Unemployment Be Gone!

Oh, happy day! Angels rejoice, children sing, bank account replenish!

I am a full-time employee! Alas, my adventures in networking lunches, freelance public relations, and online social networking in Charlotte have resulted in the big J-O-B.

Many thanks to North Carolina State University (whose views I do not represent on this blog :) for extending a generous offer and creating this partnership - my love for the ACC has grown exponentially going into this March!

"Thank you speeches" aside, the past four months have taught me a lot. Life's basic lessons are often known but not fully understood until you've experienced them. For example:

• Life is not always "fair" - far more experienced individuals than myself have unwillingly contributed to our nations' 8.1 percent unemployment rate.
  
• Everything DOES happen for a reason (though we most often have no clue why).
• The most important things in life are your health and your family. Period.
• Things can almost always be worse...you're reading this post are you not?
  
• We are our own best hope. Translation: Networking and self branding are critical components of the journey to a job.

"Don't give up, don't ever give up." - Jim Valvano

"Off the Record" Does Not Exist

The latest and greatest example of why celebrities, businesses, individuals - heck, anybody for that matter - should never, ever assume that a communication is "off the record": Alex Rodriguez asks Katie Couric for advice.

Katie Couric stated on the Late Show with David Letterman Monday night that A-Rod called her and at one point asked, "What team do you think I should play for?" Alex originally called Katie to apologize for lying to her about his steroids use during a 60 Minutes interview in December 2007.

OK, this is one of those times when a person (A-Rod) offered inside information to a trusted media contact (Katie Couric) in what he likely assumed was an "off the record" conversation.

Lesson Learned
Write this down: "Off the record" does NOT exist. Period.

It doesn't matter if you and the reporter have an "agreement" worked out. It doesn't matter if it's an email or a Twitter message. It doesn't even matter if it's a call to an old media friend asking for advice or catching up. You never, EVER assume anything is off the record. Why? That's right, because off the record doesn't exist. It is a figment of your imagination. Wishful thinking. Sound byte bait. Don't let you, or your clients, bite into it.

Oh, just so you know, a lack of response IS a response, which is never what? Off the record!

This is a critical lesson in public relations and media training 101. Read it, learn it, live it.

On the record: Alex Rodriguez needs some major image management and public relations help.

- Justin Moore, Charlotte, NC
............................................................................................
FOX Sports' take on Alex Rodriguez asking Katie Couric for career advice.

Charlotte Snow Storm Illuminates Twitter Benefits

"Winter Storm '09," as the latest winter weather system was so simplistically named, dumped half a foot or more of rain, sleet and snow on much of the Charlotte area Sunday night. Typical of the below-freezing fallout in this part of the country, people freaked. Rightfully so in some instances: Duke Energy reported as many as 185,000 power outages in NC Monday.

Information and communication are critical in times of emergency, be it weather related or otherwise. We need to know the facts; the when, where, how much, what the $%&* is going on, and everything else. Social media like Twitter are ideal platforms for real-time communication with customers, friends, media, businesses, government, etc. Some organizations are participating, some haven't caught on yet.

That said, here are 10 Charlotte area "Emergency Tweeps" to follow, because you just never know...

• Duke Energy Storm updates - @DukeEnergyStorm
  
• Fox Charlotte - @FOXCharlotte
• Charlotte Weather - @cltweather
• The Charlotte Observer - @theobserver
• The Weather Channel - @TWCi
• Charlotte Traffic - @cltraffic
• News14 Weather - @CharlotteWX
  
• WCNC News - @WCNC
• US Airways - @USAirways (not using this medium to the max)
• Lowe's Home Improvement - @Lowes (another good one that could provide more updates: Winter weather tips, sold-out items, generator supply/prices, etc.)

• And one more to really keep in mind in a few months: The National Hurricane Center - @NHC_NOAA

If you're like me, you're wondering why these folks below AREN'T on Twitter. Listen up list, you have followers in waiting, get a move on!

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (and other area systems)
  
• Charter Communications
• NC Department of Transportation
  
• Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
• City of Charlotte

I may have missed a few, or maybe these organizations are on Twitter and I overlooked them. Hey, I'm human :) What other organizations would be ideal on Twitter during an emergency? Leave a comment with suggestions or corrections and I'll add to/republish a list of emergency-related groups in the Charlotte area that are/need to be on Twitter.

The more inclusive a list we can develop, the better off we'll all be! Stay in touch, stay warm, and most of all, stay informed!

PRSA Charlotte Hosts Peter Shankman

Kudos to the Charlotte social media scene for showing up in numbers at PRSA Charlotte's luncheon with Peter Shankman today.

Shankman, founder of The Geek Factory and the famous (at least in PR circles) and free Help a Reporter Out (HARO) service, gave a fun and informative presentation on the past, present and future of social media and communications.

In case you missed it, here are some key summary points from my copious notes:

• "Viral" marketing is when something is good enough for others to trust and share.
  
• Talk to your audiences! Don't waste opportunities to become a resource.
• Newspapers are NOT dying; condensing and evolving perhaps, but not dying...
• ...thus we all must work to make information available to our audiences when and how they wish to receive it and provide what they're interested in. Be relevant.
  
• Privacy as we know it is dead - get used to the fact that everything I, you, we do is on the record.
• Refer to Mashable's Top 20 Social Networks and register now (even if you don't use them, claim your spot/name). Check out 12seconds as well - next "big one."

Four keys to being a successful business communicator today:

• Transparency - as it sounds, tell your clients, investors, employees, etc. what's going on!
  
• Relevance - Research, research, research! Tell people things they're interested in/report on.
  
• Brevity - max 5 lines w/ no attachment in media emails.
  
• Top of Mind Presence - it's good to say "Hello" sometimes without an ulterior motive.
  

My experience today also confirmed that a) Large amounts of the PR/communication field in Charlotte are using Twitter, and b) Those that aren't using Twitter likely should. Twitter certainly isn't for all businesses or individuals, but from a personal networking and trust/brand building perspective, Twitter = Priceless.

Finally, some resourceful contacts on Twitter from today:

• @PRSACharlotte (Charlotte chapter) and @brandonuttley
  
• @lisahoffman
  
• @jakrose
  
• @fredsexton
• @scotthepburn
• @philiptater (Philip Tate)
• @tjustinmoore (Had to do it...)
• @skydiver (Peter Shankman)

P.S. I shamelessly "borrowed" PRSA Charlotte's logo above. It fit the bill and I included it in my footnotes :)

"Our best thoughts come from others." ~ Emerson

Help People Find Your Web Site for Pup's Sake!

The last time I checked, the purpose of your business web site was to make money. Either through direct online sales (eCommerce) or new business acquisition, your web site is your ultimate sales tool.

Web sites do not sustain themselves, however. If you don't give mysite.com some TLC on a regular basis, it won't sustain your business either.

Allow me to clarify this hardened fact with a soft and cuddly example:

Imagine your dog just had puppies - if you don't have a dog, indulge me. A litter of beautiful golden retriever pups that are just the cutest things you've ever seen. The little girl puppy with the white mark on her paw is one of a kind!

Reality check: You've got a full house and an empty wallet, so you understandably need to sell some of them to good homes. How do you do that?

Not a trick question. You tell people! More specifically, you tell people you think will be interested in buying puppies or who may know people that will be interested in buying puppies. You create fliers with contact info and puppy pics. You update your Facebook status to say "Puppies for sale!" In short, you help people in the puppy-buying market find your puppies.

Marketing concepts are no different online. You still have to help the right audiences find your business to make sales, period.

Now to tie it all together: Having a web site does your business no good if nobody knows about it or - here's the kicker - people can't search for and find your web site.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, helps your target audiences find you online. Why is that important? Think of how you look for a specific service or product (like a puppy) - you Google it. Heck, most people do.

Pew Internet & American Life Project report 81 percent of people research a product online that they are considering purchasing. Bottom line: If they can't Google you (70+ percent of online searches), they won't buy your puppies.

By helping the people that want your product find it, whether it's a puppy or not, you're bringing pre-qualified traffic to your doorstep.

Some basic SEO steps:

• Identify the situation - your goals, messages, target audience(s)
• Develop keywords/key phrases - if you think you have these already, match them against your messages and audiences. Do they make the most sense? Can you compete for them??
  
• Perform a web site audit - review your site to measure the current level of optimization based on your messages, audiences and keywords/key phrases
  
• Take action - develop optimized content, create attractive and relevant source codes, and make your site more dynamic by starting a blog, newsletter, etc.
• Engage public relations - take your optimized web site and business to new audiences in a credible and compelling manner - marry SEO & PR
  

Check out SEO Chat for quick web site optimization Q&A's, or SEO Pro Book for a helpful, easy to read, and decently priced how-to/intro SEO book.

Good luck selling your puppies!