Holtz Communications + Technology

Interactivity, two-way communication, community building…it’s all good stuff. But sometimes, you have to wonder if the ability to do something means you should.

My first impression of the new blog tool Mobber was favorable, mainly because the fact that it does what it does is cool. There are two parts to the Mobber equation. As a blogger, you add a bit of javascript…

Edelman’s Phil Gomes offers a thoughtful piece (from Steve Rubel but posted to Phil’s blog) on blogger relations, suggesting that it’s better to build relationships with bloggers than it is to just hurl pitches at them. Phil’s post was motivated by one from Robert Scoble nothing that he’s overwhelmed with pitches.

Steve’s remedy includes actually reading a blog before contacting the blogger so you know what he writes…

To hear some people, you’d think business should abandon traditional communication channels and dive into social computing to deliver its messages and address its issues. The audience, we are told, has no interest in being talked to; we must, at all costs, accommodate a growing desire among the audience to be engaged in conversation.

I do believe in the conversation and the…

Howard Kurtz interviewsed Richard Edelman and Jeff Jarvis yesterday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” Edelman has posted the transcript to his blog. Some great stuff here, including this quote from Edelman:

...we absolutely want Wal-Mart’s story to be in a discussion, in a conversation. That’s the essence of the blogosphere.

An issue has arisen from the Edelman/WalMart controversy that has rankled me. The idea, which has been suggested by several bloggers commenting on the blogger relations effort Edelman undertook on WalMart’s behalf, suggests that it is inappropriate for big companies to present their viewpoint to sympathetic bloggers—or any other bloggers, for that matter.

Some of those taking this position feel it is…

Not too long ago, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Assistant Managing Editor Michelle Nicolosi appealed to readers to submit their ideas for PI-hosted blogs.

We’re looking for Seattle-area residents who are passionate about something and want to tell the world about that topic, be it long distance running, the local live music scene, gaming, cooking, movies, poker, programming, getting fit, buying real estate, parenting - or…