Moving home....indefinitely.

Yesterday marked my first official day back home on long island after graduating college.  I think I was in denial yesterday, but today I woke up and came to the realization that i'm home for good.  I'm definitely freaking out a bit.  I mean i've been in the midwest for the past 4 years and frankly it's a little disconcerting  to wake up in my childhood bedroom.  So instead of focusing on the negative (i'm trying to be an optimist these days!) I decided to browse some articles on moving home after college.

After browsing through a few of them, I realize that moving back home is in no way unusual but it's actually the NORM!  According to monster, at least 60 percent of college grads move home after graduating and this figure is expected to rise, especially given the state of our economy.

A post on Penelope Trunk's blog (the slightly wacky creator of Brazen Careerist) helped quell my fears and reassure myself that i'm doing the right thing.  In fact, the article states, "This period is not a transition, but an actual life stage."

So I figure as long as it's a "life stage" I don't have to feel too guilty about being a "grown up," and I can enjoy the free food, laundry, and cable for the time being.

Blogging from the Road

I'm currently blogging from a hotel in Dubois, PA as I make my way back to New York (it's a 10 hour drive) and it got me thinking about how to stay "connected" on the road.  While, I do have my blackberry, I oddly felt out of touch without being able to blog until I got to my hotel room.  This could turn into a dangerous obsession...

I stumbled upon this article that gives some good tips on staying connected while traveling, particularly with regards to blogging.  It's definitely worth checking out:

 Super tips on keeping your blog updated! 

The article makes it apparent that wireless networks are everywhere so it's very easy to stay connected.  I do, however,  recommend "pulling the plug" once in awhile.  I promise the world will still go on if you don't respond to an email immediately. 

First day on the job jitters

I can't believe it, but I start my new job on June 1st next tuesday.  I am pretty nervous about starting but I know that once I start, I'll be able to take initiative and get into the flow of things.

I came across a great post on www.culpwrit.com that shares a lot of great tips on how to survive the first day and week on the job when the days are a bit "uncertain."  Ironically, it was posted on June 1st, 2009-- a year ago from the day i'll be starting.  OH THE IRONY! HA!  

I've posted the best tips they suggest below:

1. Ask questions!

2. Be proactive--if you're not assigned anything review the industry's publications, clients, blog, and website to to get a feel for the company culture.

3. Be friendly!--try to meet and connect with as many people as you can.  First impressions are everything.

4. Appearance--lay your clothes out the night before so you won't be rushing to throw something together in the morning.

5. (My personal tip) At the end of the day, it is essential to follow up with your supervisor either by email or in person about what you accomplished throughout the day.  This will not only set a great impression based on trust and competency but it also shows your initiative.

See culpwrit's full post here: Handy Dandy First day reminders!

*If you have any more tips please feel free to comment and post below!  Anything is appreciated! 

BP's got more problems! A PR Prospective.

I know that i'm a bit delayed on writing about BP, but I figured i'd share my musings on them from a PR standpoint.  Number one, their PR rep needs to stop talking.  It was a major flaw for BP not to come clean and fully disclose their reponsiblity for the oil spill.  This is a good lesson for PR pros to take home, as full-disclosure of a mistake or issue with a product is essential for bouncing back from a catastrophe.  Another problem with BP's PR is that they don't seem to be preposing any viable solutions for the problem.  My suggestion, would be to start garnering some positive PR by organizing an event where all the money is donated to saving the environment, or they could even donate a portion of their sales to the relief efforts. 

I recently read about the BP Public Relations fake twitter account that was a created a few days ago.  Already they have over 20,000 followers-and with good reason.  Their tweets are hilarious!   

A few of my favorite tweets from the faux BP PR account:

The ocean looks just a bit slimmer today. Dressing it in black really did the trick! #bpcares

The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. #bpcares

Jelly beans, roller coasters, pizza and trampolines. Without oil, none of these would exist. Just something to think about. #prayforBP

Catastrophe is a strong word, let's all agree to call it a whoopsie daisy.

And who ever thought social media couldn't be funny?! See @BPGlobalPR for more amusing tweets!

Back to being the "newbie"

Since I've graduated, i've been reading a ton of articles about how to venture the "right" way into your career.  Anxious, much?  I have a lot of free time in Ann Arbor these days!  Anyway, this morning I came across an interesting article by Kate Ottavio entitled "Back to Square One," in which she describes her experience after graduating and taking on a new role at a pr firm as an account coordinator.  She explains how she was naive in thinking that she was "on top" and that she knew all there was to know.

One of her statements troubled me and I definitely disagree.  She writes (in BOLD) "You are of little value to the professional world when you first graduate college."  First of all, this is very disheartening to all college grads.  Now what was the point of going to college in the first place?  I would hope that I didn't sit through all of those bluebooks to be considered worthless.  Second, I think that recent grads are in fact valuable to employers.  We can offer a fresh perspective, advanced knowledge on technology and social media (my dad still doesn't know how to make a powerpoint by the way), an eagerness to learn, and enthusiasm.  My guess was that Kate was trying to warn grads of being too arrogant but I think her statement is not only way off, but untrue.

To be honest, I don't have a problem being the "newbie."  Personally, I think going back to square one is NORMAL for any transition in life.  Not to sound cliche` but any time i've embarked on a new path, i've started out as the little fish (i.e. freshman in high school, college, etc).  My experience has been that you only learn unless you start out at the bottom first.  

See Kate's article here: Back to Square One

What do you think?

Pitching to Reporters

Apologies for not writing yesterday, it was just a gorgeous day out in Ann Arbor (which seldom happens) that I laid off the computer for the day.  Today, however, is of course rainy so i've been browsing pr blogs like crazy.  I came across this great post on Nicole Van Scoten's blog about how pr pros should pitch to reporters.  It has a lot of great tips, and i'm learning gradually how important the relationships are between public relations pros and reporters.

See the article here: Tips on "pitching"

I think the most important tip is doing research on the reporter.  Before you pitch a reporter, you should at the minimum google them and check out the types of articles they're writing.   Ask yourself, does the reporter write stories on what I plan on pitching to him or her?  And if anything...at the very least the journalist will be happy you're reading his/her pieces :) 

Lady Gaga and Public Relations

So this morning while I was driving, Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" came on the radio.  I have to admit that initially I couldn't stand Lady Gaga, but lately I've been loving her songs.  This got me thinking about Lady Gaga as more of an "icon" and a "performer" and less of a singer.  Yes, Lady Gaga has songs that people enjoy, but she would never have been as big as she is if she wasn't as let's say "out there" as she is.  She paints herself as someone who is extremely original, daring, and doesn't care what the press or anyone else thinks--but she fact is that she DOES care what people think.  We can site her "telephone" video with Beyonce` as an example of this.  (Truthfully I thought the video was ridiculous and she was trying WAY too hard to be artsy and to get additional publicity).  So, now, what does this all have to do with public relations?

PR plays a huge role in Lady Gaga's success.  Clearly, she has a great publicist, who has been able to implant her "original" reputation in eyes of millions of fans.  From her outrageous acts to her outlandish costumes, her publicist put the message out there for fans.  For anyone who says public relations is a dying industry, here's clear evidence it's only growing.

For your enjoyment i've posted the telephone video:

Lady Gaga's "Telephone"

Network, Network, and...more networking!

So while I was browsing my usual career blogs and websites, I came across this great interview with Anne Brown that I thought I would share.  Anne Brown writes the blog gradtogreat.com, which I would recommend reading, and in the interview she discusses her recent book on networking and tips for recent grads!  It's definitely worth watching, if you are wondering how to go about networking.

See here:

Anne's Interview

On my personal experience with networking, I did what Anne recommended and reached out to my Alumni Center for the names of people in my industry.  Twitter is also a great resource for searching for people in the industry and following the trends.  Another tip: Join PR and marketing professional groups on Linkedin, you would be surprised how many people use these groups!  I would also ask family members to bust their butt for you and connect you with people they know.  I promise, there will always be someone they can connect you with.

That's all for now.

-Aly

Start of the blog

Well here I am.  Finally blogging again and I am going to try to keep this much more up to date and focused.  To start, I recently graduated from the University of Michigan (as you can probably note from "about me" section) and I'll be moving back in a few weeks from ann arbor to new york.  My parents live on long island (yessss LONG-GUYLAND!) and unfortunately I'll face the plight of most poor recent grads and move back in with them indefinitely until I save up enough to move out.

The situation isn't ideal, but I was able to secure an internship at a prominent pr agency that should transition into a full-time position.  I plan on writing a lot about my experiences there and everything else that comes a long with becoming part of the "real world."

On that note, I figure i'll leave a few random facts about myself:

1. I'm FREAKED out of pigeons.  Seriously, they are like flying rats.  I see them, I run.

2. I'm a twitter fanatic.  Follow me: @AlyMarks 

3. I am obsessed with all things Italian.  I'm fluent in the language.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts with anyone who is reading out there and hopefully I can provide some insight. 

Until tomorrow,

Aly