Why Blog? - Blogging Training in CharlotteWhat’s the Big Deal About Blogs?
Why are blogs so important? First, blogs are essential to your success online because they have a huge following. In fact, estimates indicate that over 57 million Americans actively read blogs. However, only just over 12 million actually maintain a blog.
Not only is there a huge audience that you can tap into when you create a blog, but blogs are also quite popular. In fact, 22 out of the top 100 websites in the world are blogs. This means that people will read your blog if it contains information valuable to your readers. And since 51% of blog readers also shop using the internet, you may be able to tap into a new customer base for your online sales
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Social Media Marketing Mistakes #2
Posted by Kailee Brown | Filed Under Social Media News, Blog, Uncategorized
Social Media Marketing–Marketing with a twist
June 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
As social media changes the way companies communicate with their audiences, there is one thing that we shouldn’t forget–Social media marketing is still marketing. The difference is, social media marketing targets audiences online where there is more noise, more competition, and more skepticism as to credibility. This means social media marketing campaigns need to be even more strategic than a regular old marketing plan. There are four important steps marketers take that we shouldn’t forget:
1) Conduct Research: You must still take the time to analyze your competition. Who are they? What are they doing online? Have they successfully (or unsuccessfully) used social media to reach your audience? Have they given your audience what they want? Or could you be even better? Second, you still have to know your audience. Not only who they are, but where they are online. Listen to the conversations. What is your audience talking about? What types of information are they looking for online? How are they finding it? How are you going to give them what they want and more?
2) Define your goals: You can’t measure success without definite goals. You need to know what you hope to get out of the campaign. If you’re a small company creating an internal social network, would 80% participation satisfy you? If you’re a national brand, would 10,000 hits to your website be enough for a positive ROI? Is it more important to have 10% of your visitors buy now or for there to be 100,000 visitors who keep coming back? A solid set of objectives will help define the marketing strategy.
3) Develop a Strategic Message and Method: While advertising campaigns are all about staying on message, social media marketing campaigns have a little more leeway. As we’ve said a hundred times, social media marketing is about conversations. And it is impossible to have true dialogue if you are constantly worried that the conversation may go off track. However, you have to keep in mind the purpose of that conversation. Online, word choice matters. When presenting your brand, keep in mind who might be looking for your information and how they may be looking for it. Is your audience searching in Google for health tips or on MySpace for something to do this weekend? The words you use will determine whether they find you.
4) Measure and Evaluate the Results: Social media is still relatively new, so we often don’t know how high to set the mark. If we can’t reach it, then maybe we set it too high? But then the question becomes, how do we reach that point? Did we set the bar too low? Of course, meeting and exceeding our goals make us feel good, but does this mean we could have done better?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Setting the PR Moral and Ethical Standard: People are Watching!
Let’s face it everyone. Morals are taught. We learn the basics, as children, in order to live peaceably in society as adults. However, there needs to be morals in your professional lives as well. Who teaches those? There’s a saying that goes, “If stand you for nothing, then you’ll fall for anything.” I know this slogan is usually used during more politically charged discrepancies, but it holds true in business as well. Here, it simply means, if you're not knowledgeable about something(s), anyone can get you to partake in, believe in and do almost anything. Well, my response is to this is, “that’s most certainly true if you've not set boundaries, moral boundaries for your professional career.”
Recently, I read another quote that says, Honesty is strategic and integrity is a rare commodity. Whoa! That’s a powerful statement, but true. Sadly, for far too long, even today, the PR industry has made the mistake of compromising honesty and integrity for the ”greater good of the client,” but I can guarantee you, that many of our peers find it hard to look themselves in the mirror everyday.
So I ask you, from where does your moral compass come from? Your parents, grandparents, professional peers, yourself or God? Decide now, because there are many people watching your every professional move just like you watched someone else's.
Throughout life, we’ve all admired someone’s professional acumen. Whether for the right or wrong reasons, we’ve wanted what they possessed professionally, especially if they were successful. As well, without noticing, someone has influenced us. Good, bad or indifferent, they have made some sort of impression on us. If we really took time and thought about the way we make decisions, honor our word or not, do business and even how we speak to people in the work environment, has been influenced by someone. Who was that someone in your life? Do their traits still follow you today?
At the end of the day, we all must choose who we will allow to influence us. Similarly, when people encounter you, what character traits, morals and values will they walk away with? As leaders, influencers and ambassadors of our craft, we must commit to instilling a high moral and ethical value system for others to aspire to.
Here is where a complete understanding your strengths and weaknesses play an integral part in what people will imitate. Both come with pros and cons, but as long as we have a handle on them, they teach us the best lessons about ourselves as well as how to best influence others.
10 Steps to Setting Morals and Ethics in Business:
Recently, I read another quote that says, Honesty is strategic and integrity is a rare commodity. Whoa! That’s a powerful statement, but true. Sadly, for far too long, even today, the PR industry has made the mistake of compromising honesty and integrity for the ”greater good of the client,” but I can guarantee you, that many of our peers find it hard to look themselves in the mirror everyday.
So I ask you, from where does your moral compass come from? Your parents, grandparents, professional peers, yourself or God? Decide now, because there are many people watching your every professional move just like you watched someone else's.
Throughout life, we’ve all admired someone’s professional acumen. Whether for the right or wrong reasons, we’ve wanted what they possessed professionally, especially if they were successful. As well, without noticing, someone has influenced us. Good, bad or indifferent, they have made some sort of impression on us. If we really took time and thought about the way we make decisions, honor our word or not, do business and even how we speak to people in the work environment, has been influenced by someone. Who was that someone in your life? Do their traits still follow you today?
At the end of the day, we all must choose who we will allow to influence us. Similarly, when people encounter you, what character traits, morals and values will they walk away with? As leaders, influencers and ambassadors of our craft, we must commit to instilling a high moral and ethical value system for others to aspire to.
Here is where a complete understanding your strengths and weaknesses play an integral part in what people will imitate. Both come with pros and cons, but as long as we have a handle on them, they teach us the best lessons about ourselves as well as how to best influence others.
10 Steps to Setting Morals and Ethics in Business:
1. Set realistic long-term and short term goals.
2. Remain completely honest with clients and business associates.
3. NEVER compromise, unless it’s for the glory of God and the honest betterment of your client.
4. Remain accountable to someone with the same or higher moral fiber.
5. Honor ALL financial obligations.
6. Know the industry trappings of your business and avoid them. Practice self-discipline.
7. Treat people fairly, according to God’s standards, not your own.
8. Let your “Yes be Yes” and your “No be No”.
9. Produce all work from a heart of excellence.
10. Be honest with everyone about what you know and don’t know - NEVER Lie!
When people have this type of person to emulate, there’s no stopping them and success is right around the corner.
Monday, June 23, 2008
My "Most Favorite" Intern Responds
This is my interns response to the previous post.
Like the young woman who wrote the article, I too, grappled with what was okay for us to do with Kelli as she acclimated herself to coming into my home, my personal space. I wasn't quite sure what was professional and what was not, so I err on the side of relationship and invited her into my "LIFE".
All the way from Boise, ID, her parents/family trusted her to my care. With that in mind, I knew her time spent here had to be meaningful and something she could carry with her for the rest of her life. I did not pretend to know how to work her into the environment, but I did know, in advance, that she was a blank canvas, ready to learn and that she loved the Lord. It was important to me to do right by her, her parents and more importantly, by God.
ENJOY!
June 23rd,20081:40 am
I am the product of a home-office internship and I couldn’t be more thankful. I spent the summer of 2006 in Riverdale as the only intern for a PR company. My favorite memories and the moments I learned the most were when my mentor and I would walk to the market to get groceries that she and her husband needed. I had the opportunity to ask her the questions I had been storing up all day about our clients, how she would choose to handle situations for work, and more importantly how does a woman like herself balance life and career.
I feel there is a very unique experience as an intern when helping to cook breakfast because you are both hungry; or washing some dishes in the kitchen because you simply want to be a part of serving;or sitting on the couch in the living room to watch the news. There was focussed work that had to be accomplished and we got right down to it. There was also time when my 21-year-old world was having a personal conflict that I could feel comfortable in coming to my mentor because I had a relationship that was not just based on business but a well-rounded life.
Take your internship to the store, on walks with the dog, or to interviews in the city. Let her do the very things you have to do on a daily basis, and allow this to be a time for her to ask questions. When it gets to the time where she must choose her path she will know what to expect from all angles.
— Posted by Kelli
Like the young woman who wrote the article, I too, grappled with what was okay for us to do with Kelli as she acclimated herself to coming into my home, my personal space. I wasn't quite sure what was professional and what was not, so I err on the side of relationship and invited her into my "LIFE".
All the way from Boise, ID, her parents/family trusted her to my care. With that in mind, I knew her time spent here had to be meaningful and something she could carry with her for the rest of her life. I did not pretend to know how to work her into the environment, but I did know, in advance, that she was a blank canvas, ready to learn and that she loved the Lord. It was important to me to do right by her, her parents and more importantly, by God.
ENJOY!
June 23rd,20081:40 am
I am the product of a home-office internship and I couldn’t be more thankful. I spent the summer of 2006 in Riverdale as the only intern for a PR company. My favorite memories and the moments I learned the most were when my mentor and I would walk to the market to get groceries that she and her husband needed. I had the opportunity to ask her the questions I had been storing up all day about our clients, how she would choose to handle situations for work, and more importantly how does a woman like herself balance life and career.
I feel there is a very unique experience as an intern when helping to cook breakfast because you are both hungry; or washing some dishes in the kitchen because you simply want to be a part of serving;or sitting on the couch in the living room to watch the news. There was focussed work that had to be accomplished and we got right down to it. There was also time when my 21-year-old world was having a personal conflict that I could feel comfortable in coming to my mentor because I had a relationship that was not just based on business but a well-rounded life.
Take your internship to the store, on walks with the dog, or to interviews in the city. Let her do the very things you have to do on a daily basis, and allow this to be a time for her to ask questions. When it gets to the time where she must choose her path she will know what to expect from all angles.
— Posted by Kelli
The Intern Meets the Home Office
Hello All,
My "Most Favorite" intern (now everyone knows the truth LOL!) sent me this article that ran in the NY Times.
Interns, get ready for a different kind of office environment. Working in a home office will afford you a very intimate, personal and vulnerable relatonship with your employer. You really learn what it means to be in the "SERVICE" industry.
I WILL POST MY INTERNS RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE AS WELL.
June 22, 2008, 10:32 pm
By Marci Alboher
When I read articles about interns, they often focus on how to turn the internship into a job or how to succeed at an internship within a large institution.
But few tackle the issue my intern and are facing this summer — creating a successful internship in a home office.
Before our first day, my intern asked if there was anything she needed to do. I simply told her to catch up on my blog if she hadn’t been reading it. (I was tempted, I must confess, to tell her to go see the film, “Sex in the City” and pay particular attention to the scene where Jennifer Hudson arrives in Carrie’s apartment and makes order out of chaos.)
Her question made me realize that I was the one who needed to prepare. Because I work at home, I wanted to think about what was a proper work atmosphere for an intern, especially one who is still in high school.
As some of you know, there has been a lively debate on this blog about how we dress for work. On days when I don’t have to leave my home office, it is entirely possible that I may spend my day working in the same clothes I wore to take my morning walk. Still, I dressed professionally for my intern (khakis and a sleeveless sweater), and when she arrived I was pleased that I did. She was a little dressier than I was (a skirt and a tank top with nice sandals), which made a good impression. She also knew — because she had been reading my blog — that forgoing stockings was just fine with me.
Good internships should have a combination of benefit to the employer and education for the intern. So I thought about how to stack each day with a fair mix of the two, anticipating a day of filing and making labels followed by an excursion to the Times building or a tag along on an interview. And that’s pretty much how it has been going. On the first day, the block of time I thought I’d have to dedicate to organizing my office with her disappeared. Instead, she sat across from me at my desk while we handled a series of phone calls on speakerphone. I asked her to preread my post before we reviewed it with my editor. She listened as I did a few interviews. And before you know it, it was time to go out for afternoon coffee and walk the dog, both of which we did together.
I wondered if I was crossing a line by asking her to walk the dog with me, but given the option of leaving her alone in my apartment, it seemed like an acceptable work/life blur. Asking her to walk the dog by herself, on the other hand, isn’t something I think I’d do. I also drew the line at throwing in a load of laundry while we were working together, even though my washer-drier is in my office and often running while I work.
When my intern left for the day, she told me that she was going to meet her mother who had traveled into the city to meet her for dinner and was waiting for her at the park on my corner. I offered to come out and introduce myself since I thought the mother might like to know the person in whose home her daughter was working, and she readily agreed. Her mother didn’t ask to meet me and she didn’t seem anything like a helicopter parent. It just felt like the right thing to do. We are talking about a high school, not a college student, here.
Stay tuned for the view from my intern’s side. She’ll be working on that post as the culmination of the internship.
Anyone else grappling with this issue?
My "Most Favorite" intern (now everyone knows the truth LOL!) sent me this article that ran in the NY Times.
Interns, get ready for a different kind of office environment. Working in a home office will afford you a very intimate, personal and vulnerable relatonship with your employer. You really learn what it means to be in the "SERVICE" industry.
I WILL POST MY INTERNS RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE AS WELL.
June 22, 2008, 10:32 pm
By Marci Alboher
When I read articles about interns, they often focus on how to turn the internship into a job or how to succeed at an internship within a large institution.
But few tackle the issue my intern and are facing this summer — creating a successful internship in a home office.
Before our first day, my intern asked if there was anything she needed to do. I simply told her to catch up on my blog if she hadn’t been reading it. (I was tempted, I must confess, to tell her to go see the film, “Sex in the City” and pay particular attention to the scene where Jennifer Hudson arrives in Carrie’s apartment and makes order out of chaos.)
Her question made me realize that I was the one who needed to prepare. Because I work at home, I wanted to think about what was a proper work atmosphere for an intern, especially one who is still in high school.
As some of you know, there has been a lively debate on this blog about how we dress for work. On days when I don’t have to leave my home office, it is entirely possible that I may spend my day working in the same clothes I wore to take my morning walk. Still, I dressed professionally for my intern (khakis and a sleeveless sweater), and when she arrived I was pleased that I did. She was a little dressier than I was (a skirt and a tank top with nice sandals), which made a good impression. She also knew — because she had been reading my blog — that forgoing stockings was just fine with me.
Good internships should have a combination of benefit to the employer and education for the intern. So I thought about how to stack each day with a fair mix of the two, anticipating a day of filing and making labels followed by an excursion to the Times building or a tag along on an interview. And that’s pretty much how it has been going. On the first day, the block of time I thought I’d have to dedicate to organizing my office with her disappeared. Instead, she sat across from me at my desk while we handled a series of phone calls on speakerphone. I asked her to preread my post before we reviewed it with my editor. She listened as I did a few interviews. And before you know it, it was time to go out for afternoon coffee and walk the dog, both of which we did together.
I wondered if I was crossing a line by asking her to walk the dog with me, but given the option of leaving her alone in my apartment, it seemed like an acceptable work/life blur. Asking her to walk the dog by herself, on the other hand, isn’t something I think I’d do. I also drew the line at throwing in a load of laundry while we were working together, even though my washer-drier is in my office and often running while I work.
When my intern left for the day, she told me that she was going to meet her mother who had traveled into the city to meet her for dinner and was waiting for her at the park on my corner. I offered to come out and introduce myself since I thought the mother might like to know the person in whose home her daughter was working, and she readily agreed. Her mother didn’t ask to meet me and she didn’t seem anything like a helicopter parent. It just felt like the right thing to do. We are talking about a high school, not a college student, here.
Stay tuned for the view from my intern’s side. She’ll be working on that post as the culmination of the internship.
Anyone else grappling with this issue?
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Next Stop After Media Training
Cision | The Navigator
Whether you’re the entrepreneurial leader of a small start-up company or the CEO of a Fortune 100 company, the expectations of the media and other public audiences are one and the same:
1. They look to you for clear, accurate information about your company
2. They expect you to be the credible “face” of the entire organization
3. They want a compelling story from you or they’ll turn away and look elsewhere
On point #3 especially, while many company spokespersons, primarily CEOs, invest thousands of dollars in media training, the misconception is that once that power-exercise is complete, your training is over and you’re now ready for any media interview.
Quite the contrary, just as an exercise routine needs consistency and repetition to produce results, to stand out in an information-overloaded digital world, CEOs need to continuously brush up on their message delivery and story-telling skills.
While media training lays a foundation for how to be confident during an interview and respond to difficult questions, the key challenge many CEOs have is delivering key messages in every interview so they have a direct hand in shaping how the story is written. With the right interview technique and narrative about the company in a media interview, the story should write itself… and include important quotes that deliver the strategic messages.
Listen to the postcast: http://www.carabinerpr.com/docs/podcasts/CarabinerPR-Oct_07-Media_Training.mp3
click link above for rest of article....
Whether you’re the entrepreneurial leader of a small start-up company or the CEO of a Fortune 100 company, the expectations of the media and other public audiences are one and the same:
1. They look to you for clear, accurate information about your company
2. They expect you to be the credible “face” of the entire organization
3. They want a compelling story from you or they’ll turn away and look elsewhere
On point #3 especially, while many company spokespersons, primarily CEOs, invest thousands of dollars in media training, the misconception is that once that power-exercise is complete, your training is over and you’re now ready for any media interview.
Quite the contrary, just as an exercise routine needs consistency and repetition to produce results, to stand out in an information-overloaded digital world, CEOs need to continuously brush up on their message delivery and story-telling skills.
While media training lays a foundation for how to be confident during an interview and respond to difficult questions, the key challenge many CEOs have is delivering key messages in every interview so they have a direct hand in shaping how the story is written. With the right interview technique and narrative about the company in a media interview, the story should write itself… and include important quotes that deliver the strategic messages.
Listen to the postcast: http://www.carabinerpr.com/docs/podcasts/CarabinerPR-Oct_07-Media_Training.mp3
click link above for rest of article....
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Edelman Digital Bootcamp Morning Interviews
Take note........don't get left behind. Get inspired PR Pros.
Edelman's Digital Bootcamp
Go to
http://ministrymarketingprboot0629.eventbrite.com to reserve your
seat or order your CD - email pamperry@ministrymarketingsolutions.com
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Valorie Burton - Author - Speaker - Life Strategist
Valorie Burton - Author - Speaker - Life StrategistFormer publicist does good! There is hope for us all! ;)
Best selling CHRISTIAN AUTHOR - There is a distinction! PR Pro turned author, www.ValorieBurton.com
Best selling CHRISTIAN AUTHOR - There is a distinction! PR Pro turned author, www.ValorieBurton.com
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Careers In Public Relations: An Interns Core Skillset
College Grads...listen up...How to get a job in PR!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Ex-NFL Player Charged After Dog Attack - AOL Sports
Ex-NFL Player Charged After Dog Attack
AP
Posted: 2008-06-05 20:55:13
RICHMOND, Texas (June 5) - Former NFL linebacker Steve Foley was charged with a felony after his pit bulls bit a woman and killed her puppy.
Sports Figures Legal Woes
June 4, 2008: Former NFL player Steve Foley is charged with a felony for failing to secure his dogs after his pit bulls attacked a woman and killed her puppy.
June 4, 2008: Patriots lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April on a charge of illegal possession of oxycodone, according to the Boston Globe. The report said Kaczur then helped federal authorities in a sting operation that resulted in the indictment of a supplier.
June 1, 2008: Buffalo police are trying to find out if Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was behind the wheel during a hit-and-run incident in the nightclub section of the city.
May 29, 2008: The former Minnesota football player is sentenced to a year in the county workhouse after being convicted of criminal sexual conduct.
May 25, 2008: Authorities in Florida charge Chicago Bulls forward and former Florida star Joakim Noah with possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol.
May 23, 2008: Former NFL lineman Rich Tylski and his wife admit they abused their adopted daughter. Charges against Tylski will be dropped after he completes a program for first-time offenders.
Getty Images
May 23, 2008: Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda settles a plea deal with the county's Deputy District Attorney over marijuana possession.
Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
May 20, 2008: Saints defensive end Charles Grant is indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a February incident where a woman was stabbed in a nightlclub.
G. Newman Lowrance, Getty Images
May 20, 2008: Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton is sentenced for an assault near McDonald's.
Paul Thomas, AP
He surrendered at the Fort Bend County Jail on Wednesday and was released on a $10,000 bond, sheriff's spokeswoman Terriann Carlson said.A grand jury indicted Foley, accusing him of failing to secure the dogs. The two adult pit bulls attacked neighbor Twana Schulz on March 26, causing serious bodily injury when they bit her on the arms and face, according to court documents.Foley was not home when the attack occurred, said his lawyer, Paul Nugent. A conviction on the third-degree felony charge could result in two to 10 years in prison, Nuggent said.The 32-year-old Foley played with the Cincinnati Bengals (1998-02), Houston Texans (2003) and San Diego Chargers (2004-06).His career ended after he was shot by an off-duty police officer in San Diego in 2006. The Chargers released him in March 2007 with two years left on his contract. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and was sentenced to five years' probation.Schulz, 36, was walking to the corner to pick her daughter up from the school bus when she and the puppy were attacked. Foley's dogs were seized by animal control officers and put to death.Nugent said Foley kept two adult pit bulls and some puppies as pets. He said the pit bulls were "show dogs and pets, not fighting dogs" and had no previous history of attacks."It's a tragic accident," Nugent said. "Mr. Foley feels very sorry that it happened. He had no prior problems with the dogs."
Ex-NFL Player Charged After Dog Attack - AOL Sports
AP
Posted: 2008-06-05 20:55:13
RICHMOND, Texas (June 5) - Former NFL linebacker Steve Foley was charged with a felony after his pit bulls bit a woman and killed her puppy.
Sports Figures Legal Woes
June 4, 2008: Former NFL player Steve Foley is charged with a felony for failing to secure his dogs after his pit bulls attacked a woman and killed her puppy.
June 4, 2008: Patriots lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April on a charge of illegal possession of oxycodone, according to the Boston Globe. The report said Kaczur then helped federal authorities in a sting operation that resulted in the indictment of a supplier.
June 1, 2008: Buffalo police are trying to find out if Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was behind the wheel during a hit-and-run incident in the nightclub section of the city.
May 29, 2008: The former Minnesota football player is sentenced to a year in the county workhouse after being convicted of criminal sexual conduct.
May 25, 2008: Authorities in Florida charge Chicago Bulls forward and former Florida star Joakim Noah with possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol.
May 23, 2008: Former NFL lineman Rich Tylski and his wife admit they abused their adopted daughter. Charges against Tylski will be dropped after he completes a program for first-time offenders.
Getty Images
May 23, 2008: Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda settles a plea deal with the county's Deputy District Attorney over marijuana possession.
Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
May 20, 2008: Saints defensive end Charles Grant is indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a February incident where a woman was stabbed in a nightlclub.
G. Newman Lowrance, Getty Images
May 20, 2008: Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton is sentenced for an assault near McDonald's.
Paul Thomas, AP
He surrendered at the Fort Bend County Jail on Wednesday and was released on a $10,000 bond, sheriff's spokeswoman Terriann Carlson said.A grand jury indicted Foley, accusing him of failing to secure the dogs. The two adult pit bulls attacked neighbor Twana Schulz on March 26, causing serious bodily injury when they bit her on the arms and face, according to court documents.Foley was not home when the attack occurred, said his lawyer, Paul Nugent. A conviction on the third-degree felony charge could result in two to 10 years in prison, Nuggent said.The 32-year-old Foley played with the Cincinnati Bengals (1998-02), Houston Texans (2003) and San Diego Chargers (2004-06).His career ended after he was shot by an off-duty police officer in San Diego in 2006. The Chargers released him in March 2007 with two years left on his contract. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and was sentenced to five years' probation.Schulz, 36, was walking to the corner to pick her daughter up from the school bus when she and the puppy were attacked. Foley's dogs were seized by animal control officers and put to death.Nugent said Foley kept two adult pit bulls and some puppies as pets. He said the pit bulls were "show dogs and pets, not fighting dogs" and had no previous history of attacks."It's a tragic accident," Nugent said. "Mr. Foley feels very sorry that it happened. He had no prior problems with the dogs."
Ex-NFL Player Charged After Dog Attack - AOL Sports
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Do you have 1,000 True Fans?
The long tail is famously good news for two classes of people; a few lucky aggregators, such as Amazon and Netflix, and 6 billion consumers. Of those two, I think consumers earn the greater reward from the wealth hidden in infinite niches.
But the long tail is a decidedly mixed blessing for creators. Individual artists, producers, inventors and makers are overlooked in the equation. The long tail does not raise the sales of creators much, but it does add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices. Unless artists become a large aggregator of other artist's works, the long tail offers no path out of the quiet doldrums of minuscule sales.
Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail?
One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. While some artists have discovered this path without calling it that, I think it is worth trying to formalize. The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:
A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans
Source: Kevin Kelly
But the long tail is a decidedly mixed blessing for creators. Individual artists, producers, inventors and makers are overlooked in the equation. The long tail does not raise the sales of creators much, but it does add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices. Unless artists become a large aggregator of other artist's works, the long tail offers no path out of the quiet doldrums of minuscule sales.
Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail?
One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. While some artists have discovered this path without calling it that, I think it is worth trying to formalize. The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:
A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans
Source: Kevin Kelly
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Branding 101
Branding 101-Secure the Right Photo Image
Your Image Really is Everything!!
By Lenore Duda
Many times as a PR professional we are given the incredible opportunity to represent someone. Often, in those instances our efforts can be diluted when the person we are representing isn’t captured correctly on film. Whether or not you are being guided by your representative, you must know that your photo is just as important as the product or service that you may be selling. You should consider your photo as an extension of your brand. Media professionals, and producers look at the quality of the images they receive from your PR representative and consider it a part of the decision process. Often, if the story (i.e. press release or pitch) isn’t supported by a great photo image it can make the sale (you) much harder for us to deliver. It’s simple, bad images are less likely to get media placement. Image really is everything!
Here are some great basic steps that you can take to secure the right photo image. (Receive the complete article by emailing your request to info@fuzion-communications.com.)
By Lenore Duda
Many times as a PR professional we are given the incredible opportunity to represent someone. Often, in those instances our efforts can be diluted when the person we are representing isn’t captured correctly on film. Whether or not you are being guided by your representative, you must know that your photo is just as important as the product or service that you may be selling. You should consider your photo as an extension of your brand. Media professionals, and producers look at the quality of the images they receive from your PR representative and consider it a part of the decision process. Often, if the story (i.e. press release or pitch) isn’t supported by a great photo image it can make the sale (you) much harder for us to deliver. It’s simple, bad images are less likely to get media placement. Image really is everything!
Here are some great basic steps that you can take to secure the right photo image. (Receive the complete article by emailing your request to info@fuzion-communications.com.)
Let’s discuss!!! What steps are you taking to land the right look on film???
The Playbook Example: ESPN - Bowman, Taylor sentenced to 1 year of probation, community service - College Football
Bowman, Taylor sentenced to 1 year of probation, community service
Associated Press
BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- Two Penn State football players pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge in connection with an on-campus fight last year, resolving the last of the major legal problems for current team members.
Linebacker Navorro Bowman and defensive tackle Phil Taylor pleaded guilty Friday to a disorderly conduct charge in exchange for prosecutors' dropping more serious assault charges.
"You're never pleased to have to plead to anything," said Taylor's defense attorney Ron McGlaughlin.
"But from the standpoint that the matter is finally over with, I think it worked out appropriately."
The players were sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service by Centre County Judge Bradley P. Lunsford, who gave the players a stern lecture about being role models.
Taylor, who will be a junior in the fall, and Bowman, who will be a redshirt sophomore, had been kicked off the team while their cases were pending.
Sports information director Jeff Nelson said he has not received any update that would indicate either players' status with the team had changed.
Bowman and Taylor are among a number of Penn State football players who have been charged over the last year in connection to assaults.
"A lot of kids look up to them," McGlaughlin said, recounting Lunsford's talk. "When they act or engage in problems they obviously cause more problems than they realize."
Bowman's attorney, Stacy Parks Miller, said her client is eager to move on.
"My client's pleased to put this behind him, get on with his life, play football again and get back to school," Miller said.
Although authorities said more than a dozen players were seen on video surveillance near the altercation, police ultimately charged three players with beating a Philadelphia man who was attending a party at the campus student center Oct. 7.
Defensive tackle Chris Baker pleaded guilty to simple assault earlier this month and was sentenced to probation. Cornerback Knowledge Timmons -- who was charged for an altercation after the fight -- was placed in a probation program that will allow his record to be expunged upon completion.
Together, Bowman and Taylor must also pay more than $750 in restitution to the victim, and to the university for costs related to the clean up from the fight.
The cases were the last involving current football players being handled by Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira.
Former receiver Chris Bell still faces charges for threatening another player with a knife in a campus dining hall, but he was kicked off the team shortly after being charged.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
ESPN - Bowman, Taylor sentenced to 1 year of probation, community service - College Football
Associated Press
BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- Two Penn State football players pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge in connection with an on-campus fight last year, resolving the last of the major legal problems for current team members.
Linebacker Navorro Bowman and defensive tackle Phil Taylor pleaded guilty Friday to a disorderly conduct charge in exchange for prosecutors' dropping more serious assault charges.
"You're never pleased to have to plead to anything," said Taylor's defense attorney Ron McGlaughlin.
"But from the standpoint that the matter is finally over with, I think it worked out appropriately."
The players were sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service by Centre County Judge Bradley P. Lunsford, who gave the players a stern lecture about being role models.
Taylor, who will be a junior in the fall, and Bowman, who will be a redshirt sophomore, had been kicked off the team while their cases were pending.
Sports information director Jeff Nelson said he has not received any update that would indicate either players' status with the team had changed.
Bowman and Taylor are among a number of Penn State football players who have been charged over the last year in connection to assaults.
"A lot of kids look up to them," McGlaughlin said, recounting Lunsford's talk. "When they act or engage in problems they obviously cause more problems than they realize."
Bowman's attorney, Stacy Parks Miller, said her client is eager to move on.
"My client's pleased to put this behind him, get on with his life, play football again and get back to school," Miller said.
Although authorities said more than a dozen players were seen on video surveillance near the altercation, police ultimately charged three players with beating a Philadelphia man who was attending a party at the campus student center Oct. 7.
Defensive tackle Chris Baker pleaded guilty to simple assault earlier this month and was sentenced to probation. Cornerback Knowledge Timmons -- who was charged for an altercation after the fight -- was placed in a probation program that will allow his record to be expunged upon completion.
Together, Bowman and Taylor must also pay more than $750 in restitution to the victim, and to the university for costs related to the clean up from the fight.
The cases were the last involving current football players being handled by Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira.
Former receiver Chris Bell still faces charges for threatening another player with a knife in a campus dining hall, but he was kicked off the team shortly after being charged.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
ESPN - Bowman, Taylor sentenced to 1 year of probation, community service - College Football
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