Many of the articles on the passing of Steve Jobs highlighted his Stanford commencement speech and his gift for storytelling. I raked the media coverage to see if anyone actually focused on his communications expertise. A few did with the best one ironically coming from MIT’s media property, Technology Review. David Zax penned a post …more
I got hooked on European soccer when I lived in the UK for a couple years. Taking the train from Redding to Liverpool for a match at Anfield where I was hugged after a Michael Owen goal – Who says the Brits don’t have emotion? – was quite an experience. So when I stumbled across the following …more
I’ve periodically addressed how to give your storytelling in a blog a fighting chance to find an audience through search engines. A colleague recently asked me to take a look at her blog and offer immediate thoughts on how she might improve traffic. Here’s the note with some minor “clean-up” which might have relevance for others. Dear Lost …more
I haven’t. Until now. Welcome to U.S. District Court of California with the Honorable John F. Walter presiding over the spat between the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Zediva, which rents DVDs online. One quick housekeeping note – While we support Zediva on the PR front, we had no involvment with the brief. I’m guessing I’ve read through 100 or so …more
Welcome to the midway point of 2011. Time flies when you’re telling stories. I’ve captured my top-10 list from the past six months. 1) Q&A With 12-year-old Creator Of “Good Morning Geek,” Max Swisher This interview with Max shows that blogging wisdom comes from all quarters. Of course, I had to ply Max with hot cocoa to …more
Don Ranley taught at the Missouri School of Journalism for 32 years. He has conducted more than 1,000 writing, editing and publishing seminars. And let’s not forget he reported for the “The Catholic Herald Citizen” (weekly, circ. 180,000) in Milwaukee from 1966-1967. In short, here’s a guy who’s knows a thing or two about storytelling. I connected with Don last week after …more
Long-form journalism remains a mainstay of sports. I consider Sports Illustrated one of those pleasures up there with the “Dining Section” in the New York Times and the Red Sea blend from Philz Coffee. A story in last week’s edition on Jason Kidd called “The Old Man And The Heat,” caught my attention. First, it’s great to see …more
Cracking The New York Times, The Washington Post or a like target with an op-ed is not for the squeamish. Your storytelling must be crisp, clever and ideally contrarian with a clear point of view (my high school English teacher would be pleased that I was paying attention to the alliteration lesson). And after articulating the issue, the close must answer the question, “So …more
I’m referring to the “About” section of a blog. Think about this for a moment. What type of visitor is going to click for more information about your company’s blog? Right. First-time visitors. This is the property’s big moment to make a positive first impression. Yet, most company blogs simply push out the company line. There’s no …more
