The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – But It Will Probably Be on Twitter

By Sylvia Ogilvie, Intern (@sylviaillini)

As I come to the halfway point of my internship at Fusion PR, I can’t believe how fast the time is going. I feel like it was yesterday that I came in here, feeling over-dressed and under-prepared, and now I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of things. As I continue to work on the familiar award and trade show lists, as well as phone calls and emails to publications, I’m also beginning to learn how to do new things. I’ve been introduced to concepts that I either didn’t understand before, or didn’t understand the importance of before. For example, recently I’ve been working on a social media blogs list, which identifies the top industry blogs that we should be reading and keeping track of.

Through doing this, I’ve learned about how important things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook can be when my previous impression was that it had been mainly used for casual social networking through updates. These applications are changing what we see as necessary media outlets – not only can we get the news from the newspaper or TV, we can get it from reporters blogging about new technology or reviewing a new product. The way we think of news and information is quickly evolving, and there’s no better place to be than working in a PR firm that works in the fast-paced world of technology and social media, both which are constantly evolving.

For example, the recent wave of celebrity deaths in the past week has sent shockwaves throughout the Twitter and Facebook community. As opposed to learning about these tragedies through traditional news outlets, the majority of the population found out through tweets and Facebook status updates. In fact, news of Michael Jackson’s death was such a hot topic that it almost took down several major online news outlets due to the surge of Internet users trying to get updates on the incident.

Additionally, the broadcasting of the death of Iranian citizen Neda Soltan took Twitter and YouTube by storm- showing full clips of the young woman’s death uploaded from a cell phone. Traditional outlets such as CNN and NBC showed a shorter, censored version of the clip. In this case especially, we are seeing the power that Twitter and other online social networking services can have on the dissemination of the news.

That's Hot

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Prior to interning at Fusion Public Relations, I had severely underestimated the importance and ever growing phenomenon, Twitter. I still do not have an account (sorry Justin), but plan to make one soon. My previous refusal to join the Twitter community stemmed from my belief that it was essentially the same as other social media outlets, and equipped with fewer applications than Facebook and MySpace. I also thought that those who were obsessed with Twitter simply used it to “follow” celebrities. In the past, those fans that would “follow” their celebrity idols were considered stalkers.

However, as I have recently learned, Twitter can certainly go beyond celebrity cyber-stalking. I have read many articles and blogs that describe Twitter to be extremely useful and beneficial to people with a wide array of occupations, but particularly those in the public relations and marketing fields. One blog post in particular, found on The Bad Pitch Blog, sums up the top four reasons why Twitter can improve PR pitches. It describes that Twitter can enhance a pitch’s brevity and value, help to include more links, and it is an effective place to pitch because it is always on. Twitter has a 140 characters count and therefore does not allow the pitch to be long at all, which forces a straight to the point and high value pitch.

Kevin, the author of the Top 4 Ways Twitter Can Improve Your Pitches, sums up his blog with, “Twitter won't cure disease. It's a handy utility. But it can also help improve your pitches. And that's hot.” “That’s hot,” Paris Hilton’s go-to phrase, can successfully describe Twitter ability to keep friends, family, and even celebrities in touch while connecting PR executives with members of the media.

Hey Joe, Whaddya Know?

By Sylvia Ogilvie, Intern (@sylviaillini)

While I’ve been working at Fusion, my main focus thus far has been to learn as much as possible about what having a career in the public relations industry would be like. Every week, I pick up more and more skills and tools to help me learn about what’s going on in the PR world.

For example, the homepage I have set for Internet Explorer and Mozilla is NetVibes. It’s basically a platform where you can add RSS feeds from any news outlets, giving you access to a plethora of current information in various industries within one page.

Every morning when I sit down at my desk, I can immediately access the prominent headlines from dozens of top tier news outlets (my homepage is currently sent to Fusion's NetVibes profile, which combines RSS feeds from news in business, technology, PR). So not only do I gain a vast amount of knowledge about the most pressing issues facing our nation and world, but I also get a ton of information about issues in the PR world. One such bit of information I came across was an blog post about the importance of Twitter and Facebook for public relations titled, "Hypermicro Public Relations".

Essentially, the article discussed the increasing need to target everyday social networking service user. Or as the blog puts it--the "average joe." This all ties in to the concept of participatory media, which I’ve been learning more and more about since I got here. Because the masses are becoming so much more attentive to the media arena, PR firms and clients have begun to realize that instead of just targeting brand names and big influencers, it is just as important – if not more so – to go after the millions of “regular” people on Facebook and Twitter. These services are making the barrier to create content lower than ever, thus allowing anybody with Internet access to express their opinions and ideas to so many others.

Never before have the opinions of the average joe meant so much, and from what I can tell this phenomenon is only going to grow. I’ll be very interested to see how the public relations industry continues to adapt and evolve along with it.

Weird is a Good Thing

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

It’s funny to think that this time last week, I was ecstatic for simply being able to sit in any meeting at all. I am thrilled to be a part of team meetings and editorial sessions but I never even thought I would be allowed to sit in on new business meetings, especially at this stage in my internship. My mouth dropped on Tuesday when Justin Finnegan, a senior account executive here, asked me if I wanted to take notes at a new client meeting the following day.

The beginning of the day was a typical Tuesday, equipped with compiling research about relevant coverage and publications that would be a good fit for the new client as well as composing an editorial calendar for a current client. As the day began to wind down, I was asked to sit in on a prep meeting between Justin and Fusion’s CEO Jordan Chanofsky in which we, yes we, discussed strategies and proactive PR ideas for the new client. All of these elements were included in a PowerPoint presentation along with an overview of the company and the team, client experience and what makes Fusion stand out from all of the rest. After the first time I looked over Fusion’s Web site, and certainly after three weeks, I have learned that Fusion is very different from other PR firms of its kind. This new business meeting and PowerPoint presentation just simply reinforced this notion.

When I return home from Fusion every day, my mom always asks me, “Did you learn something new today?” Most of the time it bothers me, but she is absolutely right. Internships thrive on the learning experiences and are unsuccessful if you do not learn and experience new things each day. In the new business meeting, I almost felt like the clients. Throughout the presentation and discussion, I was learning new things about Fusion’s client experience prior to the beginning of my internship and even more details on the backgrounds of the team. The team’s wide array of backgrounds was even described by Jordan as “weird, but I believe weird is a good thing.” This weirdness is what makes Fusion truly unique. I learn that every day of my internship and hope the potential new client did as well. I hope they came out of the new business meeting the same way I did, saying there is truly no other place like Fusion.

She Said What?

By Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

One of the best things about working on the internship program is that I am able to participate in the interview process. It's interesting to hear the applicants' views on how/why they chose PR, where they see themselves going in the next several years and what career path they'd like to ultimately follow.

Most, if not all, our applicants are juniors in college and still undecided as to what they'd like to focus on for their careers. When asked why they've decided to do a PR internship, responses vary from "I've always wanted to do PR" to "I don't know what PR is but wanted to try it out" to "I don't know." However, there are some that have a specific goal in mind. For example, one such candidate was hoping to open up her own PR firm one day. (I find that amazing. When I was in college, PR was not even on my list of career paths.)

There have only been a handful of times where I've spoken with an applicant and she/he was completely unprepared for the interview. Most of our interviews are done via phone calls, since we receive applicants from different cities across the nation. I've learned a lot on these calls. Mainly, what not to do and what not to say. There are a lot of tips I can give but the most important piece, which everything else would fall under, is professionalism.

This week, I had a chance to meet with the chairperson of BYU-Idaho's Communication's Department and their NYC liaison. They asked what is an important characteristic that applicants should have when applying to Fusion. Suzanne McGee, director, answered simply, "Professionalism." She mentioned that as students begin applying to internships, they have to think about what their brand is, how they are presenting themselves.

Everything you do, online or in-person, adds to your personal brand. A badly written resume, an unprepared interview, provocative photos online, an angry blog -- it all affects your image and in turn, your career. So, I urge you, whether you're a veteran at interviews or a beginner, be careful what you say and what you do.

Suzanne recently sent me a link to a blog post titled "How Not to Get a Job in Public Relations," written by an account executive at Newman PR. While the title should really explain it all, the post shows that even applicants applying for entry-level positions need some help with professionalism.

Nowhere else to go but UP

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

A real feel for the public relations field does not come along too often at the intern level. In fact, I experienced this first hand at my internship last year. I interned at a large corporation and was successfully smothered in busy work (filing mostly) all day for twelve weeks. After that experience, I knew that a smaller public relations firm was right for me. It is so refreshing to be spoken to and receive work and tasks like a real member of Fusion. The staff, the true public relations work, and the general atmosphere prove that Fusion PR is an exception to the many so-called PR internships out there.

Now, what is this true public relations work that I just mentioned? I am continuing to develop media and analyst lists as well as engage in extensive research regarding the wide array of Fusion’s clientele. I have also created numerous briefing documents. Going further, I even compiled an entire briefing book for the very first time. I also began my first PR monthly activity report for the month of June. It is so refreshing to no longer file all day but be able to complete tasks, like monthly reports and briefing books, which account executives do on a daily basis.

I can only count on one hand the amount of meetings I sat in on last summer. Thankfully, at Fusion, I take part in weekly team meetings and editorial sessions. At these meetings, each person talks about what they are currently working on, their goals, questions, and look to the other members of the team for input. I am able to give my input about anything and today I was even asked what I thought about a new pitch. If it was June 10, 2008, or this time last summer, I would never be able to think or dream about being looked to for an opinion. If I have already received all of these opportunities after only two weeks, I am excited to see where my internship here at Fusion takes me after 10!

Bring on the heavy lifting

By Sylvia Ogilvie, Intern (@sylviaillini)

Last week at Fusion has been really busy for me. After my brief absence the week prior because I was sick, I was excited to dive right back into things on Monday. I’ve been doing a bit of the usual, such as briefing documents, media lists and awards lists, but I’ve also gotten the opportunity to do some new things. I had the opportunity to sit in on my first ed session, as well another weekly call with one of our clients. My biggest accomplishment, however, was when I was given the opportunity to draft a pitch on the founder for one of the companies. This is where I've been able to use my own writing skills in addition to the client information to create my very own pitch. As I’m being given more and more responsibilities and as they become more challenging and require more comprehension on my part, I’m realizing how much I enjoy the kind of work involved in a PR firm. I hope it keeps on going this way for the rest of my short stay here.

The Pursuit of Happiness

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

I never expected to feel as comfortable after only four days, as I do here at Fusion Public Relations. I am not only thrilled with my high comfort level but I am also extremely relieved that I have finally found an internship I am happy with. This is in most part due to the staff at Fusion PR. They have been extremely welcoming, and made me feel right at home from the first minute I arrived at the office in the always exciting Times Square in New York City.

As I began writing this blog, my first ever, I began to make a mental list of all of the things I have been doing the past four days. However, after doing so, I came to realize that the question I should really be asking myself is, what have I not been doing? I compiled media and analyst lists as well as briefing documents, engage in research about media outlets, publications, award and tradeshows and will eventually dive into composing press releases, editorial calendars and monthly activity reports.

While completing all of these tasks, I am learning about the latest technologies, a topic that I typically stayed clear of in the past. Those who know anything about me would be shocked to find out I am interning for a tech savvy public relations firm. Just as Bennie Sham, an account executive here at Fusion, and now one of my co-workers (yes, I can call her a co-worker) said during my interview, “we are extremely tech heavy but still fun!” I truly am having fun and learning something new every single day. I am excited to be spending ten weeks here, not only having fun while learning and growing, but I am even lucky enough to receive hands-on public relations experience.