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National Handwriting Day: Monday January 23, 2012-Celebrate Your Unique Signature

 

Monday January 23, 2012 is National Handwriting Day (National Handwriting Day occurs every January 23 in conjunction with John Hancock's birthday. Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, and is famous for his large, bold signature).

Handwriting allows you to be an artist and individual during a time when we primarily communicate via computers and email.

Your signature belongs exclusively to you. Write it often with pride. 

Expressing yourself through the handwritten word conveys sincerity and individualism.

Use National Handwriting Day as an opportunity to re-explore the power and purity of handwriting.

Visit the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association to learn fun facts about National Handwriting Day, including:

• Why are pencils yellow? 
• Who is the world's most famous pen collector?
• Do left-handed pencils exist?

 

PR 20/20: Paul Roetzer Presents at 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit

 

Pictured: Paul Roetzer of PR 20/20

On Thursday November 17, 2011, Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of PR 20/20 presented Give Your Customers The Content They Crave at the initial Midwest Social Media Summit.

Roetzer is also the author of the new book, The Marketing Agency Blueprint: The Handbook for Building Hybrid PR, SEO, Content, Advertising, and Web Firms.

In addition to Roetzer's presentation, the daylong event included social media experts from a variety of industries, including:

Joe Pulizzi, founder and Chief Content Officer for Junta42. Pulizzi says:

• Find out where you can be the leading expert in your field (fields are crowded and they're getting more crowded).
• Heed the Big 6 social media sites in 2012:

1. Facebook. Customer retention tool.
2. LinkedIn. Professional networking.
3. Twitter. Follow searches.
4. YouTube. By 2013, 90 percent of smartphones/tablets will be video.
5. Google+. Fastest-growing social network site ever, yet, "the jury is still out."
6. Slideshare. The "YouTube for PowerPoint presentations." Underutilized-only 20% of businesses using site. 

• Figure out ways for your company to use video storytelling. 
• Create a Chief Content Officer (CCO) position at your company.
• Focus on what you can do with the resources you have.
• Journalism is the most important profession to be in now.
• There is no "silver bullet" for social media success.
• You can no longer separate your personal and business life.

Mary Henige, director of social media and communications, General Motors Co. Henige says that social media allows GM to bypass traditional media (not that we don't need it).

GM's social media strategy:

• Humanizes the company. 
• Builds relationships with its customers.
• Involves listening and engaging with its audience.
• Utilizes Radian 6 as a social media metrics tool.

By listening and engaging with it's audience, GM:

• Builds confidence and trust.
• Creates awareness of, and strengthens its brand.
• Helps sell vehicles by increasing consideration.
• Engages and empowers employee advocates.
• Captures and channels feedback to improve their business.

"Be who you are respectfully," says Henige. "Publish once, then share the content."

Personal branding within companies is a growing trend. Here's an excellent example from GM:

Chevy Malibu engineer, Suzy Cody not only helped design the new Malibu, but she's also a roller derby queen in her Michigan hometown. How cool is it to know some interesting facts about the people who designed your car? 

What's next at GM in regards to social media? Henige says a lot more focused video and content. She also says brands will become even more engaging.

Panel Discussions included:

Going Mobile:

• If you're not using mobile, then you're losing business today.
• There's no formula for mobile. Find what works best for you.
• Design for mobile (don't just shrink your website to mobile).

How to Use Social Media in Hiring:

• Today, 73% of 18-3 year-olds are finding jobs using social media.
• Social media should be the #1 focus when it comes to hiring.
• Companies need to be incredibly transparent in the age of social media.

If you missed the premiere, 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit, plan to experience the 2012 event; and capture your competitive advantage.

 

 

Amish Christmas Fiction: A Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller

If you received an anonymous, veritable letter informing you that you were mistakenly switched at birth; and biologically belong to Amish parents, would you pursue meeting them?  That’s the premise of the new fictional book, A Plain & Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller.

Keller penned last year's bestselling, An Amish Christmas. 

Many authors pen fiction based on Amish culture, few however capture the depth of plot like Keller.  A Plain & Fancy Christmas creatively combines storylines to produce an enriching holiday read.

To discover more about A Plain & Fancy Christmas, you can read my book review published on EzineArticles.com.

 

 

Amish Christmas Fiction: A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

This year, Americans spent a record 52.4 billion dollars over Black Friday Weekend. Cyber Monday exceeded industry expectations, producing 1.2 billion dollars in online sales. Green Monday sales are expected to reach over 1 billion dollars as well.

One culture immune to the commercialization of Christmas is the Amish. During these hectic days, they pledge allegiance to their core values, including family, gratitude and love.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania is a town known for its Amish community. The new fiction book, A Lancaster County Christmas, by Suzanne Woods Fisher, is an enjoyable read that embodies the essence of the season.

To explore the story line of A Lancaster County Christmas, you can read my book review published on EzineArticles.com.

 

Amish Christmas Fiction Book Review: Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

The commercialization of Christmas occurs earlier every year. No sooner have we passed out the last of the Halloween candy and we're bombarded by holiday ads.

Media's frenzy over Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and today's  latest sales blitz, Green Monday makes it easy to forget the true meaning of the season.

New York Times bestselling author, Shelley Shepard Gray, authenticates Christmastime, as told through her new book, Christmas In Sugarcreek.

Follow lead characters, Judith Graber and Ben Knox of the popular Amish community in Sugarcreek Ohio, as they exemplify the importance of family, gratitude and love during Christmas and year-round.

For further insight to "Christmas In Sugarcreek," you can read my book review, published on EzineAritcles.com.

Fathom Online Marketing: Kurt Krejny Presents The "Ability" to Achieve Social Media Success: World Usability Day 2011: Northeast Ohio Usability Professionals' Association (NEOUPA)

Pictured: Kurt Krejny of Fathom Online Marketing

 

On Thursday November 10, 2011, Kurt Krejny, director of online marketing for Fathom Online Marketing, presented "The Ability to Achieve Social Media Success (Use-ability, Like-ability, Share-ability, Find-ability)" in honor of World Usability Day.

World Usability Day originated in 2005 as an initiative of the Usability Professionals' Association. Its mission is to ensure that products and services important to human life, are easier to access and simpler to use.

The Northeast Ohio Usability Professionals' Association (NEOUPA) celebrates World Usability Day annually on the second Thursday of November. Although World Usability Day focuses on a different industry each year, such as transportation, energy, etc., NEOUPA creatively focuses on the usability of Web design.

Krejny spoke in the afternoon, following the morning keynote and workshop of Dr. Susan WeinschenK: What Makes Them Click?

Tricia McCune, director of email marketing strategy, and Krejny's co-worker at Fathom, presented Don't Make Your Subscribers Think: How to Optimize Your Email Usability. 

To view Krejny's and McCune's presentations, visit their links above. Their messages are posted on Slideshare (Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Strategist, presented at the 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit. He named Slideshare as one of the top six social media sites to use in 2012: (Facebook;Google+;LinkedIn;Slideshare;Twitter;YouTube).

Slideshare, an underused platform, allows you to publish your B2B PowerPoint presentations online; and, is another search engine optimization (SEO) touchpoint, adding to your competitive advantage).

Le Freak by Nile Rodgers-Memoir Book Review-An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny-We Are Family Reinvented

Odds are, you've heard the 1979 R& B/Disco/Pop classic, "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge, either on the radio or a wedding reception. You might even know it as the anthem for the 1979 World Series Champion, Pittsburgh Pirates.

Producer Nile Rodgers (along with his business partner and friend, Bernard Edwards),wrote the smash hit.

Rodgers and Edwards also formed the late 70's Disco/R& B group, Chic.

Although disco died, Rodgers went on to become an even bigger solo producer; working with such artists as David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna. 

Rodgers chronicles his illustrious career (and his battles and ultimate triumph over alcohol and drugs) in his new memoir entitled Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny.

Le Freak is more than another story about a self-indulgent musician. It's testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. 

To read more about Le Freak, please view my Le Freak book review published on EzineArticles.ccom.

Hearthside Cooking: Experience Authentic Thanksgiving Cooking at Malabar Farm State Park in Mansfield, Ohio

Pictured: Darryl Roberts and Tim Zaun experiencing hearthside cooking at Malabar Farm State Park.

 

Have you ever experienced hearthside cooking with cast iron dutch ovens, while enjoying ideal fall weather and the company of new acquaintances? 

Such happenings are available at the Pugh Cabin at Malabar Farm State Park, located in Mansfield, Ohio.

Cooking over open flames or with coals was an early 19th century lifestyle. Desserts and breads were baked, fish and fowl broiled, and meat and vegetables roasted.

Every November, Malabar Farm State Park offers Hearthside Cooking Workshops in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Your Hearthside Cooking Experience:

• Begins at 10 am and concludes at 4 pm.
• Divides participants (up to 30) into groups of five to prepare and cook both a light lunch and full-course dinner in the afternoon.
• Includes all dishes made from scratch.
• Provides Malabar Farm volunteers to help with any questions about food preparation.
• Distributes all recipes as handouts for you to recreate at home.

Malabar Farm's Hearthside Cooking Succulent Recipes Include:

• Cranberry Medley.
• German Apple Cake.
• Roast Ham
• Roast Turkey.
• Pumpkin Pie.
• Sausage Potato Soup.

Before sitting down to enjoy your afternoon dinner, you'll be led in a Thanksgiving Prayer, written by Louis Bromfield, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and founder of Malabar Farms.

If you appreciate genuine, holiday cooking among family, friends and new acquaintances, and live in or near Mansfield, Ohio, plan to attend the 2012 Hearthside Cooking Workshops at Malabar Farm State Park.

 

 

 

Web Association of Cleveland Presents: What is Up at Google? Panda? Google+?

 

On Friday November 4, 2011, the Web Association of Cleveland presented three industry leaders, Chris Boggs, Sage Lewis and Wendy Suto to discuss the latest happenings at Google, Google+ and Panda. Following are highlights from their appearances:

Wendy Suto, president of Search Circus, Inc. led the way by discussing Google's new Panda algorithm.

Panda algorithm is, in its simplest form, Google's latest efforts to discourage shoddy search engine techniques, including scrapers and spammers. 

Suto promoted a May 2011 blog post highlighting what constitutes as high quality sites and content ( and yes, original content is still king and does apply).

Regarding content, consider these points:                     

• Does the article have excessive ads (Google penalizes)?
• Place the article first, and the ads towards the bottom of the page.
• Vary your content when possible, including webinars, white papers, articles, video, PDFs. etc.

In the past, it was ok to submit one article to a variety of article marketing sites. Panda algorithm optimizes submission to one site. Find one site you like and make that your preference.

  

Sage Lewis, founder of SageRock Digital Marketing Agency spoke on Google +.

Lewis said that, compared to Facebook (800 million users), "nobody's there" on Google + (currently, 40 million users).

Google+ encourages you to create "circles," allowing different groups in your network to view specific content.

Google+ also includes Hangouts and Games.

4 Types of Posts are Possible on Google+:

1. Link Posts.
2. Video Posts.
3. Photo Posts.
4. Location Posts.

Your Google+ Stream:

• Can disable comments.
• Lock a post.

"Google+ gives you more control in an easier way than Facebook," says Lewis.

He also says Google+ has a clean layout with good usability. "Facebook is starting to feel cluttered."

Lewis concluded that Google+ has the potential to be the center of all your connections, including:

• Blogging.
• Social sharing (Facebook).
• Business sharing (Twitter).
• Email.

Chris Boggs, director of Search and Media Thought Leadership at Rosetta, stated that Google will be increasing its speed of relevant search results.

Boggs summarized the day's presentations and added his own perspective, including:

• Panda and other algorithm updates are geared to primarily focus on the user; and Google+ helps to define that user.
• The Caffeine algorithm update made things faster, but third parties continued to be needed to provide true, "real time" results.
• Instead of having to rely on third parties, Google has more of its own content, or other trusted content.

Boggs highlighted the blog post by Google co-founder, Larry Page: 10 Things We Know to be True. 

He also reminded the audience that "Google is more of a marketing company than a technology company."

To download premiere, Boston-based, Hubspot's "How to Use Google+ for Business Guide," as well register for their free, Google+ Business Page Q and A webinar, Friday November 11 at 1pm EDT, visit Hubspot.

Sustainability Circles Previewed at Case Western Reserve University's Fowler Center For Sustainable Value

Pictured: Beau Daane, Elliot Hoffman and Sustainability Circle Preview attendees

Do you own or work for a small to mid-size Northeast Ohio company interested in capitalizing on its 21st century competitive advantage by embracing sustainability practices?

If so, consider participating in the forthcoming Sustainability Circles at Case Western Reserve University's Fowler Center for Sustainable Value.

The Fowler Center for Sustainable Value is partnering with True Market Solutions, a San Francisco-based organization led by CEO, Elliot Hoffman.

Hoffman was in town the week of October 10-14 to preview the Sustainability Circles with other program leaders from Case Western Reserve University.

They include Chris Laszlo, PhD, an Associate Professor teaching strategy and sustainability in the MBA program at Case Western's Weatherhead School of Management. His new book is Embedded Sustainability: the Next Big Competitive Advantage, and Beau Daane, the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value manager. Graduating cum laude from Duke University is among his impressive accomplishments.

• The Sustainability Circles unite up to eight diverse organizations as a peer community, meeting one day a month for six months.
• Monthly individualized coaching sessions are included.
• Each company will host a Circle meeting at its facility, sharing experiences and ideas.
• Each organization will devise a unique Sustainability Action Plan.

Sustainability transcends "going green," as simply participating in company recycling programs or adding solar panels to design (although both can be important components of a Sustainable Action Plan).

Sustainability asks organizations to identify their value-add beyond their own four walls. This includes suppliers, vendors, and the community at large.

Increasingly, consumers and companies are demanding that businesses embrace social and moral aspects in addition to making a profit.

To learn more about the Sustainability Circle Programs beginning in November 2011, contact Beau Daane at the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value at 216.368.4795, or cbd29@case.edu.  

 

 

#Usability: Top 10 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People-Northeast Ohio Usability Professionals' Association Presents Dr. Susan Weinschenk

Pictured: Susan Weinschenk

On Tuesday October 18, 2011, the Northeast Ohio Usability Professionals' Association (NEOUPA) hosted Susan Weinschenk at Metrics Marketing in Westlake, Ohio. 

She presented "The Top 10 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People," based on her new book, 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People.

Weinschenk has a Ph.D. in Psychology and a 30-year career in applying psychology to the design of technology. She recently founded her company, the User Experience Institute.

Here is Dr. Weinschenk's top 10 cross-sectional representation of her top 100 things every designer needs to know about people:

10. People Only Attend To What Is Salient (Important Characteristics).

• When viewing websites, people will only focus on what they care to find. The designer's point of view is totally different from the user's.

  9. Speaker and Listener Brains Are In Synch.

• Brainwave patterns in both the speaker and listener illustrate similarity. Video (which features audio, is growing exponentially). Reading text shows no synchronicity. 
• Audio with video allows the viewer to remember the message better, deeper and longer. The future of websites includes less and less text.
• VideoGenie-This site allows fans of your business to leave testimonials on camera. Intuit and ShoeDazzle are two companies using the service.

   8. There are "Weak" Ties and "Strong" Ties.

• Professor Robin Dunbar (University of Oxford), an Anthropologist, states that there is a natural community size for different animals. There's a relationship between community size and brain size.
• The maximum number for strong ties is 150; and represents the count of people in physical proximity. Here, you know a person and how everyone else in the community relates to them.
• The weak number of ties isn't defined. 
• Online communities (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)-some use these as strong ties and some as weak.
• When designing an online community, decide whether you plan to focus on strong or weak ties.

   7. The Fusiform Facial Area (FFA) Makes Us Pay Attention To Human Faces.

• The visual cortex of the brain is the largest and allows us to recognize (or not recognize) people.
• People pay attention to faces. Pictures draw attention.
• For maximum emotional impact, have faces on websites looking right at you. If emphasizing a product, have the eyes looking toward it.

   6. People Can Remember/Deal with Only 3-4 Items at a Time.

• The classic Psychology 101 teachings of 7+/-2 memory chunks is an urban legend.
• Avoid having too many items in a group on a website, i.e. long list of course options.

   5. People Use Peripheral Vision More Than Central To Get The "Gist" of The Scene.

• Peripheral vision is extremely important. For example, early man able to recognize an approaching lion in their peripheral vision were better able to survive (as well as the species).
• Eye tracking in Usability studies tend to measure Central vision. Be careful! Distinguish between what people look at and whether they are paying attention to it.

   4. Hard To Read or Overly Decorative Fonts Make People Conclude That The Task Is Hard.

• Avoid small or decorative fonts on websites to enhance their usability.
• Test with real users so you don't design for yourself.
• Interestingly, Gen Xers are the smallest demographic group among Millennials and Baby Boomers, yet, they're making the bulk of website design decisions.

   3. People Create Mental Models.

• Design conceptual models that match mental models.

   2. People Reconstruct Memories Each Time They Remember Them.

• Memories are "totally faulty."
• This is important when deciding which methodology to use.
• Be careful with the words you use when asking questions.

   1. People Expect Technology To Follow Human-To-Human Interaction Rules.

• Make sure your website makes sense.
• Don't talk down (or too far up) to me.
• Ensure your website loads quickly. Respond ASAP to inquires.
• Be flexible (For example, don't penalize users for placing dashes when entering their phone number).
• Check out the classic book, The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places.

Dr. Weinschenk returns to Cleveland on Thursday November 10, 2011 to help NEOUPA celebrate World Usability Day(WUD).

World Usability Day is observed annually the second Thursday in November in over 40 countries. Each year, WUD focuses on a different area of usability, including education and transportation. NEOUPA traditionally focuses on Web design and usability.

Dr. Weinschenk will facilitate a new 4-hour workshop based on her first book, Nero Web Design: What Makes Them Tick."  You'll learn about unconscious mental processing and the implications for designing engaging and persuasive websites.

You're encouraged to bring a website you'd like to improve.

Visit NEOUPA for additional details regarding World Usability Day in Northeast Ohio on Thursday November 10. 2011.