August, 2011

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Austin Beckons

Waxing UnLyrical

There’s been a lot of chatter recently over conferences that have a voting component to their submissions. That’s because the “panel picker&# part of the 2012 South by SouthWest Interactive conference is currently in progress, ending on Friday, Sept. 2. I remember the first year I paid attention to SxSW. I wasn’t anywhere close to attending, but it was new to me, and I was in awe of people who were submitting proposals.

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The Secret World Of Enthusiasm

Bad Pitch Blog

'There’s a breed of PR people out there that can get the meeting, do the interview and chat the darn thing all day long on the phone with journalists, email every producer and blogger on earth and yet.they have an anemic list of coverage, though, and the buzz-o-meter isn’t reporting the faintest blip. The shortfall in coverage usually reflects a disinterest in following up.

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Constructing the Organizational Narrative: PR definition in the making

PR Conversations

Graphic recording by Liisa Sorsa of "A Heart to Art Chat" unconference at the Art Gallery of Ontario. There’s an insidious, four-letter word that continues to haunt and largely define the public relations industry (at least in the public’s estimation): Spin. We know this. We fight it. But a big part of the problem is that the average person still does not know what it is we do.

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Cover Your Bases and Home Runs - The Job Pitch Letter

PR Job Coach

'Cover letters and resumes play critical roles in career management and job search. You can argue that one trumps the other but the fact is they work together as a team. And the cover letter plays a starring role because it can get the recruiter, HR folks and the hiring manager warmed up for the main pitch of the resume. In short, the cover letter should cover your bases and home runs.

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Peter H. Paulsen’s Inspiring Tale Continues to Resonate in 2024

Two years after its initial release, Peter H. Paulsen’s book, From Brick and Mortar to Prosperity, continues to inspire readers around the globe.

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Is Your Attempt at Inclusion an Insult?

Waxing UnLyrical

Guest post by Katrina Esco. Sometimes, a really great campaign gets noticed for the right reasons ( Starbucks’ “Pass the Cheer” campaign comes to mind.). Other times, despite our best intentions, we really step in it. Summer’s Eve has been in the hot seat for its talking vagina commercial series. The set of three commercials originally showed: a white woman who likes to use the product after the gym and says something about her BFFs, a Hispanic woman who has an accent and cries, “Ay-

More Trending

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The Right Way to Build Your Email List

Waxing UnLyrical

Almost two years ago I went on a bit of a rant about how much I hate being added to email lists without my permission , especially by people I’ve “met&# on Twitter or while out and about at a conference. I ran a Twtpoll on this, as well as a follow-up post , and for the most part, those who participated in the admittedly unscientific poll said that, as a practice, this sucks.

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The Invisible Rock Stars

Waxing UnLyrical

Yesterday I had the honor – and it really was an honor – of introducing Dr. Donna Vincent Roa as she received the 2011 Matrix Award (that’s her on the left) from the Association for Women in Communication’s DC chapter , in recognition of her accomplishments in the global communication field. As I said in my remarks, long before I met Donna (who is IABC-accredited and a former IABC/DC Metro president, as I am), I bumped into her reputation.

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Positioning Your Business… In Your Head

Waxing UnLyrical

Yesterday, I came across a really interesting post by John Jantsch that posited “it’s time to purge the word entrepreneur&#. In part, John wrote, “The issue centers on the notion that if you’re an entrepreneur you care about high growth and if you’re a small business owner you’re somehow destined to struggle to make ends meet while working your fingers to the bone.&#. and. “You can view your business as an entrepreneurial high growth machine and still work your fingers to

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The Automation Debate

Waxing UnLyrical

Guest post by Thom Holland. As business leaders, we often operate in what I like to call “collected chaos”; a million different business decisions coming at you at once. Often times, to combat the chaos we look to streamline and automate any and every process that we possibly can. After all, that makes perfect sense, right? The easiest way to free up our valuable time is to automate something that consumes it.

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Are Your Impact Comms Resonating With Stakeholders?

Whether your organization is at the start of its sustainability and impact journey or years into it, many brands share a common concern: the uncertainty of whether they are sending stakeholders mixed messages. Creating content that speaks to your audience's “love language” can be a tricky dance. But, worry not! 3BL has put together tips to ensure that your content not only finds its rhythm but also resonates with your target audiences.

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#measurePR with Marshall Sponder (Part I)

Waxing UnLyrical

A week ago today, I spoke to Marshall Sponder for the very first time. I was quite excited, because I’ve been following his blog for ages. I mean, when you spell “measurement geek,&# you are really spelling M-A-R-S-H-A-L-L-S-P-O-N-D-E-R.&#. That’s how much into measurement he is! Marshall and I have been trying to connect for a long time, and I’ve always wanted to have him as a guest on #measurePR.

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Confirmation That We Kick Ass

Waxing UnLyrical

Well, whaddya know? After more than a year (much more, though I don’t remember exactly how long, that’s how long it’s been), I woke up at 4:50 am today to see this email (bolding mine): Subject line: Alltop Submission Accepted. Thank you for submitting your blog or website for inclusion in Alltop. We’ve added the feed to the PR topic: [link]. 4:50 am is not usually when I tumble out of bed, bursting with energy.

Energy 83
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Businesses Don’t Go on Vacation… But You Do

Waxing UnLyrical

Yesterday, Ken Mueller published a post that he wrote and filmed (it has a video in it) from the beach … while on vacation. His blog opened with: “I’m currently on vacation at the beach but that’s no reason to not continue blogging and shooting videos.&#. You should read the post and watch the video, because Ken gives some great tips on what you can do to keep your business moving while you’re out.

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What Teaching Teaches Me About Public Relations

Waxing UnLyrical

Yesterday a friend of mine emailed me. He said, “I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. I am teaching a _ class at _ starting this fall. I’ve never taught before. I know you have. Any guidance or tips?&#. I replied with one of my shortest emails ever: “Work closely with your program chair, follow instructions, record everything, and don’t let students give you crap.&#.

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Adapting to the Future: The Evolving Role of Crisis Management Firms in a Rapidly Changing World

As the Internet continues to grow and change, the role of Online Crisis Management firms is evolving. This article explores how these firms are adapting to the new topography of Online Crisis Management. Through interviews with industry experts and case studies, we uncover the key strategies and tactics that are driving success in this dynamic field.

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12 Ways to Make a Twitter Chat More Enjoyable and Efficient

Waxing UnLyrical

I’ve been participating in or moderating Twitter chats (ok, “tweetchats,&# if you must) for about a year and a half now. My, isn’t that an eternity in Twitterverse! Last year, I wrote two posts based on questions I received about Twitter chats. The first discussed 3 questions to ask – and answer – when launching a Twitter chat , and the second talked about making the most of a Twitter chat.

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Hitting the Reset Button

Waxing UnLyrical

Good morning and happy Monday (or good evening or good night and here’s to a great Tuesday for you, depending on where you are as you read this). You may not have noticed, but for the last couple of weeks, Waxing UnLyrical has not been publishing over the weekend. The three main reasons for this are: 1. While I love blogging, the blog community, social media, etc., more and more I’ve been feeling the need to decompress and stay offline as much as possible during the weekend (just as

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What My PR Degree Would Look Like Today

Waxing UnLyrical

I finished my masters degree in PR and corporate communication at the end of 2009 – only 19 months ago. However, as a young professional continuing to learn every day in the professional environment, I wondered what my degree might look like were I to embark on it all over again tomorrow. To do that, I need to backtrack a little. So, what subjects made up my degree and would remain in my revised edition?

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What Makes You, You?

Waxing UnLyrical

A few days ago, Ann Bingley Gallops responded to one of my Triberr tweets that shared a blog post Patrick Reyes had sent out. The post itself shared Nosh’s quite innovative video that they use as part of their “404 Not Found&# page. Ann said that “she thought it turned funny until it turned violent,&# and then followed up by explaining that she is Norwegian, so perhaps her sense of humor was a bit stunted right now (and I really assume you know what she’s referring to).

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Communicating During a Crisis & Navigating the Chaos

Speaker: Shawna Bruce, Director of M.D. Bruce & Associates Ltd.

Are you ready to face the unexpected? When the stakes are high and the pressure is on, there's no time to waste - you must be prepared to communicate clearly and confidently. In today's unpredictable world, mastering the art of crisis communication is a must-have skill for any public relations professional. Whether you're facing a weather disaster, a cyber attack, or a PR nightmare, knowing how to craft a clear and compelling message can mean the difference between chaos and calm, confusion and

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How Not to Pitch (Insert Site Here)

Waxing UnLyrical

This may be the crown jewel in my Wall of Shame for bad pitches thus far. Note what I’ve bolded … Hi. I’m <name>, I’m a tech writer and I’m looking for opportunities to contribute interesting and original articles to relevant blogs and websites like (insert site here). Would you be interested in me writing a free article for your site?

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A Primer on TweetLevel

Waxing UnLyrical

Guest post by Jonny Bentwood. TweetLevel and BlogLevel are two purpose built tools for the PR industry that aim to be a GPS for navigating influence. At the former’s heart is an open and transparent algorithm that seeks to measure who is important within each social media channel. Resting behind the methodology are several key insights: Influence without context is irrelevant.

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New Study Finds You Suck

Waxing UnLyrical

The other day I read that higher education consulting firm, Noel-Levitz, found that more than three-quarters of students and parents it surveyed never or only rarely read blogs on college websites. I manage a blog for a mid-sized Canadian University. The study was listed as one of the bullet points in Academica’s Top Ten , a daily scan of the news stories in Canadian Higher Education.

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What Information Is Not

Waxing UnLyrical

There was a radio station we used to listen to pretty often during my morning commute. It used to proclaim at program breaks: “WXXX, where information is power.&#. The hair immediately rose on the back of my neck, and from then on hearing that phrase intoned by the bass voice had me grimacing inwardly. It’s an easily digested lie. Information of itself (in hands other than Google’s, Facebook’s, or the FBI’s) is useless.

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Discover the Actionable Habits of the World’s Best Strategic Communicators

Communication professionals can sometimes face difficult questions from internal stakeholders about the impact of their PR marketing initiatives. We know that nearly half of these professional say they need help with turning their PR data into actionable insights; and at least 20% don’t think they can measure their campaigns at all—but what if we told you all these obstacles can be easily combatted if you implement a few key habits.

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The Hurricane No One Saw Coming

Waxing UnLyrical

In all the chatter over Hurricane Irene (which, thankfully, left everyone I know as well as myself more or less unscathed), a hurricane of its own tore through the public relations world on Friday: VMS (Video Monitoring Services of America, LP) has closed its doors. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with it, VMS was the dominant video monitoring service for years.

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Baby, Get (Hump)Back – Public Relations Lessons From a Whale

Waxing UnLyrical

When was the last time you got public relations lessons from a humpback whale? This past Friday, as I was looking at various social media platforms, I came across a video that one of my Facebook friends had shared. It was a video from the Great Whale Conservancy , a program of a project (not a typo) of the Earth Island Institute (I checked them out on Charity Navigator , and they are, I think, legit).

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#measurePR with Marshall Sponder (Part II)

Waxing UnLyrical

Last week Marshall Sponder returned to the bi-weekly #measurePR Twitter chat. As I said when I wrote up his previous “appearance,&# this is someone who eats, lives, breathes measurement, and that always makes for a good guest. In addition, with his new book out, Marshall has a pretty busy schedule, so I really appreciated him making the time to chat with us.

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Weekly Roundup: Begin Anywhere

Waxing UnLyrical

I’m a little late in posting today’s weekly roundup, because I just got back from an almost-2-mile walk with two of our dogs (and wondering whether handling a combined 115 lbs at the end of two leashes improves the quality of the walk…?). So when I started combing through my Reader for good stuff to share with you, the very first post I read was perfect, and I borrowed its title for this post’s title as well. 1.

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7 Ways to Deliver Groundbreaking Thought Leadership

Delivering Successful Thought Leadership Programs. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, a successful thought leadership program is a powerful tool to increase the profile of your brand. By developing compelling content that is authentic to your brand and offers something unique, you can become a trusted source and the ‘go-to’ expert in your field.

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Using Twitter for PR events

PR Conversations

How should you use Twitter for public relations events? This is a topic we’ve pondered among the PR Conversations team ( Judy Gombita , Markus Pirchner and Heather Yaxley ). Twitter offers potential for conferences, launches, announcements, stunts and many other PR events – and we’ve seen it used well, and badly. We’ve used Twitter at events, and participated remotely in real world activities and those that only exist online.

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Public relations 2011: PR primer for (social) networking

PR Conversations

Public relations 2011: issues, insights and ideas, edited by Craig Pearce (free e-report). Earlier this year on PR Conversations, The wind is in Craig Pearce’s sails , detailed availability of this Australian’s free e-report initiative, Public relations 2011: issues, insights and ideas, which features a roster of international authors and original articles.

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A PR Time Capsule Can Take You Back to the Future

Bad Pitch Blog

'Some PR anthropology on my part has me fascinated with William G. Werner. I’ll spare you the back story on why I’m digging. But I will note it’s required me to use something other than Google and the Interwebs to unearth information. So who’s Werner and why should you care? In 1941, he founded the PR department at Procter & Gamble. And, while Edward Bernays is considered the Father of Public Relations – even helping P&G in the 1920’s, William Werner took up where Bernays left off and he

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