I love to read. I’ve never had to worry about what to read or what finding great books. Why? Because I happen to have the best librarian in the world as my mother (@marianslibrary). Long before blogs and other online communities my mother has put together monthly (sometimes seasonal) reading lists. She has always shared them with friends, family, co-workers and sometimes strangers (seriously). The woman LOVES anything to do with books. Who else would take the time to put together a list and review (like the one below) regardless of whether anyone reads it?

Here’s the thing, I’m trying to convince her to start a blog or a stream dedicated to her books, reviews and her monthly picks. She recently started #whatareyoureadingweek on Twitter and is looking to grow a community on Good Reads. I’ve also encouraged her to add the hashtag #parkerspicks when she talks about her selections.

PLEASE do me a favor. Take a look at her picks and reviews. If you like what you see, encourage her to start a blog or offer a suggestion on how she can best share this information with a larger audience. I receive emails like this every month and feel they are an untapped treasure for book lovers. If you agree, respond in the comments or tweet her.

<Sorry Mom, I had to do it.>

The School of Essential Ingredients, by Erica Bauermeister AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (69)
Loved this book! It’s the story of Lillian, who owns the restaurant, Lillian’s Restaurant. She offers a monthly cooking class to 8 people. Each chapter is devoted to each character and a new recipe is taught to the class. The development of each character is so well done! The food that is taught to the class is deliciously described! This would make a wonderful book for a book club! Then members of the group could make some of the food! I do have a plan when it’s my turn to choose!

Going Bovine, by Libba Bray AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (11)
This copy was autographed by Libba Bray at the, Young Author’s Conference,  I recently attended in Naperville! She is such a vibrant energetic person! Cameron is pitch perfect as a Holden Caufield type guy suddenly confronted with his possible death and the even stranger possibility that maybe the world doesn’t stink as much as he thought. Or maybe it does. Or maybe not. If that doesn’t sell you, you should just know there is a talking garden gnome. Libba Bray uses Don Quixote as the main recurring theme for Cameron’s quest to discover the difference between being alive and living.

Day After Night, by Anita Diamant AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (46)
It’s unbelievable that after surviving the Holocaust, people were imprisoned in an internment camp in Haifa by the British military because they were “illegal” immigrants. Thanks to Anita Diamant’s novel, I now know about this, as well as the incredible rescue that occurred. The story centers around four women in the camp.  Diamant writes eloquently about the unique perspective of people emerging from war and adapting to life again. If you enjoyed, The Red Tent, by Diamant, you will want to pick this up!

The Magician’s, by Lev Grossman AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (133)
Quentin has always been different, excelling in school, rotten at socialization, returning often to the beloved fantasy books of his youth a la Narnia or a Wrinkle in Time. Quite unexpectedly, Quentin is told that he is not just different, he is special. He is a magician and is being offered entry into an exclusive college for the magically inclined called Brakebills in upstate New York. Here he will learn the art of spellcasting…and so much more. There is magic, death, humor, drugs, romance, monsters, peer pressure, self-exploration and some very strange imagery all told in the most gloriously rich language.

Mathilda Savitch, by Victor Lodato AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (22)
Mathilda Savitch would appeal to the young adult audience. Mathilda’s 16-year-old sister dies tragically. Her parents, especially her mother, are having a difficult time coming to grips with the death. Mathilda is trying in her own way to help her parents move on. Mathilda is a well developed character with her own growing pains which teens can relate to. It is a very fast paced book. I read it in two days! I was anxious to find out what caused her sister’s death and the mystery surrounding it.  This was my first, Goodreads’ First Read!

Ruined: A Ghost Story, by Paula Morris AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (84)
The south, graveyards, good writing, a well spun multi-generational yarn, a curse, ghosts, and tarot card readers, how could I not love this book? This book had wonderful historical context, mystery and romance.  I liked the post Katrina New Orleans setting. I was able to read about the rich history that the city has. I really enjoyed the storyline and the well developed characters as they discovered the mystery of Lisette and the “curse” that haunted a group of friends from long ago.

Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (108)
If you loved Niffenegger’s recent bestseller, The Time Traveler’s Wife, you will want to read this book! Now this is a ghost story – spooky and creepy and shivers up your spine without being in your face jump out of the closet ghost scary. I devoured this book and will have to go back and re-read it. Edie/Elspeth- the twins are deliciously creepy and bizarre, the cemetery figures into the story in such a natural way, the stories of people buried there add a great trivia element to the book, and the secondary characters are all really wonderful – I love how you get to dive a little into each of their lives and their psyches, so that they are as 3-dimensional as the main characters. I forgot what a good job Audrey Niffenegger does of pulling you in and making the strange seem plausible and even ordinary – time travel, ghosts, whatever!  Such a weird and beautiful story, and she tells it so well, weaving it all together into an interesting and heartbreaking ending (I don’t think that saying that gives anything away – you kind of go into this book knowing that someone’s heart is going to be broken).

Nation, by Terry Pratchett AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (122)
In a fantasy world that looks like what our own might have been in the 1800s, an enormous tsunami hits the Pacific, wiping out the entire population of islands and stranding shocked, isolated survivors in a new landscape. Two survivors meet, one a “ghost” girl, a distant relative of the Queen of England, who has been aboard ship returning to her father, a member of the British Royal Academy and is studying the cultures of the South, the other is thirteen year-old, no longer a boy, not yet a man, who survived because he had been at sea returning home. Serious, thoughtful, imaginative, and surprisingly witty by turns… How to create a new world, when the old ones have been destroyed.

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Hall,#1), by  Maggie Stiefvater AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK… (192)
This book exceeded my expectations and I was drawn in to Sam and Grace’s story. Shiver is paranormal romance at its best. The story draws you in and will not let you go. You are engaged in the characters. You care about what happens and you’re left breathless and have to keep turning the pages. This is a book that when I stopped reading, I had to come out of a reading fog because I would be so drawn into the story it took me a minute to remember where I was. This is one I’m already passing on to friends and talking up because I want to share it with everyone. Sam and Grace are both strong characters who are also flawed. They have numerous obstacles to overcome and life isn’t sunshine and roses for either of them.  The chapters are told in alternating viewpoints, so you really get inside both Sam and Grace and learn who they really are. I thought this would be confusing, but after I read a few chapters I got used to it and it was easy to follow who was telling the story. If any book is going to dethrone Twilight’s reign and have adult appeal as well as teens, I think Shiver could do it. A beautifully told story that is a must-read for paranormal fans-add this one to the top of your reading pile! Anxiously awaiting the next in the series!

Prophecy of the Sisters (Book #1), by Michelle Zink AMAZON RATES THIS BOOK…… (36)
Are you sensing a theme for these selections?! Here is another twin/fantasy series. I met Michelle Zink originally via Twitter and eventually spoke with her at the Young Adult Conference in Naperville last month. This book was featured in Booklist Magazine as one of the Top 10 Best Fiction by a new author!  I totally enjoyed this book! I thought the characters were well developed. The storyline kept me wanting to read more. I’m a gothic reader at heart and this contained many elements of it. Lia has lost her mother and now her father. Her twin sister Alice acts aloof and detached and her younger brother is disabled in a wheelchair and is a quiet boy.  Lia has James, the son of one of her father’s friends as her faithful companion and friend.  Events start to go askew when Lia discovers a strange marking on her wrist one morning. A marking she realizes that she does not share with Alice. Lia eventually discovers she shares this marking with others. She uncovers a small book hidden away, describing a prophecy – one that involves both her and Alice – but the problem is – they have different ideas on how they want the prophecy to end. Alice and Lia become enemies and Lia must find a way to fulfill her segment of the prophecy without injuring either Alice or herself.

Curb-mining, a popular activity for creative types in New York, is the act of finding furniture and art on the street. As a celebration of their upcoming one-year anniversary for their SoHo store, Blu Dot, a furniture and design store, decided to launch a curb-mining experiment.

On November 4-5, they are leaving 20+ Real Good chairs, equipped with GPS tracking devices in to-be-disclosed locations throughout New York. The chairs are free for the taking and are first come, first “mined.”

Michael Hart, co-founder and creative director of mono, the firm who developed the experiment says, “We have seen consumers gravitate to brands who do innovative things and we hope this is one of those things.  Blu Dot gets credit for speaking to its audience in a different way.” The company made a conscious choice to stay away from traditional media outreach. Their target is an online audience, who they hope will spread the word. All locations of the chairs will be shared via a Twitter account (@realgoodchair) and a Web site. The other marketing tactic? Xeroxed copies of a “Have you seen this chair?” (a la missing dog) signs posted around the city.

It’s more than giving away chairs, they’re looking for the stories behind the chairs’ new homes.

When people pick up their Real Good chair (that’s the actual name of the chair) they will be linked up to a tracking device.

Kelly Munson, design director at mono, says, “We are not experts at technology, so we enlisted the tech experts, Tellart. We weren’t sure exactly how to track the chairs without being too invasive. We decided to use a simple cell phone attachment with GPS software. Typically you get about 8 hours of battery life from a cell phone, which was a concern. Tellart created an electrical switch to trigger the battery when the chair is picked up.”

Once the chairs find their new homes (which will be determined by the last known location of the GPS), Blu Dot and mono will follow up with the new owners. They’ll invite the owners to participate in a classic-style documentary along the lines of “Where did great design go in the city?” The video will premier at Blu Dot’s anniversary celebration in December before being shared via the Web site.

In the words of Blu Dot, “What would happen if we left a bunch of Real Good Chairs all over New York, free for the take? Who will grab them? Where will they go? How will they get there? What will their new homes look like?” The experiment hopes to answers these questions and engage current and potential customers in a new way.

It was reported this morning that there are already 6.5 million Twitter lists. Impressive numbers. As the number of lists grows it will become increasingly difficult to decide which lists to follow. I’ve done a bit of research to get you started with a few popular lists.

You can easily view all lists related to journalism, PR and blogging at Listorious. See a need that isn’t met yet? Create a list.

UPDATE: This post will be updated as new lists become available.

Journalism

• “Journalists” by Muck Rack
• “Tech Pundits” by Robert Scoble
• “UK Journalists” by Stephen Davies
• “USA Today Journalists” by USA Today
• “Journ Online” by Craig Kanalley
• “Columnists” by David Gosse
• “Business and Finance” by Muck Rack
• “Anchors and Reporters” by CNN
• “CNN News” by CNN
• “Time Writers” by Time
• “Media Mavens” by Giselle Bison
• “Wall Street Journal” by Muck Rack
• “Washington Post” by Muck Rack
• “White House correspondents” by David Perrin
• “Chicago Sun Times” by John Silver
• “Onion Editorial Staff” by Onion
• “Chicago Tribune” by Muck Rack

Public Relations

• “PR People” by Andrew Bloch
• “PR” by Bob Pickard
• “PR Pundits” by Peter Himler
• “PR-Marketing” by Cal Perwitz
• “IABC Chapters” by Archana Verma
• “Journchat” by (Yes, this is my list.)

Blog

• “Power150” by Marco Sarik
• “Huffington Post Bloggers” by 2tomorrowknight
• “Mashable Team” by Mashable
• “RWW” by Josh Weinberger
• “Top Tech bloggers” by Lewis Gray
• “Team” by Techcrunch
• “Finance bloggers” by Stocktwits
• “Trendhunter.com Community” by Trend Hunter Editors
• “Food bloggers” by Alejandra Ramos

“In the middle of all the gossip and speculation that permeates people’s lives I still think they know the difference between real news and bulls*** and they’re glad that someone cares enough to get things on the record and tell the truth”
- Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) to Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) in “State of Play”

An easy way to post audio, text and photos in 140 characters, Cinch Cast, offers all three. In addition, you can reply to specific cinches (I guess that’s the verb) and assign them to specific folders.

The folder concept is great. I’ve already created one for my “random” day-to-day posts, for public relations, clients, etc. While you can view all of my cinches on one page, you can select a folder to view cinches related to a specific topic.

I’m already a fan of this network, especially because it easily posts to Twitter and Facebook.

A major differentiator for the network? They have a community manager who welcomes users and ACTIVELY seeks out feedback (the good, the bad and the ugly) and then does something about it.

If you decide to join or check it out, I’m at http://www.cinchcast.com/prsarahevans.

Happy cinching!

The grandchild of the blog or social media is the multimedia lifestream. What is a multimedia lifestream? An aggregation of EVERYTHING you do online that is social and/or for public consumption, housed in one place. I’m watching this evolution right now with platforms like Cinch and Posterous (where you can include more than text only updates). Even with these tools, we’re not quite at the full “lifestream” capabilities.

Where does all of your online networking activity go? Currently it might be segmented across three to five (or more) networks. If I friend, follow, fan, etc people and businesses on multiple networks, I might see five messages (the same of different) from them in a day. Much of this is then lost to me, unless I want to take the time to comment, like, retweet across multiple platforms (which I don’t).

We need a centralized hub for our lifestreams. I’m not talking about a syndication tool (post one time for all networks), but a meaningful location where our time spent in social networks and online communities is easily viewed. (Perhaps it’s the evolution of our current blogs and Web sites?)

In a perfect world, I’d love for people to be able customize their multimedia lifestreams, so they can share only what they’d like to IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE. If I was creating my stream today, I’d like to share (meaning my needs my change tomorrow):

• My Four Square location, badges and mayorships (or location-based application)
• A mashup of my tweets (Twitter), cinches (Cinch) and status updates (Facebook) and a  syndication option for additional networks
• “Forwarding” and streamlining of my instant message capabilities (Gchat, Facebook, AIM, etc)
• Photos
• Video
• Blogs and vlog posts
• In a sidebar area I might have items I’ve liked and/or disliked (a la Glue).
• RSS for my lifestream

I’m not talking about doing away with social networks, but making more efficient use of our time spent online. It also allows us to develop a more comprehensive online identity when we can share and interact more in one place.

More to come on this…

Participating in last Wednesday’s #smallbizchat via Twitter, we ran out of time and couldn’t get to all of the questions. The remaining questions and my responses are below.

An overview of the questions and my responses during the chat can be found here.

How much of that 10% would you say goes into building relationships? (per@jdp23)

This question is in response to my answer that you should spend 10% of your time working ON your business. Included in that time are your public relations efforts.

“I’m a newbie when it comes to PR.” Where should someone like me start? (per @TheSoapGallery)

Just like when you started your business, develop a strategy. Think about how you want to communicate with your stakeholders and how they may want to communicate with you. You’ll have different public relations needs depending on what you want to accomplish. For example, if you’re a new business owner, your first goal may be to generate awareness. You’ll want to know where your target audience is and find the best ways to reach them. This could include media outreach, a new blog, an email blast to your current distribution list, etc. There are thousands of tactics you could use, but you’ll want to consider the most effective and realistic ones for you and your business.

Where’s the best place to post a press release? (@RisingStarIdeas)

This depends again on what you’d like to accomplish. For example, if your goal is to purely generate search engine optimization (SEO) you can share it via a wire service (includes a cost).

If your goal is to garner meaningful media attention with an opportunity to reach your target audience, it’s not about where you place it. Two things of importance. The first is that you have something newsworthy to tell. The second, do your homework on the journalists and bloggers who would be most likely to share your story. Then craft a pitch to explain to them why their readers might be interested.

Any examples of good press releases to share? (per @phototakeouter)

I talked about the current state of the press release in my original #smallbizchat interview (scroll down). When you determine that a press release is appropriate for your information, make sure it contains the following:

• Newsworthy information
• Compelling headline
• Optimized first 250-words
• Answer: who, what, when, where, why and how

The pitch is also important. You can find out how NOT to pitch at the Bad Pitch Blog.

Should bios, press releases, etc be available in a downloadable format (PDF) or only as web content? (per @phototakeouter)

Anything you would like to make easily accessible to your public, including the media, should be available on your Web site. You may want to share high resolution photos that you would like people to use. However, if you want to track where your photos are being shared, you may include a low-res version with a contact where to request higher quality images.

AdWeek released an article today regarding Target’s recent accusation of false advertising for allegedly wrongly promoting ‘organic’ soymilk. Target is being targeted (pun intended) by The Cornucopia Institute, “alleging that Target was misleading consumers in its national newspaper advertisements for Silk.” (Target is also accused of wrongly promoting certain Archer Farms products as organic.)

As a consumer I first wanted to know if Silk promotes themselves as organic. On the Silk Web site they say, “Nature’s Perfect Protein. 100% Whole Harvested.” To me, this implies organic without saying it.  Healthy doesn’t equal organic, but can see how it’s easy to confuse. Looks like they need to clarify.

So, is this a Dean Foods issue or a Target issue? Michael Foley, former journalist and digital PR strategist at Waggener Edstrom says, “it doesn’t matter. Target should move to protect its customers and do the right thing.”

Assuming this is not a recurring trend (i.e. Target is not knowingly and wrongly promoting organic items), I think Target should apologize for the oversight, correct the information, pay any applicable fine(s) and move on. If this is not intentional and an ongoing pattern, this will not be a large negative PR campaign for the Target brand.

Or, in the words of Peter Shankman,

Peter Shankman, CEO, HARO

Small business owners sometimes choose not to receive money for their work.  They might choose cookies, clothes, pedicures and even oil changes as payment. It’s known as bartering or the trading of services. Before I started my business, I participated in non-formal barter agreements to secure part-time freelance work. Others barter to get their business up and running. Still others want to land that big client to gain visibility and prove their worth. And don’t forget about business owners who provide complimentary services so they decide not to pay one another.

To barter is to trade. When you trade products you establish that the items are of equal worth, right? What about when you trade a service, like public relations, for a tangible product?  Whether it’s perception or reality, I believe  one person will be left feeling under-compensated (or under-bartered?).

I’ve seen instances in public relations bartering where professionals overcharge their services and others who completely undervalue themselves. In both cases, one or both (the service or the product) feel they lost out.

Whether it’s perception or reality, I believe one person  feels as though they lost out on the agreement (not to mention it screws up the fee structure for other PR professionals).

Carrie Kerpen, president, The K Buzz scored a large gifting company when she and her husband started their business. The client paid them  in gifts that they could send to other clients. The work The K Buzz did for this client worked out exceptionally well and it turned into a full-time client.

This scenario landed the ideal result, but it is not always the case.

I love clothes and cookies, but it doesn’t mean I’m willing to barter for them. Perhaps right out of college this would have been an attractive arrangement.

What if we began paying one another in money as opposed to a traditional barter? Doesn’t the idea of payment make us more accountable to prices we quote?

I spoke with a marketing colleague who refuses to barter with anyone. She tells them outright that she’ll trade cash, not services. One of her accounts is a salon where she has a certain amount to spend there each month. She puts money back into their business and they put money in hers. It’s an equal trade for both.

Interesting concept.

Do you have a successful service for product barter story? A negative one? I’m interested in your thoughts.

P.S. I love peanut butter cookies.

Jermaine Dupri or J.D., is an American record producer, rapper and Grammy winning songwriter. With too many accomplishments to mention in this post, most impressive to me is that the man has found a way to continuously stay at the top of his game.

I’m from an Italian family where the dinner table is more than an object, it’s a place we come together and share, laugh and bond.

I had the privilege of sharing a special dinner while at Blog World with JD,  Brian Solis, Don Lemon, Ben Parr, Scott Monty, Rick Calvert, Jason Kintzler, L.P. Neenz, Ted Murphy, Erica Hartfield, James Andrews, Tamara Knechtel and Manya Susoev. (I may have to do an entire series dedicated to that experience.)

Scott Monty (@scottmony), Ted Murph (@tedmurphy) and JD

JD didn’t have to accept the invitation to dine with us.   But, he did (enthusiastically). During dinner he took the time to connect individually with everyone–in a meaningful way. It’s not a coincidence that the gathering of these minds was planned as a dinner. Just like my family, we laughed, shared, connected and, yes, talked a little shop. The topic of online communications and how it can be used for business was the primary theme.

I enjoy observing people. I’m the one who arrives at the airport early to get some good people watching time in before my flight.

This dinner gave me an opportunity to watch many people I’m a fan of, including JD.  I’ve followed his online launch and wondered just what it was that makes him successful. From the time I spent with him, here’s what I observed as key:

• Hard work – The man doesn’t stop!
• Adapt and evolve – He could have played out his success long ago, but instead chooses to stay ahead of the curve and is all about using online communications in his business.
• Insane talent – Ever heard him deejay live? The best I’ve ever heard. And that’s not even touching on his ability to produce, rap, promote, etc.
• LOVE of music – Enough said.
• Risk – Remember Kriss Kross and the whole “wearing clothes backwards” phenomenon? Yep, that was JD.
• Real – It’s really him on Twitter, his blog, etc. When you interact with him online it feels real because it is. I noticed him more than once checking his Twitter feed and responding to people.

Me with JD (@LTLline)

It’s easy to list these gifts, talents, attributes whatever you call them. But to actually possess all of these is rare. Hard work is called hard for a reason. A mentor once told me, “do what you love and the money will come.” Risk taking is scary because it means you’ll either succeed or fail and nothing in between. These are differentiators that set apart those who are successful and those who are not.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to learn from someone who is DOING instead of TALKING, rocking it out instead of sitting one out and walking the talk instead of putting forth a false identity.

I wrote this post selfishly for me. It’s a personal reminder of what I need to do every day in order reach and eventually stay at the top of my game. What about you?

It’s so easy to press that little “hide” button on Facebook. If you’ve hidden a fan page why are you (or did you) confirm them in the first place?

Perhaps one of these reasons:

• “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
• “I felt guilty if I didn’t because it’s a friend or family member’s fan page.”
• “I thought I’d receive information I could use to help me.”
• “It was an impulsive move (and they’ll know if I leave the page now.)”
• “I’m sick of getting the fan page request OVER and OVER again.”

Instead of hiding fan pages, I’ve taken to leaving page(s) altogether. Why? Even if I’ve hidden them they can still reach me via messages, events, etc. Personally, I like to fan those who provide important content, offer exclusive deals and/or promotions, a celebrity or spokesperson I really am a FAN of, to name a few. However, I know many people who simply hide a page when they experience many of the scenarios listed below.

If you’re using a Facebook fan page as a way to engage with your audience, there are two ways to ensure a swift communication death: the “hide” button and the “remove me from friends” link. The trick is to provide quality information and that which is most relevant to your audience. It’s not easy, takes time and can improve communication and relationships with your audience.

Do a quality check of your fan page to ensure your audience can’t say any of the following  and stay public and present in their Facebook stream.

I receive a fan page message every day or several times each week
I could handle a daily breaking news message or a 50% off exclusive shopping discount, but I don’t need a daily update on anything else. The best communication is timely and relevant. If I get saturated with messages from you, I no longer see them. They become white noise and may eventually lead to me leaving your fan page.

I’ve been invited to 300 events in the past month (alright, that’s an exaggeration)
If your event is in Australia, it’s pretty unlikely (unless you’re paying my expenses) that I’ll be able to make it.

Don’t invite everyone in your fandom to an event if you’re not sure they’d be interested. Yes, it takes time to know your audience. However, a targeted approach may garner more success in engagement and attendance at your events. A few things to consider before sending the invitation:

• Geographic location (if people live more than 30 miles away, a Thursday night even may not be of interest to them)
• Timing (if this is a last minute event and my fans are primarily parents with young children, they may not be able to make it)
• “Remove from my events” (you notice someone who never displays your events or consistently replies no)
• Cost (the event you’re planning is $250 a ticket…I better really be interested in the cause or concept)

You clog up my Facebook stream with information that doesn’t matter to me
I’m excited you were featured on The Today Show. It makes sense you’d want to share that with your fans. However, if you start sharing every media placement, every day, I’m going to lose interest. Save the “big hits” or a media interaction that drives home an important message. Or, you’ve decided to link your Twitter profile with your Facebook status update and you tweet 20 times per hour. Think, “less is more.”

You tag me in notes, photos, videos to get my attention
Unless I’m actually mentioned in the note, photo or video, I probably don’t want to see it. If you tag me, I’m expecting to see something about me, not something FOR me or a promotion.

I receive the never-ending fan page request
This is targeted towards the pages I’ve yet to join. If I’ve ignored your fan page in the past, it’s not personal. Perhaps it doesn’t fit with the type of information I want to receive on Facebook or I “follow” and/or connect with you on other networks and don’t want duplication. I understand sending the request two times (perhaps I missed the first one or accidentally ignored) any more than that will ensure I never “confirm.” Furthermore, if the requests keep on coming in, I’m going to be turned off by your brand.

I receive the never-ending Facebook private message to join your fan page
(See previous response.)

You’ve created a fan page for a topic that doesn’t need a fan page
This is open to personal interpretation. If you’re hosting a one-time event, you may want to think about the effectiveness of a fan page versus an event. We’re inundated with information. Do we need one more fan page?

What makes you “hide” or “remove” yourself from a fan page? What keeps you an engaged member of a fan page? What advice would you offer?

I was among a group of individuals who received an early release of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book Why Now is the Time to Crush It! Now I have the opportunity to talk with Garyvee (as he’s known by his fans) about how he’s built his brand, a few of his favorite social media platforms and tools he uses and just what “crush it” means. And if Garyvee isn’t enough, I’ll be joined in the chat by Pete Cashmore, head honcho of Mashable (@Mashable).

Join us via your computer on Thursday, October 8 in The Mashable Lounge from 9-10 p.m. EST for a live chat.

If you’ve ever watched Gary on video before, you know you’re in for a treat. I just hope that I can keep up.

Have a question for Gary? Ask during the chat or submit your question early via the comment section of this post.

See you soon!

It’s Monday night which means it’s #journchat. Tonight’s chat had approximately 168 professionals (with more than 1,000 tweets) who participated. A one-question poll tonight (taken by 90 of the participants) showed the following breakdown: 26 journalists, 38 PRs, 21 bloggers, 18 marketing professionals among others. While we asked nine questions during the chat, I’ve highlighted a few that generated a lot of dialogue. A complete recap from the chat can be found here.

What skills do the journalists and public relations of the future need? (A few of the top responses)

Journalists

• Adaptability and market knowledge
• Willingness to embrace new technologies
• Tell a compelling story in many media
• Connect with audience in text, audio, video
• How to find/aggregate news from other sources
• Self promotion and ability to engage audience after the story
• Social media

Public Relations professionals

• Shape context out of conversation rather than content
• Be able to pitch your story in 140-characters and write it in 500 words
• Multimedia skills
• Basic HTML
• An eye for design

What components are critical for a great digital/online newsroom?

A digital newsroom is a place online where journalists and bloggers have access to information about you and/or your company. To make this an effective use of space, #journchat-ers ranked these as the “must-haves” for an outstanding newsroom:

• Live-chat function with a PR person or expert who can answer questions quickly
• Access to blogs, Twitter feed and other online communities
• Ability to subscribe to RSS feed
• Excessive amount of stock content and embeddable (i.e. HTML code) images and video
• Highly functional search/filtering
• Press release archive that is easy to search
• Multiple formats of documents
• Effective use of tags
• Easy access to case studies and fact sheets
• Real-time news updates
• Easy to navigate

@CMM_PR recommends Ford and Starbucks as two good examples. <What would you recommend?>

What are the top 3 resources you can’t live without?

A few of my favorite responses:

An easy way to follow news outlets on Twitter with one click via Tweepml.org. If you would like to submit a news outlet to add to the list, click here.