North Coast Media, LLC

Terror is no match for information

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

Terror struck the world this weekend. It struck first in the form of bombings and shootings and, then in the unknown — the fear of what could be next.

But terror is no match for information.

In the midst of the attacks, those closest to it bore witness on Facebook and Twitter in real time, many of those in imminent danger alerted to it via second-by-second updates from international news media and individuals alike.

Social media proved what it could do when citizens became on-the-spot reporters working with professional journalists, how it could bring neighbors together through a hashtag and the world together through real-time coverage.

This was one of those days I was proud of what social media can do.

#NousSommesUnis, we are united on social media

Parisians welcomed strangers into their homes using #porteouverte and the English translation #opendoor. Families crowd-sourced searches for loved ones in media images using #rechercheParis. Survivors posted their whereabouts using Safety Check, the Facebook function typically reserved for natural disasters.

And those around the world showed their support with #prayforparis, with a blue-white-and-red filter on their Facebook profile pictures, with a simple sketch of a peace symbol ensconcing the Eiffel Tower.

A photo posted by @jean_jullien on Nov 13, 2015 at 3:05pm PST

Sure there were the usual cases of confusion and ugliness that accompany any mass media event — people who mistakenly identified a British soccer star in danger, opportunists who used the devastation to advance tangentially related special interests, anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Those were the exception, not the rule.

For one day, a departure from the United Selfies of America

This weekend, the U.S.A. wasn’t an acronym for United Selfies of America. We identified with the images we saw doused in blood – of young people attending a rock concert, coworkers crowded at bars, college students studying at cafes, families enjoying a sporting event – and empathized with the people of Paris.

For one evening, we all rallied around Benjamin Cazenoves, the concert-goer who posted to Facebook from inside the Bataclan where he was wounded and watching people “cut down…one-by-one.” We breathed a sigh of relief when he reported he was safe.

This is the community social media was conceived to nurture, one where we engage with those we otherwise wouldn’t meet. This is the enlightenment social media can engender, when it informs us in a way that personalizes serious issues like global terrorism.

And, if this weekend is any indication, this is an outcome social media was perfectly designed to fulfill, combating ignorance, injustice and inhumanity with information.

Email Etiquette 101

By Hillary Morgan | Digital Media Intern

In a world full of emojis and abbreviations, it can be difficult to remember how to write a professional email. We spend so much time sending smiley faces to our friends that when it comes time to send an important email to the boss, it can be challenging to remember not to laugh out loud. Making mistakes like that, or accidentally forwarding a personal email to the entire department, can cause us to lose credibility in the workplace.

According to a study done by Kelton Global, over 90 percent of Americans spend 90 minutes on emails every day. When doing something that tends to take up that much of the typical workday, it’s important to get the technique down.

“Whether you like it or not, your emails reveal a lot about you to your colleagues and especially to your superiors,” writes Ravin Carr of mashable.com. “Think of the number of times we stereotype and react to people based on their ‘email behavior’: we run from the ‘ramblers,’ are exasperated by the ‘one-line repliers,’ hate the ‘always-keep-everybody-looped-in’ people and are irritated by the shoddy writers.”

With this in mind, it’s good to remember some tips for appropriate email etiquette.

Keep it simple. Don’t use bigger words in order to sound smart. It’s always more efficient and effective to get straight to the point.
Avoid forwarding emails without first briefly explaining what you want the recipient to see as important about the message.
Be professional. Typically, the use of emojis and slang will be frowned upon. It’s alright to be conversational, but you need to balance that with sounding informed.
Don’t structure emails like English papers. In business, it’s important to be efficient, and when your boss has to read a twenty-page dissertation before getting to your point, they’re not going to be happy. Always start with your point, and add backup points afterward.
Don’t bring emotions into your work emails. According to the Business Insider, it’s better to say: “Are you open to a brief telephone call to discuss this?” than to say, “I would be delighted to speak with you personally about this and would love to tell you more.” The former gets straight to the point. The latter seems as if they’re trying to sell you something. Also, don’t express “fake concern.” The recipient will know. As written by Geoffrey James of the Business Insider, “either get to the point immediately or make a statement that’s specific to the recipient.”
Always read back over what you’ve written. Double-checking your writing is going to help you ensure that your grammar and spelling are correct. Also, this gives you a chance to check the voice of the message and flow of your words. Most importantly, this gives you time to make sure that you haven’t marked “reply all.”

Staff App Review: Liftmaster MyQ App

By Steve Galperin | VP of Finance and Operations

Has this every happened to you? You pull out of your driveway and as you are halfway through your drive, you think to yourself did I remember to close the garage? Well problem solved with the Liftmaster MyQ App.
Now you can confirm you closed the garage by pulling up the app and visually verifying that it is closed. You can open or close your garage door from anywhere via your smartphone as well. Not to mention you can set notifications to alert you left the garage door open after x number of minutes.

Resume Font Choice: Does It Matter?

By Hillary Morgan | Digital Media Intern

Where you went to school. Past career experience. Volunteer work. These are all extremely important aspects of any good resume, but is font type just as important?

According to CreativeBloq, “a resume is a reflection of your disposition and persona, and the recipient will be scanning it, consciously or not, for elements that distinguish your resume from the other hundreds they have to wade through.” They suggest that font choice can be used to help define and express that sense of personality in a resume.

Brian Hoff, of Brian Hoff Design, in an article featured in Bloomberg Business, states that Times New Roman, a very popular resume font choice, is now old hat. “It’s telegraphing that you didn’t put any thought into the typeface that you selected,” Hoff said. “It’s like putting on sweatpants.” Not to mention that with it being so popular, the resume reviewer can feel overwhelmed by all of the Times New Roman. Kevin Cardell, an art director and letterer, says, “In a sea of resumes, it definitely suffocates.”

So, what should you use instead? Many business professionals suggest Helvetica. Hoff describes the font as “professional, lighthearted, honest” and “safe.” Maddie Crum of the Huffington Post agrees, citing Helvetica as “the top choice for a resume.”

However, some disagree. Joe Patrice, of AbovetheLaw.com, agreed with, and cited, an article by satire website, The Onion, which stated, “Nothing says ‘I’m currently unemployed’ like a painstakingly selected font.” He goes on to say that while some view Times New Roman as lazy, others view it as a safe option.

Is resume font choice really that important? The jury still seems to be out. However, it’s important to consider a few different things when deciding for yourself:

First, the point of a resume is to be read, so make sure that your resume font is easily scanned.
Second, think about the industry you are applying to. Are you a designer, or an artist? Maybe you should branch out a little bit. However, if you are a writer or a lawyer, you should probably stick to the classics.
Finally, don’t stress too much. Your Times New Roman resume is not going to deter employers if you have excellent credentials. The content of your resume is far more important to the employer than your typeface. Just don’t use Comic Sans.

Staff Book Review: The Wright Brothers

By: Darren Constantino | Pit & Quarry, Editor-in-Chief

The Wright Brothers
By David McCullough
This is a great story about how these two Ohio brothers invented flight, and, along with their sister, achieved worldwide fame. Their attention to detail allowed them to rise above all competitors (no pun intended).

Sports in the workplace: Using familiar analogies

By Grant Gannon | Associate Editor, Golfdom

In our youth, it seems most people are involved with sports in some capacity, but not everyone continues to pursue athletics growing up. Some people in the office who participated in sports but never got a shot at playing professionally might still enjoy using sports analogies while conducting business.

To try and stave off possible confusion in the work place, here are the definitions of some sports analogies and their origins.

“The ball’s in your court:”

A saying that is used to signify the next action on something needs to be done by you or someone else or there will be a standstill.

Example: “I have approved that column and sent it over to Bob. The ball is in his court now.”

In tennis, when a player hits the ball over the net they put it into their opponent’s “court.” A player can only hit a ball that’s in their court.

“A homerun:”

This term would most like be used when something like a project, presentation or idea went very well in their mind.

Example: “I just completed my first interview for that job and it was a homerun. I think they really liked me.”

It originates from baseball/softball when a player hits the ball and they touch all four bases, including home plate, to score a run.

“Full-court press:”

If a team or business is trying to complete a project or goal that requires the attention and effort of a lot of people, someone might use this expression.

Example: “Ask everyone if they can stay late tonight. We are going to have to use a full-court press to complete this presentation by tomorrow.”

This is an aggressive strategy from basketball that makes it difficult for the opposing team to move the ball up the court and involves effort from the entire team.

“Drop the ball:”

When an individual or team makes a mistake.

Example: “Did you notice the typo on that page? He really dropped the ball on that one.”

Used in sports that require carrying or catching a ball, most commonly football in the U.S., where dropping or “fumbling” the ball is an error by the ball carrier.

“Par for the course:”

When an event or meeting goes as expected. It’s an alternate way to say something is “status quo.”

Example: “I couldn’t find anything in the supply closet because the room is a mess, but that’s par for the course around here.”

In golf, to attain the average score the player must total par for the course and the goal is to finish under par or better than average.

“Down to the wire:”

An expression that is used to express that something’s outcome is not decided until the very last minute.

Example: “We were down to the wire on that deadline, but we sent in the document just in time.”

This is a horse racing term that was used when the competition would be decided at the very end. The “wire” comes from the wire that stretches across the racetrack at the finishline.