Kulesa Faul

Congrats, CMO! Your startup has been acquired at 10x revenues. You now have enormous goals to hit. And, your PR agency has been terminated.

2011-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
I’ve seen this over and over in my years of running PR agencies in Silicon Valley. Entrepreneurs and marketing executives work with agencies to help put them on the map, develop their brand as ‘one to watch,’ get them short-listed with key analyst firms, and win all the right awards. When consolidation begins, they’re one of the first to be considered for acquisition by the ‘big guys.’ Cisco, CA, HP, Sybase, Dell and EMC, to name a few, have acquired our clients.

The acquisition goes through. Everyone is joyous. And then it settles in. You go from owning the entire marketing function for your company to relying on a large marketing organization that may regard your product as a mere ‘blip’ on the radar. Your success is number one priority for you; however, global marketing organizations need to contend with hundreds of products, and tens of internal clients.

Your company got acquired because it filled a crucial need for the acquiring company, completed a missing component of their suite, or helped them gain entry into a new market. Now, you’ve been given big marketing and revenue goals to hit. And, the acquiring company has – as a matter of course – terminated your PR agency. It happens almost without fail that all existing vendor agreements are cancelled at the close of an acquisition. It isn’t personal. It’s what acquiring companies do.

Here’s the rub. Why do CMOs and CEOs let this happen? You’re burdened with reaching aggressive goals and milestones, yet you’re losing an important part of your team. There are many, many important items to be negotiated during the acquisition process. I would argue that, if you feel strongly that your PR agency has played a key role in the growth of your business and brand, this is a negotiating point worth ‘going to the mat’ for.

A very large technology company bought one of our clients in recent years. They are one of the first companies to chart a different course. They’ve kept our agency onboard even though the parent company has an excellent global agency of record. We have continued to act like the aggressive startup the acquirer first fell in love with and it has been enormously successful. Both parties have progressive executives who innately understand the relationship and importance of the team as a whole. It’s a valued ‘team’ relationship; not your typical ‘vendor’ relationship.

Here are three things to consider before agreeing to your new MBO’s at an acquiring company: 1) Which of your vendor relationships can’t you live without in order to achieve your goals (and ultimate payout?) 2) Who on your startup marketing staff is essential to that success? And, 3) Is there a growth path for you at your new company once the typical 18-month payout is completed?

Joanna Kulesa is principal of Kulesa Faul, in San Mateo, CA. Kulesa Faul focuses on public relations, social media and communications strategies for enterprise software and consumer technologies companies—www.kulesafaul.com.

Creative Huddles, Get Your Agencies Together

2011-06-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
I’m sure you have numerous creative agencies helping execute on your marketing and communications plan. Most CMOs have the likes of an ad agency, web design firm, digital marketing firm, and PR firm, just to name a few. In my experience, these teams are full of free thinkers, in addition to hardcore executers. Do you make a practice of getting your creative agencies together in a room? If not, you may be missing out on some serious brainpower and “cross-pollination” of ideas.

In general, marketing executives have become really good about integrating their programs. It seems like a no-brainer that marketing agencies would be brought together and integrated, too. Yet in my 15 years of running PR agencies in Silicon Valley, I’ve only had one CMO bring us all together Rick Jackson, a top notch CMO now heading marketing for VMware, who intuitively understood that the sum could be even greater than the parts.

From an agency perspective this type of gathering was incredibly insightful and stimulating. Not only were we able to sync up on the marketing strategy for the year and understand each agency’s role, but we also got to ideate across functional areas with some amazing talent and the collaborative output was undeniable.

If you’re going to consider a creative agency gathering, I’ll leave you with these tips from a participant’s perspective.

➢ Ask each agency to consider their own plans, and how they might impact or be integrated into other participating agency’s work, e.g., digital marketing firm walk in the shoes of the PR firm.
➢ In getting everyone ‘on point’ on strategy and plans, try and resist the “death by PowerPoint” format. Nothing kills the creative juices faster than 30 roadmap slides.
➢ Include an interactive exchange, or a game, halfway through. Getting the team interacting, talking, laughing and generally warmed up will make for looser ideating and more fun.
➢ Avoid too much structure, which can stifle conversation, and consider fueling the fire by offering beer/wine three quarters into the session. Keep the environment comfortable and social – emphasize that no one is here to outperform others.
➢ Continue the conversation. There should be ongoing communication between your creative partners so that the ideas continue to flow, ensuring one message, one story and at the end of the day one big impact.
➢ Make this exchange of ideas a quarterly or annual event – I guarantee all parties will look forward to it and come away more energized than before!

Joanna Kulesa is principal of Kulesa Faul, in San Mateo, CA. Kulesa Faul focuses on public relations, social media and communications strategies for enterprise software and consumer technologies companies—www.kulesafaul.com.

Dear CMO, Can We Say Goodbye to the RFP?

2011-04-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
Woody Allen once cracked that the reason people call it "show business" is so they can distinguish it from "business business."

I think of that joke when I try to explain some of the more obscure aspects of the "PR business" when talking to potential clients who are in "business business."

One of the hardest ideas to get across involves explaining how the relationship between a PR agency and a client ought to get started in the first place. Decades of experience have led me to believe we need to shake up the process.

Many companies still employ the age-old RFP process to find a PR agency⎯a tedious series of formulaic questions that elicit canned, mechanical answers, followed by an often stiff presentation of credentials.

Here’s the problem: the RFP process stifles the very things at the heart and soul of great public relations: Passion. Creativity. Flair. Excitement. Personality.

RFPs are like engineering specs, and they're great at forcing PR agencies to prove to potential clients they can follow a list of instructions. But great CMOs don't want a PR agency that marches in lockstep. Instead, they want PR to help their company, products, executives, and brand stand out in the crowd.

I just don’t buy a strong correlation between an agency’s ability to win through the standard RFP process, and its ability to mount effective PR campaigns on clients’ behalf. The "PR business" is different enough⎯yes, creative enough⎯that you can't make a business decision involving a public relations partner the same way you can another vendor, when a list of checkboxes is sufficient.

Then, there is the infamous ‘bait and switch’ experience, which I’m sure CMOs chuckle or steam about over cocktails together. Sound familiar?

Here’s the scenario. An agency deploys their “special forces,” their heavy-hitting closers during the RFP process to win your business. The witty, charismatic agency executive, the one with all the good ideas, vanishes once a contract is signed. In his or her place is a crew of newbies less adequate at grasping your business objectives to effectively build and execute a communications plan.

So what exactly should a "business business" do when looking for someone in the "PR business?" RFPs are from the era of "Mad Men" – they slow and confuse the process (though providing plenty of fodder over boardroom cocktails). Ditch them. Start using the tools from the age of "The Social Network."

• First, emphasize quality over quantity. Consult your network, visit websites and get to know personalities. Then, pick a half dozen or so agencies you feel a connection with, either through their web site content, domain expertise or client list.

• Remember, LinkedIn is an excellent resource; nearly everyone in the PR industry has a presence on it. Click around; it won't take long for you to find mutual acquaintances. Also, check an agency’s "clients" page, but also go to specific clients’ news pages to see the quality and quantity of media attention the agency has garnered them.

• When you have four or five agencies that pique your interest, call them up and let them know you're looking for PR help. Connect over a quick coffee or call for an initial conversation – doesn't need to be a long session; a half hour ought to be enough to get a sense of capabilities and chemistry. Get-to-know-you meetings should be face-to-face, ideally, or via Webcam if that's not possible. There will be plenty of phone conversations down the road.

• Contact previous clients early in the process to find out if they have the chops. This is standard advice, but a significant percent of the world's PR mismatches would be averted if it were followed. Agencies and clients part ways all the time, for all sorts of reasons, good and bad. Happy clients will gladly put in a good word for a former agency. And if no former clients will answer an email⎯well, that should tell you something too.

• Obviously, there's going to be a need for a big meeting or two between you and your final candidates for the job. Insist that they send the people who will be working on the account...no ringers allowed. Keep the conversation high-level; perhaps ask them to respond to a couple of your top initiatives, rather than going through a lengthy PowerPoint presentation about what the agency has done for other companies. You care about your business. One easy way to separate the amateurs is by canned answers or worse, lapsing into jargon at the slightest provocation. Experienced professionals, by contrast, will dig deep to understand your business, the problem you solve, and the objectives you’re trying to meet before providing a thoughtful response.

• If the meeting is too stiff and formal, you've potentially got a problem. This isn't an 8th grade dance, with boys on one side and girls on the other. The whole point is to find a team that you can collaborate with to get amazing results, and have fun along the way. Oh yes, there should be laughter. Great PR and personality go hand in hand.

• Pay attention, because a good agency is checking you out at the same time. This is a busy time for PR firms, and the best ones have more work than they can handle. If an agency seems reluctant to ask tough questions, or too eager to please, they probably won’t be able to get the job done. Agencies that only know how to say "Yes" might be skilled at keeping their retainers, but they're not bringing their clients as much value along the way.

I want to make clear that just because I consider PR people "creative," it doesn't mean you should tolerate dilettantes and prima donnas from your PR team. PR is a business. In the process of hiring an agency, you'll be setting up specific expectations and metrics. If your agency doesn't meet those goals, then they don’t deserve to have your business.

It's just that in the process of finding the right PR business partner...a little imagination can and should enter the picture. Somewhere between “show business” and “business business,” there’s room for a little fun and creativity. Now, that’s just plain good business.

Joanna Kulesa is a principal of Kulesa Faul, in San Mateo, CA

March Madness

2011-03-30T16:08:00.001-07:00

By Scott Lechner
March Madness has always been one of my favorite sporting events. This year the bracket challenge transcended sports and found its way into technology, as Virtual Strategy Magazine announced its own March Madness. The competition puts 64 vendor-contributed ‘2011 trend’ articles against each other. Readers choose the winning articles, which then move on to the next round. The competition has been going on since last week and four Kulesa Faul clients were included: uptime software, Model Metrics, Dell KACE and CloudShare.

I am huge fan of both sports and technology, so seeing them together makes me a happy man. Take a look and vote for your very own Final Four leading 2011 prediction!

Behind the Paywall: Will you Pay up?

2011-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
The time we’ve been dreading has come...no, not Armageddon, although it may seem like it recently. Actually, I'm talking about paying for online news content. This isn't entirely new, but the New York Times, one of the most well-respected newspapers in the world, just announced this week that beginning March 28 home delivery non-subscribers will have to pay up or go elsewhere for their news. The options are many though, non-subscribers will still be able to access up to 20 online articles for free each month, but will have to take out their wallets and pony up either $15, $20 or $35 a month to get more.

Paying for news content online is a sticky situation and many media corps are still trying to figure out what it will look like exactly. Offering some content for free and then often layering a confusing payment model for other content seems to be the new normal. For instance, WSJ has been doing it for years, Rupert Murdoch recently unveiled a paid iPad-only publication and now the New York Times is throwing their hat in the ring. The question I have is with all of the free content out there, including bloggers and online news sources like CNN and MSNBC, will people really pay for their news or is this a losing game for the big media conglomerates? Me personally, I think I’ll stick to CNN and my free 20 New York Times articles and save my money for the latte I like to drink with my morning news. How about you? Will you pay up or go elsewhere?

Cloud Connect 2011

2011-03-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

By Danielle Salvato
This week, my colleagues and I attended the annual Cloud Connect conference in Santa Clara. Produced by TechWeb, Cloud Connect is an intimate, niche conference that brings together the entire cloud ecosystem to better understand the transformation defining the technology industry.

This particular conference has received a good amount of buzz this year, with large IT trade publications and reporters covering the latest and greatest and more than 3,000 techies visiting the Expo floor and daily sessions (up 50 percent from last year’s event!). There were 70 or so exhibitors, including Rackspace, Electric Cloud, Apica, and RightScale, as well as IBM, Intel and VMware.

While Cloud Connect didn’t provide extravagant lighting, sumo wrestlers or endless free SWAG like the recent RSA conference, attendees were treated to some pretty snazzy light-up yoyos from a leading cloud testing and performance monitoring vendor, Apica. Here is a photo of our very own Cathy Wright demonstrating her yoyo skills with the company’s CEO, Sven Hammar. (Fun fact: Cathy was a yoyo champion in the 4th grade!)

We’re steeped in the cloud every day here at Kulesa Faul. Our growing cloud practice includes Model Metrics, Meraki, Host Analytics, Apica, Jitterbit, RainStor, and Soonr⎯companies that are directly focused on developing interesting products and defining new opportunities as more businesses move to the cloud. To learn more about our client successes, please visit Kulesa Faul.

Technology and the Breakdown in Human Interaction—Take II

2011-03-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

By Julie Tangen
Technology brings us together in so many ways, but from a social standpoint, what are the repercussions of its advances? Do gadgets, like iPhones, shut out the world around us and are we on the verge of a breakdown in human interaction? I posed this in a blog a few years back.

Since then I’ve come to realize how powerful technology can be for deepening relationships. Thanks to my iPhone I can watch my little nephew take his first steps via video chat. I can check in with family members more frequently via text. I’m able to respond to client and editor requests quickly, no matter where I am. My iPhone has also helped to expand my business and social network. For instance when I meet someone out and about I can immediately connect through Facebook or LinkedIn and start developing a friendship with that person, where as five or ten years ago their business card might have been filed away in my rolodex with other interesting people I’ve met along the way.

I’m typing this while waiting for my latte, by the way. Am I missing an opportunity to chat with the person in line next to me because I’m so focused on my iPhone? Maybe. But I’ve been able to create more meaningful friendships with the people who make my coffee because we’re now connected through Facebook.

Do you find that your iPhone/iPad/gadget opens you up to new people and experiences?

RSA 2011

2011-02-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

By Kristina Molfino
If the expo floor of this year’s annual RSA Conference in San Francisco is any indication of the state of our economy, I would say we are headed up! Hundreds of vendors were out in full force this week at the Moscone Center, showcasing their latest and greatest security technology. The fresh, electric, excitement that had been lacking the past few years is back. Huge exhibits, signs, lighting, sumo wrestlers, SWAG…they were all back.

I met some new people and saw some familiar faces, but overall, walking the expo hall was refreshing. The cherry trees aren’t the only thing blooming in the city – IT security is alive!

Can there be an Apple without Steve?

2011-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

By Cathy Wright
The recent story of Apple CEO Steve Jobs taking medical leave was big news. Some media outlets (and the stock market) seem to think Apple is doomed without him. I don't agree. Not to diminish Mr. Jobs amazing contributions to the resurrection of Apple, but it's a huge company now thanks to him. I find it hard to believe its entire future still rests on the vision of a single person.

And let's be honest here, Mr. Jobs has been dealing with his unfortunate health issues for some time. I very much doubt he's been putting in 12 hour days working with the product development team this past year. And yet Apple has been rolling along very nicely indeed, which I guess says something about the caliber of people he has hired beneath him.

Disney made it without Walt, and I predict Apple will make it even if Mr. Jobs is forced to step down. Come to think of it, I believe Steve owns a big hunk of Disney also. I'm certain he'd give it all up in exchange for being healthy again. I wish him a speedy and total recovery.

Forecast Remains Cloudy

2010-12-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

By Kelly Indrieri
The forecast calls for continued clouds in 2011 and the attendees at this week’s Dreamforce conference could not be happier. After eight years putting on this conference, Salesforce saw its biggest crowd yet with over 30,000 people participating at the cloud computing event of the year.

Two Kulesa Faul clients, Jitterbit and Model Metrics, participated in the show and saw amazing success with news that included the first cloud computing Groupon offer from Model Metrics and Jitterbit showcasing CloudReplicate, which gives Salesforce customers the ability to access their data in a relational database of choice on Amazon EC2.

While the day saw amazing news across the show floor, the nights were reserved for Stevie Wonder, parties, a cloud crawl and Bill Clinton! It’s truly the premier conference in the enterprise IT world with a mix of innovation and fun without the software, of course.

A Toast to Success

2010-11-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

By Robin Bulanti
Now’s the time of year we pause to give thanks. Sandwiched between the Thanksgiving holiday and Dreamforce, we’ll squeeze in our annual holiday party this week, when we get together to celebrate success and show some serious love to our clients, colleagues, and partners.

This was another evolutionary year for Kulesa Faul—we branched into new areas like greentech with People Power and expanded our cloud practice introducing new clients Model Metrics and Host Analytics. We also saw exciting developments across our enterprise portfolio with the “return” of ALM innovator Serena Software, a bright spot for MySQL customers with the public launch of SkySQL and the acquisition of one of our favorite hot companies: KACE is now officially Dell KACE.

We owe a great deal of our success to our team and foundation of core values, so it was especially fun to be named one of PR Source Code’s top five tech communicators in the small agency category this year, the result of an independent vote by more than 800 journalists and bloggers. As an agency, we aren’t one to chase our own awards, so this came as a lovely little surprise and testament to the work we do every day. The honor follows another for my colleague Tami Casey, who was named a PR Source Code top tech PR pro in another independent vote of journalists .

Our clients also had some notable wins including Model Metrics recently named Chicago Tribune’s top small company to work for, Inc. 5000 top private company and CRN 2010 fast growth company, CloudShare and Host Analytics named to the AlwaysOn OnDemand 100 and Host Analytics winning a Ventana Research Leadership Award.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of our friends this week to celebrate these and other successes…Here’s to many more!

App to the Future

2010-10-28T16:45:00.001-07:00

By Dave Struzzi
Apple’s recent “Back to the Mac” event got a lot of Mac fans excited. The big hardware news from that event, of course, was the introduction of the next generation of the MacBook Air, their ultraportable and futuristically thin notebook. Lost in the shuffle of Apple’s hardware and operating system upgrades, however, was a smaller news item that I believe can drastically change the landscape of the Mac vs. PC wars: the introduction of a new App Store for Macs.

Similar to how the App store caters to iPhone and iPads, Apple plans to give software developers a portal for distributing their apps directly to consumers with MacBooks and other Apple products. The goal is likely to recapture the excitement and runaway success of the original App Store; one that gave iPhone users access to hundreds of thousands of programs, games, and tools, at a minimal price.

Adding this capability to MacBooks is a major milestone because the sheer number of available software compatible for Apple computers has historically paled in comparison to its PC counterpart. One stroll through the software section of your local Best Buy can attest to that, with aisles filled with PC software versus the shelves filled with Mac software.

The App Store for Macs is a smart move on Apple’s part to bolster its software lineup, especially considering that all the software in that portal will get the Apple “stamp of approval” to be there. Its biggest hurdle, however, will be ensuring that all developers get a fair chance to appear in the store, even if their software competes with Apple’s own offerings.

Giving Back to Our Alma Mater

2010-10-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

By Danielle Salvato and Ana Embry
At Kulesa Faul we see the value in following through with ideas and passions that our company and employees believe in, such as traveling to Costa Rica for a week to help others less fortunate, or donating our time to advise students on their potential. It’s a privilege to say that Kulesa Faul strongly believes in giving back in different ways.

The two of us have a great amount of respect for our alma mater, Chico State. We believe strongly in giving back to the program that helped get us where we are today. This past Friday, we went to visit and speak to the Chico State Department of Journalism. Within the department is a well-driven PR program that leads Tehama Group Communications, a student-run PR agency. Twenty years ago, TGC opened its doors at Chico State. Since then, it has brought together more than 400 students to serve nearly 100 local, regional, national and nonprofit clients. We are just two of the 400 students.

For TGC’s 20th Anniversary, the department had two full days filled with alumni speaking panels and individual insight on various topics. We led speaking sessions on job-hunting for college seniors—more specifically, how to find a job in a tough economy and interviewing do’s and don’ts.

We are honored to do something that gives back to the college that gave us so much and appreciate that Kulesa Faul supports us in this endeavor.

The Ellison-Benioff Standoff Continued Last Week at Oracle OpenWorld

2010-09-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
While they may share a billboard on 101 and exhibit at each other's events, Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff still can't help but take digs at each other whenever there's an opportunity.

I attended last week’s Oracle OpenWorld and was in the audience for Larry Ellison's introduction of Oracle’s ‘Cloud in a box', Exalogic. I have to say, I agree with Benioff. ‘Cloud in a box?’ Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Yes, we all know, Mr. Ellison, that salesforce.com runs on servers. But isn't the business benefit of public cloud computing NOT having to have the box in the first place, but really to let someone else handle your IT?

Can you have the best of both worlds or is it just an attempt by Oracle to get into the cloud market? Whatever is at the heart of their public but friendly standoff, I think both companies know that Oracle and salesforce.com aren't going anywhere because they both add business value. So lets stop the bickering, gentlemen, and recognize the value in what you both deliver to the IT and business community. Maybe consider calling a truce...at least until December’s Dreamforce, of course.
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The Nitty-Gritty of a Twitter Tangle

2010-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

By Ana Embry
With so many Twitter tools available for managing followers, I find myself wondering which tool will work best for someone like me who is fairly new to Twitter. I researched some of the tools out there and want to share with you some of my favorites. Here are a few trustworthy tools that will take the headache out of managing followers, whether you have 50 or 5,000.

Twittangle - This is a free service that allows users to untangle the possible mess of having numerous followers, allowing an easier engagement and a less stressful experience. It will show all of your followers and allow you to tag and move them into particular lists. Twittangle then compiles a custom timeline for those followers.
FRIENDorFOLLOW – FRIENDorFollow is a free and quick tool that shows which of your friends actually follow you back. You simply plug in your username and it does all the work for you.
Future Tweets – Want to plan a Tweet for the future? This service does just that. While it doesn’t help manage your followers it engages them during peak and/or quiet viewing hours. You can set Tweets up to a year in advance for product launches, tradeshows or whatever the case. The only drawback to compiling too far in the future is unplanned changes, and the opportunity for timely responses to any conversation started with followers after hours.
Co-Tweet - This beta tool is often used for companies that may have more than one user, such as a social media team or a trustworthy few that collaboratively contributes to the Twitter feed. The clever part of co-Tweet is that it also monitors ‘who Tweeted what.’ This is critical for those who may be looking into which person receives the most re-Tweets, or wants to collaborate as a team on the strategy that is working the best.
Splitweet - An optimal choice for individuals or companies that have more than one account to manage, one main twitter and another for tech support, per se, and allows you to update in one simple step and report for each account, brand or user. The concept is similar to TweetDeck.

Happy Twittering!

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"Sustainable is Attainable”

2010-09-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

By Danielle Salvato
This week, Kulesa Faul launched our sustainability initiative to shrink our ecological footprint by reducing our impact and bettering our business and community.

As a team, we are proud to announce that we have started taking solid, yet simple, steps to become a “green” (excuse the cliché) company. We are committed to change our everyday behavior by reducing the impact of what we consume, reusing what we already have and recycling everything we can. Yesterday, our team met to develop the Kulesa Faul green vision, mission statement and actionable pledges. We’ve already begun changing our every day behavior by taking on the necessary steps of acknowledging what we consume and how we can decrease our ecological footprint.

We, as a team, have pledged to:
1. Reduce our use of non-renewable resources.
2. Recycle 100 percent of recyclable materials.
3. Promote sustainable behavior in our community.

And even though it is never easy to change bad habits, we are taking steps forward to do our part to make the business world, our community and lives a better place for generations to come. Please join us in this effort to make a difference. What do you pledge?
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Avoiding software failure—is there an app for that?

2010-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
I recently read about a Six Flags roller coaster that got stuck on its tracks. Turns out it was due to a computer glitch. I’m always surprised when I hear about a glitch or software failure. With all the advances in technology and all the products available to solve the needs of every single consumer and company doing business today, I keep thinking that someone will finally figure out a way to create fail proof software that runs as its intended with no glitches, crashes or failures. Why can’t we get it right?

The topic of ‘getting software right’ is an ongoing discussion at my company. Most of us have worked together since the early days, representing companies like Mercury Interactive and Compuware, then later Borland and Codegear. The topic was top of mind then, and still today we’re reminded of the poor state of software every time we flip on the news; whether its an airline glitch that causes delays, or the NASDAQ going down. But when you’re stuck on a roller coaster 50 feet in the air, or behind the wheel of a Prius during a time of safety recalls, it hits home and we’re then reminded just how much we rely on software and computers in our daily lives. Technology innovation intended to make our lives easier also puts us at risk. When will we get to the point where we can truly trust software?

We’ve been thrust into a digital world and like it or not, we’re all along for the ride. I believe that with innovation there needs to be a greater focus and dedication to developing software and the systems that run them, otherwise we’ll continue to see big failures in the news. Why aren't software companies getting together to establish standards and best practices that shape and govern the creation of software and critical system? What about a consortium that focuses on ‘getting software right?’ Is there an app for that?
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Did You Buy Into the Bumper?

2010-08-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

By Abbey Brumbaugh
With all the complaints over the death grip, dropped calls, and hacking on the iPhone 4G I’m glad I didn’t rush out and buy one. I would not be satisfied with Apple’s advice to grip the phone in a less obtrusive way nor would I be too excited to fix a $200 investment with a generic bumper case that the company is handing out for free. But would I even go through the trouble to put my foot down? Probably not. Like many people I find myself complaining about life’s little inconveniences, but in the end I live with them.

I will exercise my right to wait until a better, tried and tested—and bumper-less—version of the iPhone comes out. Look forward to seeing the iPhone 5G in early 2011!

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Why I’ll be thinking about Groupon, Facebook and Twitter on Fourth of July

2010-07-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
Okay, I must admit that I am fully addicted to Groupon's online coupon site and have spent many an hour on Twitter and Facebook. Yes, I'm pretty sure they will be the death of my bank account and social life, but what they represent also inspires me. They represent something that is truly what America was founded on - taking an idea and turning it into a thriving business- truly the American dream. Granted every idea can’t be a winner, but sometimes they are and this spirit of entrepreneurship should inspire us all.

Kulesa Faul is also proud to represent clients that embody this very spirit across multiple markets. Model Metrics was one of the first companies to see the value of the cloud. MotionX by Fullpower began developing iPhone applications before everyone had an app available to download. People Power Co is leading the green movement by giving individuals the tools to green their household and reduce their carbon footprint. These companies remind us daily of the power that comes from turning an idea into reality.

With fourth of July just around the corner, take a moment to think about how lucky you are to live in a country where one person's idea can start a revolution...after all your idea might be next.
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Having the Best Product Doesn't Necessarily Mean You'll Win

2010-06-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
The other day I ran into someone who told me about a friend whose business was recently written up in the Wall Street Journal. I guess because I work in Silicon Valley, I assumed the business was high-tech, but it instead turned out to be a winery, Cameron Hughes. I happen to be a wine lover, and a subscriber to their mailing list, so when I got back to my computer I looked up their most recent newsletter.

It contained these quotes: "Thanks to our recent feature article in the WSJ, we’ve been overwhelmed with new fans...Meanwhile, please forgive us if you can’t find some of your favorite wines. The response to the WSJ article [link] was beyond our wildest expectations and many of our wines have sold out! Every last bottle!"

I don't know how the write-up in the Journal came about, but it was obviously worth its weight in gold. And, while Cameron Hughes has some good wines, there are other amazing vintages out there. This made me reflect on the value our agency and well executed public relations brings to clients. No matter how revolutionary your product is, no matter its quality, if the world doesn't know about it, you don’t get asked to the table, get short-listed, and get to that rock-star status. One well-placed article can lift an entire business into the clouds. Let's drink to that.
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Colorful Ghosts Invading Your Living Room

2010-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Dave Struzzi
If recent box office sales are any indication, everything 3D is hip again. We’ve come a long way from those cheesy red-and-blue (and headache-inducing) glasses.

Aside from blockbuster movies, the rebirth of 3D technology is touching other industries as well. At this year’s big video game show called the Electronic Entertainment Expo, both Sony and Nintendo will be dipping their toes into 3D gaming. With the recent introduction of 3D capable television sets to store shelves, Sony is expected to unveil games that take advantage of those sets. Imagine for a second those colorful Pacman ghosts—Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde—seemingly floating into your living room in pursuit of the insatiable protagonist. Nintendo is going a more unique route with the introduction of a portable 3D gaming unit called the 3DS, a product that doesn’t even need fancy glasses to see a 3D image.

I think 3D technology in general is going to have an interesting public relations dilemma in the near future. Mainly, how in the world do you promote something worldwide that can only be viewed in-person? You can’t view a demo video of it online and you certainly can’t experience it by looking at pictures in a magazine. You could get a sneak peek at your local electronics retailer, but who wants to wear 3D glasses that have been worn by hundreds of people already?

On the other hand, perhaps the curiosity of the consumers for next big 3D technology will allow it to become the ultimate virally-promoted product, where word-of-mouth and “buzz” reign king. The 3D product manufacturers would be wise to get their technology “live” in front of as many users as possible and letting the “oohs” and “ahhs” on Twitter and Facebook move quicker than a ghost chasing Pacman.
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‘Bieber Fever’ at TechCrunch Disrupt

2010-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
Today at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York, we listened to Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, talk about the megastar’s use of Twitter. Bieber has nearly 3 million followers, making him one of the most-followed people. Braun noted that it is actually Bieber doing most of the tweeting. It shows his fans that the same person who was talking to them before his enormous stardom, is still talking to them now.

Technology companies can take a lesson from this—establish a dialogue with your followers and allow them to be part of your success, never forget those who have helped you get where you are today, and be authentic!
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Web 2.0 and the Apple/Adobe Slugfest

2010-05-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
HTML5 is the new "low-hanging fruit," or maybe it's the new "locked and loaded". God I hate valley speak. In any case, you'll be hearing a lot about HTML5 in the coming months. It even plays a role in the Great Apple/Adobe Divorce.

Steve Jobs got the ball rolling last month by blasting Adobe for being "lazy" with their Flash technology, saying that apps written for the iPhone and iPad using Flash tools don't work properly on Apple hardware. He's banned Flash technology on Apple's mobile devices, pointing to it as a security risk and resource hog. Apparently some ex-Adobe engineers agree with him. Jobs feels that open web standards, such as HTML5, are the way of the future.

Adobe's CTO, Kevin Lynch, spoke last week at the Web 2.0 Expo I attended, and likened Apple's policy to the development of railroads in the 1800's. Back then companies were using different gauge rails for various sections of a route, making it necessary to unload cargo to a different train when you came to a section your train couldn't run on. That analogy, in my opinion, is unfortunate at best. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gone to a web site only to be notified that I need to stop what I'm doing and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player. That experience sort of feels like...um...unloading a train.

The bottom line is that Apple has its proprietary OS and hardware, while Adobe has its proprietary web software. To some extent, they are both calling the kettle black. But as long as Apple can keep turning out shiny gadgets that everyone "must" have, they're safe. Adobe is not in as solid a position; open-standard Web technologies such as HTML5 will almost certainly replace Flash someday.

Of course, Flash isn't going away anytime soon; it's too entrenched. Adobe released a new version of the Flash development app last month and is developing its next Flash Player. Get ready to unload more trains. Now, I'm off to pick up my shiniest new gadget, an iPad with 3G.
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News Snacking at 140 Characters and Trending

2010-05-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

By Tami Casey
Last week the Twitter world was abuzz with the news that HP had acquired Palm Computing. I noticed the first tweet at about 1:07 pm PT @siliconAlleyInsider broke the news. Seconds later, the floodgates opened with an outpouring of tweets on the topic. Then about 20 minutes after the first tweet, something interesting happened. The tone of some tweets changed. Sure people and news outlets were still tweeting about the acquisition, but now there was a new type of tweet in the mix—the “stop, I already know HP acquired Palm tweet.” In just under 20 minutes, the twitterverse had tired of the news.

As a self-proclaimed news junkie, this fatigue disturbed me. Other than an occasional tweet with a link to the press release there was only the one fact distributed in the tweets—HP had acquired Palm. It really wasn’t a story yet as many of the basics weren’t yet disseminated and even the Wall Street Journal took about 10 minutes to get out its basic story. But by the time the WSJ piece hit, the news had already been tweeted to a large audience. Soon the journalistic news stories started to hit providing more depth. But something strange happened; I didn’t click. The news felt old and dated—after all it was 30 minutes ago.

As I pondered this lack of desire to read more about the acquisition, I realized that this was happening far too often. I had a daily habit of getting the Twitter version of the news—or maybe on a good morning scanning the headlines of a news aggregator site. I was consuming my news without digesting at 140 characters at a time. It was initially satisfying, but ultimately left me empty.

So I’m asking readers to stop and take a look at how they are consuming news and to fight the urge to “snack” and “nibble” away at news. Go for more depth, actually click the links and read the content. Sure you won’t be able to cover as many topics, but you’ll have more depth of knowledge. I’m going to take the plunge because what do I actually know about the HP acquisition? Really I know nothing about it at all.

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Tanaya Cook Volunteers with Surf For Life

2010-04-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
In our fast-paced lives it is often difficult to find extra time to dedicate to ourselves, let alone for others. However everyone here at Kulesa Faul recognizes the value of giving and finds the time to support various charitable affiliations. I’m pleased to say that our very own Tanaya Cook recently returned from Central America after donating a week of her time to a non-profit organization called Surf For Life. The charity is committed to enabling volunteers to participate in meaningful social and economic development projects that help those less fortunate. Tanaya’s particular mission benefited an indigenous population known as the BriBri tribe located on the Talamanca reservation in Costa Rica. She participated in various community projects—from preparing food to building bridges—to support the cause.

Please join me in welcoming Tanaya back from her journey and watch for her blog post (and possibly a few pictures) coming soon!

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Making the world a better place, one app at a time

2010-03-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
Did you know that if each household reduced energy consumption by 20 percent, the U.S. would save over $32 billion a year and carbon emissions would be reduced by 187 mega tons (equivalent to taking 40 million cars off the road for one entire year)?

I'm feeling especially environmentally conscious today because our new green-tech client, People Power, just launched a way for developers to build smart, environmentally friendly applications for household electronics and devices. Interested in a lawn system that saves H20 by automatically knowing when to (and not to) water? How about a central air system that you can control from your iPhone? People Power makes ideas like this possible by teaming with a community of developers and leveraging open source technology. If you can dream it, you can now build it into your home!

To learn more about reducing energy consumption, saving money and reducing your carbon footprint, visit People Power online at www.peoplepowerco.com

Also, I hope you'll join me in supporting People Power's "Unplug for Earth Day 2010" Facebook campaign. Check out the GreenX Calculator that shows how much CO2 you will keep out of the atmosphere by pledging to unplug on April 22.
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Social Media Week 2010 - San Francisco

2010-02-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

By Tami Casey

The first week of February is Social Media Week and this month’s activities took place in six cities--from Berlin to Sao Paulo to right here in San Francisco. Festivities included a day long session at the Presidio, several panels and sessions and a variety of social gatherings attended by hundreds of people, including those new to social media, social media practitioners and our local and often world renowned experts.

Having attended several of these activities, an area of particular interest to me was the subject of measurement in social media. While there are many tools and strategies to help measure the impact of social media, the key to successful measurement begins with identifying⎯at the corporate level⎯why you’ve engaged in social media in the first place. Is the goal to build your brand? Reach influencers? Boost sales?

After defining your purpose and beginning measurement, how do you then analyze the data in a meaningful way? If you’re a start-up or smaller company, it’s probably a lot more manageable. But what if you’re at Accenture and want to know the impact of Tiger Wood’s negative publicity on your brand? At that point, you need tools to help analyze, understand and act on this tsunami of information.

The bottom line on measurement in social media? Know your purpose and then monitor, measure and react in ways that make sense based on your objectives and your business. Don’t rely on one tool. Take a look at free tools such as Google Alerts, Trendrr, Socialmention, Twitter’s search feature and BoardTracker. You’ll likely be able to combine tools so that you are monitoring what is most important to your company. If you need something more robust then look to the paid tools; there are a number of affordable options such as Filtrbox, eCairn, ScoutLabs and of course there are several high-end solutions such as Radian6.

If you’re looking for more information on how to put social media to work for your business or want to mingle with the social media-minded, visit the Social Media Club at www.socialmediaclub.org to find a meeting near you.
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P.R, Tom Petty and Dating a Celebrity?

2010-02-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

By Scott Lechner
I was listening to Petty’s Free Fallin’ on the way in to the office this morning and that song always fills me with a feeling of success. I have Jerry Maguire to thank for that as this is the song Cruise belts out in his car after signing (or so he thinks) the future first round draft pick of the NFL. The song was extra poignant his morning when it was announced Kulesa Faul’s client of four years, KACE Systems, was acquired by Dell.

At Kulesa Faul we work with an eclectic mix of clients—public companies, startups, established players—and all are great. However, I’ve found that there’s a different, sharper-edged mix of anxiety, energy, and pride working with startups. It’s sort of like dating a celebrity. Super exciting at the beginning, and it takes a few months to understand the wants and needs of both parties. Through it all the startup has its eyes on the prize and it’s the our job to do whatever we can to help get them there. Like the lucky one dating the superstar, we also need to match the ambitions and energy of the startup in order to push them to the pinnacle of their success.

“Success” is a relative term and varies from company to company. For some it is getting acquired, going public or continually taking market share from the big boy. Same with a celebrity. The significant other supports them through the hardships and professional growth until the celeb reaches their own pinnacle⎯a Super Bowl win, a Grammy or an interview with Letterman. Once that success is reached, both parties breathe a huge sigh or relief, and bask in the pride that the years of hard work have brought. We worked so hard to get that startup, that celebrity, to where they needed to go, and now the world is at their fingertips. Makes one feel a bit like they are Free Fallin’.

What’s next? Who knows, and that’s fine with us. It’s been a great ride with KACE and we look forward to working with Dell as a team. Another happy client! That’s success for us.
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Finding a Needle in the Social Media Haystack

2010-01-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

By Frank Bauch
Without question, this year will continue to deliver dramatic innovation in the high tech industry landscape. From the Apple Tablet to a new army of smart phones, the heart of today’s innovation is the ability to communicate more efficiently and more productively, both for business and pleasure.

The number of conversations occurring about any particular topic is staggering. Recent research shows we are tweeting approximately 27.3 million times per day, equating to nearly one billion tweets every five weeks. A similar number of users are updating their Yahoo! Mail or Messenger status at a record pace. The population of Facebook users is big enough to be the third largest country in the world.

History has shown that people gravitate towards innovation: The development of books eventually necessitated the invention of the library and the Dewey Decimal system to categorize and organize books. The creation of the television was inevitably followed by the remote control, TV Guide, and eventually DVR, to help us keep track of the shows we want to see most.

At Kulesa Faul, we leverage a number of tools to track relevant conversations. TweetDeck helps us track and respond in real time to Twitter discussions. For clients whose conversations are more spread out across the web, filtrbox and other services help to simultaneously monitor information from social networking sites as well as news sites. We also use tools like Meltwater that help modify our searches so that reports about clients like KACE aren’t littered with irrelevant stories like this.

Search engines have become too basic to provide a good understanding of how our clients are being positioned in the public eye. Leveraging social media and web analytic tools is critical to a company’s ability to not only keep tabs on industry conversations, but to help most effectively understand and help shape the conversation in an incredibly dynamic market.
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Thinking about MLK and Everyday Heroes Today…

2010-01-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

By Joanna Kulesa

People amaze me. Famous and fearless leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and everyday heroes like Wesley Autrey, a construction worker and Navy veteran jumping onto the tracks of an oncoming subway train and saving the life of a stranger. Whether fighting for civil rights on the world stage, or acting quickly to preserve a stranger’s life, people are amazing.

I continue to watch in awe the aftermath of the epic earthquake in Haiti; more reminders of people’s capacity for kindness as well as tremendous cruelty. Whether we’re witnessing looters or online scammers looking to profit from others’ generosity, the negative is always outweighed by the human capacity for good, in my view. Neighbor helping neighbor on the ground in Haiti, and whole communities around the world mobilizing to send food, medicine and supplies. The powerful lessons that tragedies offer are astounding.

True, civil rights and human tragedy are not very cheery subjects for a blog from a PR firm. However, it’s hard to write about “the importance of social media,” or how clients “can better get into the business press” when there are so many bigger issues to reflect on this Martin Luther King Day. Today, I can take this time to reflect and donate more to the Red Cross. Tomorrow I'll be back to pitching, promoting, and building clients into name brands. That’s okay, right?

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Ring The Bell This Holiday Season

2009-12-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

By Tami Casey
A volunteer ringing a bell for charity is as much a part of the American Christmas experience as cookies and lights. But this year, the fear is that people are tapped out, worn down and will be giving less.

Charities and the holiday season seem to go hand-in-hand. While nearly 20 Christmases have passed, I still recall my first Christmas as an adult volunteer at a charity in a small community. My first child was barely a month old and I had signed up to help out at the community holiday drive, which offered assistance to those who had fallen on hard times.

I vividly remember a forlorn young mother shyly approaching the table to receive groceries for a holiday dinner. She was nervous, as this was her first time receiving assistance and she wasn’t sure what to expect. As I handed her the bag of food she smiled graciously, but when I handed her the gifts for her children, the tears started to roll down her face. It had been a hard year for her, she said. She’d lost her job and was struggling to pay rent and keep the family fed and didn’t think there would be any gifts that year. To her, this was a miracle made possible by a charity (and the efforts of strangers) in her time of need.

For me, the best part of that day was finding my own joy in hers. Although its been 20 years, the “gift” I received from that experience will last a lifetime, and since then I’ve found many opportunities to volunteer and help others.

2009 has been a hard year all around, but I hope we’ll all dig a little deeper into our pockets this holiday season and add another name to the gift list—maybe a teen in a shelter or a family in need. Also consider another gift – give a bit of yourself and consider signing up as a volunteer. To find volunteer opportunities near you, call or visit www.1-800-volunteer.org

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Another Sign of the Times—Get Ready to Pay Up for Online News

2009-11-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

By Cathy Wright
In addition to paying rent or a mortgage, paying for groceries, health insurance, school and gas, we’re getting closer and closer to having to also shell out for access to online news. The reason: newspapers around the world are declining in revenues or worse, folding altogether. The Internet is partly at fault for the decline, but the slumping economy and sharp dip in advertising is sure to blame as well.

Media moguls such as News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch and others are getting noisy about this issue and ready to shut it down and start collecting for what they view as missed revenue. In August, Mr. Murdoch told the world he plans to eventually charge for online access to content for all News Corp. publications, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Times in London, and the Daily Telegraph. The charge would either be levied direct to readers via access subscriptions or to companies distributing News Corp. content on their Websites.

And to stir the pot even more, Mr. Murdoch also revealed News Corp was considering blocking Google from being able to search its newspaper websites. Executives from the likes of Twitter and Yahoo are now weighing in. After enjoying free access to news all these years, it’s going to be painful to suddenly pay up for something that we’ve come to expect for free. It’s like suddenly being charged a toll to walk down the street or charged to hang out with friends. Stay tuned!
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Top 5 Tips to a Successful Office Holiday Party

2009-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

By Kelly Indrieri

The countdown to the holiday season has begun and that can mean only one thing, the office holiday party. Okay, maybe it means more than one thing, but for those of you who anticipate your company party as much as we do here at Kulesa Faul, I've compiled a list of the Top 5 Tips to a Successful Office Holiday Party. I’m hoping this can serve as a public service.

Number 5. Avoid red lipstick (I offer this one based on experience)

Number 4. Be careful of overzealous dancing (people will talk about it the next day, I promise)

Number 3. Don’t drink and drive (hail a cab, call a friend, just stay safe)

Number 2. Avoid using this event as an opportunity to tell a colleague how you really feel (a party should be about love people, remember that)

And the Number 1 Tip to a Successful Office Holiday Party: Remembering that what happens at the office party DOESN’T stay at the office party (so keep it clean folks)

So take the evening to celebrate your colleagues, clients and the year’s success. Just try not to be the butt of the joke the next day. Believe me, you’ll thank me for it.
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The WINDOWS 7 Pepsi Challenge

2009-10-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

By Kristina Molfino
It recently occurred to me that the Mac vs. PC debate is similar to that of Coke vs. Pepsi. There are few products competing head to head that illicit such a stark division among consumers of the two. Coca-Cola drinkers turn their nose up at Pepsi, similar to how Mac users glare at PCs. Is there really a difference, or is this just branding at its finest?

Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with a “blind taste test” for the operating system, but I highly doubt that the release of Windows 7 will cause Mac users to return to a PC. You know the expression: once you go Mac you never go back.

I think that Mac vs. PC and Coke vs. Pepsi are ways of life and, aside from all of the hype, they are rarely affected by product upgrades. After the buzz has silenced, it will be interesting to see if consumer preferences really have changed. But for now, I will sit back in front of my Mac and enjoy my Diet Coke!
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A Wild Week on the Web & the SideKick Debacle Hits Home

2009-10-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

By Tami Casey
I heard a scream from my daughter’s room, “it’s gone, it’s all gone.“ As I poked my head in the door I saw her standing holding her most prized possession—a slightly battered, well used Sidekick phone.

My husband (the techie) tried restarting the phone and resetting the battery, but nothing worked. As tears welled in her eyes, my husband called T-Mobile and learned the servers had a technical glitch that caused “widespread data loss.” A few days later we learned that a large number of the 1 million+ Sidekick users were also affected.

My daughter fell into in a state of shock. How could it all be gone? She had lost 500+ contacts, 200 pictures, 300 mp3s and 20 songs she spent countless hours writing. She’s been a “Sidekick Girl” essentially her whole life, and all 13 years of accumulated information on the phone was gone in an instant. Fortunately the word on the street is she may get her data back.

Being a communicator in the tech industry I found the whole episode interesting. Why did it take Microsoft four days to provide any kind of a response? While on Thursday they said they would be able to recover the data, they were way too quiet for the first few days. Any good communicator understands that lack of comment causes a void which leads to speculation, which is exactly what happened as the blogosphere went wild developing theories of what could have gone wrong along with fantastic stories of internal sabotage.

Will Microsoft recover from this misstep or will the incident provide fodder for those that love to hate Microsoft? I have my own theory—I think Microsoft paid Balloon Boy to pull Thursday’s stunt to draw the blogosphere’s attention in another direction. What’s your theory?
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How do you define ‘Cloud Computing?’—Seeking video submissions

2009-10-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
There is so much hype and confusion around "the cloud." People are talking about it everywhere, but what exactly does cloud computing mean? Our client, Appirio, is seeking the best viral video that explains cloud computing to the masses. The winning videos will be screened on the floor of Dreamforce—the premiere cloud computing event which draws about 12,000 people—and promoted on Appirio's Dreamforce Central site. Oh, and the company is also giving away $5,000 to the winning submissions.

To enter, first create your original "cloud computing" video (no more than 2 minutes in length). Somewhere in the video, you must include "submitted for the Appirio Cloud Computing Video Contest." Second, upload your video to the YouTube group called "Appirio Cloud Computing Video Contest." You need to be a member of YouTube and to sign up for the group to submit it. If you're not already a YouTube member, don't worry, it only takes a second to sign up.

Entries are due November 3rd and finalists will be announced starting November 9. The final prize winners will be announced on Appirio's Dreamforce Central site (dreamforce.appirio.com) on November 18.

For more information please click here.
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Happy National ! ; : ( ) ? . “ - … Day

2009-10-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

By Danielle Salvato
Yes, you read it right. Last Thursday, September 24, marked the “6th annual National Punctuation Day.” Each year this day celebrates “the lowly comma, correctly used quotes and other proper uses of periods, semicolons and the ever-mysterious ellipsis.” The goal is to get people to pay attention to not only their p’s and q’s, but also their commas, semicolons and ellipses, parenthesis, apostrophes, exclamation points, dashes and hyphens.

Former newspaperman and copy editor, Jeff Rubin, founded the annual day and successfully bid for September 24 to be listed as a holiday in Chase’s Calendar of Events in 2004. Since then, the Web site has received worldwide coverage. Although the day came and went without a lot of notice this year, even among those working in the journalistic field. It is no wonder given the casual approach to punctuation these days. With Twitter, text messaging, Facebook and other forms of social media, people have taken liberties in forming their own casual dialogue and language, aka slang.

We can all do our part to keep the English language grammatically correct by taking the following vows:

“I will use the apostrophe to show possession, not to pluralize a word.”

“I will promise not to use the apostrophe to show possession in the word its.”

“I will not abuse the use of the exclamation point.”

“I will promise to always put periods inside of quotation marks.”

“I will promise to spell out numbers one through nine, and use figures for 10 and above.”

For questions, please refer to the Grammarians’ bible, “The AP Stylebook,” or test your punctuation skills by taking a quiz. If you are serious about changing your habits and keeping yourself grammatically correct, you can receive newsletters from the Grammar Girl, a friendly way to improve writing skills, every day with her “Quick and Dirty Tips.”

We will revisit this again next year and all take the vows together. Period.
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If it Bleeds it Leads…

2009-09-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

By Tanaya Cook
Are we living in a world today where controversy and negativity are the main topics that get the spotlight? President Barack Obama sure thinks so. In a recent interview with political correspondent George Stephanopoulos, President Obama openly shared his disappointment about media coverage of late. “The easiest way to get 15 minutes on the news or your 15 minutes of fame is to be rude. ... That's something that I think needs to change."

But popular tabloid bloggers such as Perez Hilton have made a full time job out of posting negative pictures and rude comments about celebrities, and every day people flock to read his latest rants. Have we really become a society where important global issues are ignored? Has newsworthiness been replaced by surface level gossip? I guess the age adorned saying still holds truth: “If it Bleeds, it Leads.” I’m off to go check out Perez Hilton☺
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Stand up for (insert cause here)

2009-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

By Robin Bulanti
I’ve always been drawn to volunteer work. I dreamed of joining the Peace Corps but the closest I came was a year spent volunteering as an ESL teacher in China. Today I’m proud to be part of our agency’s efforts to give back, from volunteer hours to a number of charities we support. Volunteering expands the heart, mind and community. And heck, a little outside perspective is always a good thing.

Recently my colleague Tami and I volunteered as media clinicians at the Spin Academy, an annual retreat run by San Francisco’s Spin Project with activists selected for 60 coveted spots. Our assignment was to help train these non-profits in more effective media and communications.

I met some impressive individuals struggling with some pretty familiar challenges: competing for shrinking media attention, doing more with less resources—needing more hands or more hours in the day, sound familiar?—and somehow adding social media to the mix.

I feel strongly that non-profits must engage social networks now, and was surprised how many hadn’t yet jumped in for the cause. In my mind it’s a group that can actually “profit,” not just in mindshare but the real financial sense of the word, from social channels and online community building. Social media can be a way to mobilize people quickly, and a dirt-cheap soapbox.

We’re currently doing our own pro bono work for The Gorilla Foundation, and Koko the Gorilla, famous for her own communication skills. It’s been interesting to watch how this work breathes new life into our team, while all of our clients benefit from the perspective we gain championing a cause.
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Beat L.A.

2009-09-03T10:08:00.001-07:00

By Scott Lechner
Here at Kulesa Faul it’s all about teamwork. From building PR plans to changing out the water bottle at the water cooler, I’m part of a company where (like in baseball) everyone comes together to get the job done.

We work together and we also play together. Several weeks back my colleagues and I went to a Giants game—and not just any old game—but a Giants-Dodgers game that had playoff implications. Our home team won on a walk-off homer in the 11th inning, no less. Aside from the win, the best part was bonding with my teammates outside the office, cheering in unison (and paying no mind to the complaining Dodger fans behind us who said we were blocking their view). The cherry on top though was seeing the Kulesa Faul name in High Definition on the Giants scoreboard. I think we all came back to work the next day feeling like a stronger group.

Our company has a pretty unique culture and our clients view us as a "well oiled machine." I believe our team-building trips have helped to strengthen our relationships and have led to a more productive team-oriented group. After all, it's one thing to collaborate on PR projects, and another to trade mustard stains with a colleague at the ol' ballpark. While both are important, the mustard definitely brings more laughs, and probably a few more memories. Go Giants!
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Am I Guilty of Being an Annoying Facebooker?

2009-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
I came across a CNN.com article by Brandon Griggs this week and couldn't resist opening the link and readying myself to judge all of the "annoying Facebookers" out there. Thank God I am not one of them. After all, I never self-promote. Okay, maybe just once or twice, but who hasn’t? While I try not to reveal the mundane details of my life, surely people would be fascinated to know that my brother is coming to visit this weekend, or that I cant sleep. And I never lurk on the pages of people I don’t regularly communicate with. I’m not a peeping Tom, after all! I am bigger than that (unless of course its my ex-boyfriend, but everyone does that, don’t they?).

Okay, maybe I am an annoying Facebooker…but only to a small degree. I am not a chronic inviter, I don't collect friends and I have never been accused of being a crank. At the end of the day, we have all been guilty of one Facebook offense or another, but one person’s annoying status update is another person’s insight into a friend. One person’s lurking is another person’s chance to say, “I’m over you” or “See what you’re missing.” Might not all be great things, but the one thing we ARE all guilty of is the addictive power of Facebook. In fact, I bet its open on your computer right now...if so, feel free to shoot me a friend request at facebook.com/kellyindrieri. I’m thinking about starting a new collection.
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Questioning the Future of Journalism

2009-08-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
I did a double take when I saw the San Francisco Chronicle (or what’s left of it) on the newsstand today. Sadly, San Francisco's last paid-circulation daily paper has dwindled down to just a few pages of content. It’s not just our city, though. Across the U.S. we’ve seen circulation numbers plunging, ad revenue dropping, staffs being slashed, papers folding and many others declaring bankruptcy. Why? I believe it’s partly due to the fact that we—as consumers of news—have just become too darn impatient. Today, Facebook, Twitter and blogs give us our news as it happens (for free) and the bottom line is that we no longer need to buy a newspaper to find out what’s happening in our world.

While it’s much easier to follow a favorite blogger or Twitterer, I can’t help but wonder if and how this hurts traditional reporting. A journalist (ideally) has a professional responsibility to verify information, check sources, print facts, portray the story from different viewpoints, and have a pretense of being objective. To this end, what a journalist writes has gone through some sort of peer or editorial review process. If publications continue to cut staff and resources, this level of responsibility will surely change. But will this change be for better or for worse? Do you think this new age of ‘digital journalism’ will provide new and better ways of telling a story or are we trading quality of reporting for instant access?

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Viral Video Strikes a Chord

2009-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

By Danielle Salvato
Although many may want it, you can’t force something to become popular. When an issue or campaign goes viral, it is organic, naturally making its way around the world, gaining popularity through word of mouth, the click of a button, blogs, Tweets and re-Tweets and Facebook.

A perfect example of how one viral video made its way to millions of people started with a man and his guitar.

To sum it up quickly, Sons of Maxwell, a Canadian country band, flew on United Airlines in the spring of 2008, traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour. Dave Carroll, the lead singer of the band, witnessed his guitar being thrown around and mishandled by United baggage handlers in the Chicago O’Hare airport. The guitar was severely damaged in the hands of United. After several attempts, Carroll received no compensation from the airline, not one dime. In response, Carroll created a YouTube video on July 6, 2009, titled “United Breaks Guitars.” Carroll has his own blog that details the whole story.

“United Breaks Guitars” has struck a chord with people. Within 10 days of the video’s release, it had received 3,234,157 views. The news has also appeared on national news broadcasts, morning shows and newspapers, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, NPR and the San Francisco Chronicle. It has also hit Mashable, in addition to top IT trade publications, such as Computerworld, making its way around to various audiences and industries. And not to mention the world of Twitter is eating this up.

The video has also gained the attention of United and representatives have reached out to Carroll, although the results of those conversations have not been released publicly. The key takeaway is that through one United traveler’s creativity, wit and compelling social media content, the world backed him up virally and United has finally listened and will likely continue to feel the effects from this social media backlash for some time.
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The Blogger’s Watchmen

2009-07-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

By Dave Struzzi
If you’ve got a blog, the FTC may soon be your biggest fan. That’s because if passed, recently proposed guidelines by the Federal Trade Commission would give the agency unprecedented power to patrol what you write in it.

Of course, these new powers aren’t meant to patrol your daily blog about your newest kitten. Rather, they’re intended to curtail the abuse of “payola” bloggers—those that accept cash and gifts in exchange for writing positively about a company, without disclosing it.

As print media finds itself battling decreasing circulation numbers and online outlets being outpaced by the 24/7 nature of blogs, these blogs have become the go-to destination for millions of people searching for honest advice on their favorite products. But should these blogs be forced to disclose all the freebies they receive? And if so, will people still accept a blog’s advice knowing this?

I believe the changing landscape of online journalism has led to a more mature blog, one that wields more power than ever before. And those that lack full disclosure could potentially alienate their legions of followers. A blog that admits to receiving a product freebie wouldn’t see an effect on readership, but I believe it would receive an increase in reader loyalty. It would also eliminate the many “This blog is in the pocket of Company X” comments that are so rampant.

Blogs have transformed greatly over the past few years. They’ve gone from being younger distant relative to print journalism, to its likely successor. In this way, I believe it must inherit the quality of full disclosure and upfront honesty that enabled print journalism to stay so dominant in the first place.
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Old Brands, New Tricks: Using Social Networking to Reach ‘Always On’ Generation

2009-07-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
Coleman, a well-known retailer of outdoor equipment, was pretty smart to come up with its ‘Original Social Networking’ campaign. This is a great example of a traditional brand leveraging new trends to make itself relevant in a digital age. You’ve probably seen the commercials— folks gathered around a campfire while the narrative talks of the good old days, reminding us that Coleman has been bringing people together long before Facebook and Twitter were invented.

What’s most interesting to me is that Coleman is promoting itself through Facebook and partnering with Apple to integrate the tradition of outdoor activity with today’s technology. By bringing the two together, customers can enjoy the best of both worlds.

At first the idea of this 109 year-old company joining the Web 2.0 movement is a bit like stumbling across your Grandfather on Facebook. But if you check out their profile you’ll see they have some really fun apps available for free download. (My favorite is the one that turns an iPhone into a hand-held light.) Its interesting to see Coleman making the correlation between old and new ways of socializing and actually taking steps to reach a new generation of consumers. I love that after a century of doing business, Coleman still remains true to its mission of creating stronger bonds with family and friends—no matter whether these bonds are created around the campfire or over an Internet connection.
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6 Tips for Reinvigorating Your Corporate Blog

2009-06-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

By Tami Casey
Compelling content is one of the best ways to reach customers and potential customers, and one of the best channels for posting content is the company blog. While the blog is a common on most corporate sites, the quality and freshness of these blogs varies greatly.

Nothing turns off a visitor to your site more than an inactive blog. But in today's "do more with less" world, who has the time to keep the blog fresh? Banish stagnant blogs by resourcing them properly and refreshing content weekly. Here are six tips to help keep the blog fresh and active:

1. Editorial Calendar—Establish an editorial direct/owner and make sure to create a three month calendar of potential topics and owners. Populate the calendar with important dates such as product introductions and industry events.
2. Length—keep blogs to 250–300 words. For lengthy pieces, consider making it a two part story.
3. Repurpose content—Trouble coming up with unique content ideas? Summarize white papers or press releases and mixing in personal opinion to create fresh blog posts. Attending a tradeshow? Repurpose your show description with some unique facts about your tradeshow staff or facts about the tradeshow location.
4. Comment on industry happenings—Is a competitor being acquired? Does an industry leader make a blunder? Is there a particularly interesting industry story to tell? Consider recapping the news with your personal take on the item.
5. Guest bloggers—Do you have a customer that has provided a glowing review of a new feature or a thank you for exceptional service? Consider asking them to pen a guest post on your site.
6. Promote your blog—Use social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to point people to your blog.

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Standing up Against Censorship

2009-06-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
With the recent news that the Chinese government will soon be requiring all personal PCs shipped into the country be bundled with "Green Dam" software (software intended to block access to what the government deems illicit content on the Web), one is left to wonder in the face of this kind of censorship, how much private PC vendors, like HP and Dell, can do to stand up against government censorship for the greater good and the protection of freedom of speech or in this case search.

With PC sales to China projected to exceed 40 million units in 2009, is it too risky a business choice for PC vendors to fight back and potentially lose millions, or even billions, in revenue as a result? It's easy to argue that it is not the job of individual companies to take a moral stance by refusing to go along with this requirement. Yes, it will hurt business, but if they all stand together, could they affect change? One could argue that it is unlikely to change the position of the Chinese government, but a united front, at least, might force their hand and enable a softening of this regulation. Apparently, discussions are in play and I look forward to keeping an eye on the developments and seeing, if come July 1, some policy changes have been made.
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Call to Arms for Securing the U.S. Digital Infrastructure—It’s About Time

2009-06-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

By Cathy Wright
Did you hear the big news on Friday? The government officially acknowledged that the nation’s digital infrastructure is under ‘near constant’ attack. President Obama went on record to say the threat from hackers to critical data systems is among “the most serious economic and national security challenge facing the U.S. today.” A heavy statement, given all the other bad news making headlines every day.

How did we get to this vulnerable point? In my opinion it all comes down to investments…or lack there of. Just as the government needs cash to fix decrepit roadways and bridges and hospitals, it also must invest in the securing of the U.S. data infrastructure as well. Until now, less importance has been placed on the latter and I applaud Obama for now taking cyber crime seriously and for his administration’s decision to address this very real problem. It’s about time.

Given my profession I’m a close watcher of technology innovation and can say that today there are countless technologies out there for stopping hackers and cyber threats. However the fact that Obama is raising awareness around cyber security gives everyone—from universities and hospitals, to the enterprise, to the steps of the White House— pause to re-examine and question their current methods. It’s definitely ‘game on’ for all the security vendors out there and will be interesting to watch.
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'Jumping the Shark'—Are ‘Happy Days’ Over for Twitter?

2009-05-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
A colleague and I were discussing all the celebrities now on Twitter and she said 'Oh yeah, Twitter jumped the shark.' What does this mean? I'm interested! She reminded me about the episode on Happy Days where Fonzie jumps over a confined shark while water skiing, and how that event signified the end of the series.

The phrase has been used more recently outside the realm of popular culture, representing anything that has reached its peak and has declined in quality. With Twitter ‘Kingpins' like Oprah, Ellen, and Kim Kardashian signing up for an account, along with that silly Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN stunt that I blogged about last month, one could argue that Twitter has reached its peak, or "jumped the shark." Do these celebrities even matter?

As editor Harry McCracken puts it in a Technologizer article earlier this week, 'I have nothing against following the rich and famous via Twitter, but it’s not the thing I’d be proudest of if I’d invented Twitter." Well said.

Twitter has proved to be useful in my line of business, but for how long?

Let me know what you think. And, of course, follow me
on Twitter :-) @julietangen

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SEO Experts Be Damned!

2009-05-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

By Tami Casey
I recently attended the Inbound Marketing Summit (#ISM09) in San Francisco where I met many new friends and learned about the latest news and trends from industry experts. The schedule was jam packed and most days left my head spinning. But some of the more “sticky” presentations for me were on content and search. In fact, my key take away from the conference is that marketing in 2009 is about being found online via search, media sites, blogs and social networks.

Do we need the latest hot shot SEO Expert? While SEO expertise is great—the search algorithms and details change at whim. A big part of the strategy for showing up on page one of a search must include provisions to drive organic traffic. Say what? Yep, don’t place all your bets on gaming Google and the SEO gods. Provide a good Web site that helps users find what they are looking for, know who your audience is, where they congregate online, establish a presence on that site, and then create content that your users want. And don’t forget to make that content free and easy to access. Then add a little secret sauce to the recipe. Let your businesses humanity shine through in all that you do online and don’t forget to surprise and delight the prospects that find you. If you manage to do these key things—you will be found online and customers will be sure to come back again and again.
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Windows 7 adoption in the enterprise: Never underestimate the power of public opinion

2009-05-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Scott Lechner
A recent ‘Windows 7 adoption in the enterprise’ survey commissioned by KACE showed that 75 percent of the 1,200 IT professionals polled would not make the move to upgrade to Windows 7 over the next year. Why is this? Turns out that an overwhelming number of respondents cited Windows Vista’s bad reputation as the number one reason they will not make the upgrade. Many of the 15 percent that do plan on upgrading to Windows 7 will choose the more complicated jump from XP to the new OS—completely bypassing the Vista version. An incremental upgrade from XP, to Vista to Windows 7 seems much easier, so it is interesting to see that IT pros are choosing a more complex deployment strategy rather than deal with Vista.

A ‘black cloud,’ such as the one looming over Vista, has the potential of overshadowing future product rollouts and launches, no matter how great the product promises to be. Never underestimate the power of public opinion!

A developer friend of mine said he has been running the Windows 7 beta for a couple months now and loves it. What do you think? Any one else have Windows 7 experience they would like to share?
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Enough with the Swine Flu Already...I'm going to Cabo!

2009-05-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
In the midst of a swine flu media frenzy, I booked a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Why, might you ask? Because sometimes I just don't buy what the media is selling. Don’t get me wrong, I'm a PR person and can appreciate the value of the media because I work with reporters regularly. But do a Google news search for “swine flu” and there are over half a million articles and it’s only been a week since the story broke. It’s depressing and overdone. Even the happy stories get to me after a while—Susan Boyle anyone?

But I digress. I appreciate the warning, but I also like other news along with my episode of ‘Fear Factor.’ Yes there is an outbreak. Yes we need to know. But can someone give me a side dish of ‘citizen makes good’ or ‘business owner wins big’ along with my main course of Swine? National media, hear my plea—I can’t be the only one, can I? (And did I mention that we have a few clients you could cover?) Seriously though, I’m putting away the paper, turning off the news this week and I’m going to Cabo in two months—flu or no flu! Care to join me?
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RSA 2009

2009-04-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

By Tanaya Cook
Last week IT security professionals made their way to San Francisco for the annual RSA Conference at Moscone Center. While attendance was clearly down (and we all know why...); there was no shortage of news on the show floor. Kulesa Faul clients were represented across the spectrum—from the launch of Mykonos, to Cymphonix revealing their latest secure Web gateway solution (Network Revealer), to CoreTrace debating the future of application whitelisting, and Cenzic continuing their fight for stronger Web application security.

All in all, RSA gave us a chance to catch up on the latest trends in security and meet face to face with people we work with every day, clients, press, and analysts. We even got to take in performances from notable figures in the world of music, including critically acclaimed Rock Jazz Pianist, Eric Lewis, at the Drake!

While the SWAG was not as impressive as in past years, we did manage to restock our supply of pens :). See you at RSA 2010!
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Dude, where’s my Twitter?

2009-04-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
Celebrity Ashton Kutcher leveraged Twitter for a publicity stunt this week, challenging CNN to a ‘popularity contest’ to see who can reach the 1 million followers mark first. If he wins, Kutcher says he will "ding-dong ditch" CNN founder Ted Turner's house. While its a pretty funny thought, I can't help but think gimmicks like this might ruin the Twitter experience in the long run. The technology presents us with a way to instantly communicate and listen to experts, influencers, and people who are making real contributions to society—in addition to fun stuff, or whatever is top of mind with friends. Twitter is part of something that has the potential to change the way we all keep in touch; let's hope it doesn't get so polluted with noise that its potential power gets diminished. And, fingers crossed that once Kutcher reaches his one million mark, he’ll have something important to say to everyone. “Dude.”
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Making Good with Gorilla PR

2009-04-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

By Joanna Kulesa
We’ve taken our new president’s “call to arms” on volunteerism to heart, and signed on to represent perhaps the coolest animal on the planet—Koko. Koko is the world famous gorilla versed in American Sign Language with over 1,000 words in her vocabulary. Our agency is thrilled at the prospect of working with The Gorilla Foundation and Koko to spread the word about how critically endangered gorillas are—thousands are being destroyed in the wild each year by humans. By using our PR and social media skills, and Koko’s amazing ability to connect with humans, we hope to make a dramatic impact on raising awareness about the dangers gorillas face, what we can learn from them both scientifically and socially, and on helping the Foundation realize its dream of building a sanctuary and interspecies communication center on Maui for these amazing creatures. Learn more at koko.org and follow our progress here!
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New Beginnings!

2009-03-03T17:08:00.001-08:00

By Joanna Kulesa
Today, Angelique Faul was named principal of the agency and we became Kulesa Faul. I’m so energized by my decision. Let’s face it; last year was tough, with a steadily declining economy. Regardless, we grew our business by 20%. This year is going to prove to be even more challenging, but I’m still interested in growing—never mind slipping into “survival mode”. That’s why I asked Angelique to become my business partner. She deserves it, and brings an energy and drive to our business that I find contagious. It’s going to take super-hero strength, drive and an especially positive attitude to come out on top this year. With Angelique and our talented and committed team at Kulesa Faul, I’m feeling like a bull in a bear market!
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The Best of the Best

2009-03-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

By Cathy Wright
Were you among the 32 million viewers that tuned in for the recent Oscars awards ceremony? I was and wouldn’t miss it for the world. I was on the edge of my seat when Brad and Angelina walked the red carpet and also when it was announced the late Heath Ledger got the nod for best supporting actor for his role in Dark Knight.

For actors, it takes more than talent to win an Oscar. Dedication, hard work, along with a team of professionals are at the core of any successful win. While hairdressers and makeup artists may be considered less important than the actual performance, it's their work that helps to make sure the actor stands out in the eyes of the fans, critics, and the competition. The same sort of thing can be said for Kulesa PR’s work with its clients. While the end goal may be a keynote speaking opportunity rather than an Oscar, it takes the same sort of support, commitment, passion, and quality of product to put our clients on the ‘stage.’

Visit Kulesa PR’s successes page to view examples of recent work with our clients!

Now Is Gone

2009-02-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

By Kristina Molfino
It is true, now really is gone. The KPR team recently huddled in the San Mateo office for a cozy book discussion on Now Is Gone, a primer by Geoff Livingston, which explores the world of new media. While I will admit that I was reading late into the night the day before our discussion, it was a worthwhile read.

As a PR professional today I realize the importance of this statement and feel the need to share, “The evolution of social media is also forcing the most dramatic transformation in PR and corporate communications to date. Now is gone, and it’s time to engage or ….”

Are you ready to jump in?
If so, how?
Unsure, ask us!

To order you very own copy of Now Is Gone, visit Amazon.

Life and business are about taking a risk and hoping for the big pay off

2009-01-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

By Kelly Indrieri
This past weekend my friend, and fellow Kulesa PR employee, Heather Edell and I skydived for the first time. It was a birthday request from Heather, and being the dedicated friend I am, I knew I couldn't let her jump alone. And while I never thought I would do it, I have to say it was amazing. I've always believed that without great risk there is no great reward, but now I know more than ever that this is true. As we look at the year ahead, one that is sure to involve some scary moments we never anticipated, it is more important that ever to take those big risks. Yes, safe is easy and might help you coast through a difficult year, but where does the pay off come in that? Now is the time to jump out of the plane and take a risk—and while the ground may seem to be rushing towards you while you do it—the promise of a great pay off, an amazing memory and a conquered fear can make it all worth it. So to everyone worried about what the year ahead may hold, remember that while there is much to lose by taking the risk, there is also so much more to gain by saying yes and just jumping!

The Year of Change

2009-01-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

By Julie Tangen
I love New Year's—and its not just because of the parties, cocktails and merriment. Each new year brings with it a brand new set of expectations, goals, and endless possibilities. While many people may think to hunker down and hold back this year, 2009 presents a golden chance to do something that matters. Shatter your goals and personal expectations. Lead with authority. Embrace change. Create a movement in a direction that you want to go. Be scrappy. Turn ‘traditional thinking’ on its head. Take chances and do things differently.

Here’s to being bullish in 2009—and Happy New Year (of Change!)

Is PR Obsolete?

2008-10-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

By Robin Bulanti
I feel like it’s the real question underlying the conversation last month from everyone from Scoble to Solis to Arrington. It seems like every day there’s someone new weighing in on the conversation, but it isn’t really a new one. I’ve heard the same flavor of arguments on panels at Businesswire breakfasts for more than a decade.

I purposely kept the title controversial—that’s just good PR. Were you expecting to see this question on a PR website? Is it dangerous to even ask the question? Well, then I’ve done my job. I am a firm believer that you have to ask the hardest question of all to get to the real meat.

To actually answer the question is more complicated. Of course I believe the answer is no. PR is not now or going to become obsolete anytime soon. But there is a deeper current here and that is—PR is changing. And how!

Bloggers decry the end of the smart PR person. They crucify individuals for bad pitches, form or etiquette. And there will always be those individuals in any industry who are lazy, don’t know any better, or don’t take the time to do their homework and who will tarnish a reputation for the rest of us.

But for many in the industry, there continues to be a valuable exchange between media professionals (I’m sorry, I count bloggers here too = new media!) and PR professionals. It’s easy to forget that we often come from the same side—some of us were journalists before embarking on a career in PR and vice versa.

PR has changed and will continue to for lots of reasons—the Internet, blogging, social media, on-demand feeds… I can’t claim to speak for all, but in my mind there is still plenty of room and need for the PR specialist. It may be more challenging than ever, but that’s what makes this field interesting. It is no longer (and never should have been!) one-size-fits-all messaging or strategy. What hasn’t changed is this: be smart and know your audience.

Is Facebook Social?

2008-09-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

By Robin Bulanti
I stalled. I fought it. I said never! But I was curious. I kept hearing “Facebook Facebook Facebook.” I stalled and I waited for as long as possible. But as it started to seem like a business tool I was missing out on, I decided to jump in…

Yes, I’m finally on Facebook. And it’s better and worse than I anticipated. My worst fears confirmed immediately—it’s a distracting, addictive, strange and surreal mash-up of childhood pals, college friends with too much time on their hands, professional colleagues and clients, and in some cases, complete strangers who want to add me as a friend (who are they?).

It’s an ever-expanding social “utility” for pastimes like photo sharing, networking and socializing, new applications, along with the less-than-useful silly quizzes and time-wasters (and sure, I do those too). Does it have a shot as a serious business contender? Will it help mobilize individuals for social change and causes? Who cares, I’m hooked. My poor, neglected Yahoo! has been officially upstaged by Facebook.

In a strange way, what I don’t like about Facebook is also what I love about it. Online, we’re more AND less connected than ever. I miss real letters in the mail, personal connections, face-to-face meetings and phone calls (texts don’t count!). But like everyone else, I have less time than ever. And Facebook (like Twitter and others) requires practically zero effort to follow my friends’ ups and downs, every move and random thought. Now I may not have spoken to someone in 10 years, but I know what they ate for lunch…now that’s weird.

The world (and my network) is larger and smaller than ever before. It’s a little big brother, it’s a little thrilling, and for now at least, it’s pretty fun. But feel free to write me a letter and pop it in the mail, I still miss that.

Communications Problems at the FAA

2008-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Indrieri
Scary to think that the FAA does not have a quality backup system—but it looks like this might be the case. Yes, the FAA announced that, and I quote, "A failure in the agency’s flight plan processing system, called NADIN, took place around 1:25 p.m. Eastern Time today."

NADIN handles the flight plans filed by airlines before the aircraft take off. The plans contain information like the departure and arrival points, the type of aircraft, the route, the name of the pilot and the number of people on board, etc.

When the FAA went to switch to their backup system, which apparently was not running in real time, many of the flight plans had to be refiled and passengers were left waiting.

In a day and age when small mom and pop grocery chains are running zero downtime disaster recovery and backup systems and the FAA is not, one has to ask—should we be worried? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

8 Miles High—and Online

2008-08-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
It's really happening—American Airlines is now offering internet access on flights. As someone who used to live in New York City and a frequent flyer between JFK and SFO, I always dreaded the flights because of the long periods of downtime. Although its nice to 'unplug' and essentially hide out from the world for a time, 6-8 hours is far too long to be away from email—especially when you work in high tech. As a famous person once said, "we cannot allow ourselves to commit the sin of turning our backs on time." Companies can be bought and sold, new products launched, editors are on deadline looking for quotes...all happening while I’m 35,000 feet in the air (and may as well be on the moon, as far as internet access is concerned). Eight hours in high tech can seem like an eternity.

I'd absolutely pay the $12.95 for internet access on a flight—in fact I'd probably pay a lot more. But since I live in California now and rarely do cross country flights, I suppose its a moot point :-).

I’m curious to hear what everyone else thinks about internet access on flights—let me know!

Not as "Cuil" as Google

2008-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

By Julie Tangen
I've been testing out Cuil...If only its product worked as well as its marketing! With weird search results, a strange service architecture, misplaced images, and the name itself working against it (I heard a guy on the radio pronounce it as "Quill"), Cuil’s launch was less than stellar.

While I love the idea of a newer, hungrier search engine, my workload became increasingly difficult using Cuil because I couldn't find accurate references to the things I need to do my job. In fact, most of my searches resulted in nothing useful at all. Also, the style of content layout (with thumbnail inclusion) is not to my liking. Call me old fashioned, but I've grown accustomed to Google's simplicity. And it works so well that some of us probably take it for granted. If you want to rekindle your ‘Google Love’ I suggest trying Cuil for a day (or even just 5 minutes). You’ll coming running back!

I’d love to hear from others who have checked out Cuil—what was your experience?

How to Stay Motivated During the “Dog Days” of Summer

2008-07-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

By Kristina Molfino
We have all been there, 3:08 at work on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in July. Your gaze travels back and forth from computer screen to the blue cloudless sky out the window. Tick, 3:09. You daydream of laying on a deserted beach working on your tan. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my job! Even so, it can be hard to remain motivated during these summer days. If you find yourself having trouble fighting off summeritis here are a few tips:

Get out of the office—I know that not everyone has time to get out for lunch. But, at a minimum get up and get outside, even if it is just for a quick walk around the block. I always notice that even a few minutes in the fresh air gives me a whole new perspective.

Set goals—Make daily lists of reasonable tasks that you will accomplish. This will not only keep you focused, but also help you stay organized.

Stay hydrated—According to the World Health Organization, there is an immediate improvement in cognitive performance and immediately following a drink. Better hydration = better concentration!

Try something new—With co-workers taking vacation time, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer for projects that maybe outside of your norm. This could be a great opportunity to learn how to do something new!

If all else fails… take a vacation day!

The Aerial Inbox

2008-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

By Dave Struzzi
For some, six hours of unchecked emails can result in an inbox that’s more crowded than a Japanese subway car during rush hour. As a New York City representative for companies based in Silicon Valley, I frequently find myself on flights to and from both coasts, on this six-hour communications black hole. Some might argue that this void is a good way to “disconnect” from the pervasiveness of the Internet and “relax,” but for those dependent on email availability, it can be a nightmare. (And who can ‘relax’ on a planes filled with shrinking legroom, bad movies, and choruses of crying babies anyway?) After all, what’s the use of owning a Smartphone and laptop that can access email only if it’s tethered to the ground?

It’s all come to an end, however. Finally, my savior has arrived. American Airlines, Jet Blue and others have begun to introduce in-flight Wifi to planes. Initial reception to the in-flight Wifi service has been very positive, and it’s about time. It’s interesting to see that for every leap in wireless data technology, the airline industry was notoriously missing from the mix. We could send information from the earth to the moon, but not to planes a few miles up?

Offering the Internet on planes will be a boon to many in the communications industry, but it might turn out to be a mixed blessing for the average traveler. In-flight Wifi will undoubtedly bring with it VoIP and the ability to make in-flight calls the norm. As much as I like staying up-to-date on emails, this might be a difficult tradeoff. I can already hear the incessant chatter.

As eager as I am to try this new Wifi service, I think we sometimes take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to send email through the air. In the public relations industry, being agile and responsive with correspondence is critical. You snooze, you lose. It makes you wonder how PR existed before computers and the Internet were commonplace and word processing software was there to change your “hte” to “the.” Imagine typing a press release on a typewriter, getting to that final character, and hitting the wrong key. Or, (gasp) snail mailing or faxing that press release to 300 reporters. Need same day distribution? You had better know some good carrier pigeons.
Though the idea of working with carrier pigeons intrigues me somewhat, I think I’ll stick with my Wifi, wherever I can get it.