Mike’s Points

The past week or so has been positively stressful. That is, stressful, but in very positive ways. Waterproofing contractors in to ensure our basement gets and stays dry — so far, very pleased EverDry! — plus a piece of professionally exciting news. I’ll save that for another possible post.

In the meantime, how’s your movie knowledge?

My wife found this cup (see left and below) and, after some ‘net research, the only conclusion is that it is a prop from one of the Indiana Jones movies. 

A friend pointed me to this movie prop replica site, but I didn’t find any specific matches (though I think the cup could be Holy Grail?).

So, for you movie or antique and collectible buffs, do you know what this is? (For an enlargement of the close up, see here. For a close up of the full view image, see here.)

Any and all help would be appreciated. Just leave a comment with any answers or good guesses.

– Mike

It’s interesting how people independent of each other are part of a collective discussion on a certain topic. Today, I’ve seen a few posts and comments that deal with the influence of bloggers. Influence dealing with ads and companies like PayPerPost or SponsoredReviews, and biases a blogger may have.

First, here’s the round up:

Colin McKay/CanuckFlack in a comment

On Blogs, Advertising and a Crass Capitalist World (and at ToledoTalk.com)

SponsoredReviews: A New Assault on the Blogosphere’s Credibility (courtesy of Matt Sussman/FutonReport.net)

Since it’s more human nature to complain than it is to praise, I think people who blog have a negative reputation; more so from those who are not familiar with blogging.

Yeah, it may not be fair, but life’s not fair.

But, we all can do something about it. It is encumbent upon those who blog to be:

• Transparent: If you have a close association with or are being paid to post about a product, service, company, etc., let your readers know. It won’t hurt your credibility. It will, though, if you hide it and get caught.

• Honest: This is similar to being transparent. Be forthright and upfront. Don’t make up information to support your cause. The means rarely justify the end.

• Open to opposing opinions: You’re not always right. (I know I’m not.) Listening to others’ opinions doesn’t mean you’ll change your opinion. Be humble and have a thick skin.

• Thorough: Similar to being honest, if you are going to play citizen journalist, be an irate or happy customer, or call someone out, be sure you have your facts right. You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth, but be reasonably thorough. And, when you’re not thorough and make a mistake, fess up.

Blogging is still in its infancy. If it is to become more widespread, open for the general public to join and participate, and generally accepted, we must have credibility.

– Mike

(UPDATED 1/19/2007 approx. 9 a.m.: Some quick reading and the lack of reading of comments on Paul McEnany’s post means I rushed to judgement below. I’ve since I apologized, left a main point, and one final one about how we at times treat others behind our keyboard.)

Original post:

The ease and quickness offered by self-publishing (that is, blogging) has been both a boom and the bane of existence for corporations.

There are plenty examples of corporations successfully reaching out to and working with bloggers.

Then, there are times when companies just hate the power that some bloggers seem to have. And, like most things, that power can be used for bad or good.

Let’s look at what I’d call the bad use of blogger power.

Paul McEnany/Hee-Haw Marketing made a trip to Dallas Kohl’s store around Christmas and found much of the store in disarray. And, from those photos, that store did look pretty bad – at that moment.

But, for all we know, that may have been an extremely busy day, and atypical for that Kohl’s or any Kohl’s store. So, did McEnany go back later to see if the mess was a one-day deal or a pattern?

It doesn’t look like it to me.

And, while he may have received some great traffic, Kohl’s got a bit of a black eye. All because of McEnany’s jumping to conclusions.

If you are going to blog, no matter what letter you are, you have a responsibility for fairness and accuracy. It’s your personal integrity on the line. Now, I’ve jumped to a false conclusion in the past — and I apologized for it. But, that was a one-time deal.

Has McEnany learned anything — even after being contacted by Kohl’s? (Granted, Kohl’s response was pretty routine and didn’t do any good.)

Let’s jump to San Francisco and KSFO’s run-in with a blogger called Spocko.

Spocko didn’t like what some of KSFO-AM’s local talk show hosts were saying on air. So, he used the power of blogging to post some clips on his blog, contacted advertisers and encouraged them to stop advertising on KSFO.

From what I read, the “extreme comments” made by the hosts were not a one-time thing. So, Spocko voiced concerns and objections. He not only wrote letters, but he used his blog to post proof.

He seems to have a legit argument. The radio show host’s comments are not one-time events — like it seems the Kohl’s incident was. (Or, at least, McEnany hasn’t shown any proof that the sloppy stores are a pattern.)

Blogging in and of itself is neither good nor bad. It’s the level of self-responsibility and the integrity of the blogger that makes it so.

And, corporations are just going to have to deal with it.

But, that’s another post topic.

– Mike

A few weeks ago, PayPerPost initiated a policy requiring its bloggers to disclose they’re being paid for reviews.

Now, PPP has launched DisclosurePolicy.org. (Thanks to HistoryMike for the pointer.)

DisclosurePolicy.org was created and funded by PayPerPost. Anyone interested in collaborating on blogosphere transparency is encouraged to contact us.

Even if it isn’t new, it’s a great corporate PR move. Heck, just a great move in general.

Because it’s the right thing to do.

If PPP (just love typing that ) is to have any credibility for advertisers, blog readers and others in promotion/marketing, it does need a reputation of transparency.

So, does this make you think any differently of PPP?

It does for me.

Mike

For your reading, thinking, surfing and chuckling pleasure, I offer:

Kodak enjoys the digital moment, BlogWorks. (UPDATED after the initial post, after a bit more of blog browsing. Count this among the chuckling links!)

Wells Fargo At The Paris Hilton, Wells Fargo/Guided By History

I’m not saying anything, but . . . ., Colin McKay/Canuckflack

How to Successfully Promote Your Company in Second Life, Kami Huyse/Communications Overtones

Someone else joins the bloggers-with-cancer club, Bob LeDrew/FlackLife.

Honor Among Publicists: Resolutions for 2007, Todd Defren/PR Squared

Do Cookies Destroy Rainforests?, Marc Gunther

There’s a been a bit of a big broohaha brewing in the media capital of Northwest Ohio this week. In case you’ve missed it, here’s a brief recap:

On Tuesday, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and his spokesperson/assistant Brian Schwartz blocked WSPD Reporter and talk show host Kevin Milliken from attending an news conference. From reports, Scwartz put himself in the doorway to the news conference, right in front of Milliken.

On Wednesday, Milliken, WSPD morning show host Fred LeFebvre, afternoon host and program director Brian Wilson and others pushed their way into a news conference after the door was nearly shut. Shortly after the news conference was to start, Schwartz called it off, and allowed the media assembled to talk with the mayor one-on-one.

To the mayor’s credit (somewhat) he does like some WSPD reporters, and granted an interview to Nik Rajkovic.

What is the mayor’s reason for not allowing Milliken into the news conference?

Because the mayor doesn’t think Milliken is “objective.”

This feud between the Toledo mayor and WSPD started last summer. Though Wilson offered the mayor an olive branch, anyone can easily see the article was insincere.

Is this a precedent? Has any other elected official shut out a credentialed member of the media? This definitely has some serious First Amendment issues going on — and that are in violation. Former Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber has a great post on that issue.

Ultimately, those issues and the penalties are for lawyers and a judge — if WSPD takes it that far — to decide.

I’m assuming that Schwartz is of the same mind as the mayor. If not, then he is selling his soul for a paycheck. Mayor Finkbeiner has a history of being strong willed (putting it nicely). If Schwartz is counseling the mayor not to take these actions, and the mayor is refusing his counsel, I would think Schwartz is having trouble sleeping at night. I know I would.

As the spokesperson and PR counselor for the mayor, what would you do? Is there any precedent or justification to bar a credentialed member of the media from a news conference?

The obvious right thing — and this is why I think this story is so troubling — is not to take on the media.

Even in Toledo, there are enough other media outlets to get your word out. If nothing else, the mayor should start a blog!

And, what about the potential impact for other members of the Toledo media? Would the mayor bar other reporters from news conferences? There hasn’t been any inkling of that, but precedent has been set.

The fact that an elected official doesn’t like the way a reporter, columnist or show host does his job doesn’t really matter. There are steps the official can take — from being totally open and willing to explain his/her position to that person to giving the reporter no more than the bare minimum media access allowed.

Just like bloggers need to have a thick skin — after all, we are more about opinion than news — governmental officials need to have a thick skin, and remember that they are serving the public. Not themselves nor their career.

Mike

Yesterday, well-respected blogger and former journalist (okay, that was awhile ago) Gary Goldhammer announced he has joined Edelman Inc. as a vice president in its Interactive Solutions division.

If you’ve read Gary’s blog at all, you know his posts — while infrequent compared to many bloggers — are very high quality and worth reading.

Other than maybe at top exec positions like presidents and CEOs (particularly in the auto industry), it seems that PR moves involving bloggers are much more publicized than in most other industries. After all, if you have a blog and you get a new job, that’s a great topic for a post! (And, for others as well .)

So, we know the personnel moves among bloggers quicker than we do so for non-bloggers (since we have to wait for the traditional media stories).

Gary’s posts are predominantly about journalism. So, in his post announcing his move, he wrote:

“This blog will not change. I will continue to focus on journalism, with a special emphasis on the current state and future of newspapers. . . . And since I never wrote about clients or my company before, I don’t plan to start now – so please, don’t expect me to comment if my new employer does something in the blogosphere you don’t like.”

While I’m sure Gary will maintain the focus of his blog, because of the interactive nature of blogs, he can’t expect readers not to ask questions about his employer — whether or not it “does something in the blogosphere you don’t like.”

He doesn’t have to answer those questions of course, but he shouldn’t be surprised if he gets questions about his silence as other Edelman bloggers have.

– Mike

In my newspaper reporter days, I was told to localize national stories and trends. Tell our readers how it affects them.

Here’s another example of what I said repeatedly last year — newspapers need to concentrate on reporting local news.

“I think intensely local, professionally gathered news is due for a comeback. It’s the one thing you can’t get anywhere else.”

Those sentences are from today’s column by Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times (”Local news can matter once more“).

And, unlike what Joel Stein thinks (thanks John), if newspapers can involve their readers in their revived local focus, newspapers will again become communities’ mainstay for news and information.

– Michael

(Thanks to Poynter’s Romenesko for the Westneat pointer.)

Yesterday, Robert Niles had a worth-reading post at Online Journalism Review (”The silliest, and most destructive, debate in journalism“).

Essentially, Niles said there should should be no MSV v citizen journalism. Anyone and all interested in journalism should work for better journalism.

For the most part, that is true, but like most things, the how is the problem.

First, I do disagree with one point:

“Journalism is journalism, no matter who does it, or where.”

Journalism to a professional reporter (traditional media experience) compared to journalism to Joe or Jane Reporter may not be the same. Without looking at the story, I trust the objectivity (or attempted objectivity) of the professional reporter more so than I do of the citizen reporter. But, in traditional media and CJs working together, that should not be an issue.

Back to the working together part . . .for traditional media and CJs to work together — and improve journalism — the media’s Web sites need to evolve. When a reporter wants assistance from his or her readers, why not post a call for help — like posting a query on ProfNet or ExpertSource.

Until traditional reporters can put out a blanket request for assistance — as Niles suggested in his Amazon pricing example — or even have a pool of CJ stringers, any real supporting research needed to improve a story will be up the individual reporters to obtain by his or her own means.

– Mike

It amazes me how attached we can become to people we don’t really know. Like fellow bloggers or members of a discussion board.

I feel as if I know Kami Huyse, Ed Lee, Greg Brooks and others. But I don’t really know them. Heck, except for Greg, I’ve never even talked with the majority of them.

My relationships with bloggers and others in my cyber realm is based on reading their blogs, e-mail and IM correspondence and assuming the good in my fellow man/woman.

That relationship is similar to what we may feel for a TV show host or a radio DJ we regularly watch and listen to. But, closer because there is better back-and-forth communication.

Another person I don’t really know is Reid/SCEagle. Reid’s A Storm in Afghanistan is a blog I found and started reading regularly just about a year ago for a client. (Even by then, I think Reid was out of Afghanistan and stationed in Germany.) When the client project finish, I continued to periodically read Reid’s blog, and other milblogs I found.

I read about the new home Reid and his wife, Ellicia, and three children moved into. I read his other posts about serving the military.

I read about his wife’s battle with cancer.

I read about his successful efforts to apply to the military to move his family back to the states to seek better treatment for his wife.

Yesterday, I read of Ellicia’s death on New Year’s Eve.

This morning, I saw his loving tribute to Ellicia with a series of photos of her and with the family.

And, both mornings, I cried for the loss of a mother and wife, and for Reid’s moving and loving tribute to Ellicia.

Really, I don’t know Reid nor his family. But, from reading his blog (and a couple e-mail exchanges), I know we share some common values and he has allowed me — and many others — peaks into his military and personal life.

I guess that’s why it’s called social media.

And, if we can become better — professionally and/or personally — from it, those relationships are just as valuable in their own way as those relationships with people I really know.

I know I’m a better person because of those relationships.

– Michael