||| Home

Head(line) of the Class

by Melanie Padgett Powers on July 27, 2010

skywalker headline

I still remember one of my favorite headlines with a chuckle: “Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo.”

I was enticed to click the head after spotting it while browsing a news website. The headline is so clever that it actually seems like a no-brainer to use.

But remember, the editor was only crafting a headline about tightrope walkers and the Han River. I wonder how long it took him to connect “Han” to Han Solo and if “skywalkers” came to mind immediately or if he had to play with words for awhile. (On a side note, I’m starting to realize my blog entries are portraying me as a Star Wars geek.)
[click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

Building Community, One Blog at a Time

by Melanie Padgett Powers on July 26, 2010

building community

A reader made my day today.

Well, she’s more than a reader. She’s a blogger, and she just began blogging for a magazine website that I manage for a client. She reminded me of the impact our publications and websites can have on our audience—she even reminded me that I have an audience. Honestly, I don’t usually forget this fact, but it’s always good to get an additional, extra, bonus reminder.

It’s a reminder that my aim should not be simply to write, simply to edit (as if either of those are simple tasks), but to strive to always educate or entertain (or both), to help craft articles, publications and websites into informative, helpful and thought-provoking pieces. And to weave all of that together to attract and engage a community. [click to continue…]

{ 1 comment }

Ask For a Date, Not For a Marriage

by Andrew Hanelly on July 15, 2010

will you marry me

It’s pretty easy to get carried away when you’re excited about the possibilities of a potential relationship.

You feel the connection. They’re just your type. And they even seem mildly interested in what you have to say.

So then, of course, you pop the question. You ask them to marry you. And then they get weirded out, excuse themselves to the rest room, and flee – never to be seen again.

Why? Because you jumped the gun, of course.

In the context of dating it seems ridiculous. But in the world of marketing, it happens every day. [click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

How Do You Have Time For That?

July 8, 2010 Insight
kitchen timer thumbnail

I have been wanting to write this post for a while. But I haven’t had time. I figured I’d do it eventually. But project deliverables got in the way. So did happy hours. And so did sleep. Don’t get me wrong: I kept writing it on my to-do lists. I definitely wrote it down more [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

The Dark Side I Sense in You

July 2, 2010 Insight
dark side yoda

I was amazed to learn recently that Facebook sends more people to news sites than Google does. Sixty-eight percent of your Facebook fans are likely to recommend your product, and fans will spend nearly $72 more than non-fans. All these facts come courtesy of an interesting American Marketing Association webcast, “What the Big Brands Do [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

Who Are You and What Do You Do? Customer Engagement Part 1

July 1, 2010 Insight
my name is nametag

In our business, we get called lots of names: custom publishers, social media specialists, SEO gurus, email marketers, magazine designers, and maybe a few more that probably shouldn’t be published here. And depending on who you ask and what we’ve done for them, you’ll probably get a different perspective on what we do. But none [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

The Quality Hustle

July 1, 2010 Quality
fast cheap good

Fast, cheap, good: pick two. You may have heard the adage, and it makes lots of sense applied to the world of media. We’ve already examined the exigencies of fast and relished the comforting ripples good can generate… but can cheap ever fit in with a quality ethos?

3 comments Read the full article →

“Apple Of My Eye,” an iPhone 4 Film

June 28, 2010 Convergence
apple of my eye iphone film

Shot on an iPhone 4 and edited with the iMovie app on the iPhone in 48 hours by Michael Koerbel. Phenomenal and inspiring. “Apple of My Eye” – an iPhone 4 film from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

4 comments Read the full article →

Content is Everywhere

June 22, 2010 Insight
cvs content is everywhere

Writer’s block—it hits at the worst of times. Like right before I sat down to write this. A phrase used by one of my coworkers snapped me out of it: “But content is everywhere.” It can be as simple as taking your camera out while walking around the neighborhood and discovering a new local hangout. [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries