Shop Talk

I’ve become more in-tune with my Twitter account recently after letting it sit idle for months. It’s very intriguing to read what people could say in 140 characters and who actually is using the platform.  

While on Twitter, I’ve searched nonprofits, PR agencies, sporting organizations and other things and people of personal and professional interest. Naturally, I started to think about politics as the upcoming election is saturating the media.

I’m not interested in discussing the candidate I support, but what does interest me is how each candidate is using the internet to engage potential and current supporters.  In the last election, social networking sites were still in their infancy with nothing more than a few blogs and social networking pages scattered here and there, yet in the last several years we have seen a real explosion in usage. Now, you can’t find a medium that at least one political candidate hasn’t touched.  

I’ll liken it to the grade school lunch table, everyone’s comparing lunches (lunch in the web case meaning ‘ideas’), trading lunches and making arguments as to who has the coolest “mom.” And the presidential candidates, well, they want to be known as top kid - the kid who has the best lunch AND the coolest mom.  It’s evident that the conversation is going on with or without them and if they want to steer that conversation in a positive spin, they have to be among  the loudest of voices whether it’s at that lunch table or on the internet.  

Interested in the how and why of such ventures, I decided to create my own little experiment. It was my intention to contact several campaigns and ask why they were so interested in social media and essentially what benefits they saw in participation.  

Well, it’s been about three weeks and I haven’t received a call yet from Ron, John (you know, the one with the Ken doll-esque coif) or Barack yet, but I’ll wait here until Election Day if I must. I have time, really.  

In all seriousness, I honestly didn’t expect a response considering I’m just little me here and the questions of a 24-year-old young professional, who is in the target young voter range, really aren’t that important. I suppose there’s just far more important people to woo, money to be had. I did receive, however, a form from the Obama camp to request a media interview in response to my initial message, which I found a bit funny. I mean I guess I could say I’m my own media entity, but I’m not rolling in that much green quite yet. (Imagine if I filled out that form signing off as my own media outlet - HA)! 

Regardless, if some campaign staffer from any presidential campaign ever stumbles upon this post, let’s have that conversation.

Moreover, if anyone wants to take a crack at whether you think social media is working in favor of the presidential candidates, have at it.

I’m a sports fan, though I do have my stipulations as to what I’ll watch. Hockey, football, soccer, tennis - you have me. Basketball and NASCAR, not so much. (I’m still trying to figure out what’s so thrilling about watching people drive cars around a track 200+ times). Baseball, however, is one of those sports that I can’t really get into if it’s on TV - it has to be an actual experience. I rarely go to games, which may explain why my interest in it is minimal at best.

Yet, what has piqued my interest is the ongoing steroid controversy (and the recently released Mitchell Report). An ongoing question of, “Did he or didn’t he?” when it comes to a certain player who broke one of baseball’s most historic records. Now with the rumors swirling around another storied player, you could say things are heating up.

 And I think of not only baseball, but the other sports where doping has had such a profound impact on the way we perceive these athletes to be demigods. I think of people like Marion Jones, Floyd Landis and several Olympic medalists - all of whom have been stripped of their respective titles and medals in recent years.

Is this as much a crisis for the sporting bodies as it might be for the accused? For the sponsors? I think it could fall on either side of the fence. On the one hand, you have the people who don’t care as long the team/individual wins and brings home the bacon; while on the other, it’s a question of ethics and morals. What is this teaching young children about healthy competition? What is this going to mean for me as a sponsor if I don’t distance myself now? How much money can we stand to lose if it’s true?

I thought about this over the summer and I actually had a post all scribbled down on a sheet of paper. Oh, the ideological remedies I sought to vindicate professional sports:

If some of the most hailed athletes could sign a pledge or a commitment to playing the game without the use of performance enhancing drugs and take a stand that they believe doping is wrong, it could divert attention away from the negative and accentuate the positive.

Whether intentional or not, the act of doping is coming at a heavy price. Fines, suspensions and bans are marring the way the game is played, undermining sportsmanship, and discrediting those who choose to subject their bodies to chemical and hormonal alterations.

We’re not just looking at the professional level here, folks. High school and college students are looking at getting juiced as an option, too. These people may or may not be able to repair their own images, but there still is a chance for them to make a positive impact and educate youth to not make the same choices that they have, whether it is by making PSAs or going on the circuit and promoting drug-free choices.

Would they truly be remorseful? Who knows. Perhaps if they weren’t so focused on their own gain so much as helping the team, they may not have done so in the first place.

There’s more to that, but it’s irrelevant at this point. Upon re-examining that original post, sure, I’d like to say let’s all say “we’re sorry” while holding hands and singing “Kumbaya,” but the problem is more complex. There’s too much money tied up in professional sports. With all involved in this matter, whether you’re a sponsor, owner, player, spectator - what’s more important, doing right or winning?

I hardly want to be cynical as I think things can and should change, but my original thought that the court of public opinion (which was not included above) would reign may not be so realistic. I’ve looked at the forums where people laugh at the Mitchell Report and while those sentiments are not representative of everyone, you have to figure that for every voice in contempt, there has to be at least ten more.

I think of a post I read from Bruce Pilgrim for Strumpette. Pilgrim’s own scrutiny of the situation perhaps best expresses the sentiment of a lot of people:

And in the end (get it?), do baseball fans give a rat’s ass (get it?) if players are juiced on bennies, roided up, and freakishly large? Maybe a few. The rest of us only want to know what’s his batting average? Any movement on his fastball? Can he go to his left? Can he smack a hanging curve into the next zip code?

It’s a stinging reminder that when it comes to sports, it’s (most often) better to win at all costs.

And with this, I cringe …

PR Newswire’ Employee Slugs Release ‘Loony-Bin Rally,’ Gets Fired

Not necessarily just because of what the employee did, but also because whenever Gawker mentions our industry, it’s rarely for anything positive.

So, how is everyone doing? Are we still hanging in there?

It always seems as if things become hectic from November to December, no matter what you’re doing. Things have been busy on my end. From prepping for and staffing Pinkalicious the Musical (go see it - it’s such a treat and the cast and staff from Vital Theatre are simply wonderful - plug, plug) to getting stuff together for the Festival to the kettle campaign at The Salvation Army, it’s felt like a whirlwind of activity. I don’t mind it in the least because I like to be busy during the day, but at night, I feel rather run down and not in the mood to do much else. Add to that, my MBA studies on Saturdays, which I’m quite surprised to say are almost finished, and I’ve been one busy little bee.

One of the opportunities I’ve had during the last month was to attend a PRSA Pittsburgh professional development session presented by Jeff Krakoff. Formerly the founder of Krakoff Communications, Inc., Jeff now serves as Director at Burson-Marsteller, Pittsburgh. “Breaking Into the Competitive World of PR,” a session mainly geared toward students and young professionals, detailed as you would guess, tips and advice to keep in mind when pursuing internships or that first career position.

Public Relations is a tough business to break into and it’s nice to have a professional association reach out to the next wave of young professionals by providing a kind of “crash course,” if you will, on what to do and what not to do. In addition to Jeff’s presentation, several PRSA members were on hand to evaluate résumés and portfolios, which I found to be very invaluable. Getting real pointers from seasoned professionals is nothing like say, asking a friend to look with an objective eye. I highly recommend that you seize the opportunity if/when it comes along.

Jeff (via Jasmine H.) was kind enough to allow me to share the slides from his presentation on this blog. I hope that those of you who are still in college find something that you can take and use. Heck, even if you’re a young professional, I hope you gain something, too. I sure did.

Next up will be a presentation this Wednesday by Rob Key, founder and CEO of Converseon, described as an “industry leader in new media strategies.” (It also just happens to be Paull’s firm)! I’m very much looking forward to attending the session and hearing what Rob has to share with us.

And now, Jeff’s presentation slides. Enjoy!

*Property of Jeff Krakoff & Burson-Marsteller, Pittsburgh. Used with permission.

According to TSN, apparently so.

I’m pretty thrilled about the news. The team has really been able to accomplish a lot since its inception as an expansion team in 1998.

Nashville is a great city and as we know, not particularly known for its sports. Granted the Titans are there and have enjoyed relatively good success since they moved to the city, but let’s face it, the last few seasons have been pretty pitiful. I think that the local businessmen who are buying the Predators have an excellent opportunity to instill that this team truly does belong to the community and to expand the image of Nashville beyond being known as the “Music City.”

It’s going to be a world of work for them, of course. Hockey is still running a distant fourth behind football, basketball and baseball (at least in the United States). Don’t believe me? Look at the tabs on any sports site. Yeah, it’s pitiful. As a biased fan and career hopeful, I can definitely say that hockey is much cooler (haha, yes, pun intended) than any other sport. But, that’s neither here nor there. What matters is that the new owners will have to do the following:

1. Increase their visibility as owners. - Hiding behind desks and writing checks is all well and good, but to actually be seen at the forefront, supporting this team in all facets is going to speak volumes about why they made this investment.

2. Invest in the team - Drafts, trades, signings. Nashville has managed to put together a pretty solid team the past few seasons. It’s important that that success is continued. Upon Leipold’s intent to sell, the team was really gutted to eliminate costs. That’s not going to spell Stanley Cup championships down the run.

3. Bring in the fans - The team needs an average of 14,000 people per game to collect on its revenue-sharing entitlement from the CBA. This season, the team only managed an average of 13,815, which really isn’t that bad when you think about it. It can be done. But, they’ll have to do several things, #2 mainly, but also they’ll want to increase the Predators play within the community. Ah yes, I’m talking community relations, my half reason of being when it comes to pursuing a career in the NHL. (The other being, media relations). The players do a lot as it is, but that can always be amped up.

I don’t expect things to immediately work themselves out. It will be a trying season of transition, but if the new owners are definitely committed to this team and its city, they’ll do whatever it takes to win.

I’m in between classes right now and wanted to make a real quick post.

Britney makes bizarre apology

Saw this yesterday on imbd.com.

One question comes to mind … Dear Leslie Sloane Zelnick: What moved you to craft this lame excuse for your client’s behavior? Sure, maybe she was really practicing for an audition, but given the sequence of events leading up to that incident, I’m going to say not. That’s some pretty weak stuff.

Or, was this situation entirely handled by Ms. Spears? In that case, please rein your client in with the goal to start re-building some positive rapport with the public. Sheesh.

Yesterday, I realized that I don’t read books much anymore. I wasn’t an all out bookworm, but I liked to read for pleasure and enlightenment. I think it all went downhill when I started as an undergraduate. Now, I have read a few here and there since then, but nothing regularly. Heck, I just find myself skimming textbooks nowadays. The only things I truly read are news articles and blogs. Although I’m kept in the know, I feel as if there’s something missing.

So, I went to the library at the university today. I decided to go for books in my discipline first, and then I’ll expand to include other subjects. First, I must say this: Dear library, while your offering of more current books through an internet database is certainly commendable, please think about offering some of those books in print! I found that most of the public relations books in the library collection are rather old. The university does have a good PR/Advertising program and it is a shame to see such a pitiful collection of largely older books. Not to negate that there are the aforementioned ebooks, but sometimes it’s better to have them in print. I’d rather carry around a book than sit staring at a screen for hours or waste about 400 sheets of paper to print, which I’m sure violates copyright. OK, that’s all.

So, I pulled up a few books and saved a few ebooks to my virtual shelf and this is the rundown. I’m rather excited.

1. Talespin by Gerry McCusker

2. Cause for Success: 10 Companies That Put Profits Second and Came in First by Christine Arena

3. An Army of Davids by Glenn Reynolds

4. Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message by Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba

And for fun … Well, OK not entirely fun, but for career aspirations as well .. Don’t laugh! (I guess these are more textbookish).

1. The Sports Event Management and Marketing Playbook by Frank Supovitz

2. The Business of Sports by George Foster with Stephen Greyser & Bill Walsh

3. Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey in Canada by Michael Robidoux

I’ve just started Talespin - so far, so good.

Anyone care to share what’s on your list?

I’ve recently started volunteer work with one of Pittsburgh’s premier performing arts organizations. Yesterday marked my first opportunity to work one of their events. While sitting with the other female volunteers, the discussion progressed into cell phones. An interesting topic indeed, given that I was the only 20-something year old and the rest were senior citizens. Of course, they had their opinions – some people seem to have a phone attached permanently to their ear, some people think their conversations are important enough for others around them to hear as well and so on. Actually, I couldn’t disagree with them. Having experienced the types of people they were talking about, I would say they were right, or at least, on the surface.

One of them brought up the subject of blogs. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but the basic gist was that bloggers profess themselves to be self-important, as if their words have actual meaning. In other words: WHO CARES?

Instead of saying nothing, I should have opened my mouth in a defense of blogs, if not for myself as a blogger. We all have our reasons for getting into blogging. I’d like to think that we’re all here in the long run for selfless motives, though that’s not always the case. She is correct, however, in some regard. We all know of bloggers out there who do think that they are top dog just because they blog and have a ton of traffic.

One of my peeves? The term, “A-list blogger.” It sounds more like a high school popularity contest. Unless that’s what all of this really is and I missed the boat somewhere along the line.

Anyone can set up a blog and write something, but what’s important is that the blogger is properly engaging his or her readers to think. In addition, the blogger should possess the means to participate beyond just writing an entry. Why blog if you’re not willing to read and respond to what other people have to say?

While I admittedly do not keep up with my feeds as much as I used to, I do still feel like I learn something new with almost everything I read. It’s like an intimate look into the mind. I’m invited in for a peek and allowed to leave with a new piece of information, a tiny section of that person’s brain. After time, the pieces fit together and I can take that information and store it into my own knowledge bank. I hope that, at times, people feel like they can take a trip inside my mind as well. I’d advise to watch out for cracks and cobwebs. There’s some major renovations underway. :Insert wink here:

The free exchange of information and ideas - that’s what this is all about. Not self-importance or meaningless conversation. Not everyone will see it that way, but those of us who have the means to convince people otherwise should remember that silence is not always golden. Speak up when you have the chance.

I received an email in my inbox about three weeks ago announcing registration for the first ever PRWeek Interactive Career Fair. OK, truth be told, this post has been sitting as a draft for just as long. I blame New Jersey and its life-sucking abilities as the reason for my tardiness in posting. *shakes fist*

Attendees will be able to “visit” booths, chat with recruiters and listen in on live webcasts all for free. What intrigued me most was the idea that job seekers can meet with recruiters without even having to leave the comfort of their own homes.

It’s an interesting concept when you consider the costs that could be involved for job seekers when attending career fairs. Moreover, there’s a bit of a safety net for not-as-qualified candidates without having to invest so much time and money. I personally know people who have taken off from school and/or work to attend career fairs, only to be told that they were not really qualified for any positions the companies were looking to fill.

Will it replace a live career fair? I’m divided on this. I don’t think it should wholly replace face-to-face interaction, though we are seeing an increase in web communication (i.e. blogs, virtual communities - SL, group lists). I see it as an additional networking resource to throw into the mix.

I’m not seeking a job right now as I will be interning this spring, but I signed up and I’m going to explore what the fair has to offer. I mean that is why we attend job fairs, right? Other than to look for jobs or gather information, we attend with the hope that we make a personal connection (or connections) with industry professionals.

If you haven’t registered and are interested, head on over here. The fair will be held on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 9 am to 9 pm. That’s a full day, people! It can’t hurt to at least check it out.

Update 12/8

Geez, I’m such a bad person. Here I am saying everyone should check out the fair and I didn’t even attend. I became sidetracked by a few things offline and totally forgot. I’m too tired to remember what kept me from logging on. Anyway, there’s always next time.

So, I’ve been on Second Life for about two weeks now. Other than the torturous routine crashing of my platform, so far so good.

It’s relatively easy to use and provides a much more engaging way to converse with other people rather than the boring text of an IM box. OK, yes, we know this.

The program reminds me of a Sims-esque world crossed with the Phalanx/Palace chat clients. If you’re unfamilar with either client, Phalanx and Palace allow users to create avatars to chat with each other. Unlike SL, they don’t freely move. In addition, Phalanx/Palace are mainly used by young teens and more than likely skeezy old men disguised as teens. I first used Palace when I was about 14, so I’m really dating that chat client and marveling as to how much technology has progressed since then.

This program is just one more way to extend the conversation and I like its potential to be something great. This space will provide another medium for PR practictioners to relay messages/interact with others. As Paull Young described in a recent post, some agencies already are.

I’ve visited a few of them and I liked the setup, though no one was really around. It’s evident that these agencies truly recognize the potential of having a virtual community. What has yet to be determined, however, is whether or not each virtual agency will be actively maintained or if they’ll lie defunct with occasional use. I agreed with Paull that they shouldn’t be manned 24 hours a day, but there should be a weekly set networking meeting hosted by each agency. I’d prefer to see even one meeting a month rather than an agency boasting they have a SL community without doing anything with it. There’s no point in having one then.

My only issue is the regular crashing. I’m not sure if it’s my system or settings. I only have this little laptop which is decent, but no supersystem. I’d just like to keep the crashing down to a minimum. It hasn’t done so too much the last day or so, but I’m probably now jinxing myself.

Oh yeah. My name on SL is Jenni Blazer, so if you see me, say hello.  Or, feel free to add me as a friend. I don’t bite. Heh. Now, I sound like a little five year old - “Will you be my friend?!”

See ya’ll around.

**Note of advice to PR professionals in SL: PLEASE be welcoming of those who are visiting your agency/general area. The whole point is to network and represent your field. Not saying anything may reflect badly on you and your company. I’m not going to call anyone out a la Jeremy Pepper, but I’m just saying, if I’m visiting your agency’s area and you’re there as a representative of that agency, say hello. Good grief.