Communication and Media

Many organizations and businesses want media coverage of their activities, and at the same time many newsrooms are looking for local (or even national and international) topics to cover. If you’re belong to an organization that wants coverage, you can increase the odds of getting it by following a few simple news release (or press release) conventions.

First, you must have something new or different to say. As the name News implies, the media want information that’s new or at least updated. At the same time, reporters and editors want information that’s relevant to their readers; choose your media targets carefully, and tailor the content of the release to their audience).

Second, your headline should be as interesting as a newspaper headline. It should promise something new, dramatic, or timely. Make the editor or reporter want to know more. Remember, though, the claim should be credible and relevant.

Third, in the first paragraph of the body, get in what journalists call the Five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. In fact, try to get them into the first sentence, and if you can’t, at least start with a clear concise statement that summarizes the story.

Traditionally, reporters have tried to get the essence of every story into the first paragraph because they didn’t know where, or whether, their stories would be cut. So, they start with the most important information and end with the least important. That way, no matter where the story was cut, the best material stayed.

Fourth, write and rewrite your news release many times before ‘releasing’ it. Use active verbs and transitions (from sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph). Boil down the content as much as you can; two pages is acceptable, but one is better.

Fifth, follow this standard format:
At the top of the page, write this, in all caps:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Usually this will be left-justified)

Or, if you want the release to be held until specific date/time, write something like this:
FOR RELEASE AT 10 A.M., AUGUST 23
(But don’t necessarily expect the embargo to be honored)

Skip a line and then put in contact information, as in:
Contact: Robert Abbott
Telephone: 403 555-1234
Email: robertabbott@anycompany.com

Skip another line and add your headline (centered, and use title case or all-caps):
Perpetual Motion Machine Unveiled

Now, the body of your news release, which should not exceed two pages.

At the end of the body, add three number marks with single spaces between them, as in:
# # #

Repeat your contact information at the end , as in:
Robert Abbott welcomes your inquiries at 403 555-1234 or by email at: robertabbott@anycompany.com

Sixth, prepare yourself for reporters’ questions
It goes without saying, of course, that you would prepare yourself for questions from reporters if you send out a release. I would recommend you write out a list of questions that seem likely and prepare bullet-point answers for each of them. That way you’ll be ready for most of the questions. However, don’t read the answers back to reporters; just use them as a guide. At the same time, assume you’ll get questions you simply can’t predict. Answer them as well as you can; and if you can’t answer, your best bet is to tell the interviewer you’ll need to get more information, and will call back after you do.

I have a love for Asian botanical paintings.  I’ve been seeking them out for a long time.  I have many in my collection and love each and every one of them.

The first Asian botanical painting that I bought was Vietnamese.  It was one of a series of twelve paintings that I bought that were created by Vu Viet Hung.  I have them all over my home.

These oil landscapes by Vu Viet Hung are stunning.  These Asian botanical paintings really set a serene tone in my home.  The subtleties of the colors and the simple themes go so well on my walls.

I found a lovely Asian botanical painting quite by chance at a yard sale.  I don’t usually make a habit of looking for paintings at yard sales, but this one was displayed out front and enticed me to stop.  At first glance, I thought I was looking at a painting of a palm tree.  At closer inspection, I found that the painting was of a bonsai tree.

My office has a more contemporary feel than the rest of my house.  I have found that I like to have an abstract Asian botanical painting to ponder while I am thinking.  I searched for a long time to find just the right piece to hang there.  I finally found a piece by an artist named Soniei called Enlightenment.

Soniei has a collection called the New Zen Sho Collection.  I love his work.  The abstract that I bought is considered an Asian botanical painting because it features bamboo.  In addition to the bamboo, there is beautiful calligraphy.

I have my eye on another Asian botanical painting by Soniei that has shades of sea-foam green.  It is much more subdued than the one I bought called Enlightenment.  This one is called Self-awareness and it is just lovely.  It is another painting of bamboo.

My mother-in-law admires the Asian botanical paintings that I find.  I found one that I really liked at a gallery in Hartford while I was on vacation.  It did not fit with my home and so I bought it for her.  She has really enjoyed it.  It features two flowering trees in acrylic on two panels.  The painting really is stunning with all of the shades of red.  It looks great in her house.

My husband isn’t as big a fan of Asian botanical paintings as I am.  They just don’t speak to him.  He has allowed me to hang one painting in his office because he approved of the color scheme.  The Asian botanical painting he chose for me to hang for him was a black and white.

Our daughter loves watercolor Asian botanical paintings on fabric.  She keeps her eye out for advertisements in our local paper for people selling them.  She has already purchased three.  She is well on her way to her own collection.

Bamboo is the most popular subject in Asian botanical paintings.  I have found so many paintings in so many different mediums that all feature bamboo.  I catch myself buying so many paintings that I’ve started giving them as gifts for friends and family for house warming gifts.

My sister recently bought a condo and I gave her an Asian botanical painting of happy birds and bamboo.  She liked the watercolor and asked me to find her two more to hang throughout her home.  I was able to find several more at the same shop that were created by the same artist.

The other Asian botanical paintings were of snow bamboo in moonlight and green bamboo.  I’ll keep checking back at that store for new paintings.  She said that she could probably use one or two more.

I am planning to redecorate my kitchen.  I do not like the French Country décor that the previous owner chose.  I would prefer that my kitchen reflect my personality better.  I will absolutely need an Asian botanical painting hung prominently in my kitchen. 

I have the perfect Asian botanical painting in mind already.  It is a nice Chinese painting that was done on rice paper with ink, water and color.  It is mounted with nice silk border by an expert and is ready to frame.

There are two major companies that offer satellite radio in America: Sirius and XM.
XM was the first company that offered satellite radio. It has two satellites named Rock and Roll and it has its studios in Washington D.C. Sirius Radio has three satellites and has its studios in New York As the XM was first, it has 3,2 hundred thousand, but Sirius brings competition with 1,1 hundred thousand subscribers in the present time.

Satellite radio is by far the best radio ever, making the AM/FM radios look old and dying even. This new era of radio has a lot of advantages that will please you at the maximum.
As the income comes from the subscribers not from advertisements, there are no commercials, no one is saying what to buy, no one is promoting their channel and no one is interrupting you from listening to what you want, where you want. There a lot of choices in want to listen to as both XM and Sirius have a big programming variety that includes music channels of world music(pop, rock, classical, rap, hip-hop, opera, country, western, jazz, dance, blues, Latin), weather, news, traffic, sports and entertainment channels. Local weather and traffic channels are available only for major cities in the U.S.A. provided by the two companies and every five minutes you can hear updates. The best thing in all channels is that there are uncensored. So, you can listen to uncensored stand-up comedy and hip-hop channels, at least for now.

The satellite radio has a very good sound quality, no static and no interference, a quality that may be compared with the one of a CD.  The radio is based on a go/no-go system based on the strength of the signal. So, weak signal may cause dropouts.
You can easily get information about songs and artists right on you satellite radio receiver that can also help you select channels and categories. This makes it easier for you to choose the exact channel or song you want to hear. So, whenever you are wondering what song or channel you are listening to just read the information that the receiver shows.

Now you can get satellite radio wherever you like, eventough at first it was design only for car use. With the right equipment you can easily have radio, but it depends on you whether you subscribe at XM or Sirius. Unfortunately, you can’t use a satellite radio turner for both XM and Sirius. There are three types of turners depending on where you want to listen to satellite radio. The Plug-and-play turner can be used out-door wherever you like as long as you have a portable boombox that can receive the signal. There are turners especially made for using them in cars and the home satellite radio turners for using them at home.

Both companies want now to offer a video service. This is planned to happen in the second half of the year 2006 and will include at first two video programs designed for children. Satellite radios’ prices start at about $75.A subscription costs 12.95 per month wherever you want to subscribe as both XM and Sirius radio charges the same. There a couple of discounts like you can get satellite radio for a year at $9.95/month or Sirius is offering a subscription for a lifetime at $500.  

PPPPP

Mixed media art auctions have a lot to offer.  Today I found several seriolithographs.  I liked the colors that the Polish artist Zamy Steynovitz used.

The fun part of mixed media art auctions is that you just never know what you’ll find.  I found a pebble art piece from the 1960’s that featured a bare-chested chariot driver cracking a whip.  The piece also had three horses.  The medium of pebbles was very interesting.

Another interesting find while I was looking through mixed media art auctions was a mirrored wall hanging that represents the Manhattan skyline.  This piece was made before the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings and they are represented in the piece.

Sometimes the medium used in mixed media art is the same as other categories of art.  I found a nice acrylic painting in a mixed media art auction that was unusual because of its subject.  The artist painted a red sea dragon with a lovely woman.  I learned that the artist was influenced by Salvador Dali, HP Lovecraft and his love of the game Dungeons and Dragons.

I found a really pretty 3-D art collage shadowbox while I was looking through the mixed media art auctions.  The title of the piece was True Confessions of a Mermaid Gone Bad.  The piece was listed as professionally framed art with glass in yellow stained wood.

Mixed media art auctions bring so many different artistic styles to light.  I found a Scandinavian inspired design of two peacocks on a hand stitched wall hanging.  The piece was surrounded by a decorative border and the frame was reported to be in great condition.

Sometimes the mixed media art auctions include artistic things like hand made cards.  I found an artist that lists auctions of greeting card collages.  The ones that I was looking at used vintage images, ink and extremely decorative paper.

There was an item of art that came up in my searches of mixed media art auctions that I really liked.  It was listed as a beautiful abstract tin art.  It was actually quite impressive and was listed as measuring two feet by two and a half feet.  I think this would actually look great on my mother-in-law’s wall.

So many of the paintings I found listed in the mixed media art auctions were just unusual versions of mainstream subjects.  I have found so many art auctions with poppies painted on canvas, but today I found a white poppy painted in oil with a brilliant emerald green background.  It was very striking and I think that the contemporary feel to this piece came across very well.

I had never considered vintage maps to be art before I found them in the mixed media art auctions.  I guess when a map becomes antique and is no longer useful for its original intended purpose, it can become art.  I found a listing for battle maps that was very intriguing.  This map would look good framed and displayed with other war related memorabilia.

Mixed media art auctions really do have a lot of different kinds of art represented.  I found an artist with items listed whose medium is purses.  She makes purses from cigar boxes and solders a handle and various embellishments on the side.  The purses are really quite delightful.

Satellite radio systems are actually part of a larger group of broadcasting mediums, which specialists refer to as Digital Multimedia Broadcasting or DMB. This digital transmission system is used in order to send data to different receivers such as radios, television sets or mobile phones and PDAs. There are two different ways of using digital multimedia broadcasting - S-DMB which is broadcasting via a satellite or T-DMB which uses terrestrial emitters. The complexity of the entire digital multimedia broadcasting field is huge. Out of all the features and characteristics digital broadcasting offers, satellite radio is probably the most spectacular as it generated immense interest and triggered an intense competition between the two main satellite radio broadcasters, Sirius and XM Radio. The development of satellite radio and other forms of digital broadcasting is spectacular because it offers two main qualities that terrestrial emitters are deficient in: quality and coverage. In the case of satellite radio, for example, the sound quality from a satellite broadcast is much higher than AM or FM broadcasts, as the hissing noises and transmission disturbances are eliminated.

Technical features of digital multimedia broadcasting - overview

Whether it refers to television, satellite radio or cell phone transmissions, digital multimedia broadcasting is based on the Eureka 147 DAB standard. Digital television uses the T-DMB which is made for transmissions on frequency bands III (VHF) and L (SHF). T-DMB is an ETSI standard (TS 102 427 and TS 102 428).
T-DMB uses MPEG-4 Part 10 (H264) for the video and MPEG-4 Part 3 BSAC or HE-AAC V2 for the audio.  When  it comes to satellite radio, there were a few issues to be resolved by the main satellite radio broadcasters. The satellite radio receiver needs to be in the line of sight of the satellite to receive the transmission – and there is the problem of having different landscaping objects block the direct transmission. Land based devices were installed in order to eliminate the lack of direct satellite transmission. Since the wider spectrum of broadcasts has to be covered, digital multimedia broadcasting uses OFDM-4DPSK modulation and a chip of T-DMB receiver is also provided by MPEG-2 Transport Stream De-multiplexer. This helps reduce the negative effects of shadowing and fading, present in many digital transmissions.

The future of digital multimedia broadcasting

The transfer from the analog world to the digital one is obvious in all fields of work. Since digital multimedia broadcasting is developing so quickly, there is a silent battle going on between the new age digital technology and the classic analog one. OF course, many compare the transition from the analog to the completely digital era with the way audio cassettes were replaced by CDs and later on even DVDs. However, the development of digital multimedia broadcasting is slower since it happens on so many levels at the same time. Digital television is taking us into new spaces that are basically hybrids of the features of regular TV and characteristics of the Internet. Satellite radio is also taking huge leaps forward, with more and more programs having satellite radio exclusivity. There are even discussion of moving events like the MLB exclusively on satellite radio, which would provide one of the first deadly strikes against terrestrial radio broadcasting. Digital data transmission is fast and accurate, and so far reality proves that the satellites used in order to facilitate broadcasting and reliable. Most digital multimedia broadcasting companies that own satellites also have backup ones ready to go in orbit and replace a defective one. Some other benefits of digital multimedia broadcasting recommend it as a next step in the development of broadcasting. From the consumer’s point of view, the quality and interactivity options of digital TV or satellite radio broadcasts are important features. Although most digital multimedia broadcasting channels and technologies are still complex and sometimes expensive, the evolution of digital broadcasting seems to be here to stay.

Any song you hear on satellite radio stars as a recording in a specific format on different recording mediums. IN most cases, the recording quality has to be maintained fairly high, usually around 384kb/s, while also being reasonably small enough to be transported on CDs and DVDs. The music tracks used in satellite radio are cataloged using a similar system to the MP3 cataloging criteria, the ID3 tags. The choice for the music tracks that will be played is made by each channel individually. The DJ selecting the tracks usually chooses about 20-30 minutes worth of music. The DJ has to listen to the tracks to make sure they are in proper condition and then simply lets the computer decode the original file. The same thing is repeated once the initial 20-30 minutes are exhausted and the music playing cycle repeats itself.

Sound encoding in satellite radio

Encoding is one of the key elements of digital radio. Each channel is handled by a different encoder. The encoder basically takes the analog file and turns it into a digital one. The digitalization process is made in real time and the music files are transformed into 1’s and 0’s. This process is carried out by powerful computers that analyze sound waves and frequency and break them into binary code. The encoding process is carried out at 128kb/s, 44.1Kh which is actually CD quality. After the song is encoded, it is transmitted to a multiplexer where other channels are also present – the multiplexer basically takes all the channels of the satellite radio provider and combines them into a single broadcast transmission. The data is then sent to a satellite modem device which modulates the data and sends it to the broadcaster’s satellites, using unique transmission frequencies.
What happens above the Earth
Here is where the satellites are located. They receive the transmission and transmit it to the receivers we have in our homes and cars. The satellites are located at 23,000 miles above us – both Sirius and XM Radio use satellites located at this distance from the Earth. The satellites are located in geo-sync, which means that hey orbit above the location they are designated to service at all times. When the satellite receives the transmission encoded at 128kb/s, 44.1 khz it rebroadcasts it to the geographical area it covers. Both Sirius and XM Radio use satellites that cover certain areas of the United states – mostly the East and West coasts. For example, one of XM Radio’s satellites covers the western part of USA, probably an area located roughly from Seattle to San Diego on the West and Minneapolis to Houston on the east. The increased sound quality is possible because the broadcasted data (music tracks, news, sports transmission) don’t get sliced up too many times in the decoding process.

The antenna

The antenna connected to your satellite radio receiver picks up the transmission on L-Band. The recent technological advances have allowed digital radio broadcasters to create receivers small enough to fit mobile locations. In the early days of satellite radio, a large parabolic dish would have to be mounted on the car in order to receive signal. Also, before the more compact receivers were created, the early satellite radio receivers needed electronic movements that directed the dish towards the satellite line of sight. Modern flat panel receivers have eliminated all the problems of their predecessors and can be fitted almost anywhere without taking up too much space.
The receiver and the output
The receiver is the device that decodes the data, basically doing the exact opposite of what the encoding process was like. After receiving the signal from the antenna it amplifies it and converts it to usable sound. The car or home audio system is then able to play the selected satellite radio channel. The rest of the process is exactly like analog broadcasts would work, with an amplifier and speakers outputting the sound.

When you think of online video websites, which websites come to mind? There is a good chance that you responded with Google Video or YouTube.  Google Video and YouTube are known as two of the most popular online video websites.  Although they are great sites to use, they are not the only sites that are available.  If you are looking for other alternatives, you will find that you have a number of different options.

If you are looking for alternatives to Google Video or YouTube, you are advised to perform a standard internet search. Perhaps, a standard internet search is the best way to find other online video websites.  In addition to being linked to those websites, you may also find online discussions that are centered on online video websites. If you have the time to read these discussions, you are advised to.  They may help to give you an idea as to which online video websites are worth your time and which ones are not.

As previously mentioned, you should be able to find a number of different online video websites by performing a standard internet search.  Your search results will likely include Vimeo.  Vimeo is an online video website that is well known throughout the internet community. With Vimeo you can easily view a collection of different online videos.  While their program is free to use, it is still advised that you register with them. Registration will make it easier for you to search for and find the videos that you want to watch.  In addition to watching videos, you can also create, upload, and share your own.

Another online video website that you will likely come across is ClipShack.  ClipShack is another popular online video website. In a way, their website is similar to YouTube’s, which makes the website each to use and navigate.  When at ClipShack’s website, you can view a large collection of videos, free of charge.  As with most other online video websites, ClipShack allows you to upload and share your own videos. 

Sharkle is another online video website that you can use for free. On their website, you will find a collection of online videos, similar to the ones that can be found on YouTube or Google Video. With Sharkle, you can watch a number of different videos without having to register, but registering will grant you access to other member benefits. These benefits include the ability to rate and leave comments for videos that you have watched, as well as upload your own.

As you can easily see, Google Video and YouTube are not your only options when it comes to watching online videos.  In addition to Sharkle, ClipShack, and Vimeo, you should be able to find a number of other online movie websites.  Many online websites post videos on a wide range of different topics, subjects, and issues. If you were looking for online video websites with a particular theme, you should be able to find them online.  You may need to alter your search phrase, but it is possible to find them. Popular online video websites exist for those who love pets, follow a particular religion, or love politics.

The features and services offered by each online video website will vary; depending on the sites own rules and restrictions.  Although you may be unable to create, upload, and share your own videos, you should be able to watch online videos on a wide variety of different websites, including the ones mentioned above.

Are you interested in meeting new people online?  If so, there is a good chance that you have heard of social networking websites before.  Social networking websites are, in a way, like a community. They allow internet users to connect with and communicate with each other.  Despite the fact that social networking website have rapidly increased in popularity and their popularity is only expected to keep on  rising, there are many internet users who are unsure as to whether or not social networking websites are for them. 

If you are interested in determining whether or not you should join an online networking website, you are encouraged to think about why those websites are so popular.  Doing so will enable you to determine why other internet users make the decision to join an online social network.  After that close examination, you may even find that those are the same reasons why you should or want to join.  One of those reasons is the ability to easily meet other internet uses.

Before social networking websites, it was difficult to meet other internet users. If you tried, you would have to rely on chat rooms or instant messaging services. As nice as these popular internet features are, they are not always considered safe. With chat rooms or instant messaging programs you were often given little reassurance that a person was who they claimed to be. Without profiles, there was no way that you could learn more about a particular internet user, even if you wanted to. Social networking websites have changed that.

Not only have social networking websites made it safer to meet people online, it also allows you to meet people that have the same or similar interests as yourself.  Most social networking websites allow you to create your own profile; in fact, many even give you your own webpage.  These profiles or pages will allow you to share information on yourself, including your likes and dislikes.  Since all other network members should have the same pages and profiles, it should be fairly easy for you to meet up with other internet users, especially those who enjoy or believe in the same things that you do.

Another one of the many reasons why you should join a social networking website is because you literally have a wide variety of different choices. As social networking websites increased in popularity, so did the number of websites that could be found online. Although MySpace is often deemed the most popular online social networking website, there are others that are just as easy or as much fun to use. You should easily be able to find those websites by performing a standard internet search.

In your search, for social networking websites, you will come across a number of different networks. Many of those sites will have a particular focus.  Unlike MySpace, which accepts just about any internet user, there are online networks that aim to accept internet users that have a particular hobby, view, or belief.  Online, it is not uncommon to find social networking websites that focus on politics, religion, pets, sports, and more.  If you are unsure about joining an online networking community, specialty networking sites may be your best bet. They are a great way to test the waters and they are nice because they automatically pair you with internet users who have the same interests, views, or beliefs as you do.

Perhaps, the greatest reasons why should join a social networking website is because most are free to use. Popular free networks include Yahoo! 360, Orkut, and MySpace. In addition to free social networks, there are online networks in which you are required to pay to join. Although you may not want to pay for something that you can obtain for free elsewhere, you will find that most paid networks offer you more membership benefits, when compared to free social networking sites.

Due to the fact that most social networking websites are free to use or at least free to try, you are encouraged to give them a shot. If you are unsatisfied with what you see, you can easily cancel your membership, often at anytime. 

You’ve just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that new product or service. The numbers look pretty good: media impressions were in the millions; coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications success or failure. With busy schedules and/or tight client budgets, more often than not, media analysis isn’t always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content, but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Stories are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again or analyzed at all.

If you’re already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must, not a should.

Once you’ve determined the need or importance of analysis, what’s next? This is where the confusion can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas arise…and that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you’re interested in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
Determine success vs. competitors
Success of spokesperson pick-up
Determine campaign ROI
Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
Monitor regional penetration comparisons
Tabulate media impressions/audience numbers
Compare key issues and/or product penetration
Resulting editorial or other media commentary/letters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information. But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you’re interested in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you’re multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant. Using real-time data you could monitor:

What regions are having the most success and which need attention
Misinformation being published so you can correct it
Which publications need another follow-up call
Which issues are getting the most attention
The quality and tone of the coverage
The impact on your organization
What tactics are working and which aren’t
How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors’ tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends for years to come.

In Google’s recent battle towards becoming an international news center, I’ve come to notice that the results delivered from Google News seems like nothing more than the articles we publish everyday. So I ask, doesn’t it seem like Google News resembles an article directory of some sorts?

    * Google News World: http://news.google.com
    * Google News Canada: http://news.google.ca
    * Google News UK: http://news.google.co.uk

I only mention this because when submitting my internet marketing articles, I often wonder if they show up within Google News? 9 times out of 10, they do! In fact, they usually show up within 48 hours of being indexed from other top related websites.

How does Google News select it’s content?

Right now, it seems that "news centers" & "press release companies" related to your field online are profiting from these search results. When you think about it, wouldn’t a press release be a form of news anyways? Possibly…

If you take a good look at the websites who deliver the content within Google news, you will notice that only a select few are providing all of the results. Again, it’s possible that Google’s news algorithm is still in its infant stages and probably has a lot of uphill battles to conquer.

It may be in Google’s best interest to assemble a team of experts in different fields to accept articles/news submissions in order to keep the news source within the Google kingdom.

There is Only A Fraction of Results Showing:

While searching through the GN section, you will also notice a relatively small portion of actual search results coming up. Only a fraction of a percentage of results get listed within the GN search results compared to the same results within the regular search results found on Google’s main page.

Only the sections on the left deliver actual real-time news. These are: Top Stories | World | Business | Sci/Tech | Sports | Entertainment | Health. These links provide real-time results delivered from credible news sources online.

Google News Alerts - Ezine anyone?

When you think about it, you are giving Google your email address to get related articles to the search term delivered to your inbox, how does this differ from any other regular newsletter? Are we going to start seeing Google Adwords within the news alerts? Will they consider giving large corporations the opportunity to advertise within their email alerts as a one time mailing! I hope not.

More and more we are seeing less of the Google we once knew and have come to love (A search bar with some great results). Since Google’s IPO, the development team at GG are starting to launch applications online that are starting to resemble what we now know as the great Yahoo Portal.

Will there be any difference? Probably not.

One Great Point About Google News:

They have given you the ability to customize your page to show whatever news topics you want. Simply look at the right side for a button that says "Customize this page New!". Once you click on this link a drop down box shows you all the main topics you have listed within your page. Simply click on the topic you wish to customize or remove. The best part of it all is that you can click on "Add a custom section" and simply search for the topic you wish to have listed on your page.

All in all you can create an entire custom news page (author articles) that relate to your industry.