Good Grammar Gets Love

Is bad grammar one of your deal breakers on a date?

With Valentine's Day, also known as Single's Awareness Day, right around the corner I can't help but think about dating, love and relationships.

Grammar is one of my biggest pet peeves. If a date texts me and says, "Your so beautiful" I can't help but cringe a little. Apparently I am not alone.

According to a recent online survey of 1,700 adult online daters, 43 percent said they consider bad grammar a major turn off. Good grammar is "sexy" according to 35 percent and 22 percent say they couldn't care less. No surprise here, but they survey also said that women feel more strongly about grammar habits than men do.

I found an interesting infographic, compiled by Kibin, about these survey findings.

Maybe stepping up your grammar game with help you win you a date!



Is bad grammar one of your major turn offs? Let us know!

Getting to the Point

         

We are taught as Public Relations students to get to the point as quickly as possible. But for most of us, getting to the point appears harder than it should be. 

A common misconception in writing is that longer is better, but this is far from the case. Professionals don’t want to read an email that is 8 sentences long when it only needs to be 3. Professionals don’t want people to waste their time with useless information. Don’t drag your message out; get to the message and get to it as quickly as possible.  

The following are the most commonly used phrases professionals recommend we cut from our writing.

    1. All things considered  

            2. As a matter of fact

            3. As already stated

            4. As far as I’m concerned

            5. At the present time

            6. By means of

            7. Due to the fact that

            8. For all intents and purposes

            9. For the purpose of

           10. The fact that

           11. In a manner of speaking

           12. In the event that

           13. Needless to say

By cutting these phrases, ones writing will not only be respected but also valued by professionals. If you don’t waste professionals’ time, then they won’t waste yours. 

Oreo Steals the Spotlight in a Power Outage

Taking advantage of an unfortunate power outage that delayed the most watched event for 34 minutes, Oreo’s impeccable timing shows you don’t have to pay millions of dollar to be noticed during the Super Bowl.

Twitter was overwhelmed with followers asking questions about the ill-timed power outage at Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. While PR pro’s were playing crisis management what-if’s, Oreo stole the spotlight with their, “Power out? No problem,” tweet.

In less than 10 minutes the tweet had been shared over 12,000 times and is still at an all-time high of being shared over 15,000 times and tagged by 6,000 users as a favorite tweet.

Oreo’s hired agency, 360i, spoke to the tweet in a BuzzFeed’s article stating, “We had a mission control set up at our office with the brand and 360i, and when the blackout happened, the team looked at it as an opportunity,” explained 360i president Sarah Hofstetter, “Because the brand team was there, it was easy to get approvals and get it up in minutes.”

Oreo’s success can be attributed to the opportunistic agency, 360i, and their effective communication. 

Tips for Effective Client Monitoring

There is no greater feeling than finally landing the perfect placement for a client. After working hard, pitching, and drafting releases, seeing your clients name in print or on camera feels like the ultimate success. When working with lower profile clients, such as a startup company or a small business, you may find that you pitch to smaller publications. This can often make it harder to monitor your client's notable mentions. Here are a few tips to help you master client monitoring:

• Subscribe: If you know that you frequently pitch clients to certain small papers or magazines, it's a good idea to buy a subscription to those services. This will insure that you get the news first, delivered right to your doorstep. If you find your clients fall into certain niches such as culinary arts or music, having those subscriptions will also help you stay up-to-date on industry headlines.
• Search often: Make it a part of your morning routine to Google search your clients name or the name of a client's products. Look closely at what the top 10 or so results are, and of course make notes of any mentions you see so that you can present them to the client.
• Google Alerts: Google Alerts allows you to get the lastest on any term or topic delivered right to your inbox. Make an alert for your clients name, any products they have, or anything you've recently pitched the press about.
• Watch TV: If you've been pushing to get a client mentioned on a certain TV program, be sure to watch the show to see if your client gets a mention. Even if the show doesn't bring up your client, it's go to know what they are talking about so that you can pitch them more effectively later!
• Surf the hashtag: Hop onto Twitter and search your clients name or product as a hashtag. If people are talking about it in detail, take a screen shoot of the buzz! You may even find links to articles online that didn't show up in your google search, like the link to a small blog's post.

Monitoring for clients is just as important as pitching. Even if you aren't seeing the results you want, keeping a close eye on the progress you're making allows you to refocus on time, instead of just disappointing the client.

Have you had to do client monitoring at a job or internship? Did you use other methods to monitor clients? Let us know!

Customer's Fire Off at Applebees

There have been quite a few viral photos featuring receipts with famous signatures or funny messages. Applebees' most recent mishap is neither. This past Thursday, a church pastor brought her congregation to the popular chain Applebee's. At the end of their visit, the waiter gave Pastor Bell the receipt, with an additional 18% automatic tip, Applebee's policy for parties of 8 or more.

Pastor Bell was not pleased with the automatic tip. In response, she wrote the message below on the receipt:

Needless to say, Bell did not feel that the waiter deserved much of a tip. One of the servers' coworkers took a picture of the entire receipt and posted it on Reddit where people went off. Separately, Applebee's found out and fired not only the photographer, but also Bell's server. This ticked people off even more. Many found Applebee's and Bell in the wrong. Bell for treating a server so poorly and Applebee's for failing to stand behind its employees. Bell has since apologized, calling the incident a "lapse in character." Reddit users have vowed to never visit the franchise ever again and are calling for Applebee's to rehire the affronted server.

What do you think? Was Applebee's right to fire the server, even though he/she didn't take the photo? Or should Applebee's have defended its employees? Let us know!

Employers and Personal Social Media Use Reexamined

With social media accepted as such a normal practice in the lives of not only us PR people, but also throughout the general population,  many employers have now implemented legal contracts that forbid you from posting certain thoughts on social media. Many of the guidelines center on ideas of not portraying the company in a negative light or posting about work-related issues.  Seems fair right? Not anymore. 

According to a National Relations Labor Board ruling last week, current guidelines in place are just too broad. These recent rulings have declared workers have the right to free speech on the internet without any fear of retribution for their opinions. This news changes how many of us have viewed what is the proper etiquette when you work for a company, and while this etiquette still stands as best practice, those who choose to use social media to vent now can do so freely. This ruling shows how many of our older rights will translate into this ever-evolving world. 

Even with this ruling, it is probably not the best practice to start venting about your boss through social media, which may cause an undesirable work atmosphere, but it is important to know what is legal expected of you within your duties as an employee. It may be best to look over your current employer’s guidelines (if they have them) to make sure you aren’t being taken advantage of or wrongly informed in regards to your personal social media use. 

What do you think about the relationship between personal social media use and your work life? Do you agree your employer cannot dictate what you post about them?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Ross.

The Super Bowl and Social Media

If you haven't realized that Superbowl XLVII is just a few days away than I am not sure you are a true American! This year's game is a face off between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Like most people, I still have a few more things to do in preparation for game day. As I was searching the social media world for new information regarding Sunday's showdown, I stumbled upon this lovely infographic posted on Mashable a few days ago.

If you are an aspiring PR pro and as social media obsessed as I am, be sure to use this information to know which reporters and players to follow, which hastags to use and how to find each team's website. You never know when it'll come in handy!

Even if 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh thinks "Facebooking and the Tweeter" are a waste of time, if you want to become a future public relations professional, it is best to brand yourself and get your social media imprint out there now!

Take a look and let us know what you think: