ArticuBLOG

Is This the Beginning of an IT Revolution?

In the midst of shaky earnings reports and record-high unemployment rates, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was filled with positive thoughts at the company’s annual CEO Summit last week.  Addressing an audience filled with a “who’s who” of the business world, Gates remarked that the IT revolution was only just beginning and that the technology market will pull the U.S. out of the current recession.

While the technology industry has seen its fair share of hard times as a result of the economy, it’s still in a much better place than many other markets.  With technology so deeply ingrained in both our personal and professional lives – so much so that work comes to a standstill with the crash of an e-mail server and people line up for days to purchase the next-generation version of the iPhone – it’s not hard to see why.   

As we’ve seen in the past, the best innovation comes during the hardest of times.  The Dot.com crash served as the catalyst for Google and the concept of social networking – and yet back then many thought the U.S. economy would never recover. 

While there have been a lot of gloom-and-doom predictions made in the past few months, very few have come to pass.  I have faith in Gates’ positive thinking and can’t wait to see what new technology I won’t be able to live without 10 years from now!

By Kate Reed

An Exciting Hire!

As Articulate went on its search to find the perfect account coordinator, we encountered some very interesting, talented folks along the way.   In an economy such as this, when companies attempt to make an entry-level hire, they will often come across many overqualified candidates that apply for the job.  There are obviously two very opposing schools of thought here when it comes to these hires.   Do you hire someone overqualified, at a lower price and hope that he or she will stay when the economy gets better, or do you hire the person who would be the best fit for the position right now?  The answer is not black and white; I guess it depends on your company.     

For us at Articulate, the choice was simple.  We found the right candidate at the right level.  We found someone who truly wanted to be part of our team, regardless of what other opportunities may or may not have been out there.   Well, we’re pleased to say that on Monday, June 1, our new account coordinator, Danielle Mandragona, will be joining the Articulate team!

We’re very much looking forward to working with her!

By Kate Corcoran

Life in Technicolor (Tweets)

A few months ago, I blogged about how I was just starting off with Twitter.  It was scary and overwhelming, but very cool.  Now, almost a half a year later, I’m finding myself pretty proficient.  I have close to 200 followers, which I know is nothing compared to some of you.  But I’m proud of the fact that they are legitimate pros in the PR and technology industries.  OK, I might have some family and friends floating around, but, for the most part, my followers are legit!
 
Last week, I had a “Twitter first.”  I got to “Live Tweet” at a customer event and it was a really great experience.  One of my clients, CT Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Solutions, the legal tech giants, held a customer event at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.

Appreciating the power of social media, CT let me walk around the event with my BlackBerry and simply Tweet about it!  I got to talk to clients, listen in on conversations and explore the ship – all while sharing tidbits of industry news, trends and observations.  The results were surprising.  Not only did I get a slew of new followers (all legit!), but I got a lot of great feedback from them as well. 

I urge all of you to consider “Live Tweeting” your next event – especially if it will generate valuable content that others want to hear about.  It’s a completely new way to get your name out there and reach new audiences.  A few tips to consider if you decide to do it:

• Don’t be overly commercial:  Keep your Tweets as vendor neutral as possible.  This is not the time to inundate your followers with information about how great you are.  It’s a time to showcase your thought leadership.  Trust me, if you do this, you will get a lot of new followers.  If you make it a non-stop commercial, you’ll lose a lot of followers too.   
• Think about a hashtag:  Hashtags organize information on Twitter and help searchers find news quickly.  I didn’t use a hashtag for the CT event, but if you’re going to a large event – say Interop or DEMO – definitely create a hashtag or use one associated with the event in your Tweets.  Anyone searching for event-related news will see your Tweets.   
• Don’t go Tweet crazy:  There is always the person on Twitter who Tweets every 30 seconds and is super annoying.  Personally, nothing makes me want to “unfollow” someone more than that.  I made up an unofficial rule for “Live Tweeting” – only do it every 10 to15 minutes.  Anything more and you run the risk of alienating followers.   
• Let your followers know ahead of time:  Be sure to let your followers know that you’ll be “Live Tweeting” at an event well beforehand.  This way, the ones that are interested will know to check in with you regularly.
• Follow me:  Shameless plug!  Remember to follow me on Twitter:  @meggarnett.

By Megan Garnett