Filed under: Blogger Code of Conduct, Blogger Ethics, Blogger Influence, Blogger Outreach, Blogger Relations, Blogger Support, Blogging, Blogging Policies, Blogosphere, Free Speech, Freedom of Speech

Paul Walsh is reporting that Wei Wenhua, a 41 year old construction company executive, was beaten to death recently because he had the gall to videotape them for his video blog.

The government had detained 24 officials and is investigating another 100 over the incident.

I’ve never understood China. And I hate their government. It’s great that they are investigating this, but it seems odd that they’re somehow investigating well over 100 people for this incident.

Walsh’s blog, Segala, has been banned in China as a result of his reporting this incident. So Walsh simply set it up on a proxy server. HA.

Like I said, I hate the Chinese government.

3 Comments » Posted on January 14th, 2008 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: Election Strategy, Email Etiquette, Email Marketing, Email Outreach, Email Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Political Strategy

If you’ve ever been involved in a political campaign or you’ve contributed to a candidate - and they’ve gotten your email - then you will realize that your are now in a database that’s very hard to get out of. And you’ll be contacted by like-minded politicians running for office. All asking for money.

So when I read Matt Asay’s article in Cnet, Pining for an open-source political campaign, I began to laugh. He contributed to Mitt Romney’s campaign - he know one of Romney’s sons - and is getting up to four emails per day. Very little understanding of email marketing and relationship building on the part of Romney’s team.

But Matt comes up with some suggestions. Here they are:

  • All of the politician’s information - voting record, positions on the issues, etc. - would be available online in one place. The candidate’s source code, as it were. I wouldn’t need someone to call me to tell me to vote for him or her - I could choose for myself after reviewing “the source.”
  • Because of the first point, there would be no need for campaign staffers to pepper me with emails or phone calls. The source code would either attract my interest or it wouldn’t. Open source encourages a passive sales model. The sales team only bothers with those that show an affirmative, proactive interest in the “source.”
  • Candidates would win on the basis of who they really are, not who they can pretend to be. Romney takes heat for flip-flopping, but let’s be honest: how many politicians have you seen that won’t flip-flop on an issue to pull in votes? Very few. Open source the candidates and perhaps we’d have less of this buffoonery.

I like all three.

No Comments » Posted on January 14th, 2008 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: Ad Budgets, Ad Buys, Ad Sales, Online Community Outreach, Online Engagement, Online Evangelism, Online Influence, Online Marketing, Online Outreach, Online PR, Online Participation, Online Public Relations, Online Reputation, Online Reputation Management, Online Reviewers, Online Reviews, Online Strategy, SEM, SEM and SEO, SEO, SEO and SEM, SERM

I disagree.

I don’t see this trend happening this soon. Most local businesses have yet to become web conscientious. They may or may not have a web site. They haven’t even begun to think of a ‘web strategy’.

If they did, I’d be a millionaire. If you’re reading this, so would you.

To be sure, more and more people are using search - the key driver behind the idea that local business will be interacting - for local purposes. But many of the smaller local business types - real estate agents, mechanics, restaurant owners, etc. may or may not have web sites and barely tend to them. They probably haven’t heard of Yelp or many other online review sites.

They way this will change will be with those pioneers - many of whom have taken a larger online plunge - an established a serious online presence. They’ll start succeeding (many already have) and their competitors will get wind of it.

Then all hell will break loose. Time line? I predict massive growth for that 2010-2012. Until then, a steady climb.

Here’s a Mediaweek article about it.

No Comments » Posted on January 14th, 2008 by Jonathan Trenn


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