Communications

How To Respond To Your Opponents

There are two ways to deal with anti-brand communities, or simply opponents. 1. Negative Ignore – don’t respond in any way Respond – sharply and directly take them on – e.g., argue point by point why they are incorrect Attack – e.g. go further than #2 – try to take them down, through threat, marginalization,Read… Read more »

A Good Quote is More Interesting Than This Headline

Let’s start by admitting that, sometimes, all a reporter needs is a quote to finish a story. Any quote, as long it’s relevant and they meet their deadline. What they’d really like, however, are birds flying backwards. That’s the gist of a legendary quote used in one of my journalism classes, from a guy tellingRead… Read more »

Federal Agencies Must Focus On Emotion To Create Great Government Customer Experiences

Think about the last time you went through airport security. Or applied for federal benefits. Or paid your taxes. How did those experiences make you feel? What specific emotions did they invoke in you? Did you feel comforted, hopeful, and valued – or insulted, frustrated, and nervous? Questions like these are the most important thingsRead… Read more »

How English Class Helps You Understand Unstructured Data

This is a salute to my brethren from the liberal arts, but also anyone who has ever thought English composition class was useless. What is it about understanding how writing happens that is so boring even if writing itself is fun, especially if you have only 140 characters and are not bound by spelling orRead… Read more »

Digital Storytelling vs. Blogging: The Difference is…?

Last week, I wrote about how I go through my creative process, essentially how I get down to the nitty-gritty of how I write a story. When I started this job, I thought I’d just be blogging. Just like I do on any of my personal digital spaces. But instead, I’m doing some “digital storytelling.”Read… Read more »

How to Beat the 5 Top Excuses For Not Improving Your Agency’s Customer Experience

Naysayers love to complain that real customer experience (CX) improvement is only for the private sector because government is subject to unique and insurmountable pressures. Don’t believe them. Many major corporations must overcome the same hurdles, and some federal agencies are finding ways to break out, too. Use this list of comebacks to subdue governmentRead… Read more »