New Professionals April 2010 Newsletter
2010 April Newsletter
In This Issue:
What are we thinking? Upcoming Programs and Initiatives from the Section
Membership, Networking and Mentorship Updates
Check out March's New Pros Blog Posts
Member Spotlights, Stephanie Bostaph and Catherine Patterson
Upcoming Events — Media Training Boot Camp; Preparing for your future; Post-graduate options and more!
Articles of Interest — Reduce Social Media Stress and Protect your Facebook Privacy
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What are we thinking?
Your New Professionals group offers more than five professional development opportunities each year. We work to connect you with your peers through Facebook, LinkedIn, and e-Groups. Soon we will be offering a Mentoring Program, connecting New Pros with accomplished PR professionals. But these are just the activities and tools we offer to you as a member of the New Pros Section. These tools don't help us choose the content of our posts or the speakers for our teleseminars; so what does?
The New Pros Executive Committee is made up of volunteer members of our Section. We don't have 10 years of experience in PR to guide us. We don't have crystal balls that tell us what you want and need. What we do have is your feedback and a vested interest in providing interesting and useful benefits. (After all, we're paying for our membership just like you, and we also want the most bang for our buck!)
The Committee recently received the results from the 2009 survey, which some of our members took last winter. We use the results of this survey to help plan events and focus our discussion content. Here's how we're using the results of the 2008 survey:
- On-going Learning and Training Opportunities — In the past, many of you have asked to learn more about portfolio development. So in January, our Professional Development Director Sarah Siewert and Programming Chair Tiffany McDaniel organized a webinar that taught us how to gain experience and use a portfolio to get your dream job. Click here to view the program details. Later in the month, we're responding to your interest in gaining skills to transition into higher level jobs, by offering a free Brown Bag teleseminar that will help you better decide between an APR and a Master’s degree on Friday, April 30. Click here to register.
- Weekly Ideas and Content — Our Communication Co-Chairs, Brian Camen and Andi Wilmes have responded to your desires to better understand the PR landscape and have launched an "Intro to" series that will discuss the different industries new PR pros might consider. The series runs on the last week of every month. Soon, they will be launching a Summer Book Club through the blog to help you meet your professional development and peer networking goals.
This month, we'll be reviewing the results from the 2009 survey and using that information to help us shape the rest of this year's activities. If you have ideas or feedback, don't wait until the winter when the next survey gets circulated to have your voice heard. I invite you to post ideas to our e-Group or LinkedIn sites or email me at any time. Your New Pros Executive Committee would love to help you meet your goals as a New Professional member as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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Membership: Last month I revealed the secret formula for Section growth (if x = new members and y = departing members and if x > y, then the Section grows). Ok, so it isn't exactly rocket science. Anyway, February's numbers are in; and, for the 3rd consecutive month membership in our New Professionals Section has increased! More members means more opportunities to network, more opportunities to engage and learn from your peers. And they are everywhere — on e-Groups, the New Pros blog, our Facebook Fan Page, and in teleseminars/webinars. Now join the conversation!
— Mike Greenberg, Director of Membership
Professional Interest Section Networking: Did you know that PRSA currently has 16 Professional Interest Sections? We are currently reaching out to each Section to see how we can join forces on events, blog posts, and other opportunities of mutual interest. In this day and age, being a well rounded and experienced professional is even more valuable when it comes to gaining a competitive advantage in the workforce. By networking with the PRSA's Professional Interest Sections, we hope to further expand your New Pros education by sharing with you the opportunities and challenges within certain industries, as well as connect you with key industry insiders.
— Adrienne Bailey, Section Account Representative
Mentorship: New Pros and the College of Fellows will be meeting this month to discuss a virtual matching program to link New Professionals with experienced and accomplished Fellows in similar industries or geographic locations.
— Crystal Olig, Chair, Mentorship, Chapter Outreach and Sponsorships
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PRSA New Pros Blog — Check out March’s Posts
- What your College Coursework Doesn’t Teach you about Succeeding in the Workplace by Andi Wilmes
- Becoming the PR Pro Journalists Want You to Be by Andi Wilmes
- Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media by Adrienne Bailey
- Intro-to Series…Small Business PR by Janet Krenn
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Each month we shine the "spotlight" on New Pros section members to gain an insight into their industry, position and lives. Do you have something interesting to share? Send an email to Brian and Andi to be in next month’s spotlight!
- Name: Stephanie Bostaph
- Company: Concepts, Inc.
- Position: Communications Specialist
- Type of Work Performed: Primarily I manage traditional and social media outreach for my clients; however, I also edit policy briefs as needed, assist with product design, track media coverage and prepare project deliverables.
- One Lesson I've Learned on the Job: To always be prepared, whether that's developing a contingency plan for possible social media scenarios, preparing for media pitching or simply presenting campaign results to my boss. One time I forgot to print talking points about a client. I started sending out email blasts, not expecting to receive a call on my cellphone within a matter of minutes. It was pretty embarrassing stumbling over brief facts and mentioning vague information about their project. Definitely a mistake I don't intend to make again.
- Social Media Channels I Use: Work-wise I spend most of my time on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and our blog, Disability.gov. In my personal life, I primarily use Facebook and LinkedIn. Although I have a Twitter account, I have found it's not a platform that suits my personal interest. I spend so much time on Disability.gov, I feel as if it's my pseudo-Twitter account.
- Areas of Interest: Government Relations & Social Media
- Educational Background: B.S. in Journalism, minor in Political Science from West Virginia University
- Hobbies: Photography, scrapbooking, dancing, traveling and not sure if you would call it a hobby, but planning my wedding.
- Extracurricular Activities: PRSA
- A Little Extra Tidbit: I'm a Waitress at the Cheesecake Factory on the weekends.
- Name: Catherine Patterson (or @catherineellen!)
- Company: Kurman Communications, Inc.
- Position: Account Executive
- Type of work performed: Media relations, social media, writing, hiring, account management, coffee making... a little bit of everything!
- Specializations or areas of interest: I love social media (including blogging) and online content. I still get a kick out of seeing my efforts turn into real media placements. And while I haven't had much experience in it, crisis management fascinates me.
- Educational background: Bachelor's degree in Communication with a specialization in Public Relations from Michigan State University; currently earning my Master's degree in Strategic Public Relations from The George Washington University.
- Hobbies: Reading, running, blogging, spending time with friends and family, and caring about our environment.
- Extracurricular activities: PRSA Chicago, YP Chicago
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Upcoming Events
One-Day Seminar: Media Training Boot Camp: Control Your Message to Get the Quotes You Want
Monday, April 12, 2010, New York, N.Y., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EDT
Be prepared for every media opportunity facing you, your clients and your company. Proactive planning — with a specific message — is the only way to go into a media interview. T.J. Walker will show you why it is essential to have exact sound bites and quotes planned in advance, and how to ace your next on-air appearance. For more information or to register, click here.
Free Webinar: Steps You Can Take Now to Prepare for Your Future
Tuesday, April 13, 3 – 4 p.m. EDT
Learn how you can accelerate your public relations career even when job opportunities are scarce. Hear from communications strategist Jenny Schade, who will discuss how to grow your career in the midst of a dismal economy. She will then lead a discussion with a panel of Accredited pros who will discuss how becoming Accredited in public relations helped them become accomplished public relations practitioners. The panel will discuss what they, as employers, now look for in their hiring processes and how being Accredited can help job searchers land that special job. For more information or to register, click here.
Teleseminar: Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Increase Readership with Feature-style Writing
Thursday, April 22, 2010, 3 – 4 p.m. EDT
Traditional, inverted pyramid-style stories “do not work well with readers” and “do not justify their predominance in today’s newspapers,” according to a study by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. What’s the alternative? The feature-style story structure increases reader satisfaction and improves the chance that it will be read thoroughly, among a host of other benefits, according to a new study by The Readership Institute. In this program, you’ll learn a simple structure that you can use to make your copy easier to write and more interesting to read. For more information or to register, click here.
Free Teleseminar: Exploring Post-Graduate Options in PR: A New Pros Brown Bag Teleconference
Friday, April 30, 2010, 2 – 3 p.m. EDT
In the current economic climate, thousands have flocked back to school in hopes of becoming more marketable to employers. Public relations professionals who want to advance in the field are fortunate to have options, including a traditional Masters degree and Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). But when should they begin? What would better suit your needs for career success? If you’re considering obtaining a Master’s degree or APR, join Laura Reilly, APR, as she reviews the options and discusses factors to help you decide which would be more beneficial at this stage in your career. For more information or to register, click here.
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- "Should PR pros share their political opinions with the world?" — Rachel Kay, Communikaytrix
- Study: "Percentage of Americans watching TV and surfing the web simultaneously increases" — Jacqui Cheng, ARS Technica
- "4 Tips for Reducing Social Media Stress" — Soren Gordhamer, Mashable
- "Free Labor or Priceless Experience" — Christina Khoury, PR Breakfast Club
- "6 Steps to Protect Your Facebook Privacy" — Rosemary Hattersley, PC World
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We Want to Hear from You!
The newsletter committee welcomes content for its newsletters and monthly e-blasts. Consider submitting information about recent and upcoming events, career tips, feature spotlights (Chapter, member and mentor) and any other ideas. Send your questions and/or recommendations to the PRSA New Professionals Communications Co-Chairs, Brian Camen and Andi Wilmes.
Please note: All submissions and articles are provided by and for members of the PRSA New Professionals Section. For questions about this newsletter, please contact Will Titus.
