Muffy

Kiddo

Love them… meow.

PING

Mike and I kicked off our weekend with beers at Rogue where we enjoyed my all-time favorite brew, Morimoto Soba Ale. Following, we headed to Ping for dinner. PING has the best noodle dish with duck (kuaytiaw pet pha lo). Yum.

Saturday we headed to Mt. Hood Meadows for some snowboarding.

Oxcart

Saturday night was spent at Kelly’s Olympian watching our friends’ band, Oxcart, as well as some others.

Rogue

The weekend ended with a smashing Rogue Christmas party. Good friends, great beer, and one fabulous weekend.

It’s time to start blogging again. That said, I’m taking this blog in a new direction. Expect to see posts on a variety of topics such as wine, food, PR, social media, tech gadgets, life in PDX, Duck football, etc. Basically, I’ll be writing about everything I’m currently interested in.

Enjoy.

HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

HARO, developed by Peter Shankman, is an e-mail mailing list. Once you sign up, you will receive three e-mails per day, which include 30 to 50 queries per e-mail. The topics of the queries include Health, Business and Finance, Entertainment, Technology, and Travel. If you find a query that you have information about, you e-mail the reporter directly. If the information is valid and interesting, the reporter may get in touch with you for further information. This is a great place for PR professionals to receive direct queries from reporters and it’s free!

PitchEngine

PitchEngine is a social media news release building and sharing network. PitchEngine allows PR professionals to easily distribute information and communicate news. Social media news releases are the future of traditional news releases. PitchEngine provides journalists and PR professionals with a variety of Web 2.0 tools. PitchEngine eliminates the need for email attachments, word documents, and image CDs. Movies, pictures, and other Web 2.0 gadgets can easily be uploaded to the social media release. PitchEngine also allows reporters to subscribe to releases via RSS.

BeatBlogging.org

BeatBlogging.org looks at how journalists use social media networks and tools to improve beat reporting. The site defines beat blogging as a blog that sticks to a well-defined beat of coverage area. The beat blog presents a regular stream of reporting and commentary in a specific area the beat covers. BeatBlogging.org describes themselves as a “best practices” site.

Sarah Evans describes BeatBlogging.org as a source to build a strong pitch distribution list. The site highlights the latest trends and tools and how they can help reporters do a better job tracking their beat.

Media People Using Twitter

Media People Using Twitter is a Wiki site that includes a list of some influential journalists that use Twitter. The journalists also are nicely categorized by geographic location.

Additional resources:

Developing Social Media Workshops for Journalists

How Journalists Can Leverage Social Media

During the podcast, I play a clip from the Reputation Management podcast featuring  Gary Thompson, former EVP of Schwartz Communication and former director of the Reputation Institute.

After listening to Thompson discuss the definition of reputation and how to manage reputation, I begin to discuss information I found from Neville Hobson. Hobson discusses how organizations can create strong reputations with individuals and groups who are involved with Web 2.0 and social media. Social media puts power in the hands of individuals, which forces organizations to be transparent and participate in two-way communication.

Although my recording skills are extremely amateur, the content of the podcast includes useful information. Below is my podcast and additional resources regarding organization reputation.

Gretchen\’s PR Podcast

Reputation Management 9/18/2006: Navigating Corporate Reputation

Reputation, Beyond Authenticity

Centre for Reputation Management Through People

Podcast to Build Your Corporate Reputation

Truth and consequences about trust

Lessons from TED: 5 Simple Tweaks

Doug Neff recently posted some tips, tricks, and advice on Slide:ology about giving a stellar presentation using PowerPoint or Keynote.

His five simple tricks include:

Use a custom background

Everyone who uses PowerPoint or Keynote has access to the original background provided by the programs. To be unique, create a custom background that represents yourself or the presentation.  The background, although custom, should be clean and subtle. The background should not detract from the actual content of the presentation.

Custom backgrounds can be found on various photo sites such as iStockphoto or Shutterstock. You can also design backgrounds yourself using tools on PowerPoint, Keynote, and Photoshop.

Choose fonts wisely

Use sans-serif fonts for bigger and bolder headlines, captions, and short phrases. Serif fonts use extra details that make short headlines and captions harder to read. Doug suggests using Helvetica for presentations because it is a standard font that most people already have on their computer. Helvetica is also an example of a clean, readable, sans serif font.

Use animations and transitions appropriately

Use animations and transitions subtly to enhance the presentation. Animations and transitions are meant to be felt and not really noticed. The presentation should feel smooth. If animations don’t add anything positive to the presentation, they should probably be taken out.

One idea per slide

More than one idea per slide is unnecessary. Keep the presentation interactive by changing slides with each new idea. Let the audience absorb each idea with each slide. This will also keep the attention of the audience on the key messages the speaker is trying to iterate.

Take care of your images

Searching Google Image is not an appropriate tool for building professional presentations. Presenters need to have permission to use photos for a presentation. There are many sites where photos are available for free or a small fee. Photo sites include stock.xchng, everystockphoto, iStockphoto, and 123RF. Cyclo.ps also is a great search engine for photos.

Make your messages sticky

Made to Stick outlines some great guidelines to follow as a presenter. My PR instructor, Kelli Matthews, recently highlighted the importance of sticky messages during a lesson on giving presentations.

Sticky messages should have the following characteristics:

• Simple: find the core

• Unexpectedness: pay attention

• Concreteness: make it clear

• Credibility: make it believable

• Emotions: make people care

• Stories: get people to act

Here are a few examples that capture all the elements of a good presentation:

Miniature Earth

Meet Henry

More resources on how to give a high-quality presentation:

Make Better Presentations – The Anatomy of a Good Speech

Tricks for Getting to the Core of Your Story

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds

Lock Up Your Future is the local campaign for the national Consumer Bankers Association “Hit The Books Running” campaign. Each team member applied to be a part of the campaign and has worked tirelessly to make the campaign a success.

The goal of Lock Up Your Future is to communicate to eighth graders the importance of preparing early for their future. Many people are unaware of the large amount of resources available to students who wish to pursue higher education options. Our research indicated the best way to share our key messages was through a Web site and large campus event.

Our hard work and planning resulted in a Web site that offers resources for students, parents, and teachers and The Lock Up Your Future Campus Day, which took place February 26. During the campus day event, students participated in a mini college fair, mini lecture, campus tour, and “map your future” activity.

The event was a success thanks to our wonderful volunteers. Several University of Oregon students gave up their precious time to lead activities, give tours, and supervise.

Lessons I learned from planning my first event:

The event may not run on schedule:
The first middle school arrived 20 minutes late, which caused us to move every session back 20 minutes. Many volunteers were confused and it was hard to communicate the new plan-of-attack once the event had started.

Give volunteers clear instructions:
The team and I assumed many students would be able to follow the brief instructions we provided them. Some volunteers were confused and could have benefited from a thorough orientation of the day’s planned events.

Eighth grade students have their own agenda:
Some eighth grade students decided to tune out during the sessions. We learned to keep information interesting and interactive to help students stay involved and intrigued.

Although there are many things I think our group would do differently, the Lock Up Your Future campaign was a huge success. I’m proud to be a part of this team of highly motivated, professional PR students.

Check out the coverage of the Lock Up Your Future Campus Day on KMTR News Source 16.

Like many students who are about to enter the “real world,” I’ve become addicted to researching pertinent information about acquiring a job. To simplify, or maybe overwhelm students a little more, I thought I would share some resources I found about interviews, job searching, and personal branding.

What’s the best way to answer unusual questions employers throw out during an interview?

I personally struggle with questions regarding my strengths and weaknesses. How do you answer a question without sounding arrogant or under qualified? Heather Huhman gives some great advice about mastering the responses to these tough questions.

• For example, “What is your biggest weakness?” In the post, Chandlee Bryan suggests providing sincere information in areas that you could improve upon. Overall, make sure the weakness you provide isn’t an essential task of the job you’re interviewing for.

How do I master a phone interview?

Many of my friends have encountered the dreaded phone interview and most of them also had the same response once the interview was finished: “That sucked!” How do employers expect me to stand out over the phone? Barbara Nixon recently posted great advice about making the most of a phone interview.

Here are a few examples of her tips:

• Know the details of the interview and be prepared at least 15 minutes ahead of time.

• Prepare your interview area carefully. Sit at a clean desk and have a copy of your resume and information about the company in front of you.

• Send a short, professional thank you e-mail to the interviewer immediately after the phone interview. Follow up the e-mail with a hand-written thank you note.

How do I start personal branding?

Erika Penner recently gave an informative presentation on personal branding for PR students searching for jobs.

Here are some tips on personal branding from her presentation:

• Consider your strengths and what you want to project to potential employees.

• Showcase your personal brand through a résumé, portfolio, and interview, which send an honest, consistent message to employers.

• Make your résumé and portfolio consistent with the strength you highlight within your personal brand.

• Be confident in yourself and enthusiastic about an interview opportunity.

Additional resources:

Best questions to ask during an interview

Setting Yourself Apart: A Job in PR is Possible

Until the next graduating seniors anonymous post, good luck!

Now that I’ve become somewhat familiar with Twitter, I often have people asking me, “What’s the point? Why should I use it? How does it benefit me?” Although I know why I like Twitter, I struggle to come up with a clear answer as to why other people should become involved with this microblogging site.

Why I enjoy Twitter

I like Twitter because it allows me to interact with people who share my interests. Twitter allows me to network with a variety of people who may influence me greatly. On Twitter, I’m able to join several conversations and make my voice heard. I also am able to share videos, stories, pictures, and more with people who may or may not be interested.

Why others should use Twitter

Paul Bradshaw recently asked his Twitter network “Why should student journalists use Twitter?”

Some of the responses included:

• It’s fun

• To create conversation and swap information

• Job opportunities

• It’s a fantastic way of interacting with a wide range of people

• To pick up leads and story ideas easily

• It’s a news source

Bradshaw also provides several presentations on the Online Journalism Blog about Twitter.

Here’s a fantastic presentation for Twitter newbies. His advice includes communicating with thousands of people at once. However, following thousands of people may be difficult if you don’t know who to follow. Here’s a link to the top 10 Twitter users that every journalism student should follow.

Need more tips about Twitter?

• David Meerman Scott wrote a great post on Web Ink Now titled Twitter and personal branding: The BIG mistake I see people make every single day

• Over 10% of Americans Updating Status Online on Facebook, Twitter

• 10 ways to find people on Twitter

Go tweet around and explore what Twitter has to offer. Find me on Twitter @gbrandtj.

Kellogg’s recently dropped its endorsement with Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. The company concluded that the photos of Phelps with a marijuana pipe were “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” Many people seem to disagree with Kellogg’s classification of their “target audience.”

I would assume Kellogg’s target audience would be mothers and young kids. Kellogg’s produces products such as Cheeze-Its, Pop-Tarts, Yogos, Eggo waffles, Famous Amos cookies, and more. They are the leading producer of convenience foods and ideal snacks for kids. However, according to some, these snacks appeal to another important audience: marijuana users. Kellogg’s snacks may also be recognized as the convenient munchie for the occasional pot smoker.

Marijuana is said to be the most popular illicit drug used in America. Being such a large audience themselves, it would only be natural for marijuana users to have a strong reaction to Kellogg’s disapproval of Phelps. Many people will no longer support the company that discriminates against the lifestyle of a marijuana user.

I did a quick sweep on Google and found several articles highlighting the recent boycott on Kellogg’s. The Washington Post featured an article where groups such as the Marijuana Policy Project called Kellogg’s decision, “hypocritical and disgusting.”

Take a look at Saturday Night Live’s Seth Myers and his opinion about Kellogg’s actions against Phelps. Do you think Kellogg’s misjudged their target audience?