(2865,4,'2015-02-11 09:40:34','2015-02-11 14:40:34','Recently, I came across an article about how the Jewish online magazine Tablet is dealing with comments. It has decided to charge a fee to allow people to comment in order to make it harder for trolls to post obnoxious (and often anti-Semitic) comments. But there is an unintended consequence, and that is that legitimate commenters will now be dissuaded from commenting as well. The barrier to entry may prove too high.\r\n\r\n<em>If you have been seeing a low conversion rate on your website, a drop in visitors, or a high bounce rate, perhaps you need to examine whether you have created an unintended barrier to entry or have built a barrier to entry that is too high.</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany websites have barriers to entry. Some are easily \"climbed\" and some are like Mount Everest, impossible. Generally, these barriers include \"mechanical\" barriers such as subscription fees, sign up forms, or registration requirements. Some barriers are more subtle, intangible, but still make it hard for visitors to access your content.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mechanical barriers: High, medium and low walls to climb</strong>\r\n\r\nIn an effort to generate revenue from online readers, newspapers have added online <strong>subscription fees.</strong> That\'s a high barrier to entry, since visitors will not only have to sign up, but provide payment. Some websites require <strong>registration</strong>, generally your email and a password. That\'s also a medium barrier to entry.  Yet other websites splash a newsletter <strong>sign-up</strong> before you can read the content, but generally you can close that out making it a low barrier to entry.\r\n\r\nThere are good reasons to create these barriers. After all, you may want to grow your marketing database or get some insight into who is visiting your website, or like many newspapers, you are looking for a source of revenue.\r\n\r\n<strong>Intangible barriers: Creating a psychological \"wall\"</strong>\r\n\r\nBut barriers are not just mechanical or even visible. Your barriers to entry may be intangible and psychological. By that I mean that your barriers are tripping visitors\' heads. For example, your <strong>website navigation</strong> may not be intuitive or clear and may make it hard to for visitors to find what they are looking for.\r\n\r\nAnother hard-to-quantify barrier is the <strong>language</strong> that you choose to use on your website. Many tech and government websites are flush with jargon that is <em>nearly unintelligible</em> to an outsider.\r\n\r\nSome websites make it hard for visitors by having too much <strong>content</strong> or information to sort through. Have you ever landed on a page that made your eyes and head hurt? You probably just went elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nHave you ever thought about how a visitor interacts with your website? What does that person need to do to find what he or she is looking for? What information is crucial and how easy is it to access it?\r\n<h4>How would you classify your website in terms of barrier to entry? High, medium or low? Is it what you want or are you unintentionally turning visitors away?</h4>','How high is your barrier to entry?','','inherit','open','open','','2860-revision-v1','','','2015-02-11 09:40:34','2015-02-11 14:40:34','',2860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2866,4,'2015-02-11 09:41:45','2015-02-11 14:41:45','Recently, I came across an article about how the Jewish online magazine Tablet is dealing with comments. It has decided to charge a fee to allow people to comment in order to make it harder for trolls to post obnoxious (and often anti-Semitic) comments. But there is an unintended consequence, and that is that legitimate commenters will now be dissuaded from commenting as well. The barrier to entry may prove too high.\r\n\r\n<em>If you have been seeing a low conversion rate on your website, a drop in visitors, or a high bounce rate, perhaps you need to examine whether you have created an unintended barrier to entry or have built a barrier to entry that is too high.</em>\r\n\r\nHave you ever thought about how a visitor interacts with your website? What does that person need to do to find what he or she is looking for? What information is crucial and how easy is it to access it?\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany websites have barriers to entry. Some are easily \"climbed\" and some are like Mount Everest, impossible. Generally, these barriers include \"mechanical\" barriers such as subscription fees, sign up forms, or registration requirements. Some barriers are more subtle, intangible, but still make it hard for visitors to access your content.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mechanical barriers: High, medium and low walls to climb</strong>\r\n\r\nIn an effort to generate revenue from online readers, newspapers have added online <strong>subscription fees.</strong> That\'s a high barrier to entry, since visitors will not only have to sign up, but provide payment. Some websites require <strong>registration</strong>, generally your email and a password. That\'s also a medium barrier to entry.  Yet other websites splash a newsletter <strong>sign-up</strong> before you can read the content, but generally you can close that out making it a low barrier to entry.\r\n\r\nThere are good reasons to create these barriers. After all, you may want to grow your marketing database or get some insight into who is visiting your website, or like many newspapers, you are looking for a source of revenue.\r\n\r\n<strong>Intangible barriers: Creating a psychological \"wall\"</strong>\r\n\r\nBut barriers are not just mechanical or even visible. Your barriers to entry may be intangible and psychological. By that I mean that your barriers are tripping visitors\' heads. For example, your <strong>website navigation</strong> may not be intuitive or clear and may make it hard to for visitors to find what they are looking for.\r\n\r\nAnother hard-to-quantify barrier is the <strong>language</strong> that you choose to use on your website. Many tech and government websites are flush with jargon that is <em>nearly unintelligible</em> to an outsider.\r\n\r\nSome websites make it hard for visitors by having too much <strong>content</strong> or information to sort through. Have you ever landed on a page that made your eyes and head hurt? You probably just went elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<h4>How would you classify your website in terms of barrier to entry? High, medium or low? Is it what you want or are you unintentionally turning visitors away?</h4>','How high is your barrier to entry?','','inherit','open','open','','2860-revision-v1','','','2015-02-11 09:41:45','2015-02-11 14:41:45','',2860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2867,4,'2015-02-11 09:44:31','2015-02-11 14:44:31','Recently, I came across an article about how the Jewish online magazine Tablet is dealing with comments. It has decided to charge a fee to allow people to comment in order to make it harder for trolls to post obnoxious (and often anti-Semitic) comments. But there is an unintended consequence, and that is that legitimate commenters will now be dissuaded from commenting as well. The barrier to entry may prove too high.\r\n\r\nHave you ever thought about how a visitor interacts with your website? What does that person need to do to find what he or she is looking for? What information is crucial and how easy is it to access it?\r\n\r\n<em>If you have been seeing a low conversion rate on your website, a drop in visitors, or a high bounce rate, perhaps you need to examine whether you have created an unintended (and intangible) barrier to entry or have built a barrier to entry that is too high.</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany websites have barriers to entry. Some are easily \"climbed\" and some are like Mount Everest, impossible. Generally, these barriers include \"mechanical\" barriers such as subscription fees, sign up forms, or registration requirements. Some barriers are more subtle, intangible, but still make it hard for visitors to access your content.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mechanical barriers: High, medium and low walls to climb</strong>\r\n\r\nIn an effort to generate revenue from online readers, newspapers have added online <strong>subscription fees.</strong> That\'s a high barrier to entry, since visitors will not only have to sign up, but provide payment. Some websites require <strong>registration</strong>, generally your email and a password. That\'s also a medium barrier to entry.  Yet other websites splash a newsletter <strong>sign-up</strong> before you can read the content, but generally you can close that out making it a low barrier to entry.\r\n\r\nThere are good reasons to create these barriers. After all, you may want to grow your marketing database or get some insight into who is visiting your website, or like many newspapers, you are looking for a source of revenue.\r\n\r\n<strong>Intangible barriers: Creating a psychological \"wall\"</strong>\r\n\r\nBut barriers are not just mechanical or even visible. Your barriers to entry may be intangible and psychological. By that I mean that your barriers are tripping visitors\' heads. For example, your <strong>website navigation</strong> may not be intuitive or clear and may make it hard to for visitors to find what they are looking for.\r\n\r\nAnother hard-to-quantify barrier is the <strong>language</strong> that you choose to use on your website. Many tech and government websites are flush with jargon that is <em>nearly unintelligible</em> to an outsider.\r\n\r\nSome websites make it hard for visitors by having too much <strong>content</strong> or information to sort through. Have you ever landed on a page that made your eyes and head hurt from information overload (or worse, visual overload)? You probably just went elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<h4>How would you classify your website in terms of barrier to entry? High, medium or low? Is it what you want or are you unintentionally turning visitors away?</h4>','How high is your website\'s barrier to entry?','','inherit','open','open','','2860-revision-v1','','','2015-02-11 09:44:31','2015-02-11 14:44:31','',2860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2868,4,'2015-02-11 17:17:17','2015-02-11 22:17:17','Recently, I came across an article about how the Jewish online magazine Tablet is dealing with comments. It has decided to charge a fee to allow people to comment in order to make it harder for trolls to post obnoxious (and often anti-Semitic) comments. But there is an unintended consequence, and that is that legitimate commenters will now be dissuaded from commenting as well. The barrier to entry may prove too high.\r\n\r\nHave you ever thought about how a visitor interacts with your website? What does that person need to do to find what he or she is looking for? What information is crucial and how easy is it to access it?\r\n\r\n<em>If you have been seeing a low conversion rate on your website, a drop in visitors, or a high bounce rate, perhaps you need to examine whether you have created an unintended (and intangible) barrier to entry or have built a barrier to entry that is too high.</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany websites have barriers to entry. Some are easily \"climbed\" and some are like Mount Everest, impossible. Generally, these barriers include \"mechanical\" barriers such as subscription fees, sign up forms, or registration requirements. Some barriers are more subtle, intangible, but still make it hard for visitors to access your content.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mechanical barriers: High, medium and low walls to climb</strong>\r\n\r\nIn an effort to generate revenue from online readers, newspapers have added online <strong>subscription fees.</strong> That\'s a high barrier to entry, since visitors will not only have to sign up, but provide payment. Some websites require <strong>registration</strong>, generally your email and a password. That\'s also a medium barrier to entry.  Yet other websites splash a newsletter <strong>sign-up</strong> before you can read the content, but generally you can close that out making it a low barrier to entry.\r\n\r\nThere are good reasons to create these barriers. After all, you may want to grow your marketing database or get some insight into who is visiting your website, or like many newspapers, you are looking for a source of revenue.\r\n\r\n<strong>Intangible barriers: Creating a psychological \"wall\"</strong>\r\n\r\nBut barriers are not just mechanical or even visible. Your barriers to entry may be intangible and psychological. By that I mean that your barriers are tripping visitors\' heads. For example, your <strong>website navigation</strong> may not be intuitive or clear and may make it hard to for visitors to find what they are looking for.\r\n\r\nAnother hard-to-quantify barrier is the <strong>language</strong> that you choose to use on your website. Many tech and government websites are flush with jargon that is <em>nearly unintelligible</em> to an outsider.\r\n\r\nSome websites make it hard for visitors by having too much <strong>content</strong> or information to sort through. Have you ever landed on a page that made your eyes and head hurt from information overload (or worse, visual overload)? Then you probably know what I mean, and I bet you just went elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<h4>How would you classify your website in terms of barrier to entry? High, medium or low? Is it what you want or are you unintentionally turning visitors away?</h4>','How high is your website\'s barrier to entry?','','inherit','open','open','','2860-revision-v1','','','2015-02-11 17:17:17','2015-02-11 22:17:17','',2860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2869,4,'2015-02-12 15:44:14','2015-02-12 20:44:14','Recently, I came across an article about how the Jewish online magazine <a href=\"http://tabletmag.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Tablet</a> is dealing with comments. It has decided to charge a fee to allow people to comment in order to make it harder for trolls to post obnoxious (and often anti-Semitic) comments. But there is an unintended consequence, and that is that legitimate commenters will now be dissuaded from commenting as well. The barrier to entry may prove too high.\r\n\r\nHave you ever thought about how a visitor interacts with your website? What does that person need to do to find what he or she is looking for? What information is crucial and how easy is it to access it?\r\n\r\n<em>If you have been seeing a low conversion rate on your website, a drop in visitors, or a high bounce rate, perhaps you need to examine whether you have created an unintended (and intangible) barrier to entry or have built a barrier to entry that is too high.</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany websites have barriers to entry. Some are easily \"climbed\" and some are like Mount Everest, impossible. Generally, these barriers include \"mechanical\" barriers such as subscription fees, sign up forms, or registration requirements. Some barriers are more subtle, intangible, but still make it hard for visitors to access your content.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mechanical barriers: High, medium and low walls to climb</strong>\r\n\r\nIn an effort to generate revenue from online readers, newspapers have added online <strong>subscription fees.</strong> That\'s a high barrier to entry, since visitors will not only have to sign up, but provide payment. Some websites require <strong>registration</strong>, generally your email and a password. That\'s also a medium barrier to entry.  Yet other websites splash a newsletter <strong>sign-up</strong> before you can read the content, but generally you can close that out making it a low barrier to entry.\r\n\r\nThere are good reasons to create these barriers. After all, you may want to grow your marketing database or get some insight into who is visiting your website, or like many newspapers, you are looking for a source of revenue.\r\n\r\n<strong>Intangible barriers: Creating a psychological \"wall\"</strong>\r\n\r\nBut barriers are not just mechanical or even visible. Your barriers to entry may be intangible and psychological. By that I mean that your barriers are tripping visitors\' heads. For example, your <strong>website navigation</strong> may not be intuitive or clear and may make it hard to for visitors to find what they are looking for.\r\n\r\nAnother hard-to-quantify barrier is the <strong>language</strong> that you choose to use on your website. Many tech and government websites are flush with jargon that is <em>nearly unintelligible</em> to an outsider.\r\n\r\nSome websites make it hard for visitors by having too much <strong>content</strong> or information to sort through. Have you ever landed on a page that made your eyes and head hurt from information overload (or worse, visual overload)? Then you probably know what I mean, and I bet you just went elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<h4>How would you classify your website in terms of barrier to entry? High, medium or low? Is it what you want or are you unintentionally turning visitors away?</h4>','How high is your website\'s barrier to entry?','','inherit','open','open','','2860-revision-v1','','','2015-02-12 15:44:14','2015-02-12 20:44:14','',2860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2871,4,'2015-02-17 10:36:17','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I\'ve lost count of how many websites for public relations agencies, or writers, or designers, or marketing consultancies that I have visited claiming to be specialized in dozens of things.  You will see the navigation bar across the top and a tab entitled \"Specialties.\" You will then click on that and find several items, like a marketing agency that claims to specialize in SEO, native advertising, design, and social media, to name a few. Or a writer who specializes in medical writing , technical writing, long format, blogs, and many other forms of writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s a specialty, singular.</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing: you can\'t be specialized in so many fields. You may have <em>experience</em> and <em>knowledge</em> in those fields, but the word specialty, by definition, is limited to one field.\r\n\r\nMerriam-Webster provides this definition:\r\n<blockquote>something that a person or place is known for making or producing very well\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">an area of study or business that a person specializes in or has special knowledge of</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">Notice that it doesn\'t say \"things\" or \"areas of study.\" There is no plural in specialty.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">Maybe you are focused on different things.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">The truth is most marketing/advertising/public relations agencies specialize in their respective disciplines and <em>focus</em> on different aspects. That is, a public relations firm specializes in public relations but focuses on media relations, strategic planning and reputation management, for example.  And then there are agencies that specialize in media relations or strategic planning or reputation management, but they claim to specialize in all three I am a bit suspicious.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\"></p>','Just how specialized are you?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-02-17 10:36:17','2015-02-17 15:36:17','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2871',0,'post','',0),
(2872,4,'2015-02-17 10:36:17','2015-02-17 15:36:17','I\'ve lost count of how many websites for public relations agencies, or writers, or designers, or marketing consultancies that I have visited claiming to be specialized in dozens of things.  You will see the navigation bar across the top and a tab entitled \"Specialties.\" You will then click on that and find several items, like a marketing agency that claims to specialize in SEO, native advertising, design, and social media, to name a few. Or a writer who specializes in medical writing , technical writing, long format, blogs, and many other forms of writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s a specialty, singular.</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing: you can\'t be specialized in so many fields. You may have <em>experience</em> and <em>knowledge</em> in those fields, but the word specialty, by definition, is limited to one field.\r\n\r\nMerriam-Webster provides this definition:\r\n<blockquote>something that a person or place is known for making or producing very well\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">an area of study or business that a person specializes in or has special knowledge of</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">Notice that it doesn\'t say \"things\" or \"areas of study.\" There is no plural in specialty.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">Maybe you are focused on different things.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\">The truth is most marketing/advertising/public relations agencies specialize in their respective disciplines and <em>focus</em> on different aspects. That is, a public relations firm specializes in public relations but focuses on media relations, strategic planning and reputation management, for example.  And then there are agencies that specialize in media relations or strategic planning or reputation management, but they claim to specialize in all three I am a bit suspicious.</p>\r\n<p class=\"bottom_entry\"></p>','Just how specialized are you?','','inherit','open','open','','2871-revision-v1','','','2015-02-17 10:36:17','2015-02-17 15:36:17','',2871,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2871-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2882,4,'2015-02-25 10:42:39','2015-02-25 15:42:39','By now you will have heard about the Cleveland local news anchor Kristi Capel and how she used a racial slur to describe Lady Gaga\'s performance at the Academy Awards. According to t<a href=\"http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2015/02/kristi_capel_drops_racially_offensive_term_during_morning_newscast.html\" target=\"_blank\">his report</a> in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Capel apologized and said she did not know what the word meant (I am not using the word here because it is racist).\r\n\r\nThink about that for a moment: <em>A news anchor, while broadcasting live, used a word that she did not understand.</em>\r\n\r\nIn Capel\'s case, I don\'t think there was any racial motivation behind this incident, but there was something much more common: ignorance.  She was called out (and rightfully so) because what she said was racist. But every single day, people are guilty of using words they don\'t understand, mangling their meaning.\r\n\r\nIf you watch enough TV or read enough stuff online or in print, you will see many instances of misused words.  To quote Inigo Montoya  in <em>The Princess Bride</em>:\r\n\r\n\"You keep using that word. I don\'t think it means what you think it means.\"\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/G2y8Sx4B2Sk\r\n\r\nLifehack says that travesty, ironic and bemused are among the<a href=\"http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-most-commonly-misused-words.html\" target=\"_blank\"> 10 Most Commonly Misused Words.</a>  Just look up the phrase \"misused words\" in your favorite search engine and you will get loads of examples (there are many more than 10).\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s one I see all the time</strong>\r\n\r\nOne word that  I have seen misused over and over is \"misnomer.\" <a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer\" target=\"_blank\">Merriam-Webster defines misnomer as:</a>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument </span></div></blockquote>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\">  <strong>:</strong>  a use of a wrong or inappropriate name </span><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  a wrong name or inappropriate designation </span></div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"></div></blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Basically, a misnomer is using the wrong <em>name</em> for something . The example used by Merriam-Webster is the <em>international</em> airport that only serves domestic flights.  Seems straightforward enough. Yet, many times I hear journalists using the word misnomer when what they really mean is misunderstanding. They\'ll say something like: \"It\'s a misnomer to say that the senator is going to vote for the bill.\"</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\"><strong>You know that word doesn\'t exist, right?</strong></p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">There are some people who make up words or mispronounce words. Huffington Post lists <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/made-up-words_b_4072552.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"11 Commonly Used Made-Up Words That Drive Us Insane\"</a> to include: \"expresso,\" \"supposably,\" and the famous \"irregardless.\" (Buzzfeed has a similar list: <a href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamellis/17-misused-and-made-up-words-that-make-you-rage#.cdYqmVP5\" target=\"_blank\">17 Misused and Made-Up Words That Make You Rage</a>.)</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Using words that don\'t mean what you think they do only makes you sound ignorant to those who do understand the meaning. In cases like Capel\'s, not only will you sound ignorant but you may also offend. So here are some warnings:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you are not sure of what a word means <em>precisely</em>, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think a word is right, but you aren\'t absolutely sure, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think you will sound like you know what you are talking about because you are using a long word, definitely don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">And finally, use a dictionary. Look that pesky word up.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>What words do you often notice as being misused?</h4>\r\n</div>','Are you sure you know what that word means?','','inherit','open','open','','2881-revision-v1','','','2015-02-25 10:42:39','2015-02-25 15:42:39','',2881,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2881-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2874,4,'2015-02-17 13:04:12','0000-00-00 00:00:00','We can\'t ask about something if we don\'t even know it exists. And yet, many times clients/bosses/customers expect us to. They may have forgotten to tell us.','If I don\'t ask and you don\'t tell','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-02-17 13:04:12','2015-02-17 18:04:12','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2874',0,'post','',0),
(2875,4,'2015-02-17 13:04:12','2015-02-17 18:04:12','We can\'t ask about something if we don\'t even know it exists. And yet, many times clients/bosses/customers expect us to. They may have forgotten to tell us.','If I don\'t ask and you don\'t tell','','inherit','open','open','','2874-revision-v1','','','2015-02-17 13:04:12','2015-02-17 18:04:12','',2874,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2874-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2876,4,'2015-02-18 09:51:23','2015-02-18 14:51:23','I used to blog a couple of times a week, sometimes more. Then, after six years, I reduced my blogging to once per week, with the occasional second post in the same week. My aim is to be consistent, and I always want to have at least one blog post each week, no matter what.\r\n\r\n<strong>Consistency is key to keeping your blog viable</strong>. If you take off for months on end, people forget about your blog. And if you don\'t blog regularly, it is hard to promote your blog.\r\n\r\nSo what are you going to do when you can\'t or won\'t post on a regular, consistent schedule?\r\n\r\n<em>Some share old posts</em>. In many cases, that\'s not sustainable. After all, a blog is generally about timeliness and being topical. Although some blog posts have value long after you post them, you can\'t be wholly dependent on a few old posts.\r\n\r\n<em>Some hire a ghostblogger</em>. Paying a third party to produce blog posts on a continual basis can be an excellent solution if you can afford it <em>and</em> you can provide good instruction to the blogger for hire. You will also have to supervise the blog posts, and make sure they are meeting your audience\'s needs and your organization\'s voice.\r\n\r\n<em>Some solicit guest writers.</em> This is a great option if you can find the right person to guest post on your blog.\r\n\r\nThe one action you should do to prevent this situation from happening in the first place? <em>Write an evergreen post once a month or so.</em> (Evergreen means that it can be used at any time.) File it away. This way, when you are in the situation where you can\'t or won\'t blog, you have fresh material to post. If you are like me, there are times when you are feeling more creative or more focused, and writing seems easier. Take advantage and write up a blog post. Another plus of doing this is that you can work on your post to perfect it before posting. More editing time, more time to find images, and more time to work on the headline.\r\n\r\nIf writing an extra post each month seems daunting, perhaps start with having a regular brainstorming session (say once a month or once a quarter) where you challenge yourself to come up with five to ten blog post ideas. Keep that list on file and when you are feeling blocked, you will have something to work on.\r\n\r\nWe all get derailed but that doesn\'t mean we can\'t get back on track. Having a back up plan is a smart blogging policy.\r\n<h4>What do you do when you can\'t blog?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','One action to take to guarantee blog continuity','','publish','open','open','','one-action-to-take-to-guarantee-blog-continuity','','','2015-02-19 08:48:38','2015-02-19 13:48:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2876',0,'post','',0),
(2877,4,'2015-02-18 09:50:28','2015-02-18 14:50:28','I used to blog a couple of times a week, sometimes more. Then, after six years, I reduced my blogging to once per week, with the occasional second post in the same week. My aim is to be consistent, and I always want to have at least one blog post each week, no matter what.\r\n\r\n<strong>Consistency is key to keeping your blog viable</strong>. If you take off for months on end, people forget about your blog. And if you don\'t blog regularly, it is hard to promote your blog.\r\n\r\nSo what are you going to do when you can\'t or won\'t post on a regular, consistent schedule?\r\n\r\n<em>Some share old posts</em>. in many cases, that\'s not sustainable. After all, a blog is generally about timeliness and being topical. Although some blog posts have value long after you post them, you can\'t be wholly dependent on a few old posts.\r\n\r\n<em>Some hire a ghostblogger</em>. Paying a third party to produce blog posts on a continual basis can be an excellent solution if you can afford it <em>and</em> you can provide good instruction to the blogger for hire. You will also have to supervise the blog posts, and make sure they are meeting your audience\'s needs and your organization\'s voice.\r\n\r\n<em>Some solicit guest writers.</em> This is a great option if you can find the right person to guest post on your blog.\r\n\r\nThe one action you should do to prevent this situation from happening in the first place? <em>Write an evergreen post once a month or so.</em> (Evergreen means that it can be used at any time.) File it away. This way, when you are in the situation where you can\'t or won\'t blog, you have fresh material to post. If you are like me, there are times when you are feeling more creative or more focused, and writing seems easier. Take advantage and write up a blog post. Another plus of doing this is that you can work on your post to perfect it before posting. More editing time, more time to find images, and more time to work on the headline.\r\n\r\nIf writing an extra post each month seems daunting, perhaps start with having a regular brainstorming session (say once a month or once a quarter) where you challenge yourself to come up with five to ten blog post ideas. Keep that list on file and when you are feeling blocked, you will have something to work on.\r\n\r\nWe all get derailed but that doesn\'t mean we can\'t get back on track. Having a back up is a smart blogging policy.\r\n<h4>What do you do when you can\'t blog?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','One action to take to guarantee blog continuity','','inherit','open','open','','2876-revision-v1','','','2015-02-18 09:50:28','2015-02-18 14:50:28','',2876,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2876-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2879,4,'2015-02-18 17:37:28','2015-02-18 22:37:28','I used to blog a couple of times a week, sometimes more. Then, after six years, I reduced my blogging to once per week, with the occasional second post in the same week. My aim is to be consistent, and I always want to have at least one blog post each week, no matter what.\r\n\r\n<strong>Consistency is key to keeping your blog viable</strong>. If you take off for months on end, people forget about your blog. And if you don\'t blog regularly, it is hard to promote your blog.\r\n\r\nSo what are you going to do when you can\'t or won\'t post on a regular, consistent schedule?\r\n\r\n<em>Some share old posts</em>. In many cases, that\'s not sustainable. After all, a blog is generally about timeliness and being topical. Although some blog posts have value long after you post them, you can\'t be wholly dependent on a few old posts.\r\n\r\n<em>Some hire a ghostblogger</em>. Paying a third party to produce blog posts on a continual basis can be an excellent solution if you can afford it <em>and</em> you can provide good instruction to the blogger for hire. You will also have to supervise the blog posts, and make sure they are meeting your audience\'s needs and your organization\'s voice.\r\n\r\n<em>Some solicit guest writers.</em> This is a great option if you can find the right person to guest post on your blog.\r\n\r\nThe one action you should do to prevent this situation from happening in the first place? <em>Write an evergreen post once a month or so.</em> (Evergreen means that it can be used at any time.) File it away. This way, when you are in the situation where you can\'t or won\'t blog, you have fresh material to post. If you are like me, there are times when you are feeling more creative or more focused, and writing seems easier. Take advantage and write up a blog post. Another plus of doing this is that you can work on your post to perfect it before posting. More editing time, more time to find images, and more time to work on the headline.\r\n\r\nIf writing an extra post each month seems daunting, perhaps start with having a regular brainstorming session (say once a month or once a quarter) where you challenge yourself to come up with five to ten blog post ideas. Keep that list on file and when you are feeling blocked, you will have something to work on.\r\n\r\nWe all get derailed but that doesn\'t mean we can\'t get back on track. Having a back up is a smart blogging policy.\r\n<h4>What do you do when you can\'t blog?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','One action to take to guarantee blog continuity','','inherit','open','open','','2876-revision-v1','','','2015-02-18 17:37:28','2015-02-18 22:37:28','',2876,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2876-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES
(2880,4,'2015-02-19 08:48:38','2015-02-19 13:48:38','I used to blog a couple of times a week, sometimes more. Then, after six years, I reduced my blogging to once per week, with the occasional second post in the same week. My aim is to be consistent, and I always want to have at least one blog post each week, no matter what.\r\n\r\n<strong>Consistency is key to keeping your blog viable</strong>. If you take off for months on end, people forget about your blog. And if you don\'t blog regularly, it is hard to promote your blog.\r\n\r\nSo what are you going to do when you can\'t or won\'t post on a regular, consistent schedule?\r\n\r\n<em>Some share old posts</em>. In many cases, that\'s not sustainable. After all, a blog is generally about timeliness and being topical. Although some blog posts have value long after you post them, you can\'t be wholly dependent on a few old posts.\r\n\r\n<em>Some hire a ghostblogger</em>. Paying a third party to produce blog posts on a continual basis can be an excellent solution if you can afford it <em>and</em> you can provide good instruction to the blogger for hire. You will also have to supervise the blog posts, and make sure they are meeting your audience\'s needs and your organization\'s voice.\r\n\r\n<em>Some solicit guest writers.</em> This is a great option if you can find the right person to guest post on your blog.\r\n\r\nThe one action you should do to prevent this situation from happening in the first place? <em>Write an evergreen post once a month or so.</em> (Evergreen means that it can be used at any time.) File it away. This way, when you are in the situation where you can\'t or won\'t blog, you have fresh material to post. If you are like me, there are times when you are feeling more creative or more focused, and writing seems easier. Take advantage and write up a blog post. Another plus of doing this is that you can work on your post to perfect it before posting. More editing time, more time to find images, and more time to work on the headline.\r\n\r\nIf writing an extra post each month seems daunting, perhaps start with having a regular brainstorming session (say once a month or once a quarter) where you challenge yourself to come up with five to ten blog post ideas. Keep that list on file and when you are feeling blocked, you will have something to work on.\r\n\r\nWe all get derailed but that doesn\'t mean we can\'t get back on track. Having a back up plan is a smart blogging policy.\r\n<h4>What do you do when you can\'t blog?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','One action to take to guarantee blog continuity','','inherit','open','open','','2876-revision-v1','','','2015-02-19 08:48:38','2015-02-19 13:48:38','',2876,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2876-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2881,4,'2015-02-25 10:43:40','2015-02-25 15:43:40','By now you will have heard about the Cleveland local news anchor Kristi Capel and how she used a racial slur to describe Lady Gaga\'s performance at the Academy Awards. According to t<a href=\"http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2015/02/kristi_capel_drops_racially_offensive_term_during_morning_newscast.html\" target=\"_blank\">his report</a> in the <em>Cleveland Plain Dealer</em>, Capel apologized and said she did not know what the word meant (I am not using the word here because it is racist).\r\n\r\nThink about that for a moment: <em>A news anchor, while broadcasting live, used a word that she did not understand.</em>\r\n\r\nIn Capel\'s case, I don\'t think there was any racial motivation behind this incident, but there was something much more common: ignorance.  She was called out (and rightfully so) because what she said was racist. But every single day, people are guilty of using words they don\'t understand, mangling their meaning.\r\n\r\nIf you watch enough TV or read enough stuff online or in print, you will see many instances of misused words. To quote Inigo Montoya  in <em>The Princess Bride</em>:\r\n\r\n\"You keep using that word. I don\'t think it means what you think it means.\"\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/G2y8Sx4B2Sk\r\n\r\nLifehack says that travesty, ironic and bemused are among the<a href=\"http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-most-commonly-misused-words.html\" target=\"_blank\"> 10 Most Commonly Misused Words.</a>  Just look up the phrase \"misused words\" in your favorite search engine and you will get loads of examples (there are many more than 10).\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s one I see all the time</strong>\r\n\r\nOne word that  I have seen misused over and over is \"misnomer.\" <a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer\" target=\"_blank\">Merriam-Webster defines misnomer as:</a>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument </span></div></blockquote>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\">  <strong>:</strong> a use of a wrong or inappropriate name </span><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  a wrong name or inappropriate designation </span></div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"></div></blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Basically, a misnomer is using the wrong <em>name</em> for something . The example used by Merriam-Webster is the <em>international</em> airport that only serves domestic flights.  Seems straightforward enough. Yet, many times I hear journalists using the word misnomer when what they really mean is misunderstanding. They\'ll say something like: \"It\'s a misnomer to say that the senator is going to vote for the bill.\"</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\"><strong>You know that word doesn\'t exist, right?</strong></p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">There are some people who make up words or mispronounce words. Huffington Post lists <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/made-up-words_b_4072552.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"11 Commonly Used Made-Up Words That Drive Us Insane\"</a> to include: \"expresso,\" \"supposably,\" and the famous \"irregardless.\" (Buzzfeed has a similar list: <a href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamellis/17-misused-and-made-up-words-that-make-you-rage#.cdYqmVP5\" target=\"_blank\">17 Misused and Made-Up Words That Make You Rage</a>.)</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Using words that don\'t mean what you think they do only makes you sound ignorant to those who do understand the meaning. In cases like Capel\'s, not only will you sound ignorant but you may also offend. So here are some warnings:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you are not sure of what a word means <em>precisely</em>, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think a word is right, but you aren\'t absolutely sure, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think you will sound like you know what you are talking about because you are using a long word, definitely don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">And finally, use a dictionary. Look that pesky word up.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>What words do you often notice as being misused?</h4>\r\n</div>','Are you sure you know what that word means?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means','','','2015-02-26 08:32:09','2015-02-26 13:32:09','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2881',0,'post','',3),
(2883,4,'2015-02-26 08:32:09','2015-02-26 13:32:09','By now you will have heard about the Cleveland local news anchor Kristi Capel and how she used a racial slur to describe Lady Gaga\'s performance at the Academy Awards. According to t<a href=\"http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2015/02/kristi_capel_drops_racially_offensive_term_during_morning_newscast.html\" target=\"_blank\">his report</a> in the <em>Cleveland Plain Dealer</em>, Capel apologized and said she did not know what the word meant (I am not using the word here because it is racist).\r\n\r\nThink about that for a moment: <em>A news anchor, while broadcasting live, used a word that she did not understand.</em>\r\n\r\nIn Capel\'s case, I don\'t think there was any racial motivation behind this incident, but there was something much more common: ignorance.  She was called out (and rightfully so) because what she said was racist. But every single day, people are guilty of using words they don\'t understand, mangling their meaning.\r\n\r\nIf you watch enough TV or read enough stuff online or in print, you will see many instances of misused words. To quote Inigo Montoya  in <em>The Princess Bride</em>:\r\n\r\n\"You keep using that word. I don\'t think it means what you think it means.\"\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/G2y8Sx4B2Sk\r\n\r\nLifehack says that travesty, ironic and bemused are among the<a href=\"http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-most-commonly-misused-words.html\" target=\"_blank\"> 10 Most Commonly Misused Words.</a>  Just look up the phrase \"misused words\" in your favorite search engine and you will get loads of examples (there are many more than 10).\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s one I see all the time</strong>\r\n\r\nOne word that  I have seen misused over and over is \"misnomer.\" <a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer\" target=\"_blank\">Merriam-Webster defines misnomer as:</a>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument </span></div></blockquote>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"><span class=\"ssens\">  <strong>:</strong> a use of a wrong or inappropriate name </span><span class=\"ssens\"> <strong>:</strong>  a wrong name or inappropriate designation </span></div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\"></div></blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Basically, a misnomer is using the wrong <em>name</em> for something . The example used by Merriam-Webster is the <em>international</em> airport that only serves domestic flights.  Seems straightforward enough. Yet, many times I hear journalists using the word misnomer when what they really mean is misunderstanding. They\'ll say something like: \"It\'s a misnomer to say that the senator is going to vote for the bill.\"</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\"><strong>You know that word doesn\'t exist, right?</strong></p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">There are some people who make up words or mispronounce words. Huffington Post lists <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/made-up-words_b_4072552.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"11 Commonly Used Made-Up Words That Drive Us Insane\"</a> to include: \"expresso,\" \"supposably,\" and the famous \"irregardless.\" (Buzzfeed has a similar list: <a href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamellis/17-misused-and-made-up-words-that-make-you-rage#.cdYqmVP5\" target=\"_blank\">17 Misused and Made-Up Words That Make You Rage</a>.)</p>\r\n<p class=\"scnt\">Using words that don\'t mean what you think they do only makes you sound ignorant to those who do understand the meaning. In cases like Capel\'s, not only will you sound ignorant but you may also offend. So here are some warnings:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you are not sure of what a word means <em>precisely</em>, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think a word is right, but you aren\'t absolutely sure, don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">If you think you will sound like you know what you are talking about because you are using a long word, definitely don\'t use it.</li>\r\n	<li class=\"scnt\">And finally, use a dictionary. Look that pesky word up.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>What words do you often notice as being misused?</h4>\r\n</div>','Are you sure you know what that word means?','','inherit','open','open','','2881-revision-v1','','','2015-02-26 08:32:09','2015-02-26 13:32:09','',2881,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/2881-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2936,4,'2015-03-31 10:56:13','2015-03-31 14:56:13','A few weeks ago I came across a blog post with a headline that said something like “Why my business is getting off Facebook immediately.” Naturally, I was intrigued. But then I read the article, which told me the many reasons why it would be stupid for him or anybody to leave Facebook, saying things such as: Yes, I want to get off the fastest growing social network that has 800 million readers and counting.\r\n\r\nThe article, awash is sarcasm, was <em>designed </em>to make readers feel stupid for considering leaving Facebook.\r\n\r\nI had been drawn in a headline that I didn’t realize was sarcastic until I read the blog post—a prime example of bait and switch. I felt angry and insulted that the author thought that anybody considering getting off Facebook was stupid.\r\n\r\nAnd then last week, I came across this article on Ragan.com: <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18342.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=CEO%20interview%20prep%3B%20Kraft%2C%20Heinz%20announce%20merger%3B%20Local%20TV%20and%20media%20relations%3B%20How%20to%20build%20a%20secure%20online%20newsroom%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18342.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">31 terms that will complicate your writing</a>. The headline is not sarcastic, but the article is. However, the article is written pretty badly—I was confused as were many other readers as evidenced by the comments. The article, in my opinion, does not work at all.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips, author of the <a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Media Training blog</a>, what he thought about using sarcasm in professional communication. Here’s what he said:\r\n<blockquote> The challenge is to make sure people don\'t take a comment you meant sarcastically as a straightforward, more serious one. Therefore, I try to always either preface a sarcastic comment with an obviously absurd rhetorical question or put it in italics to make clear that it stands apart from the rest of the post.</blockquote>\r\nExactly. <strong>Your reader or audience has to understand you are being sarcastic</strong>. If not, there will be misunderstanding and in essence, a lack of communication.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen you decide to use sarcasm, you run three big risks:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You risk irritating or even alienating your reader</strong>\r\n\r\nAccording to <em>The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Clear Communication</em> by Kris Cole, sarcasm inhibits communication: “Sarcasm in fact is in the same league as name-calling, ridiculing and shaming; and it leads to the same results.”\r\n\r\nIn intra-personal relationships, sarcasm can be extremely damaging. According to the post <a href=\"http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/the-damage-of-using-sarcasm-in-workplace-communication/\" target=\"_blank\">The Damage of Using Sarcasm in Workplace Communication</a> by Skip Weisman:\r\n<blockquote>There is no positive upside to using sarcasm. It offers only short-term positive impact for the sarcastic person whose ego may get a boost by putting others down in this manner.\r\n\r\nNow, it will be couched in the context of humor and trying to be funny. Yet, that humor comes at the expense of someone else.</blockquote>\r\nIn essence, your sarcasm is a put-down to your audience, which can certainly lead to irritation and alienation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You risk being misunderstood</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is a type of passive-aggressive communication -- where you say one thing but mean another -- there is a very good chance that your meaning will be misconstrued or lost.\r\n\r\nIt may be challenging for your readers to know that you are being sarcastic and as Brad Phillips said above, they may think you are being serious when in fact you are not.\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is often dependent on tone, and it is hard to express tone in writing, you will be forced to use devices like quotation marks or strike-throughs to make your meaning clear.\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Your risk seeming ethnocentric and culturally insensitive</strong>\r\n\r\nSarcasm does not travel well across cultures. While American culture tends to be very sarcastic, other cultures are not. And even within the U.S., there are regional differences. According to <a href=\"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/?no-ist=&amp;page=2\" target=\"_blank\">The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right</a> in Smithsonian Magazine:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"copy-paste-block\">Northerners also were more likely to think sarcasm was funny: 56 percent of Northerners found sarcasm humorous while only 35 percent of Southerners did. The New Yorkers and male students from either location were more likely to describe themselves as sarcastic.\r\n\r\n\r\n</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWould you ever write a sarcastic white paper or case study? Probably not. Why? Because you think of white papers and case studies as serious documents, intended to share information and/or communicate a finding. Instinctively, we avoid sarcasm in “serious” communications. And many people don’t see blogging on the same level as other, more formal, writing.\r\n\r\nThe truth is that sarcasm is often used as a distancing technique, and it can be extremely corrosive to clear communication. You should avoid it in business blogging.\r\n<h4>How do you feel about sarcasm in business blogging? Do you use it? Do you avoid it?</h4>','3 big reasons to avoid sarcasm in your business blog ','','publish','open','open','','3-big-reasons-to-avoid-sarcasm-in-your-business-blog','','\nhttp://www.personalbrandingblog.com/the-damage-of-using-sarcasm-in-workplace-communication/','2015-03-31 10:56:13','2015-03-31 14:56:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2936',0,'post','',0),
(2899,4,'2015-03-02 10:12:54','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I started reading a post and the author said he was going to \"explicate\" something. Explicate is a fancy word for explain. Explain is more widely used and universally understood. Explicate is rarely used and just sounds <del>pedantic</del> snobby.\r\n\r\nThen I tried to read a post but I couldn\'t make sense of it. The author is just not a very clear writer.\r\n\r\nA Twitter account I follow','Why I won\'t follow, share or even read','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-03-02 10:12:54','2015-03-02 15:12:54','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2899',0,'post','',0),
(2900,4,'2015-03-02 10:12:54','2015-03-02 15:12:54','I started reading a post and the author said he was going to \"explicate\" something. Explicate is a fancy word for explain. Explain is more widely used and universally understood. Explicate is rarely used and just sounds <del>pedantic</del> snobby.\r\n\r\nThen I tried to read a post but I couldn\'t make sense of it. The author is just not a very clear writer.\r\n\r\nA Twitter account I follow','Why I won\'t follow, share or even read','','inherit','open','open','','2899-revision-v1','','','2015-03-02 10:12:54','2015-03-02 15:12:54','',2899,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2899-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2901,4,'2015-03-04 09:48:24','2015-03-04 14:48:24','Today is<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day\" target=\"_blank\"> National Grammar Day</a>, and if there\'s one group that lives and breathes grammar, it\'s copy editors. (Note: you will find some that write copyediting and copyeditor as one word, but I decided to follow <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, which spells them as two words.)\r\n\r\nBy cleaning up your sloppy sentences, a copy editor makes your writing clearer. But not everyone has access to a copy editor. The next best thing is to learn what copy editors look for and apply it to your own writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Follow a style guide and stick to it</strong>. Whether you have your own organizational style guide or you use a standard guide such as <em>The Associated Press Stylebook</em>, be sure to consult it and defer to it. You may want to write “Web site” but your style guide says it’s “website.” Don’t alternate usages. And check stuff that is likely to trip you up such as dates, abbreviations, addresses, and titles.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Be consistent.</strong> Make sure you are using the same spelling and style throughout your document.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Use a dictionary</strong> (and choose your standard). There are a couple big dictionary names: <em>Oxford</em> and <em>Merriam-Webster</em>. Choose one and stick to it and then use it to make sure that you are spelling [that word] correctly. And more so, <a title=\"Are you sure you know what that word means?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\" target=\"_blank\">does [that word] mean what you think it means? </a>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Watch out for often-confused words.</strong> Commonly confused words sound the same or are very close in spelling, but don’t mean the same thing. Some examples are effect/affect, defer/differ, and compliment/complement. You can find exhaustive lists on the internet. Spell check won’t catch these mistakes but using the wrong word will most certainly alter the meaning of what you are writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Fact check</strong>. Make sure it’s Mary and not Marie and that February 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015 was a Saturday and not a Friday. Are you sure that\'s the correct address? You get the drift.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Pay attention to your commas (and apostrophes, colons, etc.)</strong>. Nothing can derail a sentence faster than missing or improper punctuation. Also, take a stand regarding the <a href=\"http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford or serial comma</a>. Use it or don\'t, but be consistent.\r\n\r\nWant more? Check out<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\"> Grammar Girl\'s Editing Checklist</a> for an overview of the various mistakes that copy editors look for, and you can even print it out as reference!\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to get lost in writing your thoughts and not pay attention to the details. However, the details (grammar, style,  punctuation, spelling) are what help to make your thoughts clear to your readers.\r\n<h4>How are you celebrating National Grammar Day?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','6 copy editing rules to make you a better writer              ','','publish','open','open','','6-copy-editing-rules-to-make-you-a-better-writer','','http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\nhttp://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/','2015-04-27 09:56:43','2015-04-27 13:56:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2901',0,'post','',1),
(2902,4,'2015-03-04 09:44:14','2015-03-04 14:44:14','Today is<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day\" target=\"_blank\"> National Grammar Day</a>, and if there\'s one group that lives and breathes grammar, it\'s copy editors. (Note: you will find some that write copyediting and copyeditor as one word, but I decided to follow <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, which spells them as two words.)\r\n\r\nBy cleaning up your sloppy sentences, a copy editor makes your writing clearer. But not everyone has access to a copy editor. The next best thing is to learn what copy editors look for and apply it to your own writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Follow a style guide and stick to it</strong>. Whether you have your own organizational style guide or you use a standard guide such as <em>The Associated Press Style Guide</em>, be sure to consult it and defer to it. You may want to write “Web site” but your style guide says it’s “website.” Don’t alternate usages. And check stuff that is likely to trip you up such as dates, abbreviations, addresses, and titles.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Be consistent.</strong> Make sure you are using the same spelling and style throughout your document.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Use a dictionary</strong> (and choose your standard). There are a couple big dictionary names: <em>Oxford</em> and <em>Merriam-Webster</em>. Choose one and stick to it and then use it to make sure that you are spelling [that word] correctly. And more so, <a title=\"Are you sure you know what that word means?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\" target=\"_blank\">does [that word] mean what you think it means? </a>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Watch out for often-confused words.</strong> Commonly confused words sound the same or are very close in spelling, but don’t mean the same thing. Some examples are effect/affect, defer/differ/difer, and compliment/complement. You can find exhaustive lists on the internet. Spell check won’t catch these mistakes but using the wrong word will most certainly alter the meaning of what you are writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Fact check</strong>. Make sure it’s Mary and not Marie and that February 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015 was a Saturday and not a Friday. Are you sure that\'s the correct address? You get the drift.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Pay attention to your commas (and apostrophes, colons, etc.)</strong>. Nothing can derail a sentence faster than missing or improper punctuation. Also, take a stand regarding the <a href=\"http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford or serial comma</a>. Use it or don\'t, but be consistent.\r\n\r\nWant more? Check out<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\"> Grammar Girl\'s Editing Checklist</a> for an overview of the various mistakes that copy editors look for, and you can even print it out as reference!\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to get lost in writing your thoughts and not pay attention to the details. However, the details (grammar, punctuation, spelling) are what help to make your thoughts clear to your readers.\r\n<h4>How are you celebrating National Grammar Day?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','6 Copy Editing Rules to Make You a Better Writer              ','','inherit','open','open','','2901-revision-v1','','','2015-03-04 09:44:14','2015-03-04 14:44:14','',2901,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2901-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2904,4,'2015-03-06 16:53:21','2015-03-06 21:53:21','I share so many articles every day on Twitter, and of those I save my favorites to Pocket (my favorite tool for saving articles). Starting today, I will do a weekly or biweekly round-up of great articles for weekend reading.\r\n\r\nHere are three articles on writing and editing:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://ajr.org/2015/03/04/7-self-editing-tips-reporters-without-copy-editors/\" target=\"_blank\">7 Self-Editing Tips for Reporters Without Copy Editors</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/research-review/the-value-of-copy-editing/?utm_source=API%27s+Need+to+Know+newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=e43d815832-Need_to_Know_March_3_20153_3_2015&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_e3bf78af04-e43d815832-45802581\" target=\"_blank\">Study Shows the Value of Copy Editing</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18213.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=PR%20tools%20someone%20should%20invent%3B%20Target%27s%20job%20cuts%3B%20Yik%20Yak%27s%20growing%20popularity%3B%20Tinder%20accused%20of%20ageism%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18213.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">11 easy ways to write more clearly</a>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a couple about websites and social media:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238324\" target=\"_blank\">5 Things You Can Learn From a Poorly Designed Website</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://hbr.org/2015/03/is-social-media-actually-helping-your-companys-bottom-line?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29\" target=\"_blank\">Is Social Media Actually Helping Your Company\'s Bottom Line?</a>\r\n<h4>Happy reading and have a great weekend!</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','Some weekend reading','','publish','open','open','','some-weekend-reading','','\nhttp://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/research-review/the-value-of-copy-editing/','2015-03-06 16:53:21','2015-03-06 21:53:21','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2904',0,'post','',0),
(2905,4,'2015-03-06 16:51:01','2015-03-06 21:51:01','I share so many articles every day on Twitter, and I save a few to Pocket. Starting today, I will do a weekly or biweekly round-up of great articles for weekend reading.\r\n\r\nHere are three articles on writing and editing:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://ajr.org/2015/03/04/7-self-editing-tips-reporters-without-copy-editors/\" target=\"_blank\">7 Self-Editing Tips for Reporters Without Copy Editors</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/research-review/the-value-of-copy-editing/?utm_source=API%27s+Need+to+Know+newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=e43d815832-Need_to_Know_March_3_20153_3_2015&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_e3bf78af04-e43d815832-45802581\" target=\"_blank\">Study Shows the Value of Copy Editing</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18213.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=PR%20tools%20someone%20should%20invent%3B%20Target%27s%20job%20cuts%3B%20Yik%20Yak%27s%20growing%20popularity%3B%20Tinder%20accused%20of%20ageism%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18213.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">11 easy ways to write more clearly</a>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a couple about websites and social media:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238324\" target=\"_blank\">5 Things You Can Learn From a Poorly Designed Website</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://hbr.org/2015/03/is-social-media-actually-helping-your-companys-bottom-line?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29\" target=\"_blank\">Is Social Media Actually Helping Your Company\'s Bottom Line?</a>\r\n<h4>Happy reading and have a great weekend!</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','Some weekend reading','','inherit','open','open','','2904-revision-v1','','','2015-03-06 16:51:01','2015-03-06 21:51:01','',2904,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2904-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2906,4,'2015-03-06 16:53:21','2015-03-06 21:53:21','I share so many articles every day on Twitter, and of those I save my favorites to Pocket (my favorite tool for saving articles). Starting today, I will do a weekly or biweekly round-up of great articles for weekend reading.\r\n\r\nHere are three articles on writing and editing:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://ajr.org/2015/03/04/7-self-editing-tips-reporters-without-copy-editors/\" target=\"_blank\">7 Self-Editing Tips for Reporters Without Copy Editors</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/research-review/the-value-of-copy-editing/?utm_source=API%27s+Need+to+Know+newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=e43d815832-Need_to_Know_March_3_20153_3_2015&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_e3bf78af04-e43d815832-45802581\" target=\"_blank\">Study Shows the Value of Copy Editing</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18213.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=PR%20tools%20someone%20should%20invent%3B%20Target%27s%20job%20cuts%3B%20Yik%20Yak%27s%20growing%20popularity%3B%20Tinder%20accused%20of%20ageism%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18213.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">11 easy ways to write more clearly</a>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a couple about websites and social media:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238324\" target=\"_blank\">5 Things You Can Learn From a Poorly Designed Website</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://hbr.org/2015/03/is-social-media-actually-helping-your-companys-bottom-line?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29\" target=\"_blank\">Is Social Media Actually Helping Your Company\'s Bottom Line?</a>\r\n<h4>Happy reading and have a great weekend!</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','Some weekend reading','','inherit','open','open','','2904-revision-v1','','','2015-03-06 16:53:21','2015-03-06 21:53:21','',2904,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2904-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2907,4,'2015-03-07 10:17:33','2015-03-07 15:17:33','Today is<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day\" target=\"_blank\"> National Grammar Day</a>, and if there\'s one group that lives and breathes grammar, it\'s copy editors. (Note: you will find some that write copyediting and copyeditor as one word, but I decided to follow <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, which spells them as two words.)\r\n\r\nBy cleaning up your sloppy sentences, a copy editor makes your writing clearer. But not everyone has access to a copy editor. The next best thing is to learn what copy editors look for and apply it to your own writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Follow a style guide and stick to it</strong>. Whether you have your own organizational style guide or you use a standard guide such as <em>The Associated Press Style Guide</em>, be sure to consult it and defer to it. You may want to write “Web site” but your style guide says it’s “website.” Don’t alternate usages. And check stuff that is likely to trip you up such as dates, abbreviations, addresses, and titles.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Be consistent.</strong> Make sure you are using the same spelling and style throughout your document.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Use a dictionary</strong> (and choose your standard). There are a couple big dictionary names: <em>Oxford</em> and <em>Merriam-Webster</em>. Choose one and stick to it and then use it to make sure that you are spelling [that word] correctly. And more so, <a title=\"Are you sure you know what that word means?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\" target=\"_blank\">does [that word] mean what you think it means? </a>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Watch out for often-confused words.</strong> Commonly confused words sound the same or are very close in spelling, but don’t mean the same thing. Some examples are effect/affect, defer/differ/difer, and compliment/complement. You can find exhaustive lists on the internet. Spell check won’t catch these mistakes but using the wrong word will most certainly alter the meaning of what you are writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Fact check</strong>. Make sure it’s Mary and not Marie and that February 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015 was a Saturday and not a Friday. Are you sure that\'s the correct address? You get the drift.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Pay attention to your commas (and apostrophes, colons, etc.)</strong>. Nothing can derail a sentence faster than missing or improper punctuation. Also, take a stand regarding the <a href=\"http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford or serial comma</a>. Use it or don\'t, but be consistent.\r\n\r\nWant more? Check out<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\"> Grammar Girl\'s Editing Checklist</a> for an overview of the various mistakes that copy editors look for, and you can even print it out as reference!\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to get lost in writing your thoughts and not pay attention to the details. However, the details (grammar, punctuation, spelling) are what help to make your thoughts clear to your readers.\r\n<h4>How are you celebrating National Grammar Day?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','6 copy editing rules to make you a better writer              ','','inherit','open','open','','2901-revision-v1','','','2015-03-07 10:17:33','2015-03-07 15:17:33','',2901,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2901-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2908,4,'2015-03-10 16:21:04','2015-03-10 20:21:04','This morning, the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-brings-in-high-powered-help-to-rebuild-its-image/2015/03/09/e12a6084-c685-11e4-aa1a-86135599fb0f_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post reports</a> that Metro (the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority or WMATA) is hiring two big public relations/communications firms\r\n<blockquote>\"to help the transit agency rebuild its tattered image in the wake of a fatal Jan. 12 smoke incident.\"</blockquote>\r\nThe two agencies, O\'Neill Associates and Hill + Knowlton Strategies, are expert in crisis communications and will help develop a reputation management communications plan.\r\n\r\n<strong>The problem for Metro is that it has more than an image problem. It has an organizational problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nAs anybody who lives in the Washington, D.C. area and who rides Metro knows, WMATA has frequent problems, including lengthy delays, broken car doors, broken escalators, and smoke-filled stations. Most of these problems do not result in fatalities, as did the January incident, but they do inconvenience hundreds of commuters every day.\r\n\r\nWMATA has also experienced a drop in ridership in the past year (<a href=\"http://wtop.com/traffic/2015/03/d-c-area-sees-fewer-taking-public-transit/\" target=\"_blank\">D.C. area sees fewer taking public transit</a>). Although the article attributes this decline to lower gas prices, it is hard to imagine it doesn\'t have to do with the unreliable and expensive service that WMATA offers.\r\n\r\nMost news reports about the January incident detail aspects of WMATA\'s organizational challenges. There\'s a lack of internal accountability (why weren\'t NTSB safety directives followed?) and a lack of cooperation with external parties (first responders did not know where the smoke-filled train was in the tunnel and their radios did not work underground).\r\n\r\nIt\'s beyond my knowledge to detail the workings of WMATA, but as a rider, I have seen countless examples of poor service. Track work (or \"rebuilding\" as it is now called) happens nearly every weekend, causing lengthy delays. And the cost is astronomical. At the highest end, a round-trip peak-hour commute costs nearly $12.\r\n\r\nFrustration with Metro does not have to do with its image. It has to do with the real, day-to-day interactions most riders have with the system. A crisis communication plan is always good to have (as an aside, several years ago I heard Metro\'s then public relations director say that the agency had a plan in case of terrorism on the system, <em>but not in case of accidents</em>).\r\n\r\nI hope that by hiring outside communications counsel, Metro is admitting it has a problem and that it is ready to seek for a solution. But the solution is not simply <em>to appear</em> to have stuff under control (create a positive image). <strong>The real solution would be to address the organizational issues that underlie the image problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts?','Marketing communications efforts do not fix organizational problems','','publish','open','open','','marketing-communications-efforts-do-not-fix-organizational-problems','','','2015-03-10 16:21:04','2015-03-10 20:21:04','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2908',0,'post','',0),
(2909,4,'2015-03-10 16:19:38','2015-03-10 20:19:38','This morning, the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-brings-in-high-powered-help-to-rebuild-its-image/2015/03/09/e12a6084-c685-11e4-aa1a-86135599fb0f_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post reports</a> that Metro (the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority or WMATA) is hiring two big public relations/communications firms\r\n<blockquote>\"to help the transit agency rebuild its tattered image in the wake of a fatal Jan. 12 smoke incident.\"</blockquote>\r\nThe two agencies, O\'Neill Associates and Hill + Knowlton Strategies, are expert in crisis communications and will help develop a reputation management communications plan.\r\n\r\n<strong>The problem for Metro is that it has more than an image problem. It has an organizational problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nAs anybody who lives in the Washington, D.C. area and who rides Metro knows, WMATA has frequent problems, including lengthy delays, broken car doors, broken escalators, and smoke-filled stations. Most of these problems do not result in fatalities, as did the January incident, but they do inconvenience hundreds of commuters every day.\r\n\r\nWMATA has also experienced a drop in ridership in the past year (<a href=\"http://wtop.com/traffic/2015/03/d-c-area-sees-fewer-taking-public-transit/\" target=\"_blank\">D.C. area sees fewer taking public transit</a>). Although the article attributes this decline to lower gas prices, it is hard to imagine it doesn\'t have to do with the unreliable and expensive service that WMATA offers.\r\n\r\nMost news reports about the January incident detail aspects of WMATA\'s organizational challenges. There\'s a lack of internal accountability (why weren\'t NTSB safety directives followed?) and a lack of cooperation with external parties (first responders did not know where the smoke-filled train was in the tunnel and their radios did not work underground).\r\n\r\nIt\'s beyond my knowledge to detail the workings of WMATA, but as a rider, I have seen countless examples of poor service. Track work (or \"rebuilding\" as it is now called) happens nearly every weekend, causing lengthy delays. And the cost is astronomical. At the highest end, a round-trip peak-hour commute costs nearly $12.\r\n\r\nFrustration with Metro does not have to do with its image. It has to do with the real, day-to-day interactions most riders have with the system. A crisis communication plan is always good to have (as an aside, several years ago I heard Metro\'s then public relations director say that the agency had a plan in case of terrorism on the system, <em>but not in case of accidents</em>).\r\n\r\nI hope that by hiring outside communications counsel, Metro is admitting it has a problem and that it is ready to seek for a solution. But the solution is not simply <em>to appear</em> to have stuff under control (create a positive image). <strong>The real solution would be to address the organizational issues that underlie the image problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts?','Marketing communications efforts do not fix organizational problems','','inherit','open','open','','2908-revision-v1','','','2015-03-10 16:19:38','2015-03-10 20:19:38','',2908,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2908-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2933,4,'2015-03-27 19:04:57','2015-03-27 23:04:57','Mis servicios:\n<ul>\n	<li>Escritura y producción de materiales de mercadeo (marketing), ya sea un folleto, comunicados de prensa, o el contenido de un sitio Web.</li>\n	<li>Redacción de materiales.</li>\n	<li>Traducción de materiales  ingles/español.</li>\n</ul>\nPuede contar con trabajos hechos con creatividad y experiencia, y con la confianza de que hare el trabajo en el tiempo adecuado y a un precio justo.\n\nDependiendo de las exigencias del cliente, trabajo por proyecto o a largo plazo. En todo caso, el precio se dará por escrito.\n\n<strong>Biografia</strong>\n\nDeborah establecio su compañia en 2002. Cuenta con una carrera que abarca veinte años de trabajo en las industrias de relaciones públicas y de publicidad. Deborah obtuvo una Maestría en Comunicaciones en Boston University.\n\n<strong>¿Como le puedo ayudar? Mandeme un mail:</strong>\n\n<a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>','Espanol','','inherit','open','open','','20-autosave-v1','','','2015-03-27 19:04:57','2015-03-27 23:04:57','',20,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/20-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2919,4,'2015-03-16 09:26:29','2015-03-16 13:26:29','<div><img style=\"margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 40px;\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/picture.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"left\" />Deborah Brody is a writer and consultant with 20 years of public relations, advertising and marketing experience. Her firm, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications (DBMC), provides high-level writing and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits.Prior to launching DBMC in 2002 and helping organizations refine marketing materials, write blog posts, create website content, and generate press releases, the bilingual (English, Spanish) Deborah worked at several leading South Florida-based agencies, including Everett Clay Associates (public relations), The Jeffrey Group (public relations focused on Latin America), and  Peter Nasca Associates (corporate communications). In 2001,  Deborah taught Advanced Public Relations Writing at Florida International University.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">Deborah is a graduate of Brandeis University (B.A., Politics) and of Boston University\'s College of Communications, where she earned a Master\'s degree in Mass Communication. She lives in Rockville, Maryland and when not writing, she enjoys cooking, following current events and politics and doing yoga.\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\"></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','About','','inherit','open','open','','18-revision-v1','','','2015-03-16 09:26:29','2015-03-16 13:26:29','',18,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/18-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2911,4,'2015-03-16 09:16:54','2015-03-16 13:16:54','<div><img style=\"margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 40px;\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/picture.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"left\" />Deborah Brody is a writer and consultant with 20 years of public relations, advertising and marketing experience. Her firm, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications (DBMC), provides high-level writing and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits.Prior to launching DBMC in 2002 and helping organizations refine marketing materials, write blog posts, create website content, and generate press releases, the bilingual (English, Spanish) Deborah worked at several leading South Florida-based agencies, including Everett Clay Associates (public relations), The Jeffrey Group (public relations focused on Latin America), and  Peter Nasca Associates (corporate communications). In 2001,  Deborah taught Advanced Public Relations Writing at Florida International University.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<div>Deborah is a graduate of Brandeis University (B.A., Politics) and of Boston University\'s College of Communications, where she earned a Master\'s degree in Mass Communication. She lives in Rockville, Maryland and when not writing, she enjoys cooking, following current events and politics and doing yoga.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/about/clients/\">Clients</a> | <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/about/portfolio/\">Portfolio</a> | <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/about/how-we-work/\">How We Work |</a><a title=\"Newsletters\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/about/newsletters/\">Newsletters</a></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div id=\"aboutright\">\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">In the media relations area, Deborah displayed great news instincts - she knew what was newsworthy and how to get coverage. She is a creative, clear, and concise writer, targeting her products to the organization and its audiences. Plus, she\'s bi-lingual and can help you reach even broader audiences.</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Debbie Auerbach-Deutsch, former VP of Communications, B’nai B’rith International</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid &amp; Trade Event in Washington D.C. The articles she wrote are accurate, engaging and comprehensive. They were delivered as requested and on time. I am more than satisfied with Deborah\'s work and she was a pleasure to work with.</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Sula Bruce, Aid and Development Forum</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Deborah is a smart, clear, and strong writer who always impresses me with her awareness of the latest marketing trends.</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Bonnie Auslander, Office of Business Communications, American University Kogod School of Business</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','About','','inherit','open','open','','18-revision-v1','','','2015-03-16 09:16:54','2015-03-16 13:16:54','',18,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/18-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2914,4,'2015-03-16 09:23:25','2015-03-16 13:23:25','“I\'ve had multiple opportunities to use Deborah for writing projects. You can depend on Deborah to turn things around quickly with spot-on work. She does a thorough job by putting the time in upfront to completely understand your objectives. She\'s great at meeting deadlines, communicates well and edits quickly. I highly recommend her for writing projects.”\r\n\r\n<em>David Heyman, Director, Customer Retention, FrontPoint Security</em>\r\n\r\n“Deborah is not someone you hire if you just want her to execute your plan \"as is,\" because she\'ll always tell you a better way to do it if there is one! Deborah does a fabulous job of looking at the bigger picture and making sure all projects are geared towards meeting your overall business goals. In addition to strategic planning, she\'s a terrific writer and editor.\r\n\r\n<em>Diane Danielson, Chief Operating Officer, Sperry Van Ness International Corp.</em>\r\n\r\n\"In the media relations area, Deborah displayed great news instincts – she knew what was newsworthy and how to get coverage. She is a creative, clear, and concise writer, targeting her products to the organization and its audiences. Plus, she’s bi-lingual and can help you reach even broader audiences.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Debbie Auerbach-Deutsch, former VP of Communications, B’nai B’rith International</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid &amp; Trade Event in Washington D.C. The articles she wrote are accurate, engaging and comprehensive. They were delivered as requested and on time. I am more than satisfied with Deborah’s work and she was a pleasure to work with.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Sula Bruce, Aid and Development Forum</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah is a smart, clear, and strong writer who always impresses me with her awareness of the latest marketing trends.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Bonnie Auslander, Office of Business Communications, American University Kogod School of Business</em>','What Clients Say','','publish','open','open','','what-clients-say','','','2015-03-16 09:25:49','2015-03-16 13:25:49','',1237,'http://deborahbrody.com/?page_id=2914',0,'page','',0),
(2916,4,'2015-03-16 09:22:56','2015-03-16 13:22:56','“I\'ve had multiple opportunities to use Deborah for writing projects. You can depend on Deborah to turn things around quickly with spot-on work. She does a thorough job by putting the time in upfront to completely understand your objectives. She\'s great at meeting deadlines, communicates well and edits quickly. I highly recommend her for writing projects.”\r\n\r\n<em>David Heyman, Director, Customer Retention, FrontPoint Security</em>\r\n\r\n“Deborah is not someone you hire if you just want her to execute your plan \"as is,\" because she\'ll always tell you a better way to do it if there is one! Deborah does a fabulous job of looking at the bigger picture and making sure all projects are geared towards meeting your overall business goals. In addition to strategic planning, she\'s a terrific writer and editor.\r\n\r\n<em>Diane Danielson, Chief Operating Officer, Sperry Van Ness International Corp.</em>\r\n\r\n\"In the media relations area, Deborah displayed great news instincts – she knew what was newsworthy and how to get coverage. She is a creative, clear, and concise writer, targeting her products to the organization and its audiences. Plus, she’s bi-lingual and can help you reach even broader audiences.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Debbie Auerbach-Deutsch, former VP of Communications, B’nai B’rith International</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid &amp; Trade Event in Washington D.C. The articles she wrote are accurate, engaging and comprehensive. They were delivered as requested and on time. I am more than satisfied with Deborah’s work and she was a pleasure to work with.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Sula Bruce, Aid and Development Forum</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah is a smart, clear, and strong writer who always impresses me with her awareness of the latest marketing trends.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Bonnie Auslander, Office of Business Communications, American University Kogod School of Business</em>','What clients say','','inherit','open','open','','2914-revision-v1','','','2015-03-16 09:22:56','2015-03-16 13:22:56','',2914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2914-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2915,4,'2015-03-16 09:21:13','2015-03-16 13:21:13','<div id=\"stcpDiv\">\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n\r\n“I\'ve had multiple opportunities to use Deborah for writing projects. You can depend on Deborah to turn things around quickly with spot-on work. She does a thorough job by putting the time in upfront to completely understand your objectives. She\'s great at meeting deadlines, communicates well and edits quickly. I highly recommend her for writing projects.”\r\n\r\n<em>David Heyman, Director, Customer Retention, FrontPoint Security</em>\r\n\r\n“Deborah is not someone you hire if you just want her to execute your plan \"as is,\" because she\'ll always tell you a better way to do it if there is one! Deborah does a fabulous job of looking at the bigger picture and making sure all projects are geared towards meeting your overall business goals. In addition to strategic planning, she\'s a terrific writer and editor.\r\n\r\n<em>Diane Danielson, Chief Operating Officer, Sperry Van Ness International Corp.</em>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">\"In the media relations area, Deborah displayed great news instincts – she knew what was newsworthy and how to get coverage. She is a creative, clear, and concise writer, targeting her products to the organization and its audiences. Plus, she’s bi-lingual and can help you reach even broader audiences.\"</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Debbie Auerbach-Deutsch, former VP of Communications, B’nai B’rith International</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">\"Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid &amp; Trade Event in Washington D.C. The articles she wrote are accurate, engaging and comprehensive. They were delivered as requested and on time. I am more than satisfied with Deborah’s work and she was a pleasure to work with.\"</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Sula Bruce, Aid and Development Forum</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">\"Deborah is a smart, clear, and strong writer who always impresses me with her awareness of the latest marketing trends.\"</p>\r\n<p id=\"testimonial\">Bonnie Auslander, Office of Business Communications, American University Kogod School of Business</p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','What clients say','','inherit','open','open','','2914-revision-v1','','','2015-03-16 09:21:13','2015-03-16 13:21:13','',2914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2914-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2917,4,'2015-03-16 09:25:14','2015-03-16 13:25:14',' ','','','publish','open','open','','2917','','','2018-02-12 10:39:33','2018-02-12 15:39:33','',1237,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2917',12,'nav_menu_item','',0),
(2918,4,'2015-03-16 09:25:49','2015-03-16 13:25:49','“I\'ve had multiple opportunities to use Deborah for writing projects. You can depend on Deborah to turn things around quickly with spot-on work. She does a thorough job by putting the time in upfront to completely understand your objectives. She\'s great at meeting deadlines, communicates well and edits quickly. I highly recommend her for writing projects.”\r\n\r\n<em>David Heyman, Director, Customer Retention, FrontPoint Security</em>\r\n\r\n“Deborah is not someone you hire if you just want her to execute your plan \"as is,\" because she\'ll always tell you a better way to do it if there is one! Deborah does a fabulous job of looking at the bigger picture and making sure all projects are geared towards meeting your overall business goals. In addition to strategic planning, she\'s a terrific writer and editor.\r\n\r\n<em>Diane Danielson, Chief Operating Officer, Sperry Van Ness International Corp.</em>\r\n\r\n\"In the media relations area, Deborah displayed great news instincts – she knew what was newsworthy and how to get coverage. She is a creative, clear, and concise writer, targeting her products to the organization and its audiences. Plus, she’s bi-lingual and can help you reach even broader audiences.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Debbie Auerbach-Deutsch, former VP of Communications, B’nai B’rith International</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid &amp; Trade Event in Washington D.C. The articles she wrote are accurate, engaging and comprehensive. They were delivered as requested and on time. I am more than satisfied with Deborah’s work and she was a pleasure to work with.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Sula Bruce, Aid and Development Forum</em>\r\n\r\n\"Deborah is a smart, clear, and strong writer who always impresses me with her awareness of the latest marketing trends.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Bonnie Auslander, Office of Business Communications, American University Kogod School of Business</em>','What Clients Say','','inherit','open','open','','2914-revision-v1','','','2015-03-16 09:25:49','2015-03-16 13:25:49','',2914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2914-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2920,4,'2015-03-17 10:16:12','2015-03-17 14:16:12','Not a day goes by that I don’t see a post about tools. Just this morning I saw this: <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-ivanovs/10-social-media-tools-for_b_6619490.html\" target=\"_blank\">“10 Social Media Tools for Small Businesses and Freelancers.”</a> We are obsessed with tools, especially the online and free variety.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2921\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/9386959986_36e3678938_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2921\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/9386959986_36e3678938_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"watercolors sets 1 by niftynotebook on Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> watercolors sets 1 by niftynotebook on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Tools exist to make jobs easier</strong>\r\n\r\nIt’d be hard to create this blog post without Microsoft Word or WordPress. If I wanted to make a cake, having an electric mixer would be helpful. But, owning or having access to tools, even the most advanced or professional type, does not make you a professional or an expert. In other words, owning a paintbrush does not make you an artist, any more than having Adobe Photoshop makes you a graphic designer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Having a tool does not make you an expert</strong>\r\n\r\nSay you bought some sculpting equipment. Do you think you will now be able to sculpt something like Michelangelo’s David? Well, you might…<em>if</em> you had years of training, Michelangelo’s genius, and some amazing Italian marble to work with.\r\n\r\nThe problem is not using tools to help you do your job, it’s that some organizations and individuals believe they can substitute a tool for an expert, or worse, that having the tool (Adobe Photoshop comes to mind), makes you the expert.\r\n\r\n<strong>Doing it yourself could cost you</strong>\r\n\r\nLast week, I was meeting with my accountant and he told me about a new client he recently started working with. This client had been filing his taxes using a popular online tax software. It turns out that my accountant was able to find the client thousands of dollars in tax savings because the do-it-yourself client had not known how to take depreciation on his mortgage and other deductions. Having tax software does not make you an accountant. The reason accountants can charge for their time is that they know what to do with the tax software, they understand tax laws and how they affect individual situations.\r\n\r\n<strong>How do you say wrong in Spanish?</strong>\r\n\r\nSome organizations are turning to tools like Google Translate (or other online translation software) in order to save money by not hiring a professional translator. The results can be disastrous. Same can be said for do-it-yourself graphic design, website building and any number of services people think they can get for free or cheap.\r\n\r\nJust a couple of weeks ago, I was on a national environmental group’s website. The group has chapters around the world, and in the Spanish version of the website, the word used for “chapters” was “capítulos,” which quite literally means chapters in a book. In Spanish, capítulo is <em>not </em>used as a synonym for a section or group of people.\r\n\r\nMy advice is to only use tools for routine jobs and leave the skilled work to the professionals. It may seem to cost more to hire somebody, but as my accountant proved to his new client, it could end up saving you thousands down the road.\r\n<h4>What do you think? Do you rely on tools to avoid hiring a professional?</h4>','Tools save you money, except when they don\'t','','publish','open','open','','tools-save-you-money-except-when-they-dont','','','2015-03-17 10:16:12','2015-03-17 14:16:12','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2920',0,'post','',3),
(2921,4,'2015-03-17 10:09:23','2015-03-17 14:09:23','','9386959986_36e3678938_z','watercolors sets 1 by niftynotebook on Flickr','inherit','open','open','','9386959986_36e3678938_z','','','2015-03-17 10:09:50','2015-03-17 14:09:50','',2920,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/9386959986_36e3678938_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(2922,4,'2015-03-17 10:15:40','2015-03-17 14:15:40','Not a day goes by that I don’t see a post about tools. Just this morning I saw this: <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-ivanovs/10-social-media-tools-for_b_6619490.html\" target=\"_blank\">“10 Social Media Tools for Small Businesses and Freelancers.”</a> We are obsessed with tools, especially the online and free variety.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2921\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/9386959986_36e3678938_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2921\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/9386959986_36e3678938_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"watercolors sets 1 by niftynotebook on Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> watercolors sets 1 by niftynotebook on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Tools exist to make jobs easier</strong>\r\n\r\nIt’d be hard to create this blog post without Microsoft Word or WordPress. If I wanted to make a cake, having an electric mixer would be helpful. But, owning or having access to tools, even the most advanced or professional type, does not make you a professional or an expert. In other words, owning a paintbrush does not make you an artist, any more than having Adobe Photoshop makes you a graphic designer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Having a tool does not make you an expert</strong>\r\n\r\nSay you bought some sculpting equipment. Do you think you will now be able to sculpt something like Michelangelo’s David? Well, you might…<em>if</em> you had years of training, Michelangelo’s genius, and some amazing Italian marble to work with.\r\n\r\nThe problem is not using tools to help you do your job, it’s that some organizations and individuals believe they can substitute a tool for an expert, or worse, that having the tool (Adobe Photoshop comes to mind), makes you the expert.\r\n\r\n<strong>Doing it yourself could cost you</strong>\r\n\r\nLast week, I was meeting with my accountant and he told me about a new client he recently started working with. This client had been filing his taxes using a popular online tax software. It turns out that my accountant was able to find the client thousands of dollars in tax savings because the do-it-yourself client had not known how to take depreciation on his mortgage and other deductions. Having tax software does not make you an accountant. The reason accountants can charge for their time is that they know what to do with the tax software, they understand tax laws and how they affect individual situations.\r\n\r\n<strong>How do you say wrong in Spanish?</strong>\r\n\r\nSome organizations are turning to tools like Google Translate (or other online translation software) in order to save money by not hiring a professional translator. The results can be disastrous. Same can be said for do-it-yourself graphic design, website building and any number of services people think they can get for free or cheap.\r\n\r\nJust a couple of weeks ago, I was on a national environmental group’s website. The group has chapters around the world, and in the Spanish version of the website, the word used for “chapters” was “capítulos,” which quite literally means chapters in a book. In Spanish, capítulo is <em>not </em>used as a synonym for a section or group of people.\r\n\r\nMy advice is to only use tools for routine jobs and leave the skilled work to the professionals. It may seem to cost more to hire somebody, but as my accountant proved to his new client, it could end up saving you thousands down the road.\r\n<h4>What do you think? Do you rely on tools to avoid hiring a professional?</h4>','Tools save you money, except when they don\'t','','inherit','open','open','','2920-revision-v1','','','2015-03-17 10:15:40','2015-03-17 14:15:40','',2920,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2920-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2923,4,'2015-03-18 09:23:46','2015-03-18 13:23:46','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/83c206/preview\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2015-03-18 09:23:46','2015-03-18 13:23:46','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2924,4,'2015-03-18 16:59:58','2015-03-18 20:59:58','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2015-03-18 16:59:58','2015-03-18 20:59:58','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2925,4,'2015-03-20 09:29:27','2015-03-20 13:29:27','As I type this, it is snowing outside (again). Let\'s hope this is the last time this season! Spring starts this evening, at 6:45 p.m. and we are all ready for warmer temps and NO MORE SNOW! But I digress.\r\n\r\nFollowing, you will find seven of the most interesting and/or useful  articles I have read and shared in the past couple of weeks. So pour yourself a nice cup of something brewed, and have fun reading!\r\n\r\n<strong>On blogs and blogging:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.searchenginejournal.com/3-google-analytics-reports-help-find-blog-post-ideas-readers-will-love/125811/\" target=\"_blank\">3 Google Analytics Reports to Help You Find Blog Post Ideas Your Readers Will Love</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://blog.bufferapp.com/perfect-blog-post-research-data\" target=\"_blank\">The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/fact-check-content/\" target=\"_blank\">How Well Do You Fact-Check Your Content</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>On writing and copy editing:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/like-versus-as\" target=\"_blank\">Like Versus As</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.copyblogger.com/writing-exercises/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=Oktopost-twitter-profile&amp;utm_campaign=Oktopost-Classic+Posts\" target=\"_blank\">12 Writing Exercises That Will Transform Your Copy Today</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2015/02/19/12-useless-public-relations-terms/\" target=\"_blank\">12 Useless Public Relations Terms</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/20-embarrassing-phrases-even-smart-people-misuse.html\" target=\"_blank\">20 Embarrassing Phrases Even Smart People Misuse</a>\r\n\r\nHappy spring!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The week\'s best brew: super-caffeinated articles','','publish','open','open','','the-weeks-best-brew-super-caffeinated-articles','','','2015-03-20 09:29:27','2015-03-20 13:29:27','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2925',0,'post','',0),
(2926,4,'2015-03-20 09:29:27','2015-03-20 13:29:27','As I type this, it is snowing outside (again). Let\'s hope this is the last time this season! Spring starts this evening, at 6:45 p.m. and we are all ready for warmer temps and NO MORE SNOW! But I digress.\r\n\r\nFollowing, you will find seven of the most interesting and/or useful  articles I have read and shared in the past couple of weeks. So pour yourself a nice cup of something brewed, and have fun reading!\r\n\r\n<strong>On blogs and blogging:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.searchenginejournal.com/3-google-analytics-reports-help-find-blog-post-ideas-readers-will-love/125811/\" target=\"_blank\">3 Google Analytics Reports to Help You Find Blog Post Ideas Your Readers Will Love</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://blog.bufferapp.com/perfect-blog-post-research-data\" target=\"_blank\">The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/fact-check-content/\" target=\"_blank\">How Well Do You Fact-Check Your Content</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>On writing and copy editing:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/like-versus-as\" target=\"_blank\">Like Versus As</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.copyblogger.com/writing-exercises/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=Oktopost-twitter-profile&amp;utm_campaign=Oktopost-Classic+Posts\" target=\"_blank\">12 Writing Exercises That Will Transform Your Copy Today</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2015/02/19/12-useless-public-relations-terms/\" target=\"_blank\">12 Useless Public Relations Terms</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/20-embarrassing-phrases-even-smart-people-misuse.html\" target=\"_blank\">20 Embarrassing Phrases Even Smart People Misuse</a>\r\n\r\nHappy spring!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The week\'s best brew: super-caffeinated articles','','inherit','open','open','','2925-revision-v1','','','2015-03-20 09:29:27','2015-03-20 13:29:27','',2925,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2925-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2929,4,'2015-03-23 14:32:41','2015-03-23 18:32:41','Today is<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day\" target=\"_blank\"> National Grammar Day</a>, and if there\'s one group that lives and breathes grammar, it\'s copy editors. (Note: you will find some that write copyediting and copyeditor as one word, but I decided to follow <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, which spells them as two words.)\r\n\r\nBy cleaning up your sloppy sentences, a copy editor makes your writing clearer. But not everyone has access to a copy editor. The next best thing is to learn what copy editors look for and apply it to your own writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Follow a style guide and stick to it</strong>. Whether you have your own organizational style guide or you use a standard guide such as <em>The Associated Press Stylebook</em>, be sure to consult it and defer to it. You may want to write “Web site” but your style guide says it’s “website.” Don’t alternate usages. And check stuff that is likely to trip you up such as dates, abbreviations, addresses, and titles.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Be consistent.</strong> Make sure you are using the same spelling and style throughout your document.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Use a dictionary</strong> (and choose your standard). There are a couple big dictionary names: <em>Oxford</em> and <em>Merriam-Webster</em>. Choose one and stick to it and then use it to make sure that you are spelling [that word] correctly. And more so, <a title=\"Are you sure you know what that word means?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\" target=\"_blank\">does [that word] mean what you think it means? </a>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Watch out for often-confused words.</strong> Commonly confused words sound the same or are very close in spelling, but don’t mean the same thing. Some examples are effect/affect, defer/differ/difer, and compliment/complement. You can find exhaustive lists on the internet. Spell check won’t catch these mistakes but using the wrong word will most certainly alter the meaning of what you are writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Fact check</strong>. Make sure it’s Mary and not Marie and that February 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015 was a Saturday and not a Friday. Are you sure that\'s the correct address? You get the drift.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Pay attention to your commas (and apostrophes, colons, etc.)</strong>. Nothing can derail a sentence faster than missing or improper punctuation. Also, take a stand regarding the <a href=\"http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford or serial comma</a>. Use it or don\'t, but be consistent.\r\n\r\nWant more? Check out<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\"> Grammar Girl\'s Editing Checklist</a> for an overview of the various mistakes that copy editors look for, and you can even print it out as reference!\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to get lost in writing your thoughts and not pay attention to the details. However, the details (grammar, style,  punctuation, spelling) are what help to make your thoughts clear to your readers.\r\n<h4>How are you celebrating National Grammar Day?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','6 copy editing rules to make you a better writer              ','','inherit','open','open','','2901-revision-v1','','','2015-03-23 14:32:41','2015-03-23 18:32:41','',2901,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2901-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2930,4,'2015-03-24 15:11:17','2015-03-24 19:11:17','When I first started using Twitter in 2008,  I had no idea what an \"RT\" was or how to check \"@\" messages. I didn\'t know Tweetdeck from Hootsuite. So I asked a couple millennial friends of mine, and over lunch, they explained how Twitter worked and how to use it.\r\n\r\nSince then, I believe I have become fairly adept at using Twitter and use it quite heavily as a place to learn, share and interact with people. I\'ve also used Twitter to promote my blog posts  and workshops, and by extension, my business.\r\n\r\nOne of the most gratifying aspects of Twitter is how many personal relationships I have developed. Some people whom I met through Twitter  have become friends IRL (\"in real life\") and some have become trusted online colleagues.\r\n\r\n<strong>Developing best practices for social media use\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nIn order to make life on Twitter more manageable, I follow certain \"best practices.\"  Up to now, they\'ve been in my head, but here\'s a more formal list:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use a client such as Hootsuite to make managing @ replies, streams easier</li>\r\n	<li>Group people in lists to include as a stream to follow (this way, I know what my friends/colleagues are up to)</li>\r\n	<li>Respond to @ replies ASAP</li>\r\n	<li>Thank people for sharing tweets, posts, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Avoid obscenities/expletives and unfollow those who favor this type of communication</li>\r\n	<li>Follow selectively (and don\'t follow back automatically)</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t engage with trolls, and block whenever possible</li>\r\n	<li>Block followers who are obviously spammers or bots or who are only following to get me to follow back</li>\r\n	<li>Be conscious of what I am sharing</li>\r\n	<li>Take personal conversations offline or DM if appropriate</li>\r\n	<li>Avoid unproductive complaining</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t tweet everything on my mind or share mundane stuff</li>\r\n	<li>Be personal without providing too much personal information</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t use tools that do your tweeting for you</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>To me, it\'s about common sense and having manners</strong>\r\n\r\nThey say good manners exist so that your behavior make others comfortable. That\'s why it is not good manners to use expletives (because some people may be offended and thus uncomfortable). That\'s why we say please and thank you (because we want to acknowledge that we are not owed anything, and that we appreciate kind gestures). That\'s why we don\'t chew with our mouth open (no comment needed right?).\r\n\r\nAnd yet, some people just don\'t get that in order to be on social media, and get along with others, you need to mind your manners and your behavior. Perhaps they don\'t really understand how Twitter works and that whatever you post on Twitter is visible to the public.  Perhaps they think you won\'t notice if they ignore your messages. Perhaps they feel entitled.  Or perhaps they are always rude in person too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Perhaps the best practice is to not take it personally</strong>\r\n\r\nWho knows why people behave the way they do. Truth is you just don\'t know. It could be they are going through a hard time or just got busy with other things. Some people like to offend and want to argue (trolls are everywhere on social media). Context and tone are hard to convey on social media, and on Twitter, you only have 140 characters to express yourself.\r\n<h4>Do you have best practices for Twitter? Do you behave differently on different social networks?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you lacking social media manners or best practices?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-lacking-social-media-manners-or-best-practices','','','2015-03-24 15:11:17','2015-03-24 19:11:17','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2930',0,'post','',0),
(2931,4,'2015-03-24 15:10:45','2015-03-24 19:10:45','When I first started using Twitter in 2008,  I had no idea what an \"RT\" was or how to check \"@\" messages. I didn\'t know Tweetdeck from Hootsuite. So I asked a couple millennial friends of mine, and over lunch, they explained how Twitter worked and how to use it.\r\n\r\nSince then, I believe I have become fairly adept at using Twitter and use it quite heavily as a place to learn, share and interact with people. I\'ve also used Twitter to promote my blog posts  and workshops, and by extension, my business.\r\n\r\nOne of the most gratifying aspects of Twitter is how many personal relationships I have developed. Some people whom I met through Twitter  have become friends IRL (\"in real life\") and some have become trusted online colleagues.\r\n\r\n<strong>Developing best practices for social media use\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nIn order to make life on Twitter more manageable, I follow certain \"best practices.\"  Up to now, they\'ve been in my head, but here\'s a more formal list:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use a client such as Hootsuite to make managing @ replies, streams easier</li>\r\n	<li>Group people in lists to include as a stream to follow (this way, I know what my friends/colleagues are up to)</li>\r\n	<li>Respond to @ replies ASAP</li>\r\n	<li>Thank people for sharing tweets, posts, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Avoid obscenities/expletives and unfollow those who favor this type of communication</li>\r\n	<li>Follow selectively (and don\'t follow back automatically)</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t engage with trolls, and block whenever possible</li>\r\n	<li>Block followers who are obviously spammers or bots or who are only following to get me to follow back</li>\r\n	<li>Be conscious of what I am sharing</li>\r\n	<li>Take personal conversations offline or DM if appropriate</li>\r\n	<li>Avoid unproductive complaining</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t tweet everything on my mind or share mundane stuff</li>\r\n	<li>Be personal without providing too much personal information</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t use tools that do your tweeting for you</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>To me, it\'s about common sense and having manners</strong>\r\n\r\nThey say good manners exist so that your behavior make others comfortable. That\'s why it is not good manners to use expletives (because some people may be offended and thus uncomfortable). That\'s why we say please and thank you (because we want to acknowledge that we are not owed anything, and that we appreciate kind gestures). That\'s why we don\'t chew with our mouth open (no comment needed right?).\r\n\r\nAnd yet, some people just don\'t get that in order to be on social media, and get along with others, you need to mind your manners and your behavior. Perhaps they don\'t really understand how Twitter works and that whatever you post on Twitter is visible to the public.  Perhaps they think you won\'t notice if they ignore your messages. Perhaps they feel entitled.  Or perhaps they are always rude in person too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Perhaps the best practice is to not take it personally</strong>\r\n\r\nWho knows why people behave the way they do. Truth is you just don\'t know. It could be they are going through a hard time or just got busy with other things. Some people like to offend and want to argue (trolls are everywhere on social media). Context and tone are hard to convey on social media, and on Twitter, you only have 140 characters to express yourself.\r\n<h4>Do you have best practices for Twitter? Do you behave differently on different social networks?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you lacking social media manners or best practices?','','inherit','open','open','','2930-revision-v1','','','2015-03-24 15:10:45','2015-03-24 19:10:45','',2930,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2930-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2932,4,'2015-03-26 10:18:46','2015-03-26 14:18:46','<div><img style=\"margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 40px;\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/picture.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"left\" />Deborah Brody is a writer and consultant with 20 years of public relations, advertising and marketing experience. Her firm, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications (DBMC), provides high-level writing and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits.Prior to launching DBMC in 2002 and helping organizations refine marketing materials, write blog posts, create website content, and generate press releases, the bilingual (English, Spanish) Deborah worked at several leading South Florida-based agencies, including Everett Clay Associates (public relations), The Jeffrey Group (public relations focused on Latin America), and  Peter Nasca Associates (corporate communications). In 2001,  Deborah taught Advanced Public Relations Writing at Florida International University.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\">Deborah is a graduate of Brandeis University (B.A., Politics) and of Boston University\'s College of Communications, where she earned a Master\'s degree in Mass Communication. She lives in Rockville, Maryland and when not writing, she enjoys cooking, following current events and politics and doing yoga.</div>\r\n<div>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahbrody\">\r\n      \r\n          <img src=\"https://static.licdn.com/scds/common/u/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_120x33.png\" width=\"120\" height=\"33\" border=\"0\" alt=\"View Deborah Brody\'s profile on LinkedIn\">\r\n        \r\n    </a>','About','','inherit','open','open','','18-revision-v1','','','2015-03-26 10:18:46','2015-03-26 14:18:46','',18,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/18-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2937,4,'2015-03-31 10:47:43','2015-03-31 14:47:43','A few weeks ago I came across a blog post with a headline that said something like “Why my business is getting off Facebook immediately.” Naturally, I was intrigued. But then I read the article, which told me the many reasons why it would be stupid for him or anybody to leave Facebook, saying things such as: Yes, I want to get off the fastest growing social network that has 800 billion readers and counting.\r\n\r\nThe article, awash is sarcasm, was <em>designed </em>to make readers feel stupid for considering leaving Facebook.\r\n\r\nI had been drawn in a headline that I didn’t realize was sarcastic until I read the blog post—a prime example of bait and switch. I felt angry and insulted that the author thought that anybody considering getting off lFacebook was stupid.\r\n\r\nAnd then last week, I came across this article on Ragan.com: <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18342.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=CEO%20interview%20prep%3B%20Kraft%2C%20Heinz%20announce%20merger%3B%20Local%20TV%20and%20media%20relations%3B%20How%20to%20build%20a%20secure%20online%20newsroom%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18342.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">31 terms that will complicate your writing</a>. The headline is not sarcastic, but the article is. However, the article is written pretty badly—I was confused as were many other readers as evidenced by the comments. The article, in my opinion, does not work at all.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips, author of the <a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Media Training blog</a>, what he thought about using sarcasm in professional communication. Here’s what he said:\r\n<blockquote> The challenge is to make sure people don\'t take a comment you meant sarcastically as a straightforward, more serious one. Therefore, I try to always either preface a sarcastic comment with an obviously absurd rhetorical question or put it in italics to make clear that it stands apart from the rest of the post.</blockquote>\r\nExactly. <strong>Your reader or audience has to understand you are being sarcastic</strong>. If not, there will be misunderstanding and in essence, a lack of communication.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen you decide to use sarcasm, you run three big risks.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You risk irritating or even alienating your reader</strong>\r\n\r\nAccording to <em>The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Clear Communication</em> by Kris Cole, sarcasm inhibits communication: “Sarcasm in fact is in the same league as name-calling, ridiculing and shaming; and it leads to the same results.”\r\n\r\nIn intra-personal relationships, sarcasm can be extremely damaging. According to the post <a href=\"http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/the-damage-of-using-sarcasm-in-workplace-communication/\" target=\"_blank\">The Damage of Using Sarcasm in Workplace Communication</a> by Skip Weisman:\r\n<blockquote>There is no positive upside to using sarcasm. It offers only short-term positive impact for the sarcastic person whose ego may get a boost by putting others down in this manner.\r\n\r\nNow, it will be couched in the context of humor and trying to be funny. Yet, that humor comes at the expense of someone else.</blockquote>\r\nIn essence, your sarcasm is a put-down to your audience, which can certainly lead to irritation and alienation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You risk being misunderstood</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is a type of passive-aggressive communication--where you say one thing but mean another--there is a very good chance that your meaning will be misconstrued or lost.\r\n\r\nIt may be challenging for your readers to know that you are being sarcastic and as Brad Phillips said above, they may think you are being serious when in fact you are not.\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is often dependent on tone, and it is hard to express tone in writing, you will be forced to use devices like quotation marks or strike-throughs to make your meaning clear.\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Your risk seeming ethnocentric and culturally insensitive</strong>\r\n\r\nSarcasm does not travel well across cultures. While American culture tends to be very sarcastic, other cultures are not. And even within the U.S., there are regional differences. According to <a href=\"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/?no-ist=&amp;page=2\" target=\"_blank\">The Science of Sarcasm.? Yeah, Right</a> in Smithsonian Magazine:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"copy-paste-block\">Northerners also were more likely to think sarcasm was funny: 56 percent of Northerners found sarcasm humorous while only 35 percent of Southerners did. The New Yorkers and male students from either location were more likely to describe themselves as sarcastic.\r\n\r\n\r\n</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWould you ever write a sarcastic white paper or case study? Probably not. Why? Because you think of white papers and case studies as serious documents, intended to share information and/or communicate a finding. Instinctively, we avoid sarcasm in “serious” communications. And many people don’t see blogging on the same level as other more formal writing.\r\n\r\nSarcasm is often used as a distancing technique, and it is corrosive to clear communication. You should avoid it in business blogging.\r\n<h4>How do you feel about sarcasm in business blogging? Do you use it? Do you avoid it?</h4>','3 big reasons to avoid sarcasm in your business blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2936-revision-v1','','','2015-03-31 10:47:43','2015-03-31 14:47:43','',2936,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2936-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2938,4,'2015-03-31 10:49:37','2015-03-31 14:49:37','A few weeks ago I came across a blog post with a headline that said something like “Why my business is getting off Facebook immediately.” Naturally, I was intrigued. But then I read the article, which told me the many reasons why it would be stupid for him or anybody to leave Facebook, saying things such as: Yes, I want to get off the fastest growing social network that has 800 million readers and counting.\r\n\r\nThe article, awash is sarcasm, was <em>designed </em>to make readers feel stupid for considering leaving Facebook.\r\n\r\nI had been drawn in a headline that I didn’t realize was sarcastic until I read the blog post—a prime example of bait and switch. I felt angry and insulted that the author thought that anybody considering getting off Facebook was stupid.\r\n\r\nAnd then last week, I came across this article on Ragan.com: <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18342.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=CEO%20interview%20prep%3B%20Kraft%2C%20Heinz%20announce%20merger%3B%20Local%20TV%20and%20media%20relations%3B%20How%20to%20build%20a%20secure%20online%20newsroom%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18342.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">31 terms that will complicate your writing</a>. The headline is not sarcastic, but the article is. However, the article is written pretty badly—I was confused as were many other readers as evidenced by the comments. The article, in my opinion, does not work at all.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips, author of the <a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Media Training blog</a>, what he thought about using sarcasm in professional communication. Here’s what he said:\r\n<blockquote> The challenge is to make sure people don\'t take a comment you meant sarcastically as a straightforward, more serious one. Therefore, I try to always either preface a sarcastic comment with an obviously absurd rhetorical question or put it in italics to make clear that it stands apart from the rest of the post.</blockquote>\r\nExactly. <strong>Your reader or audience has to understand you are being sarcastic</strong>. If not, there will be misunderstanding and in essence, a lack of communication.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen you decide to use sarcasm, you run three big risks.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You risk irritating or even alienating your reader</strong>\r\n\r\nAccording to <em>The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Clear Communication</em> by Kris Cole, sarcasm inhibits communication: “Sarcasm in fact is in the same league as name-calling, ridiculing and shaming; and it leads to the same results.”\r\n\r\nIn intra-personal relationships, sarcasm can be extremely damaging. According to the post <a href=\"http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/the-damage-of-using-sarcasm-in-workplace-communication/\" target=\"_blank\">The Damage of Using Sarcasm in Workplace Communication</a> by Skip Weisman:\r\n<blockquote>There is no positive upside to using sarcasm. It offers only short-term positive impact for the sarcastic person whose ego may get a boost by putting others down in this manner.\r\n\r\nNow, it will be couched in the context of humor and trying to be funny. Yet, that humor comes at the expense of someone else.</blockquote>\r\nIn essence, your sarcasm is a put-down to your audience, which can certainly lead to irritation and alienation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You risk being misunderstood</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is a type of passive-aggressive communication--where you say one thing but mean another--there is a very good chance that your meaning will be misconstrued or lost.\r\n\r\nIt may be challenging for your readers to know that you are being sarcastic and as Brad Phillips said above, they may think you are being serious when in fact you are not.\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is often dependent on tone, and it is hard to express tone in writing, you will be forced to use devices like quotation marks or strike-throughs to make your meaning clear.\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Your risk seeming ethnocentric and culturally insensitive</strong>\r\n\r\nSarcasm does not travel well across cultures. While American culture tends to be very sarcastic, other cultures are not. And even within the U.S., there are regional differences. According to <a href=\"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/?no-ist=&amp;page=2\" target=\"_blank\">The Science of Sarcasm.? Yeah, Right</a> in Smithsonian Magazine:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"copy-paste-block\">Northerners also were more likely to think sarcasm was funny: 56 percent of Northerners found sarcasm humorous while only 35 percent of Southerners did. The New Yorkers and male students from either location were more likely to describe themselves as sarcastic.\r\n\r\n\r\n</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWould you ever write a sarcastic white paper or case study? Probably not. Why? Because you think of white papers and case studies as serious documents, intended to share information and/or communicate a finding. Instinctively, we avoid sarcasm in “serious” communications. And many people don’t see blogging on the same level as other more formal writing.\r\n\r\nSarcasm is often used as a distancing technique, and it is corrosive to clear communication. You should avoid it in business blogging.\r\n<h4>How do you feel about sarcasm in business blogging? Do you use it? Do you avoid it?</h4>','3 big reasons to avoid sarcasm in your business blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2936-revision-v1','','','2015-03-31 10:49:37','2015-03-31 14:49:37','',2936,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2936-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2939,4,'2015-03-31 10:55:23','2015-03-31 14:55:23','A few weeks ago I came across a blog post with a headline that said something like “Why my business is getting off Facebook immediately.” Naturally, I was intrigued. But then I read the article, which told me the many reasons why it would be stupid for him or anybody to leave Facebook, saying things such as: Yes, I want to get off the fastest growing social network that has 800 million readers and counting.\r\n\r\nThe article, awash is sarcasm, was <em>designed </em>to make readers feel stupid for considering leaving Facebook.\r\n\r\nI had been drawn in a headline that I didn’t realize was sarcastic until I read the blog post—a prime example of bait and switch. I felt angry and insulted that the author thought that anybody considering getting off Facebook was stupid.\r\n\r\nAnd then last week, I came across this article on Ragan.com: <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18342.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=CEO%20interview%20prep%3B%20Kraft%2C%20Heinz%20announce%20merger%3B%20Local%20TV%20and%20media%20relations%3B%20How%20to%20build%20a%20secure%20online%20newsroom%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18342.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">31 terms that will complicate your writing</a>. The headline is not sarcastic, but the article is. However, the article is written pretty badly—I was confused as were many other readers as evidenced by the comments. The article, in my opinion, does not work at all.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips, author of the <a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Media Training blog</a>, what he thought about using sarcasm in professional communication. Here’s what he said:\r\n<blockquote> The challenge is to make sure people don\'t take a comment you meant sarcastically as a straightforward, more serious one. Therefore, I try to always either preface a sarcastic comment with an obviously absurd rhetorical question or put it in italics to make clear that it stands apart from the rest of the post.</blockquote>\r\nExactly. <strong>Your reader or audience has to understand you are being sarcastic</strong>. If not, there will be misunderstanding and in essence, a lack of communication.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen you decide to use sarcasm, you run three big risks:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You risk irritating or even alienating your reader</strong>\r\n\r\nAccording to <em>The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Clear Communication</em> by Kris Cole, sarcasm inhibits communication: “Sarcasm in fact is in the same league as name-calling, ridiculing and shaming; and it leads to the same results.”\r\n\r\nIn intra-personal relationships, sarcasm can be extremely damaging. According to the post <a href=\"http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/the-damage-of-using-sarcasm-in-workplace-communication/\" target=\"_blank\">The Damage of Using Sarcasm in Workplace Communication</a> by Skip Weisman:\r\n<blockquote>There is no positive upside to using sarcasm. It offers only short-term positive impact for the sarcastic person whose ego may get a boost by putting others down in this manner.\r\n\r\nNow, it will be couched in the context of humor and trying to be funny. Yet, that humor comes at the expense of someone else.</blockquote>\r\nIn essence, your sarcasm is a put-down to your audience, which can certainly lead to irritation and alienation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You risk being misunderstood</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is a type of passive-aggressive communication -- where you say one thing but mean another -- there is a very good chance that your meaning will be misconstrued or lost.\r\n\r\nIt may be challenging for your readers to know that you are being sarcastic and as Brad Phillips said above, they may think you are being serious when in fact you are not.\r\n\r\nBecause sarcasm is often dependent on tone, and it is hard to express tone in writing, you will be forced to use devices like quotation marks or strike-throughs to make your meaning clear.\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Your risk seeming ethnocentric and culturally insensitive</strong>\r\n\r\nSarcasm does not travel well across cultures. While American culture tends to be very sarcastic, other cultures are not. And even within the U.S., there are regional differences. According to <a href=\"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/?no-ist=&amp;page=2\" target=\"_blank\">The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right</a> in Smithsonian Magazine:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"copy-paste-block\">Northerners also were more likely to think sarcasm was funny: 56 percent of Northerners found sarcasm humorous while only 35 percent of Southerners did. The New Yorkers and male students from either location were more likely to describe themselves as sarcastic.\r\n\r\n\r\n</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWould you ever write a sarcastic white paper or case study? Probably not. Why? Because you think of white papers and case studies as serious documents, intended to share information and/or communicate a finding. Instinctively, we avoid sarcasm in “serious” communications. And many people don’t see blogging on the same level as other, more formal, writing.\r\n\r\nThe truth is that sarcasm is often used as a distancing technique, and it can be extremely corrosive to clear communication. You should avoid it in business blogging.\r\n<h4>How do you feel about sarcasm in business blogging? Do you use it? Do you avoid it?</h4>','3 big reasons to avoid sarcasm in your business blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2936-revision-v1','','','2015-03-31 10:55:23','2015-03-31 14:55:23','',2936,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/2936-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2943,4,'2015-04-08 11:03:14','2015-04-08 15:03:14','You can select only two of the following three types of service: good, cheap, fast.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Good - Cheap - Fast: Pick Any Two by Kevin Lim, on Flickr\" href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/inju/2647397230\"><img src=\"https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3055/2647397230_16b0828cc1.jpg\" alt=\"Good - Cheap - Fast: Pick Any Two\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt\'s been making the rounds lately, although I first heard it from a graphic designer years ago. Basically, if you want something to be good and fast, it won\'t be cheap. And if you want it to good and cheap, then it won\'t be fast. And if you want cheap and fast, well then it surely won\'t be good.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, we are continually being sold cheap and fast. Every day there\'s a <a title=\"Tools save you money, except when they don’t\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/tools-save-you-money-except-when-they-dont/\">new free tool to help you do something </a>(as I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). Or you\'ll find services being offered to do stuff fast (manage your social media in just minutes a day!).\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I saw something about how to make your own infographics quickly. This is because creating shareable infographics is a common digital marketing tactic. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But not all infographics are shareable, mainly because they are not very good.</span> Many times they don\'t have enough information, or the right information, or they are not visually appealing. And other times they have too much information and are hard to understand. If digital marketers continue thinking all that is needed is an infographic, and that designing one can be done cheaply and quickly, then infographics will become useless if they haven\'t already.\r\n\r\n<strong>When you are going for the fast and cheap, you are focused on cost (time and money) instead of value (what you get for your time and money).</strong>\r\n\r\nIn times when budgets are tight and time is scarce, unless there\'s a shift to focusing on value, people will continue to fall for the fast and cheap. And we know the fast and cheap may work in the very short term, but will rarely work to achieve long term business and communications goals.\r\n<h4>What are your thoughts? Is there something that can be done fast and cheap and be worthwhile?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you seduced by the cheap and fast?','','inherit','open','open','','2941-revision-v1','','','2015-04-08 11:03:14','2015-04-08 15:03:14','',2941,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2941-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2941,4,'2015-04-08 11:03:34','2015-04-08 15:03:34','You can select only two of the following three types of service: good, cheap, fast.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Good - Cheap - Fast: Pick Any Two by Kevin Lim, on Flickr\" href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/inju/2647397230\"><img src=\"https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3055/2647397230_16b0828cc1.jpg\" alt=\"Good - Cheap - Fast: Pick Any Two\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt\'s been making the rounds lately, although I first heard it from a graphic designer years ago. Basically, if you want something to be good and fast, it won\'t be cheap. And if you want it to good and cheap, then it won\'t be fast. And if you want cheap and fast, well then it surely won\'t be good.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, we are continually being sold cheap and fast. Every day there\'s a <a title=\"Tools save you money, except when they don’t\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/tools-save-you-money-except-when-they-dont/\">new free tool to help you do something </a>(as I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). Or you\'ll find services being offered to do stuff fast (manage your social media in just minutes a day!).\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I saw something about how to make your own infographics quickly. This is because creating shareable infographics is a common digital marketing tactic. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But not all infographics are shareable, mainly because they are not very good.</span> Many times they don\'t have enough information, or the right information, or they are not visually appealing. And other times they have too much information and are hard to understand. If digital marketers continue thinking all that is needed is an infographic, and that designing one can be done cheaply and quickly, then infographics will become useless if they haven\'t already.\r\n\r\n<strong>When you are going for the fast and cheap, you are focused on cost (time and money) instead of value (what you get for your time and money).</strong>\r\n\r\nIn times when budgets are tight and time is scarce, unless there\'s a shift to focusing on value, people will continue to fall for the fast and cheap. And we know the fast and cheap may work in the very short term, but will rarely work to achieve long term business and communications goals.\r\n<h4>What are your thoughts? Is there something that can be done fast and cheap and be worthwhile?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you seduced by the cheap and fast?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-seduced-by-the-cheap-and-fast','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2015/03/tools-save-you-money-except-when-they-dont/','2015-04-09 11:54:43','2015-04-09 15:54:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2941',0,'post','',0),
(2942,4,'2015-04-07 20:24:01','2015-04-08 00:24:01','You can select only two of the following three types of service: good, cheap, fast.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been making the rounds lately, although I first heard it from a graphic designer years ago. Basically, if you want something to be good and fast, it won\'t be cheap. And if you want it to good and cheap, then it won\'t be fast. And if you want cheap and fast, well then it surely won\'t be good.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, we are continually being sold cheap and fast. Every day there\'s a new free tool to help you do something (as I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). Or you\'ll find services being offered to do stuff fast (manage your social media in just minutes a day!).\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I saw something about how to make your own infographics quickly. This is because sharing infographics is a common digital marketing tactic. But not all infographics are shareable, mainly because they are not very good. Many times they don\'t have enough information, or the right information, or they are not visually appealing. And other times they have too much information and are hard to understand.\r\n\r\nAnd yet people will continue to fall for the fast and cheap even though it won\'t help them achieve their goals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you seduced by the cheap and fast?','','inherit','open','open','','2941-revision-v1','','','2015-04-07 20:24:01','2015-04-08 00:24:01','',2941,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2941-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3093,4,'2015-11-17 10:44:42','2015-11-17 15:44:42','You\'ve heard of <a href=\"https://www.georgetowncupcake.com/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Georgetown Cupcake</a>, right? In case you haven\'t (seriously?), the company started in a small space in Georgetown back in 2008 and has now expanded to six locations, including stores in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlanta, plus a thriving mail order business. The founders--sisters Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis Lamontagne--even starred in a reality TV show for TLC called \"DC Cupcake.\"\r\n\r\nBut getting to a point where Georgetown Cupcake sells 25,000 cupcakes a day on average did not happen overnight. It took a lot of hard work. Katherine and Sophie shared how they did it at the Inc. Magazine/Capital One Founders Forum last week in Washington, DC, which I attended (it was free and yes, they served cupcakes).\r\n\r\nThe Georgetown Cupcake ladies shared a lot of information about what it really takes to get a business off the ground (working all hours, every day, and incurring a lot of debt for starters). Their success seems to be tied to how hands-on they are and how personal their motivation is (they learned to make cakes from the grandmother and wanted to recreate that).\r\n\r\nThey also shared some very interesting marketing insights. From my notes, following are  six marketing and communications takeaways:\r\n\r\n<strong>Use data to drive your business processes and collect data wherever you can</strong>\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps talking about metrics and analytics. Well, here\'s why: data can fuel your bottom line. In Georgetown Cupcake\'s case, they used shipping data to choose the locations where they have opened stores. The sisters say you need to ask yourself what information you need, and then collect it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Prove your business model and have a good product before getting marketing help</strong>\r\n\r\nYou have to have something people want to buy before you market it. The sisters got great publicity early on because lines were forming out the door at the first (and at the time, only) Georgetown location. They were able to get stories in the <em>New York Times</em> and the<em> Washington Post</em> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">without</span> public relations assistance.\r\n\r\n<strong>Word of mouth is the best advertising</strong>\r\n\r\nYou haven\'t seen ads for Georgetown Cupcake because they don\'t advertise. Instead, they rely on word of mouth. Which is how they got those lines out the door in the first place. Which is what led to the major newspaper coverage. Which is what led to the TV show. Which has led to their success.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use social media (and do it well)</strong>\r\n\r\nFrom the start, Georgetown Cupcake has been on social media. First they had a Facebook page, then Twitter, and now Instagram and Pinterest. One of their early social media innovations was to announce a special flavor of the day which you could mention at the store to get a free cupcake. They are still doing it--in fact, I just checked and today\'s free flavor is Apple Caramel. Why this works is that it gives people a tangible reason to follow, giving them \"inside\" knowledge. Katherine says she PERSONALLY handles their Twitter feed, which has 101,000 followers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Stay true to your brand experience and mission</strong>\r\n\r\nIt was important to the sisters that each new store reflect exactly the brand experience that the first store embodied. They wanted customers to feel a certain way when they walked through the doors, whether in New York or Atlanta. Because brand experience is not easy to replicate, the sisters are not rushing to expand nationwide (although you can order the cupcakes to be shipped anywhere in the U.S.).\r\n\r\n<strong>Focus on employee communications</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause the sisters cannot be at all the locations every day, they keep in touch with their employees constantly. They have a weekly internal newsletter, and they email each store several times a day. All employees are trained to understand the company\'s mission.\r\n\r\nIn a world where cupcakes chains have come and gone, it is interesting to see that Georgetown Cupcake is still doing well. Perhaps it\'s because the sisters are so involved and committed to their business. In any case, it was fascinating to hear them talk about their business.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to sell 1000s of cupcakes','','inherit','open','open','','3092-revision-v1','','','2015-11-17 10:44:42','2015-11-17 15:44:42','',3092,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/11/3092-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2945,4,'2015-04-10 10:51:45','2015-04-10 14:51:45','Get super-caffeinated, and read these five articles. A bit about punctuation, another bit about content, and some ideas for your blogs.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/a-simple-formula-for-writing-kick-ass-titles-ht?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=16643573\" target=\"_blank\">A Simple Formula for Writing Kick-Ass Blog Titles</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/dc97d1ad-80ff-425d-94ba-2e85fab695ab.aspx?utm_content=buffer88dc1&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\">10 punctuation essentials for every writer</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.crazyegg.com/2014/05/26/outstanding-website-content/?utm_content=buffera0116&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\">7 Tips That Take Your Content from Flat to Fabulous</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blogging-frequency-benchmarks?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=16987374\" target=\"_blank\">How Often Should Companies Blog?</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18427.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=The%20importance%20of%20mobile-friendly%20websites%3B%20Officials%27%20response%20to%20cop%27s%20murder%20charge%3B%20Creativity%20and%20accountability%3B%20More%20bad%20email%20manners%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18427.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Study: Only 57% of PR websites are mobile-friend</a>ly\r\n\r\nHave a great weekend...and happy reading!','Best brew: 5 articles for your weekend reading','','publish','open','open','','best-brew-5-articles-for-your-weekend-reading','','','2015-04-10 10:51:45','2015-04-10 14:51:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2945',0,'post','',0),
(2946,4,'2015-04-10 10:48:57','2015-04-10 14:48:57','Get super-caffeinated, and read these five articles. A bit about punctuation, another bit about content, and some ideas for your blogs.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/a-simple-formula-for-writing-kick-ass-titles-ht?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=16643573\" target=\"_blank\">A Simple Formula for Writing Kick-Ass Blog Titles</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/dc97d1ad-80ff-425d-94ba-2e85fab695ab.aspx?utm_content=buffer88dc1&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\">10 punctuation essentials for every writer</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.crazyegg.com/2014/05/26/outstanding-website-content/?utm_content=buffera0116&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\">7 Tips That Take Your Content from Flat to Fabulous</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blogging-frequency-benchmarks?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=16987374\" target=\"_blank\">How Often Should Companies Blog?</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/18427.aspx?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Savicom&amp;utm_campaign=The%20importance%20of%20mobile-friendly%20websites%3B%20Officials%27%20response%20to%20cop%27s%20murder%20charge%3B%20Creativity%20and%20accountability%3B%20More%20bad%20email%20manners%3B%20and%20much%20more&amp;utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prdaily.com%2FMain%2FArticles%2F18427.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Study: Only 57% of PR websites are mobile-friend</a>ly\r\n\r\nHave a great weekend...and happy reading!','Best brew: 5 articles for your weekend reading','','inherit','open','open','','2945-revision-v1','','','2015-04-10 10:48:57','2015-04-10 14:48:57','',2945,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2945-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2947,4,'2015-04-14 11:21:25','2015-04-14 15:21:25','If you do a Google search on problems in social media marketing, you will find several articles that discuss the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Personnel (capacity of and/or lack of)</li>\r\n	<li>Strategy (generally lack of, or not fitting in with overall comms strategy)</li>\r\n	<li>No ability to measure ROI (or, can\'t justify expenditure)</li>\r\n	<li>Budget (not enough)</li>\r\n	<li>Content (not adequate)</li>\r\n	<li>Consistency (generally, lack of)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[Go ahead. Google \"the problem with social media marketing\" and you will see for yourself.]\r\n\r\nAlthough all these problems definitely affect the ability to do social media marketing, the biggest problem is this: <strong>all it takes is one click to unfollow/unlike. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, it\'s easy to lose support, and once you lose support, it\'s very hard to gain it back.</strong>\r\n\r\nIt occurred to me this morning that although I recently unfollowed a couple big names in social media that I had not missed them in the very least. In fact, I was relieved to not see them in my timeline. In the personal realm, I have hidden several people on Facebook. Again, I don\'t miss them and have almost forgotten them.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s easy to hit hide or mute or unfollow. And once you are out of sight, well, you are out of mind.</strong>\r\n\r\nStill, because there\'s a low barrier to entry, there\'s also a low barrier to exit. Something can go viral one week and practically disappear the next week. People lurch from one topic to another. Some social media accounts get stale. Some social media accounts become offensive. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Whatever the reason, we lose interest and we move on. And once we move on, it becomes difficult if not impossible to get us back.</span>\r\n\r\nThere\'s a small hitch to my theory and it\'s social sharing. Say you unfollow \"JoeBigMediaExpert\" but your trusted colleague \"Ilovesocialmedia\" hasn\'t. If \"Ilovesocialmedia\" constantly shares \"JoeBigMediaExpert\'s\" posts, you\'ll see them.\r\n\r\nStill, the ease of ignoring (unfollowing/unliking) on social media plus the clutter issue (too much stuff!) is what any social marketer has to deal with. The guiding questions may be these:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What keeps followers interested?</li>\r\n	<li>What offends followers?</li>\r\n	<li>What\'s the best way to bring value to followers?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>What do you think?  What makes you keep following a brand or personality? What turns you off?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The real problem with social media marketing','','publish','open','open','','the-real-problem-with-social-media-marketing','','','2015-04-14 11:21:25','2015-04-14 15:21:25','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2947',0,'post','',0),
(2948,4,'2015-04-14 11:20:20','2015-04-14 15:20:20','If you do a Google search on problems in social media marketing, you will find several articles that discuss the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Personnel (capacity of and/or lack of)</li>\r\n	<li>Strategy (generally lack of, or not fitting in with overall comms strategy)</li>\r\n	<li>No ability to measure ROI (or, can\'t justify expenditure)</li>\r\n	<li>Budget (not enough)</li>\r\n	<li>Content (not adequate)</li>\r\n	<li>Consistency (generally, lack of)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[Go ahead. Google \"the problem with social media marketing\" and you will see for yourself.]\r\n\r\nAlthough all these problems definitely affect the ability to do social media marketing, the biggest problem is this: <strong>all it takes is one click to unfollow/unlike. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, it\'s easy to lose support, and once you lose support, it\'s very hard to gain it back.</strong>\r\n\r\nIt occurred to me this morning that although I recently unfollowed a couple big names in social media that I had not missed them in the very least. In fact, I was relieved to not see them in my timeline. In the personal realm, I have hidden several people on Facebook. Again, I don\'t miss them and have almost forgotten them.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s easy to hit hide or mute or unfollow. And once you are out of sight, well, you are out of mind.</strong>\r\n\r\nStill, because there\'s a low barrier to entry, there\'s also a low barrier to exit. Something can go viral one week and practically disappear the next week. People lurch from one topic to another. Some social media accounts get stale. Some social media accounts become offensive. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Whatever the reason, we lose interest and we move on. And once we move on, it becomes difficult if not impossible to get us back.</span>\r\n\r\nThere\'s a small hitch to my theory and it\'s social sharing. Say you unfollow \"JoeBigMediaExpert\" but your trusted colleague \"Ilovesocialmedia\" hasn\'t. If \"Ilovesocialmedia\" constantly shares \"JoeBigMediaExpert\'s\" posts, you\'ll see them.\r\n\r\nStill, the ease of ignoring (unfollowing/unliking) on social media plus the clutter issue (too much stuff!) is what any social marketer has to deal with. The guiding questions may be these:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What keeps followers interested?</li>\r\n	<li>What offends followers?</li>\r\n	<li>What\'s the best way to bring value to followers?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>What do you think?  What makes you keep following a brand or personality? What turns you off?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The real problem with social media marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2947-revision-v1','','','2015-04-14 11:20:20','2015-04-14 15:20:20','',2947,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2947-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2950,4,'2015-04-23 10:12:38','2015-04-23 14:12:38','You may have heard about the ongoing discussion in the public relations world regarding the usefulness of the press release. Many are saying the press release is dead.  Some are not so quick to give it last rites. Then there are those that are dogmatic about it: \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">always</span> send a press release\" or \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> send a press release.\"\r\n\r\nAlways and never are absolutes. To be dogmatic is to state a position unequivocally, to be absolute about it. The problem with dogma in communications is that nothing should be absolute. In the press release issue above, I would say that it <em>depends: </em>What is  the news, who is the target audience is and where do you want to communicate the news.\r\n\r\n<strong>A definition of dogma</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s what my Webster\'s dictionary says dogma is:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> Something held as an established opinion, esp. an definitive authoritative tenet.</li>\r\n	<li> A doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nNotice what the two definitions have in common? The word authoritative, which is a synonym for official, conclusive, and <strong>dictatorial. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Examples of dogmatic communications thinking</strong>\r\n\r\nBack when I started working in advertising, when I was a lowly media coordinator and my job was to place print media buys, I had a supervisor named Eileen. Eileen\'s dogmatic belief about newspaper advertising was that you <em>never place a print ad in Friday or Saturday newspapers.</em> Never. (This was in the 1990s and people did not have the Internet. They read actual physical newspapers.)\r\n\r\nBut, back in the \'90s and even today, the entertainment/weekend section always came out on Friday.  I thought most people would get the Friday paper just for the entertainment section, to see what was going on, what movies were playing, etc., so I argued with Eileen that Friday was actually a great day to be in the paper. It was an uphill battle. Eileen had been taught, and believed with absolute certainty, that Friday was, in her words, a dog day for ads.\r\n\r\nRecently, I had an online discussion with an website design firm that states it <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> uses WordPress for its clients because it is \"always\" more vulnerable to hacking.</em> Instead, the firm always uses Adobe products. When presented with an alternative view (WordPress has open developing practices with thousands of plug-ins that increase functionality, for example) the design firm shot me down. It has a design dogma that disallows it from seeing the benefits of something alternative, or even using WordPress for some clients and Adobe for others, depending on needs.\r\n\r\nIn the blogging world, there seems to be a dogmatic belief that <em>you must blog at minimum once a week and more is better</em>. I have subscribed to this belief, but lately, I think it depends. I have seen blogs that I follow drop to blogging once a month with no ill effects (at least not visible....I don\'t know if it affects their SEO).\r\n\r\nDogma may be necessary in religion. Faith requires absolute conviction. Communications, however, must be flexible. Things are constantly changing. Look at social media. Five years ago it was all Facebook and Twitter. Today, we have Medium and Tumblr and Pinterest and Instagram and on and on.\r\n\r\n<strong>An alternative approach: use guidelines instead of tenets</strong>\r\n\r\nYou cannot afford to be dogmatic in communications. Always and never will leave you boxed in and unable to react to situations. A better approach is to create requirements and guidelines for your communications that take into consideration the why, what, where, who and how of what you are communicating.\r\n<h4>Do you have a communications dogma? What is it? Please share.</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Beware of the dog(ma)','','publish','open','open','','beware-of-the-dogma','','','2015-04-23 10:12:38','2015-04-23 14:12:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2950',0,'post','',0),
(2959,4,'2015-05-13 15:12:35','0000-00-00 00:00:00','We all recognize good communicators. They are the ones that we listen to and learn from. But what does it take to be a good communicator? Is it an innate ability or are there skills you can learn?\r\n\r\nI think the best communicators have both innate abilities and have learned skills along the way. Some people have to overcome great challenges to becoming good at communications. They may be painfully shy. They may speak too low or too loud. And then there are people with little or no self-awareness, so that they don\'t realize they may have challenges they need to work on.\r\n\r\nSome people were born to communicate. They are the ones that tell a good story. Those that can convince you to do something (think a great preacher or politician). They naturally know what to do and do it well.\r\n\r\nBut there are skills that can help you become a better communicator.','What does it take to be a good communicator?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-05-13 15:12:35','2015-05-13 19:12:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2959',0,'post','',0),
(2952,4,'2015-04-23 10:10:22','2015-04-23 14:10:22','You may have heard about the ongoing discussion in the public relations world regarding the usefulness of the press release. Many are saying the press release is dead.  Some are not so quick to give it last rites. Then there are those that are dogmatic about it: \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">always</span> send a press release\" or \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> send a press release.\"\r\n\r\nAlways and never are absolutes. To be dogmatic is to state a position unequivocally, to be absolute about it. The problem with dogma in communications is that nothing should be absolute. In the press release issue above, I would say that it <em>depends: </em>What is  the news, who is the target audience is and where do you want to communicate the news.\r\n\r\n<strong>A definition of dogma</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s what my Webster\'s dictionary says dogma is:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> Something held as an established opinion, esp. an definitive authoritative tenet.</li>\r\n	<li> A doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nNotice what the two definitions have in common? The word authoritative, which is a synonym for official, conclusive, and <strong>dictatoria</strong>l.\r\n\r\n<strong>Examples of dogmatic communications thinking</strong>\r\n\r\nBack when I started working in advertising, when I was a lowly media coordinator and my job was to place print media buys, I had a supervisor named Eileen. Eileen\'s dogmatic belief about newspaper advertising was that you <strong>never place a print ad in Friday or Saturday newspapers. </strong>Never. (This was in the 1990s and people did not have the Internet. They read actual physical newspapers.)\r\n\r\nBut, back in the \'90s and even today, the entertainment/weekend section always came out on Friday.  I thought most people would get the Friday paper just for the entertainment section, to see what was going on, what movies were playing, etc., so I argued with Eileen that Friday was actually a great day to be in the paper. It was an uphill battle. Eileen had been taught, and believed with absolute certainty, that Friday was, in her words, a dog day for ads.\r\n\r\nRecently, I had an online discussion with an website design firm that states it <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> uses WordPress for its clients because it is \"always\" more vulnerable to hacking. Instead, the firm always uses Adobe products. When presented with an alternative view (WordPress has open developing practices with thousands of plug-ins that increase functionality, for example) the design firm shot me down. It has a design dogma that disallows it from seeing the benefits of something alternative, or even using WordPress for some clients and Adobe for others, depending on needs.\r\n\r\nIn the blogging world, there seems to be a dogmatic belief that you must blog at minimum once a week and more is better. I have subscribed to this belief, but lately, I think it depends. I have seen blogs that I follow drop to blogging once a month with no ill effects (at least not visible....I don\'t know if it affects their SEO).\r\n\r\nDogma may be necessary in religion. Faith requires absolute conviction. Communications, however, must be flexible. Things are constantly changing. Look at social media. Five years ago it was all Facebook and Twitter. Today, we have Medium and Tumblr and Pinterest and Instagram and on and on.\r\n\r\n<strong>An alternative approach: use guidelines instead of tenets</strong>\r\n\r\nYou cannot afford to be dogmatic in communications. Always and never will leave you boxed in and unable to react to situations. A better approach is to create requirements and guidelines for your communications that take into consideration the why, what, where, who and how of what you are communicating.\r\n<h4>Do you have a communications dogma? What is it? Please share.</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Beware of the dog(ma)','','inherit','open','open','','2950-revision-v1','','','2015-04-23 10:10:22','2015-04-23 14:10:22','',2950,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2950-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2953,4,'2015-04-23 10:12:38','2015-04-23 14:12:38','You may have heard about the ongoing discussion in the public relations world regarding the usefulness of the press release. Many are saying the press release is dead.  Some are not so quick to give it last rites. Then there are those that are dogmatic about it: \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">always</span> send a press release\" or \"<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> send a press release.\"\r\n\r\nAlways and never are absolutes. To be dogmatic is to state a position unequivocally, to be absolute about it. The problem with dogma in communications is that nothing should be absolute. In the press release issue above, I would say that it <em>depends: </em>What is  the news, who is the target audience is and where do you want to communicate the news.\r\n\r\n<strong>A definition of dogma</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s what my Webster\'s dictionary says dogma is:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> Something held as an established opinion, esp. an definitive authoritative tenet.</li>\r\n	<li> A doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nNotice what the two definitions have in common? The word authoritative, which is a synonym for official, conclusive, and <strong>dictatorial. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Examples of dogmatic communications thinking</strong>\r\n\r\nBack when I started working in advertising, when I was a lowly media coordinator and my job was to place print media buys, I had a supervisor named Eileen. Eileen\'s dogmatic belief about newspaper advertising was that you <em>never place a print ad in Friday or Saturday newspapers.</em> Never. (This was in the 1990s and people did not have the Internet. They read actual physical newspapers.)\r\n\r\nBut, back in the \'90s and even today, the entertainment/weekend section always came out on Friday.  I thought most people would get the Friday paper just for the entertainment section, to see what was going on, what movies were playing, etc., so I argued with Eileen that Friday was actually a great day to be in the paper. It was an uphill battle. Eileen had been taught, and believed with absolute certainty, that Friday was, in her words, a dog day for ads.\r\n\r\nRecently, I had an online discussion with an website design firm that states it <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> uses WordPress for its clients because it is \"always\" more vulnerable to hacking.</em> Instead, the firm always uses Adobe products. When presented with an alternative view (WordPress has open developing practices with thousands of plug-ins that increase functionality, for example) the design firm shot me down. It has a design dogma that disallows it from seeing the benefits of something alternative, or even using WordPress for some clients and Adobe for others, depending on needs.\r\n\r\nIn the blogging world, there seems to be a dogmatic belief that <em>you must blog at minimum once a week and more is better</em>. I have subscribed to this belief, but lately, I think it depends. I have seen blogs that I follow drop to blogging once a month with no ill effects (at least not visible....I don\'t know if it affects their SEO).\r\n\r\nDogma may be necessary in religion. Faith requires absolute conviction. Communications, however, must be flexible. Things are constantly changing. Look at social media. Five years ago it was all Facebook and Twitter. Today, we have Medium and Tumblr and Pinterest and Instagram and on and on.\r\n\r\n<strong>An alternative approach: use guidelines instead of tenets</strong>\r\n\r\nYou cannot afford to be dogmatic in communications. Always and never will leave you boxed in and unable to react to situations. A better approach is to create requirements and guidelines for your communications that take into consideration the why, what, where, who and how of what you are communicating.\r\n<h4>Do you have a communications dogma? What is it? Please share.</h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Beware of the dog(ma)','','inherit','open','open','','2950-revision-v1','','','2015-04-23 10:12:38','2015-04-23 14:12:38','',2950,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2950-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2954,4,'2015-04-27 09:56:43','2015-04-27 13:56:43','Today is<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day\" target=\"_blank\"> National Grammar Day</a>, and if there\'s one group that lives and breathes grammar, it\'s copy editors. (Note: you will find some that write copyediting and copyeditor as one word, but I decided to follow <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, which spells them as two words.)\r\n\r\nBy cleaning up your sloppy sentences, a copy editor makes your writing clearer. But not everyone has access to a copy editor. The next best thing is to learn what copy editors look for and apply it to your own writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Follow a style guide and stick to it</strong>. Whether you have your own organizational style guide or you use a standard guide such as <em>The Associated Press Stylebook</em>, be sure to consult it and defer to it. You may want to write “Web site” but your style guide says it’s “website.” Don’t alternate usages. And check stuff that is likely to trip you up such as dates, abbreviations, addresses, and titles.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Be consistent.</strong> Make sure you are using the same spelling and style throughout your document.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Use a dictionary</strong> (and choose your standard). There are a couple big dictionary names: <em>Oxford</em> and <em>Merriam-Webster</em>. Choose one and stick to it and then use it to make sure that you are spelling [that word] correctly. And more so, <a title=\"Are you sure you know what that word means?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2015/02/are-you-sure-you-know-what-that-word-means/\" target=\"_blank\">does [that word] mean what you think it means? </a>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Watch out for often-confused words.</strong> Commonly confused words sound the same or are very close in spelling, but don’t mean the same thing. Some examples are effect/affect, defer/differ, and compliment/complement. You can find exhaustive lists on the internet. Spell check won’t catch these mistakes but using the wrong word will most certainly alter the meaning of what you are writing.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Fact check</strong>. Make sure it’s Mary and not Marie and that February 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015 was a Saturday and not a Friday. Are you sure that\'s the correct address? You get the drift.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Pay attention to your commas (and apostrophes, colons, etc.)</strong>. Nothing can derail a sentence faster than missing or improper punctuation. Also, take a stand regarding the <a href=\"http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/01/video-oxford-comma/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford or serial comma</a>. Use it or don\'t, but be consistent.\r\n\r\nWant more? Check out<a href=\"http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\"> Grammar Girl\'s Editing Checklist</a> for an overview of the various mistakes that copy editors look for, and you can even print it out as reference!\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to get lost in writing your thoughts and not pay attention to the details. However, the details (grammar, style,  punctuation, spelling) are what help to make your thoughts clear to your readers.\r\n<h4>How are you celebrating National Grammar Day?</h4>\r\n&nbsp;','6 copy editing rules to make you a better writer              ','','inherit','open','open','','2901-revision-v1','','','2015-04-27 09:56:43','2015-04-27 13:56:43','',2901,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2901-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2955,4,'2015-04-29 10:33:49','2015-04-29 14:33:49','This is a quick rant because I just received an enewsletter from a woman I met at an event two or three years ago. I haven\'t heard from her since, but apparently she has just decided doing a newsletter is a good idea and that her list will include names from all the people from whom she has collected a business card. It didn\'t help that the newsletter was addressed to \"Brody,\" not \"Ms. Brody\" or \"Deborah.\"\r\n\r\nI immediately unsubscribed, not only because the last thing I need is another newsletter, but because this woman apparently thinks that my giving her my business card is an invitation to be added to a list. It does not. Business cards provide contact information, yes, but they do not have any power to agree to anything. I did not agree to be added to a list, and I certainly did not ask to be added to a list.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s the thing: direct marketing that complies with the CAN-SPAM laws requires opt-in permission. Just having my business card in your possession is not permission to add me to your list.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe only way that having my business card gives you a pass to get me to be on your marketing list is if you use that contact information to get in touch with me first. For example, you might send me a personal, non-mass email asking me if I would be interested in your list, or perhaps asking me to visit your website where I would have the option to sign up for your newsletter, or you could call me (you know, on the phone) to set up a coffee date and talk to me.\r\n\r\nA business card is a networking tool, nothing more. If you use the contact information on the business card to send me unsolicited material, then you are a spammer, plain and simple.\r\n\r\nRant over.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','My business card is not a pass to your enewsletter','','publish','open','open','','my-business-card-is-not-a-pass-to-your-enewsletter','','','2015-04-29 10:33:49','2015-04-29 14:33:49','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2955',0,'post','',0),
(2956,4,'2015-04-29 10:33:49','2015-04-29 14:33:49','This is a quick rant because I just received an enewsletter from a woman I met at an event two or three years ago. I haven\'t heard from her since, but apparently she has just decided doing a newsletter is a good idea and that her list will include names from all the people from whom she has collected a business card. It didn\'t help that the newsletter was addressed to \"Brody,\" not \"Ms. Brody\" or \"Deborah.\"\r\n\r\nI immediately unsubscribed, not only because the last thing I need is another newsletter, but because this woman apparently thinks that my giving her my business card is an invitation to be added to a list. It does not. Business cards provide contact information, yes, but they do not have any power to agree to anything. I did not agree to be added to a list, and I certainly did not ask to be added to a list.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s the thing: direct marketing that complies with the CAN-SPAM laws requires opt-in permission. Just having my business card in your possession is not permission to add me to your list.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe only way that having my business card gives you a pass to get me to be on your marketing list is if you use that contact information to get in touch with me first. For example, you might send me a personal, non-mass email asking me if I would be interested in your list, or perhaps asking me to visit your website where I would have the option to sign up for your newsletter, or you could call me (you know, on the phone) to set up a coffee date and talk to me.\r\n\r\nA business card is a networking tool, nothing more. If you use the contact information on the business card to send me unsolicited material, then you are a spammer, plain and simple.\r\n\r\nRant over.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','My business card is not a pass to your enewsletter','','inherit','open','open','','2955-revision-v1','','','2015-04-29 10:33:49','2015-04-29 14:33:49','',2955,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/04/2955-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2960,4,'2015-05-13 15:12:35','2015-05-13 19:12:35','We all recognize good communicators. They are the ones that we listen to and learn from. But what does it take to be a good communicator? Is it an innate ability or are there skills you can learn?\r\n\r\nI think the best communicators have both innate abilities and have learned skills along the way. Some people have to overcome great challenges to becoming good at communications. They may be painfully shy. They may speak too low or too loud. And then there are people with little or no self-awareness, so that they don\'t realize they may have challenges they need to work on.\r\n\r\nSome people were born to communicate. They are the ones that tell a good story. Those that can convince you to do something (think a great preacher or politician). They naturally know what to do and do it well.\r\n\r\nBut there are skills that can help you become a better communicator.','What does it take to be a good communicator?','','inherit','open','open','','2959-revision-v1','','','2015-05-13 15:12:35','2015-05-13 19:12:35','',2959,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/05/2959-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2962,4,'2015-05-14 15:14:09','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Yesterday, I attended a presentation on social media sponsored by the DC Ad Club. Allison Burke of the Brookings Institution gave a nice overview about what you need to consider when working on organic social media content, that is, the content that you don\'t pay for.  More and more, the main social networks like Twitter and Facebook are making it so that you have to pay to promote your posts or else they will be lost in a huge morass of content. Allison says that you should look at promotion or pay to play as a boost, while focusing your efforts on creating great organic content.\r\n\r\nWhat she said made sense to me, but it got me thinking that what seems obvious, and what works well is not always what people in social media do. We\'ve seen the many social media blunders that happen daily, making me conclude that to do social media you have to have special skills. These are:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does working with social media require special skills?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-05-14 15:14:09','2015-05-14 19:14:09','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2962',0,'post','',0),
(2963,4,'2015-05-14 15:06:23','2015-05-14 19:06:23','Yesterday, I attended a presentation on social media sponsored by the DC Ad Club. Allison Burke of the Brookings Institution gave a nice overview about what you need to consider when working on organic social media content, that is, the content that you don\'t pay for.  More and more, the main social networks like Twitter and Facebook are making it so that you have to pay to promote your posts or else they will be lost in a huge morass of content. Allison says that you should look at promotion or pay to play as a boost, while focusing your efforts on creating great organic content.\r\n\r\nWhat she said made sense to me, but it got me thinking that what seems obvious, and what works well is not always what people in social media do. We\'ve seen the many social media blunders that happen daily, making me conclude that to do social media you have to have special skills. These are:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does working with social media require special skills?','','inherit','open','open','','2962-revision-v1','','','2015-05-14 15:06:23','2015-05-14 19:06:23','',2962,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/05/2962-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2965,4,'2015-05-19 11:08:51','2015-05-19 15:08:51','Your website and your car are more similar than you think. You put in a substantial investment up front when you acquired them, and you need to give them both maintenance if you want to keep them working properly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2966\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/11147250425_54340fb6dd_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2966\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/11147250425_54340fb6dd_z-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Mechanics and car by Astrid Westvang via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" /></a> Mechanics and car by Astrid Westvang via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nChances are good that if you want to keep your car running, you\'ve spent some time and money giving it proper maintenance. But have you given any maintenance to your website since you launched it?\r\n\r\nManufacturers provide guidelines for car owners, making it easy to know when to do what. For example, most car owners are advised to give their vehicles an oil change approximately every 3,000 miles. You are also asked to take your car in for service at certain milestones (50,000 miles, etc.) to check out things like your brakes, hoses, and whatever else.\r\n\r\nDepending on who developed your website, you may also have some guidance. However, there are many websites out there that haven\'t gotten their figurative oil changes lately. It\'s as if the website owners think that just putting up a website and forgetting about it is enough. Unfortunately, if you don\'t give your website some maintenance, it will stop working properly for you.\r\n\r\nHere are few things to check out on your website:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Is it mobile-friendly?</li>\r\n	<li>Is the contact information accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>Do you have social media properties? Are they included?</li>\r\n	<li>Are your links up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>Are all your pages rendering properly?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your content updated/accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>What is the copyright information (hint: if it says copyright 2009, you need to update)</li>\r\n	<li>If you list any personnel (staff, leadership, board), is the list complete and up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>If you list services or products, do you still offer all of these?</li>\r\n	<li>If you have pricing, is it accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your website software up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your domain registration in order?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThis is not a comprehensive list. But if it\'s been a while since you gave your website any thought or attention, you may want to put it on your to-do list. You may even find that maintenance is not enough and that you need a complete overhaul.\r\n\r\nIt\'s no longer enough to just have a website. You must keep it up (or hire someone to do it for you).\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? When was the last time you took a look at your website?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Give your website an oil change!','','publish','open','open','','give-your-website-an-oil-change','','','2015-05-19 11:08:51','2015-05-19 15:08:51','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2965',0,'post','',0),
(2966,4,'2015-05-19 11:05:21','2015-05-19 15:05:21','','11147250425_54340fb6dd_z','Mechanics and car by Astrid Westvang via Flickr','inherit','open','open','','11147250425_54340fb6dd_z','','','2015-05-19 11:06:01','2015-05-19 15:06:01','',2965,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/11147250425_54340fb6dd_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(2967,4,'2015-05-19 11:06:53','2015-05-19 15:06:53','Your website and your car are more similar than you think. You put in a substantial investment up front when you acquired them, and you need to give them both maintenance if you want to keep them working properly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2966\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/11147250425_54340fb6dd_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2966\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/11147250425_54340fb6dd_z-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Mechanics and car by Astrid Westvang via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" /></a> Mechanics and car by Astrid Westvang via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nChances are good that if you want to keep your car running, you\'ve spent some time and money giving it proper maintenance. But have you given any maintenance to your website since you launched it?\r\n\r\nManufacturers provide guidelines for car owners, making it easy to know when to do what. For example, most car owners are advised to give their vehicles an oil change approximately every 3,000 miles. You are also asked to take your car in for service at certain milestones (50,000 miles, etc.) to check out things like your brakes, hoses, and whatever else.\r\n\r\nDepending on who developed your website, you may also have some guidance. However, there are many websites out there that haven\'t gotten their figurative oil changes lately. It\'s as if the website owners think that just putting up a website and forgetting about it is enough. Unfortunately, if you don\'t give your website some maintenance, it will stop working properly for you.\r\n\r\nHere are few things to check out on your website:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Is it mobile-friendly?</li>\r\n	<li>Is the contact information accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>Do you have social media properties? Are they included?</li>\r\n	<li>Are your links up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>Are all your pages rendering properly?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your content updated/accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>What is the copyright information (hint: if it says copyright 2009, you need to update)</li>\r\n	<li>If you list any personnel (staff, leadership, board), is the list complete and up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>If you list services or products, do you still offer all of these?</li>\r\n	<li>If you have pricing, is it accurate?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your website software up to date?</li>\r\n	<li>Is your domain registration in order?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThis is not a comprehensive list. But if it\'s been a while since you gave your website any thought or attention, you may want to put it on your to-do list. You may even find that maintenance is not enough and that you need a complete overhaul.\r\n\r\nIt\'s no longer enough to just have a website. You must keep it up (or hire someone to do it for you).\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? When was the last time you took a look at your website?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Give your website an oil change!','','inherit','open','open','','2965-revision-v1','','','2015-05-19 11:06:53','2015-05-19 15:06:53','',2965,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/05/2965-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2994,4,'2015-07-01 14:31:39','2015-07-01 18:31:39','<strong>\"What do I need to know about this?\"</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing--you don\'t know what you don\'t know. And if you don\'t know, you can\'t ask the right questions in order to get the answers you need.  So you have to start from zero, and ask \"what do I need to know about this.\" You\'ll want to ask someone who has more knowledge or experience than you.\r\n\r\n<strong>What does a new home buyer need to know?</strong>\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I was talking to an acquaintance of mine, who happens to be a top-selling real estate agent (she\'s sold something like $25 million in property).  I was telling her about my first few months as a homeowner, when I had to have a bunch of things fixed. The real estate agent asked me if had gotten a home appliance policy. I told her that I hadn\'t and that I didn\'t even know about it.  She went on to tell me she negotiates that for every single one of her new home buyers. She told me my real estate agent <em>should\'ve</em> told me about it.\r\n\r\n<strong>What do you look for in a real estate agent?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis question of course lead to a discussion about my real estate agent,  whom at first I really liked, but, after being in my house for a few months and dealing with a bunch of issues,  I came realize didn\'t really do her job well. She didn\'t point out what I needed to know as a new home buyer. And I didn\'t know the questions to ask her, since I said before, you don\'t know what you don\'t know.\r\n\r\nThe more I learn about real estate and home ownership, the more I realize that my real estate agent (unlike my new acquaintance), was just not very good. She was mediocre but the fact is, i<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">t was my own fault for choosing to work with her without having educated myself more</span> about what to look for in a real estate agent.\r\n\r\n<strong>You need to acknowledge that you don\'t know</strong>\r\n\r\nI should\'ve started by asking myself: \"what do I need to know before buying a house?\" I could\'ve asked friends, I could\'ve read books, I could\'ve done more research online. I didn\'t.\r\n\r\nI did watch a lot of HGTV (don\'t laugh, it was very helpful), especially <em>House Hunters</em> and <em>Property Virgins</em>. I watched enough HGTV to know that you have to look at the bones of the house, not the current esthetics and also to know what your priorities are. But those shows don\'t talk about issues such as heat pumps versus furnaces, or what costs you should plan for in your first year, and so forth.\r\n\r\n<strong>But this blog is not about real estate, it\'s about communications</strong>\r\n\r\nNot knowing what questions to ask is what gets so many projects off track.  Say you are launching a blog, and you don\'t know to ask what you need in a web host, you may end up with a blog that doesn\'t work.\r\n\r\nSo before you start any communications project--whether it be launching a website or putting together a social media campaign--ask someone who\'s been there before: \"what do I need to know?\"\r\n\r\nHow do you know what questions to ask? Have you ever been in a situation where not asking the right questions made a project or situation go wrong?','First, ask this one question','','publish','open','open','','first-ask-this-one-question','','','2015-07-01 14:31:39','2015-07-01 18:31:39','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2994',0,'post','',0),
(2971,4,'2015-05-27 09:33:04','2015-05-27 13:33:04','Lately, I have been inundated with customer feedback requests from what seems like every company with which I have even had a glancing blow. And all of these feedback requests have serious flaws.\r\n\r\n<strong>Self-serving</strong>: The airline I flew wanted to know about my recent flight, but not about the other part of the same trip, which included one segment that was delayed five hours.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bordering on harassment:</strong> My gym wants feedback (about what, I don’t know or care) and they have sent me at least five or more requests reminding me they want my feedback. Apparently they don’t take no for an answer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not interested in my opinion at all:</strong> The conference I attended last week says it wants my opinion, but sent a survey that focused more on my demographic profile than on my opinion.\r\n\r\n<strong>Asking every possible question on earth</strong>: I got a questionnaire that I abandoned when I realized that after five minutes I was only twenty percent done, thanks to the helpful completion meter at the bottom of the survey.\r\n\r\n<strong>Really, just give us a glowing review:</strong> Some companies send you a link to online customer response sites like Yelp, basically asking for you to provide a testimonial, and may even try to promote this action by offering a discount next time you come in.\r\n\r\nCustomer feedback can be very valuable. <em>If</em> done the right way, feedback requests can tell you what customers/clients/supporters are thinking, and can alert you to any issues. However, there’s a big “if” there, and as evidenced by my own examples above, many organizations are not handling these requests well.\r\n\r\nMany times, I have provided specific feedback, only to never hear from the company again or see the problem addressed. I think the problem is that customer feedback requests straddle the line between communications/marketing and operations.\r\n\r\nCommunicators/marketers see asking for feedback as a way of communicating further with customers. Operations folks see feedback as a potential for improvement (theoretically). But if these two factions are not in consultation, you end up with customer feedback requests that don’t actually address any issues the customer may be having or may even hurt the brand as customers are bothered by repeated requests or intrusive questions.\r\n\r\nBefore you ask for customer feedback, here are four things to keep in mind.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine exactly why you want feedback</strong>. Are you trying to assess your product/service? Are you trying to pinpoint problem areas? Do you want to get testimonials?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine what you will do with the feedback.</strong> Will you address any issues?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine the best way to get the feedback.</strong> Is it email? Or a phone call?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Remember your customers are not obligated to give you feedback</strong>. Customers are in fact doing you a favor by providing feedback. Respect their time. Don’t harass them.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nHow do you handle customer feedback? Do you even ask for it? If you do, how do you go about it? Please let me know.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Do you really want customer feedback? Ask the right way.','','publish','open','open','','do-you-really-want-customer-feedback-ask-the-right-way','','','2015-05-27 18:22:37','2015-05-27 22:22:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2971',0,'post','',0),
(2972,4,'2015-05-27 09:31:03','2015-05-27 13:31:03','Lately, I have been inundated with customer feedback requests from what seems like every company with which I have even had a glancing blow. And all of these feedback requests have serious flaws.\r\n\r\n<strong>Self-serving</strong>: The airline I flew wanted to know about my recent flight, but not about the other part of the same trip, which included one segment that was delayed five hours.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bordering on harassment:</strong> My gym wants feedback (about what, I don’t know or care) and they have sent me at least five or more requests reminding me they want my feedback. Apparently they don’t take no for an answer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not interested in my opinion at all:</strong> The conference I attended last week says it wants to my opinion, but sent a survey that focused more on my demographic profile than on my opinion.\r\n\r\n<strong>Asking every possible question on earth</strong>: I got a questionnaire that I abandoned when I realized that after five minutes I was only twenty percent done, thanks to the helpful completion meter at the bottom of the survey.\r\n\r\n<strong>Really, just give us a glowing review:</strong> Some companies send you a link to online customer response sites like Yelp, basically asking for you to provide a testimonial, and may even try to promote this action by offering a discount next time you come in.\r\n\r\nCustomer feedback can be very valuable. <em>If</em> done the right way, feedback requests can tell you what customers/clients/supporters are thinking, and can alert you to any issues. However, there’s a big “if” there, and as evidenced by my own examples above, many organizations are not handling these requests well.\r\n\r\nMany times, I have provided specific feedback, only to never hear from the company again or see the problem addressed. I think the problem is that customer feedback requests straddle the line between communications/marketing and operations.\r\n\r\nCommunicators/marketers see asking for feedback as a way of communicating further with customers. Operations folks see feedback as a potential for improvement (theoretically). But if these two factions are not in consultation, you end up with customer feedback requests that don’t actually address any issues the customer may be having or may even hurt the brand as customers are bothered by repeated requests or intrusive questions.\r\n\r\nBefore you ask for customer feedback, here are four things to keep in mind.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine exactly why you want feedback</strong>. Are you trying to assess your product/service? Are you trying to pinpoint problem areas? Do you want to get testimonials?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine what you will do with the feedback.</strong> Will you address any issues?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine the best way to get the feedback.</strong> Is it email? Or a phone call?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Remember your customers are not obligated to give you feedback</strong>. Customers are in fact doing you a favor by providing feedback. Respect their time. Don’t harass them.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nHow do you handle customer feedback? Do you even ask for it? If you do, how do you go about it? Please let me know.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Do you really want customer feedback? Ask the right way.','','inherit','open','open','','2971-revision-v1','','','2015-05-27 09:31:03','2015-05-27 13:31:03','',2971,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/05/2971-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2973,4,'2015-05-27 18:22:37','2015-05-27 22:22:37','Lately, I have been inundated with customer feedback requests from what seems like every company with which I have even had a glancing blow. And all of these feedback requests have serious flaws.\r\n\r\n<strong>Self-serving</strong>: The airline I flew wanted to know about my recent flight, but not about the other part of the same trip, which included one segment that was delayed five hours.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bordering on harassment:</strong> My gym wants feedback (about what, I don’t know or care) and they have sent me at least five or more requests reminding me they want my feedback. Apparently they don’t take no for an answer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not interested in my opinion at all:</strong> The conference I attended last week says it wants my opinion, but sent a survey that focused more on my demographic profile than on my opinion.\r\n\r\n<strong>Asking every possible question on earth</strong>: I got a questionnaire that I abandoned when I realized that after five minutes I was only twenty percent done, thanks to the helpful completion meter at the bottom of the survey.\r\n\r\n<strong>Really, just give us a glowing review:</strong> Some companies send you a link to online customer response sites like Yelp, basically asking for you to provide a testimonial, and may even try to promote this action by offering a discount next time you come in.\r\n\r\nCustomer feedback can be very valuable. <em>If</em> done the right way, feedback requests can tell you what customers/clients/supporters are thinking, and can alert you to any issues. However, there’s a big “if” there, and as evidenced by my own examples above, many organizations are not handling these requests well.\r\n\r\nMany times, I have provided specific feedback, only to never hear from the company again or see the problem addressed. I think the problem is that customer feedback requests straddle the line between communications/marketing and operations.\r\n\r\nCommunicators/marketers see asking for feedback as a way of communicating further with customers. Operations folks see feedback as a potential for improvement (theoretically). But if these two factions are not in consultation, you end up with customer feedback requests that don’t actually address any issues the customer may be having or may even hurt the brand as customers are bothered by repeated requests or intrusive questions.\r\n\r\nBefore you ask for customer feedback, here are four things to keep in mind.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine exactly why you want feedback</strong>. Are you trying to assess your product/service? Are you trying to pinpoint problem areas? Do you want to get testimonials?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine what you will do with the feedback.</strong> Will you address any issues?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Determine the best way to get the feedback.</strong> Is it email? Or a phone call?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Remember your customers are not obligated to give you feedback</strong>. Customers are in fact doing you a favor by providing feedback. Respect their time. Don’t harass them.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nHow do you handle customer feedback? Do you even ask for it? If you do, how do you go about it? Please let me know.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Do you really want customer feedback? Ask the right way.','','inherit','open','open','','2971-revision-v1','','','2015-05-27 18:22:37','2015-05-27 22:22:37','',2971,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/05/2971-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2974,4,'2015-06-02 12:14:43','2015-06-02 16:14:43','<em><strong>You\'re invited</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nThat was the subject line for an email I got recently from Boston University. Naturally, I assumed that I was been invited to attend an event. But no, I was being invited to donate money to the annual pledge drive.\r\n\r\n<strong>This was a classic bait-and-switch. </strong>\r\n\r\nThe following week I got an email from BU that said something about women (fewer/more women getting degrees, I can\'t recall). Again, I opened it since I thought it would be an article about gender disparity. It wasn\'t. It was another bait-and-switch. Again, BU wanted me to be among the women who donate to the university.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bait-and-switch headlines/subject lines are trust-killers.</strong>\r\n\r\nI understand there\'s clutter and that you need to work hard to entice readers. Using a bait-and-switch can guarantee people will open your email or read you article, but at a cost. When you fool people this way (and that is what you are doing),  you ensure they will no longer trust your content.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/You-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the.png\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2976\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/You-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the-200x300.png\" alt=\"_You can fool all the people some of the\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n</strong></em></span>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s going to happen when BU really wants to invite me to an event? What type of subject line will they use? I am not going to believe \"you\'re invited\" again.\r\n\r\nWriting a subject line/headline is not easy. You want to entice readers to open your email or read your article. You are much better off describing what you are offering inside than using a false premise.\r\n\r\nWhat is your experience with bait-and-switch headlines or subject lines? If you use them, how well do they work for you?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','One type of headline will always fail','','publish','open','open','','one-type-of-headline-will-always-fail','','','2015-06-02 12:14:43','2015-06-02 16:14:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2974',0,'post','',0),
(2975,4,'2015-06-02 11:43:34','2015-06-02 15:43:34','<em><strong>You\'re invited</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nThat was the subject line for an email I got recently from Boston University. Naturally, I assumed that I was been invited to attend an event. But no, I was being invited to donate money to the annual pledge drive.\r\n\r\n<strong>This was a classic bait-and-switch. </strong>\r\n\r\nThe following week I got an email from BU that said something about women (fewer/more women getting degrees, I can\'t recall). Again, I opened it since I thought it would be an article about gender disparity. It wasn\'t. It was another bait-and-switch. Again, BU wanted me to be among the women who donate to the university.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bait-and-switch headlines/subject lines are trust-killers.</strong>\r\n\r\nI understand there\'s clutter and that you need to work hard to entice readers. Using a bait-and-switch can guarantee people will open your email or read you article, but at a cost. When you fool people this way (and that is what you are doing),  you ensure they will no longer trust your content.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>\"You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time,  but you cannot fool all the people all the time.\" Abraham Lincoln\r\n</strong></em></span>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s going to happen when BU really wants to invite me to an event? What type of subject line will they use? I am not going to believe \"you\'re invited\" again.\r\n\r\nWriting a subject line/headline is not easy. You want to entice readers to open your email or read your article. You are much better off describing what you are offering inside than using a false premise.\r\n\r\nWhat is your experience with bait-and-switch headlines or subject lines? If you use them, how well do they work for you?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','One type of headline will always fail','','inherit','open','open','','2974-revision-v1','','','2015-06-02 11:43:34','2015-06-02 15:43:34','',2974,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2974-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2976,4,'2015-06-02 12:11:18','2015-06-02 16:11:18','','_You can fool all the people some of the','','inherit','open','open','','_you-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the','','','2015-06-02 12:11:18','2015-06-02 16:11:18','',2974,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/You-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),
(2977,4,'2015-06-02 12:12:13','2015-06-02 16:12:13','<em><strong>You\'re invited</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nThat was the subject line for an email I got recently from Boston University. Naturally, I assumed that I was been invited to attend an event. But no, I was being invited to donate money to the annual pledge drive.\r\n\r\n<strong>This was a classic bait-and-switch. </strong>\r\n\r\nThe following week I got an email from BU that said something about women (fewer/more women getting degrees, I can\'t recall). Again, I opened it since I thought it would be an article about gender disparity. It wasn\'t. It was another bait-and-switch. Again, BU wanted me to be among the women who donate to the university.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bait-and-switch headlines/subject lines are trust-killers.</strong>\r\n\r\nI understand there\'s clutter and that you need to work hard to entice readers. Using a bait-and-switch can guarantee people will open your email or read you article, but at a cost. When you fool people this way (and that is what you are doing),  you ensure they will no longer trust your content.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/You-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the.png\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2976\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/You-can-fool-all-the-people-some-of-the-200x300.png\" alt=\"_You can fool all the people some of the\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n</strong></em></span>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s going to happen when BU really wants to invite me to an event? What type of subject line will they use? I am not going to believe \"you\'re invited\" again.\r\n\r\nWriting a subject line/headline is not easy. You want to entice readers to open your email or read your article. You are much better off describing what you are offering inside than using a false premise.\r\n\r\nWhat is your experience with bait-and-switch headlines or subject lines? If you use them, how well do they work for you?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','One type of headline will always fail','','inherit','open','open','','2974-revision-v1','','','2015-06-02 12:12:13','2015-06-02 16:12:13','',2974,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2974-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2979,4,'2015-06-03 11:17:56','2015-06-03 15:17:56','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2015-06-03 11:17:56','2015-06-03 15:17:56','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2980,4,'2015-06-05 13:57:20','2015-06-05 17:57:20','Here\'s the story:\r\n\r\nYesterday, Grammarly (a site that promises to be your best grammar check resource), posted an article titled <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">\"5 authors who died old maids\" </a>to Facebook (unfortunately, I was not quick-thinking enough to take a screen shot). The post was about great female writers such as Emily Bronte and Emily Dickinson.\r\n\r\nI did a double take when I saw that on my timeline. Old maids? What year is this? Who calls unmarried women \"old maids?\" I commented on the Facebook post that it was sexist and ageist to use the term, and that Grammarly should rename the post. Many others had similar comments and sentiments.  Some ( minority) thought using the term was perfectly OK and that the rest of use were too easily offended.\r\n\r\nThen, I went to Twitter where I posted this:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SC20150605-111755.png\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2982\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SC20150605-111755-180x300.png\" alt=\"Tweet\" width=\"180\" height=\"300\" /></a></span>\r\n\r\nI remind you that Grammarly is a site that claims it offers a \"better way to write.\"\r\n\r\nNo response from Grammarly on Twitter or on Facebook. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">No comment whatsoever.</span> But this morning, <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">the post</a> is gone from Facebook and from the Grammarly blog without any type of acknowledgement.\r\n\r\nIt seems that Grammarly understood that using the term was offensive enough to some, or at least, controversial enough, to remove the post. They have erased it from Grammarly post history. But Grammarly has not admitted anything explicitly.  It ignored tweets and Facebook comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is ignoring comments a wise move?</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd just this past weekend, in the <em>Washington Post Magazine,</em> humor columnist Gene Weingarten had this to say about Grammarly:\r\n<blockquote>In short, as a sleuth, Grammarly is top-notch. As an editor, however, it is of the prissy, arbitrary, rule-besotted sort whom good writers want to kill. Under the circumstances, I would do it slow and ugly, like what Dave the astronaut did to HAL.</blockquote>\r\nPerhaps not super humorous, but definitely worth it to <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-takes-grammarly-to-school/2015/05/22/a3bf6a56-f4dd-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html?postshare=8761433118311597\" target=\"_blank\">read the whole piece.</a>\r\n\r\nGrammarly can\'t erase Weingarten\'s piece as easily as it can erase it\'s own mistakes.\r\n\r\nNow, is Grammarly in crisis, even of the fleeting social media kind? No, of course not. But in my book at least, it has a damaged image. Between Weingarten\'s criticism and Grammarly\'s uncaring attitude, not to mention the fact that a sexist term got through the supposed strict usage checker folks, I am not keen to promote or use the service. And no amount of erasing posts (would this also be called white-washing? I am not sure) and ignoring comments is going to fix that.\r\n\r\nWhat would you recommend that Grammarly do, if anything? Oh, and had you even heard of Grammarly before or am I doing it a public relations favor by mentioning it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you rehab your image by deleting offensive posts?','','publish','open','open','','can-you-rehab-your-image-by-deleting-offensive-posts','','','2015-06-05 13:57:20','2015-06-05 17:57:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2980',0,'post','',0),
(2982,4,'2015-06-05 13:46:23','2015-06-05 17:46:23','','Tweet','','inherit','open','open','','sc20150605-111755','','','2015-06-05 13:46:37','2015-06-05 17:46:37','',2980,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SC20150605-111755.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),
(2981,4,'2015-06-05 11:28:56','2015-06-05 15:28:56','Here\'s the story:\r\n\r\nYesterday, Grammarly (a site that promises to be your best grammar check resource), posted an article titled <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">\"5 authors who died old maids\" </a>to Facebook (unfortunately, I was not quick thinking enough to take a screen shot). I did a double take when I saw that on my timeline. Old maids? What year is this? Who calls unmarried women \"old maids?\" I commented on the post that it was sexist and ageist to use the term, and that Grammarly should rename the post. Many others had similar comments and sentiments.  Some ( minority) thought using the term was perfectly ok and that the rest of use were too easily offended.\r\n\r\nThen, I went to Twitter where I posted this:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">When was the last time you heard the term \"old maid?\" Well, @grammarly thinks it\'s perfectly fine to call unmarried women by that name.</span>\r\n\r\nI remind you that Grammarly is a site that claims it offers a \"better way to write.\"\r\n\r\nNo word from Grammarly on Twitter or on Facebook. No comment whatsoever.\r\n\r\nThis morning, <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">the post</a> is gone from Facebook and from the Grammarly blog.\r\n\r\nClearly, Grammarly is not standing by the term old maids. They have erased it from Grammarly post history. But Grammarly has not admitted that it may be offensive (not to mention hopelessly old fashioned) to use this term. It simply removed it without acknowledging anybody\'s comments about it.\r\n\r\nAnd ust this past weekend, in the <em>Washington Post Magazine,</em> Gene Weingarten had this to say about Grammarly:\r\n<blockquote>In short, as a sleuth, Grammarly is top-notch. As an editor, however, it is of the prissy, arbitrary, rule-besotted sort whom good writers want to kill. Under the circumstances, I would do it slow and ugly, like what Dave the astronaut did to HAL.</blockquote>\r\nDo yourself a favor and <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-takes-grammarly-to-school/2015/05/22/a3bf6a56-f4dd-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html?postshare=8761433118311597\" target=\"_blank\">read the whole piece.</a>\r\n\r\nGrammarly can\'t erase Weingarten\'s piece as easily as it can erase it\'s own mistakes.\r\n\r\nNow, is Grammarly in crisis, even of the fleeting social media kind? No, of course not. But in my book at least, it has a damaged image. Between Weingarten\'s criticism and Grammarly\'s uncaring attitude, I am not keen to promote or use the service. And no amount of erasing posts (would this also be called white-washing? I am not sure) and ignoring comments is going to fix that.\r\n\r\nWhat would you recommend that Grammarly do, if anything? Oh, and had you even heard of Grammarly before or am I doing it a public relations favor by mentioning it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you rehab your image by deleting offensive posts?','','inherit','open','open','','2980-revision-v1','','','2015-06-05 11:28:56','2015-06-05 15:28:56','',2980,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2980-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2983,4,'2015-06-05 13:55:50','2015-06-05 17:55:50','Here\'s the story:\r\n\r\nYesterday, Grammarly (a site that promises to be your best grammar check resource), posted an article titled <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">\"5 authors who died old maids\" </a>to Facebook (unfortunately, I was not quick-thinking enough to take a screen shot). The post was about great female writers such as Emily Bronte and Emily Dickinson.\r\n\r\nI did a double take when I saw that on my timeline. Old maids? What year is this? Who calls unmarried women \"old maids?\" I commented on the Facebook post that it was sexist and ageist to use the term, and that Grammarly should rename the post. Many others had similar comments and sentiments.  Some ( minority) thought using the term was perfectly OK and that the rest of use were too easily offended.\r\n\r\nThen, I went to Twitter where I posted this:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SC20150605-111755.png\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2982\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SC20150605-111755-180x300.png\" alt=\"Tweet\" width=\"180\" height=\"300\" /></a></span>\r\n\r\nI remind you that Grammarly is a site that claims it offers a \"better way to write.\"\r\n\r\nNo response from Grammarly on Twitter or on Facebook. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">No comment whatsoever.</span> But this morning, <a href=\"http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-authors-who-died-old-maids/?lf\" target=\"_blank\">the post</a> is gone from Facebook and from the Grammarly blog without any type of acknowledgement.\r\n\r\nIt seems that Grammarly understood that using the term was offensive enough to some, or at least, controversial enough, to remove the post. They have erased it from Grammarly post history. But Grammarly has not admitted anything explicitly.  It ignored tweets and Facebook comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is ignoring comments a wise move?</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd just this past weekend, in the <em>Washington Post Magazine,</em> humor columnist Gene Weingarten had this to say about Grammarly:\r\n<blockquote>In short, as a sleuth, Grammarly is top-notch. As an editor, however, it is of the prissy, arbitrary, rule-besotted sort whom good writers want to kill. Under the circumstances, I would do it slow and ugly, like what Dave the astronaut did to HAL.</blockquote>\r\nPerhaps not super humorous, but definitely worth it to <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-takes-grammarly-to-school/2015/05/22/a3bf6a56-f4dd-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html?postshare=8761433118311597\" target=\"_blank\">read the whole piece.</a>\r\n\r\nGrammarly can\'t erase Weingarten\'s piece as easily as it can erase it\'s own mistakes.\r\n\r\nNow, is Grammarly in crisis, even of the fleeting social media kind? No, of course not. But in my book at least, it has a damaged image. Between Weingarten\'s criticism and Grammarly\'s uncaring attitude, not to mention the fact that a sexist term got through the supposed strict usage checker folks, I am not keen to promote or use the service. And no amount of erasing posts (would this also be called white-washing? I am not sure) and ignoring comments is going to fix that.\r\n\r\nWhat would you recommend that Grammarly do, if anything? Oh, and had you even heard of Grammarly before or am I doing it a public relations favor by mentioning it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you rehab your image by deleting offensive posts?','','inherit','open','open','','2980-revision-v1','','','2015-06-05 13:55:50','2015-06-05 17:55:50','',2980,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2980-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2984,4,'2015-06-09 08:30:00','2015-06-09 12:30:00','Every Monday, I get a enewsletter that compiles events. Yesterday, it listed an event that sounded interesting and when I clicked on the link to learn more, it took me to a 404-error page not found.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2985\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15565336879_592702424b_z.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-2985 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15565336879_592702424b_z-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"15565336879_592702424b_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a> By PastaWS on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nBroken links or missing pages are a hassle for your readers.  And not only that, search engines punish you for them (by affecting your SEO).\r\n\r\nIf you are planning an email/enewsletter/Tweet/Facebook post/etc.: Check your links before sending or posting. It\'s that simple. Just click on them and make sure they are taking you to the right place. It may be an extra few minutes of your time, but it will make your readers happy and make you look competent.\r\n\r\nIf you want to make sure there are no broken links on your website, there are many tools that can help you (search for broken link checker). Here\'s a compilation, specific for WordPress sites:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http://www.wpuniversity.com/blog/5-tools-find-broken-links\" target=\"_blank\">5 Tools to Check for Broken Links</a></p>\r\nOnce you\'ve found broken links on your website, you will want to fix them.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/web-marketing-how-to-deal-with-broken-links.html\" target=\"_blank\">Web Marketing: How to Deal with Broken Links</a></p>\r\nMake sure to put some time and effort into avoiding sending people to non-existent website pages. It will help maintain your readers\'  trust and your standing with the search engines.\r\n\r\nIf you come across a broken link, what do you do?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is that link broken?','','publish','open','open','','is-that-link-broken','','','2015-06-09 08:30:00','2015-06-09 12:30:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2984',0,'post','',0),
(2985,4,'2015-06-09 08:05:58','2015-06-09 12:05:58','','15565336879_592702424b_z','','inherit','open','open','','15565336879_592702424b_z','','','2015-06-09 08:05:58','2015-06-09 12:05:58','',2984,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15565336879_592702424b_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(2986,4,'2015-06-09 08:27:49','2015-06-09 12:27:49','Every Monday, I get a enewsletter that compiles events. Yesterday, it listed an event that sounded interesting and when I clicked on the link to learn more, it took me to a 404-error page not found.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2985\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15565336879_592702424b_z.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-2985 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/15565336879_592702424b_z-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"15565336879_592702424b_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a> By PastaWS on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nBroken links or missing pages are a hassle for your readers.  And not only that, search engines punish you for them (by affecting your SEO).\r\n\r\nIf you are planning an email/enewsletter/Tweet/Facebook post/etc.: Check your links before sending or posting. It\'s that simple. Just click on them and make sure they are taking you to the right place. It may be an extra few minutes of your time, but it will make your readers happy and make you look competent.\r\n\r\nIf you want to make sure there are no broken links on your website, there are many tools that can help you (search for broken link checker). Here\'s a compilation, specific for WordPress sites:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http://www.wpuniversity.com/blog/5-tools-find-broken-links\" target=\"_blank\">5 Tools to Check for Broken Links</a></p>\r\nOnce you\'ve found broken links on your website, you will want to fix them.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/web-marketing-how-to-deal-with-broken-links.html\" target=\"_blank\">Web Marketing: How to Deal with Broken Links</a></p>\r\nMake sure to put some time and effort into avoiding sending people to non-existent website pages. It will help maintain your readers\'  trust and your standing with the search engines.\r\n\r\nIf you come across a broken link, what do you do?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is that link broken?','','inherit','open','open','','2984-revision-v1','','','2015-06-09 08:27:49','2015-06-09 12:27:49','',2984,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2984-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2997,4,'2015-07-07 09:38:33','2015-07-07 13:38:33','Have you checked your analytics lately? What\'s your bounce rate? If it is high, it means that people arrive at your website only to \"bounce off\" a few seconds later. This means they are not reading your content. This means they are not clicking through to other pages.  And of course, this means they are not buying your product, supporting your cause or contacting you to learn more about your services.\r\n\r\nHere are three website blunders that could be costing you readers (and support):\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Audio/video autoplay:</strong> Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me close a website faster than auto sound/video. It always startles me and then it irritates. Do not, under any circumstances, enable autoplay on your website. Not many people want noise (talk/music that is unwanted is noise) suddenly blasting out of their device.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Links to abandoned social media feeds:</strong>  Sending folks to a Twitter account that hasn\'t been updated in months (or worse, years) is a recipe for failure. <em>If you can\'t keep up with a particular social media account</em>, <em>do not link to it</em>. People do check social media accounts because they want to see what you\'ve been up to. If there\'s nothing there, they assume you are not active, not just on social media, but in general.\r\n\r\nP.S. Plus, it\'s essential that your social media descriptions be up to date, and relevant.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Your way or the highway:</strong> Are you enabling pop-ups to force people to sign-up for a newsletter before being able to access your site? Are you asking people to subscribe to email in order to get updates instead of allowing RSS subscriptions? Telling people to go to Facebook to read the latest news?  If you are <em>imposing</em> your favorite tactic, you are effectively telling people that it\'s your way or not at all. People appreciate choice. And different people like different things, so offering options is always good (not too many options mind you).\r\n\r\nAre you committing any of the above three blunders? If not, there are several other issues that may be turning off readers, including:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Making your content hard to read (font/type that is too small or white type on black background)</li>\r\n	<li>Website it too busy (too much going on, distracting)</li>\r\n	<li>Typos and/or spelling/grammatical mistakes</li>\r\n	<li>Outdated information</li>\r\n	<li>Not enough information</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat sends you off a website? Please share your website peeves with me in the comments.','3 website blunders that are costing you readers','','publish','open','open','','3-website-blunders-that-are-costing-you-readers','','','2015-07-07 09:38:33','2015-07-07 13:38:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2997',0,'post','',0),
(2990,4,'2015-06-24 13:36:09','2015-06-24 17:36:09','Bobby Jindal<a href=\"http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/245976-jindal-announces-2016-bid\" target=\"_blank\"> just announced (via Facebook) today</a> that he is adding himself to the slew of GOP 2016 presidential hopefuls.\r\n\r\nThere are lots of reasons why Jindal does not have even a small chance of winning the nomination: Louisiana (the state where he is currently governor) is doing badly, he lacks charisma, and he has made a series of questionable/false/stupid comments recently (Muslim no-go zones, for example).\r\n\r\nCurrently polling at about one percent, Jindal faces tremendous challenges even getting in to the Fox News GOP candidates debate that will only allow the top ten contenders on stage. It\'s pretty clear that Jindal is jockeying for a vice presidential nod, but even that is out of reach for him. Why?<strong> He has a huge authenticity problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nJindal, who was named Piyush by his Indian parents, seems to have rejected his background. He converted to Catholicism and changed his name to Bobby. He has even said he doesn\'t consider himself Indian-American, but just American. The <em>Washington Post</em> explores the question about how Jindal views his past in this article published yesterday: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/from-piyush-to-bobby-how-does-jindal-feel-about-his-familys-past/2015/06/22/7d45a3da-18ec-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">From Piyush to Bobby: How Does Jindal Feel About his Family\'s Past.</a>\r\n\r\nThis passage from the article (the bolding is mine) is very telling:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Suresh C. Gupta, a Potomac, Md., doctor, gave a fundraiser for Jindal’s first gubernatorial bid. But he said Jindal has actively tried to disassociate himself from the Indian American community in recent years.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">“So what if he’s Republican? So what if he’s Christian? I don’t care about those things,” said Gupta, who is a Democrat. <strong>“But you can’t forget about your heritage. You can’t forget about your roots.”</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the United States last September, a host of politicians attended his rally at Madison Square Garden. Jindal did not. <strong>When Jindal’s name was mentioned, he was booed by the crowd.</strong></p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\nIt\'s impossible to say what motivated Jindal to embrace being \"American\" while at the same time downplaying his roots. Perhaps he is embarrassed by his background or perhaps he thinks people can\'t relate to an Indian-American. Whatever the reason, it\'s clear that potential supporters are turned off by his disassociation with his background.\r\n\r\nAlthough the United States is a melting pot, and most immigrants try to assimilate, many still have pride in their heritage. And there are many politicians who embrace hyphenation, from the first Italian-American mayor of New York City Fiorello LaGuardia to former Congressman David Wu (D-OR), the only Chinese-American serving in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011.\r\n\r\nAn even more negative view of Jindal is given in the <em>Politico Magazin</em>e article by Alan Greenblatt:<a href=\"http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/bobby-jindal-the-stupid-partys-candidate-119349.html?hp=t4_r#.VYrkwUanFgJ\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Stupid Party\'s Candidate:Running to the Right is not Working for Bobby Jindal.\" </a>\r\n\r\nGreenblatt argues that Jindal is pandering to the more conservative base of the Republican Party. He writes:\r\n<blockquote>A governor who reshaped his state by overhauling the education and Medicaid systems now hardly talks substance at all. In fairness, he has released detailed plans on taxes and education, but he routinely spends his time on the stump throwing red meat to the most conservative parts of his party.</blockquote>\r\nHe adds:\r\n<blockquote>His pander approach hasn’t worked for him. “He is smart, he is policy knowledgeable,” says Henry Olsen, a conservative analyst at the Ethics &amp; Public Policy Center, “but rather than build a public persona around his strengths, he has crafted a public persona around other people’s strengths.”</blockquote>\r\nThis adds up to an authenticity problem. Who is Bobby Jindal and why does he keep changing his stripes? People respond best to what is authentic and can generally spot a fake. Jindal seems to be working hard to be something he can never be. As long as he\'s trying to be something he isn\'t, he will continue to lag behind in the polls.\r\n\r\n<strong>Authenticity matters, especially when you are trying to persuade.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? If you were Jindal\'s communications person, what would you advise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Authenticity matters (or, Why Bobby Jindal Won\'t Win but Chris Christie Might)','','publish','open','open','','authenticity-matters-or-why-bobby-jindal-wont-win-but-chris-christie-might','','','2015-06-24 13:36:09','2015-06-24 17:36:09','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2990',0,'post','',0),
(2992,4,'2015-06-24 13:36:09','2015-06-24 17:36:09','Bobby Jindal<a href=\"http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/245976-jindal-announces-2016-bid\" target=\"_blank\"> just announced (via Facebook) today</a> that he is adding himself to the slew of GOP 2016 presidential hopefuls.\r\n\r\nThere are lots of reasons why Jindal does not have even a small chance of winning the nomination: Louisiana (the state where he is currently governor) is doing badly, he lacks charisma, and he has made a series of questionable/false/stupid comments recently (Muslim no-go zones, for example).\r\n\r\nCurrently polling at about one percent, Jindal faces tremendous challenges even getting in to the Fox News GOP candidates debate that will only allow the top ten contenders on stage. It\'s pretty clear that Jindal is jockeying for a vice presidential nod, but even that is out of reach for him. Why?<strong> He has a huge authenticity problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nJindal, who was named Piyush by his Indian parents, seems to have rejected his background. He converted to Catholicism and changed his name to Bobby. He has even said he doesn\'t consider himself Indian-American, but just American. The <em>Washington Post</em> explores the question about how Jindal views his past in this article published yesterday: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/from-piyush-to-bobby-how-does-jindal-feel-about-his-familys-past/2015/06/22/7d45a3da-18ec-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">From Piyush to Bobby: How Does Jindal Feel About his Family\'s Past.</a>\r\n\r\nThis passage from the article (the bolding is mine) is very telling:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Suresh C. Gupta, a Potomac, Md., doctor, gave a fundraiser for Jindal’s first gubernatorial bid. But he said Jindal has actively tried to disassociate himself from the Indian American community in recent years.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">“So what if he’s Republican? So what if he’s Christian? I don’t care about those things,” said Gupta, who is a Democrat. <strong>“But you can’t forget about your heritage. You can’t forget about your roots.”</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the United States last September, a host of politicians attended his rally at Madison Square Garden. Jindal did not. <strong>When Jindal’s name was mentioned, he was booed by the crowd.</strong></p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\nIt\'s impossible to say what motivated Jindal to embrace being \"American\" while at the same time downplaying his roots. Perhaps he is embarrassed by his background or perhaps he thinks people can\'t relate to an Indian-American. Whatever the reason, it\'s clear that potential supporters are turned off by his disassociation with his background.\r\n\r\nAlthough the United States is a melting pot, and most immigrants try to assimilate, many still have pride in their heritage. And there are many politicians who embrace hyphenation, from the first Italian-American mayor of New York City Fiorello LaGuardia to former Congressman David Wu (D-OR), the only Chinese-American serving in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011.\r\n\r\nAn even more negative view of Jindal is given in the <em>Politico Magazin</em>e article by Alan Greenblatt:<a href=\"http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/bobby-jindal-the-stupid-partys-candidate-119349.html?hp=t4_r#.VYrkwUanFgJ\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Stupid Party\'s Candidate:Running to the Right is not Working for Bobby Jindal.\" </a>\r\n\r\nGreenblatt argues that Jindal is pandering to the more conservative base of the Republican Party. He writes:\r\n<blockquote>A governor who reshaped his state by overhauling the education and Medicaid systems now hardly talks substance at all. In fairness, he has released detailed plans on taxes and education, but he routinely spends his time on the stump throwing red meat to the most conservative parts of his party.</blockquote>\r\nHe adds:\r\n<blockquote>His pander approach hasn’t worked for him. “He is smart, he is policy knowledgeable,” says Henry Olsen, a conservative analyst at the Ethics &amp; Public Policy Center, “but rather than build a public persona around his strengths, he has crafted a public persona around other people’s strengths.”</blockquote>\r\nThis adds up to an authenticity problem. Who is Bobby Jindal and why does he keep changing his stripes? People respond best to what is authentic and can generally spot a fake. Jindal seems to be working hard to be something he can never be. As long as he\'s trying to be something he isn\'t, he will continue to lag behind in the polls.\r\n\r\n<strong>Authenticity matters, especially when you are trying to persuade.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? If you were Jindal\'s communications person, what would you advise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Authenticity matters (or, Why Bobby Jindal Won\'t Win but Chris Christie Might)','','inherit','open','open','','2990-revision-v1','','','2015-06-24 13:36:09','2015-06-24 17:36:09','',2990,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2990-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2991,4,'2015-06-24 13:32:57','2015-06-24 17:32:57','An alternative title for the post would be Why Bobby Jindal Won\'t Win but Chris Christie Might.\r\n\r\nBobby Jindal<a href=\"http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/245976-jindal-announces-2016-bid\" target=\"_blank\"> just announced (via Facebook) today</a> that he is adding himself to the slew of GOP 2016 presidential hopefuls.\r\n\r\nThere are lots of reasons why Jindal does not have even a small chance of winning the nomination: Louisiana (the state where he is currently governor) is doing badly, he lacks charisma, and he has made a series of questionable/false/stupid comments recently (Muslim no-go zones, for example).\r\n\r\nCurrently polling at about one percent, Jindal faces tremendous challenges even getting in to the Fox News debate that will only allow the top ten contenders on stage. It\'s pretty clear that Jindal is jockeying for a vice presidential nod, but even that is out of reach for him. Why?<strong> He has a huge authenticity problem.</strong>\r\n\r\nJindal, who was named Piyush by his Indian parents, seems to have rejected his background. He converted to Catholicism and changed his name to Bobby. He has even said he doesn\'t consider himself Indian-American, but just American. The <em>Washington Post</em> explores the question about how Jindal views his past in this article published yesterday: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/from-piyush-to-bobby-how-does-jindal-feel-about-his-familys-past/2015/06/22/7d45a3da-18ec-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">From Piyush to Bobby: How Does Jindal Feel About his Family\'s Past.</a>\r\n\r\nThis passage from the article (the bolding is mine) is very telling:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Suresh C. Gupta, a Potomac, Md., doctor, gave a fundraiser for Jindal’s first gubernatorial bid. But he said Jindal has actively tried to disassociate himself from the Indian American community in recent years.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">“So what if he’s Republican? So what if he’s Christian? I don’t care about those things,” said Gupta, who is a Democrat. <strong>“But you can’t forget about your heritage. You can’t forget about your roots.”</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the United States last September, a host of politicians attended his <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/28/indias-modi-was-once-denied-u-s-entry-sunday-he-was-the-star-at-madison-square-garden/\">rally</a> at Madison Square Garden. Jindal did not. <strong>When Jindal’s name was mentioned, <a href=\"http://www.newsweek.com/modi-us-indians-come-home-come-buy-273868\" target=\"_blank\">he was booed</a> by the crowd.</strong></p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\nIt\'s impossible to say what motivated Jindal to embrace being \"American\" while at the same time downplaying his roots. Perhaps he is embarrassed by his background or perhaps he thinks people can\'t relate to an Indian-American. Whatever the reason, it\'s clear that potential supporters are turned off by his disassociation with his background.\r\n\r\nAlthough the United States is a melting pot, and most immigrants try to assimilate, many still have pride in their heritage. And there are many politicians who embrace hyphenation, from the first Italian-American mayor of New York City Fiorello LaGuardia to former Congressman David Wu (D-OR), the only Chinese-American serving in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011.\r\n\r\nAn even more negative view of Jindal is given in the <em>Politico Magazin</em>e article by Alan Greenblatt:<a href=\"http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/bobby-jindal-the-stupid-partys-candidate-119349.html?hp=t4_r#.VYrkwUanFgJ\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Stupid Party\'s Candidate:Running to the Right is not Working for Bobby Jindal.\" </a>\r\n\r\nGreenblatt argues that Jindal is pandering to the more conservative base of the Republican Party. He writes:\r\n<blockquote>A governor who reshaped his state by overhauling the education and Medicaid systems now hardly talks substance at all. In fairness, he has released detailed plans on taxes and education, but he routinely spends his time on the stump throwing red meat to the most conservative parts of his party.</blockquote>\r\nHe adds:\r\n<blockquote>His pander approach hasn’t worked for him. “He is smart, he is policy knowledgeable,” says Henry Olsen, a conservative analyst at the Ethics &amp; Public Policy Center, “but rather than build a public persona around his strengths, he has crafted a public persona around other people’s strengths.”</blockquote>\r\nThis adds up to an authenticity problem. Who is Bobby Jindal and why does he keep changing his stripes? People respond best to what is authentic and can generally spot a fake. Jindal seems to be working hard to be something he can never be. As long as he\'s trying to be something he isn\'t, he will continue to lag behind in the polls.\r\n\r\nAuthenticity matters, especially if you are trying to persuade.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? If you were Jindal\'s communications person, what would you advise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Authenticity matters','','inherit','open','open','','2990-revision-v1','','','2015-06-24 13:32:57','2015-06-24 17:32:57','',2990,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/06/2990-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2995,4,'2015-07-01 14:28:16','2015-07-01 18:28:16','<strong>\"What do I need to know about this?\"</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing--you don\'t know what you don\'t know. And if you don\'t know, you can\'t ask the right questions in order to get the answers you need.  So you have to start from zero, and ask \"what do I need to know about this.\" You\'ll want to ask someone who has more knowledge or experience than you.\r\n\r\n<strong>What does a new home buyer need to know?</strong>\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I was talking to an acquaintance of mine, who happens to be a top-selling real estate agent (she\'s sold something like $25 million in property).  I was telling her about my first few months as a homeowner, when I had to have a bunch of things fixed. The real estate agent asked me if had gotten a home appliance policy. I told her that I hadn\'t and that I didn\'t even know about it.  She went on to tell me she negotiates that for every single one of her new home buyers. She told me my real estate agent <em>should\'ve</em> told me about it.\r\n\r\n<strong>What do you look for in a real estate agent?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis question of course lead to a discussion about my real estate agent,  whom at first I really liked, but, after being in my house for a few months and dealing with a bunch of issues,  whom I realized didn\'t really do her job well. She didn\'t point out what I needed to know as a new home buyer. And I didn\'t know the questions to ask her, since I said before, you don\'t know what you don\'t know.\r\n\r\nThe more I learn about real estate and home ownership, the more I realize that my real estate agent (unlike my new acquaintance), was just not very good. She was mediocre but the fact is, i<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">t was my own fault for choosing to work with her without having educated myself more</span> about what to look for in a real estate agent.\r\n\r\n<strong>You need to acknowledge that you don\'t know</strong>\r\n\r\nI should\'ve started by asking myself: \"what do I need to know before buying a house?\" I could\'ve asked friends, I could\'ve read books, I could\'ve done more research online. I didn\'t.\r\n\r\nI did watch a lot of HGTV (don\'t laugh, it was very helpful), especially <em>House Hunters</em> and <em>Property Virgins</em>. I watched enough HGTV to know that you have to look at the bones of the house, not the current esthetics and also to know what your priorities are. But those shows don\'t talk about issues such as heat pumps versus furnaces, or what costs you should plan for in your first year, and so forth.\r\n\r\n<strong>But this blog is not about real estate, it\'s about communications</strong>\r\n\r\nNot knowing what questions to ask is what gets so many projects off track.  Say you are launching a blog, and you don\'t know to ask what you need in a web host, you may end up with a blog that doesn\'t work.\r\n\r\nSo before you start any communications project--whether it be launching a website or putting together a social media campaign--ask someone who\'s been there before: \"what do I need to know?\"\r\n\r\nHow do you know what questions to ask? Have you ever been in a situation where not asking the right questions made a project or situation go wrong?','First, ask this one question','','inherit','open','open','','2994-revision-v1','','','2015-07-01 14:28:16','2015-07-01 18:28:16','',2994,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/2994-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2996,4,'2015-07-01 14:31:39','2015-07-01 18:31:39','<strong>\"What do I need to know about this?\"</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing--you don\'t know what you don\'t know. And if you don\'t know, you can\'t ask the right questions in order to get the answers you need.  So you have to start from zero, and ask \"what do I need to know about this.\" You\'ll want to ask someone who has more knowledge or experience than you.\r\n\r\n<strong>What does a new home buyer need to know?</strong>\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I was talking to an acquaintance of mine, who happens to be a top-selling real estate agent (she\'s sold something like $25 million in property).  I was telling her about my first few months as a homeowner, when I had to have a bunch of things fixed. The real estate agent asked me if had gotten a home appliance policy. I told her that I hadn\'t and that I didn\'t even know about it.  She went on to tell me she negotiates that for every single one of her new home buyers. She told me my real estate agent <em>should\'ve</em> told me about it.\r\n\r\n<strong>What do you look for in a real estate agent?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis question of course lead to a discussion about my real estate agent,  whom at first I really liked, but, after being in my house for a few months and dealing with a bunch of issues,  I came realize didn\'t really do her job well. She didn\'t point out what I needed to know as a new home buyer. And I didn\'t know the questions to ask her, since I said before, you don\'t know what you don\'t know.\r\n\r\nThe more I learn about real estate and home ownership, the more I realize that my real estate agent (unlike my new acquaintance), was just not very good. She was mediocre but the fact is, i<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">t was my own fault for choosing to work with her without having educated myself more</span> about what to look for in a real estate agent.\r\n\r\n<strong>You need to acknowledge that you don\'t know</strong>\r\n\r\nI should\'ve started by asking myself: \"what do I need to know before buying a house?\" I could\'ve asked friends, I could\'ve read books, I could\'ve done more research online. I didn\'t.\r\n\r\nI did watch a lot of HGTV (don\'t laugh, it was very helpful), especially <em>House Hunters</em> and <em>Property Virgins</em>. I watched enough HGTV to know that you have to look at the bones of the house, not the current esthetics and also to know what your priorities are. But those shows don\'t talk about issues such as heat pumps versus furnaces, or what costs you should plan for in your first year, and so forth.\r\n\r\n<strong>But this blog is not about real estate, it\'s about communications</strong>\r\n\r\nNot knowing what questions to ask is what gets so many projects off track.  Say you are launching a blog, and you don\'t know to ask what you need in a web host, you may end up with a blog that doesn\'t work.\r\n\r\nSo before you start any communications project--whether it be launching a website or putting together a social media campaign--ask someone who\'s been there before: \"what do I need to know?\"\r\n\r\nHow do you know what questions to ask? Have you ever been in a situation where not asking the right questions made a project or situation go wrong?','First, ask this one question','','inherit','open','open','','2994-revision-v1','','','2015-07-01 14:31:39','2015-07-01 18:31:39','',2994,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/2994-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(2998,4,'2015-07-07 09:38:33','2015-07-07 13:38:33','Have you checked your analytics lately? What\'s your bounce rate? If it is high, it means that people arrive at your website only to \"bounce off\" a few seconds later. This means they are not reading your content. This means they are not clicking through to other pages.  And of course, this means they are not buying your product, supporting your cause or contacting you to learn more about your services.\r\n\r\nHere are three website blunders that could be costing you readers (and support):\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Audio/video autoplay:</strong> Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me close a website faster than auto sound/video. It always startles me and then it irritates. Do not, under any circumstances, enable autoplay on your website. Not many people want noise (talk/music that is unwanted is noise) suddenly blasting out of their device.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Links to abandoned social media feeds:</strong>  Sending folks to a Twitter account that hasn\'t been updated in months (or worse, years) is a recipe for failure. <em>If you can\'t keep up with a particular social media account</em>, <em>do not link to it</em>. People do check social media accounts because they want to see what you\'ve been up to. If there\'s nothing there, they assume you are not active, not just on social media, but in general.\r\n\r\nP.S. Plus, it\'s essential that your social media descriptions be up to date, and relevant.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Your way or the highway:</strong> Are you enabling pop-ups to force people to sign-up for a newsletter before being able to access your site? Are you asking people to subscribe to email in order to get updates instead of allowing RSS subscriptions? Telling people to go to Facebook to read the latest news?  If you are <em>imposing</em> your favorite tactic, you are effectively telling people that it\'s your way or not at all. People appreciate choice. And different people like different things, so offering options is always good (not too many options mind you).\r\n\r\nAre you committing any of the above three blunders? If not, there are several other issues that may be turning off readers, including:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Making your content hard to read (font/type that is too small or white type on black background)</li>\r\n	<li>Website it too busy (too much going on, distracting)</li>\r\n	<li>Typos and/or spelling/grammatical mistakes</li>\r\n	<li>Outdated information</li>\r\n	<li>Not enough information</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat sends you off a website? Please share your website peeves with me in the comments.','3 website blunders that are costing you readers','','inherit','open','open','','2997-revision-v1','','','2015-07-07 09:38:33','2015-07-07 13:38:33','',2997,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/2997-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3000,4,'2015-07-10 08:50:52','2015-07-10 12:50:52','\"What you meant to say\" is a new feature here on the Caffeinated blog. It\'s meant to be a compilation of the (many) grammatical/spelling/word choice mistakes we see all around us, all the time.  It occurred to me that I should start keeping a running list for fun, and then of course, I thought it would make a fun blog post. These are all real examples. Readers are welcomed to add their findings.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3001\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3001\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr[/caption]\r\n<h3>For the week ending July 10 (questionable word/usage is bolded):</h3>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Subject line on a spam email:</strong> This Video Is A Must Watch. [<strong>Effects</strong> Us All}\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Affects\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> Come check out our conference room and <strong>setup</strong> a tour!\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>:  Set up.  As two words,  set up is a verb,  whereas setup is a noun.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> CAE stands for Certified Association Executive. <strong>They’re</strong> the hallmark of a committed assoc. professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: It’s\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet to a car rental company</strong>: Great service. Great cars. Will <strong>defiantly</strong> pick [name] again for my next trip\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Definitely, showing how you can\'t ever rely on autocorrect or spell check.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you meant to say','','publish','open','open','','what-you-meant-to-say','','','2015-07-10 08:50:52','2015-07-10 12:50:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3000',0,'post','',0),
(3001,4,'2015-07-10 08:47:28','2015-07-10 12:47:28','','2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z','By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr','inherit','open','open','','2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z','','','2015-07-10 08:48:07','2015-07-10 12:48:07','',3000,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3002,4,'2015-07-10 08:48:31','2015-07-10 12:48:31','\"What you meant to say\" is a new feature here on the Caffeinated blog. It\'s meant to be a compilation of the (many) grammatical/spelling/word choice mistakes we see all around us, all the time.  It occurred to me that I should start keeping a running list for fun, and then of course, I thought it would make a fun blog post. These are all real examples. Readers are welcomed to add their findings.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3001\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3001\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr[/caption]\r\n<h3>For the week ending July 10 (questionable word/usage is bolded):</h3>\r\n<strong>Subject line on a spam email:</strong> This Video Is A Must Watch. [<strong>Effects</strong> Us All}\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Affects\r\n\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> Come check out our conference room and <strong>setup</strong> a tour!\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>:  Set up.  As two words,  set up is a verb,  whereas setup is a noun.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> CAE stands for Certified Association Executive. <strong>They’re</strong> the hallmark of a committed assoc. professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: It’s\r\n\r\n<strong>Tweet to a car rental company</strong>: Great service. Great cars. Will <strong>defiantly</strong> pick [name] again for my next trip\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Definitely, showing how you can\'t ever rely on autocorrect or spell check.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you meant to say','','inherit','open','open','','3000-revision-v1','','','2015-07-10 08:48:31','2015-07-10 12:48:31','',3000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3000-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3003,4,'2015-07-10 08:49:38','2015-07-10 12:49:38','\"What you meant to say\" is a new feature here on the Caffeinated blog. It\'s meant to be a compilation of the (many) grammatical/spelling/word choice mistakes we see all around us, all the time.  It occurred to me that I should start keeping a running list for fun, and then of course, I thought it would make a fun blog post. These are all real examples. Readers are welcomed to add their findings.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3001\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3001\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr[/caption]\r\n<h3>For the week ending July 10 (questionable word/usage is bolded):</h3>\r\n<strong>Subject line on a spam email:</strong> This Video Is A Must Watch. [<strong>Effects</strong> Us All}\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Affects\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> Come check out our conference room and <strong>setup</strong> a tour!\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>:  Set up.  As two words,  set up is a verb,  whereas setup is a noun.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> CAE stands for Certified Association Executive. <strong>They’re</strong> the hallmark of a committed assoc. professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: It’s\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet to a car rental company</strong>: Great service. Great cars. Will <strong>defiantly</strong> pick [name] again for my next trip\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Definitely, showing how you can\'t ever rely on autocorrect or spell check.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you meant to say','','inherit','open','open','','3000-revision-v1','','','2015-07-10 08:49:38','2015-07-10 12:49:38','',3000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3000-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3004,4,'2015-07-10 08:50:52','2015-07-10 12:50:52','\"What you meant to say\" is a new feature here on the Caffeinated blog. It\'s meant to be a compilation of the (many) grammatical/spelling/word choice mistakes we see all around us, all the time.  It occurred to me that I should start keeping a running list for fun, and then of course, I thought it would make a fun blog post. These are all real examples. Readers are welcomed to add their findings.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3001\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3001\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2617897409_7d0e7d8eeb_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> By Paulo Paraiso via Flickr[/caption]\r\n<h3>For the week ending July 10 (questionable word/usage is bolded):</h3>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Subject line on a spam email:</strong> This Video Is A Must Watch. [<strong>Effects</strong> Us All}\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Affects\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> Come check out our conference room and <strong>setup</strong> a tour!\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>:  Set up.  As two words,  set up is a verb,  whereas setup is a noun.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet:</strong> CAE stands for Certified Association Executive. <strong>They’re</strong> the hallmark of a committed assoc. professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: It’s\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\n<strong>Tweet to a car rental company</strong>: Great service. Great cars. Will <strong>defiantly</strong> pick [name] again for my next trip\r\n\r\n<strong>What you meant to say</strong>: Definitely, showing how you can\'t ever rely on autocorrect or spell check.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you meant to say','','inherit','open','open','','3000-revision-v1','','','2015-07-10 08:50:52','2015-07-10 12:50:52','',3000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3000-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3005,4,'2015-07-16 13:25:33','2015-07-16 17:25:33','I recently attended a panel discussion where the five speakers on the panel were going to share their insights about industry trends. The first speaker got up (literally, up out of his seat) and started providing stats and information <em>about his business</em>, and then proceeded to ask the audience for questions. The moderator had to jump in to remind him that questions would be taken after all the speakers had their say.\r\n\r\nThis speaker didn\'t seem to know what the panel\'s topic was (trends) and he was completely focused on sharing what his business does, even though the audience wasn\'t there to hear that. Worse, he acted as if he was the only one presenting by pacing in front of the other panelists.\r\n\r\nThe speaker was <em>talking a</em>t the audience. He was giving a speech that was all about him and did not respond to what the audience wanted or needed.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDoes the expression \"given a talking to\" convey positive feelings for you? I bet it doesn\'t. Nobody likes to be <em>talked to</em> and being <em>talked at</em> is almost as bad. Both imply that the speaker has power over the audience or that the speaker is superior in some way.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, if someone is <em>talking with</em> you, there\'s a conversation going on. There\'s some give and take, even if it\'s not verbal. Speakers who are <em>talking with</em> an audience are paying attention to what the audience needs, they are responding to cues and they are engaging the audience\'s attention.\r\n\r\nYou want to be talking <em>with</em> your audience. You want to be <em>responsive</em> to their needs.\r\n\r\nThere are three basic steps to make sure you are talking with your audience:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>who</strong> your audience is</li>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>why</strong> the audience is there</li>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>what</strong> the audience needs from you</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nYou get bonus points for adjusting your speech depending on <strong>where</strong> you are and <strong>when</strong> you are giving it.\r\n\r\nHave you sat through a speech that was all about the speaker? Did you feel talked at? Did it bother you? Please share your stories in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you talking at or talking with your audience?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-talking-at-or-talking-with-your-audience','','','2015-07-16 13:25:33','2015-07-16 17:25:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3005',0,'post','',0),
(3006,4,'2015-07-16 12:08:12','2015-07-16 16:08:12','Does the expression \"given a talking to\" convey positive feelings for you? I bet it doesn\'t. Nobody likes to be <em>talked to</em> and being <em>talked at</em> is almost as bad. Both imply that the speaker has power over the audience or that the speaker is superior in some way.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, if someone is <em>talking with</em> you, there\'s a conversation going on. There\'s some give and take, even if it\'s not verbal. Speakers who are talking with an audience are paying attention to what the audience needs, they are responding to cues and they are engaging the audience\'s attention.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you talking at or talking with your audience?','','inherit','open','open','','3005-revision-v1','','','2015-07-16 12:08:12','2015-07-16 16:08:12','',3005,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3005-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3007,4,'2015-07-16 13:25:33','2015-07-16 17:25:33','I recently attended a panel discussion where the five speakers on the panel were going to share their insights about industry trends. The first speaker got up (literally, up out of his seat) and started providing stats and information <em>about his business</em>, and then proceeded to ask the audience for questions. The moderator had to jump in to remind him that questions would be taken after all the speakers had their say.\r\n\r\nThis speaker didn\'t seem to know what the panel\'s topic was (trends) and he was completely focused on sharing what his business does, even though the audience wasn\'t there to hear that. Worse, he acted as if he was the only one presenting by pacing in front of the other panelists.\r\n\r\nThe speaker was <em>talking a</em>t the audience. He was giving a speech that was all about him and did not respond to what the audience wanted or needed.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDoes the expression \"given a talking to\" convey positive feelings for you? I bet it doesn\'t. Nobody likes to be <em>talked to</em> and being <em>talked at</em> is almost as bad. Both imply that the speaker has power over the audience or that the speaker is superior in some way.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, if someone is <em>talking with</em> you, there\'s a conversation going on. There\'s some give and take, even if it\'s not verbal. Speakers who are <em>talking with</em> an audience are paying attention to what the audience needs, they are responding to cues and they are engaging the audience\'s attention.\r\n\r\nYou want to be talking <em>with</em> your audience. You want to be <em>responsive</em> to their needs.\r\n\r\nThere are three basic steps to make sure you are talking with your audience:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>who</strong> your audience is</li>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>why</strong> the audience is there</li>\r\n	<li>Understand <strong>what</strong> the audience needs from you</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nYou get bonus points for adjusting your speech depending on <strong>where</strong> you are and <strong>when</strong> you are giving it.\r\n\r\nHave you sat through a speech that was all about the speaker? Did you feel talked at? Did it bother you? Please share your stories in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you talking at or talking with your audience?','','inherit','open','open','','3005-revision-v1','','','2015-07-16 13:25:33','2015-07-16 17:25:33','',3005,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3005-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3009,4,'2015-07-21 13:13:09','2015-07-21 17:13:09','Content must be the buzziest term in the communications /marketing field right now. Everywhere you turn it seem you find discussions of content strategy and marketing. There are articles on how to create  or re-purpose content. There are discussions on what is the best content and what channel is it ideally shared on.\r\n\r\n<em>But is content marketing absolutely necessary for you to achieve your business objectives?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong> What is content marketing exactly?</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst let’s start with a definition of content marketing. According to the <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Content Marketing Institute</a> (I highly recommend you check it out for its excellent and useful information), content marketing is:\r\n<blockquote> the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent fashion to a targeted buyer, focusing on all stages of the buying process, from brand awareness through to brand evangelism.</blockquote>\r\nBasically, you create content in order to sell something (your ideas, your product, your service) or obtain something (support).\r\n\r\nI agree wholeheartedly with the theory that you should be providing information for your potential customers or supporters to make informed decisions. I am a huge fan of blogs in particular as an easy way to create and share content.\r\n\r\n<strong>But, what about those that don\'t  \"do\" content</strong>\r\n\r\nThat said, how do you explain the success of a content strategist I know who doesn’t even have a website, much less “content”? Or the digital media expert who has so much work she hasn’t blogged in months? Or the public relations agency that last tweeted in 2012?\r\n\r\nAnd then there are the many successful small businesses (e.g., plumbers, caterers, etc.) that may have websites but that don’t usually have the staff, budget or time to handle blogging, tweeting, creating infographics, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another type of lead generation</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do these non-content producers have in common? Positive word-of-mouth. These business thrive on referrals and generally  do not rely on internet searches as their main source of leads.  (As an aside, there are referrals that come in the form of online reviews, and this is a subset of search engine optimization that relies on local search.)\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3010\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3010 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"5398112759_599e51db9f_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Whispers by coolio-claire on Flickr. Creative Commons license.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Content is not always online</strong>\r\n\r\nHere’s the other thing: content is not always online. Content— a fancy word for information—can be shared face-to-face, in person. What you say to others about your business helps to market your business. This is why we develop key messages and elevator pitches. This is why we attend networking events. This is why we host coffees and get-togethers.\r\n\r\n<strong> Yes, content works to achieve business objectives</strong>\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that content marketing works, but it is not always the online and social media versions that are the most successful.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? How much content do you produce? Is content at the heart of your marketing strategy? Let me know in the comments','Is content marketing necessary to business success?','','publish','open','open','','is-content-marketing-necessary-to-business-success','','','2015-07-21 13:16:01','2015-07-21 17:16:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3009',0,'post','',0),
(3010,4,'2015-07-21 13:08:05','2015-07-21 17:08:05','Whispers by coolio-clair on Flickr, Creative Commons license\n','5398112759_599e51db9f_z','','inherit','open','open','','5398112759_599e51db9f_z','','','2015-07-21 13:08:52','2015-07-21 17:08:52','',3009,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3011,4,'2015-07-21 13:11:01','2015-07-21 17:11:01','Content must be the buzziest term in the communications /marketing field right now. Everywhere you turn it seem you find discussions of content strategy and marketing. There are articles on how to create  or re-purpose content. There are discussions on what is the best content and what channel is it ideally shared on.\r\n\r\n<em>But is content marketing absolutely necessary for you to achieve your business objectives?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong> What is content marketing exactly</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst let’s start with a definition of content marketing. According to the <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Content Marketing Institute</a> (I highly recommend you check it out for its plethora of excellent and useful information), content marketing is:\r\n<blockquote> the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent fashion to a targeted buyer, focusing on all stages of the buying process, from brand awareness through to brand evangelism.</blockquote>\r\nBasically, you create content in order to sell something (your ideas, your product, your service) or obtain something (support).\r\n\r\nI agree wholeheartedly with the theory that you should be providing information for your potential customers or supporters to make informed decisions. I am a huge fan of blogs in particular as an easy way to create and share content.\r\n\r\n<strong>But, what about those that don\'t  \"do\" content</strong>\r\n\r\nThat said, how do you explain the success of a content strategist I know who doesn’t even have a website, much less “content”? Or the digital media expert who has so much work she hasn’t blogged in months? Or the public relations agency that last tweeted in 2012?\r\n\r\nAnd then there are the many successful small businesses (e.g. plumbers, caterers, etc.) that may have websites but that don’t usually have the staff, budget or time to handle blogging, tweeting, creating infographics, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another type of lead generation</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do these non-content producers have in common? Positive word-of-mouth. These business thrive on referrals and generally  do not rely on internet searches as their main source of leads.  (As an aside, there are referrals that come in the form of online reviews, and this is a subset of search engine optimization that relies on local search.)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3010\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"5398112759_599e51db9f_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Content is not always online</strong>\r\n\r\nHere’s the other thing: content is not always online. Content— a fancy word for information—can be shared face-to-face, in person. What you say to others about your business helps to market your business. This is why we develop key messages and elevator pitches. This is why we attend networking events. This is why we host coffees and get-togethers.\r\n\r\n<strong> Yes, content works to achieve business objectives</strong>\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that content marketing works, but it is not always the online and social media versions that are the most successful.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? How much content do you produce? Is content at the heart of your marketing strategy? Let me know in the comments','Is content marketing necessary to business success?','','inherit','open','open','','3009-revision-v1','','','2015-07-21 13:11:01','2015-07-21 17:11:01','',3009,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3009-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3012,4,'2015-07-21 13:13:09','2015-07-21 17:13:09','Content must be the buzziest term in the communications /marketing field right now. Everywhere you turn it seem you find discussions of content strategy and marketing. There are articles on how to create  or re-purpose content. There are discussions on what is the best content and what channel is it ideally shared on.\r\n\r\n<em>But is content marketing absolutely necessary for you to achieve your business objectives?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong> What is content marketing exactly?</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst let’s start with a definition of content marketing. According to the <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Content Marketing Institute</a> (I highly recommend you check it out for its excellent and useful information), content marketing is:\r\n<blockquote> the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent fashion to a targeted buyer, focusing on all stages of the buying process, from brand awareness through to brand evangelism.</blockquote>\r\nBasically, you create content in order to sell something (your ideas, your product, your service) or obtain something (support).\r\n\r\nI agree wholeheartedly with the theory that you should be providing information for your potential customers or supporters to make informed decisions. I am a huge fan of blogs in particular as an easy way to create and share content.\r\n\r\n<strong>But, what about those that don\'t  \"do\" content</strong>\r\n\r\nThat said, how do you explain the success of a content strategist I know who doesn’t even have a website, much less “content”? Or the digital media expert who has so much work she hasn’t blogged in months? Or the public relations agency that last tweeted in 2012?\r\n\r\nAnd then there are the many successful small businesses (e.g., plumbers, caterers, etc.) that may have websites but that don’t usually have the staff, budget or time to handle blogging, tweeting, creating infographics, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another type of lead generation</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do these non-content producers have in common? Positive word-of-mouth. These business thrive on referrals and generally  do not rely on internet searches as their main source of leads.  (As an aside, there are referrals that come in the form of online reviews, and this is a subset of search engine optimization that relies on local search.)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3010\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"5398112759_599e51db9f_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Content is not always online</strong>\r\n\r\nHere’s the other thing: content is not always online. Content— a fancy word for information—can be shared face-to-face, in person. What you say to others about your business helps to market your business. This is why we develop key messages and elevator pitches. This is why we attend networking events. This is why we host coffees and get-togethers.\r\n\r\n<strong> Yes, content works to achieve business objectives</strong>\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that content marketing works, but it is not always the online and social media versions that are the most successful.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? How much content do you produce? Is content at the heart of your marketing strategy? Let me know in the comments','Is content marketing necessary to business success?','','inherit','open','open','','3009-revision-v1','','','2015-07-21 13:13:09','2015-07-21 17:13:09','',3009,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3009-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3013,4,'2015-07-21 13:16:01','2015-07-21 17:16:01','Content must be the buzziest term in the communications /marketing field right now. Everywhere you turn it seem you find discussions of content strategy and marketing. There are articles on how to create  or re-purpose content. There are discussions on what is the best content and what channel is it ideally shared on.\r\n\r\n<em>But is content marketing absolutely necessary for you to achieve your business objectives?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong> What is content marketing exactly?</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst let’s start with a definition of content marketing. According to the <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Content Marketing Institute</a> (I highly recommend you check it out for its excellent and useful information), content marketing is:\r\n<blockquote> the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent fashion to a targeted buyer, focusing on all stages of the buying process, from brand awareness through to brand evangelism.</blockquote>\r\nBasically, you create content in order to sell something (your ideas, your product, your service) or obtain something (support).\r\n\r\nI agree wholeheartedly with the theory that you should be providing information for your potential customers or supporters to make informed decisions. I am a huge fan of blogs in particular as an easy way to create and share content.\r\n\r\n<strong>But, what about those that don\'t  \"do\" content</strong>\r\n\r\nThat said, how do you explain the success of a content strategist I know who doesn’t even have a website, much less “content”? Or the digital media expert who has so much work she hasn’t blogged in months? Or the public relations agency that last tweeted in 2012?\r\n\r\nAnd then there are the many successful small businesses (e.g., plumbers, caterers, etc.) that may have websites but that don’t usually have the staff, budget or time to handle blogging, tweeting, creating infographics, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another type of lead generation</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat do these non-content producers have in common? Positive word-of-mouth. These business thrive on referrals and generally  do not rely on internet searches as their main source of leads.  (As an aside, there are referrals that come in the form of online reviews, and this is a subset of search engine optimization that relies on local search.)\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3010\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3010 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5398112759_599e51db9f_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"5398112759_599e51db9f_z\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Whispers by coolio-claire on Flickr. Creative Commons license.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Content is not always online</strong>\r\n\r\nHere’s the other thing: content is not always online. Content— a fancy word for information—can be shared face-to-face, in person. What you say to others about your business helps to market your business. This is why we develop key messages and elevator pitches. This is why we attend networking events. This is why we host coffees and get-togethers.\r\n\r\n<strong> Yes, content works to achieve business objectives</strong>\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that content marketing works, but it is not always the online and social media versions that are the most successful.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? How much content do you produce? Is content at the heart of your marketing strategy? Let me know in the comments','Is content marketing necessary to business success?','','inherit','open','open','','3009-revision-v1','','','2015-07-21 13:16:01','2015-07-21 17:16:01','',3009,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3009-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3014,4,'2015-07-22 09:12:52','2015-07-22 13:12:52','<h2>Nonprofit needs a website and a tagline to start up</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Pebbles of Hope</strong> is a nonprofit dedicated to helping premature babies to survive and thrive. When its founder and executive director, Cheryl Chotrani, approached DBMC, the organization was just starting out and needed marketing help. Specifically, Ms. Chotrani asked me to write the website content and to create a tagline for the organization. Ms. Chotrani, who has a marketing and media background, had already created a very comprehensive creative brief outlining the key messages, the target audience, and what the desired look and feel was for the website and had already hired a designer to create the website and a logo.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nAs with any project, the first step is getting to know the client and the issue at hand. In this case I had several in-depth interviews with Ms. Chotrani. I read through the information she provided, gathered research on preterm births and also researched other organizations doing similar work.\r\n\r\nThe second step was to clarify the goal of the website and what type of information would have to be included. Then, I created a robust website outline/navigation guide that would serve to guide the content.\r\n\r\nWith the approved outline in hand, and the information gathered from the client and other sources, I started writing the content. Client comments and changes were incorporated and a final draft was sent to the designer.\r\n\r\nConcurrently to writing the website content, I developed around fifteen tagline suggestions. Having the tagline would help set the tone and direction for the website and the organization. These suggested taglines were submitted to the client, and with her input, the final tagline was selected.\r\n\r\nThe last step was to check and proofread the finished website.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, <a href=\"http://www.pebblesofhope.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Pebbles of Hope has a beautiful and functional website</a>. On it you can see the tagline “Giving the world’s smallest babies a fighting chance.” Thanks to volunteers, the organization also has a frequently updated blog, and a social media presence. Some of the website content and the tagline are used in other marketing materials, including a brochure.','Recent Projects','','inherit','open','open','','40-revision-v1','','','2015-07-22 09:12:52','2015-07-22 13:12:52','',40,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/40-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3016,4,'2015-07-28 09:37:20','2015-07-28 13:37:20','Last year, LinkedIn opened up its publishing platform to all. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion in these long-form posts. Everyone is trying it, and why not, after all, LinkedIn is the professional social network and we want to expand and influence our business network in order to get more business or land our next job.\r\n\r\nThe idea, according to the <a href=\"https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/47537/~/tips-for-writing-long-form-posts-on-linkedin\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn help blog</a>, is to share your expertise. It says:\r\n<blockquote>Your long-form posts should share your professional expertise. Write about challenges you\'ve faced, opportunities you\'ve seized, or important trends in your industry.</blockquote>\r\nAnd yet, many times people are pushing their products/services/ebooks/webinars on us. Instead of providing information or resources, these people are merely trying to sell us something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell, don\'t sell</strong>\r\n\r\nI don’t know about you, but I don’t like being sold to. If I am shopping for something, I want a salesperson to help me figure out what I should be looking for. I don’t want a salesperson to push something.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s about trust</strong>\r\n\r\nOn LinkedIn, your network is probably composed of people you have worked with or gone to school with, or perhaps met volunteering or through a networking event. Your network is not a bunch of random strangers (or at least, it shouldn’t be). You’ve earned your network’s trust. This is why when somebody spams us on LinkedIn we get pretty upset. And this is why we should get upset when somebody writes a LinkedIn long-form post that is designed solely to sell something.\r\n\r\nTo stop breaking your network’s trust and get their attention instead, write LinkedIn posts that are worthwhile.\r\n\r\n<strong>What makes a top-performing post?</strong>\r\n\r\nA read of the top performing posts on LinkedIn shows they share the following characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>They answer questions (for example a current top post is titled \"What makes a leader\")</li>\r\n	<li>They give tips</li>\r\n	<li>They have fun headlines</li>\r\n	<li>The have a strong point of view, sometimes controversial</li>\r\n	<li>Having notoriety or celebrity helps (The top post when I looked yesterday was by author Daniel Goleman)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Make your posts work for you</strong>\r\n\r\nBased on this, here are six tips to make your LinkedIn posts stand out and work for you:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Write about a subject you know well<strong>.</strong> If you are an expert on UX, then write about that instead of the five life lessons you learned from the seminar you attended last week.</li>\r\n	<li>Share your knowledge/expertise. Don’t charge for it by making people pay for your webinar or your ebook.</li>\r\n	<li>It’s not academic writing—make it conversational.</li>\r\n	<li>Don’t rant. There are plenty of other places you can vent—perhaps at your local pub to your friends.</li>\r\n	<li>Write clearly. Avoid spelling and grammar mistakes by asking someone to edit/proof it.</li>\r\n	<li>Spend time working on your headline. Think of it as your book cover. If it is appealing, people will read through (and maybe even buy it).</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nWhat is your experience with LinkedIn long-form posts? Have you written one? If yes, how did it perform? If no, what has stopped you?','What makes a successful LinkedIn long-form post','','publish','open','open','','what-makes-a-successful-linkedin-long-form-post','','','2015-07-28 09:37:20','2015-07-28 13:37:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3016',0,'post','',0),
(3017,4,'2015-07-28 09:29:37','2015-07-28 13:29:37','Last year, LinkedIn opened up its publishing platform to all. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion in these long-form posts. Everyone is trying it, and why not, after all, LinkedIn is the professional social network and we want to expand and influence our business network in order to get more business or land our next job.\r\n\r\nThe idea, according to the <a href=\"https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/47537/~/tips-for-writing-long-form-posts-on-linkedin\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn help blog</a>, is to share your expertise. It says:\r\n<blockquote>Your long-form posts should share your professional expertise. Write about challenges you\'ve faced, opportunities you\'ve seized, or important trends in your industry.</blockquote>\r\nAnd yet, many times people are pushing their products/services/ebooks/webinars on us. Instead of providing information or resources, these people are merely trying to sell us something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell, don\'t sell</strong>\r\n\r\nI don’t know about you, but I don’t like being sold to. If I am shopping for something, I want a salesperson to help me figure out what I should be looking for. I don’t want a salesperson to push something.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s about trust</strong>\r\n\r\nOn LinkedIn, your network is probably composed of people you have worked with or gone to school with, or perhaps met volunteering or through a networking event. Your network is not a bunch of random strangers (or at least, it shouldn’t be). You’ve earned your network’s trust. This is why when somebody spams us on LinkedIn we get pretty upset. And this is why we should get upset when somebody writes a LinkedIn long-form post that is designed solely to sell something.\r\n\r\nTo stop breaking your network’s trust and get their attention instead, write LinkedIn posts that are worthwhile.\r\n\r\nA read of the top performing posts on LinkedIn shows they share the following characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>They answer questions</li>\r\n	<li>They give tips</li>\r\n	<li>They have fun headlines</li>\r\n	<li>The have a strong point of view, sometimes controversial</li>\r\n	<li>And notoriety/celebrity helps (The top post when I looked yesterday was by author Daniel Goleman)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBased on this, here are some tips to make your LinkedIn posts stand out:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Write about a subject you know well<strong>.</strong> If you are an expert on UX, then write about that instead of the five life lessons you learned from the seminar you attended last week.</li>\r\n	<li>Share your knowledge/expertise. Don’t charge for it by making people pay for your webinar or your ebook.</li>\r\n	<li>It’s not academic writing—make it conversational.</li>\r\n	<li>Don’t rant. There are plenty of other places you can vent—perhaps at your local pub to your friends.</li>\r\n	<li>Write clearly. Avoid spelling and grammar mistakes by asking someone to edit/proof it.</li>\r\n	<li>Spend time working on your headline. Think of it as your book cover. If it is appealing, people will read through (and maybe even buy it).</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nWhat is your experience with LinkedIn long-form posts? Have you written one? If yes, how did it perform? If no, what has stopped you?','What makes a great LinkedIn long-form post','','inherit','open','open','','3016-revision-v1','','','2015-07-28 09:29:37','2015-07-28 13:29:37','',3016,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3016-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3018,4,'2015-07-28 09:33:57','2015-07-28 13:33:57','Last year, LinkedIn opened up its publishing platform to all. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion in these long-form posts. Everyone is trying it, and why not, after all, LinkedIn is the professional social network and we want to expand and influence our business network in order to get more business or land our next job.\r\n\r\nThe idea, according to the <a href=\"https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/47537/~/tips-for-writing-long-form-posts-on-linkedin\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn help blog</a>, is to share your expertise. It says:\r\n<blockquote>Your long-form posts should share your professional expertise. Write about challenges you\'ve faced, opportunities you\'ve seized, or important trends in your industry.</blockquote>\r\nAnd yet, many times people are pushing their products/services/ebooks/webinars on us. Instead of providing information or resources, these people are merely trying to sell us something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell, don\'t sell</strong>\r\n\r\nI don’t know about you, but I don’t like being sold to. If I am shopping for something, I want a salesperson to help me figure out what I should be looking for. I don’t want a salesperson to push something.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s about trust</strong>\r\n\r\nOn LinkedIn, your network is probably composed of people you have worked with or gone to school with, or perhaps met volunteering or through a networking event. Your network is not a bunch of random strangers (or at least, it shouldn’t be). You’ve earned your network’s trust. This is why when somebody spams us on LinkedIn we get pretty upset. And this is why we should get upset when somebody writes a LinkedIn long-form post that is designed solely to sell something.\r\n\r\nTo stop breaking your network’s trust and get their attention instead, write LinkedIn posts that are worthwhile.\r\n\r\n<strong>What makes a top-performing post?</strong>\r\n\r\nA read of the top performing posts on LinkedIn shows they share the following characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>They answer questions (for example, \"What makes a leader\")</li>\r\n	<li>They give tips</li>\r\n	<li>They have fun headlines</li>\r\n	<li>The have a strong point of view, sometimes controversial</li>\r\n	<li>And notoriety/celebrity helps (The top post when I looked yesterday was by author Daniel Goleman)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBased on this, here are some tips to make your LinkedIn posts stand out:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Write about a subject you know well<strong>.</strong> If you are an expert on UX, then write about that instead of the five life lessons you learned from the seminar you attended last week.</li>\r\n	<li>Share your knowledge/expertise. Don’t charge for it by making people pay for your webinar or your ebook.</li>\r\n	<li>It’s not academic writing—make it conversational.</li>\r\n	<li>Don’t rant. There are plenty of other places you can vent—perhaps at your local pub to your friends.</li>\r\n	<li>Write clearly. Avoid spelling and grammar mistakes by asking someone to edit/proof it.</li>\r\n	<li>Spend time working on your headline. Think of it as your book cover. If it is appealing, people will read through (and maybe even buy it).</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nWhat is your experience with LinkedIn long-form posts? Have you written one? If yes, how did it perform? If no, what has stopped you?','What makes a great LinkedIn long-form post','','inherit','open','open','','3016-revision-v1','','','2015-07-28 09:33:57','2015-07-28 13:33:57','',3016,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3016-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3019,4,'2015-07-28 09:36:34','2015-07-28 13:36:34','Last year, LinkedIn opened up its publishing platform to all. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion in these long-form posts. Everyone is trying it, and why not, after all, LinkedIn is the professional social network and we want to expand and influence our business network in order to get more business or land our next job.\r\n\r\nThe idea, according to the <a href=\"https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/47537/~/tips-for-writing-long-form-posts-on-linkedin\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn help blog</a>, is to share your expertise. It says:\r\n<blockquote>Your long-form posts should share your professional expertise. Write about challenges you\'ve faced, opportunities you\'ve seized, or important trends in your industry.</blockquote>\r\nAnd yet, many times people are pushing their products/services/ebooks/webinars on us. Instead of providing information or resources, these people are merely trying to sell us something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell, don\'t sell</strong>\r\n\r\nI don’t know about you, but I don’t like being sold to. If I am shopping for something, I want a salesperson to help me figure out what I should be looking for. I don’t want a salesperson to push something.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s about trust</strong>\r\n\r\nOn LinkedIn, your network is probably composed of people you have worked with or gone to school with, or perhaps met volunteering or through a networking event. Your network is not a bunch of random strangers (or at least, it shouldn’t be). You’ve earned your network’s trust. This is why when somebody spams us on LinkedIn we get pretty upset. And this is why we should get upset when somebody writes a LinkedIn long-form post that is designed solely to sell something.\r\n\r\nTo stop breaking your network’s trust and get their attention instead, write LinkedIn posts that are worthwhile.\r\n\r\n<strong>What makes a top-performing post?</strong>\r\n\r\nA read of the top performing posts on LinkedIn shows they share the following characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>They answer questions (for example a current top post is titled \"What makes a leader\")</li>\r\n	<li>They give tips</li>\r\n	<li>They have fun headlines</li>\r\n	<li>The have a strong point of view, sometimes controversial</li>\r\n	<li>Having notoriety or celebrity helps (The top post when I looked yesterday was by author Daniel Goleman)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Make your posts work for you</strong>\r\n\r\nBased on this, here are six tips to make your LinkedIn posts stand out and work for you:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Write about a subject you know well<strong>.</strong> If you are an expert on UX, then write about that instead of the five life lessons you learned from the seminar you attended last week.</li>\r\n	<li>Share your knowledge/expertise. Don’t charge for it by making people pay for your webinar or your ebook.</li>\r\n	<li>It’s not academic writing—make it conversational.</li>\r\n	<li>Don’t rant. There are plenty of other places you can vent—perhaps at your local pub to your friends.</li>\r\n	<li>Write clearly. Avoid spelling and grammar mistakes by asking someone to edit/proof it.</li>\r\n	<li>Spend time working on your headline. Think of it as your book cover. If it is appealing, people will read through (and maybe even buy it).</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nWhat is your experience with LinkedIn long-form posts? Have you written one? If yes, how did it perform? If no, what has stopped you?','What makes a successful LinkedIn long-form post','','inherit','open','open','','3016-revision-v1','','','2015-07-28 09:36:34','2015-07-28 13:36:34','',3016,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/07/3016-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3020,4,'2015-08-04 10:27:35','2015-08-04 14:27:35','I follow more than 1,300 accounts on Twitter. Some of them are purely news sources and some are people I know \"in real life.\" Some are journalists and others \"social media experts.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3021\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3021\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr[/caption]\r\n\r\nSince I spend a good amount of my day on Twitter, I see a lot of tweets. Many of those tweets are interesting or funny or offer good advice. However, some tweets make me wonder if the person/account has ever considered why he/she is on Twitter. I see constant check-ins and bitter complaints about spouses. I see random quotes and people earning points for some action (usually checking in). I see people obviously brown-nosing (\"Store X is the best, super customer service). And just today I saw a tweet about someone\'s menstrual cycle (I wish I were kidding).\r\n\r\n<strong>Get strategic.</strong>\r\n\r\nBig brands probably have a written and codified Twitter strategy that is part of their larger content strategy. But if you are a freelancer, small business owner or just you, you may not have a \"content strategy\" much less a Twitter strategy? But should you?\r\n\r\nIf you want to get more out of Twitter, yes, you should develop a simple but effective strategy.\r\n\r\nHere’s how to develop a Twitter strategy:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Decide what you want to achieve on Twitter.</strong> This is also the answer to \"why am I here?\" Perhaps you want to make business contacts or you want to learn more about a subject or you want to promote your writing. Whatever it is, write it down.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Now, figure out  your audience.</strong> What kinds of people or accounts are likely to have the type of information you are interested in? Who on Twitter would be interested in your stuff? Can you describe a group or groups of people that would be your audience? For example, if you are a knitter and sell stuff on Etsy, your audience would be other knitters, people interested in crafts and so forth.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>What defines success for you on Twitter?</strong> Do you want to have a large following? Do you want to be an influencer? Do you want to meet like-minded folks in person?</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nBy thinking about these issues, you will start being more focused or purposeful in your tweeting.\r\n\r\n<strong>Now, get tactical</strong>\r\n\r\nTactics are what puts your strategy in motion.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Engage.</strong> See someone asking a question? Respond! Find somebody\'s tweet useful/inspiring/interesting? Retweet!</li>\r\n	<li> <strong>Become a content curator.</strong> Find sources (Twitter accounts, blogs, websites) and follow them. Collect and share the most relevant information for your audience (see above).</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Join/follow selected Twitter chats.</strong> There are so many on a variety of topics, and folks that participate in those are folks that are interested in the same stuff as you are.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Use lists</strong>. Twitter gives you the ability to put accounts into lists, and then, when you use a Twitter client such as Hootsuite, you can put those lists into their own column. This way if you have a list of \"Fiendish knitters\" you can make sure to see what those crafters are up to.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<strong>What am I trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nOf course you will have the occasional “not on message” tweet. You are a person with a life and you want to share your interests or things that happen to you. But if this is all you tweet, you have a problem, and you are probably not seeing any results from Twitter.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>So, perhaps before you tweet anything, you should ask yourself : What am I trying to accomplish by sharing this?</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nLet me know: do you have a Twitter strategy? Can you share it?','Do you have a Twitter strategy?','','publish','open','open','','do-you-have-a-twitter-strategy','','','2015-08-04 10:27:35','2015-08-04 14:27:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3020',0,'post','',0),
(3021,4,'2015-08-04 10:23:41','2015-08-04 14:23:41','','3939487692_0486e3e87e_z','Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr','inherit','open','open','','3939487692_0486e3e87e_z','','','2015-08-04 10:24:11','2015-08-04 14:24:11','',3020,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3022,4,'2015-08-04 10:26:41','2015-08-04 14:26:41','I follow more than 1,300 accounts on Twitter. Some of them are purely news sources and some are people I know \"in real life.\" Some are journalists and others \"social media experts.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3021\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3021\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr[/caption]\r\n\r\nSince I spend a good amount of my day on Twitter, I see a lot of tweets. Many of those tweets are interesting or funny or offer good advice. However, some tweets make me wonder if the person/account has ever considered why he/she is on Twitter. I see constant check-ins and bitter complaints about spouses. I see random quotes and people earning points for some action (usually checking in). I see people obviously brown-nosing (\"Store X is the best, super customer service). And just today I saw a tweet about someone\'s menstrual cycle (I wish I were kidding).\r\n\r\n<strong>Get strategic.</strong>\r\n\r\nBig brands probably have a written and codified Twitter strategy that is part of their larger content strategy. But if you are a freelancer, small business owner or just you, you may not have a \"content strategy\" much less a Twitter strategy? But should you?\r\n\r\nIf you want to get more out of Twitter, yes, you should develop a simple but effective strategy.\r\n\r\nHere’s how to develop a Twitter strategy:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Decide what you want to achieve on Twitter.</strong> This is also the answer to \"why am I here?\" Perhaps you want to make business contacts or you want to learn more about a subject or you want to promote your writing. Whatever it is, write it down.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Now, figure out  your audience.</strong> What kinds of people or accounts are likely to have the type of information you are interested in? Who on Twitter would be interested in your stuff? Can you describe a group or groups of people that would be your audience? For example, if you are a knitter and sell stuff on Etsy, your audience would be other knitters, people interested in crafts and so forth.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>What defines success for you on Twitter?</strong> Do you want to have a large following? Do you want to be an influencer? Do you want to meet like-minded folks in person?</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nBy thinking about these issues, you will start being more focused or purposeful in your tweeting.\r\n\r\n<strong>Now, get tactical</strong>\r\n\r\nTactics are what puts your strategy in motion.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Engage.</strong> See someone asking a question? Respond! Find somebody\'s tweet useful/inspiring/interesting? Retweet!</li>\r\n	<li> <strong>Become a content curator.</strong> Find sources (Twitter accounts, blogs, websites) and follow them. Collect and share the most relevant information for your audience (see above).</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Join/follow selected Twitter chats.</strong> There are so many on a variety of topics, and folks that participate in those are folks that are interested in the same stuff as you are.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Use lists</strong>. Twitter gives you the ability to put accounts into lists, and then, when you use a Twitter client such as Hootsuite, you can put those lists into their own column. This way if you have a list of \"Fiendish knitters\" you can make sure to see what those crafters are up to.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<strong>What am I trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nOf course you will have the occasional “not on message” tweet. You are a person with a life and you want to share your interests or things that happen to you. But if this is all you tweet, you have a problem, and you are probably not seeing any results from twitter.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>So, perhaps before you tweet anything, you should ask yourself : What am I trying to accomplish by sharing this?</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nLet me know: do you have a Twitter strategy? Can you share it?','Do you have a Twitter strategy?','','inherit','open','open','','3020-revision-v1','','','2015-08-04 10:26:41','2015-08-04 14:26:41','',3020,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/08/3020-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3023,4,'2015-08-04 10:27:35','2015-08-04 14:27:35','I follow more than 1,300 accounts on Twitter. Some of them are purely news sources and some are people I know \"in real life.\" Some are journalists and others \"social media experts.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3021\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3021\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3939487692_0486e3e87e_z-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Sand sculpture by Rosaura Ochoa via Flckr[/caption]\r\n\r\nSince I spend a good amount of my day on Twitter, I see a lot of tweets. Many of those tweets are interesting or funny or offer good advice. However, some tweets make me wonder if the person/account has ever considered why he/she is on Twitter. I see constant check-ins and bitter complaints about spouses. I see random quotes and people earning points for some action (usually checking in). I see people obviously brown-nosing (\"Store X is the best, super customer service). And just today I saw a tweet about someone\'s menstrual cycle (I wish I were kidding).\r\n\r\n<strong>Get strategic.</strong>\r\n\r\nBig brands probably have a written and codified Twitter strategy that is part of their larger content strategy. But if you are a freelancer, small business owner or just you, you may not have a \"content strategy\" much less a Twitter strategy? But should you?\r\n\r\nIf you want to get more out of Twitter, yes, you should develop a simple but effective strategy.\r\n\r\nHere’s how to develop a Twitter strategy:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Decide what you want to achieve on Twitter.</strong> This is also the answer to \"why am I here?\" Perhaps you want to make business contacts or you want to learn more about a subject or you want to promote your writing. Whatever it is, write it down.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Now, figure out  your audience.</strong> What kinds of people or accounts are likely to have the type of information you are interested in? Who on Twitter would be interested in your stuff? Can you describe a group or groups of people that would be your audience? For example, if you are a knitter and sell stuff on Etsy, your audience would be other knitters, people interested in crafts and so forth.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>What defines success for you on Twitter?</strong> Do you want to have a large following? Do you want to be an influencer? Do you want to meet like-minded folks in person?</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nBy thinking about these issues, you will start being more focused or purposeful in your tweeting.\r\n\r\n<strong>Now, get tactical</strong>\r\n\r\nTactics are what puts your strategy in motion.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Engage.</strong> See someone asking a question? Respond! Find somebody\'s tweet useful/inspiring/interesting? Retweet!</li>\r\n	<li> <strong>Become a content curator.</strong> Find sources (Twitter accounts, blogs, websites) and follow them. Collect and share the most relevant information for your audience (see above).</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Join/follow selected Twitter chats.</strong> There are so many on a variety of topics, and folks that participate in those are folks that are interested in the same stuff as you are.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Use lists</strong>. Twitter gives you the ability to put accounts into lists, and then, when you use a Twitter client such as Hootsuite, you can put those lists into their own column. This way if you have a list of \"Fiendish knitters\" you can make sure to see what those crafters are up to.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<strong>What am I trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nOf course you will have the occasional “not on message” tweet. You are a person with a life and you want to share your interests or things that happen to you. But if this is all you tweet, you have a problem, and you are probably not seeing any results from Twitter.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>So, perhaps before you tweet anything, you should ask yourself : What am I trying to accomplish by sharing this?</strong> </em>\r\n\r\nLet me know: do you have a Twitter strategy? Can you share it?','Do you have a Twitter strategy?','','inherit','open','open','','3020-revision-v1','','','2015-08-04 10:27:35','2015-08-04 14:27:35','',3020,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/08/3020-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3026,4,'2015-08-18 17:42:56','2015-08-18 21:42:56','There’s been two blog post ideas floating around in my head, so I thought I would combine them since they are both short.\r\n<h1><strong>Details please!</strong></h1>\r\nA few weeks ago, I saw a query from a woman to a group we’re both in. She was asking about “affordable” meeting space that would allow her to charge for admission. Predictably, the questions starting rolling in: How many people would she be hosting? Would she be serving food? And from me, what did she consider affordable?\r\n\r\nHer question was fundamentally flawed because she did not provide enough detail.\r\n\r\nImagine if before asking a vague question, this woman had taken a few minutes to think about what is necessary in booking a meeting space (you know, those pesky details):\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li> Number of attendees/space needs</li>\r\n	<li>Location</li>\r\n	<li>Budget</li>\r\n	<li>Amount of time needed</li>\r\n	<li>Schedule (date and time)</li>\r\n	<li>Ability to charge attendance</li>\r\n	<li>Catering (needed or not)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nShe would have saved time (hers and ours): getting better suggestions and fielding fewer questions.\r\n\r\nNext time you are looking to get information about anything, take a few minutes to think about the details that may be relevant. Make it easy for others to provide you with the information you need.\r\n<h1>It\'s all about him!</h1>\r\nSaw this on Twitter:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-08-18-10.57.40.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3028\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-08-18-10.57.40-300x193.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-18 10.57.40\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" /></a>Although it\'s become acceptable to use the plural for gender neutrality (I still prefer his/her because plural is plural), if you know the gender (male in this case) it is perfectly OK to use a gendered pronoun (his not their). It\'s worrisome that people are so intent on being gender neutral (which is good) that they forget that gendered pronouns can be used appropriately.\r\n\r\nThat\'s all folks. Catch you soon and let me know if you have any documents that need some copy editing.','It\'s a 2for1 blog post','','publish','open','open','','its-a-2for1-blog-post','','','2015-08-18 17:42:56','2015-08-18 21:42:56','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3026',0,'post','',0),
(3028,4,'2015-08-18 17:36:51','2015-08-18 21:36:51','','2015-08-18 10.57.40','','inherit','open','open','','2015-08-18-10-57-40','','','2015-08-18 17:36:51','2015-08-18 21:36:51','',3026,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-08-18-10.57.40.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3027,4,'2015-08-18 17:25:53','2015-08-18 21:25:53','There’s been two blog post ideas floating around in my head, so I thought I would combine them since they are both short.\r\n<h1>\r\n<strong>Details please!</strong></h1>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nA few weeks ago, I saw a query from a woman to a group we’re both in. She was asking about “affordable” meeting space that would allow her to charge for admission. Predictably, the questions starting rolling in: How many people would she be hosting? Would she be serving food? And from me, what did she consider affordable?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHer question was fundamentally flawed: she did not provide enough detail.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nImagine if before asking a vague question, this woman had taken a few minutes to think about what is necessary in booking a meeting space (you know, those pesky details):\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Number of attendees/space needs</li>\r\n	<li>Location</li>\r\n	<li>Budget</li>\r\n	<li>Amount of time needed</li>\r\n	<li>Schedule (date and time)</li>\r\n	<li>Ability to charge attendance</li>\r\n	<li>Catering (needed or not)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe would have saved time (hers and ours): getting better suggestions and fielding fewer questions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNext time you are looking to get information about anything, take a few minutes to think about the details that may be relevant. Make it easy for others to provide you with the information you need.\r\n<h1>It\'s all about him!</h1>\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s a 2for1 blog post','','inherit','open','open','','3026-revision-v1','','','2015-08-18 17:25:53','2015-08-18 21:25:53','',3026,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/08/3026-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3029,4,'2015-08-18 17:41:28','2015-08-18 21:41:28','There’s been two blog post ideas floating around in my head, so I thought I would combine them since they are both short.\r\n<h1><strong>Details please!</strong></h1>\r\nA few weeks ago, I saw a query from a woman to a group we’re both in. She was asking about “affordable” meeting space that would allow her to charge for admission. Predictably, the questions starting rolling in: How many people would she be hosting? Would she be serving food? And from me, what did she consider affordable?\r\n\r\nHer question was fundamentally flawed because she did not provide enough detail.\r\n\r\nImagine if before asking a vague question, this woman had taken a few minutes to think about what is necessary in booking a meeting space (you know, those pesky details):\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li> Number of attendees/space needs</li>\r\n	<li>Location</li>\r\n	<li>Budget</li>\r\n	<li>Amount of time needed</li>\r\n	<li>Schedule (date and time)</li>\r\n	<li>Ability to charge attendance</li>\r\n	<li>Catering (needed or not)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nShe would have saved time (hers and ours): getting better suggestions and fielding fewer questions.\r\n\r\nNext time you are looking to get information about anything, take a few minutes to think about the details that may be relevant. Make it easy for others to provide you with the information you need.\r\n<h1>It\'s all about him!</h1>\r\nSaw this on Twitter:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-08-18-10.57.40.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3028\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-08-18-10.57.40-300x193.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-18 10.57.40\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" /></a>Although it\'s become acceptable to use the plural for gender neutrality (I still prefer his/her because plural is plural), if you know the gender (male in this case) it is perfectly OK to use a gendered pronoun (his not their). It\'s worrisome that people are so intent on being gender neutral (which is good) that they forget that gendered pronouns can be used appropriately.\r\n\r\nThat\'s all folks. Catch you soon and let me know if you have any documents that need some copy editing.','It\'s a 2for1 blog post','','inherit','open','open','','3026-revision-v1','','','2015-08-18 17:41:28','2015-08-18 21:41:28','',3026,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/08/3026-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3031,4,'2015-08-27 09:28:37','2015-08-27 13:28:37','You have to do PR if you want to get new clients!\r\n\r\nYou have to have an optimized website if you want to get new customers!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3032\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3736095515_504612aab7_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3032\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3736095515_504612aab7_z-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"number 1 by Jon Jordan on Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a> number 1 by Jon Jordan on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou have to do content marketing if you want to get new leads!\r\n\r\nAnd most recently,\r\n\r\nYou have to try Periscope to get some exposure!\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the new world of marketing communications, there is a growing array of standard and innovative possibilities for getting the word out about your business.\r\n\r\nFrom the pre-Internet era we have good old advertising/public relations/marketing, including the use of print materials, broadcast, outdoor, direct mail, etc.\r\n\r\nFrom the Internet-era, we have websites and email marketing.\r\n\r\nFrom the social media-era, we have content marketing, and a seemingly endless stream of networks (Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and so forth) and video in short format (Vine) and in long format (Periscope). And I am sure as I write this, something else is bubbling up to capture our short-attention span.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing: all of these work. They work differently, with different audiences and with different levels of \"engagement.\"  But the uncomfortable truth is that no one thing will get you leads/customers.\r\n\r\nBack in the old days, we had a concept called \"integrated marketing communications.\" It posited that in order to be successful, you had to use a variety of marcomm tools and make sure they were playing nice with each other.  For example, if you were using sponsorship and public relations, the PR folks would know what you were sponsoring and the sponsorship folks might in turn get a bit of PR for the sponsorship. You know, everybody working together toward a common goal.\r\n\r\nNow it seems that people want a shortcut. They want to try the one thing that will \"guarantee\" results. Everybody seems to be lurching from one platform to the next, one tactic to another.\r\n\r\nIf you want to achieve results from your marketing communications efforts you are going to have<strong> to stop being tactical and start being strategic.</strong> Stop thinking in terms of doing one thing to get audiences interested today and start thinking in terms of objectives and actions you want from said audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>You can\'t do just one thing.</strong>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5>If you need help figuring out what your communications efforts should be, contact me today! Let\'s talk.</h5>','Do this one thing!','','publish','open','open','','do-this-one-thing','','','2015-08-27 09:28:37','2015-08-27 13:28:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3031',0,'post','',0),
(3032,4,'2015-08-27 09:25:35','2015-08-27 13:25:35','photo of a number one by Jon Jordan on Flickr','3736095515_504612aab7_z','number 1 by Jon Jordan on Flickr','inherit','open','open','','3736095515_504612aab7_z','','','2015-08-27 09:26:18','2015-08-27 13:26:18','',3031,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3736095515_504612aab7_z.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3033,4,'2015-08-27 09:26:52','2015-08-27 13:26:52','You have to do PR if you want to get new clients!\r\n\r\nYou have to have an optimized website if you want to get new customers!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3032\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3736095515_504612aab7_z.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3032\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/3736095515_504612aab7_z-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"number 1 by Jon Jordan on Flickr\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a> number 1 by Jon Jordan on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou have to do content marketing if you want to get new leads!\r\n\r\nAnd most recently,\r\n\r\nYou have to try Periscope to get some exposure!\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the new world of marketing communications, there is a growing array of standard and innovative possibilities for getting the word out about your business.\r\n\r\nFrom the pre-Internet era we have good old advertising/public relations/marketing, including the use of print materials, broadcast, outdoor, direct mail, etc.\r\n\r\nFrom the Internet-era, we have websites and email marketing.\r\n\r\nFrom the social media-era, we have content marketing, and a seemingly endless stream of networks (Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and so forth) and video in short format (Vine) and in long format (Periscope). And I am sure as I write this, something else is bubbling up to capture our short-attention span.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing: all of these work. They work differently, with different audiences and with different levels of \"engagement.\"  But the uncomfortable truth is that no one thing will get you leads/customers.\r\n\r\nBack in the old days, we had a concept called \"integrated marketing communications.\" It posited that in order to be successful, you had to use a variety of marcomm tools and make sure they were playing nice with each other.  For example, if you were using sponsorship and public relations, the PR folks would know what you were sponsoring and the sponsorship folks might in turn get a bit of PR for the sponsorship. You know, everybody working together toward a common goal.\r\n\r\nNow it seems that people want a shortcut. They want to try the one thing that will \"guarantee\" results. Everybody seems to be lurching from one platform to the next, one tactic to another.\r\n\r\nIf you want to achieve results from your marketing communications efforts you are going to have<strong> to stop being tactical and start being strategic.</strong> Stop thinking in terms of doing one thing to get audiences interested today and start thinking in terms of objectives and actions you want from said audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>You can\'t do just one thing.</strong>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5>If you need help figuring out what your communications efforts should be, contact me today! Let\'s talk.</h5>','Do this one thing!','','inherit','open','open','','3031-revision-v1','','','2015-08-27 09:26:52','2015-08-27 13:26:52','',3031,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/08/3031-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3035,4,'2015-09-04 11:27:18','2015-09-04 15:27:18','I meant to post earlier in the week. However, Verizon \"inadvertently\" cut my FIOS line--so I had no TV or internet Wednesday into Thursday. Yes, this is a first world problem. Regardless, it had to be resolved, which involved the thing I despise the most in the world: calling Verizon customer service.\r\n\r\nAnd it was just as bad as I feared. First you have to get through a phone tree (I can\'t stand talking to machines). And then I got disconnected. Then, when I called back, the phone tree was stuck on whether I had power at my location or not. Thanks Verizon, for thinking I am that stupid that I would think that without electricity I would have working TV/internet. On the third try, I went for the Spanish option, from which I was able to finally speak to an agent (whose command of Spanish was not the best as he was versed in Spanglish more than Spanish).\r\n\r\nTo make a long story short, after more than 24 hours without service and after several calls to support, my FIOS is back on a temporary line that will eventually have to be buried (meaning I am still not done with Verizon).\r\n\r\nI work from home, so having internet access is essential for me.  Yes, I have a smartphone so I wasn\'t entirely disconnected from the world wide web, but try proofreading a brochure on your smartphone. Not so easy.\r\n\r\nThe only positive from this fiasco is that it sparked this blog post. Here\'s what I learned from losing my internet service:\r\n\r\n1.<strong>The measure of a company is how it responds to customer problems.</strong> Verizon does not do well on this measure. Verizon, like most companies, is fine <em>as long as you don\'t have a problem.</em>  Verizon makes it very hard for customers to talk to customer service agents. It makes customers run around in circles: repeat information, navigate phone trees and so forth. I lost a whole day of service PLUS more than an hour getting someone to help PLUS using data on my phone PLUS having to go somewhere to be able to access the internet to do work PLUS waiting during a three-hour window. If I call to request a credit, I may be compensated for the service loss but not for my time and certainly not for the aggravation. I am sure Verizon is betting that I won\'t want to lose more time on this, and it may be right. As I said before, I despise calling Verizon\'s customer service.\r\n\r\n2. <strong>Monopolies like Verizon have no incentive to be customer-centric and they don\'t advertise or promote their customer service.</strong> If you notice, all FIOS advertising is about what great speeds you will have or any other benefits of having WORKING service. There\'s  no mention of the great customer service that accompanies this \"super-fast\" internet because there is none.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Some companies provide better customer service via social media. Verizon does not.</strong> Several years ago this was not true. You could get better, faster service from Twitter since @verizonsupport agents seemed to be more empowered than those on the 1-800 number.  Now, if you complain on Twitter, Verizon reps will quickly want to move you over to direct message so that they can give you a link to report your problem. Agents on @verizonsupport seem to have little or no ability to actually help or intervene in your favor, unlike @deltaassist, which has the ability to rebook your flight, etc.\r\n\r\n4. <strong>The problem is with company policies not with employees.</strong> It\'s been my experience that people want to help, but they are forced to follow company policies and procedures, which are not customer-friendly. The technician that came to my house was far more helpful and on the ball than the agents on the 1-800 line. He was empowered to do what he had to do to fix the problem, whereas the agents in the call center were forced to call other departments and work within constraints.\r\n\r\n5. <strong>You must have a \"plan b\" or \"plan c.\"</strong> If something fails (you could lose power, or your car is in the shop or any other unexpected problem), you have to find a work around. In this case, my county libraries all offer wi-fi, and have desks with power outlets. That was the way to get some work done for me.\r\n\r\nAnd lastly, on a personal note:\r\n\r\n6. <strong>I have to try to stop sweating the small stuff.</strong> I get upset because I expect things to work and work well. And they often don\'t.  Yesterday, I was reminded  that our time on earth can be very short and you just don\'t know how life will turn out, so perhaps worrying about Verizon is a complete waste of time. I had my annual eye doctor appointment, and the usual optometrist was not there. I was shocked and very sorry to learn that she died suddenly after an aggressive illness. She was around my age. She was a very nice person and I always enjoyed chatting with her. The doctor told me she had been very healthy and health-conscious, but this illness came out of nowhere. She was gone in a matter of weeks. Rest in peace Teresa, you are missed.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEnjoy your Labor Day weekend!  How did we get to the last weekend of \"official\" summer  so fast? Sigh.','When you lose your internet service...','','publish','open','open','','when-you-lose-your-internet-service','','','2015-09-04 11:27:18','2015-09-04 15:27:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3035',0,'post','',0),
(3036,4,'2015-09-04 11:27:18','2015-09-04 15:27:18','I meant to post earlier in the week. However, Verizon \"inadvertently\" cut my FIOS line--so I had no TV or internet Wednesday into Thursday. Yes, this is a first world problem. Regardless, it had to be resolved, which involved the thing I despise the most in the world: calling Verizon customer service.\r\n\r\nAnd it was just as bad as I feared. First you have to get through a phone tree (I can\'t stand talking to machines). And then I got disconnected. Then, when I called back, the phone tree was stuck on whether I had power at my location or not. Thanks Verizon, for thinking I am that stupid that I would think that without electricity I would have working TV/internet. On the third try, I went for the Spanish option, from which I was able to finally speak to an agent (whose command of Spanish was not the best as he was versed in Spanglish more than Spanish).\r\n\r\nTo make a long story short, after more than 24 hours without service and after several calls to support, my FIOS is back on a temporary line that will eventually have to be buried (meaning I am still not done with Verizon).\r\n\r\nI work from home, so having internet access is essential for me.  Yes, I have a smartphone so I wasn\'t entirely disconnected from the world wide web, but try proofreading a brochure on your smartphone. Not so easy.\r\n\r\nThe only positive from this fiasco is that it sparked this blog post. Here\'s what I learned from losing my internet service:\r\n\r\n1.<strong>The measure of a company is how it responds to customer problems.</strong> Verizon does not do well on this measure. Verizon, like most companies, is fine <em>as long as you don\'t have a problem.</em>  Verizon makes it very hard for customers to talk to customer service agents. It makes customers run around in circles: repeat information, navigate phone trees and so forth. I lost a whole day of service PLUS more than an hour getting someone to help PLUS using data on my phone PLUS having to go somewhere to be able to access the internet to do work PLUS waiting during a three-hour window. If I call to request a credit, I may be compensated for the service loss but not for my time and certainly not for the aggravation. I am sure Verizon is betting that I won\'t want to lose more time on this, and it may be right. As I said before, I despise calling Verizon\'s customer service.\r\n\r\n2. <strong>Monopolies like Verizon have no incentive to be customer-centric and they don\'t advertise or promote their customer service.</strong> If you notice, all FIOS advertising is about what great speeds you will have or any other benefits of having WORKING service. There\'s  no mention of the great customer service that accompanies this \"super-fast\" internet because there is none.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Some companies provide better customer service via social media. Verizon does not.</strong> Several years ago this was not true. You could get better, faster service from Twitter since @verizonsupport agents seemed to be more empowered than those on the 1-800 number.  Now, if you complain on Twitter, Verizon reps will quickly want to move you over to direct message so that they can give you a link to report your problem. Agents on @verizonsupport seem to have little or no ability to actually help or intervene in your favor, unlike @deltaassist, which has the ability to rebook your flight, etc.\r\n\r\n4. <strong>The problem is with company policies not with employees.</strong> It\'s been my experience that people want to help, but they are forced to follow company policies and procedures, which are not customer-friendly. The technician that came to my house was far more helpful and on the ball than the agents on the 1-800 line. He was empowered to do what he had to do to fix the problem, whereas the agents in the call center were forced to call other departments and work within constraints.\r\n\r\n5. <strong>You must have a \"plan b\" or \"plan c.\"</strong> If something fails (you could lose power, or your car is in the shop or any other unexpected problem), you have to find a work around. In this case, my county libraries all offer wi-fi, and have desks with power outlets. That was the way to get some work done for me.\r\n\r\nAnd lastly, on a personal note:\r\n\r\n6. <strong>I have to try to stop sweating the small stuff.</strong> I get upset because I expect things to work and work well. And they often don\'t.  Yesterday, I was reminded  that our time on earth can be very short and you just don\'t know how life will turn out, so perhaps worrying about Verizon is a complete waste of time. I had my annual eye doctor appointment, and the usual optometrist was not there. I was shocked and very sorry to learn that she died suddenly after an aggressive illness. She was around my age. She was a very nice person and I always enjoyed chatting with her. The doctor told me she had been very healthy and health-conscious, but this illness came out of nowhere. She was gone in a matter of weeks. Rest in peace Teresa, you are missed.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEnjoy your Labor Day weekend!  How did we get to the last weekend of \"official\" summer  so fast? Sigh.','When you lose your internet service...','','inherit','open','open','','3035-revision-v1','','','2015-09-04 11:27:18','2015-09-04 15:27:18','',3035,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3035-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3037,4,'2015-09-08 16:01:05','2015-09-08 20:01:05','It seems fairly straightforward: if you offer something, especially if it\'s of benefit to your customers/members/audience, you should make it known. And yet, I would bet good money that you aren\'t reaping the benefits from various companies and associations simply because you don\'t even know what they are.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I called my car insurance company today about renewing my policy. The very efficient and pleasant (almost shockingly so) customer service agent helped me out and informed me that with my policy came various discounts at car rental agencies, oil change shops, and even restaurants.\r\n\r\n<strong>If you don\'t know about it, it\'s as if it doesn\'t exist.</strong>\r\n\r\nSay what? I had absolutely no idea. None. Zip. Mind you, I have been a customer of this company for ages. And in that time, not once has anybody pointed out that I could be saving  20%  on my car rentals or getting $25 oil changes.\r\n\r\nTurns out that this insurance company is doing a very poor job of showcasing these great perks. Which leads me to wonder why it bothers negotiating these deals with vendors if it isn\'t sharing them with customers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Hidden benefits or perks don\'t benefit anybody.</strong>\r\n\r\nYour customers/members/associates should understand why they do business with you, in other words, what is in it for them.  If they don\'t know what benefits are derived from their association with you, there\'s no reason for them to stay.\r\n\r\n<strong>Do you know what benefits you offer?</strong>\r\n\r\nRight now, answer this question: what are the top five reasons that made your customers/members do business/become affiliated with you? These are your primary benefits, and should be absolutely, 100% obvious.\r\n\r\nAre there any secondary benefits? Are you offering special discounts or deals like my car insurance company? Are your customers entitled to anything special such as annual policy reviews, information sessions, special access to museums or cultural events, etc.?\r\n\r\n<strong>Benefits don\'t communicate themselves!</strong>\r\n\r\nIn order to maintain your customer/membership base, you must communicate all of the benefits you offer.\r\n\r\nDon\'t just assume your audience knows.  Audit your marketing materials (website, social media sites, printed materials, enewsletters, etc.)  to see if you are letting your customers/members know what\'s in it for them when they do business with you. Survey your people to see what they know about your offerings, about why they do business with you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Hidden benefits are not beneficial','','publish','open','open','','hidden-benefits-are-not-beneficial','','','2015-09-08 16:01:05','2015-09-08 20:01:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3037',0,'post','',0),
(3038,4,'2015-09-08 14:23:10','2015-09-08 18:23:10','It seems fairly straightforward: if you offer something, especially if it\'s of benefit to your audience, you should make it known. And yet, how many benefits are available to you that you simply don\'t know about? Probably a lot. But you don\'t know what you don\'t know.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I called my car insurance company today about renewing my policy. The very efficient and pleasant (almost shockingly so) customer service agent helped me out and informed me that with my policy came various discounts at car rental agencies, oil change shops and even restaurants. What? I had no idea. Turns out that the insurance company is doing a very poor job of showcasing this great benefit. Which leads me to wonder why it bothers negotiating these deals with vendors if it isn\'t sharing them with customers.\r\n\r\nSometimes a benefit is obvious. And sometimes not so much.','Make sure that your audience knows what you offer','','inherit','open','open','','3037-revision-v1','','','2015-09-08 14:23:10','2015-09-08 18:23:10','',3037,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3037-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3039,4,'2015-09-08 15:59:46','2015-09-08 19:59:46','It seems fairly straightforward: if you offer something, especially if it\'s of benefit to your customers/members/audience, you should make it known. And yet, I would bet good money that you aren\'t reaping the benefits from various companies and associations simply because you don\'t even know what they are.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I called my car insurance company today about renewing my policy. The very efficient and pleasant (almost shockingly so) customer service agent helped me out and informed me that with my policy came various discounts at car rental agencies, oil change shops, and even restaurants.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I don\'t know about it, it\'s as if it doesn\'t exist.</strong>\r\n\r\nSay what? I had absolutely no idea. None. Zip. Mind you, I have been a customer of this company for ages. And in that time, not once has anybody pointed out that I could be saving  20%  on my car rentals or getting $25 oil changes.\r\n\r\nTurns out that this insurance company is doing a very poor job of showcasing these great perks. Which leads me to wonder why it bothers negotiating these deals with vendors if it isn\'t sharing them with customers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Hidden benefits or perks don\'t benefit anybody.</strong>\r\n\r\nYour customers/members/associates should understand why they do business with you, in other words, what is in it for them.  If they don\'t know what benefits are derived from their association with you, there\'s no reason for them to stay.\r\n\r\n<strong>Do you know what benefits you offer?</strong>\r\n\r\nRight now, answer this question: what are the top five reasons that made your customers/members do business/become affiliated with you? These are your primary benefits, and should be absolutely, 100% obvious.\r\n\r\nAre there any secondary benefits? Are you offering special discounts or deals like my car insurance company? Are your customers entitled to anything special such as annual policy reviews, information sessions, special access to museums or cultural events, etc.?\r\n\r\n<strong>Benefits don\'t communicate themselves!</strong>\r\n\r\nIn order to maintain your customer/membership base, you must communicate all of the benefits you offer.\r\n\r\nDon\'t just assume your audience knows.  Audit your marketing materials (website, social media sites, printed materials, enewsletters, etc.)  to see if you are letting your customers/members know what\'s in it for them when they do business with you. Survey your people to see what they know about your offerings, about why they do business with you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Hidden benefits are not beneficial','','inherit','open','open','','3037-revision-v1','','','2015-09-08 15:59:46','2015-09-08 19:59:46','',3037,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3037-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3040,4,'2015-09-08 16:01:05','2015-09-08 20:01:05','It seems fairly straightforward: if you offer something, especially if it\'s of benefit to your customers/members/audience, you should make it known. And yet, I would bet good money that you aren\'t reaping the benefits from various companies and associations simply because you don\'t even know what they are.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I called my car insurance company today about renewing my policy. The very efficient and pleasant (almost shockingly so) customer service agent helped me out and informed me that with my policy came various discounts at car rental agencies, oil change shops, and even restaurants.\r\n\r\n<strong>If you don\'t know about it, it\'s as if it doesn\'t exist.</strong>\r\n\r\nSay what? I had absolutely no idea. None. Zip. Mind you, I have been a customer of this company for ages. And in that time, not once has anybody pointed out that I could be saving  20%  on my car rentals or getting $25 oil changes.\r\n\r\nTurns out that this insurance company is doing a very poor job of showcasing these great perks. Which leads me to wonder why it bothers negotiating these deals with vendors if it isn\'t sharing them with customers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Hidden benefits or perks don\'t benefit anybody.</strong>\r\n\r\nYour customers/members/associates should understand why they do business with you, in other words, what is in it for them.  If they don\'t know what benefits are derived from their association with you, there\'s no reason for them to stay.\r\n\r\n<strong>Do you know what benefits you offer?</strong>\r\n\r\nRight now, answer this question: what are the top five reasons that made your customers/members do business/become affiliated with you? These are your primary benefits, and should be absolutely, 100% obvious.\r\n\r\nAre there any secondary benefits? Are you offering special discounts or deals like my car insurance company? Are your customers entitled to anything special such as annual policy reviews, information sessions, special access to museums or cultural events, etc.?\r\n\r\n<strong>Benefits don\'t communicate themselves!</strong>\r\n\r\nIn order to maintain your customer/membership base, you must communicate all of the benefits you offer.\r\n\r\nDon\'t just assume your audience knows.  Audit your marketing materials (website, social media sites, printed materials, enewsletters, etc.)  to see if you are letting your customers/members know what\'s in it for them when they do business with you. Survey your people to see what they know about your offerings, about why they do business with you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Hidden benefits are not beneficial','','inherit','open','open','','3037-revision-v1','','','2015-09-08 16:01:05','2015-09-08 20:01:05','',3037,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3037-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3041,4,'2015-09-09 09:07:13','2015-09-09 13:07:13','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2015-09-09 09:07:13','2015-09-09 13:07:13','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3043,4,'2015-09-16 11:26:08','2015-09-16 15:26:08','From Yelp to Google to TripAdvisor, user reviews can be found easily when you search online for anything, whether it be hotels, services, restaurants and so on. In our social media age, everyone is a critic and has a forum. People are keen to share their experiences, whether it be to warn others about bad service or to express great satisfaction at how a product works.\r\n\r\nIt\'s important for  business owners (and for organizations) to pay attention to reviews.  Here are four main reasons every business should be actively tracking and soliciting reviews:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. User reviews identify weaknesses that businesses should address.</strong>\r\n\r\nEssentially, reviews are customer satisfaction surveys. Perhaps it\'s because we\'ve become passive-aggressive as a culture, but people are more likely to air their complaints to a third party. So instead of contacting management, people will go on Yelp and talk about their experience. For example, if you run a hotel, and every reviewer on TripAdvisor complains about the air conditioning, that tells you that you need to address the problem ASAP.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. User reviews help businesses  appear higher in search results.</strong>\r\n\r\nReviews are content, and the more fresh content, the better the search engines like it.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. User reviews give businesses a specific reason to interact with customers.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhether responding to a negative review or thanking a customer for a positive one, a review gives a business a way to talk to customers beyond the initial interaction or transaction.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. User reviews can tell businesses more about what customers consider important.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat people choose to highlight when reviewing a business can provide invaluable consumer insight. What types of things are most users praising or complaining about? What makes a user be enthusiastic about a business?\r\n\r\n<strong>In sum:</strong>\r\n\r\nBusinesses that don\'t track customer reviews are losing valuable insights about how they are perceived. Business that don\'t respond to reviews are stating that what customers say doesn\'t matter, and will miss the chance to improve.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow do you handle reviews? Have you designated a specific person or department to track reviews? Does that same person or department respond to reviews? Please let me know in the comments how your business or organization deals with reviews, and what you have learned (if anything) from them.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you should pay attention to user reviews','','publish','open','open','','why-you-should-pay-attention-to-user-reviews','','','2015-09-16 11:26:08','2015-09-16 15:26:08','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3043',0,'post','',1),
(3044,4,'2015-09-16 11:26:08','2015-09-16 15:26:08','From Yelp to Google to TripAdvisor, user reviews can be found easily when you search online for anything, whether it be hotels, services, restaurants and so on. In our social media age, everyone is a critic and has a forum. People are keen to share their experiences, whether it be to warn others about bad service or to express great satisfaction at how a product works.\r\n\r\nIt\'s important for  business owners (and for organizations) to pay attention to reviews.  Here are four main reasons every business should be actively tracking and soliciting reviews:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. User reviews identify weaknesses that businesses should address.</strong>\r\n\r\nEssentially, reviews are customer satisfaction surveys. Perhaps it\'s because we\'ve become passive-aggressive as a culture, but people are more likely to air their complaints to a third party. So instead of contacting management, people will go on Yelp and talk about their experience. For example, if you run a hotel, and every reviewer on TripAdvisor complains about the air conditioning, that tells you that you need to address the problem ASAP.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. User reviews help businesses  appear higher in search results.</strong>\r\n\r\nReviews are content, and the more fresh content, the better the search engines like it.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. User reviews give businesses a specific reason to interact with customers.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhether responding to a negative review or thanking a customer for a positive one, a review gives a business a way to talk to customers beyond the initial interaction or transaction.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. User reviews can tell businesses more about what customers consider important.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat people choose to highlight when reviewing a business can provide invaluable consumer insight. What types of things are most users praising or complaining about? What makes a user be enthusiastic about a business?\r\n\r\n<strong>In sum:</strong>\r\n\r\nBusinesses that don\'t track customer reviews are losing valuable insights about how they are perceived. Business that don\'t respond to reviews are stating that what customers say doesn\'t matter, and will miss the chance to improve.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow do you handle reviews? Have you designated a specific person or department to track reviews? Does that same person or department respond to reviews? Please let me know in the comments how your business or organization deals with reviews, and what you have learned (if anything) from them.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you should pay attention to user reviews','','inherit','open','open','','3043-revision-v1','','','2015-09-16 11:26:08','2015-09-16 15:26:08','',3043,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3043-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3046,4,'2015-09-22 11:07:56','2015-09-22 15:07:56','A couple of weeks ago I went into a small local specialty store that does not get a lot of foot traffic. The store sells lots of expensive gift items, and a few lower cost items such as cards and candles. I needed to buy a greeting card and like this store\'s small but unique selection. I found what I wanted and when I went to pay the store owner, she asked me, quite pointedly, \"that\'s it?\" Then she started asking whether I wanted to look at the handcrafted candlesticks and other gift items.  Her remarks made it clear that she needed more business and that my one $3 card was not going to cut it.\r\n\r\n<strong>She was trying to give me a guilt trip.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you look up the term \"guilt trip\" you will come up with several psychology-based articles such as  <a href=\"v\\https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201305/7-ways-get-out-guilt-trips\" target=\"_blank\">\"7 ways to get out of guilt trips\"</a>, which define what a guilt trip is and why people use it. Basically, people use guilt trips in <em>an effort to control behavior</em>. Although guilt trips may reach their mark, they often cause resentment and anger toward the \"guilt tripper.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I definitely felt resentment when I left the store. On the one hand, I felt bad for the store owner and wondered how she was going to stay in business. On the other hand, I felt angry since I had specifically gone to this store to buy a special card and this woman seemed to think that it was my responsibility to spend more than a few dollars to help save her business.\r\n\r\n<strong>But is the guilt trip an effective strategy?\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThis got me thinking about how some charities --specifically those dealing with hunger, homelessness, and disaster relief-- use guilt as an appeal for donors. These charities generally intend to appeal to your feelings of guilt for having access to comfort and food while others, who are much less fortunate, starve and suffer.\r\n\r\nI am sure you remember the TV commercial for a children\'s charity that would show pictures of starving children in Africa, often focusing on their distended stomachs and the horrible conditions around them. We were told that we could ease the suffering simply by sponsoring one child for the price of a cup of coffee a day. The underlying message was clear:  you should feel guilty buying your daily coffee when that money could save a child\'s life.\r\n\r\nDo you feel manipulated by these type of appeals? Or is this appeal to your feelings of guilt an effective way to break through the clutter and inspire action (a donation)?\r\n\r\n<strong>Guilt trips have consequences</strong>\r\n\r\nGuilt trips <em>are</em> effective in<em> forcing</em> action (after all, how many parents have used the line about starving children in Africa to get kids to finish eating their meals) but they may have negative consequences. Perhaps you <strong>stop feeling guilty</strong> once you\'ve made a donation and then never donate again. Or perhaps,  you <strong>resent</strong> being made to feel guilty and you <strong>ignore the appeal</strong> altogether. In some cases, an appeal to guilt has been so many times that the <strong>audience has become jaded</strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>What\'s the alternative?</strong>\r\n\r\nFor charities, an alternative is to emphasize how <em>helping is a benefit</em> to the donor. This way, the potential donor is not doing something out of guilt, and therefore feels good about his or her act. As a bonus, there\'s no chance that the donor will feel resentment afterward.\r\n\r\nHave you used the guilt trip as a marketing tool? Why or why not? And if yes, how did it work for you?\r\n\r\nP.S. As I was writing this post, I got an email donation appeal that started with these words (emphasis mine):\r\n<blockquote>In this moment when we are bombarded by <strong>shocking images of refugees risking their lives in search of safety</strong>, we must do all we can to help.\r\n\r\nI know this because <strong>I have seen the fear in the eyes of refugees as they describe fleeing their homes in the dark of night</strong>.\r\n\r\nI have sat with refugees as they shared their stories of being resettled in my home state of Ohio, and elsewhere in the U.S., overcoming language and cultural barriers to live their lives with freedom and security.</blockquote>\r\n&nbsp;','Guilty appeal','','publish','open','open','','guilty-appeal','','','2015-09-22 11:07:56','2015-09-22 15:07:56','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3046',0,'post','',0),
(3047,4,'2015-09-21 11:41:15','2015-09-21 15:41:15','A couple of weeks ago I went into a small specialty store that does not get a lot of foot traffic. The store sells lots of  expensive gift items, and a few lower cost items such as cards and candles. I wanted a card and like this store\'s small but unique selection. I found what I wanted and when I went to pay the store owner, she asked me, quite pointedly, \"that\'s it?\" Then she started asking whether I wanted to look at the handcrafted candlesticks and other gift items.  Her remarks made it clear that she needed more business and that my one $3 card was not going to cut it.\r\n\r\n<strong>She was giving me a guilt trip.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you look up the term \"guilt trip\" you will come up with several psychology-based articles such as  <a href=\"v\\https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201305/7-ways-get-out-guilt-trips\" target=\"_blank\">\"7 ways to get out of guilt trips\"</a>, which define what a guilt trip is and why people use it. Basically, people use guilt trips in an effort to control behavior. Although guilt trips may reach their mark, they often cause resentment and anger toward the \"guilt tripper.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I definitely felt resentment when I left the store. On the one hand, I felt bad for the store owner and wondered how she was going to stay in business. On the other hand, I felt angry since I had specifically gone to this store to buy a special card and this woman seemed ungrateful.\r\n\r\n<strong>How effective is the guilt trip?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis got me thinking about how some charities appeal to donors by using guilt. If charities appeal to your feelings of guilt for having access to comfort and food while others starve and suffer, do you resent being manipulated? Or is it an effective way to break through the clutter and inspire action (a donation)?\r\n\r\nI am sure you remember the TV commercial for a charity that would show pictures of starving children in Africa, often focusing on their distended stomachs and the horrible conditions around them. We were told that we could ease the suffering simply by sponsoring one child for the price of a cup of coffee a day.  The underlying message was crystal clear:  you should feel guilty buying your daily coffee when that money could save a child\'s life.\r\n\r\nGuilt trips <em>are</em> effective in forcing action (after all, how many parents have used the line about starving children in Africa to get kids to finish eating their meals) but they may have negative consequences. Perhaps you stop feeling guilty once you\'ve made a donation and then never donate again. Or perhaps,  you resent being made to feel guilty and you ignore the appeal altogether.\r\n\r\nIn our age of DVRs and ad-blocking, it is especially easy to ignore commercials and charitable appeals altogether.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','3046-revision-v1','','','2015-09-21 11:41:15','2015-09-21 15:41:15','',3046,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3046-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3048,4,'2015-09-21 11:54:38','2015-09-21 15:54:38','A couple of weeks ago I went into a local small specialty store that does not get a lot of foot traffic. The store sells lots of  expensive gift items, and a few lower cost items such as cards and candles. I wanted a card and like this store\'s small but unique selection. I found what I wanted and when I went to pay the store owner, she asked me, quite pointedly, \"that\'s it?\" Then she started asking whether I wanted to look at the handcrafted candlesticks and other gift items.  Her remarks made it clear that she needed more business and that my one $3 card was not going to cut it.\r\n\r\n<strong>She was giving me a guilt trip.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you look up the term \"guilt trip\" you will come up with several psychology-based articles such as  <a href=\"v\\https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201305/7-ways-get-out-guilt-trips\" target=\"_blank\">\"7 ways to get out of guilt trips\"</a>, which define what a guilt trip is and why people use it. Basically, people use guilt trips in an effort to control behavior. Although guilt trips may reach their mark, they often cause resentment and anger toward the \"guilt tripper.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I definitely felt resentment when I left the store. On the one hand, I felt bad for the store owner and wondered how she was going to stay in business. On the other hand, I felt angry since I had specifically gone to this store to buy a special card and this woman seemed ungrateful.\r\n\r\n<strong>How effective is the guilt trip?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis got me thinking about how some charities appeal to donors by using guilt. If charities appeal to your feelings of guilt for having access to comfort and food while others starve and suffer, do you resent being manipulated? Or is it an effective way to break through the clutter and inspire action (a donation)?\r\n\r\nI am sure you remember the TV commercial for a charity that would show pictures of starving children in Africa, often focusing on their distended stomachs and the horrible conditions around them. We were told that we could ease the suffering simply by sponsoring one child for the price of a cup of coffee a day.  The underlying message was crystal clear:  you should feel guilty buying your daily coffee when that money could save a child\'s life.\r\n\r\nGuilt trips <em>are</em> effective in forcing action (after all, how many parents have used the line about starving children in Africa to get kids to finish eating their meals) but they may have negative consequences. Perhaps you stop feeling guilty once you\'ve made a donation and then never donate again. Or perhaps,  you resent being made to feel guilty and you ignore the appeal altogether.\r\n\r\nIn our age of DVRs and ad-blocking, it is especially easy to ignore commercials and charitable appeals altogether.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','3046-revision-v1','','','2015-09-21 11:54:38','2015-09-21 15:54:38','',3046,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3046-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3049,4,'2015-09-22 10:33:37','2015-09-22 14:33:37','A couple of weeks ago I went into a small local specialty store that does not get a lot of foot traffic. The store sells lots of expensive gift items, and a few lower cost items such as cards and candles. I needed to buy a greeting card and like this store\'s small but unique selection. I found what I wanted and when I went to pay the store owner, she asked me, quite pointedly, \"that\'s it?\" Then she started asking whether I wanted to look at the handcrafted candlesticks and other gift items.  Her remarks made it clear that she needed more business and that my one $3 card was not going to cut it.\r\n\r\n<strong>She was giving me a guilt trip.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you look up the term \"guilt trip\" you will come up with several psychology-based articles such as  <a href=\"v\\https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201305/7-ways-get-out-guilt-trips\" target=\"_blank\">\"7 ways to get out of guilt trips\"</a>, which define what a guilt trip is and why people use it. Basically, people use guilt trips in an effort to control behavior. Although guilt trips may reach their mark, they often cause resentment and anger toward the \"guilt tripper.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I definitely felt resentment when I left the store. On the one hand, I felt bad for the store owner and wondered how she was going to stay in business. On the other hand, I felt angry since I had specifically gone to this store to buy a special card and this woman seemed to think that it was my responsibility to spend more than a few dollars to help save her business.\r\n\r\n<strong>But is the guilt trip an effective strategy?\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThis got me thinking about how some charities --specifically those dealing with hunger, homelessness and disaster relief-- appeal to donors by using guilt. If charities appeal to your feelings of guilt for having access to comfort and food while others starve and suffer, do you resent being manipulated? Or is it an effective way to break through the clutter and inspire action (a donation)?\r\n\r\nI am sure you remember the TV commercial for a charity that would show pictures of starving children in Africa, often focusing on their distended stomachs and the horrible conditions around them. We were told that we could ease the suffering simply by sponsoring one child for the price of a cup of coffee a day.  The underlying message was clear:  you should feel guilty buying your daily coffee when that money could save a child\'s life.\r\n\r\n<strong>Guilt trips have consequences</strong>\r\n\r\nGuilt trips <em>are</em> effective in forcing action (after all, how many parents have used the line about starving children in Africa to get kids to finish eating their meals) but they may have negative consequences. Perhaps you <strong>stop feeling guilty</strong> once you\'ve made a donation and then never donate again. Or perhaps,  you <strong>resent</strong> being made to feel guilty and you <strong>ignore the appeal</strong> altogether. In some cases, an appeal to guilt has been so many times that the <strong>audience has become jaded</strong>.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the alternative?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','3046-revision-v1','','','2015-09-22 10:33:37','2015-09-22 14:33:37','',3046,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3046-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3050,4,'2015-09-22 11:06:37','2015-09-22 15:06:37','A couple of weeks ago I went into a small local specialty store that does not get a lot of foot traffic. The store sells lots of expensive gift items, and a few lower cost items such as cards and candles. I needed to buy a greeting card and like this store\'s small but unique selection. I found what I wanted and when I went to pay the store owner, she asked me, quite pointedly, \"that\'s it?\" Then she started asking whether I wanted to look at the handcrafted candlesticks and other gift items.  Her remarks made it clear that she needed more business and that my one $3 card was not going to cut it.\r\n\r\n<strong>She was trying to give me a guilt trip.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you look up the term \"guilt trip\" you will come up with several psychology-based articles such as  <a href=\"v\\https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201305/7-ways-get-out-guilt-trips\" target=\"_blank\">\"7 ways to get out of guilt trips\"</a>, which define what a guilt trip is and why people use it. Basically, people use guilt trips in <em>an effort to control behavior</em>. Although guilt trips may reach their mark, they often cause resentment and anger toward the \"guilt tripper.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I definitely felt resentment when I left the store. On the one hand, I felt bad for the store owner and wondered how she was going to stay in business. On the other hand, I felt angry since I had specifically gone to this store to buy a special card and this woman seemed to think that it was my responsibility to spend more than a few dollars to help save her business.\r\n\r\n<strong>But is the guilt trip an effective strategy?\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThis got me thinking about how some charities --specifically those dealing with hunger, homelessness, and disaster relief-- use guilt as an appeal for donors. These charities generally intend to appeal to your feelings of guilt for having access to comfort and food while others, who are much less fortunate, starve and suffer.\r\n\r\nI am sure you remember the TV commercial for a children\'s charity that would show pictures of starving children in Africa, often focusing on their distended stomachs and the horrible conditions around them. We were told that we could ease the suffering simply by sponsoring one child for the price of a cup of coffee a day. The underlying message was clear:  you should feel guilty buying your daily coffee when that money could save a child\'s life.\r\n\r\nDo you feel manipulated by these type of appeals? Or is this appeal to your feelings of guilt an effective way to break through the clutter and inspire action (a donation)?\r\n\r\n<strong>Guilt trips have consequences</strong>\r\n\r\nGuilt trips <em>are</em> effective in<em> forcing</em> action (after all, how many parents have used the line about starving children in Africa to get kids to finish eating their meals) but they may have negative consequences. Perhaps you <strong>stop feeling guilty</strong> once you\'ve made a donation and then never donate again. Or perhaps,  you <strong>resent</strong> being made to feel guilty and you <strong>ignore the appeal</strong> altogether. In some cases, an appeal to guilt has been so many times that the <strong>audience has become jaded</strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>What\'s the alternative?</strong>\r\n\r\nFor charities, an alternative is to emphasize how <em>helping is a benefit</em> to the donor. This way, the potential donor is not doing something out of guilt, and therefore feels good about his or her act. As a bonus, there\'s no chance that the donor will feel resentment afterward.\r\n\r\nHave you used the guilt trip as a marketing tool? Why or why not? And if yes, how did it work for you?\r\n\r\nP.S. As I was writing this post, I got an email donation appeal that started with these words (emphasis mine):\r\n<blockquote>In this moment when we are bombarded by <strong>shocking images of refugees risking their lives in search of safety</strong>, we must do all we can to help.\r\n\r\nI know this because <strong>I have seen the fear in the eyes of refugees as they describe fleeing their homes in the dark of night</strong>.\r\n\r\nI have sat with refugees as they shared their stories of being resettled in my home state of Ohio, and elsewhere in the U.S., overcoming language and cultural barriers to live their lives with freedom and security.</blockquote>\r\n&nbsp;','Guilty appeal','','inherit','open','open','','3046-revision-v1','','','2015-09-22 11:06:37','2015-09-22 15:06:37','',3046,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3046-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3052,4,'2015-09-30 14:27:13','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I am an avid reader who gets most of her books from the library, except when I am traveling. Before a trip, I like to pick up a paperback or two to read on the plane.\r\n\r\nMy local used bookstore (Friends of Montgomery County Libraries) happens to be awesome. It\'s large, well lit and has many recent books in great condition. And it charges about $2 per book. That\'s a bargain!\r\n\r\nWhat makes a used bookstore good? Obviously, having a wide selection is number one, but there are a few other things too:\r\n\r\n1. Make it easy to find things.\r\n\r\nCategorized: Bookstores are generally divided into categories such as Fiction, Biographies, Business, and so forth.\r\n\r\nLabeled: And those category areas should be labeled. By classifying books, readers are better able to find what they are look for.\r\n\r\nAlphabetized: Have you ever tried looking for a specific book in a bookstore that does not alphabetize its holdings? You probably didn\'t find it or gave up.\r\n\r\n2. Sort and classify correctly. Imagine looking for a biography but not finding it in the biography section because it was placed in the fiction section. This happens all the time, especially when staff is not really looking at the book or making assumptions. At my bookstore, I have found The Zookeeper\'s Wife by Diane Ackerman twice in the fiction section. It\'s not fiction. It\'s the real life story of Polish people who hid Jews from the Nazis in a zoo (very worth a read).\r\n\r\n3. Knowledgeable staff. If you are looking for a book, and don\'t know where it would be classified, a knowledgeable staff member would be able to help.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Lessons from a used bookstore','','draft','open','open','','','','','2015-09-30 14:27:13','2015-09-30 18:27:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3052',0,'post','',0),
(3053,4,'2015-09-30 14:27:13','2015-09-30 18:27:13','I am an avid reader who gets most of her books from the library, except when I am traveling. Before a trip, I like to pick up a paperback or two to read on the plane.\r\n\r\nMy local used bookstore (Friends of Montgomery County Libraries) happens to be awesome. It\'s large, well lit and has many recent books in great condition. And it charges about $2 per book. That\'s a bargain!\r\n\r\nWhat makes a used bookstore good? Obviously, having a wide selection is number one, but there are a few other things too:\r\n\r\n1. Make it easy to find things.\r\n\r\nCategorized: Bookstores are generally divided into categories such as Fiction, Biographies, Business, and so forth.\r\n\r\nLabeled: And those category areas should be labeled. By classifying books, readers are better able to find what they are look for.\r\n\r\nAlphabetized: Have you ever tried looking for a specific book in a bookstore that does not alphabetize its holdings? You probably didn\'t find it or gave up.\r\n\r\n2. Sort and classify correctly. Imagine looking for a biography but not finding it in the biography section because it was placed in the fiction section. This happens all the time, especially when staff is not really looking at the book or making assumptions. At my bookstore, I have found The Zookeeper\'s Wife by Diane Ackerman twice in the fiction section. It\'s not fiction. It\'s the real life story of Polish people who hid Jews from the Nazis in a zoo (very worth a read).\r\n\r\n3. Knowledgeable staff. If you are looking for a book, and don\'t know where it would be classified, a knowledgeable staff member would be able to help.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Lessons from a used bookstore','','inherit','open','open','','3052-revision-v1','','','2015-09-30 14:27:13','2015-09-30 18:27:13','',3052,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/09/3052-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3055,4,'2015-10-05 10:15:33','2015-10-05 14:15:33','Last week, my \"new\" laptop was in the shop. Apparently, the hard drive was failing and I couldn\'t start up or use the computer in any way. I had already deployed my Plan B-- using my old laptop (which is really ancient by computer standards). Then, on Friday morning, the old laptop spontaneously decided to shut itself off.  I turned it back on, and after a couple of minutes, it turned off again. Suddenly, I had no way of sending out a document I had to send or finish the blog post I was writing (it is in the drafts, and will be published soon).\r\n\r\nNow what? I hadn\'t heard back from the repair people to let me know what was wrong with the new computer, so I didn\'t know if it could be fixed or how long it would take.\r\n\r\nWhat could I do until I got a working computer back? Develop a Plan C.\r\n\r\nWhere could I access a computer? There\'s always the computers at the library. In a pinch, that would do. But not as a real solution. First of all, you can\'t be there for unlimited hours and there\'s no privacy.\r\n\r\nThen, I decided to look up computer rentals (using my smartphone).  There are several companies that will rent you computers and AV equipment. For a daily/weekly/monthly fee they will ship you a laptop that has Microsoft Office and boom, you are back in business. It\'s not cheap, but it is certainly better than losing business because you can\'t work.\r\n\r\nKnowing the option to rent a laptop was available, I felt more in control. Then I remembered my former Plan B mini-laptop from a few years ago when I had a similar problem. I dusted it off, and started it up. It needed updates, but I was able to at least access the Internet on a bigger screen than my smartphone.\r\n\r\nBy the end of the day on Friday, the computer repair people called to let me know what was wrong. By Saturday I would have my computer back, with a new hard drive installed.\r\n\r\nThe moral of the story is simple: you must have backup plans. Not just Plan B, but Plan C and maybe even Plan D. You never know what can happen, especially with technology. A few weeks ago I told you about how Verizon cut off my cable and Internet. Plan B then was the smartphone, and Plan C was the library.\r\n\r\nHaving two computers be down at the same time has made me re-think my technology needs. Here are my new resolutions:\r\n\r\n-Find an IT person to be on call for me. For years, I had a techie friend who would help me out, but that\'s not a solid solution.\r\n\r\n-Backup files regularly. Always. For the record, I did do this, but not as conscientiously as I could.\r\n\r\n-Get another computer. You must always have a secondary option, especially if like me, you work for yourself and your work requires a computer.\r\n\r\nIt\'s going to take some time to get everything back to normal, so if I haven\'t written you back, be patient or write me again!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','And on to Plan C','','publish','open','open','','and-on-to-plan-c','','','2015-10-05 10:15:33','2015-10-05 14:15:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3055',0,'post','',0),
(3056,4,'2015-10-05 10:15:33','2015-10-05 14:15:33','Last week, my \"new\" laptop was in the shop. Apparently, the hard drive was failing and I couldn\'t start up or use the computer in any way. I had already deployed my Plan B-- using my old laptop (which is really ancient by computer standards). Then, on Friday morning, the old laptop spontaneously decided to shut itself off.  I turned it back on, and after a couple of minutes, it turned off again. Suddenly, I had no way of sending out a document I had to send or finish the blog post I was writing (it is in the drafts, and will be published soon).\r\n\r\nNow what? I hadn\'t heard back from the repair people to let me know what was wrong with the new computer, so I didn\'t know if it could be fixed or how long it would take.\r\n\r\nWhat could I do until I got a working computer back? Develop a Plan C.\r\n\r\nWhere could I access a computer? There\'s always the computers at the library. In a pinch, that would do. But not as a real solution. First of all, you can\'t be there for unlimited hours and there\'s no privacy.\r\n\r\nThen, I decided to look up computer rentals (using my smartphone).  There are several companies that will rent you computers and AV equipment. For a daily/weekly/monthly fee they will ship you a laptop that has Microsoft Office and boom, you are back in business. It\'s not cheap, but it is certainly better than losing business because you can\'t work.\r\n\r\nKnowing the option to rent a laptop was available, I felt more in control. Then I remembered my former Plan B mini-laptop from a few years ago when I had a similar problem. I dusted it off, and started it up. It needed updates, but I was able to at least access the Internet on a bigger screen than my smartphone.\r\n\r\nBy the end of the day on Friday, the computer repair people called to let me know what was wrong. By Saturday I would have my computer back, with a new hard drive installed.\r\n\r\nThe moral of the story is simple: you must have backup plans. Not just Plan B, but Plan C and maybe even Plan D. You never know what can happen, especially with technology. A few weeks ago I told you about how Verizon cut off my cable and Internet. Plan B then was the smartphone, and Plan C was the library.\r\n\r\nHaving two computers be down at the same time has made me re-think my technology needs. Here are my new resolutions:\r\n\r\n-Find an IT person to be on call for me. For years, I had a techie friend who would help me out, but that\'s not a solid solution.\r\n\r\n-Backup files regularly. Always. For the record, I did do this, but not as conscientiously as I could.\r\n\r\n-Get another computer. You must always have a secondary option, especially if like me, you work for yourself and your work requires a computer.\r\n\r\nIt\'s going to take some time to get everything back to normal, so if I haven\'t written you back, be patient or write me again!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','And on to Plan C','','inherit','open','open','','3055-revision-v1','','','2015-10-05 10:15:33','2015-10-05 14:15:33','',3055,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3055-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3057,4,'2015-10-08 11:07:24','2015-10-08 15:07:24','If  you haven\'t been  watching PBS\'  <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/great-british-baking-show/\" target=\"_blank\">The Great British Baking Show</a> (which is called the Great British Bake-Off in the UK, where it originates), you are missing out on one of the most charming competition shows out there. Each season begins with a baker\'s dozen contestants, who are asked during each episode to complete three tasks: a specific type of baking task  (cookies, pies, sponge cakes, etc.) , a technical challenge, and lastly, a \"signature bake.\"  Their \"bakes\" are judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who each week choose a star baker, who has distinguished him/herself that week,  while also asking one of the contestants to leave. At the end of the season, only one contestant will remain.\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiNOwKDYHzo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Focus on form AND function\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode that aired this past Sunday, the signature bake challenge was to create a beautiful tower made of biscuits. The tower had to measure around 10 inches and be creative, using different types of biscuits. Frances, who has been distinguishing herself for her creativity during the previous weeks, had a bad bake--her tower of biscuits collapsed right before the judging, prompting Mary to tell her that the \"brief\" was to build a tower and that it didn\'t matter if her biscuits were tasty or her idea creative.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s not enough to look good or to be very creative, if the communications vehicle does not fulfill its mission. We\'ve all seen beautiful websites that don\'t have the correct information or that are difficult to navigate (which is what UX/UI tries to correct). This is why overly creative ads that don\'t \"convert\" are a waste of money.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Technique and precision matter</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery episode of The Great British Baking Show has a technical challenge. The \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode required bakers to create tuiles, a delicate French cookie. A lot goes into creating tuiles--the batter must be of a certain consistency, you  have to be careful to not over or under bake them, and they are very delicate, so you must know how to handle and shape them properly.\r\n\r\n<em>The lesson for communicators is simple: you can\'t rely on creativity alone. You have to learn the craft too. And you have to be precise with what you want to achieve.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Consider who you\'re baking for</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the show, it\'s clear that the contestants have to win Mary and Paul\'s approval. It doesn\'t matter if the contestants have been baking for years and their families love their stuff, if Mary and Paul don\'t think it tastes good or it is not properly baked.\r\n\r\n<em>The audience matters. How sophisticated are they? What are they looking for? What will appeal to them?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. You have to bake a lot of cookies\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nBaking well takes both knowledge and practice, but especially practice. The more you bake, the more you know what works and what doesn\'t. You learn how to judge whether something is baked enough. You figure out your own shortcuts or how to switch up a recipe to make it taste right.\r\n\r\n<em>Experience matters in communications.  That\'s not to say you can\'t try new ways of doing things, but only that you can do it better if you\'ve been doing it for a while.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. You have to taste it!</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Pies\" episode, contestants were asked to bake a fruit pie. One of the contestants, Ali, found fruit pies so disgusting that he didn\'t even bother to taste the filling for his own apple pie. When tasting the pie, Paul reminded Ali that it is a must to taste your food. Ali was voted off  the show  because his pie didn\'t taste good (and he had a couple of other technical issues too).\r\n\r\n<em>Perhaps we don\'t actually taste stuff in communications, but we do have to understand what is going on with our \"ingredients\" and our \"bake.\" We have do some research to understand what our audience wants and what is important to communicate. And of course, we measure: we look at the results for a campaign or at the Google Analytics for a website.</em>\r\n\r\nDo you watch this show? Would you add anything else? Let me know in the comments.','5 communications lessons from The Great British Baking Show','','publish','open','open','','5-communications-lessons-from-the-great-british-baking-show','','','2015-10-08 11:07:24','2015-10-08 15:07:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3057',0,'post','',0),
(3058,4,'2015-10-08 10:41:29','2015-10-08 14:41:29','If  you haven\'t been  watching PBS\'  <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/great-british-baking-show/\" target=\"_blank\">The Great British Baking Show</a> (which is called the Great British Bake-Off in the UK, where it originates), you are missing out on one of the most charming competition shows out there. Each season with a baker\'s dozen contestants, who are asked during each session (episode) to complete three tasks: a type of \"bake,\" a technical challenge and a signature bake.  Their \"bakes\" are judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who each week choose a star baker and also ask one of the contestants to leave.\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiNOwKDYHzo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Form and function matter...equally</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode that aired this past Sunday, the signature bake challenge was to create a beautiful tower made of biscuits. The tower had to measure around 10 inches and be creative, using different types of biscuits. Frances, who has been distinguishing herself for her creativity, had a bad bake--her tower of biscuits collapsed right before the judging, prompting Mary to tell her that the \"brief\" was to build a tower. It didn\'t matter if her biscuits were tasty or her idea creative.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not enough to look good or to be very creative, if the communications vehicle does not fulfill its mission. We\'ve all seen beautiful websites that don\'t have the correct information or that are difficult to navigate (which is what UX/UI tries to correct). This is why overly creative ads that don\'t \"convert\" are a waste of money.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Technique and precision matter</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery episode of The Great British Baking Show has a technical challenge. The \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode required bakers to create tuiles, a delicate French cookie. A lot goes into creating tuiles--the batter must be of a certain consistency, you  have to be careful to not over or under bake them, and they are very delicate, so you must know how to handle and shape them properly.\r\n\r\nThe lesson for communicators is simple: you can\'t rely on creativity alone. You have to learn the craft too. And you have to be precise with what you want to achieve.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Consider who you\'re baking for</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the show, it\'s clear that the contestants have to win Mary and Paul\'s approval. It doesn\'t matter if the contestants have been baking for years and their families love their stuff, if Mary and Paul don\'t think it tastes good or it is not properly baked.\r\n\r\nThe audience matters. How sophisticated are they? What are they looking for? What will appeal to them?\r\n\r\n4. It takes a lot of practice\r\n\r\nAll the bakers are','5 communications lessons from The Great British Baking Show','','inherit','open','open','','3057-revision-v1','','','2015-10-08 10:41:29','2015-10-08 14:41:29','',3057,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3057-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3059,4,'2015-10-08 10:56:40','2015-10-08 14:56:40','If  you haven\'t been  watching PBS\'  <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/great-british-baking-show/\" target=\"_blank\">The Great British Baking Show</a> (which is called the Great British Bake-Off in the UK, where it originates), you are missing out on one of the most charming competition shows out there. Each season with a baker\'s dozen contestants, who are asked during each session (episode) to complete three tasks: a type of \"bake,\" a technical challenge and a signature bake.  Their \"bakes\" are judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who each week choose a star baker and also ask one of the contestants to leave.\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiNOwKDYHzo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Form and function matter...equally</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode that aired this past Sunday, the signature bake challenge was to create a beautiful tower made of biscuits. The tower had to measure around 10 inches and be creative, using different types of biscuits. Frances, who has been distinguishing herself for her creativity, had a bad bake--her tower of biscuits collapsed right before the judging, prompting Mary to tell her that the \"brief\" was to build a tower. It didn\'t matter if her biscuits were tasty or her idea creative.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s not enough to look good or to be very creative, if the communications vehicle does not fulfill its mission. We\'ve all seen beautiful websites that don\'t have the correct information or that are difficult to navigate (which is what UX/UI tries to correct). This is why overly creative ads that don\'t \"convert\" are a waste of money.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Technique and precision matter</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery episode of The Great British Baking Show has a technical challenge. The \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode required bakers to create tuiles, a delicate French cookie. A lot goes into creating tuiles--the batter must be of a certain consistency, you  have to be careful to not over or under bake them, and they are very delicate, so you must know how to handle and shape them properly.\r\n\r\n<em>The lesson for communicators is simple: you can\'t rely on creativity alone. You have to learn the craft too. And you have to be precise with what you want to achieve.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Consider who you\'re baking for</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the show, it\'s clear that the contestants have to win Mary and Paul\'s approval. It doesn\'t matter if the contestants have been baking for years and their families love their stuff, if Mary and Paul don\'t think it tastes good or it is not properly baked.\r\n\r\n<em>The audience matters. How sophisticated are they? What are they looking for? What will appeal to them?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. It takes a lot of practice</strong>\r\n\r\nBaking well takes both knowledge and practice, but especially practice. The more you bake, the more you know what works and what doesn\'t. You learn how to judge whether something is baked enough. You figure out your own shortcuts or how to switch up a recipe to make it taste right.\r\n\r\n<em>Experience matters in communications.  That\'s not to say you can\'t try new ways of doing things, but only that you can do it better if you\'ve been doing it for a while.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. You have to taste it!</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Pies\" episode, contestants were asked to bake a fruit pie. One of the contestants, Ali, found fruit pies so disgusting that he didn\'t even bother to taste the filling for his own apple pie. Ali was booted from the show  because his pie tasted terrible (and he had a couple of other issues too). Paul reminded him that you MUST taste your food.\r\n\r\n<em>Perhaps we don\'t taste stuff in communications, but we have to understand what is going on with our \"ingredients\" and our \"bake.\" We have do some research to understand what our audience wants and what is important to communicate. And of course, we measure: we look at the results for a campaign or at the Google Analytics for a website.</em>\r\n\r\nDo you watch this show? Would you add anything else? Let me know in the comments.','5 communications lessons from The Great British Baking Show','','inherit','open','open','','3057-revision-v1','','','2015-10-08 10:56:40','2015-10-08 14:56:40','',3057,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3057-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3060,4,'2015-10-08 11:02:04','2015-10-08 15:02:04','If  you haven\'t been  watching PBS\'  <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/great-british-baking-show/\" target=\"_blank\">The Great British Baking Show</a> (which is called the Great British Bake-Off in the UK, where it originates), you are missing out on one of the most charming competition shows out there. Each season begins with a baker\'s dozen contestants, who are asked during each episode to complete three tasks: a type of \"bake,\" a technical challenge and a signature bake.  Their \"bakes\" are judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who each week choose a star baker and also ask one of the contestants to leave. At the end of the season, only one contestant will remain.\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiNOwKDYHzo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Form and function matter...equally</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode that aired this past Sunday, the signature bake challenge was to create a beautiful tower made of biscuits. The tower had to measure around 10 inches and be creative, using different types of biscuits. Frances, who has been distinguishing herself for her creativity, had a bad bake--her tower of biscuits collapsed right before the judging, prompting Mary to tell her that the \"brief\" was to build a tower. It didn\'t matter if her biscuits were tasty or her idea creative.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s not enough to look good or to be very creative, if the communications vehicle does not fulfill its mission. We\'ve all seen beautiful websites that don\'t have the correct information or that are difficult to navigate (which is what UX/UI tries to correct). This is why overly creative ads that don\'t \"convert\" are a waste of money.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Technique and precision matter</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery episode of The Great British Baking Show has a technical challenge. The \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode required bakers to create tuiles, a delicate French cookie. A lot goes into creating tuiles--the batter must be of a certain consistency, you  have to be careful to not over or under bake them, and they are very delicate, so you must know how to handle and shape them properly.\r\n\r\n<em>The lesson for communicators is simple: you can\'t rely on creativity alone. You have to learn the craft too. And you have to be precise with what you want to achieve.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Consider who you\'re baking for</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the show, it\'s clear that the contestants have to win Mary and Paul\'s approval. It doesn\'t matter if the contestants have been baking for years and their families love their stuff, if Mary and Paul don\'t think it tastes good or it is not properly baked.\r\n\r\n<em>The audience matters. How sophisticated are they? What are they looking for? What will appeal to them?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. It takes a lot of practice</strong>\r\n\r\nBaking well takes both knowledge and practice, but especially practice. The more you bake, the more you know what works and what doesn\'t. You learn how to judge whether something is baked enough. You figure out your own shortcuts or how to switch up a recipe to make it taste right.\r\n\r\n<em>Experience matters in communications.  That\'s not to say you can\'t try new ways of doing things, but only that you can do it better if you\'ve been doing it for a while.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. You have to taste it!</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Pies\" episode, contestants were asked to bake a fruit pie. One of the contestants, Ali, found fruit pies so disgusting that he didn\'t even bother to taste the filling for his own apple pie. When tasting the pie, Paul reminded Ali that it is a must to taste your food. Ali was voted off  the show  because his pie didn\'t taste good (and he had a couple of other technical issues too).\r\n\r\n<em>Perhaps we don\'t actually taste stuff in communications, but we do have to understand what is going on with our \"ingredients\" and our \"bake.\" We have do some research to understand what our audience wants and what is important to communicate. And of course, we measure: we look at the results for a campaign or at the Google Analytics for a website.</em>\r\n\r\nDo you watch this show? Would you add anything else? Let me know in the comments.','5 communications lessons from The Great British Baking Show','','inherit','open','open','','3057-revision-v1','','','2015-10-08 11:02:04','2015-10-08 15:02:04','',3057,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3057-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3061,4,'2015-10-08 11:07:24','2015-10-08 15:07:24','If  you haven\'t been  watching PBS\'  <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/great-british-baking-show/\" target=\"_blank\">The Great British Baking Show</a> (which is called the Great British Bake-Off in the UK, where it originates), you are missing out on one of the most charming competition shows out there. Each season begins with a baker\'s dozen contestants, who are asked during each episode to complete three tasks: a specific type of baking task  (cookies, pies, sponge cakes, etc.) , a technical challenge, and lastly, a \"signature bake.\"  Their \"bakes\" are judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who each week choose a star baker, who has distinguished him/herself that week,  while also asking one of the contestants to leave. At the end of the season, only one contestant will remain.\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiNOwKDYHzo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Focus on form AND function\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode that aired this past Sunday, the signature bake challenge was to create a beautiful tower made of biscuits. The tower had to measure around 10 inches and be creative, using different types of biscuits. Frances, who has been distinguishing herself for her creativity during the previous weeks, had a bad bake--her tower of biscuits collapsed right before the judging, prompting Mary to tell her that the \"brief\" was to build a tower and that it didn\'t matter if her biscuits were tasty or her idea creative.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s not enough to look good or to be very creative, if the communications vehicle does not fulfill its mission. We\'ve all seen beautiful websites that don\'t have the correct information or that are difficult to navigate (which is what UX/UI tries to correct). This is why overly creative ads that don\'t \"convert\" are a waste of money.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Technique and precision matter</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery episode of The Great British Baking Show has a technical challenge. The \"Biscuits and Traybakes\" episode required bakers to create tuiles, a delicate French cookie. A lot goes into creating tuiles--the batter must be of a certain consistency, you  have to be careful to not over or under bake them, and they are very delicate, so you must know how to handle and shape them properly.\r\n\r\n<em>The lesson for communicators is simple: you can\'t rely on creativity alone. You have to learn the craft too. And you have to be precise with what you want to achieve.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Consider who you\'re baking for</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the show, it\'s clear that the contestants have to win Mary and Paul\'s approval. It doesn\'t matter if the contestants have been baking for years and their families love their stuff, if Mary and Paul don\'t think it tastes good or it is not properly baked.\r\n\r\n<em>The audience matters. How sophisticated are they? What are they looking for? What will appeal to them?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. You have to bake a lot of cookies\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nBaking well takes both knowledge and practice, but especially practice. The more you bake, the more you know what works and what doesn\'t. You learn how to judge whether something is baked enough. You figure out your own shortcuts or how to switch up a recipe to make it taste right.\r\n\r\n<em>Experience matters in communications.  That\'s not to say you can\'t try new ways of doing things, but only that you can do it better if you\'ve been doing it for a while.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. You have to taste it!</strong>\r\n\r\nDuring the \"Pies\" episode, contestants were asked to bake a fruit pie. One of the contestants, Ali, found fruit pies so disgusting that he didn\'t even bother to taste the filling for his own apple pie. When tasting the pie, Paul reminded Ali that it is a must to taste your food. Ali was voted off  the show  because his pie didn\'t taste good (and he had a couple of other technical issues too).\r\n\r\n<em>Perhaps we don\'t actually taste stuff in communications, but we do have to understand what is going on with our \"ingredients\" and our \"bake.\" We have do some research to understand what our audience wants and what is important to communicate. And of course, we measure: we look at the results for a campaign or at the Google Analytics for a website.</em>\r\n\r\nDo you watch this show? Would you add anything else? Let me know in the comments.','5 communications lessons from The Great British Baking Show','','inherit','open','open','','3057-revision-v1','','','2015-10-08 11:07:24','2015-10-08 15:07:24','',3057,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3057-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3063,4,'2015-10-14 11:56:33','2015-10-14 15:56:33','You\'ve seen advertising by algorithm every single time you go on Facebook. If you\'ve done an online search for anything (books, movies, clothing, etc.), you will now see a banner ad for that thing or brand. If you\'ve discussed anything with a recognizable name (politician, specific book or movie or brand) on your timeline, chances are you will see a sponsored post about that thing on your timeline. Those posts are automatically generated by algorithms.\r\n\r\nLike this one that appeared last week on my Facebook timeline:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3064\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"409\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-3064 \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1-300x168.png\" alt=\"Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline\" width=\"409\" height=\"229\" /></a> Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had definitely mentioned Ben Carson in my status updates. <em>In a negative way.</em> I had shared several articles about his horrible \"gun control caused the Holocaust\" comments. I couldn\'t believe that anyone, much less a person running for president, would be so stupid and so offensive.\r\n\r\nAnd then the sponsored ad popped up. Obviously the algorithm \"if that then this\" recipe says something like \"if a person mentions Ben Carson more than once in status updates, then show the support Ben Carson ad.\"\r\n\r\nBut I am the exactly wrong target. I don\'t like Ben Carson and what I have been saying about him is not supportive. This sponsored post is a #fail as they say on Twitter, and a waste of the campaign\'s money.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t let algorithms fail you!</strong>\r\n\r\nAutomatic advertising has its pitfalls. But is the problem the algorithm or the person that makes the recipe for the algorithm? I suspect it\'s a bit of both.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">There are at least three steps to successful advertising by algorithm:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You have to understand how algorithms work</strong>\r\n\r\nAdvertising algorithms don\'t do nuance. They can\'t judge emotions--negative or positive. <em>They can only scan for keywords and then follow recipes.</em>\r\n\r\nPlus, each search engine or social network has its own rules. Apparently for Facebook algorithms, budgets have a lot to do with how and when your sponsored content shows up. Read<a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-importance-of-understanding-facebooks-algorithms-part-1/619293\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Importance of Understanding Facebook Algorithms, Part 1.\"</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You have to provide strategic guidance  </strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you launch any advertising, including online advertising, you must have a strategy in place. You need to define your target audience and be as detailed as possible. You need to define your objectives. You must understand what you want to accomplish.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. You have to measure\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd with online advertising, especially when you are relying on computer-generated algorithms, you have to measure. You want to understand your outcomes.  How did your ads do? What kinds of people clicked and did they take any other actions? (It\'s always about the metrics.)\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What would you add? Do you have resources to share about algorithms? What\'s been your experience with algorithms in advertising? Successful or not so much? Please let me know. And if you want to discuss your advertising or communications strategy, get in touch!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you do advertising by algorithm?','','publish','open','open','','can-you-do-advertising-by-algorithm','','','2015-10-15 11:59:21','2015-10-15 15:59:21','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3063',0,'post','',0),
(3064,4,'2015-10-14 10:07:06','2015-10-14 14:07:06','','Ben Carson Ad','Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline','inherit','open','open','','screenshot-1','','','2015-10-14 10:07:46','2015-10-14 14:07:46','',3063,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),
(3065,4,'2015-10-14 11:45:30','2015-10-14 15:45:30','You\'ve seen advertising by algorithm every single time you go on Facebook. If you\'ve done a search for anything, you will now see a banner ad for that thing or brand. If you\'ve discussed anything on your timeline, chances are you will see a sponsored post about that thing on your timeline. Those are automatically generated by algorithms.\r\n\r\nLike this:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3064\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-3064 size-large\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1-1024x575.png\" alt=\"Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" /></a> Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had definitely mentioned Ben Carson in my status updates. <em>In a negative way.</em> I had shared several articles about his horrible \"gun control caused the Holocaust\" comments. I couldn\'t believe that anyone, much less a person running for president, would be so stupid and so offensive.\r\n\r\nAnd then the sponsored ad popped up. Obviously the algorithm \"if that then this\" recipe says something like \"if a person mentions Ben Carson more than once in status updates, then show the support Ben Carson ad.\"\r\n\r\nObviously, I would not support Ben Carson\'s campaign. And this sponsored post is a waste of the campaign\'s money.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t let algorithms fail you</strong>\r\n\r\nAutomatic advertising has its pitfalls.  Is the problem the algorithm or the person that makes the recipe for the algorithm? I suspect it\'s a bit of both.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">There are at least three steps to successful advertising by algorithm:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You have to understand how algorithms work</strong>\r\n\r\nAdvertising algorithms don\'t do nuance. They can\'t judge emotions--negative or positive. <em>They can only scan for keywords and then follow recipes.</em>\r\n\r\nPlus, each search engine or social network has its own rules. Apparently for Facebook algorithms, budgets have a lot to do with how and when your sponsored content shows up. Read<a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-importance-of-understanding-facebooks-algorithms-part-1/619293\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Importance of Understanding Facebook Algorithms, Part 1.\"</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You have to provide guidance  </strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you launch any advertising, including online advertising, you must have a strategy in place. You need to define your target audience and be as detailed as possible. You need to define your objectives. You must understand what you want to accomplish.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. You have to measure\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd with online advertising, especially when you are relying on computer-generated algorithms, you have to measure. You want to understand your outcomes.  How did your ads do? What kinds of people clicked and did they take any other actions? (It\'s always about the metrics.)\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What would you add? Do you have resources to share about algorithms? What\'s been your experience with algorithms in advertising? Successful or not so much? Please let me know. And if you want to discuss you advertising or communications strategy, get in touch!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you do advertising by algorithm?','','inherit','open','open','','3063-revision-v1','','','2015-10-14 11:45:30','2015-10-14 15:45:30','',3063,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3063-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3066,4,'2015-10-14 11:48:19','2015-10-14 15:48:19','You\'ve seen advertising by algorithm every single time you go on Facebook. If you\'ve done a search for anything, you will now see a banner ad for that thing or brand. If you\'ve discussed anything on your timeline, chances are you will see a sponsored post about that thing on your timeline. Those are automatically generated by algorithms.\r\n\r\nLike this:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3064\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"409\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-3064 \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1-300x168.png\" alt=\"Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline\" width=\"409\" height=\"229\" /></a> Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had definitely mentioned Ben Carson in my status updates. <em>In a negative way.</em> I had shared several articles about his horrible \"gun control caused the Holocaust\" comments. I couldn\'t believe that anyone, much less a person running for president, would be so stupid and so offensive.\r\n\r\nAnd then the sponsored ad popped up. Obviously the algorithm \"if that then this\" recipe says something like \"if a person mentions Ben Carson more than once in status updates, then show the support Ben Carson ad.\"\r\n\r\nObviously, I would not support Ben Carson\'s campaign. And this sponsored post is a waste of the campaign\'s money.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t let algorithms fail you</strong>\r\n\r\nAutomatic advertising has its pitfalls.  Is the problem the algorithm or the person that makes the recipe for the algorithm? I suspect it\'s a bit of both.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">There are at least three steps to successful advertising by algorithm:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You have to understand how algorithms work</strong>\r\n\r\nAdvertising algorithms don\'t do nuance. They can\'t judge emotions--negative or positive. <em>They can only scan for keywords and then follow recipes.</em>\r\n\r\nPlus, each search engine or social network has its own rules. Apparently for Facebook algorithms, budgets have a lot to do with how and when your sponsored content shows up. Read<a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-importance-of-understanding-facebooks-algorithms-part-1/619293\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Importance of Understanding Facebook Algorithms, Part 1.\"</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You have to provide guidance  </strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you launch any advertising, including online advertising, you must have a strategy in place. You need to define your target audience and be as detailed as possible. You need to define your objectives. You must understand what you want to accomplish.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. You have to measure\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd with online advertising, especially when you are relying on computer-generated algorithms, you have to measure. You want to understand your outcomes.  How did your ads do? What kinds of people clicked and did they take any other actions? (It\'s always about the metrics.)\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What would you add? Do you have resources to share about algorithms? What\'s been your experience with algorithms in advertising? Successful or not so much? Please let me know. And if you want to discuss you advertising or communications strategy, get in touch!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you do advertising by algorithm?','','inherit','open','open','','3063-revision-v1','','','2015-10-14 11:48:19','2015-10-14 15:48:19','',3063,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3063-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3067,4,'2015-10-14 11:55:50','2015-10-14 15:55:50','You\'ve seen advertising by algorithm every single time you go on Facebook. If you\'ve done an online search for anything (books, movies, clothing, etc.), you will now see a banner ad for that thing or brand. If you\'ve discussed anything with a recognizable name (politician, specific book or movie or brand) on your timeline, chances are you will see a sponsored post about that thing on your timeline. Those posts are automatically generated by algorithms.\r\n\r\nLike this one that appeared last week on my Facebook timeline:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3064\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"409\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-3064 \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1-300x168.png\" alt=\"Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline\" width=\"409\" height=\"229\" /></a> Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had definitely mentioned Ben Carson in my status updates. <em>In a negative way.</em> I had shared several articles about his horrible \"gun control caused the Holocaust\" comments. I couldn\'t believe that anyone, much less a person running for president, would be so stupid and so offensive.\r\n\r\nAnd then the sponsored ad popped up. Obviously the algorithm \"if that then this\" recipe says something like \"if a person mentions Ben Carson more than once in status updates, then show the support Ben Carson ad.\"\r\n\r\nBut I am the exactly wrong target. I don\'t like Ben Carson and what I have been saying about him is not supportive. This sponsored post is a #fail as they say on Twitter, and a waste of the campaign\'s money.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t let algorithms fail you!</strong>\r\n\r\nAutomatic advertising has its pitfalls. But is the problem the algorithm or the person that makes the recipe for the algorithm? I suspect it\'s a bit of both.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">There are at least three steps to successful advertising by algorithm:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You have to understand how algorithms work</strong>\r\n\r\nAdvertising algorithms don\'t do nuance. They can\'t judge emotions--negative or positive. <em>They can only scan for keywords and then follow recipes.</em>\r\n\r\nPlus, each search engine or social network has its own rules. Apparently for Facebook algorithms, budgets have a lot to do with how and when your sponsored content shows up. Read<a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-importance-of-understanding-facebooks-algorithms-part-1/619293\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Importance of Understanding Facebook Algorithms, Part 1.\"</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You have to provide strategic guidance  </strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you launch any advertising, including online advertising, you must have a strategy in place. You need to define your target audience and be as detailed as possible. You need to define your objectives. You must understand what you want to accomplish.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. You have to measure\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd with online advertising, especially when you are relying on computer-generated algorithms, you have to measure. You want to understand your outcomes.  How did your ads do? What kinds of people clicked and did they take any other actions? (It\'s always about the metrics.)\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What would you add? Do you have resources to share about algorithms? What\'s been your experience with algorithms in advertising? Successful or not so much? Please let me know. And if you want to discuss you advertising or communications strategy, get in touch!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you do advertising by algorithm?','','inherit','open','open','','3063-revision-v1','','','2015-10-14 11:55:50','2015-10-14 15:55:50','',3063,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3063-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3068,4,'2015-10-15 11:59:21','2015-10-15 15:59:21','You\'ve seen advertising by algorithm every single time you go on Facebook. If you\'ve done an online search for anything (books, movies, clothing, etc.), you will now see a banner ad for that thing or brand. If you\'ve discussed anything with a recognizable name (politician, specific book or movie or brand) on your timeline, chances are you will see a sponsored post about that thing on your timeline. Those posts are automatically generated by algorithms.\r\n\r\nLike this one that appeared last week on my Facebook timeline:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3064\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"409\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-3064 \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screenshot-1-300x168.png\" alt=\"Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline\" width=\"409\" height=\"229\" /></a> Ben Carson sponsored ad in my Facebook timeline[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had definitely mentioned Ben Carson in my status updates. <em>In a negative way.</em> I had shared several articles about his horrible \"gun control caused the Holocaust\" comments. I couldn\'t believe that anyone, much less a person running for president, would be so stupid and so offensive.\r\n\r\nAnd then the sponsored ad popped up. Obviously the algorithm \"if that then this\" recipe says something like \"if a person mentions Ben Carson more than once in status updates, then show the support Ben Carson ad.\"\r\n\r\nBut I am the exactly wrong target. I don\'t like Ben Carson and what I have been saying about him is not supportive. This sponsored post is a #fail as they say on Twitter, and a waste of the campaign\'s money.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t let algorithms fail you!</strong>\r\n\r\nAutomatic advertising has its pitfalls. But is the problem the algorithm or the person that makes the recipe for the algorithm? I suspect it\'s a bit of both.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">There are at least three steps to successful advertising by algorithm:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. You have to understand how algorithms work</strong>\r\n\r\nAdvertising algorithms don\'t do nuance. They can\'t judge emotions--negative or positive. <em>They can only scan for keywords and then follow recipes.</em>\r\n\r\nPlus, each search engine or social network has its own rules. Apparently for Facebook algorithms, budgets have a lot to do with how and when your sponsored content shows up. Read<a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/the-importance-of-understanding-facebooks-algorithms-part-1/619293\" target=\"_blank\"> \"The Importance of Understanding Facebook Algorithms, Part 1.\"</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You have to provide strategic guidance  </strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you launch any advertising, including online advertising, you must have a strategy in place. You need to define your target audience and be as detailed as possible. You need to define your objectives. You must understand what you want to accomplish.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. You have to measure\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd with online advertising, especially when you are relying on computer-generated algorithms, you have to measure. You want to understand your outcomes.  How did your ads do? What kinds of people clicked and did they take any other actions? (It\'s always about the metrics.)\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What would you add? Do you have resources to share about algorithms? What\'s been your experience with algorithms in advertising? Successful or not so much? Please let me know. And if you want to discuss your advertising or communications strategy, get in touch!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Can you do advertising by algorithm?','','inherit','open','open','','3063-revision-v1','','','2015-10-15 11:59:21','2015-10-15 15:59:21','',3063,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3063-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3069,4,'2015-10-20 10:21:53','2015-10-20 14:21:53','','REACH-brochure-03','','inherit','open','open','','reach-brochure-03','','','2015-10-20 10:21:53','2015-10-20 14:21:53','',40,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/REACH-brochure-03.pdf',0,'attachment','application/pdf',0),
(3070,4,'2015-10-20 10:23:54','2015-10-20 14:23:54','<h2>International charity needs to rebrand</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\nREACH International, a charitable organization that provides education, housing and other services to disadvantaged children in 24 countries, needed to increase its donor base and extend its appeal. The charity had not refreshed its materials in a long time, and the existing look and messaging did not communicate well to a new donor target.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nREACH International was using an outdated brochure and wanted to recreate both the design and the content. Dan Kohan of Sensical Design designed a new logo and the new brochure. DBMC was tasked with writing the content.\r\n\r\nAs with any new project, my first step was to have an in-depth conversation with the client. I suggested that our first step would be to create key messages and an organizational description that could be used in the brochure and all other marketing pieces (website, press releases, etc.). I provided the client with a detailed branding and identity questionnaire. From her answers and our interview, I developed the key messages (with supporting points) and a “boilerplate” organizational description. Once those were approved, I went on to write the brochure.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, REACH International has a beautiful, updated brochure that communicates the impact of the humanitarian work it does around the world.\r\n\r\nView the PDF of the new brochure: <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/REACH-brochure-03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">REACH-brochure-03</a>.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h2>Nonprofit needs a website and a tagline to start up</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Pebbles of Hope</strong> is a nonprofit dedicated to helping premature babies to survive and thrive. When its founder and executive director, Cheryl Chotrani, approached DBMC, the organization was just starting out and needed marketing help. Specifically, Ms. Chotrani asked me to write the website content and to create a tagline for the organization. Ms. Chotrani, who has a marketing and media background, had already created a very comprehensive creative brief outlining the key messages, the target audience, and what the desired look and feel was for the website and had already hired a designer to create the website and a logo.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nAs with any project, the first step is getting to know the client and the issue at hand. In this case I had several in-depth interviews with Ms. Chotrani. I read through the information she provided, gathered research on preterm births and also researched other organizations doing similar work.\r\n\r\nThe second step was to clarify the goal of the website and what type of information would have to be included. Then, I created a robust website outline/navigation guide that would serve to guide the content.\r\n\r\nWith the approved outline in hand, and the information gathered from the client and other sources, I started writing the content. Client comments and changes were incorporated and a final draft was sent to the designer.\r\n\r\nConcurrently to writing the website content, I developed around fifteen tagline suggestions. Having the tagline would help set the tone and direction for the website and the organization. These suggested taglines were submitted to the client, and with her input, the final tagline was selected.\r\n\r\nThe last step was to check and proofread the finished website.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, <a href=\"http://www.pebblesofhope.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Pebbles of Hope has a beautiful and functional website</a>. On it you can see the tagline “Giving the world’s smallest babies a fighting chance.” Thanks to volunteers, the organization also has a frequently updated blog, and a social media presence. Some of the website content and the tagline are used in other marketing materials, including a brochure.','Recent Projects','','inherit','open','open','','40-revision-v1','','','2015-10-20 10:23:54','2015-10-20 14:23:54','',40,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/40-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3071,4,'2015-10-20 10:25:04','2015-10-20 14:25:04','<h2>International charity needs to rebrand</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.reach.org/\" target=\"_blank\">REACH International</a>, a charitable organization that provides education, housing and other services to disadvantaged children in 24 countries, needed to increase its donor base and extend its appeal. The charity had not refreshed its materials in a long time, and the existing look and messaging did not communicate well to a new donor target.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nREACH International was using an outdated brochure and wanted to recreate both the design and the content. Dan Kohan of Sensical Design designed a new logo and the new brochure. DBMC was tasked with writing the content.\r\n\r\nAs with any new project, my first step was to have an in-depth conversation with the client. I suggested that our first step would be to create key messages and an organizational description that could be used in the brochure and all other marketing pieces (website, press releases, etc.). I provided the client with a detailed branding and identity questionnaire. From her answers and our interview, I developed the key messages (with supporting points) and a “boilerplate” organizational description. Once those were approved, I went on to write the brochure.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, REACH International has a beautiful, updated brochure that communicates the impact of the humanitarian work it does around the world.\r\n\r\nView the PDF of the new brochure: <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/REACH-brochure-03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">REACH-brochure-03</a>.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h2>Nonprofit needs a website and a tagline to start up</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Pebbles of Hope</strong> is a nonprofit dedicated to helping premature babies to survive and thrive. When its founder and executive director, Cheryl Chotrani, approached DBMC, the organization was just starting out and needed marketing help. Specifically, Ms. Chotrani asked me to write the website content and to create a tagline for the organization. Ms. Chotrani, who has a marketing and media background, had already created a very comprehensive creative brief outlining the key messages, the target audience, and what the desired look and feel was for the website and had already hired a designer to create the website and a logo.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nAs with any project, the first step is getting to know the client and the issue at hand. In this case I had several in-depth interviews with Ms. Chotrani. I read through the information she provided, gathered research on preterm births and also researched other organizations doing similar work.\r\n\r\nThe second step was to clarify the goal of the website and what type of information would have to be included. Then, I created a robust website outline/navigation guide that would serve to guide the content.\r\n\r\nWith the approved outline in hand, and the information gathered from the client and other sources, I started writing the content. Client comments and changes were incorporated and a final draft was sent to the designer.\r\n\r\nConcurrently to writing the website content, I developed around fifteen tagline suggestions. Having the tagline would help set the tone and direction for the website and the organization. These suggested taglines were submitted to the client, and with her input, the final tagline was selected.\r\n\r\nThe last step was to check and proofread the finished website.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, <a href=\"http://www.pebblesofhope.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Pebbles of Hope has a beautiful and functional website</a>. On it you can see the tagline “Giving the world’s smallest babies a fighting chance.” Thanks to volunteers, the organization also has a frequently updated blog, and a social media presence. Some of the website content and the tagline are used in other marketing materials, including a brochure.','Recent Projects','','inherit','open','open','','40-revision-v1','','','2015-10-20 10:25:04','2015-10-20 14:25:04','',40,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/40-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3072,4,'2015-10-20 10:26:25','2015-10-20 14:26:25','<h2>International charity needs to rebrand</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.reach.org/\" target=\"_blank\">REACH International</a>, a charitable organization that provides education, housing and other services to disadvantaged children in 24 countries, needed to increase its donor base and extend its appeal. The charity had not refreshed its materials in a long time, and the existing look and messaging did not communicate well to a new donor target.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nREACH International was using an outdated brochure and wanted to recreate both the design and the content. Dan Kohan of<a href=\"http://sensicaldesign.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> Sensical Design</a> designed a new logo and the new brochure. DBMC was tasked with writing the content.\r\n\r\nAs with any new project, my first step was to have an in-depth conversation with the client. I suggested that our first step would be to create key messages and an organizational description that could be used in the brochure and all other marketing pieces (website, press releases, etc.). I provided the client with a detailed branding and identity questionnaire. From her answers and our interview, I developed the key messages (with supporting points) and a “boilerplate” organizational description. Once those were approved, I went on to write the brochure.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, REACH International has a beautiful, updated brochure that communicates the impact of the humanitarian work it does around the world.\r\n\r\nView the PDF of the new brochure: <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/REACH-brochure-03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">REACH-brochure-03</a>.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h2>Nonprofit needs a website and a tagline to start up</h2>\r\n<strong>The Case</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Pebbles of Hope</strong> is a nonprofit dedicated to helping premature babies to survive and thrive. When its founder and executive director, Cheryl Chotrani, approached DBMC, the organization was just starting out and needed marketing help. Specifically, Ms. Chotrani asked me to write the website content and to create a tagline for the organization. Ms. Chotrani, who has a marketing and media background, had already created a very comprehensive creative brief outlining the key messages, the target audience, and what the desired look and feel was for the website and had already hired a designer to create the website and a logo.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Work</strong>\r\n\r\nAs with any project, the first step is getting to know the client and the issue at hand. In this case I had several in-depth interviews with Ms. Chotrani. I read through the information she provided, gathered research on preterm births and also researched other organizations doing similar work.\r\n\r\nThe second step was to clarify the goal of the website and what type of information would have to be included. Then, I created a robust website outline/navigation guide that would serve to guide the content.\r\n\r\nWith the approved outline in hand, and the information gathered from the client and other sources, I started writing the content. Client comments and changes were incorporated and a final draft was sent to the designer.\r\n\r\nConcurrently to writing the website content, I developed around fifteen tagline suggestions. Having the tagline would help set the tone and direction for the website and the organization. These suggested taglines were submitted to the client, and with her input, the final tagline was selected.\r\n\r\nThe last step was to check and proofread the finished website.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Result</strong>\r\n\r\nToday, <a href=\"http://www.pebblesofhope.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Pebbles of Hope has a beautiful and functional website</a>. On it you can see the tagline “Giving the world’s smallest babies a fighting chance.” Thanks to volunteers, the organization also has a frequently updated blog, and a social media presence. Some of the website content and the tagline are used in other marketing materials, including a brochure.','Recent Projects','','inherit','open','open','','40-revision-v1','','','2015-10-20 10:26:25','2015-10-20 14:26:25','',40,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/40-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3075,4,'2015-10-21 09:36:43','2015-10-21 13:36:43','I\'ve been blogging for years, since early 2008. That\'s almost eight years in which I have blogged here, on a personal blog, for clients, and even developed a training workshop to teach people how to blog. I love the format--it\'s generally quick and up until recently, it\'s been easy.  But lately, blogging has gotten harder and harder. It\'s a struggle to come up with one good blog post a week when in my heyday, I wrote several blog posts a week.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s going on? I can only speak for myself, but here it is:\r\n\r\n1. <strong>Blogging itself is easy but coming up with relevant, meaningful posts is hard</strong>. Lately, I see lots of posts that are just crap. They recycle information or they post obvious \"tips.\" I want to create original and creative posts, and lately, I don\'t have a lot to add to the conversation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. There\'s plenty (too much?) of competition</strong>. There\'s so much to read and we have limited time. I know I scan through the headlines on my Feedly and probably only read a small percentage of articles. It feels overwhelming to try to stand out with so much out there.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. And of course, we are being told by the \"experts\" how to make our blog posts better</strong>: add images, make sure to optimize for SEO, and on and on.  In other words, put more work into it. I am a fan of writing and posting quickly, while still posting something that is grammatically correct and typo-free. I don\'t enjoy looking for images for a post, although I know why it\'s important but to me it makes the posting so much more onerous.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. There are real-world consequences.</strong> On a personal blog, all we are doing is sharing our thoughts. If people flock to it, then so much the better. On a business blog, we are doing \"content marketing.\" We are trying to help our websites and increase our business. We are establishing \"thought leadership.\" Whatever our business goals are, they can and should be measured, and they can and should impact our bottom line.\r\n\r\nThese aren\'t excuses. I will continue blogging--it\'s important. But it\'s not as easy as it used to be.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\">What about you? Are you finding that blogging is harder to get done? If so, why? And how do you counter it?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Blogging is easy until it\'s not','','publish','open','open','','blogging-is-easy-until-its-not','','','2015-10-21 09:36:43','2015-10-21 13:36:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3075',0,'post','',0),
(3076,4,'2015-10-21 09:36:43','2015-10-21 13:36:43','I\'ve been blogging for years, since early 2008. That\'s almost eight years in which I have blogged here, on a personal blog, for clients, and even developed a training workshop to teach people how to blog. I love the format--it\'s generally quick and up until recently, it\'s been easy.  But lately, blogging has gotten harder and harder. It\'s a struggle to come up with one good blog post a week when in my heyday, I wrote several blog posts a week.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s going on? I can only speak for myself, but here it is:\r\n\r\n1. <strong>Blogging itself is easy but coming up with relevant, meaningful posts is hard</strong>. Lately, I see lots of posts that are just crap. They recycle information or they post obvious \"tips.\" I want to create original and creative posts, and lately, I don\'t have a lot to add to the conversation.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. There\'s plenty (too much?) of competition</strong>. There\'s so much to read and we have limited time. I know I scan through the headlines on my Feedly and probably only read a small percentage of articles. It feels overwhelming to try to stand out with so much out there.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. And of course, we are being told by the \"experts\" how to make our blog posts better</strong>: add images, make sure to optimize for SEO, and on and on.  In other words, put more work into it. I am a fan of writing and posting quickly, while still posting something that is grammatically correct and typo-free. I don\'t enjoy looking for images for a post, although I know why it\'s important but to me it makes the posting so much more onerous.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. There are real-world consequences.</strong> On a personal blog, all we are doing is sharing our thoughts. If people flock to it, then so much the better. On a business blog, we are doing \"content marketing.\" We are trying to help our websites and increase our business. We are establishing \"thought leadership.\" Whatever our business goals are, they can and should be measured, and they can and should impact our bottom line.\r\n\r\nThese aren\'t excuses. I will continue blogging--it\'s important. But it\'s not as easy as it used to be.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\">What about you? Are you finding that blogging is harder to get done? If so, why? And how do you counter it?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Blogging is easy until it\'s not','','inherit','open','open','','3075-revision-v1','','','2015-10-21 09:36:43','2015-10-21 13:36:43','',3075,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3075-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3077,4,'2015-10-27 09:35:05','2015-10-27 13:35:05','This weekend I noticed the mums in front of my house were looking a bit sad...all droopy and discolored. Apparently, they were in dire need of watering.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3079\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20151026_135130.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3079\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20151026_135130-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Sad mums\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Sad mums[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhat do dying mums have to do with marketing communications? Let me tell you.\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I bought these mums at my local farmer\'s market . I asked the farmer/vendor how long they would last. She told me that mums are hardy and should last through Thanksgiving, providing some color as the flowering annuals die.\r\n\r\nBut at the rate my mums were going, they wouldn\'t make it to Halloween. So this past Saturday during my weekly visit to the farmer\'s market I asked the vendor about the mums: Should I water them or would it be OK to wait until it rained on Sunday? She told me that I should most definitely water them as soon as I got home,<em> because mums need a lot of water. </em>\r\n\r\nWell, then. I had made the incorrect assumption that because mums are hardy plants, it meant they needed little water. If, when I bought them, she had mentioned that mums should be watered frequently, I would have done so. But she hadn\'t and this is exactly the type of information I needed to know to help my plants survive.\r\n\r\n<strong>Customers don\'t know what they don\'t know. Period.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nIt\'s your job as a marketing/communications person (let\'s include sales under marketing here) to make sure they have the information they need to use your product or service appropriately and get the most out of it.\r\n\r\n<strong>You are the expert...not the customer\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nCustomers  don\'t know your product or service as well as you do. You are the real-life expert on your product or service. You know what it does, how it does it and why.\r\n\r\n<strong>So, ask yourself this one simple question:</strong>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>What does the customer/ client have to know about my product or service?</em></p>\r\nOnce you have the answer to this question, your content marketing, copywriting, and especially your customer/client interaction, will all be easier.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">If you need help figuring out what your customers should know about your product or service, get in touch! I can help.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What does the customer have to know?','','publish','open','open','','what-does-the-customer-have-to-know','','','2015-10-27 09:35:05','2015-10-27 13:35:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3077',0,'post','',0),
(3078,4,'2015-10-26 13:34:30','2015-10-26 17:34:30','This weekend I noticed the mums in front of my house were looking a bit sad...all droopy and discolored. Apparently, they were in dire need of watering.\r\n\r\nWhat do dying mums have to do with marketing communications? Let me tell you.\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I bought these mums at the farmer\'s market (where I go to every Saturday). I asked the farmer/vendor how long they would last. She told me that mums are hardy and should last through Thanksgiving, andwould provide some color to as the flowering annuals die. But at the rate my mums were going, they wouldn\'t make it to Halloween. So this past Saturday at the farmer\'s market I asked the vendor about the mums. Should I water them or would it be ok to wait until it rained on Sunday. She told me that I should definitely water them as soon as I got home,<em> that mums need a lot of water. </em>\r\n\r\nWell, then.  If she had mentioned that to me when I bought them, I would have watered them more regularly. But she hadn\'t and this is exactly the type of information I needed to know. I had made the incorrect assumption that because mums are hardy plants, that meant they needed little water.\r\n\r\n<strong>You are the expert...not the customer\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nCustomers  don\'t know your product or service as well as you do. You are the real-life expert on your product or service. You know what it does, how it does it and why it does it.\r\n\r\nSo, ask yourself this one simple question:\r\n\r\n<em>What does the customer/ client have to know about my product or service?</em>\r\n\r\nOnce you have the answer to this question, your content marketing, copywriting and especially your customer/client interaction will all go much better and be more productive. Your customers will know exactly what they need to know.\r\n\r\n<strong>Customers don\'t know what they don\'t know. Period. </strong> It\'s your job as a marketing/communications  person (let\'s make sure to include sales under marketing here) to make sure they have the information they need to use your product or service appropriately.\r\n\r\nIf the customer does not use your product how it is supposed to be used or doesn\'t take a necessary safety precaution or u\r\n\r\nThe consequences of not doing this are huge.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What does the customer have to know?','','inherit','open','open','','3077-revision-v1','','','2015-10-26 13:34:30','2015-10-26 17:34:30','',3077,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3077-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
(3079,4,'2015-10-27 09:22:59','2015-10-27 13:22:59','','20151026_135130','Sad mums','inherit','open','open','','20151026_135130','','','2015-10-27 09:23:13','2015-10-27 13:23:13','',3077,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20151026_135130.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),
(3080,4,'2015-10-27 09:30:27','2015-10-27 13:30:27','This weekend I noticed the mums in front of my house were looking a bit sad...all droopy and discolored. Apparently, they were in dire need of watering.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3079\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20151026_135130.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3079\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20151026_135130-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Sad mums\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Sad mums[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhat do dying mums have to do with marketing communications? Let me tell you.\r\n\r\nA couple of weeks ago, I bought these mums at my local farmer\'s market . I asked the farmer/vendor how long they would last. She told me that mums are hardy and should last through Thanksgiving, providing some color as the flowering annuals die.\r\n\r\nBut at the rate my mums were going, they wouldn\'t make it to Halloween. So this past Saturday during my weekly  visit to the farmer\'s market I asked the vendor about the mums: Should I water them or would it be OK to wait until it rained on Sunday? She told me that I should most definitely water them as soon as I got home,<em> because mums need a lot of water. </em>\r\n\r\nWell, then. I had made the incorrect assumption that because mums are hardy plants, it meant they needed little water. If, when I bought them, she had mentioned that mums should be watered frequently, I would have done so. But she hadn\'t and this is exactly the type of information I needed to know to help my plants survive.\r\n\r\n<strong>Customers don\'t know what they don\'t know. Period.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nIt\'s your job as a marketing/communications  person (let\'s include sales under marketing here) to make sure they have the information they need to use your product or service appropriately and get the most out of it.\r\n\r\n<strong>You are the expert...not the customer\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nCustomers  don\'t know your product or service as well as you do. You are the real-life expert on your product or service. You know what it does, how it does it and why.\r\n\r\n<strong>So, ask yourself this one simple question:</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>What does the customer/ client have to know about my product or service?</em>\r\n\r\nOnce you have the answer to this question, your content marketing, copywriting, and especially your customer/client interaction, will all be easier.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">If you need help figuring out what your customers should know about your product or service, get in touch! I can help.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What does the customer have to know?','','inherit','open','open','','3077-revision-v1','','','2015-10-27 09:30:27','2015-10-27 13:30:27','',3077,'http://deborahbrody.com/2015/10/3077-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),
