Blogs

For thousands of corporations and businesses across Australia, it’s that time of year again. Managers are gearing up for a task which often provokes feelings of dread. Employees are preparing themselves for something frequently described as “loathsome”.

It's been an election dull enough to bore even the most Machiavellian of political pundits. With nothing much ado on the frontlines, the only option left for those in the commentary box is to... well... comment on the commentators. Fortunately, in the era of digital media, analysis has never been more interesting.

It's been an election dull enough to bore even the most Machiavellian of political pundits. With nothing much ado on the frontlines, the only option left for those in the commentary box is to... well... comment on the commentators. Fortunately, in the era of digital media, analysis has never been more interesting.

Authenticity and trust will be two of the key cornerstones for corporate reputations in this Era of Responsibility. This will come not only from your policies and public pronouncements, but from the actions and beliefs of your employees.

“Like Big Brother they are inaccessible and omnipotent,” says Victoria Buckley through a statement distributed by AAP Medianet. You may wonder what got Victoria, the owner of the elite Victoria Buckeley Jewellery Company, so worked up? Well, it all started with the nipples of an enchanted doll making headlines the world over.

Based on dim-memory, subjective reasoning and a (slightly self-conscious) desire to create a traffic accumulating list of massive link bait longevity (like this one), we've created what we've (rather ambitiously) called, "The seven stupidest marketing stunts of all time." (The stunts are presented in no particular order.)

So you've spent your time building a community based on sharing knowledge. But the larger it gets, the more it costs to run. Do you shut down your network or do you get creative about how to offer a service and be paid at the same time? Angelina Russo poses the question.

Six weeks ago, David Moore commenced his expose into the secrets of computer maintenance -- rules that are carefully guarded or simply too embarrassing to share. This week, he shares the hard truth about one of the most common misunderstandings between techies and their clients: Perfection doesn't exist on the web.

Do you know where your favourite coffee shop sources its beans? What about the fat and sugar content of your breakfast cereal? Or how about the environmental standards of the paper you use in the office? Well duh, of course you do. And no, I'm not setting out here to judge your choices, but rather to point out that you probably wouldn’t have had that information 20 years ago. Times have changed and your business is about to be exposed.

When the climatic finale of the television series ‘Lost’ aired earlier this year, BitTorrent news service TorrentFreak estimated that 15% of all torrent downloads of the final episode originated from Australia, despite the country representing only 0.3% of the world’s population. Do we blame our convict past or lack of access to legal channels?

In his last article, marketing consultant Steven Howard argued that businesses must invest with a social purpose to win back the trust of consumers. Here, he continues his analysis of a recent worldwide survey on consumer preferences.

In his last article, marketing consultant Steven Howard argued that businesses must invest with a social purpose to win back the trust of consumers. Here, he continues his analysis of a recent worldwide survey on consumer preferences.

Picture it: a packed basketball stadium with fans going wild. It’s my son’s basketball grand final. There are four seconds on the clock. His team is down by two points. And he’s just been fouled – meaning he has two free throws. He makes his way to the free-throw line – the enemy of even the most accomplished NBA player. If he nets both shots, the game goes into overtime. If not, his team will lose the game.

Picture it: a packed basketball stadium with fans going wild. It’s my son’s basketball grand final. There are four seconds on the clock. His team is down by two points. And he’s just been fouled – meaning he has two free throws. He makes his way to the free-throw line – the enemy of even the most accomplished NBA player. If he nets both shots, the game goes into overtime. If not, his team will lose the game.

iPads have every right to be smug. They know we can't wait to fondle their sleek bodies. To them, we're a sure thing. They're Charlie Sheen and we're all just helpless bimbos, begging to be at their service in a way that only a TV show as base as "Two and a Half Men" can illustrate.

Yesterday, in Sydney, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Dell's Richard Binhammer. According to the company bio, he's "a core member of Dell’s Social Media Advisory Council and responsible for designing and implementing digital media and blog outreach, with a special emphasis on communities and corporate reputation." What does this mean? He's the guy largely responsible for Dell's pioneering moves in social media over the past four years.

Yesterday, in Sydney, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Dell's Richard Binhammer. According to the company bio, he's "a core member of Dell’s Social Media Advisory Council and responsible for designing and implementing digital media and blog outreach, with a special emphasis on communities and corporate reputation." What does this mean? He's the guy largely responsible for Dell's pioneering moves in social media over the past four years.

Imagine this... You are one of one hundred and thirty women walking into a room to learn about networking with men to gain board positions. As you walk in, you see the only male presenter standing there, smiling, next to the door. He is not directly in your way. However, he is standing just far enough from the doorway that you have to change direction to make your way around him to enter the room and find your seat. Do you make an effort to say hello or walk on by?

Twitter taps into our need to collaborate and to collect. But the compulsion to build a long list of followers can throw those needs out of balance. One solution: Replace the follower count with something that truly measures our Twitter influence.

Twitter taps into our need to collaborate and to collect. But the compulsion to build a long list of followers can throw those needs out of balance. One solution: Replace the follower count with something that truly measures our Twitter influence.