Be Aware of Toy Recalls this Holiday Season - It May Save a Loved Ones Life

With the holidays literally upon us, finding that perfect gift for loved ones is an absolute must. But make sure you are getting your family and friends safe holiday gifts this season.

Stephanie Farr of the Philadelphia Daily News paints a perfect picture of why all holiday shoppers need to be aware of recalls of all sorts. The article titled Near-Fatal Attraction tells the story of young, Drexel Hill boy Benjamin Palmer (represented by attorneys at the Feldman Shepherd firm) who swallowed a piece of a Magnetix set and how the recalled toy almost cost the 2-year-old his life. The two swallowed magnets ripped through the boy’s colon and caused a massive septic infection in little Benjamin’s body.

This toy was at one time one of the top selling children’s toys and not all are aware of its harmful effects or its recall last year. According to Philadelphia Daily News article, “In March 2006, unbeknown to Palmer’s mother, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled the toy. Tiny magnets inside the plastic pieces were falling out and being swallowed by young children, which led to horrific consequences. ‘To date, there has been one death, one incident of a child inhaling the magnets through the nose and 27 intestinal injuries reported in connection with the toy,’ said Scott Wolfson, CPSC spokesman.”

With nieces, nephews, cousins and family to buy for this holiday season, I will most definitely be referencing The Consumer Product Safety Commission site before making any quick purchases.

See Philadelphia Daily News reporter Stephanie Farr’s, “Feds urge signing up for e-mail toy alerts” article for more details on toy recalls, The Consumer Product Safety Commission and safe practices handling recalls.

Gmail: According to Steve Rubel

Long gone were the days of missed appointments, forgotten birthdays and no time to read the morning paper.

Steve Rubel’s blog, Micro Persuasion had crafted a unique way to utilize Gmail into your personal social networking hub.

Keep updated with your life and your friends’ lives with the ability to post to social nets, keep a “lifebase” and prioritize your everyday needs.

Check it out at Micro Persuasion.

Google Ranking Factors and The Organic PR Approach

Google Ranking Factors and The Organic Public Relations Approach

The average business person doesn't usually look at their "Google Ranking" as way to track their online success. In the Online Marketing Blog, Lee Odden tells us that there's a new study and he provides a concise lists of what’s important to rank well in the search engines. This is a must read.

What most marketers won't tell you is that you can also achieve positive search engine optimization without spending a ton of money. This is done through solid organic public relations efforts that take SEO practices into account. So, make sure you follow Lee Odden's advice when you post news on your website, when you add photos to your flickr account, when you add a slide show to your slide account and so on.

Searching for Your Web Mentions

As a PR firm, we're issuing news on a daily basis on behalf of our clients and since we're in the age of social and new media, it's very important to track you online coverage. Although there are many services that will do this for you and you should ALWAYS subscribe to Google Alerts, you also need to know that not every search engine has all the same information. So if you want to see where your story has been picked up, you need to search by your keywords in a myriad of search engines.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, I used the links in this article by Danny Sullivan which is posted on searchenginewatch.com. The article also has some great tips about how you can optimize your website.

Happy searching . . . .

SEO - Search Engine Optimization Measurement

There are so many ways to get your website noticed, yet SEO is an evolving science that calls for a strong knowledge of the marketplace. Today, I read several articles on SEO and how to measure your Web presence.

First, start with SEOMOZ.org. Click on the link in the green box that says "click here" then type in the URL that you want to search. How does your firm rank and do you know what that means?

Then, go to DMOZ.org and see if your site is listed. If not, find the right category and get your firm in there. Believe me, it helps. Every bit does.

You can also check out Spyfu.com. Enter your domain and get an idea of your overall visibility. Check out Alexa.com and find out more information. Then go to zippy.co.uk and get even more information.

One way to get your site notices is to serve as a contributor to Wikipedia. I haven't done this yet but I think I will soon start . . . .

Gina Rubel, Esq.
a.k.a. The PR Lawyer
Furia Rubel Communications, Inc.
http://www.furiarubel.com/