The new year always brings a sense of renewal and hope. I’m optimistic that the year of 2014 will be a stellar year for PR and Communication. Why? Other than the fact that job growth in this sector is projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow significantly over the next 10 years, personally, I am busy. And that feels good!…
Category: Lessons Learned
Earning the APR: My Thoughts on The Process
Someone recently asked me why I pursued the APR credential. The APR is the Public Relations profession’s only voluntary post-graduate certification program representing the most prestigious credential in the communications industry. I highly recommend the APR. Social media has accelerated the number of people entering the PR profession – in a bad way. You hear of reports of unethical edits…
The Anatomy of a Successful Online Press Release: A Refresher
The article, The Anatomy of a Successful Online Press Release: A Refresher, really freshens up press release writing for the SEO world we live in. The only thing it is missing is that a successful online press release usually has some sort of multimedia to it … a podcast, a photo, a YouTube video … something! Finding the right SEO keywords…
Silly Signage – June 1 edition (Cemetery)
I was driving by a cemetery in the St. Louis area this week and I noticed they had a sign out front near the entrance that read “Celebrating 100 years.” That’s right. Let’s celebrate … SOMETHING. OK. What exactly are we celebrating? The fact that there are more dead people? That the cemetery has been around for a really long…
Surviving Twitterpocalypse: 5 Things I Learned
When Twitterpocalypse happens, you are the pinata and nothing else will suffice but your blood smeared over a sacrificial altar. The mob mentality of some Twitterati may even call for you to jump off a cliff, but what good is that? Here are some thoughts on how to move on the morning after.
A PR Basic Reinforced – Humanize the Story
I was surfing the net when I came across an interview with the CEO of a global PR firm who gave out a list of tips. I love reading lists and couldn’t resist. The first one, “Humanize the story,” seemed too simple to be included in such a list at first. I could hear the “C’mon, give me something…
5 Ways To Make Innovation Less Painful and More Inclusive
1. Make your reason for change clear and easy to articulate 2. Make your parameters clear to staff early in the idea stage. 3. Schedule your staff input meetings during both the day and night shift. 4. Keep the process from behind closed doors. Display prototypes and new ideas prominently. 5. Don’t shy away from the naysayers…
The Evolution of Branding : Q&A with “Brand Zeitgeist” author Chris Houchens
There are people in this world who go with the flow. And then there are people like Chris Houchens, who are progressive, trend-sensitive and always “on to something” and remain a step ahead. He’s someone to watch. As an online and multimedia enthusiast while working as a biz reporter at the Bowling Green Daily News I had a routine of…
Computer-Assisted Reporting and Finding Local Chilean Ties in the Capital Region
Leonardo Villarroel replied to my twitter inquiry only after I translated his Spanish-written feed to English for a story I wrote for The Daily Gazette that was assigned to me Saturday night. Villarroel had studied at Union College in the summer of 2007, according to a profile published on the college’s Website. But he was back in his hometown of…
Writing AP Style with Ameerah
My workshop – “Writing AP Style” – is published on-line with the help of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. Check it out! http://mediasite.strose.edu/mediasite/Viewer?peid=acaf840f-51b4-4c47-b511-196f554d1ed0 This workshop goes over common mistakes with AP style for both broadcast and print formats and presents hands-on exercises that will give you practical exposure with AP style and the differences in writing style from…
