Comments for Lindsay Olson

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by Alison

Alison — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:52:58 +0000

Trace – I think you’re right that lawyers and judges or scientists and FDA officials benefit from working together. My point was that they probably respect each other more than the media respects PR professionals. As @iJoeldon said on Twitter “Is there a Bad Surgery Blog? Bad Rocket Science Blog?”

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by Trace Cohen

Trace Cohen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:24:14 +0000

I agree with you that getting covered is harder than ever because of the shrinking newsrooms and the fact that PR professionals outnumber journalists 4:1 now. This makes creating a “relationship” with them almost impossible because you and a thousand other PR professionals are trying to do the same thing, not including the countless small businesses and entrepreneurs. Let me make it clear though that this isn’t the fault of the journalist but the large media companies they work for with their broken business models that force them to write write write.

For your example of this in other industries, I couldn’t disagree more. If I was a new lawyer and had the opportunity to ask a judge about etiquette and how to improve myself, I would love that opportunity. And I would be amazed if scientists didn’t work with the FDA to speed up or expedite the approval process. The same could be said for sales or anyone making a presentation, they generally ask for feedback on how to improve.

Either way, at the end of the day I see the PR industry starting to own content creation as more journalists lose their jobs and join the ranks. We will soon rely less on the media’s coverage as social media has allowed us to directly engage with our customers.

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by Alison

Alison — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:31:53 +0000

After reading Gini’s comment, I thought a follow-up blog on why we still have bad PR practices would be worthwhile. The funny thing is that none of the reasons that immediately came to my mind where the same ones that M Haviland points out. Hmmm….

Maybe talking about these bad practices *is* worthwhile…

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by M Haviland

M Haviland — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:43:21 +0000

With career work as a reporter and PR professional, I feel the problem has two primary root causes: (1) most of today’s young PR account staff, while brilliant with social media, have grown up in a culture that no longer values the media. Still needs the media, but trashes them often! The professional approach that good journalists deserve has never formed. (2) The mentor relationship, and the solid training in media relations (!) that experienced PR people used to offer, is no longer a priority in many PR operations. Which is sad, really.

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:11:48 +0000

“Can you imagine a group of lawyers asking a judge about what courtroom behavior is the most vexing? Or scientists asking the FDA for tips on speeding up drug approvals?”

That made me LOL!

The thing that is bothersome is, you’re right, EVERY session with journalists we hear the same thing, yet we don’t do it. And add fuel to the fire that now some of us are bloggers pitched by these PR people who still don’t listen.

Lou is right. It’s gotten worse.

Comment on Not All PR is Good PR by Lou Covey

Lou Covey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:51:34 +0000

I started out on the journalist side of the equation and entered the PR side because the money was better and I knew I could make a difference with my experience. So I know where the arguments fall regardless of perspective. Now I’m back on the journalist side and I have to say, it has gotten worse, not better.
There was a time that PR folks actually had some journalism experience. 99 percent don’t know and it shows. They don’t know the codified code of ethics journalists follow, they treat the journalists like they are doing them a favor by getting them an audience with their company’s royalty and, what’s worse, their company does everything they can to discourage their reps from acting in a professional manner.
Journalists still suck it up on a regular basis and let the incredibly rude and unprrofessional behaviour slide because very few practitioners that contact them actually have any real training in what journalism is. Those that do took a couple of seminars for the most part.
Now I am talking about the grunts who do most of the initial contact with the press. They don’t do their homework, they just go off of generic lists that can be bought from various services. I’ve used a few of these and found very few to be accurate or helpful (one of the exceptions has been Engage121) but for the most part, nothing takes the place of actually reading and comprehending what the target journalists do. That takes time and most clients aren’t willing to make the investment it takes to do it right.
At the end of the day, I blame penurious corporations who refuse to support a truly effective PR practice and prefer to complain when their cheapskate programs don’t perform as they expect.

Comment on Top 10 Things to Leave Off Your Resume by Britt

Britt — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:09:24 +0000

I must say I had never considered leaving off my higher education.. That really puts it in perspective!

I sat the test 2 years ago.. I debated for ages, but after being technically unemployed for over a year (I had been travelling), I decided to put my membership on my resume as a sociological experiment..

The good news, I got a job..

The bad news… There was a LOT of bad politics over my hire (I did not have the relevant skills and experience and the company was repeatedly downsizing), I was expected to get up to speed in an unreasonably short amount of time, my immediate boss (who didn’t hire me) didn’t know her job properly and wanted someone WITH the skills and experience to hide that fact (from the chopping block), so she sabotaged everything I did in order to both use me as a scapegoat for her own lack of knowledge, as well as to try have me fired.. Worst 8 months of my life!

My conclusion? Get the job based on what you’ve learned and the experience you’ve gained – it will lessen the stress you have to endure from unrealistic expectations.. Use your high IQ to actively seek out higher learning opportunities and more challenging experiences to put on your CV.. But don’t put Mensa (or your IQ) on your CV!

Comment on Make Job Loss Work for You – Book Review & Giveaway by Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:15:50 +0000

After being recently laid off from my first job out of college, many of the points listed above truly resonate with me. Although I am doing my best to stay positive during this second leg of my job hunt, I have recognized the ease in which the negative emotional aspects associated with job loss and unemployment tend to arise. This book sounds like a truly inspiring and helpful read, as it addresses some of the most pertinent aspects related to the job seeker’s mental and emotional concerns.

Comment on Make Job Loss Work for You – Book Review & Giveaway by John S.

John S. — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:18:04 +0000

Having been recently downsized, I have determined to make my next job my best ever.

Despite my optimistic objective, I have had a lot of emotions related to the job loss. Feeling that my efforts in my career have been wasted is probably the most difficult to deal with. It has been difficult to get good sleep at times. Remembering expressions of appreciation from customers and co-workers helps A LOT !!!

The recommendations given in the column above are great ones. I see them in my outplacement reference materials. Review of my accomplishments and associated skills has helped me to see that I have done good work and have a lot to offer (besides providing the bullet points that go into the resume).

Best of luck in your careers !!!

Comment on How To Deal with Multiple Recruiters Who Work with the Same Company by Chloe

Chloe — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:11:41 +0000

What about when a recruiter contacts you for a job that is similar but not the exact job that you applied for through the company. Can they represent me if the job is not the same?