The End of Racism...and Editing

You may have heard about what stirred the most recent uproar on Twitter. On Sunday, the Republican National Committee (@GOP) sent out a tweet meant to honor the 58th anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus. What should have been a lovely tribute to the civil rights activist, turned into a catalyst for an online riot.

Why? The tweet read: "Today we remember Rosa Parks' bold stand and her role in ending racism." Although it was unintended, the tweet clearly implies that racism no longer exists which, unfortunately, is far from true.

While the account did tweet a correction soon after, it was too late. The Twitter community was already on fire, mocking the RNC and their obviously unedited tweet. It didn't take long for a hashtag to develop: #RacismEndedWhen. Twitter users embraced the hashtag and began tweeting sarcastic reasons why the RNC must have believed racism had ended.

140 characters may not seem like enough for revision, but time and time again organizations have landed themselves in hot water for tweeting something inappropriate. Whether it's a press release or a simple tweet, it's important to edit and check your work. Those few characters may be the difference between brand loyalty and brand disapproval.

The Difference Between Editing and Revising

Proofreading, editing, and revising are keywords that should be at the forefront of every PR professional's mind. In an industry that requires many different forms of writing materials, we are constantly going through each of these steps in the writing process. Depending on the area of the industry you are in, you may find that these steps happen in a team, or individually. Knowing the difference between editing and revising is key to producing high quality work for your client or portfolio.

Here is a breakdown between the two:

Editing focuses mostly on the surface level material. Are all words spelled and used correctly? Do the sentences flow and implement proper punctuation? Spelling and grammatical errors should be eliminated during the editing process. After editing, you should find that your piece is a solid foundation, but the next step is where it becomes more polished.

During the revising process, rather than look for simple grammatical errors, you should think deeper into the content of your writing. Do the points and major topics flow well together in a way that makes sense to the reader? Is the piece structured in a way that keeps readers interested in what you've written? Revising may involve switching the order of sentences or paragraphs, or even re-writing sections to better state your points or provide clarification.

Many times, the revising step is skipped completely or confused with editing. Simply editing your work isn't enough, proper revising is the best way to insure you are putting your best pen forward. To really guarantee strong writing, have someone else look over your work! Getting a different perspective may offer new insights into your work that you wouldn't have seen on your own!

Do you edit and revise your work before considering it done? How often do you let a second pair of eyes look over your work for you? Share your writing experiences with us!

Typo Tips

It happens to all of us. You think you just crafted the perfect tweet or status, you send it off into the vast space called the Internet and then you re-read it; you made a typo! 

My last major typo was about a month ago, while sharing a blog post on Facebook about a controversial topic - and my mistake was caught by a Facebook user. 

Naturally, I deleted the post entirely within minutes of the initial posting, which also removed the rude comment calling out my mistake. 

I have tried to be typo-free ever since, however, with the hastiness in which we all use social media ,I am bound to make more mistakes.

My example is on a small scale when it comes to typos but what if I were the PR social media manager for a national organization and made the same mistake? Would there be severe consequences? Would I be fired? 

There is a lot to think about as budding PR pros when it comes to typos and grammatical errors. As I wrote in an earlier blog post, grammar mistakes are my biggest pet peeves and clearly do not fly in this industry.  Typos, because they are so easily avoidable, are even worse than grammatical errors. All it takes is some proofreading. 

If you didn't remember to proofread however and find your self in a typo catastrophe, here are three ways to recover from a typo on social media provided by PR Daily: 

1. Own it, quickly: Respond directly, rather than deleting the post. Though a user’s comment can be rude or ugly, a simple “thank you for pointing that out” would have sufficed. Addressed the comment right away, will help to build credibility for the organization.

2. Keep it short and keep it sweet: Though an answer is most certainly warranted, less is more. A big explanation can leave you equally vulnerable. Trying to justify a typo will only lead even more conversation in the public eye. Not a good idea. 

3. Accept it: Even if you didn’t make a mistake, what’s published on social media is fair game and everyone has different tolerance levels (especially when it comes to hot topics like religion and politics). Although you invite people to comment, “like,” and tweet, you take the risk of getting an answer you might not like. Don't take things personally; keep your head held high. 


Have you made a mistake on social media? How did you handle it? Let us know!

How Thou Shalt Write An Excellent Press Release

As a Public Relations major, I have been thrown into the world of writing for the media and throughout my several writing intensive classes I have learned how to successfully write news advisories, broadcast releases, and letters to the editor. However, most importantly, I have learned how to write press releases. Every public relations class I have taken has always stressed the importance of constructing an effective and creative press release that will gain media coverage for the client. I found an article, The Ten Commandments of a Press Release written by Bill Stoller while looking for some extra writing tips. In the article, he outlines the ten “shalts” and “shalt nots” to help any press release get published.

1. Thou Shalt Be Professional. No goofy fonts, rainbow paper or silly gimmicks. Even lighthearted press releases represent a communication between one professional and another.
2. Thou Shalt Not Be Promotional. If you can't get enough objective distance from your company to write a press release that's not filled with hype and puffery, hire someone to write it for you.
3. Thou Shalt Not Be Boring. Even the driest subject matter allows for some sparks of creativity. Journalists like knowing that there's a human being communicating with them, not some corporate robot.
4. Thou Shalt Be Brief. Learn to cut out extraneous words. Keep your sentences short. Include only the points necessary to sell the story. The well-crafted one page press release is a thing of beauty.
5. Thou Shalt Know Thy Recipient. A features or lifestyle editor is a very different creature from a city desk editor. If you're promoting the opening of a new winery, the food and wine editor may be interested in all the details about what kind of aging process and wine press you're using. The city desk editor just wants to know when the grand opening is and what's going to happen there.
6. Thou Shalt Use The Proper Tense. When writing a hard news release (a contract signing, a stock split, a major announcement, etc.) use the past tense. When writing a soft news release (a trend story, a personal profile, etc.) use the present tense.
7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it's a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist, the reader will (often unconsciously) make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold.
9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. This may seem an obvious point, but it always bears repeating. Tell the truth. Don't inflate, don't confabulate, and don’t exaggerate. Don't twist facts, don't make up numbers, and don’t make unsubstantiated claims. Any decent journalist will be able to see right through this. If you're lucky, your release will just get tossed out. If you're unlucky, you'll be exposed.
10. Thou Shalt Know Thy Limitations. Not everyone can write a press release. A good feature release, in particular, isn't an easy thing to craft. If you just don't feel like you have the chops to get the job done, hire a professional.

What do you think of these “commandments?” Can you think of any of your own to add to the list? Let us know what you think!

What's in Your Email Signature Line?

We have all seen them. Those annoying email signatures that take up more space than the email itself, with crazy fonts and colors, irrelevant quotes from past leaders and crazy clip art inserts. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to my email signature and it has certainly evolved from my freshman year's:

Niki Ianni
Future PR Rockstar
(610) XXX-XXXX

In retrospect, its fair to say I was slightly uniformed but definitely eager at least. Now, as I have grown up, learned the do's and don'ts and have actually gained a few titles for myself, my email signature has evolved into something more telling than "Future PR Rockstar." While on ragan.com I found a great article by Arik Hanson that outlines a checklist of things to include in your email signature. So I put mine to the test. My current email signature includes:

Niki Ianni
Firm Director, PRowl Public Relations
Firm Director, Temple University PRSSA

(e): xxxxxxxx@temple.edu
(c): (xxx) xxx-xxxx

@NikiMIanni
www.prowlpublicrelations.blogspot.com

As outlined in the Ragan article, your email signature should include:

1. Name - First and last
2. Title
3. Phone - Work and cell (include fax number if relevant to your industry)
4. Email
5. Website
6. Twitter handle - Only if its fairly active
7. Blog - only if updated regularly

Luckily, my email signature stands up to the test (minus the website - currently a work in progress!)

So remove those inspirational quotes, delete any of those cheesy pictures, get rid of the rainbow colored font and remember to keep it clean, clear and simple.

How does your email signature stand up to the checklist? Let us know!

Proofreading...Backwards?

In my role as Firm Director of PRowl Public Relations, most of my work consists of editing, editing, editing. Not only do I look at strategic messaging, I also have to be aware of all things spelling and grammar. As author Mignon Fogarty of the blog "Tips and Tactics for Effective Proofreading" notes, we all make mistakes and typos slip through, but there a few ways to help diminish these writing gaffes.

Here are some proofreading tools Fogarty has found effective:

1. Read your work backward. Start with the last word in the last sentence and work your way back to the beginning. When reading a sentence from beginning to end, your mind tends to skip over errors because you know what you "meant" to write.
2. Read your work out loud. This tactic is especially helpful when finding comma placement errors.
3. Always proofread a printed version of your work. The computer screen can get the best of us, so warm up the printer.
4. Give yourself more time. Step away from the computer for an hour or so before starting to proofread; this will help clear your mind and approach the writing from a fresh perspective.

We always have recommended tip #3 to our PRowl staff. Print double-sided to help be less wasteful and get out the red pen. I always catch more when I'm free to mark up a page and make column notes. Tips #2 and #4 have also been helpful for me in the past. And if you have roommates listening, don't worry, they already know you're crazy! The best tip of all though - have someone else read your work. As good of an editor as you may be, you often need another pair of eyes to look at the text objectively.

I have never used tip #1 but figured I'd give it a try on this post. Hopefully there are no errors!

Do you have any other proofreading tips to recommend?

Enjoy your holiday weekend!