Check it out, ya’ll: I’ve put up a Flacks jobs board to make it easier for me to alert you to the career opportunities total strangers, co-workers and friends send me to share with you. What? Well, you get it.
If you are a job seeker, click on the new link to the “Jobs” page up there in the top navigation. From there, you may view current and past listings, subscribe to future listings and sign up to receive alerts via email.
If you are an employer or recruiter, I welcome your job postings in search of public relations, communications and new/social media talent. Please upload your job description and contact information (your name and email remains private) and choose either A) the free, 15-day listing, or B) pay a small fee for a 30-day listing to be featured on the FlackRabbit home page and promoted via the relevant Flacks Meetup listserv. FlackRabbit readers tend to be a transient bunch; although the current listings reflect DC-area opportunities, job openings in all major US cities are encouraged!
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On Monday, August 30, DC Flacks joined forces with Washington Women in Public Relations to toast the one-year anniversary of DC-area PR and communications pros meeting up, talking to strangers and sharing beverages! More than 85 folks came out to Cedar in downtown DC to celebrate, greet new faces and present the DC Flacks Perfect Attendance Sash to the one and only Joe Flood. He’s only person besides me to attend every Flacks happy hour:
Photo credit: Dave Newman/GroovySoup
View all the photos here and be sure to check out this fun video, courtesy of Vocus, our DC Flacks sponsor:
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Introducing Dallas Flacks
Congrats to my friend Rebecca for founding the new Dallas Flacks Meetup! If you know a public relations or PR pro in the Dallas area, tell’em to join the group and mark their calendars for the first happy hour on September 28.
Nashville Flacks first Meetup a Tremendous Success
If you declare it, they will come! Congrats to Jena, Mary Beth, Rob and Cindy on their first–and fabulous–Nashville Flacks happy hour! View the photos here. And if you are a Nashvegas PR pro, join the group and attend their next event on September 27.
The August issue of Her Nashville magazine is out! This month, I give a few tips on how to approach and respond to angry/stupid/snarky/creepy blog post commenters. I know you hate them and want to fight back, but think before you type–and please, don’t stoop to their level. Here’s a teaser:
Don’t Delete
Folks have the right to disagree with you, even if they are snarky and mean-spirited. As long as the comment isn’t a threat, patently offensive, spam, bigoted, libelous, or keeping you awake at night, leave it be. The same criteria apply to newspaper story comment sections; don’t bother asking a paper to take a comment down just because it’s untrue or written by someone who is a complete loon. These are rants from trolls, not statements from the Pope.
Count to 4,756
As bad as the troll’s comment is and despite how angry/hurt/sad it makes you/your company/your mom, it’s not the end of the world. Take a deep breath, step away from the computer, and think before you respond. I know it feels like it, but the entire world at this very moment is NOT actually reading the comment section. Trust me.
Read the full column here!
And as always, if you have ideas for a column topic, please send’em my way by emailing me at Margie (at) FlackRabbit (dot) com.
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…
I frequently hear from in-house PR pros that their talents are underutilized at work. The truth is that unless your manager is or once was a communications professional, she probably doesn’t actually know how to best use your skill set, let alone take your career to the next level. Don’t take it personally; one doesn’t know what one doesn’t know. Rather than be sad about it, you should view this as an opportunity to “manage up.”
The most successful PR folks I know have paved their own career path by respectfully teaching their boss, boss’ boss and team members how to make the most of a communicator’s talents. Here’s how:
Show up with your own agenda, get buy-in; then, get to work: you are a professional communicator, which means not an hour goes by without you thinking about something creative, strategic or worth investigating. Take the time to map out those thoughts and put them on paper. Be specific about your goal, tactics, timeline and deliverables. Then, schedule a meeting with your manager and present your plan. I’ll bet you a latte that memo gets the greenlight. More importantly, you’ve proven you are proactive and thoughtful. And if your ideas are successful, you’ll make your boss look like a rock star–and she didn’t have to lift a finger. That means the next time you present a memo, she’s even more likely to approve it.
Take care of your boss(es): managing up is only successful when your manager trusts you. Your actions must prove that you are always acting in her/the company’s best interest. It’s often the little things, like reminding her of deadlines and helping her avoid office drama, that will assure her you’re not trying to take her job; you are simply striving to be fantastic at your own. I can’t stress this one enough. If your managing up is seen as an attempt at mutiny or to disable company hierarchy, you will fail. Read More…
Nearly one year ago, I moved to D.C. declared a PR people happy hour and was shocked when a dozen folks actually showed up. Now, DC Flacks is more successful that I could have ever imagined. We are 250+ members strong, each happy hour is attended by anywhere from 25 to 60 flacks and we’ve even got a fancy-pants sponsor: Vocus!
Building on the success of DC Flacks, I’m proud to introduce Nashville Flacks, co-organized by the lovely and talented Cindy, Jena and Mary Beth. I can’t hardly wait to see what the future holds for this group!
If you’re a PR or communications pro in the Middle Tennessee region, I hope you’ll join us. Membership is free. Like DC Flacks, the group meets once a month for beverages, conversation and ranting laughs. We’ve only been an active group for two days and already have 40 members! Pretty cool.
Now, for those of you not living in D.C. or Nashvegas, you should start your own ____ Flacks chapter on Meetup.com. If you need help, tips or encouragement, just shoot me an email at Margie (at) Flackrabbit (dot) com. Read More…
There are many, many great iPhone 4 reviews piling up, so I’ll spare you another one. But I am getting asked one question over and over again: folks want to know if they should dump their new Droid Incredible and formerly new iPhone 3Gs for Apple’s shiny new toy. You’ll find my answer over at HerNashville.com
I will add here at FlackRabbit that from the public relations practitioner perspective, the iPhone 4 and devices like it could allow us to use use new media to tell our clients’ stories in a much more nimble and timely way.
For instance, I think it’s freakishly cool that you could shoot quality video of a client event, edit it with iMovie, add a caption and relevant key words, and then upload it to YouTube–all from your iPhone 4. If you don’t have time to get back to your desk between meetings, it’s okay. And your client will think you’ve cloned yourself. Read More…
I’ve been tremendously fortunate to have smart, candid folks looking after my best interest early on and throughout my PR career. Here’s a list of six statements various mentors–including bosses, friends and family–have made to me. I’m ever so grateful; I would not be where I am today had they not uttered these words:
“Your writing sucks”–if one of my first bosses had not been so honest, I would not have made it my mission to become a strong, confident writer. I promise to keep working at it, SH.
“You interrupt people too much”–I like to talk. Thankfully, one of my early mentors told me to take a breath and listen to folks more often. That Lady is a one smart lady. But um, I’m much better with not interrupting folks at work than I am at home…sorry, honey!
“You are memorable”–when hear these words, it is always an “ah-ha!” moment. It’s true, folks I work with usually don’t forget me–for better or for worse. Now I realize that my memorable personality is half of what makes me a successful public relations professional; once you understand your unique skill set, you can then learn how to leverage it to achieve your goals. Hat tip to Barbara, Dave, Joe and John for helping me figure this one out.
“If someone asks for your opinion, give it”–you are a PR pro, not a “yes” man. If someone asks for your opinion in a meeting or your edits to a document–give them. With confidence. If you truly don’t have anything to contribute, re-assess your role in the project. Wise words from a wise gal. Thanks, Jen! Read More…
One minute I’m minding my own business, the next, PR rockstar Amanda Littlejohn has somehow found a way to include me and the DC Flacks in an impromptu Mopwater PR + Media Notes and DC PR Flacks: Coffee for Media Pros DCWEEK event. I love that woman.
If you’re going to be in the DC area on Tuesday, June 15 at 4 p.m, join me, Amanda and Gia at the Corner Bakery Cafe at 1828 L Street NW from 4 – 5:30.
For those who don’t know, tonight marks the launch of Digital Capital Week (DCWEEK), a 10 day festival in here in DC focused on technology, innovation and all things digital. It’s such a thrill to be a part of the DCWEEK schedule; thanks for thinking of DC Flacks, Amanda! Read More…
