i-Pad and communications technology

I recall working in journalism 10 years ago. The year 2000. The new millennium.

People were convinced that communications technologies were extremely advanced. We had e-mail and Internet access. I had a laptop at work. Digital cameras were becoming the norm.

Needless to say, things have changed a great deal in the last 10 years. The world of communications continues to evolve rapidly. Here in 2010, blogs are commonplace, and even established mainstream journalists keep online journals or blogs in addition to their primary work. Facebook not only connects old high school pals, but is an expected part of political campaigns and just about any kind of marketing. The Twitter phenomenon mystifies some, but is increasingly popular (Sarah Palin’s “tweats” make headline news in print and TV, for example). The Blackberry and iPhone....on and on.

With today's announcement about the new Apple iPad -- http://www.apple.com/ipad/ -- folks are trying to predict how journalism might be affected. Perhaps that's another topic for another time, but those of us with a journalism background are certainly following changes in the industry. If the iPad, or some future product, enables newspapers to create a "pay wall" for their content, then maybe there's more hope for traditional journalism than many think. And, of course, this will have implications for those working in the communications and marketing business.

In any case, the way individuals, business, governments, and other organizations communicate involves tools, technology, and terminology that those of us in the field hadn’t even contemplated in the year 2000. And all this brings opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it’s increasingly important to have a savvy approach to online resources. But, at the same time, there’s more to it than having a slick-looking Web site or a Facebook page with lots of “friends.”

A serious message and a sound strategy are still key. Regardless of the platform or media channel, good writing still matters. Will and I are doing our best to stay on top of the cutting edge side of the communications business without losing sight of the tried-and-true.

"Well...How did I get here?"

These classic Talking Heads lyrics (from the song “Once in a Lifetime”) are as appropriate as any other way to kick off this blog. That is to say, there are biographical narratives about Will and me on this site, but how did we really get to the point of deciding to stop talking about going into business and actually do it?

Will and I had talked off and on over the years about a number of different business ideas – including a fajita stand in downtown Spartanburg. Will cooks outrageously delicious chicken and steak fajitas. Nonetheless, we’re pretty sure our experiences are, on the whole, better suited to the realm of writing, marketing, and communications.

We don’t always agree on every issue. But we work well together and feel that our give-and-take is a healthy process that leads to good results. Will and I worked together for several years at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. In fact, he was one of my editors. Like any boss, he wasn’t always my favorite guy in the world. But he consistently helped make my work better, offering solid writing suggestions and working with me to get at the important, and often difficult, questions. I’m pretty sure Will thought of me as a hard-working and reliable reporter with at least some talent for the job.

Since our days at the Herald-Journal, we’ve both gone to work in public relations. Our combined experiences now include web content development, marketing strategy, video production, and media relations consulting. So, we figured the time was right to go out on our own. You can read our bios and our list of proposed services on our Web site (and we hope you will, of course). I’ll just note here that feedback so far has been positive, and we’ve begun work with several clients. We hope that our skills and business model will fill a niche for this area and beyond.

We also hope for this blog to become an active site to discuss issues in marketing and communications. We’ll offer up our thoughts, ideas, and commentary on a regular basis, and we’d love to have your input.

Thanks!

Baker