Media Training For Chilean Miners

Posted by Amanda Walsh

As I write this blog, the 32 Chilean miners and one Bolivian are being extracted from a collapsed mine in San Jose, Chile after 69 days of being trapped underground.

The entire world is waiting anxiously as each miner emerges from below. In preparation for this day, the miners have gone through media training. All in an effort to prepare to face the microphones and cameras as the international media stands by watching each man appear.

Psychologist, Alberto Iturra, oversaw the miners’ mental and emotional health during this ordeal, says they were taught techniques on "remaining poised during an interview, asking the interviewer to repeat the question if they don't understand it, and how to say that they prefer not to answer" a question.

I have read rumors of book deals, TV and movie deals all being in the works for the men about their amazing story. A lot of excitement awaits them after their rescue and it is important for every one of them to be prepared as they are thrust into the spotlight. I'm sure today's media attention is only the beginning of many interviews and TV appearances for these guys.

Some tips to keep in mind when preparing for a media interview can be found on ThePRLawyer blog’s Timeless Media Relations tips.


(Photo credits: http://nymag.com)

Facebook Releases New “Groups” Feature

Posted by Amanda Walsh

The latest news from Facebook is their new “Groups” feature. The re-designed product allows users to add friends into a group, send messages out to those members and even participate in a group chat session.  Facebook markets this as a unique tool for students working on a group project or families sharing photos and videos.  

My first reaction to the news was that perhaps companies with satellite offices may find this useful or employees who work from home.

Some changes to “Groups” are:

• Group notifications sent to your email. This is an opt-out feature, meaning that any person in the group is automatically included on email outreach unless they change their settings.
• Posting and sharing of documents within the group. This feature reminded me of Google docs, but could be helpful in some settings. I will be interested to see the ease of use concerning document formatting and exchange of documents within a group.
• Group chat.  For companies who have employees who work at home, perhaps the group chat ability would be helpful and increase productivity.  The lines of communication would be open for realtime feedback and collaboration.

Facebook has more than 400 million active users.  Out of those users, more than 60 million post status updates every day.  Let’s face it, the statistics from DigitalBuzzBlog are astounding.  People are using Facebook constantly and yes, at work too.  Why not bring it into the fold and turn Facebook into a productive tool for the workplace?

Some other questions include what will happen to the old groups feature? So far, Facebook maintains that they continue to support the old Facebook groups feature. But we’ll see what the future holds.

I predict that large companies will abuse this feature and begin to send out mass e-mail promotions to members of groups and many members will leave the group or report messages as spam and complain to Facebook.

Some great resources to learn more about the changes are here, here and here. What are your thoughts about the new groups feature? 

Recap Of Meet The Law Blawgers Media Panel

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Here is a recap from the Legal Blawgers media panel program in Philadelphia that our own, Gina Rubel moderated. Check out what they had to say, "Meet the Legal Blawgers: #Blawger Hashtag Allows Attendees to Share Thoughts in Real Time on Twitter".

Suddenly Frugal Tips From Leah Ingram At The Women’s Business Forum

Posted by Leah Ludwig and Amanda Walsh 
Today, Senior Account Manager Leah Ludwig and I attended a morning meeting of the Women’s Business Forum (WBF), which is a Bucks County-based, nonprofit, networking organization for small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

Today’s guest speaker was Leah Ingram, author of the books, Suddenly Frugal and Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In.  She shared “Tips for Cutting Business Costs” with the group.

Here are our takeaways on how to save your business money from the meeting:

• Recycle printer cartridges.  I know at Furia Rubel we bring out old printer cartridges Staples and get Staples rewards dollars. There may be other office supply stores that offer similar programs and discounts.

• Fill out rebates!  Many people simply forget to fill these out after purchasing certain items like cell phones or printers. Ingram encouraged the group to invest the 20 minutes needed to do the paperwork and you could have an extra, 20, 50 or even 100 dollars in your pocket.

• Make money off of old office equipment. Apple offers discounts for new items if you bring in an old Apple item as a trade-in.  Some other websites for savings or selling office equipment are craigslist.com and freecycle.org.

• Be green!  Ways to save include, printing on both sides of used paper, switching florescent light bulbs, investing in power strips to turn off office equipment by one button.

• Use associations and memberships to their full potential. Keep in mind that many industry organizations or alumni groups offer members discounts such as special credit cards, reduced travel expenses, etc.  It never hurts to ask about these opportunities to save.

• Consider bartering with vendors.  This is a great tip because often times small businesses need services and connect with other businesses that can provide. Ingram advises talking to your accountant about proper management of these types of agreements. Additionally, it is important to have a contract in place for an understanding by both parties.  

• Ditch the landline phone. Often times, business owners use their cell phones for the majority of their business communication.  Ingram notes that this could lead to savings by eliminating the less-used landline but may not be for everyone.

• Include charity donations and volunteering on tax returns.

• Eliminate shipping costs. Send email communication with .pdf files. Also consider using Skype or other conference call services instead of traveling.

Lastly, our favorite tip for business from Ingram was:

• Don’t underestimate the power of PR! Ingram shared that because of using Help a Reporter Out.com she was in some feature stories about her and her family using frugal techniques in their daily lives.  These stories lead to business offers for her and later, the opportunity to publish her books. Public relations and marketing are essential to growing your business and Ingram encouraged all business owners to look into building a brand and getting the word out about their services.