{Today’s guest post by Katie Place jumps head-first into gender and public relations. Do you face gender bias as a female PR pro? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.}

As a former communication professional, I knew nothing about gender, socialization or discrimination. I only knew one thing: My colleague, who was male and the same age as me, earned $8,000 more. And I wondered why:

Why is the PR industry nearly 70 percent women, yet women hold few leadership positions? Does gender affect public relations? What is gender? And how can women navigate gender expectations to find success?

To answer these questions, I interviewed 45 women PR practitioners across the United States.  Some women were hesitant to discuss gender; others were thrilled to share their experiences. Here’s what they shared: Read More…

Overheard in D.C.:

“If YOU ask me to be a fan of YOU on Facebook, I’m not going to do it. That’s like handing out foam fingers with your own name on them.” Read More…

Warning: this video (by @sohear) drops a few f-bombs. But man, it’s hilarious. And spot on. If you’re wondering what the heck they’re talking about see: embargo; see: b2b; see: social media. Read More…

Much like perfect is the enemy of good, a comma is the enemy of a good media interview. When a reporter asks you a question, answer it. Period. DO NOT start talking again just to fill up the space. If you have a hard time remembering that, try and think of your interview as a telegram:

In a telegram, the writer types a sentence and then adds the word “STOP” after it to signal the end of that particular idea. In other words, they end each thought with a hard stop. A period. Not a comma.

Have you noticed how your press person/handler looks like she is nervously squinting into the sun every time you speak with the media? She knows that your inherent desire to talk non-stop during an interview is the most common way to stick your foot in your mouth, have that error emblazoned in cold, black print and pixels, and end up as blog/TV fodder. Read More…

{In today’s guest post, Nashvillian Mary Beth Ikard offers up a friendly reminder about the advantages of being an approachable PR pro.}

Of all the characteristics you’d like included in your reputation as a PR practitioner: great writer, strong sense of news value, deadline-oriented – you wouldn’t want ‘unfriendly’ among them, right?

As spokesperson for myself and my organization, I want each person with whom I interact to walk away saying –to quote the Beach Boys– “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations.”

Obviously, being a “people person” doesn’t make you default-qualified to work in PR. But there’s great joy to be found in being open, in fostering an ability to relate to the publics you seek to address on behalf of your organization and cause. Read More…

If you’re seeking more respect in the workplace, set for yourself clear, non-diva-like, grownup boundaries–and stick to them. I’m not really talking about work/life balance boundaries as much as I am work-approach rules. People respect people (and firms) with boundaries because we all like to know where we stand and how to effectively work with each other.

Setting office boundaries shows maturity and confidence. As does respecting the boundaries of others. Some folks think women have a harder time setting them. I’m not one of those women. Here are three of mine:

• I never put out a press release or launch a major announcement on a Monday. My reasoning: if you launch stuff on Mondays, you’ll actually be fretting/finalizing details/calling vendors in a panic on Sunday, which is never good. Fridays out bad for print media, so that leaves you with Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
• I don’t entertain yellers. Yell and me and I’m walking out. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me. Cussing is fine, crying is fine, throwing your Blackberry against the wall is fine, being so mad you won’t look at me is fine, but do not yell/scream/shout. It’s juvenile and has no place in an office setting. Read More…

Oh, boy! Looks like more folks are discovering public relations truths via Google. This recent Flackrabbit search query needs no introduction…

…but it does need an answer. Here, let me: Read More…

{Our next guest post is courtesy of D.C. flack and photographer Stacey Viera, who ponders how much disclosure to provide when promoting your clients on social networks and/or entering into partnerships with other vendors.}

“In the interest of full disclosure.” How often do you use those six little words? I would argue, probably not often enough.

I acknowledge that full disclosure can be overused. “In the interest of full disclosure, I’m married.” Hey, I didn’t ask if you wanted to go on a date. I just wanted to know if you were done with the Metro section of the paper so that I could read it!

But how often do we see a Tweet from a PR person promoting their “friend,” only to find that it originated from a paid client relationship? Or a Facebook link for a “beautifully designed new blog” that we only later learn was designed by the same person who posted the link? Read More…

I’m not even going to try and play this cool. About an hour ago, FlackRabbit was added to the PR page of Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop.com. OMG, I KNOW!

If you’re unfamiliar with Alltop, it is a content aggregation site that describes itself as an “online magazine rack” of the Web. You can view featured blogs by topics like babies, LinkedIn, recycling and social media. Or view every topic alphabetically on one page. Besides being a freakin’ big deal for me personally, this is also a great opportunity for FlackRabbit guest bloggers. Alltop gets a boat-load of relevant traffic; it will be great exposure. Read More…

Let’s cut to the chase here: public relations is not a 9-5 career. There are days you’ll arrive at the office at 7 a.m., not have time to eat lunch, and only leave your desk at 7 p.m. because you promised your spouse/child/roommate you’d be home for dinner. Before you go to bed, you’ll boot up and dig in to work once again.

You will be tired, up to your ears in email and tempted to dramatically relay your long, hard day to everyone you see. Don’t do it. Nobody likes the office martyr and you’re no different than every other one of your peers in a demanding communications position.

All PR pros will pull a late shift or five every now and then/weekly. The higher the profile your gig, the more hours you’ll be tethered to a phone, laptop and media source. Keep in mind that as a PR pro and communicator, this is what you signed up for–whether you’re the press secretary to the local non-profit or the President of the United States. Read More…