Check out the site here…

This is the third of these mixers I have attended and this one begs the question what do I get out of it? Or of course, why network?

A few short months ago I would have told you I attend these solely to try and get a job but upon further reflection I realize that isn’t really the case. I attend, and I suspect I am not alone here, to connect with some like-minded individuals. So many of the attendees know each other that it is less about what can you do for me and more what are you up to.

That’s what made me think of the project. Specifically I thought about the message that Tom had for us. It’s all about your personal brand. Are you that “hey, what have you done for me lately?” guy or are you the one that is chatting up the crowd about whatever topic is brought up?

So what did I learn from all of this?

I think I need to get back to my brand! I need to get back to going to these events because I like the people and the message and ideals that they promote. Most of all, I need to get back to that lesson I probably never really forgot at all…

Why network?

My blogging break is over…

So I have been back out in the real world for a few months now and as the job search continues I have decided it is time once again for me to return to blogging. I was waiting for a good excuse to get the ball rolling once again and I found one…

As I scanned the headlines at Yahoo.com I ran across  “69% Of Adults Don’t Know What Twitter Is” and I realized that this is a topic I need to write about since just a few months back I was quoting one of the great tips I have found since discovering almost one year ago.

Although I would love to say that this round is where I am going to jump right in, I feel the need to once again make sure that I mention what Twitter is. Plain and simple Twitter is the dumping ground for opinions and articles on a multitude of topics. Twitter limits the posts to 140 characters so that you aren’t reading hundreds of words to get to someone’s point, nor are you beating around the bush to get to yours.

Some of the topics that I have read, commented on and clicked to include Comic-Con news (yes, once a geek- always a geek) random thoughts from celebrities, breaking news stories, Twittascopes, (thanks to @kguerra4) and links about everything from PR to product reviews to pictures from people around the globe that include pets, friends, and even the view out the window.

So I know what you are thinking; of course 69% of adults don’t know about it, why would they?

Well since you asked, I’ll tell you…

They should know because Twitter is one more venue where the conversations are headed. I can’t say that 69% of adults care about being part of the conversation but I don’t need a study to know that if asked most people won’t opt out on their own.

Unfortunately, or fortunately in my case, I am not an unbiased source. I have a couple hundred followers and I average more than one comment each day since I signed up. It’s amazing how that sounds when I write it out, yet I am far from the most frequent to tweet about my day.

I learned a great lesson when I started working a sales job right after high school. We have two ears and one mouth so we listen twice as much as we talk.  That’s what I get out of Twitter and that is the opportunity I see for that 69%. You may not always want to be speaking your mind but you should be out there listening to what is on the minds of others. This allows us to be better informed when we decide to voice our side.

Twitter also gives us all of the same freedoms we employ when engaging in conversation in real life. You choose which posters you follow and whether or not that poster supports your causes and interests or is your biggest detractor. You choose what topics you want to learn more about or with a simple click you can never hear from that person again; if only it was that simple in everyday life.

So who am I listening to? See for yourself here.

This semester has been crazy. With paper after paper due including the dreaded Senior Seminar one due in just a few days I don’t know where the time flew. I have to add that I did post something during my hiatus but I decided to skip adding it to my own blog, not because I couldn’t have done it it but because I always planned on sharing the link with all of you.

Rachel M. Esterline, for anyone who has never heard me mention her before, is amazing. She is a real inspiration to other students everywhere regardless of their age. Rachel runs one of the better blogs I read and she has given me a couple of opportunities to contribute to her site. My latest attempt was a spot about Networking’s ROI and it can be found here.

I also had a chance to contribute to an article for Platform Magazine. My PR professor approached the magazine with a concept and they liked his idea. He decided on a Q&A session with yours truly and taking a unique turn; he is interviewing me instead of vice versa. The article can be found here. I hope you like it.

So I have been lax in my writing but I have been reading and researching and one of the gems I have run across comes from David Henderson through Twitter. For those of you not following Twitter, it’s a great tool for sifting through the multitude of Web sites that offer interesting facts. Whether you are interested in current events, professional tips or just looking to be entertained your network on Twitter can help.

I was lucky enough to find David Henderson, who is a former CBS News correspondent with some great tips for those of us just getting started in public relations and an interesting take on many events going on around the world. Henderson is an author and blogger and examples of his work can be found at his Web site or you can check out his e-book “Media Savvy in the Internet Era” available for free here. I did and it was well worth it.

Katie Delahaye Paine, seen in the video above, is an expert in the field of measurement and evaluation. In this video she talks with Jason Falls, a nationally-recognized expert on social media and online communications, about ROI and social media.

ROI is a hot topic this semester at school but also in the world of Public Relations and social media. For those of you who aren’t in the loop, ROI or return on investment, measures how effectively a business uses its capital to generate profit. In the world of PR and social media, there is no easy way to measure and that is the rub. 

How do we determine if our efforts are worth the investment? 

Paine points out one issue right off the bat; “ROI is not defined in social media in terms of eyeballs or in terms of numbers.” Even if it was that easy Paine adds, “are you reaching the right eyeballs and are you engaging those eyeballs?” 

So at this point I bet you are wondering what does this mean to me, aren’t you?

Just as Paine and therefore the title says “you gotta define the ‘R.’

In the past few weeks we have had a few chances to address the concept of ROI as it pertains to class projects. We are constantly trying to apply this idea to each and every project but many of us forget the all important ‘R.’ My group’s project, for example, was about introducing networking as a way of life instead of directed at one or a group of individuals. The ‘R’ for us was to get that message to more than just the four in our group and our presenter. When half of the audience was community members we thought we were off to a great start but the real ‘R’ for me was talking to one the attendees who came to see the speaker, whom she has known for awhile, but said she “learned something.” Isn’t that why we get up off the couch to do just about anything?

On his blog, Jason Falls explains it best when he says, “ if your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

I had a presentation today and I learned a valuable lesson or rather I was reminded of one…

Research isn’t done just to pad a presentation even in school where we tend to forget that fact.

Today’s presentation was a contest of sorts and the winning team received gift certificates for the client’s business. 

What did they do that my team didn’t?

A few things actually…

First and foremost, they offered the most recommendations to the clients but that alone wouldn’t have earned them the win.

They took their time when it came to research. They explained the process and what it meant but more so what it hoped to achieve. Then they took that research and connected it to the recommendations and they had it locked up. They didn’t just do research and then offer recommendations; they explained how the research led to those conclusions.

That’s what we didn’t do. We had our ideas but they came first and we found research that supported us not the other way around.

Congratulations to Team #1, the ladies in black. It was a win well deserved.

http://bakercast.podbean.com

Rachel M. Esterline is a student at Central MIchigan University and she writes a blog that helps prepare students to go out into the world but also highlights some wonderful tips that any PR practitioner could benefit from.

Check her blog out at http://www.rachelesterline.com/astepahead/

One of the sessions from the PRSSA National Conference was a panel that discussed the importance of Accreditation in Public Relations. The panel included Gwyn Walcoff, APR, CCG Public Relations; Jennifer Flowers, APR, Senior Public Relations Officer, Henry Ford Health System; Lt. Commander Brook DeWalt, APR, New Media Directorate, United States Department of Defense and Ann Knabe, APR, Public Relations/Communications Instructor, University of Wisconsin Whitewater & U S Air Force Reserve. 

Our panel taught us the following regarding accreditation:

1)   The five years of experience rule is no more. Professionals should still have experience before they attempt to take the exam but there is no minimum required to earn the APR title.

2)   The new professional should set earning their APR as a goal.

3)   If you aren’t getting the strategic experience you need then volunteer.

4)   Being an APR sets a professional apart as a strategic and ethical professional

5)   Failing your first exam is not unusual; don’t be discouraged. Many professionals take more than one attempt to earn their APR.

6)   Use the Web site and your local PRSA Chapter members.

I have met quite a few PR professionals in my short time in PRSSA and I have come to learn one thing about accreditation, there is something about the accredited professional. I think Holly Byars, APR; an assistant professor of Journalism at Arkansas State University has it right when she says, “accreditation assures that a certain standard of quality is met.” The accredited professionals that I have had the pleasure of meeting are some of the most impressive individuals I have met in the twenty years since I went out and got my first job.

Check out the Public Relations Society of America’s Web site for more information.

http://www.prsa.org/PD/apr/index.html

Mike Cherenson, Chair-elect for PRSA, has spoken to our organization in San Diego at the National Assembly, Buffalo at the Northeast Regional Conference and in Detroit introducing the keynote speaker.

Cherenson often delivers the same messages to students but as they are such important messages I figured they are worth repeating here:

1)   Love what you do!

2)   Make your own luck!

3)   Network-the more people you know, the more powerful you are!

4)   You need the picture to put the puzzle together! What does the picture on the top of your puzzle box look like?

5)   You don’t build relationships sitting in an office!

6)   If you don’t go and you don’t use it then you will get nothing out of it!

Mike says that the keys to his success are a passion for what he does and work balance.  As a second generation PR practitioner, Mike’s stories about his dad and his family show how important they are in his success and his work visiting students across the country and the dedication to his industry he shows through his blog display his passion for making the world of PR a better place.

To read Mike’s blog for yourself visit http://www.cherensonprblog.com/.