Disqus - Latest Comments for amymengel

Re: Takeaways from the 2011 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

amymengel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:40:43 -0000

Looks like I had that setting disabled on the readMedia Vimeo account -- sorry! Fixed now and playbar should be in the embedded video.

Re: 4 skills brands should be seeking in their social media talent

amymengel — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:24:52 -0000

I'm hiring a Community Manager right now and these are all great attributes - I'm hoping the candidate I find will have all of them! Instead of being specific about the number of Twitter followers or blog stats, we asked for someone to have a "demonstrated web presence." If we Google them, we want to be able to find relevant results that show they're engaged and communicating via the web -- whatever that medium or format might be. And the writing piece it *crucial* for us. The cover note is a huge litmus test for how well we think a person can write.

I think what you've captured is the need to find TALENT first, and then skills. If I can find someone who is a great writer, outgoing, smart, creative, ambitious, etc., then I will gladly take the time to teach them how to use a specific tool or the ins and outs of a given industry.

(And anyone who's looking for a cool Community Manager position with a fun start-up in NY's Capital Region hopefully has those skills that Arik mentioned.)

@amymengel

Re: BREAKING: Newspaper Quietly Launches Hyper-Local Location-Based App

amymengel — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:52:50 -0000

Do you think Gannett/Cincinnati.com built this from the ground up, or is this a white label of Gowalla or another existing LBS? That's one thing I can see happening a lot in 2011 - FourSquare or Gowalla or SCVNGR creating skinned or white label versions of their tools for more specific localities.

@amymengel

Re: My single biggest takeaway from the MN Blogger Conference

amymengel — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:25:35 -0000

Congrats! I know how much work it takes to put something like this together and how consuming it is. Sounds like it was great and that a lot of people benefitted from your efforts. Way to go, friend!

Re: 5 solutions to the Facebook birthday dilemma

amymengel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:40:24 -0000

I specifically remove my birthday from my FB profile a few weeks before just for this reasons My family and close friends who know usually remember and post nice messages, but I like not getting a bunch of disingenuous posts from people who otherwise wouldn't know it's my birthday and are just "going through the motions" because Facebook told them to!

Re: Touching on !!! and ???

amymengel — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:33:21 -0000

One of my favorite journalism professors told me to write as though you've been given an allotment of three exclamation points to use throughout your entire life. All of it.

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

amymengel — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:56:56 -0000

Thanks for your interest, Victoria. Right now readMedia is focused on the US market, but I will keep you posted if we expand for Canadian customers.

Re: 34 Unforgettable Posts for PR People

amymengel — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:57:50 -0000

Thanks for the shout out, and Happy Birthday!

Re: An Example Of What Is Killing Newspapers

amymengel — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:23:45 -0000

A large part of the problem is *access* to local content like what's mentioned in Jason's comment to back to Mandy -- content from colleges, local governments, etc. This is the bread-and-butter of local news and what people in communities really care about. They can get the national stuff from a host of other places in various flavors. But often the local stuff remains locked away in the organizations who are the basis for this kind of news because they don't know how to make people aware of it, and newspapers can no longer chase it down.

Newspapers don't have the resources anymore to to have a lot of beat reporters in place to generate local content. This means that local organizations need to step up their PR efforts and essentially "cover themselves" - writing news releases/stories and then not only getting them to reporters but also publishing online and getting them into social networks, their own blog or Web site, etc.

A lot of local news is reporting, but not necessarily journalism: This local athlete broke his college record for free throws. The town board voted to approve X, Y or Z. If organizations can compile this type of news content on their own, in-house, and then send it to local reporters and newspapers in a format that's easy to repackage, it could go a long way in beefing up local news content and cutting down on wire stories like the one you mentioned.

We're seeing this happen with a lot of readMedia's clients -- they are essentially becoming their own beat reporters and providing valuable, local content to their local media outlets.

@amymengel
readMedia
www.readmedia.com

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

amymengel — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:51:07 -0000

Hi Hugh. To answer your questions:
1. Yes, on your media list in the readMedia application you can see reporters' phone numbers so you can make calls to follow up with them.
2. You are correct, the "contacts" are in addition to all the media you get with your account, based on the geographic reach you specify when you sign up. The contacts feature allows you to add additional media outlets to your readMedia account that may be outside the geography for your account. A lot of our clients add a few key contacts at trade publications for their industry, as an example.
3. We currently don't have different pricing for non-profit and for-profit businesses, but our pricing is very low (starting at $29/month for unlimited distribution) and many non-profits find it a very affordable solution that gives them a lot of features and benefits they couldn't get doing in-house distribution of news releases.

Thanks for your comment and your interest in readMedia. We're looking forward to seeing your Toastmasters announcement come across our wire!

Amy Mengel
readMedia

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

amymengel — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:48:11 -0000

Hi AJ. Yes, you can definitely embed links directly into the release. Here's an example of a release that does that from our newswire today: http://is.gd/9wWsh

Amy Mengel
readMedia

Re: It Takes All Types to Be a Successful Communicator

amymengel — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:52:08 -0000

I guess I was branded a communicator from the start - majored in public relations at UGA and went right into corporate communications roles after college. I stayed in corp comm for seven years but with my recent move to readMedia, I'm now doing more marketing activity and am enjoying the change and the challenge!

@amymengel

Re: Think Traditional Media Is On The Online Ropes? Think Again.

amymengel — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:16:49 -0000

Perhaps a bigger piece to this story is how important local content is to people (whether they get it from a print newspaper, a hyperlocal blog or a newspaper Web site). People care about information that's relevant to the area where they live.

From a PR perspective, for many organizations a local media hit has much more impact than a story on CNN or in a national newspaper. Making sure local news outlets, whether they are "old" or "new", can easily find your news and that local audiences can easily share it with others is important for PR professionals to remember.

@amymengel
readMedia
www.readmedia.com

Re: Time management, monitoring and more

amymengel — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:43:57 -0000

The "can I pick your brain" is a really difficult one. Even though I'm working fulltime now and have let people know that I'm no longer consulting, I am still getting requests to "grab coffee" or "have lunch" with organizations. At least now with my job it's a little easier to say no due to time constraints, but I also have a desire to be helpful. And from a solo professional's perspective, it's really difficult to walk that line between a meeting that could turn into potential new business and people who just want free advice. Good tips on how to handle this in the transcript!

Re: Where do you find inspiration? Apparently I get mad.

amymengel — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:22:51 -0000

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: Never go against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Re: The Socialization of Small Business

amymengel — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:14:28 -0000

It would be interesting to see more demographics on the types of small businesses surveyed and their owners. Many small businesses are currently run by Baby Boomers, who are often on the late adopter side of the innovation curve. I wonder how much of these results are a generational/age issue.

Re: Can Crisco Go Virgin?

amymengel — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:45:40 -0000

Christina - you gave three different issues to think about in this post. The first is “genericide” of trademarked brand names - Kleenex, Escalator, Saran Wrap, Rollerblades, etc. That's clearly a frustration for brands that see their products copied and commoditized and their brand equity watered down -- but like you said, fodder for another post.

The second issue is a brand name being adopted in cultural parlance to refer to something that's not descriptive of the product itself (although I'm with TJ and have never heard Crisco as a euphemism for a fat person). Often when brands become slang terms, it's in a derogatory manner that doesn't usually mean positive association for the brand ('McJob' comes to mind).

The third issue you present is brand extension, especially when it's an extension that's somewhat antithetical to your core product. Crisco started out decades ago by positioning itself as a healthier and cheaper alternative to animal fats like butter or lard. Now that the dangers of trans fats and hydrogenated oils are known, Crisco’s core product is under attack by some (though as Jay pointed out, still used by many), and many people are shifting back to natural foods again. Cities and states are even legislating bans on products made with trans fats.

So, their move to olive oils is more than just brand extension, it may be brand survival. Crisco is a 100-year-old brand name, and while “healthy” may not be the first association that comes to mind, consumers still know and recognize this brand. Slowly moving into adjoining product lines but retaining the Crisco brand is a way for them to gradually coax consumers into associating the brand with more than just the tubs of white, hydrogenised gunk. If they can make good use of their brand equity and shift some of it onto newer, healthier products, they should be better able to survive what’s likely to be a continued onslaught against their core product. The risk, of course, is that if enough people view the Crisco brand now as unhealthy, any newer, healthier products they might launch (like the olive oils) may not even get a fair shot from consumers.

@amymengel

Re: Can You Quit Social Media?

amymengel — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:22:59 -0000

Social seppuku! (Seriously, there's a site for it: http://www.seppukoo.com)

I think putting the genie back in the bottle entirely is difficult, but I have seen many people (myself included) wean themselves a bit or at least settle into niche or rhythm that works. I feel as though I have established a great group of friends and professional contacts through social media (particularly Twitter) and once that core group became established, I started to back off a bit. I'm still active, but I would say that I connect with the same group of people and there's now more depth than breadth.

I will say that I've dialed way back on Facebook. I still post things to my profile, but the news/live feed has become so onerous that I barely bother keeping up anymore. I'd need to create a whole lot of lists just to get the information I see in Facebook to be manageable.

Re: Your Copy Sucks: Ode to the Op-Ed

amymengel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:02:47 -0000

Awesome. That is all.

Re: Twitter Accounts: A User By Any Other Name?

amymengel — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:55:17 -0000

This reminds me of a similar caution that professors always used to give us about email addresses - make sure it's professional and not cutesy. You don't want to submit a resume and then have your email address be babealicious523@aol -- it doesn't project the image you want to give potential employers.

I think Twitter makes it relatively easy to change your user name without losing your followers or tweets. If you keep your avatar the same for a while, people may not even notice right away (especially if you retain part of the name, like Jess). Several people I follow have changed Twitter handles recently, either to shift their identity, snag their real name when it became available, or just make it shorter. For the most part I didn't even notice. Since I use a third-party app, I am rarely ever typing out or needing to remember someone's handle. So as long as the avatar stays the same, I still recognize people!

Ultimately, it's up to you, but I think the mere fact that you're questioning whether or not the name is appropriate is probably an indication that you might be more comfortable changing it. I'm sure you can still be fun and "juicy" as @jessgreco!

Re: Happy Birthday, LAF Blog! (And lots of Thank Yous)

amymengel — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:32:14 -0000

Congratulations on a great year! Excited to see what you have in store in 2010. Thanks for always making me laugh, too!

Re: Four Business Books Worth Holiday Gifting

amymengel — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:52:04 -0000

Officially my favorite SME post ever, if only because of the sweatshirt. Go Dawgs!

(And thanks for the book recommendations, too.)

Re: Nominate Your Favorite Social Media Blog for Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Contest

amymengel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:20:41 -0000

I second the nomination for Olivier's The Brand Builder Blog (http://thebrandbuilder.word...). It's a no-nonsense, enterprise-focused approach to social media that dispenses with buzzwords and discusses how to create real and valuable results.

Re: Blogger v. Blogger is Getting Old

amymengel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:25:11 -0000

It's always good to take some time to reflect on what you're doing and why. I was very hung up on my blog earlier this year and worried that I was "doing it wrong." In the past few months as my client work has intensified, I've been able to devote less time to my blog. I've gone from 3 posts a week to 1, and sometimes I have to push myself to do even that. But I do feel as though the posts I am writing are more targeted and some of my better posts. I've stopped worrying about the number of comments and hits. It's so liberating. Good luck with your experiment next week!

Re: Have a Little Patience, My Friends

amymengel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:45:05 -0000

Patience is a virtue I certainly wish I had more of. What can be even more tricky about patience is trying to instill it in clients. Many don't understand that the process of pitching and gaining coverage can take weeks or months, even in today's fast-paced media culture. From an initial e-mail to a reporter to the follow-up, interviews, back-and-forth, and then finally placement can take a very long time. It's important (and difficult) to set expectations with clients so they understand things don't happen automatically or instantaneously.

Disqus - Latest Comments for amymengel

Re: Takeaways from the 2011 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

Re: 4 skills brands *should* be seeking in their social media talent

Re: BREAKING: Newspaper Quietly Launches Hyper-Local Location-Based App

Re: My single biggest takeaway from the MN Blogger Conference

Re: 5 solutions to the Facebook birthday dilemma

Re: Touching on !!! and ???

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

Re: 34 Unforgettable Posts for PR People

Re: An Example Of What Is Killing Newspapers

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

Re: readMedia Makes Local Press Release Delivery Easy

Re: It Takes All Types to Be a Successful Communicator

Re: Think Traditional Media Is On The Online Ropes? Think Again.

Re: Time management, monitoring and more

Re: Where do you find inspiration? Apparently I get mad.

Re: The Socialization of Small Business

Re: Can Crisco Go Virgin?

Re: Can You Quit Social Media?

Re: Your Copy Sucks: Ode to the Op-Ed

Re: Twitter Accounts: A User By Any Other Name?

Re: Happy Birthday, LAF Blog! (And lots of Thank Yous)

Re: Four Business Books Worth Holiday Gifting

Re: Nominate Your Favorite Social Media Blog for Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Contest

Re: Blogger v. Blogger is Getting Old

Re: Have a Little Patience, My Friends

Re: 4 skills brands should be seeking in their social media talent