Definitely seeing the Henschke in Lola a lot lately.

Five ways to improve your content marketing strategy

via feedproxy.google.com

Helpful reminders with actual examples.

Daily Kos: Wisconsin Recall: Eye-catching new ad hits GOP state Sen. Luther Olsen

Daily Kos: Wisconsin Recall: Eye-catching new ad hits GOP state Sen. Luther Olsen

I'm in this, for, like, .02 seconds (denim jacket) but I'm proud of it. Maddow claims it's "the best political ad out of 2011" - I can live with that. Plus, hell, it's for a good cause :)

Social Media Statistics 2011 [Video]

via blog.hubspot.com

From the awesomesauce that is socialnomics. Enjoy.

Awareness Community - The Secret of Google+

via community.awarenessnetworks.com

Movie version of Prossergate

I think it's clear who will play our misogynist Supreme Court Justice gone wrong:

www.wnpj.org/sites/default/files/pdf/WNPJ-labor-songbook_20songs.pdf

www.wnpj.org/sites/default/files/pdf/WNPJ-labor-songbook_20songs.pdf

We got this

This is what I tweeted:

Remember, #wiunion, 745,690 ppl voted for Kloppenburg. Need 540,206 signatures for Walker recall. We got this.

These are my sources:

Kloppenburg votes
http://muskego.patch.com/articles/prosser-wins-wisconsin-state-supreme-court-race-by-46-of-vote-gab-says

Walker signatures needed
http://www.unitedwisconsin.com/united-wisconsin-frequently-asked-questions

Obviously we'll need a massive buffer zone in terms of number of signatures collected (thank you very little, GAB) but the point is: this is within our reach.

#signsolidarity

I, and many others, love the idea of a silent protest on the square tomorrow. Whether you're there in person or in spirit and following along from afar, feel free to sign the chorus to "Solidarity" with us.

Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
and the union makes us strong.

These are the videos I used to help me put this together:

Solidarity (2nd video down):
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/w/with.htm

Forever
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/FOREVER

(Repeat 3 times)

Union
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/union

Makes
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/MAKE/3844/1

Us
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/us

Strong
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/s/strong.htm

#peace

Budget Basics | Defend Wisconsin

Budget Basics | Defend Wisconsin

#walkerville

With some scrambling, I was able to make it to the square last night. I missed The Kissers, but found @pewtergryphon right away. She generously offered tent space, and I happily accepted. We serendipitously ran into @AnonyMissBadger, there to drop off a tent for me. Suffice it to say I was overwhelmed with kindness and generosity and hadn't even been there 10 minutes.

It had been brutally hot that day, but as the sun set temps came down, a breeze picked up, and it became the perfect setting to sit, chat and chug from our water bottles. We sat on the concrete steps by the Veteran's Museum and watched Michael Moore's SiCKO. Popcorn was passed around, and personally, I was grateful to see that film in that setting. I'm not a movie reviewer nor necessarily a huge Michael Moore fan, but I have to recommend the movie. I learned a lot about the differences in healthcare systems (and philosophies, really) around the world, and while it should have been and was, depressing, it left me hopeful for our democracy.

I grabbed a snack, headed back to the tent, and despite the sidewalk beneath me, fell asleep right away. I heard I snore ;-). It rained a bit around 6am, so we got up and put the rainfly on. Inside-out, but hey, it worked. The buses started arriving and I cried 'Uncle' and got up around 7. Coffee at Michaelangelo's, bagel at Gotham, and back on the #2 bus to be back home by 9:30.

There are areas where tents are allowed to stay erected, but most of the tents had to be taken down by 7am. Tents can't be put up until 9pm. There's only one set of porta-potties (next to Vet's Museum on State Street side), so if you were down by UWCU (as I was) it was a two block walk. No biggie, but it certainly informed my hydration rate! There was an area for families, an information tent, and plenty of volunteers to let you know about events both social and informational.

I can see where #walkerville will soon outgrow the two blocks the permit allots. There was also talk of extending the permit to June 27th (beyond the current June 29th) due to when the BRB might be taken up again.

I strongly encourage those that wish to experience this statement of protest to do so. As I watched little kids run around and listened to the street music, I couldn't help but think, "Well now, this isn't so bad after all." There is a sense of community and downright helpfulness that couldn't be ignored. But I'm not naive. I made the choice to participate, and after having done so, went back to do my work in a home I own in one of the best neighborhoods in one of the country's best cities. I am not forced to live in the streets, but many are. Many more may. I can't live with that.

So sleeping in a tent on Carroll Street doesn't really change anything, I know that. But each of us doing something, when we can, how we can, changes everything. I know that.

A play-by-play of amendment proposals to Voter ID that weren't good enough for the GOP | Dane101

A play-by-play of amendment proposals to Voter ID that weren't good enough for the GOP | Dane101

Laid out like this it's easier to see how and why the last couple weeks were so stressful. Crazymaking, really.

Who's Margo?

I had to resurrect this.

Tommy Thompson was my boss when he was Governor and I fell down the rabbit hole of being his legal assistant. In this video, he can't remember my name.

Wisconsin Set To Disenfranchise Likely Democratic Party Voters - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

Wisconsin Set To Disenfranchise Likely Democratic Party Voters - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

13 Conservative Myths About Taxes -- Debunked | Economy | AlterNet

13 Conservative Myths About Taxes -- Debunked | Economy | AlterNet

Another good resource for talking points (and really, for me, to help fully understand the issues).

legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/asm95/news/BudgetHandout4.25.11.pdf

legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/asm95/news/BudgetHandout4.25.11.pdf

Great talking points as you're discussing this with oh, say, a husband that just DOESN'T get it.

The BRAD BLOG : WI's Supreme Court Election 'Recount' is a Mess

The BRAD BLOG : WI's Supreme Court Election 'Recount' is a Mess

#WIunion Social Media Highlights

#WIunion Social Media Highlights

This is an excellent timeline of the #wiunion events (as blogged by SEIU).

Federal Unions

Federal Unions

This is a handy response to one of the biggest misconceptions I keep seeing.

AVEs are a Disease – Here’s a Little Vaccine

One of the truly insidious aspects of public relations measurement is the use of advertising value equivalency (AVEs) or media value to assign financial value to public relations outputs.  It is a highly flawed, path-of-least-resistance attempt to calculate return on investment (ROI) for public relations.   To make matters worse, the practice has clearly moved into social media measurement as well.  For example, research studies that attempt to monetize the value of a Facebook Fan/Liker by attributing a CPM value from the advertising world.  Online media impact rankings also utilize equivalent paid advertising costs to assign monetary value to online news and social media.  AVE is like a disease that has infected and spread throughout the public relations industry.

In June of 2010, the PR industry came together in Barcelona to draft the Barcelona Principles, a set of seven principles of good measurement intended to provide guideposts for the industry.  The principle that has generated the most conversation is this one:

Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) is Not the Value of Public Relations

 While many of the Measurati have been preaching against AVEs for years, there now appears to be a critical mass of outrage that may kill the practice in the coming years.  Here are four compelling reasons why I believe we must make this happen – the sooner the better.

1. AVEs Do Not  Measure Outcomes

AVEs equate an article with the appearance cost of an advertisement.  It does not speak at all to the results or impact that the article may have on a reader.  Advertisers do not judge the success of advertising on how much the insertions cost.  Imagine an advertising manager being asked by his or her boss, “How are we doing in advertising this year?”, and them replying, “Great!  We have spent $500,000 so far!  The true value of public relations or social media is not the appearance cost, but what happened as a result of the PR or social media effort – the impact it has on brand, reputation and marketing.  You will note the Barcelona Principles also call for a focus on measuring outcomes and not (just) outputs.  What happened as a result of media coverage is inherently more interesting and valuable than how much coverage was obtained.

2. AVEs Reduce Public Relations to Media Relations

You are, or become, what you measure.  AVEs do not address the impact or value of several important aspects of public relations including strategic counsel, crisis communications, grassroots efforts, viral campaigns or public affairs.  In other words, AVEs reduce PR to just the media dimension by only assigning a value in this area.  If only AVEs are used to assess PR value, the results will understate the totality of value delivered by PR.  AVEs also cannot measure the value of keeping a client with potentially negative news out of the media, yet that may be the primary objective of the PR practitioner.

3. AVEs Fly in the Face of Integrated Measurement                

Good marketing, branding and reputation campaigns have always been integrated to varying degrees.  The digitization of our lives has accelerated integration.

Advertising and PR actually work together synergistically, yet AVEs treat them as cost alternatives.  Studies have shown ads that run in a climate of positive publicity actually receive lift from the PR.  Conversely, ads run in an environment of negative publicity will likely not be successful and/or may be perceived negatively by consumers.  We have seen exposure to brand advertising increases conversion rates in social channels. Integrated campaigns and programs require integrated measurement.  AVEs don’t play well in this world.  They are analog and segregated in a digital and integrated world.

4. AVEs Provide No Diagnostic Value

Too much measurement energy is focused on score-keeping and not diagnostics.  This is one reason why single-number metrics like the Klout score and others have great appeal to many.  However, measurement is fundamentally about assessing performance against objectives with sufficient detail and granularity to determine what is working and what is not.  AVEs fail miserably in this regard.  AVE results can actually be misleading and result in false positives.  AVEs may be trending up while important metrics like message communication, share of favorable positioning and share of voice are falling.  Unfortunately, AVEs provide neither a valid single-number score nor any diagnostic value.

Some have said the Barcelona Principles are the ‘end of AVEs’.  I would agree directionally with that statement with one minor addition, Barcelona was the ‘beginning of the end of AVEs’.  Awareness of the practice and recognition of its flaws are at an all-time high in our industry.  More education and evangelism are required.  Understanding concepts like impact, tangible value, intangible value and (true) return on investment help foster much more sophisticated conversation about the total value delivered by public relations and social media.  AVEs are a disease, education and knowledge are the vaccine.  AVEs won’t die easily.  The momentum generated by the Barcelona event has provided focus and intent.  It is up to all of us to make AVEs a thing of the past.

via metricsman.wordpress.com

A good read on AVE, will be comparing to similar social media struggles.