PRobecast 116: Apple Tracking Users, AT&T’s Cell Sites in Remote Areas and Vet vs. Net
April 29th, 2011 by Alison Raymond
I’m back from vacation and taking over PRobecast once again! In this episode Renatta Siewert, Justin Martell and Caitlyn Smith join me in talking about the accusations that Apple tracks all users, AT&T being the first carrier to supply cell sites for remote areas and why you should bring your pet to the vet instead of WebMDing little Fido.
Steve Jobs finally breaks silence on iOS tracking – Last week, Apple was enduring some allegations of tracking users via your coordinates on a map, and saving it on your device as well as on any computer you may have synced the device. Naturally, several other rumors sprung from this, including comparing Android and iOS. Steve Jobs says Android tracks, iOS doesn’t, while the Wall Street Journal says iOS does track. What do you think? Who’s telling the truth? Will this hurt iPhone or iPod sales in any way?
AT&T prepares for disasters through 30-minute cell sites – AT&T is claiming it is the first carrier to supply a customer-deployable model for mobility recovery to help with disaster recovery and business continuity efforts. Businesses, public safety agencies and governments located in remote areas can now easily set up cell sites with the help of AT&T’s Remote Mobility Zone. The model can also be packed up in a small suitcase for easy travel. What do you think – will this help AT&T’s image? Do you think it’ll work in light of the many natural disasters scientists are predicting?
Are you a Google diagnoser? It could be dangerous for your pet – There’s no doubt that forums – whether it’s a review or Q&A, are helpful for people. But the same may not be true for your pet. WebMD and other such sites are helpful when a person can describe symptoms, but since your pet can’t speak, the reliability of such sites goes way down. Many veterinarians get nervous when people diagnose their own pets, and the argument is called “vet vs. Net”. Are there any other instances where you’d avoid the all-knowledgeable Google?
Don't Google Me
Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.
This week – AT&T won! Since they have been in the media spotlight for negative issues such as the iPhone 4 mishap, shoddy service, etc., they have been working to improve their public image and these cell sites help to add a notch on their belts. Good work!
Who do you think should have won this week?
Category: Mobile, PRobecast, Security, Web | No Comments »
PRobecast #114: Southwest’s Woes, Amazon’s Music Service & YouTube
April 8th, 2011 by Alison Raymond
This week during PRobecast episode #114, Topazers Renatta Siewert, Sarah Thomas and Justin Martell join me in talking about Southwest’s cracks in the Boeing 737, Amazon’s launch of their new online music streaming service and YouTube being revamped to offer original news content.
Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737 cracks – Southwest airlines has seen better days, especially after Friday’s flight where a Boeing 737-300 carrying just over 100 people had to do an emergency landing when a 5-foot long hole tore open in the passenger cabin roof. Hundreds of flights had been cancelled, and now Southwest is trying to work as fast as possible to inspect other like-planes to ensure this won’t happen again.
Could Amazon’s new music service hurt Apple? – Last week Amazon launched, Amazon Cloud Drive, an online music streaming storage service that allows consumers to upload their music onto Amazon servers and listen on any web browser or Android phone. Some are saying this could give Amazon and upper hand in the digital download market, while others are saying it could give competitors Google and Apple an upper hand to tweak their (said to be upcoming) products.
Google trying to entice news viewers to watch on YouTube – Google is looking to have YouTube compete with broadcast and cable television by offering around 20 channels featuring original content that will be professionally produced and edited. With more and more people watching video, they hope to bring in a loyal and niche audience, to increase their online time and get more advertisers wanting to get in front of these consumers.
Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.
This week, Google/YouTube won! With more and more people watching videos online – we thought it was just a logical move for Google to produce its own original content on YouTube. Not only will it draw a niche audience, but it’s also a way to get more advertising dollars as these companies will want to target this audience as well. Therefore, it’s good for consumers (more places to watch the news), it’s good for YouTube (a niche audience and advertisers’ interest) and it’s good for advertisers (this will provide a new channel to target.)
What do you think?
Category: Messaging & Positioning, News & Commentary, PR, PRobecast, Tech, video, Web | No Comments »
Google +1 Button to Compete Against Facebook “Like”
March 30th, 2011 by esiff
According to a recent report from Mashable, Google will now have a button comparable to the ever-popular Facebook “like” button called +1. After Google Buzz, I can’t help but be a little skeptical of any Google foray into social media, but perhaps the best feature of this button will be the fact that it’s integrated into the Google search engine itself.
Google Plus One Button
Users who opt in will start to notice a small +1 button beside each link that comes up in Google search results. When you click on this button, your name becomes associated with that link across the web. It also shows up in a feed on your Google profile which is required to use it. You can also +1 an advertisement you like which will subsequently be recommended to your friends.
I’m thinking that the +1 button will most likely be successful (more than Buzz anyway) due to the fact that (according to Google) the data will have a direct influence on its search rankings, but its also another means of combating content farms, as users will be less likely to share their content. Will you be opting in?
See video for more information:
Category: Marketing, Media Relations, News & Commentary, online communities, PR, Predictions, Ranting, Social Media, Social Networks, Tech, video, Web | No Comments »
