Trying Is Overrated: Doing Is All That Matters!

Bazaar magazine published my article about "trying". It was inspired by GUST students my first semester at the university. You can read the article at Bazaar online.

Good For Mohammad Al Saleh: He's The First Student To Invite Me To His Blog!

My email says: You have been invited to contribute to Kuwait Cars
The invitation was sent by MCM 201 student, Mohammad N H M Al Saleh. I am impressed! He's the first student to set up his blog and send me an invitation to contribute . . . impressed because this is a guy who, between tanning and the gym, and taking care of family members, doesn't have any extra time. How he manages to fit in school work, I don't know! But I'm very pleased to see that he's working on his Final Assessment and that I've been invited to his new Blogger site.



Obviously Mohammad has completed Part I 3.5 . . . have you?

The Best Question EVER!

I am proud to tell you that Sager asked the best question ever when he asked Mark, "Do you want that iPhone?"

There were many good questions today (thank you to the students who asked the questions and who participated in Mark's presentation) . . . but Sager's question captured the essence of a journalism or mass media student. It shows you're paying attention, it shows you're thinking, and it shows you are "hungry." Employers like to see those qualities. They want to see that you know what you want and you're willing to ask for it.

I'm bringing this to your attention because stepping out, or stepping up, and asking a question like that (you can't be timid and ask that kind of question) is exactly how people can get ahead. Or how they get unexpected news. Or a surprise. Or a gift.

Imagine if Mark had said, "No, and here it is; it's yours just for asking." I've seen that happen. In fact, I've given away products from the stage in very similar scenarios. I explained that a book "unlocked" secrets to "marketing" and when an audience member said, "Can I have that book?" I couldn't resist rewarding him just for asking, and I gave it to him.

Similarly, asking questions like that -- bold questions -- is how you get people to tell you information that they weren't planning to share with you or anyone else. A bold question will catch them off guard. No one expects someone to ask, "Can I have that?" or "Will you tell me the secret?" -- which is what a bold question does.

So good for you, Sager! Stepping up, stepping out, and being bold will help you get a job (and other good things in life).

Planning: It's An Important Part Of Your Job As A Student. Especially As We Near Finals!

"Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you'll be surprised how successful you can be."
-- Paul "Bear" Bryant, American Football Coach

"You should plan and work for your life aas if you're going to live forever, and you should plan and work for the Hereafter as if you're going to die tomorrow."
-- Famous Arab Message

"Always plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."
-- (Boston Cardinal) Richard Cushing

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
-- Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the USA

Join This Product Launch Focus Group & Work With A Pro! Hurry, Registration Is Limited!

Explore the various facets of a Product Launch with Kuwait's #1 online marketer! This opportunity is limited to the first 35 students who register. Don't delay -- register now if you are interested.

Discover what happens behind the scenes of a Product Launch and enter a competition exclusively for marketing and communications students enrolled in my courses!

Khalid Al Zanki, who most of you met last week when he visited our classrooms at GUST, invites you to join his Focus Group, which is part of his Product Launch Workshop, to be conducted at GUST. When you join (it's free), you will interact with Khalid on a product launch -- this is your opportunity to find out how to build a product launch, online and offline, at the hands of a pro!

Register now. Click on this link and get involved. You must register by the deadline of 23 March.

Only students enrolled in my Basic Marketing, Online PR & Advertising, and Intro to Mass Media courses are invited to participate in this project.

What an exciting opportunity for you!

Two Sites That Will Help You Collect Data About Commercial Blogs

You'll find information about the performance of web sites, blog sites, bloggers and more at these two sites: Alexa.com and Klout.com. Use these sites as you evaluate the commercial blogs for your Midterm Assessment.

Guest Speaker In Your GUST Classroom: Halah Al-Gharabally, 20 March

Halah Al-Gharabally

Web Editor

Al Watan Daily

Halah Al-Gharabally, Web Editor, Al Watan Daily, will speak to MCM 201 students on Sunday 20 March.


A graduate of Kuwait English School, Halah then studied at Kuwait University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English Literature in 2006. Jobs in English LIt are generally limited (unless you plan to teach), and Halah found work in a variety of positions prior to landing at  Al Watan Daily. 


She explains, "I began my career as office manager at an architecture firm, where I built the company's web site. . . . Following that, I worked at the Australian College of Kuwait's Engineering Department as senior administration officer," where the most relevant part of her job was overseeing the literature that was circulated to staff and students. 


In December 2010, Halah got her media break! "I started working for Al Watan Daily and am fortunate enough to pursue my passions for all things Internet. I handle the newspaper's online presence, which includes the paper's blog, Twitter, and Facebook."


Many print media have yet to hire an employee devoted to online marketing, but Al Watan Daily recognized the need for this position and chose Halah for the job. She'll help MCM 201 students better understand the work of a Web Editor, and discover more about opportunities for online marketers. Prior to her visit, be sure to see Al Watan Daily on Twitter and read the Al Watan Daily blog.  By the way, when you get to the blog I suggest you read the March 8 article about The Art of Persuasion!