Recently I attended the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. While Florida was graced with a cold front, making it enjoyable to walk around without suffocating from humidity, I encountered major network issues with my iPhone.

Not to beat a horse to death, but come on AT&T! Text messages were slow coming through, applications didn’t run smoothly, phone calls were choppy despite having several bars of service and opening web sites – forget about it!? So, not only did the mass amount of people at Epcot make it hard to keep a comfortable bubble of personal space, but they kept me from Tweeting!

CNET recently published an article, “Is the iPhone Hurting AT&T’s brand?” in which Rob Adler, vice president at Vantage, was quoted as saying, “AT&T can say that there is nothing wrong with their network all they want,” he continued. “But when someone is experiencing dropped calls and no access to the 3G network every day, they take it very personally. And it is very frustrating.”

Frustrating enough that after seeing the “iDon’t” ads from Verizon Wireless and reading this article from The New York Times though, I’m starting to wonder if people will sacrifice the Apple brand for Verizon/Google/Motorola Droid.

Just like the Mac vs. PC commercials, Droid’s ads continue to poke fun at Apple. While I wouldn’t give up my Mac at home, frankly, these AT&T network issues are quite a drag and joining Matt Marshall as a soon-to-be Droid user isn’t sounding too shabby! Consumers want reliability in any product they purchase. If you pay $200-$300 for an iPhone, plus the elaborate service plan each month, you want a network that works – and AT&T just isn’t cutting it these days.

It is no secret that I’m an avid University of Florida (UF) Gator fan and proud alumna. In fact, around this time of year (*cough* football season) some might call me borderline obsessive. So when I came across UF’s venture to create the first parking garage in the country to earn USGBC LEED Platinum credits – the most esteemed certification category – I immediately knew the topic of my next post.

In 2001, UF adopted plans to have all major building projects eligible for LEED certification and the parking facility is the school’s latest effort to improve its green rating, but this is no  ordinary parking garage. In fact, when one looks at the exterior of the building, one would never suspect it to hold parking spaces, feature office and retail space or changing rooms and showers. The facility expands its eco-friendly offering by providing more parking per square foot, alternative transportation options, wetland protection, low energy lighting and insulated windows. Additionally, the structure maintains HVAC systems, efficient storm water drainage, and a high impact-recycling program all while promoting a green education program to deliver the sustainable messaging.

UF’s green initiative does not stop there, however.  In 2007, the university joined the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment and began collaborating with a organization known as The Neutral Gator – setting the goal of being completely carbon neutral by 2025.  This year, UF has even made the commitment to become the first carbon neutral athletic program. Currently home to the first and only Platinum LEED-certified athletic facility in the nation, UF added two energy-efficient LED video boards at the north and south end zones at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – talk about creating a new, exciting green element to Tebow’s touchdowns!

By promoting sustainable practices, UF joins a vast number of other institutions around the nation that are striving to become eco-friendly. Other universities that hold LEED certification include: the University of Colorado at Bolder with all new buildings LEED Certified, Harvard University with 17 LEED-certified buildings and New York University with all new construction and renovations meeting Sliver LEED standards. You can find additional schools meeting green standards by checking out the Sierra Clubs Third Annual Cool Schools List found here, http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/allrankings.aspx#

Clearly, green is not only a trend but a call to action, forcing institutions that educate tomorrow’s leaders to take a long, in-depth look at its carbon footprint. UF is the latest university to make headlines with its high profile, sustainable project. And, being no stranger to cheering on the Gators, I am proud to say – way to go for the LEED.

While women have made some great strides in the tech world, there’s still a ways to go, as evidenced by Allyson Kapin’s Huffington Post article, “Giving Tech a Bad Name.” Some of the most amazingly gifted people in technology are women. Yet, women are underrepresented, making up only a small percentage of panelists at tech conferences and as go-to people for quotes.

Recently, Vantage Commubications CEO, Ilene Adler took part in a podcast interview with Suzanne Bowen of DIDXchange to explore this very topic about women and the tech industry. The two discussed how each got into working within the tech field and how it affected their lives. The conversation touched on how both women and men should support and encourage each other in order to surpass stereotypes. Also, how women should collaborate and encourage one another so more women can feel comfortable with entering such a dominantly male industry. The bottom line: to change the perception, people—women and men—need to take action and promote women in tech rather than wait for everyone else to change.

The Federal Communications Commission had begun work on a National Broadband Plan, which will benefit citizens and businesses. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act called upon the FCC to submit a national broadband plan to Congress by February 17, 2010 that discusses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability and the use of broadband in relation to education, energy, efficiency, and public safety.

Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission chairman explained at the recent opening broadband workshop that broadband “is to us what railroads, electricity, highways and telephones were to previous generations—a platform for commerce, for democratic engagement, and for helping address major national challenges.”

The plan is to reduce the Digital Divide and bring broadband to nearly 40 percent of Americans not yet served by broadband to the home. In some areas, this figure is as high as 60 percent. The National Broadband Plan will also create jobs, spur innovation and promote competition. 

Technology vendors and service providers have the opportunity to unite the country in this initiative; one which is easily understandable by citizens, the press and legislators and bring the benefits of technology to underserved and un-served areas.  Who knows? Perhaps broadband can be for the early 21st century what putting a man on the moon was in the 1960s—a point of patriotism and progress for the country.

It’s time for a fractured fairy tale: Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley, courtesy of the New York Times.  Once upon a time in a Sand Hill Road conference room, an entrepreneur, a VC and a PR consultant met to discuss the launch of Wordnik, a website about language and word usage. The PR person suggests a press tour of leading tech blogs (TechCrunch, GigaOm, etc.).  This suggestion is rejected by the VC as not a good match for a language website. Instead, they decide that they would have influential Silicon Valley entrepreneurs mention Wordnik in social media.  As so it came to be.  Digg founder, Kevin Rose, twittered that Wordnik was “truly amazing.”

From there, people started madly retweeting, which led to Wordnik becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Then, everyone in the Valley was abuzz about Wordnik. People will look back on these past few months as the “Summer of Wordnik.” And they all lived happily ever after.

Except that in the real world, the launch of Wordnik went virtually unnoticed.  As Michael Arrington reported in TechCrunch, Wordnik received a small blip in traffic and then quickly returned to its previous minuscule level. Since this is a fractured fairy tale, the frog doesn’t get turned into a prince.  But there are some lessons to be learned.

Hipsters vs. Word Nerds:  Before starting a launch plan, the first imperative is to determine “who is the target audience?” Then, look for the best way to reach them.  Here the target audience was …. Wordniks. The VC was correct that word nerds really don’t follow mainstream tech blogs.  But targeting hipsters using twitter is more about making a fashion statement than a viable launch plan for a language website.  

Something Old, Something New:  Much of the debate generated by the Times article is about whether social media is replacing PR. This is based on a false premise. The rise of new technologies doesn’t mean that the old technologies are banished to a virtual thrift shop. The new supplements the established. The old technology adapts to fit in with the new. At the time of the original Fractured Fairy Tales, PR people mailed press releases to the local newspapers. Today, the number of communication tools and influencers has increased exponentially. But press releases now incorporate SEO and still remain in the mix.

PR and Social Media, Better Together: Combining PR and social media into an integrated strategy can deliver great results. PR provides an efficient way to quickly gain traction with the targeted influencers and audience. Social media builds connections with these folks.  By social media, I mean participating in conversations on Twitter and Facebook, joining the blogosphere by writing and commenting on blogs rather than having Internet celebrities tweet on your behalf. You could argue it would be better to just use social media to gradually grow an audience (especially with a niche product).  But these days, VCs and board members want to see immediate results, as evidenced by Wordnik’s VC participating in the PR discussion. Though prior to launching a PR campaign, it is important that the product is ready for the attention (see: PR for Tech Start Ups – Are you ready for your close up?).

The Happy Ending: Completion of a product launch should be the first of many interactions with customers, partners, and influencers. There are many opportunities to build, even on a less than successful launch. After all, it’s more important where you end, than how you start. And this is where this post happily ends.

Given the short week, Vantage Points is taking the week off as far as new posts are concerned. Stealing a page (and a title) from our friends in the TV and radio businesses, we are digging into the archives for some of our favorite undiscovered  posts:

Rebuilding the way we look at Green Building: Most people assume green building is expensive. An interesting post about a recent study published by Good Energies, a global energy efficiency and renewable energy investment company, shows some surprising conclusions about green building costs…

Millionaire Cat – Marketing Promotion Hits the Litter Box: Channel surfing last night, I came across Meow Mix Think Like a Cat Game Showwhich purported to be the first game show in which “catestants” (I did not make that one up) and their owners compete as a team for $1 million….

A Global PR Perspective: Differences in China and the United States: High tech companies are eager to enter the Chinese market for its endless opportunities, and successful PR will help them to engage the local markets….

It begins with energy…: Green building in particular is thriving in America right now.  Michael Kanellos of Greentech Media said it best yesterday, “For green building companies, the good times have just begun.”…. 

We hope you enjoy these posts and will be back with fresh ones next week. Have a great holiday weekend and stay cool!

The first U.S. Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, as a day to inspire awareness and appreciation for our Earth. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, and today, 39 years later, I think we can all agree that Senator Nelson would be proud of what Earth Day has become.

There are some that scoff at the idea, claiming Americans stop wasting for one day a year, and then return to our consumer-driven lives. But I think our country has finally taken notice of the destruction we’ve caused, and this Earth Day, things are different. In the past, Earth Day has come and there was almost no mention – this year, it’s all over my Twitter feed, I’m reading about things I can buy and get tax credits for and I’m thinking about what food to buy before I just throw it in my basket

So join in the festivities today, and every day. And let me be one of many people who wishes you “Happy Earth Day” today. 
 

Update: Thanks to everyone who participated and viewed our speaker panel discussing “Sustainable Innovation in a Recession” via our Live Stream and at our San Francisco Earth Day event on April 16, 2009 .  We will be posting videos of the panel discussion here on Vantage Points. So please bookmark and check back.

More details can be found here: Celebrating Earth Day – Vantage Style

Live streaming video by Ustream

Nine months and two Facebook redesigns ago, Jennifer Kutz wrote a post about the Wisdom of the Crowd Goes to a Trade Show. She discussed the trend of trade shows opening the show agenda selection process to their audience.  She mentioned one proposed panel in particular: Privacy and Personalization – Oxymoron or the Perfect Match?, for the SXSW Interactive show in Austin, and invited people to vote for that panel.

As SXSWi just completed, I thought it would be fun to fill you in on how things turned out. Our efforts to get the word out about the panel was successful. Privacy and Personalization – Oxymoron or the Perfect Match? received enough support that it was selected. The Guardian featured the panel in an article: @SWSXi: The impossible balance between privacy and personalisation?, and called the topic: “one of SXSWi’s core conversations.” The picture on the top left of this post is from the panel courtesy of the Guardian.

The experience also gave us an insight into the power of blogs and social media to create conversation about key issues.  We used Facebook and Twitter to point people to Vantage Points to get the word out. Rather than asking or pitching people to vote for our client, all we did was to discuss the topic and offer people a link to vote. This was a departure from the traditional PR model. But we believed facilitating conversation was more appropriate for topic and the SXSWi show audience.

The wisdom of the crowd approach has extended to voting for awards. This year, CTIA is allowing people to vote for its Emerging Technology Awards and Best of Show.  One of  our clients, Ditech Networks is nominated for its cool mStage platform which allows people to use their voice to access web applications in the middle of a mobile phone call.  You can read more about it in Technology Review. If you would like to vote for mStage for Best of Show, follow this link and choose mStage (third from left on the third line) as one of your favorites.  Feel free to check out and vote some of the other great nominated products too. It is good to part of the crowd that leads.

Update: Tweet Up location: The Las Vegas Hilton, the Pool Area on the Third Floor. The Hilton is connected to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Attention all folks attending CTIA in Las Vegas. Our friends at Qik will be hosting a Tweet Up on Wednesday,  April 1, at 7-10 pm.  This is a great opportunity to connect with people interested in the intersection of social media and the mobile industry. This also is a great opportunity to build on the success of the Tweet Up at Mobile World Congress.

The location is still being determined. You can sign up and get more information at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=69119667494. If you are not on Facebook, feel free to post in the comments section if you are interested in attending. I will pass the information to the folks at Qik.We will post updates here on Vantage Points and on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Check for hash tag #CTIA on Twitter.  For more information about networking events at CTIA, check out the awesome list from:

Mobileslate: http://www.mobileslate.com/blog/2009-ctia-spring-networking-events/

Look forward to meeting you there.