Hello PR people. You are now deep into a quarantine. You can no longer go to an office and look busy. You can no longer. Your lives have changed a lot – mine has not. You were born to go to offices and talk about television shows that everybody else is watching. You were built to make phone calls where your manager could see, and nod as you as a reporter says “please don’t call me.” You do not know how to do social media other than #using #hashtags, but you do know how to be a bright and breezy person that people think “is really nice.” You know how to do an agenda. You know how to seem, at a glance, like the busiest person alive. But now you’re digital. Everything you do has to be something someone can actually look at. The amount of time something takes is no longer balanced against how much consternation you have. You can no longer tut at someone for leaving at 6pm, and stay until 9pm doing something and get told you’re working hard. You forgot to go digital. You didn’t think you should actually learn to function as a normal human on Twitter. You created a generic persona that you thought was pleasant – an undefined person #who #uses #hashtags. Now you’re defined only by words. By posts. You never really learned how to be a normal human online. You never adapted to being a normal person – or an interesting one- in real life, but that’s never been an issue. But when you’re a gestalt of your posts, being a boring automaton isn’t gonna work out well. You are just learning to post. My friend, I have been posting my entire life. You posted carefully like you were dipping your toe in the water. I have been online this entire time, waiting for the day that a great equalisation would force you online. You cannot escape. Welcome to my nightmare. What’s HappeningYou see, this entire time – your entire career – you’ve leaned upon people remembering you as nice, or “strategic,” or other vague terms. You could say things like “our team got” when you mean someone else did work that you took credit for. Your approach to media relations – bolstered by years of the PR industry trying to tell you it’s okay to not be able to make relationships with reporters – has been mostly glancing, sterile and faked – a patchwork of communication that still worked because you had all these other things to point to. You are now sat at a computer, at home, without the ability to look busy by taking phone calls all day, or typing very loudly, or looking at documents with deep consternation. If you’re a manager, you can no longer stroll over to your underlings and ask them the status on something – nobody sees you doing it, thus you’re not managing. Suddenly you’re going to be reduced to a sum of actual work you’ve actually done, such as documents, or emails sent. And guess what? Clients are gonna notice too. You can’t set that all-hands in-person meeting to salvage a client with a deck of stuff that you and I both know isn’t actually impressive, but god damn are you passionate, and god damn will the client understand when they see you do an approximation of Donald Draper. Except they won’t. You’re staying home. You’re reduced to a voice. A voice without definition. A generic, bright, breezy voice with professional language, stuff that sounded great and got you high grades in college but on its own, without human contact, is boring as shit. You’ve buffed off any actual personality that may be out of the norm, hoping desperately to fit in with your industry or your colleagues or your clients. You have been led to believe that the right thing in a crowd of people that all look and sound the same is to look and sound exactly like that. Me? I spent the last 23 years online. I’ve been working on how to not be boring in text form for a long time, and I have never had the ability or luxury of being able to fit in. When I started in PR, I didn’t want to call people, I didn’t want to talk to my colleagues, I didn’t want to email 500 words to people – I wanted to die! And so I chose the lifelines I had – talking to reporters in general because my industry was so insufferable. I spent years online talking to them, growing a following and never being afraid to be me, which means that reporters actually know me, and speak to me online. Sure, I ignored going to events because I never saw the point at them, sure, I didn’t go to PRSA events, sure, I didn’t go out of the house that much at all, seeing more of a point in growing an actual digital presence that resembled me. And now look at you. You’re lost. You’re afraid. You are scared. You are still saying that media relations doesn’t work. No, it does. Join me. I shall lead you. You Can Become The JokerThe reason that I succeed despite my many faults is because I am able to communicate cleanly in the written form. It’s time for you to throw off the shackles of the PR industry – it’s time for you to, as the Joker once said, introduce a little anarchy. upset the established order, and everything [will] become chaos. And, yes, I’m an agent of chaos. It’s time for you to realize that all of the things the PRSA and your agency CEOs told you are lies, lies to keep their jobs and keep you down. It’s time to:
You can do this entire job without being in an office, and you can excel at it if you learn to be an actual human. If you don’t, this COVID-19 situation, and any future emergencies, are going to steamroll you and your agency. Your ass will be grass. The world does not need bright and breezy. It does not need nice. It needs communicators. It needs posters. It needs Jokers. So say it with me: The post PR People: It Is Time To Become The Joker appeared first on The Future Buzz. Original source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheFutureBuzz/~3/xtANljBe6dY/ The post PR People: It Is Time To Become The Joker appeared first on connect social networks. via Connect Social Networks http://connectsocialnetworks.com/pr-people-it-is-time-to-become-the-joker/
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Customer-facing aspects of sales software solutions are what the designers’ hell is made of. The product should be intuitive and easy to navigate without reading a laundry list of instructions. So you use the industry-standard layout with traditional grids. This makes the solution look boring, thus you introduce clever elements and menus to stand out from the competition. These innovations confuse users, and you get stuck in a vicious cycle of balancing usability and beauty. More importantly, you forget about the page load time or application response speed and have to start from scratch. One way to solve this last issue is by using an image uploader, a part of a content delivery system (CDN) designed to make websites and apps faster. Let’s take a look at three ways a CDN can make your life easier by implementing the best practices of dealing with visuals.
When it comes to business proposals or closing deals, paperwork is still king, even if it’s digital. While you could use any word processor to draft the copy, making it look good is a painful process, unless you use specialized software like PandaDoc. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface helps craft clean and stylish documents in no time. One of the key features of PandaDoc is the ability to upload and use proprietary images, including signatures. Without an ability to optimize users’ visuals on the fly, the system would be slow and cumbersome. To ensure top performance, the product relies on Uploadcare’s CDN that takes care of storing, processing, and delivering images to users without lags and crashes. The media delivery system ensures that images are uploaded and downloaded at speed, while automatic cropping and format conversions ensure error-free operation of the web app. Another huge benefit of using CDN for PandaDoc and similar sales products is eliminating user-side connection speed requirements. Since there is no need to log huge amounts of visual data across the worldwide web, clients can create and edit documents in real-time even if their broadband capacity leaves much to be desired. Image CDN is a worthwhile investment for any sales solution looking to lower page load time.
The connected world we live in makes public relationship management a must for international companies, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and individuals. Prezly is an all-in-one PR product that promises to eliminate the fuss and ensure faster and better communication between PR managers and their audiences. Unsurprisingly, regardless of the chosen plan, all Prezly users get access to a media gallery. PR is impossible without visuals, be it a news post or an announcement. While tackling publications via a laptop or a desktop is a breeze with most software solutions, PR managers can never afford to be caught unawares, even if the only Internet-connected device they have is a smartphone. For this reason, image and video handling must be dealt with the same ease and comfort on a screen of any size. Using a visual CDN is the easiest and most efficient way to ensure images are displayed correctly on mobile devices. Instead of using one file for all interfaces, the system automatically returns a version of the image already cropped and scaled to fit a smaller screen without messing with the mobile interface layout. Shorter load time is another invaluable benefit that’s crucial for mobile Internet users who haven’t had the pleasure of switching to 5G yet.
Despite the growing number of software developers and web designers, many businesses cannot afford to hire an outsourcing team or a dedicated coder. Webflow comes to the rescue and breaks the code barrier, allowing anyone to create beautiful, responsive websites, launch, and scale them without any technical knowledge. Webflow boasts a user-friendly web interface that can turn anyone into a designer in no time. Users can create pages, build forms, manage accounts, and open online stores. However, none of these is possible without visuals, and adding a bit of animation is always a sure way to catch the eye and direct the customer towards the desired action. Instead of building an infrastructure to handle user media, Webflow relies on a CDN to host and deliver images as necessary. Unlike centralized hosting, edge servers of media delivery systems ensure faster response time and enable real-time web design via an online interface. Load time is especially important for animated media, as file sizes increase. One look at the Webflow homepage and product pages is enough to see how the company embraces the power of animated visuals. Short demonstrations of the interface and its elements provide a much-needed understanding for non-technical specialists. Without these animated blocks, it would have taken pages of text and dozens of slides to familiarize potential clients with the Webflow toolset. B2B software solutions, such as PandaDoc, Prezly, and Webflow, rely heavily on visual content to entice new clients and make their products user-friendly, fast, and efficient. Although using an image CDN, such as Uploadcare, is not a necessity, it brings multiple benefits to sales products. Among them are optimizing images on the fly, incorporating animated visuals, and making them equally beautiful across a variety of display sizes. Other CDN advantages may include computer vision to identify objects and people, as well as automatic tagging for easier media gallery management, and even color-coordination based on the images’ palette. These features are less obvious on the client-side of business apps, but they could be crucial for admins. The post Visual Best Practices: 3 Things You Can Learn from Sales Software Products appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-marketing-2/visual-best-practices-3-things-you-can-learn-from-sales-software-products/ The post Visual Best Practices: 3 Things You Can Learn from Sales Software Products appeared first on connect social networks. via Connect Social Networks http://connectsocialnetworks.com/visual-best-practices-3-things-you-can-learn-from-sales-software-products/ Weekend Favs July 18 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week. I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one that I took out there on the road.
These are my weekend favs, I would love to hear about some of yours – Tweet me @ducttape Original source: https://ducttapemarketing.com/weekend-favs-july-18/ The post Weekend Favs July 18 appeared first on connect social networks. via Connect Social Networks http://connectsocialnetworks.com/weekend-favs-july-18/ Entrepreneurs who are considering software development outsourcing have plenty of choices to make: which zone to choose, which particular country, and lastly — which engagement model to use as a basis for upcoming collaboration. All of these decisions will define your outsourcing experience, so it’s vital to examine all the important aspects in advance. This article is aimed at exploring engagement models that are currently prevailing on the IT outsourcing market. What is an engagement model and why is it important for business? Engagement model is the contracting basis that defines how a client cooperates with a vendor of software development services. In a nutshell, it is a set of rules that all the parties involved in the collaboration have to follow. Basically, an engagement model in IT outsourcing is just as important as a business model for the enterprise. Imagine starting a business with no plan, defined objectives, sources of revenue, intended client base, and financial details. Sounds like a secure way to burn out, doesn’t it? Successful entrepreneurs realized the value of a comprehensive business plan years ago, and folks from the IT industry have followed their example. Take a look at our overview of the three engagement models that have already became an outsourcing classic and conquered the market with their ease of use, efficiency, and coherence. Overview of classic engagement models 1. Time & Material Model Pros
Cons
Time & Material is probably the most transparent outsourcing model for client-developers relations, as the clients can track the working progress and access the results almost immediately. Not only does this add to quicker fixing of bugs and any kinds of inaccuracies, but also eliminates the risk of dissatisfaction with the end result (product or service delivered). This engagement model is constructed around an hourly rate that is predefined before the work even starts. Then, the client provides weekly or monthly payments depending on how much of the developers’ time was spent. Traditionally, T&M is viewed as a model for projects with a dynamic scope, regardless of the duration. Before even thinking about choosing the Time & Material model, you have to objectively evaluate the level of your technical skills. Why? Simply because you are the only person to assure the quality of the work done by the outsourcing team. If you are new to the software development or your expertise in this area is too weak to perform regular code reviews, than we wouldn’t recommend adopting this model. We also have to draw your attention to such aspects of the Time & Material model as project management and planning. With T&M model, the client actually takes the project manager’s role and oversees the development process himself. The only other way is to hire a person who would take the responsibility for planning activities and progress tracking. This person has to be hired by client himself, as the team of developers is in charge for nothing but technical issues. You have to be able to identify project goals, objectives, time frames, resources, and budget. Without strong project management skills work organized by T&M risks to turn into a troublesome mess. Another peculiarity of T&M is the fact that a team of developers hired is not limited to your project only, meaning developers can work on multiple projects simultaneously. This brings the issue of prioritization, as you can’t expect your project always to be of the highest importance. The need to jump from one projects to another oftentimes results in unprecise deadlines and some tech inaccuracies in the finished product. Do not jump to the conclusion that Time & Material is good for nothing; it’s not the case. This is actually a very useful cooperation framework for people who have IT expertise, but lacking time for a certain tasks and need a “helping hand” that would complete them. Meaning, this particular model was developed for a type of collaboration, where both parties have a decent level of technological expertise. If your reasons for outsourcing software development are far from technical illiteracy, then the chances are you’ll get exactly what you’ve paid for promptly. Adopt Time & Material model if:
2. Dedicated Team Model Pros
Cons
Dedicated Team (DT) is a model of collaboration when a client reaches for the IT outsourcing company that would act as a middleman between the client and the workforce. The one crucial difference between the Time & Material and the Dedicated Team is the fact that with a DT model a client does not carry out duties of a project manager nor a technical leader. Meaning, the IT services vendor takes full responsibility for the organization of the working process, from the technology-related issues to the salary release and paid vacations. To put it briefly, the DT model is a solution for non-technical people who have a valuable idea but lack skills for making it come true. For adopting this model, you do not need any kind of IT expertise except for the vision of how your project should function. The outsourcing company takes full responsibility for managing the software development workflow, while the client can focus on other aspects: client relations, marketing, sales, etc. Oftentimes, the Dedicated Team provides way more than just developers, but also QA engineers, designers, content managers, and other professionals that are needed to cover the project scope. When it comes to client involvement in the working process, the DT allows to arrange the collaboration in a way that would suit both parties. Although the outsourcing company basically can deliver the turnkey project according to your requirements, this does not mean that the client should not or cannot be involved in the development. Clients carrying out personal interviews is the common practice at the vast majority of outsourcing companies, so that they could be sure about the skills of every person working on their projects in future. The client can also easily track how the work is progressing, however this duty also could be delegated to the project manager hired by vendor, or limited to monthly (or even less frequent) reports. To get the work started, the client has to negotiate budgetary issues with the outsourcing company of his choice. Usually, the project owner comes up with an approximate monthly rate he is ready to pay to each member of the team. Later this rate and its correlation with the requirements will define the allocation process. After the team is gathered, they start to work on the project scope and organize their work depending on the software development methodology chosen. When it comes to working overtime, the coverage of extra hours spent at workplace (if any) might be included in the budget as well, although it also depends on company’s corporate policy and should be discussed in advance. Adopting the Dedicated Team model assures comprehensive working process that involves a lot of people whose competence was proven during the multi-level recruiting process. This contracting basis has such unbeatable advantages as autonomous team of professionals dedicated solely to your project and no need to take care of the hardware, working conditions, career development of the staff, tech leading, etc. As for disadvantages, this model is not suitable for short-term projects (less than one year) due to the fact that the outsourcing company hires new staff basing on the customer requirements, and these people expect the long-term employment with the company. Adopt Dedicated Team model if:
3. Fixed Price Model Pros
Cons
The Fixed Price is the model of collaboration that seems to be very attractive for newcomers to IT outsourcing. It looks as simple as one-two-three: you think through project requirements, pass them to developer(s), and wait for the work done. Add to this a strictly estimated budget and you’ll get why most clients initially seek this model to be the basis of their collaboration with developers — it looks like a perfect price-quality ratio. Well, it does so only until you start digging deeper. Although this model has such a great advantages as ease of use, clear budget estimation, and fast delivery, its cons might outweigh all the pros. The thing is, Fixed Price suits only the most simple projects with no room for making a mistake or forgetting about a tiny detail you’d like to include in the feature set. The core of this model lies in predefined instructions — if you are dead certain that you have steady and not at all dynamic requirements for your project, that you might be happy with the outcome after adopting the Fixed Price model. Note, that the predefined instructions can be considered as actually predefined only after you’ve discussed them with contractors, as in practice, it turns out that even a simple discussion can reveal tons of potential pitfalls. The client also has to realize that initial requirements delimit the architecture of the future project; it might be technically impossible to add something after work is done, regardless of your desire. The IT sector has a tiny share of projects that do not depend on constantly evolving market needs, and if you are sure your project is one of them — the Fixed Price might be the right choice for you. Otherwise, if you want to leave the room for possible amendments and do not want to risk your budget, opt for Dedicated Team or Time & Material contracting basis. Adopt Fixed Price model if:
Summary There are no good or bad outsourcing engagement models, these are only suitable or unsuitable ones. To thoughtfully evaluate the project and then choose the right model for its completion are two actions a business owner should take on his way to positive IT outsourcing experience. A well tailored engagement model can turn a simple delegation of a technical task to a third-party into a fruitful strategic partnership. The post IT Outsourcing Guide: How to Choose an Social Engagement Model appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/mobile-2/it-outsourcing-guide-how-to-choose-an-social-engagement-model/ The post IT Outsourcing Guide: How to Choose an Social Engagement Model appeared first on connect social networks. via Connect Social Networks http://connectsocialnetworks.com/it-outsourcing-guide-how-to-choose-an-social-engagement-model/ |
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July 2022
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