| In This Issue: 1. Share Tips for Sandy's Victims 2. Artists Brag on Facebook 3. Meet Me in Des Moines Nov. 15 4. Hound Video of the Week 1. Share Tips for Sandy's Victims Publicity Hounds everywhere have expertise that can be shared this week to help victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Here are some examples of what others are doing: --Natural disasters bring out the scam artists and phony charities. The Better Business Bureau has published a list of six tips that will help you decide where to direct donations to help hurricane victims. --The BBB also has a very helpful Q&A list about what to do if your flight has been canceled, and other transportation topics. --The Red Cross is reminding people to donate blood. Almost 100 Red Cross blood drives have already been canceled due to the storm, and there could be more as the week goes on. --Bloggers like Dianna Dilworth are explaining how to connect your phone to Twitter for emergency communications. See her tips here. --If you're on Twitter or Facebook, share tips and helpful articles like how to know if water is safe to drink, what to do to stay safe if you're returning to a house that's been flooded. --The New York Times has a state-by-state guide to Hurricane Sandy. Lots of helpful tips, tweets and links here Share them. --Insurance companies, tell people exactly what to do to file claims, like documenting damage with photos and written repair estimates. --Hardware stores as far west as Ohio are reporting a run on flashlights, batteries and generators. Where else are these emergency necessities available? --Schools along the East Coast are closed. Bloggers, share tips on how to keep kids occupied at home, especially in areas where it still isn't safe to go outside. Some of these also make great fodder for a Pinterest board. What tip do you have that can help someone in need? 2. Artists Brag on Facebook Publicity Hound Alyson Stanfield saw my tip in Saturday's newsletter about promoting your Facebook page by inviting people to c'mon over and brag about something. So the art business coach encouraged her 7,738 fans to brag about the one accomplishment they were proudest of from last week. That simple invitation resulted in 80 comments! You can see them all here. Why is this such a big deal? Because the more people who Like, Comment and Share on your Page, the more people see your status updates in their feeds. And the more people who see your status updates, the more Likes, Comments and Shares you'll get. It's like a snowball rolling downhill. Letting people brag is just one of 35 tips I'll be sharing during the webinar "35 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Facebook Page." Many of these ideas are things you do just once, and drive traffic forever. **Important Note: I've rescheduled this webinar from 4 p.m. Eastern Time this Thursday, Nov. 1, to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Nov. 8, because of the hurricane. Register here 3. Meet Me in Des Moines Nov. 15 If you're near Des Moines, Iowa, don't miss my two presentations for the Central Iowa Public Relations Society of America on Thursday, Nov. 15: --"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Thousands of Dollars in Free Publicity from Traditional and Online Media" in the morning. --"7 LinkedIn Power Tools to Connect with Journalists" at lunch. Register at http://www.prsaciowa.org/. Need a speaker for your PRSA group, Meetup group or industry conference? Call 262-284-7451 to check my availability. 4. Hound Video of the Week It's the first swim for the Labradoodle puppies, part of Animal Planet's "Too Cute" series. You'll have to endure a commercial before the video plays, but it'll be worth it. Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes, perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few good laughs. Permission to Reprint: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph: Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release." If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues. ![](http://www.publicityhound.org/ezine/joan2.jpg) | Joan Stewart The Publicity Hound | | |