Attention!

Or as a military drill instructor would say,”Tennnn-Hut”, this week the Northwest Arkansas Public Relations Society of America chapter is hosting “Blogger Boot Camp and Beyond”, a content-rich afternoon focused on getting started in the space and joining in the conversation of social media. Ed Nicholson of Tyson Foods (client) and I will be offering tips to public relations professionals and journalists about the ways to grow communities and energize stakeholders with social networking tools. As a part of the training we’ll offer up links to helpful sites such as, http://www.copyblogger.com/ and drill-down into writing for a blog. Here are a few rules we like to use in our regiment at MCG: 

• Make your opinion known
• Link to relevant sites – YouTube, Flickr, Twitter etc. 
• Write succinct copy
• Use snappy headlines
• Write with passion
• Include bullets or lists
• Organize and edit your content
• Make your post easy to scan
• Be consistent with your style

I’ll be calling out this blog post in our session, so be sure to share your marching orders on ways you add discipline to your blog. We’ll also cover “at-ease” methods to research what’s being said about your brand.

So, if you didn’t get a chance to sign up for “Blogger Boot Camp and Beyond” then follow our hashtag #nwaprsa on Twitter.

See you at 0200.

Regardless of your industry or position, to be a successful professional you must communicate effectively. Learning to write well is an important part of being a good communicator. Yet in the pursuit of message development, many professionals often overlook the use of proper grammar basics in their communication materials.

Words are powerful tools that can help — or hurt –  you. Using proper grammar, spelling and punctuation can make a big difference in how people perceive you and how well they receive your message. Much of grammar is based on common sense that, once learned, can help you avoid the most common writing errors. All it takes is a few extra minutes to (a) choose your words carefully and (b) proofread your work before sending it out.

Here are a few of my favorite grammar basics to help you polish your writing skills.

Noun/pronoun agreement

• Incorrect: ABC Company aspires to do the best for their shareholders.
• Correct: ABC Company aspires to do the best for its shareholders.
• Reason: ABC Company is one entity. You need to use “it” to reflect the singular status.
• However: Executives of ABC Company aspire to do the best for their shareholders.

Dates

• Incorrect: On June 15, 1836 Arkansas became the 25th state.
• Correct: On June 15, 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state.
• Reason: Remember to use a comma after both the day of the month AND the year.
• However: Do not use commas when there is not a specific day of the month. Example: During June 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state.

Comparisons

• Incorrect: That girl is older than me.
• Correct: That girl is older than I (am old).
• Reason: You wouldn’t say: “Me am old.” Case agreement is essential with pronouns. “Me” is an objective pronoun, and “I” is a subjective pronoun. In comparisons, “I” is the subject. Objective pronouns receive the action of the verb.

Comma splices

• Incorrect: I was busy, therefore I decided to work late.
• Correct: I was busy, so I decided to work late.
• Reason: When you have two complete sentences (independent clauses), you must use a coordinating conjunction to prevent a comma splice or run-on sentence.
• Coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (use the acronym FANBOYS to remember)
• Do not use conjunctive adverbs: however, therefore, accordingly, consequently, moreover, nevertheless, thus

Everybody is always singular

• Incorrect: Everybody needs to bring their ideas to the table.
• Correct: Everybody needs to bring his or her ideas to the table.
• Reason: Although “everybody” might feel like more than one person, you can remember it is singular by saying “every single body” to yourself.

Here is a great online resource for more grammar tips and exercises:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu.

 
Great work deserves to be recognized, and that’s just what the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America gathered to do recently.  Outstanding communications strategies as well as creative tactics of all kinds were honored as the best of the best for 2008.  

Every spring, our chapter’s Apex Awards program invites practitioners (both members and non-members alike) to submit their work from the prior year for judging and award consideration by another PRSA chapter. This year, awards were presented in 14 categories including traditional and not-so-traditional communications. In addition to excellence in writing and publications such as brochures and annual reports, awards were also given for emerging media tools including blogs, webcasts, Web sites and social media. 

I’m pleased to say we had some reasons to celebrate.  Mitchell Communications Group took home three awards including:

• Best social media campaign: “2008 Social Media Hunger Challenge” of Boston and the Bay Area in conjunction with long-time MCG client Tyson Foods, Inc.;
• Feature writing: “Finding Resources in the Rain” for Horizon magazine, the Southwestern Energy Company royalty owner newsletter MCG produces each quarter; and
• Press conferences: “Tyson Foods One-Million Pound Donation Kick-Off” in conjunction with Tyson Foods.
  

The MCG team also celebrated the naming of fellow team member, Cydnee Cochran, APR, as the 2008 Professional of the Year.  Cydnee’s 20 years of experience in public relations and her depth and breadth of experience gained throughout that time is an important part of the senior-level bench strength and strategic approach we bring to our clients every day.  We are delighted to have her receive this well deserved recognition, and we salute all 2008 Apex Award winners for their efforts in the name of excellence. 

MCG team members take home awards: Michael Clark, Cydnee Cochran, Holly Gilbert and Heather Ellington.

Congratulations to all the winners for the great work you do.