Podcamp Ohio

Last weekend I went to Podcamp Ohio, a new media unconference. I like the idea of an unconference and enjoyed the Ragan Unconference I attended last May. This unconference was structured quite differently than the Ragan one.

This unconference was not targeted towards professional communicators. There were podcasters, bloggers, marketers, event planners and a variety of other people.

Despite this, I still learned quite a bit about marketing and SEO. I also picked up a little about Twitter tools, event planning and LinkedIn. At one session, Chris Brogan was even brought up on Skype.

It would be great to see a PodCamp in Central Michigan sometime. Better yet, I would love to see a public relations unconference. Maybe we could call it PRoCamp?

10 Things I’ve Learned During My First Month at an Agency

I’ve been working at Fahlgren Mortine for a month now. Here are 10 simple things I’ve learned so far:

1. Double check everything. And then check it again. Then, just to be sure, check one more time.
2. Turn in work “client ready.” Make sure everything is in the right font, color and size. Check on text wrap and images.
3. Someone is watching you…so be enthusiastic in everything you do and be memorable.
4. Network.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
6. Take extra opportunities (like going to that optional meeting that starts at 5:30 p.m.)
7. Pay attention to company culture and politics.
8. Jump at any opportunity to get experience.
9. Don’t be afraid to come in early or stay late when needed.
10. Realize you’ll probably make a few mistakes. Own up to them, learn your lesson and don’t obsess about it too much.

Tags: agency, Fahlgren Mortine, internship, lessons learned, PR, PR agency, PR firm, PR intern, Public Relations, public relations intern, working at an agency

Research: An important part of PR

There’s one thing I never was told about in the classroom: In PR, you do a lot of research. I would estimate that currently 80 percent of my time is spent on research. It seems that every single thing I do require some amount of research, whether I am writing a pitch, working on a social media project or creating a report.

Here are four tips to help with research:

1. Use a variety of different keywords.
2. Consider searching on different search engines for blogs, including Technorati, Ice Rocket and Google Blogs.
3. If you want to know what people are talking about, search on Twitter. People will be sharing links and information related to the subject.
4. Try searching on delicious. A real person bookmarked the links, so it might give you different results. (This is a tip Lara Kretler gave me.)

What are your tips for doing research?

Tags: PR, PR research, Public Relations, public relations research, Research

Agency Life: Tracking Time

This is the first part in an ongoing series about working at an agency.

Even though it’s a very small part of working at an agency, tracking your time is very important.

For each task I do for every client, I must track how much time I spend working. I’ve discovered that this actually makes me more productive. At the end of the day, I have a quantifiable record of what I accomplished.

Tracking time also gives you a better idea on how long it takes to complete a particular kind of project.

Here are a three tips to make tracking time easier:

1. Write down the start and stop time of each task you do. It’s not likely that you’ll be able to remember the times an hour or two later, let alone at the end of the day.
2. When you complete the task, quickly calculate the amount of time you spent on the task. I hate doing a lot of math, so doing this saves me time and aggravation when it comes time to enter my hours in the program.
3. When entering time and tasks into the program, highlight each task after you’ve entered it. This will keep you from entering it twice.

Tags: agency, agency life, Fahlgren Mortine, internship, PR, PR agency, Public Relations

Editorial Calendars for Blogs

Today I spent a lot of time looking at editorial calendars. During this time, I really began to see the use of them.

One of my goals for the month of June will be to develop an editorial calendar for my blog. I actually think this will help with writing and consistency of postings. There are some weeks when I am too tired to think of good subjects. Outlining them beforehand is a great idea.

Here are a few things I am considering:

• Having monthly (or weekly) sections, like interviews with professionals/students, book reviews, etc
• Varying subjects on social media, PR, marketing, advertising, etc.
• Guest post features
• How-to and tutorial type posts
• Sharing links to great articles

What do you think? Any ideas to add? Have you done this before or considered doing this? Have any advice?

Tags: blog editorial calendar, Blogging

Inked up: Are tattoos and piercings acceptable in PR?

My recent post about wearing jeans brought up another thought related to perceptions and professionalism: tattoos and piercings.

Although I don’t have any tattoos and only have pierced ears, which never wear earrings since I seem to be allergic to most, I am still curious about how professionals and interns feel about this.

There are many inked professionals who keep their tattoos hidden. But what if you have it in an open area–like your neck, hand or even your foot? Are you concerned about how employers and coworkers might perceive you?

With piercings, what would an employer think about a nose ring? Or a tongue piercing? Or even an eyebrow piercing?

Although I have my own opinions, I’m more interested in hearing what you think.

Are tattoos and body piercings acceptatble in the public relations field? Have you ever not gotten a job because of your visible tattoo or piercing? If you are a professional, how do you think having a visible tattoo or piercing might affect potential interns or employees in your workplace?

Tags: internship, PR, professionalism, Public Relations, workplace issues

How do you dress for Friday’s?

I wore blue jeans to work today…

Now before you go off in a big lecture about how I should always dress professional and dressing unprofessional could kill my career, let me get to the details.

First of all, I think professionalism and how you are perceived in the workplace are very important. There are many things I would never wear to the office, such as a tube top or mini skirt (especially considering I don’t own any!).

I’m not a style diva, but I am a cautious shopper. I even go as far as trying to buy closed-toe heels because a conservative employer might see it as “too much” and avoiding too much pink so I don’t come off as one of those girls who have no brains (have you seen Legally Blonde?).

On my first day of my internship, I wore a black suit. The next day I wore dress slacks and a button-up. But then someone said they generally “wear jeans on Friday.”

What!? Jeans? In the workplace?

This morning I had a serious debate with myself about the situation.

Should I really wear blue jeans? Will I be judged as a “lazy Gen Y intern” or sloppy? Is it really acceptable?

After going back and forth, I put on a pair of dark jeans with a nice shirt. Driving into work, I kept second-guessing myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn jeans, I thought to myself.

I didn’t relax until I counted several others wearing jeans.

What do you think is most appropriate for an intern? Is it acceptable for an intern to dress casually when the other employees are? Should an intern always dress business professional, even if they are told jeans are acceptable?

Tags: business casual, business professional, dressing for work, internship, PR, Public Relations

If you’re a PR intern, what are you doing right now?

It’s always hard to unwind after you’ve had a great day. I absolutely love working at Fahlgren Mortine. I also attended a PRSA Central Ohio mixer after work.

One of the greatest things about PR is the variety of things you can do on the job. Today, I was able to work Twitter-related things for a client. I think it’s great that this client wants to start tweeting to reach its audience.

I also will be working on a media monitoring project, all the way from outlining how I will monitor traditional and consumer-generated media, to doing the actual monitoring, to writing the reports.

If you are a PR intern, what are you doing right now? I’d love to hear about and learn from your experiences.

Tags: internship, PR, PR internship, Public Relations, public relations internship

First Day Tips for PR Interns

I started my internship at Fahlgren Mortine today. I learned how to use tools like Cision and Factiva. I also edited a media list and worked on researching editorials for a client. First days can be intimidating, so here are a few tips for your first day at a new internship. Nick Lucido also has a few reminders.

1. Be proactive about working from day one. If you’re not doing anything, review information about your clients, look through the manual or ask if there is anything you can do.

2. If you’re in a new city (or state, like I am), leave early in case you get lost or stuck in traffic. I actually drove to work before my first day so I would know the route and left very early in the morning to avoid the rush.

3. Ask questions. They expect that you won’t know what you’re doing. It is better to get things straight than to ask about simple things a month later.

4. Bring necessary information for HR. Sometimes they will need a copy of your social security card or your driver’s license.

5. Be excited. You’re an intern! You are one step closer to being a professional.

Tags: first day, internship, Public Relations, starting a PR internship

The Road Not Taken

Yesterday, I arrived in Ohio. I start my internship with Fahlgren Mortine tomorrow morning.

Internships offer valuable experiences and I believe accepting an internship outside of Michigan will give me a different perspective.

I could have taken the less stressful route, accepting an internship within close distance to my apartment. I could have avoided the tearful goodbyes. If I wouldn’t have come to Ohio, I wouldn’t have made my five hour drive into an eight hour drive by getting lost and/or off track multiple times.

But, by the end of the summer, I’m sure it will all be worth it. And when I graduate and start my career, I believe my internship and experiences with Fahlgren Mortine will put me “a step ahead.”

Reflecting on this, I am reminded of “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. Someday, when I have a successful career in public relations, I hope to be able to tell people that I had a choice between internships and I took the one that I considered to be less traveled…and I hope to be able to say that it made all the difference.

Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Tags: Fahlgren Mortine, Internships, Ohio, PR, Public Relations, public relations internship