Writing letters to "outer space"!

Business communication takes many forms. Consider writing a letter and sending it off the planet!
Here is a copy of an e-mail sent today by White House Director of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. John Holden:

Photo: NASA

Hi, everyone --

In January, President Obama wished NASA astronaut Scott Kelly good luck as Commander Kelly prepared to leave the Earth in March on the first one-year mission on the International Space Station (ISS).

Now, it's your turn: Commander Kelly is nearing the halfway point of this historic mission. Kelly and his one-year crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, will spend 342 total days in space. Send your well-wishes here -- and we'll work with NASA to deliver the message.

Here's why this is such a big deal:

Most expeditions on the ISS last four to six months. By embarking on a longer journey, Kelly and Kornienko are providing researchers an unprecedented opportunity to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long-duration spaceflight.

Scott's identical twin, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, is also participating in a series of comparative studies here on Earth. This knowledge is critical as NASA looks toward human journeys deeper into the solar system -- including to and from Mars-that could last 500 days or longer. Researchers may also be able to apply this knowledge to help humans who stay here on Earth, from helping patients recover from long periods of bed rest to improving monitoring for people whose bodies are unable to fight infections.

Send your best wishes to Scott and Mikhail for their next six months in space, and join us in supporting this journey 250 miles above the Earth to inspire and benefit those who remain on it!

We'll be in touch with updates --

John

Dr. John P. Holdren
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
The White House
@whitehouseostp

Social Media in Action

We all hear about social media and its uses in business, but do you know some of the concrete commercial uses of these tools? Check out this BLOG by Savannah Collins that describes 10 top brands using a few social media tools to their advantage. (image from SMI)

Litigation and gag orders

Sometimes when businesses want to keep information from getting to the public, they will issue a gag order as part of a litigation decision. Read the attached article and decide how this media may impact the company's decision--both short and long term.

Children given lifelong gag order

Formal Resignation Letter

Optional vehicle for transmitting your resignation!

Old messages never die

For better or worse, what one says to the media is no longer safe in the archives of library basements. The Internet is the world's archive. Today, I was looking for an old program online from a presentation I gave in Guilin, China about 8 years ago. Instead, I found a citation I'd given to a magazine editor years ago. It seems that parts of that article has been cut and pasted so many times that it it barely recognized for its original source. See if you can figure out where the material actually got its start! I found pieces of the original HERE.

Research interview techniques

Madelon Eelderink is a researcher from the Netherlands who also works in the African continent, particularly in Uganda. Here is an informal "lecture" on research interviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64LfzIUNpLs

Worst cover letters ever?

As I read some of these letters, I find myself empathizing with a few of the writers. They mean well. Perhaps they are really beaten down in their jobs. Unfortunately, their correspondence reveals a bit too much!

Read this "Bottom 10" list from Business Insider.