Time for the Publisher INsider where we highlight some of the most INovative, INteresting and INspirational content providers that are part of Newstex Authoritative Content.

This month, the Publisher INsider profiles Financial Sense Newshour whose online video content is offered through Newstex Authoritative Content.

Financial Sense Newshour is a free financial market broadcast hosted by money manager Jim Puplava where he discusses the week’s market action, interviews financial experts, and offers his personal perspective on the markets and economy.  The audio program is part of Financial Sense whose mission is to “give each investor, no matter their income, net worth, or level of financial expertise, a greater understanding of the markets, and a more informed approach to making investment decisions.”

Each Newshour program is three-hours (often longer) and includes interviews with financial experts, Jim Puplava’s personal perspective on the markets and current “hot topics,” and Jim’s responses to questions from listeners.  Jim has a long history of experience in finance and the media having hosted radio talk shows, television programs, and Internet radio programs since 1987.  His discussions on Financial Sense Newshour are always informative and interesting, as you can see from some recent programs:

• Oil Crunch – Metals: Oil crunch, silver to outperform gold
• S&P 500 and U.S. Dollar Index: Inverse correlation between dollar index and S&P 500
• Debt Forgiveness and Trading Markets: Financial reform legislation, gold and gold equities, and finding returns in zero interest rate environment
• On the Beach: The economy and energy wakeup call

Financial Sense is published by PFS Group (James Puplava is President of PFS Group), and as the Financial Sense website explains:

“Financial Sense online (FSO), with its free market perspectives, editorials and specialized resource news and links, and Financial Sense Newshour (FSN), with its free interviews with some of today’s top financial thinkers, represent Jim Puplava’s commitment to providing excellent educational financial resources to all investors. He feels that the investment community has given him a wonderful living since 1985 and he is grateful for the trust of his readers, listeners, and clientele. Financial Sense is his way of giving back to that community. That’s why PFS Group publishes Financial Sense and Financial Sense Newshour to the public without cost.”

If you’re interested in finance, trading, and investing, then Financial Sense and the Financial Sense Newshour are excellent resources providing authoritative content from experts.  Be sure to check it out!

This week, Joe Raczynski, an Applications Integrator for Thomson Reuters, Legal wrote a guest blog post on Legal Current, a blog from Thomson Reuters that offers information and commentary on the business and practice of law.  In his post, Joe explains the many opportunities that Twitter offers to law firms, including:

1. Twittter is a megaphone to share firm news and messages.
2. Twitter opens a dialogue.
3. Twitter enables law firms to search for active conversations about their firms and engage.
4. Twitter creates goodwill.

Joe explains in his article:

“The gesture by a firm in the form of a rapid reply satiates most because then their tweet does not fall into the abyss. Therefore the tweet becomes an actual two way conversation. It is a perfect opportunity for a firm to engage.”

Joe suggests that law firms use tools like Twitter Search to follow conversations about their firms and topics of interest that are happening on Twitter.  I recommend using tools like Monitter, the Advanced Twitter Search function, and TweetBeep to get started.

Joe also points out that law firms need to take great care in assigning the role of firm tweeter to the right person (or people).  He explains that Twitter offers an opportunity to acknowledge people by quickly responding to tweets related to a firm or topic of interest.  Joe explains, “Ultimately a timely response creates tremendous goodwill on behalf of the firm. However it should be noted that the reply should be crafted from a customer facing department who can properly engage in the conversation as opposed to a general firm user with a Twitter account.”

I am a firm believer that the tools of the social Web, including Twitter, can help any business in a wide variety of ways, including brand building, word-of-mouth marketing, increasing search traffic, and more.  Social media presents an amazing opportunity for businesses of all sizes and around the world to compete on a more level playing field than ever with very little monetary investment or barriers to entry.  Suffice it to say, I whole-heartedly agree with Joe’s post on Legal Current.  You can read Joe’s full post here.

What do you think?  How is your business using Twitter or other tools of the social Web to grow?  Leave a comment and share your story.

There has been much buzz online recently about the future of blogging since popular blogger Steve Rubel announced that he was giving up blogging in favor of Twitter and FriendFeed.  Not surprisingly, many bloggers have taken sides on this debate.  I’m definitely on the side for blogs.  While they might take longer to write, that’s what I like to do.  While I like Twitter and certainly see the value in it, I prefer getting to know people better, and I have more to say than 140-characters will allow.

Mark Evans (a Newstex Blogs On Demand publisher and subject of our May 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight interview) weighed in on the subject in a blog post called 11 Reasons Why Blogs Still Matter.  In his post, Mark makes a strong case for why blogging should coexist with your other online activities.  I couldn’t agree more.  The key to social media marketing and building an online presence is developing relationships and ecreating xperiences, and one of the best ways to achieve that goal is to surround consumers with experiences they can self-select from in order to engage with you, your business, or your brand.  Using just one tool doesn’t get the job done.  To me, that strategy is like only producing print ads but nothing else as part of your advertising plan.  One form of communication isn’t enough.

Following are a few points from Mark’s post that jumped out at me. 

• Blogs are a great way to build relationships with other people/bloggers by putting the spotlight on their thoughts and ideas.
• Blogs are a valuable “digital business card” because they give clients and potential clients a clear view of who you are and what you think.
• Blogs are search-engine friendly, which means if people are looking for you or your area of expertise, there’s a better chance of being found.
• Blogs are a labor of love that require time, effort and, often, brain-power. To write a good blog post, you need to think about it and have something to say. Blogs are dinner; Twitter is dessert: part of the same meal and both tasty but different things consumed at different times.

Be sure to read Mark’s complete post here to learn all 11 reasons why blogs still matter.

Image: Flickr

Hat tip to Joe Pulizzi at Junta42 for posting a video clip from a presentation by Andrew Davis of TippingPoints Lab from Custom Media Day in New York last month.  I just stumbled upon it now, but I wanted to publish the clip here as well because it provides exactly what many people involved in the social Web and social media need — a time management strategy.

How many times have you lost hours or productivity as you experimented with the latest Twitter app or social network?  We’ve all been there, but Andrew breaks up social media time management as follows:

• Experimentation – 5% 
• Adoption – 10%  
• Gestation – 15%  
• Escalation – 15%  
• Consolidation and monetization – 25%  
• Maintenance – 30%

Great guidelines to go by.  Of course, each blogger or Web site owner will need to adjust that schedule as necessary to meet their individual goals, but this breakdown provides a great starting point.  You can watch the short video and get the details from Andrew below.

Do you have a social media time management strategy that works for you?  Leave a comment and share your experience and tips!

Larry Schwartz, President of Newstex discusses Cloud Computing and Video On Demand at the 2009 SIIA NetGain Conference held in San Francisco, CA.

Larry Schwartz, President of Newstex speaks at 2009 SIIA NetGain Conference about Newstex’s use of Cloud Computing and Newstex’s Video on Demand produc