Media Bullseye

A huge percentage of the blogs in my feed reader were buzzing about the story of Gina Trapani of Lifehacker choosing to publish a wiki of PR pros who have sent bad pitches to her personal email address. So, today's jots are dedicated to some of the reactions to this latest bloggers vs. flacks kerfuffle.

Finding success in social media often involves a confusing or intangible array of attributes, as well as (sometimes) plenty of luck--but Larissa Fair reminds us of one of the most important ways to get what you need from this space: be yourself. Also: Twitter for Disney enthusiasts and the work-life balance.

Tomorrow's presidents and congressional leaders are today's governors and state legislators. What is going on at the state level towards embracing new media venues, increasing governmental transparency and encouraging constituent advocacy?

Online shoe retailer Zappos and CEO Tony Hsieh have developed a dedicated following online, particularly on popular microblogging platform Twitter. Soren Jacobsen delves into the company's culture, ideas on transparency, and customer service to discover how they became an online force to be reckoned with.

Is there no such thing as a "bad" viral? As long as people are talking about your video and your brand, should you not concern yourself if the talk is somewhat negative? Nike doesn't think so, following its new Kobe Bryant YouTube offering. Also: Panic in the Twitterverse, and social Earth Day.

Comcast made some major waves this week, responding to a customer service complaint in record time. Even more notable? The complaint originated on Twitter. The cable giant is actively scanning Twitter and other social media communities for customer service issues--why isn't everyone?

As Cisco made news with its blogging policy for employees recently, Gerald Baron points out that the litigious nature of American culture may lead to employers keeping blogging workers on a tighter leash. Also: A a virtual book tour, and tips for young PR professionals.

Facebook recently upgraded its security features with much fanfare and some excellent reviews from bloggers. Naturally, they almost immediately experienced a security glitch caused by a hacker. But anyone who thinks that what they put online is 100% secure may be a bit naive, at least according to Sarah Wurrey.

A flaw in Facebook's image sharing feature briefly exposed private user photos and created tremors in the blogosphere. The flaw was reportedly discovered by a Canadian technician who was not convinced by last week's announcement that Facebook had significantly increased the power of its privacy tools.

Trust communities have evolved into consumer-generated media, which is now what many believe to be the backbone of the Internet. You Tube, Facebook, MySpace and 130 million blogs have demonstrated that as communicators, aren't really in charge any more. And yet, governments are still attempting to control the message.