Letter from the Editor

Janus: Roman God of New Beginnings and Transitions

December is a month when I reflect on the things I accomplished over this year and begin planning a list of things I would like to accomplish the next. As far as my professional life goes, this coming year, I plan on launching a new service I have been working on since the summer. It’s a web-based service with which I can further support corporate and social media training and epublishing clients and participants before and after the workshop or project completion.

By the end of the year, all resource materials from the eleven of the workshops offered in 2012 will be available online before and after the workshop.

In the blog publishing module, in addition to finding useful templates, checklists and step-by-step guides, users will find a series of professionally-produced tutorial videos that will teach them how to use WordPress in about an hour! And, in the website publishing module, users will find a series of professionally-produced tutorial videos that will teach them how to use Joomla! in just under three hours. The ability for clients or workshop participants to review these videos on their own computers at their own convenience will reduce their costs, improve their experience and enhance their skills.

In the media training section, workshop participant will find a series of five 20 minute videos that thoroughly cover such things as what to say to the media, how to develop key messages and quotable quotes, how to answer reporter’s questions, how to prepare for television interviews and how to deal with the media in a crisis. Making it possible for media training participants to view these videos in advance of the workshop will better prepare them for their on-camera practice sessions that form the basis of the media training workshop. And, they get to watch the media training videos in the comfort of their own office at their convenience before and, anytime they want or need a quick review, after the workshop.

In 2012, all but two of the regularly scheduled monthly workshops run for half days, on the third Wednesday of every month, from 1 to 4pm. The two workshops that still run over full days are foundational workshops: Magnetic Media Plans (more focused on attracting the attention of corporate media e.g. newspapers, magazines, radio and television) and Strategic Social Media Plans (more focused on the strategic use of social media e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + and the like).

The two workshops are essentially full day planning workshops that require more time, thought and a calendar. Participants registered in either of these two workshops can access the resources and workbooks as soon as they complete their registration.  That way, they can come to the workshop prepared to complete their media publicity or social media plan by the end of the workshop.

What do I say when I am asked what is the one piece of advice in ensuring a successful media campaign or social media experience? Start by creating a written media publicity or social media campaign plan: the larger the organization, the more people involved, the more detailed the plan. The more people involved the greater the possibilities of success. Trying to attract the attention of the media or browsers, bloggers and social media networks without a SMART plan is harder work and often not successful. It would be like starting to build a house with a hammer instead of a blueprint.

As for the other part of my business — subscriptions to the Alberta Media Directory and media release writing and distribution services — by the end of the year, the online Alberta media directory will be completely updated for 2012 and ready to be of service to nonprofit organizations in Alberta.

Videos of the listings in the Alberta Media Directory at the beginning of 2011:

Daily Newspapers in Alberta

Weekly and Monthly Newspapers in Alberta

Magazines in Alberta

Radio Stations in Alberta

Television Stations in Alberta

If you’ve been reading mediamag ezine for a while, you might wonder why you didn’t receive our November issue.

Just before I was about to start working on the November issue, I was asked to provide a media training session to the executive director of the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities (SACSC) and her new communications director. They were preparing to promote National Bullying Awareness Week upcoming November 13 – 19, 2011. The ED wanted to be prepared for the interviews she had been asked to give during this week and the presentation she was to make at their annual fundraising breakfast. She also wanted me to help her communications director learn to represent the organization to the media and in other public relations activities.

Here’s one of the interviews that I helped them prepare for during National Bullying Awareness Week:

Soon after the media training session SACSC hired me to build a simple website for the event.

www.standuptobullyingnow.ca

and to create a video PSA to present at the fundraising breakfast.

I had one week to complete both pieces. The November issue of mediamag ezine ended up on the back burner until it was too late to publish. I continued to post articles to mediamag.ca/blog thereafter but couldn’t again find the time to put together the November issue.

I hope you’ll find the December issue of mediamag ezine makes up for it.