The On-Going Conversation: Minnesota

Minnesota

03/28/2011

Detroit: The Dormant City?

The census revealed that Detroit's population fell 25% in ten years, equaling 250,000 and the equivalency of 1 person every 22 minutes.

The mayor will challenge the recent numbers in light of it directly impacting the cities federal funding. This thriving metropolis was once the firth largest city in the United States, but has continued to dwindle in population as the manufacturing industry has declined.

With more and more people moving out of Detroit, the city is virtually abandoned in some areas. Is this a public relations nightmare or an opportunity to revitalize? We all realize how resilient the city is, although perpetual hard-ache can lead to discouragement and a lack of consolidated effort on a local governmental level.

However, I have noticed an increased number of advertisements showcasing The Motor City, but will it be enough to transform the distressed state of Detroit into an appealing place to call home?

Mar 28, 2011 9:12:56 PM | Blogging, Blogs, Brand, Branding, Brands, Business, Business Media, Business Relations, Cities, City, Communities, Economy, Environment, Global Business, Global PR, Government, Healthy Cities, Jobs Media, Location, Location Marketing, Marketing, Minneapolis, Minneapolis PR, Minnesota, Online Media, PR, Public Relations

03/22/2011

A Simple Realization

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Mar 22, 2011 9:38:25 PM | Minneapolis, Minneapolis PR, Minnesota, Minnesota PR, Online Media, PR, Public Relations, Smart Media, Social Media, Social Relations, Twin Cities, Twin Cities PR, Washington DC

03/20/2011

Breaking News: AT&T and T-Mobile Unite

AT&T reached an agreement with Deutsche Telekom to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion. If approved, AT&T will become the largest wireless provider in the US.

Read the full article on Mashable

Mar 20, 2011 1:54:19 PM | Advertising, Blogging, Blogs, Brand, Branding, Business, Business Media, Business Relations, Cell Phones, Companies, Digital Media, Digital News, Digital PR, Marketing, Markets, Measure, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Media, Mobile PR, New Media

03/17/2011

A Social Reality: Choose Wisely

As human beings and social animals, we look for guidance from the people we choose to surround ourselves with; that's what we do best.

Mar 17, 2011 9:57:26 PM | Blogging, Blogs, Cities, Communication, Communities, Customer Service, information, International Relations, Life, Living, Minneapolis, Minnesota, PR, Public Relations, Social Media, Social Relations, Social Strategy, Twin Cities, Twin Cities PR

03/15/2011

4-Legged Motivation

Ditch the Treadmill! Studies show that dogs provide motivation for a healthy lifestyle and dog owners more likely to take regular walks. Plus, dog owners are more likely to be active than in comparison to those who don't have a four-legged friend at home.

One study even discovered that older individuals are more likely to take frequent walks if their companion is a canine, with 60 percent reaching federal criteria for moderate to vigorous exercise, according to a recent study. This leads one to question the benefits of having a dog as a pet, which may provide motivation to the humans that they live with. Forget starting a workout routine this summer and take a trip to your local animal shelter to commence the spring.

Read the full article via the New York Times

Mar 15, 2011 7:59:18 PM | Health , Health Care, Health MN, Healthcare, Healthy Cities, Medical, Medicine, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Healthcare, Minneapolis PR, Minnesota, Minnesota Healthcare, Minnesota PR, MN Health, MN Policy, Smart MN Health, Smart Relations, Twin Cities, Twin Cities Health

The Nature of Online Relations

Social networks are helping people stay in touch, but are Internet communities simply tangible cliques taking place online? Social platforms allow friends and family to stay in touch more frequently, although there may be detrimental elements to consider as well.

The ramifications of social media could include the destruction of interpersonal communication skills and the wasting of time throughout the day. I can only imagine how much time people use on a weekly basis to stay connected with their digital friends.

Read the full article and listen to the story via NPR

Mar 15, 2011 6:46:17 PM | Facebook, Google PR, Googlebuzz, LinkedIn, Minneapolis, Minneapolis PR, Minnesota, Minnesota PR, Mobile PR, New Media, Public Relations, Social Business, Social Media, Social Relations, StumbleUpon, Tech PR, Technological, Technology, Twin Cities PR, Twitter, Web Business, Web Marketing, Web PR

03/13/2011

LinkedIn Wants Users to Visit Daily

LinkedIn launched LinkedIn Today, a social news tool for business users that encourages perpetual use, similar to Facebook and Twitter.

From a consistent use standpoint, LinkedIn has a hard time competing with Facebook and Twitter. Users seem to view LinkedIn as a professional portal that doesn't require continual monitoring. Facebook and Twitter on the other hand seem to have a connected mantra that requires daily attention, and users feel out of touch if they aren't constantly engaged and interconnected.

Obviously this isn't the case, but users feel a subconscious isolation if they aren't checking their digital lives on a daily basis. Most people view LinkedIn as an environment for career networking, which doesn't consist of frequent changes and status updates. Users even have their Twitter updates linked via an external platform that appears on the LinkedIn feed, which is included on the landing page.

As a result, LinkedIn is trying to capture a degree of success with this approach to social media. They want to encourage uses to visit on a daily basis, by providing more value and the ability to directly search news online. To a certain extent, they want to be a one-stop shop for online content absorption. This may be quite challenging, although it is a great place to commence in a difficult social space.

Read the full article via Fast Company

Mar 13, 2011 6:06:31 PM | Blogging, Blogs, Branding, Business, Business Media, Digital Media, Digital News, Digital PR, Digitalization, Facebook, Innovation, Internet, Internet Approach, Jobs, Jobs Media, LinkedIn, Marketing, Minneapolis, Minneapolis PR, Minnesota, Minnesota PR, Mobile Media, New Media, Online Media, Public Relations, Smart Media, Smart Relations, Social Business, Social Jobs, Social Media, Social Strategy, Tech Business, Tech PR, Technological, Technology, Twin Cities

A Late-Night Tech Breakdown

Apparently Verizon iPhones fell back an hour at midnight, instead of springing forward as expected. Hopefully if you happen to have a Verizon iPhone, you didn't wake up in utter bewilderment and potential frustration. Even worse would be having a commitment, which you didn't meet due to the digital complication.

The issue wasn't only confined to Verizon either and AT&T customers have reported the same time lapse issue. As you may recall, this isn't the first time either. Apple iPhones experienced a same issue in January that may have caused customers to fall into a world of technological confusion.

If you have a phone that is currently experiencing this inconvenience, restart your device to resolve the problem and get your biological clock back on track. Best of luck and hopefully the iPhone can put the problems behind them moving forward.

Read the full article via Mashable