Naomi Reiter

eMedia Vitals Offers Effective Solutions to Publishing Woes

Vital Business Media CEO Prescott Shibles wowed publishing execs at the American Business Media Annual Conference in May (his session was voted most valuable by attendees) and left them clamoring for more information about how to implement and monetize digital platforms. Thankfully, Vital's eMedia Vitals is swooping in to save the day with a superhero-sized version of the session in the form of an innovative B2B virtual workshop.

Sharing the Wealth

Most recently VP of Penton Media, Shibles has served as VP of New Media for Prism Business Media, Primedia Business, and Intertec Publishing. The e-marketing superstar decided to share the wealth of his knowledge last year with more than just Penton—much to Penton's chagrin, we're sure—and launch Vital. After all, the publishing world needs to get on the same page sooner rather than later if we're going to survive this digital revolution. The eMedia Vitals B2B Digital Revenue Workshop is the first step in Shibles' master plan to bring us all up to speed.

Hooray for Hudson City!

We all know that bad kids get all the attention, and good, reliable kids are often overlooked. The same seems to be true for financial institutions these days. While President Obama has put the kibosh on feckless big bank habits, not much attention is being paid to main street banks that have been conservative and responsible with their customers' money.

I recently wrote about my decision to drop the big bank with which I was doing business and give a little guy a chance. I was pleased at that time with a form letter I received from Hudson City Savings Bank the day after opening my account welcoming me as a customer and saying all the things I wanted to hear--essentially, that I could trust them.

A few days ago I received this from the good kid, and I'm sharing it to give props where props are due.

Social Media: Social Revolution

We in the media biz have been desperate to figure out how to monetize social media ever since Facebook started allowing externally-created applications, enticing more than just undergrads to waste time petting Fluff Friends and throwing virtual snowballs. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr: the Fab Four of virtual sharing. These are the first four thoroughbreds in the race to keep connected in an increasingly fragmented world. We use them to share our thoughts, snapshots and video clips of our lives, to remind ourselves that others are out there, interested in what we do with our days.

We share news about ourselves and our world, and pretend that the fact that we're eating a sandwich, or going to a ballgame is interesting to anyone else. The fact is, it is. We look at dozens of pictures of people we don't even know, because at the end of the day, we are a voyeuristic race of creatures. Who cares about the trainwreck that is Speidi on the cover of OK! when we can look at all 42 of Cindy-in-the-next-cube's weekend barbeque pics?

Method Man: "You Can Act!" Author Shares What Acting Is, Who He Taught

Method acting. I picture Shatner in deep contemplation wearing a polyester bodysuit. But many of the greats employed it, from Broadway to Hollywood, to tap into their shadows and create believable characters.

The process was introduced to America in the 30s by Sandford Meisner, who adapted it from Konstantin Stanislavsky's methods, and this version is still taught today by D.W. Brown, left, at The Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio.

Acting!

For most non-actors, it's hard to imagine how the process works—to pretend to be someone else. How do you begin the process of making someone an actor? What is it to be an actor?

Civilization of Beer President Named New York's First Beer Sommelier

Not just for frat boys and football, beer is coming into its own and being recognized as part of the fine culinary landscape by an increasingly savvy America. A steward in bridging the gap between wine studies and beer studies in the professional culinary community and returning beer to its proper place at the American table, The Civilization of Beer president Samuel Merritt will be named New York's first certified Cicerone™ beer sommelier tomorrow during a brief ceremony and open house for area beer importers, brewers, distributors and retailers.

The brainchild of former Brewers Association board member Ray Daniels—author of The Brewers Association's Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery and Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles—the program is the first of its kind to be based on objective, independent skills assessment, including tasting skill, knowledge of proper service and storage, and demonstrated expertise in beer culture—including its historic and cultural aspects.

Merritt's nationwide beer tasting events are legend in the craft beer community, and as a “Cicerone,” Merritt is designated a beer expert certified to guide consumers in high-quality experiences with craft beer.

“An educated beer seller is a better beer seller,” he says, which is a mantra of The Civilization of Beer. The company has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show and Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius XM, helped Chef Daniel Boulud launch his new East Village craft beer-focused DBGB Kitchen & Bar, as well as regularly contributing to CHOW.com's CHOW Tips video program.

Follow Civ of Beer on Twitter: @CivofBeer and ping Mr. Merritt at samuel@civilizationofbeer.com.

Main Street Bank Beats Behemoth

I changed banks this week. I won't go into the ugly details that are causing me to drop Wachovia, but I will say it's a shame that some big banks receiving government bailouts feel the need to manipulate their customers in order to make a buck (literally).

What I decided I really wanted in a bank were three tenets: value, loyalty, and trust in my financial institution. I wanted the bank president to shake my hand and look me in the eye and swear not to screw me over.

Dear Big Bank, It's Over

Well, I may be an idealist, but I'm also a realist. I researched the smaller, FDIC-insured, reputable banks in my area—the banks on my main street—and found Hudson City Savings Bank (HCBK:NASDAQ). I knew the president of the bank wasn't going to be at the location next door to mi casa and shake my hand, promising eternal devotion, but I replaced that with positive reviews from major media outlets. In fact, Forbes named Hudson City the Best-Managed Bank in America in 2007 and 2008.

Moving On Opens Doors

On June 3, I opened a checking account at Hudson City. The next day, I received a letter from bank SVP and CEO Denis J. Salamone welcoming me as a client. This was no slick marketing piece; it was a bonafide letter of welcome. It was also no handshake, but I find it interesting that I wished for a bank official to look me in the eye and the second to the last paragraph of my welcoming letter from Hudson City stated, "At the end of the day, we want to be able to look into our customers' eyes and know we did right by them."

Acting Coach to Stars Shares all in Book

For most non-actors, it's hard to imagine how the process works—to pretend to be someone else. What is it to be an actor? Does it require continuing education? What celebrities were surprise stars? Can a book teach you how to act? Check back next week for an exclusive interview with acting coach to the stars D.W. Brown.