Holtz Communications + Technology

If you’d rather get the Wrap via email, just subscribe to the Holtz Communication + Technology Update. Now you’ll never miss my weekly review of stories you may have missed; it’ll be waiting for you in your inbox. As always, you’re welcome to review all the stories I collect during the week, which I curate at LinksFromShel.tumblr.com.

I hope all of my American readers enjoyed a warm, restful and rewarding Thanksgiving Day. My readers are among the most important parts of my life for which I gave thanks yesterday—along with my family, friends, and colleagues. I’m also thankful that the communications profession continues to provide so many opportunities for commentary, experimentation and significant contributions to employers and clients…

We had a great turnout at the Social Media Breakfast East Bay, with about 75 participants convening on a diner in Oakland to hear Robert Scoble and Shel Israel talk about the Age of Context, the theme of their excellent (and highly recommended) new book. As one of the event co-organizers, I was chuffed (as my British podcast co-host would…

(c) Can Stock PhotoWelcome to November, everyone! Don’t forget that it’s also Movember, the global charity whose vision “is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches on men’s faces around the world. Through the power of the Mo, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat…

It’s risky enough when companies communicate to publics. All the research and planning in the world guarantees little. People are nothing if not unpredictable, and you never know what innocent aside might offend somebody and erupt into a full-blown controversy.

Just as the cover-up is worse than the crime, though, the response to controversy often causes businesses more grief than the original…

The skepticism, risk-aversion and ignorance that held companies back from embracing digital and social media is fading. Senior leaders are taking responsibility for their companies’ digital strategies, according to a McKinsey & Company report. That’s good news, since leadership’s failure to pay attention to digital is most often cited as the reason initiatives fail.

The C-suite’s discovery that digital pays is producing some great…