Congratulations Alexis!

On behalf of the NJ/IABC Student Chapter board, we'd like to congratulate our chapter president, Alexis Piekarsky, on her honorable mention award for IABC's 2007 Student Chapter Leader of the Year, and her NJIABC award for Volunteer of the Year! Alexis was an integral partner in the creation of our chapter. Thank you, Alexis, for your dedication and hard work. This award is well deserved!

Wiki Biz Book

I just read a posting by Todd Hattori, ABC on IABC Cafe titled
Publishing Revolution...or chaos? Apparently there is a new business book being written on a wiki utilizing collaborative authoring and editing.

The book is titled We Are Smarter Than Me and is set to be published by Pearson next fall. It should be interesting to see the final product.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Enjoy your time with friends and family.

Holiday Networking Event '06

NJ/IABC Student Chapter is hosting a holiday networking party along with the organizations listed below.* Sign up by November 17the and save! Here are the details...

December 6, 2006, 6 – 9pm The Park Avenue Club

184 Park AvenueFlorham Park, NJ 07932

Join eleven Marketing & Communications associations for the Fourth Annual Holiday Networking Event. There will be butler-passed Hors D’oeuvres, Food Stations, Drinks, Desserts, Door Prizes, many great networking opportunities, and much holiday celebration.

Register today at (201) 998-5133 orhttp://www.njiabclub.org/ $50.00 per person before November 17th!You can also mail your payment toNJ Ad Club - 199 Prospect Ave, North Arlington, NJ 07031

Remember, at The Park Avenue Club, proceeds go to eleven local charities giving us even more to celebrate during this wonderful holiday season!

Participating Organizations:

American Marketing Association New Jersey Chapter

Art Directors Club of NJ

Business Marketing Association New Jersey Chapter

Corporate Communication Institute

Council of Communication Management

Marketing Executives Networking Group

New Jersey Advertising Club

New Jersey Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators

NJ/IABC Student Chapter

Public Relations Society of America – New Jersey

Media Communications Association International North Jersey

Sponsors:

Schering-Plough

The Boss Group

Morgan Stanley

NJ-AMA SEM Event

Enough acronyms? Allow me to translate, the New Jersey American Marketing Association is hosting a Search Engine Marketing event in November. I've heard nothing but good things about networking opportunities hosted by NJ-AMA, and I'm sure this event will not disappoint. Please find the details below, or click on the link above.

Hope to see you there!

The New Internet Marketing
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Bridgewater Manor
Bridgewater, NJ

Sponsored By: Relevant Noise

Due to popular demand, Mike Moran is back! Co-author of the book Search Engine Marketing, Inc., Mike Moran is an IBM Distinguished Engineer with more than 20 years experience in search technology working at IBM Research, Lotus, and other IBM software units. He led the product team that developed the first commercial linguistic search engine in 1989, and has been granted four patents in search and retrieval technology. He led the original search marketing strategy for ibm.com, as well as the integration of ibm.com’s site search technologies.
Does a "podcast" sounds like a bad horror movie from the '80s? Is a "Web feed" what you call buying pizza for your HTML coders? If so, you should bone up on the changes that interactive marketing brings to your marketing strategy. You don't need to be a technical guru to reach your customers in brand new ways, but you do need to understand how blogs, podcasts, wikis, and Web feeds can reach your customers. The new Internet marketing does not push its message to customers--it waits for customers to pull it. The new Internet marketing depends on relevance--consumers pull the advertising and other sales information when they are interested. Find out how to use these new tools to increase brand awareness and, more importantly, sales.
Date
Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Where
Bridgewater Manor
1251 Route 202/206
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 658-3000

Time
6:00 - 6:30 PM Registration - Open Networking with Cash Bar
6:30 - 7:00 PM Chapter announcements
7:00 - 8:30 PM Presentation

Registration
To register: send your check to NJ-AMA November Event, PO Box 198, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920-0198

Registration Fees
Students - $20
NJAMA Member Advance Payment* - $35
NJAMA Member Pay-at-the-door - $40
Non-members Advance Payment* - $40
Non-members Pay-at-the-door - $45

* Advance Payment Deadline: Checks payable to NJAMA, must reach us before October 27th to qualify for the advance price. (Checks can be sent to L. Conklin, 10 Crier Court, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920)

The Role of Communicators in 2020

I just read an interesting posting on IABC Cafe by Todd Hattori, ABC. He discusses The Future of the Internet II, an article based on a study conducted by PEW Internet & American Life. Click on the title link above to read the full posting.

The following finding and commentary stood out to me:
(PEW's finding) "Transparency builds a better world, even at the expense of privacy: As sensing, storage and communication technologies get cheaper and better, individuals’ public and private lives will become increasingly “transparent” globally. Everything will be more visible to everyone, with good and bad results. Looking at the big picture - at all of the lives affected on the planet in every way possible - this will make the world a better place by the year 2020. The benefits will outweigh the costs. (46% agree / 49% disagree)

(Hattori's remark) As professional communicators, do we believe we have successfully managed virtual information for our employers and clients? How will we manage increasing amounts of information while reinforcing the value of transparency? What are the ethical challenges and solutions? How will we manage information overload — as if this isn’t already a significant challenge?"

Personally, I would fall within the 46th percentile in agreement with the comment. I believe social media platforms can, will and should increase transparency within corporations. However, the benefits will be met with countless issues and I believe corporate communicators will be left to remedy these issues. But in the end, I feel the benefits will out weigh the faults. Any thoughts?

Here's What's New at IABC

2007 International Conference: Take part in the rebirth of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana is the site of IABC’s 2007 International Conference and will take place on June 24-27. Members will take part in restoring New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Accreditation Month 2006
Have you ever thought about professional accreditation? Well, now is the time to act!Submit your accreditation application and fee in October 2006 and receive a US$20 gift certificate to the IABC Knowledge Centre.

New Report: Effective Management Communications
James Heimberg, ABC, Ph.D., explores the various components of management communication, its relation to other communication areas and related case studies.

Save 10 percent off the regular price with the coupon code WNEMC10.

Introducing Cafe2Go,the IABC podcast
Join IABC Chair Glenda Holmes, ABC, president Julie Freeman, ABC, APR, and their guests for discussions about the association and the profession on IABC's new monthly podcast.

Quick poll: The value of membership
Help us build a better IABC by answering our quick poll question:
What do you value most about your IABC membership?

2007 Gold Quill Awards: Call for entries
The Gold Quill is a mark of global distinction and highest level of professional acknowledgement in business comunication. For more than 35 years, it has been an internationally recognized symbol of excellence that embodies challenge, learning and success recognizing the world’s best communication professionals.

The early-bird deadline for submissions is 1 February 2007; the final deadline is February 8, 2007.

Please note: Annual membership dues increase held at US$6.
Effective January 1, 2007.

"Communicator of the Year" Bob Currie to Speak at Fairleigh Dickinson University

The NJ/IABC professional and student chapter are proud to announce Bob Currie,VP and Chief Communications/Public Affairs Officer at J.M. Huber Corporation, as well as NJ/IABC 2005 Communicator of the Year, will be speaking on "Playing in the Corporate Sandbox--What New and Experienced Corporate Communicators Can Learn From Eachother" on Wednesday October 11, 2006 at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

The event will be held in the Rothman Institute auditorium at 6pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be served, and admission is free and open to the public. An event not to be missed!

NJ/IABC's New Blog

The New Jersey International Association of Business Communicators Professional Chapter launched a new blog on September 12, 2006. Click on the side bar or title bar link above and take a look!

Got Commitment Issues?

Try out NJ/IABC Student Chapter benefits FREE during the month of September.

Just visit www.iabc.com/members and log in with the following information:
Member ID: trial
Password: joiniabc

You’ll have access to:
•All of the content archives including Communication World, CW Bulletin, case studies, and conference presentation
•MyComm
•Read access to MemberSpeak and the IABC Buzz
•The Job Center
•Communication Commons
•The IABC Café

Interested in Becoming a Member?

For more information on becoming a student chapter member and for a pdf copy of the application form, please click on the link provided in the sidebar titled "Join Our Chapter."

We look forward to meeting you!

Upcoming IABC Events

Teleseminar: 7 Secrets to Marketing Success
September 21st
Paul Mlodzik, ABC, MC, The Co-operators
Teleseminar

IABC Southern Region Conference
September 24th-26th
Kansas City, Missouri
IABC Southern Region

Web Seminar: Why Can’t a Woman Talk More Like a Man and Visa Versa
September 27th
Raleigh Mayer, MK Coaching, and James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA
KRM Website (September)

Web Seminar: Finance for Non-financial Communicators
October 4th
James K. Gentry, Professor, University of Kansas School of Journalism and James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA
KRM Website (October)

IABC Heritage Region Conference
October 8th-10th
Washington, D.C.
IABC Heritage Conference

Business Writing Conference
October 12th and 13th
Allerton Crowne Plaza, Chicago
Business Writing

Research & Measurement Conference
October 25th-27th, New York City
Research & Measurement

EuroComm Conference
November 13th and 14th Dublin, Ireland
EuroComm

2006 Iris Awards - Call for Entries

NJ/IABC is currently accepting entries from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania for the 2006 Iris Awards. Hurry, the deadline is October 1st.

(The following information can be found at NJ/IABC's official website.)

ARE YOU READY TO BE RECOGNIZED?
Enter the 2006 IRIS Awards Competition

Both members of NJ/IABC and other communication professionals can compete for 2006 IRIS award honors by their entering work in one of two major categories:

Communication Skills includes pieces that highlight technical skills and expertise such as editing, writing, design and photography.
Communication Management Campaigns includes events, programs and campaigns defined by a communications plan.

Three Ways to Stand Out
There is a "Best in Show" award for each of the two major categories. In addition, Awards of Excellence and/or Awards of Merit are given in the following subcategories: communications campaigns, electronic and interactive communications, audiovisual communications, non-subscription publications, design, publication redesign, special project design, writing, photography and special purpose communications.

Entries are evaluated on innovative and effective use of media, overall quality of writing, design, execution, and successful achievement of communications objectives.

Recognizing Excellence
"IRIS is about recognition of excellence in communications," says Rich Ecke, President, NJ/IABC.

All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must have been produced and distributed between Oct. 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.

Winners will be announced and celebrated at the annual IRIS Awards Ceremony.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE ABOVE TITLE FOR A PDF COPY OF THE ENTRY FORM.

Designing Our Chapter's Logo

The board is currently in the process of approving a logo to represent NJIABC's student chapter. Please note, the following design may need to be modified to meet IABC guidelines. However, we'd still appreciate your feedback.

Here is a brief description of the logo design...

I choose to use a crest which I feel is reminiscent of the traditional university shield. As you know, every item within the shield should possess relevant meaning. They are as follows:

Statue of Empedocles: Greek philosopher 444 BCE considered the inventor of the study of rhetoric.
Laurel Wreath: Symbolic of the victory gained through the pursuit of knowledge in the context of shared community.
Defero: Latin translation of "communicate."
The tagline I've created is "Connecting Students and Practitioners." (which works great with our new “networking” theme)

I look forward to your comments!

Email from eBay

Net Neutrality and the eBay Community: A Call to Action

Dear holdencb,

As you know, I almost never reach out to you personally with a request to get involved in a debate in the U.S. Congress. However, today I feel I must.

Right now, the telephone and cable companies in control of Internet access are trying to use their enormous political muscle to dramatically change the Internet. It might be hard to believe, but lawmakers in Washington are seriously debating whether consumers should be free to use the Internet as they want in the future.

Join me by clicking here -- http://www.ebaymainstreet.com/netneutrality -- to send a message to your representatives in Congress.

The phone and cable companies now control more than 95% of all Internet access. These large corporations are spending millions of dollars to promote legislation that would allow them to divide the Internet into a two-tiered system.

The top tier would be a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted to only the largest companies that can afford to pay high fees for preferential access to the Net.

The bottom tier -- the slow lane -- would be what is left for everyone else. If the fast lane is the information "super-highway," the slow lane will operate more like a dirt road.

Today's Internet is an incredible open marketplace for goods, services, information and ideas. We can't give that up. A two-lane system will restrict innovation because start-ups and small companies -- the companies that can't afford the high fees -- will be unable to succeed, and we'll lose out on the jobs, creativity and inspiration that come with them.

The power belongs with Internet users, not the big phone and cable companies. Let's use that power to send as many messages as possible to our elected officials in Washington. Please join me by clicking here right now to send a message to your representatives in Congress before it is too late. You can make the difference.

Thank you for reading this note. I hope you'll make your voice heard today.

Sincerely,

Meg Whitman
President and CEO
eBay Inc.

P.S. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact us at government_relations@ebay.com.

BRAVO Yahoo! BRAVO

Congrats to yahoo! on their corporate blog launch yesterday, August 1, 2006. Click on the link above and check it out. In my opinion, it's a shining example of a successful blog in the making. The first posting has a video podcast tour of the company's campus--not a bad day at the office.

US House: Schools Must Block MySpace by Marshall Kirkpatrick

US House Resolution 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), was passed by a 410 to 15 vote tonight. If the Resolution becomes law social networking sites and chat rooms must be blocked by schools and libraries or those institutions will lose their federal internet subsidies. According to the resolution’s top line summary it will “amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.”

Protection or censorship? Click on the link above to read more of this article.

Summer Networking BBQ

You're invited! Mark your calendars for a Summer Networking BBQ hosted by various professional organizations in New Jersey including NJIABC. The event will take place on Thursday July 13, 2006 from 6:00pm-8:30pm at Lenfell Hall in the Mansion.

This is a great opportunity to make contacts!

Click on the link above or cut and paste the URL below into your browser to find out more information about the BBQ and how to register.

http://www.njiabc.com/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Budapest, Vancouver, and Millennial Communicators

I've returned from my travels and would like to say that Budapest is quite deserving of its reputation as the "Paris of central Europe." It's absolutely breathtaking. One word of advice, however, if you're ever in Budapest be weary of the taxis and how much they are charging...they can be a bit unscrupulous.

While in Budapest, I had the pleasure of spending time with eight art students from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I was there to assist in chaperoning them for a Drawing and Cultural Studies course. I have to say, I'm now truly enlightened on the concerns and behaviors of the millennial generation. Case in point, communication home was a bit of a chore and we were reliant on calling cards and internet cafes. I found it interesting that in the limited amount of time the students had online, they made it a priority to check in on their myspace accounts.

Realizing that these students are the next generation of workers in our corporations, we should be aware that this is a common and expectant means of communication for them. Could you imagine the absurdity of working for a company that didn't utilize email? I believe this new generation of workers will likely react in the same way when they realize how underutilized social media is in today's corporations. Alright, that's my only plug for blogging in this posting, I promise.

But speaking of blogging, I just listened to one of the IABC conference podcasts hosted by Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz. The podcasts can be found on the IABC official blog. Conference cast #12 is an interview with the new IABC chair, Glenda Holmes. In the interview they discuss issues of advocacy and ethics in our industry, the "I" in IABC, and the future of the IABC blog. There are several other podcasts that I'm sure are also worth the listen.

EuroTrip

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be away in Budapest until June 5th so I won't be posting. Hopefully, we'll have some stories to share of our travels as students from the Wroxton program will be returning on June 2nd.

I'll be back just in time to post updates about the IABC Conference. In the meantime, don't forget to check out IABC's website and blog for more info. One topic of discussion, which is of great personal interest to me, is how to implement social media/social software. If you haven't read the May/June issue of CW, check out the interview with Scoble from Microsoft, it's a very interesting read.