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Lots going on this week! The HP ethics crisis, aftermath of the e.coli spinach fiasco and plus-size models on the runway in Paris. Oh, and a little career advice thrown in for good measure.

The news today, of course is that Patricia Dunn and three others were charged in federal court with four felony counts, including using fraud to obtain confidential information from a public utility, unauthorized access to computer data, identity theft and conspiracy to commit those crimes. Penalties could include prison time and fines.

In spinach news, the California Farm Bureau and the Alliance for Food and Farming are talking about how to regain the public trust now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for spinach consumption. Interestingly, Dole hasn’t issued anything new since September 15.

In class on Wednesday, we talked a lot about how phenomena in popular culture can be used to show mass communication and public relations theory in practice. One of the examples we talked about as social learning theory in practice is the use of “larger” runway models in haute couture fashion shows. Madrid, for example, banned too skinny models in September. Yesterday, the Jean Paul Gaultier show featured a size 20 model (via PR. Differently).

Social Learning Theory says that we, as humans, are terrific observers. We observe when behaviors are rewarded or punished by role models and through that observation we vicariously try out new behaviors. Certainly many young women look to runway models as supermodels – and when their “model-rexic” physique is rewarded – those same women may try to immitate. Will Madrid’s regulations or Gaultier’s statement (or stunt?) change anything?

Finally… for those who’ve decided PR is your bag, baby – take a listen to the InsidePR Podcast about agency vs. corporate for those first steps outside the hallowed halls of the ivory tower.

Paull Young has created a list on the New PR Wiki of young bloggers – these are young professionals, typically in the field for less than 5 years, and sharing their insights, experiences, joys and frustrations with life in their respective positions.

Lisa Catto Pulliam, currently a public relations specialist at Western Oregon University by day and a freelance PR gal by night (as well as an aspiring romance writer) offers some tips for senior-level students interested in doing a little freelance work. I’ll publish her post in two parts over the next week or so.

PR’s best Unkept Secret

free·lance [free làns]: a self-employed person working, or available to work, for a number of employers, rather than being committed to one, and usually hired for a limited period.

Upper-level PR students or young professionals wanting to gain public relations experience in a variety of industries or fields should consider freelancing. It’s a great way to work on a variety projects and for clients all over the spectrum. A major benefit to freelancing is the low risk. Generally, you don’t have to quit your day job or relocate for these gigs.

You’ll also get to try new things and learn more about PR than you may have by just working your day job. Not to mention you’ll be able to do a lot more networking, which could benefit you in the future with other job opportunities.

As long as you’ve got a reliable computer, telephone, Internet access and printer – you’re pretty much set up to freelance with anyone across the globe. E-mail has drastically increased the number of opportunities a PR person has by allowing us to work on projects happening just about anywhere. You don’t need to do media relations from your clients office.

Finding jobs

Once you’ve decided to freelance, you’ve still got a lot of work to do. Namely finding some clients. It’s not as easy as you think, so here are some places to start.

Community involvement – Being involved in your community is a great way to find clients. If a small business or organization wants some PR but is wary of hiring a big firm, you may get the job because they know and trust you.

Professional organizations – Join groups like the Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association, your local Chamber of Commerce, etc. These are all great ways to meet potential clients, or other PR people who may want you to work with them on freelance projects.

Freelancing Web sites – There are Web sites with the sole purpose of matching freelancers with clients. A couple of these sites are Guru.com or Contractedwork.com. But remember, they usually charge for the service so make sure it’s something you can afford to do.

Craig’s List – You can post your resume or look for clients under the “marketing, PR, advertising” section of jobs within each city. There are also “creative” and “writing” sections under the gigs area. Remember, you can work for people all over the country so don’t limit yourself to your city.

Cold calling – You can even make up a brochure highlighting your services and take it to some small businesses who may want to hire you on a project basis. They may not need you now, but if something comes up it’s likely you’ll be the person they call.

[Stay tuned… next Lisa will talk about pricing]

If you want to be a PRo, you’ve got to listen and learn from those who have experience. This might mean your instructors, your internship supervisors, your coworkers and certainly your first boss.

Leo Bottary at Hill & Knowlton has put together a “mini series” on tips for junior staffers that is worth reading, bookmarking, memorizing… Take a look.

In PR, we are frequently faced with challenges – raising awareness, increasing knowledge, changing behavior.

The PR firm that wins this contract faces more than a challenge… which is why it might be a job for Sisyphus. What do you think? As a PRo in Training (or for those PRos that read this post) – is this the kind of campaign that could be destined for success? or doomed to fail? What will make the difference?

Tell me what you think.

From the Boston Globe: WASHINGTON — US military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of US and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide “public relations products” that would improve coverage of the military command’s performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal. (read the rest here…)

The School of Journalism and Communication is offering its first professional masters workshop at the Turnbull Center in Portland, Ore. this fall. Taught by Tom Hagley, one of the professionals I respect most, the Crisis Communications workshop will be invaluable to professionals.

I have been working with Tom on creating the lecture materials and editing the workbook for the course. I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone in the communications field who wants to understand how to create a crisis preparedness strategy.

From the brochure:

“In difficult situations, truth establishes trust. This workshop uses role-playing and roundtable discussions to take workshop participants vicariously into dangerous situations dirived from the instrutor’s own consulting experiences. The workshop teaches students how to apply rules of advanced engagement, a technique that has yet to be fully discovered by the profession, to enable their organization to work with all of its stakeholders in managing the turning point of a crisis.”

One of the highlights of the workshop will be the participation of the Southeastern Area Interagency Incident Management Team that took command of the Black Crater Fire, a first-priority national emergency resulting in the evacuation of nearly 500 people near Sisters, Oregon.

You can get lots more info about the workshop here and you can even register online here.

Sometimes, you just have to remember that this PR gig is just plain fun. You get a chance to be extraordinarily creative, work with some of the best and brightest minds on some of the coolest campaigns (yo!).

The Smirnoff Raw Tea campaign makes me laugh. Download the video and check out the “prepsta guide.” I think I’ll buy some just to reward the ad/marketing agency that came up with this campaign.

viral marketing: Any marketing technique that induces Web sites or users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a potentially exponential growth in the message’s visibility and effect.

The Bivings Report provides a list of PR Firms that blog. If you’re considering a PR Agency career, I’d recommend you check these out. If you’re not considering an agency career, but would like a career in public relations in some capacity, I suggest you check these out. If you plan on coming into contact with PRos sometime in your career, I suggest you check these out. In short… check these out.

I really enjoy Richard Edelman’s Blog: 6 A.M.

And I gotta say that the MWW Groups “Straight Talk” is pretty interesting. Timely and topical with a strong dose of the author’s opinion. Love it! I hadn’t come across it before, but it’s now on my Bloglines subscription list.

What do you think is more valuable to you as a PRo in training? A blog that’s primarily commentary on current events, or one (like The Horn Group), that’s more focused on the agency’s work and capabilities?

In the first of what I hope will be many contributed posts, Nathan Strauss, a former student and the past GM of Allen Hall Public Relations talks about his first couple of months as an Assistant Account Executive at Edelman in New York.

Reflections of an AAE

Today is the last day of work for Edelman interns. As they begin to pack up their cubicles and eagerly chatter about returning to college, it sets in that I’m not leaving with them. At this time last summer, I too was an ambitious intern. Now, a full-time employee, I reflect on my transition and the career I’ve begun in public relations at Edelman in New York.

Transition

Fortunately, my transition from intern to AAE has been seamless. I credit this to my always attempting to work at least one level above my title – a golden rule in agency PR. As an intern I was always persistent in trying to get work that’s usually reserved for an AAE. Now, as an AAE, I’m managing vendor relationships for our satellite media tour as well as for an event at our client’s headquarters – AE or SAE stuff.

At times, it may seem there is little differentiation between interns and AAEs other than a nameplate; however, entry-level professionals must always remember that expectations are higher for them – in terms of the quality of their work as well as in the length of their working day.

Challenges

While I’ve been able to excel at Edelman, there have also been challenges. Foremost, re-adjusting to the working world – 9+ hour days in an office is a difficult contrast to college life. Even more difficult are the slow days – where account work is few and far between. While in college nothing to do was a rare blessing; sitting idle in a cubicle is a different story.

When things are busy, it’s invigorating. The fast pace and short deadlines agencies are known for isn’t a myth. While this type of working environment is my preference, in my excitement I’ve made careless mistakes that reflect poorly on me – mistakes I won’t make twice. Quality is just as important, if not more so, on a short deadline.

Advice

• Be excited about what you do, for your own sake. Although mundane tasks like media monitoring may seem dull, keep the bigger picture in mind. Take pride in finding that breaking news story and being the first to send it out to your team. If you lose interest, not only will you be miserable, your team will lose interest in you.
• Listen, listen, listen. Take advantage of who sits around you. At Edelman, where even SVPs sit in cubicles, eavesdropping is not only valuable, it’s unavoidable. Listening to interactions with clients and other execs is always insightful.
• Image, while not everything, counts for something. This is PR, after all. Come to work looking professional and put-together, every day. Matthew Harrington, one of the most senior executives at Edelman, wears a suit to work every day – even on casual Fridays.
• Don’t go into debt. You’re not in college anymore; you should be paying off your loans, not incurring more debt. If you’ve chosen to move to cosmopolitan city (like New York) this can be difficult. While it may seem like spending 70% of your income on rent is reasonable, think twice. Stay in the black, even if it means you have to make sacrifices to your lifestyle.
  

You can reach Nathan at: nathan.strauss@edelman.com or (212) 704-4573

No time to write an original post right now – darn dirty deadlines – but enjoy these links:

From The Bad Pitch Blog – 10 Reporter Hacks (tips for improving your media relations)
From Bad Language – Want a Job? Learn to Spell (and ditch the Star Trek Uniform)
(tips of getting a j-o-b).

What resources have you found of interest to PRos in Training?