Inventing Company Names

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting story about the challenges of naming startups when the availability of domain names drops everyday. Many entrepreneurs, searching for short URLs, have used their to imagination to invent their company names, such as Kaggle, Mibblio, and Zaarly.

The creative names are part of the mentality of today's entrepreneurs, who are breaking all the rules as they follow their dreams. In a sense, that's what the startup is all about: creating not just a business but a home that expresses who you are. Entrepreneurs today want casual offices with ping-pong tables and free food and drinks. They want employees to love what they do, and share in the company's success. Most of all, they don't want to be bound by the established norms. They are ready to be part of a new world, where anyone with a dream, a strong work ethic, and access to cheap programmers overseas, can become a successful CEO.

So to all those doubters, beware: my company, www.dhfmanfrauec.ly is launching soon.  
 

Ecstatic? Thrilled? How To Tell the Media You're Happy, When Others Are Still Suffering

Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara reacts to verdict. (Source: mediaite.com/cnn.com)

While people debate whether justice was carried out in the George Zimmerman trial, I am still trying to get my head around the reaction of his lawyer, Mark O'Mara, to the verdict. I am not talking about his claim that that the media did a poor job covering the case. Most PR professionals know you should never criticize the media unless they made a serious error which you need to correct. (At best, blasting reporters will damage your relationship with them in the future; at worst, it will cause them to investigate how you do your job.)

But the issue that bothered me was how O'Mara said he was "ecstatic" with the verdict. He didn't look ecstatic, and it doesn't seem like the appropriate emotion to express. After all, at the end of the day, his client did kill Trayvon Martin. What would have been a better word to use? Reporters and publicists often face this question as they try to describe a reaction to controversial news that involved another's suffering. Thrilled? No, that is way to happy, and sometimes can sound sarcastic. Pleased? That is always a safe bet, but doesn't express much emotion. Maybe saying he had mixed emotions? Something like: "We are pleased that our client was acquitted, but we also know that this decision may hurt many who loved or identified with Trayvon Martin. We just ask that we leave George Zimmerman alone as he tries to move on as best he can, and as a country, work together to heal our wounds and help prevent future tragedies."

What do you think about that kind of response? Ecstatic? Thrilled? Disappointed? Please share your thoughts.

The Soup Meets Good Day NY

Left to right: Scotto, McHale, and Kelly (Source: Good Day NY FB page)

If you have ever watched The Soup on E!, you know that one of Joel McHale's favorite targets is Greg Kelly, the candid, comedic, and sometimes clumsy host of Good Day NY. Whether spilling a large drink on his co-host (Rosanna Scotto), hitting her in the head with a hula hoop, or interjecting one of his many non sequiturs, Greg is one of the funniest and most unpredictable morning talk show hosts today. So this morning, when McHale visited Good Day NY to promote his upcoming movie and Klondike bars, you'd expect to see Kelly provide a little payback. But aside from an illustration that depicts Joel as a large monkey, it was quite civil. At the end, they both thanked each other for the reciprocal publicity their shows provided.

So does that mean there's no such thing as bad publicity? Absolutely not. But often, if you embrace who you are and don't take yourself too seriously, you'll connect more with people and reap the rewards.