don't get caught

Words in a crisis: What we say versus the newscasters

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Spokespeople, speechwriters, crisis communicators and message mavens may want to listen to this NPR Fresh Air commentary by linguist Geoff Nunberg about the rise of "horrific" and "surreal" as adjectives to describe events like the Boston Marathon bombing.

Nunberg draws a distinction about how recently the terms have come into use and who's using them:

[Horrific] didn't start to take off until a few decades ago, and it's been on a tear ever since — 10 times as common now as it was in 1970...."Horrific" belongs to television. The word started to catch on at the moment when the medium realized that audiences would watch raptly as they looped the same unsettling images, and its popularity grew along with cable news. "Horrific" turns up more on TV news than in newspapers, and far more than in fiction or in the movies. Behind "horrific" is the realization: "Oh my God, this really happened."

"Surreal," on the other hand, is what the real-life witnesses use when describing what newscasters call "horrific" events.

This might be one to file away for those unhoped-for moments when a crisis or disaster involves your top spokespeople. Sounds to me as if those wishing to reach and relate to those of us who aren't newscasters may want to stick with "surreal" and leave the "horrifics" to the talking heads.

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Lose that gesture: Presenters, stop pointing to your slides

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:15:00 PDT

"But...I have to point to my slides," said the speaker I was coaching. "It's expected. Everyone does it."

He's not the only one who believes that, either. As a Washington, DC-based speaker coach who often works with policy wonks, academics, researchers and other experts, I find myself reminding speakers and presenters again and again "Don't point to your slides." And by point, I usually mean that awkward gesture in which you attempt to continue facing the audience while you fling one arm up and to the space behind you.

Naturally, those who make this movement reflexively want to know why. Here's my rationale:

We can see your slides just fine: No pointing needed. In some cases--say, at a TED or TEDMED conference--the screen's so huge there's no chance of missing it. But even in the average conference room, your slides are visible. Trust me on this.
Pointing doesn't add to our understanding: Even if there's a particular place you want us to look on the slide, you can talk us through it (and no, this isn't an excuse to get out that laser pointer). You describe, and let us do the work to find what you're talking about. In that way, you'll be better engaging the audience instead of doing all the work for us.
The movement may distract us from either your words or your slide: If the audience is looking at your slide already--highly likely--then your gesture may draw eyes away, and vice versa if they were looking at you.
Pointing isn't your best tool for emphasis: I'm much rather see you consider pauses, vocal variety, cadence, volume and other tactics to emphasize the point you're making.
Pointing in this way underscores how closely you are working from your slides: In my experience, presenters who don't know their slides, haven't practiced, or generally hang on to the slide deck as a path through the presentation are more likely to use this gesture. If that's the case for you, remember that you may be letting the audience in on your presenting habit.
You'll do better at engaging the audience: Turning away, even partially, may cause you to break your eye contact with the audience. If you work at facing forward and even gesturing toward us, you'll have our attention.

Bonus reason: Your shoulder will thank me later. But is it really expected? Not by your audience, it's not. Try omitting the point-to-slides and see if anyone notices, including your colleagues who do the same.

If you're trying to reform this often reflexive gesture, try gesturing toward the audience instead, with arms wide and palms up, as a means of emphasis (and to keep your body focused forward).

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:15:00 PDT

I've been in London this week, giving the closing keynote at the International Speechwriters Conference yesterday, but still had time to share some great ideas, news, leads and reads on Twitter--and to meet some tweeps from the EU and the UK. Grab the Great Britain edition of the weekend read right here:

Was that the Queen's English? Google Translate for Android just got 16 new languages and supports personal phrasebooks.
Cashpoint, indeed: In London, mobile payments are a regular staple in restaurants and other businesses, but U.S. sellers and conference organizers might need this rundown of 14 ways to accept mobile payments.
The Court of St. Google? John Kerry became the first U.S. secretary of state to hold a Google+ Hangout.
Bloody tourists: It's not that Facebook users in the U.S. aren't coming to the site. They've just moved and become more mobile-centric.
Tips from the newsagent: Ripped from the pages of The Guardian are these tips on public speaking for academics, crowdsourced during a live chat.
Let's put Scotland Yard on it: Brands have been flocking to the hottest picture sharing app. Now it can be told: What brands are really doing on Instagram.
It's pronounced SHED-you-ull: Schemes is an Android app that goes beyond scheduling texts to let you schedule tweets, Gmail and Facebook posts as well.
You don't say: You've given up annual reports, perhaps, but here's why you should write an annual failure report.

Royally good jobs for communicators: World Wildlife Fund is looking for two senior communications specialists, here and here...the University of Nebraska wants a director of marketing and communications....the Salk Institute for Biological Studies needs a senior director of communications...Elmira, NY-based Farm Sanctuary seeks a senior director of communications.

You've got two weeks to sign up for my popular workshop, Be an Expert on Working with Experts, perfect for communicators who work with smart people. But don't delay: Seats are filling. Will I see you there?

London treated me royally, just the way you do by stopping here every Friday. Cheers and a good weekend to you!

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5 updates on photos, visuals in social media: Trends and tactics

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:40:52 PDT

In a world where the New York Times has already published an Instagram photo on its front page and Pinterest grew into the third-biggest social network in just a couple of years, there's no denying the strength of photos as a social-media trend. Whether you take photos, use them for your blogs and social sites, or share the ones you see, you'll want to keep an eye on these recent trends and tactics:

Pew's 2012 study on how photos and videos are used as social currency is a smart first stop if you need to better understand your audience and how it uses photos online. Here's the overall scope: "56% of internet users do at least one of the creating or curating activities we studied and 32% of internet users do both creating and curating activities." The survey looks at Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram use.
Can this strong visual trend be monetized? You know something's strong in social media when this question arises. This post cites a recent HubSpot study showing that on Facebook pages, photo posts generate 53% more Likes and 104% more comments than average posts.
You can put more in your Facebook page cover photo, including a non-linked URL. Find out 6 ways to take advantage of the new photo options.
How to stop people from swiping your online photos looks at pending legislation in the UK that has some photo owners concerned. You'll find out why you should embed ownership information in your photos now, before laws and terms of service change. Sharing others' photos? Here's how to make sure you're legally sharing online photos.
Your LinkedIn profile now lets you add photos and video to show off your skills. You don't have to be a photographer or filmmaker to use this option: Think screen grabs, shots of yourself speaking and presenting and more.

How are you using photos online?

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Communicators, what advice would you give to your younger self?

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:15:00 PDT

This Fast Company roundup of advice from tech entrepreneurs to their younger selves and this great Truth for Our Daughters on Harvard Business Review's blog made me wonder about you, communicators: If you could sit your younger self down now, what advice would you dish out?

I hear all sorts of communicators say they wish they'd worked harder, or not so hard...learned to nail a presentation or speech sooner...started that freelance business before they had a mortgage and a family to support...or realized sooner that they just didn't like what they were doing before it became their specialty. But you don't need to confine yourself to the regrets column. Perhaps you learned to trust yourself early or got somewhere advantageous because you learned to love risk. Maybe you learned you loved doing the thing you dreaded most.

Share your insights--small and personal, big and magical and everything in between--in the comments, or on Google+, or the Facebook page for don't get caught, or to @dontgetcaught on Twitter, and I'll compile them for all to share. Advise away...

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Have you hit the brick wall that is this week yet? Let me cushion the blow: The weekend's almost here and I've got all sorts of great finds I shared on Twitter this week that will help you sail over that wall and get to the weekend faster (and smarter):

Shared wall: Feedly has asked users about sharing reads with others, a much-beloved feature that got cut out of Google Reader some time ago. (Hint: You're not the only one who misses it.) David Pogue runs down the Feedly v. Google Reader comparisons here.
Bring your own bricks: Get used to bring-your-own-device policies instead of the office-bought iPad. A survey says the BYO policy will be more common by 2016.
Writing on the wall: Learn how to put subtitles on your digital movies.
Wall of fame: First, they put an Instagram photo on the front page. Now, a GIF. That New York Times! And for the data nerds, here's a look at how the NYT did its interactive tools during the Olympics.
Great wall of notebooks: Evernote has 4 million users in China.
Walk through walls: Despite all the griping over Google Glass, you'll like this physics instructor's tour of CERN using the device. Want to further get nerdy about Glass? Read this multi-part review of all the Google Glass apps, software and hardware, a little slice of nerd-vana. With photos. There goes Friday...
Pinned against the wall: See the most popular brand boards on Pinterest.
Just another brick in the wall: With marketing creeping up on serendipity, has social media lost its way?
BrickedIn: WiseBread has 9 LinkedIn changes every job hunter should make, and some other redhead takes a profane look at LinkedIn endorsements (spoiler: she hates 'em) and how to get rid of them.
Wall of sound: NPR got a new mobile site (this trend's going around) and why scrolling's a big part of it.
Pay wall: YouTube's setting up paid subscriptions for some channels. Here's the official rundown from Google. For those of us with Internet-capable teevees, meet your newest alternative to cable teevee.
Tear down that wall: Before you embark on your next project, research yourself first.

No walls between you and these communications jobs: Twitter wants a director of news and journalism...the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities seeks a vice president for public affairs...Amtrak needs a chief of corporate communications...St. Martin's Press is looking for a senior publicist for non-fiction.

Deadline wall: You've got just under a week to grab the discounted registration rate for Be an Expert on Working with Experts, my popular one-day workshop for communicators who work with smart folks. The workshop is June 13, and registration stays open till May 31 or when all seats are filled. But that nifty discount goes away after May 16. Are you in?

Next week, I'm in London to keynote the International Speechwriters Conference, but there's no wall high enough to keep me away from you, right here, so you'll get a global weekend read next week. Enjoy your weekend!

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Where do you put out your welcome mat for comments? Trends & issues

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:15:01 PDT

Comments have long put the "social" into social media, but for many blogs and websites, they've become more curse than blessing. Are you still putting out the welcome mat for commenters? And if so, which social media door gets the welcome mat?

I've struggled with this myself, tiring of rampant spam and occasional trolls. Should I shut down commenting altogether on the blogs, as high-profile bloggers like Seth Godin have done? That's one option, and makes maintaining the blogs easier. Less simple is the path the New York Times has taken: At the Times, moderators decide which articles will have commenting open and which will remain closed. That keeps many articles from being overtaken by partisans duking it out in the comments, or as the Times puts it, "Our goal is to have every NYT comment thread offer tangible added value to each article for our readership."

The plus side of comments
When they work well, comments have long served, for me, as a great source of blog post ideas and even a boost to my search results (and if you don't know how to leverage blog comments for better search rank, you should). There's nothing as authentic as content that comes right from your best readers, whether it's a question, a useful tip, or a comment that expands on your thinking. Take it from no less a writer than The Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose writing won a National Magazine Award, prompting him to throw a nod to his commenters, dubbed "The Horde," for sharing tips and leads and fixes and helping to improve his writings.

Threading as a trend
Threaded comments are becoming more prevalent, an effort "to serve the people reading the comments, rather than the people writing them," as this article on how Gawker's reforming its comment threads puts it. In this scenario, the most recent or most frequent commenter isn't rewarded with the top spot or the chance to dominate the feed. Facebook's also in on this trend, rolling out ranked, threaded comments for pages with more than 10,000 fans or celebrity profiles.

Importing comments
But what if your blog or website's part of a different trend, the one in which comments stop arriving because your followers are sharing your posts and commenting on social networks? Google's working on a way to have your comments everywhere, making it possible to bring Google+ comments to your Blogger blog (or use this workaround to embed Google+ comments on any blog or website). Here's what that looks like:

The upgraded commenting system preserves the existing comments, but the future comments require a Google+ account. That means, visitors can no longer post comments anonymously, using an OpenID account or using a Google account that hasn't been upgraded to Google+. When posting a comment, visitors can also share it on Google+. The new commenting system doesn't just show the comments posted on Blogger, it also shows all the Google+ messages that link to the post and their comments.

Plug-ins on WordPress make it possible to import Facebook or Twitter comments into your blog posts, too--an easy way to have your comments where the commenters are most comfortable posting them, and on your blog or website. But do the commenters know you're importing their comments? wonders Librarian by Day blogger Bobbi Newman:

What I’m struggling with is first is it ok? Do people realize the comments they are making elsewhere are being imported to a blog? That what they see as a passing Twitter comment becomes more permanent? It is even less obvious on mobile devices that your Facebook comment is being posted elsewhere.

Newman also questions the aesthetics of using imported comments, worth considering before you take the plunge.

Have you struggled with these (or other issues) on comments? What's your comments policy? You know where to tell me about that, right?

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9 guides for communicators who work with big-ego experts

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:12:48 PDT

Communicators who work with experts eventually run into the big-ego expert--the one who's all too aware of his importance and wanting to be sure you are, too. I had a boss who used to refer to them as people who were "reading their own press releases and believing them," and I call them the ones I have to pull away from the microphone.

No matter what you say about them, the big-ego expert's a real challenge for communicators. Often, it's that ego that reporters notice when they're dealing with your difficult expert, and big egos are sometimes behind the behavior of experts who blow off media interviews and other opportunities. An egotist's expectation that you'll be lining up those promotional opportunities creates a demand that sometimes means other, less pushy, experts get less attention.

What's a professional communicator to do? For now, I say: Retreat to the bookshelf to get smart about that ego. I've worked with my share of big egos, and have found it takes extra help to develop the non-anxious and effective methods you'll need to handle those hotheads and microphone-grabbers. Here are eight useful references you should consult--and share with your team--so you can get better at handling big egos, even if only in self-defense:

Why Is It Always About You? looks at the narcissist and, more importantly, how you can set boundaries to keep one from running right over you. A short, good read.
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't is worth reading and then passing on to your manager. The first chapter alone documents the cost of maintaining a corporate culture with a**holes in it. For communicators, a good internal discussion could revolve around how and whether you'll tolerate these characters among the experts you're promoting, and how your team will handle those situations. The book will tell you the cost to organizations that don't have this conversation--and it's high.
Type Talk at Work (Revised): How the 16 Personality Types Determine Your Success on the Job will help you learn how to deal with experts of all types, although you'll find most of them type under ISTJ. Use the book to learn how to deal with them effectively. It may not be ego you're running up against, just their personality preferences.
Introduction to Type: A Guide to Understanding Your Results on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator gets you even deeper into personality types. Be sure to read the "in times of deep stress" portion of the profiles to see how your experts might behave when you push them outside their boxes.
The Power of a Positive No: Save The Deal Save The Relationship and Still Say No is a great negotiation tool for communicators who need to say no to important experts and still preserve a relationship.
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most helps you get to the meat of the matter in thoughtful and careful ways.
Tangling with Tyrants: Managing the Balance of Power at Work is recommended by some of my readers, focusing more the the boss as bully. It's a Kindle book, and Amazon Prime members can borrow it for free in Kindle ebook format.
Team Geek: A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others is a guide communicators can read first, then hand off to the coders they work with. The book recommends adopting the "servant leader" approach and advises smart coders to "lose the ego." There's even a useful chapter on "Working with Poisonous People" that might come in handy for you.
Assholes: A Theory was suggested to me by a communicator who attended my recent presentation on 10 things communicators don't know about experts and vice versa. I love getting leads like this one; this audience member shared a picture of the book on her cellphone, so I'd remember the title. More of a think piece than a survival guide, this one has insights you'll appreciate if big egos are part of your work life.

Big-ego experts are always on the agenda at my workshop, Be an Expert on Working with Experts. Seats are already filling for the June 13 session in Washington, DC, and there's a substantial discount if you register by May 16, although all registration will stay open until May 31 or all the slots are taken, whichever comes first. One university communicator, after the last workshop, said, "If you ever have the opportunity to take a workshop with @dontgetcaught, do it! Best training I've ever had. Informative and eye-opening." I hope you can join me for this session in June.

This post updates and expands one I published in 2012

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 03 May 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Surf's up, Moondoggy? I can wait a little longer, since I'm awash in some great reads, finds and leads shared on Twitter this week. Let's catch a wave after I pass these along:

Little surfer: Hotel guests are turning away from the TV to use streaming media.
Not the water table: Google Table Search restricts your search results to pages that have tables.
The big Kahuna? Google+ "is racking up large numbers of new users and continues to outpace Twitter as the world's number two social network, behind perennial titan Facebook...it now can boast 359 million active users, up 33 percent from 269 million users at the end of June 2012, according to GlobalWebIndex."
Catch a wave, you'll be sitting on top of the world: Another reason for nonprofits to consider Google+ pages: They'll now be more prominently featured in search results.
Don't wipeout: Seth Godin had wise words this week on whether you're waiting to be picked, and whether that's smart.
Beach blanket bingo: LinkedIn *finally* lets you add pictures and video to your profile pages.
Hang ten: USC has launched a new center that wants to measure the impact of all kinds of media--and they'd like your suggestions about what types of measurements you'd like to see. Share your thoughts with @MediaMetrics on Twitter.
Surfin' USA: The New York Times revamped its mobile site this week.
Surfing safari? The American Council on Science & Health says negative tweets are contagious, after analyzing tweets about children's vaccines during an H1N1 scare. But "analyzing a limited segment of the population on a niche topic and using that to say people are only negative on Twitter doesn't add up." Read all about it.
Carve that wave: Is Pinterest cutting into Facebook's market share? Data compiled since the 2012 holidays seems to point that way.
Chubby Checkers who don't get in the water: 13 million Facebook users haven't touched their privacy settings. I'm betting they're the same group that forwards those panicky messages about privacy, too.

Surf these great comms jobs: NBC Universal wants a digital producer...ASAE needs a content curator...the University of North Carolina seeks a science communications manager....MOMA is looking for a senior publicist.

Discount dives: You've got just two weeks left to land the discount on registration for my popular workshop, Be an Expert on Working with Experts, coming up June 13. The discount ends May 16, and all registration closes May 31. If you're going to be in London in mid-May, check out the International Speechwriting Conference. I'm giving the closing keynote, and you'll get a discount for registering with the code "EloquentWoman."

And I can't let the tide go out on this week without thanking you for being here...

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Hidden cameras & private footage: 4 important cases to watch

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:15:00 PDT

If you think the crowdsourced identification of the Boston Marathon bombers was an exceptional use of hidden cameras, think again. We watch more online video than any other kind of social media, and it's easier than ever to shoot and share professional-quality HD video with decent sound on smaller and smaller cameras. Companies, governments, organizations and individuals are putting these recording techniques to use--in some cases, with hidden cameras, in others with behind-the-scenes footage not intended for the public eye. And that's where things get tricky. Here are four cases in which either hidden cameras or not-ready-for-prime-time footage are causing PR headaches, all cases you should keep you eye on:

I spy with my Googly eye: The problem with Google Glass: People wearing them can record you without you knowing talks about an as-yet largely unavailable product, Google's eyepiece that records, takes pictures, shares, searches and more. Right now, some observers are calling for "Glass etiquette" to guide would-be surreptitious recorders. Good luck with that idea. So far, one bar in Seattle is banning Google Glass outright. Before you panic, find out how Google Glass really works, and read about the newly released specs for Google Glass.
Using video to blow the whistle on whistle-blowers: The New York Times article Taping of farm cruelty is becoming the crime is a good primer on the so-called "Ag-Gag" laws, designed to make criminal the undercover video recording of animal cruelty and unsafe practices in agricultural facilities and farms. Activists have succeeded in shutting down or getting prosecutions of violations of agricultural and animal protection laws using videos as proof, and the new spate of laws aims to reverse that trend by making the video recording the crime. This activist--who's done some undercover recordings himself--suggests a different use for webcams so that they open up the slaughterhouses to public viewing, in the name of transparency: "There would be no need for human intrusion into dangerous sites. No tricky angles or scary edits by activists. Just the visual facts. If the operators felt their work misrepresented, they could add cameras to give an even fuller picture." (Memo to the New York Times: The article does a nice job referring to the visual product as video, since it concerns images captured digitally, and not on old-school videotape. So how 'bout not using the word "taping" in the headline? You know, to update your look.)
You don't need Google Glass to record using your sunglasses, as you'll see in this look at wearable video cameras for police officers. Here's how the cameras work: "The cameras are so small that they can be attached to a collar, a cap or even to the side of an officer’s sunglasses. High-capacity battery packs can last for an extended shift. And all of the videos are uploaded automatically to a central server that serves as a kind of digital evidence locker." Intended to improve community relations by providing an impartial view of what happens in police interactions, the practice is viewed askance by many of the cops themselves. A study currently underway is already demonstrating major reductions in citizen complaints and in use of force by the police when the cameras are worn and used.
Hiding in plain sight: Rutgers officials long knew of coach's actions shares the tick-tock on a highly visible case involving video shot from the stands, showing a university coach striking, shoving, and swearing at players in ways that eventually led to his firing...but not fast enough. It was an official but not publicly available video, which gave it nearly the same impact as a surreptitious recording. We know we weren't meant to see this. In this case, a former assistant had long complained of the coach's abusive ways. "The video, parts of which were made public last week, was 30 minutes long. It had been professionally edited from a collection of 219 DVDs covering hundreds of hours of practices, material that Rutgers had voluntarily provided to Eric Murdock, the former assistant, after his departure." So if the video exists, remember that a personnel or legal action can make it more widely available than you might imagine at first. Also notable in this coverage: The coalescing of public opinion based on who saw the video and when. When the public considers a video compelling, the idea that your executive saw it months ago and did nothing official means you've got more explaining to do.

I'm voting with the animal rights activist and the police departments who advocate using cameras for transparency, in part because pursuing terrorist designations and jail time is such a lousy PR tactic for combating coverage you don't like. And as my earlier post Arresting photographers: What should your security team do in an age of cellphone cameras? noted, you can come up with less strenuous workarounds instead of arrests and confiscating equipment. How are you handling hidden video?

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10 things communicators don't know about experts (and vice versa): My talk for #NCIPAN

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

An expert who insists her research is the "first" and "only" evidence, when it's not. Putting a researcher into a media interview on the federal budget sequester and squirming when he answered awkwardly, because he hadn't been prepped for difficult questions. High-level experts who insist they need no training, but misfire repeatedly when speaking, doing interviews, or interacting with key audiences like donors.

Those were just some of the examples of communicators' challenges with experts during my session on 10 things communicators don't know about the experts they work with (and vice versa,) part of the National Cancer Institute Public Affairs and Marketing Network conference of communicators from NCI-funded cancer centers. To say it was a lively discussion would be an understatement, and I made sure communicators also heard about their foibles when interacting with experts. One communicator attending the conference wrote later to say:

Listening to a scientist speak at a later presentation, I had an ah-ha moment, by relating it back to what you said earlier in the day. The scientist talked about how it takes them years to do research and months to share it with colleagues, and then we come to them with this quick timeline of getting it out to the media and public. This process is truly foreign to them, completely contrary to how they work.

You bet. But a few adjustments in how communicators work with experts can make the experience better for you and for them. Just keeping in mind how "completely contrary" our approaches are helps. Better yet: Learning the preferences, habits and concerns of the experts you work with--particularly around public communications--will save you hours of frustration and get better results.

If you're a communicator who works with smart folks--subject matter experts, scientists, engineers--you'll get that and more at my upcoming workshop, Be an Expert on Working with Experts. Set for June 13, this day-long session will help you figure out your experts' default communications style and how to work with, not against it, as well as ways to handle feedback, help them avoid "dumbing down" their information without sacrificing clarity, and more.

As one participant in the last workshop said, "If you ever have the opportunity to take a workshop with @dontgetcaught, do it! Best training I've ever had. Informative and eye-opening." Register here--and don't forget, you'll get a substantial discount for signing up by May 16.

The slides below from my presentation at the conference offer a glimpse at what we'll cover in more detail in the workshop, and you can find other slides from the conference here. Will I see you at the workshop?

10 things communicators don’t know about experts (& vice versa) from don't get caught -- creative communications consulting

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Let's tie up this week, shall we? I've been collecting string all week on Twitter, where I find and share data, reads and leads useful for communicators. Follow these threads to get to my best shared items:

Don't string us along: The Sunlight Foundation's open-source plagiarism detection engine is being touted as a way to tell press releases from news stories. Better run your stuff through.
Cut the cord? Severing your ties to social media is tougher than you think, hence this handy guide.
Tying up the social media case: The Boston marathon bombing and suspect capture started many new threads on coverage on social media. Two good reads are The birth of the byline and accountability in journalism, a history lesson that reminds us this is been there, done that; and Coverage of bombing suspects could change social media. And, true for many circumstances, is The masses are the media.
Tied up like a bow: How to explain your career transition will be useful for all my darling friends and clients who are trying new things not easy to define. It's very much in line with the Messaging Me workshop I'm convening on June 18 to help job-seekers use the same messaging tactics public speakers use.
Strung out: The top 500 YouTube brands generate 442 million views per month, and average 884,000 each, according to a new report that's got plenty more to see, such as which topics are popular and which are not.
Well strung: Find out from Pinterest insiders how they scaled the site from zero users to a $2 billion valuation.
String theory: SpotOn NYC has a useful batch of case studies on using social media for science communications. Bravo to them for compiling this varied group of examples!
Comment threads expand: Google+ just added a feature to Blogger that lets you make use of comments on Plus, and now you can post comments from Google+ on any website with this workaround.
Rope them in: Google Maps Mania, a favorite blog, has these cool ideas from businesses using Google Inside Street View--the map inside your building--which you can steal for your own use.

Follow these threads for great comms jobs: The Level Playing Field Institute in Oakland, Calif., is looking for a half-time communications manager....TechnoServe seeks a vice president, development and communications...Population Services International wants a senior communications manager.

Don't forget that discounts are still in play for my 3 unusual workshops for communicators in June--but not for long.

I love the chance to string along with you on Fridays. Thanks for reading and being here.

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Using social tools to rethink press conferences and press releases

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:16:00 PDT

With all the social tools available, the old-fashioned press conference and press release look about as sophisticated as hollering your news out the window. Media relations pros know how tough it has been for many years now to get reporters to show up for press conferences. My proposal for a press release diet, which substitutes blog posts for emailed releases, was born from a desire to start using the new tools instead of these tired and mostly ineffective approaches. Can you reinvent the presser and the press release--and all your announcements--in new ways with social tools? You sure can. The trick is knowing where your followers are and who they are on each site. Holler these tips to the other kids in your office:

Use Google+ for press conferences: Tibetan activists held the first press conference on Google+ Hangouts, demonstrating its real strength in helping organizations share news from (very) remote locations that are tough for reporters to reach. The city of Los Angeles announced its new website in a Google+ Hangout featuring the mayor, and Digital Hoops looks at some of the possibilities for press conferences, briefings and even fan closeup gatherings with star athletes on Hangouts. And astronauts have done them from space. So what's your excuse? Hangouts just got a new app called Capture, that lets you do just that to preserve what the Hangout-in-progress looked like. It's more than a screen grab, and another way to document your presser.
Use Facebook to announce news first: With its support for video, photos, text and links, Facebook's an efficient natural for news announcements, as celebrities have long known. But more serious news is getting announced this way, as in this 2011 announcement on Facebook by the NATO commander of the war in Libya that he would recommend ending that mission, long before an "official" release was issued. Facebook's native support for dozens of languages around the world made this a particularly savvy choice, as it would be for your global announcements. Recently, the SEC issued guidance that companies could use Facebook and Twitter to disclose "material information," as long as shareholders were notified first. This prompted Netflix to suggest it might start using social media for such announcements, and companies that issue press releases to cry foul.
Closed to the public? Share press conferences on YouTube: Amazon didn't live-stream this Kindle press conference, but did the next best thing by making it available quickly on YouTube. If this is part of your plan, give news organizations (and users) a heads-up that the video will be forthcoming, and make sure you publicize the link. This is a great way to get double-duty from a press conference, and a straightforward transparency move for any company or organization.
Use Twitter's Vine video app to pop your news: This may not look like the press release you're used to seeing, but social discovery app Sonar used Vine to announce a big new investment--and TechCrunch weighed in, hoping this wouldn't "become a thing."
Using Twitter to track down, confirm and announce stories isn't just for reporters, as seen in this report from SUNY-Oswego on the story of its first alumni athlete to get called up to the pros. It's a nice behind-the-scenes look at how communicators can generate as well as share stories on the social site.

What are you using in lieu of press conferences and press releases? Holler back in the comments.

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Since social trends are visual, a crash course on how to see [video]

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

You're busy shooting and sharing online video and Instagram photos, sharing shots on Pinterest and Flickr, posting a Vine here and an infographic or type treatment for a quotation there. There's no denying that the visual is the strongest of social media's enduring trends, with YouTube now up to a billion views per month and Pinterest poised right behind Twitter and Facebook, both of which keep expanding their visual options.

But you may not have a formal visual orientation to your very visual social media work. And you very likely haven't learned how to see as an artist or designer does. Time to correct that. If you're standing around criticizing someone's use of Comic Sans, but don't realize that letters are an expression of motion and how that works in design, there's some work to do. Even if you never design something directly, learning to see will help you better communicate what you want to design professionals.

I'm fortunate to have pursued art as a hobby and as a professional, learning design principles in a classroom and practicing them over and over, offline--and eventually selling the results. But the truth is that many communicators armed with today's visual tools have no background in seeing and design. Inge Druckrey: Teaching to See, a film about a design teacher with 40 years of helping students learn to see, gives you an easy and compelling way to dip your toe in the water. Fast Company shares this thoughtful look at the video and its teachings, and why they are useful widely, noting "If you do one thing today, watch this 40-minute crash course in Design Thinking." I agree. You'll hear testimonials from Druckrey's students and even Steve Jobs in citing the importance of learning to see.

Here's the video. What else have you used to expand your visual thinking to help yourself in social media communications? And if you're already a visual artist, check out my post on social media for the visual artist: 11 ways to promote your work.

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:05:20 PDT

Park your bumper car over there, kids. The ride that was the workweek is over, and it's time to hit the refreshment stand for your choice of the fresh finds I made and shared this week on Twitter. Or sit down until that dizzy feeling stops....

Please don't play "Turkey in the Straw" again: I'm not a big fan of whiny-type "you're doing it wrong" posts, but this list of 10 annoying social media habits of businesses has as many home truths as the fair's prize-winning jam.
Who's gone to the (social media) fair? There's a new breakdown of social media demographics from Pew with some findings that might shake things up for you: "Hispanics lead the pack at 72% engagement, with African-Americans trailing at 68%, who are ahead of Caucasians at 65%...despite being somewhat economically disadvantaged, 72% of adults with annual household incomes below $30,000 use social networks, more than those with higher wages." There's much more in this deep dive.
Gate receipts: Big companies (1,000+ employees) have big social media budgets. Get the breakdown here and see how they're investing and preparing and using social networks. Another trove.
I liked the old bumper cars better: Miss your legacy media or just need a timewaster to make it to the weekend? YouTube now has a "tape mode" that recreates all the pops and hisses and even the pause wonkiness. Just add &vhs=1 to the end of any YouTube URL and you'll see what I mean.
Best in show: Keep your eye on nonprofit social media with these winners of the YouTube DoGooder Video Awards.
It's gonna be a bumpy ride: Talk about start-and-stop driving: Ever started a post update on Facebook, then thought better of it? You're then part of the 71 percent of folks who self-censor in this way on FB.
Dangerous curve: Pinterest is now on the Nook e-reader. Don't say I didn't warn you before you bought your ticket.
Can we drive these backward? You might be using it only to find the origins of photos you want to use, but then you'd be missing these clever uses for reverse image search.
I'm not in this bumper car: No matter what you think, you will not find me quoted in People who spend all day online reveal how they get the most out of the Internet. But I'm not above stealing their tips.
Just the steering wheel? Here are some handy workarounds for embedding just a portion of a YouTube video.

Workshops to bump up your smart quotient, coming in June: Communicators are already registering for the 3 workshops I'm leading in June, with substantial discounts if you register early. They include:

Refreshing Your Blog, a half-day workshop June 6. Learn the trends and updated tactics you need to revive, refresh or renew your blog and make it work for today's audiences.
Be an Expert on Working with Experts, a full-day workshop on June 13 for communicators and others who work with scientists, engineers and other subject-matter experts.
Messaging Me, a 2-hour lunch session for job hunters, sharing the messaging tactics public speakers use so you can put them to work in your interviews.

Jobs got bumped from the lineup this week, but they'll be back. In the meantime, you know you've been bumped up to the top of my list for showing up here on Fridays, right? Have a wonderful weekend...

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5 new looks at data on your audiences on social media

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

I'm a collector of audience data on social media, and you can usually see my latest finds in the Friday posts known here as "the weekend read," as they occur. But recently, five insightful piles of data have come across my desk that represent new ways to slice the pie chart. I'm hoping they prompt new ways of looking at data for you:

Go global: In Why Koreans Love Tumblr and Other Social Media Surprises, Fast Company takes a look at Bitly's breakdown of traffic to social media sites by country. While it only looks at traffic routed through Bitly, a URL-shortening service, its snapshots offer useful looks at not only networks based in the U.S., but their foreign counterparts.
What time is it? Ask your audience: Time of day and day of the week are important, if oft-ignored, factors for social network posts intended to reach audiences, so looking at social media use against those factors can tell you a lot about your audience. Arbitron Mobile Oy's recent report that "primetime" is the same time for television viewing and use of social networks and gaming is a perfect example of the type of insightful data you should be seeking. My question: Is that when you're posting?
What time is it, part 2? Chitika Insights looked at North American mobile web browsing for nearly a week, hour by hour, comparing usage on desktops, smartphones and tablets. It's a nuanced look that might help you consider where and when to deploy a particular format or platform.
Think about where your user's using: Here's a report that suggests that Facebook users engage twice as much with videos on their mobile devices as on their desk- or laptops. Place-based user data like this can help you make the leap to a mobile-optimized site, and direct your thinking about content form and frequency.
What's typical? The infographic from SocialKnowHow below details--in word-cloud fashion--the habits of the average user on Facebook, one way to slice the more than 5 billion pieces of content shared on the site each week. And a pie that big needs slicing...

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The fig-leaf embargo: As cover goes, it's nearly worthless

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Ever been to the Vatican Museum in Rome? As you walk through hallways of the world's most expensive art collection, you may notice that most of the marble nudes of male figures are sporting fig leaves*. You know fig leaves: As cover goes, they're nearly worthless, more for show than anything else. We all know what's supposed to be under there, but you're making us wait to see it for reasons of your own. Sometimes there's a little extra drapery, but that's just another kind of fig leaf.

This week, fig leaves came to mind when I was reading about--of all things--embargoes on news about journal-published research studies. (And you thought science was boring.) Last week, the Embargo Watch blog reported on a new record for a short-term embargo on a news release. Reporters were given just 38 minutes of advance word on two articles coming out in the New England Journal of Medicine, both about human infection with bird flu, a hot topic that every news organization covers like a blanket. This beat a previous NEJM short embargo of 49 minutes, shaving 11 minutes off the total--at least as far as anyone's been keeping track.

Mind you, in 2010, those halcyon days of yore, Embargo Watch was eyeing askance a nine-hour embargo from The Lancet and a four-hour embargo from NEJM. So in three years, NEJM has gone from four hours to just over a half-hour, on occasion. One reason this causes an outcry: The supposed standard once was seven days, now down to four or five days at major journals. That's a time period determined to strike the balance between being reasonable enough to allow reporting on a complex scientific story, without being so long as to tempt anyone to break the embargo to get ahead of the pack. I'm thinking Embargo Watch needs a new watch--maybe a minute egg timer or a stopwatch--for embargoes, since it used to generously define a "short embargo" as "less than 24 hours."

Most of the journals with embargoes strongly believe that they enhance media coverage, something they'll rarely admit in public. But in fact, embargoes don't guarantee news coverage. The public reason for having an embargo is that convenience is being created for the researchers, communicators and journalists who are expected to organize themselves and their public statements around the embargo. Here, too, is a fiction. When embargoes get this short, the convenience factor disappears and is replaced by a fig leaf....a 38-minute one this week.

Many journals get along just fine without embargoes. That's been true for decades in the physics community, and new journals like eLife are launching without even trying them. So why should communicators care? This may seem like a rarified-air issue, one that affects just a handful of organizations publishing data. But companies, organizations, government agencies and PR agencies copy the practice--often badly--leading to more myths about embargoes, and that actually makes more useless work for everybody. This week's case was pretty straightforward: There was no chance that two papers on humans and avian flu would go unnoticed. So just what were those 38 minutes supposed to cover for those involved? If they were the fig leaf for appearing to be helpful, it might be time to drop that cover.

*The statues, originally anatomically correct, were altered in a "defacement campaign" conducted by the Church. Next time you're in the museum, I dare you not to look. You'll find the story in City Secrets: Rome.

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8 years in with this blog, let's work on yours at the Refreshing Your Blog workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 06:15:00 PDT

Tomorrow, this blog will reach its 8th birthday, and it still feels like the most natural work I've ever done. Early on, I offered "blogging for your business" workshops, at a time when many people couldn't fathom using this versatile tool for business purposes. This spring, I'm coming back to the workshop format to offer a half-day workshop, Refreshing Your Blog, on June 6.

While blogging feels natural to me, that doesn't mean that I don't need to refresh my blogs from time to time. There's plenty of organization and strategy behind this blog, because I set regular times during the year to reconsider my content, timing and other approaches--and so should you. This session will give you a sense of current trends, opportunities, and strategies to make your blogging at once easier and more focused. My emphasis will be on tactics that will help you blog more in less time, wherever possible.

This morning workshop includes lunch, follow-up resources and plenty of time to focus on your specific questions and issues. If you're just not sure about where to go from here with your blog, or want it to be better or different, this is the session for you. Attendees at my previous blogging conferences have gone on to do great things with their blogs. Why not join their ranks? Communicators, business owners and other bloggers are already signing up. Find out more and register here--you'll get a great discount for registering early, by May 9.

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:20:03 PDT

Proud as a peacock that you got through this particular week, are you? Well, there's no need for an ostentatious display...until you've seen the great reads and leads I shared this week on Twitter. Pride yourself on looking smarter by Monday with these finds:

You've heard of the long tail. This ain't it: Embargo Watch blog heralds a new record for short embargoes: The New England Journal of Medicine, holder of the previous record, shaved 11 minutes off by allowing reporters a precious 38 minutes' worth of embargo on two papers.
That pride thing is showing in your likes: Data from 58,000 volunteers shows that your "likes" on Facebook are predictive of your personality traits. Hat tip to Tiffany Lohwater for this one.
Dirty birds: Exxon refused to release details about a recent oil spill to journalists, then threatened them with arrest, established a no-fly zone over the site, and more. While it was busy blocking a free press, it appears that paper towels were used at the site to (yes) remove some of the oil spill. I can't make this stuff up.
Hangout with the peacocks? YouTube accounts and channels can now be linked to Google+ accounts, with all sorts of benefits. Read this one closely--lots of potential.
No screeching, please: This blog on voiceovers has some great post primers on which audio equipment to invest in, including this post on microphones.
Flocks of data: Data from 30,000 businesses forms the basis for this post on 7 secrets of YouTube marketing. You'll be relieved that fancy video production values is not one of them.
They can't fly, but you could let them out in the yard: Back when I was at EPA, we fast-tracked reporters' FOIA requests and Administrator Browner spent long open Q&A plenary sessions with reporters at the Society of Environmental Journalists meeting. SEJ just sent this statement out asking for a change from the more closed-door press policy of today.
Paging the NBC Peacock: Few articles tell you what happens when your small-biz online video goes viral, so this one is a rare peek at the aftermath.
Pecked to death: Don't hate me, but this study shows hostility on the rise on Facebook and other social networks.
Really, what is a peacock if not a mobile display device? 41 million people in the U.S. are watching video on their smartphones for reasons that range from boredom to pre-planning. But globally, only 40 percent of those video viewing sessions are longer than 10 minutes. A motherlode study here.

The pride of learning new skills: I've got three useful workshops for communicators coming up in June--but you'll get better discounts if you register early, and seats are already filling. Choose from a half-day session on Refreshing Your Blog...the popular full-day workshop, Be an Expert on Working with Experts...or a lunchtime session for job-hunters on Messaging Me. I hope you'll be among the lively gangs registering for these workshops!

Strut your stuff for these communications jobs: The American Society for Training and Development wants a senior writer/editor for its magazine....the Carnegie Corporation needs a director of communications and content strategy...North Carolina State University seeks a director of communications for its College of Sciences.

Proud doesn't begin to describe how I feel about having you hang out here right before the weekend. Thanks for reading!

"Should I use slides even if I don't normally use them?"

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

I was coaching a speaker last year, a nonprofit CEO who's getting invited to larger and larger forums to share his message. He's a natural storyteller and likes to tell the story of his organization's mission with a mix of personal tales about himself and about the population it serves. He moves around when he speaks, rather than using a lectern, and uses gestures and vocal emphasis to underscore his points. But he was worried about slides, even though he never used them.

"Should I be using slides?" he asked me. "I don't use them now, I never have used them, and I don't really want to start." So what prompted the question? "I'm now on stage following big-time speakers, speakers who've been at TED or who sell a lot of ebooks or are recognizable thought leaders, and they have some pretty slick slide decks," he answered. "I'm wondering if I need something similar to break into the big time?"

I'm coaching some of the speakers for next week's TEDMED conference, and that same question has already come up. Speakers for the TED conferences can go back and look at previous talks, and if they are used to slides or feel as if many speakers use them, there's a natural tendency to think, "Maybe I should have slides myself," even if they had not originally planned to do so. That second-guessing might be part of the normal fear of public speaking, that exposed feeling we get when we put ourselves out there on stage.

In fact, both the TED Commandments and the TEDMED Hippocratic Oath for speakers barely mention slides, although TEDMED takes the time to urge speakers to pledge "I will use visuals to enhance my words, not duplicate them." Both conferences want your slides only if they add to your presentation, not form its entirety--and speakers sans slides are often the most popular.

Why is that? If you're not reading from or focused on your slides, you'll connect more directly with the audience, via eye contact, posture and language. Your style will get more conversational, and thus more engaging. And if there's going to be a contest between which is more compelling to watch--a human face versus a slide--the human wins hands down.

So here's what I tell the speaker who doesn't use slides but thinks he might need to do so:

Will the slides do something you can't? If the slides support and even expand on what you're saying, that's one possible reason to include them. If they merely echo your words, you don't need the repeat--and you truly don't need them to say in writing what you are saying out loud, one of the things that most annoys audiences about slide-users. One of the earliest TED talks I saw was by Hans Rosling, who uses unusual statistics and animated bubble charts to help the audience see his points, a good example of graphics that support the talk well. Wall Street Journal reporter Robert Lee Hotz, speaking at TEDGlobal about his trips to Antarctica, shows pictures of a place we're unlikely to see--a fantastic reason to use slides--but they support, rather than supplant, his words. Here's a telltale sign: If you have one slide for every point, chances are you don't need them all. Remember, one of the things that audiences like least is the feeling that the speaker's just reading the slides.
Will you make yourself uncomfortable by adding a new variable? There's so much going on in your body, mind and senses when you speak that I advocate avoiding the addition of new variables, particularly when you're getting ready for a high-pressure talk, a talk you've never given before or when you're close to the date of the speech's delivery. Why add something new, something that isn't a habit, into the mix? For many speakers, that new variable will be enough to distract them, make them uncomfortable or worse, help them forget what their focus is.
Can you use invisible visuals or other tactics instead of slides? Invisible visuals is the name I give to word pictures, those things that speakers describe so well, the audience members can "see" them in their minds' eye. They're stronger, and far more memorable, than any slide. You also can use props, gesture and even movement. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden, a speaker at TEDMED 2012, used no slides but is a fantastic gesturer, sketching out a progression of data in the air during his talk to underscore it. No pictures necessary.

You'll find more tactics for how to fly without slides on my public speaking blog, The Eloquent Woman. Let me know if you need a speaker coach, with or without slides: Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz to get ready for your next big talk or presentation.

(Photo of a slideless presentation by CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, via TEDMED)

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7 things journalists and communicators can learn from Roger Ebert on social media

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

If you got caught up in the many obits and remembrances of film critic Roger Ebert, who died last week at age 70, you may have missed this very smart appreciation by Claire Suddath, writing for Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Roger Ebert's Social Media Legacy. As a follower of his Twitter account, I've been used to having Ebert as a near-constant companion, and have dipped into his blog posts and Facebook entries. But Suddath sums up just how much more he'd done, and how early he did it, beyond his prolific film reviews:

...his abiding legacy is the way he assimilated computers into his daily life and served as an example for other writers. Ebert first logged on to the Internet in 1990 through CompuServe; by 1993 he was using a laptop to e-mail dispatches from the Cannes Film Festival back to his editors at the Chicago Sun-Times. Three years later, in 1996, Ebert pushed the newly digital Sun-Times to put 2,000 of his reviews online for free. The archive dated back to 1985 and was easily searchable by title or star rating. The Internet gave Ebert more ways to connect with his readers, and despite his illness (he was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 and lost the ability to speak in 2006), Ebert actually grew more prolific in his final years. He averaged 200 movie reviews per year (last year he hit a career record of 306), kept a blog, obsessively entered the New Yorker caption contest, and wrote the occasional Op-Ed. But he unexpectedly thrived on Twitter.

Since he was a longtime newspaperman, I think there are lessons communicators and journalists can learn from Ebert's forays into social media, at least 7:

You're never too old to try social media, nor to try changing the system around you: Did I mention he was 70 when he died, still blogging and tweeting up to the end? That he was 53 when he pushed for putting his reviews online for free? NPR's Scott Simon remembered him as a "Chicago newspaperman who typed with two fingers — it sounded like a machine gun, columnist Bob Greene remembered on Friday — who was from the age when reporters were fueled by ink and booze." And if he could adjust, so can you.
Be clear:

"Jargon is the last refuge of the scoundrel," he said. Every tweet, every blog post, stayed true to his usual clear prose--and it paid off.
Be honest with your readers: On his Sun-Times blog, Ebert wrote about his alcoholism and, better yet, his recovery and relationship with Alcoholics Anonymous--with the irresistible detail about once taking Ann Landers to an A.A. meeting, but more importantly, an authenticity and humility that make this post compelling reading. This post is a great example of what blogging can do: It's not just about him and his story, but in disclosing so many details from his experience, he offers a rare picture that I'll wager made (and still makes) it possible for others to consider this path.
Have some social media rules for yourself: It's tough to do better than Roger Ebert's rules for tweeting, with a hat tip to Sarah Milstein for the pointer: "My rules for Twittering are few: I tweet in basic English. I avoid abbreviations and ChatSpell. I go for complete sentences. I try to make my links worth a click. I am not above snark, no matter what I may have written in the past. I tweet my interests, including science and politics, as well as the movies. I try to keep links to stuff on my own site down to around 5 or 10%. I try to think twice before posting."
Always be trying something new: In his final blog post, announcing a new digital company for his content and a redesign for rogerebert.com, Ebert also let us know he'd launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.
Be your own publisher: Suddath notes at the end of her article that the Sun-Times erected a paywall in 2011, so you'd have to be a registered user to read its very nice obituary for Ebert, the writer who'd given it a worldwide reputation. Ebert even had that figured out: You can read the Sun-Times obit for free on rogerebert.com.
Balance the snark with empathy and kindness: He was a critic, after all, but it was Ebert's empathy and genuine niceness that prompted the flood of social media remembrances and testimonials last week. People were sharing posts about the personal answer he sent their letters and emails, the time he posed for a photo with a fan, the kindnesses he'd done. Ebert got social, and got relationships, online and off, and it showed.

Ebert didn't confine his self-reinvention to social media. I've written on my public speaking blog, The Eloquent Woman, about how he rethought public speaking and kept doing it even after cancer surgery took away his voice. Boy, are we going to miss him around Twitter.

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

How was your week this week? It's time to split open the fruits of your labors, otherwise known as enjoying the weekend. Let's peel back the layers of news and reads I shared on Twitter first, though. There were some juicy finds this week:

Fruit on the vine. No, the other Vine: Twitter's Vine video service now has an embed function. You can get a primer on using Vine in this infographic.
Fruit is good for you: Social media isn't the productivity killer you may have thought. That's especially true if you don't waste time whining about it instead of doing it. Too busy? You may just be procrastinating.
The fruits of your labors, indeed: One of the Posterous founders writes about staying on the right side of the "earn vs. learn equation," which will tell you when to quit your job.
Bad apples: Just awful instances of PR people telling journalists how to do their jobs.
Have more networking a-peel: MOO, my favorite source for cool, customized business cards and other printed products, has a useful 25% discount sitewide right now.
You've had enough fruit: Google's announced plans to halt Reader and Alerts, and rumors about Feedburner continue. But it's adding new services, too. Here's how to make sense of Google's changes and some recommendations for alternatives, from Spin Sucks. I jumped to Feedly, along with 3 million other Google Reader users, and a new Feedly update makes that even more appealing. It also may be the easiest switch you'll ever make online.
We keep the fruit trees indoors: You're not paying attention yet to indoor location services, are you? Here's why indoor location will be bigger than GPS or maps.
Low-hanging fruit: HubSpot makes the case that a blog post is the new ad unit.
#Label #your #fruit: All Twitter shared this infographic on The Fast Guide to Hashtags.
A moveable feast: Singer Alicia Keys, one of the smarter users of social media in the entertainment world, now is selecting fans in different locations to document her ongoing concert tour on Tumblr. If you work in different cities, think about copying this tactic, which gives "mobile" a new meaning and engages your fans by letting them take over the coverage.
See the tree, how big it grows: That is, if tree=screen. This handy infographic from QZ.com in honor of the 40th anniversary of the cellphone this week, shows how the phone's gotten smaller as the screen's gotten bigger. A hat tip to a new favorite website, Digital Horticulture, for pointing me to this one:

Juicy jobs for communicators: Duke University Development wants an executive director of marketing and communications...Trout Unlimited seeks a vice president of marketing and communications...Humanity United, with offices in San Francisco and Washington, DC, is looking for a communications director and a manager of digital brand and outreach.

Workshops due to ripen in June: Communicators are already registering for the 3 workshops I'm leading in June, with substantial discounts if you register early. They include:

Refreshing Your Blog, a half-day workshop June 6. Learn the trends and updated tactics you need to revive, refresh or renew your blog and make it work for today's audiences.
Be an Expert on Working with Experts, a full-day workshop on June 13 for communicators and others who work with scientists, engineers and other subject-matter experts.
Messaging Me, a 2-hour lunch session for job hunters, sharing the messaging tactics public speakers use so you can put them to work in your interviews.

I love you, a bushel and a peck, for being here with me every Friday. Here's to a fruitful weekend for you!

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From the vault: Tweeting about food, and why it's smarter than you think

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

"I don't want to join Twitter and find out what you ate for lunch."

It's the universal dismissal of Twitter, the suggestion that we only post about what we just ate, as if that were the consummate waste of a reader's time, let alone the poster's time. Why would you want to lallygag around like that?

Right, because you don't ever talk about food at work, home or in between. You don't eat a big breakfast when you're facing a long work day, make deals over lunch, or steal candy from the office jar. You don't line up at that trendy food truck on lunch break, or hit the bar around the corner because their happy hour sliders make your heart sing. You're not dieting or quitting a diet. You don't cook or let others cook for you. You don't ask for seconds, special-order, takeout. You don't gather around the holiday board with your loved ones. No sirree, not you. All business, you are. Without food touching it.

I'm on to those anti-food-tweeters, because that diss sounds like all the other automatic dismissals of Twitter by people who are too afraid to try it--they're just making food the roadkill, so to speak, with a little side-diss of you and your overall tweeting for good measure.

Truth is, not everyone tweets about food. But those who do are accomplishing all sorts of useful and often businesslike, even profitable, things that you're not. And yes, I am one of them. Why? Food might just be the One True Social Media Topic, because it does so many things you already want and need to accomplish in social media circles. Food:

Is a universal connector: It's considered one of the most basic needs of humankind, something your stomach tells you on a regular basis. That opens you up to more conversations, being relevant as it is to more people. You do want to connect and have conversations on social media, right? Choosing food as one of your topics is as good a bet as any that others will start a chat with you--everyone can relate to food, no matter their position. It works at cocktail parties and networking events, and it works on Twitter. As points of entry go, it's easy.
Gets as complex and intellectual as you wish: Go read what food writer Ruth Reichl's having for breakfast. I dare you. Then engage with Mark Bittman or Marion Nestle on food politics and research. Or, if you dare, follow journalist Maryn McKenna, who probes the microbes in your food, food contamination and more. Lately, I'm getting 140-character recipes from master chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Eric Ripert that I can put to use in the kitchen. What you got? That's serious food.
Invites information-sharing: A tweet about what you're eating might let me ask for the recipe or a restaurant recommendation, bring me around the corner to your office to see if you'll share, let me tell you about a better/worse/made-by-me dish, discover we both like liver and onions or something else we have in common. I once worked in an office in which no fewer than six of us turned out to like liver and onions, and we had a memorable lunch of the same that bonded us forever--the few, the proud.
Adds dimension: If you're mostly all-business on Twitter, posting about what or where you're eating lets us see more about you, layering on perspective that makes you multi-dimensional. So much the better if you have a special take on food, whether you cook it, eat it or choose wines to go with it. Even sharing special meals--you're off to an anniversary dinner or have just been honored at a banquet--helps us know you better. And what better way to line up restaurant partners on a business trip than to reach out to your Twitter followers?
Provides an ongoing source of topics: You'll be eating every day, won't you, so you'll have an ever-unfolding array of content if you choose to tweet about food. Food can lead to all sorts of conversational avenues (are you eating, cooking, delivering, producing, inspecting, describing?) as well, which further expands your content options.
Cements business deals: My food tweeting--mostly about what I'm cooking--has ferreted out every client or potential client of mine on Twitter who likes to cook or eat well. That means we have more in common, and more reasons to talk. You can keep your cold calls and mailers, my friend. Over here, we're swapping recipes and plotting good meals for the next time we're in the same city. Food-tweeting can lead easily to meetings in real life, and I guarantee the food-tweeter will enjoy better meals on travel, thanks to Twitter pals (yes, @egculbertson, I'm looking at you).
If you wish, limits what you share, on safe ground: Being a universal topic also makes food a safe one. I often advise new tweeters who want to balance personal and professional topics on Twitter to pick three personal topics they'd talk to anyone about at a business cocktail party or before a meeting, and food might well be one of them. You can show yourself to be a person, not a bot, more effectively that way. I do it with food, travel and music, myself.
Is more than a tweet: As with any social medium, you shouldn't mistake the medium for the content. People tweet about food because they enjoy making it and eating it, and sometimes, sharing it because they delight in it, want to complain about it, or hope you'll join them. Breaking bread isn't about the breaking, but the bread--and coming together to do it.

If those of us who tweet about food want reassurance, there's the warm and newly open kitchen of Dinnerlist, a new social site that lets you share what you ate for dinner, along with recipes, food experiments and more in open or closed groups you create. Chef Faye Hess of the FayeFood blog--one of my favorite food writers--is behind it. Ready to stop dissing and start tweeting? Try the updated second edition of The Twitter Book, the best guide going. You can find me on Twitter as @dontgetcaught.

(This post updates and expands on one I published in 2011.)

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3 smart communicator trainings: On blogging, work with experts & messaging you

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:15:00 PDT

I've got three smart training options for communicators already scheduled for June 2013. Register early to get a substantial discount and take advantage of these unusual and useful professional development opportunities, all taking place in Washington, DC:

Refreshing Your Blog, a half-day session that will help you update and reinvigorate your blog, Tumblr, or other regular posting mechanism on social networks. On June 6, from 9:30am to 1:00pm, lunch included. Register here.
Be an Expert on Working with Experts, a popular and intensive day-long session for communicators, development officers, government relations pros and others who work with policy wonks, scientists and subject-matter experts and want to be more effective at it. On June 13 from 9:30am to 4:30pm, lunch included. Register here.
Messaging Me, a 2-hour lunch session, will help you apply message development principles used in public speaking and presenting to your job search. If you struggle with how to answer those typical open-ended questions like "tell me about yourself" or "walk me through your resume," this will help you articulate a message about you concisely and clearly. On June 18, from 11am to 1pm, lunch included. Register here.

These workshops are all centrally located and near public transportation in Washington, and easy to reach from the airport or train station, so don't hesitate to register, no matter where you are based. Please feel free to forward these training opportunities to your friends and colleagues, and consider coming with other members of your team. You'll find useful info about travel and cancellation policies in the workshops FAQ. If the dates don't work for you, let me know when a repeat session would work, or inquire about bringing one of these sessions to your location. Just email me at info@dontgetcaught.biz.

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 02:15:00 PDT

For immediate release: The weekend's here. That's what I call good news. In its honor, I won't be embargoing my best finds shared on Twitter this week. Feel free to pass 'em around, without restrictions:

Broken: BP just got caught manipulating its own Wikipedia pages, with a PR type rewriting nearly half of the entry just weeks before another court hearing.
Let's keep these under wraps: Fortunately, I have the best boss of all, but if you don't, you may need to know these 9 core beliefs of truly horrible bosses.
Talk about a lift: Business Insider shares its stats from a story that got crazy-good traffic referrals from (wait for it) Google+. And it's a story about math.
Getting around your FB embargoes: You didn't post it, but Facebook may still know about it by tapping outside data sources and using them to drop more targeted ads in your path.
No embargoing this: "Clipping" by services that monitor news and social media may not represent "fair use" under the copyright laws, a U.S. court says. You don't have to like this one, you just need to read it.
Keep the release right in front of you: Ever try to multitask by watching an online video, then trying to scroll and read something else? That tends to hide the video. A service called Video Tape (charming) will "dock" the video so you can continue scrolling but still keep it in view.
I really couldn't say. Crunch. Be glad you were not the spokesperson who had to answer this inquiry about a member of Congress's overspending on snacks.
Follow the numbers: Why create infographics just for public audiences? Why not use Visual.ly to make infographics to jazz up those internal presentations about your Google Analytics? Now you can.
Breaking: A UK firm has started a division for Kickstarter PR.
Do we need to call in the lawyers? Here's how to be sure you're legally using those online photos.
Embargo needed so you have extra time to study this one: The 2013 eNonprofits Benchmark Study is out, with news about soaring social media use and not-so-great email marketing results, and much more. A great data dive.

These jobs for communicators aren't embargoed: The American Association for the Advancement of Science needs a public engagement manager...a marketing manager is sought by the Autism Society...Harvard University wants a user experience lead in IT for its public affairs and communications group...the University of Maryland seeks a communications director. And in the "wish I'd heard about this job earlier" category, Texas Monthly hired a barbecue editor. Seriously.

If you like the "Keep calm" image above, you can go here to order it in poster/mug/t-shirt and other forms. Sadly, I get nothing from this, but when I see the poster in your office, I'll know you as a weekend reader.

It's no secret that I appreciate your reading and following the blog. Let's lift the embargo and get the weekend going...

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Don't get caught by a quid pro quo approach to media relations

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:15:00 PDT

Some unlikely partners go surprisingly well together, like chocolate and peanut butter. Not so for the expectation of a quid pro quo--"this for that" in Latin--when you're dealing with reporters. Media relations pros should know that, but sources often do not. It's an easy way to get caught: You have a tempting vision of the chocolate blending with the peanut butter, but it'll wind up more like what the Brits would call chalk and cheese, polar opposites. Next time you're working with a reporter, don't forget that these two flavors don't taste so good together. Do these examples sound familiar?

"I talked to him for an hour and all he quoted was 'Absolutely not' in the story. I deserve more space!" True for many kinds of interviewees, this is the classic moment when a quid pro quo is thought to exist--and it's an occupational hazard if you are a scientist or other type of technical expert, since your specialty means you will likely spend even more time just to explain what you are trying to describe and comment on. So take it from science journalist Carl Zimmer, who notes in this interivew, "It does surprise some scientists that there’s not necessarily a correlation between the time we spend in researching a book or article and the amount they are mentioned, but there’s no quid pro quo."
"Is it just a matter of being nicer to the reporter?" I just got this question in a workshop when we were discussing whether reporters would show sources their stories in advance of publication. One participant said that he often can "talk them into it," and I cautioned the group that they shouldn't expect that. It's not only rare but usually against the rules for the reporter--and thus, something you should not request. That's when the idea of being nicer came up, perhaps a quid pro quo in the sense that you're trading pleasantry for access to an early look. (And for the record, gifts don't help, either.) For more on this, see my post on Why you can't check your quotes like the campaigns do, and note that, since it was written, numerous news organizations that were making exceptions to this rule have stopped the practice. Then change your approach: Before the interview ends, ask the reporter, "Shall we review what I just said?", one of my 12 questions you get to ask reporters, instead of asking to see the finished piece.
"How can I interact with reporters and control the outcome?" This question also came up in a recent workshop. Let me quote an historic text to keep in mind: "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." It's a basic tenet of our democracy in the United States that you can't control the press. If you're a source looking for ways to trade clever interaction with reporters for control, you will soon learn why public relations professionals refer to media coverage as "earned coverage." If you want to control things, buy some advertising (and even that has rules and limitations).
"Reporters represent 10 percent of my calls, and they take up 80 percent of my time." Somewhere in this complaint from a wonderful source, a policy expert to whom I used to send reporters, is a wish for a quid pro quo of a different sort: I'll give you my time if you don't take too much of it. He was less concerned with how many times he got mentioned, in part because he was the only person with the data in question, and more concerned with juggling tasks. He did the right thing pointing it out to me, a communications pro who could then come up with solutions like conference calls with several reporters at once (today, think Google+ Hangouts or 10-person Skype sessions) to keep access for reporters both open and manageable for the expert. If you're a source, it's a smart idea to find your communications pro and start a discussion on how to make the tradeoffs easier for you.

Need a media training for yourself or a group, or a workshop on how to work more effectively with reporters? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

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The social-media mirror says I'm funny. What does it tell you?

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:15:00 PDT

Some time ago, I was cleaning up my LinkedIn profile and noticed a particular keyword that kept popping up in my recommendations. Clients and colleagues have called me things like "dynamic," "well-prepared," and a "professional's professional." My results are tallied in some detail.

But there was this other thing: I'm funny. I have a great sense of humor. They said so, again and again:

"As an added bonus, she's really fun to work with."
"Denise's wise counsel and calming presence (not to mention her delightfully sly sense of humor) were invaluable assets..."
"...mixed in with all the expertise is a great sense of humor."
"To top it off, Denise has a great sense of humor, and is an absolute delight to work with."

Guilty as charged. After all, I am the person who says "I'm fine, she lied," with a big smile on my face when you ask how I am during a crisis or on a major deadline. (Only about half of the people who hear that get the joke, and those are usually the people I like to get to know better.) "You're really funny," people tell me, as if there were a way to fake that.

That little thread represents something precious in social media. It's a mirror, one held up in such a way that the image my clients see is shared with others. I don't think I've ever discussed my humor with these fine folks, and I certainly didn't call and say, "While you're at it, could you mention how funny I am?" I didn't have to: Their comments reflect the fact that I use humor in a variety of ways.

I can hear someone thinking "What the heck does a recommendation that says you're funny help you achieve, business-wise?" Oh, plenty. I coach nervous public speakers and presenters, a transaction that relies heavily on trust and friendliness and approachability, and humor helps with that. It makes me memorable. It tells people "She doesn't take her self too seriously," and "she's not a killjoy" and "this is what I like about her and maybe you will , too." Those are all reasons why psychologists tell us that the likable person is the one who can control the room, something essential when I'm training or consulting for others. If the reader decides to check me out further, she'll go to my blogs and find that, yes indeed, I commit humor on a regular basis--so it's backed up by my own materials.

Have you thought about what the social media mirror says about you--not you the brand, but you the person we might hire, collaborate with, buy products from, vote for, give a donation to or otherwise have truck with? Your social media mirror might be in thoughtful Follow Friday recommendations on Twitter that share why people follow you or what they are looking to you to provide, or live-tweets while you're speaking at a professional event or fan comments on Facebook.

You may not like what's in that social media mirror, but you can learn from it. It just so happens that I like that they have figured out the funny in me, but even if I didn't, it's useful feedback. It gets beyond likes and thumbs-up and shares and endorsements that only require you to click on something. Think about it: I could hardly write my LinkedIn profile and talk about how funny I am, now, could I?

Do yourself a favor. Log out of your social accounts and go back and read them as others see them. Pay attention to the comments and recommendations you get. What's that social-media mirror showing you--and us?

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The weekend read

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:15:00 PDT

I have the cure for the week just past: It's called the weekend, the right kind of medicine for what ails you. Before you take that dose, though, check out the great finds and leads I shared on Twitter this week. No word on the side effects, but I'm thinking they're all good:

A spoonful of sugar: For my darlings who are promoting their wonderful books, a nudge to be sure you do plenty of offline promotion for your book as well as online.
We need a bigger waiting room: YouTube hit a billion viewers per month this week. What you got?
Peer review for those meds: How does the New York Times determine which articles get comments online? NiemanLab has the answer.
That's quite a capsule: The Vatican is digitizing its entire library into 2.8 petabytes of data. Is your archive digitized yet?
Dr. Paul will see you now: Paul, an app, auto-downloads video from all sorts of sites into one place on your Android device.
Advice for the aging: Just because teens aren't on Facebook now doesn't mean that will always be the case. A good look at how Facebook can be used differently by different age groups.
Sports medicine, via Twitter: SUNY-Oswego's Tim Nekritz gives us a great tick-tock on how he used Twitter and social networks to track down and stay ahead of the curve on a big story for his university: The first of its former student athletes to get a berth in the pro ranks.
Prescription pad: Google Keep is a new note-taking and storing option with some nice features like transcription of audio notes. (Must we call it an Evernote killer? Must we?)
Like a bandage, Mashable has you covered on everything you need to know about the new Pinterest features that debuted earlier this week. Or you could go straight to the source and read about it on the Pinterest blog.
Now heal this: Facebook has loosened its restrictions for your FB page cover photo.
Get the stretcher: Amazon has launched a "send to Kindle" button, making the device another in the read-it-later category of places to save things.
In your prime gets a whole new meaning: Apparently, TV prime time is the same as Facebook prime time and prime time on social networks and games. That makes it easy to remember, but think: Is that when you're posting?
Is there a doctor in the press room? Bad press policy of the week: This nonprofit conference threatens to fine bloggers if they don't write posts. Bloggers are defined as those who are not at "bona fide media organizations." Kids, don't do this at home. You're not that desperate for the publicity.

Career-boosting comms jobs: Just think of the pitching puns you could make as senior director of communications for Little League International...UC Santa Barbara wants a communications director for its College of Letters and Science...A&E Networks is looking for a director of public affairs for its Lifetime channel.

I'm so glad you're spending the run-up to the weekend here with me. Thanks, as always, for making this your Friday waiting room...

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What's that media interview going to be like? Go online in advance to find out

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:15:00 PDT

If you've never done a media interview, and sometimes even if you have, the process may seem fraught with peril. What will happen? Who'll sit where? What do you say before the interview starts, and after? What if something bad happens? What about special formats, like editorial board meetings, or intimidating ones, like 60 Minutes?

It's an especially good question right now, because interview segments are on the rise in a time of tight budgets and low staffing in journalism, according to new data out this week from the Pew Research Center:

At Fox, CNN and MSNBC, where annual revenues continue to grow (albeit more slowly than in years past), daytime coverage of live events fell 30% from 2007, while interview segments — which don't require a full crew and correspondent, and can be scheduled ahead of time — rose 31%. CNN has cut the number of produced story segments in half. On local TV stations, story lengths have diminished, while easy-to-deliver topics such as sports, weather and traffic have grown to account for 40% of content.

There's much we can do in a media training to teach you about what to expect, but today, you have lots of online options for eavesdropping on real interviews to hear and see what might happen. Check out these free options for learning more about how your interview might go:

The rise of the uncut interview online is a boon for those of you who have never heard or experienced the arc of an interview from start to finish. More news outlets are publishing uncut versions alongside edited pieces, so you can do your own comparison of what did and didn't make the cut--that's a useful exercise if you need to rein in your remarks, or if you don't understand why one phrase gets used and another doesn't. I recommend listening to or reading an uncut interview alongside the produced piece so you can see and hear the differences. Public radio's On Being shares all its uncut interviews alongside the edited podcast, and while not every interview will be this long or carefully done, you can learn a lot by listening to them. Try this grouping of uncut interviews for a program about priest and philosopher Teilhard de Chardin, which includes one with New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin, so you can hear how a reporter handles being the subject of an interview. Or this one, with Seth Godin. You'll note, among other things, how the start of both interviews deals with an essential: Can both interviewer and interviewee hear one another, since both interviews were done remotely? Uncut interviews are a good reminder that anything you say, even pre-interview chatter, can wind up on the web or in the story.
Editorial board meetings, the gathering of those reporters and editors who determine the opinions expressed by a newspaper, have long had super-secret status. Not so today. The Charleston Daily Mail conducted a recent ed board meeting in a Google+ Hangout that was live-tweeted; you also can watch the archived video online.
Blooper reels let you see what not to do in interviews. If you learn nothing else from this 60 Minutes reel, which features heads of state of many nations ripping off their lavalier mics and storming off the set to end the interview, learn this: The camera keeps rolling for your entrance and your exit, and anything you say or do is fair game. Don't believe me? See for yourself how the mighty are portrayed.
"See you on the radio" isn't just a funny thing to say, now that some live radio interview shows are sharing video online. Here's an hourlong video of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's live interview on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show. It's a great way to get a sense of the in-studio experience, see how the host behaves and handles the flow of questions and sponsor breaks, get a look at the equipment in use and more. And it's worth asking in every medium, from print to broadcast, about all the formats in which you might appear, since most news outlets now publish in more than one.

Let me know if you need training or a prep or refresher session before your next media interview: Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

7 books for grammar police or scofflaws

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Graveline) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:15:00 PDT

Cheese it! The cops! That would be the grammar cops in the office. If they're tailing you, grammar scofflaws, check out these handy guides that make grammar a (cop-free) walk in the park. Cops, here are the books you can throw at them:

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, based on the popular podcast, collects her tips into a ready reference that's not overbearing, but enlightening. Great to share with the on-deadline colleague who claims to have no time to check reference books. Oh, wait--that's you?
The Oatmeal Grammar Pack offers an at-a-glance, make-'em-laugh option for grammar cops and robbers with five saucy posters on everything from what it means when you say literally to how to use a semicolon. The five-poster pack is a 50 percent savings.
English Grammar For Dummies doesn't require a brown-paper-bag cover, since it comes in an ebook version. This volume's great for newbies or forgetful colleagues.
McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, 2nd Edition, got an update last year and includes a chapter on grammar in social media, texts, and other digital communications. Grammar in texts. Imagine...
Grammar Girl's 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again. Is that cop a trooper or a trouper? Should you worry when she homes in on you or hones in? GG to the rescue here, with a quick reference guide you should turn to whenever you're not quite sure about that word choice, or, better yet, when you think you are sure.
Oxford Modern English Grammar covers both British and American English, moving from the basics to the most sophisticated uses of grammar and style. A great guide if you want to elevate your language use.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation appeals to the grammar cop with its "zero tolerance" policy, but makes punctuation fun for everyone else, even if they didn't previously care about it. A rollicking read, and useful guide to read before your own punctuation gets pulled over.

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