(1541,4,'2012-01-17 15:19:21','2012-01-17 15:19:21','The last post here was about why writing skills might be in decline, and my assertion that it is because people are not reading enough. Today, Gini Dietrich writes in her S<a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/reading-fiction-helps-your-career/\" target=\"_blank\">pin Sucks blog that reading fiction is beneficial to your career</a> because, among other benefits, it helps fine-tune you social skills, especially your empathy.\n\nSo, in addition to helping you recognize good writing, expose you to new worlds, teach you new vocabulary and ways of seeing, reading can help you build better connections and be better at work.\n\nYet, reading alone will not result in a fabulous, well rounded writer/emotionally intelligent being. <strong>You have to practice. You have to interact.</strong> Someone whose nose is always in a book, and who never emerges to deal with the real world is probably not going to be very emotionally intelligent. Also, if you never write and get edited, your writing is never going to improve.\n\nThe Costa Concordia, in case you haven\'t seen the news in the past two days, is a luxury Mediterranean cruise ship that ran aground near Italy, and sank, killing at least six people onboard.  Last night, on the CBS News, it was reported that the crew did not initially inform the passengers appropriately about the impending disaster. They downplayed the danger, and that led to chaos. Some passengers took matters into their own hands.\n\nIt seems that people\'s first reaction to bad news is disbelief. They act as if nothing is wrong. Perhaps that\'s what happened to the Costa Concordia\'s crew. Unfortunately, this type of disbelief can lead to tragedy.  There is a also desire to minimize problems.\n\nThis is why crisis communication training is so important. When crisis happens, reliable information is key. Denial and misinformation','More about reading; and thoughts about the Costa Concordia','','inherit','open','open','','1540-revision','','','2012-01-17 15:19:21','2012-01-17 15:19:21','',1540,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1540-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1542,4,'2012-01-17 15:20:05','2012-01-17 15:20:05','The last post here was about why writing skills might be in decline, and my assertion that it is because people are not reading enough. Today, Gini Dietrich writes in her S<a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/reading-fiction-helps-your-career/\" target=\"_blank\">pin Sucks blog that reading fiction is beneficial to your career</a> because, among other benefits, it helps fine-tune you social skills, especially your empathy.\r\n\r\nSo, in addition to helping you recognize good writing, expose you to new worlds, teach you new vocabulary and ways of seeing, reading can help you build better connections and be better at work.\r\n\r\nYet, reading alone will not result in a fabulous, well rounded writer/emotionally intelligent being. <strong>You have to practice. You have to interact.</strong> Someone whose nose is always in a book, and who never emerges to deal with the real world is probably not going to be very emotionally intelligent. Also, if you never write and get edited, your writing is never going to improve.\r\n\r\nThe Costa Concordia, in case you haven\'t seen the news in the past two days, is a luxury Mediterranean cruise ship that ran aground near Italy, and sank, killing at least six people onboard.  Last night, on the CBS News, it was reported that the crew did not initially inform the passengers appropriately about the impending disaster. They downplayed the danger, and that led to chaos. Some passengers took matters into their own hands.\r\n\r\nIt seems that people\'s first reaction to bad news is disbelief. They act as if nothing is wrong. Perhaps that\'s what happened to the Costa Concordia\'s crew. Unfortunately, this type of disbelief can lead to tragedy.  There is a also desire to minimize problems.\r\n\r\nThis is why crisis communication training is so important. When crisis happens, reliable information is key. Denial and misinformation will make a bad situation worse.\r\n\r\nAny thoughts? Please share in the comments.','More about reading; and thoughts about the Costa Concordia','','inherit','open','open','','1540-revision-2','','','2012-01-17 15:20:05','2012-01-17 15:20:05','',1540,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1540-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1543,4,'2012-01-17 22:06:37','2012-01-17 22:06:37','The last post here was about why writing skills might be in decline, and my assertion that it is because people are not reading enough. Today, Gini Dietrich writes in her S<a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/reading-fiction-helps-your-career/\" target=\"_blank\">pin Sucks blog that reading fiction is beneficial to your career</a> because, among other benefits, it helps fine-tune you social skills, especially your empathy.\n\nSo, in addition to helping you recognize good writing, expose you to new worlds, teach you new vocabulary and ways of seeing, reading can help you build better connections and be better at work.\n\nYet, reading alone will not result in a fabulous, well rounded writer/emotionally intelligent being. <strong>You have to practice. You have to interact.</strong> Someone whose nose is always in a book, and who never emerges to deal with the real world is probably not going to be very emotionally intelligent. Also, if you never write and get edited, your writing is never going to improve.\n\nThe Costa Concordia, in case you haven\'t seen the news in the past two days, is a luxury Mediterranean cruise ship that ran aground near Italy, and sank, killing at least six people onboard.  Last night, on the CBS News, it was reported that the crew did not initially inform the passengers appropriately about the impending disaster. They downplayed the danger, and that led to chaos. Some passengers took matters into their own hands.\n\nIt seems that people\'s first reaction to bad news is disbelief. They act as if nothing is wrong. Perhaps that\'s what happened to the Costa Concordia\'s crew. Unfortunately, this type of disbelief can lead to tragedy.  There is a also desire to minimize problems.\n\nThis is why crisis communication training is so important. When crisis happens, reliable information is key. Denial and misinformation will make a bad situation worse.\n\nAny thoughts? Please share in the comments.','More about reading; and thoughts about the Costa Concordia','','inherit','open','open','','1540-autosave','','','2012-01-17 22:06:37','2012-01-17 22:06:37','',1540,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1540-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1545,4,'2012-01-19 16:09:30','2012-01-19 16:09:30','Inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing--which is better?\n\nClearly, if you are a business looking for customers, inbound marketing, where people come to you, is better. If potential customers find you, without you having to go out to find them, means something is attracting them to your offering.\n\nOutbound marketing is where you are spending time and money to find prospective customers who are not otherwise attracted to your offering. It is harder and more costly.\n\nLately, I have seen a variation of inbound marketing,which is the attempt by businesses to find vendors (not customers)  by asking people to apply for the job.  Similarly, some employers find employees by advertising a position and accepting resumes for it, which often results in receiving an overwhelming amount of resumes where a high percentage of the applicants are not suited for the job. This is why some employers hire headhunters, who search for someone fulfilling the exact qualifications the employer is looking for.\n\nToday I came across this posting:\n<blockquote>I am launching a small site for my new business and I am in need of a copywriter to polish the content on the site.\n\nIt is a small project about 5 pages tops.\n\nIf you\'re interested please send me a description of your experience, contact information, and your hourly rate.\n\nNo resumes please. Convince me.</blockquote>\nWhen I saw this, I was intrigued at first and considered \"applying.\" Then , on second thought, I asked myself why this person would put up a posting  like this. First of all, she describes it as a small project. This is probably code for low-budget. And then, that last sentence: Convince me. She is looking for someone to blow her away. It doesn\'t look like a promising situation because it seems this person is looking for someone to write amazing copy at a cut rate price, which may be good for her but not very good for me.\n\nIs this how you find vendors? I don\'t. I have found vendors by using several ways:\n<ul>\n	<li>Asking trusted sources</li>\n	<li>Searching for vendors who do what I need (for example, doing a Google search of flooring sales in Rockville)</li>\n	<li>Using ratings websites like Angie\'s List</li>\n</ul>\nIn this way, I am in control of the vendors I contact. And for the vendors, it is inbound marketing, which is more efficient.\n\nWhat do you say? If you are a vendor, do you (should you) respond to these queries? If you are looking for a vendor, is this the best way to go?\n\n&nbsp;','How do you find vendors (or employees)?','','inherit','open','open','','1544-revision','','','2012-01-19 16:09:30','2012-01-19 16:09:30','',1544,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1544-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1546,4,'2012-01-20 15:59:07','2012-01-20 15:59:07','Show <em>and</em> tell.  Sure you can just show, or you can just tell, but believe me, doing both will be more effective. I promise.\r\n\r\nWhat makes me even write about this? Well, it turns out I am in the market for some dining room furniture, and have been looking through Craigslist to see if I can find anything appropriate and within budget. In any case, I have come across a great many postings that say something like this:\r\n\r\nLike new dining room set with 6 chairs, extension leaf. Contemporary style.\r\n\r\nBut there is no picture. No picture for me to see if I like the style or the color or anything. You have to have a picture if you want to sell a dining room set...or anything else that people buy based on looks!\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell, and show.</strong>\r\n\r\nShowing alone doesn\'t do the trick either. Some people (and many of these are marketers who paid lots and lots of money for a fine looking website/brochure/advertisement) think fancy graphics and beautiful design will compensate for a lack of content.\r\n\r\nNo. No. No.\r\n\r\nA potential client was telling me she was looking for \"sexy\" copy to relaunch her website. I asked her if she could point to websites in her field that she deemed to be \"sexy.\" She sent me to a much more attractive website than hers. But guess what, the content was just as deadly dull and meaningless as hers. It just looked better (ok, much better).\r\n\r\n<strong>Show, and tell.</strong>\r\n\r\nPretty but empty does not sell your product or service. People need information--both visual and intellectual--to make a buying decision.','Show and tell','','publish','open','open','','show-and-tell','','','2012-01-20 15:59:07','2012-01-20 15:59:07','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1546',0,'post','',0),(1547,4,'2012-01-20 15:58:26','2012-01-20 15:58:26','Show <em>and</em> tell.  Sure you can just show, or you can just tell, but believe me, doing both will be more effective. I promise.\n\nWhat makes me even write about this? Well, it turns out I am in the market for some dining room furniture, and have been looking through Craigslist to see if I can find anything appropriate and within budget. In any case, I have come across a great many postings that say something like this:\n\nLike new dining room set with 6 chairs, extension leaf. Contemporary style.\n\nBut there is no picture. No picture for me to see if I like the style or the color or anything. You have to have a picture if you want to sell a dining room set...or anything else that people buy based on looks!\n\n<strong>Tell, and show.</strong>\n\nShowing alone doesn\'t do the trick either. Some people (and many of these are marketers who paid lots and lots of money for a fine looking website/brochure/advertisement) think fancy graphics and beautiful design will compensate for a lack of content.\n\nNo. No. No.\n\nA potential client was telling me she was looking for \"sexy\" copy to relaunch her website. I asked her if she could point to websites in her field that she deemed to be \"sexy.\" She sent me to a much more attractive website than hers. But guess what, the content was just as deadly dull and meaningless as hers. It just looked better (ok, much better).\n\n<strong>Show, and tell.</strong>\n\nPretty but empty does not sell your product or service. People need information--both visual and intellectual--to make a buying decision.','Show and tell','','inherit','open','open','','1546-revision','','','2012-01-20 15:58:26','2012-01-20 15:58:26','',1546,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1546-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1548,4,'2012-01-20 16:00:18','2012-01-20 16:00:18','Show <em>and</em> tell.  Sure you can just show, or you can just tell, but believe me, doing both will be more effective. I promise.\n\nWhat makes me even write about this? Well, it turns out I am in the market for some dining room furniture, and have been looking through Craigslist to see if I can find anything appropriate and within budget. In any case, I have come across a great many postings that say something like this:\n\nLike new dining room set with 6 chairs, extension leaf. Contemporary style.\n\nBut there is no picture. No picture for me to see if I like the style or the color or anything. You have to have a picture if you want to sell a dining room set...or anything else that people buy based on looks!\n\n<strong>Tell, and show.</strong>\n\nShowing alone doesn\'t do the trick either. Some people (and many of these are marketers who paid lots and lots of money for a fine looking website/brochure/advertisement) think fancy graphics and beautiful design will compensate for a lack of content.\n\nNo. No. No.\n\nA potential client was telling me she was looking for \"sexy\" copy to relaunch her website. I asked her if she could point to websites in her field that she deemed to be \"sexy.\" She sent me to a much more attractive website than hers. But guess what, the content was just as deadly dull and meaningless as hers. It just looked better (ok, much better).\n\n<strong>Show, and tell.</strong>\n\nPretty but empty does not sell your product or service. People need information--both visual and intellectual--to make a buying decision.','Show and tell','','inherit','open','open','','1546-autosave','','','2012-01-20 16:00:18','2012-01-20 16:00:18','',1546,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1546-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1549,4,'2012-01-23 15:12:16','2012-01-23 15:12:16','Have you ever been watching TV and seen a commercial that falls flat or that outright offends you? I bet you have. I have: the Go Daddy commercials from last year\'s Super Bowl, for example, were way offensive and sexist. So, how did they make it to such a massive audience? Why did they get made at all?\r\n\r\nI think the answer lies in some nuggets from this <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/black-women-in-america/?hpid=z2\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey</a> of black women in America. If you read through the poll (especially the last few questions about sexism and racism compared to black men, white women and white men), you see that each group views the world differently. For instance, a number that is really indicative, is that 55% of white men think the world is fair to everyone, versus 34% of black women and 47% of white women. (In my opinion, the world is fairest to white men, so therefore they think the world is fair for everyone.)\r\n\r\nAnother telling statistic is that more black women (36%) think sexism is a big problem in society than white men (12%). Again, white men do not experience much sexism, so it does not affect them as a group, and they conclude it is not a big problem in society.\r\n\r\n<strong>Different people experience the world differently</strong>. Marketers need to be aware of this since we are often swayed by our own experience of the world. This is why certain white male politicians have no problems indicting a whole class of people for being lazy or for not believing in the American dream.\r\n\r\nSo the next time you see an ad that seems to be tone-deaf you will know that it was created by someone who doesn\'t understand that his/her experience is not reflective of the world as a whole.\r\n\r\nYour thoughts?\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC newsletter yet? It will take about 5 seconds to sign up right there on the upper right hand side of this page.</strong>','Why so many ads fail','','publish','open','open','','why-so-many-ads-fail','','','2012-01-23 15:12:16','2012-01-23 15:12:16','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1549',0,'post','',0),(1550,4,'2012-01-23 15:11:40','2012-01-23 15:11:40','Have you ever been watching TV and seen a commercial that falls flat or that outright offends you? I bet you have. I have: the Go Daddy commercials from last year\'s Super Bowl, for example, were way offensive and sexist. So, how did they make it to such a massive audience? Why did they get made at all?\n\nI think the answer lies in some nuggets from this <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/black-women-in-america/?hpid=z2\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey</a> of black women in America. If you read through the poll (especially the last few questions about sexism and racism compared to black men, white women and white men), you see that each group views the world differently. For instance, a number that is really indicative, is that 55% of white men think the world is fair to everyone, versus 34% of black women and 47% of white women. (In my opinion, the world is fairest to white men, so therefore they think the world is fair for everyone.)\n\nAnother telling statistic is that more black women (36%) think sexism is a big problem in society than white men (12%). Again, white men do not experience much sexism, so it does not affect them as a group, and they conclude it is not a big problem in society.\n\n<strong>Different people experience the world differently</strong>. Marketers need to be aware of this since we are often swayed by our own experience of the world. This is why certain white male politicians have no problems indicting a whole class of people for being lazy or for not believing in the American dream.\n\nSo the next time you see an ad that seems to be tone-deaf you will know that it was created by someone who doesn\'t understand that his/her experience is not reflective of the world as a whole.\n\nYour thoughts?\n\nHave you signed up for the DBMC newsletter yet? It will take about 5 seconds to sign up right there on the upper right hand side of this page.','Why so many ads fail','','inherit','open','open','','1549-revision','','','2012-01-23 15:11:40','2012-01-23 15:11:40','',1549,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1549-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1551,4,'2012-01-23 15:13:27','2012-01-23 15:13:27','Have you ever been watching TV and seen a commercial that falls flat or that outright offends you? I bet you have. I have: the Go Daddy commercials from last year\'s Super Bowl, for example, were way offensive and sexist. So, how did they make it to such a massive audience? Why did they get made at all?\n\nI think the answer lies in some nuggets from this <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/black-women-in-america/?hpid=z2\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey</a> of black women in America. If you read through the poll (especially the last few questions about sexism and racism compared to black men, white women and white men), you see that each group views the world differently. For instance, a number that is really indicative, is that 55% of white men think the world is fair to everyone, versus 34% of black women and 47% of white women. (In my opinion, the world is fairest to white men, so therefore they think the world is fair for everyone.)\n\nAnother telling statistic is that more black women (36%) think sexism is a big problem in society than white men (12%). Again, white men do not experience much sexism, so it does not affect them as a group, and they conclude it is not a big problem in society.\n\n<strong>Different people experience the world differently</strong>. Marketers need to be aware of this since we are often swayed by our own experience of the world. This is why certain white male politicians have no problems indicting a whole class of people for being lazy or for not believing in the American dream.\n\nSo the next time you see an ad that seems to be tone-deaf you will know that it was created by someone who doesn\'t understand that his/her experience is not reflective of the world as a whole.\n\nYour thoughts?\n\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC newsletter yet? It will take about 5 seconds to sign up right there on the upper right hand side of this page.</strong>','Why so many ads fail','','inherit','open','open','','1549-autosave','','','2012-01-23 15:13:27','2012-01-23 15:13:27','',1549,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1549-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1552,4,'2012-01-24 17:52:01','2012-01-24 17:52:01','Wishing people a happy birthday has become uber popular thanks to Facebook. The social network reminds you that it is your \"friend\'s\" birthday and makes super easy for you to post those two two words \"Happy Birthday\" on his/her wall. Oh yes, some people get more creative and wish you a great day, or to have fun.  Depending on the number of friends you have, you could get dozens, if not hundreds, of greetings.\r\n\r\nDoes this mean that birthdays are more important now than ever? Is Facebook tapping into the little girl/boy in everyone who just loves her/his birthday and the celebration of it?\r\n\r\nI think the birthday greeting phenomenon points to several things:\r\n\r\n<strong>Facebook has made it easy to connect without really connecting.</strong> Posting Happy Birthday on someone\'s wall is easy. Writing a card or an email or (gasp) picking up the phone and calling, now that takes some effort.\r\n\r\n<strong>Facebook is ruling our lives.</strong> If Facebook reminds us, then we remember somebody\'s birthday. If not, it is like it doesn\'t exist. Some people are living their lives on Facebook--using it to announce milestones (births, engagements, divorces), snub people, brag, proselytize, look for sympathy (oh...I am so sad says the status update).\r\n\r\n<strong>Facebook gives us a false sense of belonging.</strong> This is a corollary to my first point. We think that if 100 people wish us happy birthday it must mean something. I assure you, it means little to nothing.\r\n\r\n<strong>Facebook has made a decision to promote birthdays, and we are all blindly following.</strong> I don\'t see Facebook promoting anniversaries, or job promotions, do you? We have seen how Facebook arbitrarily decides what we should care about--witness the new time line or the highlighted stories in the news feed--and we are powerless to change it.\r\n\r\nLet me be clear--I am not against birthdays. Heck, there are fewer things I enjoy more than birthday cake (sheet cake, preferably chocolate, with some vanilla frosting...yuml). I am just against the new world Facebook is creating for us and the sheeplike way we are all following it.\r\n\r\nIf you aren\'t on Facebook, does it mean you don\'t have a birthday?\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC quarterly enewsletter? First issue of 2012 is coming up in February.  Enter your name and email address on the upper right-hand side of this page.</strong>','\'Cause it\'s your birthday','','publish','open','open','','cause-its-your-birthday','','','2012-01-24 17:52:01','2012-01-24 17:52:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1552',0,'post','',0),(1553,4,'2012-01-24 17:51:47','2012-01-24 17:51:47','Wishing people a happy birthday has become uber popular thanks to Facebook. The social network reminds you that it is your \"friend\'s\" birthday and makes super easy for you to post those two two words \"Happy Birthday\" on his/her wall. Oh yes, some people get more creative and wish you a great day, or to have fun.  Depending on the number of friends you have, you could get dozens, if not hundreds, of greetings.\n\nDoes this mean that birthdays are more important now than ever? Is Facebook tapping into the little girl/boy in everyone who just loves her/his birthday and the celebration of it?\n\nI think the birthday greeting phenomenon points to several things:\n\n<strong>Facebook has made it easy to connect without really connecting.</strong> Posting Happy Birthday on someone\'s wall is easy. Writing a card or an email or (gasp) picking up the phone and calling, now that takes some effort.\n\n<strong>Facebook is ruling our lives.</strong> If Facebook reminds us, then we remember somebody\'s birthday. If not, it is like it doesn\'t exist. Some people are living their lives on Facebook--using it to announce milestones (births, engagements, divorces), snub people, brag, proselytize, look for sympathy (oh...I am so sad says the status update).\n\n<strong>Facebook gives us a false sense of belonging.</strong> This is a corollary to my first point. We think that if 100 people wish us happy birthday it must mean something. I assure you, it means little to nothing.\n\n<strong>Facebook has made a decision to promote birthdays, and we are all blindly following.</strong> I don\'t see Facebook promoting anniversaries, or job promotions, do you? We have seen how Facebook arbitrarily decides what we should care about--witness the new time line or the highlighted stories in the news feed--and we are powerless to change it.\n\nLet me be clear--I am not against birthdays. Heck, there are fewer things I enjoy more than birthday cake (sheet cake, preferably chocolate, with some vanilla frosting...yuml). I am just against the new world Facebook is creating for us and the sheeplike way we are all following it.\n\nIf you aren\'t on Facebook, does it mean you don\'t have a birthday?\n\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC quarterly enewsletter? First issue of 2012 is coming up in February.  Enter your name and email address on the upper right-hand side of this page.</strong>','\'Cause it\'s your birthday','','inherit','open','open','','1552-revision','','','2012-01-24 17:51:47','2012-01-24 17:51:47','',1552,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1552-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1555,4,'2012-01-31 15:02:34','2012-01-31 15:02:34','Although pander has some decidedly unsavory definitions (t<a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pandering\" target=\"_blank\">o act as a go-between in sexual intrigues, for example</a>) I am using this definition: to cater or to indulge.\n\nPoliticians seem to be always pandering, saying things they think cater to the audience they are speaking to or trying to appeal to. We saw this a week ago, when President Obama gave his State of the Union speech and he most decidedly pandered to the people who think they are on the short end of the wealth stick in this country. Here\'s an excerpt:\n<blockquote>We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.</blockquote>\nAnd then this:\n<blockquote>So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.</blockquote>\nTo me it\'s clear Obama thinks he needs these people to vote for him in November.\n\nThen there is Newt Gingrich pandering to the Jewish vote in Florida by <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/newt-slams-romney-on-kosher-food-112783.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying that Romney voted to eliminate serving kosher food to elderly people under Medicaid. </a>\n\nRick Santorum (and when they were stiPerry and Bachmann) panders to the homophobic vote (although he probably calls it the family values vote) by opposing same-sex marriage.\n\nWe have seen all GOP candidates this year pander to the racist vote by emphasizing that Obama is an other (Gingrich called him a \"food stamp president\" and the other called him a socialist and other choice descriptors).\n\nIn short, politicians will say anything to get a vote. The problem with pandering is that it assumes the audience can\'t see it is being pandered to. And then there is the fact that different audiences might have conflicting needs from one another and the candidate that panders to one might necessarily offend another or end up contradicting him/herself.\n\nIn marketing, we do believe in tailoring a message to the target audience. However, we also believe that message should be clear and CONSISTENT.  If a business employed a shifting message strategy, it would quickly lose customers. Why do we tolerate this shift from politicians?\n\n&nbsp;','Politicians, pandering and the shifting message','','inherit','open','open','','1554-revision','','','2012-01-31 15:02:34','2012-01-31 15:02:34','',1554,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1554-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1556,4,'2012-01-31 17:38:42','2012-01-31 17:38:42','Although pander has some decidedly unsavory definitions (t<a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pandering\" target=\"_blank\">o act as a go-between in sexual intrigues, for example</a>) I am using this definition: to cater or to indulge.\n\nPoliticians seem to be always pandering, saying things they think cater to the audience they are speaking to or trying to appeal to. We saw this a week ago, when President Obama gave his State of the Union speech and he most decidedly pandered to the people who think they are on the short end of the wealth stick in this country. Here\'s an excerpt:\n<blockquote>We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.</blockquote>\nAnd then this:\n<blockquote>So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.</blockquote>\nTo me it\'s clear Obama thinks he needs these people to vote for him in November.\n\nThen there is Newt Gingrich pandering to the Jewish vote in Florida by <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/newt-slams-romney-on-kosher-food-112783.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying that Romney voted to eliminate serving kosher food to elderly people under Medicaid. </a>\n\nRick Santorum (and when they were still in the race, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann) panders to the homophobic vote (although he probably calls it the family values vote) by opposing same-sex marriage.\n\nWe have seen all GOP candidates this year pander to the racist vote by emphasizing that Obama is an \"other\" (Gingrich called him a \"food stamp president\" and the other candidates have called him everything from a socialist to other negative descriptors).\n\nIn short, politicians will say anything to get a vote. The problem with pandering is that it assumes the audience can\'t see it is being pandered to. And then there is the fact that different audiences might have conflicting needs from one another and the candidate that panders to one might necessarily offend another or end up contradicting him/herself.\n\nIn marketing, we believe in tailoring a message to the target audience. However, we also believe that messages should be clear and CONSISTENT.  If a business employed a shifting message strategy, it would quickly lose customers. Why do we tolerate this shift from politicians?\n\n<strong>ADDENDUM</strong>: Just came across this piece on CNN.com: <a href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/31/opinion/navarrette-immigration-gop/index.html?hpt=hp_t1\" target=\"_blank\">Latinos won\'t forget Romney\'s anti-immigrant talk</a>. Author Ruben Navarrette says this:\n<blockquote>the dishonest and cynical way in which the former governor of Massachusetts has dealt with the immigration issue on the campaign trail shows that he has a problem being consistent.</blockquote>\nNavarrette goes on to discuss how Romney held a strong line against amnesty, but now has softened his approach to PANDER to the Latino vote.\n<blockquote>Now as he competes this week for Hispanic votes in Florida -- and, on Feb 4, in Nevada, where Latinos account for 26.5 percent of the population -- Romney must be hoping that Latinos have bad memories.\n\nWe don\'t. We never forget a slight. And, in that respect, Romney has given us plenty to remember.</blockquote>','Politicians, pandering and the shifting message','','inherit','open','open','','1554-autosave','','','2012-01-31 17:38:42','2012-01-31 17:38:42','',1554,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1554-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1557,4,'2012-01-31 15:03:08','2012-01-31 15:03:08','Although pander has some decidedly unsavory definitions (t<a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pandering\" target=\"_blank\">o act as a go-between in sexual intrigues, for example</a>) I am using this definition: to cater or to indulge.\r\n\r\nPoliticians seem to be always pandering, saying things they think cater to the audience they are speaking to or trying to appeal to. We saw this a week ago, when President Obama gave his State of the Union speech and he most decidedly pandered to the people who think they are on the short end of the wealth stick in this country. Here\'s an excerpt:\r\n<blockquote>We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.</blockquote>\r\nAnd then this:\r\n<blockquote>So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.</blockquote>\r\nTo me it\'s clear Obama thinks he needs these people to vote for him in November.\r\n\r\nThen there is Newt Gingrich pandering to the Jewish vote in Florida by <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/newt-slams-romney-on-kosher-food-112783.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying that Romney voted to eliminate serving kosher food to elderly people under Medicaid. </a>\r\n\r\nRick Santorum (and when they were still in the race, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann) panders to the homophobic vote (although he probably calls it the family values vote) by opposing same-sex marriage.\r\n\r\nWe have seen all GOP candidates this year pander to the racist vote by emphasizing that Obama is an other (Gingrich called him a \"food stamp president\" and the other called him a socialist and other choice descriptors).\r\n\r\nIn short, politicians will say anything to get a vote. The problem with pandering is that it assumes the audience can\'t see it is being pandered to. And then there is the fact that different audiences might have conflicting needs from one another and the candidate that panders to one might necessarily offend another or end up contradicting him/herself.\r\n\r\nIn marketing, we do believe in tailoring a message to the target audience. However, we also believe that message should be clear and CONSISTENT.  If a business employed a shifting message strategy, it would quickly lose customers. Why do we tolerate this shift from politicians?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Politicians, pandering and the shifting message','','inherit','open','open','','1554-revision-2','','','2012-01-31 15:03:08','2012-01-31 15:03:08','',1554,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1554-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1558,4,'2012-01-31 15:05:32','2012-01-31 15:05:32','Although pander has some decidedly unsavory definitions (t<a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pandering\" target=\"_blank\">o act as a go-between in sexual intrigues, for example</a>) I am using this definition: to cater or to indulge.\r\n\r\nPoliticians seem to be always pandering, saying things they think cater to the audience they are speaking to or trying to appeal to. We saw this a week ago, when President Obama gave his State of the Union speech and he most decidedly pandered to the people who think they are on the short end of the wealth stick in this country. Here\'s an excerpt:\r\n<blockquote>We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.</blockquote>\r\nAnd then this:\r\n<blockquote>So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.</blockquote>\r\nTo me it\'s clear Obama thinks he needs these people to vote for him in November.\r\n\r\nThen there is Newt Gingrich pandering to the Jewish vote in Florida by <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/newt-slams-romney-on-kosher-food-112783.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying that Romney voted to eliminate serving kosher food to elderly people under Medicaid. </a>\r\n\r\nRick Santorum (and when they were still in the race, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann) panders to the homophobic vote (although he probably calls it the family values vote) by opposing same-sex marriage.\r\n\r\nWe have seen all GOP candidates this year pander to the racist vote by emphasizing that Obama is an other (Gingrich called him a \"food stamp president\" and the other called him a socialist and other choice descriptors).\r\n\r\nIn short, politicians will say anything to get a vote. The problem with pandering is that it assumes the audience can\'t see it is being pandered to. And then there is the fact that different audiences might have conflicting needs from one another and the candidate that panders to one might necessarily offend another or end up contradicting him/herself.\r\n\r\nIn marketing, we believe in tailoring a message to the target audience. However, we also believe that messages should be clear and CONSISTENT.  If a business employed a shifting message strategy, it would quickly lose customers. Why do we tolerate this shift from politicians?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Politicians, pandering and the shifting message','','inherit','open','open','','1554-revision-3','','','2012-01-31 15:05:32','2012-01-31 15:05:32','',1554,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1554-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1559,4,'2012-01-31 15:24:41','2012-01-31 15:24:41','Although pander has some decidedly unsavory definitions (t<a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pandering\" target=\"_blank\">o act as a go-between in sexual intrigues, for example</a>) I am using this definition: to cater or to indulge.\r\n\r\nPoliticians seem to be always pandering, saying things they think cater to the audience they are speaking to or trying to appeal to. We saw this a week ago, when President Obama gave his State of the Union speech and he most decidedly pandered to the people who think they are on the short end of the wealth stick in this country. Here\'s an excerpt:\r\n<blockquote>We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.</blockquote>\r\nAnd then this:\r\n<blockquote>So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.</blockquote>\r\nTo me it\'s clear Obama thinks he needs these people to vote for him in November.\r\n\r\nThen there is Newt Gingrich pandering to the Jewish vote in Florida by <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/newt-slams-romney-on-kosher-food-112783.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying that Romney voted to eliminate serving kosher food to elderly people under Medicaid. </a>\r\n\r\nRick Santorum (and when they were still in the race, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann) panders to the homophobic vote (although he probably calls it the family values vote) by opposing same-sex marriage.\r\n\r\nWe have seen all GOP candidates this year pander to the racist vote by emphasizing that Obama is an other (Gingrich called him a \"food stamp president\" and the other called him a socialist and other choice descriptors).\r\n\r\nIn short, politicians will say anything to get a vote. The problem with pandering is that it assumes the audience can\'t see it is being pandered to. And then there is the fact that different audiences might have conflicting needs from one another and the candidate that panders to one might necessarily offend another or end up contradicting him/herself.\r\n<blockquote>In marketing, we believe in tailoring a message to the target audience. However, we also believe that messages should be clear and CONSISTENT.  If a business employed a shifting message strategy, it would quickly lose customers. Why do we tolerate this shift from politicians?</blockquote>\r\nADDENDUM: Just came across this piece on CNN.com: <a href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/31/opinion/navarrette-immigration-gop/index.html?hpt=hp_t1\" target=\"_blank\">Latinos won\'t forget Romney\'s anti-immigrant talk</a>. Author Ruben Navarrette says this:\r\n<blockquote>the dishonest and cynical way in which the former governor of Massachusetts has dealt with the immigration issue on the campaign trail shows that he has a problem being consistent.</blockquote>\r\nNavarrette goes on to discuss how Romney held a strong line against amnesty, but now has softened his approach to PANDER to the Latino vote.\r\n<blockquote>Now as he competes this week for Hispanic votes in Florida -- and, on Feb 4, in Nevada, where Latinos account for 26.5 percent of the population -- Romney must be hoping that Latinos have bad memories.\r\n\r\nWe don\'t. We never forget a slight. And, in that respect, Romney has given us plenty to remember.</blockquote>','Politicians, pandering and the shifting message','','inherit','open','open','','1554-revision-4','','','2012-01-31 15:24:41','2012-01-31 15:24:41','',1554,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/01/1554-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1561,4,'2012-02-01 15:44:28','2012-02-01 15:44:28','Perhaps you spent lots of money and lots of time creating your website. You hired experts to design it and build it. And yet, you are not seeing the results you want. Why? It could be many things, or just one thing, but here are several failures I have found:\r\n\r\n<strong>No contact information or not enough contact information.</strong> I just visited a website this week in which the contact us is strictly the customer service line. If you want to reach the actual corporate offices (you know, to speak to accounting, HR, marketing), you are out of luck.\r\n\r\n<strong>Omission of important information/details.</strong> This week I visited the website for an upcoming PR event. Guess what information was not available ANYWHERE: the actual location of the event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Too much information on the home page.</strong> Some websites have a very information heavy home page to the point that it is headache inducing.\r\n\r\n<strong>An about page that doesn\'t say anything.</strong>  The about page is your chance to explain who you are. Why use circular language and jargon that says nothing about you?\r\n\r\n<strong>An ugly, dated design</strong>. Makes you look out of touch or cheap or both.\r\n\r\n<strong>You have music.</strong> Enough said.\r\n\r\nReaders, what have you run across that makes a website fail?','Is your website a communications failure?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-website-a-communications-failure','','','2012-02-01 15:44:28','2012-02-01 15:44:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1561',0,'post','',0),(1562,4,'2012-02-01 15:43:42','2012-02-01 15:43:42','Perhaps you spent lots of money and lots of time creating your website. You hired experts to design it and build it. And yet, you are not seeing the results you want. Why? It could be many things, or just one thing, but here are several failures I have found:\n\n<strong>No contact information or not enough contact information.</strong> I just visited a website this week in which the contact us is strictly the customer service line. If you want to reach the actual corporate offices (you know, to speak to accounting, HR, marketing), you are out of luck.\n\n<strong>Omission of important information/details.</strong> This week I visited the website for an upcoming PR event. Guess what information was not available ANYWHERE: the actual location of the event.\n\n<strong>Too much information on the home page.</strong> Some websites have a very information heavy home page to the point that it is headache inducing.\n\n<strong>An about page that doesn\'t say anything.</strong>  The about page is your chance to explain who you are. Why use circular language and jargon that says nothing about you?\n\n<strong>An ugly, dated design</strong>. Makes you look out of touch or cheap or both.\n\n<strong>You have music.</strong> Enough said.\n\nReaders, what have you run across that makes a website fail?','Is your website a communications failure?','','inherit','open','open','','1561-revision','','','2012-02-01 15:43:42','2012-02-01 15:43:42','',1561,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1561-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1564,4,'2012-02-02 16:43:04','2012-02-02 16:43:04','Personality matters in marketing, especially if you are marketing yourself. Personality affects the tone of your marketing efforts, and in the case of ego, what you highlight and what you don\'t.\r\n\r\nSince personality and ego are well, personal, we often don\'t discuss them as part of our communications strategy. But we should. Having a bad attitude or an insufferably big ego can and will derail marketing and communications efforts.\r\n\r\nWhat do I mean? Perhaps by now you have heard of the fracas that has ensued from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to defund Planned Parenthood. I am not going to discuss the politics of it, but I will discuss the communications aspect of it. Komen did not handle communications well at all. Planned Parenthood actually took the news and made it into a fundraising point, while Komen was silent. Not even answering calls from the news media (they provided no comment to CBS Evening News for example). Komen has also been deleting negative comments from its Facebook page.\r\n\r\nIt seems as though Komen did not anticipate or prepare for the backlash of this decision, and therefore has allowed its critics to transform the message (Komen is playing politics with women\'s lives). Why? <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In my opinion, Komen is a victim of big ego.</span> Komen seems to believe that because it is such a large, and up to now, well respected, organization, that its donors will support whatever it does. But Komen miscalculated.  Komen allowed ego to get in the way of having a smart communications strategy that would explain its decision, defend it and keep supporters happy.\r\n\r\n<strong>It is important to remember that companies and organizations are run by individuals, who have attitudes and personalities that influence how they act.</strong>\r\n\r\nOn an individual level, attitude is even more important when marketing. Last week, I attended an alumni event for my graduate school institution. As I was sitting and eating my appetizers, I saw a guy whom I recognized as an alum of my undergraduate institution.\r\n\r\nMe: \"Didn\'t you go to [name of school]?\r\n\r\nHim: \"Yes.\"\r\n\r\nMe: \"I thought I recognized you.\"\r\n\r\nHim: [no comment]\r\n\r\nThen I noticed that the other woman at the table had graduated from law school the same year as this guy (both had name tags with the name of the school and grad year). I pointed it out to both of them. She immediately tried to figure out if there was any connection. He didn\'t. As we continued this increasingly painful exchange, I asked him what law firm he works for. It turns out he is looking for a job in government and is doing tax preparation in the meantime.\r\n\r\nIf he had a better attitude, perhaps I would try to see if I know of any resources for him. But instead this man has a tremendously bad attitude, left a bad impression and apparently does not understand what networking is and what it can do for you.\r\n\r\nYour attitude matters because it determines how people react to you. If you have ever worked at a large organization with people at its helm that have big egos and/or bad attitudes, you know this impacts how the organization communicates and markets itself.  It could be that the CEO/President is a narcissist and thinks that all press releases should quote him/her. It could be that the VP of Communications shuts down any creative idea if it differs from his/her own. And so forth.\r\n\r\nNext time you have a marketing/communications failure, check to see if attitude, personality or ego had anything to do with it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC newsletter yet? First edition of the year is coming out next week. Sign up box is on the upper right hand side of this page.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When ego and attitude derail your marketing efforts','','publish','open','open','','when-ego-and-attitude-derail-your-marketing-efforts','','','2012-02-02 16:43:04','2012-02-02 16:43:04','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1564',0,'post','',1),(1565,4,'2012-02-02 16:42:57','2012-02-02 16:42:57','Personality matters in marketing, especially if you are marketing yourself. Personality affects the tone of your marketing efforts, and in the case of ego, what you highlight and what you don\'t.\n\nSince personality and ego are well, personal, we often don\'t discuss them as part of our communications strategy. But we should. Having a bad attitude or an insufferably big ego can and will derail marketing and communications efforts.\n\nWhat do I mean? Perhaps by now you have heard of the fracas that has ensued from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to defund Planned Parenthood. I am not going to discuss the politics of it, but I will discuss the communications aspect of it. Komen did not handle communications well at all. Planned Parenthood actually took the news and made it into a fundraising point, while Komen was silent. Not even answering calls from the news media (they provided no comment to CBS Evening News for example). Komen has also been deleting negative comments from its Facebook page.\n\nIt seems as though Komen did not anticipate or prepare for the backlash of this decision, and therefore has allowed its critics to transform the message (Komen is playing politics with women\'s lives). Why? <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In my opinion, Komen is a victim of big ego.</span> Komen seems to believe that because it is such a large, and up to now, well respected, organization, that its donors will support whatever it does. But Komen miscalculated.  Komen allowed ego to get in the way of having a smart communications strategy that would explain its decision, defend it and keep supporters happy.\n\n<strong>It is important to remember that companies and organizations are run by individuals, who have attitudes and personalities that influence how they act.</strong>\n\nOn an individual level, attitude is even more important when marketing. Last week, I attended an alumni event for my graduate school institution. As I was sitting and eating my appetizers, I saw a guy whom I recognized as an alum of my undergraduate institution.\n\nMe: \"Didn\'t you go to [name of school]?\n\nHim: \"Yes.\"\n\nMe: \"I thought I recognized you.\"\n\nHim: [no comment]\n\nThen I noticed that the other woman at the table had graduated from law school the same year as this guy (both had name tags with the name of the school and grad year). I pointed it out to both of them. She immediately tried to figure out if there was any connection. He didn\'t. As we continued this increasingly painful exchange, I asked him what law firm he works for. It turns out he is looking for a job in government and is doing tax preparation in the meantime.\n\nIf he had a better attitude, perhaps I would try to see if I know of any resources for him. But instead this man has a tremendously bad attitude, left a bad impression and apparently does not understand what networking is and what it can do for you.\n\nYour attitude matters because it determines how people react to you. If you have ever worked at a large organization with people at its helm that have big egos and/or bad attitudes, you know this impacts how the organization communicates and markets itself.  It could be that the CEO/President is a narcissist and thinks that all press releases should quote him/her. It could be that the VP of Communications shuts down any creative idea if it differs from his/her own. And so forth.\n\nNext time you have a marketing/communications failure, check to see if attitude, personality or ego had anything to do with it.\n\n<strong>Have you signed up for the DBMC newsletter yet? First edition of the year is coming out next week. Sign up box is on the upper right hand side of this page.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;','When ego and attitude derail your marketing efforts','','inherit','open','open','','1564-revision','','','2012-02-02 16:42:57','2012-02-02 16:42:57','',1564,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1564-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1573,4,'2012-02-10 20:41:06','2012-02-10 20:41:06','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In an <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/romneys-campaign-has-a-theme-personal-ambition/2012/02/09/gIQAPihW2Q_story.html?hpid=z3\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">op-ed piece in today\'s Washington Post</span></a>, Eugene Robinson argues that Mitt Romney, erstwhile front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, lacks a message. Robinson writes:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Criticism of Mitt Romney for lacking a coherent message is grossly unfair. He has been forthright, consistent and even eloquent in pressing home his campaign’s central theme: Mitt Romney <em>desperately</em> wants to be president.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">He goes on to say, that in spite having many differences of opinion with the Obama administration, Romney hasn\'t articulated an overall message. Robinson expresses it like this:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">My point is that even Romney’s sharp disagreements with Obama’s policies don’t add up to a philosophy or a vision. They’re more like what stuck after a bunch of random tough-sounding positions were thrown at the wall.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What are you fighting for?</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is not enough to be <em>against</em> something. You have to be <em>for</em> something. You have to stand for something that makes it clear who you are and what you will do. This is true for all politicians, nonprofits and even businesses. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Imagine if Coke were just the anti-Pepsi. That would not be enough. Instead, \"Coke is it,\" Coke is the \"real thing,\" Coke likes polar bears. You get my drift.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Having a positive (in that it not an \"against\" message) central unifying message cannot be underestimated. In fact, if the GOP loses in November it will be because the party has failed to articulate something other than they are against Obama. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Romney, and any other politician, would do well to take a step back and figure out what it is he wants to say, really. In his case, he needs to articulate better why his position (and the GOP\'s) is better for the economy, in positive terms. What exactly does Romney think the problem is, and more importantly, what is the solution.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','First, have a message','','publish','open','open','','first-have-a-message','','','2012-02-10 20:41:06','2012-02-10 20:41:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1573',0,'post','',0),(1575,4,'2012-02-13 16:09:23','0000-00-00 00:00:00','There are some real forehead slappers out there!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Most egregious communications mistakes','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-02-13 16:09:23','2012-02-13 16:09:23','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1575',0,'post','',0),(1568,4,'2012-02-03 15:45:28','2012-02-03 15:45:28','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the tremendous amount of negative press, critical comments and social media outrage regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood,we may be able to conclude that there is a rather large disconnect between the foundation\'s leadership/decision makers and its donor/support base. In fact, the decision has been received so poorly that it points to a top down decision-making approach that seems wholly ignorant of what supporters want.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It is an axiom of marketing (and of fund-raising) that you should understand and know your target audience.</strong> How can you market (or raise funds from) people you don\'t know? This is why marketers often use focus groups, surveys and other methods to determine just who makes up the customer/client/donor base.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I participated in the Komen Race for the Cure for two years. I am not sure if I ever got a survey from Komen. I did get tons of emails selling me Komen merchandise, which is why I unsubscribed and stopped supporting the organization.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of course hindsight is always 20/20 but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I believe that if Komen had done more to understand who supports the foundation and why, it may have avoided taking this decision and the huge firestorm of bad publicity that has followed. </span> Perhaps every time someone gives a donation or signs up for a race, Komen (or any other nonprofit), could send out a quick survey. In Komen\'s specific case it could have been as simple as a question asking:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Which of our programs do you feel has the most value?  (along with a checklist).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps if Komen had been aware that many people think Planned Parenthood provides good services, it would not have been so quick to pull funding and so ignorant about the potential outcry.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are multiple lessons to be learned from  the Komen debacle (PR and crisis communications matter, for one), none the least of is: <strong>KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE</strong> (customers, clients, donors, supporters)... and remember you work for them, and not the other way around.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Have you signed up to get my enewsletter? All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the upper right hand side of this page. Your name/email will not be shared.</strong></span>','Did Komen know much about its supporters?','','publish','open','open','','did-komen-know-much-about-its-supporters','','','2012-02-03 15:50:27','2012-02-03 15:50:27','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1568',0,'post','',0),(1569,4,'2012-02-03 15:44:49','2012-02-03 15:44:49','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the negative press, critical comments,  and social media outrage regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood, there seems to be a disconnect between the foundation\'s leadership/decision makers and its donor/support base. In fact, the decision has been received so poorly that it points to a top down decision-making approach that seems wholly ignorant of what supporters want.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It is an axiom of marketing (and of fund-raising) that you should understand and know your target audience.</strong> How can you market (or raise funds from) people you don\'t know? This is why marketers often use focus groups, surveys and other methods to determine just who makes up the customer/client/donor base.</span>\n\nI participated in the Komen Race for the Cure for two years. I am not sure if I ever got a survey from Komen. I did get tons of emails selling me Komen merchandise, which is why I unsubscribed and stopped supporting the organization.\n\nOf course hindsight is always 20/20 but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I believe that if Komen had done more to understand who supports the foundation and why, it may have avoided taking this decision and the huge firestorm of bad publicity that has followed. </span> Perhaps every time someone gives a donation or signs up for a race, Komen (or any other nonprofit), could send out a quick survey. In Komen\'s specific case it could have been as simple as a question asking:\n\nWhich of our programs do you feel has the most value?  (along with a checklist).\n\nPerhaps if Komen had been aware that many people think Planned Parenthood provides good services, it would not have been so quick to pull funding and so ignorant about the potential outcry.\n\nThere are multiple lessons to be learned from  the Komen debacle (PR and crisis communications matter, for one), none the least of is: <strong>KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE</strong> (customers, clients, donors, supporters)... and remember you work for them, and not the other way around.\n\n<strong>Have you signed up to get my enewsletter? All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the upper right hand side of this page. Your name/email will not be shared.</strong>','Did Komen know much about its supporters?','','inherit','open','open','','1568-revision','','','2012-02-03 15:44:49','2012-02-03 15:44:49','',1568,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1568-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1570,4,'2012-02-03 15:49:32','2012-02-03 15:49:32','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the tremendous amount of negative press, critical comments and social media outrage regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood,we may be able to conclude that there is a rather large disconnect between the foundation\'s leadership/decision makers and its donor/support base. In fact, the decision has been received so poorly that it points to a top down decision-making approach that seems wholly ignorant of what supporters want.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It is an axiom of marketing (and of fund-raising) that you should understand and know your target audience.</strong> How can you market (or raise funds from) people you don\'t know? This is why marketers often use focus groups, surveys and other methods to determine just who makes up the customer/client/donor base.</span>\n\nI participated in the Komen Race for the Cure for two years. I am not sure if I ever got a survey from Komen. I did get tons of emails selling me Komen merchandise, which is why I unsubscribed and stopped supporting the organization.\n\nOf course hindsight is always 20/20 but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I believe that if Komen had done more to understand who supports the foundation and why, it may have avoided taking this decision and the huge firestorm of bad publicity that has followed. </span> Perhaps every time someone gives a donation or signs up for a race, Komen (or any other nonprofit), could send out a quick survey. In Komen\'s specific case it could have been as simple as a question asking:\n\nWhich of our programs do you feel has the most value?  (along with a checklist).\n\nPerhaps if Komen had been aware that many people think Planned Parenthood provides good services, it would not have been so quick to pull funding and so ignorant about the potential outcry.\n\nThere are multiple lessons to be learned from  the Komen debacle (PR and crisis communications matter, for one), none the least of is: <strong>KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE</strong> (customers, clients, donors, supporters)... and remember you work for them, and not the other way around.\n\n<strong>Have you signed up to get my enewsletter? All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the upper right hand side of this page. Your name/email will not be shared.</strong>','Did Komen know much about its supporters?','','inherit','open','open','','1568-autosave','','','2012-02-03 15:49:32','2012-02-03 15:49:32','',1568,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1568-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1571,4,'2012-02-03 15:45:28','2012-02-03 15:45:28','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the negative press, critical comments,  and social media outrage regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood, there seems to be a disconnect between the foundation\'s leadership/decision makers and its donor/support base. In fact, the decision has been received so poorly that it points to a top down decision-making approach that seems wholly ignorant of what supporters want.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It is an axiom of marketing (and of fund-raising) that you should understand and know your target audience.</strong> How can you market (or raise funds from) people you don\'t know? This is why marketers often use focus groups, surveys and other methods to determine just who makes up the customer/client/donor base.</span>\r\n\r\nI participated in the Komen Race for the Cure for two years. I am not sure if I ever got a survey from Komen. I did get tons of emails selling me Komen merchandise, which is why I unsubscribed and stopped supporting the organization.\r\n\r\nOf course hindsight is always 20/20 but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I believe that if Komen had done more to understand who supports the foundation and why, it may have avoided taking this decision and the huge firestorm of bad publicity that has followed. </span> Perhaps every time someone gives a donation or signs up for a race, Komen (or any other nonprofit), could send out a quick survey. In Komen\'s specific case it could have been as simple as a question asking:\r\n\r\nWhich of our programs do you feel has the most value?  (along with a checklist).\r\n\r\nPerhaps if Komen had been aware that many people think Planned Parenthood provides good services, it would not have been so quick to pull funding and so ignorant about the potential outcry.\r\n\r\nThere are multiple lessons to be learned from  the Komen debacle (PR and crisis communications matter, for one), none the least of is: <strong>KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE</strong> (customers, clients, donors, supporters)... and remember you work for them, and not the other way around.\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you signed up to get my enewsletter? All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the upper right hand side of this page. Your name/email will not be shared.</strong>','Did Komen know much about its supporters?','','inherit','open','open','','1568-revision-2','','','2012-02-03 15:45:28','2012-02-03 15:45:28','',1568,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1568-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1572,4,'2012-02-03 15:47:34','2012-02-03 15:47:34','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the tremendous amount of negative press, critical comments and social media outrage regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation\'s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood,we may be able to conclude that there is a rather large disconnect between the foundation\'s leadership/decision makers and its donor/support base. In fact, the decision has been received so poorly that it points to a top down decision-making approach that seems wholly ignorant of what supporters want.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It is an axiom of marketing (and of fund-raising) that you should understand and know your target audience.</strong> How can you market (or raise funds from) people you don\'t know? This is why marketers often use focus groups, surveys and other methods to determine just who makes up the customer/client/donor base.</span>\r\n\r\nI participated in the Komen Race for the Cure for two years. I am not sure if I ever got a survey from Komen. I did get tons of emails selling me Komen merchandise, which is why I unsubscribed and stopped supporting the organization.\r\n\r\nOf course hindsight is always 20/20 but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I believe that if Komen had done more to understand who supports the foundation and why, it may have avoided taking this decision and the huge firestorm of bad publicity that has followed. </span> Perhaps every time someone gives a donation or signs up for a race, Komen (or any other nonprofit), could send out a quick survey. In Komen\'s specific case it could have been as simple as a question asking:\r\n\r\nWhich of our programs do you feel has the most value?  (along with a checklist).\r\n\r\nPerhaps if Komen had been aware that many people think Planned Parenthood provides good services, it would not have been so quick to pull funding and so ignorant about the potential outcry.\r\n\r\nThere are multiple lessons to be learned from  the Komen debacle (PR and crisis communications matter, for one), none the least of is: <strong>KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE</strong> (customers, clients, donors, supporters)... and remember you work for them, and not the other way around.\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you signed up to get my enewsletter? All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the upper right hand side of this page. Your name/email will not be shared.</strong>','Did Komen know much about its supporters?','','inherit','open','open','','1568-revision-3','','','2012-02-03 15:47:34','2012-02-03 15:47:34','',1568,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1568-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1574,4,'2012-02-10 20:41:02','2012-02-10 20:41:02','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In an <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/romneys-campaign-has-a-theme-personal-ambition/2012/02/09/gIQAPihW2Q_story.html?hpid=z3\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">op-ed piece in today\'s Washington Post</span></a>, Eugene Robinson argues that Mitt Romney, erstwhile front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, lacks a message. Robinson writes:</span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Criticism of Mitt Romney for lacking a coherent message is grossly unfair. He has been forthright, consistent and even eloquent in pressing home his campaign’s central theme: Mitt Romney <em>desperately</em> wants to be president.</span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">He goes on to say, that in spite having many differences of opinion with the Obama administration, Romney hasn\'t articulated an overall message. Robinson expresses it like this:</span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">My point is that even Romney’s sharp disagreements with Obama’s policies don’t add up to a philosophy or a vision. They’re more like what stuck after a bunch of random tough-sounding positions were thrown at the wall.</span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What are you fighting for?</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is not enough to be <em>against</em> something. You have to be <em>for</em> something. You have to stand for something that makes it clear who you are and what you will do. This is true for all politicians, nonprofits and even businesses. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Imagine if Coke were just the anti-Pepsi. That would not be enough. Instead, \"Coke is it,\" Coke is the \"real thing,\" Coke likes polar bears. You get my drift.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Having a positive (in that it not an \"against\" message) central unifying message cannot be underestimated. In fact, if the GOP loses in November it will be because the party has failed to articulate something other than they are against Obama. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Romney, and any other politician, would do well to take a step back and figure out what it is he wants to say, really. In his case, he needs to articulate better why his position (and the GOP\'s) is better for the economy, in positive terms. What exactly does Romney think the problem is, and more importantly, what is the solution.</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','First, have a message','','inherit','open','open','','1573-revision','','','2012-02-10 20:41:02','2012-02-10 20:41:02','',1573,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1573-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1642,4,'2012-03-23 12:41:01','2012-03-23 12:41:01','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is a physics term, which means that speed or forward motion of an object is equal to mass times velocity. In everyday usage, momentum is the strength or speed gained by motion or a series of events (<a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentum\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">here is Merriam-Webster\'s</span></a> definition).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is good for marketing--it helps you build up steam and propels you forward (gets you new business, more readers, bigger audience, etc).  But if when things are starting to speed up,  you apply the brakes, you (like your car) will quite literally slow down (lose momentum). </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Losing momentum is a marketing killer.</strong> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">How do you lose momentum? There are many \"brakes.\" Here are few examples:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not returning inquiry calls:</strong> If I call you for information, I am what they call a warm prospect. By not calling me back, you are losing me. By taking your sweet time to return said calls, you also lose momentum.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not following up</strong>:  In mid-December I attended the inaugural event for a new DC networking group. It sounded good and I provided my email, saying I would be happy to help organize an event. I haven\'t heard ONE word from them. They haven\'t held another event. They lost momentum.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Changing your terms suddenly (dashing expectations):</strong> Say you always get bread served at your favorite restaurant, and suddenly, the restaurant decides to cut costs and there goes the bread basket. It may have been what you enjoyed about the place, and now your expectations are dashed. You may not return.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong>Not blogging (or Tweeting or posting on Facebook) for months:</strong> You started your blog, and you had lots to say. And then you stopped posting. Any readership (or followers) you had, will dwindle. You lost momentum.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Whenever you do something that slows down your interaction with a prospective customer or client, you are losing momentum. That is a marketing/communications failure.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you experienced lost marketing momentum? Please give me your examples in the comments.</span>','Weekly communications #fail: losing momentum','','publish','open','open','','weekly-communications-fail-losing-momentum','','','2012-03-23 12:41:01','2012-03-23 12:41:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1642',0,'post','',2),(1595,4,'2012-02-27 16:18:28','2012-02-27 16:18:28','Last night, I watched part of the Academy Awards (or Oscars to most everyone on the planet). I did not watch it all. And what I did watch, I didn\'t enjoy.\r\n\r\nIt seems quite ironic that the night meant to celebrating the best in film ENTERTAINMENT, is so un-entertaining.  The jokes were not funny, the audio was off (some weird feedback on the microphones), the show was too long. Some speakers were cut off, and Billy Crystal, the host, seemed caught in some time warp.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it is because Hollywood is out of touch (seriously, how many people in this economy could even afford a designer gown?). Or perhaps it is because the Academy is completely not representative of the population (it is mostly male, mostly white, mostly old, as the <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/academy/la-et-unmasking-oscar-academy-project-html,0,7473284.htmlstory\" target=\"_blank\">LA Times reported</a>).\r\n\r\nWith each passing year it seems that the red carpet pre-show, where the attendees show off what they are wearing, becomes what more people want to watch than the actual awards.\r\n\r\nSo, did YOU watch the Oscars? If so, what did you think?','Did you watch the Oscars?','','publish','open','open','','did-you-watch-the-oscars','','','2012-02-27 16:18:28','2012-02-27 16:18:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1595',0,'post','',1),(1579,4,'2012-02-17 14:19:30','2012-02-17 14:19:30','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every day I see something in the communications world that either irks me, peeves me or just plain amazes me, and not in a good way.  There\'s so much that I am making it a weekly rant on the blog.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week\'s communication fail has to do with sharing... social sharing that is...and how hard it can be to do. </span>\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications failure for February 17th: Sharing done wrong.</strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s what I have encountered this week:</span>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>No sharing buttons whatsoever on a blog or major news site</strong>. (In fact, I found no sharing buttons on a post about how to communicate effectively, I am not kidding.) This needs to stop. If you have a blog, you have to include the ability to share. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Sharing buttons that share the name of the blog but not the name of the post</strong>. Why would I share something called say, Deb\'s blog and a URL and expect people to read it? If it said something like \"Why sharing buttons are crucial\" on Deb\'s blog, then yes.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Sharing buttons that share the name of the post but not of the author</strong>. It\'s about giving credit where credit is due. There are so many sharing buttons out there, it\'s hard to find the right one. </span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are a blogger, do yourself a favor: check your sharing buttons right now. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The weekly communications #fail','','publish','open','open','','the-weekly-communications-fail','','','2012-02-17 14:21:45','2012-02-17 14:21:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1579',0,'post','',0),(1580,4,'2012-02-17 14:17:30','2012-02-17 14:17:30','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every day I see something in the communications world that either irks me, peeves me or just plain amazes me, and not in a good way.  There\'s so much that I am making it a weekly rant on the blog.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week\'s communication fail has to do with sharing... social sharing that is...and how hard it can be to do. </span>\n\n<strong>The communications failure for February 17th: Sharing done wrong.</strong>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s what I have encountered this week:</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No sharing buttons whatsoever on a blog or major news site. (In fact, I found no sharing buttons on a post about how to communicate effectively, I am not kidding.) This needs to stop. If you have a blog, you have to include the ability to share. </span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the blog but not the name of the post. Why would I share something called say, Deb\'s blog and a URL and expect people to read it? If it said something like \"Why sharing buttons are crucial\" on Deb\'s blog, then yes.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the post but not of the author. It\'s about giving credit where credit is due. There are so many sharing buttons out there, it\'s hard to find the right one. </span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are a blogger, do yourself a favor: check your sharing buttons right now.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','The weekly communications #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1579-revision','','','2012-02-17 14:17:30','2012-02-17 14:17:30','',1579,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1579-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1581,4,'2012-02-17 14:19:02','2012-02-17 14:19:02','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every day I see something in the communications world that either irks me, peeves me or just plain amazes me, and not in a good way.  There\'s so much that I am making it a weekly rant on the blog.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week\'s communication fail has to do with sharing... social sharing that is...and how hard it can be to do. </span>\n\n<strong>The communications failure for February 17th: Sharing done wrong.</strong>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s what I have encountered this week:</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No sharing buttons whatsoever on a blog or major news site. (In fact, I found no sharing buttons on a post about how to communicate effectively, I am not kidding.) This needs to stop. If you have a blog, you have to include the ability to share. </span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the blog but not the name of the post. Why would I share something called say, Deb\'s blog and a URL and expect people to read it? If it said something like \"Why sharing buttons are crucial\" on Deb\'s blog, then yes.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the post but not of the author. It\'s about giving credit where credit is due. There are so many sharing buttons out there, it\'s hard to find the right one. </span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are a blogger, do yourself a favor: check your sharing buttons right now. </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','The weekly communications #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1579-revision-2','','','2012-02-17 14:19:02','2012-02-17 14:19:02','',1579,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1579-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1582,4,'2012-02-17 14:19:30','2012-02-17 14:19:30','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every day I see something in the communications world that either irks me, peeves me or just plain amazes me, and not in a good way.  There\'s so much that I am making it a weekly rant on the blog.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week\'s communication fail has to do with sharing... social sharing that is...and how hard it can be to do. </span>\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications failure for February 17th: Sharing done wrong.</strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s what I have encountered this week:</span>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No sharing buttons whatsoever on a blog or major news site. (In fact, I found no sharing buttons on a post about how to communicate effectively, I am not kidding.) This needs to stop. If you have a blog, you have to include the ability to share. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the blog but not the name of the post. Why would I share something called say, Deb\'s blog and a URL and expect people to read it? If it said something like \"Why sharing buttons are crucial\" on Deb\'s blog, then yes.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sharing buttons that share the name of the post but not of the author. It\'s about giving credit where credit is due. There are so many sharing buttons out there, it\'s hard to find the right one. </span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are a blogger, do yourself a favor: check your sharing buttons right now. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The weekly communications #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1579-revision-3','','','2012-02-17 14:19:30','2012-02-17 14:19:30','',1579,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1579-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1583,4,'2012-02-17 14:21:11','2012-02-17 14:21:11','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every day I see something in the communications world that either irks me, peeves me or just plain amazes me, and not in a good way.  There\'s so much that I am making it a weekly rant on the blog.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week\'s communication fail has to do with sharing... social sharing that is...and how hard it can be to do. </span>\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications failure for February 17th: Sharing done wrong.</strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s what I have encountered this week:</span>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>No sharing buttons whatsoever on a blog or major news site</strong>. (In fact, I found no sharing buttons on a post about how to communicate effectively, I am not kidding.) This needs to stop. If you have a blog, you have to include the ability to share. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Sharing buttons that share the name of the blog but not the name of the post</strong>. Why would I share something called say, Deb\'s blog and a URL and expect people to read it? If it said something like \"Why sharing buttons are crucial\" on Deb\'s blog, then yes.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Sharing buttons that share the name of the post but not of the author</strong>. It\'s about giving credit where credit is due. There are so many sharing buttons out there, it\'s hard to find the right one. </span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are a blogger, do yourself a favor: check your sharing buttons right now. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The weekly communications #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1579-revision-4','','','2012-02-17 14:21:11','2012-02-17 14:21:11','',1579,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1579-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1585,4,'2012-02-20 18:41:47','2012-02-20 18:41:47','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">ATT sent me a \"special customer offer.\" The letter giving me notification of this \"special offer\" starts like this:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dear Deborah Brody,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You\'ve been such a great customer, you deserve something special from us.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">That\'s why I\'m offering you a <strong>FREE Android Smartphone</strong> when you activate an additional line of service with a new two-year voice agreement with qualifying monthly data plan required per phone.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">To recap, ATT will show its appreciation for my business by giving me a \"free\" phone, which will require me to subscribe to more services and pay more per month and only if I activate a second line.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Basically, they are offering me nothing.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The thing is, I don\'t need a second line of service.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have gotten this same offer over and over and over again. Never once have I gotten an offer for a phone upgrade without ATT requiring a second line activation.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This offer is all about ATT and not at all about me. It is not even remotely tailored to the customer\'s needs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">ATT finishes its letter to me by saying:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\'t think twice about this one, Deborah. Call today [phone number] and get it all.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I don\'t have to think about this at all. I know it is not an offer for me.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">ATT, your marketing is a big, fat #FAIL.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','ATT\'s not so special offer--a marketing #fail','','publish','open','open','','atts-not-so-special-offer-a-marketing-fail','','','2012-02-20 18:42:27','2012-02-20 18:42:27','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1585',0,'post','',0),(1586,4,'2012-02-20 18:41:36','2012-02-20 18:41:36','ATT sent me a \"special customer offer.\" The letter giving me notification of this \"special offer\" starts like this:\n<blockquote>Dear Deborah Brody,\n\nYou\'ve been such a great customer, you deserve something special from us.\n\nThat\'s why I\'m offering you a <strong>FREE Android Smartphone</strong> when you activate an additional line of service with a new two-year voice agreement with qualifying monthly data plan required per phone.</blockquote>\nTo recap, ATT will show its appreciation for my business by giving me a \"free\" phone, which will require me to subscribe to more services and pay more per month and only if I activate a second line.\n\n<strong>Basically, they are offering me nothing.</strong>\n\nThe thing is, I don\'t need a second line of service.\n\nI have gotten this same offer over and over and over again. Never once have I gotten an offer for a phone upgrade without ATT requiring a second line activation.\n\nThis offer is all about ATT and not at all about me. It is not even remotely tailored to the customer\'s needs.\n\nATT finishes its letter to me by saying:\n<blockquote>Don\'t think twice about this one, Deborah. Call today [phone number] and get it all.</blockquote>\nI don\'t have to think about this at all. I know it is not an offer for me.\n\nATT, your marketing is a big, fat #FAIL.\n\n&nbsp;','ATT\'s not so special offer--a marketing #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1585-revision','','','2012-02-20 18:41:36','2012-02-20 18:41:36','',1585,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1585-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1587,4,'2012-02-20 18:41:47','2012-02-20 18:41:47','ATT sent me a \"special customer offer.\" The letter giving me notification of this \"special offer\" starts like this:\r\n<blockquote>Dear Deborah Brody,\r\n\r\nYou\'ve been such a great customer, you deserve something special from us.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why I\'m offering you a <strong>FREE Android Smartphone</strong> when you activate an additional line of service with a new two-year voice agreement with qualifying monthly data plan required per phone.</blockquote>\r\nTo recap, ATT will show its appreciation for my business by giving me a \"free\" phone, which will require me to subscribe to more services and pay more per month and only if I activate a second line.\r\n\r\n<strong>Basically, they are offering me nothing.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe thing is, I don\'t need a second line of service.\r\n\r\nI have gotten this same offer over and over and over again. Never once have I gotten an offer for a phone upgrade without ATT requiring a second line activation.\r\n\r\nThis offer is all about ATT and not at all about me. It is not even remotely tailored to the customer\'s needs.\r\n\r\nATT finishes its letter to me by saying:\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t think twice about this one, Deborah. Call today [phone number] and get it all.</blockquote>\r\nI don\'t have to think about this at all. I know it is not an offer for me.\r\n\r\nATT, your marketing is a big, fat #FAIL.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','ATT\'s not so special offer--a marketing #fail','','inherit','open','open','','1585-revision-2','','','2012-02-20 18:41:47','2012-02-20 18:41:47','',1585,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1585-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1589,4,'2012-02-24 14:28:17','2012-02-24 14:28:17','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, as I was reading The Washington Post, I came across <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spike-tv-show-gives-silver-springs-piratz-tavern-a-makeover/2012/02/21/gIQADLA9SR_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">this item</a>, regarding a makeover for a Silver Spring, MD bar. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bar, formerly known as Piratz Tavern, was targeted by Spike TV to be redone.  Apparently, the bar\'s sales had been slumping and the owners appealed to the \"Bar Rescue\" show.  Piratz had a pirate theme--the waitstaff dressed up as pirates, there was rum, and \"pirate-themed\" food. The decor was pirate-casual (you know, skulls on the wall-like).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In comes the Bar Rescue staff and Piratz Tavern becomes, are you ready for this? Corporate Bar and Grill, serving gourmet burgers to executives not interested in being pretend pirates. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Corporate Bar and Grill? Seriously? Could they have chosen a more generic name? A more generic menu? I am not a betting person, but I  would bet that this won\'t result in higher earnings, except if they are charging much more for these executive burgers.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps what Piratz needed was not a complete rebranding to become a generic grill, but instead, an effective way to market a quirky spot that is a bit out of the way for foot traffic. If foot traffic was the issue before, it will still be an issue now, regardless of whether the food is better. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you have something different, I think you should exploit it. Becoming just like everyone else is rarely a way to get ahead of the crowd.</span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Becoming more generic is this week\'s communications #fail.</span>','The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong','','publish','open','open','','the-weekly-communications-fail-rebranding-gone-wrong','','','2012-02-24 14:34:32','2012-02-24 14:34:32','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1589',0,'post','',1),(1590,4,'2012-02-24 14:28:01','2012-02-24 14:28:01','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, as I was reading The Washington Post, I came across <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spike-tv-show-gives-silver-springs-piratz-tavern-a-makeover/2012/02/21/gIQADLA9SR_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">this item</a>, regarding a makeover for a Silver Spring, MD bar. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bar, formerly known as Piratz Tavern, was targeted by Spike TV to be redone.  Apparently, the bar\'s sales had been slumping and the owners appealed to the \"Bar Rescue\" show.  Piratz had a pirate theme--the waitstaff dressed up as pirates, there was rum, and \"pirate-themed\" food. The decor was pirate-casual (you know, skulls on the wall-like).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In comes the Bar Rescue staff and Piratz Tavern becomes, are you ready for this? Corporate Bar and Grill, serving gourmet burgers to executives not interested in being pretend pirates. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Corporate Bar and Grill? Could they have chosen a more generic name? A more generic menu? I am not a betting person, but I don\'t think this will save the place.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps what Piratz needed was not a complete rebranding to become a generic grill, but instead, a way to market a quirky spot that is a bit out of the way for foot traffic. If foot traffic was the issue before, it will still be an issue now, regardless of whether the food is better. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you have something different, I think you should exploit it. Becoming just like everyone else is rarely a way to get ahead of the crowd.</span> Becoming more generic is this week\'s communications #fail.','The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong','','inherit','open','open','','1589-revision','','','2012-02-24 14:28:01','2012-02-24 14:28:01','',1589,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1589-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1591,4,'2012-02-24 14:33:49','2012-02-24 14:33:49','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, as I was reading The Washington Post, I came across <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spike-tv-show-gives-silver-springs-piratz-tavern-a-makeover/2012/02/21/gIQADLA9SR_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">this item</a>, regarding a makeover for a Silver Spring, MD bar. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bar, formerly known as Piratz Tavern, was targeted by Spike TV to be redone.  Apparently, the bar\'s sales had been slumping and the owners appealed to the \"Bar Rescue\" show.  Piratz had a pirate theme--the waitstaff dressed up as pirates, there was rum, and \"pirate-themed\" food. The decor was pirate-casual (you know, skulls on the wall-like).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In comes the Bar Rescue staff and Piratz Tavern becomes, are you ready for this? Corporate Bar and Grill, serving gourmet burgers to executives not interested in being pretend pirates. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Corporate Bar and Grill? Seriously? Could they have chosen a more generic name? A more generic menu? I am not a betting person, but I  would bet that this won\'t result in higher earnings, ex this will save the place.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps what Piratz needed was not a complete rebranding to become a generic grill, but instead, a way to market a quirky spot that is a bit out of the way for foot traffic. If foot traffic was the issue before, it will still be an issue now, regardless of whether the food is better. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you have something different, I think you should exploit it. Becoming just like everyone else is rarely a way to get ahead of the crowd.</span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Becoming more generic is this week\'s communications #fail.</span>','The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong','','inherit','open','open','','1589-autosave','','','2012-02-24 14:33:49','2012-02-24 14:33:49','',1589,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1589-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1592,4,'2012-02-24 14:28:17','2012-02-24 14:28:17','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, as I was reading The Washington Post, I came across <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spike-tv-show-gives-silver-springs-piratz-tavern-a-makeover/2012/02/21/gIQADLA9SR_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">this item</a>, regarding a makeover for a Silver Spring, MD bar. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bar, formerly known as Piratz Tavern, was targeted by Spike TV to be redone.  Apparently, the bar\'s sales had been slumping and the owners appealed to the \"Bar Rescue\" show.  Piratz had a pirate theme--the waitstaff dressed up as pirates, there was rum, and \"pirate-themed\" food. The decor was pirate-casual (you know, skulls on the wall-like).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In comes the Bar Rescue staff and Piratz Tavern becomes, are you ready for this? Corporate Bar and Grill, serving gourmet burgers to executives not interested in being pretend pirates. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Corporate Bar and Grill? Could they have chosen a more generic name? A more generic menu? I am not a betting person, but I don\'t think this will save the place.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps what Piratz needed was not a complete rebranding to become a generic grill, but instead, a way to market a quirky spot that is a bit out of the way for foot traffic. If foot traffic was the issue before, it will still be an issue now, regardless of whether the food is better. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you have something different, I think you should exploit it. Becoming just like everyone else is rarely a way to get ahead of the crowd.</span> Becoming more generic is this week\'s communications #fail.','The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong','','inherit','open','open','','1589-revision-2','','','2012-02-24 14:28:17','2012-02-24 14:28:17','',1589,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1589-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2764,4,'2012-09-02 20:08:56','2012-09-02 20:08:56','Deborah Brody Marketing Communications works with businesses and non-profit organizations. We have experience with various industries, including hospitality/tourism, financial, real estate, marketing, legal and software development.\r\n\r\n<strong>Clients have included:</strong>\r\n\r\nACTON Marketing\r\nAlexandria Education\r\n\r\nBNA\r\nB’nai B’rith International\r\nCaribbean Basin Enterprise\r\n\r\nDKD New Media\r\nHotel Presidente (Costa Rica)\r\n\r\nKARRASS\r\nLaw Offices of Jason Warshofsky\r\nMemorable Costa Rica\r\n\r\nMiCORE Solutions, Inc.\r\nSimply Savvy Events\r\n\r\nSperry Van Ness\r\nStarWave Associates\r\nStateTrust Group\r\nStreamline Communications\r\nStudio Twenty-Two\r\n\r\nSW Creatives\r\nTabacon Resort and Spa (Costa Rica)\r\nThe Gary Rosenthal Collection','Clients','','inherit','open','open','','38-revision-v1','','','2012-09-02 20:08:56','2012-09-02 20:08:56','',38,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/38-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(1594,4,'2011-07-22 04:13:27','2011-07-22 04:13:27','Deborah Brody Marketing Communications works with small to  medium-size businesses and non-profit organizations. We have experience  with various industries, including hospitality/tourism, financial, real  estate, marketing, legal and software development.\r\n\r\n<strong>Clients have included:</strong>\r\n\r\nACTON Marketing\r\nAlexandria Education\r\nB’nai B’rith International\r\nCaribbean Basin Enterprise\r\nHotel Presidente (Costa Rica)\r\nLaw Offices of Jason Warshofsky\r\nMemorable Costa Rica\r\nSimply Savvy Events\r\nStarWave Associates\r\nStateTrust Group\r\nStreamline Communications\r\nStudio Twenty-Two\r\nTabacon Resort and Spa (Costa Rica)\r\nThe Gary Rosenthal Collection','Clients','','inherit','open','open','','38-revision-v1','','','2011-07-22 04:13:27','2011-07-22 04:13:27','',38,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/38-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1596,4,'2012-02-27 16:17:33','2012-02-27 16:17:33','Last night, I watched part of the Academy Awards (or Oscars to most everyone on the planet). I did not watch it all. And what I did watch, I didn\'t enjoy.\n\nIt seems quite ironic that the night meant to celebrating the best in film ENTERTAINMENT, is so un-entertaining.  The jokes were not funny, the audio was off (some weird feedback on the microphones), the show was too long. Some speakers were cut off, and Billy Crystal, the host, seemed caught in some time warp.\n\nPerhaps it is because Hollywood is out of touch (seriously, how many people in this economy could even afford a designer gown?). Or perhaps it is because the Academy is completely not representative of the population (it is mostly male, mostly white, mostly old, as the <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/academy/la-et-unmasking-oscar-academy-project-html,0,7473284.htmlstory\" target=\"_blank\">LA Times reported</a>).\n\nWith each passing year it seems that the red carpet pre-show, where the attendees show off what they are wearing, becomes more what people want to watch than the actual awards.\n\nSo, did YOU watch the Oscars? If so, what did you think?','Did you watch the Oscars?','','inherit','open','open','','1595-revision','','','2012-02-27 16:17:33','2012-02-27 16:17:33','',1595,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1595-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1597,4,'2012-02-27 16:19:32','2012-02-27 16:19:32','Last night, I watched part of the Academy Awards (or Oscars to most everyone on the planet). I did not watch it all. And what I did watch, I didn\'t enjoy.\n\nIt seems quite ironic that the night meant to celebrating the best in film ENTERTAINMENT, is so un-entertaining.  The jokes were not funny, the audio was off (some weird feedback on the microphones), the show was too long. Some speakers were cut off, and Billy Crystal, the host, seemed caught in some time warp.\n\nPerhaps it is because Hollywood is out of touch (seriously, how many people in this economy could even afford a designer gown?). Or perhaps it is because the Academy is completely not representative of the population (it is mostly male, mostly white, mostly old, as the <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/academy/la-et-unmasking-oscar-academy-project-html,0,7473284.htmlstory\" target=\"_blank\">LA Times reported</a>).\n\nWith each passing year it seems that the red carpet pre-show, where the attendees show off what they are wearing, becomes what more people want to watch than the actual awards.\n\nSo, did YOU watch the Oscars? If so, what did you think?','Did you watch the Oscars?','','inherit','open','open','','1595-autosave','','','2012-02-27 16:19:32','2012-02-27 16:19:32','',1595,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1595-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1599,4,'2012-02-28 15:09:48','2012-02-28 15:09:48','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever been to a job interview where you are not encouraged to ask questions? Have you been offered a job where you don\'t ask about benefits, salary or vacation/sick day policy? I would bet that if you went to a job interview and you did not meet who you would be working for, and where, and if the interviewer did not tell you a bit about the hiring organization, you would be a bit hesitant about it being a good fit for you.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some organizations seem to believe that if they are deigning to hire someone--be it an employee or a consultant or an agency or any type of service--they don\'t need to market themselves. Potential hires should just be excited that someone is offering to consider them or their services. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Companies that care about providing a good work environment are proud to let the world know about it. They even use it as a differentiator. You have probably seen organizations that tout that they were selected as a top employer for working moms, or most socially responsible organization and so forth. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are many organizations out there, and if you are in marketing, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else. Even if you are \"just hiring.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, I got the following email (identity is concealed):</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Subject: What type of work do you do?</em></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Body: Just starting the process to see if we want to bring in a firm as a consultant on several projects. What type of work does your firm do? Who/what are your clients?</em></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>[name] </em></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Marketing Manager</em></span>\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em> <strong></strong>[COMPANY NAME]</em></span>\r\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em> [phone/fax/email/address]</em></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This marketing manager is not managing to market herself at all. What does her company do? What types of projects is she interested in? Why would I want to answer her? (Not to mention that you can find answers to all these questions right here on my website.)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Marketing is about making an impression. Even if you are doing the hiring does not mean you don\'t have to impress your potential hiree about what a good/special/professional company you are. Perhaps you are known for paying well, or paying on time, or being responsive, or having employees that have been there for decades. Whatever it is, it is what makes your organization special and different from other organizations.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Just because you are doing the hiring doesn\'t mean you don\'t have to market yourself','','publish','open','open','','just-because-you-are-doing-the-hiring-doesnt-mean-you-dont-have-to-market-yourself','','','2012-02-28 15:11:36','2012-02-28 15:11:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1599',0,'post','',2),(1600,4,'2012-02-28 15:09:08','2012-02-28 15:09:08','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever been to a job interview where you are not encouraged to ask questions? Have you been offered a job where you don\'t ask about benefits, salary or vacation/sick day policy? I would bet that if you went to a job interview and you did not meet who you would be working for, and where, and if the interviewer did not tell you a bit about the hiring organization, you would be a bit hesitant about it being a good fit for you.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some organizations seem to believe that if they are deigning to hire someone--be it an employee or a consultant or an agency or any type of service--they don\'t need to market themselves. Potential hires should just be excited that someone is offering to consider them or their services. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Companies that care about providing a good work environment are proud to let the world know about it. They even use it as a differentiator. You have probably seen organizations that tout that they were selected as a top employer for working moms, or most socially responsible organization and so forth. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are many organizations out there, and if you are in marketing, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else. Even if you are \"just hiring.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, I got the following email (identity is concealed):</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Subject: What type of work do you do?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Body: Just starting the process to see if we want to bring in a firm as a consultant on several projects. What type of work does your firm do? Who/what are your clients?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">[name] </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Marketing Manager</span>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong></strong>[COMPANY NAME]</span>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">[phone/fax/email/address]</span>\n\nThis marketing manager is not managing to market herself at all. What does her company do? What types of projects is she interested in? Why would I want to answer her? (Not to mention that you can find answers to all these questions right here on my website.)\n\nMarketing is about making an impression. Even if you are doing the hiring does not mean you don\'t have to impress your potential hiree about what a good/special/professional company you are. Perhaps you are known for paying well, or paying on time, or being responsive, or having employees that have been there for decades. Whatever it is, it is what makes your organization special and different from other organizations.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Just because you are doing the hiring doesn\'t mean you don\'t have to market yourself','','inherit','open','open','','1599-revision','','','2012-02-28 15:09:08','2012-02-28 15:09:08','',1599,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1599-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1601,4,'2012-02-28 15:09:48','2012-02-28 15:09:48','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever been to a job interview where you are not encouraged to ask questions? Have you been offered a job where you don\'t ask about benefits, salary or vacation/sick day policy? I would bet that if you went to a job interview and you did not meet who you would be working for, and where, and if the interviewer did not tell you a bit about the hiring organization, you would be a bit hesitant about it being a good fit for you.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some organizations seem to believe that if they are deigning to hire someone--be it an employee or a consultant or an agency or any type of service--they don\'t need to market themselves. Potential hires should just be excited that someone is offering to consider them or their services. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Companies that care about providing a good work environment are proud to let the world know about it. They even use it as a differentiator. You have probably seen organizations that tout that they were selected as a top employer for working moms, or most socially responsible organization and so forth. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are many organizations out there, and if you are in marketing, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else. Even if you are \"just hiring.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, I got the following email (identity is concealed):</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Subject: What type of work do you do?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Body: Just starting the process to see if we want to bring in a firm as a consultant on several projects. What type of work does your firm do? Who/what are your clients?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">[name] </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Marketing Manager</span>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong></strong>[COMPANY NAME]</span>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">[phone/fax/email/address]</span>\r\n\r\nThis marketing manager is not managing to market herself at all. What does her company do? What types of projects is she interested in? Why would I want to answer her? (Not to mention that you can find answers to all these questions right here on my website.)\r\n\r\nMarketing is about making an impression. Even if you are doing the hiring does not mean you don\'t have to impress your potential hiree about what a good/special/professional company you are. Perhaps you are known for paying well, or paying on time, or being responsive, or having employees that have been there for decades. Whatever it is, it is what makes your organization special and different from other organizations.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Just because you are doing the hiring doesn\'t mean you don\'t have to market yourself','','inherit','open','open','','1599-revision-2','','','2012-02-28 15:09:48','2012-02-28 15:09:48','',1599,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1599-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1602,4,'2012-02-28 15:12:42','2012-02-28 15:12:42','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever been to a job interview where you are not encouraged to ask questions? Have you been offered a job where you don\'t ask about benefits, salary or vacation/sick day policy? I would bet that if you went to a job interview and you did not meet who you would be working for, and where, and if the interviewer did not tell you a bit about the hiring organization, you would be a bit hesitant about it being a good fit for you.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some organizations seem to believe that if they are deigning to hire someone--be it an employee or a consultant or an agency or any type of service--they don\'t need to market themselves. Potential hires should just be excited that someone is offering to consider them or their services. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Companies that care about providing a good work environment are proud to let the world know about it. They even use it as a differentiator. You have probably seen organizations that tout that they were selected as a top employer for working moms, or most socially responsible organization and so forth. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are many organizations out there, and if you are in marketing, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else. Even if you are \"just hiring.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, I got the following email (identity is concealed):</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Subject: What type of work do you do?</em></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Body: Just starting the process to see if we want to bring in a firm as a consultant on several projects. What type of work does your firm do? Who/what are your clients?</em></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>[name] </em></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Marketing Manager</em></span>\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em> <strong></strong>[COMPANY NAME]</em></span>\n<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em> [phone/fax/email/address]</em></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This marketing manager is not managing to market herself at all. What does her company do? What types of projects is she interested in? Why would I want to answer her? (Not to mention that you can find answers to all these questions right here on my website.)</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Marketing is about making an impression. Even if you are doing the hiring does not mean you don\'t have to impress your potential hiree about what a good/special/professional company you are. Perhaps you are known for paying well, or paying on time, or being responsive, or having employees that have been there for decades. Whatever it is, it is what makes your organization special and different from other organizations.</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Just because you are doing the hiring doesn\'t mean you don\'t have to market yourself','','inherit','open','open','','1599-autosave','','','2012-02-28 15:12:42','2012-02-28 15:12:42','',1599,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1599-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1624,4,'2012-03-10 13:22:20','2012-03-10 13:22:20','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are all inundated with messaging from every which way. We get voice mail and texts, email, direct messages, tweets, and even snail mail. Sometimes we just don\'t have time to respond to everything and everyone, but that choice is a communications failure. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week, I told you all about the incident with my website. The woman who was the root cause of this issue has yet to respond to any of the tweets or emails I sent her. Not a single word (and the words I would most like to hear are \"I am sorry\").  No acknowledgment that she messed up and that her screw up affected my business (and not to mention, cost me money).  By not responding, she has made matters worse because now she has increased my anger level and shown me that she just doesn\'t care.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of course, sometimes people respond because they feel compelled to. Their parents jammed manners into them, and thus, they resent having to answer each and every message. They can become passive-aggressive and they issue responses that don\'t actually respond but put it off by telling you they tell you they\'ll get back to you when they are a bit less busy or when Jupiter is in line with Neptune. In a sense, this is not communication but aggression.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sometimes we don\'t respond because we don\'t have an answer. This is still non-communication.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Whether you have a legitimate reason or not, when you fail to respond to someone who is talking directly to you, you are failing to communicate.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: no response','','publish','open','open','','weekly-communications-fail-no-response','','','2012-03-10 13:22:20','2012-03-10 13:22:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1624',0,'post','',0),(1604,4,'2012-02-29 17:31:07','2012-02-29 17:31:07','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Did you catch<a title=\"The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/the-weekly-communications-fail-rebranding-gone-wrong/\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> my blog post last week</span></a> on what I consider a rebranding #fail for Piratz Tavern? Robert Freeland did, and he shared his thoughts with me (and I thought I would share them with you, with his permission of course)</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hi Deborah,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I agree with your prediction that the Corporate Bar and Grill angle Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” guru, Jon Taffer, thinks will save the sputtering Piratz Tavern will die its own death. The first article I read about the makeover had Taffer proclaiming the need for an “executive burger” joint in Silver Spring…whatever an executive burger is.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I’ve had plenty of enjoyable times and grogs at PT, and will miss its one-of-a-kind shtick. The thing that displaced it attempts to strongarm pretention into a dive…an antithetical marriage, like matter and antimatter…Boom! I think Taffer missed the one about understanding a region’s audience before dictating what they need.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I walked past CB&amp;G this evening, after leaving a very-packed Quarry House across the street (where the burgers are great). It was open but dead, consistent with your forecast. Ground beef and low inventory rotation don’t get along well.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Best,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Robert Freeland</span></blockquote>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We\'ll keep tabs on the new place, but unless \"executives\" develop a taste for these burgers, AND flock there religiously every lunch, I doubt the new place will survive. These days, competition is stiff for any dollars.  How do you stand out from a crowd? In this case, the shtick was the attraction. Substituting a generic experience in a place with little foot traffic is a sure-fire way to lose business.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Katie Aberbach at expressnightout.com seems to agree in her post <a href=\"http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/02/walked-the-plank/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Walked the Plank</span></a>. What do you think will happen?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz','','publish','open','open','','piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz','','','2012-02-29 17:32:59','2012-02-29 17:32:59','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1604',0,'post','',0),(1605,4,'2012-02-29 17:29:55','2012-02-29 17:29:55','Did you catch<a title=\"The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/the-weekly-communications-fail-rebranding-gone-wrong/\"> my blog post last week</a> on what I consider a rebranding #fail for Piratz Tavern? Robert Freeland did, and he shared his thoughts with me (and I thought I would share them with you, with his permission of course)\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah,\n\nI agree with your prediction that the Corporate Bar and Grill angle Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” guru, Jon Taffer, thinks will save the sputtering Piratz Tavern will die its own death. The first article I read about the makeover had Taffer proclaiming the need for an “executive burger” joint in Silver Spring…whatever an executive burger is.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI’ve had plenty of enjoyable times and grogs at PT, and will miss its one-of-a-kind shtick. The thing that displaced it attempts to strongarm pretention into a dive…an antithetical marriage, like matter and antimatter…Boom! I think Taffer missed the one about understanding a region’s audience before dictating what they need.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI walked past CB&amp;G this evening, after leaving a very-packed Quarry House across the street (where the burgers are great). It was open but dead, consistent with your forecast. Ground beef and low inventory rotation don’t get along well.\n\nBest,\n\nRobert Freeland</blockquote>\n&nbsp;\n\nWe\'ll keep tabs on the new place, but unless \"executives\" develop a taste for these burgers, AND flock there religiously every lunch, I doubt the new place will survive. These days, competition is stiff for any dollars.  How do you stand out from a crowd? In this case, the shtick was the attraction. Substituting a generic experience in a place with little foot traffic is a sure-fire way to lose business.\n\nK<a href=\"http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/02/walked-the-plank/\" target=\"_blank\">atie Aberbach at ExpressNightOut</a> seems to agree. What do you think will happen?\n\n&nbsp;','Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz','','inherit','open','open','','1604-revision','','','2012-02-29 17:29:55','2012-02-29 17:29:55','',1604,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1604-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1606,4,'2012-02-29 17:32:50','2012-02-29 17:32:50','Did you catch<a title=\"The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/the-weekly-communications-fail-rebranding-gone-wrong/\"> my blog post last week</a> on what I consider a rebranding #fail for Piratz Tavern? Robert Freeland did, and he shared his thoughts with me (and I thought I would share them with you, with his permission of course)\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah,\n\nI agree with your prediction that the Corporate Bar and Grill angle Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” guru, Jon Taffer, thinks will save the sputtering Piratz Tavern will die its own death. The first article I read about the makeover had Taffer proclaiming the need for an “executive burger” joint in Silver Spring…whatever an executive burger is.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI’ve had plenty of enjoyable times and grogs at PT, and will miss its one-of-a-kind shtick. The thing that displaced it attempts to strongarm pretention into a dive…an antithetical marriage, like matter and antimatter…Boom! I think Taffer missed the one about understanding a region’s audience before dictating what they need.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI walked past CB&amp;G this evening, after leaving a very-packed Quarry House across the street (where the burgers are great). It was open but dead, consistent with your forecast. Ground beef and low inventory rotation don’t get along well.\n\nBest,\n\nRobert Freeland</blockquote>\n&nbsp;\n\nWe\'ll keep tabs on the new place, but unless \"executives\" develop a taste for these burgers, AND flock there religiously every lunch, I doubt the new place will survive. These days, competition is stiff for any dollars.  How do you stand out from a crowd? In this case, the shtick was the attraction. Substituting a generic experience in a place with little foot traffic is a sure-fire way to lose business.\n\nKatie Aberbach at expressnightout.com seems to agree in her post <a href=\"http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/02/walked-the-plank/\" target=\"_blank\">Walked the Plank</a>. What do you think will happen?\n\n&nbsp;','Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz','','inherit','open','open','','1604-autosave','','','2012-02-29 17:32:50','2012-02-29 17:32:50','',1604,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1604-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1607,4,'2012-02-29 17:31:07','2012-02-29 17:31:07','Did you catch<a title=\"The weekly communications #fail: rebranding gone wrong\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/the-weekly-communications-fail-rebranding-gone-wrong/\"> my blog post last week</a> on what I consider a rebranding #fail for Piratz Tavern? Robert Freeland did, and he shared his thoughts with me (and I thought I would share them with you, with his permission of course)\r\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah,\r\n\r\nI agree with your prediction that the Corporate Bar and Grill angle Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” guru, Jon Taffer, thinks will save the sputtering Piratz Tavern will die its own death. The first article I read about the makeover had Taffer proclaiming the need for an “executive burger” joint in Silver Spring…whatever an executive burger is.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI’ve had plenty of enjoyable times and grogs at PT, and will miss its one-of-a-kind shtick. The thing that displaced it attempts to strongarm pretention into a dive…an antithetical marriage, like matter and antimatter…Boom! I think Taffer missed the one about understanding a region’s audience before dictating what they need.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI walked past CB&amp;G this evening, after leaving a very-packed Quarry House across the street (where the burgers are great). It was open but dead, consistent with your forecast. Ground beef and low inventory rotation don’t get along well.\r\n\r\nBest,\r\n\r\nRobert Freeland</blockquote>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe\'ll keep tabs on the new place, but unless \"executives\" develop a taste for these burgers, AND flock there religiously every lunch, I doubt the new place will survive. These days, competition is stiff for any dollars.  How do you stand out from a crowd? In this case, the shtick was the attraction. Substituting a generic experience in a place with little foot traffic is a sure-fire way to lose business.\r\n\r\nK<a href=\"http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/02/walked-the-plank/\" target=\"_blank\">atie Aberbach at ExpressNightOut</a> seems to agree. What do you think will happen?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz','','inherit','open','open','','1604-revision-2','','','2012-02-29 17:31:07','2012-02-29 17:31:07','',1604,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1604-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1608,4,'2012-02-29 21:53:49','2012-02-29 21:53:49','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today has been one of those days, where there are tons of great articles, interesting observations and news, so here\'s a round-up. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>New timeline on Facebook</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In case you missed it, Facebook is forcing its new timeline on all brand/organizational pages by March 30th. You have a month to prepare, and here is a fantastic how-to from HubSpot:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31633/The-Complete-Guide-to-Setting-Up-the-New-Facebook-Page-Design.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Complete Guide to Setting Up the New Facebook Page Design</span></a></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Print advertising in major decline</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is no secret that print media are suffering, not only from the fact that most people seem to prefer to access information online, but by a decline in print advertising. <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/the-collapse-of-print-advertising-in-1-graph/253736/#.T05EJz3zYJd.twitter\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Atlantic has a graph</span></a> that shows the precipitous decline over the past 60 years, most of it in the past decade. Sad news for print outlets.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Power-crazed bosses</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A few weeks ago I wrot<a title=\"When ego and attitude derail your marketing efforts\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/when-ego-and-attitude-derail-your-marketing-efforts/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">e here on the blo</span></a>g about how ego can get in the way of effective communication. In case you want to explore this issue more, <a href=\"http://www.fastcompany.com/1821051/are-you-a-power-poisoned-boss\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fast Company published an article</span></a> about how power can poison bosses--to the point they lose all self-awareness and empathy. Believe me, power-crazed bosses are not going to get why their communications efforts aren\'t working. It must be your ineptitude or stupidity--not their inability to view things rationally.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Round-up: Facebook\'s new timeline, print ads and bad bosses','','publish','open','open','','round-up-facebooks-new-timeline-print-ads-and-bad-bosses','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/when-ego-and-attitude-derail-your-marketing-efforts/','2012-02-29 21:53:49','2012-02-29 21:53:49','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1608',0,'post','',0),(1609,4,'2012-02-29 21:53:41','2012-02-29 21:53:41','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today has been one of those days, where there are tons of great articles, interesting observations and news, so here\'s a round-up. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>New timeline on Facebook</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In case you missed it, Facebook is forcing its new timeline on all brand/organizational pages by March 30th. You have a month to prepare, and here is a fantastic how-to from HubSpot:</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31633/The-Complete-Guide-to-Setting-Up-the-New-Facebook-Page-Design.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Complete Guide to Setting Up the New Facebook Page Design</span></a></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Print advertising in major decline</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is no secret that print media are suffering, not only from the fact that most people seem to prefer to access information online, but by a decline in print advertising. <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/the-collapse-of-print-advertising-in-1-graph/253736/#.T05EJz3zYJd.twitter\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Atlantic has a graph</span></a> that shows the precipitous decline over the past 60 years, most of it in the past decade. Sad news for print outlets.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Power-crazed bosses</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A few weeks ago I wrot<a title=\"When ego and attitude derail your marketing efforts\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/when-ego-and-attitude-derail-your-marketing-efforts/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">e here on the blo</span></a>g about how ego can get in the way of effective communication. In case you want to explore this issue more, <a href=\"http://www.fastcompany.com/1821051/are-you-a-power-poisoned-boss\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fast Company published an article</span></a> about how power can poison bosses--to the point they lose all self-awareness and empathy. Believe me, power-crazed bosses are not going to get why their communications efforts aren\'t working. It must be your ineptitude or stupidity--not their inability to view things rationally.</span>\n\n&nbsp;','Round-up: Facebook\'s new timeline, print ad and bad bosses','','inherit','open','open','','1608-revision','','','2012-02-29 21:53:41','2012-02-29 21:53:41','',1608,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/1608-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1610,4,'2012-03-02 14:00:16','2012-03-02 14:00:16','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Homonyms: words that sound and/or are spelled the same but have different things</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As I was reading the Washington Post this morning, on the front page was an article about a rapist recently sentenced to three life terms.  In the article, the reporter said that the rapist \"<strong>reined</strong> terror on Montgomery three decades ago...\" Of course, the correct word in this context is <strong>reigned</strong>. Reined (restrained)  and reigned (exercised power over) sound the same--they are homonyms--but have completely unrelated meanings. Yesterday, I was reading a blog post with a headline that said \"too much to<strong> bare</strong>.\" The author really meant to say \"too much to <strong>bear</strong>.\"  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Granted, these mistakes are easy to make because the words are not spelled incorrectly (so spell check would  not help) and they sound the same to your ear (so reading aloud would not catch it). Sadly, misusing homonyms is a common mistake.  Here\'s a list of the most common: <a href=\"http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\r\n</span></a></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These types of mistakes are  precisely why we need editors. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How you say it matters</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Using the correct words is important. But how you say what you are saying also matters. If you are asking me to do something for you, being pleasant and appreciative makes me want to help you. If on the other hand you write me asking me for something you need (like an email I received a few weeks ago) that says that this thing is needed right away, and you don\'t say please, thank you or that you would appreciate my help, then, I am not inclined to help you.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Being polite and considerate of whoever is receiving your business communication will result in better compliance. That\'s a fact.  Being rude, inconsiderate or demanding, on the other hand, will result in resistance.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: homonyms, and how you say it matters','','publish','open','open','','weekly-communications-fail-homonyms-and-how-you-say-it-matters','','','2012-03-02 14:03:26','2012-03-02 14:03:26','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1610',0,'post','',0),(1611,4,'2012-03-02 14:00:12','2012-03-02 14:00:12','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Homonyms: words that sound and/or are spelled the same but have different things</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As I was reading the Washington Post this morning, on the front page was an article about a rapist recently sentenced to three life terms.  In the article, the reporter said that the rapist \"<strong>reined</strong> terror on Montgomery three decades ago...\" Of course, the correct word is reigned. Reined (restrained)  and reigned (exercised power over) sound the same--they are homonyms--but have completely unrelated meanings. Yesterday, I was reading a blog post with a headline that said \"too much to bare.\" The author really meant to say \"too much to bear.\"  </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Granted, these mistakes are easy to make because the words are not spelled incorrectly (so spell check would  not help) and they sound the same to your ear (so reading aloud would not catch it). Sadly, misusing homonyms is a common mistake.  Here\'s a list of the most common: <a href=\"http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\n</span></a></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These types of mistakes are  precisely why we need editors. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How you say it matters</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Using the correct words is important. But how you say what you are saying also matters. If you are asking me to do something for you, being pleasant and appreciative makes me want to help you. If on the other hand you write me asking me for something you need (like an email I received a few weeks ago) that says that this thing is needed right away, and you don\'t say please, thank you or that you would appreciate my help, then, I am not inclined to help you.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Being polite and considerate of whoever is receiving your business communication will result in better compliance. That\'s a fact.  Being rude, inconsiderate or demanding, on the other hand, will result in resistance.</span>\n\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: homonyms, and how you say it matters','','inherit','open','open','','1610-revision','','','2012-03-02 14:00:12','2012-03-02 14:00:12','',1610,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1610-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1612,4,'2012-03-02 14:04:31','2012-03-02 14:04:31','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Homonyms: words that sound and/or are spelled the same but have different things</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As I was reading the Washington Post this morning, on the front page was an article about a rapist recently sentenced to three life terms.  In the article, the reporter said that the rapist \"<strong>reined</strong> terror on Montgomery three decades ago...\" Of course, the correct word in this context is <strong>reigned</strong>. Reined (restrained)  and reigned (exercised power over) sound the same--they are homonyms--but have completely unrelated meanings. Yesterday, I was reading a blog post with a headline that said \"too much to<strong> bare</strong>.\" The author really meant to say \"too much to <strong>bear</strong>.\"  </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Granted, these mistakes are easy to make because the words are not spelled incorrectly (so spell check would  not help) and they sound the same to your ear (so reading aloud would not catch it). Sadly, misusing homonyms is a common mistake.  Here\'s a list of the most common: <a href=\"http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\n</span></a></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These types of mistakes are  precisely why we need editors. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How you say it matters</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Using the correct words is important. But how you say what you are saying also matters. If you are asking me to do something for you, being pleasant and appreciative makes me want to help you. If on the other hand you write me asking me for something you need (like an email I received a few weeks ago) that says that this thing is needed right away, and you don\'t say please, thank you or that you would appreciate my help, then, I am not inclined to help you.</span>\n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Being polite and considerate of whoever is receiving your business communication will result in better compliance. That\'s a fact.  Being rude, inconsiderate or demanding, on the other hand, will result in resistance.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: homonyms, and how you say it matters','','inherit','open','open','','1610-autosave','','','2012-03-02 14:04:31','2012-03-02 14:04:31','',1610,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1610-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1613,4,'2012-03-02 14:00:16','2012-03-02 14:00:16','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Homonyms: words that sound and/or are spelled the same but have different things</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As I was reading the Washington Post this morning, on the front page was an article about a rapist recently sentenced to three life terms.  In the article, the reporter said that the rapist \"<strong>reined</strong> terror on Montgomery three decades ago...\" Of course, the correct word is reigned. Reined (restrained)  and reigned (exercised power over) sound the same--they are homonyms--but have completely unrelated meanings. Yesterday, I was reading a blog post with a headline that said \"too much to bare.\" The author really meant to say \"too much to bear.\"  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Granted, these mistakes are easy to make because the words are not spelled incorrectly (so spell check would  not help) and they sound the same to your ear (so reading aloud would not catch it). Sadly, misusing homonyms is a common mistake.  Here\'s a list of the most common: <a href=\"http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm\r\n</span></a></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These types of mistakes are  precisely why we need editors. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How you say it matters</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Using the correct words is important. But how you say what you are saying also matters. If you are asking me to do something for you, being pleasant and appreciative makes me want to help you. If on the other hand you write me asking me for something you need (like an email I received a few weeks ago) that says that this thing is needed right away, and you don\'t say please, thank you or that you would appreciate my help, then, I am not inclined to help you.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Being polite and considerate of whoever is receiving your business communication will result in better compliance. That\'s a fact.  Being rude, inconsiderate or demanding, on the other hand, will result in resistance.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: homonyms, and how you say it matters','','inherit','open','open','','1610-revision-2','','','2012-03-02 14:00:16','2012-03-02 14:00:16','',1610,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1610-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1615,4,'2012-03-05 15:32:49','2012-03-05 15:32:49','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Twitter trolls and raconteurs\r\n</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you follow me on Twitter you know that I often share articles and insights regarding communications, marketing, PR and social media. You will also see a lot of political commentary. I know that having a political point of view can be a turn-off to some potential clients, but I have chosen to use my social media to share what is important to me. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday, I tweeted about how the GOP is working to deny access to contraceptives. Promptly, a pro-Mitt Romney supporter (don\'t know name or gender or location) tweeted back that contraception is not health care. I pointed out to him or her that getting pregnant can lead to health complications for certain people so contraception certainly can be health care. He or she said there are many \"natural\" ways to prevent conception. It kept going until the troll was silenced with something he or she had no answer for...why insurance should cover Viagra.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">After this exchange, I was left wondering once again why people on Twitter seek out those who they disagree with and start sparring with them. I don\'t.  I am not there to fight with those that don\'t see the world like I do...and I certainly don\'t seek battles out. If I disagree with someone I follow/follows me, that\'s a different story. I didn\'t go out looking for a fight.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Social media can connect you to people all over. In my mind, I would rather find those people I connect with rather than those I disagree with. I would rather find friends than enemies.</span>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Crumbling by Lorianne DiSabato, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenmama/932068635/\"><img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1399/932068635_655049239a.jpg\" alt=\"Crumbling\" width=\"500\" height=\"347\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Photo from Loriane DiSabato via Flickr.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Facebook \"friends\"</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Facebook friends  are people you have met at some time in your life, and with whom you share a Facebook \"connection.\" Sadly, it is not a real connection but rather an artificial one. There are those friends who never use the site at all. Are you connected if you never hear from one another? And then there are those that share every minute detail of every day. They aren\'t connecting--they are spamming everyone they have met with everything on their minds.  And then there are those who only feel comfortable connecting over Facebook. These people are incapable of picking up the phone or sending a non-Facebook email. Instead, they \"connect\" with you by liking your post or wishing you a happy birthday on your wall.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">On his blog, the 8 pm Warrior, Aaron Briebert said in the post <a href=\"http://8pmwarrior.com/2012/02/warning-social-media-is-killing-real-communication-and-relationships/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"Warning: Social Media is Killing Real Communication (and Relationships)\"</span></a>  that social media is a form of deferred communication, and one that is</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">tearing apart traditional relationships.  Especially among young people. As we get overwhelmed by deferred communication, stuff is missed.  Divisions are formed.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mashable recently published this post: \"<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/social-media-less-connected/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is Social Media Actually Making Us Less Connected?\"</span></a>, in which Professor Sherry Turkle from MIT says that technology is impacting the quality of our relationships.  </span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One major issue, she [Turkle] said, is that when we text, email or post to a social networking site, we’re able to project ourselves as we want to be seen. “We get to edit, we get to delete, and that means we get to retouch.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Inversely, Turkle notes that a face-to-face conversation “takes place in real time and you can’t control what you’re going to say.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Further, with our phones at our constant disposal, Turkle says we’re only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Social media is not helping anybody develop social skills, in fact, it seems to be killing social skills. If we have a disagreement with someone, instead of having a difficult conversation, we are unfollowing or unfriending. If we don\'t care for someone, we just hide their posts or block them.  And there are those who expect that you will learn about major life events (engagements, break-ups, promotions, babies) from their Facebook status</span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The fact is real relationships take effort</strong>. Facebooking and Tweeting can be done in a few minutes a day.  It\'s quite easy to post a happy birthday message on someone\'s wall. But to call the person, send him or her a card, or see him or her in person takes time and effort. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Do you think social media is really social?\r\n</span>','What is going on with the social in social media?','','publish','open','open','','what-is-going-on-with-the-social-in-social-media','','','2012-03-05 15:32:49','2012-03-05 15:32:49','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1615',0,'post','',0),(1616,4,'2012-03-05 15:23:47','2012-03-05 15:23:47','Twitter trolls and ranconteurs\n\nIf you follow me on Twitter you know that I often share articles and insights regarding communications, marketing, PR and social media. You will also see a lot of political commentary. I know that having a political point of view can be a turn-off to some potential clients, but I have chosen to use my social media to share what is important to me.\n\nYesterday, I tweeted about how the GOP is working to deny access to contraceptives. Promptly, a pro-Mitt Romney supporter (don\'t know name or gender or location) tweeted back that contraception is not health care. I pointed out to him or her that getting pregnant can lead to health complications for certain people so contraception certainly can be health care. He or she said there are many \"natural\" ways to prevent conception. It kept going until the troll was silenced with something he or she had no answer for...why insurance should cover Viagra.\n\nAfter this exchange, I was left wondering once again why people on Twitter seek out those who they disagree with and start sparring with them. I don\'t.  I am not there to fight with those that don\'t see the world like I do...and I certainly don\'t seek battles out. If I disagree with someone I follow/follows me, that\'s a different story. I didn\'t go out looking for a fight.\n\nSocial media can connect you to people all over. In my mind, I would rather find those people I connect with rather than those I disagree with. I would rather find friends than enemies.\n\n&lt;a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenmama/932068635/\" title=\"Crumbling by Lorianne DiSabato, on Flickr\"&gt;&lt;img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1399/932068635_655049239a.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"347\" alt=\"Crumbling\"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;\n\nPhoto from Loriane DiSabato via Flickr.\n\nFacebook \"friends\"\n\nFacebook friends  are people you have met at some time in your life, and with whom you share a Facebook \"connection.\" Sadly, it is not a real connection but rather an artificial one. There are those friends who never use the site at all. Are you connected if you never hear from one another? And then there are those that share every minute detail of every day. They aren\'t connecting--they are spamming everyone they have met with everything on their minds.  And then there are those who only feel comfortable connecting over Facebook. These people are incapable of picking up the phone or sending a non-Facebook email. Instead, they \"connect\" with you by liking your post or wishing you a happy birthday on your wall.\n\nOn his blog, the 8 pm Warrior, Aaron Briebert said in the post <a href=\"http://8pmwarrior.com/2012/02/warning-social-media-is-killing-real-communication-and-relationships/\" target=\"_blank\">\"Warning: Social Media is Killing Real Communication (and Relationships)\"</a>  that social media is a form of deferred communication, and one that is\n<blockquote>tearing apart traditional relationships.  Especially among young people. As we get overwhelmed by deferred communication, stuff is missed.  Divisions are formed.</blockquote>\nMashable recently published this post: \"<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/social-media-less-connected/\" target=\"_blank\">Is Social Media Actually Making Us Less Connected?\"</a>, in which Professor Sherry Turkle from MIT says that technology is impacting the quality of our relationships.\n<blockquote>One major issue, she [Turkle] said, is that when we text, email or post to a social networking site, we’re able to project ourselves as we want to be seen. “We get to edit, we get to delete, and that means we get to retouch.”\n\nInversely, Turkle notes that a face-to-face conversation “takes place in real time and you can’t control what you’re going to say.”\n\nFurther, with our phones at our constant disposal, Turkle says we’re only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us.</blockquote>\nSocial media is not helping anybody develop social skills, in fact, it seems to be killing social skills. If we have a disagreement with someone, instead of having a difficult conversation, we are unfollowing or unfriending. If we don\'t care for someone, we just hide their posts or block them.  And there are those who expect that because they share everything on Facebook, that you should be aware of it--they say, didn\'t you see t','What is going on with the social in social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1615-revision','','','2012-03-05 15:23:47','2012-03-05 15:23:47','',1615,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1615-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1617,4,'2012-03-05 15:24:47','2012-03-05 15:24:47','Twitter trolls and ranconteurs\n\nIf you follow me on Twitter you know that I often share articles and insights regarding communications, marketing, PR and social media. You will also see a lot of political commentary. I know that having a political point of view can be a turn-off to some potential clients, but I have chosen to use my social media to share what is important to me.\n\nYesterday, I tweeted about how the GOP is working to deny access to contraceptives. Promptly, a pro-Mitt Romney supporter (don\'t know name or gender or location) tweeted back that contraception is not health care. I pointed out to him or her that getting pregnant can lead to health complications for certain people so contraception certainly can be health care. He or she said there are many \"natural\" ways to prevent conception. It kept going until the troll was silenced with something he or she had no answer for...why insurance should cover Viagra.\n\nAfter this exchange, I was left wondering once again why people on Twitter seek out those who they disagree with and start sparring with them. I don\'t.  I am not there to fight with those that don\'t see the world like I do...and I certainly don\'t seek battles out. If I disagree with someone I follow/follows me, that\'s a different story. I didn\'t go out looking for a fight.\n\nSocial media can connect you to people all over. In my mind, I would rather find those people I connect with rather than those I disagree with. I would rather find friends than enemies.\n\n&lt;a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenmama/932068635/\" title=\"Crumbling by Lorianne DiSabato, on Flickr\"&gt;&lt;img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1399/932068635_655049239a.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"347\" alt=\"Crumbling\"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;\n\nPhoto from Loriane DiSabato via Flickr.\n\nFacebook \"friends\"\n\nFacebook friends  are people you have met at some time in your life, and with whom you share a Facebook \"connection.\" Sadly, it is not a real connection but rather an artificial one. There are those friends who never use the site at all. Are you connected if you never hear from one another? And then there are those that share every minute detail of every day. They aren\'t connecting--they are spamming everyone they have met with everything on their minds.  And then there are those who only feel comfortable connecting over Facebook. These people are incapable of picking up the phone or sending a non-Facebook email. Instead, they \"connect\" with you by liking your post or wishing you a happy birthday on your wall.\n\nOn his blog, the 8 pm Warrior, Aaron Briebert said in the post <a href=\"http://8pmwarrior.com/2012/02/warning-social-media-is-killing-real-communication-and-relationships/\" target=\"_blank\">\"Warning: Social Media is Killing Real Communication (and Relationships)\"</a>  that social media is a form of deferred communication, and one that is\n<blockquote>tearing apart traditional relationships.  Especially among young people. As we get overwhelmed by deferred communication, stuff is missed.  Divisions are formed.</blockquote>\nMashable recently published this post: \"<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/social-media-less-connected/\" target=\"_blank\">Is Social Media Actually Making Us Less Connected?\"</a>, in which Professor Sherry Turkle from MIT says that technology is impacting the quality of our relationships.\n<blockquote>One major issue, she [Turkle] said, is that when we text, email or post to a social networking site, we’re able to project ourselves as we want to be seen. “We get to edit, we get to delete, and that means we get to retouch.”\n\nInversely, Turkle notes that a face-to-face conversation “takes place in real time and you can’t control what you’re going to say.”\n\nFurther, with our phones at our constant disposal, Turkle says we’re only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us.</blockquote>\nSocial media is not helping anybody develop social skills, in fact, it seems to be killing social skills. If we have a disagreement with someone, instead of having a difficult conversation, we are unfollowing or unfriending. If we don\'t care for someone, we just hide their posts or block them.  And there are those who expect that because they share everything on Facebook, that you should be aware of it--they say, didn\'t you see that on my Facebook? Like people who announce their relationship changes, promotions, babies or whatever else exclusively through their Facebook status.','What is going on with the social in social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1615-revision-2','','','2012-03-05 15:24:47','2012-03-05 15:24:47','',1615,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1615-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1618,4,'2012-03-06 17:45:59','2012-03-06 17:45:59','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust: the movie</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Sunday night I watched the movie <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1529572/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Trus</span></a>t (starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener), which is about how a teenage girl gets scammed by a pervert online. I won\'t give away all the plot details, but suffice it to say that it is a powerful and sad commentary on the underbelly of the online world, the power of the Internet; teenage angst and desire for acceptance; and parental disconnection. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Weirdly, this movie set the stage for an incident that happened yesterday that has made me think hard about the nature of trust and the online world.</span>\r\n<a title=\"Trust: the catalyst of the open source way by opensourceway, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749431651/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4115/4749431651_9ef0bfb65b.jpg\" alt=\"Trust: the catalyst of the open source way\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto by Libby Levi for OpenSource.com via Flickr\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust online</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The nature of online interactions makes it hard to know who you are dealing with. As in the movie Trust, a person can provide  a fake name, or picture or any other details. Unless we know otherwise, we are forced to trust the person is who she or he says she/he is.  This is why some of us limit who we are friends with on Facebook or connect with on LinkedIn. Twitter is a bit trickier. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust can be gained and lost</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This blog and website was built by a virtual assistant/small business web developer whom I found online. I found her through Twitter when I was looking for some VA assistance. Since she had Web and WordPress skills, she fixed a couple of issues on my old website, and then built this website. Along the way, I referred a couple of people to her. <strong>But.</strong> She was a bit hard to get a hold of. She would disappear for days on end and not respond to emails or calls. Getting the project done was painful and slow. However, I was pleased with the end result. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This person also sold me web hosting on HostGator, as she was a reseller. I paid her upfront for a year of hosting. She assured me that I could deal with HostGator directly if I had any issues. Except when I did have an issue, it turned out she wasn\'t telling the truth. Yesterday,  I found I had no email access and my website was down with a page that said \"account suspended.\" I called HostGator immediately, and to make a long story short, I was told that the account holder--the virtual assistant--had not paid her account and that in order to make changes to the account <em>she</em> would have to contact HostGator. Well, I told you she was hard to get a hold of. I called both numbers I had for her (one was disconnected and the other one went to a voice mail that was not accepting messages). I sent email, and I tweeted her repeatedly. She was not to be found. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the end, I was forced set up and pay for a new hosting account, and because I had a password, was able to get HostGator to transfer the files. It was stressful. HostGator has all sorts of rules about reseller accounts about which I had no clue. I was told that my website/email could be down for as long as 48 hours. In the end, it was only a couple of hours.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> I learned a lesson the hard way. You can\'t and shouldn\'t trust anybody you don\'t know personally (and even then) completely. In this case, I should have retained control of my web hosting. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To quote Ronald Reagan, \"trust but verify\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is only so much you can do...some people will try to scam you even if you check out references etc. But before you put money on the table, you must do your due diligence and try to verify a person\'s credentials. Also, check in with your gut. Your gut always seems to know.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust and marketing</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">As a marketer, part of your job is to make sure potential customers and clients can and do trust you. Without trust, there can be no business relationship.</span> This is why we include actual addresses, names and phone numbers in our collateral material (including and especially websites). This is why we have customer/client testimonials and provide references.  And this is why third party sites like Yelp and Angie\'s List are doing so well. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust is integral to marketing a business. Without it, you are toast.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Once trust is broken, you are done. I will never do business with the VA business again. And neither will anyone I know. Because of social media, my voice is amplified. She must not truly understand this because 24 hours later, I still haven\'t heard a word. Radio silence in an online world.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\r\n</span>','Trust','','publish','open','open','','trust','','','2012-03-06 17:45:59','2012-03-06 17:45:59','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1618',0,'post','',0),(1619,4,'2012-03-06 17:44:51','2012-03-06 17:44:51','<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust: the movie</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Sunday night I watched the movie <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1529572/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Trus</span></a>t (starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener), which is about how a teenage girl gets scammed by a pervert online. I won\'t give away all the plot details, but suffice it to say that it is a powerful and sad commentary on the underbelly of the online world, the power of the Internet; teenage angst and desire for acceptance; and parental disconnection. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Weirdly, this movie set the stage for an incident that happened yesterday that has made me think hard about the nature of trust and the online world.</span>\n<a title=\"Trust: the catalyst of the open source way by opensourceway, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749431651/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4115/4749431651_9ef0bfb65b.jpg\" alt=\"Trust: the catalyst of the open source way\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" /></a>\n\nPhoto by Libby Levi for OpenSource.com via Flickr\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust online</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The nature of online interactions makes it hard to know who you are dealing with. As in the movie Trust, a person can provide  a fake name, or picture or any other details. Unless we know otherwise, we are forced to trust the person is who she or he says she/he is.  This is why some of us limit who we are friends with on Facebook or connect with on LinkedIn. Twitter is a bit trickier. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust can be gained and lost</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This blog and website was built by a virtual assistant/small business web developer whom I found online. I found her through Twitter when I was looking for some VA assistance. Since she had Web and WordPress skills, she fixed a couple of issues on my old website, and then built this website. Along the way, I referred a couple of people to her. <strong>But.</strong> She was a bit hard to get a hold of. She would disappear for days on end and not respond to emails or calls. Getting the project done was painful and slow. However, I was pleased with the end result. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This person also sold me web hosting on HostGator, as she was a reseller. I paid her upfront for a year of hosting. She assured me that I could deal with HostGator directly if I had any issues. Except when I did have an issue, it turned out she wasn\'t telling the truth. Yesterday,  I found I had no email access and my website was down with a page that said \"account suspended.\" I called HostGator immediately, and to make a long story short, I was told that the account holder--the virtual assistant--had not paid her account and that in order to make changes to the account <em>she</em> would have to contact HostGator. Well, I told you she was hard to get a hold of. I called both numbers I had for her (one was disconnected and the other one went to a voice mail that was not accepting messages). I sent email, and I tweeted her repeatedly. She was not to be found. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the end, I was forced set up and pay for a new hosting account, and because I had a password, was able to get HostGator to transfer the files. It was stressful. HostGator has all sorts of rules about reseller accounts about which I had no clue. I was told that my website/email could be down for as long as 48 hours. In the end, it was only a couple of hours.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> I learned a lesson the hard way. You can\'t and shouldn\'t trust anybody you don\'t know personally (and even then) completely. In this case, I should have retained control of my web hosting. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To quote Ronald Reagan, \"trust but verify\"</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is only so much you can do...some people will try to scam you even if you check out references etc. But before you put money on the table, you must do your due diligence and try to verify a person\'s credentials. Also, check in with your gut. Your gut always seems to know.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust and marketing</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">As a marketer, part of your job is to make sure potential customers and clients can and do trust you. Without trust, there can be no business relationship.</span> This is why we include actual addresses, names and phone numbers in our collateral material (including and especially websites). This is why we have customer/client testimonials and provide references.  And this is why third party sites like Yelp and Angie\'s List are doing so well. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Trust is integral to marketing a business. Without it, you are toast.</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Once trust is broken, you are done. I will never do business with the VA business again. And neither will anyone I know. Because of social media, my voice is amplified. She must not truly understand this because 24 hours later, I still haven\'t heard a word. Radio silence in an online world.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\n</span>','Trust','','inherit','open','open','','1618-revision','','','2012-03-06 17:44:51','2012-03-06 17:44:51','',1618,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1618-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1634,4,'2012-03-15 15:09:31','2012-03-15 15:09:31','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of my favorite lines from a movie is this one, from Pulp Fiction:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"A pig\'s got personality. Personality goes a long way.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">-Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson)</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems the folks at Spike TV\'\'s Bar Rescue didn\'t think personality went a long way when they remade Silver Spring\'s Piratz Tavern into the very generic Corporate Bar and Grill. As <a title=\"Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I commented her</span></a>e on the blog, I didn\'t give the corporate makeover good chances of succeeding, and apparently neither did Piratz Tavern\'s owners. T<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bar-rescue-gets-the-boot-in-silver-spring-after-piratz-tavern-renovation-goes-bust/2012/03/14/gIQAu9NpCS_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">he Washington Post is reporting today</span></a> that the bar\'s owners, Tracy and Juciano Rebelo are getting rid of the makeover and re-launching Piratz Tavern today.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Washington Post article says this:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bigger problem, however, was the tavern’s new identity, designed to attract Silver Spring’s corporate worker bees. The new place seemed to do just the opposite: It became a cruel joke among a number of locals.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">After reading the article, I have concluded that the Bar Rescue team did have some genuine concerns about Piratz Tavern (to do with management style and food quality) but that their solution eliminated the only thing that made Piratz Tavern stand out--its personality. Remember, personality does go a long way.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s all about personality','','publish','open','open','','its-all-about-personality','','','2012-03-15 15:13:24','2012-03-15 15:13:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1634',0,'post','',0),(1622,4,'2012-03-07 19:19:25','2012-03-07 19:19:25','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It\'s 9:30 a.m. and I am trying to concentrate on a project when my phone rings. It is a representative from my credit card company.  She is selling some additional service like travel insurance or some such. She is speaking in a monotone, and barely letting me get in a word edgewise. I speak over her and tell her to remove me from the marketing list. She goes away but only after she has interrupted my work and made me lose five minutes listening to her spiel.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I\'d bet you have had the exact same thing happen to you. Everyone has. Unsolicited telemarketing calls are the bane of my existence, and worse yet if they are recorded calls (robo-calls). And we get pounded with them--I get at least two or three a day. Luckily, most of us have caller ID and don\'t pick up calls from numbers we don\'t recognize or that are places we don\'t do business with.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">One time, I got a call from a real estate agent who went on and on about \"listings in my area\" and when I asked her what area that was, she referred to a place I hadn\'t even heard of. I told her that she was calling the wrong person, and she had the nerve to be huffy at me.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Cold calls just don\'t work. Why?</span>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because you are quite literally interrupting someone or catching him/her at a time that is inconvenient.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because with caller ID, people can choose to ignore your call.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because these calls are not invited or welcome.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because they are blindly selling something based on broad factors like ZIP codes or business codes.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because there are too many variables that must align to make a sale: person answers call, person is receptive to talking, person is interested in the offer.</span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is targeted.</strong> Cold calling by its nature is not targeted. Even if you a home insurance sales person cold calling ten people who just bought a home, you aren\'t really targeting because you don\'t know whether those people already have home insurance.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is customized.</strong> With cold calling, due to volume and your lack of knowledge about the target, you will likely follow a script, which, by its nature is not customized.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is inbound marketing.</strong> Cold calling is outbound marketing at its very worst. It\'s sending out messages to people who don\'t necessarily want or need these messages and hoping that through some margin of return, you will get enough business to justify the expense. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ah yes, I know. You got the biggest client you have through cold calling. I think you were lucky. You called someone at a convenient time, with a message to which he or she was receptive. And you were able to get him or her to actually pick up the phone. Or that person did not have caller ID. Or that person was in a very good mood that day.  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Why not put effort into other things that do work and that don\'t leave your prospects cold?</span>\r\n\r\nP.S. Plus of course, fewer and fewer people are using landline telephones these days, and cell phones are not listed.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why cold calling doesn\'t work','','publish','open','open','','why-cold-calling-doesnt-work','','','2012-03-07 19:19:25','2012-03-07 19:19:25','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1622',0,'post','',2),(1623,4,'2012-03-07 19:18:41','2012-03-07 19:18:41','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It\'s 9:30 a.m. and I am trying to concentrate on a project when my phone rings. It is a representative from my credit card company.  She is selling some additional service like travel insurance or some such. She is speaking in a monotone, and barely letting me get in a word edgewise. I speak over her and tell her to remove me from the marketing list. She goes away but only after she has interrupted my work and made me lose five minutes listening to her spiel.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I\'d bet you have had the exact same thing happen to you. Everyone has. Unsolicited telemarketing calls are the bane of my existence, and worse yet if they are recorded calls (robo-calls). And we get pounded with them--I get at least two or three a day. Luckily, most of us have caller ID and don\'t pick up calls from numbers we don\'t recognize or that are places we don\'t do business with.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">One time, I got a call from a real estate agent who went on and on about \"listings in my area\" and when I asked her what area that was, she referred to a place I hadn\'t even heard of. I told her that she was calling the wrong person, and she had the nerve to be huffy at me.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Cold calls just don\'t work. Why?</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because you are quite literally interrupting someone or catching him/her at a time that is inconvenient.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because with caller ID, people can choose to ignore your call.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because these calls are not invited or welcome.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because they are blindly selling something based on broad factors like ZIP codes or business codes.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Because there are too many variables that must align to make a sale: person answers call, person is receptive to talking, person is interested in the offer.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is targeted.</strong> Cold calling by its nature is not targeted. Even if you a home insurance sales person cold calling ten people who just bought a home, you aren\'t really targeting because you don\'t know whether those people already have home insurance.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is customized.</strong> With cold calling, due to volume and your lack of knowledge about the target, you will likely follow a script, which, by its nature is not customized.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The best type of marketing is inbound marketing.</strong> Cold calling is outbound marketing at its very worst. It\'s sending out messages to people who don\'t necessarily want or need these messages and hoping that through some margin of return, you will get enough business to justify the expense. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ah yes, I know. You got the biggest client you have through cold calling. I think you were lucky. You called someone at a convenient time, with a message to which he or she was receptive. And you were able to get him or her to actually pick up the phone. Or that person did not have caller ID. Or that person was in a very good mood that day.  </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Why not put effort into other things that do work and that don\'t leave your prospects cold?</span>\n\nP.S. Plus of course, fewer and fewer people are using landline telephones these days, and cell phones are not listed.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Why cold calling doesn\'t work','','inherit','open','open','','1622-revision','','','2012-03-07 19:18:41','2012-03-07 19:18:41','',1622,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1622-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1625,4,'2012-03-10 13:21:38','2012-03-10 13:21:38','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are all inundated with messaging from every which way. We get voice mail and texts, email, direct messages, tweets, and even snail mail. Sometimes we just don\'t have time to respond to everything and everyone, but that choice is a communications failure. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week, I told you all about the incident with my website. The woman who was the root cause of this issue has yet to respond to any of the tweets or emails I sent her. Not a single word (and the words I would most like to hear are \"I am sorry\").  No acknowledgment that she messed up and that her screw up affected my business (and not to mention, cost me money).  By not responding, she has made matters worse because now she has increased my anger level and shown me that she just doesn\'t care.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of course, sometimes people respond because they feel compelled to. Their parents jammed manners into them, and thus, they resent having to answer each and every message. They can become passive-aggressive and they issue responses that don\'t actually respond but put it off telling you they tell you they\'ll get back to you when they are a bit less busy or the Jupiter is in line with Neptune. In a sense, this is not communication but aggression.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sometimes we don\'t respond because we don\'t have an answer. This is still non-communication.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Whether you have a legitimate reason or not, when you fail to respond to someone who is talking directly to you, you are failing to communicate.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: no response','','inherit','open','open','','1624-revision','','','2012-03-10 13:21:38','2012-03-10 13:21:38','',1624,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1624-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1626,4,'2012-03-10 13:23:24','2012-03-10 13:23:24','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are all inundated with messaging from every which way. We get voice mail and texts, email, direct messages, tweets, and even snail mail. Sometimes we just don\'t have time to respond to everything and everyone, but that choice is a communications failure. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This week, I told you all about the incident with my website. The woman who was the root cause of this issue has yet to respond to any of the tweets or emails I sent her. Not a single word (and the words I would most like to hear are \"I am sorry\").  No acknowledgment that she messed up and that her screw up affected my business (and not to mention, cost me money).  By not responding, she has made matters worse because now she has increased my anger level and shown me that she just doesn\'t care.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of course, sometimes people respond because they feel compelled to. Their parents jammed manners into them, and thus, they resent having to answer each and every message. They can become passive-aggressive and they issue responses that don\'t actually respond but put it off by telling you they tell you they\'ll get back to you when they are a bit less busy or when Jupiter is in line with Neptune. In a sense, this is not communication but aggression.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sometimes we don\'t respond because we don\'t have an answer. This is still non-communication.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Whether you have a legitimate reason or not, when you fail to respond to someone who is talking directly to you, you are failing to communicate.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;','Weekly communications #fail: no response','','inherit','open','open','','1624-autosave','','','2012-03-10 13:23:24','2012-03-10 13:23:24','',1624,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1624-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1627,4,'2012-03-12 13:40:55','2012-03-12 13:40:55','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I received a 6\"x11\" size postcard, in color (read: higher printing costs) advertising an event taking place on Sunday. Yes, you read that right. I got the expensive postcard one day before an event, and this was for a nonprofit group. You know what this postcard was? <strong>A total waste of money.</strong> I had already heard about the event via social media and enewsletter. I had already decided not to attend.</span>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Time by Thomas Hawk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/4440874971/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4011/4440874971_5fce369d98.jpg\" alt=\"Time\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto: Time by Thomas Hawk, via Flickr.\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why have a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What this organization probably failed to do was a build an accurate marketing timeline. Without a timeline, you will print and mail stuff too late (or too early), send enewsletters too often or not frequently enough, send a press release too far from the event, etc. Marketing takes planning. Planning is essential if you want to get the most for your marketing dollars. In the case above, the postcard was a complete waste of marketing dollars. Very few, if any people, decide to attend an  all-day event (which has a registration fee that is higher at the door) the day before. </span>\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How to build a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You probably will want to either sketch this out on a calendar or use a spreadsheet program to map this out.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. Start with the end (your target date) and work backward. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. Create a row for each communications vehicle, such as press release, enewsletter, email blast, brochure, etc. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. Decide  how many days prior to the target date you want each communications vehicle to reach your audience. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. Consider preparation time for each communications vehicle. For example, for printed materials, you have to consider printing times, shipping to you, delivery times (are you using first class mail or bulk) and approval process. Set target dates for each preparation step.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. Fill out your timeline.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Remember to give yourself time to plan your marketing timeline! </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your thoughts?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you must have a marketing timeline','','publish','open','open','','why-you-must-have-a-marketing-timeline','','','2012-03-12 19:52:45','2012-03-12 19:52:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1627',0,'post','',0),(1628,4,'2012-03-12 13:39:09','2012-03-12 13:39:09','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I received a 6\"x11\" size postcard, in color (read: higher printing costs) advertising an event taking place on Sunday. Yes, you read that right. I got the expensive postcard one day before an event, and this was for a nonprofit group. You know what this postcard was? <strong>A total waste of money.</strong> I had already heard about the event via social media and enewsletter. I had already decided not to attend.</span>\n\n<a title=\"Time by Thomas Hawk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/4440874971/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4011/4440874971_5fce369d98.jpg\" alt=\"Time\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" /></a>\n\nPhoto: Time by Thomas Hawk, via Flickr.\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why have a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What this organization probably failed to do was a build an accurate marketing timeline. Without a timeline, you will print and mail stuff too late (or too early), send enewsletters too often or not frequently enough, send a press release too far from the event, etc. Marketing takes planning. Planning is essential if you want to get the most for your marketing dollars. In the case above, the postcard was a complete waste of marketing dollars. Very few, if any people, decide to attend an  all-day event (which has a registration fee that is higher at the door) the day before. </span>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How to build a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You probably will want to either sketch this out on a calendar or use a spreadsheet program to map this out.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. Start with the end (your target date) and  have to work backward. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. Create a row for each communications vehicle, such as press release, enewsletter, email blast, brochure, etc. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. Decide  how many days prior to the target date do you want each communications vehicle to reach your audience. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. Consider preparation time for each communications vehicle. For example, for printed materials, you have to consider printing times, shipping to you, delivery times (are you using first class mail or bulk) and approval process. Set target dates for each preparation step.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. Fill out your timeline.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Remember to give yourself time to plan your marketing timeline! </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your thoughts?</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Why you must have a marketing timeline','','inherit','open','open','','1627-revision','','','2012-03-12 13:39:09','2012-03-12 13:39:09','',1627,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1627-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1629,4,'2012-03-12 13:39:33','2012-03-12 13:39:33','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I received a 6\"x11\" size postcard, in color (read: higher printing costs) advertising an event taking place on Sunday. Yes, you read that right. I got the expensive postcard one day before an event, and this was for a nonprofit group. You know what this postcard was? <strong>A total waste of money.</strong> I had already heard about the event via social media and enewsletter. I had already decided not to attend.</span>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Time by Thomas Hawk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/4440874971/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4011/4440874971_5fce369d98.jpg\" alt=\"Time\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto: Time by Thomas Hawk, via Flickr.\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why have a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What this organization probably failed to do was a build an accurate marketing timeline. Without a timeline, you will print and mail stuff too late (or too early), send enewsletters too often or not frequently enough, send a press release too far from the event, etc. Marketing takes planning. Planning is essential if you want to get the most for your marketing dollars. In the case above, the postcard was a complete waste of marketing dollars. Very few, if any people, decide to attend an  all-day event (which has a registration fee that is higher at the door) the day before. </span>\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How to build a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You probably will want to either sketch this out on a calendar or use a spreadsheet program to map this out.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. Start with the end (your target date) and  have to work backward. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. Create a row for each communications vehicle, such as press release, enewsletter, email blast, brochure, etc. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. Decide  how many days prior to the target date do you want each communications vehicle to reach your audience. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. Consider preparation time for each communications vehicle. For example, for printed materials, you have to consider printing times, shipping to you, delivery times (are you using first class mail or bulk) and approval process. Set target dates for each preparation step.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. Fill out your timeline.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Remember to give yourself time to plan your marketing timeline! </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your thoughts?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you must have a marketing timeline','','inherit','open','open','','1627-revision-2','','','2012-03-12 13:39:33','2012-03-12 13:39:33','',1627,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1627-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1630,4,'2012-03-12 13:40:55','2012-03-12 13:40:55','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I received a 6\"x11\" size postcard, in color (read: higher printing costs) advertising an event taking place on Sunday. Yes, you read that right. I got the expensive postcard one day before an event, and this was for a nonprofit group. You know what this postcard was? <strong>A total waste of money.</strong> I had already heard about the event via social media and enewsletter. I had already decided not to attend.</span>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Time by Thomas Hawk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/4440874971/\"><img src=\"http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4011/4440874971_5fce369d98.jpg\" alt=\"Time\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto: Time by Thomas Hawk, via Flickr.\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why have a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What this organization probably failed to do was a build an accurate marketing timeline. Without a timeline, you will print and mail stuff too late (or too early), send enewsletters too often or not frequently enough, send a press release too far from the event, etc. Marketing takes planning. Planning is essential if you want to get the most for your marketing dollars. In the case above, the postcard was a complete waste of marketing dollars. Very few, if any people, decide to attend an  all-day event (which has a registration fee that is higher at the door) the day before. </span>\r\n<h1><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How to build a marketing timeline</strong></span></h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You probably will want to either sketch this out on a calendar or use a spreadsheet program to map this out.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. Start with the end (your target date) and  have to work backward. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. Create a row for each communications vehicle, such as press release, enewsletter, email blast, brochure, etc. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. Decide  how many days prior to the target date do you want each communications vehicle to reach your audience. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. Consider preparation time for each communications vehicle. For example, for printed materials, you have to consider printing times, shipping to you, delivery times (are you using first class mail or bulk) and approval process. Set target dates for each preparation step.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. Fill out your timeline.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Remember to give yourself time to plan your marketing timeline! </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your thoughts?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you must have a marketing timeline','','inherit','open','open','','1627-revision-3','','','2012-03-12 13:40:55','2012-03-12 13:40:55','',1627,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1627-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1632,4,'2012-03-14 19:56:13','2012-03-14 19:56:13','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here it is, mid-March (Pi Day today because it is 3.14) and I haven\'t been to a single networking event this year. Not a one. I did got to a panel presentation yesterday, but that wasn\'t a networking event. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now, I believe in networking and in networking events. It\'s important to meet people in person, and form relationships. It\'s good to get out. <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">So the question is not whether to network but where and how.</span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here are some factors in deciding:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Who is going.</strong> Is there a good chance that you will meet prospective clients, or good resources or just fun people? Is it going to be lots of people you already know? Will it give you a chance to reconnect? You should have a goal in mind when networking. If not, you are just attending an event.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Where and when is it</strong>. Is it convenient to attend this event? Will there be parking if I have to drive or is it near a Metro stop? How long will it take to get there? Is it at the crack of dawn or in the evening?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Cost.</strong> Some events are free and those you can decide on based on the two factors above, but some events are costly. For example, I got an event invitation for something that is $49. And it is a breakfast presentation. To me, that is a lot of $$. Will the cost cover anything other than networking--a presentation or a meal? There\'s one group I know that gives a percentage of the cost to charity, so there is a feel-good/do-good aspect to paying.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Plenty of notice/time to RSVP.</strong> Sometimes you don\'t have enough notice (as I am writing this I got an invitation for something tomorrow night--sorry, I already committed to something else). Sometimes you have to RSVP far in advance. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What are your reasons to attend or not attend an event? I would love to hear what makes it or breaks it for you in the comments.</span>','To network or not to network, that is a question','','publish','open','open','','to-network-or-not-to-network-that-is-a-question','','','2012-03-14 19:56:13','2012-03-14 19:56:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1632',0,'post','',0),(1633,4,'2012-03-14 19:55:45','2012-03-14 19:55:45','Here it is, mid-March (Pi Day today because it is 3.14) and I haven\'t been to a single networking event this year. Not a one. I did got to a panel presentation yesterday, but that wasn\'t a networking event.\n\nNow, I believe in networking and in networking events. It\'s important to meet people in person, and form relationships. It\'s good to get out. <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">So the question is not whether to network but where and how.</span></strong>\n\nHere are some factors in deciding:\n\n<strong>Who is going.</strong> Is there a good chance that you will meet prospective clients, or good resources or just fun people? Is it going to be lots of people you already know? Will it give you a chance to reconnect? You should have a goal in mind when networking. If not, you are just attending an event.\n\n<strong>Where and when is it</strong>. Is it convenient to attend this event? Will there be parking if I have to drive or is it near a Metro stop? How long will it take to get there? Is it at the crack of dawn or in the evening?\n\n<strong>Cost.</strong> Some events are free and those you can decide on based on the two factors above, but some events are costly. For example, I got an event invitation for something that is $49. And it is a breakfast presentation. To me, that is a lot of $$. Will the cost cover anything other than networking--a presentation or a meal? There\'s one group I know that gives a percentage of the cost to charity, so there is a feel-good/do-good aspect to paying.\n\n<strong>Plenty of notice/time to RSVP.</strong> Sometimes you don\'t have enough notice (as I am writing this I got an invitation for something tomorrow night--sorry, I already committed to something else). Sometimes you have to RSVP far in advance.\n\nWhat are your reasons to attend or not attend an event? I would love to hear what makes it or breaks it for you in the comment','To network or not to network, that is a question','','inherit','open','open','','1632-revision','','','2012-03-14 19:55:45','2012-03-14 19:55:45','',1632,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1632-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1635,4,'2012-03-15 15:09:00','2012-03-15 15:09:00','One of my favorite lines from a movie is this one, from Pulp Fiction:\n<blockquote>\"A pig\'s got personality. Personality goes a long way.\"\n\n---Jules Winnfeld (played by Samuel L. Jackson)</blockquote>\nIt seems the folks at Spike TV\'\'s Bar Rescue didn\'t think personality went a long way when they remade Silver Spring\'s Piratz Tavern into the very generic Corporate Bar and Grill. As <a title=\"Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz/\" target=\"_blank\">I commented her</a>e on the blog, I didn\'t give the corporate makeover good chances of succeeding, and apparently neither did Piratz Tavern\'s owners. T<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bar-rescue-gets-the-boot-in-silver-spring-after-piratz-tavern-renovation-goes-bust/2012/03/14/gIQAu9NpCS_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">he Washington Post is reporting today</a> that the bar\'s owners, Tracy and Juciano Rebelo are getting rid of the makeover and re-launching Piratz Tavern today.\n\nThe Washington Post article says this:\n<blockquote>The bigger problem, however, was the tavern’s new identity, designed to attract Silver Spring’s corporate worker bees. The new place seemed to do just the opposite: It became a cruel joke among a number of locals.</blockquote>\nAfter reading the article, I have concluded that the Bar Rescue team did have some genuine concerns about Piratz Tavern (to do with management style and food quality) but that their solution eliminated the only thing that made Piratz Tavern stand out--its personality. Remember, personality does go a long way.\n\n&nbsp;','It\'s all about personality','','inherit','open','open','','1634-revision','','','2012-03-15 15:09:00','2012-03-15 15:09:00','',1634,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1634-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1636,4,'2012-03-15 15:09:31','2012-03-15 15:09:31','One of my favorite lines from a movie is this one, from Pulp Fiction:\r\n<blockquote>\"A pig\'s got personality. Personality goes a long way.\"\r\n\r\n---Jules Winnfeld (played by Samuel L. Jackson)</blockquote>\r\nIt seems the folks at Spike TV\'\'s Bar Rescue didn\'t think personality went a long way when they remade Silver Spring\'s Piratz Tavern into the very generic Corporate Bar and Grill. As <a title=\"Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz/\" target=\"_blank\">I commented her</a>e on the blog, I didn\'t give the corporate makeover good chances of succeeding, and apparently neither did Piratz Tavern\'s owners. T<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bar-rescue-gets-the-boot-in-silver-spring-after-piratz-tavern-renovation-goes-bust/2012/03/14/gIQAu9NpCS_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">he Washington Post is reporting today</a> that the bar\'s owners, Tracy and Juciano Rebelo are getting rid of the makeover and re-launching Piratz Tavern today.\r\n\r\nThe Washington Post article says this:\r\n<blockquote>The bigger problem, however, was the tavern’s new identity, designed to attract Silver Spring’s corporate worker bees. The new place seemed to do just the opposite: It became a cruel joke among a number of locals.</blockquote>\r\nAfter reading the article, I have concluded that the Bar Rescue team did have some genuine concerns about Piratz Tavern (to do with management style and food quality) but that their solution eliminated the only thing that made Piratz Tavern stand out--its personality. Remember, personality does go a long way.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s all about personality','','inherit','open','open','','1634-revision-2','','','2012-03-15 15:09:31','2012-03-15 15:09:31','',1634,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1634-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1637,4,'2012-03-15 15:12:29','2012-03-15 15:12:29','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of my favorite lines from a movie is this one, from Pulp Fiction:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"A pig\'s got personality. Personality goes a long way.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">---Jules Winnfeld (played by Samuel L. Jackson)</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems the folks at Spike TV\'\'s Bar Rescue didn\'t think personality went a long way when they remade Silver Spring\'s Piratz Tavern into the very generic Corporate Bar and Grill. As <a title=\"Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I commented her</span></a>e on the blog, I didn\'t give the corporate makeover good chances of succeeding, and apparently neither did Piratz Tavern\'s owners. T<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bar-rescue-gets-the-boot-in-silver-spring-after-piratz-tavern-renovation-goes-bust/2012/03/14/gIQAu9NpCS_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">he Washington Post is reporting today</span></a> that the bar\'s owners, Tracy and Juciano Rebelo are getting rid of the makeover and re-launching Piratz Tavern today.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Washington Post article says this:</span>\r\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bigger problem, however, was the tavern’s new identity, designed to attract Silver Spring’s corporate worker bees. The new place seemed to do just the opposite: It became a cruel joke among a number of locals.</span></blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">After reading the article, I have concluded that the Bar Rescue team did have some genuine concerns about Piratz Tavern (to do with management style and food quality) but that their solution eliminated the only thing that made Piratz Tavern stand out--its personality. Remember, personality does go a long way.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s all about personality','','inherit','open','open','','1634-revision-3','','','2012-03-15 15:12:29','2012-03-15 15:12:29','',1634,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1634-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1638,4,'2012-03-15 15:15:01','2012-03-15 15:15:01','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of my favorite lines from a movie is this one, from Pulp Fiction:</span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"A pig\'s got personality. Personality goes a long way.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">-Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson)</span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems the folks at Spike TV\'\'s Bar Rescue didn\'t think personality went a long way when they remade Silver Spring\'s Piratz Tavern into the very generic Corporate Bar and Grill. As <a title=\"Piratz, burgers and lost pizzazz\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/piratz-burgers-and-lost-pizzazz/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I commented her</span></a>e on the blog, I didn\'t give the corporate makeover good chances of succeeding, and apparently neither did Piratz Tavern\'s owners. T<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bar-rescue-gets-the-boot-in-silver-spring-after-piratz-tavern-renovation-goes-bust/2012/03/14/gIQAu9NpCS_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">he Washington Post is reporting today</span></a> that the bar\'s owners, Tracy and Juciano Rebelo are getting rid of the makeover and re-launching Piratz Tavern today.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Washington Post article says this:</span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bigger problem, however, was the tavern’s new identity, designed to attract Silver Spring’s corporate worker bees. The new place seemed to do just the opposite: It became a cruel joke among a number of locals.</span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">After reading the article, I have concluded that the Bar Rescue team did have some genuine concerns about Piratz Tavern (to do with management style and food quality) but that their solution eliminated the only thing that made Piratz Tavern stand out--its personality. Remember, personality does go a long way.</span>\n\n&nbsp;','It\'s all about personality','','inherit','open','open','','1634-autosave','','','2012-03-15 15:15:01','2012-03-15 15:15:01','',1634,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1634-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1648,4,'2012-03-28 17:22:42','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Most Americans only speak one language: English. Most Europeans speak multiple languages (native and English at a minimum). Why is this relevant to communications? Simple answer is that in order to communicate EFFECTIVELY with your audience, you must speak their language.\n\nLanguage, in terms of marketing, is not just the','How many languages do you speak?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-03-28 17:22:42','2012-03-28 17:22:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1648',0,'post','',0),(1640,4,'2012-03-21 15:59:04','0000-00-00 00:00:00','We seem to live in a hyped-up world.  Because of social media and its amplifying effect, and the fact that traditional mass media has glommed on to social, what trends on Twitter is everywhere.\r\n\r\nAn interesting case in point is the Kony 2012 story. A video about a Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, produced by the nonprofit Invisible Children, sought to promote Kony\'s arrest. The video went viral, it was featured on broadcast news and thousands tweeted about it. (As an aside, wWeirdly for a nonprofit, Invisible Children has a .com URL) However, <a href=\"http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/54-2164338/invisible-children.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Guidestar does confirm it is a properly registered nonprofit</a> and Charity Navigator gives it a four star rating.\r\n\r\nOne of Invisible Children\'s founders, Jason Russell, who also directed the video, was arrested for lewd behavior a few days ago. His wife claims he had a breakdown due to the tremendous publicity the video received. I','Beware of hype','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-03-21 15:59:04','2012-03-21 15:59:04','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1640',0,'post','',0),(1641,4,'2012-03-21 15:57:19','2012-03-21 15:57:19','We seem to live in a hyped-up world.  Because of social media and its amplifying effect, and the fact that traditional mass media has glommed on to social, what trends on Twitter is everywhere.\n\nAn interesting case in point is the Kony 2012 story. A video about a Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, produced by the nonprofit Invisible Children, sought to promote Kony\'s arrest. The video went viral, it was featured on broadcast news and thousands tweeted about it. (As an aside, wWeirdly for a nonprofit, Invisible Children has a .com URL) However, <a href=\"http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/54-2164338/invisible-children.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Guidestar does confirm it is a properly registered nonprofit</a> and Charity Navigator gives it a four star rating.\n\nOne of Invisible Children\'s founders, Jason Russell, who also directed the video, was arrested for lewd behavior a few days ago. His wife claims he had a breakdown due to the tremendous publicity the video received. I','Beware of hype','','inherit','open','open','','1640-revision','','','2012-03-21 15:57:19','2012-03-21 15:57:19','',1640,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1640-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1643,4,'2012-03-23 12:40:25','2012-03-23 12:40:25','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is a physics term, which means that speed or forward motion of an object is equal to mass times velocity. In everyday usage, momentum is the strength or speed gained by motion or a series of events (<a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentum\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">here is Merriam-Webster\'s</span></a> definition).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is good for marketing--it helps you build up steam and propels you forward (gets you new business, more readers, bigger audience, etc).  But if when things are starting to speed up,  you apply the brakes, you (like your car) will quite literally slow down (lose momentum). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Losing momentum is a marketing killer.</strong> </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">How do you lose momentum? There are many \"brakes.\" Here are few examples:</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not returning inquiry calls:</strong> If I call you for information, I am what they call a warm prospect. By not calling me back, you are losing me. By taking your sweet time to return said calls, you also lose momentum.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not following up</strong>:  In mid-December I attended the inaugural event for a new DC networking group. It sounded good and I provided my email, saying I would be happy to help organize an event. I haven\'t heard ONE word from them. They haven\'t held another event. They lost momentum.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Changing your terms suddenly (dashing expectations):</strong> Say you always get bread served at your favorite restaurant, and suddenly, the restaurant decides to cut costs and there goes the bread basket. It may have been what you enjoyed about the place, and now your expectations are dashed. You may not return.</span>\n\nNot blogging (or Tweeting or posting on Facebook) for months: You started your blog, and you had lots to say. And then you stopped posting. Any readership (or followers\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Whenever you do something that slows down your interaction with a prospective customer or client, you are losing momentum. That is a marketing/communications failure.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you experienced lost marketing momentum? Please give me your examples in the comments.</span>','Weekly communications #fail: losing momentum','','inherit','open','open','','1642-revision','','','2012-03-23 12:40:25','2012-03-23 12:40:25','',1642,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1642-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1644,4,'2012-03-23 13:16:46','2012-03-23 13:16:46','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is a physics term, which means that speed or forward motion of an object is equal to mass times velocity. In everyday usage, momentum is the strength or speed gained by motion or a series of events (<a href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentum\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">here is Merriam-Webster\'s</span></a> definition).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Momentum is good for marketing--it helps you build up steam and propels you forward (gets you new business, more readers, bigger audience, etc).  But if when things are starting to speed up,  you apply the brakes, you (like your car) will quite literally slow down (lose momentum). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Losing momentum is a marketing killer.</strong> </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">How do you lose momentum? There are many \"brakes.\" Here are few examples:</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not returning inquiry calls:</strong> If I call you for information, I am what they call a warm prospect. By not calling me back, you are losing me. By taking your sweet time to return said calls, you also lose momentum.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Not following up</strong>:  In mid-December I attended the inaugural event for a new DC networking group. It sounded good and I provided my email, saying I would be happy to help organize an event. I haven\'t heard ONE word from them. They haven\'t held another event. They lost momentum.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Changing your terms suddenly (dashing expectations):</strong> Say you always get bread served at your favorite restaurant, and suddenly, the restaurant decides to cut costs and there goes the bread basket. It may have been what you enjoyed about the place, and now your expectations are dashed. You may not return.</span>\n\n<strong>Not blogging (or Tweeting or posting on Facebook) for months:</strong> You started your blog, and you had lots to say. And then you stopped posting. Any readership (or followers) you had, will dwindle. You lost momentum.\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Whenever you do something that slows down your interaction with a prospective customer or client, you are losing momentum. That is a marketing/communications failure.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you experienced lost marketing momentum? Please give me your examples in the comments.</span>','Weekly communications #fail: losing momentum','','inherit','open','open','','1642-autosave','','','2012-03-23 13:16:46','2012-03-23 13:16:46','',1642,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1642-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1645,4,'2012-03-26 13:39:41','2012-03-26 13:39:41','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Just this morning, I have seen all three of these mistakes, and by prominent websites/social media marketers. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 1: Not having links open in a new page/tab</strong>. Why is this a mistake? Because you are practically pushing people OFF your website and on to another. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 2: Poor social sharing tools (or worse, not having them).</strong> Poor social sharing tools are those that don\'t provide the title of the post, or the blog, or the author. The example I came across this morning gave me this when I clicked to share on Twitter: Currently reading [URL address]). How is this sharing helpful to anyone?  You have to provide a reason for people to read your Tweet. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 3: Not checking @ mentions on Twitter.</strong> Someone is trying to communicate directly with you--is it wise to ignore him/her?  Big companies with customer service problems would do well to check their @ mentions. This is easier done with a Twitter client like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck that automatically puts @ mentions in their own column. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are these your top three mistakes? What would you add or subtract?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','3 Social Media/Web Marketing Mistakes to Avoid','','publish','open','open','','3-social-mediaweb-marketing-mistakes-to-avoid','','','2012-03-26 13:39:41','2012-03-26 13:39:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1645',0,'post','',0),(1646,4,'2012-03-26 13:39:21','2012-03-26 13:39:21','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Just this morning, I have seen all three of these mistakes, and by prominent websites/social media marketers. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 1: Not having links open in a new page/tab</strong>. Why is this a mistake? Because you are practically pushing people OFF your website and on to another. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 2: Poor social sharing tools (or worse, not having them).</strong> Poor social sharing tools are those that don\'t provide the title of the post, or the blog, or the author. The example I came across this morning gave me this when I clicked to share on Twitter: Currently reading [URL address]). How is this sharing helpful to anyone?  You have to provide a reason for people to read your Tweet. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 3: Not checking @ mentions on Twitter.</strong> Someone is trying to communicate directly with you--is it wise to ignore him/her?  Big companies with customer service problems would do well to check their @ mentions. This is easier done with a Twitter client like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck that automatically puts @ mentions in their own column. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are these your top three mistakes? What would you add or subtract?</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','3 Social Media/Web Marketing Mistakes to Avoid','','inherit','open','open','','1645-revision','','','2012-03-26 13:39:21','2012-03-26 13:39:21','',1645,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1645-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1647,4,'2012-03-26 13:40:47','2012-03-26 13:40:47','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Just this morning, I have seen all three of these mistakes, and by prominent websites/social media marketers. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 1: Not having links open in a new page/tab</strong>. Why is this a mistake? Because you are practically pushing people OFF your website and on to another. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 2: Poor social sharing tools (or worse, not having them).</strong> Poor social sharing tools are those that don\'t provide the title of the post, or the blog, or the author. The example I came across this morning gave me this when I clicked to share on Twitter: Currently reading [URL address]). How is this sharing helpful to anyone?  You have to provide a reason for people to read your Tweet. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Number 3: Not checking @ mentions on Twitter.</strong> Someone is trying to communicate directly with you--is it wise to ignore him/her?  Big companies with customer service problems would do well to check their @ mentions. This is easier done with a Twitter client like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck that automatically puts @ mentions in their own column. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are these your top three mistakes? What would you add or subtract?</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','3 Social Media/Web Marketing Mistakes to Avoid','','inherit','open','open','','1645-autosave','','','2012-03-26 13:40:47','2012-03-26 13:40:47','',1645,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1645-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1649,4,'2012-03-28 17:19:16','2012-03-28 17:19:16','Most Americans only speak one language: English. Most Europeans speak multiple languages (native and English at a minimum). Why is this relevant to communications? Simple answer is that in order to communicate EFFECTIVELY with your audience, you must speak their language.\n\nLanguage, in terms of marketing, is not just the','How many languages do you speak?','','inherit','open','open','','1648-revision','','','2012-03-28 17:19:16','2012-03-28 17:19:16','',1648,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1648-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1650,4,'2012-03-29 20:54:00','2012-03-29 20:54:00','T<span style=\"color: #000000;\">here is a women\'s networking group here in Maryland that offers some nice events every couple of months. For April, they had been touting a well known health expert as the speaker to their event. This speaker was a huge draw. Yesterday, I decided to register. When I went to event page, lo and behold, the speaker is not listed. Instead, there is a panel of speakers (none of them \"famous\") who will discuss health issues.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is this a bait and switch? Did the speaker bow out due to an unforeseen circumstance? Why the change in speakers? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have no answer because this group has not addressed it. Instead, they proceed as if nothing has changed. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">They are making an assumption that people will want to attend the event regardless. They are making an assumption that you will get it. They are making an assumption that they don\'t have to provide an explanation.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Don\'t make assumptions! Be transparent. Be clear</strong>. All that needed to be said in this case was: We had scheduled speaker x for this event, but due to (reason) she is no longer available. Instead, we are presenting a fabulous panel....</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This type of thing is what irritates people and turns them off. Say you signed up a month ago expecting the original speaker. You get to the event and she is not there. Don\'t you feel ripped off? Disappointed? Or maybe you are just uninterested in the panel. </span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\'t assume your audience will follow you if you don\'t explain. Be transparent. Be honest. Be upfront.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Rant over.</span>','Being transparent (or, not making assumptions)','','publish','open','open','','being-transparent-or-not-making-assumptions','','','2012-03-29 20:54:00','2012-03-29 20:54:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1650',0,'post','',0),(1671,4,'2012-04-18 15:16:00','2012-04-18 15:16:00','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The single worst mistake you can make in communications is not living up to your promise (s). Why? It breaks trust. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sadly, we see it all the time from big companies and small. Like when a wireless carrier tells you that you will have unlimited data, only to cap you after a certain amount. Or when an airline advertises a low price on a fare only to reference some small print saying it is available only at midnight of the day that Jupiter lines up with Mars.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">When you continually break promises you create a cynical customer. He or she no longer trusts what you say, and takes what you say with a grain of salt. Cynical customers are not loyal customers. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It goes beyond false advertising though. In business and personal communication, you also can run the risk of losing trust. If you tell your friend you will be at her birthday party and then don\'t show up. If you promise your client that you will send a document and then you don\'t.  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We\'ve all heard that the most common lie is \"the check\'s in the mail.\" How many times can you tell someone payment is forthcoming and the check is not there?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">When you as a business or you as an individual fail to live up to your promises, you are helping create a culture of mistrust, cynicism and disappointment. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Do you agree? Is there something worse than making your customers/friends distrust/mistrust you or your business?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The single worst communications mistake','','publish','open','open','','the-single-worst-communications-mistake','','','2012-04-18 15:16:00','2012-04-18 15:16:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1671',0,'post','',0),(1652,4,'2012-03-29 20:53:48','2012-03-29 20:53:48','T<span style=\"color: #000000;\">here is a women\'s networking group here in Maryland that offers some nice events every couple of months. For April, they had been touting a well known health expert as the speaker to their event. This speaker was a huge draw. Yesterday, I decided to register. When I went to event page, lo and behold, the speaker is not listed. Instead, there is a panel of speakers (none of them \"famous\") who will discuss health issues.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is this a bait and switch? Did the speaker bow out due to an unforeseen circumstance? Why the change in speakers? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have no answer because this group has not addressed it. Instead, they proceed as if nothing has changed. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">They are making an assumption that people will want to attend the event regardless. They are making an assumption that you will get it. They are making an assumption that they don\'t have to provide an explanation.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Don\'t make assumptions! Be transparent. Be clear</strong>. All that needed to be said in this case was: We had scheduled speaker x for this event, but due to (reason) she is no longer available. Instead, we are presenting a fabulous panel....</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This type of thing is what irritates people and turns them off. Say you signed up a month ago expecting the original speaker. You get to the event and she is not there. Don\'t you feel ripped off? Disappointed? Or maybe you are just uninterested in the panel. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\'t assume your audience will follow you if you don\'t explain. Be transparent. Be honest. Be upfront.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Rant over.</span>','Being transparent (or, not making assumptions)','','inherit','open','open','','1650-revision','','','2012-03-29 20:53:48','2012-03-29 20:53:48','',1650,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/03/1650-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1653,4,'2012-04-02 14:43:33','2012-04-02 14:43:33','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have been thinking a lot about loyalty and whether companies value it or not.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Take for  example, my customer relationship with ATT Wireless. I have been a customer for several years now (although not by choice rather by the acquisition of my old carrier Cingular). I called customer service the other day to see if they would credit several spam texts I received (I don\'\'t have unlimited text and pay 20 cents per message). The agent placed me on a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ten  minute hold</span> \"to check my account\" and later informed that it was not company policy to do so, but she would credit 40 cents to my account. Now, mind you, I had a similar conversation with another agent last year, and there was no problem crediting my account. No need to review. No lengthy process. I asked the agent if she was really giving me a hard time over 40 cents when I had been a customer for so many years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This interaction seems to prove that ATT is not particularly concerned with customer loyalty. They would rather talk \"company policy\" to me than think about rewarding my patronage, which over the years is in the several $1000s.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have been at my gym for several years. Has it ever given me anything to show appreciation for staying with it? NEW members get perks (free personal training or a t-shirt or whatever) but what do OLD members get? NOTHING. How does this reinforce customer loyalty?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yet, everywhere you turn there are loyalty programs. From the local bakery, where 12 stamps will result in one free loaf of bread to the pharmacy where you swipe your card to get \"reward dollars\" after you\'ve spent a certain amount.  Some of these loyalty programs do reward a loyal customer with something tangible and some are meant as a database mining operation. Guess which is which.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Large companies, especially financial institutions, seem to take customer loyalty for granted. Either that, or they simply don\'t care if customers are loyal. If you have been at your bank for more than five years, are you getting anything? A better interest rate? A free safety deposit box?  I bet the answer is no, you aren\'t getting a single cent. Yet, some banks will reward new customers by giving them a cash bonus deposited to their new accounts.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Customer loyalty is an area that marketing communications can\'t fix by itself. It needs operations/institutional support. However, as a marketer, you need to be concerned about it. <strong>You can attract all sorts of new business with good communications efforts, but can you retain it?</strong> Are you doing something to reward \"old\" business?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you aren\'t thinking about customer loyalty and what you are doing to maintain it and reward it, they you are probably losing customers at this very moment.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you rewarding loyalty?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-rewarding-loyalty','','','2012-04-02 14:43:52','2012-04-02 14:43:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1653',0,'post','',0),(1654,4,'2012-04-02 14:19:16','2012-04-02 14:19:16','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1653-revision','','','2012-04-02 14:19:16','2012-04-02 14:19:16','',1653,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1653-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1655,4,'2012-04-02 14:42:43','2012-04-02 14:42:43','I have been thinking a lot about loyalty and whether companies value it or not.\n\nTake for  example, my customer relationship with ATT Wireless. I have been a customer for several years now (although not by choice rather by the acquisition of my old carrier Cingular). I called customer service the other day to see if they would credit several spam texts I received (I don\'\'t have unlimited text and pay 20 cents per message). The agent placed me on a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ten  minute hold</span> \"to check my account\" and later informed that it was not company policy to do so, but she would credit 40 cents to my account. Now, mind you, I had a similar conversation with another agent last year, and there was no problem crediting my account. No need to review. No lengthy process. I asked the agent if she was really giving me a hard time over 40 cents when I had been a customer for so many years.\n\nThis interaction seems to prove that ATT is not particularly concerned with customer loyalty. They would rather talk \"company policy\" to me than think about rewarding my patronage, which over the years is in the several $1000s.\n\nI have been at my gym for several years. Has it ever given me anything to show appreciation for staying with it? NEW members get perks (free personal training or a t-shirt or whatever) but what do OLD members get? NOTHING. How does this reinforce customer loyalty?\n\nYet, everywhere you turn there are loyalty programs. From the local bakery, where 12 stamps will result in one free loaf of bread to the pharmacy where you swipe your card to get \"reward dollars\" after you\'ve spent a certain amount.  Some of these loyalty programs do reward a loyal customer with something tangible and some are meant as a database mining operation. Guess which is which.\n\nLarge companies, especially financial institutions, seem to take customer loyalty for granted. Either that, or they simply don\'t care if customers are loyal. If you have been at your bank for more than five years, are you getting anything? A better interest rate? A free safety deposit box?  I bet the answer is no, you aren\'t getting a single cent. Yet, some banks will reward new customers by giving them a cash bonus deposited to their new accounts.\n\nCustomer loyalty is an area that marketing communications can\'t fix by itself. It needs operations/institutional support. However, as a marketer, you need to be concerned about it. You can attract all sorts of new business with good communications efforts, but can you retain it? Are you doing something to reward \"old\" business?\n\nIf you aren\'t thinking about customer loyalty and what you are doing to maintain it and reward it, they you are probably losing customers at this very moment.\n\n&nbsp;','Are you rewarding loyalty?','','inherit','open','open','','1653-revision-2','','','2012-04-02 14:42:43','2012-04-02 14:42:43','',1653,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1653-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1656,4,'2012-04-02 14:43:33','2012-04-02 14:43:33','I have been thinking a lot about loyalty and whether companies value it or not.\r\n\r\nTake for  example, my customer relationship with ATT Wireless. I have been a customer for several years now (although not by choice rather by the acquisition of my old carrier Cingular). I called customer service the other day to see if they would credit several spam texts I received (I don\'\'t have unlimited text and pay 20 cents per message). The agent placed me on a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ten  minute hold</span> \"to check my account\" and later informed that it was not company policy to do so, but she would credit 40 cents to my account. Now, mind you, I had a similar conversation with another agent last year, and there was no problem crediting my account. No need to review. No lengthy process. I asked the agent if she was really giving me a hard time over 40 cents when I had been a customer for so many years.\r\n\r\nThis interaction seems to prove that ATT is not particularly concerned with customer loyalty. They would rather talk \"company policy\" to me than think about rewarding my patronage, which over the years is in the several $1000s.\r\n\r\nI have been at my gym for several years. Has it ever given me anything to show appreciation for staying with it? NEW members get perks (free personal training or a t-shirt or whatever) but what do OLD members get? NOTHING. How does this reinforce customer loyalty?\r\n\r\nYet, everywhere you turn there are loyalty programs. From the local bakery, where 12 stamps will result in one free loaf of bread to the pharmacy where you swipe your card to get \"reward dollars\" after you\'ve spent a certain amount.  Some of these loyalty programs do reward a loyal customer with something tangible and some are meant as a database mining operation. Guess which is which.\r\n\r\nLarge companies, especially financial institutions, seem to take customer loyalty for granted. Either that, or they simply don\'t care if customers are loyal. If you have been at your bank for more than five years, are you getting anything? A better interest rate? A free safety deposit box?  I bet the answer is no, you aren\'t getting a single cent. Yet, some banks will reward new customers by giving them a cash bonus deposited to their new accounts.\r\n\r\nCustomer loyalty is an area that marketing communications can\'t fix by itself. It needs operations/institutional support. However, as a marketer, you need to be concerned about it. <strong>You can attract all sorts of new business with good communications efforts, but can you retain it?</strong> Are you doing something to reward \"old\" business?\r\n\r\nIf you aren\'t thinking about customer loyalty and what you are doing to maintain it and reward it, they you are probably losing customers at this very moment.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you rewarding loyalty?','','inherit','open','open','','1653-revision-3','','','2012-04-02 14:43:33','2012-04-02 14:43:33','',1653,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1653-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1665,4,'2012-04-12 20:09:37','2012-04-12 20:09:37','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is almost over for those of us who celebrate it. The eight-day-long Jewish holiday celebrates liberation from slavery in Egypt. For most people, the main observance of the holiday is abstaining from eating bread and other leavened products (because the Israelites fleeing Egypt did not have enough time to allow their bread to rise), and substituting matza instead.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Can Passover inform any marketing communications decisions? I think it can. Here are four Passover lessons for you marcomm efforts:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>One: Freedom rules!</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is a festival that celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. In marketing and communications, we also celebrate freedom. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">We don\'t want to be tied to one platform, one way of thinking, solutions that no longer work.</span> Celebrate and use your freedom!</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Two: Change is good</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">During passover, we eat matza for eight days, and don\'t eat bread, pasta, etc. It is a change for most people, a pause, a reset. It <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">challenges your routine,</span> forces your creativity. When you do things differently for a short time, you may discover what works and what doesn\'t.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Three: Dress it up a bit</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In my opinion, matza is infinitely better when spread with cream cheese or jelly (or both). Plain is just OK. In other words,<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> some bells and whistles help</span>. For example, having a well designed, attractive website can give your business an edge over a dull, plain website.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Four: Friends and family are key</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is a holiday that is better when celebrated with friends and family. In marketing and communications, your “friends and family” are your customers and your promoters. In social media they are your followers and \"likers.\" Your friends and family are the cornerstone of your outreach efforts.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Do you see any other lessons in Passover?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','4 Passover Lessons for Marketing and Communications','','publish','open','open','','4-passover-lessons-for-marketing-and-communications','','','2012-04-12 20:09:37','2012-04-12 20:09:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1665',0,'post','',2),(1658,4,'2012-04-04 12:56:00','2012-04-04 12:56:00','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever run into a situation where a company has absolutely gorgeous marketing materials, but its service or product is sub par? That\'s a situation where the marketing draws people in, but the product  or service loses them. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I am looking to do some home improvement and I went to Angie\'s List. I found several companies in the category and checked out each company website. I was pretty impressed with one company in particular. Their website was not only attractive, but functional and informative. I called to make an appointment for an estimate. The woman seemed friendly and knowledgeable and set up an appointment that would be confirmed via email. This company seems to be pretty technologically savvy. The appointment was confirmed but a couple of hours later I got an email from a manager saying that he couldn\'t keep that appointment and could we change it. We went back and forth and settled on Tuesday (yesterday) at 6 p.m. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">At 5 p.m. yesterday the estimator called to tell me he can\'t make it and can he come tomorrow. As it turns out, I don\'t have time today, and I figured that if a company can\'t keep an appointment that does not bode well for the process. Further, it is not professional to keep changing appointments and to offer excuses. My time is valuable and if this company wants my business, the estimator would make an effort to show at the appointed time. I told him to forget it. There are other companies that do this work, and so far, two other companies have shown up on time for our estimate appointments. For me, punctuality and reliability are important indicators of how a company performs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In this case, this company appears to be competent but in practice is not. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">When your marketing is bad, you may not get the customers you want. But if your marketing is better than you are, your potential customers will not stick with you. They will be drawn in, but you will lose them. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your marketing should be attractive, but if you are spending more money and time on marketing and less on your service or product, that marketing dollar is wasted. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Thoughts?</span>','Is your marketing communication better than you?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-marketing-communication-better-than-you','','','2012-04-04 12:56:00','2012-04-04 12:56:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1658',0,'post','',2),(1659,4,'2012-04-04 12:55:01','2012-04-04 12:55:01','Have you ever run into a situation where a company has absolutely gorgeous marketing materials, but its service or product is sub par? That\'s a situation where the marketing draws people in, but the product  or service loses them.\n\nI am looking to do some home improvement and I went to Angie\'s List. I found several companies in the category and checked out each company website. I was pretty impressed with one company in particular. Their website was not only attractive, but functional and informative. I called to make an appointment for an estimate. The woman seemed friendly and knowledgeable and set up an appointment that would be confirmed via email. This company seems to be pretty technologically savvy. The appointment was confirmed but a couple of hours later I got an email from a manager saying that he couldn\'t keep that appointment and could we change it. We went back and forth and settled on Tuesday (yesterday) at 6 p.m.\n\nAt 5 p.m. yesterday the estimator called to tell me he can\'t make it and can he come tomorrow. As it turns out, I don\'t have time today, and I figured that if a company can\'t keep an appointment that does not bode well for the process. Further, it is not professional to keep changing appointments and to offer excuses. My time is valuable and if this company wants my business, the estimator would make an effort to show at the appointed time. I told him to forget it. There are other companies that do this work, and so far, two other companies have shown up on time for our estimate appointments. For me, punctuality and reliability are important indicators of how a company perfor\n\nIn this case, this company appears to be competent but in practice is not.\n\nWhen your marketing is not good, you may not get the customers you want. But if your marketing is better than you are, your potential customers will not stick with you. They will be drawn in, but you will lose them.\n\nYour marketing should be attractive, but if you are spending more money and time on marketing and less on your service or product, that marketing dollar is wasted.','Is your marketing communication better than you?','','inherit','open','open','','1658-revision','','','2012-04-04 12:55:01','2012-04-04 12:55:01','',1658,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1658-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1660,4,'2012-04-04 12:57:06','2012-04-04 12:57:06','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever run into a situation where a company has absolutely gorgeous marketing materials, but its service or product is sub par? That\'s a situation where the marketing draws people in, but the product  or service loses them. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I am looking to do some home improvement and I went to Angie\'s List. I found several companies in the category and checked out each company website. I was pretty impressed with one company in particular. Their website was not only attractive, but functional and informative. I called to make an appointment for an estimate. The woman seemed friendly and knowledgeable and set up an appointment that would be confirmed via email. This company seems to be pretty technologically savvy. The appointment was confirmed but a couple of hours later I got an email from a manager saying that he couldn\'t keep that appointment and could we change it. We went back and forth and settled on Tuesday (yesterday) at 6 p.m. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">At 5 p.m. yesterday the estimator called to tell me he can\'t make it and can he come tomorrow. As it turns out, I don\'t have time today, and I figured that if a company can\'t keep an appointment that does not bode well for the process. Further, it is not professional to keep changing appointments and to offer excuses. My time is valuable and if this company wants my business, the estimator would make an effort to show at the appointed time. I told him to forget it. There are other companies that do this work, and so far, two other companies have shown up on time for our estimate appointments. For me, punctuality and reliability are important indicators of how a company performs.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In this case, this company appears to be competent but in practice is not. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">When your marketing is bad, you may not get the customers you want. But if your marketing is better than you are, your potential customers will not stick with you. They will be drawn in, but you will lose them. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your marketing should be attractive, but if you are spending more money and time on marketing and less on your service or product, that marketing dollar is wasted. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Thoughts?</span>','Is your marketing communication better than you?','','inherit','open','open','','1658-autosave','','','2012-04-04 12:57:06','2012-04-04 12:57:06','',1658,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1658-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1662,4,'2012-04-09 14:48:33','2012-04-09 14:48:33','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lately, I have been seeing lots of articles being written about how important storytelling is, most recently <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/riley-gibson/3-reasons-every-start-up-should-tell-more-stories.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3 Reasons to Master the Art of Storytelling</span></a> on Inc. Magazine\'s website. This has got me to thinking on whether you can become a better storyteller, or is it something you are born with. Or, does it matter at all if you are good or bad at storytelling if your story is great (or terrible).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>So, is it the story or the storyteller?</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A bit of both in my opinion. A bad storyteller could ruin the best story, but a boring story won\'t get any more exciting if someone tells it really well.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">But, can you make the telling of the story better? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yes!</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are my tips for improving your storytelling ability, while cautioning you that you have to have a good story to start with.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1) <strong>Have a point, and don\'t bury it. </strong>Start with the end in mind. Is there anything worse than a pointless story? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2) <strong>Don\'t get bogged down with all the details</strong>. I had a friend years ago who was the kind of storyteller that would make you look at your watch ten times because she had to relay every single last detail. (Like this: I was walking to the train station in my new blue shoes with tassels, and then I saw the cutest cocker spaniel, and I started talking to the woman who was walking the dog, she was wearing  a jumpsuit that I had seen in a store window.....). </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3) <strong>Realize your audience may not view the story the same way you do.</strong>  You have a specific point of view, but if it is very specific to you and your worldview, it may fall flat with your audience.There are things that are more universal than others, and to resonate, your story has to have some type of \"universal truth.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4) <strong>Adapt to your surroundings</strong>. If you are telling a story to your friends in your living room you may be more informal, whereas if you are telling a story to the board in the corporate headquarters, you may need to be a tad more buttoned up.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5)<strong> Use humor, but only if it is not offensive or obtuse.</strong> Have you ever been told a story, and the teller throws in some weird joke you don\'t think is funny? Or worse, you think is offensive (these jokes are usually tired canards about women, or racist stereotypes)?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What would add? And do you think the right storyteller can make up for a bad story? Let me know in the comments.</span>','Is it the story or the storyteller?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-the-story-or-the-storyteller','','','2012-04-09 14:48:33','2012-04-09 14:48:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1662',0,'post','',0),(1663,4,'2012-04-09 14:47:50','2012-04-09 14:47:50','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lately, I have been seeing lots of articles being written about how important storytelling is, most recently <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/riley-gibson/3-reasons-every-start-up-should-tell-more-stories.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3 Reasons to Master the Art of Storytelling</span></a> on Inc. Magazine\'s website. This has got me to thinking on whether you can become a better storyteller, or is it something you are born with. Or, does it matter at all if you are good or bad at storytelling if your story is great (or terrible).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>So, is it the story or the storyteller?</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A bit of both in my opinion. A bad storyteller could ruin the best story, but a boring story won\'t get any more exciting if someone tells it really well.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">But, can you make the telling of the story better? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yes!</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are my tips for improving your storytelling ability, while cautioning you that you have to have a good story to start with.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1) <strong>Have a point, and don\'t bury it. </strong>Start with the end in mind. Is there anything worse than a pointless story? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2) <strong>Don\'t get bogged down with all the details</strong>. I had a friend years ago who was the kind of storyteller that would make you look at your watch ten times because she had to relay every single last detail. (Like this: I was walking to the train station in my new blue shoes with tassels, and then I saw the cutest cocker spaniel, and I started talking to the woman who was walking the dog, she was wearing  a jumpsuit that I had seen in a store window.....). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3) <strong>Realize your audience may not view the story the same way you do.</strong>  You have a specific point of view, but if it is very specific to you and your worldview, it may fall flat with your audience.There are things that are more universal than others, and to resonate, your story has to have some type of \"universal truth.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4) <strong>Adapt to your surroundings</strong>. If you are telling a story to your friends in your living room you may be more informal, whereas if you are telling a story to the board in the corporate headquarters, you may need to be a tad more formal.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5)<strong> Use humor, but only if it is not offensive or obtuse.</strong> Have you ever been told a story, and the teller throws in some weird joke you don\'t think is funny? Or worse, you think is offensive (these jokes are usually tired canards about women, or racist stereotypes)?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What would add? And do you think the right storyteller can make up for a bad story? Let me know in the comments.</span>','Is it the story or the storyteller?','','inherit','open','open','','1662-revision','','','2012-04-09 14:47:50','2012-04-09 14:47:50','',1662,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1662-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1664,4,'2012-04-09 14:49:01','2012-04-09 14:49:01','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lately, I have been seeing lots of articles being written about how important storytelling is, most recently <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/riley-gibson/3-reasons-every-start-up-should-tell-more-stories.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3 Reasons to Master the Art of Storytelling</span></a> on Inc. Magazine\'s website. This has got me to thinking on whether you can become a better storyteller, or is it something you are born with. Or, does it matter at all if you are good or bad at storytelling if your story is great (or terrible).</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>So, is it the story or the storyteller?</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A bit of both in my opinion. A bad storyteller could ruin the best story, but a boring story won\'t get any more exciting if someone tells it really well.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">But, can you make the telling of the story better? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yes!</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are my tips for improving your storytelling ability, while cautioning you that you have to have a good story to start with.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">1) <strong>Have a point, and don\'t bury it. </strong>Start with the end in mind. Is there anything worse than a pointless story? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2) <strong>Don\'t get bogged down with all the details</strong>. I had a friend years ago who was the kind of storyteller that would make you look at your watch ten times because she had to relay every single last detail. (Like this: I was walking to the train station in my new blue shoes with tassels, and then I saw the cutest cocker spaniel, and I started talking to the woman who was walking the dog, she was wearing  a jumpsuit that I had seen in a store window.....). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3) <strong>Realize your audience may not view the story the same way you do.</strong>  You have a specific point of view, but if it is very specific to you and your worldview, it may fall flat with your audience.There are things that are more universal than others, and to resonate, your story has to have some type of \"universal truth.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4) <strong>Adapt to your surroundings</strong>. If you are telling a story to your friends in your living room you may be more informal, whereas if you are telling a story to the board in the corporate headquarters, you may need to be a tad more buttoned up.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5)<strong> Use humor, but only if it is not offensive or obtuse.</strong> Have you ever been told a story, and the teller throws in some weird joke you don\'t think is funny? Or worse, you think is offensive (these jokes are usually tired canards about women, or racist stereotypes)?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What would add? And do you think the right storyteller can make up for a bad story? Let me know in the comments.</span>','Is it the story or the storyteller?','','inherit','open','open','','1662-autosave','','','2012-04-09 14:49:01','2012-04-09 14:49:01','',1662,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1662-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1666,4,'2012-04-12 20:08:44','2012-04-12 20:08:44','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is almost over for those of us who celebrate it. The eight-day-long Jewish holiday celebrates liberation from slavery in Egypt. For most people, the main observance of the holiday is abstaining from eating bread and other leavened products (because the Israelites fleeing Egypt did not have enough time to allow their bread to rise), and substituting matza instead.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Can Passover inform any marketing communications decisions? I think it can. Here are four Passover lessons for you marcomm efforts:</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>One: Freedom rules!</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is a festival that celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. In marketing and communications, we also celebrate freedom. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">We don\'t want to be tied to one platform, one way of thinking, solutions that no longer work.</span> Celebrate and use your freedom!</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Two: Change is good</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">During passover, we eat matza for eight days, and don\'t eat bread, pasta, etc. It is a change for most people, a pause, a reset. It challenges your routine, forces your creativity. When you do things differently for a short time, you may discover what works and what doesn\'t.</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Three: Dress it up a bit</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In my opinion, matza is infinitely better when spread with cream cheese or jelly (or both). Plain is just OK. In other words, some bells and whistles help. For example, having a well designed, attractive website can give your business an edge over a dull, plain website.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Four: Friends and family are key</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Passover is a holiday that is better when celebrated with friends and family. In marketing and communications, your “friends and family” are your customers and your promoters. In social media they are your followers and \"likers.\" Your friends and family are the cornerstone of your outreach efforts.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Do you see any other lessons in Passover?</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','4 Passover Lessons for Marketing and Communications','','inherit','open','open','','1665-revision','','','2012-04-12 20:08:44','2012-04-12 20:08:44','',1665,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1665-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1684,4,'2012-05-07 13:26:36','2012-05-07 13:26:36','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Many organizations, especially nonprofits and associations, focus on having one annual event that is meant to be a fundraiser or a idea-raiser.  Events are a great way to publicize an organization, get people together, and provide value to attendees. Except when the events don\'t go well. And that is a big exception.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Unfortunately,  many events have better publicity than planning, and that is guaranteed to backfire. What I mean is that event organizers spend inordinate amounts of time and money to make sure that people know and attend a conference, and spend much less time and money on the logistics of the event.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I attended a \"women\'s conference.\" It had a very nice website, and was going to deal with some intriguing subject matter (women and politics, women in developing countries, etc.) I believed the hype and bought my ticket (also, I had a very nice discount from a friend involved with the group). </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">First indication of a problem was the disparity of information between the ticket and the website. One said the program started at 8:30, the other that registration started then, and the program at 9:45.  Neither was right. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Make sure the details are correct, and that everyone has the same information.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The people who were involved with greeting and registering were doing neither when I arrived at 8:50. Badges were still being put out. No one handed me a program. It was disorganized. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The program did not start until 10:15. From there, everything ran late. No one thought to tell people where the breakout sessions would be, and one was on a different floor (the session I was signed up for). </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Timing matters.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The \"panelists\" for the session I attended were sitting and chatting amongst themselves for 25 minutes, ignoring the fact that 40 people were sitting and waiting for them to start. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Explain expectations to presenters.</strong> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">And then there was the issue of lunch. It was supposed to be \"grab and go.\"  I am vegetarian and guess what, there was not a single vegetarian option to be found. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: If you are going to offer food (and there is no other food available on site) then you have to consider dietary restrictions.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bottom line is that the event organizers did not pay attention to the organization aspect of running an event. While I am sure that some people got some value from this particular event, these lapses in logistics wasted my time (and my money).  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Event planners pay attention to every last detail from food choice and availability to coat checks to bathroom locations. Event marketers, on the other hand, are focused on getting registrations. Both are EQUALLY important. <strong>If you sacrifice planning for publicity, you will have a disorganized event. If you sacrifice publicity for planning, you will have a poorly attended event.</strong> Either scenario will create PR headaches for you later on.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In my case, I will probably never attend this particular women\'s conference again. My perception of the event and its organizers is that they were more focused on the bottom line than on making sure everything went smoothly for the attendees.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are organizing an event, be sure you spend as much time planning it as you do publicizing it.</strong> And PS, event planning is a skill. Get qualified/experienced people to help plan your event. It does pay off.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Invest in event planning not just event marketing','','publish','open','open','','invest-in-event-planning-not-just-event-marketing','','','2012-05-07 13:26:36','2012-05-07 13:26:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1684',0,'post','',1),(1668,4,'2012-04-16 15:49:01','2012-04-16 15:49:01','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever gone to a new (to you) website or blog and before you can read anything you get a pop up ad or form DEMANDING that you fill it out? It happened to me today as I was following a link from someone on Twitter. And what was worse, there was no opting out, no little \"thanks but no thanks\" box I could click. It was either sign up for my newsletter or you can\'t read my blog.\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Can  you imagine if a bricks and mortar store did that? You would walk in, ready to browse (and perhaps you were ready to buy something), and there would be someone standing in the doorway, demanding that you fill out a survey or a customer sign up sheet. If you didn\'t want to comply, then you would not be allowed to enter the store.  You know what would happen to that store? It would lose all sorts of potential customers/business.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I understand that blog and websites want to have something tangible from visitors: a sign up or a purchase. But making it a condition for reading your website/blog\'s content, guarantees you will lose some potential readers. Why would I want to sign up for your newsletter if I can\'t even read about you? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\'t beat your customers over the head. Ask them to sign up, but don\'t make it a precondition for a relationship unless you want to destroy relationships before they start.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you beating your customers over the head?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-beating-your-customers-over-the-head','','','2012-04-16 15:49:01','2012-04-16 15:49:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1668',0,'post','',0),(1669,4,'2012-04-16 15:33:14','2012-04-16 15:33:14','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1668-revision','','','2012-04-16 15:33:14','2012-04-16 15:33:14','',1668,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1668-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1670,4,'2012-04-16 15:48:36','2012-04-16 15:48:36','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever gone to a new (to you) website or blog and before you can read anything you get a pop up ad or form DEMANDING that you fill it out? It happened to me today as I was following a link from someone on Twitter. And what was worse, there was no opting out, no little \"thanks but no thanks\" box I could click. It was either sign up for my newsletter or you can\'t read my blog.\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Can  you imagine if a bricks and mortar store did that? You would walk in, ready to browse (and perhaps you were ready to buy something), and there would be someone standing in the doorway demanding that you fill out a survey or a customer sign up sheet. If you didn\'t want to comply, then you would not be allowed to enter the store.  You know what would happen to that store? It would lose all sorts of potential customers/business.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I understand that blog and websites want to have something tangible from visitors: a sign up or a purchase. But making it a condition for reading your website/blog\'s content, guarantees you will lose some potential readers. Why would I want to sign up for your newsletter if I can\'t even read about you? </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\'t beat your customers over the head. Ask them to sign up, but don\'t make it a precondition for a relationship unless you want to destroy relationships before they start.</span>\n\n&nbsp;','Are you beating your customers over the head?','','inherit','open','open','','1668-revision-2','','','2012-04-16 15:48:36','2012-04-16 15:48:36','',1668,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1668-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1672,4,'2012-04-18 15:15:11','2012-04-18 15:15:11','The single worst mistake you can make in communications is not living up to your promise (s). Why? It breaks trust.\n\nSadly, we see it all the time from big companies and small. Like when a wireless carrier tells you that you will have unlimited data, only to cap you after a certain amount. Or when an airline advertises a low price on a fare only to reference some small print saying it is available only at midnight of the day that Jupiter lines up with Mars.\n\nWhen you continually break promises you create a cynical customer. He or she no longer trusts what you say, and takes what you say with a grain of salt. Cynical customers are not loyal customers.\n\nIt goes beyond false advertising though. In business and personal communication, you also can run the risk of losing trust. If you tell your friend you will be at her birthday party and then don\'t show up. If you promise your client that you will send a document and then you don\'t.\n\nWe\'ve all heard that the most common lie is \"the check\'s in the mail.\" How many times can you tell someone payment is forthcoming and the check is not there?\n\nWhen you as a business or you as an individual fail to live up to your promises, you are helping create a culture of mistrust, cynicism and disappointment.\n\nDo you agree? Is there something worse than making your customers/friends distrust/mistrust you or your business?\n\n&nbsp;','The single worst communications mistake','','inherit','open','open','','1671-revision','','','2012-04-18 15:15:11','2012-04-18 15:15:11','',1671,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1671-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1674,4,'2012-04-25 15:09:08','2012-04-25 15:09:08','I recently flew to Fort Lauderdale and back on US Airways. On both flights, the flight attendants had a \"special\" offer for us, a \"specially selected flight.\" The offer-- only available until April 30 (or the whole month of April, whichever way you look at it) was to sign up for a credit card, and get bonus miles. The rest was so complicated that the flight attendant was struggling to explain what it was and how it worked (something to the effect that if you spent x dollars then you could buy a free companion ticket to anywhere except where it is not available).\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Special badge by Dr. Keats, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_keats/263664231/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/92/263664231_2203261611.jpg\" alt=\"Special badge\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto by Dr. Keats from Flickr\r\n\r\n<strong>This was not a special offer.</strong>  It was a run of the mill sign up today for our credit card so that we credit you 5000 miles for the trip. This is not different from any of the airline credit cards or even the points credit cards out there.\r\n\r\n<strong>This was not unique to our flight.</strong> The flight attendants made the same pitch twice. And the guy next to me had heard it on another flight.\r\n\r\n<strong>Moral of the story</strong>: Don\'t say something is special if it is not. Most people are savvy enough to know when something is really special and when it is not. Also, don\'t repeat your special offer by saying it is only available to a select few when you\'ve already offered it to many many others.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Special is special unless it isn\'t','','publish','open','open','','special-is-special-unless-it-isnt','','','2012-04-25 15:09:08','2012-04-25 15:09:08','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1674',0,'post','',0),(1675,4,'2012-04-25 15:08:11','2012-04-25 15:08:11','I recently flew to Fort Lauderdale and back on US Airways. On both flights, the flight attendants had a \"special\" offer for us, a \"specially selected flight.\" The offer-- only available until April 30 (or the whole month of April, whichever way you look at it) was to sign up for a credit card, and get bonus miles. The rest was so complicated that the flight attendant was struggling to explain what it was and how it worked (something to the effect that if you spent x dollars then you could buy a free companion ticket to anywhere except where it is not available).\n\n<a title=\"Special badge by Dr. Keats, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_keats/263664231/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/92/263664231_2203261611.jpg\" alt=\"Special badge\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n\nPhoto:\n\n<strong>This was not a special offer.</strong>  It was a run of the mill sign up today for our credit card so that we credit you 5000 miles for the trip. This is not different from any of the airline credit cards or even the points credit cards out there.\n\n<strong>This was not unique to our flight.</strong> The flight attendants made the same pitch twice. And the guy next to me had heard it on another flight.\n\n<strong>Moral of the story</strong>: Don\'t say something is special if it is not. Most people are savvy enough to know when something is really special and when it is not. Also, don\'t repeat your special offer by saying it is only available to a select few when you\'ve already offered it to many many others.\n\n&nbsp;','Special is special unless it isn\'t','','inherit','open','open','','1674-revision','','','2012-04-25 15:08:11','2012-04-25 15:08:11','',1674,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1674-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1676,4,'2012-04-25 15:08:40','2012-04-25 15:08:40','I recently flew to Fort Lauderdale and back on US Airways. On both flights, the flight attendants had a \"special\" offer for us, a \"specially selected flight.\" The offer-- only available until April 30 (or the whole month of April, whichever way you look at it) was to sign up for a credit card, and get bonus miles. The rest was so complicated that the flight attendant was struggling to explain what it was and how it worked (something to the effect that if you spent x dollars then you could buy a free companion ticket to anywhere except where it is not available).\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Special badge by Dr. Keats, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_keats/263664231/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/92/263664231_2203261611.jpg\" alt=\"Special badge\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPhoto by Dr. Keats from Flickr\r\n\r\n<strong>This was not a special offer.</strong>  It was a run of the mill sign up today for our credit card so that we credit you 5000 miles for the trip. This is not different from any of the airline credit cards or even the points credit cards out there.\r\n\r\n<strong>This was not unique to our flight.</strong> The flight attendants made the same pitch twice. And the guy next to me had heard it on another flight.\r\n\r\n<strong>Moral of the story</strong>: Don\'t say something is special if it is not. Most people are savvy enough to know when something is really special and when it is not. Also, don\'t repeat your special offer by saying it is only available to a select few when you\'ve already offered it to many many others.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Special is special unless it isn\'t','','inherit','open','open','','1674-revision-2','','','2012-04-25 15:08:40','2012-04-25 15:08:40','',1674,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1674-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1677,4,'2012-04-25 15:09:11','2012-04-25 15:09:11','I recently flew to Fort Lauderdale and back on US Airways. On both flights, the flight attendants had a \"special\" offer for us, a \"specially selected flight.\" The offer-- only available until April 30 (or the whole month of April, whichever way you look at it) was to sign up for a credit card, and get bonus miles. The rest was so complicated that the flight attendant was struggling to explain what it was and how it worked (something to the effect that if you spent x dollars then you could buy a free companion ticket to anywhere except where it is not available).\n\n<a title=\"Special badge by Dr. Keats, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_keats/263664231/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/92/263664231_2203261611.jpg\" alt=\"Special badge\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n\nPhoto by Dr. Keats from Flickr\n\n<strong>This was not a special offer.</strong>  It was a run of the mill sign up today for our credit card so that we credit you 5000 miles for the trip. This is not different from any of the airline credit cards or even the points credit cards out there.\n\n<strong>This was not unique to our flight.</strong> The flight attendants made the same pitch twice. And the guy next to me had heard it on another flight.\n\n<strong>Moral of the story</strong>: Don\'t say something is special if it is not. Most people are savvy enough to know when something is really special and when it is not. Also, don\'t repeat your special offer by saying it is only available to a select few when you\'ve already offered it to many many others.\n\n&nbsp;','Special is special unless it isn\'t','','inherit','open','open','','1674-autosave','','','2012-04-25 15:09:11','2012-04-25 15:09:11','',1674,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1674-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1678,4,'2012-04-26 16:13:13','2012-04-26 16:13:13','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A couple of days ago I was reading my book while aboard Metro. A couple of stops into the ride, a group of three guys got on and sat right next to me. For the next 30 minutes I was \"treated\" to a non-stop, curse-filled treatise on everything from how women dress to jobs to how living in the suburbs is for the birds (although that was not the way it was actually said). These guys were not speaking amongst themselves. They were loud and obnoxious and did not care who heard them.  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I felt uncomfortable, and I wondered, had I had a child with me, whether they would have moderated their behavior or whether they would have responded if I had asked them to watch their language. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I know, it seems old-fashioned to \"watch your language.\" But there is a public space and a private space, and when you are in public, you are sharing the air and space with other people. You should try to be considerate.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Instead, we see cursing all the time on Twitter, Facebook and every which way we turn. Some people are bring cursing to advertising, in order \"to break through the clutter.\" I just read <a href=\"http://www.talentzoo.com/news/All-this-F-ing-Cursing-Makes-the-Ad-Business-Look-Sh-ty/13930.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">this article on Talent Zoo</span></a> about cursing in the ad industry, where the author feels the need to be graphic in demonstrating what he is referring to.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is no need to curse in public. You can do whatever you want in private. You can smoke and drink and overindulge in ice cream. In the public space--in communications--you should put a lid on it. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What do you think? Do you curse or not in public? Do you care?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','To curse or not to curse, that is the question','','publish','open','open','','to-curse-or-not-to-curse-that-is-the-question','','','2012-04-26 16:13:13','2012-04-26 16:13:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1678',0,'post','',0),(1679,4,'2012-04-26 16:12:43','2012-04-26 16:12:43','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">A couple of days ago I was reading my book while aboard Metro. A couple of stops into the ride, a group of three guys got on and sat right next to me. For the next 30 minutes I was \"treated\" to a non-stop, curse-filled treatise on everything from how women dress to jobs to how living in the suburbs is for the birds (although that was not the way it was actually said). These guys were not speaking amongst themselves. They were loud and obnoxious and did not care who heard them.  </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I felt uncomfortable, and I wondered, had I had a child with me, whether they would have moderated their behavior or whether they would have responded if I had asked them to watch their language. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I know, it seems old-fashioned to \"watch your language.\" But there is a public space and a private space, and when you are in public, you are sharing the air and space with other people. You should try to be considerate.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Instead, we see cursing all the time on Twitter, Facebook and every which way we turn. Some people are bring cursing to advertising, in order \"to break through the clutter.\" I just read <a href=\"http://www.talentzoo.com/news/All-this-F-ing-Cursing-Makes-the-Ad-Business-Look-Sh-ty/13930.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">this article on Talent Zoo</span></a> about cursing in the ad industry, where the author feels the need to be graphic in demonstrating what he is referring to.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is no need to curse in public. You can do whatever you want in private. You can smoke and drink and overindulge in ice cream. In the public space--in communications--you should put a lid on it. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What do you think? Do you curse or not in public? Do you care?</span>\n\n&nbsp;','To curse or not to curse, that is the question','','inherit','open','open','','1678-revision','','','2012-04-26 16:12:43','2012-04-26 16:12:43','',1678,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1678-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1680,4,'2012-04-30 13:42:36','2012-04-30 13:42:36','Two-year-olds LOVE the word me. They are just learning that they are individuals and that they want whatever their siblings or friends have. \"Me too,\" they shout. \"Daddy, Mommy, look at me!!!\"\r\n\r\nYou would think Twitter has been overrun by a nursery school. In endless posts, self-promoters don\'t use the word me as such, instead, they go on about their blog, their client, their big idea. Post after post after post. Never \"engaging\" with others, never re-tweeting others, and certainly never sharing anything useful.\r\n\r\nTake for example the life coach who just came up with a brilliant idea. She is going to make sure you hear about it--she even created her own hashtag. And she wants you to join in. Or the business development \"expert\" who wants you to like her Facebook page, and asks you every SINGLE day, several times a day. Or the PR guy who constantly tells you how great he is because his VIP clients have been featured in the media.\r\n\r\nSure, you should use Twitter and social media outlets to promote your business (and yourself if you are your business). <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">HOWEVER, if all you do is self-promote, then you are mired in ME-ONLY thinking. In other words, you are being egotistical and/or narcissistic in your use of Twitter.</span> Twitter is a SOCIAL media platform. Social means that there is more than one person out there, right? You want to INTERACT with other people, not just have people look at you.\r\n\r\nThink about the Twitter users you enjoy following. What makes them stand out? I bet they:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Share interesting articles and insights</li>\r\n	<li>Interact with you (answer your questions, comment on your tweets)</li>\r\n	<li>Re-tweet what you share</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIn other words, they don\'t only talk about themselves. They have grown out of the \"terrible twos\" and have learned that there is an US or a WE out there, not just a ME.\r\n\r\nHow should you deal with the \"me-all-the-time\" tweeps? Easy. Unfollow. You won\'t miss their egos clogging up your stream.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think about my post? Ha ha! Just kidding.\r\n\r\nSeriously, though, how far should self-promotion go on Twitter?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Me! Me! It\'s all about ME!!!!','','publish','open','open','','me-me-its-all-about-me','','','2012-04-30 13:42:36','2012-04-30 13:42:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1680',0,'post','',1),(1681,4,'2012-04-30 13:41:13','2012-04-30 13:41:13','Two-year-olds LOVE the word me. They are just learning that they are individuals and that they want whatever their siblings or friends have. \"Me too,\" they shout. \"Daddy, Mommy, look at me!!!\"\n\nYou would think Twitter has been overrun by a nursery school. In endless posts, self-promoters don\'t use the word me as such, instead, they go on about their blog, their client, their big idea. Post after post after post. Never \"engaging\" with others, never re-tweeting others, and certainly never sharing anything useful.\n\nTake for example the life coach who just came up with a brilliant idea. She is going to make sure you hear about it--she even created her own hashtag. And she wants you to join in. Or the business development \"expert\" who wants you to like her Facebook page, and asks you every SINGLE day, several times a day. Or the PR guy who constantly tells you how great he is because his VIP clients have been featured in the media.\n\nSure, you should use Twitter and social media outlets to promote your business (and yourself if you are your business). <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">HOWEVER, if all you do is self-promote, then you are mired in ME-ONLY thinking. In other words, you are being egotistical and/or narcissistic in your use of Twitter.</span> Twitter is a SOCIAL media platform. Social means that there is more than one person out there, right? You want to INTERACT with other people, not just have people look at you.\n\nThink about the Twitter users you enjoy following. What makes them stand out? I bet they:\n<ul>\n	<li>Share interesting articles and insights</li>\n	<li>Interact with you (answer your questions, comment on your tweets)</li>\n	<li>Re-tweet what you share</li>\n</ul>\nIn other words, they don\'t only talk about themselves. They have grown out of the \"terrible twos\" and have learned that there is an US or a WE out there, not just a ME.\n\nHow should you deal with the \"me-all-the-time\" tweeps? Easy. Unfollow. You won\'t miss their egos clogging up your stream.\n\nWhat do you think about my post? Ha ha! Just kidding. Seriously, though, how far should self-promotion go on Twitter?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Me! Me! It\'s all about ME!!!!','','inherit','open','open','','1680-revision','','','2012-04-30 13:41:13','2012-04-30 13:41:13','',1680,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/04/1680-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1682,4,'2012-05-02 12:46:00','2012-05-02 12:46:00','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps the most basic question you have to ask yourself before creating any marketing/communications materials is:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Who is my target audience?</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The more you know who they are, where they are and what they need, the better your materials will be.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">And yet. A couple of days ago, I was driving down Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest D.C. and saw a sign outside of a church that made me wonder.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The sign said: </span>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>English Classes Available. Please Call [telephone number] to Enroll.</em></span></p>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now, if you need to learn English, can you read English? Nope. Is the audience for this sign people who know people who need to learn English? Perhaps. I would think this sign would be more effective if it were written in the language of the people you are trying to target, don\'t you think?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Who is your audience? ','','publish','open','open','','who-is-your-audience','','','2012-05-02 12:46:00','2012-05-02 12:46:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1682',0,'post','',0),(1683,4,'2012-05-02 12:45:41','2012-05-02 12:45:41','<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Perhaps the most basic question you have to ask yourself before creating any marketing/communications materials is:</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\"><strong>Who is my target audience?</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">The more you know who they are, where they are and what they need, the better your materials will be.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">And yet. A couple of days ago, I was driving down Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest D.C. and saw a sign outside of a church that made me wonder.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">The sign said: </span>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #888888;\"><em>English Classes Available. Please Call [telephone number] to Enroll.</em></span></p>\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Now, if you need to learn English, can you read English? Nope. Is the audience for this sign people who know people who need to learn English? Perhaps. I would think this sign would be more effective if it were written in the language of the people you are trying to target, don\'t you think?</span>\n\n&nbsp;','Who is your audience? ','','inherit','open','open','','1682-revision','','','2012-05-02 12:45:41','2012-05-02 12:45:41','',1682,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1682-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1685,4,'2012-05-07 12:45:20','2012-05-07 12:45:20','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1684-revision','','','2012-05-07 12:45:20','2012-05-07 12:45:20','',1684,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1684-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1686,4,'2012-05-07 13:23:00','2012-05-07 13:23:00','Many organizations, especially nonprofits and associations, focus on having one annual event that is meant to be a fundraiser or a idea-raiser.  Events are a great way to publicize an organization, get people together, and provide value to attendees. Except when the events don\'t go well. And that is a big exception.\n\nUnfortunately,  many events have better publicity than planning, and that is guaranteed to backfire. What I mean is that event organizers spend inordinate amounts of time and money to make sure that people know and attend a conference, and spend much less time and money on the logistics of the event.\n\nThis past Saturday, I attended a \"women\'s conference.\" It had a very nice website, and was going to deal with some intriguing subject matter (women and politics, women in developing countries, etc.) I believed the hype and bought my ticket (also, I had a very nice discount from a friend involved with the group).\n\nFirst indication of a problem was the disparity of information between the ticket and the website. One said the program started at 8:30, the other that registration started then, and the program at 9:45.  Neither was right.\n\n<strong>Lesson: Make sure the details are correct, and that everyone has the same information.</strong>\n\nThe people who were involved with greeting and registering were doing neither when I arrived at 8:50. Badges were still being put out. No one handed me a program. It was disorganized.\n\nThe program did not start until 10:15. From there, everything ran late. No one thought to tell people where the breakout sessions would be, and one was on a different floor (the session I was signed up for).\n\n<strong>Lesson: Timing matters.</strong>\n\nThe \"panelists\" for the session I attended were sitting and chatting amongst themselves for 25 minutes, ignoring the fact that 40 people were sitting and waiting for them to start.\n\n<strong>Lesson: Explain expectations to presenters.</strong>\n\nAnd then there was the issue of lunch. It was supposed to be \"grab and go.\"  I am vegetarian and guess what, there was not a single vegetarian option to be found.\n\n<strong>Lesson: If you are going to offer food (and there is no other food available on site) then you have to consider dietary restrictions.</strong>\n\nThe bottom line is that the event organizers did not pay attention to the organization aspect of running an event. While I am sure that some people got some value from this particular event, these lapses in logistics wasted my time (and my money).\n\nEvent planners pay attention to every last detail from food choice and availability to coat checks to bathroom locations. Event marketers, on the other hand, are focused on getting registrations. Both are EQUALLY important. If you sacrifice planning for publicity, you will have a disorganized event. If you sacrifice publicity for planning, you will have a poorly attended event. Either scenario will create PR headaches for you later on.\n\nIn my case, I will probably never attend this particular women\'s conference again. My perception of the event and its organizers is that they were more focused on the bottom line than on making sure everything went smoothly for the attendees.\n\nIf you are organizing an event, be sure you spend as much time planning as you do publicizing it. And PS, event planning is a skill. Get people to help plan your event\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Invest in event planning not just event marketing','','inherit','open','open','','1684-revision-2','','','2012-05-07 13:23:00','2012-05-07 13:23:00','',1684,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1684-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1687,4,'2012-05-07 13:25:54','2012-05-07 13:25:54','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Many organizations, especially nonprofits and associations, focus on having one annual event that is meant to be a fundraiser or a idea-raiser.  Events are a great way to publicize an organization, get people together, and provide value to attendees. Except when the events don\'t go well. And that is a big exception.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Unfortunately,  many events have better publicity than planning, and that is guaranteed to backfire. What I mean is that event organizers spend inordinate amounts of time and money to make sure that people know and attend a conference, and spend much less time and money on the logistics of the event.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This past Saturday, I attended a \"women\'s conference.\" It had a very nice website, and was going to deal with some intriguing subject matter (women and politics, women in developing countries, etc.) I believed the hype and bought my ticket (also, I had a very nice discount from a friend involved with the group). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">First indication of a problem was the disparity of information between the ticket and the website. One said the program started at 8:30, the other that registration started then, and the program at 9:45.  Neither was right. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Make sure the details are correct, and that everyone has the same information.</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The people who were involved with greeting and registering were doing neither when I arrived at 8:50. Badges were still being put out. No one handed me a program. It was disorganized. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The program did not start until 10:15. From there, everything ran late. No one thought to tell people where the breakout sessions would be, and one was on a different floor (the session I was signed up for). </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Timing matters.</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The \"panelists\" for the session I attended were sitting and chatting amongst themselves for 25 minutes, ignoring the fact that 40 people were sitting and waiting for them to start. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: Explain expectations to presenters.</strong> </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">And then there was the issue of lunch. It was supposed to be \"grab and go.\"  I am vegetarian and guess what, there was not a single vegetarian option to be found. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lesson: If you are going to offer food (and there is no other food available on site) then you have to consider dietary restrictions.</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The bottom line is that the event organizers did not pay attention to the organization aspect of running an event. While I am sure that some people got some value from this particular event, these lapses in logistics wasted my time (and my money).  </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Event planners pay attention to every last detail from food choice and availability to coat checks to bathroom locations. Event marketers, on the other hand, are focused on getting registrations. Both are EQUALLY important. <strong>If you sacrifice planning for publicity, you will have a disorganized event. If you sacrifice publicity for planning, you will have a poorly attended event.</strong> Either scenario will create PR headaches for you later on.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">In my case, I will probably never attend this particular women\'s conference again. My perception of the event and its organizers is that they were more focused on the bottom line than on making sure everything went smoothly for the attendees.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>If you are organizing an event, be sure you spend as much time planning it as you do publicizing it.</strong> And PS, event planning is a skill. Get qualified/experienced people to help plan your event. It does pay off.</span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Invest in event planning not just event marketing','','inherit','open','open','','1684-revision-3','','','2012-05-07 13:25:54','2012-05-07 13:25:54','',1684,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1684-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1693,4,'2012-05-16 14:26:22','2012-05-16 14:26:22','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As a homeowner, I have dealt with dozens of contractors to perform repairs and inspections, and all the other things one needs to get done in a house. One stands out--my plumber Mark. Not only is he a good plumber, he\'s a nice guy. I think we can learn a whole lot about marketing from him.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Choose your target market carefully:</strong> Mark has decided exactly where he is most comfortable working, geographically and culturally. He knows also what he is NOT looking for.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Advertise to the target market only</strong>: Mark does not have a sign on his truck, and he does not run ads in the mass media. He wants to continue working with his target market and not with just anyone.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Distinguish yourself from the competition</strong>: In Mark\'s case, he is green (although not certified) and he prides himself on punctuality. These are two things he highlights in his marketing materials. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Love what you do and be good at it:</strong> Mark loves plumbing and has since he was a child. He also knows what he is doing.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Be professional and responsive:</strong> Mark responds to inquiries quickly. He asks for pictures of the repair that needs to get done so he can properly assess and estimate the job. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Be pleasant and respectful:</strong> People like to do business with people they like. Mark always shakes hands with you when he comes to your house, and he immediately dons booties to prevent tracking dirt into your house. (something most contractors don\'t even think about). Mark also leaves his work area spotless. No messes to clean up.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;\">In the end, Mark wins at marketing because he has figured out how to market to a niche audience,  to provide exemplary service that generates return business and referrals and he doesn\'t waste his marketing dollar reaching out to people outside his market.</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons from an A+ plumber','','publish','open','open','','marketing-lessons-from-an-a-plumber','','','2012-05-16 14:26:22','2012-05-16 14:26:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1693',0,'post','',0),(1702,4,'2012-05-29 14:35:06','2012-05-29 14:35:06','When was the last time you checked--and I mean thoroughly checked--your online content? Recently? Last quarter? Last year? When you launched the website?\r\n\r\nIf you haven\'t done it recently (within the past six months), I suggest hopping over to your website RIGHT NOW.\r\n\r\nIt\'s crucial to check for accuracy and relevance of your content. Here are a few areas you most definitely want to check and update if necessary:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Contact information</li>\r\n	<li>Product/service listing</li>\r\n	<li>Pricing</li>\r\n	<li>About page (everybody still with your company or in the same position?)</li>\r\n	<li>Home page (what exactly is the first thing you are telling people about your company?)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nPeople are using the web more and more each day to find vendors and buy stuff. An out-of-date or inaccurate website will make it difficult for those potential customers to do business with you.\r\n\r\nWhat are you waiting for! Go do it now.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Check your content much?','','publish','open','open','','check-your-content-much','','','2012-05-29 14:35:06','2012-05-29 14:35:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1702',0,'post','',0),(1690,4,'2012-05-09 12:26:19','2012-05-09 12:26:19','At the women\'s conference I referenced on <a title=\"Invest in event planning not just event marketing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/invest-in-event-planning-not-just-event-marketing/\" target=\"_blank\">Monday\'s post</a>, the organizer was also the emcee. She introduced the keynote speaker like this:\r\n\r\nI met [speaker] at a conference, and I think she\'s so great. I learned a lot from her. I was really impacted by what she said. I learned that....\r\n\r\nThis is not a verbatim quote but do you notice anything about this \"introduction?\"  It is all about the organizer and not about who she is introducing.  It\'s a \"me\" speech. Not a \"we\" speech and certainly not a \"you\" speech.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips (@mrmediatraining on Twitter), president of <a href=\"http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Phillips Media Relations</a>, a media training organization, what he thought of a speech that focused on \"I.\" His response was:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Depends on the humility of the speaker, I suppose. Can range from humble self-experience to (more often) grating and ego-filled.</div>\r\n<div></div></blockquote>\r\nIn other words, an \"I speech\" can  seem self-aggrandizing and can potentially turn the audience off, especially if the speaker shows no humility.\r\n\r\nIt seems to me that emcees at an event should focus more on the we and you than on the me. The event after all, is not about the emcee, it is about the collective audience. It is not about the emcee\'s ego.\r\n\r\nIn this case,  I think this particular emcee was very self-focused. She was neither humble nor overly egotistical but seemingly clueless as to how she was coming across. She did not seem to care that she should have given the speaker a proper introduction (Ms. so and so is a writer focused on x, and she has been working in this field since x, etc.) and she also did not seem to be able to connect the dots on how this particular speaker would help us, the audience, why this speaker had been invited to speak.\r\n\r\n<strong>In marketing communication, the focus should be on the you or the we, and not the me.</strong> If you ever go to a website or read a brochure that goes on about me, me, me and does not address how we work together or how this benefits you, you know you are dealing with someone who has not a single clue about audience (or its needs).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Me, We and You','','publish','open','open','','me-we-and-you','','','2012-05-09 12:56:36','2012-05-09 12:56:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1690',0,'post','',0),(1691,4,'2012-05-09 12:25:53','2012-05-09 12:25:53','At the women\'s conference I referenced on <a title=\"Invest in event planning not just event marketing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/invest-in-event-planning-not-just-event-marketing/\" target=\"_blank\">Monday\'s post</a>, the organizer was also the emcee. She introduced the keynote speaker like this:\n\nI met [speaker] at a conference, and I think she\'s so great. I learned a lot from her. I was really impacted by what she said. I learned that....\n\nThis is not a verbatim quote but do you notice anything about this \"introduction?\"  It it all about the organizer and not about who she is introducing.  It\'s a \"me\" speech. Not a \"we\" speech and certainly not a \"you\" speech.\n\nI asked Brad Phillips (@mrmediatraining on Twitter), president of <a href=\"http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Phillips Media Relations</a>, a media training organization, what he thought of a speech that focused on \"I.\" His response was:\n<blockquote>\n<div>Depends on the humility of the speaker, I suppose. Can range from humble self-experience to (more often) grating and ego-filled.</div>\n<div></div></blockquote>\nIn other words, an \"I speech\" can  seem self-aggrandizing and can potentially turn the audience off, especially if the speaker shows no humility.\n\nIt seems to me that emcees at an event should focus more on the we and you than on the me. The event after all, is not about the emcee, it is about the collective audience. It is not about the emcee\'s ego.\n\nIn this case,  I think this particular emcee was very self-focused. She was neither humble nor overly egotistical but seeminglmore clueless as to how she was coming across. She did not seem to care that she should have given the speaker a proper introduction (Ms. so and so is a writer focused on x, and she has been working in this field since x, etc.) and she also did not seem to be able to connect the dots on how this particular speaker would help us, the audience, why this speaker had been invited to speak.\n\n<strong>In marketing communication, the focus should be on the you or the we, and not the me.</strong> If you ever go to a website or read a brochure that goes on about me, me, me and does not address how we work together or how this benefits you, you know you are dealing with someone who has not a single clue about audience (or its needs).\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote>\n<div></div></blockquote>','Me, We and You','','inherit','open','open','','1690-revision','','','2012-05-09 12:25:53','2012-05-09 12:25:53','',1690,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1690-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1692,4,'2012-05-09 12:26:19','2012-05-09 12:26:19','At the women\'s conference I referenced on <a title=\"Invest in event planning not just event marketing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/invest-in-event-planning-not-just-event-marketing/\" target=\"_blank\">Monday\'s post</a>, the organizer was also the emcee. She introduced the keynote speaker like this:\r\n\r\nI met [speaker] at a conference, and I think she\'s so great. I learned a lot from her. I was really impacted by what she said. I learned that....\r\n\r\nThis is not a verbatim quote but do you notice anything about this \"introduction?\"  It it all about the organizer and not about who she is introducing.  It\'s a \"me\" speech. Not a \"we\" speech and certainly not a \"you\" speech.\r\n\r\nI asked Brad Phillips (@mrmediatraining on Twitter), president of <a href=\"http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Phillips Media Relations</a>, a media training organization, what he thought of a speech that focused on \"I.\" His response was:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Depends on the humility of the speaker, I suppose. Can range from humble self-experience to (more often) grating and ego-filled.</div>\r\n<div></div></blockquote>\r\nIn other words, an \"I speech\" can  seem self-aggrandizing and can potentially turn the audience off, especially if the speaker shows no humility.\r\n\r\nIt seems to me that emcees at an event should focus more on the we and you than on the me. The event after all, is not about the emcee, it is about the collective audience. It is not about the emcee\'s ego.\r\n\r\nIn this case,  I think this particular emcee was very self-focused. She was neither humble nor overly egotistical but seemingly clueless as to how she was coming across. She did not seem to care that she should have given the speaker a proper introduction (Ms. so and so is a writer focused on x, and she has been working in this field since x, etc.) and she also did not seem to be able to connect the dots on how this particular speaker would help us, the audience, why this speaker had been invited to speak.\r\n\r\n<strong>In marketing communication, the focus should be on the you or the we, and not the me.</strong> If you ever go to a website or read a brochure that goes on about me, me, me and does not address how we work together or how this benefits you, you know you are dealing with someone who has not a single clue about audience (or its needs).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div></div></blockquote>','Me, We and You','','inherit','open','open','','1690-revision-2','','','2012-05-09 12:26:19','2012-05-09 12:26:19','',1690,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1690-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1694,4,'2012-05-16 14:25:07','2012-05-16 14:25:07','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">As a homeowner, I have dealt with dozens of contractors to perform repairs and inspections, and all the other things one needs to get done in a house. One stands out--my plumber Mark. Not only is he a good plumber, he\'s a nice guy. I think we can learn a whole lot about marketing from him.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Choose your target market carefully:</strong> Mark has decided exactly where he is most comfortable working, geographically and culturally. He knows also what he is NOT looking for.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Advertise to the target market only</strong>: Mark does not have a sign on his truck, and he does not run ads in the mass media. He wants to continue working with his target market and not with just anyone.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Distinguish yourself from the competition</strong>: In Mark\'s case, he is green (although not certified) and he prides himself on punctuality. These are two things he highlights in his marketing materials. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Love what you do and be good at it:</strong> Mark loves plumbing and has since he was a child. He also knows what he is doing.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Be professional and responsive:</strong> Mark responds to inquiries quickly. He asks for pictures of the repair that needs to get done so he can properly assess and estimate the job. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Be pleasant and respectful:</strong> People like to do business with people they like. Mark always shakes hands with you when he comes to your house, and he immediately dons booties to prevent tracking dirt into your house. (something most contractors don\'t even think about). Mark also leaves his work area spotless. No messes to clean up.</span>\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;\">In the end, Mark wins at marketing because he has figured out how to market to a niche audience,  to provide exemplary service that generates return business and referrals and he doesn\'t waste his marketing dollar reaching out to people outside his market.</span>\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons from an A+ plumber','','inherit','open','open','','1693-revision','','','2012-05-16 14:25:07','2012-05-16 14:25:07','',1693,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1693-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1697,4,'2012-05-21 13:51:08','2012-05-21 13:51:08','Social media has lots of pluses when it comes to marketing. Among them are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Low cost (especially compared to the cost of advertising on television)</li>\r\n	<li>Word-of-mouth value for trust and amplification</li>\r\n	<li>Speed and ease in execution</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nSocial media is a VALUABLE part of a marketing communications plan, but, it should not be the only part. If you put ALL your effort/dollars into social media, there is little doubt that you will be failing to reach all of your target audience.\r\n\r\nLet me tell you about two companies that make their business solely on online traffic, but are advertising in other media: Constant Contact and Reputation.com\r\n\r\nIn case you have never received an enewsletter, you should know that Constant Contact is an established email marketing business.  Many organizations and businesses use Constant Contact to send out email campaigns.  Constant Contact advertises its services on the radio. Yes. On the radio.\r\n\r\nReputation.com works on making sure that you preserve a good reputation online. It is useful for people/organizations that have received negative reviews or are associated with with negative news/information. Reputation.com advertises in print (I saw a print ad this morning in the Washington Post). It also advertises on television.\r\n\r\nIf these two companies--which do business online--have to take their advertising off line, that should tell you that you cannot rely on social media (or online media) alone. You have to mix it up. You have to reach potential customers where they are, and they may not be on social or online.\r\n\r\nDo you do all your marketing on social media? If so, tell me why. If not, also tell me why.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Should you do all your marketing on social media?','','publish','open','open','','should-you-do-all-your-marketing-on-social-media','','','2012-05-21 13:51:08','2012-05-21 13:51:08','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1697',0,'post','',0),(1698,4,'2012-05-21 13:50:28','2012-05-21 13:50:28','Social media has lots of pluses when it comes to marketing. Among them are:\n<ul>\n	<li>Low cost (especially compared to the cost of advertising on television)</li>\n	<li>Word-of-mouth value for trust and amplification</li>\n	<li>Speed and ease in execution</li>\n</ul>\nSocial media is a VALUABLE part of a marketing communications plan, but, it should not be the only part. If you put ALL your effort/dollars into social media, there is little doubt that you will be failing to reach all of your target audience.\n\nLet me tell you about two companies that make their business solely on online traffic, but are advertising in other media: Constant Contact and Reputation.com\n\nIn case you have never received an enewsletter, you should know that Constant Contact is an established email marketing business.  Many organizations and businesses use Constant Contact to send out email campaigns.  Constant Contact advertises its services on the radio. Yes. On the radio.\n\nReputation.com works on making sure that you preserve a good reputation online. It is useful for people/organizations that have received negative reviews or are associated with with negative news/information. Reputation.com advertises in print (I saw a print ad this morning in the Washington Post). It also advertises on television.\n\nIf these two companies--which do business online--have to take their advertising off line, that should tell you that you cannot rely on social media (or online media) alone. You have to mix it up. You have to reach potential customers where they are, and they may not be on social or online.\n\nDo you do all your marketing on social media? If so, tell me why. If not, also tell me why.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Should you do all your marketing on social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1697-revision','','','2012-05-21 13:50:28','2012-05-21 13:50:28','',1697,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1697-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1699,4,'2011-07-22 04:18:37','2011-07-22 04:18:37','In the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro          area:\r\n\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications\r\n\r\nPO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849\r\n\r\nT: 301-424-2488\r\nM: 305-336-4357\r\nE: <a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\nTwitter: <a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2011-07-22 04:18:37','2011-07-22 04:18:37','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/24-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1700,4,'2012-05-29 14:24:33','2012-05-29 14:24:33','We are located in the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro area:\r\n\r\nWrite us at:\r\n\r\n<address>Deborah Brody Marketing Communication</address><address>PO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849</address>Call:  301-424-2488 (office) or  305-336-4357  (mobile)\r\n\r\nEmail: <a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\nTwitter: <a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2012-05-29 14:24:33','2012-05-29 14:24:33','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/24-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1703,4,'2012-05-29 14:34:25','2012-05-29 14:34:25','When was the last time you checked--and I mean thoroughly checked--your online content? Recently? Last quarter? Last year? When you launched the website?\n\nIf you haven\'t done it recently (within the past six months), I suggest hopping over to your website RIGHT NOW.\n\nIt\'s crucial to check for accuracy and relevance of your content. Here are a few areas you most definitely want to check and update if necessary:\n<ul>\n	<li>Contact information</li>\n	<li>Product/service listing</li>\n	<li>Pricing</li>\n	<li>About page (everybody still with your company or in the same position?)</li>\n	<li>Home page (what exactly is the first thing you are telling people about your company?)</li>\n</ul>\nPeople are using the web more and more each day to find vendors and buy stuff. An out-of-date or inaccurate website will make it difficult for those potential customers to do business with you.\n\n&nbsp;','Check your content much?','','inherit','open','open','','1702-revision','','','2012-05-29 14:34:25','2012-05-29 14:34:25','',1702,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/1702-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1711,4,'2012-06-11 13:03:20','2012-06-11 13:03:20','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever noticed how certain words or phrases seem to become ubiquitous? Sometimes it is because of a movie (\"dude\" became very very popular after Bill and Ted\'s Excellent Adventure). Sometimes it is because of a TV show. Sometimes, I am just not sure.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I heard a commercial on the radio the other day for a cell phone company, where one of the guys was saying \"Boom!\" and the other other guy replies: \"Stop saying that!\" And the other guy goes on \"Boom, and there it was.\" I can\'t remember the words verbatim, but it was all about boom.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">And then I started to see/hear boom everywhere, including this commercial for </span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Miracle-Gro Potting Soil</span>:\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/qfWW1gWyMoo?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice the last word in the commercial.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom!</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I bet you start noticing boom all over the place. If you find a good one, share it here in the comments.</span>','Did that commercial just go boom?','','publish','open','open','','did-that-commercial-just-go-boom','','','2012-06-11 13:03:20','2012-06-11 13:03:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1711',0,'post','',0),(1705,4,'2012-06-01 13:04:23','2012-06-01 13:04:23','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yesterday on Twitter, someone posted about an event that sounded intriguing. I went to check out the link provided for details, thinking I would find time, place and cost, but instead I found a sign-up form. The form asked for: name, gender, date of birth, time zone, location, religious views, email and a password. I kid you not. Or, you could sign up using your Facebook login.  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">How much of this information are you requiring? <strong> The information you require can be construed as a barrier to entry</strong>. You put up figurative barriers, at differing \"heights\" to reduce the amount of people that can access your offering. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now, some people have absolutely no problem handing over any information that is asked of them. I used to know a woman who would even give out her social security number and her mother\'s maiden name just to be on an email list. And then there are people like me, who guard their personal information zealously and will only give up the minimum for a good reason. For example, if the doctor\'s office wants to know if I have had a surgery or take any medication. But why would I give an organization putting together an EVENT my birth date and religious affiliation? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">This problem extends to the growing number of websites that require you to sign up with your Facebook account. Again, some people consider their Facebook profile public. And some---like me--don\'t. Facebook has already compiled a good amount of personal information about you: where you live, where you are from, who your friends are, what your likes and dislikes are, your age and if you provided them with this info: where you went to school, your religion, your marital status and on and on.  </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You should consider exactly what information you require, and furthermore, you should tell people what you plan to do with that information. What exactly are you going to do to safeguard the privacy of that information?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Again, some people are pretty lax about privacy. But there is a continuum, and if your goal is to get more people (not fewer) to sign up, then you will have to consider that some people are not so comfortable handing over this information. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What are your thoughts? On a personal level, do you give any information requested, or do you fudge it? Do you sign in using your Facebook? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">On an organizational level, how much information are you requiring and is all of it necessary?</span>','How much information are you requiring?','','publish','open','open','','how-much-information-are-you-requiring','','','2012-06-01 13:04:23','2012-06-01 13:04:23','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1705',0,'post','',0),(1706,4,'2012-06-01 13:03:27','2012-06-01 13:03:27','Yesterday on Twitter, someone posted about an event that sounded intriguing. I went to check out the link provided for details, thinking I would find time, place and cost, but instead I found a sign-up form. The form asked for: name, gender, date of birth, time zone, location, religious views, email and a password. I kid you not. Or you could sign up using your Facebook login.\n\nHow much of this information are you requiring? <strong> The information you require can be construed as a barrier to entry</strong>. You put up figurative barriers, at differing \"heights\" to reduce the amount of people that can access your offering.\n\nNow, some people have absolutely no problem handing over any information that is asked of them. I used to know a woman who would even give out her social security number and her mother\'s maiden name just to be on an email list. And then there are people like me, who guard their personal information zealously and will only give up the minimum for a good reason. For example, if the doctor\'s office wants to know if I have had a surgery or take any medication. But why would I give an organization putting together an EVENT my birth date and religious affiliation?\n\nThis problem extends to the growing number of websites that require you to sign up with your Facebook account. Again, some people consider their Facebook profile public. And some---like me--don\'t. Facebook has already compiled a good amount of personal information about you: where you live, where you are from, who your friends are, what your likes and dislikes are, your age and if you provided them with this info: where you went to school, your religion, your marital status and on and on.\n\nYou should consider exactly what information you require, and furthermore, you should tell people what you plan to do with that information. What exactly are you going to do to safeguard the privacy of that information?\n\nAgain, some people are pretty lax about privacy. But there is a continuum, and if your goal is to get more people (not fewer) to sign up, then you will have to consider that some people are not so comfortable handing over this information.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? On a personal level, do you give any information requested, or do you fudge it? Do you sign in using your Facebook?\n\nOn an organizational level, how much information are you requiring and is all of it necessary?','How much information are you requiring?','','inherit','open','open','','1705-revision','','','2012-06-01 13:03:27','2012-06-01 13:03:27','',1705,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1705-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1707,4,'2012-06-05 13:31:40','2012-06-05 13:31:40','Every organization (business, nonprofit, political, association) should have a list of key messages.These key messages should be updated frequently (no less than once a year). If yours doesn\'t, it\'s time to start creating a list of key messages. Key messages form the basis of your speeches, press releases and other communications materials.\r\n\r\nKey messages should include facts about the organization, the organization\'s mission and philosophy, organizational goals, how the organization operates and other important information you want your audience to know.\r\n\r\nYour key messages should be genuine, and stand up to scrutiny.  Some organizations end up with key messages that are not reflective of reality, but rather are ideological.  This is especially true with political organizations.\r\n\r\nI came across a great example  key messages that don\'t accurately reflect reality in yesterday\'s Washington Post. In a story written by Dan Eggen on page A7, entitled \"McDonnell says stimulus aided Va. --but only in the short run,\" the first paragraph says:\r\n<blockquote>Virgina Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) wandered off script somewhat Sunday as a surrogate for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, conceding that  President Obama\'s stimulus measures had helped his state weather the economic crisis.</blockquote>\r\nOf course, the Romney campaign has been arguing that Obama\'s stimulus hurt the economy, and did not create jobs---<em>because stimulus goes against Republican economic ideology.</em> Governor McDonnell was reflecting the reality on the ground in his remarks--that indeed the stimulus has helped Virginia. He \"went off message\" because instead of being ideological, he was being factual, rooting his comments in the reality of his state.\r\n\r\nA similar situation occurred last week when Cory Booker said that he was sickened by the attacks on Bain Capital. The Obama campaign\'s key messages about Romney\'s tenure at Bain were more ideological than factual. Booker was simply reflecting facts that private equity firms are not the way they were being portrayed by the campaign. Booker was roundly criticized for \"going off message.\"\r\n\r\nWhen key messages IGNORE reality and facts, and simply reflect ideology and beliefs, they are open to attack and leave spokespeople with the opportunity of \"wandering off script\" or \"going off message.\"\r\n\r\nMost people have a hard time lying when asked a direct question. If your key messages are ideologically but not factually correct, they will not stand up to scrutiny. You don\'t want to ask spokespeople to lie, so inject some honesty into your messaging!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Root your messages in reality not ideology','','publish','open','open','','root-your-messages-in-reality-not-ideology','','','2012-06-05 13:31:40','2012-06-05 13:31:40','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1707',0,'post','',0),(1708,4,'2012-06-05 13:25:03','2012-06-05 13:25:03','Every organization (business, nonprofit, political, association) should have a list of key messages. If yours doesn\'t, it\'s time to start a list. Key messages form the basis of your speeches, press releases and other communications materials.\n\nKey messages should include facts about the organization, the organization\'s mission and philosophy, organizational goals, how the organization operates and other important information you want your audience to know.\n\nIt\'s important that your key messages be genuine, and stand up to scrutiny. Many organizations fail at this because they are more interested in ideology and not reality. This is especially true with political organizations.\n\nI came across a great example of when key messages don\'t accurately reflect reality in yesterday\'s Washington Post. In a story written by Dan Eggen on page A7, entitled \"McDonnell says stimulus aided Va. --but only in the short run,\" he writes:\n<blockquote>Virgina Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) wandered off script somewhat Sunday as a surrogate for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, conceding that  President Obama\'s stimulus measures had helped his state weather the economic crisis.</blockquote>\nOf course, the Romney campaign has been arguing that Obama\'s stimulus hurt the economy, and did not create jobs---<em>because stimulus goes against Republican economic ideology.</em> Governor McDonnell was reflecting the reality on the ground in his remarks--that indeed the stimulus has helped Virginia. He \"went off message\" because instead of being ideological, he was being factual, rooting his comments in the reality of his state.\n\nA similar situation occurred last week when Cory Booker said that he was sickened by the attacks on Bain Capital. The Obama campaign\'s key messages about Romney\'s tenure at Bain were more ideological than factual. Booker was simply reflecting facts that private equity firms are not the way they were being portrayed by the campaign.\n\nWhen key messages IGNORE reality and facts, and simply reflect ideology and beliefs, they are open to attack and leave spokespeople with the opportunity of \"wandering off script.\"\n\nMost people have a hard time lying when asked a direct question. If your key messages are ideologically but not factually correct, they will not stand up to scrutiny.\n\n&nbsp;','Root your messages in reality not ideology','','inherit','open','open','','1707-revision','','','2012-06-05 13:25:03','2012-06-05 13:25:03','',1707,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1707-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1709,4,'2012-06-05 13:30:52','2012-06-05 13:30:52','Every organization (business, nonprofit, political, association) should have a list of key messages.These key messages should be updated frequently (no less than once a year). If yours doesn\'t, it\'s time to start creating a list of key messages. Key messages form the basis of your speeches, press releases and other communications materials.\n\nKey messages should include facts about the organization, the organization\'s mission and philosophy, organizational goals, how the organization operates and other important information you want your audience to know.\n\nYour key messages should be genuine, and stand up to scrutiny.  Some organizations end up with key messages that are not reflective of reality, but rather are ideological.  This is especially true with political organizations.\n\nI came across a great example  key messages that don\'t accurately reflect reality in yesterday\'s Washington Post. In a story written by Dan Eggen on page A7, entitled \"McDonnell says stimulus aided Va. --but only in the short run,\" the first paragraph says:\n<blockquote>Virgina Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) wandered off script somewhat Sunday as a surrogate for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, conceding that  President Obama\'s stimulus measures had helped his state weather the economic crisis.</blockquote>\nOf course, the Romney campaign has been arguing that Obama\'s stimulus hurt the economy, and did not create jobs---<em>because stimulus goes against Republican economic ideology.</em> Governor McDonnell was reflecting the reality on the ground in his remarks--that indeed the stimulus has helped Virginia. He \"went off message\" because instead of being ideological, he was being factual, rooting his comments in the reality of his state.\n\nA similar situation occurred last week when Cory Booker said that he was sickened by the attacks on Bain Capital. The Obama campaign\'s key messages about Romney\'s tenure at Bain were more ideological than factual. Booker was simply reflecting facts that private equity firms are not the way they were being portrayed by the campaign. Booker was roundly criticized for \"going off message.\"\n\nWhen key messages IGNORE reality and facts, and simply reflect ideology and beliefs, they are open to attack and leave spokespeople with the opportunity of \"wandering off script\" or \"going off message.\"\n\nMost people have a hard time lying when asked a direct question. If your key messages are ideologically but not factually correct, they will not stand up to scrutiny.\n\n&nbsp;','Root your messages in reality not ideology','','inherit','open','open','','1707-revision-2','','','2012-06-05 13:30:52','2012-06-05 13:30:52','',1707,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1707-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1710,4,'2012-06-05 13:32:52','2012-06-05 13:32:52','Every organization (business, nonprofit, political, association) should have a list of key messages.These key messages should be updated frequently (no less than once a year). If yours doesn\'t, it\'s time to start creating a list of key messages. Key messages form the basis of your speeches, press releases and other communications materials.\n\nKey messages should include facts about the organization, the organization\'s mission and philosophy, organizational goals, how the organization operates and other important information you want your audience to know.\n\nYour key messages should be genuine, and stand up to scrutiny.  Some organizations end up with key messages that are not reflective of reality, but rather are ideological.  This is especially true with political organizations.\n\nI came across a great example  key messages that don\'t accurately reflect reality in yesterday\'s Washington Post. In a story written by Dan Eggen on page A7, entitled \"McDonnell says stimulus aided Va. --but only in the short run,\" the first paragraph says:\n<blockquote>Virgina Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) wandered off script somewhat Sunday as a surrogate for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, conceding that  President Obama\'s stimulus measures had helped his state weather the economic crisis.</blockquote>\nOf course, the Romney campaign has been arguing that Obama\'s stimulus hurt the economy, and did not create jobs---<em>because stimulus goes against Republican economic ideology.</em> Governor McDonnell was reflecting the reality on the ground in his remarks--that indeed the stimulus has helped Virginia. He \"went off message\" because instead of being ideological, he was being factual, rooting his comments in the reality of his state.\n\nA similar situation occurred last week when Cory Booker said that he was sickened by the attacks on Bain Capital. The Obama campaign\'s key messages about Romney\'s tenure at Bain were more ideological than factual. Booker was simply reflecting facts that private equity firms are not the way they were being portrayed by the campaign. Booker was roundly criticized for \"going off message.\"\n\nWhen key messages IGNORE reality and facts, and simply reflect ideology and beliefs, they are open to attack and leave spokespeople with the opportunity of \"wandering off script\" or \"going off message.\"\n\nMost people have a hard time lying when asked a direct question. If your key messages are ideologically but not factually correct, they will not stand up to scrutiny. You don\'t want to ask spokespeople to lie, so inject some honesty into your messaging!\n\n&nbsp;','Root your messages in reality not ideology','','inherit','open','open','','1707-autosave','','','2012-06-05 13:32:52','2012-06-05 13:32:52','',1707,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1707-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1715,4,'2012-06-11 13:02:44','2012-06-11 13:02:44','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever noticed how certain words or phrases seem to become ubiquitous? Sometimes it is because of a movie (\"dude\" became very very popular after Bill and Ted\'s Excellent Adventure). Sometimes it is because of a TV show. Sometimes, I am just not sure.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I heard a commercial on the radio the other day for a cell phone company, where one of the guys was saying \"Boom!\" and the other other guy replies: \"Stop saying that!\" And the other guy goes on \"Boom, and there it was.\" I can\'t remember the words verbatim, but it was all about boom.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">And then I started to see/hear boom everywhere, including this commercial for </span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Miracle-Gro Potting Soil</span>:\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/qfWW1gWyMoo?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice the last word in the commercial.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom!</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I bet you start noticing boom all over the place. If you find a good one, share it here in the comments.</span>','Did that commercial just go boom?','','inherit','open','open','','1711-revision-4','','','2012-06-11 13:02:44','2012-06-11 13:02:44','',1711,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1711-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1712,4,'2012-06-11 12:57:07','2012-06-11 12:57:07','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever noticed how certain words or phrases seem to become ubiquitous? Sometimes it is because of a movie (\"dude\" became very very popular after Bill and Ted\'s Excellent Adventure). Sometimes it is because of a TV show. Sometimes, I am just not sure. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Recently, the word that I hear everywhere, in commercial after commercial, is \"boom.\" As in:</span>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">                 I was texting on my phone, and then boom, I ran into him.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom, and I have the stuff I need.</span></p>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These aren\'t verbatim...but you get the picture.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s a commercial for Miracle-Gro Potting Soil</span>:\n\n&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/qfWW1gWyMoo?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice the last word in the commercial.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom!</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I bet you start noticing boom all over the place. If you find a good one, share it here in the comments.</span>','Did that commercial just go boom?','','inherit','open','open','','1711-revision','','','2012-06-11 12:57:07','2012-06-11 12:57:07','',1711,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1711-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1713,4,'2012-06-11 12:58:07','2012-06-11 12:58:07','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever noticed how certain words or phrases seem to become ubiquitous? Sometimes it is because of a movie (\"dude\" became very very popular after Bill and Ted\'s Excellent Adventure). Sometimes it is because of a TV show. Sometimes, I am just not sure. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Recently, the word that I hear everywhere, in commercial after commercial, is \"boom.\" As in:</span>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">                 I was texting on my phone, and then boom, I ran into him.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom, and I have the stuff I need.</span></p>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These aren\'t verbatim...but you get the picture.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s a commercial for Miracle-Gro Potting Soil</span>:\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/qfWW1gWyMoo?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice the last word in the commercial.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom!</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I bet you start noticing boom all over the place. If you find a good one, share it here in the comments.</span>','Did that commercial just go boom?','','inherit','open','open','','1711-revision-2','','','2012-06-11 12:58:07','2012-06-11 12:58:07','',1711,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1711-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1714,4,'2012-06-11 12:58:12','2012-06-11 12:58:12','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever noticed how certain words or phrases seem to become ubiquitous? Sometimes it is because of a movie (\"dude\" became very very popular after Bill and Ted\'s Excellent Adventure). Sometimes it is because of a TV show. Sometimes, I am just not sure. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Recently, the word that I hear everywhere, in commercial after commercial, is \"boom.\" As in:</span>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">                 I was texting on my phone, and then boom, I ran into him.</span></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom, and I have the stuff I need.</span></p>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These aren\'t verbatim...but you get the picture.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here\'s a commercial for Miracle-Gro Potting Soil</span>:\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/qfWW1gWyMoo?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice the last word in the commercial.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Boom!</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I bet you start noticing boom all over the place. If you find a good one, share it here in the comments.</span>','Did that commercial just go boom?','','inherit','open','open','','1711-revision-3','','','2012-06-11 12:58:12','2012-06-11 12:58:12','',1711,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1711-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1717,4,'2012-06-13 13:38:50','2012-06-13 13:38:50','Twitter (and any other social network) is a form of public communication. Even individuals who are representing themselves are using it as a platform to reach a broader audience. Throw in a few hashtags and re-Tweets and suddenly you may be talking to millions of people.\r\n\r\nAt an organizational level, who should handle your Twitter feed? For many organizations, it falls to the communications/marketing folks (fine) and for some it is interns (not so fine). Some organizations have their top executive tweet (really good, I think).\r\n\r\nAnd then there is Sweden, yes the country of Sweden (or rather its tourism board). You see, Sweden has embarked on an experiment to allow citizens to handle the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/sweden\" target=\"_blank\">@sweden </a>Twitter feed. There are some rules on the ground--apparently, citizens should not discuss political views.\r\n\r\nSomeone forgot to tell the latest citizen to handle @sweden, a 27-year old \"holy mother of two\" Sonja Abrahamsson, that racism should also not be displayed. Sonja apparently is a huge fan of Adolf Hitler, and seems to be just a tad anti-Semitic. You can read all about it in <a href=\"http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/06/swedens-official-tweeter-now-asking-about-jews/53439/\" target=\"_blank\">this story</a> on The Atlantic Wire and <a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/sweden-hands-its-twitter-account-citizens-and-things-get-weird-141069\" target=\"_blank\">this story </a>on AdWeek.\r\n\r\nHow is having Sonja do some stupid (racist) jokes helping to communicate anything positive about Sweden to any readers of the Twitter feed?\r\n\r\nThe person in charge of your Twitter feed is representing you (your organization, business or country) to the world. He or she is in effect, your public spokesperson. As such, this person should have the following characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Be very knowledgeable about your organization (or country)</li>\r\n	<li>Understand how Twitter works and that it can be quoted and used as a news source</li>\r\n	<li>Be familiar with all key messages, press releases and other public information</li>\r\n	<li>Be prepared to answer questions and comments professionally and not emotionally</li>\r\n	<li>Be enthusiastic about your organization (or country)</li>\r\n	<li>Keep personal opinions to him/herself</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat do you think? Who handles your Twitter feed? Would you ever let someone like Sonja take over your feed? Thoughts and comments welcome!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Who should handle your Twitter feed?','','publish','open','open','','who-should-handle-your-twitter-feed','','','2012-06-13 13:38:50','2012-06-13 13:38:50','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1717',0,'post','',1),(1718,4,'2012-06-13 13:36:17','2012-06-13 13:36:17','Twitter (and any other social network) is a form of public communication. Even individuals who are representing themselves are using it as a platform to reach a broader audience. Throw in a few hashtags and re-Tweets and suddenly you may be talking to millions of people.\n\nAt an organizational level, who should handle your Twitter feed? For many organizations, it falls to the communications/marketing folks (fine) and for some it is interns (not so fine). Some organizations have their top executive tweet (really good, I think).\n\nAnd then there is Sweden, yes the country of Sweden (or rather its tourism board). You see, Sweden has embarked on an experiment to allow citizens to handle the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/sweden\" target=\"_blank\">@sweden </a>Twitter feed. There are some rules on the ground--apparently, citizens should not discuss political views.\n\nSomeone forgot to tell the latest citizen to handle @sweden, a 27-year old \"holy mother of two\" Sonja Abrahamsson, that racism should also not be displayed. Sonja apparently is a huge fan of Adolf Hitler, and seems to be just a tad anti-Semitic. You can read all about it in <a href=\"http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/06/swedens-official-tweeter-now-asking-about-jews/53439/\" target=\"_blank\">this story</a> on The Atlantic Wire and <a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/sweden-hands-its-twitter-account-citizens-and-things-get-weird-141069\" target=\"_blank\">this story </a>on AdWeek.\n\nHow is having Sonja do some stupid (racist) jokes helping to communicate anything positive about Sweden to any readers of the Twitter feed?\n\nThe person in charge of your Twitter feed is representing you (your organization, business or country) to the world. He or she is in effect, your public spokesperson. As such, this person should have the following characteristics:\n<ul>\n	<li>Be very knowledgeable about your organization (or country)</li>\n	<li>Understand how Twitter works and that it can be quoted and used as a news source</li>\n	<li>Be familiar with all key messages, press releases and other public information</li>\n	<li>Be prepared to answer questions and comments professionally and not emotionally</li>\n	<li>Be enthusiastic about your organization (or country)</li>\n	<li>Keep personal opinions to him/herself</li>\n</ul>\nWhat do you think? Who handles your Twitter feed? Would you ever let someone like Sonja take over your feed? Thoughts and comments welcome!\n\n&nbsp;','Who should handle your Twitter feed?','','inherit','open','open','','1717-revision','','','2012-06-13 13:36:17','2012-06-13 13:36:17','',1717,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1717-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1738,4,'2012-07-03 13:59:25','2012-07-03 13:59:25','Maryland, Virginia and DC were hit hard last Friday night by a storm called a Derecho. It came straight at us with winds clocked at 70 miles per hour, lightning and rain, all which brought down branches and even whole trees.  My house shook, the lights flickered, and then the power went out. I got out flashlight and immediately called Pepco. The initial message said crews were being assigned and I should have power restored by midnight. When I called the next 15 times, I got the same message each time: Crews would be assigned shortly.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, a million electric customers in the region were also without power, also not getting answers from their utilities. Intersections were dark and tempers were frayed--because not only was there no power, but record-breaking heat and humidity. I decamped to my local Cosi, which thankfully had power, coffee and free Wi-Fi. Pepco\'s website informed me that the more than 1000 customers in my section did not have an estimated restoration time. By Sunday, after Pepco finished surveying the damage, it announced a \"global estimated restoration time\" of Friday, July 6 at 11 pm (yes, a whole week later).\r\n\r\nNow, Pepco has been running an ad campaign for the past several months. Here\'s a sample:\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZD_3mOq1DnM\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nNotice the message: Pepco is working hard to improve its reliability.\r\n\r\nBut is Pepco doing enough? Is it reliable? After this fiasco, the answer seems to be no.\r\n\r\nThe commercial above makes claims that fly in the face of what happened on the ground. And what\'s more, taking a week to restore power (during a heat wave), seems to me to indicate that Pepco is not working hard enough (or has enough crews, etc.).\r\n\r\nYesterday, Marc Fisher from the Washington Post called me because he had seen my previous <a title=\"How to become the most hated company\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/how-to-become-the-most-hated-company/\" target=\"_blank\">blog posts </a>on Pepco. He asked me what I would recommend that Pepco do, communications-wise. Should they not advertise? I am not sure what the answer is. I do know that a commercial like the one above does not ring true, and I will bet that the ad gets taken off the air. Perhaps the best course for Pepco is to invest its ad budget into infrastructure, and when it has made REAL, significant improvements, then have a PR campaign to inform its public about what exactly has been done. Just a thought.\r\n\r\nHere\'s Marc Fisher\'s article, that ran today (I am quoted on the second page): <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">For Pepco customers still without power, patience wears thin</a>.\r\n\r\nIt seems that Pepco\'s work still continues, and continues and continues. It is a long way from being what I would consider a reliable company.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Working hard or hardly working? Pepco strikes again','','publish','open','open','','working-hard-or-hardly-working-pepco-strikes-again','','','2012-07-03 13:59:25','2012-07-03 13:59:25','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1738',0,'post','',0),(1720,4,'2012-06-19 13:04:40','2012-06-19 13:04:40','You may remember the famous line by Marshall McLuhan:\r\n<blockquote>The medium is the message.</blockquote>\r\nWhat does that mean? According to Wikipedia:\r\n<blockquote>meaning that the form of a <a title=\"Media (communication)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_%28communication%29\">medium</a> embeds itself in the <a title=\"Message\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message\">message</a>, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived.</blockquote>\r\nAll that is somewhat esoteric...and when McLuhan was writing his observations in 1964,  the new frontier was television.\r\n\r\nTelevision may or may not be on the decline, but we are definitely in a world where the Internet and social media are our mass communication media.\r\n\r\nI came across an article by Jeremy Porter, on his blog Jounalistics, entitled \"<a href=\"http://blog.journalistics.com/2012/are-blog-posts-better-than-press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">Are Blog Posts Better Than Press Releases</a>?\" Now, I am a huge fan of blogging and blogs, but I don\'t think blogs are \"better\" than any other form of communication. However, blogs may be <em>better suited</em> to some types of communication.\r\n\r\nIn my opinion, there is no hierarchy among the media (this one is better than that one) but rather there is a \"right-er\" medium for the message. For instance:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>If your message is short and ephemeral (an observation, a quick update, etc.) use <strong>Twitter</strong>.</li>\r\n	<li>If your message is long and requires complicated explanations, use a<strong> white paper</strong>.</li>\r\n	<li>If your message is newsworthy, and you want to get out to journalists, use a <strong>press release.</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nChoosing which media to use is your job as a communicator. If you don\'t understand the differences between media, then you are going to have a hard time communicating your message to its target audience.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Is there a medium that can be used for all messages? Is there a better medium? Let me know in the comments.','The medium and the message','','publish','open','open','','the-medium-and-the-message','','\nhttp://blog.journalistics.com/2012/are-blog-posts-better-than-press-releases/','2012-06-19 13:08:43','2012-06-19 13:08:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1720',0,'post','',1),(1721,4,'2012-06-19 13:03:44','2012-06-19 13:03:44','You may remember the famous line by Marshall McLuhan:\n<blockquote>The medium is the message.</blockquote>\nWhat does that mean? According to Wikipedia:\n<blockquote>meaning that the form of a <a title=\"Media (communication)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_%28communication%29\">medium</a> embeds itself in the <a title=\"Message\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message\">message</a>, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived.</blockquote>\nAll that is somewhat esoteric...and when McLuhan was writing his observations in 1964,  the new frontier was television.\n\nTelevision may or may not be on the decline, but we are definitely in a world where the Internet and social media are our mass communication media.\n\nI came across an article by Jeremy Porter, on his blog Jounalistics, entitled \"<a href=\"http://blog.journalistics.com/2012/are-blog-posts-better-than-press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">Are Blog Posts Better Than Press Releases</a>?\" Now, I am a huge fan of blogging and blogs, but I don\'t think blogs are \"better\" than any other form of communication. However, blogs may be <em>better suited</em> to some types of communication.\n\nIn my opinion, there is no hierarchy among the media (this one is better than that one) but rather there is a \"right-er\" medium for the message. For instance, if your message is short and ephemeral (an observation, a quick update about stats, etc.) then you best medium may be Twitter. If your message is long and requires complicated explanations, perhaps the best medium is a white paper.  If your message is newsworthy, and you want to get out to journalists, then you may decide to employ a press release.\n\nChoosing which media to use is your job as a communicator. If you don\'t understand the differences between media, then you are going to have a hard time communicating your message to its target audience.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? Is there a medium that can be used for all messages? Is there a better medium? Let me know in the commnet.','The medium and the message','','inherit','open','open','','1720-revision','','','2012-06-19 13:03:44','2012-06-19 13:03:44','',1720,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1720-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1722,4,'2012-06-19 13:09:50','2012-06-19 13:09:50','You may remember the famous line by Marshall McLuhan:\n<blockquote>The medium is the message.</blockquote>\nWhat does that mean? According to Wikipedia:\n<blockquote>meaning that the form of a <a title=\"Media (communication)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_%28communication%29\">medium</a> embeds itself in the <a title=\"Message\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message\">message</a>, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived.</blockquote>\nAll that is somewhat esoteric...and when McLuhan was writing his observations in 1964,  the new frontier was television.\n\nTelevision may or may not be on the decline, but we are definitely in a world where the Internet and social media are our mass communication media.\n\nI came across an article by Jeremy Porter, on his blog Jounalistics, entitled \"<a href=\"http://blog.journalistics.com/2012/are-blog-posts-better-than-press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">Are Blog Posts Better Than Press Releases</a>?\" Now, I am a huge fan of blogging and blogs, but I don\'t think blogs are \"better\" than any other form of communication. However, blogs may be <em>better suited</em> to some types of communication.\n\nIn my opinion, there is no hierarchy among the media (this one is better than that one) but rather there is a \"right-er\" medium for the message. For instance:\n<ul>\n	<li>If your message is short and ephemeral (an observation, a quick update, etc.) use <strong>Twitter</strong>.</li>\n	<li>If your message is long and requires complicated explanations, use a<strong> white paper</strong>.</li>\n	<li>If your message is newsworthy, and you want to get out to journalists, use a <strong>press release.</strong></li>\n</ul>\nChoosing which media to use is your job as a communicator. If you don\'t understand the differences between media, then you are going to have a hard time communicating your message to its target audience.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? Is there a medium that can be used for all messages? Is there a better medium? Let me know in the comments.','The medium and the message','','inherit','open','open','','1720-autosave','','','2012-06-19 13:09:50','2012-06-19 13:09:50','',1720,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1720-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1723,4,'2012-06-19 13:04:40','2012-06-19 13:04:40','You may remember the famous line by Marshall McLuhan:\r\n<blockquote>The medium is the message.</blockquote>\r\nWhat does that mean? According to Wikipedia:\r\n<blockquote>meaning that the form of a <a title=\"Media (communication)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_%28communication%29\">medium</a> embeds itself in the <a title=\"Message\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message\">message</a>, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived.</blockquote>\r\nAll that is somewhat esoteric...and when McLuhan was writing his observations in 1964,  the new frontier was television.\r\n\r\nTelevision may or may not be on the decline, but we are definitely in a world where the Internet and social media are our mass communication media.\r\n\r\nI came across an article by Jeremy Porter, on his blog Jounalistics, entitled \"<a href=\"http://blog.journalistics.com/2012/are-blog-posts-better-than-press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">Are Blog Posts Better Than Press Releases</a>?\" Now, I am a huge fan of blogging and blogs, but I don\'t think blogs are \"better\" than any other form of communication. However, blogs may be <em>better suited</em> to some types of communication.\r\n\r\nIn my opinion, there is no hierarchy among the media (this one is better than that one) but rather there is a \"right-er\" medium for the message. For instance, if your message is short and ephemeral (an observation, a quick update about stats, etc.) then you best medium may be Twitter. If your message is long and requires complicated explanations, perhaps the best medium is a white paper.  If your message is newsworthy, and you want to get out to journalists, then you may decide to employ a press release.\r\n\r\nChoosing which media to use is your job as a communicator. If you don\'t understand the differences between media, then you are going to have a hard time communicating your message to its target audience.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Is there a medium that can be used for all messages? Is there a better medium? Let me know in the comments.','The medium and the message','','inherit','open','open','','1720-revision-2','','','2012-06-19 13:04:40','2012-06-19 13:04:40','',1720,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1720-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1724,4,'2011-08-24 16:10:35','2011-08-24 16:10:35','<div id=\"aboutleft\">\r\n<img src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/picture.jpg\" align=\"left\" style=\"margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 40px;\">Deborah Brody is a writer and consultant with nearly 20 years 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.\r\n\r\nPrior 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 South Florida-based agencies, including Everett Clay Associates, The Jeffrey Group, and  Peter Nasca Associates. With these firms, she specialized in public relations in Latin America and corporate communications.  During this time, Deborah also taught Advanced Public Relations Writing at Florida International  University.\r\n\r\nCurrently based in the Washington,  D.C. area, 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.\r\n\r\nDeborah is now serving her second year on the board of Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR), where she chairs the Pro Bono Committee, and has also held positions with the National Arts Marketing Council’s Steering Committee (Miami) and the Jewish Community Relations Council (Miami).\r\n\r\nAn avid reader, Deborah leads a book group that meets monthly to discuss current fiction.\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></p></div>\r\n<div id=\"aboutright\">\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\"><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</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\"><p id=\"testimonial\">Deborah wrote 8 reports on workshops that took place at the International Aid & 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</div>\r\n<div id=\"testimonial\"><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</div>\r\n</div>','About','','inherit','open','open','','18-revision-v1','','','2011-08-24 16:10:35','2011-08-24 16:10:35','',18,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/08/18-revision-42/',0,'revision','',0),(1727,4,'2012-06-21 13:04:48','2012-06-21 13:04:48','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems that there are lots of people out there who either don\'t know how to use Twitter or don\'t really care.  Their behavior --from ignoring people to being excessively self-promotional-- is just plain obnoxious. \"In real life\" if you engage in obnoxious behavior, people start avoiding you, right?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are a few obnoxious behaviors that you should avoid:\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Not responding to @ mentions</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Someone is trying to talk to you. In person, would you ignore someone who is speaking to you?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Retweeting every comment that includes a mention of oneself</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious</strong>: It is clear that you are trying to make sure your followers know that others have mentioned you. In person, what would you think of someone who is constantly saying, things like \"Joe really  likes me, and told me so.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Bragging or posting completely self-serving tweets</span>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> When you are going on (and on and on) about yourself, you are acting as if the world is your echo chamber. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The only person that benefits from your behavior is you.</span> </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Following people but never interacting with them</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> If you are interested in following someone, perhaps it is because you enjoy what they share or have to say. When you don\'t COMMUNICATE with that person, you are giving absolutely no reason why that person should follow you or value your follow.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Never interacting with anyone</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Would you go to a party, stand up and start talking and ignore everyone else in the room? Would you show up to a networking event and not speak to anyone? Why are you there? Presumably, you are there because you want to speak with other people--not to or at them.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Scheduling Tweets</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this obnoxious::</strong> When you schedule Tweets you are using Twitter as a place to dump information rather than a place to interact with people. It takes the social out of social media. </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What obnoxious behavior have you encountered on Twitter?</span>\n\n&nbsp;','How to use Twitter and not be obnoxious','','inherit','open','open','','1726-revision','','','2012-06-21 13:04:48','2012-06-21 13:04:48','',1726,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1726-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1728,4,'2012-06-21 13:15:07','2012-06-21 13:15:07','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems that there are lots of people out there who either don\'t know how to use Twitter or don\'t really care.  Their behavior --from ignoring people to being excessively self-promotional-- is just plain obnoxious. \"In real life\" if you engage in obnoxious behavior, people start avoiding you, right?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are a few obnoxious behaviors that you should avoid:\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Not responding to @ mentions</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Someone is trying to talk to you. In person, would you ignore someone who is speaking to you?</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Retweeting every comment that includes a mention of you</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious</strong>: It is clear that you are trying to make sure your followers know that others have mentioned you. In person, what would you think of someone who is constantly saying, things like \"Joe really  likes me, and told me so.\"</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Bragging or posting completely self-serving tweets</span>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> When you are going on (and on and on) about yourself, you are acting as if the world is your echo chamber. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The only person that benefits from your behavior is you.</span> </span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Following people but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never</span> interacting with them</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> If you are interested in following someone, perhaps it is because you enjoy what they share or have to say. When you don\'t COMMUNICATE with that person, you are giving absolutely no reason why that person should follow you or value your follow.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Never interacting with anyone at all\n</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Would you go to a party, stand up and start talking and ignore everyone else in the room? Would you show up to a networking event and not speak to anyone? Why are you there? Presumably, you are there because you want to speak with other people--not to or at them.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Scheduling Tweets</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this obnoxious::</strong> When you schedule Tweets you are using Twitter as a place to dump information rather than a place to interact with people. It takes the social out of social media. </span>\n\n<strong>Behavior</strong>: Automatically Tweeting your check-ins\n\n<strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Do you walk around announcing yourself everywhere you go? \"Hi, I am at the corner of Main and Elm. Hi, now I am dropping my clothes at the dry cleaners. Hi, now I am stopping at the drugstore for my seizure medication.  Hi, now I am picking lint off my jacket while standing on line at Starbucks.\"\n\nIf you don\'t want to be obnoxious on Twitter, think whether you would do those things if you were to see your \"Tweeps\" in person. It really is that simple.\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What obnoxious behavior have you encountered on Twitter?</span>\n\n&nbsp;','How to use Twitter and not be obnoxious','','inherit','open','open','','1726-autosave','','','2012-06-21 13:15:07','2012-06-21 13:15:07','',1726,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1726-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1729,4,'2012-06-21 13:05:00','2012-06-21 13:05:00','<span style=\"color: #000000;\">It seems that there are lots of people out there who either don\'t know how to use Twitter or don\'t really care.  Their behavior --from ignoring people to being excessively self-promotional-- is just plain obnoxious. \"In real life\" if you engage in obnoxious behavior, people start avoiding you, right?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">These are a few obnoxious behaviors that you should avoid:\r\n</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Not responding to @ mentions</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Someone is trying to talk to you. In person, would you ignore someone who is speaking to you?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Retweeting every comment that includes a mention of oneself</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious</strong>: It is clear that you are trying to make sure your followers know that others have mentioned you. In person, what would you think of someone who is constantly saying, things like \"Joe really  likes me, and told me so.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Bragging or posting completely self-serving tweets</span>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> When you are going on (and on and on) about yourself, you are acting as if the world is your echo chamber. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The only person that benefits from your behavior is you.</span> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior</strong>: Following people but never interacting with them</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> If you are interested in following someone, perhaps it is because you enjoy what they share or have to say. When you don\'t COMMUNICATE with that person, you are giving absolutely no reason why that person should follow you or value your follow.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Never interacting with anyone</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this is obnoxious:</strong> Would you go to a party, stand up and start talking and ignore everyone else in the room? Would you show up to a networking event and not speak to anyone? Why are you there? Presumably, you are there because you want to speak with other people--not to or at them.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Behavior:</strong> Scheduling Tweets</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why this obnoxious::</strong> When you schedule Tweets you are using Twitter as a place to dump information rather than a place to interact with people. It takes the social out of social media. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">What obnoxious behavior have you encountered on Twitter?</span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to use Twitter and not be obnoxious','','inherit','open','open','','1726-revision-2','','','2012-06-21 13:05:00','2012-06-21 13:05:00','',1726,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1726-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1731,4,'2012-07-24 14:46:35','0000-00-00 00:00:00','You have a network: a good amount of people are in your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter circles, and you know most of them in person. Right? You interact with most of them, if only to \"like\" their status, or comment on their promotions, right? On Twitter, you retweet stuff, right?\n\nNo?\n\nIf you aren\'t interacting with your network regularly in some semi-meaningful way, you are neglecting this very valuable group of people. And people that you neglect aren\'t really going to be there for you when you need them.\n\nI just received a note from someone who has not NEEDED my input for some time, and thus, hasn\'t been heard from. But now, she needs me again.  Her business is up for an award and she needs my vote. Actually, she needs lots of votes.  So she is begging for me and all her other contacts to vote.\n\nI can\'t speak for her other contacts, but I don\'t have a reason to do anything for her. She is an opportunistic networker--using the network she has only when it is opportune for her. Somehow, I doubt if I were to ask her for a favor, whether she would comply. She would most likely ignore me, since there is no opportunity for her to','Are you opportunistic about your network?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-07-24 14:46:35','2012-07-24 14:46:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1731',0,'post','',0),(1732,4,'2012-06-27 14:23:26','2012-06-27 14:23:26','You have a network: a good amount of people are in your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter circles, and you know most of them in person. Right? You interact with most of them, if only to \"like\" their status, or comment on their promotions, right? On Twitter, you retweet stuff, right?\n\nNo?\n\nIf you aren\'t interacting with your network regularly in some semi-meaningful way, you are neglecting this very valuable group of people. And people that you neglect aren\'t really going to be there for you when you need them.\n\nI just received a note from someone who has not NEEDED my input for some time, and thus, hasn\'t been heard from. But now, she needs me again.  Her business is up for an award and she needs my vote. Actually, she needs lots of votes.  So she is begging for me and all her other contacts to vote.\n\nI can\'t speak for her other contacts, but I don\'t have a reason to do anything for her. She is an opportunistic networker--using the network she has only when it is opportune for her. Somehow, I doubt if I were to ask her for a favor, whether she would comply. She would most likely ignore me, since there is no opportunity for her to','Are you opportunistic about your network?','','inherit','open','open','','1731-revision','','','2012-06-27 14:23:26','2012-06-27 14:23:26','',1731,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1731-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1753,4,'2012-07-19 19:28:43','2012-07-19 19:28:43','The other day I had a conversation with a neighbor. She\'s renovating her house and she mentioned that one of her big problems is mildew. I asked whether she has a dehumidifier. And, you guessed it, she does not. If you have humidity, which leads to mildew, then do something about it.\r\n\r\nThere are many people out there who know exactly what the problem is, but many of them don\'t find a solution. I am sure you have experience with this situation. For instance, how many people have you met who complain of having headaches or stomach issues or fatigue (and I mean on an ongoing basis), yet don\'t go to the doctor?\r\n\r\nHow many companies or organizations know they have a customer communications problem, yet don\'t update their website, survey their members, create a new brochure, train front line employees or whatever it takes to remedy the situation?\r\n\r\nAwareness is important, but action is the only way to move forward.','Knowing the problem is not enough','','publish','open','open','','knowing-the-problem-is-not-enough','','','2012-07-19 19:28:43','2012-07-19 19:28:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1753',0,'post','',0),(1734,4,'2012-06-28 17:28:05','2012-06-28 17:28:05','It\'s somewhat ironic, but I haven\'t been blogging much this week because I have been working on the details for a blogging workshop!\r\n\r\nIf you or someone you know is in the Metro DC area and wants to learn how to more easily write blog posts, find topics and inspiration, make your headline more appealing and get your blog going, you may want to come to my <a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\"How to write your blog: A hands-on workshop.\" </a>\r\n\r\nThe workshop is taking place on Tuesday, July 31, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Center (which has plenty of parking nearby and is a few blocks from the Silver Spring Metro stop), in the Colesville Room.  The cost is $75 for the three hour session, (and will include refreshments).\r\n\r\nYou will leave the session with a ready-to-publish blog post, blog post ideas, lists of keywords and categories for your blog, and lots of other useful information that will make blogging easier for you.\r\n\r\nIf you have any questions, let me know in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Want to learn how to blog?','','publish','open','open','','want-to-learn-how-to-blog','','','2012-06-28 17:28:05','2012-06-28 17:28:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1734',0,'post','',0),(1735,4,'2012-06-28 17:26:29','2012-06-28 17:26:29','It\'s somewhat ironic, but I haven\'t been blogging much this week because I have been working on the details for a blogging workshop!\n\nIf you or someone you know is in the Metro DC area and wants to learn how to more easily write blog posts, find topics and inspiration, make your headline more appealing and get your blog going, you may want to come to my <a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\"How to write your blog: A hands-on workshop.\" </a>\n\nThe workshop is taking place on Tuesday, July 31, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Center (which has plenty of parking nearby and is a few blocks from the Silver Spring Metro stop), in the Colesville Room.  The cost is $75 for the three hour session, (and will include refreshments).\n\nYou will leave the session with a ready-to-publish blog post, blog post ideas, lists of keywords and categories for your blog, and lots of other useful information that will make blogging easier for you.\n\nIf you have any questions, let me know in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','Want to learn how to blog?','','inherit','open','open','','1734-revision','','','2012-06-28 17:26:29','2012-06-28 17:26:29','',1734,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1734-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1736,4,'2012-06-28 17:26:53','2012-06-28 17:26:53','It\'s somewhat ironic, but I haven\'t been blogging much this week because I have been working on the details for a blogging workshop!\r\n\r\nIf you or someone you know is in the Metro DC area and wants to learn how to more easily write blog posts, find topics and inspiration, make your headline more appealing and get your blog going, you may want to come to my <a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\"How to write your blog: A hands-on workshop.\" </a>\r\n\r\nThe workshop is taking place on Tuesday, July 31, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Center (which has plenty of parking nearby and is a few blocks from the Silver Spring Metro stop), in the Colesville Room.  The cost is $75 for the three hour session, (and will include refreshments).\r\n\r\nYou will leave the session with a ready-to-publish blog post, blog post ideas, lists of keywords and categories for your blog, and lots of other useful information that will make blogging easier for you.\r\n\r\nIf you have any questions, let me know in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Want to learn how to blog?','','inherit','open','open','','1734-revision-2','','','2012-06-28 17:26:53','2012-06-28 17:26:53','',1734,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1734-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1737,4,'2012-06-28 17:29:09','2012-06-28 17:29:09','It\'s somewhat ironic, but I haven\'t been blogging much this week because I have been working on the details for a blogging workshop!\n\nIf you or someone you know is in the Metro DC area and wants to learn how to more easily write blog posts, find topics and inspiration, make your headline more appealing and get your blog going, you may want to come to my <a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\"How to write your blog: A hands-on workshop.\" </a>\n\nThe workshop is taking place on Tuesday, July 31, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Center (which has plenty of parking nearby and is a few blocks from the Silver Spring Metro stop), in the Colesville Room.  The cost is $75 for the three hour session, (and will include refreshments).\n\nYou will leave the session with a ready-to-publish blog post, blog post ideas, lists of keywords and categories for your blog, and lots of other useful information that will make blogging easier for you.\n\nIf you have any questions, let me know in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','Want to learn how to blog?','','inherit','open','open','','1734-autosave','','','2012-06-28 17:29:09','2012-06-28 17:29:09','',1734,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/06/1734-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1739,4,'2012-07-03 13:51:26','2012-07-03 13:51:26','Maryland, Virginia and DC were hit hard last Friday night by a storm called a Derecho. It came straight at us with winds clocked at 70 miles per hour, lightning and rain, all which brought down branches and even whole tree.  My house shook, the lights flickered, and then the power went out. I got out flashlight and immediately called Pepco. The initial message said crews were being assigned and I should have power restored by midnight. When I called the next 15 times, I got the same message each time: Crews would be assigned shortly.\n\nMeanwhile, a million electric customers in the region were also without power, also not getting answers from their utilities. Intersections were dark and tempers were frayed--because not only was there no power, but record-breaking heat and humidity. I decamped to my local Cosi, which thankfully had power, coffee and free Wi-Fi. Pepco\'s website informed me that the more than 1000 customers in my section did not have an estimated restoration time. By Sunday, after Pepco finished surveying the damage, it announced a \"global estimated restoration time\" of Friday, July 6 at 11 pm (yes, a whole week later).\n\nNow, Pepco has been running an ad campaign for the past several months. Here\'s a sample:\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZD_3mOq1DnM\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\n\nNotice the message: Pepco is working hard to improve its reliability.\n\nBut is Pepco doing enough? After this fiasco, the answer seems to be no.\n\nYesterday, Marc Fisher from the Washington Post called me because he had seen my previous <a title=\"How to become the most hated company\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/how-to-become-the-most-hated-company/\" target=\"_blank\">blog posts </a>on Pepco. He asked me what I would recommend that Pepco do, communications-wise. Should they not advertise? I am not sure what the answer is. I do know that a commercial like the one above does not ring true, and I will bet that the ad gets taken off the air. Perhaps the best course for Pepco is to invest its ad budget into infrastructure, and when it has made REAL, significant improvements, then have a PR campaign to inform its public about what exactly has been done. Just a thought.\n\nHere\'s Marc Fisher\'s article: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">For Pepco customers still without power, patience wears thin</a>.\n\nYes, Pepco\'s work still does continue--and it should work harder!\n\n&nbsp;','Working hard or hardly working? Pepco strikes again','','inherit','open','open','','1738-revision','','','2012-07-03 13:51:26','2012-07-03 13:51:26','',1738,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1738-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1740,4,'2012-07-03 13:52:13','2012-07-03 13:52:13','Maryland, Virginia and DC were hit hard last Friday night by a storm called a Derecho. It came straight at us with winds clocked at 70 miles per hour, lightning and rain, all which brought down branches and even whole tree.  My house shook, the lights flickered, and then the power went out. I got out flashlight and immediately called Pepco. The initial message said crews were being assigned and I should have power restored by midnight. When I called the next 15 times, I got the same message each time: Crews would be assigned shortly.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, a million electric customers in the region were also without power, also not getting answers from their utilities. Intersections were dark and tempers were frayed--because not only was there no power, but record-breaking heat and humidity. I decamped to my local Cosi, which thankfully had power, coffee and free Wi-Fi. Pepco\'s website informed me that the more than 1000 customers in my section did not have an estimated restoration time. By Sunday, after Pepco finished surveying the damage, it announced a \"global estimated restoration time\" of Friday, July 6 at 11 pm (yes, a whole week later).\r\n\r\nNow, Pepco has been running an ad campaign for the past several months. Here\'s a sample:\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZD_3mOq1DnM\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nNotice the message: Pepco is working hard to improve its reliability.\r\n\r\nBut is Pepco doing enough? After this fiasco, the answer seems to be no.\r\n\r\nYesterday, Marc Fisher from the Washington Post called me because he had seen my previous <a title=\"How to become the most hated company\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/how-to-become-the-most-hated-company/\" target=\"_blank\">blog posts </a>on Pepco. He asked me what I would recommend that Pepco do, communications-wise. Should they not advertise? I am not sure what the answer is. I do know that a commercial like the one above does not ring true, and I will bet that the ad gets taken off the air. Perhaps the best course for Pepco is to invest its ad budget into infrastructure, and when it has made REAL, significant improvements, then have a PR campaign to inform its public about what exactly has been done. Just a thought.\r\n\r\nHere\'s Marc Fisher\'s article: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">For Pepco customers still without power, patience wears thin</a>.\r\n\r\nYes, Pepco\'s work still does continue--and it should work harder!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Working hard or hardly working? Pepco strikes again','','inherit','open','open','','1738-revision-2','','','2012-07-03 13:52:13','2012-07-03 13:52:13','',1738,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1738-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1747,4,'2012-07-16 20:53:32','2012-07-16 20:53:32','Last week, I wrote about an <a title=\"Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-truly-believes-advertising-is-the-answer/\" target=\"_blank\">ad campaign Pepco is currently running</a> (there have been at least two or three more of the same ad I mentioned) in the Washington Post.  Today, I noticed a full page ad on the back page of Section A in the Post, by Dominion Power (which services parts of Virginia and which had a million or so customers without power).\r\n\r\nBecause of the size of Dominion\'s ad, here it is scanned in  two parts:\r\n\r\n[gallery]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNotice anything? Dominion ACKNOWLEDGES the problem, and focuses on their customers. There is no apology here either, but there is a more human touch to this ad than Pepco\'s. Both Pepco and Dominion say the same thing -- the storm was devastating and the circumstances were challenging--but with different sentiment.\r\n\r\nI believe that all marketing communications reflect a company\'s corporate culture. Some companies are more formal, some are more humane and some are more playful or fun. Some companies--think law firms--are all about formality and adherence to strict protocols. These companies will usually have dress codes and rigid standards of conduct. Their advertising/communications will also be formal and rigid. Other companies--think entertainment--are more relaxed. Their advertising is generally more creative.\r\n\r\nWTOP (news radio here in Washington) hosted an incredible session last week with eight utility executives. Each company had suffered power losses from the derecho storm. They all said similar things--the storm was unexpected, they weren\'t prepared, tree trimming would not have helped since whole trees came down and burying power lines is very expensive. What was different amongst them was the tone. Dominion\'s executive said almost the same thing Pepco\'s Tom Graham said, but he said it without the condescension. He acknowledged how hard it was for the customers--Graham was concerned with his talking point (\"reliability\") and with making excuses.\r\n\r\nYou can see the difference in corporate culture in Pepco\'s advertising versus Dominion\'s. Dominion is more down to earth, whereas Pepco doesn\'t seem to understand that \"customers\" are people.  Pepco is more formal, more wordy. Dominion was inclusive (\"Storms can tear things apart, but they can also bring us together) while Pepco was divisive (We were tested and we responded). For Dominion, there\'s an attempt at solidarity with customers.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you think these ads reflect different corporate cultures and priorities?','Dominion vs. Pepco: How ads reflect corporate culture','','publish','open','open','','dominion-vs-pepco-how-ads-reflect-corporate-culture','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-truly-believes-advertising-is-the-answer/','2012-07-16 20:53:32','2012-07-16 20:53:32','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1747',0,'post','',0),(1743,4,'2012-07-10 17:05:42','2012-07-10 17:05:42','After eight or more days, Pepco finally restored power to everyone that had lost it. And the company finally got back  to advertising how hard it is working to be reliable. This morning, I came across a three-quarter page ad in the Washington Post. It was too large for my scanner to make the whole thing into a PDF but here is the portion I was able to scan:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1744\" title=\"Pepco ad 71012\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a><strong>Notice the headline: We Were Tested. And We Responded.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the ad, Pepco claims it prioritized and mobilized crews. The ad says: \"Even with all the destruction, we beat our original global estimated time of restoration by two days...\"\r\n\r\nApparently, this ad is designed to convince customers that Pepco not only did what it is meant to do (provide power) but was able to restore power much quicker than it promised. (By the way, this is an old sales trick: tell the customer that you won\'t be able to do something until a certain date, and then deliver early, making yourself look good.)  As if this is any consolation to the thousands of people who spent the last week trying to deal with excessive heat, throwing out spoiled food and spending out-of-pocket to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants.\r\n\r\nThe ad also says \"We are stronger and more reliable-but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a  storm of this magnitude.\"\r\n\r\nWhat Pepco is doing with that sentence is making excuses. I don\'t think people were as upset with the initial loss of power from \"a storm of this magnitude\" but with how long it took power to be restored, coupled with completely abysmal communications.\r\n\r\nOh but this ad is not all about chest-thumping. No. It is also to say \"Thank you to our customers who remained patient while we worked around the clock to restore service.\" And also to thank its partners, employees, and indeed itself for \"performance that beat our own expectation and was in line with our peers\' response to the storm.\"\r\n\r\nPepco concludes that it will continue to \"enhance our reliability, work hard to restore power when storms come again, and keep our customers informed of our progress every step of the way.\"\r\n\r\nWow. Just wow.\r\n\r\nImagine if Pepco had engaged in some community and public relations work instead. For example, Pepco could have sponsored some cooling centers or handed out water and ice. Or what if the company sounded genuinely sorry for the situation its customers were facing? Instead, it seems that Pepco believes that if it tells people what it wants them to believe, then those people will simply believe it.\r\n\r\nAnd again Pepco forgets that people have first-hand experiences to guide their decisions. Most people who called Pepco to report outages or get updates got no information or the wrong information. People who were able to access the Pepco website also were unable to get information. And then there is the reality that most people that lost power waited for at least two to five days to get it back. And that those days were during an almost unprecedented heat wave.\r\n\r\nI am not sure who handles communications at Pepco, or who thought that making excuses and spinning the situation is a way to get customers on your side, but that person or persons should perhaps take a break from doing advertising. Advertising, especially something so unapologetic and self-serving as this particular ad is, is not the solution to fixing Pepco\'s image.\r\n\r\nPepco is spending millions of dollars on advertising to rehabilitate its image and it is not working.  Every dollar more that goes into advertising, especially something like the ad above, is actually proving how out of touch this company is, how little it understands its customers and how even less it seems to care.\r\n\r\nIf you felt the need to run advertising, why not run an ad that said something simple like:\r\n\r\nThanks to our customers for your patience. Thanks to our staff for your hard work.\r\n\r\nor\r\n\r\nWe are happy that power has been restored to all our customers, and we sincerely regret the major inconvenience. We promise to do better.\r\n\r\nBut no, we won\'t see any humility or apologies from Pepco. Instead, we will see it ask for rate increases and blame everything from God to the weather for its inability to communicate properly and work efficiently.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer','','publish','open','open','','pepco-truly-believes-advertising-is-the-answer','','','2012-07-10 17:05:42','2012-07-10 17:05:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1743',0,'post','',1),(1744,4,'2012-07-10 16:32:38','2012-07-10 16:32:38','Pepco ad in July 10 2012 Washington Post','Pepco ad 71012','','inherit','open','open','','pepco-ad-71012','','','2012-07-10 16:32:38','2012-07-10 16:32:38','',1743,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1745,4,'2012-07-10 17:01:47','2012-07-10 17:01:47','After eight or more days, Pepco finally restored power to everyone that had lost it. And the company finally got back  to advertising how hard it is working to be reliable. This morning, I came across a three-quarter page ad in the Washington Post. It was too large for my scanner to make the whole thing into a PDF but here is the portion I was able to scan:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1744\" title=\"Pepco ad 71012\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a><strong>Notice the headline: We Were Tested. And We Responded.</strong>\n\nIn the ad, Pepco claims it prioritized and mobilized crews. The ad says: \"Even with all the destruction, we beat our original global estimated time of restoration by two days...\"\n\nApparently, this ad is designed to convince customers that Pepco not only did what it is meant to do (provide power) but was able to restore power much quicker than it promised. (By the way, this is an old sales trick: tell the customer that you won\'t be able to do something until a certain date, and then deliver early, making yourself look good).  As if this is any consolation to the thousands of people who spent the last week trying to deal with excessive heat, throwing out spoiled food and spending out-of-pocket to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants.\n\nThe ad also says \"We are stronger and more reliable-but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a  storm of this magnitude.\"\n\nWhat Pepco is doing with that sentence is making excuses. I don\'t think people were as upset with the initial loss of power from \"a storm of this magnitude\" but with how long it took power to be restored, coupled with completely abysmal communications.\n\nOh but this ad is not all about chest-thumping. No. It is also to say \"Thank you to our customers who remained patient while we worked around the clock to restore service.\" And also to thank its partners, employees, and indeed itself for \"performance that beat our own expectation and was in line with our peers\' response to the storm.\"\n\nPepco concludes that it will continue to \"enhance our reliability, work hard to restore power when storms come again, and keep our customers informed of our progress every step of the way.\"\n\nWow. Just wow.\n\nImagine if Pepco had engaged in some community and public relations work instead. For example, Pepco could have sponsored some cooling centers or handed out water and ice. Or what if the company sounded genuinely sorry for the situation its customers were facing? Instead, it seems that Pepco believes that if it tells people what it wants them to believe, then those people will simply believe it.\n\nAnd again Pepco forgets that people have first-hand experiences to guide their decisions. Most people who called Pepco to report outages or get updates got no information or the wrong information. People who were able to access the Pepco website also were unable to get information. And then there is the reality that most people that lost power waited for at least two to five days to get it back. And that those days were during an almost unprecedented heat wave.\n\nI am not sure who handles communications at Pepco, or who thought that making excuses and spinning the situation is a way to get customers on your side, but that person or persons should perhaps take a break from doing advertising. Advertising, especially something so unapologetic and self-serving as this particular ad is, is not the solution to fixing Pepco\'s image.\n\nPepco is spending millions of dollars on advertising to rehabilitate its image and it is not working.  Every dollar more that goes into advertising, especially something like the ad above, is actually proving how out of touch this company is, how little it understands its customers and how even less it seems to care.\n\nIf you felt the need to run advertising, why not run an ad that said something simple like:\n\nThanks to our customers for your patience. Thanks to our staff for your hard work.\n\nor\n\nWe are happy that power has been restored to all our customers, and we sincerely regret the major inconvenience. We promise to do better.\n\nBut no, we won\'t see any humility or apologies from Pepco. Instead, we will see it ask for rate increases and blame everything from God to the weather for its inability to communicate properly and work efficiently.\n\n&nbsp;','Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer','','inherit','open','open','','1743-revision','','','2012-07-10 17:01:47','2012-07-10 17:01:47','',1743,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1743-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1746,4,'2012-07-10 17:03:58','2012-07-10 17:03:58','After eight or more days, Pepco finally restored power to everyone that had lost it. And the company finally got back  to advertising how hard it is working to be reliable. This morning, I came across a three-quarter page ad in the Washington Post. It was too large for my scanner to make the whole thing into a PDF but here is the portion I was able to scan:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1744\" title=\"Pepco ad 71012\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Pepco-ad-71012-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a><strong>Notice the headline: We Were Tested. And We Responded.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the ad, Pepco claims it prioritized and mobilized crews. The ad says: \"Even with all the destruction, we beat our original global estimated time of restoration by two days...\"\r\n\r\nApparently, this ad is designed to convince customers that Pepco not only did what it is meant to do (provide power) but was able to restore power much quicker than it promised. (By the way, this is an old sales trick: tell the customer that you won\'t be able to do something until a certain date, and then deliver early, making yourself look good).  As if this is any consolation to the thousands of people who spent the last week trying to deal with excessive heat, throwing out spoiled food and spending out-of-pocket to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants.\r\n\r\nThe ad also says \"We are stronger and more reliable-but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a  storm of this magnitude.\"\r\n\r\nWhat Pepco is doing with that sentence is making excuses. I don\'t think people were as upset with the initial loss of power from \"a storm of this magnitude\" but with how long it took power to be restored, coupled with completely abysmal communications.\r\n\r\nOh but this ad is not all about chest-thumping. No. It is also to say \"Thank you to our customers who remained patient while we worked around the clock to restore service.\" And also to thank its partners, employees, and indeed itself for \"performance that beat our own expectation and was in line with our peers\' response to the storm.\"\r\n\r\nPepco concludes that it will continue to \"enhance our reliability, work hard to restore power when storms come again, and keep our customers informed of our progress every step of the way.\"\r\n\r\nWow. Just wow.\r\n\r\nImagine if Pepco had engaged in some community and public relations work instead. For example, Pepco could have sponsored some cooling centers or handed out water and ice. Or what if the company sounded genuinely sorry for the situation its customers were facing? Instead, it seems that Pepco believes that if it tells people what it wants them to believe, then those people will simply believe it.\r\n\r\nAnd again Pepco forgets that people have first-hand experiences to guide their decisions. Most people who called Pepco to report outages or get updates got no information or the wrong information. People who were able to access the Pepco website also were unable to get information. And then there is the reality that most people that lost power waited for at least two to five days to get it back. And that those days were during an almost unprecedented heat wave.\r\n\r\nI am not sure who handles communications at Pepco, or who thought that making excuses and spinning the situation is a way to get customers on your side, but that person or persons should perhaps take a break from doing advertising. Advertising, especially something so unapologetic and self-serving as this particular ad is, is not the solution to fixing Pepco\'s image.\r\n\r\nPepco is spending millions of dollars on advertising to rehabilitate its image and it is not working.  Every dollar more that goes into advertising, especially something like the ad above, is actually proving how out of touch this company is, how little it understands its customers and how even less it seems to care.\r\n\r\nIf you felt the need to run advertising, why not run an ad that said something simple like:\r\n\r\nThanks to our customers for your patience. Thanks to our staff for your hard work.\r\n\r\nor\r\n\r\nWe are happy that power has been restored to all our customers, and we sincerely regret the major inconvenience. We promise to do better.\r\n\r\nBut no, we won\'t see any humility or apologies from Pepco. Instead, we will see it ask for rate increases and blame everything from God to the weather for its inability to communicate properly and work efficiently.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer','','inherit','open','open','','1743-revision-2','','','2012-07-10 17:03:58','2012-07-10 17:03:58','',1743,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1743-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1748,4,'2012-07-16 20:30:15','2012-07-16 20:30:15','','Dominion 2','','inherit','open','open','','dominion-2','','','2012-07-16 20:30:15','2012-07-16 20:30:15','',1747,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dominion-2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1749,4,'2012-07-16 20:30:22','2012-07-16 20:30:22','','Dominion 1','','inherit','open','open','','dominion-1','','','2012-07-16 20:30:22','2012-07-16 20:30:22','',1747,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dominion-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1750,4,'2012-07-16 20:52:03','2012-07-16 20:52:03','Last week, I wrote about an <a title=\"Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-truly-believes-advertising-is-the-answer/\" target=\"_blank\">ad campaign Pepco is currently running</a> (there have been at least two or three more of the same ad I mentioned) in the Washington Post.  Today, I noticed a full page ad on the back page of Section A in the Post, by Dominion Power (which services parts of Virginia and which had a million or so customers without power).\n\nBecause of the size of Dominion\'s ad, here it is scanned in  two parts:\n\n[gallery]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNotice anything? Dominion ACKNOWLEDGES the problem, and focuses on their customers. There is no apology here either, but there is a more human touch to this ad than Pepco\'s. Both Pepco and Dominion say the same thing -- the storm was devastating and the circumstances were challenging--but with different sentiment.\n\nI believe that all marketing communications reflect a company\'s corporate culture. Some companies are more formal, some are more humane and some are more playful or fun. Some companies--think law firms--are all about formality and adherence to strict protocols. These companies will usually have dress codes and rigid standards of conduct. Their advertising/communications will also be formal and rigid. Other companies--think entertainment--are more relaxed. Their advertising is generally more creative.\n\nWTOP (news radio here in Washington) hosted an incredible session last week with eight utility executives. Each company had suffered power losses from the derecho storm. They all said similar things--the storm was unexpected, they weren\'t prepared, tree trimming would not have helped since whole trees came down and burying power lines is very expensive. What was different amongst them was the tone. Dominion\'s executive said almost the same thing Pepco\'s Tom Graham said, but he said it without the condescension. He acknowledged how hard it was for the customers--Graham was concerned with his talking point (\"reliability\") and with making excuses.\n\nYou can see the difference in corporate culture in Pepco\'s advertising versus Dominion\'s. Dominion is more down to earth, whereas Pepco doesn\'t seem to understand that \"customers\" are people.  Pepco is more formal, more wordy. Dominion was inclusive (\"Storms can tear things apart, but they can also bring us together) while Pepco was divisive (We were tested and we responded). For Dominion, there\'s an attempt at solidarity with customers.\n\nWhat do you think? Do you think these ads reflect different corporate cultures and priorities?','Dominion vs. Pepco: How ads reflect corporate culture','','inherit','open','open','','1747-revision','','','2012-07-16 20:52:03','2012-07-16 20:52:03','',1747,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1747-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1752,4,'2012-07-16 20:52:18','2012-07-16 20:52:18','Last week, I wrote about an <a title=\"Pepco truly believes advertising is the answer\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-truly-believes-advertising-is-the-answer/\" target=\"_blank\">ad campaign Pepco is currently running</a> (there have been at least two or three more of the same ad I mentioned) in the Washington Post.  Today, I noticed a full page ad on the back page of Section A in the Post, by Dominion Power (which services parts of Virginia and which had a million or so customers without power).\r\n\r\nBecause of the size of Dominion\'s ad, here it is scanned in  two parts:\r\n\r\n[gallery]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNotice anything? Dominion ACKNOWLEDGES the problem, and focuses on their customers. There is no apology here either, but there is a more human touch to this ad than Pepco\'s. Both Pepco and Dominion say the same thing -- the storm was devastating and the circumstances were challenging--but with different sentiment.\r\n\r\nI believe that all marketing communications reflect a company\'s corporate culture. Some companies are more formal, some are more humane and some are more playful or fun. Some companies--think law firms--are all about formality and adherence to strict protocols. These companies will usually have dress codes and rigid standards of conduct. Their advertising/communications will also be formal and rigid. Other companies--think entertainment--are more relaxed. Their advertising is generally more creative.\r\n\r\nWTOP (news radio here in Washington) hosted an incredible session last week with eight utility executives. Each company had suffered power losses from the derecho storm. They all said similar things--the storm was unexpected, they weren\'t prepared, tree trimming would not have helped since whole trees came down and burying power lines is very expensive. What was different amongst them was the tone. Dominion\'s executive said almost the same thing Pepco\'s Tom Graham said, but he said it without the condescension. He acknowledged how hard it was for the customers--Graham was concerned with his talking point (\"reliability\") and with making excuses.\r\n\r\nYou can see the difference in corporate culture in Pepco\'s advertising versus Dominion\'s. Dominion is more down to earth, whereas Pepco doesn\'t seem to understand that \"customers\" are people.  Pepco is more formal, more wordy. Dominion was inclusive (\"Storms can tear things apart, but they can also bring us together) while Pepco was divisive (We were tested and we responded). For Dominion, there\'s an attempt at solidarity with customers.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you think these ads reflect different corporate cultures and priorities?','Dominion vs. Pepco: How ads reflect corporate culture','','inherit','open','open','','1747-revision-2','','','2012-07-16 20:52:18','2012-07-16 20:52:18','',1747,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1747-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1754,4,'2012-07-19 19:28:20','2012-07-19 19:28:20','The other day I had a conversation with a neighbor. She\'s renovating her house and she mentioned that one of her big problems is mildew. I asked whether she has a dehumidifier. And, you guessed it, she does not. If you have humidity, which leads to mildew, then do something about it.\n\nThere are many people out there who know exactly what the problem is, but many of them don\'t find a solution. I am sure you have experience with this situation. For instance, how many people have you met who complain of having headaches or stomach issues or fatigue (and I mean on an ongoing basis), yet don\'t go to the doctor?\n\nHow many companies or organizations know they have a customer communications problem, yet don\'t update their website, survey their members, create a new brochure, train front line employees or whatever it takes to remedy the situation?\n\nAwareness is important, but action is the only way to move forward.','Knowing the problem is not enough','','inherit','open','open','','1753-revision','','','2012-07-19 19:28:20','2012-07-19 19:28:20','',1753,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1753-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1755,4,'2012-07-19 19:29:48','2012-07-19 19:29:48','The other day I had a conversation with a neighbor. She\'s renovating her house and she mentioned that one of her big problems is mildew. I asked whether she has a dehumidifier. And, you guessed it, she does not. If you have humidity, which leads to mildew, then do something about it.\n\nThere are many people out there who know exactly what the problem is, but many of them don\'t find a solution. I am sure you have experience with this situation. For instance, how many people have you met who complain of having headaches or stomach issues or fatigue (and I mean on an ongoing basis), yet don\'t go to the doctor?\n\nHow many companies or organizations know they have a customer communications problem, yet don\'t update their website, survey their members, create a new brochure, train front line employees or whatever it takes to remedy the situation?\n\nAwareness is important, but action is the only way to move forward.','Knowing the problem is not enough','','inherit','open','open','','1753-autosave','','','2012-07-19 19:29:48','2012-07-19 19:29:48','',1753,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1753-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1756,4,'2012-07-23 16:38:54','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Before you solve your problem, you have to be aware of what it is. However, once you are aware, as I said here last week, you have to do something about it.\n\n&nbsp;','How to solve your marcomm problems','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-07-23 16:38:54','2012-07-23 16:38:54','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1756',0,'post','',0),(1758,4,'2012-07-24 18:22:50','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Or, the 5 Marketing Lessons You Can Learn From Jigsaw Puzzles.\r\n\r\nOn a recent weekend, I spent a few hours putting together a really cool Andy Warhol Flowers 1000 piece puzzle.  While I was doing it, I kept thinking that marketing is really very similar to doing a puzzle. Here\'s why:\r\n\r\n1) You have to see the big picture: All puzzles have a picture of the completed puzzle to guide you. In marketing, you have to be able to envision the end result.\r\n\r\n2) Always start with the edge: In doing any puzzle, the easiest way is to put together the edge first, and work your way in. Edge pieces are easier to find too. In marketing, start\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-07-24 18:22:50','2012-07-24 18:22:50','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1758',0,'post','',0),(1759,4,'2012-07-24 18:20:41','2012-07-24 18:20:41','Or, the 5 Marketing Lessons You Can Learn From Jigsaw Puzzles.\n\nOn a recent weekend, I spent a few hours putting together a really cool Andy Warhol Flowers 1000 piece puzzle.  While I was doing it, I kept thinking that marketing is really very similar to doing a puzzle. Here\'s why:\n\n1) You have to see the big picture: All puzzles have a picture of the completed puzzle to guide you. In marketing, you have to be able to envision the end result.\n\n2) Always start with the edge: In doing any puzzle, the easiest way is to put together the edge first, and work your way in. Edge pieces are easier to find too. In marketing, start\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle','','inherit','open','open','','1758-revision','','','2012-07-24 18:20:41','2012-07-24 18:20:41','',1758,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1758-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1760,4,'2012-07-24 20:46:29','2012-07-24 20:46:29','I think I finally figured out why Pepco has such a bad image: the company does not \"get\" public relations. The company seems to believe that advertising alone can build a positive image, while failing to realize that most people differentiate between bought advertising and the third-party endorsement that comes from a public relations program.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the past month, we have not seen a single positive sign from Pepco. The latest news, out today, is that Pepco is complaining that the reduced rate hike that it is getting from the Maryland Public Service Commission won\'t be enough to sustain \"improvements.\" Read the article in the Washington Post <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>What we have seen is a large advertising campaign designed to tell people that Pepco responded well to the derecho storm (in spite of ample evidence to the contrary).\r\n\r\nPepco  understands that it must have a spokesperson to answer questions, but it does not seem to get that the spokesperson must tell the truth and not minimize the suffering caused by prolonged power outages (which is exactly what Thomas Graham continuously does). As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post puts it: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/slip-of-tongue-reveals-pepcos-contempt-for-customers/2012/07/21/gJQAbfve0W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"A slip of tongue reveals Pepco\'s contempt for its customers.\"</a>\r\n\r\nPublic relations, according to BusinessDictionary.com, is the practice of creating and maintaining goodwill among an organization\'s publics, through the use of such tactics as media relations, sponsorships and charitable contributions.\r\n\r\nAs far as I can see, Pepco is not doing a good job at creating or maintaining goodwill. It is failing at public relations (and in my opinion, it is also failing at advertising). More troubling is that the company seems to not care what the public thinks. It seems to believe that if it places enough advertising, the public will believe that it is working hard and improving reliability. As I have said before, the public will only believe that Pepco is working hard-- at advertising-- unless changes are made that affect them directly (better communication, faster restoration times, indeed, increased reliability).\r\n\r\nPepco--how about you hire someone who \"gets\" public relations? Perhaps with some wise PR counsel you will improve your image by actually making steps that do increase goodwill.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>\r\n\r\nTom Graham has<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-deeds-on-pepcos-behalf-should-outweigh-my-mistaken-words/2012/07/24/gJQApnGO7W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> this letter to the editor</a> in Wednesday\'s Washington Post.  I quote:\r\n<blockquote>Critics can say many things about the company and about me, but to question our care and concern for our customers is simply unfair. This is my home, these are my people, and they are — and will remain — my utmost professional priority.</blockquote>\r\nDo you think this rings true? Is the charge unfair?  Moreover, do you think this was a good move on Graham\'s part?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco doesn\'t understand public relations','','publish','open','open','','pepco-doesnt-understand-public-relations','','','2012-07-25 14:45:16','2012-07-25 14:45:16','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1760',0,'post','',0),(1761,4,'2012-07-24 20:45:47','2012-07-24 20:45:47','I think I finally figured out why Pepco has such a bad image: the company does not \"get\" public relations. The company seems to believe that advertising alone can build a positive image, while failing to realize that most people differentiate between bought advertising and the third-party endorsement that comes from a public relations program.\n\nIf we look at the past month, we have not seen a single positive sign from Pepco. The latest news, out today, is that Pepco is complaining that the reduced rate hike that it is getting from the Maryland Public Service Commission won\'t be enough to sustain \"improvements.\" Read the article in the Washington Post <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>What we have seen is a large advertising campaign designed to tell people that Pepco responded well to the derecho storm (in spite of ample evidence to the contrary).\n\nPepco  understands that it must have a spokesperson to answer questions, but it does not seem to get that the spokesperson must tell the truth and not minimize the suffering caused by prolonged power outages (which is exactly what Thomas Graham continuously does). As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post puts it: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/slip-of-tongue-reveals-pepcos-contempt-for-customers/2012/07/21/gJQAbfve0W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"A slip of tongue reveals Pepco\'s contempt for its customers.\"</a>\n\nPublic relations, according to BusinessDictionary.com, is the practice of creating and maintaining goodwill among an organization\'s publics, through the use tactics including media relations, sponsorships and charitable contributions.\n\nAs far as I can see, Pepco is not doing a good job at creating or maintaining goodwill. It is failing at public relations (and in my opinion, it is also failing at advertising). More troubling is that the company seems to not care what the public thinks. It seems to believe that if it places enough advertising, the public will believe that it is working hard and improving reliability. As I have said before, the public will only believe that Pepco is working hard-- at advertising-- unless changes are made that affect them directly (better communication, faster restoration times, indeed, increased reliability).\n\nPepco--how about you hire someone who \"gets\" public relations? Perhaps with some wise PR counsel you will improve your image by actually making steps t\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Pepco doesn\'t understand public relations','','inherit','open','open','','1760-revision','','','2012-07-24 20:45:47','2012-07-24 20:45:47','',1760,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1760-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1762,4,'2012-07-25 14:46:21','2012-07-25 14:46:21','I think I finally figured out why Pepco has such a bad image: the company does not \"get\" public relations. The company seems to believe that advertising alone can build a positive image, while failing to realize that most people differentiate between bought advertising and the third-party endorsement that comes from a public relations program.\n\nIf we look at the past month, we have not seen a single positive sign from Pepco. The latest news, out today, is that Pepco is complaining that the reduced rate hike that it is getting from the Maryland Public Service Commission won\'t be enough to sustain \"improvements.\" Read the article in the Washington Post <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>What we have seen is a large advertising campaign designed to tell people that Pepco responded well to the derecho storm (in spite of ample evidence to the contrary).\n\nPepco  understands that it must have a spokesperson to answer questions, but it does not seem to get that the spokesperson must tell the truth and not minimize the suffering caused by prolonged power outages (which is exactly what Thomas Graham continuously does). As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post puts it: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/slip-of-tongue-reveals-pepcos-contempt-for-customers/2012/07/21/gJQAbfve0W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"A slip of tongue reveals Pepco\'s contempt for its customers.\"</a>\n\nPublic relations, according to BusinessDictionary.com, is the practice of creating and maintaining goodwill among an organization\'s publics, through the use of such tactics as media relations, sponsorships and charitable contributions.\n\nAs far as I can see, Pepco is not doing a good job at creating or maintaining goodwill. It is failing at public relations (and in my opinion, it is also failing at advertising). More troubling is that the company seems to not care what the public thinks. It seems to believe that if it places enough advertising, the public will believe that it is working hard and improving reliability. As I have said before, the public will only believe that Pepco is working hard-- at advertising-- unless changes are made that affect them directly (better communication, faster restoration times, indeed, increased reliability).\n\nPepco--how about you hire someone who \"gets\" public relations? Perhaps with some wise PR counsel you will improve your image by actually making steps that do increase goodwill.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>\n\nTom Graham has<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-deeds-on-pepcos-behalf-should-outweigh-my-mistaken-words/2012/07/24/gJQApnGO7W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> this letter to the editor</a> in Wednesday\'s Washington Post.  I quote:\n<blockquote>Critics can say many things about the company and about me, but to question our care and concern for our customers is simply unfair. This is my home, these are my people, and they are — and will remain — my utmost professional priority.</blockquote>\nDo you think this rings true? Is the charge unfair?  Moreover, do you think this was a good move on Graham\'s part?\n\n&nbsp;','Pepco doesn\'t understand public relations','','inherit','open','open','','1760-autosave','','','2012-07-25 14:46:21','2012-07-25 14:46:21','',1760,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1760-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1763,4,'2012-07-24 20:46:29','2012-07-24 20:46:29','I think I finally figured out why Pepco has such a bad image: the company does not \"get\" public relations. The company seems to believe that advertising alone can build a positive image, while failing to realize that most people differentiate between bought advertising and the third-party endorsement that comes from a public relations program.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the past month, we have not seen a single positive sign from Pepco. The latest news, out today, is that Pepco is complaining that the reduced rate hike that it is getting from the Maryland Public Service Commission won\'t be enough to sustain \"improvements.\" Read the article in the Washington Post <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>What we have seen is a large advertising campaign designed to tell people that Pepco responded well to the derecho storm (in spite of ample evidence to the contrary).\r\n\r\nPepco  understands that it must have a spokesperson to answer questions, but it does not seem to get that the spokesperson must tell the truth and not minimize the suffering caused by prolonged power outages (which is exactly what Thomas Graham continuously does). As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post puts it: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/slip-of-tongue-reveals-pepcos-contempt-for-customers/2012/07/21/gJQAbfve0W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"A slip of tongue reveals Pepco\'s contempt for its customers.\"</a>\r\n\r\nPublic relations, according to BusinessDictionary.com, is the practice of creating and maintaining goodwill among an organization\'s publics, through the use tactics including media relations, sponsorships and charitable contributions.\r\n\r\nAs far as I can see, Pepco is not doing a good job at creating or maintaining goodwill. It is failing at public relations (and in my opinion, it is also failing at advertising). More troubling is that the company seems to not care what the public thinks. It seems to believe that if it places enough advertising, the public will believe that it is working hard and improving reliability. As I have said before, the public will only believe that Pepco is working hard-- at advertising-- unless changes are made that affect them directly (better communication, faster restoration times, indeed, increased reliability).\r\n\r\nPepco--how about you hire someone who \"gets\" public relations? Perhaps with some wise PR counsel you will improve your image by actually making steps that do increase goodwill.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco doesn\'t understand public relations','','inherit','open','open','','1760-revision-2','','','2012-07-24 20:46:29','2012-07-24 20:46:29','',1760,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1760-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1764,4,'2012-07-25 13:26:37','2012-07-25 13:26:37','I think I finally figured out why Pepco has such a bad image: the company does not \"get\" public relations. The company seems to believe that advertising alone can build a positive image, while failing to realize that most people differentiate between bought advertising and the third-party endorsement that comes from a public relations program.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the past month, we have not seen a single positive sign from Pepco. The latest news, out today, is that Pepco is complaining that the reduced rate hike that it is getting from the Maryland Public Service Commission won\'t be enough to sustain \"improvements.\" Read the article in the Washington Post <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>What we have seen is a large advertising campaign designed to tell people that Pepco responded well to the derecho storm (in spite of ample evidence to the contrary).\r\n\r\nPepco  understands that it must have a spokesperson to answer questions, but it does not seem to get that the spokesperson must tell the truth and not minimize the suffering caused by prolonged power outages (which is exactly what Thomas Graham continuously does). As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post puts it: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/slip-of-tongue-reveals-pepcos-contempt-for-customers/2012/07/21/gJQAbfve0W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"A slip of tongue reveals Pepco\'s contempt for its customers.\"</a>\r\n\r\nPublic relations, according to BusinessDictionary.com, is the practice of creating and maintaining goodwill among an organization\'s publics, through the use tactics including media relations, sponsorships and charitable contributions.\r\n\r\nAs far as I can see, Pepco is not doing a good job at creating or maintaining goodwill. It is failing at public relations (and in my opinion, it is also failing at advertising). More troubling is that the company seems to not care what the public thinks. It seems to believe that if it places enough advertising, the public will believe that it is working hard and improving reliability. As I have said before, the public will only believe that Pepco is working hard-- at advertising-- unless changes are made that affect them directly (better communication, faster restoration times, indeed, increased reliability).\r\n\r\nPepco--how about you hire someone who \"gets\" public relations? Perhaps with some wise PR counsel you will improve your image by actually making steps that do increase goodwill.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>\r\n\r\nTom Graham has<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-deeds-on-pepcos-behalf-should-outweigh-my-mistaken-words/2012/07/24/gJQApnGO7W_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> this letter to the editor</a> in Wednesday\'s Washington Post.  I quote:\r\n<blockquote>Critics can say many things about the company and about me, but to question our care and concern for our customers is simply unfair. This is my home, these are my people, and they are — and will remain — my utmost professional priority.</blockquote>\r\nDo you think this rings true? Is the charge unfair?  Moreover, do you think this was a good move on Graham\'s part? A\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco doesn\'t understand public relations','','inherit','open','open','','1760-revision-3','','','2012-07-25 13:26:37','2012-07-25 13:26:37','',1760,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1760-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1765,4,'2012-07-25 19:26:52','2012-07-25 19:26:52','Here\'s where you can find me!\r\n\r\nIf you want to book a free 15-minute consultation, please visit the <a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Booking page.</a>\r\n\r\nIf you want to see what events I will be presenting, or have presented, please visit the <a title=\"Events\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/calendar/\">Events page</a>.','Calendar','','publish','closed','closed','','events','','','2018-02-12 10:43:36','2018-02-12 15:43:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?page_id=1765',0,'page','',0),(3660,4,'2018-02-12 10:43:36','2018-02-12 15:43:36','Here\'s where you can find me!\r\n\r\nIf you want to book a free 15-minute consultation, please visit the <a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Booking page.</a>\r\n\r\nIf you want to see what events I will be presenting, or have presented, please visit the <a title=\"Events\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/calendar/\">Events page</a>.','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 10:43:36','2018-02-12 15:43:36','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/1765-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(1925,4,'2012-11-28 21:26:33','2012-11-28 21:26:33','You learned it way back in kindergarten, remember? Show and tell was when you brought something in and you told your classmates about it. Some people\'s show and tell was boring and some was really good. I can\'t remember anything from kindergarten but I know the lesson of showing and telling is a good one for anybody trying to communicate.\r\n\r\nYou would think something as basic as show and tell would stay with most people. And yet it hasn\'t.\r\n\r\nToday, I am searching for an online task manager. There are many (and I am not really sure which one to use). Some show you screen shots of the software. Some show you video. All of them tell you what they do (but not how exactly).  One in particular does not show or tell me anything. It asks me to sign up. I don\'t know about you, but I am not signing up for ANYTHING, even if it is free, if I don\'t know what it is exactly.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this company\'s principals did not attend kindergarten.\r\n\r\nRemember, show and tell. People need to see what they are getting and they need to understand it too.\r\n\r\nRight?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Show and tell!','','publish','open','open','','show-and-tell-2','','','2012-11-28 21:26:33','2012-11-28 21:26:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1925',0,'post','',0),(1903,4,'2012-11-09 19:23:46','2012-11-09 19:23:46','I have more than 100 subscriptions on my Google Reader. I love having the convenience of all those blogs in one place. Yesterday, I led my \"How to write your blog\" workshop, and the participants told me they don\'t use readers and doubt they have much traction. So, I thought I would survey to see if people use readers.\r\n\r\nPlease answer my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n[polldaddy poll=\"6678494\"]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Where do all the RSS feeds go','','publish','open','open','','where-do-all-the-rss-feeds-go','','','2012-11-09 19:23:46','2012-11-09 19:23:46','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1903',0,'post','',0),(1904,4,'2012-11-09 19:18:31','2012-11-09 19:18:31','I have more than 100 subscriptions on my Google Reader. I love having the convenience of all those blogs in one place. Yesterday, I led my \"How to write your blog\" workshop, and the participants told me they don\'t use readers and doubt they have much traction. So, I thought I would survey to see if people use readers.\n\nP\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<noscript><a href=\"http://polldaddy.com/poll/6678494/\">Do you use a RSS reader?</a></noscript>','Where do all the RSS feeds go','','inherit','open','open','','1903-revision','','','2012-11-09 19:18:31','2012-11-09 19:18:31','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1766,4,'2012-07-25 19:26:00','2012-07-25 19:26:00','Check here for upcoming events and training workshops!\n\n<strong>Our next event is How to Write your Blog workshop on July 31, 2012</strong>. More information:  http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\n\n&nbsp;','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2012-07-25 19:26:00','2012-07-25 19:26:00','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1765-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1767,4,'2012-07-25 19:26:15','2012-07-25 19:26:15','Check here for upcoming events and training workshops!\r\n\r\n<strong>Our next event is How to Write your Blog workshop on July 31, 2012</strong>. More information:  <a href=\"hhttp://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2012-07-25 19:26:15','2012-07-25 19:26:15','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1765-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1782,4,'2012-08-02 13:31:32','2012-08-02 13:31:32','The reason I created the How to Write Your Blog workshop--which I just presented on Tuesday at the Silver Spring Civic Center--is because I have spoken to many people who think blogging is hard or that it takes to much time. I have found blogging to be fun, and wanted to teach people that it doesn\'t have to overwhelming.\r\n\r\nThe workshop leads you through reasons to blog to writing a blog post. We discuss keywords, categories, tags and headlines. We discuss what you should and should not do on a blog. And what most participants find helpful is the part on generating blog post ideas.\r\n\r\nOut of the three hours allotted to the workshop, we spend 20 minutes writing a blog post.  The idea is that when you realize you can write a whole post in 20 minutes, it seems doable and perhaps even easy.\r\n\r\nOne of the participants said that breaking up the process into its parts makes it seem less stressful, and that is exactly the point.\r\n\r\nMy colleague Lisa Newman took photographs of the workshop and created this montage:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DBrody-Workshop-Collage.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1783\" title=\"Deborah Brody How to Write Your Blog Workshop \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DBrody-Workshop-Collage-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIf you missed the workshop this time around, you may want to sign up for my enewsletter so that you can find out when it\'s being offered again.','Making blogging easier','','publish','open','open','','making-blogging-easier','','','2012-08-02 13:31:32','2012-08-02 13:31:32','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1782',0,'post','',0),(1786,4,'2012-08-06 15:42:12','2012-08-06 15:42:12','In its most basic form, communications happens when there is a dialogue between two people. Yet, how often do we see miscommunication instead of communication? Or one person shouting down the other? Or one person getting offended? Often, personality is behind miscommunication.\r\n\r\nOver the weekend, I watched part of a panel presentation regarding civility in politics on CSPAN. One of the panelists said that civil communication only occurs when one person speaks and the other listens (and vice versa). It seems pretty straightforward, but in most communications efforts I see every day, it isn\'t happening. In many cases, it comes down to personality traits that impede true communication.   These are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Arrogance</li>\r\n	<li>Self-involvement</li>\r\n	<li>Narcissism</li>\r\n	<li>Insecurity</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYour personality can make or break your communications efforts. Arrogant people will dismiss or debase your concerns, questions and input. Self-involved or narcissistic people will only focus on their own concerns. Insecure people will exaggerate their own accomplishments and/or put down yours or seek a way to make you look stupid.\r\n\r\nI see examples of these personalities every single day on Twitter (people who never engage with other people are self-involved or those who don\'t credit others may be insecure). And corporations are not immune, since corporations are run by people (although they aren\'t people in spite of what Mitt Romney may think).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://wtop.com/1165/2979339/Poll-Pepco-customers-most-dissatisfied\" target=\"_blank\">WTOP conducted a poll which found that Pepco\'s customers were more dissatisfied than those of other utilities. </a> In my opinion,  this has to to do with Pepco\'s arrogant communications efforts (generated by a company led/managed by arrogant people).\r\n\r\nDo you agree? Are there other personality traits that affect communications? Please let me know in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is your personality getting in the way of your communications efforts?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-personality-getting-in-the-way-of-your-communications-efforts','','','2012-08-06 15:42:12','2012-08-06 15:42:12','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1786',0,'post','',0),(1771,4,'2012-07-26 12:15:52','2012-07-26 12:15:52','Many people like the idea of blogging, but are stymied when actually wanting to start writing. What to write about? How to write it? What if no one reads it? If this is you--and you live in the Metro DC area--come to a workshop I am leading next Tuesday, July 31 in Silver Spring. I will teach you how to write your blog. You will leave the session with several blog post ideas, a completely written blog post, and lots of information to get you blogging.\r\n\r\nAll the details and registration are available here:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/</a>\r\n\r\nI hope to see you Tuesday! If you can\'t make it next week, and you are interested in the workshop, please drop me a line or a comment.','How do you figure out what to write about?','','publish','open','open','','how-do-you-figure-out-what-to-write-about','','','2012-07-26 12:15:52','2012-07-26 12:15:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1771',0,'post','',0),(1772,4,'2012-07-26 12:13:55','2012-07-26 12:13:55','Many people like the idea of blogging, but are stymied when actually wanting to start writing. What to write about? How to write it? What if no one reads it? If this is you--and you live in the Metro DC area--come to a workshop I am leading next Tuesday, July 31 in Silver Spring. I will teach you how to write your blog. You will leave the session with several blog post ideas, a completely written blog post, and lots of information to get you blogging.\n\nAll the details and registration are available here:\n\n<a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/</a>\n\nI hope to see you Tuesday! If you can\'t make it next week, and you are interested in the workshop, please drop me a line or a comment','How do you figure out what to write about?','','inherit','open','open','','1771-revision','','','2012-07-26 12:13:55','2012-07-26 12:13:55','',1771,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1771-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1773,4,'2012-07-26 12:15:46','2012-07-26 12:15:46','Many people like the idea of blogging, but are stymied when actually wanting to start writing. What to write about? How to write it? What if no one reads it? If this is you--and you live in the Metro DC area--come to a workshop I am leading next Tuesday, July 31 in Silver Spring. I will teach you how to write your blog. You will leave the session with several blog post ideas, a completely written blog post, and lots of information to get you blogging.\n\nAll the details and registration are available here:\n\n<a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog.eventbrite.com/</a>\n\nI hope to see you Tuesday! If you can\'t make it next week, and you are interested in the workshop, please drop me a line or a comment.','How do you figure out what to write about?','','inherit','open','open','','1771-revision-2','','','2012-07-26 12:15:46','2012-07-26 12:15:46','',1771,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1771-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1774,4,'2012-07-30 13:49:34','2012-07-30 13:49:34','Well, faithful blog readers, I thought I was done writing about Pepco\'s advertising efforts, but then I saw this nearly-full page ad in yesterday\'s (Sunday, July 29) <em>Washington Post</em> (again, I had to scan it in two parts):[gallery link=\"file\"]\r\n\r\nIn case you can\'t read the ad above, let me provide the content:\r\n<blockquote>It\'s popular right now, even convenient, to beat up on Pepco. And because the facts have been misrepresented, that\'s easy to do.\r\n\r\nBut there\'s another side of the story. Some of our customers too the time to tell it. We thought we\'d share.</blockquote>\r\nIf I understand this correctly,  Pepco is saying that government officials like Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Council, DC Mayor Gray,  the media, and customers who are complaining about Pepco\'s dismal service are \"beating up\" on Pepco because the \"facts have been misrepresented.\" What facts is the ad alluding to? We know (we lived) the facts: 780,000 of Pepco\'s customers lost power, and of those, most received power by July 4, five days after the storm. Other customers weren\'t restored until July 6. Those are the facts on the ground and they have not been misrepresented.\r\n\r\nPepco is attempting to convince you that you are wrong if you believe the narrative that Pepco did not do enough to restore power during the derecho (which was exactly one month ago from the date of the ad). Instead, Pepco parades 17 customer testimonials  that are praising Pepco\'s performance (out of the 780,000 affected by the outage---that is an extremely meager 0.00217%).\r\n\r\nThe ad continues:\r\n<blockquote>We know this isn\'t the way everyone feels-that many of our customers were frustrated. We want them to know that though our work is far from over, we are committee to continuing to improve. And despite what they may hear, our response to the derecho was swift, aggressive and in line with our neighboring utilities. That is an inconvenient truth that doesn\'t fit the storyline.\r\n\r\nThanks to the customers who took the time to shed some light on the real story.</blockquote>\r\nSo, Pepco is saying that it knows \"some\" customers are frustrated, but in essence, they have no right to feel that way because it doesn\'t fit the Pepco storyline. The Pepco storyline (and that is exactly what it is, a story that Pepco tells itself) is that Pepco works hard and that people have no right to expect anything more from it. The 17 customers that they quote  in the ad understand this \"real story.\"\r\n\r\nHonestly,  in my nearly 20-year marketing career, I have never seen something like this.  It truly is a waste of advertising dollars (which Pepco customers are footing the bill for).  To run an ad in the newspaper of record to tell customers that they are wrong to feel frustrated because they are being misguided by \"misrepresented facts\" is truly an outrage.\r\n\r\nAgain, Pepco\'s communications department seems to be tone-deaf, and really really bad at advertising. Rule number one of advertising is that you don\'t insult your customers.\r\n\r\nPepco management is desperate to improve its public perception. However, through these misguided and mismanaged advertising efforts, it is only hurting itself further.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Pepco really really wants you to believe a story','','publish','open','open','','pepco-really-really-wants-you-to-believe-a-story','','','2012-07-30 13:49:34','2012-07-30 13:49:34','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1774',0,'post','',0),(1775,4,'2012-07-30 13:17:03','2012-07-30 13:17:03','','pepco ad 72912 b','','inherit','open','open','','pepco-ad-72912-b','','','2012-07-30 13:17:03','2012-07-30 13:17:03','',1774,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/pepco-ad-72912-b.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1776,4,'2012-07-30 13:17:11','2012-07-30 13:17:11','','pepco ad 72912 a','','inherit','open','open','','pepco-ad-72912-a','','','2012-07-30 13:17:11','2012-07-30 13:17:11','',1774,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/pepco-ad-72912-a.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1777,4,'2012-07-30 13:43:50','2012-07-30 13:43:50','Well, faithful blog readers, I thought I was done writing about Pepco\'s advertising efforts, but then I saw this nearly-full page ad in yesterday\'s (Sunday, July 29) Washington Post (again, I had to scan it in two parts):[gallery link=\"file\"]\n\nIn case you can\'t read the ad above, let me provide the content:\n<blockquote>It\'s popular right now, even convenient, to beat up on Pepco. And because the facts have been misrepresented, that\'s easy to do.\n\nBut there\'s another side of the story. Some of our customers too the time to tell it. We thought we\'d share.</blockquote>\nIf I understand this correctly,  Pepco is saying that government officials like Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Council, DC Mayor Gray,  the media, and customers who are complaining are \"beating up\" on Pepco because the \"facts have been misrepresented.\" What facts is the ad alluding to? We know (we lived) the facts: 780,000 of Pepco\'s customers lost power, and of those, most received power by July 4, five days after the storm. Other customers weren\'t restored until July 6. Those are the facts on the ground and they have not been misrepresented.\n\nPepco is attempting to convince you that you are wrong if you believe the narrative that Pepco did not do enough to restore power during the derecho (which was exactly one month ago from the date of the ad). Instead, Pepco parades 17 customer testimonials  that are praising Pepco\'s performance (out of the 780,000 affected by the outage---that is an extremely meager 0.00217%).\n\nThe ad continues:\n<blockquote>We know this isn\'t the way everyone feels-that many of our customers were frustrated. We want them to know that though our work is far from over, we are committee to continuing to improve. And despite what they may hear, our response to the derecho was swift, aggressive and in line with our neighboring utilities. That is an inconvenient truth that doesn\'t fit the storyline.\n\nThanks to the customers who took the time to shed some light on the real story.</blockquote>\nSo, Pepco is saying that it knows \"some\" customers are frustrated, but in essence, they have no right to feel that way because it doesn\'t fit the Pepco storyline. The Pepco storyline (and that is exactly what it is, a story that Pepco tells itself) is that Pepco works hard and that people have no right to expect anything more from it. The 17 customers that they quote  in the ad understand this \"real story.\"\n\nHonestly,  in my nearly 20 year marketing career, I have never seen something like this.  It truly is a waste of advertising dollars (which Pepco customers are footing the bill for).  To run an ad in the newspaper of record to tell customers that they are wrong to feel frustrated because they are being misguided by \"misrepresented facts\" is truly an outrage.\n\nAgain, Pepco\'s communications department seems to be tone-deaf, and really really bad at advertising. Rule number one of advertising is that you don\'t insult your customers.\n\nPepco management is desperate to improve its public perception.','Pepco really really wants you to believe a story','','inherit','open','open','','1774-revision','','','2012-07-30 13:43:50','2012-07-30 13:43:50','',1774,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1774-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1778,4,'2012-07-30 13:44:50','2012-07-30 13:44:50','Well, faithful blog readers, I thought I was done writing about Pepco\'s advertising efforts, but then I saw this nearly-full page ad in yesterday\'s (Sunday, July 29) Washington Post (again, I had to scan it in two parts):[gallery link=\"file\"]\n\nIn case you can\'t read the ad above, let me provide the content:\n<blockquote>It\'s popular right now, even convenient, to beat up on Pepco. And because the facts have been misrepresented, that\'s easy to do.\n\nBut there\'s another side of the story. Some of our customers too the time to tell it. We thought we\'d share.</blockquote>\nIf I understand this correctly,  Pepco is saying that government officials like Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Council, DC Mayor Gray,  the media, and customers who are complaining are \"beating up\" on Pepco because the \"facts have been misrepresented.\" What facts is the ad alluding to? We know (we lived) the facts: 780,000 of Pepco\'s customers lost power, and of those, most received power by July 4, five days after the storm. Other customers weren\'t restored until July 6. Those are the facts on the ground and they have not been misrepresented.\n\nPepco is attempting to convince you that you are wrong if you believe the narrative that Pepco did not do enough to restore power during the derecho (which was exactly one month ago from the date of the ad). Instead, Pepco parades 17 customer testimonials  that are praising Pepco\'s performance (out of the 780,000 affected by the outage---that is an extremely meager 0.00217%).\n\nThe ad continues:\n<blockquote>We know this isn\'t the way everyone feels-that many of our customers were frustrated. We want them to know that though our work is far from over, we are committee to continuing to improve. And despite what they may hear, our response to the derecho was swift, aggressive and in line with our neighboring utilities. That is an inconvenient truth that doesn\'t fit the storyline.\n\nThanks to the customers who took the time to shed some light on the real story.</blockquote>\nSo, Pepco is saying that it knows \"some\" customers are frustrated, but in essence, they have no right to feel that way because it doesn\'t fit the Pepco storyline. The Pepco storyline (and that is exactly what it is, a story that Pepco tells itself) is that Pepco works hard and that people have no right to expect anything more from it. The 17 customers that they quote  in the ad understand this \"real story.\"\n\nHonestly,  in my nearly 20 year marketing career, I have never seen something like this.  It truly is a waste of advertising dollars (which Pepco customers are footing the bill for).  To run an ad in the newspaper of record to tell customers that they are wrong to feel frustrated because they are being misguided by \"misrepresented facts\" is truly an outrage.\n\nAgain, Pepco\'s communications department seems to be tone-deaf, and really really bad at advertising. Rule number one of advertising is that you don\'t insult your customers.\n\nPepco management is desperate to improve its public perception. However, through these misguided and mismanaged advertising efforts, it is only hurting itself further.\n\n&nbsp;','Pepco really really wants you to believe a story','','inherit','open','open','','1774-revision-2','','','2012-07-30 13:44:50','2012-07-30 13:44:50','',1774,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1774-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1779,4,'2012-07-31 16:01:48','2012-07-31 16:01:48','Yesterday, I wrote about Pepco\'s <a title=\"Pepco really really wants you to believe a story\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-really-really-wants-you-to-believe-a-story/\" target=\"_blank\">latest print ad</a>, where they find customers who think Pepco does really well. And today, in the Washington Post, there\'s an article entitled <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pepco-defends-its-response-to-derecho-storm-saying-it-mobilized-quickly/2012/07/30/gJQAmxuVLX_story.html?hpid=z6\" target=\"_blank\">\"Pepco defends its response to derecho storm, saying it \"mobilized quickly.\"</a>The article makes clear that Pepco wants to change the perception that it responded slowly and badly. It says:\r\n<blockquote>Pepco vigorously defended itself Monday in its first self-assessments since last month’s derecho storm, saying it responded aggressively and effectively to restore power to nearly half a million customers left<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" data-xslt=\"_http\"> sweltering in the dark</a>. <a href=\"http://www.pepco.com/home/emergency/junestorm.aspx\" data-xslt=\"_http\">The electric company</a> accepted limited responsibility for software glitches that affected tens of thousands of calls for service and for its inability to give customers a better sense of when their power would be restored.</blockquote>\r\nApparently, Pepco has decided that its communication strategy is to aggressively tamp down on any criticism of its service. What a contrast from Verizon, which today has a <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/verizon-vows-to-do-better/2012/07/30/gJQAfI0ELX_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">letter to the edito</a>r in the Washington Post where it apologizes for disruptions to 911 calling that occurred in the aftermath of the derecho.\r\n\r\nThe problem with Pepco\'s communication strategy is that, as I have pointed out before, it doesn\'t acknowledge reality. In this case, the reality  is customers were rightfully frustrated.  By not recognizing genuine complaints, the company is effectively hedging against doing anything to fix those problems.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Does this strategy work for Pepco, or does it further deteriorate its public image?','Pepco does have a communications strategy: go on the offense','','publish','open','open','','pepco-does-have-a-communications-strategy-go-on-the-offense','','','2012-07-31 16:01:48','2012-07-31 16:01:48','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1779',0,'post','',0),(1780,4,'2012-07-31 16:01:42','2012-07-31 16:01:42','Yesterday, I wrote about Pepco\'s <a title=\"Pepco really really wants you to believe a story\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-really-really-wants-you-to-believe-a-story/\" target=\"_blank\">latest print ad</a>, where they find customers who think Pepco does really well. And today, in the Washington Post, there\'s an article entitled <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pepco-defends-its-response-to-derecho-storm-saying-it-mobilized-quickly/2012/07/30/gJQAmxuVLX_story.html?hpid=z6\" target=\"_blank\">\"Pepco defends its response to derecho storm, saying it \"mobilized quickly.\"</a>The article makes clear that Pepco wants to change the perception that it responded slowly and badly. It says:\n<blockquote>Pepco vigorously defended itself Monday in its first self-assessments since last month’s derecho storm, saying it responded aggressively and effectively to restore power to nearly half a million customers left<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" data-xslt=\"_http\"> sweltering in the dark</a>. <a href=\"http://www.pepco.com/home/emergency/junestorm.aspx\" data-xslt=\"_http\">The electric company</a> accepted limited responsibility for software glitches that affected tens of thousands of calls for service and for its inability to give customers a better sense of when their power would be restored.</blockquote>\nApparently, Pepco has decided that its communication strategy is to aggressively tamp down on any criticism of its service. What a contrast from Verizon, which today has a <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/verizon-vows-to-do-better/2012/07/30/gJQAfI0ELX_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">letter to the edito</a>r in the Washington Post where it apologizes for disruptions to 911 calling that occurred in the aftermath of the derecho.\n\nThe problem with Pepco\'s communication strategy is that, as I have pointed out before, it doesn\'t acknowledge reality. In this case, the reality  is customers were rightfully frustrated.  By not recognizing genuine complaints, the company is effectively hedging against doing anything to fix those problems.\n\nWhat do you think? Does this strategy work for Pepco, or does it further deteriorate its public image?','Pepco does have a communications strategy: go on the offense','','inherit','open','open','','1779-revision','','','2012-07-31 16:01:42','2012-07-31 16:01:42','',1779,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1779-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1781,4,'2012-07-31 16:02:56','2012-07-31 16:02:56','Yesterday, I wrote about Pepco\'s <a title=\"Pepco really really wants you to believe a story\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/pepco-really-really-wants-you-to-believe-a-story/\" target=\"_blank\">latest print ad</a>, where they find customers who think Pepco does really well. And today, in the Washington Post, there\'s an article entitled <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pepco-defends-its-response-to-derecho-storm-saying-it-mobilized-quickly/2012/07/30/gJQAmxuVLX_story.html?hpid=z6\" target=\"_blank\">\"Pepco defends its response to derecho storm, saying it \"mobilized quickly.\"</a>The article makes clear that Pepco wants to change the perception that it responded slowly and badly. It says:\n<blockquote>Pepco vigorously defended itself Monday in its first self-assessments since last month’s derecho storm, saying it responded aggressively and effectively to restore power to nearly half a million customers left<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-pepco-customers-without-power-frustration-grows-four-days-after-storm/2012/07/02/gJQAJ0vQJW_story.html\" data-xslt=\"_http\"> sweltering in the dark</a>. <a href=\"http://www.pepco.com/home/emergency/junestorm.aspx\" data-xslt=\"_http\">The electric company</a> accepted limited responsibility for software glitches that affected tens of thousands of calls for service and for its inability to give customers a better sense of when their power would be restored.</blockquote>\nApparently, Pepco has decided that its communication strategy is to aggressively tamp down on any criticism of its service. What a contrast from Verizon, which today has a <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/verizon-vows-to-do-better/2012/07/30/gJQAfI0ELX_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">letter to the edito</a>r in the Washington Post where it apologizes for disruptions to 911 calling that occurred in the aftermath of the derecho.\n\nThe problem with Pepco\'s communication strategy is that, as I have pointed out before, it doesn\'t acknowledge reality. In this case, the reality  is customers were rightfully frustrated.  By not recognizing genuine complaints, the company is effectively hedging against doing anything to fix those problems.\n\nWhat do you think? Does this strategy work for Pepco, or does it further deteriorate its public image?','Pepco does have a communications strategy: go on the offense','','inherit','open','open','','1779-autosave','','','2012-07-31 16:02:56','2012-07-31 16:02:56','',1779,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1779-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1783,4,'2012-08-02 13:25:43','2012-08-02 13:25:43','','Deborah Brody How to Write Your Blog Workshop ','','inherit','open','open','','dbrody-workshop-collage','','','2012-08-02 13:25:43','2012-08-02 13:25:43','',1782,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DBrody-Workshop-Collage.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1784,4,'2012-08-02 13:30:13','2012-08-02 13:30:13','The reason I created the How to Write Your Blog workshop--which I just presented on Tuesday at the Silver Spring Civic Center--is because I have spoken to many people who think blogging is hard or that it takes to much time. I have found blogging to be fun, and wanted to teach people that it doesn\'t have to overwhelming.\n\nThe workshop leads you through reasons to blog to writing a blog post. We discuss keywords, categories, tags and headlines. We discuss what you should and should not do on a blog. And what most participants find helpful is the part on generating blog post ideas.\n\nOut of the three hours allotted to the workshop, we spend 20 minutes writing a blog post.  The idea is that when you realize you can write a whole post in 20 minutes, it seems doable and perhaps even easy.\n\nOne of the participants said that breaking up the process into its parts makes it seem less stressful, and that is exactly the point.\n\nMy colleague Lisa Newman took photographs of the workshop and created this montage:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DBrody-Workshop-Collage.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1783\" title=\"Deborah Brody How to Write Your Blog Workshop \" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DBrody-Workshop-Collage-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" /></a>\n\nIf you missed the workshop this time around, you may want to sign up for my enewsletter so that you can find out when it\'s being offered again.','Making blogging easier','','inherit','open','open','','1782-revision','','','2012-08-02 13:30:13','2012-08-02 13:30:13','',1782,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1782-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1788,4,'2012-08-10 14:19:53','2012-08-10 14:19:53','Yesterday, none other than the Social Media Club DC (SMCDC)  put out a tweet asking people to \"show some love\" to their Facebook page, because unlike their Twitter feed, it had \"only\" 3,000 supporters. I responded: \"Twitter and FB are totally different platforms and thus have different audiences. Where are you giving/getting more value?\"  To which SMCDC responded: \"It\'s hard to compare since they are so different, but just in case people want to be exposed to our content in a different form...\"\r\n\r\nFirst of all, social media is not JUST a numbers game. Having more followers/supporters/likers doesn\'t mean anything if you haven\'t decided what you want from those people. Are you trying to show increased interest in your product? Then the metrics may help with that.\r\n\r\nYou have to ask yourself WHY you are doing what you are doing. What are you trying to accomplish?  Are you advocating for a cause? Trying to sell product? Raising your profile?In SMCDC\'s case, it the content on Facebook different than Twitter? Is it more appealing to a certain demographic to see it on Facebook? What are the advantages of having more Facebook followers?\r\n\r\nYoung people who understand the tools of social media and can adapt at warp speed to the newest and greatest (in other words, they get the what), generally do not have enough business experience to really understand the why.\r\n\r\nThis morning I came across this article on Inc. Magazine: <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/hollis-thomases/social-media-dont-put-intern-in-charge.html\" target=\"_blank\">11 Reasons a 23-Year-Old Shouldn\'t Run Your Social Media </a>by Hollis Thomases.  Most of Thomases\' reasons have to do with the knowledge that experience delivers. You become a better communicator with time, for example.  She writes:\r\n<blockquote>Social media is not the be-all and end-all. It\'s a marketing <em>tool</em>--part of an ever-growing arsenal of ways to bring your company to your prospective customers\' attention.</blockquote>\r\nI would also add that young hires/interns/recent college graduates don\'t understand STRATEGY. Tools are to be used tactically, as part of a larger strategy. If you just look at the tool (we need more followers on Twitter), without thinking about WHY, then you are just using the tool for no purpose at all.\r\n\r\nThoughts? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','But why are you doing it?','','publish','open','open','','but-why-are-you-doing-it','','','2012-08-10 14:19:53','2012-08-10 14:19:53','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1788',0,'post','',0),(1787,4,'2012-08-06 15:40:26','2012-08-06 15:40:26','In its most basic form, communications happens when there is a dialogue between two people. Yet, how often do we see miscommunication instead of communication? Or one person shouting down the other? Or one person getting offended? Often, personality is behind miscommunication.\n\nOver the weekend, I watched part of a panel presentation regarding civility in politics on CSPAN. One of the panelists said that civil communication only occurs when one person speaks and the other listens (and vice versa). It seems pretty straightforward, but in most communications efforts I see every day, it isn\'t happening. In many cases, it comes down to personality traits that impede true communication.   These are:\n<ul>\n	<li>Arrogance</li>\n	<li>Self-involvement</li>\n	<li>Narcissism</li>\n	<li>Insecurity</li>\n</ul>\nYour personality can make or break your communications efforts. Arrogant people will dismiss or debase your concerns, questions and input. Self-involved or narcissistic people will only focus on their own concerns. Insecure people will exaggerate their own accomplishments and/or put down yours or seek a way to make you look stupid.\n\nI see examples of these personalities every single day on Twitter (people who never engage with other people are self-involved or those who don\'t credit others may be insecure). And corporations are not immune, since corporations are run by people (they aren\'t people in spite of what Mitt Romney may think).\n\n<a href=\"http://wtop.com/1165/2979339/Poll-Pepco-customers-most-dissatisfied\" target=\"_blank\">WTOP conducted a poll which found that Pepco\'s customers were more dissatisfied than those of other utilities. </a> In my opinion,  this has to to do with Pepco\'s arrogant communications efforts (generated by a company led/managed by arrogant people).\n\nDo you agree? Are there other personality traits that affect communications? Please let me know in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','Is your personality getting in the way of your communications efforts?','','inherit','open','open','','1786-revision','','','2012-08-06 15:40:26','2012-08-06 15:40:26','',1786,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1786-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1789,4,'2012-08-10 14:18:56','2012-08-10 14:18:56','Yesterday, none other than the Social Media Club DC (SMCDC)  put out a tweet asking people to \"show some love\" to their Facebook page, because unlike their Twitter feed, it had \"only\" 3,000 supporters. I responded: \"Twitter and FB are totally different platforms and thus have different audiences. Where are you giving/getting more value?\"  To which SMCDC responded: \"It\'s hard to compare since they are so different, but just in case people want to be exposed to our content in a different form...\"\n\nFirst of all, social media is not JUST a numbers game. Having more followers/supporters/likers doesn\'t mean anything if you haven\'t decided what you want from those people. Are you trying to show increased interest in your product? Then the metrics may help with that.\n\nYou have to ask yourself WHY you are doing what you are doing. What are you trying to accomplish?  Are you advocating for a cause? Trying to sell product? Raising your profile?In SMCDC\'s case, it the content on Facebook different than Twitter? Is it more appealing to a certain demographic to see it on Facebook? What are the advantages of having more Facebook followers?\n\nYoung people who understand the tools of social media and can adapt at warp speed to the newest and greatest (in other words, they get the what), generally do not have enough business experience to really understand the why.\n\nThis morning I came across this article on Inc. Magazine: <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/hollis-thomases/social-media-dont-put-intern-in-charge.html\" target=\"_blank\">11 Reasons a 23-Year-Old Shouldn\'t Run Your Social Media </a>by Hollis Thomases.  Most of Thomases\' reasons have to do with the knowledge that experience delivers. You become a better communicator with time, for example.  She writes:\n<blockquote>Social media is not the be-all and end-all. It\'s a marketing <em>tool</em>--part of an ever-growing arsenal of ways to bring your company to your prospective customers\' attention.</blockquote>\nI would also add that young hires/interns/recent college graduates don\'t understand STRATEGY. Tools are to be used tactically, as part of a larger strategy. If you just look at the tool (we need more followers on Twitter), without thinking about WHY, then you are just using the tool for no purpose at all.\n\nThoughts? Please share in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','But why are you doing it?','','inherit','open','open','','1788-revision','','','2012-08-10 14:18:56','2012-08-10 14:18:56','',1788,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1788-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1799,4,'2012-08-20 19:04:25','2012-08-20 19:04:25','Here I go again. Pepco can\'t seem to stop providing material. On Friday, I received a letter from Thomas H. Graham, Pepco\'s regional president. It was addressed to \"Dear Valued Pepco Customer.\"\r\n\r\nThis letter, dated August 3 (but received two weeks later), is more of what we have already seen in Pepco\'s ads and public statements.  The derecho was very bad. Pepco had a lot of work to do. Pepco is committed to improving reliability.\r\n\r\n<strong>Same message, different medium.</strong>\r\n\r\nMy favorite line is this:\r\n<blockquote>Yet, even with all the destruction, Pepco restored power to 90% of customers by midnight on July 4, more than 48 hours before our original estimate.</blockquote>\r\nLet\'s rewrite: Most Pepco customers were without power for five days.  Pepco did not get power to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">all</span> its customers until some eight days after the storm.\r\n\r\nWithout the spin, it doesn\'t sound so good, does it?\r\n\r\nThen we have this gem:\r\n<blockquote>Today, we are stronger and more reliable--but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a storm of this magnitude.</blockquote>\r\nIn other words, Pepco wants customers to be aware that Pepco is not equipped to deal with storms \"of this magnitude.\"\r\n\r\nAnd the letter finishes off with the same message that we have seen over and over:\r\n<blockquote>Again, we sincerely thank you for your patience. I would also like to thank customers who took time to show their gratitude--shaking crew members\' hands, leaving them notes, water and Popsicles...We will continue to enhance our reliability....</blockquote>\r\nNote to Mr. Graham: anybody who was able to give crew members Popsicles had to have some refrigeration.  Just saying.\r\n\r\nPepco does not get that it does not matter what medium you use, the message is still not resonating.\r\n\r\nPersonally, I don\'t feel any better about Pepco after reading this letter--in fact, I am angry that the company would waste paper, postage and money putting together another self-congratulatory and inaccurate piece of propaganda. What do you think? Is direct mail to customers the way to get across this message?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s not the medium, it\'s the message','','publish','open','open','','its-not-the-medium-its-the-message','','','2012-08-20 19:06:09','2012-08-20 19:06:09','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1799',0,'post','',0),(1791,4,'2012-08-13 13:03:22','2012-08-13 13:03:22','If you work in destination or travel marketing, there are plenty of people that envy your job. What could be more fun than having travel as your business? After all, travel marketers get to research and report on the places that make a destination stand out. I am sure that involves a lot of fun activities like dining out and attending cultural events.\r\n\r\nSome destinations are easier to market than others. Perhaps New York City or Washington, DC are more enticing to travelers than Des Moines or Kenosha (no offense to either of those cities).\r\n\r\n<strong>Whatever destination you are marketing, however, you should make sure it is open for business. This means having places for people to stay and eat, and actually being open.</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday, I went to Hagerstown, Maryland. My destination was not the city of Hagerstown, but rather the Premium Outlets located there. Once I was done shopping, I decided to check out \"Historic Downtown Hagerstown.\" I figured I would stop by the visitor center to get some information about what made Hagerstown historic and then perhaps get a refreshment of some sort.\r\n\r\nI drove into Hagerstown, and I noticed that there were few if any people on the street.  Everything seemed closed. I went into the visitor center at 3:45 pm, which was lucky since it closes at 4 pm on Sundays. The only person there was the clerk. I asked if anything was open and he told me that most restaurants and other businesses in downtown Hagerstown are closed on Sundays AND on Mondays.  I picked up a few brochures and left. Needless to say, I was not going to be able to get any snacks so I just headed to the highway and back home.\r\n\r\nHagerstown\'s Convention and Visitor\'s Bureau\'s <a href=\"http://www.marylandmemories.org/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">website</a> does not mention that downtown Hagerstown is closed on Sundays. Also, their tagline seems to be \"Let\'s make some Maryland memories 75 miles away from Baltimore.\"  I am not sure why anyone would think that\'s a good way to market a destination (hey, its more than an hour\'s drive from a big city!).\r\n\r\nMost people who take day trips do so on the weekends- Saturdays AND Sundays. If a town/city is dead on Sundays, there is no reason to visit.  If you want to market your city or town as a destination (historic or otherwise), you must be open for business.\r\n\r\nWould you make a separate trip to visit a place if you found it was not open on the day you visit? Let me know your thoughts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is your destination open for business?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-destination-open-for-business','','','2012-08-15 20:24:43','2012-08-15 20:24:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1791',0,'post','',2),(1792,4,'2012-08-13 13:02:43','2012-08-13 13:02:43','If you work in destination or travel marketing, there are plenty of people that envy your job. What could be more fun that having travel as your business? After all, destination marketers get to research and report on the places that make a place stand out. I am sure that involves a lot of fun activities like dining out and attending cultural events.\n\nSome destinations are easier to market than others. Perhaps New York City or Washington, DC are more enticing to travelers than Des Moines or Kenosha (no offense to either of those cities).\n\n<strong>Whatever destination you are marketing, however, you should make sure it is open for business. This means having places for people to stay and eat, and actually being open.</strong>\n\nYesterday, I went to Hagerstown, Maryland. My destination was not the city of Hagerstown, but rather the Premium Outlets located there. Once I was done shopping, I decided to check out \"Historic Downtown Hagerstown.\" I figured I would stop by the visitor center to get some information about what made Hagerstown historic and then perhaps get a refreshment of some sort.\n\nI drove into Hagerstown, and I noticed that there were few if any people on the street.  Everything seemed closed. I went into the visitor center at 3:45 pm, which was lucky since it closes at 4 pm on Sundays. The only person there was the clerk. I asked if anything was open and he told me that most restaurants and other businesses in downtown Hagerstown are closed on Sundays AND on Mondays.  I picked up a few brochures and left. Needless to say, I was not going to be able to get any snacks so I just headed to the highway and back home.\n\nHagerstown\'s Convention and Visitor\'s Bureau\'s <a href=\"http://www.marylandmemories.org/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">website</a> does not mention that downtown Hagerstown is closed on Sundays. Also, their tagline seems to be \"Let\'s make some Maryland memories 75 miles away from Baltimore.\"  I am not sure why anyone would think that\'s a good way to market a destination (hey, its\n\nMost people who take day trips do so on the weekends- Saturdays AND Sundays. If a town/city is dead on Sundays, there is no reason to visit.  If you want to market your city or town as a destination (historic or otherwise), you must be open for business.\n\nWould you make a separate trip to visit a place if you found it was not open on the day you visit? Let me know your thoughts.\n\n&nbsp;','Is your destination open for business?','','inherit','open','open','','1791-revision','','','2012-08-13 13:02:43','2012-08-13 13:02:43','',1791,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1791-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1793,4,'2012-08-15 20:25:48','2012-08-15 20:25:48','If you work in destination or travel marketing, there are plenty of people that envy your job. What could be more fun than having travel as your business? After all, travel marketers get to research and report on the places that make a destination stand out. I am sure that involves a lot of fun activities like dining out and attending cultural events.\n\nSome destinations are easier to market than others. Perhaps New York City or Washington, DC are more enticing to travelers than Des Moines or Kenosha (no offense to either of those cities).\n\n<strong>Whatever destination you are marketing, however, you should make sure it is open for business. This means having places for people to stay and eat, and actually being open.</strong>\n\nYesterday, I went to Hagerstown, Maryland. My destination was not the city of Hagerstown, but rather the Premium Outlets located there. Once I was done shopping, I decided to check out \"Historic Downtown Hagerstown.\" I figured I would stop by the visitor center to get some information about what made Hagerstown historic and then perhaps get a refreshment of some sort.\n\nI drove into Hagerstown, and I noticed that there were few if any people on the street.  Everything seemed closed. I went into the visitor center at 3:45 pm, which was lucky since it closes at 4 pm on Sundays. The only person there was the clerk. I asked if anything was open and he told me that most restaurants and other businesses in downtown Hagerstown are closed on Sundays AND on Mondays.  I picked up a few brochures and left. Needless to say, I was not going to be able to get any snacks so I just headed to the highway and back home.\n\nHagerstown\'s Convention and Visitor\'s Bureau\'s <a href=\"http://www.marylandmemories.org/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">website</a> does not mention that downtown Hagerstown is closed on Sundays. Also, their tagline seems to be \"Let\'s make some Maryland memories 75 miles away from Baltimore.\"  I am not sure why anyone would think that\'s a good way to market a destination (hey, its more than an hour\'s drive from a big city!).\n\nMost people who take day trips do so on the weekends- Saturdays AND Sundays. If a town/city is dead on Sundays, there is no reason to visit.  If you want to market your city or town as a destination (historic or otherwise), you must be open for business.\n\nWould you make a separate trip to visit a place if you found it was not open on the day you visit? Let me know your thoughts.\n\n&nbsp;','Is your destination open for business?','','inherit','open','open','','1791-autosave','','','2012-08-15 20:25:48','2012-08-15 20:25:48','',1791,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1791-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1794,4,'2012-08-14 14:43:48','2012-08-14 14:43:48',' ','','','publish','open','open','','1794','','','2018-02-12 10:39:33','2018-02-12 15:39:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1794',17,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1795,4,'2012-08-13 13:03:22','2012-08-13 13:03:22','If you work in destination or travel marketing, there are plenty of people that envy your job. What could be more fun that having travel as your business? After all, destination marketers get to research and report on the places that make a place stand out. I am sure that involves a lot of fun activities like dining out and attending cultural events.\r\n\r\nSome destinations are easier to market than others. Perhaps New York City or Washington, DC are more enticing to travelers than Des Moines or Kenosha (no offense to either of those cities).\r\n\r\n<strong>Whatever destination you are marketing, however, you should make sure it is open for business. This means having places for people to stay and eat, and actually being open.</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday, I went to Hagerstown, Maryland. My destination was not the city of Hagerstown, but rather the Premium Outlets located there. Once I was done shopping, I decided to check out \"Historic Downtown Hagerstown.\" I figured I would stop by the visitor center to get some information about what made Hagerstown historic and then perhaps get a refreshment of some sort.\r\n\r\nI drove into Hagerstown, and I noticed that there were few if any people on the street.  Everything seemed closed. I went into the visitor center at 3:45 pm, which was lucky since it closes at 4 pm on Sundays. The only person there was the clerk. I asked if anything was open and he told me that most restaurants and other businesses in downtown Hagerstown are closed on Sundays AND on Mondays.  I picked up a few brochures and left. Needless to say, I was not going to be able to get any snacks so I just headed to the highway and back home.\r\n\r\nHagerstown\'s Convention and Visitor\'s Bureau\'s <a href=\"http://www.marylandmemories.org/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">website</a> does not mention that downtown Hagerstown is closed on Sundays. Also, their tagline seems to be \"Let\'s make some Maryland memories 75 miles away from Baltimore.\"  I am not sure why anyone would think that\'s a good way to market a destination (hey, its more than an hour\'s drive from a big city!).\r\n\r\nMost people who take day trips do so on the weekends- Saturdays AND Sundays. If a town/city is dead on Sundays, there is no reason to visit.  If you want to market your city or town as a destination (historic or otherwise), you must be open for business.\r\n\r\nWould you make a separate trip to visit a place if you found it was not open on the day you visit? Let me know your thoughts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is your destination open for business?','','inherit','open','open','','1791-revision-2','','','2012-08-13 13:03:22','2012-08-13 13:03:22','',1791,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1791-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1796,4,'2012-02-27 15:27:13','2012-02-27 15:27:13','Deborah Brody Marketing Communications works with small to medium-size businesses and non-profit organizations. We have experience with various industries, including hospitality/tourism, financial, real estate, marketing, legal and software development.\r\n\r\n<strong>Clients have included:</strong>\r\n\r\nACTON Marketing\r\nAlexandria Education\r\n\r\nBNA\r\nB’nai B’rith International\r\nCaribbean Basin Enterprise\r\nHotel Presidente (Costa Rica)\r\nLaw Offices of Jason Warshofsky\r\nMemorable Costa Rica\r\n\r\nMiCORE Solutions, Inc.\r\nSimply Savvy Events\r\nStarWave Associates\r\nStateTrust Group\r\nStreamline Communications\r\nStudio Twenty-Two\r\nTabacon Resort and Spa (Costa Rica)\r\nThe Gary Rosenthal Collection','Clients','','inherit','open','open','','38-revision-v1','','','2012-02-27 15:27:13','2012-02-27 15:27:13','',38,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/02/38-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1797,4,'2012-08-17 13:57:59','2012-08-17 13:57:59','My last blog post was about how you have to <a title=\"Is your destination open for business?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/is-your-destination-open-for-business/\">\"be open for business\"</a> if you are trying to market a destination.  In other words, marketers have to be aware of what the potential/actual customer experience looks and feels like.\r\n\r\nLast night, I attended a happy hour at a newish bar in Penn Quarter in Washington, DC.  My friend and I each got a $5 beer and sat down. The place was crowded, not packed, and the din was tremendous. We could barely hear each other. Why? Well, the room was apparently designed to bounce all noise back. There were none of the usual noise absorbers like acoustic tile on the ceiling or carpet or drapes. Instead the floor was pure concrete, the ceiling had no insulation and the walls were also concrete.\r\n\r\nIt was so unpleasant that we left after one beer. I wonder how many other people also left after a short while. If this bar checked out its customer experience they could take corrective steps to cut down some of the noise. Otherwise, I predict that within six months the place will close because no one is going to want to hang out there.\r\n\r\nRegardless of what field you are in, marketing is not simply pushing out a message and hoping it will stick. Marketers need to understand their customers and their experience with their product or service.\r\n\r\nSavvy marketers will check out the customer experience. Whether you do it by surveys, secret shoppers, going on location, listening to customer input on social channels--there are many ways to understand what your customers like and dislike. If you ignore the customer experience, your marketing will ultimately fail.\r\n\r\nHow do you check out the customer experience? Have you had a marketing campaign fail (or succeed) because of customer feedback?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Checking out the customer experience','','publish','open','open','','checking-out-the-customer-experience','','','2012-08-17 13:57:59','2012-08-17 13:57:59','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1797',0,'post','',0),(1798,4,'2012-08-17 13:57:20','2012-08-17 13:57:20','My last blog post was about how you have to <a title=\"Is your destination open for business?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/is-your-destination-open-for-business/\">\"be open for business\"</a> if you are trying to market a destination.  In other words, marketers have to be aware of what the potential/actual customer experience looks and feels like.\n\nLast night, I attended a happy hour at a newish bar in Penn Quarter in Washington, DC.  My friend and I each got a $5 beer and sat down. The place was crowded, not packed, but the din was tremendous. We could barely hear each other. Why? Well, the room was apparently designed to bounce all noise back. There were none of the usual noise absorbers like acoustic tile on the ceiling or carpet or drapes. Instead the floor was pure concrete, the ceiling had no insulation and the walls were also concrete.\n\nIt was so unpleasant that we left after one beer. I wonder how many other people also left after a short while. If this bar checked out its customer experience they could take corrective steps to cut down some of the noise. Otherwise, I predict that within six months the place will close because no one is going to want to hang out there.\n\nRegardless of what field you are in, marketing is not simply pushing out a message and hoping it will stick. Marketers need to understand their customers and their experience with their product or service.\n\nSavvy marketers will check out the customer experience. Whether you do it by surveys, secret shoppers, going on location, listening to customer input on social channels--there are many ways to understand what your customers like and dislike. If you ignore the customer experience, your marketing will ultimately fail.\n\nHow do you check out the customer experience? Have you had a marketing campaign fail (or succeed) because of customer feedback?\n\n&nbsp;','Checking out the customer experience','','inherit','open','open','','1797-revision','','','2012-08-17 13:57:20','2012-08-17 13:57:20','',1797,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1797-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1800,4,'2012-08-20 19:04:14','2012-08-20 19:04:14','Here I go again. Pepco can\'t seem to stop providing material. On Friday, I received a letter from Thomas H. Graham, Pepco\'s regional president. It was addressed to \"Dear Valued Pepco Customer.\"\n\nThis letter, dated August 3 (but received two weeks later), is more of what we have already seen in Pepco\'s ads and public statements.  The derecho was very bad. Pepco had a lot of work to do. Pepco is committed to improving reliability.\n\n<strong>Same message, different medium.</strong>\n\nMy favorite line is this:\n<blockquote>Yet, even with all the destruction, Pepco restored power to 90% of customers by midnight on July 4, more than 48 before our original estimate.</blockquote>\nLet\'s rewrite: Most Pepco customers were without power for five days.  Pepco did not get power to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">all</span> its customers until some eight days after the storm.\n\nWithout the spin, it doesn\'t sound so good, does it?\n\nThen we have this gem:\n<blockquote>Today, we are stronger and more reliable--but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a storm of this magnitude.</blockquote>\nIn other words, Pepco wants customers to be aware that Pepco is not equipped to deal with storms \"of this magnitude.\"\n\nAnd the letter finishes off with the same message that we have seen over and over:\n<blockquote>Again, we sincerely thank you for your patience. I would also like to thank customers who took time to show their gratitude--shaking crew members\' hands, leaving them notes, water and Popsicles...We will continue to enhance our reliability....</blockquote>\nNote to Mr. Graham: anybody who was able to give crew members Popsicles had to have some refrigeration.  Just saying.\n\nPepco does not get that it does not matter what medium you use, the message is still not resonating.\n\nPersonally, I don\'t feel any better about Pepco after reading this letter--in fact, I am angry that the company would waste paper, postage and money putting together another self-congratulatory and inaccurate piece of propaganda. What do you think? Is direct mail to customers the way to get across this message?\n\n&nbsp;','It\'s not the medium, it\'s the message','','inherit','open','open','','1799-revision','','','2012-08-20 19:04:14','2012-08-20 19:04:14','',1799,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1799-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1801,4,'2012-08-20 19:04:25','2012-08-20 19:04:25','Here I go again. Pepco can\'t seem to stop providing material. On Friday, I received a letter from Thomas H. Graham, Pepco\'s regional president. It was addressed to \"Dear Valued Pepco Customer.\"\r\n\r\nThis letter, dated August 3 (but received two weeks later), is more of what we have already seen in Pepco\'s ads and public statements.  The derecho was very bad. Pepco had a lot of work to do. Pepco is committed to improving reliability.\r\n\r\n<strong>Same message, different medium.</strong>\r\n\r\nMy favorite line is this:\r\n<blockquote>Yet, even with all the destruction, Pepco restored power to 90% of customers by midnight on July 4, more than 48 before our original estimate.</blockquote>\r\nLet\'s rewrite: Most Pepco customers were without power for five days.  Pepco did not get power to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">all</span> its customers until some eight days after the storm.\r\n\r\nWithout the spin, it doesn\'t sound so good, does it?\r\n\r\nThen we have this gem:\r\n<blockquote>Today, we are stronger and more reliable--but no amount of strengthening to our system could have withstood a storm of this magnitude.</blockquote>\r\nIn other words, Pepco wants customers to be aware that Pepco is not equipped to deal with storms \"of this magnitude.\"\r\n\r\nAnd the letter finishes off with the same message that we have seen over and over:\r\n<blockquote>Again, we sincerely thank you for your patience. I would also like to thank customers who took time to show their gratitude--shaking crew members\' hands, leaving them notes, water and Popsicles...We will continue to enhance our reliability....</blockquote>\r\nNote to Mr. Graham: anybody who was able to give crew members Popsicles had to have some refrigeration.  Just saying.\r\n\r\nPepco does not get that it does not matter what medium you use, the message is still not resonating.\r\n\r\nPersonally, I don\'t feel any better about Pepco after reading this letter--in fact, I am angry that the company would waste paper, postage and money putting together another self-congratulatory and inaccurate piece of propaganda. What do you think? Is direct mail to customers the way to get across this message?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','It\'s not the medium, it\'s the message','','inherit','open','open','','1799-revision-2','','','2012-08-20 19:04:25','2012-08-20 19:04:25','',1799,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1799-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1802,4,'2012-08-22 13:51:45','2012-08-22 13:51:45','Asking for help is supposed to be one of the hardest things people do. I think it is probably harder for people to recognize when they need help.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Shark by StormyDog, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-lees/134610871/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/54/134610871_a3ad9262b7.jpg\" alt=\"Shark\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em>Photo: Shark by StormyDog, from Flickr.</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s this guy--I call him the shark--who desperately needs help. Except he doesn\'t seem to recognize that he does.  The shark is a guy who hasn\'t quite mastered what we call \"social skills.\" More to the point, he doesn\'t know how to start or maintain a conversation. He doesn\'t have much to say even though he is dying to connect. This guy has been attending social events for the last twenty years and instead of making friends, he scares people away (thus why I call him the shark: he circles around making you feel he is going to injure you).  He comes up to women, whether or not they seem open to conversation, and stands there, expecting the woman to converse with him. What\'s worse is he has nothing to say. He\'s awkward and seems desperate. The bottom line is he needs help.\r\n\r\nSadly, the shark has been using the same \"strategy\" for twenty years: go to an event, and hope that someone will talk to him. What he should do is try a different strategy. One in which he recognizes that what he is doing doesn\'t work, and then get some help figuring out what does work -either from a therapist or a dating coach.\r\n\r\nBut before you think this is about people needing therapy, plenty of businesses and organizations also have communications problems. Nobody understands what they do. Nobody \"gets\" their message, if they even have one. These organizations need help.\r\n\r\nAs I said before, recognizing you need help is the hardest part. Here are some clues that your organization may need communications help:\r\n\r\n1. You\'ve been doing the same thing over and over, and getting no results.\r\n\r\n2. You can\'t explain in two or three sentences what you do.\r\n\r\n3. You are not \"engaging\" with your audiences--nobody \"likes\" your Facebook page for example.\r\n\r\n4. Your sales/donations are down.\r\n\r\nYou need help. Don\'t be like the shark, scaring your potential customers and donors away because you just don\'t know how to communicate!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Sometimes, you need help','','publish','open','open','','sometimes-you-need-help','','','2012-08-22 13:51:45','2012-08-22 13:51:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1802',0,'post','',0),(1803,4,'2012-08-22 13:51:07','2012-08-22 13:51:07','Asking for help is supposed to be one of the hardest things people do. I think it is probably harder for people to recognize when they need help.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a title=\"Shark by StormyDog, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-lees/134610871/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/54/134610871_a3ad9262b7.jpg\" alt=\"Shark\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n\n<em>Photo: Shark by StormyDog, from Flickr.</em>\n\nThere\'s this guy--I call him the shark--who desperately needs help. Except he doesn\'t seem to recognize that he does.  The shark is a guy who hasn\'t quite mastered what we call \"social skills.\" More to the point, he doesn\'t know how to start or maintain a conversation. He doesn\'t have much to say even though he is dying to connect. This guy has been attending social events for the last twenty years and instead of making friends, he scares people away (thus why I call him the shark: he circles around making you feel he is going to injure you).  He comes up to women, whether or not they seem open to conversation, and stands there, expecting the woman to converse with him. What\'s worse is he has nothing to say. He\'s awkward and seems desperate. The bottom line is he needs help.\n\nSadly, the shark has been using the same \"strategy\" for twenty years: go to an event, and hope that someone will talk to him. What he should do is try a different strategy. One in which he recognizes that what he is doing doesn\'t work, and then get some help figuring out what does work -either from a therapist or a dating coach.\n\nBut before you think this is about people needing therapy, plenty of businesses and organizations also have communications problems. Nobody understands what they do. Nobody \"gets\" their message, if they even have one. These organizations need help.\n\nAs I said before, recognizing you need help is the hardest part. Here are some clues:\n\n1. You\'ve been doing the same thing over and over, and getting no results.\n\n2. You can\'t explain in two or three sentences what you do.\n\n3. You are not \"engaging\" with your audiences--nobody \"likes\" your Facebook page for example.\n\n4. Your sales/donations are down.\n\nYou need help. Don\'t be like the shark, scaring your potential customers and donors away because you just don\'t know how to communicate!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Sometimes, you need help','','inherit','open','open','','1802-revision','','','2012-08-22 13:51:07','2012-08-22 13:51:07','',1802,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1802-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1804,4,'2012-08-22 13:52:51','2012-08-22 13:52:51','Asking for help is supposed to be one of the hardest things people do. I think it is probably harder for people to recognize when they need help.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a title=\"Shark by StormyDog, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-lees/134610871/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/54/134610871_a3ad9262b7.jpg\" alt=\"Shark\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n\n<em>Photo: Shark by StormyDog, from Flickr.</em>\n\nThere\'s this guy--I call him the shark--who desperately needs help. Except he doesn\'t seem to recognize that he does.  The shark is a guy who hasn\'t quite mastered what we call \"social skills.\" More to the point, he doesn\'t know how to start or maintain a conversation. He doesn\'t have much to say even though he is dying to connect. This guy has been attending social events for the last twenty years and instead of making friends, he scares people away (thus why I call him the shark: he circles around making you feel he is going to injure you).  He comes up to women, whether or not they seem open to conversation, and stands there, expecting the woman to converse with him. What\'s worse is he has nothing to say. He\'s awkward and seems desperate. The bottom line is he needs help.\n\nSadly, the shark has been using the same \"strategy\" for twenty years: go to an event, and hope that someone will talk to him. What he should do is try a different strategy. One in which he recognizes that what he is doing doesn\'t work, and then get some help figuring out what does work -either from a therapist or a dating coach.\n\nBut before you think this is about people needing therapy, plenty of businesses and organizations also have communications problems. Nobody understands what they do. Nobody \"gets\" their message, if they even have one. These organizations need help.\n\nAs I said before, recognizing you need help is the hardest part. Here are some clues that your organization may need communications help:\n\n1. You\'ve been doing the same thing over and over, and getting no results.\n\n2. You can\'t explain in two or three sentences what you do.\n\n3. You are not \"engaging\" with your audiences--nobody \"likes\" your Facebook page for example.\n\n4. Your sales/donations are down.\n\nYou need help. Don\'t be like the shark, scaring your potential customers and donors away because you just don\'t know how to communicate!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Sometimes, you need help','','inherit','open','open','','1802-autosave','','','2012-08-22 13:52:51','2012-08-22 13:52:51','',1802,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1802-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1820,4,'2012-09-06 13:52:31','2012-09-06 13:52:31','My Google reader has more than 100 subscriptions. On Twitter, I follow more than 1000 folks. I also have connections on LinkedIn and pages I have liked on Facebook. All in all that is a lot of content to which I am exposed each day.\r\n\r\nI have come to realize there are three types of content providers that I just don\'t have time for. They are the raconteurs, the recyclers and the reprobates.  They seem to be everywhere and I just want to avoid them!\r\n\r\n<strong>Raconteurs</strong>\r\n\r\nRaconteurs like to make a fuss. They are there to criticize anything and anybody just to get a rise out of their readers. There is one writer in particular who is such an extreme example of this that I recognize him from his blog titles alone (things like \"Are we really better off today?\" or \"The Gender Gap is a Myth\") which are designed to perk your interest because they AIM to be controversial. The sad thing is many raconteurs are seeking controversy not to enlighten but to rile up.\r\n\r\n<strong>Recyclers</strong>\r\n\r\nThese are not your environmentally-friendly folks, looking to reduce, reuse and recycle cans, bottles and paper.  Instead, these are idea recyclers. They are so devoid of original thought that they recycle ideas posted by other folks and pass them off as their own. A couple of weeks ago,  the big rage on Twitter was an article from Fast Company on how to be more productive. Now, there is nothing wrong with re-posting or retweeting that information (heck, we all want to get more out of days it seems). What is bad is taking the content but changing the title, taking only the main points,  or whatever and passing it off as your own post. There\'s a blogger,  often featured on a blog I read regularly, who is a mistress of this format. If it was all over Twitter yesterday, she is posting about it today.\r\n\r\n<strong>Reprobates</strong>\r\n\r\nReprobates are people who just post nasty stuff--either because they think it is amusing or because they are seeking to shock. Mostly, they love to use obscenity in their tweets and their posts. The more f-bombs they can cram into a paragraph the better.  Reprobates also make inappropriate remarks about serious or sensitive topics-- like the CNN guy who called the Democratic National Convention \"The Vagina Monologues.\"\r\n\r\nDo you have some of these in your content stream? Do you have types of bloggers/Tweeters that you avoid? Let me know in the comments.','3 Rs: Who to avoid on social media','','publish','open','open','','3-rs-who-to-avoid-on-social-media','','','2012-09-06 13:52:31','2012-09-06 13:52:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1820',0,'post','',0),(1806,4,'2012-08-27 17:48:55','2012-08-27 17:48:55','If you are on Twitter, chances are you\'ve seen tweets like this:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Hey smelly guy on the Metro, invest in some deodorant! </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>This girl at the gym is hogging the machines. </em></p>\r\nPeople are tapping away their snide commentary on their smartphones, knowing full well that the person they are discussing will never see these commentaries or know he or she was being discussed at all.\r\n\r\nPeople seem to be avoiding a confrontation. Or maybe the are avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. People seem to be expressing anger and distaste quite passively--by sharing it on Twitter-- without actually solving the situation.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this avoidant behavior is related to technology. Over the weekend, the Washington Post ran an article regarding entitled <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-art-of-the-digital-breakup/2012/08/23/636f4cce-b4c5-11e1-9e4c-5a6a137d65e1_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"It\'s over. Didn\'t You Get My Text?\"</a> (weirdly, the digital article is titled differently: \"The Art of the Digital Breakup\").  More and more, people are hiding behind their gadgets and avoiding talking to each other, especially about difficult things. In the article, Lisa Bonos writes:\r\n<blockquote>And it\'s not unheard of for Facebook users to get news about their romances when the other person changes his or her status...</blockquote>\r\nBonos says that digital rejections seem easier because there is no interruption or arguments. But, it could be painful for the \"dumpee\" since there was no chance to interact, to ask questions.\r\n\r\nI see it all the time (and have been guilty of myself): using email or social media to say something that we couldn\'t say to someone face to face.\r\n\r\nIt\'s affecting conversations for sure. But more distressing to me is that it seems to be affecting empathy and connection with other people. We figure that if we \"like\" something on Facebook, then we\'ve connected with someone. But have we? Not really.  I have seen many people who say they would rather text than talk. Some people even prefer posting things on social media to communicate with lots of people at once instead of bothering to talk to friends individually.\r\n\r\nIn the end, social media may not be MAKING us more passive-aggressive or socially awkward, perhaps it only exacerbates what was already there. And for me, social media has been the springboard to more meaningful personal connection. Sadly though, there are far too many people hiding behind their gadgets, making snide comments rather than confronting or connecting with other people.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Have you seen the rise in passive-aggressive behavior? Does it affect you?','Is social media making us more passive-aggressive?','','publish','open','open','','is-social-media-making-us-more-passive-aggressive','','','2012-08-30 18:24:04','2012-08-30 18:24:04','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1806',0,'post','',0);
