Understanding Stakeholders

To convert casual stakeholders into passionate followers, organizations must demonstrate a commitment to the interests and needs of those they serve. But there can be not commitment without understanding. This section presents thoughts on the subject.

Changes Come, Changes Go

By David Hollender - November 15, 2009

Today's best practices for online communication may soon seem as quaint as the recommendations of 20th century advice columnists like Emily Post, Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. How can we keep ahead of the curve?

Help Us, Tom DeMarco

By David Hollender - September 29, 2009

Back when interruptions came only from phone callers, occasional knocks on my cubical door and the alluring sound of a nearby ice-cream truck, noted author and teacher Tom Demarco wrote about the impact of disruptions in ones stream of thought. Not a pretty sight, said Demarco, that as few as three interruptions a hour can skuttle all productivity. As the problem of information overload has increased in an age of pervasive communication, is there anything we can do to manage or mitigate the flow?

Can You Hear Me Now?

By David Hollender - September 8, 2009

As 21st century communicators, we thrive on a wealth of tools for collecting and analyzing data. But contrary to popular misconception, questions are more powerful than advanced technology, data and tools.

Is Twitter for Old People?

By David Hollender - August 24, 2009

Twitter Geeks Get Anxious Where the conventional wisdom once held that the young are our early adopters, oldsters are beginning to help drive the pace of technology-based change.

Listening to The Groundswell

By David Hollender - August 18, 2009

LISTEN While assessing the value of your social media tools by their ability to deliver metrics may not sound exciting, it is key to getting results, measuring ROI and convincing your boss or board of directors of their value.

The Branding Panic of 2009

By David Hollender - August 11, 2009

While upstart bloggers and new-agey techies muse about trusting the crowd to define an organization's identity, communicators worry around losing control of their brand. Organizations will need to embrace a partnership with the crowd without getting lost in it.

Shut Down Your Web Site!

By David Hollender - August 3, 2009

One of One Hundred of Many Million Now that you have dumped many dollars and hours into the web, perhaps this would be a good time to ask what you are getting in return.

Sincerely Yours

By David Hollender - July 20, 2009

Tag Cloud The pomp and formality that once punctuated intelligent discourse has been replaced in the Internet age by a more informal stream of communications that is broader and more frequent. This phenomenon offers insight into the impact and value of online communications on organizations building relationships to help meet their missions.

Look At All My Peeps

By David Hollender - July 11, 2009

Going online and facing hoards of fans and admirers can provide quite a lift in psyche and be good for business. But can a mass approach to social media deliver strong relationships that help organizations achieve their goals?

The Eyeball Trap

By David Hollender - July 6, 2009

The Washington Post recently published an article questioning the efficacy of online advocacy. Their words conjured visions in my mind of the late 1990s when the key metric of success for dot-coms was the number of people who bothered to show up at their web site. What hasn't changed in the last decade is the human tendency to equate popularity with success. But to achieve true impact, communicators must move beyond the proverbial count of eyeballs to a measurement of actions that leads toward specific goals.

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