PAN Blog

Being a soon-to-be-graduate, about to enter the job force, doesn’t look as promising as it once did. Just when I was starting to get excited about depositing a biweekly paycheck into my account (rather than watching it ever-so-slowly deplete to double digits due to dinners out and weekends on Marshall Street), it looks like I might have to wait longer than I expected before making my first million. Why? It’s all due to a big scary word – recession.

According to Yahoo, “Economists at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley say the U.S. is heading for its first-blown recession in 16 years, and a recent CNN poll found that 57 percent of the public believe the U.S. is in a recession already.” So what does this mean for recent grads and first-time job-seekers? Not good. Come May, most of us won’t be reveling in our new grey cubicles and starched-collar corporate wardrobes. Instead, we’ll be sporting our orange and blue ‘cuse sweatpants and the top we slept in last night as we aggressively produce cover letter after cover letter from the comfort of our own home and ever-familiar MacBook Pro.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m optimistic us Type-A, Newhouse grads, will be just fine. After all, the people who work at the CDC (Career Development Center) will be out of a job if they don’t help us get one, right? All things considered, don’t fear the R-word. Stick to networking. And if all else fails, become a bartender at Chucks.

There is no shortage of bad customer experience stories out on the web. And it's still amazing to me in these days of self-publishing, epinions, yelp and other reviews and feedback-oriented sites that companies would open themselves up to negative sentiment because of bad service or bad judgement on the part of an employee. Or, if they did, make sure to immediately to do right by those they ticked-off and retain them as customers/users/evangelists.

So it's even more suprising when I hear of a company working in the PR space suffer one of these gaffs and not do anything to rectify the situation. Apparently, such is the case with Profnet, PRNewswire's reporter query service. Peter Shankman, who's blog is always an interesting read has a large and growing Facebook fan base. From that he's created a "service" (and I use the term lightly because it's not something he's charging for) for other PR folks where he relays reporter queries to those of us who've requested we be alerted to them via Facebook. His group is called "If I can Help A Reporter Out, I Will" and it's an irregular emailing of queries reporters put to Peter's group. Reporters dig it; PR types-dig it, and Peter gets a bunch of goodwill from all sides. No harm, no foul right?

Apparently Profnet didn't feel the same way. AFTER trying to squeeze Peter out of the goodwill business, Profnet let him know (and by way of Peter's blog, all of us) that smaller PR players aren't too important to them. Seems like a bad way to communicate a business strategy change.Peter's post about it is here and the comment string is a fun read. There really is something to all this 'going around rather than through, disintermediation power to the people' type-stuff.

Last I heard, the massive load of plastic waste floating in the Pacific was the size of Texas—and at that time I was shocked. Yesterday, an article in The Independent, “The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan,” referenced that said waste could very well be twice the size of the continental United States. And it could double in size over the next decade if we don’t do anything about it.

So what can we do? For one thing, jump on the bandwagon and start buying the reusable bags at your grocery store. Every time you either use or purchase one at Trader Joes they put your name into a lottery and award gift cards. Stop & Shop even offers insulated bags, which is great when you have to run an errand before returning home. You can also check out The Independent blog, which has already got some great dialogue going regarding the article.

Recently the New York Times and Inhabitat posted about Ireland’s implementation of a tax-based incentive back in 2002 to cut plastic bag useage. There was an advertising awareness campaign and within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable.

When I lived in Cork, Ireland the spring of 2004, after carefully scouring the aisles for the cheapest items on my first trip to the grocery store, I couldn’t believe I actually had to pay for a bag once I got to the checkout counter. It was a concept as foreign as the country to me—but it was brilliant. From then on, my roommate and I comfortably hauled the food in our backpacks, reducing waste and sparing us from those embarrassing public displays when an overstuffed plastic bag explodes half way home.

Today, the idea of bringing your own bag to the grocery store is becoming a trend in the U.S. But, according to reusablebags.com, in January almost 42 billion plastic bags were used worldwide, and the figure increases by more than half a million bags every minute.

It is time we implement the trend into our every day lives.

Class almost seems like a "family" gathering. With Professor Nardone, it is almost as if my cool uncle that the whole family is proud of came to visit. Laden with achievements and engaging stories, he's the one we all gather around during dessert as he tells us of his latest exploits in the PR world. All of us sit entranced, inspired by his stories and eager to enter the industry. He becomes our role model and the uncle we all want to boast about. With guest lecturer Ani, it seemed like we had an intimate heart-to-heart talk about our PR careers with our favorite older sister, who was ready to dispense advice and nurture us. That older sister whom you could always look up to as a kid, has her foot in the PR field and now, she's looking to lend you a hand with her willingness to answer your questions and guide your PR career path. With a "family" like that, I'm bound for the PR world with a wealth of first-hand knowledge.

I was absolutely tickled with Lisa Belkin's Life's Work column today in the NYT Style section entitled, 'It’s Not the Job I Despise, It’s You.' Cheeky as usual it chronicles working with that special someone that you despise.

Yes, there are always those that one can't stand, but its important to also recognize that the most important thing to practice is kindness. Remember the phrase your mother taught you, ' kill em; with kindness.' That way you win either way.

With today starting the year of the year of the Rat, or Wu Zi, the year is marked by : a time of hard work and renewal in many ways and to make a fresh start. So perhaps we can all make it a point to make a fresh start and be kind to one another.

I’ll admit it; I’m a bit of a TV addict. I can’t decide if the DVR function has made it worse (now I’m watching even more shows) or better (I don’t have to sit at home in fear of missing something). Dramas, Comedies, Reality TV, Game Shows – I don’t discriminate.

For the past several months I have considered myself a “victim” of the Writer’s Strike. I try not to get too involved regarding the legalities – I just want my “non-reality” shows back.

The small businesses and freelancers that rely on these shows to be in production are the real victims. I’m talking about the publicists, electricians, construction workers, make-up artists, costume designers, caterers, accountants, lawyers, and the list goes on. How about the musicians who receive royalties for their song to be played during a show? Who do you think cleans the sets? What about the network interns? Okay, maybe I’m stretching but you get the idea.

BusinessWeek wrote about how small businesses would be affected by the strike in November 2007. Wikipedia goes a step further and breaks down the number of shows affected by each network. You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that millions of dollars have been lost.

The good news is it appears the strike might be over soon. When everything is settled and back to normal they should think about writing a show about what the publicists, costume designers and make-up artists did during the strike. I would watch.

Eric Lundquist, editorial director at eWeek, was kind enough to stop by our offices at PAN a few weeks ago to give us an update on some of the changes that have taken place at the publication, and at Ziff Davis overall. One thing that he mentioned, that was entirely unrelated to PR but peaked my interest nonetheless, was a Bike to Work Day that he's helping to organize. As it turns out, Eric is an avid proponent of creating a comprehensive bicycle plan for Andover, Mass., and even writes about It in his personal blog Bike01810.

And it got me thinking…could such a program work in downtown Boston?

In an effort to “go green”, reduce traffic angst and perhaps cut down on the “fluff factor” of many of its Fast Food Nation-loving citizens, several cities abroad are working toward implementing a public-use bicycle program. On July 15, Paris inaugurated a new self-service bicycle transit system called Velib (a combination of the French words velo, for bike, and liberte, for freedom) to encourage its population to choose leg power over automotive power. And it seems to be catching on. From what I’ve read, bicyclists are plentiful, especially on center-city streets, and it's hard to walk more than two blocks without encountering a Velib station occupying what would have been a few parking spots for cars.

Of course Paris is not the first city to support a widespread bike-share system. Lyons, France, started one last year and Barcelona, Spain, began one in March. But according to Parisian newspapers, the system in Paris is the biggest and most comprehensive. And as anyone who has visited The Netherlands can tell you, there are just as many bikes as people (13 million bikes, 16 million Dutchmen). Bikes are available for rent - by the day, week or month - at most major train stations in Holland, from Maastricht in the south to the northern city of Groningen. In other words, bicycles rule. Just try stepping into a bike lane in Amsterdam – you’ll get a whole lot of angry bike bell. Holland’s version of road rage, I suppose.

Last week Boston’s Mayor Menino announced his plans to increase Boston’s “greening” efforts. It includes the Bike Friendly Businesses Program which recognizes businesses that encourage bicycling among their employees by “engaging in bicycle friendly practices.” Too bad I work 25 miles from home. But at least it’s a step in the right direction. Some Boston-area individuals have already taken matters into their own hands on this one.

Personally, I’d love to see Boston embrace a city-wide bike share program, similar to what Philadelphia is working on. If Phili can do it, why can’t we?

Almost three years after hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is proud to be hosting one of the greatest - and in my opinion - the most entertaining winter sporting events: the 2008 NBA All-Star game. No stranger to housing some of the greatest athletic feats, like the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the BCS Championship Game, the city is ramping up for what promises to be yet another unforgettable game.

Starting for the West are Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, and Yao Ming.

And up until last night, the East’s starters included Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard. But, don’t hold your breath, sources are now reporting that Boston’s Kevin Garnett will no longer be taking part due to a strained abdominal muscle.

Also missing from this year’s lineup, but not for medical reasons, is Shaq, which is generating a fair about of buzz in the world of sports.

Aside from the game, all stars will also be taking part in the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Shootout, and the renowned Slam Dunk Contest, where each athlete longs to defy gravity for just a little longer than the last. After all, who can forget Jordan’s famous free throw line dunk!?

Some of my personal favorites will be headlining in the 3-point shooting contest, including Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash .

And hailing from Syracuse, I have to give props to Carmelo Anthony, SU’s National Freshman of the Year in 2002-2003. He never fails to deliver a stellar performance for the Denver Nuggets.

Now, if you’re lucky enough to be heading to New Orleans for the week, like my sister and her sports marketing class at Niagara University, (ahem...no, I’m not at all jealous!) be sure to soak up some of Louisiana’s most delectable dishes, its rich history, and, most importantly, donate to the continuing rebuilding and development efforts.

I thought I would venture slightly off topic and post an example of how to be the ultimate college sports fan. To do this I will show off the actions of current students from my alma mater.

At the Saint Joe's vs. Villanova game on Monday February 4th, two SJU students put on Nova shirts, infiltrated their student section and made friends with the enemy. At one point, when Villanova was doing well, the SJU students started to roll out a banner and everyone in the section joined in. Little did they know, the Nova student section was sending down a banner that read "The Hawk Will Never Die" (the SJU motto) in blue paint (as a disguise)...

Then SJU sent out a banner, baffling their opposing fans, in their own section that read, "ST. JOE'S INVADES NOVA NATION!"

And the score: Saint Joseph's 77, Villanova 55

Prices are going up again! The cost of a first class stamp will rise to 42 cents starting May 12, according to the United States Postal Service’s website.

Last May, the price of a first class stamp went up two cents, as many of us can fondly remember scrambling for 2 cent stamps. What will be different about this year’s price increase is that there will not be as much of a scramble for supplementary one cent stamps, since we can all continue to use 41 cent Forever Stamps purchased prior to May 12, even after the price change.

According to the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the USPS will adjust their mailing services prices each May. By law, these prices can increase on average no more than the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Additional increases to begin on May 12, 2008 include;
* Large envelope, 2 ounces: $1 (up 3 cents)
* Certified mail: $2.70 (up 5 cents)
* First-class international letter to Canada or Mexico: 72 cents (up 3 cents)
* First-class international letter to other countries: 94 cents (up 4 cents)

How will this effect today’s technology focused society?
Do you still send out birthday cards or are they e-cards? An e-card can definitely save you when it is too late to mail a birthday card on-time but I don’t think that it has the same personal effect as a traditional card. Maybe instead of buying stamps at the post office we should begin to order stamps online in smaller quantities so we don’t get caught up in the price increases.

Additionally, the USPS does have a very cool feature for customizing stamps with photos, which brings an element of convenience to our very hectic lives, plus it’s another opportunity to show off our kids, pets, loyalty to our favorite sports team or the company logo.

Yes, it's finally time to dust off from Super Bowl XLII and the Patriots' 18 and...18 and...sorry, apparently I'm still in a state of denial. Not to worry, though, since our beloved, defending World Champion Boston Red Sox or at least pitchers and catchers will take the field and kick-off Spring Training tomorrow in sunny, Fort Myers, FL (position players report February 20th).

There are a lot of things to be excited about entering this year's Spring Training. For instance, every core player from the '07 team is back for the '08 season giving the Red Sox an opportunity to repeat as World Champions - a feat not achieved since the New York Yankees of 1998-2000. It's refreshing, in a world of free agency and star players seeking top dollar over team loyalty, to be able to see the same jerseys take the field two seasons in a row.

I'm certainly looking forward to watching Jacoby Ellsbury follow in Dustin Pedroia's foot steps and make a bid for Rookie of the Year honors. It's all speculation right now, but let's face it, we're New Englanders - it's cold outside, we just lost the Super Bowl (there, I said it); it's time to warm-up with The Boys of Summer and hope history can repeat itself and rekindle fond memories...

According to BIGresearch the average man will spend $163.37, which nearly doubles the $84.72 that the average female plans to spend on Valentine’s Day.

Traditional gifts, such as candy, flowers and jewelry are expected to see a slight decrease in popularity this year with more consumers preferring gift cards and gifts of experience such as a fancy dinner or a spa gift certificate.

The next statistic will blow you away… total spending for Valentine’s Day 2008 is expected to reach $17.02 billion and $367 million of this figure will be spent on our pets!

Think of what could be done with this money… save a rain forest, feed the hungry, build homes for the less fortunate, research cures for cancer, the list goes on and on.

Personally, I shop the sales and found my husband a very nice shirt and tie in Macy’s and only ended up spending $46.74. In retrospect, it might have been more worthwhile to make a donation in his name to the ASPCA or Breast Cancer research, something with a longer lasting effect than a few days of looking snazzy at work.

So, how much did you spend? Any regrets?

Over the weekend, I reunited with my childhood first love – the Spice Girls. Our love rekindled during their reunion concert held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Although it has been almost 11 years since I last idolized them, waves of nostalgia hit me as I entered the arena, filled with thousands of screaming girls, most of college age. There was this strange connection among all of us. We were from that era of girl power. During the concert, I felt like I was 12 again. Despite not having “revised” any of the songs beforehand, I was able to belt out every single word to all their songs. When “Wannabe,” “Say You’ll Be There” and “2 Become 1” came on, it was déjà vu. . I was essentially re-living 6th grade again. A time when boys were still annoying, the Backstreet Boys were still hot and Bill was still president. I was only jolted back to reality toward the end of the show when I got tired of standing and had to sit. 11 years on and I definitely lack the energy of a 12-year-old girl. Before I left Spice World, I spent an obscene amount of money on Spice Girls merchandise, but I figured it was a small price to pay for a trip down memory lane.

Deep inside every one of us, there is a voyeur. One that longs to peek into someone else’s journal, read juicy tidbits about his or her life and to discover some deep, dark secret that he or she is hiding. All in the name of good fun, of course. Now, there is a place/Web site/kind of blog where you indulge in these voyeuristic desires. At Postsecret, you can anonymously read about other peoples’ secrets. Postsecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Postsecret is updated every Sunday with new secrets/postcards. Some secrets are hilarious, some are heartwarming, some are painful and some bring a tear to your eyes. Check out “A Valentine Video” and “A Lifetime of Secrets” on Youtube. There is something artistically raw and humanizing about Postsecret. It tugs at your heartstrings, slaps you across the face and leaves you flabbergasted at times. Let that “peeping Tom” in you break free. Visit Postsecret and let your jaw drop.

For those of us who have WordPress blogs and found it difficult to post over the past couple of days, don't throw your computer out the window, it's innocent... this time. In fact, the popular blog hosting service WordPress.com was hit with a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack that flooded the site with incoming data requests and basically knocked out peoples' access to their own blogs.

I know I had some issues that involved some not-so-kind words to my computer as I tried to post to my blogs yesterday. I believe some others had trouble as well.

My issue isn't the attack however, I understand these things happen and the folks at Automattic worked quickly to resolve the problems, but I am upset that they didn't notify all the users. This IDG article claims they let all their users know, but those I spoke with were left in the dark. Hopefully WordPress will be more organized next time (oh yes, I'm sure they'll be a next time) and won't leave their bloggers glaring angrily at their computer screens, oblivious to the real reason the post they just spent an hour on got lost.

Awards season is upon us, and we’re busy getting ready to submit for the Publicity Club of New England’s Bell Ringer Awards. A year goes by quickly, but looking back, it’s always fun and interesting to see what great work your agency has done. Work from all three of our portfolios – technology, consumer and professional services will be submitted for the Bell Ringer Awards and we’ve been having a ball reminiscing about all the great times and hard work we put into each and every campaign. As tedious as entry guidelines may be, it’s a good time to look back, reflect and appreciate all the great work that was done as a team. I can only imagine what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences does to prepare for its industry awards (which by the way was a total bore)!

Good luck to everyone, and remember to have fun!

Last weekend Danny Seo discussed the question that most environmentally conscious people ask themselves when they are presented with that inevitable choice at a grocery checkout counter - paper or plastic...

Which once is better for the environment?

In his blog, Daily Danny, the greener option was revealed...

A: Paper: Because trees are a renewable resource.
B: Plastic: Because trees are not cut down to make them.
ANSWER: Surprisingly, plastic is the greener choice, but by a very slim margin.

Check out his blog to find out why.

And as I concluded in one of my last posts, Danny also points out that "The real winner here is a reusable bag. "

Former Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist of Oregon’s MySpace page is a hot topic in her community. As a PR professional, the first thing that I think of when a politician has a MySpace page is, “Excellent, they are expanding their reach and making an effort to connect with multiple generations through a medium that is continually growing in popularity.”

Well, this mayor was doing something a little different. She was posting pictures of herself wearing only a black bra and panties on her MySpace page. But wait, it gets better… in the pictures she is sitting on one of the town’s fire engines.

The former mayor has responded to the situation by making it clear that the pictures were taken before she became mayor and that it is her personal life and has nothing to do with her position as a the mayor. She also noted that she is not going to take the pictures down.

I think it is horrible, that a public figure has pictures of herself in her underwear on MySpace, but I also don’t think that anyone should have pictures up in their underwear, there has to be a line between appropriate and pornography. Imagine if the pictures were of your 5 year-olds teacher, your doctor, the president. I think that many of us would be upset about it.

We all know that public officials have less privacy then an ordinary person and that they lose many of the aspects of everyday life that we all enjoy like taking a walk, grabbing a coffee or attending a sporting event without interruptions. Maybe having a personal MySpace page should be added to the “off limits” list for public officials.

And the reason that she is no longer the mayor is that a vote took place on Monday night, resulting in her position being recalled. The reason for her being recalled was the pictures and an issue involving the management of the town golf course.

In order to curb slumping business, Starbucks closed its doors (all 7,100 of them) nationwide for three hours Tuesday night in order to “educate and energize” its workers. According to an article from MSNBC, this move comes directly from Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz to try and slow the gains competitors like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts have made over the last few years.

I find this a bit curious. Not that Starbucks would want to switch things up to boost sales, since they are no longer the only game in town featuring double-mocha-choca-lattes with extra foam. But rather why it would think that a three-hour shutdown is the answer. Other than restocking all the Norah Jones CDs, what exactly can be done in that amount of time?

Schultz’s apprehension recently has been that his company has become too “watered down” and generic. Too, well, everywhere. He has a legitimate concern. We were all riding on sugar high from Krispy Kremes for a while, too, until they were placed between the Tic Tacs and gossip magazines in every grocery store line across the country. Sooner or later the novelty wears off. Don’t get me wrong, I like Starbucks and think Schultz is a pretty stand-up guy. It’s just hard to make your organization unique when the number of units per square mile rivals the number of people.

You have to hand it to Schultz, though, for caring enough to try and do something different and special with his business. It’s nice to know that everyone isn’t content with a one-size-fits-all outfit.

As we rapidly approach Earth Day ( April 22) The world has once again fallen in love with the word 'green'. This is fabulous that we are embracing change.

Everything is again turning green, going green and being green. Our cars, paint, personal products, food, clothes, shoes and cleaning products are all being encompassed into this green revolution. With all this greening, ' green washing' is on the rise.

According to IdealBite.com," Greenwashing is the practice where a company tries to make it seem like it's greener than it actually is." We the public are aware of this every time we see a commercial for bottled water. Just because there is a tree on the bottle, doesn't mean we should feel good about buying it. There is a delicate balance between 'green' marketing and greenwashing.

Now that everything in our daily lives is coming up a twinge of green we can make better choices, it is just a matter of education. Here are two sites that make it all a little easier:

Co-op America :economic action for a just planet.
Treehugger: a daily dose of easy green.

February 29th, Leap Day, it comes just once every four years and with it, the birthday I rarely get. Don't get me wrong, my parents still give me a present every year and the family always gathers to celebrate, but I'm not going to say it was fun fielding questions in kindergarten, when my 'Birthday Tree' wasn't up on the tack board (you don't get over those things). The positives do outweigh the negatives, though.

When I turned twelve (three in Leap years), I was interviewed by the Lowell Sun for a piece they were doing on Leap Year birthdays. It was at that time I realized the perks and privileges that come with being born on Leap Year, not to mention there's only 684 people born on Leap Day per 1 million, according to leapzine.com.

It's a great conversation piece, as well. The most common question I get is, "So when it's not a Leap Year, when do you celebrate your birthday? Is it the 28th or March 1st; which is it?" I usually tell some people the 28th and others the 1st that way I get two days out of it during the off years to make up for things.

I'll have to say too that pulling the "but I am two" card when Mom would point out my childish antics, was invaluable all the way up through age eleven. But, let's get serious for a moment. I'm turning six tomorrow. That's a big step, and it's going to take a bit of adjustment. When you're five, let's face it -- no one expects much, but six, six, now that's where you have to make it happen.

For all of my fellow Leap Year babies, Happy Birthday and enjoy the day! It won't be around again 'til 2012.