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11:58 - Ethel Kaiden
Ethel is on line. Hello Richard, hello John
11:59 - Richard Seltzer
Welcome, Ethel. It's time to get started.
Please introduce yourself, and let us know something about your experience
in
PR, both on and off the Internet.
12:02 - Ethel Kaiden
Hi Folks, I am Ethel Kaiden. I have over 20
years of Public Relations experience at major companies, small start-up
dot-coms and agencies. I specialize in industry marketing and the Internet.
12:50 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:48 - Ethel
Kaiden 'John and I can be reached at JohnC@needhamgroup.com or EthelK@needham...')
Plug -- I worked with Ethel at Digital,
back in the days of the Internet Business Group, when she helped put not
just
Digital, but the Internet on the PR
map (remember when few people knew that the Internet could be used effectively
for business?) She knows her stuff...
12:52 - Ethel Kaiden
THANKS Richard -- I remember the first or
second Internet World when we came up with the slogan that one day your
internet address would be as important as
your phone number -- everyone laughed at us!
12:52 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:52 - Ethel
Kaiden 'THANKS Richard _ I remember the first or second Internet...')
I remember the folks from fledgling Netscape
coming by and begging Digital to invest...
12:02 - Richard Seltzer
Ethel -- when you say that you specialize
in industry marketing and the Internet, do you mean the Internet as a
marketplace or the Internet as a means of
communication, a way of delivering PR? Or both?
12:00 - Richard Seltzer
Welcome, PeteVH and Jim Klaas. Please introduce
yourselves, let us know your interests and dive in with questions.
We're just getting started.
12:00 - PeteVH
I am co-owner of a company that sells professional development
courses to teachers.
12:01 - JimKlaas
Hi, I am directing a Spanish Language distance
learning Institute and am intested in better learning how to promote what
we are doing. We have worked hard on good
course content but now need more students.
12:05 - Richard Seltzer
Welcome, John Commando -- please introduce
yourself and dive in. This is pretty much a free-for-all. Ask
questions or pick up questions and answer
them.
12:09 - John Comando
I'm partners with Ethel in NeedhamGroup a
small public relations firm. I have more than 20 uear experience in marketing
and public relations in a number of capacities.
12:30 - Richard Seltzer
Welcome, Dawn Drake, Bob Zwick, and Margie
-- please introduce yourselves and dive into the discussion with
questions or advice.
12:31 - BobZwick
Bob Zwick - independent consultant / software
developer - Distance Education and electronic publishing.
12:36 - dawn drake
Dawn Drake--Executive Director of Distance
Education the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. We have a small budged
so I want to be able to make more use of
PR tools. Unfortunately, we also are extremely short staffed, so the time
commitement for doing this seems a bit overwhelming.
What are the top 2-3 things to do to get your message heard (that will
be the least
time-consuming to produce)?
12:00 - Ethel Kaiden
John, I would think about several things including
an on-line newsletter, meetings with appropriate analysts or press or
perhaps a white paper that you could "market"
to newspapers and regional publications.
12:00 - John Watkins
One of the strategies I'm thinking about
implementing is to provide a special free membership category for writers.
They
can find lots of interesting story material
on our website and in future issues of our weekly Ezine--as well as in
transcripts
of some task forces we've established. What's
the best way to get the word out about availability of those memberships?
12:03 - Ethel Kaiden
John, you might want to look for where free
listings are available in major newspapers. You also might want to invest
in a
direct mail piece if you have a good mailing
list.
12:07 - John Watkins (Re: 12:03 - Ethel
Kaiden 'John, you might want to look for where free listings...')
What types of free listings are you thinking
about? One of our problems is financial so direct mailings are almost out
of
the question. I'm also beginning to think
that they're less necessary with the internet as a medium for communication.
But,
we have the Gebbie Press newspaper lists and
email addresses of roughly 1,500 with which we communicate regularly.
Unfortunately, the email addresses we have
don't reach people with some of the specific content interests we have.
That's particularly true with some of the
larger newspapers. I also participate in a number of email discussion groups
with
other writers.
12:06 - Ethel Kaiden
Richard,
Cutting out PR when times are tough is probably
the worst mistake that a company can make. It is the most efficient,
believable and inexpensive way of promoting
your business and getting sales. Using the web efficiently is probably
the
easiest way. Writing articles and working
with both analysts and targeted press is essential. If people do not know
your
out there - the best products in the world
will not sell.
12:31 - Richard Seltzer
Ethel and John -- speaking of "tough times"
have you noticed any change over the last couple weeks? All of a sudden,
I've started getting email from recruiters
and from Interent startups, after a year and a half of just about silence.
I think
there's some serious stirring going on out
there. Have you noticed any evidence of that?
12:36 - Ethel Kaiden
Richard,
I notice some change over the last few weeks.
The change probably mimics the slight upturn in the stock market. I think
for things to improve significantly companies
need to begin to hire again. By the way, there are a lot of consultants
out
there that are doing consulting temporarily
to put food on the table. Also large PR agencies are lowering their prices
in
order to compete. Watch a big change as things
get a little better. The large agencies will not longer be interested in
the
small client and prices will escalate. If
you look to a small agency or practitioner they are going to give you personal
service and stick with you when times get
better.
12:05 - Richard Seltzer
Ethel -- I suspect that even today many PR
professionals are very wedded to the old face-to-face, snail-mail, and
telephone means of presenting messages to
the press, and probably underuse or misuse the Internet. I also suspect
that
in tough times some guerrilla-style Internet-based
techniques might be comparatively low cost and viable with a low
budget. Any thoughts along those lines?
12:07 - Ethel Kaiden
Richard,
The internet is one of the best low-cost expansive
tools that a PR professional can use today to get the word out. By the
time you send a press release out the news
is old.
12:07 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:03 - Ethel Kaiden
'John, you might want to look for where free listings...')
Mailing lists, I believe are one of
the main differences between traditional PR and Internet-based PR. Yes,
it is possible
to buy or compile email mailing lists; but
one need to proceed with caution both in acquiring/building the list and
also in
using it. If your message is perceived as
spam then you could be far worse off after the mailing than before.
12:08 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:07 - Ethel
Kaiden 'Richard,...')
Ethel -- let's start with the notion of a
press release. It feels like in good times or in bad, you are going to
need to write
press releases; but how you distribute and
promote that news will probably differ according to your budget. What can
you/should you do with it on the Internet? How can you build or get access
to a
good list of email addresses of just the right
media people? And how can you/should you present yourself to maximize
the chance that your message will be read,
rather than discarded immediately as spam?
12:10 - John Comando
I'd like to ask the participants how they
are letting people know about their products and services now. How are
they
using the web? What other methods do they
use?
12:11 - Ethel Kaiden
As far as press releases go the wire services
are a good way to get your press release to a large group of folks and
to
the bureaus like AP etc. You can limit the
cost of a wire service by keeping your message brief and targeting the
distribution.
12:30 - Ethel Kaiden
Research and homework pay off. By just shooting
an arrow into the air you do not know where it will land. The Internet
is a great source of information. There are
many sites including an international site called www. publist.com that
allows
you to obtain editors names and publications
all over the world that deal with the subject matter you are researching.
12:35 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:30 - Ethel
Kaiden 'Research and homework pay off. By just shooting an...')
Ethel -- Amen. Even if your arrow randomly
hits its target, if you don't know what you are doing, you may not know
that
you hit it -- sure you shot the goose, but
if you don't know you did, it's carcass will just rot. You need to know
how to
followup and find out where and how your message
has been picked up. The News search capabiltiy at Google and
AltaVista can be very helpful in that regard.
Often it's what you do after your press release gets picked up that's
important -- how you leverage a mention in
one place to get a mention in another, maybe even to stir up some
controversy. (Few people read books reviews;
many people read the blurbs that publisher extract/quote from book
reviews for book covers and promot material.
First you have to find those mentions; then you have to reuse them
effectively.)
12:10 - Ethel Kaiden
Jim,
Targeted press means looking at publications
or newspapers that deal specifically with your business interest instead
of
just blasting news out to thousands that do
not have an interest in your subject matter. For instance if you deal with
the
Internet look for specific Internet publications.
Analysts are folks that look at your product or business and do an
analysis. There are analysts in all fields
of interest. You can then use their analysis to promote your product /
service and
you have an authenticated reference.
12:13 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:10 - Ethel
Kaiden 'Jim,...')
Targeted. Amen. Please correct me when I'm
wrong, Ethel and John. I'm throwing out ideas to stimulate discussion.
I am
not a PR expert. Is there a good source from
which you can buy an annotated list of media contacts -- a list that includes
not just email addresses, but information
about each writer and each publication, so you can judiciously choose which
ones to send your message to? If not, perhaps
the first job is to build such a list yourself. And once you have it, to
send
your press releases out one by one, rather
than in bulk, with a personal cover note; or even tailoring the text of
the
release for the needs of individual reporters.
I'm figuring that the tougher the times, the more targeted you want to
be and
the more you might be willing to put in the
extra time that personalization takes. Am I in the right ballpark?
12:12 - John Comando
About analysts: they also have clients that
may be you potential customers. They inform their clients about your product
as a means of solving their problems.
12:14 - John Watkins (Re: 12:12 - John
Comando 'About analysts: they also have clients that may be you...')
But, how do you find analysts who are interested
in your type of product/service? Do you pay them? Are they
employees of the existing media? Consultants?
12:18 - Ethel Kaiden
John Watkins - you do not pay them unless
you subscribe to their services. Your PR rep can arrange such meetings.
You will have to pay your PR rep but you do
not pay the Analyst. If you paid the Analyst they would not be as
believable to your customers.
12:15 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:12 - John
Comando 'About analysts: they also have clients that may be you...')
John, do you use home-grown contact lists
of "analysts"? Or is there a company or association that rents/sells such
lists
(with enough detailed annotation to make good
use of it)?
12:16 - Ethel Kaiden
The best list is one that you or your PR rep
builds. You can aget long lists of media from services such as media map.
Your best bet is to hire an experience PR
agency (Needham Group can be found at www.needhamgroup.com - just a
small plug) and let them do the work for you.
PR firms or folks are the experts in their field and can save you a lot
of
money in the long run and help to get you
a lot of business in the short term.
12:19 - John Comando
A good media list takes research. The web
has made that a lot easier. If you don't know already, ask your customers
what publications they read. Look at pub.
web sites and find reporters that write on products like your or industries
you
serve.
12:22 - Ethel Kaiden
One of the first things that we do with a client
is to develop a contact list specific to their product and interest. In
some
cases these are strictly trade publications.
In other cases we look to develop the big story or business story - how
the
product or services helps a bigger cause.
There are also interesting ways to get messages across including the use
of
video.
12:52 - BobZwick
Ethel - what is your opinion on services like
ReleasIt that send press releases to hundreds of contacts ?
12:54 - John Comando
Two resources: Business Wire $(100/year membership)
has a features distribution circuit http://www.businesswire.com
Meida Map has an experts database that reports
reference. http://www.mediamap.com
12:13 - Ethel Kaiden
Pete,
You have to be very clear in your messages
and make sure that your first paragraph says who you are and what makes
what you have to offer unique. Clarity of
messages is the most important thing in a press release. Use simple language
that people understand immediately and make
sure your messages are clear and tested.
12:14 - John Comando
How to get the press' attention: Target the
right reporters and editors. Put the news in the subject line. In your
cover
email tell them why they and their readers
should be interested. Draw them in with the headline. Give them the news
in
the first paragraph.
12:15 - PeteVH (Re: 12:13 - Ethel Kaiden
'Pete,...')
Understand about the message, but aren't press
folks looking for the "unusual" and something that will grab their
audiences' attention? Are there ways of getting
attention other than "selling the product/service?"
12:17 - John Comando
Press are not necessarily looking for the
unusual. They are looking for news that will help their readers. They have
to be
able to identify the relationship between
you news and the readers' needs.
12:17 - JimKlaas (Re: 12:13 - Ethel
Kaiden 'Pete,...')
I know I am thinking at a very basic
level, but since my target is Latin America, i am unsure what clarity of
message
implies in dressing it up with HTML
to increase its appeal versus plain simple brief text.
12:19 - John Watkins
Jim, just a side note. I feel rather strongly
that clarity is the key and that the message should not be dressed up except
in
those situations where the "dressing" truly
improves your ability to present an important idea. And, too many folk
are
unable to take advantage of the fancy stuff
and some are irritated when you force them to use it.
12:18 - Richard Seltzer
Ethel and John -- I believe that one of the
most important aspects of the Internet for PR style communication, especially
in down times, is the ability for quick followup.
You don't just send out targeted press releases; you come back in a day
or two with an extra tidbit of information
or a quick helpful reminder and offer of related help. Have you tried that
approach? Have you found it effective? (To
me, a followup email message is far less invasive and annoying than a phone
call. A phone call interrupts the flow of
my thoughts and my work; but I look at email when I want and can choose
to
discard it unread. Email also provides me
with raw text -- the actual facts -- in a form that I can readily copy
and paste
into a story; while with a phone call I'm
dependent on my memory or my garbled notes...
12:20 - Ethel Kaiden
ABSOLUTELY - follow up is key to everything.
You must constantly follow up. The whole purpose of a press release
is to introduce - what you really want is
the story that follows
12:21 - John Comando
Most editors do NOT want to be contacted about
whether they received your release. A good cover email that shows
you know their pub. helps. For example, if
they have an online newsletter, suggest that they post it there.
12:19 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:16
- Ethel Kaiden 'The best list is one that you or your PR...')
Ethel -- are there particular reporters who
you watch regularly for particular clients? "Shadowing" seems (at least
to me)
to be an effective technique.
12:21 - PeteVH
Beyond the world of press releases, emails,
and newsletters, what other techniques can we small 1, 2, 3, person
businesses do to improve PR?
12:21 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:19 - Richard
Seltzer 'Ethel -- are there particular reporters who you watch regularly...')
I guess I better explain "shadowing". First
you go to Google or AltaVista and click on the "News" tab and search for
topics that are of particular importance to
you (or your client). Look for well-written original news stories and that
indicate intellectual curiosity in subjects
that matter to you (not just someone rewriting press releases and paraphrasing
AP stories).
12:24 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:21 - PeteVH
'Beyond the world of press releases, emails, and newsletters, what...')
Pete -- This "shadow" thing I'm trying to
describe might be helpful to you, Pete. After you have identified 1-3 top
reporters, go
to the Web sites of their publications regularly
and read everything that they write. When a story of theirs sparks an idea
of your own, or when you have an additional
piece of information that would have be useful to them in writing that
story,
send that person email pronto (preferably
the very day their article appeared, telling them everything that might
be helpful
and offering to help them when they are working
on stories of that kind. Make sure they know how to get back to you
(phone and email).
12:24 - Ethel Kaiden
Pete,
A lot of it is in building relationships with
the influencers of the world. THis can be done by doing user stories which
are
sometimes called success stories - using your
current customers to tell the story. You can also arrange to do byline
articles and speaking engagements at conferences,
trade show etc. are very important.
12:24 - John Comando
Public relations is about relationships. When
you know the reporter, they are more likely to take notice of your release.
By follow-up, we should keep in regular contact
with reporters that cover our product areas. All publications have
editorial calendars. They are on web sites. Inquiring about potential editorial
opportunities is a good way to start relationships. Most editors will be
helpful.
12:27 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:24 - Richard
Seltzer 'This 'shadow' thing I'm trying to describe might be helpful...')
Example of "shadowing". I stumbled into this.
I didn't do it deliberately. Someone pointed me to a New York Times
article about electronic books. It was well
done. I sent my reactions and further thoughts to the reporter. He was
(as
many reporters are) delighted to have a fan
and delighted to discuss the issues raised by the piece. Our discussion
ranged widely. He checked out some of the
stuff at my Web site. And a week later, when writing a story on another
Internet-related subject, he called me for
leads and advice. A month later, he called about another story, and this
time he
quoted me in his piece (complete with my URL).
That kind of personal contact can be very valuable over the long haul.
You don't get there with mass mailings. And
only with the Internet is such a contact possible.
12:29 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:24 - John
Comando 'Public relations is about relationships. When you know the...')
Amen. That's the basis of what I call "shadowing".
In general, the better you know a publication, the better you know a
particular reporter, the better you will be
able to present your information in a way that is helpful to them. And
the most
help you provide, the more likely they are
to remember you and listen to your suggestions in the future. The ultimate
relationship with a reporter is a mutually
beneficial dialogue.
12:24 - JimKlaas (Re: 12:23 - John Watkins
'Occasionally, we send a 'news' release but more often than...')
Please define an op-ed piece
12:27 - John Watkins (Re: 12:24 - JimKlaas 'Please
define an op-ed piece...')
Jim, an op-ed piece is similar to an editorial
ar an informative article except it is written by someone other than the
editorial staff of the newspaper and it usually
appears on the page opposite to the editorial page -- thus op-ed.
12:27 - John Comando
An op-ed piece is usually an opinion piece
written by you. The term comes from the page opposite the editorial page
in
the newspaper. The articles in the WSJ next
to the editorials are op-eds.
12:27 - Ethel Kaiden
John, open letters often find their way directly
to the waste basket. To get to the right person it is important to research
who handles your type of product or service
news at the publication and over time build a relationship - One way might
be to demo the product to the influencer.
Most people go to a dentist when they have a toothache - it is crucial
to go to
a communications person when you need to communicate.
12:28 - John Comando
Many magazines have opinion columns. Best
to contact the editor directly to inquire about subitting an idea. Once
again,
you should have a well developed idea ready
to suggest.
12:29 - JimKlaas (Re: 12:27 - John Watkins
'Jim, an op-ed piece is similar to an editorial ar...')
Do you send the periodical the article
as an op-ed piece or simply hoping they will put it there.
12:29 - John Watkins (Re: 12:27 - Ethel
Kaiden 'John, open letters often find their way directly to...')
In our case, we're not selling a product per
se. Instead we're offering ideas about solutions to important social problems
such as health care, social security, domestic
violence.
12:32 - John Comando
Writing an article takes a lot of time, and
if you have someone do it for you, a lot of money. Best is to call the
editor or
email with a follow-up call to discuss your
idea first. Don't write on spec, unless you plan to use it as sales collateral
or a
web site piece.
12:32 - Ethel Kaiden
John,
Same thing - your ideas are your product and
you can treat them the same way you would a physical product. The
biggest distinction is doing the research
on what publications, conferences that market to the folks you are trying
to
reach.
12:33 - John Watkins (Re: 12:29 - JimKlaas
'Do you send the periodical the article as an op-ed...')
Jim, our subject line is always preceded by
some descrip0tor such as news, letter, op-ed. Then there is occasionally
afurther explanation in the body of the message.
In the op-ed piece, the first paragraph read "You have permission to
publish the following op-ed article without
charge as long as you include the brief credit information that
appears at the end."
12:35 - John Comando
John W.- If you've got advice to sell, there's
a market. Once again, target the most likely outlets, research what they're
interested in, and craft your message to meet
their readers' needs,
12:35 - BobZwick (Re: 12:33 - John Watkins
'Jim, our subject line is always preceded by some descrip0tor...')
Is it wise or customary to tell an Editor
that they can publish your piece without editing it ?
12:36 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:33 - John
Watkins 'Jim, our subject line is always preceded by some descrip0tor...')
John Watkins -- my personal reaction to such
things is to delete just about anything that doesn't sound like (from the
subject line on) it was addressed to me in
particular. Ethel -- am I an exception to the rule?
12:38 - John Watkins (Re: 12:35 - BobZwick
'Is it wise or customary to tell an Editor that...')
Bob, that's a good question (Is it wise or
customary to tell an Editor that they can publish your piece without editing
it?)
and I'd welcome some other thoughts on it.
Frankly, I'm willing to take the chance but what would be a better
approach?
12:39 - Ethel Kaiden
Bob,
Some editors will publish your piece as is
- most will edit it. WHat you want to do is try and ensure that the editor
lets
you see the piece before it is printed so
that if anything is misinterpreted in can be caught. I once had the opportunity
that
resulted in a cover story in Fortune. Even
at Fortune magazine we were allowed to review the article with the editor
before it was published. In doing so - we
uncovered some negatively worded ideas that we were able to turn around.
12:39 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:35 - BobZwick
'Is it wise or customary to tell an Editor that...')
Ethel and John, please correct me if I'm wrong
here -- Editors presume that they can do anything that they want with
material that is sent to them in the format
of a press release. There's no point in telling them what you think they
can or
should do with it. They'll do what they please.
The worst (laziest) will just take unedited chunks of what you say and
plop it down in a new context that distorts
its meaning. The best will completely rewrite, trying to make sense of
what
you say in the context of what competitors
are saying (and may well totally distort your meaning). Every distortion,
every
mistake is an opportunity for further communication
with the writer, if you take a constructive approach.
12:40 - John Comando (Re: 12:33 - John
Watkins 'Jim, our subject line is always preceded by some descrip0tor...')
John, does anyone ever use your op-eds?
12:40 - BobZwick (Re: 12:38 - John Watkins
'Bob, that's a good question (Is it wise or customary...')
John - I would think that asking for input
on any major changes to the article would be more approppriate. I think
they
would probably contact you if they were going
ot do a major re-write.
12:40 - JimKlaas
Time of sending is very important to anything
I receive. The wee morning hours is when the most spam is sent
out.
12:41 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:39 - Ethel
Kaiden 'Bob,...')
Yes, indeed, it is great if a reporter will
let you see and commment on a piece before publication. I suspect though
that
that is very difficult, and only comes through
building relationships over a long period of time -- that's one of the
main
values of working with an agency with experienced
professionals. Often they know the reporters from long before they
came to know you.
12:42 - John Watkins (Re: 12:36 - Richard
Seltzer 'John Watkins -- my personal reaction to such things is...')
Richard--yes. I agree and delete a lot of
general stuff. Part of the trick though is to make sure the subject line
says there
is something of interest and then to be sure
the content meets the expectation. Once it meets that text, I don't care
if there
is a line that says "John, this is for you."
12:43 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:36 -
Ethel Kaiden 'Richard,...')
Ethel -- good point. This may be a very good
time for a small company to build a relationship with a PR agency. The
agencies are hungry right now; and will be
able to give you the time and attention that you need; then as business
picks
up, you are an established client.
12:43 - Ethel Kaiden
You are right about press releases Richard.
If something is printed that distorts the release or article you can call
the
editor and try and set the record straight.
What you do not want to do is appear combative - simple offer a correction.
Most good editors or writers are willing to
work with you, One method that has worked for me is to invite the editor
to
your place of business and demo your product
or discuss your ideas.
12:45 - John Watkins
Truly, I don't yet know. The first attempt
went out yesterday. I do intend to promote them more directly in the future
but
until that's possible, this is one avenue
for putting them "out there." These are pieces that I have to write for
our
newsletter anyway so there is little or no
extra work.
12:46 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:42 - John
Watkins 'Richard--yes. I agree and delete a lot of general stuff....')
I guess maybe it's good to keep several lists.
The top list would be probably less than half a dozen reporters who now
know you and the purpose of your organization
and have some sympathy for what you are trying to do; and who, in turn,
you know pretty well, having read quite a
few of their stories, so you have a sense for the slant/bias they bring
to their
work. For each of them, write a separate targeted
subject line and lead paragraph.
12:46 - Ethel Kaiden
Richard - that is not quite what I meant.
What I am saying is beware of the large agency - or small one for that
matter -
that cuts prices way down during tough times
- they will surely raise them when times get better or probaly, drop you
as
a client. A good agency large or small will
service you fairly and efficiently always. Although they might give you
a little
more service during tough times because they
have less clients!
12:48 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:43 - Ethel
Kaiden 'You are right about press releases Richard. If something...')
That reminds me of when I started my little
publishing business -- I named it The B&R Samizdat Express. Samizdat
means self-published in Russian. B is for
Barbara, my wife. R is for Richard. And it sounded so much like a train,
I called
it Express instead of Press. Questions about
the meaning of that name led to dozens of important reviews of our book.
Anything to start a discussion with the reporter.
A misunderstanding/distortion in an article is just an opportunity. You
just
need to be very thick-skinned. Expect distortion.
Be delighted by accuracy. And always be friendly and helpful.
12:50 - John Watkins (Re: 12:48 - Richard
Seltzer 'That reminds me of when I started my little publishing...')
Richard, there has been much excellent content
today but I hope this part of your advice will not be missed. "Expect
distortion. Be delighted by accuracy. And
always be friendly and helpful."
12:48 - PeteVH
Ethel, as a very small business, budgets are
always tight -- no matter how good times are :-) -- just ask one of us.
Can
you give us an idea of price for your services?
I'm sure "it depends upon what we want." But an example would be
helpful to see how it fits into a budget.
12:54 - Ethel Kaiden
john _ very good point> Pete> we work with
our clients to meet their financial restraints and come up with a workable
budget> we also do project work such as launches
or press contact or speaking engagements or training etc etc _ if you
are interested contact us and we can talk
further JOHN AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO HAVE A SMALL
BUSINESS AND A SMALL BUDGET> Buyer beware
of marketing to the masses. You are much better off narrowing
your field.
12:56 - Richard Seltzer (Re: 12:55 - Ethel
Kaiden 'BUYER BEWARE OF MARKETING TO THE MASSES> YOU ARE...')
Amen. The more targeted and personal and truly
helpful you are, the better the results you are likely to get.
12:49 - Ethel Kaiden
Any reason to contact an editor is a good
reason. Do not be afraid of developing stories and then trying to get them
published - this is especially true when your
product is an idea.
12:52 - Richard Seltzer
All -- we're getting near the end of the hour.
If you have final words of wisdom or questions, fire away -- fast.
12:54 - Richard Seltzer
All, we have to wrap up now. Please, before
you disconnect, post here your email addresses and URLs, so we can stay
in touch. I hope to post an edited version
of the transcript by Monday. Check http://www.samizdat.com/chat.html
Meanwhile, you can come back here at any time
to check the raw transcript (which is automatically saved). Thanks very
much for joining us today. Thanks especially
to Ethel and John Commando.
12:55 - Richard Seltzer
We'll be back again next week -- same time,
same routine -- talking with David Weinberger, author of an insightful
new
book about Internet business and behavior
on the Internet. Check http://www.samizdat.com/chat.html
for details.
12:55 - BobZwick
cottagemicro@hotmail.com
http://www.cottagemicro.com
Thanks Ethel & John
12:55 - John Comando
johnc@needhamgroup.com
12:55 - JimKlaas
Thanks very much Ethel, John and Richard.
I found this helpful though I am thinking from square 1.
12:55 - John Watkins
John Watkins, Simple Society and the Allinace
for Human Empowerment, johnw@simsoc.org http://simsoc.org
12:56 - PeteVH
Pete Vander Haeghen pvh@earthlink.net http://www.virtualed.net
12:56 - JimKlaas
ID@xc.org
12:56 - dawn drake
Thanks much for the info. This was a nice
session.
Dawn Drake Drake@uwplatt.edu
http://www.uwplatt.edu/~disted
12:57 - Ethel Kaiden
ethelk@needhamgroup.com thanks everyone
12:56 - Richard Seltzer
Thanks again to all. Signing off.
To connect to the chat room, go to www.samizdat.com/chat-intro.html
Edited transcript of recent auction-related chat sessions
The full text of Richard Seltzer's books The Social Web,
Take
Charge of Your Web Site, Shop Online the Lazy Way, and
The
Way of the Web, plus more than a hundred related articles are available
on CD ROM My
Internet: a
Personal
View of Internet Business Opportunities.
Web
Business Boot Camp: Hands-on Internet lessons for manager, entrepreneurs,
and professionals by Richard Seltzer (Wiley, 2002).
No-nonsense guide targets activities that anyone can perform to achieve
online business success.
Reviews.
a
library for the price of a book.
This site is Published by B&R Samizdat Express, 33 Gould St., West
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