Archive for February, 2010

Most public relations firms in SoCal and around the country want to have interns, but many of these PR firms don’t even understand what an intern really is. An intern, by law (federal law, not some law I made up just for fun), is a college student who receives training in a specific field, such as public relations. An intern is not – repeat, is NOT – a gopher, a photocopier, a coffee-maker, a personal assistant, a babysitter, or a slave. Read the rest of this entry »

As PR practitioners we have a whole new set of challenges as our industry could arguably be changing faster than it has in decades.  It’s hard to weed through the numerous resources available to help us harness the social Web, but the book “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” co-authored by Deirdre Breakenridge and Brian Solis, is a great resource that delves into the intersection of PR and social media from both strategic and tactical perspectives.  I’ve had the opportunity to watch a panel discussion from both authors, as well as meet and speak with both of them in addition to reading the book. As thought leaders for our industry, Both Solis and Breakenridge offer forward thinking insight that can help us stay ahead of the game, and help paint PR as a critical tool for brand building and communication.  After reading “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” I had the pleasure of digging a little deeper with Breakenridge.

In addition to co-authoring “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” Breakenridge is the author of PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences and.  She is the Co-Founder and President of Mango! Marketing a PR, marketing and social media agency in the New York Metro area and also the Co-Founder of #PRStudChat, a dynamic monthly Twitter discussion with PR professionals, students and educators.

Who should be reading this book? Traditional PR practitioners, students, social media enthusiasts?

I would say, “All of the above.”  Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a useful resource for PR professionals, students and social media enthusiasts.  I think it’s particularly important that PR students (the PR leaders of the future) understand how PR is changing and the dynamics of today’s media landscape.  They also need to learn how to reach stakeholders by studying the sociology of the web and by using a new PR approach to build relationships and long-term value for their organizations.

We’re also finding that business executives, entrepreneurs, marketing, and branding professionals in various industries are discovering helpful information and guidance within the chapters of the book.

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This morning Tiger Woods gave a news conference admitting to his wrong doings. Here’s a clip from Fox 5 San Diego where local experts, including PRSA San Diego/Imperial Counties’ President Sara Wacker, APR, weighed in on Tiger’s announcement. What’s your take?

U-T Names New Editor-in-Chief

The San Diego Union-Tribune names Jeff Light as the organization’s new editor-in-chief. Light was most recently at The Orange County Register, where he was vice president of the interactive division. If you’ve kept a close eye on The Register the last few years, you’ve noticed they are a leader when it comes to integration of print and online features, a stable of bloggers to cover niche topics, and an engaged social media presence. Let’s hope we can harness this spirit here at the U-T. Light begins March 8.

OCLNN.com Names Greg Magnus as Managing Editor

U.S. Local News Network (USLNN), which is developing a national network of local news and information Web sites, announced the launch of OCLNN.com for Orange County. This is the third site started by the company in less than a year and is being undertaken with the Los Angeles Times Media Group’s Times Community Newspapers (TCN) to form a County-wide online ad and content network aimed at benefiting readers interested in local news and information, while at the same time giving advertisers enhanced ability to target that audience more cost effectively. Greg Magnus is the new managing editor, with 14 years of seasoned reporting experience in the Southern California area, at The Orange County Register and The San Diego Union-Tribune. There are also opportunities for freelance writers. If interested, contact Barbara Bry. Read the rest of this entry »

PRSA San Diego had some exciting news to share this week with the acquisition of Imperial County to its membership and a new name: PRSA San Diego/Imperial Counties (PRSA SDIC). Check out the full release below:

PRSA San Diego Chapter Expands to Include Imperial County

Due to tremendous interest and participation by the community of public relations practitioners in Imperial County in pursuing the highest professional standards, the San Diego Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has successfully petitioned to extend the boundaries of its jurisdiction to include Imperial County. Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel: I’ve used Blackberry since the days of black and white text and purple plastic casing.

I was Blackberry’s biggest cheerleader! I told the world that business people needed to be able to write emails fast and you couldn’t do that with an iPhone! I could browse the Web and Twitter, sure!  But what I really needed to do was send email!! Team BlackBerry!

I asked my friend Kai MacMahon, VP for Ogilvy’s Digital Influence team in New York, to co-write this post with me because he’s been captain of Team iPhone since the beginning.  Kai is far geekier than I (I mean that in the most complimentary way ), tends to be an early adopter of all things gadgety and would probably vote Steve Jobs for president if he made the ballot.

Out of nowhere Kai replaced his iPhone with the Droid.  I was shocked, but curious as Kai seemed to be ecstatic about the purchase.  So remembering change is good, I read the techno-heavy reviews on Engadget, Gizmodo and other sites, and decided to make the leap, changing out my only three month old Blackberry Tour.  In this post Kai and I intend compare the three phones in non-geek speak, to help you figure out if it might suit your needs.  In addition, we welcome your own comparisons in the comments below.
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This video was originally posted last summer, but it’s still very relevant today. Learn first-hand from AP editors what makes a good story and visuals. Enjoy!

Denise Scatena is the principal of Lemonade Public Relations, a San Diego-based communication agency, and a founding editor of SoCalPRBlog.

A very wise man I adored once said, “The only thing worse than too much work is no work.” He knew what he was talking about.

His job was physical, and he had a wife and two kids to take care of. His job took a physical toll on him, but that didn’t worry him a bit. Now, suggest to him that his job might not be there tomorrow, and I’m sure the sweat came pouring from his brow.

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The Public Relations Intern assists with the development and execution of a communication plan to support Mission Federal ArtWalk 2009, San Diego’s largest and best-known art festival, attracting more than 100,000 visitors to Little Italy during the weekend of April 25 and 26, 2009. The intern role offers an educational opportunity to learn how a large scale event is publicized in its local and target markets to attract visitor participation.  The intern will work under the guidance of Mission Federal ArtWalk’s outside PR consultancy and will receive on-site support. Read the rest of this entry »

Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The first thing I do after receiving a freelance writing assignment is contact all my potential sources. Because I generally write for monthly publications, I usually have a good amount of lead time before I have to turn in the finished article, but I know that if I do not contact my sources right away, I may not hear back from them in time.

I tell them that I am “on deadline,” give them a due date for responses and urge them to contact me at their “earliest possible convenience.” Nevertheless, I constantly need back-up sources for those who do not get back to me or do not respond until weeks later – when the final article is already with my editor.

It can be a time-consuming, nerve-wracking and frustrating process. Will I get the interview with the famous football player, or do I need to find another person to interview? Will I have statistics from 2009 available for my article, or will I be forced to use ones from 1985? Read the rest of this entry »