List of comments

Just for my PR class, here is a list of comments I have made on other blogs:

http://www.guitarlifestyle.com/archives/2008/05/26/happy-memorial-day/#comments

http://boxing.about.com/b/ regarding Tyson: The Movie

http://nakedpr.com/2008/05/27/pr-for-the-public-relations-industry/#comment-2789

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7016845068522958828&postID=451070403138472352&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7527292643459322118&postID=7922637922474631827&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7527292643459322118&postID=531441991750429617&page=1

http://senatoryourenojackkennedy.blogspot.com/ about obama’s fundraising

http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2008/05/you-need-seriou.html?cid=117756790#comment-117756790

http://youngie.prblogs.org/2008/04/18/the-universe-is-made-of-stories-not-atoms/#comment-23571

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21427524&postID=8630290895761305393&page=1

The Face of PR

I think this is a tough subject. For one, I think many conceptions about the PR industry are true. It is dominated by "chicks" and there is always an underlining purpose for the company or organization that us professionals communicate for.
This isn't to say that we lie. Sometimes we cannot disclose the complete truth and other times we need to get the whole truth out there, even if it hurts the organization we represent. This is part of the code of ethics PRos are expected to uphold.
It's not general promotions where the face of PR goes bad, it's during crisis communication. When something goes wrong with the company and us PRos have to “face the media” with a response, it’s no wonder why we look bad. The problem with the organization or company not only gets transfered to us, but we are the ones blamed if information is withheld.
Stick to your ethics above all, your loyalty to the organization and people you represent and everything work itself out. You also need to make sure your values lineup with those you represent so you know you will not be forced into that situation where you feel more needs to be said than what you are being allowed.
Here is a list of a few PR positions I could never hold due to my ethics:

-Publicist for Barry Bonds
-Publicist for Enron
-Anywhere in China (I don’t want my work to be censored!)

The basic reason, for me, is that I don’t want to be restrained. My values also need to align with who I'm dealing with. So, no Wal Mart for me. I feel that if an organization or individual can’t let the media and world know what they are doing, then chances are they shouldn’t be doing it.
The one conception that I think needs to change is that PRos are all spin-doctors. Take a look at this Mac commercial to understand where I am coming from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf81H4v4ByM
The job of a PRo, as I have been taught, is to indirectly influence an audience’s opinion. Not to simply make sure a company doesn’t look bad. That is the company’s responsibility when it makes all its business decisions.

Twitter Rebuttle!

So maybe I might have, kinda sort of, possibly… No! I most definitely made a mistake by making an earlier post. The post was titled “On Twitter: Not all that and a bag of chips.”
Because I am human, I realize that sometimes it takes us time to accept and embrace new things and I think that this is where I went wrong here.

I’m afraid that all of these new things on the internet are going to take over my happy life! Why do I need to post to the world what I am doing every five minutes? It seems too meticulous. But, I have seen the light.

Twitter isn’t designed to be awe inspiring, it’s designed to give you tid-bits. And these little pieces of information don’t have to be about your everyday life, but they can be strictly professional. This is where I see the value of Twitter. You can get the day-to-day inside scoop about what other people are doing in the industry that you can’t get anywhere else.

And so what if someone is posting what they did on Friday night, Saturday morning and every other hour of the day. Now, you have something to talk about with them. This is great for doing research about someone you are going to meet…. Clients, prospective employers and so on.

So, Check out my new Twitter feed. I’m an interesting guy, just don’t stalk me, OK?

Target: Phoenix.

I thought I would take the opportunity to discuss where I am at right now in my career. Maybe this will help me sort things out and give me a clearer picture so I know where I am going.

Thus far: I am 22 years old and three weeks away from graduating from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism with emphases in public relations and a minor in business administration. The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication is ranked as the 112th best journalism school in the nation out of the 418 that are ranked on USNews.com.

On June 16, 2008 I will move from Portland, Oregon to Phoenix Arizona. Citymayors.com ranked Phoenix as the fourth fastest growing city in America and the Business Journal racked the city as the fifth best place for young adults to be. Portland didn’t make the Business Journal’s top ten, but pulled in at 72 for the fastest growing city competition. The Arizona State University journalism school is ranked 124th nationally and is located in Tempe (part of the greater Phoenix area).

The things I’ve got going for me:
- New place = new perspective
- Portland experience and internship and Media Cabin
- Two years work experience and student run ad agency, Allen Hall Advertising
- Part time jobs throughout college (I paid my own way, thank you very much!)
- Great personality and undying work ethic
- Loads of life experience

The way I see it, the stars are within reach! There is nothing holding me back accept for the economy, but there is still room to wiggle around even that.

So, What’s next?

I don’t have any connections in Phoenix at all! But, I’ll find my feet. If I put myself through college, I can do this.

Most of the public relations firms in Phoenix also consider themselves advertising firms as well. This is perfect for me because I have experience in public relations, advertising, and business administration.

My plan is to target specific human resources personal at all the top agencies to meet with for informational interviews. I want to know what agencies interest me and where I would fit in the best. I also want to meet with news editors at the top local news publications to take tours and get a better feel for the Phoenix media scene.

While surveying the Phoenix scene, I can choose what agencies I want to continue to have a relationship with and apply at some of them.

While looking on craigslist.com for job openings in marketing/pr/advertising, I noticed that all the internships being offered in the Phoenix area over the summer are non-paid. I think I am beyond this step in my career and ready for an entry-level job. I’m a college graduate for peat-sakes! Every now and then a few jobs pop-up on the site that interest me, but for the most part, they’re gimmicks.

I don’t think the fact that I am a guy will come to play a factor in me getting a job in the PR world that is dominated by women. If anything it will help.

The biggest problem I have right now is making that first dive, that first call. I feel as though I am scared to jump in. I’ve done my research, and now it’s time to plunge.

Thank you for letting me sort this out. It was good source for therapy and a good way to map things out.

All cards on the table, please!

“Responsibility? What’s that?” The name of a pop song by the band MXPX that pretty much outlines the wrong way to go about being responsible. The more responsible you are, the easier you are to work with.

Being a responsible person entails many things, but above all it means that you are one sided; always liable to tell the truth. Ultimately, this will outwardly reflect on to your reliability. If your constituents can count on you to tell the truth, you can be counted on to tackle bigger endeavors.

Telling the truth will always improve the level of respect you receive, but what will get you even further is taking responsibility for when you’ve made mistakes. Admitting when you are wrong is one of the hardest things to do, but it shows character.

Whoever you have unfortunately wronged or let down will appreciate the acknowledgment of error rather than blaming the mistake on someone else or ignoring it all together. The obvious next step would be to fix the problem as fast and accurately as possible. This also needs to be practiced on the corporate level as well.

I can't tell you how many times I've been told that in PR, your reputation is nearly all you have. If you ruin it, you ruin everything. It can happen by being caught in a simple lie.

The VP of McDonalds realizes the importance of corporate social responsibility as he outlines the company’s stance on the issue in her blog “Open for M(Golden Arch) Discussion.” Bob Langert says that it is time for companies to start doing rather than saying. The old saying of “actions speak louder than words” is the key here. This is why it is so important to fix the problem after the apology.

That attitude that says “I don’t want to know about it, ever have to think about it,” is what’s getting companies all over the scale into serious trouble. They need to find the source of error and acknowledge it, weather it’s the organizations fault or not. This looks great on a company’s corporate social responsibility.

The author of Crisesblogger illustrates how admitting fault can have a direct impact on repercussions. Although I think in some cases mistakes can be forgiven, most that involve a person’s health can’t be overlooked. Someone is always going to want to profit when a doctor makes a mistake.

Look at John Ritter’s, the late actor, widow. she is suing his doctor because John died. Should the doctor be held responsible? In some respects, yes; in others, no way! There are some things that can’t be accounted for, especially when dealing with life and death; everybody has to die sometime.
So, my point is, doctors can’t just say sorry and not expect to get sued. Life and death means too much to people. Although it is sad that we put our caregivers in that position that says: help me, but if you screw-up, I’ll sue you!

Do Women Have the Upper Hand in PR?

Where are those dudes? Why do women “own” the PR business? Do I have a chance in a women’s world?

I am one of very few men in the PR business, and truth be told it is a little uncomfortable. It’s not like standing out being a “gringo” in Mexico, but I do get lonely sometimes. There aren’t too many girls that caught the game last night or are people that you can B.S. fishing stories with.

I get the question all the time of “So, why did you really join PR?” It wasn’t for the female attention for starters. To me it was about the personal interaction that I would have with an audience.

My theory is that maybe it is because women are more pleasing to deal with in public relations. Look at the stereotype of a phone operator, a nurse, or a secretary. How many of you had an image a guy in any one of these rolls? Not too many.

After reading this professor’s blog, I remain puzzled. It is clear to me that he is somewhat missing the issue. It is not that the message is only getting to girls, that is impossible. In my opinion it must be something that triggers girls to peruse the career of public relations and it isn’t that the boys aren’t getting the message.

I doubt the reason is that men are less capable of carrying out the responsibilities of a public relations practitioner. It takes writing, organization, and personal skills which generally doesn’t differ between men and women.

Another perspective from the author or PR Squared