Mashable's "Social Media Day"

Public Relations is all about who you know--in short: Networking.  I want to devote this post entirely to a networking event that i'll be attending sponsored by Mashable. This will be my first "real" networking event and i'm really looking forward to it.  I even ordered new business cards for the event-so hopefully i'll get to use them (all 250 of them haha).

The event is called Social Media Day and it's being held this upcoming Wednesday at the Mean Fiddler.  You can check out the rest of the details here: http://socialmediaday.eventbrite.com/

They even provide the guest list for it, and so far there as some pretty impressive names on the list.  I can't wait.  So in an effort to "prepare" for the event i've browsed tips on how network at events.

Here are some helpful tips that i've found:

Networking at Events

Ehow's networking tips (Note step #7 is a little odd-i would not recommend pretending to smoke in order to pursue a contact)

*My personal tip that I find the most useful is to FOLLOW UP the next day.  If a contact is worth pursuing, a good way to stand out is to email him/her to reiterate what a pleasure it was to meet them.  Chances are he/she probably spoke with a lot of people at the event and this is a great way to make yourself stand out from the crowd!

Hopefully i can make some great contacts. Will update y'all next time.  Cheers!

The Art of Small Talk

Wikipedia defines small talk as "conversation for its own sake."  Small talk.  It's something we all engage in on a regular basis but it IS an art.  Most people are terrible at it, but small talk is very important.  Small talk is a great way to network and form relationships.  Most people don't want to talk about work and they'd rather talk about the world cup or how hot it is outside. Life is stressful so if you can strike up a conversation about the little nuances in life, you'll be patting yourself on the back later.

I came across a great article on PRBreakfast Club on tips for engaging in small talk.  The article provides a lot of great ideas on what to talk about and what to avoid.  Check it out here.

The one thing I do disagree with in the article is that they say to avoid politics and current events, such as the BP oil spill.  I think that these days a lot of good conversations can come about from discussing current events.  From personal experience, I sit across from a TV in the reception area..where I almost always have CNN on....talking about the news is a great discussion topic.

Small talk. Try it sometime.

 

It's all about keeping in touch

Yesterday I finally had the time to send out emails to several people I've been keeping in touch with over the past year or so.  One of them was my italian exchange partner and good friend Pizio-when I studied abroad in Florence a year ago (gasp!) he was my best friend out there.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make it back to Italy, but we have kept in constant contact since I've left over email.  

So this week got me thinking about all the relationships in life.  Whether big or small, all of my relationships have succeeded because i'm able to keep in touch with the people I care about.  Now in relation to public relations, keeping in touch is VITAL to maintaining client relationships and relationships with the media.  The same goes for networking--if you don't reach out to people you've networked with every so often, you will lose that relationship.

I stumbled across a good blog article: here it is! about how the onset of social media has made it even easier for PR professionals to keep in contact with journalists.  The article even mentions that it's "not the journalists job to reach out to PR people, but the opposite.  So what are you waiting for?!  Go reach out to that connection who you've lost touch with, or send that email to your long time friend.  It can go a long way...

 

First Week on the Job=Success!

Don't hate me.  I know it's been awhile since I've written but this week was incredibly busy.  I had a great first week at my internship and I think it's only going to get better.  I am already busy and I have assignments for the next week due.  I've noticed that since the day goes by, there are several things to accomplish and sometimes it's difficult to A) figure out what needs to get done first and B) Multi-task.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to browse some tips on multi-tasking at work and I came across a great article on Penelope Trunk's blog on how to prioritize at work.  See the article here: Excellent article!

My favorite tip is #9 which is to organize your to-do list everyday.  I've started doing this and it makes things soooo much easier!  With the to-do list, I know that I won't forget anything and it's a way to not feel so overwhelmed by why I need to do.

* Another personal tip of mine that I wanted to add was to BUY A NOTEBOOK!  I've learned that in PR, people are constantly writing things down.  A notebook is a much easier way to organize client information than just a regular notepad.  I'm going to invest in a good one this week!

Well, that's all for now.  But if you have any additional multi-tasking and time management tips PLEASE feel free to comment.

Until next time,

Aly