EServer TC Library: Recent Additions

UCDChina

5/9/2008 8:58:39 GMT

以”话题”为单位，通过博客的形式展开讨论；话题围绕用户体验设计、用户体验团队、用户体验咨询和评测等；并向所有设计同行开放投稿.

E-Communication Resource Links

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

E-Communication is quickly becoming the primary avenue for many individuals and businesses to distribute and access information. Understanding the legal and practical applications of e-communication is essential for maximizing the use of this emergent trend. Below are links related to various aspects of e-communication, including legal issues, e-marketing and spam. Grundland, Tamara

Privacy Laws and Communication

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

With the advent of the Internet and the ability to send personal information to many places in very little time, privacy has become an important issue for businesses across the globe. How to retain the free flow of information without violating an individual’s right to privacy is a difficult balance to strike and one that different countries approach in various ways. Turbeville, Heather

Legal Issues Involved in Monitoring Employees' Internet and E-Mail Usage

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

Many employers have determined that there is a need to monitor employees' computer usage. According to a 2003 survey by the American Management Association, more than half of U.S. companies engage in some form of e-mail monitoring. Often, this is in addition to monitoring work-related communications and activities—including reviewing Internet usage, videotaping the work-site or recording employee telephone calls. More and more employers are engaging in some form of monitoring. Unfortunately, without a full understanding of the risks, employers may open themselves up to potential lawsuits. In addition, such techniques may result in low morale among employees who resent being told that they cannot use e-mail for personal messages and feel that their every move is being monitored. Towns, Douglas M.

Is E-Mail Still Effective?

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

With recent press surrounding the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act and possible future charges for sending e-mail as well as virus creators competing with each other for infection rates, how can you ensure that your e-mail communications are still effective and reach their intended recipients? E-mail has qualities that make it an ideal communication vehicle. But for all of these positive characteristics, e-mail has taken a serious blow over the past six years. An anti-spam technology company estimated that 62 percent of all e-mail sent across the Internet was identified as some sort of spam by users of their technology. Hoy, Richard

Old Claims with a New Twist: E-Harassment in the Workplace

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

Many companies carry out portions of their business via an intranet or the Internet. Other companies grant access to the Internet to some, if not all, employees. The ease with which these systems allow employees to communicate with each other and with the outside world presents obvious business advantages. Unfortunately, employers now realize that the advantages gained by these technologies bring with them the risk of a new wave of harassment claims based on the alleged misuse of these modes of communication. In order to reduce these claims, or at least attempt to minimize exposure to such claims, employers will have to adjust to meet the new dynamics of a changing workplace. Towns, Douglas M.

Using E-Mail as a Management Tool

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

We’ve all heard stories about people who clicked “send” too soon. But here’s a story you may not have heard. One of our clients described an e-mail message he recently received from upper management at his company. The message had some information about how to request annual leave and plans to landscape the building. The message ended with these words: “By the way, you have a new boss. The product development team’s new director will be James Yang. Margie Esposito, the former director, left last Friday.” Obviously, the cardinal rule of using e-mail as a management tool is “know when to use e-mail.” Some messages, like a sudden change in upper management, should be delivered in person. Rudick, Marilynne and Leslie O'Flahavan

Is Spam Ordinary Commercial Speech?

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

An informal poll within the U.S. indicates that more than half of respondents favor a law restricting "spam," that is, unwanted electronic advertising that everyone with an e-mail address has been exposed to but does not know how to stop. In the poll, 30 percent favor making false e-mail headers illegal, but only slightly more than 11 percent said spam restrictions would violate the First Amendment. Morris, Stan

World Economic Forum Survey Projects Mainstreaming of Corporate Citizenship

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

A new report credits socially responsible investing, among other trends, for influencing mainstream investors to take corporate citizenship more seriously. Is corporate citizenship entering mainstream investors' consciousness? No and yes, according to a new World Economic Forum report that surveys CEO's and IRO's (investor relations officers) at 26 companies from 14 countries. Forty-two percent of the respondents felt there has been a major increase in the level of activism, engagement and sophistication from the SRI community regarding CSR. Over 70 percent of the respondents who hail from large international corporations believe that mainstream investors will have an increased interest in CSR issues. Baue, William

The State of Corporate Citizenship in the U.S.

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce teamed up to deliver the first survey of American businesses of all sizes on "The State of Corporate Citizenship in the U.S." This survey was designed to gain a baseline from which to measure biennially the progress and state of corporate citizenship first in the U.S. and then globally. It is the first corporate citizenship survey in the U.S. to include small and medium-sized businesses and the first to gather information on business efforts in low-income communities.

Sustainability Reporting: Daring to Hold Yourself Accountable

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

As the corporate social responsibility movement continues to gain momentum worldwide, corporations need standards and measures to define responsible business practices. One such standard—sustainability—has emerged as the international benchmark for corporate citizenship. Sustainability is defined as the "triple bottom line"—the measure of an organization's economic, environmental and social performance. Savitz, Andrew

Starting the Journey Toward Corporate Social Responsibility

5/8/2008 8:19:28 GMT

The growing emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the marketplace begs the question: What does it take to get there? How do companies make the leap from deciding to embrace the values of CSR to creating a culture around it? Read comments from several CEO's who discuss actions that companies have taken in order to incorporate CSR within their agendas. Cunningham, Cori

Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalization: A Reassessment

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Social responsibility, in one form or another, has been on the minds of businesses for over 100 years. By running a business that the community, local and global, can be proud of, corporations are able to create a climate of compassion that could likely translate into consumer support. Some have argued that adopting CSR standards allows companies to build brand value by imbuing their brands with ideas, emotions and beliefs that appeal to consumers. The cost of building brand value with social responsibility initiatives is usually cheaper than trying to achieve the same effect through advertising and public relations. Frost, Randall

How Companies Are Using Online Surveys to Measure Employee Satisfaction

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

With technology improving rapidly and costs continuing to drop, businesses are conducting more sophisticated online surveys. No longer confined to traditional paper-based surveys, companies are reaching out more than ever for employee feedback. These surveys include employee satisfaction, upward or "360" evaluations and the performance review process. Online surveys now contain open-ended questions, multiple formats and complex branching tools, giving businesses the potential to gather more insight about employees, corporate culture and business processes than ever before. Frayne, Dennis

Using Measurement to Enhance Employee Communication

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

The role of an employee communication professional is, at its core, fundamentally simple: We're in the business of designing and executing messaging to achieve a desired effect with a specific audience. How successful we are is driven by a number of factors, including appropriate use of media, timing and messages. By understanding these factors, we can target communication much more effectively. The key to understanding these factors effectively is simple: Ask. Cooper, Marc

Study Shows How to Get Bottom-Line Results from Internal Communication

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Over the years, numerous studies have boasted the connection between internal communication and bottom-line results. These studies, though valuable for establishing a connection, do not delve into the important question of how. How does communication impact the bottom line? Which communication practices add the greatest value? Can communicators do to make their internal communication programs contribute to organizational success? Vogt, Peter

A Look at the Next Generation of Measurement

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

In boom times, companies can be pressured into spending lavishly to please their employees, providing a variety of perks in the belief that happy employees are productive employees. While this may be true, when leaner times come and businesses struggle to grow, the goal of employee satisfaction is put under greater scrutiny. Today, investments in employee-related plans and programmes must do more than satisfy employees. They must be able to provide a measurable return on investment. Fralicx, Rod

Corporate Social Responsibility: Communicators Wanted

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Communication practitioners understand how to use a range of tools—formal, informal, traditional and online—and two-way symmetrical communication. They need to know that, through the energetic use of these skills, they can advance the economic, social and environmental well-being of society. Berardocco, Diana

What Is a White Paper and How Is It Used?

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

White papers have grown from just another piece of collateral to a super-powered marketing tool. Everywhere you look in marketing, you will see something labeled a "white paper." Stelzner, Michael A.

World English: Communicating with International Audiences

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

English is now firmly established as the lingua franca of the global economy. As native English speakers interact more with non-native speakers in this globalized context, a framework called World English can help both parties understand each other better. Perlman, Alan M.

Strunk and White Were Wrong: In Speechwriting, Personality Should Not Remain in the Background

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

A speech generally needs personal language because it is delivered by a live human being whose words should not sound, as Wabash College Professor William Norwood Brigance put it, "like an essay standing on its hind legs." Tarver, Jerry

Learning the Hard Way: How I Learned to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

I used to believe that if you knew a subject well enough and were passionate about it, you could pen a masterpiece. But it was two years of working as an IT journalist (and never really understanding or liking it!) that actually taught me how to write. Dower, Sophia

For Conference Support, Consider a Wiki

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

For the last couple of months, I’ve been developing an online list of major trends that are transforming public relations, with links to sites, articles and quotes that in one way or another prove the point and that I know I’ll someday want to get back to. It’s something like my own personal tagging system, maintained in a wiki. Forbush, Dan

The Independent Contract: What's In, What's Out

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Many years ago I was asked to develop a marketing package for the environmental practice group of a large, Washington-based law firm. When I submitted the draft I got exclamations of delight and a promise to provide quick feedback from all the principals. It never came, and my phone queries went unanswered. So I waited, and waited, and waited—and then waited some more. Steigman, Daria

Why Craft Better News Releases? Because the Payoff Can Be Really Big

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Written any good news releases lately? Though many of us in business communication churn them out regularly, we often don't take as much care crafting them as we do with other vehicles like articles or brochures. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Lessons from the Medical Community: Physicians Access Patient Information via PDAs

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Genesys, a system of medical care facilities in central Michigan, has introduced an innovative way to couple emerging mobile communication technology with sophisticated medical care. Recently, the hospital system introduced the use of hand-held wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) by physicians in its 440-bed system, which is made up of three local hospitals merged into one. Ficorelli, Cindy

Conflict in Virtual Communication

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Conflict is an "expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources and interference from the other parties in achieving their goals." We'll look at each of the components in this definition. Kandath, Krishna, John Oetzel, Everett Rogers and Ann Mayer-Guell

Employees Tune In to Web Radio

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

The recent buzz regarding corporate web logs (blogs) may have deflected attention from another effective, low-cost medium: corporate web radio. The following article offers a few tips and “lessons learned” for the corporate professional who would like to start web radio within his or her firm—or for the PR agency, another value-added service for your clients. Loper, Larry

Communicating Effectively in Intercultural Virtual Teams

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Organizations with virtual teams have invested vast resources in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, offering cultural diversity training and providing the technology that makes the functioning of these teams possible. To ignore the opportunities and the potential pitfalls of these teams would minimize this investment. Oetzel, John and Martina H. Myers

The Evolving Art of Rapid Response

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

PR people have been in the business of giving away content to reporters for so long that the matter of who owns the content—or who may use it under what circumstances— hasn't much concerned us. But our thinking about content and copyright is beginning to change as we put a rapidly expanding range of content on the web. Forbush, Dan

Getting Organized

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Before I swapped my desktop computer for a laptop a couple of weeks ago, I had visions of reclaiming my desk and basking in the openness of white space. The reality, of course, was a fresh jumble of cables and wires—not to mention a CPU, a flat screen monitor and other assorted computer equipment strewn around the edges of the room. Steigman, Daria

Competitive Advantage through Employee Engagement

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Engagement. Is it the latest corporate buzzword? Not for serious business leaders who understand the correlation between engaged employees and improved financial performance. They see engagement as a source of competitive advantage. All things equal, they believe, an organization that has engaged employees will outperform one that doesn’t. Shaffer, Jim

Engagement: Linking Employees to Strategic Direction

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

When considering the issue of employee engagement, communicators need to know what they are dealing with. Engagement is something that plays out on an organization-wide level, so communicators should understand what an organization is. Potter, Lester

Getting Real Results from Employee Engagement

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

I remember the day I turned on the car radio and found out that my company was merging with a competitor. Over the coming weeks, every employee made mental and emotional decisions on whether to stay engaged with their work and the company, or to just to show up and collect a paycheck. Schmidt, Jeff

A Call to Action

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Employee engagement is certainly one of the hottest of the hot communication topics right now. It can be easily misunderstood as a new communication fad, given the attention it’s being given these days. But the truth is that engagement—winning the hearts and minds of employees—has always been the ultimate goal of effective employee communicators. D'Aprix, Roger

The Partnering Game

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

If you work for a large corporation, you don't have to worry about who handles the invoicing, pays the bills, or manages pesky clients. But if you're a small business owner, all this quickly becomes your concern. Anecdotal evidence suggests that entrepreneurs are increasingly linking up with colleagues to work on specific projects or to create virtual agencies. Steigman, Daria

Editing Your Own Work, Part II

5/8/2008 8:19:27 GMT

Someone once asked Lillian Hellman what was hardest about writing. "Killing your little darlings," she said. For a playwright, "the little darling" can be a favorite character or a hard-fought scene or a bit of sparkling dialogue—anything that, while dear to one's heart, doesn't contribute to the dominant theme. A similar challenge faces every writer, whether we work in the realm of reportage, marketing or employee communication. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Visuals and Specialization Present Possibilities for Handling the Information Overload Crisis

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Professional communicators and attorneys have long stood side by side as both fought to win in court—one in the court of law, the other in the court of public opinion. These two sometimes wary compatriots, however, are now beginning to partner more frequently to garner the best results for the executive suite. Larkin, T.J. and Sandar Larkin

The Intranet as a News Channel

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

While the use of a news section on the company intranet's home page is widespread, communicators need to ask themselves how effective this is as a way to avoid mixed messages and information overload. Does it reduce information overload, or increase it? And how can the news section be used to effectively cut through informational clutter? Robertson, James

The (Staggering) Cost of Information Overload

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Recently, I was waiting for a meeting to begin at a 500-person professional services firm. An item on the bulletin board caught my eye. It was a memo from the CFO. If everyone in the firm could spend an hour less per day managing e-mail, he said, it would make a difference of US$2 million a year to the company. Boyd, Bill

Taming Internal Communications Clutter

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Navigating through internal communication "whitewater" is a growing challenge in today's business environment. Every day, we face a flood of messages and requests from multiple sources, making it increasingly difficult to manage the overload. Weisz, Terry

Bloggers' Alert: Confidentiality and Disclosure in the Workplace

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

First it was e-mail messages, next it was PDA messaging, and now it is blogs. These networking tools are all widely used by employees. They also sometimes become a source of contentious litigation when employers become concerned over the risk of corporate liability and public disclosure of confidential information that these new technologies pose. Siegel, Ariane

Creative Commons: A New Way to Think About Copyright

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Marketing Your Business

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

This month's column doesn't focus on business strategy per se, but rather on how independents market themselves once they identify their markets and know what it is they want to convey. Steigman, Daria

Can We Learn from Nonprofit Organizations' Disclosure Practices?

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Every day, large and small nonprofit organizations around the world engage in diverse activities in the public interest. But in accomplishing this overarching goal of social responsibility, how well do nonprofits communicate their activities and strategies? What do nonprofits' business practices suggest about the issues of transparency and accountability? Can nonprofits serve as models for for-profit organizations in communicating their own social responsibility commitments and activities? Hill, Frances R.

Communicators and Lawyers: Winning in Both Courts

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

The Hazards of Translating Legal Documents

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

The issue of translation is a global one and doesn't just relate to mistranslations by American and British English speakers. Today, poor translation can be particularly dangerous given the speed at which events are reported. How dangerous? According to the Dow Jones Newswire of 12 May 2005, one mistake was worth several billion U.S. dollars. Frievalds, John

How International Copyright Law Works

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

If you photocopy an article in the U.S., you apply U.S. copyright law. If you photocopy an article in France, you apply French copyright law. That's the way international copyright law works: You apply the law of the country in which use of the work is made. This is called "national treatment" and is the underlying principle in the leading copyright convention, the Berne Copyright Convention. Harris, Lesley Ellen

New Disclosure Regulations May Spur Better Communication With Employees

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Within the past five years, two significant pieces of legislation have created new challenges for communicators: Regulation Fair Disclosure and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. While these laws were enacted only in the U.S., their implications for communicators worldwide are worthy of discussion. Matalucci, Paul

Community: From Little Things, Big Things Grow

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

Any community—online or off—must start slowly, and be nurtured. You cannot “just add community.” It must be cared for, and hosted; it takes time and people with great communication skills to set the tone and tend the conversation. Oates, George

Zebra Striping: Does it Really Help?

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

The user of a table would be looking for one or more data points. Therefore, if we set a task that uses a table, and zebra striping does make things easier, then we would expect to see improvements in accuracy and speed. Enders, Jessica

Low-Cost, Flat-File XML for the Masses

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

When you hear about XML publishing, you mostly hear about databases, workflow tools, and content management systems. These are typically costly systems aimed towards the information management needs of larger enterprises, where the sheer volume of information pumped through these systems provides a fairly rapid return on investment. This fosters the perception that you need one of these complex, expensive, enterprise solutions to use take advantage of the modularity and flexibility of authoring in XML. That is simply not true. You can realize the benefits of publishing from modularized XML, without the expense of an enterprise publishing system, by implementing the authoring environment on top of nothing more than your operating system's file system. Although this environment is not adequate for enterprise publishing needs, it is more than adequate for the needs small writing teams, businesses with a limited number of related products, proof-of-concept demonstrations, and even home users. The AIC documentation group at Cisco Systems has implemented such an authoring environment. We have been able to reuse and re-purpose modular, XML-based information without implementing a database back end. By examining how the AIC team implemented XML in a flat-file environment, you will see: * the decisions you need to make before implementing a flat-file XML system * the trade-offs, drawbacks, and pitfalls of implementing a flat-file environment (as compared to a database publishing environment) * the benefits of XML that are still available, even without the database * a migration path to a more traditional publishing environment Willebeek-LeMair, Jason

Editing Your Own Work

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

One of the most difficult things a writer can do is to edit his or her own work. It's great to have someone else, preferably a trained editor, review what you've written. But you may not always have that luxury, and even if you do, you should never be satisfied with a first draft. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Understanding "Micro Media": Subscribing to RSS Feeds

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

For the last 19 years, Keith Moore has hosted a conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called "How Colleges and Universities Can Obtain National (and Regional) Publicity." In a sign of the times, this year's conference included a session in which we focused not on getting into the major mass media, but on the capabilities of the machines that sit on our desktops. In short, we looked at the evolving world of so-called "micro media," tools that are enabling us to create new online communities in ways never before possible. Forbush, Dan

Buttress Your Benchmarking Efforts

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

A smart company understands that a favorable reputation improves its bottom line. From a PR perspective, a strong reputation acts as good will, giving you the benefit of the doubt with both journalists and the general public. To find out how strong your company's reputation is, it is helpful to compare it with the reputations of other companies, also known as benchmarking. Merlin, Matthew

The Myths and Methods of Reputation Measurement

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

If you are concerned about your reputation and want to measure its health, here's what to do. Get the communication people in your organization together in a room and get consensus on what you want to measure and which constituencies are your top priorities. Determine how a good relationship with each of those constituencies benefits your organization. Your success is measured by achieving those benefits. Figure out what you will be measuring and what benchmarks you will be measuring against. Undertake the appropriate research and voila, you'll have the answers you need. Paine, Katie

Measuring the Influence of Blogs on Consumers, the Media and Corporate Reputation

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

According to the report "State of the News Media 2005" from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, "more than a third of Americans, some 36 percent, are regular consumers of four or more different kinds of news outlets—network news, local TV, newspapers, cable, radio, the Internet and magazines." Woods, Julie

Measure Your Reputation Effectively

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

A good reputation, particularly in an increasingly competitive world, is a must for all companies and organizations. Reputation is a company asset and should always be taken seriously—lose your reputation and you often lose a lot more besides. A good reputation is essential in crisis situations and can help to reduce the impact of negative events and press. Grant, Nicholas

Alternative Ways to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Publications

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

If you want to go beyond the usual limits of a traditional readership survey that tells you how well received a publication is, first clarify your objectives. Then you might include additional "impact" questions on your next survey, conduct in-depth focus groups with readers, and conduct some objective, "audience-free" measurements of the publication to see how well those objectives were met. Sinickas, Angela D.

Alternative ways to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Intranet Sites

5/8/2008 8:19:26 GMT

When you measure hits on inter/intranet sites, you are measuring overall volume of usage -- how many times parts of your site have been opened. However, hits don't distinguish between the opening of an entire page or a single illustration. There are many additional ways of measuring usage. However, measuring the "userability" of a site is just as important in order to improve usage numbers. But the first place any communicator should start when measuring the effectiveness of electronic communications is to identify the original objectives for putting something on-line. Conducting some baseline audience research upfront to make sure your electronic solutions will be as effective as possible and then measuring afterward to see if the intended objectives are being met. Sinickas, Angela D.

The Pitfalls of Financial Benchmarking

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Recently I spent two hours with a management consultant trying to help her identify appropriate metrics for benchmarking a client's communication function. Some of the initial financial measurements that were being considered raised some concerns. Sinickas, Angela D.

Defining Benchmark Questions for Great Results

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Part of the challenge of determining the questions to ask during benchmarking is to match the questions to the purpose of the study and the outcomes you are trying to achieve. Below is a breakdown of some of the issues regarding benchmarking questions that need to be addressed before beginning a benchmarking exercise. Sinickas, Angela D.

Choosing the Right Metrics to Benchmark

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

The assumption that financial analysts make is that low numbers on efficiency (communicators per employee, for example) would be better than high numbers. Unfortunately, that doesn't take into account that low-cost communication may have low impact on the bottom line. If your organization wants to track communication efficiency metrics, then I'd suggest tracking effectiveness measures as well. Sinickas, Angela D.

Benchmarking: Ugly Truths and Unpredictable Outcomes

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

A walk through a benchmarking project, sharing some of the behind-the-scenes stories of benchmarking gone right, and gone wrong. So, here they are, complete with tales of terror, moments of madness and even some back-room horse-trading. Sinickas, Angela D.

Are You Spending the "Right" Amount?

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

To back up a request for more budgetor defend the existing one, you need to know exactly what you’re spending--and what you’re getting in return. But how can you tell if you’re spending too much on communication? This article suggests five approaches to weighing up the cost versus value of your communication activities. Sinickas, Angela D.

Assess Your Publication's Value and Impact

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

The next time your boss asks you, "So what has the publications done for us lately?", have some of the following measurements to hand over. Sinickas, Angela D.

Revive Employee Publications with New Technologies

5/8/2008 8:19:25 GMT

You would think that if the humble print employee newsletter hasn't been killed off in the Internet explosion of the past decade, then it must have more than just its reputation going for it. It must actually meet a fundamental business need to inform and engage a workforce. Schmidt, Belinda

Use Presentation Copy--Headlines, Decks and More--To Reach Flippers and Skimmers

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

I'm often amazed at how much energy writers put into perfecting the analogy in the 32nd paragraph of their piece when those same folks toss off a headline in the 17 seconds before happy hour on a Friday night. The sad truth is, most of your readers will never see the 32nd paragraph of your brilliant copy. But many more of them will read the headline. Wylie, Ann

Is the Employee Publication Dead?

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Over the past decade, hundreds of employee magazines and newsletters have gone by the wayside as corporate communicators rushed to embrace digital communication. Today, many large organizations do not publish any regular print vehicles for employees. But did they eliminate their publications for the right reasons? And has the rush away from print strengthened or weakened organizations' connection with employees? Shewchuk, Ron

Should Businesses Embrace the Blogging Phenomenon?

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

When news reports announced that Apple Computer was suing unnamed individuals (presumed to be employees) who had allegedly leaked information about a prototype Apple product to several blog news sites, it raised a number of questions. What does the lawsuit mean for freedom of expression and the role of journalists who serve an information-hungry audience? How will the courts balance the fundamental right of freedom of expression against a company's claims that trade secrets have been violated on a blog? Blackshaw, Pete

Eight Things You Can't Neglect

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Almost every independent consultant knows the drill. You're asked what you do professionally and you reply that you own your own business. Perhaps you give the 30-second elevator speech, or just the 10-second party version. Either way, what happens next is all too predictable—the person greets the news with a mixture of envy and admiration and starts peppering you with questions about the solo life. Steigman, Daria

Freelancers: Look Beyond the Obvious to Find Corporate Markets, and Know How to Deliver

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

We haven't yet met a corporate communicator who felt overstaffed. Budgets have been cut to the bone, responsibility has expanded, there are new communication tools to learn about and new directions to explore. For smart freelancers, this spells opportunity. In our last column we looked at the editor/freelance writer equation from the in-house person's viewpoint and, as promised, we will take the freelancer's perspective this time. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

RSS, Search Engine Visibility and Brand Perception

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Branding has been called the most powerful idea in business, yet few companies consciously craft and promote their brand. Making a brand visible to an online audience can be an additional challenge. Studies show that searchers regard the companies that are placed on the first page of search engine results as the major players in the field. So how do you get the coveted page-one positioning? New technologies like RSS feeds are one way to accomplish this and make your brand more visible in the process. Falkow, Sally

Adding an Informal Touch to Organizational Communication

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Some say it's a revolution that will change radio broadcasting and people's listening habits forever. Others say it's a fad that's of limited appeal or use to anyone but geeks and enthusiasts. Whatever anyone says, something that has rocketed out of nowhere and gotten big companies and radio stations alike interested (and after only eight months) must be worth investigating. That "something" is called podcasting. Hobson, Neville

How Blogs and Wikis Differ

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

If you're a professional communicator, chances are good you've already asked yourself whether it's time to start your own blog. But there's another tech question that you probably have not yet asked yourself, and perhaps you should: Is it time to start your own wiki? Forbush, Dan

Top Seven Tips to Writing an Effective Blog

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

If ever there were a perfect tool for the corporate communication expert, blogging is it. Think of a blog as the 3D version of your capabilities, one in which you provide context and meaning to your work experience and expertise. So let's talk about how to blog well. Weil, Debbie

New Toys or Tactics for New Communication Challenges?

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

New technologies are changing the ways we can achieve excellence in communication. Three new web-based communication tools have caught the imagination of innovators and early adopters. Blogs and wikis are proliferating all over the Internet, and podcasts look like they will soon be commonplace. Williams, Tudor

Making Your Old Brand New: How to Reinvigorate Your Brand With a Memorable Tagline

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

In the customer's mind, your brand is forever being weighed, measured, compared and tested. To ensure its continued vitality and effectiveness, refresh and reaffirm your brand on a routine basis. The question is: How can you breathe new life into your old brand without reinventing the wheel or busting your budget? Think tagline. Swartz, Eric

The Corporate Name: To Change or Not To Change

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

The announcement ads are everywhere-in magazines, in newspapers and on television. Hundreds of companies, large and small, change their names every year. The Wall Street Journal reports that some 400 to 800 annually make a name change, and these numbers don't include the thousands more that only consider such a move. Why is it that so many corporations are reassessing their names? What spurs them to undertake a procedure that is often painfully emotional, and, in all cases, is time consuming? Bell, James

Rebranding at a Deeper Level

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Too often companies perceive rebranding as a shallow cosmetic exercise. New PMS colour here, tweak of the logo there and throw in some nice TV ads. Done deal. Not so. In order to compete, be differentiated and sustain a competitive advantage, organisations need to push the brand much deeper to their internal core: their people. Craner, John

Hiring Writers: How To Get Results That Make You Look Good

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Like many of you, each of us has played on both sides of the fence: We've worked as editors in the position of hiring freelance writers, and as writers on constant prowl for new markets and ways to make editors happy. Even if you've not strayed between camps, we're all communication professionals-so why does mutual disappointment or even frustration characterize the editor/writer relationship so often? Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Blogs: Viral, Targeted, Fast, Informative--And Becoming Critical

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

The world of blogging, also known as the blogosphere, is wild, highly viral, uncensored and unedited. It is also the newest and most critical tool in a business communicator's toolbox. Why? Because with blogs, communicators can quickly, regularly and easily deliver a variety of information to a highly targeted audience. A good blog will create a more personal relationship with customers and influencers by showing that the company is listening and responding to what they have to say. Cohen, Ephraim

International Marketing for the Internet: The Power of Virtual Shopping

5/7/2008 8:19:25 GMT

Linda, an American living abroad in a country with limited merchandise, orders online for books, contact lenses, and smoked ham. Her Dutch husband buys from www.amazon.com and www.ebay.com because U.S.-based retail web sites offer a wide range of goods at a cheaper price than their adopted country, including lower import duties and lower shipping costs from U.S.-based cargo carriers. Lopez, Joselito T.

With the Latest Software, Track How Your Readers are Interacting With Your E-Newsletter

5/7/2008 8:19:24 GMT

While webmasters have long been able to study how site visitors interact with a web site, e-mail has been more elusive. No more. With the latest generation of smart e-mail software, marketers can now essentially look over the shoulders of their readers, seeing first-hand what works, what needs improvement and what is simply falling on deaf ears. Dysart, Joe

Internet Marketing for 2005: Making Your Web Site Visible to Your Audience

5/7/2008 8:19:24 GMT

The Internet is a free medium, just like roads and highways. There are those who walk and those who run, some who drive taxis, some Ferraris, and others tractor-trailers. To each his own-the roads are all free. Thank heaven. With such a powerful tool at our command, why is so much of the Internet so underutilized, and why is so much of Internet marketing so increasingly ineffective? Javed, Naseem

Mastering the Phone Interview

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Many companies use phone interviews as an initial employment screening technique for a variety of reasons. Because they're generally brief, phone interviews save companies time. They also serve as a more realistic screening alternative for cases in which companies are considering out-of-town (or out-of-state and foreign) candidates. So the chances are pretty good that, at some point in your job hunt, you'll be asked to participate in a 20- to 30-minute phone interview with either one person or several people on the other end of the line. Vogt, Peter

Answer the Phone? Sniff Armpits? Top 10 Interview Gaffes

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Hear the one about the job candidate who brushed her hair during an interview? Or the man who sniffed his armpits on the way into the interview room? They may sound like jokes but these are two of the top 10 gaffes to feature in an annual survey of the most outrageous interview mistakes by candidates compiled by online job site CareerBuilder.com. Goldsmith, Belinda

The Job Interview: Job Interview Techniques Revealed!

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

The interview is where jobs are generally won and lost and the job interview techniques you employ will determine your success or lack thereof. During the interview process, the hiring manager gets to meet you face to face and decide whether or not you are someone they want to look at everyday should they hire you.

Institutionalizing English: Rhetoric on the Boundaries

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Liberal historians tend to seek the disciplining of English in terms of the English department, as in Graff's account of people talking past each other while all finding shelter under the umbrella of a "humanist myth." While both these stories are useful (and in many ways, complementary), I want to examine disciplining of English into composition and literature by looking in relations English had with other disciplines, both within the new university, in that most defining feature of it, he specialization of disciplinary activity, and, indirectly, beyond the new university, in various social practices with English and its neighboring those disciplines interacted. Composition, I will argue, mediated those interactions in such a way that English was quite successful in its professionalization, but because composition was marginalized in crucial ways, its success was very limited. Russell, David R.

Collaborative Portfolio Assessment in the English Secondary School System

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

In the last decade, several groups in the US have also been working toward performance assessment that is tied to the curriculum and assessed by collaboratively by teachers: the New Standards Project, the College Board Pacesetter Project, and several state assessment projects. This paper describes the English system not as a model to be imitated—there are profound differences in the two societies and their education systems—but as a point of reference, a means of seeing the US system and the recent reform efforts in comparative perspective. Russell, David R.

Activity Theory and Its Implications for Writing Instruction

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Proposes that educational institutions continue to improve the uses of writing in society in two ways: extend writing across the curriculum efforts and raise the awareness of students, the university community, and the public to the role of writing in society by having those who study writing teach an introductory liberal arts course on it. Both are important steps toward removing the remedial stigma attached to writing and its teaching, and toward combating the myth of autonomous literacy that reinforces the remedial stigma. Russell, David R.

Rethinking Genre in School and Society: An Activity Theory Analysis

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

This article attempts to expand and elaborate theories of social "context" and formal schooling, to understand the stakes involved in writing. It first sketches ways Russian activity theory in the tradition of A. N. Leont'ev may expand Bakhtinian dialogism, then elaborates the theory in terms of North American genre research, with examples drawn from research on writing in the disciplines in higher education. By tracing the relations of disciplinary genre systems to educational genre systems, through the boundary of the classroom genre system, the analyst/reformer can construct a model of the interactions of classroom practices with wider social practices. Activity theory analysis of genre systems may offer a theoretical bridge between the sociology of education and Vygotskian social psychology of classroom interaction, and contribute toward resolving the knotty problem of the relation of macro- and microstructure in literacy research based on various social theories of "context." Russell, David R.

Looking Beyond the Interface: Activity Theory and Distributed Learning

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Activity theory (AT) has for many years been used in studies of human computer interaction, such as computer interface design and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) (Nardi, 1996). In the last five years it has begun to be used to understand distributed learning, as technological innovations in education have often "seemed to be designed to exploit the capabilities of the technology rather than to meet an instructional need," to be technology-driven rather than theory-driven. Russell, David R.

What Is Not Institutionally Visible Does Not Count: The Problem of Making Activity Assessable, Accountable, and Plannable

5/6/2008 8:19:24 GMT

This hypertext examines from an activity theory perspective the vexed problem of assessment and its relation to planning, accountability, curriculum, and learning. Assessment although only part of the educational process has implications for almost all of education. Local, state, and federal policies that have put great weight and high stakes on a battery of assessment tools that stand outside the daily life of the classroom but are intended to hold classrooms, teachers, and schools accountable for results. While situated evaluation is an aspect of most human practices, institution-wide testing creates substantial difficulties for the local practices of each class, and particularly creates tensions between student-centered classroom practice and subject-centered expectations. Such tensions have been a continuing puzzle for progressive education. Dewey and his followers regularly preferred to keep evaluation and decision-making local, but for various institutional reasons had to seek larger ways of assessing student achievement without ever being able to develop fully appropriate assessment tools. The teaching of writing has faced a similar dilemma, with standardized forms of writing assessment setting reductionist definitions and expectations of writing, and not directing students towards the highest levels of accomplishment. This study considers genre and activity analysis as the basis for defining and assessing writing tasks through analysis of materials collected from a complex sequence of social studies writing assignments on the Maya from a sixth grade class. Bazerman, Charles

Offshoring: Outsourcing Goes Global

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Outsourcing has been a routine practice in the communication field for some time now—fully 20 percent of IABC members are self-employed or have a communication/PR consultancy. The last economic downturn strengthened this trend even more. Offshoring is being studied everywhere from Washington, D.C., to the academic world to well-known consulting firms such as McKinsey and Mercer. The general consensus across the board is that offshoring is a growing phenomenon that won’t go away, jobs lost to offshoring are unlikely to come back, and the trend may affect as many as three million jobs in the U.S. by 2015. Recca, Lee

Consulting as a Process: Getting to Know Your Client and Using Technology

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Much like the strategic planning process used by talented communicators around the globe, consulting too is a process. It is circular because it feeds into itself, and it is strategic because it is grounded in the business and relationships. Each step incorporates multiple sub-steps. For example, “collaborate on the solution” may incorporate brainstorming, best practice benchmarking and collaborative implementation. Wilson, Stacy

Finding Your Way: John Deveney, ABC, Discusses His Views on Consulting

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Natasha Spring talks with John Deveney about the success of his consulting firm, client relationships, technology, and the challenges he has faced. Spring, Natasha and John Deveney

Great Consulting Starts with Skills That Matter

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Many organizations are looking to communicators for a different set of services than those traditionally delivered. “Teach our managers to communicate better,” leaders say. “Help us make smarter decisions and be more efficient,” they plead. “Help me deliver messages better in front of our audiences,” they implore. At the same time, communicators work tirelessly to get to the leadership table, stay there and have real influence. We’re all working toward the same end: strategic thinking and implementation that truly impacts the business. For some, operating more like a consultant, even while continuing to work inside the organization, makes more sense. But how do you transition to such a model? Wilson, Stacy

Doin' That Old Two-Step: A System for Getting Your Writing Right

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Here's an awful question: "What is good writing?" When we run writing workshops for businesspeople, we often begin by asking for the characteristics of good writing versus bad writing. The first list typically contains words like simple, clear, accessible, concise, lively and conversational. The second list is on the flip side of the coin, with participants describing bad writing as complex, wordy, confusing, illogical, full of jargon and having no clear purpose. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Electronic Portfolios: For Assessment and Job Search

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Electronic portfolios have slipped silently into colleges and universities as effective assessment tools of student work. Brammer, Charlotte

Multilingual Websites with Open Source Content Management Systems

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Open source content management systems can be installed free of charge on an entity's servers or web hosting account, and provide a way for organizations to develop multilingual web sites. There are some challenges in finding a good open source content management system, but there are several that can fit a variety of needs. An example CMS is Plone, which has strong support for different languages, and which also integrates tools for managing the translation of content. Kelsey, Todd

What 25,000 Employees Globally Say about Communication Effectiveness

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Towers Perrin has brought together a group of leading companies to establish The Communications Effectiveness Consortium and annual benchmarking study. This study assesses factors that drive employees’ perceptions of communication effectiveness. The resulting tool provides guidance on the best return on investments for an organization’s communication resources. Woodall, Katherine and Charlie Watts

Blogs: The Fast Track to Getting Global Awareness

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

“We need to get global awareness fast,” says your CEO. “Make it happen.” When faced with the need to rapidly increase your organization’s visibility around the world, there are some daunting and expensive challenges, particularly if your company does not have a local presence in the countries it is targeting. Hiring local public relations and marketing communication talent, translating collateral into local languages and identifying and getting into both formal and informal business networks are just a few of these challenges. Albrycht, Elizabeth

World English: How to Communicate with an International Audience

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

World English is the result of applying a set of writing and editing principles to create a simplified, highly-intelligible international dialect. The principle is similar to that of Basic English, which was developed by linguists during World War II. While Basic English had only 800 words, you could really say a lot of things with it. The number of situations where misinterpretation can take place is practically infinite. But a fairly small number of writing and editing principles will cover a very large number of cases and considerably reduce the burden on the non-native reader and listener. Perlman, Alan M.

Avoiding Wrong Turns in the Shrinking Global Village

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

With the global village growing smaller every year, more and more communication professionals are taking on assignments that span a wide range of countries and cultures. Cross-border responsibilities require that you constantly expand your horizons and learn about new places and people. At the same time, it can be more than a little daunting to get up to speed on each country’s business and social conventions—and when the two do and don’t mix. Bird, Shelley

Communication in Customer Service

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

Expounds on the ins and outs of customer service, specifically with regard to effective communication practices. Wiley, Ann L.

Much Ado about Nothing, Part 2: Deconstructing a Page

5/5/2008 8:19:24 GMT

In a continuation of his January column, Hart sheds some light on page layout and design—and gives color to a seemingly “black-and-white” concept. Hart, Geoffrey J.S.

Branding Your Company

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Branding dates back to ancient times and can be an aspect of every field. Not only does branding provide clients with a sense of professionalism and reliability, it can also help define your company. Frick, Elizabeth G. (Bette)

When Tech Writers Don't Read Directions

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Find out what the Unspoken Rule of technical writers is and how to avoid violating it. Minson, Benjamin

Using Linux at Work and Home

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

For those who dream about gaining high-speed, efficient, and bug-free performance from their PCs, Archee discusses the option of Linux, the world's most developed computer operating system—and it's free. Archee, Raymond K.

Online Teaching Opportunities for Technical Communicators

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Supplement your income and provide students with real-world knowledge and experience. Learn what kinds of online teaching opportunities are out there for technical communicators. Petit, Angela

Moving from Information Mapping to DITA

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Is your company making the move from Information Mapping to DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture)? The author compares and contrasts the two methods and shares insight on how to ease the pain of switching from one to the other. Hughes, Michael A.

Schemas in Intercultural Communication

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Raju demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural schemas—models providing patterns for understanding ideas or objects in a cultural context—when dealing with international technical communication. Raju, Rita

Prepare Your Site for the Global Market

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Are you looking for ways to maximize your company's global Web presence? Look no further, as the authors have laid out a step-by-step plan for creating and designing a multilingual site. Deschamps-Potter, Catherine M. and Amy Plant

The Culture of China's Internet

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

With China fast overtaking the United States as the world's largest online market, Rogers provides helpful information on how technical communicators can tailor their Web sites to appeal to Chinese visitors. Rogers, Kevin

Language Quality-Assurance Software

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Explores the benefits of using Language QA Software to optimize documentation for organizations and companies. Kohl, John R.

Reusability 2.0: The Key to Publishing Learning

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

What would you do if you had to develop and deliver personalized training to 900,000 employees, located in 34,000 different locations globally with a complex set of variables that changes training on a location-by-location basis? The key is reusability 2.0. While technology-delivered training has become mainstream in many organizations, most are still not fully leveraging the power of reusable learning content to meet their instructional needs. Chapman, Bryan

The Emotive Value of Professional Communication and Use of Emotional Intelligence in Mangement

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

Now there is a growing body of science in the field of Emotional Intelligence (EI), indicating that the proper understanding and use of emotions can help us to be more effective professionals and better communicators for the overall development of a learning organization. This paper provides an overview of this topic and includes commentary from EI experts Daniel Goleman, Peter Salovey, and others to prove how one can effectively manipulate EI. This paper also highlights the components of EI and how they can be used to help employees create more productive working relationships inside and outside their organization. Through an analysis of various models of EI competencies available, this paper argues how they can be combined with other knowledge and technical capabilities to increase one’s overall effectiveness on the job. Kumar Panda, Prasanta

Reviews in Biological Sciences published in Current Science: Ex Ante Versus Ex Post Facto Micro-Scientometrics

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

During 1990–2002, the journal Current Science has published 291 review articles: biological sciences 135, medical sciences 53, physical sciences 31, chemical sciences 30, agricultural sciences 27, and geological sciences 15. Author synchronous self-references in each biological sciences review article and diachronous Science Citation Index (SCI) citations per review article have correlation 0.4. Recency for synchronous self-references was six years and one month, whereas half-life considering diachronous SCI citations was two years and five months. Review articles receiving ten or more SCI citations are identified. Editors of science journals may take into consideration recency while approving review submissions. Kalyane, V.L., Anil Kumar, Anil Sagar, Anjali Prabhu, C.R. Gaderao, E.R.Prakasan, Lalit Mohan, Nita Bhaskar, Rajiv Gupta, Sanjay Kumar Singh and Vijai Kumar

Developing and Assessing Oral Communication Competence

5/5/2008 8:19:23 GMT

The importance of oral presentations in professional environments related to Computer Science is unquestionable. Therefore, oral and writing skills are included in the set of competences to be developed by students through the application of recent academic initiatives for Computer Science degrees in an international context. This article describes activities performed at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid aimed at the development of presentation skills in students. This initiative is based on the application of learning activities in combination with the delivery of different presentations that the students themselves evaluate. Results show a significant competence improvement and very satisfactory acceptance results from the students. Garcia, Angel, Fernando Paniagua, Juan Miguel Gomez and Ricardo Colomo

English for the Energy Industries: Oil, Gas, and Petrochemicals

5/5/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Not only people preparing to work in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries, but also students of industrial chemistry and chemical engineering can immensely benefit from the material provided in this coursebook and supplementary CDs. Kumar Panda, Prasanta

Communication World Bulletin

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Communication World Bulletin is the e-newsletter supplement to Communication World magazine. CW Bulletin presents articles, case studies and additional resources on timely topics in communication.

A Passion for Excellence: Building a Consultancy Into a PR Empire

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Molly Matthews started a consulting business in her basement 18 years ago after losing her job in a corporate restructuring at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Like many women, she looked up and saw a glass ceiling and figured she could certainly do as well on her own. In fact, she did a whole lot better. Steigman, Daria

Smoldering Crises: Controlling Risk Through Prevention

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

The recent Sago Mine and Firestone tire debacles, while different in nature, were both smoldering crises. Good risk management would have likely prevented both from destroying lives, damaging reputations and costing companies millions of dollars. The Institute for Crisis Management (ICM) defines a smoldering crisis as a problem or issue that starts out small and often internally, and that is ignored or not recognized until it blows up into a public crisis. Smith, Larry

Organizing for Effective Communication During a Crisis

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Little of existing risk communication advice addresses the management of the communication function during a crisis as opposed to before a crisis. Drawing from my own career experiences, I think it important to address the former. Freimuth, Vicki S.

Risk Communication: A Critical Component in Every Crisis

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Having been deployed as a crisis communicator to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, immediately after the New Orleans levees failed last year, I am frequently asked to talk about the experience and my opinion of why so much went wrong so quickly in the aftermath. My quick response is "Too little too late." Alvey, Robert J.

Effective Risk Communication Starts with Solid Research

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

The terms risk communication, crisis communication and risk management are often used interchangeably. Crisis communication we understand to mean communicating once the crisis has hit. Risk management entails ensuring as far as possible that risks do not become a reality. Risk communication is part of risk management—informing responsibly on the extent of risk. Macleod, Sandra

Challenging Your Assumptions: Entrepreneurial Groups Offer Idea Incubators

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

I recently had a conversation with a colleague about business development. While that's neither revolutionary nor even terribly uncommon, what was different was that we weren't commiserating about business cycles or the fact that when we're busy we often neglect the very activities that bring in new projects. Instead, we were talking about strategies for moving our businesses in new directions. When was the last time you questioned your business strategy or seriously considered adding a new business line or branching out into a new service area? Steigman, Daria

Are You Guilty of Sloppy E-mails? It Can Cost You

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Some of the nicest people we know send the most thoughtless e-mails. Many are telegraphic, with a smattering of disconnected words and abbreviations, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. Most are dashed off without review and arrive in their native state: confusing, grammarless and brimful of spelling errors. That's not even to mention lack of logic and transitions. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Global Teams: Communicating Across Time, Space and, Most Important, Cultures

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

With the birth of the Internet and the advancement of other information technologies, companies and organizations are now able to operate across borders, cultures and time zones at lower costs than ever before. One way this occurs is through virtual teams, which allow companies to maximize their global expertise and resources, while team members can remain in their home countries. Apud, Salvador and Talis Apud-Martinez

Teambuilding Insights from the Newsroom

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

To the uninitiated, a newsroom on deadline may seem more like a scene of chaos than a smoothly functioning team. Having spent the early part of my career in newsrooms and the rest in corporate settings, I can say that the closest I have ever come to the high-performing teams executives struggle to create has been in the world of daily news. Dunsavage, Jeff

The Link Between Communication and Teambuilding

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

In today's world, employees are searching for meaning in their work. They want to understand the big picture and how they can contribute to it. Companies are increasingly being asked to put the values they mention in their mission statements into practice. It is against this background that teambuilding is acquiring a whole new meaning. Cambi�, Silvia

Internal and External Brand: Two Sides of the Same Coin

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Internal branding is alive and well, and continues to evolve as more people realize how powerful it is as a business tool. You may hear it called by different names, such as employer branding, employee branding or employee value propositioning, but whatever the term, it is an important and useful concept. Covill, Simon

Internal Marketing vs. Internal Branding: It's All About Connections

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Employee engagement, getting employees to "live the brand," gaining employee buy-in—today's managers are trying to wrap their minds around these critical practices through internal marketing and internal branding. But not everyone understands these concepts. You even hear people use the terms interchangeably, even though there are a number of differences between these concepts. Stershic, Sybil F. and Debra Semans

Internal Branding: Communicating and Measuring the Impact

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

A recent Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of employees are disengaged at work. A survey of human resources managers by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the U.K. found that only 26 percent of employees demonstrated brand values in their day-to-day behavior. These figures suggest that internal branding efforts are perhaps not producing the desired effect. "Living the brand" initiatives cannot work when the majority of employees are not tuned in at work. Great brands are built by consistently delivering on the brand promise, which requires employee engagement with that brand. Venkat, Ramesh

Edelman's Perfect (Blog) Storm

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

In early March, The New York Times ran a story with the headline "Wal-Mart enlists bloggers in PR campaign." While the story itself is of interest as an example of how some PR agencies increasingly see blogs as legitimate communication channels, it is of greater interest to look at what the Edelman PR agency did in this specific case acting on behalf of their client—what went right and, more important, what didn't. Hobson, Neville

Tips for Starting a Solo Career

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Many years ago I was taken to lunch by two legislative analysts for a large law firm who figured that if I could do similar work on my own then maybe they could, too. As we talked, it became clear that what they were really looking for was a job-sharing venture that would give them more time to spend with their young children. When I asked them what they would do if two different clients needed something at the same time, they looked a bit stunned. Steigman, Daria

Style Guides? Dictionaries? Who Cares?

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

You should! Whether you're a corporate or a freelance communicator, a style guide and a dictionary are among your most important tools. And all the departments in your company or your client's company should be using the same ones, designated by their communication departments. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Managing PR to Save Time and Money—While Increasing Results

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Public relations tactics are supposed to be cost-effective, but all too often, programs seem to come at a high price tag with questionable returns. This is often due to the fact that too many public relations functions are inefficient and too many programs are not targeted. Cohen, Ephraim

Easy Public Relations with Online Tools

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Shoestring-budget heroes, rejoice. The Internet offers many inexpensive opportunities to deliver better public relations results in our broadband-driven universe. No doubt, emerging concepts such as corporate blogging, podcasting or immersive web content (like "advergames") can produce their fair share of angst. But let's not forget to explore simple web-based tools available to large and small organizations alike. Heule, Nandy

Shoestring Public Relations 101: Ideas to Get Your Creativity Flowing

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Whether you work for a nonprofit, a corporation or an agency, you've likely at some time been assigned to a PR project that has next to no budget. When this happens, you may feel you are up against the impossible, but don't despair. You can deliver a highly successful campaign on a shoestring—but it requires some creativity. O'Brien, Cathy-Anne

The Shoestring Inferiority Complex: How Trying to Keep Up Can Get PR Pros Down

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

One Saturday afternoon not long ago, I found myself gawking out my front window as my neighbors carried in their new plasma TV. I felt that wistful pang of envy. Why can't I get a plasma TV? PR departments working on a shoestring budget are largely represented by the public and not-for-profit sector. For these organizations, the feeling of having to make do and having to do without is a fact of life. Austin, Lisa

Internal Blogging and the Rules of Disclosure: An IR-Reconciliable Difference?

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

We are hearing and reading a lot these days about the new age of transparency, in which organizations must go beyond traditional, tightly controlled communication and engage in a "naked conversation" with their customers, communities, employees and other stakeholders. Shewchuk, Ron

Making Social Responsibility a Strategy for Business Perpetuation

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

With intense competition and demands from shareholders, customers and employees, companies need to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Many companies are looking to corporate social responsibility, as a way to do this—by both protecting and enhancing their reputations. Some CSR practitioners are driven by a belief in the company mission and vision, others by top executives, and others see it as public relations and marketing opportunity. Vale Marques, Juliana

What Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy Is Right for Your Company?

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Clearly no company today can afford to be oblivious to the needs of the community and society of which it is part. And certainly, in this age of corporate accountability and transparency, no organization can be perceived as pursuing its own commercial goals at the expense of the greater good of society. Hatcliffe, Mike

Corporate Social Responsibility Requires Strong Collaboration Between HR and Internal Communicators

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

There are ongoing debates about the reporting and working relationship between HR and internal communication, but one thing is certain: When it comes to systemic change, the kind required for effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation, the two must work together in an inextricably-linked collaboration. Mees, Adine

Communicating the Connection: Business Objectives and Corporate Social Responsibility

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Communicating about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly challenging in today's business environment. CSR communicators need to be prepared to not only tell their company's CSR story proactively, but also to clearly connect that story—and the actions, programs and associated costs—with business objectives. Murphy, Nancy

Creating a Culture of Accountability

5/4/2008 8:19:22 GMT

Most of those who write about corporate social responsibility focus first and foremost on external stakeholders—responsibility-focused investors, workers in the supply chain, local communities, the press, governments or NGOs—and understandably so. These groups can undermine corporate reputations by publicizing perceived instances of social irresponsibility. Reputations may be intangible, but damage to them can cost real dollars. Mike, Barry and Jeff Grimshaw

Angry Bloggers Attack: How Do You Respond?

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

When bloggers attack, we, as trained communication experts, must be ready to respond, and must recognize bloggers as a new wave of reporters. Many are key influencers who can rally a community against you. Working with bloggers and responding quickly builds rapport and relationship. And gets you the bigger story—maybe even a more balanced story. Miller, Roy G.

The Making of a Successful Entrepreneur: Tapping into Drive, Direction, and Common Sense

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

When Christopher Gergen talks about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, he speaks as someone who's been there, done that, and is still doing it today. In 1994, he left the security of a burgeoning career as a writer for CNN Headline News to move to Santiago, Chile, where he opened a restaurant and bar. That proved to be the first of many business ventures. Steigman, Daria

Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How You Say It

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Basic miscommunication can litter the path to understanding—and worse. You may recall that a few years ago the Mars Climate Orbiter failed to achieve the correct altitude for its orbit of Mars, and was destroyed by atmospheric pressure—all due to a little misunderstanding. It seems that some crucial data had been calculated in English units, while the navigation team had expected to receive metric units and used the data that way. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

General Motors vs. The New York Times: A Case Study in Effective Blogging

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

For all the talk about corporate blogs, there still seems to be considerable debate about their value. As of early June, though, those questions should have been put to rest. General Motors illustrated just one of the benefits of blogs—bypassing the media and taking your message directly to the public—in its response to a column that appeared in The New York Times. Holtz, Shel

What Are the Bloggers Saying About You? Practical Tips for Communicators

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

The influence of bloggers and their readers has erupted into campaigns that have affected large, well-known companies and brands—Wal-Mart, Kryptonite Locks, Land Rover, Sony. Smaller firms could suffer even more, like the New York camera retailer that went out of business. Don't let this happen to your organization. Papacosta, Donna

Unbundling the Blog

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Whether you're grappling with how to reach out to bloggers discussing your industry or contemplating creating a corporate blog, it's vital for you as a communicator to understand what's being said about your company in cyberspace—and how to play an active role in the dialog. Taylor, Helen

Should You Really Say That in a Corporate Blog?

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Has your communication department considered starting a blog about your company, or even getting the CEO to start his or her own blog? There's another department that usually frowns on such endeavors: the legal department. Fernando, Angelo

Ethics and Accountability in the New Media Environment

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

In May, I had the pleasure of participating in the IABC Newfoundland & Labrador 20/20 Visionary Communications conference. Jo-Anne Polak of Hill & Knowlton, while presenting her thoughts about contemporary crisis communication, made a comment that I haven’t stopped thinking about since her presentation. Jo-Anne pointed out that after September 11th, journalists have had to become more competitive and aggressive because media sources have exploded in number, and technology has provided immediate electronic delivery. Hattori, Todd

Taking the Lead in Crisis Planning

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

If your crisis communication mantra is "What, Me Worry?" you are not alone. In fact, a third of IABC members who took the IABC Research Foundation crisis communication survey last December said they had no formal crisis communication plan in place prior to last year's many natural disasters and organizational crises. Guthridge, Liz

Calling All Communication Professionals: Test Your Crisis Plan—Now

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

We are all well aware of the importance of a crisis communication plan. But many of us don't realize the necessity of conducting actual simulations to test and evaluate these plans. Whether you are on the corporate or agency side, there are countless forms of crisis that could interrupt business continuity for you and your client. Moed, Ed

Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Most people have already heard a little about bird flu. But people face a host of other problems, and except for public health officials and poultry farmers, few are gearing up for action about H5N1 [the virus that causes the flu]. Yet. Sandman, Peter M. and Jody Lanard

Preparing Your Organization for Pandemic Flu

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

In the past few weeks, articles appeared on the inside pages of The New York Times and other news sources, with reports from Indonesia of human-to-human infection by avian flu, such as Elisabeth Rosenthal's article "Human-to-Human Infection by Bird Flu Virus Is Confirmed." Another article by Donald McNeil in the Times reported that mortality rates for avian flu are higher in young people, which was also the case in the devastating Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Matalucci, Paul

Reinventing the Media Interview

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

The media interview seems like a pretty cut-and-dry experience. Reporter calls source. Reporter interviews source. Reporter uses portions of the interview in a piece and a lot more as background. Those of us who have been in PR a long time or have been interviewed by the press frequently know the drill. However, the media interview as we know it is going through a radical transformation, and it's starting not with the reporters but with bloggers. Rubel, Steve

Writing the Winning Proposal: It's Serious Business for Communicators

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Operating a business on any level, from one-person band to global organization, is so competitive today that delivering excellent proposals can be critical. So we want to offer some guidelines and ideas, drawn from our own experience and from some people who've spent a lot of time thinking about proposal writing. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Communicating and Measuring Employee Contribution to Strategy

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

How do we shift our communication focus to address the challenges of globalization and advancing technology? And how do we prove to senior management that successful communication is the key to navigating this new business environment? In a word: relevance. Our communication must be simpler in content, but more detailed in terms of implementation and process. Anderson, Chris and Alix Edmiston

Using Return on Investment Analytics in the Planning Process

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

I once had a client, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, who called me one fateful day with some bad news. There had been a terrible clerical error. The US$300,000 marketing communication budget, which had taken weeks and months of planning to produce, had been submitted as a US$30,000 budget. It had been accepted as a US$30,000 budget. Someone had dropped a zero along the way, and it had been set in stone. Elrick, Merry

Four Steps to Demonstrating Communication Return on Investment

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

I've never met a senior business leader who didn't want to make more money. Nor have I met one who didn't appreciate that communication breakdowns lead to mistakes, accidents, shoddy service, high costs and low productivity. Business leaders, especially CEOs, are eager to rid themselves of value-draining dips in performance that prevent them from hitting their numbers. As a communicator, if you can do four common-sense things well, you can not only help senior leaders to avoid these breakdowns, but you can also demonstrate how to maximize the power of communication for better business results. Shaffer, Jim

Beyond Return on Investment: Managing Communication Systems as Business Assets

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

As communicators, we are increasingly under the gun to demonstrate the return on investment for our work. But using ROI formulas that attempt to pin down hard financial gains may actually reduce our potential credibility and influence. There's a new language and strategy for communicators that can help us move from being messengers to managers of corporate assets. Gayeski, Diane

How to Start a Business: Five Key Steps to Getting on Track

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

I received a slightly panicked call the other day from a colleague who had recently ventured out on her own after many years of working for others. She had been lured into self-employment by an opportunity that matched up her passion and her skills—but it wasn't going to pay all the bills. So she needed to get serious about starting up some kind of freelance business. But where to start? Although my colleague had taken the necessary legal steps in her state (notably, applying for a business license), she didn't know what to do next. She was, in her own words, paralyzed. Steigman, Daria

When It's Created, It's Copyrighted

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

The title above is, in a nutshell, the meaning of the copyright law as it pertains to creative works. Simple and straightforward: Whoever makes it, owns it and in turn grants legal permission for its use to you, the corporate client. Back in the day when you needed a negative or the original transparency to make a decent usable image, it was easier to safeguard photographs against unauthorized use. Now with digital technology, there is no difference between "original" and "duplicate," and copying images is, in some cases, all too easy. Salvo, Suzanne

Buyer Beware: The Ever-Expanding Search for the Perfect Image

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

When you need to find an image for commercial use, how much consideration do you give to where it came from? Do you think about its provenance, its pedigree? Are the images you license sourced primarily from major distributors or from alternative suppliers, who may have access to more distinctive or original content? Waterman, Jill

Case Study: Shipshape Photography

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Photography has become an essential element of the communication mix for the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and is used to reflect the diversity and international nature of the business. If executed properly, a photograph can help explain a technical point or issue in such a way that it makes sense to an audience outside of the shipping community. We initially decided to use photography to enhance the visual content of our annual report. We now also use it in company newsletters (both internal and external), brochures and exhibit stands. Smyth, Gillian and Susan V. Gonzalez

The Tao of the Digital Photographer

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

In just a few short years, the digital camera has blown past its tipping point so completely that many younger shooters have never touched a piece of film. The instant gratification, the tiny camera size and the ability to share images with the world now defines the experience of photography. But if you want to make great digital photos, there are some things you need to know. Philpott, Keith

Picture This

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Film is dead. The history-changing miracle that made it possible to accurately reproduce anything the eye could perceive is now itself part of history. The cause of death? Digital imagery. But no one is shedding tears. It all began innocently in the mid-1980s when digital photos were a geeks-only, barely noticed novelty. It has since spread around the world in pandemic fashion. In its wake, entire industries have been killed off as more and more people succumb to the digital bug. Salvo, Suzanne

iPhone Evaluation Report

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

User Centric, a privately held usability consulting firm based in Chicago, evaluated the long-term usability and user experience of the iPhone in 2007.

How to Write for an Overwritten World

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

Have you noticed that everyone is a writer these days? Besides all the people who want to publish books, from heads of corporations to bloggers to people who've had tough lives, the digital revolution gives us professionals of every kind issuing their own e-newsletters, vendors deluging us with e-mail messages, and virtually everyone creating web sites and blogs. Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Eight Steps for Successful Events

5/4/2008 8:19:21 GMT

In today's competitive environment the event remains one of the most powerful tools available to communicators. Events are powerful because they provide a physical connection between you and the people you need to reach. You can use an event to raise awareness of your services or products, generate support for a cause or introduce employees to work practices. Crawshaw, Bob

Marketing Experiences: The New Event Frontier

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Today's audiences are jaded about marketing and savvy about messaging, making it harder than ever for marketers to earn an audience's undivided attention and create a meaningful bond between brand and individual. Whether you're talking about a 10,000-person corporate sales meeting or a multi-city mobile marketing program for consumers, you are more likely to hear words like integration, engagement and participation as criteria for marketing success than terms like impressions and eyeballs. Domine, Tom

Employee Conferences That Matter

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

A troupe of disco dancers in gold bodysuits was about to hit the stage. Several of our corporate leaders—dressed as famous pop stars from the 1970s—milled around nervously in the wings. And I remember thinking, “What the heck have we got ourselves into?” I was part of the employee communication team for a government-owned financial institution: Farm Credit Canada (FCC). We were about to open our 2005 corporate office conference before a crowd of 500 people, many of them accountants. A campy musical opening could be seen as a risky choice. But here's what brought me peace of mind: I knew that behind the glitz, we had built our conference on a solid foundation of business thinking. Mayne, Peter

Mirror, Mirror

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

A few months ago, I read with interest an article that indicated that executives are influenced more by the court of public opinion as a catalyst for making positive behavior changes than they are by even a court of law. So what contribution do we make to this discussion, as public relations and media relations practitioners? Do we shove our heads in the sand and say, "It's not up to us to influence the ethical behavior of our internal and external clients"? Bergman, Eric

Creating Corporate Histories

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Every company has a story to tell, a story about people and passion, about vision and hard work. A corporate history tells these stories—but it is also a sophisticated marketing tool that presents your message and history in a professional, concise format. These historical "portfolios" are designed to attract and impress prospective customers and stockholders, and to create loyalty and a feeling of camaraderie among past and present employees. Tyline King, Heidi

Timeless Tips for Telling Stories

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Staff meetings. Project presentations. Company events. Industry conferences. Community gatherings. Training sessions. The list of places to tell stories is as endless as your imagination. Do you need to be a great storyteller to effectively use stories? Absolutely not. However, you can heighten success by preparing how you will communicate your stories and taking into account some tips when you're actually sharing them. Silverman, Lori L.

Story Scrapbooks: Tools for Engagement

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Thank heavens for big sisters—especially mine. I was over at Franca's house sipping hot chocolate and catching up on life. While we spoke, she was assembling another one of her family scrapbook masterpieces. We started talking about her work—she is an international marketing and publication relations consultant. As we discussed the internal communication challenges one of her clients was facing, I had a flash of brilliance. What if we helped the client put together a story scrapbook and then used it to facilitate conversations around the organization? Gargiulo, Terrence

What Makes a Story a Story?

5/4/2008 8:19:20 GMT

When I review internal publications, company or product endorsements, case studies demonstrating customer successes and other print and online communications that purport to convey stories, I find they're often missing crucial story characteristics. They tend to be descriptive of situations instead of relaying actual stories about what occurred. So, what is a story, what is its basic structure and what considerations go into crafting it? Silverman, Lori L.

Telling It Straight

5/2/2008 8:19:20 GMT

What quality do employees most want from business leaders? A clear vision of the way ahead, perhaps? A charismatic leadership style? Political or business acumen? Of course, we demand all those qualities in leaders. But a recent piece of research points to a different quality as being the top priority for many employees. Wilson, Liz

They'll Thank You for Sharing: Make Those Reports, Memos and White Papers Clear and Readable

5/2/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Words, words, words. It seems as if we're being asked to write something every minute for every need and occasion. Your boss wants a report; your colleagues need a memo explaining a procedure; your clients send e-mails that need to be considered and answered; your company's products or services should be described in a descriptive white paper, and on and on. How can you deal with all that? Are there any general writing rules that apply to business writing of all sorts? Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz

Communication Analytics: A New Way to Position the Traditional Audit

5/2/2008 8:19:20 GMT

The communication audit has become a popular tool to measure audience satisfaction with the content and packaging of information. Typically, these audits are designed as surveys and/or focus groups that solicit reactions to important elements of the way that communication is managed, such as choice of media, relevance of topics, frequency and timing of publications and meetings, and the workplace climate. Gayeski, Diane

Use an Audit to Link Communication to Performance

5/2/2008 8:19:20 GMT

Traditionally, a communication audit serves as an assessment of past performance, where the report of results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of internal communication. Based on this analysis, the communication department must determine where to invest its time and resources in the future. Williams, John A.