don't get caught

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-02-24T05:05:00.000-05:00

When you add up the weight of this week, where do you wind up? Right here, where you can get smarter over the weekend with the good reads, resources and finds I discovered in my Twitterstream. Take a load off with these finds:

Small business blogging, easy: Lots of organizations use Tumblr because it feels easier than a full-blown blog. If you're an entrepreneur, try this quick and dirty guide to Tumblr for small business.
Get your slides moving: PowerPoint's blog has a free tutorial on creating animations in your presentations.
Knock yourself out? Websites can now block you from pinning images and articles onto Pinterest. I say, great--more traffic for the rest of us.
New kids on the block, like the Google +1 button, can impact your SEO--worth figuring out, as you decide where to put your energy.
I like 4 and 5 and you'll have to tell me if 7 is true: Twitter founder Biz Stone gave a speech cautioning about assumptions, but said if you're going to make them, make them these 7 rules to live by.
Obviously, it's working for him: While you weren't looking, Twitter has reportedly hit 500 million users.
I don't need to tell you twice, nonprofits: YouTube has a "YouTube Next Cause" summit April 2 in San Francisco to help nonprofits figure out how to use online video for community engagement. "Of the 16,000 organizations in YouTube’s non-profit program, about 30 have received more than 10 million views on their videos and 271 have received more than 1 million views." Don't forget: Online video is still the strongest trend in social media.
I know this bug. I've met this bug: Facebook's insights for pages are lagging behind by a few days, a known bug that has the company's attention.
Carlin. What else do you need? For a little inspiration, The Improvised Life blog puts together a video interview with George Carlin and a tribute to him by Louis C.K. to tell you how 'not giving a sh*t can really help you a lot.' Take a couple of minutes to watch both the videos in this post and think about what they mean in your world.
Who's in NYC next week? Mid-week, I'm in Manhattan to attend the winter party of Science Writers In New York. Yes, the acronym is pronounced that way; they even have a partying swine as their social logo. Let me know if we can meet up there, or elsewhere.

A different version of the weight of the week, to send you into the weekend. Thanks again for reading and sharing these posts!

Intern got you up a social-media tree? How to regroup and take back your feed

2012-02-22T05:05:00.000-05:00

So you let the intern take charge of the social media and now...you're stuck, aren't you? Don't get me wrong. I love interns. But foisting your social media off on them isn't going to help you, now or in the long run. Here are the downsides of delegating social tasks to interns, and how to get yourself out of that tree you're in:

You don't know how it's done, yourself: Letting your intern set up your social accounts, choose the platforms or learn how to do the posting means that, at a minimum, you're going to have to retrain the next intern--if you actually understand how it works yourself. Make sure you all learn together, lest that intern graduate you right out of a social media presence, and set up a system where you have access to passwords and logins.
You don't share the strategy with them: Deft as they can be at setting up a Facebook event, most interns use social media best as a personal tool to talk to friends--and lack the strategic mindset. So include them in discussions of whom you're aiming to reach and how and why.
You've tossed out the leader's voice: There's little in social media as irresistible as the chance to hear from (and exchange thoughts with) a leader, be that a vice president, manager or the CEO herself. Handing the Twitter feed, blog or Facebook posts to the intern means you've just given away a hometown advantage that draws readers. Get your leader out there and see the difference. Do it right, though--no ghostwriting. Remember, in some cases, the "leader" may be a member, a volunteer, a donor, or a subject-matter expert, not just the top brass in management.
The tone's not engaging: I'd be careful if I were an intern, wouldn't you? (Heck, I've been in client offices where someone stood over the intern, dictating a Facebook post.) The result is safe, but not engaging--and too often, because it's limited to pushing out information, there's no listening and responding going on in your feed. That'll quickly lose you readers, and attention. Work with whomever is posting to help them develop not just a push-out automaton tone, but the skills to listen and respond. You want to engage your members/customers/partners and that means developing a voice in your social posts--one you can live with.

Need to come up with a smart staffing strategy for your social posts? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

Smart, small, successful ways with social media for small business

2012-02-20T05:05:00.000-05:00

If you're hanging back from using social media to market your small business because it feels like starting yet another business, or if you're overwhelmed by all the choices, think again. There are smart, small and successful ways to use social media strategically to boost your business without taking up all your time. Here are some strategic ideas and real-life lessons to consider:

Suspend your disbelief for a moment: Lots of small businesses, including my own, find social media a highly productive and inexpensive way to market their services and products. Read the responses to "why would a plumber need social media?", then 17 things you can pin on Pinterest besides pillows and dresses, and how StyleSeat, a new site, is trying to become OpenTable for salons. There's a solution out there for you somewhere.
Don't try everything: There's no advantage (and often a lot of harm) to setting up a presence on every social site that moves. You may feel overwhelmed faster, and a presence on Facebook or Twitter that's not updated frequently winds up doing more harm than good to your image, as some big brands have discovered. Instead, review your options and choose a platform from which you'll do your primary posting--a social media basecamp--and make that your focus. Do a quality job there, then use other sites to drive traffic that way.
If you're on just one site, use it well: Using only Facebook as a marketing tool, this smart fellow who does wedding photography as a side job on the weekends has been able to stay fully booked and make $100,000 a year. He's figured out the social media tools that Facebook offers and used them to advantage by doing just three things: 1) posting photos of the wedding fast, by the next day; 2) tagging participants who have Facebook accounts, so they and their friends will see the photos automatically in their news feeds; and 3) letting Facebook's sharing tools do the rest as attendees pass the photos around. (Facebook's a powerhouse site for photo-sharing, with billions of photos uploaded annually.) The word of mouth follows from there. Don't ignore newer sites if you are choosing just one for your presence. This electronics gadget maker found the flexibility of Google+ an advantage over Facebook, with the bonus of integration with other Google products.
Exploring place-based social media? Love your neighbors: Whether you're a retail bank or store, a rent-an-office location, a hotel or a restaurant, don't just use the "places" options on Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare to promote your location. Spread the love to your neighbor businesses and encourage them to do the same, with Foursquare lists ("great places to eat near our art gallery"), retweets of your neighbor's posts on Twitter, and shares of your neighbors' Facebook posts that are relevant to your followers. Your Chamber of Commerce, business improvement district, and local government, as well as surrounding businesses, should be among the sites you follow and reciprocate-post.
Share some secrets: One of the biggest changes from traditional media, we've learned in social media that customers love a behind-the-scenes view. So tell us when a local celebrity has stopped by, show a picture of what the penny-counting looks like at the bank, tell us what the doctors in your practice liked the best among the talks at TEDMED and why. Share what you're reading and where you're meeting, but give us a little extra perspective.
Save time where you may: Like anything else, taking the time to plan can help you save time and make executing a social presence more manageable for business. It pays to set up a note-saving system, automated if you wish, so you can build a content stash for a blog or Twitter feed. That's part of what will help you to blog or tweet more without working too hard. Play your cards right, and you can blog or tweet less without anyone noticing, too.

I spoke on this topic last week at the small business committee of the Montgomery County, Md., Chamber of Commerce, and this post serves as their "handout" for the session. Let me know if you need a speaker on social media topics; email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-02-17T05:05:00.000-05:00

Put out those fires yet? Well, hurry up, willya? We've got a weekend to get started over here. There was plenty of smoke and heat on Twitter this week, and my stream yielded a firehose-worth of good reads, ideas and smart stuff. Here's the best of what I thought was hot this week:

Pimp your landing page & timeline ride: Have you worked on cover art for your Facebook timeline? Here's a fancy technique and how to make it happen. And here's a useful tutorial on rejiggering your Facebook landing page and optimizing it for search engines.
All radio is local: NPR used geotargeting on FB to drive traffic to a local station. Can you do something similar with a partner organization, local branch or chapter, or store location?
Kicking in just got serious: Two Kickstarter projects hit $1 million in donations, a new mark. Could yours be next?
Put that in your purse: How Kate Spade uses Pinterest for marketing is worth a read even if you don't care about lifestyle brands.
Back to the future: As buyouts continue, the Washington Post recasts its future with an eye on the digital.
Another ticker: Hmm. Tried this yet? Feed Notifier monitors RSS feeds in real time on your desktop.
How about my friend here? Facebook is trying out a "suggested guests" feature when you set up an event. Look to the right side of the screen.
I take a great Pinterest in this case: Brian Reid has these ideas for using Pinterest for health and medicine. It's a recent entry on my board about great ways to use Pinterest.
Surely they mean yours: Facebook has started to verify popular/celebrity accounts.
Not just pretty graphics: "The best data visualizations expose something new."

'Tis the season: I've just sent a dozen clients a package of information about full-day and half-day group trainings in media interview skills. It includes sample workshop outlines, considerations communicators should weigh when booking a training, tips on answering media interview questions, my clients' recommendations and trainees' reactions and more. Want one for your own planning purposes? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz. I'd love to work with you in 2012.

As usual, you're my best sources of info, so don't hold back on sending your suggestions, ideas and leads. I appreciate your reading--and U.S. readers, enjoy that loooong weekend.

Social media cre8ives x 3: Hashtags, Twitter handles, Pinterest boards

2012-02-15T05:05:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while, as I monitor what's going on in social media, I come across ideas that at once strike me as smart and creative. Here are three that met that bar recently:

The hashtaggable headline:Those New York Times reporters not calling you back? Might be because they're busy thinking up Twitter hashtags when they create the headline or title copy for articles. My question: Are you doing the same? I've been known to work a hashtag right into a headline for posts that my RSS feeder will push out to Twitter on the first go-round. A smart time-saver.
"And now @hockeygod takes the ice...:" It's started in lacrosse: The Philadelphia Wings are the first North American professional sports team to use Twitter handles as the names on players' jerseys. This is so smart, it should have you rethinking everything from names stitched into physician labcoats to conference nametags and more.
The imaginary Pinterest: NPR Fresh Air associate producer Melody Kramer has started some Pinterest boards I'm predicting will catch on with others, by creating board with items that a famous artist, past or present, would have pinned if Degas had a Pinterest or if John Waters had a Pinterest. The celebrities need not be real people, either. There's the wry If Harriet the Spy Had a Pinterest board, for example. The possibilities are, well, endless. What will you create?

The all-in-one on answering media interview questions: 12 tips & resources

2012-02-13T05:05:00.000-05:00

Most of my trainees think that the toughest part of answering questions in a media interview will be the traps the reporter sets for them. I see it the opposite way: It's most often the traps you set yourself that will trip you up. That might be the most important reason you should think through what the questions might be and how you'll approach them. Preparing doesn't need to be a nefarious activity, either. Thinking through the interview in advance can help you do a better job playing your part in the exchange, from letting the reporter get a question in edgewise to making sure she takes away the right context for the story. Here are a dozen posts and considerations you should make before you step forward in an interview:

Keep it short: If your answers are so long-winded that you get cut off thinking "But there's more I had to say" in an interview, you should learn how long the modern soundbite is. Think single digits, in seconds. (Besides, a short answer gives the reporter a chance to do his job and ask another question. Be sure you leave time for him, too.)
Use your message wisely, not too well: Once you've figured out what you want to say, how do you use that message in an interview without repeating it like a robot?
Remember: You don't have all the answers: Have you overstepped or overstated something just to come up with an answer? No need. In fact, sometimes "I don't know" is the most valuable thing you can contribute, especially if you're an expert. Here's how to fix that or avoid it in the first place.
Check the calendar: Using an analogy to answer a media question crisply and vividly is a great idea. But is your analogy out of date? Then it may hurt more than help.
Step carefully through that answer: The devil's in the complex question, so it pays to think through how to answer them and avoid the chance of getting misquoted.
Watch for the traps you set yourself: There are lots of ways you can get caught when you're answering a reporter's question--and most of them are traps of your own making, not the reporter's. In some cases, correcting your impulses will make for a better interview for both of you.
Your turn to ask: You get to ask questions in an interview, too. Here are 12 questions to ask reporters--some suggested by journalists--that will help you feel better prepared and yield a better interview.
Find other ways to buy time: Stop saying "That's a very good question" as a way to buy time before you answer a media interview question. (It's a longer version of "um," I'm afraid.) I've got ideas for how you can better advance the interview, redirect the question or clarify a misperception.
Respond, don't react, to questions: If you disagree with the reporter in the middle of a recorded interview, that might become the story. A real-life case study with suggestions for doing it differently. In general, it's a good idea to remember that you should respond--not react--to the reporter's question.
Get to the point: How interview answers differ from lectures: If you keep telling the interviewer that you're going to tell him soon the answer to his question, he (and the audience) might not want to wait around. Here's how to stop that bad habit and get to the point faster.
Making news all on your own? Sometimes the "interview" isn't an interview. You might become an accidental broadcaster and make news another way. Here's how to avoid making that kind of misstep.
When training helps: If you're facing a particular kind of interview, you might need more specialized media training. Here's what to ask for. I'd be glad to work with you on your preparations, whether you are building skills you can use again and again or focused on a particular interview. Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-02-10T05:05:00.000-05:00

Was this week all wheels and gears--even if they were just whirring around in your mind? Well, here's the weekend, almost. The conveyor belt that was this week yielded plenty of good finds on Twitter, where my stream was full of the usual ideas, sources and cool examples we can steal. Here are the best of my finds to propel you into the weekend:

Et tu, Kodak? Pocket digital cameras, still reeling from the lingering end of the Flip, have another victim, as Kodak announced it will stop making all cameras. On the plus side: Sales should be cheap and plentiful. Oh, Amazon....
Eenie, meanie, newsie: A new study says it can predict how popular a news story will be on Twitter by looking at just 4 factors. Check it out and tell me what you think.
Pinned, sealed, delivered: Pinterest is said to be getting ready to release its API, which means developers will be able to build entirely new apps on top of its platform. Stand back, everybody. It's now the fastest-growing standalone social media site ever, having passed 10 million users in 9 months. I've added a lot of new examples to my Pinterest board on great ways companies and organizations are using Pinterest--check 'em out.
Like the tree that stands beside the water: Business Insider looks at the impact of some of the most powerful Internet protests--a good thing to keep in mind in your communications planning, so you know what to expect.
Gathering the wisdom of the crowd: Banjo's a crowdsourcing tool reporters are using in crisis reporting. Maybe you can turn that around for use in crisis communications response? Smart way to gather intelligence.
Uh-oh: Even if you delete Facebook photos, they remain cached online.
Maps on steroids: Google Maps go 3D. Check out this one of the Earth. How might you use this for your maps?
Show me a story: Like data visualization? Check out the video for a new book on visual storytelling--great insights.
Many faces-for-radio are not smiling. And who said they had to talk? Print newspapers are remaking their newsrooms to incorporate video production. Here's how.
Heads up, health/medical/science communicators: TEDMED 2012, set for April 10-13 in Washington, DC, will make available live simulcasts of its main-hall sessions for free. AAMC is sponsoring simulcasts for medical schools, teaching hospitals and related academic and scientific societies, and Siemens will do the same for qualified nonprofits in health and medicine, including foundations and professional associations. Here's how to apply for the live simulcast at your organization.

What a crazy week, on my end. Let's all say it together: TGIF. I'm grateful, as always, for having you on the other end of these posts, my dears.

9 ways to blow your blog's horn without blowing it: Promotion you can live with

2012-02-08T05:05:00.000-05:00

I'm often asked how to sustain a blog--a nod to the fact that they're easy enough to dream up and set up, but perhaps not so easy to keep alive. Or as my mother would say, "That blog isn't going to read itself."

Bottom line: You're going to have to blow your own horn, my friend, to get the readers that will make your blog more than an island of your thoughts. But how to do that without blowing it--in the wrong way? Here are some ways to promote your blogs and feeds that I think you can live with:

Link your blog and your bio: You're an author and publisher if you have a blog, so make sure it's in every bio with a link. Add it to your email signature, one of your most frequent yet ignored promotional options. Link to your blog's "about" page on your Twitter profile (it's an amazing traffic-driver).
Give us something to go on: Every time I see a post on Twitter that says "I posted a new blog" I figure you're proud that you actually posted. If you want me to read it, stop focusing on your accomplishment and tell me what's at the link. The same goes for that email you just sent telling me you have a newly redesigned website. Focus on the content, folks. That's what we're looking for. And if all you do is push out your content, I'm far less likely to click that link. Prove you're a human and start having some discussions with people.
Speak to your blog: Every speaking gig or presentation can become a gateway to your blog if you include it in your bio or introduction; talk about it in your speech; and write a post to serve as an electronic handout, rather than giving out your slides or just mentioning it on the final slide. I've even taken video of audience questions and posted them on my blogs later with answers and links--great way to keep engaging your speaking audience long after the presentation is done.
Drive traffic on the right sites: Traffic-driving sites have been shaken up recently by Pinterest, which is a strong traffic driver despite its newcomer status. All you have to do is create boards on the topics that your blog covers, then pin blog items directly to them so that your pinned items link back to your blog. Pinterest drives more traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and and YouTube combined. At the same time, a design change in StumbleUpon means it's now less reliable as a traffic-driver. Twitter remains a top traffic-driver. Not sure which site works best for you? Do a three-month pilot test, measuring your baseline and results.
Make it easy for me to follow and share your stuff: I've lost track of the number of times I've read a great blog post, then searched in vain for a "pin this," +1, retweet, or Facebook "like" button. Failing those options, I look for an RSS feed so I can read and share from Google Reader--and often find that missing, too. Even if you already publish on the very shareable Facebook and Twitter, make sure your blog has the buttons to share, too. The functionality is built into most blog platforms, so this should be easy.
Cultivate tipsters: When people start to bring you fodder for your blog--sources, articles, "this made me think of your blog" flotsam and jetsam, pictures, ideas--you know it's taking hold, since the tipster has to have read enough to understand your take. (The tipster's much better than the people who pitch releases and products, for bloggers just as for reporters.) A tipster's the best kind of fan, so thank them and do some periodic posts that let tipsters know their contributions are welcome. If you work at a company or organization, cultivate internal and external tipsters on different channels. Don't forget to ask them for their ideas of what they'd most like to see on the blog, an easy and authentic way to get content ideas that people actually want to see.
Tip off your mentions and those most likely to share or recommend: Got people you reference in your blog, top sources or those who take your posts and write their own around them? Send them an email, direct message or some other behind-the-scenes heads-up when you post something you think they can use. Don't overdo this, but do make sure they hear from you first when they are mentioned or it's their regular beat.
Thank your sharers: A corollary to cultivating tipsters is to thank the people who share your stuff, via retweets, Facebook shares or other reposts, links or mentions. You can leave a comment on their blog posts mentioning your post, send a "thanks for the RT" tweet or other appropriate public recognition. Keep track of those who share your stuff, too. One of the best ideas I've seen about Google+ was to create a circle called "People who RT me," but you could also make Twitter and FB lists for the same purpose. Make sure they get thanks, and updates, directly from you for spreading your blog posts far and wide. This is the community-building part of your blog. I know some bloggers who've given this up as a time-consuming task, but it pays big dividends.
Summarize your stuff: Not everyone will read everything you do (shocking, but true). So serve it up in different ways: Publish a list of the most-read posts every month, share them in a monthly newsletter via email, and make sure your RSS option includes the chance to subscribe via email.

Engaged to enraged: The "blister factor" in the Komen backlash

2012-02-06T05:05:00.000-05:00

What if I told you that your organization or company could get these results in social media with almost no preparation and in just 72 hours:

20 posts per minute from your Facebook followers on the wall of your corporate page;
For some of your Facebook posts, as many as 7,000-10,000 comments and more than 400 shares apiece; and
More than 130,000 views of your CEO's video message on YouTube, with close to 5,500 comments and about 8,000 people hitting a reaction button.

Or these results, achieved with some groundwork already in place:

1.3 million posts in three days supporting your organization on Twitter, with 460,000 of those occurring on just one day;
Raising $3 million in three days, based on social media posts; and
Increasing your individual donors 400% within hours of losing a major six-figure funder.

In both cases, those fans weren't just engaged. They were enraged. The first set of numbers represent overwhelmingly negative online feedback followers and others sent to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure during the three-day firestorm following news of its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood's breast cancer screenings for low-income women. The second set of numbers go to Planned Parenthood.

How negative was Komen's feedback? The 20-posts-per-minute were 20 negative posts per minute on Facebook for Komen. The close to 8,000 button-hitters on YouTube hit the dislike button 6,500 times. Komen had a long way to fall from the top in social media: In October, All Facebook put it among the top five "liked" nonprofits on Facebook and it still has more than a half-million "likes" there.

Dubbed a mega-outcry, the controversy had some discussing why this de-funding of Planned Parenthood took off like a rocket, when the U.S. government almost shut down over the same issue last year, with a lot less public debate. I chalk that up to the palpable relationship that thousands have with the foundation and its activities, based on their very real offline walks, donations and fundraising efforts. (They contribute taxes and votes to the federal government, but don't feel the same way about the relationship, I'm guessing.) Similarly, traditional media coverage pegged this as a "social media firestorm," focusing on the numbers and the technology. But before you even start counting the social-media stats, Komen counts a base of "100,000 survivors and activists," and notes that it rallies "local activists in more than 120 cities and communities, mobilizing more than 1 million friends and neighbors every year" through its races and events.

Call it the blister factor: the millions of blisters developed, miles logged, friends asked for contributions, pink t-shirts donned and products bought with pink ribbons on them. The value of these volunteers, activists and survivors is their real-life presence and contribution, and while it may not match Komen's big-ticket sponsors in dollar value or social-media oomph, it matters to those who gave up their time, money and sweat. Cruise the comments and you'll see people pledging never to give, race or campaign for Komen again. Ironically, our love affair with virtual likes, fans and followers might have us forgetting the real people who do real things for our companies and organizations, from buying products to volunteering, donating and more.

There are enough public relations lessons from the Komen controversy to fuel 1,000 dissertations or more. But for those of us who need to maneuver strategically and in real time, here are the lessons I'm taking away from this, in terms of social media, followers and volunteers:

It's really time to get away from the more-is-better theory of fan numbers: I know my savvy communicator-readers know this, but your senior management may still be calling for "more, more, more!" when they ask for proof that this social-media thing is working. Here's an opportunity to point out that more can backfire...
...but there is one "more" to which you should pay attention: That would be the friends of your friends, the followers of your followers, the sharers of your likers' likes. I'm one in this case: I'm not a donor, volunteer or follower of either Komen or Planned Parenthood, but this week, I shared news, hit the like button and used my wall to pass on Planned Parenthood's messages in protest. By the way, Facebook's advertising tool makes it easy for you to get a count of the friends of your friends, and easy to reach them directly as well.
There are better ways to find out about the wisdom of the crowd: Social media or not, when I see a company or organization this far off-base about its followers' reactions, I know that it didn't just get out of touch yesterday. So I'll ask you: How often are you asking your followers what they think, not just about issues of the day, but about decisions you are considering or steps you might take? You won't be able to please everyone, but taking the sense of the crowd will increasingly be important if you are to avoid this kind of backlash. What would this have looked like if Komen had conducted a "listening tour" about whom it funds and how? Less like a surprise, for starters.
If you're not ready, we'll be able to tell right away: Social media can make your tin ear or blind eye obvious not only to your devoted followers, but the rest of us...fast. The New York Times tells us "The controversy that burst into harsh public light this week had been brewing for years" and "When the decision was finalized in December, the thinking was that not announcing it publicly would help avoid controversy." But you knew that, just from the way this presented itself. If ever there were a case for saying, "Okay, but let's prepare something just in case we do need it," this would be it. Planned Parenthood, already used to attacks of this type, had a "Stand with Planned Parenthood" logo, Facebook profile badge and messaging already in use, and sounded as if its messaging was well-thought-out in advance...and ready to share to keep up with the explosive reactions.
What's the blister factor? If your online supporters have been active offline for you--and here I count groups like university students, consumers, and neighbors as well as volunteers and donors--figure out how to factor in their offline contributions when you consider their "likes" and follows and shares. If they've put some elbow grease behind their online presence for you, expect stronger reactions and the need to spend more, not less, time seeking their input.

Komen officials are now in "full damage-control mode," with a focus on fans and followers. But as any runner could have told them, the best time to take care of a blister is before it develops.

(Photo from Kodamakitty's photostream on Flickr. Sources for the social media statistics include coverage in the New York Times, YouTube, Jezebel, the Komen Foundation Facebook page, All Facebook, Please note that these numbers will have changed by the time this post is published.)

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-02-03T05:05:00.000-05:00

Did you get through the week without having a big idea? Here's one that will recur: The weekend's here. On Twitter, my stream was full of good reads, finds and yes, ideas. Here are the best ones, saved up just to help you transition out of the week:

A good use of Twitter lists: The New York Times just updated its list of NYT reporters on Twitter. Might as well get it straight from the source.
Online video strength isn't just on YouTube: CNN.com's average online video starts topped 100 million per month, on average, in 2011--that's up 10 percent.
Automated analytics: Google Analytics blog describes how PBS is using automated analytics reports from its data, using a service you can use. It's easily customized and even generates data visualizations, among other features.
Copy and paste this: A university researcher figured out how memes develop and spread on Facebook. There's a video at the link loaded with insights.
New directions: Twitter will be available in languages read right-to-left this spring, starting with Arabic, Urdu, Hebrew and Farsi.
Keep it Komen: Communicators can help crowdsource this useful spreadsheet keeping track of what local Komen affiliates are saying in the wake of one of the biggest PR blowups ever at the national level. One word: Distancing.
Straight from the tangled web: Open-source Weave wants to help citizens and journos and you create data visualizations about just about anything.
Just for your best experts, the TED conference will now hold auditions for TED talks, making it possible to wow them on more than email. If I can help get them ready, just holler.
Nice mention: IABC's Communication World magazine was nice enough to include my 2010 post on The networked communicator: Skills you need now in its recent article "Leadership, Creativity and Agility: 3 skills to help build your career."
On the road again: 10,000 Words rounded up these must-haves for your mobile reporting kit.
Awfully nice jobs: The Gates Foundation is looking for a senior communication officer, and the Ford Foundation's seeking a chief of media strategy and influence.

What a week! I appreciate your readership here...it makes the blog work. Enjoy that weekend.

Drumming up Pinterest in your brand, business, school, or cause: 9 smart steps

2012-02-02T05:05:00.000-05:00

Brands and communicators are feeling their way around Pinterest, the "virtual pin board" social network that's growing by leaps and bounds: Just since the start of 2012, total views of Pinterest jumped from 10 million to 17 million. But Pinterest doesn't let you message people or forward posts to particular groups, and the visual has to drive your thinking.

Those factors are slowing down some otherwise aggressive marketers while they figure things out--and that's not a bad thing. And there are plenty of businesses and marketers dismissing the network because it's used primarily by women, a big mistake that may work in your favor. You can stand out early on Pinterest by using these nine ways to drum up interest in your Pinterest posts, many of which work just fine for individual users as well as brands, businesses, universities, government agencies and nonprofits:

Repost your best content here: Pinterest, new as it is, drives more traffic to blogs and websites than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube--combined. I'm already seeing this on my blogs, where Pinterest is now the number two referrer after Google searches--in less than a month. That means you really do need to include photos or videos with your blog posts, since it's the visual that pulls in the Pinterest user. To make sure it links to your post, install the Pinterest "pin it" button to your bookmarks bar and use it to repost your blog item. Pinterest wants you to write a few words about any post to put it in context, so make sure you make this short plug tantalizing.
Remember that Pinterest is not a text-heavy blog: Don't, on the other hand, post a photo and write a lot of text about it on Pinterest if you could have pointed the user to your blog or website. A little text goes a long way here. Images with some text, however, work well here.
Don't put all your blog posts on the same board: Subdividing your blog may seem unnatural, but it makes more sense on Pinterest, where the specific seems to draw interest. So if you post on more than one topic within your subject area, it pays to make a board for each one. You may want to divide your subject by month, color (thinking visually), theme, issue, activity, age group....you get the idea. This is a great opportunity to find those interested in your niche topics.
Show me where you fit into my life: It's a lifestyle network, so start thinking about how your brand, cause or business affects people's lives when you're coming up with a content strategy. Can you show me a role model, give me some inspiration, share some tips, give me a new perspective on something I've seen a million times, save me time or money, shorten my search for the perfect ______ or just give me more things from which to choose? Then you'll do well here.
Don't just post about work issues. Pinterest doesn't ban brands outright, but asks that your posts not be wholly self-promotional. As with other social networks, those of you using them for work purposes need to add some personal information, in my view, lest we see you in only one dimension. Check my tips for how to balance personal and professional on Twitter to get started. Share what you're reading, where you're traveling, what you're eating--all easily translated to the visual. Comment on others' posts where you share an interest. You know, socialize.
Help users populate their wish lists. Brands know (or should know) that readers keep lists of things they might want to buy or do. Pinterest really takes that to another level by serving as an aspirational network. It lets us share our bucket lists, good intentions, inspirations, shopping lists, and lists of ideas for our next event, birthday, trip, cocktail party or volunteer effort. So you get a couple of advantages: You can use Pinterest as intelligence-gathering on your users' wish lists, and then you can start building boards with items that will make it onto users' wish lists, with all the great benefits that come when they start sharing your items.
Make boards reserved for repinning others' posts related to your work. Repinning others' posts is an easy way to get new followers and build relationships. So when your university's alumni post photos of their favorite spots on campus or your hotel's guests share photos of the spa and pool, repin them on a special board for that purpose. When you repin, you can retain their note, and add more text--so add a special tip or fun fact that your pinner might not know. They'll get a notification when you repin, so this is a basic way to connect with fans.
Use your other channels to make sure users know where to find you on Pinterest: Whether they're early adopters or just catching on, everyone's scrambling to find people on this network, which doesn't yet suggest people to follow. So use your blog posts and tweets and Facebook page to make sure your followers know where to find you. While you're at it, ask your home crowd how they use the site and what they'd like to see from you there.
Stay smart with search and scouting: Use Pinterest's search box to search for boards, pins or people on the site, and scout around for others posting in your specialty area. Some users have been playing with Pinterest for two years now, and it pays to pay attention to their likes and dislikes. At a minimum, use your scouting to find out what they are already posting, and figure out how to build on it. Just like any other social network (and maybe more so), you won't engage users if you are not interested in what interests them--nor if you're just pushing out your own stuff.

While you're using Pinterest, stay smart about copyright. Here's how Pinterest avoids violating copyright, but that puts the onus on you to properly credit your sources. And check your settings: You'll want to turn off the options to share with Facebook and Twitter every move you're making on Pinterest, trust me. Want more ideas? Read my list of 17 things you can pin on Pinterest that are not pillows or dresses to get your creative ideas going--it's already one of the most-read-ever posts on this blog.

Where to catch me....speaking

2012-02-01T05:05:00.000-05:00

While you're making sure you don't get caught unprepared, you can catch me speaking to these fine organizations in the next month or so. Let me know if you'll be attending one or more of these meetings, and keep an eye out for related posts on the blog--as most readers know, I prefer to put my "handouts" here, in electronic form, as a permanent resource for all to share. Catch me speaking at:

The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows' professional development series. I'll be facilitating a workshop on media interview skills on the morning of February 13, helping fellows use "elevator speeches" as a guide to developing their media interview skills. AAAS policy fellows only can register here. You can get a head start by reading my post on how to use your elevator speech in a media interview without sounding like a robot.
The Montgomery County, Maryland, Chamber of Commerce small business committee will host me to speak about "Smart, Small, Successful Ways with Social Media for Small Business," focusing on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and more--and how to make the most of marketing on social media without letting it take up all your time. For Chamber members, February 15 in Rockville, Maryland.
At the Ragan 2012 Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference, I'm moderating a panel on speechwriting while female at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, March 16. Register at the link.

Need a speaker on public speaking, presentations, social media or the shifting sands of communications strategies for your organization? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.

How to use your elevator speech in a media interview without sounding like a robot

2012-01-31T05:05:00.000-05:00

I've already coached you to think of your "elevator speech" or three-point message as a menu with three courses that you can offer your listener. That helps you boil down what you want to say into its briefest form, and serve it up so your listener follow along and remember what you said later. But when it comes to media interviews, you'll often hear three-point messages repeated over and over. That may seem safer, but makes you look and sound like a robot (and robots are rarely called back for more interviews). On February 13, I'll be working with the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science and Technology Policy Fellows on how to use their elevator speeches in media interviews--without sounding like robots. If you're smart about it, you can do the same, using a message to:

Let the reporter get a word in edgewise: If you take a deep breath and start delivering an hour-long lecture, that's not an interview. Instead, offer your three elevator-speech points and stop. You've now offered the reporter three different directions to take the interview, and left her some room to do so.
Remember the points you most want to include: Nothing's so disappointing as finishing an interview only to realize you never said the most important thing. Limiting yourself to the elevator speech's three-point outline means you just have to remember three key points or categories, not 100. Groups of three things are easiest for you to remember--and likewise, easiest for your audience, so the interview will be memorable on two counts.
Go deep where you need to: If your restaurant customer wanted to order another portion of a certain dish, you'd serve it to them, right? If you start the interview by laying out three points, and the reporter wants to follow up one part of that menu intensively, then go deeper into that topic. You should always be prepared to say more about each of the three points in your elevator speech, and while that's rarely a problem for the expert being interviewed, remember that the ability to say more about each point is what makes you different from a robot interview subject.
Get creative: If you can string your three points together with an analogy, use alliteration or liken your issue to something in popular culture, you can make it even more memorable. Melinda Gates does that in this TED talk about what nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola with a clever analogy that lets her dive deeply into what might otherwise be arcane points.
Be consistent and prepared for many interviews: Just as an elevator speech means you're ready for the impromptu question in an elevator, it can get you ready for a series of interviews and ensure you get across your most important points in each one. At the same time, those interviews may go in different directions, and you'll be ready for that, too, by offering up the same menu and seeing where different reporters choose to take the conversation.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-01-27T05:05:00.000-05:00

Wild horses couldn't drag you away from your workweek? I bet they could, especially since the weekend is upon us. Time to round up the wild horses of your week and my finds on Twitter--that's where I shared these finds, reads and tips as @dontgetcaught. Read to the end to hear the Stones sing you into the weekend:

Rethink the visual: This roundup of 6 ways nonprofits can use Facebook covers for fundraising can be adapted for business uses, too. ("Covers" are the new, more prominent photos that grace your Facebook timeline.) If photography's one of your assets, make it work for you.
Get out in your (FB) community: Here's a good reminder why it's vital that you engage people on others' FB pages, not just your own.
Figure it out: Google Analytics blog describes an astonishing program that "pairs a non-profit organization with pair of web analysts --- one a student wanting the experience and the other a mentor with years of direct work in the field. The trio work together to have the student learn to use Google Analytics to 'tell a story' with the data about how the non-profit can better meet their business goals." I'd sign up for that, wouldn't you?
I'm already enjoying this: Google+ results--when people +1 your blog post--are now showing up in Blogger, as the two Google-owned sites are further integrated. My take: It's an easy, at-a-glance metric that even lets me click to connect with those fans, add them to circles or message them. How engaging can you get?
Get your diving gear on: The New York Times has launched Deep Dive, an experimental contextual service that takes advantage of its rich databases to offer readers the chance to follow a topic. They start with one article and from there can "dive" into the subject. Worth a look for those of you with complex, historical or long-standing topics.
Data-palooza: iBooks' new textbook platform works: More than 350,000 textbooks were downloaded in the first 3 days...YouTube users are watching 4 billion videos daily, but only because they move through them quickly...and Tumblr just passed 15 billion pageviews per month, thankyouverymuch.

January hit a new record on this blog for readership and page views--thank you, as always, for your attention.

Where's your social media basecamp? Reasons to stake a claim

2012-01-26T05:05:00.000-05:00

Do you know where you basecamp lies in social media?

I don't mean your base of followers (although they should be visiting that camp frequently). I mean where you base yourself, whether you're a company, solo entrepreneur, university, nonprofit or government agency. Where can I go to be sure I'm not missing anything from you? Must I follow you in five places to do that? And I'm not talking about your website, but your social presence.

I got this question from a reader on The Eloquent Woman on Facebook, an ancillary presence for my blog on women and public speaking. "I want to be sure I don't miss anything--should I follow this and the blog?" she asked. I could assure her that if she followed the Facebook page, she'd see everything that was on the blog--because in my content strategy, my blogs are my basecamp, the places that provide the content for everything else. Sure, I have side discussions on Twitter or my Facebook pages, but often, those get repurposed into new content for the blogs and fed back into the other channels. Anything substantive that happens to me in social media winds up on my blogs. Anything on my blogs winds up on my social channels.

Another way of thinking about this is to figure out where you want your content to appear first. Where is your publisher of record? After that, the other social networks become ways to amplify what's new and draw users from those networks to your basecamp; they also can be listening posts, where you gather feedback and discuss what emanated from your base. That is, if you need other places to be. Some folks do just fine with a Facebook page alone, for example. But if you do have multiple channels, make sure their roles are clear, and connected to that basecamp.

This isn't new thinking in the social media space, but more and more, I see communicators feeling overwhelmed by the many networks and options available. If you--or your team, or your audience--can't answer the basecamp question, that tells you a strategy needs to be more evident and aforethought. It's not as simple as "We push everything out to all the channels," either. That tells me you haven't really thought this through, and that you're not at all interested in what your readers need, who they are or where they're playing in social spaces. Time to pick and choose, I say.

Choosing and focusing your content strategy on a base has other advantages. It's difficult to develop a strong voice and reputation if your efforts and posts are scatter-shot, but speaking from a base can help you evolve into a source readers know and trust.

Share your social media basecamp in the comments, and, if you wish, why it's working for you. Or do you find a widespread strategy more effective? I'm happy to hear views on all sides.

Secret no more: Closed-door meetings, trashy news Fridays get high-tech visibility

2012-01-24T05:05:00.001-05:00

Here's even more reason for communications directors to make friends with their information technology teams: Your organization or company's closed-door boardroom meetings may be vulnerable to hacking through the videoconferencing system, and reporters on Twitter are starting to call out groups that put out stinky news late on Fridays. Here's what you need to know:

Take out the trash Fridays gets a hashtag

One clever use to which Twitter is being put: Calling out organizations, agencies and corporations who use the tactic of "taking out the trash" on Friday afternoons, by releasing stinky news stories late on a day when they're likely to get little attention in the Saturday press.

Used only a few times so far, the Twitter hashtag #tottf (Take Out the Trash Friday) is one way reporters and others can share stories or practices that fit the bill. "Take Out the Trash Friday" hails from the television series The West Wing, and even gets its own page on Wikipedia so you can come up to speed. While the focus there is on the White House, many organizations have used this tactic over the years--and I think the hashtag may have the neat result of nipping that in the bud, eventually, since it's an idea we should have trashed some time ago. Let's put "Take Out the Trash Fridays" on our resolution list for change and reform, shall we?

Videoconferencing hackers may see inside your boardroom

If you've got videoconferencing capabilities in your meeting rooms and boardrooms, take this New York Times article on how easily videoconferencing rooms can be hacked right to your IT director and facilities managers.

The chief security officer at a Boston-based cybersecurity company "...has found it easy to get into several top venture capital and law firms, pharmaceutical and oil companies and courtrooms across the country. He even found a path into the Goldman Sachs boardroom. 'The entry bar has fallen to the floor,' said Mike Tuchen, chief executive of Rapid7. 'These are literally some of the world’s most important boardrooms — this is where their most critical meetings take place — and there could be silent attendees in all of them.'

How prevalent is this problem? The company's security officer scanned 3 percent of the Internet and found "5,000 wide-open conference rooms at law firms, pharmaceutical companies, oil refineries, universities and medical centers. He stumbled into a lawyer-inmate meeting room at a prison, an operating room at a university medical center, and a venture capital pitch meeting where a company’s financials were being projected on a screen." Setting up the system inside the firewall is one step toward blocking this vulnerability, as is getting a system with security protocols, typically more available on newer systems. The hackers can see well enough to read slides on a screen, notes on the table and certainly who's in the room.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-01-20T05:05:00.000-05:00

No matter how your week went, I'm quite sure you didn't trip and fall into a lifeboat--and I'm proud of you for that. No question we're all ready for the weekend, so I'm rounding up the best of the tips, reads and resources I shared this week on Twitter, where I'm @dontgetcaught. Now, get ready: Put on your lifejacket, cue the band and someone call the Coast Guard. I can see the weekend in the not-too-far distance:

The bad news: Many Facebook pages only reach about 17 percent of their fans. The good news: There are things you can do to ensure that your posts get seen by those who like you. Engagement is the key.
Who's using Google+? Besides me, of course: It has 90 million users and 60 percent of them come back every day. Not bad for a relative upstart.
Time those tweets: In case you haven't already figured this out, scheduling tweets works best when they're not during the rush part of each hour.
QR codes in the wild: I'm collecting smart uses of QR codes. Here's a clever vacation discount offered by an airline, targeting people who are flying together. And Gmail recently tested QR codes as a more secure form of login.
What to do with all the negative reviews and comments that come in via social channels: Use them to improve what you're doing. One London hotel decided not to ignore its bad reviews on TripAdvisor, and propelled itself higher in the ranks of well-reviewed hotels in a competitive city. A smart case study.
Vote early and often: We've said it before: Political campaigns do the dirty work for you, testing new uses and approaches on social media. Here, the current crop of Republican presidential candidates' campaigns yield business-worthy approaches to growing a fan base and engaging them.
Facebook folds in more social sites: Facebook just announced integration with apps for some of the most established and popular social sites, meaning you can now use eBay, Foursquare, Pinterest and more directly within FB. As before, Facebook's the champ at ensuring you stay there All Day Long.
More Pinterest examples: I've started a board on Pinterest to capture good uses I see on that site for organizations, companies, causes, authors and more.
Famous speeches by women wanted: Over on The Eloquent Woman blog, I've started indexing famous women's speeches featured in our weekly series on same. I'd love to hear about famous women's speeches you think we should feature in the future. Here are the specs. Communicators, I'm counting on you--but remember, just because a woman gave the speech doesn't make it famous.

Here's to your weekend--I know you earned it this week--and thanks for reading.

Get a grip on your pitching to reporters: 10 resources

2012-01-19T05:05:00.000-05:00

I'd much rather see you revive the lost art of giving tips to reporters, rather than pitch them (and so would the reporters). But, dear communicators, if you're going to continue pitching, at least get a grip on the ball. Here are 10 resources, inspirations and examples to help you rethink and retool your media relations pitches for better success, or at least, less-cranky reporters:

What you can spend time doing instead of pitching: Bad Pitch Blog points you to a more useful activity, sharing examples of how national media are using social media to elicit leads and ideas. Call it the reverse pitch, and a more successful use of your time.
Here's a shocker: Journalists pitch, too: Of course, when journalists pitch, they're approaching editors with story ideas they want to write and get paid for writing. But their insights, and those of the editors who accept or reject those pitches, can help the savvy communicator better understand what's wanted, too. The Open Notebook, a behind-the-scenes trove about the best science coverage, shares these tips on how not to pitch, based on feedback from editors at seven major publications.
Just because you can automate it doesn't make it right: That's one of the underlying messages in Jason Falls's very good PR guide to email pitching. You'll learn how to avoid being spammy, among other things.
A pitch a reporter yearns for: Environmental reporter and blogger Andrew Revkin is great about sharing what does and doesn't work for him regarding pitches. Here's a pitch he called "smart, efficient, useful on both ends," from Karen Bailey of EcoSummit. What's even more valued: It isn't really a pitch, but an effort to find out his level of awareness and his desire to learn more about a specific upcoming event. And it's just three questions, one of which offers multiple-choice answer options. Make it easy for them, people, in a good way.
Even PR publications get pitched the wrong way: PR Newser shares five pitching tips from a Los Angeles journalist, with gems on how to add value and basics like "Please don’t hide your client’s PR contact info online like it’s the CEO’s bank pin." And then PR Newser adds three pointers of its own, including the succinct "Call when it’s important. Want to follow up? No need. Want to make sure I got your email? I got it. Want to see if I need to speak with someone? If I need to, I’ll ask. I’m not shy. We can use email to schedule interviews, or I’ll call you if there’s something that is more easily handled with a quick conversation. The other stuff is just annoying."
Did you pitch in error? Correct with just as much enthusiasm: Reuters Health reporter Frederik Joelving reports on a Centers for Disease Control social-media holiday campaign for heart health that made a blanket recommendation about taking a daily aspirin--even though that advice is rejected by many established health authorities. Even the CDC normally includes a caveat when it promotes aspirin use, but not in this case, which was pitched to reporters for their coverage, and then corrected.
Yes, you can test for pitching knowledge: The Flack blog updates an old test of PR knowledge for today's technology (and you're supposed to take it without access to the Internet). But you do know the answer to the final question: "When is it OK to pitch a story idea via a Twitter direct message?" Don't you? And in some cases, the answer may be don't pitch them on Twitter at all.
Pitch the picture: These days, you may find yourself pitching infographics, and Arik Hanson has you covered on the how-to. Funny, but these pitches also need to be relevant to the reporter or blogger.

Here's a pitch to you, PR people: This writer wants you to stop chasing "earned media" and focus more on "owned media" for the things you're now pitching to reporters.
Here's what the reporter experienced right before your pitch: After she didn't respond favorably to a pitch, she was called "a fucking bitch" by the PR vice president. More than two weeks after the new year, he got a pitch saying the new year was just around the corner. Try, people, to be as rare and refreshing as a drink of water in this desert, will you? And get a calendar.

I don't pitch reporters any more these days, but I can help train your team of communicators in effective pitching (or better methods). Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz if your team needs a refresher that takes today's methods into account.

AAAS revamps "Communicating Science" resources, seeks workshop hosts

2012-01-17T05:05:00.000-05:00

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has made significant updates to its useful "Communicating Science" resource website for scientists and engineers--which also is useful for the communicators who support their work. In particular, an expanded section on using online media to communicate science is now included, and updates have been made to other resources on the site.

AAAS also is seeking institutions and organizations that would like to host a "Communicating Science" workshop via the site, and offers resources for scientists who've already gone through a previous workshop and want to continue communicating and building on what they've learned. I'm proud to have facilitated many of the previous "Communicating Science" workshops, and would encourage you to explore with AAAS the option of bringing one to your organization. Check out this new resource!

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-01-13T05:05:00.000-05:00

Yup. It's that time again...time to ease out of the work week and into the weekend. I've taken the time to pull together my best finds from others, reads and resources that I shared this week on Twitter, where I'm @dontgetcaught. Here's what got my clock ticking this week:

So-called news stories under a flashlight: The FCC is investigating pay-for-play TV news stories involving health news.
Remember, they don't control it: The National Weather Service just got a Twitter feed.
That map might be eavesdropping: This German Google Map pinpoints where things were overheard or reported to have been said. And you were worried about reporters.
Welcome pitches? This study suggests that pitches to reporters from social-media influencers are well-received. I'm sorta waiting to hear what reporters say, myself.
A tour you should take: From the enigmatic but inspiring blog Peace and Love and Noticing the Details.
Let's give them something to talk about: Wondered, have you, about what Facebook pages' "People are Talking About" metrics really mean? Inside Facebook breaks it down for you.
Facebooking and fundraising: Facebook proves fundraising is more than the 'ask' is a smart post from Mixtape Communications that every nonprofit, fundraiser or cause should consider.
News organizations on Google+: Here's a roundup of the news organizations with the most engagement on G+. I think this might be our most versatile network yet.
Get out your rulers: Google recently shared its vision of what'll happen with measurement in 2012.
Professions get social: This week, two good posts on how doctors use social media, and another on global social media use in the legal industry.
You might need that lawyer adept in social media: There's another court case on whether you or your boss own your social media profile. This one's about LinkedIn.
A job and a good one: And a great university writer job opening at St. Lawrence University. I've worked a lot with Tom Evelyn, their vice president for communications, and you should explore the chance to work with his team--great people.

One thing you shouldn't put off till the weekend: I extended the discounted registration for "Be an Expert on Working with Experts," my February 1 workshop--but it ends at midnight tonight. Just $300 to get smart about the smart people you work with. Seats are filling, and I'd love for you and your team to attend. (You can still register until January 25 or when the workshop's full, but at a slightly higher rate.)

17 things you can pin on Pinterest that are not pillows and dresses

2012-01-12T05:05:00.000-05:00

Have you tried Pinterest? It's the new darling of social media and you need an invitation to join (I have some if you'll email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.) You'll hear some folks dismissing or buttonholing this system of virtually "pinning" visuals to topical "boards" so others can share, like or comment on them. "It's just for 20-year-old women who want to collect pics of wedding dresses they'll never wear" or "just for middle-aged women clipping imaginary decorating projects they'll never do" are the more unkind ones I've heard. Even luminaries like Chris Brogan have said they just don't get it.

But in fact, people of all sorts, organizations and brands are working in this new space...and it's still new. Plenty of time to figure out what to do with it. I like an open-ended social network like this, one that lets the users figure out what it's for, and over time (like that Twitter thing did).

Pinterest revolves around photos and video. Many of them are indeed from "lifestyle" brands in fashion, retail, art, decorating, food and related areas; some are shared by consumers and some by the brands. But you can help this new service push the envelope a bit. Try these ideas for expanding your subject matter on Pinterest, keeping in mind it's not for aggressive promotion and sales, and more about who's sharing what you've got:

Concerned about diversifying a profession? If your goal is to increase the position of young people, women, or underrepresented minorities in your professional association or membership, start a Pinterest board showing notable examples as well as new members who fit that bill. Let your members see who looks like them.
Promoting a particular group of inspiring role models? I've got a series on famous speeches by women over on The Eloquent Woman blog, and I'll be pulling their photos together to show the diversity and variety of women speakers on The Eloquent Woman Index, a collection of those speeches.
Raising money for a cause that convinces people by showing results, literally? If your donors are inspired to give based on laying eyes on your overseas operations, those compelling faces of hungry children or some other visual, put it on Pinterest. Or, try this: Show the old office equipment you need to replace, the too-small kitchen at your shelter, the things for which you need to raise funds. The more concrete the picture, the better the understanding of your need.
Got a niche lifestyle angle that's small to your overall cause? The National Wildlife Federation is all about getting you outdoors, and one of its crossover boards on Pinterest combines a lifestyle activity with wildlife: Gardening for wildlife. Smart combo.
Want to reward volunteers? AARP shows its employees in volunteer situations on Pinterest--a nice recognition, as well as a corporate social responsibility message.
Got alumni and students? One standard board suggested by Pinterest is a "My Favorite Places" board, and universities, schools and colleges will find that users are already pinning their own photos of your campus on their boards. Why not give them a supply to repin--and be sure to include not just the money shots of your stadium, but photos of those special places on campus, in different seasons?
Working in a field we can't normally see? If you're in radio, behind the scenes on TV, backstage at the theater, in the museum storeroom, in the library book repair room or some other hidden-from-view place, give us the behind-the-scenes tour.
Creating art, music, architecture, theater? Everything from your ads and posters to your most recent designs has a place here. Show photos from performances, views of the place you create, and more. See more ideas in my post on social media for the visual artist, which covers Pinterest and more.
Convening or planning meetings and events? Everything from room arrangements to place settings or famous speakers can go on your Pinterest board.
Running a study abroad program? Get those traveling students to post photos--a great way for prospective students to sample what happens.
Holding a retreat or workshop? Let me see those beachfront photos at your hotel, or a class or session in action. You might add a note about why it worked for you, while you're at it.
Promoting a mentorship program? Get mentors to pose with mentees, in the setting where they are getting help--offices, conferences, workplaces. Ask both of them to post to Pinterest.
Want your students/customers/partners to feel at home at your campus/HQ/offices? Give us the tour, inside and out. Who greets you at the door, what size are the meeting rooms, where are the best places to grab lunch?
Selling or leasing business real estate, short-term offices or other facilities? Put those PDFs away and post room layouts and views, interior and exterior. In Washington, plenty of meeting facilities talk about great views from their conference rooms, but you could show me that money shot of the Washington monument, couldn't you?
Got a great view from your roof, meeting room or front steps? Any organization at a location can post the views from its building as well as of its building. Just turn around.
Maintain a "wall of fame" for your well-known clients? This might be the new wall of fame--nice way to show with whom you are rubbing elbows.
In the business of beds? Hotels, hospitals, assisted living communities and vacation condo rentals all can put Pinterest to use showing what they look like from the inside, with an emphasis on special features, redesigns, and facilities. Don't forget to show those upgrade suites, special-use facilities or other things that make your place unique.

For business owners like me, or those wishing not to share so widely, there are other options involving Pinterest's private boards. One college professor I know who's leading a study abroad in London wants her students to compile photos that capture what London means to them, then winnow them down to one choice that sums up the semester. I suggested she ask them to share the draft selections on private boards, one per student, giving herself an easy way to share and react to the photos during the term; then, when the final choices are made, all students can pin their photo in one Pinterest board for the end of semester project. This Hollywood stylist talks here about using a private board on Pinterest to hear from clients who want her to react to potential outfits for events; she deletes anything on a shared board that she wouldn't recommend, leaving the right choices. (I may try that with public speaking trainees wanting advice on what to wear.)

Finally, start with some searches. You may find (as in the #6 example above) that the fans are there ahead of you and showing you what they want, in which case, you can give them that, only more/better/more conveniently. And explore the idea of inviting collaborators on some of your boards. I suspect that's where the action will be on this site, once we figure it out. Don't forget to put a "Pin It" button near photos, videos and articles on your website pages, to make it easier for those items to be shared.

How are you using Pinterest? Share your ideas in the comments. Need some basic tips on how to use Pinterest? Mashable's your friend.

Related posts: How to drum up Pinterest in your brand, business, school or cause: 9 smart ways

2 social media relations tools: A daybook on steroids, & reporters on Twitter

2012-01-10T05:05:00.000-05:00

The big three networks are shaking up their fomats for news broadcasts, even changing the concept of what should lead the news. Time for communicators to keep up with those types of changes--and how much better if you can find new tools that update and improve upon tasks of long-standing. This week, you can do more with your media relations calendar and your efforts to migrate media relations to Twitter. Both just got a shot in the arm with these two intriguing services:

For communications planning, meet the new daybook-on-steroids, called Zapaday, now open in a public beta. (Fair warning: Beta means bugs, potentially, and also forthcoming improvements.) Billed as "the open news calendar," this is a planner's delight. You get a dashboard page focused on tomorrow, with tabs so you can quickly look up events in affairs, culture, sports, business, science and practical (think weather) categories. Below that, you'll see headlines for events in global affairs, countdowns of days left till important news events, special holidays and religious events, new scientific conferences, even trivia. Zapaday founder Stefan Hoevenaar says “Zapaday uses text-mining technology to search the internet for future news events. And we encourage our users to add their own stories and decide for themselves what is important, like on Wikipedia.” The free site also employs fact-checkers, and resides in Amazon's cloud servers, so it's got a good backbone. Anyone who was wishing the old-fashioned daybook of upcoming events could get a facelift will love this service, as Zapaday crawls the web to do a lot of work for you. Customizing it with your own account, views and entries will make it even more useful. It's worth playing with how the front page view changes when you include your location combined with "worldwide" or other news categories. And don't ignore the search function. I can see this being something you and your team check in the morning and last thing in your day to know what's coming next. It's easy to get pigeonholed in your own company or institution's calendar, but Zapaday will help boost your awareness of the news coming from all directions--something that has helped many a communicator avoid getting caught unawares.
For media relations driven by Twitter: Taking advantage of Twitter's popularity with journalists, MuckRackPro is free for journalists who want to track what their colleagues are doing on Twitter. But PR, communications and social media specialists can get a free 30-day trial, after which the service costs $99 or $199 month for one user, depending on the range of options you want, and $899 a month for a small team of five users. Larger teams and agencies need to get in touch with MuckRack to create accounts for 10 or more users. (Fair warning: They'll ding your credit card and it's up to you to cancel before the free trial is over.) Every level of service has access to the journalist directory, search and unlimited note-taking; you get a sliding scale of media lists or alerts you can create as you step up the price. The service promises more detail on what journalists are covering and doing on Twitter, with more powerful search, and if you've been scouring Twitter by hand for reporters covering your topic, this service will likely save you time. A caution: So many reporters I know prefer NOT to be pitched on Twitter that you still need to respect those limits to be effective. But as a research tool that will let you get to know more about particular reporters' interests, this looks like a good option if the price fits your budget. It's priced less than many other reporter-mining services, but may be more than you are willing to spring, given that it's built on freely available tools.

By the way, you should pass the link at the top of this post around--particularly to your higher-ups. It notes strongly that the evening newscasts, in striving for unique content, are no longer in lockstep on what leads the news each evening, and no longer distiguish between "hard" and "soft" news when it comes to deciding which is more valuable, following longstanding trends on the web. That changes your targets and measurements of success, communications directors. Doesn't it? Best be priming those you want to impress that the measurements, once again, are on the move.

(A hat tip to Zan McColloch-Lussier of Mixtape Communications for pointing me to this one.)

Extended discount for "Be an Expert on Working with Experts"

2012-01-09T05:05:00.000-05:00

Due to a glitch in an email notification, I'm extending your chance to register at a discount for the upcoming February 1 "Be an Expert on Working With Experts" workshop. Now you have until the end of January 13 to pay just $300 for this all-day workshop, a discount of $50 from the regular registration fee.

If you work with experts who skip media interviews and public appearances, don't want to translate from the technical for public audiences or just aren't team players with your communications goals, find out why in this workshop--and what you can do about it. The session is designed to help communications, fundraising, public affairs, speechwriting and other pros. You'll learn about:

Experts' default communications styles and how to anticipate them;
Why what you're asking them to do is usually exactly the opposite of what they've been trained to do; and
Tactics, materials and approaches you can use again and again to better succeed in your work with scientists, experts and other smart folks you're representing.

You can attend this workshop on your own, or, as others have done, bring a team of people with you (a great tactic for ensuring a consistent approach and shared learning). You'll think differently about working with experts after this workshop, and get better results. Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz with any questions you have about the workshop--and register now!

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

2012-01-06T05:05:00.000-05:00

How was your first week of 2012? Not sure yet? Let's raise a glass to the weekend, anyway, since it's upon us. I found plenty to toast on Twitter this week, where I'm @dontgetcaught and share my favorite finds, reads and tips from others. Here's what looked good to me this week:

Plus one, indeed: Observers estimate huge growth in Google+, in part fueled by high sales of Android devices (which bundle it in). I'd add that its integration with Blogger sure helps. Don't overlook this versatile new network.
Now, here's some incentive to communicate: The National Academy of Sciences Keck Futures Initiative is offering four $20,000 prizes for communicating science on radio or television, in books, in magazines and newspapers or online. Nominate at the link.
Ivy-covered paywalls: The Knight Foundation offered to offset initial charges for college news sites that use Press+ to generate revenue, and more than 30 such sites have taken them up on the offer so far.
Now hear this: Online audio tools for journalists are reviewed here, and communicators won't be far behind with this list, I expect. A smart roundup.
Multitaskers, we see you...on TV: Midway through this video interview, you'll learn how social media's changing our TV viewing: 40 percent of tweets during prime-time televisions shows are from the audience watching them.

And a communications job: The Pew Health Group is looking for a senior officer, research and writing.

A heads-up to newsletter subscribers: Since the majority of subscribers to For Communications Directors also signed up for Step Up Your Speaking, my newsletter for The Eloquent Woman blog, the two newsletters are merging. Speakers & Communicators newsletter debuts this month--stay tuned!

For Email Marketing you can trust

Social media for the visual artist: 11 ways to promote your work

2012-01-05T05:05:00.000-05:00

You'd think I was in enough places on the web, between my four blogs, two company Facebook pages and personal FB profile, a Google profile and Google+ presence, a Twitter feed, an About.me page and a few other things. But shame on me, when I sold my first works of art at a gallery exhibit last August, one of the buyers emailed me afterward to complain.

"You've got something on the web about everything but your art," he said, accurately. "I want to see more."

Well, you don't need to tell me twice. (He emailed me via About.me, by the way.) So even though I've been studying and making art--primarily collage and its three-dimensional cousin, assemblage--for the past decade, I'm now blogging about my works on a specific site about my art, explaining my works and letting readers see them before they go on exhibit. I've helped several artist and gallery friends take the plunge into social media, and I'm about to help my current gallery do the same. So here, where my worlds collide, are 11 ways visual artists and their galleries can share and promote (and even sell) their work using social media tools:

Blogs offer artists an easy way to update a website, as well as share and sell their latest works. A longtime favorite of mine is Molly Brose's blog A Day's Work. Aside from a recent hiatus prompted by the birth of her child, the blog has been featuring--and selling--a painting a day since 2006, largely small 6" x 6" watercolors. Bonus: Her frequent posts help drive her higher in search-engine results, and make it easy for potential buyers to find her. Galleries can use blogs to keep their sites updated, drive search engine results, promote events, point out nearby restaurants and museums and much more. (And you can feed blog posts into Facebook and Twitter to further their reach.) More recent, the nine-month-old blog Experiment Station blog from the Phillips Collection, a contemporary art museum in Washington has done a great job focusing on its events, permanent collection, and local angles; this post sums up some of the ways it looks at the world.
Facebook and its improved visual aspects, from timeline photos to larger thumbnail pictures with posts, offers visual artists and galleries a world of opportunity--and with its fastest-growing audiences in their 50s and up, it has an art-buying audience well in hand. Galleries can take advantage of its easy events posts and corporate pages, encourage sharing by their artists, and tag photos of attendees at receptions and openings. Artists can share their works as they are completed, invite friends to openings, and use apps to build their email newsletter lists of prospective buyers. They even can build sales growth on Facebook. While it's not fine art, this wedding photographer now makes $100,000 a year through gigs that come through just one simple Facebook sales technique: Posting photos quickly, and tagging people in them. The rest comes from sharing and word-of-mouth. Visual artists can do the same at receptions, openings and open-studio events.
Pinterest, a new and highly visual social sharing site that's currently in beta test, leads with photos and lets others find them, like them, comment on them and "re-pin" them to their own sites. While overt selling is discouraged, artists can share their new works with links to a blog or website, and get feedback and interest indicators. It's no mistake that many Etsy shops are active on Pinterest, expanding the visual links and driving customers to a site where they can buy something. If you need an invitation to join, email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.
Twitter's another suitable network for art buyers, populated as it is by working middle-aged folks. Twitter also has improved its options for posting pictures, and is highly effective at driving traffic to blogs and websites, making it an ideal complement to your social media base. The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, has a gallery and a fine-art school to promote, and its Twitter account shares its finds about art in a Paper.li daily summary, and links to its blog. Here's a wonderful recent behind-the-scenes blog post about retiring a gallery wall that's seen too much service, called "If This Wall Could Talk." The accompanying tweet said "Nailed: After years of service, a gallery wall is retired," a summary that drew me right in and provided the link to the post, too. I found a similar behind-the-scenes post about how the League juries art for its shows--in this case, winnowing down more than 500 entries to just 150 in a couple of days.
Foursquare might also be overlooked by artists and galleries, but in addition to noting a gallery location, you can add tips to any location ("My latest work is on display here until November 30" or "ask about renting our gallery for your next special event") so that searchers can find out more. And you can make Foursquare lists for any gallery/studio/museum your art is in, sharing nearby restaurants, describing a quick "art tour" that includes your location and any nearby collections, pacing off how far you are from various public transportation options or major landmarks and more. About Foursquare is a useful blog to read, and it has these 5 tips for creating Foursquare lists that get noticed. At a minimum, get your staff, volunteers, donors, buyers and others to check in on Foursquare when they walk through those gallery doors.
Art Spotter is an iPhone app that helps tourists and others locate nearby art, making it ideal for galleries and museums, as well as art shows, sales and events. It's international in scope and casts a wide net; venues also can get information on what users are doing.
Art.sy is in private beta and you need to request an invite to participate, but it's a fine-art tool that aims to help people discover fine art. Galleries, museums and private art collections can explore partnerships with Art.sy.
QR codes can work for both artists and galleries. At a location, a QR code lets passers-by find your website quickly from a sticker on your door, even if the gallery is closed; at an opening, an artist's card might include a QR code. As this New York Times roundup of recent QR code uses notes, the Museum of Modern Art recently mounted an exhibit that included QR codes on the labels for each piece of art. The enterprising artist might include such a code on her artwork's labels at a show, inviting viewers to find out more, on the spot.
Museum Analytics, now in beta, is less for sharing and more for metrics, as it calculates the social reach of various museums in one place. If nothing else, it's a trove of data that you can use to compare your own social reach. If your gallery's located near one of these museums, the site will offer lots of clues about how to maximize your reach with the same nearby audience.
Flickr is always a good social repository for photos of your work, and galleries and museums can use it to encourage members and attendees to post their photos of events and art. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has a robust collection of Flickr photos tagged by users who visit the museum, and used Flickr to encourage photo entries to its clever ad campaign "It's Time We Met," which used winning photos from its visitors in the ads.
YouTube might seem out of kilter for many visual artists, at least those whose work isn't moving. But in fact, you can create a channel that includes interviews with you, footage from openings and art events, views of your most recent painting along with you providing some narration about the work, an "open studio" tour, a look at some of your works-in-progress. Don't forget that YouTube is one of the most popular search engines of all--and be sure to post your videos not just on YouTube, but on Facebook, Twitter and your blog. It's worth remembering that online video is still the strongest trend in social media, attracting billions of views a day. Here's an artist who shows herself at an art show and sale, including a work-in-progress:

The advantages to all these approaches? They allow you--you, the artist, or you, the gallery or museum--to demystify art, answer questions, note what's for sale, invite attendees, support artists and engage viewers. And yes, sell art, attract sponsors and partners, sell items from the gift shop, encourage commissions and all the other business that makes the art world run. Try it, artists. You'll like it.

Winter workshops: Social media resolutions & working with experts

2012-01-04T05:05:00.000-05:00

Starting the year with a good, thoughtful workshop can be as refreshing as a cool drink of water: You can revive your approaches, refresh your skills and renew your commitment to a sound strategy. I have two workshops coming up--one with an immediate deadline--for you to consider:

Your 5 best social media resolutions for 2012, a lunch-and-learn session in Washington, DC, takes place January 10...but registration closes today, January 4. We still have places left, and you'll want to join the other communicators who will learn new trends and tactics that will help them do more with less effort in the social space.
Be an Expert on Working with Experts is a February 1 day-long workshop on ways to better understand and work with scientists, subject-matter experts and other smart folks you represent--but you'll get a significant discount if you register by January 10. You'll learn their default communications styles, why they don't always cooperate with what you're asking them to do, and how to develop better working relationships with them to meet your goals--with materials and tactics you can use again and again.

Got questions? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz. Bring yourself or your team to these winter workshops!

The 2011 top communications & social media posts

2011-12-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

It's almost time to ring in 2012, but before we do, I'm taking a look at the posts you read the most in 2011. From balking experts to getting more efficient with social media tools, this list is full of variety, strategy and controversy--just like usual. Here's to a successful and prosperous new year to you and your team, along with our top posts of the year:

Are your experts blowing off media interviews? How to avoid a no-show takes top honors for the year. Again, I don't think it's a good sign. I have another workshop on how to Be an Expert at Working with Experts coming up Feb. 1, with a discount if you register by Jan. 10--a reflection, perhaps, of this persistent issue.
Cisco to kill Flip cameras and I own 4 of them summed up the plight of many of you back in April. Flips are still available at bargain prices, but this got us all preparing for the transition.
Call it the CEO secret: Posterous's new features make it even easier to blog is one of several top posts that gets at a continual goal we share: Taming the social media beast. This one might just get your CEO to blog. She can email, can't she? That's all it takes.
What auto-posting can't do for you: 3 convincing reads will get you off that dashboard and into the conversation--with better results. In some specific cases, that auto-post will cost you readers and fans.
Your pinata strategy: When your topic gets hijacked by a political campaign will still be useful in the 2012 campaigns, with tactics you can use to get ready, rather than side-swiped.
How to blog or tweet more without working too hard summed up the dream of a lot of readers (and I'm right with you, there). These tactics keep me prolific and yet well-rested.
16 ways I use Evernote on business travel, another efficiency post, shared some secrets and tips I've been using with one of my favorite tools. I don't leave home without it.
Creative ways with QR codes for locations, conferences and designers offered some great--and concrete--examples of what you can really do with the new bar code. Functional ideas here that retain creativity.
Before you bake that QR code, ask me whether I use them--like @KingArthurFlour did shares a smart step you should take before launching into new tools like the QR code. KAF posted it and elicited consumer input via its Facebook page; find out why their approach was smart.
PR, media relations folks: Tip more, pitch less to reach reporters suggests you recalibrate your approach to pitching for better relationships with reporters--and better results. I'm proud that both reporters and PR mavens shared this one widely.

Use the Evernote clip button, above, to save this post in an Evernote notebook or start an Evernote account. Subscribe to For Communications Directors, my free monthly newsletter, which features content before it appears here on the blog.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter, holiday edition

2011-12-23T05:05:00.000-05:00

(Note to readers: The blog will be on hiatus until next Thursday, December 29, when we'll share the 10 most-read posts for 2011.)

If your cutting board looks like this just before a holiday weekend, you're not at my house...but despite all the prep, I've still got this week's cookie box of treats, tips and finds I shared on Twitter, where I'm @dontgetcaught. Find your own favorites from my plate of selections:

Doodle, doodle, doodle: Google's Doodles now have their own history page and--even better--a Doodle store where you can buy merch with your favorite Doodle on it. Find the one that best represents your company, cause or organization and go to it.
Where's this been all my life? AP's Stylebook now offers a tool that will automatically edit your writing into AP Style. That is, unless you are a Mac user...
No timelines for FB brand pages. Not yet, anyway. This should buy you time to figure it out on your personal profile first. But there are a few FB timeline features you should master now.
Getting your sights set on the new year? Start with these reads: Five things you should stop doing in 2012, and Do what you love and do it often. Two of the best reads of my year.
Not that you're looking or anything: It's of pure academic interest to you, I'm sure, that you can use Storify to create an interactive resume.
Hitting the road? Use this guide to prepping your laptop and smartphone for travel. Good stuff here.
Staying local? Here are 4 ways to create Foursquare lists that get noticed. Like waitressing, it's all about the tips.
Enjoy your phone now, because one in nearly every 7 ads will be mobile by 2016.
Bloggers, sit back and review the state of the blogosphere 2011. Much to chew on.
Veterans have an expanded presence on Facebook, thanks to the U.S. Veterans Administration.

Seats are filling for my January 10 lunch-and-learn on your 5 best social media resolutions for 2012--in part because the registration deadline is January 4. Sign up now and relax for the rest of your holiday.

If you're celebrating a holiday this weekend--or just enjoying the fact that others' attention is elsewhere--I wish you all the same: Warmth, family, friends, food, lights, rest and wonder. Thanks so much for spending a small part of your week, and weekend, here with me.

How many company pages do you have--and why?

2011-12-22T05:05:00.000-05:00

The Facebook brand page did something you might now be cursing: It sparked an avalanche of brand pages on other social sites. Today, your company can have a page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and more. (Although we learned this week that most of the brands with Google+ pages don't have many followers yet.) Which gives rise in turn to the question: Must you have a brand or company page on every service that offers one?

The answer, of course, lies in where your audiences are--and where your social media base is. For example, my company's social media base is its blogs, and my social pages serve to amplify that content base where my audiences are. But it's not always easy to decide where your audience will find you, especially with popular new networks cropping up.

How many pages does your company have? Where are they and why are they in those places? Share your thoughts in the comments.

4 great bite-size social media ideas & resources

2011-12-21T05:05:00.000-05:00

I keep a great stash of social-media ideas and resources, and sometimes, the ideas are perfect packages, the right-size bite to get you started in a new direction or providing just the example you were looking for. Sample this quartet of video, blogging and tweeting ideas, straight from my stash:

Paging the next Julia. Or you: The great Food 52 blog always has fantastic videos. Its videographer divulges secrets on how to make your own cooking video by "shooting and editing cooking videos quickly and painlessly, with just one camera and a cheap mic." If you have anything to share on video that's step-by-step and involves demos, check and adapt these tips to your own project.
Think like your users: Photographing inside the Phillips is just the type of blog post you should be doing for your company or institution: It's got practical tips that a user would want to know, plus related information they might not know. In this case, it's about taking photos inside one of Washington, DC's best small museums, and how shutterbugs can compensate for the lack of flash--complete with photographic examples from the collection. Basic, but essential. Study this one closely.
Live-tweeting resources: Steve Buttry's doing it again, this time compiling great examples of live-tweeting in a series that includes examples from live-tweeting court proceedings, government meetings, and a breaking news story. Designed for reporters, they're also a must for communicators who work with reporters or do their own live tweeting, along with his collection of suggestions for live-tweeting.
One minute. Outstanding online video: This video did a simple thing well: In one minute, it compiles views from the roof of one Manhattan building--shots of other buildings, traffic, the river, clouds. Watch, then imagine your version of this on your company or organization's blog as a way to situate your headquarters, share your view of the world, describe your neighborhood, connect with your community. In a minute. Then think about doing this from a ground's-eye view, down one hallway and other perspectives:

Rivers & Roads from Ryan&Heidi on Vimeo.