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Retailers have already slashed prices and even our friend, the UK Chancellor, has thoughtfully arranged to have VAT reduced so you can spend without guilt.

By all accounts in the media, there aren’t really a lot of crowds to contend with. Yet.  But now that December is here everyone is hopeful that shoppers will finally come out.  If you’re like me you’d rather not shop at all. Bah! Humbug. But, I’m not unique.

The general pessimistic mood and the state of the economy is definitely influencing consumer shopping habits this Christmas. A study just completed by Pricegrabber.com, part of the Experian group, shows that 61% of people expect to make a concerted effort to cut back this holiday season.  Still, 97% of survey respondents expect to do some shopping online.

Click here to read the rest of this Tech Talk column.

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1. @jangles, Neville Hobson

2. @amandita, Amanda Rose

3. @simoncollister, Simon Collister

4. @stuartbruce, Stuart Bruce

5. @jedhallam, Jed Hallam

6. @BrendanCooper, Brendan Cooper

7. @kerryatdell, Kerry Bridge

8. @capbyrne, Colin Byrne

9. @niallcook, Niall Cook

10. @stedavies, Stephen Davies

Thanks!  Stephen Davies put together a comprehensive list of UK PR Tweeters here.

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1.  Apparently the Belgian Minister of Defense thinks that blogging is a “dangerous phenomenon”.  Really? Dangerous for who exactly?  Fat cat politicians perhaps?

2. A tale of two long tails. One is inspirational the other, modest.  Are we are turning from a mass market back into a niche nation?

3. From where does influence originate? Danny thinks celebrities have the upper hand over mere mortals in the blogosphere.

4. I have to admit I was a little surpised to turn on CNN and see them quoting Twitter and bloggers as credible sources during the Mumbai siege, earlier this week.  Hans Kullin has a good analysis of the role that Twitter played in communicating the crisis to the outside world.

5. Mitch Joel is right on the money with his post about why companies might be kidding themselves if they think they are really ready to engage in  Web 2.0.

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Well if you do, you might consider taking an ibuprofen tablet to help sooth the symptoms.

This was the hope of pharmaceutical company McNeil Consumer Healthcare, makers of the Motrin brand ibuprofen tablets in the USA.

That’s why in September they launched a major consumer campaign targeting new mothers with adverts in many national women’s magazines and an online marketing campaign. What transpired is an excellent case study of how the groundswell of negative opinion, fuelled by the social internet, can kill sales and damage corporate reputation. Click here to read the rest of this Tech Talk column.

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But I intend to change that  this week, thanks to the Isle of Man Junior Chamber of Commerce and Sure.  They’ve teamed up for to hold a ‘Blackberry back to basics’ event.  It’s a hands on workshop where Sure’s experts will be on hand to help us to use all the bells and whistles of Blackberry.

Drop into the Sefton this Wednesday at 18.00 for a drink and a bite to eat while you learn the finer points of using your BlackBerry.

I was pleased to draw Carrick Financial’s Stephen Burdett’s name out of the hat and last week presented him with his prize…a bottle of the bubbly stuff.

Thanks to all those who took part, and anyone who wish to receive future issues of Insight, please feel free to send me your contact info and I’ll make sure you are on our list.

If you are using RSS to get  Strive Notes and don’t wish to receive the newsletter, feel free to send a message and we’ll take you off the list, no problem. Or, if you’d like to sign up, just using the box at the bottom right corner of the blog.

Feedback is more than welcome! Please send me your story ideas and questions.

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I’ve just put the phone down from a bizarre conversation.  Some ranting woman just tore a strip off me for a blog post I wrote in July 2006. It was hard to understand what she was saying because she was in full rant and not really explaining her self too well, but it seems that she takes exception to my negative opinion of her PR agency’s news releases. She demanded I take the post down.

How fascinating!  It’s interesting that it took her almost 2.5 years to notice this post!  Doesn’t she monitor the Internet as part of her service to clients?  Shouldn’t she?  It’s interesting how angry she was so long after the fact. Was she angry at the criticism?  Was she angry at herself for not noticing the post for such a long, long time.  How did it come to her attention after many years?  Did her client spot it first? So many questions!

I’ve made the post private for now while I consider her demand to delete it. But frankly, she was so distraught and upset, I’m inclined to take the post down perminently.  It’s been so long since I wrote it, I can barely remember drafting the post in the first place.  It’s not really that important to me.

But wow, the long tail effect sure is fascinating.

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The Isle of Man Social Media ThirdThursday initative is gaining strength.  Yesterday we had a record turn out with 13 of us meeting at Paparazzi in Douglas to talk about blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and social media in general.   The whole idea behind ThirdThursday is that in terms of social media and Web 2.0, if you ‘get’ it, share it!  And that’s just what we did. We talked about how we use social networks, our blogging trials and successes, the recent Motrin scandal and how online media drove the Brand & Ross scandal earlier this month.

We do this on the ThirdThursday of each month and everyone is welcome.  It costs nothing but the price of your meal.  I guess as it’s Christmas Day, we won’t be catching up next month.  But please put 22 January in your diary.  See you there!

Thanks to Derek, Nick, Ian, Stephen, Steve, Jamie, Christopher, James, Robin, Charlotte, Rob and Charlie for coming out.  Owen and Nathan both sent their regrets…you were missed guys.

Do you think we’ll ever entice Babooshka to leave Ramsey and come to Douglas to meet us?

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I was lucky enough a few years ago to spend some time investigating Neuro Linguistic Programming and how it can improve personal efficacy and deal with workplace issues.  That’s why I wholeheartedly encourage everyrone to attend tomorrow’s Isle of Man Junior Chamber of Commerce seminar on NLP.

Speaker Justin Tipper, Certified Trainer of NLP has been using the practices in business and therapy for nearly a decade, and runs transformational training courses within the social care sector, within financial institutions, in sports, in shipping, and within Government.  He’s previously worked in banking and fund management organisations in London, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Justin says, “Some time ago, I was in a job that I found rewarding in part, but also frustrating, as I was aware that there had to be so much more I could do and achieve, if only I knew how.  I discovered some information on NLP, and what others were doing with it, and immediately decided to book myself on a course to learn more. I have never regretted the opportunity that came my way, and now I have created a business in which I truly feel that I am doing my life’s work – that is, to directly assist people to be the best, the most excellent, the most outstanding, in their chosen fields. ”

Brief outline of presentation content:

• What is NLP? How and where did it start?
• Why is NLP relevant to business life, and to business people? Who is using it, and what results are they getting?
• What are the main ideas in NLP?
• How is NLP used to assist people in achieving excellence?
• What if I started using NLP techniques in my work, what would happen?

£10 members £12 guests and includes buffet and refreshments.  Sefton Hotel, Douglas, Isle of Man.

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Last month Andy Orton, managing director of Dotperformance, an Isle of Man-based digital agency, spoke about search engine marketing.

Andy’s been in business for three years now and his firm has come to be recognised as one of the Island’s most respected digital agencies.

‘To be successful on the web it’s not enough to stick up a brochure website and hope your it meets your customers’ needs,’ he said. ‘You need to be proactive about connecting your business with people who are searching the Internet.’

Click here to read the rest of this Tech Talk column.

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ThirdThursday is an international movement whereby folks who are interested in social media get together to talk about trends, tools, initiatives, ethics, anything.  I doesn’t matter if you are a corporate tweeter or if you want to find out more about what your kids are up to on Bebo, you are welcome.

ThirdThursday is about sharing knowledge and experience.  Each of us has a different perspective on social media; we’ve learned different things. Our meet up is a great way to exchange ideas and information and have a nice social lunch at the same time.

Everyone is welcome and it’s free except for the price of your lunch.  Meet us at Paparazzi, Douglas Promenade Thursday, 20 November at 12.30.  Ping to let me know if you can come.

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Chip says the CEO of a start up should be an evangelist and that you can’t outsource evangelism.  On these points I agree; no PR worth their salt would disagree.  But not everyone is born with evangelical skills.  Our job is to help them.  We teach them how to do the job.  We give the tools to be successful.  We support them. I can’t remember ever having had a client ask me to take the lead in this area.

Chip says that not every CEO of a start up should have the job.  Again, I agree.  But in the real world, there are people that probably aren’t best suited in the role.  Again our job is to help them grow into the job.  We teach them the importance of relationship-building and help them to be better communicators.  Usually these people are trying to do a good job.  I think it’s better to help them achieve their goals than to say, “You’re crap at this.  Don’t even try.”

Chip says that companies can get PR too early.  I think that depends on your definition of public relations.  If you confine it to mean media exposure, I agree.  But getting expert help on all aspects of business communication is helpful at any stage of a company’s progression.  I’ve helped pre-revenue companies prepare to meet potential investors, advised on recruitment strategies and insprired employee engagement.

Chip says that not all companies need PR agencies.  Nothing could be truer.  But most organisations could benefit from the advice of a professional communicator the same as they benefit from talking to a lawyer or an accountant.  So your PR advice could come from independent advisor, an in house communications professional or even from having a conversation with pros in the PR blogosphere.  Or a PR agency.  It’s horses for courses.

Chip says a lot more in his post.  I agree with most of it so their is no point rehashing it here. But be sure to check it out for yourself.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the panel discussion and watching the debate that ensued. Thanks to Chip Griffin and everyone else who took the time to listen and/or participate.

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1. Stephen Davies must have spent a lot of time in compiling this list of UK jounalists on Twitter.

2. Christopher Howse asks if we should abandon the use of the apostrophe.  I vote no!

3. Look who made the UK top 50 PR people by Twitter influence!

4. Chris Brogan has a case study of an individual told to stay out of social media by his boss. Sadly I’ve heard similar stories myself.  Talk about baby and bathwater.

5. Should you or shouldn’t you? Niall Cook posts a list of questions you should ask yourself before taking your company into Twitter.

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• Jeeple and Preeple

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I’ve been to dozens of awards dinners over the years and on the whole they are generally either very tedious affairs or very boozy parties, depending on whether you’ve won an award.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Awards for Excellence gala in Douglas, Isle of Man.  This was not your run of the mill awards ceremony.  In true Manx style, Isle of Man Newspapers made their event a real fun night out. It didn’t matter if you were a winner or not, you were glad to be there.

From having the event compered by Graham Davies, known as one of the funniest men in Britain, to the fabulous multi-media show by Paul Moulton to Geoff Corkish’s song, to the dancing ladies in skimpy costumes to the surprise performance by Robin Gibb there was something for everyone.  And the event was broadcast live online so if you didn’t make it to the Gaiety Theater, you could still enjoy the show from anywhere.

Oh yeah…a lot of people from the public, private and not for profit sectors picked up awards too. Well done to Trudi Williamson and her team at Isle fo Man Newspapers.

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Tonight  in the Garden Room at the Sefton Hotel, Douglas, come meet Phil Drowley, the first Manxman to conquer Mount Everest.

Speaking after his two-and-a-half month climb, he said: ‘The view from the top of the planet was truly awe-inspiring and humbling.  I am immensely proud to be the first person from the Isle of Man to achieve flying the Manx flag on top of the world.’

He’s the main speaker to tonights Junior Chamber of Commerce meeting and everyone is welcome.  It all starts at 6pm.

The cost is £10 for Junior Chamber of Commerce members or £12 for non-members.  Book your place  by contacting Jenny Christian at the chamber offices on 674941, or emailing jenny.christian@iomchamber.org.im.

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• Paul Stallard
• Derek
• REG CROWDER
• Create
• Leo
• Steve Burrows FBCS CITP
• Nickop
• Jure Cuhalev
• A bit of this and a bit of that
• Massimo Carraro
• Chris Bishops
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• Neville Hobson
• Free Software
• Leo Cussons
• Brendan Cooper
• Deborah Zanke
• FIR For Immediate Release

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This is the election in which Web 2.0 played a significant role in allowing American citizens, and people around the world, to feel that were taking an active role in democracy. So how did online social media shape the election of 2008 and what can business learn from it? There was a wide range of tactics used to reach audiences that traditionally shy away from the voting booth. Both candidates put serious effort into reaching people via social networks, YouTube and Second Life.You have to admire the creative thinking behind some digital campaign initiatives. On John McCain’s website and you can play Pork Invaders, a version of Space Invaders with a message about wasteful government spending. And the popular online games Guitar Hero 3 and The Incredible Hulk both sport in-game ads for Barack Obama.

Click here to read the rest of the Tech Talk column.

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I enjoyed taking part in the FIR Live Panel programme today about the value of professional PR to a tech startup. The conversation stems Jason Calacanis’s post Fire Your PR Agency.  Shel and Neville asked each of the panellists to consider these questions.

• What’s wrong with Jason’s assertions?

Well, actually I think not a lot is wrong, for Jason.  If you are a born communicator. If you have a thorough understanding of the publishing industry, the internet, social media and marketing. If you are a natural extrovert.  But most people are not like that.  I know of one MD of a technology company who would rather put fish hooks in his eyes than go into a networking situation. He’d never speak to a reporter.  He couldn’t write a news release if his life depended on it. But he runs a successful, profitable business.  It’s not that his personality doesn’t cause problems. It does. But having a PR professional on his side helps. A lot.

• What can a PR professional do for a startup that a CEO can’t or shouldn’t do?

For this one I said focus, perspective, contacts and knowledge.  A CEO needs to deal with a thousand issues a day.  They just don’t have the bandwidth to do PR.  It’s that simple.  We bring perspective to the job.  Tech CEOs are often software engineers and are the main architect of the product. It’s like asking a new mother to describe how beautiful their baby is. They can go on and on and on about every detail. But they can’t actually articulate the information that people actually care about.  When you are just starting something new, you don’t often have all the contacts and relationships you might need.  Hiring a PR consultant is a real short cut because they bring all their relationships into the mix. And then there’s knowledge.  The CEO is expert in his industry, but a PR professional has a thorough knowledge of publishing, media, internet, presentation practices etc etc.

• What PR activities or outcomes are important to a start up beyond publicity?

I always say that the R in PR is for relationships and the is the best payoff.  That’s relationships with all stakeholders…employees, shareholders, regulators, legislators, householders…and of course customers.  To me gaining and maintaining a beneficial relationship is the ultimate goal.

• What CAN a startup CEO do to promote his company?

I’d say, generally anything he is confident in and has time to do.  If he can be the public face of the company, the main personality behind it, excellent!  But maybe her role is to hire the right skills to get the job done.

• What are the considerations for selecting a PR agency for a start up?  What should they look for in an agency?

For me it’s three things.  Flexibility, industry knowledge and people.  You need your agency to be there when you need them, to leave you alone when you have to focus on something else.  And at startup if they can work with you about fees and payment and are willing to take a risk, you’ll have a loyal partner.  The more industry experience the better, the quicker the ramp up, the better the results.  And, you can’t overestimate the importance of the people.  Could your PR advisor be a personal friend. Do you like them. Do they work the way you like to work.  People and personality are crucial.

• How should a  startup measure the ROI of its PR activities?

Without trying to sound vague, this is entirely dependant upon what you set out to achieve.  We recently launch a new hospice facility and got 8,000 visitors through the door during the open week. Client was delighted.  We launched an egaming site and made it to number four on Google in a couple of days.  Client was delighted. You get the idea.

Thanks to Shel and Neville for setting up the show. Thanks to my all my co panelists too for making it such an interesting discussion.  KD Paine,  Rob Lane, Todd Defren, Michael O’Connor Clarke

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I had the opportunity to meet up with a bunch of students from Ballerkameen High School in the Isle of Man earlier this week.  They are taking part in the Junior Achievement company programme and wanted to learn about how PR could fit into their marketing mix.  I was impressed with the quality of question and their general awareness of the importance of reputation in business.  I think we’ve got a good cohort and look forward to judging later this year!

Image of Sharon Kissack

Yesterday I attended a meeting organised by the Isle of Man Business and Innovation Centre. The purpose was to discuss connecting women in business on the Island.  A healthy crowd of female entrepreneurs came out to discuss the possiblity of creating formal network.

Jo Dobson, director of strategic relationships at Coventry University Enterprise was on hand and gave a presentation about the challenges for women in business and the benefits of working together through an organised network.  Sharon Kissack of Ambitions Recruitment also spoke. She gave an overview of her own personal experiences in juggling work, home, social and civic responsibilities. She has quite a compelling story that I think all working mothers could identify with.

On the whole feedback was positive and an Isle of Man business women’s network seems destined to happen.  Not before time, I say!  Thanks to Kate Lord at the BIC for getting this initiative rolling.

If you couldn’t attend but want to give your feedback on the idea you can do that here.  In the meantime, watch this space.  I’ll post updates here as this new network takes shape.

Are you starting your own company? Did you have PR success when you were starting out?  Please ring in and tell us your story.  Shel and Neville have put together a good panel for this one including:

• Rob Lane CEO of Overlay TV
• Mike Manuel, PR practitioner of Voce Communications
• Katie Paine, PR measurement guru of KD Paine & Partners
• Moi!

The show will be broadcast live tomorrow 18:00 GMT. Call (347) 324-3723 or use the live chat interface on Blogtalkradio.com to take part in the show.   Listen in by dialing that same number or by visiting the www.forimmediaterelease.biz and clicking the “listen” button.

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In a long expected answer to Google Apps, the folks from Redmond demonstrated, for the first time, their new Web applications for Office, which are lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used with the browser.

Now anyone can use all of the web, phone and PC versions of Office to edit and collaborate on the same document.  Click here to read the rest of this Tech Talk column.

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I was having a monthly progress meeting with a client a couple of weeks ago when the subject of Facebook came up.  My client contact told me that FB is blocked in their workplace.  I wasn’t entirely surprised. She also mentioned that mobile phones are also  banned.  That did surprise me. I really can’t imagine what my work day would be like if I was cut off like that. Not good, I expect.

I was thinking about what Niall Cook said when I saw him at the Ottawa ThirdTuesday last month. He pointed out that if you take away people’s networks and communications tools, they’ll find a workaround.  It could mean sneaking away from the desks to check for text messages and Facebook on the BlackBerrys. It could mean stretching the lunch break to dashing out at 4.59.

I reminded my client that communication technologies are the oxygen of today’s generation. You need to let people breath if you want to get the best out of them.

Today I saw a story in the Telegraph about the think tank Demos.  They say that these forums provide crucial platforms for discussion and collaboration and that limiting the use of this software could have an adverse impact on the way staff communicate with one another.

“Banning Facebook and the like goes against the grain of how people want to interact,” said Peter Bradwell, author of the Demos report.

“Often people are friends with colleagues through these networks and it is how some develop their relationships.

“They are part of the way in which people communicate, which they find intuitive,” he added.

Erm….I couldn’t have said it better myself.

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