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Archive for Mark Zuckerberg

Perspectives of a Professional: Part II

October 31, 2008 at 6:39 pm · Filed under Internet Technology, Social Media and tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Since moving to Austin, I have had the pleasure of meeting many amazingly talented individuals in the technology industry. One such individual is Kristine Gloria, an Account Executive at Waggener Edstrom PR Firm. Kristine has pioneered the use of social media within her company and understands the importance of both developing and maintaining an image of professionalism.

This podcast is a collaboration between myself, Sloan Chouest and Adam Raven. Refer to the Show Notes below for an outline of our interview and links mentioned throughout the podcast:


0:00 Intro

0:35 Describe Waggener Edstrom and your role at the firm?

a. Waggener Edstrom (WagEd) specializes in technology and is incredibly relationship oriented. Specifically, WagEd has a long track record with Microsoft.

b. Kristine Gloria is the liaison with account work and digital strategies.

1:17 How has social media evolved and what is your role?

a. Social media has grown from social networks such as Facebook, to micro blogging on Twitter, and has developed into a tool for both personal and professional purposes.

b. WagEd often uses LinkedIn to do bio searches on their clients and future employees.

c. Kristine’s role has been to implement these tools in the business. She is not an early adopter, but watches the space closely.

2:27 How did you gain an initial awareness of social media and how have you implemented it at Waggener Edstrom?

a. SXSW 2007: Sarah Lacy/Mark Zuckerberg Interview and the importance of Twitter

b. Took this momentum to the office.

i. Began a WE Digital Think Tank

4:06 What forms of social media do you use and how does it benefit you as a P.R. firm?

a. Twitter: “Everyday, every hour”

i. Relationships with reporters

b. Facebook

c. LinkedIn: Bio searching specifically

5:11 Commercial

a. FriendorFollow.com

5:41 What is Waggener Edstrom’s involvement with the blogosphere and how do you approach bloggers with pitches?

a. Active bloggers on external side of WagEd as marketing

b. Use of blogs internally

6:13 What do you think the relationship between bloggers and P.R. firms should be?

a. Understanding the avenue of communication is key

b. Building relationships is essential

c. Bloggers write what they want to write-it’s not personal

6:50 What social media tools do you use on an everyday basis and how have these tools expanded your personal and professional relationships?

a. Keep things professional

b. Social media has helped expand Kristine’s network

i. Helps others understand social media tools

7:41 You mentioned social media as a double-edged sword, can you elaborate on this?

a. Blurs personal and professional life

b. Social Media is extremely self-involved

c. You must be in tune to your own personal brand

i. Austin 3.0

9:12 Where do you see social media going in the future in both public relations and personal lives?

a. Kristine does not see blogging as taking over the journalistic venue

b. The public will begin to understand idea of the “double edged sword.”

9:53 Outro

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TechCrunch Responds to Lawsuit…Yay or Nay?

October 8, 2008 at 5:14 pm · Filed under Social Media and tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Considering our recent discussions of instances where professionals respond to the public through social media (ie: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Steve Jobs, etc.), I found this particular story intriguing.

TechCrunch announced this afternoon that it was being sued by Earthcomber, a service that helps you find the local things and places you love. According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, this lawsuit is completely unjustified and may even have resulted from a simple miscommunication between himself and Earthcomber president, Jim Brady. 

What caught my attention, however, is how Arrington handled the situation, as well as TechCrunch readers. After reading the title “Earthcomber Sues TechCrunch Out of Spite, Pisses Me Off Personally” one can continue to read and find several other passionate phrases such as “I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on the specifics of the patent claims, other than that they are absurd, since our lawyers have asked me not to,” “I’ve asked our attorneys to spend whatever it takes to kill this lawsuit, and to find a way to counter sue this guy into the stone age,” and finally “I would rather run TechCrunch into the ground and go out of business than let this guy win.” 

As a reader of TechCrunch myself, I understand Arrington’s viewpoints and completely agree with his justifications. However, I wonder if this response is a positive use of communication with an audience or a negative one. Although there is a need to address the lawsuit itself, did Arrington cross the line with his anger towards Brady? Or does it simply not matter for a business that has a large number of loyal followers?

By scrolling down to the reader comments, you will find a great deal of support for Arrington’s statements which illustrates the number of like-minded individuals behind TechCrunch. Is this example then void of what we consider acceptable business behavior, or is Arrington correct in his public rant against Earthcomber?

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