I recently proposed, designed and helped a client execute a letter writing campaign. That's right, a snail mail through the post kinda campaign that grandma would recognize. I did this despite being able to type, knowing that the internet existed, and having wasted hours reading those social media books that…
Read More
June marks my sixth month as the owner of a Comms shop. I worked with clients for a few years before I officially launched Proper Propaganda in January, but had the safety net of a salaried job to fall back on. This business owner thing has been a ride. Here…
Read More
Content is where so much begins these days. The tough part is, as communicators, we've been thrown headlong into planning, creating and disseminating it for our employers, clients and other stakeholders. Let's face it, our record as content marketers is mixed at best. It's understandable. Though it doesn't always feel…
Read More
The social media world is pretty convinced there's nothing quite like Pinterest. I've only recently started messing around with the site, so I can't say for sure. It has, however, occurred to me that Pinterest has a lot in common with bacon. Here are 5 similarities: Seeing leads to action.…
Read More
Ever read The Doubter's Companion by John Ralston Saul? If not, give it a whirl. I am not JRS, and cannot write near as eloquently as he. However, I work and play with social media, and sometimes I'm moderately jaded about the whole thing. Maybe you are too? If so,…
Read More
Last month's post on 44 things the media wish PR pros knew seemed to strike a chord with readers. One astutely underlined the need to flip the script and let bloggers and jounos know the other side. Here, then, are 12 things I wish the media knew: That PR is…
Read More
The internet gives users a never before seen power of personal reinvention. While there are more than a smattering of examples of this fact being leveraged for evil, on balance, I've generally viewed it as a good thing. Of late, though, my opinion has changed, largely because of the nature of…
Read More
The blogosphere is a veritable 24/7/365 help-a-thon. It's overflowing with tips to create a better, smarter you. It got me thinking, what if you wanted to do the opposite? What if you were seeking to become dumber? Well, I've got a few ideas I've tried that really work. Here are…
Read More
Blog posts are usually written on the fly. They're read that way too, so the blogosphere is full of listicles and trite nonsense. More and more, I am convinced that the best thing a blogger can do with a post is write a draft, save it and then stop looking…
Read More
I, and others, have talked a lot about the differences between bloggers and journalists. A recent episode at my wife's store brought the wide chasm between the two camps to light. The shop's prepared food was reviewed by a journo from the local English language daily. Before I go any further, let me say…
Read More