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

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?

• 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

Think about that for a moment. Customers aren’t even giving companies a chance to fix poor service before telling their Facebook friends, Twitter followers and blog readers about how their expectations weren’t met. The study even says that only a small minority of dissatisfied customers bother going to the offending organization at all.

Without a social media monitoring program in place, how is a company to know this situation even exists? Odds are, they won’t. And that presents a serious problem.

The study did have a bright side, though: Individuals who are vocal about their criticisms are also likely to share positive experiences. That means companies who are keeping an eye on their online presence have the opportunity to turn complainers into happy customers – right in front of their networks’ eyes.

Check out PR Cog’s response to his experience with the lack of one company’s social media monitoring, over on Sarah Evans’ blog.

So, what are you waiting for? If you have questions about monitoring programs, where to start, online tools, etc. – ask away in the comments!

Providing good counsel requires in-depth understanding of each individual client. One size does not fit all.

I, like the rest of you, have seen several friends “let go” from their employers. And I’m starting to notice a trend. As their job search transpires, many have gone to interviews, thought it went well and … nothing. No phone call. No e-mail. Not even a generic letter.

Obviously, it’s not expected for companies to reply to every résumé. However, if someone takes the time to come in for an interview, and a rapport has been built, at least give them the decency of replying to a follow up e-mail or phone call. How hard is it to shoot out an e-mail with: “Thank you for your interest in XYZ position. At this time, we have decided …”

Remember: applicants are still potential referral sources or clients, and we should treat them as such. At the very least, because in today’s era of social media, anyone can blast a company in a matter of minutes to their entire network of friends and family … who may or may not be the ones deciding to hire YOU.