Sally Thorning’s heart skips a beat. She thought she could put the memory behind her. Forever. She never thought she would hear the name Mark Bretherick again. If only she was dreaming. One night, Sally and her husband Nick were watching the news and there he was, Mark Bretherick. A year ago, the mother of two, Sally, was preparing to go out of town for work; a trip she desperately needed and longed for. At the last minute, the trip was cancelled, yet Sally decided to take the opportunity to flee and treat herself to a secret vacation away from stress and little sleep. There, she met Mark Bretherick. The news correctly informs the public of his job and family, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy, that Sally learned that fateful week away. There is one startling thing that does not match up. The Mark Bretherick on the television is not the same person Sally met. And Geraldine and Lucy are both found dead. Who is this mystery man she met long ago? Who committed the crime? An affair ending in death brings questions that lead to a refreshing mystery you’re sure to never forget.
The international bestseller, Sophie Hannah, delivers yet another thrilling suspense to her audience. It is a glimmer of the tribulations faced by mother’s everyday by the demands of motherhood. Touching such subjects that are rarely honestly discussed gives this book a further realistic feeling. Her characters are complex; nevertheless, the audience isn’t challenged to connect with them. The story didn’t waste any time getting into the debacle Sally faced, however, I felt the story took awhile to really get into and didn’t start developing until half way through. The reader may fight to finish The Wrong Mother, as it was difficult to follow several occasions. I can say though, the ending is sure to please and very much worth pushing through. Tana French, author of In The Woods, expresses, “What makes this book quite so gripping is Sophie Hannah’s utter fearlessness as a writer. In her expert hands, all the little annoyances and worries and complications of everyday life are transformed, gradually and inexorably, into the raw material of pure terror. It’s like watching a nightmare come to life.” Hannah will have you guessing until the end in this psychological suspense of lust, motherhood, betrayal, and tragedy.
This is a story of how two socially awkward best friends created an Internet revolution what we know today as Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin were Harvard undergraduates who didn’t exactly fit in at the top of the social ladder. Eduardo was caught up in gaining acceptance through joining one of the most privileged societies on campus while Mark was not too ecstatic over the idea. Instead, Mark discovered his own way to social approval through his exceptional computer knowledge. One night, the mastermind hacked into Harvard’s computer system and created a program where female students could be rated similar to Hot or Not. Within a few hours the program received so many hits and consequently crashed the campus’ servers and as a result almost got him expelled from school. In that moment, things were about to change. A star was born. But at what price? The story follows the making of Facebook: the idea, the betrayal, and the success. An inspiration that brought so many people together, yet in the end tore two best friends apart.
The Accidental Billionaires, written by Ben Mezrich, is a captivating read about a program that has made an immense impact in today’s society. Facebook has revolutionized social networking and stands superior to its competitors. After the completion of the book, it aspires one to pursue their ideas and perhaps become the next Mark Zuckerberg.It is a story of the digital era that needs to be told. I am skeptical however that the account is not completely accurate due to Ben Mezrich not speaking to the man behind Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Mezrich focuses his story a great deal on “the fact” that best friends Eduardo and Mark largely just wanted to meet girls. I would be very intrigued to hear Mark’s genuine thoughts behind the idea that has connected millions of people worldwide. Either way Mezrich delivers an enjoyable quick-read to the audience; an in-depth story many never even knew. In the end, the anecdote was overall entertaining by means of the exaggeratedly personal information shared.The Social Network, a movie based off the founding of Facebook, starring Justin Timberlake, Jesse Eisenberg, and Andrew Garfield, will be released October 15, 2010.
There is a blue print for every crisis that could surface in any business setting. What it takes to perfect it is practice! There are simple steps to take that may seem time-consuming however when a problem is surfacing, it is all about getting the facts to those who need. This needs to take place quickly and the information needs to be easily accessible for the affected audience.
Get ahead of the crowd and get your facts to the public before further damage can be made by other mediums.
If you are unsure if your source and information is a fact, write: “according to _____.”
Take the blame and hit for the situation by accepting something went wrong.
Two different responses to a medium that you should understand: “I don’t know” -this could mean you’re waiting for confirmation regards facts you’re not 100 percent on. “No comment” –this could mean you have information, but you’re holding back and that’s not necessarily good.
Whatever the situation may be you are dealing with, as a mediator, it is your job to work with your client to prove how they are going to make a positive change.
Two great examples of crisis communication situations that were handled with confidence and compassion:
1. Tylenol’s recall - October 5, 1982
2. Odwalla’s recall - Novemeber 1, 1996
Social media has blown up these days and is not going anywhere anytime soon. Who is next to jump on the bandwagon? Google. Google has introduced a fresh way in sorting out all the shared information you experience on the web through the creation of real-time search, Social Search, and finally, Google Buzz. The new feature is set directly with your Gmail account and is designed to discover what your closest contacts are talking about. Moreover, the application allows you to share photos, links, and videos to solely your closest connections all the way to the world. Google Buzz will not only be accessible to individuals with Gmail accounts, but also schools and businesses that utilize Google Apps. An additional remarkable element of the latest function, Google Buzz, is it can be obtained on your cell phone. It stands apart from all others by being able to distinguish where the person is at the time of “the buzz” by tagging their specific geographical location. To me, this attribute is unique in understanding the background of the information and therefore how it is perceived. I’m confident that Google Buzz will too spread like wild fire in the social media craze.
BRIO is proud to announce the much anticipated BRIO Live TV exclusively found on YouTube. This is a chance to show off our production and news reporting chops. Thanks to Jenna Bennett we are now going to be doing these clips weekly. BRIO has its own channel on YouTube and if you have story ideas or would like to appear in our show let us know.
Feel free to spread the word and let others know about BRIO.
Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death at the Olympics has prompted a discussion whether or not the crash video should have in fact been broadcast on television for the world to see. Many people were horrified, which may have caused a PR catastrophe. The heartbreaking collision occurred on Canada’s winding, high-speed Whistler Track Friday, February 12, 2010 during a training period. Many argue the track was exceedingly fast and also found difficulty in finishing the track. Thursday night following her completion, Australia’s Hannah Campell-Pegg disputes, “To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives.”The argument lies in whether or not it was acceptable to run the video of young Kumaritashvili’s death repeatedly on news stations worldwide. True, the crash is newsworthy, however, when is the last time they played someone’s death for all to see? Under the Code of Ethics, was it doing minimal harm to the spectators? The video was graphic and was unnecessary to show the public following the accident. It quickly spread through the online outlet and was just a click away on You Tube. The video is not essential and does not serve necessary to successfully report on the story. The track itself would have sufficed. I suspect the media ran the video for greater ratings for the shock value rather than the actual news worth. The job of a journalist and public relations person is to tell a story to their viewers while promoting minimal harm to their audience. Keeping that in mind, you have to know your audience and make a judgment call whether or not it was in their best interest to view the explicit tragedy and if it was in truth ethical. In my opinion, the media went a step too far over the line and as a result did not show adequate respect or compassion for the 21 year old’s family and friends.
Nowadays you can’t go anywhere without someone talking about Facebook or Twitter and what they read or commented on. Social media has blown up, very quickly at that, in today’s culture. It is a new outlet to communicate to the masses, gossip about outrageous posts, and share with one another personal views on a variety of matter.For businesses and individuals seeking to market themselves reaching out to a social media can be a great start. It is quick, effortless, and most importantly, can reach a large audience through the web.Promoting to an online community can lead to a word-of-mouth focus and subsequently provide free advertising for the product. However, many do not think of the negatives that can be posed by such a wide spread phenomenon. Because the public can be exposed to both Twitter and Facebook just about anyone can grasp information once posted and use it to their advantage, which in turn may harm you. Here, I provide a few points to consider the next time you feel an urge to Tweet and/or Facebook to your heart’s content.
Avoid talking about your personal views on sensitive topics. Clients may read strong controversial opinions and not agree. This could threaten your good relationship with your customers while also affecting your reputation.
Be open-minded. Many companies fear the capability to comment freely on their sites without their control. With the freedom to include one’s own attitude and outlook on things, they may not always be positive feedback. Embrace disapproving messages as an inside look at what your audience truly desires. Let there be an open discussion on issues and you may even make a few changes to benefit the company. If left unnoticed, it may develop into an even greater off-putting situation.
Take Time to be Personal. Do not rely too heavily on the social mediums to do all your work. Being personal with your customers goes a long way in demonstrating how much you not only care about them, but also the product you’re behind. This means arrange meetings with clients and picking up the phone; not hiding behind a computer screen.
I found “5 Potential Negative Effects of Your Social Media Obsession,’ written by Mickie Kennedy, I great source and insight to the problem at hand. Check out his blog at http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/social-media-obsession/
In addition, I found this very fascinating: Here is a video of Korean children singing a song in school about maintaining Internet etiquette. Being careful of what you write online isn’t crucial to solely adults anymore. This video is very entertaining and a must see. http://boingboing.net/2009/03/26/cute-song-by-cute-ki.html
We all love YouTube for clips like “David After the Dentist” and “Hamster on a Piano,” but done correctly, You Tube can also bring your business major recognition.Here at BRIO, we are launching a YouTube channel for our interactive projects called “BRIO Live.”So far, we are in the early stages of shooting, interviewing, and editing with our authors.Today intern Rachel Ryan & I interviewed Russell Branjord, who wrote the weight-loss book “The Spike Diet.”We can’t wait to bring you behind-the-scenes details about our books and authors!
We decided it was time to launch an interactive webchannel for BRIO, and you might decide the same thing for your business.However, we didn’t want to go into a new venture blindly, so we researched some YouTube business strategies.Social media gurus say the key is to recognize what kind of video can benefit your business (how-to/tutorial, demonstration, interviews, tours, etc.) and then finding a way to get that concept across on YouTube.
First, think about what your consumers would want or need to see in relation to your products and services.If the video isn’t interesting and relevant, no one will check it out.L.A.-based marketing pro at Off the Train Marketing Kevin Strehlo says, “If your video is boring, the best tactics won’t do much for you.The videos that work best on YouTube are either hilarious, controversial, unique, or very useful.”Second, driving traffic to your webchannel is tough.You might consider a marketing tactic in association with your webchannel on YouTube, such as sponsoring a contest or filming video of a popular event your company hosts.Third, look at what your competitors are doing.Are you meeting the same consumer needs that they are?Are you missing anything important on your webchannel?Strehlo suggests taking it one step further by looking at the three videos in your category with the most YouTube views.Strehlo encourages getting ideas from them, though obviously not copy-catting.Finally, add friends on YouTube.In this regard, it is similar to Facebook; it’s a social network.By adding friends and communicating with them through the bulletin board/comments, you create dialogue versus having a one-way conversation.
We hope your business or organization will find these tips useful, too.Best of luck creating your own YouTube webchannel or promoting your existing channel!We hope to see you at www.youtube.com/briolivetv as well!
BRIO owners John Marino and William Reynolds will be on the the Peter McClellan Business radio show for one hour long today, February 9th from 5-6 pm CST to discuss everything contract publishing. BRIO is very excited to discuss the new shift in publishing with the introduction of the Apple iPad and its impact on publishing.
Feel free to phone in your questions and get involved today. For more info on the radio how and how you can listen live via the internet click here. We will see you on the radio!
You’ve done your homework and created a new product service. Now is the time for public relations. The product may be the next big thing, but in order to find out, you need to create buzz. How do you do that? The following are a few questions to ask yourself before you continue on your new adventure.
1) What is your mission and/or vision statement?
2) Is the product read and accessible?
3) Do you know who your audience is? Have you made your proper media contacts?
4) Do you know your target audience? Have you made proper media contact?
5) Do you know our main message and if it is longer than two sentences, cut it.
6) Is your message clear and concise?
7) Do you have testimonies from valued clients? Make sure you post them.
In addition to these tips, continue to develop your relationships with consumers, media outlets, be yourself and don’t become obsessed with connection with an overwhelming amount of media. First and foremost, make sure you connect with media in your target audience. Keep in mind when pitching an idea, it’s important to not sound like a programmed robot. Also, when in doubt, ask questions.
One of the lessons every publicist must learn is to thank others for their time. No matter how big or small the commitment, always take time to say thanks.
