The Blog: Waxing UnLyrical

02 Sep 2009

Want to Freelance? TwitterSource

I had a lot of fun co-hosting the first #soloPR chat on Twitter today. It was a shame that my co-host, Heather Huhman, was locked out of Twitter for the duration, but pros like Kellye Crane, Jen Wilbur, and many more shared great tips on a career as a freelance PR professional, especially for new/recent grads. That’s right, I put “career” and “freelance” in the same sentence; because it can be a great one.

You can see the entire transcript of today’s chat at the […]

01 Sep 2009

Email Lists: To Add or Not To Add

I’m curious: how do you feel about being added to email lists that are clearly being used for marketing purposes by someone you don’t really have a relationship with, specifically, you’ve met only once? Being a good networker, you gave out your business card. Next thing you know, you’re on their email list (sometimes without an unsubscribe option).

I know how I feel about this, but what about you?

I’d love it if you’d take this quick Twtpoll and let me know. Your answers will help me greatly with the […]

28 Aug 2009

Mirror, Mirror, On My Mind

Friday’s probably a good day to Wax Lyrical for a change. So,with some trepidation, I share with you the first poem I ever wrote; or, at least, the first poem I ever thought was halfway decent.

The Background

I wrote this in 1992, when India was just starting to experience a loosening up of the airwaves, with access to things like American soap operas and MTV (though MTV India wasn’t launched until a few years later). Doordarshan – Indian public television – was suddenly no longer the only entertainment option […]

25 Aug 2009

Communicator, Sell – and Share – Thyself

A couple of weeks ago, IABC/Washington (of which I’m president-elect) held its annual “resume review and networking night.” This has become something of a tradition for us, and one of the chapter events I enjoy the most. Every August, we scrap our usual monthly meeting format (bar, dinner, speaker, you’ve all been there before) and devote the evening to networking.

Um, yeah. Nothing new.

What I think adds a different dimension to this event is that we schedule a limited number of free resume reviews and career counseling sessions, which […]

17 Aug 2009

Demystifying Digital Communications

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting a couple of workshops at Goodwill Industries International‘s 2009 Summer Learning Event in Grand Rapids, Mich. – an educational “retreat” of sorts for GII employees. I say “pleasure” because the event was organized beautifully, I got to visit Grand Rapids for the first time and, most of all, the workshops were a ton of fun.