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Greetings
We've been a little busier than usual launching a new website and two new blogs so this month's newsletter is a little different than usual.
If you share our interest in social media, you'll want to check out the new website at www.socialmedianews.ca where we post many of the resources we use at the social media workshops in Edmonton and Calgary. There's still a few things that need to be tweaked but for the most part, it's up. On this site you'll also find the first of 52 postings we are planning for the next year: A Social Media Toolbox: 52 Ways to Tell Your Tale Online. Every week for the next year, we will post an article on one of the top 52 social media sites with recommendations on how best to use the social media site for marketing, research and reputation management.
I invite you to add your comments to any of the posts. Perhaps you have had a different experience with the site or another marketing perspective to offer? To add your comments, simply select the "comments" link below the post. You can also set up a subscription to receive each new post through a feedreader. Perhaps you will consider setting up a subscription to the social media toolbox as the project grows.
At the end of the year of publication, we plan on converting the 52 postings to an ebook to sell online and to provide to workshop participants. The first posting is on the social bookmarking site we use the most, Delicious. the next posting will be on Linked In and the next on Facebook. If you are unsure what social bookmarking is, you'll find a three minute video at the bottom of the Delicious posting.
The other new blog we are beginning to publish is at www.mediamag.ca. We named this blog, medialogue, as we like the idea of dialogue as part of the title. Currently we are posting articles on it about the Web 2.0 friendliness of the websites of the major media outlets in Alberta. This is the time of year we tour their websites to note any significant changes. We've noticed that many media websites now have opportunities for people to post news directly to their sites. This series of postings will be the results of our tour. On the blog now is the results of our tour of the television stations in Alberta. Please feel free to add your comments to these postings as well.
We will resume the publication of our monthly newsletter mediamag e-zine in September. We have decided to create a custom section for the newsletter and are working on this now. This month's special report now on the website is on Pitching Your Story Idea to Bloggers.
You'll also find information on our Fall 2008 Workshop Schedule below. We have added a number of new workshops to our line-up including Social Media for Writers, Virtual Book Tours, Mastering Media Interviews and Publish Your Own News.
We've also been busy attending the rash of national conferences recently held in Edmonton. In May, we attended the Canadian Association of Journalists National Conference, in June, the Editors' Association National Conference and in July, the Canadian Authors Association National Conference. You'll find links to the photos below as well as to the photos we took at the Sterling Awards Gala on June 23. Warning! Some of these photos are X-rated.
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Media Bytes 
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Media Events
Here you will find photos we have taken at the various conferences I have attended in Edmonton recently.
 Canadian Authors Association National Conference in Edmonton, July 4 - 6, 2008
on the left you'll see Sheri D Wilson, aka the Mama of Dada, flexing her poetic muscles during her presentation. Selecting the photo will direct you to Flickr where you can see 121 other photos taken at the conference. You might also want to see the video of Margaret MacPherson performing a poem by Sheri D Wilson, and Gail Sidonie Sobat leading the Spoken World Youth Choir at the literary awards ceremony on the opening night at the conference.
Editors Association of Canada National Conference in Edmonton, June 6 - 8, 2008
on the left you'll see Karen Virag, conference co-chair, and her alter ego. Selecting the photo will direct you to Flickr where you can see 70 other photos taken at the conference. You might also want to see the video of Ted Blodgett, poet laurete of Edmonton, reading a poem he crafted especially for the conference.
on the left you'll see Jeff Haslam, in his costume from HMS Pinafore. Selecting the photo will direct you to Flickr where you can see the other 95 photos taken at the event. Warning! Some photos are X-rated!
Canadian Association of Journalists National Conference in Edmonton, May 23, 2008
on the left is Kerry Diotte befriending Mayor Mandel. Selecting the photo will direct you to Flickr where you can see the other 10 photos taken at the event.
To see all the photos in each set, once you are on the Flickr site, select the slideshow option to the right of the photo. We invite you to change the and add descriptions or comments to any photo. Simply select the "Edit" link you'll find on the bottom right hand side of any page and you'll be able to edit the titles, captions or descriptions. |
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Make Your Mark with the Media this Fall
 It's hard to believe but summer is half over. It's almost time to start thinking about your fall publicity campaigns and ways to attract the attention of the media. Perhaps it is also time to update your media list? We offer subscriptions to Alberta Media Online, the largest, most current and comprehensive online media directory in Alberta.
We offer a do-it-yourself option for non-profit organizations that enables you to easily and quickly distribute your media releases to any reporter in Alberta and a full service option where we format and distribute your release to daily, weekly and monthly newspapers as well as to magazines and radio and television stations in Alberta. You can use the online media directory to follow up and build your relationships with the media instead of your media list.
Our full service customers find that the combination of our distributing their release and them using the online media directory to follow up with the media is the most time and cost-effective way to make their mark with the media. For example, one of our new self-service subscribers had difficulty accessing the online media directory. To compensate and to ensure the timeliness of the release, we offered to distribute her release on her behalf. Here's an email we received from her three days after we distributed her release...
"Thanks for sending our PSA out - we had excellent response. How much does this service cost?"
Cathrine Yuill
Executive Director
Pilgrim's Hospice Society
July 15, 2008
Interested in the knowing the answer?
Questions? Call (780) 695-5675 |
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| Media Relations & Social Media Workshops
Summer/Fall 2008 |
Electrifying Electronic Newsletters Workshop 
Learn to publish your first or improve your next electronic newsletter and enjoy doing it! Calgary, August 7 from 1 to 4pm
(3 seats left)
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Amazing Media Releases Workshop 
Learn to write a media release for any occasion and for any media and enjoy doing it!
Edmonton: September 3 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
Calgary: September 4 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
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Magnetic Media Plans Workshop 
Learn to communicate with the right media, at the right time, to deliver the right message and enjoy doing it!
Edmonton, September 10 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, September 17 from 10 to 1pm
$150
Learn more...
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Social Media Relations Workshop
Learn to incorporate social media into your  communications strategies and enjoy doing it!
Edmonton, September 10 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
Calgary, September 17 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
$150
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Social Media News Releases Workshop
 Learn how to create a media release that will attract the attention of bloggers and social media networks and enjoy doing it!
Edmonton, September 24 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, October 1 from from 10 to 1pm
$150
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Optimize Your Media Releases Workshop
Learn to optimize your online news releases for search engines.
Edmonton, September 24 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
Calgary, October 1 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
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Online News Rooms Workshop 
Learn to build and maintain an online news room that will magnetize the media.
Edmonton, October 8 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, October 15 from 10 to 1pm
$150
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 Pitch Your Story to the Media WorkshopLearn to develop and pitch your story ideas to the media.
Edmonton, October 8 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
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Publish Your Own News Workshop 
Learn to install, publish and maintain your own blog or website.
Edmonton, October 22 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, October 29 from 10 to 1pm
$150
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Mastering Media Interviews Workshop
Learn to master radio, television, print and online interviews and enjoy the experience.
Edmonton, October 22 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
Calgary, October 29 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
$150
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Notable Print Newsletters Workshop 
Learn to write, edit, design and distribute print newsletters.
Edmonton, November 5 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, November 12 from 10 to 1pm
$150
Learn more...
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Electrifying @Newsletters Workshop
Learn to publish your first or improve your next electronic newsletter and enjoy doing it!
Edmonton, November 5 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
Calgary, November 12 from 1:30 to 4:30pm
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Workshop Registration Info You can view more information on the workshop by selecting the Learn more... link below the workshop description. You will be directed to the WORKSHOP section on the website where you can also register and pay online with a credit card or by cheque.
Workshops include handouts and a wealth of resource materials for you to build your skills before the workshop and continue to develop your skills long after it. Many workshop participants report that these resources are worth the cost of the workshop alone.
You will receive access to the workshop handouts and resource materials as soon as your registration is completed.
Register for any workshop by July 31 and save $25 per workshop. Select the "Register online via PayPal" link to take advantage of this offer. This discount is only available if you register for the workshop using the link below the workshop description on this newsletter. Otherwise, you can see more information on any workshop and/or register online at www.mediamag.ca and pay by credit card over the phone, PayPal or invoice and cheque.
If you have any questions, please call us at (780) 695-5675 or send us an email through the Contact form in the CONTACT section of the website.
I hope to see you soon!
~Marilyn Jones
BA (English) MA (Publishing)
plus 30 years of media relations experience
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 Workshops for WritersSocial Media for Writers
Learn to use social media networks to create, publish, syndicate and promote your books.
Edmonton, Saturday, September 13 from 10 to 1pm
Calgary, Thursday, September 18 from 10 to 1pm
$150 Learn more...
Register online via PayPal and save $25
Virtual Book Tours
 Learn to plan and execute a book tour to promote your books online. Edmonton, Satursday, September 13 from 1:30 to 4:30pm Calgary, Thursday, September 18 from 1:30 to 4:30pm $150 Learn more...
Register online via PayPal and save $25
Register online via PayPal for both workshops by July 31 and save $50. Pay $250 for both workshops To redeem this offer select the button below.
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Special Report
Pitching Your Story Idea to Bloggers
Pitching Your Story Idea to Bloggers is an effective way to generate buzz for your product, book, service or event online. However, pitching your story idea to bloggers is much different than pitching to mainstream media. Here's why... |
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We built www.medianews.ca for our full service subscribers to submit their news releases online so we can distribute to the media. As a recipient of this newsletter, you're welcome to post your own news releases on this site for free. This website is indexed by search engines such as Google News, MSN News and Yahoo News so you will get additional exposure for your news release. All you need do to post your news releases is register for an account and confirm your email address. Then you're free to post your news releases for free!
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Feedback from July 2008 Workshops
"I found the Social Media Relations Workshop helpful, fun and informative...Great online resources!"
~Leora Ravich
Southland Transporation
"The workshop was a good, quick primer in social media."
~Doug Firby
Sunshine Ski Resort
"I enjoyed the Social Media News Releases workshop. It was clear, focused, practical and relevant. You've pulled together some really useful resources which will help me help my colleagues."
~Aimee Maxfield
Technical Writer
Chemical Engineering
University of Alberta
"I particularly enjoyed the discussion of how social media could apply to each participant's scenario. It encouraged me to think outside the box."
~Sandra Sweet
Calgary Technologies
"The most interesting part of the workshop was feeling like I had discovered a whole new world. I can now imagine how nicely social media would fit in with our marketing plan."
~Sharon MacLean
Publisher
Edmontonians Magazine | |
