Communication World articles from January 2006

Communication World archives from January 2006

For good measure.(from the editor)
January 1, 2006... Did you notice the magazine's new design? I can explain it in it one word: readability. In the past few years I've heard from a contingent of CW readers about the need for increased readability. And then there was the call from the Canadian...

If ROI is so important, why don't we measure it?(HIGHLIGHTS FROM CW ONLINE: JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 ISSUE)(return on investment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A recent study by Forrester Research found that 66.5 percent of respondents said measuring marketing ROI is important or very important, yet 59.9 percent said they were dissatisfied with their company's ability to measure marketing ROI. Why the...

How to analyze and measure word-of-mouth and consumer-generated media.(HIGHLIGHTS FROM CW ONLINE: JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 ISSUE)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Any analysis of what consumers are saying through electronic media like blogs can lead to spurious conclusions if one doesn't understand the data. For instance, how do you know if a given post is representative of wider consumer opinion, or...

Linking corporate communication activities to business value.(HIGHLIGHTS FROM CW ONLINE: JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 ISSUE)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... According to a survey by the Communications Executive Council of the Corporate Executive Board, up to 90 percent of communication practitioners spend their time measuring outputs like press clippings and advertising value. This inability to...

Measurement resource list.(HIGHLIGHTS FROM CW ONLINE: JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 ISSUE)
January 1, 2006... To help practitioners demonstrate the value of communication, CW has compiled an online listing of organizations that offer products, programs, services, research and other tools related to communication measurement. To access the list, visit...

Confessions of a Gold Quill Junkie: Claire E. Watson, ABC, APR, IABC/Regina and a past Gold Quill chair, recalls the projects and the passion that have helped her team win 19 Gold Quill Awards.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(Gold Quill Awards)
January 1, 2006... The year is 1995. The late summer breeze bites just a little, a subtle reminder that fall is hovering. Picture Avonlea, Saskatchewan, a sleepy little prairie town with a laid-back feel. Main Street stretches for three blocks, populated by...

Ethics article is an eye-opener.(from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Ethics article is an eye-opener: Eric Bergman's article "The Ethics of Not Answering" (September-October 2005) was an eye-opener for me. I had no idea so many seemingly professional communicators believe it's acceptable to remain so intensely...

Wood's wit and wisdom.(from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Wood's wit and wisdom: I am deeply saddened that Alden Wood is retiring, although he certainly deserves a break from his many duties and contributions to our field. I will miss his wit and wisdom, delivered in equal doses, in ever-so-correct...

IABC/Canada names Master Communicators.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators, Glenna Cross and Ken Cherney)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... IABC/Canada has selected Glenna Cross, ABC, and Ken Cherney, ABC, APR, as the recipients of its prestigious Master Communicator Award. Inaugurated in 1980, the Master Communicator Award is IABC/Canada's highest communication award. Cross...

Now available: collection of case studies on Gold Quill winners.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)
January 1, 2006... Learn the secrets to planning and implementing a world-class communication program with the all-new edition of Best Practices in Communication Planning and Implementation, featuring case studies of the 2005 Gold Quill Award-winning...

Chapter profile: Toronto has long history, strong membership.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... With more than six decades of history and more than 1,200 members, IABC/Toronto has a strong past and bright future. Founded in 1942, the chapter was part of the Canadian Industrial Editors' Association before it became part of IABC....

Member benefit spotlight.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Lately, I've been thinking about what I have gotten out of IABC since I joined in February 2003. As the saying goes, you get out what you put in. Here's what I've gotten: * Last year 20 percent of my income came from meeting someone at an...

Conference draws communication leaders to Australia.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... "Every business is affected by the actions of government. For that reason, the business communicator cannot, I think, be agnostic in his view of the role of government in society," keynote speaker Phil Burgess told those attending the IABC...

Add these reminders to your PDA.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)
January 1, 2006... Nominations for the 2006 EXCEL Award, Chairman's Award and IABC Fellow designation are due 13 January. For information about how to nominate someone, visit www.iabc.com/awards. IABC'S 2006 International Conference will take place 4-7 June...

Correction.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... In the September-October 2005 issue of CW, in "Global Perspectives," the entry on the "Think Before You Click" campaign from the Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner in Melbourne, Australia, should have been attributed to David Taylor,...

What's not to love about VoIP? New technologies are pushing the limits of mobility.(tech talk)
January 1, 2006... If you haven't heard the buzz about how some people have made free international phone calls from a Lufthansa flight using their laptops, put your seat back into an upright position and prepare for the future in voice and video communications....

IABC: International Association of Business Communicators.(services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... for members only MemberSearch (eWorldbook). Tap the collective experience of IABC's worldwide network with this easy-to-use e-directory. You can search for other members using various parameters (e.g., industry, job function, geographic...

Just the facts, ma'am: while everyone is entitled to make a mistake, a series of errors in your publication chips away at your credibility.(errors in mass media)(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... Not long ago I was driving along, listening to the car radio, when the DJ announced the title of the previous song, as well as the name of the album. He said that the album was released in 1981. It's one thing to realize that you've been...

Know your vocabulary.(Corporate Communication from A to Z: An Encyclopedia for Public Relations and Marketing Professionals)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2006... You probably thought you'd outgrown vocabulary tests. But do you know the definitions of some of the terms used often in professional communication? Consider these from Corporate Communication from A to Z: An Encyclopedia for Public Relations...

If you had one wish, what would you wish for that could make your job as a communicator easier?(global perspectives)
January 1, 2006... Colombia Companies that are convinced of the benefits of communication. I would ask that corporate executives understand the true importance of communication--to value it as one more asset that generates dividends, and to include it as a...

A book that measures up: Medio Relations Measurement is a near-perfect primer for communicators.(Book review)
January 1, 2006... We have a saying around my office that "accountable communicators rule," and Ralf Leinemann is living proof. He's been running Hewlett-Packard's PR program in Europe for longer than Tony Blair has been running the U.K., and his new book tells...

Virtual communication.(CW BULLETIN)
January 1, 2006... November 2005 | Volume 3, Issue 11 In this issue of CW Bulletin, we focus on the challenges and opportunities that organizations face with virtual communication. The articles offer helpful tips and an exploration of the function and...

Working with Diversity: Communicating Effectively in Intercultural Virtual Teams.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... WORKING WITH DIVERSITY Communicating Effectively in Intercultural Virtual Teams by John Oetzel, Ph.D., and Martina H. Myers, MPA, BBA Virtual teams--teams of employees working on particular projects in geographically dispersed...

Alternative Medium: Employees Tune In to Web Radio.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... ALTERNATIVE MEDIUM Employees Tune In to Web Radio by Larry Loper The recent buzz about corporate blogs may have deflected attention from another effective, low-cost communication medium: corporate web radio. Web radio is inexpensive, easy...

Conflict and Resolution: Conflict in Virtual Communication.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION Conflict in Virtual Communication by Krishna Kandath, John Oetzel, Everett Rogers and Ann Mayer-Guell Interpersonal conflict in virtual teams, where face-to-face mediation isn't an option, can be difficult to manage....

Mobile Technology: Lessons from the Medical Community, Physicians Access Patient Information via PDAs.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Lessons from the Medical Community: Physicians Access Patient Information via PDAs by Cindy Ficorelli Genesys, a health care system of medical care facilities in central Michigan, has introduced an innovative way to couple...

Measurement on the line: strategies to refocus your program.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... Measurement. It' a critical component in communication, yet it can be so difficult to accomplish effectively. Are we reaching the right people? Saying the right things? How do we know? And what's it all going to cost? In this special section,...

Managing measurement costs: aligning the goals of your communication plan with the goals of the business is the first step to demonstrating value.(measurement on the LINE: Strategies to refocus your program)
January 1, 2006... With our combined 30 years of experience in corporate communication and research, we can easily name the most common reasons why organizations fail to develop strategic communication plans: We don't have the money. We don't have the time. And...

Sharing the wealth: by giving in times of need, corporations can do good in the community--and for the bottom line.(measurement on the LINE: Strategies to refocus your program)
January 1, 2006... It's not easy being a modern corporation. Not only are you expected to innovate the next big thing, manufacture it at the lowest possible cost, market it globally and then blow the doors off the competition in terms of sales, but you also are...

Trust in your organization's future: building trust inside and out is a key part of the communicator's role as the corporate conscience.
January 1, 2006... In his book Trust... From Sophocles to Spin (Icon Books, 2004), prominent British academic Kieron O'Hara considers trust the most vital political and business issue of our times. Illustrating the scope of the issue and the global impact of...

GuideStar Research/communication metrics that matter: the collaborative Deep Dialog[SM] Audit from GuideStar Research.(MEASUREMENT Special Advertising Supplement)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... When turn-around CEO Richard Lindenmuth was brought in to rescue a troubled company, he "had to make fast decisions and get to the bottom of things quickly." What makes Lindenmuth's success story of interest to communication professionals? Of...

Under the microscope: a new IABC Research Foundation study highlights the need for training in and understanding of ethical issues.
January 1, 2006... Ethics. Responsibility. Character. These topics generate considerable public and private debate. Public opinion surveys on honesty and ethics reveal that journalists, advertising personnel and public relations people score near the...

An element of style: upon the retirement of longtime CW wordsmithing columnist Alden Wood, we look back on some of the words and rules we learned.
January 1, 2006... It's the word freak in all of us that looked forward to his column every other month. Alden Wood began his stint as local linguist for IABC (at the time the International Council of Industrial Editors, or ICIE) in December 1964, with the...

Mission impossible: increasing employee trust in your CEO: maximize your CEO's message with a communication campaign that targets external stakeholders.(research in action)
January 1, 2006... The majority of your employees don't trust your CEO--and there is nothing you can do about it. Indeed, trying to fix the CEO trust problem is a waste of not only your time, but your CEO's as well. In Public Personnel Management (Fall 2004),...

Hallmark puckers up for Valentine's Day: Polaris PR scores with a unique multidimensional campaign that capitalizes on Canadians' love of hockey.(case in point)
January 1, 2006... Hallmark Canada is the largest full-line manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards in Canada. Its products are found in approximately 3,200 retail outlets across the country. Although Hallmark sells cards and gift items year-round, four...

Seeing through the layers: layering content in photographs can build depth, substance and context--creating images that communicate.(photocritique)
January 1, 2006... Expressive photographs often use layers of meaning to deepen our understanding of the images. Layers are an organizing device, supplying content or context that helps us communicate our message. (I'm talking here about basic photographic...

Farcus.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2006... "As you can see, it's an extremely volatile market." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CW marketplace.
January 1, 2006... FREELANCE WRITING Alexander Hansen Media, Crystallizing Your Communications contact: Joe Hansen phone: 360-635-2169 e-mail: Joe@AlexanderHansenMedia.com A two-person writing team with a knack for combining the best of two...

'Do or do not. There is no try': for Steve Weinstein, manager of global marketing programs at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, doing is the key to success.(personality with steve weinstein)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... What historical figure do you most identify with and why? George Burns. In 1977, at the age of 81, while others his age were well into retirement, he was playing the role of God in a movie. He had that talent to make people laugh through...