Did you know you’re reading one of the top 30 PR blogs according to Matthew Watson (with some help from Ad Age)?
I’m very honored. Thanks to all who help make Common Sense PR a success.

One of the best ways to take your PR skills to the next level is to see what others in the field are doing.
So I am proposing that PR folks (whether in a firm of DIY-ers) share their best practices and publicity success stories.  It’s a great way to show off your skills.
But I want to do more than just a list. I want the public to decide which campaign, public relations tactic, etc., is the best of 2008. So I’ll incorporate a voting poll as well.
Are you game? Great!
So here’s how to do it:

Post a comment with your publicity …read more

Common Sense PR is back.
After a hiatus, I have been asked to take the ‘reigns’ of Common Sense PR.
Who am I?
Glad you asked.
I’m Shannon Cherry, APR, MA and I’m known as The Power Publicist. I’ve been in the PR and marketing business for more than 15 years… ok, closer to 20, but I didn’t want to reveal my age :).
I did start my career while in college, however, as a reporter and anchor for a small television station. I learned the ins and outs of the media business first hand. So when I decided to change careers, public relations was …read more

In our house, Sunday dinners are special. It’s the one time each week when we make a point of being together as a family.
When the first person is nearly done their food, they start Appreciations and Complaints, listing the people or things that caused grief or joy during the past week.
Here are my social media appreciations for the past few years. I have Appreciations for:
Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz, who showed the way for many in the public relations field with their enthusiastic coverage of all things social. They led by example, week in, week out. A particularly good …read more

I’ve neglected my blogroll lately. It’s revised today, but still missing some of my favorite blogs/sites.   Still to come: podcasts.

Alice Marshall
Allan Jenkins
Andy Lark
B.L. Ochman
Bad Pitch Blog
Bob LeDrew
Brian Clark
Church Marketing Sucks
Colin McKay
Darren Barefoot
Dave Traynor
David Jones
David Parmet
Doc Searls
Geoff Livingston et al
Ike Piggott
Jeremiah Owyang
Joseph Thornley
Josh Hallett
Kami Huyse
Kevin Dugan
Lifehacker
Mark Evans
Matthew Ingram
Melanie Seasons
Michael Geist
Neville Hobson
Now Is Gone
Paull Young
Peter Himler
PR Couture
PR Watch
Robert Scoble
Scott Baradell
Shel Holtz
Spin Thicket
Steve Crescenzo
Stowe Boyd
Susan Getgood
Susan Gunelius
Tom Murphy
Valeria Maltoni

I dispense lots of advice for communicating in the business world. You decide how valuable it is!

Here are my favorite tips from 2007:

Don’t Edit your First Draft
Ask for the Business
Ask Open-ended Questions
Lose the Adjectives and Adverbs
Use Parallel Sentence Structure
Tip: You Can’t Push a Rope
No One Cares
Always Summarize
Include Lowest Common Denominator of Contact Information
Don’t Babble to Fill the Silence
Mention the Company Name in Interviews

See all Quick Tips.
Tags: business, communications, public relations, advice, techniques, eric eggertson, best, top

A totally subjective list of my best posts on this blog this year:

Appalling Behavior

Strumpette’s Amanda Chapel Calls it Quits
The Blog Reputation Fallout Continues

Business Advice

The Power of Blanding – It Takes Hard Work to Bore your Stakeholders
Nine Ways to Disengage your Employees
Getting Hired in the PR Business- My Advice
Make your Information Worth Paying Attention to, or Be a Spammer

Chasing Celebrity

Conrad Black – Why Do the Character References Only Come after a Trial?
While Conrad Black Mimes Confidence, Lady Black Calls Reporters Slut, Vermin
Conrad Black Spins Himself Deeper Into Jail  (most comments)

Etiquette and Leadership

Army Chief Speaks like a Human Being

Humor
Online Reputation Management for …read more

Here are some of Common Sense PR’s most-read posts in recent months

Strumpette’s Amanda Chapel Calls it Quits
Taliban Winning the PR War – What Planet Am I On?
Lululemon Has a Secret that Undermines its Reputation
Second-guessing Virginia Tech’s Crisis Communications
Nine Ways to Disengage your Employees
Advice from a Tech Blogger about How to Pitch
Border Guards’ Casual Facebook Comments Embarrass
Cat Herding Fizzled so Hype Machine Launched Anyway
I’m Still Waiting for Dan Rather to Apologize for Being a Parrot and a Stooge

Most-read Quick Tips

Ask Open-ended Questions
Lose the Adjectives and Adverbs
Use Parallel Sentence Structure

My Favorites that Didn’t Attract Attention

Army Chief Speaks like a Human Being
Tip: You …read more

Not just another mega-list, these posts by b5 media Business Channel bloggers sum up the worst possible advice we can think of if you want your business to fail.
Have fun reading some of the Dilbertesque ways managers can suck the potential out of a business venture. But hey, a lot of these tips can also destroy morale and credibility for non-profits, government departments and agencies, one-person operations. (Some of them can even be adapted for use at home, if you want to lead a life of solitude.)
9 Worst Things (Times 11)
9 Worst Practices in Social Media
9 Ways to …read more

If you or someone you know is planning to start a new business, or has been in business for less than a year, take a look at the b5 media Business Channel’s contest.
Details about the Jump Start Your Business contest are on the TaxGirl blog, courtesy of our channel editor Kelly Phillips Erb.
With more than $2,000 in prizes (including free financial software, merchandise and business advice from us business professionals at b5media), the contest could be a big boost for the winning entrepreneur.
Even if you’re not going to enter the contest, this is a good excuse to check out the …read more