie music fan.

18:38 - A DIY recording artist's career defined.

19:13 - The ascent of blues guitarist Kelly Richie, who learned to leverage social media to connect directly to her fan base and scale the pyramid.

22:25 - Why jam bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish represent social media in the real world.

23:46 - Translating musical like-mindedness into social media connections.

25:36 -- End

Social media ambassadors program in the U.S. Army Reserve with Social Media Chief Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Ostlund.

In this exclusive interview, Ostlund outlines how the US Army empowers service members to act as social media ambassadors, the use of social media for crisis management during the Fort Hood attacks, and what U.S. citizens can do to show support for members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Social Media Ambassador Program Insights

00:59 - Gerald Ostlund defines his areas of responsibility as social media chief at the U.S. Army Reserve, which includes social media strategy, social media policy, social media content marketing, and quality control.

2:01 - Operational security as the core concern the U.S. Army Reserve has about social media engagement, and protecting against operational security violations by making sure that reservists understand not to divulge where they've been or where they're going via social media channels, particularly when they're deployed down range.

02:21 - Soldiers as unofficial U.S. Army Reserve spokespeople, whether they're on duty or off. Just as media training counselors at public relations firms teach their clients that there's no such thing as going off the record, the U.S. Army Reserve teaches their soldiers that there's no such thing as off duty when they're using social media.

03:03 -- Importance of staying within the bounds of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, not disparaging the President of the United States, members of U.S. Congress or other elected Government leaders, which may be punishable violations of the code.

03:47 - Whether or not being a member of the U.S. Armed Forces means you must sacrifice your Constitutional Right to Free Speech.

04:27 - The litmus test for whether or not the Uniform Code of Military Justice extends to social media.

05:36 - How the U.S. Army Reserve is approaching the unique challenge of managing decentralized communications via social media among an army of reservists who are continuously rotating in and out of active duty, and how U.S. Army Reservists are balancing their online civilian persona against their online military persona.

06:35 - Staying in your lane by personalizing your experience as a way of empowering soldiers to serve as unofficial spokespeople, while ensuring they don't step on the toes of the U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs detail, who fill the official spokesperson role.

07:44 - Advice to U.S. Army Reservists who tweet and use other social media channels on how to differentiate their personal opinions from the official policies of the U.S. Army Reserve.

09:14 - The use of disclaimers such as "Although I am an officer or soldier, I don't speak for the U.S. Army Reserve on blogs and in the profile sections of social networking services."

10:21 - Media relations and crisis communications lessons learned from the Fort Hood shootings and the use of social media to get the word out quickly during the tragedy.

13:03 - Leysia Palen's analysis of official and unofficial communications during the Virginia Tech shootings and the prospect of socially distributed problem solving and what it says about the future if crisis management.

14:57 - Most of the victims of the Fort Hood shooting were revealed through mainstream and social media prior to the U.S. Army's ability to release an official statement, due to the legal responsibility of notifying next of kin prior to making official announcements.

15:42 - The prospect that General George W. Casey, Jr., Chief of Staff at the U.S. Army, would revisit the way they make use of communication channels to distribute information during good times as well as bad.

16:54 - How U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs Officers – who may be required to go in front of the news media and discuss the details surrounding the deaths of soldiers who they've trained with, and who may be their personal friends – control their emotions under the spotlight in times of crisis.

18:18 - The real sacrifice U.S. Armed Forces service members make for choosing a life of military service.

20:24 - The call of duty, obeying the oath to serve and defend when the U.S. President calls and leaving the policy and the politics to elected, civilian leadership.

21:31 - Whether or not the U.S. Armed Forces could effectively to use social media to win trust and confidence in Afghanistan or Iraq, and why we need to be ones mentoring and enabling them to spread the word themselves.

25:35 - The relationship between Iraqi and Afghani nationals and their ex-pat community in the U.S., and utilizing the latter as a resource to get the word out to nationals.

27:08 - His experience working directly with Iraqis and the sacrifices they are making to try and build a better Iraq.

27:53 - What motivates people to set off bombs and plot terrorism against civilians inside Iraq.

29:27 - What U.S. citizens can do to support the troops and to promote a peaceful resolution to armed conflict.

Ideas for Showing Support for US Troops

Say thank you to a soldier.

Volunteer for a family readiness group at your local Army Reserve.

Whether you're left or right.

VOTE! Put representatives in office who you think will better the USA, so the policies our service members are defending are worth their sacrifices.

32:08 - Whether or not young people are getting more or less engaged in the political process.

33:52- End

A conversation about the public affairs chain of command inside the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, B2B marketing programs on defense contractors, and caring for wounded warriors with Robert Hastings, vice president communications Northrop Grumman Information Systems and former acting assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, who presented a case study about Wounded Warrior Care: Practical Applications in Strategic Communications.  

Schwartzman & Associates is a public affairs firm engaged in public relations initiatives for several military commands at the US Dept. of Defense.

Pentagon Public Affairs Briefing

01:23 – An explanation of the civilian oversight of the military, the public affairs reporting structure inside the US Department of Defense, and what it’s like in the control center at the Pentagon.  

03:26 – How advanced is the technology at the US Department of Defense?  

04:28 – Why some US Armed Forces service members are more guarded than others when using social media, the evolving field of information operations, and operational security parameters.  

07:40 – Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’s observation of the tension between “exquisite systems” we may someday need to win the war tomorrow versus getting the gear we need to win the war today.  

09:37 – How the SecDef cut through the bureaucracy to improve the quality of treatment for wounded warriors, faster MRAP requisitioning, and the procurement of faster and better intelligence on the battlefield.  

10:53 – How the Department of Defense secures and develops intelligence.  

11:29 – The Wounded Warrior Care case study that Robert Hastings presented at the 2009 Public Relations Society of America International Conference.  

12:58 – The most important lesson learned from the Wounded Warrior Care public affairs case study.  

15:17 – How Robert Hastings came to be appointed as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, where he was responsible for public affairs.  

17:24 – What it was like interviewing at the Pentagon with SecDef Robert Gates for the job of Assistant Secretary of Defense.  

19:24 – A discussion of a strategic public affairs communications initiative undertaken by the US Dept. of Defense  

20:25 – Which branch of the US Armed Forces officer’s dining room at the Pentagon has the best food?  

22:25– End

In this public affairs case study, Eric Schwartzman asks United States Marine Corps Major Danny Chung about balancing the American people’s right to know against operational security during combat.  Schwartzman & Associates is a public affairs firm of record for the United States Marine Corps.

Public Affairs Case Study

00:56 -- Why Danny Chung decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.  

02:07 – What about the Marine Corps versus the Army, Navy, and Air Force attracted him?  

04:00 – How he wound up in media relations, which was certainly not his intention when he initially joined.  

04:48 – Major Chung discusses his experience managing media relations in Iraq before and after former president George W. Bush commanded the US Armed Forces to invade Iraq on March 19, 2003.  

06:05 – Major Chung talks about his experience getting the USMC story out to professional journalists in today’s highly polarized news media environment.  

07:41 – Major Chung’s opinion of Fox News.  

09:22 – Using access to newsmakers and other military public affairs officers as a way to influence the media coverage that gets generated.  

11:44 – The mandate of United States Marine Corps public affairs.  

12:41 – Pulling Geraldo Rivera out of the desert during Operation Iraqi Freedom for compromising operational security and the more challenging aspects of balancing the American public’s right to know against operational and national security now and in the distant future.  

14:41 – The single biggest lesson that all Marine officers learn.  

16:06 –How a conservative, command and control style organization like the US Marines Corps manages social media engagement.  

18:34 -- Casey Peterson asks if social media has replaced the letter home and if the Marines monitor that information for operational security.  

20:06 – The role of a public affairs officer and leadership in monitoring social media conversations, the pervasiveness of social media in the lives of service members today, and the Abu Ghraib prison photo scandal at GITMO as a crisis management case study for when things go wrong.  

22:18 – Getting the good and the bad news out as quickly as possible.  

23:12 – The prospect of living up to the motto “every Marine a spokesperson” by making laptops and handhelds standard issue.  

24:14 – How the USMC public affairs staff mitigates risk by briefing their fellow Marines on dealing with the press.  

25:39 – How to convince a commanding officer who may be older and less engaged that things like search engine optimization consulting and social media matter when they don’t even know what these channels are.   

31:02 – Should the US Marine Corps acknowledge Matthew Ho’s resignation online?  

33:03 – Fighting to preserve the right of people to protest and express their opinions freely.  

34:02 – Erik Deutsch asks about the US Military’s social media strategy in the Middle East, to which Major Chung responds that print and radio are more of a factor in those theaters.  

36:16 – Using social media for information operations and using mobile phones to Tweet during the Islamic Republic of Iran’s recent electoral protests.  

38:56 – Major Chung responds to a passage from a feature story in Wired Magazine about how Secretary of Defense Robert Gates focuses on winning the war today and his decision to ramp up production of armed transports deployed in Iraq.  

41:28 – Major Chung talks about driving around Bagdad in a soft-skinned Humvee.  

44:05 – Major Chung shares his personal perspective on the effectiveness of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates versus former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  

46:41 – End

Austrian bloggers Helge Fahrnberger, Michael Vaccaro, and Matthias Wurz discuss SEO and social media marketing in Europe, cultural differences between Europe and the US, and what Austrians think about Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Kerry, and Bruno. Schwartzman & Associates is a public affairs firm of record for the U.S. Dept. of State.

Social Media Marketing in Vienna Insights 

00:58 – Helge Farhnberger talks about his blogging experience in Austria, his blog, his work as a social media and software consultant, and a primary sociological condition for human cooperation.  

02:45 – Michael Vaccaro talks about his blog, a platform for building online visibility for indie recording artists – primarily in Austria and Germany –  to help them get record deals and talent representation.  

04:02 – Matthias Wurz talks about his experience blogging, his blog, and his objective of explaining Austrian culture to an international audience.  

05:19 – Austrian bloggers share their opinions on Arnold Schwarzenegger as an actor, a politician, and an Austrian and why Austrians call him the man without a mother tongue.  

06:43 – Why Austrians stripped Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name from a football stadium named after him in the city of Graz.  

08:27 – How Austria’s right-wing conservative voters felt about the US Supreme Court’s decision to recognize President George W. Bush over Senator John Kerry, who was of Austrian descent.  

08:58 – Austrian bloggers react to Sasha Baron Cohen’s portrayal of a fictional Austrian character in the motion picture Bruno.  

10:10 – Austrian bloggers discuss the motion picture The Sound of Music and how many Austrians have seen the film.  

11:23 – Austrian bloggers discuss Viennese coffee house culture versus American coffee house culture, Starbucks, and talking your coffee to go.  

16:45 – Working hard, hardly working, and living to work versus working to live.  

18:02 – Austrian bloggers discuss Austria’s ranking as the best place to live globally.  

21:34 – Austrian bloggers debate whether or not a more precise delineation between work and play is causing social media marketing to develop differently in Europe and Austria.  

22:17 – Helge Farhnberger on the social demographics of Austria, which has 8 million people. And he talks about why innovations are more likely to come out of the US than Europe.  

24:31 – Michael Vaccaro talks about mixing social life and work, social media usage among younger people in Europe, the role social media users play as cultural signposts, and how Austria’s listing as the best place to live reinforces that behavior.  

27:26 – Matthias Wurz offers a counter perspective to Michael Vaccaro’s assertion that laziness is at least partially to blame for social media apathy in Europe and how he uses Facebook professionally and personally.  

32:45 – The state of the newspaper business in Austria, whether or not Austrians are becoming less interested in newspapers, and the reach and impact of mainstream news media.  

34:43 – How Michael Vaccaro started securing MP3s from labels that he could make available.

35:48 – Matthias Wurz gives us the state of the news media business in Vienna from the perspective of an officially accredited Austrian journalist who has been writing for a magazine for many years.  

39:12 – Which mainstream media channels are most under pressure from advertiser defections in Austria, and how the advertising agency spend is changing in Austria.  

40:34 – German start-ups developing products that involve search engine optimization consulting.

46:23 – Matthias Wurz on whether Austrian journalists are SEOing their stories and Steve Lohr’s article “The Boring Headline Is Written for Google.”  

50:07 – Austrian bloggers discuss the recent student protest that completely clogged the streets in central Vienna, which was organized entirely through Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #unibrennt.  The demonstration was estimated to be 20 to 40 thousand students large.   

59:02 -- End

Photo by Paavel Liik on Unsplash