October 2005 Archives

Josh shares my biggest complaint about bloggers on RSS feeds - bloggers who repeatedly update their posts - correcting typos, adding content to previous posts, completely "rebuilding" - without updating their content.

One of my favorite bloggers hasn't had a new post since September 28, yet at least once a week, her blog appears in my RSS feeder with several "unread" posts. Unsubscribed! She lost me as a loyal reader and reader referral source.

I wonder if some bloggers use this as a tactic to get visitors to their blog because they are too lazy to keep their content fresh?

Another blogger, who publishes a high quality, content-rich ezine, simply posts articles from her free ezine each week. Lazy? No, she's a hard working business woman with valuable information to share. Is she missing a tremendous opportunity to expand her paid subscriber base and increase her online sales? Absolutely! I don't always have time to read ezines and online newsletters, but I do scan my RSS feeds every day. If I came across a one line post noting her new book is available today, I'd probably click through and order. But if it's a busy week and this notice is buried in a newsletter, even if it's online, chances are it will be a few weeks before I read it, if at all.

If I want to update a previous post, (say I find a typo or have new info), I add a reminder to my blog file then take care of it the next time I post new content. For updates, I add the date of the update and italicize the text, so it is readily identifiable as an update. That way, when subscribers to my RSS feed see "unread" show up in their reader, they get new fresh content and it doesn't annoy RSS feed subscribers.

Think about your readers, your audience. RSS subscribers are pretty savvy people. Tease them long enough and you too will see your subscriber base diminish.

The board and staff are exploring options for rescheduling the event in the near future. In addition to posting the latest information on their site , they have a conference hotline for updated information: 1-888-277-3926.

Now, from a PR perspective, the refund guidelines need help. PRSA is asking registrants to write a letter asking for a refund and include "the reason for your being unable to attend the conference." Worse, they post this directly under the hotel's refund policy, which states "The Fontainebleau Resort`s current refund policy allows Conference [sic] registrants to cancel their hotel reservation WITH NO PENALTIES. The number to call is..."

Fifth Generation Systems (formerly BRT) has a great hurricane emergency site for South Florida residents with everything from checklists and terminology to a list of shelters and tips for pre- during and post-storm activities.

The site also has links to NOAA, The National Weather Service for Miami-South Florida, and The Weather Channel.

I just received word that due to Hurricane Wilma, PRSA's Board of Directors has voted to cancel the 2005 International Conference scheduled for this weekend in Miami.

No word yet on whether they will reschedule.

From PRSA this afternoon:

The International PRSA Conference is scheduled for this weekend in Miami Beach. Even though forecasters predict Hurricane Wilma will hit Florida this weekend, the conference is still scheduled to take place as planned. PRSA is keeping a close watch on the storm and advisories. Please visit the national PRSA Web site for updates on any changes that may occur due to weather conditions.

Always have a contingency plan in place when doing special events. I am producing an industry conference that is scheduled to be held November 3. While we dont' anticipate any serious problems from Hurricane Wilma, we have already contacted the hotel confirm a reschedule date is available.

We lived through four hurricanes in Florida last year and have watched the weather reports with trepidation as this year's hurricane season progresses. Even with the best laid plans, life can get a little crazy if you're without power for several days. With Hurricane Wilma bearing down on our coast, here are a few "wish I'd thought of that before the hurricane" tips to consider before the weekend:

1. Buy a car charger/adapter for your laptop and your cell phone.
I travel a lot, so I take these tools for granted, but am amazed by people who tell me they don't have either. Consider buying a second battery for your laptop, too. When I got my new Dell Inspiron, I skimped, believing the original battery really would last four hours. Running out of power on one of my flights to L.A. convinced me to buy the second battery.

2. Have at least one phone with a corded handset.
We lost power for several days after Hurricane Ivan last year but never lost phone service. Unfortunately for a colleague, she only had cordless phones in her home so when the power went down, her phones did not work.

3. Put a hurricane notice on your web site home page.
Do this before the hurricane hits as you may not be able immediately after. Provide emergency contact info for clients in the event you are not readily available in the aftermath of the storm. Blogs are a great way to keep everyone up to date (provided, of course, you have access to update them).

4. Run DSL instead of cable.
DSL in underground here so I never lost internet access during last year's hurricanes. Our home became "news central" for the CNN and Fox News junkies when their cable-based internet access went down. Neighbors also used my laptop to check email and notify clients as to when they would be back in the office.

5. Stock up on your DVDs.
The aftermath of each hurricane last year gave us a lot of time to sit around "without" - without power, without A/C, without TV...you get the picture (oops, pun not intended). Our next door neighbors climbed in their SUV, plugged in a portable DVD player, turned on the a/c and had movie night with their kids. Obviously, an SUV is more conducive for this than a Z4, but it was a nice break from the heat and the kids thought it was "tight."

Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends, colleagues and south Florida neighbors as we move toward the weekend.

Does anyone have the real scoop on the latest edition of Microsoft Office? I've been ready to upgrade for some time but the Microsoft site doesn't offer much help.

The only info I could find on the site was a page about upgrading. The opening description on the page clearly notes Microsoft 2006:

Microsoft Office Small Business Management Edition 2006 includes the financial and customer management programs and tools that today’s small businesses need. Learn how to acquire Microsoft Office Small Business Management Edition 2006 and order it today.

Is the final verison still scheduled for a July 2006 release? Is the Small Business Accounting 2006 included or a separate purchase? Why would they update Outlook 2003 and call the new version "Outlook 2003 with Small Business Contact Manager" instead of "Outlook 2006?"

Update 10/15/05 10:00 a.m.: After further research, I located a bit more info on the Microsoft site. Unfortunately, this page also references and links to Office 2003 so it's not much help. If I read the page correctly, the new version of Office is just the old Office 2003 package with a "Business Contact Manager update" and "Small Business Accounting 2006" added.

I ordered the complimentary Small Business Accounting 2006 cd trial, but it's only good for 20 uses. It'll take me at least 1/2 that many just to get used to the interface. It should be here in 4-6 weeks.

Update 10/21/05: The trial cd is already here! Now THAT is impressive.

Results from the Technorati/Edelman blogging PR survey I mentioned last week are already posted on Edelman's site. An email I received from Richard Edelman this evening reiterates their purpose in conducting this survey:

We conducted this study to:

- Better understand bloggers’ attitudes towards corporations and PR firms
- Help clients understand why and how they should engage the blogosphere

Technorati contacted tens of thousands of active bloggers via email, blog posts and the networks of discussion and links those posts generated. The survey generated 821 responses during the week of September 26, 2005.

The survey results are a must read for anyone using, or contemplating the use of, blogs, but business professionals in general will also find the survey provides some good, useful information.

Of particular value (PR folks, listen up) are the responses to the open ended questions. The answers are in response to a blog question, but many would do well to heed their answers in their daily PR, marketing and even business dealings. In response to question 5: "How do companies and their firm’s PR representatives generally interact with you?" I particularly enjoyed response #645:

"Get to the point. Yeah, yeah, we all know you have the latest, greatest, best-ever product/service on the planet (in YOUR mind), but instead of telling us how many awards you've won and cranking that MBA-speak word generator multiple times to produce your pitch, try telling us what's in it for us. How will your product or service make our life easier? How will it increase our bottom line? Why should we care? You've got to make the pitches appeal to the reader/listener. Why is it still so hard for otherwise intelligent and competent PR people to understand this?"

It's what I've been saying all along. If you can't get your message across in a clear, compelling and concise manner, you lose your audience. Of course, if you can't respond to the question being asked, that may ding your credibility a notch, too (note #645 seems to be in response to a different question).