Monday, April 18, 2011

Fascinating TED Talk: Jane McGonigal on How Gaming Can Make a Better World

NPR’s On the Media podcast recently focused it’s weekly episode on the World of Gaming. Now I’ve never considered myself a gamer, so I almost skipped it. But I always learn something when I listen to On the Media, so I stuck it out. And I’m so glad I did.

One of the stories played an excerpt of a TED Talk by Jane McGonigal. She talks about her research into the game-world. She says, “In the best-designed games, our human experience is optimized: We have important work to do, we're surrounded by potential collaborators, and we learn quickly and in a low-risk environment.” She concludes that if we could harness this gamer power, we could improve the way we learn, work, solve problems, and lead our real lives. And she’s talking about solving big real-world problems.

She lists four “super powers” of gamers, meaning what these games are making people virtuosos at:

Urgent Optimism – Gamers have extreme self motivation. The have the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success

Tight Social Fabric – Gaming builds strong bonds, trust and cooperation

Blissful Productivity – Gamers are happier working hard than by just hanging out

Epic Meaning – Gamers love be attached to awe-inspiring missions

Jane says that gamers are “super-empowered hopeful individuals.” They believe they are capable of changing the world. Right now, they mean the virtual world. Jane wants to transfer that to the real-world.

After her talk, I may be a believer.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

PR News Round-Up ~ April 6

From PR Daily News Feed
Presentation tools: 9 ways Prezi will refresh your next speech
This social media tool is a digital canvas that knows no bounds. So, how much do you know about it? Read story.

From PR Daily News Feed
7 common pitfalls of PR campaigns
Don’t spoil all your hard work by making these mistakes. Read story.

From Ragan's Daily Headlines
How to minimize gender bias in your writing
by Deborah Gaines
These gender-neutral terms will lessen the likelihood of offending your audience. Read story.

From Ragan's Daily Headlines
7 speechwriting techniques to grab audiences—and call them to action
By Russell Working
A speechwriting pro offers tips to open and close with: Look to the Cowardly Lion and Malcolm X. Read story.

From PR Daily News Feed
PR industry exposé lands major literary award
Former health-care PR exec Wendell Potter’s book Deadly Spin captured the 2011 Ridenhour Book Prize. Read story.

From PR Daily News Feed
3 blogger relation blunders to avoid
Reaching out to bloggers for coverage? Better avoid these gaffes. Read story.

From PR Daily News Feed
Scoring coverage: Anatomy of a successful email pitch
A PR Daily contributor, who slammed a PR pro for a lousy email pitch, highlights one that worked well, including lessons that you can apply to your job. Read story.

From PR Daily News Feed
FTC issues $250,000 fine for fake online review
The Federal Trade Commission took decisive action against a company that paid affiliate marketers to write positive reviews of its product. Read story.