The End of 2009

With 2009 and the year 2010 just around the corner there are so many things to reflect upon and think about for the future!

What do you think were some of the best and worst public relation moments of 2009? Just thinking about social media alone makes my head spin! Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were all extremely exciting tools for public relation professionals that will inevitably continue to spark interest. And then of course there were the scandals, announcements, recalls and everything else that comes with great/bad publicity.

We'd love to hear what you think! Feel free to share your opinions with us!

Are Idioms the New Ticket to Intriguing PR Prose?

With all of the 'noise' that communicators aim to cut through every day, we're always open to suggestions on new ways to make our writing more interesting. We're taught to cut out the fluff, leaving only the most important content in the message to save our readers time and and to ensure that our message is accessible to the largest possible audience. This 'no frills' approach to writing has been favored by most professional communicators as the easiest and most effective way to convey a message to the public.

Now, Rob Reinalda of Ragan.com is telling us otherwise. In his article 'For communicators, a world of options for spicing up text' he tells us that idioms are the next big thing in professional communication. He's not touting the use of any old cliche, but of new, exotic foriegn cliches, such as 'catching two pigeons with one fava bean'. That's an Italian saying conveying the same meaning as our 'kill two birds with one stone', but it's a bit more PETA friendly.

When reading this article I felt completely mixed up because the use of idioms of any nature goes completely against everything that I've been taught about professional communication. It's an interesting idea, but I can't imagine employing idioms to convey a message any time soon. I'd like to know what you think. Are idioms the next big thing?

Click here for the full article.

Let's Go Owls!

Today the Temple Owls are competing in their first bowl game in 30 years. The Temple football team will be playing against UCLA in Washington, DC at 4:30 p.m. today in the EagleBank Bowl.

PRowl Public Relations wants to wish the Owls good luck on this exciting day. Let's bring home a win!

Click this link to visit the Temple Athletics website for current information on men's and women's sports!

Achieve the Unachievable

My mom got me a wonderful, wise little book for Christmas called "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be." Although this book is a light read, it holds a great many truths. These truths are applicable for both the personal and the professional spheres of life, and are relevant regardless of one's area of expertise.

Particularly interesting to me so far is the section "You Can Achieve the Unachievable." The author, Phaidon, says this:

Firstly, you need to aim beyond what you are capable of. You must develop a complete disregard for where your abilities end.

Try to do the things you're incapable of. If you think you're unable to work for the best company in its sphere, make that your aim. If you think you're incapable of running a company, make that your aim. If you think you're unable to be on the cover of Time magazine, make it your business to be there.

Make your vision of where you want to be a reality. Nothing is impossible.

Great food for thought! I'll be sure to share some of Phaidon's wisdom in future posts, but I definitely recommend picking up a copy of the book!

100 Smartest People in Social Media

As the year 2009 comes to a close, it is fun to pause and reflect on the accomplishments of the last year. The blog Smarter Social Media recently released a list of the 100 Smartest People in Social Media. Among the gurus at the top of the list:

1. Alfred Lin of Zappos
2. "Social media goddess," Amber Mac
3. Amber Nasland of Radian6
4. Beth Harte, a blogger, speaker, communicator, connector, professor and community manager.
   
5. Bill Stoller, who has been active in social media since 1987

Be sure to check out the blog post for the complete list of social media superstars and to read details about their accomplishments!

Good Digestion PR

Well, Christmas is finally here, which means spending time with the ones you love, giving and receiving great presents, enjoying some time off from work or school and of course, lots and lots of holiday food. Who would think that there are companies out there that are looking out for your good health and good digestion during this time filled with baked ham and yummy cookies. All over the country pharmaceutical companies are showing their concern for your health and creating some PR moves to make sure you are taking care of yourself this holiday
season.

As Purdue Products L.P states in their most recent press release out just a few days ago, the holidays may be fun, but uncomfortable digestion issues are not. Purdue Products recommends a few tips and tricks on how to keep these issues to a minimum this holiday, so you can party on.

Some tips include finding time to relax and get some exercise in during all of the holiday chaos and even adding a few herbs and spices to your holiday meal to help aid digestion and prevent splurging.

By showing their stakeholders and customers that they truly care, Purdue Products L.P is yet another company taking advantage of the holiday season to get in some good PR. So take some of these tips and enjoy another great holiday season!

Happy Holidays Everyone, and Happy New Year!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member, Melissa Colelli.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at PRowl Public Relations!