Katie Boland

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?

Over a week ago, CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau held their conference “Take a leap from good to great.” Many Ottawa public relations practitioners took the time off work to learn from the experiences of their peers about the ongoing changes within their profession.  Having worked on the planning committee since November, it felt good to see all our hard work so well received. Everyone was very impressed by the speakers, the atmosphere, the volunteers, and the overall day.

Given the responsibility of volunteer coordinator excited me, but also scared me.  I knew I could handle it, but my work was still dependent on others. I was very happy that my volunteers pull through and were completely on point. I believe I have told them over and over, but they really made me proud.  I was very happy to see volunteers from all three academic institutions, Carleton University, University of Ottawa and Algonquin College.

Although I was running around a lot, I did get to enjoy some sessions. Many speakers were dealing with the devil that is social media and how they as PR practitioners handled it and what worked. But also, many speakers emphasized that other media should not be ignored, given that the average Canadian is not using these tools as much as TV, or the newspaper.  I think before investigating social media, you need to really understand if you target audience is using it, and what is the best way to reach them. Also, what are you trying to gain out of it.

Moreover, this conference helped me realized my potential. Getting told by senior level practitioners that I am awesome and driven, really meant a lot. It shows me that the messages I am trying to communicate to them are being received.

If you are a student wanting to get involved, try to discover what you would like to do in public relations, then try your best to show potential employers that you are capable of doing it. Never take no for an answer, just find another way to get where you want to be.

All and All, it was time well spent.

Being a student a lot of my time is spent volunteering and attending social functions on top of my education. I feel this is important to demonstrate the skills I am learning from my studies and to meet many of the welcoming industry professionals.

Sometimes this can be overwhelming on top of school and sometimes extremely rewarding. This week has been extremely rewarding. Not only did I see actual results from my efforts over the last year, but I was extremely proud and happy.

Firstly, Bob LeDrew announced I had won his Join the Conversation initiative and I received a copy of Joe Jaffe’s book. Not only is this neat because I love cultural studies books (especially those about social media). But it was a small recognition from an important Ottawa professional that my passion for this industry is being noticed. I also received some amazing publicity on Bob’s blog here.

Secondly, I received a call from the Algonquin College Student Association that I was chosen for a student director position on their executive board. yay! This will help me finance my education for next year, get me further involved in my school, and put me in a place where I can further demonstrate my leadership skills.

The time I have spent for the last year has been worth it.

Clearly if you work hard to build a portfolio for yourself outside of school eventually you will see positive results.

My advice, keep at it.