Trafcom News

Friday communications roundup, May 4, 2012

In case you blinked, here are some interesting communications-related items from the past week.

Clever video: May the Fourth be With You
Let’s start with this smart video from Indigo. It’s interesting how the bookstore chain, while using humour, manages to let us know that they also sell home décor items, toys and Star Wars paraphernalia. Thanks to my friend Kristen Ridley for sharing. 

 

Mitch Joel on podcasting
In a HuffPo piece, my friend and fellow podcaster Mitch Joel contends that podcasting is a useful business tool: “As businesses and brands clamor for friends, followers, likes, retweets and pins, start tinkering with audio podcasting. You may not only enjoy it, but be able to find some highly qualified new business leads and a burgeoning and loyal community along the way.” Amen, I say.

Content curation survey
The folks at Curata have just published a survey about the use of curation in organizations. The stats are helpful to someone like me, who often speaks to clients about how and why to curate content.

Tech news: LinkedIn buys Slideshare
Business networking giant LinkedIn has purchased my favourite slide-sharing platform. Let’s hope they don’t mess with it.

Inspiration
If you’ve ever thought of following your passion, here’s a beautiful post about living your dreams.

For more links, check out my Delicious bookmarks.

Happy weekend!

 

Friday communications roundup, March 30, 2012

Happy Friday! Here is my subjective collection of comms-related items spotted in the past week. I’m not including major stories (Facebook Timeline, anyone?) that you’ve likely seen already.

Hilarious spoof of movie trailers

This captures just about every single movie trailer cliché you’ve ever watched.

Thanks to my friend Kare Anderson, who linked to this on Facebook.

Content marketing links for you

• I learned a lot in this post about using Google+ for content marketing. For example, I’d never thought about includig hashtags for SEO purposes in G+.
• Nothing in this article is earth shattering, but it’s a nicely done list of tips for creating successful business-to-business content.
• Last but certainly not least, Copyblogger weighs in with excellent advice about creating compelling content. I particularly like the ideas about producing Q&A series and how-to videos.

For more links, check out my Delicious bookmarks on content marketing.

Happy weekend!

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to share its story through traditional and new media.

Friday communications roundup, March 23, 2012

Happy Friday! Here is my wholly subjective collection of communications-related stories spotted in the past week or so. I’m not covering the biggies that we’ve all seen, but the stories you might have missed.

Mirror Mirror for social media geeks
This cute video follows the Evil Queen surfing the Web and exploring the kingdom's social media websites to win over the handsome Prince and get rid of the beautiful and fair Snow White.

Audacity 2.0 is out of beta
Many podcasters and others who work in audio rely on Audacity, an easy-to-use editing program. The folks behind Audacity have finally released version 2.0 from beta testing. I’ve tried the improved noise removal feature and it worked well. Last year I was a beta tester for Adobe Audition, which is feature rich, but pricey. So if you want a free program for Windows, Mac or Linux that will handle the vast majority of your audio needs, try Audacity.

The one sentence most public speakers get wrong
I was happy to see this post, which addresses one of my pet peeves: the person who stands on the stage and says with absolutely no energy in his voice: “I’m really happy to be here.”

Three easy video formats for first-timers
More and more marketers are using video, but are often at a loss as to how to get started. Worse, they fear the camera. This advice will help.

Forbes: Facebook timeline is about storytelling
We’ve seen lots of press about the new Facebook timeline. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Here’s some good insight about making the most of the feature to tell your brand story.

Fifty is the new thirty
Good news for baby boomers:  Fifty is indeed the new thirty, says Seth Godin. Now if someone would just tell the people responsible for seven-point type on grocery labels, I’ll be thrilled.

Happy weekend!

 

Friday communications roundup, March 16, 2012

Here is my totally subjective collection of interesting communications-related stories in the past week. I’m not covering the biggies that we’ve all seen. Instead, I’ve tried to find some gems you may have missed.

The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee
This hilarious video spoke to me on so many levels. I grew up in a mostly Italian neighbourhood in Astoria, Queens, New York, and was my school spelling bee champ in sixth grade. I hope you enjoy this playful send-up as much as I did.

The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee with Kelly Ripa from Kelly Ripa

How leaders can inspire action through storytelling
Here is a wonderful example in Forbes magazine of using a compelling story to spark action. The example relates to a charity movement, but many of the principles could apply more broadly to business.

Seven ways to become a masterful storyteller
Can you tell that I love the topic of storytelling? Here’s a nice practical post from Ragan.com.

Are you reinforcing your social media content?
This post by Christopher S. Penn appealed to me this week because I realized that more traffic was coming to my blog via LinkedIn than any other source, so I decided to focus more on my LinkedIn updates. You may not want to go as tech-heavy as Chris, but you will definitely learn from him in this post. (Tip: Subscribe to his newsletter for more great tips.)

Happy weekend!

Friday communications roundup, March 2, 2012

No matter how much client work I do in a given week, I always find time to read and save interesting content that I find via my RSS feeds, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, Paper.li and now Pinterest, among other sources.

I thought I’d start curating some of this material for you each Friday. So here goes: A totally biased list of some of the most interesting communications-related content I’ve found on the Web this week.

10 changes to Facebook you need to know about
It’s a challenge to keep up with Facebook’s myriad changes. Here’s a good outline of what you need to know about the most recent updates.

Five insanely simple ways to make your next presentation sizzle
I always learn something from posts about presentations, or else am reminded of what I thought I knew but don’t always practice. Here’s a nice quick list of things to do to please your audience and meet your speaking goals. On a related note, please check out the Trafcom News Podcast interview I did with Shel Israel, author of the new book, Stellar Presentations.

A sweet business story
I’m a sucker for these kinds of things, and love reading about the provenance of products I buy. Here’s a lovely example of storytelling about a product.

Why Pinterest is not the next big thing for your business
Everyone’s in a lather about Pinterest. Yes, it’s new and it’s fun but is it truly the be all and the end all for business communications? John Jantsch reminds us to calm down. 

Speaking of Pinterest
Although, like John Jantsch, I don’t think Pinterest is the best thing ever invented in the history of the world, I’m exploring ways of using this tool. Recently I’ve joined a pinboard devoted to podcasting, thanks to Daniel Lewis. What do you think?

Yes, a great PR pitch!
Some people are really smart about reaching out to bloggers. Others, not so much. Here’s a valuable example from my friend B.L. Ochman about a PR person who did the right thing in pitching her. 

Top tips for a great video meeting
More of us are meeting via video these days, whether it’s Skype or GooglePlus Hangouts. Follow these tips for a better online meeting experience. I would add two things: Be sure your camera is positioned in front of your face, not looking up your nose! And be aware of what's in the background. No one wants to see your laundry pile.

Why an optimized content strategy is crucial for social search
Social search is changing the way we find information online, and publishers of content need to take this into account. Here’s some advice on ensuring that your content is optimized. You might also want to check out my recent series of posts on content marketing.

Top 100 first-world problems
Let’s end with a laugh. This well-produced video reminds us to keep things in perspective, and to be grateful for the lifestyle we enjoy in the developed world.

 

Stuff communicators say

Please note the G-rated headline. ;-)

Unless you've been on Mars for the past few weeks, you've seen some entries in the "shit so-and-so says" meme, which began (as far as I know) with ShitGirlsSay (Twitter stream and then video). On a snowy afternoon yesterday, avoiding work, I started one of my own: #ShitCommunicatorsSay. Here's a Storify version of it. (There were LOTS more retweets, by the way; I've just grabbed some representative ones.) If you played along, thanks -- and feel free to keep it going!

 

Happy Canada Day! Happy 4th of July too!

This is an update of a post I first wrote in 2007.

As an American-Canadian, I always find the first week of July somewhat jarring. Up here we celebrate Canada Day, while down south, the big holiday is Independence Day (which also happens to be my little brother’s birthday). My relatives still wish me a “Happy Fourth of July,” even though it’s just a regular day here.

Still, since crossing the border from New York to Ontario 20+ years ago with all my worldly goods, I’ve adjusted to my new home, and can even "pass" for a Canadian, despite my slight but lingering Noo Yawk accent. With all those years of "Canadian experience" under my Roots belt, I’m happy to share some tips with my American compatriots who may not be aware of what life is like north of the 49th parallel.

1. In Toronto, winter arrives in late October and doesn’t depart until April … or May. For the first time in your life, you’ll buy long underwear, mittens and a toque (a practical, yet decidedly unattractive knitted cap). And you will wear them. Gladly.

2. You can count the number of years of Canadian residency by the salt rings on your boots (unless you live in Vancouver, where the people wear Birkenstock sandals all year, apparently).

3. Don’t worry about foregoing the American television networks you have come to love; you can watch most of your favourite (not favorite) programs here except those on Fox News, and you won’t really miss them anyway, eh?

4. Thanks to universal health care, you can say goodbye to HMOs, co-payments and deductibles, but you may have to wait in a queue, I mean, a line, no matter how high the balance in your bank account.

5. A check is a cheque, a two-dollar coin is a toonie, milk is sold in plastic bags (in Ontario anyway), and you boil water in an electric kettle from The Bay or Canadian Tire.

6. Starbucks is ubiquitous in cities, but every block seems to sport a Tim Hortons, where the drink of choice is a double-double.*

7. The geography stretches not from sea to shining sea, but from coast to coast to coast.

8. There’s no death penalty here. And it’s a mosaic, not a melting pot.

9. You’ll soon understand this sentence: "Gord, please pass me a serviette; I’ve spilled some poutine on the chesterfield."**

10. And, last but not least, you’ll finally have to learn the metric system.

*A double-double is a coffee with two creams and two sugars.

**Translation: Gordon, please pass me a napkin. I’ve spilled some gravy-and-cheese-curd-covered French fries on the couch.

A Canadian primer for our American friends

This is an update of a post I first wrote in 2007.

As an American-Canadian, I always find the first week of July somewhat jarring. Up here we celebrate Canada Day, while down south, the big holiday is Independence Day (which also happens to be my little brother’s birthday). My relatives wish me a “Happy Fourth of July,” even though it’s just a regular Saturday here this year.

Since crossing the border from New York to Ontario 20+ years ago with all my worldly goods, I’ve adjusted to my new home, and can even "pass" for a Canadian, despite my slight but lingering Noo Yawk accent. With all those years of "Canadian experience" under my Roots belt, I’m happy to share some tips with my American compatriots who may not be aware of what life is like north of the 49th parallel.

1. In Toronto, winter arrives in late October and doesn’t depart until April … or May. For the first time in your life, you’ll buy long underwear, mittens and a toque (a practical, yet decidedly unattractive knitted cap). And you will wear them. Gladly.
2. You can count the number of years of Canadian residency by the salt rings on your boots (unless you live in Vancouver, where the people wear Birkenstock sandals all year, apparently).
3. Don’t worry about foregoing the American television networks you have come to love; you can watch most of your favourite (not favorite) programs here except those on Fox News, and you won’t really miss them anyway, eh?
4. Thanks to universal health care, you can say goodbye to HMOs, co-payments and deductibles, but you may have to wait in a queue, I mean, a line, no matter how high the balance in your bank account.
5. A check is a cheque, a two-dollar coin is a toonie, milk is sold in plastic bags (in Ontario anyway), and you boil water in an electric kettle from The Bay or Canadian Tire.
6. Starbucks is ubiquitous in large cities, but every block seems to sport a Tim Hortons, where the drink of choice is a double-double.*
7. The geography stretches not from sea to shining sea, but from coast to coast to coast.
8. There’s no death penalty here. And it’s a mosaic, not a melting pot.
9. You’ll soon understand this sentence: "Gord, please pass me a serviette; I’ve spilled some poutine on the chesterfield."**
10. And, last but not least, you’ll finally have to learn the metric system.

*A double-double is a coffee with two creams and two sugars.
**Translation: Gordon, please pass me a napkin. I’ve spilled some gravy-and-cheese-curd-covered French fries on the couch.

Employee comms: Is this you?

Are you under-investing in your most important asset, your employees?

I love this hilarious video – a must see for anyone involved in internal communications. Hat tip to Shel Holtz.

Terry Fallis wins Leacock award for humorous novel

Terry Fallis of Thornley Fallis and the Inside PR podcast has won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for his novel about Canadian politics, The Best Laid Plans.

Why is this something I’d blog about? Well, Terry has become a friend of mine in Toronto’s social media world. And, he self-published the book after he couldn’t get a publisher to bite, then he podcasted podcast the novel, a chapter at a time, making it freely available. So if you’re trying to get your novel out there for the world to notice, take a page from Terry’s book (OK, not literally).

I loved the story, which I consumed over the Christmas holidays, laughing out loud at times.

Congratulations, Terry! Three questions: When will The Best Laid Plans become a major motion picture? What’s your next book about? Why does everyone think Dave Jones is the funny one on Inside PR?