Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #207: January 18, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #207: January 18, 2007
Content summary: Coffee with crayon in Second Life; discussions prompted by listeners - a journalist who doesn’t care about reader feedback, engaging all employees within an organization, dealing with podcast catch up, the goal of the Microsoft/Edelman Vista blogger campaign; Terry Fallis podcasts his new novel; Dan York introduces his new blog and reports on RSS auto-discovery and the US social media presidential campaign; Marriott CEO starts blogging; IBM erases employee blog post and then puts it back; Skype founders launching internet TV service; Watson Wyatt starts social media practice; new FIR podcasts posted: interview with Lionel Menchaca, Direct2Dell, and ethics Skypecast; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 18, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 54-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.
Download the file here (MP3, 25MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Monday January 22…
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Ethics Skypecast: January 18, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Ethics Skypecast: January 18, 2007
Content summary: A special episode of The Hobson & Holtz Report features a Skypecast conducted on Saturday, January 13, addressing ethics in public relations and organizational communications with a focus on new media.
Show notes for the ethics Skypecast:
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 55:33-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and several other points around the world including Nigeria, Hungary, and Canada.
Download the file here (MP3, 25.4MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
FIR Interview - Lionel Menchaca, Direct2Dell: January 12, 2007
In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel and Neville enjoyed a 37-minute conversation with Lionel Menchaca, Digital Media Manager at Dell, the global computer systems manufacturer and vendor.
Our conversation included discussion about Dell customer service and addressing customer needs; the background behind the Direct2Dell blog; Lionel’s role with Direct2Dell and the role of the blog as part of broader customer engagement goals; keeping a finger on the pulse of the blogosphere; launch, evolution, experiences and learnings from Direct2Dell; plans for further developing customer engagement; advice for companies thinking about a corporate blog.
About our Conversation Partner
Lionel Menchaca is the Digital Media Manager for Dell’s official blog, Direct2Dell. He is charged with managing and expanding the reach of Dell’s blog, which currently attracts thousands of readers and serves well over a million page views per month.
Beyond the blog, he is part of a team that is responsible for coordinating digital media activities across the company. These initiatives all have one thing in common: to provide Dell’s customers a way to interact or communicate feedback to the company. He also serves as a technologist to help define the tools that enable the company to monitor and engage in conversations in the blogosphere.
An avid fan of computers and technology, he has over 15 years experience in the industry, most of which he has spent at Dell serving in a variety of technical and product roles. He has also worked at game developer Origin Systems.
He has a degree in Archeological Studies from University of Texas and lives in Round Rock, Texas with his wife Aileen and two children, Louis and Mia.
Download the conversation here (MP3, 17Mb), 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. 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.
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #206: January 15, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #206: January 15, 2007
Content summary: New Communications Forum 2007 conference in March; trackbacks switched off on FIR blog; social media coming to business faster than anticipated; follow up on Cisco vs Apple: the conversation about the lawsuit on the Cisco blog; media and Second Life; the Starbucks ‘employee first’ philosophy; EFF defends wiki linking case; GM’s blogger outreach campaign at the Detroit motor show; Lee Hopkins reports; listener’s comment discussion; FIR interview with Lionel Menchaca, Direct2Dell, and FIR ethics Skypecast to be posted this week; Eric Schwartzman’s 5-week social media PR course at UCLA; upcoming FIR book review: Second Life The Official Guide; coffee and conversation at crayonville Island in Second Life on Jan 18; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 15, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 58:36-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Download the file here (MP3, 26.8MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Thursday January 18…
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #205: January 11, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #205: January 11, 2007
Content summary: Second Thursday in Second Life communicators’ meeting today; FIR ethics Skypecast on Jan 13; more listener opinions on the Microsoft/Edelman PR kerfuffle, including Eric Schwartzman’s interview with Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle; Dan York reports on LinkedIn, open sourcing of Second Life, personal information in blogs; is citizen journalism in trouble?; Edelman releases corporate guide to the blogosphere; WordPress beyond blogs: Ford Motor Company’s Detroit auto show website; GM’s FastLane Blog offers video designed for use on mobile phones; Apple launches iPhone, Cisco to sue Apple over trademark violation and blogs about it; David Phillips reports on what internet-mediated channels for communication will be available, neccesary and relevant in 2011; Joseph Jaffe’s Manifesto for Experimentation; review of FIR on Simply Communicate; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 11, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 59-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.
Download the file here (MP3, 27MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Monday January 15…
Monday, January 08, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #204: January 8, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #204: January 8, 2007
Content summary: Upcoming FIR ethics Skypecast on Jan 13; a sea change is about to hit the workplace: are you ready?; how many people are consuming podcasts?; the corporate costs of CES: a look at the numbers; proposed US law requires bloggers to report illegal images; Second Life to go open source; brands will be widgetized; Lee Hopkins reports; preview of Edelman’s latest blogosphere study; listeners’ comments discussion; upcoming FIR interview Jan 12: Lionel Menchaca, Direct2Dell; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 8, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 59-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Download the file here (MP3, 27.2MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Thursday January 11…
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Ethics Skypecast is this Saturday
Leave a comment if you plan to participate.
Just a reminder: The FIR Ethics Skypecast is set for this coming Saturday, January 13, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. GMT. You can get there from the Skypcast site. Please leave a comment to let us know if you plan to participate.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #203: January 4, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #203: January 4, 2007
Content summary: Search every word in YouTube videos with Podzinger; Second Life to get a House of Representatives; Mia Farrow on Darfur in Second Life; Social Signal launches in Second Life; social media within the organization; Dan York’s tips on blogs and brands; more listener opinions on the Microsoft/Edelman PR kerfuffle, including a fresh perspective from Les Posen; listeners’ comments discussion; the personal side of business blogging; reminder on the FIR Skypecast about ethics: Jan 13; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 4, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 54-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and almost live from Los Angeles, California, USA.
Download the file here (MP3, 25MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Monday January 8…
Monday, January 01, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #202: January 1, 2007
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #202: January 1, 2007
Content summary: Vote for FIR at Podcast Alley; FIR Skypecast reminder for Jan 13; a handy tip for your New Year’s hangover; revisiting the Microsoft/Edelman laptop Windows Vista issue and listeners’ opinions; the world in 2066 as seen by The Economist; Centiare the directory wiki launches; Michael Hyatt to write his new book on a blog; listeners’ comments discussion; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for January 1, 2007
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 52-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Download the file here (MP3, 23.9MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Thursday January 4…
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #201: December 28, 2006
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #201: December 28, 2006
Content summary: Two new interviews and a book review posted; ethics Skypecast is on Jan 13; Lee Hopkins eulogizes on FIR; Mitch Joel’s international 6POS podcast; the ways PR agents piss off journalists, and a few companies that do it right; what is the value of professional PR bodies?: PRSA elects new president; Robert Scoble on the US presidential election campaign trail; Text 100 presents a Second Life view of the new publics; Microsoft PR issues: the Vista laptop give-away (Bribery? No, says Neville; the jury’s still out, says Shel), relying on employee bloggers to address reputation issues surounding the RSS patent filing; listeners’ comments discussion; next FIR episode: the hangover cure on New Year’s Day; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for December 28, 2006
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 74-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.
Download the file here (MP3, 34MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Monday January 1, 2007…
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
FIR Interview - Chris Heuer on the Social Media Press Release: December 26, 2006
FIR Interview - Chris Heuer on the Social Media Press Release: December 26, 2006
In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel enjoyed a 31-minute conversation with Chris Heuer, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and social media guru, about the social media press release, a concept Chris has been shepherding.
Our wide-ranging conversation includes a look at the evolution of the effort, the components of the social media release, the progress made by the working group, composition of the working group, the desirability of standards, the issues the social media release is designed to address, and Chris’s expectdations for a release of the initial social media press release standard.
About our Conversation Partner
Chris Heuer has over 12 years of entrepreneurial Internet experience and 16+ years of marketing experience, having previously taught classes at Miami Ad School in Web design, multimedia and convergence marketing. He currently specializes in consulting on holistic business strategy and social media for big brands, non-profits and emerging technology companies, helping them leverage the power of Internet and Web 2.0 technologies. In early 2006, Chris formed BrainJams to organize resources and best practices in the emerging “Unconference” movement, striving to bring social media tools and Open Space gatherings to a wider audience. These efforts have no resulted in the launch of Social Media Club in order to better realize the vision he has for bringing diverse groups of people together to share their understanding of best practices in social media and “Real Marketing”.
In 1995 he launched Guru Communications, leading the company to become the pre-eminent interactive agency in South Florida. While at Guru, Chris managed the relationships with large accounts including Bombardier, Chicago Tribune/AOL, the City of Miami Beach, and several advertising agencies. Guru also launched a local content Web site in late 1995 similar to CitySearch that was called Virtual Community Network which was sold in 1997.
In 1999, after a brief stint in independent consulting, Chris accepted the position of Director of New Media Business Development for the United States Mint. While at the Mint, Chris helped to launch H.I.P. Pocket Change to encourage children to take up coin collecting. He also was a major contributor to the launch of the online catalog, helping to direct the site from zero to $1.6MM per week in online sales. His last day at the Mint saw the culmination of his efforts to build an opt-in email list, resulting in $2.6MM in one day sales.
Chris next launched Conversal, a software development shop and consultancy with a focus on the development of conversational intelligence software. This was a non-existent market at the time, but has since grown to include BuzzMetrics, Intelliseek, Technorati, BuzzLogic and many others.
Conversal secured a software development and consulting contract with Palm, Inc. in January of 2001. Chris’s relationship with Palm lasted until April of 2005 when he began to pursue a new social media business that leveraged The Customer Strategy while focusing on the mergence of the Knowledge Economy.
In early October 2005, Chris organized the Web2.1 unconference as an alternative to the O’Reilly Web 2.0 conference. This effort has resulted n the launch of BrainJams as a non-profit with the intention of bringing together leaders from non-profits, business, government and technology for the purpose of ad-hoc collaboration and cross-boundary knowledge sharing.
Download the conversation here (MP3, 16.5Mb), 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. 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.
FIR Book Review - Citizen Marketers: 12/26/06
FIR Book Review - Citizen Marketers: 12/26/06
In this edition of For Immediate Release book reviews, Shel reviews “Church of the Customer: When People are the Message,” by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, authors of the “Church of the Customer” blog.
Download the conversation here (MP3, 6.5 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. 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/outro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.
Friday, December 22, 2006
FIR Interview - Steve Rubel, Edelman: December 22, 2006
FIR Interview - Steve Rubel, Edelman: December 22, 2006
In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel and Neville enjoyed a 36-minute conversation with Steve Rubel, senior vice president in Edelman’s me2revolution practice and author of the Micro Persuasion blog.
Our wide-ranging conversation includes - lessons from ‘Wal-Marting Across America’; the social media press release and Edelman Storycrafter; the death of the page view; the value of widgets; perspectives on blogging; Edelman/NewsGator branded communities and conversational advertising; the role of Second Life for PR; the future of video; some predictions for 2007; advice for PR pros.
About our Conversation Partner
Steve Rubel is a senior marketing strategist with 15 years experience. He currently serves as senior vice president in Edelman’s me2revolution practice. Edelman is the largest independent global PR firm.
Rubel is charged with helping Edelman identify, test, incubate and champion new forms of communications that get people talking across new platforms and channels. He also explores these technologies on his well-read Micro Persuasion weblog and in a weekly column for AdAge Digital.
Widely viewed as an expert on conversational marketing, Rubel is often sought out as a speaker and appears frequently in the press. He has been named to several prestigious lists, including: Media Magazine’s Media 100, the AlwaysOn/Technorati Open Media 100 and the CNET News.com Blog 100.
Prior to joining Edelman in 2006, Rubel spent five years at CooperKatz & Company.
Download the conversation here (MP3, 16.5Mb), 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. 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.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #200: December 21, 2006
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #200: December 21, 2006
Content summary: The ‘5 Things’ tag game; five social media trends that will impact PR; Southwest Airlines’ consumer-generated media competition; the TechCrunch war of words gets serious; reports from Dan York and David Phillips; Shel and Neville look back over 2 years of FIR with clips from show milestones 1 (Jan 3, 2005), 25 (April 18, 2005), 50 (July 14, 2005), 75 (Oct 10, 2005), 100 (Jan 5, 2006), 125 (April 3, 2006), 150 June 29, 2006), 175 (Sept 25, 2006) plus listeners’ comments; FIR interview with Alex Laats posted; upcoming interview with Steve Rubel on Dec 22; no FIR on Christmas Day; the music; and more.
[Messages from our sponsors: Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir. Online meetings made easy with GoToMeeting: try it free for 45 days - use promo code “Podcast”.]
Show notes for December 20, 2006
Welcome to For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, a 94-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Download the file here (MP3, 43MB), or sign up for the RSS feed to get it and future shows automatically. (For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon).
Listen to this podcast now:
In This Edition:

Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the home page for info.
If you have comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for our future shows, 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. 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.
So, until Thursday December 28…
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
FIR Interview - Alex Laats, Chairman & CEO, Podzinger: December 19, 2006
FIR Interview - Alex Laats, Chairman & CEO, Podzinger: December 19, 2006
In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel and Neville enjoyed a 25-minute conversation with Alex Laats, Chairman and CEO of Podzinger, the world’s most powerful audio and video search engine and online advertising network. Podzinger is a subsidiary of BBN Technologies.
Starting with Alex outlining how Podzinger works by using speech recognition technology to search words within both audio and video to classify content based on topic and usage, our conversation includes - Podzinger’s role in search engine optimization; the coming convergence of audio/video searching with traditional search engines; the company’s first international partnership with ThamesValleypod.tv in the UK, announced today; its advertising revenue-sharing programme; Podzinger’s research on consumer behaviour and online video advertising; and some advice for podcasters on making their content more accessible.
About our Conversation Partner
As President of BBN’s Delta Division, Alex Laats is leveraging BBN’s existing technology and expertise to generate and manage profitable business opportunities in new markets.
Alex has started, funded and advised technology businesses since the early 1990s. Prior to joining BBN, Alex was a Venture Partner at Commonwealth Capital, an early stage venture capital firm, where he specialized in the areas of enterprise information technology and communications infrastructure.
Previously, Alex was president, CEO and co-founder of Informio, Inc., a provider of VoiceXML services for large enterprises. Prior to founding Informio, Alex was the chairman, COO and co-founder of NBX Corporation, a manufacturer of VoIP-based business communications systems. NBX Corporation was successfully acquired by 3Com Corporation. Prior to NBX, Alex was a technology licensing officer at MIT, where he was involved with multiple start-up businesses based on MIT technology. Alex started his career as a corporate attorney at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault in Boston.
Alex has a J.D. from Harvard and physics and math degrees from MIT.
Download the conversation here (MP3, 11.3Mb), 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. 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.

