From Technorati: "The biggest blogs in the blogosphere, as measured by the number of people who have made them a Favorite."

We're currently No. 88 on this list. Steve is No. 1.

Update: We should point out that -- since we're currently ranked about 3,700th on Technorati by the unique-link measure -- we're probably not long for this list once the word gets out that Technorati is using Favorites to rank popularity.

Nonetheless, just in the 90 minutes since we posted this, we've already dropped to No. 95. Only 13 of you have named this blog one of your favorites. If there are only 13 of you out there that consider Media Orchard one of your favorite 50 blogs, we're shutting this sucker down.

C'mon. Add us:



David Sifry, you're a genius -- an evil genius, but a genius nonetheless.

Technorati tags: Technorati, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

Media Orchard clocks in at No. 37 on Brian Oberkirch's "43 Best Blogs Wiki." Of course, since it's a wiki, it appears we have the power to move ourselves up to No. 1 if we want to. Then again, some hater could take us off altogether.

Don't be surprised if the wiki abusers at McKinney plop Dr. Myra into the No. 1 slot.

Oh -- and we get to add a cool "43 Best Blogs" badge to our site now. Thanks Brian!

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing

From PRSA's Public Relations Strategist, "As More Print Journalists Turn to Public Relations, What Will It Mean for the Profession?":

Changes within print journalism have led to industrywide malaise, causing journalism students to reconsider their chosen field and reporters at all stages of their careers to seek new employment. Journalists turned PR-practitioners are nothing new ... Yet, it seems the trend has accelerated because of marketplace pressures on newspapers. This could be a boon to the PR profession in terms of enhanced media relations capabilities and a potential lessening of PR practitioners being identified as nothing more than flacks who spin in the press.

I was a newspaper reporter for six years before taking my first (and only) PR job, which I had for four years. Despite a comfortable salary and impressive VP title, I left PR about six months ago and returned to newspapers -- Knight Ridder, no less -- at arguably the most anxious time in their history. Why? In the end, it was that whole "public service/making a difference" thing, tired as that might seem...

Do I like every story I write now? Of course not. I also didn't like every pitch I made while in PR, but in the end, you work for the client and do what they want, or you don't have the client very long (and maybe not other clients if word gets around). In newspapers -- even in this era of "answering to Wall Street" -- I still believe you work for the public.

From Christopher Falvey via Fark.

From Eric Hegedus, national president of the 1,300-member National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

A professional sin of omission -- the failure to get all the facts by shying away from asking a newsmaker his or her sexual orientation -- still clouds the media's actions. And in the case of Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, the problem becomes far more glaring. Stereotype-drenched speculation, gossip and wink-wink hearsay have taken the place of a sound journalistic practice: Asking the pertinent question. In this case, that question is: "Are you gay?" ...

Via news organizations from the New York Times to the San Jose Mercury News, from ESPN.com to the Washington Post, the public was treated to terminology that included, but was certainly not limited to: Flamboyant. Flashy. Whispers. Extravagant. Eccentric. Theatrical. Tinkerbelle. Chihuahuas. Boa. Masculinity. Effeminate. Flaming. Princessy. Female sport. Girly men. Oddballs. Revelation. Coy. Disclosures. Distraction. Tension. Embarrassing. Uncomfortable. Squirming. Fishnets. Prissy. Lifestyle. Gay style.

It's a lot of flash and stereotypes without substance, all in lieu of posing that obvious question to Weir: "Are you gay?"...

The news media have no problem hounding celebrities (as well as their publicists, friends and enemies) regarding romantic entanglements, alleged or otherwise, as well as other personal details. Think Brad and Angelina, Britney and Kevin, Tom and Katie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Colin Farrell. Even sports figures such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Anna Kournikova and formerly/famously single and sometimes outrageously married Dennis Rodman haven't escaped the very personal intensity of the media glare. Yet the question "Are you gay?" is still confined to its own little closet, the door seemingly forever closed. It's perceived to be somehow too personal or potentially shameful to ask.

This "don't ask, don't tell" policy only mars our judgment and professionalism, all the while giving our readers, viewers and listeners a degrading, murky and speculative portrait of our subjects.

We don't know, but at least one Blog Maverick commenter thinks so after Cuban today offered rival Donald Trump $1 million to "pull a rubber glove completely over his head and blow it up" on NBC's Deal or No Deal.

What can you say about Cuban? He obviously wants attention; it makes him happy. And he's able to get the attention he wants.

Same for Paris Hilton. Is it her fault people snap up every magazine she appears in at the newsstand? Nope. As assiduously as Hilton's rapidly changing band of publicists work, there are lots of other publicists working just as hard to come up with six inches in Life & Style for some Paris also-ran.

That's why neither Cuban nor Hilton will be making Media Orchard's list of the "Five Most Attention-Starved Celebrities," which we'll be unveiling later this week. If you have a suggestion for the list, please e-mail us.

From the AP:

A conference sponsored by a group that argues whites are superior to blacks is being held this weekend at the Dulles Hyatt, prompting criticism of the hotel chain for hosting the event.

The American Renaissance conference is being held at the hotel in Herndon. It's sponsored by the New Century Foundation, based in Oakton. Its leader, Jared Taylor [pictured], says the white race is losing its identity in America due to multiculturalism and immigration...

A group of student activists at George Mason University has tried unsuccessfully to get the Hyatt to shut its doors to the conference, which it has hosted in previous years...

Hyatt spokeswoman Lori Armon said the opinions of those at American Renaissance don't necessarily reflect those of Hyatt Dulles or its parent company. But she says the company does not "discriminate against guests or organizations with which our guests are affiliated."

Here's the pitch. Kevin and Todd, you decide on the quality. We'll probably try it out.

Just curious who else is doing this?

Hi,

The Sprint Ambassador Team recently visited Ideagrove.com and wants to invite you to participate in our Ambassador Program.

The Sprint Ambassador Program is all about exploring our latest products and services and allows you to give direct feedback to Sprint. We recently launched the Sprint Power Vision (SM) Network and want to provide you with the full experience, at no charge. Sprint Power Vision Network enables customers to download data at faster speeds and experience new data products.

So what's the deal?

As a qualified participant, we will send you one Sprint Power Vision phone and provide you with six months of all-access service (at no charge). You'll have access to the Sprint Music Store(SM) live TV broadcasts, gaming and more. Yes, you will also have unlimited free calling and data service. It's a pretty good deal and all we ask for in return is your candid feedback (you decide how much and how often).

Register at: http://ambassador.sprint.com/
You will need your unique registration code: [noneya]

If you have questions regarding the registration process or the program, please email us at AmbassadorProgram@sprint.com

We look forward to receiving your registration!

The Sprint Ambassador Team

Major Adams is going to have to do a lot of fast talking to keep Rose Bowl hero Vince Young at the top of the NFL's draft board. From reports:

Texas quarterback Vince Young, whose agent is Major Adams (wasn't he the guy on "Wagon Train"?), decided not to throw, run or pick up any heavy pieces of metal at the Indianapolis combine. For one thing, he is currently working on improving his throwing mechanics, which have some pro scouts wary. For another, his Rose Bowl performance for the ages isn't a bad place to stop.

The stunning news of the day from the combine revolved around Texas quarterback and Rose Bowl hero Vince Young.

Young, who led the Longhorns to the national championship with a great performance against USC, scored only a 6 on the Wonderlic aptitude examination. The 50-question, 12-minute exam has a maximum score of 50 points. Although several players usually score in single-digits each year, it is highly unusual for quarterbacks to score that low.

Several NFL team executives confirmed Young's score, which could hurt his draft status.

From the Rocky Mountain News article, "Group challenges science on 'biblically correct' tours" --

BOULDER - Inside the flagship lab of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a dozen home-schooled children and their parents walk past the offices of scientists grappling with topics from global warming and microphysics to solar storms and the electrical fields of lightning.

They are trailing Rusty Carter, a guide with Biblically Correct Tours.

At a large, colorful panel along a wall, Carter reads aloud from a passage describing the disappearance of dinosaurs from the Earth about 65 million years ago. He and some of the older students exchange knowing smiles at the timeline, which contradicts their interpretation of the Bible suggesting a 6,000-year-old planet.

"Did man and dinosaurs live together?" Carter asks.

A timid yes comes from the students.

"How do we know that to be true?" Carter says.

There's a long pause.

"What day did God create dinosaurs on?" he continues.

"Six," says a chorus of voices.

"What day did God create man on?"

"Six."

"Did man and dinosaurs live together?"

"Yes," the students say...

The tours are not all fun and games, with the guides claiming that evolutionist thinking supports racism and abortion.

This happened on a recent atmospheric research center tour, when Carter told a dozen children and their parents abortion was an act of natural selection carried out by humans.

Other tours suggest Hitler was playing his version of survival of the fittest by favoring whites and note that museum dioramas of early humans have black "subhumans."

"My contention is evolution kills people," [founder Bill] Jack said in an interview. "It's not that evolutionists don't have morality, it's that evolution can offer no morality.

"Ideas have consequences. If you believe you came from slime there is no reason not to, if you can, get away with anything."

Media Orchard's belated entry in Phil's caption contest.

(Photo: Neville Hobson)

Technorati tags: Edelman, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

We stumbled upon this lovely portrait of our girlfriend, Evangeline Lilly, by artist Zindy S. D. Nielsen.

(Yes, the wife knows we have a girlfriend, and she's fine with it. Of course, the girlfriend doesn't know about it...)

Technorati tags: Evangeline Lilly

We've been irritated lately by Hollywood celebs who have fallen off the A-list (oops, there's that term again) and are now making fools of themselves to reclaim the spotlight. We're going to post a list of the "Five Most Attention-Starved Celebrities" next week and will offer them some PR advice. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail us.

Now to the picks:

Alex Bogusky is apparently not only advertising's "It Boy," but also a Communist longhair. He insulted President Bush in this video from some marketing conference, saying of his agency's iconic Burger King guy, "I wonder if one of the reasons he looks so creepy is because he looks like Bush."

Michelle Malkin, organize a boycott of Whoppers, please. (Except for the ones you tell, of course.)

Technorati tags: Advertising, PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Michelle Malkin, Alex Bogusky, Burger King

From the Duke University press release:

Durham, N.C. -- As Oscar season gets into full swing, new research indicates that what movie critics don't say about a film appears to matter as much as what they do say.

The research, conducted by marketing professor Wagner Kamakura of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, Suman Basuroy, assistant professor of marketing at Florida Atlantic University, and Peter Boatwright, associate professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, examines the meaning of silence by professional film critics.

It finds that many film critics, faced with far too many movies to write about, tend to avoid writing reviews of bad films that they've seen. At the same time, a few critics, faced with the same overwhelming choice, tend to avoid reviewing good movies that they've watched.

As a result, moviegoers might infer the likely opinions of their favorite reviewers, even when those critics don't actually write about a movie. The study will appear in the June 2006 issue of the journal Quantitative Marketing & Economics.

I've been out of the reviewing business for about four years now, so I was somewhat surprised to see my name included in this study. After reading the findings, I was more than surprised -- I was confused ... I guess critics should celebrate the fact that an esteemed university is even bothering to study their profession, but these findings barely rate one star.

Our friend Kirk, an investor relations guru and former colleague from PageNet days, doesn't think anyone actually reads Media Orchard.

Prove him wrong and learn a little about hedge funds by reading his post, "High-risk strategy for both sides." As Kirk puts it:

It's becoming a strange world, when utility company investors start acting like 1980s raiders, and public company management starts acting like members of the plaintiff's bar.

Now we know why our popularity has plummeted; we're too easily amused.

(Brian, cut that out!)

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing

Who says our popularity has plummeted? Media Orchard's last post is now on the front page of Technorati -- under a big honking picture of Steve Rubel with the headline, "What's New in Steve Rubel's Favorite Blogs."

We've decided to try this again with a better headline than "Media Orchard's Popularity Plummets." After all, we are in PR.

(Sorry Steve -- and sorry Dave Sifry -- we're just a natural smart aleck.)

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Steve Rubel

For some time now, we've been ranked third or fourth on PubSub's PR List (30-day ranking), behind Micro Persuasion, Naked Conversations and -- sometimes -- Josh Hallett.

Today, we checked out PubSub and we were ranked 189th! Or, according to that cruel red arrow, "down 186."

We'll assume it's a fluke. At least Technorati, Alexa, and The Truth Laid Bear still like us.

This is classic. The New York Times public relations staff complained to Gawker that it was not using the preferred headshot of Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. (top).

Note to NY Times PR: It's fine to correct Editor & Publisher on the updated headshot, but Gawker? Didn't they realize that they would just be made fun of?

Apparently not.

We can only assume the order came from the top. We've had many CEO bosses in our time -- and one thing they all cared about was the headshot.

The Amazing Orchardo is a new alter ego; he claims to be psychic.

(He wanted to start with an easy one.)

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Steve Francis

Remember how our television producer friend Brian Shields said of TV news, "It's the same stories, told in the same way and the only things different from one station to another are the blonde and the graphics package"?

Well, he's certainly right about the blonde part. Need proof? Here's an informative (and hilarious) slideshow on the topic, from Slate.

(Via an e-mail from Kirk)

Technorati tags: Journalism, Media, Television, Marketing

From Guerrilla News Network, here's a nice little video that presents a balanced view of the public relations business -- courtesy of PR Watch's John Stauber.

My favorite line:

"No one's ever heard of these major PR firms, like Burson-Marsteller, Edelman, Hill & Knowlton. These are giant companies owned by even bigger advertising firms no one's heard of."

Whaddya know? We yanked these right off our favorites list. (Oops -- we mentioned it again...)

Remember in high school when the kids actually worried about how many people -- and which people -- signed their yearbook?

We don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but Technorati has created a new feature that enables bloggers to aggregate their favorite blogs on a single page that can be shared. With all the silliness and hurt feelings that surround the issue of blogrolls, we're afraid Technorati Favorites will just lead to more of the same.

Nevertheless, we've started our list.

So there won't be any confusion, and to minimize hurt feelings, we'll be very blunt about who's on this list and why --

1. In the great majority of cases, we've added the blogs of people we've actually gotten to know over the past year. People whose blogs we read regularly, and people who regularly visit ours.

2. We won't be doing any "link exchanges." If you'd like, send us your URL and we'll check out your blog. If we like it, we'll keep an eye on it. If you like our blog, we encourage you to comment occasionally so we'll know you're out there.

3. If you find reading Media Orchard becomes a chore for you -- a box you need to check off as part of your "blog networking" efforts -- please stop. We promise you it's not worth it. Life is too short.

If you consider us one of your favorite blogs, click on the link below to add us to your own list.



OK? OK. Now, let's never mention this Technorati Favorites thing again.

(Via Micro Persuasion)

Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Public Relations, Blogs