From my own experience as well, I must confess that I took the risk to skip many of the "etiquette" details regarding, for example, the format, a certain logic of arranging the paragraphs. And lost.
As I must recognize, writing is not enough!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Where is our privacy?
New concerns regarding the use without consentment of identification data of users from Facebook are nothing but new. From my own experience with Facebook or other social networks, the last matter of preoccupation of - by far - too many users is privacy. Despite the relative publicity around the issue of protecting data, too many persons - all ages, as I noticed - are eager to share very personal and direct information about themselves, their families - including children - even their personal finances. No wonder, this is a very real fact. Remember about those people you've meet on a tram and in five minutes they told you everything about relationship, future and the daily meals.
Of course, this is not an excuse to let other people use them for not at all innocent causes. All I wanted to outline was that we do not even ignore our vulnerabilities, but in some cases we even want to let as many inhabitants of the planet as well.
Mascots for London Olympic Games revealed
They are called Wenlock and Mandeville and they have interesting stories to share.
I liked the positioning of the stories and the idea of creating a narrative around the event. Even I must recognize that my visual sensitivity do not like too much the shapes of the two characters. But they are coherent with the story delivered.
The fate of the press release in 2.0
A more dynamic fate. But in the same time, more directed to create visible results. Hence, my curiosity to be virtually present to a recent online discussion about this on PRWeb.
For a release distributed on the web - and who will afford to do not do it, anyway - it is important to have into your mind the results you are expecting. Once upon a time, when the basis was the word written on paper, the feed-back was evaluated up to the number of article published - we still keep this constant in our current evaluation - and the writing rules of a press-released were following considerations about the style - targeted, simple, offering as many information as possible, answering the basic questions of a news. Nowadays, in order to be found on search engines, we need to fit our vocabulary, from the very beginning of our piece of release. For example, are you writing about a new product released by a big company? So, use the very important information as the name, the technical description in the first sentences. And, as well, try to use words most likely to be found easily on search engines.
More than trying to be creative and use the best of your literary skills - still necessary, despite the first impression (I had myself as well) - you have to plan to get results - in search. In the last month, my releases changed a bit in tone and wording, as to find the best creative tools to increase the web presence.
See the framework
Attended yesterday my first webinar on scrum. I knew the concept for a while, without entering too much into bibliographical details. I am not yet very much interesting in getting into depth, but still consider it is useful to have it in my mind when thinking about a better use of human resources and organisation of knowledge.
What scum is bringing new is to create a certain framework based on small and smart clusters. The advantages of small teams are obvious - as the reliable human relations are usually limited by number, increased teams are complicating the context and lead to unmanageable situations.
Using the scum masters various external situations as for example protecting the team from external influences or resolve impediments. A kind of coacher able to see the whole picture and to recommend the necessary evolutions or corrections.
As the role of communications is obvious, I would like to improve my knowledge on this.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Writing in Second Life
For me, Second Life represented at the beginning of a very good market for teenagers, people passionate - with a penchant to addiction - about games, usually not too serious for spending too much time there. After, I found out the diplomatic use of this space, after many countries opened embassies here using this virtual space for various "soft diplomacy" purposes.
As the system in itself evolved and the 2.0 took a stronger role into our everyday life, the system continued to win other targets, as the business community and other professional uses. I was impressed once to attend a discussion about using it as a fora for medical professionals where people access various medical information. Of course, it is a huge place for abuses and nonreliability, as every time when you have the option of hiding your identity. But, as long as you have a significant professional presence, the risks of abusing this system might decrease.
The last interesting ideas about Second Life was about writing. A creative and increasing community of writers covering various events, making professional connections, creating places for discussions and even marketing their books and blogging. Of course, why not? And this is nothing more than another opportunity to get visibility and most important from my point of view, to get in touch with other professionals.
I have to take Second Life more seriously and to reactivate my avatar.
How to find a good job
Around 400 pages dedicated to preparing for addressing a job offer, preparing your credentials, going to the interview, being ready for the various tests. Plus a CD with various useful applications.
I was impressed by the quality of the detail. I discovered lots of things I never been able to order in a systematic way, as for example being ready to answer various types of questions regarding your professional perspectives and your working record.
Finding a job these days, the job to make you happy from the financial and professional point of view, while keeping a certain balance with your family life is more difficult than ever. The market is full, the level of professional standards is getting higher and higher. For example, you have now by far more qualified candidates, from the point of view of the education background, than two decades ago, as having an MA, MBA or even a PhD is a more widespreaded feature. In these cases, you genesis of the choices is made up to very careful examination of professional background, sources from the market, successful tasks.
Applying for a job is part of a very careful plan of analysis and evaluation of your own offer, your communication capacity, your medium and long-term objectives. The choices are followed by considerations regarding the dress-code, the choice of the language, the elaboration of the CV - according to various standards -, a psychological self-analysis.
The list of questions you might be prepared to answer is long and you will never be able to predict 80% of them. What it is important to have in your mind as long as possible is to know your objectives and to answer and behave accordingly. It is true that the current economic crisis is narrowing the options and limiting the freedom to say "no". But, on the other side, it is important to be ready to say "no". Everything is a matter of self-awareness and even there are books with this subject too, the most important thing are your attitude and your inner resources.
Twitter for businesses
A couple of new features, designed to deserve the business interests are to be released by the end of this year. Some of them, as the "verified accounts" options is already accessible. What I am wondering is why this business orientation was so much delayed, as for a very long time Twitter is an important tool used for business and having an account here is a must for various companies, bigger or smaller.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Power of numbers
Very often you may see articles or books mentioning in the title various "numbers": 10 ways to be famous, five steps to perfection, three lessons for improving your writing skills etc. The respective concepts or lessons are developed in the content of the article or the book.
It is a very efficient way to remain memorable: it is easier to organise your mind and your projects on the basis of a couple, cuantificable ideas. It introduces order and rationality and, as well, help you easily to remember about what you are adviced to do.
So, keep in mind to structure your writing, classes or idea around numbers. It might be boring and anti-creativity, but it is helpful and efficient.
21st. century journalism
Are social media and technology changing the face of journalism as we all know?
From the point of view of the possibility to deliver in record-time and to connect from any point of the Globe to a special audience, the answer is "yes".
From the point of view of the possibility to deliver more than simple words, but also various connections and links, enriching the information, the answer is, again, "yes".
But, from the point of view of the curiosity of the mind and of the technical assessment of the journalistic work in itself, the answer is "no".
Guy Kawasaki on social media
Yesterday, I attended a very interesting webinar on Twitter presented by Guy Kawasaki.
As an observation related to the style, I very much appreciated the very simple and accessible style of the presentation. Natural, with humour. I am following him on Twitter and often I was surprised by the quality of the articles and information tweeted.
Yesterday, I had the occasion to discover how to be able to put together all these information and to send it further. You could ask yourselves - as I did as well - what is the relevance of sending neutral links about photography, design, social media, travel etc.? It is not better to have your personal message and to create your own brand based on what you are?
Most probably, the last solution is possible too. I am trying to do my best to be as natural as possible, but I am convinced equally that for a big share of my followers, it is not pretty interesting. And, from a day to another the number of my followers is fluctuant, as probably many of them are not interested at all of getting too many links about topics they do not have any clue about - as about science, communities in the Middle East or future of the book (only to randomnly mention a couple of my areas of interest these days).
At the yesterday webinar, the discussion focused on the best use of Twitter for business purposes, Kawasaki considering this tool as a "marketing weapon", able to monitor your own products. But, as well, to engage communties, sell your goods and services and find the necessary support. In order to find out more, you have to use the "search" option for finding not what it is discussed now about your products and business interests, find professionals in the area. You could maintain high interest from the part of your followers providing them fresh information. StumbleUpon or Alltop - the examples he mentioned - could be used to match your interests and identitfy topics worthy to forward. Your tweets could be scheduled, made be part of a campaign developed on other media tools - as Facebook - or personalized via TweetHawk.
One of my conclusion is: it is not enough to be present on various social media tools, you have to know how to let other people notice your presence.
Stories about Twitter
Easy to use, not easy to make it proffesionally. There are lot of applications and small tricks making Twitter a valuable tool for marketing promotion. Even I am using this social media networking for a lot of time already, I am still far enough of the moment when I can be sure I know at least 80% about.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Time management
I am a fun of the social media from the very beginning: a Facebook account, a Twitter account, various professional networks. I tried to be a trend follower, but wanted to be among the first to see the whole evolution and the changes occurred. And there are tremendous changes, in only a couple of years, even months.
A big problem I encountered in the next month, as the 2.0 activity increased, as my professional interests as well: I need a tremendous amount of time to check, read, select, use and send further an impressive amount of information. Take for example Twitter, where the number of the persons I follow is more than 200: in 5 minutes, at 11-12 o'clock, I receive around 21 updates. Most part of the updates, are related to relevant domains: social design, writing, various political and social activities, academic information. I do speed reading, but still I need time. And perseverance to switch from a news to another, while keeping my offline schedule - including long hours of meetings, business lunches etc. When I am back, the flow of information is entering my world from all directions, so I usually need more than one hour for processing the information.
It is addictive and cutting serious chances to maintain your normal real life interaction. But, in a lot of cases, the information provided via various channels offered me tremendous help in finding new business and academic opportunities and improving my knowledge in various domains.
What to do with my time, though?
For at least two weeks I implemented a very careful system of periods dedicated to this online activities: chat, finding new opportunities, reading and forwarding articles, registering for webinars. When I am very busy during the day, I prefer to perform these operations three time the day, for 40 minutes: early in the morning, while sipping my coffee; during the lunch break; late in the evening. In between, I am trying to catch some time too for writing for various classes and book projects plus blogging - at least two hours the day - and reading - various documentations.
And, of course, at least once the week I take the freedom to refuse to stay too much connected, but going out to look for proper human inspiration.
Time management is everything, but life is everywhere.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Writing for businesses
could be more than a monotonous boring show-up of words. Good to know, good to think about this. And, I faced this situation in many cases as needed to convince my clients that trying to have open messages and interesting messages do not diminish at all the level of seriosity and the sober image of the company. Sometimes I won, sometimes not.
On the publishing market
The publishing marketing is becoming more and more creative and imaginative. Very well connected and fully using the tools of 2.0. While continuing to rely on the gifts of good wording and the creativity.
In fact, it is a hard task for the writers used with the classical rhythm of life. You write your piece of story, after documentation and a little meditation about what do you want to say and how and then submit your contribution to a review, according to the deadline set.
The last day I went through a different experience, as I found, thanks to a friend, the call for submissions posted by 48 Hour Magazine. First, I impatiently waited the announcement of the subject. Checking the Twitter account, trying to figure out what the main topic will be while watching some videos posted on the website. The whole process of submission, editing and sending to print is taking 48 hour. From time to time, the editors aired live webcams with the atmosphere from the editing desk, suggestive videos about what the work is going on, announcement about what to do - and not, messages about the level of interests. All you have to do is to be creative, a very organised mind and perseverent in sharing your ideas.
Even I do not have any idea about the chances to succeed in getting published, this latest writing experience was extremely interesting and challenging for me. And made me think about what I want to write and how. And, not less important, the feeling of being happy to be part of this new world of creative publishers.
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