:)

@Robert. Thankyou :) but I think it's a bit of a long flight from Amsterdam :) @Christopher. Yes, that openness has helped them create something quite special!

Many thanks Jamal. Maybe I should have called the post how to steal artfully ;)

Good post! I'm with medieval dresses on this one. Very simply, if the business design/strategy cannot be tied to an appropriate strategic management model, it basically is not a good strategy. So complexity or even size, is a rather moot point. It's the ability to manage strategy - to tie tactics to strategy - that is the killer for any business. I've seen complex business models managed well, and simple ones managed badly, so for me the jury is out on this one.

You are welcome Joe. Thanks for the comment back. You are spot on about credibility and getting into the heads of clients. I have an upcoming post on user personas that will hopefully set this out a little more clearly. Meanwhile, thanks again! Steve

Hey Kaan, It's a pleasure! Thanks for passing it on. I will mail you some tasty stuff that you, as a fully fledged social media pro might like too ;) And I suspect that maybe an interview here on this bloggy blog with you might be a nice way of helping others get up to speed - see exactly how your role has changed since this social thing. Are you up for it? I promise to treat you nicely :) Best Steve

You are most welcome Brenda. Thanks for passing it on! Best, Steve

Hi DebCE, I think we all need as many ways of getting buy-in as we can, eh? Glad you found it useful, I'm always on the lookout, and will post some more soon as I find them. Ciao for now Steve

Hi Brandon, he's good, eh? My best buddy, a marketing manager in London, met him at his Dow Jones presentation. Said he did the same to that audience too :) V wise re the ties :) Thanks for the comments. Steve

You are most welcome, David! It's great and 'sticky' ways of communicating like your presentation intro that really help make a difference. Many thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck with the gigs! Steve

Hey Danny, Spooky indeed! Finding Nemo is a classic :) Making it happen...there's a challenge :)

Hi Valeria, I agree. I think this a really important post. And shows a trend in social media that I really don't like. I guess it is inevitable, but online etiquette is a self regulating thing. The only thing we can do is not respond with the same. I have noticed a couple of trends recently. First that there is more and more of these 'rude', 'inflammatory' or attention grabbing remarks from commenters. But even more worryingly (if that's a word) I have noticed seriously defensive/aggressive postures emerging from a few self proclaimed social media and public relations 'experts' who feel the need to respond to every negative comment, or view that opposes theirs. I have encountered it personally. But it only adds fuel to the fire. Just a nod to the way you have dealt with this: by pointing out those who inspire you. Love your approach. Steve Seager

Hi Shel, I'm a subscriber to your blog. Interesting post. It's most unlike me to defend the Catholic church but the AOW actually made some insightful and valid comments. Did you read them? What was it that he actually said you disagreed with? I'm ranting on a little because I haven't yet seen him represented fairly by any social media 'author' yet. The Telegraph hacks did their usual nonsense. Mashable actually apologised for their misleading headline. As a huge social media advocate and heavy user with my own online pr company I think he is absolutely right. Just like mass media, there are impacts on how we build relationships in the real world. And we have to find balance. That's all he says. Do you genuinely disagree with this? What about the point he makes about the 'commodity' of friendship? Any single social media 'expert' can tell you quantity doesn't count. It's quality. That goes for business and personal. He is addressing the exact same issue we are social media advocates do. I thought we were communicators. Just people. If we deny that he has a good and valid point in the things he said, we aren't. We're just techie geeks doing our thing online. Are we actually social? Steve

No improvements that I value. Core issues on stats, subscriptions not addressed. Formatting text in a post is still dodgy. (Which is unbelievable!) and the navigation is LESS intuitive!? New paint old problems.

No significant changes. Juts made it less intuitive to use. Unfortunately :(

@Tom Thanks for your comments back. It's a nice post. Made me think! RHCP & CP, both came in with some ideas but then wrote, rewrote, arranged, produced and finally recorded the songs in the studio. The studio isn't just a place to record, but also an instrument in itself. Maybe it's because musicians are so 'creative' that it takes discipline to get the best out of them. Same goes for authors. Every author I know uses a really strict framework for writing. Here's a thought: I used to work in the Middle East. There, the hours are often much more flexible. (Heat, travel etc). I was free to work anytime from 6AM to 11PM. The senior managers would be in at 6AM typically. And finish their day with a late lunch. The more creative types (pr, AV production, writers, producers, and so on) would join them for the lunch then go to work until late. Sometimes all through the night. Don't know if this says anything? I don't know if we were any more creative. But we did work longer hours :) That made the 6AM guys happy :)

Really interesting thought. I do most of my best creative thinking outside of 9-5. But 9-5 gives me the framework to work with the rest of my team. If you are a business, you simply cannot afford to have everyone on their own timeline. Your biggest asset is the collective power of your team. So essentially, I disagree with your thought. I believe that 9-5 (or 930 to 530, or so on) is essential to build teamwork. But also creativity. As for creativity and thought generation, there's a million other ways you can give people freedom: sabbaticals, awaydays, coaching, incentives, and so on. Also, every great writer has a routine based roughly around 9-5. Structure gives you creativity, not 'freedom'. Great music producers also kick bands' collective asses to get in the studio for 9AM. (Eno + Coldplay. Rubin + Chilli Peppers) End result? Best work they've done to date. For me, the jury is out. Great head food. I'll probably have a breakthrough thought at 4AM :)

Great informative comments and some interesting issues raised. Where were the PR people? A quick thought: "Both CEOs decided to handle the news-breaking themselves with the tools at hand - and distribute the information directly to their audiences." Hm. Did Hsieh or Bezos actually say this? Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't find any reference to them saying they alone were responsible for the choice. CEOs may lead an organisation but Hsieh and Bezos both have sizeable pr departments and senior counsel. Do we really think they operated in total isolation? Unilateral decisions? Interesting as this discussion is, I would love to read more posts on what is right in the industry to help drive it forward rather than these issues highlighting cracks. I've tried, but there's not many around. Is it because it's easier to talk about what's wrong rather than what's right? Maybe we are guilty of too much negative spin on our own industry?

Amazing. Yet another baptism of fire. And all it takes is a little listening. Seems like such a tough lesson. Blogged on it too http://tiny.cc/woZci

I agree pretty much with everything here. My first visit your blog David. I'm a definite follower now :) Beth's post is deliberately provocative to help drive discussion. In her terms it's authentic because she wrote it. But does that mean we trust her? In online public relations as I see it, trust is the key, not authenticity. It doesn't matter who writes the words, it's the trust it engenders that creates real authenticity. Steve Seager http://steveseager.typepad.com

Sorry to disappoint Tom, I pretty much agree with your post! Lots of great stuff here and I'm finding it hard to disagree. My business colleague blogs briefly on the same topic http://tiny.cc/43IQp and notes advertising is based on pulling a new rabbit out of the hat each and every time. The rabbit being a new concept. Fine in it's place - great concepts may generate talk, but no matter which way you cut it, that's still not a conversation, or commerce. I reckon the biggest challenge facing ad agencies is the 'rewiring' you mention. How do ad creatives focused for decades on coming up with 'big ideas' switch to thinking like a consumer? That's like asking a pr to forget about being an editorial gatekeeper and focus on building real relationships with consumers and stakeholders. Oh, wait a minute, that's actually what public relations is :) Steve Seager