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Monthly Archives: July 2005

Podcasting and the Public Conversation

July 25, 2005 – 7:05 pm

Last Thursday I participated in an excellent daylong Podcasting Bootcamp event, offered by the Da Vinci Institute. I’ve been pretty busy since then, so I’m just now getting around to posting that audio. (Show notes…)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Audio Show | Comments (1)

Speaking of Misunderstood Online Terms…

July 25, 2005 – 6:38 pm

Today’s San Jose Mercury News includes an article by Knight-Ridder reporter Ellen Lee entitled “Many Internet users lagging on lingo.” It’s about the recent “Tech Term Awareness” survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. I found myself in stitches over a particularly telling editorial oversight in this piece…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Media Musings, Net Effects on Society | Comments (0)

Debate Doesn\’t Die

July 24, 2005 – 11:17 am

I’ve been thoroughly amused and intrigued by several aspects of the recent discussion about whether the press release format is a major waste that should be dispatched quickly and mercifully. It’s laid bare several common fallacies. One such fallacy is the idea that debate dies. It’s true that within the context of a defined organization (such as a club or company), a deliberative body (such as a legislature or peer review panel), or a particular forum (such as an e-mail discussion group), debate can have a defined beginning and end. However, in the public conversation – and especially on the internet, within a loosely defined community, or between communities – this concept has no meaning. For good reason…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (1)

The PR Challenge: I Dare You to Do Without

July 21, 2005 – 8:12 am

Via comments to my earlier postings and private e-mail, I keep hearing (almost exclusively from PR folks) defenses for the continued existence of press releases. To all supporters of that particular media vehicle, here’s my challenge: What if the press release were outlawed today? What if you’d get burned at the stake if you wrote or transmitted another press release? What other types of documents, channels, etc. would you use to get your communication job done? I dare you to think creatively about this issue. Here’s a bit more detail…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (24)

Podcast Bootcamp Preview

July 21, 2005 – 1:14 am

Thursday morning, bright and early, I’ll be the first presenter at the Da Vinci Institute’s daylong Podcast Bootcamp event at DeVry Univ. (Westminster, CO). I’m very excited about this event, because the other presenters are highly accomplished podcasters who can definitely expand my skill set.
Here’s a quick overview of what I plan to discuss [...]

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Audio Show, Content Style & Business | Comments (0)

Yes: Kill the Press Releases, Please!

July 18, 2005 – 4:21 pm

As I expected, a lot of people (mainly from the world of PR and from press release distribution services) are vehemently disagreeing with my earlier missive: Let’s Put Press Releases Out of Their Misery. I’m slammed right at the moment so can’t reply to all of these people in detail. (Sorry.) However, I did summarize my counterarguments to their claims in a comment to a recent posting from the weblog of Newsmotto, a press release distribution service…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (6)

Very Basic Blogging Workshop: Aug. 24

July 18, 2005 – 12:27 pm

I’m excited to announce my first independently produced workshop: Very Basic Blogging. This 3-hour event will be held Wed. Aug. 24, 2005 at the Outlook Hotel in my lovely hometown of Boulder, CO. SEE EVENT UPDATE AND ONLINE REGISTRATION

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Learning Online, Real World Writing, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Today\’s BizWire Blogging Panel (Audio)

July 14, 2005 – 10:18 pm

This morning I participated in an early-morning panel on blogging hosted at the Denver Press Club by Business Wire. The audience was about 40 or so PR professionals from the Denver area. Listen to most of the panel. Here’s who was on it, and what we discussed…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Media Musings, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

Let\’s Put Press Releases Out of Their Misery

July 13, 2005 – 4:28 pm

I’ve never liked press releases – even though, in my journalistic work, I’ve often relied on them for story leads and background. But I’ve never actually liked them. They’ve always felt slimy and fake to me. I’ve always thought there had to be a better way to convey that information, to make those kinds of connections. I’m so glad that neither journalists nor PR folks need rely on (or resort to) press releases any longer. Really, we don’t. I mean it. Here’s why we should let the press release die a merciful, quick death – by force if necessary…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Media Musings | Comments (13)

The Connection Age: A Personal Note

July 13, 2005 – 3:41 pm

A little more than a month ago, I wrote about how it seems to me that we’ve recently left the “Information Age” and have entered the “Connection Age.” I’m only just realizing what a big deal this truly is…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Conversations, Net Effects on Society | Comments (1)