The past few weeks ushered in milestones, lessons learned, odd requests and fun events. July was busy and productive! Here are the highlights:

My niece was born!

Check it out, folks! The world’s cutest baby, Beverly Emmeline, was born on July 19 and I get to paint her toenails pink VERY soon! Congrats Pavis and Dave; I can’t hardly wait to teach her show tunes and jazz hands:

Photo Credit: Dave Cone or Jon Fletcher; not sure which one of those guys took this, but I’m sure Pavis will let me know when she reads this.

My MacBook died.

I was minding my own business, watching an old episode of Bones on Netflix when my beloved MacBook just up and died. And with it, took every photo, document, file and Christmas card list I’ve ever had. Even our honeymoon pictures. The fault is all mine; Dave has often encouraged me to run a copy of my data on an external drive, but I never did. Lesson learned: back that asset up, people. Read More…

I’m so happy I have a contact form on this website. I get a steady stream of mail from you folks; mostly with questions about breaking into the public relations industry, how to handle various PR issues or a comment about one of my Her Nashville columns.

Today’s question comes from new reader JM:

I’m a recent graduate who just moved into the Nashville area from California and have found myself to be one of the millions of fish in the employ-me-sea. Any advice/tips for a upward minded new guy?

FlackRabbit says:

Dear JM: You’ll love Nashville. I was born in raised there. I moved to D.C. a year and a half ago, but Nashville will always be home. Family and friends are still there; I still write for Her Nashville magazine; many Nashville folks believe I still live there. Here’s three ways a recent grad can stand out in Music City:

Talk to strangers: many fantastic job opportunities are discovered by word-of-mouth, so start meeting folks! A great way to meet fellow recent grads and potential employers is through Meetup.com. That’s where the Nashville Flacks PR happy hour lives; the first meetup is Tuesday, August 10 in downtown Nashville.  If you don’t find a Meetup group that suits your fancy, start your own. That’s what I did when I moved to D.C. and DC Flacks now has 270 members! After you meet someone new, stay connected with them with LinkedIn. Read More…

If you are a professional communicator, you MUST maintain your own personal slice of the Internet. (You can’t convince a client, boss or co-worker of the importance of online reputation management if you don’t even manage your own online reputation.)

More than a blog, you should have an online portfolio to communicate to the world your talents, skills and experiences. Creating an accurate, impressive web presence is especially important if you are on the lookout for a new job/client. And let’s face it, if you’re a good communicator, you’re always networking for the next opportunity.

Before you panic–or send me more emails about how you don’t know how to create a website, nor have the cash to pay someone to build one for you–I’ll remind you of a little something called Linkedin.

Linkedin is free, it boasts a fabulous Google Page Rank and now features most of the bells and whistles you’d want on your website (like syncing with your Twitter account). So, mosey on over to your Linkedin profile and start spreading your news. And please, don’t be so humble; tell the world all about your irreplaceable skill set and achievements. Seriously, tell us. Because if you don’t, who else will? Read More…

I’ve often wondered how one goes about creating a LinkedIn group. The other day, I found out by starting one for DC Flacks. Now, if someone at work asks me about the pros/cons/ins/outs of this particular tool, I’ll be able to speak with some authority because I’ve actually done it.

Some goes for the social media consulting I do on the strategic use of blogs, Twitter, PitchEngine, Facebook, Foursquare, Yelp, etc. I know how to do these things well because I’ve used them for myself and continue to explore their uses.

It’s the story of Team Newman‘s life, really. Dave and I play around on the Internet and try out new things. The stuff we try personally often ends up benefiting the folks who hire us. It’s not that we magically know geekery, it’s that we get a lot of practice. Read More…

I really can’t imagine anything worse than syncing your Twitter account with your LinkedIn profile. The thought of someone’s drunken Tweets perched just inches above their virtual resume simply makes me want to cry.

But there is something to be said for showing future employers and peers that you possess a working knowledge of social and new media, so having a visible link to your Twitter account makes good sense. I just don’t want it streaming my Tweets, even if they are industry-related. Fortunately–thanks to Twitter hashtag magic–we can have our cake and LinkedIn, too: Read More…

When’s the last time you loved on your LinkedIn profile? Believe it or not, HR recruiters really do use it to scout prospects. Does your profile paint a relevant picture of the professional you?

If you haven’t laid eyes on your profile in a while, stroll on over and take 30 minutes to freshen it up with these three improvements:

1. Create a thoughtful “summary” – also known as a bio, these paragraphs should explain how talented and experienced you are, while also hinting at your fabulous personality.  Don’t be afraid to share with the reader the kinds of work you most enjoy. For example, my profile says, “Margie most enjoys cause-related public relations…” It’s also nice to talk about your community service work, or other relevant extracurricular activities. Oh, and when you are finished be sure to add your skills to the “specialties” box. Read More…

This is a morbid, buzz-killing topic, but it’s really important. My January Her Nashville Chic Geek column pushes you to  think about who–if anyone–will take over your online identity, accounts, etc. when you leave this world.

Here’s teaser; read the full thing at HerNashville.com:

If I should die before I wake, my Facebook password my husband should take. Oh, and an auto-reply message on my Gmail he should make, but my Twitter, LinkedIn,eBay, and PayPal accounts he may forsake … Read More…

From LinkedIn profile peeping to blog surfing, nothing you do on the Web is a secret. (Nor “semi-private,” as the Mayor of Arlington, TN will tell you.) It’s not that Big Brother is spying on you, it’s that everywhere you go, your Internet browser leaves behind a trail.

A recent example: a White House staffer reads Suburban Turmoil and Lindsay Ferrier has the screen shots to prove it.

Is it cool and fabulous that a person inside the most powerful office in the world reads Lindsay’s blog? Um, totally! Did he for one minute think the author of the blog would ever know, much less write about said visit? Nope.

Know this: nearly all Web authors–including this one–check their Google Analytics and/or StatPress-type visitor logs. We’re curious about the number of folks who find our writing interesting, how often you come back, etc. It’s actually sort of an obsession akin to watching a Chia Pet grow.

We can’t see your name or street address, but we know your city and state. We can’t see the name of your company, but we usually can see the server upon which you surf (state/federal employees!). We can even see what search term you used to find us, what Website referred you, how long you hung around and what links you clicked on.

If knowing content managers are spying on your stats makes you feel a tad icky, I’m sorry I’ve made you feel uncomfortable. That said, you know how I feel about your Web wanderings: a healthy dose of caution is always a good thing.

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I’ve had a good deal of positive feedback from November’s Her Nashville Chic Geek column; thanks for taking the time to email, Tweet and Facebook-wall me with your thoughts!

My latest column tells the true story of a gal (who’s name has been changed) who showed up to a networking event with the best of intentions, but failed to bring along business cards. This got me to thinking of how important it is to be prepared to sell yourself, your talents, your brains and your intentions at a moments’ notice: Read More…

I was being asked a bunch of questions about Twitter today (Hi, B!) and found myself saying that the best way to get to know the ins and outs of social media is by testing it out on your own account, on your own time.

And then I thought to myself, “Hey, that makes a lot of sense, Margie. Good one.”

You know, because then when you say something patently offensive or stupid, you’ve done it under your own name and not your employer’s. Even though that can still get you fired.

Like most things, practice makes knowledgeable. So, when you are at the conference table and someone asks you how hashtags work, you’ll know because you’ve used them. When someone, like your boss, says they are confused about what happens when p*rn creepos follow you, or why it matters if one RTs, @s or DMs, you’ll explain it to them with authority – not because you read it on Mashable – because you’ve already done it well (or messed it up).

If you have never been caught up in the World Wide Web, why would your employer trust you with their online reputation?

If you want folks or co-workers to look to you for Geek Guidance you’ve gotta create, play with, and maintain a personal Twitter account; you’ll need to have personally blogged for an extended period of time; you must continuously play around on Facebook and constantly seek to find a purpose for LinkedIn. You’ll need to know how Google rules the world works and “what makes a RSS feed different than an alert.” It takes a lot of work;  a lot of reading; a lot of trial and error.

Agree? Or am I just being snobby?

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