Ze is on a Roll

It seems like Ze Frank is on a roll this week, or maybe I just like that I hadn't watched the show in a few days so got a nice 20 minute block of Ze on my drive to work this morning. He is a funny/insightful quote machine!

Here are some of my favs so far..

"Just be yourself. Unless you're an asshole."
"I wonder what would happen if I brought an empty bottle of Gatorade onto the plane but then left with it full."
"Although reclining your [airplane] seat is technically your right, just like free speech, if you exercise it too your limits everyone around you will think your an asshole."

Tracking my site with ClickDensity

I'm tracking the clicks on the homepage of my website with a free 30 day trial of Clickdensity. The service is pretty cool. Go click around on my homepage and I'll share the heatmap on the blog once the 30 day trial is up. (I know its a little stalkerish, but that's why I'm promising to share the results after).

It'll be pretty cool to see how people are clicking around my site and maybe it'll even convince me to redesign it to make it easier to navigate.

Now go click!

Hello Real World

Tomorrow morning is my first day of post-grad employment. I am really excited (and only a little nervous) about starting my three month interview internship with Lois Paul & Partners tomorrow. Wish me luck!

This starbucks ad seemed to fit my mood pretty well, even though I'll most likely be sipping a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee on my way to Woburn tomorrow morning.

Dear Floyd:

You are a hero. You are a two-wheeled animal. You are an inspiration, but effective communication 'aint your thang. That is fine. You are an athlete. Take Lance's advice. Let your critics speak, but never let their attacks go unanswered.

Fire whoever told you to stop allowing comments on your blog. Stop making it so difficult to believe that you are truly innocent.

If you honestly deserve that yellow jersey, don't let anyone ever speak otherwise unless they have just cause. If you did anything at all illegal, honesty is your best friend at this point.

Best Wishes,

Your Loyal Fan (for now)
Jameson Bull

Technorati tags: blogging floydlandis

Will PR steal my soul?

PR in general certainly doesn't have the greatest of reputations. While the industry has done plenty of good, people always seem to remember Firestone before they remember Johnson & Johnson.

It is always frustrating when people people I meet ask what I do and they have such a rudimentary understanding of the PR industry that I am forced to use ugly words like "publicist" and "spin doctor" just to get both of us on the same page. I've even been guilty of pretty grotesque comparisons between PR and Marketing/Advertising just because I lacked the time an energy to educate the world about the industry.

From my perspective (however biased or just plain inaccurate it may be), there is a clear division between Publicists, and Professional Communicators. I hope working at Lois Paul & Partners doesn't turn me into a slave to the clip book and I am actually able to retain my soul and not end up on this list.

I think I will make looking in the mirror to make sure I still have a reflection a new party of my nightly routine. Crossing my fingers....

The Right to Blog

It has now been six months since I started this blog. I decided it was about time that I reevaluate my objectives and policies for posting. Any similarity to these principles are clearly intentional as I used them as the starting point to my own.

While I do veer off the main topics of new media, communications, and Public Relations from time to time, my opinions and reflections on advances in each of these areas are the primary focus if this online space. It is my full intention for this space to be a reflection and extension of some of my own values: honesty, creativity, trustworthiness, loyalty, and fairness.

Privacy: I will respect the privacy of all those who contribute information to my posts. I will create a clear division between personal communication and blog related communication. No information received through a casual conversation will be fair game for blogging unless given the full consent of my source.

Kindness: I will do my very best to refrain from causing any undue harm to any party involved in any of my blog posts. Beyond the cardinal rule of not posting anything that will get anyone fired or killed, I will do my best to keep in mind the interests of those mentioned in my posts.

Linking: Since this blog doesn't exactly reveal breaking news, I will continue to give credit to all the sources of my information through linking to the original site. It is just as important to explain my opinion as it is to reveal the sources of information that have brought me to my conclusions. All relevant information pertaining to each post will be included through links to outside sources.

Transparency: I will clearly state all the sources of my information as well as have a clear division between opinion and fact. I will not use unnamed sources. Any direct quotations will reflect the exact phrasing and ideas of those quoted and I will do my best not to take any information out of context where it may be misleading.

Accountability: I will take credit for any and all of the effects of what I write. I will hold myself fully accountable for my posts and will do all in my power to repair any harm to innocent parties. Needless to say, I will also take full credit for any of the positive impacts, if any, which result from my blog. I will boast with brevity and humility.

Corrections: While I do my best to ensure the truth of my posts, I will make corrections as soon as I become aware of any factual errors, or completely remove any posts whose information is grossly inaccurate or damaging information.

These principles may need revision from time to time, and changes will be made as needed. If you catch me breaking any one of these principles, I want to know. (Remember the accountability part?)

Technorati tags: blogging ethics principles

First Video PR Pitch: Gouge my eyes out!

5WPR claims the first ever online video pitch. I don't really need to explain much about this... but I'm just glad that i wasn't holding anything sharp. Gouging my eyes out has never been more appealing. Apparently PR practitioner is now the equivalent of crappy infomercial producer.

I found the video blogged here.


Check out the original video here.





Technorati tags: 5W PR Video Pitch