The only thing I am wondering is if anybody really use this feed thing. Maybe on an all star blog with a lot of content, comments and activities. Yes I understand that this is an useful tool for a journalist. Subscribing to multiple source feeds expose him to recieve fresh news on the topics of his domain.

And for me for example I am passionate about sailing and writing music. I go to a number of forums and blogs everyday. And I just started a blog on fast sailing boats. I think I can use the feeds system to monitor a great number of sites on a feed reader. It is an efficient way to stay inform. And play the journalism work on my own blog. Yes..

Christian

Related articles by Zemanta

• Changing Feed Service (catskillcottageseed.com)
• RSS Reader Market in Disarray, Continues to Decline (readwriteweb.com)

If you want to get publicity for your business via the media, press releases are an excellent way to do it. Here are 5 ways to boost the appeal of your press release.

Use the correct format. Press releases follow a well established format. If you want your release to be read and taken seriously, you need to be sure it is written properly. You should also be sure to double-check the spelling, grammar and punctuation before you submit it.

Keep it clear and to-the-point. Your press release shouldn’t be any longer than two pages. Media outlets receive a lot of releases and they won’t take the time to read a long report. Keeping it clear and concise will let you fit in your important facts without going beyond two pages. And remember to answer the important questions – who, what, why, where, when and how.

What’s in it for the reader? Make sure you include a call to action in your press release. Put something in it that’s going to inspire the reader to go to your event, visit your website, etc. If you write a blatant ad, it’s going to be obvious and it won’t get picked up by anyone. Include the features and benefits of what you’re promoting, and tell your target market what’s in it for them.

If you are promoting a new food processor, simply stating that it is smaller and takes up less space than previous models isn’t enough. However, writing the information as ‘the new model is smaller and takes up less space, allowing our customers to have the full chopping power of our larger model, but also save precious counter space’ lets the reader know how the new model will help them.

Make it interesting. If your press release is boring, nobody is going to read past the first couple of lines. Try to find the line between simple facts and excitement. Back to the food processor example, instead of just saying “our new food processor will be available in the spring” try something like “out new space-saving food processor will be available this spring, just in time to help you chop the fresh vegetables you’re growing for your summer salads.”

Remember Your Target Market: As you write and submit your press releases, keep your target market in mind at all times. By keeping your audience in mind, you will be able to focus on what information to include and where to submit your press releases. For instance, if you are promoting an event related to children’s health, submitting a press release to the travel editor of your local paper isn’t going to help you.

The media won’t run a story on every single press release they receive, but if you follow these steps it’s going to put you above a large percentage of the other releases coming across their desk.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Writing Effective Press Releases (slideshare.net)
• Everyone is a-twitter about Twitter (theforge.co.za)