PRSSA goes 2.0 event.

April 2, 2008 at 6:47 pm (PR and New Media, inductive PR, new media) (, , , , )

This weekend I went to the event from PRSSA called PRSSA goes 2.0.  I have to admit that at when i woke up on saturday I was thinking about going or staying at home. But at the end of the event I was so knowledgeable about new media and PR, That missing it would’ve been a really bad idea. Pam one of my classmates was there, she is very into new media. check out her post PRSSA goes 2.0 and does it well. I’m sure she explains it better than me.
 when I first got there I took my name tag and then walked to the main lobby.  Obviously I was planning to apply everything I learned from my PR classes. I was convinced that if there was one thing I had yet to learn from the PR practice, is how to approach people. Awful flaw! I know. -Is like being an astronaut that is afraid of heights- Apparently I can handle everything else, but walking to someone else and trying to sell myself (or product or brand) is very uncomfortable. I blush, I mispronounce some words, I say words in spanish…. it could not get worse (its like the nerdy guy trying to talk to the hot girl in high school).  And I guess for the other person is equally as awkward, since they are the ones who have to pretend to understand me and be nice about it.
     Ok enough about me being shy and back to the conference. Congratulations to the two universities who put the event together; Simmons College and Boston University. The event was amazing. The opening keynote speaker was David Merman Scott, I personally think he was perfect for the morning speech. David Scott has so much energy that the daily caffeine dose was unnecessary. I have heard him two times (he already talked in one of my classes) and both times I learn new things from his speech. I loved the comparison he did with his laptop as an available Ad space and the way traditional PR is handled today. I think there is no better or simpler way of explaining The New Rules of PR and Marketing.
   After the opening speech, we had the chance to hear from more experts: Greg Peverill-Conti, Lisa Davis, Elicia Basoli, Jason Glashow, and Laurie Shulman. Unfortunately we only had the option of choosing 2 of the speakers. I chose Greg not only because he is the VP of Emerging Technology and social media at Weber Shandwick, but he likes Soy chai latte… and what are the odds of having so much in common with him? Anyways, he was great in his breakout session. For my second speaker I chose Laurie Shulman she was amazing. Of all the speakers, I thought she was the more relatable for me as a student going into the PR world. 
     Dusty S. Rhodes from Conventures prepared an activity related to event planning. At the beginning I was very skeptical because we were given specific animals and then separated into teams, of course my first thought was “Ohh no, now we will have to impersonate these animals…. good luck being a jellyfish” I was a penguin, so I was ready to handle the walking and whatever the noise was. At the end there was no impersonation -thank God, although it would have been funny- but we had an activity that taught me a lot, specially since I am very into event planning.  
   Rick Murray from Edelman was the afternoon keynote speaker. He did an excellent job at explaining how important my generation is for the new way of conducting PR.  it was wonderful to see how things in the PR world have change since the emergence of new media. Even better, was to hear from Rick Murray how my generation has already an advantage in the new PR world, since we grew up in the digital world and some of the tools and techniques are already familiar to us. 
  Afterwards, a career fair was hosted by several PR companies. I obviously was to shy to have the initiative of approaching them, but after a while I noticed some of my friends shared the same feeling. And the PR representatives were very nice. Everyone was so approachable I almost overcome my fears -I’m still working on that, not everyone is as nice as the people in the PRSSA event-  Anyways, at the end of the day I was so much more smarter, I can’t wait to see how next year’s event goes. 

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BOD Blog Overdose

March 31, 2008 at 10:43 pm (First Post, PR and New Media, Starting a Blog, inductive PR, new media) (, , )

BOD (blog overdose) a rollercoaster of feelings. 

I’m back and guess what? I finally found what I’m into. But, please bear with me while I share my journey through 48 hours of blog overdose.     

So after seeing all my eyes and clicking fingers could resist. Well… I’m not going to lie, I was very overwhelmed and kind of frustrated. There are so many good blogs out there and so many good writers, I  was feeling like I had nothing to do as a debutant blogger. Unlike Amanda on  on the Prowl, literature was not my first option (check her blog i love it.). I like reading a lot, but when it comes to writing I have to think it twice. And in another language is even more challenging (FYI I’m Colombian so Spanish is my first language). But no worries, my brief new media experience has taught me – and as professor Quigley likes to remind us – that blogging is all about having a voice… And believe it or not, I started thinking that maybe my own voice doesn’t even speak English…. (I know soo dramatic). I guess what I was really thinking was that my voice is very different in English than it is in Spanish. Of course that did not stopped me.   

     After more clicks and links and coffee (hmm good Colombian Coffe) I soon remembered what Scoble and Scott and Cluetrain and professor Quigley say (I promise I will read more books and blogs to start quoting more people, but for now give me credit I’m really trying) Ok, so all of these smart guys say that -blogging- is all about passion, finding  your passion writing with passion, passion, passion, passion…  So I concluded that anyone would understand my passion even if it happens to have an accent.             

        Back to the blogosphere.  I’m clicking and linking to everything. Trust me when I say I covered the spectrum. I went from automobilist to art, to animals to traveling then click on Indy films then music then surfing or fashion…. I changed my mind in every click… All these bloggers write with such a passion for what they do, I feel like trying surfing or dancing or singing or car racing or even acting -You get the point-. But I want to clear one thing…. Not everything in the web was as great as I just mentioned. Unfortunately I can’t tell you everything I read in my 48 hour blog marathon because you will get tired. So let’s keep the good stuff.                  

     Finally, after wanting to try everything I could possibly imagine and changing my mind as how to write my blog, I decided that my passion and what really gets me talking and talking for hours are two things in life. One is telling stories and the second one is talking about my country, Colombia.. Yes my country, and although someone must be thinking “oh here comes other girl wanting to change the world into a better place..bla bla bla.”. Talk about Repetitive or what?? BORIING!. But no, that’s not what I’m about. Here is the thing… I have to thank one of my classmates for the next thing. She does not like blogs, but her reason is because she feels blogs are not being used in a way that helps a community improve with the exception of a few (at least that is how I interpreted her). I’m very intrigued to see how her blogs turns out to be, I will let you know when in find out.  Anyways, thanks to her comments I decided that if I have to write something and let everyone read it, it will be on something that really keeps me up at night and is also doing something to help a cause that I feel passionate about. 

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Before starting to Blog.

March 30, 2008 at 9:03 pm (First Post, New Post, PR and New Media, Starting a Blog, inductive PR, new media) (, , , , , , , )

Right now I am trying to remember everything i have learned until now… “have a voice, a tone, be authentic, be transparent, engage your audience” i am having a serious problem with focusing on one thing, or one idea… i tend to start a sentence and not finish it and then start a new one… anyways, here are my thoughts about my debut as a blogger…  first of all i have to admit this blog started as an assignment for one of my classes, but as i went through the process of exploring the blogosphere i realize this is a very fun thing to do,  i can be myself and address the issues i want, specially i love the idea of being myself….. BUT i have to accept it, writing was never my favorite class, specially since english is not my first language. Don’t get me wrong, i like writing, i just don’t like the idea of people reading what iI write, and more specifically grading it… but here i am, publicly writing my thoughts and accepting the fact that some people might not like it at all.             After thinking and over thinking my blog, I realized that I need some research. There are so many ideas crossing my mind that I’m sarting to feel dizzy. Besides from what i have read in my PR class we have to explore the blogosphere before we start our new blog.. But that’s fine with me, I mean if Scoble and Todd Defren says it and David Meerman Scott and the guys of Cluetrain….well it must be true. All of them  are like my new media celebrities. Funny part is that as much as I love the Hollywood paraphernalia… I have never been close to one celebrity as to have a real conversation about their jobs and passions. But with these new media guys is different, I already know 2 of them and let me tell you they are great…I even fealt like asking for an authograpg but that’s probably too oldmedia for them (I mean paper and a pen common). Anyways, Todd Defren and David Scott were amazing. 

 Here I am looking though blogs, and I’m like wow this one “click”…wow that one”click”… Hmm interesting link “click” another link “click”, great quote who wrote it….”Click… Click click click click”. Its soo easy that is addicting. Everything is in the web for you.  As you click and click there are things you never though you would learn and that are soo interesting so you click and click and click some more… Not until you are tired but until you feel you found something to write about, something you like, something you are passionate about. it is kind of that scene in the Fifth Element the movie, when the girl is watching a computer and learning everything trough words in a screen. She absorbs every piece of information and cries and feels sad or happy… it doesn’t have to be like as dramatic as in the movie. But you get it: explore, absorb, keep or safe, share or throw away what you don’t like… In other words click, link,  follow, bookmark,  share and save or close the window.  
   So before I start writing I decided that I will apply what Todd Defren said when I met him: “take 2 days out of your life, 48 hours to look through blogs… Just 2 days that will change your life as a blogger”
Enjoy it, I will. 

 

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