WineMaps Helps Wine Lovers Find Wineries and Wines: An Interview with Ryan Ornelas

February 17, 2012 Blog, Featured No Comments

In this exclusive interview, Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler (TCW) chats with Ryan Ornelas (RO), a San Francisco-area information technology expert about his latest endeavor, WineMaps.com. TCW: Thanks for agreeing to speak with The Content Wrangler today, Ryan. For those who don’t know who you are, tell us a little about yourself and what you do? RO: I am the former IT Director of Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JDV). I am now a consultant for JDV on the relaunch of their website which includes a new booking experience that will …

Everyone Into “The Content Pool”: An Interview With Alan J. Porter

February 13, 2012 Blog, Featured No Comments

In this interview with Alan Porter, Senior Digital Publishing Consultant for PTC, we discuss his new book, The Content Pool, which explores the most important hidden asset in your company, your content. We have a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Financial Officer; why don’t we have Chief Content Officer? TCW (The Content Wrangler): Hi Alan, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. AJP (Alan J. Porter): Thanks, it’s always a pleasure to be involved with The …

[Web Discussion] The Changing Role of Professional Technical Communicators: What’s Next?

February 8, 2012 Blog No Comments

Listen to this lively discussion (recorded Thursday, February 9, 2012), moderated by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler. Technical communication industry professionals Val Swisher, CEO of Content Rules, Jack Molisani (of LavaCon fame) and Sarah O’Keefe (of Scriptorium Publishing) discuss the impact of globalization, outsourcing, off-shoring, technological advances, and mobile devices on the technical communication landscape. And, they answer questions from the audience. Listen now. What’s Next for the Professional Technical Communicator: Webinar from Content Rules on Vimeo.

Collaborative Authoring and Communication Tools Help Writers, Editors, SMEs Work Together

February 7, 2012 Blog, Featured 2 Comments

By David Kowalsky, Guest Editor Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with trying to keep track of all the versions of a document that are being sent back-and-forth by you and your work colleagues by email? When opening a document to edit, have you ever had the experience of being frustrated by immediately seeing a message pop up telling you that the document is locked? Many companies have introduced features to their products to alleviate these types of issues, making collaborative authoring– projects where written works are created by multiple …

[Grammar Girl Webinar Followup] The Recording, The Winners, The Slides

February 6, 2012 Blog No Comments

During our recent webinar with Grammar Girl, ten registrants were selected at random to receive a free copy of the best-selling book for writers, “The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl”. And the winners are…. Howard Gold — Commack, NY Kim McCarty — Dallas, TX Trish Smith — Ottawa, ON Canada Stephanie Welsh — O’Fallon, MO Cindy Clark — Bethesda, MD Amy Silverman — Redwood City, CA Leah Goodman — Portland, OR Meghan Cowell — Burlington, ON Canada Fred Ridder — Bridgewater, NJ Richard Tracy — Acton, MA …

Understanding Word of Mouth Marketing

February 4, 2012 Blog, Featured No Comments

Straight from the horse’s mouth? Sorry, we could’t resist. This video from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), does a great job of demystifying word of mouth marketing. WOMMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and advocating the discipline of credible word of mouth marketing and promoting word of mouth as a solution to business challenges.

[Great Ideas Gone Wrong] Unlisted Video: Adobe Photoshop Evangelist Campaign Makes Finding “Hidden Gems” Challenging

January 31, 2012 Blog 1 Comment

Here at The Content Wrangler, we love social marketing techniques that engage users and create a desire for interaction with the brand. The Adobe Photoshop “hidden gems” campaign illustrates this point nicely. It’s brief, focused on learning from the customer by asking them what they think in a way that encourages their active participation, and its transparent — everyone will get to see all the entries and judge for themselves the value of the ideas submitted. Adobe offers recognition and real-world rewards for the winner. It’s a win-win for all …

iBooks 2 and iBooks Author: One Week Later, What We’ve Learned — An Executive Round Table with McGraw-Hill, Digital Book World, and Aptara

January 23, 2012 Blog No Comments

Yet again Apple stopped us in our tracks. We awaited each word with bated breath during last Thursday’s unveiling of iBooks2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U. Now what? After a week of social media frenzy, water cooler chatter, thoughtful analysis, and technical digging, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Join us Thursday, January 26 for a live round table discussion with McGraw-Hill – one of Apple’s education partners; Digital Book World – the publishing industry’s premier digital publishing forum; and Aptara – trusted digital solutions partner to the …

[Infographic] The Big Mac Index

January 19, 2012 Blog No Comments

According to The Economist, “bugernomics” is “a lighthearted attempt to gauge how far currencies are from their fair value. It is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP), which argues that in the long run exchange rates should move to equalise the price of an identical basket of goods between two countries. Our basket consists of a single item, a McDonald’s Big Mac hamburger, produced in nearly 120 countries. The fair-value benchmark is the exchange rate that leaves burgers costing the same in America as elsewhere.” The folks at …

[Infographic] Where The Outlets Are: The Best Airports And Airlines For Digitally-Savvy Business Travelers

January 12, 2012 Blog No Comments

Digitally-savvy business travelers need to work on the go. Tablets, smartphones, and laptops make it possible to keep the information flowing. But, without a good, fast connection to the net and an electrical outlet to charge power-hungry mobile device batteries, business travelers aren’t very productive. The folks at Online MBA News put this handy infographic together (using data from a variety of sources) to help business travelers find the airports and and airlines that are helping them stay connected. Via: Online MBA News