Public Relations Roles

Public Relations Roles

In general, public relations professionals can be communication managers who organize and
integrate communication activities, or they can be communication technicians who primarily write
and construct messages. Research in this area led to the identification of four specific roles: the

technician role and three types of communication managers.
Most practitioners begin their careers as communication technicians. This role requires executing strategies with the communication tactics of news releases, employee newsletters, position papers, media placements, Web site content, speeches, blogs, and social media messaging. Practitioners in this role are usually not involved in defining problems and developing solutions, but base their tactics on the technical skill of writing. The expert prescriber is similar to the role a doctor performs
with a patient: He or she is an authority on a particular industry, problem, or type of public relations and is given the primary responsibility to handle this function as a consultant or with little input or participation by other senior management. The communication facilitator is a boundary spanner who listens to and brokers information between the organization and its key public's. According to Cutlip, Center, and Broom, the goal of this role is “to provide both management and public the information they need for making decisions of mutual interest.”[1]
The problem-solving facilitator collaborates with other managers to define and solve problems. This role requires that the professional is a part of the dominant coalition of the organization and has access to other senior managers. The problem solving facilitator helps other managers think through organizational problems using a public relations perspective.

Research on these four roles found that the communication technician role was distinct from the
other three roles and that the latter three roles were highly correlated.[2]
In other words, an expert prescriber was also likely to fulfill the role of the communication facilitator and the problem-solving facilitator. To resolve the lack of mutual exclusiveness in the latter three roles, they were combined into one role: communication manager. The dichotomy between the communication technician and the communication manager more accurately explained the responsibilities of public relations practitioners within organizations.

Research indicates that practitioners in a predominantly technician role spend the majority of their time writing, producing, and placing communication messages.[3]
Typically, those in this role are creative and talented with language and images. Their capacity to create and produce messages with powerful imagery and evocative language is very important to the execution of public relations tactics. However, technicians rarely have a seat at the management table and do not have a voice in the strategy of the organization. Once the strategy is decided, the technician is brought in to execute the deliverable (or tactics) in the strategy.
The communication manager is involved in the strategic thinking of an organization and must be
able to conduct research and measurement and share data that informs better decisions for
managing relationships with key public. The communications manager thinks strategically, which
means he or she will be focused on the efforts of the organization that contribute to the mutually
beneficial relationships that help an organization achieve its bottom-line goals. These efforts are not
limited to communication strategies, but include monitoring an organization’s external environment,
scanning for issues that might impact the organization, and helping an organization adapt to the
needs of its stakeholders.
A study on excellence in the practice of public relations found that one of the major predictors of
excellence was whether the role of the top public relations executive was a manager role or a
technician role.[4]
Those in the management role were much more likely to have a positive impact on
the organization’s public relations practice. In order for corporate communication to function
strategically, the executive in charge of the function must have a place at the decision-making table.

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The Role of Human Resources

 The Role of Human Resources

Human Resource Management Day to Day You h

ave just been hired to work in the human resource department of a small company. You heard about  the job through a conference you attended, put on by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Previously, the owner of the company, Jennifer, had been doing everything related to human resource management (HRM). You can tell she is a bit critical about paying a good salary for something she was able to juggle all on her own. On your first day, you meet the ten employees and spend several hours with the company owner, hoping to get a handle on which human resource processes are already set up Shortly after the meeting begins, you see she has a completely different perspective of what HRM is, and you realize it will be your job to educate her on the value of a human resource manager. You look at it as a personal challenge—both to educate her and also to show her the value of this role in the organization. First, you tell her that HRM is a strategic process having to do with the staffing, compensation, retention, 

training, and employment law and policies side of the business. In other words, your job as human 

resources (HR) manager will be not only to write policy and procedures and to hire people (the administrative role) but also to use strategic plans to ensure the right people are hired and trained for the right job at the right time. For example, you ask her if she knows what the revenue will be in six months, and Jennifer answers, “Of course. We expect it to increase by 20 percent.” You ask, “Have you thought about how many people you will need due to this increase?” Jennifer looks a bit sheepish and says, “No,I guess I haven’t gotten that far.” Then you ask her about the training programs the company offers, the software used to allow employees to access pay information online, and the compensation policies. She responds, “It looks like we have some work to do. I didn’t know that human resources involved all of that.” You smile at her and start discussing some of the specifics of the business, so you can get started right away writing the strategic human resource management plan.

The Role of HRM

Keep in mind that many functions of HRM are also tasks other department managers perform, which is what makes this information important, despite the career path taken. Most experts agree on seven main roles that HRM plays in organizations. These are described in the following sections.

Staffing You need people to perform tasks and get work done in the organization. Even with the most sophisticated machines, humans are still needed. Because of this, one of the major tasks in HRM is 

staffing. Staffing involves the entire hiring process from posting a job to negotiating a salary package. 

Within the staffing function, there are four main steps:

1.  Development of a staffing plan. This plan allows HRM to see how many people they should hire 

based on revenue expectations.

2.  Development of policies to encourage multiculturalism at work.Multiculturalism in the 

workplace is becoming more and more important, as we have many more people from a variety of 

backgrounds in the workforce.

3.  Recruitment. This involves finding people to fill the open positions.

4.  Selection. In this stage, people will be interviewed and selected, and a proper compensation package will be negotiated. 

This step is followed by training, retention, and motivation.

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Public Relations: A Management Function

What Is Public Relations?

     Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the public's on whom its success or failure depends. (Boom, 2009, Effective Public Relations, page 7).

Functions of Public Relations
The typical 12 functions of public relations can be categorized by competencies, the four-step process, and others.

• Competency Functions

1. Trusted counsel – Advise and anticipate.
2. Internal communication – Engage employees.
3. Media relations – Develop public trust.
4. Community relations – Establish public support.
5. External communication – Build public support 
6. and trust.

• Four-Step Process Functions

1. Research
2. Strategize and plan
3. Implement, execute and communicate
4. Evaluate 

• Other Functions

1. Publicity and special events
2. Issues management
3. Crisis communication

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The Socail Media

Social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. Social media is defined as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content." Furthermore, social media depend

on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals. These changes are the focus of the emerging field of techno-self studies.

Classification of social media

Social-media technologies take on many different forms including magazines, Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro blogging, wikis, social networks, podcast, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. Technologies include blogging, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-posting, music-sharing, crowdsourcingand voice over IP, to name a few. Social network aggregation can integrate many of the platforms in use.

Virality

Some social-media sites have greater virality - defined as a greater likelihood that users will reshare content posted (by another user) to their social network. Many social-media sites provide specific functionality to help users reshare content - for example, Twitter's retweet button, Pinterest pin or Tumblr's reblog function. Businesses may have a particular interest in viral marketing; nonprofit organisations and activists may have similar interests in virality.

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Public relations

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. This differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them maintain a certain view about the organization, its leadership, products, or of political decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR firms, businesses and companies, government, government agencies, and public officials as PIOs, and nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations.
Public relations specialists establish and maintain relationships with an organization's target audience, the media, and other opinion leaders. Common activities include designing communications campaigns, writing news releases and other content for news and feature articles, working with the press, arranging interviews for company spokespeople, writing speeches for company leaders, acting as organization's spokesperson by speaking in public and public officials, preparing clients for press conferences, media interviews, and speeches, writing website and social media content, and facilitating internal/employee communication. Success in the field of public relations requires a deep understanding of the interests and concerns of each the client's many publics. The public relations professional must know how to effectively address those concerns using the most powerful tool of the public relations trade, which is publicity.

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Civil Service Branch
December 1995

Human  Resource  Management  is  a  long-established  task  within  the  Government's Management  Framework.  Through  this  task  the  Government  meets  its  obligation  to  be  a good  employer;  seeks  to  secure  staff  commitment;  and  develops  and  manages  staff  to give of their best to help the Government serve the community.  The need to respond to changing  community  expectations  means  that  the  task  of  managing  our  staff  better  is more important than ever - it is the staff who deliver the service, and it is through a new emphasis  on  staff  management  that  a  customer  service  and  performance  oriented  culture will gradually evolve.
The Civil Service Branch carried out a review in 1993 to determine what changes were
needed  in  implementing  Human  Resource  Management  so  that  it  could  best
complement  and  support  the  new  focus  on  devolving  authority,  on  customers  and  on
raising service standards.

Download the book from here

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Human Resources

Human resources is the set of individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, or economy. "Human capital" is sometimes used synonymously with human resources, although human capital typically refers to a more narrow view (i.e., the knowledge the individuals embody and can contribute to an organization). Likewise, other terms
sometimes used include "manpower", "talent", "labour", or simply "people".
The professional discipline and business function that oversees an organization's human resources is called human resource management (HRM, or simply HR).

Overview

The term in practice

From the corporate objective, employees have been traditionally viewed as assets to the enterprise, whose value is enhanced by further learning and development, referred to as human resource development. Organizations will engage in a broad range of human resource management practices to capitalize on those assets.
In governing human resources, three major trends are typically considered:

1. Demographics: the characteristics of a population/workforce, for example, age, gender or social class. This type of trend may have an effect in relation to pension offerings, insurance packages etc.
2. Diversity: the variation within the population/workplace. Changes in society now mean that a larger proportion of organizations are made up of "baby-boomers" or older employees in comparison to thirty years ago. Advocates of "workplace diversity" advocate an employee base that is a mirror reflection of the make-up of society insofar as race, gender, sexual orientation etc.
3. Skills and qualifications: as industries move from manual to more managerial professions so does the need for more highly skilled graduates. If the market is "tight" (i.e. not enough staff for the jobs), employers must compete for employees by offering financial rewards, community investment, etc.

In regard to how individuals respond to the changes in a labour market, the following must be understood:

• Geographical spread: how far is the job from the individual? The distance to travel to work should be in line with remuneration, and the transportation and infrastructure of the area also influence who applies for a position.
• Occupational structure: the norms and values of the different careers within an organization. Mahoney 1989 developed 3 different types of occupational structure, namely, craft (loyalty to the profession), organization career path (promotion through the firm) and unstructured (lower/unskilled workers who work when needed).
• Generational difference: different age categories of employees have certain characteristics, for example, their behavior and their expectations of the organization.

Concerns about the terminology

One major concern about considering people as assets or resources is that they will be commoditized and abused. Some analysis suggests that human beings are not "commodities" or "resources", but are creative and social beings in a productive enterprise. The 2000 revision of ISO 9001, in contrast, requires identifying the processes, their sequence and interaction, and to define and communicate responsibilities and authorities. In general, heavily unionised nations such as France and Germany have adopted and encouraged such approaches. Also, in 2001, the International Labour Organization decided to revisit and revise its 1975 Recommendation 150 on Human Resources Development, resulting in its "Labour is not a commodity" principle. One view of these trends is that a strong social consensus on political economy and a good social welfare system facilitate labour mobility and tend to make the entire economy more productive, as labour can develop skills and experience in various ways, and move from one enterprise to another with little controversy or difficulty in adapting.
Another important controversy regards labour mobility and the broader philosophical issue with usage of the phrase "human resources". Governments of developing nations often regard developed nations that encourage immigration or "guest workers" as appropriating human capital that is more rightfully part of the developing nation and required to further its economic growth. Over time, the United Nations have come to more generally support the developing nations' point of view, and have requested significant offsetting "foreign aid" contributions so that a developing nation losing human capital does not lose the capacity to continue to train new people in trades, professions, and the arts.

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Need 2 Reed

Youth reading, Persian miniature

Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement. In addition, reading requires creativity and critical analysis. Consumers of literature make ventures with each piece, innately deviating from literal words to create images that make sense to them in the unfamiliar places the texts describe. Because reading is such a complex process, it cannot be controlled or restricted to one or two interpretations. There are no concrete laws in reading, but rather allows readers an escape to produce their own products introspectively. This promotes deep exploration of texts during interpretation.speech) and comprehension. Readers may use context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words. Readers integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema (schemata theory).
Readers use a variety of reading strategies to assist with decoding (to translate symbols into sounds or visual representations of
Other types of reading are not speech based writing systems, such as music notation or pictograms. The common link is the interpretation of symbols to extract the meaning from the visual notations, or tactile signals (as in the case of Braille).

for information reed about reading at Wikipedia

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Barnes & Noble Nook

Barnes & Noble Nooks

Developer	Barnes & Noble
Manufacturer	Foxconn
Type	E-reader
Release date	November 30, 2009 (3G+Wi-Fi) 21 June 2010 (Wi-Fi only)
Introductory price	US$259 (3G+Wi-Fi version) US$149 (Wi-Fi only version)
Operating system	Android version 1.5, released 22 November 2010
Power	rechargeable, replaceable lithium-ion polymer battery
Storage capacity	2 GB internal storage MicroSD expansion up to 16 GB
Display	600 x 800 pixel, 6 inch E Ink display and a 3.5 inch 480 x 144 pixel color control display
Input	color touchscreen, left/right paging buttons
Connectivity	AT&T 3G 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
Dimensions	7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 in (196 x 125 x 13 mm)
Weight	12.1 oz (343 g) (3G + Wi-Fi) 11.6 oz (329 g) (Wi-Fi only) 7.48 oz (Nook Touch Reader)
Website	nook.com

The Barnes & Noble Nook (styled "nook") is a brand of electronic-book reader developed by American book retailer Barnes & Noble, based on the Android platform. The original device was announced in the United States in October 2009, and was released the next month. The original Nook includes both Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connectivity, a six-inch E Ink display, and a separate, smaller color touchscreen that serves as the primary input device. A Wi-Fi-only model of the original design was released in June 2010. The original line of Nooks was followed in November 2010 by a color LCD device called the Nook Color and in June 2011 by a second-generation E Ink device marketed as the Nook Simple Touch.

E-ink

Nook 1st Edition

Main article: Barnes & Noble Nook 1st Edition

3G + Wi-Fi Version

This version made its debut on November 22, 2009, at a retail price of $259. It was offered with built-in 3G + Wi-Fi connectivity for free access to the Barnes and Noble online store. The price was reduced to $199 on June 21, 2010, upon the release of the new Nook Wi-Fi. The price was dropped to $169 on May 25, 2011, in accordance with the announcement of the new Nook, also known as Nook Simple Touch Reader.

Wi-Fi Version

This version of the Nook 1st Edition, which supports only Wi-Fi (not 3G Wireless), made its debut on June 21, 2010, at a retail price of $149. It was launched with Firmware Version 1.4 already installed. It is easily distinguishable physically from the 3G+Wi-Fi due to its white back panel, as opposed to the gray back panel of the 3G+Wi-Fi version. A price reduction was made on May 25, 2011, dropping to closeout prices of $119 in accordance with the announcement of the new Nook, also known as Nook Simple Touch Reader.

Nook Simple Touch aka Nook 2nd Edition

Announced on May 25, 2011, the Simple Touch Reader (also informally referred as Nook 2nd Edition) was released on June 10, 2011 at a retail price of $139. The Simple Touch is a Wi-Fi only Nook, with Infrared touch-screen, E ink "Pearl" technology, and battery life of up to two months (or 150 hours offering approximately 25,000 continuous page turns with Wi-Fi turned off). The device weighs 7.48oz with dimensions of 6.5" x 5" x 0.47".

LCD

Nook Color

Released on November 19, 2010 and priced at $249, the Nook Color comes installed with Android 2.1, the device is powered by TI OMAP 3621 800 MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage, with a 7" LCD screen, and a microSD expansion slot.

Specifications

Generation	Appearance	Capacity	Connectivity	Original release date	Operating System	Screen (pixels)	Physical Size	Weight
Barnes & Noble Nook 1st Edition		2 GB	3G/Wifi, MicroUSB	30 November 2009	Android 1.5	6 inch (600x800) E Ink 3.5 inch (480x144) LCD	7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 in (196 x 125 x 13 mm)	12.1 oz (343 g)
			Wifi, MicroUSB	21 June 2010				11.6 oz (329 g)
Nook Simple Touch		2 GB	Wifi, MicroUSB	10 June 2011	Android 2.1	6 inch (600x800) E Ink Pearl IR touch	6.5 x 5.0 x 0.47 in (170 x 130 x 12 mm)	7.48 oz (212 g)
Nook Color		8 GB	Wifi, MicroUSB	19 November 2010	Android 2.2	7 inch (1024x600) LCD	8.1 x 5.0 x 0.48 in (210 x 130 x 12 mm)	15.8 oz (450 g)

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Barnes & Noble Nook 1st Edition

Nook 1st Edition

Developer	Barnes & Noble
Manufacturer	Foxconn
Type	E-reader
Release date	November 30, 2009 (3G+Wi-Fi) 21 June 2010 (Wi-Fi only)
Introductory price	US$259 (3G+Wi-Fi version) US$149 (Wi-Fi only version)
Operating system	Android version 1.5, released 22 November 2010
Power	rechargeable, replaceable lithium-ion polymer battery (1530 mAh)
CPU	667Mhz ARMv6-based Samsung S3C6410
Storage capacity	2 GB internal storage MicroSD expansion up to 16 GB
Display	600 x 800 pixel, 6 inch E Ink display and a 3.5 inch 480 x 144 pixel color control display
Input	color touchscreen, left/right paging buttons
Connectivity	AT&T 3G 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
Dimensions	7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 in (196 x 125 x 13 mm)
Weight	12.1 oz (343 g) (3G + Wi-Fi) 11.6 oz (329 g) (Wi-Fi only) 7.48 oz (Nook Touch Reader)
Website	nook.com

The Nook 1st Edition (styled "nook") is a brand of electronic-book readers developed by American book retailer Barnes & Noble, based on the Android platform. The original device was announced in the United States in October 2009, and was released the next month. The original Nook includes Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connectivity, a six-inch E Ink display, and a separate, smaller color touchscreen that serves as the primary input device. In June 2010 Barnes & Noble announced a Wi-Fi-only model, and the Nook Color was announced to be released in November 2010. A second-generation Wi-Fi only Nook "Simple Touch Reader" was announced May 25, 2011 with a June 10 ship date.

History

3G + Wi-Fi Version

This version made its debut on November 22 2009, at a retail price of $259 and comes with built-in 3G + Wi-Fi connectivity for free access to Barnes and Noble online store. Price was reduced to $199 in June 21, 2010 upon the release of the new Nook Wi-Fi. Latest price drop was made in May 25 2011, dropping to closeout prices of $169 in accordance with the announcement of the new Nook also known as Nook Simple Touch Reader.

Wi-Fi Version

This version made its debut on June 21 2010, at retail price of $149. It is a version of the Nook 1st Edition that supports Wi-Fi only, and not 3G Wireless and it was launched with Firmware Version 1.4 already. It is physically easly distinguishable from the 3G + Wi-fi gray backed version, due to its white back color. Price reduction was made in May 25, 2011, dropping to closeout prices of $119 in accordance with the announcement of the new Nook also known as Nook Simple Touch Reader.

Features

The original Nook provides a black-and-white E Ink display for viewing digital content with most navigation and additional content provided through a color touchscreen. The Nook Color provides a larger, color LCD display. Pages are turned using arrow buttons on each side of the Nook. The original Nook connects to Barnes and Noble's digital store through a free connection to AT&T's 3G network or through available Wi-Fi connections. Users can read books without a wireless connection; disconnecting the wireless connection can extend the battery's charge to up to ten days.
The device has a MicroSD expansion slot for extra storage and a user-replaceable rechargeable battery. The battery can be charged through either an AC adapter or a micro-USB 2.0 cable, both included with new Nooks. The device also includes a web browser, a built-in dictionary, Chess and Sudoku, an audio player, speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Supported ebook file-formats with DRM include:

• eReader PDB with Barnes & Noble's eReader DRM, sometimes called Secure eReader format (original Nook only)
• EPUB with Barnes & Noble's eReader DRM, used for ebooks downloaded wirelessly to the Nook
• EPUB with Adobe ADEPT DRM, sometimes called Adobe EPUB or Adobe Digital Editions format
• PDF with Adobe ADEPT DRM (However, figures and equations will not appear)

The EPUB with eReader DRM combination is a new format created for the Nook. Adobe has undertaken to include support for that combination in future releases of Adobe Acrobat mobile software, to allow other reader devices to support that format.
Supported ebook file formats without DRM include:

• EPUB
• eReader PDB (original Nook only)
• PDF, including password-protected PDF but not Vitrium-protected PDF

Supported sound file formats for music and audiobooks include MP3 and Ogg Vorbis, but not WMA. Only the original Nook and the Nook Color support sound files.
Nook supports image file formats JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP, used for book cover thumbnails, wallpapers, and screen savers.
The Nook provides a "LendMe" feature allowing users to share some books with other people, depending on licensing by the book's publisher. The buyer is permitted to share a book once with one other user for up to two weeks. Users will be able to share purchased books with others who are using Barnes & Noble's reader application software for Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac OS X, and Windows and others.
The Nook system recognizes physical Barnes & Noble stores. Customers using the Nook in Barnes & Noble stores receive access to special content and offers while the device is connected to the store's Wi-Fi. Further, most e-Books in the catalog can be read for up to an hour while connected to the store Wi-Fi network with the 1.3 software update.
Because Barnes & Noble does not make the Nook available outside the United States, if it is taken overseas it will neither be possible to access a 3G connection nor capable of buying books on the Barnes & Noble Nook Book Store. The Nook is still capable of accessing the same Book Store through Wi-Fi and downloading free books from it outside of the U.S.

Software versions

A first generation Nook with an attached cover showing the color screen's revised main menu from version 1.3

Barnes and Noble distributes software updates automatically "over the air" or through a manual download.

Version 1.0

Launch version on the Nook and made its debut on November 22, 2009

Version 1.1

Released in December 2009, consists mostly of minor bug fixes.

Version 1.2

Released in February 2010, improved the device's responsiveness, bookmarking, in-store connectivity, and battery optimization. The update also included interface changes intended to improve navigation of daily subscriptions, clarify LendMe features, and allow sorting personal files on the device.

Version 1.3

Released in April 2010 and added a web browser (in beta), the games Chess and Sudoku, and more options for Wi-Fi connectivity. Other new features included the ability to read complete ebooks for free in Barnes and Noble stores for an hour at a time, the option to pre-order ebooks that are yet unreleased, minor modifications to the user interface, and improved performance when opening ebooks and turning pages.

Version 1.4

Released on June 21, 2010, added extended AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot support, a new extra extra large font size, and a Go-To Page feature.

Version 1.5

Released on November 22, 2010 and added optional password protection for the device and for making purchases, a "My Shelves" feature for organizing the user's e-book library, and automatic syncing of the last page read across multiple devices. Other improvements include faster page turning and improved search options.

Version 1.6 and 1.7

Released in June 2011 and included "minor system updates".

Nook apps

Free Nook eReader applications are available to allow reading of eBooks purchases to be read on the PC and Mac desktops, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry devices without the need for a Nook eReader. A virtual bookmark can be synced across the devices a reader uses.

Hacking

Some Nook users have loaded Android applications on the Nook, such as Pandora‎, a web browser, a Twitter client called Tweet, Google Reader and a Facebook application. Many general Android applications running on the Nook present interactive areas of their interface on the E Ink display, making such applications difficult to manipulate on the device. However, Android applications optimized for the Nook screen are also available, including app launchers, browsers, library managers, and an online book catalog browser and feed reader.
Although gaining superuser (root) access to install software on the Nook initially required physical disassembly of the device, as of 2010 users can gain root access using software alone.
A new hardware revision introduced in August 2010, identifiable by a serial number starting with 1003, running firmware 1.4.1, requires different software than the older models. Attempting to gain root access using software designed for older models renders the unit unusable.
As of October 2010, a new method involving spoofing a DNS entry has been found to root 1.4.1 Nooks.

Availability

Barnes & Noble made the Nook available for pre-order in the United States for US$259 following its launch on 20 October 2009 and began shipping on 30 November 2009. The device was available for demonstration and display in Barnes and Noble retail stores in early December. Barnes & Noble began selling the Nook in-store in February 2010.
Due to the large number of pre-orders, the initial launch of the product involved multiple shipment dates depending on when customers ordered the Nook. The first shipment occurred as planned on November 30, but delays occurred with subsequent shipments as demand for the product exceeded production. Further shipments occurred December 7, December 18, January 4, January 11, January 15, February 1, and February 12.
Barnes & Noble sent a $100 gift certificate via email to customers who had been promised a delivery by December 24, 2009, but whose shipment was delayed past December 25.

Reception

The Nook initially received mixed reviews, ranging from favorable reviews from Time, Money, and PC Magazine to more critical reviews in Engadget and the New York Times. PC Magazine noted the color touchscreen, WiFi and 3G connectivity, and large ebook library as advantages over the Nook's competitors, with a lack of support for HTML and Microsoft's .doc file format seen as negatives. Money compared the Nook favorably to the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader Touch Edition. ZDNet blogger Matthew Miller called the Nook "the king of connectivity and content" and wrote favorably about the lending feature and support for PDF and ePub files. Time listed the Nook as one of its "Top 10 Gadgets of 2009".
Critics pointed to the Nook's "sluggish" performance and user interface design, with New York Times reviewer David Pogue writing that the Nook suffered from "half-baked software." Pogue later demonstrated using a postal scale that the Nook's weight differed from the product specifications advertised by Barnes & Noble (12.1 ounces rather than 11.2 ounces as the company had advertised). Engadget reviewer Joshua Topolsky argued that menu responsiveness and organization was not optimal but commented that "many of the problems seem like they could be fixed with firmware tweaks." PC Magazine wrote that the 1.3 firmware update, released after most reviews of the Nook, improved the device's responsiveness: "On the original Nook, page turning took twice as long as page turning on the Kindle - two seconds compared to one second. With the 1.3 firmware update, it's about a tenth of a second slower than the Kindle, but the difference is negligible."
In early January 2010, the Nook was presented with the TechCrunch Best New Gadget Crunchie award for 2009.

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