ID...ah!

Every time I get in a room full of really smart people who love what they're doing and want to talk about it with others, I can't help but smile.

Yesterday's PRSA Idaho meeting in Boise was an example of that. Around the table were 51 people. Among us were students, professors, former print and broadcast journalists turned communication pros, agency PR people, independents, and corp. comm. managers.

Discussion focused on the challenges people in a PIO or PR role face without the luxury of formal PR training or education, and how they can they can acquire skills they might not yet have learned. Great advice and examples were given by John Foster, Senior Advisor and Director of Communications for Congressman Walt Minnick, and Chris Smith, Internal Communications and Corporate Affairs at Micron. Both have made smooth and career-elevating moves into strategic advisory communication roles.

Also leading the discussion were Beth Toal, Public Relations Manager, St. Luke’s Health Care System and BSU PR Prof Mary Frances Casper. Beth talked about the skill set and qualities she looks for in people she hires and used Ken Dey, former Statesman reporter, as another great example of someone who was able to easily make the transition from journalist to communications professional. A varied skill set is one she emphasized, saying that PR, at least at her company, is not just about media relations, internal communications or social media, it's about campaign planning, being able to bring all of the elements of a good campaign together and execute.

Mary Frances echoed Beth's thoughts and talked about the many disciplines that students enrolled in BSU's PR Certificate Program are learning. She shared some of her philosophy, too, about the importance of integrity and ethics. Mary Frances encouraged people to educate themselves by studying the industry (easy to do on the web) and getting involved in PRSA. (Thanks Mary Frances!)

The conversation evolved into social media and its ever-changing role in our society/industry. It was a lively discussion all of which, unfortunately, I do not have the time to include here. Main points were: 1) Enough with the news release, already. Direct message your targets 2) It's all about the message. Make sure you have a clear one and can verbalize it succinctly and 3) It won't be long before traditional media is a thing of the past. Embrace this and shift (if you haven't already).

Thanks to all who attended. After everyone left, I sat down and thought about the talent pool we have in this city and the collaborative nature that exists among us--two good reasons I do what I do in Boise, Idaho.

PRSA National send out a membership update with these notes on the value of being a PRSA Member.

Value for Members

What are my National benefits? The Member Benefits page provides a comprehensive overview of member benefits, with new messaging.
New and enhanced affinity programs for members:
New: Insurance for members and their families, or their businesses.
New: FedEx shipping. (Replaces the DHL offer.)
New: Avis and Budget car rental.
Office products from Office Depot.
Bank of America credit card which benefits the PRSA Foundation.
Details of these programs are in MemberNet under ‘Member Benefits’.

Next FREE Webinar: Accelerate Your Career in Public Relations: Steps You Can Take Now to Prepare for Your Future. Thurs., Apr. 9, 3–4 p.m. EST.
The Jobcenter offers two new features: Job Mentor and Ask the Experts (courtesy of College of Fellows) - refer to the Career Resources section of Jobcenter.

Chapters: Interested in collaboration with National’s Jobcenter? Contact Richard.spector@prsa.org or call him at 212-460-1406.

PRSA National LinkedIn group, for members only, now with nearly 3,000 participants. (Many chapters and sections also have LinkedIn groups.)
PR QuickStart, free Web-based training for new professionals, created in partnership with PRSA’s Counselors Academy and the Council of Public Relations Firms.

PR Journal, an online publication that showcases original communications research of PRSA members, further extending the industry knowledge base.

I'm on my way to Vegas tomorrow to attend "Social Media for Communicators." It's a two-day conference at the Wynn presented by PRSA and Ragan Comm. Featured among others are Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com; Peter Shankman, CEO of The Geek Factory and creator of Help a Reporter Out; and Josh Bernoff, Vice President and Principal Analyst of Forrester Research, Inc.

Here's a link to the conference program, if you're interested. I'll be posting tweets from the conference, hoping to give you some insight on some of what is discussed during the sessions. If you have a moment to review the conference program and find something that you are specifically interested in learning, let me know. Perhaps I can pose a question for you or come back with a copy of the speaker presentation.

I want to mention how much I appreciate Drake Cooper's support of PRSA Idaho, as well as my own professional development. Even though it is hard to commit budget for a conference of this caliber at this time, Drake Cooper realizes how important it is for me, the agency, and the local PR community to continue to further our knowledge and understanding of public relations and social media practices.

Joanne

Yeah, David is right. I did promise to post a blog a few weeks ago and went to Lake Tahoe to play with my kids instead. This brings up a good discussion point and a chance to articulate something I have been thinking about for a few weeks. While I get the value of social media, preach its relevance, and engage in it on several levels, you'll notice that I am not a frequent contributor. I chime in once or twice every couple of days and try to keep my comments meaningful. If I wanted to chit chat, I'd call you on the phone or ask you to meet me for coffee. If I wanted to share antedotes about my life or a day in my life, I'd share them with those closest to me--my family and long-time pals. I don't need Facebook or twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr or any other platform to connect with them and, God forbid, I sit at a computer and communicate with people I hardly know instead of walking into the next room and getting in a good snuggle from one of my kids or even my dog. Also, don't you just want to get outside? With all the online banter going on among those in social media circles, I question whether these people are living or just talking about it. I'm sure I'm going to catch hell for this post and there will be several comments/arguments to what I've said. I get that but I won't have time to respond to many of them because my eight-year-old has just asked me for the third time if I could sit down with her at the piano and help her learn a new song...I can't think of a better way to end the night and wouldn't trade the time we spend together for 500 Facebook friends.

If you missed the February 11 chapter program, you missed:
1) a good discussion with real world examples on making a PR pitch
2) some great food from the Pizza factory

If however the discussion left you feeling like you need more, Ned Barnett at PR Fuel did a good summation in an article last year, Preparing the Perfect PR Pitch. His article emphasizes the need for preparation and the PRSA chapter discussion hit on that point as well. The discussion in the PRSA meeting at the Watercooler emphasized the need for thinking creatively as you approach the media members. Joanne Taylor gave a great example of thinking outside the box when a client proposed weekly articles (like we own the paper and can tell them what to print) and how she expanded that discussion into a creative discussion with the newspaper editor that did lead to a series of articles.

Please note that Joanne promised a blog article last weekend and then proceeded to go skiing at Lake Tahoe instead...see how your Facebook page can get you in trouble.