Down to the Wire

David Simon is a great storyteller. His first non-fiction book, “Homicide - A Year on the Killing Streets,” is a 599-page tour de force for any student of real police dialog and sublime reportage. The book slapped me with a realization that newspapers and their limited news columns and budgetary pressures seen in full flight today could never truly capture the depths of human struggle. 
Better known as the creator [...]

Are Bloggers Journalists?

As only the web can do, it led me to this post of a new media blogger. Without a doubt, he’s got a following. Check the string of comments as the blogsphere debates journalism ethics.
I wonder how many popular bloggers or blogs claiming the journalism mantle are members of the Society of Professional Journalists and follow [...]

Presidential Pack Mentality

When I pointed out five days ago the three main message points Bill Clinton used to win the White House, I had a feeling the economy would eventually move up the list of issues in the 2008 presidential race.
But not quite this fast. 
It’s a plus for voters, especially those of us who will participate in Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
The campaigns are now compressed [...]

Message, Message, Message

A fascinating but non-scientific polling of Facebook members shows they wanted to hear more discussion on the economy than any other issue during last night’s debates in New Hampshire. The alignment:
Republicans: 48%
Democratcs: 42%
Can non-traditional live polling results be a window into where speeches will move as candidates sharpen their messages?
Here’s a 1992 reminder that James Carville, campaign advisor to former President Bill Clinton, posted on [...]

Nixon v. Kennedy in New Hampshire

New York Senator Hillary Clinton must deliver her best performance Saturday.
The New Hampshire Debates provide the perfect chance to bounce back.
Will someone from either political party come away looking like Richard Nixon did when he squared off with John F. Kennedy?
Iowa fatigue, HDTV and insurgent candidates add up to drama. Then the videos begin their second extended run on Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.
The bond between television and the web has changed the way we [...]

Sending a Message Without Saying a Thing

If you watched any of the Iowa Caucuses, you may have noticed. 
One candidate gave an acceptance speech alone on a raised platform.
That marketing decision by advisors for Illinois Senator Barack Obama was as important as the words he delivered. It symbolized fearless. It magnified delivery. It elevated him higher than his first place finish among Democrats. 
Advisors for other top finishers, including [...]

Geek Squad + 60 Minutes Broadcast = Gold

You’ve got to hand it to the Geek Squad. By all appearances, the brand (part of BestBuy) is growing. A year ago, employees (”agents”) totaled 12,000. In December, the number swelled to 17,000 . Dogged by a handful of bloggers, the brand managed to reach its core audience through television ad rotations and aggressive national public relations with regional tactics.
Viral marketing [...]

Twitter Lite: How Not to Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Site

Do you Twitter?
CNN does very infrequently compared to the average Twitter fan.
Compare to BBC in UK.
More than 17,000 updates v. about 200. The wonders of Twitterfeed.
Technorati has also cooled off on its Twitter.

Vote for Him and Her

Hillary Clinton and John McCain got valuable free airtime on Monday’s national news programs. But it’s likely only one of them will be around after the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary. Endorsements for Clinton and McCain from the Des Moines Register should provide a “bump” of a few polling percentage points. What the endorsements [...]

Top 10 Words of 2007

The website, dictionary.com has posted its Top Words of 2007. The list of 10 words or phrases were chosen because they figured heavily in dictionary.com’s search logs and searches elsewhere on the Internet. Here they are (and why) in the past 12 months.
Jan. - water intoxication(fatal outcome of a contest where entrants held their “wee for a Wii”)
Feb. - coffee art (visuals atop [...]