Content summary: Shel’s in Denver; new FIR interview posted; two upcoming interviews; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop; My Ragan TV launches; how will niche social networks develop?; add your comments to Google News: editorializing the news?; Facebook responds: advertisers can opt out; David Meerman Scott’s Gobbledygook Manifesto; record Skype calls with Callburner; Dan York’s non-shiny-object look at the podcasting book, Facebook demographics and developments, visiting San Francisco; Question of The Week: how to address employees profiting from their blogging;…

In this age of transparency, it’s harder than ever for brands to defend themselves. What companies can do is employ defensive branding techniques to defend and protect themselves in times of crisis. As a prelude to Defensive Branding 101: Troubleshooting Your Brand in the Age of Consumer Control, a free webinar from Nielsen BuzzMetrics on August 10, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz talked with Pete Blackshaw about defensive branding: what it is, what it means to companies and how to…