Pattern Recognitiontag:www.brc60.com,2010:/brcnew/pattern//212009-12-29T16:28:37ZMovable Type 3.34Why are Brownies so Compelling?tag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8902009-12-14T14:55:45Z2009-12-29T16:28:37ZFROM JAY DECATOR : : We recently conducted a short survey about brownie preferences and figured it would be a funny distraction before Thanksgiving day. But if it were just a cute story, you'd be...Jay Decatorhttp://www.brc60.com
FROM JAY DECATOR : : We recently conducted a short survey about brownie preferences and figured it would be a funny distraction before Thanksgiving day. But if it were just a cute story, you'd be reading about this on On The Fly.
No, with this simple survey, we learned volumes about the differences between men and women and what makes an effective survey.]]>
do you prefer your brownies with edges (from the side or corner) or without (from the center).
We were hoping we'd get some interesting results that backed up our thinking, and here's what we found:
93 people answered: 40 Male, 53 Female
Just looking at the raw preferences, 48.39% prefered a brownie from the center, 36.56% prefered a brownie from the corner, and 15.05% prefered a brownie from the side.
But here are the interesting stats:
62.5% of males wanted a brownie with an edge, with 50% of all males specifically preferring a corner.
56.6% of females wanted a brownie from the center.
So this outcome supports our hypothesis that a correlation exists between brownie edge preference and gender!
As for frosting, only 15% of people would change their answer if the brownie was frosted, with 42.86% of those people switching to a center piece. We didn’t find a deeper meaning here though: results were pretty much even when segmented by gender and unfrosted edge preference.
What’s more, we had great participation stats, 93 responses represents a 70.66% start rate and a 90.57% completion rate for those who started. These participation rates are better by a great margin than most of the more serious questions we ask in our surveys. Maybe that represents an interest in esoteric behavioral preferences, or maybe people just like brownies. It definitely supports the case for short, interesting surveys. If you don’t really need to know what someone thought of the napkins (on a 100-point scale) at your last event, don’t ask it!
This experiment also echoes the way we handle actual client-driven work. We are presented with a situation and immediately begin to notice trends and develop hunches, but we don’t act on them until we have the information that backs them up or points us in another direction. And most of the time, it backs us up. We know more than brownies!
So, if you are one of the folks who like brownies with an edge, then here is a baking idea for you. We’re re-dubbing it “The Manly-Man Brownie Pan” for statistical reasons.
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Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact-based world viewtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8892009-12-11T21:53:13Z2009-12-29T16:30:21ZFROM JAY DECATOR : : At Brandt Ronat and Company we are often tasked with presenting data in a compelling manner, so we're always on the lookout for new programs, methods and designs to inspire...Jay Decatorhttp://www.brc60.com
FROM JAY DECATOR : : At Brandt Ronat and Company we are often tasked with presenting data in a compelling manner, so we're always on the lookout for new programs, methods and designs to inspire these visualizations.
One such thing is Gapminder's Trendalyzer. The Trendalyzer is an extremely powerful tool for understanding the world through a variety of indicators over a long period of time. Its ease of use belies its depth, which is why I'm writing this article now and not in 2008...]]>
TED presentation Debunking Myths about the “Third World”. I was captivated by his moving circles, so when I found out I could play with that very tool I rushed over to the website to give it a try.
I looked at a few different indicators for several minutes then went back to work and forgot about it until the other day. I received a tweet with a link and the words "Perhaps best graphical use of data on the Web". So in hope of discovering something astounding I could share with co-workers and clients, I clicked and found my self back at Gapminder.
Since 2008, I've had a greater need for having a variety of visualization solutions in my bag of tricks, so I decided to take another look. It turns out they were wrong.
It's not just the best graphical use of data on the Web, it is the most intuitive way to visualize multiple data sets over time.
To do this, Trendalyzer charts each "entity" (often a country) using color, size and movement.
One great thing is that all the parameters for the graph are pulled from the URL, so it’s easy to share the same setup with others.
For instance, I made a chart that explores the relationship between a country’s infant mortality rate, its life expectancy, its income per person and its total fertility.
Click here to go to the graph.
I have tracked USA and China, so their paths will be displayed as trails of points, while the other countries are transparent. Infant mortality is measured on the x-axis, total fertility on the y-axis, life expectancy by color of the point, and total income by the size of the point. If you press play (at the bottom) the time line will begin and the points will move and grow as time moves along.
They have many different indicators that you can have displayed by one of the 4 dimensions (axes, size, color), making this a very powerful, but very intuitive way to present a lot of time-based data.
Another cool thing they have is Map view:
Map view puts the points on a map of the world and allows 2 indicators to be measured by size and color.
Their main goal in making this data and software available is to fill a data gap between people who want to explore this world data, but don’t have access to it, or can’t interpret it in its raw forms. They’re also hoping that access to this data will make falling back on assumptions, stereotypes and common sense unnecessary.
Google purchased the software behind this and they offer it free of charge.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=www.google.com/ig/modules/motionchart.xmlhttp://code.google.com/apis/visualization/documentation/gallery/motionchart.html
I haven't tried using the Google version and uploading my own data yet, but I'm looking forward to getting a chance to try it out.
The main thing to remember is that it's hard for raw figures to inspire someone. When you allow a user to explore your data in a way that's relevant to them, you can easily get them energized about your cause. Would you rather look at this and this or have those numbers come alive like this? ]]>
The Full Monty at Melbourne Civic Theatretag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8702009-10-08T17:45:25Z2009-10-08T17:47:09ZLinda and I attended a performance of THE FULL MONTY at Melbourne Civic Theatre last weekend. It was extremely well done and we recommend it highly. There is some adult language and naturally there is...Bill Ronat
Linda and I attended a performance of THE FULL MONTY at Melbourne Civic Theatre last weekend. It was extremely well done and we recommend it highly.
There is some adult language and naturally there is some skin on display (it is a play about guys stripping, after all), but don’t let that deter you. MCT has added Thursday night performances because the scheduled shows were all selling out. I suggest you hurry if you want to see it. Continue and you can read Linda’s musings after seeing the show.
Melbourne Civic Theatre Box Office 321-723-6935
From: Linda Brandt
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 1:21 PM
Subject: THE FULL MONTY
The implications in The Full Monty are even more poignant at this point of this year, when months of suffering over job losses across the country, not just in select pockets, signals the eroding effects of passing time and wearing emotions on so many families in our communities.
I found this in the NY TIMES today: "In fact, thanks to disproportionate job losses in predominantly male industries, women now exceed men in the labor market for the first time in American history." -- Dalton Conley, dean for the social sciences at New York University, is the author of “Elsewhere, U.S.A.”
This fine musical play, The Full Monty, creatively offered to us by Peg Girard and team at Melbourne Civic Theatre, reveals an intimate familiarity with the emotions of the handful of men (and their families) displaced from jobs on the floor and in the management of a factory somewhere. The people feel as real to us as our neighbors, due to the incredible casting of an ensemble that looks and sounds like ordinary hard-workiing people who were unprepared for the shocks and stress of the financial knock blows that just keep coming. But who is?
The predominantly labor-class viewpoint in the play is revealed to extend uphill and behind the doors of the offices to level the playing field and adds breadth to our understanding of the CONNECTIVITY of us all, whether putting the tire on the car, selling the tire to the dealer, working on the line manufacturing the tire, or any of the decision makers along a supply chain and down to the individual owner that buys the tire and drives to work, school, dinner or... a play...we are all part of the same system, dependent on each other's contribution and subject to each other's loss. (Substitute any product, industry, geography or economic sector for this tire example and truly feel the complexity of our economic connectedness.)
Peg's delivery of this fine ensemble (and this sensitive, full-bodied interpretation) is a gift to us. We must remember to treasure the artistic excellence this community can and does deliver. And as to the actors who bring it home, there are simply too many genuinely wonderful performances by these actors on that stage to talk about properly. So many are just so good in the roles cast so perfectly, it would take two more pages. But you can't write about The Full Monty at Melbourne Civic Theatre without mentioning three: Alfie Silva, Dana Blanchard and Alan Selby.
You have to see them. I'm not going to even try to compact their characterizations and the nuances of their portrayals into a little paragraph on each of them. Not fair. To think that is enough--or passes for what really happens in the intimate space that is theater anywhere--is wrong, especially this time. You have to go -- see for yourself what they do with the roles; learn what you learn, feel what you feel, and be better for having been there.
You just have to see what all six of these guys do with the roles (and meet the women who support them painfully, quietly and sometimes not so).
There are three Thursdays Melbourne Civic just added to the schedule, because there is such good word of mouth and such demand for "more, more, please give us more." Call now. If you wait, you'll really miss out this time.
THE ART OF COOKING WORDS, Part Itag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8262009-08-03T00:42:32Z2009-08-03T00:48:49ZBUILDING GREAT, FOCUSED CONTENT TOGETHER By Linda Brandt, brandt ronat + company (b r + c) Positioning or re-positioning statements, visions and such, are important considerations developed in boardrooms or offices, with organization leaders, for...Lisa
in the back room or on an exec’s shelves), the positioning or visioning is not working.
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up and down the food chain, as they talk to, write for or interact with the various audiences they address. You see it in the way the message is translated into Visual Metaphors, Info Graphics, PowerPoint, Advertising, Editorials, Internal Memos, Websites and other venues for words and support data, info, images and so on.
Success is driven through clear and meaningful articulation in all the threads that reach all the audiences.
Sound hard? It is. Sound impossible? It isn’t. The process is, instead, methodical.
“Content” encapsulates your positioning, reflects your vision and helps you move toward it.
At this point in beginning the long haul to help an organization develop the messages that explain, inspire, support, connect and resonate, I often encounter a client type I like to call the TESTER.
TESTERS don’t want to reveal anything; they dole out tiny pieces of information as slowly as a faucet with an occasional drip and watch us “guess” at what the drips of info mean, guess at product benefits, guess at known barriers to sale, guess at stakeholder internal disagreements on nuances of message, guess at short-term and long-term context.
These are the folks that have the lowest trust quotients and are most dangerous to the organization.
Here’s what I say to the Testers: Understand how good content is actually made.
BUILDING CONTENT TOGETHER.
Resonating, effective content does not come magically from a spigot we turn on in our studio backroom. (Sure, as professional writers, we can write “good copy” that is better—or initially perceived as better—than some of your recent internal efforts, but that’s not the point.)
The process of content development—that is, the process of developing really valuable content—is better described as the buildup of a controlled mash-up of facts and figures, experience and theory, trends, options, realities, memories and nuance. These components come together and then are organized, ordered and re-envisioned, and reinterpreted into a guiding set of repurpose-able elements, pieces and parts.
More Wiki-like, the re-envisioning is the think-tank assessment from the sum of many voices, many facts and many refinements. Just like elementary education, your knowledge and your ability to take in more complex knowledge depends on basic learning, basic understanding of key concepts and processes. It’s no different when you grow up, and yet many people start in the middle of a story and have no idea why blank faces occur.
Building this really valuable repository of layered usable elements and devices for understanding, is not something we do alone. The really rich and resonate solutions come from a valuable collaboration by experts with real information boiled in the same kettle with the market’s annoying and sticky false perceptions and new market unpredictable behaviors. This rich stew comes out cooked and ready to eat as a textured, enriched, ripe and potent set of tasty, satisfying and authentic messages to be repackaged to feed subsets in each of their independent voices. That’s what you want.
No magic wand gets it done. But when a few leaders in your organization engage in a solid, evidence-based process the results can be satisfying. A company like ours can do a lot of the heavy lifting, so it is not so painful or complex to discover and combine the words, thoughts, memory devices and truths that push you and yours forward on a sustainable communications path.
And that’s the tipping point at which the Little Engine That Could reaches just over the top of that impossible hill and starts down on the other side with enough steam to keep on going.
Or, to stay with the metaphor, that’s when the soufflé rises, the crème brûlée crystallizes and the entrée is ready to eat. Soup’s on.
Brandt Ronat + Company (br+c) is a mature consulting/design firm specializing in creating brand and business sector positioning strategies, along with high-quality communications solutions, advertising and collateral systems that sustain. The core strength of br+c can be described by three words: analytical, balanced, creative. Through ANALYTICAL CREATIVE™, a proprietary process, br+c senior strategists bring the big picture on client opportunities into focus.
New business inquiries please contact Ryan Brandt, ryan@brc60.com, or call 321-259-0024.
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Final Flock Encore a Successtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8222009-07-24T21:20:18Z2009-07-24T21:27:25ZThanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street last night. Read on for some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful resources mentioned during the presentation....Lisa
Thanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street last night. Read on for some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful resources mentioned during the presentation.
Highlights:
• Flock is a free, award-winning social web browser. CNET gave it a 5 out of 5 rating, and Entrepreneur Magazine said that the integrated sidebar was reason enough to make the switch from Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Its ability to integrate social media services into one singular location can help you gain control of your daily information stream
• It allows you to both create and consume content, all while managing multiple profiles from one place
• An integrated user interface allows seamless information management, without interrupting your workflow
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/http://localtweeps.com/
Twitter Background Inspiration
http://www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/twitter-background-design-how-to-and-best-practices/http://designreviver.com/inspiration/25-of-the-best-designed-twitter-homepages/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!]]>
Creating a Healthcare Social Media Marketing Plantag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8192009-07-23T15:21:43Z2009-07-23T15:23:58ZA good friend of mine recently had a lightbulb moment, where she proclaimed, “I realized social media marketing isn’t any different than traditional marketing. You still need a plan, it’s just a different method of...Lisa
A good friend of mine recently had a lightbulb moment, where she proclaimed, “I realized social media marketing isn’t any different than traditional marketing. You still need a plan, it’s just a different method of delivery.” I could have hugged her! That’s a key point that many people miss—and who can blame them?
The Healthcare Marketer” blog, looking exclusively at social media tools is ‘really putting the cart before the horse’. Below he lists a rough outline for a social media marketing plan, which basically mirrors a traditional marketing outline:
1. Identify Goals and Objectives
2. Market Analysis (trends, needs, competition, best practices, etc)
3. Social Media Components/Implementation (including integration with traditional campaign)
4. Assessment and Allocation of Resources
5. Monitoring and Measurement
Check out his blog for ten more in-depth steps you should take when getting started, including: Participate, Culture/Preparedness, Target Audience, Objectives and Goals, Desired Outcomes, Toolbox, Integration, Plan Resources, Measure, Monitor and Policy.
Source: http://thehealthcaremarketer.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/creating-a-social-media-marketing-plan/Brandt Ronat + Company (br+c) is a mature consulting/design firm specializing in creating brand and business sector positioning strategies, along with high-quality communications solutions, advertising and collateral systems that sustain. The core strength of br+c can be described by three words: analytical, balanced, creative. Through ANALYTICAL CREATIVE™, a proprietary process, br+c senior strategists bring the big picture on client opportunities into focus. A/C™ works to achieve a strong, rational, evidence-based set of variables to inform planning and development.]]>
Starbucks Goes Nativetag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8202009-07-21T22:41:25Z2009-07-23T16:32:05Z Starbucks recently revealed that they're retooling several stores in the style of an independent coffeehouse. Little changes like serving alcohol, hosting live performances...and removal of all connections with Starbucks. That's right, the most successful...Jay Decatorhttp://www.brc60.com
Starbucks recently revealed that they're retooling several stores in the style of an independent coffeehouse. Little changes like serving alcohol, hosting live performances...and removal of all connections with Starbucks.
That's right, the most successful coffee chain in history is voluntarily unbranding three locations, with more to come if this limited test works.
]]>
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009479123_starbucks16.html. There's some great quotes from local coffehouse owners who had Starbucks researchers invading their stores.
]]>
Third BRC Gathering a Flocking Successtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.8032009-06-12T16:31:11Z2009-06-12T16:46:47ZThanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street last night. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful resources mentioned during...Lisa
Thanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street last night. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful resources mentioned during the presentation.
Highlights:
• Flock is a free, award-winning social web browser. CNET gave it a 5 out of 5 rating, and Entrepreneur Magazine said that the integrated sidebar was reason enough to make the switch from Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Its ability to integrate social media services into one singular location can help you gain control of your daily information stream
• It allows you to both create and consume content, all while managing multiple profiles from one place
• An integrated user interface allows seamless information management, without interrupting your workflow
From Left to Right: Keith Houston, Karen Davis, Sean Phelan, Joseph Grutta, Jeanne Kenaston, Melissa Flores, Jay Decator, Sherry Burklew, Mason Blake, Linda Brandt and Kim Agee.
Kimberly Eye, Lisa Hansen, Melinda Ridgley and Karen Davis
From Left to Right: Karen Davis, Susan T. Bowers, Scott Miller, Donna Duda, Sean Phelan, Joseph Grutta, Mason Blake, Kim Agee and Kimberly Eye.
Melinda Ridgley, Karen Davis, Susan T. Bowers, Donna Duda
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!
]]>
Second BRC Gathering a Flocking Successtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7982009-05-22T14:41:06Z2009-05-22T14:58:32ZThanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street on a rainy Thursday evening. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful...Lisa
Thanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street on a rainy Thursday evening. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and FREE helpful resources mentioned during the presentation. (Did we mention it was free?)
Highlights:
• Flock is a free, award-winning social web browser. CNET gave it a 5 out of 5 rating, and Entrepreneur Magazine said that the integrated sidebar was reason enough to make the switch from Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Its ability to integrate social media services into one singular location can help you gain control of your daily information stream
• It allows you to both create and consume content, all while managing multiple profiles from one place
• An integrated user interface allows seamless information management, without interrupting your workflow
From Left to Right: Tracy Yates, Christina LaFortune, Suzy Leonard, Deidre Jackson, Bill Ronat, Bill Williams, Tina Shea, Joseph Grutta, Mary Daugherty, Ryan Brandt, Bryan Ridgley, Linda Brandt, Paula Frerichs, Sandy Grutta, and Caron Partridge. (Not pictured: Jenise Osani, Alison Bogart)
Christina LaFortune, Suzy Leonard
Bill Williams, Caron Partridge
Ryan Brandt, Bryan Ridgley
Tina Shea, Lisa Kay Hansen
Bill Ronat, Joseph Grutta, Sandy Grutta, Tracy Yates, Linda Brandt
Mary Daugherty, Alison Bogart
Melinda Ridgley, Bryan Ridgley
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!]]>
Hospital Websites - Getting Back to Basicstag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7972009-05-21T18:41:20Z2009-05-21T18:57:45ZWhen talking about Web 2.0, conversation is sprinkled with words and phrases that didn’t even exist 5-10 years ago—SEO, RSS feeds, blog posts, Twitter feeds—the list can go on. In this age of information, now...Lisa
When talking about Web 2.0, conversation is sprinkled with words and phrases that didn’t even exist 5-10 years ago—SEO, RSS feeds, blog posts, Twitter feeds—the list can go on. In this age of information, now more than ever, hospital websites need guard against getting sucked in by all the bells and whistles of new technology and concentrate on the basics.
Who, Why, and What. Does that sound basic? It is! But it’s the key to effective communication. The real question to ask yourself is: ‘Am I following these rules?’
Christopher Boyer of “Hospital Online Marketing Education” states that most hospital websites he’s recently visited have ‘lost sight of the basics.”
Below is an excerpt of Boyer’s article “The Who’s, Why’s and What’s of a Hospital Web Site.”
Who
This refers who you are - not only the features of your hospital: your key service lines, your staff, your hours of operation, but also your role in the community, and who your key stakeholders are. Hospitals also need to find a compelling way to illustrate who you will be in the future, and the importance of this to the community you serve.
Why
People searching online are searching with intent, which means (in short) that when they are on your website, most web viewers are in the process of selecting your hospital over others. It's important to use your website to tell them why they should choose your hospital over others. Why are you different? Is it the quality of your staff, your technologies and procedures? Is it your accreditations and/or your third-party awards? By giving them a clear illustration as to why your hospital is different - or better - than others, is critical.
What
The one thing that is often overlooked is perhaps the most important - now that they know the who's and the why's of your hospital, what do you want them to do? Consider this the business development portion of your site. What should they do to further engage with your hospital? Download additional brochures to share with their friends/family? Contact your physician referral line? Sign up for a community seminar or lecture? Hospitals that don't give web consumers a "call to action" are leaving potential revenue on the table.
Boyer emphasizes that ‘once your hospital has addressed the who, why and what, you are free to focus on other elements of your site. And that’s when you can start turning your attention to Twitter, Facebook and other social elements.’
Source: http://hospitalonlinemarketingeducation.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-whos-whys-and-whats-of-a
]]>
New Options for Google Searchtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7952009-05-20T15:55:09Z2009-05-20T22:14:47ZGoogle has added some of the tools that have been in beta testing to their main search page. None of these tools are perfect or do all the work for you, but they do provide...Jay Decatorhttp://www.brc60.com
Google has added some of the tools that have been in beta testing to their main search page.
None of these tools are perfect or do all the work for you, but they do provide alternative ways of organizing results that make it easier to find both what you’re looking for and content related to what you’re looking for.
The next time you search for something on Google, click the "Show options…" link near the top...
That will give you access to new filters and views:
It can filter out links that are too old, show additional text or images, show related queries, or create a timeline of your query.
Another cool thing is the Wonder Wheel, which allows you to branch from relation to relation:
I went from U.S. Civil War to the Revolutionary War to the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution to its Amendments. This tool (along with Related Searches) is good because you can identify better keywords than what you originally used, which is one of the hardest parts of searching the web: you have a general idea of what you find, but don’t know exactly how to express it.]]>
Get that unpublished book out of the drawertag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7942009-05-18T15:36:11Z2009-05-18T15:48:49ZFROM BILL RONAT : : HERE'S A WEBSITE THAT IS ATTEMPTING TO HOOK UP READERS WITH WRITERS. It's called SCRIBd.com and if you want to see how your writing is received by potential readers, here's...Bill Ronat
FROM BILL RONAT : : HERE'S A WEBSITE THAT IS ATTEMPTING TO HOOK UP READERS WITH WRITERS. It's called SCRIBd.com and if you want to see how your writing is received by potential readers, here's your chance.
http://www.scribd.com/partners
Here's the New York Times take on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/start-ups/18download.html?th&emc=th
And keep reading to see what I think.]]>
Here's the significance (IMHO):
—Trying to do for text what YouTube did for video.
—Another example of how the distribution of information is changing because of the low cost of production. Books used to be expensive to produce, so only a relative few were published. There were lots of hoops to jump through to get there: impress an agent, get the book read at a publisher, get an editor to champion the author. This created a filtering system where only the best (or at least the most potentially profitable) books were published. With SCRIBd anyone can publish anything and it’s up to the rating system to decide if it’s any good.
—This is also a smaller player (SCRIBd) trying to keep Amazon and Google from cornering the market on online books.
—But for an author who has a book that would have a readership too small for a traditional publisher to buy, this offers a way to target that small audience and get the publication in front of eyeballs.
]]>
First BRC Gathering a Flocking Successtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7912009-05-11T15:15:52Z2009-05-11T15:29:09ZThanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street Thursday evening. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and helpful resources mentioned during the...Lisa
Thanks to our fellow FLOCK-ers who migrated up to BRC’s home office at 60 McLeod Street Thursday evening. Read on for a few photos, some highlights from the discussion, and helpful resources mentioned during the presentation.
Jim Ridenour, Julie Braga, Sara Stern, and Nancy Williamson
Bill Ronat, Michael LaFortune, and Jimi Gonzalez
Bill Ronat, Josh Field, Aliona Groh, Julian Bennett, and Tina Shea
Highlights:
• Flock is a free, award-winning social web browser. CNET gave it a 5 out of 5 rating, and Entrepreneur Magazine said that the integrated sidebar was reason enough to make the switch from Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Its ability to integrate social media services into one singular location can help you gain control of your daily information stream
• It allows you to both create and consume content, all while managing multiple profiles from one place
• An integrated user interface allows seamless information management, without interrupting your workflow
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!]]>
Social Media Eases Hospital Crisis Communicationtag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7742009-02-24T15:22:21Z2009-05-07T16:43:08Z: : THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY DURING A CRISIS IS A NECESSITY FOR HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS. As social media quickly gains critical mass in the marketplace, healthcare organizations are reaching out to their audiences to...Bill Ronat
: : THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY DURING A CRISIS IS A NECESSITY FOR HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS.
As social media quickly gains critical mass in the marketplace, healthcare organizations are reaching out to their audiences to talk to them where they naturally congregate.
An article from “Health Leaders Media” covers how Innovis Health, a hospital in Fargo, SD, used a combination of their blog, website, and Twitter feed to communicate with the community during the recent Red River floods.]]>
Innovis Health of Fargo, SD. They are holding the Midwest hospital up as an example of someone who led by example, taking charge on keeping employees informed, the community educated, and intertwining branding into all the efforts.
Crisis Communications, Social Media, and a Whole Lot of Heart
For days after the Red River floods, Innovis was the single hospital that was fully operational. They smartly took advantage of the free service, Twitter, to communicate with their employees, staff, community, and EMT workers.
Their corporate blog also featured a heartfelt post from hospital president Greg Glasner and CAO Kevin Pizner. There, they pledged that Innovis Health would continue to support the community during the efforts in the months ahead, including clean-up and rebuildling.
“The floodwaters are receding, though in many instances, the hardest work begins now–the clean-up, the re-building, the emotional wear and tear, and the repairing of families impacted by the flood,” they wrote.
Additionally, they thanked their staff for their efforts during the emergency.
“The power of human spirit was clearly evident in the determination of the staff of Innovis Health not to give up, but rather ’step up’ at this time of crisis,” they wrote. “You did it through the offering of your time, energy, skills, talents and even personal resources. Your collective efforts resulted in a tremendous impact on our patients over the past week. Our communities and region know who they can count on to be there with them in any emergency.”
From the HealthLeaders Media article, “this is what marketers mean when they talk about how important it is to live your brand, mission, and values. This is what it means to tell your organization’s story. And these leaders clearly understand how valuable their employees are–and understand the power of telling them so in a very public forum.”
If you want to learn more about how this Midwest hospital handled their crisis communication, check out this interview of Carol Russell, the social media program manager for Innovis Health. She spearheaded the hospital’s response for outreach communication as the flooding started to happen.
Source: http://blogs.healthleadersmedia.com/marketshare/2009/04/crisis-communications-social-media/
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Linda Brandt featured in Space Coast Business magazinetag:www.brc60.com,2009:/brcnew/pattern//21.7542009-01-29T21:00:49Z2009-01-29T21:23:14ZTHERE IS NO DOUBT THAT LINDA HAS BECOME A FORCE in the business community of Brevard County over the years. Here's your chance to read a little of her history and find out a few...Bill Ronat
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One great thing is that all the parameters for the graph are pulled from the URL, so it’s easy to share the same setup with others.
For instance, I made a chart that explores the relationship between a country’s infant mortality rate, its life expectancy, its income per person and its total fertility.
Click here to go to the graph.
I have tracked USA and China, so their paths will be displayed as trails of points, while the other countries are transparent. Infant mortality is measured on the x-axis, total fertility on the y-axis, life expectancy by color of the point, and total income by the size of the point. If you press play (at the bottom) the time line will begin and the points will move and grow as time moves along.
They have many different indicators that you can have displayed by one of the 4 dimensions (axes, size, color), making this a very powerful, but very intuitive way to present a lot of time-based data.
Another cool thing they have is Map view:
Map view puts the points on a map of the world and allows 2 indicators to be measured by size and color.
Their main goal in making this data and software available is to fill a data gap between people who want to explore this world data, but don’t have access to it, or can’t interpret it in its raw forms. They’re also hoping that access to this data will make falling back on assumptions, stereotypes and common sense unnecessary.
Google purchased the software behind this and they offer it free of charge.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=www.google.com/ig/modules/motionchart.xml
http://code.google.com/apis/visualization/documentation/gallery/motionchart.html
I haven't tried using the Google version and uploading my own data yet, but I'm looking forward to getting a chance to try it out.
The main thing to remember is that it's hard for raw figures to inspire someone. When you allow a user to explore your data in a way that's relevant to them, you can easily get them energized about your cause. Would you rather look at this and this or have those numbers come alive like this? ]]>
Starbucks recently revealed that they're retooling several stores in the style of an independent coffeehouse. Little changes like serving alcohol, hosting live performances...and removal of all connections with Starbucks.
That's right, the most successful coffee chain in history is voluntarily unbranding three locations, with more to come if this limited test works.
]]>
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009479123_starbucks16.html. There's some great quotes from local coffehouse owners who had Starbucks researchers invading their stores.
From Left to Right: Keith Houston, Karen Davis, Sean Phelan, Joseph Grutta, Jeanne Kenaston, Melissa Flores, Jay Decator, Sherry Burklew, Mason Blake, Linda Brandt and Kim Agee.
Kimberly Eye, Lisa Hansen, Melinda Ridgley and Karen Davis
From Left to Right: Karen Davis, Susan T. Bowers, Scott Miller, Donna Duda, Sean Phelan, Joseph Grutta, Mason Blake, Kim Agee and Kimberly Eye.
Melinda Ridgley, Karen Davis, Susan T. Bowers, Donna Duda
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/
http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!
]]>
From Left to Right: Tracy Yates, Christina LaFortune, Suzy Leonard, Deidre Jackson, Bill Ronat, Bill Williams, Tina Shea, Joseph Grutta, Mary Daugherty, Ryan Brandt, Bryan Ridgley, Linda Brandt, Paula Frerichs, Sandy Grutta, and Caron Partridge. (Not pictured: Jenise Osani, Alison Bogart)
Christina LaFortune, Suzy Leonard
Bill Williams, Caron Partridge
Ryan Brandt, Bryan Ridgley
Tina Shea, Lisa Kay Hansen
Bill Ronat, Joseph Grutta, Sandy Grutta, Tracy Yates, Linda Brandt
Mary Daugherty, Alison Bogart
Melinda Ridgley, Bryan Ridgley
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/
http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!]]>
It can filter out links that are too old, show additional text or images, show related queries, or create a timeline of your query.
Another cool thing is the Wonder Wheel, which allows you to branch from relation to relation:
I went from U.S. Civil War to the Revolutionary War to the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution to its Amendments. This tool (along with Related Searches) is good because you can identify better keywords than what you originally used, which is one of the hardest parts of searching the web: you have a general idea of what you find, but don’t know exactly how to express it.]]>
Bill Ronat, Michael LaFortune, and Jimi Gonzalez
Bill Ronat, Josh Field, Aliona Groh, Julian Bennett, and Tina Shea
Highlights:
• Flock is a free, award-winning social web browser. CNET gave it a 5 out of 5 rating, and Entrepreneur Magazine said that the integrated sidebar was reason enough to make the switch from Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Its ability to integrate social media services into one singular location can help you gain control of your daily information stream
• It allows you to both create and consume content, all while managing multiple profiles from one place
• An integrated user interface allows seamless information management, without interrupting your workflow
RESOURCES
Download Flock
http://www.flock.com/download/
Check Username Availability
http://namechk.com/
“Add This” Sharing Button
http://www.addthis.com/
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com
Find Local Twitter Users
http://www.twitterlocal.net/
http://localtweeps.com/
What were your thoughts? We’d love to hear your feedback and comments on what you learned, enjoyed, and took away from your time with FLOCK. Take a moment to fill in the comment box below and speak out!]]>
For days after the Red River floods, Innovis was the single hospital that was fully operational. They smartly took advantage of the free service, Twitter, to communicate with their employees, staff, community, and EMT workers.
Their corporate blog also featured a heartfelt post from hospital president Greg Glasner and CAO Kevin Pizner. There, they pledged that Innovis Health would continue to support the community during the efforts in the months ahead, including clean-up and rebuildling.
“The floodwaters are receding, though in many instances, the hardest work begins now–the clean-up, the re-building, the emotional wear and tear, and the repairing of families impacted by the flood,” they wrote.
Additionally, they thanked their staff for their efforts during the emergency.
“The power of human spirit was clearly evident in the determination of the staff of Innovis Health not to give up, but rather ’step up’ at this time of crisis,” they wrote. “You did it through the offering of your time, energy, skills, talents and even personal resources. Your collective efforts resulted in a tremendous impact on our patients over the past week. Our communities and region know who they can count on to be there with them in any emergency.”
From the HealthLeaders Media article, “this is what marketers mean when they talk about how important it is to live your brand, mission, and values. This is what it means to tell your organization’s story. And these leaders clearly understand how valuable their employees are–and understand the power of telling them so in a very public forum.”
If you want to learn more about how this Midwest hospital handled their crisis communication, check out this interview of Carol Russell, the social media program manager for Innovis Health. She spearheaded the hospital’s response for outreach communication as the flooding started to happen.
Source: http://blogs.healthleadersmedia.com/marketshare/2009/04/crisis-communications-social-media/
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