The world has changed. Everything we do is more immediately visible to others than ever before, but much remains the same; the relationships we develop are as important as they always were. This post is a few thoughts on self-promotion, and how to have good relationships as a self-publisher.

Meeting people face to face is ace. They could be colleagues, vendors, or clients; at conferences, coffee shops, or meeting rooms. The hallway and bar tracks at conferences are particularly great. I always come away with a refreshed appreciation for meatspace. However, most of our interactions take place over the Web. On the Web, the lines separating different kinds of relationships are a little blurred. The company trying to get you to buy a product or conference ticket uses the same medium as your friends.

Freelancers and small companies (and co-ops!) can have as much of an impact as big businesses. ‘I publish therefore I am’ could be our new mantra. Hence this post, in a way. Although, I confess I have discussed these thoughts with friends and thought it was about time I kept my promise to publish them.

Publishing primarily means text and images. Text is the most prevalent. However, much more meaning is conveyed non-verbally. ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.’

Text can contain non-verbal elements like style — either handwritten or typographic characters — and emoticons, but we don’t control style in Twitter, email, or feeds. Or in any of the main situations where people read what we write (unless it’s our own site). Emoticons are often used in text to indicate tone, pitch, inflection, and emotion like irony, humour, or dismay. They plug gaps in the Latin alphabet’s scope that could be filled with punctuation like the sarcasm mark. By using them, we affirm how important non-verbal communication is.

The other critical non-verbal communication around text is karma. Karma is our reputation, our social capital with our audience of peers, commentators, and customers. It has two distinct parts: Personality, and professional reputation. ‘It’s not what was said, it’s who said what.’

So, after that quick brain dump, let me recap:

• Relationships are everything.
• We publish primarily in text without the nuance of critical non-verbal communication.
• Text has non-verbal elements like style and emoticons, but we can only control the latter.
• Context is also non-verbal communication. Context is karma: Character and professional reputation.

Us Brits are a funny bunch. Traditionally reserved. Hyperbole-shy. At least, in public. We use certain extreme adjectives sparingly for the most part, and usually avoid superlatives if at all possible. We wince a little if we forget and get super-excited. We sometimes prefer ‘spiffing’ accompanied by a wry, ironic smile over an outright ‘awesome’. Both are genuine — one has an extra layer in the inflection cake. However, we take great displeasure in observing blunt marketing messages that try to convince us something is true with massive, lobe-smacking enthusiasm, and some sort of exaggerated adjective-osmosis effect. We poke fun at attempts to be overly cool. We expect a decent level of self-awareness and ring of honesty from people who would sell us stuff. The Web is no exception. In fact, I may go so far as to say that the sensibilities of the Web are fairly closely aligned with British sensibilities. Without, of course, any of our crippling embarrassment. In an age when promoting oneself on the Web is almost required for designers, that’s no bad thing. After all, running smack bang through the middle of the new marketing arts is a large dose of reality; we’re just a bunch of folks telling our story. No manipulation, cool-kid feigned nonchalance, or lobe-smacking enthusiasm required.

Consider what the majority of designers do to promote themselves in this brave new maker-creative culture. People like my friend, Elliot Jay Stocks: making his own magazine, making music, distributing WordPress themes, and writing about his experiences. Yes, it is important for him that he has an audience, and yes, he wants us to buy his stuff, but no, he won’t try to impress or trick us into liking him. It’s our choice. Compare this to traditional advertising that tries to appeal to your demographic with key phrases from your tribe, life-style pitches, and the usual raft of Freudian manipulations. (Sarcasm mark needed here, although I do confess to a soft spot for the more visceral and kitsch Freudian manipulations.)

There is a middle ground between the two though. A dangerous place full of bad surprises: The outfit that seems like a human being. It appears to publish just like you would. They want money in exchange for their amazing stuff they’re super-duper proud of. Then, you find out they’re selling it to you at twice the price it is in the States, or that it crashes every time it closes, or has awful OpenType support. You find out the human being was really a corporate cyborg who sounds like you, but is not of you, and it’s impervious to your appeals to human fairness. Then there are the folks who definitely are human, after all they’re only small, and you know their names. All the non-verbal communication tells you so. Then you peek a little closer —  you see the context — and all they seem to do is talk about themselves, or their business. Their interactions are as carefully crafted as the big companies, and they treat their audience as a captive market. Great spirit forefend they share the bandwidth by celebrating anyone else. They sound like one of us, but act like one of them. Their popularity is inversely proportional to their humanity.

Extreme examples, I know. This is me exploring thoughts though, and harsh light helps define the edges. Feel free to sound off if it offends, but mind your non-verbal communication. :)

That brings me to self-promotion versus self-aggrandisement; there’s a big difference between the two. As independent designers and developer-type people, self-promotion is good, necessary, and often mutually beneficial. It’s about goodwill. It connects us to each other and lubricates the Web. We need it. Self-aggrandisement is coarse, obvious, and often an act of denial; the odour of insecurity or arrogance is nauseating. It is to be avoided.

If you consider the difference between a show-off and a celebrant, perhaps it will be clearer what I’m reaching for:

The very best form of self-promotion is celebration. To celebrate is to share the joy of what you do (and critically also celebrate what others do) and invite folks to participate in the party. To show off is a weakness of character — an act that demands acknowledgement and accolade before the actor can feel the tragic joy of thinking themselves affirmed. To celebrate is to share joy. To show-off is to yearn for it.

It’s as tragic as the disdainful, casual arrogance of criticising the output of others less accomplished than oneself. Don’t be lazy now. Critique, if you please. Be bothered to help, or if you can’t hold back, have a little grace by being discreet and respectful. If you’re arrogant enough to think you have the right to treat anyone in the world badly, you grant them the right to reciprocate. Beware.

Celebrants don’t reserve their bandwidth for themselves. They don’t treat their friends like a tricky audience who may throw pennies at you at the end of the performance. They treat them like friends. It’s a pretty simple way of measuring whether what you publish is good: would I do/say/act the same way with my friends? Human scales are always the best scales.

So, this ends. I feel very out of practise at writing. It’s hard after a hiatus. These are a few thoughts that still feel partially-formed in my mind, but I hope there was a tiny snippet or two in there that fired off a few neurons in your brain. Not too many, though, it’s early yet. :)

The Ground-Breaking and Global Business Promotion Ceremony of Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area was held at Qingdao Port on March 28.

Millennial business owners depend on social media for brand promotion more than any other medium.

Shocked, right? OK, probably not. But just how much Millennial business owners are using this relatively new media — or how much they don’t use traditional media — may come as a surprise.

New data (PDF) from Magisto shows that 68 percent of Millennial small business owners and entrepreneurs depend on social media channels for developing awareness of their own brands.

complete article

Le haut responsable chinois, Li Xi, a rencontr� Phan Dinh Trac, membre du Bureau politique, secr�taire du secr�tariat et pr�sident de la Commission des affaires int�rieures du Comit� central du Parti communiste vietnamien (PCV), mardi � Beijing. ...

Participants of the Knubian contests often praise the organization of the events. Each contest is efficiently managed to ensure that players can focus on their performance without any logistical hassles.

The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details about their Ani-May promotion. For starters some of their top...

"Your Opportunity to Search 100% Of
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Over 11,400 Instantly Downloadable Products!"

Go to http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro/?webmaster=smartecre

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...

1. Optimize

Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

Blog Promotion Tips

SEO Elite Search Engine Optimization Software is the internet's #1 SEO Link Software to analyze links.

Clickbank puts together many ebooks on ezines, promotions and other resources related to marketing and advertisement. Access and download them from the following link NOW.

New Sekitori

Coupons, Deals, and Promotions.

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...

1. Optimize
Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

2. Submit
Submit the blog to the available online blog directories. There are a number of blog search engines and RSS directories which you can submit your blog to in order to gain additional exposure.

Blog Promotions Tips

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...

1. Optimize
Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

2. Submit
Submit the blog to the available online blog directories. There are a number of blog search engines and RSS directories which you can submit your blog to in order to gain additional exposure.

Blog Promotion Tips

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...
1. Optimize

Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

Blog Promotion Tips

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...

1. Optimize

Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

Blog Promotion Tips

There are a wide variety of things you can do in regard to blog promotion. Here are just a few...

1. Optimize
Optimize the blog using standard search engine optimization techniques, so that it performs well in the organic rankings of the various search engines.

2. Submit
Submit the blog to the available online blog directories. There are a number of blog search engines and RSS directories which you can submit your blog to in order to gain additional exposure.

Blog Promotion Tips

(Telecompaper) Vodafone Czech Republic has introduced seasonal promotions ahead of Christmas. Customers are able to get up to CZK 9,000 discount when buying smartphones, as well as free handset insurance...

Google has added a new promotion type to Google Merchant Center named "Sale events." Sale events are a type data that you can submit on Google and are shown on non-product-centric surfaces. This seems to be available in the US for free Merchant Center listings right now.

This was spotted by Dario Zannoni who posted about it on LinkedIn and wrote, "A new "Sale Event" promotion type has been released in Google Merchant Center."

The help document says:

Sale events highlight a general sale happening in your store on different Google surfaces. Events don't show up on product listings, both organic and ads.

Unlike promotions, events aren't mapped to offers. Since events aren't directly mapped to offers, you can use ranges for discounts, such as 'Up to 40% off,' which isn't allowed with promotions.

Dario Zannoni shared this screenshot:

He wrote, "Standard promotions in Merchant Center require linking to specific products, which can make them challenging to implement. Now, Google has introduced a new promotion type called "Sale Event," which is not tied to individual products. Instead, it can be used to advertise general sales, like "All items discounted up to 70% off" or "Special discount: 10% off on golf bags.""

For more details, check out this help page.

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

You can order the CD from Grace Brooks at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/**/ The cost is $12.50 plus shipping. Tell her you heard about it on Our Life in Christ! Thanks!

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to examine the roles of key traits of m-university services and their users in promoting two crucial post-adoption outcomes of these services; namely, continuance usage intention and perceived value. Background: M-university (i.e., a university providing services via mobile technologies) has gained a great interest in the higher education sector as a driver of new business models and innovative service offerings. However, its assessment has been greatly overlooked, especially in evaluating the factors that drive the stakeholders’ continuance intention to use it and the determinants of its post-adoption perceived value. Consequently, research efforts undertaking such assessment facets empirically are highly required. Methodology: An integrated research model that enables such assessment was developed and evaluated using a quantitative research methodology. Accordingly, data were collected using a formulated closed-ended survey questionnaire. The target population consisted of the academic staff of a Saudi public university that has witnessed an extensive adoption of m-university services. The obtained data (i.e., 207 fully completed responses) were evaluated using the structural equation modeling approach. Contribution: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that gains the chance to provide the research community and m-service providers with new knowledge and understanding about the predictors that drive the continuance usage intention and value of m-university services. Findings: The findings showed that all of the examined traits of m-university services and their users (i.e., reliability, usability, customization, self-efficacy, and involvement) are having positive roles in promoting the continuance intention to use these services, while only two traits (i.e., reliability and involvement) contribute significantly to augmenting the perceived value. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends developing effective design and implementation specifications that strengthen the contributions of the examined traits in the post-adoption stage of m-university services. Recommendation for Researchers: Further studies should be devoted to addressing the notable need to assess the factors influencing the adoption of m-university services, as well as to explore which ones are having significant roles in the attainment of post-adoption outcomes. Impact on Society: The empirical insights provided by the present study are essential for both university stakeholders and mobile service providers in their endeavors to improve the key aspects of the anticipated post-adoption outcomes of the provided services. Future Research: Further empirical investigations are needed to examine the roles of more m-university services and user traits in achieving a broad range of post-adoption outcomes of such services.

Using data from 607 subjects organized in 161 teams (84 laboratory teams and 77 organizational field teams), we examined how leader humility influences team interaction patterns, emergent states, and team performance. We developed and tested a theoretical model arguing that when leaders behave humbly, followers emulate their humble behaviors, creating a shared interpersonal team process (collective humility). This collective humility in turn creates a team emergent state focused on progressively striving toward achieving the team's highest potential (collective promotion focus), which ultimately enhances team performance. We tested our model across three studies wherein we manipulated leader humility to test the social contagion hypothesis (Study 1), examined the impact of humility on team processes and performance in a longitudinal team simulation (Study 2), and tested the full model in a multistage field study in a health services context (Study 3). The findings from these lab and field studies collectively supported our theoretical model, demonstrating that leader behavior can spread via social contagion to followers, producing an emergent state that ultimately affects team performance. Our findings contribute to the leadership literature by suggesting the need for leaders to lead by example, and showing precisely how a specific set of leader behaviors influence team performance, which may provide a useful template for future leadership research on a wide variety of leader behaviors.

YouTube said that this new goal can be used in ads displayed on Shorts and to drive more traffic towards websites

FDA has announced that the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) is planning a study to evaluate the influence that statements made in a promotional communication about patient adherence to a medication may have on the resulting preference for a … Continue reading →

Last week FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion issued its first regulatory action letter of the year. This was an Untitled Letter – a/k/a Notice of Violation Letter (NOV) – sent by the agency to Novartis in relation to promotional … Continue reading →

Itasca, IL — The best path to safer, more collaborative and more productive work environments in the United States involves employers guiding COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

SIRAS drones are engineered for data security, performance, and affordability, making them the ideal choice for public safety, firefighting, and search and rescue missions, according to the announcement.

The National Floorcovering Alliance's 26 vendor partners came armed with new products and promotion ideas aimed to boost sales for flooring retailers in 2024. 

Bell Flavors & Fragrances recently announced one new role and several promotions at its headquarters in Northbrook, IL.

Icon Foods names new CFO and director of R&D.

Plumbing contractors are not known for their marketing prowess, yet marketing can drive more calls. The simplest marketing might be the sales promotion. Here are the steps.

Ingredient companies announced new hires as well as case studies detailing consumer trends influencing new product development.

Performance Plastics is pleased to announce the promotion of Lear Jackson to Quality Manager.

Tidy Task, a Denver-based cleaning company, ran a promotion last November for recurring customers that just paid off big for lucky customer that opted-in.

Officially starting in 2021, the NCAA Board of Governors will allow college athletes in all three divisions to profit from companies using their name, image and likeness to promote their brands and products.

This Fenix discount offer is very high and attractive.

Leawo has unveiled its special Halloween campaign for Blu-ray/DVD Creator software with discounts of up to 40%, along with a limited-time offer for a Freebie.

Black Friday is coming! Find Holiday Deals on Kalado Amazon store and their website.

GRE Alpha North America and Global Lighting and Controls (GL&C) have announced their partnership.

WeatherSmart™ Promotions: Enhancing Customer Engagement

Shelley Reith and Marsha Smith receive promotions at AAM

The latest data regarding how advertising expenditures have been spent on sporting events in the United States during 1992-2013.

TORONTO – The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is warning the public about aggressive promotion of Crestview Exploration Inc.

When we talk about happiness at work, we usually focus on ways to boost your satisfaction and land a position that offers a sense of purpose and fulfillment. One tidbit that rarely makes headlines is that many employees are actually pretty content with their work. In fact, a CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey found that 85 percent of American workers are happy with their jobs. With numbers like those, it stands ...

In their new roles, enterprise account executive Austin Piazza and account executive Lindsey Fisher are responsible for developing and enhancing relationships and educating the industry about XOi’s capacity to help contractors solve the skilled-trades gap and grow their businesses.

Marketing campaign depicts a cast of funny and typical beach characters with whom consumers have likely interacted, and asks, “And you, what beach type are you?”