Posts by Russell Brown
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
He's scary enough with the Broil-King!
I am teh Broil King King!
-
i have enough supplies in this house for a makers room
I can haz laser-etcher? Somebody must have one ...
On the evidence of this year there will be a lot of MacBook Pros to decorate. They are clearly now teh geek machine.
-
I don't expect paid advertising to impact on how my company is reported but to be asked for $10k and then not get a sniff of inclusion in the reportage is a bit cheeky.
I reckon you're within your rights to drop the journalist a line and say you'd heard the supplement was going in and that you might have some material of interest for it. You'll most probably be welcomed -- unless you mention the advertising.
-
It seems like the whole point of FOO is to be there in person - consequently a bit frustrating to want reports from those who weren't there ...
It seems that FOO is a kind of a personal multi tasking accelerator so that relationships between all the attendees are all improved for the other projects. The physical equivalent of very high bandwidth...
Along with novel routing ... people talk to people they normally wouldn't talk to, and talk to people they know well in a different context than usual, including way into the night over a few drinks.
Nat also passed on Ian Wright's comment that Kiwi Foo was more level and relaxed than US Foo Camp, where there are quite a few people desperate to prove themselves. You're not gonna get digirati fame out of our one, but you might get together with someone who really helps you (which was certainly the case for me this year).
I still struggle a bit with not being able to invite everyone and not reporting everything (both my natural instincts) but there's real value for the technical people especially in being able to say to a small group of their peers "here's what we're working on" or "here's where we really fscked up".
-
oh how awesome lucy made it up
i love felt, and what Lucy is doingDamn shame you couldn't join us, Sue. It would be cool to have a makers' room next year.
-
but in the meantime, can you, or someone else who was there, give us some of the highlights of this, if that doesn't break any Foo house rules.
It was oriented around the tech industry, but ...
- Think about what a story is, particularly for TV, which needs pictures (and pictures of computer screens don't count). If you have the ability to bring in "good talent" (ie: a good interview subject with a good story to tell) it can be worth the investment.
- Don't PR spam: a personal email from someone who has taken the trouble to think about what I might be interested in and even suggest an angle is much more effective than a press release banged out to a long list of people, regardless of whether it's relevant. (Also, don't make people launch an attachment to find out what you're saying. If in doubt, you can put the info in both the message body and that lovingly-crafted Word document.)
- It's okay to follow up by phone or email, but don't get your nose out of joint if your journalist has to be reminded about your original email. S/he might have had a couple of dozen of them that day.
- Don't throw a wobbly if the story doesn't turn out to be the product promotion you envisaged. If you want advertising, pay for advertising.
- Never demand copy approval -- it makes journalists' lives impossible -- but it is okay to suggest that the journalist can call you back to check points of fact, especially on a complex story.
- Providing facts and figures as background information is helpful.
- Most journalists will be okay about hearing information they can't immediately go to press with, or to get a tip that can't be attributed, but it's difficult to do this with first building some trust. Going on and off the record repeatedly in an interview is just confusing.
- Journalists will happily go to a comms person for corporate comment, but having to interview someone who's actually hands-on via a PR person is maddening. Brief such people on the limits of what they can say (media train them if you must) and let them say it.
- Don't get so carried away with your media training and "bridging" that you don't actually directly answer any questions.
- It's okay to say that you can't comment on a particular question. It's better than expounding on something you're not qualified to comment on.
- Don't give someone the impression they have an exclusive on something then go behind their backs and promise the same thing to someone else.
-
If the Ropatis want to give the impression that they're a family of vindictive bullies, they're going the right way about it.
Given that we've pretty much established that Ropati drove his car around whilst very drunk that evening, with no thought for the welfare of anyone else on the road, I find his brother's talk of a private prosecution against the complainant for her admitted cocaine use somewhat beyond disgusting.
-
If we want to talk of cutting university offerings, perhaps we should start with schools of business/management. They represent the debasement of the purpose of an university education.
Them's fightin' words!
-
Will be looking forward to the reports.
Sure. Just about to go, but I'll try and get together something along the lines you suggest next week.
-
A (defence) lawyer of my acquaintance commented thus to me this morning:
1. Gary Gotlieb was essentially and primarily blowing his own promotional trumpet -as usual unashamedly
2. Prior to the Trial beginning Gotlieb would have made an application pursuant to section 347 of the Crimes Act to have the matter not put before the jury for lack of evidence - clearly that application failed -- a District Court Judge denied that application
3 . It took the jury 12 hours to come to a unanimous verdict ... clearly there was significant evidence that gave them concern .
4 . When Gotlieb tried to say bringing the charges was " PC madness", that was a real low point . Mr Gotlieb is a big ACT supporter.
5 . Unfortunately it was poor form on the part of the victim to have become isolated form her friends at that particular bleak bar given the state she was in - but that does not mean she does not deserve the protection and subsequent enforcement of the law .
6. I actually think Ropati was lucky to get off: "unproven", the verdict would have been had it been in Scotland .
Last ←Newer Page 1 … 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 … 2279 Older→ First