San Diego Comic Con is Coming Fast - by Mark Schulze

When you are at the San Diego Comic Con, try not to blink because then you will miss something.

Photographs by Patty Mooney

San Diego Comic Con One Month Away - by Mark Schulze

A view inside the San Diego Convention Center with San Diego Comic Con signage and a few furry characters.

Photographs by Patty Mooney

San Diego Comic Con Is Getting Closer - by Mark Schulze

You run into a lot of wild costumed characters at the San Diego Comic Con. These photographs were shot by Patty Mooney, our esteemed Audio Technician and Producer. We are all gearing up for this year's Comic Con, we have our passes, and we are ready to roll. By the way, for anybody who was not early enough to grab the worm, this show has been sold out for a few weeks now. Amazing, isn't it?

Effective Blogging - Conversational Writing - By Ted Demopoulos

Bloggers need to write in a conversational tone in order to be effective. They must write as though speaking to a friend. Marketese and business speak do not work in blogs. "If you ever went to business school ignore everything you learned about writing while there," is very popular advice that lots of people give and not far off the mark.

If you have trouble writing conversationally, try saying your thoughts out loud as if speaking to someone before writing them down. As silly as it may sound, some people find holding a telephone to their head helps.

One gentleman I mentored had such trouble initially, even though he is a great writer. He is a better writer than I am or will ever be, but he had such enormous trouble writing conversationally initially. He would speak into his phone to a secretary's voice mail and she'd then transcribe his words into a draft message which he would then take a quick look at, make sure she'd transcribed it right, perhaps make some minor changes and publish. In fact we found that if he didn't take just a quick look, he'd sometimes edit it back to business speak.

Most people don't have this much trouble writing conversationally, although many new bloggers find it difficult at first. Conversational writing is simply much different than the traditional business communications you may be familiar with, but most new bloggers quickly get the hang of it as it's not difficult at all. For example, after a couple of weeks this gentleman was writing conversationally and very effectively. A good way to see a lot of conversational writing is just to read some blogs because blogs of course, the popular ones, the well done ones, are all full of conversational writing.

Effective blogging requires a writing style closer to speaking to a good friend than the business writing you may be familiar with. It is fairly easy to learn although it may seem difficult to learn. Once you master the basics of conversational writing, you will find you can write faster and easier than ever before!

And for over 100 more tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab your free copy of my ebook Secrets of Successful Blogging at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com/
By Ted Demopoulos, author of "Blogging for Business" and "What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Demopoulos

Cartoon: "Speed Bump" by Dave Coverly

Kim Kardashian and Carmen Elektra at San Diego Comic Con 2008 - by Mark Schulze

One highlight for Patty Mooney (my wife and partner who plays Sound Technician and/or Producer on our video shoots) was an interview with Kim Kardashian and Carmen Elektra. Kim and I learned that we have one thing in common; she's Armenian and I am half Armenian. They spoke about their movie, "Scary Movie 4."

San Diego Comic Con is Getting Closer - by Mark Schulze

Here are a few shots taken by my partner, who plays Sound Technician at times, and at other times plays Producer - Patty Mooney. These are glimpses outside the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego Comic Con 2008. We dig the traffic dude's Elvis do.

San Diego Comic Con is Coming - by Mark Schulze

By now I think you know that I am a Director of Photography and Videographer, and that I have covered the San Diego Comic Con for my broadcast clients for over a decade. Right now I am presenting this modest pictorial of photographs taken in and around the San Diego Comic Con by my partner, Patty Mooney, who is a sound technician and producer. As I mentioned before, not everything "Comic Con" is confined to the convention floor. There is a festival of happenings outside on the street. Anyone with a camera can have a total field day with the eye candy displayed during this convention, even if they never make it inside the big glass doors. And most people you encounter ABSOLUTELY LOVE having their photo taken.

Photographs by Patty Mooney

San Diego Comic Con is Coming - by Mark Schulze

When it comes to San Diego Comic Con, which has been going strong for the last 39 years - this year will be its 40th anniversary - there is as much happening outside the San Diego Convention Center as inside. Everybody and everything are all dressed up in fantastical costumery. Many Comic Con devotees spend the entire year gearing up for this wondrous weekend. Some embellish their get-ups for years. It's truly an honor and a privilege to be onsite during this convention; there's nothing else like it anywhere.

Photos by Patty Mooney

Outstanding Emerging Business of the Year Finalist - Story by Patty Mooney

It is a testimony that you are doing your job as a publicist and marketing person when from time to time your company receives recognition from your local business community. Today I would like to announce that the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce has recognized our company, Crystal Pyramid, Inc. as an award finalist in the category of "Outstanding Emerging Business of the Year Micro Business" at its 2009 San Diego Small Business Awards Luncheon.

I've been nominating our company for many years and finally it is nice to receive this honor. It just goes to show you that if you keep on plugging along, thinking positive thoughts and believing in yourself and in what your company has to offer, then one day your efforts will pay off. This is a truth that can be applied to anything you would like to achieve in life. First, eliminate the word "can't" from your vocabulary. Once you realize that anything is possible, and that you "can" do whatever you set your mind to do, the successes are there for the reaping.

I suggest attending your local Business Chamber as a guest (usually this first time is free so you can meet the people with the chamber, and get a feel for their networking style.) Then if you decide that you like it, give it at least a year as a member, and work it. Collect business cards, add them to your database, establish relationships with others in the business world of your community. Just getting out there and mingling with other business people tells the Universe that you are serious about making your business grow.

A San Diego Chamber of Commerce networking event recently took place at The House of Blues in downtown San Diego

Hugh Jackman Rocks San Diego Comic Con - by Mark Schulze

One of the moments that stands out for me at last year's San Diego Comic Con occurred right after a panel featuring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis from "Max Payne." Who sauntered into the hall but Wolverine himself, in his civilian clothes. The audience, and particularly the women, screamed and cheered, until he settled them down enough to announce that he had just gotten off a plane from Australia and that nothing could have kept him from coming to Comic Con to thank his fans. He said, "Without you, I wouldn't have a career. Without you, there would be no Wolverine." Again the hall broke out into screams and cheers. He strode across the stage a couple of times, and then he was gone, just like that.

"The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans Wins Telly Award - Photo and Story by Patty Mooney

Right on the heels of winning a Gold Hermes Award, we are proud and excited to announce that we just received notice of winning a Telly in the 30th Annual Telly Awards.

Their congratulatory note states that "This is a tremendous honor. The Silver Telly Council, our judging and oversight body, is comprised of top industry professionals that are past winners... The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries annually from the finest ad agencies, production companies, TV stations, cable companies, interactive agencies and corporations in the world. It is a remarkable achievement to be selected for recognition."

This recognition means that "The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans" documentary has garnered the following awards: Telly Award, Gold Hermes Award, Gold Aurora Award, Platinum Ava Award, Accolade Award of Merit and the show recently premiered at the Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival to great aplomb.

"The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans" Garners Gold Hermes Award - Photo and Story by Patty Mooney

Last week we received notice in the mail that our documentary, "The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans," is the recipient of a 2009 Gold Hermes Award.

According to their letter, "Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media, and it recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals.

"Hermes creative Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media productin and freelance professionals. As part of its mission, AMCP fosters and supports the efforts of creative professionals who contribute their unique talents to public service and charitable organizations. Hermes entrants are not being charged to enter work they produced pro bono. Over the past two years, AMCP's Advisory Board gave out over $50,000 in grants to support the pro bono efforts of its members. That money was used for marketing mataerials for homeless shelters, orphanages, day camps, community theaters and art centers; and for programs for the elderly and disabled; childcare; and educational endeavors for the underprivileged."

Good on you, AMCP! On behalf of the homeless veterans who now haunt our urban jungles and who deserve the help of all Americans, thank you for this prestigious award. We appreciate it, and we will continue to work for a just, free and happy society in our role as business professionals.