The P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E in interning

Being an intern can be stressful and confusing. This semester I have my first internship with Comcast-Spectacor Charities and it’s nothing what I expected. I imagined I would be doing remedial tasks, answering the phone and taking messages, but I am discovering a lot more responsibilities. Currently at my internship, we are in the midst of planning the 35^th Annual Wives for Lives Carnival and it is certainly hectic. With all the confusion and disorganization I have learned the P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E in being an intern.  

Persistence/Politeness- There are many times at my internship where I have to call a person multiple times to get information such as payment. Finding the balance between annoying and persistent can sometimes be tricky but being polite is key when leaving messages and following up with people.

Attitude- Your attitude is something that can make you or brake you at your internship. Being upbeat and not rolling your eyes when you’re asked to count inventory, reflects positively to your superior and others in the office.

Timeliness- Getting work done during your day is crucial when you’re an intern. Your supervisors evaluate your performance on how much work you get done throughout the day and how well you manage your time in the office. Did you take an hour lunch or show up late? These are things supervisors look for when they consider recommending you for a full time job.

Integrated- Being a chameleon in the workforce can be beneficial. To blend in and know how to do your day-to-day tasks reflects positively on your supervisor. So, get to know your way around the office building and the people who sit next to you, even if they are not in your department.

Eagerness- Being eager is one of the biggest reasons supervisors love interns; they’re fresh and eager to do anything. Try and keep that spark during the course of your internship. Sometimes the days seem long and stuffing envelopes seems like a waste of your time, but staying eager wills set you apart from other interns.

Networking- Your job isn’t to network when you’re an intern but building and maintaining relationships in the office is important. It shows that you are physically engaged in your environment and you’re receptive to others.

Common Sense- This seems like an easy one, but I have overlooked some great resources, such as Google, when I cannot figure out how to do a mail merge and don’t want to bother my supervisor.

Engaged- I struggle with being completely focused on one thing at a time. I frequently am doing two projects simultaneously and losing my place in one or the other. However, I have learned if I focus on one, I do a better and more complete job.

Pinter-what? Can Pinterest Appeal to Men?

I know from experience that many hours of life can be lost in the depths of Pinterest browsing through wedding dresses, recipes, and more, but do they exclude men?

While DIY crafts and cute pictures of puppies might not appeal to the other sex, Pinterest needs to start promoting their pin-board based site to men in order to keep their already huge audience growing. Here are some ways the site can harness male users:

• Balance content. Instead of being barraged with things women are interested in, it needs to be known that they can access workout tips, brands they may like and just plain cool things to look at.
• Filter. Depending on what you are interested in viewing, the site allows you to filter results based on what you choose. With this feature men can avoid "girly" things that could quickly turn them off from the site.
  
• Interaction. A lot of user communication is limited to the "repin" but this doesn't mean that there isn't room for growth. Not only does the site connect you with your Facebook friends that have accounts, but you can see their boards and follow things that you like as well as comment on their posts.
  
• Be resourceful. Even if men aren't on the site for their own personal enjoyment, Pinterest can be a great resource to see what their family and friends like and even give them a clue as to what activities they would enjoy. Also, with Valentine's Day coming up, what guy wouldn't want a guide basically telling him what his significant other wants?

Are you on Pinterest? Do you think they effectively reach men?

Susan G. Komen Bows to Controversy with Planned Parenthood

Last Tuesday, it was announced the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States, pulled funding from Planned Parenthood. People were outraged; many felt that it was the charity bowing under the political pressure associated with abortion that caused the retraction. A Republican congressman had questioned whether it was appropriate for public money to be put towards abortion, putting the Susan G. Komen foundation into hot water. What the organization failed to realize was that while they only donate approximately $700,000 a year to Planned Parenthood, they donated $7.5 million in research funding to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, which is affiliated with Penn State University, the same university that is in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky molestation scandal.

Days after the news broke, the CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure released this statement:

"Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair."

While it is great news that Komen reinstated funding to Planned Parenthood, the damage is done. Instead of staying mum for most of the week, the organization should have been the first to announce their decision. A decision that was made in December. While it would cause major outrage, it wouldn't be as bad as it is now. The attention could have been focused back to where the other $92.3 million the Susan G. Komen Foundation gave out went.

While the Susan G. Komen Foundation was previously neutral in its political stance, allowing either side to donate, it is now clear which side they are on, and people will make the choice too.

Keeping It Classy

Let’s be honest, when you want something in today’s world, you have to “go out and grab it”. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re planning your next move or countering accusations from competitors.

Know what you or your client wants to achieve right away. Then, keep your message clear and truthful as you communicate your plan to the audience. Speak in the language of the people you want to reach. Absolutely do not fabricate or exaggerate anything, someone WILL call you out. Whether it be a journalist or your competitor, there are people just waiting for you to slip up.

No matter what you or your client is accused of, keep your cool and always make a comment. When responding to an accusation, do not reply with the lethal phrase “no comment”...ever. When Newt Gingrich was questioned about his marital affairs during the final GOP debate in South Carolina, Gingrich responded with “ I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” Notice that while he did not answer the question, he did have a comment.

When competing, the aim is to present yourself and your client as the premier choice, the most fit for the title, and most worthy of support. You are aiming to look like the shining ray of hope and your competitor the sinister opponent. However, DO NOT name call. Even if provoked, which will absolutely happen, resist the urge to act unprofessionally.

During President Obama’s State of the Union Address, he placed a particular emphasis on a few points within his speech. He did not mention his competitor Mitt Romney, however his reference to levying a millionaire’s taxes may have been an elusive reminder of Romney’s newly released tax return. Additional issues subliminally linked to Romney could have been the automotive industry bail out, and his call for housing assistance that would bring relief to responsible homeowners.

Instead of stooping to a level that is beneath you or the organization you are representing remember instead to; keep your cool, make a comment, be clear and truthful, and avoid calling out.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Emily Storz.

Death by Twitter

Recently, there has been an influx of death hoaxes on Twitter. The most recent victim of such hoaxes is singer and songwriter, Adele. Jon Bon Jovi, Cher, and even Kathy Lee Gifford have also fallen victim to this “trend” on Twitter. So the question remains, what can be done about it?

Both public relations professionals and aspiring public relations professionals alike know not to believe everything we read on Twitter, but does the mass public? No. As a society, we have become reliant upon Twitter for updates in emergency situations or even to find out the latest celebrity gossip. On the flip side, the high speed nature of Twitter makes it very easy to disperse false and inaccurate information at an equally alarming rate. Twitter has built credibility on being the “first” and the “fastest” at relaying information, so it has been made very easy to simply retweet something without the thought of investigating the matter any further.

We are all familiar with the quip that “with great power comes great responsibility” as stated in Uncle Ben’s (Spiderman’s uncle) iconic speech. It’s the responsibility of Twitter to make sure that news such as deaths are verified and reliable, if Twitter is to maintain and increase its credibility as a news source. As long as Twitter strives to be the “first” and the “fastest” at relaying information, it needs to be able to counteract this demand with the ability to be the first to correct any false and inaccurate information that is tweeted.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Cori Shearer.

Don't be Afraid to Ask the Intern

About a month ago, I began my internship at Sharla Feldscher Public Relations, a firm in Old City with diverse clientele. Not sure of what to expect, other than knowing I would be learning a ton from one of Philly's most seasoned and well-known PR professionals, I never would have imagined how rewarding my internship would turn out to be.

I have held five internships in total now, ranging from large non-profits to small PR agencies and as my experience has grown, a trend in the intern world has slowly begun to grow as well. In the PR blog, Flack Me, a post titled "Never Underestimate the Intern: Why PR Needs Reverse Mentoring," Kimberly Shrack goes on to explain the new-found importance of the intern in the work place.

Although interns are there to learn from the seasoned and experienced pros, we have a skill of our own that shouldn't be ignored - social media. "Reverse mentoring," a coin termed by General Electric CEO, Jack Walsh describes the idea of students teaching professionals about the web and its latest channels, applications and tools in a mutually beneficial relationship. This practice is being adopted by several large corporations and several other industries, however this mentorship is largely lacking in the field of public relations, although it is slowly becoming more realized and adopted.

My internship is the perfect example of building a mutually beneficial "reverse mentor" relationship. I have the opportunity to teach the associates of the firm about sites such as Twitter, Facebook and blogging platforms while they are able to help me with media and community relations. I am sought after when they need to know how to compose the perfect tweet and I knock on their doors when I have a question about writing the perfect headline for a release.

So if these relationships hold so much value, why is PR slacking in adopting them? A study published in the Public Relations Journal revealed 74% of respondents said their organization does not practice reverse mentoring. However, of these respondents who do not practice reverse mentoring, most could identify the benefits of such a relationship including improvement in social media skills and vocabulary (I am currently putting together a glossary of terms for my office) and involvement with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic mentor.

So while many of these relationships may be informal and occur over a casual conversation over lunch, perhaps a more structured and formalized program could lead to a more beneficial intern-employer relationship. The field of PR is drastically changing and it is the interns who are the ones helping to change it.

What are your thoughts on developing reverse-mentorships in the PR workplace? Let us know!

Political Cannibalism

“Eating or defeating your own is a form of sophisticated cannibalism.”

Former Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) famously said that in his farewell speech to Congress, originally referring to the surge of the Tea Party and the corresponding rise in partisanship and disparaging rhetoric directed towards traditional Republicans. Unfortunately for the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination, Specter’s words have not resonated throughout his former party as he intended.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, are on the verge of cannibalism.

The two Super PAC-backed foes are slamming each other with political attacks and negative campaign ads. Both candidates are pouring millions of dollars into TV commercials like this anti-Gingrich ad, which attempts to link Gingrich’s employment with Freddie Mac to the collapse of the housing market.

The Gingrich campaign has been actively attacking Romney for everything from his business ventures to his time as a governor. It even launched a series of robocalls accusing Romney of forcing Holocaust survivors to eat non-kosher food.

The two heavyweight campaigns are effectively cannibalizing each other with these vitriolic attacks. President Obama will be able to weave a familiar narrative with the thread of these attacks to use against whoever wins the primary. My advice to the republican candidates: play nice or get you’ll get booted out of the sandbox.