Building Relationships via Twitter
Throughout life we try to build relationships with all types of people. Some people stay in our lives for years, while others only a few minutes. Regardless, each relationship we make with another individual will help us to become who we are today or who we’d like to become.
So my question to you is: When Twitter caught fire amongst the world did that hinder or strengthen our chances to create relationships?
Before Twitter, the only way we could contact or communicate with respected professionals would be out of sheer luck. Another way would have been to send an email into the black hole of the internet with hopes of getting a response. More than likely, if any response, it would be one that is generated or by an assistant. But now, Twitter offers an easy and a little less stressful way to meet people whom we may look up to in our respective fields.
So can Twitter help build relationships with people and professionals?
Yes, it can. Previously, I did an interview with Sydney Owen, @sydneyowen and posted it on my blog. My relationship with Sydney started out as one that was just an acquaintance, she was a speaker for a panel in my journalism class. We exchanged contact information however we never stayed in touch. It wasn’t until I began to follow her on twitter and “tweeted” her that we began to build a better relationship. Sydney is now always willing to help me (Sorry Sydney I know I ask a lot of questions!). But nonetheless, she has been a great person to talk to about PR, anything related to SM, or life after college in general.
I also follow @chrisbrogan, @prblog, @PRsarahevans, @lizharmon. All of these people have great insight within the field of Public Relations….and are one tweet away from opening many doors or answering any burning questions you or I might have.
Following professionals on Twitter can seem a little awkward because as the follower, and stranger, you’re getting a look into the professionals everyday life through their daily posts. Having professionals on your Twitter helps as a future professional by giving you a chance to speak directly to a knowledgeable source. Professionals that will help you with advice, insight, job opportunities, or build a relationships with hopes of advancement of your career in the future.
As a new tweeter, I know it may seem odd to “follow” someone, but for once its less stressful to ask questions, or just get an inside look of how professionals operate in the real world. I do it with no remorse. It will benefit my future so why not? Plus, Twitter should be used as a social media site that engages you while at the same time informing you of what’s happening. I also use twitter for job postings and talking/replying to my friends. So who says it can’t be a fun networking experience and a resourceful one at the same time?
@pjohnson09
Special Thanks to Krissy J and Sydney Owen for all the help!
Taking Job Searches into Your Control
The benefit of blogs, beside getting out your thoughts, can be for your future career. Ogilvy published a great post about utilizing social media to find a job. They mentioned the importance of social media to obtain a job by exercising use of these communities professionally.
I am very happy that people are starting to see the benefit of blogs rather than an online journal. It’s odd to think that just a few years ago the only thing popular in social media was MySpace. Now there are floods of social website that have certain perks or satisfy a niche. It seems as though the internet is taking over every aspect of how we do things, how quickly we get news, and how quickly we respond to anything.
Even though it might kill some of the emotion factor in some things, I still think Ogilvy hit the nail right on the head with their post. Blogging is a great way to show your insight on things that interest you in a personal blog or one a bit more professional. It showcases your writing skills, if needed, to future employers and colleagues. Even Twitter has potential to help. I frequently search the hashtag,#entrypr, to see any new positions or what qualifications employers are looking for. Within the world of social media there are tons of opportunities to read, or make connections for a future career, especially Public Relations.
Aside from blogging and “tweeting,” just to exhibit your interest and ability I think they offer a great use to actually mingle with people within your future or current profession. Just recently some members of Twitter and LinkedIn had a chat where PR professionals and college students had an open discussion. Unfortunately due to work I couldn’t be apart, but the fact is, people now have an opportunity to speak with professionals that would normally be hard to contact via social media.
One website I found through sheer boredom was JobSpice.com. Talk about an awesome website. JobSpice is a website that doesn’t allow you to upload your resume, but instead, create one through the website. Everything is interchangeable. You just add in personal info for the respective section but after that its all up to the user. You can move things around, change the design within their templates, and add/delete categories for your personal resume.
I’m glad to be apart of a generation that has an immense amount of information, knowledge and resources at our fingertips. There is no way that Gen-Y shouldn’t be able to: 1. make the world a better place, 2. continue to adapt/innovate/create new things, 3. succeed!
Vick’s Timely Return, and the Media’s Coverage
As school rounds the corner, other things like bills for school expenses seems to follow suit. On the other hand, a great thing that resurges with the come of every fall; football season. I had a talk with my friend Mark Clennon, and he brought up Vick’s situation with the NFL, which led our conversation to disucss the use of other stories to foreshadow Vick’s return.
This off-season and preseason has been a very hectic one for the media. With talks of Favre coming back, as he eventually did, again. As well as Plaxico Burress and his gun charges, Donte Stallworth’s manslaughter charges and the media’s frenzy with Michael Vicks return.
Since Vick’s sentencing last year he has returned to the league through the form of a American symbol. One that represents freedom and justice,known as an eagle. The Philadelphia Eagles, that is.
Fortunately for Michael he has dodged a lot of media, both good and bad, by the help of other players, like Brett Favre. Before Favre’s return to the league many people were skeptical as to what would happen with Vick. It seems as though ESPN and other sports media outlets took the spotlight off of Vick almost as a tactic to keep the NFL out of bad light, and to focus on something “better,” Favre’s return.
Luckily for Vick, Tony Dungy is in his corner. Dungy has agreed to help keep Vick out of trouble by mentoring him in his off-the-field activities and image. A guy with Dungy’s reputation and wholesome image will do nothing but positive things for Vick.
My biggest questions about this situation with Vick and other events happening at the same time:
- How much of this was planned (in terms of when these events occurred, Favre’s return).
- Who is to take credit for less media coverage on Vick and more on Favre’s return?
- How does the league feel about reinstating Vick, Burress, Stallworth and others with criminal records?
- What other strategies have been implemented to create better images?
Any response to the question or blog post is greatly appreciated!
Interview Q & A with Erin Phillips
Here is another interview with a young, aspiring, PR practioner. Her name is Erin Phillips, she is a 21 and a senior at Rowan University in Glasboro, NJ. Unlike the last interview I did with Sydney Owen, Erin just finished her internship at Bullfrog & Baum in New York City. Yes, the city that never sleeps. I asked her the same question with the addition to one about her job at B&B. Once again just as Sydney did, Erin busted her butt to network and meet people; with an exception, Erin is heavily involved with PRSSA. They both exercised the concept of getting things done, which I believe all successful people have in common. Here is the interview. Enjoy!
Basic Bio (Name, age, PR specialty, etc.)
Erin Phillips, 21, specializing in entertainment pr, publicity, and event planning. I’m still in college so my specializations are more of interests and what I’ve found myself to be good at. Right now my main specialization is working my butt off to get a job come May.
How did you make it to where you are now, and where are you?
I am a senior in college and I made it here by having mediocre grades and SAT scores in college, figuring out my senior year in high school that I was actually smart and could do better. From then I entered college, make dean’s list every semester, continue to be an honor student, and immerse myself in so many extracurricular activities it makes me dizzy sometimes. I go to Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. where I am an active member of our Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter and currently hold the position of President of PRaction, our chapter’s student-run firm. As of tomorrow, I will have completed a summer internship at Bullfrog & Baum in NYC, where I dipped my feet into the world of hospitality, lifestyle, and restaurant public relations. In the fall, I will be the public affairs/community relations intern at CBS3 in Philadelphia.
How did academics help you achieve your goals?
Honestly, I learned everything there is to know about PR through experience. I’ve found that the industry is full of things that you learn on the job. The most valuable things I’ve learned throughout my short career in public relations, I’ve learned by doing my own research or through my internships, and PRSSA events. My college PR program is great, one of the best in the nation for the last decade, but besides writing, strategic thinking, research and planning, I’ve learned the ins-and-outs on my own. I learned event planning from planning Rowan PRSSA’s bi-weekly meetings, and annual events and philanthropies at the vice president of special events. I’ve learned about social media and the different facets of pr (entertainment, financial, pharmaceutical, global, sports, etc.) from PRSSA national conferences and regional activities. I’ve learned what to do to impress your boss and what really pisses your boss off by experimenting at my internship. Academics are a stepping stone, experience is your true lesson.
What other things helped you in reaching your goals?
Like I mentioned before, extra-curricular activities helped me out a lot. I network like crazy, and have made so many connections that way. This really helps because the industry is all about ‘who you know’ and references. I have gotten my friends internships lately because their schools don’t help with the process and they are basically lost as to how the application process works. I made a few phone calls at some agencies I knew and got them interviews that way. It makes me feel good to help them, but at the same time I am helping myself because sometime in the future I might need help with something, and I will be owed a favor. Okay, I seemed to just mumble there, but if you can get through all of that… the synopsis would be that making connections and networking have been great tools for reaching my goals. I’d also saying having a mentor helps out a lot. My mentor tore apart my resume and cover letter, which made me think I was a horrible writer and would never get a job, but it turns out that it really helped me. Lastly, become close to your professors. Most of them have been in the industry before and have a lot of connections. They are great outlets for advice, recommendations, and job inquiries. They really are there to do more for you than teach.
What extra circular things did you do while in school to help you to get where you are now?
I am heavily involved in PRSSA, have held an executive board position for the last two years, worked as a committee member for numerous philanthropies and charities, and attended national conferences and regional activities. I also studied abroad in Paris for two months where I completed my minor in French and worked towards becoming fluent. All of this I do while trying to maintain my part-time job so that I have money to buy food. I am the epitome of a poor college student.
Toughest memory in college?
This is actually a really hard question. I’d have to say my most recent mental breakdown was the toughest for me (I have a lot of them). I was doing a lot of research on pr salaries and how long it takes to move up to what position and I was really stressing me out. I plan on having an extravagant lifestyle when I get older (a girl can dream) so I was thinking that PR might not cut it for me. That’s when I got the idea that maybe I would switch majors… my senior year of college. I’ve always had an interest in health care and wanted to be a surgeon when I was younger. The only problem with that is that to this day I still have problems with my times tables and long division. So I decided that I would go to chiropractic school after I get my undergraduate degree. It’s only 4 more years of school. No big deal! So I got information from multiple schools and kept telling myself how great this would be and how I could open my own practice and do my own PR. Well I really stressed myself out to the point of a mental breakdown because I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do with my life. Then a week ago I had a conference call with a potential client and after I hung up I said to myself, “Erin, you are good at PR. You really know what you are doing. You actually sound believable.” That’s when I saw clearly once again. I did belong in public relations. It’s who I am. It’s my calling. So after a summer of torturing myself, I’ve decided to continue my studies in public relations. After all, I can always find myself a rich doctor and live my extravagant lifestyle that way! Just kidding.
Any advice for people following the same path?
Believe in yourself. Think you are the shit, and have an air around you that says you are. Work really hard because the industry is cut throat and if you don’t show a potential employer that you want something bad enough, someone else will. Get involved in activities through your university. The more you do, the more you have to talk about at an interview. The more interesting you are, the more time an interviewer will give you. The more time you get, the more you stand out to that potential employer. You get the idea. I truly believe it’s not about the school you go to, whether it be Harvard or community college, it’s what you do with the opportunities given to you that make you shine above the rest. Be prepared for competition, and be prepared to beat them.
What were any of your fears, before, during or after this whole internship and college experience?
My fears before my internship were that I would completely suck and the other interns would be amazing. It was my first internship and I really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t do it for any credit. I just did it for the experience. I’ve always heard that in the PR world, “if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.” So doing this made me really nervous. I did three months of hard work and I was worried, and still am, that its not going to mean anything. It’s just going to be another thing to put on my resume. I don’t think this is true, but it does worry me.
Who was your internship in NYC with? What did you do on an average work day? How does this help you in PR?
My internship was with Bullfrog & Baum who has offices in both NYC and LA. It is a hospitality and lifestyle PR agency with clients ranging from national restaurants to spirits, to organic clothing lines. B & B represents, manages, brands, and stands as the publicists for numerous restaurants, chefs, and restaurateurs nationwide.
No workday was the same. There was about seven interns and we all
worked with teammates (actual publicists). My team worked mainly with restaurants, chefs, and event venues in the New York tri-state area with some branching out to Florida and the Mid-West. I can’t describe an average day, but what I mostly did was a lot of research and excel sheets!
The research varied each day depending on the project. I wrote a few new releases for some upcoming events and then made an excel sheet of media outreach in the area of the event. For example, it was a tequila inspired dinner, so I included beverage and food journalists in the Houston metropolitan area. I also made a lot of follow-up calls about pitches and
Crisis Overnight- $160k in three weeks.
I was reading PRsarahevans.com through my alltop feed of PR news all over the web and came across a great article. The article basically outlined how Sarah Evans helped keep Community Crisis Center, Inc. open through a great strategy, awesome team work and social media.
I think this is an extremely interesting article because it takes a few key elements of traditional PR into practice as well as other things to help keep this center open.
Sarah Evans and her team worked vigorously to create a strategy which utilized social media and the help of their relationships with others as well as their reputable name to help raise money for the Crisis Center. This is the first time I’ve read about making real relationships in PR and how they can actually help, especially when it comes to using your own name to help a good cause or client.
I recall in my Principles of Public Relations class we looked over the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and read the summary of the review and its results. Aside from that one assignment accompanied with the summary, I’ve never read anything like that since. Sarah Evans does the same thing Dove explained, but in a shorter more concise style. As well as presenting the works of her labor in a more stylish and readable manner. This makes me eager to work in Public Relations!
Interview Q & A with Sydney Owen
So in my last post I raved about Sydney Owen, mainly about her blog, but also her as a person. She is doing things that no one I’ve known has thought of doing; she’s making her dreams a reality with hard work. I asked her to answer a few simple questions I had and she responded quickly and with great content. Check it out below and take notes! She is at a great agency and will do amazing things. One question I should’ve asked; what were your fears or things that your scared of while you progress in your career. Other than that I think her response is awesome and very helpful! Enjoy!
Basic Bio (Name, age, PR specialty, etc.)
Sydney Owen, 24, specializing in digital/emerging media, I think. The thing is, I’m young, so I don’t really know what I’m specializing in yet. But I do know that I love agency life.
How did you make it to where you are now, and where are you?
I’m at Chicago O’Hare and I took the Orange Line to get here. But in all seriousness, I am an intern at Weber Shandwick in the Chicago office. I got here in my Civic with everything I could fit in it and sold the rest. I was afforded this opportunity because I kicked ass in college and started blogging to give my resume a voice and show off my stellar writing skills. I was teacher’s pet, had mentors, and networked my face off senior year to ensure that I had choices for career paths by the time graduation rolled around. I had three opportunities to choose from when I got back from SXSW, two internships in NYC or one in Chicago. Weber Shandwick won. That’s why I’m here.
How did academics help you achieve your goals?
Truth be told, everything you learn in college builds a foundation. I think it’s more about time management than anything else. Will I ever need to recall the dates of the Roman empire? Probably not. But managing to study for that test in Greek/Roman while working full time, taking a full course load and managing a social life is what prepared me for where I’m at today. I’ll be honest with you, Advanced PR, the last course you’ll take, is NOTHING like the real world. But managing all of those tasks and my team members (I was the Account Executive, so I was the “manager” of my group) taught me a lot about myself.
What other things helped you out in reaching your goals?
Blogging, having mentors, not giving a shit when people told me I was a suck-up. You get out of life what you put in. Having people that believe in you helps. But you can’t find the people that believe in you if you aren’t worth believing in. Find a mentor or three, they’ll help you get on your feet.
What extracurricular things did you do while in school to help you to get where you are now?
I worked. Full time. Supported myself. I was a bartender at Charley’s steakhouse and was making easily 3x what I’m making as an intern now. Sure the pay cut sucks, but making all that money paid for school and taught me how to budget. So it was good. I also did three internships my senior year. Two at one time during spring semester. It was awesome. And I developed a skill set that would set me apart from every other normal grad out there. And it worked. My plan to be different worked. And nooooow, being different is cool. 
Toughest memory in college?
When I sat myself down after nearly failing intro to Chem and saying “Sydney, you are not going to be a doctor – so what’s next?” I made a list of things I’m good at and a list of things I suck at, and I came to the conclusion, somehow, that PR was for me. And that was a hard process – really being honest with myself.
Any advice for people following the same path?
Work hard, play hard, and network your face off. If you want more advice, hit me up on Twitter or check out my blog for other ways to contact me.
Must Read Blog!!
This is the first time I’ve ever referred any of my readers to any other blog pertaining to PR. I just read a great thread discussion about social media and PR. Some very intelligent people were involved all while responding, writing, and addressing all other threads and their own ideas. For any up-and-coming PR Professional, and PR student you must ready Sydney Owen’s blog.
This entry is what I am ranting and raving about. Article Here
