July 30, 2011  
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Are Media Asking Too Many Questions in Headlines?

July 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Over the past several years there has been a new obsession with the media (TV, newspapers, online news sites) – posting headlines as questions instead of, well, headlines. It’s gotten to the point where the practice is not only accepted by virtually every media outlet, but also overused.  Just a search a few minutes before I began writing this article turned up a mass amount of question-based headlines on the front page of various news sites:

Amanda Knox – Victim of a Crazy Court System? (msnbc)
Is Franco Not Returning to General Hospital? (msnbc)
A Patent on Breast Cancer Genes? (msnbc)
Will Weekend Yield a Debt Deal? (cnn)
Are the Smurfs Crypto-Fascists? (cnn)
Weight Loss ‘Sleeve’ a Good Option? (cnn)
Are Internet Explorer Users Dumb? (cnn)
Genesis of a Killer? (CBS News)
Does NASA Data Show Global Warming Lost in Space? (FOX News)
No Debt Deal Could Lead to Doomsday Scenario? (ABC News)
Hip / Knee Replacements Faulty? (ABC News)
Billion Dollar Boondoggle? (ABC News)
Apple’s Iphone 5: First Look? (ABC News)
Time Travel in Photographs? (ABC News)

And that’s just a small example of only front page headlines! There are so many questions popping up in headlines that it can make you question your well-being.  Are there no answers in life?

So why is it that media feel the need to ask so many questions? Do they not have answers? Are they lazy?

The truth is that the questions serve as a hook to draw you into a story. When you see a question, you want the answer. So instead of saying, “Court System in Amanda Knox Case Needs Fixing” the headline is written “Amanda Knox – Victim of a Crazy Court System?” The result is that more people are likely to click and read the second article. Now that a question (versus typical healine) has been implanted in the user’s mind, they want to know the answer. I’m willing to bet that you have (or will) click on some of the headlines above to get an answer. After all, don’t you really really really want to now know whether the Smurfs are Crypto-Fascists or not? :)

The question-based headline sensation began with cable news TV. And it grew from there. It serves many effective purposes for news organizations:

1) It’s an effective hook to get a user to want to do what media companies want them to do (i.e. read an article or wait until after a commercial break on TV for an answer).
2) With controversial stories, it limits legal liability. “You’re honor, we didn’t say the Smurfs were Crypto-Fascists, we only asked if they were.”
3) It’s easier to write a question-based headline than a fact-based headline.
4) It works.

Let’s hope pharmaceutical companies don’t start using question-based headlines to skirt FCC rules on truth in advertising.

Can Allegra Cure Eyesight Problems Along with Allergies?
Does Viagra Cure Dandruff Too?
Flonase – The Best Allergy Medication Ever Created?

Even if there’s not an answer, psychologically the question-based headline has put the possibility into your mind.

My headline for this article was, “Are Media Asking Too Many Questions in Headlines?” Of course they are. We’ve seen news organizations, over the years, become more “entertainment” and “business” driven than in the past. It’s no longer the job of a news organization to just report fact-based news. Now they have to promote corporate programming. For example, why is it that CBS News does far more stories on the TV show Survivor than any other media outlet? It’s because Survivor airs on CBS. So it makes sense that more news organizations are employing psychological factors in how they present the news in order to get a reader/viewer to take a particular action. It’s no longer about reporting the news. It’s about psychologically manipulating the viewer. Or is it?

Filed Under: Insight Tagged With: , ,
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This is my cat, Kahn. Very unique guy. You can read more about him at KahnTheCat.com and see more of his videos there (the movie trailers he made are particularly entertaining). Anyway, Kahn is currently being tested for a rare cat disease called Portosystemic Shunt. The results should be known by Wednesday. The video below is of Kahn getting his head stuck in a tissue box (he loves boxes). Those of you with allergies in the Pacific Northwest will recognize the Fred Meyer Nice ‘n Soft brand. :-) I used Final Cut Pro X (Mac) to do the editing:

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“Whenever I go on a ride, I’m always thinking of what’s wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”
~ Walt Disney

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Here’s a funny news story I came across today that is out of the norm. It seems that 17 people doing a Tae Bo workout caused a 39 story skyscraper building to shake, which then had to be evacuated. Wow – I gotta start doing Tae Bo again! Here’s the story.

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Ladies and gentlemen. It is now official CARmageddon has arrived. This Los Angeles News breaking report outlines what the arrival of CARmageddon means for the city of Los Angeles. I made this video (and voiced it with lots of tweaks) in the last seven hours. I hope this entertaining two minutes is worth the effort for you. Enjoy!

CARmageddon is Here

P.S. I did this video as a testament to how much the media over-sensationalizes certain stories that don’t need so much coverage. This was definitely one of those times! ABC News is even doing live coverage with a continuous live feed on its site from helicopters flying around showing detours. I kid you not! At least a lot of people are having fun with it on YouTube.

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Run! It’s Carmageddon!

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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If you’ve seen any news on TV or the Internet then you’ve already heard about the impending doom in Southern California that is “Carmageddon”. Even though the story affects only one small area of one large state, the national media has tackled the story like its major breaking worldwide news. For the city of Los Angeles, this is great. The more residents are exposed to news of the impending end of the city, the more likely they’ll avoid the impact area. For the rest of the world it’s been quite entertaining to hear the amount of hype being given to the two and half day closure of one stretch of one freeway. It’s reported as if it is Y2K all over again. The media seems so frazzled by the story that major media outlets, like CNN, have consistently misspelled Carmageddon in their stories, referring to it as Carmeggedon. Spell check can’t help on that one! Documentaries are referring to the 405 closure as “a high wire act with no net“.

I used to live in the LA area, so I’m well aware of how busy the 405 is. I went to a lot of movie screenings and in order to drive to a location 15 minutes away where the screenings were held, I had to leave two hours in advance or risk not making it. The route? 405. And that got me thinking. If you live in Los Angeles there’s one thing you know. This weekend is not Carmageddon as many have predicted. The truth is that every day is Carmageddon on the 405 (except at 3:58 in the morning).

I think Earth will survive this weekend’s closure of the 405 in Los Angeles. I’m sure when it’s over major networks like Discovery Channel will start questioning whether Los Angeles is ripe for an attack by aliens. Wait! They already have!

Filed Under: Prose Tagged With:
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In August 2010 I was given a rare opportunity to ride in a zeppelin. Now zeppelin’s are a lot like blimps, but there is a difference.  Zeppelins have a rigid metal frame which aids in maneuverability, bad weather, and safety. A blimp doesn’t have a frame. It is just a large shaped “balloon”.

My zeppelin ride took place in Salem, which is the capital of Oregon. I arrived at the airport, went through training and safety procedures, then was driven to the middle of the airport runway strip, where the zeppelin was waiting. Those of us on the zeppelin were told that fewer than 10,000 people in the world have ever ridden in a zeppelin. Oh, and the zeppelin had a toilet in it -- it was called “the loo with a view” as there’s a window you can look out while doing your business.

It was quite the adventure that I had the privilege of catching on video in order to share with you. Below is that video:

Zeppelin Ride in Salem, Oregon

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Thoughts on US Women’s Soccer Victory over Brazil

July 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Five years ago I wouldn’t be caught dead writing about soccer.  To me soccer was a “boring” sport; people running up and down a huge field trying to kick a ball into a net – something that seemed like a rare event. There were no timeouts and lots of tie games and it seems the game hinges too much on the refs (this is still true today).

But something happened along the way…

they say as you grow older, you also grow wiser. That must be the case as I now enjoy watching soccer.

Why?

- Virtually no commercials.
- It’s the most popular universal sport.
- World Cup tournaments are exciting.
- It’s a test of stamina.
- Because it’s hard to score a goal, it makes every goal your team makes a “sweet victory”.
- No strikes!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m an avid football fan and it will always be my favorite sport (knock on wood), but soccer is climbing the charts. All you have to do is watch a game like today’s USA versus Brazil women’s soccer game to be reminded at how exciting and emotional of a sport soccer can be. The United States had just come off an unexpected loss to Sweden. A loss to Brazil and they would be eliminated from the World Cup. A win and they would go on to the semi-finals.

Even though I now like soccer, I still believe the game hinges too much on refs. As a result, in soccer, more than any other sport, players fake injuries to try and get refs to card a player on the opposing team. It happens so much, that it’s almost laughable.

But something happened in today’s game that went way too far.  After a controversial ref call resulted in Brazil getting a goal and tying the game in regulation, the game went into overtime. There, Brazil scored to take a 2-1 lead over the US Women’s team. As time was winding down to the last five minutes, the United States was threatening to score and building up momentum to try and tie the game. At this point, one of the Brazilian players looked over to her bench, then suddenly collapsed on the field (as if on cue). Since there are no “timeouts” or “stoppage of time” in soccer, a ref adds on some additional time at the end of regulation for the time they perceive was used up with “stoppage” during the regular period (which is usually a lot less than the actual stoppage time).

So when the Brazilian player went down, there was an assumption that she was trying to kill the U.S. momentum while killing clock time too.  But then trainers came out with a stretcher and put the young lady onto the stretcher. Wow, maybe she wasn’t faking it, after all. The trainers lifted the stretcher and started to take her off the field. The second they got out of bounds (with play resuming), the woman jumped off the stretcher and ran back into the game.

It was a major embarrassment to the sport of soccer and to the Women’s Brazilian soccer team.

Here’s how ESPN describes it:

“A desperate Brazil relied upon an array of amateur dramatics to run out the clock. Defender Erika was suddenly struck by an injury requiring prolonged treatment and the arrival of the Brazilian stretcher. This stretcher was evidently gifted with the kind of miracle healing powers traditionally only seen on religious telethons. Within seconds, she had leapt up and raced back onto the field…”

And here’s how New England Soccer News describes the incident:

“Remarkably, it might have been a case of gamesmanship by the Brazilians that ultimately cost them the game. In the 113th minute, Erika went down, untouched in her own penalty area. After eating up more than three minutes of time, she was stretchered off and immediately popped up off the stretcher ready to re-enter the game. She was immediately shown a yellow by Melksham, and the resulting added time led to Wambach’s goal.”

But more, the move (along with some bad ref calls earlier) started to turn a neutral crowd in Germany into USA fans. It was amazing to hear the chants as the crowd had now chosen a team to root for.

After that stunt, regulation time ended and the ref announced three minutes of additional time was being added for stoppage during the game, including the stretcher incident. The US had only three minutes to tie the game and force a penalty kick scenario to survive. With one minute left in the additional play time, the United States women’s team did just that – tie the game on an amazing header shot into the net. That sent the game into the penalty kick phase where the United States took the victory, scoring five times in penalty kicks to Brazil’s three times. It was one of the most thrilling soccer games ever (men or women) and was an amazing victory for a team that was one minute away from elimination.

The game reminded me why I am a soccer fan now. But I’m not quite ready, yet, to run out and buy a Vuvuzela!

Filed Under: Prose Tagged With: ,
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What to Avoid when Distributing a Press Release

July 9, 2005 By Leave a Comment
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Once you have carefully developed a press release for your website, it is important that you distribute it with hopes of receiving the best possible response from the press. The last thing you want to do is get on the bad side of a member of the press. There are some procedures you should pay attention to when sending a press release to a press contact.

Always Spell the Contact’s Name Correctly
First, avoid misspelling the contact’s name. When distributing your press release to an individual member of the press, always make sure the name and title of the person to whom you are sending your release is correct.

Avoid Attachments When Emailing
Do not use attachments when emailing a release unless he or she requests one. You should always paste your release in an email message. Link to your website for photos and further information, but avoid attaching a product demo or additional documents.

Send One Copy of a Release Only
Try to avoid sending each press release to your contact’s email, phone, fax, and snail-mail address. The press only need one copy of your release and may get annoyed by receiving multiple copies. Try to find out the preferred way that a member of the press likes to receive releases and rely on only that method when distributing your release to that individual.

Check Spelling and Grammar
Never send a press release with tons of spelling or grammatical errors. There are easy spell-check features in every major word processing program, so there is no reason why your release should have any spelling or grammatical errors. Always proofread to make sure every sentence is complete and makes sense.

Research the Publication You Want to Contact
Make sure you do not send information that doesn’t relate to your contact’s publication. Research the publication you want to contact before you send a release to that publication. You will most likely get blocked from a press contact’s email address if you send them information that they deem unrelated to their interests.

Include Your Contact Information
Always include contact information in your press releases. If an editor decided to pick up your release you should make sure there are easy ways for him or her to contact you. Include your email, phone, and name and title in an easily viewable place. Editors and writers are under strict deadlines. If they have to take time finding out how to contact you your release will most likely end up discarded in the trash or their deleted email folder.

Keep Press Releases Short
Do not send your press contacts a book-sized press release. Press releases ideally would be under 500 words and should never exceed 800 words. Keeping the message short and sweet is always preferable for a busy member of the media. If the press release looks too long or wordy, many members of the press will not even look at it.

Craft a Newsworthy Headline
Always have an interesting headline for your press release. The headline is one of the most important aspects of a release. Many members of the press will decide what releases to read purely on the basis of the headline. Never forget to include a headline and always make it catchy and newsworthy.

Avoid “Double Checking” by Phone
Finally, try to avoid calling your contact to check up on whether or not they have received the release. If you sent it to their correct contact information, they have received it. Never call a member of the press up to read your release to them either. This will more than likely irritate the person and will only mark you as an annoyance.

Any of these errors can cause your release to be ignored or discarded. However, if you avoid these public relations mistakes, you have a stronger change of one of your press releases being picked up by a member of the press.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,
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Eliminating the Pay Per Click Gamble

July 9, 2005 By Leave a Comment
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It never ceases to amaze me how many companies will sink tens of thousands of dollars into pay per click programs, but nothing into search engine and website optimization for higher rankings, that will achieve better results for free.

Case in point: One company Joe Tracy Visioneering consulted with was paying a search engine $6 for every single click to their Website. And the search engine was delivering 200 visitors a week for a total of $4,800 a month! What was interesting about studying this company’s online presence is that the keywords the company was paying $6 a click for were ones that a good search engine optimization expert could easily get ranked #1 or #2 within a month, which would then deliver 500+ visitors a week for free!

The simple fact is that most companies could drastically improve sales and their return on investment (ROI) by focusing more on search engine rankings than on pay per click programs. Pay per click programs are like slot machines in Vegas – while they sometimes payoff, the odds are in favor of the casinos. Pay per click programs know that the secret of success is to get you into bidding wars with other people. And before you know it, you’re paying an outrageous $6 per click.

It’s also important to note that visitors generally trust sites that are naturally high-ranked over sites that appear in the sponsor area. As a result, naturally high ranked sites will get a plethora of additional relevant visitors over sponsor sites. And these visitors will be free because you took the time to create a relevant site optimized for higher rankings.

If you are a company reliant on pay per click results, its time to wean away from that bad habit by putting a stronger focus on creating relevant quality content, in high quantity, that is optimized for high search engine rankings. Once your rankings start bringing you an abundance of free traffic, you’ll find your ROI will soar and you’ll no longer have to attend those PPCA meetings (Pay Per Click Anonymous).

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,
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