I started in radio as a weekend news reader who was inspired by a poster hanging above the cart deck that promised that if you could give me 1,000 words I could paint 1,000 pictures. I could see the audience listening to my words and I wanted to believe they understood; a broadcaster seeking confirmation. Radio became television and I would look through the camera and see my audience absorbing my words. I searched for a face that might nod in agreement. No one ever looked back, but I felt like they might understand.
The need to relate to others, and the joy of writing, led me to public relations. Starting out as a science writer at Texas Tech University, I learned the craft of writing and sharing ideas. I learned the importance of listening to the concerns of the researcher; holding their hands, developing talking points and finding ways to extract the excitement out of their complicated subjects. I was assigned special projects, which led me into research, planning and the tactics of public relations. Stunts and media events allowed me to rely on my broadcasting skills. I learned how to relate to audiences and reach out to individuals. Broadcasting morphed into targeted communication.
I learned how to handle crisis communication. The death of a mascot on national television tends to wake up multiple audiences. I learned the nuances of listening to individual concerns and developing messages to help explain and console. Mistakes were made by my employer and I was asked to develop communication responses. When the NCAA is considering sanctions against your university, it becomes incumbent that you're playing your A-game. A campaign to raise $500 million pushed me into cause-marketing. Bobby Knight told me "he didn't need my public relations help." All of these experiences honed my skills and gave me confidence.
A news junky, the lure of the Internet was strong. I created a Gopher hole, one of the first, and then a web site, another first. Web pages led to exploration of how to use email and push technologies to deliver messages. We suddenly had a tool to directly reach out to audiences; we were no longer constrained by traditional media. I was asked to join Dan Forbush on the advisory board that led to the creation of ProfNet. It was exciting to see how Internet tactics could bring down barriers and make communication more democratic. It was the early '90s, and now individuals could contact me directly and I could contact them. We didn't call it social media then - we called it New Media or just The Internet - but it was a revolution.
In 2001, I left the university for my latest challenge. I went from a staff of 8 to a one-man creative team in Las Vegas. I implemented new tools to help me reach audiences, such as Facebook, the LVCourts Blog and YouTube. I found a way to use a 30boxes calendar to generate targeted RSS feeds of events. Google Voice (GrandCentral) allows me to manage three phone lines. We were the first courthouse in the country to use Twitter to broadcast court updates. That took off during the O.J. Simpson trial. Media started embracing Twitter the same month, and I like to think that I helped demonstrate its power to journalists. National media attention has increased during my time in Las Vegas. Of course, it's easy to generate interest for Sin City because everyone wants to visit. My connections with national producers and reporters brings a consistent stream of media placements allowing me to focus on cause marketing, social media and reputation management. National news media now look to the courts as a source of news and innovation. When Dateline NBC, TMZ, CourtTV, Fox News, CBS and a host of others call you first, it is because successful relationships have been formed. We've had our share of high profile events, crisis communication and typical public relations planning. The job is never without a challenge and an opportunity to share our story.
My career has been varied and full of opportunities. Juggling multiple campaigns and projects has been rewarding. The pace is fast and others marvel at my energy level. I like to see it as a badge of honor; the ability to achieve positive results in a profession I honestly love. It's exciting to develop a communication plan that empowers people to care and want to be part of something affecting their community. I know longer have to look through a camera and wonder if I am making an impact. Today I'm able to look into the listener's eyes and see that they understand. I'm a communicator.
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Twitter CommentA great tale of resilience, MIchael! RT @wordymouth: I’m a Communicator [link to post] #HAPPO. – Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter CommentI’m a Communicator: I rarely reflect on my profession and what it means to me. I've always wanted to be a communic… [link to post] – Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter CommentI’m a Communicator [link to post] #HAPPO – Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter CommentRT @wordymouth: I’m a Communicator [link to post] #HAPPO – Posted using Chat Catcher
Michael: Given your involvement with PR and the court system, what do you think about this? A small Texas company is using Web 2.0 guerrilla publicity to fend off a strange lawsuit brought by a much larger bank. (Seeing that you went to school in Lubbock, you might recognize PlainsCapital Bank.) Have you ever seen anything like this lawsuit before? –Ben
That is an interesting example of how the customer now controls the brand; essentially, any individual can now define a brand's reputation. In this case, the bank appears to be the loser. It has allowed a customer to place it on the defensive, notwithstanding the federal lawsuit. A smart approach would be to defend and demonstrate. Defend your position and demonstrate the soundness of the approach. Build confidence and show why your position is correct. Hillary Machinery Inc is pushing all the buttons and nobody is responding. Now, I had not heard about this case, which goes to show that it is still a regional story. But once a few others pick up on it, you could see how this could cause serious reputation problems for Plains Bank. Of course, the bank could argue this is a libel campaign. However, the truth is a hard defense to overcome. I'm guessing Hillary will be able to press it's case for some time. The other thing to consider; this is a trusted bank in a small Texas city. The locals already hold the bank in high esteem and it would be hard to change their opinion. So a campaign such as this one is only effective if it puts a dent in a reputation that has been built over time. Once people in Lubbock start questioning the banks reputation, then you could say this campaign had an impact. Otherwise, it just looks like a small company that has sour grapes for its bank.
Michael: Given your involvement with PR and the court system, what do you think about this? A small Texas company is using Web 2.0 guerrilla publicity to fend off a strange lawsuit brought by a much larger bank. (Seeing that you went to school in Lubbock, you might recognize PlainsCapital Bank.) Have you ever seen anything like this lawsuit before? –Ben
That is an interesting example of how the customer now controls the brand; essentially, any individual can now define a brand's reputation. In this case, the bank appears to be the loser. It has allowed a customer to place it on the defensive, notwithstanding the federal lawsuit. A smart approach would be to defend and demonstrate. Defend your position and demonstrate the soundness of the approach. Build confidence and show why your position is correct. Hillary Machinery Inc is pushing all the buttons and nobody is responding. Now, I had not heard about this case, which goes to show that it is still a regional story. But once a few others pick up on it, you could see how this could cause serious reputation problems for Plains Bank. Of course, the bank could argue this is a libel campaign. However, the truth is a hard defense to overcome. I'm guessing Hillary will be able to press it's case for some time. The other thing to consider; this is a trusted bank in a small Texas city. The locals already hold the bank in high esteem and it would be hard to change their opinion. So a campaign such as this one is only effective if it puts a dent in a reputation that has been built over time. Once people in Lubbock start questioning the bank's reputation, then you could say this campaign had an impact. Otherwise, it just looks like a small company that has sour grapes for its bank.Oh, and I didn't go to school in Lubbock. I worked at Texas Tech when Alan B. White was a regent.