AMPLIFIER OF THE MONTH
IFAW’s New Anti-Whaling Campaign
This month, Amplify Public Affairs is helping the International Fund for Animal Welfare mobilize public support for new whale sanctuaries. The campaign site, www.stopwhaling.org, allows people to sign a petition in favor of sanctuaries, send email messages to International Whaling Commissioners, and spread the word about the campaign with online postcards created by young students from across the country. Visitors to the site can also get the latest whaling news from the organization’s “Song of the Whale” blog, purchase campaign merchandise, and even sign up for mobile alerts to stay involved while on the go.
GET TO KNOW YOUR WEB 2.0
APA Hosts Health 2.0 Briefing
People from numerous and diverse segments of the healthcare community gathered at the Newseum to hear from the unique panel that APA organized to discuss the current state (and the future) of new media communications around this burgeoning topic. Blogs were only the beginning of the discussion as the conversation also covered tools like video, social networking, widgets, and so much more, all while keeping sector nuances such as physician liability and patient privacy top of mind. Attendees whose schedules allowed for it enjoyed a complimentary pass to visit the exhibits at the Newseum following the event.
APA will continue to keep our finger on the pulse of the Health 2.0 world and keep you informed accordingly.
Did you miss this event? You can download the audio recording or a transcript here.
Successful Blogger Training at ALI Social Media Summit
The audience at the Advanced Learning Institute’s Social Media Summit workshop came from across the country and was not disappointed with APA Research Director John Breyault’s blogger training. Entitled “Social Media 101: What You Need to Know to Start Your Organization’s Blogging/Podcasting Strategy,” Breyault’s workshop was designed to give participants the hands-on tools to plan and execute a successful organizational blog.
“The first step in creating a successful organizational blog is looking at it as a conversation,” said Breyault. “Many organizations see their blog as simply another platform for posting press releases and other promotional content. Invariably, such blogs fail to generate much readership.”
Training attendees walked away with a new understanding of the potential for blogging to benefit their organizations. If you would like to set up a blogger training for your organization, please contact John at jbreyault@amplifypublicaffairs.net.
THE PR BAR — A Shot of Public Relations Insight and Advice!
Media Insights from APA President Robin Strongin
On June 6, 2008, Robin Strongin, President & CEO of Amplify Public Affairs was invited to speak at George Mason University’s Washington Health Policy Institute. Robin was part of a panel addressing Media and Public Relations as Important Influences on Health Policy. Some key points from the presentation:
Why care about the Media?
- To inoculate your research or your organization from negative publicity
- To provide your side of the story, accurately
- To help frame a broader issue
- To help generate support for change
- New findings shouldn’t be the first time reporters hear about your research
- Policy makers and Hill staff look to the media for information
Media is more than Newspapers
- More people get their news from the Internet than newspapers and TV
- Blogs – have become a “source” for news
APA OUT AND ABOUT
APA’s Raquel Ortiz Helps Texans with Vision Screenings
Raquel Ortiz, APA’s Director of Public Relations, was pleased to take part in the Take A Loved One to the Doctor Day on Saturday, June 7th in Houston, Texas, on behalf of The Am Eye Healthy? campaign. The event, presented in partnership by the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Alief Baptist Church and the Houston Area Urban League, focused on major health issues facing the African American community. Am Eye Healthy? and campaign member Prevent Blindness America provided free vision and glaucoma screenings at the lively event.
Am Eye Healthy? is an eye health awareness and education campaign launched by APA (IDI) in 2006 and made possible by leading non-profit organizations working in cooperation with Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Since its launch in 2006, Am Eye Healthy? has provided vision screenings and eye health education to thousands of Americans across the country.
APA’s John Breyault Attends the National Conference for Media Reform
More than 3,000 media reform activists, hundreds of bloggers, and dozens of mainstream media representatives descended on Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 6-8 for the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), organized by the non-profit group Free Press. The biennial event is organized to highlight the need to reform America’s media system and, by extension, create a more vibrant, representative democratic government. APA Research Director John Breyault was on hand at the event, Twittering away!
Highlights of the conference included stirring speeches by famed journalist Bill Moyers, former CBS anchor Dan Rather, and Senator Byron Dorgan. Among the major announcements at the event was Van Jones, of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, who called on attendees to help launch a “Green New Deal” to help reduce global warming and create jobs for disadvantaged populations.
APA Unites With Fellow Social Media Experts at BlogPotomac
Shana Glickfield, APA’s Director of Strategic Communications, and Jennifer Berk, APA Internet Strategist, spent June 13th at the State Theater for BlogPotomac, an “unconference” dedicated to the topic of social media marketing. Co-hosts Geoff Livingston, Consultant and author of Now is Gone, and Debbie Weil, Consultant and author of Corporate Blogging, presented diverse speakers and ensured an open discussion on topics like measuring impact, online ethics, and the latest must-have tech tools. Shana and Jennifer look forward to sharing all of their new ideas inspired by the event with current and future clients.
APA Chairman Sam Simon Received the Inaugural Frank Bowe Award
On June 5th, Sam Simon received the inaugural Frank Bowe award in recognition of his contribution to the development of disability policy in telecommunications at a reception at Hofstra’s University Club. Dr. Frank Bowe was the Dr. Mervin Livingston Schloss Distinguished Professorship for the Study of Disabilities at Hofstra until his untimely death in August of 2007. He was considered by many to be the father of modern American disability policy.
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APA Looks Forward to Attending...
- July 7-12, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Convention and Exposition, Washington, DC
- July 12-17, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 99th Annual Convention, Cincinnati, OH
- July 16, Alliance for Public Technology (APT) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA), The Telehealth Promise: Better Health Care and Cost Savings for the 21st Century, Brown Bag Lunch Series, Washington, DC
- July 17-20, Netroots Nation, Austin, TX
- July 30- Aug. 2, National Urban League (NUL), Annual Conference, Orlando, FL
Other July Calendar Highlights
- July 1-6, National Education Association (NEA), Annual Conference, Washington, DC
- July 5-12, American Council of the Blind (ACB), Annual Convention, Louisville, KY
- July 9-12, Alliance for Community Media, 2008 International Conference & Exhibition, Washington, DC
- July 12-15, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Annual Conference, San Diego, CA
- July 15-17, National Rural Health Association (NHRA), Quality and Clinical Conference, San Diego, CA
- July 24-26, American Hospital Association (AHA), Leadership Summit, San Diego, CA
