Tools: Reverse Google Image Search

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A doctored photo is worth at least that many in spreading disinformation and sowing the seeds of division. Fortunately Google has an easy and effective tool for debunking falsified photos. Some considerations in debunking falsified photos: Often when a doctored photo first appears results for the […]

yellow butterfly sitting on yellow flowers

Field Report: Inspirational Thoughts From Russian Twitter Bots

Enjoy this lovely inspirational photo of a butterfly supping on a flower and I will tell you how Russian agent accounts regularly target inspirational and motivational discussions on social media. Why would Russian campaigns include benign hashtags like these? It is an outreach tool – chat up new social media users in friendly conversation topics, […]

Why Russian Trolls Are Not Trolls

We are in Cold War 2.0. We enter the battlefield every time we log into one of our social media accounts.The Russians have weaponized our own innovations for communication against us. This is a carefully orchestrated military campaign against America. Cyberspace is now considered the 4th theatre of warfare. Putin has, to put it mildly, embraced […]

What Is RT? Why Must They Register Under FARA?

We know Putin deployed his powerful disinformation and propaganda machine  against the 2016 American election, that he has continued the assault, and that he will ramp up for our 2018 and 2020 elections. Countering these active measures against our government and society is complex. Due, in part, to the complexity of their assault on many […]

The Tribal Marketplace

Ever wondered why some brands seem to have a frustratingly loyal following even when other products with better features at lower prices are available? In today’s marketplace there is a new influencing factor on purchasing decisions. These days features, price and even quality may not be the final determining factor in a buying decision. Often it […]

Customer Bait Balls

Watching the ballet of the bait balls I can’t help but think of the parallels to marketing. No, I don’t mean viewing customers as prey! There’s something else. Hundreds of fish swirl in a cluster shifting directions, turning on a dime, joining with other groups and splitting into small groups again and are a perfect metaphor […]

Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate the high art of a well crafted Tweet?

Twitter Haiku

Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate the high art of a well crafted Tweet? Twitter? High art?  Yes, well designed tweets are elegant little poems that also are both beautiful and functional. Modern Day Haiku There is an art and science to crafting an effective tweet. There is a certain joy that comes from […]

Coffee Cup Fail

With every sip of my coffee this morning all I could think was “fail”.  See that nifty looking round handle? It failed on function. The placement and shape of the handle combined with the weight of the cup required me to stabilize the cup by pressing two fingers against the hot ceramic, or lift the […]