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If you're an Apple fanboy or fangirl, you can come back to earth now. Despite the fanfare, Apple missed the boat by not including some very important features for PR, marketing and business people in the new iPhone 5. Launched with the usual fireworks, the new iPhone 5 looks underwhelming to those of us already using the iPhone 4. Despite Apple’s attempts to control information in advance, its features had already been leaked along with pictures. But Apple seriously missed a huge opportunity and Samsung is paying close attention. [10 features Apple shoulda, woulda, coulda included for market domination. Caution, humor ahead - JD]
Curation was the word on marketers’ lips earlier this year. This report from Altimeter in March confirmed “Curation is taking over the digital content scene.” In recent weeks that’s given way to “visual content” as the trending topic. As CMO.com said in August: “Two years ago, marketers were spreading the maxim that “content is king,” but now, it seems, “a picture really is worth a thousand words”. So now the question is how to bring curation and visual content together in ways that attract your target audience and achieve your measurable goals. Here are 4 examples of successful visual curation and tips on how to go about it. [Useful tips on visual curation - JD]
Via Liz Wilson
Most speeches end with a thud, or maybe a whimper. Yours doesn’t have to; this list of five ways to close a speech (with examples) will help you. [Great speaking advice from Brad Phillips - JD]
Via Janice Tomich
From ignoring your logo to including every piece of contact information possible in your email signature, here are a dozen things to avoid to maintain brand harmony.... [Good reminders for marketers, reputation managers - JD]
Advertising Age is using Pinterest, an online pinboard to collect and share what inspires you. [Ad Age looks good on Pinterest! Fun way to get your ad news - JD]
The iPad is such a boon in education. It is making a slow but steadfast revolution in the way instruction is both delivered and received. Teachers Simple Guide on The Use of iPad in Education clearly manifests this transfrmation and provides tips on how educators can leverage the power of this device in educational settings. One of the things I like the most about iPad is its ability to support all the major e-reader platforms. Its interactivity and audio capabilities have even added a new dimension to read alouds and bedtime stories, making it an ideal device for digital storytelling. And since Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has already featured a List of The Best Digital Storytelling Tools ( web and desktop version ) then we deem it equally important to provide another list of such tools but this time for the iPad. Below is a list of some of the best free digital storytelling tools available for the iPad.... [Fun, creative tools with many possibilities - JD]
Great stories are all around us It was a dark and stormy night.... A perfect way to start a story about storytellers. Not just any storytellers. But six storytellers or storytelling resources that PR and communication pros should know about. That is, if you’re serious about storytelling to improve your communication from blogging, content marketing and internal communication to presentations, interviews, training and even investor relations. Storytelling has a critical role to play in every communication. And a great story usually contributes strongly to PR and business success....
I did not take the traditional path to PR. In fact, I didn’t tread much of a traditional path to anywhere in my life. But as the old saying goes, I wouldn’t be who I am today without the path I’ve traveled to get here. You’re probably not interested in reading the seedy details of my life, and I’m not particularly motivated to share them (that book will be written later, thanks, and you can buy a copy). Today I’m sharing only the most relevant information: Before embarking on a professional PR career with The Abbi Agency, I spent the better part of a decade traveling around the country in a circus sideshow. Relevant, you ask—how? Turns out everything I needed to know about PR I learned in the circus.... {This is a fun post and nice storytelling by Amanda Horn. PR and communication pros will enjoy the read. - JD]
Features:
• Take photos of the slides with auto-cropping.
• Enhance image quality using Magic Fix.
• Take notes directly under each slide.
• Organize slides by presentations.
• E-mail slide image, or save it to your Photo Library.
• Full size slide view when turning the device sideways.
• Zoom in and out at slide view.
• Create PDF file using all slides of a presentation.
• E-mail PDF file to any e-mail address.
• Silent shutter is possible by turning off audio.
*** This app is for iPhone only. *** [Could be a very cool tool if it works. First reviews are mixed - JD]
Via Ana Cristina Pratas
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said several encouraging things when he spoke at a tech conference yesterday.One thing he didn't address, however, is the rate at which Facebook's desktop usage is declining in its most mature market--the U.S. Zuckerberg also didn't comment on another ominous Facebook trend: The usage declines are most pronounced among those who were once Facebook's most devoted users: Young people. Lots of young people have decided Facebook isn't cool anymore, and they're abandoning it in droves [This is a really interesting look at Facebook's business challenges ahead - JD]
Via Tom George
StoryLab is a new hub for innovation with a big aim: to radically improve public conversation in the U.S. and around the world. Everybody talks about it, but CDS actually knows how to do it. To change the world, you first have to change the story. Here is an organization I think everyone should know about -- the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS). They have been, and continue to provide world-class training in digital storytelling grounded in the power of a story dynamics to make a difference. They are launching a new project -- StoryLab -- which aims to engage people in changing stories that keep us stuck, limited -- like our political discourse, violence, aids, etc. -- and expressing those stories that eliven and enoble us. Truly great work. So why am I curating this and what has it got to do with business? Well -- imagine applying these same principles and ideas to the stories you share about your business, engaging your organization in this kind of deep story sharing that changes the world, and engaging with customers to create profound partnerships that make a difference. Hmmmm -- I think there are lots of opportunities here and StoryLab is showing us the way. The video on the StoryLab page also mentions supporting the project through donations. That is up to you. I have no affiliation with the Center other than our mutual love of story and its transformative power, and an amazing conversation I had a few years ago with founder Joe Lambert. IMHO, thank heavens they are doing this project. There are so many others in the field of story that also work with story for transformative change. Let's keep hooking up. It is in this spirit that I bring you StoryLab. This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;
Via Karen Dietz
Robin Good: If you are looking for a tool or service that would allow you to sync up the video of you speaking at an event with the slides that were being projected, into a seamsless, web-shareable presentation, I have put together this small collection of ten tools designed just for this. I have noted for each one whether there is a free account and how much does it cost the lowest "pro" version. Tools to synchronize your slides to your speaker video: http://pinterest.com/robingood/synchronize-slides-with-speaker-video-best-tools/ [Really good list of tools - JD]
Via Robin Good
Every brand on the planet wants to curate content. The trouble is most aren’t very good at it, according to AOL’s digital prophet David Shing, who spoke today at Marketing’s Branded Content conference in Toronto. Shing showed the audience dozens of examples of companies that do curate content well – brands such as Lego, Unilever, Band-Aid, Intel and Toshiba. Throughout the talk Shing, placed a heavy emphasis on the context of branded content and insisted marketers need to tell a variety of stories, each tailored to the time, place and way in which people will consume them. “At the end of the day it’s all about the context of storytelling – making sure you’re telling the right story at the right time to the right person in a combination of web and multi-device,” he said. [A good read on storytelling and curation - JD]
Via Gregg Morris
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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) knows that powerful narratives can set the stage for positive action. From the general public to aid experts in the field, the stories and struggles in the developing play a big role in compelling the general public and aid experts to find solutions to global challenges. Telling these stories is not only an expression of our American values but demonstrates how working together to solve these challenges benefits all of us.
Via Kathy Hansen
Robin Good: If you are looking for a good curated resource for video documentaries, and you are not looking just for mainstream stuff, Chockadoc provides over 32 different collections and over 2000 free video documentaries, immediately viewable online. Categories include everything from "health" to "war". See all the categories isted here: http://i.imgur.com/I39C7.jpg The service is free, it requires no registration and it is ad-supported. Recommended. Try it out now: http://www.chockadoc.com/
Via Robin Good
After Google’s crack down of microsites and thin sites, building an authority site becomes very daunting to many affiliate marketers and small businesses. [This is an excellent overview of curation, resources and toolos. Valuable reading for curators, PR and content pros - JD]
Via Ana Cristina Pratas
infographic suggests that don, peggy and pete would make less than $100,000 a year. we aren't buying it. In case you missed it, there's an infographic making the rounds this week that attempts to assess what characters on AMC's Mad Men would make if we fast-forwarded 50 years to today. And, boy, do they get it wrong. We've got some major bones to pick with the data points in the illustration, created by Carrington College, which offers various certificate and associate degree programs....
Earlier this year, Latitude set out to understand audiences’ evolving expectations around their everyday content experiences—with TV shows, movies, books, plot-driven video games, news, and even advertising. We began by speaking with leaders in the emerging “transmedia” space to investigate the challenges and the opportunities that today’s storytellers are encountering. Then we asked 158 early adopters from across the world how they’d like to experience stories in the future. During the course of a generative, online survey, participants were asked to play the role of producer; they chose a narrative (a book, movie, TV show, plot-driven video games, news story, etc.) that they know well and re-invented how audiences might experience that story. Some of the ideas participants suggested are possible today even if they don’t exist yet—while others require technologies that are still several years coming.... [Excellent study worth reading for content producers and storytellers - JD]
The dangers of bad a PowerPoint presentation are manifold. It might just mean putting your audience to sleep, or running afoul of the High Council of Information Design. But if your presentations have wider reaching concerns, like those given routinely by members of the U.S. Armed Forces, bad slides can have far greater consequences. In the military’s hands, as Brigadier General H. R. McMaster explained to the New York Times in 2010, bad PowerPoint can actually be dangerous--it gives "the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control." It certainly doesn’t help when you’re making 100-slide presentations entirely in Comic Sans, as one Army aide submitted last year.....
The Art Of Storytelling In Business Communications And Public Relations... I think Mark Twain would agree. He’d be particularly amused by a report on the solar industry released earlier this week that triggered two stories on opposite ends of the spectrum. In one corner, we give you the San Jose Mercury News and its bullish headline.... [Lou Hoffman finds contradictions in storytelling. JD]
Honda was one of the first brands to successfully launch a campaign on Pinterest called ‘Pintermission’ but not many others businesses have followed suit. The good news is that the website is still promising a lot of upgrades, one of which is to launch a more sophisticated version of the search tool.
The current search version does not allow location-based searching which makes it hard to track pinners from your country, in-turn making it trickier to benefit from it if you are based in a country like India with a relatively smaller share of users. Originally having gained popularity with women, Pinterest is now rapidly also being used by men across the globe. Although U.S has a massive 83% female user base, Britain has 56% male users, which suffices to say that men are also discovering the benefits of being on Pinterest. Perhaps the appeal of the website is starting to grow beyond just the “wish-list” and DIY nature of the boards to a more explorative tone covering topics ranging from technology and sports to alcohol that men possibly find more engaging. Learn How To Get Started On Pinterest [Interesting potentialfor marketing pros - JD]
Via contentmarketingdigest, Jenneil Peters
The Best (And Worst) Times To Post To Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, And Google+ [INFOGRAPHIC]... Marty Note
Cool Infographic that jives with our experience. [My experience with Twitter is different but I agree with the other times for other social channels - JD]
Via Martin (Marty) Smith
Thoughts from the Arthur W. Page Society annual conference. “The future of technology is the future of communications,” said IBM Research senior vice president and director Dr. John Kelly on day two of the 2012 Arthur W. Page Society Annual Conference. Indeed, the discipline of public relations that began in the early 20th century has and continues to evolve substantially with the advent of new technologies and platforms ranging from portable devices to social media. The communications industry is experiencing an unprecedented level of convergence. New communications functions such as internal communication, HR and customer relationships have been brought together with PR, marketing and social media, which means the CCOs seat at the table has never been more relevant. That said, as the communications field grows and transforms, there’s one aspect that remains the same: the importance of trust and credibility.... [Thoughtful post - JD]
Some of the key findings include: 44% of companies with social marketing budgets of $100,000 or more are using social CRM software, compared to 16% in general.
68% are interested in expanding their social footprint.
50% see the need to tighten integration between social and more traditional marketing.
Social marketing ROI, a larger social presence and reach, and increased content creation and publishing are three areas executives are looking to concentrate on in 2013.
Marty Note
It is amazing to me that social continues to be a battleground. I shouldn't be surprised. This battle should seem familiar. In 1999 I fought this same battle except it was for the web as a place to make money. In 2003 I fought this battle except it was over SEO's value to traffic and traffic's value to money.
Given this history it shouldn't be surprising that we fight the same battle now for social. The other side has always been led by the ROI Brigade. The ROI Brigade is a mounted patrol of a goon squad bent on keeping things the same, winning this last battle after losing so many.
Social is NOT the battle to allow the ROI Brigade to win since the longer you aren't involved in social marketing the more advantage a competitor who builds experience and leverage. I don't like selling action to avoid something. I like selling based on ROI. Recently I wrote a post explaining how social is the most important ROI:
http://www.atlanticbt.com/blog/social-media-marketing-the-most-valuable-roi/
Use stats from this State of Social Media Marketing and my post to vanquish the ROI Brigade. If you have great arguments, arguments that have galvanized action in your company please share since way too many continue to fight this battle, continue to fight the ROI Brigade.
Via Level343, Martin (Marty) Smith
Kelly Lieberman nails down the 12 Most Pintastic Tools to Improve Your Pinning on Pinterest. Want to improve your Pinning experience? Measure the reach? Find brand advocates? Find the best images to Pin?
Well, there is a Pinterest tool for that.
Many of these tools are still in beta and are anxiously awaiting the Pinterest API to further enhance what they currently offer. I have not had the opportunity to test all of these and am not endorsing them, but based on their descriptions I think they will improve the way you Pin....
[Better pinning, perhaps? JD]
Via contentmarketingdigest, Jenneil Peters
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