Alan Weinkrantz PR Web Log

How Israel Uses Twitter and Social Media in Public Diplomacy - David Saranga's Presentation at the 140 Conference

In the process of working with the media for the 140 Characters Conference, the lines blurred between the media covering the event, media taking part in the event as Characters, and media as content providers on the Social Web.  

Enter @davidsaranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in New York.  David's innovative approach to helping change the perception of Israel is illustrated in his talk which you may view here:

5th in a Series... My Personal Best of 2008: Being A Part of The Texas Israel Chamber Commerce

I'm going on my 16th year of getting to work with some of the brightest minds in the world that are driving Israel's technology economy.

This year I was able to become a Board Member of the Texas Israel Chamber of Commerce.

We're really getting going on our full second year and look forward to bringing new business opportunities, deal flow and exchanges of IP with Texas and Israel technology based companies.

Download My "Going Social" Presentation Here

Today in San Antonio, I was part of a discussion hosted by BusinessWire entitled: "SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS: Old Media? New Media? How 'bout the Hybrid Approach?"

You may download the presentation here:

Download going_social.pdf

I shared the discussion with:

• Mike Kelly, Director, Military Communications, USAA Public Communications

• Tom Vaughn, Director, Online Strategies, USAA Member Communications

• Roy Bragg, Writer At-Large, San Antonio Express-News, and media blogger, At Large

Many thanks to Monika, Christye and their outstanding crew at the San Antonio offices who really do a great job of helping to support my clients in their communications initiatives.  Check out the BusinessWire blog here.

This Is Not The Israel You See on CNN....

When I travel to Israel, the most often asked question I get is this:  is it really safe to go there?

The answer is- Yes.  Big Time.  And then some.

The U.S. media - and in particular the likes of CNN never tends to illustrate the positive aspects of what is going on here.

There is a vibrant high tech economy, the Israeli Shekel is very strong - so strong that the government just bought $500 million worth of U.S. Dollars to show its faith in our economy.

I am meeting with current clients, like N-trig, CopperGate, and Promisec, plus other prospective clients who are funded, raising money, looking at exit strategies now, and in the future.

This is one of the most positive trips I have taken in terms of future opportunities to work and serve Israel's technology economy.

Photo by Alan Weinkrantz in Tel Aviv (c) 2008

Israel21C's Coverage of Israel's Technology Sector, Worth Reading and Watching

I've been following the evolution of ISRAEL21C for several years, and it's latest iteration which was recently launched.

Each week, ISRAEL21c produces 12 to 15 new stories about progress and ingenuity from Israel, and how Israelis are adding value to American life and life around the world.  My personal favorite section is the Technology Channel, which I highly recommend.

And every Monday morning, more than 20,000 people have a free, one-page email newsletter delivered to them by ISRAEL21c so they can be up-to-date and informed. The newsletter contains a headline for each story, sorted by their channels: Health, Technology, Global Democracy, Profiles and Culture, and a link directly to that story on their website.

Worth Reading and Watching