Gabriele and I just got back from a quick getaway to the Shenandoah Valley, renting a cabin we’ve been to a few times before. I wrote a post last year about the great time we had, and this visit was again just what the doctor ordered. Last year we didn’t realize that downtown Front Royal […]
A few weeks ago I published a post about xtranormal, a free online text to video tool. It’s a fun way to create animated videos and inject a bit of humor into your communications. I’ve been around the domain name space for over a decade, and I’ve been following the new TLD story closely. Seems […]
Twice in the past six months I’ve written about examples of poor technology reporting. These posts have been popular and have garnered a decent number of comments, including some who questioned calling out reporters publicly. Well, there is plenty of bad PR out there and it’s only fair I highlight that side of the story […]
Wow, that didn’t last long. TBD, a hybrid of a traditional broadcast affiliate and a community news web site that launched last August, announced major changes including staff cuts yesterday. The question is — was this marriage doomed from the start, or is there a broader message here for the hyper-local business model? Like a […]
I truly started utilizing LinkedIn only about three years ago. I had created my account years before, but it was in 2008 that I spent a little time and discovered the value LinkedIn can deliver. One of the best things about LinkedIn is how self-identified audiences form around specific topics to share information, network and […]
The biggest story coming out of the RSA show this week has been the public embarrassment suffered by the security firm HBGary Federal. If current reporting is accurate, it’s a sobering story of online dangers and unprofessional behavior on the part of the company. The hacker group Anonymous penetrated the computers of HBGary Federal on […]
This past Saturday night Gabriele and I celebrated Valentine’s Day at Vermilion in Old Town, Alexandria. Technically of course we were two days early, but it looked like a lot of couples were doing the same thing. I was late calling the restaurant, so we didn’t have a reservation. When I called and spoke to […]
One of the best things about my job is I get to work with some really smart clients. Working closely with them, I’m constantly challenged (in the best sense of the word) to deliver value in my engagements. Recently I was talking to a client I’ve known for years. Since we know each other well, […]
Last week I found a blog post that combined two themes near and dear to my heart. It poked fun at “thought leaders” with no thoughts and did so in a very creative and humorous way, using a text to video service called xtranormal. Some clients think I’m trying to be humorous when I say […]
Back in August, I published a post highlighting what I felt was inaccurate technology reporting relating to my client Neustar. In that case at least I got a reply from the publication, albeit a very disappointing one. It happened again last week, and I didn’t even get a response from the reporter. Context – on […]
Demand Media’s successful IPO last week has certainly spurred a lot of media coverage around “content farms.” This Sunday the Washington Post had two separate stories in the Business section, one by Michael Rosenwald and the other by Rob Pegararo. Everyone is always looking for a shortcut, and in this case the victim is the […]
Recently Gabriele and I returned to two favorite Alexandria places for dinner. I’ve written about both before — Overwood here and Cheestique here — and I’m happy to report they delivered again. Of course just because you return to an old favorite doesn’t mean you can’t try new wines. That’s what we did, and came […]