Goodbye Pownce, We Hardly Knew Ye – Remember when people were begging and scrambling for beta invitations to Pownce? As a hardcore Twitter user, I did appreciate the differences that the Pownce service presented: threaded conversation, the ability to share small files. But the core application was still quick, short communications- and Pownce never seemed like a complementary service, but more a would-be competitor that didn’t make it in the end. Pownce is being shut down as the people behind it move on to work for acquirer Six Apart.
“PR is Dead” – Yeah, yeah, whatever… – Blogger Dennis Howlett wrote the latest in a long series of “I hate PR” notes. A couple of observations:
1- These notes are not new to social media – they are as old as, well, the bad PR pitch (remember Buzzkiller?)
2- Dennis has a curmudgeonly style (I was fortunate enough to experience that in person this summer) that probably makes some people think his post is nastier than it was. Not only does he not say “PR is dead,” he actually says “I’ve come to the end of putting up with what most PR offers” (italics mine). Furthermore, he is not refusing pitches, he is actually very specific about how to pitch him. Use Twitter, out in the open. In fact, his Twitter bio is all any PR person needs to make sure they target pitches before sending: “Full time blogger on innovation for professional accountants.” That’s pretty specific, isn’t it? As a public relations pro, I have no problems with these rants- they make us better, and the best ones actually tell us how to be better.
Hyperlocal Social Media Update: Blogging for Mayor – With a contentious mayoral race heating up in Newton, Massachusetts (where I live), rather than waiting for candidates to set up blogs, the local newspaper set one up for the candidates. “Newton’s Next Mayor” is already up with contributions from two candidates, and invitations out to others as they announce their candidacies. One candidate has refused to participate- a symptom of the old and new divide. I m curious to see what effect the candidates’ participation has on the race.
“Twitter Surges” – a Security Problem? – Of all the fascinating live Twittering of the tragic events in Mumbai over the last couple of weeks, the issue Shel Holtz addresses in his blog really captured my interest. Will the fear that live online Twitter (text) and Qik (video) updates be a nuisance- or worse- to authorities in a war situation? If these tools grow into true mass adoption (how far off are we, really?), will people/countries/armies just have to account for the fact that it is harder to move in secret? Fascinating…
Heh – “Mapple” – I haven’t watched “The Simpsons” much since the first four or five seasons, but I stumbled upon the latest episode that started with a hilarious spoof of Apple and Steve Jobs. Some people thought it was late- I still thought it was spot on, and anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist a well-done mocking of the Apple cult (will I now be chased down the street by an angry, earbud-wielding mob?). Here are two clips from that program (and by the way– I love that Hulu.com clips are on YouTube- these are official, right?):
Technorati Tags: simpson, apple, mapple, twitter, pownce, mumbai, dennis+howlett, public+relations, social+media, politics, newton
[…] his thoughts. Pownce was Acquired by Six Apart, which prompted Doug Haslam to write this post: Social Media Top 5: Goodbye Pownce, PR Still Not Dead, MappleScoble wonders if paying the crowd will be the new business model, like Dave Ingram is doing with […]
I shared the Simpsons clips with Dennis right after they appeared.
Awesomeness.
Anyone who thinks they’re ‘too cool for school’ and thinks Simpsons glory days are behind them should’ve started watching since the movie came out.
Not all hits, but incredibly great stuff lately, Mapple being the best example – the associated commentary on America’s Islamophobia was spot on too though.