Resources

Many years ago, I noticed that my bosses kept asking to me explain what I was doing. I felt like they didn’t trust that I could get the job done. Everything was under control, and I was frustrated that they didn’t trust in my proven track record. Then I came across an article about messy…

How 1Password Solves Your Login Woes Last week, I blogged about the worst passwords of 2014 and how they made the NeuConcept staff want to both laugh and cry at the same time. Although I had a good geeky chuckle at what passes for login security with certain users, I also understand why they’re tempted to…

After I wrote my review on Quickbooks, my husband shared a humorous instant message conversation he had with Quickbooks customer service. We can’t win, so we might as well laugh! For your reading entertainment, here’s the recent “circular” conversation that my husband had with Quickbooks customer service regarding an upgrade for the 2009 version. Very…

I’ve been in PR a long time, but like all industries, it’s very segmented. I worked primarily in the electrical industry, so I knew those publications very well and had excellent relationships with those media. However, now that I work for myself and for my husband’s graphic design and web development firm, I have a…

So often we think about what we hate on the computer… for me it’s MS Word (clunky is a compliment!). But I’d like to focus on a website that I love: dictionary.com. I’d like to give them a shout out because this website is simple, does it’s job well, and connects to a great thesaurus.…

Every once in a while I come across a post on the web that is so valuable that I have this urge to print it and save it somewhere in a vault of “important informaton.” However, these days, I am retraining myself to save the link or if I must print it, print it to…

I read a very good article in Maximum Impact’s newsletter, called “7 Reasons Why Speakers Flop.” For years, I have worked with CEOs on speaking at conferences, and these are all things I worked to get across to each of them each year. As I read this article, I wanted to stand up and yell,…

I had so much to say on the topic of great writing, that I had to break it into multiple posts! Here’s a few more tips to follow to improve your writing process: Read out loud. After writing, speak what you write. This unveils awkward phrasing, gaps in the structure, and areas that need revision.…

Want to look smart? Learn how to write clearly and concisely! Writing has never been more important as we all spend hours every week writing emails. Although this list applies to nearly all business and promotional writing, I wouldn’t suggest applying it to essays and creative writing. This is, however, a great checklist the next…

“Gratitude is the ‘forgotten factor’ in happiness research,” according to researchers Robert Emmons (Univ. of California, Davis) and Michael McCullough (Univ. of Miami). A workplace news brief in ASAE’s Associations Now magazine, tells how these researchers are conducting a long-term study on gratitude, its causes and its effects on health and well-being. Highlights from the…

I have to admit, I have some big pet peeves with email. I think its the most abused communication tool ever invented. I think this is because its purpose is has been overextended, and it’s available at the sender’s convenience. You can send an email anytime you feel like it, but you can’t call your…

I recently attended an informative luncheon sponsored by the Community Service Public Relations Council (CSPRC). It was a roundtable format with a myriad of topics; I was able to sit in on two topics, website Redesign and public relations tips from the Post-Dispatch. Although I have a lot to say on website redesign, I’ll save…

In my previous two jobs, I have produced over 60 promotional videos, so I have a few tips to offer on how to create a great video. I’ve done it on the cheap and with a big budget. And, since I only had one video class in college, I learned from experience…and from my incredibly…

I was able to celebrate my birthday last week with the fun folks at the Public Relations Society of America – St. Louis Chapter. The monthly luncheon featured a fascinating topic by a world-renowned expert. Author and PR Exec Leslie Gaines-Ross of Weber Shandwick shared how a company’s reputation can be destroyed in seconds during…

I love press releases. They are one of the most clear, concise and non-manipulative ways to communicate important information. And, if written correctly, news releases offer facts and invite participation in a tantalizing way that makes everyone want to read them. I’ve found they are welcome addition to any direct marketing program; why save the…

Warning: this could get a little geeky! Brett, my husband, recently showed me a handy list of 100 top Web applications as voted by nearly 2 million people. Every year, Webware.com sponsors the “Webware 100” awards (which does all the hard work for you in finding cool, useful Websites). The contest started with 5000 nominees…

I recently attended an informative (and fun) luncheon put on by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) St. Louis Chapter. The topic was research and the speaker was Steve Bast of Nucleus Marketing Lab. Since we’re all needing to prove our worth these days, research is becoming more important in every field. Steve customized…

Today, I had the pleasure of participating on a panel about careers in communications at St. Charles Community College. It was fun! It was put together by the SCC Speech and Communications Department, which includes Darren Osburn, associate professor, who I knew from our days together at Culver-Stockton College. The other panel organizers were: Curt…