A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attacks the media for its latest mistake since handing out free content on the Web in the 1990’s. The author makes a clever analogy to professional sports teams writing, “Ask the community to contribute players. For instance, instead of using only highly paid pros on the baseball diamond, try adding a citizen shortstop. And how about enlisting bloggers to serve as coaches?”

This analogy works because unlike your typical law or medical profession where it takes years of schooling and formal training to gain recognition in society, journalists and athletes are judged by their skill level. Does that mean we should let them play the field?

Due to recent newspaper budget cutbacks and confusion among publishers about their role, some newspapers are turning to “citizen journalists” to fill space. The term “coffee shop journalism” has also been coined as quite a few papers are closing their doors and instructing displaced and disgruntled reporters to their local coffee shop to get a sense of what the caffeine-crazed citizen thinks is news worthy…

Locally focused reporting is key to any publication’s success, however the way to achieve this is not to take on unqualified sources, instead these pubs should be hiring more trained journalists and ensuring they have adequate time for reporting. The author ends the article saying, “News organizations can use all the citizens they can get – in the bleachers, not on the field of play.”

To read the WSJ article, click here.

While the partnership has invested and managed dozens of hotels for the past 30 years, this is their first project developed from the ground up. Recently, the Miami Herald took notice of the new Comfort Suites and did a story for the Business Section. Click here to read the entire article.

The holidays created a time for giving. On New Year’s Eve, we reflected on past mistakes and resolved to be better for 2012.

Here at Boardroom, the protocol of the season got us thinking about the protocol of networking. When we network, our objective is simple  — we want something.

But the holidays remind us that relationships, networking ones too, are about a give-and-take exchange. Remembering that spirit of the season, forget about what you can get out of the relationship. Focus on what you have to give.

Here’s a simple tip that can help you revamp your networking strategies, whether on the web or at the next annual New Year’s cocktail party: be interested, not interesting. Yes, keep your business card in tow; but rather than focus on yourself, really listen to the other person.

The best networks are those of mutual benefits where everybody wins. It’s time to tap in! Find out what makes the other person tick. Sincerely inquire on how you can help foster and support their needs.

That’s our New Year’s resolution.

So here’s to making 2012 a time of giving and connecting, whether it be in our networks of co-workers, family or friends.

It’s great to generate good news about our clients!  An outstanding event celebrating pioneering Jewish families was created and launched by the Jewish Federation of Broward County.  It was a ‘mitzvah’ to see great media coverage in the Jewish Journal, describing the event, with great photos and quotes.

When there’s a story worth telling, there’s usually someone who will tell it.    This event was a labor of love for the Federation and the families that have made South Florida their home for more than 50 years.   The Jewish Journal did it justice, providing insight and a understanding of what it was like to be Jewish in South Florida those many years ago.

We’re proud of our clients and the good work they do.  We’re proud to reach out to the media with these stories.

Click on the image to read the story.

Here at Boardroom we know the importance of company morale both on and off – line. We use Facebook to interact with each other, our clients and our network of contacts. We post pictures, links to articles, fun facts and tips. One thing you’ll never catch us doing – talking negatively about each other or our work place. With an intimate group of 14, we interact like a family and have no need to lash out on Facebook or other social networking sites.

In a world consumed by social media and technology, few companies can say the same.

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlights employees who are fighting back after being  fired or disciplined for bad-mouthing their employers on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. In recent months, disgruntled employees have started to recognize their rights and are actively seeking to solve their very modern predicament by using the law that kick-started the U.S. labor movement: the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.

This law protects employee’s freedom of speech when complaining about pay, safety and other working conditions. It does NOT protect against simple gossip and griping. The NLRB, a federal agency that enforces the law and decides whether employees’ complaints have merit, has jumped on board to represent these employees.

Of the 113 complaints the NLRB has received from employees regarding social media issues since May, about half have sufficient merit for them to intervene.  Intervene, yes. Overturn the original decision, not so much. There is no guarantee that the NLRB will be able to save your career, below are a few examples of recent employee’s rants on Facebook and their outcome:

A Frito-Lay warehouse employee was fired after writing on Facebook he was ‘a hair away from setting it off in that b—-,’ apparently referring to the warehouse – the NLRB stated that his language was not protected.

A paramedic was fired after calling her supervisor a ‘scumbag’ on Facebook from her home computer – the NLRB stated that this was protected language because the employee was venting during an online discussion among other employees about supervisory action.

(more…)

What’s worse than being a liar? Falsely – and knowingly – accusing someone else of being one.

Completely unconnected yet intrinsically linked, both Penn State and Syracuse universities are under fire for child molestation charges surrounding athletic coaches.  While the charges against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky have been hovering publicly over the university for weeks, the allegations against Big Orange’s associate head basketball coach, Bernie Fine, surfaced just Sunday night.

Both universities have done a poor job handling media relations – and both have used possibly the worst public relations move in the books: Accusing the accusers, without a shred of supporting evidence.

When the charges against Fine initially were brought to light, Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim was anything but sympathetic to the three alleged victims who came forward. He called them “liars” in the media and accused them of just being out for the money. Similarly, now-former Penn State University President Graham Spanier implied in his media release that the victims in Sandusky’s case were lying: “I am confident the record will show that these charges are groundless,” he wrote.

Besides being boldly insensitive, it was a big mistake.

In both situations, the price is high for covering-up information and completely disregarding victims’ legitimate allegations. Yet one school is learning from the other’s blunders. While Penn State foot-dragged and cancelled press conferences, Syracuse has been proactive in its crisis communications plan. For that, it should be commended.  In an effort not to repeat the serious lapses of Penn State — and after seeing Spainer lose his job — Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor has taken the right steps to uncover the cover-up.

In a release Sunday night, the school announced upfront and outright, “At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine’s employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately.” No games. No deflections of blame. No cover-ups. And Cantor wants you to know this is under her order.

As a Sports Illustrated column so eloquently explains, “Syracuse is learning a lesson from Penn State, a lesson that every university and major institution needs to learn: When an accusation like this hits you, don’t hit back.  And the best way to protect yourself is not to look like you’re protecting yourself at all.”

And that’s no lie.

Only 72 days after her televised  $10 million dollar fantasy wedding, Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Ryan Seacrest tweeted the news Monday morning, and E! News issued a confirming statement some hours later.

But don’t worry, Kim K will be more than a-okay.

Forbe’s Magazine column, “Kim Kardashian’s Divorce Could Be Good for Business” makes it clear that the divorce won’t just leave the Kardashian brand untarnished, it will even enhance it. With her fame rooted in reality drama (after all she got her start with a sex tape!), you better believe that every media source is doing their best to keep up with this Kardashian.

People tune in for the drama, and Kim will undoubtedly make bank crying all over the sets of E! News, Ellen, and People Magazine.  This media traffic will ultimately drive more viewers back to the show, which will, again, drive more dough back into Kim’s back pocket. Pun intended.

So don’t feel bad for Kim, who ends her marriage with no kids, no mutual assets, and a prenuptial agreement. Forbes estimates that she made $12 million dollars just last year, while her ex-hubby Kris Humphries has made a total of $16 million over his seven-year basketball career.

Kim has no reason to instate a crisis communications plan.  All she needs to worry about is who keeps the $2 million dollar ring and the teacup dog.

Much already has been written about Steve Jobs – his marketing genius, his control of public relations, his ability to skillfully meld the products he created with a pent-up consumer demand for those products (or so we thought once his products were released).

That was the brilliance of Jobs. To paraphrase something he once said, “It isn’t up to consumers to know what they want. It’s up to us to tell them.”

Steven Jobs was one of those transformative inventors who comes along once every few generations. Perhaps it is a testament to how much he touched so many that – as President Barack Obama commented – so many learned of Jobs’ passing on a device he had invented.

He was also a public relations and marketing mastermind. His retail success came from creating powerful products backed by the buzz that made people feel they must have those devices. Apple’s iMac, iPod, iPad and iPhone wowed audiences when revealed in grand on-stage debuts – with Jobs as the emcee. Journalists were awed, and their articles reflected their amazement.

And we consumers bit – hard.

Apple didn’t need “traditional” consumer electronics marketing. The company consistently avoids major announcement hubs like the Consumer Electronics Show, notes PRdaily. He launched the hype – and sustained it.

Most (dare we say All-But-Apple) cannot afford to sidestep the major events. We bend over backwards to please our patrons, and play the retail merchandising game the way the industry has created it. Yet Jobs’ prowess in product development showed us that the brand dictates the trend – and not vice versa.

By developing one-of-a-kind products with unique messages to match, marrying art and technology in a way we’ve never seen before, Jobs dominated the technology industry. As the article explains, many described Apple products as “funky” and “snazzy,” showing their appreciation for the visual appearance of the tech.

Steve Jobs was quoted once as having said, “The customer is not right, I am.” Masterfully brilliant, unabashed in his view of the world, in every essence of the word, Steve Jobs – in his jeans and black, mock-turtleneck – didn’t just sell us things. He sold us dreams.

And if you were listening, he sold us a new roadmap to successful marketing.

The University of Miami football scandal has rocked the college sports community, players, and coaches for almost a month now.

In mid-August Yahoo! Sports reported the corruption within the University of Miami football program- detailing a UM football booster’s showering of 72 players (and even administrators!) with lavish gifts including parties at night clubs, prostitutes, jewelry, clothing, and electronics. Nevin Shapiro, the culprit who is currently serving time for a $930 million dollar Ponzi scheme, wined and dined the players to get into the “in crowd,” and develop a posse of top players turning top recruits and then pro. Shapiro is serving a 20-year prison sentence for his actions- but the University of Miami as a college, community, and brand is facing serious repercussions. In fact, in their September 5^th game against Maryland, certain UM players who were deemed ineligible to play because of their part in the scandal left many inexperienced freshmen taking over their positions. The investigation will continue on.

The scandal floats like a black cloud over campus, and University President Donna E. Shalala has only recently instated a crisis communications plan. As WPLG-Miami reporter Michael Putney writes in his opinion piece in The Miami Herald on August 23^rd, “UM President Donna Shalala certainly didn’t look good the other day striding around the campus with a pasted-on grin as she welcomed reporters, none of whose questions she would answer…Not even ‘no comment.’” Even if Shalala didn’t have all of the facts, we at Boardroom Communications would have advised her to at least let reporters know she was on their side. She could have said, “I have no comment at this time other than to say that we are taking this very seriously and investigating it,” or something of this nature, from the very start. Putney puts it well, asking, “Why didn’t Shalala just call a news conference, say she wouldn’t be answering questions and read the limp, ineffectual statement her office issued…?” Maybe the media would’ve given her a break if she went humbly to the camera right away.

Then again, it probably wasn’t too fun greeting the parents and students of the Class of 2015 amidst the biggest scandal in University of Miami history.

Shalala did pen a letter to the community, and has made two videos reaching out to the university and community at large- directly addressing the incident from her own office. “When our values come into question, we only have one option,” she says in the video. “Do what is right and have confidence in tomorrow. The allegations leveled…are serious. And we are treating them with the urgency and priority they warrant.” Shalala also notes that the NCAA has instructed her and the university to not yet comment on specifics, and her personal frustration with being “unable to speak more freely and answer questions.”

Though initially faltering (and getting beaten for it), Shalala is starting to take the right steps by confidently looking straight into the camera and accepting responsibility for this scandal. When CEOS and corporate executives are faced with any sort of catastrophe, more often than not there is simply a press release, a general statement sent to publications and mass media, and nothing more. Shalala has employed a simple yet successful public relations strategy- appearing personal, humbled, and intimate with her audience and community. It’s obvious that she and the University of Miami administration are trying very hard to remain proactive in an attempt to redeem themselves and the reputation of their college. Thankfully, their current coach Al Golden remains untainted by the scandal- having arrived long after Shapiro’s departure. If he takes the reins and focuses on the future, maybe, just maybe, Miami can recover.

Well, it’s that time of year again- Hurricane Season. Though we’re bound to miss Hurricane Irene here in South Florida (at least according to the latest weather report), the freak 5.8 earthquake that struck on Tuesday, August 23^rd, has rocked the East Coast. Reporters from Virginia to New York covered the storm in great detail, and sirens blasted on Capitol Hill to alert all of the news.

One of the biggest headlines of the day, it seemed, was the fact that President Obama and his family were vacationing at Martha’s Vineyard- where they could feel the earth rumble. In fact, according  an article in  the Washington Post, he was actually on the golf course when it happened! Obama’s 10-day vacation in Martha’s Vineyard makes for a stark contrast with much of the country’s current economic woes, but it turns out it was a natural disaster that, as the Post puts it, “pierced his vacation bubble.”

For us, perception often becomes reality- and this mental image of Obama playing golf while the country is shaking both literally and figuratively- with the economic crisis, unrest in Libya, and fire in the Middle East- has hit many hard. Obama needs to up the ante in making us believe he’s there for us. It’s all about perception, and maintaining a positive image in the press. At first, Obama kept a low profile on his vacation, according to an article in the Boston Globe,  and White House aides made it a priority to stress that the president was working each day and keeping correspondence with economic adviser Brian Deese and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan.

In light of recent events, however, Obama needs to put down the clubs and address the nation. He needs to conduct a serious crisis communications plan to score a more positive image with American citizens and, ultimately, regain our trust. His aides need to convey that he has been working around the clock, 24/7, even in the beautiful setting of Martha’s Vineyard. In public relations, Obama’s situation provides us with a valuable lesson about branding oneself. We want to see him as our Commander in Chief, our guiding light, and inspire us to believe once again that, yes, we can!