After an intense workout session, a recovery period is essential for muscle rejuvenation, inner reflection and whole-body relaxation. If you’re an SM 10X30 participant working hard to complete our social media “workouts,” the same applies to you.

In this weekly series, SM 10X30 fitness trainer and resident social media specialist Nick Shin answers selected questions from program participants, offering tips and insights to help you make the most of your training. (more…)

It’s a communications love triangle. Who do journalists go to most for sources and story research: PR or social media? Actually, it’s not as contentious as it sounds. According to social media strategist Sally Falkow’s summation in a posting on eConsultancy‘s blog , a national study found that 89 percent of the journalists polled rely on social media even though nearly half of them believe that it suffers from a “lack of fact-checking, verification and reporting standards” to make those sources credible.  As she puts it, “It’s a supplement, not a replacement.”

This is a good thing for PR. Journalists still consider the tried and true PR professional the best connection to reliable information. Yet, considering many PR departments and agencies are responsible for their clients’, not to mention their own, social media sites, it becomes doubly important to ensure content is factual and transparent. So, the symbiotic nature of the relationship becomes less a love triangle, and more a monogamous partnership — with one spouse being slightly schizophrenic.

Read Sally’s entire article, along with comments from readers.

Todd Defren, principal at high-tech PR firm SHIFT Communications and author of the popular blog PR-Squared, is the inaugural guest in our Ask the Expert series.  As the PR industry is morphing (thanks in great part to social media), so too is SHIFT with a new office in The Big Apple. We picked Todd’s brain on both fronts: (more…)

The global response to the crisis in Haiti has been overwhelming, and the outpouring of concern for the Haitian people has been uplifting. Individuals, businesses, governments, and organizations continue to show compassion by donating money, medical assistance and other professional services to aid in the relief efforts. (more…)

Marketwire recently changed the URL structure of client press releases on Marketwire.com so that the headline appears in the URL. This change affects all releases, past and present, regardless of the product or distribution, at no extra cost to our clients.  Old links are automatically redirected to the new pages using SEO-friendly  redirects, thereby retaining and potentially improving their page rank. (more…)

By way of this quick post, I want to officially welcome everyone who has already signed up for our free Social Media Fitness Program, SM10x30. Within 24 hours of the program’s launch, we had more than 300 people register, and response to the concept of ‘getting fit, fast, with social media’ has been overwhelmingly positive.

Created to help PR, IR and marketing communications professionals to better understand the how’s, why’s, so what’s and what’s-in-it-for-me’s of social media, the daily workouts and program exercises will show you the benefits of getting active in social media, and show you how it can help your business. (more…)

Frustrated with Facebook?  Troubled by Twitter?  LinkedIn got you feeling locked out?  For many PR professionals, the social media landscape remains uncharted territory –   fear of entry seems to outweigh the benefits of taking part in online conversations and engaging in social networks.  But you know social media is important to you and your clients.  It’s more than just a fad, and it’s changing the way people interact with one another and with organizations, and the way they get their news: (more…)

Twenty years can feel like an awfully long time. But, when you’re doing what you love, time seems to fly by, according to Claire Chisamore.

This January, Claire celebrates her 20th anniversary with Marketwire, having joined the company in 1990 when it was known as CCNMatthews. Starting in the accounting department, she moved around a bit, evolving in her role as the company itself evolved. Now, in 2010, Claire is Senior Client Relations Manager and Team Leader in Marketwire’s Toronto headquarters. The opportunity to get to know people – both co-workers and clients – has made her 20 years worthwhile. (more…)

At Marketwire, one of our most lauded competitive advantages is the consultative approach that we use in our daily interactions with clients who want to distribute their company news. Marketwire sales, customer service and editorial teams are available to help at every step of the way – from writing the release to submitting it for distribution – to ensure as best they can that your press release is set up for success.

But, because you’re dealing with the media (traditional and social), analysts and bloggers who are on constant information overload, a proper foundation for your press release is an absolute must, to even hope for a glance from their journalistic eyes. They need easy-to-read, digestible and newsworthy content in order to go through the dozens, even hundreds, of press releases they receive on a daily basis. (more…)

Social media is more than just a fad, and for many companies, it is becoming a bigger, more integral part of their overall marketing mix.  Social media presents numerous opportunities for businesses that might otherwise cost a company thousands (if not millions) of dollars in marketing and advertising spend.  According to eMarketer, in 2010 social media spend for B2B industries is projected to increase 60 percent over last year. But, what does this have to do with you and why should your business use social media? (more…)

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous new year.

From all of us at Marketwire