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The October episode of “The Hobson and Holtz Report” features Shel and Neville discussing these topics:

• PG&E’s power outages featured poorly planned communication
• Iraqis are translating the internet into Arabic
• The limits of storytelling for marketing
• What the judges thought when an AI-authored essay was submitted to a competition
• Imposters are becoming a real problem in the influencer marketing world
• Twenty percent of workers accepted a job offer, then ghosted the employer on their first day
• Sadness and disgust may be emotions you want to incorporate into your marketing
• Dan York reports on new podcasting features Amazon has added to its Alexa ecosystem, cool new features in WordPress 5.3, and the availability of your online services in a PG&E-like power shutdown

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.

The next episode of For Immediate Release will be posted on Monday, November 18.

Links from This Week’s Episode

• Spread the word: the Iraqis translating the internet into Arabic
• Stories Can Be Powerful Persuasive Tools. But It’s Important to Understand When They Can Backfire.
• The Economist’s essay contest featured an AI submission. Here’s what the judges thought.
• Brands Beware: Influencer Impostors Want Your Free Stuff
• Virtual ambassadors cloud already murky legal picture for influencer marketing
• 1 in 5 workers accepted a job offer and ‘ghosted’ on their first day — here’s why
• Sadness and disgust among emotions that drive brand value, says biometric study

Links from Dan York’s Report

• • Everything Amazon announced at its Alexa event
  • WordPress 5.3 Development Cycle
  • What’s Coming in WordPress 5.3 (Features and Screenshots)

• How Are Paywalled News Outlets Preparing to Serve Residents in California’s Mega-Power Shutoffs?

About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, ABC (Accredited Business Communicator), is director of Internal Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio

About Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson is a communicator, social strategist, consultant, digital change agent, writer, and podcaster. He is co-founder and co-host of the 'For Immediate Release' podcast. Since 2000, his career has focused on working with organisations globally to help them leverage his experiences, knowledge and subject-matter expertise of social networks, social media marketing, analytics and insights reporting, to create and build foundations for authentic engagement and to expand online reach and influence. Full bio