McKinsey Reports That Marketing Is Complicated
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 21, 9:52pm
Bye Sunderland, Hej Helsingborg
It's time to move on! After eight years at the University of Sunderland I am on my way to Campus Helsingborg, part of Lund University, in Sweden. From July I will be project leader of NEMO - New Media, Modern... Read more...
mediations, May 21, 10:57am
De Young Museum Workers Protest Union Busting And Cuts In Benefits
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 19, 9:19pm
One Name Missing From Atlantic's "End Times" Piece
One Name Missing From Atlantic's "End Times" Piece
As The Atlantic speculated about the fate of The New York Times, it occurred to me that one name was conspicuously absent from the writer's list of possible acquirers:
Its possible that a David Geffen, Michael Bloomberg, or Carlos Slim would purchase The Times as a trophy property and spare the company some of this pain. Even Rupert Murdoch, after overpaying wildly for The Wall Street Journal, seems to be tempted by the prospect of adding The Times to his portfolio.
Why not George Soros? His net worth is not quite Michael Bloomberg's, but more than David Geffen's. Moreover, his politics... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 18, 1:11pm
Zuckerberg Won't Share - IPO Will Consolidate His Total Control
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 17, 10:11pm
Former Senior Oracle Exec Gary Bloom Heads Mark Logic
Gary Bloom has been named CEO of Mark Logic, which returns him to his database roots. This is an interesting appointment and shows that the board of Mark Logic is trying to spruce up the database company and either dress it up for sale or try to expand it's business. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 17, 3:38pm
Important Updates
If you're wondering why there haven't been a lot of updates here lately, it's because of this:
But, more importantly, this:
More news as it develops... *8-)
Technorati Tags:
phil gomes, Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 17, 1:11pm
The Back Story On 'Curated By Intel' - Experimental 'iQ' News Magazine
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 16, 8:33pm
Intel Builds Vietnam's Largest Solar Power Plant
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 15, 7:56pm
Never Forget
For those of us who love freedom, this is a must-see.
More at Reason.Tv.
Technorati Tags:
freedom, communism, cold war, berlin wall Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 15, 1:11pm
The Big Dow Drop Meets The Nanny Index
The Big Dow Drop Meets The Nanny Index
I recently read David Harsanyi's excellent book Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children. It was a thoughtful birthday gift from my folks, who thoughtfully indulge my libertarian bent with such works.
In this book, Harsanyi says that the five most frightening words than can be uttered by the typical U.S. government official are "Something needs to be done."
Starting last Friday and cresting today thanks to the stalled mega-bailout, that devilish phrase is at a six-month all-time... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 15, 1:11pm
VCs, Wake Up
From peHUB about video processor startup Novafora folding yesterday:
"'VC appetite has really dried up for later-stage semiconductor companies,' says a former Novafora executive, reached at his home this morning. 'They all want to do social networking and things like that.'"
Sure, you want to go where the money is and where a quick exit can be had, but isn't that how you got into that whole mess in 2001?
NB: If we don't invest in keeping pace with Moore's Treadmill, the next-generation social network, entertainment device, toaster, or garage door opener simply won't happen.
As I told a colleague some years ago: "Dot-coms make headlines. Well and good. But science makes history."
Technorati Tags: Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 15, 1:11pm
Serve.Gov Needs Volunteers...
...to watch the serve.gov site, presumably.
Found this evening, though I don't expect it to be up for long.
Technorati Tags:
fail Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 15, 1:11pm
"Lose Sight, Lose the Fight"
We're at about six months since the United States Air Force's blog-response chart made its rounds online. Since then, it has crossed my desk often.
I've always found it well-designed and comprehensive, though something has always bugged me about it. The other day, I figured out what it was.
Somewhat incredibly, it ignores the number-one rule that all combat pilots must follow: "Lose Sight, Lose the Fight."
The flaw is in the little box at the lower right-hand corner.
INFLUENCE: Focus on the most used sites related to the Air Force.
Seems narrow to me. For example, let's imagine that, say, and influencer like Robert Scoble is talking with a buddy in the Air Force. One day over coffee, the buddy says that the plane he flew in Iraq had an intermittent issue where the readouts would blink for no good reason... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 15, 1:11pm
Having A "Message" Is Fine, It's "Messaging" That Sucks
Having A "Message" Is Fine, It's "Messaging" That Sucks
In PR 2.0 circles, it has long been hip to say that there is no place in modern communications for a company with "messages" and that any company with "messages" is somehow lost in the digital weeds. A PR person who says otherwise is derided as a knuckle-dragging troglodyte while the supremely useless you-don't-get-it crowd gleefully jumps in and piles on.
I disagree with the premise that messages are necessarily dead. This was a fallacy that was allowed to progress because the some PR folks were too busy ingratiating themselves with a small set of influencers to think the issues and distinctions through.
If your company doesn't have a "message" — a set of clear ideas that codify how it sees itself, its industry, and the world at large — then why the hell does it even exist, let alone communicate?
Frankly, a distinction needs to be made.... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 12, 1:11pm
In Defense Of The "Purist"
In Defense Of The "Purist"
I while ago, I was having lunch with my friend "Bart" whose supervisor "James" had left the firm he worked for at the time. Naturally, this meant that Bart had to take on some of his former boss's responsibilities — some considerable shoes to fill.
James was a leader in this company's online communications strategy, not just because of his considerable technical knowledge but, rather, the instincts he developed over a period of time.
During one of the necessary transition meetings, Bart had a meeting with James' former boss.
"The thing is about James was," the boss said. "He was just too much of a purist."
Considering Bart and James were pretty much parallel philosophically, this wasn't such good news for my friend. Bart would leave the firm soon afterward.
Since Bart told me this story, I've been asking myself, "What did James' former boss mean?"
It occurs to me that there are some... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 12, 1:11pm
Zero1 Launches Ambitious 'Seeking Silicon Valley' Arts Festival
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 11, 5:46pm
Silicon Valley Celebrates Women Of Vision
Several thousand leading professionals from top Silicon Valley companies are gathering in Santa Clara this evening for a banquet honoring this year's Women of Vision award recipients. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 10, 8:30pm
Cisco's NDS: The Future Of TV Is TV - All Wall And All You...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 10, 6:14pm
Turkey Looks To Tech And Youth To Transform Its Economy
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 9, 10:02pm
Moving On
I've blogged my last here and have moved on to a new site, Where the Fishermen Ain't. Of course, I can also be found in all of the usual places. Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 8, 1:11am
How To Behave In An Internet Forum
How To Behave In An Internet Forum
How To Behave On A Forum - video powered by Metacafe
Technorati Tags:
online, forums Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 8, 1:11am
2009: Hoping For Audacity, Believing We Can Change
2009: Hoping For Audacity, Believing We Can Change
From the Edelman Digital blog:
The first few years of my PR career in Silicon Valley were marked by a singular frustration most PR professionals did not aspire to be, nor were they particularly expected to be, as driven to innovate in their own field as their clients were in theirs.
"Just get into the Journal," seemed the dictum. "Everything else is secondary."
For a number of reasons so tangential to this story as to be distracting, the advent of social media is what kept me in public relations at a point in 2001 when I asked myself "Is this all that there is?" Years later, I'm glad to see there's a lot more. A hell of a lot more.
For what it's worth, 2009 will be the year when real innovation starts to come back into PR not in the relatively... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 8, 1:11am
Media Love Affair With Apps Is Over
Jason Pontin, editor of Technology Review has a long history in publishing, he was editor-in-chief of Red Herring during the dotcom boom-to-bomb days. He's written a great article about why publishers jumped onto the app trend and how some painful lessons have brought many back to the web and open technologies. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 7, 6:34pm
Yahoo! And Silicon Valley's Cult Of The Engineer
The discovery that Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson has been claiming to have a Computer Science degree for years, and did not correct statements that identified him as an "engineer" is not surprising given the strong "cult of the engineer" that is prevalent in Silicon Valley. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 4, 3:50pm
Quick Update
Quick Update
So, I spent some time here:
Met this way-cool guy: Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 3, 1:12pm
NYT Profile On Jolie's Media Management Shows Profession Has A Long Way To Go
NYT Profile On Jolie's Media Management Shows PR Profession Has A Long Way To Go
I'm still not sure whether The New York Times was repulsed or intrigued by the fact that that Angelina Jolie exhibits greater media savvy than the average Hollywood type, taking more than 1,500 words to tell its very literate readership what it already intuitively (or explicitly) knows about celebrity PR.
Where The Old Gray Lady sees a "carefully orchestrated image", I see a very smart woman who has a greater level of media savvy than the average actor or actress. Like Princess Di, Jolie also knows that she can channel interest in her celebrity life to bring attention to the topics and world issues she cares about.
Putting aside for the... Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 3, 1:12pm
Blaming The Victim
An exchange today, reacting to a press release about a topic that I have never been even remotely interested in:
Sammy Spamalot: [Insert spray-and-pray release here.]
Phil: Please take me off of your list
Sammy: Use the unsubscribe link in the email please
Phil: Way to blame the victim, dude.
Sammy: Thanks Phil, it would just take me ages to find your addres in our database.
Phil: Probably no more time than it took for me to fish your note out of the trash and find the link, I'd imagine.
Almost as good as the time the PR person told me that she was blameless and advised that I call the company that sold them their media list. Read more...
Phil's Blogservations, May 3, 1:12pm
Telemedicine For The Masses: Experts On Wheels
A few weeks ago, a 70-year-old man showed up at the emergency room of a small Baja California hospital with a cardiac syncope, meaning he suffered a brief loss of consciousness. After performing an EKG and lab analysis, a young general practitioner found a complete blockage of the man's electric impulses to the heart. The patient was in trouble, and so was the doctor. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, May 2, 2:46am
Culture Watch: 'April in Paris' in SF - This Saturday
(Allison Lovejoy - photo - Tom Foremski.)This Saturday evening is the always excellent "April in Paris" featuring a great lineup of performers for just $10, starting at 8pm - Workspace 2150 Folsom St., San Francisco. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, Apr 27, 8:30pm
CultureWatch: 'Making Scenes' at the de Young
(Photo by Tom Foremski.)This Friday evening April 27 at the de Young in Golden Gate Park: Note - All public programs are free and do not require a ticket. Read more...
Silicon Valley Watcher - at the intersection of technology and media, Apr 27, 7:42pm