Tag Archives: social media

Can Football Learn a Play from Social Media Pros

Movement
(CC) flickr // Thairms

While sipping my morning coffee and catching up on reading, I come across another article about football players abusing Twitter.  Clicking on the link and expecting to hear what happened to the Redskins player

I am shocked to see Texas Tech in the headline.  Seriously, another player has crossed the line on Twitter? Don’t they read or watch the headlines?

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Writers Playing with Blocks

The other day… UGH! Writer’s block!

We have all been there, the client or boss needs a document by the end of the day and you can’t even complete a full sentence.  Pressures are swelling and you feel stuck.  The blinking curser or ink spot from your pen resting on the paper are staring back at you with remorse.  What to write about? Where to begin?

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The PR Education Revolution

The Hat Toss
(CC) flickr // andrew_j_w

The very smart Heather Whaling asked on her blog Wednesday whether social media begets mainstream coverage. Now, for me, that gets my attention, because a) it’s totally up the alley of my passion within the PR business (namely, the integration of traditional PR and social media PR; and b) it’s a question that I think we are going to start asking ourselves a lot more in the coming months.
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Does My ‘Evolve or Die’ Theory Apply to PR Pros Too?

Before I get chased out of my profession by my superiors, I want to make a few things very clear:

  • I have great respect and admiration for the arsenal of long-standing media relationships PR veterans have built and maintained.
  • I willingly admit there is much that I can learn from my superiors’ successes (and, admittedly, from their struggles as well.)

Now that we’ve laid some ground-work. . .or covered my backside, whichever you find more appropriate. . .let’s get to the reason for making myself perfectly clear (other than abiding by the Co-Communications mantra, ‘Make Yourself Perfectly Clear.’) If veterans of the PR industry don’t evolve, can they survive? Or will they die-off like the newspapers we sorely miss?

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So What You’re Really Trying to Say…

I’m not sure if I’m the only one, but I feel that people don’t understand “Sarcastic” language. I have been in numerous situations where I have had people really think that I was serious about what I said.

Honestly, do you really think that I, or anyone, is that dumb? It’s even gotten to the point where during one of my reviews I was told I have “holes” in my head. Really? Lighten up people.

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You Can Call It A Network…But Does It Really Work?

We’ve all heard it. That infamous phrase. The one that alludes to the worth of your network relative to the value of your knowledge. It borders on being so overused that I cringe even thinking about it.

My own feelings aside, we all know it’s true – it’s not what you know. It’s who you know.

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Christina’s Coffee Talk: Arik Hanson

Arkin Hanson
Arik Hanson

This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Arik Hanson. Bringing brand loyalty to a new level, Arik is willing to drive 10 miles out of his way just for some Caribou Coffee. I guess it tastes so good once it hits your lips.  Arik’s free time is spent with, wife (Angela) and kids (Matthew and Amy), play ing golf and riff on the guitar (emphasis on riff).  His musicial taste ranges from Green Day to Johnny Cash to Tesla.  Top 3 current movies include, The Hangover (best comedy in last 5 years); Madagascar 2 (thanks to my son, Wag the Dog (one of my all-time faves and also a great movie from a PR perspective); The Dark Knight (just a tremendous movie). Professionally Arik, is principal of ACH Communications,and also long-time PRSA member, serving on the Minnesota PRSA board for the past three years and is a frequent speaker at local colleges and universities. His blog is a must-read within in the PR/Social Media industry. Especially for a newbie to social media, like myself, his blog sheds light on the industry and introduces readers to other influential people. And so I give you Arik Hanson…

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Flack In Training — Vol. 3

Clearly, today's not a good day to tweet about anything BUT football #nfl
(CC) photo credit: andinarvaez // flickr

For the year that I spent at my internship/part time job, I was the “social media girl”. The agency I was at hadn’t previously spent much time delving into the world of online public relations, so they hired me for that specific task. For my first few months with the company, I spent my time researching the tools, following thought leaders on Twitter, reading their blogs, and figuring out how I could use social media to help our clients. Once I actually started implementing some of these tactics, I realized how much I absolutely loved working with digital media (this isn’t too surprising considering my generation can say with honesty that we’ve been using the internet for the majority of our lives). I also decided that I always wanted to do that, no matter where I was working.

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