The Copywriter Underground

A new NPR podcast covers a topic of interest to at least some of the Underground’s readers – the rising risk of lawsuits aimed at silencing bloggers.

The podcast player should appear below; if not, simply click here and play it via NPR’s page.

One of my ongoing engagement marketing projects is an advocacy site aimed directly at a major multinational corporation – one with a distressing tendency towards intimidation lawsuits.

My background in journalism and prior study of media law means I’m confident I’m not breaking any laws, but that’s small comfort when a multinational’ legal team comes after you simply to shut you up.

There’s even mention of a free, one-hour long media law course for bloggers (developed in conjunction with Poynter), but I couldn’t find a link. Maybe tomorrow.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

As a writing techno-geek of the worst kind, I admit to a fascination with the tools we use to write.

That’s why I’ve added an interesting new writing blog to my RSS Reader: The Writer’s Technology Companion.

Articles about PayPal, podcasts, interesting new word processors and other technology mingle with industry information and plenty of "How to" headlines.

I added it to my RSS reader, and now I’m on with my day.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

Cat at the cool new BoDo blog (Business of Design Online) is running a series of posts aimed at making it easier for designers (and clients) to work with writers.

The result of online interviews with a group of writers (including yours truly), the series includes thoughtful little gems like Choosing a Writer, the Writer’s Process, How Writers Charge and even Problem Areas.

You can see the whole list of working with writer’s posts here.

Though the posts are aimed at designers, there’s plenty here for clients, agencies and other writers. (Yes, BoDo occupies a slot on my just-reduced-to-a-manageable-level set of RSS feeds.)

[tags]bodo, working with writers, writer, writing, design, designer[/tags]

David Airey’s design blog delves in the SONY Playstation 3 mess, and showcases a devastating anti-PS3 YouTube video that’s been viewed better than a half-million times.

First, Sony released an ultra-expensive gaming product (PS3) that actually inhibited online play (social networking).

Ouch.

Then they got caught running the Sony Flog (a fake fan blog), which not only deceived readers, but managed to insult their intelligence too.

Ouch.

(Click to see a typical reaction from the gaming blogosphere.)

Ouch.

Now watch what your former fans can do to you via Web 2.0′s social networking tools:

[youtube]R98qC0fd_1w&eurl[/youtube]

Ouch. Or, Holy Crap.

(FYI: as I write this, viewership for this exceptional video was closing in on 600,000 and climbing fast.)

This is every brand marketer’s nightmare–a seriously-flawed-yet-high-profile product and a series of marketing stumbles, including deception.

Sony: Welcome to Web 2.0. Enjoy the buzz(saw).

[tags]sony, ps3, flog, david Airey, web 2.0, engagement[/tags]