Blue Pencil Postings

The staff of Gifts & Decorative Accessories share their views and commentary on matters related to the industry.

Happy 15 minutes-off-work-to-have-a-turkey-sandwich day

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-11-15 19:47:55

By Meredith Schwartz Remember when Thanksgiving, America's most universal holiday, was to be celebrated with family and friends and being thankful for what we have? Or in giving back, serving the less fortunate? Well, those days are over. It was bad enough when stores started opening early on Black Friday - first at six, then five, then four and three a.m., so employees had to face the ravening do... Read More

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Unburying the Lead

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-05-31 15:09:20

By Meredith SchwartzIn journalism slang, "burying the lead" (or "lede") means putting the really important info further down in the article instead of at the beginning. And while there are exceptions, in general it's considered a bad thing. Readers want their news up front so they can decide whether they're interested enough to read more. This is true when reporters are the rea... Read More

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Happy Birthday, I Paid Your Phone Bill. Are We Having Fun Yet?

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-05-24 13:45:54

By Meredith SchwartzThis development was probably inevitable: now consumers can use unredeemed gift cards to pay bills, according to Auction Bytes. Given the plethora of websites that already let people sell and trade unused gift cards, it's not a surprise that we've taken one step closer to the perfect rational system so beloved of economists. And in the continuing not-a-recession where salaries... Read More

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Walking the Line

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-05-13 19:22:03

By Meredith Schwartz We're often told that social media demands "personality" - that you share your opinions and sense of humor with the world, offering not a professional persona - one in which all the bumps have been carefully smoothed or at least hidden - but a "real person" for customers to connect to. However being yourself can be a tricky business in the business world. I... Read More

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5 Don'ts of Press Kits

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-04-20 16:02:24

Last week we talked about 5 press kit must haves. This week we tackle the flip side: common mistakes of press kit construction. 1) Don't use a weird size folder or alternative container. I know you want to stand out, but if you don't fit in - literally - to the files back at the home office, you won't be found when the journalist needs you. 2) Don't Bankrupt Yourself with Freebies. Freebies defin... Read More

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5 Press Kit Must Haves

Posted by Meredith Schwartz on 2011-04-14 21:38:47

While it's always great to have professional PR help, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good: if you can't afford to hire a PR rep, you can still put together a press kit on your own. The key thing to remember about a press kit is this: Don't be different. Be easy.What makes a press kit easy?1) Put your company name and what you do on the cover. If your company is Bob's Candles, that's all... Read More

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QR Codes, We Hardly Knew Ye

Posted by Editorial Staff on 2011-04-06 13:30:58

By Meredith SchwartzAccording to Business Insider, Google is killing off the QR code by phasing out support for them from its Google Places service. That must be news to a lot of people who weren't even sure what they were yet. If you're one of those folks, they're those square thingies that look sort of like what might result if a bar code and TV "snow" had a baby. The QR stands for Qu... Read More

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