June 20, 2005
The Future of Publishing: Convergence of Media
First session was a general discussion of the new world of publishing.. the intertwining of the written word with broadcasting, Web sites, and content for handheld computers and cell phones.
One speaker's two summary points were that 1) information no longer is linear... transitions don't happen... information is chunked in stand alone sections (this was a 'well duh' moment for most of us), and 2) serendipity (the ability to browse) is still wanted by end users, and is still possible to create in the new convergent world (this was a 'oh good, tell me more' moment for me). One way she illustrated that this is possible is to have "related items" be a part of a search result.. also to have links to recent publications, etc., in the frame around the requested information.
(11 on Wednesday)
The second session was a series of examples from panelists of how various projects have expanded into different media.
Purdue had a publication on snakes. It then morphed into a CD-ROM, then a state fair exhibit, and then a Web site (http://www.purdue.edu/wildlife).
Texas.. master sewing volunteers manual. Put the curriculum online, added video to line drawings and text, added pre/post testing.
North Carolina, internal newsletter.. quarterly print to once a month online to daily updates on a blog with RSS feed.
Maryland did an online pesticide manual.. database that can be updated instantly by authors, searched by end users, can print out tables from Access that look like the original print manual.
Putting the Plan into Action: Marketing Ideas that Work
K-State staffers presented this session.
First step: Identify your purpose. Is it to increase awareness? knowledge? trial? usage? adoption?
Second step: Tactics. Do they accomplish your purpose? Do they target your audience? Build materials around purpose, not purpose around the materials.
Good tactics are marketing ideas that work.
Walk Kansas was the "good" program marketing that worked for KSU. What were the keys to success? Marketing, name recognition; having an advertising budget; using a variety of marketing tactics; having media and community partners; evidence-based program; and meets a perceived need. For many Kansans, it is the only Extension program they have ever participated in.
It is similar to the Lighten up Iowa program, and many of the strategies used in Kansas could be applied here in Iowa.
What do web users want from us
Part 1 notes from Barb Abbott (I didn't stay for part 2)
Kansas State University used feedback from users to build a content management site.
Feedback panels were used. The session was about the methodology and results of the surveys. Although feedback panel information can't be generalized to all web users, it can help with specific sites. Jakob Neilsen said as few as five users can identify 98% of problems with a web site. The Kansas study used 9 groups (different demographics) of 32 users total, 3-4 users per group.
They tested pre/during site development/post. First contacted participants by phone to get permission. Sent survey via email.
Allowed two weeks to respond, with a phone reminder after that to non-responders. Did it three times over nine months. Lost participants over time: 90% responded to first survey, 73% to the second, 50% to the third.
Findings:
The Kansas users prefer substances over glamour. Web development
requires lots of communication with all players (met every week).
Universities must build compelling web sites to attract students.
Their credibility increased. Functionality over visual appeal. Keep
it simple. Menu listings rather than drop down. Wanted identity
with Kansas State. Preferred sans serif fonts. Wanted search engine
and updated information.
June 10, 2005
Travels with Tiger the Goat
Tiger the Goat raised $1,000 for the ACE Development Fund at the 2005 ACE Conference, thanks to the auction generosity of ACE members led by Kevin Gamble from North Carolina.
But when it came time to leave the party, Tiger couldn't find anyone who wanted to take her home. So she decided to spend the year in scenic Iowa where the grass is greener.
Tiger traveled 1,000 miles by charter bus with 18 Iowa ACE members.
A good selection of snacks and drinks is essential to a bus trip.
Lunch stops are a welcome break in the routine.
After lunch, time to rock.
Access to the latest magazines makes a long ride go faster.
When the humans take a rest break, Tiger doesn't have to interrupt her movie-watching. Five movies in 1,000 miles.
After a long day on the bus, Tiger tries to get some sleep.
Back in Ames, Tiger settles into the daily grind. Breaks only twice a day.
June 09, 2005
San Antonio Photos from Laura Miller
If you'd like to add captions to these photos, please send to delmarks@iastate.edu
At the Mariott before the Walk, Talk, and Write tour. Kathleen Phillips (with sign) and Carol Ouverson are trying to round up the participants.
Sylvia Grider, tour guide extraordinaire, takes a brief break in the shaded garden of the Palace.
Amanda Chambliss and Barb McBreen chat as they enter the Spanish Governors Palace on the Walk, Talk, and Write tour.
June 07, 2005
Write away
Amanda Chambliss and Laura Miller are seated in the shade busily writing their thoughts after completing the tour of the Alamo and the Palace, which is more like a hacienda. The real writing from the workshop is still taking place -- we begin our writing there, then finish the work back at our workplaces, and share them through e-mail afterward. Then we'll have a discussion via e-mail on what we learned about environmental writing. Submitted by Carol Ouverson.
Cascading Style Sheet notes
Barb Abbott attended this session and took these notes at 9 on Wednesday, "The Web: Styles and Accessibility," by Kevin McAbee, Oklahoma State University.
This was a great session for someone like me who has heard of cascading style sheets but has no idea what they are -- CSS 101. The intro paragraph in the program says "Three real problems face today's Web sites: maintainability, accessibility, and printable publications. This session will discuss these issues and the solutions to be found in using casading style sheets with proper html."
CSS separates layout (CSS - text/graphics control) from content (html). Explorer didn't support CSS originally, but now it does (which is a good thing, since 93% of browsers are IE). Maintenance is easier and we can have a consistent look. This presenter's power point was very understandable.. so when it gets up on the conference Web site, we should link to it. Below are random notes...
One thing we maybe should be thinking about is providing at least part of our Web site in cell phone format (will be a growing method of Internet use). CSS easily allows creation of several different formats.. online, printable, cell phone, etc.
Kevin suggests not using rollover images, but using separate pages.
If do use rollovers, give them alt tags. Also, links need to be tab-able and text needs to be scalable. These are all for accessibility. This Web site used to be Bobby... now a handy site check for accessibility http://webxact.watchfire.com.
June 06, 2005
Copyright 101
These are Barb Abbott's notes from the two copyright sessions.
Presenter via videoconference - Peter Vankevich, US Copyright Office; an attorney with the copyright office; and an attorney from Oregon who specializes in copyright law. I didn't get the names of the others besides Peter.
Check out the copyright office Web site, http://www.copyright.gov.
Probably one of the best government sites (according to one of the attorneys)... easy to navigate, etc. Basic info there, plus forms.
They are working on being able to submit forms electronically, but that's not functional yet.
Copyright is one of the intellectual property rights, along with patent and trademark protections. Copyright protects original expression and derivatives that have been fixed in a tangible form.
Any original work on the Internet has been determined to be fixed in a tangible form, so it can be protected. Copyright does not protect ideas, symbols, logos, etc. Those are covered under patent and trademark law, which we didn't cover in this session.
We can search on the copyright office Web site for what's registered.
However, they don't do any monitoring of what's been registered, so multiple people could register the same thing. If there is a fight about that, it must be handled in the courts.
Copyright notice is not required now, so assume that all fixed material is copyrighted. However, it is recommended that the copyright symbol, year of publication, and name of rights holder be put on material.
The registration process is not required to sue, but it is required to recover attorney fees if a case is taken to court. And according to the presenters, federal court proceedings are quite expensive, so registration would be advised if you think you'll end up in court over something. Regular registration is $30 and takes 2-3 months.
This can be expedited (five days) for $580.
There was discussion about the exemptions to copyright protection, including fair use. The four provisions that usually must be present
are: non-profit use, quantity of material used, heart of the work (quantity used may be small, but if it is the heart of the work, then it's considered infringement), and effect on sales for the work...
will the copyright holder be affected economically. There are lots of "it depends" in this area. Situations are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
More on the Internet... links are facts, so are not protected. No need to get permission to link. However, don't use logos as the link... that would be trademark infringement. Also, framing may be infringement.. if it appears to be the other site, if it's confusing to the viewer about which site is being seen.. then that could be copyright infringement.
As a general rule, federal work is in the public domain (they said we could copy anything on their site :-)), and state works are not.
However, this doesn't prevent some federal work from being copyright protected.
The only absolute stated in the whole presentation is that any material published before 1923 is in the public domain. Anything after 1923... it depends.
Second session was "Copyright from the Print and Web Publishers' Point of View"
Judy Winn (Texas) and Kyle McCaskill (Maine) joined the above people.
I'm hoping to get web addresses of their info. Also Tom Knecht info.
If I can't get that.. I have hard copies of Maine's "Copyright and Libel Primer" and Mississippi's "Copyright Checklist."
What follows is Maine's copyright information sent via e-mail. Thanks to Kyle McCaskill for providing it.
Copyright and Libel Primer for Web and Print Publishers
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Computers and the Internet have changed everything. Publishing used to be limited to a select few who had sufficient resources. Now, technology has made everyone a potential publisher. Copyright law, which has always been complex, has become bewildering in an electronic environment. It has never been easier to copy or incorporate other people’s work. It has never been easier to make yourself and the University vulnerable to a lawsuit.
Copyright Law
Since 1978, copyright protection occurs at the moment of creation, and protects the form of expression (word, images, music) rather than the ideas or facts represented. A copyright notice or registration is not required. Lack of a copyright notice does not mean that something can be freely reproduced.
I. Using Material from the Internet
Technology may result in a loss of control over reproduction of materials for authors in the future. However, copyright law has not yet sufficiently addressed electronic communication. The same laws that were made for printed publications, art, music and film now apply to material on the Internet. Words, images, page design and even HTML code are protected from the moment of creation, regardless of whether or not a copyright notice appears. The majority of information on the World Wide Web is not in the public domain. Theoretically, even text from e-mails and electronic bulletin boards may not be reproduced without permission from the author.
Most Web sites list the e-mail address of a contact person, making it relatively easy to request permission to reproduce images or text.
When in doubt, request permission.
II. Fair Use
Fair Use allows you to reproduce portions of someone else’s work in certain situations. No single factor can determine Fair Use—educational use alone is not enough—there is a lot of gray area. Four factors are considered:
1) Is it educational in nature?
2) Is it not-for-profit?
3) What percent of the original is used?
4) What will the effect of your use be upon the potential market value of the work?
Fair Use is designed to enable people to use small amounts of the work of others for review, critique, or to support their arguments. Depending on the size of the work being copied from, it’s a good idea to avoid quoting more than two paragraphs, or quoting so frequently that the quoted information predominates. It is almost always outside the bounds of Fair Use to reproduce all or most of anything.
There ARE specific prohibitions around making multiple copies of a work to use in an educational setting:
Copies may not be used to create/replace anthologies or collected works.
Consumable publications such as workbooks and standardized tests may not be reproduced without permission.
Unauthorized copying cannot be used in place of the purchase of books and periodicals.
The same teacher cannot copy the same item term after term without permission.
Situations in which copying for academic purposes IS allowed generally share the following characteristics: SPONTANEITY—BREVITY—SINGULARITY. The situation should share all of these characteristics.
Spontaneity: If a teacher is inspired to use something as a teaching tool, and there isn't enough time to request permission.
Brevity: If the excerpt copied is no longer than 1000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is shorter, or if the complete work is less than 2500 words.
Singularity: One course use, one work per author, etc.
When in doubt, request permission.
III. Public Domain
Works and images that are in the public domain may be freely copied. Such works include
works that never had copyright protection;
works whose term of copyright protection has expired;
works created by the U.S. government.
Because of the complicated history of copyright law, it has become extremely hard to ascertain whether or not a work is in the public domain. The fact that the author is deceased or the work is out of print does not guarantee that a work is in the public domain, nor does the lack of a copyright notice.
When in doubt, request permission.
IV. Requesting Permission
The good news is that e-mail has made it faster and easier to request and receive permission from individuals and institutions, if you can find the appropriate person to e-mail. If they have a Web site, chances are they list staff contacts and conduct a lot of business electronically. You can save time by including all of the elements on The University of Texas System’s online sample of a permission request letter, available at http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/permmm.htm.
The Copyright Clearance Center specializes in obtaining permissions, particularly for academic use. They charge a nominal fee, plus whatever royalty the copyright owner charges. The center has a catalog of preauthorized titles, making the permissions process nearly instantaneous. Go to their Web site at http://www.copyright.com/ and select “Academic—Higher Education.”
Libel and Invasion of Privacy
Each state defines and applies laws relating to libel and invasion of privacy differently. Typically publishers were sued for libel and invasion of privacy in the state of publication/distribution. Since the Internet enables material to be published everywhere at once, we are entering murky waters indeed.
The Internet has made it fast, easy and cheap to publish. People post Web pages without the consideration and peer review that typically occurs with print material. And depending on who is publishing the material on what server, with whose equipment, and in what capacity, both the University and the person publishing the Web page could very well be liable.
I. Libel: publishing defamatory material or anything that damages the reputation of a person or entity. Lack of knowledge or intent is not a sufficient defense—for instance, a writer who uses a word without understanding the meaning it may have to a particular audience would still be liable.
The University of Texas has an excellent Libel Checklist that will analyze a situation for you: http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/libelfrm.htm
II. Invasion of privacy:
disclosing intimate or private details about someone;
printing false statements or representing a person in a false light;
appropriating a person's likeness (e.g. photo) or name without permission, particularly for commercial gain;
intruding unreasonably and intentionally upon a person’s seclusion (e.g. trespass, surveillance).
In any case, providing the identity of a private individual, unless in a public setting, is a sensitive matter (less so for a public figure). All of the above are more serious if the material is embarrassing, offensive and/or not inherently of public concern.
Take great care when publishing information in newsletters or on Web pages about volunteers and other individuals. Be mindful of their right to privacy and potential libel issues. To be safe, get permission to publish a name or picture in writing.
Plagiarism
Non-copyrighted material still needs to be credited appropriately. If you use someone else’s ideas, design, graphics, data, or words, even if it is public domain material, without crediting the source, you are representing someone else’s material as your own. This is plagiarism.
Hamilton College has an excellent Web page on avoiding plagiarism: http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html
A briefer overview can be found at this Barnard College site: http://www.econ.barnard.columbia.edu/FAQs/plagiarism.html
Citation
Good citation practices
The purpose of citation is to credit the scholarship of others, and to allow the reader to verify, ascertain the credibility of and find out more about the information in question. Any idea, image or expression that is not your original work should be cited. Direct quotations should be enclosed in quotation marks with a footnote or in-text reference. Avoid quoting significant amounts of text without permission.
As the Barnard College Web page on plagiarism points out, good citation not only acknowledges the work of others, but it clarifies and highlights which work is your own. “The point of good citation practice is to direct the reader's attention to where you have advanced the argument.”
About paraphrasing: the author of the Barnard page goes on to explain that “a more subtle form of plagiarism is footnoted paraphrase.” Such a practice, according to Barnard, leaves it unclear which ideas come from the author and which from the cited source. Paraphrased passages should be defined with an introduction such as “Rowling explains that this event is . . .” Alternatively, you can footnote the paraphrased passage and identify it as such in the footnote, e.g. “This sentence/paragraph paraphrases Rowling’s ideas on wizardry, p 231.”
Citation Styles
The citation style you should use depends upon whether you are creating footnotes or a bibliography, whether you are creating a county newsletter, an article for a refereed journal, a fact sheet for low-income families, a workshop handout or a federal report. The appropriate citation style could be AP, APA, CMS, GPO or something else, depending on the document and the audience. Contact the UMCE publications editor for an appropriate citation style for your publication.
When researching and writing, be sure to keep a record of the source of anything that isn’t your own original expression or idea. Include the author’s full name, the name of the work, the name of any larger work in which the work appears, (e.g. the anthology that an story appears in, or the journal that an article appears in), the year published, the publisher, the publisher’s city and state, the total number of pages in the work, and the page(s) from which the information was taken. This will ensure that you have enough information for any citation style.
This handout was prepared by Kyle McCaskill, University of Maine Cooperative Extension publications editor. It is intended for internal use, to raise awareness among UMCE employees about issues in electronic publishing. It is not intended for use outside the organization, nor is it intended to be a definitive treatment of the topics discussed.
The Saga of Yoga Dave
To hone our writing skills, the communication staff likes to do "bar napkin" stories, where each person writes a sentence and passes the story onto another to continue. On the way home from San Antonio, while stranded at an Oklahoma ice cream store, the ISU communicators took to their writing. One of the other stranded travelers, a writing prof from University of Oklahoma, even took the time to write a paragraph.
It was a dark and stormy night...
Yoga Dave was in a motorcoach full of beautiful women when the Oklahoma troopers shut down the interstate. He took them all into a dairy cooler, with a few more folks. However, the goat was forgotten on the bus.
One of the beautiful women, Esmerelda, was dressed in a light summer wear, so Yoga Dave bravely removed his jacket and encircled her shoulders with its warmth. The frost from his kahlua soaked breath brushed her neck.
The combination of his musky male scent, his kahlua soaked breath and the chill of the dairy cooler made Esmerelda’s knees weak.
Just then, the chief of police called the dairy store manager on her cell phone. “It’s all clear for now, darlin’. However, there’s another on the way, Let those people out of that cooler for now.”
“Well, all right – I was fixin’ to do that anyway,” the brave and able manager replied. “You’ll get out of that cooler now.” And with that, Yoga Dave, Esmerelda, the throngs of beautiful women, and the other folks ambled out of the cooler and made their way back to the convenience store. Suddenly, Esmerelda screams, “Oh my God, There goes the Goat.”
“The what?!” asked a wandering Okie writer who, with his tornado-loving wife, was fortunate enough to be trapped with the Yoga-Ezzie and company folks. Instantly, graciously, and with a hint of malicious glee, one of the beautiful women explained that the goat was but a statuary surrogate for an actual goat, soon to be purchased for a third world family. “I thought the tornado was confusing,” murmured the Okie writer, and fled muttering into the night.
Nighttime at the ranch
Night shot from the Texas ranch. Photo contributed by Barb McBreen
We made it home
We left an hour a head of schedule Saturday. We were all ready to head back to Iowa after a great week at the conference. Stay tuned to the blog for more conference notes.
Only trouble coming home was a huge storm system, which provided lots of lightning, a closed interstate, and a brief period in a cooler at an ice cream store...not a bad place to be in a storm. Only a little chilly.
We saw five movies on the road home: Shrek 2, Airplane, Meet the Fokkers, Napolean Dynamite, and Fletch. FYI, we are starting the list for the next bus ride.
Even though ISU staff were housed for a while in the cooler with a lot of other travelers waiting out the storm, ice cream sales were brisk.
In the cooler, waiting for tornados to pass. Somewhere in Oklahoma Saturday evening.
June 04, 2005
Friday conference pictures
Does Lynette win big in Texas?
Want to dance partner? Dave and Barb light the dance floor on fire.
Jean with Jennie Martin...way to go former intern. We are proud of you.
Barb, Becky and Krysta at the ranch looking for cowboys.
Becky and Robin rock Texas conference! Barb McBreen attends their session. Others too!
June 03, 2005
Shoot for the Stars
The Gary Hermance speaker, Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr., wowed conference attendees with his presentation this morning. Titled "Roadmap to the Stars" Harris told us all to do everything possible to accomplish our dreams.
Some of his points and quotes included:
Dreams are the reality of the future. To have a future, you must first have a dream. Harris said it is never too late, or we are never too old to fulfill our dreams.
Value proposition: Education is the key to fulfilling dreams.
Empowerment: Success begins with will. It is a state of mind.
Your way of thinking: All the events in your life are a mirror image of your thoughts (from The Instant Millionaire, by Mark Fisher).
Your hearts desire is the voice of God. That voice must be obeyed sooner or later (from Emmet Fox).
Tour of Air Force News Service
On Thursday, some of the group took a tour of the news operations at Kelly Air Force Base. These are a few pictures from the tour.
The commander of the news service branch of the Air Force (AF) makes a few opening comments during the tour of news operations at Kelly Air Force Base. AF News provides information to miltary personnel and civilians through print, radio, television, and the Web.
Laura and Keven learn how AF News distributes news releases and video packages to media around the world.
This studio, smaller than some of our office cubicles, is where daily television news broadcasts for AF News originate from.
Posted by Keven at 1:40 p.m.
"Dumb" Sessions
This was the first session of the morning for the video group - all about compressing video and the codecs one can use. The session was actually somewhat disappointing, not offering any new information but rather dwelling on old software that our unit is well past using.
This image is showing the title of another session we attended - here we discovered a strange presentation on the failure of an initiative by the presenters. They attempted to make use of public access television, producing several programs that would air at a specified time. Unfortunately, only one person visited their site for the program - thus it was an utter failure. Very odd session.
The Alamo
This is where Carol hosted the writing workshop Thursday afternoon. Many of us went on tours, including art museums and air force bases yesterday. All very interesting.
Dinner Thursday night
What does Dave have on his head? Max's pirate hat!
Jean and Allan Bid it Out
Jean is bringing her money home while Allan is expecting a tree to be delivered from Ohio. Lots of money was raised at the auction.
Jean and Max have fun
Max made a new friend Thursday night.
June 02, 2005
Carol sees her exhibits for the first time
Iowa brought several exhibits to the conference...it's so much easier to pack exhibits when you ride on a big bus instead of flying.
Judy Winn, ACE President, with Barb McBreen
Way to go Barb.
Yah, you betcha!
Laura Miller and Bruce Sundeen, NDSU, the North Central Region Pioneer Award winner.
June 01, 2005
Media Convergence
Forget linear thinking. Though the reporters in us value the use of transitions in writing to bring our readers along, the new world requires a different mindset. Evie Engel from Oregon State moderated a session on media convergence for Extension publishers.
Some of the nuggets from the first part of this session included:
-information is presented in chunks today. Each "chunk" has to be able to stand on its own...with a message for the user.
-each messsage should be prepared in a medium that presents it best, be it video, audio, animation, graphics, or text
-searching capabilities now allow users of our content to go directly to that content, one of the opportunities for us is how to get those users to receive related content from us. And keep coming back!
-always start with the content, than select the medium.
-pick the medium for the intended audience. Some prefer interaction, others don't.
-offer information through several different mediums. People all learn differently.
-know your audience, talk to them whenever possible. Keep track of them over time.
Awards
Congrats to our Iowa award winners in the C&A. And to all ACE members who received awards.
ISU's Brian Meyer, Barb McBreen, Alyx Bigelow, Mary Sailer, Bob Elbert, Carol Ouverson, Jed Findlay, Loren Porter, Jean McGuire, Brent Pringnitz, Rachel Klein, Allan Schmidt, Susan Thompson and Julie Mangels were all honored this evening. Did I miss anyone?
And kudos to all award recipients this evening. What a talented organization.
Thanks to all who brought award exhibits to share...it is very helpful for ACE members to see the award winning entries. We need to encourage more award winners to share information...the projects and entries are a lot of work.
From reports after the banquet, it was reported the dessert was a huge hit.
We love Apple!
Today was a day full of Apple Studio training. We did Final Cut Pro work with a dash of DVD Studio Pro, followed by a full journey into the land of Motion. It was a fantastic session and really gave our entire group a major leap forward on all of the programs!
The Heart of CECS is.... Dave?
Here we have the Heart of CECS display that Dave, Micki, and Loren worked so hard at. It is up and running and getting a great response!
Keynoter addresses marketing to Hispanic audiences
Edward Rincon, an expert on marketing to Hispanic audiences, said we should spend more time on the front end diagnosing what our intended audiences need. Make sure to check out his web site for additional information.
For example, we need to identify the audience's needs and values. However, with objectives unclear, little or no research, limited staff expertise, little budget $s, knowing that our resources are limited, often results in lots of guesses. And we tend to make mistakes along the way:
For example:
I'll worry about Hispanics manana (but tomorrow is already here!).
Rincon said there are more Hispanics in the U.S. than the total population of Canada, Peru, Venezuela or Chile. Nearly 35.3 million live in the U.S. currently. And, procrastination is not a good thing...people need information now to improve the quality of their life, for health and safety information.
We shouldn't take shortcuts to understanding the needs of Hispanics. Too often we rely on friends, coworkers (who are not trained to give us expert advice), use stereotypes, or media portrayals to gather this information.
Translation is not the key to Hispanic marketing. Often times we over look message, comprehension, appeal.
We shouldn't ignore what Hispanics think, or their lifestyles. For example, native vs. foreign-born Hispanics vary in consumer-related attitudes. And Latino life-styles impact public sector progress.
Don't believe that Hispanics are not civic-minded. Their voter and registration rates are increasing steadily. Many serve in the military.
Hispanics buying power in increasing
How do Hispanics want to be referred to? Over half have no preference: either Latino or Hispanic. Native-born prefer American; foreign-born prefer their country of origin.
It is a myth they prefer to communicate in Spanish. Many prefer English advertising. Also, differences between native and foreign-born.
Don't blame the consumers for an ineffective advertising campaign. Usually the fault is lack of research, faulty strategy, or bad or ineffective product.
Finally, don't ignore key steps in the marketing process. Analyze the marketing opportunities and select target markets.
In a followup session, Rincon went into more detail on marketing strategies. Some of his advice was very straightforward.
Steps to take: hire bilingual staff; employee incentives to learn Spanish, simplify forms, internet access in multiple-languages, bilingual signage, use direct eye contact with clients, use customer satisfaction surveys, learn greetings in both languages, pronounce Spanish names correctly, minimize computerized voices and maximize the personal touch, have courteous staff, monitor employees, and work to reduce waiting time.
Elements of sound advertising:
-clearly identify target consumer through research
-use a positioning strategy that talks to target consumers (we need a strategy to encourage our intended audience to buy into our organizations)
-incorporate people and images that enhance our message credibility (don't just change the words when translating a document, make sure the images work as well)
-place your messages in media used by target consumers (current research shows only about 30 percent of Hispanics use the internet)
-focus on pricing and packaging that appeals to target consumers, identify points of distribution accessible to your intended audience, reinformation production adoption through PR, evalualte periodically its effects on conusmer behavior.