Happy new year everyone.
The other day on my free PR teleclass, someone asked me what my crystal ball had to reveal for the PR and publicity field in 2009. I thought you’d like to read my predictions:

It’s an exciting time in public relations, as the landscape will surely be evolving and changing.
And the one thing that’s going to impact publicists and public relations professionals is how more consumers (people in our target markets) will be interacting and shaping what we do. With instant responses via social media, PR folks can monitor and see reactions quickly – and if they are …read more

I appreciate your readership. And since it’s the season of giving, I’d like to give you a couple of public relations related gifts as well:

On December 30, I’ll be hosting a FREE teleseminar called “Three Steps for Free Publicity” at two different times, so you can pick the one most convenient to you. So check your schedule and see if you are available either at:

December 30  at Noon EDT, 9 AM PDT
December 30 at 8 PM EDT, 5 PM PDT

In ‘Three Steps for Free Publicity’, sponsored exclusively by ReadyTalk, you’ll learn the strategies I use every day for myself …read more

Having kids can interfere with some career plans, but we also get a lot back. Not the least of which is a new perspective on our lives and careers.
The b5media business bloggers tackled this topic from different perspectives this week.
For links to all the posts, visit Shannon Cherry’s Startup Spark (a blog worth visiting, anyway).
To subscribe to the entire business channel, click on the subscribe icon in the top right corner of this blog. For the latest headlines, click on the  “Business Channel” link at top right, or scroll down to the very bottom of my blog (or …read more

Having children is something that changes you. Priorities that seem crucial before you have kids don’t loom as large after.
The further I got into parenting (and supervising people) the more I recognized that I needed to adjust my attitude about work and negotiations. Being in charge didn’t mean I got to make unilateral decisions all the time. Nor was every single decision negotiable and democratic.
In our house, we developed some principles for family rules:

Establish principles and values, then negotiate rules that embody them.
Avoid inequity, threats or coercion.
Everyone has a right to express their feelings and argue for a rule …read more

You think you know the facts about something that’s common knowledge. Not so, unless you check the facts.
Techdirt’s Mike Masnick points to a copyright blogger who notes a paper that details the incorrect assumptions about the popular song that pulls in millions of dollars each year on a copyright that may not be valid. (background on Masnick)
And did you know Paul McCartney doesn’t get the royalties?
Never forget that Snopes.com is available to keep you from passing on an urban legend as fact.
Photo copyright Eric Eggertson.
Technorati Tags: business, communications, public relations, copyright, royalties, assumptions, urban legends, fact checking, paul …read more

I work with someone who’s convinced that conferences are inefficient ways to learn useful skills and gain knowledge.
(Sounds like the same criticism Churchill made of democracy: It’s the worst system of government, except for all the other methods.)
Of course conferences aren’t efficient! You’re lucky if you find one mind-altering session at a conference, much less two days’ worth.
Since when is efficiency what you’re looking for when doing the professional development / networking / seeking enlightenment dance?
Shouldn’t the desired result be your improved professional effectiveness? Whether that takes place in a linear, efficient fashion, or by osmosis while hanging upside …read more

There are some rules of engagement in online games. Learn them and you can play Call of Duty 4 and World of Warcraft without becoming a pariah.
Apply them to business, and you will have some back-up when the going gets rough. (Business implications in parentheses.)
1)  Learn the game offline before joining group play. That way, your dumb mistakes won’t sabotage an ally’s their epic battle to retake their headquarters. It’s okay to learn the finer points while you play online, but learn the basics first.  (practice your skills)
2)  Keep your head down when you’re a newbie.  Look and listen when …read more

Anyone who thinks the world needs yet another social networking site must have rocks in their head.
Cue the music. I guess Robert French, a public relations instructor at Auburn University has rocks in his head, because he’s set up a new meeting place for his students, other students, instructors, and public relations professionals.
It’s PR Open Mike, and there are 150 members so far. No MyRagan.com, but that’s not the intent.
It’s not that I need yet another social network to belong to, with another UserID and password. But it’s good to seen something organized around students.
I’ll be signing up and …read more

Accreditation as a PR veteran or business communications pro gives you a certain something. The International Association of Business Communicators recently  released some research to quantify what that something is.
According to a survey of people who have earned their Accredited Business Communicator designation, the process was well worth the effort.
As few as 9-10% of ABCs and their supervisors and clients felt the accreditation had little or no value. Yet, only two-thirds of people surveyed chose “valuable” or “very valuable” when describing it.
Confusing? Not really. It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare your portfolio, study, and …read more

Joe Williams knows how to tell a story. So much so that business people from all over North America pay thousands of dollars to sit with him in the desert outside Tucson, seeking that which cannot be defined.
The week-long corporate training sessions bump you up against Joe’s strategic thinking toolkit, his zen-like philosophical bent, and his love of the desert and its transformational nature.
Yes, the workshop could be held in training rooms in a downtown hotel. Maybe some of the lessons would take hold. But the desert and the group learning/sharing help you leave the ordinary world behind for …read more