Mediaboss Marketing

Feature Self-Publishing Calls Itself Independent Publishing as Independent Publishers Search for a New Term

by Nina L. Diamond

We have a very big word problem.

The problem surrounding the words independent, indie, independent publisher, indie publisher, independent publishing, indie publishing, independent author, and indie author.

Small press used to be the term commonly used for an independent publishing house. Then, nearly 20 years ago, that term was replaced by the terms independent publisher and independent publishing house (often also called indies, indie publishers, and indie presses), because the word small was misleading and inaccurate. Many independent houses are quite large. Now, small press is a term only used to describe a press that's actually small: one that only publishes a few titles each year.

Independent publishers need a new term once again, not because that one isn't a good one, but because the stigma still attached to variations of the term self-publishing has led self-published authors to now call themselves independent (and indie) publishers and authors.

This has caused much confusion and frustration throughout the independent publishing wing of the book biz.

"Calling self-publishers... 'Independent' is a misnomer. It's like calling your pot dealer an independent pharmacist," wrote Jarek Steele, co-owner of Left Bank Books, a St. Louis independent bookstore, in a July 3, 2011 blog post about what self-publishers are really facing in the marketplace. "There are no quality controls, no support from professional publishers, no support from bookstores -- and that's just for the writer. The reader gets the short end, too."

Steele's post spoke for many in the publishing industry who share his views, and not just authors, editors, and publishers.

"I know I'll get a lot of flak for pointing out the uncomfortable truth, but it is the truth," he wrote. "Independent Publishers are businesses...those are true indies. Not the snakeoil salesman who promises riches beyond your wildest dreams -- for the right price. To call this Independent Publishing is insulting to the agents, publicists, sales reps, accountants, yes even credit reps in the publishing business, and truthfully it's insulting to independent bookstores. Just because you borrow a term and apply it to something else doesn't mean it's true. Words actually mean something."

Read the original here:
Wanna Be Called IPPY Publishers?

March 19, 2012, 7:53 AM PDT

Takeaway: To display specific information about a shared Word document including its author, you can use the fields feature.

When you share documents with others, its helpful to identify the document in various ways. You could display the documents file or author name, when the file was created or last revised, and by whom. Fortunately, using Word fields, displaying this type of information is easy.

First, decide where you want to display this type of information. Most likely, youll want to do so in the header or footer, but you can display it anywhere you like. Next, youll add the fields, as follows:

Its easy enough to include this type of information, but you might run into a problem. Fields dont update automatically. For instance, if you change the documents name, the FileName field will continue to display the documents previous file name until you update the FileName field. To update a field, simply select it and press [F9]. Theres your problem - you must remember to update the field to display the most up-to-date information!

You can add a macro that updates all of the documents field, but you must remember to execute it.If you forget, you end up distributing a document with the wrong information in the header.I dont have a solution that doesnt require a bit of user attention. Whether you create a macro button or attach the following macro to the files open or close process, the potential exists for an error of inattention:

This macro cycles through the StoryRanges collection, which references nearly everything in the document. Consequently, this macro updates every field in the document, so keep that in mind when applying itthat might not be what you want to do. Opening the file will execute it automatically.

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Add helpful information fields to a shared document

In 2008, Rupp Arena marketers faced a thorny problem: How could they keep pace with an increasingly sophisticated concert market?

Back then, the nation was in the throes of the golden age of blogging. What would come next? And how would Rupp market itself to the changing social media climate?

In retrospect, the answers seem obvious: Facebook. Twitter. And others, including Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, Vimeo and Eventful.

But concocting a social media strategy is neither intuitive nor foolproof.

Rupp Arena's response to the challenge it faced has succeeded to the point that it was recently ranked No. 5 on a list measuring the social media power of venues nationwide. On the list by trade publication Venues Today, Rupp was up in the stratosphere, along with media-savvy giants including Los Angeles' Staples Center and The Roxy.

How did Rupp do it? And how can other organizations build a social media base that can adapt to changing media platforms?

The Rupp Arena marketing team composed of Sheila Barr Kenny, marketing director; Paul Hooper, graphic design/social media; and Matt Johnson, graphic/Web designer started with a blog on Rupp's Web site. But Kenny said that soon, it "became apparent that Facebook was where people were spending the most time."

But going from zero to a fully developed social media strategy is more than simply starting a Facebook page and tossing in an occasional Twitter post.

For Rupp, casting a social media net is a finely calibrated combination of Web site, blogging, Facebook and Twitter. The real-time nature of Twitter lets members of the marketing team visit campuses to hide event tickets and give clues to their locations even as students are searching.

"The strategy was to keep it active, but not so active that it was inundating people," Kenny said.

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Rupp Arena a leader in social media marketing

Wouldnt it be great if you could prove youre more valuable to your company than everyone else?

Thats the idea behind a new social networking tool from Saba, an outfit that makes human resources software. On Tuesday, the company will unveil yet another Tweetbook-type application for businesses, called the Saba People Cloud, competing with business social networks such as Yammer and Jive. But theres a twist: Everybody gets a People Quotient (pQ).

Yes, the pQ is a number that seeks to rate how valuable you are. Its reminiscent of services such as Reppify and BranchOut that analyze your activity on public social networks Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to create a score for HR departments thinking about hiring you. Instead, Sabas grabs similar info from its own company-specific social network and build a score specific to your activity in the workplace.

In some fields, employees are already rated with hard metrics. Salespeople are easily ranked by the number of deals or dollars they bring in. But in other cases, your impact to the company is difficult to pin down. Saba CEO Bobby Yazdani tells Wired that he wants to cultivate an environment where a company knows exactly how well all employees are performing. We want an organization where people can benchmark themselves and know the impact of what they do, he says.

At this point, sharing a pQ score across the network is optional. But to many, it may feel like another example of social networking turning into Big Brother. While Yazdani says Saba is just starting this journey with pQ, rating ones performance according to their activity on a social network will undoubtably provoke debate. After all, theres more to work than sharing, commenting and the other nuances of social networking.

The algorithm behind pQ will examine a wide range of data. Simple tasks like completing your Saba profile and entering background certifications contribute to the score. But as you use the service regularly updating your status, following other employees, and being followed your activity will play into the score as well.

The engine looks across an organization to compare your performance against other managers with similar positions and goals, and it determines the quality of your social interactions and contributions across the company. The idea of quality is part Google search algorithm, part gamification, and part natural language processing. Its like a corporate Klout score a controversial score that rates your social networking impact on the public internet.

The more you accrue followers, engage with others, and post stuff that people reference in their own posts, the better your pQ score. If you share a report you wrote and a bunch of people cite it, your pQ increases. Saba also runs through the feedback and comments on what you share, and it decides whether it was of value to the company.

Not all businesses have the same goals and operations. But Saba says that as employees share and interact on Sabas network, the algorithms learn how people operate and react accordingly. The system also alerts employees when their scores are low.

Read more:
Meet Saba, the Social Network That Rates Your Job Skills

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: At noon Wednesday, March 21, Unlimited Future Inc. will host a brown bag lunch and learn and find out how your business can use social media to communicate with your customers and increase your bottom line. The seminar will be taught by Larry Nitardy of ComAssit, a local business that helps start-ups, small and mid-sized companies identify possibilities, map and execute actions that improve margins, empower personal and corporate choices and create sustainable growth.

Unlimited Future, Inc. Business Incubator is located at 1650 8th Ave. To register, go to http://www.unlimitedfuture.org or call 304-697-3007.

TOURISM MINI GRANTS: At 10 a.m. Monday, March 26, The West Virginia Department of Tourism will be at Unlimited Future Inc. to discuss the The Tourism Matching Advertising Partnership Program (MAPP). MAPP provides matching funds for innovative and effective advertising projects that increase tourism in West Virginia. The purpose of the program is to extend the advertising resources of the tourism industry through partnerships, support advertising strategies (both small and large), provide incentive and opportunity for tourism growth and to help communities to improve the local economy by strengthening West Virginias tourism.

Attend to find out if your business, festival, fair or location is eligible to take advantage of these matching grants. Unlimited Future is at 1650 8th Ave., Huntington. To register or with questions, call 304-697-3007 or go to http://www.unlimitedfuture.org.

GOODWILL OFFERS HOMEBUYER EDUCATION CLASSES: Goodwill Industries Consumer Credit Counseling Service will hold a Homebuyer Education Class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 24, in the conference room of Goodwills offices at 1102 Memorial Blvd. in Huntington.

The class will include assessing homebuyer readiness, budgeting and credit, the value of homebuyer inspections, financing, mortgage instruments and loan closings, as well as keeping proper records for home maintenance.

The class fee is based on a sliding scale and participants must bring proof of income to the class. For more information or to discuss fees, call Michelle Hightower, Certified Housing Counselor and Homebuyer Educator at Goodwills Consumer Credit Counseling Service 304-522-4321, ext. #135, or email her at mhightower@goodwillhunting.org.

CAKE DECORATING: Goodwill Industries is offering a six-week course in professional cake decorating beginning from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, March 26, at 1005 Virginia Ave. The class will meet once a week, always on a Monday night, and costs $100.

The hands-on course aims to teach students to prepare, decorate and complete original cake designs. Students can develop skills in making flowers and leaves, writing and working with icing colors. Those who successfully complete the course could leave with the skills necessary to launch a career in cake decorating. Course costs includes decorating tips and supplies for the students to keep.

Students will be prepared to decorate an entire cake of their own unique design by the last week of class. Class is limited to 15 students.

Read more here:
Tri-State in training: Upcoming seminar focuses on social media marketing