07.03.08
Posted in Monthly Meetings, PRSA News at 9:29 am by Aaron Wall, APR
Lately I’ve been thinking about what to expect at our upcoming Summer Social. Salsa dancing I must admit is somewhat alien to me. Having grown up in the Wesleyan Church, it goes without saying that most forms of dancing are alien to me. In fact, I had to take lessons just to be able to waltz at my own wedding. So when Teresa Loflin, our VP of membership told me the theme for this year’s social is “Salsa the Night Away with PRSA,” I thought, “this should be interesting.”
So I did a little research on the subject and was intrigued at just how much culture could be woven into one basic form of dance. Did you know there are no less than nine different styles of Salsa? Cuban, Los Angeles, New York, Venezolana, Columbian, Mambo, Peurto Rican, La Rueda and Salsa Disco. I’m not certain which style or variation of styles we’ll be taught on Tuesday evening, but I am sure its going to be fun.
And it’s looking like were going to have a great turnout too, with lots of new members and quests. I’m looking forward to a fun and exciting event. Hope to see you there.
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07.02.08
Posted in PRSA News at 5:03 pm by Donnie Turlington
Today, I was churning through my G.reader and RSS feeds and found the latest post on PRSA Tar Heel’s blog about the lifecycle of a blog. The topic of the blog post made me ponder the usefulness of the Tar Heel blog, but only for a split second. I realized that the blog is actually working to perfection. While we fall short of having daily posts, it’s still a great tool for connecting with other PR professionals, creating conversation and gaining valuable feedback. This day and age, it’s important to have multiple channels of messaging in order to be able to communicate. PRSA Tar Heel consists of 117 members, and growing, and it’s impossible to have daily one-on-one communication with each member. However, we can use this blog to keep members updated, converse about interesting trends and topics, help each other and learn other PR professional’s valuable opinions.
Seems to me that the blog is an effective tool and the results prove that the communication is meaningful, on target and making a positive difference for the membership. This blog alone has led to an increase in the number of subscribers to HARO, provided topics for monthly chapter meetings, led to new chapter members and non-member involvement, and assisted several members in their professional activity.
All hail the PRSA Tar Heel blog!
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07.01.08
Posted in PRSA News at 9:48 am by Rick Hodson
Call me a cynic, a dinosaur, or a fuddy-duddy, but I like traditional communication—the kind where I can see someone face-to-face, or at least talk to them on the telephone. This whole “social media” thing still escapes me. Take this blog, for example. As I was looking at it this morning, I noticed that no one had posted in almost a month. Is it the time of year, lack of time, or maybe just lack of interest?
Remember, we’re the kind of people who are supposed to LOVE this stuff. I would be curious as to your thoughts on the life cycle of a blog, and where this one relates to others in the “blogosphere.”
One item in the news that caught my eye recently reminds me that letters matter. Not just words – letters. The state of North Carolina announced recently it would take back any license plate that had the letters WTF before the three numbers. Now, being a former state employee and not up on the latest technology, I guess I could see how this happened. The lesson here might be that all future letter combinations on license plates should first be approved by a group of teenagers.
On the other hand, last year the airport in Sioux City, Iowa finally decided to stop trying to change its three-letter airport identifier, and instead make it the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. There are now announcements on everything from luggage tags to t-shirts that proudly asks people to “FLY SUX.” Being a proud Iowan, I once decided I would show my pride by buying a vanity plate that proclaimed to the world my home state. I took my cue from a plate I had seen that used the two letter VT (the abbreviation for Vermont) followed by the word NATIVE – the plate read VTNATIVE. Unfortunately, the state abbreviation for Iowa is IA, so my plate read IANATIVE. That plate lasted about three months. Yes, letters really do matter.
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06.05.08
Posted in PRSA News at 10:22 am by Caroline Matthews
I’m in the middle of my third week as graphics intern for the Houston Astros Baseball Club, and I hate to brag, but I’m going to brag… it’s been the best experience EVER. Not only do I get VIP paid parking in the Diamond Club lot, I get to wear this spiffy Astros badge around on game days that makes me feel like all the fans look at me thinking “Who’s that girl!?” Never have I shopped for business clothes before, worn three inch high heels (now I’m a daunting 6’2’’) or started bright an early at 8:30 a.m. every morning. “Welcome to the real world,” my mom tells me when I come home at about 6:30 on most nights. Well hello, real world. I like you! I look at you guys and just have no idea how you do it! You are super parents with stellar jobs— I can only hope to be like you all!
My internship isn’t anything PR related, but I’m tucked in with the marketing department so I’m very connected me will all aspects of baseball image and promotion. From creating scouting brochures to stadium signage and promo design (10,000 children will be carrying around MY back to school binder in August! WOWEE!) it has been a whirl wind experience. Why? THEY ARE LETTING ME DO SO MUCH IT’S OBSCENE! (Sorry for all the capital letters, I’m just trying to emphasize my ridiculous excitement and love for all the work I’ve been doing!)
I’d like to take this opportunity to share some insight as a current intern. So if you yourself have an intern sitting in the cubicle down the call, here’s some advice:
1. We don’t mind being called interns or referred to as one. We don’t even mind getting you coffee (as long as we get some too!) Just make sure that everyday we have some sort of challenge. Avoiding monotony is crucial.
2. Make us feel wanted within your department or office. You hired us, use us!
3. Really try to get to know us. We aren’t sure how friendly co-worker relations are, so help us out and set an example.
4. Guide us by example. Show us how you want us to dress and act by your own personal actions. It’s one thing to be handed a dress code guideline on paper, and it’s another to show us what you think is professional and smart for your office.
And if you don’t have an intern, GET ONE! It’s not too late, there are plenty of students who would LOVE to work for you. Make some phone calls and get started.
Internship Coordinator at Elon University: Maggie Mullikin at (336) 278-6336 or mmullikin@elon.edu
The Career Counselor at UNG-G: (336) 334-5454
UNC Chapel Hill’s Career Services: (919) 962-6507 or e-mail them at ucs@unc.edu
Best of luck to you and your endeavours!
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06.02.08
Posted in PRSA News at 4:05 pm by Tamara McLendon
I saw an episode of a reality show about surviving in the wilderness of Alaska last night. It was really interesting for the first few minutes, with bears, glaciers and other dangers I like to watch from the comfort of my living room. And then one of the guys — a PDA and laptop junkie — said, “It’ll be interesting to see how I unplug.”
It completely ruined the show for me, and I realized then that the verb “unplug” has not only become cliche, but it’s also been given new meaning. Yes, it can mean simply to detach from electronics and communications devices, but people who say that they’re going to “unplug” are also saying that they want us to sympathize with their predicament, while simulteneously being jealous of their importance and gadgetry.
And even as I write this, I’m realizing that I’m one of those people, not so much with the gadgets, but with the complaining. So it’s time to move on. My phone is no longer my ball-and-chain. I will not only leave it at home when I go to the river this weekend, but I won’t even tell anyone I did it. Except you. So don’t tell anyone.
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05.20.08
Posted in PRSA News at 7:41 am by Leslie Brooks
… posted an interesting article this morning about journalists blacklisting individual PR practitioners and PR firms for sending them unsolicited email. Interesting, and Jim makes some good points. Here’s a link to his article.
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05.16.08
Posted in PRSA News at 10:36 am by Leslie Brooks
… to a complicated question? Or rather, a series of questions.
I received an email from someone asking for some quick enlightenment on how to get the most for herself and her clients out of social media sites like stompernet and twitter. She wrote, “I’ve joined several but I’m just not sure what to do with them. how can I advise clients when I don’t get it?? Who in the world has time to sit on these sites and browse for other people you know or want to know or to write what you’re doing in a blog everyday?? And there are so many sites that seem to be “a must” how do you choose where to go? Last question.. how do people find you on these sites? Blog directories?”
Does anyone have insight they’d like to share with her? I’m sure lots of us would find it very helpful.
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05.05.08
Posted in PRSA News at 10:03 am by Tamara McLendon
I always learn new things at the PRSA Tar Heel luncheons, but I’m especially looking forward to this month’s “Green PR” topic. My agency has a client in the environmental technologies field, and that’s really forced us to get up to speed quickly, but I suspect that as time passes, we’re going to need to apply that knowledge for all kinds of clients — B2B, consumer packaged goods, whatever.
These last few years have really shown a growth in awareness and concern of environmental issues in the public eye. Many years ago, I was a reporter in DC covering the environment, and I remember how left-field most people thought the topic was back then. Not anymore. It’s clearly a hot topic these days.
And when the public starts to think something is important, so do the companies that are selling to them. The other side of the coin is that there’s a growing realization that environmentally wasteful practices also tend to be financial wasteful ones. in many cases, companies that adopt environmental plans will save money in the process.
So as the voice of those companies, we need to know how to talk about “green” for our various audiences, whether its driven by consumer demand, cost savings, or just doing the right thing.
Thanks to the Professional Development committee for bringing us such a timely topic.
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04.25.08
Posted in PRSA News at 4:57 pm by Rick Hodson
The other day, I ran across an item in the news that dealt with academic freedom, the American flag, and our reaction to both. It seemed a student at the University of Maine, Farmington, decided to spread a whole bunch of flags on the floor at the school’s student center to document whether students and staff would step on them.
Of course once word of this experiment got out, there were the predictable protests by veterans and others who considered the whole thing blasphemy and that it should be stopped at once.
What caught my attention was the reaction of the University’s PR machine. Instead of waving their own flag of surrender, the school basically said it expected the controversy and sanctioned the project anyway.
“We were supporting and would continue to support any student’s First Amendment right to free expression under the law,” said Celeste Branham, vice president of student and community services at the university.
Too often, we as PR professionals earn our reputation as those who obfuscate and mislabel reality at the first hint of controversy.
I applaud folks who have the courage to look down the barrel of political correctness and fire back. Academic institutions should be places that spark debate as part of the learning process. This small incident in Maine is a lesson for all of us that the benefits of doing what is right far outweigh those of doing what is expedient.
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04.21.08
Posted in PRSA News at 10:32 am by Eric Fletcher, APR
Judging by the crowd at the April 11 meeting, about half of our 107 members were in attendance for the presentation by Liz Goodgold, keynote speaker and author of DUH! Marketing. For those of you who weren’t, you missed a good one. But lest you punish yourself for being unable to attend, allow me to share a golden nugget from Liz.
During Liz’s insightful, humorous and thought-provoking talk she developed a powerful argument for understanding your own personal brand. When people hear your name, what words come to their mind? What is it about you that “sticks” with people? Are you the gregarious, funny, engaging red-head with the cool name (Liz Goodgold)? Are you blessed with brilliant creativity? Are you innovative? Affable? Inspiring? Strategic? Are there less flattering words that may be used?
Liz described going through the exercise of discovering your personal brand. That is, systematically, and preferrably through an unbiased third party, soliciting feedback about you from co-workers, clients, bosses, subordinates, even family members. It’s an exercise that several of our members have undertaken (Tamara McClendon, for one). It’s an exercise that I recently completed.
For some, the exercise will validate much of what you already suspect, although even in these cases some feedback will be eye opening. For others this process can be life-changing. Personally, I used Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There as the basis for identifying my personal brand, and found the process invaluable. You’ll find you can make small changes and have a large impact on the brand of you.
So, on behalf of Liz Goodgold, this post is to implore you to find out who you are in the eyes of others, and use that information to create an even better you.
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