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February 28, 2006: The Inverted Pyramid Is Still Alive

As blogs, instant messaging and other social media gain popularity, it’s tempting to conclude that communications professionals no longer need traditional journalism skills. Some have even argued that corporate public relations departments should be replaced with bloggers. After all, who needs the AP stylebook when you write with an informal, more personal online voice?

However, the inverted pyramid is still alive – and solid news writing skills are still highly relevant.

February 24, 2006: Help Dress Kevin

Kevin McCormick needs wardrobe help. From you.

The Forum reported on McCormick’s site that allows visitors to vote on outfits for the 22-year-old from Hoboken, N.J. You can dress him for work, the gym or a night out. On Thursday evening, the focus was dressing Kevin for his interview on the CBS Early Show.

McCormick’s site has been featured on Yahoo!, CNN Headline News and scores of other outlets.

February 21, 2006: Disappearing From Your Writing

The best writers disappear from their work.

This and other thought-provoking recommendations come from novelist Elmore Leonard in a post on his web site (via Lifehacker). Leonard maintains that disappearing from your work means you’re successfully showing – not telling – the reader what’s happening.

Although Leonard’s advice is written with the novelist in mind, a few of his main points are relevant for communications and marketing professionals.

February 15, 2006: Bad PR Pitches Are Exposed

Most public relations practitioners are smart, ethical people who want the best for their clients and profession. But the public relations profession has been tarnished for a variety of reasons – including practitioners who rely on ineffective (and sometimes clueless) media relations techniques.

Now comes The Bad Pitch Blog, launched last month by two seasoned public relations pros. The blog is dedicated to “outing” those who are giving the profession a bad name. Essentially, it’s an attempt to highlight good public relations practices by looking at the bad and the ugly.

February 10, 2006: The ABCs of AJAX

Sundog colleague .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is tracking the rapid evolution of AJAX in the development community and how it is affecting IT giants like Sun, IBM and Microsoft.

But if you’re like this blogger, the AJAX buildup doesn’t totally make sense yet and it hasn’t reached most communications and marketing professionals. At the same time, AJAX is intriguing – and it definitely seems primed for explosive growth this year.

February 07, 2006: iPods: Beyond Entertainment

The stethoscope is a timeless tool in the medical profession.

But according to a Time magazine article, today’s medical students are often less competent and comfortable with stethoscopes. Instead, they increasingly opt for expensive, high-tech tests to diagnose conditions that could be detected by careful listening through a stethoscope.

A Temple University doctor may have a solution. Time reports that Dr. Michael Barrett, in an American Journal of Medicine study, “concluded that medical students improved their stethoscope skills dramatically if they listened to certain digitally recorded soundtracks that mimic the distinctive vibrations produced by various valve problems and other cardiac conditions.”

Barrett created a recording of stethoscope sounds heard when a patient has an abnormal heart. Students downloaded the recording to an iPod and listened for two hours. The results were impressive: After listening to the iPod recording, students could correctly identify 80% of the sounds (up from 30% without the recording).

February 03, 2006: RSS: Pay Attention to More Stuff

Although RSS is a relatively simple technology, it can be difficult to describe to newcomers. Many people feel overwhelmed when they’re told to download an RSS reader, look for XML icons and add feeds. But once they understand the benefits – and begin using RSS – they’re usually hooked.

In a recent For Immediate Release podcast, contributor Eric Schwartzman reported on his interview with Joe Hayashi of Yahoo! Podcasts. Hayashi described RSS as a way to “pay attention to more stuff.”

Pay attention to more stuff. What a great, succinct summary – and an accurate description of how most of us use it.