TK Magazine

We are 1 day away from the launch of TK Magazine! Our launch party is tomorrow night at Jul's. Our goal with TK is to provide Topeka with a classy magazine that showcases the business in the local business and lifestyle scene.

Our big unveiling of the cover (and we have a BIG cover printed up) will be at 6:45 p.m.

Go to the site and subscribe to our RSS feed so you can always get the latest business and community news.

Regulating the blogs

Could the end of free blogging be near? Read this column.

The Internet is the newest and most free medium of communication, which can be used to check both government and the mainstream media. This means, of course, that the government is already looking to regulate it. If certain legislators have their way, the end of free blogging on the Internet will come sooner rather than later.

Better podcasting

Yeah, yeah...it's been awhile since I've posted to the blog. I'm sure you're all dying out there.

A little magazine project kind of took over my life. See www.tkmagazine.com. It's a new lifestyle and business magazine for Topeka. I'll tell you more about it later.

But for now, here's a great piece on what makes a great podcast. I love podcasts...especially now that I received an iPod from my kids (read: my wife). Podcasts give you a great opportunity to connect with an audience on a personal level and communicate with audible learners. Oddly enough...that's not me. I remember more from what I read, but I still enjoy listening to very good podcasts (though I often couldn't tell you at the conclusion what it was about--funny how the brain works so differently).

Getting Fired for Email Abuse or Using Surveys for Big PR

Here's a CNN story on how a third of companies surveyed have fired someone for violating email policy.

Proofpoint reported that employers are ever more concerned that outgoing e-mail could pose a risk to the company. As a result, many companies are hiring staff to read and analyze outbound e-mail. According to the study, 44 percent of major U.S. companies have hired employees to do so.

Blogs and Instant Messaging are also a concern to many employers. Seven percent reported that an employee was terminated for such a violation while 17 percent reported that an employee has been disciplined.

This is interesting, and something companies should think about. Do you have an email policy?

But, to me, the more interesting thing is that Proofpoint, a company that helps companies reduce email risks, used this survey that they sponsored to get big press coverage (a CNN story!) for their company! And surveys can be a very inexpensive way to create a story

PR rules for dealing with bloggers

Different strokes for different folks, and that includes bloggers. Some will take any and all contact from PR people, some want contact only under specific conditions, while others don't want to hear from you at all.

Go here to read an interesting idea from Mobhappy on how PR pros can recognize the preferences of the blogger.

For the record, here is Mobhappy's own "policy":

1. Please make sure that the information is about mobile technology, or at a stretch, technology generally. Read the blog - is there a good chance we might publish it?
2. If you keep sending us rubbish, we won't read your pitches any more.
3. Keep it brief please, in the first instance. We can always ask for more info.
4. Don't use the comments section on our blogs to blatantly promote your or your client's products. It REALLY pisses us off. You have been warned.

Here is a blog post from awhile back that used ME, of all people, as an example of how to pitch to bloggers. It's amazing how many people who I know saw this post.