Thank you to everyone who attended the IABC Phoenix luncheon today to hear me speak about personal branding.  It was fun to present and I hope you had fun participating. Great questions!

You can download a copy of the presentation at this link: http://tinyurl.com/JoePRguyonBranding

Unfortunately we ran out of time- great questions and dialogue about social media, branding, and how to approach people for testimonials. The final point of my presentation was cut short, so I thought I’d share it with you now.  As I emphasized in the presentation, it’s important to be visible in the community.  A great way to do this is to be a professional volunteer for a nonprofit organization or charitable cause.  Here are some points I didn’t get to about being a volunteer:

• Serve on charitable event planning committee
• Pick a nonprofit you like and reach out to them (NPO’s usually have high profile Boards)
• Great networking
• Gets your name out there
• Don’t be a lazy volunteer – it does more harm than help to your personal brand

If you attended the event I would like your feedback!  Complete this short survey and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win your own customized, personal brand t-shirt! http://tinyurl.com/IABCfeedback
If you have any comments or additional questions feel free to post them below. Thank you!

Brand YOU: It’s Time To Get Personal

Whether you are one of the many communications professionals looking for a job in today’s economy or you are happily employed, you need to take advantage of the many online tools available to build your personal brand. You already have an online reputation if you are using any social media or networking websites- what are you doing to manage it? Have you developed a strategy to increase your professional network?

Building a personal brand starts with your digital identity, but it’s more than using Twitter and LinkedIn- you have to be a presence in your industry both online and in the community. I’d like to invite you to join us for the IABC Phoenix luncheon on August 20, where I’ll be discussing personal branding strategies, both online and in-person.

Some of the things I’ll discuss you already know, but you’ll learn some tips and techniques you might not have thought about. It’s a fun and informative presentation you won’t want to miss!

IABC Phoenix Luncheon
August 20, 2009
Joe PR Guy:  Brand YOU: It’s Time to Get Personal!
Register:  www.iabcphoenix.com

Thanks to Kevin Horton, tvkevin productions, for sponsoring the event with this video.

A report released today by Forbes ranked West Point, The U.S. Military Academy, the top college in the country in their America’s Best College report.

“Marked by an intense work ethic and drive to succeed on all fronts, the West Point undergraduate experience also allows graduates to leave without a penny of tuition loans to repay,” Forbes stated in their release.

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity staff gathered data from a variety of sources basing 25 percent of the rankings on seven million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25 percent depends on how many of the school’s alumni, adjusted for enrollment, were listed among the notable people in Who’s Who in America.

The other half of the ranking were based equally on three factors; the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

To see the complete rankings go to www.forbes.com.

We did this all in one day- we had 12 hours, from 9AM to 9PM to learn as much of the Zombie March from “Thriller” as possible and then go to First Studio in Phoenix to shoot the video. Trust me, every muscle in my body hurt for two days and I have newfound respect for professional dancers.

I’d like to thank all of my social media friends who helped make this happen:

• Jeremiah Cohick (@JeremiahLee) and Arthur Nicholls (@arthurnicholls) who drove all the way from Los Angeles! I met Jeremiah on Twitter a few months ago and we had only met once in person, yet they were willing to drive across the desert to come and help.
• Jose Gonzalez (@Jose602) from the Torch Theatre, who graciously provided rehearsal space at Space 55 for us during the day.

• Kevin Horton (@tvkevin) who I met a few months ago on Facebook. Kevin owns tvkevin productions and is one of the most talented video producers in the area. A veteran news and entertainment photographer with an eye for details that will make your project shine, I recommend you hire him for your video needs!

• Phoenix dance instructors Andrew Balderrama and Cullen Daniel, who both responded to a posting on Facebook for choreography help- we had never met in person, only knew each other through mutual friends on Facebook. And hey, we are geeks with no rhythm… this wasn’t easy for any dance instructor!

• Ken and Laurie Easley saved us from the extreme heat advisory (we were orginially going to shoot Thriller outside in a spooky alley downtown). Ken Easley is a commercial photographer in Phoenix and owns First Studio, the very first TV station built in Phoenix in 1949. It has been converted into a unique space for video production and photography. The space is available for rent!

• Mike Chesworth, a Phoenix-based freelance film producer and editor helped us immensely with costume preparation, studio direction during the Thriller shoot, and editing.

• And last, but certainly not least, Paul Hanavan (@phanavan) and Kennelle Clark: my two dearest friends and consummate supporters. Thank you for all you do… Paul became a backup dancer when somebody didn’t show up and Kennelle managed logistics and the ever-important food for the day.

It’s official. I’ve started writing my first book. The idea came from a surprising media response when I founded “I Should Be In The News” or ISBITN, a modern nonprofit organization that seeks to provide a voice to communities (see http://isbitn.org).

When I launched ISBITN and began promoting it, I talked to reporters all over the country. While I was trying to reach media to help spread the word about ISBITN, reporters started contacting me for “off the record” help. In the press release announcing ISBITN and on the website, I mention that I’m a journalist-turned-PR-pro; a number of reporters who saw that contacted me because they were preparing to transition out of media and didn’t know where to begin. (more…)

As you may have already seen on Twitter or Facebook, I told Peter Shankman that if he became a fan of JoePRguy on Facebook, I’d do a happy dance and record it on video. If you are not familiar with Peter and his work you most likely live under a rock. As my friend Taylor Tweeted “isn’t that like getting a hug from the queen of england in US PR world?” An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and worldwide connector, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity, and customer service. He is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO). In addition to HARO, Peter is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., a boutique Marketing and PR Strategy firm located in New York City, with clients worldwide. His blog, which he launched as a website in 1995, (www.shankman.com) both comments on and generates news and conversation. His book “Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work— And Why Your Company Needs Them” is a must-read for any PR professional.

SO…now he’s a fan of JoePRguy and I’ve got to get jiggy with it. I’m going all out! A dance instructor in Phoenix has agreed to work with me and will choreograph a full number for my scrawny white ass… I just need to pick a song. Some fans have weighed in on Facebook already… I want all of you to tell me what I should do! Please vote below (only vote ONCE- that includes you Kennelle).
[poll id="2"]

On June 5, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) presented its highly coveted Public Relations Professional of the Year award to White House Press Secretary Robert L. Gibbs for his groundbreaking use of new communications techniques and technologies, as well as successful delivery of campaign messages to a broad electorate. The award was presented last night at the annual PRSA Silver Anvil Ceremony at the Equitable Tower in New York City.

“Robert Gibbs and his team revolutionized the way presidential candidates speak to voters by engaging best practices in current communications techniques and technologies,” said PRSA Chair and CEO Michael Cherenson, APR. “He transformed static, one-way messaging into a dynamic dialogue to engage an expansive electorate like never before.” (more…)

A recap of higher ed news stories I Tweeted this week (follow me @joePRguy):

Japan university gives away iPhones to students (it’s really a ploy to track them!) http://budurl.com/bpgu

George Mason University Innovates To Boost Enrollment http://budurl.com/y9lg

University Sues Porn Website Over Name http://budurl.com/2u69

Down economy means better dorms for these college students http://budurl.com/n5cu

University of Illinois admits it bowed to clout on admissions http://budurl.com/u8l8

And, finally… watching the last episode of Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show, I was tickled to see UNLV students in the “Greatest Moments in Jaywalking” segment- which I coordinated when I worked in UNLV public affairs under chief Hilaire Grey and former president Carol Harter. Jay Leno came to the 2006 commencement and filmed a “Jaywalking” segment with fresh UNLV graduates (in cap-and-gown) after the ceremony. The typical Jaywalking segment tends to make people look rather silly; I didn’t want UNLV students to look stupid, so I worked with his producers and writers to make it a unique segment: who’s smarter-men or women? Rather than asking questions of individuals like the typical Jaywalking, we had pairs of men and women. They stood in cap and gown, holding bells in thier hands to answer when Jay asked a question. We kept a tally of correct answers for both. The UNLV grad who made the “Greatest Moments” segment was a guy who answered: what are the first words of the Bible? His response was “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” (more…)

Twitter is getting a lot of attention these days. It’s not difficult to understand why; as social networking gained momentum with increasingly popular sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn, so did Twitter. The statistics are downright staggering: Twitter’s user numbers have jumped to an estimated 32.1 million from only 1.6 million just a year ago. Today you’ll find famous TV personalities, musicians, actors, sports stars, journalists, CEO’s, corporations, and major news organizations Tweeting to the masses. It’s pretty cool to see what John Mayer or Oprah Winfrey are up to everyday, isn’t it?

But the key to successfully using social media is to leave the race for a million followers to Ashton Kutcher and his celebrity pals; for those of us Joe PR guys, the focus needs to be on building a network of meaningful contacts and getting to know the people in those networks. A recent volunteer project of mine is a perfect example.

(more…)

May 17. On this day in 2006, the world lost a vibrant, beautiful woman named Lauren Hanavan. Her unexpected death from complications with diabetes was devastating. Like the rest of her family and friends, I miss her dearly.

Lauren, who was a 23-year-old senior at UNLV in Las Vegas, was set to graduate and was applying to law school. She was also engaged to be married to Bryce Taylor, a recent UNLV graduate (and wonderful human being). UNLV graciously granted Lauren a posthumous degree; I’m helping to raise money to establish a scholarship at UNLV in her name- if you would like to contribute please contact me. (more…)