Getting involved in this online PR-sphere can be overwhelming at first.  I know I found it to be, and still do. As a student you’re still learning, but you’re encouraged to discuss and demonstrate your knowledge across multiple networks.

But what can you talk about? Well today at noon you can join the #PRStudChat on Twitter where PR professionals, educators and students will be discussing how educators bring real world experience into the classroom for students to experience public relations.

All you need to participate is a twitter account where you include the hashtag (#PRStudChat) in every tweet you send. You can follow the whole conversation using search.twitter.com or any of the other twitter search sites.

This chat is primarily dominated by USA students right now as it started by Deirdre Breakenridge and  Valerie Simon as a way to “get students and PR industry professionals to discuss the opportunities and challenges in public relations to strengthen our professional and motivate PR people of all ages.”

I would love to see more Canadian students and college professors getting involved in this discussion. I think it would be a great way to show students the power of twitter, but also a practical way to use it.  I have seen a lot of students join twitter because they are forced and then they quit using it because they really don’t know how to in the first place.

This chat is going to be a monthly conversation and you can check out the monthly schedule here.

PR Intern Seekers… if you cannot pitch yourself as an intern candidate, it’s more than likely you cannot pitch a product or service.  Do it right!

Louise Armstrong, co-owner of Palette Public Relations made a tweet today, among other conversations, that sparked this post, “Intern seekers, I’m less inclined to reply to you when your pitch for an internship is a form e-mail sent to a bcc list.”

Whether this is a discussion about basic email etiquette in general or tips on how to finding an internship, I hope this will help one at least PR student. I may be very wrong in my words of wisdom, so if you have an additional comments or disagreements please add them.

Sending out a request for an internship placement is very similar to sending out a pitch. It would be great if you’ve had the chance to meet with different professionals in the area and got know them on a personal level. But this is not always the case, especially if you went to school in different city from the one you are looking to work in (As I did).

1. Do your research – where do you want to intern and why? What are the companies in this space? Who are the decision-makers in these companies – do they blog/twitter – ? Has the company earned new business recently or have they been expanding? Look for these clues to help you approach the right people at the right time.

2. Personalize each email and tailor it to the person you’re speaking to. This is not such as long process… just do it. This includes no BCC-ing and no attachments.  Maybe do something different – send them a written personalized letter or give them a call and just talk to them.

3. Demonstrate your knowledge/fit - show that you have researched the company and that you understand their line of business. If you’re looking at a PR agency, what type of clients do they have? Do they have a strong digital side, investor relations or internal communications? Talk about it and why you would be a good fit for their company.

4. Keep it short and concise. Your email shouldn’t be any longer than two paragraphs.. if you have more to say include a link in your email. If they’re interested they will continue to listen.

5. Direct them to a site or blog that shows them your writing/work but also expresses your interests outside of public relations. Whether it’s food, movies or keen desire to stay organized, it shows your personality and helps them get to know you. ( Hiring these days isn’t all about your skills anymore, however important, it’s about fit).

6. Be creative. When I just started I thought it was cute that someone wrote a press release as their application to an internship.. however I think that has been done many of times now.  Just do something that makes you stand out and tailor it to the type of internship you would like.

All in all, remember to be patient and persistent (not annoying). The job market is competitive, it may not come easy.

My blog has been sitting static for almost a year.  Pretty sad, right?  I can’t believe I let it get this bad. I still read a lot blogs, attend local events and remain very active on my twitter account, but I have kinda lost my way.

I am been dreading writing this post, so much that I wrote it in July, but never actually posted it.

The original point of my blog was to write about my journey to becoming a  public relations professional and once I achieved what I  set out to do, I stopped writing. There were multiple reasons why this happened… I was scared, didn’t want to get criticized for my opinion. I thought it was better to not say anything at all, rather than argue over what I believed was true or not.  But also, I have been dealing with a clash of how to behave in this online transparent, should I be completely professional (but not a true reflection of myself) or competing uncensored.  I think I might find my place half way in between both.

I’m an not the only PR Student blogger that has lost their way while transitioning from a PR Student to a PR Professional (granted these references were from when I originally wrote this post..but these were student bloggers who started writing at the same time as me), such as  Meg Roberts at PR Interactive and Nick Lucido at PR Start have who expressed their own difficulties about making this change.

But here I am. I am ready to start writing again… going forward my blog will discuss being a young PR professional, social media, communication theory, exploring my love of film, or whatever direction I decide to take.

New Year, New Direction.

This weekend, Kelly Rusk and I ventured up to Toronto for the third annual Podcamp Toronto. Overall, it was a blastly blast.  Even though I am not a podcaster currently, I am still a podcast listener and potential podcaster (if I get over my fear of it.)

If you are unfamiliar with the “camp” concept, it is 100% free, volunteer, sponsor-supported “unconference” where many of the presenters are attendees of the various sessions.  I believe the camp concept started with Barcamp and has now spread for multiple other interests even Cupcakecamp.

I think it is very important for students to take advantage of events like this either attending or volunteering.

Why?

• It is a free way to take advantage of our amazing Canadian talent and learn from these individuals.

• All attendees of these events are very open to meeting new people and learning from each other (meaning – they aren’t scary).

• Lastly, you are the only one  not benefiting from not attending.

So what did I learn? What value did I get?

• I got to see a presentation from Chris Brogan, a speaker, blogger, president of New Marketing Labs, whose humourous casual presentation was straight-forward and honest about how to use social media for yourself, your company or your client.

• I got to meet handfuls of podcasters and bloggers who I have now become even more jealous of their talent and expertise that I am thinking about what I could bring or what I could share. Some of these people were, Dave Fleet, Sean Power, Eden Spodek, Jay Moonah, David Jones and Amber Naslund.

• I met many other students who shared similar interests and professional drive as me. We got to know each other either at the podcamplunch or podcamp after party.

All and all I had an amazing time at podcamp toronto. Thank you for all you that make that possible, you have inspired me to continue pursuing my personal goals!

As a member of the CPRS Ottawa Board of Directors and a PR Student, I am continuously encouraging more student events and student involvement on the Ottawa chapter.

However, there is not a large amount of students getting value out of our local professional associations with two universities and one college . There are hundreds of students who are expecting to seek employment in the next few years but are not becoming apart of the few professional associations within our city.

I can see what CPRS has offered to me as a student, such as:

• Personal Contacts – I have become good friends with many of my fellow board members and chapter members that I have became friends with since joining. I know if I have work questions or industry questions I can go to them for help, which is really big benefit for junior PR professional.
• Informative PD Sessions: I know, I am in school most of the time, why do I need to go to another lecture, but PD sessions are cutting edge. As educational as my program as been it can take years to change school curriculum, where PD sessions are up-to-date reflections on whats going on now.
• Leadership Opportunities – I have volunteered both as a board member and leading event aspects such as the volunteers for the February Conference of 2008 and the marketing for the CPRS Ottawa PuRe Elements Awards.
• Networking Opportunities – events organized at least twice a year that allow me to stay connected with the personal contacts I have made.
• Future APR – once I have reached five year s in the industry I am hoping t o receive accreditation as a professional public relations practitioner.

I get value out of these opportunities, but what would you like to see out of a professional association as a student?

How I Met Your Mother, one of my favourite television shows right now, is very good at using the web to promote the show and encourage word-of-mouth dialogue. From Marshall and Lily sell their shit-to-the Robyn Sparkles – the Canadian teen idol’s music video, “Lets go to the Mall.” This Monday’s episode gave us another viral treat with Barney Stinson’s video resume that helps him get a job to do nothing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFNPKU3gJ8o&hl=en&fs=1]

Stress…. that evil little word that effects almost everyone on a daily basis. When I was younger just starting university I didn’t get as stressed as I can get now. Things were easier then. I worried about my social calendar far more than one should of. Now-a-days I am lucky to go out once a week and I don’t have priorities like a family or animal to keep me in.

Ever since I came to the realization that I need to “grow up,” get a full-time job and begin to repay my student debt things started to get stressful. Making the transition from a student to a young professional is very very difficult. You need time and money to project a professional image of yourself, but you are barely affording your rent and might be pulling all-nighters to finish assignments.

How can you handle stress?

1. Take risks - Successful people do not become successful without taking the risk. Yes, there is a possibility that you will not get the job or you will not like the position, but if you didn’t at least try I may regret it later. If you have an opportunity take it.

2. Give yourself me time – You can work all hours in the day, but do not overwork yourself. Make sure you do something for you once a week or even once a day. Read a girly novel such as Emily Griffin’s Love the one your With or see a movie with your friends.

3. Be a forward thinker – Always think about what you are working towards and how much that goal means to you. Do not dwell in the past, keep moving forward, or else you will continue to indulge in negative behaviour.

4. Keep positive – If you ask yourself depressing questions, you will get depressing answers. Rather than what if and why me, ask what can I do and how can I move forward.

5. Find an activity that calms you – For some it is going for a walk, cranking up your favourite song, practice yoga, or light a candle. Whatever it is, do it consistency. Give yourself a break to avoid a breakdown.

These are just some of the things I do on a daily basis to avoid stress, but we are all human and it can get the best of us sometimes. To keep myself focused I purchased this book, “The Bounce Back book: How to thrive in the face of adversity, setbacks and losses” by Karen Salmonsohn. I keep it on my bookshelf and whenever I have had a truly bad day and none of my little tricks are working, I read this book and it helps me realign my thinking. It has 75 tips to help you bounce back and usually by number 5 I start feeling better.

Students now owe the federal government a record $13 billion in loans, not including loans owed to provincial governments or personal and credit-card debt ,says the Canadian Federation of Students.

I try not to speak about my very rapidly growing student debt after six years of post-secondary education because there is not much I can do about it until I start work full-time. Even still, it is going to take me years to repay.

Right now my current debt:

OSAP – $25,000 ( i think, it could be more)

TD Student Line – $18,000

My debt isn’t as bad as many other students with the same education because of the summers I spent working midnights on the General Motors Truck Line and working up-to three jobs at time. But as I tell many people, I am different that most people. I am very Rory Gilmore. I was going to school and I wanted to be successful ever since I was little. Many of my friends from home didn’t attend post-secondary because of the lack of funds or waited many years before going back.

I don’t know how or what governments and schools can do to combat this overwhelming debt students are dealing with, but all I can say from a student perspective is that money has been a stress that has taken my attention away from my education way too many times.

Also, some of my colleagues were on A-channel discussing student debt this Wednesday, check out the broadcast here. If only I stayed a little bit longer.

Throughout all of my education-high school, university and college-  I have only had a few outstanding professors that have inspired me. Mr. Paul Attallah was one of those few. 

Teaching me Introduction to Mass Communications and a fourth-year seminar on Semiotics, Attallah could captivate me while discussing the history of mass media or theorizing about its effect.

“He was my absolute favourite, ” says Mass Communications gradate Rosalee Gunraj. “I never had to study for his class – he was that enthralling.

I have written to before about my love for Carleton University and the Mass Communications program and Attallah was one of the reasons. Dr. Attallah joined the School’s Communication Program in 1987 and he served as the head of the School’s Mass Communication Program from 1991-2005.

He is the true definition of an amazing public speaker and it saddens me to write to you about his passing on Jan 9. 2009.

“Paul remained the amazing teacher he was to the last, astonishing his friends with his insights and reflections until the very end, ” says Michael Dorland, his colleague and friend of 16 years. “ His death leaves many saddened friends who were privileged to have known and worked with him.”

With this, thank you Mr. Attallah for your inspiration throughout my time at Carleton it truly meant a lot.

This past week, Bob Ledrew, Cait Lafleche and I spoke at an IABC Senior Communicator’s dinner to discuss youth and social media. Many issues arose during our discussions, but one in particular has stuck with me. With our current media landscape, people are always under surveillance from pictures at a party to a comment on a Myspace page and all of it being documented. I understand this now as I begin my journey as a public relations practitioner on how important my activities can be for my own personal brand and the company I work for in the future.

However, I still have a hard time with this because I grew up using different types of social media and it shaped part of my identity especially when I was young girl confused and unsure of my future. I remember using ICQ when I was in high school and pretending to be the other Katie Boland, the actress from Zack Files, because at that time I wanted to be an actress and I didn’t understand what I was doing could be wrong. Or the personal entries I wrote in my livejournal for over six years and how it kept me close with my best friends despite being in different cities.

All these things are true and they shaped the person I am today, and I have a hard time if an employer would judge me on my behaviour when I was nineteen and the person I loved broke my heart. I have grown a lot in the last few years, and I know that how you handle things can be a true reflection of who you are, but I think judging people solely on things that may have happened a few years ago is not fair, especially for someone my age. When you are young, a lot changes in a year.

Many people have their opinions about this, what do you think? What is fair game for employers to judge recruits on?