So we thought we would help here, to get you started Bond-i has set up its new Bondcast service, driven by our very own Neville Hobson, who has got to be one of the most experienced podcasters on the planet, having presented a show called “For Immediate Release” for four years and also co-written the definitive book on Podcasting. Corporate podcasting should be an integral part of any organization’s PR mix, it’s a valuable medium for communicating your message to a targeted audience - whether that’s customers, prospective staff, media or other key influencers. So listen up, podcast your message……now, you may be heard and eventually seen by the people you want to influence.

And that made me think about how much our choice of words matter.  Hidden meanings can communicate a message completely different from that which we wish to convey.  As a PR person, I ensure our client’s message is received in the way it was intended, and help to “translate” the words to diverse cultures outside of the client’s comfort zone.

And yet here I was, making a mess of naming our furry friend and insulting a number of my not-so-furry friends in the process.

I originally chose the name Aisha because I love the song by Algerian Rai artist, Khaled, called Aicha. I’ve always been attracted to Arabic culture, fascinated by the Islamic religion, and when living in Paris I fostered very close and dear friendships with some wonderful Muslim people.  Naming my dog Aisha was – in my mind -  a show of respect and honor, as our family pet is very much a revered part of the family.

When a Muslim friend of mine expressed her surprise, saying I shouldn’t name my dog Aisha because it’s a girl’s name, not a dog’s name.  I thought it’s just because it was a little silly, the equivalent of naming a dog Tom or Susan.

What I didn’t know was that it’s relatively unheard of for Muslims to even have a dog as a family pet.  Canines are considered not just unclean but downright vile and contaminated.  It is said that angels do not enter a house which contains a dog.  Calling someone “a dog”, while odd in Western culture, is amongst the worst insults you can give to someone (up there with throwing your shoes at someone’s head ).

Not only that, but Aisha was the favorite wife of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad’s, and referred to as the “Mother of all Believers”. Amongst the most prominent of Muhammad’s wives, Aisha became an educated spokesperson for the teachings of the Prophet and has been revered as a role model by millions of women.

 Had it not been for that lovely Parisian taxi driver, I never would have known how offensive my innocent act was perceived in the very culture I was intending to honor.

A useful reminder of stuff I already know (but apparently need to be reminded of!):

Know your audience. Know the cultural translation of the words you chose to use.

Words matter.

Ana aasif !

But perhaps the most fascinating thing for us to study about Mr. Obama’s victory is how extremely well he used new media to motivate his supporters, convince his skeptics, educate, inform, parry criticisms, and raise money.

His official campaign website was universally hailed as being a next-generation model of the genre.

From it, supporters could easily download logos, printable posters, signs, flyers, website buddy icons, computer desktop backgrounds, and more. And much has already been written about his campaign’s record-smashing fundraising: Obama collected donations from some 3.2 million individuals via the Internet.

But beyond providing campaign tools and gathering money, Barack Obama was also incredibly savvy about using social media. His campaign used text messages and e-mails to communicate directly with voters. He had profiles on Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. He Twittered. He published photos — including personal “behind the scenes” shots of his family on election night — to Flickr . His campaign’s YouTube channel has had more than 19.5 million views. He even placed virtual billboard advertisements in popular X-box Live games.

And it doesn’t seem like Obama intends to stop this sort of Internet-based communication now that he’s been elected. Check out http://change.gov/, which is, in its own words “Your source for the latest news, events, and announcements so that you can follow the setting up of the Obama Administration.”

Smart money is on President Obama having a game-changing, highly interactive website, live and operational on January 20, 2009.

How do you think President 2.0 might change our world and our activities?

But there is a reason for his success. He is left handed. Four out of the last six US presidents were left handed since 1974, that’s 66% against the national average of 10%, that is pretty significant. You can guess who one of the two right handers was but he wont be there much longer!

And surprise, surprise,  John McCain was also left handed, so the US would have had a left handed president either way.  By contrast only two British Prime Ministers have been left handed since 1945 and one of those was Winston Churchill. I am pleased to be in such great left handed company!