For Immediate Release

Individual employees can reap a clear benefit from participating in online social networks. The companies for which they work also benefit from smarter employees who can reach out for help that can speed up the completion of projects. New research suggests that the company's advantage goes deeper depending on how many employees are participating robustly in these networks. Neville and Shel share the research and discusses what businesses need to do to tap into that benefit in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #367: Innovation Thrives When Employees Engage in Professional Networks appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Pundits are proclaiming social media dead (or dying), and they have data to back up their beliefs. If it's true, what does it mean -- for society, for networking, and for business? Neville and Shel examine the evidence and trends and discuss the implications in the monthly long-form episode for November. Also in this episode: ChatGPT pauses new signups and other news A look at ChatGPT's GPT Builder The state of news on social media Generative AI and journalism A high-profile executive's fake Twitter accounts In his Tech Report, Dan York talks about Twitter's woes, WhatsApp news, Automattic backing off Tumblr growth, and the Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year Continue Reading → The post FIR #366: DIY GPT appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

RyanAir has a reputation: For the lowest airfares in Europe, you'll get where you're going with the bare minimum of service. The airline's social media accounts -- notably TikTok -- have done a brilliant, irreverent job of setting expectations for anyone planning to fly on RyanAir, which the social media manager's skills were first-rate. When he left the company -- reportedly because of its cultural shortcomings -- he abided by the 90-day quiet period, then applied his social media skills to share his experience. His posts (not surprisingly) made headlines. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel break down what this might mean for RyanAir.Continue Reading → The post FIR #365: RyanAir’s Social Media Chief Doesn’t Leave Quietly appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Internal communicators have long known how important employees' immediate supervisors are to the communication process. Based on the results of a new study, communicators need to shift their focus. Managers still need to serve as a conduit of information in both directions, but there's an even more important role they play that communicators are best suited to help them learn and apply. Shel and Neville discuss the study and its implications for internal communications professionals in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #364: Managers’ Most Important Communication Role appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A review of the trove of articles about how brands have addressed the conflict in the Middle East suggests that there is no way to satisfy everybody, even for brands that opt to say nothing at all. Neville and Shel explore the peril of speaking out, even as expectations continue for companies and their CEOs to address societal issues. Also in this monthly long-form episode: The closure of Pebble (formerly T2) has implications for the entire fractured social media ecosystem A global PR body has ratified 10 principles for the ethical use of AI in PR and communications LinkedIn influencers are becoming a force to be reckoned with A poll from MIT explores key decision points for deploying AI in the enterprise Silicon Valley appears to have given up on news in social networks In his tech report, Dan York shares details about the flailing of Twitter, changes in Threads, WhatsApp channels, and Automattic's purchase of Texts.Continue Reading → The post FIR #363: Is the Israel-Hamas War a Communications No-Win

T2 rebranded as Pebble because when tossed in water, pebbles create ripples (except in the song "Ripple," in which "there is no pebble tossed, nor wind to blow"). The microblogging social network created by former Twitter staffers never created enough ripples to sustain it. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel lament Pebble's passing, consider the reasons it is shutting down, and ponder what it means for the post-Twitter social media landscape.Continue Reading → The post FIR #362: Why Did Pebble Sink? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A new study from Edelman polled hundreds of Fortune 500 Chief Communication Officers about the future of corporate communications. The results include some surprises, including the scope of the CCO's role and what they're spending their time on. The study also addresses the old canard about the communicator's quest for a "seat at the table." Neville and Shel dig into the report in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #361: Is There A Seat At The Table in Corporate Communication’s Future? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

At a school in southern England, a headmaster worked with an AI developer to create an AI "robot" named Abigail Bailey to serve as his "headteacher," giving him advice and helping with planning. He has another AI "robot" named Jamie Rainer serving as his head of AI after advertising for a human to handle the job. Can the same principles be transferred to the CEO of an organization? Find out in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #360: Your AI Chatbot Confidant appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

OpenAI is rolling out the ability to have a spoken conversation with ChatGPT. Meta is making it easy to converse with the likes of Tom Brady and Paris Hilton (who have lent their voices to the effort). An AI chatbot called PI was built to let you discuss personal matters. Companies are rolling out AI girlfriends. (That can't end well.) It's all part of what Casey Newton calls the "synthetic social network," and it's the topic of conversation between Neville and Shel in this short midweek episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #359: Your New AI BFF appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

EY (formerly Ernst & Young), one of the "big four" accounting firms, has launched EY.ai, which is (according to a press release) "a unifying platform that brings together human capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) to help clients transform their businesses through confident and responsible adoption of AI." Separately, EY has introduced EYQ, an AI assistant for its 400,000 employees. Neville and Shel discuss the news -- and how likely it is that EY's competitors will follow -- in this short midweek FIR episode.Continue Reading → The post FIR #358: EY Goes AI appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.