Throughout the speech, "Fake Zuck" made a number of company and feature announcements, including a "slow poke" button that takes 24 hours to reach the person on the other end (allowing the poker to retract the poke without the recipient's knowledge), and, hilariously, the "I'm Not Really Friends With These People" list. According to "Fake Zuck," this list is perfect for awkward friends from middle school, obnoxious neighbors, and others that we don't want associated with us, but who we can "only ignore for so long."

This is a great PR tactic for Zuckerberg, who seems to now be coming out of his reclusive shell and embracing the characters who have been portraying him in pop culture. Samberg even performed an impersonation of Jesse Eisenberg - who played Zuckerberg in The Social Network. The stunt shows a confident, smiling, likeable Zuckerberg - a far cry from the quiet, introverted and often awkward Zuckerberg of previous years.

Here’s the video in case you missed it:

In the old days of Corporate America, I often thought that the way companies handled letters of resignation, or, more importantly, the employees turning them in, was a bit over the top: having security guards watch employees empty personal items only (no company documents) and escorting them out of the office, or, in some cases, requiring that employees take nothing more than a purse, briefcase and keys when leaving, and promising that HR would contact said employee when all personal effects had been gathered off a desk. And then you hear about stories like the tale of Mark Davidson, and you understand why these security measures are taken.

Mark Davidson, a self-proclaimed Internet Sales & Marketing Professional and Social Marketing & Commnications Strategist, was busy doing what marketers do, and hired a team of three ghostwriters to manage his personal Twitter account. This apparently worked well for Davidson, until he decided to let one of his ghostwriters go, but failed to change his account password. Now, his Twitter account has been commandeered by a very disgruntled, apparently intoxicated, and recently-fired ghostwriter.

Over the past few hours, said ex-ghostwriter has been exacting revenge on his former employer through a series of embarrassing, albeit comedic, Tweets:

While it's tempting to get a chuckle out of an unfortunate colleague's misfortune, there are a few important lessons to be learned from this situation:

1. ALWAYS check references when hiring an employee - even when you're hiring a part-time Twitter ghostwriter. You want to get a sense not only of the employee's writing abilities, but his or her level of professionalism. In this case, the ghostwriter commandeered a personal Twitter account, and Mark will likely be able to laugh off the situation. However, a disgruntled former ghostwriter could also take over the Twitter account of a major US brand (and your star client), and the results would be far wider-reaching and more disastrous.

2. NEVER leave former employees with access to any accounts, social media or otherwise. Passwords should always be changed, and as soon as the employee leaves the building.

3. Investigate services, like CoTweet, that don't require you to turn over a master password to employees and contractors. We're creatures of habit who tend to pull from a limited pool of passwords. By handing over access to a Twitter password, think about what other accounts we're giving access to....Email? Facebook? LinkedIn? This can leave us, or our clients, vulnerable to similar "practical jokes."

Twitter parties, increasingly, are an incredibly useful tool for connecting with bloggers and building social media buzz. For some PR pros, Twitter parties are standard practice, but for many, Twitter parties are still a new concept.

What is a Twitter Party?

A Twitter party is a fast-paced, virtual party that utilizes the Twitter platform to create a chatroom-like session around a topic, theme, or brand of choice. Usually moderated by an expert of party host, these events are typically held in the evenings and last 1 - 2 hours. The conversations are tied together with the use of a hashtag that bloggers and hosts use to track and monitor party-related Tweets.

Why Are Twitter Parties Appealing For Bloggers?

In addition to common incentives, such as the ability to win prizes, bloggers enjoy coming together to discuss topics, connect and chat with fellow bloggers, and being a part of the community. BlogWire Twitter Parties, for example, have seen more than 200 RSVPs per event, and bloggers have expressed equal interest in winning review samples and connecting with new and old blogging contacts.

What Are The Benefits Of Sponsoring A Twitter Party?

In addition to the benefits of being able to distribute products for review by bloggers, Twitter parties are a great way for companies to virally spread word about promotions, company news, new products and lines, and other similar announcements - by asking questions that prompt bloggers to respond, in Tweet form, with details and URLs that link not only fellow party participants, but their Twitter followers, with information that a company is trying to distribute.

Maximizing Your Impact Through Twitter Parties

Making an impact during a Twitter party is an art. Asking the right questions can mean the difference between a successful event - one that drives traffic, sales, buzz and reviews for your brand - and one that offers nothing more than a short-lived jump in traffic. There are a few tips to building the perfect questions:

• Think about your overall objective with the event, and build questions around that goal. If you'd like to build general brand awareness about a new or relatively-unknown company, background and detail questions are a good fit. If you're looking to drive traffic for a specific holiday-themed promotion, then those same questions are wasted time during a fast-paced event.
• Be specific, and ask bloggers to respond with the brand's name, a URL, or other details
• Offer open-ended questions that give bloggers the ability to dig into your brand's website and explore your offerings
• Always include a question about a current promotion, and ask bloggers to link to a landing page that offers additional details about the promotion
• Participate in or observe other successful events for tips, good question formats, and to get a sense of pace and flow

Check out our calendar of upcoming Twitter parties and find the perfect match for your promotional needs!

Our colleague, Pace Lattin, has agreed to let us share with you a recent article, published on Performance Marketing Insider, which details some legal changes that may affect the way we do business as Facebook marketers:

According to legal analysts, there is a law being passed which could in theory make many types of affiliate marketing a federal felony. In theory, many types of marketing, which don’t fall under the terms and conditions of sites and social networks, could be prosecuted under the Department of Justice, for as much as three years in federal prison for each instance.

The issue here has to do with the Computer Fraud and Abuse act of 1986, which was originally made to prosecute and convict hackers, has been expanded over the years to include almost any type of “unauthorized access.” While this is currently just a misdemeanor, and the DOJ ignores these cases unless they are in combination with “real” crimes, that might be changing. Well, congress is about to expand this law to make it a felony, and make any “excess unauthorized access” a federal felony.

Check out the full article over at Performance Marketing Insider, and let us know what you think about these changes.

When the fund was announced on Thursday, AOL's chief executive, Tim Armstrong, defended the blog and its founder to  David Carr and NY Times, stating, "TechCrunch is a different property and they have different standards. We have a traditional understanding of journalism with the exception of TechCrunch, which is different but is transparent about it."

However, within hours (as buzz swirled around the Web and across traditional media outlets), it seems that AOL's position on the matter had changed, with Arianna Huffington, head of AOL's editorial operations, reporting to Carr, "Michael has stepped down and is no longer on the editorial payroll effective immediately," adding that he could continue to write for TechCrunch, but as an unpaid blogger. While reporters continue to point to the foul stench that the potential conflict leaves behind (after all, Michael Arrington, through his voice and reputation with TechCrunch, can effectively "make or break" a tech start-up, and whether or not he remains on the payroll at AOL, the staff at TechCrunch - many of whom were given their starts or owe substantial financial windfalls to Arrington - may still be influenced by Arrington's investment in a start-up, or feel pressure to cover that start-up on the blog), this blogger wonders about a larger stench in the air, one that seems to be largely overlooked by the media as they race with pitchforks to string up the "controversial" founder of one of the most reputable tech outlets in the industry.

Arrington is certainly an easy target - his gruff personality and controversial statements (as well as the slew of bitter entrepreneurs who resent being overlooked for coverage by the blogger and his staff) - have made him somewhat notorious in the industry. However, it is perhaps that personality and lack of a "play by the corporate rules" mentality (more so than a potential journalistic conflict) that may be the real cause for his separation from AOL. As one fellow AOL exec commented on a recent post of mine, "Some of us are weary of the unnecessary drama."

AOL's "Traditional Understanding Of Journalism"

Armstrong's claim that AOL has a "traditional understanding of journalism" is almost laughable when its properties, policies and executives are given even a cursory examination. Any "traditional" reporter should be able to cite the basic rules laid out in the Journalism Code of Ethics, founded and maintained by the Society of Professional Journalists in 1909 (It's important to note - this code is a self-imposed, self-regulated code and NOT law, as journalists are protected under the First Amendment). That code outlines, specifically, that "Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know," further citing that journalists should "remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility." A quick look at the company's head of editorial operations - the very figure who ousted Arrington for his conflicts of interest - shows gross violations of this "traditional understanding of journalism." Among these:

- Huffington is known as a reliable supporter of conservative causes such as Newt Gingrich's "Republican Revolution"

- Huffington backed Bob Dole's 1996 candidacy for president.

- Huffington heads The Detroit Project, a public interest group lobbying automakers to start producing cars running on alternative fuels.

- In a 2004 appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she announced her endorsement of John Kerry by saying, "When your house is burning down, you don't worry about the remodeling."

Outlets with a "traditional understanding of journalism" would see these public endorsements and obvious biases as a violation of ethical standards of journalism. And journalists without the personal brands that personalities like Huffington enjoy are subject to disciplinary action for such violations. In one case, a long-time local history columnist (and former coworker of mine), Frank Whelan, was suspended from his position at a Tribune Media publication for participating with his partner as the Grand Marshall in the local gay pride parade. In that case, publisher Ardith Hilliard stated that Whelan had violated the paper's editorial policy which banned staff from participating in "any kind of public demonstration in favor of or in opposition to a cause." Journalists, from the moment they step into their first class at J-School, are warned about the Code of Ethics and advised on how to comply - and limit their publication's liability. Suggestions (and company policies, depending on the outlets we write for) range from registering to vote ONLY as an independent to avoiding participation and volunteer with with non-profit organizations to prevent the perception of bias. That is how high the standards are for the average journalist - and the average journalist would likely lose his or her job participating on what Huffington has - especially when using her personal clout as a reporter and the reputation of her company to push influence for a cause.

The J-Code, and newly-outlined FTC guidelines, require proper disclosure for any "unavoidable" or "material" conflicts of interest. Michael Arrington and the TechCrunch team have a well-established disclosure policy when it comes to the editor's investments and involvements with companies (and had it long before the FTC stepped in to regulate the blogosphere). Arrington also has a strong reputation for publicly ripping into his own investments and the companies run by his "friends," including Loic Le Meur's Seesmic, which seems to show a level of journalistic integrity that flies in the face of the allegations he faced last week after the announcement of his fund.

However, unlike the TechCrunch team, posts by Huffington don't contain disclosures about her political and lobbyist group affiliations. Further, unlike TechCrunch, which reports op-ed pieces on technology start-ups, The Huffington Post claims to be a traditional "news" site - which should have AOL executives looking closely at J-Code violations and conflicts of interest by the site's top executive and its writers.

Abiding By AOL Blogging Guidelines

Huffington has been quoted as saying that Arrington will be allowed to continue to write for TechCrunch as an unpaid blogger, as long as he "stays within AOL's blogging guidelines." This all sounds very up and up, until one actually looks at the guidelines in question, which were leaked by BusinessInsider.com in February, 2011. Do these guidelines fall in line with the "traditional understanding of journalism" referenced by Armstrong? From the post:

Some tidbits:

• AOL tells its editors to decide what topics to cover based on four considerations: traffic potential, revenue potential, edit quality and turn-around time.

• AOL asks its editors to decide whether to produce content based on "the profitability consideration."

• The documents reveal that AOL is, when the story calls for it, willing to boost traffic by 5 to 10% with search ads and other "paid media."

• AOL site leaders are expected to have eight ideas for packages that could generate at least $1 million in revenue on hand at all times.

• In-house AOL staffers are expected to write five to 10 stories per day.

• AOL knows its sites are too dependent on traffic from AOL.com, and it wants its editors to fix the problem by posting more frequently, with more emphasis on getting pageviews.

News outlets are, first and foremost, businesses. Since the development of the penny press, the news has been transformed in style, format and content to drive revenue and increase the bottom line. However, most traditional outlets separate advertising departments from editorial departments (many times discouraging employees in these departments from comingling) to maintain a sense of editorial impartiality. AOL, it seems, is less interested in the "All the news that's fit to print" mentality of traditional journalism, and more in the "All the news that will drive revenue," mentality. It's certainly an easy target to throw a controversial, outspoken figure like Michael Arrington under the bus and cite conflict of interest, but it's baffling that the mass media isn't taking a deeper look at the larger AOL picture.

In his article about the split, David Carr writes, "Gee, I said to Ms. Huffington, I know we are in a bold new epoch of technology journalism, but the whole thing still seems, well, naughty." Yes, David, it does.

As you gear up for the holiday outreach seasons, here are some outreach tips that may help you maximize your 2011 holiday PR efforts:

Don't Delay! One of the most important things to remember when it comes to holiday outreach is that starting early is critical to every marketer's success. We all know that long lead publications, including glossies, are working on their holiday books as early as June and July, but many bloggers get started on their holiday coverage early as well. Despite short lead times for stories, many bloggers (especially part-time bloggers) have family obligations during the holiday season, so reaching out in December may prove to be too late to get their attention. Plan on at least 6 weeks of lead time, to allow time for product samples to be sent and reviewed, where applicable, or discounts and holiday promotions to be posted on blogs to drive holiday sales.

Plan A Tiered Campaign. While it's important to get started with holiday outreach early, you should also plan on a last-minute follow-up campaign right before the holidays. While many bloggers have already posted their holiday stories, many marketers will also have conducted their outreach campaigns, so last-minute pitches will have less "noise" to compete with, and may result in some last-minute posts, particularly if this outreach promotes a "last day to ship" or other updated promotion.

Show, Don't Tell. EVERY marketer is promoting "the must have" holiday item for 2011. Show your contacts why your product is useful, why your promotion is relevant to the holidays, and who your target audience is. Avoid use of fluff buzzwords and phrases (like "the must have holiday item for 2011") and instead focus on facts that paint a picture for bloggers. Have a food-related product? Consider offering up holiday recipes that are quick, easy, and timeless. Consider offering tips and how-to's from corporate executives on anything from holiday shopping and time-savers to holiday relaxation and stress-busters.

Tailor Your Pitch. This should seem obvious - but many marketers assume a knowledge of their client's brand or a clear connection to the holiday season. Even the largest, most prominent brands may be unknown to some bloggers (and at BlogWire, we've seen this happen). Include a one sentence summary of the brand, product or line that you're pitching, and be sure to include links so that bloggers can learn more about related products that your client offers.

Where Did They Go Wrong?

Bloggers Expect To Be Treated Like Traditional Media. One of the biggest mistakes that marketers make is in treating bloggers like consumers, rather than media. While it may be a tempting opportunity, most marketers wouldn't dream of offering the same invitation to Mark Bittman or other high profile print food writers. Bloggers were encouraged to write about the invitation and offer a pair of tickets to a lucky reader who was expecting an intimate dinner with a celebrity chef, only to have to retract their offer and apologize to readers who may have participated in some form of a promotion to enter to win said tickets. I can't imagine the reaction from a high profile news editor to such a switch.

PR Professionals Need To Know Their Contacts. It appears that not only were some of the attendees vocal on their blogs about their feelings on processed foods and artificial ingredients, but that discussions prior to serving meals revolved around eating healthy and "the sad state of chemical-filled foods." Much like offering a vegan food containing animal products with an "Aha - but it tastes good" reveal, offering bloggers opposed to artificial ingredients a meal containing just that is bound to generate a negative reaction. The group may have had a different reaction offering busy mom bloggers (who cover subjects like quick meals and aren't opposed to frozen foods) a "Ladies Night Out" with a similar reveal.

Don't Embarrass Bloggers In Front Of Their Readers. By offering bloggers a set of tickets to share with readers, they encouraged bloggers to misinform their audiences and offer something that had a higher perceived value - an exclusive, intimate dinner hosted and prepared by a celebrity chef. Had bloggers not spoken out against the bait and switch, they would have faced equal backlash from their own readers by allowing them to invest time and resources (babysitting costs, transportation, and their time) to participate in the event, only to learn that their special meal could have been purchased in their grocer's freezer aisle.

What Have They Done Right?

Admit Mistakes Quickly. ConAgra and Ketchum have been quick to admit that their plan didn't pan out as expected and to offer their apologies to participants and readers. While many bloggers are still upset about the circumstances, ConAgra has been able to join the conversation by offering an apology - while also communicating their message that the majority of participants were pleased with the event. The company may also want to consider coordinating interviews with these bloggers, especially as they are being contacted by major outlets for comment, to provide a fair and balanced picture for readers.

Join The Conversation. One of the major downfalls that large corporations face in the social media space is their size and the bureaucracy involved with getting approval for a corporate response to negative online buzz. Bloggers post quickly, and ConAgra has been able to formulate a response, as well as action plan to back up that response, quickly as well. I'm reminded of something that my mother used to tell me: "Once something is in writing, it's there forever." By responding quickly and acting to correct the situation, ConAgra is not only putting their voice on the record, but limiting the amount of negative press they'll receive.

Right Your Wrongs. Another major point goes to ConAgra for recognizing that many bloggers incurred expenses (again, such as babysitting, transportation, and other expenses) that weren't reimbursed by an employer, and offering to reimburse those expenses goes a long way toward showing bloggers that they truly are making an effort to "right the wrong." An "I'm sorry" only goes so far with an independent blogger who may have used her month's babysitting allowance or scheduled her only night out for this event.

Top Five Blogger Pet Peeves:

5. Irrelevant Pitches. As a PR pro for the last decade, I know first-hand the pressures of delivering coverage for a client, and how challenging it can be to keep up on all the posts for each of our media contacts, particularly if you've just signed a new client who requires that you brush up on an entirely new list of contacts. However, as a blogger, I've been the recipient of too many irrelevant pitches to count - pitches for new mom products (I don't have a baby), or for a service geared toward bloggers/readers in a geographic area 3,000 miles away from me. Most bloggers are flexible, to a point, but many express frustration over being treated like "the masses" - and bloggers talk. Making a pitch personal or taking the time to filter out extraneous contacts can make the difference between a successful campaign and turning off a blogger and her colleagues to your product.

4. Repeated, Insistent Follow-up. We're all under pressure to provide clients with updates, pending and current coverage, and to create buzz around our campaigns. However, 32% of bloggers surveyed cited persistent follow-up as a major pet peeve. One blogger noted, "For example, I once received an irrelevant pitch from a PR pro on a particularly busy day, so I didn't have a chance to respond to her query. A few hours later, I received a follow-up note, saying, 'I'm not sure if you've had a chance to read this, but I wanted to resend and make sure you received my pitch.' The following day, I received the same email, verbatum. I work and have a family, so I'm not tied to my computer all day. If I am out of town or busy, and return to my email after 2 days and see several emails - especially obviously teplated, mass emails - it's a major turnoff. That PR pro will probably get blocked as spam, which means that his or her fuure client pitches, which may be relevant, won't ever make it to my inbox." Most bloggers don't have the opportunity to blog full-time, and many work evenings or early mornings, so patience is key - don't expect, or demand, instant responses. Likewise, understanding that bloggers may have delays in posting their stories is key.

3. Not Answering Questions Or Sending Information In A Timely Fashion. Just like newsrooms have deadlines, bloggers have their own deadlines. They post regularly and can't wait around for images, answers to questions, or other details for their posts. One blogger explains, "We work hard to promote your product to our readers, and ignoring my questions/requests shows me that you're not taking me seriously, but you're asking me to take your product/annuncement seriously." Always treat bloggers the way you'd treat a professional reporter - be conscious of deadlines, ask about convenient times to call or follow-up, and keep to the promises you make. If you promise to send an image today, sending it in 3 days means that a blogger lost a post for the day, and many bloggers keep finely-tuned editorial calendars, post based on themed days of the week, and have many other products they could be writing about.

2. Not Sending Products In A Timely Fashion Or Not Sending Them At All. When committing to send a review product, our bloggers state that an email update within a few days of that commitment, either letting the blogger know her product has shipped, or that it will be shipped soon, lets the blogger know that you haven't just forgotten about her. "Bloggers are typically excited about the products we review," explains one blogger. "We aren't a giant newsroom that's receiving dozens of products a day to pick and choose from. We hand-pick the produts that are interesting to us, and we don't request products we're not going to review. If we've taken the time to follow up with you and request a product, take the time to send it in the mail. Forgetting to send a product or shipping it a month later without any follow-up is a major turnoff and will affect how actively I pursue any future opportunities from that publicist, whether or not the product is something I'd love to cover."

1. Treating Bloggers Like Amateurs. A whopping 73% of bloggers cited this as their biggest pet peeve when dealing with PR pros. In addition to the pet peeves listed above, bloggers have cited numerous examples where they've been treated like amateurs or, as one blogger put it, "Second Class Media," as their biggest PR pet peeve. Among them:

• "Use my name, don't call me 'Blogger.'"

• "You wouldn't expect a Wall Street Journal reporter to review your product without actually sampling it, and no, I don't want a 10% off code to purchase it." Not only do bloggers not have the budgets to go out and buy each product they review, but most bloggers maintain integrity standards - their readers are their family, friends, and online buddies. Their posts are interactive and heavily discussed. Bloggers don't want to promote a product that they can't say they've tested themselves - and it's not something that PR pros would expect of a print counterpart. Covering a news announcement is one thing, but many bloggers say that they feel pushed to review an item based on a screen shot of PR description.
  

• Today's newbie is tomorrow's big blog star: smaller, newer bloggers are often overlooked for "the same, bigger bloggers," despite the quality of the posts presented. Bloggers understand that PR comes down to numbers, but new bloggers are grateful for the chance to work with a PR pro and be taken seriously. As one blogger put it, "Someone was the first PR pro to give Pete Cashmore his first Mashable exclusive."

Over the last two+ years, we've had the privilege of running more than 500 blogger campaigns for SheBlogs.org and HealthyBlogging.net. We've seen successful campaigns, and we've seen successful campaigns that blew away even our expectations, with hundreds of reviews, write-ups and social media posts.

What made the difference between these campaigns and others? Here are five tips to help boost your response rates when pitching the blogosphere:

5. Be Personal. A well-written, technically-correct press release is great for traditional newswires, but offering a personal touch that tells the story is what will get a response from our bloggers. If your product is a time-saver for busy moms, spell it out. If your service keeps budget-conscious fashionistas find the season's hottest products at the best prices, give examples. With more than 3,500 female bloggers in our community, finding a perfect match for your product or service is easy - and making your pitches and releases personal lets our bloggers know you're interested in them.

4. Be Relevant. We've worked with dozens of companies that have come to us with products or services that they'd like to promote, without necessarily having a news hook. It doesn't take a feature or news announcement to be relevant for the blogosphere. Feature pitches, contests, or news event tie-ins are perfect ways to prove to our bloggers that your product is worth writing about, and that now's the time to do it.

3. Be Specific. Be specific about the types of bloggers you're interested in working with - whether you're looking for those in a certain geographic area, within a certain age group, or with certain coverage areas, our bloggers appreciate specific requests, and many will help spread the word to their own network of contacts if they know that there are specific criteria you're looking for. If you have product samples available for bloggers who meet specific criteria, spell them out in the pitch.

2. Be Prompt. The more cooperative you are with the bloggers, the more buzz goes around about your promotion. Bloggers do talk, both on our SheBlogs.org site and in our internal social network, about the responses they're getting from PR pros. Those who respond quickly, send samples or images promptly, and who cooperate have regular buzz going around, which drives more coverage and interest. PR pros who don't respond to queries or take a long time to send images, samples, or answers to questions drive negative buzz from the community, which can be a buzz kill. Comments such as "Just got my product sample and it's great!" encourage more bloggers to reach out, whereas comments like, "Emailed three weeks ago and haven't heard back," turn bloggers off. Even if you can't accommodate all requests, a simple, "Thanks for your interest, maybe next time," goes a long way.

1. Incentivize. No no no - we don't mean pay per post. However, just like with a traditional reporter, bloggers need a reason to write. If you have a product, expect to distribute a sample if you're seeking reviews. Bloggers, unlike large media outlets, don't have the budget to go out and buy every product they review - which is why many bloggers start out writing about the products they use every day, so offering a discount code for a blogger to buy your product isn't going to receive the same level of response as offering actual samples. Can't give out unlimited samples? Contests are a great way to drive buzz and coverage while managing a limited number of product giveaways or a small prize package. One company saw 75+ blog posts within a 72 hour window based on a $40 prize package! Offering a discount code for bloggers to share with their readers is another great way to draw posts.

SheBlogs.org's team plans our Twitter parties around our community's central mission of connecting brands and bloggers. Our parties focus on brand- and promotion-related trivia, company Q&A, and other questions related to product sample giveaways.

This strategy is beneficial to both marketers and bloggers in many ways:

- Marketers have the benefit of engaging bloggers around specific promotions, products, or announcements (e.g., asking bloggers to respond to trivia questions like, "What is XYZ Corp's current Back To School featured sale item online?"), which drives social media buzz around current brand initiatives

- Bloggers are competing to win one of 25 "swag bags" that are full of coupons, product samples and more. Our Twitter parties level the playing field for bloggers who may not have a contact at a particular corporation, giving them a chance to review the hot new item for Fall upon receipt of their swag bag in the mail (usually one week after the event ends)

- The distribution of swag bags and prizes also encourages two waves of buzz around a product or service: the first being on social media during the Twitter party, and the second being a more in-depth review upon receipt of all products by mail. 

- For bloggers who are seeking a variety of products and services related to Back to School coverage, our Twitter parties offer them a myriad of post suggestions - ranging from online and in-store sales, new product launches, product review opportunities and more. Likewise, for marketers promoting lesser-known brands, joining a group Twitter party increases your likelihood of getting buzz and building awareness, as opposed to hosting a stand-alone event.

Twitter party participants are asked to provide the following items:

- 25 coupons, product samples (size restrictions apply - please email us at editor@sheblogs.org with questions about larger items!), and promotional papers (press releases, flyers, etc) that will be included in our swag bags

- 1 stand-alone prize (must fit in a 12" x 12" box)

- 6 product, brand, or promotional questions (AND ANSWERS) that will be asked of our bloggers during the Twitter party. Five will be asked for a chance to win a swag bag; one will be asked for a chance to win the bonus, stand-alone prize you've provided

We will be providing all participants with a spreadsheet that includes all winner information for each swag bag, as well as your bonus prize winner, for direct follow-up.

Cost for participation in our Back To School Twitter Party & Swag Bag Giveaway is $250 (brands contributing oversized items will be charged an additional fee to offset shipping costs for swag bags).

Deadline for commitment of participation is August 24 and all swag bag and prize items must be received no later than September 2!

RSVP your brand for our 2011 Back To School Twitter Party!

West Palm Beach, FL — July 20, 2011 — BlogWire (http://theblogwire.com) announced today a strategic partnership with Unique Leads (http://uniqueleads.com) that will enable its community of more than 5,500 bloggers access to top performing campaigns to monetize their blogs through targeted, high-quality affiliate offers on MyBlogRevenue.com.

“BlogWire works very hard to meet the needs and wants of our blogging communities,” said BlogWire Founder Julie Wohlberg. “Chief among many blogger concerns is an avenue to monetize their outlets effectively, and we’re thrilled to be able to partner with Unique Leads to offer such a solution. MyBlogRevenue.com offers customized, targeted affiliate offers that are relevant to our community of bloggers – from environmental and health-related promotions to family and parenting products and coupons.”

The partnership will create a specialized and specific platform, targeted to opportunities for bloggers to monetize through a top affiliate platform using a number of familiar avenues:

•    Banner advertisements allow bloggers to monetize with clicks, registrations, and sales from familiar products and services
•    Product sampling and affiliate links will allow bloggers to review products and include affiliate sales links in their posts – with careful guidance to ensure FTC compliance and full disclosure
•    Mailing list promotions that enable bloggers to utilize their existing mailing lists and newsletters to generate revenue for their work

This strategic partnership will also enable brands to effectively engage niche communities of bloggers with exclusive, limited promotional opportunities and affiliate offers that are aimed at SheBlogs.org’s female blogging community or HealthyBlogging.net’s health, fitness and green living blogger community, with a total reach of more than 5,500 bloggers.

“BlogWire carefully screens the bloggers that are given access to their blogging communities, to ensure that members are of the highest caliber,” added Shai Pritz, Founder of Unique Leads. “Likewise, Unique Leads carefully screens both our affiliate promotions and affiliate publishers to ensure legitimate, quality interaction free from the abuses found on other networks. With our targeted blogger platform, we have the ability to engage brands that are interested in specifically targeting the blogosphere for coupons, discounts, free sample and other relevant promotions.”

Unique Leads has designed a platform for bloggers that includes offers from brands that are of most interest to their readers. Among the brands featured are Crystal Light, Quiznos, Continental Airlines and more, providing coupon and discount-driven promotions, as well as free sample offers.

The BlogWire founding team has more than 25 collective years of experience in traditional and interactive marketing and public relations. Since the company’s July, 2009 Beta launch, the company has worked with such major brands as Gatorade, Atkins, Baby Orajel, and Lands’ End, as well as smaller Web services and brands, to distribute news and issue contest alerts for bloggers. For more information, to issue a release, or to join BlogWire’s growing list of affiliate partners, visit http://theblogwire.com.

About BlogWire

Based in West Palm Beach, BlogWire is a Web service that connects PR and marketing professionals with the bloggers who are interested in covering their products/services and news announcements. BlogWire’s flagship wire, SheBlogs.org, connects female bloggers, including mom bloggers, product reviewers, fashionistas, techies and others, with the public relations and marketing professionals who issue the news and promote the products that women care about most. In its first year, SheBlogs.org has grown to support a community of more than 4500 female bloggers who reach a total audience of more than 30 million monthly unique visitors. In May, 2010, BlogWire’s second community, HealthyBlogging.net, launched for the public, with more than 1500 registered bloggers.

About Unique Leads

UniqueLeads, Inc. is one of the top affilitate networks in the United States.  With a track record of consistent growth and over a decade in the industry, Unique Leads now serves some of the largest advertising agencies in the country while maintaining its grassroots foundation of full services for smaller advertises and publishers.

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Big Fuel and SheSpeaks Partner to Gain Insights on Mom’s Social Media Preferences

NEW YORK, NY– (June 15, 2011) – About two-thirds of moms (68%) are amenable to a brand initiating contact with them on social media as long as the content provided by the brand is relevant to them, according to a collaborative study between Big Fuel, the world’s largest independent social media agency, and SheSpeaks, the leading women’s social engagement platform.

The study, entitled “Her-suasion,” surveyed over 1,000 women from the SheSpeaks community on their social media habits, and results are reported on the 72% of the women surveyed who are moms with children under the age of 18. Her-suasion not only serves to define the current landscape of mom activity on the social web, but its findings herald good news for brands.

“Brands are starting to get it and Moms trust the content that’s being served up via social media channels,” said Holly Pavlika, Managing Director at Big Fuel and Publisher of Big Fuel’s Mom-entum channel, “Marketers may be surprised to know that Moms are not just looking for coupons, they’re looking to have a conversation with a brand or brands.”

The study finds that moms are more likely to use social media to communicate about brands. Seventy-four percent of Moms have written a post about a brand or product on Facebook.

“Moms expect brands to engage with them on social media by answering questions and personalizing content and promotions,” added Aliza Freud, Founder & CEO of Shespeaks.  “The bottom line is, build a direct relationship with her and she will reward you with her business.”

The study provides additional key insights into how brands can leverage moms’ influence in social media in effective ways for building relationships with moms online. These insights include:

• 72% say the relevance of social media content they receive is more important than who shares the content or if the content is personalized for them
• 62% say that a positive product experience is the biggest motivator for them to talk with others about a brand
• 72% trust the content of a brand/product website, followed by third-party content on Facebook (68%) or articles (68%)
• 29% report that e-mail is still the top way that they want to hear from companies
• E-mail is tied with Facebook as the top way that moms want to hear about products and brands from friends

To download the full report visit http://www.shespeaks.com/Hersuasion.

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About this Study

The Her-suasion study was fielded online among the SheSpeaks panel in January 2011. The sample was comprised of 1,092 U.S. women, and results are reported on 72% of the sample (789 women) who are moms with children under 18.  The SheSpeaks panel includes women who are socially active, both online and offline.

 About Big Fuel

Big Fuel is a social media and branded content agency that takes brands from Content To Commerce®, a unique approach that bridges "people stories" to "product stories" to deliver guaranteed and measurable consumer engagement. For more information, contact Kathleen Ruane at DiGennaro Communications: kathleen@digennaro-usa.com

About SheSpeaks

SheSpeaks is a social activation platform that connects brands with female consumers.  The world’s most recognized brands work with SheSpeaks to spark consumer’s interest, spur authentic dialogue, generate earned media and build long-term brand advocacy.  For more information, contact carol@shespeaks.com or visit www.shespeaks.com.

As a reminder - all listings in our SheBlogs.org editorial guides will remain live on SheBlogs.org for one year from publication date, giving brands a full year of outreach for the price of one featured release!

Maximizing Your Gift Guide Presence

To maximize your gift guide presence, make your listing stand out by utilizing the following tips:

1. Be specific and targeted: Let bloggers know up front what you're offering, and how your product or service fits in with their themed coverage. If you have specific bloggers you'd like to work with, include those details in your listing!

2. Craft a promotion: Standard company boilerplate will be appealing to draw interest only from bloggers who are already familiar with your brand. Incentivize bloggers to reach out and connect with you using creative promotions - product review opportunities, contests, or review/giveaway promotions.

3. Limit Barriers To Entry: Pull from Guy Kawasaki's principles of enchantment (above). As marketers, we all want bloggers to write about our products with tracking links, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and engage with us directly. However, keep in mind that with each additional step you include in a promotion, you lose potential coverage/entries. Limit your promotion to 1 - 2 requirements (blog about ABC Corp and email your link to PR@abccorp.com), rather than creating a lengthy laundry list of tasks.

4. Give Bloggers A Reason To Use Their Voices: Unlike newspaper reporters, bloggers write from a very personal voice. Creating a promotion that enables bloggers to express their expertise, personal voice, or individual opinion will be far more likely to draw interest than a promotion that asks bloggers to act as unpaid viral marketers. For example, utilizing Guy's book as a review object and giveaway, ask bloggers to talk about their most enchanting business experience and email you a link. Require proper disclosure (bloggers should mention that the post will be submitted for a contest to win a copy of The Art of Enchantment), but don't require social media interaction on numerous platforms to participate in the contest.

SheCon 2011 featured many enchanting expert presenters - including Guy Kawasaki, our Friday morning keynote presenter, focused his presentation on the very art of enchantment - as it applies to businesses, bloggers, and professionals.

Among the highlights from Guy's presentation, he offered some tips for enchanting audiences that have beneficial implications for marketers interested in pitching media pros, like our bloggers - both online and offline:

Achieve Likeability: Have a great smile (specifically, a Duchenne smile that includes the eyes), a firm handshake, and dress in a way that fits in with your peers. Overdressing implicates an attitude of superiority; underdressing indicates a lack of respect.

Achieve Trustworthiness: You must trust others before they will trust you. This can be especially true in marketing/PR, when asking bloggers to trust the information you are sending about products/services.

Make It Short, Sweet, and Swallowable: Keep campaigns, tags, slogans, and materials simple and easy to digest. Don't clutter or overcomplicate correspondence.

Default to Yes: Always ask yourself, "How can I help others?" Many times in our day to day, we're forced to turn down media requests - for product samples, for interviews, for press access. Finding an opportunity to "default to yes," offering to include a blogger for future press opportunities, sending canned Q&A information, or offering access to another event or opportunity will leave bloggers feeling positive about their interactions with you - even if you weren't able to accommodate their initial request.

Use Technology: Remove speedbumps. Guy says, "The purpose of Captcha is to reduce the number of customers who register for your website." While marketers don't always use Captcha - there are many speedbumps that we implement in our promotions and blogger outreach campaigns that can limit the amount of coverage we receive. 

Engage: The easiest way to be enchanting in social media? Answer emails, DMs, and @messages within 48 hours. As a marketer, if you've set up a portal for communication (email, Facebook, Twitter, etc), your customers, bloggers, and influencers/fans will expect to be able to engage you using those platforms. Further - know your social media platforms. Guy points out that Twitter is a "push" platform for sharing links and information, whereas Facebook is an interactive platform for sharing photos/multimedia and gathering feedback through comments. Most importantly - regardless of the platform - ALWAYS provide value. Offer information, insight, and/or assistance through social media.

Sell The Dream: Steve jobs doesn’t say, “you’re buying $188 worth of parts and a contract for one of the worst carrier services.” He says, “there’s an app for that!”

Get Enchanted! Want to learn more about how to enchant? Check out the slides from his SheCon keynote presentation. 

Enter To Win! Five random BlogWire customers this month will be selected to win copies of Guy's latest book, The Art of Enchantment, along with The Everything Blogging Book, written by Aliza Sherman (a fellow SheCon keynoter whose presentation and tips we'll be sharing later this week!). 

More than 100 million people shopped online on Cyber Monday, 2009 – and analysts speculate that that number will top 120 million in 2010. But with 95 – 97% of site visitors not converting to sales, how can one maximize the holiday season shopping rush?

Two Tricks Will Help Maximize Your Online Sales This Cyber Monday:

Free Shipping (or Other Incentives)

Think you can skate through this holiday season without competing with other e-tailers to offer the best perks, biggest sales, and free shipping? Think again. While small businesses can’t compete with the margins their larger counterparts, knowing what products will draw traffic and how competitors are pricing them will help you drive higher conversions. Offering free shipping on orders over a certain price gives you the ability to upsell for additional gifts, so breaking even or taking a small loss on a hot holiday item may be worthwhile to capture additional sales. Take note: National Free Shipping Day is December 17.

Market Those Promotions

Using Google Ads can be costly, especially when you’re competing to promote popular items around the holidays, but SEO tactics can offer your site a boost, and being sure to get your promotional codes or coupon codes listed on popular directories can help drive traffic to your site to take advantage of holiday deals. Email newsletters announcing your promotions to past shoppers. Another cost-effective promotional method would be a blogger outreach campaign, which will result in a wave of timely press, just in time for Cyber Monday, with live online links to your website as a vendor of choice for holiday shopping this year.

The Perks:

More than 250 bloggers participated in our first Twitter party, and our marketers received dozens to hundreds of Tweets per question about their product, along with product reviews and mentions. We expect the same volume to continue and grow with upcoming events.

For less than half the cost of shipping product samples yourself, you can have 100 bloggers ready and eager to receive your products for review within 2 weeks of receipt, providing real, quality, timely coverage around your products and announcements.

How It Works:

You send us 100 product samples, promotional items, promotional flyers or coupons – due by the 30th of the month, each month, along with 5 – 7 questions that you’d like us to ask during our Twitter party.

On the 15th of each subsequent month, at 8 pm ET, we will be hosting a promotional Twitter party, inviting our bloggers to participate by answering questions about our sponsors’ products and announcements for a chance to win 1 of 100 Monthly Swag Bags, with the stipulation that the swag bags contain product review samples, and are to be included in their blog coverage.

Get In On It!

Our first Swag Bag will be distributed just in time for the release of our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. We’re extending our first deadline to November 5 for receipt of products and payment, and hosting our 2010 Hot Holidays Twitter Party on Monday, November 15, at 8 pm ET. Even better – we’re offering 50% off on our online 2010 Holiday Gift Guide listings for those who participate in our Holiday Swag Bag!

Read more…

For the tech-savvy type, the answer is obvious. The PR landscape – indeed, the media landscape – has been changing so dramatically over the last decade, and consumer habits have followed suit.

In Technorati’s “State of the Blogosphere” 2009, some important facts about blogging and brands came to light. With more than 200 million blogs indexed, the thought of launching large-scale, long tail blogger campaigns can seem daunting, however, it’s important to note that:

• 70% of bloggers are talking about brands on their blog.
• Almost half of respondents post about the brands they love or hate.
• 38% post brand or product reviews.
• Part time bloggers, and self employed bloggers are talking about brands at a much higher rate, approximately 80%, with 1 in 3 posting reviews at least once a week.

So who reads these reviews? Your customers! A BlogWire market research study, conducted on AskYourTargetMarket.com, asked women 18 – 65, “How powerful do you consider blogs?”

The results are, for us, not surprising. More than 200 women nationwide  took part in the survey, and an overwhelming 72.4% responded that they turn to blogs and Web searches to get product recommendations, read product reviews, and get shopping tips. Only 4.9% actually listed magazines as a source of shopping inspiration – and that’s where many PR pros focus product placement efforts!

While less than 10% of our survey takers claimed that they would be “very” influenced by a single positive or negative blog review, 73.4% said they would be “somewhat” influenced, but would research multiple sources before making a purchase decision. While this offers the security that one negative review won’t be overly damaging to business, it emphasizes the importance of being reviewed in highly-ranked blogs, so that a consumer who comes across that bad review can quickly find several positive ones, or that one who comes across your product or service in their favorite blog can easily find several other positive mentions to support her interest in purchasing your item.

When asked, “Do you read blogs on a regular basis to learn about new products, sales, or promotions?” nearly half of respondents (44.3%) said they turn to blogs when researching a purchase decision, but 35.5% log on either once daily or when they have spare time to stay up to date on these news bits.

The power of blogging – both in terms of online reputation management and in terms of influence over purchasing decisions, cannot be overlooked.

In our early days, we’ve had the privilege of working with an amazing group of diverse female bloggers, who cover a wide range of subjects, from parenting to technology, fashion to gaming. We’ve also had the support and endorsement of some of the biggest brands and best-respected names in the PR world, who’ve seen the value of our community and the services we offer.

Today, we celebrated our first SheBlogs Birthday Bash with a great event at the W Hotel. We had sponsors ranging from Pillsbury and Shutterfly to iStockPhoto and many more, who generously provided us with a wide array of products for our gift bags. We had the support of 9 amazing boutique wineries that provided us with wine for our Fabulous Wine Bar, and sweet treats provided by We Take The Cake. We also had the support of all the amazing women (and men) who came out to help us celebrate our milestone, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be working with such a great group of people.

So tonight, we’re thrilled to be able to take our virtual community to the next level, with the announcement of SheCon ’11 – our first-ever conference for bloggers and social media professionals to attend educational sessions, network with marketers, and enjoy a weekend in sunny South Florida.

Why SheCon?

If the lure of white sand beaches and bright turquise waters (and a Pina Colada or two) isn’t enough to bring you to sunny South Florida, there are several other reasons to check out our event:

- FREE passes?! We know that many of our bloggers – even those who blog for business – can’t afford hefty conference pass prices. We also realize that the bloggers are the reason that we’re able to draw our sponsors. So – the first 200 bloggers who register for our conference will have FREE passes to our event.  They are live now, so visit http://shecon.eventbrite.com to get yours.

- Networking. Networking. Networking. In a social media driven landscape, it’s sometimes easy to forget the value of some good old fashioned face time. Our event will be drawing bloggers and marketers from all over the country to meet, mingle, and share ideas.

- Learning, Learning and More Learning. Our speakers will be offering valuable sessions that will help you improve your blogs – whether you’re a newbie wanting to learn about creating custom blog layouts or a seasoned veteran who’s interested in learning about sponsorship, advertising, and monetization opportunities. We’ll be featuring breakout sessions where bloggers can collaborate on ideas and concepts, and giving bloggers time to share stories, experiences and lessons to learn for each other and help our community grow.

The festivities will be kicking off at 7 pm and going through 11 pm or later, with free champagne for our ladies all night, half-priced Three Olives Vodka drinks, finger foods, and, of course, birthday cake! The first 50 ladies to arrive will receive a gift bag, full of goodies from our sponsors, and we’ll be raffling prizes throughout the evening. Through the generosity of our partner wineries, we’ll be hosting a wine tasting throughout the event at our Fabulous Boutique Wine Bar.

We’ll have stylists and makeup artists on hand to ensure that the ladies look their absolute best, and we’ll be getting lots of glam shots, which we’ll be immortalizing in our SheBlogs Birthday Bash Photo Book and online.

For our 2900 bloggers who aren’t able to attend in person, we’ll be hosting a simultaneous Twitter Bash, where we’ll be giving away the remaining 50 gift bags, as well as special prizes for our Twitter guests, throughout the evening. To ensure that they feel as involved as possible, our Twitter stream will be broadcast throughout the venue on their flatscreen TVs, and our Twitter guests will be asked to answer questions about SheBlogs and our sponsors to qualify for prizes.

Special thanks to The W Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale and the Gerber Group for hosting this shindig!

Social Media Partner:

Shutterfly

Fashion Partner:

Boston Proper

Cake Sponsor:

We Take The Cake

Gift Bag Sponsors:

Pillsbury
Happy Baby Organics
Tribune Media
Kira Labs/Natural Skin Shop
iStockPhoto
Threadsence
Glamour Girl Lashes
Glade

Boutique Wine Bar Sponsor Wineries:

St. Supery
Niner Wines
Rodney Strong Vineyards
Keel and Curley Winery
Hahn Family Wines

Sponsors – want to get involved? Email party@sheblogs.org for details!

RSVP Now