How To: Write a Professional Email Part II

When PRowl launched its blog over three years ago, a staff member blogged about tips for writing a professional email. Nobody would have guessed that three years later it would remain our top blog post with over 180 views a day and over 10,000 views in total. It has been an ongoing joke with staff members over the years how one blog post could be so popular and that our top search words to date still remain to be "How to write a professional email." In my advanced PR class we spent the week going over the rules for emails, proposals and memorandums and I thought it would only be appropriate to write a sequel to our most popular blog post to-date. I present to you, How to: Write a Professional Email Part II.

With the need to disseminate information quickly, email still remains a popular form of professional communication. According to research by the Radicati Group, by 2012 people are expected to receive approximately 228 emails a day in their inbox. With information overload growing into an increasingly larger problem, it is important to ensure that your email has a clear purpose, has tailored content and fits the appropriate format. The following tips are from Dennis L. Wilcox's Public Relations Writing and Media Relations Techniques, 6th edition.

Content Tips:
- Use language that falls halfway between formal writing and spontaneous conversation.
- Send messages without attachments whenever possible. An attachment drastically decreases the odds that your message will be read.
- Blunt words and statements assume more importance in electronic form than in a telephone conversation. Temper your language.
- When sending e-mail messages to the media, use blind copy distribution so that the recipients don't know it is a mass mailing.
- Always reread an email message message before sending it. Will the tone or choice of words offend the receiver? Are you coming across as friendly and courteous, or blunt and pompous?

Format Tips:
- Subject lines: Think of the subject line as a form of headline. You have up to 42 characters to grab the attention of your receiver. If you are requesting information or need a decision/response, then provide the necessary context so that recipient knows what is being discussed or requested.

- Salutation: An e-mail is a more informal means of communication and therefore you can skip the "Dear, XXX" unless you deem it to be appropriate. If the email is business oriented for example, it might be best to use a more formal designation such as "Hello, Ms. Smith." However, if there is already a level of familiarity, feel free to begin with the person's first name. If the email is being sent to a group, use an opener such as "Team" or "Colleagues."

- First sentence/paragraph: Get to the "bottom line" right away so the recipient knows what the key message is and what you want him or her to do with it.

- Body of message: Regardless if you have a lot to say, emails should be kept fairly brief and short so find a way to condense. A good rule of thumb is the one screen rule or approximately 2o - 25 lines, single-spaced.

- Closing: Sign off with a word such as "Regards," "Best," or even "Cheers." You can also use the standard closing "Sincerely," if you feel it is appropriate for the situation. Make sure you include your name, title, organization, email, phone and fax numbers in a standard signature. This makes it easy for the recipient to contact you directly if he or she wants additional information.

Lastly, Mind your Email Manners:

- Avoid the "Reply to All" button. People hate having their inbox clogged unnecessarily.
- Skip the CAPITAL letters. People don't like being yelled at.
- Save the fancy stationary. Nobody cares for emoticons or purple pastel backgrounds.
- Keep forwards to a minimum. Everyone hates chain mail.
- Count to 10 before hitting send. Email travels fast and you never know who your message might be forwarded on to.

I hope you find these new tips as useful and helpful as the old ones! Please feel free to share some of your own as well!

Networking: the basics

Whether you are graduating and searching for a job or just starting college, it is important to build your professional network. Oftentimes, though, the idea of talking to complete strangers can be uncomfortable.

"Networking can be intimidating, especially if you've never done it before," says Ragan.com's Jessica Levco. If you have apprehension about networking, Levco offers five tips for millennials:

• "Don't mingle with other millennials," Levco says, "branch out of your generational comfort zone and talk to people who've been in the biz longer than you have."
• Have a drink, but stay in control. Levco reminds millennials that, while it is okay to introduce yourself with a drink in hand, save yourself some embarrassment by postponing heavier drinking for later.
• Rather than introducing yourself by name and company title, "allow the conversation to develop naturally," Levco says. She recommends starting off by asking a question like "'how did you hear about tonight's event?'"
• Be prepared to describe what you do for work. Levco recommends sticking to the highlights.
• After the event, follow up with your new contacts. "Everybody likes to be remembered," Levco explains.

I found all of Levco's tips to be valuable, but I think her first tip is the best--and the easiest rule to break. At networking events, it is easy to try to stick with people your age because you feel more comfortable. The thing is, though, you're more likely to learn from the professionals at the event. These people are also the ones that can be harder to meet outside of the event. To get the most out of the event, make sure to focus on starting conversations with the more experienced participants. Be sure to solidify these relationships by also following tip five and following up with the contacts you make.

Public speaking: all about your mindset

In your public speaking class or in your personal experiences, have you ever been encouraged to approach your speaking from an acting mindset? In his blog post for the Harvard Business Review, Peter Bubriski points out that public speaking classes have borrowed many of their techniques from the acting profession in recent years.

"[T]he energy and creativity this can unleash can be a good thing when it leads to well-told stories that inspire colleagues, customers and stakeholders to action," he says. "But it doesn't work for everyone."

If you are one of those people that does not feel comfortable or is not a natural at using acting techniques in your public speeches, Bubriski suggests a rather insightful alternative mindset you can try: "think of practicing speaking skills like practicing a sport," he advises. "With a sport you're not pretending to be someone else. You are training your body and your mind to achieve feats of skill--building your muscle memory with drills and repetition," he explains.

How can you do this? Bubriski explains that it starts with an awareness of your own skills. He recommends looking at yourself and recognizing the "instruments, and how versatile, flexible and capable they are." Chances are, you have a lot of strengths that can be applied--you just have to learn to channel them for use with public speaking. Bubriski's sports mindset could be a way to help this come about.

Do you think this mindset would be helpful? Will you give it a try? Do you have another metaphor for public speaking you think our readers would find useful?

Advice from a Junior PR Major

There are a many of moments when I look back at my college career so far and think of what I could have or should have done in order to further my professional career. In this assessment of my college career I wish to discuss what I have learned in my experience so far. It is my hope that my story will help younger students as they begin to make decisions about their future.

One thing that has helped me as a public relations professional in the making is that I have spent a great deal of time reaching out to fellow students and professionals who are more knowledgeable about the field than I am. One of the greatest resources within the university for reaching out to professionals are the office hours professors provide. Going to talk to professors during their office hours was especially helpful to me because I learned more about my professors’ fields of study, got help with my writing, and built relationships that continue to be beneficial. While visiting a professor’s office hours may be intimidating at first, the benefits are great since professors can become mentors for your future as a public relations professional.

Another thing I have learned is that you can never ask too many questions. Inquiry proves that you have interest and that you are invested in learning more about a topic, a field, or an organization. My ability to ask questions helped me learn more about some of my professors and helped me become a member of PRowl Public Relations.

A final thing I have learned that I would like to impart here is that you should invest time and care into your work. Essentially, it only hurts your ability to be a great public relations professional if you do not care what you turn in. This is especially true with your writing. If do not try to improve your writing it is only hurting your chances of landing your dream job. If you learn one thing from this post, do not turn in lackluster work if you want a dazzling response.

The above are some of the greatest lessons I learned in my three years at Temple. What lessons have you learned in your undergraduate career that may help younger students?

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kurie Fitzgerald.

It's that time again...

Happy Holidays to all of our members and readers!

As a public relations major who plans to deal closely with the media--and someone who strives to be a responsible citizen, for that matter--I know how important it is to pay attention to current events and stay immersed in media culture.

This past semester, I was required to read the New York Times on a daily basis for one of my classes. I really enjoyed reading the news every day and was grateful for the chance to force myself to stay current on the news. After all, as much as I strive to read the news on my own, other things sometimes get in the way.

With this in mind and the start of the new year fast approaching, I have begun to put some thought into my new year's resolutions. Every year, I try to choose resolutions that are both practical and realistic. This year, one of my biggest resolutions is to continue to read the news daily.

I have even come up with a way to keep this resolution within reach: I have decided to set the home page of my Web browser to the New York Times homepage. This is a quick and simple step that will make it easy to peruse the news everyday; it brings the news to me! This way, every time I sign online to check my e-mail (which I do several times a day), shop or look something up, I will also be conscious of the headlines and will be able to read several news stories each time I am online.

I also plan to use this homepage as a "reminder" to read stories on other news sites. This will enable me to get a balanced perspective and will help keep me a responsible consumer of the news.

Try it with me and see what you think!

Best of luck in the new year.

Effective Communication in Teams

At one point or another, we’ve all worked in a group or team. Let’s face it—sometimes it’s not always the most pleasant experience. However, as students and as future communications professionals, interacting in small groups or teams is part of our job. Sometimes we may be in charge of the group, delegating who does what, deciding on deadlines or coming up with new ideas, which not everyone will always agree on. Sometimes our teammates may complain, argue or just downright ignore what needs to be done. If you are in charge of a group or a team, taking some effective communication skills into consideration will help things to run smoothly. Here are some tips:

• When starting a project, be sure everyone understands what the goals of the team are.
• When conveying an assignment, speak slowly and carefully to avoid error. Make your points in a logical manner.
• Provide logical explanations as to why you made the decisions you did; include accurate facts and details.
• Be sure to provide useful and reasonable feedback to all group members.
• Ask for input about upcoming plans and for feedback on previous projects from all group members. Be open-minded to new ideas.
• If you or someone in the group does not understand something, be sure to have it explained before moving on to a new idea or project.
• When answering a group member’s question, be sure to repeat the question when responding, to make sure you understood correctly.
• If there are any misunderstandings or arguments within the group, clear them up in a calm and professional manner.
• If you are angry, do not make rash decisions that will affect the entire group. Cool down before coming to a conclusion.
• Finally, stay conscious of your body language. Many times, it is more effective than what you say. By conveying negative body language, you are conveying a negative message to the team, which leads to mediocre work.

To learn more, visit http://www.buzzle.com/articles/team-leadership/.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kaitlin Tully.

Creating a logo

Many of us take for granted the logos we see and recognize every day. What makes those logos significant? What are the characteristics of a good logo?

At PRowl Public Relations, we have been asked to design a logo for one of our clients. Although we are working on some good concepts, this task has proven more challenging than first expected.

1stwebdesigner.com offers some great tips to consider when developing a logo:

1. Your logo should be versatile; it should lend itself well to a wide variety of media
2. Your logo should be easy for anyone to understand and recognize. This also involves considerations of color and shape.
3. Your logo should tell "'why? who?, what?'" As the creator, you must consider the purpose and target of the logo.
   
4. Your logo should be timeless; avoid trendy, time-specific logos.
5. You should design a logo that can be changed to black and white
6. Create a logo that is "impressive and seductive." A company's logo is the first step to telling consumers what sets the company apart from its competitors. In this way, the site says, "[h]aving an impressive and seductive logo brings you closer to potential clients."
7. Keep the logo simple

What have your experiences been with creating logos? What advice do you have?

Tips for Office Success

Whether in a full-time position or in an internship, there are a few things to keep in mind to keep your boss happy and be successful in the office.

In an article on WetFeet.com, William Speed Weed, Alex Lash and Constance Loizos discussed "30 Ways to Enrage the Boss."

Here are my five favorite tips from the article:

1. Whenever you enter your boss' office, always be prepared with a pen and paper to take note of any new assignments

2. Always read your e-mails again before clicking "send"

3. Hold your tongue in the elevator about business - you never know who may be listening

4. If you have to make a personal call, don't change your tone - it will call more attention to the fact that you're not doing work

5. Take a hint - if your boss doesn't look up when you walk in the door, he/she is busy - go back later

To read the other 25 points of advice, click here.

Big Brother is Watching; or at Least, His Father is

I'd like to share a recent blogging mini-disaster that happened in one of my classes two weeks ago. The course is concerned with the laws and regulations governing advertising communications as defined by the Federal Trade Commission. As a class, we keep a blog where we post weekly responses to cases where promotion went legally wrong.

For a recent assignment, the class commented on a 2006 incident where 17-year-old Colin Braun, a motor-sports racer, was prohibited from racing in an event due to another driver's sponsorship by a tobacco company. The FTC policy on tobacco sponsorship around minors is pretty strict, for obvious reasons.

Most of my classmates completed their posts within an hour of the deadline. To say the posts were 100% accurate would be 100% inaccurate. To the students in the class, this blog post was homework, and who really gives a hoot about homework? Well, Colin Braun's father does.

We tend to forget blogs are public. People remind us about posting information on public forums all the time, almost as much as people say, for example, smoking tobacco is bad for you. Sometimes, when a deadlines approaching, we click the "post" button before we dot our i’s and check our facts. One of the responsibilities of a great PR professional is to keep an eye (and ear) out for what people are saying about your company, product, or client. Colin Braun's father is the PR professional in this situation, since he read one of the student's posts and commented on the blog correcting the student's statements.

The situation was handled well. No one threw any punches. No one called anyone names. It was surprisingly drama free (major kudos to Mr. Braun for being professional). Nevertheless, in a different situation it could have been worse, and this is always important to keep in mind. So keep your blogging clean, ladies and gentleman. Part of being professional is being responsible. Everyone armed with a keyboard and a WordPress account needs to keep his or her safety on by double checking (if not triple checking) their work.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Keith Flanagan.

Resume Refresher: Passing the Initial Scan

In my Senior Seminar class and among my fellow Seniors, there has been discussion about the ever-important initial resume scan: the few seconds hiring managers take to scan your resume before deciding if you are an immediate no or if you have potential. Here are some tips I found on CAREEREALISM for making it past the initial resume scan:

1. Professional Formatting: A resume with an organized, easy-to-read layout is more likely to be read than a resume with an unorganized layout. My professor told us our resumes should look like something you could frame and hang on the wall. If the layout doesn't look appealing to you, chances are it won't look appealing to hiring managers either.

2. Easy-to-Find Requirements: Most job listings include required or preferred qualifications. Hiring managers spend time writing these for a reason, and resumes that don't include any of the qualifications are not likely to make it past the initial scan. To increase your chances of catching the hiring manager's attention, make these qualifications easy for them to find on your resume.

3. Compelling, Easy-to-Read Content: Keep your content concise and highlight your accomplishments. No one wants to read a whole paragraph to figure out what you have done. Don't overuse bold, italics and underline, but use them to highlight the most important information.

Over the Counter Tips for Sick Brochures

No one reads brochures. However, from time to time, people might scan them. In fact, brochures spend more time at the bottom of a trashcan than in the hands of a consumer. Although brochures suffer from short (really short) life expectancies, we can rejuvenate them with a little sense of design.

Consider font.
Stay simple and clean. Legible lines will promote scanning (opposed to reading, because as I said, no one reads). Don’t get greedy– stick with two fonts, and stop there.

Give them a show.
Photographs or illustrations are standard, unless you’re promoting font. If you’re unhappy with the photographs available to you, don’t give up: change them to black and white, it’s the last ditch effort for all hopeless photography.

Lay it out.
You typically have six individual panels, but make sure they stay friends. Find a way to connect the panels through the layout of elements. Also, be kind to your crease; a brochure might look great until it’s folded.

Speaking of folds.
Don’t be afraid to think outside that tri-fold rectangle. We all know the traditional set-up and shape of brochures, but don’t limit yourself. You can have any number of panels and folds you want.

Cutting corners.
Something as simple as rounding your brochure’s corners can make it interesting. Let’s face it, we’re a little superficial and we like things to look pretty. Sometimes that sharp right-angled corner is as boring as it sounds.

Your brochure has feelings.
Ok not really, but you can make the brochure a softie if you want to. There are endless variations, textures, colors and paper stocks that won’t just make the brochure look different but feel different.

We all need a little space sometimes.
You are going to want to cram as much information as possible, because you think people are as interested as you are. But trust me, they aren’t. Edit your content, and make sure the different elements have room to breathe.

Your clients are unique, be sure to make their brochures unique too.

All About the Blogs

Yesterday at our staff meeting, Assistant Firm Director Emily Woodward and Director of PR Michelle Voli held a blogging workshop intended to help guide staff members when writing their guest blog posts (find them here every Saturday and Sunday).

With blogging at the forefront yesterday, Faculty Advisor Gregg Feistman told me about a recent article he read by PRWeek dubbed "Study shows failures in PR, blogger relationships."

The study, conducted by Burson-Marsteller, found that a company's message is getting "lost in translation" to 76 percent of bloggers in the US. Their advice: In order to be successful when reaching out to bloggers, PR people have to be clear, transparent and forthright.

Many blogs do not have editorial oversight and can write about whatever they want, even at the PR person's expense. To reduce the chances of being humiliated, don't try to "spin" (dare I say it) anything. They will dig and find the truth. If you have a good story, tell it to them, but don't mislead and overemphasize how spectacular whatever you're promoting is. They'll see right through it.

In addition to being up front with the blogger, the same rules about doing your research apply. Know what the blogger's beat is and read previous posts before pitching to ensure your story is relevant. Warning: Bloggers often take no prisoners with their reply if they think you did not do your research on them.

Although the results aren't too reliable, URLAI is an interesting new tool that can guess the gender and age of a blogger based solely on the writing style to help you decide whether "Mr." or "Mrs." is a more appropriate greeting.

For fun I tried our blog, www.prowlpublicrelations.blogspot.com. According to the site, we are a male blogger between 66 and 100 years old. We have an academic writing style and are happy most of the time. Good to know we have a happy yet academic tone, but no, none of our bloggers are male (yet) and we are drastically under the age of 66. Nice try though.

Mastering "The Meal Interview"

I have heard several horror stories from fellow colleagues about their embarrassing experiences during 'meal interviews.' There are a million different ways these interviews can crash and burn-- talking with your mouth full, ordering the most expensive meal on the menu and overall poor table etiquette, just to name a few. All of these simple mistakes can easily ruin an interview by indicating a lack of professionalism and respect.

This summer I had the opportunity to experience my very first meal interview and I was determined to avoid the same mistakes my colleagues had made. In order to be prepared for the interview, I scoured the web for a guideline on acceptable and expected behavior and etiquette.

To make your next meal interview a success, here are a few great fundamental rules to guide you, thanks to Nathan Newberger at WorkTree.


1. Mind Your Manners:

• BE POLITE. In addition to evaluating your answers, the interviewer is also paying close attention to your personality. Being courteous and respectful and minding your "please" and "thank you's" will speak volumes about your character.
• BE AWARE. These are the basics or the building blocks of table etiquette. Keep your elbows off the table, chew with your mouth closed and avoid talking with your mouth full. Make sure you are aware of even the smallest actions.
• BE PREPARED. If you are like me, and unsure about rules on proper table manners, do your research like I did to learn great advice from etiquette experts.

2. The Dish Dilemma:

• KEEP IT QUIET. Avoid foods that are loud and noisy to eat. In an interview you want to be sure that you hear the questions that are being asked and are remaining attentive to what the interviewer is saying. You are already in a public setting, therefore do your best to avoid adding further noise and distraction.
• FOLLOW THE LEADER. This was one of the most important pieces of advice for me. If you are unsure if a menu item is priced too high or whether or not it is appropriate to order an appetizer first, make sure you wait to follow the interviewer's lead. Base your decisions off of the price range and number of courses that are being ordered by the person in charge.

3. Consume and Converse:

• YOU ARE IN CONTROL. This is a very common mistake that many people make during meal interviews. Do not feel so pressured to talk that you do not wind up eating at all. This can easily be interpreted as nervousness when you should be exuding confidence.
• ASK QUESTIONS. By coming prepared with questions to ask, it shows that you have done your homework on the company and allows you to learn more about the position you are interviewing for. It is also a great opportunity to eat while the interviewer is responding.

4. Finish with a Bang:

• DON'T OFFER TO PAY. It isn't expected of you, therefore don't do it.
• NEVER ASK FOR A TAKE-HOME. Even if your meal was delicious and you didn't have the chance to finish it, never ask to take the leftovers home. It is inappropriate for the current situation.
• GRACIOUS HANDSHAKE. Do not forget to thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. Be sure to be gracious and say that you enjoyed the meal. Follow this with a handshake and a follow up thank you letter in the morning.

With these great tips and tricks, you'll be sure to take a big bite of success out of your next meal interview!

Do you have any additional advice to add? Let us know!

I HATE Steven Singer!

Those of you who are from or are familiar with the Philadelphia area have likely seen a series of billboards on I-95. The billboards are characterized by a simple black background and the words "I Hate Steven Singer" in bold white lettering. At the bottom of the billboards reads the URL for a website: "www.ihatestevensinger.com."

It turns out that the billboards are part of a campaign for a Philadelphia jeweler who has become "hated" by men all over the city because his cheap prices and excellent selection both make women love him and make it hard for men to find an excuse not to buy. Besides being intriguing, as pointed out in a blog post by Rohit Bhargava, this series of ads is demonstrative of some important marketing lessons:

1. Use a long-running campaign
2. Fuel-- and play off of-- human curiosity
3. Own your region
4. Focus on a different audience from your competitors
5. Show personality
6. Hold a signature event

I found all of these to be valuable tips. I was particularly interested in tip #4, though, because I feel that this technique is one in which PR practitioners have a unique opportunity to add a lot of value to a campaign. As PR practitioners, we are taught to reach out to various publics by strategically researching, analyzing and targeting audiences. This campaign really highlights the fact that in addition to analyzing target audiences for our own client, we must also take into consideration the audiences targeted by our client's competitors and be careful to differentiate our client in that respect. As this campaign demonstrates, doing so can make all the difference between a successful and an average campaign.

Be sure to read Bhargava's blog post to learn more about utilizing these techniques and check out Steven Singer's website to learn more about this unique campaign!

Check Your Email Etiquette

Although e-mail exchanges are a major means of communication between people in the professional world, some people could still use a reminder about email etiquette. An article from CNN.com describes three common e-mail mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are the highlights:

1. Be careful of recklessly BCC'ing and forwarding e-mails: BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) should be used when you are sending a mass e-mail and you don't need everyone to see everyone else on the recipient list. BCC should not be used to secretly let someone know about an e-mail exchange. If the BCC'd person doesn't realize they were BCC'd, they may hit reply-all and blow your cover. A better way to clue someone in is to forward them the exchange. However, remember when forwarding that the whole chain of emails up until that point will be read by your recipient.

2. Be courteous: Most email exchanges involve asking for or supplying information, so it is important to remember your manners. Some people think sending a "thank you" once they receive the information they requested will just clutter the sender's inbox. However, when sent back right away, it should not interfere with their e-mail checking. If more than 20 minutes has elapsed, you may want to include your "thank you" in the next email exchange with the person.

When you are the one providing the information, avoid pasting and sending without a salutation or a sign-off. This makes it sound like you are annoyed that you had to help. A short reply with the information such as "here you go, thanks" sets a better tone.

3. Have some tact and avoid playing fascist dictator: Address your employees the same way you would address your boss. Hitting the question mark three times is not the most sensitive way to reply to someone's email when you are unclear about their message. Think about the tone of your emails before you send them. For those who have difficulty judging how your e-mails come across, there's a plug-in called ToneCheck that flags harsh phrases in your emails.

Can you think of any other common e-mail blunders that need to be addressed?

Beware of Job Scams!

The other day I received an email from a recruitment coordinator saying that they had seen my resume online and would be interested in interviewing me for a sales position within the next two weeks. This seemed odd to me, because I did not recall posting my resume on the website they mentioned. The email was in a template form and did not mention anything specific about my resume, only that my background and qualifications made me a strong candidate for the position. This gave me the feeling that the email was sent as a mass email which they only personalized by inserting my name at the top.

I wasn't interested in the position described in the email, but I decided to Google the name of the company anyways to find out what they were about. Sure enough, I found many websites where people described experiences similar to mine. Some people wrote that they did respond to the email, only to find out that it was a scam.

Scammers are taking advantage of how many people are currently out of work and looking for jobs. They realize that many people are applying for jobs online, so they have started sending emails and fake job applications in the hopes of tricking people into revealing personal information.

An article from CNN.com gives some tips for spotting a job scam. Here is my summary of the key points:

1. No legitimate job will ask you for money.
2. Beware of ads that make outrageous claims, don't specify job duties and don't require a resume.
3. If "work from home" appears in the header, it is probably a scam. Working from home should not be part of a job title and is often used as bait by scammers.
4. Miracles do happen, but it is not likely that they will appear in your inbox on their own.
5. Much like kidnappers, scammers often catch their prey by dangling enticing things in front of them. Don't fall for promises that sound too good to be true.
6. Beware of emails that come from well-known companies but carry a "free" email address (such as gmail, aol, etc.) for reply. Scammers have used the names and websites of reputable companies to fool job seekers.

Do you have any other tips to help job seekers protect themselves against job scams?

Creating a Useful Online Newsroom

For the past few months I have been exploring the possibility of a career in Investor Relations. I have done research online, read books, and scheduled informational interviews with several distinguished professionals in the field. When doing my company research before going into these informational interviews, I heavily relied on the information provided in their online newsrooms and investor centers. I found that some sites were easier to navigate, some provided more concise yet informative descriptions about the company, and some were better linked together than others.

Although investor centers in a publicly traded company's website should be tailored to the information an investor or an analyst may be seeking, it is much harder to determine what is important to have in a general online newsroom. Online newsrooms do not have as specific of an audience; people visiting the site may include media representatives, employees, students, consumers, some inquisitive people, and many more.

As public relations students/professionals, we need to be skilled in a variety of areas, including writing website content and developing online newsrooms that are useful to all of our audiences.

Jessica Levco outlines 10 things to attract and enlighten journalists in the article "Create an online newsroom that reporters will love."

1. List contact information - Include phone and fax numbers, e-mails, and any social media identifiers
2. Make it easy to find - Put the link on the top of the homepage
3. Keep the URL short and simple - Follow the format "news.companyname.com"
4. Make press releases searchable
5. Talk about your competitors - Become the preferred provider of news in that specific industry
6. Include a subscribe button - Allow subscriptions by e-mail, text or RSS feed
7. Eliminate passwords - Don't put more hurdles than necessary to access information
8. Include copyright information - Protect your information by asking for attribution
9. Provide multimedia content - Include photos, graphics, videos, podcasts and press kits
10. List bios of key executives - Include biographical information, their experience and responsibilities

Do you have any other insight into what aspects make an online newsroom useful?

What NOT to Do During an Interview

If your behavior during your job interviews is making your interviewers wonder if Ashton Kutcher is going to pop up to tell them they have been "Punk'd," then you probably are not going to land any jobs.

Believe it or not, some hiring managers claim they have wondered this while conducting some interviews. Luckily, the Wall Street Journal has provided a list of "Eight Mistakes Job Hunters Make" to help you avoid becoming an interview to remember- for the wrong reasons.

1. Entitlement Syndrome: Asking your interviewers to take you out to lunch or to correct mistakes on your résumé is not going to impress them.

2. Behaving Rudely: Bringing along your child or eating a sandwich during an interview would not only be distracting, but also very rude. Other examples of rude behavior reported by hiring managers include showing up more than an hour early for interviews, interrupting interviewers in mid-sentence, refusing to fill out a job application and referring hiring managers to their résumés instead.

3. Acting Arrogantly: Having your phone ring during an interview AND taking the call gives the impression that you think you are a shoo-in for the job or are not interested. Other candidates have shown arrogance by demanding to bypass human resources, inquiring about salary and job benefits at the start of an interview and insulting former employers.

4. Lies, Lies, Lies: Telling lies about previous experience, taking credit for work you didn't do and inflating your salary will not make you look good once your interviewer catches on.

5. Dressing Down: Some interviews may be less formal than others, but it is never appropriate to dress down. Jeans, flip-flops, and tight or revealing clothing are never appropriate for a job interview.

6. Oversharing: Your interviewers are not interested in your personal issues such as your health problems, your love life or your financial hardships. This information can-and most likely will-be used against you.

7. Saying Thanks with Gifts: Sending a thank you note is a definite do after an interview, but sending a thank you gift says you are trying to buy yourself the job and will most likely knock you out of the running.

8. Sporting a Mom-and-Dad Complex: Having your mom or dad accompany you to an interview or email the company to ask why they haven't extended an interview to you does not send the message that you can handle matters maturely and independently.

While some of these may sound far-fetched, they are based on real experiences reported by hiring managers! To read some of the actual stories they told the Wall Street Journal, click here.

The Importance of Word of Mouth Marketing

How many times have you tried a new product or service because you heard about it from a friend?

We are bombarded with advertising campaigns every day, but we will usually trust the opinions of the people we know over the advertisers. Even the most convincing campaigns can be hindered by friends who report a bad experience, while products or services you have never heard of or thought to try may appeal to you when a friend gives a good recommendation.

This is why word of mouth marketing is such an important strategy to remember. People will talk about your company's product or service with or without your help, so using a word of mouth marketing campaign to encourage a positive discussion will only benefit you.

Another plus side of word of mouth campaigns is the cost effectiveness. In the video below, Andy Sernovitz, author of "Word of Mouth Marketing," gives an example of an inexpensive word of mouth campaign that worked. When Potbelly, a Chicago sandwich chain, opened a location in Austin, they rented a mailing list of people who had moved from Chicago to Austin. They mailed out coupons to the people, who may have been customers in Chicago, inviting them to bring 10 of their friends in for sandwiches. By doing this, not only did Potbelly get the old customers into the new restaurant, but they generated recommendations from people who had eaten their product before to new customers.

To learn more about word of mouth marketing watch the video below or click here.

Hello Real World, it's Nice to Meet You!

It's always nice to get an update from our PRowl Public Relations alum! Brianna Fisher was a member of PRowl for two years and excelled in all positions she took on, including Account Executive and Director of Finance. A full-time PR pro now, Brianna checks in via the blog today:
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No, I'm not talking about a run in with the cast of the popular MTV show. It's been about a month since graduation from Temple U and it's finally starting to sink in that I'm officially a PRowl Public Relations alum. As new, fresh bloggers move up the ranks I'm tickled at the opportunity to guest blog (thank you, PRowl!) and couldn't resist the chance to share some knowledge I've gained as a full-time employee at one of Philadelphia's top PR agencies.

Agency work is exciting and fast paced. I have yet to experience a boring day at work and I don't see that happening any time soon. This made the transition from college to the working world a lot easier for me. If you're going to be at one place 40 hours a week, you'd better like it!

That being said, this work can easily start to overwhelm a new hire like me. As a college student with a lot on my plate I thought I was the queen of prioritization and time management, but those two concepts have a completely different meaning in the work world.

Luckily, I reached out to a colleague for some advice on how to be successful in my entry-level role. This is what she said:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for help! (Gee, how ironic that I had just reached out to her!)
2. Don't be afraid to take time to finish work thoroughly.
3. And finally, don't be afraid to ask questions!

She relayed several stories of past entry-level folks who began feeling overwhelmed with their new duties and got burnt out before any of their coworkers realized there was a problem. If you don't tell anyone you're feeling stressed then they can't help you out!

Thoroughness, she said, is one of the biggest problems for entry-level people. Working with the notion that an agency's pace is fast as lightening will only make the final product less than stellar. I found the more I was assigned, the more I tried to multitask and the less I got accomplished. After hearing that thoroughness was next to godliness in the agency world I began allowing myself to completely focus in on one project at a time and am much more effective as a result!

As a newbie, the last thing you want to do is ask a bunch of questions that could potentially make you feel stupid, right? WRONG! My colleague clued me in to the fact that asking questions is the only way to know exactly how the project should be completed (remember, thoroughness?). If I don't understand something - I ask - saving me a lot of time trying to figure out what the heck they meant by asking me to pull a folder out of the wiki on the data drive?! Lots of companies have lingo and acronyms that you will learn by experience, so ask, ask, ask!

One of the best things I've learned in my transition is that there are a whole lot of things left to learn. But, I'm enthusiastic and excited for the future. What are your plans for the future? What do you think will help you get there?