Holtz Communications + Technology

The next time Apple CEO Steve Jobs says, “No, we’re not working on anything like that,” expect to hear laughter. Nothing Jobs says about product development will ever have any credibility since Wednesday when Jobs proudly unveiled the video iPod.

For months, Jobs has been more than dismissive of the idea of a video iPod; he has been contemptuously dismissive. On Business 2.0’s B2Day…

In workshops and talks, I’ve been suggesting that the web has become balkanized. Three separate entities have emerged:

• The “reference web”— The traditional web where people go to extract information. Characterized by the receiver-driven model of communication, it’s all about pulling what you want when you want it.
• The “collaborative web”— Social media, consumer-generated content, conversations. This is made up of wikis, blogs, social networking sites, tag-driven sites, and…

They raised the issue. They discussed it. They said, “No.”

The issue is corporate blogging; “they” are the Australian operation of Deloitte, the big four accounting firm. According to an article in the Fairfax Digital, Ryf Quail—the company’s director of digital marketing and communications—broached the possibility, leading to an internal debate. Ultimately, the company opted not to blog, citing concerns about the need to remain discrete about the firm’s…

While Microsoft’s image slowly turns around, aided by its employee bloggers and the connection they establish with customers, Apple’s continues to deteriorate. The company steadfastly refuses to inch into the world of social media or acknowledge the shift in customer expectations. The latest example comes from Dan Gillmor, who discovered a flaw in the 15-inch PowerBook G4: The USB 2.0 port doesn’t…

Is something going on in tech support land? I’ve submitted queries to two companies through their formal channels. I might as well have folded them into paper airplanes and sent them aloft into the canyon just beyond my backyard.

Query 1: Technorati

I’ve jiggered my templates in Expression Engine (the software I use for my blogs) to create Technorati tags, but Technorati isn’t picking them up.…

I used to work for Mattel. From 1984 to 1988 I was a communicator at the company’s headquarters, then located in Hawthorne, California. I started out managing employee communications and was director of corporate communications by the time Mattel and I parted ways. During my time at Mattel, I came to understand that the company’s defense of its trademarks had assumed kneejerk…