Our second weekly Zoom Chat included a robust discussion of criticism leveled at the increasingly popular videoconferencing tool, Zoom, and the response from the company’s CEO.


FIR Zoom Chat #2: Zoom and Privacy

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

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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 #401: The Battle Between PIOs and Journalists

In a LinkedIn post, Techcrunch Sr. Enterprise Editor Frederic Lardinois lamented the ineffectiveness of an event-related press release he received. To date, 42 comments have agreed, many coneming the utter uselessness of press releases and the incompetence of those who produce them. Neville and Shel understand their frustration based on the poor quality of most press releases but defend the practice, when done right, for various reasons in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading →
The post Love Them Or Hate Them, Press Releases Can Still Deliver Value appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Love Them Or Hate Them, Press Releases Can Still Deliver Value

Google is ending third-party tracking cookies on Chrome, the last of the major browsers to take this privacy-enhancing action. Without these cookies, advertisers could see as much as a 70-percent decline in revenue from online ads. What are the alternatives? Neville and Shel break it all down in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #399: No More Cookies For You appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #399: No More Cookies For You

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making significant strides in various domains, and voice technology is no exception. OpenAI, a prominent player in the AI industry, has recently announced Voice Engine, a groundbreaking development in AI text-to-voice technology that will create natural-sounding voices based on a 15-second clip of your (or anybody's) voice. OpenAI claims Voice Engine will deliver unparalleled realism and naturalness in computer-generated speech, surpassing the capabilities of existing solutions offered by companies like 11 Labs.
In this short midweek episode, we delve into OpenAI's voice technology and explore its potential applications across different industries. We also discuss the ethical considerations that communicators need to keep in mind. We discuss the potential for misuse, such as the creation of convincing deepfakes and the spread of misinformation, and highlight the importance of responsible development and deployment of AI voice technology. 
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #398: The AI Version of Your (or Anybody’s) Voice appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR #398: The AI Version of Your (or Anybody’s) Voice

"Thought leadership" is a term that gets bandied about a lot. (A Google search for the term produced over 100 million results.) You have to question whether everything labeled thought leadership actually is, suggesting the quality of thought leadership leaves something to be desired. In fact, a recent study from Edelman and LinkedIn finds doubts about the quality of thought leadership but also reveals that when it's done right, it can be huge dividends for organizations, from building trust to driving business. Neville and Shel share some of the study's findings in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading →
The post FIR #397: Some Thought Leadership on Thought Leadership appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR Zoom Chat #2: Zoom and Privacy

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