If I work harder, then I’ll be successful. If I’m successful, then I’ll be happy, right?

In this recent Tedx Bloomington talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that this approach leads to an opposite outcome: a fixation on competition, workload, hassles, stresses and complaints. In the midst of an economic downturn, the stresses can compound themselves into a burnout abyss, unless we can change the lens through which we view the world and raise positivity in the present.

Small changes create ripples outward – and a little extra dopamine in the brain, which in turn creates improved energy, intelligence, productivity and even sales outcomes. In fact, Achor says, in a study that reversed the work-for-happiness formula with employees, every single business outcome improved.

Here are some recommended methods to train your brain to work more optimistically and successfully:

• 3 Gratitudes: For 21 days, write down or take snap shots of three new things for which you are grateful and see how the habit actually attracts more of those positive connections. Check out http://365grateful.com/ for some creative inspiration.

• Journaling: Every day, write in your journal or create a flickr photo journal about one positive thing that happened to you, allowing your brain to relive the moments in writing or imagery. For more journaling ideas, go to http://www.writingthroughlife.com/.

• Exercise: Daily exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters, releases endorphins. Yoga is one of the most portable and uplifting forms of exercise out there. Yoga Journal has a great library of videos and home practice guides from beginner to advanced levels.

• Meditation: Finding time in each day to unplug and get over our attention deficit in a multi-tasking world allows better focus on the task at hand. Got a moment? Perfect timing. Try this one-moment meditation video for a quick intro.

• Random Acts of Kindness: Every day, write one positive email or post praising someone in your work, personal or online social network… or here’s a list of 29 more ways to carry out random acts of kindness everyday.

What do you do to reverse the formula of happiness and success? The path you choose can create a revolution in the way we approach life, work and what we receive in return.

Everybody loves Starbucks and Facebook! Check out how Starbucks‘ is leveraging Facebook to create a fun one-to-one social media campaign for their rewards card. A shout out and a free eGift card is a great way to boost your Facebook presence…

View Starbucks Facebook page

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and time for some great football! We really don’t care who wins (Not… Go Patriots!) but we sure do care about those great commercials.

Take a trip down memory lane and watch the best commercials from the 2011 Super Bowl.

View the 2011 Super Bowl Commercials

You can never have enough reminders! Start 2012 out right and refresh your mind on the keys to success with your Twitter account. Dallas Lawrence doe a great job highlighting what you need to know in his Mashable article, 6 Tips for Handling Crises on Twitter. Here is an excerpt from his article.

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Despite widely discussed and accepted social media best practices, many of the most significant crisis poster children of 2011 failed to deploy the basic digital tactics necessary to cauterize potential threats before they metastasized into full-blown reputational disasters.

Some may be tempted to fault the dizzying speed of digital change for the current sad state of crisis preparedness, but the reality is that the basic rules of effective communications have not changed for generations.

From Gutenburg to Zuckerberg, the principles of sincerity, transparency, accuracy and speed still largely determine success or failure in the court of public opinion. What has changed – and what will continue to evolve over time — are the platforms that we use to communicate these principles. No platform in 2011 had a more profound impact on crisis awareness and response than Twitter.

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Read the full article

Still putting together your resolutions for the New Year? Check out these great tips by TO-FU Motion Graphics to clear the mental fog and keep the creative juices flowing. We’re spending the next few days cleaning inboxes and clearing our minds in prep for a prosperous, creative, and adventurous 2012!

Hope these 29 tips hit the spot for you and inspire more awesomeness in your world!  Happy New Year!

After three years, Google is finally making headway with its popular web browser. Last month, Chrome, passed FireFox as the second most popular browser behind Internet Explorer.

Here is an excerpt from Doug Gross’ article, Could Chrome Overtake Internet Explorer in the Browser Wars?.

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According to Web analytics firm StatCounter, the most popular version of Google’s browser, Chrome 15, edged out Internet Explorer 8 in early December to become the world’s most used edition of a browser. (For those keeping score, the totals were 23.6% of worldwide browser usage compared to IE8′s 23.5%.)

When all versions are considered, Chrome accounted for more than 27% of all worldwide browser use at the beginning of December, an increase of about 1.5% over the previous month. That’s compared to about 37% for Internet Explorer, which dropped 2% from November, according to StatCounter.

Now in third place, Firefox remained mostly steady with about 25% of the browser market. Trailing far behind is Apple’s Safari, with about 6%.

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Read the full article

The Parallel team hopes you had a fantastic holiday season and a joyous New Year! We are back from our extended holiday vacation and are working on some great new articles to share with you. Stay tuned for more great articles in 2012!

So now that we’ve extolled the virtues of brand journalism, you’ve decided it’s time to make your debut. Best tip we can give is to start small and gradually add to your new media venture as your audience – and your confidence – grows. Don’t expect perfection or immediate notoriety. The process of building your audience and making an impact takes time. Every budding journalist has to take those first baby steps and stumble a bit along the way. But here are a few strategy points that will help keep you in the running without falling flat on your face.

Feature Editorial Calendar

The worst mistake most companies make in the blogosphere is lack of planning. Think like an editor and plan your feature editorial calendar for at least 6 months to a year in advance. Start by filling in your calendar with anticipated holiday sales spikes, seasonal products or services, or any other consumer shifts you can predict in advance. Work with your sales and marketing team to plan features that coincide with campaigns, but remember to leave the sales pitch at the door. Beware of stories that aim to promote your brand at the expense of value added information. Instead, include a healthy rotation of do-it-yourself “how to” tips, lifestyle articles and expert interviews that give consumers helpful advice that maximizes their experience with your product and establishes you as the go-to resource. You may also include non-product related features that support causes important to your company and consumers. What publications and blogs do you read? Follow their lead!

News Reporting

Timeliness is golden when competing for attention in the Twitter stream. Budget extra time in your calendar to post commentaries on breaking industry news, review new products or interview experts who can give insight into hot button topics affecting your industry and consumers.

Editorial Team

Choose your editorial team wisely. Hire freelance writers with a nose for news. These may be your existing public relations team members who have good journalistic backgrounds – if they have the ability to deprogram themselves from hollow press release language. Or you may choose to hire reporters who formerly covered your industry beat with local newspapers or trade publications. As publications shrink due to the economic crunch, many writers are looking for work within the industries they’ve covered. These reporters can deliver credibility and an instant flock of followers already invested in your beat.

Mixed Media

You don’t have to be bound to the keyboard to get your message out there. Choose a platform that allows you to diversify your blog posts with custom YouTube videos (check out Best Buy’s YouTube channel, click Technology Solutions), live video stream or post photos from industry events (try Twitpic.com for posts or UStream.tv for live streaming), or launch your own BlogRadio show. Whatever medium you feel most comfortable with – use it to your advantage! Start with elements easiest to access. If you’re a knockout public speaker, tape a video blog (aka vlog) or upload excerpts from a recent speech. Give your audience a variety of ways to hear your message and pass it on.

Once you’ve set the stage and done your homework, it’s time to start producing killer content. Take it easy. Don’t try to do everything at once, but schedule consistent, quality posts that build a steady audience and keeps them coming back for more.

Stay tuned for more tips on launching brand-related content that counts.

Have you recently ventured into brand journalism? What’s been your greatest challenge getting started? Any successes stories to share? Let us hear from you and keep the movement going strong!

I remember the days when I obsessively practiced a 30 second pitch – sometimes for hours – before calling the ONE person in the world who could make or break my client’s story. If I didn’t capture the interest of that one Associated Press or New York Times editor, the story would be dead in the water. That one gatekeeper controlled whether millions or just a measly few would see the news we had to present – be it breaking medical news or a new product intro.

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Today, thanks to the Internet, the rules have changed and the flood gates have opened to a different way of sharing information that’s available to EVERYone, without requiring a stamp of approval from a dinosaur media monarchy. Brand journalism or sponsored content gives companies and individuals the opportunity to share news and establish themselves as industry thought leaders in a direct, honest, impactful relationship with consumers. Who better to report on industry news or give consumer tips than experts who actually work in the industry?

Is Sponsored Content Quasi Journalism?

Some (mostly die hard traditional media pros) have argued that brand journalism is dangerous, that it takes the objective oversight out of the news stream. Hmmm…  Any PR pro who’s worked in the industry long enough knows that a company who buys full page ads in a publication is much more likely to have a positive reception when pitching news to editors than those who don’t advertise. Ads don’t guarantee coverage, but truth is, there is a very thin veneer separating advertising and editorial in traditional media – that’s always been the case. It’s especially true today when media sales have taken a dramatic dive and sales reps and editors are desperately bargaining to keep their outlets – and their jobs – above water. So I don’t buy that traditional media has a deeper, unadulterated grasp on the quest for truth than any other blogger out there – sponsored or not. And by the way, New York Times is a brand and so is CNN and Wall Street Journal. They’re all selling ads and subscriptions to validate their ad rates.

Keeping it Real

Brand journalists make no pretense about their mutually beneficial relationships with readers. At its best, brand journalism is a transparent platform that invites consumers to participate in the discussion and make their own decisions about the validity of information being presented. But there is one major caveat that mustn’t be ignored: If you’re going to ‘act’ like a journalist, leave the sales pitch at the door. “These people are not easily fooled, they hate crappy content, and they tune out traditional advertising,” says Kyle Monson, former tech journalist and editor at PC Magazine, in his article, “Dispelling the Darkness with Brand Journalism.” “It’s tough to reach them, but brands can do so by being real, addressing their information needs, and maintaining relevance in a real-time world.”

We all have an opinion or an agenda because we’re human, and our opinions influence the evidence we present. But the critical balance of opinion and fact will always be the barometer that separates good content from trash.

For more information on brand journalism and case studies, check out these links:

“Is Branded Journalism Still Journalism?” – Social Times, guest post by Amanda Cosco, content manager and head of social media at CRESCENT.

“The Force Behind Successful Brand Journalism” – Social Media Observatory, guest post by Todd Blecher, communications director, The Boeing Company.

“Dispelling the Darkness with Brand Journalism” – @BrianSolis Blog, guest post by Kyle Monson, former technology journalist and editor at PC Magazine, content strategy director at J. Walter Thompson.

“Will Brand Journalism Replace Public Relations?” – Positive Disruption Blog by Tom Martin, Ad Age contributor and founder of Converse Digital.

What do you think?

Can a sponsored journalist present information in a way that doesn’t compromise journalistic integrity? Are consumers being duped or are they being given the freedom to choose from a wider variety of industry leader opinions?