PRBreakfastClub

Last week when PRCog noted that I had been doing quite a bit of guest posting (and that perhaps I might want to think about starting my own blog), I had a startling revelation; I am on my way to becoming the “Fred” of the PR blogs. “Fred” is a guy I knew in college. No one was sure where he really lived (or even if he actually had a place).

The guy always seemed to be crashing at someone else’s house. If you had a party and Fred came, you could be certain that he would be there in the morning. And yes, I too have come to enjoy the benefits of hanging out at someone else’s place. So when PRCog asked if I would like to guest post at the PR Breakfast Club, I said, “Of course. And I’ll tell you why…”

1. Personality. Like every blog I choose to “spent the night with,” The PR Breakfast Club has a unique and fabulous personality. Sometimes I’m serious, other times not so much. It’s fun to have an opportunity to embrace the different personality and focus of the different blogs I enjoy reading. This group is a little less formal, than some of the other places I’ve stayed, but certainly no less professional. Lots of great ideas and important discussions.
2. People. Guest blogging is a great opportunity to introduce friends to some of my favorite communities. And of course, I get to meet and interact with community members that I might not otherwise have the opportunity to get to know. I am so impressed by the creative and savvy group of PR Breakfast Club members I met on Twitter and how they are using social media. They “get” how to use social media to build real relationships and a sense of community.
3. Commitment. There is something rather liberating about the life of a nomad. A one-time post, with no deadline and full creative license is easy and fun. And then I get to go back to reading, learning and commenting where inspired.

Unlike Fred, who had a habit of eating whatever was in the fridge and leaving empty beer cans all over the place, I hope that I am a good guest… that I respect the style of the home I am visiting, help out with initiating new conversation and maybe even bring some extra traffic for the host(s). So thank you, members of the PR Breakfast Club, for inviting me over to your place. I think it was a great idea, but I’ll leave that for the community to determine.

Have you ever had a guest blogger on your blog? Why or why not? Do you believe guest posts add to the blog, or do you feel they are disruptive?

Valerie Merahn Simon serves as a Senior Vice President at BurrellesLuce media monitoring and measurement, and writes a national public relations column for examiner.com. She is also co-founder and host of #PRStudChat, a monthly twitter chat between PR professionals and students moderated by Deirdre Breakenridge. She can be found on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Recent guest accommodations for Valerie include:

• Jeremy Porter- Journalistics.com Real Social Media Experts Stay in School
• Deirdre Breakenridge- PR 2.0 Strategies From Conversation to Community
• Danny Brown- DannyBrown.com Why would you bother to comment
• Sarah Evans- PRSarahEvans.com Building Community is About More Than Me and You
• Stephanie Smirnov- PR Mama The Car Ride
• Arik Hanson- Arikhanson.com Thank You? No, Thank You
• Dave Fleet- DaveFleet.com Interactive or Engaged?

Ugh, remind me again why I check my blackberry at 10:00 o’clock at night? I know that I am running the risk of encountering a work e-mail, which likely will result in another restless night and a step closer to my bottle of sleeping pills.

But, I did it; I read the e-mail, a very nasty e-mail at that. A segment I pitched for a client went terribly wrong because, as you know, the media has creative license to produce whatever type of story it wants. Sometimes this works in our favor, sometimes it doesn’t.

The client was very unhappy, and boy, did I hear about it! I cried. That’s right, I cried a lot. I know as a publicist, you aren’t supposed to take things personally, but I do.

In fact, I guess you could say I’m an overly sensitive person.

Whether it’s screaming reporters, rude clients, shouting bosses or the general frustration of pitching, as a publicist you are expected to put on your brave face and just grin and bare it.

But at the end of the day, when I’m at home, behind closed doors, that tough façade breaks down. I am left confused, upset and wondering to myself: is a job in public relations right for me?

Granted, on the scale between one and ten (ten being a total emotional wuss), I place myself at a nine. I envy those publicists that aren’t bothered by the stress, the yelling, the segments gone awry.

Here today, I admit that I am affected by those things, and I think that there are others out there like me.

Crying isn’t a popular topic amongst the PR discussion circles. Why? Perhaps it’s because we are embarrassed, or it is the fact that we don’t want our employer (or future employer) to think any less of us. Maybe we are just afraid that others will assume we can’t handle our jobs.

I know it’s easy to tell someone “Hey, just shrug it off,” but that is just another case of easier said than done. I always thought that my emotions would be the downfall of my career, and it has definitely not been an easy battle to fight.

However, I think the fact that I care so much, maybe too much, means that I am a good publicist. If my client isn’t happy, I want to find out why and work towards a resolution.

I want to do the best job I can possibly do. If I accidentally send an e-mail to the wrong person, I get mad at myself and then vow to never make that mistake again. What I’m trying to do is be a better publicist than I was the day before.

This wasn’t meant as a “woe is me” post. My intent was to spark the conversation, to say, “Hey, it’s okay to cry and not be ashamed.” While you may feel humiliated and others see crying as a weakness; just know that you aren’t alone.

No matter how many tissue boxes I go through, I march on. At the end of the day, when I’m sitting behind my closed doors, my eyes filled with tears, I can’t think of another job that is as challenging, as exciting and ultimately as enlightening as public relations.

So, I want to hear your story. Are you an emotional publicist? Do you think that it helps or hinder your ability to do your job?