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The Future of Communications: are You in or are You Out?

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:18:02 +0000

The Future of Communications: are You in or are You Out?

Recently Iâ€™ve been spending time on Twitter, and Plurk as I continue to explore social media. As I invite friends and colleagues to join me using these tools, I often have to defend the time Iâ€™m spendingâ€”some would argue wastingâ€”at these sites.

Hereâ€™s why I do it: tools like Twitter and Plurk represent the future of communications.

Iâ€™m not arguing that anyone will be using or even talking about Twitter or Plurk a few years from now. But they represent a newmanner of communication that will become more relevant, more important as people join in and feed this emerging network of social media communications.

There are a number of reasons why this is happening.

Short Attention Spans. One catalyst is that we live in a culture where ADD is now considered a coping mechanism for dealing with the constant barrage of information we face.

This is characterized by political sound bites, lead news stories that clock in at ninety seconds, and commercials optimized for TiVo fast-forwarding. Social media communications are likewise short and chaotic; threads/messages are started and dropped with little warning, and are often limited to 140 characters or less. That means the previous sentence is 22 characters too long for either a Tweet or a Plurk.

A New Definition of Privacy. Right or wrong, in a post 9/11 world weâ€™ve sacrificed many personal rights for the hope of increased security. Cameras at intersections, Real ID cards, and even Fast Lanetransponders that allow us to avoid stopping at toll booths all chip away at our ability to stay under the radar. Weâ€™re used to being watched. Social media communications are by definition social, and regularly public.

A Desire for Fame and Stature. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, â€œI have made the most wonderful discovery, I have discovered men will risk their lives, even die, for ribbons!â€ Fame and stature can be quicklyâ€”and less dangerouslyâ€”achieved in our YouTube/Reality TV/MySpace world.

All successful social networks have a built-in reward systemthat reflects your standing in the community. For Twitter, itâ€™s your number of followers; LinkedIn counts your connections; Plurkâ€™s karma point system gives you new iconsâ€”ribbons, if you willâ€”for postingmore often and invitingnew people to Plurk.

There are other factors as well that are changing the way we communicate.

The desire to be connected at all times, whether through a computer or a mobile device, or something else in the future.
The high cost of travel that will cut down on face-to-face meetings.
The increased affordability, quality and functionality of digital communication tools.

I donâ€™t see these trends changing drastically in the next few years. Weâ€™ll continue to be wired, gas prices will continue to rise and weâ€™ll continue to want to communicate and network with the other humans on our planet.

Social media represents a major shift in the way we communicate with each other. Not everyone will adapt, but the younger generation is already comfortable with these tools. While there will always be the telephone and email for us â€œold folks,â€ a lot of important conversations will be going on exclusively in the social media arena.

So I ask you again: The future of communications: are you in, or are you out?

Rich Brooks is president of flyte new media a Web design and Internet marketing company. Flyte designs professional Web sites and promotes them with strategic Web marketing campaigns that include search engine optimization, email marketing, business blogs and more.

He blogs on Web marketing topics regularly at flyte blog: web marketing strategies for small business and publishes a monthly email newsletter called flyte log. You may also find articles by Rich at the TalentZoo.com

Article from articlesbase.com

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Social Media For Graphic Communications -Aarkstore Enterprise

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:28:13 +0000

Social Media For Graphic Communications -Aarkstore Enterprise

Strategy Summary Reportâ€”The Hows and Whys of Social Media. This 63-page report defines social media, the growing importance of using media channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and others to network and communicate with present and prospective customers, offers third-party estimates of the growth of the importance of, and spending on, social media by marketers in all industries, and offers specific advice for companies in the printing industry.

Table of Contents : Â

Introduction: Why Should You Care?
Jumping On

What Are Social Media?

Just a Fad?

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing

About the Present Report

How This Report Is Organized

For More Information

Section 1: Yelling in All Directions at Once
Social Network Advertising Spending

Social Media Usage Among Marketers

Reasons for Social Media Usage

Challenges to Social Media

Return on Investment

Print Providers and Social Media Activity

Onward

Section 2: Web Sites and E-Mail
Web Sites

What It Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What it Costs

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

E-Mail

What It Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What it Costs

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Section 3: Blogs and Podcasts
Blog

What It Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Podcast

What it Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Section 4: Twitter and Other Microblogging Sites
Twitter

What it Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Other Microblogging Sites

Section 5: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Other Social Networking Sites
Facebook

What it Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

What it Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Section 6: Social Bookmarking and Folksonomy
Digg

What It Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

Best Practices for Inbound Marketing

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Other Social Bookmarking Sites

Wikis

What It Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Section 7: YouTube and Other Online Video Applications
YouTube

What it Is

What Is Required to Get Started

What Does It Cost

How Printers Can Use It for Their Own Purposes

How Printers Can Offer It to Their Clients

Section 8: Conclusions and Recommendations
Six Social Media Questions

Question 1: What Do You Want to Accomplish?

Question 2: What is the Best Social Media Channel?

Question 3: What’s the Competition Doing?

Question 4: What’s the ROI?

Question 5: Who in the Organization Should Be Responsible?

Question 6: Where Do We Go From Here?

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!

The Last Word

Appendix: Resources for Further Information
Books

Magazines and Web Sites

Interesting Web Links

About the Analyst

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Outbound Marketing

Figure 2: Inbound Marketing

Figure 3: Online Social Network Advertising Spending Worldwide, 2008-2011 ($ millions and % change)

Figure 4: Reasons That U.S. Executives Use Social Media, July 2009

Figure 5: Biggest Obstacles to Making Social Networks Work

Figure 6: Professionals Worldwide Who Measure the ROI of their Social Media Programs, August 2009

Figure 7: Is Your Company Active in any Social Media? â€”All Print Providers, September 2009 (Multiple Responses Permitted)

Figure 8: Will Your Business Be Offering Social Media Management

Capabilities as a Billable Service for Your Clients in 2010? â€”All Print Providers, September 2009

Figure 9: Will Your Business Be Offering Social Media Management

Capabilities as a Billable Service for Your Clients in 2010? â€”All Creatives,December 2009

Figure 10: Is Your Company Active in any Social Media? â€””Marketing

Services Providers,” September 2009 (Multiple Responses Permitted)

Figure 11: Will Your Business Be Offering Social Media Management

Capabilities as a Billable Service for Your Clients in 2010? â€””Marketing Services Providers,” September 2009

Figure 12: The WhatTheyThink Web Site; Note the Keywords in the Title Bar.

Figure 13: Note That WhatTheyThink Turns Up as the Top Google Hit for

“Printing Industry News”

Figure 14: Daily E-Mail from WhatTheyThink Provides News, Information, and Commentary

Figure 15: WhatTheyThink’s PrintCEO Blog

Figure 16: Podcasts are Audio Programs that Can Be Subscribed to and Downloaded Directly to iTunes

Figure 17: Podcasts Can Also Be Streamed Directly on a Web Site

Figure 18: Two Twitter Feeds

Figure 19: The American Printer Facebook Page Provides News and Headlines

Figure 20: The Saratoga Film Forum Facebook Page Provides News and Updates on Movies Being Screened

Figure 21: One Useful Feature of LinkedIn Is the Ability to Ask and Answer

Questions of One’s Network

Figure 22: Digg is a Popular Social Bookmarking Site

Figure 23: Adding Automatic “Digg” Buttons to Content Makes It Easy for Readers to Share It

Figure 24: Social Bookmarking “Share” Buttons

Figure 25: Wikipedia Is the World’s Most Famous Wiki

Figure 26: Genesis Press Video on YouTube

Figure 27: Top Business Objectives for Social Media

Table of Tables
Table 1: Comparative Estimates: U.S.

Marketers Using Social Media, 2008 % 2009

Table 2: Top Priorities in 2010 According to Senior Marketers Worldwide

Table 3: Comparative Estimates: Leading Metric Used by Marketers to Measure Social Media Marketing Success, 2009

Table 4: Is Your Company Active in any Social Media? â€”By Employee Size, September 2009 (Multiple Responses Permitted)

Table 5: Will Your Business Be Offering Social Media Management

Capabilities as a Billable Service for Your Clients in 2010?

â€”By Employee Size, September 2009

For More information please contact :

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Social-Media-for-Graphic-Communications-39351.html

Ed Mayuga to Present at April 21 Enterprise University Course, DIY Marketing How to Promote Your Business Through …

Bolaji Oyejide — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:24:52 +0000

ST. LOUIS (April 5, 2010) Ed Mayuga, co-founder of AMM Communications LLC, an integrated communication and marketing firm, will present at Enterprise University April 21, from 8:00 11:00 a.m., the course DIY Marketing How to Promote Your Business Through Social Media.

See the article here:
Ed Mayuga to Present at April 21 Enterprise University Course, DIY Marketing How to Promote Your Business Through …

‘The Sun’ names Direct Communications list manager

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:07:43 +0000

The Sun, a literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction and memoirs, has named Direct Communications its list manager, effective April 1. The previous manager was Names in the News.

View full post on Latest articles from DMNews News

Healthcare Marketing Company Aurora IT Describes The Benefits of “Patient Centered” Communications

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:09:18 +0000

The patient will see you now. Yes, doctors and healthcare providers, the tides are shifting. Patients who want information and want it fast are turning more and more to the Internet. They are talking to people on blogs, forums and message boards before they even call your office. Because doctors canât be everywhere at once, they should be harnessing the power of the World Wide Web to work for them. Aurora Information Technology, a medical website design and medical marketing company advises that doctors and healthcare providers need to ride the wave of this trend and start spearheading these searches and conversations.

A customized website that is both interactive and educational is a valuable marketing tool. Yet some practitioners might be too âold schoolâ to adapt to this new way of treating patients. The advertising of yesteryear has changed. According to a PRWeek article, (âHealthcare communications needs to get more personal,â Bob Pearson, October 1, 2009), âhow people consume content is trending toward video, yet we still place most of our focus on creating new written copy.â Effective outreach efforts now encompass both offline and online media.

Aurora IT, based in Garrison, NY, creates highly interactive websites that feature blogs, message boards and contact forms. They believe that an informed patient is a doctorâs best patient. The most effective websites also contain comprehensive medical information and multimedia such as photos and videos. Doctors need to realize if they are not disseminating this information, the patients will find it for themselves. While knowledge is power, sometimes the Internet has too much information, which can create panic, anxiety and lead to an irrational self-diagnosis.

Patients prefer the âword of mouthâ method in choosing a doctor or making a healthcare decision. But this peer- or self-diagnosis could be dangerous, not only for the patient but also for the practiceâs marketing efforts. This is why Aurora IT believes that doctors need to be in constant communication with patients even when face-to-face communication is not possible. With an effective search engine optimization (SEO) plan, a doctorâs strategically key-worded websites will rank high in organic search results, and can do most of the talking for them. As SEO experts, Aurora IT knows that these searches can draw in the modern, tech-savvy customers that they otherwise would not have gotten through more traditional advertising methods.

With these websites, doctors should not only be talking and informing, they should also be listening. With regards to patient communications, itâs important to communicate in their language. The PRWeek article stated âten languages reach 90% of the online world, not one or two.â Aurora IT advises that healthcare providers should redefine their methods of communications with their patients by providing interactive and informative websites that are translated into different languages, providing a wider reach of audience.

Medical website marketing is effective in emphasizing prevention and education. According a recent New York Times article, âIf All Doctors Had Time To Listen,â there is a trend from physicians to educate patients on prevention so that there are less referrals and visits to specialists. This outreach effort is invaluable and this type of healthcare is not only patient-focused but also cost-effective. Doctors can use technology to âstreamline processes and reduce administrative costsâ with regards to appointment scheduling, medical records and prescriptions, all through their websites.

So if you think you can do without an Internet presence, Aurora IT cautions you to think again – because your competitor is coming up in the searches where your practice should be found.

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Embrace Web 2.0 With Microsoft Sharepoint From Genesis Communications

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:43:47 +0000

Web 2.0 is the concept of information and collaboration amongst users of the internet. When the internet was first introduced, most of the content was static, being edited only by webmasters. As time has passed, however, we have begun to see more and more user interaction with the internet in the form of blogs, wikis and social bookmarking.

The impact of social networking sites such as Facebook, have illustrated that Web2.0 is very much the future of the internet and businesses are finding more and more that this is not only applicable in a social environment. Web 2.0 applications in the workplace can help organisations and their staff to work more productively by sharing information and resources over the world wide web.

Microsoft SharePoint 2007 has a host of features which can help your business to embrace web 2.0. These include:

My Site – SharePoint’s My Site feature provides individual profiles for each user. These can contain information about the users skills and colleagues they know, as well as information including documents, wikis and blogs. My Site pages can be accessed by the public, or restricted to internal access only.

Blogs – Web logs or ‘blogs’ as they are more commonly know have become extremely popular in recent years. The phenomenon of ‘blogging’, posting regular information in a format similar to a diary has become common on both a personal and a corporate level. It allows organisations to present themselves as transparent and open, offering a familiar, friendly face to their clients. SharePoint provides a platform for your workers blogs, which can be published either internally or externally.

Wikis – Wikis are a collection of web pages which are designed to allow all users to actively modify content. The popularity of wikis is exemplified by the popular online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, which has become one of the most creditable and well-used online information sources. Many organisations have internal wikis which are not accessed by the public, but provide a vital tool for staff to share information. SharePoint makes wikis easy to access and edit providing a vital resource for employees.

TownSquare – The latest SharePoint’s web 2.0 development, TownSquare is said to closely resemble Facebook in providing a social network like application for use in the business environment.

Genesis supply SharePoint hosting services to thousands of businesses across the UK. To find out more about how SharePoint could help your business make the most of Web 2.0, call 0844 847 9606

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Improve Your Customer Relations With Microsoft CRM 4.0 From Genesis Communications

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:40:47 +0000

Genesis Communications are pleased to announce the launch of hosted Microsoft CRM 4.0. This new product has a host of features which can help businesses to manage customer services operations more effectively and efficiently

For any business, no matter what industry or sector, the ability to communicate well with customers is essential.

Showing that you have taken the time to get to know your customer base demonstrates that you take your commitment to customer service seriously.

Illustrating that you know your clients well will make them feel confident in the services that you provide. Making your customers feel valued is one way that you can ensure a high level of retention.

Microsoft CRM 4.0 helps you to do just that. Here are just some of the features which will help your business to streamline and improve its customer relations:

· A centralised, customisable view of your customer’s preferences and your correspondence history allows you to build better relationships and understand the needs of your clients.

With full integration with Microsoft Outlook, you can use CRM 4.0 as an extension of this service for ease of use. Alternatively, users have access to a customised interface.

Microsoft CRM 4.0 can help all aspects of your business, from direct consumer relations such as sales, marketing and customer services to human resources, training and development of staff.

Hosted CRM 4 has some major improvements over CRM 3. Here are some examples

A spokesperson for Microsoft Gold partners and hosted CRM 4.0 suppliers Genesis Communications had this to day, “effective CRM systems are a great way to effectively manage your customer services department. It is no surprise that consumers go back to companies which offer great service and using Microsoft CRM 4 has helped thousands of businesses to achieve this.”

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Bring Home New Apple Iphone and Experience New Means of Communications

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:44:20 +0000

You would not find more ads on the traditional cellphones. The iPhones have replaced the traditional cellphones. The iPhones are about to take over the advantage of cellphones and computers. On an iPhone you can enjoy computer-based functions. Try out the Apple iPhone which has a glamorous reputation in the global iPhone market. The Apple iPhones have been always praised for its brand and quality service. There are many folk who have said appreciating words on the products of Apple. If you buy the Apple iPhone, then you will definitely come to know it’s cool benefits.Have you ever imagined about having Google and Yahoo on your cellphone? If you had such a wish in your mind, then now it would come true. Apple iPhone has built-in Google and Yahoo. After knowing this fact, you would definitely rejoice. Have this exclusive cellphone for you and soon you will forget your personal computer. Use Google and Yahoo to remain connected with any person on anywhere on this earth. Are you facing problems while using the keypad of your cellphone? Well, Apple iPhone would make you forget about the use of keypad. It has been provided with the touch-screen facility so that you do not have to press your cell phone’s keypad all the time. Use your finger to get the feature which you want to have. Isn’t it surprising? Obviously, it is surprising.Get everything like GPRS, WLAN, EDGE, Bluetooth and USB on Apple iPhone for a super fast connectivity. These are the most important key features which any iPhone should possess. Are you a music lover or like to watch videos on websites? Then, Apple iPhone has got iPod audio and video player. Now it’s time for listening to your favorite music or watch your favorite videos. Compare this entertainment experience with your the one that you had with your old cellphone. There is no least doubt that Apple iPhone would win the positive feedbacks. Here are some of the key features of Apple iPhone:· Camera: 2.0Mega Pixel Camera· Touchscreen, 16M colors, Multi-touch input· Maps, iPod audio/video player· Memory: 4/8 GB Shared Memory· TV output, Email, Bluetooth, Widgets support· Built-in Google and Yahoo!

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What’s A Job Title For Someone In Marketing & Communications That Also Manages A Web Site (design)?

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:45:18 +0000

Basically, my company refers to my job as a “Webmaster.” This job title is outdated in my opinion. I basically was hired to do the following (with the following knowledge):
- Point contact for company web site (updates, changes, additions, new site designs, project manager/lead for all things company web);
- Marketing for e-mail campaigns, web campaigns and webcasts;
- Excellent working knowledge of WC3, CSS, HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, PHP;
- Update content via CMS interface (but also manage all templates in this CMS);
- Print advertisement design (posters, postcards, magazine ads, etc. etc.);
- Interactive advertisement design (FLASH, for example);
- Product strategy from a marketing perspective.
It’s a huge mix of web design, web development, advertising, graphic design etc. and I can’t figure out what to call it
What do you think?
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Where Can I Attend A Course In Digital Communications Or Social Media In Los Angeles, Ca?

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:24:27 +0000

I would like some tips in where to find courses in LA related to internet, digital communications, webriting, online copywriting, social media… Tks!
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