Strategic Design is Fun!

I mentioned in my first post that advertising and design are more than just tools of persuasion; to many people (mainly the designers) they are an art form. To demonstrate this, once a month I will post examples of interesting, fun and strategic works.

Here are 15 business card designs that make their owners more memorable!

The following are courtesy of webdesignerdepot.com

The following are courtesy of designer-daily.com

See? Design can be fun! More exciting design to come next month!

Where It's "At."

The at symbol plays an integral role in the Twitterverse. Using the "at" allows tweeters to mention, reply or give attribution for a retweet to another Twitter user. The at symbol is part of the user handle. For example, True North's handle is and mine is .

[An aside: I'm going to assume you have already been through the basic Twitter setup of securing a snappy handle for yourself, finding people you know and following their tweets. I also presume you have begun tweeting with clever quips of 140 characters or less!]

Mention
In order to give a shout out to a friend, or "mention" them, include their entire handle (with the at symbol) in your tweet. You'll notice YOUR full handle is located in your Twitter sidebar. Click that and you will see a feed of all the tweets that reference your account.



Reply
A mention placed in the beginning of a tweet is a reply. You'll notice as soon as you enter a handle, the "What's happening?" prompt at the top of your feed changes to "Reply to ." Each tweet in your newsfeed also has a reply button in the lower right when you cursor over it.



Retweet
If you like what someone else is saying, retweet it! There are two ways to retweet. Just like with replies, a retweet button appears in the lower right of each tweet when cursored over. Unfortunately, this option does not permit you to add your two cents. to get around this, manually type in your thoughts followed by
"RT " then copy and paste the tweet.



Now, let's dissect the above retweet: First, my two cents. Followed by the RT and mention attributing the original tweet. Also, notice the two hashtags to follow the conversation (see previous blog post for # info). Finally, this tweet incorporates a photo. Yes - you can post photos on Twitter using a variety of different options. This particular one is on twitpic.com

Want to learn more? Come to the True North Providence Tweetup on December 16! Details are on our Facebook fan page!

Tweetup

Since the Internet and the English language first collided, words have gathered new meaning like friend and widget. Nouns have become verbs, like Google it and YouTube it. And new words have been invented, like Twitterverse and HootSuite.

Like the vlog and the mashup, so too is born the tweetup!

A tweetup is simply a networking opportunity for people who use social media like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to meet offline and in person. The topic of the tweetup can be any shared interest of a community. NHL hockey fans in a Facebook group can organize a local tweetup, so can LinkedIn plumbers.

The key to a tweetup is ensuring people can follow the conversation on Twitter. That's where the #hashtag comes into play (see previous blog entry for #). Interested parties plug the hashed words into search and can view the conversation and take part!



From California to Connecticut, folks on Twitter - or tweeps - are meeting up offline. Interested in how it works? Stay tuned...

#Hash It Out

Have you been wondering what the Twitter hashtag is about? Also called a pound sign or number sign, the hashtag, or #, has a very distinct purpose on Twitter. The # is placed in front of a word or group of words (no spaces) to identify it as a topic and organize it for tracking and trending. The word or phrase will become “clickable” and will allow Twitterers to follow what people are saying.

For example, I attended the PR News Summit in Manhattan a couple weeks back. Seminar organizers started the hashtag #prnsummit. Every time conference-goers tweeted, we put #prnsummit in the tweet. By simply clicking on #prnsummit, users can track what was being tweeted and retweeted at the conference.

Here are some fun, more global uses for the #:

· #MusicMonday (or #MM): Encourages Twitterers to tweet what they’re listening to on Mondays

· #TravelTuesday: Where ya headed?

· #FollowFriday (or #FF): Who do you follow with great tweets? (Tweet Example: Favorite social tweets! @mashable @scobleizer @paullyoung #FF)

Visit Web sites like whatthetrend.com or whatthehashtag.com to find out what people are talking about on Twitter. Sites like these track trending topics and define popular hashtags.

My personal favorite hashtag? Well, those that know me will not be surprised to know that I follow the AP Style Guide on Twitter (@APStyleBook). One day, I was stumped on a style point:

Not only did “@apstylebook” alert the high court of style that I was in need of a ruling, but “#apstyle” is a hashtag followed by other grammar geeks like me! In no time at all, PR types and English majors from across the land responded to my call for help. Fascinating.

Incidentally, Web site is two words and it is capitalized.

So, when you see #Providence, #FF, or #oneletteroffmovies (a favorite of @jon_favreau) give it a click and see what all the fuss is about.

This weekend I took my first dive into the Providence arts scene.

Saturday was the Providence Street Painting Festival and I spent the day drawing in an 8x8 foot square. Considering I am a mere 5’2, that was a lot of space to cover. I was excited to get started Saturday morning and after getting there, was not disappointed. I was one of many artists “painting” (its chalk so I’m not sure why they call it a painting festival) and there was a lot of amazing talent. Providence truly is the Creative Capital!

In addition to all the street artists, there were vendors along Westminster. I’ve been to quite a few art festivals in the past and sometimes the vendors leave something to be desired. This was not the case. The vendors all had incredibly polished work in an array of mediums; from jewelry and greeting cards to slippers and baby onesies. Their products also reflected the stores on Westminster very well. From Symposium Books to Craftland, the stores definitely have the same vibe as the festival. If Providence is the Creative Capital, Westminster is definitely its centerpiece.

From a marketing standpoint this festival was very well done. The location fit with the theme of the festival, definitely driving art goers to the local shops, bringing in vendors this year (first year to do this) brought more people to the event equaling

more money for the Rotary Club. The addition of vendors and new street locations created more opportunities to network with artists and people who are interested in the arts. Overall, smart moves.

At the end of the day I really like the way my chalk art came out, met some very talented people and look forward to my next exposure to Providence’s art scene.

Social Wordsmithery

I love words. I love the written word and spoken word. I believe in word equality and love homophones, heteronyms and onomatopoeia. I love spelling and punctuation.

I am a grammar geek and, as a communications writer, I am consumed with finding the proper word to use in a specific context.

I am interested in many things, from pop culture and trends to black and white movies and Irish music. But the English language is definitely at the top of the list. Here is a centuries-old method of communicating, and it is still evolving!

One only need look to social networking media for evidence of the ever-changing landscape of language and communication:

• capitalization? Don’t worry about it.
• Complting wrds in txt msgs? Not necessary.
• Say it in 140 characters or less? Even better!
• Have you DM’d or RT’d on Twitter yet? Don’t forget to # for trending.

With this brave new world of social media comes a whole new set of social etiquette rules: Do you friend your boss or clients? Should you really be “poking” people you haven’t seen since 1992? Is it obnoxious to “like” your own status updates?

And shame on you if you think Facebook and Twitter are just for “kids today.” There are opportunities for professional networking and brand growth worth exploring.

It is daunting, this new world. Concepts, ideas and applications are constantly developing or getting re-tooled for user ease and, frankly, its all pretty cool. So, I say jump on in, the water is fine!

I think it's possible to blend the traditional with the new and creative – and as a PR professional, I look forward to finding that balance on a daily basis.

With this blog, my aim is to share my odd fascination with all things language – including social media management. My hope is to entertain by keeping things relatively informal and in my voice. My goal is to inform with tasty little nuggets that may surprise you.

Most importantly, I hope you find this blog like a sturdy pair of khaki pants: casual yet still professional.

See you back here soon.

You can take the boy out of Rhode Island...

Like a bad penny (or health care reform) I just keep coming back. Bill and the True North team have graciously asked me to come back into the fold and serve as a contributor to the TNblog.

A little about myself: From 2004 to 2008, I was a student at Providence College and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English and political science. During my time at PC, I served as chairman and then executive director of the College Democrats of Rhode Island. After graduation, I was hired by Obama for America (OFA) to serve on the staff of their Ocean State operation.

After the campaign, I was lucky enough to be hired by Bill as an account executive at True North, where I had the opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in the business. Last month, I left True North to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.

Now, the million-dollar question: What will I be bringing to the TNblog?

Unlike many in my program, who come from the nonprofit sector, I come to policy development with a decidedly political lens. Politics is my passion – a passion I share with many Rhode Islanders, where politics is a favorite local sport. My goal is to discuss political issues that are fermenting beyond Lil' Rhody and its New England neighbors, and bring a focus to the national scope of the political landscape. I look forward to the opportunity to post on the TN Blog regularly.