Public Relations Princess

Amanda the Panda My Guest on Public Relations Princess

Have I ever mentioned what a great place Des Moines, Iowa is? It's filled with the most amazing, caring people. This is truly what makes my life so special.

One of the best organizations we have is Amanda the Panda. It has a simple mission statement, yet, it's very powerful when you stop to think about it.

Amanda the Panda's mission is to restore grieving children and families back into the mainstream of their lives through innovative services that provide hope and healing.

It happens all too often, even in a civilized place like Iowa. Someone's parent, brother, sister or child is taken away in the blink of an eye. Someone's mom dies an untimely death due to disease. A drunk driver wipes a family off the map. One death has a ripple effect in a family that may never be properly addressed. Children have an especially hard time getting to their "new normal." Amanda the Panda helps these families pick themselves up and readjust. Life goes on, and they need to figure out how to keep on going without their missing family member.

Amanda the Panda offers services for children and their families, focusing on allowing the grieving process to take place, and then embracing the entire family and giving them the tools to move on. Amanda the Panda holds camps throughout the year for children, teens, college students and adults to allow them to gather together with people who understand what they're going through and to learn how to have fun without disrespecting their deceased family member.

Camp Amanda is the first and longest-running camp of its kind in the United States. Each year, more than 150 new campers attend, and new volunteers are needed to help make the camp run smoothly. Do you have a little time on your hands? Call Adonna, the best volunteer coordinator you'll ever meet.

Today, Amanda the Panda's Executive Director, Charlie Kiesling, and Adonna Mollenhauer will be my very special guests on the show. And Amanda the Panda herself will also be stopping by to hand out candy and meet people on the skywalk during the show. So stop by. We're at the Remax Real Estate Concepts Studios at the Kaleidoscope at the Hub. The show's on MacsWorldLive.com Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. Please join us!

Fake Facebook Profiles Are Bullying and Can Get You in BIG TROUBLE

In the world of teen bullying, cyberspace is the final frontier. Not only can you kill with words, but until recently, you can remain anonymous while doing it.

My own kids both experienced cyberbullying at least 8 years ago, before it even had a name. Theirs was through instant messaging, before MySpace and Facebook were options. The difference is huge. IM attacks were between two individuals. MySpace and Facebook bullying is infinitely more damaging.

A new case involves a fake Facebook profile that amassed more than 500 followers before it was taken down. Now, the mom of the victim has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her son, attempting to extract damages against the misguided individuals who posted the fake profile. While the offenders were most definitely in the wrong, and probably should be sued, I have to wonder what Facebook could have done to prevent this mindless incident.

One security measure I thought of: If more than one Facebook profile tracks back to a single IP address, then perhaps Facebook should require the cell phone number of the creator, and send that person a special code to unlock the page. I realize this method would not be fool proof, but it could feature one more explicit warning against fraud.

Is Facebook destined to be a graveyard for abandoned pages, or do you think the company will ever put resources toward preventing fraud and erasing junk pages? It would be nice for them boost their customer service level on this particular issue. From past experience with Facebook's customer service, the answer is almost always, "that is not a priority so we'll get to it when we get to it." For a company that continues to receive multi-million dollar infusions of cash, the answer is no longer acceptable.

Hyatt Fires All Housekeepers in Boston, But Not Before They Train Replacements

In a perfect world, your company's version of events would be heard and believed more than whatever someone else has to say. In Hyatt's world (of hurt), it doesn't matter one bit what the company says. The damage is already done. How to recover from a PR debacle?

Here's what happened. Hyatt has three "properties" in Boston that were taking an economic hit from the recession. Management of the hotels decided to replace the entire housekeeping force in the hotels and hire outsourced replacements, which of course, are cheaper in the short run.

Side note: I hate the word properties. It makes it seem like such a monopoly game, with little red hotels on Park Ave. and Indiana. These are workplaces, employers and destinations. Not properties.

Before the housekeepers were let go, the replacements came in and worked side-by-side with these folks, who were also then forced to essentially train the people who were taking their jobs. But here's the kicker: At first, the workers were told that the newbies were "vacation replacements." What a sick joke.

Of course, the story has reached national proportions, caused protests, and given Hyatt a huge black eye in the public relations department. The bottom line for me is this: Paying people a dollar an hour less to clean rooms is not the kind of cost savings that will allow you to keep a hotel's doors open. It's a drop in the bucket. 

Hyatt has come back with its own version of events, which may or may not be true. But guess what? It doesn't matter. The damage has been done and Hyatt needs to go into hypermode to reverse it.

What could Hyatt have done to prevent this PR nightmare? What can they do now to recover?

To prevent the situation, Hyatt should have:

1. Negotiated a temporary wage decrease or wage freeze with the unionized hotel workers
2. Imposed a temporary surcharge on guests for the shortfall in the budget
3. Communicated with all parties involved and brought them in from day one to help come up with solutions to the problem

To solve the situation and avoid a long-term branding in the most Democratic state in the union, Hyatt should:

1. Immediately reverse course and rehire all the workers and provide bonuses, thanking them for coming back
2. Make a corporate donation to the City of Boston's emergency homeless shelter to extend its message of true hospitality to the unfortunate, and
3. Apologize for the extreme lack of judgment shown and for the unnecessary displacement of the workers

Any short-term costs will be made up ten-fold in potential business retained. As of now, the public is in no mood to forget this callous incident and Hyatt will be the hotel kingdom's poster child of bad behavior.

Will this incident make you think twice before booking a room at a Hyatt?

Tom Rial, Iowa Sister States Board Member, My Guest on PRP Today

Iowa has a long history of international outreach and agricultural trade. These relationships have grown and deepened over the years to include cultural mission and true friendships between the people of Iowa and many other countries.

Iowa Sister States is a volunteer organization dedicated to connecting Iowans with the world community. Its mission is to provide international programs that
promote the interests of Iowa's citizens. Today an Iowa Sister States board member, Tom Rial, is coming in to the Remax Real Estate Concepts Studio to talk to me about the organization and its goals.

There are currently eight sister state relationships with Hebei, China; Veneto, Italy; Taiwan, Yucatan, Mexico, Yamanashi, Japan; Stavropol, Russia; Terengganu, Malaysia and Cherkasy, Ukraine.

Join us on the Internet air today at macsworldlive.com at 4:00 p.m. and listen to the discussion.

Tom Rial is Midwest Office Director for International Freight Transport, Inc and international Freight Forwarder and Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier. As an international freight forwarder Tom works with Midwest companies by arranging transportation logistics and documentation services for import and export cargo world-wide. Tom has 18 years of international business experience in trade and transportation starting his career with USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, as a business consultant and as Director of the Iowa Export Assistance Center at the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Tom currently serves as Treasurer for the Iowa Sister States and as Chair of the Iowa-Stavropol Russia Sister State Committee. Tom is a member of the Iowa Lottery Board Authority and past Chair of the Wallace House Foundation and Iowa Food Policy Council. Tom lives in Des Moines with his wife Kymberley and five children.

PR Practitioners: Still Hiding From Social Media, I See.....

(Image credit: Bobby's Blog)

I follow several excellent public relations professionals on Twitter and Facebook. It never ceases to amaze me how much these people share with the larger community. For example, Todd Defren at Shift and his blog PR Squared provides thought leadership from an agency's perspective. My friend Barbara Nixon teaches PR at Georgia Southern and writes a blog that should be any PR student's online bible. Always relevant and timely, Peter Himler keeps me in touch with what's going on in the Big City.

What do these folks have in common? They've mastered the art of using social media to point people to their online content. This is the best use of social media in PR.

So if these accomplished professionals are doing this for themselves, all PR professionals need to learn from this playbook. Social media is an AMPLIFIER of your message. It is not THE MESSAGE.

Every time I speak with groups of PR professionals, I get sheepish admissions. They seem compelled to tell me where they are at, mentally, with social media. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. I don't have anything to say
2. I don't have time for this
3. My company blocks social media sites
4. My clients don't pay attention to social media
5. I am not allowed to express my personal opinion

Ok, fine. Not everyone can spend time blogging or updating Facebook or Twitter all day. I get that. But that is not what some of the most successful people in the space are doing. They're successful because they see social media as a long-term reality. They also publish original thinking and content. They share their own experiences. They tell stories.

Our job is to tell stories. If we can't tell our own, why should someone hire us to tell theirs?

Please follow @peterhimler, @tdefren and @barbaranixon and tell them I sent you. And stop making excuses.

Drake Journalism Students My Guests on PRP Wednesday, Sept 16

As if I needed another reason to be proud of Drake Journalism School students, I'm now proud to tell you that they had a big part in publicizing the recent "Hubbell Extreme" event that has been held in Des Moines this past week.

Rachael Nauen and Josie Berg-Hammond will be on the show Wednesday the 16th, representing the J-school at Drake, who participated in the event by managing the social media component for volunteer communicators.

It seems like the project was very successful from a work standpoint. The project was supposed to take nine days and only took seven and a half to complete. Rachael and Josie will be joining me while their fellow students attend the closing ceremonies at the work site.

Tune in at 4:00 Wednesday to hear all about the project, Drake's involvement, and what it's like to be a student at Drake in this wacky new social media world. There's still time to follow the @hubbellextreme feed on Twitter. But if you just turn on Channel 8 tomorrow, I'm sure you're see them too!

You can listen to this show online at www.macsworldlive.com from 4-5 p.m. Central time.

Top Ten Reasons Healthcare Reform Needs a Public Option

Ok people. The PR Princess is taking a day off and allowing Soapbox Princess out to play today. Sometimes, in life and in business, you need to take a risk. But the risk is worth it to me if our nation ends up with a healthcare bill that covers most Americans, ends random and discriminatory business practices, and most importantly, saves lives.

President Obama is allowing his leadership on this issue to be taken over by special interest groups. If I were his executive coach I would remind him how much influence the bully pulpit of the presidency carries and urge him to take the fight to the mattresses. His campaign staff and volunteers are reminding him of their sacrifice in these ads, which are truly grassroots efforts, unlike the astroturfing of the far right.

So, without further ado, Soapbox Princess presents the Top Ten Reasons We Need a Public Option in the Health Care Bill:

1. Automatic coverage: Every U.S. Citizen would have health coverage simply by virtue of citizenship. This would eliminate costly door-to-door campaigns to make sure everyone signs up. If you become ill or injured and haven't signed up, you are allowed to fill out a simple registration form at the hospital or clinic you show up at.
2. Cost savings: During Medicare drug coverage plan debate, our elected leaders allowed the pharmaceutical industry to continue to fleece the public by not insisting on discounts to the Medicare program on prescription drugs. A public option would create the largest group of insureds in the U.S. and therefore the group with largest bargaining power. By the way, the pharmaceutical industry hasn't stopped trying to fleece us.
3. Human Dignity: In a rare and beautiful moment, the Obama administration and the Pope actually agree on something. People can't help it when they get sick or in an accident. Only the luckiest among us roam the earth unscathed from an unplanned trip to the hospital sometime in our lives. It simply amazes me that a lot of the loudest protesters consider themselves to be Christian, yet have no problem knowing that millions of their fellow Americans are suffering due to lack of affordable health care? WWJD? Hmmm, let me guess!
4. Electronic medical records: In this digital age, it is amazing that a proven cost-saving and life-saving technology is still the exception rather than the norm. Using electronic records would also allow doctors and researchers to share outcomes and treatment breakthroughs with each other much more efficiently and quickly.
5. Spending priorities: So, let me get this straight. It's OK to spend over a trillion dollars on an unnecessary war that has killed more than 5,000 Americans and disrupted millions of lives, but it's not OK to spend a trillion on health care? Someone's going to have to explain that one to me like I'm a two year old.
   
6. Monopolies: In places like Iowa, there are only two major companies controlling just about everything. We have the behemoth, Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and we have John Deere Health United Health Care. (edit thanks to my concervative friend Louie Laurent who keeps me honest) Those two alone insure 80% of all Iowans. And as I found out earlier this year, when my 19-yo daughter was denied coverage by Wellmark due to a "pre-existing condition," I found out they are very choosy about who they cover, for any price. A public option would disrupt monopolies and force these companies to compete on price, just like any other business.
7. Economic development: The U.S Chamber of Commerce is supporting health care reform, as are small businesses, big businesses, non-profits, unions, the AARP, and public entities of all shapes and sizes. Why? The inability to provide affordable coverage for employees hampers business development and expansion efforts all over the country.
8. Untie access to health care from employment: The United States has this oddity: You only deserve affordable health care if you work for an employer that offers it? Think about how asinine that entire concept is. What about businesses that lay off employees or go out of business? What if you are too sick to work? What if you have a great idea for a new business and want to venture out on your own?
9. Patchwork regulations around the country: There are as many rules as there are states and companies operating within the states. A public option with one set of rules and simple reimbursement forms would save billions in paper shuffling costs.
10. Affordability: When I had the option to continue my health insurance through COBRA, my premium would have been more than my house payment. There is just something fundamentally wrong with that. Public coverage would spread the costs out to a larger pool of people and prevent them from being dropped. I pay taxes too, and if I could choose where to put my tax dollars, it would be on providing health care to all Americans. Also, there are millions of uninsured people that would be willing to pay for affordable health care, but are locked out of the system.

There you have it. My healthcare manifesto. Please share with your friends and neighbors. I'd love to hear your comments. Now, I have to pick out my outfit for tonight's Obama healthcare speech. C'mon, President Obama, you have millions of Americans out here waiting for the change you promised.

Public Relations Princess Movin' Downtown! Angela Maiers My Special Guest

Who is this beautiful woman on my blog, you may be asking yourself???

Angela Maiers is one of those people who you notice when she walks into a room. She has more kinetic energy than a poltergeist! And more shoes than Imelda Marcos, but that's another post!

Sit down and talk to her for five minutes, and you will soon be in the front row of a fascinating presentation. The subject: Educating educators.

Angela's life's work is about disrupting the status quo. She proves that educators are still the front line of the future. Keeping them motivated and equipped with the latest classroom technology trends is part of her mission. She also teaches them how to reach students in different ways.

Besides traveling the country giving seminars for teachers, she is also a wife and mom here in Iowa. And she'll be my first guest in our new ReMax studio downtown in the skywalk. So if you're the in neighborhood, stop by and say hi! Angela and I will be on the air at MacsWorldLive.com Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. Central Time. The new studio is located on the skywalk at the Kaleidoscope at the Hub at 7th and Walnut, across the hall from Palmer's Deli.

Angela is proud of her 20-year career in education, especially the years she spent as a classroom teacher. Angela is currently working as an independent consultant dedicated and committed to helping DOE’s, schools, districts and teachers reach their goals in all forms of online and offline literacy and literacy education. Her most current book, Classroom Habitudes, can be found on Amazon.com

Blog – http://www.angelamaiers.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/angelamaiers
Friendfeed – http://friendfeed.com/angelamaiers

Mike Sansone My Guest on PRP Today

Mike Sansone, the "Don" (think Godfather, not Henley) of social media, Brother Bread, blog coach extraordinaire, social mediatician... I could go on... is my guest today on my Internet radio show, Public Relations Princess. Tune in at 4 p.m. CDT at macsworldlive.com to listen.

I met Mike in 2006 when I was looking for someone to help me get my blog to the next level. Back then, I was blogging about my kids, to make my boyfriend jealous and about my "top 100 things to do before I die" list. It was doing nothing to build my credibility as a public relations practitioner or an expert in social media.

Mike suggested that I transfer my passion for writing to a more professional blog. At first, I stubbornly clung to my old blog and only occasionally posted on PR Princess. But soon, the logic of his reasoning began to sink in and I have now completely switched to only occasionally blogging on my old personal blog. PR Princess has enabled me to establish a firm presence for my business, gave me the opportunity to teach Internet marketing and social media, start my own business, and provided a home base for my radio show, too.

Bloggers are some of the most creative people I know. For those of us who's passion is writing, blogging is a very logical creative outlet. I can't paint, sing or dance, but I can blog. Mike showed me how to direct my passion into a lucrative business, and I've made dozens of friends along the way.

This silly picture of Mike and me was taken at the very first SOBCON07 in Chicago. The pose was spontaneous and unrehearsed. That tells you that Mike and I are both very goofy at heart! Mike stopped "officially" coaching me a long time ago, but he's still there for advice and the occasional friendly suggestion.

Mike's blog, Converstations, is a veritable feast of information on blogging and social media. Mike is a blogging artist. He has perfected it and everyone, from beginner to expert can learn a lot by just reading it. I highly suggest that you subscribe via RSS, either in a feed reader or via email.

Editorial and Advertising Departments Should Be Separate

Being a newspaper reporter looks like a fun job. You get to shape the day's coverage, talk to interesting people, sell ads for your paper....(screeching noise) What?

Yeah, you heard me right. Some unscrupulous newspapers have taken a turn for the worse. I guess it's nice to have a reporter return your phone call, but when they say, "Buy an ad" instead of "great story idea," it's a little depressing. I would rather hear a no.

The great thing about reading an article in the business section of the paper is knowing that the reporter who wrote it is a neutral arbiter of the story. They don't have any outside motivation to say anything nice about your book, product or service. They most likely will have done their homework and confirmed things that have been said to them in the pitch.What the reader gets, in most cases, is an unbiased story, told for their benefit. The purpose is supposed to be to inform the reader of a new business in their community, a new product that they may want to try out, or a problem that a business has solved with their product or service.

But what happens when the newspaper abuses its control and power? I say the iron curtain of separation between editors and reporters and the advertising department has become a sheer wisp of a cotton cloth blowing in the breeze.

Everyone knows that ad revenues are down. The news is depressing. But what would compel readers to buy more newspapers? I dare to say that compelling content is the cure, not more ads.

This week, I had the disconcerting experience of having a respected daily newspaper in Iowa try to sell an ad to me after I pitched them a very relevant and timely business story. I did not just fall off the PR turnip truck yesterday. I know a good pitch from a bad one. My client's story has already received enthusiastic coverage from many other sources, so I know it's a good one. My client's product is new, innovative, and knowing about it benefits the reader.

Advertising is not the best way to promote some products. Public relations and editorial content provides information seekers another resource. It is distinctly different from advertising, and newspaper readers know the difference.

I think this is exactly why social media has risen to prominence. Social media is all about content, which is one of the reasons it is taking over mass media as a resource for people looking for information.

Kudos to those newspapers and other media outlets that have resisted the urge to use their connection to PR professionals as simply another source of income. I hope that others aren't naive enough to fall for this bait and switch technique. It's unethical to say the very least.