amy :: lynn

This semester has been crazy for me! Internship, work, classes with tons of group work, PRSSA, and oh yeah - free time. While I love it all - I’ve been utilizing some time savers and looking for more. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

1. If you can afford it - get a smart phone! I recently got one. While it did major damage on my bank account, it has done wonders for my schedule. I can enter all dates easier than a regular cell phone, set up reminders, create portable to-do lists, and load documents and pdfs for later viewing. Then there’s the most obvious benefit - EMAIL and internet! Smart phones are getting cheaper in cost, so the only long-term cost is the data package each month. Mine is about $40. It hurts, but it helps.

2. Blogger Penelope Trunk suggests not leaving email sitting in your inbox. This is really good advice! That doesn’t mean you have to answer right away, but move it to the appropriate folder, add it to your to-do list, or flag it with a color-coder (common in email programs like Outlook and Thunderbird).

3. Stay up to date with all the PR news by utilizing RSS feeds. Google Reader has become my best friend these days. It presents your news in a clean, simple layout, and lets you access it wherever you are.

4. Calendars. There are so many different events, newsworthy opportunities for your organization, and editorial calendars. Put all those dates into an electronic calendar, such as the one in your email program, google calendar, etc. You can share them with students and associates if you wish and the programs will email you a reminder.

I’ll update as I find more useful tools and tips.  Feel free to share any you find helpful.

I mentioned before that I am interning at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and today is the first shipment of the butterfly chrysalis. In a few weeks we’ll be opening the butterfly exhibition, the busiest time of the year, but the media is getting a sneak peak at the set up process.

I just talked to my boss and there are a handful of different media there. I’m very sad because I’m missing out on all the action! Stuck at my other job today, I have to sit here and miss all the media fun!

I’ve been assured that this is just the beginning of the media rush. It’s so exciting! Is anyone else in love with media relations, or am I the only one?!

Yesterday, the boss and I went on a tour of Uptown, a name referring to an area of residential and commercial property. The area covers East Fulton St, East Hills, East Town, and Wealthy Street. The tour, organized by Bazzani Associates was a great example of how a special event can do wonders for your PR objectives.

The area is looking to increase foot traffic and sales in the area. I imagine they are also looking to increase the reputation of certain areas - such as Wealthy St. which has been known to be a shady area.

The tour started with a lunch at a local restaurant. Then we boarded a bus to go to the first district. As we trudged through the snow, I started to wonder if I really wanted to continue on the tour. My dress pants were getting wet and there was snow sneaking into my shoes. But by the time I saw the second store owner’s face light up excitement when 30 people walked into his antique store, I know that the tour was going to be good.

By the end of the day, I had a ton of flyers, coupons, samples, and stories to tell. The tour is definitely going to generate a bit of buzz for the area. I came home and dumped the entirety of four gifts bags all over my boyfriend’s floor and it took us over an hour to rummage through my treasures.

What I learned from the whole day: a special event where your publics can get one-on-one interaction with you, hear your stories, see your product (in this case, a store), and take home goodies to make them want to come back is a worthwhile event.

The sense of community and respect that all the businesses had for one another was a truly great thing to experience as well. Uptown is definitely going to be the new hot spot in GR. Kudos to Rachel Lee of Bazzani for coordinating such an eloborate event.

I blog, therefore I am. I’m a college PR student, that is.

Yesterday, there some chatter about the fact that college students don’t blog. College blogger Meg Roberts talks about all the possible excuses we have for not blogging, such as not enough time, no ideas, lack of knowledge of about blogs, and apathy.

I think lack of time is the most reasonable excuse. I wanted to start a blog back in 2006, but this is my first successful stab at it. I started one about this time last year, posted once, and never logged in again. As I write to you,  know that I’m ignoring work and homework to defy the myth that we don’t have time. We do have time, it’s not much though.

>> edit. Here’s where my previous entry calculated how much free-time I really have. I whined and got stressed about my lack of free time, but you know what - I’m over it now.

There really is no reason that PR students aren’t blogging. We have enough meaningful conversations in class to fill ten blogs! There’s a dual purpose to reiterating what you’ve discussed in class. Not only are you sharing priceless insight into your profession, you’re cementing those in your head as you’re typing. It’s like studying for the rest of your career!

If my professors have enough savvy and time to blog about their experiences, than we should too! GVSU Professor Tim Penning is in the midst of getting his masters and he frequently posts on his blog, GRPR. Every time I read his posts, I think to myself, I really need to blog. Really!

I’m not sure if more people my age will start blogging about PR or not. In class, we debate whether or not it’s a good thing for companies, but we never discuss if it’s a good thing for us personally.

Well, the clock is ticking! I’m off to enjoy the calculated 19.5 hrs of free time I have for this week (or what’s left, that is).

Wow, two posts in one day. I’m trying to be better at posting anyways, but the snow day really helps!

LinkedIn, for those who don’t know is a professional networking site that I happened to fall in love with just a few short weeks ago. This is a great (and free) tool that young professionals should know like the back of their hand. Post your resume online with minimal effort - it’s presentable and doesn’t require too much tech savvy. What more could a job seeker want?

Ironically, this site reminds me of Facebook for adults. Before you point out that adults are all over Facebook - let me tell you that I know. This is more adult-driven (as facebook was once college student-drive) that is sneaking down into the younger masses (as facebook sneaking upwards into the older generation). It’s sort of a reverse process but I see a likeness between the two.

Here’s my LinkedIn profile, enjoy!

Who would think that plants would need the services and expertise of public relations? If you’re one of those that think plants don’t need PR, then it’s time to rethink!

The wonderful folks at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture park have asked me to join them for the next few months as the public relations intern. I’ve been working there for about a month, and couldn’t be happier (unless they hired me, of course!).

So what kind of plant PR do I do? Funny you should ask. It’s actually quite a busy media relations hub down there in the basement of the beautiful galleries. I just finished pitching the Orchid Show last weekend. I got some good response from local TV media as well as a few print media. We even made Gonzo’s Daily Top Five for the weekend.

More to come on plant PR!

Here at Grand Valley State University, the advertising and public relations major requires students to pay for 3+ credits to take an internship. Is it unfair to have to pay GVSU to work for someone else - especially when the chances of finding a paying internship is slim to none?

Many think it is unfair - but if students get lucky with a really nice internship, I think they’ll change their minds. With Michigan’s suffering economy, it’s hard to find an internship. (Insert violin playing here) Sorry - you’ll just have to suck it up while you’re in college so that you have the best chance you can after graduation.

So I might sound a little unsympathetic, but I’m not. Right now, I am a victim of free labor, but I know I’m in the for the experience of a lifetime. It’s truly priceless to have a mentor (a.k.a. boss) who doesn’t make you copy papers. When you find the right internship, paid or unpaid, you will know that you’re gaining priceless experience.

Welcome to my blog. If you have found it, please be assured that I will be talking my way through Public Relations most of the time. Blogging has been a very hot topic in many of my classes. Whether it be the newest task of journalists, a tool for public relations practitioners, or the effortless ways to communicate to publics. Regardless, all of the hype about blogs being the communication wave of the future, I’m very interested, and I’m willing to give it a try.

My current status as a “PR professional” is as green as the grass (when it’s not covered in snow). I’m a senior at Grand Valley State University so I’m more of a PR “professional student.” I am doing a little PR for a real estate association - doing internal communications and media relations. I am also in the midst of my unpaid internship for credit to graduate. It is at a local garden and sculpture park, and I love it!

My college days have me busy with work and homework, but I am also very active with GVSU’s PRSSA and the West Michigan chapter of PRSA. I will elaborate in later posts, but being active in these two groups has been the greatest thing I have ever done for my career.

My intent for this blog is to share learning experiences, my thoughts on the future of PR, career development experiences.

Happy reading and I hope to see you reading again soon!

:: amy ::