Matrix Group International

Tag: Blogging

  • Thank Goodness for Citizen Journalists During Hurricane Ike

    Thank Goodness for Citizen Journalists During Hurricane Ike

    When my in-laws were told to evacuate their home in Houston last week, they were lucky; they managed to book a flight out to our home in VA before the two Houston airports closed down.  We spent Saturday and Sunday watching the news and hoping their friends and home were safe.  The most frustrating part about watching the news was the lack of local news — news about the neighborhoods, the houses, the schools, the people. Thank goodness for the citizen journalists of Houston.

    While CNN, MSNBC, and all the networks showed the same footage of the Hilton’s wall falling off, and the Houston highway that was six feet under water, my in-laws wanted to know how their Clear Lake neighborhood was doing.  Did everyone evacuate?  Is everyone okay?  Did the bayou flood?  How much tree damage was there?  Does the neighborhood have power?

    Slowly, and then more rapidly, especially by Monday afternoon, we got lots of information from the citizen journalists of Houston.

    Here is a YouTube video of a couple driving down the highway looking for their boat.  This road is close to where my in-laws live. (more…)

  • Does Your CEO Need a Blog?

    Does Your CEO Need a Blog?

    Blog SignSeveral times a week, clients and colleagues ask me if they or their boss should be blogging.  My answer is usually a resounding Yes!, but I also know that a CEO blog usually involves writing on the part of the CEO and CEOs are rarely excited about adding another regular task to their already full plates.  As one client put it, “Joanna, when do you think I have time to blog?”

    Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers and Web marketing mavens, says CEOs can’t and shouldn’t blog because they can’t get away from the corporate speak.

    But I say that CEOs can and should blog in order to:

    • comment on what’s important in their field or industry
    • provide thought leadership for customers, staff or members
    • interact with customers, staff or members
    • provide another perspective on the organization and its activities
    • present a friendly (read not corporate speak) face to the world

    Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve had this blog for just a few months and since I write all the posts myself, I know that a blog takes work.  I have to be interesting, post about timely and important topics, and present a perspective that is candid, if not entirely unique.  (I’m not entirely sure I succeed all the time, if at all, but I try anyway.)  It’s a commitment to post twice a week; heck, I posted once while on vacation in Costa Rica last week. (more…)

  • New Blog on the Block – MatriXFiles

    Okay, we finally did it! Matrix Group launched a blog, MatriXFiles. After helping dozens of clients develop their blog strategies, I decided it was high time we had one. We established our own blog strategy and brand, created an awesome design, put together the content plan and now we’ve launched! I’d love your comments about the site.

    The strategy, which includes the site title, is most critical. It sets the tone and image you want to communicate. So, the Matrix Group blog had to have a movie-themed title. You see, every person at Matrix Group is assigned to a team and every team is named after a movie. Why? We’re all superstars around here. While movie names can be lighthearted, they can also be inspirational.

    (more…)