Technically, it’s Thursday, but for most people in America, today feels more like a Friday. That’s because today is the last day of the work week. Hooray! Starting Friday and through the weekend, we’ll be eating, drinking, watching fireworks — collectively celebrating Independence Day. However, we shouldn’t get so caught up in the festivities that we forget those men and women who put their lives in danger everyday to answer the armed services’ call of duty.

When I woke up this morning, I was excited for “Red, White & Bleu” — a party being thrown by one of our friends. We’ll drink red and white wines and eat lots of cheese. What could be a better way to kick off the long weekend than a pre-holiday celebration with friends, right?

But, then I checked the news this morning. And heard the sad news about the capturing of an American soldier in Afghanistan. My brother was in the army — and served multiple times in war zones. Just knowing that he might be in harm’s way was terrifying. I shudder to think what the family of this captured soldier is going through.

As we “ooh” and “ahh” and celebrate this weekend, let’s not forget that there are lots of very brave people who aren’t home with thier families. Instead, they volunteered to lay it all on the line to make sure we Americans have the opportunity to shoot off our fireworks and to celebrate our freedom. That’s what this weekend should be about. And, don’t forget to say an extra prayer for everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan, but especially for the soldier being held in captivity.

Photo credit: respres

Every time I get in the car, I can find at least one radio station playing an old Michael Jackson song — a tribute to the artist … a reminder of his sad, troubled demise.

The King of Pop’s unexpected death on Thursday caused the nation to stand still. Sort of. See, while the nation collectively paused, typing fingers kicked into high gear. Online celebrity gossip site TMZ broke the story and shaped the narrative — first by posting news of Jackson’s rush to the hospital and then again with word of his death, mixed with reports of drug abuse and audio of the initial 911 call. Traditional news outlets, like CNN and the LA Times, were way behind.

I happened to be home when the story broke. After reading the news on Twitter, I turned on the television to monitor reports from CNN and MSNBC — assuming one of the cable networks would confirm the death and provide more details than one can glean in 140 characters. Boy, was I wrong. From yesterday’s New York Times:

For more than an hour, TMZ was essentially the only outlet claiming that Mr. Jackson was dead. Television and newspaper journalists read the TMZ report but largely held off on repeating it, for fear of making a mistake. Still, the bulletin traversed the Web with remarkable speed, creating a stark divide: on the Internet Mr. Jackson was dead, and on TV he was still alive.

During that hour-long gap, Twitter was buzzing. In fact, at its peak, 15% of all tweets mentioned Michael Jackson. (To put that in perspective, tweets about Iran and the swine flu never surpassed 5%.) Heck, Ryan Seacrest even tweeted that he received confirmation of Jackson’s death from his source at the hospital. In the midst of all this chatter, more than a few comments were made about the slowness of traditional media and the fact that they were being “outscooped” by a gossip site and Twitter. Interestingly, CNN — seemingly aware that these negative comments were being made about their journalistic abilities — tried to explain. To paraphrase anchor Wolf Blitzer, rumors were swirling, but CNN was working hard to confirm information with their own sources.

And that brings us to the difference between spreading information and journalism. As Brian Clark (aka @copyblogger) put it:

Information does not equal journalism, but MSM needs to realize that information no longer has gatekeepers.

Before blogs and Twitter, reporters chose which stories would be shared with the public and when. They used to have time to line up all their sources and weave together a narrative to share with their audiences. No longer. Information spreads too quickly for that to happen — thanks to the immediacy of the Internet and services like Twitter and Facebook.

Check out this August 2008 exchange on CNN’s Reliable Sources between host Howard Kurtz and New York Times reporter David Carr:

KURTZ: David Carr, let’s pull back the camera a little bit. I mean, this was a story that wasn’t reported at all by the major media. Now it’s all over cable and every place else. What does it say about the old media gatekeepers that this got out, that everybody found out about this, without our participation?

CARR: Well, I was taught when I was a young reporter that it’s news when we say it is. I think that’s still true, it’s news when we say it is. It’s just who “we” is has changed. Members of the public, people with modems, people with cell phones are now producers, editors. They can push and push and push on a story until it ends up being acknowledged by everyone.

As the Jackson story was breaking, one of my Facebook friends mocked CNN, updating her status to read “TMZ, the most trusted name in news.” If traditional media outlets want maintain their status as the most trusted, most turned to peveyer of news then they need find a way to balance journalism with information dissemination. I’m not saying they should spread unfounded rumors; however, if they cotinue to adhere to  the old journalism model, won’t they get scooped time and time again? Especially when it comes to breaking news, “old media” can’t be the last ones to the party.

At the same time, we (society) needs to appreciate the resources, skill and knowledge that goes into high-caliber journalism. Excellent reporting happens on television, in newspapers and, yes, even on blogs every day. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find it — and have some patience.

When citing reasons why companies should to embrace social media, consultants like to say that “people are talking about your brand, so you need to join the conversation.” While that’s true in many cases, it’s not that simple.

There are lots of brands that aren’t the focus of online discussions — especially for those that have never implemented a PR strategy or that tend to keep a relatively low profile. For PR people, that raises an interesting question: How do we deal with clients that aren’t inspiring conversations? On one hand, it means they’re probably not *terrible* (otherwise people would complain, right?), but they’re not outstanding either. At least not outstanding enough to generate positive reviews, feedback or chatter. In this case, silence isn’t golden. It may mean your company or service is just so-so, or not very well known. Either way, it’s not a good thing.

But, that’s precisely when PR people should suggest a social media strategy. Seize the opportunity to introduce yourself to the online community. Instead of letting a crisis force you into social media, take control and create a strong first impression.

Rachel Kay’s post today about measuring perception and awareness got me thinking about this topic. (Sidenote: I’d encourage you to read that to learn about measuring social media effectiveness.) Remember that you shouldn’t ignore social media just because the online community happens to be ignoring your brand. In fact, I say that’s a perfect time to jump in. What do you think?

Photo credit: irina slutsky

ESPN Radio’s dynamic duo, Mike and Mike (aka Greeny and Golic), were baffled by the whole concept of Twitter on today’s morning show. The conversation was sparked by the realization that Kevin Love tweeted that the Timberwolves fired their coach, breaking the news before the team officially announced it.

From there, the two Mikes tried to understand what people tweet, why they do it and the obsession with celebrities. As I was driving to work this morning, I couldn’t help but laugh as they wondered what Ashton Kutcher tweets … and why anyone cares.
Here’s the thing: I don’t care what Oprah or Ashton tweet. (Guilty pleasure alert: I might care a little about what US Weekly tweets!)  But, I do care about hearing about what’s really going on in Iran, how a sister used the power of Twitter to help save her brother’s life, monitoring what thought-leaders in my industry are up to and developing cool relationships with people across the country — most of whom I never would have met (in real life or online) if it hadn’t been for Twitter. There’s value in Twitter — as long as you use it to track people, issues and conversations that interest .

This has been a challenging week, to say the least. My grandmother passed away last Saturday, the first time I’ve experienced an unexpected death like this. It’s all still a little difficult for me to process, let alone write about.

During the church service, my godfather delivered the eulogy. Combine that with the homily from the priest, and I walked away with two things that I think we can all try to remember:

1. Don’t be too busy.
2. Get your priorities straight.

My godfather talked a lot about how Nanny (what I call my grandmother) was never too busy for her family. She always had time for their games, or for diner or just to take an interest in whatever was going on in their lives. Now, I realize things were a lot different 30, 40 years ago — and the rat race has surely intensified since then. Don’t you often feel like you need to be working more? If you’re anything like me, you’re attached to your iPhone (or Blackberry) and working in the evenings or weekends. And, that’s fine — to a certain extent. But, if it’s getting in the way of spending quality time with friends and family, that’s problematic.

Which leads me to the second point: priorities. As the priest explained, we need to set aside time to reexamine our priorities. When we get caught up in the day-to-day grind, we tend to lose sight of the big picture. And that’s when our priorities get all out of whack. Even silly stuff — something like going to the gym to live healthier — falls by the wayside. Or, we rush through dinner because we have emails to answer or something else that needs to be written. (I guess those tasks are applicable to my job. But, whatever your career is, you probably have that long to-do list that follows you home, too. Right?)

For four days last week, I was out of the office — in fact. out of the state — to attend the viewings and funeral. It was amazing to see 500 people come to the viewings and all those people at the church. They were there because my grandmother was an amazing person — someone who was never too busy for friends and family … someone who had her priorities straight. That time away helped me get perspective — and to rethink my priorities. So, here’s to focusing less on stupid, trivial things and focusing more on what really matters in life.

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During election season, there was more than enough talk about the sanctity of life, the healthcare system and the widening gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.” And, as much as I’ve tried to stay off my soapbox, a recent situation got my blood boiling because it incorporates all three of these hot-button issues.

Veronica De La Cruz — a former CNN reporter — has launched a high-profile campaign to help save her brother’s life. From a recent press release:

Her brother, Eric De La Cruz, 27, is dying in Nevada. He is suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy and needs a heart transplant immediately. His heart, weakened and enlarged, is now incapable of pumping blood efficiently. The decreased organ function also severely limits his kidney function and his creatinine levels are high, all which result in fluid retention. The diuretic-type medications which he is currently taking are no longer working. Making matters worse, he cannot get health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.

Eric’s young age, however, makes him a great candidate for a heart transplant. Unfortunately, because of where he lives, he is unable to get his name on the transplant list.

He lives in Nevada, where there are no transplant centers. And because he has Nevada Medicaid, authorities will not put him on a list to have a heart transplant in another state. To the friends and family of Eric De La Cruz, it certainly appears to be a very flawed system.

Uh, you think??? It’s inconceivable to me that this man’s life is being threatened by a broken healthcare system. If he lived in another state (one that performed these kinds of procedures), he’d have no problem getting the necessary procedure. Lucky for him, he has a smart, tech-savvy sister who understands the inner workings of the media. As a reporter, she knows how to draw attention to a situation. And, it’s working. According to her Twitter stream, Nevada state legislators are feeling the pressure and are starting to take steps to help her.

In the meantime I’m sitting in his hospital room in ICU CCU and get better reception here so I’m gonna try to get some email done. I’m also going 2 try to fill out some forms sent over by Sen. Ensigns office. The good news is after all the media attn, the offices of Ensign, Reid and Titus all called. But the sad thing is, it shouldn’t have 2 take Ch. 8 & 13 asking them why this is happening 4 Eric 2 get help.

That’s the part of all this that struck me. I hope her efforts are successful and that she can find a way to save her brother’s life. As a sister, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to face a situation like this where you are all but helpless — relying on Twitter and total strangers to help save a family member’s life. But, the sad thing is that her brother Eric isn’t the only person facing this situation. If a person living in a mobile home in the backhills of Iowa was facing a similar situation, do you think anyone would care? Would legislators even give it a second glance? Would hundreds — if not thousands — of people rally around the cause even if there wasn’t a “celebrity” involved? Probably not. And that’s sad.

Here in Florida, we have a home insurance program available for people who otherwise couldn’t get that kind of insurance (gotta love those hurricanes). Why couldn’t we have that same kind of solution for healthcare? Even if that isn’t the best answer, we need something! I want to fault the insurance companies for not providing Eric coverage. But, I’m smart enough to realize that insurance companies are for-profit organizations. While I think they should show a little humanity — lots of companies take on pro bono cases all the time just because it’s the right thing to do — I can’t totally fault them. But, if we’re not willing to force the private market to provide coverage, than we as taxpayers must be willing to pick up the slack. No one should experience what the De La Cruz family is going through. No one should ever have to consider unnecissarily bury a loved one.

Twitter purists aren’t huge fans of all the recent attention the microblogging service has received. But, as marketers, aren’t we glad that the media coverage has piqued the attention of a whole new group of people? Just think — that many more people to learn from … to engage with. Or, at the very least, the basis for a this hilarious video!

This past weekend, I visited San Antonio for the first time. Now, I’m sure  I’ve heard the story of the Alamo at least a dozen times during school, but seeing it in real life was much more interesting. I’m amazed at how many of the facts and details I didn’t learn (or, more likely, forgot). But, taking the real-life Alamo tour I’m sure will help me retain the story.

That got me thinking: How much do we learn in school that goes in one ear and out the other? How much do we learn but don’t actually apply? How much do we think we know just because we read it in a book? For example, someone recently told me that they wouldn’t write e-marketing pieces with contractions, because “proper” writing doesn’t include contractions. This person said my approach, which includes contractions, is a “generational difference.” (For the record, it’s not. It’s understanding how to write appropriately for different mediums. And, I didn’t write the particular piece this person was referencing. But that’s beside the point.) She thought her way was better … probably because YEARS ago, someone taught her that it was the “right” way.

Here’s what I got from the Alamo (aside from actually learning the real story): Experiencing something — doing something — in real life is more applicable than what you get from a textbook. Imagine how much more prepared today’s workforce would be if education focused on experiences, not just memorizing and regurgitating facts.

Magic star Dwight Howard made a point earlier this week. Paraphrasing, he said you gotta let your dominate player dominate. Last night, Howard got the ball, had a 20/20 game, and the Magic beat the Celtics. So, maybe there’s some truth to the Howard domination theory.

Frequently, people walk on eggshells, spread the ball around, giving players equal time. Perhaps we can learn a real-life lesson from Orlando’s Superman. Thoughts?

I found this and meant to post it yesterday … but here it is a day late. Hope you had a fun fiesta!

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