Mary Beth Bowen, my friend, colleague and sometimes business partner, shared this video with me and I think it’s fantastic. Give it a watch.
I write this as a cautionary note; an open letter to college students thinking of a career in PR and others, dissatisfied with current careers who think that communications might be the way to go, for them.
Perhaps not.
The following are actual activities in which I’ve taken part or been involved with either under duress or voluntarily.
- I created, with help, the world’s largest bouquet of flowers, thus earning a Guinness Book World Record.
- I had to dress up as Mickey Mouse for a store grand opening event, except NOT in a Mickey Mouse costume but in an unlicensed mouse knock-off costume. The head smelled terrible. From the inside.
- I’ve had to pitch “not news” as news to media outlets because clients/the agency that gave me a paycheck demanded it.
- I
gave cigarettes to schoolchildren on playgrounds.did government relations work on behalf of a tobacco company. - I mailed (via the U.S. Postal Service) news releases printed on pink paper to media outlets across the country.
Sort of reads like a list of confessions, doesn’t it?
How about you? What ridiculous moments have you had on your work journey?
A follower from the field asked for some direction in creating a “good†summary for his LinkedIn profile. I was stunned at how long it took me to cull some great examples from the
 wealth of crap out there. Seriously people; don’t you care what people see about you online?
I tried to mix it up a bit, people in industries other than my own and both men and women. Take a look at the few I pulled; I’m curious to know your thoughts. A few were (as you’ll see below) written in third person which is NOT my preference.
From Jay Baer:
Jay Baer is a social media strategist, author and speaker and President of consultancy Convince & Convert.
Founder of five companies, he’s worked with over 700 brands since 1994, including 26 of the Fortune 1000.
His Convince & Convert blog is ranked among the world’s top marketing resources. He’s the co-author of the new book The Now Revolution: 7 Moves to Transform Your Business with Speed, Smarts & Social Media. He’s on Twitter as @jaybaer
From Tom Blue:
Tom Blue is an innovator, entrepreneur, blogger, life-long student of marketing and sales, and on occasion – a teacher of these subjects. Professionally, he is dedicated to assisting businesses in achieving growth through new initiatives and the design and execution of innovative marketing and business development programs.
He began his career in the marketing agency arena, playing a leadership role with Virginia-based database marketing firm Response Marketing Group and transitioned into the entrepreneurial realm in the mid-90s. He has since been instrumental in the launch of several new ventures related to healthcare, marketing, and technology.
A frequent speaker on the subjects of online and traditional marketing, business development, and new product launches, Tom has appeared on the Fox Morning Show, ABC News, CNet Live Radio, The New York Times, Industry Standard, WebProNews, Wired, and numerous other news programs and publications in connection with his work.
From Elizabeth Keserauskis:
A seasoned marketing strategist and communicator, my goal is to keep a steady stream (ok, fire hose blast!) of new business and marketing challenges in front of me. Though the bulk of my experience is in higher education, I have worked with B2B and B2C companies in a wide variety of fields.
My passion as a leader is to develop teams and create systems that empower organizations to the highest level of performance.
Most recently, my enthusiasm has taken me into the online retail sector where the power of reliable systems, passionate leadership, and a data-driven approach translates into creating a business that supplies high-quality, local food to thousands of customers.
From Amber Capron:
I love helping nonprofit organizations build partnerships and obtain funding so that they can carry out their mission and make a difference.
I understand the reality of working with nonprofits and the financial challenges that they face. I have insight into Virginia’s fundraising landscape, gained through my work as campaign manager and finance director for local, state and federal campaigns, and at statewide and national nonprofits. I also have experience developing and implementing communications strategies for multiple projects, with diverse audiences, including donors, members, subscribers, board members and industry stakeholders.
And perhaps my favorite, ever, from Dave Donohue:
Busy launching a company currently in stealth mode.
Any nominations for great summaries? Or really significantly terrible ones? (those are always fun to see, too).
Yesterday, I spoke to a group of business people about integrating social media tactics into business communications. One of the attendees expressed frustration because there are still members of her organization’s leadership that believe that “social media is the devil” and even, “this internet thing is a fad.”
It made me think of Dana Carvey as The Church Lady.
It also made me remember that when the telephone was invented people feared it. That electricity had to be an invention of the devil since it was associated with fire. Technophobia followed technology and our fear of loss of privacy has been closely associated with the concerns people have raised about social networking sites like Facebook.
If that’s really how some people feel, then by all means they should not use the technology; they should steer clear of the Internet and conduct all business in person.
Sometimes people don’t like what I have to say in social media presentations; on the issue of privacy and hacking: no, we’re not immune and no, there’s no 100% guarantee of security online. It’s the truth, though, and while the Internet is not evil and social media sites are nothing more than communications methods, it’s true that there are “bad people” in the world. Be smart, be safe, guard your private information by not sharing it online and using strong passwords and changing them often. It’s not all under our control, but for what is, manage it well.
[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/cvillemegan/status/120107323485196288″]
Poor Megan! I really felt bad when I read this tweet, because I am the last person to encourage anyone to be a workaholic!
I believe in balance; I believe in unplugging (yes I do!) and most of all, I believe in planning ahead.
I don’t work much on the weekends. Sometimes I sneak a little bit in, mostly reading and writing blog posts, but for the most part, I relax. I bake pies. I spend in-person time with friends and family. I shop. I go to the gym for inordinate amounts of time.
So it makes me sad that I left the impression with all that I do, that I must work seven days a week, when that just isn’t the case. I do stay connected using my smartphone, but even that gets set aside for large chunks of time over the weekend and even in the evening. I try to plan ahead. My goal is to publish a new blog post five times a week. That means if it’s not done by Friday, I may be writing on the weekend. If not, then Monday morning has an extra heap of work. I am a solo practitioner (with freelance team members to support client work). The marketing, management and engagement of this company rests on my shoulders, so I use scheduling, management tools and experience to help me stay ahead of it, without getting overwhelmed.
I write every day, even if that content isn’t published on the same day. I put everything on my Outlook calendar which syncs up with my Google calendar so my family is informed of my commitments. I even schedule time to work on certain projects, to help stay organized. Lately, my time at the gym is going on the calendar, too. If it’s planned, it’s much more likely to happen.
So no, Megan, you don’t need to work on the weekends, but you do need to schedule everything, to plan ahead and to use technology to support the work you do, by keeping your appearance online consistent and constant. Now go take some time off and tell your boss I said so.