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Fireworks From the Heads of Stony Presidents

Tom Keefe — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:33:38 +0000

It’s July 4, 2011, and the economy has dampened the typical Independence Day Holiday celebration marked by civic displays of fireworks. Chicago and Gurnee, IL, where I live, announced that they would not pay for fireworks displays because of the expense.

So we’ll just have to enjoy this video of a fabulous fireworks display that I and my family recorded on July 3, 2007 while vacationing in South Dakota, U.S.A. One of the better fireworks displays available was scheduled for July 3 of that year at the historic Mt. Rushmore National Park.

Dry weather had threatened to shut down the fireworks display that day, but we were blessed by a sprinkling of rain that sufficiently lowered the risk of brush fires. The event was about one hour in length, including opening singers and a flyby by Air Force fighter jets. The actual fireworks display was 20 minutes long.

One of the BEST fireworks displays that my family has seen in-person. There’s just something about watching and hearing explosions of light and sound, emanating from the stony likenesses of our four most famous U.S. presidents.

VW ‘Good News’ Continues with New Car Introduction

Tom Keefe — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:42:25 +0000

[Disclosure: I work for a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America]

To celebrate the official unveiling of Volkswagen’s newly design Passat, formerly referenced as the “New Midsize Sedan” (NMS), here is an interview by Ragan Communications CEO and Publisher Mark Ragan. Mark asked me about an internal publication I created for our Service Center employees in Chicago and Portland, Ore.

The “What’s Good at VW” publication highlighted the “good things” happening within the company at a time when competitors were filing for bankruptcy and government protection.

In this February 2009 interview, I talk about VW’s plans for the U.S. market—including the promise of a new car designed for the U.S. market, that would be built in a then under-construction $1 billion manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.



Quick Hook or Quirk?
Tom Keefe — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:43:34 +0000
A few times in recent weeks, I’ve been unable to watch video news items promoted on Yahoo!. I click the link to watch�


�and get a “not available” message:

Has anyone else had this experience? Is the video source pulling the videos because of a surge in traffic, is this a conspiracy to make Yahoo! look bad, or something else?



Social Media Interview: Barbara Talisman
Tom Keefe — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:19:17 +0000
On Feb. 16, 2010, IABC/Chicago held a professional development session titled, “Making the Most Effective and Efficient Use of Your Time.” Barbara Talisman, president of Talisman Associates, Inc., delivered the presentation.
UPDATED 2/28/2010: I finally was able to upload the video to the IABC/Chicago YouTube channel. I’ve deleted the PodPress videos, which took too long to load, and embedded the YouTube video. Enjoy!
In this 8:45-minute video, Barbara is interviewed by IABC/Chicago volunteer Wanda Whitson. They discuss:



The benefits of a social media policy for organizations, and the risks if companies don't have one
Some of Barbara's favorite social media tools
An example of a successful social media campaign for an external audience
Who 'owns' social media within an organization
Then, two session attendees share one learning that they obtained from the session


For information on upcoming IABC/Chicago events, go to http://chicago.iabc.com.
For information on the consulting services offered by Talisman Associates, Inc., go to www.3talisman.com.




IABC/Chicago Interview: Communications ROI: A Watson Wyatt Worldwide Study
Tom Keefe — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:21:53 +0000
What are the links between effective communication and a company’s profitability? In this YouTube video interview that I recorded for IABC/Chicago using its Flip camera, Jill Folan, a senior communications consultant with Watson Wyatt Worldwide, shares some findings and insights gleaned from the firm’s “2009 Communication ROI Study Report.” (The report itself is available at this link.) 
The interview was conducted just two weeks after the study results were released, at a Dec. 15, 2009 lunch event organized by IABC/Chicago’s professional development volunteer staff. 
Folan was interviewed by IABC/Chicago member Julia Winn, who also created the video.





To Beard Or Not To Beard
Tom Keefe — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:55:06 +0000
After a few months of sporting a beard/goatee, I shaved yesterday. I would have shaved about two weeks sooner, but I was invited to deliver a speech that I wrote about beards to a Toastmasters club on Thursday, April 9.
Although the beard is gone (for now), you can decide for yourself whether it made for a good speech by viewing it here.