StoryTeller Media & Communications | Public Relations | Marketing | Video Production
Minneapolis/St. Paul Marketing and PR agency and video production company|StoryTeller
Archive for October, 2009
Online Video: When it Works and When it Doesn’t
I had an interesting discussion with a prospect today about online video. We both agreed that online video is becoming a mainstream and dynamic medium for business communication. The question is what type of online video is most effective.
How to Fight the Flu
School is back in session and cold and flu season is here, so it’s best to be prepared to prevent a virus from making its way into your home. The Center for Disease Control has a checklist of things to do to prevent the spread of seasonal illness:
- Avoid close contact: Try to steer clear of sick individuals. If you’re sick, try to keep your distance from others to prevent them from getting sick, too.
- Stay home when you’re sick: Stay home from work, school and errands when you’re sick, to try to prevent others from catching your illness. With the flu, you should stay home until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.
- Cover your mouth and nose: In addition to being polite, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough will help prevent the spread of airborne germs.
- Clean your hands: Wash your hands often to prevent the spread of germs, especially in communal areas; a good rule of thumb is to lather your hands for as long as it takes to sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ or ‘Happy Birthday.’ If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based rub (like Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer or TopCare Hand Sanitizer).
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth: Germs are often spread by touching these areas, so try to avoid doing so.
- Gargle: Using warm salt water (or Listerine) to gargle twice a day can help prevent flu from spreading, since most flus, including H1N1, take several days after initial contact to show characteristic symptoms.
- Practice good health habits: Get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food (check out our blog on immunity-boosting foods here), exercise and drink plenty of fluids — especially warm liquids — to help lower your risk of illness.
For more information, click here.
Relevant Content at the Heart of Social Media
I read an interesting piece over the weekend about some terrific social media campaigns and the great reach that they’ve had for various companies. Reading these things makes you realize the strength and potential of social media and it’s many connections with other marketing/PR strategies that have been in place for years.
Kitchen Science
“Mommy, can I help?”
As sweet as the offer is, I have to admit it — sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I inwardly groan when I hear this question (especially when I’m in the middle of making dinner). But cooking with kids teaches them a variety of lessons — not only about this important life skill, but about math, science and being creative. Who knew that time in the kitchen was so educational?
Kids learn an assortment of math and science skills in the kitchen. They learn about weighing and measuring, fractions, sorting, counting and sequencing. They learn to follow step-by-step instructions, how to solve problems and what to do when things go wrong. They learn about experimenting, what happens when different ingredients are mixed together and about how food changes while it’s on the stove or in the oven. They can make predictions and see if they’re right or wrong and learn about food groups.
So You Think Social Media is a Fad, eh?
I have a good friend that is convinced social media is a fad and that it’s not going to last. She, like many others, point to the fact that Twitter can’t figure out how to monetize itself and therefore, it along with all social media will crumble on the side of the road. If you’re like her, check out our Video of the Week and you may change your mind. It’s not new, but boy is it powerful!
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
Take Time to Develop Social Media
We live in an interesting time, on many levels. One aspect about our society today is our need for immediate gratification. Whether it’s purchasing material items, relationships or results in work – we want it and we want it now, or else!
Fight the Flu With These Foods!
H1N1, the common cold, seasonal flu, RSV, sinus infections, pneumonia, measles, tuberculosis, SARS, bird flu, Lyme disease, West Nile —
Stop the madness! With all of the health scares out there, we may want to wrap ourselves and our family in bubble wrap and never leave the house. But as much as we imagine disinfecting from head-to-toe anyone who comes within a one-mile radius of our loved ones, it just isn’t possible. We live in the real world, with real people, with real germs. That’s life!
The good news is that there are certain things you can do to help give your immune system a boost. Most of us know that we need to be vigilant about washing our hands. Getting enough sleep, exercising, and reducing stress can also help our immune systems function better. And there are certain foods we can eat to give our bodies an edge.
According to EatingWell.com, there’s no magical food or supplement that’s been clinically proven to boost the immune system. However, eating healthy foods that provide essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients will altogether help your immune system run more smoothly and fight off illness and disease:
- Vitamin C: Your skin and mucous membranes are your body’s first barrier to germs, and vitamin C helps keep the skin healthy. It’s also key in the production of white blood cells and antibodies, which fight infection. Fruits high in vitamin C include oranges, cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberries, and mangos; vegetables like broccoli and peppers are also good sources.
- › Continue reading
Get Creative – Forget the Viral Video
Earlier this week I attended an all day conference that included speakers on just about everything under the social media sun. One of the break out sessions that I attended was on “viral video.” On the surface, the session sounded intriguing, but I walked away feeling unsatisfied with the content. That said, the speaker said this as it relates to viral video: “People say, ‘we want to create a viral video’ and I say, well, I’d like to cure cancer.” His point being, creating a “viral video” is like catching lightning in a bottle.
Live From the MIMA Summit 2009!
Monday, October 5th we had the pleasure of helping the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA) bring the 2009 MIMA Summit to the desktops and laptops of interactive marketers around the country. With a crew of 6 and multiple camera locations placed in breakout rooms around the Minneapolis Hilton we were able to capture a majority of the events of the day.
We are proud to be associated with MIMA and thrilled to have provided the cameras and personnel to help stream this important content to the web. Hopefully, you all got a chance to see the event live, but for those of you who did not, we trust you were able to still enjoy the power of the day through the lens of our cameras.
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
Learning & Fun Can Go Hand-in-Hand
A few years ago, I ambitiously took on the challenge of home schooling my young children. I spent months researching the perfect curriculum, furnishing and organizing our “schoolroom” and constructing our daily lesson plans. I eagerly anticipated the start to our school year, complete with my whiteboard and chalkboard ready for use. Well, we had barely gotten through month one when it became very clear that sitting at desks with textbooks and workbooks each and every day was not going to be very effective. I was quickly losing my mind trying to get to rambunctious boys to sit still and focus — let alone get excited about doing workbooks day after day.
With little teaching experience under my belt, I recognized I had a lot to learn. I began to investigate ways to make learning fun and exciting, and abandoned my ideas of sweet little students sitting attentively at their desks. Since my boys were especially interested in math, I started to embrace ways of teaching them mathematical concepts through play and every day life experiences. Once I re-evaluated my teaching philosophy, I was blown away by how many interesting and creative ways they could learn just through ordinary, everyday experiences.
Also to my surprise, I discovered a wide array of educational games and toys (outside of the discount superstore where I normally shopped) that were perfect supplements to my regular school lessons. Not only is game playing academically beneficial, it can teach important social skills as well, such as cooperation, taking turns, conflict resolution and communication. If you’re looking to bring a little creative and fun learning into your home, I suggest you try a few of these award-winning math games and toys that your kids are sure to love:
- Equate (Ages 8 and up) – A math version of Scrabble® which introduces algebra and requires computing and thinking strategically, critically and creatively.
› Continue reading