Any idea what all these things have in common? They are all blogs — written by women. According to PRWeek and BlogHer, today there are 55.6 million women who read and write blogs monthly. And of those women who blog, they say their top goal when blogging is to express themselves (82%), followed by giving advice (51%) and persuading others (20%).

Women trust friends first — and a blogger’s personal trust will apply directly to her recommendations on everything, including the clients and brands you represent. Eighty-five percent of BlogHer’s audience reports buying a product based on a recommendation from a blog, while 82% of women bloggers rely on blogs for information about shopping, says Lisa Stone, CEO of BlogHer.

So what is the best way to get the attention of the female blogosphere?

• Disclose, disclose, disclose. Say who you are, what you want and why you’re doing this. Don’t make women guess.
• The technology exists, so leverage it. “I’m sure this is a terrifying thought to brands and products, but technology has enabled us to actually have a conversation. Let’s have it.”
• Beware treating women with brains and wallets as the only demographic or as a niche. “Not all women are mothers or married. Reach out to single women, as well as to women without children.”
• Women want to hear directly from companies and candidates. “It’s irrelevant what media think. I want to hear from the companies and products and decide for myself.”

And for a list and directory of women bloggers, check out BlogsbyWomen. Happy Blogging!

And certainly these distractions have the power to decrease our productivity.

From the Hoosier PRSA blog, here are some simple suggestions for working smarter, not necessarily harder.   

• Make the most of your time both in and outside the office.
• Work on one task and complete it. If you have to jump to something else, try to always pick up where you left off.
• Prioritize and know how to delegate. Spend the last 15 minutes of your day preparing for the next. 
• Unplug from controllable distractions, i.e. social media. Browsing is okay every now and then but try to stay on track. (What? No Facebook chat?!)
• Write things down or find online tools to help you organize your day. For those of you who live on your computers and mobile devices, try TeuxDeux. TeuxDeux is a simple, design, browser-based to-do app, and best of all- it’s free. Try for yourself, http://teuxdeux.com/.
   
  Also, set mini deadlines — if you give yourself a specific time to finish a project, you’ll pace yourself better and work faster than if it’s open-ended. So decide what you must get done by lunch. Or plan to call your mom in an hour, and complete something beforehand.

How do you stay productive? The sooner you get your work done, the sooner you can head out to enjoy the weather!

Coles Marketing Communications is the Pinnacle Worldwide representative in Indiana

Pinnacle Worldwide, a global network of independent public relations agencies with more than 50 offices worldwide, including Coles Marketing Communications in Indianapolis, has formed a strategic alliance with 27&More, an international public relations network covering 44 countries.

Established in September 2007 in Frankfurt, 27&More began as a partnership of prominent European PR agencies which all had one main focus — to provide strategic communication services with flexibility, effectiveness and an integrated approach to worldwide clients. Individual members of both Pinnacle Worldwide and 27&More have long-standing business relationships. Coles Marketing Communications is the Pinnacle Worldwide representative in Indiana.

“This alliance between Pinnacle Worldwide and 27&More gives firms like Coles Marketing Communications the opportunity to reach an even wider landscape of global coverage for their clients,” said Coles Marketing Communications Vice President Brian Coles. “It will help firms within the partnership continue to thrive and establish high-quality practices, concepts and relationships in an ever-changing business landscape.”

Ruud Bijl, President of Bijl partners in public relations in the Netherlands, and President and Co-founder of 27&More said, “The strength of our new alliance lies in the fact that we have hand-picked the best consultancies in each country rather than relying on ‘outposts’ of a big brand to deliver. That means quality consulting delivered by experts wherever the need, and for brands seeking sound strategic support and quality delivery regardless of location. That’s a very strong offer indeed.”

“With our combined strength providing access to highly-respected offices around the world, this partnership expands the reach for our clients and members alike,” said Donna Vandiver, President and CEO of The Vandiver Group, Inc., in St. Louis, Mo., and President of Pinnacle Worldwide.

Welcome to the location-based social networks, such as Foursquare — which I have previously discussed in another post. I tried out Foursquare — and I while I’m not super familiar with it, I can see the appeal. You “check in” to businesses and other locations in real time, and many places are now offering special perks for their most frequent visitor — called the “mayor” — and others who check in.

But what about Blippy? Customers can tell their friends about the products that they buy through this site, which links merchant accounts to broadcast members’ purchases to the world. Blippy lets you communicate about and share purchases with friends by syncing already existing e-commerce accounts to Blippy such as iTunes, Netflix, Woot, eBay and more.

And then you’ve got TagWhat, which takes a leap into the world of Augmented Reality (AR). It allows people to tag real-world locations and attach information, reviews, links, photos, videos, notes and so on to those particular spots, whether tied to their current location or not. Users can also follow other people and merge their respective ‘markers’ together in an effort to build a global network of augmented reality hotspots.

A little overwhelming, right? Well, maybe it’s best to start with a toe in the ever-changing social media pool instead of taking a flying leap headfirst. But whatever you do, start swimming!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend, as we honor those who served in our military.

David Henderson, author of “Making News in the Digital Era,” said, “Static newsrooms are the least-visited part of a website because most are just graveyards of old press releases. Your newsroom needs to present the spectrum of all the things that your company is doing within its industry, and hanging press releases there kills credibility.”

The core audience for an organization’s online newsroom is everyone from shareholders and business partners, to customers, donors, employees… and THEN the media. And because newsrooms are not only for the media, practitioners must use a writing style that draws interest in a way people can relate to.

“Nobody cares what your company does unless you tell them in a way that adds value,” Henderson said.

What are some elements to add value to your online newsroom?

• News articles (300-500 words)
• Short videos (HD for B-roll)
• Links to company facts and contacts
• Search capability

And if you use WordPress as your content management system, you’re not alone. Even The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal use it for their blog networks, said Ryan Zuk. There are over 22 million WordPress publishers as of February 2010: 10.6 million blogs hosted on WordPress.com plus 11.4 million active installations of the WordPress.org software. According to Quantcast, around 250 million people visit one or more WordPress.com blogs every month, and they view over two billion pages on those blogs.

So get reading, writing and online newsroom–ing.

In Alabama, Washington is an active member in the community, with current and past involvement in the Emanon Group, a non-profit education advocacy organization; the Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce; and Leadership Elmore County. She has served as board chair of the city of Wetumpka’s “Christmas in the Coosa” board, a member of the Elmore County Community Foundation and a participant in the River Region United Way Campaign. She has also been an active participant with the cable industry’s Women in Cable initiative.

Originally from  Wetumpka, Ala., Washington earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Troy University in 2001 and a master’s degree in management from Troy University’s Graduate School of Management.

But some degrees are worth more than others, as PayScale.com shows in its 2010 report on the earning power of bachelor’s degrees. Are you surprised at the worst-paying college degrees?:

10. Drama
9. Fine arts
8. Hospitality and tourism
7. Education
6. Horticulture
5. Spanish
4. Music
3. Theology
2. Elementary education
1. Social work

And in a related article, some popular career myths are busted, one of which is: All that most workers care about is their salary. Recruiter Tony Beshara says, “If that were true, we’d all rob banks.” Sure money is important, but workers usually care about more than just money. According to the 2009 employee job-satisfaction survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, employees identified job security as the most important contributor to their job satisfaction. Benefits were in second place, with salary coming in at number three.

Lesson: Money doesn’t buy happiness. (but in my opinion, it sure helps!)

Not these days it isn’t. I remember the days of playing the game outside at school — also know as squareball. Today, Foursquare is a web and mobile application that allows registered users to connect with friends and update their location. Users “check-in” at venues using text messaging or a device specific application. They are then awarded points and sometimes “badges.”

Is this the next big thing? As it closes in on one million users this month, Foursquare is being pursued by Internet giant Yahoo Inc., which has offered as much as $125 million for Foursquare. Must be a must have!

It’s a new way for you and your friends to explore your city — and it’s available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm and other devices. Have you tried it yet? And Foursquare Day was officially declared on 4/16: 4 squared = 16. 4/16.  Get it?

Ideas for how businesses can use Foursquare to enhance marketing efforts and generate leads are already appearing:

• Create incentives for new customers
• Offer promotions, contests and giveaways
• Maximize the success of events

With three million users expected by the end of the summer, it looks like Foursquare is for real.

National Infant Immunization Week is April 24-May 1.This year’s theme is, “Love them. Protect them. Immunize them.” The awareness campaign highlights the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrates the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities.

Managed Health Services, which provides affordable healthcare to more than 211,400 Hoosiers who receive health insurance through the Hoosier Healthwise program, is stressing the importance of infant and child immunizations this last week of April by encouraging members to schedule well-baby and well-child visits for their children and ensure their immunizations are current.

Parents, healthcare providers and the media, says Dr. Robert Baker of MHS, are important partners for promoting National Infant Immunization Week. These groups are all key stakeholders in ensuring children are fully immunized by two years old. The resounding message to parents on the MHS healthcare plan is to set aside 15 minutes now, schedule pediatrician and physician appointments and have their children immunized, he says.

Because of the success of vaccines in preventing disease in the U.S., parents are often unaware that their children are at risk for so many serious and life-threatening diseases, Baker says. Infants are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Nearly 12,000 babies are born here each day and they will need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before they reach age 2.

Raising awareness about the importance of infant and childhood immunizations is another step MHS is taking to get its members throughout the state to focus on living healthy lives. With a focus on infants and children, MHS hosts quarterly Health Check Health Days throughout Indiana, geared toward providing members the opportunity to complete recommended well-baby and well-child examinations. MHS reminds parents to keep their children’s immunizations up to date through birthday-card reminders and outreach calls. MHS is also in the midst of conducting Healthy Lifestyles events in several Indiana communities which offer important blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol screenings free of charge to its members.