Is direct mail – the “snail mail” kind – making a comeback?

August 31st, 2010

A number of years ago, a colleague of mine gave me a book on fractals to read and it was fascinating! At least I thought so. It was all about how nature is made up of fractals that operate in a systematic way to create patterns (in clouds, in leaves, in trees – in everything!). It’s all very mathematical (and I didn’t understand much of the really technical content…) but the images were fascinating and the idea that there are patterns – often predictable patterns – in everything around us, was Read the rest of this entry »

Writers hate Demand Media, Suite101, etc. – but should they?

August 27th, 2010

There is a common enemy in the world of freelance writers and it is Demand Media (and Suite101, and About.com, and Examiner and…) – the “content farms” that pay writers literally pennies (sometimes less), per word, and distrbute their content to the growing masses of online sites hungry for new content to fuel their Read the rest of this entry »

Behaving badly online? HR-and others-may be watching.

August 11th, 2010

I’m preparing a presentation for a group of HR professionals on social media, its uses and abuses, and I recently came across an online interaction that makes a great case for what *not* to do online. Read the rest of this entry »

Tips for Choosing an Ad Agency

August 11th, 2010

 There comes a point in the life cycle of many businesses when advertising needs outgrow the “homespun” and it’s time to call upon the services of a professional agency. When you’ve reached this point, whether you’re looking for a partner to help you implement a major campaign, or a “boutique” agency to focus on just one marketing niche, you want to make sure that the choice you make is a sound one. Read the rest of this entry »

Social Media – Not Everybody Is Out There…

August 6th, 2010

…and they may not be where you think they are! While it may seem that just about everybody is engaged in social media in some way, shape or form these days, that’s not necessarily true. Read the rest of this entry »

Are phonebooks – and other print directories – a dying breed?

July 31st, 2010

I was at a meeting of small business owners recently where we shared our experiences and ideas about marketing effectiveness – what works and what doesn’t. I was surprised at the vehement reaction Read the rest of this entry »

Can Duck Duck Go beat Google?

July 29th, 2010
I’ve been researching and writing about the impact of content farms – organizations like Demand Media, AOL Seed and Suite 101 – on the journalism industry and on SEO (search engine optimization).
Did you know that when you conduct a search online many of the results you’ll see Read the rest of this entry »

The Web is Dead

July 27th, 2010

At least that’s what “the singer Prince” recently suggested in an interview with The Mirror, according to a short piece in Bloomberg Businessweek. His actual quote, according to the Bloomberg piece was: Read the rest of this entry »

Would you send a news release like this?

July 8th, 2010

In anticipation of Drew Peterson’s murder trial which was supposed to start today in Joliet, Ill. (which always reminds me of the Blues Brothers, but I digress…), the PR firm representing the Peterson defense team released  a media alert/press release that was, I think, rather odd. Read the rest of this entry »

Advertising in healthcare – driving up healthcare costs?

July 7th, 2010

Some media coverage recently by NPR and AdvertisingAge addresses the issue of advertising in the healthcare industry – whether it’s a good use of healthcare dollars and whether it is money well spent. I’ve often asked the same question. Read the rest of this entry »