For Immediate Release

By Neville Hobson and Shel HoltzBusiness News Marketing Business News Tech News

For Immediate Release episodes

November 20, 2023FIR #366: DIY GPT
Pundits are proclaiming social media dead (or dying), and they have data to back up their beliefs. If it’s true, what does it mean — for society, for networking, and for business? Neville and Shel examine the evidence and trends and discuss the implications at the 7:03 mark of the monthly long-form episode for November. Also in this episode:
ChatGPT pauses new signups and other news (32:25)
A look at ChatGPT’s GPT Builder (38:57)
The state of news on social media (1:00:42)
Generative AI and journalism (1:12:54)
A high-profile executive’s fake Twitter accounts (1:17:07)
In his Tech Report, Dan York talks about Twitter’s woes, WhatsApp news, Automattic backing off Tumblr growth, and the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year (51:28)
Join our Discord! Email [email protected] for an invite.
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, November 20.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
Links from this episode:
Is Social Media Dying? What That Could Mean for Marketers
First-Gen Social Media Users Have Nowhere to Go
The Age of Social Media Is Ending
Social media is doomed to die
Sam Altman (@sama) on X
OpenAI Status – Incident History
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT Plus sign-ups as capacity exceeded
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman departs the company and leaves its board after a board review found he wasn’t “consistently candid in his communications with the board”
Neville Hobson (@nevillehobson) on Threads
OpenAI has put ChatGPT Plus sign-ups on pause
Introducing GPTs
With GPT Builder you can create your own personalised ChatGPT
Neville Hobson on LinkedIn: With GPT Builder you can create your own personalised ChatGPT
Personalized A.I. Agents Are Here. Is the World Ready for Them?
The Best of OpenAI’s New GPTs, Ranked
The 23 Best GPTs of 2023 (Weekly Updates)
Is Threads winning the war with X?
Twitter’s decentralized offshoot Bluesky now has 2 million users
Social media traffic to top news sites craters
Instagram head says Threads is ‘not going to amplify news on the platform’
Blue-Checked, ‘Verified’ Users on X Produce 74 Percent of the Platform’s Most Viral False or Unsubstantiated Claims Relating to the Israel-Hamas War
The hate speech problem on X: a test of conscience for users and brands
Telegraph journalists told use of ChatGPT will result in same sanctions as plagiarism
ChatGPT six months on: Insight from 12 news leaders on generative AI and journalism
Global State of the Media Report from Cision (PDF)
HBO Chief Casey Bloys Concedes Fake Twitter Accounts Were a “Very Dumb Idea”
HBO Bosses Used ‘Secret’ Fake Accounts to Troll TV Critics
The Hand That Controls the Sock Puppet Could Get Slapped (Published 2007)
Links from Dan York’s Report
How 13 news publishers are using WhatsApp Channels
WhatsApp Privacy Checkup: Know the features and how to use it
WhatsApp releases new security features to protect users’ IP addresses
WhatsApp is adding a new way to voice chat with large groups
WhatsApp Adds New Audio Chat Option for Groups
Mark Zuckerberg Taps the Strengths of WhatsApp
Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp is the ‘next chapter’ for Meta and could become a bedrock for business messaging
Tumblr is betting big on going small
Tumblr is downscaling after failing to ‘turn around’ the site
‘Hallucinate’ chosen as Cambridge dictionary’s word of the year
Hallucinate is Cambridge Dictionary AI-inspired word of 2023
The post FIR #366: DIY GPT appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 25 min
November 15, 2023FIR #365: RyanAir’s Social Media Chief Doesn’t Leave Quietly
RyanAir has a reputation: For the lowest airfares in Europe, you’ll get where you’re going with the bare minimum of service. The airline’s social media accounts — notably TikTok — have done a brilliant, irreverent job of setting expectations for anyone planning to fly on RyanAir, which the social media manager’s skills were first-rate. When he left the company — reportedly because of its cultural shortcomings — he abided by the 90-day quiet period, then applied his social media skills to share his experience. His posts (not surprisingly) made headlines. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel break down what this might mean for RyanAir.
Links from this episode:
Ryanair social media manager resigns over company culture
Lessons from Ryanair on the art (and rules) of going gonzo on TikTok
Ryanair: How a budget airline took off on TikTok
Neville Hobson on LinkedIn: Ryanair’s Legendary Social Media Boss Quits, Makes Dramatic Exit
FIR Interview with Edelman’s Radina Russell
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, November 20.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
The post FIR #365: RyanAir’s Social Media Chief Doesn’t Leave Quietly appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
17 min
November 03, 2023FIR #364: Managers’ Most Important Communication Role
Internal communicators have long known how important employees’ immediate supervisors are to the communication process. Based on the results of a new study, communicators need to shift their focus. Managers still need to serve as a conduit of information in both directions, but there’s an even more important role they play that communicators are best suited to help them learn and apply. Shel and Neville discuss the study and its implications for internal communications professionals in this short midweek episode.
Links from this episode:
How leaders communicate with employees sets the tone for a respectful workplace culture
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, November 20.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
The post FIR #364: Managers’ Most Important Communication Role appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
16 min
October 30, 2023FIR #363: Is the Israel-Hamas War a Communications No-Win Situation?
A review of the trove of articles about how brands have addressed the conflict in the Middle East suggests that there is no way to satisfy everybody, even for brands that opt to say nothing at all. Neville and Shel explore the peril of speaking out, even as expectations continue for companies and their CEOs to address societal issues. Also in this monthly long-form episode:
The closure of Pebble (formerly T2) has implications for the entire fractured social media ecosystem
A global PR body has ratified 10 principles for the ethical use of AI in PR and communications
LinkedIn influencers are becoming a force to be reckoned with
A poll from MIT explores key decision points for deploying AI in the enterprise
Silicon Valley appears to have given up on news in social networks
In his tech report, Dan York shares details about the flailing of Twitter, changes in Threads, WhatsApp channels, and Automattic’s purchase of Texts.
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, October 30.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
Links from this episode:
Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations and Communications: cases, reflections and predictions (Edited by Ana Adi)
Pebble, the Twitter alternative previously known as T2, is shutting down
Twitter clone Pebble is shutting down just five weeks after a rebrand
The Pebble falls: A ‘friendly’ Twitter replacement closes its doors
Pebble, the ‘Twitter killer’ social media app, meets an abrupt demise and shuts down after 10 months
The hunt for the next Twitter: all the news about alternative social media platforms
Bluesky for Journalists
X usage plummets in Musk’s first year as owner
Brands Play It Safe On Israel-Hamas Conflict
Brand Safety Controls Are Demonetizing Publishers’ Israel-Hamas Coverage
Israel-Hamas war fallout spilling into workplaces
McDonald’s Caught in Crossfire of Gaza Conflict
Restaurant Brand Whose Founders Fled Nazis Targeted Over Israel Ties
How brands are responding to the Israel-Gaza war | News | Campaign Asia
MediaDailyNews: The High Cost Of Misinformation For Brands, Publishers, Platforms
WGA West Apologizes for ‘Tremendous Pain’ Caused by Its Silence on Israel Attack
Global PR body ratifies 10 ICCO Warsaw Principles for ethical use of AI in public relations and communications
LinkedIn influencers are a thing now—and brands like Intel and Hootsuite are courting them
Influencers and CEOs take their brands to LinkedIn
LinkedIn is becoming the home of executive influencers
LinkedIn influencers face scrutiny over disclosure norms and legal compliance
Why is 20-year-old Linkedin now ‘cool? We’ve not changed, says editor-in-chief
Generative AI deployment: Strategies for smooth scaling
Links from Dan York’s Report:
X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies
Twitter/X is now charging a $1 annual fee to let new accounts post
Elon’s X Rolls Out Voice and Video Calls
X to take on newswire services with new product, XWire
Threads is adding polls and GIFs as it continues to chase X
WhatsApp Channels: Everything You Need To Know
Streamlining Communications: Automattic Acquires Texts.com
The post FIR #363: Is the Israel-Hamas War a Communications No-Win Situation? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 33 min
October 27, 2023FIR #362: Why Did Pebble Sink?
T2 rebranded as Pebble because when tossed in water, pebbles create ripples (except in the song “Ripple,” in which “there is no pebble tossed, nor wind to blow”). The microblogging social network created by former Twitter staffers never created enough ripples to sustain it. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel lament Pebble’s passing, consider the reasons it is shutting down, and ponder what it means for the post-Twitter social media landscape.
Links from this episode:
Pebble, the Twitter alternative previously known as T2, is shutting down | TechCrunch
Pebble, a Twitter alternative that launched during the Musk era, is shutting down
Twitter alternative Pebble — previously known as T2 — announces shock closure
Twitter Alternative Pebble, Formerly T2, Is Shutting Down Due to Low Usage
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, October 30.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
The post FIR #362: Why Did Pebble Sink? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
25 min
October 25, 2023FIR #361: Is There A Seat At The Table in Corporate Communication’s Future?
A new study from Edelman polled hundreds of Fortune 500 Chief Communication Officers about the future of corporate communications. The results include some surprises, including the scope of the CCO’s role and what they’re spending their time on. The study also addresses the old canard about the communicator’s quest for a “seat at the table.” Neville and Shel dig into the report in this short midweek episode.
Links from this episode:
2023 Future of Corporate Communications Study
Key learnings from Edelman’s Future of Corporate Communications Study – Ragan Communications
New report: Communication’s growing influence in the C-suite
The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, October 30.
We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.
The post FIR #361: Is There A Seat At The Table in Corporate Communication’s Future? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
15 min
October 18, 2023 FIR #360: Your AI Chatbot Confidant
At a school in southern England, a headmaster worked with an AI developer to create an AI "robot" named Abigail Bailey to serve as his "headteacher," giving him advice and helping with planning. He has another AI "robot" named Jamie Rainer serving as his head of AI after advertising for a human to handle the job. Can the same principles be transferred to the CEO of an organization? Find out in this short midweek episode.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #360: Your AI Chatbot Confidant appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
15 min
October 13, 2023 FIR #359: Your New AI BFF
OpenAI is rolling out the ability to have a spoken conversation with ChatGPT. Meta is making it easy to converse with the likes of Tom Brady and Paris Hilton (who have lent their voices to the effort). An AI chatbot called PI was built to let you discuss personal matters. Companies are rolling out AI girlfriends. (That can't end well.) It's all part of what Casey Newton calls the "synthetic social network," and it's the topic of conversation between Neville and Shel in this short midweek episode.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #359: Your New AI BFF appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
19 min
October 05, 2023 FIR #358: EY Goes AI
EY (formerly Ernst & Young), one of the "big four" accounting firms, has launched EY.ai, which is (according to a press release) "a unifying platform that brings together human capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) to help clients transform their businesses through confident and responsible adoption of AI." Separately, EY has introduced EYQ, an AI assistant for its 400,000 employees. Neville and Shel discuss the news -- and how likely it is that EY's competitors will follow -- in this short midweek FIR episode.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #358: EY Goes AI appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
17 min
October 02, 2023FIR #357: A Status Report on AI and PR
Artificial Generative Intelligence (AGI) has been widely available publicly for less than a year, but the public relations industry has moved quickly to assess its potential and begin the process of implementation. How is it going so far? A brief from the PR Academy looks at the state of AGI in PR. Also in this monthly long-form episode:
Acast has risen to the top of the business podcasting services heap
Despite political pressure, marketers continue to focus on diversity
Gen Z journalists are not like their predecessors. What are their values and priorities?
Deepfakes have been a concern for years. Deepfake scams have finally arrived.
Website owners are looking for ways to block AI web crawlers from vacuuming up their content.
In his tech report, Dan York looks at Mastodon 4.2 and the ActivityPub plugin for WordPress.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #357: A Status Report on AI and PR appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 21 min