The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
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Netflix to Bring Down the Curtain on Its DVD-by-Mail Service – Netflix started with DVDs by mail. You made a list of the movies you wanted to watch, and they mailed you a DVD. You kept it as long as you wanted (no late fees), and when you mailed it back, they mailed you another DVD. It was brilliant. Of course Netflix became a streaming service years ago, but they maintained the DVD by mail service until last week. Associated Press has the story.
The New Phone Call Etiquette: Text First and Never Leave a Voice Mail – Remember when you used to answer your phone without having any idea who was calling you? Neither do we. To say phone etiquette has changed would be a gross understatement. Things that were perfectly acceptable a few years ago are mostly verboten today. The Washington Post takes a look at the current state of phone etiquette.
Are We Witnessing the Death of the Writer? Facing the AI Crossroads in Class and on the Page – Artificial Intelligence (AI) may bring many great things to the world, and it almost surely will change society and how we live our daily lives. But what will AI do to writing in the classroom and to journalism in general? Salon takes a deep look at the potential.
The Ryder Cup is Broken, and There’s No Easy Fix – This past weekend was a rough ride for American golf. The 44th Ryder Cup was played at Marco Simone golf club, just outside of Rome, where the European team soundly defeated the Americans. This wasn’t surprising, as the home team has won the last five Ryder Cups (many by large margins), and there’s little reason to believe that trend will change. Golf Digest takes a look at what’s wrong with golf’s biggest tournament and wonders if there’s any way to fix it.
A New Coca-Cola Flavor at the End of the World – Y3000, the latest flavor of Coke, was purportedly made with the assistance of AI. How does it taste, and what does this even mean?! The Atlantic tries to figure it out.
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Feed Your Head:
Once Reputation is at Risk, So is Money. That’s When Companies Turn to Crisis PR
An Obit Worth Reading:
Ed Fancher, a Founder of The Village Voice, Is Dead at 100
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.