For those who do not have time to read this piece, here are my top five gripes pulled from their list of 25:
• Writing that something has “peaked your interest.” We’re not talking mountain climbing here. The correct word is piqued.
• Saying you made a 360-degree turn, when you changed direction. I’ve had many (otherwise bright) bosses say they made a 360-degree turn when they meant that they turned around completely. But think about it: If you turn around so that you’re facing in the opposite direction, you’ve actually made a 180-degree turn.
• Saying something is a “mute point” instead of “moot.” Moot means open to discussion or debatable. Mute means silent. Much as we all might appreciate more mute points, they’re not only ineffective, they’re also incorrect.
• Using “irregardless.” While irregardless does appear in some dictionaries, it’s always listed as “non-standard.” That’s because it’s meaningless. The “ir” cancels out the “regardless.” Stick with plain old regardless.
• Using “it’s” when you mean “its.” This is a mistake I see every day—whether on the Web or in print. The rule is so breathtakingly simple that everyone should learn it’s stands for it is. The possessive version, “The dog chewed on its bone,” somehow prompts people to throw in an errant apostrophe. Whenever I see it’s, I always reread the sentence to ensure the correct meaning is it is. And when I see its, I reread the sentence to ensure it doesn’t mean it is.
“We’re both privileged and humbled to be celebrating 10 years as a company,” said Eero Allison, AMA Construction’s president. “We wouldn’t be here without the valuable partnerships we’ve developed and the remarkable clients that we’ve worked with since 2002.”
Their approach to construction led them to be named the 2010 Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. They’ve also received the 2011 Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for Marketplace Trust, Small Business Category and have maintained an A+ BBB rating since 2004.
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Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), a full-service public relations, communications and marketing firm in the Denver-metro area is seeking an undergraduate or graduate student interested in gaining experience in an agency setting. This internship is offered for spring 2012. The individual selected as intern will gain experience working on a variety of high-profile clients and accounts, including Denver International Airport South Terminal Redevelopment Program, CDOT US 36 Express Lanes Project, City of Commerce City, Denver Water and others. In addition to servicing clients, the successful candidate will also be responsible for planning and managing a children’s safety public service campaign on behalf of CIG.
Job Duties
Responsibilities include:
• Implement public service campaign focused on children and road safety
• Develop and publish website content
• Draft blogs for website
• Assist in production of newsletters for a variety of clients
• Draft press releases, media alerts and other media relations tools
• Assist in development of marketing materials such as flyers, brochures, advertisements, etc.
• Assist in special event coordination
• Research opportunities for placement of clients in local and national media outlets
• Assist in development and distribution of press information
• Assist in finding and archiving media clippings
• Assist with filing, copying and other clerical tasks
• Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications
This internship is designed for current undergraduate or graduate students – journalism, public relations, communications and marketing fields required. This position requires outstanding verbal and written communication skills. Candidates should possess knowledge of business protocol, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills and a proven track record of prioritizing and completing multiple assignments on deadline with minimal supervision.
CIG anticipates this internship will require a commitment of at least 15 hours per week, with the potential for more. Hourly wage rate will be negotiated commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience. Upon request we will work with your college/university to accommodate the requirements of your school’s internship program.
The successful candidate will split time between CIG’s Denver office and field time with various CIG team members.
Submit resume and cover letter to . No phone calls, please.
]]>AMA Construction, Inc., recipient of the 2011 Better Business Bureau Small Business Torch Award, is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.
For more information on AMA Construction please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at . AMA’s website is www.amaconst.com.
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It seems like an ideal gift, really. I have been an avid reader from the day I could string a sentence together. My life revolves around words – in my job and in my leisure time. I love magazines, books, newspapers, and word games, and you can get all of that in one place on a Kindle.
The truth is – I’m not sure what to think of this Kindle thing. It’s smooth, it’s slick and it is determined to propel me into modernity. But, as with all new technology, I may go kicking and screaming. Yes, I love words in a book, but I also love the feel of a book. I love the way paper feels, and I love the way it smells. Steinbeck is not the same on a smooth, slick computer screen.
One of my favorite childhood memories was spending hours and hours on my grandma’s farm, in the front room of the farmhouse, reading the entire Anne of Green Gables series. Even then, those books were old. The covers, which were covered in some sort of light fabric, were worn thin and reminded me that all four of my aunts, my grandma and probably her grandma had all touched and read those books. They smelled so old, and I loved it. When my grandparents passed away last year and the family was cleaning out the farmhouse, those books were the only things I wanted. They now sit on the bookshelf in my front room, and when I open them and smell them, I am brought right back to endless, lazy summer days reading at my grandma’s.
Will the Kindle evoke the same memories? That remains to be seen.
But like my transition from film to digital photography and from a flip to an iPhone, I will embark on this new journey. I have downloaded one book so far, which I have started reading, but I also have a hardback version of East of Eden on my nightstand. I may keep one foot in both worlds for awhile.
]]>Resolve to be a better writer—in 140 characters or less. In an age of tweeting, being succinct is key and helps in making your content viral.
Resolve to think outside the confines of “traditional” PR. Instead of relying on an age-old press release, ask if a topic is better suited to a blog or social media post.
Resolve to know your audience. “Beats” are fluid in these days of the continuous news cycle. Know your audience and their of-the-moment interests. Resolve to check your contacts’ latest posts and tweets before reaching out with an idea or topic.
Resolve to be a storyteller. Some media deal in straight facts and figures; others paint with a different brush. Don’t bore with market potential for a new widget if that’s not their bag; instead tell them what they want to hear, which typically boils down to how it will impact their reader’s life.
Resolve to speak measurement upfront, not when asked by the client. What does the program, strategy or tactic you’re suggesting really do to impact the bottom line? If you can’t answer that question, both qualitatively and quantitatively, then perhaps it’s not the great idea you thought it was.
Resolve to be SEO friendly. Why make it hard to find the product or messages you’re trying to convey? Think of keywords that matter and use them in your blog, release and outreach so they can get crawled and drive traffic.
Resolve to be more visual. If a picture is worth 1,000 words then why not? Multimedia is the new text; incorporating photos and video makes a story more impactful.
Resolve to stay ahead of the game. This is one of the hardest challenges in PR. As fires, last-minute deadlines and “urgent” requests fly into the inbox hour by hour, it’s important to dedicate a portion of the day to ensure you’re staying ahead—or at a minimum on track—of your regularly scheduled program.
Resolve to slow it down and clean up your act. In this age of short, snippy emails and social media postings, it’s easy to post quantity over quality. Before you hit “send” take a second (or even third) look. It pays not to be sloppy.
Resolve to clear your head. When the going gets tough, the tough can get stressed. And what good does a foggy, frenetic brain do when push comes to shove? Little. There’s something to be said about the five-minute break. Try it. You’ll be better at your job because of it.
Resolve to give good counsel. Tell your boss or client(s) what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. This can sometimes be intimidating, but it’s important, and only right. We’ve all been there—there’s an expectation that PR will simply take orders—but you know in your gut the effort at hand will net nothing but peeved media and bloggers and worse, backlash that could damage several reputations, both the company and yours.
Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year to you all.
Carm Lyman is co-owner and president of Lyman PR, a consumer lifestyle communications agency. Based in Northern California, Lyman PR specializes in PR and marketing for consumer tech, mobile tech, music, b2b, hospitality and sports. She can be reached at , or follow her on Twitter @carmlyman or @lymanpr.
See full article.
]]>By now, most people have come to realize this report for what it was – a hoax (or at the very least a clever marketing ploy to capture the public’s attention). But while this issue has been laid to rest, the stir created in its wake is somewhat intriguing.
The benefits of social media platforms are undeniable. People use Skype to visit with relatives serving overseas in the military or Facebook to reconnect with long-lost friends. YouTube has even been used to launch the careers of previously unknown musicians.
For all the benefits social media brings us, however, it also has its downside. Personal privacy has become a thing of the past and the overload of inane information is at times unbearable. Do I really need to know that someone has just “checked in” at Starbuck’s or that they need a chicken and two pigs to complete their farm?
For better or worse, it’s clear that social media is here to stay. And anyone not eager to jump on the bandwagon might want to think twice about standing in its path. With that in mind, here are a couple things to remember to avoid becoming a speed bump on the new information highway.
Do not underestimate the power of social media. Just like the wildfire spread of chicken pox through a kindergarten classroom, when a message goes “viral” across the Internet, nothing can stand in its way.
Look before you leap. Do not feel obligated to jump onto Facebook because everyone else is doing it or to launch headfirst into an online conversation. It’s alright to sit back and watch what other people are doing or listen to what they are saying before joining in.
Use it cautiously and sparingly. Unlike a phone conversation that is soon forgotten, social media conversations are indelible. If what you say today might come back to haunt you years later, don’t say it. Be judicious with your comments. Those who continually dominate the conversation are soon ignored.
Go with the flow. Once a message is out there you can’t do anything to retract it. You might, however, be able to redirect it or refocus attention. Just like a true marketing professional seizing the opportunity at hand, Bon Jovi himself quelled the rumor of his demise while getting in a shameless plug for his beloved New Jersey.
We were greeted at Target by approximately 750 other people in the line that wrapped around the mega-store. We stood patiently in line, mentally preparing ourselves for the chaos that lay ahead.
When we got to the front of the line, a man was screaming at the Target security guard who was there to keep order. This man’s obscenities and disrespect for the Target employee both shocked and saddened me. Have people lost the true meaning of the holidays?
According to a recent survey by Consumer Reports – the answer is yes. When asked what people dread most about the holidays, 35 million Americans say they don’t like having to be nice.
Clearly the screaming man at Target didn’t get the memo about being nice around the holidays – or he threw it right into the recycling bin. The holidays should not about the tangible gifts or being forced to be nice – it’s about being with loved ones.
Even though I was one of the crazies on Black Friday, I didn’t do it for the actual purchases, but rather for the tradition this has become for the three of us. We’ve done this every year for as long as I can remember and while I can’t recall what we bought each year – besides my mom’s splurge on laundry detergent on Black Friday 2010 – I relish in the memories and inside jokes from each year. – That’s what the holidays should be about.
Now I know this blog doesn’t exactly tie into communications but I think we can all use a little reminder this time of year to put the cheer back into the holidays. Forget the 35 million Scrooges in the world and have a happy holiday season!
]]>The trend I have noticed of late is the idea that since we have instant access to a variety of information, we feel like we should be plugged in at all times. I sat in a meeting recently where three out of the eight people texted or sent emails on their phones the entire time they were in the meeting. I doubt they got much out of the meeting, so I wonder why they didn’t excuse themselves, opting instead to deal with what must have been extremely pressing issues that required their immediate attention.
According to a survey done by etiquette expert Anna Musson, one in five respondents admitted to answering their phone, and one in ten to browsing social networking sites during meetings. In total, 51.7 percent of respondents confessed to secretly checking their phone during a meeting – while still sitting in the room.
In honor of this 51.7 percent, I have taken a list of the “Top 10 Rules for Proper Business Meeting Etiquette,” found on www.smallbusiness.chron.com. Please review this list to remember you manners, but not during your next meeting!
]]>In September, Calatrava representatives said the designer and his firm, Festina Lente, were pulling out of the $500 million South Terminal proj ect because of disagreements with the venture’s program manager, Parsons Transportation Group, and Festina Lente’s lack of faith in the proj ect’s budget and timetable.
The project includes a train station at the south end of DIA’s terminal for RTD’s FasTracks train to the airport; a public plaza extending from the terminal’s fifth level; and a 500-room Westin hotel atop the plaza and train station.
Up to the point of the designer’s withdrawal, DIA, through Parsons, had paid Calatrava and Festina Lente about $13 million. The additional payments will take the total payout to the designer to about $13.8 million.
DIA and the city are getting their money’s worth from the deal, Day told council members, because the airport effectively is getting “two years of work” from Calatrava and his firm. And when the public sees the finished South Terminal project, it probably won’t even notice the lack of the handful of “signature” Calatrava design elements the agreement precludes DIA from using, she said.
Designs that the agreement deems as proprietary to Calatrava and off-limits to DIA include some white architectural elements on the upper exterior of the hotel and some Calatrava-designed columns, Day said.
“We got everything that we wanted,” she added.
DIA has to deliver the airport train station to RTD by January 2014.
Read more: DIA settles with architect Calatrava on use of drawings - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19353054#ixzz1e5JFM3yi
]]>The number of characters is important for retweeting.
“You need to leave retweet space to remove any barriers for audiences,” said Tom Becktold, SVP of marketing at Business Wire. “A lot of people want to add a little comment so leave 20 or 30 characters.”
Still, Skerik cautions against making a headline too short. “You want to give people enough information about what the press release is about,” she said.
But more than just counting characters, the headline should include something eye-catching and newsworthy.
“Tweet facts and stats,” said PitchEngine founder Jason Kintzler. Moreover, depending on the client, the headline can be fun or “tongue-in-cheek” said Kintzler, who doesn’t recommend simply tweeting a headline, but does recommend tailoring the voice and approach of the release to the audience, which is more than just journalists.
-Numbers, numbers, numbers. Ever notice all the numbers and listicles on the covers of magazines? People like numbers.
“Numbers make ideas real,” Skerik adds. “If you have data within a press release, call it out in the headline.”
-Make sub-stories tweetable. “You might be talking about a new product, its efficiency gains,” other other features, Skerik adds. “It’s well worth highlighting those areas in bullet points. That makes the press release scanable. When you create that bullet, hopefully it’s in tweetable length, which makes it possible for people to like something, grab it, and tweet it.”
As Kintzler says, “One press release or pitch can be a few tweets.”
-”Hashtag properly,” says Becktold. A step further, make sure keywords and search terms are in the release so it can be found he says.
To add, Kintzler says that keeping SEO in mind and being concise work perfectly for Twitter. “More social but less deep; get the gist and get out.”
-Make quotes tweetable. We’ve read tons (and tons and tons) of press releases and oftentimes skip right over the quote. The quotes regularly contain no information or just plain ol’ suck, to be sure. Why not make the quote more interesting and substantive?
“If I knew my audience was active on Twitter, I would make sure that quote is tweet-able, and include the brand’s or person’s Twitter handle,” says Skerik.
-Include multimedia. Everyone agrees that video, audio, and other multimedia add value to a press release and further draws in your audience once they’ve clicked on the link in Twitter.
The very nature of Twitter versus Facebook explains the PRN/Crowd Factory results, Skerik says. Facebook is a powerhouse, but Twitter has a different purpose.
“Twitter is about trading information,” she says. “Tweeting a link to a news item is pretty much stock and trade.”
Moreover, “Facebook still feels a little less for business than Twitter,” adds Kintzler. “Twitter feels like a news source.”
In other words, consider the social media platform and create your strategy — and your press release — accordingly.
]]>Face-to-face interaction is fundamental to communication and leadership. I wish that all university business schools taught this simple premise in their course work. I believe we need to learn how to strike the balance between when to rely on electronic communication and when to interact face to face. It can make all the difference in building relationships, growing credibility and nurturing trust.
The world is complex. We are bombarded with information. There are job insecurities; pressure for results that move any number of “needles.” We are pelted with conflicting priorities. Leaders have to be qualified to fill the role of interpreter for their teams and firms. This reduces confusion, minimizes misunderstanding and shines the light on the correct path forward.
It isn’t just a matter of giving the right message or providing the right training. Leaders have to be accountable to their words and their behaviors. Leaders can be “grown,” trained and developed. And beyond these things, they need to follow through on the direction they provide and measure the results.
With their “eyes on the prize,” they need to build trust and credibility by sharing a clear vision of their business goals. More importantly, they need to come out of their conference room and board room cocoons and talk face-to-face with the people doing the work. By demonstrating they are accessible and showing their understanding of the tough work in the trenches, they will build successful teams and firms. Business success and employee engagement demand the human touch.
]]>Residents identified television news, newspapers, radio and online outlets as the primary sources most important to them for receiving information and updates about FasTracks.
Following is a summary of other key survey findings:
• 70 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of RTD in general
• 56 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of FasTracks, up seven percent from 2010
• Familiarity with FasTracks is moderately high, with 58 percent of resident classifying themselves as “very” or “somewhat” familiar with the program
The phone survey, conducted from a random sampling of residents across the eight-county Regional Transportation District, has 95 percent statistical validity, with a 4.2 percent margin of error. For a complete summary of the 2011 FasTracks survey, visit www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_7.
]]>Denver Union Station will serve as the intermodal transportation hub for the Denver metro region, bringing together rail and bus service, Amtrak, shuttle service, taxis, bikes, and pedestrian uses. As owner of the building, the RTD Board of Directors will decide soon how the interior of the building will be redeveloped to accommodate its new role as both an activity center and a transit station. As part of this process, RTD initially released a Request for Qualifications followed by a Request for Proposals, receiving two developer concepts for consideration.
Beginning in 2010, RTD commissioned a Stakeholder Committee made up of representatives from downtown interests, historic preservationists, the City and County of Denver, the Denver Union Station Project Authority and others to identify potential uses for the rehabilitation and reuse of the DUS Historic Building. The Stakeholder Committee developed building reuse goals, considered alternative reuse scenarios, evaluated the ability of the reuse scenarios to meet community goals, and discussed the process for selecting a developer to complete the building restoration and reuse.
The Denver Union Station project is part of RTD’s voter-approved FasTracks transit expansion program to expand rail and bus service throughout the Denver metro area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.
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