Amazon's Relationship with North Carolina Associates Coming to an End

Message from Amazon:

We regret to inform you that the North Carolina state legislature (the General Assembly) appears ready to enact an unconstitutional tax collection scheme that would leave Amazon.com little choice but to end its relationships with North Carolina-based Associates. You are receiving this e-mail because our records indicate that you are an Amazon Associate and resident of North Carolina.
Please note that this is not an immediate termination notice and you are still a valued participant in the Associates Program. All referral fees earned on qualified traffic will continue to be paid as planned.

But because the new law is drafted to go into effect once enacted – which could happen in the next two weeks – we will have to terminate the participation of all North Carolina residents in the Amazon Associates program on or before that same day. After the termination day, we will no longer pay any referral fees for customers referred to Amazon.com or Endless.com nor will we accept new applications for the Associates program from North Carolina residents.

The unfortunate consequences of this legislation on North Carolina residents like you were explained in detail to key senators and representatives in Raleigh, including the leadership of the Senate, House, and both chambers’ finance committees. Other states, including Maryland, Minnesota, and Tennessee, considered nearly identical schemes, but rejected these proposals largely because of the adverse impact on their states’ residents.

The North Carolina General Assembly’s website is http://www.ncleg.net/, and additional information may be obtained from the Performance Marketing Alliance at http://www.performancemarketingalliance.com/.

We thank you for being part of the Amazon Associates program, and we will apprise you of the General Assembly’s action on this matter.


Sincerely,

Amazon.com

Celebrity Imposters on Twitter

Oprah does it. So does Ashton Kutcher and Larry King. They send "tweets" on the social networking site, Twitter. More and more celebrities are becoming a part of the twitter craze--but not everyone is who they claim to be.

That's the danger of Twitter according to Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis professor, Jonathan Faber.

"As exhilarating as social networking tools like Twitter can be, they also raise a variety of legal issues concerning the right of publicity. In addition to other potential legal issues like fraud and defamation, such activity also could drive attention and traffic to the fake site, creating various possible benefits to the impostor,” says Attorney Faber.

Now it appears a lawsuit has been filed against Twitter. Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa filed the lawsuit for unauthorized and offensive content that was posted in his name.

La Russa’s suit was filed in San Francisco in May. It claims that an unauthorized page that used La Russa’s name to make light of drunken driving and two Cardinals pitchers who died, damaged La Russa’s reputation and caused emotional distress. The suit also claims that someone created a false account in La Russa’s name and posted “tweets” that appear to have come from La Russa.

So what do you think about this? Is his lawsuit justified? Should celebrities stay away from Twitter? What more should the Twitter creators do to ensure celebrities are legitimate?

To read more about bogus celebrity twitter accounts, click on the title of this blog post.

Video Marketing

As a veteran journalist who spent several years as a Reporter and a short time as a videographer, I feel very comfortable in front of or behind the lens of a camera. And now I am starting to see the value of using a video camera to market my business.

Thanks to my husband, I am now equipped with my own personal video camera and I am busy putting it to use. You can check out some of my work at BoomerDivasTV on YouTube.

Video marketing, in my opinion, is a great way to get your name out there. Unlike social networking, video marketing allows people to place a name with a face and that adds even more credibility to who you say you are. Video marketing is catchier than other types of advertising because you are controlling what you want the viewer to see and it gives you an opportunity to be creative. This, in turn, captures the Web user's attention easier and transports your message to prospects much faster than simple text.

A video ad can contain a demonstration of a product's use and usability. Add to that a human face and a very pleasant voice and you can have more prospects than you ever imagined. By using certain techniques, the prospective customer can relate more to your company and to what you're promoting.

I'll be sharing more tips on video marketing as I continue to learn. Meanwhile, please feel free to share your thoughts on the subject.

Social Media and Crisis Communication

When news of the Swine Flu broke out, thousands of people turned to Twitter to query each other and share news of the latest developments in Mexico and the U.S. Twitter status updates ranged from "Could it be germ warfare?’ to "Don’t eat pork from Mexico."

Thanks to the Internet and social media applications, such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter, the public is able to seek and share information quickly during a health or safety crisis, according to a study conducted at The University of Texas at Austin.

The study found that if an organization involved in the crisis doesn’t provide information quickly and clearly, the public will turn to third-party sources to fill the vacuum—and that information may not be accurate.

Those conducting the study say communication professionals should no longer gear press releases only toward the mainstream media. They should be written for the public, which is now linking to organizational press releases in blogs and on social media sites, and consider including dialogic links, or hot links, to Web sites where audiences can go for in-dept explanations of technical and scientific information.

The study is published in this month’s issue of Journal of Public Relations Research.

So what do you think? Is social media an effective way of communicating a crisis or other type of national/international event?

The Most Inspiring Baby Boomer Woman Contest

Boomer Diva Nation wants to know who you think is the Most Inspiring Boomer Woman for the Summer of 2009.

She could be your girlfriend, someone you met on Facebook or Twitter, your mom or other relative. She could even be YOU!

Boomer Diva Nation wants to recognize Inspiring Boomer Women who are on the move and making a difference in their professional and personal lives. No, we are not interested in Hollywood celebrities---we want real women who look aren't caught up in their looks or obsessed about weight. We want women who go out of their way to help others in some form or fashion.

We want women who are D-ivine, I-nspired, V-ivacious & A-nointed. If that's you or someone you know, you're encouraged to enter. There can only be one grand prize winner but all of the finalists will be recognized.

To enter, just go to the Boomer Diva Nation website and submit a name and email address.

Re-Tweeting on Twitter

A few weeks ago, members of Boomer Diva Nation decided another way to support each other professionally was to Re-tweet each other's posts on Twitter. Now for those of you who don't know, a re-tweet is simply a cut and paste of a post from one of your followers.

So now we have what we call Twitter Tuesday--where we strategically post and re-post our items of interest to the general public.

Why do we do this? Because we are a group of very talented, knowledgeable and business savvy baby boomer women who have something to say or offer. Twitter is one of the most powerful ways to get our message across in a relatively short period of time. When you think about it, our tweets and re-tweets have the potential to be seen by tens of thousands of followers on any given Tuesday. It has proven to boost readership of our blogs and articles as well as generate sales. It has also given tremendous exposure to Boomer Diva Nation.

But that's not really what this article is about. It's about when and why you should re-tweet someone else's post.

Here are some of my tips:

Only re-tweet a post that offers relevant information, an inspirational message you like or a valuable 'how to'.

If someone is sending a blog or article, ALWAYS check the link to make sure it works. If the link is broken and you re-tweet without checking, it says you're really not paying attention to your followers.

There are people on Twitter who are trying to make money. If you respect them and what they do, there's no harm in re-tweeting their offers.

If someone is sending a blog or article, try to read the post first before you re-tweet. It may not be something you want your name attached to.

If someone is doing nothing more than sending tweets and asking for re-tweets without engaging you in some form of other communication, I wouldn't re-tweet. This person is self-serving and only interested in you helping to promote his or her agenda.

Always thank the person who re-tweeted your message and go the extra mile in re-tweeting something they've writen. That's why Tweetdeck is good to have.

If you have other tips, please share them here.

Working with your Local Media

When people are seeking media exposure, they normally think BIG--like getting on Oprah or one of the other National Talk Programs. There's nothing wrong with that but you shouldn't overlook your local media because they can do alot for you right in your own backyard.

Here are some tips to getting noticed and your :30 seconds of fame on local TV:

• Determine your target audience. Find out which local media outlets reach that audience and would be most receptive to and interested in your story.

• Develop a list of contacts at local media outlets and keep it current. Let them know that you are available, what your role is, what kind of information you can provide, and how to contact you.

• Identify the procedures for getting event information into newspaper and calendar listings.

• Watch for national or local events related to your topic and use them to create a story with a local angle.

• Develop a newsworthy story idea. Make sure it is current and accurate and includes audience appeal. Good example:

- Twitter is HOT! Show how the social media site has enhanced your career or personal life in some big way.

• Find out whether your local media outlets accept public service announcements (PSAs)

• Most important, be professional, friendly, and creative!