I’m a tad (understatement) excited because the Giants are in it, thanks to their overtime victory last Sunday against the Niners in the NFC Championship Game. But, I’m even more excited about the social engagement the NFL is planning. It’s really going to make this year’s game the Social Super Bowl.

In a column for PR Breakfast Club on January 18, I discussed sports and social media and why it’s a natural fit. The NFL is now setting up the first-ever Social Media Command Center in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. According to Digital Life on Today, the center will…

Concentrate on key word-based monitoring, but because they’re geo-targeting the Indianapolis/Indiana area and those coming to town for the game, they won’t be as overwhelmed as they would be if they tried to deal with all the online traffic the event generates.

This is an absolutely great move by the NFL. Not only will they be able to measure just how much the Super Bowl (pre-game events and the actual game) are mentioned, but it will also be a benchmark for other sports leagues. Imagine if Major League Baseball does this for the World Series, which could potentially go seven games. It would help the league understand new things about their fan base. This is especially important as many say the World Series games start too late for young fans to watch.

What about NASCAR? Imagine a social media center at the Dayton 500. Or how about for golf, when people could be tweeting or posting on Facebook from the 18th hole of the Masters? The possibilities are endless.

Back to the Super Bowl. The NFL has really done a fine job embracing social media. I follow many of the league’s higher-ups, including @NFLprguy (Brian McCarthy) and @GregAiello (Greg Aiello). As for the Giants (@Giants) and Patriots (@Patriots), each has a Twitter profile that is very engaging and fan oriented. Giants vice president of communications, Pat Hanlon (@giantspathanlon) is on Twitter as well and is as entertaining as they come. He’s been doing a countdown since the playoffs began of how many hours it is until each game.

Yes, most sports leagues have embraced social media. But none have taken it to the level that the NFL has this year. It’s going to be intriguing to see how the other leagues put their own spin on it. Let’s face it, a social media command center is something we’ll see more of in sports.

The NFL just put a great game plan in place.

What opportunities have you jumped on lately? Let me know in the comments.

Source: NY Daily News

When I was young, Carter was my baseball hero. He was traded to my favorite team, the New York Mets, in late 1984 and was the last piece towards an eventual championship in 1986. I found myself drawn to Carter because of his smile and enthusiasm. Both were infectious. Carter’s nickname was “The Kid” because of that boyish attitude. I began to wear the number 8 because it was Carter’s number. 

Some years later, Carter was retired and working for the Florida Marlins as a color analyst on their broadcasts. I was an intern with the Philadelphia Phillies when I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Carter, thanks to Phils public address announcer Dan Baker. His smile was the same that I saw after the opening day home run Carter hit at Shea Stadium in 1985; the same one that lit up his face the night the Mets reached baseball’s pinnacle in 1986. We talked for only a few minutes, but he treated me like I had known him for years. The autograph he gave me adorns my office desk because it reminds me of one thing…

Every single day, we must treat our lives like a blessing. Cliche? Maybe. But it is absolutely true.

Think about it. How many little things do we let bother us? Things that, ultimately, don’t matter in the grand scheme of life. Maybe a little “Kid”-like attitude can help you face your challenges. Think of what makes you happy… smile… then, brush yourself off, and step back up to the plate.

Today, Gary Carter is fighting for his life. While you may not be battling brain cancer, take a moment and remember that our life is something to live to the fullest. Don’t take advantage of it. 

I’m including a link so you can see what Carter’s foundation does. Cancer has also touched many of our lives. Friend Laura Scholz will be participating in the Sam Robb Memorial 5K & Fun Run to raise money for CURE in February. Sam lost his fight with cancer in 2007 at the age of 20. Lastly, Roswell Park Cancer Institute has its Alliance Foundation that manages all donations made to RPCI. Since its inception, over $173 million has been contributed to benefit the Institute’s research, education and patient care programs.

Feel free to leave your comments, too!

In September, I embarked on my solo public relations pro journey. Although, it wasn’t necessarily on my terms, I always dreamed of being my own boss. When the opportunity did arise, I was excited and eager to take on the solo PR world. It’s been four months now, so how do I feel now? It’s hard to put into one or two words.

The thing about being a solo PR pro is that you get to work in your own environment. Maybe that is a home office or a local Starbucks. Either way, that could be considered a huge win. You also get to work with clients you enjoy and they respect your insight and guidance. But, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows.

I want to be honest with you… being a solo PR pro is a ton of sweat and incredibly hard work. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll be on the yellow brick road to Oz when you are solo. Just like working for an agency, you need to focus and put in long hours at times. At the end of the day, you’ll be wiped.

Here are five things I’ve learned the last four months of being a solo pro.

• You aren’t alone. I’ve taken advice from many solo PR pros. I’ve asked questions about what to expect and how to handle my own business. This helped me in more ways than I can count.
• Clients aren’t going to fall into your lap. Maybe you have two or three “smaller” clients to start. That is great. But, if you think your name will just get business, you are wrong. I learned that some old-fashioned door-to-door visits work wonders.
• Don’t be afraid to hear “NO!”- How many times have I been hung up on or told a business isn’t interested. More than a few. It’s not because you aren’t good at what you do. It is all about timing and money. Sometimes it’s just not a fit.
• Be prepared for an adjustment period. I can’t stress this enough because I’m still adjusting to being my own “boss.” If you think you can just jump into being on your own, you can’t. Understanding the financial side of your business is as much work as pitching yourself to a potential client.
• You have to want it… badly. If you don’t like your job and think that being on your own will solve everything, you are going about it wrong. I’m invigorated by running my own business, BUT there’s been plenty of frustration and bumps in just four months. If you just go halfway, you are halfway to failing.

This post isn’t about discouraging you from going out on your own. I wanted to be straightforward, since there were so many that were honest with me about my solo PR journey. Ultimately, your chances at success are greater if you know the truth. I’m still learning… and don’t want to stop doing so. My current and future clients will be better for it.

How do you game plan for success? Let me know in the comments.

Thankfully, friend and colleague, Kevin Manne (@k3v2) read the post. Kevin, who works in higher ed social and new media, recently passed the exam for accreditation in public relations. We discussed Mark’s blog via Twitter and both mentioned Edward Bernays’ definition of PR, which is mentioned in Mark’s blog.

We moved the conversation to email, where Kevin said he felt Bernays’ definition is still fairly accurate. “Though the tools and channels which are used for public relations may change,” Kevin said. “The fundamental profession remains the same. With social media, now more than ever we have the ability to truly build and maintain two-way relationships with our publics.”

Kevin added that he thinks the issue is it can be difficult for those outside of PR to understand exactly what we do.

That’s one of the reasons PRSA felt it was time to better define our field. I reached out to Keith Trivitt (@keithtrivitt), the associate director of public relations for PRSA. I thought it would be good to get the ideas behind the #PRDefined campaign.

“What we are trying to establish with #PRDefined is a dictionary-like definition that addresses this issue of clarity of public relations’ most common precepts,” Keith said, “while allowing for flexibility for individuals and organizations to add their own value points and context to a common definition.”

While Bernays’ definition is still valid, the #PRDefined initiative, according to Keith, will help modernize the definition of public relations, in order to better address the current and future role and value of public relations.

I understand where Mark Schaefer was coming from because, I, too, originally asked, “Why are we still trying to define PR after all these years.” But, Keith made a good point to me, to which I agree wholeheartedly. People taking issue with the campaign is good because it adds to the discussion. “We’re confident that whatever new definition the profession chooses will be roundly supported by much of the profession,” Keith said. The vote will take place publicly in mid-January.

The response to #PRDefined has been overwhelming. According to Keith, in just the first two weeks of the initiative (Nov. 21–Dec. 2, 2011), which coincided with the crowd-sourced submission phase, PRSA received more than 900 distinct definition submissions, 16,000 submitted words to define public relations and nearly 30,000 page views of the “Public Relations Defined” website. There were also dozens of blog posts and business and trade media articles written about the campaign, including an endorsement of the initiative by PRWeek Editor-in-Chief Danny Rogers.

My take? Let’s continue the discussion and debate, even after PRSA comes up with its definition. Bernays’ definition holds up well as (hopefully) will the society’s. If both mean a better understanding of PR, that’s a good thing.

Let me know your thoughts on PRSA’s #PRDefined initiative and how we define our field, in general, in the comments.

How are you getting ready for 2012? Let me know in the comments.

What are you doing to celebrate? Let me know in the comments.

Solo Struggles

Here’s the Inc.com piece that I mentioned in the video. Thank you Tara Hunt for inspiring!