From the title of this episode, you might think we were talking about company sources going on background when speaking to a reporter. (Quick advice: Don't. Either be on the record or don't talk to a journalist.) But that's not what this episode is about. Instead, we're talking about Zoom backgrounds (or Teams, or Skype, or Webex, or Google Meet, or whatever). With flexible work the order of the day in many organizations, is it time to give serious consideration to what people see behind you in a call? There's a book (that's right, an entire book) on the subject. We cover it in 15 minutes.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #264: On Background appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #264: On Background

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

Tech News

Technology

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

News

Marketing

Despite the excitement over the possibilities generative AI provides, it was easy to predict that doubters would insist it's just a fad -- the same naysaying we heard about email, the web, social media, podcasting, live streaming, and a host of other digital technologies. In this case, the reports conflict with other research showing rapid adoption, even if we're not anywhere close to widespread consumer use of gen AI tools, which nobody expects after only 18 months since ChatGPT 3.5 was unveiled. In this short midweek episode,  Neville and Shel compare the reports and look at the potential for communicators to fall behind with yet another important technology.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #409: Just Another Fad appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #409: Just Another Fad

PwC has released a detailed report analyzing over half a billion job ads from 15 companies representing over 30 percent of global GDP. The goal: unearth empirical evidence of AI's impact on jobs. The results are remarkable, if unsurprising. For example, the analysis found 4.8 times higher growth in labor productivity in AI-exposed sectors and 25 percent higher skills change in AI-exposed occupations. Jobs that require specialist AI skills are growing 3.5 times faster than all jobs. Neville and Shel report on highlights and discuss the multi-dimensional impact on communicators in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #108: AI’s Impact on Jobs, Quantified appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #108: AI’s Impact on Jobs, Quantified

White-collar employees everywhere are embracing AI, even if they're using their own accounts and not telling their colleagues or bosses. This widespread adoption of AI among workers is already creating challenges for managers, who traditionally evaluate their team members based on outputs that may now be coming in whole or in part from an AI. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel explore what this means for managers and the internal communicators who recognize them as a discrete audience.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #407: AI Is Changing How Managers Manage appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #407: AI Is Changing How Managers Manage

Among a flood of AI announcements in the last week -- including remarkable advances in ChatGPT -- Google's move to produce narrative results called "overviews" instead of web links caused the most consternation. Neville and Shel break down all the news and focus in on Google's overviews in this long-form episode for May. Also in this episode, a Baidu executive wound up in hot water after remarks that offended employees and customers; Australian media manipulated a photo of a member of parliament, launching conversations about ethical use of AI when it comes to photos; Apple misfired on both an advertisement and its apology, but Bumble's apology is a prime example of how to apologize for a miscalculation; and a lot of venture capital money is going to companies offering apps that provide people with AI companions. In his Tech Report, Dan York, looks at evolutions among social media alternatives, a renewed interest in online communities, and Google's new AI=generated answers.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #406: Alas, SEO, We Knew You Well appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #406: Alas, SEO, We Knew You Well

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 #264: On Background

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