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Entries Tagged as 'Transparency vs. Secrecy'

Media is Complicit in Accepting Tiger Woods’ Scripted, Unquestioned Apology

February 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Media Ethics, Transparency vs. Secrecy, media-general, propaganda

My friend Peter Shankman solicited comments from PR practitioners about Tiger Woods’ apology scheduled for later today, and the fact that reporters will not have access to him during the event; they’ll actually be in another building.
This drew lots of comments on Tiger but basically none other than Peter about how the media will play [...]

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TSA Subpoenaed My Friend For Telling the Truth

December 29th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Ethics in Government, Protests and Crackdowns, Transparency vs. Secrecy, censorship

My online friend Christopher Elliott of

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Ben Franklin: Genius and Contradictions

November 27th, 2009 · 5 Comments · Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Ethics: General, Publishing, Transparency vs. Secrecy, propaganda

While visiting Minneapolis, I took in the opening day of the new Ben Franklin exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul. I’ve long ben a Franklin fan. To me, his far-reaching curiosity, big-picture viewpoint, multiple interests, creativity, willingness to question authority and even make fun of it, media and persuasion skills, dedication [...]

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The Unethical Nature of Anti-Competitive Behavior

October 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Business Ethics, Transparency vs. Secrecy

Guest post by Elizabeth Johnson
I was very proud of the notebook computer I had purchased a year ago; in my mind, I felt I had secured a good deal and that it was value for money. The only flaw (if you could call it that) was that it came with the Norton Antivirus security solution. [...]

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Sidewiki Makes Me Question Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” Mantra

October 7th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Business Ethics, Ethics-International, Media Ethics, Transparency vs. Secrecy, Uncategorized, Web 2.0/Social Media

mmediate spark of this post (which has been brewing for over a week), is my deep concern about Google’s Sidewiki.Sidewiki, as I understand it, allows users who have the Google Toolbar installed to comment, unmoderated, in an area that appears on the left side of the webpage–but those comments are only visible to others who have the Toolbar installed! Among the many evils this can lead to: spamming, blocking site owners’ sources of revenue (or even replacing them with links that benefit those commenting), loss of control over one’s own website, black hat search technique, slander of site owners or contributors, unethical business practices such as deceptive advertising, and even something as simple as wrecking the aesthetic and content integrity of a carefully designed website

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Should You Be Open About Polarizing Interests?

August 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Politics, Transparency vs. Secrecy, Web 2.0/Social Media

My friend Elsom Eldridge has a nice article about how to avoid becoming “Social Media Roadkill.” And I agree with almost everything he says.
Almost everything. With my usual focus on transparency, here’s what I disagree with (emphasis added):
Be personable but don’t give people a reason to dislike you. Mention your dog or your kids so [...]

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Criminal Activity Disguised as Public Relations

August 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Business Ethics, Media Ethics, Politics, Transparency vs. Secrecy

I don’t know how you forge a letter from an imaginary person on someone else’s official letterhead—twice!—and call it an accident.

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Is Sponored Tweeting/Blogging Ethical? Your Opinion, Please

July 31st, 2009 · 2 Comments · Business Ethics, Transparency vs. Secrecy, Web 2.0/Social Media

I just answered a reporter query about sponsored blogs and sponsored tweets–specifically whether they should be disclosed. And that led me to meditate on the question of whether it is ethical to ghostwrite tweets and blogs for other people.
I have a very clear opinion on both of these scenarios. But I’m going to shut up [...]

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Google: Plusses and Minuses/Compare with Bing/Privacy Issues

July 12th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Ethics: General, Marketing Trends/News, Transparency vs. Secrecy, Web 2.0/Social Media

Perry Marshall has a really good article about online privacy concerns, the Google experience yay and nay, and Google’s first real competitor in general search–Bing. It’s getting a lot of comments, including this one from me. I discuss not only transparency vs. secrecy, but also the Google user experience, talk about the USP (Unique Selling [...]

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Joel Makower vs. Dan Goleman: social media & consumer’s eco-buying choices

July 6th, 2009 · No Comments · Energy & Sustainability, Transparency vs. Secrecy, Web 2.0/Social Media

Great discussion on Green Biz between Green business expert Joel Makower and emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman, on the roles of informed consumers, “radical transparency,” and social media in eco-friendly consumer buying patterns. Start with Makower’s post, click over to Goleman’s response, and then read the comments on both pages.
This was my comment:
I don’t [...]

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