Any day now, you’ll be able to let your Facebook friends and Twitter followers know where you are when you post status updates.

Daniel Ionescu’s article in PC World says Facebook will start adding friend location starting next month, though it’s uncertain exactly how this will work. Twitter turned on its feature briefly this week and then turned it off. On the main stream, Twitter will show maps overlaying individual tweets, together with place names and your location. On both sites, the geo-location features will be optional.

Ionescu offers three reasons for using them:

• To get social recommendation from real people
• To find relevant local news
• To find friends and cool people around you

His three reasons for not using them:

• Criminals are reading Facebook and Twitter status updates, too. I wrote about how unsuspecting Twitterers are showing up on sites like PleaseRobMe.com
  
• Even more advertising in your face
• The lack of control over who actually sees your location.

If you’re planning to use the geo-location features, let’s hear why. If not, why not? Share details of how you’ll use these features in a PR campaign. Comment here.

Boring bios are more potent than sleeping pills.

Yet you read them all the time in people’s online press rooms, in their books, and even on the mini-profiles they write on their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Sometimes job-hunters include a useless paragraph of incredibly dull information on their resumes.

Publicity expert Nancy Juetten hates boring bios, too. The arrogant ones really get under her skin. They include sentences like this:

“Complimenting her extraordinary capacities as a prodigy composer of collaborative entrepreneurial masterworks is her former multi-disciplinary career as an entrepreneur and corporate executive, encompassing 34 years of exemplary achievement in well over twelve industries, including…”

She wrote about those kinds of bios at her blog, and  just created the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide ($49), which should be must-reading for every author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, consultant and expert who needs to rewrite a bio or make over their current one, and for every job-hunter who really wants to stand out from the crowd.

It includes handy templates, examples of great bios, and work sheets that will help you inject life, fun and even humor into even the most boring bio. 

Nancy is running a special promotion that ended on Sunday. But she said that anyone who writes  “Joan Stewart” in the comments section of their online order form throughout the month of March 2010 can get an anniversary bonus gift, her Publicity Express Digital Workshop which is a package of audio files and other goodies. The bonus applies to the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide and her DIY Publicity Success System.  Order here.

Here’s Nancy’s own bio:

Nancy Juetten (rhymes with “button”) is a passionate and engaging publicity trainer who shows business owners across America how to get seen, heard, and celebrated in their own backyards … and beyond.  She created the NEW Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide to help job and publicity seekers wake up decision makers and open doors fast.  Her essential advice: “It’s your story.  Tell it well.”

Lots of people don’t think twice before advertising where they are, or where they’re going, on Twitter or Facebook.

“Dinner’s only half made, but I’m rushing to pick up my kid from soccer.”

“Leaving home and heading to a client meeting at Pete’s Bistro.”

“Outa here for a weekend on the ski slopes.”

If that describes you, and you also use the FourSquare app on your phone, don’t be surprised if your smiling face and your next tweet show up on PleaseRobMe.com, a site that mocks people who broadcast to the world when they’re leaving home and where they’re going.  

Here’s how it works. People download the FourSquare app to their phone and create a profile. You can invite friends from your Gmail, Facebook or Twitter accounts. You then use FourSquare to ”check-in.” When you tell people where you are, FourSquare tells your friends where they can find you and recommends places to go and things to do nearby.

The problem occurs when you tell FourSquare to automatically broadcast your whereabouts to your Twitter and Facebook followers. As soon as somebody checks in, their tweet or message shows up on a scrolling list on PleaseRobMe.com’s home page. Dozens of new messages appear each minute.

Thieves can use the information on PleaseRobMe.com several ways. They can set up a filter and search by username or city. Both Twitter and FourSquare note when you have marked your location. That gives thieves an idea of about how long you’ll be away from home.

“The danger is publicly telling people where you are,” says PleaseRobMe. ”This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home.  So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the internet we’re not home.”

Social Media Rx, the social media assessment I created with my business partner, Jeanne Hurlbert, through our company, MySocialMediaSolution.com, warns people about sharing information about when their homes are unoccupied. The assessment is a series of multiple-choice questions designed to test the user’s knowledge of social media. The report it generates gives each user a customized formula that guides them on what to discuss at social media sites. And it offers hundreds of other helpful suggestions about social media protocol, tips and tools, including advice about safety.

Here’s what our report says about advertising when you’re going on vacation:

Sites like Twitter, where some people bare all, could be a criminal’s best friend. Some people love sharing details of their vacations and other out-of-town trips with their social media friends. But not us. We think it’s smart to never let people know when we’re leaving a house or office that will be unoccupied.

What about you? Do you use FourSquare with Twitter or Facebook, and if so, do you restrict the types of messages you broadcast to the world?

What about PleaseRobMe.com?  Do you think the site is a public service because it underscores the safety problem? Or does it give burglars one more tool? Do you think most of the people who show up on that site have any idea that they’re there?

Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli, of Rochester, New York writes:

“I just launched the Global Network of Expressive Arts Facilitators and need to get the word out about it and attract new members on an international scale.

“It’s a membership-based organization for facilitators, all non-therapists, who use the creative process (painting, drumming, singing, journal writing, collage-making) with their clients with the intent of self-discovery, clarity, enjoyment and healing.

“Our mission is to build community for these heart and soul-centered facilitators and also to publicize our members and what they do via listing them on the online directory, by highlighting them in the Member of Week, a BlogTalkRadio show, and opportunity to submit their articles on videos to the website.

“We have Twitter and Facebook pages and a blog. I’d love to hear other ideas of getting the word out to this global niche market. Also, how do we go about finding speaking engagements to talk about the network?”

Jenni Bowring-McDonough of St. Paul, MN, writes:

“My husband, Tim McDonough, is a graphic artist who is now producing book trailers at Standard Book Videos.

“Because I work in publishing, I introduced him to our president who hired Tim to design several trailers (book videos) for us. That’s terrific, but Tim needs more exposure to attract more clients. He advertised in the event catalog for a regional publishers conference and he will be running an ad in ForeWord Magazine’s national online newsletter later this month. 

“We have reached out to other local publishers to introduce Tim’s business. He’s on Twitter, and we will be building a Facebook page soon. We have also reached out to other contacts via the local Book Publishers Association, but thus far, to no avail.

“I even pitched Tim’s story of reinventing himself after 20 years in broadcast news to several weeklies and dailies, but no one bit on the idea.  We have also begun branching out into web videos and hope to expand into promotional/sales web videos for small businesses. Thanks for any and all advice!”

If you had to choose one or the other, which would you choose: a blog or press releases?

Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, says a blog is more powerful. Her comments appear during a Q&A interview in the Febuary issue of  PR Week.  

The magazine asked if PR pros were reaching out to offer rebuttals to opinions at her website, “or are they not reaching out as much?” Her response:

“We absolutely get a lot of response from PR pros. I think a lot of them are recognizing that it is more effective now to blog about something, to have the principals blog about something, rather than send press releases. The world of the press release is dramatically changing.” 

I agree. Here’s why:

• Blogs do a far better job establishing you as an expert in your field.
   
• They give readers a chance to comment, and you can continue the conversation by replying to their comments.
    
•  Blogs generally get better search engine ranking than press releases.
  |
• Other bloggers who like your posts, or not, will be more inclined to link to them and comment on them instead of linking to and commenting on your press releases. That’s because blogs are usually more visible than press releases, which are often buried inside a company’s online press room.
     
• Blogs are the new website.  Many companies no longer have to pay several thousand dollars or more for a website.  You can even run an Internet marketing business from a free WordPress blog, using a good shopping cart like KickStart Cart.  (Download the free ebook on how to pick a shopping art system that saves you money.  I’m an affiliate.)      

Blogging expert Patsi Krakoff, my guest expert during the teleseminar on Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging, said blogs have also saved many businesses money on search engine optimization. By using keywords in press release headlines and text, your blog posts can pull in free traffic.

That doesn’t mean you should abandon press releases, however.

And unlike blog posts, press releases are generally written in a format that makes it easy for journalists to simply cut and paste.

Many bloggers and journalists, particularly those covering topic-specific beats, subscribe to press releases via RSS feeds or press release distribution services like Expertclick and PRWeb. You can distribute your releases using those services, and then link to the releases from a blog post and your online press room. That’’s what I do.  You can also post releases to your Facebook Fan Page. (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.)  

Are you blogging yet? Check out Patsi’s five blog “must haves.” It’s the second item in this week’s issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week. You can subscribe to the free ezine in the sign-up box just below my photo on the right side of this page.

If you struggle with press releases, sign up for my free tutorial that includes press release tips galore.  It’s a 12-week course packed with information on how to write and distribute online press releases.

Weigh in with your opinion. Which is more powerful? Press releasesd or blogs? How do you use them together?

Struggling to find a good story idea to pitch to the business reporter at your daily newspaper?

Wondering how to use your Facebook Fan page to promote your product or service?

Trying to catch the attention of the editors at Oprah’s magazine?

Help is on the way. Actually, it’s called “Help This Hound,” and it’s one of the most popular features in my weekly ezine, The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, delivered every Tuesday.

      
Here’s how it works

Anyone who needs help with publicity or marketing can email a question to me, along with their name and town. If I use your question, I’ll post it here at my blog, and then print the question in my ezine.

Readers who are willing to help can offer their best ideas as blog comments.  I choose the best ideas and print them in the following week’s newsletter. Authors, small business owners, PR people, publicists and nonprofits submit the most questions.

  
Here’s why “Help This Hound” is so popular

• Most of us are too close to our own businesses to be able to see clever angles or unusual hooks that can catch a journalist’s attention.
    
• Many Publicity Hounds are on razor-thin or non-existent publicity and marketing budgets. They appreciate the free ideas.
     
• The blog posts live forever. That means that as the search engines pull in traffic, ideas will be accumulating here over several months or years. If I use your question, check back every few weeks to see who else has commented.
     
• Even though I created this service to help you solve a problem, your question exposes you to my audience. Several people who have submitted questions over the years have gotten calls from journalists and bloggers who read about them in my newsletter. Others have even received additional business.

No anonymous questions, please. Be sure to offer enough information in your question so that my readers fully understand the problem. Explain what you’ve done that has or hasn’t worked. And include a link to your website. If appropriate, attach a photo of your product.

Right now, I’m short on questions, and I could really use yours. But don’t just email it to me. Help other Hounds by contibuting your best ideas when you see a question in my newsletter that you can answer.

  
How to subscribe

If you don’t subscribe to my newsletter, you can do so by typing your name and email address into the box on the right side of this screen, under my photo. Then check your email box (or spam folder) and click on the confirmation link.  

By the way, have you downloaded the five free publicity ebooks that include the best publicity tips from my ezine in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009? They’re chock full of ideas, and there’s something there for everyone. 

As you’ll notice in the ebooks, many of the best publicity tips, success stories, and dog jokes and videos come directly from my readers, with attribution. 

I’d love to see yours.  Bring ‘em on!

If your organization publishes a membership directory, allow members to include URLs for social media sites like Facebook Fan pages, Twitter profiles, YouTube channels and LinkedIn profiles, not just URLs for their websites.

That would be a nice value-added feature for chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, health care associations, school groups, etc. and it would distinguish your group’s benefits from those of your competitors.

I just received a copy of the 2010 Business Directory for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. While glancing through the members’ section, I noticed that all the companies, even mine, have only the URLs for their websites.

Can’t afford to let every member include social media URLs because of high printing costs? Then charge a small additional fee. 

Does your organization include these URLs in its membership directories? If not, why not? What other information do you include that members find valuable?

Linda Alexander of Pitman, NJ, writes:

“I work for an association management and publishing company, and we have just published the book Mentoring the Stars: A Program for Volunteer Board Leaders. 

“The book is designed to help new board members on association boards understand their new roles and learn the skills and competencies they need to be a successful board member.  Leadership, decision making, teamwork, strategic planning, effective meetings and mentoring are just some of the topics covered.

“Mentoring the Stars is a great resource for association board members in any industry—nursing, hospitals and health care, education, banking, real estate, human resources, plus church groups, community organizations and more.  While it’s great to be applicable to anyone, it’s also hard to promote to everyone!

“The book is available on our website and on Amazon. We have done some traditional PR and will be trying some targeted advertising on Facebook, Google and Yahoo.  Can your readers offer any suggestions for ways to promote Mentoring the Stars to members of association boards?”

Have you claimed your copy of “The Best of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week of 2009″ yet?

It not, grab it here. You’ll find the 26 tips that generated the most response from readers of my ezine last year. 

I give away this ebook each year, and my readers eagerly look forward to it. Many of them regift the book to their own friends and followers. And the big attaction is that anyone can access the ebook. You don’t have to opt in with your name and email address. 

What will you learn in this book? Plenty.

For example, I explain how to create your own day, week or month of the year. You’ll learn about lots of tricks and tools for participating at the social media sites. Read about 10 dead or dying PR tactics. 

And for Publicity Hounds who are looking to connect with journalists, I’ve given you several resources.  The book will help you, regardless of what business or nonprofit you’re in. 

Use the ebook one of these 12 ways:

1. Create a Facebook note, and excerpt the entire tip. Use the photo along with the text, and you’ve got a nice little item that your followers and fans will love. Christine Buffaloe discussed Facebook notes when she was my guest during a teleseminar on “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.” 
        
2. No time for a Note? Write about it and share the link (http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips) in a Facebook status update.
       
3. Write about it in a LinkedIn status update.
        
4. Blog about the book, and include your own success story that ties into one of the tips. 
        
5. Offer the ebook as a bonus along with other products and services you’re selling.
       
6. Give it to your clients and customers.
       
7. Mention it at your weekly staff meetings.
       
8. Add it to the Free Articles page at your website.
       
9. Give it away to the winner of a contest you’re sponsoring.  
         
10. Offer the ebook as a freebie to help you capture names and email addresses at your website. 
       
11. Create a video that discusses the ebook and upload it to your website or to YouTube, then share that with your social media friends and followers.
       
12. Include the link  (http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips) in a book you’re writing, or in handouts you’re using for a speaking engagement.

What about you? Have you thought of any other clever ways to use the ebook? If so, share them here. I’d love to hear them.