GordonsGuide.com Launches Educational Travel Category

Adventure Travelers Show Growing Interest in Learning and Education

FRESNO, Calif., Aug. 17, 2006 — Gordon’s Guide – Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide, the leading publisher in adventure and active travel, has launched its newest travel category — Educational Travel — at http://www.GordonsGuide.com. The site offers 10,000 trips to 3,000 destinations in 126 countries, for vacationers of all ages, making it the largest online marketplace for adventure and active travel.

"More and more travelers are incorporating education and learning into their vacation experience, such as learning a new language abroad," said Timothy E. Gordon, founder and CEO. "We are seeing more families scrapping traditional travel plans for more meaningful and interactive vacations. This trend will continue as more vacation providers accommodate the growing demand so this category will expand. Whatever the trends may be, adventure and active travelers will find what they’re looking for at GordonsGuide.com."

As part of the Educational Travel category, travelers can choose to learn about the world of art from Art History Abroad, where instructors teach on site and expose travelers to the many beautiful treasures of Italy and London. For those desiring to learn a new language and cultural immersion, Languages Abroad, a leading language-travel organization, offers to teach 30 languages in 50 countries with a variety of travel options and programs to suit travelers needs.

Additional categories at GordonsGuide.com include archeological tours, eco-tourism, culinary vacations, safaris and special interest travel categories such as family camps, women’s travel and corporate team building adventures. The site also offers dude ranches, heli-skiing, ATV vacations, houseboating, surfing camps, whitewater rafting and four and five-star resorts and unique retreats worldwide.

GordonsGuide.com is designed to help active travelers easily research adventure vacations, comparison shop and communicate directly with vacation providers worldwide to ask questions and learn of trip availability via electronic requests. Travelers can navigate quickly through the site and find exactly what they are looking for without encountering frustrating, dead-end or irrelevant searches. Once travelers find their ideal vacation, they can click on direct links to vacation providers to book trips.

About the Company

Founded in 1997, Gordon’s Guide – Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide is a leading publishing company focusing on one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Based in Fresno, California, the company publishes highly regarded magazine-style travel guides and an award-winning website, GordonsGuide.com, the premier information resource for active travelers, offering the finest adventure and active vacations from around the world. Gordon’s Guide has partnered with premier vacation providers and resorts such as O.A.R.S., GAP Adventures, Dean Cummings H2O Heli Guides, Intrepid Travel, Backroads, Fairmont, Vail Resorts, Hilton Caribbean, Forever Resorts, Intrawest, ARAMARK Parks and Resorts and Delaware North just to mention a few of the vacation providers on the site. Forbes Magazine has awarded GordonsGuide.com "Best of the Web" for seven straight years.

10,000 Trips, 3,000 Destinations, 126 Countries – 1 Web Site.

Media Contact:
Hilda Martinez
Gordon’s Guide – Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide
Email
[phone] ext. 128
http://www.GordonsGuide.com

# # #

 

 

                                                 TEXT 3

Read the text below and speak on the grammar and vocabulary peculiarities of headline English:

                     THE PECULIARITIES OF HEADLINES

Headlines of press releases give the editor in the shortest possible way a good idea of what they contain. These headlines have to convey information concisely, and long words are only a nuisance.

How is it possible to compose short, snappy headlines which are, at the same time, immediately comprehensible?

One obvious way is to cut down the names of prominent people, another feature is the replacement of adjectives by nouns, because the latter are shorter.

One may also meet a headline which contains several nouns jammed together, for example, “Smoking Report Outcry Clash”. This would refer to the report made into the dangers to health caused by smoking. The verdict of the doctors has caused alarm; and the tobacco trade is challenging the verdict. The whole thing is thus confined in the four words in the headline.

Another habit is to use abbreviated names of organizations and institutions.

Also quite old-fashioned words may be employed because they are short.

In terms of grammar certain rules also need to be followed. Articles are frequently omitted in headlines to save space. Complicated tense forms are advisable to avoid. Thus, Present Prefect Passive, for instance, is usually contracted to a Past Participle form, so instead of writing “ have been launched ” it is better to put it as “ launched ”. To speak of some plans and forthcoming events it is more desirable to substitute such long forms as Present Continuous or to be going to do something by the full infinitive form. So, instead of writing “ The company is planning/is going to open a new subsidiary ” it is more preferable to write “ Company to open new subsidiary ”. Present Simple is considered a better option than the past even despite the fact that this or that event happened some time ago. In this way the information mentioned in a press release becomes more up-to-date and sounds more convincing. So, the variant “ CEO speaks of company’s plans… ” is more frequently employed.

Here are samples of newspaper headlines and their explanations. Think of a good creative Russian version of each of these headlines:

Coin-in-slot TV gets go-ahead – a plan under which a television viewer will pay a certain sum of money into a meter attached to his television receiver to enable him to see a film, has been approved by the authorities.

Road toll up on last year – more people were killed or injured on the roads of Britain this year than last year.

Canal boy saved – a boy was rescued from drowning in a canal.

Railways hit – something has happened that affects the railways adversely.

Pledge on poison toys – a promise has been made that paint containing lead will not be used to decorate children’s toys. (A number of children have died of lead-poisoning through licking such toys).

 

Do the exercises on the usage of Headline English:

1. Match the headlines with the appropriate topic:

1) PM Backs Peace Plan

2) MP Spy Drama

3) Space Probe Fails

4) Queen’s Gems Riddle

5) Star Weds

6) Key Witness Death Threat

 

a) Marriage of famous actress

b)  Royal jewels are stolen

c) Person who saw crime in danger

d) Proposal to end war

e) Satellite is not launched

f) Politician sells secrets to enemy

2. Read the following headlines. What do you think the stories might be about? Which of these stories would you be interested in?

1) MOVE TO CREATE MORE JOBS

2) GO-AHEAD FOR WATER CURBS

3) WOMAN QUITS AFTER JOB ORDEAL

4) POLL PROBES SPENDING HABITS

5)  BID TO OUST PM

6) PRINCE VOWS TO BACK FAMILY

7) MOSCOW BLAST TERROR

8) PM TO REVEAL SOCCER LOUT PLANS

9) TOP MP IN LONE BATTLE

10) CRACKDOWN ON PORN

11) THUGS BESIEGE TEEN STAR

12) COPS TARGET LOUTS

13) TEENAGE $4MLN FRAUD RIDDLE

14) ROYAL FAMILY QUITS

15) WOMEN BARRED FROM JOBS

3. Match the headline to its story and explain the play on words in each case:

1) Bad Blood

2) Happy Days?

3) Shell-Shocked

4) False Impressions

5) Happy Haunting

6) Hopping Mad

7) Highly Embarrassed

8) Round-Up

 

a) A grandfather’s breathing problems were solved when doctors found four false teeth at the entrance to his lungs. They had been forced down his windpipe in a car crash eight years ago.

b) A 25-year-old terrapin is being treated for a fractured shell after surviving a 200ft drop.

c) A Shetland teacher has suggested Labradors or Golden Retrievers could be used to control pupils in playgrounds.

d) A ghost society has been told not to scare off a friendly female apparition at a hotel.

e) Adults who have never quite grown up are to be offered school theme nights including uniforms, register, assembly and primary school dinners by a Nottingham hotel.

f) A Whitby curate has attacked the resort’s attempts to profit on his connections with Dracula: “a pale-faced man with a bad sense of fashion, severe dental problems and an eating disorder.”

g) A toad triggered a police alert when it set off a new hi-tech alarm system.

h) Firemen had to scale a 30-foot tree in St Leonard’s, East Sussex, to rescue a man who was trying to capture his pet iguana.

 

                            TEXT 4

Translate this text from Russian into English:

Пресс- релиз - информационное сообщение, содержащее в себе новость об организации, выпустившей пресс-релиз, изложение её позиции по какому-либо вопросу и передаваемое для публикации в СМИ. Как правило, пресс релиз содержит официальную позицию организации в виде реакции на тот или иной информационный повод.

Первый пресс-релиз в истории был выпущен 30 октября 1906 года «отцом» современного PR Айви Ли

(Ivy Lee) и связан с достаточно трагичным происшествием на железной дороге Пенсильвании.

Пресс-релиз является главным PR-документом в любой организации. Пресс-релиз позволяет организации информировать СМИ о важных событиях, произошедших в организации и являющихся интересными или необходимыми для освещения их широкой общественности и/или конкретной целевой аудитории. Пресс-релизы распространяются среди журналистов на брифингах и пресс-конференциях, либо рассылаются через средства связи.

Пресс-релиз стоит писать, если есть действительно интересная новость, иначе, скорее всего, неинформативный и ненужный пресс-релиз журналистами будет оставлен без внимания, а работа над таким пресс-релизом окажется бессмысленной. Чтобы материал пресс-релиза был напечатан в целевых СМИ, желательно, чтобы он отвечал следующим правилам:

· информация пресс-релиза должна быть интересна и нужна аудитории того издания, куда направляется пресс-релиз;

· информация должна быть актуальной, злободневной, содержать новые факты, итоги, справочную статистику;

· информация должна быть удобной для восприятия читателями, общественно значимой;

· информация должна быть «свежей» — о событии, произошедшем сегодня, в крайнем случае - вчера, либо ожидающемся в ближайшем будущем;

· удачно, если в пресс-релизе присутствуют слова наиболее авторитетных экспертов в предмете, одного или нескольких лидеров мнений (ньюсмейкеров) на данную тему.

Чем лучше и точнее пресс-релиз отвечает вышеприведённым правилам, тем более вероятно, что его опубликуют в прессе или используют при подготовке материала для печати, а не выкинут в корзину. Если организация раз за разом будет присылать неинформативные пресс-релизы, то о других материалах, исходящих из той же организации, у журналистов сложится негативное мнение.

Самым распространённым методом написания пресс-релиза является привязка новости к конкретному знаковому событию либо к дате. Это может быть день рождения компании, День 100-го покупателя, День 100-дневного существования фирмы и т. д. Весьма эффективно, когда распространение пресс-релиза сопровождается контактами с журналистами, отвечающими за использование этого пресс-релиза в СМИ.

Заголовок и лид

пресс-релиза являются наиболее важными во всём этом документе. Именно по первым строчкам журналист определяет, интересна ли данная новость его изданию или её можно выбросить. Поэтому заголовок должен быть ярким, чтобы максимально заинтересовать любого, кто его начнёт читать. Лид — это первый абзац. Он должен состоять из одного предложения, в котором кратко излагается суть новости (события и т. п.). Здесь важно указать информацию в следующем порядке: кто является участником произошедшего события, что за событие, когда и где оно произошло или произойдёт, почему оно произошло и как оно произошло.

Пресс-релизы бывают нескольких разновидностей:

· Пресс-релиз-анонс — информация в таком пресс-релизе сообщает о событии, которое только должно произойти. Вовремя разосланный, такой пресс-релиз обеспечит присутствие представителей прессы на событии. Помимо изложения сути предстоящего события в этом пресс-релизе можно дать соответствующую предысторию этого события, которая поможет заинтересовать прессу.

· Пресс-релиз-новость (ньюс-релиз) — несёт в себе информацию об уже свершившемся событии. Здесь можно добавить и краткие комментарии действующих или заинтересованных лиц.

· Информационный пресс-релиз — информирует о текущем, ещё не завершённом событии. В этом пресс-релизе даётся только отчёт о текущих изменениях или новом повороте событий, предполагая, что суть этого события уже известна.

Пресс-релиз не должен содержать оценочных данных или информации рекламного характера, он должен быть небольшим по объему (не больше двух страниц) и содержать в себе информацию только об одной единственной новости.

Choose any of the headlines and write a press release of your own:

1. INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA TO BE HELD

2. PROM NIGHT SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTYS PUBLISHED

3. COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS ON SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF HIGHR EDUCATION

4. CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION IS EVERYONE’S JOB

5. MAXIMIZING THE POTENTIAL OF YOUTH POLICY IS GOVERNMENT STRATEGY

Go over all the information contained in this unit and be ready to speak on these topics:

1. The structure of a typical press release.

2. The list of DOs and DON’Ts in writing press releases.

3. The peculiarities of making headlines for press releases.  

                           UNIT 9

PLANNING IN PUBLIC RELATIONS

                               TEXT 1

                                                DEVELOPING A PR PLAN

For most businesses, the new year is a time for assessment, goal setting and strategic planning. When it comes to PR, this is the time to set objectives and formulate a clear, defined plan that'll help your business achieve optimum results in the media.

When planning your PR activities for the year, as a general rule, consider the full year ahead, plan for six months, and expect to revise after three months. Like most business activities, PR requires flexibility and a recognition that things will change over time. However, there are a number of factors that'll make a measurable difference to your company's success if you take them into account at this early stage.

 

Assess & Plan
First, review the past year in terms of PR activity. If your business received media attention last year, review the resulting coverage with an analytical eye. Determine the angles and pitches that worked well and resulted in positive coverage. Take note of which journalists reported in your favor and which didn't. Look at the overall amount of positive, negative or neutral coverage you received. If you subscribed to a media measurement service, assess the results of your campaigns and, if possible, compare your progress against your competitors.

Next, consider your overall business objectives, and use these as a basis for developing your key media messages. Make sure that what you say and how you say it reflects what you're trying to achieve. Your messages will form the backbone of your communication activity for the year.

Finally, develop a plan of attack. Review your business plan through the eyes of a journalist--what would be of interest to your customers or investors? Identify potential media opportunities that could occur during the year, such as product launches, expansion activities and new service offerings, and develop a calendar that lists the events. If you can, try to organize major news events to create the most buzz. For instance, if your company is introducing a new line of beach apparel, time the launch in the spring to coincide with warming temperatures.

Always remember to put your goals and objectives in writing so you can refer back to them throughout the year and evaluate your success.

 

Tools & Tactics
Once you've sketched out your plans for the year, it's time to consider the activities that'll enable you to achieve your objectives.

 

· Establish a news release calendar to plan out the news releases you intend to issue throughout the year. You may need to revise this calendar as you move through the year, but it'll give you some initial structure to adhere to and help you stay focused on generating news.

· Media outreach in the form of pitching reporters and placing articles is still the essence of PR, and the foundation for any PR program is a solid media list. Before engaging in any PR activities, take the time to carefully research and build a database of key reporters. Your list should contain the contact details of the publications and journalists that pertain to your industry and be organized according to how valuable each is in terms of reaching your target audience.

Once you've created a list, schedule time on your calendar for media outreach. Contact each reporter individually to introduce yourself and to arrange informal meetings where you can discuss the outlook for your company and industry.

· Publications' editorial calendars offer an excellent vehicle for planning media exposure. Researching them will enable you to identify opportunities to offer yourself as an expert source, contribute an article or even suggest a feature on your company. Once you've set your list of targets, begin contacting them as soon as possible. Most editorial outlets have deadlines several months ahead of their publication dates. Pay careful attention to the closing dates, or you'll risk losing out on the opportunity.

· Contributed or "bylined" articles can be an excellent way to generate exposure and establish yourself as an industry expert. Research magazines, newspapers and websites to find those outlets that are open to such articles, then contact the editor to propose a topic. Remember to make sure the focus of the media outlet is in sync with your business objectives and the article contains your key messages.

· Case studies are very attractive to the media because they offer a tangible, real-world example of the benefits of your product or service. The challenge with developing case studies is they require active customer participation. So talk to your clients and ask them if you can report on their successes. While this'll require your customers to share their "war stories," it offers them--and you--a chance to shine.

· Speaking opportunities offer another avenue for generating exposure. When planning your PR activities for the year, research conferences, trade shows and webinars for opportunities to nominate yourself as a keynote speaker or a member of a panel discussion. The value in securing such engagements can be tremendous, especially for a growing business; however, they also require vigilant planning because most speaking opportunities are finalized several months in advance.

· Blogs and social media have grown in popularity as communications tools because they offer a way to have an active discussion with a motivated audience. When considering PR tactics, don't forget to research the blogs that relate to your industry and get to know the styles and personalities of their authors. Technorati, the leading blog search engine, is a great place to start. A presence in the blogosphere can add to your company's perception as a thought leader. But remember, all material published on a blog is open to a wide audience and can initiate a line of discussion that may not always jive with your point of view.

If you want to launch your own blog, there are free tools, such as Blogger and Blog.com, that enable you to do this easily. When it's all set up, make sure it gets listed on Technorati.

The internet also contains a number of social media networks such as del.icio.us and Digg. These networks are used to store and share content and information--like articles--among members. Additionally, if you have video content that you'd like to share with a consumer audience, you should familiarize yourself with video sharing sites such as YouTube and Metacafe.

· Crisis planning is also an essential part of your business's PR plan. This should include all possible negative scenarios and the appropriate responses to them. Ensure that other members of your business are aware of crisis procedures, and take time to do a test run to help iron out any inconsistencies or holes in your plan.

Planning your PR strategy now will not only help generate new ideas and opportunities for you and your business to shine, it'll give you peace of mind in your day-to-day operations. While PR plans are always subject to change, planning ahead will enable you to stick to your overall goals and maintain your focus.

 

 

                           VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following:

что касается (когда дело доходит до), ставить цели, на год вперед, гибкость, с точки зрения (относительно), освещение в СМИ, подписаться на, убедиться (удостовериться), суть, запуск продукции, создать шумиху, совпадать, набросать план, придерживаться, иметь отношение к, редактор, синхронно, ощутимый (реальный, ясный), неусыпный (бдительный), несогласованность (несоответствие), подлежать (подвергаться)

 

2. Explain what these words combinations mean by using more comprehensible vocabulary:

1. determine the angles and pitches that worked well

2. a media measurement service

3. media outreach

4. pitching reporters

5. the outlook for your company

6. an excellent vehicle for planning media exposure

7. suggest a feature on your company

8. editorial outlets

9. it offers them a chance to shine

10. your company’s perception as a thought leader

11. may not always jive with your point of view

12. take time to do a test run to iron out holes in your plan

 

3. Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary:

1. _____ a rule

2. to make a difference _____ smth.

3. to take _____ account

4. to result _____

5. to take note _____

6. _____ favor

7. to compare _____

8. to be _____ interest

9. _____ instance

10. _____ writing

11. to refer _____

12. to be focused _____

13. to be engaged _____

14. to contact _____

15. to grow _____ popularity

16. to relate _____

17. to familiarize_____

18. response _____

 

 

4.  Explain the difference in the use of the following words:

require-demand, a number of-the number of, company-campaign, case-business-matter-affair, occur-happen, offer-suggest-propose, share-divide-separate, script-scenario, maintain-support

5. Do the active vocabulary quiz:

Translate the following sentences into English using the active vocabulary:

1. Когда дело доходит до принятия серьезных решений, он старается переложить ответственность на других.

2. Компания поставила перед собой цель увеличить прибыль на 30% по сравнению с показателями прошлого года.

3. Как правило, планирование в PR осуществляется на год вперед, а потом уточнения вносятся каждые несколько месяцев.

4. С точки зрения отношений с прессой, специалисту по связям с общественностью нужно проявлять гибкость для достижения взаимовыгодного сотрудничества.

5. Это событие привлекло внимание общественности, а также было широко освещено в СМИ.

6. При запуске нового продукта часто нужно создать шумиху, чтобы привлечь внимание потенциальных потребителей.

7. Суть проблемы состоит в том, что сотрудники не действовали синхронно, что привело к несогласованности их действий и потере драгоценного времени.

8. «Прежде чем подписываться на такое количество журналов, убедись, что у тебя будет достаточно времени, чтобы все их прочитать», - сказал мне муж.

9. Сначала каждый из нас набросает первоначальный план действий, потом мы проверим, какие пункты совпадают, и будем в дальнейшем их придерживаться.

10. Редактор объяснил репортеру, что его статья должна подвергнуться ряду ощутимых изменений и попросил его быть более бдительным в процессе сбора информации.

Explain the meaning of these phrases:

media outreach, to pitch journalists, media exposure, a feature article, a media (editorial) outlet

Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary:

to take _____ account, _____ favor, to compare _____, _____ instance, _____ writing, to contact _____, to familiarize _____, to be focused _____, to grow _____ popularity, to relate _____, to make a difference _____, to refer _____, response _____, _____ a rule

Fill in the gaps with the highlighted words given below: