There are 101 excuses for not writing or calling the media when you see unfair, biased or inaccurate news coverage: "I don't know enough"; "I'm too busy"; "My computer crashed."

Communicating with journalists makes a difference. It does not have to be perfect; not all letters to journalists need to be for publication. Even a one-sentence, handwritten note to a reporter can be helpful. If you take the time to type a substantive letter, send copies of it to two or three places within the media outlet-perhaps to the reporter, his or her editor, as well as to the letters-to-the-editor department.

If media outlets get letters from a dozen people raising the same issue, they will most likely publish one or two of them. So even if your letter doesn't get into print, it may help another one with a similar point of view get published. Surveys of newspaper readers show that the letters page is among the most closely read parts of the paper. It's also the page policy-makers look to as a barometer of public opinion.

When you write to journalists, be factual, not rhetorical. Do not personally attack them; that's more likely to convince them that they're in the right. Address them in the language that most journalists are trained to understand: Call on them to be responsible, professional, balanced and inclusive of diverse sources and viewpoints.

Letters that are intended for publication should usually be drafted more carefully. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Make one point (or at most two) in your letter or fax. State the point clearly, ideally in the first sentence.

Make your letter timely. If you are not addressing a specific article, editorial or letter that recently appeared in the paper you are writing to, then try to tie the issue you want to write about to a recent event.

Familiarize yourself with the coverage and editorial position of the paper to which you are writing. Refute or support specific statements, address relevant facts that are ignored, but do avoid blanket attacks on the media in general or the newspaper in particular.

Check the letter specifications of the newspaper to which you are writing. Length and format requirements vary from paper to paper. (Generally, roughly two short paragraphs are ideal.) You also must include your name, signature, address and phone number.

Look at the letters that appear in your paper. Is a certain type of letter usually printed?

Support your facts. If the topic you address is controversial, consider sending documentation along with your letter. But don't overload the editors with too much info.

Keep your letter brief. Type it whenever possible.

Find others to write letters when possible. This will show that other individuals in the community are concerned about the issue. If your letter doesn't get published, perhaps someone else's on the same topic will.

Monitor the paper for your letter. If your letter has not appeared within a week or two, follow up with a call to the editorial department of the newspaper.

Write to different sections of the paper when appropriate. Sometimes the issue you want to address is relevant to the lifestyle, book review or other section of the paper.

An increasing number of broadcast news programs (60 Minutes, All Things Considered, etc.) also solicit and broadcast "letters to the editor." Don't forget these outlets.

Please sign your letters as an individual or representative of a community group, not as a member of FAIR.

Please send us a copy of your letters (published and unpublished) to FAIR. Address them to the attention of the activist coordinator.

Characteristics like honesty, intelligence and reliability are major attributes that we all seek in friendship or romantic partnerships.

It's one thing looking for those characteristics in others, but finding them is not always that easy. A person who seemingly appears reliable at first may soon exhibit quite the opposite personality traits. How could you have known at the outset?

Face reading will immediately offer you valuable information about human beings. You can begin practicing face reading by observing friends, family members and work colleagues.

Naturally, very few people fall into "pure" type categories, but more often than not, the predominant shape will be recognizable. Experiment with "the face" and see whether you recognize any of the character traits in yourself or others.....

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) enables a global network of communicators working in diverse industries and disciplines to identify, share and apply the world's most effective communication practices.

http://www.iabc.com/

There is no such thing as a universal best day to send an email campaign. The past thoughts were that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were the best days to market via email but that train of thought seems to be changing. In a study of email opens, Friday seems to be the biggest day for people to open an email that is sent to them. Sunday has the highest average click-through rate, or number of times someone clicked on a link in the email, followed by Friday. However, Sunday was a consistently low performer for open rates. Most Email Service Providers (ESP's) still believe that a mid week campaign is there best choice with approximately 96 percent of campaigns and 92 percent of email volume being sent Monday through Friday.

When deciding when to send an email campaign, you must consider your competition in the inbox. During the summer months, email recipients are most likely spending the weekend outdoors away from their computers. In the winter, subscribers may spend more time indoors catching up on email and/or preparing for the week ahead.

There is no exact science when it comes to email marketing or a strategy to market your products or services on the web. All you can do is choose a reputable company that will try their best to make your email campaign as successful as it can be…