Brian Williams let America down. NBC News trusted anchor, Brian Williams lied to us. He lied to us multiple times. When Americans turn on the evening news, they trust the anchorperson to deliver the true news. What happens when an anchor embellishes the news and betrays our trust?

Williams was the face of NBC News until earlier this year when he was exposed as a liar. He had been continually exaggerating his experience in a US Army helicopter in Iraq back in 2003. His embellishments made his helicopter ride sound life-threatening and that he had been under fire. At the time, we worried about him. Now, we are stunned and disappointed. Even as he tried to explain himself, he couldn’t seem to make himself confess to an actual “lie.” Instead, he admitted to “a mistake in recalling the events.” This didn’t fly for viewers and Williams found himself suspended from the network.

Williams was investigated thoroughly and found to have made numerous “mistakes in recall” over the years. Lester Holt was assigned as anchor of NBC Nightly News as the network, under Comcast rule, decided what to do with Williams.

His suspension finally over, Williams has been invited back to NBC. He has been demoted and given a lower salary. He also has been ordered to make the rounds of NBC shows with real apologies. In his new role, Williams will be an anchor of breaking news and special reports at MSNBC. There are, as expected, those who feel Williams should not be back at the network, and certainly not involved in reporting the news.

His role on MSNBC will be smaller and his ratings are expected to be small as well. Some employees at MSNBC are offended and feel like their network is the dumping ground for NBC’s trash. Not everyone is against him, but he will have to work hard to gain the trust of coworkers, network executives, sponsors, and viewers.

Brian Williams worked at NBC for 22 years. Why wasn’t it enough that he actually went to a war zone and rode in a helicopter? Why did he have to lie about flying into Baghdad with SEAL Team Six? Why did he continually embellish a Hurricane Katrina story from a rumored suicide to a suicide in front of many people, including himself? Why lie about being at the Berlin Wall when it came down? With at least a dozen more stories under scrutiny, why does he want to return to NBC?

We trust our news anchors. When they are brave, we applaud them. Perhaps we applaud too loudly and they become too proud. Perhaps going to the site of a tragedy or a victory isn’t enough anymore. Brian Williams wanted to be a part of the story. He didn’t want to simply report the news to us; he wanted to be the news. He has made a mockery of us by misleading us.

Will you be watching Williams’ return to television? Do you think he deserves another chance?

Marketing is an amalgam of efforts from targeted advertising to email blasts, but the most underrated – and incredibly effective tool is Content. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked by marketing teams.

When you can’t put an exact dollar sign on it, it’s tough to communicate to your team just how important content is to your overall marketing strategy. There’s no real measure of ROI. You can’t see a fast short-term return. Content is part of the long game. And it’s worth the investment.

Content generates leads for your overall marketing plan. Unique, compelling content (something Google is looking for in ranking these days) is what persuades a website visitor to submit their email for a free eBook or sign up for newsletter. If the content doesn’t grab the reader’s attention, they won’t sign up. The content needs to be fresh and interesting. Your team can view the longer term results of this in website analytics and use this data to shape future content.

How many people ultimately made a purchase after reading the newsletter or downloaded content? Track how many customers indicate that the content affected their decision to purchase. Marketing and sales people can note how often the content is referenced. If the content is educational in nature, it can be used during a sale to support the process.

The benefits you can’t track include mentions by others. You never know when something from your content will pop up in someone’s conversation or presentation as an example. This is free advertising stemming from your articles, blog posts, guest blog posts, eBooks, newsletters, and other content.

With Google using unique content as part of your search results ranking, you will be miles ahead of the competition. There are many companies who outsource writing to non-native English speakers with poor language skills to produce cheap, keyword-stuffed content. Keyword stuffing is a thing of the past and poorly communicated content simply mars the reputation of your company.

Here is an example I happened upon very recently. Somehow I ended up on a website promoting their skills as copywriters. The web page was full of mistakes couched in statistics and flashing letters and web graphics that were, no doubt, stolen. I sent them a note that perhaps they should check their spelling and grammar on their site if that’s what they are selling. Their response was curt and rude… and their selling point was that they were cheap.

The do-it-yourself sites with “thousands of pages” of free content are not a deal. The free content is all the same. Every site made there has the same pages. None will rank well or convert sales.

You get what you pay for. If you can’t pay for it yourself, hire a professional to write rich, unique, interesting, relevant copy for you. Present the facts to your team. In the long term, adding great quality content to your marketing strategy will add to your ROI and establish your reputation. Go ahead and check out your competition and their content. Good? Bad? The same? Talk to your team about setting yourself apart from the pack. Hire a great writer. 

Husband and Wife Gospel Musicians Create Online School from Real World Experience for Students Seeking Work Force Skills without Financial Aid

Today, education costs are higher than ever. And according to Joe Cruse, they are going to stay there for a while. Surging prices and debts have both educators and students looking to new ways of learning and, more importantly, proving to employers that what is learned will be useful in a competitive workplace.

Joe Cruse had devoted his life to worship music. He spent two decades touring with The Cruse Family musical ministry. His musical career saw him record on 25 popular albums, and win two GMA Dove awards (an award given for outstanding gospel music). After becoming a Worship and Praise Leader at a church in Texas, he went on to tour again with a renowned evangelist and spread the message of his music even further.

When Joe started Worshipworks Ministries International, it was intended as a way to pass on the most valuable lessons gained from his long and storied career. His mission was to find a way to help others find success in the same field he had done so well with, keeping quality and affordability always as the highest priority.

“In my experience, those called to the ministry find it nearly impossible to obey God’s calling when student loan debt is hanging over their heads, and haunting them in every major decision they make.” said Joe. “Our philosophy is that a quality academic and spiritual education should be affordable to everyone.”

Worshipworks is home to a unique business model within the online education community. They are the only organization to combine online courses with internships in hand-selected affiliate churches, employing a staff of eleven administrators and staff. Their previous career made the Joe Cruse and his wife, Becky, confident in the presentation of their lessons, and eager to face the new challenges they would face as educators.

“What costs [them] the most is the accreditation,” Cruse said. “To become eligible to give out federal student loans, you have to pay outrageous fees. Most schools pass this cost down to their students in the form of tuition. We’ve opted out of the federal loan program and hopefully, with the savings we pass on, our students shouldn’t need it.”

The ability to bypass eligibility for federal loans is badly needed for educators in specialized fields, such as the Cruse’s music ministry. Because their materials are online, the Joe and Becky are spared from having to open a brick-and-mortar campus which might not be sustainable on its own. Because they are an independent school, the Cruses are free from the obligation of offering courses unrelated the students’ primary interests – something that Joe feels is an unnecessary burden for learners.

“Young people are getting more and more disillusioned with a traditional college path. They want their coursework to be focused on their career, but the people actually entrenched in the career aren’t the ones teaching the class. We’ve spent our lives living these principles professionally, and we want to teach it our own way.”

The Cruses feel this boutique education model is suitable for professionals in a specialized field with a well-established network. “It’s all about networks now. People are slow to hire strangers off the street. It’s about who knows who. I wouldn’t have started the school if I hadn’t met so many professionals on tour. And we’re only as strong as our affiliate churches.”

Worshipworks Ministries is accredited through Transworld Accrediting Commission. With a spiritual focus outside of mainstream federal restrictions on coursework, far more freedom and flexibility is possible. As highly esteemed within the religious community, scores of Transworld member institutions form the networks the graduates of Worshipworks will likely do business with.

“There will always be a way for you to share what you love. You find your people, and you get on the same page with them. It’s really all we’re doing at this school – finding the people that will make the ministry grow.”

Some of Cruse’s people have found their place as instructors, on subjects ranging from theology to live guitar performance. The instructors he uses include New York studio musicians, touring evangelists, songwriters, and even studio techs. All of them have rich careers outside of academia, and were entrusted by Cruse to bring their experience to this unique coursework.

In spite of not participating in federal loan programs, Worshipworks is still a fully accredited school – one, the Cruses ensure, which will get students into the workplace quickly. Worshipworks Ministries International now offers classes in theology and ministry as well as songwriting, music performance, and the studio recording process.

“It’s an art onto its own. There’s no textbook that teaches you what to expect on your first day of recording, or how to work with the Worship Leaders and tech crew. We want to help bridge the gap from something people do as a passion into a career, so this passion will find more exposure and more reward.”

Worshipworks Ministries reflects the changing face of education in America. In fields like the religious music business, the path to career success is not always cut and dry. The call to teach often surpasses enormous obstacles along the way– a call that, for Joe Cruse, is purely divine.

Nail salons are extremely popular. It seems that one pops up in every plaza or mall – sometimes two are within fifty feet of each other! Women, and even some men, are obsessed with manicures and pedicures. It was recently discovered that the barely regulated businesses are guilty of wage theft and putting employees at health risk. Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered emergency measures to ensure the protection of those who work in nail salons in New York.

There are many salons that hire predominantly Asian and Hispanic women to work twelve hour shifts, hunched over tables and inhaling the fumes associated with a manicure. Some salons actually charge the workers to work at the salon and they barely make any wages… some live on tips alone. The exploitation of women working in nail salons has reached critical mass. It’s time to get help.

A multiagency task force will be formed to inspect every salon and provide rules and instructions for protecting nail technicians and manicurists from the dangerous chemicals in nail products. Governor Cuomo has also ordered that an educational campaign be initiated in six languages to make sure that every worker understands and knows their rights.

Apparently, many salons are guilty of not paying workers back wages. Many are unlicensed. These salons will be shut down. The New York Times recently investigated the exploitation of salon workers and their illnesses that are likely caused by the chemicals they work with as well as wage theft.

The new plan in New York State includes posting signs with workers’ rights, including the illegality of working without being paid.

Other measures in the plan include requiring manicurists to wear gloves. This will minimize their exposure to skin infections, warts, or chemical burns. Masks are currently worn in many salons, but they don’t protect the manicurists from the exposure to the fumes from the chemicals. These fumes have been linked to birth defects and leukemia. There may be a new type of mask required. Ventilation will also be inspected for proper reduction of fumes.

The NYS State Health Department will study the industry and make recommendations for the implementation and utilization of effective safety practices.

Salons will also be required to be bonded so that workers are paid their appropriate wages.

NYS is treating this as an emergency situation. They are rapidly responding the abuse in the nail salon industry. Workers, regardless of immigration status, will be assisted during the process. The task force will draw on the resources of several NYS agencies to help find the fastest way to put effective measures into place.

Meanwhile, if you go to a salon, ask about the treatment of the workers. Look at the ventilation. Feel free to ask questions. Even if you don’t live in NY, it’s likely your nail salon is suffering from some violations of workers’ rights. It’s time to fix up this growing industry that we take for granted. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want someone to suffer physically, economically, and medically so that my nails look good.