New Communications Manager at Aras an Uachtarain

April 12th, 2012 Posted in Appointments, Ireland, Movers & Shakers No Comments

President Michael D. Higgins has appointed Sarah (née Hegarty) Martin as his Communications Manager.Sarah has spent over seven years working with RTÉ, first as Corporate Communications Co-ordinator, and then for over six years as Senior Press Officer with RTÉ Radio.

She managed RTÉ’s communications strategy for Medium Wave closure and brand development and communications for launch of RTÉ’s digital radio services as well as day to day media management.

She joined RTÉ from international public relations agency, Fleishman Hillard Dublin, where she worked for two years after completing a stage (traineeship) with the European Commission Representation in Dublin.

She has a MSSc in Communications, Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Ulster. She speaks fluent French and Spanish having completed her primary degree in languages at NUI Galway.

The Ultimate Facebook Timeline Cheat Sheet

April 12th, 2012 Posted in Facebook, Media Tips No Comments

All business pages on Facebook have now been updated to the Timeline format, wether you like it or not. So here is a handy cheat sheet on how to master it.

Dimensions for the cover photo, which runs as a banner across the top of your profile, are 851 x 315 pixels. They can’t include price or purchase information, contact details, calls to action or references to Facebook features.

Set a profile picture. As always, this is what will appear in any sponsored stories or ads and on other people’s timelines when you post something. The dimensions are 180 x 180 on your page and 32 x 32 scaled down in feeds.

Organise Views and Apps. Underneath your cover photos are your photos, likes and apps. You can rearrange these (except for photos which has to remain first) and have up to 12 displayed.

Star, Hide and Pin. By hovering over individual stories on your timeline you can make them wider, ‘star’ them or remove them form your page entirely.

Enable Messages. Admins can now allow users to send them private messages. Great for customer service issues etc.

Feature Milestones. Add milestones to your profile to highlight your business; biggest accomplishments such as fan growth, award wins, etc. The dimensions for milestone images are 843 x 403 pixels.

Source: HubSpot

10 films about Journalism that you need to watch

April 12th, 2012 Posted in Film, Journalism No Comments

Here are ten great films about journalism that should be on any PR, Communications, Media or Journalism professional’s must see list. How many have you seen?

1. A Mighty Heart. The story of journalist couple Daniel and Mariane Pearl and the latter’s search for her husband after he went missing when interviewing an Islamic fundamentalist in Pakistan. A reminder of the great risks some journalists have to make.

2. Ace in the Hole. This 1951 film stars Kirk Douglas as a failing reporter who gets a chance to break a once-in-a-lifetime story. It was Oscar nominated for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay so you know it’s good.

3. Absence of Malice. An interesting one as it deals with the perils and implications of false accusations, something infinitely more relevant now than in 1981 when the film was made. A frustrated prosecutor falsely accuses a mafia boss’s son of murder, then leaks the information to a journalist who covers the story.

4. All The President’s Men. The classic tale of the investigate journalism that led to the Watergate scandal, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. If you haven’t seen it put it at the top of your list now.

5. Almost Famous. The story of Director Cameron Crowe’s young days and how he landed his dream job of reporting for Rolling Stone. It won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay.

6. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. A hilarious parody of the broadcast news business in the 1970s that people all over the world can quote verbatim. Rumour has it there’s a sequel in the works, too.

7. Balibo. A film about war correspondent Roger East and Nobel Prize winner Jose Romos-Horta covernig the murders of five journalists that went missing as Indonesia prepared to invade East Timor in 1975. Definitely worth a watch.

8. Broadcast News. IMDB’s description says it all. ‘Take two rival TV reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one producer, female. Mix well and watch the sparks fly.‘

9. Capote. This chronicles author Truman Capote and his research for the book ‘In Cold Blood’, about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas. An excellent performace by Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote.

10. Citizen Kane. A group of reporters attempt to figure out newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane’s dying word, ‘Rosebud’. A classic.

Source: PR Daily

Apple race to develop anti-virus software

April 12th, 2012 Posted in Apple No Comments

Apple is racing to develop software to detect and remove viruses after it was discovered that malware had found its way into Macs across the globe.

Anti-virus vendor Doctor Web last weeks found the BackDoor.Flashback Trojan which has already infected 600,000 Macs, 0.1% of which are located in Ireland.

The virus redirects a user to a bogus website and exploits a security flaw in Java. It saves an executable file which then downloads malicious payload from a remote server. In other words, bad things happen.

Apple said it has released a Java update for systems running the latest version of Mac OS X, however those with older versions should disable Java in their web browsers until a compatible update is released. They are also working with Internet Service Providers globally to disable the network the virus operates on.

Source: Silicon Republic

‘Girls Around Me’ leaves app store

April 3rd, 2012 Posted in Apps, Privacy No Comments

The controversial app ‘Girls Around Me‘ has been withdrawn from the App Store after a fierce backlash over privacy concerns.

The geolocation app lets users find men and women in their area using data from Facebook, Foursquare and other sites. Developers i-Free had hopes of the app becoming ‘a revolutionary new city scanner app that turns your town into a dating paradise’.

In other words, users could find people who caught their eye by using the app, which was garnering information about these people through various sites.

Naturally there was much controversy over invasion of privacy and the app becoming a haven for those with stalking tendencies. Foursquare have now shut down the app’s access to its API.

i-Free developers have hit back, saying ‘Girls Around Me does not allow anonymous usage of the app. It is impossible to search for a particular person in this app, or track his/her location. The app just allows the user to browse the venues nearby, as if you passed by and looked in the window.’

What do you think?

Source: Silicon Republic

Guess who Dropbox’s newest investors are…

April 3rd, 2012 Posted in Internet, Music, Online, Technology No Comments

Dropbox, a web service that allows users to store files in the cloud, has announced two new individual investors – none other than Bono and The Edge.

The U2 bandmates are jumping on the web technology wagon after making $1 billion through a recent investment in Facebook.

Dropbox announced the news by tweeting a picture of the boys with company founders Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi.

As co-founder of Elevation Partners, Bono has also made tech investments in Palm and Yelp. He then got to know Dropbox through their development of the iLike app on Facebook.

It’s a very smart move by the U2 frontman – revenue for the company is expected to hit $240 million this year, despite the fact that 96% of users only use the free part of the service.

Source: Media Guardian

5 reasons why you need to go to Media Future 2012

March 27th, 2012 Posted in Conferences, Course/Training, Media Future, Mediacontact.ie News No Comments

With just over four weeks to go to Media Future, tickets are almost sold out already. Here is what you can expect and why should get your hands on a ticket today, before they are all gone.

The Speakers

Leaders from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Irish Times, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, The Harvard Business Review, Nixon McInnes, Wired UK, BBC Radio, Storythings and more will all be speaking at the conference and running workshops. We’ve also got technology gurus like Ian Wharton, Antony Mayfield and Mariann Hardey throwing their views into the mix. You’re sure to find at least one person to get some new ideas or inspiration from. You can find out more here.

The Agenda

With speakers from a broad range of disciplines the agenda at Media Future will span social media, journalism, publishing, social news, app development, creativity and productivity, games and technology, storytelling, digital media, online reputation management, and much more. On the 14th May we’re running four workshops where you can improve your skills in social media, creativity, productivity, and social news. There’s something for everyone and we can guarantee you’ll learn something new.

The People

Media Future has grown from a small event attended by 100 people to a two-day conference that is fast becoming the most important of its kind in Ireland. Decision makers in digital media, broadcast and print media, public relations and communications, charities and government organisations will all be in attendance. Last year Media Future welcomed consultants, CEOs, editors, producers, brand managers, art directors, university lecturers, filmmakers, designers, journalists, marketing managers and project managers.

The Interactivity

If you want to network with important figures in the media industry then this is the place for you. But its not just limited to the conference itself. Get online and you can interact with our followers right now on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook; you never know where it might lead. We’ll also be keeping you up to date with the latest conference news and announcements there, so if you want to be in the loop make sure to connect with us.

The Place

Media Future 2012 will take place in the Pavilion Theatre in the beautiful and scenic seaside town of Dún Laoghaire. Experience the unique vibe that this seaside town has to offer as you engage with the world class lineup of live speakers as well as over 250 fellow delegates.

Take your pick of an extra more intimate session held the day before the main conference on May 14th. These workshops will focus on social news, social media, creativity and productivity and will take place in the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Blackrock. Transport will be provided to and from the venue from the Pavilion.

Book your ticket

You can book your place using any of the methods below.

Go to www.mediafuture.ie and click ‘buy ticket now’

Call: 01 473 2050

Email: cathal@mediacontact.ie

Media Future takes place on 14th and 15th May 2012 in Dun Laoghaire. Our sponsors are Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, IADT, Marks and Spencer, Diageo Ireland, AvTek, Aer TV, XM Solutions and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Our Media Sponsor is RTE Digital.

How to Get Results from Social Media – Best Practices from Harvard Business Review

March 26th, 2012 Posted in Conferences, Course/Training, Media, Media Future, Media Tips, Mediacontact.ie News, Social Media, Social Network, Social Platforms No Comments

Published since 1922, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) is arguably the most influential business publication in the globe.

Its worldwide English-language circulation is 250,000, and there are 11 licensed editions of the magazine.

In the last 18 months the HBR has embarked on an impressive digital strategy to completely transform how it communicates with its audience.

In that time it has seen a 25 per cent growth in online subscriptions generating 7 million monthly page views. The HBR has also grown an impressive 650,000-plus Twitter followers and more than 340,000 Facebook fans, who it already polls about decisions such as which cover image to use.

This workshop will be hosted by the publisher of the Harvard Business Review, Josh Macht, and will give a unique insight into how you can learn from their digital experience.

We live in an age when everyone is tweeting, sharing, posting and talking about your content. This session will help you answer the question “What is it really worth?” and how can you plan it to be a success in your organization.

During this workshop, Josh will show you how to think strategically about social media and how to get you and your organisation focused on what truly matters when it comes to driving meaningful business growth through the web.

Highlights

* Cutting edge thinking and ideas from the Harvard Business Review
* Examples from HBR.org, which has grown its social media by more than 200 percent
* Methods for turning your audience into an army of marketers for you Framework for thinking strategically about your top social media priorities
* Understanding how to adapt your social media strategy given rapid innovation
* Ideas for tapping into your entire organisation for new product offerings
Speaker Profile
Joshua Macht is the Group publisher for the newly formed Harvard Business Review Group. In this role Macht oversees the commercial activities for Harvard Business Review’s magazine, website (HBR.org), and books. He also drives new product development across all three platforms, as well as emerging technologies, under the flagship Harvard Business Review brand. In his previous role as executive director of Harvard Business Digital, he led the dramatic growth of the company’s web efforts, including entirely new areas of the site focused on emerging leaders.

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