ZKQ Blog

Anyone with a Cell Phone can Tweet

Peter Shankman, founder of HARO, noted on his Facebook page that in a room filled 100 journalists at the New York Press Club, where was scheduled to speak, only four were live-tweeting (using Twitter) the event. He asked his more than 13,000 followers, "If journalists are so worried about re-inventing themselves as their media outlets die, wouldn't you think they'd ALL be live-tweeting as a way to improve and grow their personal brand?"

Forty-eight people posted comments including one journalist who stated "Professional journalists can't always afford blackberries."

Not a problem when it comes to tweeting. As Peter point out, "any cell phone can tweet."

It just so happens that the day prior to Peter's Facebook post, I was following Cara Ellen Modisett, editor of Blue Ridge Country Magazine, while she tweeted live during the Fall 2009 Conference of the Virginia Press Women where author Lucinda Roy was awarded the Newsmaker of the Year award for her book about the Virginia Tech shootings, "No Right to Remain Silent.

Cara's 20 Twitter posts covered the beginning and end of Lucinda's talk:

BRCeditor: #vpw standing ovation for Lucinda Roy. Q&A. Q How difficult was it emotionally to be ignored when she was voicing concern?

BRCeditor: #vpw "When it is murder... it is a different kind of grief" - barbed (Lucinda Roy)

Whether the intent is to build your personal brand or to report, the power of the press and media increases when social medial communication tools are used to share the story.

Anyone with a cell phone can tweet. Click for step-by-step instructions from e-How.

Contact, Contact, Contact: the Rule of Three in Web Design

Mom used to say "Good things always come in threes." We all know three. It's rhythm is familiar, comfortable:  Goldilocks and the Three Bears, three-act plays, Eat three meals a day, 1-2-3 Go!... From trinities to trilogies, we openly embrace the role the number three plays in our lives.

When it comes to web design, though, many designers overlook the power of three, opting instead to go with linking or promoting what's important once, maybe twice. By "important," I'm not referring to the main blog post or necessarily the content of a site, but the extremely important "call to action" messages. These messages tell your visitors what you want them to do when they get to your site.

During a #blogchat session this past summer, Amy Africa, founder of Eight by Eight, a web marketing consultancy, encouraged following the rule of three: "Where your “call to action” message lives on your site or blog is critical and needs to live in at least three places, so you can make the call multiple times."

She admits that in her blog, Amy Africa's Qlog, she went to extremes to show how many ways you can incorporate calls to action into your design. Ask Amy a Question," free newsletter sign-up, subscribe, free tips, and even the good, old-fashioned "contact" button are all designed to drive traffic to the next level of engagement.

Following Amy's blogchat session, Debra Ellis, founder of Wilson & Ellis Consulting, an integrated marketing solutions firm, added action and navigation buttons directing visitors to the Customer Retention Check-up form to get a quote and learn more about her company's the direct marketing services.

"There were many take-aways from Amy's session" says Ellis. "Adding more ways for customers to interact is a terrific idea. It's probably the easiest change you can make to a web site to drive results."

And, it can be as simple as 1 - 2- 3.

 

Easy Forms with Google Docs

After researching and writing yesterday's post about how public school system is using Google Forms to help track flu symptoms, I wondered how easy, or difficult, it is to set up an online form using Google Docs. I decided to find out for myself and, in about two minutes, I had created a form, sent it out via email, and had the code to link to it from a web page. Not only that, the data collected was populated to a spreadsheet that I could view instantly from my Google Docs page. Very impressive. The ease of use was amazing.

The steps to create this form were simply:

1. Go to Google Docs
   You will need to set up an account if you do not already use Gmail or have a Google account.
2. From the Google Docs menu bar, click New then Form
   Select your form type and add questions, save and your form is ready to use.
3. Using the form designer menu bar, you can change the theme (look) of the form, distribute it via email, view responses as either a summary or spreadsheet or embed the form.

Data In (try out  my form, it's OK to make up data)  Kelly's Google Docs Test Form

Data Out   (spreadsheet) 

Google Forms is a very easy way to create a registration form or survey. To see how it's done, watch the video below:

Now, that I've done this, of course I want more, as in more control over the presentation of the form. The folks from Morning Copy in Australia have done a fine job of detailing how to give your Google Form the style it needs to fit the design or layout of your web site. Click How to style Google forms to learn more.

If you've designed some good looking forms and want to share, please include a link in the comment section below.

Update 9:43 a.m.: This post uses the term "form" and the example above is a blog registration form. A survey is nothing more than a form that displays answers in the form of options (multiple choice, checkboxes, etc.). Google Docs provides the tools to add these answer formats (and others) to a form. Just click on the Question Type pull-down menu to see all of the options. Also, the video below describes how to set up a survey form.

A Focus on the Flu Picture using Google Sites in Public Schools

Sheila Beck's enthusiasm for Google Apps for Education is contagious—in a good way—and it has spread to Virginia's Mecklenburg County Public Schools (MCPS) nursing division where school nurses are now able to track flu symptoms and H1N1 incidences for nine (K-12) public schools using a custom-designed Google Site.

According to Beck, Google Applications Specialist for MCPS, the School Nurse Visit Site includes a microsite for each one of the nine schools, along with a unique login for each school nurse. The information is shared only among the individual nurse and the nurse supervisor, Ann Switzer. 

Using Google Forms, information is collected about each child's visit to a school nurse. “The nurses select a description that fits the reason for a student's visit,” says Switzer, “and one of them is the 'flu picture' of aches, temperature and respiratory symptoms. We will know how many students this fit on a given day for each school. Numbers will not reflect official diagnosis, but they will still be useful in tracking trends."

Beck reports that when you create a Google Form, using Google Docs, it automatically creates a Google spreadsheet and collects the data for analysis. “Thanks to this feature, the Nurse and the Supervisor can review the data in chart format from the site. This way they can get an up-to-date view of all visits immediately.”

In addition to tracking evaluations, nurses can also access the nurses' manual on the School Nurse Resource site where they can choose to subscribe to receive email messages anytime something new is added or changed.

Sheila Beck has been instrumental in helping administrators, teachers, and students learn to use and implement Google Apps for Education in the Mecklenburg County school system. I had the privilege of covering some of these accomplishments an article written in March 2006 for the Blue Ridge Business Journal: Schoogle: 21st century teaching and learning in Mecklenburg County.

For more information, please contact:

Sheila Beck
Google Applications Specialist
MCPS
sbeck@meckweb.org
Phone 434-210-1461
www.vaopenclassroom.org

Ikea Heights Sparks Childhood Memories

Last Friday, when Matt Singley tweeted about the Ikea Heights web video series on Vimeo, I just had to click and, immediately, I was hooked. It wasn't the acting or the storyline that drew me in, it was the idea of living in a furniture store. I used to have that fantasy and, for a some portion of my childhood, it was a reality.

When I was a young child, my mother was a saleswoman for a home furnishings store. She used to bring me to work with her and let me play in the store. There were rows and rows and cushy sofas and chairs, stools that swiveled, and beds to lay on. It was a furniture fantasy land, and, just like the folks in Ikea Heights, I acted out various scenes based on the furnishings that surrounded me, the only exception was that I had to play every character or imagine them (and, of course, there was no camera crew). Still, it was a blast.

Today, when I watch Ikea Heights, I'm looking beyond the faces of the actors. I identify with the furniture settings, how the actors have used what Ikea provided in their displays as props for their story. I look at the shoppers trying not to notice anything unusual going on around them. I remember trying to be cool and nonchalant as if it was perfectly normal for a five year-old to be sitting at a desk pretending to write or sitting at a dining room table in the middle of a furniture store waiting for the dinner party to begin. 

So, hats off to Dave Seger and Paul Bartunek and the rest of the Ikea Heights cast! Thanks for the fun and for the memories.

IKEA Heights from DaveAOK on Vimeo.

Selling Lesson Number Three: Learn by the script, but don't live by it

Once upon a time, I was hired to be a sales professional. During my first week of training, my boss gave me a script to guide me through the process of what to say when making cold calls and when hosting online demonstrations of our services. Being new and not wanting to making any mistakes, I was thrilled to have a script to guide me.

By the end of the first two weeks, I had grown very comfortable using the script and felt ready to face cold calling and hosting demos all by myself. Following the script made sense. My demos had a beginning, a middle and an end. I remember thinking “this sales thing seems easy.” 

Then, the unexpected happened. While giving a web-based demo and delivering my pitch via speakerphone to a team of top managers from a company considered to be a very hot prospect, the executive director —the key decision maker—asked to see a feature of our software that, according to the script, I was not to cover until near the end of the presentation.

I literally froze in my seat as the realization hit me: He had asked me to stray from the script. My script was the GPS that led me to closing a deal. How would I get there without it? Did I even know how to  navigate to that portion of the demo without getting totally lost?

The next few moments passed slowly. I was afraid to stray from the established path. In my mind, the workflow had to be this way or no way (certainly for demonstration purposes—after all, that's how I was trained!). I fumbled along as my confidence level lost speed.

I promised the director I'd get to that portion of the demo soon. Again, he urged me to change course. I realized right then I had to do what he wanted or I would lose any chance of making the sale.

Taking a breath, I gripped the mouse and clicked. I veered off-course, navigating a new route to our  destination. We arrived safely, exactly where he wanted to be. He was happy and asked me to send him a contract. A week later, the sale was a done deal and his company became one our top performing clients.

Years later, when I shared that story with my colleagues, I discovered they had all “been there, done that.” I had no idea. I was sure I was the only one who had become lost on the way to a sale. A sales script is a terrific way to set the course for success in selling, but know that, at some point, you will have to change direction and navigate your way on your own.

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Earlier posts in the Lessons on Selling Series: Selling Lesson Number One: Knock on Doors, Selling Lesson Number Two: There are no Dudes.

HARO Helper for Gmail Users: How to use labels and filters

If you've ever posted a reporter's query on Peter Shankman's site HARO (helpareporter.com), then you know that you are likely to be inundated with responses. If you use Gmail, applying labels and filters can make the process of managing the influx of response email easier. Here's what to do:

Post your Query to HARO

From the Journalist page on HARO, provide instructions about what you expect to see in the subject line of the email responses to your query. For example, I included this statement at the end of my entry in HARO's query field: "Please include 'HARO Campus Tours' in the subject line of your response."

Label and Filter Responses in Gmail

When the first response arrived in my Gmail inbox, I used it to set up the labels and filters needed to keep track of all of the related incoming email.

Create the Label

1. Open the email query response note (the subject of the email should include the statement you requested in the HARO query).
2. Click on Labels from the menu.
3. Choose Create New Label and a box will open asking you for the label name.
4. Enter the name of your new label (ex: HARO Campus Tours). Click OK.

Setting up the Filter

1. With that same email note open, click on More actions from the top menu bar.
2. Then choose Filter messages like these.
3. Delete the contents of the "From:" field as this information will vary by responder.
4. Instead, use the subject field as your filter qualifier. Enter the instructional text you included in the query (ex: HARO Campus Tours).
5. Clilck Test Search to make sure your filter is correct. The list of email messages displayed will show you what gets filtered. If this is correct, click Next Step. If it's not correct, then change the parameters of your filter and test again.
6. Click the checkbox next to Apply the label.
7. Then go to the pull-down menu on that same line and select the name of your label.
8. To apply your filter to existing messages, check the box: Also apply filter to # conversations below. Then, click Create Filter to apply your settings. 

I like to create the label and filter as soon as I get my first HARO response, however, you can do this at any time to filter incoming and existing email. If you get responses to your HARO query and the source did not use your recommended text in the email subject line, you can still apply the label to their note by simply pulling down the Label menu and clicking the appropriate label name.

Using the Labels

Once you've established your labels and filters, a list of labels will appear in the left sidebar. Clicking on a label will open that list of filtered email messages. You can color-code your labels, as well as rename, hide or delete by clicking in the box to the left of the label name.

If you receive a response from a source who did not use the HARO subject line, you can still add the label to that email message by opening the note and selecting Labels from the menu bar. Make the appropriate selection from the list of labels. You should see the name of the label displayed next to the subject of the note when you return to your inbox.

If you use HARO often, I recommend setting up a separate label for each query. This will make it easier for you to follow up with your sources.

The Spreadsheet as a Web Design Tool

I do not think in pictures. I think in words. I am content-driven with an occasional dash of insight as to what makes one image work better than another. I see web sites as tables with cells that need to be filled with appropriate content.

I have managed many web design projects in my time and been part of a design team that consisted of instructional designers, graphic artists, writers, and programmers. I'm on my own today, flying solo as a start-up entrepreneur and ready to play the role of an entire design team all by myself for myself. Armed with an idea and a spreadsheet, I am designing a web site for a new business.

I struggled with deciding what to use as a design tool. I looked at web templates, various design tools, and graphic packages, then came the Eureka! moment: I remembered the Spreadsheet. Ah, relief! I'm in my element now.

My relationships with spreadsheets has always been personal. I was weaned on SuperCalc in the 80's, lived with Lotus 1-2-3, and embraced Excel. Today, I'm giddy over Google, and awed by Open Office Calc.

The immense power of this software excites me. Over time, I learned to create lists, tables, invoices, order forms, data relationships, and linked sheets -- everything from a simple grocery list (laid out in columns to match the physical layout of the grocery store) to a complex time-clock system for library staff.

Today, my excitement lies in being able to easily create the web site layout, define the menu items, replicate the design to sub-pages (sheets), and keep track of the content items needed for each page. Eventually, I'll need a graphic artist and ultimately a programmer, but for now, my friend, the  spreadsheet, is helping this start-up get started.