Love Reading Books

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Sean Covey was raised in a “seven habitshome.”

His father, Stephen Covey, spent years researching the habits ofeffective people and used his own family as guinea pigs, theyounger Covey said. Eventually, Stephen Covey penned “The 7 Habitsof Highly Effective People.” His son, who first read the book incollege, was not impressed.

“My first impression was it was really boring,” Sean Covey toldthe group that gathered at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing ArtsCenter Monday night for the launch of the Leader Valley initiative.but, over time, he began to see the wisdom in his father’s wordsand eventually Sean authored his own bestseller, “The 7 Habits ofHighly Effective Teens.”

Fourteen years ago principal Muriel Summers used the elderCovey’s findings to develop a program – later dubbed Leader in Me -that would turn her failing school around.

“I don’t know what it is like in Iowa, but in North Carolina themessage we are sending our children is their worth and value is ascore on a piece of paper,” Summers said. “We need to stop themadness. what you have seen tonight, the kindness and support, thecreativity, nothing on any test measures what we are seeing. …these are life skills that our children are learning that will helpnavigate them through life.”

Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber VicePresident-Community Development Bob Justis helped bring Leader inMe to the community about two years ago.

Schools in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls have already adoptedthe Leader in Me program, which “helps develop the essential lifeskills and characteristics students need in order to thrive in the21st century,” according to theleaderinme.org. More are expected tocome on board in the coming years.

Now, the organization, along with the Greater Cedar ValleyChamber, is launching Leader Valley to work with educators on moreinitiatives that will facilitate working partnerships amongbusinesses, educators, administrators and the community.

“This is an amazing group of students that will hopefully havean impact on the economic growth of the Cedar Valley,” GreaterCedar Valley Alliance CEO Steve Dust said.

Several local students shared their experiences with the Leaderin Me and even more helped entertain the crowd with their versionof the University of Northern Iowa’s Interlude Dance – the CedarValley Leaderlude. Mallorie Sckerl, a North Cedar Elementary Schoolgraduate, explained that each piece of the dance corresponded withone of the seven habits outlined in Covey’s book.

Chris Sink, a senior at Columbus High School, said the school’sfootball team has followed the habits for several years.

“The Covey training has showed us what we had to do on and offthe field,” Sink said. He told the crowd about a young boy at afootball camp who told Sink he regularly watched the Sailors playand would specifically look for Sink on the field.

“I know that during the game, if I’m not proactive, butreactive, (the boy) will see that and do the same during hisgames,” Sink said, using the common language laid out in theleadership program to show the crowd how he lived the habits everyday.

Summers, who shared several of her own Leader in Me successstories, applauded the students and the community for theircommitment to the program.

“We need to remember tonight, because it is quite historic thata community can come together to celebrate its children andcelebrate its future,” Summers said.

Albany Parks & Recreation’s monthly reading group, Coffee bythe Book, welcomes new members to join in the next meeting at 10a.m. Monday, Oct. 31, at Rhythm & Brews Live Coffee &Music, 229 third Ave. S.W., Albany.

The October selection is “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” byRebecca Skloot. it is the nonfiction account of a woman whose cellswere used, without her knowledge, to launch a medical revolution.Her children found out more than 20 years later, and the knowledgechanged their lives.

In November, the group will read “The Crying Tree” by Oregon authorNaseem Rakha. the novel concerns a family that moves to Oregon forbetter work and, shortly after arriving, their 15-year-old son isshot and killed. it is ultimately a story of newfound life afterunimaginable loss.

Those who attend the discussions will help to choose what is readthroughout the year. First-timers get a free beverage. Meetings areheld on the last Monday each month.

For more information, contact Albany Parks & Recreation at541-917-7772.

Communities will be helped to bring the countryside into the city thanks to the launch of a new scheme to generate more green space in England’s towns and cities, Environment Minister Richard Benyon announced today.

With free space in urban areas in short supply, the Green Infrastructure Partnership has been designed to help communities make more innovative use of existing grey infrastructure – such as creating rooftop gardens, small community gardens or living walls.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said:

“Green spaces are not only important for our health and well-being; they also create places where people want to invest, generating new jobs and businesses. 

“We’re used to thinking about drab, grey infrastructure – the roads, drains, power lines and other things on which we all depend. It is now time to place the same level of emphasise on our green infrastructure.

“Today’s Partnership launch will help local neighbourhoods to do just that – be it by planting over a dull grey wall or designing a garden in the sky on an unused roof.

“It will provide communities with the expertise they need to bring the countryside into the city and create places where people want to live and work.”

The benefits of green infrastructure are compelling – a recent study of over 350,000 people found that people who lived near to green space lived longer and health inequalities were significantly reduced.

The Natural Environment White Paper therefore committed to enhancing green infrastructure and improving communities’ health, quality of life and resilience to climate change.

As those who have already successfully created green areas are best placed to help others, the new Green Infrastructure Partnership will be made up of planning professionals, landscape architects and environmental interest groups alongside organisations such as Natural England, the Landscape Institute and the Environment Agency.

It will bring people together from across the country to address the issues they face. It will also produce useful materials to help those who are looking to create a green area in their local community.

The Partnership, which is being launched as part of the first White Paper on the Natural Environment in 20 years, will initially run for up to two years. Their general aims will be to:

• look at the condition of green infrastructure across England and how it meets communities’ needs;
• investigate the scope for improvements, and look at the barriers to green infrastructure in existing areas to meet future challenges such as climate change;
• consider how local communities, planners and decision-makers can best be supported in designing and developing green infrastructure;
• demonstrate the social, economic and environmental benefits that well designed green infrastructure can provide; and
• help people to quantify the costs and benefits of investing in green infrastructure and make the case for new projects.

The first manifestation of the Green Infrastructure Partnership is the publication today of Local Green Infrastructure: Helping Communities make the most of their Landscape by the Landscape Institute. 

Speaking about the publication, Jo Watkins, President of the Landscape Institute said:

“We want to inspire everyone to make changes in their neighbourhoods by thinking about what’s offered by the natural environment.  as our case studies show, natural green open space attracts businesses to invest in an area, adds value to property, provides an educational resource and brings together local communities. 

“Harnessing nature and making better use of our limited supply of land can therefore promote sustainable economic development and open up new employment opportunities.”

Bob Neill, Minister Communities and Local Government said:

“Sustainable development must go hand in hand with protecting and making the best use of our valuable green spaces and rural corridors. The  Green Infrastructure Partnership will be a key player in helping to develop the full potential of England’s green infrastructure and demonstrating its social, economic and environmental benefits.”

Notes to editors

The Natural Environment White Paper contained a commitment to create a Green Infrastructure Partnership.“The Government will establish a Green Infrastructure Partnership to support the development of green infrastructure in England. this will consider how green infrastructure can be enhanced to strengthen ecological networks and improve communities’ health, quality of life and resilience to climate change.”

A definition of ‘green infrastructure’ was outlined in the the Natural Environment White Paper  as – “a term used to refer to the living network of green spaces, water and other environmental features in both urban and rural areas. It is often used in an urban context to cover benefits provided by trees, parks, gardens, road verges, allotments, cemeteries, woodlands, rivers and wetlands. Green infrastructure is also relevant in a rural context, where it might refer to the use of farmland, woodland, wetlands or other natural features to provide services such as flood protection, carbon storage or water purification. Green infrastructure maintains critical ecological links between town and country.”

The Landscape Institute is the royal chartered body for landscape architects.  It is a professional organisation and educational charity working to protect, conserve and enhance the natural and built environment for the public benefit.  It accredits university courses and promotes professional development to ensure that landscape architects deliver the highest standards of practice.  It works with government to improve the planning, design and management of urban and rural landscape. Through its advocacy programmes and support to its members it champions landscape, and the landscape profession, in order to inspire great places where people want to live, work and visit. Visit Landscapeinstitute.org for more information or follow the Institute on twitter: @talklandscape

This Partnership does not affect the planning or re-designation of land – just provide local communities the support they need to create more green space in the area they live.

Further information on the Green Infrastructure Partnership can be found at defra.gov.uk/environment/natural/green-infrastructure

USA NETWORK AND DC ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH VOLUME 2 OF “BURN NOTICE: a NEW DAY” DIGITAL INTERACTIVE COMIC BOOK

New Volume Explodes with Cutting-Edge Cinematic Effects, Exclusive Interviews along with Extraordinary Peel-a-Ways from DC Entertainment Artists

NEW YORK – September 22, 2011 – USA Network, in tandem with DC Entertainment, announces Volume two of BURN NOTICE: a new Day, its engaging first interactive multiplatform comic book series. Sponsored by Hyundai, the comic book premieres on Thursday, September 22, giving fans their BURN NOTICE fix before the show’s return on November 3 at 10/9c. with more than 1.7 million page views, 160,000 fans have read and engaged with the comic book online and on their mobile devices.  BURN NOTICE: a new Day Volume two is available on usanetwork.com, Facebook and as a freestanding iOS and Android App on select devices.

Written by the creative team behind the show, including series creator Matt Nix, this second volume features more exclusive content along with unique special effects that will give readers a 3-D view into selected panels, allowing them to more deeply explore Michael Westen’s environment.  Fans will have behind-the-scenes video of DC artist Tony Shasteen, who is returning as lead artist on the volume 2.  this content will not only show how he created the artwork, but how he determined the look and feel of the characters.  this new volume will feature exclusive cover art each week leading into all-new episodes of season five, which premieres Thursday, November 3, with a new issue unveiled that same day.

“The first volume of BURN NOTICE: a new Day was one of the most successful digital comics we’ve created to-date and a great example of how a comic can extend and deepen a show’s storyline, offering greater interaction with characters,” stated Hank Kanalz, senior vice president of digital, DC Entertainment. “Volume two takes that interaction to the next level with new features and exciting storylines – I can’t wait for fans to see what we have in store for them.”

BURN NOTICE: a new Day Volume two, picks up with Michael Westen on board a military helicopter, suited up with a team of commandos, ready to storm a cargo freighter in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  once the siege of the freighter is complete, Michael is tasked by the CIA to continue rounding up members of the Organization that burned him.  Fans can follow him over 12 weeks to see his next moves and how he continues to clear his name.  Additionally, they can play interactive games, peelback the artwork to see the layers of drawing, see exclusive content, watch interviews with the writers and artists, and more.

“Building on the strong framework we developed in the first volume of the BURN NOTICE comic book, we are offering an unparalleled immersive feel that pulls our viewers right into Michael’s world of spies, espionage, and explosions,” said Jesse Redniss, vice president of digital, USA. “Our transmedia collaboration with DC, Hyundai, and our technology partners is resulting in a rich multiplatform experience that extends USA’s engagement with compelling storytelling on-air, online or on mobile devices.”

In addition to working with DC Entertainment, USA teamed with Panelfly, who built the mobile applications and cinematic effects, and Glow Interactive, who developed the online and Facebook versions, as well as the mobile interactive overlays.

USA’s hit series BURN NOTICE turns up the heat this fall with all-new episodes of season five, starting Thursday, November 3 at 10/9c.  BURN NOTICE stars Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy banished to sun-soaked Miami.  as Michael continues working alongside his former agency, will he finally find the answers he’s been looking for? Helping him along the way are his beautifully hot-tempered, on-again girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar); our favorite Mojito-loving retired Navy Seal, Sam (Bruce Campbell); and Miami’s newest counterintelligence expert, Jesse Porter (Coby Bell).  Michael’s sharp-tongued mother Madeline (Emmy® Award-winner Sharon Gless) also returns, ready to heat up South Beach. Guest stars include Lauren Stamile, Jere Burns, Indigo, Andre Holland, Ian Anthony Dale, Carlo Gallo and Ptolemy Slocum.  BURN NOTICE was created, written and executive produced by Matt Nix (“The good Guys”, “Chasing Vermeer”).  Mikkel Bondesen (“Catch that Kid”) and Alfredo Barrios (“Justice”) also serve as executive producers.  the series comes from Fox Television Studios and Fuse Entertainment.

Tags: Digital Comics

this entry was posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Digital Comics. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. both comments and pings are currently closed.

Press Release Source: Samsung Electronics Co., ltd on Thursday September 1, 2011, 5:00 am EDT

BERLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Samsung Electronics Co., ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of the WB750 camera – featuring a proprietary BSI (Back side Illuminated) CMOS sensor that ensures consistent professional images and video. Featuring a newly-redesigned image sensor, lens and image processor, the WB750 brings to bear a range of new technologies to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and ease-of-use. the WB750 also features an 18x optical zoom with 24x Smart Zoom technology, making it the longest ever zoom in Samsung’s compact camera portfolio.

thanks to its 12.5 Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, with the WB750 it’s easier than ever to produce consistently high-quality images and video. Introduced to Samsung’s compact camera range for the first time, this pioneering BSI CMOS technology works to significantly reduce image noise and distortion, delivering clear, precise photos and video even in low light conditions. the WB750 is the perfect compact digital camera to have on hand when there is a need for speed, as it can capture stills at up to 10 frames per second in high-speed continuous mode.

“We recognize that consumers want a point and shoot that allows them to get up close to the action and capture images with stunning detail and clarity. we believe that the WB750’s increased zoom and ultra wide angle certainly meet these demands,” said Mr Myoung Sup Han, Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics. “Its portable design makes it the ideal travel companion, putting even more of the world at the consumers’ fingertips and ensuring it can do justice to the most memorable journeys. the unique features of the WB750 offer a rare combination of quality, fun and creativity, particularly for those on the move.”

the WB750 offers users the best of both worlds: high-quality digital photos as well as full HD video for incredible depth of color and detail. Samsung’s sophisticated Dual Capture function seamlessly unites the two, allowing users to take 10 Megapixel photos while simultaneously recording video in full 1080p HD quality.

the camera’s, Creative Movie Maker feature allows users to create movie clips in full HD quality, complete with a range of creative special effects, right on the camera itself. Rather than needing to upload content to a PC, this feature allows users to get creative by collating photos and videos into one themed file on the device itself, adding impressive effects and music instantly.

Breathe life into images

With its range of Panorama features, the WB750 helps convey a sense of dynamism to images. Action Panorama, for example, tracks a moving person or object with a static background to record movement within a single, still photo, whereas the Live Panorama function allows users to easily capture large groups of people simply by holding down the shutter button and sweeping the camera across the scene. the 3D Panorama, works to bring photos to life even further, using one lens and one sensor to create a 3D image, to give family and friends a more realistic appreciation of the photographer’s trip when they return home.

Consistent quality at the user’s fingertips

the camera’s innovative HDR (High Dynamic Range) provides an abundance of colors which give an outstanding richness to the WB750’s images, opening up the color spectrum for the most vibrant results. Providing the opportunity to take hyper-realistic images without the use of photo editing software, HDR brings an added level of clarity to images, whether the user is capturing a lake at sunset or a tree-lined street in the morning sun. the WB750 merges multiple exposures of shots to ensure images have an artistic finish, while creating a greater range of luminance results in perfect exposure across all areas. the camera’s HDR feature ensures that WB750 users capture their creative visions through the latest cutting-edge technology.

With Smart Auto 2.0, the camera can recognize and automatically select the most appropriate setting from a choice of 16 still-image modes and four movie-clip settings, helping users achieve stand-out results. So, even when users are caught-up in the moment, the WB750 will capture every special moment of the user’s journey.

Customize the world

Creating stand-out images is even more effortless with the WB750, thanks to its Smart Filter 3.0 feature. the extensive variety of effects and color options lets users customize shots easily. New special effects include: Oil paint, Cartoon, Ink Painting Color and Cross Filter. Users can enjoy the effects of these features both in preview mode and after taking a picture. In addition, Zooming Shot, which can be used in scene mode, makes creating unique shots even easier. by experimenting with the focus of images, users can highlight the center of a shot while blurring the rest, thereby selecting the part of the image the photographer wants to stand out.

Staying in creative control

For more advanced, or more adventurous photographers, the WB750 offers a full range of options designed to place more control in the user’s hands, including full manual mode. Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority settings let users experiment with shutter speeds and depth of field, so shooting fast-moving images in low light has never been easier.

Keeping it fun

Magic Frame further builds on the WB750’s creative suite, allowing users to express themselves through adapting photos to reflect one’s mood and personality. Frame templates include Wall Art, Old Film, Ripple, full Moon, Old Record, Magazine, Holiday, Classic TV and more, and are incredibly simple to achieve. Just point the camera at the desired subject, fit it within the on-screen template, capture and – like magic – the frame appears.

Intelligent Face tracking

when the subject starts moving, it can be hard to keep the camera focused. This ceases to be a problem with Intelligent Face tracking, which automatically recognizes, follows and focuses upon a person’s face when they start to move. So, even if the photographer is trying to capture special images of friends dancing at a party, or a child taking his first unsteady steps, they’ll never miss a perfect shot.

About Samsung Electronics Co., ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of nine independently operated business units: Visual display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit samsung.com.

Specifications

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, to benefits, design, components, performance, availability and capability of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

  Samsung WB750 Image sensor   Type   1/2.3″ (Approx. 7.76mm) CMOS   Megapixel   12.5 Megapixel Lens   Focal Length   Schneider-KREUZNACH f = 4 ~ 72mm (35mm film equivalent : 24~432 mm)   Digital Zoom   Still Image mode : 1.0X ~ 4.0X(Optical x Digital : 72.0X) Play mode : 1.0X ~ 9.4X (depends on image size)   Smart Zoom   1.34X (Optical x Smart Zoom : 24X) Image stabilization   Dual IS (OIS + DIS) * OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), DIS (Digital Image Stabilization) display   TFT LCD, 3.0″ (7.62cm) hVGA Modes   1.Smart Auto, 2.Program, 3.Aperture Priority/Shutter Speed Priority/Manual, 4.Dual IS 5.Scene, 6.Panoram, 7. Creative Movie Maker, 8.Movie     Smart Auto   Portrait, Night Portrait, Backlight Portrait, Night,

Backlight, Landscape, White, NaturalGreen, BlueSky, Sunset,

Macro, Macro Text(with Smart Guide), Macro Color, Tripod,

Still Image   Smart Filter   Nomal, Miniature, Vignetting, Soft focus, Old Film, half tone Dot, Sketch Effect, Fish Eye, Classic, Retro, Oil Paint, Cartoon, Ink Painting, Cross Filter     Image Adjust   Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation(5 steps)     Slide show   Slide show with Effects & Music Movie Clips   Features   – 18X Optical Zoom enable (Max Recording time : 20min)*Due to the noise while optical zooming, user can select to record sound or not.(Voice recording selectable : Sound Alive On/ Sound Alive Off/ Mute)   Smart Movie   Landscape, BlueSky, Natural, Green, Sunset   Edit (Playback)   Pause during Recording and Playing, Still Image Capture Interface   Digital Output Connector   USB 2.0 (Micro USB)   Video output   AV : NTSC, PAL (user selectable)HDMI 1.4 (CEC) : NTSC, PAL (user selectable)(Built-in HDMI Type D) Special Features   – 12.5M BSI CMOS- 24mm 18X Zoom (24x Smart Zoom)- 3.0” TFT LCD (hVGA)- 1080@ 30fps Movie recording / H.264 Format + HDMI (D Type)- Dual IS- Dual Capture (1080p + 10M Photo)- Creative Movie Maker- 3D/Live/Action Panorama, 3D Photo- Sound Alive- Advanced HDR- FD+FR+FT (Face Tracking)- Smart Auto 2.0- Smart Filter 3.0- Magic Frame

– Movie Recording button

– Built in HDMI Type D with Anynet+(CEC)- Built in PC S/W (intelli studio), supporting F/W Update

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6846397&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6846397

David Kaplan, on Tuesday September 20, 2011, 7:00 am EDT

The value of being a weekly print brand in the online era has been in doubt for years, but Time magazine believes that it can retain relevance by not just emphasizing the Time the brand online, but ramping up attention a lot more on news niches, creating blogs around key topics to maintain web traffic between the spikes related to its traditional coverage of big events. Gadget-and-gaming Techland, politically minded Swampland, military news Battleland and nine other blogs infuse this version of Time.com, with more to come.

Before the end of the year, Time.com plans to add an entertainment blog, an opinion site with guest bloggers and possibly ones about society and family, as well as criminal justice. The moves are part of the “vertical strategy,” which began about two years ago, said Jim Frederick, the site’s managing editor, in an interview with paidContent.

Time also says that digital revenue is up 12 percent so far, though it declined to provide dollar figures. The magazine’s executives point to sponsorships from Goldman Sachs and Ally Financial’s launch sponsorship of Time.com’s finance vertical Moneyland and Starbucks (NSDQ:SBUX – News) for the launch of the LightBox photography blog on Tumblr.

“In developing the vertical strategy, we decided to pinpoint areas of reader and advertiser interest, blow them out as mini-publications in their own right,” Frederick said. “The idea was to get writers who can speak to Tech enthusiasts for Techland or personal finance fans at Moneyland, and forge new readerships, while still embracing our core audience and feeling familiar to our Time loyalists, too.””

Time.com enters the fall coming off a pretty good summer and spring, though traffic appeared to slow down a bit during the summer months. Much of the credit for the traffic gains goes to coverage of major news events like the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Arab Spring and the battle over the U.S. debt ceiling—the kind of big stories that remain Time’s strong suit.

Internal numbers have placed Time.com’s July as one its biggest monthly gains, with traffic rising 16.7 percent over the year before; the site’s best month so far this year was in may, when it had 14.4 million uniques, according to comScore.

It’s hard to look independently at the value created by the verticals, as comScore doesn’t break out the traffic numbers for the individual channels. But according to Time.com’s internal Omniture numbers, verticals drove 40 percent of total site visits in 2011. Newsfeed, which is the primary daily news blog, for example, brings in roughly 5 million monthly visits on average, while wellness vertical Healthland brings in about 2.2 million monthly visits on average. Newer vertical Moneyland, which launched in June, is seeing upwards of 1.5 million monthly visits on average and has had double-digit percentage growth since launch, Time claims.

Beyond the site: in addition to the website verticals, Time is looking to other digital extensions. A month before the July rollout of Time magazine’s all-access iPad app subscription plan, it introduced a companion item on the device: The Page: mark Halperin 2012 App for iPad, a free, separate app that offers political analysis from the veteran political reporter with ExxonMobil as the exclusive sponsor at its launch.

And from the PC and mobile screen, the magazine is hoping that connected TVs will provide another opportunity to plant the brand’s flag. Its first free widget on the Samsung TV platform has seen over 25,000 app downloads in the first two weeks. The Samsung TV app has video and photos in the full screen mode and it can also be used widget mode to read the Time content while watching live TV on connected Samsung sets. At the moment, people may not be clamoring to read the news on their TVs, but if the connected set is the intersection of traditional media and new, Time wants to be ready.

The challenge: Either way, the magazine has a lot of content to fill its various platforms. in all, Time.com has 200 original posts a day, some of which are full-blown articles, some brief blog items. The challenge now is balance the management of those individual brands and somehow have it track back to the main title. “While we want individual brands to succeed in their own right, the parts are very tightly integrated with the whole site,” Frederick said. “In 2005 and 2006, the web was viewed as a repository for what was in the magazine. We are trying to thread a very tight needle, doing what’s best for the online properties, exploit an integrated business model. The job is not just traffic, but drive subscriptions as well. To this day, the greatest benefit [is that] our brand name is connected to a weekly mag. It’s not the drawback people might think it is.”

To help build up the 90-year-old brand, the company has been using Tumblr as a marketing tool, as opposed to another avenue for content. “Initially, Tumblr was a conundrum for us,” Frederick said. “It’s a big social media presence, but we couldn’t figure out what we would use it for. there was no need to use it to republish stories. so we pretty much ignored it.”

That was until this month, when the site launched two separate Tumblr sites, including Lightbox. Time’s social media producer, Allie Townsend, had the idea of creating the main Time on Tumblr as a digitized archive of the magazine’s history. “We could drop the apprehension and talk about Time the brand and have a little fun with it,” Frederick said. “Time is a cultural touchstone and it figures prominently into the movie posters and scenes. It’s a good showcase to highlight those appearances and celebrate the brand, but in not in a heavy-handed way.”

In Q2, according to the Publishers Information Bureau, Time magazine’s ad pages were up a very healthy 12 percent, considering the total numbers for the period were slightly better than flat.

It’s worth noting that that rise occurred at a time when there was a lot more hope in the economic recovery. there is likely to be some ad pullback for magazines, and digital is not close to making up the losses.

In the meantime, as Time Inc. waits for a new CEO, the flagship news magazine’s improvements in traffic and ad pages could help cushion it against any big changes in its management structure or the plans the staff has spent months working on. in past years, the News Group, which includes Time, the Fortune|Money group, and the Sports Illustrated group, tended to be eclipsed in terms of revenue growth by the Style and Entertainment unit, which houses People, InStyle and Entertainment Weekly.

Even with all the various mini-sites and digital adjuncts, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone expects the rise of print to occur on the backs of digital. But it does suggest that Time has its best chance yet to get digital growth to match up to the actual revenues and cachet still being largely derived by the print brand.

Related

Article by John Carroll

It’s a very exciting time. As a new business owner, you have spent the past several months preparing to launch your new company. You’ve written your business plan, consulted with an attorney, accountant, banker, etc., obtained your LLC, had your logo, business cards and brochure designed and printed, and your website is ready to go live.

Now it’s time for the fun to begin … it’s time to announce your arrival, and go sell something. So, who is responsible for sales in your bright shining new business? Oh … that’s probably you, isn’t it? With all of your hard work and preparation up to this point, how much time have you devoted to sales training to help prepare you to successfully sell your product or service?

The small business owners I speak with devote little or no time to sales training, and most do not have a sales background. They know a great deal about the inter-workings of the business and their product or service, but do not know how to translate all of that knowledge into a selling proposition that is of value to the prospect, and motivates them to buy.

The #1 reason new businesses fail within the first 2-3 years is lack of sales. Successful selling is hard work and requires preparation, planning, in-depth training and experience. Unfortunately, many new business owners find out too late that they are ill-prepared for their new role of salesperson.

So, what can you do to be better prepared to take on the sales role for your company? first, to be successful in sales, you should complete skills training in all of the following key areas; sales planning, cold calling, effective listening, presentation skills, sales negotiation, and closing skills. Check online to find the skills and training programs to fit your particular business and budget.

Next, here’s my recommended readings list (in order), to help you learn more about the various aspects of successful selling from the masters:

1. the Art of War by Sun Tzu.2. how to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.3. the Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino.4. the Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy.5. Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar.6. the Complete Idiot’s Guide to cold Calling by Keith Rosen.7. Selling to the very Important top Officer by Anthony Parinello.8. Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey Mackay.

Don’t just read these sales classics, take copious notes to help you develop a sales “game plan” for your new business.

Third, attend a formal sales training program. even if you have a sales background, it will help you be better prepared to sell your product or service effectively. Here is a short list of several of the top sales training programs:

• Strategic Selling by Miller Heiman• Solution Selling by Sales Performance International• Sandler Selling system by Sandler Sales Institute• Power Base Selling by Holden International• SPIN Selling by Huthwaite

Put what you learn into practice immediately, and continue to build on the training experience in your daily prospecting and selling activities.

And finally, hire a business coach who has extensive sales and marketing expertise to help you build a comprehensive sales and marketing system for your new business. By doing so, you will be far ahead of most of your small business competitors, and better positioned to achieve success when you launch your new business venture.

Good luck and good selling!

COPYRIGHT • 2009-11 John Carroll

this entry was posted on Sunday, September 18th, 2011 at 1:47 am and is filed under Coach. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. both comments and pings are currently closed.

Where are we in setting up the health reform law? We are, as you can see below, literally all over the map: (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)

Even though the Affordable Care Act establishes that every state must have a health exchange — an insurance marketplace, which will launch in 2014 — most states need to pass legislation to create the authority to set up the marketplace. The above map, sent to us by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, shows where states are in that process. And perhaps more interestingly, it shows that you can’t predict where states are in that process by looking at the party that controls them.

An accompanying CBPP analysis shows 33 states have considered bills to establish a health exchange; 10 of those have passed. An additional nine states have approved bills that do not necessarily establish an exchange, but do declare the state’s intent to do so. a dozen states have not considered any exchange legislation.

A few interesting things to note here: The map doesn’t break down nicely on party lines. States that have passed exchange bills tend to lean Democratic, but it’s by no means a clear dichotomy.  Both Nevada and California passed exchange bills under Republican governors; Mississippi and Idaho have, over the past few weeks, become increasingly aggressive about setting up exchanges.

Conversely, not all Democratic-controlled states are moving. Delaware and Rhode Island’s state governments are both controlled by Democrats. neither has moved exchange legislation. Even here in D.C, an exchange bill has sat in committee since its introduction in February.

The second takeaway, I think, is that Health and Human Services has a lot of work cut out for it. The federal government will set up an exchange in any state that does not do the work itself. only two states that I know of, Florida and Louisiana, have expressly stated they won’t build the marketplace. but there are a whole lot of other states in the gray area above that could fall either way. If a few larger ones like Texas or new York aren’t able to move forward in the next year or so, that’s going to have the federal government playing a really big role in setting up what was meant to be a state-based law.