Chris Abraham

The Business of Football Infographic

2012-01-16T10:27:00.001-05:00

Nymgo relaunches and offers the cheapest international calling rates

2012-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Abraham Harrison’s new client, Nymgo, has now completely re-developed its networking infrastructure and is accordingly re-launching its product, website and brand with a completely new look and set of functions that pushes the envelope of mass consumer VoIP technology in 2012 — and, to celebrate that launch, they’re also offering 5 tickets to anywhere to a lucky 5 folks.

This contest is called the “Nymgo, fly me to visit someone” contest and it takes place on its regional Facebook pages for Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan — one round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world will be available to each Facebook Page by simply choosing a friend they would like to visit. The contestant simply uploads a picture along with a required caption (maximum 500 words) explaining why they should win the trip to see that person.

Real bloggers and real blogs always trump Robot Armies

2011-10-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

Real bloggers and real blogs always trump Robot Armies

Last week, I talked about using the long tail of blogger outreach -- the idea that you can’t pin your hopes for most public relations efforts on only the A-list bloggers. For each outreach, there are hundreds and often thousands of bloggers that are not well-known but have influence on the very people that your PR campaign is trying to reach.

I’ve written in the past about how to put bloggers first when you reach out to them, but today I want to make sure that you don’t see blogger outreach as a one-time, campaign-oriented approach but rather a relationship that lasts for years between you and each blogger. For blogger outreach to work on an ongoing basis, you need to be endlessly generous and endlessly appreciative. And the main way that you show your appreciation is to do as much of the work for them as possible.

You need to make sure you’ve set up the pitch and the campaign. Your message must be essential and clear enough that each blogger can potentially go from reading the email pitch to clicking the post button on their blog well within five minutes. Any more and we maybe get only a tweet or a Facebook Like.

We need to be clear in our email that we want a post and the pitch to be shared with the readers of the blog. In our social media news releases, we need to make sure that everything can be copied and pasted as-is, that images are the correct size, that the links are already embedded, that copy and text is simple to copy and block-quote and that any and all banner ads or videos have a handy and easy to find embed code right there.

One cannot assume any technical proficiency, one cannot assume any PR or communications experience, one cannot assume that any blogger knows any PR-speak or knows how to deal with an embargo. One cannot assume that anyone knows what a press release is, or a social media release or what PRWeb is or, heaven forbid, how to keep an embargoed message holy. Long story short, if the message in any way seems more complicated or time-consuming than each blogger fancies it’s worth, then you’ve lost them.

Authenticity vs. robot armies rife with affiliate links

I get why folks have spent many millions of dollars creating a robot army of sites and links and posts that emulate a passionate blogosphere. A robot army rife with affiliate links is really much more manageable to control freaks who need to make sure they can predict ROI based on investment. This is probably the direct result of VC-funding. Those guys love seeing money in and money out. But it isn’t authentic and it isn’t real and these castles of cards are also vulnerable as we have been recently seeing as Google goes through revisions of its search algorithm, oftentimes removing or de-prioritizing entire portions of the Internet that have been produced at great expense to emulate the vigorous and organic, self-organizing, engaged citizenry.

I won’t lie to you, having hundreds of earned media mentions as the result of a very real digital PR long-tail blogger outreach to thousands of bloggers can be SEO gold. Some clients retain us yearly and we can turn those hundreds of posts to thousands of posts per year. The powerful secondary effect of the earnest PR earned-media campaign is SEO link juice, something we didn’t sort out until we were doing this for a couple of years.

Having hundreds of thousands of prepared keyword strings and copy and images and videos pointing back to our clients results in a white-hat link-farm effect, if you will, with one caveat: It is real. We don’t pay these bloggers to write. None of these bloggers are on the same server or the same node or the same cloud or in the same network. The vigilant army of real live Google site investigators can scrutinize these hundreds of posts with a fine tooth comb and there’s no harm and no foul.

Down the Long Tail, there are loads of bloggers who have never been kissed, never been pitched by a noted brand, never been engaged by a social media team or PR agent

At the end of the day, we're not creating a fallacy world of content used to drive revenue much like an elaborate marketing theme park. What we’re trying to do is play the game of “olly olly oxen free” with the denizens of the Internet. We’re ringing the dinner gong. We’re giving lots and lots of people who have a worthy platform for self-expression an opportunity to write about something if, and only if, our email pitch resonates with them or, to be honest, they’re impressed that our client has taken the time to reach out to them directly, asking them for a favor.

When it comes to the empowered and powerful A-listers, they’ve been pitched a million times by the world’s top brands. In fact, companies and their agencies are falling all over themselves to appeal to these powerful few. Not much further along the tail, there are loads of blogs and bloggers who have never been kissed at all, never been pitched by a noted brand, never been engaged by a social media team or PR agent, have never received an offer to pass on to their readers or received a book to review, have never received super-super concierge service and follow up.

In so many cases, we’re their first. We’re their very first PR kiss and, as you know, nobody forgets their first.

Image at top by friendlydrag0n on FlickrChris Abraham is a partner in Socialmedia.biz and co-founder and principal of Abraham Harrison LLC, an international consulting group with specialties in online word-of-mouth/conversation marketing and online business & technology strategy advising. See his profile, contact Chris via email, Twitter, or leave a comment below.

12,000 Stories

2011-09-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

I saw this video at a recent Miriam's Kitchen fundraising dinner and it really moved me -- here are some stories of homelessness in DC and how Miriam's addresses the issue.

The Making of a Handmade Leather Messenger Bag by Jesse Heirendt

2011-06-21T15:55:00.001-04:00

The Making of a Handmade Leather Messenger Bag by Jesse Heirendt, a set on Flickr.

I commissioned a perfect thing. I commissioned a bridle leather messenger bag as hand made bespoke to my specifications by Mr. Jesse Heirendt of JD Leatherworks www.jdleatherworks.com -- I am very excited to get my hands on it but it is already a perfect thing.

My Fellow American - Teaser

2011-06-07T18:12:00.000-04:00

Flink12 Allows You to Maintain and Preserve Your Privacy Online

2011-04-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Abraham Harrison's client, Flink12, is the way to stay social but still keep your privacy. There are many social networking platforms available today to share your public self. But where do you go to privately and safely share your personal, day-to-day thoughts and experiences? Flink12 was created as a safe and secure way to share your private life. It is playful, safe, extremely private and easy to use. A unique way of sharing and communicating, Flink12 allows you to share your life in a meaningful way with the people you know and care about the most.

What is a Flink? A Flink is a group of twelve cows. Flink12 allows you to create individual groups of twelve people or Flinks for your friends, family, or coworkers. These Flinks allow you to communicate in a discreet way, sharing professional information with coworkers and personal information with friends and family. These groups of twelve are ideal for sharing different information for different types of relationships.

"Privacy first" is the highest priority at Flink12. This approach ensures that your personal information will remain completely secure. With no privacy settings to manage, your information is automatically safe. Personal information will not indexed on the web by search engines. You decide when, where and how much of your life you want to share and with whom. As it says on the Flink12 website:

Our "Privacy first" approach ensures that your personal information will remain private. Your information will not be indexed on the web by search engines. We designed Flink12 at its roots to be "udderly" private. Users have complete control.

Flink12 is totally accessible on the go as well:

Head on over to Flink12 and sign up for a free account. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

8 Reasons to Choose Fotolia for Your Stock Photos

2011-04-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

Abraham Harrison is really excited about our client Fotolia. Fotolia is able to offer individuals and professionals (advertising agencies, press, small business, graphic artists, designers) the greatest image collection in the world for free or as little as $0.75 an image. Check out these 8 great reasons to use Fotolia:

1. Time Savings -- Fotolia services will save you time, as you are much more likely to find what you need quickly. A savings in time translates into saving money.

2. Clear Licensing Agreement -- One hazard of being a designer is learning about copyright laws, restrictions and licenses. On the free photo sites, you have to read the fine print for each and every photo you use. Some photographs come with no restrictions, some are only for non-commercial use and some require the name of the photographer. You don’t have to deal with this headache on Fotolia. The licensing agreement will be the same for all photos in the license category you select, which is typically a standard royalty-free license.

3. Availability of Vector Art and Illustrations -- Fotolia offers a wide variety of vector art and illustrations. Illustrated graphics can give a course a completely unique look and feel. Vector art refers to graphics that are hand drawn in a tool like Adobe Illustrator. Because they exist as mathematical renderings, they can be expanded to any size and manipulated in a vector graphics program.

4. Compelling Images -- You can find photos based on a concept, emotion or theme. You can find people doing interesting things and simple single objects that are ready to use.

5. Guaranteed Model Releases -- You need the signed release of a model to use his or her photo. Model releases are guaranteed with a paid service. This is not true on a free site. That’s why I never use photographs of a person from a free service.

6. More Efficient Search -- There’s nothing like typing in the search term ‘money’ and getting back photos of the Eiffel tower. This kind of poor search functionality is common on some free photo sites. On the other hand, efficient search functionality is one of the foundations of Fotolia. Fotolia has staff to tag their photos with keywords, so the results are usually more accurate. The keywords are also translated in many languages.

7. Supports The Arts -- The world would only be shades of gray without the Arts. By paying for images, you’re helping photographers and illustrators earn a living. We need them.

8. Reduces Stress -- When you can quickly find the graphics you like and need, it reduces your level of stress. And we all need that.

Be sure to check out this video of Fotolia images as well:

Also connect with Fotolia on their various social media channels to watch for announcements:

Chris wants you to join dailymile

2011-04-05T10:53:00.001-04:00

Hi Pixel,

When I actually start training, I'd like to share my training with you. And if I don't train, you can kick my butt!

Join now! (It's free.)
http://www.dailymile.com/signup?accept_code=1207b31d782a677ab455b4cc4eb725cc&utm_medium=email&utm_source=invitation_invitation

Check out my profile:
http://www.dailymile.com/people/chrisabraham

- Chris
(cabraham@abrahamharrison.com)

--
You can opt-out of future invites by following this link:
http://www.dailymile.com/unsubscribe?email=apron37phonate%40upload.pixelpipe.com&k=85785a663584dc5f&user_id=170049&utm_medium=email&utm_source=invitation_invitation

This email was sent by request to apron37phonate@upload.pixelpipe.com

Animated Interactive NCAA Tournament Trivia Quiz - CollegeGambling.org

2011-04-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

Animated Interactive NCAA Tournament Trivia Quiz - CollegeGambling.org

Google Blocks Content Farms With A Change To The Search Rank Indexing Al...

2011-02-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

The script:

Hello, I’m HowToPhil thanks for stopping by. Today I’m going to give you a bit of an overview of a recent change to Google’s search indexing algorithm. This change should help reduce the effectiveness of a particular type of SEO strategy known as “content farming”.

Now in order to understand this change you’ll have to understand what content farming is. The process of content farming involves creating a large quantity of low quality content or copying content from original blogs in order to increase the search ranking of a brand or product within a given set of search keyword results. This has been historically very effective since it’s very hard for computers to tell what the “quality” of a given post is or to tell if a post is the original or a copy.

Google’s updated algorithm will scan the content of blog posts and try to determine both quality and the chance that it is a copy of an original post from someplace else. If it determines the post to be of low quality or to be a copy of content from someplace else then the ranking of that post will be reduced and it will appear further down in the search results. This should result in higher quality search results that point to more original and useful content.

What does all of this mean for the SEO companies, brands, organizations, and products out there? It basically boils down to a need to change strategy. The age of simply buying a lot of server space and cranking out poor content is coming to an end. Companies will have to engage bloggers and convince them to write about their products using targeted outreach to the appropriate blogger demographics and by having products, services, or news worth writing about. By doing this they will be able to generate original content and increase their search result rankings.

That’s it for the recent change to Google’s search indexing algorithm and how it will effect content farming. I hope this has helped you. Thank you and have a nice day.

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Introducing The Daily

2011-02-02T12:12:00.000-05:00

Thank You World Habitat Day Bloggers from AH and Habitat

2010-11-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

Habitat For Humanity asked Abraham Harrison to help promote World Habitat Day 2010. We reached out to all the bloggers who seemed really passionate and interested about helping the homeless and displaced, both on Twitter and on blogs, all of which you can check out below. It was a really great campaign! (Via Abraham Harrison & Marketing Conversation)

Marvin White joins Fuad El-Hibri at Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.

2010-06-19T21:07:00.000-04:00

“Mr. White's expertise in financial management, gained in a patient-focused health care system and service-oriented environment, will prove an invaluable asset in guiding Emergent's management team towards further growth and in increasing value for shareholders,” Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.'s chairman and CEO, said. “We are delighted to welcome him to Emergent's Board of Directors, composed of seasoned experts with diverse skill sets.”

Thank You HAI Watch Bloggers

2010-06-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

Both Kimberly-Clark Healthcare and Abraham Harrison would like to thank you, all the bloggers and tweeters who supported our public affairs outreach in support of the fighting hospital-aquired and healthcare associated infections via the HAI Watch “Not on My Watch” campaign. We really appreciate your coverage and support.

Via Abraham Harrison

Goethe-Institut Summer 2010 Schedule of Events

2010-05-09T06:40:00.000-04:00

Goethe-Institut Washington is an organization dedicated to providing access to the German language, culture and society, and fostering intercultural exchange in the Washington, DC area. It is part of the international network of Goethe-Institutes, and is a non-profit organization supported in part by the German government. There are 149 Goethe-Institutes and 11 liaison offices in 92 countries.
The Goethe-Institut Washington offers a wide selection of classes this summer for every skill level, with both regular and intensive classes, including Elementary German A1, Elementary German A2, Intermediate German B1, An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German, and more — view the full schedule. Registration for summer classes is currently open.
Goethe-Institut Washington is now on Twitter and Facebook. Our weekly email newsletter keeps subscribers informed of our German cultural events and courses; more local events, class information, quizzes, questions, answers, and other resources are available by following and/or liking us.
The Goethe-Institut Washington presents films (classics and new; features and documentaries) every Monday night in its screening room. German films are screened with English subtitles. The May-July film series presents a selection of award-winning films from the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, including 12 Angry Men, Signs of Life (Lebenszeichen), Solo Sunny, Trace of the Bears (Spur der Bären), Veronika Voss (Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss), Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle) and Head-On (Gegen die Wand). View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.
FotoGalerie, the Goethe-Institut Washington’s exhibition space, is an ongoing showcase for the work of young German photographers. In Our Time – Photographs by Anne Lass is on display through the end of May. Next up: an annual favorite, winning works from Germany’s annual graduate photography competition, gute aussichten: new german photography 2009/2010, will be on display June-August. View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.

Learn How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Hospital Infections

2010-05-03T13:41:00.000-04:00

I have collected a list of preventative measures you can take for yourself, your children, your parents, and your loved ones before, during, and after their stay in the hospital to minimize exposure to Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) and associated superbugs like MRSA.

Washing:

Your own hands. Scrub for at least 15 seconds with warm water and soap. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer if you can't get to a sink to use soap and water.
Beginning three to five days before surgery, shower daily with 4 percent chlorhexidine soap, available over the counter at your local pharmacy.
Once you're at the hospital: Ask anyone who is going to touch you to wash their hands first, in your presence. Due this whether the person is a doctor or nurse who is examining you, or visitors who want to hug you, pat your arm, help you dress, etc. Don't be shy! Your life is worth a tiny moment of embarrassment.
Make sure hospital staff scrub the planned incision site before surgery, because scalpels and other surgical instruments can drag bacteria on the surrounding skin's surface into the incision.

Equipment:

A common source of cross contamination bacteria are stethoscopes, which caregivers often do not clean between patients, so ask for it — and any other medical equipment — to be cleaned in your presence.
Make sure hospital staff cleans and disinfects any surfaces you may come in contact with, such as bed rails, privacy curtains, and sinks. Avoid setting food or utensils on the furniture or bed.
Make sure IV equipment is cleaned properly when inserted and removed, and that it a new, clean one is inserted at least every 3 to 4 days. If any redness appears at the IV site, alert hospital staff immediately.
Keep an eye on wound dressings and drainage tubes, and tell a caregiver right away if they become loose or wet.
Avoid getting a urinary catheter if at all possible. If you have a catheter, ask if it can be removed within a day or two - the sooner, the better.

Testing:

Get tested for for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at least a week before you enter the hospital. You could have MRSA already and not know it! It's important to find this out ahead of time.
Have your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes.

Medication:

Ask your doctor about taking an antibiotic before surgery. For many surgeries, you can receive an antibiotic an hour or so before your surgery to help prevent a surgical site infection.

Grooming and Comfort:

If hair has to be removed, use electric clippers on the day of surgery instead of razors, because razors are more likely to leave nicks in your skin through which you can be exposed to the bacteria that cause infection.
Ask your doctor about keeping you warm during surgery. Obviously, you won't notice the cold while under anesthesia, but studies have shown that the simple step of keeping surgical patients warm reduces the likelihood of infection.
Ask anyone who is coughing to wear a mask or stay at least six feet away from you so you won't get an infection that is transmitted through the air.
Even though their visits may cheer you up, if family and friends are feeling unwell, ask them to wait to visit you until they are better. Talk to them on the phone instead.

Our Children 2010- A Quick Summary

2010-05-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

Yet Another Photo of Zan Drinking a Pils in Berlin

2010-04-30T18:33:00.001-04:00

Drinks with Zan at Altes Europa in Mitter Berlin

2010-04-30T18:11:00.001-04:00

Here's the beer menu.

Zandria Sips Her First German Pils

2010-04-30T17:54:00.001-04:00

Here's the lovely and charismatic Miss Zandria @followzan as she enjoys her first Radeberger Pils at Altes Europa in Mitte, Berlin.

Maybe Chris in Korean

2010-04-23T19:47:00.001-04:00

A Mustachioed Man for Esther

2010-04-23T17:30:00.001-04:00

We're thinking of you, Esther Roman :)

My Awesome New Mug

2010-04-23T08:52:00.001-04:00

From this awesome store in Mitte, http://schoenhauser-design.de -- Neue Shönhauser Straße 18, 10178 Berlin

Qik - More Café Zosch mit Meinen Freunden in Berlin by Chris Abraham

2010-04-22T05:31:00.001-04:00

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is finally getting the official memorial he deserves

2010-04-22T04:26:00.000-04:00

At a time when kids consider gun-toting athletes and cracked-out celebrities heroes and role models, it’s refreshing to hear that a true hero, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is finally getting the official memorial he deserves. Abraham Harrison’s client, the Washington D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial Foundation, is pushing for the last few million dollars needed to finish the project.
Over $106 million of the $120 million has been raised through corporate support as well as private donations from us ordinary folk. The Foundation has devised some creative and easy ways to add your contribution including an MLK Toolbar that donates $.05 for every search you perform using the toolbar.
To find out more about the history of the Memorial, its on-going construction and ways to donate here: http://mlkmemorialnews.org/

Berliner Schnauze

2010-04-21T05:28:00.001-04:00

Stem Cell Therapy to Cure Type 1 Diabetes in Adults

2010-04-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

Diabetes exacts its toll on many Americans, young and old. For years, researchers have painstakingly dissected this complicated disease caused by the destruction of insulin producing islet cells of the pancreas. Despite progress in understanding the underlying disease mechanisms for diabetes, there is still a paucity of effective therapies. For years investigators have been making slow, but steady, progress on experimental strategies for pancreatic transplantation and islet cell replacement. Now, researchers have turned their attention to adult stem cells that appear to be precursors to islet cells and embryonic stem cells that produce insulin. From Curing Diabetes with Stem Cell Therapy Resources:

Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Alan Trounson has highlighted research that has transformed human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes in mice. He says the technique could work equally with humans. "I do think we’ll get a cure to diabetes," he said.

Stem cells are the essential cellular building blocks that allow the body to regenerate new cells and repair tissue. Scientists are investigating the therapeutic potential of both embryonic and adult stem cells as a research tool to better understand-and develop treatments for-diseases that affect over 100 million Americans in their lifetime, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other debilitating conditions.

Stem cell therapy aimed at restoring blood flow to damaged limbs in people with diabetes has shown promise, according to UK company ReNeuron. Diabetics using stem-cell therapy have been able to stop taking insulin injections for the first time, after their bodies started to produce the hormone naturally again.

A handful of people with type 1 diabetes have been able to survive without insulin shots for more than two-and-a-half years, on average, after having their own blood stem cells removed and reimplanted through intravenous injection, U.S. and Brazilian researchers reported Tuesday.

The study involved the use of a technique called "autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation" or AHST for short. This type of treatment has been used to treat other autoimmune diseases successfully. Previous trials have shown that moderate suppression of the immune system in newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes patients can stop the further loss of beta cells and reduce the need for supplemental insulin.

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation and particularly stem cell-based therapies have a huge potential to restore glucose control in patients with diabetes, without risk of serious hypoglycemic adverse effects associated with insulin therapy, and safety issues of other anti-diabetes treatments.

In Australia, and many other countries around the world, stem cell therapy is only approved to treat blood disorders such as leukemia. Whilst research is moving rapidly and showing great promise, the use of any type of stem cell as a therapy for diseases like type 1 diabetes is still firmly classed as experimental. This doesn’t mean these therapies won’t work, just that scientists and clinicians have deemed there isn’t enough data available to demonstrate patient safety as well as a long term benefit.

Hopes have been raised of a new treatment to free thousands of diabetes sufferers from the burden of daily insulin injections. Scientists revealed findings of a study which shows that 15 young patients with type one diabetes overcame their dependence on insulin after being treated with their own stem cells.

Via Chris Abraham Blog

Kaffeemitte is a Favorite Place in Berlin

2010-04-19T06:36:00.001-04:00

Einen Grossen Kaffee von Kaffeemitte in Berlin

2010-04-19T06:30:00.001-04:00

I get this every day for €2,40, zum mitnehmen, that I don't need to order it any more. I guess I am a regular.

My Favorite Barista / Kellner

The Best Seat in the House at Kaffeemitte

All The Papers to Read

They have all of the newspapers, auf Deutsch, to read splayed out on the tables. When I finally learn to read German well I will read my morning news at Kaffeemitte.