Shel Holtz
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shelholtz.bsky.social
Shel Holtz
@shelholtz.bsky.social
Communicator. Podcaster. Author. Jam band fan. Voracious reader. Husband. Father. Grandfather.
Reposted by Shel Holtz
In FIR 489, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz dig into “idea inflation” – when leaders fire off AI-generated thought-leadership ideas and teams are left to clean up the mess. Plus: brand under comms, vibe coding, quantum, and more.

🎧💻 Listen or watch: bit.ly/43AUVoy

#FIRpodcast
November 17, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
“Going viral” isn’t a strategy – it’s a dice roll. In FIR 485 @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explain why you should drop it from your objectives and what to measure instead. Plan for compounding attention, not spikes.

🔗 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-485-is-i...

#FIRpodcast
October 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
A new #AI tool called #OliviaBrown can create & send entire PR campaigns, even follow up with journalists.

In FIR 484, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss what this means for trust and the future of #publicrelations.

🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-484-is-o...
October 14, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Was Tylenol's response to presidential claims that it causes autism in children whose mothers used while pregnant worth holding up as a case study? @nevillehobson.xyz and I break it down in the latest FIR podcast episode. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-483-how-...
October 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
In #FIRpodcast 482, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz dig into #workslop – workplace content that looks good but adds no real value

Also: human-centred organisations, the evolving role of internal comms, Amazon’s AI audience targeting, AI and press releases, and more.

🎧 bit.ly/42i54Wy
September 29, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
#AI can polish our words, but at what cost to authenticity? In #FIRpodcast 481, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss tone in AI-assisted writing and the 2025 em dash kerfuffle. Plus, Shel’s project to turn 28 blog posts into a new book with AI’s help.

🎧 Listen: bit.ly/42c8n1n
FIR #481: The Em Dash Panic - AI, Writing, and Misguided Assumptions - FIR Podcast Network
In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel dive into one of the hottest debates in communication today: what happens to tone and authenticity when artificial intelligence steps into the writing p...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
AI nightmare by Republicans, medicare. Profit share to deny government claims…https://www.nytimes.... #AI #Republicans #medicare
September 2, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
#SEO vs #GEO.

In #FIRpodcast 479, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz ask: is generative optimisation the future, or just the latest acronym soup? Spoiler: trust and clarity still win.

🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-479-hack...
FIR #479: Hacking AI Optimization vs. Doing the Hard Work - FIR Podcast Network
Posts and videos featuring Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) hacks and formulas are flooding the web. We reported recently on one such hack focusing on press releases. But when you consider the kin...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
September 2, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
Silence isn’t golden - or neutral. In FIR 478, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I ask: when does not speaking up do more damage than saying something?

We also dive into AI, PR’s reputation, deepfakes, and more.

🎧 Tune in: www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-478-when...
August 25, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
#Wikipedia is under pressure from AI “slop” and from UK regulation.

In FIR 477, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss Wikipedia’s new speedy deletion policy, and losing a legal challenge under the UK’s Online Safety Act. What does it all mean for communicators?

🔗 bit.ly/4fOwRUc
FIR #477: Deslopifying Wikipedia - FIR Podcast Network
User-generated content is at a turning point. With generative AI models cranking out tons of slop, content repositories are being polluted with
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
RSS never died, it just faded from view. In #FIRpodcast 475, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social talk about the quiet comeback of RSS, powered by AI and fediverse vibes. That's powerful, and it might be key to taking back control from the algorithms.

bit.ly/4lYTZ4h

#RSS #AI #fediverse
FIR #475: Algorithms Got You Down? Get Retro with RSS! - FIR Podcast Network
It has been 12 years since Google shut down Google Reader, its popular RSS news reader. The rise of social media newsfeeds had rendered RSS useless for many people, and declining usage led Google to s...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
August 5, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
In a new FIR Interview, @nevillehobson.xyz, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @silviacambie.bsky.social speak with Monsignor Paul Tighe from The Vatican on the ethical challenges AI poses to humanity, work, and dignity.

Tune in: 🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-intervie...

#AI #ethics #AntiquaEtNova
July 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
➡️ FIR 474 is out now. @shelholtz.bsky.social @nevillehobson.xyz discuss AI and PR, covering:

– Synapse: an AI tool writing expert quotes
– Press releases as AI training data
– The comeback of brand newsletters

💡Plus @danyork.bsky.social and more

🔗 bit.ly/4oaEace

#FIRpodcast #AI #PR #Comms
July 28, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
Who really owns the digital employee experience (DEX)? In FIR 473, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz argue it's time internal communicators step up. It's not just about the tech - it's about how employees feel when using it.

🎙️ Listen: bit.ly/4mdE7ed

#DEX #InternalComms #FIRpodcast
FIR #473: The Digital Employee Experience is the Message - FIR Podcast Network
It has been more than 60 years since Marshall McLuhan told us that the medium is the message. The decades that have passed since then have done nothing to diminish the truth of McLuhan's prescient sta...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
July 23, 2025 at 8:33 AM
B2B decision-makers see the importance of trust. Companies that measure trust as a board-level KPI are over 3x more likely to report higher profits, yet only 22% of boards have trust as a KPI. Learn more in this short midweek FIR podcast episode: www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-472-the-...
FIR #472: The Evolution of Trust - FIR Podcast Network
New research reveals that B2B decision-makers have increasingly recognized the importance of trust. The study also showed that companies that measure trust as a board-level KPI are over three times mo...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
July 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"Faceless creators" and VTubers are assuming a prominent position among influencers. In this short midweek FIR podcast episode, @nevillehobson.xyz and I examine the reasons behind the phenomenon and its implications for communications and marketing. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-471-can-...
FIR #471: Can You Be Influential and Anonymous at the Same Time? - FIR Podcast Network
There's a new brand of influencer. Faceless creators wield their influence while never appearing on camera, while VTubers -- virtual YouTubers -- employ AI-generated avatars instead of showing their f...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
July 9, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
New FIR Interview: @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social spoke with AMEC's @richardbagnall.bsky.social about the just-released Barcelona Principles 4.0 - a major refresh of the global standards for communication measurement.

🎧 Tune in: bit.ly/401oUEh

#FIRpodcast #AMEC #Measurement
Richard Bagnall on the Barcelona Principles 4.0 - FIR Podcast Network
How do we prove the real value of communication in an age of fragmented media, AI-driven analysis, and relentless demand for results? In this episode of FIR Interviews, we talk with Richard Bagnall, c...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
July 2, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
In FIR 470: @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz discuss Creative Commons’ new #CCsignals project: a framework to tell AI how your content should be used.

Communicators have a key role to play in sharing feedback to influence development.

🎧 Listen now: bit.ly/4lhVgTR

#AI #FIRpodcast
FIR #470: Creative Commons Proposes an AI Copyright Solution - FIR Podcast Network
Copyright challenges and intellectual property issues are consistently recognized as a serious, top-tier concern when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI). It may not be the top concern — that's u...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
#FIRpodcast 469 just dropped. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz cover:

🧠 Disconnected employees
📺 Social media beats TV for news
🧘 AI ethics meets theology at the Vatican
🤖 Creators use AI agents for fan engagement

Plus @danyork.bsky.social on Mastodon’s new rules for AI

bit.ly/3HRcHM8
June 23, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
Reputation threats are evolving, a rich topic for @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz in #FIRpodcast 468. Top 3 threats:
⚠️ AI misuse & deepfakes
⚠️ Elon Musk associations (!)
⚠️ DEI U-turns

We say brands need new playbooks for a volatile world.

🎧️ bit.ly/4lf6Ej6

#comms #PR #reputation
FIR #468: New Threats to Reputation - FIR Podcast Network
While a company's reputation doesn't appear as a line item on a profit and loss statement or a balance sheet, it is nevertheless a critical intangible asset that significantly influences financial per...
bit.ly
June 18, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
New #FIRpodcast interview dropped: @nevillehobson.xyz and @shelholtz.bsky.social speak with @craigsilverman.bsky.social about Indicator, his new venture exposing digital deception. Discover why comms pros need #OSINT skills now more than ever.

🎧 Tune in: bit.ly/3HPUuhT
Craig Silverman on Fighting Digital Deception with Indicator - FIR Podcast Network
In this episode of FIR Interviews, we welcome back a long-time friend of the podcast, award-winning journalist and media researcher Craig Silverman, for his third appearance – this time to talk about ...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
June 11, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Shout out to the Global Alliance for today's announcement of the Venice Pledge, a set of guiding principles for responsible AI use in the organizational communication profession. www.globalalliancepr.org/guiding-prin...
Guiding Principles for Ethical and Responsible Artificial Intelligence — Global Alliance
www.globalalliancepr.org
June 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
The next IABC Circle of Fellows will be streamed LIVE from the IABC World Conference in Vancouver at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. If you'll be in B.C., join us! If not, watch the live stream as we talk all things communication: www.youtube.com/live/wfqb8Ny...
Circle of Fellows #117: Live from IABC World Conference
On stage, the Fellows Class of 2025 will engage in discussion while other Fellows in the audience will join in. The session will be streamed live from day 2 of the IABC World Conference in Vancouver, ...
www.youtube.com
June 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
Mary Meeker’s new AI Trends report is huge, and mostly aimed at Silicon Valley. In #FIRpodcast 467, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz unpack the core themes and break down what matters for communicators and business leaders.

🎧 Tune in: www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-467-mary...
FIR #467: Mary Meeker's 2025 AI Trends Report - FIR Podcast Network
Pick a superlative, and it probably applies to Mary Meeker, the venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst best known for her annual Internet Trends Reports. These reports, released ...
www.firpodcastnetwork.com
June 6, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Reposted by Shel Holtz
Still hallucinating... In #FIRpodcast 466, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz talk about AI models that confidently make things up that make smart people look very foolish 🙄

We also dig into Veo 3, MailOnline’s click-through traffic drop, and more.

Tune in! 🎧 bit.ly/4kB83jB
May 26, 2025 at 8:24 AM