FIR Podcast Network

Facebook: Still Delaying. Still Denying. Still Deflecting.

Two hours after we recorded last week’s Inside PR, the New York Times posted a bombshell report – Delay, Deny, Deflect – about Facebook’s management of legislators and manipulation of the truth.

And in this report, they answered the question that Gini Dietrich has been asking since the whole Cambridge Analytica fiasco broke – where are Facebook’s communications team and what are they advising. Well, as it turns out, the real question should have been, what communications playbook are they using?

Making the world more open and connected? Maybe for you and me. But for Facebook, definitely not more open.

Linkworthy

* Delay, Deny and Deflect How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis, Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg andJack Nicas

* What Facebook Knew and Tried to Hide, Michael Barbara, Sheera Frenkel, and Nicholas Confessore

* About NTK Network

* Definers Team

* Now eight parliaments are demanding that Zuckerberg answers for the Facebook scandals, Natasha Lomas

* Concerns grow at Tory link to US lobby firm in Facebook smear scandal, Jamie Doward

This post first appeared on Inside PR.

Johna Burke, Global Managing Director of the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), joined to discuss Measurement Month and the challenges and opportunities for communicators.

Topics discussed include:

* The evolution of measurement and evaluation

* What the future holds for the practice of measurement and evaluation

* How agencies play an important role in the measurement ecosystem

* The importance of telling a story with data

* Ways that communicators can begin their measurement journey with AMEC resources

* Activities during Measurement Month that may be of interest to listeners

[read the transcript]

Three items in the news caught our attention this week. The first was a piece that by Agility PR about a tale of two PR crisis responses— and why only one of them worked.  The crises in question are the firing of Megyn Kelly by NBC and Andy Rubin’s departure from Google with a $90 million severance package. Both situations were handled differently by the organizations’ leaders, and both produced very different results in terms of public and employee perception. The contrasting cases are useful to help shape your own crisis response and to understand how you have to get ahead of the news in just the right tone and with actions that speak louder than platitudes.

The second piece we discuss provides evidence that marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk is wrong about an awful lot of things, largely because he appears to base his observations and predictions more on instinct than on facts. We respect Vaynerchuk for what he’s accomplished, but think that in an environment in which the value of facts is being called into question, it’s incumbent upon thought leaders to use them. This is the big data age, after all.

Finally, we have often debated the optimal length of podcasts and videos for content marketing purposes, but maybe old assumptions about keeping recorded content as short as possible is out of date. Welcome to the Age of the Hour-Long YouTube Video makes the case that long-form content is making a comeback. For the same reason that podcasts have become popular, people are now able to put their idle time to work. This may have implications for marketing videos in the future, and whether you want to go after quality or quantity when it comes to collecting readership. We both are devotees of podcasts that frequently run 90 minutes or more. That’s because the content is great, the hosts do their research and the subjects are interesting. Which would you rather have, eyeballs or fans? 

Happy holidays to all, we’ll return next week with fresh insights.

This episode will surely catch your minds and hearts as Mitchell Levy (http://aha.pub/MitchellLevy), TEDx speaker and the AHA Guy at AHAthat (http://AHAthat.com), co-host Lisa McDonald (http://aha.pub/LisaMcDonald), author, motivational speaker, TV and radio host, and blogger (http://livingfearlesslywithlisa.com), and their guest, Lolly Daskal (http://aha.pub/LollyDaskal), executive leader coach, consultant, speaker, columnist, and best-selling author of “The Leadership Gap” (https://www.lollydaskal.com), talk about the things you have to do to create your own legacy.

Lolly Daskal provides us with her amazing perceptions about legacy, which is aligned with the topic for this month. According to Lolly, the purpose of life is to bring meaning to every single day with the people in your lives, people you meet, conversations you have, and connections you make. If you can do that on a daily basis, you’re leaving your mark. You are living your purpose and you will leave a great legacy.

Here are a couple of AHA messages from the episode. See more in the “AHA Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, AHAthat: http://AHAthat.com.

* #Legacy is created every single day by who you are, by the confidence you show, and by how you behave. #LeaveAMark #TLL http://aha.pub/LollyDaskal

* Personal growth is not about being in competition with other people, it’s about raising your own standards and being committed every single day to being the most improved version of who you are. #TLL http://aha.pub/LollyDaskal

* You can be someone who is out there living largely but also living life colorfully and authentically in a very beautiful way. #Legacy #TLL http://aha.pub/MitchellLevy

* Be someone who anchors other people, someone who gives them platforms and opportunities in which they can Help if you can! Help if you must! #LeaveAMark #Legacy #TLL http://aha.pub/LisaMcDonald

* Greatness, success, legacy, and purpose are choices we all have, and they’re available for all of us. We just have to choose them! #Legacy #TLL http://aha.pub/LollyDaskal

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

In this episode, Chip Griffin and Gini Dietrich discuss the pros and cons of responding to RFP’s as a way to win agency business.

Neither Chip nor Gini are big fans of RFP’s for agencies — at least in most cases — and on today’s show they discuss why, as well as when you should make an exception.

The duo also have some advice for agency owners and executives who do end up responding to RFP’s, either out of necessity or choice.

[read the transcript]

Facebook’s Really Bad Behaviour

Sometimes, the stars just align perfectly. When we recorded this episode of Inside PR, we did not know that, within hours, the New York Times would publish a bombshell storydelving into Facebook’s tactics to avoid full transparency and accountability for the existence and persistence of Russian troll activity and other bad acts on Facebook. In this episode, you’ll hear us discuss that the only truly satisfactory response on the part of Facebook must go beyond simple PR bromides to real actions that align with its promises. Something which the NY Times story suggests Facebook fell far short of.

Ironically, it was the NYTimes Tech Reporter, Kevin Roose, who provided the most succinct definition of what’s really going on in a Tweet following the picture that emerged of a group of boys allegedly giving the Nazi salute prior to their prom. Roose tweeted, “has anyone answered “a generation raised on platforms that reward provocation in a culture with a shrinking list of taboos” yet[?]”

has anyone answered “a generation raised on platforms that reward provocation in a culture with a shrinking list of taboos” yet https://t.co/V9xTaTxO38

— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) November 12, 2018

And it’s not just outside observers who are rethinking the approach the social media platforms took to driving growth and user engagement. Recode reportedthat Twitter co-founder Ev Williams told a tech conference in Portugal, “I think showing follower counts was probably ultimately detrimental. …. It really put in your face that the game was popularity.” Williams went on to discuss the “suggested user” list that helped new Twitter users start to follow people on Twitter by suggesting well-known are widely followed people for them to follow. Reflecting on this, Williams suggested, “Those weren’t really interest-based follows, and then someone who had grown their following organically compares themselves to them. It’s inauthentic.”

And that brings us back full circle to Facebook. Even before the NY Times story dropped, legislators outside of the US were demanding that Zuckerberg provide some accountability to them for Facebook’s operations in their countries. A few weeks back, we discussed the fact that Canadian legislators were prepared to travel across the Atlantic to attend a joint session with their counterparts in the UK Parliament – if Mark Zuckerberg would agree to appear before them. Last week,legislators from Australia, Ireland and Argentina joined their counterparts from the UK and Canadato provide Zuckerberg with a five for one offer. One appearance for five countries. Yet, at the time of recording Zuckerberg and Facebook still had not agreed to appear.

And then the NY Times story dropped – and we saw in vivid detail the machinations and manipulation Facebook was taking to duck calls for full transparency everywhere.

Delay. Deny. Deflect. Now that we understand this, could this be only the first of many bad weeks for Facebook?

Faster, Safer Internet Access from Your Phone

Do you ever connect to the Internet via a public WiFi network (think airports, hotels and Starbucks?) Have you read the terms of use you have with your Internet Service Provider (ISP)? If so, you may discover that they can share with “partners” data about your Web surfing and Internet activity from inside your hom...

In the November episode of “The Hobson & Holtz Report,” Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz reviewed these stories:

* British Airways management was as unprepared for the iPhone’s AirDrop creating an onboard kerfuffle as flight attendants were

* With the influencer and micro influencer market saturated, marketers now look to nanoinfluencers

* By 2022, most of the skills required for employability will be soft skills

* The length of YouTube videos people will watch on their phones continues to increase

* Gen Z uses text and chat more than any other generation, but how do they feel about new technologies?

* Fake videos have entered the political space; can business be far behind? But new apps can help identify fakes

* Dan York reports on Facebook’s new Lasso app, a Google outage, and “signed exchange”

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.

About Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson was co-host of The Hobson & Holtz Report for over 10 years. For over 15 years, Neville has been a voice of experience and influence when it comes to speaking about digital technologies, disruptive change in workplaces and marketplaces, relevant trends to pay close attention to, and what it all means for your business. His experiences embrace deep understanding and subject-matter expertise in contemporary business issues that include social, digital and cognitive technologies, connecting that with a career in traditional public relations, marketing communication, employee compensation and benefits communication, and investor relations. Based in the Thames Valley some 30 miles west of London, Neville works either from his home office or from a client’s location; or from wherever he has a good network connection.

Links from this week’s episode

* ‘Unacceptable’: Women Cyberflashed On British Airways Flight Criticise Airline Response

* BA’s lack of cyberflashing policy

* British Airway’s Twitter response to cyberflashing incident

* Are you ready for nanoinfluencers?

* These are the skills to learn for the future of work, according to the World Economic Forum

* The Future of Jobs: World Economic Forum Report (PDF)

* Employers’ top training priority for 2018? Soft skills

* Welcome to the age of the hour-long YouTube video

* Tik Tok App: Google Play | App Store

* Gen Zs use text and chat more than any other generation surveyed” –- Is the future of work here?

* Gen Z moves forecast the future of voice technology

How do you build a strong brand? And what role can communicators — from the PR function to internal communications — play a pivotal role? On November 15, four IABC Fellows gathered on a YouTube Hangout on Air to discuss how positioning varies, why strong brands are necessary today, and new trends in branding, including how to make employees a part of your brand team.

The panel included Priya Bates, George McGrath, Cindy Schmieg, and Mark Schumann (bios appear below). Watch the video here:

About the panel:

Priya Bates is a senior communication executive who provides strategic internal communication counsel in order to ensure leaders, managers, and employees understand the strategy, believe in the vision, act in accordance with the values, and contribute to business results. She is president of Inner Strength Communications in Toronto and previously served as senior director of Internal Communications at Loblaw Companies Limited.

George McGrath is founder and managing principal of McGrath Business Communications, which helps clients build winning corporate reputations, promote their products and services, and advance their views on key issues. George brings more than 25 years in PR and public affairs to his firm. Over the course of his career, he has held senior management positions at leading strategic communications and integrated marketing agencies including Hill and Knowlton, Carl Byoir & Associates, and Brouillard Communications.

Cindy Schmieg is an award-winning strategic communicator. With 30+ years of corporate, agency, and consulting experience, Cindy now teaches online within the Communications Master Degree program at Southern New Hampshire. She has served in many IABC leadership roles and today serves as IABC 2018 Gold Quill Awards Chair.

 

Mark Schumann is vice president of Culture and Communications at Sabre. He is also the co-author of Brand from the Inside and Brand for Talent. Before joining Sabre, he was Director of Graduate Communication Studies at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York City, as well as a managing principal and global communication practice leader at Towers Perrin. He served as IABC’s chair in 2009-2010 and is the winner of 17 Gold Quill awards.

What’s a leader to do in the age of distraction? How does the C-suite stay connected when they’re competing with Twitter for their team’s attention? How do leaders provide authenticity, transparency and directness that employees crave? One word: video.

It’s one of our most provocative topics in internal comms these days, mainly because of the anxiety it often provokes in even the most seasoned leaders. So to explore it, we sat down with Sonia Fiorenza of SocialChorus, a workforce communications platform we’re proud to call a sponsor.

In this episode of EE Voice, we talk with Sonia about how to use video to create authentic and impactful exchanges between leaders and employees. We discuss what makes video a great channel for leaders and the three essential elements of an effective leadership video.

View larger video infographic image. 

Tune in and learn:

* What to say, how to say it and how to shoot it

* Why every good video starts with a TWIN strategy

* What’s the optimal length of a leader video

* How to shoot like a pro with an iPhone

BONUS: We’ll tell you how to get your own copy of the SocialChorus guidebook, “How to Make Video Like a Boss.” It’s an easy and thoroughly entertaining must-read for today’s internal comms professionals. Listen in to get all the details.

 

 

In this week’s episode, Chip Griffin and Gini Dietrich discuss how important it is to find — and use — a good lawyer and accountant to advise your agency.

The mere thought of lawyers and accountants may give you a shiver. Or it may cause your eyelids to begin to feel heavy. But the value they can provide to your business should not be underestimated.

From reducing risk to increasing profit in your pocket, good legal and accounting advice can make a big difference in the success of your agency business.

[read the transcript]