Archive for the ‘Editorial Thoughts’ Category

Photo-Worthy

Monday, October 26th, 2015

front rangeI would guess that I take fewer pictures than many moms. I do get the important moments- first day of school, birthday celebrations, special occasions, and more. However, I don’t photo-document every occasion. For some things I just am in the moment, camera (AKA my phone) tucked in my pocket. Although I don’t take pictures of everything, I do see the value of photography.

I spent Columbus Day weekend visiting my eldest at college. While I could have kept a journal of the weekend, I think one of the photos of the two of us sums up the weekend quite nicely. We’re in a park, smiling. It was simply a great time spent together, chatting and catching up on everything under the sun.

I see the value of photographs at PeKu also. Although we are a company built primarily on the written word, I know that pictures help to share our stories. Over the years, we have added more and better pictures to our publications. When we launched in 2008 we used almost no pictures with our articles. With time I realized that pictures were crucial, and we found sources that could meet our needs.

Recently I made the decision to make several different pieces of PeKu more photo-centric. Currently all of our publications have image-focused homepages. Prior to this our homepages were a mix of smaller images and excerpts. What I’ve learned is that a larger image and article title are all our audience needs to want to read the entire article. We’ve made a similar change with our newsletters. Rather than sending excerpts, we are sending images and titles. We believe this will provide our subscribers with a better peek at our recent work.

With these new image-based designs, I think PeKu is not only more reader-friendly but more appealing to the eye. As always, I would love your feedback. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts on your new look.

The Value of Emojis (AKA Clear Communication)

Monday, August 17th, 2015

emojiOver the past weekend my husband and I traveled to Florida to visit my in-laws. Due to a number of reasons, including sports tryouts, summer jobs, and classes starting, we went without any of our children. While traveling I saw a social media comment written by one of our four that was unclear. Did it mean that this teen was unhappy with me? Was it meant to be a tongue-in-cheek joke? Without any emojis, I wasn’t really sure. While it didn’t warrant a phone call, I did add it to my mental checklist for discussing upon our return.

Separate from this parenting concern, I had made some major changes at PeKu before leaving. All team members were emailed, and (I thought) all were aware of the forthcoming effects from these changes. On Saturday I received an email from a team member who wondered whether his role were at risk. I felt horribly. Although I thought I had made it clear that he would keep the same position and assignments, to him it wasn’t clear.

I sent a reply almost immediately, assuring him that nothing had changed for him. I also apologized for the lack of clarity in my email. I tend to think that I am concise in my emails, but I have learned a lesson. In situations as crucial as this, ask for an extra set of eyes to make sure my message is clear.

Fast forward to this morning and the ride to work with the aforementioned teen. I asked if the post was meant to be funny or if something were wrong. To my surprise it was neither of those. It was a technical/operational statement, which was something I hadn’t considered. It was neither meant to be a snarky nor funny remark, it actually was meant as endearing.

As I drove, I thought about my own team email and my teen’s post. Sometimes there need to be more attention to details; be it emojis, more words, or a response required. In my work world, where so much of my communication comes in written format, I’ll be sure to utilize the clearest language possible.

What’s Your Motivation Today?

Monday, July 27th, 2015

peku coffeeAfter a weekend filled with work projects, home projects, and a little bit of fun, some of us are seeking some coffee to get this week started. (I’m looking at you, Peku. . .)

Peku and I are using this motivational coffee to give us a jump start this morning.  My actual inspiration is the goal to inspire, inform, and engage our audience. What’s motivating you?

Nurturer of All (Except Plants)

Monday, July 20th, 2015

heartOne of my strongest qualities is my ability to nurture living things. I do this in a myriad of ways, but it is what I do best. I’ve nurtured my children through the many stages of childhood and teen years. Throughout my life I’ve nurtured cats, dogs, hamsters, lizards, chickens, and many other creatures. Plants, however, I haven’t nurtured as well. Let’s just say that I leave the plant care in the capable hands of my husband.

So, what does nurturing things that breathe have to do with running PeKu? A lot. I think of PeKu as a living, breathing creature. I celebrate its birthday. I check on it every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake. It is something that I have nurtured since its inception. Whether it be thinking about a publication’s design, a new category of columns, or a social media campaign, I focus on the care of PeKu.

A key thing to note is that nurturing means many things to me. Although nurturing might conjure an image of snuggling a baby in a blanket, nurturing can be both praising and correcting. If I had only fawned over my pets and children, I would have a household of obnoxious, spoiled beings. No, sometimes nurturing means working harder, making tough decisions, and lots of sweat and tears.

Every day I think about PeKu- how I can make it better for our readers, how it can function more efficiently, how it can grow into an even better publishing company. Sometimes it can be accomplished by fun projects, such as a social media contest. Other times it requires a less pleasant task, such as eliminating a column. Regardless to whether it is positive or negative, the end goal is to create the best PeKu I can.

Kids, pets, PeKu, I’ll keep nurturing. Plants, you’re on your own.

Start of Summer for Peku

Monday, June 29th, 2015

rsz_peku_penguin_printAs I typed the title of this post, I wondered how many people would notice the capitalization of Peku. I am keenly aware of it, but I think for others it isn’t obvious. This company, of which I am the CEO and Editor-in-Chief, is PeKu. Our mascot, the ever adorable penguin, is Peku. Thus, today’s post is focused on her.

As I sat down to write this morning, I didn’t have a topic in mind. It’s the fifth Monday of the month, which means there is no assigned category, providing more freedom for topics. My mind drew a blank. I searched Monday hashtags for inspiration and stumbled upon #MotivationMonday. What motivation could I find for today?

For us in NH, this is the first full week of summer, as school just ended last Wednesday. Summer led to thoughts of travel and family get-togethers. I’ll be spending some time in Kentucky, Florida, and Canada. Most of these are quick weekend trips, but they will give me time to see new-to-me locations. Next week I’ll enjoy some time with family at a mini-reunion. As I thought about these events, I realized it was time to get Peku back on the road.

Peku was created as a symbol of PeKu Publications about two years ago. Last fall we had an intern that created a #WheresPeku campaign. When his internship ended, I continued her journey for a few months but have let it wane in the past few months. As I thought about motivation this morning, I thought about reinvigorating Peku.

While I don’t have a tremendous amount of travel ahead, it’s time to get Peku on the road with me again. Be sure to follow Peku on Twitter and Instagram to see her journeys, near and far, over the coming weeks and months.  And, of course, be sure to follow PeKu for our latest articles. We are sure to inspire, inform, and engage you!

End of the School Year Nostalgia

Monday, June 15th, 2015

grad capIn my previous career I was an elementary level teacher. I taught second, third, and fourth grades over a ten-year period. I left that career to build PeKu Publications. Although it has been seven years since my last class, June always makes me think about end of the school year. I don’t miss being in the classroom, but I do have many fond memories of this time of year. Witnessing the amazing amount of growth in your students and the strong community you have built is always pleasing.

In this role, I don’t have the same feelings in June. However, yesterday as I was cleaning a corner of our basement, I went through some of my teaching bins. I found things that could be discarded, such as outdated science texts. I also found things that made me smile: class pictures, plan books from all of my teaching years, cherished read aloud books.

As I was looking at the pictures, I found group shots from the class that currently is graduating from high school. You see, there’s another piece to my previous career. I taught in the town in which I live, which means that I still have some level of connection. With a recent high school graduate and a current high school junior, I attend many school events and see my former students. So, although I no longer teach, I still have the advantage of watching many of them grow up.

These same students are also connected, as PeKu provides a scholarship to one graduating senior. Being a former teacher and the head of a publishing company, they have to submit an essay. My editors (who aren’t locally based) review and score the essays to determine the winner.

This Wednesday I will attend Senior Night at my local high school. I have been asked to be the speaker at the NH Scholars ceremony and then will present my scholarship during Senior Awards. I am truly honored to be part of these events. I feel privileged to speak to this group of top students. I am proud of PeKu being successful enough to give back; while the scholarship isn’t large, it is great to know that PeKu is helping kids from my local community.

I’m sure when I stand in front of the seniors of Wednesday, I’ll have a little of that old, end of the school year feeling. I’ll be proud of who these students have become and where they are headed next.

Inspire. Inform. Engage.