PR Chicago

How to be interesting, redux

Russell Davies wrote a fascinating blog post in 2006 called "How to be Interesting." In short, he tells us that, to be interesting, we have to be interested in people, experiences, objects, music, art and literature and we should share our knowledge with others. It seems to me that Twitter, the modern-day version helps us to become interesting by enabling many of us to share opinions, information and sometimes some very funny observations. The Twitterverse also features lots of folks who bill themselves as Personal Branding Experts. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but maybe if we take some of Davies' post to heart, we won't need a branding guru.

Another Twitter dustup

A recent, and highly blogged and tweeted scuffle between a journalist and marketing professional points up the visibility of those seemingly harmless comments on Twitter. They just might come back to haunt you.

In short, journalist calls marketing person for info for a story; marketing person doesn't get to it until the next day, and when she does call there's a nasty exchange because she didn't get back to him right away. She tweets about it, he tweets back, etc. Everyone's taking sides, and mostly against the journalist, who unleashed multiple f-bombs on Twitter. Check out the story and comments here. 

Back in the day, we used to tell our clients that if they wanted something to be "off the record," they shouldn't say it. And that was in pre-Twitter and Facebook days. Now, people are busy recording every moment, from the mundane to the ridiculous, tossing off snarky comments and perhaps thinking that 1) no one cares and/or 2) no one is REALLY paying attention. Well, tell that to the Ketchum VP who tweeted a derogatory remark about the city in which a big client is headquartered.  People ARE paying attention.

If they can't find you, they can't fire you....

Back in my Big Agency days, one of my colleagues claimed that his extended absences for "client meetings" helped him save his job, despite the usual agency churn. "If they can't find you, they can't fire you," he said. I guess that's not true any more in these Crackberry times. Now, a more appropriate statement might be, "If they can't find you, they can't hire you." Even with the pervasiveness of social media, many folks refuse to venture in. Check out a possible hire on Google, and he or she may as well be wearing a Cloak of Invisibility.

Some thoughts: LinkedIn is a great place to start building a network of friends, colleagues and business acquaintances. You won't be best buddies with all of the folks in your LinkedIn contacts list, but they sure can help you with introductions to possible employers, and recommendations on your work. It's fun and it's free. Other similar sites include Plaxo and Naymz.

Get on Facebook with a profile, a photo and start inviting your friends. Soon enough, you'll be friends with some people you might just vaguely remember, but it's all good. You don't have to accept all invitations. Just remember, everyone can see this, so don't include photos with groups of drunken friends at a club, perhaps. Better to be businesslike than put people off with a show of tattoos and questionable wardrobe choices.

There are also some very informative sites out there with tips for job seekers as well as articles on PR tactics, tools and campaigns. Check out www.ragan.com and sign up for free. If you're a PRSA member, there are lots of resources available to you, including free webinars at www.prsa.org. It's important to know what the traditional and social media issues are out there, when your potential employer asks.