I responded in-depth to a question from Charles Edward Frith that was asked over at Strumpette, in response to my long comment,

“a huge portion of the population that are social media averse; gadget allergic even. How do you propose to get your message to this group?” I misunderstood his question and replied as though he asked, “a huge portion of the PR, advertising, and marketing population…” as opposed to the “general” population, and so my response is based on that misunderstanding and premise… “You really can’t — the main reason that I only lasted at Edelman for 90-days is because they never used me for my expertise in Linux, RSS, SEO, geek culture, geek cred… they really just wanted someone else who “got blogs” Blogs are also the Web 2.0 platform, too. The gulf between Communication School and the MIT Media Lab is too deep.”

Here is the comment from Charles Edward Frith in full:

“I’m not sure if you’re responding to me Chris. It is OK to address people directly in orums; we call it the conversation. If you are, I am saying that there is a huge portion of the population that are social media averse; gadget allergic even. How do you propose to get your message to this group?

And here is my long, ranting, and misdirected response:

“You really can’t — the main reason that I only lasted at Edelman for 90-days is because they never used me for my expertise in Linux, RSS, SEO, geek culture, geek cred… they really just wanted someone else who “got blogs” Blogs are also the Web 2.0 platform, too. The gulf between Communication School and the MIT Media Lab is too deep.

They didn’t even see what I was, which was a geek first, a marketer second. I don’t know if I can share this here, but here are some of my ideas on the subject… http://www.cabraham.com/ideas — to me, it is really about both the community and also the platform.

One needs to blog — message — at both the people in the blogosphere but also to the semantic web. When I realised that www.edelman.com was anti-SEO-optimized (it didn’t care at all about search engine optimization at all!), and really didn’t care (and they were afraid of upsetting IT and the people who ran the site) I was pretty sure I had made a terrible decision.

New Marketing needs to understand ping servers, online communities, cirtual worlds, RSS, RSS2, ATOM, GData, tags, labels, Google juice, the semantic web, gadgetization, what “slashdotted” is, why del.icio.us and digg and reddit and Newsvine and Stumbleupon are important. They need to grok Revver and Vox and Facebook and they need to know what “WordPress, Movable Type, Drupal, Xoops, Joomla, phpBB, etc” are.

This isn’t just “how to IM Kos” — this is about Internet Forensics and fisking and unintended consequences and blowback and counter-messaging.

There is a lot more going on than just “activating email lists” and “creating a blog.”

And we have not even talked about Prediction Markets, we have not talked about message boards, we have not talked about YouTube (it is a community, not a video site, at its heart), or Flickr (same thing, it is a community and it is not Photobucket).

New Media Marketing and New PR needs to know what Web 2.0 is, not as a buzz word or as hocus pocus. It is a platform, it is an emergence, it is a honey pot. It is “build it and they will come,” but only if it is cool and and compelling, and always in beta, and never loses focus of the users’ needs.

Actually, Yahoo and AOL are getting their game on again. Google gets it in its source code. Why are PR and marketing firms so risk averse? Why, to quote you, Mr, Charles Edward Frith, why is there a “huge portion of the population that are social media averse; gadget allergic even?”

And when I say that, I am talking about Edelman, I am talking about NMS, I am talking about Ogilvy. It is our responsibility as media professionals to be so expert in the technology, the protocol, the culture, and the passion (called passion chamber, as another term for the blogosphere’s echo chamber — and I own www.passionachamber.com, actually) so that this population doesn’t have to.

A population that universally adopts iPods, Plasma HDTVs, and DirecTV with TiVO is not gadget allergic.

What Old PR and Old Media might be really great at is taking an ubergeek like me and working with me to translate all of this cool stuff to the 7th grade reading ease so that new media and web 2.0 can better connect. This will be more and more important.

Unfortunately, when it comes to influencing the influencer, that person is not the “population” — that is a person who thinks that “salesmen” and “PR executives” and “advertising folks” are a bunch of wankers who don’t get it, wouldn’t know cool if it hit ‘em in the face, who are too focused on what people think about them to ever allow people to get to know them, to be authentic, and to be open.

The bad PR that PR has felt for years: snake oil salesmen, hustlers, pretty boys, spin-doctors, and inauthentic, opportunistic liars is exacerbated in the rarefied web where all of these things are not tolerated at all — and to be honest, nobody has to.

Lots of PR people I know tell me that they have to be risk-averse and they have to pull punches because the PR world is incestuous and to be honest, burning bridges is a death blow to one’s career. I am told the same thing by folks in the Valley who are afraid of insulting the silicon Gods.

Coming from a place of fear is just plain unacceptable. At the end of the day, I am a Linux SA who loves to hack PHP and MySQL and so really, I am neither a Valley wag nor am I am PR lifer. Most of my consulting deals with my niche of genius and I don’t see myself as ever getting too tarred or feathered — never to the point where people will cease hiring my counsel… even if it is on the down low after my name is mud.

So, I am not really tolerant when it comes to this PR sycophantism. The Internet and the bloggers and the people who matter now don’t play that. I know reporters and they do surely covet and protect and are jealous of their career arcs. And this fear for career and for immortality is easy to coerce and control.

Web 2.0 is not about control. The X factor in new marketing is that people really have no career arc, people online really cannot be kept in the kind of sycophantic blackmail that is common on Capitol Hill, on Madison Avenue, on K Street, and also in Silicon Valley.

When Edelman has to block Strumpette from 2,000 laptops and desktops held in their worldwide network, then maybe Edelman and the like aren’t as new media and new public relations as they would like to preach.

You can’t have it both ways. The only two things that the Internet doesn’t suffer: fear and hypocrisy. And from what I have been seeing, there seems to be a lot of both of them, both in Old PR and Marketing as well as in “new marketing” and “new media PR.”

Anyway, I am ranting. I have a call soon so I am going to stop now and click on “Submit Comment.” Thanks in advance for indulging me. I am going to rewrite this a little and post it on my blog… cheers for making me thing and making write! I have been way too busy to take the time to really download.”

People ask me what I think about “full disclosure” and “blogger ethics.” My answer always is, there is no obligation for any blogger to follow the ethical standards of journalists or public officials. Bloggers are bloggers because of the true freedom of speech. Freedom of speech doesn’t demand truth. But, if bloggers want to keep the trust they’ve been given by their readers, then they had better be open, honest, authentic, and transparent.

That said, the trust relationship bloggers have built and enjoy with their readers is quite a powerful feedback. That relationship is the market force that keeps bloggers honest, not ethical standards or requirements. Ultimately, I demand rigorous reader discernment — caveat lector, let the reader beware — and do not suffer morons gladly.

Here are some previous articles that I have written about the topic:

Blogger Ethics Coverage:

The New York Times Code of Ethics is Mandatory for Journalists Not Bloggers

Caveat Emptor et Lector Repost

Bloggers Can Ignore Basic Journalism Ethics

Bloggers do not Aspire to be Journalists

Pay Per Post Coverage:

Vanity Advertising on PayPerPost is Addicting

Edelman Ethics Coverage:

In Defense of Edelman over Bribery Charges

Not a Bribe with Disclosure and Transparency

BL Ochman Gets the Vista Edelman AMD Bribery Scandal

I Think I May Have Jinxed Edelman PR

Andy Sernovitz of WOMMA Blames the Victims in Edelman Controversy

What I Would Have Done if I Were Edelman Me2Revolution

Paul Mooney on and the New York Times’ Silence about the Edelman Bribe

Microsoft Did Not Bribe Bloggers Reports Microsoft

Journalism Gods Agree with Me on The Bribe

“The MECE principle (where “MECE” stands for “mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive”) says that data should be divided in groups which do not overlap and which cover all the data. This is desirable for the purpose of analysis, because it avoids both the problem of double counting and the risk of overlooking information.” Via Wikipedia

Julie Roehm and Sean Womack are departing Wal-Mart, according to AdAge. Is this Leslie Dach‘s doing?

Yahoo! “is spreading itself too thin and must define priorities and radically reorganize its management structure,” according to Brad Garlinghouse in the so-called Peanut Butter Manifesto. Why peanut butter?

“I’ve heard our strategy described as spreading peanut butter across the myriad opportunities that continue to evolve in the online world. The result: a thin layer of investment spread across everything we do and thus we focus on nothing in particular. I hate peanut butter. We all should,” said Brad Garlinghouse.

The Yahoo Peanut Butter Manifesto by Brad Garlinghouse

Three and half years ago, I enthusiastically joined Yahoo! The magnitude of the opportunity was only matched by the magnitude of the assets. And an amazing team has been responsible for rebuilding Yahoo!

It has been a profound experience. I am fortunate to have been a part of dramatic change for the Company. And our successes speak for themselves. More users than ever, more engaging than ever and more profitable than ever!

I proudly bleed purple and, yellow everyday! And like so many people here, I love this company

But all is not well. Last Thursday’s NY Times article was a blessing in the disguise of a painful public flogging. While it lacked accurate details, its conclusions rang true, and thus was a much needed wake up call. But also a call to action. A clear statement with which I, and far too many Yahoo’s, agreed. And thankfully a reminder. A reminder that the measure of any person is not in how many times he or she falls down – but rather the spirit and resolve used to get back up. The same is now true of our Company.

It’s time for us to get back up.

I believe we must embrace our problems and challenges and that we must take decisive action. We have the opportunity – in fact the invitation – to send a strong, clear and powerful message to our shareholders and Wall Street, to our advertisers and our partners, to our employees (both current and future), and to our users. They are all begging for a signal that we recognize and understand our problems, and that we are charting a course for fundamental change, Our current course and speed simply will not get us there. Short-term band-aids will not get us there.

It’s time for us to get back up and seize this invitation.

I imagine there’s much discussion amongst the Company’s senior most leadership around the challenges we face. At the risk of being redundant, I wanted to share my take on our current situation and offer a recommended path forward, an attempt to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Recognizing Our Problems

We lack a focused, cohesive vision for our company. We want to do everything and be everything — to everyone. We’ve known this for years, talk about it incessantly, but do nothing to fundamentally address it. We are scared to be left out. We are reactive instead of charting an unwavering course. We are separated into silos that far too frequently don’t talk to each other. And when we do talk, it isn’t to collaborate on a clearly focused strategy, but rather to argue and fight about ownership, strategies and tactics.

Our inclination and proclivity to repeatedly hire leaders from outside the company results in disparate visions of what winning looks like — rather than a leadership team rallying around a single cohesive strategy.

I’ve heard our strategy described as spreading peanut butter across the myriad opportunities that continue to evolve in the online world. The result: a thin layer of investment spread across everything we do and thus we focus on nothing in particular.

I hate peanut butter. We all should.

We lack clarity of ownership and accountability. The most painful manifestation of this is the massive redundancy that exists throughout the organization. We now operate in an organizational structure — admittedly created with the best of intentions — that has become overly bureaucratic. For far too many employees, there is another person with dramatically similar and overlapping responsibilities. This slows us down and burdens the company with unnecessary costs.

Equally problematic, at what point in the organization does someone really OWN the success of their product or service or feature? Product, marketing, engineering, corporate strategy, financial operations… there are so many people in charge (or believe that they are in charge) that it’s not clear if anyone is in charge. This forces decisions to be pushed up – rather than down. It forces decisions by committee or consensus and discourages the innovators from breaking the mold… thinking outside the box.

There’s a reason why a centerfielder and a left fielder have clear areas of ownership. Pursuing die same ball repeatedly results in either collisions or dropped balls. Knowing that someone else is pursuing the ball and hoping to avoid that collision – we have become timid in our pursuit. Again, the ball drops.

We lack decisiveness. Combine a lack of focus with unclear ownership, and the result is that decisions are either not made or are made when it is already too late. Without a clear and focused vision, and without complete clarity of ownership, we lack a macro perspective to guide our decisions and visibility into who should make those decisions. We are repeatedly stymied by challenging and hairy decisions. We are held hostage by our analysis paralysis.

We end up with competing (or redundant) initiatives and synergistic opportunities living in the different silos of our company.

• YME vs. Musicmatch
• Flickr vs. Photos
• YMG video vs. Search video
• Deli.cio.us vs. myweb
• Messenger and plug-ins vs. Sidebar and widgets
• Social media vs. 360 and Groups
• Front page vs. YMG
• Global strategy from BU’vs. Global strategy from Int’l

We have lost our passion to win. Far too many employees are “phoning” it in, lacking the passion and commitment to be a part of the solution. We sit idly by while — at all levels — employees are enabled to “hang around”. Where is the accountability? Moreover, our compensation systems don’t align to our overall success. Weak performers that have been around for years are rewarded. And many of our top performers aren’t adequately recognized for their efforts.

As a result, the employees that we really need to stay (leaders, risk-takers, innovators, passionate) become discouraged and leave. Unfortunately many who opt to stay are not the ones who will lead us through the dramatic change that is needed.

Solving our Problems

We have awesome assets. Nearly every media and communications company is painfully jealous of our position. We have the largest audience, they are highly engaged and our brand is synonymous with the Internet.

If we get back up, embrace dramatic change, we will win.

I don’t pretend there is only one path forward available to us. However, at a minimum, I want to be pad of the solution and thus have outlined a plan here that I believe can work. It is my strong belief that we need to act very quickly or risk going further down a slippery slope, The plan here is not perfect; it is, however, FAR better than no action at all.

There are three pillars to my plan:

1. Focus the vision.
2. Restore accountability and clarity of ownership.
3. Execute a radical reorganization.

1. Focus the vision
a) We need to boldly and definitively declare what we are and what we are not.
b) We need to exit (sell?) non core businesses and eliminate duplicative projects and businesses.

My belief is that the smoothly spread peanut butter needs to turn into a deliberately sculpted strategy — that is narrowly focused.

We can’t simply ask each BU to figure out what they should stop doing. The result will continue to be a non-cohesive strategy. The direction needs to come decisively from the top. We need to place our bets and not second guess. If we believe Media will maximize our ROI — then let’s not be bashful about reducing our investment in other areas. We need to make the tough decisions, articulate them and stick with them — acknowledging that some people (users / partners / employees) will not like it. Change is hard.

2. Restore accountability and clarity of ownership
a) Existing business owners must be held accountable for where we find ourselves today — heads must roll,
b) We must thoughtfully create senior roles that have holistic accountability for a particular line of business (a variant of a GM structure that will work with Yahoo!’s new focus)
c) We must redesign our performance and incentive systems.

I believe there are too many BU leaders who have gotten away with unacceptable results and worse — unacceptable leadership. Too often they (we!) are the worst offenders of the problems outlined here. We must signal to both the employees and to our shareholders that we will hold these leaders (ourselves) accountable and implement change.

By building around a strong and unequivocal GM structure, we will not only empower those leaders, we will eliminate significant overhead throughout our multi-headed matrix. It must be very clear to everyone in the organization who is empowered to make a decision and ownership must be transparent. With that empowerment comes increased accountability — leaders make decisions, the rest of the company supports those decisions, and the leaders ultimately live/die by the results of those decisions.

My view is that far too often our compensation and rewards are just spreading more peanut butter. We need to be much more aggressive about performance based compensation. This will only help accelerate our ability to weed out our lowest performers and better reward our hungry, motivated and productive employees.

3. Execute a radical reorganization
a) The current business unit structure must go away.
b) We must dramatically decentralize and eliminate as much of the matrix as possible.
c) We must reduce our headcount by 15-20%.

I emphatically believe we simply must eliminate the redundancies we have created and the first step in doing this is by restructuring our organization. We can be more efficient with fewer people and we can get more done, more quickly. We need to return more decision making to a new set of business units and their leadership. But we can’t achieve this with baby step changes, We need to fundamentally rethink how we organize to win.

Independent of specific proposals of what this reorganization should look like, two key principles must be represented:

Blow up the matrix. Empower a new generation and model of General Managers to be true general managers. Product, marketing, user experience & design, engineering, business development & operations all report into a small number of focused General Managers. Leave no doubt as to where accountability lies.

Kill the redundancies. Align a set of new BU’s so that they are not competing against each other. Search focuses on search. Social media aligns with community and communications. No competing owners for Video, Photos, etc. And Front Page becomes Switzerland. This will be a delicate exercise — decentralization can create inefficiencies, but I believe we can find the right balance.

I love Yahoo! I’m proud to admit that I bleed purple and yellow. I’m proud to admit that I shaved a Y in the back of my head.

My motivation for this memo is the adamant belief that, as before, we have a tremendous opportunity ahead. I don’t pretend that I have the only available answers, but we need to get the discussion going; change is needed and it is needed soon. We can be a stronger and faster company – a company with a clearer vision and clearer ownership and clearer accountability.

We may have fallen down, but the race is a marathon and not a sprint. I don’t pretend that this will be easy. It will take courage, conviction, insight and tremendous commitment. I very much look forward to the challenge.

So let’s get back up.

Catch the balls.

And stop eating peanut butter.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “71% of top performers listed pay among the top three reasons they would consider leaving their employer.” Read my ASCII, it is about the money, honey.

Of course, middle managers, board of directors, and growth-focused c-suite chiefs would prefer to try anything short of money, “in a sister survey . . . employers thought promotion and career-development opportunities were more important.”

I couple jobs ago, I was surrounded by the smartest young marketing junior executives I have ever met. These were not merely top performing marketers but new media marketers focused on online buzz marketing. Low pay was a constant complaint.

The management team thought this was code for something else, like happiness or workload; actually, it was about value, but “value” in this case was valuation.

Even though this new media marketing company won sundry awards for being a great place to work, the best-in-breed left.

Indeed, it is about money, it was about money, especially when signs of wealth are hemorraging from the c-suite and the management team, the only words worth saying are, “show me the money.”

According to the CEO, the pay scale was competitve and industry-based. I didn’t ever buy it.

Competitve to what? And what industry? Maybe to main stream media and old media marketing and PR, but surely not when it comes to new media PR and online buzz marketing, where six-figure salaries are normal for twenty-somethings.

Edelman and the Flogging of America by DIGITAL STREET JOURNAL is the finest analysis of the Edelman-Wal-Mart joint that resulted in the Wal-Marting Across America fiasco.

If you don’t have time to read the article, here is your take-away warning,

“This is not about public relations. This is about public affairs. There’s a difference. Public affairs is decidedly more political and comes with a different set of standards and values.”

Military-grade fisking — ruthlessly detailed point-by-point criticism that highlights errors, disputes the analysis of presented facts, or highlights other problems in a statement, article, or essay — is generally only aimed at public affair campaigns.

In the current political climate, Wal-Mart is political, which is why the Wal-Mart campaign is run out of Edelman’s Public Affairs office in DC and not in New York or Chicago.

Much of what I have read about China’s courtship of Africa is shameful. There is a general perception that Africa is a defenseless child and China is a rich opportunist. Not true.

China does not have a culture of noblesse oblige and so does not feel obligated to wag its finger at Africa but rather do trade amorally. The Times nails it, “A neglected continent encounters a suitor with deep pockets and few demands.”

China cares only about business and business promises — contracts and agreements.

At the core, China is Confucian: it is a shame-based culture. To shame a business partner by wagging one’s moral finger or by withholding aid and business until wrongs are made right is not in the Asian culture. And in terms of relationships, it is good advice as well: people, countries, and continents, are what they are and will not change permanently unless they choose to. Unless there is a cultural shift.

Unless Africa’s underlying cultural code changes. Any changes that have ever happened successfully in Africa have been the result of real grassroots changes, such as South Africa. And even South Africa may revert, eventually.

I grew up in Hawaii and the West was always looking down its nose at Samoa. The perception was that they are lazy and stupid, that they steal and don’t work, that they’re hostile and aggressive.

Not true at all. Quite the contrary. Samoans are generous, family-oriented, happy, and smart people; unfortunately, culturally, they just didn’t dance to the tune of the West. The English were frustrated, and America is even moreso: where is the American work ethic? Where is the gusto?

The common perception of Samoans as being hostile is true enough, but only out of desperation. Samoans are proud people with a beautiful tradition when when young Samoan men in Hawaii are underemployed and left behind as amusing cultural artifact, that’s when Samoans get aggressive.

How to motivate? In Samoa, one doesn’t motivate, one collaborates. I believe the same may be said about Africa, too.

I have a feeling that China and Africa will really get each other.It will be more symbiotic than parasitic.

If I were to generalize, both nations are wolves in sheep’s clothing: tremendously proud people wrapped in a culture of modesty. Both cultures aggressively try to nail down protruding nails and tend to be terribly difficult for Westerners to read.

Here is a hint: Both cultures never say no to your face. All true negotiation needs to happen in the back channels. Anything you ask for will be given to you, although this can often be a trap in order to gauge your character and greed. Your true intent.

Consider everything to be an elaborate test to judge your true character. To shake out your true agenda. You will not be judged for what you do to others, but you will be either accepted or rejected based upon these meetings and your behavior.

How do I know this? Well, the Economist wrote, ” China helps African governments ignore Western nagging about human rights: its support has allowed Sudan to avoid UN sanctions over Darfur. And some Africans look on China as a development model, replacing the tough Washington Consensus with a “Beijing Consensus”: China’s economic progress is cited by statists, protectionists and thugs alike to “prove” that keeping the state’s grip on companies, trade and political freedoms need not stop a country growing by 8%-plus a year.” To the Economist, this is deplorable. The title of the article is, “Wrong model, right continent.”

How do I know, personally? Well, I am a lot like that, having grown up in Hawaii, which to this day acts this way. Folks will never be rude to your face, but if you offend, be ready for blowback: colder receptions, slower response, less outreach, poorer quality, and then — if you don’t get the hint and work to repair the relationship through generous concessions and gifts — alienation, rejection, and finally, destruction. No joke. Yes, I am a very large, very big, very white, Asian man, culturally speaking. Do I make more sense now? “Aha!,” you say.

I guess the West calls it Passive Aggressive. Unfortunately, a great amount of the globe works this way, including the South. Also, Arabia, Africa, and Asia. Ha!

Call it passive aggressive, call it shame-based. Truth is, it is called honor-based behavior by the locals.

I hate to say it, and know I will get a lot of heat from my friends, most of whom are going to change the world through their devotion to protecting and rehabilitating African children soldiers, but the secret to Africa is letting Africa be Africa. As a continent, Africa is wiggly. Africa just wants to be Africa and is essentially universally tribal and never really cottoned to the Nation State.

China will win in Africa because it knows what it wants, it is open with its intent, is willing to ask for what it wants, and will not make Africa feel ashamed, judged, or victimized, for energetically participating. I think that the two cultures are so alien to each other while still being from old cultures, cultures that, at any and all cost, still reward honor and smite insult.

In the end, the New York Times on behalf of Wenran Jiang says it better than I can, “African leaders see China as a new kind of global partner that has lots of money but treats them as equals,??? said Wenran Jiang, a political scientist at the University of Alberta who has studied Chinese-African ties. “Chinese leaders see Africa, in a strategic sense, as up for grabs.???

China is up for grabs because America and, for the most part, Western Europe, has abandoned Africa as a bad investment, both politically and financially. Africa is too much of a hot potato for investors, not just because of its volitility but because too many uninformed Westerners are making so much noise about perceived wrongs in Africa that many investors are unwilling to risk the exposure.

To be honest, there are much easier, less high-profile nations with which to do business than Africa. At least until Africa becomes less polarizing. Unfortunately, by that time, China will be Africa’s management company.

One reason why I love LinkedIn is because you can recommend folks in your network — testimonials. I am grateful and amazed whenever I get one. I just received one from a happy EggDisk user.

Recommendations For Chris

Co-Owner and CMO at EggDisk

“Chris has been an innovative service provider at eggdisk.com – working tirelessly to promote and develop the service, yet making time to support and interact with his users. I am a client/user who can only recommend his service most highly. Regards Lloyd De Jongh??? November 2, 2006

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity

Lloyd De Jongh hired Chris as a IT Consultant in 2006

Independent Contractor at imwave

“Chris is very smart and quick thinking. It has been a pleasure having him work on special projects for my company.” September 6, 2006

Adam Viener, President & Founder, IMWave, Inc. (www.imwave.com) managed Chris at imwave

Blogger (Self-employed)

“I’ve known Chris through a series of professional outings over the past few years, and Chris is an exceptional friend and colleague. His blogs in particular demonstrate his prolific and thoughtful outputs. He’s also sociable and outgoing and a pleasure to work with and interact with. I recommend him highly.??? May 23, 2006

Dmitri Mehlhorn, Director, Gerson Lehrman Group was with another company when working with Chris at Self-employed

“Chris seems to have his finger on the pulse of the online world–he enthusiastically embraces every communications technology and looks for interesting and innovative ways to utilize them for education and entertainment and commerce. He’s also an excellent writer and a born “von vivant.”??? May 15, 2006

Chauncey Canfield was Chris’s client

“Chris is an inspirational and engaging writer and communicator. He’s pretty much the only person you’d need to know to get a grip on what’s happening online in PR and technology.??? December 11, 2005

James Farmer was with another company when working with Chris at Self-employed

Technology Strategist at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is a persuasive advocate for new media and has a wonderful ability to explain to people not familiar with the technology how it can help them achieve their business goals. I’ve known Chris a long time and he’s also a delightful story teller and a wonderful addition to any gathering.??? October 10, 2006

Lisa King, Branch Manager, Randstad worked with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris’s ability to translate rather esoteric marketing concepts to a series of concrete steps was nothing short of amazing, He makes viral marketing a straight forward and “doable” process.??? September 19, 2006

Andy Forbes, Owner, The Andy Forbes Files was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is one of the most enthusiastic, outgoing individuals I know. Easy to work with, easy to get along with, and a joy to be around. Well-rounded, driven and dynamic are only a few of the words that come to mind, but Chris is a risk-taker who is always ready to accept new challenges.??? June 22, 2006

Kerry Halferty Hardy, Director of Development, AICGS was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“(5/2006) I have known Chris for approximately five years. I am a recruiter for the creative/editorial/technical services industries, so I meet many people who are technology-savvy. Chris stands out among them. His knowledge runs broad and deep, and he’s a nice guy who strives to make the most of relationships.??? May 30, 2006

Adam Sidel, President, Brainstorm Creative Resources Inc. was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is an essential resource for creative technology solutions to client challenges and marketing campaigns. He brings a passion for online communication and strategy combined with the knowlege and experience to get it done.??? May 22, 2006

Peter Greenberger, Business Development, New Media Strategies worked with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is one of the most insightful and talented people I’ve worked with in many years. He has a gut feel for emerging technologies, products & services, and standards that’s dead-on — not only does he “get it”; Chris instinctively discards the chatter and fluff, and zeroes in on the 5% that’s actually going to make it. Dependable and a pleasure to work with. I recommend him 110%.??? May 20, 2006

Andrew Corradini, Principal, BlueSky was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“You’re not likely to find anyone as savvy as Chris when it comes to the strategic use of new communications technologies. Communications decision-makers are overwhelmed by new technologies and platforms including blogs, message boards, social networks, etc. He demonstrates a deep knowledge of these and as important, what they mean to communicators struggling to cut through the media clutter.??? May 19, 2006

Adam Dubitsky, Marketing Agency Partnerships and Business Development, New Media Strategies worked directly with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris Abraham has an outstanding knowledge of the interactive space – whether focusing on standard, new, or emerging technologies, he has an innate understanding of not only what’s possible, but what’s truly effective. Chris has a true passion for technology, and is among the leading DC ambassadors for the power of the blog.??? May 19, 2006

Stephanie Wasilik, Interactive and IT Agent, Randstad was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is imaginative, bright, creative, well-rounded, and he clearly groks the future of media. If you want to understand all this “new media” stuff, and how it will impact your business and your life, Chris is exactly the sort of guy you should be talking to.??? May 19, 2006

Anthony Citrano, founding partner, fama PR was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Working with Chris at NMS was a very positive experience. Never before have I had the opportunity to work alongside someone possessing not only superb technical skill, but also the ability to directly apply that skill to client needs. Chris has the very rare and valuable ability to view things from both a technical and relationship building angle, which will be greatly missed here at NMS.??? May 19, 2006

Nick Iauco, Online Marketing Manager, New Media Strategies, Inc. worked with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is a very intelligent and driven person, always seeking ways to improve any and all projects that we worked on together.??? May 19, 2006

Phillip Rhoades, Computing Support Technician, Kalamazoo Valley Community College was a consultant or contractor to Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is smart, funny, and knows the landscape of new media and Web 2.0 trends and technologies. He’s also good company.??? May 19, 2006

Peter Suber, Open Access Project Director, Public Knowledge was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris defines “knowing the vibe of the online world.” He not only carried an enmorous amount of responsibility with him at New Media, but he also delivered far above what could have ever been expected. I learned a great deal from Chris, and anyone who comes in contact with him (professionally or socially) will be sure to learn a great deal as well.??? May 14, 2006

Sean Carroll, Project Manager, New Media Strategies worked with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris is an immensely perceptive, technologically savvy networker. If I were launching a business or offering a new product, Chris is first person I’d consult about how to get the new offering out there. His enthusiasm for good products is enhanced by his great love for engaging other people.??? February 8, 2006

Mike Godwin was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“Chris has an excellent sense of how to create excitement about people and events. He has been instrumental in creating the momentum behind my film festival in Washington, DC and I cannot thank him enough for this.??? November 30, 2005

John Hanshaw was with another company when working with Chris at New Media Strategies, Inc.

“When it comes to getting a “buzz storm” going on the Net, Chris is the man to talk to. He’s one of the rare folks who both understands the technology behind the internet AND the pyschology as well. If you want to build a movement, want to stoke a grassroots fire, want to make something truly go viral — Chris is “da man.”??? November 23, 2005

John Hlinko was Chris’s client

Guest Lecturer at Columbia University

“Chris provided a comprehensive and useful overview of blogging and viral marketing for my students. He provided real life examples, showing strategy conception and implementation. My students all enjoyed and got a lot out of the lecture, and it remained one of the lectures about which we most spoke as the course continued.??? February 9, 2006

Daedre Levine was with another company when working with Chris at Columbia University

Senior Web Developer at National Legal Aid & Defender Association

“Chris is one of the smartest blog technologists I know. We are currently working on a joint venture blog project together and I can definitely see a long term business relationship forming. Chris is one of those people who just “get it??? and can “implement it???, that is a rare find in this day and age.??? May 21, 2006

Adam Viener, President & Founder, IMWave, Inc. (www.imwave.com) was with another company when working with Chris at National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Technical Customer Support at Picture Network International

“I worked with Chris at PNI. He is extremely proficient with technology. I have followed his work since PNI and have been consistently impressed with his innovation and mastery of new technology.??? February 16, 2006

Miles Fawcett, Product Manager, Picture Network International managed Chris indirectly at Picture Network International

I finished updating my resume this morning. Thanks to Janna, Di, Stephanie, Tiff, and Mark for all of your help.

MISSION
My passion is to use my experience and expertise in online community outreach and advocacy to promote and protect client online brands using my years of blogging, SEO, PR, marketing, and CGM professional experience.

PROFILE
I am an expert in online outreach, advocacy and marketing with over 23 years of online experience. My experience focuses on web strategy, including SEO strategy, technology strategy, and online marketing strategy. My skills include:
- Blogger: online outreach, advocacy, conversation, and messaging, blogger relations
- Technologist: expertise in community technologies, blogs, wikis, message boards
- Producer: experience in designing and developing hardware and software solutions
- Strategist: design, develop, and implement strategies to reach online consumers
- Promoter: online brand promotion, virals, organic SEO (search engine optimization), and paid advertising
- Protector: online brand protection, defensive SEO, online crisis response
- Teacher: Blogging instructor, guest lecturer, and online teacher since 1996

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Consultant, Blog Production and Strategy, BoldMouth — 8/2006-12/2006 http://www.blogmouth.com
- Blog strategy and planning for high-traffic, high-profile blog relaunch
- Customized Moveable Type installation on CentOS dedicated server
- Transition from TypePad to newest Movable Type 3.31 install
- Monetization of blog, including BlogAds and Google AdSense placement
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of blog

Instructor, The Writer’s Center — 2/2006-Present — http://www.writer.org
- Instructional courses on blogging, from introduction to advanced techniques
- Marketing, promotional, and SEO strategies for writers and business people
- www.appliedblogging.org developed to support blogging students

Blogger and Blogging Consultant, Freelance — 1999-Present http://www.chrisabraham.com
- Active blogger since 1999

Stock Photographer, Pacific Stock — 1990-Present http://www.pacificstock.com
- Contract stock photographer

Senior Account Supervisor, Interactive, Online Advocacy, Edelman — 5/2006-8/2006 http://www.edelman.com
- Direct client contact for Wal-Mart’s innovative blog outreach campaign, including prospecting and messaging
- Spearheaded Working Families for Wal-Mart blog, newsletter, and activation list
- Developed online word of mouth outreach for Taylor Hicks webcast from Wal-Mart shareholder’s meeting
- Co-produced “Exposing the Paid Critics” website for Working Families for Wal-Mart
- Co-produced successful online advocacy proposals to GE, Nissan, Shell, the American Petroleum Institute, and Wal-Mart Realty
- Designed and developed opt-in membership Email and messaging campaigns

Technology Strategist, New Media Strategies, Inc. — 9/2003-5/2006 http://www.newmediastrategies.net
- Developed online word-of-mouth marketing strategy and tactics used on Usenet, message boards, social networks, and blogs
- Developed online advocacy and outreach campaigns for clients’ products, services, and message
- Produced internal and client protective and promotional SEO campaigns and search strategy to highlight positive online conversation and supress negative conversation on popular search engines
- Developed in-house expertise on blogging, new media, podcasting, technology, citizen journalism, and CGM, including training, teaching, and the development of blogging and online marketing strategy
- Developed, deployed, and launched client and internal corporate blogs, marketing blogs, vertical industry blogs, PR blogs, promotional blogs, public affairs blogs, social networks, and podcasts
- Managed online advertising campaigns using Yahoo and Google contextual ads

Radio Panelist, “Do You Trust the Media,” BBC World Have Your Say — 5/3/2006 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2006/05/do_you_trust_the_media_your_co.html
- Radio expert on online media, citizen journalism and citizen generated media (CGM)
- Broadcast worldwide and in the US on NPR

Guest Lecturer, SIPA, Columbia University — 10/15/1005 http://sipa.columbia.edu/
- Lectured on blogging and viral marketing strategies for public affairs
- School of International and Public Affairs

Professional Stock Photographer, Corbis — 1990-2004 http://www.corbis.com
- Contract stock photographer

Director of Sales, eResources, LLC — 9/2002-9/2003 http://www.eresources.com
- Managed sales force and new business for the ITonDemand™ and the eResources Content Management System products

Senior Web Developer, National Legal Aid & Defender Association — 2/2002 – 9/2002 http://www.nlada.org
- Developed Web applications and content management system (CMS) developer using Zope, Python, and MySQL

Managing Director, beehive North America — 7/2000 – 2/2002
- President, co-owner, and co-founder of beehive North America, the North American office of Berlin-based beehive elektronische medien GmbH
- Sold and marketed software Zope application development training and services
- Clients included College of Exploration, The Nature Conservancy, and Space Telescope Science, and Pfizer Global Research and Development (PGRD)

Online Community Builder, Caucus Systems, Inc. — 7/1999 – 6/2000 http://www.caucus.com
- Online community, online conference, and online event facilitator and host
- Linux/Unix system administrator (LAMP SA)

Senior Information Engineer, FCBS — 12/1997 – 7/1999 http://www.fcbs.com
- On-site consultant for US Department of Treasury Chief Information Office (CIO)
- Core duties included HTML, scripting (Perl, SSI), programming, graphic design, management, development, and deployment of the CIO Intranet and public website

Teacher, Education for the Arts (EFA), KRESA — 8/1996-6/1998 http://www.kresa.org/
- High school teacher of the first fully accredited virtual online high school creative writing course for Kalamazoo, MI, Public Schools arts magnet program
Software Engineer, Proxicom, Inc. (Proxima in 1996) — 1/1996-8/1996
- Internet web application developer for the seminal web application company
Technical and Customer Support, Picture Network International (PNI) — 7/1993-8/1995
- Help desk for Industry’s second dial-up online stock photo agency
- Start-up funded and supported by SRA and Tribune Media Company

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Emergent Technologies Advisor, Communications Advisory Board, Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org

Participant Member, Moderator and Speaker, Renaissance Weekends, Renaissance Institute http://www.renaissanceweekend.org

Partner of Counsel, Haft, Harrison & Wolfson, Inc.

Associate, Howard Rheingold Associates http://www.rheingold.com/Associates/team.html

Founder and Organizer, DC Zope Python User Group (ZPUG) http://www.zpug.org

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The George Washington University, Washington, DC http://www.gwu.edu
- BA, American Literature, Minor Creative Writing, 1993

University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus, Honolulu, HI http://www.hawaii.edu
- Intensive course work, French, 1992

University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK http://www.uea.ac.uk
- Junior year abroad, English and American Studies (EAS), 1990-1991

It is important to get traffic to your site. By whatever means necessary. That’s where Quality Traffic Supply comes in. They “guarantee that you will get the visitors you have purchased delivered to your site.” Lowest price is 5,000 visitors for $30. What is there to lose?

Lots of folks use Google AdWords to drive targeted traffic. Sometimes, folks use Blogads network. Well, if you want to gain sales, leads, new customers and increase your marketing on the internet you might want to try Quality Traffic Supply.

According to the site, “Quality Traffic Supply is a part of one of the largest online advertising networks in the world, comprising of 112,000+ webmasters and content publishers. They are indexed and categorized for quality, relevance and specific interests, and generate millions of unique visitors each month for our clients. We offer an industry-first network of web traffic that can be delivered directly to your website.”

Advertising is a numbers game and I know that there is an industry expectation of a .5%-2% success rate. More traffic equals more customers, bottom line.

“Take a taxi from the headquarters of British Sky Broadcasting in Isleworth, west London, and chances are you will be driven away in an electric hybrid car. Your greenhouse gas emissions will be lower than in a standard cab and, although you should not feel quite as virtuous as if you had taken a train or a bus, your impact on global warming will be comfortingly small.” From Green is business’s new black.

I am sorry that the Financial Times requires a login to access content. I read it in its peachy goodness: paper and ink.