Weekly manner

As we edge in to the week of holy day,we all call 'Christmas'.We all should be getting ready for shooping and the holidays.Here are my insights speaking to your Attitude-Man creates his Enviroment-mental,emotional and physical-By the attitudes he developes.'we are either the master or victim of our attitudes.It is a matter of personal choice-Blessings or curse.'Remember life is either a daring adventure or simply nothing' God bless and Seasons Grettings #wecan

posted from Bloggeroid

Twitter block button returns after users outcry

Twitter changed the functionality of
its block button Thursday, effectively
making it more like a “mute” button.
After considerable user outcry,
Twitter changed its block function
back to the way it was.
The whole thing happened over just a
few hours. Twitter’s initial change
was fairly quiet—there was no
announcement on Twitter’s blog or
even a tweet about it, only some
comments in a few articles—but once
users noticed that people they had
blocked were again following them,
they started openly asking why. People
who were blocked could read the
tweets of the people who had blocked
them and even respond to them, even
if the blocker couldn’t see those
responses.
Those questions quickly evolved into a
campaign that used the hashtag #
RestoreTheBlock. About 2,100 people
signed a change.org petition asking
Twitter to reinstate its previous block
function.
[RELATED: Ragan's biggest social
media conference returns to the
Walt Disney World Resort in April!
]
The campaign wasn’t simply about
people keeping their bosses from
reading their tweets. It raised some
serious concerns about stalking, abuse
and harassment.
I've been made AFRAID by people
on twitter. I've had them harass
me, harass people I follow, they
encourage their friends to
harass me.
— ashe dryden (@ashedryden)
December 12, 2013
The new Twitter block function
is like reporting a stalker to the
police and having them give you a
blindfold so you won't see them.
— Dave Hogg (@davehogg)
December 12, 2013
After a reported emergency executive
meeting, Twitter announced early
Friday morning in a blog post it would
change blocking back. It was some
lightning fast damage control.
We have decided to revert the
change after receiving feedback
from many users – we never
want to introduce features at
the cost of users feeling less
safe. Any blocks you had
previously instituted are still in
effect.
The post goes on to say that Twitter
will continue to investigate ways to
avoid what it calls “retaliation against
blocking.”
Some users worry just as much
about post-blocking retaliation
as they do about pre-blocking
abuse. Moving forward, we will
continue to explore features
designed to protect users from
abuse and prevent retaliation.courtesy-pr daily

posted from Bloggeroid

Fake-Interpreter at Mandela's memorial

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Anyone who has watched the funeral
of a major public figure or a good
many other events where speakers are
talking to huge crowds is familiar with
the practice of having a sign-
language interpreter on the stage to
relay remarks to the hearing-impaired
people in the audience.
One of those interpreters was on
stage at Tuesday’s memorial service
for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg,
South Africa, but, as it turns out, he
wasn’t signing at all. The man, who
stood right next to world leaders
including President Obama, was just
“flapping his arms around,” Cara
Loening, director of Sign Language
Education and Development in Cape
Town, told Agence France-Presse.
How in the world did this happen?
No one seems to know. According to
the New York Daily News , “Collins
Chabane—one of South Africa's two
presidency ministers—said the
government was investigating the
incident, but did not release any more
details about the bizarre stunt.”
Some reports indicate the man is the
African National Congress party’s
official interpreter and has been
present at previous events. People
have reportedly complained to the ANC
about him. The ANC doesn’t seem to be
confirming any of that, however.
[RELATED: Ragan's new
distance-learning site houses
the most comprehensive video
training library for corporate
communicators.
]
However the interpreter got onto the
stage, members of the deaf community
were outraged by his sign-language
gibberish. Interpreter Francois Deysel
pleaded for him to be removed from
the stage, for example:
@BrunoDruchen please can
someone ask the interpreter to
step down from stage, it is
embarrassing and making a
mockery of our profession
— Francois (@FrancoisDeysel)
December 10, 2013
Apparently fraudulent sign-language
interpreting is a widespread issue in
South Africa, according to Ingrid
Parkin, principal at St. Vincent School
for the Deaf in Johannesburg. Many of
the people who hire them don’t know
sign language themselves, so they
can’t adequately validate the
interpreter’s skills.
Obama doesn’t seem to have made any
remarks about the interpreter who
stood next to him on the stage, but he
may actually be grateful to him. The
controversy does seem to have
overshadowed the president’s “selfie”
at the service .
UPDATE: The interpreter, whose name
is Thamsanqa Jantjie, has claimed in a
series of interviews that he has
schizophrenia.
"What happened that day, I see angels
come to the stadium," he said.
A government minister did
acknowledge that Jantje is “not a
professional sign language
interpreter” and “the English was a
bit too much for him," according to
The New York Times.

posted from Bloggeroid

Sports persons pour tributes in

A man determined to do what south africa were needing #freedom-Many leading sports stars have paid
tribute to Nelson Mandela following the
death of the former South African
leader at the age of 95.
Former South Africa rugby union
captain Francois Pienaar famously
received the William Webb Ellis trophy
from Mandela after the Springboks
beat New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup
final.
Pienaar said: "The enormity of his
impact is very difficult for me to
describe.
"The impact he had on me as an
individual - I've been very blessed, I
was at the right place at the right
time, more so than any Rugby World Cup
captain before me and after me.
"What other President would have
picked up the phone and said 'Hi
Francois, how's the team doing - are
you all okay?
"But the team - what he did for the
team was wonderful to watch - that air
of confidence that he brought with him
and that unbelievable humility that
Madiba had is something that rubbed
off - and I never thought he would
wear a Springbok jersey!"
Joost van der Westhuizen, who played
in the 1995 World Cup final, said on
Twitter: "A sad day for our country.
Rest in Peace Madiba. Condolences to
his family and friends."
Current South Africa rugby union
international Bryan Habana tweeted:
"R.I.P Tata Madiba. Thank you for the
inspiration and hope. May your legacy
live on forever."
Everton's South African midfielder
Steven Pienaar tweeted: "In tears The
Father Of the Great Nation Have Past
On. R.I.P TATA MADIBA."
Cricket South Africa said on their
official Twitter account: "RIP Tata
Mandela. It is because of you that a
represented Proteas team can express
their talent across the globe #
mandela."
South Africa's one-day international
captain AB de Villiers tweeted: "Let us
now, more than ever, stick together as
a nation! We owe him that much. #
madiba you will be missed! #tata #
inspiration #leader."
South African golfer Gary Player
tweeted: "Nelson Mandela's courage,
forgiveness, love & hope inspired people
around the world. He made me want to
be a better man. RIP Tata."
Jamaica's superstar sprinter Usain Bolt
tweeted: "One of the greatest human
beings ever. May your soul rest in
peace. The world's greatest fighter."
Manchester United defender Rio
Ferdinand wrote: "RIP #NelsonMandela
- the real inspiration."
Manchester City defender Vincent
Kompany said: "RIP Nelson Mandela. No
words to describe the goodness you
have brought to this world. Sad to see
you go. Inspirational, my only ever
hero."
Saracens rugby union club wrote: "RIP
Nelson Mandela - He reminded the world
of the power of reconciliation and the
power of sport."
Former world heavyweight boxing
champion Mike Tyson tweeted: "I'm
hearing about Nelson Mandela's death
while on African soil in Oran, Algeria.
Sending prayers to Mandela's family."
Tennis world No 1 Rafa Nadal tweeted:
"Rest in peace Nelson Mandela, you
have been a role model to the world. My
most sincere condolences to family and
friends."
Former Holland international and
Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit said: "It's
a great loss of a great man. I am so
proud that I had some moments with
you. Thank you Madiba."
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo
offered his tribute, saying: "Thankful
Madiba for your legacy and your
example. You"ll always stay with us."
Brazil legend Pele: "He was my hero, my
friend, and also a companion to me in
our fight for the people and for world
peace."
Former England goalkeeper David James
tweeted: "When asked, who would I
most like to meet? I said, I have
already met him, Nelson Mandela, an
absolute honour. R.I.P."
England and Tottenham defender Kyle
Walker wrote: "RIP Nelson Mandela, a
truly great leader and inspiration."
Former England cricket captain Sir Ian
Botham tweeted: "A very sad day ...the
most remarkable and respected man
"Nelson Mandela" has passed away he
will be missed by all !! RIP."

posted from Bloggeroid

He sacrficed himself for the people

"The world hasnt lost a mere man but a great man.He ronconciled after his release and made africa and me inspired and proud with is dignity and honesty"-This was the words of KOFI HANNAN paying tribute to GREAT NELSON MADELLA.Not too suprised people paying tribute for the freedom fighter.He was loved by many even waited by many south africans when he was on jail for 27yrs.Many citzens of south africans will remember him for what he did.How he led the south africans unifying them.A man o peace in place of war.Though not all south africans are happy with all what he says but he is a father of south africa and africa at large.One main reason south africans are happy about is he comes to their aid always.Hardly was he seen in public places l,even in the year (1990).Mourns are all over those who loves him and recognized what he has done and left for the south africans.Not many south africans knows him.when he was in prison many didn't know what he was like but were waiting.Perhaps many described him as a great man,freedom fighter.However there are so many of his kind-the martin luther king jr but he 'Nelson tata Martino' was different.He had longetivity.He lived.Became president by its people.Supported and known not only in africa but in the world.His fight for liberation was mind-blowing and he was doing it with honesty.He was curb amd calm the human descrimination crisis-(Black and white).speaks peace.Brought peace,made peace to live and his loving inspired voice was loved whenever he speaks.An iconic figure bringing south africans together.Healing the wounds before walking again.Without division, a man who was a son of nobody,came in and unify the nation in one accord.One was not seen any where.He thinks of the future in place of the past,stabilise peace in place of fight and revenge.He was profoundly good and will be missed all over,Many will expressed their fellings on the source of inspiration to the world.He sacrificed himself for the people.He lived for the people and set an example for the world to see."He dosen't belong to us again he belongs to the ages"-pres obama(NELSON MADELA-THE INSPIRATOR)

posted from Bloggeroid

Solar suitcase saving moms and babies

Berkeley, California (CNN) - On a research trip in Nigeria, Dr. Laura Stachel watched as physicians performed an emergency cesarean section.


What happened next stunned her.

"The lights went out," Stachel recalled, "and I said, 'How are they going to finish?' "

She was even more surprised by the nonchalant response.

"You didn't even see people reacting because it was something they were so used to," she said.

Fortunately, Stachel had a flashlight with her, and the doctors were able to use it to complete the surgery. But during that two-week trip in 2008, she witnessed countless other times when the lives of mothers and babies were at risk simply because of a lack of reliable electricity. Pregnant women would arrive at the hospital with severe complications, but without adequate light to treat them, procedures had to be compromised or delayed until daylight. Some women were even turned away.

"I realized that my skills as an obstetrician-gynecologist were utterly useless (without) something as basic as light and electricity," Stachel said.

Stachel said midwives in Nigeria use all kinds of makeshift lighting when they deliver babies: kerosene lanterns, candles, even cell phones.

"That's not adequate light for maternity care," she said. "If somebody is hemorrhaging, if a baby needs resuscitation, you need to have directed light."

Nigeria is one of the 10 most dangerous countries in the world for a woman to give birth. In 2010, an estimated 40,000 Nigerian women died in childbirth 14% of all such deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations. Meanwhile, the neonatal mortality rate is also one of the worst in the world. Each year, about 4% of babies in Nigeria die before reaching 28 days old; for comparison, the United States rate is only a fraction of this at 0.4%.

Stachel said that in her two weeks in Nigeria, she saw more complications than she had in her entire career in the United States.

"Once I witnessed the things that I saw," she said, "I had to let people know, and I had do something about it."

With the help of Hal Aronson, her husband and a solar energy educator, Stachel worked to find a solution. He drew up designs for a solar electric system to provide a free source of power to the state hospital in northern Nigeria where Stachel had conducted her research.

While they raised funds for the project, Stachel returned to Nigeria with a small kit to help show what the system would be able to do: It had a couple of solar panels inside, some lights and walkie-talkies to improve communication.

The kit was only meant for demonstration purposes -- a miniature model of the larger system. But the surgical technicians saw it as something else.

"They said: "This is incredible. You have to leave this with us. ... This could help us save lives right now,' " Stachel said.

She did just that, and news of the kit soon spread to other clinics. So each time Stachel would return to Africa, she came with one or two new "solar suitcases" assembled by her husband.

Today, the solar suitcase includes two solar panels that are mounted on a clinic's roof and connected to high-quality LED lights. Once fully charged, it can provide light for up to 20 hours. The kit also contains headlamps, a fetal Doppler to monitor a baby's heart rate and a cell phone charging unit. Meanwhile, the neonatal mortality rate is also one of the worst in the world. Each year, about 4% of babies in Nigeria die before reaching 28 days old; for comparison, the United States rate is only a fraction of this at 0.4%.

Stachel said that in her two weeks in Nigeria, she saw more complications than she had in her entire career in the United States.

"Once I witnessed the things that I saw," she said, "I had to let people know, and I had do something about it."

With the help of Hal Aronson, her husband and a solar energy educator, Stachel worked to find a solution. He drew up designs for a solar electric system to provide a free source of power to the state hospital in northern Nigeria where Stachel had conducted her research.

While they raised funds for the project, Stachel returned to Nigeria with a small kit to help show what the system would be able to do: It had a couple of solar panels inside, some lights and walkie-talkies to improve communication.

The kit was only meant for demonstration purposes a miniature model of the larger system. But the surgical technicians saw it as something else.

"They said: "This is incredible. You have to leave this with us. ... This could help us save lives right now,' " Stachel said.

She did just that, and news of the kit soon spread to other clinics. So each time Stachel would return to Africa, she came with one or two new "solar suitcases" assembled by her husband.

Today, the solar suitcase includes two solar panels that are mounted on a clinic's roof and connected to high-quality LED lights. Once fully charged, it can provide light for up to 20 hours. The kit also contains headlamps, a fetal Doppler to monitor a baby's heart rate and a cell phone charging unit.

Over time, the solar suitcase has become simpler in design.

Over time, the solar suitcase has become simpler in design.

CNN's Diane McCarthy contributed to this report.
Courtesy Cnn service.This version page is first written in the CNN HEROES as the heroe was nominated for the worthy event for sharing and love hearted people.

posted from Bloggeroid

The new Twitter app features your location

Twitter rolled out the latest version
of its mobile app this month, and it’s
been generating a lot of buzz. In
addition to new search features that
enable users to navigate to specific
people or tweets, Twitter added the
option to filter tweets by media type,
such as photos or videos.
Perhaps the quietest change rolled up
into this update is a conspicuous
prompt for users to tag a location as
part of their tweets. This update has
compelling implications for any brand
monitoring and engaging consumers
through social media.
In the previous version of the app,
users had to choose to tag their
location through a two-step process
that was not widely used. (From 1 to 3
percent of all tweets are tagged with
location, according to recent studies.)
One reason why tagging a location on
Twitter has been less popular than on
other networks is that it didn’t
change the impact of the message. In
other words, a tweet authored from a
person’s living room would carry the
same meaning to its followers as it
would if it had been originated from a
shopping mall. Now that photos have
become a more prominent part of the
Twitter feed and as location carries
new status, location tags can provide
valuable context and eligibility to the
content.
With Twitter’s new feature, users are
now asked the question directly: “Are
you in Chicago, IL?” Simply tapping on
this question affirms a “yes” and
instantly tags the tweet with
location. This action also changes the
user’s default setting to
automatically share location for
future tweets until the function is
disabled. The result: more tweets with
location embedded in the content.
So, how can brands benefit?
Brand reps can use this location data
to more intelligently engage
customers or potential customers who
now have new status based on their
proximity to the business. Instead of
relying solely on keywords and brand
mentions, marketers can use location
data to initiate relevant
conversations with users who didn’t
tweet directly at them. Brand reps can
also harness this tagging feature and
promote usage to drive real-time
rewards, “surprise and delight”
campaigns, and new forms of priority
status for those at or near their
locations.
At Earshot, we recently conducted a
study that found more than 90 percent
of all tweets and Instagram posts
authored within a one-block radius of
a major retailer did not contain the
appropriate Twitter handle, hashtag,
or even the name of the brand. These
posts represented missed
opportunities to drive in-store traffic
and revenue for that particular
retailer, as many of them included
words like “shopping,” “shoes,” and
“sale.”
The question then became whether
consumers would be open to these
types of interactions with brands. Do
they find it intrusive when a brand
initiates a conversation even when
they weren’t directing their original
tweet at the brand? How could the
brand connect with them in a way that
generates a positive response?
We recently ran a test with one of our
clients to find out. Out of 175 unique
engagements between brand and
consumer over a 12-hour span, not a
single consumer response was
negative. Conversely, the
engagements actually drove positive
responses from consumers 18 percent
of the time as they were re-tweeted,
favorited, or led to a positive
conversation with that user. These
proactive engagements based on
proximity yielded invaluable earned
media and lift for the brand that
would have been previously missed.
The key is to keep it relevant, and for
brands armed with location data,
relevancy becomes much more
attainable.
There is untapped opportunity to
engage prospective customers who are
in a position to transact but often go
undiscovered. These are valuable
consumers who can wield their social
influence in a positive way while they
are in the midst of an experience with
the brand. In contrast to noisy,
unwelcome location-based ads, clever
conversations on social media can lead
to a deeper, more personal connection
and instantly create a stronger
relationship between brand and
consumer.
[RELATED: Prove the ROI of your
digital efforts after hearing
these top-rated case studies in
March.
]
With users bound to tag location more
frequently on Twitter, there is a new
frontier of possibilities to engage
users in relevant ways to win new
customers.
David Rush is the CEO and co-founder
of Earshot , a proximity-based social
media engagement platform for brands
and agencies. Say hello on Twitter @
davidmrush and @earshotinc .

posted from Bloggeroid

WELCOME DECEMBER 

Happy new month and as we are in December what we all are glued and will want to see is CHRISTMAS.Yes you and me cant wait for the Holidays to come and sharing of gifts to commence.I still remember when i was young that the christmas arrival was what i was awaiting for in the month (December) how i will make my christmas one that is unforgottable.Presently,things have changed i only prepare when am on hols for the christmas.One thing i realise about December is that the aura and winter of christmas jumps everyone's mind.Yet Christmas is around the corner in weeks to come.We all should start thinking of what Geniune thing and palce to visit and Do on the Happy day.I remember when i spent my christmas with my uncle and i told him that my destination for the day will be to visit people in need.Suprised?Dont be.it was needed for me to do it.i openly set a target to myself and it worked for me.What worked?GIVING.i enjoyed it.as that will be tilted the best christmas day...of course that didnt stop me to enjoy myself with my uncle.Most of my christmas experience was ofcourse chilling!But just that wasnt enough.if i have enough resources to go at it again i will surely give it a go.My christmas 2013 must be worth enjoyable and experience things i haven't.This month i call a month of 'liberation' is what you and me should pose out to others to experience liberty and most expecially showing from your heart the seed of love to those who need it. This is a message to your Attitude..As it has been consistently been added to the blog,quotes said by motivational speakers speaking to our behaviours for inspiration-- 'Always help people increase their self-esteem.Develop your skill in making other people feel important'By Donald laird.So my 'christmas day' experience will be shared to you the readers albeit am awaiting to hear your own experience.Have a blessful week and month. By Adewusi H.I

posted from Bloggeroid

Weekly manner (cont)

Of all the things you wear.Your expression is the most important.Readers--:If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers,it shows that he is a citizen of the WORLD we live in because he wanted to be and will surely see the fruit...Show love.save lives.Give.we all do this for future.remember you have played your part.Have a lovely week.BE PREPARED FOR DECEMBER.sow a seed!!!

posted from Bloggeroid

An Indian Advertisement

If you’ve been to an Indian wedding,
you’re probably aware of the amount
of gorgeous jewelry that’s worn by
the bride. One of the makers of that
jewelry—Tanishq—is facing backlash
for a commercial some Americans
might find completely innocuous.
Take a look at the ad in question:
See anything controversial? There are
two aspects of it that have Indians
buzzing. The top YouTube comment
—“wow! Finally, normal skin tone!”—
should give you a clue about the first.
Adweek reports that “agency Lowe
Lintas chose a lovely model whose skin
tone is apparently ‘duskier’ than that
of most advertising brides.”
The second aspect is a bit more
complicated. The ad depicts a bride who
is clearly getting married for the
second time. Widowed and divorced
women are generally not looked upon
favorably. By casting this woman, who
is getting married for the second
time, in a very positive light, Lowe
Lintas has challenged India’s status
quo. It’s huge for a country that
isn’t used to having its status quo
challenged.
[RELATED: Find out about our
November event that has
instruction for your entire
communications team.
]
Lowe Lintas India’s national creative
director, Arun Iyer, had this to say to
Livemint about the commercial:
“This is the thinking that most
progressive people have. They
may not be going through the
same thing in their life, but the
ad makes a bold, progressive,
statement and people like to be
associated with brands that
make such statements.”
He added that the agency was
conscious of the way the ad was
shot to ensure that it did not
come across too strongly. From
the casting of the actors “it had
to look like a marriage of equals,
not something that was done out
of pity,” to the execution of the
ad, to ensure that it looked like
a small, cozy wedding. “We didn’t
want it to look like we were
trying to make a point,” said
Iyer.Are Brands responsible to challenge the social norms?

posted from Bloggeroid

5 Handy twitter tools

Twitter is full of useful information,
but staying on top of your key people,
search terms, or hashtags can seem
like a full-time job.
In the past few years, several sites
have emerged that make tweeting,
tracking, and reporting as easy as the
click of a button. Here are five of my
favorites:
Click to Tweet: This is a handy tool for
providing the media with turnkey
Twitter content and also encouraging
them to Tweet the story quickly and
with your preferred messaging. Simply
go to the site, compose the tweet,
and then embed the link in the release
or pitch.
Mobile Alerts: Twitter mobile alerts
are by far the best service Twitter
offers its users. Basically, you can set
up mobile alerts for any person or
brand you follow.
When they tweet, it automatically
sends a text to your phone so you see
it immediately—very important for
select media members you need to
monitor and any clients who tweet
regularly.
It’s really easy to set up—just go
onto the Twitter feed for the person/
brand you’re following, click on the
little icon of the person’s head and
the last option in the dropdown menu
is “turn on mobile notifications.” Once
you set up the first one with your
phone number and the times you want
to get the texts, the rest are just a
click of a button.
Twilert: Twilert is super helpful and is
basically like Google Alerts for
Twitter. You can set up any search
term, and you’ll get a daily email with
all Tweets containing that search
term.
I recommend setting up a Twilert for
all your clients and any other
important search terms such as
“Jackson Hole” or “wedding in
Thailand.” Really, anything you want
or need to monitor.
Tweet Reach: I love this easy
reporting system for tweets. You can
choose a hashtag or link that you
want to track and quickly pull a Tweet
Reach report to measure the number
of tweets, their reach, and other cool
quantifiers.
It even includes pretty pie charts
(swoon). Tweet Reach offers the
report in an attractive PDF ready to
send to your team or clients or to
include in reports.
[RELATED: Ragan's new
distance-learning site houses
the most comprehensive video
training library for corporate
communicators.
]
Tchat: If you’ve ever participated in a
Twitter chat—either as a guest
contributor or a “listener”—you know
how annoying it can be to continually
refresh Twitter with the dedicated
hashtag and remember to include the
dedicated hashtag in each of your
tweets.
Enter Tchat. This handy site allows you
to input the hashtag and then easily
follow the chat on the site. Any time
you want to chime in, simply compose
your tweet and the hashtag
autopopulates. Brilliant.
Amy Ogden is the director of
marketing and development at J Public
Relations. A version of this story
originally appeared on the agency's
blog.(pr daily)Enjoy tweeting!

posted from Bloggeroid

Dear fams, Be a stone puller(edited post)

Monthly snag for y'all -There must be a change in your
attitude this week....every change in
human attitude must come through
internal understanding and
acceptance.Man is the only known
creature who can reshape and remoldb
himself by altering his attitude.always
do more than is required from you,I
charge you to take charge because it
is a must and normal for you to rise up
and face challenges....Have a realieved month my fams....

posted from Bloggeroid

Dear pr people...

Dear PR people : please take this quiz
before you send out another press
release or email pitch. Be sure you
know the answers to each of the 26
questions. (The correct answers are
below:)
1. Has the print, online or broadcast
reporter you are pitching ever covered
this topic?
2. Would this pitch or release elicit a
response from people who read it?
(Other than, “Oh crap, another press
release from hell!”)
3. Is this pitch or release bullshit?
4. Would anyone pass along a story on
this topic to a friend or colleague?
5. Have you Googled the reporters and
bloggers on your list so you know if
they’ve already covered your client’s
competitor?
6. Have you read your client or
competitors’ press releases?
7. Have you checked to see if any
blogs specialize in covering this topic?
Do you know the angle they take?
8. Can you make the copy shorter?
9. Should you pitch a blogger in the
comments on their blog?
10. Can you find the reporter or
blogger’s email if you take the time
to look?
11. Do you know how the blogger
prefers to be pitched?
12. Do you know the name of the
blogger’s dog so you can personalize
your pitch?
13. Have you read the current posts
on the blogger’s blog and can you
discuss them so you can personalize
your pitch?
14. Do you follow the blogger on
Twitter and know what he or she likes
to talk about so you can personalize
your pitch?
15. Do you know if the blogger is male
or female?
16. Should you pitch bloggers on
Twitter?
17. Should you tell your client to check
into advertising on the publication if
you’re really asking for a sales pitch
instead of a story?
18. Should you tell the reporter or
blogger that you know they will want
to cover this story?
19. Should you tell the reporter or
blogger that they should “support your
client’s brand?” (also see question 17)
20. Should you send a follow up email
saying “I just want to follow up on the
pitch I sent you last week,” and not
include the pitch in the email,
assuming that your email was the most
important one the reporter or blogger
read last week and that he/she
remembers every word?
21. Should you send weekly emails with
“content for your blog” without
checking to see if the blogger ever
uses guest posts?
22. Should you pretend you’re not a
publicist?
23. Should you have a phone number in
your pitch in case the blogger or
reporter actually wants to speak to
you?
24. Should you send bloggers
infographics containing huge ads for
your company?
25. Should you send links to content
that the blogger has to register to
view?
26. Should you read The Cluetrain
Manifesto before you send out
another pitch or write another press
release?
Answers: 1.Yes; 2.Yes; 3.No;
4.Yes; 5.Yes; 6.Yes; 7.Yes
8.Yes; 9.No; 10.Yes; 11.Yes;
12.Yes; 13.Yes; 14. Yes; 15.No;
16.No; 17.Yes; 18.No; 19.No;
20.No; 21.No; 22.No; 23.Yes;
24.No; 25.No; 26.Yes. dear-pr-people-please-take-this-quiz-before-you-send-out-another-press-release-or-email-pitch-...

posted from Bloggeroid

7excuses and solutions (why pr firms dont use image)

We’ve found there are six main
reasons why PR practitioners and
businesses avoid using images as part
of their communications.
We thought we'd suggest solutions to
these problems so you can start
creating more vibrantly eye-catching
and interesting content.
“Our product is boring. I don’t think
it would be a good subject for an
interesting picture.”
All the more reason you should use
creative images to enliven your
communications. Think of Innocent
Drinks. Their product is not unique,
but their social media content is
awash with images that are unrelated
to their product but fit with the
quirky image they’re trying to give
their brand’s personality.
However, if you don’t think this would
work for your brand then you should
consider thinking about how you can
create an emotive or humorous image
in some way connected to your
product. Look at this humorous
example for Webroot Internet
Security.
Another tip is to write down your
headline. What first comes to your
mind when you read it? Have you used
a metaphor? It's often easier to
match a picture to a headline than the
whole story.
“Professional photographers are too
expensive; I can't afford to pay for
photographs to accompany every press
release I send out.”
Professional photographers might not
be as expensive as you think. If you
plan wisely, you can get a lot for your
money.
Rather than hiring a photographer on
an individual campaign basis, consider
making a list of all the campaign
activities you will have in upcoming
months so you can think about the
images you might like to accompany
your documents.
It is much cheaper to hire a
photographer for a whole day and take
a wide range of shots to build your
photo library. This collection of
photographs can then be shared with
your whole team so they can have easy
access to photographs when they’re
creating documents and
presentations.
“We’re a small company we can’t
afford fancy digital cameras, never
mind a photographer.”
Don’t underestimate the power of
your smartphone or tablet. The number
of megapixels on these devices is
equivalent to the digital cameras
people were investing in only a few
years ago. Also the quality of apps,
such as Instagram, is continually
improving.
Though the images these devices
produce might not be of high enough
quality for printed materials, they can
certainly be used across social media
and in blog posts.
“I take terrible photographs; they
really wouldn’t be publishable.”
There are two websites worth
checking out if you would like to
improve your photography.
Writer and designer Adam Dachis has
put together a comprehensive guide
on Lifehacker that includes a number
of lessons for use with digital
cameras.
Expert Photography provides a
thorough Beginner’s Guide to
Photography and more than 250 other
articles to help you improve your skills
whether you are shooting with a
camera or a phone. It’s definitely
worth a read.
“I can never get my photographs the
way I like them. I would have to buy
expensive and complicated editing
software or pay someone to edit them
for me.”
Photoshop is the undisputed king of
photo editing. However, it's
notoriously complicated and expensive.
If you don’t want to fork out a whole
heap of cash there are great free
alternatives.
The best options we’ve come across
are getpaint.net and gimp.org .
According to PCMag.com : “Paint.net
lives in an interesting space between
very basic image manipulation
applications like Microsoft Paint and
robust big guys like Photoshop.”
Gimp.org is a credible competitor to
Photoshop, and it’s free. You can
combine it with Photoshop plug-ins
should you feel the package is not
extensive enough. Read
Brighthub.com’s review for details.
If you'd still rather use Photoshop but
don't want to pay for the full
package, try Photoshop Elements. It's
a basic version of the full package at
a fraction of the price.
“I am unsure of copyright laws so I
would rather avoid using other
people’s images.”
The Copyright, Designs, and Patents
Act of 1988 is notoriously complicated
and extends to more than 300
sections. Therefore, you should avoid
using other people’s photographs
unless you are absolutely certain you
are not infringing any copyrights.
When you need an image in a hurry,
it’s tempting to jump onto Google
Images, do a few searches, and see
what catches your eye. Of course,
many images will be copyrighted. To
find images you can freely use, use
the advanced search and tick the use
rights option that says, “free to use
or share, even commercially.” Even
then, please credit the original
photographer.
The same applies with Flickr, the
world’s largest photo-sharing site. Go
to the advanced search and select
“Creative Commons: find content to
use commercially.”
"I find the photographs on these
online stock sites are often very
cheesy."
Generally, it’s worth paying for stock
photography, although it's true you
have to look hard to find shots that
aren't bland, generic, or cheesy.
There's a knack to searching on these
sites. Try to think of conceptual
search terms that go beyond the
obvious. You might, for instance, look
for metaphors from nature or perhaps
the arts.
[RELATED: Learn the art of the
visual story at this November
video summit.
]
As with most things, you tend to get
what you pay for. Take a look at sites
such as Alamy, Shutterstock,
iStockphoto, and 123RF, and find the
cost/quality ratio you are comfortable
with. If you want to buy photos and
use them without restrictions, make
sure you search for “royalty free.”
So, these are just some solutions.
What do you think? Perhaps you have
some of your own tricks to add. Please
let us know in the comments below.
Adam Cranfield is the CMO of digital PR
firm Mynewsdesk. A version of this
story first appeared on the company's
blog.

posted from Bloggeroid

10 quetions to ask your pr agency

Making major decisions within your
organization such as brand direction,
where and when to expand your
territory, when and how to launch a
product, or choosing a PR agency to
work with can easily become taxing.
Decisions like these can be especially
challenging because they tie directly
into the success of your organization,
but you have to give up control to
experts who are not always working
side by side with you.
[RELATED : Learn why you NEED a
content marketing plan at our
December content marketing
boot camp
.]
Choosing a PR agency that cares
almost as much about your business as
you do is tough, but necessary because
you really don’t want to decide to
work with an agency only to be
disappointed, fire that agency, and
have to start the process all over
again.
It’s just not fun for anyone involved,
and it’s exhausting.
The process of selection: It’s a two-
way street
There are many of us who have
experienced buyer’s remorse, and the
street goes both ways.
Smart PR professionals know that
bringing a new client into the fold is a
process of communication, education,
and expectation on both sides.
When choosing a PR agency, there are
questions you can ask before
committing. You can even go back and
ask these questions if you’ve already
decided on a firm, to set expectations
for all parties involved.
Ten questions to ask when choosing a
PR agency
If you’re a PR professional, keep the
following questions in mind as you
work with new clients. If you address
them early on, you will be well on your
way to a better client experience and
agency relationship.
1. How do you measure results ? We
talk about measurement often on Spin
Sucks. That’s because it’s essential
to the success of an agency in
retaining clients and tangibly moving
the needle on ROI. Tip: Media
impressions and advertising
equivalency alone do not move the
needle and results they do not make.
2. How do you stay on top of current
events and trends ? This helps you
gauge whether an agency is growing
and adapting or is instead using a
more traditional approach. Is it
actively researching and engaging
influencers and uncovering new ways
to add value to your organization?
3. What will you need from our team?
This ties into things such as: Will we
need to create content or connect
your agency with an expert from our
team or will you manage those things?
How often will our organization need
to be available for meetings or
interviews?
4. How often should I expect to see
media coverage ? This question is
huge . You can’t leave the answer up
to interpretation. Even though an
agency may not give you an exact
number of times you will be covered by
the media on a monthly basis (this
isn’t advertising), they should be able
to at least provide you with a range.
It is absolutely and unapologetically
unacceptable to pay a monthly retainer
without receiving monthly coverage.
5. How do you integrate media
relations with other communication ?
This communicates that you are aware
of the need to integrate marketing
mediums and that you expect to keep
from being siloed. This is also a great
time to discuss how the agency
communicates media coverage to you
and your team so it can be leveraged
and repurposed throughout your
marketing channels.
6. How else can you help our
organization ? This is a great tag-on
to the above question. Yes, you’re
coming to this agency for media
relations, but it’s quite possible they
are successful in other areas, such as
blogging or social media.
7. Why should we choose you ? It may
seem like a no-brainer initially, but
this question can help you get a grasp
of what differentiates a particular
agency from another
.
8. Will we be expected to pay additional
fees? I have heard one too many
clients say they had additional fees
tacked on to secure “media coverage.”
If you have to pay a fee for an
interview or feature, that coverage is
not PR; it’s advertising. Note : This
does not include budget allowances for
special efforts such as blogger
reviews.
9. Do you have contacts within our
industry? If the answer is yes, ask to
see the coverage the agency has
secured within your industry. You may
decide to choose a PR agency even if
the reps don’t have industry contacts.
In that case, ask for case studies in
similar industries.
10. Do you have client experience
within our industry? Choosing a PR
agency that has had other clients
within your industry is a major plus.
That said, some clients see others in
the same industry as competitors. To
avoid a conflict of interest, find
similar industries where the agency
has experience.
Never underestimate the power of
asking
If you only take away one thing from
this post, let it be this: It’s OK to ask
questions, and you should.
Great PR agencies want to be a
partner and asset to your
organization. If you’re finding that is
not the case with your current
agency, then it might be time to make
a switch. Ask questions and try to
understand how you and your PR
agency can work together to further
the success of your brand.
A version of this article first appeared
on Spin Sucks.

posted from Bloggeroid

Britain furiously reacting over Gas hike

Heating and electricity utility British
Gas attempted to head off public
anger over a price hike by inviting
customers to a Twitter chat just
hours after the increase was
announced Thursday.
Our Customer Services Director
Bert Pijls will be taking part in a
Q&A about our price rise at
1-2pm. Tweet your questions
using #AskBG !
— British Gas (@BritishGas)
October 17, 2013
What the company got instead was
more vitriol than it could handle.
According to The Guardian, 16,000
people tweeted at British Gas using
the #AskBG hashtag, and nearly every
tweet was a knockout punch. Many of
them included “greed” and/or “death.”
#askbg. Did you forget the
balaclava? Isnt that normal in a
planned robbery?
— James Hobson (@
jamesdhobson) October 17, 2013
I've found a cheaper way of
heating than British Gas #AskBG
pic.twitter.com/7EVMTbi5Q0
— Tony Shepherd (@tony_sheppy)
October 17, 2013
The price hike in question is a double
whammy: Electricity rates will go up by
10.4 percent and the gas tariff will
increase by 8.4 percent starting Nov.
23. The average annual cost of energy
will go up £120.
Ian Peters, managing director of
British Gas Residential Energy, said
the price increase is a result of
skyrocketing costs. He also defended
the choice to hold the Twitter chat.
“I would not describe this as a PR
disaster,” Peters told The Guardian .
“We have made a commitment to be
open and transparent. These are
tough decisions we have had to take in
tough times, and it would not be right
of us to hide away and not explain
ourselves.”
Many of the utility’s explanations—it
largely referred customers to its
website and a phone line for people
struggling to pay bills—got lost in the
pile-on, however. Maybe waiting a few
days after the announcement would
have given customers a chance to cool
off.
[RELATED: Find out about our
November event that has
instruction for your entire
communications team.
]
London Loves Business posted a
screenshot of a British Gas job listing
for a social media manager, noting
that Twitter commentators were
speculating over whether the vacancy
had anything to do with Thursday’s
chat.

posted from Bloggeroid

@Holidays must do for pr pros,Brand marketers,social media specialists

Summer has said its goodbyes, and the
road to the holidays is just around the
bend.
As marketers, planning ahead is
crucial, and given that most shoppers
start their holiday gift gathering just
after Halloween
, it’s not too early to hang the social
media ornaments. (Not to mention
that Hanukkah begins the night
before Thanksgiving
this year.)
The holidays are the most crowded
time on social media. It can be difficult
standing out in the marketing frenzy
before December, but it is essential
that you get it right. Here are some
tips and platforms that can help
marketing, PR, and social media pros
harness the power of the holidays:
The more the merrier: Plan multiple
campaigns to increase engagement and
sales. Design them to target niche
audiences with specific rewards and
gifts. Space them out, though; don’t
release six different promotions in
one week. Social marketing platform
OfferPop reports that while brand
holiday campaigns spike in the second
week of December, there is a high fan
participation rate in early and mid-
November. That’s a great window to
kick off holiday campaigns or
introduce a heavy hitter, such as a
holiday shopping spree contest or a
one-day, half-off coupon special.
Coupons: Speaking of coupon specials,
no, they’re not just for the crazies
on TLC. Fans love getting discounts
from brands during the holidays, and
it’s an easy and obvious incentive to
shop at a specific establishment for
gifts. Coupons should have a small
shelf life during the holidays, and can
be offered in the form of codes (make
graphics fans can share) or you can
plan a more complex process, such as
codes that, once used, unlock more
savings.
Mobile coupons are essential. Make
them easy to pull up at the register
from the Facebook page or Twitter
account. As OfferPop’s Mark Cooper
states, “The download-and-print
coupon days are well behind us. Make
sure you’re making mobile a priority.”
Don’t neglect channels: Facebook is
the network to focus efforts on, but
don’t forget to use popular sites such
as Instagram and Pinterest for
holiday-themed campaigns. Niche
campaigns specific to the networks
are an obvious choice, such as winning
a dream “board” or an outdoor photo
and hashtag contest.
Allocate big budgets to social media
during the holidays: Planning ahead
means setting budgets for
advertising, design, etc. Allocate the
greatest amount of ad dollars for
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the
second week of December, as they are
the highest traffic times. Give your
campaigns plenty of attention, but
also use your dollars on tactics aimed
to increase your overall fan base.
Sponsor posts, and buy ads.
[RELATED: Ragan's new
distance-learning site houses
the most comprehensive video
training library for corporate
communicators.
]
Run Timeline contests: Facebook’s
recent announcement that contests
no longer had to be run through a
third-party app opened a door of
opportunity for fan pages. Take
advantage by running holiday-related
contests on the Timeline to engage
your fans. Ask for shares and “likes”
so it’s more likely to be seen by
friends of fans.
If you’re dry for contest ideas or you
have a variety of pages you must
monitor, consider using Post Planner.
It just launched a feature that has
more than 300 built-in contests you
can pick from, quickly edit, and post
directly to your page. Make sure they
are holiday oriented.
The main idea is to plan far ahead and
get creative. Give everything you do
on social media a little touch of holiday
magic or cheer. Don’t forget the
green and red—not to mention the
blue and white—holiday colors.
Abbi Whitaker is the president of The
Abbi Agency . Follow her on Twitter @
abbijayne or @theabbiagency , and visit
her blog, where a version of this story
first appeared.

posted from Bloggeroid

Social media is important to firms

Most businesses that invest heavily in
social media tend to forget one key
component to maximizing their
success in developing direct
relationships with their audience:
They forget to be social.
Much effort and attention is given to
creating valuable content, publishing
at just the right time to maximize
impressions, determining what
triggers to use to incite sharing,
figuring out how to encourage
comments and “likes,” and more.
All of this is great, but there isn’t
anything social about publishing
content and hoping for virality metrics
to shoot through the roof. Even
replying to comments left on blog
content, Facebook updates, tweets,
and Google+ posts isn’t truly being
social.
Think about it in the context of your
life. You don’t go to a party, see
some guy standing in the corner all by
his lonesome, and think, "Man, that
guy is really putting himself out
there!" He’d probably answer a
question if you asked him, but he’s
not doing anything to garner
attention, attract people to him, or
develop connections or relationships.
Except for rare circumstances,
businesses and brands simply cannot
develop meaningful relationships with
consumers on social media without
behaving socially.
The beautiful thing about social media
is that it gives businesses the
opportunity to speak with their
audience, including current and
prospective consumers. That’s
powerful stuff.
Initiate a dialogue.
If you are hoping to develop real
relationships with your consumers,
attract them to participate in the
discussions that are occurring on your
social media properties, and encourage
them to be social, I strongly
encourage you to initiate a dialogue
with them on their preferred online
turf.
By initiating an exchange, you are
greatly enhancing the probability that
you will not only receive a reply, but
also generate a dialogue. When you
create a dialogue with your
consumers, you’re going to
understand them better, learn what
they want, fully comprehend their
needs, and figure out how to provide
tremendous value with your products,
services, and content.
Develop direct relationships with your
consumers.
You are also going to greatly increase
the value of the interactions you have
with your consumers if there is some
give and take. Nobody wants to be
involved in a relationship in which they
are simply broadcast to. That’s not a
relationship at all. People want to
influence the course of a discussion.
This can be unnerving to reps at
businesses and brands accustomed to
retaining control of their
communications, but it is also
extremely exciting if you can adapt,
learn, and be nimble enough to take
advantage of the tremendous value
that direct relationships with
consumers can yield.
If there is one thing to take away
from this post, it is to find ways for
your business to be more proactively
social on social media. You don’t sit on
your hands waiting for consumers to
learn about your business or brand in
the offline world. You market,
advertise, write press releases, work
to generate word of mouth, and
develop and build relationships. All of
this is proactive and action oriented.
[RELATED: Learn the art of the
visual story at this November
video summit.
]
On social media you should really be
doing the same. Try to avoid turning
social media into a broadcast channel
for your content, and get involved
with your consumers where they are
interacting and engaging on the social
Web.
How do you engage socially with your
consumers online?
Matthew Peneycad blogs , tweets, and
posts as RGB Social with the aim of
sharing his advertising agency
experience in social media and digital
marketing with businesses and brands
of all sizes. A version of this story
also appeared on Social Media Today.

posted from Bloggeroid

Focus on arsenal past players

Greatest 50 Players - 13. Kanu
Olympic Gold medal winner Kanu arrived
at Arsenal in 1999 already boasting an
impressive haul of accolades and
trophies. By the time he left North
London five years later, he had added
two Premier League titles and two FA
Cup medals.
But it wasn’t always plain-sailing for
the Nigerian striker.
In 1996, after leading his nation to
Olympic glory in Atlanta, Kanu
underwent a medical examination at
Inter Milan — he had moved to the
Italian giants from Dutch outfit Ajax
Amsterdam with whom he won the
Champions League — and the result
was harrowing. It was revealed that
the marksman was suffering a serious
heart defect, and in November of that
year Kanu had surgery to replace an
aortic valve.
Far from let the adversity get him
down, Kanu used his experience, and
already escalating fame in Africa, to
set up the Kanu Heart Foundation, an
organisation that helps predominantly
young people on the continent.
His philanthropic work is just an
example of his human touch. Kanu’s
touch was equally good on the football
pitch.
He joined the Gunners in the wake of
Nicolas Anelka’s departure to Real
Madrid and, at first, failed to woo the
crowd with his languid demeanour
around the pitch. Soon, though,
Kanu’s attributes became apparent
and the cheeky smile he carried with
him throughout won over the Highbury
faithful.
Kanu could operate both as a target
man or as a deep-sitting conductor of
play. He had the ability to bamboozle
defenders in the blink of an eye, using
superb close control to wriggle out of
tight spots. He was often the scorer
of great goals, too.
His delicious flick-of-the heel goal in
a 6-1 rout against Middlesbrough
springs straight to mind, as does the
time in a North London derby when he
scooped the ball over a despairing Luke
Young before emphatically burying the
ball beyond Ian Walker.
However the moment Kanu will best be
remembered for was the mesmeric
finale to a 17-minute hat-trick at
Stamford Bridge in 1999. Having
already notched twice to haul Arsenal
level with Chelsea, the Nigerian sealed
victory with one of the finest goals in
the history of the Premier League. He
won possession by the left by-line and
found himself faced with, first, an
out of position goalkeeper, then two
defenders and a narrowing angle. Ed
de Goey was slithered past with a
subtle shimmy before Kanu unleashed a
curling effort which arrowed into the
far top corner.
The points were Arsenal’s and a place
in the Club’s history was Kanu’s.....courtesy...www.arsenal.com *visit for more of arsenals 50 greatest players*

posted from Bloggeroid

7 Insights from master story teller -Tom clancy

Many in the literary world were
rendered speechless today when news
broke of the death of acclaimed spy
and military writer Tom Clancy at age
66.
The author, whose works include “The
Hunt for Red October,” “Clear and
Present Danger,” and “Patriot
Games,” is being remembered as a
“ favorite storyteller of the American
military
.”
CNN praised Clancy “for writing
meticulous thrillers focusing on
political intrigue and military tactics
and technology.”
Through Clancy’s brilliant storytelling,
the world got to know CIA agent Jack
Ryan, the main character in most of
the best-selling novels.
No other American novelist could take
20 pages to describe the intricacies of
a wire within an explosive device.
The following quotes from Clancy shed
light on his prolific career—and offer
insights for writers of all sorts:
“Writing is hard, miserable,
lonely work…You have to play to
win.”
“The difference between fiction
and reality? Fiction has to make
sense.”
“You learn to write the same
way you learn to play golf. You do
it, and keep doing it until you
get it right. A lot of people think
something mystical happens to
you, that maybe the muse kisses
you on the ear. But writing isn’t
divinely inspired – it’s hard
work.”
“Books and movies are different
art forms with different rules.
And because of that, they never
translate exactly.”
“Fundamentally, I think of myself
as a storyteller, not a writer.”
“I was one of the first
generations to watch television.
TV exposes people to news, to
information, to knowledge, to
entertainment. How is it bad?”
“Success is a finished book, a
stack of pages each of which is
filled with words. If you reach
that point, you have won a
victory over yourself no less
impressive than sailing single-
handed around the world. Maybe
you'll get published. Maybe you
won't.”
Clancy, a former insurance agent, sold
more than 50 million books worldwide.

posted from Bloggeroid

How to use Social media to get a job

Recent grads know how to use social
media for personal matters—to chat
with friends, to find information, and
to coordinate events—but not when it
comes to using online networks to find
a job.
They just don’t know where to start,
and no one at their respective
academic institutions is helping them.
So here are four ways to use social
media to find that first job. (Keep in
mind, social media should not be the
primary way to find a job—simply a set
of tools.)
Establish a digital home base.
For many, this is going to be LinkedIn.
For a much smaller number of
students/grads, this could be a blog.
Let’s start with LinkedIn, as that’s
the “home base” for the lion’s share
of grads. What’s interesting is the
amount of recent grads with no
LinkedIn profile at all. If you fall in
that camp, change that ASAP.
LinkedIn is often the first place
hiring managers and HR reps will look
for information about you. When they
look and find nothing (or an incomplete
profile), what do you think that says
about you? A complete, optimized
LinkedIn profile is table stakes in
today’s job search environment.
Students don’t have a lot of job
experience to list, but that’s no
excuse. List jobs you had in college
(both relevant to PR, and those that
don’t seem to be). List professional
organizations you’re a part of (PRSA,
etc.). Include widgets for your blog
and Slideshare (for presentations you
may have given in school or as part of
PRSA, etc.). Be sure to have a short,
punchy summary, and share stories/
links on LinkedIn regularly—it proves
you’re an “active participant” on the
social network. Employers like active
participants.
Bonus points: Ask a couple of your
favorite professors—and maybe even a
student leader or two—to write you a
recommendation. Very few recent
grads have online recommendations,
given their lack of professional
experience, so this is a nice way to
distinguish yourself from the
competition.
Start a blog today.
One of the refrains I hear from
college students is: “I’d like to start
a blog, and know it’s important, but
would I blog about?” My response:
Anything. Blog about PR. Blog about
cookies. Blog about running.
Start blogging now. Why? For several
reasons:
1. It’ll hone your writing skills.
Blogging two or three times a
week will help you become a
better writer—a key skill among
younger pros.
2. It’ll also help you refine your
creative process (coming up with
two or three posts a week isn’t
easy). The longer you blog, the
more it shows deep commitment.
(Keeping a blog running also isn’t
easy.)
3. It’ll also give you a great tool
to use during the interview.
What better way to showcase
your writing than to show the
potential employers samples from
your blog? You could even write
posts about the potential
employer prior to your interview
that you could showcase in the
interview (5 reasons COMPANY X
is doing a great job with PR). I
mean, what employer wouldn’t
love that in an interview?
The big X factor here is
differentiation. How many recent
grads have longstanding blogs? I’m
guessing not many. One in 10 maybe?
Be among the elite 10 percent.
Increase your hiring odds. Start a
blog.
Use Twitter to network and show your
personality.
I often tell students that if I were
22, I would be thrilled with the
current environment. Why? Because
tools like Twitter have completely
flattened the playing field and put me
on the same level with my peers.
With Twitter, you now have access to
CEOs of agencies, HR specialists at
Fortune 500 companies, and other
employees who might work for the
employer you’re targeting. That simply
didn’t exist when I graduated. I had
little idea who many of those people
were.
Now,you can talk to them in real-time
online whenever you’d like. Now, I’ll
grant you, getting their attention can
be a challenge, but the opportunity is
there. Grab it.
Start Twitter lists of agencies you’re
targeting in your job search. Start
another list for employees who work
at that agency (cross-reference with
LinkedIn, and use Google to find
Twitter accounts). Start yet more
lists to find recruiters at companies/
agencies you’re targeting; you can
also follow #happo for job referrals
every day on Twitter. Twitter is the
ultimate door-opener—use it to meet
colleagues before the interview, as a
precursor to coffee meet-ups, and as
a way to get to know others in the PR
industry.
Use social media to build a real
network.
It’s great to have 10,000 followers on
Twitter, but do you know what’s
better? To have a network of people in
your local community willing to help you
at a moment’s notice. Ask my friend
Heather Cmiel, who recently relied on
her network to help her get a gig at
Bellmont Partners PR.
Use social tools such as Twitter,
LinkedIn, and your blog to grow that
“in person” network? How? By using
Twitter and LinkedIn as door openers
to coffees—where you can really
connect with people.
Remember, you’re most likely going to
find that first job (and subsequent
jobs) via your in-person network—
those people you’ve met face to face,
who know your full name, who know a
bit about your experience, who believe
in you. That kind of depth can’t be
cultivated on Twitter or LinkedIn
alone, but you can use those tools to
have people meet you in person, so you
can nurture that kind of relationship.
Remember, once you do get a few
coffee meet-ups, don’t treat them
lightly. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Twitter/LinkedIn are door-openers.
The coffee meet-up is an entrée, and
it’s up to you to close the deal.

posted from Bloggeroid

Its official BBM for Android its here(septenber 21/2013)

App will be free and available for
devices running Ice Cream Sandwich
and higher
BBM for Android (and iOS) is certainly
one of the most popular ideas to come
out of Waterloo in a while. There have
been tons of rumors and speculation,
but BlackBerry has finally set a date —
September 21 for Android, September
22 for iOS.
The app, which will be free for folks
running ICS (Android 4.x) or higher,
has plenty of the same features that
have made it a favorite among
BlackBerry fans. Here are the
highlights, in handy bullet-point form:
BBM Chat – Enjoy real, immediate
conversations with friends on
Android, iPhone and BlackBerry
smartphones. Not only does BBM let
you know that your message has
been delivered and read, it also
shows you that your friend is
responding to the message.
More than chat – With BBM you can
share files on your phone such as
photos and voice notes, all in an
instant.
Keep your group in the loop – Multi-
person chats are a great way to
invite contacts to chat together.
BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30
friends to chat together, and go a
step further than multi-chat by
sharing photos and schedules. And,
with Broadcast Message, you can
send a message out to all your BBM
contacts at once.
Post Updates and stay in the know
– BBM lets you post a personal
message, profile picture and your
current status, and lets your
contacts know instantly in Updates.
Your unique PIN – Every BBM user
has a unique PIN that maintains
your privacy, so you don’t have to
give out your phone number or
email address to a new or casual
contact.
In addition, BlackBerry says video and
voice calling are planned for the
Android version in the future.
The app is insanely popular across the
globe. In fact, it's enough to have
kept people on the BlackBerry platform
while others have migrated away in
droves to offerings from Google and
Apple. Will the app have the same
popularity on platforms where it has
some serious competition is the
question everyone is asking. We don't
have that answer, but you can bet
some of us here will be giving it the
old college try.
Source: BlackBerry

posted from Bloggeroid

6 Things that pr pros can learn from vladimir putin

It raised eyebrows when Russia
seemed to seize the communications
initiative on Syria, picking up on a
stray comment by U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry to call for a
diplomatic solution to the mess. But
it’s downright shocking that Russian
President Vladimir Putin made his case
with a bylined column in The New York
Times Wednesday (a piece placed by PR
firm Ketchum).
In calling for restraint in the use of
military force in Syria, Putin suggests
that the use of poison gas that killed
thousands was actually perpetrated by
Syrian rebels—an accusation that the
White House immediately shot down.
But Putin’s reasonable tone and
elegant language make such a “false
flag” attack almost credible.
It is in Putin’s final paragraph that
the former KGB strongman really lets
loose and shows his communications
chops. In what seems a direct
response to President Obama’s
Tuesday address, he challenges the
concept of American exceptionalism.
Pushing back against Obama’s earlier
reference to what makes our nation
different, Putin warns that it is
“extremely dangerous” to encourage
people to see themselves as
exceptional and reminds us that “we
are all different, but when we ask for
the Lord’s blessings, we must not
forget that God created us equal.”
Astonishing, considering the source: A
man whose government has taken a
shellacking in recent months over a
highly restrictive anti-gay law and for
silencing critics thereof.
The U.S. response to the editorial has
been cynical, but from a
communications perspective, the piece
is very instructive. Putin and his PR
handlers have done several things that
can be very effective when making a
case in public.
Find common ground. The Russian
president opens by reminding us of
historic bonds between our two
nations and our many shared
accomplishments. He even tries to
soften us up by mentioning the Nazis.
Reframe the argument. Putin
describes the Syrian conflict not as a
struggle for democracy— that most
precious of American ideals—but as an
ethnic and religious war abetted by
mercenaries.
[RELATED: Learn to write
smarter at our PR Writers
Summit.
]
Sow seeds of doubt and fear. In a
calm, reasoned tone, Putin suggests
that the U.S. version of events does
not correspond to reality. More
skillfully, he expresses concern for
the consequences of Syrian military
action.
Exploit weakness. As if on behalf of
the American people, Putin questions
why we would want to “repeat the
mistakes” of the past by becoming
embroiled in the Syrian conflict. Of
course, this echoes many domestic
discussions, and he knows that very
well.
Invoke core values. He then cites the
prized American ideal of equality for
all people, our most cherished core
value, and turns it upside down to
make his case for non-intervention.
Even bolder, he invokes America’s
tradition of religious freedom and our
Judeo-Christian tradition by
mentioning God.
Bypass intermediaries. In his
editorial, Putin mounts his appeal
directly to the American people. That’s
another reason why his closing
paragraph, as disingenuous as it may
be, is so resonant.
Dorothy Crenshaw is CEO and creative
director of Crenshaw Communications.
She has been named one of the public
relations industry’s 100 Most
Powerful Women by PR Week. A version
of this story originally appeared on
her agency's ImPRessions blog.

posted from Bloggeroid

AN article on D'banj written by the NewYork Times

Famous magazine, The New York
Times did a review of his latest
album, DKM and here is what
they had to say: -
D’Banj is one of the great African
pop stars of the past decade, a
charming singer but, more
important, a savvy showman.
For years, this Nigerian singer
was at the center of the Mo’Hits
Records stable, but now he’s
struck out on his own with a new
label and the compilation
“D’Banj Presents DKM (D’ King’s
Men)” (DB/G.O.O.D./Sony).
It’s an alluring contemporary
pop album with an emphasis on
king-size dance music, like the
militarily efficient “Don’t Tell Me
Nonsense” and the flash of last
year’s excellent smash hit “Oliver
Twist.”
D’Banj is also a savvy synthesizer
of the old and new Africa, as on
“(We the Best),” a duet with the
Congolese singer Fally Ipupa.
But really, D’Banj has his eye on
the world; he’s signed to Kanye
West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint,
and the lovely “Scape Goat (The
Fix)” features what’s certainly
the most cheerful version of Mr.
West you’ll hear this year, or any
year.courtesy Infoemation Nigeria.org

posted from Bloggeroid

The top 20 richest nigerians presently:(

This trend of various list is really
getting annoying and boring,
but…… we still like to know
right?!?
So, here goes the list of top 20
Nigerian billionaires presently.
The list was based on:
The value of their shares held in
quoted companies, the size and
market share of their companies,
the number of companies they
own and its assumed value, the
market value of their company’s
brand and the impact of their
companies on the Nigerian
economy.
Despite the harsh terrain and
business challenges involved with
starting a business in Nigeria; the
successful entrepreneurs listed
below held their ground and
fought their way to the top.
In a country with a population of
over 160 million inhabitants and
millions of businesses; these 20
entrepreneurs diligently carved
their names in the sands of time.
LIST: -
*.Alhaji Aliko Dangote – founder
of Dangote Group, Richest man in
Africa and Richest black man in
the world
*.Mike Adenuga – Conoil,
Equatorial Trust Bank, Globacom
*.Femi Otedola – ZENON Oil and
Gas
*.Orji Uzor Kalu – Slok Group
*.Cosmos Maduka – Coscharis
Group
*.Jimoh Ibrahim – Nicon
Insurance, Global Flee
*.Jim Ovia – Zenith Bank,
Visafone
*.Pascal Dozie – MTN Nigeria,
Diamond Bank
*.Oba Otudeko – Honeywell
Group Nigeria
*.Alhaji Sayyu Dantata – MRS
Group
*.Umaru Abdul Mutallab –
former Chairman First Bank Plc,
Mutallab Group
*.Prince Samuel Adedoyin –
Doyin Group
*.Dele Fajemirokun – Chaiman
Aiico Insurance, Xerox Nigeria,
Chicken Republic, Kings Guards
etc.
*.Chief Cletus Ibeto – Ibeto Group
*.Raymond Dokpesi – Daar
Communication, AIT,
*.Tony Ezenna – Orange Group
*.Chief Molade Okoya Thomas –
Chairman CFAO Nig and other six
french companies
*.Ifeanyi Ubah – Capital oil and
gas
*.Leo Stan Ekeh – Zinox
Computer
*.Fola Adeola – GTBank /courtesy Information Nigeria.org

posted from Bloggeroid

How to develop bad news to any audience

Raising your prices? Cutting
services? Not giving out staff
bonuses this year? Putting an
employee on probation?
No one wants to deliver this kind
of unwelcome news—or receive.
But sometimes it’s a necessary
evil of doing business, and
you’re the unfortunate soul who
has to bear the burden. Here are
five tips to mitigate the drama:
1. Let your own emotions run
their course before you have to
share the news with others. You
may not like or agree with the
news you must deliver, but there
is a reason why it needs to be
done. Come to terms with it so
you don’t bring your negative
emotional energy to the
communication. Your audience
will take its cue from your
approach, and if you’re
defensive, nervous, weepy, or
angry, it will only fuel their
negative response.
2. Restrict your build-up and get
to the point. By the time people
get through six long paragraphs
of posturing and pussyfooting in
your email or press release,
their B.S.-radar is on high alert
and involuntary butterflies in
their stomach are flooding their
brain with negative emotion. So,
when you finally hit them with
the unpleasant punch line in that
last paragraph, their adverse
reaction is intensified by the
emotions you nurtured in them.
The same thing holds true for
verbal delivery. Often, the
anticipation is worse than the
actual news.
3. Consider the timing carefully.
Procrastinating often makes it
worse (especially if there is a
rumor mill in the mix), but
rushing to break the news just
because you want to put it
behind you comes with great
risk. A knee-jerk communication
is usually delivered with clouded
judgment, high emotion, and a
lack of due diligence. Most
importantly, consider when this
news will best be received. Bad
news is never welcome, but
before you decide on the ideal
time consider factors such as
time, day, and your audience’s
state of mind.
4. Avoid misdirection and
trickery. It’s tempting to load up
bad news communication with a
bunch of good news in the hopes
of distracting your audience.
However, it will only damage
their trust in you. You may
choose this path because it
makes you feel better (“See?
I’m not that bad—look at all the
good things I’m still sharing.”)
but to the news recipient, it
just looks wishy-washy and
weak. And in many cases, it can
give the appearance of
trivializing serious news and not
treating it with the respect it
deserves.
5. Remember that nothing is
confidential. Emails can be
forwarded, and social media is
designed to be the world’s
fastest grapevine. Whatever you
do—whatever you say—before
you “go there,” answer this
question: How would I feel if 50
million people knew about this
tomorrow? Nothing tames you
into acting gracefully like the
thought of being vilified by an
outraged public. United Airlines
(among other companies) learned
this lesson the hard way.
Above all, you must remember
that no matter how you spin it
or when you say it, your
audience won’t like it. That’s
why it’s called “bad news.” It
would be irrational for you to
tell your customers you’re
raising prices and have them
respond “No worries, we don’t
mind.” So, be realistic. If you
expect to deliver bad news and
have people walk away happy,
this will not work out well for
you.
And that brings us to the last
point: Delivering bad news is not
about you . The recipient does
not want to hear about how you
were up all night bellyaching over
this conversation or that it
gives you no pleasure to do this.
Asking for their empathy at a
time like this will likely result in
their wanting to smack you. Let
them have their moment of
sadness without trying to steal
some sympathy.
Christina Miranda is a principal
at New York-based Redpoint
Marketing PR and author of the
marketing education blog
redpointspeaks.com. Visit the
Redpoint's website to learn
about the firm's PR expertise in
the travel, hospitality, culinary,
home furnishings, and design
industries.

posted from Bloggeroid