Holtz Communications + Technology

Last September, Southwest Airlines found itself embroiled in a controversy when a passenger was asked to get off the plane because she was, according to ground personnel, dressed inappropriately. The passenger was able to re-board only if she used a blanket to cover her legs.

Southwest addressed the issue on its blog—more than once. President Colleen Barrett wrapped up the issue that had…

Of all the questions I’m asked about social media, its applicability in business-to-business companies is probably the most common. Come to think of it, it’s not always posed in the form of a question. Just as often, it’s a statement: “There’s no role for social media in B-to-B.”

Social media actually makes more sense in B-to-B companies than business-to-consumer firms.

A lot of B-to-B companies evidently agree.…

I talk to an increasing number of people who wake up in the morning and instantly grab their Blackberry from the bedside table to check work email. Dealing with work on your smartphone is a huge example of the end of work-life balance, but it’s not the only one. Conference calls with Asia at 2 a.m., getting reports done while on…

A significant portion of my family is made up of lawyers. My brother, an uncle, several cousins all practice law of one type or another. I’ve also worked closely with corporate attorneys over the course of my career, and I can’t think of one who wasn’t a good, decent person. So I don’t view lawyers through the stereotypical filter that has produced volumes of…

After attending a session at a recent conference where I was speaking, a communicator was so enthusiastic about the prospects for a blog by her CEO that she immediately dashed off an email to him with her proposal. Her idea was well-thought-out and strategic. So she was deflated when the two-word response came back to her on her Blackberry:

“No time.”

This, in fact,…

I’ve been impressed with a lot of the work GM has done. Even the European operation has transformed its newsroom into a social media newsroom, based loosely on the template Todd Defren released. One of the elements of GM’s social media newsroom is it’s “Blog Roll,” which direct readers to some of the more influential auto blogs.

I like the idea of an industry blogroll,…