PR FROM THE BEACH

Another Tsunami warning and NZ Civil Defence communication still looks scarily inept

As I write, we are on another tsunami advisory following three more Pacific earthquakes, this time around Vanuatu. Whether the island will suffer the same terrible devastation and loss as Samoa and parts of Tonga we don't yet know - we can only hope that all are safe and that no lives are lost.

Here in New Zealand, I have been watching the Civil Defence communications with keen interest - more so than usual following recent events. I am flabbergasted that they are still relying on static web updates to communicate urgent information. Surely all major organisations must be aware that in today's communications environment if they don't fill the information void themselves, then someone else will - and in a crisis situation this in itself will add to misunderstanding, miscommunication and life-threatening mistakes.

Ironically, next week is Disaster Awareness Week, when we are all supposed to knuckle down and make sure we are prepared for the kind of natural disasters we have seen so frequently in recent months. Part of the Civil Defence advance promotion package includes a 'media kit' for participating organisations designed to help them disseminate 'key messages'. All the advice is centred entirely on old-school traditional mainstream media without the slightest acknowledgment that other forms of communication exist. The advice is also expensive as it suggests local media advertising as a major tactic. Will such a tactic add to a local programme given the extensive advertising campaign already running on national television? I don't think so.

If I was to name one single benefit of the online environment, it would be the ability to harness the power of social media tools in crisis communication. Sadly, the Civil Defence department doesn't seem to have grasped this, even though other emergency services around the world have seen, experienced and utilised the power of digital communication. Come on guys - at least tweet your updates. You have my phone number because as a conscientious citizen I registered to be part of the 'early warning system' (which didn't happen by the way) - send me a text to say 'Stay off the beach' or 'Grab your emergency kit, it's incoming' or even a reassuring 'All's well'.  Simple really - and achievable at a fraction of the cost of the advertising currently recommended.

When infrastructure is wiped out as a result of a disaster - natural or otherwise - then we would have to work with whatever is left - sounding a drum, banging the rocks or tapping out Morse code. But for advanced warning - while we are all still switched on, plugged in and open to send and receive facts - using digital engagement to communicate could save thousands of lives. Simply hoping someone might pass by an old-school web site and pick up infrequent updates will leave us all sinking in a sea of inertia.

John and Letterman simply Off-Key

I've tried really hard to find something positive about John Key's appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman but, despite my best efforts, I have failed to find one single thing. 

Rubbing shoulders with Obama at the UN - fine. Sharing the Australian PM's bathroom facilities - ok. Announcing plans at the UN - great. Being made to look a complete dork by a two-bit talk show host - fail.

Who on earth suggested that he appeared on this show?  He may be Tourism Minister as well as PM, but I cannot see one scrap of evidence that would lead me to believe his inclusion would boost tourism in any shape or form.  The Herald today suggests that Key considers it a job well done because someone from Montenegro thought it was good. Montenegro? Sorry, but I doubt they will be visiting NZ in their millions.

The 'interview' simply made John Key look daft and I found myself writhing in embarrassment. The same sort of stomach churning discomfort one might feel when a cheery uncle makes a complete show of himself at a family wedding.  Why would someone put the Prime Minister in such a position?

Obama goes on Letterman because he is the US President and it 'puts him in touch' with the voters, particularly when he is campaigning for health care reform in the country. When Obama appears, he is jovial but still retains an air of authority. He is even allowed to sit down by Letterman who, when interviewing his President, shows at least some respect. But our John? Not a bit of it. Key became Letterman's Aunt Sally and whoever 'wrote' those appalling answers for him needs some urgent help and guidance and a real telling-off.

Dreadful misalignment occurred here and even though the interview is being 'talked up', the whole episode did nothing for NZ's credibility and certainly undermined our Prime Minister. Letterman's brand of tacky TV is about entertainment and commercial viewing figures, not leadership. Unfortunately, this meant John Key was made to look a complete clown instead of a thoughtful statesman. Shame on those who thought a TV trivia moment would increase his profile or improve his standing. All it did was undermine what would otherwise have been a reasonable trip.

Treated like a dork - John Key

Treated like a guest - Barack Obama

Where is the Chorus of Disapproval?

Well I for one was staggered at the news that Chorus engineers are likely to be turned from employees to owner operators. In the much vaunted 'current climate' isn't it a bit thick to be turning long-standing employees out into the cold to survive on their own? Particularly as these are the very employees who are supposed to be key players in the creation the new infrastructure that will power our 'knowledge-led digital economy'.  The opportunities to train apprentices will be diminished; those who sign on to be owner-operators will be spending time learning to be small business people rather than getting on with the engineering work and as for the rest of us? We won't benefit from better prices or service or infrastructure. No. The company Chorus has 'subbed' the contract to will simply make bigger profits at our expense and at the expense of their workforce. Shame on them.

Will Iceland's summer election warm the nation's economy?

After the food shortages of last year, the riots and then the 'pots and pans' or Saucepan Revolution in January, Iceland heads to the polls this weekend. The election is a direct result of citizen protests triggered as the Icelandic economy went into melt-down. 

Tomorrow's election (April 25) - is an election which, according to some, has delayed the payments from the IMF promised during the meltdown period last year. Many Icelandic bloggers have been charting, reporting and commenting on the quiet revolution that has been underway, so much so, that a list of bloggers deemed to be 'enemies of the Progressive Party was recently published by the DV newspapers. One longtime blogger, Alda, was saddened to be left off the list - she felt her place should have been assured by this post which provides insight into some of the background to the crisis through the lens of the film, Dreamland, in turn based on the book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation by Andri Snær Magnason. I would heartily recommend you read Alda's post (and her blog generally) as the story of Dreamland is one that I believe has been replicated in many places around the world - and that in the months ahead, we will see similar situations arise in many small nations.

There is daily talk of 'the recession' as if it is an amorphous doom, arriving unannounced and bringing with it these unavoidable consequences. Mainstream media makes it easy for us to believe that 'the recession' is as sudden and out of the blue as a previously unspotted asteroid. But this is not the case. The financial troubles that abound - in Iceland and elsewhere - are primarily the fruits of unethical, profit-driven, greedy sharp practice. Judgements made in the interests of the shareholder, not society.  Where companies are making workers redundant, I seriously question the validity of the redundancies blamed on the 'recession', convinced as I am that many are using it as an excuse to cover up previous mismanagement of their organisations (and I would include the public sector in that as well).

I hope that after the election, the people of Iceland can begin a new era with leaders capable of rebuilding the country's economy as well as relationships within the wider global community. I hope that out of this, they are able to redefine business models that meet their needs without putting the security of their citizens at risk in the future. I suspect it will be a long road and my earnest hope is they get the support they will need. And I hope too, that some time soon, the amorphous recession will cease to be blamed by all and sundry and instead, the economic behaviours that brought us to this point in history are investigated, highlighted, outlawed and changed for the better.  If not, many more Saucepan Revolutions will begin to bubble and before long they will boil over into streets worldwide.

The Mac makes 25, The Pope makes YouTube

I grinned to myself on Friday when the much reported 25th birthday of the first Apple Mac was celebrated. Soon after its launch in 1984 - and at least a couple of months after Stephen Fry and Douglas Adams were tapping away on their milestone machines - I was sent to cover the first Apple Mac being used at a local school. Seemed like most of the school budget had been blown on it and the teacher in charge was immensely proud.  I've mentioned before that our old garage was something of a Mac museum before we upped sticks and moved here and I spend more time every day with my current Mac than any other piece of kit so I am a sucker for 'nice' Mac stories, especially now they are having such a rocky ride in the mainstream media. 

I can also remember 25 years ago reporting on local churches in that same London borough. The churches issued a collective warning that too much TV was bad for you; so the news, again on Friday, that The Pope  has launched his own YouTube channel demonstrated once again how time has changed the way we approach and utilise technology.

I suspect that 25 years hence, we will simply access a direct conversation with a virtual pope via eye-vision. You might give the idea short shrift, but who knows?  After all, less than a generation ago the marriage of YouTube and a Pontiff would have been almost impossible to conceive.

Conning the consumer - is today's petrol hike simply unjustified profiteering?

I am stunned to see that the petrol companies have hiked the price of petrol in New Zealand yet again today - making a 10c rise in less than 48 hours. Yesterday's reason was apparently an increase in the cost of refined petrol. At the time of writing nobody has offered a reason for today's lift.  Given that the price of oil is still lower than it has been for some time and is approximately US$10 less than it was a month ago, I can't help thinking that the petrol companies are taking us for a ride (no pun intended).

When the barrel price lifts, the pump price rise is instant.  When the barrel price falls, the pump price fall either doesn't happen or follows quite some time after.  Now the barrel price falls still, but the prices go higher. As for explanations of this behaviour, they are few, far between and sketchy at best. Hardly the transparent and trustworthy environment that large and small businesses are encouraged to adopt if they wish to survive in these trouble times. Most of us are simply left with the feeling that it is all a remarkably successful con trick. Someone, somewhere is making a sharp buck, that's for sure. Either they are oblivious to the reported conditions that we all face and are happy to profiteer at our expense or there is something very wrong with the management of these companies if they are so cavalier with their customers. I'd love to know which it is.

Fed up with your own country? Well here's a virtual one for you inhabit

A New Year invitation to become a citizen of what is claimed to be the world's first virtual country - not a virtual world - is out there for all to accept.  Wirtland (pronounced Virtland I believe) was established in August 2008 and Cristopher Luengo, the country's external relations manager is currently busy with a ning site, connecting on Linkedin and other social networking platforms.  It will be interesting to see what relationships he forges, whether public relations will be at the heart of Wirtland's 'international diplomacy' and what GDP tally results over time.

It is a novel concept and Wirtland's latest information suggests Bulgaria is discussing official recognition of this new country without borders. The thought occurs to me that if everyone starts setting up their own virtual countries will we simply transport the problems of the fabric, real world, into the web states that are brought into being?  Or would it be possible to create something new and more workable than the states we have now?  It looks unlikely - after all one of the first activities of the Wirtland community seems to be running a 'Miss Wirtland' contest. Not necessarily something I feel might change either the virtual or real worlds. I can think of other things I would want to do first - especially as they seem to be quite earnest in their endeavours.  If they put up an entry for the Eurovision Song Contest then I'll know it's a gag.  That said, is online dominion the logical next stage for Web 2.0?  Or would any 'new country' simply descend into the kind of digibabble that we find on Twitter and similar tools?

Anyone who is not happy with their own country can become a Witizen and will get a passport and other documents to prove they belong.  The creators stress it is not a virtual world, in the same sense as Second Life, but a sovereign country that simply has no borders.  So if you fancy emigrating online, now's your chance, before the virtual 'land rush' begins.

Dropping a clanger in space - as non-recoverable as the US CEOs' Congress blunder

My heart went out to the astronaut who dropped her toolbag during a spacewalk earlier this week - see it drift away here. Definitely a non-recoverable position for anyone, but a genuine mistake nonetheless.

The same cannot be said for the CEOs who turned up in their corporate jets in order to beg for cash from an already over-committed US government. What were they thinking?  The Star, among many others, calls it a 'PR storm' and undertaking a rough count up, I unearthed from the last fifteen hours  around 9000 mainstream media articles condemning their rather shortsighted and dim actions - and that is without counting any blog discussions.

Good public relations starts with appropriate action tempered with an understanding of the situation and operating environment. It is also underpinned by a willingness to change behaviour and do the right thing for the communities and publics that provide you with your licence to operate. Fail to do so and that licence to operate, the trust in the organisation, is withdrawn.

You would imagine that these three autocrats would have the wit - or at least the advisors - to enable them realise that what you do has to come before the things you say. These are clever people after all, who hold the fate of millions in their hands.  Yet when they were quizzed as to whether they would sell their jets and take an economy flight home all the hands which should have been immediately visible were nowhere to be seen - instead an embarrassed silence ensued.

Realistically, the money 'saved' by such an action would probably be a drop in the ocean, given that General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner informed the committee that they were burning through "$5 billion each month."  But - and as always, it is a big but - the CEOs looked like the other CEOs trotted before committees last month; eager to protect their own positions as demonstrated by their actions, rather than the industries and communities they say they are keen to protect.  The US needs its auto industry right now and all is not lost. It has its eye firmly on the emerging markets - Brazil, India, China to name but a few - places where new car ownership has far more potential than existing markets which are saturated and in decline.

Sadly, I suspect the car workers in Detroit will be scraping around for bus fare long before the CEOs in question tumble from the top and hand in their executive gate pass. 

The disgruntled question I am hearing time and again at worker level is why should our tax dollars bail out the corporates who will be axing our jobs and leaving us with nothing anytime soon, while those who make the decision to send us to the streets walk away with enough money to keep a town full of families comfortable over several years?

Pundits suggest that the best route for the carmakers to take would be a Chapter 11 arrangement - think of it as a kind of organised bankruptcy that allows continuance of trade.  Such a continuance of trade that would allow the manufacturers to buy time and buy into the markets that could save their collective futures. A purchase of time in which they might also consider rethinking their business model, the impact on the environment and the ethics of sustainable automotive development allowing the tax dollars to go elsewhere. However, Chapter 11 is resisted apparently because 'it doesn't look good' and 'affects the brand'. 

But probably not as much as a corporate jet fiasco or three million unemployed workers and their families.

But Hadron Collider hits the skids with a £14m repair bill

Replicating the Big Bang doesn't come cheap, but at least those who were worried it might just trigger the end of the world will be relieved.  Scientists now say, according to the BBC, that the repair bill is huge and  the Collider will be out of action for much longer than they thought. It occurs to me they may well be thinking on the quiet that playing Creator of the Known Universe is a bit harder than they thought it would be - but it will still be interesting to see what they come up with when it is operational again, possibly sometime next year.

After the US Election - Could Barack and Sarah be Dancing with the Stars?

My friend Judy Gombita sent me this fantastic photoshop job of Sarah and Barack - maybe post election this could be the kind of cross-party collaboration we might hope to see. McCain and Hilary Clinton would have been an interesting mix too. I have tried to find the original source, but been unsuccessful, but really thought it worth sharing. Great job - I would love to see one created for Helen Clark and John Key.  Of course we've already seen Rodney Hide strut his stuff because our politicians really do go in for Dancing with the Stars on this side of the planet!  Who would be your favorite political pairing?  And wouldn't it be fun to see them all settle things in a dance-off. At least it would be more entertaining than some of the dire debates we have been subjected to here in New Zealand during the current campaign.