Tag Archives: digital

BEST ENDEAVOURS: Best Welcome. Jane Cable’s blog about what happens once that digital publishing deal is in the bag continues.

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Jane Cable, publishing, writingBEST ENDEAVOURS
 
Jane Cable’s blog about what happens once that digital publishing deal is in the bag continues.
 
BEST WELCOME
 
For those of you who are really paying attention and haven’t yet lost the will to live with my burblings, last week I mentioned that one of the tasks on my list was to get to grips with my shiny new membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. I had, of course, been aware of the organisation for years and joining was one of the first things that Agent Felicity advised me to do but I needed publishing contract to be admitted to their hallowed halls as a full member. 
As soon as I had the contract I filled in the application form and sent off my cheque. In due course a membership pack thudded through my letterbox (not its fault – everything thuds onto the chunk of slate behind our front door) and I eagerly scrambled my way through the papers to find out all the ways I could fully engage with the association.
So I fired off some emails; to the website co-ordinator, the libraries’ liaison officer, the named contacts for the Cornish and South chapters (having feet in more than one geographical camp). And with some trepidation sent another cheque for the winter party. In London. With crowds of people. People I didn’t know. Gulp.
best-endeavours-best-welcome-jane-cables-blog-about-what-happens-once-that-digital-publishing-deal-is-in-the-bag
Very soon my inbox was filled with emails welcoming me to the RNA, and before long I was sharing online conversations and writing experiences with authors I knew only from their Amazon profiles. The genuine warmth left me feeling as though I was snuggling into a very large and fluffy (in a not remotely Barbara Cartland way) blanket and joining a group of writers who believe in co-operation because they know it works. And, well, because they’re positive, interested, interesting and overall friendly folk. 
The emails gave me the courage I needed to venture towards Twitter with the #TuesNews hashtag and @RNATweets handle. Nervously I tweeted about a lovely review I’d received for The Cheesemaker’s House. Within minutes the retweets had started and within hours reached a level I had previously only dreamt of. New follows and followers, my online network expanded in directions which are perfect for me. And what’s more I will actually meet some of these lovely people; both in London next month and at the chapter meetings in Cornwall and in Southampton.
Throughout my business life I’ve believed in the value of networking and although it sounds sexist I also think women understand the process of giving your time and energy to virtual strangers better than men. Not all RNA members are women by a long chalk, but most of us are, because that’s the way the cookie crumbles in the writing world. 
There’s also something about the genre of romance itself; those who write it, write about people. So we’re interested in people. We like people. And that attitude shines from the RNA like no other organisation I’ve ever had the privilege to belong to.
 
Jane Cable is the author of two independently published romantic suspense novels, The Cheesemaker’s House and The Faerie Tree, and a sporadic contributor to Frost. The Seahorse Summer tells the tale of how two American soldiers born sixty years apart help forty-something Marie Johnson to rebuild her shattered confidence and find new love. Discover more at www.janecable.com.

Enter The Prestigious Blogger Awards

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blog, awards, enter, now, Exciting news: The UK’s most prestigious blogger awards are back to celebrate the very best talented industry professionals and individual bloggers from the lifestyle industry. What are you waiting for? Enter from Monday 1 September 2014.

Entries for the National UK Blog Awards will open on Monday 1 September 2014 and provide a unique opportunity for bloggers from the lifestyle industry to be recognised nationwide.

 

The first ever National UK Blog Awards took place in April and achieved huge success with over 900 bloggers entering the awards and 16,000 members of the public voting to determine which blogs deserved a finalist spot

 

Alongside the category for the lifestyle industry, bloggers will have the chance to enter into 13 other categories including automotive, education, health and events, whilst members of the public can also nominate their favourite individual or company blogger.

 

Gemma Pears, director of the National UK Blog Awards, said: “The UK Blog Awards provide a unique opportunity to be acknowledged and recognised as a true knowledge provider within your industry.

 

“Blogging is growing increasingly important in the UK; it’s a great way to position yourself as an expert in your field to build your credibility, as well as being able to showcase your knowledge whether you’re blogging as an industry professional or simply because you love to write.

 

“Awards are a hugely powerful marketing tool. They give you and your business immediate credibility and set you apart from the industry norm.

 

“Whether your blog is your business, a hobby or it’s part of your daily working tasks, a good blog can really help develop your client’s trust and helps close the gap between the ‘you’ and ‘ them’.”

 

You can enter your own blog or nominate a blog at www.blogawards.co.uk from Monday 1 September 2014, with entries closing on Friday 31 October.

 

The UK Blog Awards are on the look-out for expert judges from the lifestyle industry to help decide which bloggers will be announced as finalists prior to the awards evening in April 2015.

 

 

Future Publishing Acquires Stake In Handpicked Media

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handpickedfutureSome very exciting news from Handpicked Media, which Frost Magazine is a part of, here it is in their own words:

Future has acquired a stake in Handpicked Media – a marketing agency for independent digital publishers – creating Handpicked Future Future plc, the international media group and leading digital business, today announces a strategic partnership with Handpicked Media.

The partnership sees Future acquire a 35% stake in Handpicked Media, which represents over 500 independent websites and blogs, reaching over 3.5 million unique users a month in the UK and six million globally. The Handpicked Future partnership provides Future with access to Handpicked’s roster of influential blogs and independent sites across a range of lifestyle channels including Fashion, Beauty and Entertainment. And in return Future will drive the effective commercialisation of those sites.

As a pioneering agency working in social media, Handpicked Media has curated a growing portfolio of influential sites across a range of lifestyle channels since it was launched in 2009 by entrepreneur Krista Madden. It manages the interaction between its community and a range of consumer brands, offering clients an array of opportunities to reach a very targeted and highly engaged audience.

Mark Wood, CEO of Future plc, says: “Handpicked has created a powerful social media proposition, curating a portfolio of leading independent sites and blogs across a range of sectors including beauty, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. Our partnership grows Future’s digital audience in attractive new sectors and is another signal of Future’s intention to deliver greater audience engagement and diversified revenue opportunities from digital platforms.”

Handpicked Future solutions include social media strategy, blogger outreach, content creation, events and integrated campaigns for a range of brand partners including Gucci, Karen Millen, Vodafone, Nivea and Intel. Future will drive the next phase of commercialisation across the collective, with an initial focus on developing the women’s lifestyle offer, under Future Women Managing Director, Jo Morrell.

Jo says: “Future is all about digital innovation and creative content, and Handpicked Media shares that sensibility. Krista and her team have created a really powerful social platform, which Future can support, expand and commercialise. Our award-winning digital excellence offers tremendous opportunities for lifestyle, fashion and beauty brands to deeply engage their audiences through Handpicked Future. I’m thrilled to seal this partnership.”

Krista adds: “We are very excited to be working with Future to expand our audiences, while supporting and developing the talent we have. The combined expertise of the new Handpicked Future team brings innovation and a unique proposition across social and digital platforms.”

Future reaches 58 million global unique users a month online and in the last year so over five million digital editions of its products for tablet and smartphone devices.

Future is the PPA and AOP Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year and the BMA Media Company of the Year.

PR or Advertising: So What’s The Difference?

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What's the difference between PR and advertising?Jane Ellison-Bates of Manifest Marketing outlines the difference between PR and advertising – and why that matters

We all make assumptions that certain aspects of our businesses are as clear to others as they are to us.   Whatever trade you are in it’s probably the same; there are some areas of knowledge which are so fundamental that you may assume other people, especially your customers, know what you know. But maybe they don’t.

I have been amazed on a few occasions when business owners have confessed to me that they don’t really understand the difference between advertising and PR.  After more years than I care to reveal in the business, to me it was obvious, but I have come to realise that it’s always worth highlighting with a new client the differences between the two.

My favourite way to explain it is the ‘earned versus owned’ principle.

When you decide to book and pay a publication for space or airtime you therefore ‘own’ it.  Quite simply, this is advertising.  Its principal advantage is that because you are paying for it, within reason you can say what you like.  You get to choose how it looks, where it appears and when it appears.  You are completely in control.  If anything goes wrong or contravenes the T&Cs of your booking then you have the right to complain and seek some form of recompense.  You are essentially blowing your own trumpet, and if you do it well you will convince some, if not all, of the people who see, hear or watch your advert that they should buy your product or service.

PR is a whole different ball game.  This time you need to ‘earn’ your space or fifteen minutes of fame.  You can’t pay a TV station to be featured on the news, or a magazine to run a feature; you have to be offering something that an editor wants to share with the audience.  It’s much, much harder and as such commands a greater value.  This time someone else thinks you’re interesting and is prepared to publicise it over and above other contenders. As a result, as a basic rule of thumb in the marketing industry, PR coverage is valued at three times its advertising equivalent, so, for example, a full page valued at £1000 in the advertising media pack is worth £3000 as editorial.  And you don’t actually pay them for it.  Weird but true.

Editorial coverage for your product, service or story wins you kudos in your field and sets you apart. The downside might be that your story isn’t deemed interesting and doesn’t appear, or that it gets edited in a way you don’t like; possibly even erroneously.  It happens.  Unless it’s actually libellous you are likely to have no comeback.  Alternatively, you may not like the position of the piece; but don’t even think about complaining if you want to have any hope of getting future coverage from them.

And that’s where a PR company comes in handy. Let them get to know your business and they will winkle out the interesting stories, present them well to minimise editing and ‘earn’ you that coverage that you covet.

Inbound Marketing And SEO: Insights From The Moz Blog | Book Review

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Inbound Marketing & SEO: Insights From The Moz Blog , Rand Fishkin ,Thomas Høgenhaven, book, book review, SEO, I am sure some readers will have no idea what this book is about. Nor even care. But for those with blogs, online magazines, websites or digital companies, Inbound Marketing and SEO: Insights from the Moz Blog By Rand Fishkin and Thomas Høgenhaven is essential reading.

This excellent book didn’t only teach me a lot of stuff I didn’t know, it also taught me stuff I didn’t know that I didn’t know. That is not to say it made my head hurt with esoteric talk, as well as being knowledgeable it is also easy to read and the knowledge sinks in. I love the graphs too.

If you are in the digital media business I think you should buy this book, read it as quickly as possible and then reevaluate your business. Great business advice in a humourous and enjoyably written book. Brilliant stuff.

The Moz blog is the go-to place for the latest thinking on Search Engine Optimization, and Inbound Marketing and SEO: Insights From The Moz Blog is an anthology of some of the finest writing on this topic.

Search engine optimization (SEO) has been a growing area for many years but industry professionals now recognise that they require a broader set of competencies. In order for SEO to be successful, a wide range of marketing channels need to be covered. In response, Inbound Marketing and SEO is split into sections encapsulating: Channels of Online Marketing; Search Engine Optimization; Content Marketing; Social Media; Outreach; Conversion Rate Optimization; and Analytics.

Aimed at both new and experienced marketers within each of these six sub-disciplines, it primarily focuses on leveraging existing products such as Google, Bing, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as marketing platforms. While most of the book does not require advanced technical knowledge, it also contains articles which look at SEO from a more technical point of view – for example, focusing on how to implement schematic data in HTML or setting up advanced segments in Google Analytics.

Updating the The Moz blog’s most popular articles on the key SEO disciplines, this new title compiles them with brand new, purpose-written articles which are unavailable elsewhere.

Inbound Marketing & SEO: Insights From The Moz Blog is available here, Waterstones, WH Smith and wherever books and e-books are sold.

All of Your Digital Life in One Secure Place: LifeKeep Review

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This post brought to you by BuzzParadise. All opinions are 100% mine.

LifeKeepAs our life's are becoming more and more virtual it seems like there will be no aspect of ourselves that technology does not touch. While we may not have flying cars or hoover boards, technology has evolved so much and added so much to our lives.

As our digital lives become more important to us, so does the technology to keep it all in check, but users do not yet trust the cloud. Their digital lives are scattered all over the internet and they are worries about security, people stealing their data and advertisers tracking them. There seems to be no such thing as privacy anymore. And that is where Lifekeep comes in. As Lifekeep says, "LifeKeep is a digital vault, a personal and secure Cloud account, a comprehensive and respectful solution that capitalizes on 4G and the latest encryption technologies to bring you what you always longed for"

So Frost Magazine decided to try out a free LifeKeep account. LifeKeep

First of all we signed up for a free Lifekeep account and also downloaded the free LifeKeep app.

So what exactly does Lifekeep do? It stores, manages and retrieves multi-media files. From Lifekeep you can post pictures to Facebook and share things with your friends. It also backs up your entire digital life. It also does file conversions to new format in the future. LifeKeep

One of my favourite things about Lifekeep is being able to access all of my data and files without any of the information having to be on my iPad or iPhone. This way, if anything gets stolen my personal data is secure. I can manage and retrieve everything through Lifekeep onto my iPad, from documents to pictures.

LifeKeep

As well as retrieving things yourself you can also securely share files. Lifekeep has a secure network through which you can even chat and blog with friends. It is better than dropbox and safer than Facebook.

Lifekeep also lets you handle your digital life after you have passed away. It allows you to safely pass on the keys to your digital life.

The security of Lifekeep is impressive. Lifekeep has, "The AES-256 encryption technology, which the U.S. Committee on National Security Systems called worthy of securing “top secret” classified documents, is widely considered to be the Highest mathematical security encryption standard today. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. Someone trying to hack into your account would have to use as many computations as there are hydrogen atoms in the observable universe."

All in all we are very impressed with Lifekeep. We give it full marks and will definitely be using it in the future.

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NEW beactive PROJECT ON A “COLLIDER” COURSE with SCI-FI SUCCESS

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BRAND NEW beactive PROJECT ON A “COLLIDER” COURSE with SCI-FI SUCCESS

Multi-award-winning trans-media production company “beActive” have released another ingenious cross-platform creation, “Collider”, on Monday 4th of June 2012!

The new sci-fi concept will be available in various formats, spanning comics (print and digital), live-action web-series, app/online game, graphic novel and eventually becoming a feature film, to be released in 2013.

The first of the weekly series of eight webisodes are available exclusively on Frost Magazine first and then on beActive’s You Tube channel and stars BAFTA award-winning Scottish actor Iain Robertson of Rab C. Nesbitt and Basic Instinct fame.

The edge-of-your-seat action sees Iain’s character, Peter Ansay, a quantum physicist who is ostracised by the scientific community after issuing warnings about the dangers of The Hadron Collider.

Peter takes matters into his own hands when he breaks into CERN, the facility on the Franco-Swiss border, to sabotage the collider and accidentally transports himself and five others to 2018 where the post apocalyptic world is racked by natural disasters and at war with the “Unknown”. The six time travelers now have to fight to discover how they got there, how to survive and most importantly, how to get back to the present!

beActive’s co-founder and CEO Nuno Bernardo said: “Collider is a real sci-fi spectacular! By transporting the viewer into another dimension we are really able to delve into each of the characters pasts and follow their journey as they fight to return back to their present time.”

Follow the rise of Collider at:

www.facebook.com/colliderworld

and on Twitter; @beActiveMedia