Unconventional Stress Relief Tips

     If you Google “stress relief”, thousands of articles will come up with suggestions you've been hearing from your mom since middle school: get a good night’s rest, eat healthy, etc.

     However, as PR majors, our lives become so hectic, oftentimes, these helpful tips are not enough to keep a crisis at bay.

     If you are looking for a new way to de-stress after a long day, week, or month, take a look at these three unconventional stress-relieving practices that have helped others in the past:

1. Read a Book: Diving into a good read that you have been anxious to start will help you de-stress, and no, a textbook does not count.  Reading transports you to another place and forces an individual to focus on the novel without thinking about other things. Also, reading gives you an opportunity to settle down in your favorite cozy spot with a snack, coffee, or hot chocolate.

2. Interact with Animals: It has been scientifically proven that animals can be a de-stressing agent for the humans they come into contact with. If you can afford to adopt a pet, that is the best option, however, if you can’t, taking some time to visit or volunteer at an animal shelter will give you a chance to play with as many animals as you want, for free! Many city shelters look for people to socialize animals they hope to adopt out, so this will be a win-win for you and the animals you visit!

3. Start a Journal: This may seem like something you would tell an elementary school student to do, however, journal-writing is a great way to release tension and stress in a way that won’t cause you consequences. Many people bottle up stress and frustration to the point where it boils over and cause problems. This is why it is important to be open about your feelings, and sometimes, a word dump is the best thing to do.

     Do you have any advice for relieving stress? If so, let us know in the comment section!

8 Terms to NEVER Use in a Press Release

'We're thrilled to announce our new product launch," said Joe Smith of XYZ Inc. "We are proud of all the hard work our team put in and are excited to watch the success unfold."

How many times have you read a quote like that from a bigwig at a company or the mayor of the city? Chances are, it's a lot. While the readers might not know that many quotes in a story are written by PR professionals, the journalists definitely do and when they read quotes like the above that are dripping with overzealous emotion and fake positive attitude, they're likely to roll their eyes and move on to the next headline in their inbox.

To give your story (and your client) the best chance of landing some news coverage, skipping those overused words and phrases that make journalists cringe is crucial.  PR Daily recommends omitting the following words and phrases from your press releases:

1. Pleased/proud/thrilled/excited to announce

2. When asked for his/her input

3. Best-in-class/Best-of-breed

4. Wealth of experience

5. For the first time ever

6. This event boasts an impressive lineup

7. Just in time for

8. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Can you think of anymore overused words of phrases PR pros should avoid? We want to hear from you!

Bypassing Writer's Block

If you are having trouble finding something to put on paper or formulating words to create a sentence, you are experiencing writer's block. I could agree and say experiencing the inability to write a paper probably knocked on every professional writer and non-writer's door at least once and according to research, most times it stems from anxiety and fear of writing.

As for me, I experience writer's block when I'm nervous about a topic or if I'm not too confident on a topic. Being too nit picky can cause your flow of ideas and creativity to not be present in your writing seeing that you are putting too much of your focus on not making mistakes.

Whenever you are experiencing writer's block while writing a paper, follow the following tips below:

Avoid strict writing rules that inhibit writers- One strict rule is when professors always stress the need for beginning every paragraph with a topic sentence. Yes these rules are probably there to guide you while writing your paper but focusing solely on these rules can be a cause for your writer's block.  Loosen up, write and when you are revising your paper then fix your paper to suit your professor's styling.

Create short sections, and write one section at a time-  Taking things in small batches always seems to work. Therefore, write your paper in sections so that you can focus on one idea at a time. This allows your writing to flow much easier.

Take a break- If you are stressing it, your creativity and writing will not flow. Moving away from your paper and taking a break is definitely needed at times. Take a walk or a nap and then get back to it. Now that your mind is refreshed, I can guarantee you ideas will begin flowing.


What other methods do you use when you are experiencing writer's block? We will love to know!

150 Resources To Make You A Better Writer

It appears that PRowl Public Relations has a guardian angel. We were recently approached by a contributor for Open Education Database with a post they published of 150 resources designed to help you become a stronger writer. Who better to share it with then our readers?

The resources are broken down into categories such as blog, rhetoric, and organization. To check this out for yourself click here or find it in our blog roll year round.

Happy writing!

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!

Writing Essentials: OmmWriter

As current or future PR professionals, we are constantly writing. Whether it be blog posts, talking points, or press releases, creating the perfect writing environment is essential to create solid pieces. It can be hard to create that perfect environment when you are writing in a noisy office or crowded dorm room. So for the times when you just want to focus on your assignment at hand, OmmWriter is the tool for you!

Available for PC, Mac, and iPad, OmmWriter installs directly into your device and allows you to take the perfect writing environment anywhere you go. Upon opening the program, it allows you to select from various background images, background music to help you focus, font styles, and more. Most importantly, when you launch OmmWriter, it goes into full screen mode, blocking out other distractions. You'll be much less tempted to check your email or @replies on Twitter when you are completely zoned into your writing. OmmWriter limits formatting options to help you focus on content rather than getting lost in stylistic elements.

OmmWriter is currently available in two versions: Dana I, the free version, and Dana II which is a paid option. Both come loaded with a selection of audio and visual affects. I recommend starting with Dana I, to get a feel for the program before diving into the paid option. OmmWriter also recommends using the program with headphones, to help create the effect of your own, personal writing room.

What's your perfect writing environment? Have you tried or do you plan to try OmmWriter? Let us know!

How To Improve Your Writing

It is hard to believe the fall semester is already underway. Assignments, essays and other homework is starting to pile up. For many PR students, these assignments will consist of writing, writing and more writing! Personally, I always seem to, in the three short months of summer, completely forget how to write.

Writing is hard work. It takes a good understanding of English, plenty of practice as well as a lot of rewriting and editing to produce interesting material. The following are some good tips found in an article by Katie Badeusz on www.Ragan.com.

1. Be Clear: The best advice I ever recieved from a professor was to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Avoid using techinal terms or convouluted sentences. It may sound great to you, but if people cannot understand what you are trying to say then it won't matter anyways.
2. Apply Active Voice: Avoid writing in the passive voice! Sentences in the active voice are more concise and direct. Noun-verb construction is best. Say "She made a pizaa," not "A pizza was made."
3. Include Quotes: But avoid using too many or long-winded ones. Instead, incorporate quotes that sound authentic and reflect what a person might say in a normal conversation.
4. Write With Your Ear: The best way to edit your writing is to read it out loud. This way, you can hear what actually works in terms of sentence structure and pacing.
5. Allow Yourself To Write Crap: Don't focus on perfecting your sentences. Let your thoughts go and then fix them. Good writing involves rewriting!
6. Take Chances: Writing is all about creatvity. Don't forget to have fun and think outside the box.

Do you have any other writing tips you use? Let us know!

Paving the Way with the Mission Statement

When you visit any company’s website, one of the first things you’ll come across is their mission statement. A mission statement tells the public about the purpose of the company or organization and serves as a guide for the actions of the organization at large. But writing a mission statement can sometimes be challenging. Just like a tweet, condensing the ideas and purpose of your company into a small blurb is often time consuming. Below are some tips on crafting a mission statement:

Ask and answer the right questions: Of course you want to answer the question of what the purpose of your company is, but you also want to touch on how your company does it and why. Why is your company different from the other companies in your market?

Be succinct and be clear: You don’t need to write a novel to get your point across. Keep your statement as short as possible so that prospective clients and customers can walk away with your company in their mind. Part of accomplishing this is also being clear; is your message understandable?

Be inspirational: Your mission statement shouldn’t only inspire the public, but also your employees, so that they can look back on the mission statement and know which direction to take.

Match the statement with the company: A quality mission statement should be in the voice of its respective company. This is a great way to be creative while also setting the tone of how your business will be run.

Does the company you work for have a mission statement? How does it guide your company? Let us know!

Typos, Do They Really Matter?

In the era of tiny keyboards and social media, flying thumbs and emoticons, typos are inevitable, but do they really matter?

For any type of public relations professionals that answer is yes. For example, take a look at the recent Mitt Romney campaign misspell disaster. The campaign team unveiled a new iPhone app that led off with the phrase, “A Better Amercia.” To no one's surprise, the Twitterverse had a field day.

If you are trying to make it in the PR and business world you need to learn how to communicate efficiently and most importantly, make yourself clear. Sloppy mistakes made when communicating can dilute your message or worse, seriously diminish your credibility.

Social media and texting have procured bad grammar habits and a serious reliance on auto-correct. Hastily written typos occur all the time in this realm. Unless you are conversing with your friends this type of communication is not necessarily bad; however, you never know who may be reading that misspelled Tweet and forming a negative opinion about your writing ability. The most important tip to keep in mind is to try and keep messages succinct and spelled correctly.

Here are some tips to minimize typos in your personal communication:

Read it out loud. When my fingers are flying typing an e-mail, there are times when my fingers don’t catch up to my keyboard. Words like “from” turn into “form” and won’t be caught by spell-checkers. They leave a sloppy impression with the reader. Take a minute to read your draft out loud, which will help catch any words that shouldn’t be there or any that should.

Borrow another pair of eyes. If it’s important, if you’re tired or in a rush, ask someone else to read what you wrote. If I’m sending a critical e-mail or if I’m dealing with a sticky situation, I want to make sure I’m typo-free so that my authentic message comes through.

Separate social media from the rest of your writing. Remember there’s a time and place for LOLs, #hashtags and abbreviations. Birthday wishes and comments about weekend adventures don’t fall into the same category as business communications.
How you communicate speaks just as loudly as the actual content of your message. Regardless of technology trends and busy schedules, a few extra seconds can reinforce a great personal brand.

Blogging Basics

Being the Director of PR for PRowl Public Relations, one of my responsibilities is to maintain this very blog! With that being said, staff members often come to me, unsure of what exactly a blog post entails. In reality, there is not a very strict right or wrong when blogging. That's the great thing about it, blogs are not like the papers you write in class, you can feel free to write an opinion piece, or choose your own topic, or even to base your blog off of things you've read, seen, or experienced. Below are a couple blogging tips I've come across:

• Sometimes a punchy headline is all you need: When I sit down on Sunday nights to write my blog post for Monday, I start with the title. Nothing starts off a blog post on a better foot than a catchy title. Pondering over something so simple has a title can even help you smooth out the bumps in your blog post and get the creative juices flowing.


• Blog about something you're actually interested in: Time goes so slowly when I try to blog about something boring. Some of my best blog posts are the ones that I either based off of my own experience, or that I have felt connected or invested into.


• Stumped? This happens to me all the time. Take a step back, reread, and consider; what else is there to be said? I don't always freestyle my blog posts, sometimes I will read an article about a topic that I feel would fit in great with the blog, so I will take some of the points and rework them to my perspective. Most of the time I have something to add, elaborate on, or even disagree with.

Remember: blogging is your chance to put a spin on what's out there, so have fun with it! Do you have any tips to add for the inexperienced or hesitant blogger? Let us know!

Resumania: Standing Above the Rest at #PRSSANC

During this year's PRSSA National Conference, I was one of the lucky few attendees to be randomly selected to attend an exclusive resume critique. The critique allowed students to sit at a table with one to two additional students, and receive personalized feedback from experienced professionals in the industry.

I had the opportunity to speak with three professionals in a variety of fields, ranging from international PR to public affairs. Their wide range of experience provided me with a wide range of advice and I wanted to share the main points that I found most helpful.

1. Write your resume in AP style. Although it isn't required, it is an extra touch that will show employers that you are familiar with AP while demonstrating that you have taken the extra time to pay special attention to detail.

2. Education should come AFTER experience. Everyone applying for the job has received a BA from some university, therefore its not going to make you stand out. Catch employers attention immediately by putting your most relevant experience at the very top of your resume.

3. The bigger your name, the better. Your name should pop on your resume and should be the first thing the eye is drawn to. Make the font bigger and bolder to make a bold statement on your resume.

4. Make two versions of your resume. Many people say they receive resumes longer than a page and they throw them out almost immediately. Create a comprehensive but thoughtful one-page resume in order to secure the interview. However, after landing an interview, bring a two-page resume with you that has more detail and information in order to demonstrate all of your experience.

5. Use strong verbs to demonstrate your experience. Get rid of the "responsible for..." and replace it with stronger words such as "managed" or "implemented." Your potential employer doesn't care about what you were responsible for but what you were able to achieve with the responsibilities assigned to you. Show these achievements through statistics, numbers and growth.

After ending each session, each professional made sure to state that many times, resume critiques are a matter of individual opinion or preference and that everyone will tell you something different. It is up to you to feel confident in your resume because you know yourself and your accomplishments better than everyone else. You have a single sheet of paper to make yourself shine...so make it count!

Do you have any other advice for building a strong resume? Let us know!

Organized Writing

When I have to write a story or press release, I tend to write in an unorganized method. But recently (and fortunately), my News Writing and Media Relations professor has shared his methods in writing media pieces.

In a few short steps we can brake down the process:

First is figuring out your lead. The lede provides the reader with the who, what, where, when and why in one to two sentences. As most of us know, the lede sets the tone for the entire piece, but its important to really think about your lede before you start writing the narrative. Think to yourself, "What do I want the reader to get out of this?"

Then we move to the quotes. Sometimes we don't have a lot to work with when it comes to quotes but its our job to make sure we let the quotes speak for themselves. The best quote(s) should convey opinion, something that only that person could say.

Next, its important after your finished writing your piece to walk away. This allows you to come back to your piece with fresh eyes. It can be especially beneficial when your not confident in your word choice.

Finally you proof read, which can be done in three steps. First read the whole piece and only look for spelling errors. Then read the whole piece for a second time and only look for grammar mistakes. Finally, read the whole piece for a third time and only look for AP style mistakes.

Feel free to adopt this method or tell us about your own method!

15 Minute Writing Makeover

Between classes and extracurricular activities our to-do list as PR students may seem never ending, so finding time to work on our writing skills each day can be challenging.

However, Samantha Hosenkamp of Ragan.com says you can improve your writing by taking 15 minutes each day to do this challenge:

1. Take a minute to brainstorm three talking points on a topic. As you do this exercise more frequently choose topics that you are unfamiliar with. This will force you to learn how to write engaging content on even the most unappealing topic.

2. When your minute is up, use the next 10 minutes to flesh out your ideas in a concise and creatively written essay. Challenging yourself to write on a crunch will help you when you have to quickly turn out a media advisory, press release or any other PR document.

3. Then take your final four minutes to edit your work. Learning to critically review your work for both grammar and content can be the difference between an OK press release, or an 'A' release that gets picked up by various outlets.

4. Use the remaining minute to read a blog post or short article. Reading examples of good writing will help you unconsciously pick up some of the key skills used to produce these works.

Try this trick and let us know how it improves your writing skills!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Shari DaCosta.

Prioritizing Perfection

Being in the Public Relations field, its hard to swallow that sometimes perfect isn't always the best. Whether we're writing a press release, a blog post, or an e-mail blast, we want every word to come across precisely the way we want it to, without any disconnect. But is it worth it to spend all that time deciding whether to use this or that word, when you could be making better use of your creativity and time? Below are some pointers on prioritizing your professional life:

• Quantify the improvement likely to come from your efforts-Think about it like a ratio, say 5:1. If you put five hours into a project to get one product, then you're wasting a lot of time for a minimal result. That time could be put in another place where you would get more of a result, which is where prioritizing comes in.


• Get fresh eyes on the situation-You may think that you will do the best job on your project, and that may be true, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. Something you have missed may have so minute that you couldn't possibly have noticed it, but if another person came around and took a glance, they would be able to pinpoint it in seconds. They will provide you with a different outlook on your project that will undoubtedly be in your favor.


• Start in the middle-I connect this to writing blogs. Sometimes the hardest part of writing is starting. Instead of wasting time pondering over the title, I'll push it aside and just delve into the topic. That way you get the bulk of the work over with and have a better idea of how to introduce it.


• Set small goals-Its easy to get overwhelmed by all of the work you have to do. Set small goals throughout the day, like spending 2 hours on your paper without any distractions, and in no time, you'll be finished!

Do you have a hard time delegating? How do you get through 'Prioritizing Perfection'? Let us know!

Revitalize your Writing

As students everywhere are approaching the school year a little faster than they all may want, it is a good time to dust off our writing samples from last year and analyze what could be done to help us grow as writers.

Setting aside the usual pet peeves that come with grammatical errors such as they're/there/their and your/you're, outlined below are some tips to keep your readers interested and to get your point across while writing.

• Be clear and concise. Keep your sentences simple to avoid confusion. Use only the most important details so as not to lose your reader's interest.



• Monitor your tone. While you may have certain feelings or opinions running through your head as you are writing, be sure to stay informative. You could risk your credibility by including your personal thoughts, or worse, keep the reader guessing your mood, resulting in them completely missing your point.



• Adapt. Especially when reading online, it is crucial to keep your paragraphs shorter, and to take advantage of bullet points or headings as a way of organizing your thoughts. Also, avoid strange fonts that could be difficult to read, or fonts that are too small.



• Focus. Read your work after you have left it alone for a few hours, and then decide if you are still on topic. Try making an outline before you start writing to make sure you are staying relevant in your piece.



• Practice! The only way to really improve your writing is to go over past documents and see what you could have done better. If you don't like the way a certain sentence sounds, chances are neither will your reader. Read things written by your peers to help you identify your style of writing and ways you can take yours to the next level.
  

What do you struggle with while writing? What helps?

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!

Short, Sweet, and to the Point

Have you ever watched a speech on the news and thought to yourself, "Huh?!" Many times, this is because communications specialists fail to think of their audience. Writing a speech in a concise and easily understood manner is effective, both for the speaker and the listener. The speaker will sound much more confident in their words, and the listener will be able to grasp the concept of the issue without having to dictionary.com anything.

Brad Phillips, of Phillips Media Relations, recently wrote an article "5 Ways to Write for the Ear, Not the Eye" in which he gave the following points:

• Use short words: While using larger words can be impressive, the point of a speech is to get your message across to your entire audience.
• Use short sentences: When you are delivering a speech, having long or run on sentences can be hard to read, much less understand. Shorter sentences are always easier to deliver and the most memorable.
• Use everyday words: Though the general population may have a large vocabulary, the majority of those listening to you only use a limited amount of non-conversational words.
• Use contractions: In writing formal documents, it is never advisable to use contractions. It is the opposite in spoken word. Using contractions such as I'll, I'm, and can't lend a more friendly and personable vibe when speaking to the public.
• Say them out loud: When you finish writing your speech, say it out loud. If you are stumbling over words and taking multiple pauses, maybe it's time, as Phillips says, "write for the ear, not the eye."

To read Brad Phillips' full article, click here.

Have You Un-Sucked Your Writing Lately?

We've all experienced that dreaded feeling of being obligated to use 'buzzwords,’ overused phrases and jargon in our writing. The term "For lack of a better word" may actually be a good thing when it comes to public relations writing. Let's face it, in the PR field we struggle to deliver a message to the public that is clear and unambiguous; a message that gets the point across and engages the public through expressive writing. The problem many of us face is how to remain creative without losing the public's interest in the organization's message no matter how complicated it may be. Simplifying the words we use does not equate to a loss of creativity but rather a broader, more comprehensible message for our audience.

Luckily, there is a tool to help those who wander in the purgatory of "fluff" words and terms. It's called UnSuck-It.com, and it may be the second best PR writing tool next to your AP Style handbook of course! Unsuck-it is a website that allows you to submit, search, define and sometimes laugh at the hundreds of examples of bad, over complicated business and communication jargon people use while identifying a better word or phrase to use. Some popular examples of over-used words the site lists along with their easier counterparts are: "Pre-Plan" or just plan, "Eyeballs" or viewers and "facilitate" or help. The site will help you and at the same time give you a good laugh with its sarcastic definitions and cynicism of media and culture today. As PR-squared.com sarcastically says in regards to the site's use - If only we could convince clients that all press releases needed to be “run through the Unsuck It filter” (read: “written in plain English”) before sending them to the wire services. Let’s work on that."

Simply stated simpler is better but often more difficult. The irony of the difficulty of finding a simpler word to use will be over once you give Unsuck-it.com a try. The word base is always growing on the site so user submissions are definitely encouraged. Remember the K.I.S.S. method folks: Keep It Simple and Short!

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

@APStylebook says e-mail is now email!

If you don't follow @APStylebook on Twitter yet, you should. The handle is the official Twitter of the AP Stylebook, aka - the PR and journalism bible.

I was devastated about a year ago when AP style changed "Web site" to "website." It was one of those words that I had always thought was strange, but after two years of taking public relations classes "Web site" had finally felt comfortable.

Almost one year later, that painful feeling of having to relearn the spelling of vocabulary has returned. @APStylebook announced that as of today (Friday, March 18) "e-mail" is now "email" with no hyphen.

I have already written about ten e-mails (sorry, "emails") in the last few hours with "e-mail" referenced somewhere in the body, and edited a colleague's document at work to correct his use of "email." Looks like it's me that needs to be corrected now!

Although changes like this can be frustrating to keep up with, we are trained as PR people to constantly adapt to new situations and keep going. Even though it will take some time to get used to, there really was no modern reason for website to be two words or email to have a hyphen. People who don't follow AP style have already been using "website" and "email" for years, now we have to catch up!

What are your thoughts about the change?