Interviews

Awareness Networks (formerly iUpload), one of the companies competing in the enterprise social media space.

In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz spoke with David Carter, Awareness’s chief technology officer, about the Northwestern Mutual experience, including the obstacles the company had to overcome for its leadership to get comfortable with the idea of internal social networking.

About our Conversation Partner

David Carter provides the overall technology direction of the company and consults with customers to align their internet strategy with their corporate objectives.

Carter founded WebPartz Inc. which was acquired by iUpload in March of 2003. Before forming WebPartz, he spent 11 years at Microsoft where he had held various positions, including Manager of Internet Strategy, Marketing Manager Knowledge Management, Content Management, and eCommerce products. In each of these roles he worked closely with large corporations rolling out the Microsoft platform and developing a business strategy. His last role was as Internet Strategy Manager where he oversaw sections of microsoft.com and Microsoft Canada’s Intranet.

Download the 26-minute conversation here (MP3, 11.9 MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

FIR Interview - John Penberthy-Smith, Hutchison 3G UK: October 29, 2007

3, the mobile operator, and Skype, the internet communications company, have launched the Skypephone, a new handset that lets you make free Skype calls and instant messages from your mobile phone. It’s the first time an operator has offered a mass-market device which is tailor-made for free calling over the internet from a mobile.

During the press launch in London on October 29, Neville Hobson spoke with John Penberthy-Smith, Marketing Director at Hutchison 3G UK Ltd., the operator of the 3 network, about 3’s marketing and communication plans for the Skypephone focused on experiential marketing and word of mouth.

About our Conversation Partner

John Penberthy-Smith joined 3 UK in October 2006 as Director of Customer Marketing and in January 2007 he was appointed Marketing Director. As Marketing Director he is responsible for all marketing at 3 including products, customer propositions, channel and base marketing. He is also responsible for marketing the X-Series, 3’s flat-rate mobile broadband offer launched in the UK in December 2006.

Prior to joining 3, Penberthy-Smith was at Vodafone where he held a number of positions including Head of Global Voice Propositions for Vodafone Group and Director of Consumer Marketing for Vodafone UK.

Penberthy Smith, 39, is married with two children.

Download the 12-minute conversation here (MP3, 5.5MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio or iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

FIR Interview - Conor O’Neill, LouderVoice: September 29, 2007

Irish tech start-up Cubic Telecom wowed participants at the recent TechCrunch 40 conference in San Francisco with their MAXRoam SIM card for mobile phones. The company claims it’s the world’s first universal SIM card offering favourable roaming and call rates anywhere in the world.

Cubic is now poised to launch Cubic Mobile in October, a dual mode GSM/WiFi phone which uses the MAXRoam SIM card to enable users to roam anywhere in the world at low mobile rates as well as make free calls in thousands of WiFi hotspots worldwide.

In this FIR Interview recorded at PodCamp Ireland in Kilkenny, Ireland, Neville Hobson talked with Conor O’Neill about Cubic’s products and the buzz that’s resulted.

About our Conversation Partner

Conor O’Neill has been involved in developing software since the early 90s, initially in consumer embedded but latterly in web applications. Whilst he has worked in multinationals like Philips, EMC and McAfee, start-ups have always drawn him back.

He started personal blogging in 2001 and business blogging in 2005. He is heavily involved in the start-up scene in Ireland through BarCamp, OpenCoffee, Web2Ireland, ShareIT and Paddy’s Valley. The launch of LouderVoice in May 2007 brought together his business, technical and personal interests.

He lives in Bandon in West Cork with his wife, 5 kids and neglected vegetable patch.

Download the 12-minute conversation here (MP3, 5.4 MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Friday, September 21, 2007

FIR Interview - Forrester Research Analysts Rob Koplowitz and G. Oliver Young - 09/21/07

Forrester Research has issued two important studies for those interested in implementing Web 2.0 strategies for internal communication and knowledge purposes. G. Oliver Young, along with Eric G. Brown and April Lawson, authored ‘Passionage Employees: The Gateway to Enterprise Web 2.0 Sales,” which notes that employees are beginning to use Web 2.0 tools in their day-to-day lives, often without the sanction of the company. Young co-authored “Web 2.0 Social Computing Dresses Up for Business” with Rob Koplowitz, suggesting that social computing has a clear place in the enterprise. In this interview, Koplowitz and Young talk about the studies and the issues associated with implementing social media on intranets.

About our Conversation Partners

Rob Koplowitz is a principal analyst, leading FOrrester’s research in the areas of basic content management, instant messaging, blogs and wikis as they relate to enterprise usage, as well as the emerging trend of using Microsoft Office as a front-end for line-of-business information a processes. Before joining Forrester, Rob was director of product management with MIcrosoft. He also had stints with Oracle and Lotus/IBM. He holds a B.A. in economics fru the UC Davis.

Oliver Young, a Forrester analyst, contributes to Forrester’s offerings for teh Technology Marketing professional, and is a frequent contributor to the Strategy and Marketing Research professional. Responsible for Web 2.0 and Social Computing technologies, he regularly helps technology vendors refine product concepts, segment markets, and target their messaging. His research focuses on blogs, wikis, RSS, social networking, podcasting, mashups and the impcat of emerging technologies on technology vendors and their customers. Oliver is a graduate of Kalamazoo College with a B.A. in econmics and English. He has also studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The research is available to Forrester customers; others can use the “contact us” feature of the Forrester website to request copies; a follow-up call from Forrester’s sales staff is likely.

Download the 21-minute conversation here (MP3, 9.67 MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Friday, September 07, 2007

FIR Interview - Peter Brill, RadiFIR Interview - Peter Brill, Radio Salaam Shalom: September 7, 2007

Encouraging dialogue and understanding between Muslim and Jewish communities is the ambitious goal of Radio Salaam Shalom, an internet radio station based in Bristol, England. Broadcasting a mixture of music and speech and focus on the many aspects of Jewish and Muslim life, the station helps two cultures which have been linked for thousands of years to talk together and share their experiences.

Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz spoke to Peter Brill, Radio Salaam Shalom’s driving force, about the goals of the Salaam Shalom project, getting started, communication challenges, user-generated content and plans for the future.

About our Conversation Partner

Peter Brill founded Net.Mentor in 2001 to develop a new website concept called Audio Navigation. On leaving RAC Motoring Services in 2002, Peter realised that his skills developed through a career in journalism and PR linked to the education experience of his partner, Sheila, provided a unique combination and Net.Mentor Ltd became a strategic communications consultancy.

Peter is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association.  He is also a Trustee of Sense, the Deafblind and Rubella Association. He holds a BA (Hons) in Politics from York University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Radio Journalism from City University, London.

Download the 29-minute conversation here (MP3, 13.4 MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

FIR Interview - Mark Ragan, CEO, Ragan Communications: August 19, 2007

This interview with Mark Ragan, CEO of Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc., was conducted on June 7, 2007, at the Ragan/Simply Communicate “Engagement and Social Media” conference in London, UK. Mark asked us to hold the interview when he learned that the launch of MyRaganTV.com would be delayed. We are pleased to present the interview now that MyRaganTV.com has been online for several weeks.

Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz spoke to Mark Ragan, about MyRagan.com, MyRaganTV, and Ragan’s future plans.

About our Conversation Partner

Mark Ragan is CEO of Ragan Communications. Mark was trained as a reporter, and for 15 years covered politics and the White House. He came to Ragan in 1992 after stints as a newspaper man in Montana, South Carolina, North Dakota, Washington D.C. and California. He attended to DePaul University, where his roomate was Ragan publisher Jim Ylisela. Jim and Mark hit the road every year, teaching corporate writing to Ragan customers. Mark’s two-year goal is to take the Ragan conference and e-publishing business into the UK, the rest of Europe and Asia.

Download the 25-minute conversation here (MP3, 11.7 MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Friday, August 17, 2007

FIR Interview - Steve Mallison-Jones, VlogYourJob: August 17, 2007

PR and communications headhunters Indigo Red have launched VlogYourJob.com, the UK’s first online video recruitment website, as a solution for employers to tackle the problem of recruiting in a market were there are more employers than good candidates.

Neville Hobson spoke to Steve Mallison-Jones, Indigo Red’s managing director and the driving force behind VlogYourJob.com, about the new service and the PR recruitment market.

About our Conversation Partner

Steve Mallison-Jones has a broad range of experience. Having begun his career with seven years in telecoms with the RAF, he then spent four years working in relief and development before moving into IT recruitment ten years ago. He moved from IT into PR eight years ago.

In 2002, Steve founded Indigo Red with his wife, Lydia. Indigo Red specializes in executive search for senior PR and communications positions. The firm is at the forefront of using social media for recruitment including encouraging staff to blog and participate in social networking sites such as Facebook.

Download the 12-minute conversation here (MP3, 5.5Mb), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.