Archive for the My Pick Category
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Today I formally accepted a full-time instructor position at the University of Oregon in the School of Journalism and Communication. What, you say? You thought I already did that? Not quite. For the last six years, I’ve been an adjunct instructor. Full time, yes, but not permanent. Tactically, the position won’t be much different. Philosophically, it’s a world away. But accepting this position is really putting a stake in the ground – this is who I am and where my priorities lie. I will still do consulting and speaking and Verve lives on. But this position marks an important milestone for me and one that I’m pretty excited about. Thanks to many, many people who have supported me, trusted me, pushed me, challenged me and helped me get here. As part of the application process, I revised and updated my teaching philosophy (thank you, The Professor is In for all... Continue Reading
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Not one, not two, not even three… but FOUR great panels are up for your vote on the South by Southwest Interactive Panel Picker for the 2012 festival. Click on the “vote for my idea” button at the end of each description to vote. You’ll have to register on the SXSW site, but it takes just a minute. Thanks! 1. Just Because It’s Legal, Doesn’t Make it Right Me, along with Kami Huyse, Todd Defren, Joe Chernov and Arik Hansen. You never know who you are dealing with online. Agencies, evangelists and free agents are everywhere you turn, but sometimes you have no idea that a person has been paid in money or perks to represent a brand. The FTC stepped in to make some rules, but there is still plenty of gray area. Is it okay to skirt full transparency? Is full transparency even possible with Facebook Likes, Google... Continue Reading
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In Strategic Public Relations Communications (J452/552), I require that my students blog. Over the course of 8 weeks, they will post 15 different posts and comment at least once a week on other people’s blogs. Having kept my own blog for nearly five years and also managing client blogs for about three, I know that just a handful of posts does not give you a sense of scope or scale for what it takes. Yes, twice a week is a lot, I know. We’re about mid-way through the term now. If you want to see this term’s student blogs, take a look here. This is (more or less) my assignment description that I share with students. I always love feedback! ***** Objective: To become familiar with blogging for personal and professional purposes, including linking, images, commenting and trackbacks; to begin to build a dialogue and connections with communication (PR, Marketing)... Continue Reading
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Earlier this week I was walking through the middle of campus with a scowl on my face. Not an I’m-in-a-bad-mood scowl, but a zoned-out/mind-is-elsewhere glare off into the distance. In fact, my eyes must have been cast downward because, in my peripheral vision, I see a man jogging toward me. He was clearly on a mission to get somewhere. As he approached, probably 10 feet from me, I looked up suddenly and made eye contact. “Great hair!” he said with a big grin. I didn’t even have time to respond, but smiled quickly in acknowledgement of the compliment. In that moment it struck me that as that man jogged toward me, I likely did not look very welcoming or approachable. And that moment was identical to millions of moments in my life. Except, now I have purple hair. So that man, the woman at the bank, the hygienist at the dentist’s office,... Continue Reading
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The real world doesn’t have very many rules. There’s a lot of stuff you have to figure out all on your own and you have to love (or learn to love) jumping… and falling. Glenn Cole of 72 and Sunny gave the commencement address this year for the School of Journalism and Communication and this idea was his main point. Not being afraid of failure will allow you to stretch yourself far beyond you ever thought was possible. It’s not comfortable. In fact sometimes it downright sucks. Because you will fail and sometimes you’ll fail spectacularly. But overcoming that failure is really the only way to know, and appreciate, success. Learn to learn from failure because everything will not go smoothly. Chill out! You can’t learn without making mistakes. And making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re not smart, talented, creative, etc. In fact, quite the opposite. Build a good relationship with... Continue Reading
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Stuff like this irks me. According to a study of Australian newspapers, more than 50 percent of the content was “driven by some sort of public relations.” This isn’t the first time I’ve heard stats like this, and it’s not even the largest percent I’ve seen. What irks me is the tone. Oh dear God… PR might have an influence on media coverage? Oh the humanity! Those PR people are evil! I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you! Let’s be real. Without public relations people most organizations, nonprofits, government agencies (even little ones like parks and recreation, human right commissions or your public library), entrepreneurs, start-up companies, etc. would not have a voice in the marketplace of ideas. They wouldn’t be able to tell their stories. If it weren’t for PR people, how would that work? So, yeah, sometimes that takes a press release or a pitch. And sometimes those... Continue Reading
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“I’m sorry.” Apologies seem to be a dime-a-dozen lately. Kanye, Serena, LaGarrette, Coach Kelly, LaGarrette again, Rep. Joe “You Lie!” Wilson (R-S. Carolina), Letterman…In fact, do a Google News search for “apologize” and get more than 13,000 results just from the last week. We all make mistakes, bad decisions and yes, sometimes we even simply change our minds. Celebrities, athletes, politicians and business leaders are no different. But when it happens to people in the public eye, the apology can be a very important part of the public relations and communications effort required to move forward. I do not talk about apologies as PR to minimize their importance and suggest that apologies are in any way “spin” or crafted in a way to only appear sincere. In fact, just the opposite. It’s hard to apologize and do so in a way that communicates your sincerity and intent. PR can help... Continue Reading
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