Way back in my health care days we worked with a consultant who taught me about being a fire starter. It is a concept I’ve kept in the back of my mind since learning about it. I’d like to share it with you now in the hope it speaks to you, too.

A Fire Starter is a person who keeps the true essence of the organization alive and flourishing. Fire Starters ignite the flame that guides and supports the organization.

In early civilization fire was essential to life. People used fires to keep warm, cook food, light the way in darkness, and as protection from enemies. Without fire people would perish. Within each village (or organization) there were people whose primary job was to keep the fire burning. They taught others how to carry on the practice of keeping the flame burning, which allowed villages to prosper and grow. – Quint Studer (www.studergroup.com)

The public relations industry needs Fire Starters. Will you be one?

Thought for the day

Thought for the day: When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” ~Author Unknown

Today’s Top 5
Read, comment and share.

1. PCWorld Business Center: Three Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Facebook Places - Yesterday CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed Facebook’s latest creation — Facebook Places. This location-based check-in service integrates with Foursquare providing “businesses with a platform for marketing and promotion” and “an opportunity to build customer loyalty.” The use of social media as a business tactic can be a treacherous slope… let’s just say we’ve questioned Facebook’s privacy policies in the past.
   
2. ExactTarget: Personality (Not Just Demographics) Dictates Social Media Use – Studying how people consume social media is step one in joining any online conversation. This report identifies 12 online personas, showing the importance of understanding “your audience’s personal motivations, not just age, income, or gender.”
   
3. Comcast: Comcast’s Annual “TV Pulse Survey” Shows The Drama Genre and New Hawaii Five-O Are the Most-Anticipated ‘What To Watch’ This Fall TV Season – [PRESS RELEASE] – Key finding: “more consumers than ever before plan to watch their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere using time-shifting technologies such as, video-on-demand (VOD), digital video recorders (DVRs) and the Internet.” A sign of the times?
   
4. Business Wire: Internet Connected Devices About to Pass the 5 Billion Milestone – IMS Research – According to the post, the growth of Internet connected devices “is being driven by the cellular industry, and the global number of Internet connected cell phones has now surpassed the number of connected computers and is growing at a much faster rate.”
   
5. Poynter: How Technology Is Renewing Attention to Long-Form Journalism – Twitter makes it relatively easy for us to get our point across and share our latest story/thought in 140 characters. This post highlights several online journalism tools advancing the integration of long-form articles with social media.

Sevans Strategy receives an incredible amount of requests from people looking for public relations (PR) representation. Thank you for thinking of us as a trusted resource. While we would love to be able to work with everyone, at times we realize we are not a right fit. Why? Typically for one of two reasons:

• We do not possess the appropriate expertise for your request. We don’t pretend to be something we’re not.
• Our current workload doesn’t allow us the time and attention necessary for your project. We won’t promise something if we can’t deliver.

In these instances we recommend other trusted friends and partners in the PR industry. We will always try our best to recommend another wonderful practitioner or agency if we cannot provide you service.  Since we are using this list to identify other firms to share with others, we thought we would make it public for anyone to view.

This is part of an ongoing series to promote other public relations professionals.

All posts will be housed on the “We Recommend” page of this blog.

With more than 2,000 SXSW interactive entries to vote for this year, the competition is FIERCE! After reviewing the majority of entries, the Sevans Strategy team came up with a list of 15 panels we think are a MUST HAVE for this year. We were a bit biased in our selections as we know all of them, but we also know that means we’re recommending a group of intelligent and engaging leaders we’ve actually seen and/or heard.

Not familiar with the SXSW PanelPicker process? SXSW is a community-driven event. So, knowing what kinds of topics the audience wants determines who gets the coveted spots. Your voting accounts for about 30% of the decision-making process for any given programming slot.

Even if you will not be attending this year’s SXSWi, this is a great way to find an online community of people with interests similar to your own. We hope you enjoy our recommendations and find time to give them a “thumbs up.”

1. Christine Perkett (@missusP), “The Networking Conundrum”
2. Heather Mosley (@mosleyppr), “Dissecting What Really Works in Social Marketing Campaigns”
3. Gregory Ferenstein (@ferenstein) “Stand Out: Investigative Journalism for Bloggers”
4. Ted Murphy (@tedmurphy), “Check-in, Get Paid: Rise of Cash-sponsored Social Media”  (client)
5. Heather Whaling (@prtini) Geben Communication, “Big Ideas, Little Budget: Low-Cost Cause Marketing”
6. Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki), “The Art of Enchantment”
7. Dave Fleet (@Davefleet), “Personalities, Policies & Problems: Companies and Employees 2.0”
8. Sydney Owen (@SydneyOwen), “Road Rules for Mentorship: What’s Appropriate (& What’s Not)”
9. (also Sydney Owen) “Generation C: Changing the Future of Business… Forever!”
10. Deb Schultz (@Debs), “Dear Miss Manners: WTF with the Social Web?”
11. David Armano (@Armano), “Why PR’s Future May Not Look Like PR”
12. Damien Basile (@db), “Game On: Can Game Theory transform your app?“
13. Paula Berg (@paulaberg), “The Legal Ramifications of Saying ‘I’m Sorry”
14. Lucretia Pruitt (@LucretiaPruitt) Social Media Matters, “Killing Clark Kent; When You Outgrow Your AlterEgo”
15. Justin Goldsborough (@JGoldsborough), “Building Relationships – and Revenues – Through Twitter”

While we’re recommending the panels, we’ve included Twitter handles as well. You might just find some fun new people to follow.

Voting ends at 11:59 CDT on Friday, August 27.

Best,

The Sevans Strategy Team
Sarah, Liz, Amanda, Kairi and Hana

p.s. Sarah actually has two panels in the running. If you’re interested, you can vote for them here:

• Spin Doctors: PR Best Practices for Social Media, submitted by Nicole Ravlin –> (http://j.mp/voteSE)
• The Global Online Community: Improving Cross-Cultural Relations, submitted by Andrew Kneale –> (http://j.mp/voteSarah)

The most recent edition of #journchat took place live via the web from from NBC News (@NBCnews) headquarters.

We talked about how NBC’s news division operates and provided PR pros with tips on how to better pitch and interact with the network. The panel consisted of:

* Alexandra Wallace, SVP, NBC News
* Ryan Osborn (@rozzy), Director of Social Media, NBC News
* Jen Brown, Senior Producer TODAYShow.com / Msnbc.com
* Alana Russo, Senior Director, MSNBC

Enjoy the show!

A new study released by ExactTarget and CoTweet shares recent results and insight into consumers’ expectations for interacting with brands online. The study specifically focuses on consumers’ who use Twitter and their online habits (see below).

Upon reading the results I decided to conduct an informal poll of my own. I spend so much time reading research from other companies that I wanted to know how those in my network compare. Similar to the ExactTarget survey I only asked those who are active on Twitter and Facebook. The five-question survey received more than 320 individual responses with a breakdown of 65 percent female and 35 percent male.

RESULTS

• Compared to the ExactTarget survey, 72 percent of active Twitter users said they publish blogs at least monthly. My results? 76 percent publish on at least a weekly basis with 26 percent who blog one to two times weekly.
• Compared to the ExactTarget survey, 70 percent of respondents said they comment on blogs. My results? 87 percent said they comment on blogs, vlogs and/or social networks regularly with 38 percent who comment at least one to five times daily.
• Compared to the ExactTarget survey, 20 percent of consumers indicate they have followed a brand in order to interact with the company. My results? 58 percent they interact with brands on an “as needed” basis, while 42 percent interact with brands on a daily basis. (44 percent of male respondents said they interact with brands on a daily basis.)

Since I had people’s attention, I also wanted to ask about location-based networks. The results?

How often do you use a location-based social network (i.e. Foursquare, Gowalla, etc…)? 45 percent of respondents said “never” while 37 percent said they check in between one and three times daily. (More women than men said they “never” check in.)

Here are the complete survey results in their full glory for you to enjoy.

What do you think about the results? What would you have asked? What do you want to know?

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share responses.

NOTE: These are merely my musings and in no way are scientific results. The respondents are most likely already active online as I only surveyed via Twitter and Facebook. If you’re looking for real results, check out HP Labs’ Social Computing Lab.

Congratulations to Jayne Levy (@jaynelevy) of Fishman PR (@fish_franchiz) who will join me in NYC next Monday for #journchat LIVE at NBC News’ headquarters at “30 Rock.”

Levy and her Fishman team submitted the winning entry for the recent “Win a Trip to NYC With Me” contest hosted by #journchat sponsor, Cision.

The special edition of #journchat LIVE takes place on Monday, August 9, 2010, from 8 to 10 p.m. ET at NBC News’ headquarters. A complete line up of NBC participants and a link to the live feed will be shared shortly.

Levy will join myself and Heidi Sullivan (@hksully) of Cision for a live taping of Jimmy Fallon, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the newsroom, help journalists learn more about how NBC’s news division operates and provide PR pros with tips on how to better pitch and interact with the network.

The LIVE chat will provide different perspectives on the various roles within NBC – such as anchor, web editor, tech reporter, producers, bloggers, and the social media director.

Want a good chuckle? Check out the video.

1. Facebook customer satisfaction is in the bottom 5% of all private sector along w/ IRS tax e-filing, airlines and cable companies.  (Source)
   
2. More than 60% of moms said they would provide info about themselves to a trusted brand if it meant more personalized content. (Source)
   
3. The 5 “most valuable” types of online influencers are: Megaphone, Open Book, Social Butterfly, Business First, and Enthusiast. (Source)
   
4. According to Morgan Stanley, within 5 years global internet consumption on mobile devices will surpass the same activity on PCs.
5. Over the past 2 years, social web use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24% in the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan. (Source)
   
6. Millennial generation will lead society into a new world of personal disclosure and information-sharing using new media. (Source)
   
7. More than 25% of Americans 50 yrs + stay connected using Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. (Source)
8. The average Facebook user creates 70 pieces of content each month. (Source)
   
9. People spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook (Source)
   
10. 12% of experts and 14% of the general public think the internet has been a negative force
11. 1 in 3 smartphone owners has called or stopped into a local business after using local search app (Source)
    
12. “Twitter is even more widely used this year with 41% of publications running a feed” (Source)
13. 57.9% of moms Twitter from their cell phone, iPhone, Blackberry or smartphone. (Source)
    
14. The Internet is redefining our social relationships. (Source)
15. Almost two-thirds of people are happy to pay for quality journalism but not online, according to a YouGov survey. (Source)
    
16. Nearly 3 in 4 people worldwide who use Internet have visited a social network or blog and spend on avg 6 hours a month on them (Source)
17. 68% of global consumers act upon email they receive on a mobile device while using a desktop PC (Source)
18. Social Media Up 230% Since 2007 [Information Week]
19. The most common friendship distance on Twitter is five steps. (The average distance is 4.67 steps) [Sysomos]
20. 34% of Americans report they “tune out” social networking sites, 39% attribute to rude discourse and behavior [Weber Shandwick]

I believe we live and die by the team. Call me crazy, but I know I can’t do it all by myself. The public relations industry is full of days which are fast-paced, tiresome and long hours. It’s not always glamorous, but when the work is done right can be extremely rewarding.

I’ve learned that it’s not just about filling vacancies, but bringing together people who share a similar purpose, vision and drive for excellence.

Bringing the “right” people together doesn’t automatically result in success. Everyone brings their own strengths, weaknesses, personalities and individual nuances. It is on those most challenging of days that our strengths and weaknesses are more visible and our true character and teamwork is tested. A strong and united team is the most important thing and will determine whether or not we succeed or fail–together.

Our team recently created a Standards of Teamwork document which we all agreed to honor. In fact, it’s now part of the new hire process for Sevans Strategy employees. We’d like to share it with others in the profession as a resource for you to beg, borrow and steal from.

• We communicate effectively with one another. This includes, assignments, project status, progress and results.
• We know when to pick up the phone or meet face-to-face. Frustrations among the team are not shared via email.
• We respect one another’s unique and valuable gifts and learn and celebrate them.
• We make good on our promises and support one another.
• We do what needs to be done to deliver results that consistently exceed expectations.
• We are positively charged to inspire one other–including ourselves.
• No matter the project, we are there in spirit! We stand by our team.
  
• We accelerate even the small victories for our clients and strive for excellence.
• We thrive in chaos and serenity because together we warmly welcome any challenge or surprise.
• We communicate regularly with our clients and are proactive in suggesting change to garner results.
• We celebrate and own our successes and failures together.
• We learn from our mistakes and put practices in place to ensure they do not happen again.
• We recognize team members, partners and clients on a regular basis via the @SevansSnapCup Twitter ID.

Do you have a standard, code or other statement to keep your team on track? I’d love to hear about it.

A few weeks ago I asked current public relations interns to share their “tales from the workplace” with the expectation they would remain anonymous. I asked for them to share good, the bad and the ugly.

I was flooded with responses.

There were many stories of good experiences and even more with “the bad” and “the ugly.” I made a choice to share three examples of “internships gone wrong.”

Why? This summer I plan to share Sevans Strategy’s experience with our interns, from developing a “Standards of Teamwork” agreement to mistakes to amazing learning opportunities. I realized through this call for submissions not all interns have an opportunity to share their experience publicly, nor do all have a voice of support at the companies they currently represent.

This post is meant as a reminder to treat not only interns, but all employees, as a valued part of your team. If making the coffee IS part of the job requirement, don’t forget to tell them how great it tastes every once in a while.

Please don’t let one of your interns experience this when working with you and your team.

***If after reading you have advice for one (or more) of the anonymous interns, feel free to leave it in the comments section. All three have been made aware their post was used and will be checking the comment feed.***

#1: The True Cost of Success?

The ugly: I spent 3,180 dollars on housing, 600 dollars on airfare, no idea how much on food/entertainment, 810 dollars to put “internship” on my transcript, and I am an unpaid full-time intern for 3 months.

The good: I get to put an amazing company on my resume. I am learning great techniques for media relations and I have met a lot of executives. I sit in on a lot of meetings and I take a lot of notes about the broadcasting/cable networking world.

#2: Real Life “The Devil Loves Prada”

“Currently, I am an intern a boutique PR firm that represents luxury brands. As a recent college graduate (I graduated in May) I was really excited to land such an internship, due to the fact that this agency promised that its interns would get to do hands-on work and wouldn’t be relegated to just making copies and getting the office coffee. Although I have gotten to work with Cision, pitch ideas, and even attended a press event, two of the account managers have been absolutely horrid to work for!”

“…She is noticeably nasty to us, and is incredibly condescending in the tasks she gives us (nothing like being the only intern in the office who is noticeably busy and yet is sent to run around Manhattan in 100+ degree weather while the younger interns just sit and enjoy the AC!)”

“…is a demanding, patronizing, and outright mean person who had no real interest in teaching the interns about the PR industry. Instead, interns were sent to her apartment to retrieve her mail and a pair of her shoes! She didn’t even train the interns on her first day- she relegated [sic] that task to an intern who hadn’t even been working for that long and didn’t know enough to train the rest of us! This of course led to our entire group getting yelled at for not knowing things that we had never been trained to do, among other things.”

#3 – Quit Playing Games With My Heart

“The downside of working in a start-up environment was also that I was never formally trained on anything! I would have to figure out everything on my own or through a fellow intern. I also never really received any feedback, an internship is a learning experience and although I learned A LOT about PR on the client side and start-up environment during my 3 months at <name withheld> I wish I could have been told some positive things I was doing and some negative. Also I was told that there would be an opportunity for a full-time position after my internship were over. When I was offered an internship at <name withheld>, I asked where I stood at <name withheld> and they told me that they were looking for someone with more experience (2-3 years). This left a bad taste in my mouth, if they had decided to change directions I would have liked to know, luckily I have an equally if not better opportunity to intern at <name withheld>.”

Here at Sevans Strategy we’re doing several learning exercises with our interns this summer. Our current learning opportunity involves “client expectations management” on a tight turnaround project with an aggressive goal. (In our exercise the “client” is Sevans Strategy.)

After sending a learning recap email to the team this afternoon, I thought I’d share it publicly, too. Here’s what we’re learning –

When managing expectations with a client, it’s essential to do the following before a project begins:

1. Confirm the goal may not be met if current tactics are continued.
2. Review the current tactic list and evaluate what is and what is not working.
3. Brainstorm with other team members (if there’s time and applicable) to come up with a game plan.
4. Update the publicity plan with new tactics and “strikethrough” any tasks eliminated.
5. Seek final approval from project lead (or appropriate chain of command) before reaching out to the client.
6. Proactively contact the client. It’s always better to show you’re aware of it first and that you’re working to correct it. Let them know exactly what you’re changing and what results you hope to get.
7. Stay in regular contact with the client. If it’s only a week-long campaign, they should receive daily updates from you on current results.
8. Still not on track? If you’ve exhausted all efforts, go the proactive route again. This time it may mean changing up the expectations. Look at what results you’re getting and what a realistic outcome will be in the time you have left. Debrief with your internal team before scheduling a PHONE CALL or FACE-TO-FACE meeting with the client.
9. Plan a debrief meeting with the internal team at the end of the project. This should be done within one (1) to three (3) days after the campaign ends. During this meeting you will discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what you would do different next time.
10. Record and archive the feedback so you can use next time. THE PROJECT LEAD SHOULD INITIATE THIS MEETING.

This is our starting point. What would you offer or add to the list?

Calling all #journchat participants. This time you can join me for a LIVE edition with a major news network.

The special edition of #journchat LIVE takes place on Monday, August 9, 2010, from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at NBC News’ headquarters at “30 Rock,” NBC’s historic studio and broadcast complex at Rockefeller Plaza.

So, what do you have to do to win? Create a blog post, photo, video or any other multimedia presentation that tells us why you love Cision and #journchat and why you should join us at NBC News.

The contest goes from July 7 to July 26. The winner will be announced on Tuesday the 27.

If selected, the attendee will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the newsroom,  learn more about how NBC’s news division operates and tips on how to better pitch and interact with the network. The LIVE chat will provide different perspectives on the various roles within NBC – such as anchor, web editor, tech reporter, producers, bloggers, and the social media director. Virtual participants will access to this information, too!

Want a leg up on the competition? Here’s a hint. We like funny. We LOVE creative. And a haiku might just knock our socks off. We’re just saying.

Eligibility. The Cision/#journchat @NBCNews Trip is open to all PR and marketing professionals or members of the media (journalists, freelancers, and bloggers) at least 21 years of age.

The winner will be selected by random drawing from among all valid entries. Cision will notify the winner by the email provided with the submission.

Can’t wait to see who will join me!

My reflections from the past two weeks on lessons I learned (or re-learned) during a very hectic (and rewarding) work schedule. Here they are in all their tweet-ready glory:

1. Those who work the hardest (and the longest) end up with more opportunities.
2. Always under promise and over deliver.
3. A good team makes all the difference.
4. If you wait until things are perfect, you’ll never get anything done.
5. You can’t forget to take care of yourself. (I need to remind myself of this OFTEN.)
6. Priorities REALLY matter. You can’t always get everything done, but you better get the right things done.
7. We all make mistakes. It’s what we learn and how we change after that can redeem us.
8. Business titles shouldn’t determine who receives your respect. You may end up reporting to those people someday.
9. When you know your values, it’s easy(ier) to make big decisions. (Former mentor did great exercise to help me w/ this.)
10. You don’t become irrelevant if you go off-grid for 48 hours or more.
11. Recognize those who do an amazing job. There are many professionals who go above and beyond b/c they love their jobs.
12. Sometimes it truly is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
13. Fun ways to reward and recognize your team via social media can really pay off. A team who tweets together, stays together???