Sheila's Guide To The Good Stuff

A good pitch is timely, short, punchy and answers the question WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) for the recipient.

If this sounds familiar, it should. A good pitch to bloggers is very much like a good pitch to any media person.

At BlogWorld and New Media Expo West in Los Angeles, I talked to Jared Degnan from Brandware Public Relations about pitching bloggers….the video is about a minute long, and here’s the direct link to it on YouTube in case you can’t see the embed box below.

Did I get it right, or was I too simplistic?  Leave a reply down in the comments….thanks!

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Third in a blog post series for the get-revved-up week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Many people avidly read every one of marketer Seth Godin’s blog posts.

I think it’s mostly because they’re well-written and helpful, but part of the reason is that his posts are often quite short.

As in, a few sentences.

Most of them do not include a photo or video; they’re just plain ol’ text.

But….his readers know that he’ll be pithy, get to the point and not take up too much of their time.

(I won’t go into the fact that he does not allow comments on his posts, which is not how I prefer to blog.  He has his reasons, and it’s his blog, after all.)

Rev-up recommendation for you:

**  Go short more often in 2012.

—->>  Just a few interesting sentences can be a blog post for you, too. Try it one day in the first week of January 2012.

—->>  Make every other Facebook Page update a one-sentence declaration or question for a few days.

—->>  Twitter is MADE for pithy thoughts. In the early days of the service, we called an exactly 140 character tweet a “twoosh.”

—->>  Make your email newsletter unexpectedly short one month (and say that it is short, in your Subject line.) See what happens with the open/click rate. Does it improve?

—->>  Challenge yourself to shoot a 30-45 second video, or a fun Google Search Story or a short Animoto video out of photos you already have.

Can you think of any other ways to “go short?”

For more ideas on effective content creation, see Lesson Two of our Tourism Currents online course, Building a Home Base. It includes a video of our own blogging lessons learned.

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Thank you, Mom.

Both my mother (a long-time journalist) and I are members of the AWC (Association for Women in Communications.)

This year, Mom noticed that there was a new category, Personal Blogs, in the Online Media section of AWC’s annual Clarion communications awards.

She encouraged me to enter this blog in competition for a Clarion.

Like a good Mom, she then followed up just before the deadline to ensure I’d entered. I’d totally forgotten, of course, and had to race off to the post office to mail in my paperwork.

So, it was pretty cool to attend the 2011 AWC National Conference in Tulsa with Mom last month, have her in the room when I spoke with Maria Henneberry about more effective webinars, and then turn around and win the Clarion for Sheila’s Guide.

Thank you to all of my readers for your support since I launched the blog in September 2008, and thanks, Mom, for always encouraging me to excel.

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Thought for the day….

As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with the nasty WordPress Pharma hack here on Sheila’s Guide (don’t worry, it’s safe for your computer or mobile device to be here; the hack only messes with this blog’s search engine results.)

After running after it for weeks and weeks, I’ve called in some more help, but this is not keeping me up at night. At all. I mean, I DO care and it IS embarrassing to have pharmaceutical results come up as the title of my Speaker page, but I’m not frantic.

Why?

Because my analytics data shows me the multiple ways that people find my content other than search engines.

There are lots from people coming to the homepage URL directly, through referral links, Twitter traffic is big for me, occasionally StumbleUpon (especially Stumbles on the recent press trip “exclusive” guest post,) there’s Facebook of course, LinkedIn spikes sometimes, the blog URL is in my email signature/on my business cards/in every online profile I fill out, and then there are my loyal RSS and email subscribers.

This blog doesn’t have a huge subscriber list, but the important thing is that they care enough to have my posts come to their email IN box, which for most people is a busy, crowded place with a lot of things demanding attention. It is nice to be welcomed there, so yesterday I went over and took a look at my email and RSS subscriber data in Feedburner, just to gaze delightedly at the names of the people who support me like that.

I even sent a quick follow-up personal note to several who were listed as “Unverified” – they’d signed up to get my posts, but never completed the final confirmation of their email subscription. Sure, it was only a few people, but every single one of them means something to me and I want to retain them as readers.

Their interest has staying power in a way that random drop-ins from search engines does not.

Until the hacking mess, I’d never truly appreciated in my gut how important it is to vary the means by which people find your content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important, of course, but the Google basket is not the only place for your eggs.

How many different ways do people find your content?

Have you thought about how you can best nurture and grow those channels?

Please leave a reply in the comments below – and thank you!

*** Credit for post title goes to the old Timex watch ad – “Takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”

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Some of you may have noticed lately that while search engines can find my posts, the titles for some of them are for those famous pharmaceuticals like Viagra and company.

Yes, although I keep everything updated security-wise, I was hit by the WordPress Pharma Hack.

It won’t hurt your computer if you come here, but it sure messes up my SEO (Search Engine Optimization.)  I don’t live and die for SEO, but it would be great if people could find my content when they’re searching for information on things that I’ve written about.

There are a number of things that must be done to fix the Pharma Hack, but it is really difficult to completely kill AND prevent re-infection.

Meantime, it’s safe to be here, but if you see weird search results for this blog, you’ll know why.

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Welcome to the Carnival of Cities blog carnival, where we tour the world in a single post, via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one, single city (or fair-sized town.)

The previous edition was hosted on Edutech Musings (my husband Chris’ teacher blog – thanks, Sweetie!) and the September 7 edition will be over on La Vie Francaise.

If you would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog, please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Europe

Loudun, France   Jason tells the odd story of 1634: Urbain Grandier, for the Loudon possessions posted at Executed Today.

Cities in the Americas

Columbus, Ohio, USA   Joe Vargo saves your morning with the Top Three Coffee Shops in Columbus at The Columbus Experience, saying, “Columbus Breakfast Blogger Nick Dekker saves visitors from hotel-lobby coffee with his top three picks for a cup of joe in the city.”

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada   Sleep tight! Julie Ovenell-Carter presents Vancouver Hotels: Rosewood Hotel Georgia posted at WhyGo Canada, saying, “Classy is cool again and in the world of Canadian hospitality, no one does it better that the recently revamped Rosewood Hotel Georgia–home of Vancouver’s newest “it” restaurant, Hawksworth.”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA   jeri has cool photos of A wooden street in Philadelphia on touristmodern.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA   Trey presents art plus biology in Alex Grey Redefines Human Anatomy in Atlanta posted at Always ATL.

Portland, Oregon, USA   Kara Williams speeds up your travel with Willamette Jetboat Tours in Portland, Oregon posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “We love this guest post from Jessica Spiegel about exciting jet boat rides in Portland, Oregon!”

Destin, Florida, USA   Heather Thomas wrote a guest post - Destin Florida One of top 25 destinations according to tripadvisor for Freelance Tourist: Travel Tips.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Be careful out there. Katie Sorene wrote Rio Travelers BEWARE these 6 Common Dangers for the Tripbase blog, saying, “Safety tips for travelers to Rio de Janeiro. Heed this important advice to avoid being robbed, arrested or scammed in Rio.”

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA   Estella Gold makes you drool about Commander’s Palace; tuck in a napkin for …. In Which I Ride A Streetcar Named Delicious posted at One For The Road.

Lake Placid, New York, USA   Zhu finds Olympic glory in Lake Placid, NY State posted at Correr Es Mi Destino, saying, “We crossed the border at Prescott/Ogdensburg, stopped to have a look at the car show and kept driving West, on small scenic roads. Most sported yellow Amish buggy signs, warning motorists they could get stuck behind these vehicles for a while. I wouldn’t have minded, the road was very nice, bordered by corn fields and farms.”

Stevensville, Montana, USA   Tractor parades and other delights! Donna Hull writes about Traveling Slow in Small Town America on her Boomer travel blog My Itchy Travel Feet, saying, “The 99th Annual Creamery Picnic Parade in Stevensville, Montana introduces visitors to small town America. Tractors, horse groups, fire brigades, muscle cars – you can’t beat it.”

New York, New York, USA   Why a live, experienced guide like Stan O’Connor can save a tour despite insane traffic – Off-season and Off-route, or, “Tours Shouldn’t Be Given by CD-ROMs.” posted at The Green Guide’s Tour, saying, “The post highlights a long detour through Manhattan and the impromptu point-to-point touring that was necessitated by the detour.”

Paris, Texas, USA  A getaway without the jet lag!  Tui Cameron takes a Weekend Road Trip to Paris, Texas posted at Mental Mosaic, saying, “Paris is one of those rare American towns which resists looking like “Anytown, USA” by actively cultivating its charms. Plus, you’ve gotta love the Eiffel Tower replica, the Jesus in Cowboy Boots, and the beautiful marble fountain in the town square.”

Canton, Ohio, USA   The 25th US President gets his due, as Dominique King presents Discover something for everyone at the William McKinley Museum in Canton, Ohio posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Dinosaurs? Star gazing? A vintage village? The William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum in Canton, Ohio, has so much more beyond presidential papers.”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Decisions, decisions….

Budgets are tight these days (Washington State’s tourism organization was completely disbanded this month) and yet there is a wealth of great content ready to be absorbed and connections to be made during the fall conference season.

How to decide who from the office goes where and how much money to spend? This is especially important for social media and tech events, because the ground is shifting rapidly and you don’t want to learn the wrong thing from knuckleheads.

I offered some thoughts and ideas in a guest post on the BlogWorld blog, “RoundUp of Fall Tourism Tech Conferences,” and it’s a tribute to the BlogWorld organization that they weren’t at all balky about letting me talk up competing conferences on their website. They’re a class act; they know that there is plenty of opportunity to go around in the not-so-new landscape of “new media,” social communication and technology.

Here is my advice in a nutshell….and please keep in mind that I’m a track leader at BlogWorld and speaking at both SoMeT and eTourism Summit, so I want all of them to succeed….

When is BlogWorld best?

If you want maximum opportunity to connect with a wide variety of bloggers and other online publishers, plus attend focused educational panels and hear industry speakers on social media for tourism and hospitality, then the Tourism track at BlogWorld and New Media Expo West in Los Angeles, CA November 3-5, 2011 is your best bet.

—-> Who should go? BlogWorld is perfect for your staff networking/schmoozing fiend who is also getting really good at social media (or who wants to get to that level.)

Don’t forget – super early bird discount pricing (50% off) ends on Thursday, July 21, 2011 - and you can use code TC20 to knock 20% off of any pass right up until the conference closes online registration in November.

Go here to read up on the Tourism track and register.

When is SoMeT best?

If you want to mix it up with tech- and social media-savvy tourism peers at a small conference of the very geekiest CVBs, DMOs and Tourist Boards, then the Symposium on Social Media in Tourism (SoMeT) in Tunica, MS November 9-12, 2011 would work for you.

This is where your communications person goes who is WAY ahead of the rest of the office, and who needs to stay at his or her “A” game for the benefit of your destination.

—-> Who should go?  SoMeT is great for your geekiest staffer who was on Foursquare and slinging QR codes months before anyone else.

When is eTourism Summit best?

If you’re looking for high-level discussions of travel and tourism technology as a whole, consider the eTourism Summit in San Francisco, CA September 29-30, 2011.

Lots of strategy and integration discussions, with a bit more of an international flavor than the others, looking at technology beyond social media.

—->  Who should go? eTourism Summit is a good idea for your Director who is trying to keep that 30,000 foot, integrated marketing view amongst insanely rapid tech and social media changes.

I know that a lot of conferences and events compete for attention and dollars, so I hope this helps your decision-making process.

Any other suggestions? Fire away down in the comments!

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This is a photo of my lap during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Global Tech Summit.

Quick photos and some tweets went up on my Android smartphone, plus special check-ins to each session on Gowalla.

Other tweets and watching the conference hashtag happened on the TweetDeck dashboard on my Dell laptop. Most Facebook business page updates for Tourism Currents or Freelance Austin came from the laptop as well.

Great quotes and insights from speakers were often captured via pen and notebook (yes, it’s true, but they always boot up) to become Facebook or LinkedIn status updates or blog posts days, weeks or months later.

Online publishing is best served by whichever tools work for you, and don’t be surprised when one size does not fit all.

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And now there are four….

In addition to the speakers that I announced in my first post about the BlogWorld and New Media Expo West 2011 Tourism track – the Abilene (TX) CVB and Authentic Seacoast Resorts in Nova Scotia – I’m now very excited to confirm that Caroline Bean from Visit Philadelphia and Brian Matson from Fargo (ND) – Moorhead (MN) CVB will be joining Tourism Currents at this year’s BlogWorld conference in Los Angeles, November 3-5.

I’ve known Caroline for years in my travel blogging hat, and met Brian for the first time in person at last year’s Symposium on Social Media in Tourism (SoMeT.)

Track topics and details coming soon, on this BlogWorld and tourism info page….

Nowhere else can you get social media education specific to tourism and hospitality PLUS the opportunity to connect with 8000+ bloggers and podcasters (we’re planning a blogger/CVB speed dating session, too.)

See you there!

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Welcome to the Carnival of Cities blog carnival, where we tour the world in a single post, via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one, single city (or fair-sized town.)

The previous edition was here on Sheila’s Guide and the next edition will be hosted on the Perceptive Travel blog on Wednesday, February 23.

Any posts from blogs by tourism organizations (CVB, DMO, Tourist Board,) hospitality or economic development organizations are particularly welcome, as long as they’re about something in one city or town!

If yo would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (March 9 and March 23 are still open, and I could certainly use the help because March is crazy for me) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Nicole presents Experiencing Egypt at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis posted at Arrows Sent Forth, saying, “The ‘Take Me There: Egypt’ exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis allows kids to experience life in an Egyptian village through hands-on play.”

Nashville, Tennessee, USA Alethea Hutchison presents Viva Nashvegas! posted at I’m Domestic…not Dead!, saying, “The way Nashville views celebrity.”

New York, New York, USA Madeleine Begun Kane presents Snow Job (A Limerick Duet) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

(A CVB blog – Yay!)—> Spokane, Washington, USA Teresa Ide presents My New Neighborhood Bar posted at Spokane Insiders’ Blog.

Seattle, Washington, USA Byteful Travel presents The Radical Act of Kindness that Floored Me when I visited a Seattle Farmer’s Market posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “What would you do if someone you’d never met walked up to you and gave you a gift, completely unexpectedly? I had to face this amazing reality one sunny day after I’d just stumbled into the Queen Anne farmer’s market (where I discovered an amazing new fruit, a ‘pluot’). And the entire experience reinforced in me how magical travel can truly be.”

Orlando, Florida, USA Jennifer Miner presents Spring Break Vacation in Orlando – 5 Tips to Save Time posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “Spring break in Orlando’s big theme parks can be frustrating, what with all the crowds and long lines. Here are 5 tips to help save time at Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando.”

Ojai, California, USA Andy Hayes presents California’s Secret Sunshine Valley: Ojai posted at Sharing Travel Experiences, saying, “Want to know the secrets of the Ojai Valley?”

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA Apryl Chapman Thomas presents Spotting Winter Wildlife (and Possibly Whales) in Virginia Beach, Virginia posted at Southern Hospitality Magazine Traveler.

Kualoa, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Jennifer presents Kualoa Ranch – Oahu, Hawaii posted at Two Kids and a Map.

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Sarah V. presents Beignets! posted at Wandering Off.

(more…)