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Infographic: Texting hurts your grammar

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:10:00 GMT

Does texting hurt your grammatical ability?

Many communicators around the world insist that it does. If you're in this camp, there are now facts to back you up. How gr8!

OnlineCollege.org created an infographic based on survey findings that say techspeak, the shortened language people use to quickly communicate via text or digital technology, mars one's ability to use grammar properly.

Middle schoolers are the most likely to use techspeak—they send more than twice the amount of text messages than any other age group. It's also the most detrimental to them, as the middle school years are the most formative learning period. The study concluded that middle schoolers who use techspeak may have trouble switching back to proper grammar when they need to do so.

Here are a few telling statistics:

Fifty percent of surveyed teens said they don't use proper punctuation or grammatical marks when they write text or instant messages.

Almost 90 percent (86 percent) of teens think having good writing skills is important for success in life.

Eleven percent of teens think electronic communication has a negative impact on their writing skills.

And here's a doozy: 64 percent of teens admit they've used techspeak in classroom writing assignments.

Check out the graphic for more:

(View a larger image.)

Lead vs. lede: Does it even matter?

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:09:00 GMT

Are you ready for a nerdy journalism debate? I sure hope so. What’s the proper spelling: lead or lede?

Credit the great Romenesko (via Bleacher Report) for rehashing this age-old debate on whether to refer to the first sentence of an article as the “lead” or, harkening back to the days of linotype, “lede.”

Howard Owens explains:

“Some years ago, researching the evolution of ‘objective journalism,’ I cracked open many of these old books, and something struck me — in none of these old books did any author spell the word ‘lede.’ They all spell it ‘lead.’

“It was then I realized, there is no historic basis for the spelling of a lead as ‘lede.’ ‘Lede’ is an invention of linotype romanticists, not something used in newsrooms of the linotype era.

“It’s really emblematic of today’s print nostalgia, too — like Desi and Lucy sleeping in separate beds — a longing for an America that never was, or wasn’t quite what you thought it was.”

Perhaps pathetically, I still remember ledes (or leads) that I’m particularly proud of. “In cod they trust” for a story about a husband/wife team of scentless fish oil innovators was a particular favorite.

My advice to fellow writers: Doesn’t matter how you spell the word, as long as the ones you write are good.

RELATED: Become a more efficient writer and editor after one day of training.

(Image via)

Competence or confidence: Which is more important to IABC?

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:00 GMT

As the International Association of Business Communicators looks toward its annual change of leadership at its upcoming World Conference, it is faced with a stark choice. Is its real purpose to focus on the competence of its members or to raise confidence about the value that business communication provides by shifting its focus towards effective advocacy?

Ideally, these are not incompatible goals, yet IABC's recently issued "Career Road Map Strategy" focuses completely on member competence while relegating advocacy to the status of an afterthought.

Whether members and practitioners are in need of yet more competency strengthening and validating activities in a crowded, competitive professional development market is not exactly clear. But the interest in IABC's finally getting its act together in the advocacy department is clear and considerable.

What is 'advocacy'?

The interest in more effective advocacy was reflected in Ragan Communications' survey, which, in its being open to everyone, made it more of a referendum on the future of the association than a traditional poll.

The Ragan survey demonstrated a preference for improved advocacy (60 percent of participants identified this as an area needing improvement), while fewer than a majority (44 percent) rated the need for improvement in accreditation, IABC's signature competency-based program.

There is considerable confusion about what constitutes "advocacy" in the world of business communication. In IABC's last effort to address this issue, an advocacy task force I was a part of in 2007 became mired in a debate about whether IABC's advocacy role should focus on promoting the industry (which is what the survey indicates practitioners want) or focus on yet more promotion of IABC.

At the same time, this question continues to plague practitioners: "How do specific investments in communication deliver real business benefits?"

A real industry advocacy effort must give practitioners the data and insight required to answer that question convincingly when asked by their bosses or clients. In giving them the knowledge that such data are available and accessible, a real industry advocacy effort has the potential to significantly raise the confidence of practitioners.

RELATED: Hear how top companies adapted to the digital PR industry changes at the Digital PR Best Practices Conference.

How could this work? And why should IABC do this?

A powerful first step would be to reposition IABC's research arm from publishing two or three studies per year to focusing on collecting, reviewing, and inventorying credible communication research from universities, consultancies, and practitioners worldwide. It would then publicize the most relevant findings, provide IABC members access to the data, and perhaps sell the information to free-standing subscribers or associate members as well.

In doing so, IABC would create a real product and service that has tangible value and which no one would be likely to copy.

As an online service unhindered by geographic boundaries, it could also open the elusive pathway to move IABC beyond its perennial total of 16,000 members worldwide to perhaps 10 times that figure, particularly if it creates a new class of subscriber-members who pay lower dues mainly for data access, and then buy IABC-affiliated services for a discounted a la carte rate.

IABC, in turn, would bring a lot to the table: its prospect databases, infrastructure and above all, its membersi-who could be engaged to identify research sources, spread the word, and perhaps to fund the initial research and mobilization effort.

Competence vs. confidence

IABC so far shows no inclination to go down this road. Instead, it seeks to call its revamped competency model "the definition of the profession."

In its recent update about its overall strategy, IABC introduces the "Career Road Map Strategy" as being the apotheosis of the collective hard work and self-examination of several dozen volunteers and "IABC experts" who claim to have refined and defined the essence of what it is to be "a communication professional." It also references a consultation process involving members and nonmembers.

But scant data are offered to justify this as a strategy for IABC, or as reasons why accepting such a definition and following the steps in this "Road Map" would produce tangible benefits for practitioners and the organizations for which we work.

Moreover, one can argue that by placing an all-in bet on a competency-based justification for IABC's existence undermines the profession far more than it supports or credibly defines it. By its intrinsic message that business communicators have a competence problem that only IABC can truly fix, it sends a message to the market that it has a right to be skeptical about the value of our contributions.

In contrast, an advocacy-driven approach based on the circulation and promotion of data that demonstrates the real value and benefits we deliver will be far more positive. Rather than raise skepticism, it will answer it. Rather than question our collective competence, it will raise our collective confidence.

IABC remains the organization that is best placed both to drive this and reap the potentially massive benefits. IABC, for all its cultural and organizational challenges, starts with a global list of potential participants, data collectors and evangelists. It also starts with a strong research tradition, albeit one that has been focused on collecting its own stuff.

Once an effective data-based advocacy model is well in place, IABC would be in a far stronger position to genuinely redefine the profession, its standards and its optimal competencies based on hard data and on proven value. More to the point, it will be better placed to justify member expenditure on dues and conferences.

One of the things about road maps is that they may make it easier to follow one direction. But they actually offer alternatives for those brave enough to see them. Is IABC brave enough to change course?

Mike Klein is a longtime IABC member and former board member for the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia chapters, and the Europe-Middle East region. He is the author of From Lincoln to LinkedIn-the 55 Minute Guide to Social Communication, a co-founder of the CommScrum "Full Contact Business Communication" group on LinkedIn, and is based in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

(Image via)

19 things you need to know about the #NewGooglePlus

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:00 GMT

Recently, at the Google I/O 2013 conference, Google announced many exciting changes for various parts of its platform.

The bulk of the upgrades this year centered on Google+.

1. Change from one- to multi-column layouts by clicking on the More tab. Three-column layout exists but only for the largest of resolution displays. If you want to take a peek at it, just reduce your zoom on the page. The design is fully mobile responsive.

2. Shift+L will rapidly refresh the stream bringing you to the top and the new posts if you don't want to click the button. There's currently no way to return to auto-refreshing of the page.

3. Infographics will display in a nearly useful size at full length in the new layout. Estimated dimensions 503×930 for desktop viewing. An influx of infographic posts is likely. Keep an eye on ensuring readability.

RELATED: Master the can't-ignore social media tools after Mark Ragan's one day social media boot camp.

4. Find an assortment of additional information related to each post by clicking on its "Shared Publicly" or "Shared Privately" link right under the authors name to flip the card over.

5. The "send feedback" form is located at the bottom of the menu under "home." Can't find feedback? Just type the "@" sign when not in a comment box to bring it up.

6. "What's Hot" is back in the sidebar under home—and temporarily displaying strange gender biases. (It's being fixed.)

7. A Hangout is now any form of group communication = Video Call or Group Chat or Group Calling, etc. This merges its many messaging and calling products.

8. Google has released a standalone Hangout app that replaces Google Chat and allows for text and video chat across Android, iOS, and Chrome.

9. In the right-hand hangout menu, the drop-down menu offers a number of useful options including a link to sign out of hangouts.

10. In the hangout app, the little green bar under someone's photo indicates they are active and online.

11. To start a new hangout on air, you need to first visit the Hangout on Air page and then look halfway down the page on your right for a "Start A Hangout on Air" button that is not very visible.

12. YouTube expands its live-streaming feature to all channels with more than 1,000 subscribers. Learn more.

13. You can now send money through Gmail/Google.

14. When starting a new conversation, the status box loads up front and center with bright classic Google colors.

15. Circle volume control has moved to being under the settings gear in each circle's page. Select More, Standard, or Fewer

16. Major improvements to many of the photo tools can be altered in your settings page. (Unfortunately, being able to edit an image as you upload it and before posting it has vanished.)

The auto enhance is really handy for on-the-fly image enhancing. The ability to upload high-resolution images is fantastic. Lots to love in these changes. (Including the ability to remove the download image button.)

17. Type these "cheat codes" into the chat of a Google Hangout, and watch what happens. So much fun—you've got to love Google Easter eggs. (Only works with Hangouts on Google+ and the Chrome Extension. Not in video calls or mobile.)

Try:

/ponies (a pony running across chat)
/pitchforks (an angry mob running across chat)
/ponystream (ponies running across your local chat)
/bikeshed (change the background color for everyone)
/shydino (a shy little dino shows up)
KONAMI cheat code (use your arrow keys, changes your local background)

18. Promotions—and dare I venture into saying advertising—will be coming soon to the Google+ newsfeed beginning with the new Offers feature. Link to Hello Kitty's Offer.

19. Google Games is going away June 30 in favor of the new Google Play Games service.

A version of this article first appeared on JustAskKim.

Social media: The new face of disaster response

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:06:00 GMT

Recently, tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma causing at least 24 deaths.

As we enter into hurricane and wildfire season, it’s a good time to take a look at how social media has shaped disaster response.

During times of crisis, those affected—nearly 1 million people are affected by disasters each year—are beginning to use social networks as a replacement for 911 call centers.

In fact, 20 percent of disaster survivors now contact emergency responders via social media. Of those who do, 35 percent reach out to responders on Facebook, and 25 percent on Twitter.

When Superstorm Sandy pummeled the east coast last fall, Instagram was a go-to source for people to keep their social networks updated. At its peak, Instagram users uploaded Sandy-related photos at a rate of 10 every second.

RELATED: Master the can't-ignore social media tools after Mark Ragan's one day social media boot camp.

For more on social media during disaster recovery, check out the infographic from USF’s Online MPA below, which was compiled by Frankie Rendón of Creative Signals:

What communicators can learn from the armed forces

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:05:00 GMT

On Christmas Day in 1958, my father inched his way to breakfast on his elbows and toes with about 125 other Marines. Popularly known today as a plank position, it’s hard enough to hold for 30 seconds. I can’t imagine being forced to move from barracks to commissary—through who- knows-what—just to eat.

That memorable moment was the beginning of my dad’s 21-year career of proudly serving in the U.S. armed forces. Our military extensively trains people to be their best. As the daughter of a retired military member, I’ve picked up a few lessons along the way.

In honor of Armed Forces Day (May 18), I’d like to share some with you. They circle back to three things: discipline, focus, and excellence.

As a communicator, I have no illusions that my job in any way compares to the duties of our military men and women. Having said that…

Stay focused. The focus required in fixing a helicopter before it heads into a war zone trumps the focus it takes to draft a document without any AP style errors. The accuracy of your work as a communicator might not result in death, but I will argue its importance. When you pitch a press release, answer a media inquiry or design a website, the credibility of your employer is at stake, and so, therefore, are other people’s jobs. If you work in internal communications, the words you craft can create a better work environment. Always keep the bigger picture in view.

No matter what your assignment, take pride in it. In this challenging economy, communication jobs are hard to come by. College graduates from prestigious journalism schools or veteran communicators who’ve faced a layoff might find themselves performing administrative work to get their foot in the door. Always strive for excellence. When you finish a day’s work, make sure it’s something you can be proud of.

Don’t do it for the money. Enlisted personnel do not make much money. My dad joined because he felt it was his duty. Reputable, lucrative positions in communications exist, but be careful not to base career decisions solely on money. Follow your heart and your conscience.

Be respectful. The military chain of command demands respect. Failure to show respect results in swift disciplinary action. As civilians, we enjoy more latitude in sharing our opinions and speaking our mind. But that’s no excuse for being disrespectful to people above or below you in rank.

Be disciplined. Long lists of overwhelming tasks can be tackled with discipline. Establish structure, develop effective processes, and work hard.

My deepest gratitude goes out to all members of our armed forces, past and present. Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and the infinite number of lessons that could never be captured in a simple blog post.

RELATED: Ragan's new distance-learning site houses the most comprehensive video training library for corporate communicators.

Dee Ann Adams blogs at DAAwriter.com, where a version of this article originally appeared.

11 rules for hugging at the office

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:04:00 GMT

Hello. My name is Tim Sackett, and I'm a hugger.

Being a hugger can make for some awkward moments. What if the other person isn't expecting a hug, or doesn't want to hug, and you're coming in arms-wide-open?!

Fast Company had an article recently titled "To Hug Or Not To Hug At Work?," that delved into this subject. Here's a piece from the article:

"Awkwardness is … 'the uncomfortable feeling you get when you realize that your concept of your relationship with someone else doesn't match their concept. The intensity of awkwardness roughly corresponds to the magnitude of difference in relationship concepts.' "

'Women will hug anything'

I consider myself to have a number of roles: Husband, dad, coach, boss, friend, co-worker, etc. In each of those roles I've hugged and will continue to hug. Sometimes, though rarely, I'll find someone who isn't a hugger.

The first time I ever met Kris Dunn face-to-face, we'd known each other and talked frequently by phone for a year. At the HR Tech Conference, he was coming out of a session, I recognized him, he recognized me, and I went full "bro-hug" (sideways handshake, other arm hug-back slap combo) on him. I'm pretty sure he was caught off guard, but played along.

Dunn is a closet hugger. Jason Seiden, he's a hugger. So, are Laurie Ruettimann and Dawn Burke. I find Southern folks are huggers, more than Northern, and Western more than Eastern. Canadians hug more than Americans. Men feel much more comfortable hugging women than other men. And, women will hug anything.

I thought it was about time we had some hugging rules for the office, so here goes:

The hugging rules

1. Don't hug those you supervise. The caveats: You can hug a subordinate if it's being supportive in a non-creepy way (major family or personal loss—sideways, kind of arm around the shoulder, you care about them hug); at a wedding and you are congratulating them; it's a hug for a professional win (promotion, giant sale, big project completion, etc.) and it's with a group, not alone in your office with the lights off; or, if you would feel comfortable with your spouse standing next you and watching that specific hug.

2. Hug your external customers or clients when they initiate the hugging sequence. The caveats: Don't hug if it is required to get business (that's not hugging, that's harassment). Don't let the hug last more than a second or two, or it gets creepy; and, don't mention the hug afterwards, that makes you seem creepy!

3. Don't hug the person in the office you're having an affair with (no explanation needed).

4. Hug peers, just not every day. It's all right to hug, but you don't need to do it every day for people you see every day. Save some up and make it special!

5. When you hug, hug for real. Nothing worse than the "fake" hug! A fake hug is worse than a non-hug.

6. Don't whisper "you smell good" when hugging someone professionally. That's creepy; in fact don't whisper anything while hugging!

7. Don't close your eyes while hugging professionally. That's weird and a bit stalker-like.

8. It's all right to announce a hug is coming. Some people will appreciate a "Hey! Come here I'm giving you a hug—it's been a long time!'

9. It's never all right to hug from behind. (Creepier!)

10. Never hug in the restroom. It makes for an awkward moment when other employees walk in and see that.

11. If you're questioning whether it will be all right to hug someone professionally, well, that is your cue that it probably isn't.

Do you have any hugging rules for the office?

Tim Sackett is executive vice president of HRU Technical Resources, a contingent staffing firm in Lansing, Mich. Contact him at sackett.tim@HRU-Tech.com. A version of this article originally appeared on The Tim Sackett Project.

New website offers distance-learning for communicators

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:03:00 GMT

You're sitting in your office salivating at that new conference brochure. You'd love to attend, but you're chained to your desk.

Your boss is stingy with travel expenses, and you can't imagine being gone from the office for three days.

Does this sound like you? If so, you have good company.

Most of our 1.2 million readers at Ragan.com and PR Daily NEVER get to attend our live conferences.

They are either too busy or too broke. Or they live too far away.

Nearly 600,000 readers live in Europe, Australia, Africa, India, and the Middle East. Some of you who are reading this story hail from London, Melbourne, Bangalore, Sydney, Toronto, and even Lagos, Nigeria.

Well don't worry. Help is now available.

It's called RaganTraining.com, and it contains more than 200 hours of instructions that you can view from your desk, your tablet, or laptop.

This was our goal when we developed this first-of-a-kind distance-learning portal:

Deliver conferences to our customers wherever they are;

Make the platform accessible from home, the office, the bus, or the gym; and

Offer an affordable and "all you can eat" membership plan for individuals or entire teams.

Once you register, here is what you get:

160 hours of HD-quality video presentations from our highest-rated events;

18 interactive, learn-on-the-go courses by Ragan trainer Shel Holtz; and

Unlimited access to our teeming archive of popular webinars.

And, as they say in those infomercials, THERE'S MORE!

Every month you'll receive 20 more hours of content to choose from AND a newsletter telling you what's new.

So what do we cover on RaganTraining.com? Here is a partial list of topics we cover:

Media Relations
Social Media
Crisis Communications
Public Relations & Marketing
Intranets
Video
SharePoint
Writing & Editing

There's a lot more, but you get the point. Everything you do as a communicator is covered on this site.

Here is a new video tour we produced just for you:

And here again is a link to the site.

You can order an individual membership directly from the site at the special $300 discount we're giving only to our readers. However, if you're interested in obtaining a multi-user membership for your entire team, send an email to: shallonb@ragan.com.

Online course: Podcasting made easy

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Looking for a fresh new way to reach your customers? Need new tactics to inspire employees?

Try podcasting.

Podcasts are an easy way to create new audiences and extend your company's influence farther than ever before.

In Ragan's latest training module, "Master the Podcast: What podcasting is, why you need to be doing it, and how to get it right," social media visionary Shel Holtz explains why podcasting is so easy to do, boosts your brand, and costs very little.

Learn more about the training course.

In 90 minutes, you'll learn:

Why Disney, Oracle, Microsoft and IBM use podcasts to connect with customers and employees.
How podcasts create a following for your organization.
Where to get high-quality, inexpensive podcast software.
How podcasts boost internal communications by reaching workers indifferent to print.
And more.

Learn more about this new training course.

(Image via)

Infographic: Employees are more trustworthy than CEOs

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:09:00 GMT

Who do you trust most at your company: the employees or CEO?

A new study from Edelman says employees trust each other more than they trust the CEO. Edelman illustrated the study's findings in an infographic.

Employees see CEOs as most credible when they talk about financial performance, but when it comes to what it's like to work at the company, they trust employees more. CEOs and employees are equally credible when they talk about innovation.

Perhaps unsurprising, executives have a 15 percent greater trust in CEOs than employees do.

But no one wants to work for a company where the CEO doesn't seem credible. How can CEOs improve their credibility?

Edelman recommends companies:

Encourage CEOs to show, through personal stories, how they demonstrate company values.

Include employees in management decisions.
Take advantage of employee ambassadors.

Check out the graphic for more:

(View a larger image.)