ROUND-UP: THE REVOLUTION IN MICRO MEDIA (continued)
We've added the following to items posted previously at http://www.profnet.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicID=2899
**1. FERN REISS, CEO of EXPERTIZING.COM, a branding and positioning company: "Blogs, RSS feeds, wikis, and other micro media are the Priuses of marketing and the new frontiers of business. As with all new frontiers and marketing innovations, some will fail, while others succeed beyond our wildest imaginings. But the basic tenets of marketing will hold true regardless of the cauldron into which they are brewed: The rules of branding, positioning and communication will be maintained regardless of their physical manifestations. Micro media innovations, such as blogs, wikis and RSS, are cosmetic surgery; they're not going to change the essence of the message within, but they may change how we interact with and react to those messages."
**2. TED DEMOPOULOS, principal of DEMOPOULOS ASSOCIATES, a consulting and training company specializing in information security and enterprise software technologies: "Blogs are quickly evolving from quirky and droll Internet diaries to the next wave in the information revolution. They are a cutting- edge information dissemination technique that is quickly becoming mainstream and the next 'Big Thing' in customer communications, including marketing and PR. Many companies are incorporating blogs into their Web sites or encouraging their employees to blog. For example, Microsoft has hundreds of bloggers; Stoneyfield Yogurt has four blogs; and Boeing's vice president of marketing is blogging. Blogs are rapidly proving themselves as significant business tools."
**3. KIM GARRETSON, founder of EMERGING MEDIA AUDIENCES: THE CULTURE OF CONNECTEDNESS, which examines where time- and mind-share for media content is heading: "How will the media industry remain viable when the audience is increasingly spending its time sharing and creating micro-content within technology-enabled social networks versus reading/viewing advertising- supported media content?" Garretson's blog works with various journalism schools and corporate sponsors on media audience behavior research. It also runs its own experiments in new types of micro-content and meme publishing and distribution.
_____LEADS
**1. BUSINESS: HISTORY CAN IDENTIFY FUTURE BUSINESS SUCCESS. RODNEY J. ROGERS, CEO of ADJOINED CONSULTING, a full-service management consulting and technology integration firm, can discuss how companies in all industries can anticipate demand by analyzing historic information and then tracking real- time results by integrating projects with back-office accounts payable, receivables, and invoices: "New business intelligence and predictive analytics strategies are providing businesses something they've never had in the past -- clear indicators of what the future will bring."
**2. BUSINESS: MEDCO-ACCREDO MERGER. ADAM J. FEIN, PH.D., president of PEMBROKE CONSULTING, which helps senior executives at wholesale distribution, manufacturing, and B2B technology companies build and sustain market leadership: "Medco Health Solutions Inc.'s proposed acquisition of Accredo Health Inc., reflects the PBM industry's ongoing battle for control over the retail pharmacy dollar. Unlike other companies in the specialty market, Accredo is a pure-play specialty pharmacy with no wholesale operations. Accredo provides Medco with higher margins and faster growth than the core PBM business, and brings Accredo's strong relationships with manufacturers, providers and patients. Medco can now offer one-stop shopping to payers, positioning Medco against specialty pharmacies operated by other PBMs and by chains, such as CVS.
**3. FINANCE: CREDIT-UNION TAX EXEMPTION. PAUL MERSKI, chief economist of the INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY BANKERS OF AMERICA and director of federal tax policy, is available to talk about credit-union tax exemption: "Credit unions have morphed into financial giants well beyond their original tax-exempt mission. The new Tax Foundation study is just the latest in a mounting pile of evidence that credit unions are not serving people of modest income, and the $31.3 billion tax exemption is nothing more than a source of growth capital for most credit unions." Merski has also served as the chief economist for the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress and as tax policy advisor to Sen. Connie Mack.
**4. PERSONAL FINANCE: UNDERSTAND AND IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT REPORT. MICHAEL MCAULIFFE, financial expert and president of FAMILY CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICE, Illinois' largest credit counseling organization: "Beginning March 1, consumers in 12 Midwest states can receive their own credit report for free. Many may not understand what the report means, how to address discrepancies or exactly how their credit score can affect their future. Credit scores can impact a person's insurance rates and their ability to receive loans. Some employers even consider credit scores when hiring. It is important for consumers to understand their credit reports and do everything possible to improve their scores."
**5. TECHNOLOGY: BACK UP TO GO FORWARD. DAVID DULANY, a doctor of business administration student concentrating in information technology at ARGOSY UNIVERSITY/SCHAUMBURG, can discuss the reasons why computer owners should back up their data, and he can provide easy-to-follow tips for the weary and the wired: "The good news is that today it is easier and cheaper than ever to make reliable backups of your data. The bad news is that the consequences of not backing up can range from inconvenience and frustration to loss of business and real dollar costs. It is far more efficient and cost effective to back up just the data files created with that software."
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