Go Read This Blog Post So You Have No Regrets

I’m a  HUGE fan of SpinSucks – the online community and blog led by Gini Dietrich and Arment Dietrich. The posts always have insightful information and the conversation that happens in the comments is both professional and fun.

Today Gini posted “The Success Trap and Regrets of the Dying”. I highly encourage you to go read it so you live your life without regrets.

A Re-post: Don’t Be Afraid of Communications

I wrote this back in 2008. I’m re-posting it because based on some conversations I’ve seen online and been a part of, I think it still applies. Let me know what you think.

Photo by sodahead.

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Last week I read the post “So you want to break into public relations?” by Mark Rose, who blogs at PR Blog News. It intrigued me because he started his post off with “this is a difficult and confusing time to break into the public relations business”. He then goes on to let people know that they are actually in great spot to enter the business.

At the end, in the comments section, a student about to graduate stated how people about to graduate now or in the near future “are scared of the new form of PR that is out there”. She stated that she was glad to hear Mark’s comments that is was the perfect time to enter the communications business because it was comforting to know that all they are working/studying for will be worth it.

I posted a comment in response to her comment.  My comment read as follows:

Great piece, Mark, I want to respond to Sabrina’s comment. Sabrina, don’t be scared. PR courses weren’t offered until my junior year, when business began to say, “hmmm…maybe this thing adds some value”. (This was in the late 1980s-early 1990s). When I went to grad school, there was not a PR degree, rather the university offered a “Masters of Mass Communications” degree. This program offered courses in each of the traditional mediums (tv, radio, newspaper, magazines and statistics). I think you are fortunate in that you are coming in at a time where you don’t learn one thing but have to practice another. One last thing – people still ask for a definition of PR and it is still hard to come up with a defining answer.

You see, it concerned me that people may be nervous about entering the communications business. The impression I took away from her comment was that she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to succeed. My intent was to let her know that she didn’t need to be nervous; I believe her generation is armed with a lot more knowledge of the latest trends, thoughts, etc., than my generation. (I listed my curriculum – way back when – in my comment above.) I like to think that the curriculum has evolved since my days as a graduate student.

Her goal, as is ours, is to strategically combine and determine which tools work best for a particular message, project, etc. And, to Mark’s point, it’s more important than ever to be a strong writer. Even with all the new social media tools and technology that is being added to our resources, the one thing that makes us stand out is our ability to write.

But I digress. Graduates and future graduates: don’t be afraid of entering the communications business. Know that many of us who are in the field have made it by learning as we go, trusting our talents and skills, and applying what we learn. We talk to each other to solve problems and avoid re-inventing the wheel. So many communicators are out there with so many success stories, you always have people to turn to versus trying to create a solution all by yourself. In addition, you will be bringing new thoughts and ideas to the table that we can utilize.

Embrace the challenge and enjoy your passion. Don’t be afraid.

What other advice can we give those entering the communications business?

Update: In response to my comment regarding a definition of PR, Mark was able to give me one from a previous post of his

http://www.prblognews.com/2008/03/20/barack-obama-master-pr-pitchman/:

“Public Relations is defined as the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans, executes and evaluates a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.”

Thanks Mark!

No Manners? Not In My House.

 I have been reading many posts about bullying online. The most recent post was Gini Dietrich‘s “Seven Tips for Dealing with Online Trolls”. She gives great advice on how to deal with them while weaving in a story about her encounter with a not-so-nice mother.

Gini’s advice and the comments left by others are spot-on. What turned me on my head was the story of the, ahem, “mother”, that she encountered. I think you should read the story for yourself at spinsucks.com, as it is her post.

With that said, let’s jump to the fact that it was the behavior that irked me to no end. My comment was as follows:

“My question is, “How do we instill good manners again?’”. For example, we have taught our daughter to say “please” and “thank you”, etc. She addresses adults as “Mr. Jeff” or Ms. Susan”. (She is 7.) Yet, the other day, a neighbor and my hubby got into a discussion about manners. The neighbor’s child is 2. In summary, the neighbor would not teach his daughter to address adults as “Mr./Ms.”; we would be called “Susan and Jeff”. Hubby said, “Not in my house”.”

I agree with hubby. I was raised with manners. And, I didn’t get to use first names with Mr. or Ms. I used last names, “Mr.Smith”, etc. I still say “yes, ma’am” and “no sir”, sometimes to people younger than me!

Neighbors always comment on how well-behaved my daughter is when out and about. Strangers have expressed pleasure and are awed that she uses “please” and “thank you”.

People are impressed with her behavior because they don’t see many kids using manners. Let me repeat that: “they don’t see many kids using manners”. It blows my mind that kids with manners are the odd ones.

Manners begin at home. Children imitate now just what the hear, but what they see. If you don’t say “please”, or if you flip someone off, they will begin to think it is okay. It’s not. What we learn as a child influences our behavior and choices for the rest of our lives.

I like to think that if we focused more on manners (and many other things) as we used to do, we wouldn’t take to so freely acting any way we want in public.

What do you think about missing manners these days?

An Open Letter To DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins

Dear DeAndre,

I am thrilled and proud that you were drafted by the Houston Texans. It is so exciting that you will be playing in the town in which I live. As a fellow Clemson Tiger, let me tell you: this city has a LOT of Clemson alums and we are all excited to see a Tiger in a Texans uniform.

With this journey ahead of you, I just want to share some thoughts with you, if you do not mind.

As C.J. Spiller learned, a high profile brings high expectations and demands. C.J. accepted the challenge and gracefully represents himself, his family, the Bills and Clemson.

You have this same challenge. We have faith in you. We know you will succeed on the field and off, which is why we support you 100%.

And, you have some fabulous mentors on the Texans to learn from, such as, oh, I don’t know, a certain wide receiver named Andre Johnson???!!! Take advantage of these opportunities and rock it.

Know that you are joining an exciting and talented Texans team that is on the verge of exploding within the NFL and that has extremely loyal fans. (Sound familiar?)

The Tiger’s roar is definitely echoing…we look forward to seeing you play as a Texan.

(Photo from Houston Texans)

Voice of the Customer – Is it a new blanket for business?

I have been catching up on blog posts written by Valeria Maltoni on her Conversation Agent web site. Her post “Why Data Without a Soul is Meaningless” brought up a question in my mind. See, at the end of the post, she wrote,

“Whenever a client or a colleague asks for data to prove a thesis, I cringe a little on the inside. Because in many cases, especially related to social anything, it is a matter of preference — and you don’t dictate preference, you choose.”

I relate to those words. Most likely because my career and passion is marketing communications and we all know about that ongoing ROI discussion.

Anyway, I thought about it and posted a comment (thus now this post) around this thought:

“Perhaps that is one issue? The fact that businesses may jump on social media outlets and try to dictate preference as “Mad Men”, while forgetting the definition of social. I continue to hear the phrase “voice of the customer” being bandied about and think two things: 1) businesses are beginning to understand it’s about “us”, and 2) businesses are still operating in the same manner and just using the phrase as a blanket.”

What do you think about how businesses are “embracing” the “Voice of the Customer”?

When do you use social media?

Soooo…I took more time off than I had intended from the social media world over the past two weeks. Now I’m ready to get back into the swing of things.

One question I’ve been pondering is whether or not how active one is on Facebook, Twitter, etc., on the weekend versus the week. After asking around, it seems as though it is split down the middle. Those who work online throughout the week seem to work hard to avoid posting online during the weekend. Those who aren’t online because of their jobs, etc., seem to be online more during the weekend.

Disclaimer: This was not a formal survey complete with measurements, statistics, etc. This is the result of informal conversations.

So I ask you, what type of job do you do and when are you most active on social media?

My daughter dresses me

I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this before now. As background, my daughter is a self-proclaimed “fashionista”. The fun part is that she enjoys picking out my outfits every day. And I get compliments on them! So, I pretty much wear what she lays out in the morning. It’s fun. Very fun. So today’s outfit is…

(Don’t judge the model.)