Gail Perry, Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB (Sift Media)
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
GAIL: Right out of college, I went to work as a bookkeeper for a large law firm in Washington D.C. I had a degree in journalism, but I had worked my way through college
Catch up on the Mequoda Daily’s blog posts for this past week
‘Seven Pillars’ Provide Foundation for Improvement
The company is called Your Business Your Future, and they want to help you build a better business for yourself. Their program, The Seven Pillars of a Better Business, will be presented by SIPA in London on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Even if you are here in the States, it’s worth
Verifying Email Addresses and Protecting PDFs You Send
Quality of email address generation. Direct mail – what’s working. Protection against subscribers illegally passing on pdf files. Royalties from the Copyright Clearance Center. These are the subjects from conversations on the SIPA Listserv just from last week. It really is one of the best member benefits that
The Importance of Marketing on All Fronts
I heard something very interesting in a recent phone interview that I conducted with Craig Huey (pictured left), the publishing entrepreneur and longtime SIPA member, who just this summer lost a close election for Congress in Southern California. (The interview will be out this week in the September Hotline
Sean Oberle, Publisher, Oberle Communications, Bethesda, Md.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
SEAN: I worked at a non-profit in the late ’80s, helping to write and edit its three monthlies. I was overworked and underpaid. I got sick of that and answered an ad for
Could Next ‘Twitter’ Come Out of Fall Roundtable?
What’s in a name? A lot, apparently. Would Twitter be so popular if it was called, say, Patter? (I guess then you could re-pat, ex-pat and patdeck.) According to an article on Mashable this week, “Twitter” came out of a closed-door meeting of company executives (and with a
Amazon’s Sales Tax Battles Affecting ‘Affiliates’
The fight over whether online retailers with a physical presence in a state need to collect sales tax continues in a big way in California. The state passed a law at the beginning of the summer making such collections a requirement, and Amazon has decided to take them on. They
There’s Gold in That Content! Manage it.
Many of us create content almost every day for our business or company—or association. But are we keeping track of that content in the best way possible? We know that repurposing is a vital art these days, but in order to do that, we should know where everything is,
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Putting a Succession Plan in Place
According to an article in My Business magazine last year, 77 percent of business owners said they have a will, but only 33 percent have a succession plan. That’s just bad business, says Peter Bloom, an experienced business lawyer and founder of The Bloom Group, who has designed and implemented
Tips from PR Newswire on selecting the best words for SEO success
SEO is not just for blog posts; it has found a place all throughout the Internet, from image tags and video transcriptions to optimized press releases.
SEO is ultimately all about reaching your audience. You need to use and understand the language employed by your
SIPA’s LinkedIn Group Attracts Good Conversation
You might not be aware that SIPA has a big following on LinkedIn. The group is under “Specialized Information Publishers Association” and there have been interesting discussions of late. A question was recently posted by Molly Joss, owner of the Seybold Report in Philadelphia. “We deliver one of our e-newsletters
Richard Ossoff, President & CEO, Strafford Publications, Inc., Atlanta
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
RICHARD: My first job was with the now defunct Office of Economic Opportunity, the federal anti-poverty agency. I worked in the Addiction Services Division, part of the agency’s extensive health program.
Company Blogs Provide Added Way to Reach Out
Yesterday’s article on the earthquake prompted Allison Herdic of Chartwell Inc. in Atlanta to email me about a blog post she had written back in May after the awful tornados in the South. “If social media had been on the scene a couple of decades ago, Waldo and
The Earth Is Moving and So Is Social Media
If you saw a few cars smashed by falling bricks yesterday, chances are you were looking at a courtyard out the back window of the SIPA main office in Vienna, Va. We are about 100 miles from the epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake, so our second-floor office trembled
An informative interview with Susan Laden, publisher at Biblical Archaeology Society
The Biblical Archaeology Society’s Bible History Daily launched this month to become our 17th complete Mequoda System to go live. In honor of the occasion, we asked Susan Laden, publisher of Biblical Archaeology Society to talk about the company and the website’s launch.
As Susan explained,
‘Just My Type’ Hits Home for Publishers
One thing that won’t change in future Avatar installments: the film’s font, Papyrus. Some internet pundits were appalled that Avatar’s poster and subtitles would use the commonplace typeface, but [director James] Cameron shrugs off their criticisms. “You know, I’m not a font snob,” he laughed. “It’s not exactly Papyrus—I
Richard Londesborough, CEO, Business Monitor International, London
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
RICHARD: Sports reporter in Tehran for a daily English language newspaper; a fantastic gap year job for an 18 year-old that gave me my first taste for journalism and the written word.
Has there
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A Good Start Can Go a Long Way
“Begin as you mean to continue,” Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett told a young questioner seeking career advice two nights ago at an interview I attended at the Kennedy Center here in Washington, D.C. “Make yourself a five-year plan; that will help you maintain patience. And you can’t make
Google Moves Boldly Into New ‘Construction’ Role
I once sat with Jack Kent Cooke, the late owner of the Washington Redskins football team and Los Angeles Lakers basketball team—and New York’s Chrysler Building—as he told me how he acquired the rights to own the expansion Los Angeles Kings hockey team. In his gravelly and boisterous voice,
Leslie Davidson, Consultant, Davidson Direct, Pacifica, Calif.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
LESLIE: After college, I wanted to save the world so I went to work for a nonprofit organization that provided seed money to help other organizations get started. I worked in nonprofits for
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Yammer Helps to Facilitate Melcrum’s In-House Talk
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the rise of in-house social networks such as Chatter (from Salesforce.com) and Yammer. Both are based in San Francisco and are two of a number of new offerings in this field. (VMware, SAP, Cisco Systems, Jive Software and SuccessFactors are also promoting
Making Your Time Away Even Better
I was reminded recently of a radio talk show I once heard about vacationing where the caller thought that by going somewhere completely different she would act in completely different ways. But then a psychologist came on to say that the thing we forget is that we’re still us when
Tagging Has Come a Long Way
It used to be so simple, “Tag, you’re it.” Run around a little more and tag the next boy or girl. But to paraphrase from “The Wizard of Oz,” Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not just playing tag anymore.
The “tag” feature on Facebook has always had its detractors, some of
Lindsay Konzak, Editor, Modern Distribution Management/Gale Media
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
LINDSAY: I joined the Peace Corps. I taught English and worked on other development projects in Armenia; it was the best experience of my life. When I returned, I got a job as
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Refreshing Your Approach to Renewals
The seasons may come and go, but renewals are a constant. So here are some ideas from people who make a living at helping to generate successful renewals.
Robert Lerose, Lerose Copywriting (pictured left):
1. Put your best offer in the first effort and emphasize that it won’t get better down the road.
Subscribers
Training Can Increase Staff Engagement and Retention
At the recent SIPA 2011 Conference, I spoke with Caroline Frost (pictured left), director of learning and development for Informa Business Information in London—and a new SIPA board member. “Young people want training,” she told me. “It gets them engaged in a different way. And it doesn’t have to
Increasing Traffic Takes More Than Good Scents
My favorite pizza restaurant, Faccia Luna in Arlington, Va., has been a neighborhood fixture for close to 20 years. The problem is that in the last five of those years, a lot of other “fixtures” have opened close by.
“Take a walk on the four or five blocks here and
Luis A. Hernandez, Director of Publishing, Thompson Publishing Group, Washington, D.C.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
LUIS: Out of undergrad I was an intern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doing some PR work about the amendments to the Clean Water Act. After a slight
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Meeting the Challenges of Growing Your Business
In his new book—“Growing an Entrepreneurial Business: Concepts & Cases”—University of Virginia professor Ed Hess tries to “make the growth process even easier to navigate for entrepreneurs.” Examining 54 high-growth entrepreneurial companies in 23 states, big and small, known and not so known, he found many similarities. But he
Creating a Strong Online Persona Makes Sense
Here’s some good advice from Max Drucker, chief executive of Social Intelligence, a California-based company that “navigates the complicated landscape of social media” for hiring purposes: “Create an online persona that is far richer than a resume might be. Create your own personal domain. Participate in various industry blogs.
Know Your Objectives Before Becoming More ‘Social’
I came across an exceptionally good article the other day on a site called BNET, The CBS Interactive Business Network, titled “Want a Strong Digital Strategy? Stop Focusing on Technology” by David Rogers, a digital marketing strategist. (Yes, this is that CBS, the same entity behind “Two and a
Mike McKinney, President, comHAUS, Inc.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
After a stint as Apple student rep, I went to work on an hourly basis as an AE in a small marketing firm in Dallas—and worked my way into a salary and a client base. I
Touring websites for valuable information
I was waiting in a long line (or queue) last week for a special sneak preview of a science fiction film called “Another Earth” that opens later this month. When another film let out next to us, many of the passers-by inquired to what we were waiting in line for. When
More on the Merging of the Professional and Personal
A scene from the brilliant playwright David Ives came to mind today when pondering how, each week, our professional and personal lives get more intertwined through social media. The vignette is from an evening of one-acts he wrote called “All in the Timing.” Titled “The Sure Thing,”
Looking at new ways to engage your audience
There’s been an interesting confluence of events the past couple days. First, on the SIPA Marketing Listserveyesterday, Jennifer Kern, research director for Modern Distribution Management, asked if there is “a method to quantify the dollar value of an email address.”
Bob Brady, president and publisher of Fortis Business Media,
5 tips from PR Newswire that will help you get the most from social media
It’s hard to fathom the impact social media has had on the publishing and marketing worlds.
Seriously…think about how big social networking has become throughout all age groups. It was reported recently that Facebook has 750 million users and Twitter experiences 350
Allison Herdic, Manager, Research and Conferences, Chartwell Inc., Atlanta
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
After completing an internship with Atlanta INtown, a monthly, feature-based publication, I stayed on as a staff writer. Shortly thereafter, I joined Chartwell Inc.’s research team to cover customer care issues for
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The Walls Are Alive With the Sound of Conference
So what have we learned from the SIPA UK Conference Twitter Wall (#SIPAUK2011) in the last 24 hours? Plenty. Carolyn Morgan from The Specialist Media Show wrote that editors should keep evolving and personalising content as they gain insight on user behaviour. (Side note: there’s a very
Gilbertson Opens SIPA UK Conference
The 17th Annual SIPA UK Congress in London got under way today, and The SIPA Twitter Wall (#SIPAUK2011) is proving almost as active as it did for last month’s conference in Washington, D.C. Here are a few of the tweets that have been posted so far:
***“[David] Gilbertson says think big, act
Ages of Enlightenment at SIPA and Beyond
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
—Mark Twain
On page 5 of the SIPA July Hotline newsletter just posted yesterday afternoon—and also shown on the left—there’s a picture of Collin Berglund of Inside Mortgage Finance holding up his new iPad from randomly
Ellen Smith, Owner and Managing Editor, Mine Safety and Health News, Pittsford, N.Y.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
Working for Pasha Publications and hired by [former SIPA Hotline editor] Harry Baisden. I was working part-time for James Florio, and working part-time at Marshall’s West End in
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These Websites Deliver the Goods
With America’s baseball all-star game coming up on Tuesday, let me present an all-star lineup of websites that I’ve come across lately—with previews of the information they present.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS FOR SOCIAL: Funny to start in the U.K. after my American introduction, but since SIPA will be in London next week with
