For Immediate Release

Longtime FIR listener (and one-time contributor) Bernie Goldbach asked Neville and Shel how they find quality conversations. That opened up a discussion about sources of information for staying current on communication and technology trends and how those habits have changed over the years.Continue Reading → The post FIR #345: Sources of Information appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The number of change initiatives companies impose upon employees has skyrocketed from two per year in 2016 to 10 in 2022. That has left employees with a serious case of change fatigue, increasing the likelihood that these initiatives will fail. Shel and Neville look at data from Gartner and advice on how to better handle the surge of change programs, many of which companies are undertaking in response to challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Also in this episode: Web3 has never captured the public's imagination. The lingo of Web3 may be partly to blame. Over half of public relations practitioners lack confidence in their data literacy skills. That's a problem when the simple but useless AVE metric is no longer the communicator's fall-back metric. The pandemic influenced the ways companies communicated with employees, leading to a shift in the elements of communication that lift organizations' internal brands. A quarter of Twitter users don't expect they'll be using the platform within a year. The uproar over perceived or real copyright violations inherent in the Large Language Models used by generative AI tools is poised to find its way into laws and regulations. Continue Reading → The post FIR #334: Employees Really Do Hate Change appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

While some assume NFTs are on their way out as the value of digital artwork has plummeted, brick-and-mortar retailers are increasingly finding ways to offer the ability to mint NFTs right in their stores. In this episode, Neville and Shel look at some of the latest developments in the evolution of collectible NFTs.Continue Reading → The post FIR #268: NFTs in the Checkout Lane appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The February episode of “The Hobson & Holtz Report” features Neville and Shel discussing these topics: The Houston Astros' owner hosts a clinic on how not to deliver and organizational apology Oracle workers are the latest to engage in employee activism Facebook has way more users than Instagram but Instagram is number one in some important metrics An IPO filing lists the company's influencers as a potential threat How brands should handle communications during the coronavirus epidemic Twitter has changed the face of journalism (for the better) Dan York reports on resources to help you speed up your website, the Internet Society's new "Open Standards Everywhere" project, job openings at the Internet Society, and how Google redraws its map's borders depending on where you are Continue Reading → The post FIR #192: The Latest Employee Revolt appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

When executives justify their return-to-office mandates, they almost universally cite the collaboration and innovation that results from serendipitous encounters between employees. They also point to the need to boost productivity. The problem with these arguments is that the evidence does not support them. In this short midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel look at one financial services company that has seen eye-popping increases in performance metrics since listening to its employees and adopting a policy that lets employees work where they want. We also review a report on what it actually takes to build connections and collaboration in organizations.Continue Reading → The post FIR #435: Physical Presence is Not a Collaboration Magic Bullet appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Among the many post-election analyses flooding media channels are reports that mainstream media and social media wielded far less influence than they have in the past. Instead, influencers and podcasts held sway. In this short midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel break down the reports and discuss the impact on communicators far beyond the election and politics.Continue Reading → The post FIR #434: Podcasts Defeat Mainstream Media in 2024 U.S. Election appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Blogs have been with us for 30 years, which qualifies as "something old." In this long-form episode of FIR for October, we'll examine the state of the oldest social media category. We'll also examine the state of generative Artificial Intelligence, which has been around, for all practical purposes, since November 2022, which makes it "something new." In this episode, we'll also explore Reddit's potential as a channel for government agencies and businesses to engage with stakeholders during a crisis and which agencies and brands are already there. Intuit's chief communication officer didn't like the direction a podcast interview with his CEO took, so he demanded the podcast trim the parts he didn't like. Was he justified? The news media has gained a reputation for clickbait, but it recently took a dark turn. And, executives justify their return-to-office push by citing the need for greater collaboration and connection among employees. But does having everyone in the office produce those results? We'll look at the research. In his Tech Report, Dan York (joined by a special guest) shares details of a VC investment round for Bluesky, and how competitors like Mastodon reacted.Continue Reading → The post FIR #433: Something Old, Something New appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

CEOs and other senior executives are increasingly expected to nurture a presence on social media—especially LinkedIn, which has seen a 35-percent increase in C-suite professionals in the U.S. over the last five years. These executives are also expected to be authentic in their online engagements, even sharing some details of their personal lives. Professionals also expect their leaders to speak out on pressing societal issues. It's rare to find an executive who is comfortable displaying vulnerability. That's where communicators need to step in, helping leaders find the most comfortable way to engage authentically online.Continue Reading → The post FIR #432: The CEO Authenticity Balancing Act appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel dive into PRWeek's "The Evolution of Influence" report, exploring the dynamic shifts in how public relations professionals exert influence in today's fast-changing landscape. We break down the seven key themes revealed by the survey, including the growing challenges of decentralization, the increasing importance of AI in PR, and the ever-present threat of fake news and deepfakes. Join us as we unpack these insights and discuss how communicators can stay ahead of the curve in maintaining consumer trust, authenticity, and influence in a digital-first world.Continue Reading → The post FIR #431: The Evolution of Influence appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Much of the content in this monthly long-form episode of FIR spotlights rising trends in marketing, including employee influencers, Gen Z's rising power as influencers, the role of influencers in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and AI's growing presence in the marketing space. All of this is raising alarms about the need for marketers to be transparent and laser-focused on what matters to their stakeholders. Also in this episode: the dominance of chat podcasts and Dan York's Tech Report.Continue Reading → The post FIR #430: Influencers, Memes, and AI Boost Marketing Transparency Mandate appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Debunkbot was designed to talk people out of their beliefs in conspiracy theories -- and it works. To discuss this remarkable chatbot, we turned to PDF2Audio, a tool that creates an audio podcast discussion (or summary or lecture) from any uploaded PDF. It's not Google's NotebookLM, which features a similar capability within a more robust note-keeping tool, nor does it replicate the easy-going, conversational flow that Notebook LM delivers. It does, however, offer multiple voices, avoiding the sameness of NotebookLM's outputs. Both tools -- though jaw-dropping -- have flaws, but given that the technology is just months old, it's not hard to imagine what the technology will be capable of in the next few years.Continue Reading → The post FIR #429: Fake Podcasters Discuss Real Debunkbot appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Edelman, the global PR agency, has vetted the current crop of AI tools, winnowing out those not enterprise-ready, categorizing them, and identifying those that excel at various tasks. Given the dozens (if not more) of new AI tools that appear every day, this can be a big help to overwhelmed communicators who can't take the time to try out every app that looks potentially useful. Does the report measure up to its promise? Find out in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #428: Which AI Tool Is Best For What? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

When OpenAI released Chat GPT 3.5 in November 2022, conversations about virtually any other technology were sucked into the vacuum of space. Venture capitalists and other investors shifted priorities overnight, sinking billions into Gen AI and often turning their backs on other endeavors. That and the colossal failure that is Meta's Horizon Worlds fueled a belief that the metaverse is dead. It is not. Considerable work is still being done while well over 1 billion people use existing metaverse technologies. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel look at the state of the metaverse, which is more vibrant and active than you may have thought.Continue Reading → The post FIR #427: The Metaverse Lives! Just Don’t Call It The Metaverse. appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

"Share of model" refers to the frequency or prominence with which a particular brand, keyword, or phrase appears in an LLM's responses to user prompts relative to competing brands or related terms. It measures how often and favorably an LLM mentions or discusses a specific entity or concept in its outputs. Marketers and PR practitioners were accustomed to measuring share of voice in search results as part of the SEO efforts. As searches shift to generative AI models, a new approach is needed. Hubspot has just introduced one, and Neville and Shel take a look at AI Search Grader in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #426: We’ve Got Your Share of Model Right Here appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The desire to stand out has declined significantly over the last 20 years, according to a new study. That has serious implications for society, business, and communicators. Meanwhile, shutting off comments on your social media channel could have worse repercussions than putting up with comments you don't want to see. Also in this episode, The fediverse is gaining traction, which leads one commentator to wonder if it's time for governments to set up their own instances. Corporate boards are bracing for more anti-DEI backlash, but does that mean they're backing away from their goals? Gen Z's enthusiasm for Kamala Harris's U.S. presidential bid is no accident, as her campaign cracks the content code, notably on TikTok.  Generative Artificial Intelligence is changing the search engine optimization (SEO) game. In his Tech Report, Dan York reports on new Threads features, Spotify and YouTube taking Apple's podcast crown, the photo manipulation capabilities of Google's new Pixel 9 line of phones, and one company's stand against AI.Continue Reading → The post FIR #425: Stand Up, Stand Out, or Shut Down? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As we reported nearly a year ago, communication's influence is growing among organizational leadership. However, in many companies, executive acceptance of communication may be taking a worrisome turn as additional responsibilities are being tacked onto the communication role, including sustainability and DEI. Is this because some companies see a natural synergy between these roles? Is it because the roles are viewed as soft, less important, and easily lumped together? Whatever the reason, it's worth wondering whether coupling these roles dilutes the communication executive's ability to do either well. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel explore the trend of coupling communication with another C-suite job.Continue Reading → The post FIR #424: The Rise of the Hybrid Communication Officer appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Op-eds pay off. According to one analysis, New York Times opinion articles get 37 percent more readers than the newspaper's general news coverage. Wall Street Journal op-eds attract 571 percent more readers than its general news. (That's not a typo. Five hundred seventy-one percent.) However, more and more news outlets are shuttering their opinion sections or severely reducing the space available for op-eds. Celebrity CEOs may well be able to pitch op-eds, but this channel is no longer an option for the leaders of most organizations. Many leaders are turning to LinkedIn to share their insights. Is that the only option? In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel examine the state of thought leadership and the channels communicators may not be considering.Continue Reading → The post FIR #423: As Op-Eds Fade into History, Where Does Thought Leadership Belong? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Neville and Shel both spent time at a global Human Resources consulting firm in addition to their long tenures as independent consultants. At the core of all consulting is the labor-intensive work that takes time, and time is money. Every consultant has an hourly billable rate, and even when quoting project fees, those fees are based on the hours required to complete the project. This model has been under strain for decades, leading to concepts like "value-add," in which hourly fees are supplemented by the additional value the consultant supposedly brings to the project (which is, after all, supposed to be reflected in their hourly rate). Now, AI may be the nail in the coffin for the billable hour model, in addition to fundamental consultant structures and offerings. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel examine the state of consulting in the AI age.Continue Reading → The post FIR #422: Will AI Kill the Consulting Billable Hours Model? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The End of the Generative Artificial-Intelligence Bubble The End of Investors' Generative AI Honeymoon Will Generative AI Really Pay Off? Generative AI Seed Funding Drops 76% As Investors Take A Wait-and-See Approach Is Generative AI Worth the Investment? These are all headlines from the last several weeks suggesting, as Gartner believes, that generative AI has arrived at the trough of disillusionment (the low point in Gartner's technology hype cycle).  This skepticism can be attributed to the fact that there haven't been any breakthrough products that have produced huge revenues. Instead of companies making big investments in AI, individual employees are using free or low-cost tools independently. While those enterprise tools are undoubtedly coming, employees using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot are seeing big gains in productivity and even creativity. A new report from Microsoft -- which looks at Copilot use by 6,000 employees in more than 60 organizations -- reinforces this view. In this midweek episode, Neville and Shel dig into the report, along with a Washington Post study that ranks how individuals are using generative AI.Continue Reading → The post FIR #421: GenAI Is Paying Off for Individual Employees appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A faulty software update caused the biggest IT outage in history, affecting everything from commercial airline flights to hospitals. The crisis communication demands on CrowdStrike were enormous. How well did the company acquit itself? Neville and Shel look at the company's response and share what some crisis experts have said. Also in this episode, there's increased reporting on the strike between journalists and media relations professionals. People are still searching on Google, but they are not clicking on any of the results, creating headaches for websites that need visitors to survive. Ogilvy has introduced a service to deal with rogue influencers. A newsletter has made its way into the fediverse as social networks like Threads continue to expand their fediverse presence. In his tech report, Dan York shares his thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court decision dealing with content moderation and why it's important for communicators, the release of WordPress 6.6, and the CrowdStrike outage.Continue Reading → The post FIR #420: How Well Did CrowdStrike Handle Its Crisis Communications? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.