Now THAT'S Taking One For The Team

sorry that I can't seem to adjust the size of this video, but I'm so pleased that Alison and Heather have taken a liking to pummeling each other for a cause. In celebration of the Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games taking place in Lexington, KY and the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project, these two outstanding bloggers have been working like crazy to get their friends and neighbors to support the cause.  Alltech is my client, and I'm grateful that they've let me bring Heather and Alison in to do something a bit more creative and, well, unorthodox.

Can't wait to see what they have planned next.

Members of Congress: Give Up YOUR Act

A number of Members of Congress (and some of the oh-so-serious DC punditry) are aghast at the notion that a comic actor named Stephen Colbert would arrive to testify before a Congressional subcommittee "in character."   As if this somehow diminishes the legislative process or mocks the seriousness of the issues Congress debates.  At the hearing a very senior member of Congress suggested Colbert was wasting everyone's time and said he should leave.  (Obviously he didn't.)

And I will say Colbert's appearance in DC crossed a line today - but it was a line that desperately needed to be crossed years ago.  Any Member of Congress who criticizes Colbert (or Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, who invited him to testify) better realize right quick that they do EXACTLY what Colbert does - only Colbert does it better than they do.

I was a Congressional staffer long enough to know that what politicians say while the cameras are rolling is profoundly different than what they say in private meetings.  Politicians have perfected the art of evading difficult questions and opining on fake issues.   You know, like holding up a defense authorization bill while we're fighting two wars  - not really because it repeals an unconstitutional law discriminating against gay people, but because you're suddenly concerned about the number of amendments you can offer. Or something.

I was a committee staffer long enough to know that hearings are more stagecraft than anything else - the Chairman wants to tell a story, invites witnesses who will tell that story, and works out questions and answers ahead of time. That's standard operating procedure, and it's been the case for Republicans and Democrats alike.

I've sat in on countless focus groups, run by Republican and Democratic pollsters, trying to figure out which words to use - you know, when people don't like what you're doing, just call it something else.  And I've seen Members of Congress go to the floors of the House and Senate and recite those focus-group-approved scripts, complete with spots in the remarks telling the reader when to pause and when to add emphasis, trying to look as if they care and knowing that they don't.

Here's something to keep in mind - if Colbert's presence somehow diminished the issue of immigration, then why did this subcommittee hearing get more attendance from Members of Congress than any other subcommittee hearing this year?  Typically a House Subcommittee hearing is attended by the Chair, the ranking member, and perhaps 2 or three other members.  Look at the video above and check out how many Members and staff were there.  I'm quite certain it wasn't because they were really interested in what the head of an organized group of migrant farm workers had to say.  This "fraud" Colbert did more to get people talking about immigration in five minutes than any ten of his critics did all year.

But here's the most important point - and it's what I have to say to all those Members, staff and pundits who got upset by Colbert's appearance.  You know how upset you feel right now at Colbert?  That's how the American public feels about YOU.  They think you're a fraud.  They think you're a bad joke. They know you're oblivious to real concerns of real people. At least with Colbert, the public is in on the joke.   Most members of Congress don't even know how to be sincere anymore - they only know how to appear sincere.

Stephen Colbert just showed members of Congress how the American public views THEM. And a lot of them didn't like it.

Good.

I haven't stopped blogging

I just do it in several places now.

One of the great parts of my professional life is I sometimes get to reach out to other online communities and try to make a substantive contribution to their discussions.  Lately I've been very fortunate to add just a bit to the collective excellence at Global Voices Online and Science Cheerleader.  (I hope I haven't ruined their blogs.)

While I haven't done much podcasting lately at Earth & Industry, I've been conspiring with the Gang of Four to do an election preview.

Things have been really humming for me at work lately - obviously the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project is ongoing, plus some work that remains out of the public eye.   When I get a chance I'll dive back in...

Let the smack talk begin

As I mentioned earlier, the Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games are quickly approaching, and local bloggers Alison Kerr and Heather Chapman are building buzz about the Games and more specifically about the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project.

Heather and Alison are asking their online pals to donate to the project by texting the words "Alltech Heather" or  "Alltech Alison" to 50555 to donate $5 to the project.  Whoever gets their name attached to the most donations wins a "prank war" they've started with each other.   And to encourage donations, they're giving away prizes - like grounds passes to the Games.

Check out their blogs to participate in the fun, donate to a good cause, and maybe win some cool prizes...

Transparency FAIL

Time for another blogger ethics panel, I suppose.

Twenty-five out of 32 highly paid consultants to medical device companies in 2007, or their publishers, failed to reveal the financial connections in journal articles the following year, according to a study released on Monday.

I've attended only two major blogging conferences this year, and what struck me more than anything else was how prominent the topic of ethics was at each.  Sessions were dedicated to legal compliance, working with corporate interests in a transparent and appropriate way, how to interact with PR, and so on.  Ethics touched nearly every discussion at each.

I'm thinking more journal editors and traditional publishers might want to attend some of these "new media" conferences.  I think they'll find the rules about ethics and disclosure that most prominent bloggers follow aren't "new" at all.

The Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project

Alltech is a Kentucky-based biotechnology company, a leader in animal nutrition, the makers of Kentucky Ale, and the title sponsor of the Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.  They're also a client.

If you live in Kentucky you know the Games start in less than two weeks, and you've probably heard the name "Alltech" a lot. You may not know, however, that Alltech's commitment to social responsibility - particularly in Haiti - is much stronger than you might expect.

Lots of companies can write checks, and Alltech is doing that.  Plenty of companies can create "awareness" projects that emphasize the arts and appeal to our better angels, and Alltech is doing that too.  But not every company will actually rebuild education infrastructure in Haiti, or build a manufacturing facility there and create local jobs, or work with existing local businesses and market their products overseas. Alltech is doing all of that.  To me, this level of long-term commitment is the difference between wanting people to think you care and actually caring. It's also a message to the people of Haiti that we have faith and confidence in you.

And now Alltech is making it easier than ever for you to help.  Simply text the word "Alltech" to the number 50555 to make a $5 donation to support Alltech's Sustainable Haiti Project. (the donation goes to a 501c3 non-profit. your phone plan's text message rates apply.)

The company is doing some very creative things to help spread the word.  For starters, they're inviting all of Kentucky's colleges to engage in a friendly competition and set up teams of student volunteers to solicit donations.  If you text "Alltech" AND the name of a college or university in Kentucky to 50555, that school's team gets "credit" for the donation.  All of the volunteers will get tickets to the Games, where they'll be asking people to donate.  The winning team will be recognized at Alltech's Haitian Harmony Benefit Concert featuring The Chieftains on October 4 in Lexington KY.

They're also hosting an exhibit at the Alltech Pavilion at the Games where you can learn more about the situation in Haiti, what the company is doing there, and how you can help.  So if you live in Central Kentucky but you're not a big equestrian fan, now there's something at the Games that you can be a part of too.

I'm thrilled that they've asked me to do I can to help as well - I'm teaming up with two of Lexington's coolest bloggers, Heather Chapman and Alison Kerr, to do all our high-falutin' social media tricks and gimmicks to let everyone know about this. You know, like sharing this attractive and valuable Facebook application.

We will be rolling out more in the days and weeks ahead.  This is a great cause, it's a great company, and a great event.  PR flacks like me dream about jobs like this.  I'm looking forward to it.

Why science blogs give me hope

Lately I've been watching the Democratic party implode because they've stopped talking about their plans and vision for the future, and they won't stop talking about whatever ridiculousness the other side dreams up.  Sadly, it's an all-too-common problem I see from companies facing PR crises - "Hi, I'm [name], and before I tell you anything meaningful about myself, I'd like to outline all of the criticism that's been leveled against me in great detail and then provide my lawyer-approved response."  

For a while now I've thought the online community of science writers was caught in a similar trap.  I heard (and sometimes still hear) bloggers complain about how the mainstream media gets the facts wrong so often. How critics stack the deck against science with false attacks cleverly planted on television.  And so on. This has concerned me because science is so critical to solving the world's most pressing problems, and science writers are the societal interface for the rest of us.  And you can see what this approach has done for the Democrats.

My inner flack keeps saying  "stop hitting back, start hitting first."  And it keeps saying "talk with the people you want to influence, not just yourselves."  And it keeps saying "just build a plan of attack and go do it. Get them to worry about you for a change."  (My inner flack is apparently a loudmouth.)

The past few weeks, though, have seen some things that really give me hope. While I can't claim to be the authoritative voice on the history of the science blogosphere - that's probably Bora - I can say this online community is really on a hot streak right now.   The community went from the perceived collapse of its most prestigious blog network in a scandal to the birth of three impressive blog networks - Scientopia, Guardian Science Blogs, and PLoS Blogs - and a science network aggregator Scienceblogging.org.   And you should really check out the aggregator to see just how much content is out there.  The rumors of ScienceBlogs' death have been greatly exaggerated.  There are other great networks out there as well.

Of course, most if not all of the bloggers in these networks have already been writing, as Ars Technica's John Timmer points out. But there's an unprecedented level of promotion and cross-talk, highlighting the writers and where they're going and what they're doing.  Most importantly, while the writing has always been generally good and credible, I'm sensing it's increasingly assertive and positive in tone.   The  new networks (and concurrent promotion) are positioning the writers to have influence far beyond their own community.

It's a very important step, one that I hope will be followed by a coordinated effort to build and leverage influence.