AP: NY fracking held as Cuomo, RFK Jr. talk health

These 2013 file photos show New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, in Albany, N.Y. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Dallas, Texas. People familiar with Cuomo's thinking on fracking tell The Associated Press he was on the brink of approving the much-debated gas drilling method in February 2013 but held off after discussions with environmentalist and former brother-in-law, Kennedy. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

These 2013 file photos show New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, in Albany, N.Y. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Dallas, Texas. People familiar with Cuomo's thinking on fracking tell The Associated Press he was on the brink of approving the much-debated gas drilling method in February 2013 but held off after discussions with environmentalist and former brother-in-law, Kennedy. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo came as close as he ever has to approving fracking last month, laying out a limited drilling plan for as many as 40 gas wells before changing course to await the findings of a new study after discussions with environmentalist and former brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy Jr., several people familiar with his thinking told The Associated Press.

The turning point, which could delay a decision for up to a year or longer, came in a series of phone calls with Kennedy. The two discussed a new health study on the hydraulic fracturing drilling method that could be thorough enough to trump all others in a debate that has split New York for five years.

"I think the issue suddenly got simple for him," Kennedy told the AP, then went on to paraphrase Cuomo in their discussions: "'If it's causing health problems, I really don't want it in New York state. And if it's not causing health problems, we should figure out a way we can do it.'"

Kennedy and two other people close to Cuomo, who spoke to the AP only on condition of anonymity because Cuomo is carefully guarding his discussions on the issue, confirmed the outlines of the plan the governor was considering to allow 10 to 40 test wells in economically depressed southern New York towns that want drilling and the jobs it promises. The plan would allow the wells to operate under intense monitoring by the state to see if fracking should continue or expand.

They all said it was the closest Cuomo has come in his two years in office to making a decision on whether to green-light drilling.

The state has had a moratorium on the process since 2008 while other states in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation, such as Pennsylvania, have seen local economies boom as drilling rigs have sprouted up.

Cuomo continues to refuse to talk about his internal process and wouldn't comment for this story. He has been repeating the phrase he's used for two years, that "science, not politics" will rule.

Kennedy, brother of Cuomo's ex-wife, Kerry, described a governor who is intensely involved in the emotion-charged issue, which Cuomo privately likened to taking on the National Rifle Association over gun control laws. Kennedy said Cuomo reached out personally to many others as well in his evaluation.

Kennedy believes Cuomo held off in large part because of the prospect of a new $1 million study by the Geisinger Health System of Pennsylvania, billed by property owners seeking safe fracking and environmentalists as a "large-scale, scientifically rigorous assessment" of drilling in Pennsylvania.

The study will look at detailed health histories of hundreds of thousands of patients who live near wells and other facilities that are producing natural gas from the same Marcellus Shale formation that New York would tap.

Unlike most studies funded by advocates or opponents of hydrofracking, this study would be funded by the Sunbury, Pa.-based Degenstein Foundation, which is not seen as having an ideological bent.

"I think it will be pivotal," Kennedy said. Preliminary results are expected within the year, but there is no specific timetable and final results could be years off. Kennedy is opposed to fracking unless it can be proven to be safe for the environment and public. He said he's unsure what the Geisinger report will conclude.

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, a trade group, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Shortly after the conversations with Kennedy in early February, Cuomo's health commissioner, Dr. Nirav Shah, mentioned the Geisinger study among three health reviews still pending and which could enter into Cuomo's decision. Shah, a nationally respected public health figure, was an associate investigator at the Geisinger Center for Health Research before going to work for Cuomo.

Cuomo, a popular Democrat who supporters say may run for president in 2016, is getting criticism from both sides over his delayed decision and calls for more studies. Landowners and industry say they're missing out on an economic boom while environmentalists say the administration should have ordered a full health study and has been too opaque about the regulatory process.

Some pundits have questioned whether Cuomo was "becoming Hamlet on the Shale," echoing a reference to criticism of his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, who spent politically damaging months as "Hamlet on the Hudson" publicly debating whether to run for president. It's a characterization Kennedy rejects.

Many federal and state regulators say hydraulic fracturing, which injects a mix of water and chemicals thousands of feet underground to crack open shale and release natural gas, is safe when done properly and thousands of sites have few complaints of pollution. But environmental groups and some doctors say regulations still aren't stringent enough and the practice can pollute ground water. The Marcellus Shale lies under parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

"What's interesting is Andrew is trying to figure this out," Kennedy said. "It's interesting to see this ... that usually doesn't happen. (Most governors) take a poll, or they take industry money and just do it ... but I think this is the harder route."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-02-US-Gas-Drilling-Cuomo/id-4dea601d4fad47b986175e0a0ed76b3f

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First BB10 update addresses battery life, low-light photography, third-party app performance and more

BlackBerry 10 has been out in the wild for almost a month, and today early adopters will begin receiving the first update to the new platform: version 10.0.10.85. Battery performance has been addressed, and over 60 "optimizations" should help lengthen the time between charges. Other changes of note are the "improved performance" of third-party apps, and that the camera should now produce superior low-light snaps. In-browser video playback has also been tweaked, and importing online contacts should work better, as should call logging in the BlackBerry Hub. Finally, the new software is supposed to fix issues with Gmail calendars. BlackBerry says the 150MB OTA update is available on some carriers right now, and will roll out to everyone "over the coming weeks." Head to the source for the full changelog.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/01/first-bb10-update/

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Big spending cuts mark tea party success, and risk

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The pending $85 billion in federal spending cuts would seem like a tea partyer's dream. Why, then, are tea party activists and other conservatives so wary on the eve of the big reductions, which Congress and the White House seem unable or unwilling to stop?

It's because even ardent cost-cutters see the so-called "sequester" as a ham-handed and unpredictable way to reduce federal spending. While a few tea party activists are claiming all-out victory, others are keeping their distance, calling the across-the-board cuts the least-bad of several unpleasant options.

"I think it's a crazy idea," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a tea party favorite. "The only thing crazier than sequester is to walk away from the cuts that it guarantees."

Rubio's remarks reflect Republicans' nervousness about how the public might react to the domestic and military spending cuts scheduled to begin Friday.

But in many ways, the sequester marks the tea party movement's maturation into a virtually mainstream role in the Republican Party. Cutting the Pentagon's budget once was unthinkable for most Republican lawmakers. But now it is trumped by the drive to keep taxes down while reducing costs wherever possible.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans agreed to the sequester in 2011 only as a consequence so unpalatable that it would goad them into finding a deficit-reduction compromise. The compromise never materialized, however, and now the nation is about to swallow what lawmakers once called a "poison pill" of their own making.

Republicans fear a possible backlash against program cuts and furloughs of government workers and contractors, especially at military bases. They also worry that the cuts will have an economic domino effect, eliminating thousands of private-sector jobs and possibly pushing the nation back into recession.

If that happens, and if voters decide Republicans are chiefly to blame, then the tea party movement could further divide an already roiling GOP.

President Barack Obama and other Democrats say Republican intransigence on tax increases is the sequester's main cause. And public polls indicate Americans are more inclined to fault the GOP if things go badly, although some Republicans believe they can change that.

For now, the approaching cuts are testament to the power of anti-tax sentiment ? and, to a less proven degree, anti-spending sentiment ? in the Republican Party. The tea party movement is strongly associated with these sentiments. But it certainly can't take all the credit.

Long before the tea party's birth in 2009, anti-tax activists such as Grover Norquist were pushing the Republican Party to take inviolable stands against new taxes, even as the deficit soared and the federal tax burden approached historic lows.

Obama won re-election after calling for new taxes on the wealthy. He achieved some of them in January. But Republican lawmakers now say "no more," contributing to the sequester impasse.

The tea party has lost much of its exotic flavor that was punctuated by noisy rallies with costumed activists in 2009 and 2010. Its influence, however, appears larger now. "It has melted into the GOP base," said John J. Pitney, Jr., a former Republican staffer who teaches political science at Claremont McKenna College in California. "Anti-tax voters make up a large share of the vote in GOP primaries," he said, "so Republican lawmakers support tax increases at their peril."

But Republicans could face another kind of peril, Pitney said, if the sequester lasts for months and begins to erode "visible, popular programs."

Duke University political scientist David Rohde said the tea party has become "the populist conservative faction of the Republican Party." It drew well-deserved credit for fueling the Republicans' big congressional and gubernatorial wins in 2010, he said, even though some tea party-backed Senate nominees lost key races.

The movement's future, Rohde said, depends on whether tea party activism is seen as helping or hurting Republican candidates in 2014 and beyond. Fallout from the sequester could play a big role in those elections.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is typical of Republican lawmakers who grudgingly accept the sequester and worry that tea party ideals can go too far.

"I believe that the cuts in defense are ill-conceived and will do a lot of damage," said Graham, whose state includes several military installations. "Some of these tea party folks don't mind losing their bases; others will."

The tea party drive to reduce federal spending at almost every level is potent in GOP circles. Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, eyeing a Senate race that will draw several hard-right Republican rivals, says the sequester appears inevitable, but it will extract an economic and political price.

Referring to military bases in his Savannah-based district, Kingston said, "my people will take it on the chin." But in constituent feedback about the sequester, he said, "the overwhelming number of people are saying, "Let it happen." They want to see that we are serious about cutting spending."

Even some tea party leaders say the movement's take-no-prisoners approach has its costs.

"Our brand is tarnished, but that's what happens when you get beat up," said Sal Russo, a founder of the California-based Tea Party Express. "It's not the brand" that counts, he said, "it's the ideas."

In the long run, Russo said, the benefits of reducing deficit spending will overshadow any short-term hits to the economy this year. If that happens, he said, the tea party's status will rise in the Republican Party and the nation at large.

The movement "is quite alive and well," he said.

But some question the tea party's willingness to embrace domestic and military cuts that don't touch the greatest causes of deficit spending: the popular but costly "entitlement" programs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

"They're amputating the wrong limb," said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. If the tea party movement is to achieve its goal of undoing the government's borrowing habits, he said, it must prove it can blaze a political path to reductions in entitlement spending.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/big-spending-cuts-mark-tea-195151299.html

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Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it?

Henry Kissinger allegedly said of the Iran-Iraq war that raged so bloodily in the 1980s that "it's too bad they both can't lose."

Though that's far from the US position on the Syrian civil war, the tepid support the US has promised for elements of the Syrian opposition in the past couple of days bring Mr. Kissinger's comments to mind. The half-hearted backing will likely lead to an opposition that is harder to defeat, but still lacking the strengh to win the war.

After almost two years of fighting and 70,000 dead, Syria is as polarized a nation as could be imagined. There are strong sectarian overtones to the fighting, with the core of Bashar al-Assad's strength lying in the Alawite minority he hails from, and the oppositions strength lying in the Sunni community that is the country's majority. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group and political party, has taken up arms for the regime while some Lebanese Sunnis, including jihadis, have fought alongside the rebels.

The prospects of major sectarian reprisals if one or the other side wins decisively are high ? and allegations of sectarian butchery against both rebels and Mr. Assad's army have already been made with alarming frequency. Further afield, Assad's staunchest backer is Shiite Iran, while its old opponent for regional supremacy, Sunni Saudi Arabia, has been providing arms to the rebellion.

RECOMMENDED: Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do you know the difference? Take our quiz.

So this does not appear to be a situation where either side is in a mood for the compromises that would be required for a negotiated settlement.

But that appears to be what the US is hoping for by making the rebels stronger, but not too strong. Secretary of State John Kerry said today in Rome the US would supply "non-lethal" aid ? food, medicine, and possibly things like communications equipment ? directly to the Free Syrian Army and a further $60 million to the political wing of the uprising.

Earlier in the week, there were rumors that the US was considering providing military training to rebel units, but those failed to materialize today. On Feb. 25, citing "American and Western officials," The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia began directly arming rebels in December. The Times report said Saudi Arabia was purchasing large quantities of rifles, machine guns, mortars, and other infantry weapons from Croatia, and delivering them to rebels in Syria via Jordan. The Times asserts that the weapons went primarily to secular groups and side-stepped the jihadi militias like Jabhat al-Nusra, which was added to the US terrorist list last year.

Jordan and Saudi Arabia are two of the Arab militaries closest to the US, and relying as they do on US arms (and in the case of Jordan, US aid) it's safe to assume their activities have the tacit approval of the US.

All of this remains far short of the massive intervention by NATO and others in Libya in 2011, in which weapons and trainers flowed to Libyan militias fighting Muammar Qaddafi and NATO airpower paved the way for their march on Tripoli, the capital.

The light weapons and the aid from the US will certainly help the rebels. The blogger Brown Moses, who closely tracks the Syrian civil war, started reporting in mid-January on the growing numbers of weapons from the former Yugoslavia (which Croatia was a part of) turning up in videos from the Syrian battlefield. He's noticed Yugoslav-made rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, and grenade launchers.

By early February, James Miller of EAWorldView, another analyst who follows the war intensely, argued the new weapons were having an impact, writing:

Someone ? a current player? a new one? ? was giving a big boost in weapons to the insurgents.

Since then, the Free Syrian Army has succeeded with a series of surprise attacks, capturing several towns, border crossings, and roads. They then repeled tank convoys, airstrikes, infantry invasions, and even paratroopers...

The weapons are being brought in from outside Syria and put into the hands of Free Syrian Army units, rather than the Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra or other factions distrusted by the international coalition supporting the opposition.

Mr. Kerry told reporters after his meetings in Rome that ?I am very confident from what I heard in there from other foreign ministers that the totality of this effort is going to have an impact on the ability of the Syrian opposition to accomplish its goals.?

RECOMMENDED: Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do you know the difference? Take our quiz.

But not everyone was convinced.

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), complained at a joint press conference with Kerry of an "international decision to prevent arming Syrian rebels with quality arms" and said, "Plenty of people focus more on the length of a fighter's beard than on the scope of the regime's massacres."

That's a reference to the fear that jihadis, kissing cousins of Al Qaeda in Iraq that caused so many problems for the US occupation there, are a major component of the fight against Assad, and could come out on top after his eventual defeat. Those are people who, while they may be fighting Assad, the US decidedly does not want to see win.

It appears for now that the Obama team, with Kerry in the lead, is hoping to shift the balance of military power and fear in Syria sufficiently that Assad is convinced to make concessions and that some of his backers abandon him. While Iran, locked in its own nuclear standoff with the US and with few friends in the region beyond Assad's Syria, is unlikely to call off its support, Russia has also been a steadfast supporter of Assad, but has far less to lose if he goes down.

The AP reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled a possible shift away from support for Assad today, telling reporters at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande, "We should listen to the opinion of our partners on some of the aspects of that difficult problem." France has been a major proponent of removing Assad from power.

Will this war and its truly horrific casualty rate continue to grind on, making all Syrians inevitable losers? Or is the cautious approach of the US, and the Saudis, enough to nudge all this to a faster conclusion? Time will tell ? but it has been more than two years so far of false dawns.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/limited-us-aid-syria-rebels-hasten-end-war-212906064.html

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Continuing family tradition of making rag rugs | OurValley.org

NEW CASTLE ? When the Craig County Artisan Center opened in New Castle back in June, 2012, vendors were assigned numbers, to identify their craft items. No. 1 was assigned to Jeanie Drummond, who was the first vendor to set up shop in the center.

Since she?s had two major surgeries in the last few months, Jeanie has not been present in the center as often, but she has kept her display stocked with her usual variety of arts and crafts.

Jeanie Drummond hooks a rag rug, carrying out her family traditions at the Artisan Center. Photo by Ann Harrell

Jeanie?s sign identifies her space as The Shabby Corner, but it?s anything but that. The rack displaying her handmade rag rugs is the first thing you see as you approach her area. Making rag rugs is an old family tradition, taught to Jeanie by her grandmother. The rugs are colorful as well as durable.

The Shabby Corner also has crocheted hats, mittens, fingerless gloves, scarves, cowls (neck warmers), along with baby buntings and baby blankets. All of the crocheted work is made without the use of patterns. The patterns are in Jeanie?s mind. There are several tote bags on display, each one featuring a ?picture? drawn and painted by Jeanie. The multi-talented crafter also has some ?red-neck? greeting cards and gag gifts nestled among her more traditional items.

One of Jeanie?s hobbies is canning, especially jams and jellies made from her homegrown fruits. These spreads are also sold in the center and include peach (from her backyard trees), strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry. These are all made fresh each year. She has also made pepper jelly, tomato preserves, pumpkin butter, and watermelon preserves. Jeanie?s other hobbies include crafts, reading, and eating out. In the past, she wrote and directed plays and was active in the Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge.

Jeanie grew up on Potts Creek in Alleghany County and attended Alleghany High School. She and her husband, Bernie Arthur Drummond, have been married 45 years, and have lived in Oriskany off and on for 40 years. They have a son, Tommy (and wife, Teresa), and a daughter, Shannon Compton, plus a ?handful of grandchildren?.

Jeanie?s first job was working at the Halmode factory in New Castle. She next worked several years as a teacher?s assistant at New Castle High School. Then she worked as post master in numerous post offices in the area. After retirement, she had more time to devote to her craft work, and sold her crafts in numerous shops, including one that she opened in a renovated outbuilding at her home in Oriskany.

When the Artisan Center opened in New Castle, Jeanie says ?it was the best thing that ever happened for me, to become involved with something that I felt was very worthwhile in our area. So many talented people in the area. I want the Center to grow and be successful, to provide a venue for people to sell their arts and crafts.?

While Jeanie is recuperating from surgery, her Shabby Corner is still stocked with a varied selection of gift ideas. In anticipation of folks shopping for gifts, Jeanie says ?I have rag rug kits, various crocheted pot holders and coasters, I will have redneck wine glasses, some homemade jewelry, all my design, several gag gifts, and whatever else I can think up.?

Jeanie expects to soon be back in the center on a regular basis, and she invites everyone to stop in to visit with her and to see the many arts and crafts. If Jeanie is there, visitors can expect to hear her friendly greeting, ?Come on in and sit a spell.?

The Artisan Center is now open on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

?Ann Harrell, contributing writer

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Tags: Alleghany County, Alleghany High School, Artisan Center, Craft, Craig County Artisan Center and Farmers' Market, Jeanie Drummond, New Castle, Oriskany, peach preserves, Potts Creek, rag rugs

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2013 at 11:45 am and is filed under FEATURES, The New Castle Record. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://ourvalley.org/continuing-family-tradition-of-making-rag-rugs/

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Tanning Mom: CLEARED in Child Endangerment Case!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/tanning-mom-cleared-in-child-endangerment-case/

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How To Pitch & Win Conference Speaking Gigs: An Insider's Guide ...

Each month I get a number of cold-call inquiries, seeking advice and back-channel connections to help them get speaking gigs. I take each one seriously because in 2007 I recall seeking the very same sort of? input. Bill Hartzer, already an experienced online marketing conference speaker, told me to simply to pitch, that it?s a level playing field, there are no ?special ins,? just to keep trying. He was right. My experience over the years since then has almost always been that the best pitch wins. I pitched for about a year before getting my first opportunity.

We decided to follow our recent study of?women online marketing speakers?with immediately actionable advice, a road map, if you will, to support anyone interested in growing their speaking career. We reached out to experienced speakers who are at various stages of their careers, ranging from ?just had their first huge year? to ?been at it forever.? We also asked conference organizers to weigh in from their perspectives and provide conference pitch links. For the record, we reached out to an equal amount of men and women to participate. We hope you?ll find this a valuable resource. Certainly some of aimClear?s favorite speakers and conference organizers weigh in here. No matter what industry you?re in, there?s fantastic input here for budding speakers.?OK then, let?s meet our panel:

• Greg Jarboe, President and co-founder of SEO-PR
• Heather Lutze, Digital Marketing Expert & CEO at Findability Consulting & Speaking
• Marc Poirier, Co-Founder and CMO of Acquisio
• Matt Siltala, President and founder of Avalaunch Media
• Ian Lurie, CEO and founder of Portent, Inc.
• Lisa Grimm, Director of PR and Emerging Media at space150
• Michael King, Director of Inbound Marketing at iAcquire
• Amy Vernon, GM, Social Marketing, Internet Media Labs
• Will Scott, Search Influence
• Lisa Buyer, Social PR Evangelist, Editor of SocialPRChat and CEO of The Buyer Group.
• Aaron Friedman, SEO Manager at Spark Communications
• Erica McGillivray, Community Attach? at SEOmoz, Inc.
• Ric Dragon, CEO and co-founder of DragonSearch and author of Social Marketology
• Chris Sherman, Founding Editor, Search Engine Land
• Rand Fishkin, CEO, SEOmoz
• Anna Lee,?Conference Producer, SES Conference & Expo
• Andrew Goodman,??President, Page Zero Media

Without any further ado we?ll dive right into Q & A!

aimClear: Offer an idea or two to support aspiring speakers. If you are a speaker, talk about that. If you represent a conference, talk from that perspective. If you are both, speak from both, please .

Greg Jarboe: There are two successful strategies for becoming a speaker. First, get there firstest with the mostest. In other words, the industry is always changing. So, identify a hot new topic that hasn?t been addressed at previous conferences and pitch it ? along with yourself as a speaker. Second, hit ?em where they ain?t. In other words, there are hundreds of qualified speakers on mainstream topics like SEO, PPC, or social media marketing. So, focus on emerging specialties like Content Marketing, Video Advertising, or Mobile Marketing.

Heather Lutze: What?s essential as a professional speaker is to not get too comfortable in any given conference circuit or niche. When I started in the speaking space for Yahoo! Search Marketing, I thought that training PPC experts was all I ever wanted to do. However, as I increased my speaking and came out of the ?tech? space, I realized that my material had been way too tactical for individuals outside of SES, SMX, etc. So as I evolved as a speaker, I learned how to speak inside the tech space, to CEO Groups as well as Associations. I customized the voice and the message for each of these different events.? Being adaptable and listening hard to the feedback you get from your attendees is essential to your growth and income as a speaker.

Marc Poirier: I?ve found that when I speak about real life stories of advertisers dealing with challenges and trying new things, and provide before and after data on the results, and then explain why they failed or succeeded, the audience feedback is extremely positive. So if I were to give anyone advice on speaking at conferences, it would be to come share interesting case studies with the audience so they can learn through your successes and failures. Nobody wants to hear a sales pitch when they pay to attend a conference, they expect to walk away with some new learning they can apply on the job. Theoretical presentations can be very good as well, but there?s nothing like taking the theory and applying it in real life, and then sharing the outcome with the audience.

Matt Siltala: My first piece of advice would be to get over your insecurities this instant. ?You may wonder what you have to offer, you may think because you don?t know any NEW and AMAZING tricks or ideas, that you have no reason to pitch. Get over this right now. ?Rely on the success that you have had with clients, your industry, or your own stuff and dig deep into that knowledge base. ?I would also suggest going to as many conference sessions related to what you are wanting to speak on. ?You will learn quickly (at least I did) that the speakers are no more advanced, and in some cases much more basic, than where you are at. ?Gain confidence this way and don?t doubt yourself. ?Final piece of advice would be to start smaller if you continue to worry about the bigger name conferences. ?I remember speaking at smaller ?local? conferences before my first ?big national named ones? and that gave me some amazing confidence. ?By doing this, I learned how to present better, and build better presentations. ?I am very grateful for Janet Thaeler (@newspapergrl), who now works for Avalaunch Media, for pushing me to speak back in 2006. ?She saw something in me, and knew I had something to say and gave me that push I needed.

Ian Lurie:?About pitches? Don?t be afraid to have a personality. It makes speaking a lot more fun for you?and?your audience if your personality comes through. Even if it means fewer speaking opportunities in the near term, it?s worth it, because in the long run your speaking gigs will be more memorable, and you?ll enjoy it more. Don?t try to ?fit? a conference. Do give a pitch that?s relevant, clear and easily understood. Your job when you?re pitching isn?t to ?win? a pitch ? it?s to make it easy for a conference to decide if you?re someone who can add value to that specific event. That said, make sure you write a good pitch. I can?t imagine conference organizers want pitches with typos, bad grammar or random rambling.

About building your profile?Part of speaking is about having a profile that conference organizers think might attract attendees. So, blog! Do some screencasts or audio content. Put stuff out there that builds a portfolio. There are so many benefits to this. Use this as an opportunity find your voice and your audience. Too few people have an opinion. So have one. But don?t just scream and shout. When you write, speak, etc. back up your opinions with evidence. And don?t be a jerk.

About speaking?With a few exceptions, do?not re-use presentations. Don?t give the exact same presentation again and again. Whenever I see someone do that I want to weep. Our industry changes so fast ? how can you possibly give the same presentation 3 times over a year?! Spare us all?Don?t be afraid to re-cycle, though. You can use ideas and concepts you?ve used before. Just make ?em relevant?Over-prepare. I usually create my presentation, go through it once, hate it, and re-do it. The second version is what I typically present. Afterward, I always think ?Geez, I did way more than I needed to.? But when I go onstage I?m so comfortable with the material I can focus purely on how I present it. That means I can have more fun with it.

Lisa Grimm: Do good work. Build case studies. Create a platform to share them. I?ve always said, ?It?s all about who you know and how well you articulate what you know to who you know? that can make all the difference. I?m extremely passionate and driven about the intersection of technology and communication. You?ll know this about me if we have a?conversation, you read something I write or most importantly, through the results of my work. Passion, being extroverted and well-networked is beneficial, but nothing is more powerful than?doing good work?and the?results?your work generates. Solving a business (or other) problem, or attempting to, gives you a narrative from which you can build many things. Most notably, credibility, a reputation and case studies.

Case studies are my preferred speaking material because they establish your credibility immediately, give people a complete story from which actionable insights can be drawn and can fit or be supportive material for a?multitude?of topics. In my experience, case studies or proposals that have a strong case study component are attractive to conference organizers because they provide high value to the audience.

Having a strong network?and?social media presence?doesn?t hurt either. If you?re doing good work and?celebrating good work others are doing?in the same area, participate in those conversations on and offline. Publish your own content and connect with like-minded folks that may potentially be able to impact your career in positive ways. You never know who you?re talking to, so always be your best self. I can?t tell you how many times a casual interaction, where I?ve demonstrated knowledge about my work, has turned into a speaking?opportunity,?a quote in the newspaper about emerging media/tech or even a job?opportunity. ?When you do good work, word gets around and you may not even need to pitch a conference, they might call you. Those are always exciting emails, tweets and phone calls to receive.

Michael King: I approach conference talks like any other content I create. I want to create a memorable, compelling, entertaining, unique and useful experience. I don?t offer to speak about things I?m not passionate about or that I can?t offer a new idea to. I also won?t repeat a deck unless someone specifically asks for it. I would suggest that any speaker looking to get into the game focus on these things. Deliver talks that tell stories, include data, a strategy and tactics that people can take home and implement. Focus first on the quality of your content and then focus on the delivery of that content and conference-goers will love you. After all, this is more about the people that spend their money to come learn things, so give them something they couldn?t find out by just reading SEO blogs all day.

I don?t know if I believe that the best pitch always wins because as with anything there are a variety of factors outside of your control to affect whether or not you get picked. However, don?t get discouraged; if your pitch is that strong and it doesn?t get picked, just turn that content into a blog post or a webinar and post it on a site with a big audience. Eventually you will get noticed and people will pick you to speak. It also doesn?t hurt to buy the right people a drink.

Amy Vernon: It is something that definitely becomes easier with time ? both easier to pitch and easier to get the gigs. Persistence is key, and willingness to speak to a group, no matter the size. Some of my early speaking gigs were at Social Media Club meetings, library groups and classes. I prepared presentations when it made sense, and just kept trying. The more I pitched, the easier it became to pitch. But also don?t be afraid to make use of those personal connections. While I agree that all pitches can be equal, your pitch sometimes does have a better chance being seen by the right person if there?s some sort of personal connection. MAKE those connections yourself. When you go to a conference, take the time to speak with and get to know the folks who put it together. That won?t guarantee you getting a speaking slot, but it will ring a bell when they see your pitch. Again, that doesn?t mean you will get the speaking gig, but it also can?t hurt.

Will Scott Keep it brief. But not so brief you don?t get the point across. The reviewers and moderators don?t have the time to read an essay. Stick to the high-points. Make it actionable. Use case studies, real-world examples and client success stories to show you?re planning to bring real knowledge. Demonstrate you?ve got the chops. Use your bio to make it clear this ain?t your first rodeo. If it is, demonstrate like experience and knowledge to show you?re not going to fold under the pressure of a mic in your face.

Lisa Buyer: Coming from a speaker, my advice is to attend the conference you want to speak at first, then scope out the agenda and other speakers to see how you can fit in with your content and expertise. If you can?t attend the actual conference then research on YouTube the conference coverage, speaker interviews and blog post coverage to see what was successful and well received. Check out the last few years? agenda and speakers. Look for gaps that are missing that might be a fit or ways your expertise can reinforce and complement another speaker?s expertise. Lastly, make sure you submit early! So many times I hear about people wanting to submit to speak but wait until the last minute and spots are already filled. Publish tweets supporting and promoting the conference as well as other speakers.

Aaron Friedman: Speakers get picked because of how good their pitch is. I know the moderators are reviewing all the pitches that come in. But what else is important is to show and demonstrate that this is something you are good at, and passionate about. That could be from personal writing on your own, networking and taking advantage of every second at the conferences. Good conversation, and explaining an idea or a unique approach to something could sometimes be all you need to get your foot in the door (as long its coming from the right place). Study the people that are speaking. Learn from them. Review their slides and create decks of your own to tweak.

Erica McGillivray: Show off your work online and make sure you update it. As MozCon doesn?t accept pitches, I?m often scouring the internet for videos and slide decks from people?s past speaking experiences. Obviously, our team tries to see every speaker talk before we select them, but we can?t be everywhere. We also have times when we?re considering two people for a spot to talk about a topic and recent talks, decks, and blog posts often are what pushes one candidate over another. You?re awesome, and I want to know it.

When you do get accepted, use all your resources from peers to graphic designers to conference runners.

With MozCon and I know most other conferences, conference runners want to support you to put forth your best material. If you?re struggling or rolling brilliantly with a topic or have a question about anything, don?t be afraid to reach out. I want all MozCon?s speakers to give the greatest presentations they?ve ever given in their lives. I also want them to come in to speak confident in their talk, their deck, their stage presence, and their ability to deliver what the audience is looking for and how that message fits with other speakers.

My least favorite thing ? and something I see as a partial failure of my own as that support system ? is when speakers tweak decks seconds before they walk on stage or deliver last minute decks. Our industry may change quickly and dramatically; but usually, it doesn?t change that quickly or dramatically. I know I?ve had a lot of MozCon speakers nervous about presenting the same information as the speakers before them. I completely understand wanting to have that unique, completely memorable talk and the pressure to do better than the speakers that came before you. But part of the conference runner?s job is to set the tone for topics and make sure that overlaps are cohesive, not?repetitive, and that every speaker shines in their own way. Deck deadlines are for more than just keeping our a/v team happy. You?re going to be amazing.

Ric Dragon: When I read and heard Nancy Duarte talk about this activity of speaking, I underwent a radical change of view.?Duarte believes that in the best speaking, the presenter is setting out to help the audience go on their own hero?s journey ? and that a great talk is created to make change.

Wait, what if I?m giving a PowerPoint on Google Panda updates? With those types of talks, I?m just teaching, right?? But what if I take another viewpoint ? that I REALLY WANT MY AUDIENCE TO SUCCEED WITH THEIR SEO? It changes the story ? I?m compelled to find the bigger underlying story. I?m not saying it?s not a challenge at times, but at the end of the day, your speaking will be the better for it. I?m a big believer in the ?paying it forward? philosophy ? that in speaking, I?m sharing back to my community.? I?m certain that good things will come of it ? that I might even help my organization create more business ? but it?s not WHY I?m doing it.? I just take that on faith ? I?m a speaker because it?s my job to share knowledge.

Sometimes you hear someone complaining about a speaker ? that the speaker was being self-promotional.? The second someone feels that your purpose is self-serving, trust flies out the window. Without trust, why should your audience take your word for anything? We?re exposed to great speaking constantly, although it may not be in the form of someone standing in the front of the room. Watch comedians, preachers, and anyone else who is telling a story.

My favorite mode of speaking is without slides or decks ? what I call ?going naked.?? In order to tell a cohesive story, I usually write out my thinking, and piece together a visual structure for myself.? I then use what?s called the ?memory palace?? ? in which I construct a visual journey for myself with various objects that represent different parts of my talk.

People are hard-wired to hear stories. We love stories.? The great science writer Stephen J. Gould started each of his essays with a small story.? Before you realized that he had totally hooked you, you were nodding your head and learning all about some arcane subject like the evolution of snails in Borneo. But he probably got you there through a smaller albeit relevant story.? Once you start using stories to illustrate other topics, you start looking for those stories everywhere.? An interaction you had this morning with a sales clerk might become an intro to your keynote speech this evening.

It?s natural to get nervous.? Teachers and professors tend to become great speakers because they stand in front of groups every day, speaking, and after a while they must just feel that every group of people is just an extension of the classroom. Speak every chance you get ? the Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, small groups of employees ? practice being comfortable speaking.

Chris Sherman: My best advice for anyone wanting to speak at a conference is first, step back, get out of your own head, and put yourself in the position of the person or organization that?s responsible for selecting speakers. For SMX, that means first and foremost understanding our primary and most important goal: To offer outstanding value for the people who pay to attend SMX conferences ? full stop. We know speaking often leads to good opportunities for you, and we?re delighted if you gain business from speaking. But for every lead you garner you should also deliver excellent value for the other attendees that you may never see again. We want to know *specifically* how you propose to do that.

That means, first and foremost, we want you to cast aside everything you know about self-promotion and PR and tell us, precisely, directly, and without fluff, what you?re going to freely offer to the people who attend your session. The tips, or timesavers or motivation that they can take away and put to work to amplify their own successes. The hard-won lessons you learned that can save them from making mistakes. Anything ? as long as it?s on-target for the session and focused on mentoring our attendees, providing them with something valuable that might take hours to discover on their own but that you?re offering in a relatively short presentation. Last and hindmost, we want to hear about you. That?s not to say your bio and accomplishments aren?t important factors in our decision process ? they are. But if someone who we don?t know wows us with a pitch and a veteran speaker just tosses together a few links to blog posts or rambles on about their past, counting on their reputation to carry the day, we?ll likely go with the unknown.

Second ? realize that the industry has matured. It?s not uncommon for us to receive 30 or more requests to speak on a panel that has just two or fewer openings. We have to make hard ? sometimes very hard ? choices. So even if you meticulously follow our guidelines and submit a great pitch, simple math says that we can only accept a small percentage of people who want to speak. Want an edge? Read, and re-read our guidelines and the?description of the?session ?that you?re pitching for?so that you have a really deep understanding of what we?re trying to accomplish, to the point that we *can?t* say no. And remember, if we do say no, this doesn?t mean we hate you ? in most cases these days it just means that we have limited availability.

Which brings me to my third suggestion ? be persistent. If you aren?t selected for a particular show, try, try again. We pay attention, and should you throw a great pitch we?ll remember, and you?ve also improved your odds of being selected in the future. But please note, being persistent doesn?t mean being pesty ? with all of the email our session coordinators deal with it?s impossible to reply on an individual basis if we don?t select your pitch.

This final point should go without saying, but to emphasize the obvious: When you have been accepted,?and on the day of the show you?re stepping up to the podium to speak, try to knock the ball out of the park. Don?t use bits and pieces from previous presentations ? stand up and deliver a world-class, original, fresh presentation. If you do, it goes without saying that our attendees will love you ? and to circle back to my first point, we?ll notice, and love that too.

Andrew Goodman:?Everyone?s different. Either you are on your way to becoming one of the most recognizable experts in a field, or just the opposite? or somewhere in between. How do you gain that kind of expertise? Well, you need exposure to opportunities to gain it ? so that is chicken-egg, isn?t it? So people fake it until they make it. Look at Scott Stratten, the un-marketing guy. This guy is a sought-after author and keynote speaker mostly because he had something to say, but partly because he nominated himself. It?s like Seth Godin says. ?Pick yourself.? You don?t need to sit around waiting for a publisher to accept your ?outline,? and you don?t need top conferences to accept you. But you need to begin the process of creation. Great material doesn?t come out of a small volume of material. It comes from regular production of material of varying quality.

You just keep writing and speaking in any venue that will have you. Smaller events. Private sessions. Etc.

Before you hit the speaking circuit, that includes giving presentations to clients. It includes picking subject matter for an internal seminar for your company, to bring colleagues up to speed on what they need to know. Do you attend conferences? Do you actively ask questions or participate in workshops? ?Speaking? isn?t something you just turn on like a light switch.

Being a great speaker isn?t about a couple of rehearsals, IMO. It?s about immersing yourself in a way of life: communicating constantly. Oversharing, even.

When one of my colleagues decided to improve her work on the speaking circuit, she really worked at it. In her spare time, she even took a course on how to do standup comedy, as an exercise! Imagining this formerly conservative communicator, writing her own original material comparing something about riding the subway with a stripper pole? was too hilarious. In any case, it took the ?edge? off her delivery style and got her in the habit of relating to people, not just spitting out bullet points.

When I hopped over to the business world to try and make an honest living, I came out of an academic career, a junior academic accustomed to giving lectures and tutorials to undergraduates on heady subject matter I needed to come up to speed on quickly. You can?t possibly write out a whole lecture and deliver it multiple times a week all term if you?re new/busy. So you learn to master the material, speak extemporaneously from notes & structure? and you get better at remembering important illustrations. You become capable of walking over to the whiteboard or chalkboard or overhead (that?s what we had in the ?90?s, still) and illustrating a point. And you do that multiple times a week.

In our world, it?s pretty easy by comparison, right? You have to be knowledgeable enough about your subject matter, and comfortable enough communicating and persuading people of your take on that subject, that you could go at least 15 minutes if the laptop blew up and Powerpoint was outlawed by the Feds (something I have been lobbying for for years).

If you?re interested in getting your feet wet as a speaker but you don?t feel 100% comfortable? Get on a live clinic. Pitch a new type of clinic. Beg to be on a clinic. Clinics rock, because they ?flow,? like soccer. They don?t sit their waiting for your backswing, like golf. You?re unlikely to be nervous in a clinic setting? rather, engaged.

aimClear: Speak to what aspiring speakers need to know.

Greg Jarboe: Aspiring speakers need to know something that other speakers aren?t already talking about. If lots of speakers are talking about Google AdWords, then learn the secrets of Bing Ads. If other speakers are already talking about Facebook or Twitter, then learn the secrets of LinkedIn or Pinterest.

Heather Lutze:?Speakers need to have independent credibility (books, thought leadership, C-Level Titles, success stories). Speakers must know their stuff and stay ahead of technology BUT keep translating back to less informed audience. Speakers need have a book, creates huge credit and meeting planners look for authors who are speakers. Speakers need easy guided handouts that match their presentation with an Action Plan at the end.

Matt Siltala: You have to be up to date in your industry, and there is really no way around this fact. ?You also need some basic graphic design skills, and of course you need to be good with Powerpoint or Keynote. ?I would suggest going to Slideshare and finding presentations related to your industry, find the top presentations and see what makes them amazing. ?Also, if you pitch and you get denied, pay attention to what conference organizers tell you. ?They often give really amazing advice for doing better next time. ?Even season veterans get denied for speaking because they didn?t do a good job pitching ? remember that. ? Another piece of advice is to be active in your respective communities. ?In order to drive in lots of business for their conferences, they are looking for those big names that can help them in those efforts. ?Find the big community blogs that you can be a contributing member of too. ?For example, in my industry some of the big ones would be Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Watch. ? Blog often and let people know (i.e. conference organizers) what you do, and what you are good at. ?Create the kind of content that is going to make people remember you when it is time to assign those coveted speaking slots.

Lisa Buyer: Think outside your industry box and be one of the few instead one of the many. If you are an SEO or PPC expert, submit to speak at a PR conference instead of an online?marketing?conference.

Erica McGillivray: Keep trying. We may not invite you this year, but there?s always the future. If your goal is to speak at a conference, even one like MozCon that doesn?t accept pitches, do something amazing that puts you on the fronts of our minds. As marketers, we often forget to market?ourselves?as we spend all day promoting others. ? But part of speaking is making sure that others can find and get to know you too.

If you are doing outreach to a specific conference, make sure you?re getting in touch with the people who are making the decisions and are the ones doing the research. There?s nothing like personalized outreach showing you?ve done your homework about what the conference is looking for.

Chris Sherman: We post our speaker guidelines in the following locations: ? A Guide To Speaking At SMX Conferences, SMX Suggestion Form,?and ?SMX ? Speaking Pitch Form. It?s astonishing how many people don?t bother to read our guidelines and really understand what we?re looking for (after having read literally thousands of pitches we can easily tell). At one point I actually got so exasperated that I wrote guidelines for The Best (Worst) Practices For NOT Being Invited To Speak At,?highlighting some of the common mistakes people make that totally drive us nuts. You should also have a thoughtful look at Matt?s Unofficial Tips for Pitching to Speak at SMX. Though ?unofficial,? it?s packed with excellent guidance from Search Engine Land Editor-in-Chief Matt McGee, who offers first-hand tips from having made the transition from pitching to speak to being part of the team who chooses speakers for SMX.

Anna Lee:?If you want to speak at SES Conference & Expo, first things first, you need to submit. Once you fill out that submission form online, you are officially on our radar. But if you don?t submit?what can I say? Submitting is half the battle.

?When it comes to the selection process, the content team here reads every single submission and here are my personal tips:?I?m keen to add a speaker, even a first timer, who has a fresh, innovative idea for a new session (or even a cool different slant on an existing session) ? somebody who is going to bring something thought-provoking and new to the table, who?s going to get people?s brain wheels turning, who?s going to get the conversations buzzing. I also look for speakers who make it clear they are going to provide plenty of tactics and takeaways in their presentations. Our attendees already know what they have to do and why they need to do it ? they just need to know?how?to do it (or how to do it better). So if you have plenty of tools and strategies to provide, you?re in a good spot.

?And if you really, really want a speaking gig at SES, here?s a little secret that will make us look at your submission much more favorably: Laura (Roth) is a big Malbec fan while I?m a Champagne or Whisky girl myself ? just saying.

aimClear: Speakers- where can we find you speaking next? Conference reps ? where?s your next show?

Greg Jarboe:?Pitch yourself for upcoming SES events: SES Shanghai:?Mar 29, 2013,?SES Toronto:?Apr 12, 2013,?SES San Francisco:?Jul 12, 2013,?SES Chicago:?Sep 13, 2013

Heather Lutze:?I am currently speaking at CEO groups like Vistage International across the US. I am also speaking at association events and other various associations. My speaking calendar is live on my site Findability,?as this helps meeting planners know my schedule.

Matt Siltala : My next gig is at SMX West, talking about Advanced Keyword Research with Christine Churchill and aimClear?s very own Marty Weintraub. ?You wanna talk about an intimidating speaking gig ? speak on any panel with Marty! Marty is an amazing speaker and continues to electrify and blow people?s mind. ?With that said, he is the most awesome person to present with as well because he listens and respects what you have to say. He does not make you feel un-worthy to be presenting with him.

Lisa Buyer: You can catch up with me speaking about The ROI of Visual PR at PubCon New Orleans in spotlight session and look for my upcoming book ? The Little Book of SocialPRSecrets.

Chris Sherman:?We start work on any given show about four months before the event. If you want to know what?s open or coming up, keep an eye on the SMX Blog- we always announce the opening and closing of pitch forms for our shows there. We?re currently accepting pitches for our SMX London show?for a few more weeks, and will begin the process again for SMX Advanced the week after SMX West wraps up in mid-March.

Amy Vernon:?I will be speaking next at SMX West, March 12th, on the topic of Social Media Automation.

Additional Resources From Our Panel:?

Rand Fishkin: Here?s my presentation on Making Presentations Better .

Greg Jarobe:??I?m quoted in?Finding Your SEM Niche. I said, ?There is another strategy. Wee Willie Keeler: ?I keep my eyes clear and I hit ?em where they ain?t.? Part of finding your niche is finding what is not taken. Both Google and Yahoo have places on their site like Yahoo maps or Google local for mobile ? they are investing serious money ? so maybe that is a niche for you.?

Heather Lutze:?www.NSASpeaker.org?National Speakers Association has meant a six figure increase in my speaking career. I learned the difference between being a ?trainer? and being a ?speaker.?

Anna Lee:?Simon?Heseltine?recently wrote a?Guide To Speaking At Search & Social Conferences, published on?SearchEngineWatch.com

There you have it. Follow the advice and links in this post to get a serious leg up on competitors and come from a more holistic place.?Finally, many thanks to our 16 panelists for sharing such cool information. We hope to see you on the conference trail in 2013. Safe travels, everybody.

Post Image ? valdis torms ? Fotolia

Source: http://www.aimclearblog.com/2013/02/27/conference-speaker-advice/

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