In which your news-loving observer highlights what caught his attention this week.
Outrage: the online bloodsport
David Gordon and Paul Lawton of Cohn & Wolfe Toronto, a PR firm, wrote a Marketing Magazine article highlighting the need to analyze patterns of outrage to manage a crisis. This outrage ignites online and is fueled by friction points that can be pre-empted if you implement the authors’ three-step plan. More importantly, they emphasize that if you pay attention to the people and groups around you and you’re smart, you can avoid problems. “The most effective crisis management strategy becomes learning the outrage mechanism, staying on top of cultural trends and avoiding public outrage altogether by understanding audiences in order to get a sense of friction points.”
How outrage culture changes rules for crisis management
Triumph over bullying and bad behaviour
The Hugo Awards are science fiction’s equivalent to the Oscars. According to a Chicago Tribune article by Gary K. Wolfe, a professor at Roosevelt University, ” this year’s Hugo Awards highlighted an ugly schism reflective of today’s culture wars.” As I understand it, a group of conservative, white sci-fi writers tried to rig the voting to the disadvantage of the more culturally diverse writers. The open-minded writers, which include George R. R. Martin, won.
Hugo Awards: Rabid Puppies defeat reflects growing diversity in science fiction
Write better. Use apps
On Medium, Bianca Bass listed five apps that can improve your writing. I installed Grammarly on my Google Chrome toolbar and so far so good. It highlights areas of improvement, which mostly confirm what I already know; which the insecure writer in me likes.
Campbell Communications 