Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 18, 2012

Erin Feldman is the marketing communications manager at TouchSystems , a touch screen company based in Hutto, Texas. Her background is in marketing and creative writing, and she riffs about writing right at her blog, Write Right (so write right, don’t make her use her red pen). She spends the rest of her time writing poetry, drawing, reading, and running.

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Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

After surpassing 1 billion users this past month, Facebook has become an institution that appears to have some staying power. But there is a lingering issue that threatens Facebook’s dominance even more than advertising revenue and stockholder discontent. When Kathy Savitt was named CMO of Yahoo, a lot was written about her obsession with Generation Z (the generation born post 1990 or so).

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Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 20, 2012

It’s official. The biggest news in the history of social media took place Friday when Facebook had its IPO, becoming the biggest social name ever to join the public market. Its $108 Billion offering came in as the 3rd largest ever (behind Visa and Enel), so the day was significant not only for social media types but also for market watchers. What has surprised me a bit is the amount of negative comments in the Facebook conversation.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 24, 2012

Guest post by Kate Endress. Facebook has been struggling since its IPO in May. Its stock has been almost cut in half, GM dropped a $10M ad deal, and Google is nipping at its heels with the purchase of Wildfire. Facebook was not initially built to monetize; it was built to go viral. The company is betting on huge advertising growth in the next five years, and many people, including myself, are skeptical.

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Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

I got an interesting question from someone I know (name withheld on request) recently. I was asked: “I would like to reach out and connect with a professional contact that I have made via Twitter/Facebook /LinkedIn. Do you have any suggestions on how to approach a such a contact without appearing to be ‘Facebook stalking’?” Hmm, I thought to myself.

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Waxing UnLyrical

MARCH 26, 2012

One of the most fun projects I’ve worked on recently was Oxfam America’s (OA) International Women’s Day (IWD) 2012 campaign. The project. You might remember my telling you about this ; long story short, we were asked to provide digital support for the campaign; specifically, to engage bloggers with the goal of raising awareness for the campaign and the work that OA does to empower women around the globe.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 2, 2012

So what did you do last weekend? Partied? Slept all day? Relaxed? Took the kids & wife to the Mall? I’m sure whatever you did was interesting but I… … I attended Startup Weekend in New Delhi. Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 12, 2012

Monday, Oct. 15, will see me complete six months since I started at MSL Washington DC. I know many of you have wondered how I’ve been doing, and honestly, there’s no short answer to that question (though if you pressed me, I’d say “mostly good”). I’ve been (am) busy, and tired (oh, so tired!). And a few realizations keep coming to me, as I continue to settle into my new life.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 9, 2012

As public relations professionals, there are a lot of different kinds of things we have to do, and not all of them are fun. But last week, I had the opportunity to attend (completely by accident) a World Food Programme event at the State Department , where Hillary Clinton, Christina Aguilera and David Novak (Yum! Brands… and how ironic is it that he’s the only person for whom I felt the need to attach an affiliation?

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Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 4, 2012

I don’t believe in ghosts. I know, that seems rather snappy and off-handed to say, so immediately like that, but I don’t. I’m not saying I don’t have views on the universe, spirituality, whatever …. I just don’t believe in ghosts. So I’m not the kind of guy who says that you will be able to reach out and posthumously communicate with people… unless, of course, I thought that there was really a way to do something like that.

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Waxing UnLyrical

APRIL 5, 2012

I have to start with the caveat that this title is not original. I recently had the opportunity to participate in an amazing Tweetchat ( PRStudChat ) for public relations students, professionals, and professors with this exact name. For one hour, dozens of folks from around the world weighed in with their thoughts and perceptions. And, as usual, I learned a heck of a lot more than I contributed!

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Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 13, 2012

Guest post by Marcia Zellers. Some of us follow the current; some of us prefer to swim upstream. I have never had much interest in the status quo, and I get a particular charge out of trying to spot the blurry opportunities hiding behind society’s clear-cut edges. Tootzypop , the lifestyle blog I founded for savvy women over 40 , is no exception. We’re growing, and I’m convinced we’re onto something – our readers tell us all the time how much they look forward to their “daily Tootzypop” …

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Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Guest post by Geoff Livingston. The concept of converging media continues to heat up, most notably with marketers discussing the dynamics of blending paid, owned and earned media. While the paid, owned and earned concept has been circulated for quite a while now, it’s becoming a common part of the marketing strategist’s vocabulary. Paid, owned and earned really provides a budgetary view of how marketers approach media selection.

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Waxing UnLyrical

JANUARY 13, 2012

A few months ago, I came across Nancy Davis ‘ Letter to my Younger Self. It was very touching, and I promised her I would write such a post myself. Seeing as how my birthday is approaching (Sunday!), this is it. Dear 18-year-old Shonali, Right now, you’re wondering if your life is over, now that you’re almost out of your teens. As your 40-something self, I can tell you that it’s not… in fact, in terms of experience, you haven’t even been born yet.

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Waxing UnLyrical

MARCH 12, 2012

The big story last week was Invisible Children’s 30-minute film on Joseph Kony. I mean, you just couldn’t get away from it. I was fascinated; not by the video so much (which I agree was beautifully produced), but by the amount of conversation it generated. So I talked to a few of my colleagues in the nonprofit world, all powerhouse professionals, to get their take on a couple of things.

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Waxing UnLyrical

AUGUST 14, 2012

I recently spent the bulk of the day on Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest and the other “usual suspects” marveling at how incredibly much information flows between people around the world by the second. Two separate posts by public relations professionals, though, caught my attention and brought my feet back to earth. The first was an interview in eMarketer Daily newsletter with the eminently wise Brian Solis , in which he emphasized the human side of online communication.

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Waxing UnLyrical

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

So… looking through this blog, I realized that this is the fourth Valentine’s Day Waxing UnLyrical’s been around … can I get a W00t?! W00t!!! Last year, I wrote about injecting the Valentine’s Day spirit into social media , and I really didn’t want to write a hackneyed version of what I’m sure will be several such posts out today.

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Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Guest post by Jennifer Windrum. NoMo is the ringleader of “SMAC! – Sock Monkeys Against Cancer”, a gang of monkeys that provides tangible support to those with cancer, reminding them no one fights it alone. Right now, NoMo is just a prototype. But, with your help, NoMo and his SMAC! buddy, Phoenix, can soon be in the hands of those with/impacted by cancer to help them SMAC!

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Waxing UnLyrical

MARCH 23, 2012

Like it or not, if you administer at least one Facebook Page, you’re trying to get ready to face the music next Friday. Because that’s the day – March 30 – when its new Timeline format will go live on all brand/business pages. I actually opted to switch my business Page over to the new Timeline when it was offered to me, and overall, I like the format a lot.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 19, 2012

I returned a couple of days ago to the DC area after a whirlwind trip to San Francisco and the 2012 PRSA International Conference. I hope I’ll have the time/mind space to write more about my experience(s) there, but this is something I’ve been thinking about, and wanted to share. Crowded mart, crowded mind. There are a ton of conferences that take place.

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Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 19, 2012

This is a true story. I received this email about a month ago. Now, I’m used to getting bad pitches on a regular basis (which is an extremely sad thing to admit as a state of regularity for the public relations industry), but this one made even my jaw drop: Hello, My name is and I am the current intern at __. I was wondering/hoping you could tell me who is in charge of receiving press releases having to do with the garment and accessories industry?

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Waxing UnLyrical

AUGUST 1, 2012

It all began when Michelle Quillin re-tweeted a recent post of mine. It was about remembering to use the headline and first lines to keep readers compelled to read, old and new. A follower of hers read it, and tweeted in reply, “That made me want to vomit.” I was totally at sea. Michelle asked him why. The points he tweeted back basically amounted to just one: social media cannot be used to sell anything, so why deceive people with tips to help them do that?

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Waxing UnLyrical

JULY 18, 2012

What do you get when you combine a U.S. Army Veteran, a Yale graduate, an investor, an entrepreneur and a gourmet food truck pioneer? The answer: Jeff Kelley. No, he isn’t five different people, he is just one person, and one extremely interesting person at that. I first met Jeff Kelley at UnCurbed DC, “a traveling restaurant that brings the enjoyment of the food truck experience off the curb and into various vacant spaces.”.

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Waxing UnLyrical

DECEMBER 20, 2012

This post will depress all the Facebook Ninjas who’ve drunk the Facebook Koolaid. Image via niallkennedy on Flickr, CC 2.0. I have been working with a new client since July. They are a service business. One that could have a vibrant Facebook community, if they could just get to that point. It is a new business with no name recognition apart from the founders… and that too, just in their industry.

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Waxing UnLyrical

JANUARY 24, 2012

While perusing my Facebook stream the other day, I came across this article on Business Insider. Its title alone (What PR People Really Think Of Journalists) told me the article was link bait. What it didn’t tell me was that in attempting to “end” a decades, if not centuries, old rivalry, is that it would make every public relations pro look like an immature jerk.

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Waxing UnLyrical

APRIL 30, 2012

There’s a lot of advice for small business owners to learn to say no. To prioritize our workloads, to avoid hastily jumping into activities without a plan for gain. It’s hard to follow that advice, especially when we most need it. And when launching a business – swamped with to-dos, events, and life – we always need it. As we grow, we set patterns: busy periods and way-too-much-time-for-Twitter periods, and rinse-and-repeat activities that build and cement our business a

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Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 15, 2012

So, you know how I was in New Orleans last week for Counselors Academy ? You already know I had a terrific time and learned so much. But one of the reasons I was really excited to be going was that I’d be able to catch up with Gini Dietrich , who has become a dear friend of mine even though we only met IRL a year ago… and get a (free) copy of the book she’s co-authored with Geoff Livingston , Marketing in the Round.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 10, 2012

I’ve been known to “occasionally” jump on my soapbox to rail against everything from students’ inability to write coherent sentences to public transit systems’ inability to provide anything vaguely resembling “service.”. I’ve also been “gently” encouraged to “ease up on your expectations, Kirk” by any number of professional colleagues…as well as students.

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Waxing UnLyrical

APRIL 19, 2012

Since making the journey from Australia to New York, I continue to be blown away by the use of social media communication by brands and businesses, and the hyper-connected nature of their communities. This was taken to a whole new level recently during a birthday dinner for my friend at downtown restaurant Lowcountry. What set this experience apart as the greatest social media-friendly dining experience I’ve had?

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Waxing UnLyrical

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

So you got the job … now what? This is something we all have to deal with, or have dealt with, at some point. It’s exciting to start a new job, but you want to make sure you start off right, don’t you? After all, so often how you start is a precursor for how your career will go. Tomorrow night, from 8-9 pm CT (9-10 pm ET), Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon , who created the #HAPPO hashtag ( Help a PR Pro Out) and chat, are bringing back this terrific Twitter chat to help you out.

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Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

I realize I haven’t told you much about my goings-on of late. So here they are, in case you can make any of them: This Friday, Sept. 21 , I’ll be leading a post-conference workshop for attendees of ALI’s “Social Media for Government Communicators” conference on (what else?) PR and social media measurement. If by some chance you are one of the folks registered for my workshop, do let me know!

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Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 27, 2012

Finally! I have a new car! It took me just 24 hours to gather advice from my friends and family and decide which car to buy (unlike how my dad used to endlessly agonize over the same decision). Social tools have helped break down barriers between people, and information sharing has become far easier and quicker. These days, it moves really quickly… we now get to know about earthquakes around the world on social media platforms even before the news reaches broadcasters.

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Waxing UnLyrical

DECEMBER 21, 2012

I’m sure this will come as a ginormous surprise for all of you…. I love what I do for a living. For you “newcomers” to Waxing UnLyrical, I’m a public relations professional now teaching the next generation(s) of PR pros. Sometimes I say, “Been there; done that.” But that’s not true. The “that” that I did has changed and continues to change dramatically.

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Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Guest post by Jessica Torres. A year and a half ago, I started a blog about my pet guinea pigs called Cavy Savvy. Originally, I wanted a way to test the SEO techniques I was learning about at work, and having a hobby blog just seemed like a fun way to do so. I never knew it would one day receive over 13.5K pageviews a month and have 105 loyal followers without me ever paying for PPC advertising (Organic traffic FTW!).

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Waxing UnLyrical

MARCH 21, 2012

Last week I was in Orlando, Fla., speaking to the PRSA chapter on measurement. No, I didn’t go to Disney World, but I did have a terrific time. And I realized that while I speak and teach often on practical measurement for public relations, I haven’t really written about it here at WUL all that much. Not good. So here’s my approach.

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Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Erin Feldman is a writing coach at Write Right. Her background is in marketing communications and creative writing. When she isn’t busy helping people tell their stories, she spends her time writing poetry, drawing, reading, and running. You just read Toon Time: There’s No Place Like Home , originally posted on Waxing UnLyrical , published by Shonali Burke.

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Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 17, 2012

Guest post by Sue O’Hora. Video is a wonderful tool for telling a compelling story. It can be valuable for SEO , useful as a straight-forward marketing tool , and increase the reach of your message via social media in countless ways. That said, one of the challenges a number of my clients face is a desire to use video but a very limited budget with which to work.

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