I am a huge fan of The New York Times and its Sunday Magazine’s annual “Year in Ideas” issue. I look forward to it every year and spend hours reading every word and following up on the ideas contained in it. I find it essential reading as a person who generally wants to be informed of intellectual currents. But it also usually contains discussion of key trends in communications and public policy. While this year’s issue was certainly worth reading and I recommend that you do, it was somewhat disappointing to me. I don’t know if there was a different editor this year or what, but the ideas just don’t seem very cutting edge and there are too many items that are about meaningless crap. I mean, was Alexander McQueen’s Stiletto Claw shoe — which is even by Vogue’s standards completely unwearable — a significant NEW IDEA worthy of the Year in Ideas? I don’t think so.
Despite this, there were some important ideas that Public Policy Communicators should be aware of:
Advertisement that Watches You
Good Enough is the New Great — this, in my opinion, is the MOST important idea in the issue for PPC members
Social Networks as Foreign Policy
And any manager would also be interested in reading about these topics:
Myth of the Deficient Older Employee
All in all, the NYTimes Year in Ideas continues to be essential reading, but I would prefer if they stuck with substance and not with useless “ideas” like empty beer bottles make better weapons and non-trends like “heritage chic.” There should be more than eight applicable ideas for public policy communicators in the whole thing!
About Michael Hamill Remaley
Michael Hamill Remaley is Vice President, Communications & Public Policy at Philanthropy New York and President of HAMILL REMALEY breakthrough communications. Previously, he was Director of Communications at the Russell Sage Foundation and prior to that was Vice President and Director of Communications at Public Agenda. He has held a variety of positions at organizations such as The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, TCC Group and the Center for Social Policy and Community Development.
I don’t disagree with any of your comments. But I wonder what it says about me that I was fascinated by the piece in the ideas section about the potential destruction of the human race by a zombie attack (http://bit.ly/8KXKHI).
ha ha. i’m not sure what it says about you other than that you have a sense of humor (or that you have a lot to fear of zombies living up there on the Upper East Side).
I overlooked this issue completely. But read it after checking our your site. I was intrigued by kickstarter.com. I thought it was a great idea. So I submitted a proposal and they invited me to post it almost immediately.
I’ll keep you posted on how well it works out. It’s a project that has been stalled for a year because I just can’t raise the funds.
Hi there,
Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.
Have a nice day
Edwas
Hi, Thank you! I would now go on this blog every day!
Boldy