You are perfect for this gig if you:
…are opinionated
…able to bring life to any topic by making it conversational and interesting
…an outstanding writer
…are able to provide two quality daily blog posts on your given topic (5 days a week)
…know exactly what it takes to make a blog post engaging
…have a keen eye for pictures that bring a blog post to life.
…know what SEO stands for.
…know what it takes to build relationship with other bloggers for link exchanges

Still with me?

We’re looking for expert bloggers for our network of niche blogs with demanding clients who only expect the best. You will be working with a set of blogging guidelines that ensures each post we provide to our clients is top quality.

This is not just a copywriting position or writing for a static website that only requires straight-forward information. We’re also not looking for keyword-stuffers.

You will be writing for a blog that’ll require you to draw in and keep an audience engaged and interested.

If you don’t have blogging experience but are an excellent writer, we want you to apply on one condition: Tell us 3 of your favorite blogs in your email so we know that you’re familiar with writing for a blog.

To apply for this job, please provide us with an unedited 350-500 word blog post on the topic you’d like to be considered for. Also include 3 pictures that you would use to accompany this post.

We’re currently looking for writers in the following categories:
Aquascaping – everything from waterfalls to bridges to pools to restaurants to architecture
Nutrition, Health and Wellness
Eco-Friendly Products

If you’re not interested in any of these topics but would like to be in our pool of writers (we’re always in need of great writers), let us know what topic interests you most and write a sample on that topic.

Are you active on social media? Mention that too.

Once you get your foot in the door with us with the consistent quality of your work, then there may be additional writing opportunities for you on other blogs in our network.

Please send all submissions to berrak[at]firstpagesage.com with the subject: [Topic] Writer Submission.

Thank you!

This past December, I went to an intramural basketball game to see my friend’s son play. In the second game of the day, he scored the winning shot at the buzzer.

It was an awesome moment, and we all felt very proud of him. Later that day, his parents addressed the fact that while that was a great moment, it didn’t warrant him calling himself a “Young [insert famous basketball player here]“ all day.

I chimed in and said that he should just keep doing what he’s doing and when people recognize his talent and hard work without him calling attention to it, it will mean a lot more.

That conversation with an 11-year-old is one that I feel the need to have with a lot of professionals in the social media/digital marketing field.

2011 was a great year for the social media, community management and the digital marketing field as a whole. In my opinion, it was the year that the fact that social media is not just a passing thing was recognized. Businesses finally started to accept the fact that it needs to be incorporated into their communications and marketing strategies.

2011 brought the fall of a few online networks, as well as the the new Facebook and Twitter (And all the complaints that come with change).

2011 was also the year of the buzz word.  You couldn’t click through 3 profiles without seeing the word “ninja”, “guru”, “maven”, and other, hmm, creative titles people gave themselves.  Some have these as their professional titles on their business cards.  In my opinion, these self-proclaimed buzz word titles are only hurting our profession, not helping it.  You give love social media a bad name.

Imagine you have a 75-year-old, conservative organization, and the current president has been in charge for the past 15 years. As your communications department tries to explain to him the benefits of why the organization should incorporate social media to their strategy, all your president sees are a bunch of people on Twitter calling themselves “Social Media Ninjas.”

How can we expect to be taken seriously if we’re not taking ourselves seriously?

You love doing what you do? Great. Show your love for it by learning, trying, failing, and trying again.

You want to build your brand? Then be about it. Blog about your opinion, the trends that you see, and whatever it is that makes you passionate about your job.

You want to stand out? Let your voice be heard with a contribution to the conversation instead of becoming yet another bee buzzing around in our ears.

So, how about it folks?  Let’s leave the buzz words behind in 2011 and focus on making 2012 the year of authenticity, integrity, and well, you fill in the rest.

What other trends should we leave behind in 2011?

***

In case you haven’t heard, there is an ugly thing happening in U.S. politics right now (uglier than the upcoming election) that will have an impact on all our lives. If you haven’t heard about SOPA/PIPA, I suggest you educate yourself so we can help stop it.

WordPress wrote about it, as well as Copyblogger and reddit is planning a blackout on January 18th in protest. So it’s pretty major. You should start paying attention, in case you haven’t been. Need a little more help understanding it and how it affects you? Try checking out a post from one (or all) of these 25 brilliant bloggers.

16 years ago, my family and I left our home on a plane to cross the ocean into a foreign land. At 10 years old, my life was turned upside down and I was thrown into a situation where I had to learn a language and support my family through the immigration hoops. Following our arrival, DC was hit with a blizzard and it was the first time I saw snow. I was confused, missed my home, and felt lost.

My family chose to move to the US, for a better future for my brother and I. We were picked up from the airport by my aunt and I watched the blizzard from the comfort of her home, and it was still hard for me to adjust.

Now imagine being ripped away from your home without shelter, food, or water. You’re forced out to escape sexual violence, torture, and aggression.

While some of us never even leave our hometown, there are 43.7 million people forcibly displaced worldwide.

20.5 million of those are children under the age of 18.

49% of all refugees and asylum seekers are women.

You don’t have to be a famous actress, politician or a human rights activist to help out. You can help by spending $5 on a Blue Key.

I know. Because of social media, there’s an overabundance of causes and charities and “DONATE TO US” messages overwhelming you right now. It’s also the holidays, and yes, the economy is crap.

Do me a favor though. Imagine not only being homeless, but being driven out of your country. Imagine being thrown into an awful situation after already being through so much hardship.

You have a chance to make a difference, right now. Go ahead, and grab that Blue Key to help UNHCR bring more refugees home.

Hey guys,

I know I’m a little behind but between traveling and jetlag, it took me a minute to get this poll together.

This is it! Pick the name and the new year will bring our community to fruition!

If your entry is included in the poll, remember to spread the word via Twitter & Facebook to get your friends to vote! Everyone can only vote ONCE so make every vote count!

The poll will close at 11:59 PM ET on December 30.

Good luck!

The options are: The Brand Gypsies, Echo Network, United Brand Diplomats and Now You Know Network.

[polldaddy poll="5785273"]

The contest is simple – Come up with a name for our new business-to-blogger network.  The name that I came up with,The Brand Whisperers, was fantastic but unfortunately, there is another company out there using it. Instead of sending out newsletters and asking for ideas, I decided to bring it to the masses and tap into your love for creativity, as well as contests with a prize at the end.

In addition to being praised for coming up with the name for what will be the best community of bloggers out there, you will receive a $25 Amazon Giftcard (Perfect timing for the holidays, right?), as well as a guest blog post here at PQ Productions!

The contest will run until 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, December 12.  

Once you comment with your entry, I will assign you an entry number.  Once you have your entry number, you can go nuts on Twitter, asking your network to RT your entry!

The top three entries that get the most RTs on Twitter, using the hashtag #PQContest, will be announced by December 15 and then the community will vote on it until December 23! 

Sounds simple enough, right?

Come up with an awesome name, get your friends to tweet about your entry with the hashtag (This is important as I will only count the RTs that include the hashtag & an entry number) and wait for the entries to be counted!

If you need more information on the network, you can check out this blog, and always feel free to ask me questions in the comments, on Twitter and over at our Facebook page!

Let’s get to creating!

This week, I gave my first presentation at Crush IQ conference in Washington, DC on how to develop your personal brand. It was my first speaking gig and I had around 15 people come to my session, which was so fantastic.

It’s mostly a blur but what I learned from my experience was:

1) I talk really REALLY fast when I’m nervous but according to the people I talked to, it wasn’t hard to understand me. I’ll just have to remember to slow it down next time.

2) I really do love being in front of an audience and presenting so I will hopefully get to do this again soon!

3) It was a good idea to have a one-pager with the key takeaways to give those who attended.

Do you have any tips on giving a presentation/public speaking in general?

Don’t forget we’re still taking suggestions for the business-to-GenY blogger network. Let’s build our community one step at a time

I sent out the first email for the blogger network I’m putting together focused on Gen-Y blogger relations with businesses. The more I’ve thought about this, the more I realize that I want to put together a community.  In order to do that, we have to have a name.

I called it the PQ Blogger Network in my email but really, that’s not the best representation of the community that we’ll be building as time goes on.

Because this will be YOUR community, we’ll make decisions together. I’ll ask you guys for input along the way.

This will be YOUR network. The businesses we pick, the products we review – they will be based on the information that I gather from your answers to the survey. (If you missed the survey, you can find it here.)

So, first step – a name.

Remember that this will be a business-to-GenY Blogger network, focusing on those of us who are NOT Mommy bloggers.  Let me clarify that this is not an exclusive network – if you are a Mommy blogger, you can be a part of it but the opportunities provided will be tailored to those of us who don’t have children.

You guys are a creative bunch – that’s why we’re bloggers!

Leave your ideas for names for the network here.  Remember that this network will become a community. Pass this blog to your friends who are bloggers, and may want to be a part of our community.

I’ll leave this open for 2 weeks. At the end of two weeks, I’ll put together a poll with the suggested names so we can all vote on it.

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss any updates!

DC/MD/VA

iostudio, Washington, DC

Public Relations Account Executive

Social Media Analyst

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Alexandria, VA

Director of Communications & Outreach

Customer Service Coordinator

P/T Animal Care Technician

Greenpeace, Washington, DC

Executive Assistant

American Wind Energy Association, Washington, DC

Policy Analyst

Fund for Public Interest, Washington, DC

Citizen Outreach Director *They’re looking for directors and assistant directors all across the country*

Politico, Washington, DC

Executive Director of Business Development

Express Scripts, Washington, DC

Staff Assistant, Government Affairs

National Association of Home Builders, Washington, DC

Fundraising Manager

Manager, Communications & Marketing

Crowell & Moring, Washington, DC 

Legal Secretary

Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Washington, DC

Communication Manager

CQ Roll Call, Washington, DC 

Editor, Executive Briefing – Technology

Editor, Executive Briefing – Food & Agriculture

JESS3, Washington, DC

PR, Research & Community Engagement Position

Outside the DC Metro Area

iostudio, Nashville, TN

IT Project Manager

US Weekly Magazine, New York

Senior Editor (Freelance, on site)

Time Out Chicago, Chicago, IL

Account Manager

CARE, Atlanta, GA

Manager of Web Content

Custom Publishing & Marketing Design, Burbank, CA

Associate Editor

Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA

Associate Publicist/Social Media Coordinator

Carrot Creative, New York

Community Manager (PDF)

I’ve written before on how much it pays to Twitter, and Twitter even helped me change my career path to go from a cog to a business owner. So it’s fair to say that I’m on Twitter a fair amount and while I’m not a Twitter guru *shudder*, I see a lot of people using it completely wrong.

You’re doing it wrong if…

Your Twitter Is Purely an RSS Feed: There’s nothing that turns me off  more than a Twitter feed full of  links with no substance. It’s great that you blog, and even better that you’re a guest blogger on other sites.  Kudos for getting your content out there but please don’t treat your Twitter account like an RSS feed where you dump all your links, constantly. I want to see interaction and conversation. I want to see @ replies. I want to see you mentioning other articles you enjoyed and WHY. Give me something more than the same thing I’m getting in my Google Reader.

Your Twitter Is Full of RTs Without Any Input from You: If I decide to follow you, it’s because I’m looking to have a conversation, and learn about what you think. You must have original opinions. So you liked an article and want to share it. Why? Make the most of those 140 characters by telling me why you think I should click on the link you just shared. You wouldn’t refer a friend to job without telling the recruiter why they’d be a good fit for the job so why are you spewing out links without any sort of unique input?

You Use Auto-DM: No. Just no.  I don’t care how interesting your Twitter content is – the second I get an automated DM from you, I’m automatically unfollowing you.  I might put you on a list so I can check in on your Twitter feed once in a while but I won’t make the mistake of following you. NOBODY LIKES IT. So, please, stop it.

You’re A Collector:  You know the type – only following accounts to get more followers (probably to auto-DM them. Those sneaky punks!) This is equivalent to friend collecting on Myspace. Stop obsessing over the numbers and focus on the quality of your interactions.  Trust me, you’ll get a lot more out of Twitter that way.

You Don’t Mind Your Grammar: I realize that 140 characters can be tricky but the beauty of Twitter lies in those 140 characters. It teaches us to be succinct and use our words wisely. Typos happen but there’s no excuse for you to use “ur” on a constant basis. Also, can we please get back to basics and use the proper “you’re/your”, “there/their”, etc? I begin to lose respect for people who are supposed communications professionals who completely disregard the basic rules for grammar.

You #FollowFriday Your Entire List: The point of Follow Friday is to give recognition to certain people on Twitter. Maybe they’re new to Twitter, or they provide awesome information that you want to share with your network.  If you’re participating in #FollowFriday, tell me WHY I should follow this person. What is it about them that makes them worthy of my time and attention?  If you have a #FollowFriday tweet with just as many Twitter handles as you can fit into the 140 characters with no context, you’re doing it wrong. Basically, you’re just spamming. On that note, @moxie_marmalade made a good point – Don’t just RT #FFs that you’re included in. If you want to return the sentiment, do so in a Reply, not a RT. (Again, you’re spamming.)

You Don’t Do Your Research: A simple letter could mean the difference between reaching out to the wrong person on Twitter.  Make sure that you do your due diligence before mentioning people willy-nilly on Twitter.  Go on www.twitter.com to make sure that the person you’re reaching out to is, in fact, the right person.  Example: At one of my internships, I had a fact-checking project that involved social media handles for speakers for an upcoming conference.  Mind you, the fact-checking I did came AFTER the speaker information was posted online, and there were to many instances when the Twitter handle was incorrect because no one did the due diligence to make sure they were linking to the correct “Sarah Smith”.

Twitter is my favorite. Please stop ruining it.

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Berrak Sarikaya
berrakdc@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/berrakdc

 DC Blogger Helps Businesses and Individuals Amplify Their Brand

After years of blogging and building her own brand, DC digital native announces the official launch of PQ Productions. PQ Productions will provide companies and individuals with the tools they need to take their brand to the next level.

Washington, DC – October 25, 2011 – The digital world is buzzing with the official launch of PQ Productions, LLC, a digital marketing company providing services ranging from content marketing to community management for small businesses.  With the tagline “Amplify Yourself,” PQ Productions will provide companies and individuals with the tools they need to take their brand to the next level.

“After talking about this for more than four years, and building my brand for two years, this is a proud day,” said Berrak Sarikaya, the woman behind PQ Productions. “We have a lot of exciting projects in the works, including a blogger network aimed at bringing businesses and Gen-Y bloggers together.”

The company is not just aimed at Gen-Y bloggers. With a decade of experience under her belt, Berrak wants to help small business owners get familiar with social media and the world of possibilities that a business can tap into once they step through the digital door.

“Social media is not just a bubble – it’s the future of business,” explains Sarikaya. “A lot of small business owners are missing out on opportunities to amplify their brand and I’m here to help them understand their full potential.”

Sarikaya continues by saying that branding is not strictly for businesses, and the services provided by PQ Productions will also help individuals develop their personal brand.

“I’m not a life coach. I just want to help others figure out what I learned through years of trial-and-error.”

For more information about PQ Productions, please visit www.pq-productions.com. You can also connect with PQ Productions on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pqproductions) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/berrakdc).

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