Holtz Communications + Technology

Dell Computers may have a lot of problems, but transparency isn’t one of them. I learned on

See Update at the end of this post.

As a PR person, I have to admit things are getting pretty weird when I find myself rolling my eyes at the volume of press releases and pitches that find their way to my in-box. Most get a quick glance, just in case they might be interesting, followed by an even quicker deletion.…

I got this question in an email today regarding blogs on intranets:

One of areas I keep getting pushed back on is the legality of blogs.  ???What if someone says something inappropriate about another Colleague??we???ll get sued.???

I know the risk/benefit argument and I know that clearly communicated policies play an important part. But, since I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know if…

One of the dominant criticisms of the blogosphere is that bloggers just write about what other bloggers have written about; it’s nothing more than a huge echo chamber.

I don’t buy the echo-chamber argument. Based on the 10% rule, which suggests that 10% of a blog’s (or Wikipedia’s or any other collaborative property’s) readers contribute to the content, that leaves 90% who are passive consumers of the…

I’ve been pondering Mitch Joel’s post lamenting the declining number of comments left on the blogs he reads. Readership has not declined, according to Mitch. Instead, it seems readers are opting to comment by writing posts for their own blogs. Finding a way to revitalize trackbacks—which have all but vanished due to their vulnerability to spam—might be the only way to revitalize the…

When I worked in the pharmaceutical industry, I learned that the U.S. Food and Drug Admnistration would send the equivalent of undercover agents to industry trade shows. These spies would hang around company booths listening for any sales or marketing rep to make a claim or statement that violated FDA guidelines. The FDA would promptly turn around and fine the…