CBS’s Sunday Morning may be one of my favorite all time television shows. There is something about a cup of coffee, the newspaper and their segments that seem to make everything right in the world. I can remember watching as a kid and catching myself being truly interested in what I considered to be one of my parent’s shows – yikes.

This last Sunday was no different, and it led to me watching an 8-minute 12-second segment (Selling Your Home for Charity) that I have been thinking about and talking about all week. It focuses on a family who downsized their home and used proceeds from the sale to start a non-profit organization assisting families in Ghana. The story posed the very important question: “How much should you give to charity?” One statistic noted that Americans give approximately 2.2% of their individual annual income to non-profit organizations. This statistic was juxtaposed with a vignette about Willie Mae Dorsey, a Publix cashier who donates 10% of her $25,000 annual salary. Point being: Often, the people who earn the least give the most, as a percentage of their income.

All week I have been thinking: What if we were all like Willie Mae and reached deeper, (giving 5%, 7% or 10%) to help people in need? How would the world be different? Suddenly the idea of ending hunger or poverty doesn’t seem as unreachable. It certainly has me looking to see what else I can be doing to be more like Willie Mae.

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Think print will ever make a come back?

I don’t know what it is about print publications, but I love them. I love spreading newspapers out over my office desk or dining room table on Sunday mornings. I love dog-earing magazines with good exercise ideas or ripping new recipes out of my favorite cooking publication.

This got me thinking …online media is in…but so is “retro,” right? If that’s the case, how long until print becomes retro and explodes again? Will it ever? Which publications will survive long enough to find out?

Photo credit: bravenewtraveler

I thoroughly enjoyed Roger Martin & Jennifer Riel’s BusinessWeek article on Innovation’s Accidental Enemies. The logic behind “what could be” is truly exciting and inspirational.

The Wall Street Journal recently launched a multimedia branding campaign titled “Live in the Know.” The campaign stresses the value of the in-depth research that the paper brings that goes beyond chatter and sound bites. In a time where major newspapers are fighting to keep their readership, I thought the campaign was an interesting approach.

Today, Costa DeVault presented “Making the Case: Social Media for Attorneys,” to the Volusia/Flagler Association for Women Lawyers. The program covers the basics of social media, and how to market oneself using this modern medium. Special thanks to Christopher G. Hill from Construction Law Musings, Susan Cartier Libel from Solo Practice University, Scott E. Greenfield from Simple Justice and Carolyn Elefant from MyShingle for their input and expertise. We hope you find this information useful, and welcome any suggestions for our next program.

I recently finished reading Words That Work by Dr. Frank Luntz, which discusses the most effective words and phrases for getting a message across. The book’s cornerstone is that no matter how “good” your message is, it’s useless if the person on the receiving end doesn’t understand or relate to it. This passage in the book made me think about how terms lose meaning with some audiences:

The idea of spending your entire adult life at a single company and then retiring with a gold watch and a pension is so ancient to most young people today that it might as well be feudalism. In fact, if you talk to a person under age thirty and use the term “gold watch” in relation to retirement, they probably won’t get the reference.

In addition to the “gold watch” reference, here are some phrases/terms that I think can be potentially lost on Generation Y:

-    ”Give me the Reader’s Digest version”
-    ”Can you fax this?”
-    ”9 to 5″
-    ”Do you know shorthand?”
-    ”Where is a pay phone?”

Of course, there are also messages that can be lost on Generation X and Baby Boomers. It all comes down to remembering your audience and what resonates with them. What are some other terms you could add?

I read a good blog post the other day titled “20 Life Lessons I Learned in my 20s” from Marc and Angel Hack Life. I’m almost 30, so I could relate. It made me recall lessons I’ve learned from my professional slip-ups. Here are some of my own mishaps and how I resolved them.

• My Uncomfortable Laugh. When I get nervous, I tend to laugh awkwardly. This can make you look bad in front of your bosses, clients or potential clients because they may think you’re laughing at them.

Solution: I became conscious of this habit after my boss (thankfully) called it to my attention. I joined Toastmasters and worked on becoming more confident in meetings. Now I laugh only when things are funny.

• Trying to be “Good” at Everything. When I first joined the agency in 2002, I thought I had to be a “jack-of-all trades” because we are “full-service.” So when I wrote my first official PR plan, I didn’t ask for any input prior to starting because I thought I needed to showcase my skills. Wrong move. The plan had more red marks on it from my boss than a freshman English essay.

Solution: Now I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I accentuate my strengths and unabashedly ask for guidance, when needed. You don’t have to be good at everything; you just need to be good at utilizing your resources. For example, one of my co-workers is an amazing editor, another knows how to articulate marketing language very well and another is a whiz at knowing what makes a good blog post. I’m better at what I do because of them.

• Not Editing Enough. I mistakenly thought that if you’re a good writer you should be able to knock out press releases and bylined articles fast. Wrong. It takes research, editing and reading out loud. And then editing it some more.

Solution: I allow myself time to edit and delve into the subjects I’m writing about – and it has made a world of difference. As author William Zinsser wrote, “There’s no good writing – there’s just good editing.” Also, to help my usage mishaps (i.e., entitled vs. titled), I bought The Wrong Word Dictionary. I highly recommend it.

Of course, the list can go on. I’ve heard that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. I agree with that – but recognizing, acknowledging and owning your mistakes is how you grow. So what are your mistakes?

Photo credit: ktpupp