REBEKAH off the record

Trashionistas recycled

2011-12-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Packaging and printed material comprise nearly 40 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. ~ Product Stewardship Institute

Writing about electronic waste for Environmental Management magazine a few years ago inspired me to start the Concsious Cow blog, as well as to hold a trash fashion party for my daughter and her friends. We made all sorts of fashion-somewhat-forward outfits from recycled packaging, newspapers, fabric scraps and duct tape. (see the Trashonistas photo in the sidebar).

I was recently asked to hold a trash fashion workshop at our local craft center. Initially, I said no, but reading the email from PSI today has me rethinking this.

Off the Record: my sewing skills are seriously lacking, but I can do a lot with duct tape. Maybe it's time to get trashy again - and have some fun with my local peeps, making trash into trashion. More news later.

Disconnects stymie Mass. STEM agenda - Mass High Tech Business News

2011-11-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Off the record: my tech skills are so pathetic, I often describe myself as a "technidiot." (eg. I needed someone to show me how to change my profile pic on Facebook).

Just because I'm not a techie doesn't mean I can't write about it. Is there a disconnect there? Nope. It's called research. It's through copious research that I am able to produce a new issue of the educational webzine, "STEM matters" every trimester. I'm grateful to the Office of School Partnerships at UMass Lowell for giving me the opportunity to do this fulfilling and fun work and grateful to MA legislators for pushing the STEM agenda that necessitates this work (and, more importantly, will benefit our children).

Last month, I attended the MA state STEM summit, a meeting of over 650 people from preK-16 education, legislators and business people involved in science, tech, engineering and math. My response to this all-day event is here, at the Mass High Tech Business News blog.

Disconnects stymie Mass. STEM agenda - Mass High Tech Business News

I'd love your feedback!

Jordan Hospital Breast Health Center Video

2011-08-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: I slipped into journalism, branding and book editing through a side door - screenwriting.

Recently, I got to use the screenwriting skills I honed at Yale and in Hollywood to help other women!

For this joint project with RA Vision Productions, I stayed present to the emotional and physical health of women affected by breast abnormalities.

The video will be online soon at Jordan Hospital Breast Health Center's website. Stay tuned!

TIPS FOR WORKING WITH A WRITER, Part 2: feedback

2011-04-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: Hiring a writer to handle your business communications isn't always a passive process. If you've hired a great writer, you should feel comfortable enough to set her free to work her magic on your business communications. Even still, you'll need to read the copy and provide appropriate feedback. This can be tricky.

If you are not 100% satisfied with the work, don’t presume the writer didn’t take your project seriously. The strong writer mulls over every single word she puts on the page.

When you offer your feedback, forget comments like, “I don’t get it,” or “I don’t like it.” This type of feedback is not specific enough to help the writer. Instead provide feedback that steers the writer in the direction you need her to go. How do you do that?

If you question the use of a word or phrase, ask yourself what you are reacting to. Consider the following:

· Do the tone, style, and substance match your other promotional materials?
· Is the writer misusing or not using a term specific to your industry?

If the tone, style and substance are off kilter:

· Show the writer the Creative Brief generated during your most recent branding session. (If you don’t have a Creative Brief, click here to read my previous blog post about the Creative Briefing process. When you’re done branding call the writer back to finish your copywriting.)
· Show the writer other promotional materials that were the outgrowth of your branding session.

If key industry-specific terms are missing from the copy or misused within the copy, simply elucidate this to the writer. Every industry has its own terms or way of using common terms that differs from other business sectors. A strong writer will be able to “translate” industry language so that your materials will be easily understood by your primary audience. You can help her by providing the information she needs to translate your industry’s lingo into lay terms.

In my next post, I'll share my thoughts about who gets the final say in editing.

TIPS FOR WORKING WITH A WRITER, Part 1: If You Don’t Have a Creative Brief

2011-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: The best copy is a natural outgrowth of a carefully crafted business or messaging strategy. Before you begin working with a writer, make sure you clearly understand and can communicate your messaging strategy.

You'll probably get the best results if you find a branding specialist whose values align with yours, and get busy developing your Creative Brief. You could also consider the five strategic questions listed in my previous blog post, "How to Hire a Business Writer or Copywriter."

In the non-profit world, the term branding is sometimes considered crass. NGOs and other 501(c )3s may refer to the same process as “Strategic Planning”. Whatever you call it, defining the vision, mission, and method for your organization, as well as the primary audience for your communiqués is essential before you embark on any messaging campaign.

Read "Tips for Working with a Writer, Part 2" tomorrow.

How to Hire a Business Writer or Copy Writer

2011-04-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: Hiring a writer is not as easy as it seems.

Maybe you need help with web content, or brochure copy. Perhaps you need a business proposal written, or a series of blog posts. Recognizing that writing is not your forte is a great first step to getting clear, concise copy that meets your needs. What else do you need to know?

What tone of voice the writer should adopt
What style of writing your piece needs
Who will participate in the editing process
Who gets final edit

If the writer was in on your branding process, you’re off to a great start. The process will be easier, because the writer will already know what tone of voice and style to adopt. She’s familiar with your business and the terms that are specific to it.

In this case, you’ll have minimal editing to do, and you can probably trust the writer to represent you and your concerns accurately and well, with minimal input from you.

If the writer was not in on your branding process, you need to bring her up to speed. A savvy copywriter will know to ask the following questions, but if she doesn’t, then make sure to inform her:

Who is your target audience
What you want them to know
Why they should care
What you want them to do
What misperceptions about your product, service or business you need to overcome with the material the writer will provide.

After that, simply present the assignment in clear terms.

Communicating clearly with the writer from the outset will help each of you to give and get what you need from your collaboration.

Later, I’ll share my tips for working with a writer.

Snow Day

2011-01-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Off the Record: My kid's had so many snow days this year, I'm beginning to wonder if we should just start homeschooling!

While there's nothing like sharing a cozy day at home with loved ones, there's also something to be said for a writer having her space and quiet time. A lot of work happens between the ears, and that's more challenging with more people in the house.

My solution: put the wee ones to work! (Okay, my "wee one" is a teenager who's chomping at the bit to earn money.) Today, she has updated my paper files, and is now transcribing an interview for me. Both tasks are essential to keeping the writer productive. Yet I have shoved both tasks onto the back burner for far too long.
Keeping my files updated helps me keep my life in order.
The interview transcript will be the primary component in a chapter of the non-fiction book proposal I'm developing.

The subject of the book? That's a secret, but I will divulge that the interviewee was the legendary folk singer Pete Seeger. He is one of many generous individuals who support my book idea. We had a great phone conversation several months ago, and I'm excited to read the transcript and then put it to good use!

Back to writing!

Government Nutrition Policy as Illustrated by Banksy

2011-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

OFF THE RECORD: I'm a foodie, a health-obsessed foodie. Few things frustrate me more than hearing news reports of the national health crisis, while information about proper nutrition is silenced by huge ad campaigns promoting "food" products that degrade human health.

I was delighted to discover this fantastic illustration by Banksy today. Check it out.

http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/donut.html

Trust-Based Relationships in Business

2011-01-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

It's not personal; it's business.

Wasn't that the mantra of the last era in business? Surely, folks are still holding fast to the ideal that the ends justify the means.

Take off the gloves and throw yourself into the fight. At any cost, make sure your company comes out on top.

And how did that paradigm work out for us? Looking at the state of the economy these past few years, I would say not very well. Looking at the reports of increasing stress-related health problems, such as depression, obesity, and heart disease, plaguing the United States, I would say not very well.

My mentor and friend, Mitch Anthony, an ad guy with a conscience, agrees. In his post "Uncovering the Logic of Deep Change, " he writes:

The time has come to look beyond the four walls of existing enterprises and instead focus on connecting people across large numbers of institutions, shaping much broader ecosystems of participants and helping them to build long‐term trust‐based relationships that encourage and enable a new kind of human synergy.

Off the record: It IS personal and it IS business, and trust-based relationships are the foundation of the new world. Like it or not, we've got to start tearing down the walls that separate us from our colleagues, clients and competitors. "Competition" is old-school. Collaboration is the way of the future.

I, for one, am forging connections with professionals who, in the old paradigm, I would have considered competitors/threats. The experience is enriching, enlivening, and increasing my career satisfaction. These mini-"think tanks" bring me a wealth of camaraderie and knowledge, and stimulate my creative juices, leading to a higher quality product for my clients.

I invite you to join the new paradigm, and share your experience with collaboration here.

Read "Uncovering the Logic of Deep Change."

Good Bye to Conscious Cow

2011-01-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

Off the Record: I have a hard time letting go.

This is why I have held on to my alter-ego, Conscious Cow, for almost a year without posting any new blogs on "her" site.

I had the best of intentions to get something new out there. But...
I haven't posted anything new for two reasons:

1. re-purposing, recycling, re-using, and composting are more mainstream today than when I launched Conscious Cow in 2008. You can find books, websites, and magazine articles (a few written by yours truly) covering these topics.

(Other resources on the web include: www.greenlivingtips.com, www.focusorganic.com, and www.howtocompost.org.)

2. I had been doing it as a public service. Keeping a blog like Conscious Cow fresh and relevant requires a ton of time and effort in the form of research. Business ramped up in 2010 (yay!), and I suddenly found myself super busy with paying projects, family obligations, and activities in my local community.

Hence, I bid my alter-ego a fond adieu, and thank all those who visited her and took her message to heart.

(Surprise to me: it feels good to let go!)

What's Your Thesis?

2010-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: I probably need a new website, with a new design, typeface, etc, etc, etc... but it ain't happening any time soon. ?Por quoi pas? I've been so on the go, this is the first moment I've taken to write a blog post, let alone update my website, let alone design a whole new website.

Ah, well. What sparked this little confession was, while searching for the perfect web design for one of my projects at UML, I discovered a totally fun site, with a great look, written by a web designer. She uses Thesis. So, my friends, one day I probably will use Thesis, also. Of course by the time I get around to redesigning my site, I will have found a different, totally gorgeous web look to cop.

Maybe I should just hire a web designer. I'm such a DIY type, though. Speaking of which, I need to go take my peanuts out of the oven, and make my family the peanut butter I promised them.

For more regular updates, check my Twitter feed. @RebekahLFraser

Behind the Times?

2010-07-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Off the Record: It's a busy, busy time for me. Between moving, editing a book about business leadership, writing multiple articles, developing a science website for kids, and taking on a few new clients, I've been on the go! The upshot (or downside, as it were) is that I've been remiss in blog posts and in updating my website, rebekahlfraser.com.

Never fear, I will eventually post updated materials. However, if you want more info about my work, like my latest writing credits, before I have posted it on the site, just drop me a line, and I'll get you clips or whatever else you need.

By the way - pick up the latest issue of Vegetarian Times at your local news stand to learn more about urban composting. That little blurb is my contribution to this month's issue.

Gulf of Mexico - the responsibility is also ours

2010-06-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: One thing the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico shows me is that we as a species and a society are not at peace with this planet!

As a teenager struggles for independence from it's parents, we fight against mother earth and her natural order.

Its easy to blame a corporation, but each of us plays a role in this disaster by living as we do. Do you drive a car? Do you heat with oil? Do you use personal care products or cosmetics made with petroleum derivatives? Do you purchase toys, home goods, office supplies or disposable items made from petroleum-based plastic(most plastic is PET based)? Did you side your house with vinyl? Do you see how this is a global problem? We are all creating this mess. The good news is we have the power to STOP hurting mother earth.

We may even be able to begin a healing process.

I encourage you to commit to changing one thing each day to lessen your reliance on petroleum products.

We are not powerless and we do not have to point fingers. The path of peace puts the responsibility and the power in our hands and voices.

I will sing and chant for peace on Monday, and my first commitment to environmental change is to stop purchasing products made from petroleum based plastics.

Will you join me?

Confessions of a Typeface Junkie

2010-06-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm envisioning a website to get tweens psyched about science... thinking about fonts, layout, etc...
Font Squirrel has an excellent assortment of opensource typefaces. So far,
my fave is

It's fun to look at, and it's got a great name. But, I wonder if kids might be more drawn to headlines in

3dumb also comes in 2dumb (a 2dimensional hand-drawn typeface). I love the movement and irreverence of both. There's hundreds to choose from. Here are a few more of my faves:

My daughter just walked in. These are her top 3:

OFF THE RECORD: Veggieburger's got me looking for ketchup.

Good Stuff

2010-06-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: I'm not that hip to the Beantown scene.

Although I grew up in MA, and moved back to the commonwealth a few years ago, I never really got into Boston life. So, magazines that cater to Bostonians have never really "done it" for me... until recently.

While eating organic vegan sushi in Brookline, I picked up a copy of the freebie rag, STUFF.

Why? Who knows, but I'm glad I got it, because otherwise I wouldn't have discovered this extremely well-written, informative, useful and moving article, "Renewed Self, Revamped Style," written by Scott Kearnan.

Check it out, and then visit www.myrecycledhandbag.com to support a great business and a great cause.
You'll probably also be interested in www.rosefund.org

An Interview with Me on "The Get Inspired Project"

2010-05-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Get Inspired Project is a yearlong project founded by Toni Reece. She chose to interview me because of Solstice Sing for Peace, the movement I founded in 2008.

Click here to listen:

Day 220: Rebekah Fraser

Off the record: being interviewed was a bit nerve wracking. I'm used to being the interviewer, not the interviewee, and Toni asked some tough questions. Enjoy!

Twitter is Over Capacity

2010-05-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Has the world gone mad? "Twitter is over capacity! Try back in a moment." This was the message I received when I tried to sign on just moments ago.

Now, I'm no twitter-addict. In fact, I don't even tweet every day. But, now that I can't do it, well... I think I'm starting to twitch. What does it mean when Twitter goes over capacity? What is happening to our communications systems?

Oh, that's right. Mercury is in retrograde - communications glitches are par for the course until the 11th. Sound freakish?

Off the Record: I don't understand most astrological lingo, nor do I wish to. But this one thing - Mercury in Retrograde - is something I have found to be consistently spot-on. Whenever Merc goes Retro, I and folks I know experience all sorts of glitches in our interpersonal and electronic communications. My question is, what does it actually mean, or look like, when Merc goes Retro? Any Astrologers care to comment?

Caffeine in a Time of Crisis

2010-05-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

OFF THE RECORD: Although I write a lot about coffee, I don't usually drink it. I generally prefer the way a hot cup of Yerba Mate makes me feel in the morning.

Yesterday was a different story. Operating on a few hours sleep, I started a new gig at UMass Lowell (very exciting and wonderful!), then zipped into downtown Boston for a meeting with a potential client. I was tired, hungry and desperate for a cup of coffee! I knew I needed not only to be "on" for the impending meeting, but also that I would need to stay "on" for the networking event I would attend afterwards at the Intercontinental.

Alas, there was no coffee to be found. Places were closed at 4:30 in the afternoon; the city was winding down from a water crisis. Fortunately, I found inner reserves of energy and effervescence and enjoyed both a wonderful meeting and a great networking event.

This morning, my friend Rodney, who works for Equal Exchange, sent me this note:

As you may know Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and most all the local coffee shops went “dry” and had nothing to serve.

But not our café. Not only did our intrepid staff manage to stay open and serve coffee but they served 15% more customers than usual.

The following note to staff from our co-President, Rob Everts, gives you a glimpse of the accomplishment.

Good morning Causeway Café Team,

I know you are in the midst of another morning rush, creatively working around the water issue and keeping customers happy. Meanwhile, when you come up for air, check out what you did by the numbers yesterday:

Transactions Total Sales $/trx

533 $1,829 $3.43

That is 80 more transactions than the prior Monday and $200 more in sales. And the lower $ per transaction reflects being handcuffed not being able to sell higher dollar espresso drinks. So congratulations and thanks for busting ass under arduous circumstances.

. . .At 533 transactions yesterday, clearly the word was out that the EE Café on Causeway Street was the place to be!

And this note to staff from one of our lead baristas, Miranda, helps to paint the scene.

Hey there :)

I've had a blast these past few days. But I tend to enjoy stepping up to the plate under pressure. :)

Customers were impressed that we were open and brewing coffee and remarked that it seemed absurd that the big chains didn't have the necessary equipment/know-how to do so. Someone today said, that "you'd think they would just go out and buy this kind of brewer and put it into place rather than shut down coffee completely."

In the few minutes here and there when I wasn't in a brewing frenzy, I remarked to customers that because we often do events and brew coffee in tents at festivals, and such, that we were well-versed in using pour-over brewers (and pumping bottled water). I even joked and told a few people to imagine that we were under a tent in the middle of a field with rows of vendors and live music. I told them this is what that would look like (if stopping by the festival happened to be part of their morning commute).

While I know our coffee didn't taste the same this morning, as it was an experiment to find the right dose/grind/water combination (on the fly), people were able to get coffee and that seemed to be all that mattered to them. Some of our regulars even remarked that they liked it better than what they usually had (as many were forced to get a roast they were unaccustomed to since we were only brewing Mind Body and Soul, and then switched to Peruvian Medium).

(For me) It was fun and fast and adrenaline pumping. I usually say ‘hi’ to all my regulars but didn't have the chance to do much more than dose, grind, brew, pour, pump, repeat. All of us morning peeps are intuitive and we work together so well that this wasn't that big of an adjustment. We trouble shoot, make decisions, and share tasks - picking up in the middle and switching places so smoothly that everything just worked out as it usually does (even when plugging in the brewers shorted circuits, etc.).

We had long lines and they moved much more slowly than usual (due to our ability to brew the equivalent of two truck-stop pots at a time) but we got through it and only today did customers start to grumble. They didn't understand that though the water ban was lifted we had many regulations to go through as a food-service establishment (i.e. flushing lines and changing filters). Having a technician in the middle of everything created a lot of sidestepping/dancing around, but it didn't slow us down. :) . . .

Next time there's a crisis, I'm heading to the Equal Exchange Cafe!

Stop Being Afraid

2010-04-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Off the record: While exploring a potential client's website today, I discovered this awesome image.

It's great advice!

Medicine Hunter

2010-03-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

OFF THE RECORD: I don't watch the news. Ever. In fact, my TV doesn't get any reception, so I just use it to watch DVDs. I get my news either from NPR, the New York Times online, various web sources, or from primary sources (after all, as a journalist, I'm interviewing people all the time). This may explain why, until two days ago, I had not heard of Fox News' darling ethnobotanist, Chris Kilham, aka The Medicine Hunter. For the first time in my life, I may actually be regretting not watching Fox News! Why? If you haven't seen Kilham yet, you'll want to. He's extremely knowledgeable, articulate, thoughtful, interesting and a fun conversationalist. We were discussing the health benefits of Goji berries and whether the crop would be viable for commercial farmers in the U.S.

You'll be able to read all about it in the May 2010 issue of Growing Magazine.
Until then, check out the Medicine Hunter for an alternative perspective on health and world agriculture.

Creative Non-Fiction

2010-02-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

As I write this, two monkeys dangle overhead, peeling bananas and trying to feed me.

Okay, full disclosure, these are not actual monkeys; they are my kids, four-year-old twins who have just discovered how to peel bananas. Since their revelation, the monkeys (er... children) have attacked every banana in the house. Normally, I’d join in the ecstasy of the discovery; right now, I kind of wish the jungle would disappear. I’m on a deadline, and this kind of craziness can make concentration challenging, to say the least.

Off the record: I don't have twins, but this image came to me this morning, and I thought it would be fun to write about. Why am I calling it creative NON-fiction? I am writing, and feeling so distracted, I could almost believe there are two monkeys dangling overhead. Maybe a better genre title for this would be, "Metaphorical Non-Fiction". hmm...

COVER STORY: From the Ground Up

2010-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Off the Record: I get a little thrill each time I open a magazine and see one of my articles. It's even more exciting when one of my publications arrives and I see my piece highlighted on the cover.

Last week, the February issue of Growing arrived in my mailbox. My story, "From the Ground Up," is one of the cover stories. Although I didn't expect the article about seed selection tactics to be the most exciting piece I'd get to write, I actually had a great time interviewing farmers. Some of these folks are truly inspiring. Click here to check out the article and post your comments here to let me know what you think.

Rejuvenation for Writers

2010-01-30T19:21:00.001-08:00

There's nothing like time away, with no agenda, no to-do list, no nothing, to reignite my creative juices.

This weekend, I was blessed to visit a newfound friend (also a writer, director, theater & film person) at the gorgeous Cape Cod vacation spot she scored for free. Joining us were my beau, and another couple (he's an actor/writer, she's an art therapist/writer). Of course, we did share our work, somewhat, but that wasn't nearly as important as just being around other artists.

I don't know about other creative-types, but I often forget how vital it is for us to connect, bounce ideas around, and just generally soak up the artsy vibes. Yeah, I probably sound like the stereotypical bohemian or something...

Off the record: I don't care how freakish it seems. Those 22 hours away reinvigorated me. I came home and enjoyed my creative inspiration for hours- writing, painting, brainstorming, even posting a new blog at Conscious Cow. Ain't nothing like it, friends, this swirl of creativity flowing around me. Undoubtedly, my next post will be about the farm education feature I'm writing for Farming Magazine. Until then, I'm enjoying the moment. Hope you are, too!

Issues Affecting Farmers: Late Blight

2010-01-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have spent the day writing about Late Blight in Tomatoes for Growing magazine.

This may not be a "sexy," topic, but it's gratifying to know that my work can help farmers throughout the country to produce healthier plants with higher yields. This is good for everyone who eats, actually. (And, honestly, who doesn't eat???)

When farmers succeed, we all eat well! When farmers struggle, we all pay more for lower quality food.

OFF THE RECORD: Support a farmer today! Buy local or buy organic! If you can, buy local and organic!

Strawberry Ice Cream Experiment: part 2

2010-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

It looks like it, it almost feels like it, and it tastes like it. My daughter had two ice cream cones full of it. I loved it, too. Still...

OFF THE RECORD: we agree, the recipe needs just a little bit of tweaking. A little vanilla powder, perhaps, and more time in the food processor. Or, possibly, I should soak the cashews in water, then blend everything in the Vitamix.

What's a writer doing spending so much time in the kitchen? Well... we do have to eat!

Why blog about it? This writer writes a lot about food, agriculture and the food industry, so it's kind of ever-present in the gray matter. Visit rebekahlfraser.com to see samples.

Why blog about it when there's a hot senate race on in my home state?

Because, honestly, with these kind of results, some folks I know will really need SOMETHING to sweeten the day.