The Ari Gold guide to public speaking

Tomorrow (30 September 2010) I'm emceeing Social Collective - a social media conference being held in London.

As usual, I turned to google for some advice (I started with 'how to rock the mic right') before stumbling on some more classical top tips for public speaking.

While useful, they didn't quite do it for me, so I enlisted the help of Hollywood's baddest agent, Ari Gold (from Entourage) to help put his touches on these pearls of wisdom.

Here is our combined take...apologies up front for any abrasiveness...

Rehearse in front of a mirror

What? No! Unless you like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, do not rehearse in front of a mirror. Better yet, go find a life size brown paper bag, wrap yourself in it and pray that you get thrown out with the weekly garbage. Next.

Lay down the law appropriately

There are times when you have to tactfully play the role of sheriff. For example, when phones go off, an early warning shot tends to do the trick. But a second infringement can't go unpunished. I like having a box of brick style mobile phones next to me when on stage, and I'll fire them towards the skull of anyone who interrupts my flow repeatedly. Side tip: Make sure the event owners have a decent public liability in place before adopting this tactic.

Imagine the audience naked

No-one, and I mean no-one, looks good naked. Clothes were not just invented for practical reason, they exist to cover up all the bits that can trigger violent episodes of vomiting. Even if you spot someone showing too much leg in the audience, get them to cover the f**k up.

Start off with a joke

Do you know what is worse than starting a speech with a pre-prepared joke? Nothing. No, seriously. Showing a video of animals being tortured is probably going to be received better. Aim for being one notch above mediocre at all times, at least then you won't set yourself up for an inevitable fall.

Wear a cartoon tie to show you have a sense of humour

The only thing that could be worse than wearing a cartoon tie is having a swastika tattooed across your forehead. See, the thing with humour is that it is fleeting. It's an observation. It is not something that stays with you all day, becomes distracting, before eventually becoming the noose from which you are hung from at the after party (if you make it that far).

Use buzzwords to build rapport

Do you remember when you were growing up and your Dad would use 'kid talk' at your birthday parties? It wasn't cool then, and it definitely isn't cool now. Buzzwords and phrases are not only patronizing but they generally don't make any sense. 'ROI' is better suited to describing a part of the world where Leprechauns come from, not how little impact your latest ill-conceived campaign had. True story.

Realize that people want you to succeed

Are you kidding me? All an audience wants is for you to say 'penis ready' when you really meant to say 'pens ready'. It's human nature, we like laughing at other people's misfortune. You are more than welcome to believe others want you to succeed but they are probably the ones sending text messages back and forth from one another guessing how much your shoddy, ill-fitting, suit cost .

Don't apologize

See, this tip I agree with. Never apologize. The experts will tell you that making an apology while giving a speech is pointless and will only magnify a mistake that no-one really noticed anyway. I say take this a step further. Don't ever apologize, in any situation. It makes you look weak. Even when you catastrophically mess up, just smile and say "you heard".

That's as preachy as I'll get today.

Below is a short clip of one of Ari's best public speaking moments or just head to YouTube and search for Ari Gold speech - hours or fun to be had.

If you can't attend SoCol tomorrow (and there still are some tickets available), follow the #SoCol hashtag. Despite my involvement, it should be a great event.

Adam (and Ari)

Note: For (seriously) one of the best posts you'll ever read about public speaking, check out this one from Duarte's blog: Justin Timberlake and the art of presenting well

The newspaper-less experiment: 99 days to go...

It has been 266 days since I read a newspaper as part of an experiment which began on 1 January 2010 to see what kind of impact it would have on me as a comms professional and average Joe.

I haven't written about it for a while (explained in this post), but with 99 days left in 2010, I thought it was time for an update.

Ready? OK...

My headlines suck and I am late on 'news'

Here are some of the conclusions I've already made as a result of this experiment:

• It's harder to come up with tabloid-esque headlines - the way headlines are written online compared to in a newspaper is very different. Newspaper headlines aim to catch your eye on a page where as online headlines have an element of SEO built-in. Not reading papers everyday has stopped that flow of eye-catching examples coming to me and it has had an impact of my ability to craft pun-filled headlines...which may be a blessing...
• Did you see that... - I've lost count of the amount of times I've sat at my desk and piped up with "Wow, did you hear about the..." before being stopped by "Yes! That was on page 3 yesterday." Online news may be more instant, but it is infinite, and can easily be missed. As an average Joe that isn't a huge issue, but as a comms consultant, not being aware of some important major events isn't ideal.
• Newspaper readers are enjoying something special - each morning on the way to work I have to stop myself from reading headlines over someone's shoulder. It is almost like everyone has been invited to a party I can't go to. This seems to bother me more when I catch a partial glimpse of a headline that I want to know more about. Torture is a strong word, but it's close.
• Awareness of mainstream trends...or lack thereof - I got asked by someone in the office a couple weeks back about 'what are the hot trends in fashion for men right now' - my answers to questions like this are normally pretty weak but I was always able to refer to a report from a recent Sunday lift-out that provided some help. That isn't the case today, I really have no idea what is hot and what's not on a mainstream level...or a any level for that matter.

• I've become disconnected with sports I used to love - there is always the argument that newspapers need sport more than sport needs newspapers. After nine months of my interest in Premier League football declining quite rapidly, I its a pretty even race. The back pages each morning were my catch up, the way I stayed up to date. Without that put in front of me each morning, I am less inclines to proactively take an interest.
• My purchasing decision making process has changed - I have always been 'good' at making impulsive decisions based on things I read in the newspaper, especially things I wouldn't normally be actively interested in. Nine months into this experiment, and these impulsive triggers have been replaced entirely by human recommendations, and to some extent, Twitter. 
• Celebrity ho-hum-ness - celebrities never really made be buy newspapers, but now they completely turn me off them. I don't really care who Wayne Rooney is sleeping with, and that predictable line of 'shock' journalism doesn't make me want to know more, it makes me want to know less.
• Online news is more distracting during work hours - I think getting your fill of news on the train each morning gives you a feeling of 'being up to speed' with the events of the world. If you take that away, any hunger for that needs to be replaced, and has contributed to me getting less done during the day as I get more easily distracted by Twitter and what not. 

What is the key take-out then?

If I was to do this experiment again, I would have aimed to enlist someone to do the opposite to me so some comparisons could be made between the two worlds.

As it has been so long since I actually read a newspaper, I've almost forgotten what role they did play, hence a lack of updates on this experiment of late. 

The major take out after nine months is this:

"Big brands that rely on the mass carrying them can't ignore new channels because without the daily connection provided by newspapers, you can lose interest pretty quickly."

What do you think of the big brand disconnect theory?

Does anything else strike you as particularly interesting?

I'd love to know what you think.

Adam

Note: One question I get asked a lot is whether or not I'll return to reading newspapers again in 2011. I'm not going to decide until the experiment has been completed but this post gives you a pretty good indication as to whether they have an important role to play or not.

Foursquare needs deputy mayors...seriously

This will be brief.

Having just 'mayors' on foursquare isn't enough.

Why?

It's very limited.

And, it discourages participation. Seriously.

Imagine the following scenario...

I operate a busy bar in Soho and tens of people check in every day.

I have a decent mayor incentive, my mayor loves me for it and is religious about keeping his / her crown.

But, it is hard to become mayor, really hard.

Why should the people in 2nd, 3rd and 4th position, who are essentially just as loyal, not be rewarded?

I think they should.

A solution?

Create a 'deputy mayor' system and categorise the rewards accordingly.

So, the mayor would be eligible for the 'gold' reward i.e. a free bottle of champagne

And, my deputy mayors would be eligible for the 'silver' reward i.e. a glass of champagne

(Or something to that effect)

Really?

You might think that this is a little over-the-top as most venues don't even reward mayors (or have them for that matter), but in time this could be really neat.

Who knows what foursquare have planned for the platform over the coming months / years, but perhaps a tiered reward system isn't that silly.

Thoughts?
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Four top UK fashion bloggers strut their stuff ahead of London Fashion Week (#LFW)

London Fashion Week starts on Friday so I thought it would be a nice time to catch up with a few of the UK's leading fashion bloggers to talk about what makes a good blog, working with PRs and who we should keep an eye on over the next 10 days, let's do it...

An audience with the Queens of fashion

The bloggers and their blogs:

Sasha Wilkins (SW) aka Liberty London Girl

Jenny Hayden (JH) aka The Style PA

Gemma Seager (GS) aka Retro Chick

Poppy Dinsey (PD), What I Wore Today / The Lust List

Question one (of six): What makes a fashion blog popular?

SW:"Passion for the subject. If it’s a visual blog, great photography & interesting outfits. If it’s written, then it’s simple: good writing."

JH: "Regular and relevant content is number one, but also it's about the tone of voice and having some element of uniqueness. Different people favour different blogs and I think it's because people look for a personal connection, you need to identify with the person writing in some way."

GS: "I think that varies blog to blog and niche to niche, but having your own voice and an opinion wins out over republishing of press releases every time."

PD: I think WIWT has worked well because it's such a simple idea; one post of one outfit every single day. It's as much a photo diary of 'a year in the life' as it is a fashion blog. It's consistent and I think that's important. Posts are pretty much the same length and format as they have been from the first day of launch. It's not overly trendy either and I think that's helped in my case, they're wearable outfits without being too boring or safe (I hope!). You won't find me wearing a doily that belonged to my Great Grandmother as a headpiece or anything too zany like that and I think that's what a lot of girls like about it, it's stylish but completely accessible. But you have to know your audience...if people are expecting Hoxtonite, give them Hoxtonite. And obviously just like with any web content, good pictures, clear page layout and good (preferably somewhat amusing) copy is all mega vital.

Question two: How much of your content is 'found' by you versus being fed to you? i.e. PR

SW: "For the first three years of my blog I generated 99% of my own stories and never once approached a PR (to the best of my memory). Now it’s a mixture.I pretty much don’t cold call agencies: I wait for them to approach me. I have so much available content that I’m not hunting out stories, and I don’t like to cold call -in product as I think there are way too many bloggers chasing freebies and I don’t want to be tarred with that brush." 

JH: "It varies depending on how busy I am at the time. I have a full time job too so if I am struggling to update my blogs I do look to press pieces for interesting content - aways in keeping with what my audience would be expecting from me though. I think the editing process says as much about the blogger as the articles they write from scratch."

GS: "I find almost all my content myself. If I'm invited to an event by a PR I'll normally write it up on the blog, but I'm quite picky about the events I chose to attend. I've probably only used information sent to me by a PR unsolicited 2 or 3 times in the 2 1/2 years I've been blogging."

PD: "I've only just started The Lust List, so I'm still making baby steps with it, but every item I've featured so far has been found by me. I don't mind readers suggesting items, in fact I actively encourage it, but it wouldn't seem genuine if I was just churning out rehashed press releases. A lot of The Lust List's readers come from WIWT so they're familiar with my style already, they'd know I was being fake if I implied I was lusting over a feathery headpiece for example as it's just not my thing. (I think even within this interview I've made it clear I'm not one for headpieces)" 

Question three: What is a good example of a PR / blogger partnership you've seen in your space - what does each party need to bring to the table?

SW: "I like face to face meetings where we can build a relationship. I loathe the digital agency approach where they just think shoving branded content at me cold via email will grab my attention. Sure it does, but not in the way they hope! Traditional PR still works best for me: we get to know each other, and can manage our expectations."

JH: "I think ongoing partnerships are where there is real value. When I feel a personal connection to the PR representatives I'm dealing with it's so much easier to work with them and it feels more like a two-way thing where both parties are in control. The Aussie Angels project is definitely one of the best I've been involved with because of the community it's built up and the way their amazing events just make you want to tell people about the brand."

GS: "I've seen several good examples. Hendricks Gin sponsoring events with Vintage Secret and Fleur De Guerre, Topshop ran events where they have provided bloggers with interesting photographs to use on their blogs afterwards and the Aussie Hair Angels collaboration was also good as it focused on a select group of bloggers and then ran several interesting themed events. 

"I think that PRs need to acknowledge that they are asking for valuable space on a blog that someone has put a lot of time and effort into and ensure that they provide the blogger with something relevant and interesting to writing about. I think bloggers need to ensure that the content they provide in return is also relevant and interesting and acknowledge that they're not being wooed with gifts and parties just because they are lovely people. Equally I think that both parties need to ensure that they are clear about the ground rules. Bloggers shouldn't feel obliged to be positive about something they don't like or even write about it at all just because it was gifted and PRs shouldn't assume they can change the ground rules after the fact (asking for specific text links in a blog post AFTER it's written is an example that springs to mind)"

PD: "The PR needs to understand that the blogger has an audience that they've carefully built a relationship with over time, they don't want to whore out their blog - it's their baby. At the same time, the blogger needs to understand that the PR will have certain expectations of the partnership for their client. As long as everything's communicated well in the beginning there's no reason why it can't be a really happy and successful relationship, you just need to make sure the goals of both parties are being met without one side compromising too much for the other. I love what Liberty London Girl does with Mercedes Benz, it's amazing."

Question four: How important is photography / video - can you get your hands on everything you need when you need it?

SW: "I shoot all my own photography, so access to product/places/people is important for me. Likewise I shoot all my own video. Very occasionally, as part of an ongoing collaboration, I may run someone else’s content but it’s unusual. And nothing, nothing annoys me more than companies trying to palm off promotional branded video content as potential editorial onto blogs. We aren't stupid, you know."

JH: "For me and the type of blog I write I have to have something visual to go with a post. The way I read blogs is to scan the images looking for something that catches my eye and in the time-starved world we live in I'm sure I'm not the only one. If I'm offered really strong creative then I'm far more likely to feature a story, brand or product."

GS: "Photography, particularly, is vital to most blogs. Clear Hi Res pictures can make or break a blog post. I've not often had problems getting images to use, but if the images aren't available on the website sometimes image requests aren't replied to as quickly as they could be. Blogging is a high speed medium and often bloggers will need those images within hours, not days."

PD: "Very! You need to be able to describe an item beautifully but even the best writer is going to struggle without supporting photos. As I imagine Alice (of Wonderland fame) would say if she were shopping for a new pretty dress in 2010..."What is the use of a fashion blog without pictures or conversations?"

Question five: Which fashion blogs / conversation drivers will you be paying special attention to this fashion week?

SW: "Twitter will be my first, and probably my only port of call. I doubt I’ll have time to read blogs." 

JH: "My Google Reading list seems endless but I'm probably going to look to someone like Fashion Foie Gras for coverage of Fashion Week. I love the blog and the commentary, not to mention the regularity of the posts. I will also be looking to Twitter for as-it-happens updates."

GS: "I like to keep an eye on the street style blogs like Garance Dore, The Satorialist and Vanessa Jackman during Fashion Week. For show coverage I read a variety of places, including mainstream sites like Style.com and Vogue, but I do keep an eye on The Style PA."

PD: "I'll be following the #LFW hashtag very closely on Twitter. I love the 'instantness' of Twitter, you'll be able to see those initial gut reactions as the models strut their stuff on the runway live as it happens. There's something lovely and raw about that first reaction to a collection which could easily have changed by the time it has been pondered over and a full blog post written up. And of course it's the easiest way to see what lots of people think all at once, I can't wait to see which collections get people tapping away at their iPhones and BlackBerrys the hardest."

Question six: What can other blogs learn from the way fashion bloggers operate?

JH: "To get out there and network. Fashion is full of industry and PR events and I've made some amazing contacts and friends simply by getting away from the computer and socialising. The same goes for Twitter, I'd consider it a vital tool for growing a blog audience and networking."

GS: "There is a sense of enjoyment in Fashion Blogging. It has to be fun first, not just a job. Not having blogged about anything else I don't know how others operate, but there is definitely a strong sense of community and influence in fashion blogging. Ideas, looks and themes are frequently borrowed and expanded upon and linked to in turn. I love the conversation that exists outside the blogs themselves, on Twitter, Facebook and with community sites like Independent Fashion Bloggers."

PD: "I think if there's one thing fashion bloggers have, it's passion. They know their subject matter and they love it with all their hearts. They really invest time into their blogs because it's something they love to do.There are some fashion bloggers who have only a teeny tiny audience but they slog away at their content day after day because they love it, they write for themselves as much as anything else. If nobody had ever read WIWT I'd have still enjoyed creating it, it's like a diary to me. If you've got a genuine passion for your subject, regardless of whether it's taxidermy or horse shoe fitting, you're made."

___________________


Note: A big thanks out to Sasha, Jenny, Gemma and Poppy for taking part in this post - I really appreciate your time.

I client, take you, agency...

Five agency / client vows worth keeping 

A special guest post by Elissa Freeman and Ron Guirguis

Imagine this scene: you’re in a large, light-filled room, surrounded by happy people. Two partners flushed with excitement face each other, with the look of hope and expectation in their eyes. An officiant (recently ordained over the internet) intones…

“Do you Client, take this Agency … to have and to hold, to agree or disagree, to work together with respect in good times and bad, or ‘til business fiasco do you part?”

This scene is not so far-fetched. Every day, all over the world, clients and agencies enter into a blissful union, hoping to live together happily ever after. Except it doesn’t always work out that way.

The nature of the client-agency relationship is remarkably similar to any romantic relationship you’ve ever had. There’s the dance of courtship, heavy-duty wooing, then commitment. Sometimes you date for a long time before making that commitment – and sometimes you fall so hard and so fast you don’t realize what’s happened until you’re…well…sleeping together.

Much has been written about how agencies can work better and more effectively with their clients, but what about the other side of the equation? How can clients work better with their agency?

After all, love is a two-way street.

As a pair of communications professionals (one client / one agency) who “tied the knot” a couple of years ago in a relationship that has survived crisis situations, job changes and an international move, we thought we’d share some of the Rules for a Successful Client/Agency Relationship that we’ve learned over the years … some from our time together and some (gasp) from our other (I mean, past) relationships.

Get to know each other. If you’ve ever met anyone over the internet, you know how easy it is to remain anonymous. Everything seems fine as you engage in cute email banter, but when you finally meet, you can’t help but wonder, “What was I thinking?” The same goes for your client/agency relationship. Get to know your point people. Find out what makes them tick and how you can mesh your working styles. It will go a long way as you go through the inevitable ups and downs of your work together.

Be thoughtful. Just because you’re paying the bills doesn’t mean your agency is at your beck and call. Think carefully about your day-to-day requests. How urgent is urgent? How can you be part of the solution to a problem you may be facing? Think twice about dumping work into your agency’s lap just because you feel entitled. Not only do all those little assignments add up when you get your monthly bill, but there are just some things clients need to do themselves.

Meaningful conversation. Just like you can’t guess what’s going on in your partner’s head, your agency will never know your expectations unless properly briefed. The problem? Many clients view their agency interactions in a “do what I tell you” approach. That’s not a relationship; that’s a transaction … which we all know is just not as satisfying. Besides, a lot of the nuance and important details are left out of those exchanges and the results are often less than stellar. If this is truly to be a partnership, then you have to open up to each other and be willing to give and take real feedback.

“I’d like you to meet my…uh….” Not knowing what to call your significant other can make or break a relationship. Same goes for your agency. In all our years of PR, we’ve both had our best client/agency relationships when we’ve had a true “partner” sitting across the table. Because that’s what they are – partners. When you each check your ego at the door, recognize you can accomplish more together than on your own and choose to work as a team toward a common goal … that’s when the real fireworks begin.


Be nice. Just like marriage, there has to be some level of mutual respect and support. Consultants are just like everyone else, they also get stressed when they work with difficult people. If they don’t enjoy working with you, they won’t be giving you their best effort. And while it doesn’t happen very often, there are cases when consultants will walk away from a relationship with a difficult client. In almost every case, this can be resolved by being nice, understanding and respectful.

We hope you find these Rules helpful as you manage your own client/agency union. But like all good rules, they need to be understood, talked about and re-evaluated. Be open with each other – we’re in communications after all! Ask the important questions: What’s going right? What’s going wrong? Don’t finger point or blame. Agree on what you can do better. And if there are irreconcilable differences, know when to walk away.

But the ultimate goal, of course, is to live happily ever after.

________________________

About the authors of this post

Elissa Freeman recently became the Director of Communications for the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games after 17 years at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Ron Guirguis recently moved to New York to lead the Corporate and Public Affairs Practice for Fleishman-Hillard’s office in the Big Apple, after 10 years at FH Canada in Ottawa. Their client/agency relationship is now “long distance”, but still going strong.
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How to get your blog posts featured in PR Daily Europe

Are you familiar with PRDaily.com?

It is a daily round up of the best comms-related links from around the web, ranging from big news stories to useful 'how-to' blog posts.

Recently, the team at PR Daily decided to set up a dedicated European version of the site (PRDaily.eu).

It aims to feature the same great content, but with a European slant.

Myself, along with Jody Koehler and Beth Carroll have been charged with locating a handful of posts each day to feature on PRDaily.eu, bringing together some great local and international content in one place.

Get listed

We'd love to consider your content for PRDaily.eu but need a little help from you.

Simply click on the link below and fill in the basic information we need about your blog (it literally take you one minute).

The Master UK / EU Comms Blog Spreadsheet

This information will help us create a master list of UK / EU comms-related blogs.

This list will not only come in handy for us, but it'll also be a public and live document so anyone can refer to it - handy eh?

Why is this useful to you as a blogger?

Being featured on 3rd party sites is a great way of boosting traffic to your blog and attracting new readers.

If you blog about PR, social media, marketing, journalism, blogging etc this is a pretty good place to get featured.

Thanks
Adam

Note: This is open to anyone and everyone - whether you have one subscriber or one million - it'll just be good to have all this information in the one place.

40 useful things you can share on Twitter besides blog posts

I was never good at 'pass the parcel' when I was a kid. I blame it mainly on being over zealous. That and my unhealthy competitiveness - always had to win (which didn't always make me the best birthday party guest!)

Twitter reminds me of pass the parcel a bit - RSS readers are ripped open first thing in the morning and then the shiniest blog posts get circulated and shared...like a good prize should I suppose.

But shiny doesn't always equal useful. In fact, I'd argue that the more unusual and varied your stream is, the better - both for you and your followers.

Making variety a pillar of your approach, coupled with the recognition that time is a finite resource, definitely means there is a place for short and sweet too (and how many blog posts can you really read in one day anyway?!?!?)

So, I had a bit of a think and compiled a list of things to consider sharing more often...here goes...

40 useful things you can share on Twitter besides blog posts

1. Flag up a hashtag you are following for the day and why (or list a few that you think are worth a look)
2. Discovered a new app / tool that's useful? Provide a brief description and share the direct link i.e. MyTweeple.com is a great follower manager tool
3. A link to a Wikipedia entry from your niche can be very useful - especially if its been updated
4. Link to someone's Twitter favourites - they are usually full of hidden treasures both for you and your followers
5. Spotted a glitch or alteration to a platform you're using? Let people know what it is and how to address it
6. A specific conversation / thread might be going on - highlight it and link to it (actually share conversations)
7. Some great discussion might be being made around a Facebook post - highlight it and link
8. A link to a transcript from a Twitter chat - these usually packed full of useful insights and maybe highlight one key point
9. Been given some invites to a new edition of a platform? Share those around i.e. the new Digg.com
10. A link to a poll taking place that might stimulate some thought / encourage interaction
11. Simply introduce two people that you think might hit it off - "@TomA meet @TomB, you guys have loads in common..."
12. A link featuring a special offer or product that might be of interest / add value to your community
13. A link to a YouTube video of interest to your niche
14. A link to an example of a good 'terms of use' page on a blog you've visited (or similar)
15. A link to a directory of blogs from your niche (or a great blogroll) is a nice share
16. A link to a Twitter list you think is worth following and why or one from tweepml
17. A link to a news aggregator and a brief explanation as to why it is useful
18. Spotted a Flickr gallery / group being used in an interesting way? That's worth a share
19. A link to a place / directory where your followers blogs can be featured - adding great vale to them
20. Interesting Twitter accounts are always worth sharing i.e. @CleverAccounts
21. Flag up an event that's coming up and possibly of interest to your community - link to the details
22. A link to something light - @jeffespo does it beautifully with his 'cartoon to start the day' tweets
23. Spotted a contentious issue developing? Create your own poll and encourage people to vote
24. If you've discovered an interesting special on Foursquare - share it via Twitter
25. Pull an interesting quote / stat out of a news item and feature that (as opposed to the prescribed headline and piece)
26. Link directly to an interesting presentation on Slideshare.net
27. Specific pages on blogs / sites can sometimes reveal more than the the daily live content - share interesting examples of those i.e. an about page or privacy page
28. Google Chrome extensions always make life easier - started using a good one? Share it
29. Explain why someone should follow a particular blog / author, as opposed to just just linking to individual posts with no context
30. If you're heading to an event, share the #hashtag and link to that event before / during / after
31. Sometimes a link to a robust and engaged Facebook community page is worth sharing 
32. A link to a good example online customer service i.e. Twitter complaint response 
33. Go back in time -great timeless content is always worth a share - even if it has a 2007 date on it, share it
34. Use TwitPic differently - take and share shots of use / value, not (just) pics of the beach while you are on holidays
35. Have you just joined a new community? Let people know where they can find you with a link / user name tweet
36. Use TweeShot to share a screen grab of interest (especially controversial tweets that might be deleted)
37. Link directly to a relevant podcast
38. Sometimes really basic but useful websites are launched - like this one - link to 'em
39. Figured out a short cut / easy way of doing something.  Flag. it. up.
40. Over to you...

I wrote this post for a selfish reason too - I'd love to know what other people share besides blog posts.

Can you recommend any other things that people find useful on Twitter?

Being useful opens the door to engagement for both individuals and organisations...let's brainstorm!

Adam