January, 2012

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Reference Rules of the Road, Rigorous, Reliable, Respectable and Repeatable

PR Job Coach

'So you finally passed muster in the 15 interviews you endured at ABC Company over two weeks. You are exhausted. You lost about eight pounds, sweated bullets and are in the final throes of that seemingly elusive job offer. Now comes the hard part. Who and what references can you provide that will help seal the deal and pave the way towards the job offer that has had you in the waiting room for what appears to be a lifetime.

Insurance 141
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12 Tips to Organize and Run a Tweetathon

Waxing UnLyrical

Many of you are familiar with the Blue Key campaign that I’ve been working on since last year for my client, USA for UNHCR. There are so many things I’ve learned during the course of this campaign – about blogger outreach, about measurement and analytics, about Facebook Groups, about community building – there are probably a ton of posts waiting to be written.

Twitter 108
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3 Ways National Media Use Social Media to Find Sources

Bad Pitch Blog

'We''ve seen some interesting examples of how journalists are sourcing stories via social media. Here are three national journalists using three different social media platforms to get things done. And in this MLK edition, we''ve also got some tips for being a better source via social media. The New York Times: social media editor Liz Heron on Facebook Liz sourced several quotes via Facebook and even followed up with her sources after the fact.

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A Letter to My Younger Self

Waxing UnLyrical

A few months ago, I came across Nancy Davis ‘ Letter to my Younger Self. It was very touching, and I promised her I would write such a post myself. Seeing as how my birthday is approaching (Sunday!), this is it. Dear 18-year-old Shonali, Right now, you’re wondering if your life is over, now that you’re almost out of your teens. As your 40-something self, I can tell you that it’s not… in fact, in terms of experience, you haven’t even been born yet.

Meeting 103
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The Upside of Leaked Internal Communications: 2024 Mini Benchmark Report

Leaked internal communications can be strategically valuable assets rather than just risks to manage. When used proactively, these leaks can highlight leadership and innovation—qualities that resonate in today’s media. By approaching internal comms with a dual-purpose approach, companies shift from mere risk avoidance to leveraging these moments as credible public messages around strategy.

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PR vs. Journalism: Why Rivalry Hurts Both

Waxing UnLyrical

While perusing my Facebook stream the other day, I came across this article on Business Insider. Its title alone (What PR People Really Think Of Journalists) told me the article was link bait. What it didn’t tell me was that in attempting to “end” a decades, if not centuries, old rivalry, is that it would make every public relations pro look like an immature jerk.

More Trending

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Managing Negative Comments in Social Media

Waxing UnLyrical

Guest post by Yvette Pistorio. If you work as a social media manager or online community manager you see these all the time … negative comments. When you see them you try at first to plan how to respond, but sometimes have a strong urge to react. The best tip I can give: don’t take them personally. You’ll run out of energy if you do this. Here are 6 more tips on how to manage negative comments: Listen to what is being said.

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6 iPhone Accessories for Almost-Professional Photos/Videos

Waxing UnLyrical

I saw a post from Chris Brogan a while back, talking about how it’s ok to not be an expert and, in fact, we shouldn’t wait until we’re experts at something to do it. Sounds about right to me. After all, I never trained in public relations (fuhgeddabout social media), and my background is in Economics (probably why I like numbers so much) and drama, but I think I’m doing ok.

Video 82
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On Creativity and Content

Waxing UnLyrical

Before I go any further, today is India’s Republic Day. To all our Indian/of Indian origin friends and readers, happy Republic Day! As you think about blogging, whether for personal or business reasons, how much do you mix up your content? Seriously, please tell me in the comments section, I really want to know. I’m guilty of thinking about it a lot, but not doing it enough.

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A Search for Identity … Whither Public Relations?

Waxing UnLyrical

Guest post by Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow PRSA. I stumbled into the field of public relations some 40-plus years ago so … The obvious … and first … response is “a lot.” After all, when I was a public affairs intern working for the US Army a million years ago, a remarkable piece of technology appeared that made it possible to transmit the written word via a telephone line to remote and exotic locales.

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The Importance of Personalizing Your Press Release for Journalists

Journalists receive an overwhelming number of press releases daily, making it hard for your news to stand out. While some news is valuable, most is not.

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Why Customers Are Generalizing Your Business

Waxing UnLyrical

I t’s not a good idea to search for a doctor online. I told my mother that when she asked me to. She agreed. And I began my search. After three days, I handed over a grand total of two name-and-number pairs. “They had good ratings,” I said, somewhat helplessly. My mother nodded at the strange syllables and locations. And she still hasn’t called them.

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Toon Time: Twitter Introductions

Waxing UnLyrical

Erin Feldman is the marketing communications manager at TouchSystems , a touch screen company based in Hutto, Texas. Her background is in marketing and creative writing, and she riffs about writing right at her blog, Write Right (so write right, don’t make her use her red pen). She spends the rest of her time writing poetry, drawing, reading, and running.

Twitter 76
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Give a New Year’s Gift to Nonprofits Worldwide

Waxing UnLyrical

I posted this before Christmas 2011, but it is an important cause that needs your support, so I’m re-posting it today. Please do take a moment to read, click, and share, in case you were out during the holidays. In the midst of your New Year cheer – which is well-deserved and much needed – would you take a moment to give a really great gift to nonprofits worldwide?

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Three Words

Waxing UnLyrical

Last week, or perhaps it was the week before, one of my friends asked (on Path, which I’m new to but find very enjoyable) what one’s three words for 2012 were. At the time, I responded, “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” I’ve always loved the Olympic motto, and “faster, higher, stronger” could be applicable to anyone, not just athletes.

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Do's and Don'ts: How to Pitch Your Press Release to Journalists

Speaker: Michelle Garrett, PR Consultant, Author, Speaker

Yes - press releases are still relevant in the world of public relations! 🎯 Ever wondered how to write a compelling press release, or what are current best practices for pitching your news to earn media coverage? In this exclusive webinar with Michelle Garrett, PR Consultant, we’ll cover tips and advice to help you get the most out of each piece of news you pitch!

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Pedal-powered Storytelling

Waxing UnLyrical

I was catching up on emails recently when a message caught my eye from one of my favorite brands: Rapha. As a bike geek and cycling lover, I love Rapha’s comfortable and beautifully designed cycling wear, and admire its use of content (particularly video ) to tell its story. Over the holiday season, Rapha challenged its community to complete the Festive 500 – burning off those Christmas calories by getting outside and cycling 500km across one week.

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What To Do When The Box Flips Inside Out

Waxing UnLyrical

Dumbphone users used to be cool (yes, they did!). Working at home used to be an oxymoron. Facebook used to be the only company making money off Facebook (go ahead and laugh). What happened? The novelty of the iPhone has worn off (although it has kept its edge). Working from home is no longer unusual. Now just about everyone on social media wants to make money.

Fashion 70
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Three Time-wasters for Friday. Thank you, Facebook.

Waxing UnLyrical

Seeing as how it’s Friday, I figured I’d help you goof off a little today. And you don’t have to thank me. Just thank Facebook, because I found all these on that 600-lb gorilla social network. I don’t know if that says something about Facebook, me, or the people I hang out with over there. Probably all three. 1. English pronunciation from The Poke , via Jason Konopinski.

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The Strangest Protest I Ever Took Part In

Waxing UnLyrical

If you’re a regular WUL reader, you may have noticed that this blog went dark yesterday. I used the SOPA Strike plugin to do so (after testing it as well as a couple of others). So if you were here yesterday, you’ll remember the splash page that told you why we were dark and which asked you to join the protest. Now, I’m not your typical “striker” (though you’ve probably figured that out by now).

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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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On Youth, Age, and Community Service

Waxing UnLyrical

This past Thursday, I happened to be driving in the afternoon. As I typically do when I’m driving, I tuned into NPR. “Tell Me More” was on, and I caught part of the conversation on President Obama’s proposal to regulate home health care workers. This is not a political post, nor is it one on home health care. One of the guests was a lady by the name of Nicole Lee , who hired a home care worker for her father after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

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Project 366

Waxing UnLyrical

It’s the second day of 2012. Did you have fun seeing the New Year in? Or did you mark it like any other day? Did you make any resolutions… or have they already starting paving the way to the nether world ? Whichever your approach, I hope 2012 brings good things to you and yours, and the strength to withstand the bad (because you know there are bound to be at least a few sucky moments down the road).

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MeasurePR Enters 2012

Waxing UnLyrical

Last week we held the first #measurePR chat of 2012. Having taken a nice break over the holidays, it was great to be back with some familiar faces, er, Twitter handles, and some new ones too… we love new people! Seeing as how some of us (cough, me, cough) were still easing into the new year, we didn’t have a special guest. So the chat was a community chat or, as I like to call them, a fireside chat.

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Gawker Follows Our Lead

Bad Pitch Blog

'We''ve worked with Gawker in the past to help further our cause. Trying to change the industry from the inside out has been an ongoing task (psst, our sixth birthday is this Friday!). And, while we''re proud of the progress we''ve helped create, we''ve learned over the years that we need all the help we can get. Our friend Hamilton Nolan knows of our valiant quest and he''s "reaching across the aisle" on behalf of the fourth estate to help us out with his new blog item: PR Dummies.

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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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New Year, New Content

Bad Pitch Blog

'Help The Bad Pitch Blog suck less in 2012. If you want more trending, less trailing and no tired* content in 2012, we need your help. Leave us a comment on this post, drop us an email or send us a tweet if there''s a specific topic you''d like to see us discuss in the future. Richard and I try and give you what you want to read vs. what we think you want.or what we want to write about.

Trends 41
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Boners BBQ: A Study In How To Hate Your Customer

Waxing UnLyrical

This isn’t going to be another deconstruction of the awful PR and social media job done by Boners BBQ in Atlanta recently. There are hundreds of those out there ( though Unmarketing’s take is among the best ). This is going to be a “How to ensure your business never gets off the ground” kind of post. The first step? Have a terrible looking website that advertises a secondary slogan so juvenile and childish that it is difficult to find it offensive.

Study 68
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5 Reminders of Word Choice's Importance

Bad Pitch Blog

'What''s in a Word? A lot. A chain of links this morning reminds us of the importance of word choice. A Tale of Two Cliches You''re thinking, "But we also say, ''don''t sweat the small stuff.''" There''s some substance in this trite phrase as well. Word choice shouldn''t paralyze us or slow us down. But there''s a happy medium between clear, concise Hemingway-style writing and writing that helps differentiate us that also makes sense.