Lately, I’ve been focusing more on my offline life and neglecting my google reader, and as a result, neglecting you.
Between work and everything else, I spend a crazy amount of time online, so I am not sad about shifting focus, but the truth is that a lot of your posts and comments enhance my offline life when it comes to thoughts and discussion about PR, Marketing, Advertising, Politics, Volunteering, Health, being a Gen Y-er/Millenial, and just living in these times.
Today, I am renewing my vows to my reader, myself and you. If you’re linked here, you’re in my reader and I’m saying thank you, please keep writing! (And if you’re not linked here, and you think I would like your posts, include your blog address in a comment or email me james.walker@prprescriptions.com.)
I think everyone should write at least 1 book in their lifetime. For the last six months, I’ve really been thinking about getting my first book started.
My current focus on this has come from the slew of grad and law school essays that I’ve looked over for friends recently. I have known some of these people for 3, 4, 5 years and learned more about them from those 2-3 pgs than from any conversation that we had since we met. You could say that says something about the breadth and depth of our conversations, but I think it says something about society and how few of us really share our stories.
It may sound crazy, but I love people- meeting new people, engaging in conversation, people watching, trying to figure out what makes us do what we do, learning people’s stories and sharing my own. Being in PR in DC, I regularly go to a lot of media and tech networking events or meetups. Often when I meet people and we have not been formally introduced, I say: “What’s your story?”
Not everyone knows how to take this question. I blame my English 11 professor, who introduced me to my now favorite genre- biographies, for this gift/curse of a fascination. Aside from the typical DC “what’s your name, where do you work, what do you do,” I’m trying to learn your story, what makes you YOU?
At this point in my life, a lot of what makes me ME involves being a Gen-Yer, my transition into the real world, my thoughts about how things will work out, so I am not surprised that I came up with this video when Twenty Something Bloggers asked me this:
“Film yourself answering the following questions:
1. If you wrote an autobiography of your life in your 20s so far, what would the first chapter be called? What would the last chapter be called?”
When I first heard of Blog Action Day 2008, I knew I had to take part, but I didn’t know what I could do or if there was anything in particular that I could say regarding Poverty to really make a difference.
I spent a couple weeks thinking about it and ended up doing a self-evaluation, looking at who I am, what my passions are and actions I’ve taken to those ends. Going to see Call+Response definitely helped me along this path.
If anyone asked me to pick two topics that I’m extremely passionate about, without blinking, I’d say Health and Education. I was raised by a phenomenal woman who has spent 25+ years teaching in the NYC Dept of Education, and I had the true PRIVILEGE of getting a great education both in and out of the classroom. My education led me to the start of my career in health care communication, and though I have moved on, in no way have I left my passion for health behind.
We all have work to do when it comes to living in good health, but as always, those living in the poorest of conditions have the least access to information and resources which, depending on lifestyle, can be a formula for poor health. With an education, I believe we can empower the most disadvantaged person to improve their life and the lives of those around them overall.
What am I really getting at?
The thing that became apparent through my self-evaluation was that my passions and actions didn’t line up. In this blog, and in general, I’ve shared my passion for PR but not the other issues which are just as important to me. That’s going to change, both here and offline.
I’ve already begun to make some progress towards my goal by volunteering with Level Ten Leaders, an Education non-profit focused on closing the achievement gap, but it’s only the start. I have not got it completely planned out, but withinspiringbloggerslikethesepeople, I’ll find my way.
I encourage you to line up your passions and actions, and I hope you find your way as well!
As Twitter overflows with the many great Blog Action Day posts, I’ll update this post to share the links with you. Hopefully, they will inspire you to take action against poverty in the best way you know how.
Lately, I’ve been doing a LOT of reading and thinking about the future, and by default, there’s been an abundance of jazz and gospel pumping from my headphones as well.
The cause of all this extra big picture thought has been my decision to create a five year plan. I’m too big a believer in the unpredictability of life to think that everything will go as planned, but I still feel the need to get some things down on paper (or a least fleshed out in a word doc) and work towards them.
Somewhere nestled in my five year plan will be going back to school to get my MBA. Taking proactive steps toward that goal, I stopped by the bookstore to check out GMAT books and discovered something else, Ahead of the Curve by Philip Delves Broughton.
In the book, Philip, former New York and Paris bureau chief for the Daily Telegraph of London, recounts his experiences from his two years at Harvard Business school. I’m only about 75 pages in, but so far so good. In the chapter titled “Who Am I?” Philip speaks about the personal development exercise called “My Reflected Best-Self.” He was asked to create his own best-self portrait by answering the following questions:
- How does your best-self profile correspond with the sorts of things you spend the bulk of your time doing?
- What situations or contexts encourage your best-self to emerge?
- What keeps you from operating at your best most of the time?
- How can you priortize your life so that you maximize the potential for your best-self every day?
- What can you do differently?
- What might you consider not doing anymore?
- Are there certain contexts you can put yourself in to maximize your potential?
I know that looks like quite a bit to ponder. I’m gonna try to set aside some time to tackle this this weekend and I challenge you to do the same. What is your “reflected best-self”?
One more thing…if you know of any great models for five year plans or even blog posts that’ll help get things going, please send a few links my way.
People often look at the current presidential election and marvel at the groundswell of Gen Y support for Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Those attempting to understand his support and this new generation entering today’s workforce do not need to look any further than the three simple words he began with: “Yes We Can.”
Those words resonate so deeply with me and those I know that it is almost as if it is our generation’s rallying cry, especially in the workplace.
During the spring of my senior year, I interned at a company that I loved, and after three months had been offered a full-time position. Over the span of two weeks, I went from being solely on the receiving end of projects to being the one assigning them, and when the new group of interns arrived, I had one overarching goal: Do it better than those who came before me. Remembering what it was like on the other side, I set out to:
* give realistic deadlines
* minimize stress levels
* be firm, yet understanding
* be an unofficial advocate for the interns with senior staff
* teach them something that I wish I knew when I was in their shoes.
With all this in mind, I gladly jumped at the opportunity to join the team of intern coordinators that fall. At the first coordinators meeting, I was tasked with developing a final project for the incoming group. At that moment, I don’t think anyone, including myself, could have guessed that I would have come back to the table with the program I did.
I sat and thought about how we could really improve the internship experience. What I came up with was a professional development series that would help the interns get closer to mastering public relations basics, encourage them to start a dialogue about industry innovation and really prepare them for their first full-time position.
Gen Y’ers are often viewed as this overly idealistic group of people who think that we can and will change it all and we receive lots of criticism from those more senior than us because of it.
Honestly, I believe that there is a part of our rallying cry which goes unspoken. When we confidently go after that new position, that raise or the opportunity to manage the difficult account, we say “yes we can” and in our hearts, we follow that up with “at least we can try.”
I truly am glad that I was able to experiment in the workplace; I’m glad that I tried. My program was adopted and went so well that I was even approached by a senior VP interested in making the program company-wide.
I have since transitioned from that company to my second job, but I was pleased to learn that the program is still being carried on. Though it won’t be called the “James S. Walker Public Relations Professional Development Series” (it was company branded), I am very proud that at 21, I was able to conceive, successfully lobby for and spearhead a great program that will help other Gen Y’ers enter the industry, and ultimately, demonstrate to others the intelligence, insight and capabilities that our generation has to offer.
The debate about banning or blocking social sites has been going on for some time. Listening to the conversation, it seems like the most heated debates surround the topic of banning facebook, with some making the argument that it hampers productivity and others claiming that it can help the employee get work done.
I have blogged about my productivity before. Truth be told, finding a balance or system for getting work done while being engaged in social sites wasn’t easy, but I did. It is my responsibility to get the work done, and at times, social sites like Twitter have helped tremendously. I am a firm believer in the idea that all that matters is that the work gets done on time and done well. Outside of that, what else matters?
Initially, I felt the urge to join the conversation Matt Elliott started, but I wanted to come up with something different from the majority of the comments already posted at Brazen Careerist. I wanted to find a way to articulate to employers what social media means to most people in my generation, and it hit me last week on the metro as I was reading Geoff Livingston’s white paper The Socialprise.
Geoff’s paper includes some nice insights, and I definitely encourage you to check it out. The thing that led to my great metro moment was actually a quote he provided from Charlene Li. Promoting Groundswell, the book she co-authored with Josh Bernoff, Li said:
“Social Networks will be like air. They will be anywhere and everywhere we need and want them to be. And also, without that social context in our connected lives, we won’t really feel like we are truly living and alive, just as without sufficient air, we won’t really be able to breathe deeply.”
EXACTLY! That is it right there! It’s like air! If you take social sites away, it would be like trying to breath with no air! If you’ve been following PR Prescriptions at all, you know I like to make musical references. Here’s one for today’s post:
Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown - “No Air”
But how do you expect me to work all day and NOT Tweet?!
My world revolves around it, it’s so hard for me to breathe.
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air? No Air… No Air…
I’m talking about this guy, America’s favorite yellow icon…aside from the golden arches.
Since I returned to mac in 2006 and began using ichat, I honestly hadn’t given this guy much thought. Time went by, I started using gchat and it was splitsville for me and America’s favorite running man…until yesterday.
I was poking around on the source of all, twitter, and learned about this from Todd Defren. On the site, I was greeted by videos like the one below and this message:
“You have known him since middle school. He gave you the confidence to ask out your first significant other, and he also helped you guys break up. You two played pranks and shared great memories. But now, you two aren’t speaking much and he’s feeling a little lonely. Maybe you’re scared and don’t want to share your feelings yet, but Running Man is ready and wants to hear it. So go ahead, tell him. Let him know how you really feel.
He’ll appreciate it in the morning.”
One word for this campaign: Genius!
That is the only word I can use to describe a campaign that helps a group reconnect with their childhood. The only thing that anyone seems to really agree on when it comes to Gen Y is that we grew up with this great technology. For us, connecting with our childhood also involves connecting us with the technology that’s unique to our time. If you have any doubts, mention Duck Hunt or Mega Man to someone my age and you’ll see what I mean.
Back to AIM though, genius campaign. I know I had a few memorable moments occur via AIM. If the spirit moves you, visit the running man and tell him how you feel!
I’ve started my own little speaking circuit without even really noticing it. If you haven’t noticed from my other posts, I am huge into PR, Marketing and Social Media. I believe in its power and am always more than happy to share my take on new sites or tools and how they can or cannot help you get your message out.
My first official speaking engagement came earlier this year at the Next Wave Action Summit. At the Summit, I spoke to current and soon-to-be non-profit leaders about ways they could market their cause creatively. This was the first time that I felt the presence of the social media awareness bubble that PR pros and Social Media enthusiasts always speak about. My second engagement was just last week.
Taking the shape of a presentation/group discussion, I shared my thoughts on the business with my 9 interns and members of the Technology and Design team in a presentation titled “Innovation in the Industry.” I highlighted some of what I believed to be good examples of big brands communicating online and engaging their consumers, and while selecting examples for the presentation, I noticed that more companies are creating branded online sites meant to serve as gathering places for people who work/play in their space. The latest company I noticed taking this approach was American Express with its Open Forum.
I first learned of OPEN Forum while catching up on Chris Brogan’s blog, and when I went to check it out, first thoughts were: “I like it. Clean layout, good color choice, clear mission/tagline.” Second thoughts were “really useful network.” Chris figured out how great content networks could be and blogged about this in 2006, but it seems that businesses are now getting the valuable counsel they need to understand the power that comes both with being a part of these networks and being the network providers.
“Our goal was to bring together leading experts in an engaging experience at the OPEN platform itself. Thus, any of the authors work that was picked up on other blogs, social media engines like Digg, StumbleUpon, etc., would all give credit back to OPEN as being the keeper/facilitator of the conversation. In the new world of media, these trackbacks and links provide a new form of Brand Equity for OPEN. This again drives home the point behind the OPEN brand that they are here for Small Businesses to make their life better and grow their business.”
I am not sure that the message will be as clear as OPEN’s “here for Small Businesses to make their life better and grow their business,” but I do appreciate the fact that they created a nice platform where everyone can gather and focus on something they’re interested in.
The most useful or interesting part of the site to me was the events page which features video like this one, sharing discussions with business leaders.
To everyone behind the creation of the OPEN Forum, good job! To anyone who has not checked it out yet, please do!
I’m not sure if MTV’s ever done a True Life episode on procrastination, but if they did, I would have been the perfect candidate about a year ago.
In high school, I was a model student, but the minute I set foot on the streets of Foggy Bottom, I got the itch, the procrastination itch. If you’re like me, you know this itch well. You feel it every time you have to take something to the post office, have to do laundry or something as simple as emptying the dishwasher.
In college, I made it my unofficial mission to master the art of procrastination, and my biggest triumph came during my sophomore year at GW. I was taking English 10, the GCR that changed my life (really, it did… because of it I love reading biographies), and I was working on my final paper. It was an unholy 15pgs double-spaced and I did everything under the sun but sit down and right that paper. It was the night before the paper was due and I was on page one. No problem, right?
BIG PROBLEM.
Black Eyed Peas came to campus that night… I think we can guess what I did. I went to the concert, had an amazing time, got back to my room around 1am, pumped out 15pgs of one of the best papers I ever wrote, collapsed at 630am, jumped up with just enough time to sprint through the streets of Foggy Bottom, drop off the paper and go back to sleep.
There were many more stories like this, but all (well…most) of my procrastinating days ended when I entered the world of PR full time. People say Content is King. If content is King, then deadlines are Aces. Damned is the PR pro who misses deadlines. For this reason, I’ve learned to control my procrastination…by scheduling time for it.
Sitting at a desk for 8 to 9 to 10 hrs a day can make the day hard to get through, and with all the distractions of the internet (right now twitter is my main addiction), it’s hard to stay focused. In order to pump out the press releases, pitch, monitor blogs, edit podcasts and stay sane, I declare HPHs or High Productivity Hours. For example, if I need to get a report out by 4, I’ll declare 2 to 4 high productivity hours. That means no gchat, limited email responses, and only 2 or 3 glances at twitter (This is case by case though…there may be some good tweets…). When its not a high productivity hour, I am open to anything. So far, this system works for me. If you’ve got a system that works for you, let me know.
Though it normally involves endless hours of preparation and tons of recovery time when you return to office, I really enjoy going on business trips.
My latest work project led me to San Francisco, allowing me to miss the metro issues and the unbearable heat that held the east coast hostage. Definitely two positives, but my trip had its negatives. The first being the fact that I had to fly United.
Now, prior to my trip, I had no issue with United. In fact, I’ve always liked their animated commercials with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Besides being stuck in a tiny middle seat, I couldn’t really complain about my flights to California and back to DC. There was very little turbulence and I did actually get some sleep. It was the actions and comments of the United employees that really annoyed me and got me thinking.
The first occurrence took place just as we were gliding over the San Francisco bay. The flight attendant decided that this would be the perfect time to tell everyone that “in the case of emergency landing, please leave all carry-on luggage behind and exit the aircraft.”
I hope that you are now in as much disbelief as I and the other 100 people on the plane were. I gave the wings a nice once over (you know, making sure the flaps are in order, no smoke, etc.), and then I tried to understand why this flight attendant felt that it was absolutely necessary to tell us this, particularly at this moment.
I couldn’t come up with anything and after a few minutes, we were safely on the ground, so I let it go…until my flight back to DC.
The main door was closed, all electronic devices were powered down, and we pushed back from the gate. AFTER the safety video was over and we were heading towards the runway, the flight attendant thought she should share some evacuation statistics: “It took 30 minutes to board this aircraft, but in an in emergency, it can be evacuated in 9 seconds.”
My Reaction: Wait…What? Why are you telling me this?
First, I highly doubted that the 100+ people on board that flight could evacuate in 9 seconds, but that’s another conversation altogether. There I was again on the receiving end of a completely crazy (b/c of the timing) statement.
The only thing that made sense was the fact that the flight attendants felt the need to Ring the Alarm. I’m sure we’ve all come across people who have ringing the alarm down to a science. Even though things are going well, they just have to unnecessarily remind everyone about the potential dangers that we have worked so hard to pack away in the back of our minds.
Have you ever encountered people who like to Ring the Alarm at work?
Lately, I’ve been focusing more on my offline life and neglecting my google reader, and as a result, neglecting you. 
Posted by jaywalk1
Posted by jaywalk1
Posted by jaywalk1
