INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (1807,4,'2012-08-27 17:48:23','2012-08-27 17:48:23','If you are on Twitter, chances are you\'ve seen tweets like this:\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Hey smelly guy on the Metro, invest in some deodorant! </em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>This girl at the gym is hogging the machines. </em></p>\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.\n\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.\n\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:\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>\nBonos says that digital rejections seem easier because their is no interruption or arguments. But, it could be painful for the \"dumpee\" since there was no chance to interact, to ask questions.\n\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.\n\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.\n\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 face to face connection. Sadly though, there are far too many people hiding behind their gadgets, making snide comments rather than confronting or connecting with other people.\n\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?','','inherit','open','open','','1806-revision','','','2012-08-27 17:48:23','2012-08-27 17:48:23','',1806,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1806-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1808,4,'2012-09-04 19:57:38','2012-09-04 19:57:38','I finally watched <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077928/\" target=\"_blank\">Midnight Express </a>last week. I know--EVERYBODY has seen it already (it came out in 1978, so I am merely 34 years behind the times). However,  I am very glad I didn\'t see it before my trip to Turkey back in 2000, or I would have had more than a second thought or two.\r\n\r\nIn case you are like me, one of the last two people who haven\'t seen this movie, let me give you a basic plot summary. Billy Hayes is visiting Istanbul in 1970 with his girlfriend Susan, and right before leaving decides to smuggle some hash out of the country. He gets caught and then gets thrown in a Turkish jail. Jail is no picnic and Billy is desperate to get out but not his parents\' money or the US consul can really help him. Turkey wants to make an example of him (if not of their prison system). He goes through hell (torture, hunger, madness, losing friends, losing hope, even ending up in a ward with demented people), until he is finally able to find a way out.\r\n\r\nWhile I was watching, I kept thinking that Midnight Express is really a movie about communications, and how when communications fail, stuff goes very wrong. It is also a movie about how cultures clash. If Billy had been just a bit more culturally sensitive, he may have avoided being put in jail in the first place. It\'s clear that Billy is the typical \"ugly American,\" thinking that he can behave in another country as if he\'s in the United States. He is also ignorant or very naive about the Turkish legal system. Smuggling hash through the airport makes him nervous, but when he is discovered, he almost treats it as a joke. He doesn\'t know Turkey considers this almost a capital crime.\r\n\r\nBy the way, Midnight Express is based on a true story. This really did happen.\r\n\r\nTo make  it out of a Turkish prison (or deal with a communications problem), you, like Billy Hayes, could do well to:\r\n\r\n<strong>Learn the lingo:</strong> Midnight express is a jail term for escaping jail. Billy doesn\'t seem to quite grasp this concept.\r\n\r\n<strong>Speak the language:</strong>If Billy had bothered to learn some Turkish, he may have understood what was being said.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand that your culture is not the predominant one:</strong> Billy feels entitled. People should understand English, and they should treat him better just because he is American. But the opposite happens--he is singled out for brutal treatment.\r\n\r\n<strong>Know when to speak and when to be silent:</strong> Billy could have spared himself a lot of trouble if he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he rages against the prison guard and gets badly tortured.\r\n\r\nDid you see Midnight Express? Do you agree that Billy could have saved himself a lot of trouble or was he doomed just by doing what he did?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to make it out of Turkish prison (or avoid going there in the first place)','','publish','open','open','','how-to-make-it-out-of-a-turkish-prison','','','2012-09-04 19:57:38','2012-09-04 19:57:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1808',0,'post','',0),(1809,4,'2012-08-30 16:39:45','2012-08-30 16:39:45','Last night, I finally watched Midnight Express. I am so glad I didn\'t see it before my trip to Turkey back in 2000, or I would have had more than a second thought or two.  In case you are like me, one of the last two people who haven\'t seen this movie, let me give you the basic plot. Billy Hayes is visiting Istanbul in 1970 with his girlfriend Susan, and right before leaving decides to smuggle some hash out of the country. He gets caught and then gets thrown in a Turkish jail. Jail is no picnic and Billy is desperate to get out but not his parents\' money or the US consul can really help him. Turkey wants to make an example of him (if not of their prison system).','What not to do if you are stuck in a Turkish prison','','inherit','open','open','','1808-revision','','','2012-08-30 16:39:45','2012-08-30 16:39:45','',1808,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1808-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1810,4,'2012-08-30 17:02:08','2012-08-30 17:02:08','Last night, I finally watched Midnight Express. I am so glad I didn\'t see it before my trip to Turkey back in 2000, or I would have had more than a second thought or two.  In case you are like me, one of the last two people who haven\'t seen this movie, let me give you the basic plot. Billy Hayes is visiting Istanbul in 1970 with his girlfriend Susan, and right before leaving decides to smuggle some hash out of the country. He gets caught and then gets thrown in a Turkish jail. Jail is no picnic and Billy is desperate to get out but not his parents\' money or the US consul can really help him. Turkey wants to make an example of him (if not of their prison system).\n\nNow, I am not defending the Turks here, but what is ugly is how Billy behaves. He thinks he can just saunter out of Turkey with drugs taped to his body. And when he is caught, he has no idea','What not to do if you are stuck in a Turkish prison','','inherit','open','open','','1808-revision-2','','','2012-08-30 17:02:08','2012-08-30 17:02:08','',1808,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1808-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1811,4,'2012-08-30 17:55:46','2012-08-30 17:55:46','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even a blogger for Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a> (although I have been told the blogger is a progressive pundit with the otherwise conservative news outlet h/t to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MrMediaTraining\" target=\"_blank\">Brad Phillips</a>).\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\r\n\r\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','publish','open','open','','built-on-a-foundation-of-lies','','','2012-08-30 18:38:42','2012-08-30 18:38:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1811',0,'post','',0),(1812,4,'2012-08-30 17:55:23','2012-08-30 17:55:23','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a>.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\n\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\n\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\n\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\n\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\n\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\n\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','inherit','open','open','','1811-revision','','','2012-08-30 17:55:23','2012-08-30 17:55:23','',1811,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1811-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1813,4,'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 their 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?','','inherit','open','open','','1806-revision-2','','','2012-08-27 17:48:55','2012-08-27 17:48:55','',1806,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1806-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1814,4,'2012-08-30 17:55:46','2012-08-30 17:55:46','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\r\n\r\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','inherit','open','open','','1811-revision-2','','','2012-08-30 17:55:46','2012-08-30 17:55:46','',1811,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1811-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1815,4,'2012-08-30 18:25:33','2012-08-30 18:25:33','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even a blogger for Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\r\n\r\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','inherit','open','open','','1811-revision-3','','','2012-08-30 18:25:33','2012-08-30 18:25:33','',1811,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1811-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1816,4,'2012-08-30 18:34:59','2012-08-30 18:34:59','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even a blogger for Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a> (although I have been told the blogger is a progressive pundit with the otherwise conservative news outlet h/t to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MrMediaTraining\" target=\"_blank\">Brad Phillips</a>).\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\n\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\n\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\n\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\n\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\n\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\n\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','inherit','open','open','','1811-autosave','','','2012-08-30 18:34:59','2012-08-30 18:34:59','',1811,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1811-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1817,4,'2012-08-30 18:25:49','2012-08-30 18:25:49','We all know political speech is rhetorical--designed to fire up support. Most political speeches are short on substance and long on promises. This is true for any party, any politician. But how often do you see a political speech that is made up of misrepresentation and falsehoods? Indeed, of outright lies? Look no farther than Paul Ryan\'s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. The fact checkers have been having a field day, and everyone is saying the same thing: the speech is full of lies.  For example, Talking Points Memo lists the <a href=\"http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/30/772921/6-worst-lies-in-paul-ryans-speech/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Worst Lies in Paul Ryan\'s Speech</a>. Even a blogger for Fox News calls the speech <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/?intcmp=trending\" target=\"_blank\">deceiving</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">But we are all fact checkers now.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nHow can you trust a politician who lies so blatantly and yet so earnestly? (Yes, I know, most politicians lie.)  It\'s like the bigwigs at the GOP are not aware that millions of people, all with access to the Internet, can quickly look things up, comment instantaneously and amplify the response.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is it an echo chamber?</span></strong>\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, perhaps those of us tweeting and sharing articles like the one above are really in an echo chamber. We are all talking to ourselves. The party faithful out there think Paul Ryan gave a great speech! He promised that Mitt Romney will show strong leadership, and protect Medicare (even though Romney has shown very little leadership and Ryan\'s plan actually decimates both Medicare and Medicaid).\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What happened to Medicaid?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nActually, you will notice that the RNC is focused on MEDICARE. Why? Because Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance plan for SENIORS. There are a lot of seniors in Florida (where the convention is being held) and seniors vote.  But Romney and Ryan are not talking at all about Medicaid, which is government-sponsored health insurance for poor people.  But then again, Mitt Romney has already said he is not concerned about the very poor in this country.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Did you build that?</strong></span>\r\n\r\nAnd of course, the other deceitful thing going on at the RNC convention is the \"we did build it\" trope--which is based on a statement (perhaps unadvised) by President Obama about small businesses needing the support of government to succeed--that has been taken out of context.\r\n\r\nAll in all, something built on a weak foundation--and lies are weak--generally falls down on itself. But the question is unless someone points out a lie, do you know it? And more importantly, do the voters going to the polls in November have real, factual, proven information on which to make a decision?\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Truth should be as important as presentation.</span></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen people praise Paul Ryan\'s speech as being good--what are they saying? And if a speech can be good even though it is build on a foundation of lies, where does that leave us and our democracy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Built on a foundation of lies','','inherit','open','open','','1811-revision-4','','','2012-08-30 18:25:49','2012-08-30 18:25:49','',1811,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/1811-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1818,4,'2012-08-16 13:15:16','2012-08-16 13:15:16','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\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','','','2012-08-16 13:15:16','2012-08-16 13:15:16','',38,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/08/38-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1819,4,'2012-09-04 19:56:43','2012-09-04 19:56:43','I finally watched <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077928/\" target=\"_blank\">Midnight Express </a>last week. I know--EVERYBODY has seen it already (it came out in 1978, so I am merely 34 years behind the times). However,  I am very glad I didn\'t see it before my trip to Turkey back in 2000, or I would have had more than a second thought or two.\n\nIn case you are like me, one of the last two people who haven\'t seen this movie, let me give you a basic plot summary. Billy Hayes is visiting Istanbul in 1970 with his girlfriend Susan, and right before leaving decides to smuggle some hash out of the country. He gets caught and then gets thrown in a Turkish jail. Jail is no picnic and Billy is desperate to get out but not his parents\' money or the US consul can really help him. Turkey wants to make an example of him (if not of their prison system). He goes through hell (torture, hunger, madness, losing friends, losing hope, even ending up in a ward with demented people), until he is finally able to find a way out.\n\nWhile I was watching, I kept thinking that Midnight Express is really a movie about communications, and how when communications fail, stuff goes very wrong. It is also a movie about how cultures clash. If Billy had been just a bit more culturally sensitive, he may have avoided being put in jail in the first place. It\'s clear that Billy is the typical \"ugly American,\" thinking that he can behave in another country as if he\'s in the United States. He is also ignorant or very naive about the Turkish legal system. Smuggling hash through the airport makes him nervous, but when he is discovered, he almost treats it as a joke.\n\nOh, and by the way, Midnight Express is based on a true story. This really did happen.\n\nTo make  it out of a Turkish prison (or deal with a communications problem), you, like Billy Hayes, could do well to:\n\n<strong>Learn the lingo:</strong> Midnight express is a jail term for escaping jail. Billy doesn\'t seem to quite grasp this concept.\n\n<strong>Speak the language:</strong>If Billy had bothered to learn some Turkish, he may have understood what was being said.\n\n<strong>Understand that your culture is not the predominant one:</strong> Billy feels entitled. People should understand English, and they should treat him better just because he is American. But the opposite happens--he is singled out for brutal treatment.\n\n<strong>Know when to speak and when to be silent:</strong> Billy could have spared himself a lot of trouble if he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he rages against the prison guard and gets badly tortured.\n\nDid you see Midnight Express? Do you agree that Billy could have saved himself a lot of trouble or was he doomed just by doing what he did?\n\n&nbsp;','How to make it out of Turkish prison (or avoid going there in the first place)','','inherit','open','open','','1808-revision-3','','','2012-09-04 19:56:43','2012-09-04 19:56:43','',1808,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1808-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1821,4,'2012-09-06 13:52:19','2012-09-06 13:52:19','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.\n\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!\n\n<strong>Raconteurs</strong>\n\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.\n\n<strong>Recyclers</strong>\n\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.\n\n<strong>Reprobates</strong>\n\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.\"\n\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','','inherit','open','open','','1820-revision','','','2012-09-06 13:52:19','2012-09-06 13:52:19','',1820,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1820-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1822,4,'2012-09-06 13:53:35','2012-09-06 13:53:35','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.\n\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!\n\n<strong>Raconteurs</strong>\n\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.\n\n<strong>Recyclers</strong>\n\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.\n\n<strong>Reprobates</strong>\n\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.\"\n\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','','inherit','open','open','','1820-autosave','','','2012-09-06 13:53:35','2012-09-06 13:53:35','',1820,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1820-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1823,4,'2012-09-07 13:52:07','2012-09-07 13:52:07','Thank goodness we all have something we are good at, and I hope we are doing whatever that is. After an incident this week, I hope doctors have the good sense to hire somebody who can handle communications for them (but maybe good sense is exactly what was lacking).\r\n\r\n<strong>The letter</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s the scenario: I received a letter from an ophthalmology practice I have been going to for the last two and half years. The letter introduces a doctor who is joining the practice. It goes on, in glowing terms, to describe the many qualifications this doctor has (apparently, with the exception that the new doctor roots for a basketball team the lead doctor does not).\r\n\r\nThe last paragraph is all about self-congratulation--let me quote:\r\n<blockquote>I am proud that at X Ophthalmology, our dedication and skill has (sic) been recognized in Washingtonian\'s Top Doctors, The Washington Post Super Doctors, Consumer Checkbook\'s Top Doctors, and on Angie\'s List. Together, we will continue to provide the highest level of medical care in a warm and supportive environment. We look forward to assisting you and your family with all of your eye care needs.</blockquote>\r\n<strong>The website</strong>\r\n\r\nNow, let me add that my doctor is neither the letter\'s author or the new doctor. So, I went to the practice\'s website, which still reflected her name and not the new doctor\'s.   I called and asked if my doctor was still at the practice. The answer was no. I asked why the website wasn\'t updated. The answer was that it had happened very quickly (by the way, not so quickly that they did not have new letterhead printed on which the letter was sent).  I asked whether they thought it might have been a good idea to inform my doctor\'s patients that she had left the practice and how to best contact her. I didn\'t get a satisfactory response. Clearly, this practice was just going to wait for patients to call and then tell them, which is not very thoughtful.\r\n\r\n<strong>The letter and the website don\'t match.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn my opinion, this shows a classically inept way of handling communications because it fails to think about the target audience\'s needs.  The lead doctor obviously thinks that patients will naturally want to stay with him and his new doctor, who after all, is the recipient of prizes and and all sorts of post graduate degrees from prestigious universities. It does not take into consideration that people form personal relationships with their doctors and that a doctor-patient relationship is based on trust. I have already developed trust with my doctor, and I like her.\r\n\r\n<strong>A better way: provide the information that your audience needs</strong>\r\n\r\nThe appropriate way to handle communications in this case would have been to introduce the new doctor while saying that my doctor had chosen to go to another practice. It would have also been good to update the website at the same time the letter was sent, making sure the new information was available by the time people got the letter. Additionally, the fact that this practice thinks it is more important to send a letter than to update a website shows a minimal understanding of how people get their information these days.\r\n\r\nPerhaps for people who understand communications my comments seem fairly straightforward. Apparently, this doctor has no clue, and why he should probably stick to making medical decisions.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Have you had similar experiences?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why doctors shouldn\'t handle patient communications','','publish','open','open','','why-doctors-shouldnt-handle-patient-communications','','','2012-09-07 13:52:07','2012-09-07 13:52:07','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1823',0,'post','',0),(1824,4,'2012-09-07 13:51:36','2012-09-07 13:51:36','Thank goodness we all have something we are good at.  And I hope we are doing whatever that is. After an incident this week, I hope doctors have the good sense to hire somebody who can handle communications for them (but maybe good sense is exactly what was lacking).\n\n<strong>The letter</strong>\n\nHere\'s the scenario: I received a letter from an ophthalmology practice I have been going to for the last two and half years. The letter introduces a doctor who is joining the practice. It goes on, in glowing terms, to describe the many qualifications this doctor has (apparently, with the exception that the new doctor roots for a basketball team the lead doctor does not).\n\nThe last paragraph is all about self-congratulation--let me quote:\n<blockquote>I am proud that at X Ophthalmology, our dedication and skill has (sic) been recognized in Washingtonian\'s Top Doctors, The Washington Post Super Doctors, Consumer Checkbook\'s Top Doctors, and on Angie\'s List. Together, we will continue to provide the highest level of medical care in a warm and supportive environment. We look forward to assisting you and your family with all of your eye care needs.</blockquote>\n<strong>The website</strong>\n\nNow, let me add that my doctor is neither the letter\'s author or the new doctor. So, I went to the practice\'s website, which still reflected her name and not the new doctor\'s.   I called and asked if my doctor was still at the practice. The answer was no. I asked why the website wasn\'t updated. The answer was that it had happened very quickly (by the way, not so quickly that they did not have new letterhead printed on which the letter was sent).  I asked whether they thought it might have been a good idea to inform my doctor\'s patients that she had left the practice and how to best contact her. I didn\'t get a satisfactory response. Clearly, this practice was just going to wait for patients to call and then tell them, which is not very thoughtful.\n\n<strong>The letter and the website don\'t match.</strong>\n\nIn my opinion, this shows a classically inept way of handling communications because it fails to think about the target audience\'s needs.  The lead doctor obviously thinks that patients will naturally want to stay with him and his new doctor, who after all, is the recipient of prizes and and all sorts of post graduate degrees from prestigious universities. It does not take into consideration that people form personal relationships with their doctors and that a doctor-patient relationship is based on trust. I have already developed trust with my doctor, and I like her.\n\n<strong>A better way: provide the information that y</strong>\n\nThe appropriate way to handle communications in this case would have been to introduce the new doctor while saying that my doctor had chosen to go to another practice. It would have also been good to update the website at the same time the letter was sent, making sure the new information was available by the time people got the letter. Additionally, the fact that this practice thinks it is more important to send a letter than to update a website shows a minimal understanding of how people get their information these days.\n\nPerhaps for people who understand communications my comments seem fairly straightforward. Apparently, this doctor has no clue, and why he should probably stick to making medical decisions.\n\nWhat do you think? Have you had similar experiences?\n\n&nbsp;','Why doctors shouldn\'t handle patient communications','','inherit','open','open','','1823-revision','','','2012-09-07 13:51:36','2012-09-07 13:51:36','',1823,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1823-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1831,4,'2012-09-19 21:06:05','0000-00-00 00:00:00','After the Republican Convention in Tampa, the PBS Newshour interviewed a group of undecided voters. These voters represented a cross section of the electorate: men and women, young and old, and registered Republicans, Democrats and independents. To a person, each undecided voter was still undecided after listening to and discussing the convention speeches.\n\nThe PBS Newshour interviewed the same group of undecided voters after the Democratic Convention, and all were still undecided.\n\nHow do you convince the undecided to make a choice? First, you have to understand the source of indecision. In the case of the PBS group of undecided voters it seemed to me that the source of indecision was perfectionism. Each voter indicated that they liked certain things about each candidate, but not everything. It sounded like in order to make a decision, these voters needed the candidates to be perfect (to them).\n\nIf perfectionism is the problem, campaigns will need to convince voters that NO candidate is perfect and that perfectionism should not be a goal for voters. Campaigns will also have to set out which things matter the most and convince voters that those issues are the ones to look at--even at the expense of everything else.\n\nOf course, this is easier said than done.\n\n&nbsp;','Convincing the undecided','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-09-19 21:06:05','2012-09-19 21:06:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1831',0,'post','',0),(1827,4,'2012-09-11 18:04:50','2012-09-11 18:04:50','Yesterday, I attended the first day of <a href=\"http://www.advertisingweekdc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Advertising Week DC</a>, a yearly event that is hosted by the <a href=\"http://www.dcadclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ad Club of Metropolitan Washington</a>.  The theme of this year\'s week is \"awe,\" as in awesome. It quickly became an annoying trope used throughout the day. I think what the organizers were trying to tap into was creativity--because that is what drives awesome campaigns, ads and/or concepts.\r\n\r\nOf the nine presentations I attended yesterday, three stood out in regards to creativity.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mad Women</strong>\r\n\r\nThe first was a presentation by Jane Maas, who has written a book about women in adverting during the 1960s called <a href=\"http://adage.com/article/special-report-advertising-week/forthcoming-tome-mad-women-side-story/230133/\" target=\"_blank\">Mad Women</a>. Ms. Maas started her advertising career as a copywriter in the days when most women in advertising were secretaries. We\'ve seen those days portrayed in Mad Men, and apparently, according to Maas, the portrayal is not far from the truth. People in the advertising world back then were busy smoking, drinking and having sex. Of course, people today are busy doing that, just not at the office.  Drinking heavily at lunch was de rigeur. She gave the sense that advertising work was freer from constraints back then. There was more loyalty from clients, and ad agencies were willing to experiment. Perhaps the experimentation was fueled by alcohol, regardless, there seemed to be an attempt to push the envelope and see things differently.\r\n\r\n<strong>A cool office...and CEO</strong>\r\n\r\nAndrew Graff is the CEO of Boston agency <a href=\"http://www.a-g.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Allen &amp; Gerritsen</a>. Graff spoke about how he has created a pretty cool environment at his agency, which is designed to foster creative thinking. First, he has given his staffers tons of perks, like free breakfast every day and pet health insurance. Second, he has built an office environment were people can work in different locations--cafe, sofa or cubicle.  Third, he has implemented a mentorship program where he is being mentored by a 23-year-old. This has allowed Graff to understand how another generation thinks.  The main points here are that people should enjoy coming to work and that work should not be structured in a traditional way. Graff says that if you are someone who needs a lot of structure to work, you won\'t be happy at Allen &amp; Gerritsen (nor would you likely be hired).  <strong>To be creative--to think differently--you have to be able to see beyond structure.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Cannes award-winning campaigns</strong>\r\n\r\nThe last program (before the kick-off reception) was a reel of the winners of the 2012 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. What\'s great about being able to see these diverse campaigns is that it showcases creative and impactful work from  all over the world. A couple campaigns really stood out to me.\r\n\r\nOne was to save a library in Troy, OH. The people who were in favor of closing the library were saying that it was a tax issue. To counter that narrative the save-the-library folks came up with a social media campaign saying that they would be burning all the book once the library was closed. Folks were outraged at that suggestion. Then the save-the-library people said that closing the library was equivalent to burning books--effectively shutting down the taxes argument.\r\n\r\nThe other campaign that I thought was very creative was to encourage employers to hire workers with Down Syndrome. The campaign showed well known advertising (this was in Italy) but replaced the people in the ads with people who have Down\'s.  It was designed to make people see Down Syndrome in a more positive light.\r\n\r\n<strong>What are you doing to foster creativity?</strong>\r\n\r\nLately, I have noticed the lack of creativity in commercials. It seems as though they same ideas are cycled over and over. Chances are that ad agencies are not fostering creativity as much as they are kowtowing to clients who are unwilling to take risks.  There is no creativity without some degree of risk.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Fostering creativity and other ideas from Ad Week DC','','publish','open','open','','fostering-creativity-and-other-ideas-from-ad-week-dc','','','2012-09-11 18:04:50','2012-09-11 18:04:50','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1827',0,'post','',0),(1828,4,'2012-09-11 18:04:22','2012-09-11 18:04:22','Yesterday, I attended the first day of <a href=\"http://www.advertisingweekdc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Advertising Week DC</a>, a yearly event that is hosted by the <a href=\"http://www.dcadclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ad Club of Metropolitan Washington</a>.  The theme of this year\'s week is \"awe,\" as in awesome. It quickly became an annoying trope used throughout the day. I think what the organizers were trying to tap into was creativity--because that is what drives awesome campaigns, ads and/or concepts.\n\nOf the nine presentations I attended yesterday, three stood out in regards to creativity.\n\n<strong>Mad Women</strong>\n\nThe first was a presentation by Jane Maas, who has written a book about women in adverting during the 1960s called <a href=\"http://adage.com/article/special-report-advertising-week/forthcoming-tome-mad-women-side-story/230133/\" target=\"_blank\">Mad Women</a>. Ms. Maas started her advertising career as a copywriter in the days when most women in advertising were secretaries. We\'ve seen those days portrayed in Mad Men, and apparently, according to Maas, the portrayal is not far from the truth. People in the advertising world back then were busy smoking, drinking and having sex. Of course, people today are busy doing that, just not at the office.  Drinking heavily at lunch was de rigeur. She gave the sense that advertising work was freer from constraints back then. There was more loyalty from clients, and ad agencies were willing to experiment. Perhaps the experimentation was fueled by alcohol, regardless, there seemed to be an attempt to push the envelope and see things differently.\n\n<strong>A cool office...and CEO</strong>\n\nAndrew Graff is the CEO of Boston agency <a href=\"http://www.a-g.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Allen &amp; Gerritsen</a>. Graff spoke about how he has created a pretty cool environment at his agency, which is designed to foster creative thinking. First, he has given his staffers tons of perks, like free breakfast every day and pet health insurance. Second, he has built an office environment were people can work in different locations--cafe, sofa or cubicle.  Third, he has implemented a mentorship program where he is being mentored by a 23-year-old. This has allowed Graff to understand how another generation thinks.  The main points here are that people should enjoy coming to work and that work should not be structured in a traditional way. Graff says that if you are someone who needs a lot of structure to work, you won\'t be happy at Allen &amp; Gerritsen (nor would you likely be hired).  <strong>To be creative--to think differently--you have to be able to see beyond structure.</strong>\n\n<strong>Cannes award-winning campaigns</strong>\n\nThe last program (before the kick-off reception) was a reel of the winners of the 2012 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. What\'s great about being able to see these diverse campaigns is that it showcases creative and impactful work from  all over the world. A couple campaigns really stood out to me.\n\nOne was to save a library in Troy, OH. The people who were in favor of closing the library were saying that it was a tax issue. To counter that narrative the save-the-library folks came up with a social media campaign saying that they would be burning all the book once the library was closed. Folks were outraged at that suggestion. Then the save-the-library people said that closing the library was equivalent to burning books--effectively shutting down the taxes argument.\n\nThe other campaign that I thought was very creative was to encourage employers to hire workers with Down Syndrome. The campaign showed well known advertising (this was in Italy) but replaced the people in the ads with people who have Down\'s.  It was designed to make people see Down Syndrome in a more positive light.\n\n<strong>What are you doing to foster creativity?</strong>\n\nLately, I have noticed the lack of creativity in commercials. It seems as though they same ideas are cycled over and over. Chances are that ad agencies are not fostering creativity as much as they are kowtowing to clients who are unwilling to take risks.  There is no creativity without some degree of risk.\n\n&nbsp;','Fostering creativity and other ideas from Ad Week DC','','inherit','open','open','','1827-revision','','','2012-09-11 18:04:22','2012-09-11 18:04:22','',1827,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1827-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1901,4,'2012-10-02 16:19:24','2012-10-02 16:19:24','<div style=\"width: 195px; text-align: center;\"><iframe src=\"http://www.eventbrite.com/calendar-widget?eid=4398883178\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"195\" height=\"508\"></iframe>\r\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 10px; padding: 5px 0 5px; margin: 2px; width: 195px; text-align: center;\">\r\n\r\n<a style=\"color: #ddd; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"http://www.eventbrite.com/r/ecal\" target=\"_blank\">Sell Tickets Online</a> <span style=\"color: #ddd;\">through</span> <a style=\"color: #ddd; text-decor&lt;/p&gt;\r\n&lt;p&gt;check here for upcoming events and training workshops!&lt;/p&gt;\r\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;our next event is how to write your blog: A hands-on workshop on Thursday, November 8th. &lt;/strong&gt;Registration and information are available here:&lt;/p&gt;\r\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=;\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog2.eventbrite.com/</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2012-10-02 16:19:24','2012-10-02 16:19:24','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1765-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1830,4,'2012-07-25 19:26:52','2012-07-25 19:26:52','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 19:26:52','2012-07-25 19:26:52','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/07/1765-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1832,4,'2012-09-19 21:04:33','2012-09-19 21:04:33','After the Republican Convention in Tampa, the PBS Newshour interviewed a group of undecided voters. These voters represented a cross section of the electorate: men and women, young and old, and registered Republicans, Democrats and independents. To a person, each undecided voter was still undecided after listening to and discussing the convention speeches.\n\nThe PBS Newshour interviewed the same group of undecided voters after the Democratic Convention, and all were still undecided.\n\nHow do you convince the undecided to make a choice? First, you have to understand the source of indecision. In the case of the PBS group of undecided voters it seemed to me that the source of indecision was perfectionism. Each voter indicated that they liked certain things about each candidate, but not everything. It sounded like in order to make a decision, these voters needed the candidates to be perfect (to them).\n\nIf perfectionism is the problem, campaigns will need to convince voters that NO candidate is perfect and that perfectionism should not be a goal for voters. Campaigns will also have to set out which things matter the most and convince voters that those issues are the ones to look at--even at the expense of everything else.\n\n&nbsp;','Convincing the undecided','','inherit','open','open','','1831-revision','','','2012-09-19 21:04:33','2012-09-19 21:04:33','',1831,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1831-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1834,4,'2012-09-20 14:15:20','2012-09-20 14:15:20','All sort of companies sell (sponsored Tweets, for example) on social media, so a better question is should you? In my opinion, the answer is no.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wedding crashers</strong>\r\n\r\nThink of it this way: you are at a wedding reception. You are busy chatting with relatives you haven\'t seen in ages while enjoying one or two glasses of champagne. Then, someone (think of this person as a wedding crasher) pops up, out of nowhere, and starts discussing health insurance options with you. First, you know this person is not invited to the wedding. Second, this person is a buzz kill. Right?\r\n\r\n<strong>Time and place</strong>\r\n\r\nSame thing happens when you are on Facebook or Twitter and someone you don\'t know is talking to you about something you don\'t want to discuss right then.  And the truth is you may be interested in the product or service being offered, but the time and place are all wrong. It is wrong because you are on social networks to be social. You are not there to shop.\r\n\r\n<strong>Are you pushing?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is not to say you can\'t market or communicate with target audiences on social networks. If your emphasis is brand awareness or image building, I think social networks can be hugely helpful. But selling is a \"push.\" And people don\'t like to pushed when they are relaxed.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this a personal bias of mine, but I don\'t like being sold in general. The other day I was doing a bit of shopping at Tysons Corner (and I was in the buying mode), and I got hawked walking from store to store from the various vendors who sell their wares from carts. I found it hugely annoying (one of them even asked me if was lazy because I didn\'t have a manicure and she was selling a manicure kit).\r\n\r\nDo you think selling on social networks is effective? Have you bought something that was advertised to you on a social network?','Can you sell on social media?','','publish','open','open','','can-you-sell-on-social-media','','','2012-09-20 14:15:20','2012-09-20 14:15:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1834',0,'post','',0),(1843,4,'2012-10-01 19:29:47','2012-10-01 19:29:47','It seems that many businesses, especially the big ones, spend much more money on memorable advertising campaigns and very little on customer service. No matter how great a business is, there will always be customer service to be done (changing addresses, paying bills, correcting billing errors, etc.). Yet, many businesses ignore the basics.\r\n\r\nA couple of examples:\r\n\r\n<strong>Netflix.</strong> Netflix does not seem to care much about how its customers feel. The company does not respond to Twitter mentions. It doesn\'t seem to be concerned about negative postings. How do I know? Well, I have had Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at the top of my Netflix queue for about six weeks or more. At first, there was a \"long wait.\" Now, it\'s a \"short wait.\" Bottom line is that I have watched several other movies while still waiting for Salmon Fishing. And I have tweeted Netflix. And I have wanted to email them--there is no easy way to do that.\r\n\r\n<strong>ATT</strong>. I have been with ATT for years now. I recently upgraded to a smartphone and was told that I was eligible for the upgrade (which apparently  means in ATT language they will CHARGE you for this upgrade). I called to see if they would take this charge off--and my argument was 1) I was not advised of such a charge and 2) I was told I was eligible for an upgrade. The customer service agent said he would give me a \"courtesy one-time waiver\" of this fee, but proceeded to lecture me that this fee was something all carriers do and that ATT would charge me it with every subsequent upgrade. He was combative and rude, and when I pointed this out to him, he hung up on me.  I called back and spoke to supervisor and she told me the same thing about the charge (a bit less rudely).  I repeatedly told her that I have been an ATT customer for years, I pay my bills on time, and ATT had given me no special offers. Bottom line in my experience: ATT does not care.\r\n\r\nNetflix and ATT appear to be utterly unconcerned with how their customers feel about them. I am just one more customer.\r\n\r\nIn contrast, I flew <strong>Delta</strong> last month and was amazed by the airline\'s interest in my customer experience. After the first flight I was sent a survey to measure what I thought of the boarding process, etc. The return flight was badly delayed due to weather in Washington. Delta sent an apology for the delay (even though it was  truly not at fault) and asked how the gate agent and flight attendants acted during the delay.\r\n\r\nCustomer service and experience should be an integral part of an organization\'s overall marketing strategy. If your organization does not know anything about how your customers feel, and does not respond to customer issues, you are well on your way to losing those customers.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Marketing should be both about ATTRACTING customers and RETAINING them</strong>.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How do your customers feel?','','publish','open','open','','how-do-your-customers-feel','','','2012-10-01 19:29:47','2012-10-01 19:29:47','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1843',0,'post','',0),(1836,4,'2012-09-20 14:07:11','2012-09-20 14:07:11','All sort of companies sell (sponsored Tweets, for example) on social media, so a better question is should you? In my opinion, the answer is no.\n\n<strong>Wedding crashers</strong>\n\nThink of it this way: you are at a wedding reception. You are busy chatting with relatives you haven\'t seen in ages while enjoying one or two glasses of champagne. Then, someone (think of this person as a wedding crasher) pops up, out of nowhere, and starts discussing health insurance options with you. First, you know this person is not invited to the wedding. Second, this person is a buzz kill. Right?\n\n<strong>Time and place</strong>\n\nSame thing happens when you are on Facebook or Twitter and someone you don\'t know is talking to you about something you don\'t want to discuss right then.  And the truth is you may be interested in the product or service being offered, but the time and place are all wrong. It is wrong because you are on social networks to be social. You are not there to shop.\n\nThis is not to say you can\'t market or communicate with target audiences on social networks. If your emphasis is brand awareness or image building, I think social networks can be hugely helpful. But selling is a \"push.\" And people don\'t like to pushed when they are relaxed.\n\nPerhaps this a personal bias of mine, but I don\'t like being sold in general. The other day I was','Can you sell on social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1834-revision','','','2012-09-20 14:07:11','2012-09-20 14:07:11','',1834,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1834-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1837,4,'2012-09-20 14:15:02','2012-09-20 14:15:02','All sort of companies sell (sponsored Tweets, for example) on social media, so a better question is should you? In my opinion, the answer is no.\n\n<strong>Wedding crashers</strong>\n\nThink of it this way: you are at a wedding reception. You are busy chatting with relatives you haven\'t seen in ages while enjoying one or two glasses of champagne. Then, someone (think of this person as a wedding crasher) pops up, out of nowhere, and starts discussing health insurance options with you. First, you know this person is not invited to the wedding. Second, this person is a buzz kill. Right?\n\n<strong>Time and place</strong>\n\nSame thing happens when you are on Facebook or Twitter and someone you don\'t know is talking to you about something you don\'t want to discuss right then.  And the truth is you may be interested in the product or service being offered, but the time and place are all wrong. It is wrong because you are on social networks to be social. You are not there to shop.\n\n<strong>Are you pushing?</strong>\n\nThis is not to say you can\'t market or communicate with target audiences on social networks. If your emphasis is brand awareness or image building, I think social networks can be hugely helpful. But selling is a \"push.\" And people don\'t like to pushed when they are relaxed.\n\nPerhaps this a personal bias of mine, but I don\'t like being sold in general. The other day I was doing a bit of shopping at Tysons Corner (and I was in the buying mode), and I got hawked walking from store to store from the various vendors who sell their wares from carts. I found it hugely annoying (one of them even asked me if was lazy because I didn\'t have a manicure and she was selling a manicure kit).\n\nDo you think selling on social networks is effective? Have you bought something that was advertised to you on a social network?','Can you sell on social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1834-revision-2','','','2012-09-20 14:15:02','2012-09-20 14:15:02','',1834,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1834-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1838,4,'2012-09-20 14:16:28','2012-09-20 14:16:28','All sort of companies sell (sponsored Tweets, for example) on social media, so a better question is should you? In my opinion, the answer is no.\n\n<strong>Wedding crashers</strong>\n\nThink of it this way: you are at a wedding reception. You are busy chatting with relatives you haven\'t seen in ages while enjoying one or two glasses of champagne. Then, someone (think of this person as a wedding crasher) pops up, out of nowhere, and starts discussing health insurance options with you. First, you know this person is not invited to the wedding. Second, this person is a buzz kill. Right?\n\n<strong>Time and place</strong>\n\nSame thing happens when you are on Facebook or Twitter and someone you don\'t know is talking to you about something you don\'t want to discuss right then.  And the truth is you may be interested in the product or service being offered, but the time and place are all wrong. It is wrong because you are on social networks to be social. You are not there to shop.\n\n<strong>Are you pushing?</strong>\n\nThis is not to say you can\'t market or communicate with target audiences on social networks. If your emphasis is brand awareness or image building, I think social networks can be hugely helpful. But selling is a \"push.\" And people don\'t like to pushed when they are relaxed.\n\nPerhaps this a personal bias of mine, but I don\'t like being sold in general. The other day I was doing a bit of shopping at Tysons Corner (and I was in the buying mode), and I got hawked walking from store to store from the various vendors who sell their wares from carts. I found it hugely annoying (one of them even asked me if was lazy because I didn\'t have a manicure and she was selling a manicure kit).\n\nDo you think selling on social networks is effective? Have you bought something that was advertised to you on a social network?','Can you sell on social media?','','inherit','open','open','','1834-autosave','','','2012-09-20 14:16:28','2012-09-20 14:16:28','',1834,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1834-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1839,4,'2012-09-24 14:24:06','2012-09-24 14:24:06','Last night, on 60 Minutes, both President Obama and Mitt Romney were interviewed. Scott Pelley interviewed Romney while Steve Kroft interviewed Obama. At the end of the hour, when both candidates gave few specifics, I don\'t think anyone\'s mind was changed. If you supported Romney, you liked what he had to say. Likewise for Obama.\r\n\r\n<strong>Beliefs are not facts but they are just as immutable</strong>\r\n\r\nThe campaigns are facing a very polarized electorate. People either support the candidate or they actively despise him. Take for example a friend of mine who is a very religious Catholic. She despises Obama  because she says he \"promotes abortion\" She has no evidence to prove this (because there is no evidence and besides, there is a huge difference between supporting the right to get an abortion and promoting it) but she believes it, and also that because he is pro-choice, he is immoral.  Someone like her will not be convinced by any campaign ad or speech.\r\n\r\n<strong>Role of undecided voters</strong>\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been told that the outcome of this election lies in the hands of the \"undecided.\" Campaigns are spending inordinate amounts of money trying to sway these voters (if they do even vote). After seeing a group of undecided voters on the PBS Newshour, which interviewed them after each of the conventions, I am not certain that undecided voters can be swayed. Those PBS undecideds seemed to be seeking the perfect candidate, and neither Obama nor Romney measured up. Undecideds may well be perfectionists who are unable to prioritize issues and accept that neither candidate will be perfect, and therefore can\'t make up their minds.\r\n\r\nIn short, I think that very few things that happen between now and Election Day will change voters\' minds. Minds are made up, and any \"mistakes\" candidates make will further solidify opinions not change them. You would think, for example, that there would be outrage about Mitt Romney\'s manipulation of his tax returns. Instead, those who support him say he has merely complied with the law and those who don\'t see further proof that he is a rich person trying to protect himself from taxation.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? What can campaigns do to sway voters?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are the presidential campaigns convincing voters?','','publish','open','open','','are-the-presidential-campaigns-convincing-voters','','','2012-09-24 14:27:53','2012-09-24 14:27:53','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1839',0,'post','',0),(1840,4,'2012-09-24 14:23:52','2012-09-24 14:23:52','Last night, on 60 Minutes, both President Obama and Mitt Romney were interviewed. Scott Pelley interviewed Romney while Steve Kroft interviewed Obama. At the end of the hour, when both candidates gave few specifics, I don\'t think anyone\'s mind was changed. If you supported Romney, you liked what he had to say. Likewise for Obama.\n\n<strong>Beliefs are not facts but they are just as immutable</strong>\n\nThe campaigns are facing a very polarized electorate. People either support the candidate or they actively despise him. Take for example a friend of mine who is a very religious Catholic. She despises Obama  because she says he \"promotes abortion\" She has no evidence to prove this (because there is no evidence and besides, there is a huge difference between supporting the right to get an abortion and promoting it) but she believes it, and also that because he is pro-choice, he is immoral.  Someone like her will not be convinced by any campaign ad or speech.\n\n<strong>Role of undecided voters</strong>\n\nWe\'ve been told that the outcome of this election lies in the hands of the \"undecided.\" Campaigns are spending inordinate amounts of money trying to sway these voters (if they do even vote). After seeing a group of undecided voters on the PBS Newshour, which interviewed them after each of the conventions, I am not certain that undecided voters can be swayed. Those PBS undecideds seemed to be seeking the perfect candidate, and neither Obama nor Romney measured up. Undecideds may well be perfectionists who are unable to prioritize issues and accept that neither candidate will be perfect, and therefore can\'t make up their minds.\n\nIn short, I think that very few things that happen between now and Election Day will change voters minds. Minds are made up, and any \"mistakes\" candidates make will further solidify opinions not change them. You would think for example that there would be outrage about Mitt Romney\'s manipulation of his tax returns. Instead, those who support him say he has merely complied with the law and those who don\'t see further proof that he is a rich person trying to protect himself from taxation.\n\nWhat do you think? What can campaigns do to sway voters?\n\n&nbsp;','Are the presidential campaigns convincing voters?','','inherit','open','open','','1839-revision','','','2012-09-24 14:23:52','2012-09-24 14:23:52','',1839,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1839-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1841,4,'2012-09-24 14:24:06','2012-09-24 14:24:06','Last night, on 60 Minutes, both President Obama and Mitt Romney were interviewed. Scott Pelley interviewed Romney while Steve Kroft interviewed Obama. At the end of the hour, when both candidates gave few specifics, I don\'t think anyone\'s mind was changed. If you supported Romney, you liked what he had to say. Likewise for Obama.\r\n\r\n<strong>Beliefs are not facts but they are just as immutable</strong>\r\n\r\nThe campaigns are facing a very polarized electorate. People either support the candidate or they actively despise him. Take for example a friend of mine who is a very religious Catholic. She despises Obama  because she says he \"promotes abortion\" She has no evidence to prove this (because there is no evidence and besides, there is a huge difference between supporting the right to get an abortion and promoting it) but she believes it, and also that because he is pro-choice, he is immoral.  Someone like her will not be convinced by any campaign ad or speech.\r\n\r\n<strong>Role of undecided voters</strong>\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been told that the outcome of this election lies in the hands of the \"undecided.\" Campaigns are spending inordinate amounts of money trying to sway these voters (if they do even vote). After seeing a group of undecided voters on the PBS Newshour, which interviewed them after each of the conventions, I am not certain that undecided voters can be swayed. Those PBS undecideds seemed to be seeking the perfect candidate, and neither Obama nor Romney measured up. Undecideds may well be perfectionists who are unable to prioritize issues and accept that neither candidate will be perfect, and therefore can\'t make up their minds.\r\n\r\nIn short, I think that very few things that happen between now and Election Day will change voters minds. Minds are made up, and any \"mistakes\" candidates make will further solidify opinions not change them. You would think for example that there would be outrage about Mitt Romney\'s manipulation of his tax returns. Instead, those who support him say he has merely complied with the law and those who don\'t see further proof that he is a rich person trying to protect himself from taxation.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? What can campaigns do to sway voters?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are the presidential campaigns convincing voters?','','inherit','open','open','','1839-revision-2','','','2012-09-24 14:24:06','2012-09-24 14:24:06','',1839,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1839-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1842,4,'2011-07-22 04:15:58','2011-07-22 04:15:58','<h3>Project</h3>\r\nPerhaps you want to hire us to work on a single project. You\'ll give  us all the relevant information, including target audience for the  project, timelines and existing materials. Once we\'ve assessed what you  need, we will provide you with a written time and cost estimate before  beginning.\r\n\r\nProjects are payable with a 50% deposit to start, and the balance due once the project is complete.\r\n<h3>Retainer</h3>\r\nIf you require ongoing marketing help or know you will have many  projects over two months or more, we will set up a retainer agreement.  We will estimate how many hours of time you will require per month. We  will agree on a cost and number of hours. Retainer agreements are  payable on a bi-weekly schedule. Retainers can be dissolved in writing.\r\n<h3>Payment</h3>\r\nWe accept business or personal checks, cash and money orders. We do not  provide credit card processing at this time. Our policy is 14 days net  for most invoices. As a small business, we cannot afford to extend  credit to our clients, and we respectfully request full payment as  invoiced. All jobs require an initial 50% deposit.','How We Work','','inherit','open','open','','42-revision-v1','','','2011-07-22 04:15:58','2011-07-22 04:15:58','',42,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/42-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1844,4,'2012-10-01 19:29:22','2012-10-01 19:29:22','It seems that many businesses, especially the big ones, spend much more money on memorable advertising campaigns and very little on customer service. No matter how great a business is, there will always be customer service to be done (changing addresses, paying bills, correcting billing errors, etc.). Yet, many businesses ignore the basics.\n\nA couple of examples:\n\n<strong>Netflix.</strong> Netflix does not seem to care much about how its customers feel. The company does not respond to Twitter mentions. It doesn\'t seem to be concerned about negative postings. How do I know? Well, I have had Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at the top of my Netflix queue for about six weeks or more. At first, there was a \"long wait.\" Now, it\'s a \"short wait.\" Bottom line is that I have watched several other movies while still waiting for Salmon Fishing. And I have tweeted Netflix. And I have wanted to email them--there is no easy way to do that.\n\n<strong>ATT</strong>. I have been with ATT for years now. I recently upgraded to a smartphone and was told that I was eligible for the upgrade (which apparently  means in ATT language they will CHARGE you for this upgrade). I called to see if they would take this charge off--and my argument was 1) I was not advised of such a charge and 2) I was told I was eligible for an upgrade. The customer service agent said he would give me a \"courtesy one-time waiver\" of this fee, but proceeded to lecture me that this fee was something all carriers do and that ATT would charge me it with every subsequent upgrade. He was combative and rude, and when I pointed this out to him, he hung up on me.  I called back and spoke to supervisor and she told me the same thing about the charge (a bit less rudely).  I repeatedly told her that I have been an ATT customer for years, I pay my bills on time, and ATT had given me no special offers. Bottom line in my experience: ATT does not care.\n\nNetflix and ATT appear to be utterly unconcerned with how their customers feel about them. I am just one more customer.\n\nIn contrast, I flew <strong>Delta</strong> last month and was amazed by the airline\'s interest in my customer experience. After the first flight I was sent a survey to measure what I thought of the boarding process, etc. The return flight was badly delayed due to weather in Washington. Delta sent an apology for the delay (even though it was  truly not at fault) and asked how the gate agent and flight attendants acted during the delay.\n\nCustomer service and experience should be an integral part of an organization\'s overall marketing strategy. If your organization does not know anything about how your customers feel, and does not respond to customer issues, you are well on your way to losing those customers.  <strong></strong>\n\n<strong>Marketing should be both about ATTRACTING customers and RETAINING them</strong>.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','How do your customers feel?','','inherit','open','open','','1843-revision','','','2012-10-01 19:29:22','2012-10-01 19:29:22','',1843,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1843-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1845,4,'2012-10-01 19:30:51','2012-10-01 19:30:51','It seems that many businesses, especially the big ones, spend much more money on memorable advertising campaigns and very little on customer service. No matter how great a business is, there will always be customer service to be done (changing addresses, paying bills, correcting billing errors, etc.). Yet, many businesses ignore the basics.\n\nA couple of examples:\n\n<strong>Netflix.</strong> Netflix does not seem to care much about how its customers feel. The company does not respond to Twitter mentions. It doesn\'t seem to be concerned about negative postings. How do I know? Well, I have had Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at the top of my Netflix queue for about six weeks or more. At first, there was a \"long wait.\" Now, it\'s a \"short wait.\" Bottom line is that I have watched several other movies while still waiting for Salmon Fishing. And I have tweeted Netflix. And I have wanted to email them--there is no easy way to do that.\n\n<strong>ATT</strong>. I have been with ATT for years now. I recently upgraded to a smartphone and was told that I was eligible for the upgrade (which apparently  means in ATT language they will CHARGE you for this upgrade). I called to see if they would take this charge off--and my argument was 1) I was not advised of such a charge and 2) I was told I was eligible for an upgrade. The customer service agent said he would give me a \"courtesy one-time waiver\" of this fee, but proceeded to lecture me that this fee was something all carriers do and that ATT would charge me it with every subsequent upgrade. He was combative and rude, and when I pointed this out to him, he hung up on me.  I called back and spoke to supervisor and she told me the same thing about the charge (a bit less rudely).  I repeatedly told her that I have been an ATT customer for years, I pay my bills on time, and ATT had given me no special offers. Bottom line in my experience: ATT does not care.\n\nNetflix and ATT appear to be utterly unconcerned with how their customers feel about them. I am just one more customer.\n\nIn contrast, I flew <strong>Delta</strong> last month and was amazed by the airline\'s interest in my customer experience. After the first flight I was sent a survey to measure what I thought of the boarding process, etc. The return flight was badly delayed due to weather in Washington. Delta sent an apology for the delay (even though it was  truly not at fault) and asked how the gate agent and flight attendants acted during the delay.\n\nCustomer service and experience should be an integral part of an organization\'s overall marketing strategy. If your organization does not know anything about how your customers feel, and does not respond to customer issues, you are well on your way to losing those customers.  <strong></strong>\n\n<strong>Marketing should be both about ATTRACTING customers and RETAINING them</strong>.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','How do your customers feel?','','inherit','open','open','','1843-autosave','','','2012-10-01 19:30:51','2012-10-01 19:30:51','',1843,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1843-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1846,4,'2012-09-19 20:48:03','2012-09-19 20:48:03','Check here for upcoming events and training workshops!\r\n\r\n<strong>Our next event is How to Write your Blog: A hands-on workshop on Thursday, November 8th. </strong>Registration and information are available here:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://learntowriteyourblog2.eventbrite.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://learntowriteyourblog2.eventbrite.com/</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2012-09-19 20:48:03','2012-09-19 20:48:03','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/09/1765-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1863,4,'2012-10-20 15:20:18','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-10-20 15:20:18','2012-10-20 15:20:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1863',0,'post','',0),(1848,4,'2012-10-04 19:52:28','2012-10-04 19:52:28','Have you ever visited a website that looked as if a teenager built it by trying out every single font and programming code out there? Or have you picked up a brochure that looked like your dad\'s secretary typed it out back in 1962?  If so,  you know instinctively that looks matter.\r\n\r\nYears ago I had a client who ran a tutoring service. He knew how to write and had written a fairly good brochure (although he was not highlighting why you should hire his company...and that is where I came in). He had also \"designed\" this brochure, and it looked like it. Because his brochure was \"home-made\" he looked small time. It wouldn\'t appeal to the diplomats that were his target audience. I convinced him to spend some money on professional design. He was very pleased with the end result and agreed that with a properly designed brochure, his business LOOKED professional, and seemed \"big time.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Looks matter.</strong>\r\n\r\nWould you go to a hospital that looks dirty? Would you trust your tax returns to an accountant who seems shady? Would you hire a personal trainer that you met while eating at McDonald\'s?  No, no, and no.  Your impressions of each of these would be negative in relation to the image you are looking for. Your image of an ideal hospital is one of white walls and the strong smell of disinfectant, right?\r\n\r\nDan Kohan, a graphic designer and owner of the Washington-based graphic design firm<a href=\"http://sensicaldesign.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> Sensical Design</a>, says this:\r\n<blockquote>Graphic design communicates nonverbal information, the same way our facial expressions or clothing communicate when we\'re having a conversation. When people are presented with a magazine, say, or a website, they respond first to how it communicates visually—whether it looks attractive and professional or amateurish and cheap, whether it\'s easy to read, whether it draws your attention to what\'s important—and only then do they read the content. <strong>So, effective and appropriate design is crucial if you want your message to be heard.</strong></blockquote>\r\nNot only does design help make you LOOK professional, but it actually is part of your message.\r\n\r\nLooks matter. Are you paying enough attention?','Looks matter (or, invest in good graphic design)','','publish','open','open','','looks-matter-or-invest-in-good-graphic-design','','','2012-10-04 19:52:28','2012-10-04 19:52:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1848',0,'post','',0),(1849,4,'2012-10-03 13:11:11','2012-10-03 13:11:11','Have you ever gone to a website that looked as if a teenager built it by trying out every single font and programming code out there? Or have you picked up a brochure that looked like your dad\'s secretary typed it out back in 1962?  If so,  you know instinctively that looks matter.\n\nYears ago I had a client who ran a tutoring service. He knew how to write and had written a fairly good brochure (although he was not highlighting why you should hire his company...and that is where I came in). He had also \"designed\" this brochure, and it looked like it. I convinced him to spend some money on professional design. He was very pleased with the end result and agreed that with a properly designed brochure, his business LOOKED professional.\n\nLooks matter.\n\nWould you go to a hospital that looks dirty? Would you trust your tax returns to an accountant who seems shady? Would you hire a personal trainer that you met while eating at McDonald\'s?  No, no, and no.  Your impressions of each of these would be negative in relation to the image you are looking for. Your image of an ideal hospital is one of white walls and the strong smell of disinfectant, right?\n\n&nbsp;','Looks matter (or, invest in good graphic design)','','inherit','open','open','','1848-revision','','','2012-10-03 13:11:11','2012-10-03 13:11:11','',1848,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1848-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1850,4,'2012-10-04 19:51:56','2012-10-04 19:51:56','Have you ever visited a website that looked as if a teenager built it by trying out every single font and programming code out there? Or have you picked up a brochure that looked like your dad\'s secretary typed it out back in 1962?  If so,  you know instinctively that looks matter.\n\nYears ago I had a client who ran a tutoring service. He knew how to write and had written a fairly good brochure (although he was not highlighting why you should hire his company...and that is where I came in). He had also \"designed\" this brochure, and it looked like it. Because his brochure was \"home-made\" he looked small time. It wouldn\'t appeal to the diplomats that were his target audience. I convinced him to spend some money on professional design. He was very pleased with the end result and agreed that with a properly designed brochure, his business LOOKED professional, and seemed \"big time.\"\n\n<strong>Looks matter.</strong>\n\nWould you go to a hospital that looks dirty? Would you trust your tax returns to an accountant who seems shady? Would you hire a personal trainer that you met while eating at McDonald\'s?  No, no, and no.  Your impressions of each of these would be negative in relation to the image you are looking for. Your image of an ideal hospital is one of white walls and the strong smell of disinfectant, right?\n\nDan Kohan, a graphic designer and owner of<a href=\"http://sensicaldesign.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> the D Sensical Design</a>, says this:\n<blockquote>Graphic design communicates nonverbal information, the same way our facial expressions or clothing communicate when we\'re having a conversation. When people are presented with a magazine, say, or a website, they respond first to how it communicates visually—whether it looks attractive and professional or amateurish and cheap, whether it\'s easy to read, whether it draws your attention to what\'s important—and only then do they read the content. <strong>So, effective and appropriate design is crucial if you want your message to be heard.</strong></blockquote>\nNot only does design help make you LOOK professional, but it actually is part of your message.\n\nLooks matter. Are you paying enough attention?','Looks matter (or, invest in good graphic design)','','inherit','open','open','','1848-revision-2','','','2012-10-04 19:51:56','2012-10-04 19:51:56','',1848,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1848-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1851,4,'2011-09-08 15:09:51','2011-09-08 15:09:51','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How We Can Help</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nTogether, we will create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish). Whether you want to develop a brochure, need public relations assistance, or need to create a user-friendly website, we\'ll find the most effective solution.</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Chose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner.\r\n\r\n<strong>You\'ll find that our services</strong> are an affordable alternative to the traditional advertising or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n\r\nNo matter if you need a single writer on a freelance basis, or need to put together a communications team, we can work with you.</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2011-09-08 15:09:51','2011-09-08 15:09:51','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/09/2-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(1853,4,'2012-10-09 13:45:01','2012-10-09 13:45:01','I finally watched <a href=\"http://fishingintheyemen.com/#/videos\" target=\"_blank\">Salmon Fishing in the Yemen</a> last night (Netflix had me wait for this movie for about two months, but that is another story). If you haven\'t seen it yet, this is the basic plot: Yemeni sheik likes to fish salmon and wants to be able to do so in his country. He hires a British firm to find someone to bring his plans to fruition. British firm reaches out to Dr. Alfred Jones, of the UK Fishing and Hunting Department. Dr. Jones laughs at the idea, but Mrs. Patricia Maxwell, press secretary for the British Prime Minister insists that the project must go on, as a publicity ploy to counteract some bad news. And so Dr. Jones embarks on feasibility studies, etc.\r\n\r\nTo me, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a movie about the power of <del>faith</del> PR. Great public relations takes skill and passion. It is not for the faint of heart, especially when embodied by Mrs. Maxwell, who is played brilliantly, and with comic flair by Kristin Scott Thomas. She is a spot-on caricature of a PR  person (always working, smartphone in hand 24-7, running from meeting to meeting). In my opinion, she alone makes the movie worth watching.\r\n\r\nMrs. Maxwell is very adept at PR. Here\'s what she does well:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Understands the value of positive publicity (\"we need a good news story from the Middle East\")</li>\r\n	<li>Is always thinking of what story to tell</li>\r\n	<li>Recognizes opportunities (when she hears there are 2 million fishermen in the UK, she sees voters)</li>\r\n	<li>Knows that every audience has its news source</li>\r\n	<li>Thinks visually (does the Prime Minister fish? No, well send the Foreign Minister instead)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBut Mrs. Maxwell is not perfect. Here\'s where she may have gone a bit wrong:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Fails to have a plan B (expects plan she has to work regardless)</li>\r\n	<li>Doesn\'t understand the constituency (salmon fishermen are pretty passionate about their fish and will not go down easily)</li>\r\n	<li>Is too focused on the end result (goes too far in general)</li>\r\n	<li>Treats people like pawns</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat do you think? Do PR people go to far in real life? Do you know a Mrs. Maxwell? Do we need more PR people like her or fewer? And if you haven\'t seen this movie, try to get it on your Netflix queue now. It may be a while.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Mrs. Maxwell was on the right track, sort of','','publish','open','open','','mrs-maxwell-was-on-the-right-track-sort-of','','','2012-10-09 13:45:01','2012-10-09 13:45:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1853',0,'post','',0),(1854,4,'2012-10-09 13:44:44','2012-10-09 13:44:44','I finally watched <a href=\"http://fishingintheyemen.com/#/videos\" target=\"_blank\">Salmon Fishing in the Yemen</a> last night (Netflix had me wait for this movie for about two months, but that is another story). If you haven\'t seen it yet, this is the basic plot: Yemeni sheik likes to fish salmon and wants to be able to do so in his country. He hires a British firm to find someone to bring his plans to fruition. British firm reaches out to Dr. Alfred Jones, of the UK Fishing and Hunting Department. Dr. Jones laughs at the idea, but Mrs. Patricia Maxwell, press secretary for the British Prime Minister insists that the project must go on, as a publicity ploy to counteract some bad news. And so Dr. Jones embarks on feasibility studies, etc.\n\nTo me, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a movie about the power of <del>faith</del> PR. Great public relations takes skill and passion. It is not for the faint of heart, especially when embodied by Mrs. Maxwell, who is played brilliantly, and with comic flair by Kristin Scott Thomas. She is a spot-on caricature of a PR  person (always working, smartphone in hand 24-7, running from meeting to meeting). In my opinion, she alone makes the movie worth watching.\n\nMrs. Maxwell is very adept at PR. Here\'s what she does well:\n<ul>\n	<li>Understands the value of positive publicity (\"we need a good news story from the Middle East\")</li>\n	<li>Is always thinking of what story to tell</li>\n	<li>Recognizes opportunities (when she hears there are 2 million fishermen in the UK, she sees voters)</li>\n	<li>Knows that every audience has its news source</li>\n	<li>Thinks visually (does the Prime Minister fish? No, well send the Foreign Minister instead)</li>\n</ul>\nBut Mrs. Maxwell is not perfect. Here\'s where she may have gone a bit wrong:\n<ul>\n	<li>Fails to have a plan B (expects plan she has to work regardless)</li>\n	<li>Doesn\'t understand the constituency (salmon fishermen are pretty passionate about their fish and will not go down easily)</li>\n	<li>Is too focused on the end result (goes too far in general)</li>\n	<li>Treats people like pawns</li>\n</ul>\nWhat do you think? Do PR people go to far in real life? Do you know a Mrs. Maxwell? Do we need more PR people like her or fewer? And if you haven\'t seen this movie, try to get it on your Netflix queue now. It may be a while.\n\n&nbsp;','Mrs. Maxwell was on the right track, sort of','','inherit','open','open','','1853-revision','','','2012-10-09 13:44:44','2012-10-09 13:44:44','',1853,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1853-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1855,4,'2012-10-09 13:46:05','2012-10-09 13:46:05','I finally watched <a href=\"http://fishingintheyemen.com/#/videos\" target=\"_blank\">Salmon Fishing in the Yemen</a> last night (Netflix had me wait for this movie for about two months, but that is another story). If you haven\'t seen it yet, this is the basic plot: Yemeni sheik likes to fish salmon and wants to be able to do so in his country. He hires a British firm to find someone to bring his plans to fruition. British firm reaches out to Dr. Alfred Jones, of the UK Fishing and Hunting Department. Dr. Jones laughs at the idea, but Mrs. Patricia Maxwell, press secretary for the British Prime Minister insists that the project must go on, as a publicity ploy to counteract some bad news. And so Dr. Jones embarks on feasibility studies, etc.\n\nTo me, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a movie about the power of <del>faith</del> PR. Great public relations takes skill and passion. It is not for the faint of heart, especially when embodied by Mrs. Maxwell, who is played brilliantly, and with comic flair by Kristin Scott Thomas. She is a spot-on caricature of a PR  person (always working, smartphone in hand 24-7, running from meeting to meeting). In my opinion, she alone makes the movie worth watching.\n\nMrs. Maxwell is very adept at PR. Here\'s what she does well:\n<ul>\n	<li>Understands the value of positive publicity (\"we need a good news story from the Middle East\")</li>\n	<li>Is always thinking of what story to tell</li>\n	<li>Recognizes opportunities (when she hears there are 2 million fishermen in the UK, she sees voters)</li>\n	<li>Knows that every audience has its news source</li>\n	<li>Thinks visually (does the Prime Minister fish? No, well send the Foreign Minister instead)</li>\n</ul>\nBut Mrs. Maxwell is not perfect. Here\'s where she may have gone a bit wrong:\n<ul>\n	<li>Fails to have a plan B (expects plan she has to work regardless)</li>\n	<li>Doesn\'t understand the constituency (salmon fishermen are pretty passionate about their fish and will not go down easily)</li>\n	<li>Is too focused on the end result (goes too far in general)</li>\n	<li>Treats people like pawns</li>\n</ul>\nWhat do you think? Do PR people go to far in real life? Do you know a Mrs. Maxwell? Do we need more PR people like her or fewer? And if you haven\'t seen this movie, try to get it on your Netflix queue now. It may be a while.\n\n&nbsp;','Mrs. Maxwell was on the right track, sort of','','inherit','open','open','','1853-autosave','','','2012-10-09 13:46:05','2012-10-09 13:46:05','',1853,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1853-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1857,4,'2012-10-12 13:54:19','2012-10-12 13:54:19','I am not trying to get all new age and self-helpy with you. Instead, I am trying to find out whether you are presenting your \"real self\" to the world in your communications. In business lingo, this would translate into \"are you being authentic?\"\r\n\r\nWith social media, there is a blurring of lines between personal and professional. My Twitter feed, for example, features lots of political commentary. Some may not agree with my political viewpoint, but it is what it is. If you choose to not work with me because you disagree with me, so be it.\r\n\r\nIt turns out that people like authenticity. They like knowing who they are dealing with. And really, don\'t you want to work with people who want to work with you, when they know your foibles, viewpoints, etc.?\r\n\r\nI was inspired by the article <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/on-social-media-authenticity-always-wins.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Best Social Media Tactic: Always be Authentic\"</a> in Inc. Magazine. Here, writer  Christina DesMarais interviews J. C. Kendall, CEO of TekPersona. Kendall is known as being brutally honest in his customer/social media exchanges. He feels that it is part of his branding strategy. He says the following:\r\n<blockquote>You simply cannot avoid offending some people. <strong>No brand should waste undue time trying to appeal to everyone.</strong> When you are developing and supporting your brand, you are creating an expectation of what will occur through a transaction with your company. Your messaging has to focus on your target customer.</blockquote>\r\nEmphasis above is mine. I think that too many organizations and individuals work too hard to be \"nice,\" to appeal to everyone. They are AFRAID of being disliked. But the truth is that not everybody will like you and that is OK. You don\'t want everybody to listen to what you have to say--just your target audience. Your target WANTS what you have to offer.\r\n\r\nSo, if you are afraid of being yourself, stop. Be who you are and forget about being nice to everyone. I am not saying be mean or nasty. Just be authentic.\r\n\r\nAre you afraid of being yourself? Why or why not?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you afraid of being yourself?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-afraid-of-being-yourself','','','2012-10-12 13:54:19','2012-10-12 13:54:19','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1857',0,'post','',1),(1858,4,'2012-10-12 13:53:58','2012-10-12 13:53:58','I am not trying to get all new age and self-helpy with you. Instead, I am trying to find out whether you are presenting your \"real self\" to the world in your communications. In business lingo, this would translate into \"are you being authentic?\"\n\nWith social media, there is a blurring of lines between personal and professional. My Twitter feed, for example, features lots of political commentary. Some may not agree with my political viewpoint, but it is what it is. If you choose to not work with me because you disagree with me, so be it.\n\nIt turns out that people like authenticity. They like knowing who they are dealing with. And really, don\'t you want to work with people who want to work with you, when they know your foibles, viewpoints, etc.?\n\nI was inspired by the article <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/on-social-media-authenticity-always-wins.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Best Social Media Tactic: Always be Authentic\"</a> in Inc. Magazine. Here, writer  Christina DesMarais interviews J. C. Kendall, CEO of TekPersona. Kendall is known as being brutally honest in his customer/social media exchanges. He feels that it is part of his branding strategy. He says the following:\n<blockquote>You simply cannot avoid offending some people. <strong>No brand should waste undue time trying to appeal to everyone.</strong> When you are developing and supporting your brand, you are creating an expectation of what will occur through a transaction with your company. Your messaging has to focus on your target customer.</blockquote>\nEmphasis above is mine. I think that too many organizations and individuals work too hard to be \"nice,\" to appeal to everyone. They are AFRAID of being disliked. But the truth is that not everybody will like you and that is OK. You don\'t want everybody to listen to what you have to say--just your target audience. Your target WANTS what you have to offer.\n\nSo, if you are afraid of being yourself, stop. Be who you are and forget about being nice to everyone. I am not saying be mean or nasty. Just be authentic.\n\nAre you afraid of being yourself? Why or why not?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are you afraid of being yourself?','','inherit','open','open','','1857-revision','','','2012-10-12 13:53:58','2012-10-12 13:53:58','',1857,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1857-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1914,4,'2012-11-13 18:06:57','2012-11-13 18:06:57','There are a few things that people tend to overlook or to simply not check.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check the contact information CAREFULLY on your website/marketing materials</strong>\r\n\r\nYou want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps have someone read it off to you. For example, in my newsletter I found the address had the wrong ZIP code.  A graphic designer I know had one digit wrong in her phone number.\r\n\r\n<strong>And check whether it can be found easily</strong>\r\n\r\nI just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find where an art class was being offered--you know--the actual physical place where it was meeting. The website made you go to the About page where you had to scroll to the \"where to find us\" page. Why make it so complicated?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"216\"]<a title=\"check by PNASH, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnash/5227436224/\"><img title=\"Check mark\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5165/5227436224_aa52b49262_m.jpg\" alt=\"check\" width=\"216\" height=\"118\" /></a> By PNASH, Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>Check to see if GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest can find your address</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are any type of location that people drive to (store, restaurant, hotel, attraction), have you checked that the address you give out  works on GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest? Sometimes street names have changed or are new and do not show up.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check how your email and enewsletters  show up to recipients</strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you send out anything to the world, send yourself a sample. You want to make sure your name is spelled correctly, and how it shows up in the recipient\'s inbox.  For example, someone I know was sending email that was coming from Email box 2 instead of her name. And just today I received an enewsletter titled \"Sample Newsletter\" from a well known institution. These can result in people not knowing who you are and ultimately, not opening your email/enewsletter.\r\n\r\nGo check these things right now. Fix them if they don\'t check out. You will be glad you did.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Quick! Check these potential problems right now','','publish','open','open','','quick-check-these-potential-problems-right-now','','','2012-11-13 18:06:57','2012-11-13 18:06:57','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1914',0,'post','',0),(1860,4,'2012-10-16 20:40:20','2012-10-16 20:40:20','Last week, I attended an event and the complaint from the organizers is that fewer and fewer people are attending. Now part of this particular group\'s situation has to do with poor publicity.  In fact, their attendance has dwindled to such an extent that they have had to change venues. Today I attended another event (different group), same problem: fewer people.\r\n\r\nIf you are organizing an event that has been losing audience, you may want to ask yourself these questions:\r\n\r\n<strong>Is your publicity reaching new/bigger audiences?</strong>\r\n\r\nObviously, if few people know you are having an event, few people will attend. As a communicator, you have to evaluate where you are publicizing your event, and whether you are attracting enough people. Moreover, if you are trying to expand the amount of people at your events, you are going to have to experiment with new ways of publicizing the event. If you can only count on your core group, you don\'t have a recipe for growth.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is your program good?</strong>\r\n\r\nThere are just so many times I can go to a social media event. I have heard lots of it before. Nothing new there. <strong>Programming content counts.</strong> Doing a boring event or having the same speakers is not going to draw a new or bigger crowd.\r\n\r\n<strong>What else is going on that day?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is about the importance of timing. If you are having an event, and there is a presidential debate going on that evening, you are forcing people to choose, and you may lose. Also, what time of day is your event? Have you experimented with other times?\r\n\r\n<strong>How good was your last event?</strong>\r\n\r\nYou know the saying, <em>you are only as good as your last success</em>. How successful was your last event? Were people interested, motivated, energized? Or did you receive complaints? Was the speaker entertaining or boring?  Unfortunately, you do not have too much control over circumstances (speaker was grumpy, people were late due to mass transit problems, etc.), but it matters anyhow. If you had a crappy event, people aren\'t going to want to attend another event that you put on.\r\n\r\n<strong>Do you know who your audience is? Do you know why they attend your events?</strong>\r\n\r\nYou don\'t survey you attendees? Big mistake! If you don\'t even know why the people who are there attended, how are you going to figure out why people aren\'t attending? YOU MUST SURVEY...even informally. As an organizer, ask people on the way  in how they found out about the event and on their way out whether they enjoyed the event. Have forms people can fill out. Send out an electronic survey. Do what it takes to find out more about your audience.\r\n\r\nWhat are you up against and how are you fixing it? Let me know in the comments.','Are your events drawing fewer people?','','publish','open','open','','are-your-events-drawing-fewer-people','','','2012-10-16 20:40:20','2012-10-16 20:40:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1860',0,'post','',0),(1861,4,'2012-10-16 20:39:58','2012-10-16 20:39:58','Last week, I attended an event and the complaint from the organizers is that fewer and fewer people are attending. Now part of this particular group\'s situation has to do with poor publicity.  In fact, their attendance has dwindled to such an extent that they have had to change venues. Today I attended another event (different group), same problem: fewer people.\n\nIf you are organizing an event that has been losing audience, you may want to ask yourself these questions:\n\n<strong>Is your publicity reaching new/bigger audiences?</strong>\n\nObviously, if few people know you are having an event, few people will attend. As a communicator, you have to evaluate where you are publicizing your event, and whether you are attracting enough people. Moreover, if you are trying to expand the amount of people at your events, you are going to have to experiment with new ways of publicizing the event. If you can only count on your core group, you don\'t have a recipe for growth.\n\n<strong>Is your program good?</strong>\n\nThere are just so many times I can go to a social media event. I have heard lots of it before. Nothing new there. <strong>Programming content counts.</strong> Doing a boring event or having the same speakers is not going to draw a new or bigger crowd.\n\n<strong>What else is going on that day?</strong>\n\nThis is about the importance of timing. If you are having an event, and there is a presidential debate going on that evening, you are forcing people to choose, and you may lose. Also, what time of day is your event? Have you experimented with other times?\n\n<strong>How good was your last event?</strong>\n\nYou know the saying, <em>you are only as good as your last success</em>. How successful was your last event? Were people interested, motivated, energized? Or did you receive complaints? Was the speaker entertaining or boring?  Unfortunately, you do not have too much control over circumstances (speaker was grumpy, people were late due to mass transit problems, etc.), but it matters anyhow. If you had a crappy event, people aren\'t going to want to attend another event that you put on.\n\n<strong>Do you know who your audience is? Do you know why they attend your events?</strong>\n\nYou don\'t survey you attendees? Big mistake! If you don\'t even know why the people who are there attended, how are you going to figure out why people aren\'t attending? YOU MUST SURVEY...even informally. As an organizer, ask people on the way  in how they found out about the event and on their way out whether they enjoyed the event. Have forms people can fill out. Send out an electronic survey. Do what it takes to find out more about your audience.\n\nWhat are you up against and how are you fixing it? Let me know in the comments.','Are your events drawing fewer people?','','inherit','open','open','','1860-revision','','','2012-10-16 20:39:58','2012-10-16 20:39:58','',1860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1860-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1862,4,'2012-10-16 20:41:25','2012-10-16 20:41:25','Last week, I attended an event and the complaint from the organizers is that fewer and fewer people are attending. Now part of this particular group\'s situation has to do with poor publicity.  In fact, their attendance has dwindled to such an extent that they have had to change venues. Today I attended another event (different group), same problem: fewer people.\n\nIf you are organizing an event that has been losing audience, you may want to ask yourself these questions:\n\n<strong>Is your publicity reaching new/bigger audiences?</strong>\n\nObviously, if few people know you are having an event, few people will attend. As a communicator, you have to evaluate where you are publicizing your event, and whether you are attracting enough people. Moreover, if you are trying to expand the amount of people at your events, you are going to have to experiment with new ways of publicizing the event. If you can only count on your core group, you don\'t have a recipe for growth.\n\n<strong>Is your program good?</strong>\n\nThere are just so many times I can go to a social media event. I have heard lots of it before. Nothing new there. <strong>Programming content counts.</strong> Doing a boring event or having the same speakers is not going to draw a new or bigger crowd.\n\n<strong>What else is going on that day?</strong>\n\nThis is about the importance of timing. If you are having an event, and there is a presidential debate going on that evening, you are forcing people to choose, and you may lose. Also, what time of day is your event? Have you experimented with other times?\n\n<strong>How good was your last event?</strong>\n\nYou know the saying, <em>you are only as good as your last success</em>. How successful was your last event? Were people interested, motivated, energized? Or did you receive complaints? Was the speaker entertaining or boring?  Unfortunately, you do not have too much control over circumstances (speaker was grumpy, people were late due to mass transit problems, etc.), but it matters anyhow. If you had a crappy event, people aren\'t going to want to attend another event that you put on.\n\n<strong>Do you know who your audience is? Do you know why they attend your events?</strong>\n\nYou don\'t survey you attendees? Big mistake! If you don\'t even know why the people who are there attended, how are you going to figure out why people aren\'t attending? YOU MUST SURVEY...even informally. As an organizer, ask people on the way  in how they found out about the event and on their way out whether they enjoyed the event. Have forms people can fill out. Send out an electronic survey. Do what it takes to find out more about your audience.\n\nWhat are you up against and how are you fixing it? Let me know in the comments.','Are your events drawing fewer people?','','inherit','open','open','','1860-autosave','','','2012-10-16 20:41:25','2012-10-16 20:41:25','',1860,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1860-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1864,4,'2012-10-20 13:36:10','2012-10-20 13:36:10','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','inherit','open','open','','1863-revision','','','2012-10-20 13:36:10','2012-10-20 13:36:10','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1863-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1865,4,'2012-10-20 13:36:17','2012-10-20 13:36:17','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','inherit','open','open','','1863-revision-2','','','2012-10-20 13:36:17','2012-10-20 13:36:17','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1863-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1866,4,'2012-10-20 13:46:33','2012-10-20 13:46:33','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','inherit','open','open','','1863-revision-3','','','2012-10-20 13:46:33','2012-10-20 13:46:33','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1863-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1867,4,'2012-10-20 14:34:04','2012-10-20 14:34:04','','Picture0005','','inherit','open','open','','picture0005','','','2012-10-20 14:34:04','2012-10-20 14:34:04','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Picture0005.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1868,4,'2012-10-20 14:28:24','2012-10-20 14:28:24','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','inherit','open','open','','1863-revision-4','','','2012-10-20 14:28:24','2012-10-20 14:28:24','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1863-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1869,4,'2012-10-20 15:18:35','2012-10-20 15:18:35','Today I am at WordCamp Philly, which is the second WordPress \"camp\" I am attending.<!--more-->  I have already learned (within 15 minutes) how to do something cool.','Learning WordPress','','inherit','open','open','','1863-revision-5','','','2012-10-20 15:18:35','2012-10-20 15:18:35','',1863,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1863-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1920,4,'2012-11-20 14:14:48','0000-00-00 00:00:00','This is a fact: if organizations fail to appeal to younger people, they will not survive. There is no growth potential in appealing ONLY to older populations. They are not the future.  And yet, how many organizations are doing nothing--communications or programming-wise--to appeal to a younger audience?\r\n\r\nLast week, I attended an event where I was the youngest person. And I am not considered young (demographically speaking, of course).  It got me thinking about what organizations will have to do to appeal to younger people. Will it suffice to change and expand their communications efforts, or will they have to revamp their program offerings? Or both?\r\n\r\nNot appealing to younger people is a mistake of epic proportions. Witness the Republican Party\'s handwringing in light of their presidential loss to the Democrats. Even Mitt Romney seems to acknowledge his party was not offering much to young people (although his assertion that Obama was offering young people \"gifts\" was misguided at best).  The GOP is now dealing with the fact that their primary target of older, white male voters is a shrinking demographic.','Kidding around: appealing to younger people','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-11-20 14:14:48','2012-11-20 14:14:48','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1920',0,'post','',0),(1872,4,'2012-10-23 15:05:55','2012-10-23 15:05:55','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\r\n\r\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\r\n\r\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\r\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\r\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\r\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\r\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\r\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\r\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\r\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\r\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\r\n\r\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\r\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\r\n	<li>Akismet</li>\r\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\r\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\r\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\r\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\r\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\r\n\r\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\r\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\r\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large organizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\r\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\r\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','All I learned about WordPress I learned at camp','','publish','open','open','','all-i-learned-about-wordpress','','','2012-10-23 15:07:59','2012-10-23 15:07:59','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1872',0,'post','',2),(1873,4,'2012-10-23 15:02:28','2012-10-23 15:02:28','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\n\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\n\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\n\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\n<ul>\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\n</ul>\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\n\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\n<ul>\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\n	<li>Akismet</li>\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>\n<strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\n\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large 0rganizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','1872-revision','','','2012-10-23 15:02:28','2012-10-23 15:02:28','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1874,4,'2012-10-23 15:03:34','2012-10-23 15:03:34','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\r\n\r\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\r\n\r\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\r\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\r\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\r\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\r\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\r\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\r\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\r\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\r\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\r\n\r\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\r\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\r\n	<li>Akismet</li>\r\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\r\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3>\r\n<strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\r\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\r\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\r\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\r\n\r\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\r\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\r\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large 0rganizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\r\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\r\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','1872-revision-2','','','2012-10-23 15:03:34','2012-10-23 15:03:34','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1875,4,'2012-10-23 15:05:03','2012-10-23 15:05:03','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\r\n\r\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\r\n\r\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\r\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\r\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\r\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\r\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\r\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\r\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\r\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\r\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\r\n\r\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\r\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\r\n	<li>Akismet</li>\r\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\r\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3>\r\n<strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\r\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\r\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\r\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\r\n\r\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\r\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\r\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large 0rganizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\r\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\r\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','All I learned about WordPress I learned at camp','','inherit','open','open','','1872-revision-3','','','2012-10-23 15:05:03','2012-10-23 15:05:03','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1876,4,'2012-10-23 15:05:07','2012-10-23 15:05:07','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\r\n\r\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\r\n\r\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\r\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\r\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\r\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\r\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\r\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\r\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\r\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\r\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\r\n\r\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\r\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\r\n	<li>Akismet</li>\r\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\r\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\r\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\r\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\r\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\r\n\r\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\r\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\r\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large 0rganizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\r\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\r\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','All I learned about WordPress I learned at camp','','inherit','open','open','','1872-revision-4','','','2012-10-23 15:05:07','2012-10-23 15:05:07','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1877,4,'2012-10-23 15:05:55','2012-10-23 15:05:55','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\r\n\r\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\r\n\r\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\r\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\r\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\r\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\r\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\r\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\r\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\r\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\r\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\r\n\r\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\r\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\r\n	<li>Akismet</li>\r\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\r\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\r\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\r\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\r\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\r\n\r\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\r\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\r\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large 0rganizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\r\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\r\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','All I learned about WordPress I learned at camp','','inherit','open','open','','1872-revision-5','','','2012-10-23 15:05:55','2012-10-23 15:05:55','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1878,4,'2012-10-23 15:09:02','2012-10-23 15:09:02','This blog is hosted on a website built on <a href=\"http://wordpress.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress</a>. Lots of blogs, and many websites, are built using WordPress because it is easy to use and easy to customize. Because WordPress makes it so easy to update your content, there are more organizations using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). If you use software such as Dreamweaver to build a website, you probably have to call your “web person” to ask him/her to make updates.\n\nWordPress has built quite a large community of users and developers, many of whom have regular meet ups and discussion groups. A very popular (and fun) way to get a large group of WordPress enthusiasts together is <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress “camp.” </a>These camps happen year round in cities worldwide. All are volunteer run.\n\nThis past weekend I attended <a href=\"http://2012.philly.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Word Camp Philadelphia</a>, and last month I went to Word Camp in Baltimore. I am trying to learn all I can about WordPress since I don’t have an IT department or anybody handling my website (which is a long story).\n\nI learned a lot at Word Camp Philadelphia (and kudos to the organizers who made this volunteer run event run smoothly and professionally). Here are some main takeaways:\n<h3> <strong>Make security a priority</strong></h3>\nAll websites are vulnerable to hacking. There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk. Among them:\n<ul>\n	<li>            Do not use admin as your log on name</li>\n	<li>            Have a strong password</li>\n	<li>            Always update to the newest version of WordPress</li>\n	<li>            Be sure your plugins are compatible and updated</li>\n</ul>\n<h3><strong>Backup often</strong></h3>\nWe heard this time and time again—make your back ups happen automatically. There are many plugins (free and paid) that make this easy. The one mentioned by many presenters was BackupBuddy.\n<h3> <strong>Plugins are cool</strong></h3>\nPlugins are little programs that add functionality to your WordPress site. There are thousands of plugins available for download from WordPress.org, providing the ability to share posts, create backups, and add lots of bells and whistles. You should keep plugins updated, and you should remove any you aren’t using. Too many plugins can slow a website down, and create issues.\n\nA few that were mentioned repeatedly were:\n<ul>\n	<li>All in One SEO pack</li>\n	<li>AntispamBee</li>\n	<li>Akismet</li>\n	<li>Yet Another Related Post (YARPP) (running on this site)</li>\n	<li>Digg Digg (for social sharing)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3><strong> Content is crucial</strong></h3>\nIf you don’t have interesting and relevant content on your blog/website, why would anybody want to visit? Keep in mind that people don’t like to read long chunks of text (as Jess Ostroff from <a href=\"http://dontpanicmgmt.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Don’t Panic Management</a> put it: <strong>TL;DR</strong>, which stands for too long; didn’t read). Also, to avoid long uninterrupted text is why we break up content using headings, bullets and images. To organize your content, you should use some sort of content management system. Jess Ostroff recommended <a href=\"http://www.divvyhq.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DivvyHQ.com</a> (paid) or the WordPress Editorial Calendar (free).\n<h3> <strong>Websites should be accessible</strong></h3>\nThere is such a thing as making your website “handicapped accessible.” For example,  blind people use web readers to visit websites. If you have images on your website, you should make sure to add alt text  so that these readers can include a description of these images.\n\nAnother type of accessibility is for mobile devices. The newest version of the simple WordPress theme (Twenty Twelve) adjusts the dimensions of your website to make it fit to a mobile phone screen.\n<h3> <strong>WordPress: it’s not just for blogging anymore!</strong></h3>\nThe most important takeaway is that WordPress is not just for blogging. Large organizations have already migrated their websites to a WordPress platform.\n<h3><strong>Go to camp  already!</strong></h3>\nIf you are interested in learning more about WordPress, I highly recommend going to Word Camp. However, not all camps are created equal and it may be worth it to travel to a camp that is well organized.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','All I learned about WordPress I learned at camp','','inherit','open','open','','1872-autosave','','','2012-10-23 15:09:02','2012-10-23 15:09:02','',1872,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1872-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1880,4,'2012-10-25 19:39:46','2012-10-25 19:39:46','This year, we have been bombarded with political ads on TV, especially in swing states. I can attest to this since my TV DMA covers Northern Virginia, and Virginia is a swing state, so we have been seeing (too) many here in Maryland.\r\n\r\nThe spending is in the billions. Adweek reports: <a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/political-tv-ads-shatter-records-144746\" target=\"_blank\">Political TV Ads Shatter Records. It\'s not over yet.</a>  According to Adweek, as of last week, 915,000 presidential ads have appeared. Add to that congressional and senate ads, and ballot question ads, and I would be surprised if you have seen even one commercial for Viagra!\r\n\r\nIn today\'s Washington Post, Ned Martel writes in the article <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/could-the-campaign-ads-benefit-from-the-mad-men-touch/2012/10/24/84a09c60-1215-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Could the campaign ads benefit from Mad Men touch\"</a> that the ads are not even that good.  He says:\r\n<blockquote>To advertising executives, this onslaught of attack ads looks like a giant waste of money. It certainly runs counter to every risk-conscious maxim the industry has honed since the days of “Mad Men.”</blockquote>\r\nNegative ads have been a staple of political campaigns forever. You want to discredit your opponent, that is understood. Unfortunately, this year especially (or so it seems...memories are short), we are seeing that not only are these ads negative, they are also factually challenged. Glenn Kessler, \"The Fact Checker\" writer at the Washington Post,<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/romney-doubling-down-on-debate-misstatements/2012/10/24/c1d34826-1e22-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_blog.html\" target=\"_blank\"> today rated  one of Mitt Romney\'s ads regarding Obama\'s so-called Apology Tour </a>four Pinnochios (which means that this particular ad includes falsehoods).\r\n\r\nWe are seeing a lot of back and forth: Romney says one thing, and Obama answers it. And to add legitimacy, we are seeing the use of news footage. An Obama ad recently used footage from a 60 Minutes interview of Mitt Romney.\r\n\r\nBut does any of it make any difference in trying to reach the mythical undecided voter? I am not sure. I think it must have some impact but does it change minds? Do people watch the ads or do they tune them out? I don\'t know. What are your thoughts?','Do political ads work?','','publish','open','open','','do-political-ads-work','','','2012-10-25 19:39:46','2012-10-25 19:39:46','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1880',0,'post','',0),(1881,4,'2012-10-25 19:39:00','2012-10-25 19:39:00','This year, we have been bombarded with political ads on TV, especially in swing states. I can attest to this since my TV DMA covers Northern Virginia, and Virginia is a swing state, so we have been seeing (too) many here in Maryland.\n\nThe spending is in the billions. Adweek reports: <a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/political-tv-ads-shatter-records-144746\" target=\"_blank\">Political TV Ads Shatter Records. It\'s not over yet.</a>  According to Adweek, as of last week, 915,000 presidential ads have appeared. Add to that congressional and senate ads, and ballot question ads, and I would be surprised if you have seen even one commercial for Viagra!\n\nIn today\'s Washington Post, Ned Martel writes in the article <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/could-the-campaign-ads-benefit-from-the-mad-men-touch/2012/10/24/84a09c60-1215-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Could the campaign ads benefit from Mad Men touch\"</a> that the ads are not even that good.  He says:\n<blockquote>To advertising executives, this onslaught of attack ads looks like a giant waste of money. It certainly runs counter to every risk-conscious maxim the industry has honed since the days of “Mad Men.”</blockquote>\nNegative ads have been a staple of political campaigns forever. You want to discredit your opponent, that is understood. Unfortunately, this year especially (or so it seems...memories are short), we are seeing that not only are these ads negative, they are also factually challenged. Glenn Kessler, \"The Fact Checker\" writer at the Washington Post,<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/romney-doubling-down-on-debate-misstatements/2012/10/24/c1d34826-1e22-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_blog.html\" target=\"_blank\"> today rated  one of Mitt Romney\'s ads regarding Obama\'s so-called Apology Tour </a>four Pinnochios (which means that this particular ad includes falsehoods).\n\nWe are seeing a lot of back and forth: Romney says one thing, and Obama answers it. And to add legitimacy, we are seeing the use of news footage. An Obama ad recently used footage from a 60 Minutes interview of Mitt Romney.\n\nBut does any of it make any difference in trying to reach the mythical undecided voter? I am not sure. I think it must have some impact but does it change minds? Do people watch the ads or do they tune them out? I don\'t know. What are your thoughts?','Do political ads work?','','inherit','open','open','','1880-revision','','','2012-10-25 19:39:00','2012-10-25 19:39:00','',1880,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1880-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1883,4,'2012-10-29 14:57:25','2012-10-29 14:57:25','If you are anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard you are feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy (or at least, you are hearing about the effects of Sandy on the nonstop news coverage). You are probably hunkered down at home since few people ventured out to work today.  If your job is to communicate, you are faced with a tough situation: you cannot compete for attention! What should you do?\r\n\r\nIf you already have a <strong>print campaign</strong> running, there is nothing you can or should do. People realize that your ad or press release went out way before the storm.\r\n\r\nIf you have <strong>TV  ad campaign</strong> running, realize that your spots probably won\'t run. Too much air space will be devoted to hurricane coverage. The issue you will have to face is whether you can continue to use those spots after the storm. Are they still relevant? More importantly, if people are dealing with after-disaster effects, how much impact will your ads have?\r\n\r\nIf you had scheduled a<strong> press conference</strong>, you should cancel it. Nobody wants to hear about product launches when they are worried about a tree crashing down on their house.\r\n\r\nIf you handle <strong>communications for a business or organization</strong>--especially a retail operation--you should update your website and social media feeds regarding your status (are you open or closed, do you have power or not, will you honor late payments etc.) You should also record a phone message for your location. Not everyone will have access to the Internet. You may also consider sending emails/SMS messages to customers who may need to reschedule appointments etc.\r\n\r\nIf you have a <strong>press release</strong> going out this week, you may want to reschedule it. Your news will have to compete with disaster information.\r\n\r\nIf you have a <strong>social media campaign</strong> running, first realize that many people may not have Internet access. You may want to postpone your campaign, and certainly, revisit and reconsider any scheduled Tweets, Facebook updates or blog posts.  Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Jones has written a very useful blog post: <a href=\"http://fletcher-prince.com/2012/10/28/6-tips-how-communicators-can-prepare-for-hurricane-sandy/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Tips: How Communicators Can Prepare for Hurricane Sandy</a> where she deals with special considerations for social media.\r\n\r\nWhat are you doing to communicate during and after the storm? Please share any insights here.','Communicating when disaster strikes','','publish','open','open','','communicating-when-disaster-strikes','','','2012-10-29 14:57:25','2012-10-29 14:57:25','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1883',0,'post','',0),(1884,4,'2012-10-29 14:56:51','2012-10-29 14:56:51','If you are anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard you are feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy (or at least, you are hearing about the effects of Sandy on the nonstop news coverage). You are probably hunkered down at home since few people ventured out to work today.  If your job is to communicate, you are faced with a tough situation: there\'s no competing for attention! What should you do?\n\nIf you already have a <strong>print campaign</strong> running, there is nothing you can or should do. People realize that your ad or press release went out way before the storm.\n\nIf you have <strong>TV  ad campaign</strong> running, realize that your spots probably won\'t run. Too much air space will be devoted to hurricane coverage. The issue you will have to face is whether you can continue to use those spots after the storm. Are they still relevant? More importantly, if people are dealing with after-disaster effects, how much impact will your ads have?\n\nIf you had scheduled a<strong> press conference</strong>, you should cancel it. Nobody wants to hear about product launches when they are worried about a tree crashing down on their house.\n\nIf you handle <strong>communications for a business or organization</strong>--especially a retail operation--you should update your website and social media feeds regarding your status (are you open or closed, do you have power or not, will you honor late payments etc.) You should also record a phone message for your location. Not everyone will have access to the Internet. You may also consider sending emails/SMS messages to customers who may need to reschedule appointments etc.\n\nIf you have a <strong>press release</strong> going out this week, you may want to reschedule it. Your news will have to compete with disaster information.\n\nIf you have a <strong>social media campaign</strong> running, first realize that many people may not have Internet access. You may want to postpone your campaign, and certainly, revisit and reconsider any scheduled Tweets, Facebook updates or blog posts.  Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Jones has written a very useful blog post: <a href=\"http://fletcher-prince.com/2012/10/28/6-tips-how-communicators-can-prepare-for-hurricane-sandy/\" target=\"_blank\">6 Tips: How Communicators Can Prepare for Hurricane Sandy</a> where she deals with special considerations for social media.\n\nWhat are you doing to communicate during and after the storm? Please share any insights here.','Communicating when disaster strikes','','inherit','open','open','','1883-revision','','','2012-10-29 14:56:51','2012-10-29 14:56:51','',1883,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1883-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1885,4,'2012-10-31 14:01:38','2012-10-31 14:01:38','Yes, I know, it is somewhat formulaic to have a scary things post at Halloween, but why not? Following, in no particular order, are the scary (wrong) things communicators do:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Not know their effect from their affect</li>\r\n	<li> Declare that social media isn’t necessary</li>\r\n	<li> On the other hand, think that all they need to do is Tweet something out</li>\r\n	<li> Think a USP is something like a USB</li>\r\n	<li>Overlook the basics: not checking the address is correct, for example</li>\r\n	<li>Network all the time or not at all</li>\r\n	<li> Steer clear of professional development events because “there’s nothing new to learn”</li>\r\n	<li> Use corporate-speak phrases just to achieve buy-in or ramp up their core competency</li>\r\n	<li> Fail to adapt to changing conditions (“We will send out the press release, I don’t care that Hurricane Sandy just devastated New York.”)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nI know you have a few good ones to add--so please, please add them in the comments!\r\n\r\nHave a happy Halloween! Hope you get more treats than tricks.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1886\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1886\" title=\"Pumpkins\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Row of pumpkins at Farmers\' Market\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Pumpkins just in time for Halloween[/caption]','Scary things communicators do','','publish','open','open','','scary-things-communicators-do','','','2012-10-31 14:01:38','2012-10-31 14:01:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1885',0,'post','',0),(1886,4,'2012-10-31 13:58:26','2012-10-31 13:58:26','','Pumpkins','Pumpkins just in time for Halloween','inherit','open','open','','pumpkins','','','2012-10-31 13:58:26','2012-10-31 13:58:26','',1885,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1887,4,'2012-10-31 13:59:32','2012-10-31 13:59:32','Yes, I know, it is somewhat formulaic to have a scary things post at Halloween, but why not? Following, in no particular order, are the scary (wrong) things communicators do:\n<ul>\n	<li>Not know their effect from their affect</li>\n	<li> Declare that social media isn’t necessary</li>\n	<li> On the other hand, think that all they need to do is Tweet something out</li>\n	<li> Think USP is something like a USB</li>\n	<li>Overlook the basics: not checking the address is correct, for example</li>\n	<li>Network all the time or not at all</li>\n	<li> Steer clear of professional development events because “there’s nothing new to learn”</li>\n	<li> Use corporate-speak phrases just to achieve buy-in or ramp up their core competency</li>\n	<li> Fail to adapt to changing conditions (“We will send out the press release, I don’t care that Hurricane Sandy just devastated New York.”)</li>\n</ul>\nI know you have a few good ones to add--so please, please add them in the comments!\n\nHave a happy Halloween! Hope you get more treats than tricks.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1886\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1886\" title=\"Pumpkins\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Row of pumpkins at Farmers\' Market\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Pumpkins just in time for Halloween[/caption]','Scary things communicators do','','inherit','open','open','','1885-revision','','','2012-10-31 13:59:32','2012-10-31 13:59:32','',1885,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1885-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1888,4,'2012-10-31 14:00:32','2012-10-31 14:00:32','Yes, I know, it is somewhat formulaic to have a scary things post at Halloween, but why not? Following, in no particular order, are the scary (wrong) things communicators do:\n<ul>\n	<li>Not know their effect from their affect</li>\n	<li> Declare that social media isn’t necessary</li>\n	<li> On the other hand, think that all they need to do is Tweet something out</li>\n	<li> Think a USP is something like a USB</li>\n	<li>Overlook the basics: not checking the address is correct, for example</li>\n	<li>Network all the time or not at all</li>\n	<li> Steer clear of professional development events because “there’s nothing new to learn”</li>\n	<li> Use corporate-speak phrases just to achieve buy-in or ramp up their core competency</li>\n	<li> Fail to adapt to changing conditions (“We will send out the press release, I don’t care that Hurricane Sandy just devastated New York.”)</li>\n</ul>\nI know you have a few good ones to add--so please, please add them in the comments!\n\nHave a happy Halloween! Hope you get more treats than tricks.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1886\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1886\" title=\"Pumpkins\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pumpkins-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Row of pumpkins at Farmers\' Market\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> Pumpkins just in time for Halloween[/caption]','Scary things communicators do','','inherit','open','open','','1885-revision-2','','','2012-10-31 14:00:32','2012-10-31 14:00:32','',1885,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/10/1885-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1890,4,'2012-11-01 17:13:16','2012-11-01 17:13:16','<strong>Work for your treats!</strong>\r\n\r\nLast night was Halloween, and I had a bowlful of good (chocolate) candy. There seemed fewer trick-or-treaters this year than last, and a lot fewer cute costumes. I am not sure what that was about. But what really bugged me was the teenager who showed up with her backpack open, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">wearing no costume</span>,  just ready to grab some candy. Really? She made no effort at all and perhaps she felt a sense of entitlement. I shut the door after that and decided to keep the rest of the candy for myself.\r\n\r\n(Also, why is it that the littlest kids grabbed one piece of candy each, but the teenagers grabbed a handful?)\r\n\r\n<em>The takeaway here is that looking the part helps with buy-in. I am not inclined to give you candy if you don\'t look like a trick-or-treater, right?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>How am I supposed to get home?</strong>\r\n\r\nLast week I called a couple of dealerships about a malfunctioning knob in my car. Both dealerships were able to figure out approximately how much it would cost to fix but only one dealership offered a shuttle to take me home and pick me up. Where do you think I made a service appointment?\r\n\r\nWhen your car is in the shop, and it is going to take all day to fix, what are you supposed to do? You can\'t drive yourself, obviously, but you do have options: 1) you could sit at the dealership all day (and be bored and unproductive); 2) you could get a friend or family member to pick you up and take you back (if you have a favor that needs returning); 3) you could take a cab (could cost you lots of money); or 4)  you could take public transportation to where you need to go (if it is even available).\r\n\r\n<em>The marketing lesson here is that offering a useful service like a courtesy shuttle will set you apart and bring you business, often more than advertising will.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Complain but with a purpose</strong>\r\n\r\nBlogs are great for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it gives you a place to air your concerns. If you have a personal blog, complaining about something that happened to you at your local fast food shop or a blow up with a neighbor is appropriate. However, if you are writing for a small business or organizational blog, complaining just to blow off steam is not only useless, it may be detrimental. What is the reason that you are sharing the complaint? How is it helping your blog\'s readers? How is it getting your blog more readers of the kind you want?\r\n\r\nFor example, a couple of years ago, I wrote a complaint post about a certain cosmetics company. I did try to give it a communications spin, but the people that find my blog because of that particular post are other angry customers who are in no way interested in my thoughts on marketing communications, but rather in complaining about the cosmetics company. It gets me readers, but not readers in my target audience.\r\n\r\n<em>Before you start a complaint blog post or rant, think about how it fits with your blog\'s  purpose and  target audience.</em>\r\n\r\nHappy November!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Random thoughts to start November','','publish','open','open','','random-thoughts-to-start-november','','','2012-11-01 17:13:16','2012-11-01 17:13:16','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1890',0,'post','',0),(1891,4,'2012-11-01 17:12:51','2012-11-01 17:12:51','<strong>Work for your treats!</strong>\n\nLast night was Halloween, and I had a bowlful of good (chocolate) candy. There seemed fewer trick-or-treaters this year than last, and a lot fewer cute costumes. I am not sure what that was about. But what really bugged me was the teenager who showed up with her backpack open, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">wearing no costume</span>,  just ready to grab some candy. Really? She made no effort at all and perhaps she felt a sense of entitlement. I shut the door after that and decided to keep the rest of the candy for myself.\n\n(Also, why is it that the littlest kids grabbed one piece of candy each, but the teenagers grabbed a handful?)\n\n<em>The takeaway here is that looking the part helps with buy-in. I am not inclined to give you candy if you don\'t look like a trick-or-treater, right?</em>\n\n<strong>How am I supposed to get home?</strong>\n\nLast week I called a couple of dealerships about a malfunctioning knob in my car. Both dealerships were able to figure out approximately how much it would cost to fix but only one dealership offered a shuttle to take me home and pick me up. Where do you think I made a service appointment?\n\nWhen your car is in the shop, and it is going to take all day to fix, what are you supposed to do? You can\'t drive yourself, obviously, but you do have options: 1) you could sit at the dealership all day (and be bored and unproductive); 2) you could get a friend or family member to pick you up and take you back (if you have a favor that needs returning); 3) you could take a cab (could cost you lots of money); or 4)  you could take public transportation to where you need to go (if it is even available).\n\n<em>The marketing lesson here is that offering a useful service like a courtesy shuttle will set you apart and bring you business, often more than advertising will.</em>\n\n<strong>Complain but with a purpose</strong>\n\nBlogs are great for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it gives you a place to air your concerns. If you have a personal blog, complaining about something that happened to you at your local fast food shop or a blow up with a neighbor is appropriate. However, if you are writing for a small business or organizational blog, complaining just to blow off steam is not only useless, it may be detrimental. What is the reason that you are sharing the complaint? How is it helping your blog\'s readers? How is it getting your blog more readers of the kind you want?\n\nFor example, a couple of years ago, I wrote a complaint post about a certain cosmetics company. I did try to give it a communications spin, but the people that find my blog because of that particular post are other angry customers who are in no way interested in my thoughts on marketing communications, but rather in complaining about the cosmetics company. It gets me readers, but not readers in my target audience.\n\n<em>Before you start a complaint blog post or rant, think about how it fits with your blog\'  purpose and  target audience.</em>\n\nHappy November!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Random thoughts to start November','','inherit','open','open','','1890-revision','','','2012-11-01 17:12:51','2012-11-01 17:12:51','',1890,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1890-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1893,4,'2012-11-05 21:39:18','2012-11-05 21:39:18','Last week, when we were waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit, my main worry was losing power. Because the storm was predicted many days out, Pepco was actually ready, with out-of-state assets in place. Pepco also warned it could take a week or more to restore powe (managing expectations?)  Thankfully, Montgomery County was spared the worst of storm, and although some customers did lose power, the majority did not. Of course, New Jersey and New York were hit pretty badly and are still struggling to get power restored.\r\n\r\n<strong>Detailed preparedness plan, communicated </strong>\r\n\r\nPepco seemed to go to great pains to communicate exactly how it was prepared to deal with the storm (participated in mutual aid calls, got repair crews in place, and so forth). Prior to the storm, every customer received a robocall warning to be prepared.\r\n\r\n<strong>More faces of Pepco</strong>\r\n\r\nI noticed that prior to the storm, Pepco held a couple of news conferences. Instead of featuring Tom Graham, Pepco’s regional president, who was everywhere during the Derecho coverage, Pepco featured David Velazquez, the executive vice president for power delivery for PHI (Pepco’s parent company).\r\n\r\nHere\'s the video:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/VzlyJyf2LmM?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>Different tone and trying to do the right thing</strong>\r\n\r\nIn a full page color ad placed in yesterday\'s Sunday Washington Post, Pete Pedersen, Pepco’s emergency preparedness manager is featured (again, not Tom Graham). The headline is “Thank you for weathering the storm with us.” The body of the ad seems to recognize how much suffering being without power engenders saying:\r\n<blockquote>Because so many other communities are suffering right now, we hope you will join us in making a contribution to the American Red Cross.\r\n\r\nWith any storm like this, we’re all in it together.</blockquote>\r\nThe ad includes the American Red Cross logo and how to make a contribution. This shows some element of corporate social responsibility, which is in stark contrast to the lack of empathy exhibited during the Derecho, when Pepco even tried to charge customers a fee for the days they did not have power.\r\n\r\nGone is the defensiveness of the post-Derecho advertising.  But this is Pepco after all, and there still is an element of back-patting:\r\n<blockquote>But because of early preparations and your help in reporting outages and downed lines, we were able to respond quickly to this historic event.</blockquote>\r\nIs this a new Pepco? I am cautiously optimistic.\r\n\r\nYour thoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Has Pepco changed its communication strategy?','','publish','open','open','','has-pepco-changed-its-communication-strategy','','','2012-11-05 21:39:18','2012-11-05 21:39:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1893',0,'post','',0),(1894,4,'2012-11-05 21:35:28','2012-11-05 21:35:28','Last week, when we were waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit, my main worry was losing power. Because the storm was predicted many days out, Pepco was actually ready, with out-of-state assets in place. Pepco also warned it could take a week or more to restore power. Every customer received a robocall warning to be prepared.  Thankfully, Montgomery County was spared the worst of storm, and although some customers did lose power, the majority did not. Of course, New Jersey and New York were hit pretty badly and are still struggling to get power restored.\n\n<strong>Detailed preparedness plan, communicated </strong>\n\nPepco seemed to go to great pains to communicate exactly how it was prepared to deal with the storm (participated in mutual aid calls, got repair crews in place, and so forth).\n\n<strong>More faces of Pepco</strong>\n\nI noticed that prior to the storm, Pepco held a couple of news conferences. Instead of featuring Tom Graham, Pepco’s regional president, who was everywhere during the Derecho coverage, Pepco featured David Velazquez, the executive vice president for power delivery for PHI (Pepco’s parent company).\n\nHere\'s the video:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/VzlyJyf2LmM?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\n\n<strong>Different tone and trying to do the right thing</strong>\n\nIn a full page color ad placed in yesterday\'s Sunday Washington Post, Pete Pedersen, Pepco’s emergency preparedness manager is featured (again, not Tom Graham). The headline is “Thank you for weathering the storm with us.” The body of the ad seems to recognize how much suffering being without power engenders saying:\n<blockquote>Because so many other communities are suffering right now, we hope you will join us in making a contribution to the American Red Cross.\n\nWith any storm like this, we’re all in it together.</blockquote>\nThe ad includes the American Red Cross logo and how to make a contribution.\n\nGone is the defensiveness of the post-Derecho advertising. There still is an element of back-patting:\n<blockquote>But because of early preparations and your help in reporting outages and downed lines, we were able to respond quickly to this historic event.</blockquote>\nIs this a new Pepco? I am cautiously optimistic.\n\nYour thoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Has Pepco changed its communication strategy?','','inherit','open','open','','1893-revision','','','2012-11-05 21:35:28','2012-11-05 21:35:28','',1893,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1893-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1895,4,'2012-11-05 21:35:57','2012-11-05 21:35:57','Last week, when we were waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit, my main worry was losing power. Because the storm was predicted many days out, Pepco was actually ready, with out-of-state assets in place. Pepco also warned it could take a week or more to restore power. Every customer received a robocall warning to be prepared.  Thankfully, Montgomery County was spared the worst of storm, and although some customers did lose power, the majority did not. Of course, New Jersey and New York were hit pretty badly and are still struggling to get power restored.\r\n\r\n<strong>Detailed preparedness plan, communicated </strong>\r\n\r\nPepco seemed to go to great pains to communicate exactly how it was prepared to deal with the storm (participated in mutual aid calls, got repair crews in place, and so forth).\r\n\r\n<strong>More faces of Pepco</strong>\r\n\r\nI noticed that prior to the storm, Pepco held a couple of news conferences. Instead of featuring Tom Graham, Pepco’s regional president, who was everywhere during the Derecho coverage, Pepco featured David Velazquez, the executive vice president for power delivery for PHI (Pepco’s parent company).\r\n\r\nHere\'s the video:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/VzlyJyf2LmM?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<strong>Different tone and trying to do the right thing</strong>\r\n\r\nIn a full page color ad placed in yesterday\'s Sunday Washington Post, Pete Pedersen, Pepco’s emergency preparedness manager is featured (again, not Tom Graham). The headline is “Thank you for weathering the storm with us.” The body of the ad seems to recognize how much suffering being without power engenders saying:\r\n<blockquote>Because so many other communities are suffering right now, we hope you will join us in making a contribution to the American Red Cross.\r\n\r\nWith any storm like this, we’re all in it together.</blockquote>\r\nThe ad includes the American Red Cross logo and how to make a contribution.\r\n\r\nGone is the defensiveness of the post-Derecho advertising. There still is an element of back-patting:\r\n<blockquote>But because of early preparations and your help in reporting outages and downed lines, we were able to respond quickly to this historic event.</blockquote>\r\nIs this a new Pepco? I am cautiously optimistic.\r\n\r\nYour thoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Has Pepco changed its communication strategy?','','inherit','open','open','','1893-revision-2','','','2012-11-05 21:35:57','2012-11-05 21:35:57','',1893,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1893-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1958,4,'2012-12-27 13:45:44','2012-12-27 13:45:44','<strong>1. Understand the basics (who you are and what you do) before doing anything else</strong>. I worked with one client this year who had launched a website, hired a marketing person and even commissioned a video without ever having examined what the company’s main message was, defined a target audience or main competitors and certainly hadn’t thought out its USP.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You don’t have to market everywhere, just where you are likely to find your target audience</strong>. There’s no need to spread your marketing message far and wide. You can have success by focusing your efforts where you are likely to find your audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. There is only one content strategy (getting your target audience to read your content).</strong> <strong>Everything else is a TACTIC. </strong>I have read many articles about content marketing, all claiming to have new “strategies.” In most, if not all, cases, these strategies were really tactics.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"School Blackboard by H2O Alchemist, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/h2oalchemist/414924312/\"><img class=\" \" title=\"School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/158/414924312_26809b1259.jpg\" alt=\"School Blackboard\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong> 4.</strong> <strong>Acknowledge the reality on the ground</strong>. This year we have seen several advertisers (and a politician or two) who just did not get it. Like Pepco, who continued patting itself on its back about “reliability” when hundreds of thousands of customers were without power during extreme heat for several days.\r\n\r\n<strong> 5</strong>. <strong>Depending on Facebook (or any free, third-party service) as a marketing platform will cost you.</strong> Sure, you can have a Facebook page for free, but figuring out its ever changing policies will cost you in time and effort.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Stop scheduling your tweets! </strong>Tweeting about your fun weekend ahead while people are mourning 20 dead children is tacky and preventable. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Twitter is about immediacy, engagement and responsiveness. Scheduled tweets are just the opposite.</span>\r\n\r\nWhat lessons did you draw from the year that was? Anything jump out at you? If so, please share in the comments.','6 marketing and communications lessons from 2012','','publish','open','open','','6-marketing-and-communications-lessons-from-2012','','','2012-12-27 13:45:44','2012-12-27 13:45:44','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1958',0,'post','',0),(1898,4,'2012-11-08 17:37:21','2012-11-08 17:37:21','There\'s lots of advice floating around there about how often you should blog. Some say blog every day, some say twice a week. Does frequency matter? Should you blog more often or less often?\r\n\r\nI advocate for blogging consistently rather than frequently. For some bloggers it may too much pressure to blog every day or even once a week. What can you accomplish consistently? Can you do once a month? In that case, that should be your blogging frequency.\r\n\r\nA few weeks ago, I ran a poll via LinkedIn, asking the following question:\r\n\r\nDo you judge a blog/blogger by the frequency of posting.\r\n\r\nThe answer options were:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Yes</li>\r\n	<li>No</li>\r\n	<li>Depends on blog type</li>\r\n	<li>I judge based on content rather than frequency.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOverwhelmingly, people said they judged based on content. Frequency may not matter that much.\r\n\r\nThe answer to should you blog more often is, quite simply, it depends.\r\n\r\nIn the end, you have to decide what is best for your target audience, and for your ability to blog. Does your target need frequent updates? Are you able to deliver the frequency? If so, then blog more often. Are you using your blog to provide relevant information, that does not have to be updated so often? Then blog less often.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? What have you found works best for you, and why?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Should you blog more often?','','publish','open','open','','should-you-blog-more-often','','','2012-11-08 17:37:21','2012-11-08 17:37:21','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1898',0,'post','',0),(1899,4,'2012-11-08 17:36:59','2012-11-08 17:36:59','There\'s lots of advice floating around there about how often you should blog. Some say blog every day, some say twice a week. Does frequency matter? Should you blog more often or less often?\n\nI advocate for blogging consistently rather than frequently. For some bloggers it may too much pressure to blog every day or even once a week. What can you accomplish consistently? Can you do once a month? In that case, that should be your blogging frequency.\n\nA few weeks ago, I ran a poll via LinkedIn, asking the following question:\n\nDo you judge a blog/blogger by the frequency of posting.\n\nThe answer options were:\n<ul>\n	<li>Yes</li>\n	<li>No</li>\n	<li>Depends on blog type</li>\n	<li>I judge based on content rather than frequency.</li>\n</ul>\nOverwhelmingly, people said they judged based on content. Frequency may not matter that much.\n\nThe answer to should you blog more often is, quite simply, it depends.\n\nIn the end, you have to decide what is best for your target audience, and for your ability to blog. Does your target need frequent updates? Are you able to deliver the frequency? If so, then blog more often. Are you using your blog to provide relevant information, that does not have to be updated so often? Then blog less often.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat do you think? Should you blog more often or less often?\n\n&nbsp;','Should you blog more often?','','inherit','open','open','','1898-revision','','','2012-11-08 17:36:59','2012-11-08 17:36:59','',1898,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1898-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1900,4,'2012-11-08 17:38:29','2012-11-08 17:38:29','There\'s lots of advice floating around there about how often you should blog. Some say blog every day, some say twice a week. Does frequency matter? Should you blog more often or less often?\n\nI advocate for blogging consistently rather than frequently. For some bloggers it may too much pressure to blog every day or even once a week. What can you accomplish consistently? Can you do once a month? In that case, that should be your blogging frequency.\n\nA few weeks ago, I ran a poll via LinkedIn, asking the following question:\n\nDo you judge a blog/blogger by the frequency of posting.\n\nThe answer options were:\n<ul>\n	<li>Yes</li>\n	<li>No</li>\n	<li>Depends on blog type</li>\n	<li>I judge based on content rather than frequency.</li>\n</ul>\nOverwhelmingly, people said they judged based on content. Frequency may not matter that much.\n\nThe answer to should you blog more often is, quite simply, it depends.\n\nIn the end, you have to decide what is best for your target audience, and for your ability to blog. Does your target need frequent updates? Are you able to deliver the frequency? If so, then blog more often. Are you using your blog to provide relevant information, that does not have to be updated so often? Then blog less often.\n\nWhat do you think? What have you found works best for you, and why?\n\n&nbsp;','Should you blog more often?','','inherit','open','open','','1898-autosave','','','2012-11-08 17:38:29','2012-11-08 17:38:29','',1898,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1898-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1910,4,'2012-11-09 19:21:56','2012-11-09 19:21:56','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 fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n','Where do all the RSS feeds go','','inherit','open','open','','1903-revision-7','','','2012-11-09 19:21:56','2012-11-09 19:21:56','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1905,4,'2012-11-09 19:19:31','2012-11-09 19:19:31','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\nPlease fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\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-2','','','2012-11-09 19:19:31','2012-11-09 19:19:31','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1906,4,'2012-11-09 19:19:50','2012-11-09 19:19:50','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 fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\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-3','','','2012-11-09 19:19:50','2012-11-09 19:19:50','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1907,4,'2012-11-09 19:19:53','2012-11-09 19:19:53','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 fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\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-4','','','2012-11-09 19:19:53','2012-11-09 19:19:53','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1908,4,'2012-11-09 19:20:05','2012-11-09 19:20:05','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 fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\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-5','','','2012-11-09 19:20:05','2012-11-09 19:20:05','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1909,4,'2012-11-09 19:21:41','2012-11-09 19:21:41','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 fill out my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\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-6','','','2012-11-09 19:21:41','2012-11-09 19:21:41','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1911,4,'2012-11-09 19:23:19','2012-11-09 19:23:19','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','','inherit','open','open','','1903-revision-8','','','2012-11-09 19:23:19','2012-11-09 19:23:19','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1912,4,'2012-11-09 19:23:26','2012-11-09 19:23:26','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','','inherit','open','open','','1903-revision-9','','','2012-11-09 19:23:26','2012-11-09 19:23:26','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(1913,4,'2012-11-09 19:24:51','2012-11-09 19:24:51','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\nPlease answer my poll. I will share the information with you in a blog post.\n\n[polldaddy poll=\"6678494\"]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Where do all the RSS feeds go','','inherit','open','open','','1903-autosave','','','2012-11-09 19:24:51','2012-11-09 19:24:51','',1903,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1903-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1915,4,'2012-11-13 18:01:20','2012-11-13 18:01:20','There are a few things that people tend to overlook or to simply not check.\n\n<strong>Check the contact information CAREFULLY on your website/marketing materials</strong>\n\nYou want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps have someone read it off to you. For example, in my newsletter I found the address had the wrong ZIP code.  A graphic designer I know had one digit wrong in her phone number.\n\n<strong>And check whether it can be found easily</strong>\n\nI just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find where an art class was being offered--you know--the actual physical place where it was meeting. The website made you go to the About page where you had to scroll to the \"where to find us\" page. Why make it so complicated?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Check to see if GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest can find your address?</strong>\n\nIf you are any type of location that people drive to (store, restaurant, hotel, attraction), have you checked that the address you give out works on GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest? Sometimes street names have changed or are new and do not show up.\n\n<strong>Check how your email and enewsletters  show up to recipients?</strong>\n\nBefore you send out anything to the world, send yourself a sample. You want to make sure your name is spelled correctly, and how it shows up in the recipient\'s inbox.  For example, someone I know was sending email that was coming from Email box 2 instead of her name. And just today I received an enewsletter titled \"Sample Newsletter\" from a well known institution. These can result in people not knowing who you are and ultimately, not opening your email/enewsletter.\n\n&nbsp;','Quick! Check these potential problems right now','','inherit','open','open','','1914-revision','','','2012-11-13 18:01:20','2012-11-13 18:01:20','',1914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1914-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1916,4,'2012-11-13 18:03:20','2012-11-13 18:03:20','There are a few things that people tend to overlook or to simply not check.\n\n<strong>Check the contact information CAREFULLY on your website/marketing materials</strong>\n\nYou want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps have someone read it off to you. For example, in my newsletter I found the address had the wrong ZIP code.  A graphic designer I know had one digit wrong in her phone number.\n\n<strong>And check whether it can be found easily</strong>\n\nI just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find where an art class was being offered--you know--the actual physical place where it was meeting. The website made you go to the About page where you had to scroll to the \"where to find us\" page. Why make it so complicated?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a title=\"check by PNASH, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnash/5227436224/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5165/5227436224_aa52b49262_m.jpg\" alt=\"check\" width=\"240\" height=\"131\" /></a>\n\n<strong>Check to see if GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest can find your address?</strong>\n\nIf you are any type of location that people drive to (store, restaurant, hotel, attraction), have you checked that the address you give out works on GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest? Sometimes street names have changed or are new and do not show up.\n\n<strong>Check how your email and enewsletters  show up to recipients?</strong>\n\nBefore you send out anything to the world, send yourself a sample. You want to make sure your name is spelled correctly, and how it shows up in the recipient\'s inbox.  For example, someone I know was sending email that was coming from Email box 2 instead of her name. And just today I received an enewsletter titled \"Sample Newsletter\" from a well known institution. These can result in people not knowing who you are and ultimately, not opening your email/enewsletter.\n\n&nbsp;','Quick! Check these potential problems right now','','inherit','open','open','','1914-revision-2','','','2012-11-13 18:03:20','2012-11-13 18:03:20','',1914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1914-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1917,4,'2012-11-13 18:05:43','2012-11-13 18:05:43','There are a few things that people tend to overlook or to simply not check.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check the contact information CAREFULLY on your website/marketing materials</strong>\r\n\r\nYou want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps have someone read it off to you. For example, in my newsletter I found the address had the wrong ZIP code.  A graphic designer I know had one digit wrong in her phone number.\r\n\r\n<strong>And check whether it can be found easily</strong>\r\n\r\nI just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find where an art class was being offered--you know--the actual physical place where it was meeting. The website made you go to the About page where you had to scroll to the \"where to find us\" page. Why make it so complicated?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"216\"]<a title=\"check by PNASH, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnash/5227436224/\"><img title=\"Check mark\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5165/5227436224_aa52b49262_m.jpg\" alt=\"check\" width=\"216\" height=\"118\" /></a> By PNASH, Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>Check to see if GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest can find your address</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are any type of location that people drive to (store, restaurant, hotel, attraction), have you checked that the address you give out  works on GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest? Sometimes street names have changed or are new and do not show up.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check how your email and enewsletters  show up to recipients</strong>\r\n\r\nBefore you send out anything to the world, send yourself a sample. You want to make sure your name is spelled correctly, and how it shows up in the recipient\'s inbox.  For example, someone I know was sending email that was coming from Email box 2 instead of her name. And just today I received an enewsletter titled \"Sample Newsletter\" from a well known institution. These can result in people not knowing who you are and ultimately, not opening your email/enewsletter.\r\n\r\nGo check these things right now. Fix them if they don\'t check out. You will be glad you did.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Quick! Check these potential problems right now','','inherit','open','open','','1914-revision-3','','','2012-11-13 18:05:43','2012-11-13 18:05:43','',1914,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1914-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1921,4,'2012-11-20 14:08:35','2012-11-20 14:08:35','This is a fact: if organizations fail to appeal to younger people, they will not survive. There is no growth potential in appealing ONLY to older populations. They are not the future.  And yet, how many organizations are doing nothing--communications or programming-wise--to appeal to a younger audience?\n\nLast week, I attended an event where I was the youngest person. And I am not considered young (demographically speaking, of course).  It got me thinking about what organizations will have to do to appeal to younger people. Will it suffice to change and expand their communications efforts, or will they have to revamp their program offerings? Or both?\n\nNot appealing to younger people is a mistake of epic proportions. Witness the Republican Party\'s handwringing in light of their presidential loss to the Democrats. Even Mitt Romney seems to acknowledge his party was not offering much to young people (although his assertion that Obama was offering young people \"gifts\" was misguided at best).  The GOP is now dealing with the fact that their primary target of older, white male voters is a shrinking demographic.','Kidding around: appealing to younger people','','inherit','open','open','','1920-revision','','','2012-11-20 14:08:35','2012-11-20 14:08:35','',1920,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1920-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1922,4,'2012-11-21 13:50:45','2012-11-21 13:50:45','In case you haven\'t signed up for my newsletter (the sign up is on the top right), you can read the Fall/Thanksgiving one <a href=\"http://mad.ly/a36043\" target=\"_blank\">right here</a>.\r\n\r\nWishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Thanksgiving!','','publish','open','open','','happy-thanksgiving','','','2012-11-21 13:50:45','2012-11-21 13:50:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1922',0,'post','',0),(1923,4,'2012-11-21 13:47:03','2012-11-21 13:47:03','In case you haven\'t signed up for my newsletter (the sign up is on the top right), you can read the Fall/Thanksgiving one <a href=\"http://mad.ly/a36043\" target=\"_blank\">right here</a>.\n\nWishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!\n\n&nbsp;','Happy Thanksgiving!','','inherit','open','open','','1922-revision','','','2012-11-21 13:47:03','2012-11-21 13:47:03','',1922,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1922-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1926,4,'2012-11-28 21:25:41','2012-11-28 21:25:41','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.\n\nYou would think something as basic as show and tell would stay with most people. And yet it hasn\'t.\n\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.\n\nPerhaps this company\'s principals did not attend kindergarten.\n\nRemember, sh','Show and tell!','','inherit','open','open','','1925-revision','','','2012-11-28 21:25:41','2012-11-28 21:25:41','',1925,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1925-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1927,4,'2012-11-28 21:27:36','2012-11-28 21:27:36','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.\n\nYou would think something as basic as show and tell would stay with most people. And yet it hasn\'t.\n\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.\n\nPerhaps this company\'s principals did not attend kindergarten.\n\nRemember, show and tell. People need to see what they are getting and they need to understand it too.\n\nRight?\n\n&nbsp;','Show and tell!','','inherit','open','open','','1925-autosave','','','2012-11-28 21:27:36','2012-11-28 21:27:36','',1925,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1925-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1942,4,'2012-12-07 14:57:09','2012-12-07 14:57:09','Last week, I read a guest post on a popular PR blog that counseled people to spend 10 minutes a year on their LinkedIn profile and to schedule one or two tweets a day \"to maintain a presence on Twitter.\"\n\nCan you do social media in a few minutes a year? Sure you <em>can</em>.  But, the question is not whether you can, it is whether you <em>should</em>. And if you think you can achieve good outcomes by doing it the easy way, you are in for a big surprise.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"hard work 2  by idlphoto, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/idlphoto/4172394956/\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2800/4172394956_653cbf4ef5.jpg\" alt=\"hard work 2 \" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by idlphoto from Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nMarketing in general, and social media marketing in particular, are not easy tasks. In fact, to achieve results, you have to spend<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> lots of time and effort</span> (and sometimes money too). Anybody who tells you you can do it a couple of minutes a day is lying to you (or maybe just misleading you).  <strong>Just having or maintaining a presence is simply not enough.</strong>\n\nYour goal may be to just have a presence. But why would that be your goal? If you are marketing (yourself, a product, a cause, an idea), you probably have goal that involves movement (more followers, more buyers, more supporters). Just being is not going to move your goal very far forward.\n\nTake Twitter. If you schedule your tweets and then do nothing else, what exactly are you achieving? Not engagement, that\'s for sure. Twitter is a responsive platform. People comment and respond in real time. If you don\'t participate in real time, and respond quickly, I am not sure you should be on Twitter at all. Beside the fact that one or two tweets a day will likely get missed, especially if there is something else going on (and breaking news breaks on Twitter).\n\nTake LinkedIn. If you refresh your profile one time per year, and then don\'t do anything else, you aren\'t going to appear on the timeline. People will forget about you.\n\nPerhaps what the guess blogger I referenced above was trying to say is that you have to have a<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> minimum presence</span> if you are going to participate in social media channels. However, you can\'t and shouldn\'t be satisfied with the minimum. You need to MAXIMIZE your presence if you are trying to achieve goals. And perhaps you don\'t need to be on every social media channel. Perhaps you choose one or two where you can make an effort.\n\nSocial media marketing may be easy to understand, but it is not easy to achieve. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of effort. That\'s a fact.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? Do you think social media marketing can be accomplished easily? Do you think a minimum works? I would love your thoughts in the comments.','As easy as 1, 2, 3 (or not)','','inherit','open','open','','1941-revision','','','2012-12-07 14:57:09','2012-12-07 14:57:09','',1941,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1941-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1929,4,'2012-11-29 16:36:17','2012-11-29 16:36:17','Yesterday, a friend posted this on Facebook:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Merry-christmas.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1931\" title=\"Merry christmas\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Merry-christmas-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"It\'s not happy holidays, it\'s merry christmas\" width=\"300\" height=\"267\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI could not disagree more. This seems to be part of a growing (and conservative) movement, which claims saying Happy Holidays is taking the Christmas out of Christmas. In my opinion, this is a completely intolerant and ignorant view and understanding of the reality of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic world.  Christmas is celebrated by Christians, but not by Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Zen-Taoists and others.\r\n\r\nWishing happy holidays or season\'s greetings is a way of acknowledging the various holidays taking place at the end of the year: Christmas, New Year\'s, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa.\r\n\r\nWhen you wish someone a Merry Christmas, you are saying you wish him or her a happy day of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.\r\n\r\nOne is inclusive, and one is exclusive. One assumes a belief and one doesn\'t.\r\n\r\nAs a communicator, you have to be careful not to make members of your audience feel excluded.  Clearly, whether you wish Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas depends on who your target audience is.  A church, for example, has a target audience of Christian worshipers and supporters. For a church to wish its audience Merry Christmas would be completely appropriate. For a non-religious institution (like the government or your business) to wish its audience Merry Christmas, would be exclusionary.\r\n\r\nWith business communications, there\'s the additional desire to steer clear of hot topics like religion and politics. Merry Christmas is a religious statement. Happy Holidays is not.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you wish people Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas or something else?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is it Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-happy-holidays-or-merry-christmas','','','2012-11-29 16:36:17','2012-11-29 16:36:17','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1929',0,'post','',2),(1930,4,'2012-11-29 16:19:29','2012-11-29 16:19:29','Yesterday, a friend posted this on Facebook:\n\nI could not disagree more. This seems to be part of a growi movement, which claims saying Happy Holidays is taking the Christmas out of Christmas, is completely intolerant and ignorant of the reality of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic world.','Is it Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?','','inherit','open','open','','1929-revision','','','2012-11-29 16:19:29','2012-11-29 16:19:29','',1929,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1929-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1931,4,'2012-11-29 16:32:51','2012-11-29 16:32:51','','Merry christmas','','inherit','open','open','','merry-christmas','','','2012-11-29 16:32:51','2012-11-29 16:32:51','',1929,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Merry-christmas.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1932,4,'2012-11-29 16:36:14','2012-11-29 16:36:14','Yesterday, a friend posted this on Facebook:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Merry-christmas.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1931\" title=\"Merry christmas\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Merry-christmas-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"It\'s not happy holidays, it\'s merry christmas\" width=\"300\" height=\"267\" /></a>\n\nI could not disagree more. This seems to be part of a growing (and conservative) movement, which claims saying Happy Holidays is taking the Christmas out of Christmas. In my opinion, this is a completely intolerant and ignorant view and understanding of the reality of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic world.  Christmas is celebrated by Christians, but not by Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Zen-Taoists and others.\n\nWishing happy holidays or season\'s greetings is a way of acknowledging the various holidays taking place at the end of the year: Christmas, New Year\'s, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa.\n\nWhen you wish someone a Merry Christmas, you are saying you wish him or her a happy day of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.\n\nOne is inclusive, and one is exclusive. One assumes a belief and one doesn\'t.\n\nAs a communicator, you have to be careful not to make members of your audience feel excluded.  Clearly, whether you wish Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas depends on who your target audience is.  A church, for example, has a target audience of Christian worshipers and supporters. For a church to wish its audience Merry Christmas would be completely appropriate. For a non-religious institution (like the government or your business) to wish its audience Merry Christmas, would be exclusionary.\n\nWith business communications, there\'s the additional desire to steer clear of hot topics like religion and politics. Merry Christmas is a religious statement. Happy Holidays is not.\n\nWhat do you think? Do you wish people Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas or something else?\n\n&nbsp;','Is it Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?','','inherit','open','open','','1929-revision-2','','','2012-11-29 16:36:14','2012-11-29 16:36:14','',1929,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1929-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1934,4,'2012-12-04 15:07:20','2012-12-04 15:07:20','Chances are good that if you have a cable service,  you also have a DVR (digital video recorder).  In fact, according to a Nielsen study, quoted in Mashable.com (<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/nielsen-dvr-study/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>),  the use of DVRs increased five-fold from 2006 to 2011. It seems that of all the devices connected to our TV, we use the DVR the most.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"HD DVR HD by apalapala, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/apalapala/5112667364/\"><img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1371/5112667364_89eed4bf67.jpg\" alt=\"HD DVR HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"238\" /></a> HD DVR photo by Apalapala on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nLike the VCR of yore, the DVR lets you record a show for viewing at your convenience. Perhaps you are at work during the latest episode of Dr. Phil or you have to attend a family gathering during the Oscars.  And unlike the VCR, DVRs use hard disk space, giving you hundreds of hours of recording time. A DVR would have been a tremendous help to me during the last episode of Felicity back in the 90s, which due to a VCR glitch ,did not record and I never was able to watch it (but I digress).\r\n\r\nYesterday\'s <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/dvrs-and-weak-shows-explain-low-ratings-for-tv-networks.html?smid=pl-share\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times has an article</a> that says the networks are now blaming the DVR for weaker ratings ( although weaker shows may be more to blame).\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt that DVRs are affecting how we view TV. One immediate effect for most people is that we no longer view the commercials thanks to the fast forward button. Does this mean that advertisers should re-evaluate whether to even have TV commercials in the advertising mix? Well, yes, they should. Clearly, relying on TV commercials, especially on shows that people tend to record (perhaps daytime shows or late night shows), is a risky proposition.\r\n\r\nHowever, keep in mind that fast forward does not mean delete. You have to watch the screen while you are fast forwarding, so an intriguing commercial may actually catch your eye and make you hit play.\r\n\r\n<strong>The DVR Factor</strong> is that forgettable or boring commercials will not attract attention anymore, and will even be ignored. On the other hand, interesting and creative commercials will stand out and perhaps even be more memorable and effective.\r\n\r\nWe are surrounded by advertising--much of which we can skip or ignore. But we still pay attention to advertising messages that resonate with us, whether because they are eye-catching or interesting.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch ads at all?','The DVR Factor','','publish','open','open','','the-dvr-factor','','','2012-12-04 15:07:20','2012-12-04 15:07:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1934',0,'post','',0),(1935,4,'2012-12-04 15:00:37','2012-12-04 15:00:37','Chances are good that if you have a cable service,  you also have a DVR (digital video recorder).  In fact, according to a Nielsen study, quoted in Mashable.com (<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/nielsen-dvr-study/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>),  the use of DVRs increased five-fold from 2006 to 2011. It seems that of all the devices connected to our TV, we use the DVR the most.\n\nLike the VCR of yore, the DVR lets you record a show for viewing at your convenience. Perhaps you are at work during the latest episode of Dr. Phil or you have to attend a family gathering during the Oscars.  And unlike the VCR, DVRs use hard disk space, giving you hundreds of hours of recording time. A DVR would have been a tremendous help to me during the last episode of Felicity back in the 90s, which due to a VCR glitch ,did not record and I never was able to watch it (but I digress).\n\nYesterday\'s <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/dvrs-and-weak-shows-explain-low-ratings-for-tv-networks.html?smid=pl-share\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times has an article</a> that says the networks are now blaming the DVR for weaker ratings ( although weaker shows may be more to blame).\n\nThere is no doubt that DVRs are affecting how we view TV. One immediate effect for most people is that we no longer view the commercials thanks to the fast forward button. Does this mean that advertisers should re-evaluate whether to even have TV commercials in the advertising mix? Well, yes, they should. Clearly, relying on TV commercials, especially on shows that people tend to record (perhaps daytime shows or late night shows), is a risky proposition.\n\nHowever, keep in mind that fast forward does not mean delete. You have to watch the screen while you are fast forwarding, so an intriguing commercial may actually catch your eye and make you hit play.\n\n<strong>The DVR Factor</strong> is that forgettable or boring commercials will not attract attention anymore, and will even be ignored. On the other hand, interesting and creative commercials will stand out and perhaps even be more memorable and effective.\n\nWe are surrounded by advertising--much of which we can skip or ignore. But we still pay attention to advertising messages that resonate with us, whether because they are eye-catching or interesting.\n\nWhat do you think? Do you watch ads at all? Has th','The DVR Factor','','inherit','open','open','','1934-revision','','','2012-12-04 15:00:37','2012-12-04 15:00:37','',1934,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1934-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1936,4,'2012-12-04 15:01:37','2012-12-04 15:01:37','Chances are good that if you have a cable service,  you also have a DVR (digital video recorder).  In fact, according to a Nielsen study, quoted in Mashable.com (<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/nielsen-dvr-study/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>),  the use of DVRs increased five-fold from 2006 to 2011. It seems that of all the devices connected to our TV, we use the DVR the most.\n\nLike the VCR of yore, the DVR lets you record a show for viewing at your convenience. Perhaps you are at work during the latest episode of Dr. Phil or you have to attend a family gathering during the Oscars.  And unlike the VCR, DVRs use hard disk space, giving you hundreds of hours of recording time. A DVR would have been a tremendous help to me during the last episode of Felicity back in the 90s, which due to a VCR glitch ,did not record and I never was able to watch it (but I digress).\n\nYesterday\'s <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/dvrs-and-weak-shows-explain-low-ratings-for-tv-networks.html?smid=pl-share\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times has an article</a> that says the networks are now blaming the DVR for weaker ratings ( although weaker shows may be more to blame).\n\nThere is no doubt that DVRs are affecting how we view TV. One immediate effect for most people is that we no longer view the commercials thanks to the fast forward button. Does this mean that advertisers should re-evaluate whether to even have TV commercials in the advertising mix? Well, yes, they should. Clearly, relying on TV commercials, especially on shows that people tend to record (perhaps daytime shows or late night shows), is a risky proposition.\n\nHowever, keep in mind that fast forward does not mean delete. You have to watch the screen while you are fast forwarding, so an intriguing commercial may actually catch your eye and make you hit play.\n\n<strong>The DVR Factor</strong> is that forgettable or boring commercials will not attract attention anymore, and will even be ignored. On the other hand, interesting and creative commercials will stand out and perhaps even be more memorable and effective.\n\nWe are surrounded by advertising--much of which we can skip or ignore. But we still pay attention to advertising messages that resonate with us, whether because they are eye-catching or interesting.\n\nWhat do you think? Do you watch ads at all?','The DVR Factor','','inherit','open','open','','1934-revision-2','','','2012-12-04 15:01:37','2012-12-04 15:01:37','',1934,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1934-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1937,4,'2012-12-04 15:06:52','2012-12-04 15:06:52','Chances are good that if you have a cable service,  you also have a DVR (digital video recorder).  In fact, according to a Nielsen study, quoted in Mashable.com (<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/nielsen-dvr-study/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>),  the use of DVRs increased five-fold from 2006 to 2011. It seems that of all the devices connected to our TV, we use the DVR the most.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"HD DVR HD by apalapala, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/apalapala/5112667364/\"><img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1371/5112667364_89eed4bf67.jpg\" alt=\"HD DVR HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"238\" /></a> HD DVR photo by Apalapala on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nLike the VCR of yore, the DVR lets you record a show for viewing at your convenience. Perhaps you are at work during the latest episode of Dr. Phil or you have to attend a family gathering during the Oscars.  And unlike the VCR, DVRs use hard disk space, giving you hundreds of hours of recording time. A DVR would have been a tremendous help to me during the last episode of Felicity back in the 90s, which due to a VCR glitch ,did not record and I never was able to watch it (but I digress).\r\n\r\nYesterday\'s <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/dvrs-and-weak-shows-explain-low-ratings-for-tv-networks.html?smid=pl-share\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times has an article</a> that says the networks are now blaming the DVR for weaker ratings ( although weaker shows may be more to blame).\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt that DVRs are affecting how we view TV. One immediate effect for most people is that we no longer view the commercials thanks to the fast forward button. Does this mean that advertisers should re-evaluate whether to even have TV commercials in the advertising mix? Well, yes, they should. Clearly, relying on TV commercials, especially on shows that people tend to record (perhaps daytime shows or late night shows), is a risky proposition.\r\n\r\nHowever, keep in mind that fast forward does not mean delete. You have to watch the screen while you are fast forwarding, so an intriguing commercial may actually catch your eye and make you hit play.\r\n\r\n<strong>The DVR Factor</strong> is that forgettable or boring commercials will not attract attention anymore, and will even be ignored. On the other hand, interesting and creative commercials will stand out and perhaps even be more memorable and effective.\r\n\r\nWe are surrounded by advertising--much of which we can skip or ignore. But we still pay attention to advertising messages that resonate with us, whether because they are eye-catching or interesting.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch ads at all?','The DVR Factor','','inherit','open','open','','1934-revision-3','','','2012-12-04 15:06:52','2012-12-04 15:06:52','',1934,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1934-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1938,4,'2012-12-04 15:06:58','2012-12-04 15:06:58','Chances are good that if you have a cable service,  you also have a DVR (digital video recorder).  In fact, according to a Nielsen study, quoted in Mashable.com (<a href=\"http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/nielsen-dvr-study/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>),  the use of DVRs increased five-fold from 2006 to 2011. It seems that of all the devices connected to our TV, we use the DVR the most.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"HD DVR HD by apalapala, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/apalapala/5112667364/\"><img src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1371/5112667364_89eed4bf67.jpg\" alt=\"HD DVR HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"238\" /></a> HD DVR photo by Apalapala on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nLike the VCR of yore, the DVR lets you record a show for viewing at your convenience. Perhaps you are at work during the latest episode of Dr. Phil or you have to attend a family gathering during the Oscars.  And unlike the VCR, DVRs use hard disk space, giving you hundreds of hours of recording time. A DVR would have been a tremendous help to me during the last episode of Felicity back in the 90s, which due to a VCR glitch ,did not record and I never was able to watch it (but I digress).\r\n\r\nYesterday\'s <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/dvrs-and-weak-shows-explain-low-ratings-for-tv-networks.html?smid=pl-share\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times has an article</a> that says the networks are now blaming the DVR for weaker ratings ( although weaker shows may be more to blame).\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt that DVRs are affecting how we view TV. One immediate effect for most people is that we no longer view the commercials thanks to the fast forward button. Does this mean that advertisers should re-evaluate whether to even have TV commercials in the advertising mix? Well, yes, they should. Clearly, relying on TV commercials, especially on shows that people tend to record (perhaps daytime shows or late night shows), is a risky proposition.\r\n\r\nHowever, keep in mind that fast forward does not mean delete. You have to watch the screen while you are fast forwarding, so an intriguing commercial may actually catch your eye and make you hit play.\r\n\r\n<strong>The DVR Factor</strong> is that forgettable or boring commercials will not attract attention anymore, and will even be ignored. On the other hand, interesting and creative commercials will stand out and perhaps even be more memorable and effective.\r\n\r\nWe are surrounded by advertising--much of which we can skip or ignore. But we still pay attention to advertising messages that resonate with us, whether because they are eye-catching or interesting.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch ads at all?','The DVR Factor','','inherit','open','open','','1934-revision-4','','','2012-12-04 15:06:58','2012-12-04 15:06:58','',1934,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1934-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1941,4,'2012-12-07 14:57:13','2012-12-07 14:57:13','Last week, I read a guest post on a popular PR blog that counseled people to spend 10 minutes a year on their LinkedIn profile and to schedule one or two tweets a day \"to maintain a presence on Twitter.\"\r\n\r\nCan you do social media in a few minutes a year? Sure you <em>can</em>.  But, the question is not whether you can, it is whether you <em>should</em>. And if you think you can achieve good outcomes by doing it the easy way, you are in for a big surprise.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"hard work 2  by idlphoto, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/idlphoto/4172394956/\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2800/4172394956_653cbf4ef5.jpg\" alt=\"hard work 2 \" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by idlphoto from Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nMarketing in general, and social media marketing in particular, are not easy tasks. In fact, to achieve results, you have to spend<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> lots of time and effort</span> (and sometimes money too). Anybody who tells you you can do it a couple of minutes a day is lying to you (or maybe just misleading you).  <strong>Just having or maintaining a presence is simply not enough.</strong>\r\n\r\nYour goal may be to just have a presence. But why would that be your goal? If you are marketing (yourself, a product, a cause, an idea), you probably have goal that involves movement (more followers, more buyers, more supporters). Just being is not going to move your goal very far forward.\r\n\r\nTake Twitter. If you schedule your tweets and then do nothing else, what exactly are you achieving? Not engagement, that\'s for sure. Twitter is a responsive platform. People comment and respond in real time. If you don\'t participate in real time, and respond quickly, I am not sure you should be on Twitter at all. Beside the fact that one or two tweets a day will likely get missed, especially if there is something else going on (and breaking news breaks on Twitter).\r\n\r\nTake LinkedIn. If you refresh your profile one time per year, and then don\'t do anything else, you aren\'t going to appear on the timeline. People will forget about you.\r\n\r\nPerhaps what the guess blogger I referenced above was trying to say is that you have to have a<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> minimum presence</span> if you are going to participate in social media channels. However, you can\'t and shouldn\'t be satisfied with the minimum. You need to MAXIMIZE your presence if you are trying to achieve goals. And perhaps you don\'t need to be on every social media channel. Perhaps you choose one or two where you can make an effort.\r\n\r\nSocial media marketing may be easy to understand, but it is not easy to achieve. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of effort. That\'s a fact.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Do you think social media marketing can be accomplished easily? Do you think a minimum works? I would love your thoughts in the comments.','As easy as 1, 2, 3 (or not)','','publish','open','open','','as-easy-as-1-2-3-or-not','','','2012-12-07 14:57:13','2012-12-07 14:57:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1941',0,'post','',0),(1955,4,'2012-12-19 21:50:25','2012-12-19 21:50:25','Perhaps its a sign that our social fabric is stretched too thin. Perhaps people don\'t know how to behave when they have the cover of social media. What is happening more and more is that people are expressing hate and hateful things to strangers on social media channels.\r\n\r\nOn Twitter, haters will search for ideas that they disagree with and then attack whoever tweeted those thoughts.  On blogs, people will leave nasty comments. On news sites, people will disparage others they disagree with. Social media seems rife with haters and trolls.\r\n\r\nHow do you deal with all these haters?\r\n\r\nFirst, do NOT take these comments personally.\r\n\r\nSecond, ignore the hater/troll. Most of these people are attention-seekers or enjoy getting an angry reaction from others. On Twitter, go to the hater\'s profile and block him or her. On your blog, discard the comment (you are under no obligation to provide a platform for others\' ideas, especially if they are contrary to your own and expressed in a disrespectful manner).  If feasible, delete the comments on Facebook.\r\n\r\nI am not saying to get rid of all comments that show a different viewpoint or even that question you, just get rid of comments that are obviously motivated by hate or the desire to incite argument.\r\n\r\nThird, move on. Social media is a constantly changing landscape, and what was interesting and hot five minutes ago may not be now.\r\n\r\nHow do you deal with haters or trolls? Would you add anything?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Dealing with the haters (on social media)','','publish','open','open','','dealing-with-the-haters-on-social-media','','','2012-12-19 21:50:25','2012-12-19 21:50:25','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1955',0,'post','',0),(1944,4,'2012-12-10 15:21:06','2012-12-10 15:21:06','Everybody goes to networking events at one point or another. Some go because they feel they have to and others go because they love to network. The bottom line is that networking is an integral part of marketing, both personal and business. Opportunities always stem from personal relationships and networking is just the path to extend and strengthen your personal relationships.\r\n\r\nDecember is probably the prime networking month as there are all sorts of holiday parties and end of year ceremonies. But if you don\'t think about your networking, all you will end up doing is wasting time (and money).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"handshake by B.T. Indrelunas, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/btindrelunas/4207736768/\"><img class=\" \" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2697/4207736768_2d21b5a225.jpg\" alt=\"handshake\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> Handshake by B.T. Indrelunas on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe inspiration for this post was a woman I \"met\" at a party last week. I didn\'t actually meet her because she was a walking networking don\'t. She approached me and a friend, greeted us, but didn\'t introduce herself. She babbled about the holidays (actually told us about her Thanksgiving dinner), and then said she wanted to get food, and turned around and left. Some time later, she sat down next to me and did not even try to make conversation. She wandered around the party aimlessly. Someone told me she was job-hunting. My impression was that she was slightly unhinged, and had no idea of how to connect with people.\r\n\r\nDon\'t be like that woman! You can make networking events a good marketing tool for yourself or your business if you follow some dos and don\'ts.\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Do this:</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Have an objective in mind</strong>. You should ask yourself what you would like to get out of this event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Work on your introduction.</strong> Have a short but complete overview of who you are, something like: Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I am a graphic designer at XZ agency, an Anytown-based advertising agency that specializes in the tech industry.\r\n\r\n<strong>Perfect your handshake, smile and body language</strong>.  A strong but not bone crushing grip, a nice smile and an open stance will help make you more likeable.\r\n\r\n<strong>Think about your appearance.</strong> Match your dress to the occasion. If it\'s a holiday party, be festive. If it is a morning business meeting, then dress in your business best!\r\n\r\n<strong>Be interested in the other person</strong>. Ask questions and be genuinely interested in the answers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Have business cards at the ready.</strong> Yes, I know people can Google you and phone tap you and whatever, but exchanging business cards is a tangible way to initiate contact.\r\n\r\n<strong>Follow up</strong>. Make sure to send an email to people you have met soon after the event to help establish the connection.  You may even suggest going to coffee or lunch and use the opportunity to get to know the person.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>But don\'t do this:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<strong>Hand out business cards indiscriminately</strong>. Exchange cards with someone only after you have spoken.\r\n\r\n<strong>Go for quantity.</strong> Some people feel they must work the room and meet everyone. I believe that quality is better than quantity, that is, it is better to meet a couple of people who will remember who you are, than a whole bunch of people than can\'t place you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Have a bad handshake.</strong> This includes the limp handshake, the overly strong handshake, the clammy handshake, and one that I experienced last week, the calloused, rough skin on the hand shake (use moisturizer!!!).\r\n\r\n<strong>Be overly self-deprecating.</strong> Don\'t diminish your accomplishments by letting your insecurity shine through.\r\n\r\n<strong>Act weird</strong>. Some people take pride in marching to the beat of a different drummer, and that is fine. But. There is personality and then there is weirdness. Some people (like the woman I mentioned above) don\'t pick up on social cues. Or then there was the guy who went to the holiday party in a kilt. Using a kilt is limited to the following occasions: when you are a schoolgirl in uniform, at your family\'s Scottish ancestral ceremony or it is Halloween.  You don\'t want to get attention for the wrong reasons.\r\n\r\nHappy networking this holiday season. You may just be a party away from meeting your next employer, project or friend!\r\n\r\nWhat are your networking dos and don\'ts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to make networking events a better marketing opportunity','','publish','open','open','','how-to-make-networking-events-a-better-marketing-opportunity','','','2012-12-10 15:21:06','2012-12-10 15:21:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1944',0,'post','',0),(1945,4,'2012-12-10 15:18:58','2012-12-10 15:18:58','Everybody goes to networking events at one point or another. Some go because they feel they have to and others go because they love to network. The bottom line is that networking is an integral part of marketing, both personal and business. Opportunities always stem from personal relationships and networking is just the path to extend and strengthen your personal relationships.\n\nDecember is probably the prime networking month as there are all sorts of holiday parties and end of year ceremonies. But if you don\'t think about your networking, all you will end up doing is wasting time (and money).\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"handshake by B.T. Indrelunas, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/btindrelunas/4207736768/\"><img class=\" \" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2697/4207736768_2d21b5a225.jpg\" alt=\"handshake\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> Handshake by B.T. Indrelunas on Flickr[/caption]\n\nThe inspiration for this post was a woman I \"met\" at a party last week. I didn\'t actually meet her because she was a walking networking don\'t. She approached me and a friend, greeted us, but didn\'t introduce herself. She babbled about the holidays (actually told us about her Thanksgiving dinner), and then said she wanted to get food, and turned around and left. Some time later, she sat down next to me and did not even try to make conversation. She wandered around the party aimlessly. Someone told me she was job-hunting. My impression was that she was slightly unhinged, and had no idea of how to connect with people.\n\nDon\'t be like that woman! You can make networking events a good marketing tool for yourself or your business if you follow some dos and don\'ts.\n\nDo this:\n\n<strong>Have an objective in mind</strong>. You should ask yourself what you would like to get out of this event.\n\n<strong>Work on your introduction.</strong> Have a short but complete overview of who you are, something like: Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I am a graphic designer at XZ agency, an Anytown-based advertising agency that specializes in the tech industry.\n\n<strong>Perfect your handshake, smile and body language</strong>.  A strong but not bone crushing grip, a nice smile and an open stance will help make you more likeable.\n\n<strong>Think about your appearance.</strong> Match your dress to the occasion. If it\'s a holiday party, be festive. If it is a morning business meeting, then dress in your business best!\n\n<strong>Be interested in the other person</strong>. Ask questions and be genuinely interested in the answers.\n\n<strong>Have business cards at the ready.</strong> Yes, I know people can Google you and phone tap you and whatever, but exchanging business cards is a tangible way to initiate contact.\n\n<strong>Follow up</strong>. Make sure to send an email to people you have met soon after the event to help establish the connection.  You may even suggest going to coffee or lunch and use the opportunity to get to know the person.\n\n<strong>But don\'t do this:</strong>\n\n<strong>Hand out business cards indiscriminately</strong>. Exchange cards with someone only after you have spoken.\n\n<strong>Go for quantity.</strong> Some people feel they must work the room and meet everyone. I believe that quality is better than quantity, that is, it is better to meet a couple of people who will remember who you are, than a whole bunch of people than can\'t place you.\n\n<strong>Have a bad handshake.</strong> This includes the limp handshake, the overly strong handshake, the clammy handshake, and one that I experienced last week, the calloused, rough skin on the hand shake (use moisturizer!!!).\n\n<strong>Be overly self-deprecating.</strong> Don\'t diminish your accomplishments by letting your insecurity shine through.\n\n<strong>Act weird</strong>. Some people take pride in marching to the beat of a different drummer, and that is fine. But. There is personality and then there is weirdness. Some people (like the woman I mentioned above) don\'t pick up on social cues. Or then there was the guy who went to the holiday party in a kilt. Using a kilt is limited to the following occasions: when you are a schoolgirl in uniform, at your family\'s Scottish ancestral ceremony or it is Halloween.  You don\'t want to get attention for the wrong reasons.\n\nHappy networking this holiday season. You may just be a party away from meeting your next employer, project or friend!\n\nWhat are your networking dos and don\'ts?\n\n&nbsp;','How to make networking events a better marketing opportunity','','inherit','open','open','','1944-revision','','','2012-12-10 15:18:58','2012-12-10 15:18:58','',1944,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1944-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1946,4,'2012-12-10 15:19:58','2012-12-10 15:19:58','Everybody goes to networking events at one point or another. Some go because they feel they have to and others go because they love to network. The bottom line is that networking is an integral part of marketing, both personal and business. Opportunities always stem from personal relationships and networking is just the path to extend and strengthen your personal relationships.\n\nDecember is probably the prime networking month as there are all sorts of holiday parties and end of year ceremonies. But if you don\'t think about your networking, all you will end up doing is wasting time (and money).\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"handshake by B.T. Indrelunas, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/btindrelunas/4207736768/\"><img class=\" \" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2697/4207736768_2d21b5a225.jpg\" alt=\"handshake\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> Handshake by B.T. Indrelunas on Flickr[/caption]\n\nThe inspiration for this post was a woman I \"met\" at a party last week. I didn\'t actually meet her because she was a walking networking don\'t. She approached me and a friend, greeted us, but didn\'t introduce herself. She babbled about the holidays (actually told us about her Thanksgiving dinner), and then said she wanted to get food, and turned around and left. Some time later, she sat down next to me and did not even try to make conversation. She wandered around the party aimlessly. Someone told me she was job-hunting. My impression was that she was slightly unhinged, and had no idea of how to connect with people.\n\nDon\'t be like that woman! You can make networking events a good marketing tool for yourself or your business if you follow some dos and don\'ts.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Do this:</span></strong>\n\n<strong>Have an objective in mind</strong>. You should ask yourself what you would like to get out of this event.\n\n<strong>Work on your introduction.</strong> Have a short but complete overview of who you are, something like: Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I am a graphic designer at XZ agency, an Anytown-based advertising agency that specializes in the tech industry.\n\n<strong>Perfect your handshake, smile and body language</strong>.  A strong but not bone crushing grip, a nice smile and an open stance will help make you more likeable.\n\n<strong>Think about your appearance.</strong> Match your dress to the occasion. If it\'s a holiday party, be festive. If it is a morning business meeting, then dress in your business best!\n\n<strong>Be interested in the other person</strong>. Ask questions and be genuinely interested in the answers.\n\n<strong>Have business cards at the ready.</strong> Yes, I know people can Google you and phone tap you and whatever, but exchanging business cards is a tangible way to initiate contact.\n\n<strong>Follow up</strong>. Make sure to send an email to people you have met soon after the event to help establish the connection.  You may even suggest going to coffee or lunch and use the opportunity to get to know the person.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>But don\'t do this:</strong></span>\n\n<strong>Hand out business cards indiscriminately</strong>. Exchange cards with someone only after you have spoken.\n\n<strong>Go for quantity.</strong> Some people feel they must work the room and meet everyone. I believe that quality is better than quantity, that is, it is better to meet a couple of people who will remember who you are, than a whole bunch of people than can\'t place you.\n\n<strong>Have a bad handshake.</strong> This includes the limp handshake, the overly strong handshake, the clammy handshake, and one that I experienced last week, the calloused, rough skin on the hand shake (use moisturizer!!!).\n\n<strong>Be overly self-deprecating.</strong> Don\'t diminish your accomplishments by letting your insecurity shine through.\n\n<strong>Act weird</strong>. Some people take pride in marching to the beat of a different drummer, and that is fine. But. There is personality and then there is weirdness. Some people (like the woman I mentioned above) don\'t pick up on social cues. Or then there was the guy who went to the holiday party in a kilt. Using a kilt is limited to the following occasions: when you are a schoolgirl in uniform, at your family\'s Scottish ancestral ceremony or it is Halloween.  You don\'t want to get attention for the wrong reasons.\n\nHappy networking this holiday season. You may just be a party away from meeting your next employer, project or friend!\n\nWhat are your networking dos and don\'ts?\n\n&nbsp;','How to make networking events a better marketing opportunity','','inherit','open','open','','1944-revision-2','','','2012-12-10 15:19:58','2012-12-10 15:19:58','',1944,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1944-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2087,4,'2013-03-04 15:58:37','2013-03-04 15:58:37','Did you watch the 2011 movie <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598822/?ref_=sr_2\" target=\"_blank\">New Year\'s Eve</a></span>? If you spent money on it either in the theater or renting it, I am sorry for your loss.  I only watched the beginning as it was playing on one of  my cable movie channels. After 20 minutes of unbelievable situations and bad lines, I went back to reading the side of the cereal box.\r\n\r\nYou would be forgiven for thinking that this movie was worth watching. After all, it has a cast of well known (and very attractive) actors (including Michelle Pfeiffer, Hillary Swank, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker and even Jon Bon Jovi, to name a few). It is directed by Gary Marshall, who brought us bastions of sitcom TV such as Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.\r\n\r\nBut the actors and the director have to follow a screenplay, which in this case was written by <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297545/?ref_=tt_ov_wr\" target=\"_blank\">Katherine Fugate</a>. Fugate\'s credits include the TV series <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Xena: Warrior Princess.</span> Fugate also wrote <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Valentine\'s Day</span>, another movie that revolves around an over-hyped holiday and which features lots of well known actors (some of the very same ones that appear in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">New Year\'s Eve</span>).\r\n\r\nApparently, Gary Marshall saw potential in a holiday movie franchise. Perhaps we should prepare for St. Patrick\'s Day: The Movie, in which a group of well known actors would be anxiously wondering how their romantic lives will survive the drinking of green beer.\r\n\r\nMovies are the result of all of the parts working together: acting, directing and writing. You could also throw in cinematography, editing, costume design and sound.  As <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">New Year\'s Eve</span> painfully underscores, even dozens of well-known actors and a funny-guy director do not make a poorly plotted and written screenplay shine. In other words,  a good movie is greater than the sum of its parts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Communications is much the same way.  </strong>You have to have more than just pretty, shiny parts that you throw together. To make the movie analogy work here,<strong> your communications efforts need good direction (communications strategy), believable acting (execution or tactics) and a well-written screenplay ( your communications plan).</strong>\r\n\r\nLook at your communications efforts right now.  Are you getting led by pretty tactics (Let\'s go on Pinterest! Let\'s get a blog!) or are you thinking about how everything works together to achieve your goals?','Greater than the sum of its parts','','publish','open','open','','greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts','','','2013-03-04 15:58:37','2013-03-04 15:58:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2087',0,'post','',0),(1988,4,'2013-01-15 18:09:43','2013-01-15 18:09:43','Last night I attended an event where the sole purpose was to get feedback on a new website from community attendees. It was fairly informal--the creators of the website asked for opinions and reactions to the website, which you did on a one-to-one basis.\r\n\r\nI  found this exercise incredibly interesting because it can be so useful. But I wonder how often it is done. My sense is that it isn\'t done often enough! The examples abound: websites that are hard to navigate, brochures that are pointless, ads that fail to entice, and on and on.\r\n\r\n<strong>Get a reality check!</strong>\r\n\r\nAs a marketer or communications person, you should seek outside opinions. This is why in-house communications often employs consultants or agencies. This is why market research exists. But even (perhaps especially) if you are a entrepreneur, you should find someone to discuss your marketing, positioning or other business-related issues. Everybody needs a reality check!\r\n\r\nThere are structured ways to get a reality check. As mentioned above, you could hire a consultant (for personal marketing, perhaps this consultant is a life coach or therapist).\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Big businesses could hire a market research firm.</li>\r\n	<li>Nonprofits can tap into their board of directors or their volunteers.</li>\r\n	<li>Entrepreneurs or solopreneurs may consider joining a peer group or create an ad-hoc advisory council of trusted people.</li>\r\n	<li>Smaller businesses can conduct informal focus groups like the one I attended.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYou most definitely need to conduct a reality check BEFORE you launch--an idea, a product, a marketing piece or a website. Many businesses seem to be afraid of hearing that their idea/ad campaign/marketing materials may be missing the mark.\r\n\r\nHowever scary or uncomfortable it may be, getting a reality check will be immensely valuable. It\'s easier to fix something before it is out there in the public eye.\r\n\r\nDo you get reality checks? If so, from whom or how? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Getting a reality check','','publish','open','open','','getting-a-reality-check','','','2013-01-15 18:09:43','2013-01-15 18:09:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1988',0,'post','',0),(1950,4,'2012-12-12 19:36:28','2012-12-12 19:36:28','Today, I can\'t use Outlook. Why? My ISP, Verizon, is not working. A colleague can\'t access her email. Why? Her web host is having server issues. So we sit and wait and pressure these service providers to fix these things because it affects our business.\r\n\r\nAlthough we can\'t control everything, on some communications-related issues, we have more control than others. I can pressure my ISP to fix my email issues, but I can\'t do a thing about Facebook and its ever changing rules and features. (<a href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-changed-edgerank-algorithm-to-hurt-advertisers-2012-10\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook has changed EdgeRank, affecting brand pages</a>) I don\'t have any control over Twitter and its decision not to play nice with Instagram (<a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5967594/twitter-vs-instagram-ultimate-filter-battle-royale\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter will no longer display Instagram photos on its site</a>).\r\n\r\nI also can\'t do much about Google, Gmail or any number of Internet-based applications and software that we are becoming increasingly dependent on.\r\n\r\nMarketers who enthusiastically recommend having a Facebook page, or an Instagram account, or signing up for Pinterest <strong>MUST</strong> take into consideration that these are services and that as a brand, you are putting yourself at the mercy of their decisions, which do affect you, often without your input or control.\r\n\r\nMany of the most problematic outside vendors (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) are free to use. As users, we have no leverage. We are getting what we pay for.\r\n\r\nA few years ago, a local website decided to get rid of its URL and use Facebook exclusively. Guess what, that website did not survive.\r\n\r\nBe aware that by using the cloud, or using third-party services, you are agreeing to give up control. You may want more of that control than you realize.\r\n\r\nThoughts?','Depending on outside vendors: it\'s risky','','publish','open','open','','depending-on-outside-vendors-its-risky','','','2012-12-12 19:36:28','2012-12-12 19:36:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1950',0,'post','',1),(1951,4,'2012-12-12 19:35:36','2012-12-12 19:35:36','Today, I can\'t use Outlook. Why? My ISP, Verizon, is not working. A colleague can\'t access her email. Why? Her web host is having server issues. So we sit and wait and pressure these service providers to fix these things because it affects our business.\n\nAlthough we can\'t control everything, on some communications-related issues, we have more control than others. I can pressure my ISP to fix my email issues, for example. But I can\'t do a thing about Facebook and its ever changing rules and features. (<a href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-changed-edgerank-algorithm-to-hurt-advertisers-2012-10\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook has changed EdgeRank, affecting brand pages</a>) I don\'t have any control over Twitter and its decision not to play nice with Instagram (<a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5967594/twitter-vs-instagram-ultimate-filter-battle-royale\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter will no longer display Instagram photos on its site</a>).\n\nI also can\'t do much about Google, Gmail or any number of Internet-based applications and software that we are becoming increasingly dependent on.\n\nMarketers who enthusiastically recommend having a Facebook page, or an Instagram account, or signing up for Pinterest MUST take into consideration that these are services and that as a brand, you are putting yourself at the mercy of their decisions, which do affect you, often without your input or control.\n\nMany of the most problematic outside vendors (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) are free to use. As users, we have no leverage. We are getting what we pay for.\n\nA few years ago, a local website decided to get rid of its URL and use Facebook exclusively. Guess what, that website did not survive.\n\nBe aware that by using the cloud, or using third-party services, you are agreeing to give up control. You may want more of that control than you realize.\n\nThoughts?','Depending on outside vendors: it\'s risky','','inherit','open','open','','1950-revision','','','2012-12-12 19:35:36','2012-12-12 19:35:36','',1950,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1950-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1952,4,'2012-12-14 16:32:22','2012-12-14 16:32:22','There are marketers out there who believe that their target audience is made up of stupid people. People who will buy anything, believe anything and do anything.\r\n\r\nThese marketers are the bottom-feeder telemarketers who tend to use robo-calls or use auto-dialers to call frequently at different times on different days. They play the CALLER ID system by using non-specific identifiers such as \"Card Services\" or \"Holiday Rebate.\" (I got a call today that had the CALLER ID as \"Important Call\"-- yes, really.) They ignore the Do Not Call List and refuse to take you off their rolls.\r\n\r\nThese marketers use direct mail with no targeting or culling of lists. They send offers that are too good to be true. They ask for sensitive information just to enter you in a drawing for a fantastic prize you have zero chance of winning.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that by running the same TV ad or print ad over and over and over and over again you will finally be convinced to cough up three convenient payments of $19.99 plus shipping and handling.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that by using an actor dressed as a doctor in an advertisement they are proving their miracle pill has been tested and approved by a reliable source.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that sending spam email that says \"Secure Notification\" on the subject line will make you open an email from a bank with which you have no business.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think people are stupid and will buy anything that sounds great or will be scared by a letter that says this is your final notice (even though you haven\'t gotten any notice before or even do business with that company).\r\n\r\nPreying on people\'s stupidity or gullibility or fear is not ethical. It is not good marketing. And marketers who engage in these practices give all marketers a bad name.','Marketers who assume targets are stupid','','publish','open','open','','marketers-who-assume-targets-are-stupid','','','2013-01-10 17:56:15','2013-01-10 17:56:15','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1952',0,'post','',0),(1953,4,'2012-12-14 16:32:12','2012-12-14 16:32:12','There are marketers out there who believe that their target audience is made up of stupid people. People who will buy anything, believe anything and do anything.\n\nThese marketers are the bottom-feeder telemarketers who tend to use robo-calls or use auto-dialers to call frequently at different times on different days. They play the CALLER ID system by using non-specific identifiers such as \"Card Services\" or \"Holiday Rebate.\" (I got a call today that had the CALLER ID as \"Important Call--really.) They ignore the Do Not Call List and refuse to take you off their rolls.\n\nThese marketers use direct mail with no targeting or culling of lists. They send offers that are too good to be true. They ask for sensitive information just to enter you in a drawing for a fantastic prize you have zero chance of winning.\n\nThese marketers think that by running the same TV ad or print ad over and over and over and over again you will finally be convinced to cough up three convenient payments of $19.99 plus shipping and handling.\n\nThese marketers think that by using an actor dressed as a doctor in an advertisement they are proving their miracle pill has been tested and approved by a reliable source.\n\nThese marketers think that sending spam email that says \"Secure Notification\" on the subject line will make you open an email from a bank with which you have no business.\n\nThese marketers think people are stupid and will buy anything that sounds great or will be scared by a letter that says this is your final notice (even though you haven\'t gotten any notice before or even do business with that company).\n\nPreying on people\'s stupidity or gullibility or fear is not ethical. It is not good marketing. And marketers who engage in these practices give all marketers a bad name.','Marketers who assume targets are stupid','','inherit','open','open','','1952-revision','','','2012-12-14 16:32:12','2012-12-14 16:32:12','',1952,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1952-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1956,4,'2012-12-19 21:37:44','2012-12-19 21:37:44','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1955-revision','','','2012-12-19 21:37:44','2012-12-19 21:37:44','',1955,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1955-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1957,4,'2012-12-19 21:50:02','2012-12-19 21:50:02','Perhaps its a sign that our social fabric is stretched too thin. Perhaps people don\'t know how to behave when they have the cover of social media. What is happening more and more is that people are expressing hate and hateful things to strangers on social media channels.\n\nOn Twitter, haters will search for ideas that they disagree with and then attack whoever tweeted those thoughts.  On blogs, people will leave nasty comments. On news sites, people will disparage others they disagree with. Social media seems rife with haters and trolls.\n\nHow do you deal with all these haters?\n\nFirst, do NOT take these comments personally.\n\nSecond, ignore the hater/troll. Most of these people are attention-seekers or enjoy getting an angry reaction from others. On Twitter, go to the hater\'s profile and block him or her. On your blog, discard the comment (you are under no obligation to provide a platform for others\' ideas, especially if they are contrary to your own and expressed in a disrespectful manner).  If feasible, delete the comments on Facebook.\n\nI am not saying to get rid of all comments that show a different viewpoint or even that question you, just get rid of comments that are obviously motivated by hate or the desire to incite argument.\n\nThird, move on. Social media is a constantly changing landscape, and what was interesting and hot five minutes ago may not be now.\n\nHow do you deal with haters or trolls? Would you add anything?\n\n&nbsp;','Dealing with the haters (on social media)','','inherit','open','open','','1955-revision-2','','','2012-12-19 21:50:02','2012-12-19 21:50:02','',1955,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1955-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1959,4,'2012-12-27 13:44:22','2012-12-27 13:44:22','<strong>1. Understand the basics (who you are and what you do) before doing anything else</strong>. I worked with one client this year who had launched a website, hired a marketing person and even commissioned a video without ever having examined what the company’s main message was, defined a target audience or main competitors and certainly hadn’t thought out its USP.\n\n<strong>2. You don’t have to market everywhere, just where you are likely to find your target audience</strong>. There’s no need to spread your marketing message far and wide. You can have success by focusing your efforts where you are likely to find your audience.\n\n<strong>3. There is only one content strategy (getting your target audience to read your content).</strong> <strong>Everything else is a TACTIC. </strong>I have read many articles about content marketing, all claiming to have new “strategies.” In most, if not all, cases, these strategies were really tactics.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"School Blackboard by H2O Alchemist, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/h2oalchemist/414924312/\"><img class=\" \" title=\"School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/158/414924312_26809b1259.jpg\" alt=\"School Blackboard\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\n<strong> 4.</strong> <strong>Acknowledge the reality on the ground</strong>. This year we have seen several advertisers (and a politician or two) who just did not get it. Like Pepco, who continued patting itself on its back about “reliability” when hundreds of thousands of customers were without power during extreme heat for several days.\n\n<strong> 5</strong>. <strong>Depending on Facebook (or any free, third-party service) as a marketing platform will cost you.</strong> Sure, you can have a Facebook page for free, but figuring out its ever changing policies will cost you in time and effort.\n\n<strong>6. Stop scheduling your tweets! </strong>Tweeting about your fun weekend ahead while people are mourning 20 dead children is tacky and preventable. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Twitter is about immediacy, engagement and responsiveness. Scheduled tweets are just the opposite.</span>\n\nWhat lessons did you draw from the year that was? Anything jump out at you? If so, please share in the comments.','6 marketing and communications lessons from 2012','','inherit','open','open','','1958-revision','','','2012-12-27 13:44:22','2012-12-27 13:44:22','',1958,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1958-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1960,4,'2012-12-27 13:45:08','2012-12-27 13:45:08','<strong>1. Understand the basics (who you are and what you do) before doing anything else</strong>. I worked with one client this year who had launched a website, hired a marketing person and even commissioned a video without ever having examined what the company’s main message was, defined a target audience or main competitors and certainly hadn’t thought out its USP.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. You don’t have to market everywhere, just where you are likely to find your target audience</strong>. There’s no need to spread your marketing message far and wide. You can have success by focusing your efforts where you are likely to find your audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. There is only one content strategy (getting your target audience to read your content).</strong> <strong>Everything else is a TACTIC. </strong>I have read many articles about content marketing, all claiming to have new “strategies.” In most, if not all, cases, these strategies were really tactics.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"School Blackboard by H2O Alchemist, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/h2oalchemist/414924312/\"><img class=\" \" title=\"School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/158/414924312_26809b1259.jpg\" alt=\"School Blackboard\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> School Blackboard in Ghana by H2OAlchemist on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong> 4.</strong> <strong>Acknowledge the reality on the ground</strong>. This year we have seen several advertisers (and a politician or two) who just did not get it. Like Pepco, who continued patting itself on its back about “reliability” when hundreds of thousands of customers were without power during extreme heat for several days.\r\n\r\n<strong> 5</strong>. <strong>Depending on Facebook (or any free, third-party service) as a marketing platform will cost you.</strong> Sure, you can have a Facebook page for free, but figuring out its ever changing policies will cost you in time and effort.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Stop scheduling your tweets! </strong>Tweeting about your fun weekend ahead while people are mourning 20 dead children is tacky and preventable. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Twitter is about immediacy, engagement and responsiveness. Scheduled tweets are just the opposite.</span>\r\n\r\nWhat lessons did you draw from the year that was? Anything jump out at you? If so, please share in the comments.','6 marketing and communications lessons from 2012','','inherit','open','open','','1958-revision-2','','','2012-12-27 13:45:08','2012-12-27 13:45:08','',1958,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1958-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1991,4,'2013-01-17 20:17:04','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Marketing misfits are like social misfits--out of step with those around them, and not even aware of it. Like the woman I saw today at the gym, working out in (I kid you not) in a skirt, blouse and hose. Or the socially awkward guy who shakes your hand weakly and proceeds to talk about himself.\n\nSocial misfits are generally not able to pick up on societal cues. Sometimes it\'s because of a disorder like Asperger\'s and other times it has to do with lack of self-awareness. Whatever it is, those people generally stick out like sore thumbs, and not for positive reasons.\n\nSimilarly, marketing misfits','Are you a marketing misfit?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-01-17 20:17:04','2013-01-17 20:17:04','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1991',0,'post','',0),(1964,4,'2013-01-08 17:13:28','2013-01-08 17:13:28','It\'s great to highlight your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). In fact, you should. You should communicate to your target audience what makes you special or different than others, especially if you are in a crowded marketplace. A couple of days ago, I came across this ad in the newspaper:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1966\" title=\"Carpet company ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761-594x1024.jpg\" alt=\"carpet company ad\" width=\"594\" height=\"1024\" /></a>The ad above has numerous claims for your attention: special pricing, free pick up, new showroom, new website AND that they have vetted their employees. In short, there\'s too much. They sell rugs but they also clean rugs.\r\n\r\nBesides having too much information, the fact this company is making sure you know that all their employees are checked out--that they have no criminal background, are drug-free and authorized to work in the US--is problematic.\r\n\r\nThe problem is that this company is  bringing up a question that perhaps was not even on their customers\'  minds.  Sure, it\'s good to say employees are carefully vetted, but to highlight that they have been submitted to a \"rigorous background check\" makes me wonder if a) they have had a problem with dishonest/criminal employees before; 2) whether this particular industry has a problem with criminals (and if so, why?) or 3) is this the most important thing I need to know about this company?\r\n\r\nWhat do most customers want to know before they contract with a carpet cleaning company?  That\'s the key question. This ad does not answer that. It tells me price is important as is location. I should be enticed by free pick up and delivery, and that I should rest assured that none of the employees I deal with are \"illegal immigrants\" or druggies or have a criminal background.\r\n\r\nWhat you choose to highlight in your marketing communications pieces should be relevant to your audience\'s needs.\r\n\r\nYour thoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why would you highlight that?','','publish','open','open','','why-would-you-highlight-that','','','2013-01-08 17:13:28','2013-01-08 17:13:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1964',0,'post','',0),(1965,4,'2013-01-08 16:56:06','2013-01-08 16:56:06','','USP','Carpet company ad','inherit','open','open','','img076','','','2013-01-08 16:56:06','2013-01-08 16:56:06','',1964,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img076.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1966,4,'2013-01-08 16:58:06','2013-01-08 16:58:06','','Carpet company ad','','inherit','open','open','','img076-2','','','2013-01-08 16:58:06','2013-01-08 16:58:06','',1964,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1967,4,'2013-01-08 17:12:40','2013-01-08 17:12:40','It\'s great to highlight your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). In fact, you should. You should communicate to your target audience what makes you special or different than others, especially if you are in a crowded marketplace. A couple of days ago, I came across this ad:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1966\" title=\"Carpet company ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761-594x1024.jpg\" alt=\"carpet company ad\" width=\"594\" height=\"1024\" /></a>The ad above has numerous claims for your attention: special pricing, free pick up, new showroom, new website AND that they have vetted their employees. In short, there\'s too much. They sell rugs but they also clean rugs.\n\nBesides having too much information, the fact this company is making sure you know that all their employees are checked out--that they have no criminal background, are drug-free and authorized to work in the US--is problematic.\n\nThe problem is that this company is  bringing up a question that perhaps was not even on their customers\'  minds.  Sure, it\'s good to say employees are carefully vetted, but to highlight that they have been submitted to a \"rigorous background check\" makes me wonder if a) they have had a problem with dishonest/criminal employees before; 2) whether this particular industry has a problem with criminals (and if so, why?) or 3) is this the most important thing I need to know about this company?\n\nWhat do most customers want to know before they contract with a carpet cleaning company?  That\'s the key question. This ad does not answer that. It tells me price is important as is location. I should be enticed by free pick up and delivery, and that I should rest assured that none of the employees I deal with are \"illegal immigrants\" or druggies or have a criminal background.\n\nWhat you choose to highlight in your marketing communications pieces should be relevant to your audience\'s needs.\n\nYour thoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Why would you highlight that?','','inherit','open','open','','1964-revision','','','2013-01-08 17:12:40','2013-01-08 17:12:40','',1964,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1964-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1968,4,'2013-01-08 17:14:31','2013-01-08 17:14:31','It\'s great to highlight your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). In fact, you should. You should communicate to your target audience what makes you special or different than others, especially if you are in a crowded marketplace. A couple of days ago, I came across this ad in the newspaper:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1966\" title=\"Carpet company ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img0761-594x1024.jpg\" alt=\"carpet company ad\" width=\"594\" height=\"1024\" /></a>The ad above has numerous claims for your attention: special pricing, free pick up, new showroom, new website AND that they have vetted their employees. In short, there\'s too much. They sell rugs but they also clean rugs.\n\nBesides having too much information, the fact this company is making sure you know that all their employees are checked out--that they have no criminal background, are drug-free and authorized to work in the US--is problematic.\n\nThe problem is that this company is  bringing up a question that perhaps was not even on their customers\'  minds.  Sure, it\'s good to say employees are carefully vetted, but to highlight that they have been submitted to a \"rigorous background check\" makes me wonder if a) they have had a problem with dishonest/criminal employees before; 2) whether this particular industry has a problem with criminals (and if so, why?) or 3) is this the most important thing I need to know about this company?\n\nWhat do most customers want to know before they contract with a carpet cleaning company?  That\'s the key question. This ad does not answer that. It tells me price is important as is location. I should be enticed by free pick up and delivery, and that I should rest assured that none of the employees I deal with are \"illegal immigrants\" or druggies or have a criminal background.\n\nWhat you choose to highlight in your marketing communications pieces should be relevant to your audience\'s needs.\n\nYour thoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Why would you highlight that?','','inherit','open','open','','1964-autosave','','','2013-01-08 17:14:31','2013-01-08 17:14:31','',1964,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1964-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1969,4,'2013-01-09 16:02:21','2013-01-09 16:02:21','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\r\n\r\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\r\n\r\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc.) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\r\n\r\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\r\n\r\n<strong>Volunteers who don\'t have the right (or any) information</strong>\r\n\r\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that the $500 was \"only if I wanted to donate\" and that the event fee was \"totally separate.\" However, the invitation clearly stated that the annual contribution was required.\r\n\r\nVolunteers need to know the facts...all of them. But more importantly, they need to know the reason for the information they are sharing. The nonprofit above SHOULD have informed my contact about the requirements for the event, but moreover, should have told him WHY this event has a minimum contribution, why it is necessary, what the contribution is for (what are the impacts etc.).\r\n\r\nImagine if this guy had come back to me and said this instead: Yes, you are right. You will be required to donate $500 during the year, which by the way, you can give in several installments, not all at once. That money will be used to fund our X initiative, which helps X number of people. Also, you will be assured of meeting some awesome business leaders at the event, and we will be having other events during the year.\r\n\r\nI suspect that this volunteer was only told to recruit people to come to the event.  He didn\'t get any additional information or a script or any other tools that would help him not only recruit attendees, but spread the message about the work the nonprofit is doing and will do with additional funds.\r\n\r\nVolunteers can help with a nonprofit\'s tasks. And volunteers help communicate the nonprofit\'s message. Are your volunteers on message?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','publish','open','open','','are-your-volunteers-on-message','','','2013-01-09 16:02:21','2013-01-09 16:02:21','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1969',0,'post','',0),(1970,4,'2013-01-09 15:21:50','2013-01-09 15:21:50','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volu','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision','','','2013-01-09 15:21:50','2013-01-09 15:21:50','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1971,4,'2013-01-09 15:30:31','2013-01-09 15:30:31','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\n\nVolunteers who don\'t have the right information\n\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that \"\n\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision-2','','','2013-01-09 15:30:31','2013-01-09 15:30:31','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1972,4,'2013-01-09 15:50:23','2013-01-09 15:50:23','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\n\n<strong>Volunteers who don\'t have the right (or any) information</strong>\n\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that the $500 was \"only if I wanted to donate\" and that the event fee was \"totally separate.\" The invitation clearly stated that the annual contribution was required.\n\nVolunteers need to know the facts...all of them. But more importantly, they need to know the reason for the information they are sharing. The nonprofit above SHOULD have informed my contact about the requirements for the event, but moreover, should have told him WHY this event has a minimum contribution, why it is necessary, what the contribution is for (what are the impacts etc.).\n\nImagine if this guy had come back to me and said this instead: Yes, you are right. You will be required to donate $500 during the year, which by the way, you can give in several installments, not all at once. That money will be used to fund our X initiative. Also, you will be assured of meeting some awesome business leaders at the event, and we will be having other events during the year.\n\nVolunteers can help with a nonprofit\'s tasks. And volunteers help communicate the nonprofit\'s message. Are your volunteer\n\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision-3','','','2013-01-09 15:50:23','2013-01-09 15:50:23','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1973,4,'2013-01-09 15:57:33','2013-01-09 15:57:33','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc.) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\n\n<strong>Volunteers who don\'t have the right (or any) information</strong>\n\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that the $500 was \"only if I wanted to donate\" and that the event fee was \"totally separate.\" However, the invitation clearly stated that the annual contribution was required.\n\nVolunteers need to know the facts...all of them. But more importantly, they need to know the reason for the information they are sharing. The nonprofit above SHOULD have informed my contact about the requirements for the event, but moreover, should have told him WHY this event has a minimum contribution, why it is necessary, what the contribution is for (what are the impacts etc.).\n\nImagine if this guy had come back to me and said this instead: Yes, you are right. You will be required to donate $500 during the year, which by the way, you can give in several installments, not all at once. That money will be used to fund our X initiative, which helps X number of people. Also, you will be assured of meeting some awesome business leaders at the event, and we will be having other events during the year.\n\nI suspect that this volunteer was only told to recruit people to come to the event.  He didn\'t get any additional information or a script or any other tools that would help him not only recruit attendees, but spread the message about the work the nonprofit is doing and will do with additional funds.\n\nVolunteers can help with a nonprofit\'s tasks. And volunteers help communicate the nonprofit\'s message. Are your volunteers on message?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision-4','','','2013-01-09 15:57:33','2013-01-09 15:57:33','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1975,4,'2013-01-09 16:01:49','2013-01-09 16:01:49','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc.) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\n\n<strong>Volunteers who don\'t have the right (or any) information</strong>\n\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that the $500 was \"only if I wanted to donate\" and that the event fee was \"totally separate.\" However, the invitation clearly stated that the annual contribution was required.\n\nVolunteers need to know the facts...all of them. But more importantly, they need to know the reason for the information they are sharing. The nonprofit above SHOULD have informed my contact about the requirements for the event, but moreover, should have told him WHY this event has a minimum contribution, why it is necessary, what the contribution is for (what are the impacts etc.).\n\nImagine if this guy had come back to me and said this instead: Yes, you are right. You will be required to donate $500 during the year, which by the way, you can give in several installments, not all at once. That money will be used to fund our X initiative, which helps X number of people. Also, you will be assured of meeting some awesome business leaders at the event, and we will be having other events during the year.\n\nI suspect that this volunteer was only told to recruit people to come to the event.  He didn\'t get any additional information or a script or any other tools that would help him not only recruit attendees, but spread the message about the work the nonprofit is doing and will do with additional funds.\n\nVolunteers can help with a nonprofit\'s tasks. And volunteers help communicate the nonprofit\'s message. Are your volunteers on message?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision-6','','','2013-01-09 16:01:49','2013-01-09 16:01:49','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1974,4,'2013-01-09 15:59:49','2013-01-09 15:59:49','Nonprofits are notorious for having difficulty with communications. Many times, it has to do with lack of funds (and thus, insufficient support). What many nonprofits tend to have in spades, however, is volunteers.  Volunteers are great for nonprofit organizations. They can staff an event, or help serve lunch, or provide input, or, maybe most important, help spread the word about the nonprofit.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd yet, some nonprofits don\'t seem to appreciate the role that volunteers play in communications.  Let me give you two examples.\n\n<strong>A chaotic, disorganized volunteer experience</strong>\n\nAround Christmas, I volunteered to do some gift-wrapping with a DC-based nonprofit. The sign-up form indicated I was to work from 10 am to 3 pm. I arrived at 10 am, only to find a bit of chaos. The volunteer director told me to go one place, where I was promptly told to go back to where I started. The volunteer manager had limited ability to organize, and ended up wasting a lot of time. Two other volunteers were grousing along with me on how disorganized the event was. We didn\'t start wrapping (in a very chaotic and inefficient manner--also lacking tape, wrapping paper, etc.) until about 11 am. One full hour was wasted. No water or snacks were offered. No guidance as to how long we were expected to stay. When I left around 12:30 pm, no one even noticed or thanked me. In fact, I never got a thank you at all. I will not be volunteering with this organization ever again.\n\nThere are two different issues at play here. One is the negative impact of disorganization on people who volunteer. People (like me) who have a bad experience volunteering won\'t volunteer with your organization again, and worse, will tell others of their bad experience.  The second issue is that volunteer leaders are not being given the tools to make sure they provide both a message and a positive experience, quite possibly because the volunteering role is not valued.\n\n<strong>Volunteers who don\'t have the right (or any) information</strong>\n\nJust this week, someone in my network invited me to attend a business networking event run by a large nonprofit. The invitation said the price of the event itself was $75, but attendees were required to donate a minimum of $500 to the nonprofit during the calendar year. I pointed out that the real cost of attending this event would be $575 to the person who invited me. He called and emailed me to tell me that the $500 was \"only if I wanted to donate\" and that the event fee was \"totally separate.\" However, the invitation clearly stated that the annual contribution was required.\n\nVolunteers need to know the facts...all of them. But more importantly, they need to know the reason for the information they are sharing. The nonprofit above SHOULD have informed my contact about the requirements for the event, but moreover, should have told him WHY this event has a minimum contribution, why it is necessary, what the contribution is for (what are the impacts etc.).\n\nImagine if this guy had come back to me and said this instead: Yes, you are right. You will be required to donate $500 during the year, which by the way, you can give in several installments, not all at once. That money will be used to fund our X initiative, which helps X number of people. Also, you will be assured of meeting some awesome business leaders at the event, and we will be having other events during the year.\n\nI suspect that this volunteer was only told to recruit people to come to the event.  He didn\'t get any additional information or a script or any other tools that would help him not only recruit attendees, but spread the message about the work the nonprofit is doing and will do with additional funds.\n\nVolunteers can help with a nonprofit\'s tasks. And volunteers help communicate the nonprofit\'s message. Are your volunteers on message?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are your volunteers on message?','','inherit','open','open','','1969-revision-5','','','2013-01-09 15:59:49','2013-01-09 15:59:49','',1969,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1969-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1976,4,'2013-01-10 14:52:28','2013-01-10 14:52:28','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\n<strong>Developing a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.</strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"240\"]<a title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" /></a> I have been tagged--photo by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable? Does it identify you?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','publish','open','open','','the-higher-power-of-a-great-tagline','','','2013-01-10 14:52:28','2013-01-10 14:52:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1976',0,'post','',0),(1977,4,'2013-01-10 14:45:20','2013-01-10 14:45:20','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\n\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate.\n\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\n\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\n\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\n\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision','','','2013-01-10 14:45:20','2013-01-10 14:45:20','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1978,4,'2013-01-10 14:45:23','2013-01-10 14:45:23','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate.\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-2','','','2013-01-10 14:45:23','2013-01-10 14:45:23','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1979,4,'2013-01-10 14:45:28','2013-01-10 14:45:28','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate.\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-3','','','2013-01-10 14:45:28','2013-01-10 14:45:28','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1980,4,'2013-01-10 14:49:39','2013-01-10 14:49:39','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.\r\n\r\n&lt;a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\" title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\"&gt;&lt;img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-4','','','2013-01-10 14:49:39','2013-01-10 14:49:39','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1981,4,'2013-01-10 14:49:58','2013-01-10 14:49:58','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\" title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\"></a>\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-5','','','2013-01-10 14:49:58','2013-01-10 14:49:58','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1982,4,'2013-01-10 14:50:01','2013-01-10 14:50:01','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\" title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\"></a>\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-6','','','2013-01-10 14:50:01','2013-01-10 14:50:01','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1983,4,'2013-01-10 14:51:10','2013-01-10 14:51:10','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"240\"]<a title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" /></a> I have been tagged--photo by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-7','','','2013-01-10 14:51:10','2013-01-10 14:51:10','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1984,4,'2013-01-10 14:51:45','2013-01-10 14:51:45','A great tagline will help sell your product, and when it is really great, it will also make you memorable. If I say \"just do it\" you immediately know it\'s Nike\'s tagline. Not many companies can claim a great tagline like that one.\r\n\r\nDeveloping a great (or even a good) tagline is no easy feat. You need to be succinct, clever and find the essence of what you are trying to communicate. A good tagline \"tags\" you--that is, it identifies you, easily and immediately.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"240\"]<a title=\"I Have Been Tagged by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/27999126@N05/3835622294/\"><img src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2480/3835622294_075b1311e2_m.jpg\" alt=\"I Have Been Tagged\" width=\"240\" height=\"168\" /></a> I have been tagged--photo by Jody McNary Photography, on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAn online dating service catering to Christians, ChristianMingle.com, has come up with a really good tagline: Find God\'s match for you.  The Washington Post\'s Paul Farhi has written about it today in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/evoking-god-has-been-good-to-christianmingle/2013/01/09/c3f28148-59dd-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\"Evoking God has been good to ChristianMingle.\"</a> Farhi writes:\r\n<blockquote>It might be the most audacious, and perhaps the most presumptuous, ad slogan ever devised.\r\n\r\n“Find God’s Match for You,” sayeth <a href=\"http://www.christianmingle.com/frsplash.html?prm=90121&amp;lgid=christian+matches&amp;refcd=GO4380010137s_christian_matches&amp;tsacr=GO5522432704\" data-xslt=\"_http\">ChristianMingle.com</a>, an online dating service that suggests in its advertising that its computer-generated matches are, well, made in heaven.</blockquote>\r\nFarhi then goes on to report on whether the tagline can be construed as false advertising.  Read the article to see why.\r\n\r\nBut whether or not a tagline can be accused of setting up false expectations, I think that a strong (memorable) tagline (one that immediately communicates your objective ) is one of the strongest tools in your marketing communications arsenal.\r\n\r\nTake a look at your tagline today. Is it powerful? Is it memorable? Does it identify you?','The (higher) power of a great tagline','','inherit','open','open','','1976-revision-8','','','2013-01-10 14:51:45','2013-01-10 14:51:45','',1976,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1976-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1985,4,'2012-12-14 16:32:22','2012-12-14 16:32:22','There are marketers out there who believe that their target audience is made up of stupid people. People who will buy anything, believe anything and do anything.\r\n\r\nThese marketers are the bottom-feeder telemarketers who tend to use robo-calls or use auto-dialers to call frequently at different times on different days. They play the CALLER ID system by using non-specific identifiers such as \"Card Services\" or \"Holiday Rebate.\" (I got a call today that had the CALLER ID as \"Important Call--really.) They ignore the Do Not Call List and refuse to take you off their rolls.\r\n\r\nThese marketers use direct mail with no targeting or culling of lists. They send offers that are too good to be true. They ask for sensitive information just to enter you in a drawing for a fantastic prize you have zero chance of winning.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that by running the same TV ad or print ad over and over and over and over again you will finally be convinced to cough up three convenient payments of $19.99 plus shipping and handling.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that by using an actor dressed as a doctor in an advertisement they are proving their miracle pill has been tested and approved by a reliable source.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think that sending spam email that says \"Secure Notification\" on the subject line will make you open an email from a bank with which you have no business.\r\n\r\nThese marketers think people are stupid and will buy anything that sounds great or will be scared by a letter that says this is your final notice (even though you haven\'t gotten any notice before or even do business with that company).\r\n\r\nPreying on people\'s stupidity or gullibility or fear is not ethical. It is not good marketing. And marketers who engage in these practices give all marketers a bad name.','Marketers who assume targets are stupid','','inherit','open','open','','1952-revision-2','','','2012-12-14 16:32:22','2012-12-14 16:32:22','',1952,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/12/1952-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1989,4,'2013-01-15 18:09:29','2013-01-15 18:09:29','Last night I attended an event where the sole purpose was to get feedback on a new website from community attendees. It was fairly informal--the creators of the website asked for opinions and reactions to the website, which you did on a one-to-one basis.\n\nI  found this exercise incredibly interesting because it can be so useful. But I wonder how often it is done. My sense is that it isn\'t done often enough! The examples abound: websites that are hard to navigate, brochures that are pointless, ads that fail to entice, and on and on.\n\n<strong>Get a reality check!</strong>\n\nAs a marketer or communications person, you should seek outside opinions. This is why in-house communications often employs consultants or agencies. This is why market research exists. But even (perhaps especially) if you are a entrepreneur, you should find someone to discuss your marketing, positioning or other business-related issues. Everybody needs a reality check!\n\nThere are structured ways to get a reality check. As mentioned above, you could hire a consultant (for personal marketing, perhaps this consultant is a life coach or therapist).\n<ul>\n	<li>Big businesses could hire a market research firm.</li>\n	<li>Nonprofits can tap into their board of directors or their volunteers.</li>\n	<li>Entrepreneurs or solopreneurs may consider joining a peer group or create an ad-hoc advisory council of trusted people.</li>\n	<li>Smaller businesses can conduct informal focus groups like the one I attended.</li>\n</ul>\nYou most definitely need to conduct a reality check BEFORE you launch--an idea, a product, a marketing piece or a website. Many businesses seem to be afraid of hearing that their idea/ad campaign/marketing materials may be missing the mark.\n\nHowever scary or uncomfortable it may be, getting a reality check will be immensely valuable. It\'s easier to fix something before it is out there in the public eye.\n\nDo you get reality checks? If so, from whom or how? Please share in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','Getting a reality check','','inherit','open','open','','1988-revision','','','2013-01-15 18:09:29','2013-01-15 18:09:29','',1988,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1988-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1990,4,'2013-01-15 18:10:47','2013-01-15 18:10:47','Last night I attended an event where the sole purpose was to get feedback on a new website from community attendees. It was fairly informal--the creators of the website asked for opinions and reactions to the website, which you did on a one-to-one basis.\n\nI  found this exercise incredibly interesting because it can be so useful. But I wonder how often it is done. My sense is that it isn\'t done often enough! The examples abound: websites that are hard to navigate, brochures that are pointless, ads that fail to entice, and on and on.\n\n<strong>Get a reality check!</strong>\n\nAs a marketer or communications person, you should seek outside opinions. This is why in-house communications often employs consultants or agencies. This is why market research exists. But even (perhaps especially) if you are a entrepreneur, you should find someone to discuss your marketing, positioning or other business-related issues. Everybody needs a reality check!\n\nThere are structured ways to get a reality check. As mentioned above, you could hire a consultant (for personal marketing, perhaps this consultant is a life coach or therapist).\n<ul>\n	<li>Big businesses could hire a market research firm.</li>\n	<li>Nonprofits can tap into their board of directors or their volunteers.</li>\n	<li>Entrepreneurs or solopreneurs may consider joining a peer group or create an ad-hoc advisory council of trusted people.</li>\n	<li>Smaller businesses can conduct informal focus groups like the one I attended.</li>\n</ul>\nYou most definitely need to conduct a reality check BEFORE you launch--an idea, a product, a marketing piece or a website. Many businesses seem to be afraid of hearing that their idea/ad campaign/marketing materials may be missing the mark.\n\nHowever scary or uncomfortable it may be, getting a reality check will be immensely valuable. It\'s easier to fix something before it is out there in the public eye.\n\nDo you get reality checks? If so, from whom or how? Please share in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','Getting a reality check','','inherit','open','open','','1988-autosave','','','2013-01-15 18:10:47','2013-01-15 18:10:47','',1988,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1988-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1992,4,'2013-01-18 13:53:41','2013-01-18 13:53:41','On LinkedIn this morning, I saw that one of my connections (whom, by the way, I have never met in person) was asking her network how many connections were they aiming for this year. It got me to thinking whether networking should be a numbers game (quantity).\r\n\r\nWe\'ve all heard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely). In that sense, to have a SMART networking goal, you would indeed have a number, as this would make it measurable.\r\n\r\nSo say you decide you want to make 25 new connections this year, and you only make 15, have you failed at your goal? What if from those 15 connections, you got valuable advice, a job lead and a new best friend?\r\n\r\nCan you measure networking by numbers? I don\'t think you can, and I don\'t think you should.\r\n\r\nAs a business owner, I attend my fair share of networking events. I am not someone who works the room, making sure to shake everybody\'s hand. Instead, I generally end up talking to one or two people more in depth. I understand the value in having a wide network, but I would rather get there more slowly.\r\n\r\nIf people know who I am because we\'ve had several conversations in person, isn\'t that better than trying to expand a network by sending a bunch of blind invitations \"people you may know?\"\r\n\r\nLinkedIn is a great tool and as such, many people, such as the person I referenced at the beginning of the post, tend to abuse it. Too many people think networking is all about quantity regardless of quality. In fact, successful networking is both a quantity and a quality proposition.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? What is your networking advice?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you aiming for quantity or quality (or both)?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-aiming-for-quantity-or-quality-or-both','','','2013-01-18 13:53:41','2013-01-18 13:53:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1992',0,'post','',0),(1993,4,'2013-01-18 13:28:07','2013-01-18 13:28:07','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1992-revision','','','2013-01-18 13:28:07','2013-01-18 13:28:07','',1992,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1992-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1994,4,'2013-01-18 13:51:32','2013-01-18 13:51:32','On LinkedIn this morning, I saw that one of my connections (whom, by the way, I have never met in person) was asking her network how many connections were they aiming for this year. It got me to thinking whether networking should be a numbers game (quantity).\n\nWe\'ve all heard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely). In that sense, to have a SMART networking goal, you would indeed have a number, as this would make it measurable.\n\nSo say you decide you want to make 25 new connections this year, and you only make 15, have you failed at your goal? What if from those 15 connections, you got valuable advice, a job lead and a new best friend?\n\nCan you measure networking by numbers? I don\'t think you can, and I don\'t think you should.\n\nAs a business owner, I attend my fair share of networking events. I am not someone who works the room, making sure to shake everybody\'s hand. Instead, I generally end up talking to one or two people more in depth. I understand the value in having a wide network, but I would rather get there more slowly.\n\nIf people know who I am because we\'ve had several conversations in person, isn\'t that better than trying to expand a network by sending a bunch of blind invitations \"people you may know?\"\n\nLinkedIn is a great tool and as such, many people, such as the person I referenced at the beginning of the post, tend to abuse it. Too many people think networking is all about quantity regardless of quality. In fact, successful networking is both a quantity and a quality proposition.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? What is your networking advice?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are you aiming for quantity or quality (or both)?','','inherit','open','open','','1992-revision-2','','','2013-01-18 13:51:32','2013-01-18 13:51:32','',1992,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1992-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1995,4,'2013-01-18 13:52:49','2013-01-18 13:52:49','On LinkedIn this morning, I saw that one of my connections (whom, by the way, I have never met in person) was asking her network how many connections were they aiming for this year. It got me to thinking whether networking should be a numbers game (quantity).\r\n\r\nWe\'ve all heard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely). In that sense, to have a SMART networking goal, you would indeed have a number, as this would make it measurable.\r\n\r\nSo say you decide you want to make 25 new connections this year, and you only make 15, have you failed at your goal? What if from those 15 connections, you got valuable advice, a job lead and a new best friend?\r\n\r\nCan you measure networking by numbers? I don\'t think you can, and I don\'t think you should.\r\n\r\nAs a business owner, I attend my fair share of networking events. I am not someone who works the room, making sure to shake everybody\'s hand. Instead, I generally end up talking to one or two people more in depth. I understand the value in having a wide network, but I would rather get there more slowly.\r\n\r\nIf people know who I am because we\'ve had several conversations in person, isn\'t that better than trying to expand a network by sending a bunch of blind invitations \"people you may know?\"\r\n\r\nLinkedIn is a great tool and as such, many people, such as the person I referenced at the beginning of the post, tend to abuse it. Too many people think networking is all about quantity regardless of quality. In fact, successful networking is both a quantity and a quality proposition.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? What is your networking advice?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you aiming for quantity or quality (or both)?','','inherit','open','open','','1992-revision-3','','','2013-01-18 13:52:49','2013-01-18 13:52:49','',1992,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1992-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1997,4,'2013-01-21 15:24:02','2013-01-21 15:24:02','Yesterday, I was watching local news coverage of the Inaugural events, and a reporter stated that Barack Obama took the oath of office using Lincoln\'s bible. Except he didn\'t. He used Michele Obama\'s family bible. Then, one of the anchors on this newscast said it was symbolic that the Inauguration taking place today (Monday, January 21) on Martin Luther King\'s birthday. Except that today is the day we OBSERVE MLK\'s birthday. His actual date of birth was January 15th.\r\n\r\nThese may seem like small mix-ups, but it points to a much larger problem. Journalists are not checking their facts, but rather parroting what they hear or repeating something they think they know. And then viewers repeat this information, and thus, misinformation is spread.\r\n\r\nMost people think that what they hear on TV or read in a newspaper is vetted, and therefore true. And yet, I have seen countless examples beyond those above, of news outlets simply failing to fact-check.  Add to this the increasingly sloppy use of grammar and spelling and you have a news media that is less trustworthy and less accurate than ever.\r\n\r\nBloggers, Tweeters and journalists need to be very careful with what they present as fact. It is pretty simple to fact check when MLK\'s birthday was (just Google it!). It is good to double-check information. If you can\'t find another source, then perhaps you should wait before you publish anything (and by publish, I mean making anything public).\r\n\r\nThoughts? Good examples? Share please!','Why fact checking is a crucial skill','','publish','open','open','','why-fact-checking-is-a-crucial-skill','','','2013-01-21 15:24:02','2013-01-21 15:24:02','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=1997',0,'post','',0),(1998,4,'2013-01-21 15:23:05','2013-01-21 15:23:05','Yesterday, I was watching local news coverage of the Inaugural events, and a reporter stated that Barack Obama took the oath of office using Lincoln\'s bible. Except he didn\'t. He used Michele Obama\'s family bible. Then, one of the anchors on this newscast said it was symbolic that the Inauguration taking place today (Monday, January 21) on Martin Luther King\'s birthday. Except that today is the day we OBSERVE MLK\'s birthday. His actual date of birth was January 15th.\n\nThese may seem like small mix-ups, but it points to a much larger problem. Journalists are not checking their facts, but rather parroting what they hear or repeating something they think they know. And then viewers repeat this information, and thus, misinformation is spread.\n\nMost people think that what they hear on TV or read in a newspaper is vetted, and therefore true. And yet, I have seen countless examples beyond those above, of news outlets simply failing to fact-check.  Add to this the increasingly sloppy use of grammar and spelling and you have a news media that is less trustworthy and less accurate than ever.\n\nBloggers, Tweeters and journalists need to be very careful with what they present as fact. It is pretty simple to fact check when MLK\'s birthday was (just Google it!). It is good to double-check information. If you can\'t find another source, then perhaps you should wait before you publish anything (and by publish, I mean making anything public).\n\nThoughts? Good examp','Why fact checking is a crucial skill','','inherit','open','open','','1997-revision','','','2013-01-21 15:23:05','2013-01-21 15:23:05','',1997,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1997-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2017,4,'2013-01-30 18:40:31','2013-01-30 18:40:31','As anybody who knows me (or sees the theme in this website), I like coffee. I brew a huge mugful every morning. For years, I have been using  store brand (ok, cheaper) unbleached filters and thought nothing of it. However,  I hosted a brunch in December, and was out of coffee and filters, so I bought premium coffee and premium filters ( always want to treat my guests right). Brunch was great and who knew my cousin was such a huge coffee drinker (brewed three pots!).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"I love coffee by Kristoffer Winther Balling, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiba/483626169/\"><img title=\"&quot;I love coffee&quot; \" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/207/483626169_74f5319ebe.jpg\" alt=\"I love coffee\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> \"I love coffee\" by Kristopher Winther Balling on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter I ran out of premium coffee, I reverted back to my usual (good) coffee, but still using the premium filters. And then, two days ago, I ran out of premium filters and was back to store brand. Guess what? My coffee tasted different--and not in a good way. It was more bitter.\r\n\r\nBeing a coffee lover, I had to correct this situation and promptly ran out and bought the premium filters again. Coffee this morning tasted good. The filters make a difference.\r\n\r\nThese are tough times, and many of us need to economize. But, we choose our battles and sometimes price does not win over quality.\r\n\r\n<strong>Let me rephrase that: quality can trump price.</strong>\r\n\r\nMarketing lesson here is simple: price is not the best unique selling proposition (USP). This is not the same as talking about value.  If you are betting that your target audience will be swayed by price alone, you will be disappointed. People may try a product because it is cheaper, but if the quality is not there, they won\'t buy again.  In a sense, generic brands \"get\" this. How often do you see a generic advertised? Never, because the only reason to buy a generic is because it often has a lower price. You don\'t promote generic/store brand products as being of HIGHER quality than brands, just comparable in quality but lower in price.\r\n\r\nFind what makes your product (or service) special outside of the price.  If your target values that attribute,  the target will buy it very often regardless of price.\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, it\'s about showing value and not about discussing price.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat say you? Are there products you buy because you think they have a higher value?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you can learn from coffee filters','','publish','open','open','','what-you-can-learn-from-coffee-filters','','','2013-01-30 18:40:31','2013-01-30 18:40:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2017',0,'post','',0),(2000,4,'2013-01-22 15:18:15','2013-01-22 15:18:15','Yesterday, about 1.1 million tweets were posted regarding President Barack Obama\'s Inauguration ceremony. That\'s a lot of tweets! People commented on everything from Michelle Obama\'s coat to Richard Blanco\'s poem to Beyonce\'s rendition of the National Anthem.\r\n\r\nAs I watched the Inauguration ceremonies and followed my Twitter stream (using the <a href=\"http://mashable.com/category/second-screen/\" target=\"_blank\">second screen</a>), I noticed a  social media \"expert\" tweeting out content management tips. Then I noticed another marketing/social media person promoting a blog post, which had absolutely nothing to do with politics, Martin Luther King or inauguration. It struck me as dissonant.\r\n\r\nI tweeted out that I was ignoring anything not Inaugural-related, and I thought anything regarding other topics would most likely get lost. This led to an exchange with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kathydodd\" target=\"_blank\">Kathy Dodd</a>, a Washington, DC-based marketer. It went like this:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2001\" title=\"convo with kathy dodd\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\" alt=\"Twitter conversation @dbmc and @kathydodd\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo it wasn\'t just me. What was happening was that those tweets were not following a main tenet of marketing communications: molding your message to the audience\'s needs.  As Kathy said,<strong> the people putting out these messages were not being aware of outside events or of the timing involved.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn those tweets, there was nothing wrong with the message, but the message failed to have an impact. They came off as extraneous and irrelevant.\r\n\r\nTwitter has often been described as one big cocktail party. Can you imagine if you were at a party where everyone was talking about the how much fun they were having at this event, and somebody crashed the party and announced that bananas were on sale across town. Everyone would shake their heads and continue talking about the party, <em>no matter how much they liked bananas </em>because it was a message that wasn\'t suited to the occasion.<em>\r\n</em>\r\n\r\nPerhaps the non-Inaugural tweets from yesterday were previously scheduled, we can\'t really know. But what we do know is that they failed to achieve their goal (selling bananas if they were the party-crashers above) for one simple reason: the people tweeting were not thinking like marketers. <strong>Marketers want to make sure their messages get to the right people at the right time.</strong>\r\n\r\nHere are some tips to tweet like a marketer:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Be aware of major events (some are scheduled and some are not) that will hold a majority of your target audience\'s attention.</li>\r\n	<li>Time your tweets for when they are most likely to be well received. For example, if you are promoting your lunch specials, don\'t do it at dinner time.</li>\r\n	<li>Be human, not an automaton. Remember it is <em>social</em> media.</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t talk at people; have a conversation with them.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?','How to tweet like a marketer','','publish','open','open','','how-to-tweet-like-a-marketer','','','2013-01-22 15:18:15','2013-01-22 15:18:15','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2000',0,'post','',2),(2001,4,'2013-01-22 14:46:44','2013-01-22 14:46:44','','convo with kathy dodd','','inherit','open','open','','convo-with-kathy-dodd','','','2013-01-22 14:46:44','2013-01-22 14:46:44','',2000,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp',0,'attachment','image/bmp',0),(2002,4,'2013-01-22 14:58:12','2013-01-22 14:58:12','Yesterday, about 1.1 million tweets were posted regarding President Barack Obama\'s Inauguration ceremony. That\'s a lot of tweets! People commented on everything from Michelle Obama\'s coat to Richard Blanco\'s poem to Beyonce\'s rendition of the National Anthem.\n\nAs I watched the Inauguration ceremonies and followed my Twitter stream (using the <a href=\"http://mashable.com/category/second-screen/\" target=\"_blank\">second screen</a>), I noticed a  social media \"expert\" tweeting out content management tips. Then I noticed another marketing/social media person promoting a blog post, which had absolutely nothing to do with politics, Martin Luther King or inauguration. It struck me as dissonant.\n\nI tweeted out that I was ignoring anything not Inaugural-related, and I thought anything regarding other topics would most likely get lost. This led to an exchange with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kathydodd\" target=\"_blank\">Kathy Dodd</a>, a Washington, DC-based marketer. It went like this:<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2001\" title=\"convo with kathy dodd\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\" alt=\"Twitter conversation @dbmc and @kathydodd\" /></a>\n\nSo it wasn\'t just me. What was happening was that those tweets were not following a main tenet of marketing communications: molding your message to the audience\'s needs.  As Kathy said, the people putting out these messages were not being aware of outside events or of the timing involved.\n\nTwitter has often been described as one big cocktail party. Can you imagine if you were at a party where everyone was talking about\n\nWhether these tweets were scheduled or not, we can\'t really know. But what we do know is that they failed to achieve their goal for one simple reason: the people tweeting were not thinking like marketers.\n\nHere are some tips to tweet like a marketer:\n\nBe aware of major events (some are scheduled and some are not) that will hold a majority of your target audience\'s attention.\n\nTime your tweets for when they are most likely to be well received. For example, if you are promoting your lunch specials, don\'t do it at dinner time.\n\nBe human, not an automaton. Remember it is social media.\n\n&nbsp;','How to tweet like a marketer','','inherit','open','open','','2000-revision','','','2013-01-22 14:58:12','2013-01-22 14:58:12','',2000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2000-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2003,4,'2013-01-22 15:07:39','2013-01-22 15:07:39','Yesterday, about 1.1 million tweets were posted regarding President Barack Obama\'s Inauguration ceremony. That\'s a lot of tweets! People commented on everything from Michelle Obama\'s coat to Richard Blanco\'s poem to Beyonce\'s rendition of the National Anthem.\n\nAs I watched the Inauguration ceremonies and followed my Twitter stream (using the <a href=\"http://mashable.com/category/second-screen/\" target=\"_blank\">second screen</a>), I noticed a  social media \"expert\" tweeting out content management tips. Then I noticed another marketing/social media person promoting a blog post, which had absolutely nothing to do with politics, Martin Luther King or inauguration. It struck me as dissonant.\n\nI tweeted out that I was ignoring anything not Inaugural-related, and I thought anything regarding other topics would most likely get lost. This led to an exchange with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kathydodd\" target=\"_blank\">Kathy Dodd</a>, a Washington, DC-based marketer. It went like this:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2001\" title=\"convo with kathy dodd\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\" alt=\"Twitter conversation @dbmc and @kathydodd\" /></a>\n\nSo it wasn\'t just me. What was happening was that those tweets were not following a main tenet of marketing communications: molding your message to the audience\'s needs.  As Kathy said, the people putting out these messages were not being aware of outside events or of the timing involved.\n\nTwitter has often been described as one big cocktail party. Can you imagine if you were at a party where everyone was talking about the how much fun they were having at this event, and somebody came in and announced that bananas were on sale across town. Everyone would shake their heads and continue talking about the party, <em>no matter how much they liked bananas.</em>\n\nPerhaps the non-Inaugural tweets from yesterday were previously scheduled, we can\'t really know. But what we do know is that they failed to achieve their goal (selling bananas if the were the party-crashers for one simple reason: the people tweeting were not thinking like marketers.\n\nHere are some tips to tweet like a marketer:\n<ul>\n	<li>Be aware of major events (some are scheduled and some are not) that will hold a majority of your target audience\'s attention.</li>\n	<li>Time your tweets for when they are most likely to be well received. For example, if you are promoting your lunch specials, don\'t do it at dinner time.</li>\n	<li>Be human, not an automaton. Remember it is <em>social</em> media.</li>\n	<li>Don\'t talk at people; have a conversation with them.</li>\n</ul>\nWhat are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?','How to tweet like a marketer','','inherit','open','open','','2000-revision-2','','','2013-01-22 15:07:39','2013-01-22 15:07:39','',2000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2000-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2004,4,'2013-01-22 15:08:10','2013-01-22 15:08:10','Yesterday, about 1.1 million tweets were posted regarding President Barack Obama\'s Inauguration ceremony. That\'s a lot of tweets! People commented on everything from Michelle Obama\'s coat to Richard Blanco\'s poem to Beyonce\'s rendition of the National Anthem.\r\n\r\nAs I watched the Inauguration ceremonies and followed my Twitter stream (using the <a href=\"http://mashable.com/category/second-screen/\" target=\"_blank\">second screen</a>), I noticed a  social media \"expert\" tweeting out content management tips. Then I noticed another marketing/social media person promoting a blog post, which had absolutely nothing to do with politics, Martin Luther King or inauguration. It struck me as dissonant.\r\n\r\nI tweeted out that I was ignoring anything not Inaugural-related, and I thought anything regarding other topics would most likely get lost. This led to an exchange with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kathydodd\" target=\"_blank\">Kathy Dodd</a>, a Washington, DC-based marketer. It went like this:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2001\" title=\"convo with kathy dodd\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\" alt=\"Twitter conversation @dbmc and @kathydodd\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo it wasn\'t just me. What was happening was that those tweets were not following a main tenet of marketing communications: molding your message to the audience\'s needs.  As Kathy said, the people putting out these messages were not being aware of outside events or of the timing involved.\r\n\r\nTwitter has often been described as one big cocktail party. Can you imagine if you were at a party where everyone was talking about the how much fun they were having at this event, and somebody crashed the party and announced that bananas were on sale across town. Everyone would shake their heads and continue talking about the party, <em>no matter how much they liked bananas.</em>\r\n\r\nPerhaps the non-Inaugural tweets from yesterday were previously scheduled, we can\'t really know. But what we do know is that they failed to achieve their goal (selling bananas if the were the party-crashers above) for one simple reason: the people tweeting were not thinking like marketers.\r\n\r\nHere are some tips to tweet like a marketer:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Be aware of major events (some are scheduled and some are not) that will hold a majority of your target audience\'s attention.</li>\r\n	<li>Time your tweets for when they are most likely to be well received. For example, if you are promoting your lunch specials, don\'t do it at dinner time.</li>\r\n	<li>Be human, not an automaton. Remember it is <em>social</em> media.</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t talk at people; have a conversation with them.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?','How to tweet like a marketer','','inherit','open','open','','2000-revision-3','','','2013-01-22 15:08:10','2013-01-22 15:08:10','',2000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2000-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2005,4,'2013-01-22 15:08:13','2013-01-22 15:08:13','Yesterday, about 1.1 million tweets were posted regarding President Barack Obama\'s Inauguration ceremony. That\'s a lot of tweets! People commented on everything from Michelle Obama\'s coat to Richard Blanco\'s poem to Beyonce\'s rendition of the National Anthem.\r\n\r\nAs I watched the Inauguration ceremonies and followed my Twitter stream (using the <a href=\"http://mashable.com/category/second-screen/\" target=\"_blank\">second screen</a>), I noticed a  social media \"expert\" tweeting out content management tips. Then I noticed another marketing/social media person promoting a blog post, which had absolutely nothing to do with politics, Martin Luther King or inauguration. It struck me as dissonant.\r\n\r\nI tweeted out that I was ignoring anything not Inaugural-related, and I thought anything regarding other topics would most likely get lost. This led to an exchange with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kathydodd\" target=\"_blank\">Kathy Dodd</a>, a Washington, DC-based marketer. It went like this:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2001\" title=\"convo with kathy dodd\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/convo-with-kathy-dodd.bmp\" alt=\"Twitter conversation @dbmc and @kathydodd\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo it wasn\'t just me. What was happening was that those tweets were not following a main tenet of marketing communications: molding your message to the audience\'s needs.  As Kathy said, the people putting out these messages were not being aware of outside events or of the timing involved.\r\n\r\nTwitter has often been described as one big cocktail party. Can you imagine if you were at a party where everyone was talking about the how much fun they were having at this event, and somebody crashed the party and announced that bananas were on sale across town. Everyone would shake their heads and continue talking about the party, <em>no matter how much they liked bananas.</em>\r\n\r\nPerhaps the non-Inaugural tweets from yesterday were previously scheduled, we can\'t really know. But what we do know is that they failed to achieve their goal (selling bananas if the were the party-crashers above) for one simple reason: the people tweeting were not thinking like marketers.\r\n\r\nHere are some tips to tweet like a marketer:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Be aware of major events (some are scheduled and some are not) that will hold a majority of your target audience\'s attention.</li>\r\n	<li>Time your tweets for when they are most likely to be well received. For example, if you are promoting your lunch specials, don\'t do it at dinner time.</li>\r\n	<li>Be human, not an automaton. Remember it is <em>social</em> media.</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t talk at people; have a conversation with them.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?','How to tweet like a marketer','','inherit','open','open','','2000-revision-4','','','2013-01-22 15:08:13','2013-01-22 15:08:13','',2000,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2000-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2007,4,'2012-11-09 15:15:50','2012-11-09 15:15:50','No events are currently scheduled.\r\n\r\nPast events:\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write you blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2012-11-09 15:15:50','2012-11-09 15:15:50','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/11/1765-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2084,4,'2013-02-12 22:04:42','2013-02-12 22:04:42','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\nThe next How to Write Your Blog workshop will take place on <strong>Thursday, February 28</strong> at the Silver Spring Civic Building.\r\n\r\nDetails and registration available <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write you blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-02-12 22:04:42','2013-02-12 22:04:42','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/1765-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(2008,4,'2013-01-24 14:17:01','2013-01-24 14:17:01','Having an organizational blog has loads of benefits, not the least which is it helps with SEO and it establishes expertise. And yet, many organizations have put off adding a blog, or have abandoned the blog they started. In my experience, there are many reasons for this, among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Not enough personnel or hours in the day</li>\r\n	<li>Not knowing what to write</li>\r\n	<li>Feeling overwhelmed by having to produce something consistently</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBlogging doesn\'t have to be overwhelming or extremely time-consuming. If you don\'t have someone else to handle the blog, it is possible for you to do it. You just need to learn how to do it (and why you should).\r\n\r\nHaving worked with dozens of people who have a desire to blog but don\'t know how to start or what to say, I have developed a way to teach how to do it and it\'s my <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong>. I am offering the next one on Thursday, February 28, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants, and will be intensive and participatory. We\'ll discuss why you aren\'t blogging and why you should, and we\'ll get you writing. The cost is $75, and includes materials and refreshments.\r\n\r\nTo register, visit the Eventbrite page at <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com </a>.\r\n\r\nStart or restart your blog in 2013!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to start (or restart) blogging','','publish','open','open','','how-to-start-or-restart-blogging','','','2013-01-24 14:17:01','2013-01-24 14:17:01','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2008',0,'post','',1),(2009,4,'2013-01-24 14:13:28','2013-01-24 14:13:28','Having an organizational blog has loads of benefits, not the least which is it helps with SEO and it establishes expertise. And yet, many organizations have put off adding a blog, or have abandoned the blog they started. In my experience, there are many reasons for this, among them:\n<ul>\n	<li>Not enough personnel or hours in the day</li>\n	<li>Not knowing what to write</li>\n	<li>Feeling overwhelmed by having to produce something consistently</li>\n</ul>\nBlogging doesn\'t have to be overwhelming or extremely time-consuming. If you don\'t have someone else to handle the blog, it is possible for you to do it. You just need to learn how to do it (and why you should).\n\nHaving worked with dozens of people who have a desire to blog but don\'t know how to start or what to say, I have developed a way to teach how to do it and it\'s my How to write your blog workshop. I am offering the next one on Thursday, February 28, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants, and will be intensive and participatory. We\'ll discuss why you aren\'t blogging and why you should, and we\'ll get you writing. The cost is $75, and includes materials and refreshments.\n\nTo register, visit the Eventbrite page at <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com </a>.\n\nStart or restart your blog in 2013!\n\n&nbsp;','How to start (or restart) blogging','','inherit','open','open','','2008-revision','','','2013-01-24 14:13:28','2013-01-24 14:13:28','',2008,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2008-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2010,4,'2013-01-24 14:15:20','2013-01-24 14:15:20','Having an organizational blog has loads of benefits, not the least which is it helps with SEO and it establishes expertise. And yet, many organizations have put off adding a blog, or have abandoned the blog they started. In my experience, there are many reasons for this, among them:\n<ul>\n	<li>Not enough personnel or hours in the day</li>\n	<li>Not knowing what to write</li>\n	<li>Feeling overwhelmed by having to produce something consistently</li>\n</ul>\nBlogging doesn\'t have to be overwhelming or extremely time-consuming. If you don\'t have someone else to handle the blog, it is possible for you to do it. You just need to learn how to do it (and why you should).\n\nHaving worked with dozens of people who have a desire to blog but don\'t know how to start or what to say, I have developed a way to teach how to do it and it\'s my <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong>. I am offering the next one on Thursday, February 28, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants, and will be intensive and participatory. We\'ll discuss why you aren\'t blogging and why you should, and we\'ll get you writing. The cost is $75, and includes materials and refreshments.\n\nTo register, visit the Eventbrite page at <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com </a>.\n\nStart or restart your blog in 2013!\n\n&nbsp;','How to start (or restart) blogging','','inherit','open','open','','2008-revision-2','','','2013-01-24 14:15:20','2013-01-24 14:15:20','',2008,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2008-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2011,4,'2013-01-24 14:15:36','2013-01-24 14:15:36','Having an organizational blog has loads of benefits, not the least which is it helps with SEO and it establishes expertise. And yet, many organizations have put off adding a blog, or have abandoned the blog they started. In my experience, there are many reasons for this, among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Not enough personnel or hours in the day</li>\r\n	<li>Not knowing what to write</li>\r\n	<li>Feeling overwhelmed by having to produce something consistently</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBlogging doesn\'t have to be overwhelming or extremely time-consuming. If you don\'t have someone else to handle the blog, it is possible for you to do it. You just need to learn how to do it (and why you should).\r\n\r\nHaving worked with dozens of people who have a desire to blog but don\'t know how to start or what to say, I have developed a way to teach how to do it and it\'s my <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong>. I am offering the next one on Thursday, February 28, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants, and will be intensive and participatory. We\'ll discuss why you aren\'t blogging and why you should, and we\'ll get you writing. The cost is $75, and includes materials and refreshments.\r\n\r\nTo register, visit the Eventbrite page at <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com </a>.\r\n\r\nStart or restart your blog in 2013!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to start (or restart) blogging','','inherit','open','open','','2008-revision-3','','','2013-01-24 14:15:36','2013-01-24 14:15:36','',2008,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2008-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2012,4,'2013-01-24 14:16:00','2013-01-24 14:16:00','Having an organizational blog has loads of benefits, not the least which is it helps with SEO and it establishes expertise. And yet, many organizations have put off adding a blog, or have abandoned the blog they started. In my experience, there are many reasons for this, among them:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Not enough personnel or hours in the day</li>\r\n	<li>Not knowing what to write</li>\r\n	<li>Feeling overwhelmed by having to produce something consistently</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBlogging doesn\'t have to be overwhelming or extremely time-consuming. If you don\'t have someone else to handle the blog, it is possible for you to do it. You just need to learn how to do it (and why you should).\r\n\r\nHaving worked with dozens of people who have a desire to blog but don\'t know how to start or what to say, I have developed a way to teach how to do it and it\'s my <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong>. I am offering the next one on Thursday, February 28, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants, and will be intensive and participatory. We\'ll discuss why you aren\'t blogging and why you should, and we\'ll get you writing. The cost is $75, and includes materials and refreshments.\r\n\r\nTo register, visit the Eventbrite page at <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com </a>.\r\n\r\nStart or restart your blog in 2013!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to start (or restart) blogging','','inherit','open','open','','2008-revision-4','','','2013-01-24 14:16:00','2013-01-24 14:16:00','',2008,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2008-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2013,4,'2013-01-28 14:45:40','2013-01-28 14:45:40','There are blogs with lots of good, well written and interesting information that are not succeeding. They almost always lack an element or two. Like when I find a great blog post that I want to share, and I can\'t because there are no sharing buttons.  That frustrates me because I now have to add a step or two to share the post on social media, but it also shows me that the blog post author is not looking to increase his/her audience.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"You_Must_See by kokogiak, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/3912439/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/2/3912439_bab01dc601.jpg\" alt=\"You_Must_See\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by kokogiak on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the five items your blog must absolutely, positively have:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Sharing buttons.</strong> There are so many services and plug-ins--find one you like and that shares your post to the main social networks.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Robust about page</strong>.  People want to know who is writing the content. A shady or incomplete author profile does not create confidence that your content is valid.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Subscription capabilities</strong>. Give people the option to subscribe to your blog, either by email or by RSS feed.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Contact information.</strong> Give your readers the ability to contact you beyond your comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Print (or PDF) button</strong>. Some readers need to read things on paper, or want to print to save for posterity that amazing insight you wrote.\r\n\r\nDoes your blog have these? Why or why not? Anything you would add? Let me know! (Oh, another thing your blog should have is a way to comment!!!!)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','5 items that your blog must absolutely, positively have','','publish','open','open','','5-items-that-your-blog-must-have','','','2013-01-28 14:45:40','2013-01-28 14:45:40','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2013',0,'post','',2),(2014,4,'2013-01-28 14:44:11','2013-01-28 14:44:11','There are blogs with lots of good, well written and interesting information that are not succeeding. They almost always lack an element or two. Like when I find a great blog post that I want to share, and I can\'t because there are no sharing buttons.  That frustrates me because I now have to add a step or two to share the post on social media, but it also shows me that the blog post author is not looking to increase his/her audience.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"You_Must_See by kokogiak, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/3912439/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/2/3912439_bab01dc601.jpg\" alt=\"You_Must_See\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by kokogiak on Flickr.[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere are the five items your blog must absolutely, positively have:\n\n<strong>1. Sharing buttons.</strong> There are so many services and plug-ins--find one you like and that shares your post to the main social networks.\n\n<strong>2. Robust about page</strong>.  People want to know who is writing the content. A shady or incomplete author profile does not create confidence that your content is valid.\n\n<strong>3. Subscription capabilities</strong>. Give people the option to subscribe to your blog, either by email or by RSS feed.\n\n<strong>4. Contact information.</strong> Give your readers the ability to contact you beyond your comments.\n\n<strong>5. Print (or PDF) button</strong>. Some readers need to read things on paper, or want to print to save for posterity that amazing insight you wrote.\n\nDoes your blog have these? Why or why not? Anything you would add? Let me know! (Oh, another thing your blog should have is a way to comment!!!!)\n\n&nbsp;','5 items that your blog must absolutely, positively have','','inherit','open','open','','2013-revision','','','2013-01-28 14:44:11','2013-01-28 14:44:11','',2013,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2013-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2015,4,'2013-01-28 14:44:40','2013-01-28 14:44:40','There are blogs with lots of good, well written and interesting information that are not succeeding. They almost always lack an element or two. Like when I find a great blog post that I want to share, and I can\'t because there are no sharing buttons.  That frustrates me because I now have to add a step or two to share the post on social media, but it also shows me that the blog post author is not looking to increase his/her audience.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"You_Must_See by kokogiak, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/3912439/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/2/3912439_bab01dc601.jpg\" alt=\"You_Must_See\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by kokogiak on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the five items your blog must absolutely, positively have:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Sharing buttons.</strong> There are so many services and plug-ins--find one you like and that shares your post to the main social networks.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Robust about page</strong>.  People want to know who is writing the content. A shady or incomplete author profile does not create confidence that your content is valid.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Subscription capabilities</strong>. Give people the option to subscribe to your blog, either by email or by RSS feed.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Contact information.</strong> Give your readers the ability to contact you beyond your comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Print (or PDF) button</strong>. Some readers need to read things on paper, or want to print to save for posterity that amazing insight you wrote.\r\n\r\nDoes your blog have these? Why or why not? Anything you would add? Let me know! (Oh, another thing your blog should have is a way to comment!!!!)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','5 items that your blog must absolutely, positively have','','inherit','open','open','','2013-revision-2','','','2013-01-28 14:44:40','2013-01-28 14:44:40','',2013,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2013-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2016,4,'2013-01-28 14:45:33','2013-01-28 14:45:33','There are blogs with lots of good, well written and interesting information that are not succeeding. They almost always lack an element or two. Like when I find a great blog post that I want to share, and I can\'t because there are no sharing buttons.  That frustrates me because I now have to add a step or two to share the post on social media, but it also shows me that the blog post author is not looking to increase his/her audience.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"You_Must_See by kokogiak, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/3912439/\"><img src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/2/3912439_bab01dc601.jpg\" alt=\"You_Must_See\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> Photo by kokogiak on Flickr.[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the five items your blog must absolutely, positively have:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Sharing buttons.</strong> There are so many services and plug-ins--find one you like and that shares your post to the main social networks.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Robust about page</strong>.  People want to know who is writing the content. A shady or incomplete author profile does not create confidence that your content is valid.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Subscription capabilities</strong>. Give people the option to subscribe to your blog, either by email or by RSS feed.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Contact information.</strong> Give your readers the ability to contact you beyond your comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Print (or PDF) button</strong>. Some readers need to read things on paper, or want to print to save for posterity that amazing insight you wrote.\r\n\r\nDoes your blog have these? Why or why not? Anything you would add? Let me know! (Oh, another thing your blog should have is a way to comment!!!!)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','5 items that your blog must absolutely, positively have','','inherit','open','open','','2013-revision-3','','','2013-01-28 14:45:33','2013-01-28 14:45:33','',2013,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2013-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2018,4,'2013-01-30 18:24:52','2013-01-30 18:24:52','As anybody who knows me (or sees the theme in this website), I like coffee. I brew a huge mugful every morning. For years, I have been using  store brand (ok, cheaper) unbleached filters and thought nothing of it. However,  I hosted a brunch in December, and was out of coffee and filters, so I bought premium coffee and premium filters ( always want to treat my guests right). Brunch was great and who knew my cousin was such a huge coffee drinker (brewed three pots!).\n\nAfter I ran out of premium coffee, I reverted back to my usual (good) coffee, but still using the premium filters. And then, two days ago, I ran out of premium filters and was back to store brand. Guess what? My coffee tasted different--and not in a good way. It was more bitter.\n\nBeing a coffee lover, I had to correct this situation and promptly ran out and bought the premium filters again. Coffee this morning tasted good. The filters make a difference.\n\nThese are tough times, and many of us need to economize. But, we choose our battles and sometimes price does not win over quality.\n\n<strong>Let me rephrase that: quality can trump price.</strong>\n\nMarketing lesson here is simple: price is not the best point of comparison (not talking about value).  If you are betting that your target audience will be swayed by price alone, you will be disappointed. People may try a product because it is cheaper, but if the quality is not there, they won\'t buy again. In a sense, generic brands \"get\" this. How often do you see a generic advertised? Never, because the only reason to buy a generic is because it often has a lower price. You don\'t promote generic products as being of HIGHER quality than brands, just comparable in quality but lower in price.\n\n&nbsp;','What you can learn from coffee filters','','inherit','open','open','','2017-revision','','','2013-01-30 18:24:52','2013-01-30 18:24:52','',2017,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2017-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2019,4,'2013-01-30 18:38:21','2013-01-30 18:38:21','As anybody who knows me (or sees the theme in this website), I like coffee. I brew a huge mugful every morning. For years, I have been using  store brand (ok, cheaper) unbleached filters and thought nothing of it. However,  I hosted a brunch in December, and was out of coffee and filters, so I bought premium coffee and premium filters ( always want to treat my guests right). Brunch was great and who knew my cousin was such a huge coffee drinker (brewed three pots!).\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"I love coffee by Kristoffer Winther Balling, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiba/483626169/\"><img title=\"&quot;I love coffee&quot; \" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/207/483626169_74f5319ebe.jpg\" alt=\"I love coffee\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> \"I love coffee\" by Kristopher Winther Balling on Flickr[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter I ran out of premium coffee, I reverted back to my usual (good) coffee, but still using the premium filters. And then, two days ago, I ran out of premium filters and was back to store brand. Guess what? My coffee tasted different--and not in a good way. It was more bitter.\n\nBeing a coffee lover, I had to correct this situation and promptly ran out and bought the premium filters again. Coffee this morning tasted good. The filters make a difference.\n\nThese are tough times, and many of us need to economize. But, we choose our battles and sometimes price does not win over quality.\n\n<strong>Let me rephrase that: quality can trump price.</strong>\n\nMarketing lesson here is simple: price is not the best unique selling proposition (USP). This is not the same as talking about value.  If you are betting that your target audience will be swayed by price alone, you will be disappointed. People may try a product because it is cheaper, but if the quality is not there, they won\'t buy again.  In a sense, generic brands \"get\" this. How often do you see a generic advertised? Never, because the only reason to buy a generic is because it often has a lower price. You don\'t promote generic/store brand products as being of HIGHER quality than brands, just comparable in quality but lower in price.\n\nFind what makes your product (or service) special outside of the price.  If your target values that attribute,  the target will buy it very often regardless of price.\n\n&nbsp;','What you can learn from coffee filters','','inherit','open','open','','2017-revision-2','','','2013-01-30 18:38:21','2013-01-30 18:38:21','',2017,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2017-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2020,4,'2013-01-30 18:39:10','2013-01-30 18:39:10','As anybody who knows me (or sees the theme in this website), I like coffee. I brew a huge mugful every morning. For years, I have been using  store brand (ok, cheaper) unbleached filters and thought nothing of it. However,  I hosted a brunch in December, and was out of coffee and filters, so I bought premium coffee and premium filters ( always want to treat my guests right). Brunch was great and who knew my cousin was such a huge coffee drinker (brewed three pots!).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"I love coffee by Kristoffer Winther Balling, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiba/483626169/\"><img title=\"&quot;I love coffee&quot; \" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/207/483626169_74f5319ebe.jpg\" alt=\"I love coffee\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> \"I love coffee\" by Kristopher Winther Balling on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter I ran out of premium coffee, I reverted back to my usual (good) coffee, but still using the premium filters. And then, two days ago, I ran out of premium filters and was back to store brand. Guess what? My coffee tasted different--and not in a good way. It was more bitter.\r\n\r\nBeing a coffee lover, I had to correct this situation and promptly ran out and bought the premium filters again. Coffee this morning tasted good. The filters make a difference.\r\n\r\nThese are tough times, and many of us need to economize. But, we choose our battles and sometimes price does not win over quality.\r\n\r\n<strong>Let me rephrase that: quality can trump price.</strong>\r\n\r\nMarketing lesson here is simple: price is not the best unique selling proposition (USP). This is not the same as talking about value.  If you are betting that your target audience will be swayed by price alone, you will be disappointed. People may try a product because it is cheaper, but if the quality is not there, they won\'t buy again.  In a sense, generic brands \"get\" this. How often do you see a generic advertised? Never, because the only reason to buy a generic is because it often has a lower price. You don\'t promote generic/store brand products as being of HIGHER quality than brands, just comparable in quality but lower in price.\r\n\r\nFind what makes your product (or service) special outside of the price.  If your target values that attribute,  the target will buy it very often regardless of price.\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, it\'s about showing value and not about discussing price.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat say you? Are there products you buy because you think they have a higher value?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you can learn from coffee filters','','inherit','open','open','','2017-revision-3','','','2013-01-30 18:39:10','2013-01-30 18:39:10','',2017,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2017-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2021,4,'2013-01-30 18:39:19','2013-01-30 18:39:19','As anybody who knows me (or sees the theme in this website), I like coffee. I brew a huge mugful every morning. For years, I have been using  store brand (ok, cheaper) unbleached filters and thought nothing of it. However,  I hosted a brunch in December, and was out of coffee and filters, so I bought premium coffee and premium filters ( always want to treat my guests right). Brunch was great and who knew my cousin was such a huge coffee drinker (brewed three pots!).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"I love coffee by Kristoffer Winther Balling, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiba/483626169/\"><img title=\"&quot;I love coffee&quot; \" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/207/483626169_74f5319ebe.jpg\" alt=\"I love coffee\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" /></a> \"I love coffee\" by Kristopher Winther Balling on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter I ran out of premium coffee, I reverted back to my usual (good) coffee, but still using the premium filters. And then, two days ago, I ran out of premium filters and was back to store brand. Guess what? My coffee tasted different--and not in a good way. It was more bitter.\r\n\r\nBeing a coffee lover, I had to correct this situation and promptly ran out and bought the premium filters again. Coffee this morning tasted good. The filters make a difference.\r\n\r\nThese are tough times, and many of us need to economize. But, we choose our battles and sometimes price does not win over quality.\r\n\r\n<strong>Let me rephrase that: quality can trump price.</strong>\r\n\r\nMarketing lesson here is simple: price is not the best unique selling proposition (USP). This is not the same as talking about value.  If you are betting that your target audience will be swayed by price alone, you will be disappointed. People may try a product because it is cheaper, but if the quality is not there, they won\'t buy again.  In a sense, generic brands \"get\" this. How often do you see a generic advertised? Never, because the only reason to buy a generic is because it often has a lower price. You don\'t promote generic/store brand products as being of HIGHER quality than brands, just comparable in quality but lower in price.\r\n\r\nFind what makes your product (or service) special outside of the price.  If your target values that attribute,  the target will buy it very often regardless of price.\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, it\'s about showing value and not about discussing price.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat say you? Are there products you buy because you think they have a higher value?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What you can learn from coffee filters','','inherit','open','open','','2017-revision-4','','','2013-01-30 18:39:19','2013-01-30 18:39:19','',2017,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/2017-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2023,4,'2013-02-01 14:53:57','2013-02-01 14:53:57','You know the stakes are high when an advertiser takes out a full page ad to promote a TV commercial. Of course, it\'s not just any TV commercial--it\'s a commercial during the Super Bowl.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2024\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"212\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2024\" title=\"cars.com ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad-212x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" /></a> Top quarter of full page cars.com ad in Feb. 1 Washington Post[/caption]\r\n\r\nSuper Bowl advertising costs are at an all-time high. According to<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/as-super-bowl-ad-prices-rise-some-decide-to-release-commercials-before-big-game/2013/01/31/2b2929a6-6bf5-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> Lisa de Moraes\' TV column </a>in today\'s Washington Post, CBS is charging nearly $4 million per 30-second spot. De Moraes says that due to the high cost and the clutter, advertisers are doing what they can to promote their commercials. Some advertisers are releasing the commercial prior to the game and others are giving viewers the option of choosing the ad ending.\r\n\r\nCars.com seems to think that producing a full page ad will focus eye balls on their commercial. Notice that in addition, the ad is promoting <a href=\"http://www.cars.com/nodrama\" target=\"_blank\">this website</a>, where, in meta-fashion, they have some drama about the focus group about the impact of the ad. Let\'s see, based on this, I think we can expect a dramatic ad, or an ad with drama, or an ironic take on car buying, or an exaggeration. Or maybe the point is that we won\'t know what to expect.\r\n\r\nI am not sure this tack works. For one, the need to advertise an advertisement seems bizarre. And second, it sets up a very high expectation that this ad is going to stand out. If the commercial doesn\'t meet expectations, then no one wins. The advertiser will have spent $4 million plus the cost of producing the video about the commercial plus the cost of advertising the ad (design, placement, etc.). I would say cars.com\'s investment is a minimum of $5 million (and I don\'t know how much the Super Bowl commercial cost to produce or how many newspapers the print ad ran in).\r\n\r\nWill you be watching the Super Bowl?\r\n<h6>Want to learn to blog?</h6>\r\nIf you would like to have a successful blog (consistent, interesting, and focused on your audience) and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my next blogging workshop on February 28. More details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','An ad to promote a TV commercial...','','publish','open','open','','an-ad-to-promote-a-tv-commercial','','','2013-02-01 14:53:57','2013-02-01 14:53:57','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2023',0,'post','',0),(2024,4,'2013-02-01 14:28:21','2013-02-01 14:28:21','','cars.com ad','Top quarter of full page cars.com ad in Feb. 1 Washington Post','inherit','open','open','','cars-com-ad','','','2013-02-01 14:28:21','2013-02-01 14:28:21','',2023,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2025,4,'2013-02-01 14:48:58','2013-02-01 14:48:58','You know the stakes are high when an advertiser takes out a full page ad to promote a TV commercial. Of course, it\'s not just any TV commercial--it\'s a commercial during the Super Bowl.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_2024\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"212\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2024\" title=\"cars.com ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad-212x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" /></a> Top quarter of full page cars.com ad in Feb. 1 Washington Post[/caption]\n\nSuper Bowl advertising costs are at an all-time high. According to<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/as-super-bowl-ad-prices-rise-some-decide-to-release-commercials-before-big-game/2013/01/31/2b2929a6-6bf5-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> Lisa de Moraes\' TV column </a>in today\'s Washington Post, CBS is charging nearly $4 million per 30-second spot. De Moraes says that due to the high cost and the clutter, advertisers are doing what they can to promote their commercials. Some advertisers are releasing the commercial prior to the game and others are giving viewers the option of choosing the ad ending.\n\nCars.com seems to think that producing a full page ad will focus eye balls on their commercial. Notice that in addition, the ad is promoting <a href=\"http://www.cars.com/nodrama\" target=\"_blank\">this website</a>. Where, in meta-fashion, they have some drama about the focus group about the impact of the ad. Let\'s see, we can expect a dramatic ad, or an ad with drama, or something.\n\nI am not sure this tack works. For one, the need to advertise an advertisement seems bizarre. And second, it sets up a very high expectation that this ad is going to stand out. If the commercial doesn\'t meet expectations, then no one wins. The advertiser will have spent $4 million plus the cost of producing the video about the commercial plus the cost of advertising the ad (design, placement, etc.). I would say cars.com\'s investment is a minimum of $5 million (and I don\'t know how much the Super Bowl commercial cost to produce or how many newspapers the print ad ran in).\n\nWill you be watching the Super Bowl?\n<h6>Want to learn to blog?</h6>\nIf you would like to have a successful blog (consistent, interesting, and focused on your audience) and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my next blogging workshop on February 28. More details and registration here.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','An ad to promote a TV commercial...','','inherit','open','open','','2023-revision','','','2013-02-01 14:48:58','2013-02-01 14:48:58','',2023,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2023-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2026,4,'2013-02-01 14:49:32','2013-02-01 14:49:32','You know the stakes are high when an advertiser takes out a full page ad to promote a TV commercial. Of course, it\'s not just any TV commercial--it\'s a commercial during the Super Bowl.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2024\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"212\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2024\" title=\"cars.com ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad-212x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" /></a> Top quarter of full page cars.com ad in Feb. 1 Washington Post[/caption]\r\n\r\nSuper Bowl advertising costs are at an all-time high. According to<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/as-super-bowl-ad-prices-rise-some-decide-to-release-commercials-before-big-game/2013/01/31/2b2929a6-6bf5-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> Lisa de Moraes\' TV column </a>in today\'s Washington Post, CBS is charging nearly $4 million per 30-second spot. De Moraes says that due to the high cost and the clutter, advertisers are doing what they can to promote their commercials. Some advertisers are releasing the commercial prior to the game and others are giving viewers the option of choosing the ad ending.\r\n\r\nCars.com seems to think that producing a full page ad will focus eye balls on their commercial. Notice that in addition, the ad is promoting <a href=\"http://www.cars.com/nodrama\" target=\"_blank\">this website</a>. Where, in meta-fashion, they have some drama about the focus group about the impact of the ad. Let\'s see, we can expect a dramatic ad, or an ad with drama, or something.\r\n\r\nI am not sure this tack works. For one, the need to advertise an advertisement seems bizarre. And second, it sets up a very high expectation that this ad is going to stand out. If the commercial doesn\'t meet expectations, then no one wins. The advertiser will have spent $4 million plus the cost of producing the video about the commercial plus the cost of advertising the ad (design, placement, etc.). I would say cars.com\'s investment is a minimum of $5 million (and I don\'t know how much the Super Bowl commercial cost to produce or how many newspapers the print ad ran in).\r\n\r\nWill you be watching the Super Bowl?\r\n<h6>Want to learn to blog?</h6>\r\nIf you would like to have a successful blog (consistent, interesting, and focused on your audience) and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my next blogging workshop on February 28. More details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','An ad to promote a TV commercial...','','inherit','open','open','','2023-revision-2','','','2013-02-01 14:49:32','2013-02-01 14:49:32','',2023,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2023-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2027,4,'2013-02-01 14:49:54','2013-02-01 14:49:54','You know the stakes are high when an advertiser takes out a full page ad to promote a TV commercial. Of course, it\'s not just any TV commercial--it\'s a commercial during the Super Bowl.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2024\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"212\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2024\" title=\"cars.com ad\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cars.com-ad-212x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" /></a> Top quarter of full page cars.com ad in Feb. 1 Washington Post[/caption]\r\n\r\nSuper Bowl advertising costs are at an all-time high. According to<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/as-super-bowl-ad-prices-rise-some-decide-to-release-commercials-before-big-game/2013/01/31/2b2929a6-6bf5-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\"> Lisa de Moraes\' TV column </a>in today\'s Washington Post, CBS is charging nearly $4 million per 30-second spot. De Moraes says that due to the high cost and the clutter, advertisers are doing what they can to promote their commercials. Some advertisers are releasing the commercial prior to the game and others are giving viewers the option of choosing the ad ending.\r\n\r\nCars.com seems to think that producing a full page ad will focus eye balls on their commercial. Notice that in addition, the ad is promoting <a href=\"http://www.cars.com/nodrama\" target=\"_blank\">this website</a>. Where, in meta-fashion, they have some drama about the focus group about the impact of the ad. Let\'s see, we can expect a dramatic ad, or an ad with drama, or something.\r\n\r\nI am not sure this tack works. For one, the need to advertise an advertisement seems bizarre. And second, it sets up a very high expectation that this ad is going to stand out. If the commercial doesn\'t meet expectations, then no one wins. The advertiser will have spent $4 million plus the cost of producing the video about the commercial plus the cost of advertising the ad (design, placement, etc.). I would say cars.com\'s investment is a minimum of $5 million (and I don\'t know how much the Super Bowl commercial cost to produce or how many newspapers the print ad ran in).\r\n\r\nWill you be watching the Super Bowl?\r\n<h6>Want to learn to blog?</h6>\r\nIf you would like to have a successful blog (consistent, interesting, and focused on your audience) and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my next blogging workshop on February 28. More details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','An ad to promote a TV commercial...','','inherit','open','open','','2023-revision-3','','','2013-02-01 14:49:54','2013-02-01 14:49:54','',2023,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2023-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2060,4,'2013-01-23 17:09:53','2013-01-23 17:09:53','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\nThe next How to Write Your Blog workshop will take place on <strong>Thursday, February 28</strong> at the Silver Spring Civic Building.\r\n\r\nDetails and registration available <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write you blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Events','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-01-23 17:09:53','2013-01-23 17:09:53','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/01/1765-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(2029,4,'2013-02-04 14:28:06','2013-02-04 14:28:06','Long-time readers of this blog know that I have written before about Pepco, the Potomac Electric Power Company, which serves nearly 800,000 customers in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  My posts have focused on the fact that Pepco\'s advertising does not match people\'s experiences with the power company.\r\n\r\nLast night, viewers of Super Bowl 47 were surprised to see the lights go out during the game in the Superdome in New Orleans, where the game was being played. In fact, the power was out for about 35 minutes. Entergy, the electricity provider in New Orleans said that the issue was not with them but with the stadium. As of right now, I am not sure what caused the power failure but I do know what people in Maryland and DC thought about it by their postings on Twitter: Pepco must surely be involved.\r\n\r\nPepco\'s reliability has become a joke. It has a negative perception so deeply ingrained in customers\' minds that comments like: \"Who knew <strong>Pepco</strong> was the official energy provider for the Super Bowl\" by @djrothkopf or \"Talked to <strong>Pepco </strong>and they\'re confident power will be restored to all parts of the stadium by Wednesday\" by @timothypmurphy were rampant (and often retweeted) on Twitter on Sunday night.\r\n\r\nNo amount of advertising will fix a real, on-the-ground problem. Other organizations, such as the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA), need to learn this lesson too. When you have let your customers down repeatedly, they will no longer trust you. Your advertising and your public relations will not rehabilitate your image.\r\n\r\nIn order to change people\'s perceptions of your brand, you need to move beyond just communications. You need to make positive changes and be able to provide proof that you have done so. Once you have made measurable progress and you have something tangible to report, you can move forward with a communications program. Even then, bad experiences are difficult to overcome.\r\n\r\nIt will take actual reliability and good experiences with Pepco for customers to learn to trust this company.  As I have said before, you can tell me in your advertising that you are working on your reliability, but if I am sitting in the dark for days on end (like I was during last summer\'s Derecho storm), I am going to doubt you are doing very much at all.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? If you are in Maryland or DC did you also joke that Pepco was behind the power outage at the Super Bowl?','The power to recognize advertising is not enough','','publish','open','open','','the-power-to-recognize-advertising-is-not-enough','','','2013-02-04 14:28:06','2013-02-04 14:28:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2029',0,'post','',0),(2030,4,'2013-02-04 14:27:19','2013-02-04 14:27:19','Long-time readers of this blog know that I have written before about Pepco, the Potomac Electric Power Company, which serves nearly 800,000 customers in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  My posts have focused on the fact that Pepco\'s advertising does not match people\'s experiences with the power company.\n\nLast night, viewers of Super Bowl 47 were surprised to see the lights go out during the game in the Superdome in New Orleans, where the game was being played. In fact, the power was out for about 35 minutes. Entergy, the electricity provider in New Orleans said that the issue was not with them but with the stadium. As of right now, I am not sure what caused the power failure but I do know what people in Maryland and DC thought about it by their postings on Twitter: Pepco must surely be involved.\n\nPepco\'s reliability has become a joke. It has a negative perception so deeply ingrained in customers\' minds that comments like: \"Who knew <strong>Pepco</strong> was the official energy provider for the Super Bowl\" by @djrothkopf or \"Talked to <strong>Pepco </strong>and they\'re confident power will be restored to all parts of the stadium by Wednesday\" by @timothypmurphy were rampant (and often retweeted) on Twitter on Sunday night.\n\nNo amount of advertising will fix a real, on-the-ground problem. Other organizations, such as the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA), need to learn this lesson too. When you have let your customers down repeatedly, they will no longer trust you. Your advertising and your public relations will not rehabilitate your image.\n\nIn order to change people\'s perceptions of your brand, you need to move beyond just communications. You need to make positive changes and be able to provide proof that you have done so. Once you have made measurable progress and you have something tangible to report, you can move forward with a communications program. Even then, bad experiences are difficult to overcome.\n\nIt will take actual reliability and good experiences with Pepco for customers to learn to trust this company.  As I have said before, you can tell me in your advertising that you are working on your reliability, but if I am sitting in the dark for days on end (like I was during last summer\'s Derecho storm), I am going to doubt you are doing very much at all.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? If you are in Maryland or DC did you also joke that Pepco was behind the power outage at the Super Bowl?','The power to recognize advertising is not enough','','inherit','open','open','','2029-revision','','','2013-02-04 14:27:19','2013-02-04 14:27:19','',2029,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2029-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2031,4,'2013-02-04 14:29:10','2013-02-04 14:29:10','Long-time readers of this blog know that I have written before about Pepco, the Potomac Electric Power Company, which serves nearly 800,000 customers in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  My posts have focused on the fact that Pepco\'s advertising does not match people\'s experiences with the power company.\n\nLast night, viewers of Super Bowl 47 were surprised to see the lights go out during the game in the Superdome in New Orleans, where the game was being played. In fact, the power was out for about 35 minutes. Entergy, the electricity provider in New Orleans said that the issue was not with them but with the stadium. As of right now, I am not sure what caused the power failure but I do know what people in Maryland and DC thought about it by their postings on Twitter: Pepco must surely be involved.\n\nPepco\'s reliability has become a joke. It has a negative perception so deeply ingrained in customers\' minds that comments like: \"Who knew <strong>Pepco</strong> was the official energy provider for the Super Bowl\" by @djrothkopf or \"Talked to <strong>Pepco </strong>and they\'re confident power will be restored to all parts of the stadium by Wednesday\" by @timothypmurphy were rampant (and often retweeted) on Twitter on Sunday night.\n\nNo amount of advertising will fix a real, on-the-ground problem. Other organizations, such as the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA), need to learn this lesson too. When you have let your customers down repeatedly, they will no longer trust you. Your advertising and your public relations will not rehabilitate your image.\n\nIn order to change people\'s perceptions of your brand, you need to move beyond just communications. You need to make positive changes and be able to provide proof that you have done so. Once you have made measurable progress and you have something tangible to report, you can move forward with a communications program. Even then, bad experiences are difficult to overcome.\n\nIt will take actual reliability and good experiences with Pepco for customers to learn to trust this company.  As I have said before, you can tell me in your advertising that you are working on your reliability, but if I am sitting in the dark for days on end (like I was during last summer\'s Derecho storm), I am going to doubt you are doing very much at all.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? If you are in Maryland or DC did you also joke that Pepco was behind the power outage at the Super Bowl?','The power to recognize advertising is not enough','','inherit','open','open','','2029-autosave','','','2013-02-04 14:29:10','2013-02-04 14:29:10','',2029,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2029-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2062,4,'2013-02-13 15:49:22','2013-02-13 15:49:22','Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to make him/her over? Yesterday I saw a woman with frizzy, long and shapeless hair wearing an equally long and shapeless prairie-type dress of a circa 1982 vintage.  Perhaps vintage wines are good but dresses fade and look, well, dated. I wondered if she was aware of how she appeared: as someone who did not care about her appearance and/or hadn\'t been shopping in 30 years and/or didn\'t have a good friend to tell her she needed to update.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"Little Claire on the Prairie by chris_ford_uk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/11694215@N00/817748586/\"><img alt=\"Little Claire on the Prairie\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1021/817748586_e6ec6ed504.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Little Claire on the Prairie by Chris_Ford_UK on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhat does this 80s refugee have to do with marketing and communications? Simple, they too can benefit from an update and a makeover. When was the last time you really examined your website? Does the design indicate that we are in 2013 or is it the same look you had when you launched your website back in 1996? When was the last time you posted something on your blog or changed your about us page? How about your logo? Still using fonts that were popular in the 1970s?\r\n\r\nBut updates don\'t only refer to outward appearance. You must also look at the back end. Is your software up to date? Have you looked at your mission statement lately? Or your target audience description? Perhaps your messaging needs an update too.\r\n\r\nMake it one your goals for 2013 to determine what needs to be updated and then get it done! Here is a list to help you:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Logo</li>\r\n	<li>Tagline</li>\r\n	<li>Website (including blog)</li>\r\n	<li>Brochure (even if it\'s a PDF/online version)</li>\r\n	<li>Business stationery (including letterhead and business cards)</li>\r\n	<li>Annual report</li>\r\n	<li>Press release boilerplate</li>\r\n	<li>Organizational mission/vision</li>\r\n	<li>Target audience description</li>\r\n	<li>Organizational description in various formats and lengths</li>\r\n	<li>Services/products list (and pricing if appropriate)</li>\r\n	<li>Social media avatars/biographies/descriptions</li>\r\n	<li>Software/hardware</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>A makeover is a chance to refresh and renew. </strong> With people, makeovers tend to make them look younger and more attractive. With organizations, makeovers make them look in touch, modern and more attractive (to potential customers/clients/donors/supporters).\r\n\r\nWhat are you going to change this year?\r\n<h3>Improve your blog/blogging process!</h3>\r\nIf you are in the Washington, DC metro area and would like to improve your blog or blogging process, sign up for my How to Write your Blog workshop today! The workshop takes place on Thursday, February 28 at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  For more details and to register, visit the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite page.</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is it time for a makeover?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-time-for-a-makeover','','','2013-02-13 15:49:22','2013-02-13 15:49:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2062',0,'post','',0),(2033,4,'2013-02-05 16:45:34','2013-02-05 16:45:34','Is your organization\'s blog feeling tired? Perhaps it\'s time to try  a few new things like soliciting guest blog posts, or live blogging a conference. Read <a href=\"http://www.batescreativegroup.com/align/5-easy-ways-to-invigorate-your-organizations-blog\" target=\"_blank\">the five tips to re-invigorate your blog </a>that I share as a guest blogger at <a href=\"http://batescreativegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Bates Creative Group</a>\'s <em>Align</em> blog.\r\n\r\nMy thanks to Director of Business Development Heather Shelton and Marketing Specialist Amanda Jennison of Bates Creative Group for including me in their blog!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Invigorate your organization\'s blog','','publish','open','open','','invigorate-your-organizations-blog','','','2013-02-05 16:45:34','2013-02-05 16:45:34','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2033',0,'post','',0),(2034,4,'2013-02-05 16:44:46','2013-02-05 16:44:46','Is your organization\'s blog feeling tired? Perhaps it\'s time to try  a few new things like soliciting guest blog posts, or live blogging a conference. Read <a href=\"http://www.batescreativegroup.com/align/5-easy-ways-to-invigorate-your-organizations-blog\" target=\"_blank\">the five tips to re-invigorate your blog </a>that I share as a guest blogger at <a href=\"http://batescreativegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Bates Creative Group</a>\'s <em>Align</em> blog.\n\nMy thanks to Director of Business Development Heather Shelton and Marketing Specialist Amanda Jennison of Bates Creative Group for including me in their blog!\n\n&nbsp;','Invigorate your organization\'s blog','','inherit','open','open','','2033-revision','','','2013-02-05 16:44:46','2013-02-05 16:44:46','',2033,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2033-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2035,4,'2013-02-05 16:46:38','2013-02-05 16:46:38','Is your organization\'s blog feeling tired? Perhaps it\'s time to try  a few new things like soliciting guest blog posts, or live blogging a conference. Read <a href=\"http://www.batescreativegroup.com/align/5-easy-ways-to-invigorate-your-organizations-blog\" target=\"_blank\">the five tips to re-invigorate your blog </a>that I share as a guest blogger at <a href=\"http://batescreativegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Bates Creative Group</a>\'s <em>Align</em> blog.\n\nMy thanks to Director of Business Development Heather Shelton and Marketing Specialist Amanda Jennison of Bates Creative Group for including me in their blog!\n\n&nbsp;','Invigorate your organization\'s blog','','inherit','open','open','','2033-autosave','','','2013-02-05 16:46:38','2013-02-05 16:46:38','',2033,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2033-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2036,4,'2013-02-26 17:48:28','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Yesterday, I attempted to go to a Starbucks and get some reading done.  Even before I ordered, I had a bad feeling.  The two \"baristas\" were busy arguing among themselves, about what, I am not sure. What I do know is that they were not remotely interested in the customers, the shop or anything else. I was not greeted with a smile.  My order was given to me and my money was taken and that was it.\n\nWe know that a dismissive and indifferent attitude is not good for sales.\n\nIn spite of all this, the place was packed. So much so, I was not able to find a seat and had to leave. My reading would have to wait.\n\n&nbsp;','Attitude makes a difference','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-02-26 17:48:28','2013-02-26 17:48:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2036',0,'post','',0),(2037,4,'2013-02-07 15:08:02','2013-02-07 15:08:02','Yesterday, I attempted to go to a Starbucks and get some reading done.  Even before I ordered, I had a bad feeling.  The two \"baristas\" were busy arguing among themselves, about what, I am not sure. What I do know is that they were not remotely interested in the customers, the shop or anything else. I was not greeted with a smile.  My order was given to me and my money was taken and that was it.\n\nWe know that a dismissive and indifferent attitude is not good for sales.\n\nIn spite of all this, the place was packed. So much so, I was not able to find a seat and had to leave. My reading would have to wait.\n\n&nbsp;','Attitude makes a difference','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision','','','2013-02-07 15:08:02','2013-02-07 15:08:02','',2036,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2036-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2038,4,'2012-05-29 14:25:45','2012-05-29 14:25:45','We are located in the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro area:\r\n\r\n<strong>Mail</strong>:\r\n\r\n<address>Deborah Brody Marketing Communication</address><address>PO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849</address><address> </address><address> </address><strong>Call:</strong>\r\n\r\n301-424-2488 (office) or  305-336-4357  (mobile)\r\n\r\n<strong>Email:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Twitter:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2012-05-29 14:25:45','2012-05-29 14:25:45','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2012/05/24-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2039,4,'2013-02-07 21:27:06','2013-02-07 21:27:06','We are located in the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro area:\r\n\r\n<strong>Mail</strong>:\r\n\r\n<address>Deborah Brody Marketing Communication</address><address>PO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849</address><address> </address><address> </address><strong>Call:</strong>\r\n\r\n240-803-DBMC\r\n\r\n<strong>Email:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Twitter:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2013-02-07 21:27:06','2013-02-07 21:27:06','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/24-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(2040,4,'2013-02-07 21:28:37','2013-02-07 21:28:37','We are located in the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro area:\r\n\r\n<strong>Mail</strong>:\r\n\r\n<address>Deborah Brody Marketing Communication</address><address>PO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849</address><address> </address><address> </address><strong>Call:</strong>\r\n\r\n240-803-DBMC (3262)\r\n\r\n<strong>Email:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Twitter:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2013-02-07 21:28:37','2013-02-07 21:28:37','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/24-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2081,4,'2013-02-27 15:09:08','2013-02-27 15:09:08','I was reading a transcript of an online discussion regarding the benefits of blogging for business. One of the people in the discussion declared that she did not have time to blog since she was way too busy doing client work. Her blog was basically abandoned, and she was OK with that. I wasn\'t in on the conversation, but if I had been,  I would have told her she is making a big mistake.\r\n\r\nIt\'s very simple. If you don\'t do any marketing because you are busy, you will inevitably have to work twice as hard to market yourself when you aren\'t busy. And yes, blogging is a marketing effort:  It boosts your visibility. It keeps your website current. It helps with SEO.\r\n\r\nNot blogging because you are too busy is like not networking because you already have a job. If you lose your job (which unfortunately can happen from one day to the next) you will soon realize you don\'t have relationships in place to help you in a job search. You must keep networking and building relationships, whether you \"need\" them now or not, because you never know what will happen in the future.\r\n\r\nWhether you are busy or not, blogging should be a part of your business marketing routine. To neglect your blog now because you are busy working on your client\'s behalf is a rookie mistake. Those of us who have been in the business world for a while know that clients come and go. Clients can face budget shortfalls and cut you from one day to the next.\r\n\r\n<strong>Put energy into your own business, not just your client\'s business.</strong> This applies to you whether you have your own business, or you work for someone else, and even if you are concerned with developing your career. If you are a worker bee, why not have a personal blog? If you work for an organization, you should insist that the organizational should be kept up to date.  And it goes without saying that if you own your own business, you are solely responsible for keeping you presence out there.\r\n\r\nDon\'t wait! Write a blog post today!','Why you should blog even if you don\'t have the time','','publish','open','open','','why-you-should-blog-even-if-you-dont-have-the-time','','','2013-02-27 15:09:08','2013-02-27 15:09:08','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2081',0,'post','',0),(2042,4,'2013-02-07 21:35:21','2013-02-07 21:35:21','We are located in the <strong>Washington, DC</strong> metro area:\r\n\r\n<strong>Mail</strong>:\r\n\r\n<address>Deborah Brody Marketing Communication</address><address>PO Box 1435\r\nRockville, MD 20849</address><address> </address><address> </address><strong>Call:</strong>\r\n\r\n240-803-DBMC (3262)\r\n\r\n<object type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" data=\"https://clients4.google.com/voice/embed/webCallButton\" width=\"230\" height=\"85\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"https://clients4.google.com/voice/embed/webCallButton\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"id=5e012d4bc24b62a8912b0ad9c09d5ce21e51c5e2&style=0\" /></object>\r\n<strong>Email:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:info@deborahbrody.com\">info@deborahbrody.com</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Twitter:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://twitter.com/dbmc\" target=\"_blank\">@DBMC</a>','Contact','','inherit','open','open','','24-revision-v1','','','2013-02-07 21:35:21','2013-02-07 21:35:21','',24,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/24-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(2044,4,'2013-02-11 15:31:24','2013-02-11 15:31:24','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n<h3>Blog Workshop on Feb. 28</h3>\r\nWant to improve your blogging? If you are located in the DC area, attend my upcoming How to Write Your Blog workshop on Thursday, February 28 in Silver Spring, MD. Details and registration are <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','publish','open','open','','you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know','','','2013-02-11 15:31:24','2013-02-11 15:31:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2044',0,'post','',1),(2045,4,'2013-02-11 15:15:46','2013-02-11 15:15:46','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design, web development.\n\nWhat is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.\n\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\n\nI needed to make a few more backend hanges and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She said I had to pay to have Wordpress.com redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.)\n\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\n\n<strong>You don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do. If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\n\nIt is trial and error (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\n\n&nbsp;','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision','','','2013-02-11 15:15:46','2013-02-11 15:15:46','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2046,4,'2013-02-11 15:20:33','2013-02-11 15:20:33','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\n\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\n\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\n\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\n\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\n\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\n\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\n\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\n\nIt is trial and error (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\n\n&nbsp;','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-2','','','2013-02-11 15:20:33','2013-02-11 15:20:33','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2047,4,'2013-02-11 15:21:33','2013-02-11 15:21:33','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\n\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\n\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\n\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\n\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\n\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\n\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\n\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\n\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\n\n&nbsp;','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-3','','','2013-02-11 15:21:33','2013-02-11 15:21:33','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2048,4,'2013-02-11 15:21:50','2013-02-11 15:21:50','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-4','','','2013-02-11 15:21:50','2013-02-11 15:21:50','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2049,4,'2013-02-11 15:22:49','2013-02-11 15:22:49','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n[post_ender]','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-5','','','2013-02-11 15:22:49','2013-02-11 15:22:49','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2050,4,'2013-02-11 15:22:57','2013-02-11 15:22:57','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n[post_ender]','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-6','','','2013-02-11 15:22:57','2013-02-11 15:22:57','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2051,4,'2013-02-11 15:23:32','2013-02-11 15:23:32','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n\r\n\r\n[post_ender]','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-7','','','2013-02-11 15:23:32','2013-02-11 15:23:32','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(2052,4,'2013-02-11 15:27:29','2013-02-11 15:27:29','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n\r\n\r\n[post_ender]','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-8','','','2013-02-11 15:27:29','2013-02-11 15:27:29','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2053,4,'2013-02-11 15:30:00','2013-02-11 15:30:00','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n<h3>Blog Workshop on Feb. 28Want to improve your blogging? If you are located in the DC area, attend my upcoming How to Write Your Blog workshop on Thursday, February 28 in Silver Spring, MD. Details and registration are <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.</h3>','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-9','','','2013-02-11 15:30:00','2013-02-11 15:30:00','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(2054,4,'2013-02-11 15:30:43','2013-02-11 15:30:43','Obvious right? If you don\'t know something, you don\'t even know you don\'t know.  But you do know that you don\'t know everything, which is why you hire experts to help you with stuff like your taxes, your computer network, your health, and so forth.  And this is why you hire people to help you with marketing, advertising, public relation, design and web development.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is tricky about hiring experts to help you with what you don\'t know, is that often you don\'t know enough to ask the right questions or even evaluate the outcomes.</strong>\r\n\r\nLet me give you a specific example. I hired someone  (who shall remain nameless) to create my website using WordPress and transfer the contents of my former blog hosted at Wordpress.com. Check and check. However, somehow people were still finding my old blog and commenting on stuff over there. The person I hired to develop my site had proven to be unreliable and has never been heard from since, so I couldn\'t ask how to fix this problem.\r\n\r\nI needed to make a few other backend changes and contacted <a href=\"http://www.kimwoodbridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kim Woodbridge</a> .  I asked her how I could get people to stop going to my other blog. She told me that it was simple, all I had to do was pay Wordpress.com to redirect people to my website. (Note: it took about two minutes and $13 to get people redirected.) Once people are no longer going to the other blog, I can bring it down.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t know what I had to do or I would have done it sooner. Since the first Wordpress developer failed to do this or advise me to do this, people have been going to my old blog, not realizing it was housed elsewhere.\r\n\r\n<strong>Working with experts</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember: you don\'t know what you don\'t know.</strong> When hiring experts you are expecting they will have the knowledge you don\'t. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don\'t. You must start with the assumption that nobody knows everything, but they may know more than you do.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Remember:  you can question.</strong> If something seems wrong or gives you a funny feeling, question it. This is why we get second opinions from doctors. This is why if your taxes seem unusually high, you may ask your accountant to recalculate or even find another accountant.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Think of it as trial and error</strong> (and hopefully, more trial than error). But remember that you absolutely don\'t know and the expert knows a bit more than you do.\r\n<h3>Blog Workshop on Feb. 28</h3>\r\nWant to improve your blogging? If you are located in the DC area, attend my upcoming How to Write Your Blog workshop on Thursday, February 28 in Silver Spring, MD. Details and registration are <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','You don\'t know what you don\'t know','','inherit','open','open','','2044-revision-10','','','2013-02-11 15:30:43','2013-02-11 15:30:43','',2044,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2044-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(2055,4,'2013-02-12 14:02:41','2013-02-12 14:02:41','Yesterday, <a title=\"You don’t know what you don’t know\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know/\">I wrote about the need to work with experts.</a> Nobody knows everything and many times it is imperative to hire an expert to help in the areas where you are lacking in specialized skills or knowledge.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"375\"]<a title=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlekoshka/6957963962/\"><img alt=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6957963962_6f3b938ec8.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a> Twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>Keep in mind that not every expert has the same level of expertise</strong>. Let\'s take accounting. If you are someone that has few investments and a W2, you may be perfectly fine doing it yourself, using tax software or going to one of the big box tax advisers that we often see advertised around this time. However, if you are in a special situation (small business, self-employed freelancer, artist, etc.) you will NEED to find someone who understands the tax implications of your situation, and can work with you on filing the proper forms. This is an area where expertise (or lack thereof) can have tremendous financial consequences.\r\n\r\nHow do you figure out if someone has the expertise you require?\r\n\r\n<strong>First, figure out the exact problem you are trying to solve.</strong> If you are having a slump in sales, is it fulfillment, customer service or your marketing/communications?\r\n\r\n<strong>Second, start searching through your network first.</strong> Say you need someone to help you with a public relations issue, ask your network whom they recommend. Alternatively, use LinkedIn to search and see if you have connections in common. Ask your connections if they can give you some idea about the professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third, interview the expert.</strong> Be prepared to ask a lot of questions such as \"have you worked with this type of situation before?\"\r\n<strong>Fourth, see if the expert asks you questions.</strong> A real expert needs to get a handle on a situation. He or she should be asking you a lot of questions, including \"why do you need an expert?\" or \"why have you contacted me?\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Fifth, be wary of pat answers or 100% assurances.</strong> Nobody, but nobody can solve any problem with 100% certainty.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sixth, check with your gut.</strong> Do you like this person? Does this person seem genuine?\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, there are great many people out there who are very good at talking themselves up. And as I said in my post yesterday, you don\'t know what you don\'t know so you are unable at times to ask the right questions.\r\n\r\nFor example, I had a client who was desperate to increase his share of the market. He had hired a \"marketing expert\" to help.  The client knew next to nothing about marketing and neither did the \"expert.\" By the time I came in and asked questions like \"who is your target?\" and \"who is your main competition?\" they had already set out a marketing destination that was not aligned with BASIC MARKETING PRINCIPLES. These questions had never been asked before because the so-called expert was not a strategic thinker but was really selling a package of tactics (put up a website, use a QR code, print a postcard, make a video) without a unifying message or idea of how success would be measured.\r\n\r\nCould the client have avoided the situation above? Maybe yes or maybe no. He didn\'t know what he didn\'t know, but he also didn\'t bother to ask questions and study up on the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>My takeaway here is the old Ronald Reagan line: trust but verify. </strong> You should do your due diligence when hiring an expert because not everything is as it seems.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Not everything is as it seems','','publish','open','open','','not-everything-is-as-it-seems','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know/','2013-02-12 14:02:41','2013-02-12 14:02:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2055',0,'post','',0),(2056,4,'2013-02-12 13:52:57','2013-02-12 13:52:57','Yesterday, I wrote about the need to work with experts. Nobody knows everything and many times it is imperative to hire an expert to help in the areas where you are lacking in specialized skills or knowledge.\n\n<strong>Keep in mind that not every expert has the same level of expertise</strong>. Let\'s take accounting. If you are someone that has few investments and a W2, you may be perfectly fine doing it yourself, using tax software or going to one of the big box tax advisers that we often see advertised around this time. However, if you are in a special situation (small business, self-employed freelancer, artist, etc.) you will NEED to find someone who understands the tax implications of your situation, and can work with you on filing the proper forms. This is an area where expertise (or lack thereof) can have tremendous financial consequences.\n\nHow do you figure out if someone has the expertise you require?\n\n<strong>First, figure out the exact problem you are trying to solve.</strong> If you are having a slump in sales, is it fulfillment, customer service or your marketing/communications?\n\n<strong>Second, start searching through your network first.</strong> Say you need someone to help you with a public relations issue, ask you network whom they recommend. Alternatively, use LinkedIn to search and see if you have connections in common. Ask your connections if they can give you some idea about the professional.\n\n<strong>Third, interview the expert.</strong> Be prepared to ask a lot of questions such as \"have you worked with this type of situation before?\"\n<strong>Fourth, see if the expert asks you questions.</strong> A real expert needs to get a handle on a situation. He or she should be asking you a lot of questions, including \"why do you need an expert?\" or \"why have you contacted me?\"\n\n<strong>Fifth, be wary of pat answers or 100% assurances.</strong> Nobody, but nobody can solve any problem with 100% certainty.\n\nSixth, check with your gut. Do you like this person? Does this person seem genuine?\n\nUnfortunately, there are great many people out there who are very good at talking themselves up. And as I said in my post yesterday, you don\'t know what you don\'t know so you are unable at times to ask the right questions.\n\nFor example, I had a client who was desperate to increase his share of the market. He had hired a \"marketing expert\" to help.  The client knew next to nothing about marketing and neither did the \"expert.\" By the time I came in and asked questions like \"who is your target?\" and \"who is your main competition?\" they had already set out a marketing destination that was not aligned with BASIC MARKETING PRINCIPLES. These questions had never been asked before because the so-called expert was not a strategic thinker but was really selling a package of tactics (put up a website, use a QR code, print a postcard, make a video) without a unifying message or idea of how success would be measured.\n\nCould the client have avoided the situation above? Maybe yes or maybe no. He didn\'t know what he didn\'t know, but he also didn\'t bother to ask questions and study up on the topic.\n\nMy takeaway here is the old Ronald Reagan line: trust but verify.  You should do your due diligence when hiring an expert because not\n\n&nbsp;','Not everything is as it seems','','inherit','open','open','','2055-revision','','','2013-02-12 13:52:57','2013-02-12 13:52:57','',2055,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2055-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2057,4,'2013-02-12 13:53:57','2013-02-12 13:53:57','Yesterday, I wrote about the need to work with experts. Nobody knows everything and many times it is imperative to hire an expert to help in the areas where you are lacking in specialized skills or knowledge.\n\n<strong>Keep in mind that not every expert has the same level of expertise</strong>. Let\'s take accounting. If you are someone that has few investments and a W2, you may be perfectly fine doing it yourself, using tax software or going to one of the big box tax advisers that we often see advertised around this time. However, if you are in a special situation (small business, self-employed freelancer, artist, etc.) you will NEED to find someone who understands the tax implications of your situation, and can work with you on filing the proper forms. This is an area where expertise (or lack thereof) can have tremendous financial consequences.\n\nHow do you figure out if someone has the expertise you require?\n\n<strong>First, figure out the exact problem you are trying to solve.</strong> If you are having a slump in sales, is it fulfillment, customer service or your marketing/communications?\n\n<strong>Second, start searching through your network first.</strong> Say you need someone to help you with a public relations issue, ask you network whom they recommend. Alternatively, use LinkedIn to search and see if you have connections in common. Ask your connections if they can give you some idea about the professional.\n\n<strong>Third, interview the expert.</strong> Be prepared to ask a lot of questions such as \"have you worked with this type of situation before?\"\n<strong>Fourth, see if the expert asks you questions.</strong> A real expert needs to get a handle on a situation. He or she should be asking you a lot of questions, including \"why do you need an expert?\" or \"why have you contacted me?\"\n\n<strong>Fifth, be wary of pat answers or 100% assurances.</strong> Nobody, but nobody can solve any problem with 100% certainty.\n\nSixth, check with your gut. Do you like this person? Does this person seem genuine?\n\nUnfortunately, there are great many people out there who are very good at talking themselves up. And as I said in my post yesterday, you don\'t know what you don\'t know so you are unable at times to ask the right questions.\n\nFor example, I had a client who was desperate to increase his share of the market. He had hired a \"marketing expert\" to help.  The client knew next to nothing about marketing and neither did the \"expert.\" By the time I came in and asked questions like \"who is your target?\" and \"who is your main competition?\" they had already set out a marketing destination that was not aligned with BASIC MARKETING PRINCIPLES. These questions had never been asked before because the so-called expert was not a strategic thinker but was really selling a package of tactics (put up a website, use a QR code, print a postcard, make a video) without a unifying message or idea of how success would be measured.\n\nCould the client have avoided the situation above? Maybe yes or maybe no. He didn\'t know what he didn\'t know, but he also didn\'t bother to ask questions and study up on the topic.\n\nMy takeaway here is the old Ronald Reagan line: trust but verify.  You should do your due diligence when hiring an expert because not everything is as it seems.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Not everything is as it seems','','inherit','open','open','','2055-revision-2','','','2013-02-12 13:53:57','2013-02-12 13:53:57','',2055,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2055-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2058,4,'2013-02-12 14:02:17','2013-02-12 14:02:17','Yesterday, <a title=\"You don’t know what you don’t know\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know/\">I wrote about the need to work with experts.</a> Nobody knows everything and many times it is imperative to hire an expert to help in the areas where you are lacking in specialized skills or knowledge.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"375\"]<a title=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlekoshka/6957963962/\"><img alt=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6957963962_6f3b938ec8.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a> Twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>Keep in mind that not every expert has the same level of expertise</strong>. Let\'s take accounting. If you are someone that has few investments and a W2, you may be perfectly fine doing it yourself, using tax software or going to one of the big box tax advisers that we often see advertised around this time. However, if you are in a special situation (small business, self-employed freelancer, artist, etc.) you will NEED to find someone who understands the tax implications of your situation, and can work with you on filing the proper forms. This is an area where expertise (or lack thereof) can have tremendous financial consequences.\r\n\r\nHow do you figure out if someone has the expertise you require?\r\n\r\n<strong>First, figure out the exact problem you are trying to solve.</strong> If you are having a slump in sales, is it fulfillment, customer service or your marketing/communications?\r\n\r\n<strong>Second, start searching through your network first.</strong> Say you need someone to help you with a public relations issue, ask your network whom they recommend. Alternatively, use LinkedIn to search and see if you have connections in common. Ask your connections if they can give you some idea about the professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third, interview the expert.</strong> Be prepared to ask a lot of questions such as \"have you worked with this type of situation before?\"\r\n<strong>Fourth, see if the expert asks you questions.</strong> A real expert needs to get a handle on a situation. He or she should be asking you a lot of questions, including \"why do you need an expert?\" or \"why have you contacted me?\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Fifth, be wary of pat answers or 100% assurances.</strong> Nobody, but nobody can solve any problem with 100% certainty.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sixth, check with your gut.</strong> Do you like this person? Does this person seem genuine?\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, there are great many people out there who are very good at talking themselves up. And as I said in my post yesterday, you don\'t know what you don\'t know so you are unable at times to ask the right questions.\r\n\r\nFor example, I had a client who was desperate to increase his share of the market. He had hired a \"marketing expert\" to help.  The client knew next to nothing about marketing and neither did the \"expert.\" By the time I came in and asked questions like \"who is your target?\" and \"who is your main competition?\" they had already set out a marketing destination that was not aligned with BASIC MARKETING PRINCIPLES. These questions had never been asked before because the so-called expert was not a strategic thinker but was really selling a package of tactics (put up a website, use a QR code, print a postcard, make a video) without a unifying message or idea of how success would be measured.\r\n\r\nCould the client have avoided the situation above? Maybe yes or maybe no. He didn\'t know what he didn\'t know, but he also didn\'t bother to ask questions and study up on the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>My takeaway here is the old Ronald Reagan line: trust but verify. </strong> You should do your due diligence when hiring an expert because not everything is as it seems.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Not everything is as it seems','','inherit','open','open','','2055-revision-3','','','2013-02-12 14:02:17','2013-02-12 14:02:17','',2055,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2055-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2059,4,'2013-02-12 14:03:47','2013-02-12 14:03:47','Yesterday, <a title=\"You don’t know what you don’t know\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know/\">I wrote about the need to work with experts.</a> Nobody knows everything and many times it is imperative to hire an expert to help in the areas where you are lacking in specialized skills or knowledge.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"375\"]<a title=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlekoshka/6957963962/\"><img alt=\"twisted reflection in the fun house mirror\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6957963962_6f3b938ec8.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a> Twisted reflection in the fun house mirror by Little Koshka on Flickr[/caption]\n\n<strong>Keep in mind that not every expert has the same level of expertise</strong>. Let\'s take accounting. If you are someone that has few investments and a W2, you may be perfectly fine doing it yourself, using tax software or going to one of the big box tax advisers that we often see advertised around this time. However, if you are in a special situation (small business, self-employed freelancer, artist, etc.) you will NEED to find someone who understands the tax implications of your situation, and can work with you on filing the proper forms. This is an area where expertise (or lack thereof) can have tremendous financial consequences.\n\nHow do you figure out if someone has the expertise you require?\n\n<strong>First, figure out the exact problem you are trying to solve.</strong> If you are having a slump in sales, is it fulfillment, customer service or your marketing/communications?\n\n<strong>Second, start searching through your network first.</strong> Say you need someone to help you with a public relations issue, ask your network whom they recommend. Alternatively, use LinkedIn to search and see if you have connections in common. Ask your connections if they can give you some idea about the professional.\n\n<strong>Third, interview the expert.</strong> Be prepared to ask a lot of questions such as \"have you worked with this type of situation before?\"\n<strong>Fourth, see if the expert asks you questions.</strong> A real expert needs to get a handle on a situation. He or she should be asking you a lot of questions, including \"why do you need an expert?\" or \"why have you contacted me?\"\n\n<strong>Fifth, be wary of pat answers or 100% assurances.</strong> Nobody, but nobody can solve any problem with 100% certainty.\n\n<strong>Sixth, check with your gut.</strong> Do you like this person? Does this person seem genuine?\n\nUnfortunately, there are great many people out there who are very good at talking themselves up. And as I said in my post yesterday, you don\'t know what you don\'t know so you are unable at times to ask the right questions.\n\nFor example, I had a client who was desperate to increase his share of the market. He had hired a \"marketing expert\" to help.  The client knew next to nothing about marketing and neither did the \"expert.\" By the time I came in and asked questions like \"who is your target?\" and \"who is your main competition?\" they had already set out a marketing destination that was not aligned with BASIC MARKETING PRINCIPLES. These questions had never been asked before because the so-called expert was not a strategic thinker but was really selling a package of tactics (put up a website, use a QR code, print a postcard, make a video) without a unifying message or idea of how success would be measured.\n\nCould the client have avoided the situation above? Maybe yes or maybe no. He didn\'t know what he didn\'t know, but he also didn\'t bother to ask questions and study up on the topic.\n\n<strong>My takeaway here is the old Ronald Reagan line: trust but verify. </strong> You should do your due diligence when hiring an expert because not everything is as it seems.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Not everything is as it seems','','inherit','open','open','','2055-autosave','','','2013-02-12 14:03:47','2013-02-12 14:03:47','',2055,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2055-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2061,4,'2013-02-12 21:04:59','2013-02-12 21:04:59','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\nThe next How to Write Your Blog workshop will take place on <strong>Thursday, February 28</strong> at the Silver Spring Civic Building.\r\n\r\nDetails and registration available <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write you blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-02-12 21:04:59','2013-02-12 21:04:59','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/1765-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2063,4,'2013-02-13 15:43:35','2013-02-13 15:43:35','Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to make him/her over? Yesterday I saw a woman with frizzy, long and shapeless hair wearing an equally long and shapeless dress of a circa 1982 vintage.  Perhaps vintage wines are good but dresses fade and look, well, dated. I wondered if she was aware of how she appeared: as someone who did not care about her appearance and/or hadn\'t been shopping in 30 years and/or didn\'t have a good friend to tell her she needed to update.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"Little Claire on the Prairie by chris_ford_uk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/11694215@N00/817748586/\"><img alt=\"Little Claire on the Prairie\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1021/817748586_e6ec6ed504.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Little Claire on the Prairie by Chris_Ford_UK on Flickr[/caption]\n\nWhat does this 80s refugee have to do with marketing and communications? Simple, they too can benefit from an update and a makeover. When was the last time you really examined your website? Does the design indicate that we are in 2013 or is it the same look you had when you launched your website back in 1996? When was the last time you posted something on your blog or changed your about us page? How about your logo? Still using fonts that were popular in the 1970s?\n\nBut updates don\'t only refer to outward appearance. You must also look at the back end. Is your software up to date? Have you looked at your mission statement lately? Or your target audience description? Perhaps your messaging needs an update too.\n\nMake it one your goals for 2013 to determine what needs to be updated and then get it done! Here is a list to help you:\n<ul>\n	<li>Logo</li>\n	<li>Tagline</li>\n	<li>Website (including blog)</li>\n	<li>Brochure (even if it\'s a PDF/online version)</li>\n	<li>Business stationery (including letterhead and business cards)</li>\n	<li>Annual report</li>\n	<li>Press release boilerplate</li>\n	<li>Organizational mission/vision</li>\n	<li>Target audience description</li>\n	<li>Organizational description in various formats and lengths</li>\n	<li>Services/products list (and pricing if appropriate)</li>\n	<li>Social media avatars/biographies/descriptions</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>A makeover is a chance to refresh and renew. </strong> With people, makeovers tend to make them look younger and more attractive. With organizations, makeovers make them look in touch, modern and more attractive (to potential customers/clients/donors/supporters).\n\nWhat are you going to change this year?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Is it time for a makeover?','','inherit','open','open','','2062-revision','','','2013-02-13 15:43:35','2013-02-13 15:43:35','',2062,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2062-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2064,4,'2013-02-13 15:44:43','2013-02-13 15:44:43','Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to make him/her over? Yesterday I saw a woman with frizzy, long and shapeless hair wearing an equally long and shapeless dress of a circa 1982 vintage.  Perhaps vintage wines are good but dresses fade and look, well, dated. I wondered if she was aware of how she appeared: as someone who did not care about her appearance and/or hadn\'t been shopping in 30 years and/or didn\'t have a good friend to tell her she needed to update.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"Little Claire on the Prairie by chris_ford_uk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/11694215@N00/817748586/\"><img alt=\"Little Claire on the Prairie\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1021/817748586_e6ec6ed504.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Little Claire on the Prairie by Chris_Ford_UK on Flickr[/caption]\n\nWhat does this 80s refugee have to do with marketing and communications? Simple, they too can benefit from an update and a makeover. When was the last time you really examined your website? Does the design indicate that we are in 2013 or is it the same look you had when you launched your website back in 1996? When was the last time you posted something on your blog or changed your about us page? How about your logo? Still using fonts that were popular in the 1970s?\n\nBut updates don\'t only refer to outward appearance. You must also look at the back end. Is your software up to date? Have you looked at your mission statement lately? Or your target audience description? Perhaps your messaging needs an update too.\n\nMake it one your goals for 2013 to determine what needs to be updated and then get it done! Here is a list to help you:\n<ul>\n	<li>Logo</li>\n	<li>Tagline</li>\n	<li>Website (including blog)</li>\n	<li>Brochure (even if it\'s a PDF/online version)</li>\n	<li>Business stationery (including letterhead and business cards)</li>\n	<li>Annual report</li>\n	<li>Press release boilerplate</li>\n	<li>Organizational mission/vision</li>\n	<li>Target audience description</li>\n	<li>Organizational description in various formats and lengths</li>\n	<li>Services/products list (and pricing if appropriate)</li>\n	<li>Social media avatars/biographies/descriptions</li>\n	<li>Software/hardware</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>A makeover is a chance to refresh and renew. </strong> With people, makeovers tend to make them look younger and more attractive. With organizations, makeovers make them look in touch, modern and more attractive (to potential customers/clients/donors/supporters).\n\nWhat are you going to change this year?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Is it time for a makeover?','','inherit','open','open','','2062-revision-2','','','2013-02-13 15:44:43','2013-02-13 15:44:43','',2062,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2062-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2065,4,'2013-02-13 15:48:15','2013-02-13 15:48:15','Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to make him/her over? Yesterday I saw a woman with frizzy, long and shapeless hair wearing an equally long and shapeless prairie-type dress of a circa 1982 vintage.  Perhaps vintage wines are good but dresses fade and look, well, dated. I wondered if she was aware of how she appeared: as someone who did not care about her appearance and/or hadn\'t been shopping in 30 years and/or didn\'t have a good friend to tell her she needed to update.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"Little Claire on the Prairie by chris_ford_uk, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/11694215@N00/817748586/\"><img alt=\"Little Claire on the Prairie\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1021/817748586_e6ec6ed504.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Little Claire on the Prairie by Chris_Ford_UK on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhat does this 80s refugee have to do with marketing and communications? Simple, they too can benefit from an update and a makeover. When was the last time you really examined your website? Does the design indicate that we are in 2013 or is it the same look you had when you launched your website back in 1996? When was the last time you posted something on your blog or changed your about us page? How about your logo? Still using fonts that were popular in the 1970s?\r\n\r\nBut updates don\'t only refer to outward appearance. You must also look at the back end. Is your software up to date? Have you looked at your mission statement lately? Or your target audience description? Perhaps your messaging needs an update too.\r\n\r\nMake it one your goals for 2013 to determine what needs to be updated and then get it done! Here is a list to help you:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Logo</li>\r\n	<li>Tagline</li>\r\n	<li>Website (including blog)</li>\r\n	<li>Brochure (even if it\'s a PDF/online version)</li>\r\n	<li>Business stationery (including letterhead and business cards)</li>\r\n	<li>Annual report</li>\r\n	<li>Press release boilerplate</li>\r\n	<li>Organizational mission/vision</li>\r\n	<li>Target audience description</li>\r\n	<li>Organizational description in various formats and lengths</li>\r\n	<li>Services/products list (and pricing if appropriate)</li>\r\n	<li>Social media avatars/biographies/descriptions</li>\r\n	<li>Software/hardware</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>A makeover is a chance to refresh and renew. </strong> With people, makeovers tend to make them look younger and more attractive. With organizations, makeovers make them look in touch, modern and more attractive (to potential customers/clients/donors/supporters).\r\n\r\nWhat are you going to change this year?\r\n<h3>Improve your blog/blogging process!</h3>\r\nIf you are in the Washington, DC metro area and would like to improve your blog or blogging process, sign up for my How to Write your Blog workshop today! The workshop takes place on Thursday, February 28 at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  For more details and to register, visit the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite page.</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is it time for a makeover?','','inherit','open','open','','2062-revision-3','','','2013-02-13 15:48:15','2013-02-13 15:48:15','',2062,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2062-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2067,4,'2013-02-18 20:21:02','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Although we tend to pay much more attention and spend much more money on marketing communications (brochures, websites, ads, etc.), we should probably be spending as much effort on everyday business communications (memos, customer contact, letters, emails, etc.).\r\n\r\nI live in a townhouse community with a homeowner\'s association and a management company, which do not do a good job with business communication. Case in point: I received a postcard on Friday informing me of very noisy and disruptive work over this past weekend. The card did not specify the nature of the work, only gave an email for contact, and never used the phrase \"we apologize for any inconvenience.\"\r\n\r\nWhen you are communicating with customers/clients/donors or other target audiences your first priority is to figure out what information THEY need to understand your message.  It may be useful to make sure you are answering the journalist\'s W\'s: why, where, what, who and how.\r\n\r\nYou may want to check that you Here\'s a list of stuff that you may be easily overlooked:\r\n\r\nHours\r\n\r\nLocation\r\n\r\nComplete contact information. An email is not sufficient.\r\n\r\nDirections\r\n\r\nDates\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt seems basic, and yet how many letters have we all received that fail to mention crucial information?\r\n\r\nAnd remember, even though most of us look up addresses and information on the Internet, the Internet or your website can go down. You should have a analog form of communication.','Better business communication is essential','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-02-18 20:21:02','2013-02-18 20:21:02','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2067',0,'post','',0),(2068,4,'2013-02-18 19:35:27','2013-02-18 19:35:27','Although we tend to pay much more attention and spend much more money on marketing communications (brochures, websites, ads, etc.), we should probably be spending as much effort on everyday business communications (memos, customer contact, letters, emails, etc.).\n\nI live in a townhouse community with a homeowner\'s association and a management company, which do not do a good job with business communication. Case in point: I received a postcard on Friday informing me of very noisy and disruptive work over this past weekend. The card did not specify the nature of the work, only gave an email for contact, and never used the phrase \"we apologize for any inconvenience.\"\n\nWhen you are communicating with customers/clients/donors or other target audiences your first priority is to figure out what information THEY need to understand your message.  It may be useful to make sure you are answering the journalist\'s W\'s: why, where, what, who and how.\n\nYou may want to check that you Here\'s a list of stuff that you may be easily overlooked:\n\nHours\n\nLocation\n\nComplete contact information. An email is not sufficient.\n\nDirections\n\nDates\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt seems basic, and yet how many letters have we all received that fail to mention crucial information?\n\nAnd remember, even though most of us look up addresses and information on the Internet, the Internet or your website can go down. You should have a analog form of communication.','Better business communication is essential','','inherit','open','open','','2067-revision','','','2013-02-18 19:35:27','2013-02-18 19:35:27','',2067,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2067-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2069,4,'2013-02-18 19:36:45','2013-02-18 19:36:45','Although we tend to pay much more attention and spend much more money on marketing communications (brochures, websites, ads, etc.), we should probably be spending as much effort on everyday business communications (memos, customer contact, letters, emails, etc.).\n\nI live in a townhouse community with a homeowner\'s association and a management company, which do not do a good job with business communication. Case in point: I received a postcard on Friday informing me of very noisy and disruptive work over this past weekend. The card did not specify the nature of the work, only gave an email for contact, and never used the phrase \"we apologize for any inconvenience.\"\n\nWhen you are communicating with customers/clients/donors or other target audiences your first priority is to figure out what information THEY need to understand your message.  It may be useful to make sure you are answering the journalist\'s W\'s: why, where, what, who and how.\n\nYou may want to check that you Here\'s a list of stuff that you may be easily overlooked:\n\nHours\n\nLocation\n\nComplete contact information. An email is not sufficient.\n\nDirections\n\nDates\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt seems basic, and yet how many letters have we all received that fail to mention crucial information?\n\nAnd remember, even though most of us look up addresses and information on the Internet, the Internet or your website can go down. You should have a analog form of communication.','Better business communication is essential','','inherit','open','open','','2067-revision-2','','','2013-02-18 19:36:45','2013-02-18 19:36:45','',2067,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2067-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2071,4,'2013-02-21 15:13:51','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Marketers have flocked to social media in order to cut costs. Social media is seen as a free or inexpensive way to reach lots of people. And it can be, but there are costs.\n\nYesterday, I attended a few programs for Social Media Week DC.  The first one','There is no free lunch','','draft','open','open','','there-is-no-free-lunch','','','2013-02-21 15:13:51','2013-02-21 15:13:51','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2071',0,'post','',0),(2072,4,'2013-02-21 15:12:14','2013-02-21 15:12:14','Marketers have flocked to social media in order to cut costs. Social media is seen as a free or inexpensive way to reach lots of people. And it can be, but there are costs.\n\nYesterday, I attended a few programs for Social Media Week DC.  Th','There is no free lunch','','inherit','open','open','','2071-revision','','','2013-02-21 15:12:14','2013-02-21 15:12:14','',2071,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2071-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2094,4,'2013-03-12 15:45:35','2013-03-12 15:45:35','It is not an exaggeration to say that blogs can help change the world. Take, for example blogger (and dissident) Yoani Sanchez.  Since 2007, Yoani has been an outspoken critic of the situation in Cuba on her blog Generacion Y.  She has attracted worldwide attention and is currently on tour, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/yoani-sanchez-dissident-cuban-blogger-behind-generation-y-goes-on-tour/2013/03/11/c505af4c-8a75-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story_1.html\" target=\"_blank\">as reported in the Washington Post toda</a>y.\r\n\r\nAnd then there is A<a href=\"http://aiweiwei.com/\" target=\"_blank\">i Weiwei,</a> the Chinese artist  who has been using his blog (and Twitter) to document the China\'s governmental cover up of shoddy building codes that led to the the death of more than 5,000 schoolchildren in the aftermath of the devastating 2008 earthquake.\r\n\r\nBoth Sanchez and Ai Weiwei live in repressive societies where the government controls mass media. Both were able to use blogs, because they are self-published mass media outlets, to get their message and thoughts out to the world. By  providing an alternative news/opinion source, not only to their fellow citizens, but to the world, they are shining a bright spotlight that would otherwise not exist.\r\n\r\nBlogs are powerful. They allow you to communicate your thoughts to people everywhere around the world. You can use words, photos, video or even music with few barriers, at a low monetary cost (and sometimes, even free).\r\n\r\nIf you really want to make an impact, there is no better nor a more direct way than on your own blog.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Blogs can help change the world','','publish','open','open','','blogs-can-help-change-the-world','','','2013-03-12 15:45:35','2013-03-12 15:45:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2094',0,'post','',0),(2074,4,'2013-02-22 16:12:27','2013-02-22 16:12:27','You may have a great offering, beautiful marketing collateral, an interactive website, a robust presence on social media and yet, you are not achieving your marketing objectives. There could be many causes for this, like a poor economy or poor pricing or too much competition, but it could also be that you are<strong> being too aggressive</strong>. You are turning people off.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"239\"]<a title=\"bullhorn by spDuchamp, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/\"><img alt=\"bullhorn\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/15296832_d279064329.jpg\" width=\"239\" height=\"500\" /></a> Bullhorn by spDuchamp from Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nTelemarketers are especially bad at understanding that aggressiveness does not build customer trust. Quite the opposite. It builds distrust and worse, dislike. Calling repeatedly at all times of day and night does not make a potential customer or donor enamored of your product or cause.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this is the divide between marketing and sales. In marketing, you are trying to build interest in your product and service by using tools such as the \"Four Ps\" (pricing, promotion, product, placement), whereas in sales you are trying to achieve quotas, generally measured in revenue.\r\n\r\nSay you are shopping for a new car. The marketing function will get you to consider the new XYZ hybrid sedan from the big car manufacturer. You are intrigued by the miles per gallon or the comfort or whatever other attribute. You walk into a showroom and immediately a sales representative is there, trying to get you to buy. If he or she is too aggressive, chances are good you will walk out without making a purchase. The marketing worked but the sales pitch didn\'t.\r\n\r\nBrad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations had such a thing happen to him with a PR service. He<a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/\" target=\"_blank\"> discussed it yesterday  on his Mr. Media Training blog</a>, and received a lot of support (read the comments).  He signed up for a service that is marketed to people like him, but then was assaulted by a too-aggressive sales person trying to sell him other products and services.  The problem was not the offering as much as the aggression.\r\n\r\nAre you being to aggressive in your pitch? Here are some instances of marketing (and sales) aggressiveness:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Calling too much/ too often</li>\r\n	<li>Sending too many emails (including enewsletters)</li>\r\n	<li>Invading privacy (such as asking Google or Facebook to scan private messages for keywords)</li>\r\n	<li>In traditional advertising, opting for frequency over reach (have you ever watched a TV program where the same ad is shown multiple times?)</li>\r\n	<li>Send enewsletters out without prior opt-in, and without an easy opt-out.</li>\r\n	<li>Loud (literally) advertising (even though it has been regulated, I am still hearing ads that have a higher volume than the programming)</li>\r\n	<li>Bait-and-switch tactics</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat results from these tactics is that people feel attacked or overwhelmed or frustrated. They can\'t lower the volume and they resent it. They feel that your sales pitch is invading their private space.\r\n\r\nCan you think of other aggressive behavior? How do you react to aggressive marketing? Do you think the results justify the means?\r\n<h3>Blogging workshop next week!</h3>\r\nThere\'s still time to register for my How to Blog Workshop, which takes place next Thursday, February 28 in Silver Spring, MD. Visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com</a> for more details and registration.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The one thing that will kill your marketing efforts','','publish','open','open','','the-one-thing-that-will-kill-your-marketing-efforts','','\nhttp://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/','2013-02-22 16:15:10','2013-02-22 16:15:10','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2074',0,'post','',0),(2075,4,'2013-02-22 16:11:19','2013-02-22 16:11:19','You may have a great offering, beautiful marketing collateral, an interactive website, a robust presence on social media and yet, you are not achieving your marketing objectives. There could be many causes for this, like a poor economy or poor pricing or too much competition, but it could also be that you are<strong> being too aggressive</strong>. You are turning people off.\n\n<a title=\"bullhorn by spDuchamp, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/\"><img alt=\"bullhorn\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/15296832_d279064329.jpg\" width=\"239\" height=\"500\" /></a>\n\nTelemarketers are especially bad at understanding that aggressiveness does not build customer trust. Quite the opposite. It builds distrust and worse, dislike. Calling repeatedly at all times of day and night does not make a potential customer or donor enamored of your product or cause.\n\nPerhaps this is the divide between marketing and sales. In marketing, you are trying to build interest in your product and service by using tools such as the \"Four Ps\" (pricing, promotion, product, placement), whereas in sales you are trying to achieve quotas, generally measured in revenue.\n\nSay you are shopping for a new car. The marketing function will get you to consider the new XYZ hybrid sedan from the big car manufacturer. You are intrigued by the miles per gallon or the comfort or whatever other attribute. You walk into a showroom and immediately a sales representative is there, trying to get you to buy. If he or she is too aggressive, chances are good you will walk out without making a purchase. The marketing worked but the sales pitch didn\'t.\n\nBrad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations had such a thing happen to him with a PR service. He<a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/\" target=\"_blank\"> discussed it yesterday  on his Mr. Media Training blog</a>, and received a lot of support (read the comments).  He signed up for a service that is marketed to people like him, but then was assaulted by a too-aggressive sales person trying to sell him other products and services.  The problem was not the offering as much as the aggression.\n\nAre you being to aggressive in your pitch? Here are some instances of marketing (and sales) aggressiveness:\n<ul>\n	<li>Calling too much/ too often</li>\n	<li>Sending too many emails (including enewsletters)</li>\n	<li>Invading privacy (such as asking Google or Facebook to scan private messages for keywords)</li>\n	<li>In traditional advertising, opting for frequency over reach (have you ever watched a TV program where the same ad is shown multiple times?)</li>\n	<li>Send enewsletters out without prior opt-in, and without an easy opt-out.</li>\n	<li>Loud (literally) advertising (even though it has been regulated, I am still hearing ads that have a higher volume than the programming)</li>\n	<li>Bait-and-switch tactics</li>\n</ul>\nWhat results from these tactics is that people feel attacked or overwhelmed or frustrated. They can\'t lower the volume and they resent it. They feel that your sales pitch is invading their private space.\n\nCan you think of other aggressive behavior? How do you react to aggressive marketing? Do you think the results justify the means?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','The one thing that will kill your marketing efforts','','inherit','open','open','','2074-revision','','','2013-02-22 16:11:19','2013-02-22 16:11:19','',2074,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2074-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2076,4,'2013-02-22 16:12:19','2013-02-22 16:12:19','You may have a great offering, beautiful marketing collateral, an interactive website, a robust presence on social media and yet, you are not achieving your marketing objectives. There could be many causes for this, like a poor economy or poor pricing or too much competition, but it could also be that you are<strong> being too aggressive</strong>. You are turning people off.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"239\"]<a title=\"bullhorn by spDuchamp, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/\"><img alt=\"bullhorn\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/15296832_d279064329.jpg\" width=\"239\" height=\"500\" /></a> Bullhorn by spDuchamp from Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nTelemarketers are especially bad at understanding that aggressiveness does not build customer trust. Quite the opposite. It builds distrust and worse, dislike. Calling repeatedly at all times of day and night does not make a potential customer or donor enamored of your product or cause.\n\nPerhaps this is the divide between marketing and sales. In marketing, you are trying to build interest in your product and service by using tools such as the \"Four Ps\" (pricing, promotion, product, placement), whereas in sales you are trying to achieve quotas, generally measured in revenue.\n\nSay you are shopping for a new car. The marketing function will get you to consider the new XYZ hybrid sedan from the big car manufacturer. You are intrigued by the miles per gallon or the comfort or whatever other attribute. You walk into a showroom and immediately a sales representative is there, trying to get you to buy. If he or she is too aggressive, chances are good you will walk out without making a purchase. The marketing worked but the sales pitch didn\'t.\n\nBrad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations had such a thing happen to him with a PR service. He<a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/\" target=\"_blank\"> discussed it yesterday  on his Mr. Media Training blog</a>, and received a lot of support (read the comments).  He signed up for a service that is marketed to people like him, but then was assaulted by a too-aggressive sales person trying to sell him other products and services.  The problem was not the offering as much as the aggression.\n\nAre you being to aggressive in your pitch? Here are some instances of marketing (and sales) aggressiveness:\n<ul>\n	<li>Calling too much/ too often</li>\n	<li>Sending too many emails (including enewsletters)</li>\n	<li>Invading privacy (such as asking Google or Facebook to scan private messages for keywords)</li>\n	<li>In traditional advertising, opting for frequency over reach (have you ever watched a TV program where the same ad is shown multiple times?)</li>\n	<li>Send enewsletters out without prior opt-in, and without an easy opt-out.</li>\n	<li>Loud (literally) advertising (even though it has been regulated, I am still hearing ads that have a higher volume than the programming)</li>\n	<li>Bait-and-switch tactics</li>\n</ul>\nWhat results from these tactics is that people feel attacked or overwhelmed or frustrated. They can\'t lower the volume and they resent it. They feel that your sales pitch is invading their private space.\n\nCan you think of other aggressive behavior? How do you react to aggressive marketing? Do you think the results justify the means?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','The one thing that will kill your marketing efforts','','inherit','open','open','','2074-revision-2','','','2013-02-22 16:12:19','2013-02-22 16:12:19','',2074,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2074-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2077,4,'2013-02-22 16:15:04','2013-02-22 16:15:04','You may have a great offering, beautiful marketing collateral, an interactive website, a robust presence on social media and yet, you are not achieving your marketing objectives. There could be many causes for this, like a poor economy or poor pricing or too much competition, but it could also be that you are<strong> being too aggressive</strong>. You are turning people off.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"239\"]<a title=\"bullhorn by spDuchamp, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/\"><img alt=\"bullhorn\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/15296832_d279064329.jpg\" width=\"239\" height=\"500\" /></a> Bullhorn by spDuchamp from Flickr[/caption]\n\nTelemarketers are especially bad at understanding that aggressiveness does not build customer trust. Quite the opposite. It builds distrust and worse, dislike. Calling repeatedly at all times of day and night does not make a potential customer or donor enamored of your product or cause.\n\nPerhaps this is the divide between marketing and sales. In marketing, you are trying to build interest in your product and service by using tools such as the \"Four Ps\" (pricing, promotion, product, placement), whereas in sales you are trying to achieve quotas, generally measured in revenue.\n\nSay you are shopping for a new car. The marketing function will get you to consider the new XYZ hybrid sedan from the big car manufacturer. You are intrigued by the miles per gallon or the comfort or whatever other attribute. You walk into a showroom and immediately a sales representative is there, trying to get you to buy. If he or she is too aggressive, chances are good you will walk out without making a purchase. The marketing worked but the sales pitch didn\'t.\n\nBrad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations had such a thing happen to him with a PR service. He<a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/\" target=\"_blank\"> discussed it yesterday  on his Mr. Media Training blog</a>, and received a lot of support (read the comments).  He signed up for a service that is marketed to people like him, but then was assaulted by a too-aggressive sales person trying to sell him other products and services.  The problem was not the offering as much as the aggression.\n\nAre you being to aggressive in your pitch? Here are some instances of marketing (and sales) aggressiveness:\n<ul>\n	<li>Calling too much/ too often</li>\n	<li>Sending too many emails (including enewsletters)</li>\n	<li>Invading privacy (such as asking Google or Facebook to scan private messages for keywords)</li>\n	<li>In traditional advertising, opting for frequency over reach (have you ever watched a TV program where the same ad is shown multiple times?)</li>\n	<li>Send enewsletters out without prior opt-in, and without an easy opt-out.</li>\n	<li>Loud (literally) advertising (even though it has been regulated, I am still hearing ads that have a higher volume than the programming)</li>\n	<li>Bait-and-switch tactics</li>\n</ul>\nWhat results from these tactics is that people feel attacked or overwhelmed or frustrated. They can\'t lower the volume and they resent it. They feel that your sales pitch is invading their private space.\n\nCan you think of other aggressive behavior? How do you react to aggressive marketing? Do you think the results justify the means?\n<h3>Blogging workshop next week!</h3>\nThere\'s still time to register for my How to Blog Workshop, which takes place next Thursday, February 28 in Silver Spring, MD. Visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com</a> for more details and registration.\n\n&nbsp;','The one thing that will kill your marketing efforts','','inherit','open','open','','2074-autosave','','','2013-02-22 16:15:04','2013-02-22 16:15:04','',2074,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2074-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),