Chris Abraham » cultures

Whiter than Wonderbread and Puffy Clouds

Chris Abraham — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:49:42 +0000

One thing that I am not is touchy about the fact that I love what I love. And I love Moleskine notebooks. And I love manual typewriters, especially the Hermes 3000, and I love quite a lot of other like-minded stuff. Well, Moleskine notebooks are #122 in the list of Stuff While People Like. Sad but true.

This particular type of notebook is very expensive and was quite popular with writers and artists in the olden days. Needless to say, these are two properties that are highly coveted in the white community. In fact, it’s a good rule of thumb to know that white people like anything that old writers and artists liked: typewriters, journals, suicide, heroin, and trains are just a few examples.

Let’s see what else I like that white people like — the bold ones I feel especially strong about:

#122 Moleskine Notebooks
#120 Taking a Year Off
#119 Sea Salt
#115 Promising to Learn a New Language
#108 Appearing to Enjoy Classical Music
#107 Self Aware Hip Hop References
#106 Facebook
#99 Grammar
#98 The Ivy League
#92 Book Deals
#90 Dinner Parties
#88 Having Gay Friends
#81 Graduate School
#80 The Idea of Soccer
#79 Modern Furniture
#78 Multilingual Children
#77 Musical Comedy
#73 Gentrification
#72 Study Abroad
#70 Difficult Breakups
#61 Bicycles
#58 Japan
#57 Juno
#56 Lawyers
#55 Apologies
#54 Kitchen Gadgets
#53 Dogs
#52 Sarah Silverman
#51 Living by the Water
#50 Irony
#49 Vintage
#48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops
#47 Arts Degrees
#46 The Sunday New York Times
#45 Asian Fusion Food
#44 Public Radio
#43 Plays
#42 Sushi
#39 Netflix
#38 Arrested Development
#37 Renovations
#36 Breakfast Places
#35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report
#34 Architecture
#25 David Sedaris
#24 Wine
#23 Microbreweries
#21 Writers Workshops
#20 Being an expert on YOUR culture
#19 Traveling
#18 Awareness
#16 Gifted Children
#14 Having Black Friends
#13 Tea
#8 Barack Obama
#7 Diversity
#6 Organic Food
#5 Farmer’s Markets
#3 Film Festivals
#2 Religions their parents don’t belong to
#1 Coffee

Holy fuck, I am pretty darn white!

Advice to a PR Professional of Tomorrow

Chris Abraham — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:19:51 +0000

Earlier this week, I guest lectured on digital PR at the American University and reported on the experience, Public Relations and Communications’ Future is Bright!. I said that I would not write anything nice unless someone sent me a thoughtful email from the class.

Well, I received two nice notes, one from Juliana Serafini (who promises to email me again next week) and one from Kari Elam, who had a lot of great question. I will not expose her questions, but the long story short is that Kari is writing for music, culture, arts, and society blogs and wonders if that it good enough as a way of writing herself into a smashing agency job in PR and I told her that while it couldn’t hurt, it is also essential for her to go a little further.

Well, here is the ‘sage’ advice I give to Kari: Kari, what you’re doing for your current blogs is more editorial writing. While editorial and column-writing might very well help you with a publishing career in the future — and doesn’t hurt your portfolio — I must underscore the fact that while blogging about music — being a blogger — is super-important when it comes to being a respected part of the community — the “who the hell are you?” factor, there is another more important blogging strategy to pursue if you want to end up in a top-ten national PR firm.

What you need to do, in addition to blogging is “meta blogging,” — blogging about social media, about digital PR, about public relations, about advertising, etc… It is really important to make sure you’re always taking a step back and think not only about the what of social media but also about the why and how.

What this could look like is a blog about your studies of PR at AU and what you’re learning and how it contrasts with what you’re learning at your PR Internship. If you’re interested in music, society, the arts, and culture, explore it in the context of the Internet, of online branding, ads, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and even television and radio. How do you see what you’re learning about traditional PR dovetailing into social media marketing and digital PR? Can you see a continuum? Can you maybe help the fogies of traditional PR find their way to digital PR? If you can light the path and maybe even map the way, you’re golden. Move to NYC and start shopping for apartments, you’ll be on Madison Avenue in no time.

However, don’t forget the basics. As a PR consultant, you will be required to know how to not simply consume content (read blogs), not only produce content (blog), but analyze and understand how to conversation works, how best to leverage and participate in conversation, and also how best to manage conversation and manage reputation. Being a PR professional is about knowing how things work behind the curtain. And, since you are young and “cyber,” people assume that you have a valuable and important insight into the future.

PR firms are beginning to realize that “all kids get the Internet” may be true, but not in the way they thought — that “kids” get the Internet with only the level of sophistication that people from 35-50 get television — as a source of entertainment and information.

So, it is your job to publicly and prove, on a daily basis, on a blog, that you get what’s going on, that you’re current with the movers and shakers, that you have a passion for that space, and also that you will be able to prevent the future from blindsiding your PR VP and your client by keeping on top of technology, social media, new PR, and new and important channels through which you need to use to promote and protect your clients.

Your music blogging and your trend blogging and your other blogging means that you can now think like a blogger and that you’re accepted into the blogosphere — which is an important first step. The second step is proving you can strategically and even tactically make the Internet work for your clients and your agency.

Not to insult us marketing, advertising, and PR bloggers and blogs but there is a lot of room in the Power 150 for more voices, that’s for sure. If you start today, you may very well shoot up the list. A new voice is always welcome. Also, don’t be intimidated by what this sort of blogging means. You don’t have to act out of your focus. Take what you already love and then just spend some time getting meta on it — spend some time playing. Spend some time taking the articles you’re writing elsewhere and slice them and dice them a little academically. Do things like create your own case studies and give away the sort of campaigns you might recommend yourself. Feel free to critique or compliment campaigns and brands and firms and agencies — especially the ones you’d like to work with.

I swear to God, you can write yourself into this business. You can write yourself into a very fine career as a PR professional. You’re good as gold if you can prove that you’re both someone who has been trained in traditional PR and who gets digital PR; that you’re someone who gets both theoretical social media as well as practical social media.

And, good luck to you, Kari!

Facebook is For Old Fogies!

Chris Abraham — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:14:38 +0000

I don’t read TIME magazine (do you?) but Jay Denhart from Leo Burnett did and shares an article he read, 10 reasons Facebook is for ‘old fogies’, What is Facebook for?

In an article for TIME, Lev Grossman talks about how Facebook is really best designed for the middle-aged, not the young. He lists 10 reasons Facebook is for ‘old fogies’ such as: it’s for finding people you’ve lost track of, we don’t get drunk and post bad pictures, people use it for business contact, we don’t want to ‘do’ anything, but just sit back read and judge, we want to share pictures of our children etc. (Via Cultural Fuel Blog)

Indians Call But Filipinos Text in Mobile Phone Culture

Chris Abraham — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:53:50 +0000

I know that in Africa, there is a culture of folks owning one phone but many SIM cards. One card is good for texting, one card is good for receiving calls, one card is best for calling one place and one card is best for a particular coverage in a particular area. I am fascinated by cellular, GSM, mobile, texting, and voice cultures around the world. Textually.org has a great article about the cell phone cultures of India and the Phillipines you should check out called Indians prefer phone calls to SMS:

For people in India, making a call has become the best option to connect, while other countries like to use the SMS to convey their message. 86 percent of Indians had either made or received a call in the past three months but Filipinos have not made or received a single phone call for the same period, instead they prefer the SMS. Silicon India reports.
The basic reason behind the preference of calls to SMS is the cost factor. The average tariff in India for local calls is Re 1, the same as the local SMS rate, while for STD calls, the average tariff is Rs.1.50 and the SMS rate is higher at Rs 2. Thus, SMS tariffs are either higher than voice rates or at best comparable, which makes the latter more lucrative.”The phone patterns in countries like Thailand and the Philippines are also very different as compared to, say, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh,” says Rohan Samarajiva, Chairman and CEO of Lirneasia and a former Srilankan telecom regulator told The Times of India. These findings are the result of a Sri Lankan study titled Teleuse@BOP 08-09 conducted by Asian ICT think-tank Lirneasia, which spanned across Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Thailand. The study surveyed close to 10,000 people from the low-income or Bottom of Pyramid group (earning less than $38 a month). In India, it was around 10 cities which were surveyed.

Chelsea Reviews My Comm350 Guest Lecture

Chris Abraham — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:50:42 +0000

I spoke to two classes of communications majors today about digital PR and social media marketing. It was a wonderful experience. The University of Maryland undergraduate course was called Comm350: Public Relations Theory and their communications professor, Sahar Mohamed Khamis, was amazing generous and welcoming, basically handing me the reins to her class, sight unseen. The class is described as:

The historical development and contemporary status of public relations in business, government, associations and other organizations. Application of communication theory and social science methods to the research, planning, communication and evaluation aspects of the public relations process.

Everybody was super bright and super nice to me. One thing I was concerned about is that in both classes I taught today, both Comm350, only a couple people had Twitter accounts and I think there were just a couple folks who have a blog or who had every blogged. And these are our future PR professionals. Of course, when I asked, 100% of the students in both classes were on Facebook. Natch.

Well, I presented my A Guide to Blogger Relations slide show and then took questions. I told them that blogging, Twittering, and participating in the wider conversation would almost guarantee them a good job at a local or national agency after college. I told them that they should all, separately or in concert, start writing a blog about their take on communication, on advertising, on popular culture, on television, on PR, on social media — that the thing they learn in class every day would be interesting to the blogosphere, seen through their young eyes. That there is no doubt in my mind that you can really and truly write yourself into the job of your dreams and if they didn’t blog, all of them, they were darned fools (well, maybe I didn’t say it — it was implied).

I receive quite a thank you note from one of student from the first class, Miss Chelsea Clark, who not only asked a question but also said the following nice things — a mixture of review, testimonial, and, I dare say, her first blog post once removed:

I walked into my Comm350 class on Tuesday expecting to sit there taking notes for an hour and a half like usual. Instead, our professor announced we were having a guest speaker. I was thinking to myself that this could go one of two ways: really interesting and way better than cramping my hand taking notes, or really boring and put me to sleep.
Our guest speaker took the floor and introduced himself and described what his company does. I’ve learned about blogs in PR before, but I was never really able to link the two together. Yeah, so blogs are a new media outlet, but how does that help clients? How do businesses personally benefit from random people around the country writing about their hobbies and interests? I never really understood the connection until Chris’ presentation.
He described how he would have his team search for blogs that were written about topics that relate to his clients and then send out mass emails to the bloggers to ask them to write about his clients. He was worried that we would think he was a spammer, but, having made many annoying calls and emails to reporters myself, I knew how he felt. He then showed us results of actual bloggers that wrote about his clients. He got so excited! We all recognized this feeling, for being PR people ourselves, we know how satisfying it is to have free publicity.
I thought that Chris did a really good job with his presentation. I followed what he was saying the whole time and enjoyed some of his nerdy antics. I think some of the people in the class were less interested or maybe didn’t follow what Chris’ company is responsible for, either because they were pretending to take notes while really checking their facebooks or because they are still a bit unfamiliar with PR and got a little bit confused.
For me, the presentation was enlightening, exciting, and interesting and showed me new ways of getting publicity without necessarily resorting to TV and newspapers. I would definitely recommend him to other PR college classes that are looking for guest speakers!

That, Chelsea, really made my month. I appreciate the kind words and thank you, again, to professor Sahar Khamis

who will soon be coming out with a really compelling new book you should all pre-order on Amazon, Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace. I look forward to it.

Also, if you’re curious as to the content of the slide show and the presentation I did, here it is inline for your enjoyment… however, I need to record one with my insight, wit, and wisdom one of these days soon:

Frank Luntz is The Word Doctor

Chris Abraham — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:02:50 +0000

I received a lovely missive from the King of Language and Message, Mr. Frank Luntz:

I’m Back!
After five weeks without a home or a name, I have finally settled on both.
I think it’s fully appropriate that a pollster actually conduct a poll to determine what to call his company. Thanks to the input of some of the most influential people in politics, business and American culture, I have settled on “The Word Doctors” as the entity for the work I do going forward. (Sounds a little like a primetime soap opera, I know.)
[ . . . ]
Life in Santa Monica is slower and more relaxed – and I am eager to maintain that life-affirming pace going forward. What research projects I do accept will be in conjunction with my old firm – LMSR.
But if you’re looking for strategic guidance or long-term planning, or you want someone to deliver a State-of-America speech to your company or organization, I hope you’ll allow The Word Doctors to find the right words for you.
All the best,
Frank Luntz

(See the above email in its entirety online)

True Experts in Online PR, Not Just Old-Media PR

Chris Abraham — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:34:26 +0000

There is a misconception among many old-media PR shops that online PR is pretty much like the old-school stuff, just in a different place. This could not be further from the truth. New media online PR is a completely different world, a totally different culture, and an entirely different approach. It’s not easy, or anything for amateurs, but it is very effective when done correctly and with enough commitment.

Results by True Online Experts
We at Abraham Harrison are completely confident in our ability to produce results with clients who are willing to commit the resources and focus to online efforts — we know our way around this space like few others. We also know that there is far more to being a surgeon than reading how an operation is done, far more to being an engineer than having the blueprints in your hands, far more to being a chef than being able to read a cookbook.

Securing you Trust, Endorsements, Top Search Results Ranking, and Ubiquitous Presence of Message
The staff of Abraham Harrison can get your brands out in front of the world, right in front of the eyes of exactly the people you want to reach. We can make stars of your key staff members and position them as trusted experts before the world.

We can drive your search engine and general online visibility so that your brands are ubiquitous in the places where your potential clients live online and at the tops of search results — not only having your brands promoted on your own sites, but getting them endorsed and promoted on the sites and under the names of the influencers where your customers are waiting for you to meet them.

We’re happy to take you there. Your future customers are waiting out there online for you. We will help you find them, make sure they trust you, and establish you as the people they want to come to. We’re looking forward to working with you!

Contact: Mark Harrison, CEO & Chris Abraham, President and COO, Abraham Harrison, LLC

Position your key staff as experts in their field online

Chris Abraham — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:22:26 +0000

If you Google the name of our President and COO, “Chris Abraham“, you will see what it means to dominate the search engine results and own a position as an expert in a field. We can do the same for your key staff.

Methods: Blogs — Yours & Others: Dominating the Online Space as an Expert & Generous Contributor. We will get your blog infrastructure and your content production policy established. This involves installation, set-up, and design of the blog software. To drive SEO it is important to get the relevant social bookmarking, ping server, etc. accounts and plug-ins set up and installed.

To further drive SEO, a powerful additional methodology is to mirror your blog content across multiple other blogs on highly-ranked blog hosting sites like blogspot, wordpress.com, etc., or under additional aggregation blogs you may set up under your own domain names. This process will be automated at the outset and run without human effort thereafter.

Blog Content Creation Policy
We will help your team get the blogging policy right, following best practices in line with the informational guidelines of your company. There is a clear culture of blogging and respecting and adhering to its norms and expectations will make the difference between you being welcomed as a respected contributor and being mocked as a soulless corporate shill (or an embarrassment and danger to your company).

It is essential to have a clear policy for your company’s bloggers, particularly in terms of outlining and reserving their freedoms as writers. With a clear understanding by the blogger and by the company of what freedoms are allowed, you avoid cramping, overly-careful, stuffy-sounding, self-censoring while also avoiding cringe-inducing embarrassments of inappropriate disclosure and language.

Blog Content Creation System
The best system of content creation is to have the key staff members whose reputations are to be built writing the blog content themselves — that leads to the most honest, transparent, and bi-directionally informative information exchange. However, sometimes those key staff members simply don’t have the time, inclination, or writing talent to create that content. In that case a content creation system and methodology must be put in place:

Hiring or assigning professional bloggers or staffers with good writing abilities to produce the content under their names or
Establishing a ghost-writing system where topics are suggested (by the writer or the key staffer), concept outline given by key staffer, posting written by the professional writer, posting edited and approved by key staffer, posting proofed by editor (optional), and article posted.

If this route is taken, there are workflow blog softwares that can be put in place and set up to manage this process.

Appearing on Others’ Blogs
By generously contributing to the community via bloggers in your spaces, you can get broad coverage and enjoy the implicit (or explicit) endorsement of these influencers. We would help you get these content contribution requests by executing a Blogger Outreach. This is done by:

Giving of yourself in the form of interviews, etc.
Interviews are excellent relationship-builders that give you direct, personal access to the bloggers and builds up a connection for the future. Interviews can be given via:
- Email
- Chat
- Phone
- Podcast (voice)
- Vlog (video — either onsite or via video VOIP)

This list is by order of “live-ness” of the interview with email being very asynchronous, allowing time to reflect and gather info and Vlog interviews being very live.

Guest blogging by the key staff
Guest blogging is very warmly welcomed since it gives bloggers good content that they don’t have to write themselves, and it makes them look good because they are being honored as a valued platform.

Being a guest blogger gives you coverage on another site, increasing the number of locations you are appearing while giving you total control over your message and while driving your SEO by adding link-backs. Additionally, you get the implicit (or explicit) endorsement of the blogger in front of his readership.

It is important to be writing interesting, engaging content as a guest blogger and avoid presenting something that sounds like a callow pitch.

If the key staff member is not interested or capable of doing the guest blogging, then the ghostwriting approach outlined above can be followed

Podcasting and Vlogging (video blogging)
Podcasting is very much like blogging, but in audio format. While it is not as SEO-friendly as text-based blogging, it has a stronger “star-quality” effect, as the listeners develop a stronger human connection to the podcaster. The lower SEO-friendliness can be counteracted by posting transcripts of the podcast along with the podcast itself.

It can be done very simply, but generally it is good to have quality raw audio, a polished intro and outro, and good tone balancing so that the podcast sounds somewhat professional and is auditorily a pleasure to listen to.

We can guide your staff in setting up the recording mechanisms, get your intro/outro composed, and have the raw audio balanced and cut into a finished podcast.

It is also good to have clear, interesting concepts to speak about and an effective style of delivery. It’s easy to be boring or irritating.

While the ghostwriting approach outlined above can be followed, much more responsibility lies on the key staff member who is recording, since it is a very “live” experience — you cannot read a pre-written article and come across as a compelling Podcaster.

The staff of Abraham Harrison, LLC, can get the transcripts written and assist in the posting of the podcasts and the maintenance of the podcast blog website.

Vlogging follows the same rules as podcasting in regards to production and quality, but the pressure on the “star” is that much more intense.

Abraham Harrison’s staff can guide your staff in getting the recording and production infrastructure set up.

An advantage of vlogging is that it has the even higher “star” effect upon the key staff member doing the vlogging, and the videos can be posted on all the video-sharing sites (dozens) to get more coverage and dominate search results.

We at Abraham Harrison can handle the video asset distribution for you, or train your team in the method.

Contact Mark Harrison, CEO of Abraham Harrison, for more information

Abraham Harrison. LLC: True experts in online PR, not just old-media PR doing an add-on

Chris Abraham — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:38:40 +0000

Contact: Mark Harrison, CEO & Chris Abraham, President and COO, Abraham Harrison, LLC

Full text of President Obama’s Inauguration Speech 2009

Chris Abraham — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:54:50 +0000

This is the full text of President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration speech, courtesy of NowPublic, KansasCity.com, thanks to a link from @Aisle7

Full text of President Obama’s Inauguration Speech 2009
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.
And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog

Chris Abraham — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:10:28 +0000

This is my favorite New Yorker cartoon of all time and a cartoon that I mention every time I speak with someone about the Internet. I had better post it — I need to make sure it remains a well-known cultural and geek reference point.

Revised Whopper Virgins Post on AdAge

Chris Abraham — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:54:54 +0000

I posted version one of this article on my blog already. I showed it to Matt Creamer, my editor over at AdAge, and he told me he didn’t care if I had already posted it but that I would need to add a couple primer paragraphs to bring people into the history behind the Whopper Virgins controversy. I wrote a couple-few paragraphs and submitted and Matt posted it yesterday, One Whopper … and Hold the Ugly-American Sauce:

One Whopper … and Hold the Ugly-American Sauce
Burger King Campaign Shows Off American Provincialism at Its Worse
Burger King has brought the Whopper vs. Big Mac taste test to the farthest corners of the globe in search of Whopper Virgins. According to the site, there are still people in the world who have never been marketed to by either McDonald’s or Burger King, to say nothing of having tasted the two flagship burgers of each fast-food restaurant. For these people, Whoppers and Big Macs were either spirited to them from the closest restaurants–In the case of Bucharest, Romania, both were within 15 minutes–or the burgers were made by hand by a quality expert on a specially-designed propane travel flame broiler.
Whopper Virgins promised to be a proper documentary film, I was assured. The filmmakers would simply find people who have not been market-bombed by McDonald’s — a few of the uncorrupted — and allow them to taste both burgers et voila! Nothing could go wrong, surely, from such a noble aim, right? I mean, their goal was to simply escape the mediasphere and find some folks who have remained (until, of course, now) pure from the media machine (Schrodinger’s documentary!).
Of course, a lot of the buzz about this documentary happened on Twitter, especially in light of Motrin Moms and the Pepsi suicide ads. People have been very leery of the entire endeavor. And, of course, it has been called American imperialism.
The Whopper Virgins documentary reveals as much about the provincialism of Americans as it does possibly about the “primitives” they’re documenting. Besides, the American obsession with the “Noble Savage” is so 18th century. And this sort of untoward behavior is the furthest thing from noblesse oblige. They are neither being noble nor are they honoring any sort of moral obligation.
My one question is whether authentic cultural garb was procured for these taste-testers. I hate to burst your bubble but Bucharest is a proper city with a major university. I have a friend who has her Masters in genetics and her Ph.D. in immunology. She almost never dresses in these Romanian costumes. Wait, actually never. Not only that, but this McDocumentary (sorry McDonalds) should have been edited because the open and honest interviews with the ugly Americans is appallingly insensitive and disgusting.
So, tell me, are those traditional cultural costumes authentic or monkey suits? Was this the decision of the bonehead producer or the director, or did this crisp, minty-fresh garb just happen to be what these folks were wearing? Were they just aching to be used there in the back of everyones’ closet? Or, was this the regalia these test subject were wearing when and where they were discovered? I really want to know!
The most deplorable part of this documentary is the critique and unself-aware commentary of the way these test subjects took to the burger, along the lines of “These people are so authentic because they don’t even know how to eat a burger to say nothing of a sandwich.”

Ugly Americans Filmed Whopper Virgins

Chris Abraham — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:13:54 +0000

My one question is whether or not authentic cultural garb was procured for these taste-testers. I hate to burst your bubble but Bucharest, Romania, is a proper city with a major university. I have a friend who has her Masters in genetics and her Ph.D. in immunology. She almost never dresses in these Romanian costumes. Wait, actual never. Not only that but this McDocumentary (sorry McDonalds) should have been edited because the open and honest interviews with the ugly Americans is appallingly insensitive and disgusting.

This documentary reveals as much about the provincialism of Americans as it does possibly about the “primatives” they’re documenting. Besides, the American obsession with the Noble Savage is so eighteenth-century. And this sort of untoward behavior is the furthest thing from Noblesse Oblige. They are neither being noble nor are they honoring any sort of moral obligation.

So, tell me, are those traditional cultural costumes authentic or monkey suits? Was this the decision of the bonehead producer, the director, or did this crisp, minty fresh garb just happen to be what these folks were wearing? Were they just aching to be used there in the back of everyones’ closet? Or, was this the regalia these test subject were wearing when and where they were discovered? I really want to know!

The most deplorable part of this documentary is the critique and un-self-aware commentary of the way these test subjects took to the burger, along the lines of, “these people are so authentic because they don’t even know how to eat a burger to say nothing of a sandwich.”

I am actually deeply appalled and embarrassed to be an American at just about now.

Egad!

Menehune and the Nightmarchers

Chris Abraham — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:30:07 +0000

This morning I was listening to Tapestry from the CBC and they were talking about the Netherworlds, including stuff about Anne Rice. What interested me was a segment on elves and faeries. The segment focused on how folks from Iceland and Newfoundland truly believe in elves and faeries. It made me think about growing up in Hawaii and how everybody I knew believed in both the menehunes and the nightmarchers.

In fact, we really believed in menehunes and many of us residents saw examples of the sort of endless, ancient, black lava rock walls that cut the verdant countryside. The fish ponds of almost super-human proportions. Even viaducts that carry water And, even more, we were always wary about running around in the wilderness at night. The menehune were pranksters. They are sometimes called “little people” — the same word they use in Ireland — because they’re supposed to be small, strong, mischievous, and only come out at night. They, too, are supposed to by mystical, minor deities, and also capable of reproducing with people, resulting in very blessed children.

The nightmarchers are different. There is no doubt that these are ghosts who don’t really know they’re dead, per se. They’re still making marches through the forest, and heaven forbid if you build your new home in the path of their marches. Many people have head them and some have seen their flaming torches.

In fact, my dad, Bob Abraham, who spent many years digging deep into Hawaiian culture as a photographer, told me that he heard the nightmarchers one night. In fact, my dad had stories of many experiences with ghosts and spirits in Hawaii Nei.

Here are two good resources I have discovered about them both:

Hawaiian Legends – Nightmarchers, Menehune, and the Tiki Gods

By: Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI 96789 (Localism.com Featured Article)
HAWAIIAN Spirits and Superstitions covered only a sliver of our Spirits and Superstions in Hawaii. Remember I mentioned that we had our home blessed because our home was in the path of the warriors marching? We will now embark on one Hawaiian legend, ….The Nightmarchers.
The Nightmarchers are the ghosts of ancient Hawaiian high ranking warriors. They say that they come forth during the night from their burial sites to march where they battled or march on to other sacred areas. It is said that if you live near their path of marching you will see their torches or hear the chanting, the marching and/or the drums beating faintly. Place ti plants or leaves around your house to keep away evil spirits and the “nightmarchers” to avoid the area as well. The most famous of these “marching” paths of the Nightmarcher’s is along the Pali where Kamehameha fought the last battle.
In Hawaii, the Menehune, are “little people” that stand two feet high. Similar to pixi’s or trolls the Menehune roam the deep forests at night. They are very strong and are master builders and said to accomplish many projects over night! There are many stories how they came to be in Hawaii. One version is that they were the first settlers in Hawaii that came from the descendants of the Marquesas Islanders and resided here between the years of 0-350 A.D. Supposedly, the “bigger people” from Tahiti came and the Menehune ran off into the caves in mountains and only came out at night for food.
My mother was born and raised on Kauai with her 7 sisters and 1 brother. Later on, one of my Auntie’s married and moved to Waimea Kauai. When my cousin and I were 10 and 11 our mom’s would let us go to Kauai to visit my Aunt and Uncle for the summer. She lived right on Menehune Road and at the end of the road was the “Menehune Ditch”. The high chief of Waimea, “Ola” received aid from the Menehune to divert water from the Waimea River to their taro patches and supposedly made this ancient acqueduct overnight!
Anyway, my cousin claimed she must be a Menehune as well because she was very short and tried to go in the passageway in the Menehune Ditch in the mountain……I ran away afraid that something might happen! (The opening is in the picture to the right)

Menehune by Hugh D. Mailly on Encyclopedia Mythica

The folklore of many nations around the world include stories of magical little people. The most famous of course, are the leprechauns of Ireland. In Hawaii, it is the mischievous Menehune who are said to haunt the deep forests or the mountains of Pu’ukapele (“Hills of Pele”). They come out mostly at night to play tricks on people, or to serve them if they feel that way inclined.
The mythology of the Menehune is as old as the beginnings of Polynesian history. Some say that the great god Maui himself, was one of the tiny creatures. When the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they found dams, fish-ponds, and even Heiaus (temples), all presumably built by the Menehune who were already there, living in caves.
The creatures are said to be about two feet high, although some have been seen as small as six inches, capable of fitting in the palm of someone’s hand. They are always naked, but the long straight hair that falls to their knees keeps them warm and discreet. Apparently no two of them are the same, and they can be so moody as to be malicious and dangerous one day, and simply harmless the next. But they are always tricky, and therefore should be avoided, unless a special favor is absolutely needed of them.
In the old times, some Hawaiians married Menehune girls, who were said to be quite fair, but needed to be shown how to make a fire and eat cooked food, because their own diet consisted only of starchy raw vegetables. The services of Menehune expert builders and craftsmen can be requested. This is especially so, if you can trace your family tree back to one of them. They then act like benevolent godparents. Many a major project, such as the preparation of a wedding feast, has been completed in a single night by the super strong little gods, while all humans slept.
Menehune are afraid of owls. On the island of Kauai, the Menehune sometimes sneak in among the people there and pull too many tricks. That is when the owl god of Paupueo (owl hill) summons all the owls of Kauai to chase the Menehune back into the forest.
The little ones are fond of dancing, and singing, and of sports, such as shooting arrows. Sometimes they use magic arrows, to pierce the heart of angry persons, and make them feel love instead. They also truly enjoy diving off cliffs into the surf. If you hear splashes in the night at Kaanapali, it is possibly a Menehune diving off Black Rock! But you would have to move impossibly quick to ever see one.

links for 2008-12-16

Chris Abraham — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:18:44 +0000

YouTube – Awesometown – FOX Cut
Blog profile – Twingly Blog Search
Burger King Fails With BK Boxers » Adrants
Controversial ads can help boost a brand – PRWeek US
Eric Yaverbaum, president and CEO of Ericho Communications, says the press might not be good, but this kind of attention effectively multiplies the company’s ad buy and drives consumers to want to go online and watch the video.
(tags: social media public)
Grammar Girl :: How to Write Your First Novel
Since you’re listening to this podcast, you probably love the English language and the written word. And if you do, you probably have an itch to write that first novel. Well, you’re not alone. The dream of writing a novel, either for personal satisfaction or to make money, has been prevalent in our culture for decades, if not centuries.
MediaPost Publications – Kmart Enlists Bloggers For Social Net Campaign – 12/12/2008
/Message: Izea: Where Is That Line Again?
Izea and PayPerPost Further Abandon Concept Of Quality Blogs | Philaahzophy
Kmart Enlists Bloggers For Social Net Campaign – MediaPost Publications | Social Media Digest
mrontemp: I still want my Swedish meatballs! The Izea brouhaha continues
IZEA Blog: ”Twitter Tips” Week One Winner
Blogging for dollars | Janet Fouts
IZEA, Chris Brogan, Disclosure, and Community Trust | 1115 Media | Michael Buechele
Copywrite, Ink.: Being Human: Chris Brogan
Understanding Izea’s Sponsored Blogging Service
Jaffe Juice: Carpe Diem – Sears the Day!
Federated Media / Tech: Izea: Where Is That Line Again?
Jane’s Tumblr
Top 10 Reasons to be an Entrepreneur in College | College Mogul
Paid Posts: Why they’re not that bad, but why you shouldn’t do them
Sears, Christmas And A $500 Gift For You | How To Split An Atom
Chris Pirillo, Jim Kukral, Tamar Weinburg, Aaron Brazell, Liz Strauss, Joseph Jeffe, and Chris Heuer
The Pond » Izea
Sponsored Post: Granting a Wish with Sears | Technosailor.com
The Midnight Writer: Writing Boring Articles
Sponsored Post – Sears Shopping “A-Ok” With This Blue-Collar Guy
Kmart Sponsored Post: Petty Politics Buries Debate | ChrisKenton.com
Jeremiah Owyang Inserts Foot In Mouth (Again) Over IZEA Sponsored Posts | Technosailor.com
Understanding Izea’s Sponsored Blogging Service… (Web Strategy by Jeremiah) » TechNews.AM
TechWag » Chris Brogan and the Tempest in a teapot
The Sanctity of Social Media? | Altitude Branding
Dumb Looks Still Free: So there is no connection between….
What is Your Time Worth? What’s Worth Your Time? : GeekMommy’s WebLife
IZEA Advisory Board Dinner – a set on Flickr
Are Paid Posts now acceptable on blogs? (poll)
Want to Go to Affiliate Summit West? | The BenSpark
Advertising and Trust | chrisbrogan.com
Freaky Frugalite » Blog Archive » Blogging For Pay, Part 1: Preparing For Your Future
Settling into the new job « CodeHappy
Who Is Strumpette?
(tags: PR blog online twitter blogging is personality reality)
Young PR
(tags: marketing PR social media blogs links blogging journalism prblogs youngpr)
Another Frightening Show About the Economy from This American Life
Another Frightening Show About the Economy
(tags: life news usa politics podcast money Radio npr Markets this thisamericanlife tal swaps subprime cds credit default swap)
Credit default swap – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flip MinoHD Camcorders | Flip Video
(tags: technology video movies tech photography videos shopping tobuy wishlist flip hd mino)
About Us – DC Navigators

A Very Merry Holiday Happy Christmas Card

Chris Abraham — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:51 +0000

Photo by my uncle Jack Abraham

Happy holidays! I am writing to you from the Hackenscher Markt Starbucks here in Berlin. The mayor called Berlin “poor but sexy”, a perfect description for this place. Recent news for me is that I’m blogging for the AdAge Global Idea Network about global culture, trends, brands, ideas. I’d like to blog and guest blog more in 09 so let me know if you’d like to give me a shot.

Business-wise, my firm, Abraham Harrison, is going into its third year, doing online brand promotion focusing exclusively on earned media. We routinely earn over two-hundred blog posts per client outreach. If you’d like to know more about my day job, ping me. I don’t want this to become salesy and lame.

I am still in the AdAge Power 150 (122!) with my personal blog and am always up for hearing about interesting stuff to write about. On that note, you can also pop me stuff via Twitter where I am active and @chrisabraham.

I hope you’re having an amazing holiday season. Sure, German druids may have invented the Christmas tree but there’s just something about being home for the holidays so I’m heading to DC for Christmas for a proper experience. I plan to be there from Christmas through January and would love to meet-up if you’re on the East Coast. Hell, I’ll train it to meet. And make sure to let me know if you have any plans to be in Berlin anytime in 2009, I’ll show you around.

The Social Mediasphere is Truly Global

Chris Abraham — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:05:54 +0000

Please enjoy my latest AdAge Global Idea Network blog post, Social Media Are Truly Global — Just Ask a Slovakian: Don’t Underestimate the Reach of Twitter, Facebook: (Via Adage)

Social Media Are Truly Global — Just Ask a Slovakian: Don’t Underestimate the Reach of Twitter, Facebook
Recently, I was a speaker at a conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, called Daily Web. Everybody there was super-connected. Everyone was on both Facebook and Twitter. While I was at the conference, I received invites from my fellow attendees get connected on Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn.
During a break, I was told that there are about 60,000 Slovakian users of Facebook, using a mix of the available Czech interface and the English. They were all much newer to Twitter, but the conference did have a Twitter profile and I chose to create the hash tag for the conference, #dailywebsk. I was told Facebook is beginning to bogart the populations of local Slovakian communities and there are plans to localize Facebook into Slovakian the way that it is localized in the Czech Republic and Germany.
This got me to thinking. All of the Brits I have been meeting in Berlin are more keen on getting my “Facebook e-mail,” the e-mail that would allow them to easily find me on Facebook, rather than asking for a business card. Are cards going obsolete? Or, at the very least, are your Twitter and Facebook credentials more important on your site, your business card or your name tag than your e-mail, phone and fax?
All of my German friends are on Facebook as well, sharing images and adopting the social network with as much dedication and abandon as we do in the U.S. Same thing goes with my friends from Mexico and Colombia. When I attend conferences these days, I am likely to be recognized as @chrisabraham as I am by my name.
However, I admit that I live in a rarefied air and so there might be issues of connectivity, class and access that I am not addressing here. That said, I am still amazed whenever I take some time to click on over to Twittervision to watch a global representation of the whole Twittering world.
Because of the nature of Facebook and Twitter, localization works very well. Since both social networks allow you to easily communicate with your friends, and your friends are generally a lot like you. There isn’t a lot of cross-talk between English-, German- and Spanish-speakers.
There are no barriers, of course, between the different locales and the different languages. The barriers are emergent. Since I have quite a few Facebook friends and Twitter followers, 2,707 and 2,374 respectively, I get a lot of cross-talk between languages, and that pleases me. What makes me even happier is when I visit someone’s Wall, sort of like the publicly visible whiteboard that lots of students hang outside their dorm room. I often see a mixture of Spanish, German and English, all mixed up, according to each particular relationship.
The feeling I have, however, is that Twitter and Facebook are not perceived, worldwide, as American imperialism. And I think this is fantastic. Why is that? I think it’s because Facebook and Twitter created relatively neutral platforms and then got out of the way. This is especially the case with Twitter, which is perfectly inert: 140 characters. No context, only essential conversation.
After being a part of the Twitter community for a little while, the whole nature of it falls away and it becomes invisible, a simple communications vehicle, disassociated from its origins: like the phone, texting, TV, electricity, e-mail, the internet! Who cares who invented these things, after all, when each nation, culture and people ultimately make it their own. And this is what is happening with Twitter and Facebook — people are making them their own.
I really don’t use MySpace very much at all. In fact, I embarrass myself every time I look at my MySpace profile. That said, every band in Berlin has a MySpace profile, just like every other band in the entire world. Globally, you’re likely to see a MySpace address if the band you’re digging on has an internet presence. Even if your favorite global brand has its own website, there’s a good chance that they also have a MySpace address. A couple weeks ago, I checked out three bands here in Berlin and they all has MySpace URLs: Orchestre Miniature in the Park and Tim and Puma Mimi.
None of these bands think about the gross imperialism associated with their decisions; they have adopted all of this American innovation with complete ease. Back in the day, Friendster had a terribly time sorting out its business model internationally. Its success in Asia bogged down its servers while confounding its salespeople on how to make any money from all these community members who were dedicated participants but not generating any local revenue. It was probably because the worldwide ad networks and the global sales of ads were not there yet, focused mostly on the U.S. market. Now times have changed. Here I am in Berlin being served not simply German ads but also geo-targeted ads based on exactly where my data is being served.
I have taken all of this in due course and just considered it normal; however, I realized tonight that it isn’t normal. It occurred to me that folks might not know how thoroughly adopted these Web 2.0 platforms are worldwide. How many people around the world refresh Facebook and Twitter many times an hour at their workplace, the same way everyone does it, even among an ever-growing population in the Slovak Republic.

Thank You Operation Survivor Bloggers Encore

Chris Abraham — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:37:41 +0000

While I have already thanked all of the wonderful, generous bloggers who have blogged about Operation Survivor since Labor Day, there has been a countinued outpouring of support. As a result, I have added all of the new posts, banners, Twitters in addition to the initial posts — as of 25 November, this is everyone.

5 Minutes Around the World via 5 Minutes for Mom.
Banner via A Disgruntled Republican.
Survivor Corps Program-Help! via Swimming Against the Red Tide.
Survivor Corps: Founds Operation Survivor Project to Assist U.S. Military Combat Veterans in Transitioning to Civilian Life via A DC Observer.
Survivor Corps. Rise Above. Give Back via All 4 My Gals.
Banner via American and Proud.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via American Thinker.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via Americanthinker.
Returning Troops…a Noble Cause via Dodgeblogium.
Indigenist News Items for: 11-14-2008 via Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo.
They don’t go away when Veterans Day ends via Around the Island.
Survivor Corps via Assoluta Tranquillita.
Survivor Corps via Jake’s Life.
Banner via Bearing Drift.
Vast Write Wing via Be Logical.
Survivor Corps Operation Survivor: A Worthwhile Cause to Consider via Mount Virtus.
Someone alerted me to the good work that Survivor Corps via Big Bark.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Big Bark.
Twittered via How to Change the World.
Do Not Abandon Our Vets via understanding the effects of unresolved abandonment issues.
Help Our Troops This Veterans Day via Locust Fork Blog.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via MySpace: Kathie’s Soldiers Angels Account.
Banner via Blog Mommas.
An Appeal via Don Surber’s blog.
Survivor Corps: Help a veteran break the cycle of violence via Hormone-Colored Days.
Support the Survivor Corps via Burbsblogs.
Veterans Day via Bodhi Baby.
Supporting Our Troops via Booker Rising.
Operation Survivor via Britannica.
As Per Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Per a Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Help veterans through Survivor Corps via South by Southwest.
Remembrance Day via Around the World in beautiful Shoes.
Veteran’s Day via Danny Fisher.
Survivor Corps via Charming Just Charming.
Veterans Day via Chip’s Quips.
Please Help Me Support Our Troops on Veteran’s Day via Chris Abraham.
I Will Not Be Broken via For the Heck of It.
Ray via Notes from the Cookie Jar.
Survivor Corps Helps Injured Vets Cope via Connecticut Bob.
Help Our Troops This Veteran’s Day via Culture11.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via Culture Kitchen.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via The Daily Gotham.
Donate to help our Troops via Make it Happen.
Survivor Corp-Returning Troops via What’s Delmer Look Like?.
Banner via Popcorn and Sushi.
Banner via Supercozy WorldHome.
Supporting Returning Troops via Donklephant.
Operation Survivor-Survivor Corps and TroopTube via Where the Hell Am I?.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight for Justice.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight to Stop Violence.
Banner via Gapers Block.
Banner via Gary Presley.
Operation Survivor via The Political Junkie.
Veterans Day via On the Fringe.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and Their Families via GoMekong.com.
Support Our Troops NOW via MamaBugs…Homeschooling Where the Air Force Sends Us!.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via Hooah Wife & Friends.
Breaking the Cycle of Violence via Another Opinion.
New Book from the founder of Survivor Corps via The IAVA Blog.
Some Odds and Ends of the Election via The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife .
cross-post via Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog.
Banner via Iraq The Model.
In Honor of Veterans’ Day via James Kotecki.
Survivorcorps.org via Jelly Mom.
Banner via Into the Woods, Living Deliberately.
Survivor Corps via A Leg Up.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Informed Comment.
Helping Veterans (a day late) via Just Enjoy Him: Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mom.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via Mail Call! Supporting the Troops.
Survivor Corps via Kung Fu Monkey.
Banner via Kim Stagliano.
Survivor Corps via Knee Deep in the Hooah.
Banner via Kentucky Progress.
Courage via Last One Speaks.
Banner via Leucadia Blog.
Iraq snapshot (The Common Ills) via Like Maria Said Paz.
Banner via Lisa’s Cookbook.
For a Good Cause via The Local Crank.
Banner via LooneyBin4Sure.
Tis the season to help our troops via Manatee’s Military Moms.
Thoughts of a conservative mind: A worthwhile charity via A different kind of Conservative Blog.
Banner via Married to the Army.
Veterans Day via State of Ohio Blogger Alliance.
Veteran’s Day via Weapons of Mass Discussion.
Operation Survivor via Big Blueberry Eyes.
Survivor Corps offers peer support to injured vets via Media Dis&Dat.
Survivor Corps via Tanker Bothers – Soldiers in the War on Terror.
Survivor Corps via Tanker Brothers.
Miss Beths Victory Dance via Miss Beth’s Victory Dance.
Survivor Corps via Miss Cellania Blog.
side bar Banner via Mommy Bytes.
Survivor Corps. Help for Surviving Troops via Mommy Does it All.
Operation Survivor via My American-Iraq Life.
Banner via Myrtus.
Mine removal personal ambition for Missouri State instructor via News-Release.com.
Survivor Corps: Support for returning heroes via News Blaze.
Veterans Deserve Your Help via New Zeal.
Supporting Returning Troops via Northloop Neighborhood.
Read Terrance D.C. via Oh Boy it Never Ends.
Banner via only red head in taiwan.
Banner via On the Upside.
Banner via Papamoka Straight Talk.
Banner via Pardon Me For Asking.
Survivors of War via Ponderings on a Faith Journey.
posted link on blogroll via Political Grind.
Survivor Corps: Operation Survivor via Political Reps.
A Day To Honor Those Who Have Served Their Country via Political Vindication.
Banner via Praise and Coffee.
Banner via Preemptive Karma.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Progressive Independent.
cross post via Quick Quotes Online.
In Banner Rotation via Redline.
Veteran’s deserve not just a word, but also a hand: Operation Survivor via Rich Kirkpatrick.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Right Michigan.
Banner via Rightwingchamp.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel is an Idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Survivor Corps via Sanbans Lymphorama.
Helping the Walking Wounded on November 11 via Serge the concierge.
Banner via Seven Wheelchairs.
palin, survivor corps, heroes and more via Sex and Politics and Creeds and Attitudes.
Links, Awards and Other Good Blogishness via She Lives.
Peace, be still. It’s Armistice Day. via Short Woman.
Sick of It via SICKOFITRADLZ.
posted Banner and review of I will not be broken via Writing in FaithWriting in Faith: Previews and Reviews.
Banner via Socialism.
Survivor Corps – Electronic Media News Releases via Soldiers Angels Network.
Survivor Corps via Soldiers Angels New York.
Survivor Corps via Soldiers’ Angels New York.
Need a little Inspiration? via My Life As A Military Spouse.
Banner via Stepping Right Up!.
Survivor Corps via Straight, Not Narrow.
Veterans Day via The Adventures of Super Mommy & Spitup Boy.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day – American Thinker via Survivor.
Operation Survivor – excerpt from website via Arthriticyoungthing.
posted Banner via Screw Politically Correct B.S..
Banner via The Political Jungle.
Survivor Corps via Tao of Katie.
Help veterans through Survivor Corps via The Reaction.
The bridge, the sacrifice, more via The Common Ills.
Banner via The Inside Dope.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via The Moderate Voice.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via Funny Blog.
Veterans and PTSD via Where There’s a Will There’s a Way.
Tuesday, November 11. 2008. via This French Life.
we posted? via This Fucking War.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
cross post via News Updated Frequently.
Survivor Corps via Unveal Blues.
Banner via VDog and Little Man.
Banner via Virginia Left Wing.
cross post via Today on Vot3r.
Banner via mikesmercurialmaddness.
As Long as We’re Bailing Out CEOs… via World-O-Crap.
Wake Up Americans via Wake Up America.
Survivor Corps via Wake Up America.
Xyence via The Xyience Diet Resource.
Please Help the Veterans via Yaw and Mog.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Young Philly Politics.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Vets and Their Families! via Zimbio.
Mojo Mom says thank you to military families via Mojo Mom.

I daresay we’ll be get more so there might very well be another thank you email. Again, both Abraham Harrison and Survivor Corps thank you very much for all of your continued generosity and support!

Thank You Operation Survivor Bloggers!

Chris Abraham — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:10:01 +0000

Veteran’s Day this year is especially poignant since it has been 5 years since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. Thank you to everyone who helped Survivor Corps get the message out about Operation Survivor and all the amazing work that Survivor Corps does for vets, for returning troops, and for their families. Here’s a list of all of your fine work:

Please Help Me Support Our Troops on Veteran’s Day via Chris Abraham.
banner via On the Upside.
Veterans and PTSD via Where There’s a Will There’s a Way.
Support Our Troops NOW via MamaBugs…Homeschooling Where the Air Force Sends Us!.
Peace be still. It?s Armistice Day. via Short Woman.
Do Not Abandon Our Vets via understanding the effects of unresolved abandonment issues.
Helping the Walking Wounded on November 11 via Serge the concierge.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via Americanthinker.
Veterans Day via Bodhi Baby.
Veterans Day via The Adventures of Super Mommy & Spitup Boy.
Operation Survivor via Britannica.
Veteran’s Day via Danny Fisher.
Donate to help our Troops via Make it Happen.
Remembrance Day via Around the World in beautiful Shoes.
Operation Survivor via Big Blueberry Eyes.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight for Justice.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight to Stop Violence.
Veterans Day via Chip’s Quips.
Help Our Troops This Veterans Day via Locust Fork Blog.
Banner via Socialism.
In Banner Rotation via Redline.
Veteran’s Day via Weapons of Mass Discussion.
Help Our Troops This Veteran’s Day via Culture11.
side bar banner via Mommy Bytes.
Veteran’s deserve not just a word but also a hand: Operation Survivor via Rich Kirkpatrick.
Survivor Corps: Help a veteran break the cycle of violence via Hormone-Colored Days.
Veterans Day via On the Fringe.
The bridge the sacrifice more via The Common Ills.
Someone alerted me to the good work that Survivor Corps via Big Bark.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and Their Families via GoMekong.com.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day – American Thinker via Survivor.
Helping Veterans (a day late) via Just Enjoy Him: Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mom.
Survivor Corps: Operation Survivor via Political Reps.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
Survivor Corps Operation Survivor: A Worthwhile Cause to Consider via Mount Virtus.
Veterans Day via State of Ohio Blogger Alliance.
A Day To Honor Those Who Have Served Their Country via Political Vindication.
Courage via Last One Speaks.
banner via A Disgruntled Republican.
An Appeal via Don Surber’s blog.
Mojo Mom says thank you to military families via Mojo Mom.
Survivor Corps via Miss Cellania Blog.
For a Good Cause via The Local Crank.
Operation Survivor-Survivor Corps and TroopTube via Where the Hell Am I?.
In Honor of Veterans’ Day via James Kotecki.
banner” via Into the Woods Living Deliberately.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Vets and Their Families! via Zimbio.
Please Help the Veterans via Yaw and Mog.
posted banner and review of I will not be broken” via Writing in FaithWriting in Faith: Previews and Reviews.
banner’ via Pardon Me For Asking.
Veterans Deserve Your Help via New Zeal.
I Will Not Be Broken via For the Heck of It.
Per a Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
banner’ via Blog Mommas.
banner via Myrtus.
banner via Married to the Army.
Survivor Corps. Rise Above. Give Back via All 4 My Gals.
Re: Vast Write Wing – November 2008 via Be Logical.
Survivor Corps. Help for Surviving Troops via Mommy Does it All.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Right Michigan.
Indigenist News Items for: 11-14-2008 via Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo.
banner via Gary Presley.
banner via Seven Wheelchairs.
Operation Survivor via The Political Junkie.
Need a little Inspiration? via My Life As A Military Spouse.
Banner via Preemptive Karma.
Operation Survivor – excerpt from website via Arthriticyoungthing.
banner via Rightwingchamp.
Survivor Corp-Returning Troops via What’s Delmer Look Like?.
posted banner via Screw Politically Correct B.S..
palin survivor corps heroes and more via Sex and Politics and Creeds and Attitudes.
banner via Bearing Drift.
banner via Kentucky Progress.
Supporting Returning Troops via Donklephant.
banner via Gapers Block.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Supporting Our Troops via Book Errising.
Survivor Corps – Electronic Media News Releases via Soldiers Angels Network.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via The Moderate Voice.
posted link on blogroll via Political Grind.
They don’t go away when Veterans Day ends via Around the Island.
Survivor Corps offers peer support to injured vets via Media Dis&Dat.
Survivor Corps via A Leg Up.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via The Daily Gotham.
Survivor Corps: Founds Operation Survivor Project to Assist U.S. Military Combat Veterans in Transitioning to Civilian Life via A DC Observer.
banner via Iraq The Model.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Young Philly Politics.
banner via The Inside Dope.
Survivors of War via Ponderings on a Faith Journey.
Survivor Corps via Charming Just Charming.
Survivor Corps via Knee Deep in the Hooah.
Tis the season to help our troops via Manatee’s Military Moms.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via Funny Blog.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via American Thinker.
Supporting Returning Troops via Northloop Neighborhood.
As Per Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Some Odds and Ends of the Election via The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife .
Returning Troops…A Noble Cause via Dodgeblogium.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Informed Comment.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Big Bark.
Read Terrance D.C. via Oh Boy it Never Ends.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel is an Idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Iraq snapshot (The Common Ills) via Like Maria Said Paz.
Tuesday November 11. 2008. via This French Life.
Survivor Corps Program-Help! via Swimming Against the Red Tide.
Survivor Corps via Kung Fu Monkey.
banner via Leucadia Blog.
banner via Bearing Drift.

You have done an amazing thing for the vets and also for the mission of Survivor Corps domestically and around the world. Thank you for your posts and for your banner placement. Never hesitate to contact me personally or my team at Abraham Harrison. Also, always please feel free to contact the entire Survivor Corps team.

Bio of Chris Abraham Updated 17 November 2008

Chris Abraham — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:01:41 +0000

Chris Abraham, President and COO of Abraham Harrison, is a leading expert in online public relations with a focus on blogger outreach, blogger engagement, and Internet reputation management. A pioneer in online social networks and publishing, with a natural facility for anticipating the next big thing, Chris is an Internet analyst, web strategy consultant and advisor to the industries’ leading firms. He specializes in web2.0 technologies, including content syndication, online collaboration, blogging, and consumer generated media.

Prior to starting Abraham Harrison, Chris was a member of the Interactive Team at Edelman Public Affairs in Washington, DC, consulting clients such as Wal-Mart, Shell, and GE on blogger and social media strategy. Before Edelman, Chris was Technology Strategist for New Media Strategies, a pioneer in online brand promotion and protection with clients including Sci-Fi Channel, Buena Vista, TomTom, Paramount Pictures, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Disney, Reebok, EA, RCA, and NBC.

In the early nineties, Chris joined The Meta Network, a seminal online virtual community based in Washington, and so began his career as an expert in online community development, social media, social networking, and online collaboration. Chris has had a web presence since 1993 and started blogging in 1999, focusing on community, connection, innovation, and brand extension. As a technologist, Chris has consulted T. Rowe Price, the US Department of Treasury CIO, Friendster, Deutsche Telekom, and others.

Chris has taught blogging courses for the Writer’s Center of Bethesda, has been a guest lecturer on public affairs blogging at Columbia University’s SIPA school and the American University in Washington, DC, and is the Emergent Technologies Advisor to the Urban Institute’s Communications Advisory Board. Additionally, he is the go-to expert on social media, citizen journalism, technology, and the Internet for BBC World Service, CNN Radio, and CNet’s BNet.

Chris received his BA in American Literature from The George Washington University, studied American Literature at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and studied French at the University of Hawaii. He splits his time between Berlin, Germany, and Washington, DC.