Moving.....Again.

Thrilled to be starting my new life in the city I know and love.

Sad to be leaving beautiful, green, liberal Eugene, Oregon.


That is all.

In Memorandum...

As I was thinking about what to write today, I was inspired by the recent news that Reactor Field, the parking lot that University of Missouri students tailgate in before football games, is now closed to students.

Tailgating on college gameday is as American as apple pie or baseball (both of which, incidentally, can be found at a good tailgate.)

Some of my best memories from graduate school involve crisp fall mornings, 20 of my favorite classmates, and yes, beer. At Reactor Field.

In fairness, though, responsible 20-something journalism graduate students are not of concern to the university. But it's a shame that a few beer-soaked, aggressive bad seeds (like the guy with 800 beers in his trunk. 800 beers?!?!) have to ruin the fun for the rest of us by getting sloppy and starting fights. Reading the comments following the Columbia Tribune article demonstrates very clearly that there is some controversy here. I'm sure my fellow graduates share my regret about Reactor's closing.

In other Mizzou news, Anheuser-Busch has begun promoting "fan cans"--cans of Bud Light adorned in college colors for the football season.

Hmmm, drink Bud Light and show your school spirit. How is this good for underage drinking?


One more thing about college drinking (only because I have opinions about it):

I feel very torn about the term "party school."

I am a proud graduate of UC Santa Barbara.

And I hear all of the time, "You went to UCSB? Isn't that a party school?"

Apparently its reputation transcends state lines.

But I've always believed that the school is what you make of it. Sure, there was always the opportunity to have some debaucherous good times at anonymous house parties or crowded frat houses (though we didn't have football--our innertube waterpolo game tailgates just didn't measure up somehow.)

But there were also some really intelligent people at that school--people who could handle the healthy mix between school and fun (or what I affectionately call, the "work hard play hard" mentality.)

So I feel proud that UCSB is consistently ranked among the best "party schools" in the country:
#10 on Princeton Review
#5 on Pubclub.com (ahead of Georgia, Ohio State AND Arizona State. Nice!)
And #12 on Playboy

But who's counting?

Ah, the fun of getting dressed for work first thing in the morning. Unless you work for UPS or in some kind of law enforcement, it can be a pain.

I don't know if it's our generation, or if dress codes aren't enforced as they used to be, but office wardrobe controversy seems to be a problem these days.

A friend of mine, a newspaper reporter, gave me the idea to write about this after seeing a TV reporter show up on scene to report a story wearing flip flops.

The scene was an archeological dig.

In her words,
"Flip flops are not about a generational difference. It's about safety on the job. You can quote me on that."

The thing is, I don't care if this young woman was reporting from the Beverly Hills Beach Club, pina colada in hand and surrounded by cabana boys. There is no room in the workplace for casual clothing. Especially for a young professional just starting out.

I'm sure most people have stories from their offices of people who have dressed inappropriately.

A Careerbuilder survey showed that 41 percent of U.S. employers said that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted over other people in their organization.

As they always say, "dress for the job you want, not the job you have."

This, of course, depends on the industry in which you work, so you need to use your own common sense. Unless your common sense tells to to wear colorful plastic clogs to the office (assuming your office isn't a vegetable garden.)

For me, I moved from the Colorado mountains to Columbia, Missouri, followed by a brief stint in Eugene, Oregon. Not exactly the high power centers of the fashion universe.

But now I'm looking for work in San Francisco. This means I can kiss my cute short skirts and flat sandals goodbye, at least during the work week.

I'm not saying that nylons, turtlenecks and shoes that look like they serve an orthopedic function will grace my body for the rest of my life.

But I think that perhaps young people drastically underestimate the power that their clothing has on the way people perceive them.

As a side note, did you see the casual Friday episode of The Office? Meredith's outfit was priceless--makes me smile just thinking about it.

Career options

In my quest to find the perfect job, I've been looking a lot into the industries in which PR is important. I've recently applied for a job with Chronicle Books, a really creative, forward-thinking small publishing house in San Francisco.

Now that I have a decent (albeit limited) understanding of the publishing industry thanks to the world wide web and Google Books, I've recently taken the plunge and added publicist/marketing/promotions in publishing onto my short but distinguished list of dream jobs.

It's great for people who like to write but don't want to be journalists, enjoy a team environment, and want an ongoing liberal arts education.

Check. Check. And check again.

So in honor of this recent revelation, I thought I'd share some interesting little publishing related nuggets I've learned in my research as of late. I thought they were fun. Hopefully you will too.

1. Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol.

Admit it. You like his books. Don't worry, you're not alone. The author of the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons could publish his grocery list and his fans would go running to Borders to reserve a copy. But if you're not Brown or his publishers, you wish it would just go away. People are saying that the book could actually be bad for publishing, some even calling it a "book killer."

--People will run into bookstores to buy this book: eye on the prize, never stopping to browse at other selections. To add insult to injury, they won't likely be paying full price.

--Media attention to The Lost Symbol will steal attention away from other books, and also eat into their sales. More insult to injury: the number of media outlets covering books is down.

2. Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert gets a rebuttle.

From her husband. The one she left at the beginning of the best selling "single woman adventure around the world" memoir.

It will be called Displacement, and if it does well, it's only because he's riding the coattails of his ex-wife. Publishers call it "dueling memoirs" and it's been done before. Over and over.

3. Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly Hilariously Wrong.

Have you seen this? You HAVE TO. Just a great example of a woman who writes for fun and makes a living doing it. The website is awesome. And the book is due out soon.
These two came very highly recommended. I hope you laugh as hard as I did:

Cake phone orders and Fireman

It excites me at how excited I get looking through publishing related news and controversy. Maybe it's because I don't get out much.

But hopefully it's because there's something great in the works.

Today's post is more career-y and less a chronicle of the things happening in my head. I do love writing general musings about life, but in this time of unemployment, I should also keep my eye on the ball.

Plus, I'm a self-professed computer nerd who likes reading about my industry.

So, without further ado, I give you....

The press release.

PR people depend on it. Most journalists resent it.

Even with the vast array of options available for communication about a company, product, or event, press releases are still relevant and effective assuming they are used correctly.

If a press release is good, it can result in great coverage with traditional media outlets as well as with influential bloggers and social media writers.

But if a press release is bad, it encounters the same fate it always did. Whereas it once fell straight from the fax machine into the recycle bin, it is now labeled as "PR spam" and sent straight from the inbox to the virtual rubbish bin.

So even though I went to journalism school, and decided halfway through that my future will not include sitting in on city council meetings or relentlessly calling a source who has made it very clear that he/she doesn't want to speak with me, I feel that I'm armed with some journalistic skills that will make me a fantastic PR person someday.

Here are just a few things I learned, proving once again that my time spent studying journalism was not a total wash:

1. A good press release, like a good news story, should grab the reader at the first paragraph.

First and foremost, this means telling a great story.
Great stories get attention. Make the story good, and makes sure people know it's good before they finish the first paragraph.

Second, it means tailoring the message to the audience. How is your message going to make the lives of the audience (and their readers) better? Look at what the writer writes about. Look at his/her audience. Go from there.

2. Good press releases, like good news stories, should be timely and relevant.

Make sure that you concoct a reason for sending out your information here and now. As my journalism professors used to say, "Why should I care?"

Tell them why they should.

3. Good press releases, like good news stories, should be concise and simple.

The ultimate purpose of journalism is to take a seemingly complicated story and make it readable--to interpret the facts and lay them out for people to understand.

I don't care if you work for NASAs Heliophysics Research Program. Keep the release uncomplicated. Leave out the lame quotes and executive psychobabble.

4. Good press releases, like good news stories, should be well written.

Nobody likes bad grammar. Nobody likes it when you use "your" when you mean "you're" or there" when you mean "they're." It's like nails on a chalkboard, and journalists will abandon your grammatically incorrect press release in steadfast defense of the English language.

Armed with this knowledge, I vow right now to stay off journalists' PR spammer lists even before I begin my career.

Thanks to the unspeakable power that is Facebook, I'm meeting up with some really old friends this evening.

Like, people I haven't spoken to in a decade.

People I went to high school with.

People with whom I would have most likely never spent more time past the hazy fog that was our all-night graduation trip to Disneyland.

Enter Facebook.

We all live in the Bay Area. We are all free on Saturday night. And we all enjoy wine.

The funniest thing about it is that through aforementioned Facebook awesomeness, I know more about their lives than I should considering I haven't talked to either of them for such a long time.

Not in a creepy stalker-type of way.

But I know how long their hair is. I know where they work, and if they're dating anyone. I know that one of them had an issue when Wells Fargo lost her paycheck, and the other is thinking of a new career in the medical field.

I don't know if we'll have the world to talk about, or if conversation will run dry quicker than our first drinks.

I don't know if we'll talk about our present and future, or if our conversation will remain in high school.

But I do know that I'm thankful for Facebook. A girl can never have too many friends.

No better opportunity than to rekindle some old friendships.

Tworkers!

Twitter in the workplace.

Have you thought about it? Would you, oh powerful and forward-thinking big boss, allow your employees to use it in the office?

(Disclaimer: Call me bold and presumptuous for making management decisions while I as yet don't even have a job. I say, putting the cart before the horse is fine when you have a lot of time on your hands.)

So, here are the arguments:

*Cynics would say allowing employees to Twitter at work (twork--God bless the 21st century with its spike in newfangled words) wastes time and opens a company to potentially harmful comments by employees.

*I am of the opposite camp, in agreement with the author of this story. Twitter is not going anywhere fast, so acknowledging its presence and creating a policy is important, not to mention an asset to your company. It's Twintelligent!

Here's why:

Tworkers are extroverts. They like showing off, which can be a huge benefit to your company.

Tworkers like that community feeling that Twitter helps to create. This could mean that they are open to sharing and compassionate.

Tworkers are open to trying new things. In the thick of the new media frontier, this is important if you want your company to innovate.

Tworkers make friends with people they don't know. As long as this employee is on your side, this is a great asset.

Tworkers are concise. Getting straight to the point is important when you only have 140 characters to do it in.

And I'll add one: It can it be a great (and free) PR tool to distribute your message, and a way to see what people are saying about you.

Finally, you can learn a ton about your industry and competitors with Twitter.

I used to be a cocktail waitress at an upscale hotel. Drinking on the job was forbidden. I vowed that if I ever owned a bar, I would allow employees one pre-work cocktail. In my eyes, as long as you know its happening, its practical to create a policy for it.

Not to mention that some upscale hotel guests are easier to manage when you've had a stiff drink or two.

"It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit." --Anna Quindlen

For better or worse, we all know the power of a great resume. One teeny tiny sheet of paper to sum up your entire life's schooling, experiences, skills, accomplishments, and ability to do the job for which you're applying and do it well.

And make sure it fits on one page (or shirt, as the case may be). No one has time to look at more than that when they're hiring.

But fear not.

I read yesterday on Twitter about JobSpice--a new start up that creates a resume for you. Input your personal information, and then customize the format, the color, and the font as you like. Download the PDF version and watch the job offers roll on in.

You can also create a URL and publish it online.

I had totally missed the bus on this one.

It's as if I was driving around the 1989 Toyota Corolla of resumes when I could have been driving the shiny new Rolls Royce of resumes for FREE.

Shame on me for distributing my homemade, sub-par Microsoft word junker of a resume all over town.

No wonder I'm jobless.

But I'm on the bus now. And I LOVE the look of my new resume.

My education, my experience--everything looks more impressive. Even my unpaid internship with the International Tap Dancing Association looks like a gem on this thing.

The only way my resume could look better is if it said I was de-worming orphans in the Sudan or working on a cure for cancer on the weekends.

Even despite my lack of humanitarian feats, however, my resume still looks great thanks to this fantastic find.

Do you ever take a step back from your daily technology use and wonder how the hell the world existed without it?

Like when I was in the thick of writing my thesis, I thought a lot about how the same process was done 50 years ago:

When my Google Scholar was the Dewey Decimal System.
When my online periodicals were hours in the library stacks.
When my laptop was a loud typewriter, and my delete key bottles and bottles of whiteout.

Or how there was a time when you would go skiing with a group and NOT have cell phones for when you would (inevitably) break away from the group and get lost among a gortex-clad mob?

So here I am today, singing the praises of Twitter, marveled yet again by its sheer awesomeness.
Because today, I took a new step in my quest to understand it.

Tweetchat.

An entire, hour-long online conversation with some of the best and brightest in public relations. Tips, wisdom and advice from the pros. And I didn't even have to change out of my PJs!

If I were emerging into a cold Twitter pool, I would be waist deep by this point.

The idea that I could be involved in a conversation such as this blows my mind.
And here's why:

1. These are people I would NEVER EVER normally meet. A lot of them live in DC or NY. Some are in FL. Some are abroad. All had valuable insight. None are ordering a latte at my local coffee shop or working out at my gym or commuting on the train--traditional networking places.

2. These are people who are pretty accomplished in their field, at least from what I can gather on their websites and profiles. CEOs, public relations executives, recruiters, and successful job searchers. Again, people I would NEVER EVER have the opportunity to speak to, despite my best efforts.

Harnessing the wisdom of people who have been where I am now can only help me in my job quest. I'm excited to get up the nerve to contribute something of my own to the next conversation.

Why not? I don't even have to get off the couch.

Obligatory post about "Julie & Julia"

After seeing "Julie & Julia" (for the second time--I feel an obligation to see it with anyone who hasn't yet. I'm open for appointments) I came home and found the book--not a difficult task as my mom uses it frequently and calls it her "best reference."

The movie has evoked an unexpected sense of pride that it has graced our kitchen cupboard for 30 odd years.

It's yellowed. The pages are falling out. The cover is falling off. It smells musty. Best of all, there are drops of sauce or wine or broth on the pages. It has been the source of numberless delicious family meals, indeed.

But something really awesome is happening here. And the proof is in my inbox.

--I'm in the wedding of a really good friend next month. In an email I learned that two of the three meals will be French for the bachelorette party, no doubt inspired by Julia mania that's sweeping the nation.

Quiche and french toast, bread, cheese, meats, and wine sure beat the hell out of corn flakes and PB&J.

--I went with some girlfriends to see the movie last night. Today in an email I was invited to a dinner party, the host inspired, again, by the amazing food we saw in the movie.

Whether we have boeuf bourguignon or frozen lasangna is beside the point (I would prefer the former.) And this is why:

I think there is a unifying power behind food.

I think there's value in savoring and respecting food, taking fresh and simple ingredients and making them into something amazing.

I think it's crucial to explore the customs of other countries. In France, food is at the center of their culture.

As a history buff, I love watching as a book written almost 50 years ago continues to make such an impact--motivating, inspiring, and teaching people like me who had heard of Julia Child, but who never understood or appreciated her tremendous influence on the food we eat.

My mom, a phenomenal cook in her own right, seems reinvigorated by the film, reading through (out loud) "The Art of French Cooking Volume 2" as I write this. There's a second volume. Who knew?

I'll gladly lend my mouth, stomach, and appetite to her in her quest to put a dent in it.

Interviewing 101

It's been a while since I've been in an interview (that was not with a source for a story).

I've never actually been in a truly formal interview setting.

I've never had to wear a suit.

Short of defending my master's thesis, I've never been impossibly, irreconcilably, "can't sleep, can't eat, baking muffins like a crazy woman" nervous in an interview-like setting.

(Note: for my master's thesis defense, I was all of these things. There was not enough counter space in the kitchen for all of that lemon-blueberry goodness.)

I'm a pretty personable person. I like being around people, and I've been told this shows in my demeanor. But I have a feeling that a corporate job in the city is a whole new bag of worms.

So as long as I have the time, I might as well prepare for the inevitable by looking at potential questions and researching tips from other job seekers or recruiters.

Then I get to shop for a suit.

I came across these interview tips on Twitter today, and I thought I'd share them. They're simple, but important to keep in mind if and when I get the opportunity to interview (the tips say nothing about baked goods, though I'm sure I'll change that. Raspberry scones, anyone?)

1. Don't be a smiley face. This is simple: smile when smiling is appropriate, but not all the time.

I could have trouble with this one. I naturally smile a lot. When I'm nervous and when I'm not, I just do.

2. Don't be a small talker.

Another one I'll have to work on a bit. I worked for a business weekly in college. The night before my interview I was at a Steve Miller Band concert. My boss was unsure of who Steve Miller was. I sang "Joker" to him. Somehow still got the job.

3. Don't sweat. It looks bad, and will make you look nervous.

Note to self: layer, layer, layer.

4. Don't be petty: ask important questions, not superficial ones.

I can handle this one--I'm a hyper researcher for anything, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of good questions (even though I'll probably already know the answers).

5. Don't be a liar.

I never embelish my accomplishments because I'm afraid I won't be able to back it up.
And because lying is bad.

6. Don't be a bad comedian.

Sometimes this is hard for me, but I like to think I keep it subtle and appropriate, short of my aformentioned singing incident (don't say joker, smoker, or midnight toker in any interview-like setting.)

7. Don't be high maintenance.

Nobody likes a complainer. I don't care how lukewarm their coffee is.

8. Don't be a time waster. Ask good questions, not lame ones for the sake of asking them.

God bless the world wide web and its awesome information superhighway. With this tool, all of your questions should be remotely insightful.

9. Don't be a swtichblade. Never talk bad about old employers.

I see this as being a fine line. Employers may want someone who has opinions about previous work. Just keep it appropriate. No calling your old boss a loser or any derivative thereof.

10. Don't be a roadblock. Be open to challenges.

I've filed enough papers, made enough travel reservations, picked up enough cakes for office parties. I'm rearing for a challenge. Bring em on!

Twitter-ific.

Just a few short weeks ago, Twitter experienced an outage.
And people freaked out.

From my own personal ivory tower (i.e. the couch or a lawn chair, depending on the time of day), I laughed reading people's stories of panic and anger, disbelief and frustration.

I'm here to say now that I would now genuinely be frustrated and angry (though hopefully stop short of panic) if Twitter were gone tomorrow.

I love it. And while it does cut into time for other activities such as reading newspapers, talking to people, going outside, and maintaining general personal hygiene, I believe now as I did when I started this blog, that it is a fantastic tool for learning from people who know a lot about your city, your career, and your interests.

Recent data shows that 40 percent of tweets are useless--standard "I'm eating cheerios for breakfast" or "I wish it weren't raining" talk.

But that other marvelous 60 percent?

I'll keep comin' back for it.

And this is why:

*The other day I learned that a local restaurant in San Francisco has bottomless Bloody Marys on Sundays. Bottomless Bloody Marys!!!

*I learned that I should never write, "From the desk of Andrea Stark" in a cover letter. Ever.

*I learned that Tom DeLay is going on Dancing with the Stars.

And yesterday I learned about these:


A sweet virtual social media business card from Card.ly. Tons of social networks to chose from and so easy to use.

Tougher to hand out in bars or insert into raffle drawings, sure.
But they say, "I'm tech savvy." "I'm young and hip." And "I no longer kill tress for networking purposes."

Learning from the Biggies...

I'm watching my beloved San Francisco Giants play the Mets. They had a bit of a rough go of it with the loathed Dodgers, and lost last night to NY. Still only a game and a half back in the Wild Card, so I'm holding out hope.

I've always had a dream of working for the Giants (or work my way up with another, albeit inferior, baseball team). I think it would be fantastic.
Now that I'm interested in PR and social media, I think this could actually someday be a possibility. As I always say, I'm willing to start at the bottom, short of selling malts or foam fingers. I don't think I have the patience. Or the lung power.

In my free time, I read a lot about companies that have embraced and successfully used social media. I hope that in learning the stories of other companies, I can contribute this knowledge to my long and happy career with the San Francisco Giants :)

So today I've compiled a little list of three big companies that I think have done a wonderful job venturing into the new Internet frontier with gusto.


1. Southwest Airlines

I follow SW on Twitter. Along with 471,000 other people. They're fun. And they're everywhere--Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. They saw the importance of social media early, and dividends have been paid in terms of sales and brand awareness.

They always provide new content on twitter and on their blog, Nuts About Southwest, in the form of discussions, videos, photos and contests.
Most importantly, they encourage employee participation (even by the CEO).

The idea that an airline website can attract such traffic baffles me, and is something to be commended.

2. Zappos.com

A SHOE COMPANY! So unlikely, right? Well I follow Zappos on Twitter also. And the blog. Again, it is not about solely selling shoes online. It's about engaging customers and would-be customers and giving a large company a more human side.

Like Southwest, they encourage their employees (more than 400 contribute on Twitter). They even offer classes. The CEO seems to spend more time contributing and less time policing his employees' posts. Interestingly, he says he's not concerned about social media as a marketing tool, but rather as a way to connect with customers (which means no need to measure ROI--a huge stress factor these days).

3. Whole Foods Market

I've been very impressed by Whole Foods' efforts also. Great for my fellow foodies!

According to my reading, the object of the blog (Whole Story) is to extend the conversation in the market (recipes, tips, ingredients and experiences) to the online realm.

AND, the CEO has an UP-TO-DATE blog! What a great way to humanize the company if your CEO can find the time.

Also looks like they're trying to localize it a bit, realizing that customers of Whole Foods in Los Angeles, CA may have different interests than customers of Whole Foods in Overland Park, KS. Very thoughtful, and a great way to keep customers feeling engaged and appreciated.

There are so many more of these. I can't get enough of reading about companies that have surpassed traditional press releases and e-blasts to make themselves stand out. Great inspiration for a newbie!

Chicken puffs, ham medleys, salmon party logs

Inspired by "Julie and Julia" and the resurgence of Julia Childs' "The Art of French Cooking," I somehow found myself thumbing through the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook" circa 1973 last night.

French cooking it is not. It's not healthy or sophisticated or contain any vegetable that's not canned. It is, however, a really interesting glimpse into food culture of 35 years ago in this country. At least for a foodie like me.

My mom told me the book contained the first meal she ever cooked for my dad in their New York galley kitchen (tuna noodle casserole), so I suppose it holds some sentimental value for me (she went on to cook him a similar pork casserole, topped with blue cheese).

Some of the book's recipes just sounded disgusting and wrong: liver loaf, scrambled brains, jellied chicken salad, and bacon butter.

Some sounded relatively normal: biscuts, Coq au vin, and ceasar salad.

Below is my own personal winner's gallery:

--Luncheon meat dinner

Here, luncheon meat is left unidentified. Turkey? Ham? Roast beef? Doesn't matter. Add some marmalade, sweet potatoes, and pineapple and you've got yourself a nice little one pot dinner.

--Frosted cheese mold

Anything with 'frosted' that is not some kind of baked good, in my opinion, is beyond disgusting. As is the term 'mold' without further reference to some kind of cheese product. This gem is made with gelatin, milk, cottage cheese, whipped cream, frozen limeade, pecans, and--the all too often overlooked in my own cooking--green food coloring.

--Frosted ribbon loaf

There's that term again--something frosted that doesn't fall into the dessert category. It kind of looks like a cake in the photo, but where the cake would be, it's white bread, where the frosting in between would be, it's a mix of ham salad filling and egg salad filling. The entire thing is frosted with cream cheese. Why not? It's the 70s--we're not countin' calories!

I like that "shrimp curried eggs" make an "unusual casserole" that's a "perfect main dish for a ladies luncheon."

I like that I can top chicken livers and water chestnuts with bacon and call them "luau bites."

I suppose it's easy to criticize these with my California chardonnay drinking, farmers'marketing going, sushi eating, 21st century viewpoint.

Anyone else have any tried and true recipes from this era?

"..But Pioneering is Inherently Risky Business.."

Following up from yesterday, I've realized that while it's great to be a trailblazer, innovator, risk taker in the social media world, it also requires a great deal of care and research.

A story from Marketing Magazine inspired this post.

Long story short, Nissan Canada created a contest to promote their new Cube. The 500 finalists were required to show off their creative skills over web pages, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to generate buzz. Contestants were rated on their uniqueness, personality, enthusiasm, and in the grand tradition of media democratization, peer voting.

Months later, 50 winners were announced, given keys to their shiny new Cube, and instructed to blog twice a month on CubeCommunity.ca about their experiences with their super awesome, spakin' new Cubes.


Cheap, easy, got the attention of the Canadian national media. What could go wrong?

This:

The losers were upset, and with the Internet at their disposal, they had the power to research holes in the campaign, post their findings to all kinds of platforms, and all but destroy the effectiveness of this grand marketing scheme.

Accusations flew that one of the winners had a relationship with someone on the judging panel, along with accusations that the judging panel was looking for a particular type of person (a "nonconformist") and that those who didn't fit this mold didn't have a chance of winning, despite their work.

As we all know, bad publicity will spread like wildfire. Worse yet, the company took too long to address the situation, making contestants (and potential future Nissan buyers) really upset.

The CEO of the Capital C agency (who conceived the idea for Nissan Canada), Tony Chapman said:

“You’re always going to take a risk when you do anything other than write a cheque and buy some media and have a one-way conversation. If you go out and have a two-way conversation with consumers, you have to be prepared for the fact they are contributors to the conversation and are capable of hijacking it."

What can we learn from this?

1. Be very very concrete in rules and regulations for the judging process. This way, when something does go wrong or accusations fly, they will be able to respond quickly and efficiently to negative publicity.

2. If there are any holes at all in the plan, they WILL be discovered. They should mend them before bloggers and online zealots make them bigger.

Great lessons.

They use Twitter for that?!?

In the time I've spent researching Twitter recently, I've learned (or been further convinced) that it is so very useful--for both businesses, leaders in their field, and people just starting out (such as yours truly).

But I've also had a good time checking out the more innovative (read: bazaar) uses for Twitter. But if I've learned anything, creativity and risk taking is key in this crazy crazy social media frontier.
So here goes:

1. The Twitter Opera
To get people involved in opera, London's Royal Opera House has democratized the opera-writing process. Users contribute a line over Twitter, and professionals put the words to music. Maybe not a Verdi or Puccini, but cool nonetheless.

2. "A world where everyone can play Siskel & Ebert"
The creators of Skinnipopcorn have created a site that compiles Twitter movie reviews. Seems very influential--let's just hope the movie executives don't go crazy with the promotional tweets.

3. Travel by Twitter
The Portland Visitor Center has become the Portland Twisitor Center , Visiting Portland? Questions about what to do and see or where to eat? Tweet your queries, and the Visitor center tweeters will have answers ASAP. And who knows the city better than people who are paid to know the city?

4. The Personal Assistant
Save money on that real live human personal assistant, and use Twitter to monitor what's being said about you online. Don't even have to worry about it talking back. Or Christmas bonuses.

Finally, saving the most odd for last...

5. Water your plants (yes, your plants)
Twitter updates to your phone will let you know when your plants need water. Bonus points for the thank-you note they send you (seriously).

I hope someday I can contribute some great ideas to wherever I work. They may not always be winners, but you never know unless you try.

Some thoughts on Twitter

I'll admit that, like most of the world, I was a bit reluctant to join Twitter.

I assumed it was just one more thing to keep me staring at this screen, rather than going outside, socializing with ACTUAL people, or (gasp!) getting some real live calorie-burning exercise.

Still, I'll admit when I'm wrong (it took me forever to join Facebook and now I can't live without the thing.)

I joined Twitter mostly because it's such an amazing tool for public relations and marketing. The only other thing I know for sure about Twitter is that I'll be behind the curve if I don't learn it.

I came across this link on Twitip which has some great tips on getting started with Twitter if you're a small business (written by Mark Hayward).

A small business I am not, but I am a beginner, and the tips are helpful to anyone looking to get their feet wet in the social media pool.

The tip I found most helpful:
19. Create connections don’t spam. You most likely would not just walk into a crowded venue where you don’t know anyone and say, “Hi my name is Bob and I replace window screens and have great prices.” This method does not work very well on Twitter. (Should be a given but you still see it every day!)

In my experience, this is SOOO true. It's obvious to people when you're to sell sell sell. The key, I think, is to join the conversation, network, etc. and eventually the product will sell itself.
Which leads to another great tip:

12. Use Twitter Search with keywords to find information and conversations that are relevant to your business. It’s also a good way to find out if anyone is talking about you or your company.

Finally, he says that it takes 3-6 months to create a following. This is so good to know. Don't get frustrated or overwhelmed, just keep contributing.

Check out all 20 tips, and the other tips that Twitip has to offer every day.

PS. Naked Pizza (above) is using social media in amazing ways. A friend in New Orleans turned me on to it--they're fun to watch.

Weekends are fun...

...Even for the unemployed....

I'm headed up to Lake Tahoe to visit a friend tomorrow morning. Boating, swimming, maybe a cocktail or two--some good girl time. Should be fun.

And it begins...

I've done it!
I've begun blogging!
And it's not that hard!

Simply type some words in the little box, but make sure they're brilliant.

Here's my story:
I am a 28-year-old in San Francisco. I finished my master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri (yes, Missouri). Now, I am on the hunt for a great job. At the risk of losing my social skills and sanity, I've decided to hold out until I find something I truly love.

In the meantime, I've decided to start a blog. Not only is it the wave of the future (especially for my career interests--public and media relations), but also because I read so much related to my field, that I thought a blog would be a great way to keep track of it (I have some skills--a great memory is not one of them).

I also love the finer things in life. I love the San Francisco Giants. I'm a wine lover. I love food. All kinds of food. And like a typical girl, I love fashion.

I am excited to start writing, find a great job, and have the necessary funds for aforementioned ball games, wine, food, and fashion.

Please enjoy.