The Sternberg Effect
Technology
Communications Renaissance: Thoughts From Guest Lecturing
Last night, I had the pleasure of guest lecturing at NYU for a class about PR 2.0. About 2 minutes into the class, I felt right at home. Maybe it was because the class was intimate – only 8 students; maybe it was because the professor, Matt Knell making me feel at ease. Or maybe because I’ve been there before, in front of a class of people wanting to learn.
Continue reading
What’s a Jew?
This week brought two interesting aspects of what it means to be a Jew to the world. The first, which actually started in January but didn’t get much notice until recently, has been seen as both a triumph of spirit and a desecration of memory. The second has the ability to eradicate what it means to be a Jew.
Continue reading
Smell Like A Man
One of the most talked about advertising campaigns right now is the Old Spice Man, starring the sculpted former NFLer Isaiah Mustafa . But it’s not your grandfather’s Old Spice campaign, as there’s a highly interactive – and addictive – online push (a combination of viral video, Twitter feed and Facebook page) to support the non-sequitur TV spots.
Continue reading
Who Controls the Message?
http://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://www.joshsternberg.com/blog/2010/5/18/who-controls-the-message.html The first several weeks after signing a new client are always my favorite. Why? Because this is where we lay the foundation of most, if not all, of our efforts moving forward. We come up with the processes as well as the goals to have a successful relationship. Most importantly, this is the time … Continue reading
Off the Record vs. On Background vs. Privacy
Earlier today, New York Times reporter Nick Bilton posted this tweet:
Off record chat w/ Facebook employee. Me: How does Zuck feel about privacy? Response: [laughter] He doesn’t believe in it.
This tweet reminds me of a poster I once saw in college showing, from one perspective, a beauty queen and from another, an old-maid. Why? Well, this tweet shows how reporters can be cavalier with their sources (the “off the record” vs “on background” debate), and the content by the source that Facebook, by the Zuckerberg proxy, doesn’t believe in privacy.
Continue reading
Mixing Theory With Business
One of my favorite theories to go over when I was teaching was called the Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT). Basically, the theory tries to explain and predict how relationships develop between strangers. The idea is rooted in the logic that the more (and often, how) we communicate upon initial interaction, the more we reduce our uncertainty of this person and thus determine if we will continue to develop the relationship.
Continue reading
The Apple Response
This morning’s Gizmodo’s deconstruction of the “new” iPhone has spread across the tech world like the spewing ash from Eyjafjallajokull. But while the glacial volcano has so far only disrupted Europe’s flight patterns, this iPhone issue has the potential to wake Apple’s massive legal and PR divisions. If I were on Apple’s communications team I would … Continue reading
Three Laws of Social Media
This post originally ran on the Huffington Post
Social media. Two average-sized words that carry a tremendous amount of meaning. However, we have yet to create a working operational definition for social media…
Continue reading
Why Sarah Palin is what’s right and what’s wrong with America
Say what you will about the dilettante politician from the great state of Alaska, but she sure knows how to ignite passion – both from supporters and detractors. And while you may agree on her stance that global warming is fake (you know, it’s not global warming-global warming, a la Whoopie’s ‘rape-rape,’ but it’s pretty … Continue reading
Social media is…
As a thought experiment, I asked followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook this little question: What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of social media? Sure enough, the myriad responses are as diverse as those responding. Some use the ingrained buzzwords: engagement, community, interaction, filter, sharing. Some look at social … Continue reading
