The virtual worker industry is booming in China. For about $14,000 a year -- 80 percent less than it cost just a year earlier -- you can get a three-dimensional virtual person to handle everything from tours to customer support. With expectations that the industry will grow by 50 percent annually for the next three years, the arrival of virtual persons in the West is inevitable. Neville and Shel dive into the industry in this short midweek episode of "For Immediate Release."Continue Reading →
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FIR #308: Here Come Virtual Workers

Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz analyze the month’s news in digital and social media for communications professionals.

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Marketing

Just how much influence do online influencers wield? According to a Sprout Social report, nearly half of all consumers make purchases based on influencer recommendations, and influencers appear to nobody more than Gen Zers. Those born between 1997 and 2012 -- the oldest of whom are now in their mid-20s with increasing buying power -- are even partial to AI-generated influencers, casting doubt on the importance of authenticity (and even how authenticity is defined). Neville and Shel break down the report and explore what it means to marketers in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #405: Gen Z’s Connection with Influencers appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #405: Gen Z’s Connection with Influencers

For several years, bolstered by research showing the public trusts business more than any other institution to address societal issues, companies have taken positions on everything from the environment to LGBTQ rights. As the U.S. population grew more polarized, though, those on the other side of a company's position made things increasingly difficult for those organizations. Yet companies understand that the younger workers they want to attract put a high premium on working for purposeful organizations. Some companies are finding an alternate approach to fulfilling that need by turning to a not-so-new activity: company-sponsored volunteerism.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #404: Purpose Without the Peril appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #404: Purpose Without the Peril

The author of an AI-focused newsletter suggests that companies need to establish discrete ethics policies for using Artificial Intelligence (AI). With all the codes of ethics out there designed to address anything and everything, is this really necessary? Neville and Shel don't see eye to eye in April's monthly long-form FIR episode. Also in episode 403, there's a new beauty pageant -- just for AI-generated women. While critics pile on with their disdain for this idea, the Dove brand is coming at AI-generated beauty differently, which you might expect if you've followed the Unilever company's 20-year-old Real Beauty campaign. TikTok needs to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned from app stores in the U.S. if the new law can survive the challenges it will surely face in terms of freedom of speech. Peter Shankman revived his free email service, Help A Reporter Out, under a new name. He had previously sold the service to what is now Cision, and Cision has essentially killed it. So Peter re-invented it as Help Every Reporter Out. Imagine an accountant who failed to use AI to review financials when the AI might have caught a fraudulent entry the accountant missed. Could that accountant be held liable for not using AI? It's a question every profession should be pondering. And you may find yourself working alongside a synthetic employee before too long. In his Tech Report, Dan York looks at 20 years of editing Wikipedia, WordPress's announcement of a new way to develop sites locally, Mastodon's establishment of a U.S. nonprofit, the status of Threads' integration with ActivityPub, and the Internet Society's post on the internet and climate change.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #403: Does Marketing Need a Separate Ethics Standard for AI? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #403: Does Marketing Need a Separate Ethics Standard for AI?

It has been five years since Google Plus closed down. While it never amassed the number of users of some of its rivals, many called it home and were cast adrift after its demise, unable to find an alternative that offered the same features and vibe. One Goole Plus user lamented the loss and reflected on the lessons learned from her attempts to find a new social network to call home. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel discuss the fragmented nature of social networks and how the fediverse might one day resolve issues like those faced by refugees from Google Plus, Twitter, and other social networks that were no longer available or suited their needs.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #402: Your Favorite Social Network Just Shut Down. Now What? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #402: Your Favorite Social Network Just Shut Down. Now What?

While public corporations employ (or contract with agencies that provide) media relations professionals, government agencies are likelier to have Public Information Officers (PIOs). Agencies, however, are not the only entities with PIOs, who differ from media relations practitioners by virtue of their engagement with multiple external stakeholder audiences, not just media. PIOs have plied their craft for NGOs, educational institutions, civic organizations, religious institutions, and even some big corporations.
Like those in media relations, PIOs are meant to be the first point of contact for a journalist seeking information, interviews, or answers from an organization. Journalists, however, are complaining that, over the last couple of decades, PIOs have been obstacles rather than conduits, hindering their ability to do their jobs instead of helping. It has gotten bad enough that the Society of Professional Journalists is leading a formal, orchestrated campaign to get PIOs to clean up their act; publications like the Columbia Journalism Review and organizations like the Poynter Institute are among many who have gotten onboard.
In this short midweek episode, Shel and Neville look at the SPJ's argument and discuss whether the PIO (and media relations) profession needs to change or if they're just whining about organizations' PR representatives just doing their jobs.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #401: The Battle Between PIOs and Journalists appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #308: Here Come Virtual Workers

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