the press release is dead

Is it a waste of taxpayer money to send a national direct mail piece alerting us that ... we will be receiving another mail piece next week? How much is the combined cost of this mail piece, plus the expensive TV ads they've been running (including one during the Super Bowl)?

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Mashable is featuring a BBC poll in which a majority of respondents say they believe Internet access is a "fundamental right" ....

In a study conducted by the BBC World Service, four in five respondents said they believe web access is a fundamental right. 

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Supposedly, these odd looking shoes are suppose to do wonders for my back and knees. They simulate natural, barefoot running. I certainly hope so!

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I took advantage of a rare sunny Winter day in Chicagoland for a nice, long run on the Illinois & Michigan Canal — and snapped these iPhone pics along the way.

       

Click here to download:

Saturday_Run_on_the_IM_Canal.zip (5320 KB)

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One of the most frequently asked questions of marketers looking to engage with "social media" tools is:  what's my return on investment (ROI)?

The number of blogs (and even books) that have been written on this topic is seemingly endless.  

I think we should stop looking for the "ROI" and instead start talking about "Benefits of Engagement" (BOE).

Here's why ...

Too many folks begin their social media odyssey with an eye on how they can turn a quick buck.  That leads to the all-too-common "tweetbot" syndrome that causes people to fill your Twitter accounts with spam, online coupons and other junk.

Looking at your engagement with online tools with an eye first on profits leads to impatience, attempts to cut corners in order to make fast cash, and hurts the long term effort of your communications program.

It also can lead you to utilize online tools as a one-way communication device, focusing on eyeballs and clicks — rather than truly engaging in conversation, networking and providing real value.

For someone like me, who works with many advocacy and political clients, focusing on "ROI" is simply a drawback.  These clients especially want to focus on how they can utilize online tools as an ATM machine.  They see a handful of candidates like Barack Obama raising huge sums of money, and want to do the same (ignoring the fact that the Obama campaign spent almost a year engaging in conversation and creating a narrative before they ever asked for even a dollar donation from their network.)

We also work with think tank clients, where looking at "ROI" simply isn't a good measure.

That's why I like the term "Benefit of Engagement."  It puts the focus where it should be (on engagement) and takes note that the benefits your organization receives may not simply be financial — but measured in a host of other ways.

In the end, it's all just semantics.  But these types of semantics are important when trying to get newbie organizations into the right mindset on how to engage effectively online.

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This morning, we spotted a Facebook ad for the new movie, "The Bounty Hunter" (starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler).  More than just a simple fan page, this promo is built around a new "Bounty Hunter" game in which you can put a bounty on your friends.  We didn't have time to play the game (and wanted to avoid "friending" this page), but would love to hear your thoughts on it.  Will it be effective?

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Illinois State Senator Bill Brady (R) barely eeked out a win in the Illinois Republican gubernatorial primary next month — something that is soon expected to become official (only a few hundred votes separated him from second-place finisher, Sen. Kirk Dillard).

A big, upset win for Brady, who was a significant underdog.

But forgive a visitor to Brady's campaign Web site for thinking he is no longer a candidate.

The most recent press release on the Web site is about a pre-Primary endorsement, and the highlighted story on his Web site slideshow links to a story from last October.

There is nothing on the Web site (unless it is well hidden) that even mentions the Primary Results.

During the campaign, I often criticized the Brady campagin's horrific email campaign (I joked that they had a policy of not sending emails out before midnight).

But things seem to have gone from bad to worse.

Now, granted, he's not officially the nominee, and pending final vote tallies, his challenger hasn't conceded yet.  But that's no excuse.

This is 2010.  Your Web site is (should be) your public face.  And, based on Brady's Web site, he's not even in the race.

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