As I grow old and I look down my life
I see my roots have vanished in the dust
Or is some kind of fog blinding my eyes
Keeping me far away from my own past?
I move my legs and see no footprints down
Though mud was covering my toes till now
I cannot help but wonder all the way
Should I go back? What happens if I stay?
I was just born, I have no wings to fly
I need a hand but how to ask and why?
This heavy tongue makes poetry a curse
All I can wish for this land is accurse.
It was my choice to die and than re-born
What I forgot is how my heart was thorn
With heavy spines of miss and loneliness
And bitter nights with not one dream to bless.
Visions of death come crawling in my sleep
There’s no way back, in vain I weep.
No songs to sing, no dance to dance
No hopes to hope… and sure no chance.
Where should I go? I’m far from home
And in this very country I’m alone.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Far from Home

Bing Drops the PR Hype, and so Does Its Search Market Share
Bing begins to lose popularity. Is this the result of poor PR or poor service?

Erin Andrews Peephole Case Solved By FBI
Erin Andrews peephole case solved. A Chicago man was arrested on Friday in connection with illegal videos taken of Andrews nude in her hotel room. The FBI arrested Michael David Barrett at O’Hare airport, and he is scheduled to be arraigned in Federal Court today. Andrews issued a statement through her attorneys and PR Newswire as well. Prominent instances of this video are still on the Web, so we suggest Andrew’s attorney ask that they be removed. (link provided)

The PR Power of a White Paper
Business is booming with white papers. With recently published reports on how the technology industry is taking advantage of this important marketing tool, one cannot ignore how PR has the power to harness the white paper.

Are Companies Going Too Far with Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
There are those who feel that the Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month has gone a little too far and that companies are now just exploiting the cause. The big question is . . . does it matter?

Keep Hidden Meanings From Ruining Your PR Campaign
PR goofs may be funny, but they can ruin your campaign. Learn some ways to avoid PR mistakes before they happen.

Robert Joe Halderman’s Day of Fame and the Saga of Destroyed Reputations
David Letterman, Joe Halderman and Stephanie Birkitt are the main actors of a PR scandal without precedent.

Liz Claman of Fox Business Network Defines Business Sexy
Anchor Liz Claman offers her recipe for being sexy without detracting from the news she reports. Desribed as one of the most “camera ready” lady on the news, Claman is really more concerned with the issues than she is with her sex appeal. Perhaps this is so because her “method” has been honed so well she does not have to think about it. For this writer, I would never have thought such a big deal would be made out of something every “Hollywood” news lady would know?

Top Ten Reasons Why Female Late Show Employees Had Sex With Letterman by PRDude
Another reason to smile, this time by an anonymous author who calls himself the “PRDude” on Twitter.

PR Funny of the Day: “Word of mouse” by Kwittken & Company
Don’t judge the value of a company by typos and small errors. Look for the value of the ideas instead.

Mercedes Benz Sales Still Plummeting, And It’s No Wonder
Daimler’s Mercedes Benz may be in be trouble. Conflicting sales numbers and inadvisable or failed deals spotlight a company struggling to get its feet back under it. In a failing economy, amid losses of jobs everywhere, can Mercedes afford to depart from their core expertise? From failed customer support to failed partnerships Daimler may need to look into new leadership rather than new markets like China.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

PR News from Everything PR

1. 

   Courtesy yourseomentor.com

2. 

   Courtesy silenceandvoice.com

3. 

   Courtesy emptyfield.com

4. 

   Courtesy savagechickens.com

5. 

   Courtesy entwipreneur.com

6. 

   Courtesy cagle.com

7. 

   Courtesy tastyblogsnack.com

8. 

   Courtesy polledemaagdt

9. 

   Courtesy kari-shma.blogspot.com

10. 

    Courtesy polledemaagdt

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Ten Twitter Cartoons to Die For

If you try to visit www.searchme.com today, don’t bother: you’ll be redirected to Google instead. Apparently, the positive media coverage (including one of my articles on SitePoint) did not help the Sequoia Capital funded startup to get a new round of financing.

CEO Randy Adams wrote a letter to Michael Arrington, where he explains the reasons for taking the site down:

We knew when we started the company that to compete with the likes of Microsoft, Google and Yahoo,it was going to take at least $100 million, half to build the back end across thousands of servers and half to get distribution (maybe more with Microsoft spending $100 million on Bing advertising alone). What we didn’t plan on was the terrible downturn in the economy which made it impossible to raise another $50 million to get distribution (mainly through toolbar deals).

CEO Adams is obviously very naïve if he thinks that $100 million is enough to compete with the likes of Microsoft and Google. I was pretty enthusiastic about searchme.com myself, but attempting to compete with the search giants with a “visual search engine” is unrealistic: while pretty to look at, a visual search engine, as refined as it may be, will probably never become too popular online, because the users need information more than they need pretty pictures.

Searchme.com raised around $44 million in venture capital, a stunning number for a startup that allegedly copied http://search.spacetime.com/ . If Searchme.com ever manages to get another round of funding, I hope they will rethink their strategy and, instead of trying to compete with Google, they will actually try to attract a more plausible audience: the iPhone users.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Another Search Engine Bites the Dust

This is a guest post by Bizymoms.

Franchise businesses have gained in popularity over the years with many new and innovative franchise opportunities entering the market. Spectacular advancements in the field of information and communication technologies have also given a boost to the franchise networks and allowed them to expand across geographies.

Particularly for new and aspiring entrepreneurs a franchise may be one of the most viable options to be considered. The prevailing global economic slowdown is forcing many companies to downsize, resulting in pay cuts and job losses for many employees. New jobs are difficult to come by, and in any case many people are unable to achieve job satisfaction at work. In addition to this, there are many stay at home moms who are considering working in order to contribute financially to their households in the current times.

For all new entrepreneurs, a franchise holds out a promise of setting up your independent business with the backup of an established organization to support them. The key advantages of a franchise option for a budding entrepreneur are as follows:

1. The total expertise and experience of the franchiser is readily available to the entrepreneur from day one. One does not need to learn the hard way through a maze of mistakes and ‘hit and trial’ methods because the franchiser will pass on everything they have learned in an efficient package to the entrepreneur.
2. The franchiser has an established brand name and goodwill that can be capitalized by the franchisee entrepreneur. In any new business there is a long lead period required till the business can establish a reputation for itself. A franchise offers established goodwill and reputation so that you start earning revenues from the start.
3. The franchiser provides the technical backup and knowledge. There is a whole team of support professionals who are ready to assist you wherever you face any hurdles or hiccups in the functioning of your business.
4. The franchiser takes care of the marketing, advertising and promotional activities at the broader level, while you may have to contribute to it at the local level. Your business gets the automatic benefits of economies of scale that a franchise network enjoys in terms of marketing and advertising.
5. Business systems have been usually refined and perfected already by the franchiser. Therefore, it allows the entrepreneur to run his business within the prescribed set of parameters and maximize the efficiencies of business. In other words, the business process is highly simplified and organized which makes it easy for the entrepreneur to run the show smoothly.

Looking at these benefits of a franchise business, it makes pragmatic business sense for budding entrepreneurs to consider various franchise options offered by established franchise brands in the marketplace.

Bio: Bizymoms has been helping women start work at home businesses for over 10 years. Now, with our Franchises for Moms section giving great home business ideas, women can start their own franchise business!

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

A Franchise Business Is a Viable Alternative for New Entrepreneurs

If you wondered why I was so silent the past few (OK – many) months, today’s entry might offer some answers. A few close friends already know, but most of my readers are still wondering: what happens; why is the SEO book for WordPress not updated yet; why are my posts here so seldom and so on.

Well, there are many answers to these questions, but the one that matters the most is a simple: because I am a mother now.

My son, Paul-Jules, is 9 months today – easy to see that the past nine months were heaven for me. The months before his birth were not easy at all: I had a difficult pregnancy; a time I would rather forget than discuss here or anywhere else. I just mention it because many mothers and expecting women don’t have to cut work till the last minute. I had to do it from the first months – exhaustion and stress might have ended with a tragedy. I thank God for being on my side and giving me this wonderful baby.

I will not start now a mommy blog, nor do I have the intention to broadcast my child from now on. This is a onetime announcement: I am proud to be a mom, but I will focus my online activities on professional issues rather than private.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Meet Paul-Jules, My Pride and Joy

Apple’s Price Cuts: the Anatomy of a Press Release
Apple’s smart PR campaign: the company focuses the attention on the new product line. No negative innuendos in the press release title, no whining about the recession and how they had to cut prices to compete.

The Consequences of Truth for Carrie Prejean

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean is fired by Donald Trump after dogged efforts to see her dethroned, if not humiliated. These events beg the question; “Is truthfulness still a valuable trait?” Even Trump seemed reluctant to criticize Prejean for taking the same stance on same sex marriage as our President.

Clinipace Selects Crossroads Public Relations as PR Agency

Crossroads Public Relations will be taking on Clinipace´s publicity campaign and working to help boost the company´s visibility. Clinipace offers medical trial services and technology.

Twitter Is Haiku, If You Didn’t Know it by Now

I remember a Kobayashi Issa haiku that applies to the whole Twitter phenomenon:

how irritating!
the wild geese freely
call their friends

Obama’s Solution To Child Internet Safety – Wolves Guarding Sheep?

With our kids safety in the balance, who are the people behind the administration’s efforts to protect them? Is a hard line in any direction the wise route to solving our concerns? Let’s take an initial look at what could be behind the scenes.

EcoGreenHotel Joins Forces with Winters Advertising

EcoGreenHotel has teamed up with Winters Advertising and Public Relations to offer a mixture of sustainability and marketing services to clients, thus expanding the client base for both companies.

Online PR Principles: How Not to Write a Blog Entry

If you do some or all of the following blogging mistakes, nobody will be interested in what you have to say, you will alienate your readers and potential customers and the list could go on.

Is Buying a Ford a Decision Influenced by Smart PR?

Ford should be very careful making promises in times of financial crisis. If the auto market stays the same, Ford might be forced to ask for federal loans, despite the recent gain in market share.

Brammo Chooses Weber Shandwick As Agency of Record

Brammo has selected Weber Shandwick to help them release their first electric motorcycle, the Enertia. The launch will take place in July, in the city of Portland and the bike is being unveiled at Best Buy.

Waggener Edstom Given World’s Toughest PR Task! Selling Bing

Having spent thousands of hours testing, analyzing, reviewing and hoping for “meaning” in search, Microsoft and their PR Waggener Edstrom reveal Bing. If the name sounds like something your car engine does when it is broken, there are reasons. Waggener’s job is not an enviable one, even given virtually unlimited funds.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Latest News from Everything PR

Secondbrain announced today – via newsletter – that the site has gone through some major changes. I suspected that the team was “cooking” something, but I never expected to see Secondbrain simplifying so much and canceling so many features I used to like before.

My personal preferences however are irrelevant in this situation. Secondbrain made a decision that will probably appeal more to its customers, although I can anticipate some voices against this more (particularly from those who used Secondbrain as what it was initially advocated: the place to store “all your content”).

Secondbrain is rebuilding and reinventing itself, on a base of over 11,500 users. The service will offer only online bookmarking from now on. In the future probably Secondbrain will support social media service and file uploading again, but these are gone for now and so are all imported items (picture, video, messages, bookmarks, etc) from other social media services. What stayed with Secondbrain are items manually placed in collections.

Delicious bookmarks imports are no longer available either – there is however an option to export data manually from delicious and then import the file to Secondbrain.

As for the “social networking” aspect, there is no longer an option to follow people – Secondbrain would rather have you follow “topics” or “collections” instead. This means, from a user perspective, more control over the updates received. I wouldn’t call this a smart move though: every social network I ever joined had as motivation meeting people with similar interests. As for updates, topics, collections and news, I can always use other services, like Google News. This being said, I like the new interface: it looks cleaner and more user friendly. What I don’t like is the impossibility to communicate with other users, the impossibility to create a community (which was always one of Secondbrain’s weaknesses).

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

A New Secondbrain: Simplified, Clean, Easier to Use

If you want to know how good an online PR company is at dealing with SEO you type ‘online public relations’ into Google and make your choice from the first page.

You already know that I know my SEO and it should not come as a surprise that Pamil Visions is ranking on the first page in Google for ‘online public relations’ – but we are not the only company on that page.

For the sake of the argument I will compare my company with other two present on the first page in Google to see which one would make the best choice as a PR+SEO vendor.

Top Three Companies for “online public relations”

The top three companies ranking for ‘online public relations’ are toprankblog.com, pamil-visions.com and cyberspeaker.com. You will probably see them ranking differently, depending on your geo location – from where I search toprankblog.com is the third result on the front page after online-pr.com (which is a PR resource and not a PR company); pamil-visions.com is the forth result and cyberspeaker.com ranks first on the second page. Results preceding cyberspeaker.com are either PR distribution sites or subdomains of a common shared platform like blogsite.com that cannot be accurately analyzed without access to their analytics.

According to Alexa, this is the percentage of search visits that came to toprankblog.com, pamil-visions.com and cyberspeaker.com from a search engine.

Clearly, there are more visits from a search engine to toprankblog.com than to pamil-visions.com, whereas cyberspeaker.com doesn’t even make the chart. Toprankblog.com does a better job at attracting search engine traffic than any of the analyzed sites.

The “Site Appeal” Test

I always said that rankings don’t matter if you cannot make people stay on your site. The most important factor when it comes to optimizing a site is the “appeal.” SEO can boost you in the SERPs, but it is up to you to make the sale – it is up to you to keep a visitor on your site, to make that visitor spend time there browsing and taking the actions you desire.
Measuring bounce rates gives a pretty accurate idea on site appeal.

Pamil-visions.com does a better job at keeping visitors online, despite the fact that its bounce rate over the past three months was greater than 50% – 66.5% to be more exact. But compared to 78.1% for toprankblog.com 66.5% is much better (with bounce rate a lower number is better).

However, bounce rates may and may not be relevant. Good SEO means more search traffic and sometimes search traffic is less targeted than other types of traffic.

Analyzing the “time on site” for these companies may be a better indication that people are enjoying the site:

Surprisingly cyberspeaker.com does make the chart and wins at this category, while pamil-visions.com comes in second and toprankblog.com is the third. Cyberspeaker.com hardly gets any visits, but obviously when that happens the visitors “stick” around. However, in this situation, the time on site for cyberspeaker.com is hardly an indicator. The site probably gets 10 visitors per day – if one of those spends 20 minutes on site, the graphic above makes sense. However, we have to choose from a site with a decent number of daily visitors: pamil-visions.com has clearly better times on site than toprankblog.com

The “In-Links” Test

According to Alexa, pamil-visions.com has only 81 links in (multiple links from the same sites are only counted once), while toprankblog.com has 3238 and cyberspeaker.com 169. However, for the same sites Yahoo Site Links shows 613 in links for pamil-visions.com, 5628 for toprankblog.com and only 18 for cyberspeaker.com. The winner is toprankblog.com, followed by pamil-visions.com and cyberspeaker.com

And the winner is: toprankblog.com!

Although it is losing the time on site and bounce rate tests, toprabnkblog.com is the site with the most traffic. How do they do it? Obviously not only via search engines, where pamil-visions.com almost equals its numbers, but via other referring sites as well. Considering the large number of links, we can easily assume that these send an important percentage of the visits to toprankblog.com too. Social networks also play a very important role.

The reason why toprankblog.com is so popular is also the brand man who owns it: Lee Odden. Another very important aspect is that toprankblog.com is mainly focused on SEO, with PR as a secondary discipline, whereas pamil-visions.com has different priorities.

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

How to Select a PR Company That Knows SEO

The funniest thing… the man behind these “anti-twitter” cartoons is a tweep himself: to be followed @super_josh. The following cartoon is a follow up to the one I posted yesterday. For more brilliant cartoons, visit Josh’s site: Current.com

Post from: eWritings - Online Public Relations

Celebrity Twitter Overkill