Mediaboss Marketing

Xtian Censorship

By: nami 2000

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Xtian Censorship - Video

A week ago I wrote about my feelings of ennui towards the iPhone 6, asserting that there was just nothing to get excited about. Some people agreed, but many didn't -- it was to be expected really. What was particularly interesting was not just the discussion that started here in the comments on BetaNews but also that the article spread further afield. It was picked up by Macworld whose resident columnist The Macalope, er, disagreed with what I had to say. You'll notice that I've provided a link to the Macworld article which, despite quoting 46 percent of my post, The Macalope failed to do initially.

If you take the time to read the Macworld article you'd be forgiven for thinking that I was hurt at having my work pulled apart. Not a bit of it. No, I'm not concerned about being criticized. I've been writing for approaching 15 years now, and I know I'm going to piss people off from time to time. That's not to say that this is necessarily my intention -- in addition to news, I like to share my opinion and there will, of course, be some collateral damage that follows. Despite The Macalope's suggestions to the contrary, this was not designed to be a "link-baity" piece. Like Joe Wilcox, I've written about the importance of writing for the reader rather than writing for Google, and this is an ideology I firmly subscribe to.

But I'll return to this.

My concern with the article from Macworld was not the criticism it levelled at me, nor the vitriol that emerged in the comments -- I'll happily take all that on the chin. What irritated me was the sheer quantity of my work that was quoted. In all, nearly half of my original article was used by The Macalope in his rigorous dissection of my thoughts. It was nice to have been noticed -- even though it wasn't in the best of circumstances -- but it was more than a little irritating to find that Macworld was benefitting from my work without having linked back to my post.

The Macalope justified this by suggesting that my article was nothing more than link-bait and he therefore refused to bite. The point is, it wasn't a link-bait article. At least no more than any other articles on any website are. Anyone who writes anything which is subsequently posted online wants it to be read -- after all whats the point of writing it otherwise? As such headlines and titles have to be devised to both attract the eye and convey a sense of what the article is about. It's how people decide if they want to read it or not.

I would have been completely in the dark about the Macworld post had someone not tracked me down via Twitter to ask me about it. Alerted to the existence of the article (by someone who didn't appreciate my reference to "those sucking on Apples teat"), and the lack of proper citation, I was a little upset. As I said, I was not in the slightest concerned that The Macalope or the readers of the column hated what I had written, or that I was being ridiculed; as an online writer, it's something I open myself up to. But it did seem, well, rude, not to have the decency to link back to the source that served as the inspiration for an article. So I tweeted:

Replies from other Twitter users informed me that this is just what I should expect from The Macalope. If he deemed an article to be link-bait, he would not link back. I commented on the article and added a link of my own. This was quickly censored, leading me to complain further on Twitter -- with slightly choice language:

This got me thinking about fair usage. When reviewing or critiquing another piece of work, it is acceptable to quote a certain percentage of it without having to ask for permission. The percentages and numbers of words differ depending on whether you're talking about a book, a paper or an article, but 46 percent of anything is too much. Interestingly, The Macalope agreed:

A proposal was made. Would I prefer that references to my article be trimmed back, or would I like a link to be added?

A friend of mine had previously suggested issuing a DMCA takedown notice, but this seemed excessive to me. You may have noticed from my previous writing that I am opposed to censorship --the idea of censoring someone is abhorrent to me. I dont want to stop The Macalope, or anyone else, from disagreeing with me, from criticizing me, from belittling my work. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

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I'm anti-censorship! I won't try to silence those who criticize me

Interviewee: Philip Seib, Professor of Journalism, Public Diplomacy, and International Relations, USC Interviewer: Jonathan Masters, Deputy Editor September 2, 2014

The critical foreign coverage of unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, is the latest instance reflecting perceptions abroad of American hypocrisy, says Philip Seib, an expert on media and foreign policy. "The United States preaches about transparency in government and about human rights around the world," Seib says, "and then trips up on [National Security Agency] snooping and out-of-control policing in Ferguson." He says that while the negative imagery from events like Ferguson is difficult to counteract, U.S. public diplomats can do a better job of promoting foreign policy successes like humanitarian relief.

How much of an effect do the events in Ferguson have on foreign publics' perception of the U.S?

The events in Ferguson have negatively and significantly affected global perceptions of the United States. Part of this is due to the predictably hostile tone of news coverage from Russia, Iran, and the like, but the undistorted truth, as seen in the photographs and video emerging from Ferguson, tells a story that contradicts official U.S. messaging about championing human rights. When a half-dozen police officers in full military gear confront one apparently unarmed African-American with his hands raised, the image of that has its own power; no propagandistic adornment is necessary. Damage is done.

Much of the critical coverage is coming from U.S. alliesthe UK, Germany, Canadais this a symptom of deeper discontent with Washington?

From allies and others, much of the criticism reflects discontent with what is perceived as American hypocrisy. The United States preaches about transparency in government and about human rights around the world, and then trips up on [National Security Agency] snooping and out-of-control policing in Ferguson. There is a bit of schadenfreude as a result.

In general, how do you feel the U.S. brand is faring abroad these days?

I don't like using "brand" in referring to nations because it trivializes foreign policy; a nation is not a soft drink. But the United States suffers from a perceived lack of resoluteness. When the [Bashar al-] Assad regime in Syria crossed the "red line" President Obama had drawn [with a heightened threat of punishment for use of chemical weapons], and then the United States did nothing, American credibility suffered considerable damage.

How do negative events like Ferguson balance against positive ones like U.S. humanitarian relief after the Fukushima disaster or Haiti's earthquake?

The exceptional assistance that the United States has provided in the aftermath of numerous humanitarian disasters should be a more central ingredient in U.S. public diplomacy messages about what this country stands for. Granted, self-praise may seem inappropriate when many thousands of casualties have occurred and when many more thousands are living in misery, but reality must trump modesty. Too many people have only a vague concept of what America is, and fixing that requires a certain amount of self-serving communication.

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Countering the U.S. Image Problem

MediaPA, announces today its new Chicago based client GM Scientific

Leading Hamilton Social Media and Public Relations Company MediaPA has clinched a significant global online marketing deal to provide its unique marketing and PR services to a multi- million dollar United States business.

It was confirmed last week that MediaPA will provide one of GM Scientifics leading products SureStop with proven social media strategies and implementation combined with PR.

MediaPA specialise in producing highly professional customised content which is search engine optimised for publication on social media platforms and websites. MediaPA gives businesses of all sizes a complete solution to branding and online marketing in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and across the globe. With content marketing becoming increasingly important for any business with a website or online presence, MediaPA are poised to take on more international clients as traditional borders and barriers are removed through rapidly evolving digital and technological advances.

Chicago-based GM Scientific is a major distributor of health care consumables, providing a range of products to six principal markets (medical/surgical, dental, first aid, sports medicine, military, EMS/Trauma and animal health). In particular GM Scientific has an exclusive arrangement for the promotion and distribution of the renowned SureStop range of products which are distributed worldwide.

The SureStop product range includes sterile hemostatic dressings for a variety of applications, Island Dressings, Scar Care products and more. SureStop helps control bleeding from open wounds, including mouth, ears, nose and throat. SureStop hemostatic dressings are easy to use and remove, they contain no chemical additives, are hypoallergenic and completely safe as they are derived from plant based cellulose material. With its faster time to hemostasis, bacteriostatic benefits and competitive price, SureStop offers real value for money for customers.

MediaPA is highly experienced in the field of PR & Communications. MediaPA have a highly specialised and professional team in this area with many years of involvement with all streams of media.

Founder of MediaPA, Phillip Quay has worked for a number of New Zealands leading media outlets such as TVNZ, Sunday Star-Times, Waikato Times and the National Business Review.

We are delighted to have GM Scientific on board as one of our international clients. This really demonstrates to us that our social media, PR and SEO services are now being sought around the globe to promote products which is exciting, said Mr Quay. This is a major coup for any New Zealand business and shows that our digital media expertise is recognised at a global level.

Content marketing strategies, coupled with strong PR and tactical campaigns are very effective for building a companys profile and brand and really have an impact on social engagement, said Mr Quay

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MediaPA, announces new Chicago based client GM Scientific

Government control over increasingly market-driven Chinese media is said to be decreasing

Participants during a session of the 'China-ASEAN Workshop on News Website Development and Cooperation' in Beijing, China, 1 September 2014. Chay Hofilea/Rappler

BEIJING, China Perceived as a regional bully by smaller countries with whom it has maritime or territorial disputes, China is engaging in what it calls "E-public diplomacy."

It is building relations with media from member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), inviting online journalists for the very first time to its "China-ASEAN Workshop on News Website Development and Cooperation."

In the past, China invited only traditional media for its programs, according to Zhu Xiaozhong, deputy director of the E-Public diplomacy division of the Chinese foreign ministry's information department.

About 20 journalists and media executives and two officers of the ASEAN Secretariat have been invited to participate in the media program in China from August 30 to September 6.

On Monday, September 1, they met with Chinese journalists and academics for a discussion on challenges in operating a news website and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the field of "E-public diplomacy."

Balancing interests

Pan Jian, deputy chief editor of People.cn, the first Chinese news website to go public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, said that while they still need to do a lot to "bridge the gap with the people," they also have to think about returns to their investors by "developing new forms of media" and "setting up media groups that enjoy considerable influence."

The day after People.cn enlisted in the stock exchange, its stock price rose to 106%, about twice the stock price of the New York Times, Pan said.

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China sees growing clout of new media