Posted on February 25, 2009 in Awards, Print, by Hammock Inc.
The crew at Hammock Inc. is an environmentally-friendly one. We recycle. We eat locally. We volunteer for organizations that take good care of our planet.
So when one of our vendors, partners or clients takes a step in the same direction, we just have to give them a pat on the back and a heartfelt thanks! Today, that “thank you” and “congratulations” go to Brown Printing Company of Waseca, Minn.!
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Posted on February 24, 2009 in Content Marketing, Editorial, by Hammock Inc.
Four Tips for Making Content Work Online
Some may think that writing is writing. But truth be told, writing for the web is different from writing for a children’s book or for a magazine. Research shows that web readers want fast and easy information, in a format that is easy to digest. Here are a few things we keep in mind when we write specifically for online audiences for our clients or ourselves:
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Posted on February 20, 2009 in Content Marketing, by Barbara Logan
As a group, we’re big movie buffs here at Hammock. We often end our Monday morning staff meeting with our latest reviews of which movies we saw over the weekend. Our own Jamie Roberts in the last year has even seen AFI’s list top 100 films. Most of don’t have quite that depth of background in film history under our belts, but we still like to share our picks for Oscar. When I asked my co-workers who they’ll be rooting for on Sunday night, this is what they shared:
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Posted on February 18, 2009 in Association media, Social media, by Barbara Logan
Results from the Angerosa Research Foundation
Many association executives we talk to are interested in social media and how other associations are taking advantage of social media tools. A report recently released by the Angerosa Research Foundation provides some data and benchmarking for this in their study “How Associations are Tapping Social Media.” The report covers a range of related information including overall trends, wikis, blogs and strategic issues.
Probably of the most interest to many executives are what benefits associations are reaping from these social media efforts. The report is definitely worth reading, but in the meantime, here are the top seven benefits from the report for those associations who are using social media tools:
- Relevance to younger members
- Opportunities for member interaction
- Improve member retention by increasing engagement
- Connect before/after meetings
- Increase the frequency of brand interaction
- Create member-generated content
- Source of non-dues revenue
The report indicates that there were other unexpected benefits mentioned by respondents including increases in knowledge about member issues, member interaction and responses to public policy and advocacy issues.
Click here to download a PDF of the executive summary. If you are interested in a social media strategy for your association or if you have questions about social media, contact us to learn how Hammock can work with you to help you meet your association’s goals.
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Posted on in Magazines, by Megan Morris
Over the last few years, my life has become almost entirely wired—I pay all my bills online and haven’t bought a stamp in ages, I blog instead of writing in a journal, I take digital photos and publish them to Flickr instead of printing them out, and I get all of my news online. (Is it obvious that I work in digital media yet?)
But despite my gravitation toward all things digital, one hard-copy habit I haven’t been able to totally kick is magazines. No matter how obsessed with my computer I am (and believe me I am—friends tease me for having an emotional attachment to my Macbook), sometimes I just need to curl up on the couch with a cat and a magazine. (Also, it’s a lot less hazardous when eating a ham sandwich and drinking a Coke.)
Some of my subscriptions have changed over the years, but one I have loved as long as I can remember is Rolling Stone. The writing is edgy and witty, the layouts cram a ton of information in but stop right before I feel overwhelmed (Wired, which I used to love, could learn a thing or two here), and the photography often makes me feel as though I’m standing right in front of my favorite artists.
I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed in Rolling Stone‘s decision to abandon the large format they had used since 1981 for a traditional size, perfect-bound (no staples) style. I loved how the cover photos were larger than life almost. I loved the crinkly sound the cover made as I cracked it open.
But more importantly, I still love the content (everything music + acerbic, unforgiving take on politics + cussing = perfection, for me at least), so I’m letting this one slide. Just no more Britney Spears covers, ok?!
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