The McDonnell Group

By Marc Marton

We’ve seen once again the power of social media as witnessed by recent events in Egypt.  In this instance, Facebook is credited with fomenting a popular uprising that toppled a government.

Social media has obviously grown from its origins as the domain of the mundane, providing millions of people with a platform to share common interests no matter where they are.  Facebook got my attention years ago after reading about a college student who raised millions of dollars in a matter of months to aid Darfur by connecting with students at other campuses across the country.  Other causes have followed suit and businesses have embraced social media as a way to build relationships with customers.

But other than sharing a bit of personal information among people you know or a common cause with thousands you don’t, what other types of information are we willing to share online?

By Don McDonnell

ATLANTA, GA -- January 15, 2011 -- It happened last night. Following the publication this week of Fortnightly's article "Saving The Smart Grid," a former client and friend who works in energy in DC emailed me a note saying "nice Fortnightly call out you old gas bag."  I hadn't seen the article so my heart skipped a beat or two, and I quickly logged on to read the article and see what inspired his humorous -- but also slightly ominous -- note.

While we're best known as a public relations boutique, most of my work here personally these days focuses on serving clients with strategy advisory and proprietary research support which comprises well over half of our growing business. Our public relations team carefully builds trusted and knowledge-based relationships with key influencers, reporters, analysts and consultants. The last thing they need is me "line jumping" our own PR clients to hog the microphone on the record for coverage. I rarely -- in fact almost never -- do on the record interviews with journalists.

By Public Relations Team

SAN DIEGO, CA -  January 8, 2011 -- We're excited to be a part of the large team of companies cooperating and collaborating for the betterment of the industry in the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) which will celebrate its first anniversary in March 2011 as one of the fastest growing groups of its type to date. The  SGCC has organized its first Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative Symposium for January 31, 2011 at the San Diego Convention Center.

The event runs from 12 PM  until 5 PM. As you look at your air travel reservations for DistribuTECH, consider arriving no later than 11:30 AM or so Monday. You can grab a quick cab and be at the session in just 10 to 20 minutes.

Registration is required, so visit  http://smartgridcc.org/ and register to save your place today. You'll need a credit card handy, but -- if you've already registered for DTECH -- then just print, fill out and fax in your registration form.

If you haven't registered for DTECH yet on line, you can register for the symposium electroncially when you complete your master show registration. Look  carefully for the option to check the box for the symposium and your fee for the session will be added to your overall DistribuTECH registration charges at secure electronic check out.

In thanks for your support and attendance at the symposium, you'll receive a free copy of a SGCC member sponsored research report worth many times the cost of admission. You'll also have plenty of time to mingle with some of the leading smart grid professionals from around the world who are driving the future of consumer engagement by collaborating today. Plan also for a 5PM reception sponsored by Silver Springs Networks immediately following the conclusion of the symposium.

By Don McDonnell

ATLANTA – Dec 31, 2010 – Since everyone else has done it these past two weeks, I am jumping on the bandwagon to highlight our top smart grid blog post of 2010 written by our colleague Nancy Broe. Like our colleague Marc Marton, Nancy loves to write and tell our clients' stories of success and innovation. The smart grid blog lets them both showcase their talents. Just as Marc often likes to "go native" with our media colleages in deference to his reporter roots, so too does Nancy like to tell a story in deference to her novelist's eye for detail and wordcraft.  

Nancy’s June 2010 two-part smart grid blog post: “10 Tips For Smart Grid Media Relations From the Wright Brothers”  not only drew far and away the top number of web site page hits in a year that saw our overall traffic grow by close to 40%, but also inspired a bunch of inbound written and verbal thanks and kudos from our readers and customers in the utility and software industries.

As we approach the sixth anniversary of The McDonnell Group’s founding in Spring 2011, we’d like to thank our more than two dozen customers for your trust, confidence, and for your continued loyalty to our parternships. 

I would like to personally thank every member of our world class strategy, proprietary research and public relations services team for their professionalism, dedication to knowledge-based service, and for their commitment to the vision, mission and values that guide us. 2011 is shaping up to be a great one....so happy new year!