Short version:
Ike Pigott is a veteran communicator who got out of television news and back into life. 
Now a spokesman for Alabama Power, he specializes in corporate communications, but has interests that are all over the place. This site is as much for him as anyone — to explain things that ought to be explained, explore ideas that keep him up at night, and connect concepts that are just begging to be joined.
A personal site, opinions here are his alone and those of his commenters.
Long Version:
Where to begin?
I was born in West Virginia, grew up in Idaho, then moved to Alabama, so there is no questioning my intellectual pedigree.
I worked in television news for 16 years, and won a few awards for reporting.
I worked for the American Red Cross, and had a blast on disasters. I also started using blogs, RSS and Twitter to communicate during those disasters.
I used to teach Kung Fu, and might again one day if I ever find the time.
I still do media training and interview coaching for those who might need it.
My main job at Alabama Power involves social media. I monitor for mentions of the company and the industry, and look for ways to use these new media technologies to make our jobs easier and our customers happier. So I am part researcher, part evangelist, part dreamer, part support and all nerd.
Official Version:
Trained as a broadcast journalist, Ike Pigott has successfully made the transition to corporate communications. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Pigott’s television and radio career started before finishing his studies. He worked in markets across Alabama winning numerous awards, including an Emmy for news writing in 2001.
Pigott left news in 2004 to work in public affairs for the American Red Cross in Birmingham. It was during this period that he started learning and applying the technologies of Web 2.0 to his work. His use of blogs for local disaster news and his tactics for pushing journalists to use RSS were cited across the internet. Pigott then took these techniques to a larger venue, running dedicated blogs for individual nationally declared disasters.
Later promoted to Director of Communications and Government Relations for the Red Cross in the Southeast, Pigott worked to standardize the use of new media for the organization, and started the American Red Cross Twitter feed. Pigott played a key role in creating the New Media and Proactive Media curricula that the Red Cross now uses to train its advanced public affairs volunteers.
Now Is Gone author Geoff Livingston cited Pigott’s work as a case study, and invited him to contribute to the book’s blog aimed at a business audience looking for a primer on new media. He is now a regular contributor to Media Bullseye; and a somewhat irregular contributor to his personal blog, Occam’s Razr, which Ragan Communications’ Blog Dogger named the “Best Overall Read” of 2007.
Pigott now works in corporate communications for Alabama Power, with a focus on social media. His duties include finding new and better ways to engage and communicate with a diverse employee base, monitoring external social media for online reputation management, and developing strategies for proactive use of social media. In May 2011, he was added to the media relations staff as the Public Inquiry representative for the Birmingham Division.
He also runs a small media training business, teaching organizations how to prepare for and succeed in crisis mitigation. Married with two children, Pigott lives in suburban Birmingham.
