Archive for January, 2010
How to work with the Associated Press
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The Arizona Book Publishing Association hosted four members of the AP in Phoenix tonite at its January meeting. Pauline Arrillaga, Josh Hoffner, Bob Christie and Jim Trotter gave candid advice – so if you’re hoping to work with the AP at some point, here are some valuable insights into how they operate.
Just so you understand the scope and power of the Associated Press, they were founded in 1846 and are the largest and oldest news organization in the world. They have 4,000 employees, 240 bureaus, and more than 10 million images. The west desk in Phoenix is one of 4 regional hubs in the U.S., including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Chicago. In the past, NYC was the hub, but in the last year, the organization decided to establish editing centers closer to the regions they cover. In addition to the 4 regional hubs, AP has bureaus in every state. Read More→
Apple iPad and a look back at the first ebooks, 1983
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Master's thesis, Boston University, 1984
Steve Jobs demoed the Apple iPad today, which although not available for several months, promises to take us closer to e-book reality.
Master’s Thesis
I first researched e-books in 1983-84 as part of my master’s thesis at Boston University’s College of Communication. The project analyzed what was then an emerging communications technology, driven through the videotext channels at the time. Videotext is a two-way interactive system which transmits information on telephone or cable lines to a specially adapted television set or home computer. Book publishing stood to be affected by videotext because it offered an important alternative to the familiar physical book that we all know. Read More→
The revolution is right under your nose
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Credit: zoonabar
In the last week, I have attended several conferences and seminars in Phoenix. My big take away? There is a serious changing of the guard in business, and if you happen to belong to the over 40 crowd, you need to sit up and pay attention.
The old rules of business went out the window long ago. That was the world where you waited patiently and put in your time at your job, and gradually acquired the incremental, tangible signs of your advancement in your career. Maybe it was the bigger cubicle. Maybe it was the office window and covered parking. Maybe it was the bigger salary.
At these conferences, the speakers are not wizened old businessmen and women in starched suits. They are young, vibrant entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s. They didn’t wait for their turn in line. They went for the brass ring and held on tight. They are leveraging social media to exponentially grow their businesses.
The revolution is right under your nose. Do you see it?
Elder care for dummies – what we did right
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I’m now 5 months into unexpected elder care. Many people have urged me to list some tips for others who might be going through this process. So here’s a candid assessment of what I think my family did right.
The background: my 85-year-old mother was still living by herself in the New England home that she and my father purchased in the early 60s. She was diagnosed with colon cancer a couple of years ago, and was undergoing biweekly chemotherapy treatments. Despite urging from her family friends and neighbors, she resisted any effort to even contemplate moving from the house into independent living, let alone take action. To make matters worse, she grew up during the Depression and hoarded everything. Read More→
Tips on pitching media
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I sat in on a helpful media breakfast this morning, featuring three editors from Scottsdale media and put on by PRSA’s Phoenix chapter. No matter whether you’re pitching Scottsdale media or just pitching editors and reporters in general, they had useful tips – here’s a breakdown of what we learned from Peter Corbett of the Scottsdale Republic, Michelle Glicksman of So Scottsdale and Scottsdale Health magazines, and Kimberly Hundley of Scottsdale Airpark News:
- Media in general prefer local calls vs. calls coming in from NY, LA, etc – the local people have a better idea of the pulse of the community and its publications
- Reporters appreciate it when PR contacts make the information understandable. “Get to the point, break it down (no jargon).” One phrase given as an example of jargon was “business solutions” – so strike that from your press release copy!
- With smaller staffs at the publications these days, the reporters’ jobs are more challenging
- Extremely aggressive PR tactics are discouraged
- Because of the economy, editors like Michelle are stretched thin. She relies on PR people more. Downside – she can’t always be at events, since she handles so much of the publication activities, from concept to coordinator to the words on the page. Read More→
New to social media? This conference is for you.
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MADCAP Theater, Tempe, AZ
The agenda is now up for the Social Media for Business event that will be held Monday, January 25th, at the Madcap Theater in Tempe. You can check it out here.
Organized by Fred von Graf, #SMAZ was first held in Tempe last August. It’s an informal conference where you have a veritable fish hatchery of people in AZ who are involved in social media. You should attend if you:
- are new to social media and have questions – sit in on the panel I’ll be moderating Monday afternoon 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., which welcomes questions from the audience
- want to hear the latest trends in social media
- like mingling with others who are interested in twitter, blogs, Facebook, search marketing, web analytics
- want to learn how to use social media to build brand evangelists
- are interested in how to make social media pay
By the way, the food is fantastic – breakfast and lunch are included in the fee. And parking is easy. And no restroom lines!!!
To get 45% off the ticket price, use the discount code VPRB.
AP opening hub in Phoenix for better regional coverage
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If you’re in public relations and want to learn how to work more closely with the Associated Press, there is an upcoming panel in Phoenix featuring Pauline Arrilaga and Josh Hoffner from the new Phoenix AP hub.
By placing writers in regional areas, they are increasing AP’s ability to break overnight news and get content to clients faster.
You can find more info on the panel here, including registration. It is sponsored by the Arizona Book Publishing Association and will be held at the Radisson Hotel near Sky Harbor Airport.
An easy online database of www.mediaontwtter.com
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If you’re trying to find a quick list of media twitter handles, or you want to add some of your own lists to a free, online repository, check out www.mediaontwitter.com.
The site is a community-built platform that runs on online database software by TrackVia. It launched march 2009 and has almost 2,000 names so far. It’s a work-in-progress and more features will be added in 2010, according to Melissa Hourigan, one of the collaborators. You can currently sort by outlet, name, twitter ID and country. In the future, there will be more sorting functions to include beat and media type. You can share any suggestions for the db with her on twitter @melissahourigan or email at mhourigan@digitalideamedia.com. The database is edited and maintained by a group of volunteer editors.
“If you look at the biggest influencers in PR,” says Melissa, “many of whom are part of this collaboration, (@briansolis, @skydiver, @prsarahevans, @edunigan), you will notice that they share what they learn, tools they discover and new methods to consider. Gone are the days where you keep your approach and knowledge a secret.”
Valley PR Blog readers share money-saving tips for recession
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So many PR pros provided tips on my Valley PR Blog post for saving money during this recession that I’ve compiled them into one comprehensive list:
- Reduce your professional memberships to only PRSA
- Be diligent about loyalty programs (MaxPerks w/ OfficeMax, Best Buy Rewards, etc)
- Read “Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence,” by Joe Dominguez.
- Take advantage of grocery discounts for those age 50 and older
- Cancel your TV and cable
- Eliminate wine from your purchases
- Walk to work when/if you can
- Cut back on movies and concerts
- If you LOVE movies, use the Harkins loyalty cup and popcorn T-shirt to save money
- Buy wash and wear clothes so you don’t have to dry clean
- Shop for clothes at consignment stores
- Buy used cars or better yet, pay off the amount so you have no monthly car bill
- Increase investment tactics that will generate a return, such as networking groups
- Go to the grocery store just once a week vs. several times (plan ahead) Read More→
My big regret from 2009
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My big regret in hindsight was not being bright enough, or energetic enough, to drive down to hear author, blogger, and wine expert Gary Vaynerchuk speak in person when he was here in Tempe this past October at the Changing Hands bookstore.
I asked for, and received, his new book “Crush It!” for Christmas. I’ve read several books that have summarized the social media wave and future trends, including PR 2.0 by Brian Solis, Now is Gone, by Geoff Livingston, and “The Social Media Bible” by Lon Safko, et. al. All good books, but in my mind, Gary is the one who really “crushes it.”
I like his book best because of 1) the personable way in which he delivers the message, 2) because it makes me feel like less of an anomaly in this world (Sometimes I think I’d get more people to believe me if I were male, not female), and because 3) it follows my own book formula of writing something that can be read in a 2-hour plane ride.
If you find yourself in the middle of two camps, like me, you’ll love this book. Read More→
