INFOGRAPHICS/WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO I USE THEM?

 

In essence, infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics introduce complicated information in a clear and quick way.

They are commonly used to show the weather, as well as maps and site plans for events and graphs for statistical information.

Infographics have been branching out.  They are now used in signs, journlism, technical writing and education.  It is another way to communicate concepts concisely and in many cases in a way that is more easily understood.

Actually, making infographics is a certain discipline within the information design world.

The visual devices used to communicate in infographics include but are not limited to charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, maps and lists.  Common devices  are horizontal bar charts, vertical column charts, and round/oval pie charts.  Modern interactive maps and bulleted numbers are also infographic devices.

USA Today, which debuted in 1982, established the practice of using graphics to make informaton easier to understand.  The paper has been criticized in the past for “oversimplifying news” and “creating infographics that focus on entertainment.  They are charged with disrespect for content and data, which is referred to as chartjunk.

As the popularity of infographics grows and its use intensifies, many internet marketing companies will use them to produce viral content that web users will freely share.

Click here to view my Infographic for Band Promotion Tactics.  

.

Read Full Post »

Possible Trends May Affect PR Pro’s



 

 

 

 

 

At a recent South By Southwest conference held in Austin, Texas, Becky Johns picked up a few vibes on what may become the next trends affecting PR Pro’s. Here are four that seemed to be creating a buzz at the conference.

1. Group texting. Johns says this is the most widespread phenomenon that she and many others were participating in. Small groups were sharing with each other via texting. In this setting where travel wasn’t an issue, it was mostly used to set up places to meet, etc. Prominent apps for group messaging included GroupMe and Beluga. Johns foresees these apps as possibly replacing email and Facebook in the future.

2.  Hashable. Many people use this app to network.  It bills itself as “a way to exchange business cards, make easy intro’s and ‘check in’ with people to track meetings and calls.”

3. Name your price deals. There was a lot of talk about Zaarly. The company describes it as “a proximity based, real-time buyer-powered market. Buyers make an offer for an immediate need, and sellers cash in on an infinite marketplace for items and services they never knew were for sale.” Basically, it’s a place where a “buyer” lists what they’re willing to pay for something and the “sellers” seek out the business.

4.  Smaller is better. No one was “into” the big events, preferring the smaller conversations groups and panels that were set up for RSVP’ed people only. The trend towards reaching larger groups seems to be lessening as people are beginning to look for keeping communities “niche-focused and active.”

Read Full Post »

Another Associated Press Resource: AP Stylebook on Twitter

twitter: AP Style

On Ragan’s PR Daily, I saw a recent article from Kevin Allen who suggested AP Stylebook on Twitter as a great resource for improving PR writing. It includes daily tips that are helpful to any writer.  Ten tips are included in his post from the Twitter stream.

Today’s tip: It’s daylight saving time. Not savings, and no hyphen. #APStyle

Singular proper names ending in ‘s’: Use only an apostrophe. Achilles’ heel; Dickens’ theme. #APStyle @Jaybee_eats

@whuddafugger Yes, the verb is to tweet: AP Stylebook tweeted an answer to your question. #APStyleChat

@RaoulFOX5 An event cannot be described as annual until it has been held in at least two successive years. #APStyleChat

An AP Stylebook pronunciation tip: Qatar, which will host the World Cup in 2022, is pronounced GUH’-tur. #apstyle

A reminder: While website is lowercase, the Web is capitalized. #apstyle @markdubya @JamesEBriggs

New to the Stylebook: Names of most websites and apps are capitalized. Use quotes only for game titles. #APStyleChat

New to the Stylebook: It’s handheld as a noun but hand-held as an adjective. #APStyleChatless than a minute ago via CoTweet

The entry on the Great Recession has been updated to say NBER economists declared that it ended in June 2009. #apstyle

@Mandersat It’s OK, OK’d, OK’ing, OKs. Do not use okay. #APStyle

These are his tips. The last one was news to me.  I thought it was better to spell it out…..okay. I guess that’s not OK.

For the entire article, click here.

Read Full Post »

TIPS FOR WRITING A QUICK PRESS RELEASE

Quick Press Release

In our PR Writing class at Southeastern University, we in Barbara Nixon’s class have an assignment due this week to write a PR Press Release. I thought it would be timely to use this topic as a PR Connection. Mickie Kennedy recently addressed this topic and here is a condensed version of her advice.

1. Keep a List of ideas.  I have done this in the past for fiction writing, but I see how it can be useful for any writer in any genre’.

2. Stay on Point.  Be clear with as few words as possible.

3. Outline your press release. Creating a basic outline of the main points that need to be covered will help you to stay focused.

4. Write when you’re inspired. I’ve also found this to be true with any type of writing.

5. Recycle old information when possible. Don’t rehash, but some standard information about your client should go into each press release.

6.  Edit later.  Don’t kill your writing flow! If time permits, it’s good to walk away and then come back and reread it.  It helps you to catch typo’s, which you DO NOT want to make, especially when dealing with other professionals!

For the article in its entirety, click here.

Read Full Post »

HARO: NEW CROWDSOURCE FOR REPORTERS

HARO (Help a reporter out) is one of a small group of services for reporters.  Peter Shankman, a public relations pro started this site last year on Facebook as a group to connect reporters with sources.  He’d been doing this himself up until the Facebook group. According to Shankman, it has grown to over $1 million in yearly revenue with almost no overhead.

After the Facebook hit the limit of 1,200 users, Shankman changed the service by making available a 200 member e-mail list in March of 2008.  It has since grown to a resource used by over 30,000 reporters and other news gatherers.  The service has 150 to 200 questions per day which is sent out to its 80,000 or more network members.

Shankman makes money by selling carefully chosen clients who advertise on the site.  His demographic includes 75 to 80 percent who open each e-mail they receive every day.

Unlike other sites providing a similar service, HARO is free.  It is totally supported by advertising dollars.  Although public relations professionals make up the highest group to use HARO, Shankman says the fastest-growing group on the site is small business owners.  This is because they desire to be quoted as an authority on a subject but cannot afford to hire a PR firm to do this for them.

There’s many subjects covered and the site can be useful to those  who are not in some kind of PR job area.  You should check it out.  HARO also has a Twitter site for you tweeters out there.  For more information you can click on Epicenter or HARO.

Read Full Post »

BE MY GUEST WEEK: FEATURING: ANGELA GHALY

Grammar: goof vs. guru February 27, 2011

Filed under: Topics of the Week — asghaly @ 8:31 PM

I have always prided myself on my ability to understand and use proper grammar. I even won the English award at my high school graduation. Where math and science failed to compute, English made sense to me. Despite my natural inclination to excel in the language arts, I still have a lot to learn as Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More taught me.

The main thing I learned is that I am not quite as talented in my English ability as I once thought. I learned just how big of a deal that spelling is. The course said that people will not notice how fantastic and spot-on one’s spelling in. They will, however, definitely notice if one’s spelling is atrocious. Spelling is a relatively small thing, but it greatly affects the way one’s work is received by the professional public.

I was surprised by the amount of grammatical topics this course covered. Grammar (of course), style, punctuation, and spelling were discussed. This is useful because someone might excel in spelling but need help in style or punctuation. The way this course was presented was comprehensive and helpful.

I want to learn more about can and may. I have a ongoing debate with a friend of mine. The question is: Does one use can or may when one asks someone else for something or to do something for him? For instance is it, “Can you pass me the remote?” Or is it, “May you pass me the remote?” I always was told can is the right word in this case, but that is one pair of words that this course did not address.

This course is perfect for journalists, novelists, and students. Almost anyone who takes this course will learn something new. Some aspect of one’s writing capability will be enhanced through this course, and I highly recommend it.

Read Full Post »

Is Traditional Media Still Necessary for PR?

As the trend of social media continues to snowball, some feel that traditional media is no longer necessary. Social media has replaced traditional media, according to many. While many “experts” have predicted the end of traditional media, not all agree.

Serial entrepreneur, certified professional coach and PR professional Elena Verlee, is one of these.  She says, “I would not advise anybody to drop traditional media.”

While it is true that many newspapers and magazines have folded, there is still a major need for them.  Verlee gives us five reasons that traditional media should not be dropped. These reasons include:

1. Traditional media are instantly recognized.

2. Traditional media give you instant status.

3. Traditional media still reach a vast audience.

4.  Social media feed off of traditional media.

5. Traditional media have huge social media presence.

Above all, she advises that the most important thing to target is the media outlets that your own target audience is using. She says that  using a mixture of both traditional and social media will probably give you the best results.

For more information about this and other PR topics of interest, check out her site PR IN YOUR pajamas .

Read Full Post »