The PR Lawyer

Upcoming Economic Forum for Small Business Owners

noreply@blogger.com (Leah Ludwig) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:59:00 +0000

On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, Gina Rubel, Esq., President/CEO of Furia Rubel Communications, will speak at the Small Business Solutions Center of Delaware County Community College’s “Your Business and the Economy 2011” economic forum. Rubel will address “Marketing and PR on a Shoestring Budget: How to Manage the New Economy.” The event will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Terrazza in Newtown Square, Pa.

Brad Segall of KYW Newsradio will moderate the program. Other participants include: Rob Wonderling, President of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, who will talk about “Next Gen Job Creation for the Greater Philadelphia Region;” Kim Huggins, President of K HR Solutions, who will speak about “Bridging Generation Gaps and Understanding the Impact on Your Business;” James Revels, CPA, MST and Partner with Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLC in Philadelphia, who will explain how to “Be Prepared: Small Businesses and the New Tax Code Changes;” and Andrew Miller, Chief Lending Officer for Beneficial Savings Bank, who will explain “Borrowing Money to Grow Your Business.”

Beneficial Bank of Philadelphia and the Widener University Small Business Development Center will co-sponsor the event. A full lunch will be served and admission is $10. To attend or learn more about this event, call the Small Business Solutions Center’s Danielle Cipolloni at 610-723-1229.

The Cure for the Social Media Skeptic

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Posted by Katie Noonan

A great article from Business Insider highlights a challenge we are all too familiar with at Furia Rubel. All of our employees engage in social media and have for a few years now. However, occasionally through speaking engagements or meetings with perspective business we come across the social media skeptic. They're easy to recognize. They may scoff, hem and haw or scarier still- don a blank expression when the topic of social media comes up.

If you should come across a skeptic, here are some excellent ways to ease them into social media engagement.

1. Remove Barriers. Lisa Barrone of Outspoken Media encourages employers to alleviate employees' social media anxiety by taking barriers out of their way. Barriers could be anything from having to learn to use new tools to manage social media like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, or adding yet another task to their all ready busy day. It's important to first identify these potential barriers then determine how to remove them. For example, if time is an issue, Barrone suggests allowing employees to blog, tweet or connect from home instead.

2. One at a time. Personally, when I joined Twitter I found it very overwhelming. I considered myself fairly tech savvy and having used Facebook since its infancy, I assumed I could get the hang of Twitter quickly. I immediately started following lots of people and trying to engage. Over time though, I realized that I needed to sit back and observe the kinds of conversations taking place and the way people were interacting. Each social media network is like a neighborhood in a city or region of the country. It takes time to get used to how each looks, feels, and how people act, talk and perhaps most importantly, get annoyed by. So have your employees take one at a time. I would encourage employers to identify which social media network is most useful to employees. Law firms or financial service providers may opt for the conservative, business-friendly LinkedIn first, whereas a consumer services company may choose Twitter because they want to improve their customer service and start interacting directly with customers.

3. Provide Guidelines. I could not agree more with Barrone's suggestion to provide employees with guidelines for social media engagement. If members of your staff are hesitant to say or do the wrong thing when social networking, that may prevent them from engaging. If there is a social media policy in place, they'll have a better idea of what they can and can't say. No one wants to put their job in jeopardy by saying something in a public forum that could get them or the company in trouble.

4. Provide Resources. A social media policy is a great example of a resource that employees need to have in order to use social media. Other resources could be an online forum where employees can ask questions, share strategies or read about new tools or emerging social media platforms. Barrone suggests setting up a Wiki. I would also add a weekly email, call or meeting could be beneficial.

5. Success stories. The best way to stop a skeptic dead in their tracks is to provide them with a social media success story. There are plenty out there, like the Old Spice Man, Zappos, or Delta's new ticket purchasing campaign on Facebook. All you have to do is pick up the newspaper and find a recent example of a company or brand using social media to boost their bottom line to see that it works.

With proper training, support and guidelines, even the most skeptical employee can and will engage in social media. Listen to their concerns and questions, encourage them to share their good ideas and let their personalities come through in their social media profiles, tweets and blog posts. Ultimately, the success of a company's social media engagement hinges on their employees' comfort, knowledge of and ingenuity with this valuable tool.

Photo credit: http://blog.hubspot.com/

Will your Digital Dirt Come Back to Haunt you?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

Just about everyone nowadays has an online presence or has “Google-ed” themselves to find out what type of digital dirt is out there about them.

In a recent Wall Street Journal online piece, "Google and The Search for the Future" editors had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Google CEO, Eric Schmidt about his thoughts on the future of the company and Internet search as a whole.

Among many interesting points in the article, one that particularly stood out was Schmidt’s views of privacy and a prediction “that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends' social media sites.”

As technology continues to grow and more and more people are sharing information via websites like Facebook and Twitter, Schmidt raises food for thought on the implications of so much of other peoples’ personal information being available at our fingertips. Will we as a society learn to turn a blind eye to binge drinking photos of a politician that resurface 20 years later? Will raunchy videos of partying on YouTube be overlooked when a professional becomes success in a Fortune 500 company? When will Internet information, be it photos or videos or tweets and Facebook postings from one’s past be taken lightly and when will it be seen as crossing the professional line? Will there come a day when aspiring professionals need to change their names to avoid their Internet dirt past?

Furia Rubel’s CEO Gina Rubel has always been a strong advocate for being careful about what information you put out on the Internet. She constantly encourages clients to Google themselves to get an idea of what is out there about them. Now more than ever it is important to keep her wise advice in mind because what is put out on the Internet, will most likely be searchable and found 10, 20, even 50 years down the road. What you do in your youth may come back to haunt you.

(photo credit: http://techvins.wordpress.com/)

City of Brotherly Love- No Love for Bloggers

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Posted by Katie Noonan

Philadelphia is taking some heat this week after an article published in Philadelphia City Paper addressed the ramifications of the city's business privilege tax on bloggers who call the city home.

The Business Privilege Tax is an effort by the city of Philadelphia to garner revenue from individuals who engage in "activity for profit." Accordingly, bloggers who reside within city limits and have either real or potential profit from blogging are subject to pay a privilege license of either a one-time fee of $300, or $50 annually, in addition to a percentage of gross receipts and/or taxable net income, depending on the nature of the business, according to Mashable's Christina Warren.

The privilege tax has long been a source of controversy in Philadelphia, but seems especially preposterous in this case because of the potential it creates to tax individuals who make little to nothing from a recreational activity like blogging. Ostensibly, those who use Google Adsense on their blogs and make about 10 bucks for doing so could be subject to the tax.

Moreover, president and CEO of Furia Rubel, Gina Rubel raises the point- what if someone doesn't advertise on their blog, but uses it as a platform to position his or herself as a thought-leader in an industry. Doing so would undoubtedly create the potential for "real or potential profit," would the city attempt to tax that? It's a gray area, but they are individuals who would stand to gain a lot more from blogging than the person who blogs about restaurants they visit or their views on the Eagles preseason and uses Google Adsense on his or her blog.

It's a controversial move on the part of the city of Philadelphia, but what do you think- is it as unfair as some bloggers say it is? Feel free to leave your comments here or share your thoughts on Twitter @FuriaRubel.

Twitter Continues to Grow and Offers the New Tweet Button

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

If you haven’t been convinced to join Twitter yet, comScore, Inc., a global leader in measuring the digital world, recently released a report on the international growth of Twitter. The numbers just may sway you to join the micro-blogging site.

Almost 93 million Internet users logged in to Twitter.com from home or work in June of this year. This number marks a 109 percent increase from 2009. In addition, the country that reportedly held the highest penetration was Indonesia with Brazil and Venezuela close behind.

There was a notable increase in the use of Twitter by smartphone users in the six international mobile markets analyzed by comScore -U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy. In the U.S. however, Twitter.com was visited by 8.3 percent of smartphone users (4.2 million people) whereas only 2.8 percent of users (1.7 million users) were accessing the micro-blogging service from their phones.

In addition to these impressive numbers of new users and mobile users, Twitter has made it that much easier to share information through other websites. Beginning last week, websites like CNN and HuffingtonPost now offer a Tweet button alongside stories. This new feature will facilitate sharing news or interesting articles from many popular sites via Twitter.

ThePRLawyer blog now proudly features a Tweet button as well. It's located on the top left-hand side of the screen. If there is ever a post that you particularly like, please feel free to use the tweet button and spread the information!

To read more click on the links for the comScore report of Twitter users or the new Tweet button. Now get Tweeting!

(photo credit: www.smartmarketmovie.com)

Philly Legal Blawgers Event You Don’t Want to Miss!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Don't miss the "Meet the Legal Blawgers: An Insiders' Perspective on Connecting with the Legal Blogosphere" event on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 12 p.m. presented by the Bar-News Media Committee Meeting of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Furia Rubel Communications' CEO and Bar-News Media Committee chair, Gina Furia Rubel, Esq. will be moderating the event.

Panelists include:

* Jeff Blumenthal, Staff Writer, Philadelphia Business Journal
* Chris Brennan, Political Writer, Philadelphia Daily News, Co-Writer, PhillyClout

* HughE Dillon, Editor, PhillyChitChat.com
* Hank Grezlak, Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The Legal Intelligencer
* Catherine Lucey, Staff Reporter, Philadelphia Daily News Co-Writer, PhillyClout
* Saul Segan, Esq., Contributor, The Huffington Post

Event Location:

Philadelphia Bar Association

1101 Market Street

11th Floor Conference Center

Philadelphia, Pa 19107

Lunch will be available for $8.00.

To register, please visit The Philadelphia Bar Association website.

For more information about the Bar-News Media Committee, please contact Committee Chair Gina Furia Rubel at Gina@furiarubel.com.

For questions about the event, contact Dawn Petit at 215-238-6367 or via email DPetit@philabar.org.

How to: Get published in Legal Publications

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Posted by Katie Noonan

The Legal Intelligencer's editor in chief, Hank Grezlak, shares tips and tactics with attorneys on how to get their legal commentaries published.

video platform video management video solutions video player

Furia Rubel merges, adds clients - Philadelphia Business Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Gina Rubel) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Great coverage today from Peter Van Allen of the Philadelphia Business Journal.

What a wonderful way to begin a Monday morning.

Here's a link to the full story: Furia Rubel merges, adds clients - Philadelphia Business Journal

Plane Tickets through Facebook? Delta Makes it Possible

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:41:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

I just read on Mashable and InformationWeek that Delta Airlines has made a Facebook application allowing users to purchase flights via the company’s Facebook page. A new “Ticket Window” tab on the Delta Facebook page lets you find and purchase your flights without ever leaving Facebook.com.

There is also the ability to share your flight details with friends on Facebook. Since the Ticket Window is so new, I haven’t heard if there is a privacy feature allowing you to decide if you want to share your flight announcement with others or not.

The thing I like most about this news story is not necessarily the Ticket Window announcement (which is cool!) but the fact that Delta realized that people are increasingly using social media to follow and connect with their favorite brands.

Bob Kupbens, Delta’s VP of eCommerce is quoted in the InformationWeek article, "our customers are spending more time online and are looking for new ways to connect with us. We're now delivering technology where our customers are – from our own website to our Facebook page to Internet news sites and beyond."

The Delta team seems to be listening to their audience and making changes to best accommodate them. In addition to the Facebook application, Delta recently re-designed their website for customer ease of use and is discussing interactive web advertising and even iPhone applications. I noticed they also have an active Twitter account with conversations and retweets.

It’s hard to say whether the Ticket Window will be a success or a failure right now. I think it’s an exciting announcement and an example of the endless possibilities for companies to serve their clients via social media.
(photo credit: ediscounttickets.com)

Consumers Use Social Media to Follow Brands, Connect

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Posted by Katie Noonan

A recent study from marketing research company Invoke Solutions shows that a significant amount of those who engage in social media sites do so not only to connect with family, friends and colleagues, but to connect with and follow their favorite brands as well.

According to the study:

65% of social media users follow a company or brand on Facebook;
47% have posted a comment on a company's Facebook fan page; and
More than 31% of social networkers follow a brand or company's tweets.

Individuals who have a presence on Twitter tend to engage with brands and companies in even higher percentages and on a wider breadth of social media sites according to Invoke.

To learn more about Invoke's study check out the BtoB article. You can also download the full report from Slideshare.

HOW TO: Promote your Business Facebook Page

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

Last month I shared a “HowTo” post about creating a custom username for your Facebook page for your company or business. I want to continue that conversation today with some great tips on how to share that Facebook page with your audience. I came across "3 Less Known by Effective Ways to Share Your Facebook Page" from Search Engine Journal.com written by Ann Smarty.

* Don’t overlook the power of the “Share” button. Sometimes this easily hidden button toward the bottom of the page can become lost and forgotten. When you press the share button, the page is posted to your Facebook wall for your friends to see. Always remember to add a relevant call to action for your friends to check out the page!

* You can “Tag” your page when relevant. For example, when sharing information about a client or helpful news on your Facebook profile. We include a tag to the Furia Rubel Facebook page in our posts when they have useful news for fans of the Furia Rubel Facebook page. It works the same as tagging a friend or colleague, simply start with the @ sign and type in the page you want to tag.

* You can add your page as a “Favorite” to other pages. I didn’t know about this tip but it seems really useful -especially if you administer multiple pages. Ann brings up a good point that as of right now, Facebook does not allow you to add your page to other people’s favorites. You can always ask, though! She notes, “you can only add to pages you administer, NOT the pages you created. So if you want to use the page you created, ask one of your page administrators to do that (weird, I know. I hope this is a bug and will be fixed soon)”

Just a few more tips to promote your Facebook page and connect with your audience through social media. To read more, go here.

Libel Lawsuits in PA Must Be Filed Within One Year Says Judge

noreply@blogger.com (Gina Rubel) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:05:00 +0000

According to Shannon P. Duffy of The Legal Intelligencer, a "PA Judge says a blog is legally the same as any other 'mass media,' meaning that any libel lawsuit filed against a blog in Pennsylvania must make its way to court within one year." The article, Judge Says Discovery Rule Doesn't Apply to Blogs - Internet Is 'Mass Media,' Federal Court Holds, Tossing Defamation Case, is a must read.

Move Over Facebook and Twitter..Tumblr could be the next Media Outlet

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

Although it is not a new service, many are talking about Tumblr- predicting that it could be the newest thing in the world of news media.

This “short-form blogging platform” founded in 2007 by David Karp and lead developer, Marco Arment, is a mix between Facebook and Twitter. Many are saying that it could be a useful engagement tool for news outlets to connect with their readers, citing the success of Newsweek’s Tumblr account as an example of this.

Recently, Tumblr welcomed Mark Coatney, to join the Tumblr team from his post at Newsweek. While at Newsweek, he had taken on the management of the magazine’s Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts. The Tumblr became wildly successful and reportedly drove about 500 readers to Newsweek.com everyday. Ultimately, Coatney’s work with the page helped land him a job with Tumblr itself.

Despite its lower user base, Tumblr focuses more on quality content and less on number of followers. Some outlets such as The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, BlackBook Media Corporation, The Paris Review, The Huffington Post, Life magazine and The New York Times have all jumped on the Tumblr bandwagon but many have yet to successfully utilize the platform.

For those of you considering adding Tumblr to your social media campaigns, here are some tips from The Atlantic with my thoughts as well:

It’s low-stress: This may be key for engaging in what seems like yet another social media tool. As always, it is essential to continue with the platform once you and your company decide to join. But, fear not, because looking at the Newsweek Tumblr you can notice that some ‘posts’ are simply quotes from articles in the magazine; others are pictures or quirky commentary.

It’s engaging: Readers can submit their own quotes. This may take off some of the workload of the staff to keep up with updating and posting. The age of citizen journalism is upon us and now people can submit Tweets, video or photos from cell phones into TV news programs instantaneously. The proper use of Tumblr is the perfect way to engage readers of the magazine itself as well as reaching out to new readers online through social media and directing them to the website for more information.

It's viral: The format of Tumblr lends itself to short quotes, sound bites and bits of information. This is the key in today’s information overload environment. There is a reblogging feature much like a retweet button which shares information across other users’ Tumblr pages.

Keep your eye on how others are using Tumblr or consider starting a page yourself. I think this is an up and coming tool that may not only be useful for print media outlets but for many organizations and businesses alike. Happy Tumbling!

(photo credit: http://v1.wolfslittlestore.be/tumblr)

Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. Named Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski Managing Partner

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:44:00 +0000

We are so proud of our clients and colleagues and are always delighted to share their good news.

With the addition of Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. as managing partner of Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski, P.C., the firm expands its traditional personal injury presence into the criminal defense arena. Former two-term elected Luzerne County District Attorney and Common Pleas Judge Olszewski brings more than 25 years of unique litigation experience to Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski, which serves the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre regions of Pennsylvania.

Olszewski, as the new managing partner of Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski, focuses his practice on criminal defense, medical malpractice, and personal injury matters. His experience as both a prosecutor and judge in criminal and civil trials benefits clients by providing unique perspective to his litigation strategies.

“We are pleased to have such an experienced attorney to head our criminal defense practice and manage the firm’s day to day operations. Peter’s experience in both private practice and as a public servant gives him insight into not only the criminal justice system but also the more difficult planning and organizational duties required of a managing partner,” said Melissa Scartelli, the firm’s founding partner.

Prior to joining the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre firm, Olszewski spent eight years as District Attorney of Luzerne County, during which time he tried 18 cases to jury verdicts, including seven first-degree murder verdicts. During his nine years as a Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge, Olszewski oversaw more than 180 criminal jury trials, including five capital homicide cases. As a result, Olszewski can anticipate reactions from both the prosecution’s perspective and the bench.

Already using his experience to benefit clients, Olszewski has successfully suppressed statements made by a then-16-year-old to state police officers after his arrest in a high profile murder case in Luzerne County. Olszewski also successfully argued the transfer of his client to a juvenile facility so that he could have age-appropriate programs available.

While he joined Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski as a shareholder in January, Olszewski is no stranger to private practice. After graduating from The Dickinson School of Law in 1984, Olszewski engaged in private practice, focusing on criminal, civil, and family law trials throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. He held positions as solicitor to the Pennsylvania Conference of State Police Lodges and assistant solicitor to the Pennsylvania State Police, Fraternal Order of Police, Frank Albert Memorial Lodge No. 43.

Olszewski is admitted to practice before all of Pennsylvania’s state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is Capital Case Certified and certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Criminal Trial Specialist.

Committed to contributing to the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas, Olszewski is co-chairman of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association Criminal Law Committee and serves on the board of the Anthracite Golf Association, which promotes golf to young people and adults in Northern Pennsylvania. An Eagle Scout and former President of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Olszewski also is a member and past Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Wilkes-Barre Lodge 109, a member of and scripture reader at St. Frances Cabrini Church, Carverton, and a former Alumni Trustee of The Dickinson School of Law.

A native of Wilkes-Barre and a resident of Dallas, Olszewski spends his off-hours golfing, archery hunting, and with his wife and daughter.

Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski, P.C. was founded in 2001. The firm handles a range of complex matters on behalf of accident victims, malpractice victims and other injured individuals and their families. The firm also represents criminal defendants. Practice areas include automobile accidents, auto defects, construction and workplace accidents, criminal defense, defective drugs and medical devices, insurance bad faith, liquor liability, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, premises liability, product liability, professional liability and psychiatric malpractice. Scartelli, Distasio & Kowalski is small enough to care yet large enough to win for their clients in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., region. To learn more about the firm, visit http://www.sdklawfirm.com.

Old Spice Campaign - Viral Success or Failure?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Written By Amanda Walsh

Just about everyone has heard about the Old Spice videos that became wildly popular on the Internet recently. If you haven’t, let me bring you up to speed.

Old Spice launched the advertising campaign called, “Smell like a man, man,” which included TV ads and Youtube videos that some are calling the most successful viral campaign ever. Coupling the videos with a Twitter account and persona, actor and ex football player, Isaiah Mustafa starred as the Old Spice man who amazed viewers with his smooth voice and clever retorts. The spot was a hit, drawing more than 13 million views on YouTube according to a NYtimes.com article.

To continue promotion of the ads, a team of writers and editors searched Twitter for responses to the Old Spice Man Twitter account. Later they filmed personalized video responses to Tweets including ones to celebrities and political figures. About 185 response videos were posted for the Old Spice guy, which furthered the sensation. One unusual request asked for the Old Spice man to propose to Twitter user Johannes S. Beals’ girlfriend. Shortly after the request was made, a video starring the Old Spice man was created. The happy ending was complete when Beals followed up with a tweet, “She said yes!”

Old Spice hit the mark with a funny, unique and dynamic ad campaign. They successfully reached out to consumers and built relationships with their audience, but here’s the real kicker- they listened and responded.

Always room for improvement

There were, however, critics Old Spice’s campaign; namely those who pointed to sales reports that indicated that sales were down seven percent. According to an article on brandchannel.com though, sales reports came out before the campaign hit its peak success.

I believe the real downfall, if any, of the campaign was that it came to an end. The Old Spice man tweeted, “Well friends, like all great things this too must end.” This is the first rule of getting started on social media, if you commit you need to continue. I don’t know how many times I have followed a brand and was genuinely excited to communicate, only to find that a few months later the account has gone stagnant. Last year Skittles temporarily turned their homepage into a stream of real-time comments from customers who referenced Skittles, only to abandon the revolutionary campaign as quickly as it started. Whether it is a Facebook page, a Twitter account or blog, the important thing is not only to get started but to continue producing quality content and building relationships.

I did hear rumors that Old Spice has another campaign in the works. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

(photo credit: zootpatrol.com)

Get Involved with Twitter Chats

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

When I was living in Madrid, I began to notice many people getting together on Twitter every week at the same time tweeting using common hashtags such as #blogchat or #journchat to connect all of their comments together. Eventually I realized that people were participating in scheduled Twitter chats. What a great idea!

A Twitter chat is a scheduled time every week when Twitter users get together to discuss a topic of interest. Since I’m back in the same time zone as many of the people I follow, I have begun participating in a few on a regular basis.

Twitter Chats I recommend are:

* #u30pro chat "is a place for working professionals to drive the discussion to bridge the generational gap, demolish stereotypes and break down differences in the professional workplace."
* #PRstudchat brings together public relations students, professors and professionals alike. There is #journchat, for journalists and public relations professionals as well.
* #Commschat is a London-based chat that brings together communications professionals from all over the globe in a variety of industries.

Why are chats so great for public relations and marketing? You can connect with others. It’s all about building relationships and Twitter chats are an awesome way to connect with peers all around the world. When you start to participate in chats regularly you see the same Twitter users all the time. You’re able to foster relationships with people, seek or give advice and share tips. Check out some of the recommendations I provided or Google search some of interest to you!
(photo credit: http://lacasacomics.com/)

Want More Retweets on Twitter? Here are Some Tips!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

One goal for many Twitter users is to have their posts retweeted to increase their reach. I found this interesting article on SocialMediaToday.com and wanted to share some of the tips with our readers. Below I use some Twitter terminology. To read more about the lingo, check out Gina's Legal Intelligencer blog post, "To friend or Not to Friend – Social Media for Lawyers Part 4: Twitter for Lawyers".

Discover Hashtags. Some of you may have noticed others using messages beginning with # followed by specific keywords (ex. #journchat). These are called hashtags. They are very useful because other tweeps can follow tweets based on specific hastags. However, make sure to use hashtags in a strategic way and be careful not to overuse them. Others with similar interests will see your tweets and may choose to retweet your information.

Retweet Others. This may seem like a no-brainer tip but it’s true! I have found that the more I retweet relevant and useful information to my followers , the more my own messages are being retweeted.

K.I.S.S. As a guideline for many PR professionals in all types of writing, KISS stands for ‘Keep it Short and Simple.’ This rule is helpful in formulating tweets as well. It can be difficult to stick to a 140-character limit while including a message, shortened URL and hashtag. This is important when crafting useful messages however and the key to getting others engaged enough to retweet.

Use a Call to Action. If you retweet useful information, the easiest way to get others to share your tweet is to simply ask!

Back in January, my colleague Katie Noonan also blogged about some retweeting tips found here. Try these tips next time you’re on Twitter. Happy Tweeting!
(photo credit: http://www.territoriogeek.com/)

Tungle.me: Next Big Thing in Scheduling

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

Although the name seems a bit deceiving, Tungle.me is not an inappropriate website but rather an innovative system for scheduling that aims to increase productivity and take the headache out of scheduling meetings and events both professional and personal.

From what I understood from the tutorial video on the website, Tungle.me can easily sync your existing calendar whether it's Google, Outlook, Lotus Notes, or on your Iphone or Blackberry. The best part is that you determine your times of availability and make those times public to those who want to schedule with you. Your co-workers or friends can then suggest possible times within your availability and Tungle takes care of the rest. Their suggested meeting time is sent to you for approval and you select one that works for you. Tungle updates your calendar and takes away your available time on your calendar and confirms the meeting with the invitee. Others don't need to sign up for Tungle to schedule with you and it also eliminates the possibility of double-booking your precious time. How easy is that?

I can't say that I've used this yet but it does seem like a new innovative way to easily fit in everything in your day. Just another tool to help productivity in the office, I'm sure Neen James

would be proud!

Jing Your Way to Employee Training

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:09:00 +0000

Written By Amanda Walsh

Last week, I watched a video that Gina F. Rubel made to train the Furia Rubel team on backing up files in our time management system. The video displayed Gina's computer screen while she moved her mouse and opened files. Her voice was recorded in the background and she explained how to back up the necessary files while demonstrating on her own PC. I learned where and how to save the files within the system all under 5 minutes.

She used the program Jing to create the training video and I was blown away by what a great training tool it is for educating employees quickly and efficiently. While I watched the video, my colleagues were able to continue working on their projects instead of taking the time to work with me.

Jing allows the user to take a photo of their screen, record onscreen action, and share instantly on the web, IM or email. There is a free option that can be downloaded to your desktop and used right away. To read more visit, Jing.

(Logo credit: Jing)

JD Supra and LinkedIn Launch 'Legal Updates' to Create World's Largest Legal Content Distribution Network

noreply@blogger.com (Gina Rubel) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Congratulations to our friends at JD Supra. Today they announced that LinkedIn, the premiere social networking platform used by more than 70 million professionals, has added JD Supra's Legal Updates (http://bit.ly/c8JRjh) to its exclusive list of (now) sixteen Intelligent Applications (InApps), which also include Reading List by Amazon and Presentation by Google.

Powered by JD Supra content-articles and analysis published by legal professionals around the world-Legal Updates distributes a feed of expert commentary and guidance as well as legal news tailored to the professional interests of LinkedIn members. Currently, Legal Updates is the only application for distribution of professional legal content and information available on LinkedIn. It is free to LinkedIn members and available immediately.

The Legal Updates app will be the subject of an online demonstration led by JD Supra founder Aviva Cuyler, on July 22, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. Ms. Cuyler and co-founder Adrian Lurssen will demonstrate the application's more powerful features, including customized legal feeds on LinkedIn and the ability for users to recommend JD Supra documents to their LinkedIn contacts as well as sync their JD Supra and LinkedIn profiles.

For webinar registration, go to: http://bit.ly/9NOeuL.

The benefits of JD Supra's Legal Updates Application on LinkedIn include:

- JD Supra's Legal Updates application empowers legal professionals to communicate their expertise not only to their own list of LinkedIn contacts but beyond to LinkedIn's entire network of 70 million professionals across a range of fields, including Insurance, Banking, Tech, Real Estate, HR, and more.

-With JD Supra's Legal Updates application, LinkedIn's 70 million members can receive custom-tailored, fully editable content feeds based on their industry and areas of interest. Real estate professionals get updates on real estate law; HR professionals get updates on HR law, etc.

-The JD Supra application provides a compelling reason for lawyers to join LinkedIn, and for those who are already members, a reason to more actively use LinkedIn.

-JD Supra Legal Updates provides the only searchable repository of professional legal analysis and information on LinkedIn.

The features of JD Supra's Legal Updates Application on LinkedIn include:

-Prominence: JD Supra articles are uploaded directly on LinkedIn and delivered straight to members' homepages.

-Custom feeds: With Legal Updates, JD Supra can deliver custom-tailored, fully editable content feeds to any of LinkedIn's nearly 70 million members based on their industry and areas of interest: real estate professions receive real estate articles; HR professionals receive HR articles, etc.

-Managed feeds: Users can subscribe to feeds in over 50 different subject areas and/or subscribe to feeds from individual JD Supra authors.

-Web 2.0 sharing: Legal Updates users can instantly recommend and share JD Supra articles with colleagues on LinkedIn.

-Library building: Users can mark articles as "favorites" and build a library of helpful reference articles over time.

-Information sharing: Legal Updates allows other LinkedIn members to see which articles you have recently read, shared, made favorite, and uploaded.

-Browsing/Searching: Users can perform a text search or browse the full JD Supra library of documents in all subject areas from within LinkedIn.

-Enhanced profiles: JD Supra members can sync their JD Supra and LinkedIn accounts, automatically adding their JD Supra articles to their LinkedIn profiles.

-Connection: JD Supra articles contain one-click access to any author's full portfolio of JD Supra content.

-Network expansion: Each article comes with a button allowing the reader to add the author to his/her network.

For more in-depth user case studies, bios, and training resources, visit http://bit.ly/dtBW1u

In with the Nu Out with the Old Captcha

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:10:00 +0000

Posted by Katie Noonan

Most people have encountered Captchas even if they don't know it. They're the random, distorted letter or number combinations found on many websites. Captchas are commonly used on "contact us" and credit card purchase forms -even E-mail providers like Gmail and social media sites like Facebook ask you to complete one when you enter the wrong password one too many times. They're great for securing information and preventing computer hackers from wreaking havoc on websites.

The basic premise is that if you can effectively type the Captcha you're human. They've been around for the last decade and have become increasingly more complex to stay a step ahead of wily hackers. Pesky, yes, but also necessary.

Now, Leap Technologies has released NuCaptcha. NuCaptcha technology uses streaming video clips in addition to letter combinations and asks Internet users to pick out the letters in red while watching the video clip. According to Leap Technologies, NuCaptchas are more secure than their predecessor.

For now, they make keep hackers at bay, but for long it remains to be seen.

Visit the Nucaptcha site to learn more or check out a demo.

HOW TO: Set a Custom Username for Your Facebook Business Page

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Walsh) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Written by Amanda Walsh

Today’s tip for our readers deals with Facebook pages. If you are looking to create a custom URL for your Facebook page, which you definitely should do for your business’ or organization’s page, you simply need to visit www.facebook.com/username.

Once you’re on that webpage, there is a link that reads, “Set a username for your Pages.” When you click on it, a drop down box appears saying:“Easily direct someone to your Page by setting a username for it. You will not be able to edit or transfer this username once you set it.”

Since page URLs are not able to be edited, make sure you put some thought into the decision. A custom URL is a good way to maintain brand consistency across the various social media platforms that may be a part of your marketing campaign.

For more help with the username setting process, go here.

(Photo credit: http://www.dakno.com)

PA/NJ Firm Curtin & Heefner Adds Three New Attorneys

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Pennsylvania and New Jersey regional full-service law firm and Furia Rubel client, Curtin & Heefner LLP, has added three new lawyers to its roster of skilled practitioners. Theresa M. Golding joins the firm as a member of its Commercial Services Section. Blake S. Griffin and Joseph F. Kampherstein, III have joined as members of the firm’s Litigation Section.

One of Pennsylvania’s oldest law firms, Curtin & Heefner primarily represents institutional and corporate clients throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and beyond. The firm has an extensive practice including Business & Municipal Finance, Estates, Trusts & Tax, Real Estate, Commercial Services, Litigation, Employment & Public Sector, Personal Injury, and Disability Law.

A member of Curtin & Heefner’s Commercial Services Section, Theresa M. Golding concentrates her practice in commercial law, creditors’ rights, bankruptcy and banking law. She is a summa cum laude graduate of LaSalle University and earned her juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was on the staff of the law review, The Tax Lawyer. Prior to joining Curtin & Heefner, Golding practiced with a large Philadelphia law firm, focusing on complex loan and business transactions and public securities matters. Additionally, she has represented clients in diverse matters involving business transactions, estate administration, and domestic relations. Golding is also a published author of four novels and two picture books, and served as the ghostwriter for two recent novels in The Boxcar Children series. She was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1985. She resides in New Hope, PA.

Blake S. Griffin joins Curtin & Heefner’s Litigation Section after working as a legal intern for the Honorable Thomas J. Rueter, Chief Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Griffin focuses his practice on insurance defense litigation, including property damage and bad faith claims. He holds three degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After earning his undergraduate degree from UNC, Griffin received his J.D. and M.A. in Sport Administration from the University in 2009. He was a member of the North Carolina Law Review and received the Bernard Pat Maloy Research Award from the Sport and Recreation Law Association. Griffin was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 2009. He resides in Philadelphia, PA.

Recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® Rising Star, Joseph F. Kampherstein, III is a member of Curtin & Heefner’s Litigation Section. His areas of concentration include insurance defense litigation and defense of product liability, premises liability and commercial matters in federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Kampherstein has been a contributing editor of several reference books regarding Pennsylvania and New Jersey tort and product liability law. As a law student at Temple University School of Law, he served as research editor and staff editor for the Temple Environmental Law and Technology Journal, and clerked for two well-known Pennsylvania judges. Bringing a strong scientific and medical background to his litigation practice, he previously worked as a research scientist in the fields of behavioral neuroscience, pharmacology and immunology. Kampherstein was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 2002 and the New Jersey Bar in 2003. He is also admitted to practice before the district courts for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He resides in Warrington, PA.

Curtin & Heefner is a regional law firm with offices in Morrisville and Doylestown, Pa., and Lawrenceville, N.J. Ranked among the Top 100 Law Firms in Pennsylvania, Curtin & Heefner enjoys an excellent reputation, with many of its award-winning lawyers having served as Deputy District Attorneys for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Assistant District Attorneys in Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties; solicitors of numerous townships and municipalities; presidents of the Bucks County Bar Association; and trustees, directors and board members of significant regional commercial and non-profit institutions. The firm is also the home to the Pennsylvania Abstract Company, a full service Title Insurance Agency. To learn more about Curtin & Heefner, please visit www.curtinheefner.com.

Tips for E-Newsletters

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Written by Laura Powers and Katie Noonan

As we’re putting the finishing touches on the Furia Rubel E-newsletter this month, we want to share a few tips with our readers:

Keep it Short and Sweet. E-newsletters are a fairly quick read for most people. Because they’ll most likely skim long articles, you can make your newsletter stand out by keeping the content as short and concise as possible.

Make a Checklist. Make a checklist that shows your reader a step-by-step process. This will cut down on the length of sentences.

Ask for Feedback. Ask for feedback about your newsletter. Readers may ask you to add more to one area and delete from another. They may also offer tips on the content and its relevance. All of this feedback will help to improve your newsletter and prevent people from deleting it without reading or unsubscribing.

Do Your Homework. Subscribe to other e-newsletters for ideas. Set up another e-mail address and subscribe to various newsletters. This is a great way to objectively view newsletter content to see what works and what doesn’t.

Be creative. Add color, add your logo, add a few small photos, brand your newsletter. Do something creative to make your newsletter pleasing to the eye. People will be a lot more inclined to read it all the way through.

Include a takeaway. E-Newletters should include company news- not be consumed by it. While you want to share exciting news about the company with your readers, it’s nice to include something for them as well. If your company specializes in finance or investments, include a helpful tip on managing 401Ks.

Organic SEO - Web Tips

KatieNoonan@gmail.com (Katie Noonan) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Our in-house SEO expert Laura Powers shares with readers the top three rules for creating successful websites:

Easy-to-use navigation
Regular updates
Search engine optimization (SEO)

Navigation
No one wants to have to dig for information on your website. Make sure you have a site map that makes sense and points to the right categories. If you have a larger site, design a site map so that users can access pages more easily.

Content
Keep your pages fresh with new content. You will increase your website traffic and your site will show up with higher ranking on search engines like Google. Here are some examples of ways to add new content to your site:

Press releases
Blog entries
Articles
E-newsletter blasts
Online shopping products

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engines like Yahoo, Google and MSN work like directories for the Internet. They crawl pages for relevant content according to the “key words” users input to find information. To make sure you show up on the pages, you need to look at a few things:

Organic options

Keywords & Metatags: Make sure your website html has keywords and metatags relating to users’ potential searches
Online Directories: Make sure you are listed in all free online directories like Google
Blogs: If the content is updated regularly you will rank higher in search engines
Press Releases: Similar to a blog, this will also keep you ranked higher in search engines

Paid options

Google Adsense: Allows companies to purchase ads that appear on certain section of Web page when keywords are used
Pay-per-click: Targets consumers in same industry as yours with ads on all sorts of high-traffic Web sites