How to choose the right social media monitoring platform

October 17, 2013 BG&A Staff
You know you need to start monitoring social media, but how do you determine which platform is best for your company?There are so many options, and all claim to be the best. To...

10 Top Tools for PR measurement

October 16, 2013 BG&A Staff
There are a lot of things to consider when you’re figuring out which PR measurement platform to use: your budget, the business outcome you want, what social channels you want to measure, how many tools you want to use, the insights you want to get, how broad the scope is, and the list goes on. Then there’s the question of what to measure: page views, followers, website visitors, average time on a site, impressions, “likes” and “unlikes,” retweets, mentions, your Klout score, search terms, etc. It’s a lot to deal with. Every PR pro needs something just a little different from what their colleagues need. Odds are good that you’ll need a mix of tools. With that in mind, here is a list of tools that can help with your specific measurement requirements, even down to the cost. Read the full story here: 

Creating Intriguing Social Media Content – 3 Fundamental Steps

October 15, 2013 BG&A Staff
Mike Thomas from @Brainzooming shares 3 fundamental steps for creating intriguing social media content. I wrote a post last week on “16 Tactics for Building an Audience via Social Media” which was picked up by a couple of other websites. The article received a ton of tweets (thanks!), including one which posed the question of, “Where do you ‘find’ intriguing social media content online?” While it may be easier to “find” intriguing content, it won’t, all by itself, set you apart from anyone else who is also merely grabbing social media content someone else has already created. Instead of spending as much time trying to find creative social media content, here are three things you can do to create intriguing social media content: Read the full story here:

7 Things Bill Gates Is Probably Also Sorry For

October 11, 2013 BG&A Staff
Recently, Bill Gates made a major admission. No, he's not donating some of his fortune to you. During an interview at a Harvard fundraising campaign, Gates said requiring early Windows users to execute the difficult Control-Alt-Delete button combination to log on to early PCs was a mistake. The IBM keyboard designers didn't want to give Microsoft the "single button" it asked for, and Gates acquiesced. "It was a mistake," Gates said. But is this really the greatest sin of Gates, Microsoft and the PC? We can think of a few more: Read the full story here:

LIVE ON ONE WORLD SPORTS THIS WEEKEND: NANSHAN CHINA MASTERS GOLF & NASL SOCCER WITH N.Y. COSMOS VS. CAROLINA RAILHAWKS

October 10, 2013 BG&A Staff
Also: Exclusive Coverage of Season Launch of Australian Soccer’s A-League What: From Nanshan International Golf Club in Longkou, China, ONE World Sports will present live and exclusive coverage of the Nanshan China Masters golf tournament. The $1 million tournament is part of the Asia-Pacific region’s OneAsia Tour. Also this weekend: the season launch of the A-League, with the Australian soccer league’s Adelaide United taking on Perth Glory FC. And in a live gamecast from Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., the NASL-leading New York Cosmos will host the hard-charging Carolina RailHawks. When:             ONE World Sports will carry this international and domestic action—all presented in HD—on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, Oct. 12 Time (EDT) Event Competition 1 a.m. (Live) Nanshan China Masters OneAsia Tour 7 p.m. (Live) New York Cosmos vs. Carolina RailHawks North American Soccer League Sunday, Oct. 13 Time (EDT) Event Competition 1 a.m. (Live) Nanshan China Masters OneAsia Tour 6 a.m. (Delayed) Adelaide United vs. Perth Glory FC A-League Where: ONE World Sports is available via DISH Network, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Mediacom Communications and Google Fiber.

23 great digital tools for PR pros

October 9, 2013 BG&A Staff
Here's #23 tools you may or may not already use via @PRDaily There’s an arsenal of digital tools and services PR pros use to stay on top of the news, identify trends, research the right media for targeted story ideas, and manage accounts. For me, there’s a dividing line between the sites and services I use often and those I depend on to get my job done every day. Within that list are some lesser-known but very valuable tools that I depend on every day. The following list helps me share clients’ stories with the right audiences that you might not know about yet: 1. Spike: Spike is a service that helps you spot trending stories in real time. It’s paid, but I recommend giving the free trial a try. 2. MuckRack: MuckRack should already be on your devices by definition: Where journalists and sources connect. 3. Quora: On Quora, you can post questions and get answers from people with real experience. I use it as inspiration for story ideas and angles. 4. Tumblr: Tumblr is the best social network for finding, telling, or sharing visual stories. 5. Flipboard: Flipboard is the best mobile news aggregator and reader, period. 6. Techmeme: Techmeme is a tech news curation site that will keep you up to date on breaking tech stories. Of course, you’re probably already using a lot of the following key sites, apps, and tools: 1. Digg: Digg is my go-to RSS reader and social bookmarking tool. 2. Facebook: I often find that my Facebook news feed is where I see conversations evolve into story ideas. 3. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the best and most up-to-date network to see where people are coming from and going to. It’s also a great news source for strong thought leadership posts. 4. TweetDeck: TweetDeck is the Twitter dashboard that I keep running all day. (I recommend using the Chrome plug-in). 5. Google+: This is an important network to be a part of because it’s Google—conversations happen here. 6. Google news search: Google not only gives you a broad view of the news, but it also gives you a way to identify the most recent stories from media and reporters. 7. Google Drive: Google drive offers real-time collaboration and account management. 8. Google search: Google is still the best source of what’s indexed on the Web. 9. Reddit: This online community is a rising source of news. It’s unique because users vote on content. 10. BuzzFeed: BuzzFeed is where I go for breaking social news, see what’s trending around the Web. I also refer to it for entertainment and business news. 11. Popurls: Popurls is a dashboard for the latest Web buzz. 12. ITDatabase: I use ITDatabase to find out which themes, companies, and products the media are writing about. 13. Topsy: Topsy provides Twitter and other social searches as well as analytics. 14. Compete: Compete gives you a quick, comprehensive read on a blog's or website’s traffic. 15. WhoSharedMyLink.com: This site lets you find out how many times a URL was shared, as well as the journalists and bloggers who shared it. 16. SimpleNote: I use this app for note-taking on all my mobile devices, because it syncs across them. 17. Chromecast: I use this when streaming and projecting (almost) anything from my laptop to the TV screen in my office. Yes, it takes this many digital tools to stay on top of the news, uncover trends, find conversations, manage accounts, and identify the right stories and the story tellers. Because this business is ultimately about relationships, the technology helps to create new ones and strengthen existing ones. [RELATED: Master can't-ignore social media tools with Mark Ragan's one-day social media boot camp.] What about you? Which sites and tools are you using for PR, media relations and social media? Please tell us below in the comments.

Brand Promotions Are Most Popular Facebook Ads

October 8, 2013 BG&A Staff
A fair number spend more than 5% of budget on paid social media Unsurprisingly, the greatest percentage of social campaigns land on Facebook, but that doesn’t mean other sites are getting left behind. In a July 2013 survey from media software company STRATA, nine out of 10 US agency execs reported being likely to use the social giant for clients’ social campaigns. YouTube and Twitter came in next, at 55% and 53%, respectively. An additional 35% said they were likely to use LinkedIn for social campaigns, and 25% each cited Google+ and Pinterest. Read the full story here:   Read more here 

Light Reading gives Amdocs the ultimate thumbs up: Public Company of the Year 2013

October 4, 2013 BG&A Staff
Last night at the Light Reading Leading Lights awards dinner in New York City, Amdocs was named Company of the Year. If you’re a regular reader of Amdocs Voices, you’ll know that we don’t usually comment directly about Amdocs in Voices but for once we’re going to make an exception, because we’re feeling quite cheerful today and we’d like to explain why. The reason being is that we won another major industry award last night in New York, and this time, it’s Light Reading’s prestigious Leading Lights award for (Public) Company of the Year 2013. Read the full story here:

BITTER RIVALS JUVENTUS AND A.C. MILAN, PSG AND MARSEILLE HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEKEND’S PROGRAMMING ON beIN SPORT

October 4, 2013 BG&A Staff
Juventus and A.C. Milan will meet at Juventus Stadium on Sunday. The two clubs are looking to improve their standings in Serie A as Juventus is currently third and A.C. Milan is ninth. There will be no shortage of fervor among the respective supporters of I Bianconeri and I Rossoneri, each with their own claim to being Italy's biggest club. Marseille and Paris Saint Germain first met in Le Classique – also known as Derby de France – in 1971 and will add another chapter to their historic Ligue 1 soccer rivalry this Sunday. The arch-rivals are from the two largest cities in France, Marseille and Paris, and are the only two French clubs to have won a major European club competition. Below is the schedule of top international matches being televised this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, on beIN SPORT, beIN SPORT en Español and beIN SPORT Play. Saturday, Oct. 5 -- All times Eastern (ET) On beIN SPORT (English with Spanish SAP) Time Event Competition 9:00 a.m. SUPERPOLE – France FIM SuperBikes World Championship 2013 11:00 a.m. Monaco vs. Saint Etienne Ligue 1 2:00 p.m. Levante vs. Real Madrid La Liga 4:00 p.m. Barcelona vs. Valladolid La Liga On beIN SPORT en Español (with English SAP) Time Event Competition 10:00 a.m. Elche vs. Espanyol La Liga 12:00 p.m. Rayo vs. Real Sociedad La Liga 2:00 p.m. Levante vs. Real Madrid La Liga 4:00 p.m. Barcelona vs. Valladolid La Liga  On beIN SPORT Play Time Event Competition 7:15 a.m. Birmingham City vs. Bolton Wanderers Football League Championship 10:00 a.m. Doncaster Rovers v Leicester City Football League Championship 10:30 a.m. Spartak vs. Terek Russian Premier League 12:00 p.m. Chievo vs. Atalanta Serie A 12:00 p.m. Las Palmas vs. Cordoba Liga Adelante 2:00 p.m. Lille vs. A.C. Ajaccio Ligue 1 2:45 p.m. Inter vs. AS Roma Serie A  Sunday, Oct. 6 -- All times Eastern (ET) On beIN SPORT (English with Spanish SAP) Time Event Competition 6:00 a.m. SUPERPOLE – France FIM SuperBikes World Championship 2013 11:00 a.m. Bordeaux vs. Sochaux Ligue 1 3:00 p.m. Marseille vs. Paris Saint Germain Ligue 1 On beIN SPORT en Español (with English SAP) Time Event Competition 9:00 a.m. Napoli vs. Livorno Serie A 2:45 p.m. Juventus vs. AC Milan Serie A  On beIN SPORT Play Time Event Competition 5:30 a.m. CSKA vs. Dinamo Russian Premier League 6:00 a.m. RACE 1 – France FIM SuperBikes World Championship 2013 6:00 a.m. Atletico Madrid vs. Celta La Liga 8:00 a.m. Montpellier vs. Lyon Ligue 1 8:20 a.m. Giro di Lombardia 2013 10:30 a.m. Pinehiros vs Olympiakos FIBA-Euroleague Intercontinental Basketball Cup 2013 11:00 a.m. Sevilla vs. Almeria La Liga 12:15 p.m. Real Madrid Castilla vs. Lugo Liga Adelante 1:00 p.m. Getafe vs. Betis La Liga 2:45 p.m. Lazio vs. Fiorentina Serie A 3.00 p.m. Athletic vs. Valencia La Liga beIN SPORT can be found on: AT&T U-verse TV channels 662 (English) and 663 (Spanish) DIRECTV channels 620 (English) and 426 (Spanish) DISH channels 408 (English) and 871 (Spanish) Verizon FiOS TV channels 598 (English) and 1538 (Spanish) Comcast Xfinity Time Warner Cable Bright House Networks Advanced Cable Communications Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico Atlantic Broadband SiriusXM FC, channel 94, and other SiriusXM play-by-play channels beIN SPORT Play is available to authenticated subscribers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. About beIN SPORT Play: http://beinsportplay.tv/about/or http://beinsport.tv/play

GVT AND ECHOSTAR PLAN TO CREATE A PAY TV JOINT VENTURE IN BRAZIL

October 3, 2013 BG&A Staff
  ENGLEWOOD, CO—Sept. 30, 2013 -- Vivendi and EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS) announced today that EchoStar Technologies LLC and Vivendi subsidiary GVT have entered into negotiations to form a joint venture for pay TV services in Brazil. GVT and EchoStar aim to position their future joint venture as a leader in the fast growing Brazilian pay TV market which would also benefit from the expected higher demand driven by two key global events to be held in the country: FIFA World Cup in 2014 and Olympic Games in 2016. The joint venture would be headquartered in Brazil, managed by GVT, and would benefit from GVT´s strong market position and state-of-the-art IP network combined with EchoStar´s expertise in satellite and video technology and its Brazilian licenses. The objective is to offer a national service based on IPTV and a unique high power satellite to provide leading edge features, quality and reliability to consumers. The deal is subject to execution of definitive agreements and all corporate and governmental approvals. About GVT GVT is the leading alternative telecommunications operator in Brazil. Active in all fixed-line telecommunications, in high-speed broadband services and in pay-television, it fully controls its optical fiber networks, the most modern in Brazil. GVT today operates in 146 Brazilian cities all over the country and most recently entered the residential market of Sao Paulo, the country’s biggest city. Its pay television services were launched in 2012, using a hybrid technology that combines the broadcast of satellite television channels, several of them in high definition, with interactive services provided through its terrestrial network; more than 500,000 households have subscribed to the service to date. The company was founded in 2000 and is a wholly-owned Vivendi subsidiary since 2010. In 2012, GVT had revenues of €1.7 billion and an EBITDA of €740 million. About EchoStar EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite operations and video delivery solutions. EchoStar’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Hughes, is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband services, delivering network technologies and managed services for enterprise and government customers in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Englewood, CO, with additional business units world-wide, EchoStar is a multiple Emmy award-winning company that has pioneered advancements in the set-top box and satellite industries for nearly 30 years, consistently delivering value for customers, partners and investors through innovation and outstanding quality. EchoStar’s contribution to video technology continues to have a major influence on the way consumers view, receive and manage TV programming. EchoStar’s consumer solutions include HughesNet®, North America’s #1 high-speed satellite Internet service, Sling Media's Slingbox® products, and EchoStar’s line of set-top box products for the free-to-air satellite and terrestrial markets. About Vivendi Vivendi groups together are leaders in content and media. Canal+ Group is the French leader in pay TV, and also operates in French-speaking Africa, Poland and Vietnam; its subsidiary StudioCanal is a leading European player in production, acquisition, distribution and international film sales. Universal Music Group is the world leader in music; it recently strengthened and diversified its position with the acquisition of EMI Recorded Music. In telecommunications, Vivendi owns GVT, the leading alternative broadband operator in Brazil, and SFR, a French leader in telecoms. www.vivendi.com Important Disclaimers Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, business, strategy, plans and outlook of Vivendi, including the impact of certain transactions. Although Vivendi believes that such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to the risks related to antitrust and other regulatory approvals as well as any other approvals which may be required in connection with certain transactions and the risks described in the documents Vivendi filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (French securities regulator), which are also available in English on Vivendi's website (www.vivendi.com). Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Vivendi with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers at www.amf-france.org, or directly from Vivendi. Accordingly, we caution you against relying on forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and Vivendi disclaims any intention or obligation to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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