Sunday, July 31, 2011

Gleaning Business Intel from Social Media

It seems like social media has exploded over the last few years, yet there are many businesses that aren’t quite sure how to use it as a benefit. They’ve tinkered with coupons, giveaways and sign-ups. They’ve even asked people to like their page or follow them on Twitter. Although they’ve tried these different strategies, they still aren’t seeing the great results that they’ve heard others talk about. Social media is not a quick sales fix, it’s about communication. More importantly, communicating with your audience.

Many businesses fail to use social media as a communication tool to connect with their audience. Consumers are willing to give their feedback about a product or service, but someone has to be taking notes. To better utilize social media, ask your target audience to share their opinion about your business product or service. It’s not rocket science, and it could help your business improve an existing product or service. Let’s say for example that a restaurant has recently introduced a new spicy food dish. At first it’s a huge hit, but then the orders for this new dish start to fizzle out and the restaurant owner is wondering why? Instead of discontinuing the dish, the owner starts a social conversation inviting consumers to give their feedback. As the feedback comes in, the owner realizes that customers are disappointed because the spicy food dish isn’t that “spicy.” This feedback helps the owner improve the dish and customers are invited to test the improved version. By simply communicating, the restaurant owner has solved the mystery of why the spicy food dish orders fizzled out.

It sounds simple, but businesses can miss out on opportunities if they aren’t listening. In fact, service and product revenue can be increased from simply reading consumer’s social media communications within your community. Let’s say you own a company that services computers. The business is doing well, but you are wondering where improvements can be made. As you read through posted comments and tweets, you notice a recurring theme. Customers want extended hours on weekdays, so that they can drop their computer off on their way to work. In fact, many have changed their weekend plans or haven’t even brought their computer in because your weekday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This forces them to come in during their lunch or rush through traffic to get to your business before close or look elsewhere for help. What’s the solution? Your business shortens up its weekend hours and extends its weekday hours.

Social media can be a great asset to your business, if it’s leveraged correctly. If your business will learn to pay attention, your audience may be providing new ideas and business solutions.

Original article



About Danielle Leitch
MoreVisibility is an Interactive Marketing industry leader and is part of a select group of agencies Google certified in both AdWords and Analytics. We have grown impressively over the past 11 years through a consistent flow of referral based business and are proud to be a six-time INC 500/5000 recipient. Our industry credentials are unparalleled and our commitment to client education and results tracking set us apart. MoreVisibility’s longstanding partnerships with Google, MSN and Yahoo have been instrumental in achieving highly favorable results for our clients. Our relationships with the newer Social Media channels are equally collaborative. The greatest strength of MoreVisibility is our highly skilled and tenured team. Our knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm continue to help our clients make meaningful improvements in the profitability of their online marketing efforts.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Social media background checks: What this means for Gen Y employers

It started out as an April Fools’ joke.

It has been something we as an industry, and as a generational demographic have been aware of in a mythological sense, but now seems to ring true.

Would you agree to a social media search for a job? So many of you would not hand over your Facebook password for a dream job. It’s understandable to say the least.

But where should the line be drawn in terms of public visibility of your online personal and private life?




I suspect most would agree that, to tow the corporate line, one needs to be committed to the company’s ethos, practices and policies that it sets out and expects of its employees and contractors.


(Image via Flickr)

While prospective employers will probably not view dimly upon your Facebook photos of you partying hard and enjoying yourself, they may frown upon forum postings that criticise their company, technologies, or products.

No doubt, if the trail leads to a string of racially inflammatory posts or pictures which depict illegal activity, this will undoubtedly go entirely against you — and you will not make it even as far as the interview stage.

The fact of the matter is that work and one’s personal life are closely entwined, and are not two separate entities. One has an effect on the other; and if your personal life clouds your work judgment, then one should expect a pink slip pretty soon.

But the problem lies in the vetting balance.

The security and intelligence community in particular have their work cut out for themselves.

The Generation Y are so open and frank about so many aspects of their lives, and worst still in the public domain more often than not, it can lead to compromising positions which reflect badly upon employers.

Then again, having said that, though countries around the world have “secret services”, provided this ‘open generation’ of youngsters can keep their mouths shut about operational details and state secrets, then there shouldn’t be too much to worry about.

Managers, as those who make recruitment decisions, need to recognise that the world of work has changed since they were first recruited. There is a greater trail of information, data and footprints of prospective employees today.

I, for one, would probably never be allowed through the doors of One Infinite Loop or on Microsoft’s Redmond campus with half of the things I have said about the two companies.

Recruiters need to take a more open and liberal attitude to Generation Y misgivings. Sure, privacy nowadays is a fluid and flexible notion, but one has to be aware of their online presence and the image they are portraying of themselves to not only the world, but also prospective employers.

While we are an ‘open generation’, the other side to this — the employment side — needs to adjust accordingly to accommodate this cultural shift.

By Zack Whittaker
Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a freelance journalist and broadcaster.
Article as it originally appeared on ZDNet

How to Get gain Results with Internet Marketing

The field of Internet marketing has grown into an enormous industry that includes several sub-categories. Below are some quick tips to help you get the results you want to achieve for your own Internet marketin endeavors.

As an Internet marketer, your aim is to make as many sales as possible. Bringing in conversions and turning clicks into cash is the key to your success. But that can only be possible if you convince your prospect about the product you’re promoting. A lot of novice internet marketers fail to do this and therefore end up losing money. You have to show prospective customers the benefits they will obtain if you want them to buy your product. It has little to do with you, your business or the product you are selling. It’s all about valuable potential clients. Clearly stating the benefits is the most efficient way to make prospects understand everything about your product and to convince them to buy. Most people are apprehensive when making a purchase online. Their desire is to make an informed, logical purchase decision. However, there is also a lot of emotion involved, meaning they want to know the benefits they will have rather than the features of the product. What they want is to know what benefits your product offers that makes it a good buy. If you are open about this and show them every benefit, it automatically increases the chances of getting sales. Whether you are creating articles or sales copy for your site, you need to ensure that your content’s headline features the main benefit while the rest are mentioned in the content.

Your Internet Marketing success could depend on attracting targeted search engine traffic, which is completely free. You can help to improve your rankings by spending some time building some backlinks. Make sure you build backlinks that have a high relevancy to your own site and you’ll see an improvement in your rankings. Over the last few years search engines have enhanced and refined their website ranking systems. There’s no absolutely foolproof way to impress search engines, except for raising your site’s value with high quality backlinks. Try to be sure you establish one-way backlinks and avoid reciprocal links if you can. You can build one-way backlinks using many ways such as commenting on blogs, posting on forums, etc. But the most effective method is to directly ask other websites for a backlink – as simple as that.

Traffic is one of the most important aspects of online marketing.

You can make sales only when you can drive targeted traffic to your offer. Search engines are the best way to drive this traffic. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, then you should be updated with the latest search engine optimization practices and apply them in your business. Learning constantly and improving your SEO knowledge is critical because you will find it extremely helpful. You will find that your profits will increase significantly as your ability to rank sites improves. Internet marketing is rather simple once you learn the basics. Keep these tips in mind as you begin your internet marketing campaign and let them guide you to success.

Original article (as it appeared)

Monday, July 25, 2011

10,000 Subscribers: How a Marketing Blogger Achieved Success

Blogging is one of the most powerful ways to market your company. But only a few of the 156 million people who are publishing blogs achieve a big following.
One is Chris Brown, owner of Marketing Resources & Results, a full-service marketing consulting firm in Northeast Ohio that helps companies attract new customers.
Chris has published the blog Branding & Marketing since 2006. She’s written more than 900 articles on marketing strategy, marketing tactics, branding, social media, and market research. Last week, she reached a major blogging milestone: 10,000 subscribers.
In this interview with Smart Marketing Strategy, Chris shares how she has used blogging to build her marketing agency and offers some lessons from her success.
SMS. You were one of the first marketers to launch a blog. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging to connect with other marketing professionals and learn more about the changing tools in marketing. Blogging – the act of building online publications that are easy to update – is a tremendous marketing tool. Because of my activity at blogging conferences, I’ve connected with thousands of marketing professionals I never would have met without the Internet and the ability to self-publish.
SMS: How has your blog changed over the years?
After trying out several different software platforms, I switched to the WordPress self-hosted platform and in 2009 adopted the Thesis theme. As I got more proficient, the technology of the blog has evolved. I also added video to my blog.
SMS: How do you keep your blog fresh?
I use Google Alerts for keyword phrases to learn about new tools and techniques. I read about 80 blogs in my RSS feeds, maybe 10-15 a day, to stay current. Usually after about 20 to 30 minutes of reading, I have a topic I want to discuss, a common thread between recent bloggers, something in the news, a new website, a new tool, or a change in something we’ve all been using for years. I have a loose editorial calendar so I rotate topics. I promised myself never to start a post, “Sorry it’s been so long since I published, but…” because I see too many bloggers do that. I attend conferences, workshops, and webinars.
SMS: How did you grow such a large subscriber base? Were there pivotal moments when your readership spiked? Or has the growth been gradual?
It’s definitely been gradual with a few big snowballs. The first time I checked the stats, I felt I was so far behind no one would ever notice my blog. Then I started connecting with other bloggers. Leaving comments is a great way to connect. I also like to help new people get started and meet local bloggers in person. I found a few key connecting individuals who helped me and I’ve tried to connect others. Twitter has certainly helped because it’s easy to promote a link to a blog post and even easier for other people to pass it along.
But the most important thing is writing good content. No one subscribes unless they want to come back and read more content.
SMS: How often do you blog?
I prefer 3-4 times a week because it keeps my mind always thinking of the next post.
SMS: What types of posts get the most response?
The most comments usually come from something personal. I try to keep the blog more professional than personal, but sometimes it creeps in. Controversial posts get longer comments. Response depends on the left hand column’s featured posts. People click on what’s on the top left the most.
SMS: What is your audience most interested in reading? 
They like to learn new marketing tools that aren’t too complicated but they can easily apply in their own business. “How tos” and checklists are very popular. They don’t like a lot of negative critiques, nor do they like glowing “Pollyanna”-type reviews of products. Real-life stuff and my honest opinions are usually the most often read posts. 
SMS: How do you promote your blog?
I tweet new posts and have installed a plugin to tweet an encore post daily. I use networked blogs in Facebook to automatically update Facebook with each new post. My website has a link to the blog’s RSS, but I prefer the blog to bring people to the website, not the other way around. When I do speaking and workshops, I suggest that participants visit my blog for PowerPoints, videos, and other information. My e-news spotlights several blog posts, so I use the blog as the hub of my marketing.
SMS: How has blogging helped your business?
After Google, it’s the biggest source of referral traffic to my website. It’s helped me stay current with changes in the marketplace and build credibility about my marketing expertise. The blog is much stronger than any brochure or advertisement. My ability to blog and build community has given me the confidence (and excitement) to embrace new technology.
SMS: What advice do you have for other bloggers?
Figure out what you want to be known for and jump in. Write in first person. Connect with other bloggers and leave comments. Talk to other bloggers. If you want to grow your business, blog about your industry, writing things that would be of interest to potential customers or potential referral sources.
To engage readers, ask questions and have a conversation. To develop great content, research your content, use links to show your sources, be generous with links, and write about what you know. Format your blog so it’s fun to read, with a photo, a strong headline, bullet points, and subheads, and end with a question to make readers think. Final point: Proofread!
Congratulations, Chris, on your success — keep on blogging!

About Jean Gianfagna

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Danger of Charisma

As any PR practitioner knows, it is easy to generate news and reputation for a charismatic leader. The challenge comes when the charismatic leader departs from an organization. Apple is facing this question, apparently, and Steve Jobs is calling the story "hogwash." Apple is in a particularly difficult position because the company is largely seen by its devotees and the financial community as a one-man company. Job's imprint is on every element of its ethos and products. In fact, Apple's future will be ensured only after Job's leaves and both the company and market discover, if they ever do, that he is not essential. Jobs is apparently not making transition easy for his board, and there are accusations that the board is too beholden to him. The proper PR strategy,. of course, is to increase the profile of other Apple executives so there is a comfort in the marketplace about the bench strength of the company. One wonders if Jobs is allowing this to be done.
Original Article
posted by Jim Horton




Friday, July 22, 2011

The real value of a PR firm's role in social media

It's an exciting time. Even now, as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter make way for Google+, Google Buzz, BlogFrog, and location-based platforms like foursquare and Loopt, we still haven't arrived at a definitive answer to the question: “What can we do with social media?” Its reach and potential continue to grow, providing seemingly endless opportunities to help clients engage with stakeholders.

However, in the land rush for social media real estate, we've seen some companies jump to adopt the cool tools before doing the hard work of understanding the audiences, the business objectives, and the quantitative and qualitative metrics that will define success. Driving a well-honed strategy to the total communications effort, including social media channels, is a critical way for bona fide PR firms to bring true value to our clients.

While we realize the value of kicking the tires of new social services at Linhart Public Relations, we're not losing sight of the most important thing we can offer our clients: strategic thinking and insight that helps clients chart a course for social media success.

While aligning digital media strategy with clients' business objectives is job one, it is also key to understand and align with their corporate culture. Social media tactics must reflect the brand or company voice and resonate with the community of stakeholders. If transparency and authenticity are lacking, and the communication comes across as billboard clichés rather than dialogue among real people, there's little point in pursuing it. If companies adopt social media merely to get hits, likes, and smiley faces, it's a wasted effort.

With each digital media success for our clients, we are advancing our expertise and contributing to the industry's social media body of knowledge, but the specialization in big-picture counsel has always been — and will continue to be — our sweet spot.

Today, we are continually experimenting with the “shiny objects” that seem to emerge weekly from the imaginations of social services developers, while keeping our focus on long-term brand- and reputation-building strategies. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sharon H. Linhart, APR, is managing partner at Linhart Public Relations.




14 Sneakiest Business Phrases: What They Say and What They Mean

Posts by irthereforeiam

Having come up through the journalism side, words and phrases have always intrigued me. Obviously, the way something is said can have an impact on its meaning (to wit: “I’d like to say it has been a pleasure” — I’d “like” to say that; however, I can’t because I’d be lying). I think you get the idea.

Oftentimes, something meant as a compliment can go somewhat awry. For instance, I was at a store recently and the young saleswoman complimented me on my pocket square, adding, “My grandfather used to wear one…” Thank you, I think… However, I’m sure it was an innocent comment.
So without further ado, I offer some common phrases and their interpretations…





Thursday, July 21, 2011

20 Tips for a Better Blog Launch

By Jennifer Mattern
As it appeared on: Social Implications


If you’re thinking about launching a new blog, there’s more to it than just slapping some content up and saying “Hello world, I’ve arrived!” That said, a blog launch doesn’t have to take a long time either. You just have to think things through and be prepared for the different types of work involved. I hope I can help you do that.
Here are 20 tips that can help you experience a more successful blog launch, taken from my own experience of launching more than two dozen blogs over the years. I hope you find some of the tips useful in your own blog launch (note that some of these references are specific to WordPressbloggers).

Design / Branding

blog design
jBlog Theme - Sample Blog Template Design
1. Choose a domain name that is easy to remember and that will resonate with your target audience. Do the same with your slogan.
2. Then create your logo based on your site name (and sometimes slogan as well). This should ideally also be memorable given that it’s one of the first things your visitors will see. Precious little screams “amateur” like visiting a new blog and seeing a default text-based header no one put any thought or time into.
3. Choose a theme to use or customize, or find a designer to create a custom theme for you. While free themes might be tempting, it’s better only to use them if you can heavily customize them. Your design becomes a part of your brand, and it can influence the image the blog portrays to visitors. Give them a good first impression.
4. Make sure your navigation is, well, easy to navigate. One of the biggest turn-offs for me as a reader is not being able to find links to your categories, archives, or your About page to learn more about you and the blog. Make sure your subscription links are easy to find too.
5. Think about features and design elements you want that aren’t built into your blog theme already. Find and install plugins that let you add them — related posts, Twitter subscription buttons or feeds, etc.

Content

1. Create a blog content plan including categories, post ideas for coming months, and a post schedule so you can worry less about coming up with new ideas early on and more time on other aspects of the blog launch.
2. Skip the “welcome” post and get right into the meat of the blog with a capstone piece of content that will attract readers, subscribers, and backlinks from the get-go (more important in a niche blog than a personal blog). Also, try to have three to five posts up already by launch day — not just one. If people like your first post, they’ll want to get their hands on more immediately.
3. Write and pre-schedule at least a few weeks’ worth of posts before your launch date so you have new content going up no matter how busy you are with early blog promotion. You can also write some extra articles early on for use later as guest posts on others’ blogs.
4. Contact noteworthy people in your niche or industry and get them to sign on for a series of interviews — fresh content for you, interesting material for your readers, promotion for the interviewee. This is an especially useful tactic if you’re not an authority source in the niche yourself yet.
5. Set up your non-post pages of content carefully — your detailed About page explaining what the blog is going to cover and who you are, a contact page so people can reach you, sidebar or additional homepage copy, etc.

SEO

search engine optimization - seo
Credit: BigStockPhoto.com
1. Change your permalink structure to make them search engine friendly (include the post name for example rather than just the post number).
2. Install an SEO plugin (like the All-In-One SEO Pack for WordPress blogs). These will let you add site, post, and page meta details that can help you rank higher in search engine results. Do some basic keyword research before choosing keyword phrases to emphasize here.
3. Install an analytics program that will let you see what search terms drive traffic to your site (so you know which ones need more of your time and attention because they’re not bringing in enough traffic as you move forward).
4. If you own other blogs and websites that are somewhat relevant to your new blog launch, use cross-promotion to build some initial backlinks.
5. Remember those extra articles you wrote earlier? Start submitting them to other relevant blogs as potential guest posts for the backlinks (guest posts are for much more than SEO, but there’s no denying the credit links can help out a new blog). You can also comment on others’ blogs in the niche with a link to your new blog when appropriate — don’t spam. Not all will be do-follow links, but even no-follow links have value if they drive visitors who like your content enough to link to it themselves elsewhere.

Promotion

1. Get setup with social media. Start a Twitter account tied to your blog. Launch a Facebook orLinkedIn profile if they’re relevant to your niche and type of blog. Start building a well-rounded social media presence (but don’t feel like you have to use every social media tool).
2. Make your content easy to share. Add a plugin like Digg Digg or Tweet This or Sociable so readers can quickly share your content within their own networks online.
3. If there’s something newsworthy about your blog launch (you or your company are already extremely well-known, it’s completely new in some way, there’s some other event tied to the launch, etc.), issue a news release online.
4. Put emphasis on subscriptions. Offer a nice big RSS button that can’t be missed. Offer special perks for subscribers (like exclusive content). Give people an easy way to subscribe not only to posts through a feed reader but also via email, and make it easy to subscribe to comments too (either via RSS for the whole blog or via email for comments on specific posts using a plugin like Subscribe to Comments).
5. Consider a contest. Launch contests can bring in a nice flow of initial visitors and links as people spread the word. The bigger the better, but if you can’t afford much see what you can come up with anyway — a gift card, a signed copy of a book in the niche donated by an author you know, free services you offer outside of your blogging work, etc.
By no means is this an exhaustive list of everything you could (or even should) do when launching a blog. These are tips to help you have a more successful blog launch experience. Do you have any other tips you’d like to share with new bloggers — things you don’t think they should forget? Leave a comment below and tell us about it. 

1.4 million Mexicans waiting to legally immigrate into U.S., only 65,600 were allowed in

Many of the complaints about illegal immigration in Alabama center on the unwillingness of millions of immigrants to obey U.S. rules and immigrate legally.

But for those aspiring to live and work in America, especially for families in Mexico, it's not a simple matter of waiting for the proper forms. Even for those with family here, it can take decades and may be near impossible to secure the paperwork to enter the United States legally.

Last year 1.38 million Mexican citizens were waiting in line for a United States work visa or an immigration visa through a family member. But there were only 26,000 visas made available for Mexico last year.

The visa cap applies evenly to each country, but Mexico has by far the longest waiting list, according to U.S. State Department figures.

Even the applications now being processed for extended family, such as the Mexico-born adult children or the siblings of now-U.S. citizens date back to late 1992 and early 1993. In other words, the waiting period to legally imigrate to the U.S. through a family member who has become a citizen is now 18 years.

Boyd Campbell, a veteran immigration lawyer in Montgomery, said basic math complicates the debate.

"The dichotomy here from my point of view is that we complain about all the people here illegally but don't provide enough visas to enable them to come here legally," Campbell said.

However, there is one exception.

There are no limits on the number of visas for immediate family of U.S. citizens. That is defined as spouses, minor children or parents. And that process takes only about a year, experts said.

'Dream Act' debate
Entering the U.S. without permission is a misdemeanor under U.S. law. It is rarely prosecuted, federal officials say, and instead treated as a civil violation that can lead to deportation.

For someone who has entered the U.S. without authorization, whether as an adult or an infant, there is generally no recourse to change their immigration status while they are here illegally. A Pew Hispanic Center study estimated in a 2010 study that 300,000 people per year illegally entered the United States, 150,000 of those Mexicans.

Campbell said a measure before Congress that could alleviate some pressure is the so-called "Dream Act." The act gives illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. at age 15 or younger a path to citizenship if they maintain good character and complete college or join the U.S. military. The measure was debated in the U.S. Senate last year but did not move forward. The bill has been reintroduced this year, and a Senate hearing was recently held on it, but no vote has been scheduled.

"There is a fundamental misunderstanding in Congress about this," Campbell said. "Some senators and congressmen believe these children are criminals, but they completely disregard the issue of capacity. They didn't have capacity to commit a crime (given their young age), and it's a misdemeanor anyway."

But U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, has been an outspoken critic, calling the Dream Act a loophole-laden mass amnesty. He played a similar role in helping defeat a broader immigration bill in 2006 and 2007 despite support from then-President George W. Bush.
"Americans want Congress to end the lawlessness, but this bill would have us surrender to it. It is a give-up type of approach," Sessions said in December.

Tougher laws

While the legal immigration process is complex and crowded, the law enforcement landscape facing illegal immigrants is also shifting.

On one hand, state legislatures from Arizona to Georgia are pushing for tougher laws against all illegal immigration. But federal immigration officials are running a priority system that focuses on other criminal activity and employer violations.

The U.S. immigration detention system has the capacity to detain about 33,000 people at a time, and there are an estimated 10 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Supporters of Alabama's new law have stressed that a lack of federal enforcement of immigration laws spurred the state to take action. The new Alabama law itself argues that the current system encourages widespread lawlessness by overlooking illegal immigration. But federal officials say the government is active.

Gillian Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the federal government deported nearly 395,000 people last year, the highest number in history. Christensen said that figure includes more than 195,000 convicted criminals, showing a focus on "criminal aliens who are threats to public safety."

And in a ruling temporarily blocking parts of Georgia's immigration law, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash said Georgia's creation of new immigration charges would undermine federal authority. "The widespread belief that the federal government is doing nothing about illegal immigration is belief in a myth," Thrash wrote.

Alabama's law expands the focus of enforcement to include illegal immigrant workers, renters, and car passengers, among others.

But John Morton, director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sent a memo last month to field office directors, special agents in charge and department attorneys that focuses on using "prosecutorial discretion" in considering apprehension, detention and removal of illegal immigrants.

Morton said the list is not a set of rights that a defendant can claim but that federal officers should consider each individual's circumstances including age, education background, military service, criminal history, ties to family and community, and responsibilities to ill, aging or disabled family members.

Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama in Birmingham, one of the groups suing to block Alabama's immigration law, said illegal immigrants are often caught between two worlds.

"To emigrate is a very complicated process; it takes a lot of time, and it takes a lot of money," Rubio said. "Because of a close to 20-year backlog for residents of Mexico, people don't feel like they have 20 years to wait in line.

"So they choose to come to this country without permission, because their labor is needed in many of the low-wage, low-skilled jobs in our country. But because of how they entered, they have no opportunity to come out of the shadows."

Leave to meet law

The authors of Alabama's new immigration law argue that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from American citizens and creating an additional burden for law enforcement, schools and hospitals. One sponsor, Rep. Mickey Hammon, R-Decatur, has said while the law may be challenged in court, he hopes it will encourage illegal immigrants to leave the state.

Indeed, Alabama's new law is creating anxiety for a number of area families, said Joan Harris, a Huntsville immigration attorney. Harris said couples who are here illegally but have children born in the U.S. are afraid of what changes the new law might bring for their family.

Even an illegal immigrant who marries a U.S citizen, has children here and who has a clean record will have to leave the country to conform to current law, Harris said.

The citizen spouse could petition for a visa, but it would be denied based on their spouse's illegal entry. The spouse would have to leave the U.S., then petition to have the required 10-year visa ban for illegal entry lifted before he or she could return. If all goes well, that process takes at least a few months, Harris said.

Work visas are another avenue for legal immigration, but even skilled engineers and other professionals can face long waits, given the relatively low number of visas issued each year. For low-skill workers around the world, there is little chance of securing entry to the U.S.

The United States also issues guest worker visas, but those generally do not provide a path to citizenship. Harris, the immigration attorney, said work is the central issue for most illegal immigrants.

"For example, as far as Mexican nationals are concerned, I don't believe for one minute they would be here illegally if it weren't for the fact they were getting jobs here," she said. "This is what the farmers have been jumping up and down about for years, and all the other high-risk jobs. I don't believe the honest good guy would be coming here to not get work; he can stay in Mexico and not get work. They're here for a better life for them and their children. "It's not any different from any other influx of immigrants. It's just being viewed differently."

Source:

As it appeared on AL.COM