In the past week, I've done four speaking engagements, some with my colleagues at THP. Included in the audiences were students, journalists, PR professionals, small business owners, folks from non-profits, consultants from all walks of life. A pretty good mix of people. Some of the focus was on journalism and public relations but in all cases social media was in the forefront. In all cases though, the message back to me is clear. We are now in the "mature" phase of the social/digital/online thing we're…
Read MoreSo this is my first vlog post. Something new. Topics today are a follow up to my "Twitter. Dead." post. Recent and upcoming speaking opportunities and what I'm discovering by doing them. Please comment and react. Thanks.
Read MoreMore than one person has come back to me/Sonali after our PRSA Richmond presentation concerned and surprised about our remarks about the future of Twitter. The interesting thing they told us is after those remarks they spoke to others who agreed with us. For those who weren't there, we pretty much said that Twitter was dead. I know, pretty dangerous blanket statement, huh? So here's what we meant (and by we in this case, I mean me because Sonali isn't looking over my shoulder right…
Read MoreA quick post here to preview a talk that Sonali and I are giving next Wednesday to PRSA Richmond. They tell me that more than 100 folks have signed up so seats are going fast (more than veiled attempt here to jam the room.) Here's a link to sign up. Even though Hodges Digital Strategies is still in its first year, our learning over the course of the last year or so has been exponential. I peeked back at a similar presentation I gave last…
Read MoreSo those wild and wacky Zuckerbergers were at it again yesterday. For a few fleeting moments it looked like the Facebooks folks had flipped the switch on the rumored Fan page redesign. Then, crash….bang….zoom, the entire system goes down and when it comes back the fan pages are back to the Tab-laden walls we've come to know and love? Mashable chronicles this view into the possible future including the backstroke from Facebook saying it was all just a prototype. But this quick glimpse might give…
Read MoreFirst, apologies for not writing as much lately. Frankly, I've been busy both personal and professional and I just haven't had a great deal of value to say. It is humbling to have conversations with many folks and have them tell me they are regular readers of this blog. We're approaching the blog's second birthday and when it began I didn't know where it would take us all. I'm also spending a great deal of time thinking about where things are going. The topic is…
Read MoreAn amazing thing has happened and to be honest with you it really has crept up on me. But in thinking about things lately I suddenly realized that when we at THP meet with prospective clients they now EXPECT to talk not only about traditional public relations functions but also about all things digital and social. This is a major change and the final stages of its evolution for me have been in a few recent meetings with business-to-business prospects. Traditionally "B-to-B" are the final…
Read MoreThis just in: Mark Z. wants access to your inbox. Unveiled today, Facebook Messaging which sounds a lot like the Facebook version of email or Gmail or just add "mail" to anything. They swear it isn't the "email killer" and maybe it isn't because as with many new products the Facebook folks do a poor job of explaining exactly what it is and you have to actually play with it to find out. You will be offered an @facebook.com address and you will be able…
Read MoreLots of news on the geolocation front over the last couple of days. First, Facebook adds "Deals" to its up-to-this-point not extremely popular "Places" functionality. (Here's a great guide from AllFacebook) Now, word from the folks at Pew, those counters of all things social and digital, that only eight percent of adults and four percent of all users check-in using geolocation platforms like "Places," Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, etc. Those number might change since the study was being done just as Facebook launched "Places," but it…
Read MoreWARNING: This post is highly promotional both for HDS and our client. But once you read it you'll understand why I posted and why you should at least take a look. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Hodges Digital Strategies' first "official" Facebook custom landing page, executed for ChildFund International's "100 Days of Yes" campaign. While we have already completed a number of similar clients with our new partner Sonali Shetty, this is the first one launched under the new HDS…
Read MoreThis is a blog post that is more than two years in the making. Past posts have alluded to growth at The Hodges Partnership, mainly focusing on the new two-story addition to the back of our Shockoe Bottom home. But I have hinted at something more, and here it is. Today I'd like to announce the creation of a second business under the Hodges umbrella, Hodges Digital Strategies. HDS is the product of a two-year journey we're taken with a number of folks including our…
Read MoreOn Monday, I'm speaking at the Virginia Statewide Parent Education Coalition annual conference, the topic is all things social media including issues like privacy and new technologies. So I'm been giving a great deal of thought to those issues this week. This at a time when my alma mater, Rutgers University, is making national headlines for all the wrong reasons. This week, two university students were first charged in connection with broadcasting online a private sexual encounter between two young men. One of those young…
Read More