The Power of Social Media

Social Media is a powerful tool. It is helping bring people together in both times of happiness and sadness. A recent example of social media’s power is the Facebook page created by Jacob Kimerer, 17, from Edmonds Woodway High School called “In the Memory of The Lakewood Officers.” The page mourns the death of the four Lakewood officers that were tragically shot and killed at Forza coffee shop on Sunday, November 29, 2009.

The day following the tragedy, I continuously monitored the Facebook page and read the Seattle Times article about Jacob. I thought it would be interesting to hear directly from Jacob about what drove him to create the page and his views on social media and its effect on the people who use it.

When I interviewed Jacob on December 3 the page had over 162,000 members, and it has grown steadily since then. As of this blog post, there are 262,953 members. Equipped with over 1,600 photos, 1,400 links, 13 videos and 10 events, the page is a rich information resource center that gives Northwest residents as well as distant family and friends the opportunity to interact, share and grieve together.

Below is the short conversation I had with Jacob.

Do you think social media will help law enforcement officers with their jobs in the future?
“Social media could very well help law enforcement with their jobs. Officers need to start using social media now so they can post new information online rather than just through e-mails.”

What other social media experience do you have? What other sites do you use besides Facebook?
“I just use Facebook right now. I stay away from Twitter because it seems like more work than having a Facebook page. I like Facebook because you can do more than just status updates.

Was creating the Facebook page your idea? Did you think it would be this successful?
“The Facebook page was my idea. I never thought it was going to be this popular. I’m amazed on how big it has grown in such little time."

There are a few other groups that are similar to yours but they don’t have as many members. Why do you think yours has been the most popular?
“I must have just started my page first, or targeted it to the right people. The page is so popular because people need a place where they can share stories, grieve and show their support for the fallen officers and their families and friends. The page allows people to come together."

The page’s success is phenomenal and what Jacob did was a great thing. His page gives everyone connected with this tragedy an outlet to express their feelings and show support for the families affected. If you haven’t become a fan of the Facebook page please do so by going here or searching for it on Facebook. I’m sure we will be seeing much more from Jacob in the social media realm in the future.

Creating Currents: Surfing the Waves of Change

My highlight of the season was attending the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) National Conference. The five-day annual event was held November 6-10 in sunny San Diego, Calif. – home of the gas lamp district and the ever-famous San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park.

This year’s conference was hosted by the PRSSA chapter at California State University Fullerton, the PRSSA 2009 National Committee (made up of seven PRSSA members from across the nation), and the PRSA San Diego chapter. Over 1,000 students and PRSSA members from across the U.S. were present at the event, as well as one student from the PRSSA chapter at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (U.A.D.E.).

The conference is designed to prepare public relations students for a successful career. It offers chapter development sessions presented by fellow PRSSA members in different schools across the country, leadership sessions for chapter board members and members interested in future leadership roles, and numerous professional development sessions where students have the opportunity to hear from and network with successful PR professionals.

Below are a few of my favorite sessions.

“View from the Top: How Young Talent Can Stand Out” Ron Cult, Partner, Director, North America Corporate Practice at Ketchum Kevin Saghy, Account Executive at Ketchum

Ron and Kevin talked with numerous junior PR and senior PR professionals all over the U.S. and asked questions related to success in the workplace and their own personal experiences. It was a unique presentation that was relevant to all members in attendance.

“Diving into Diversity” Sonia Sroka, APR, Vice Present, Hispanic Marketing at Porter Novelli Travis Parman, APR, Director, Public Relations, GMAC Financial Services and Ally Bank

Sonia and Travis talked about their work specializing in Hispanic and LGBT communities and the importance of correctly reaching out to different diversity segments.

Three important things (“The Three Ins”) to do when targeting diversity groups:

1. In-culture: Research the particular culture and its values

2. In-language: Understand the language – it’s not about translation but “transcreation”
3. In-person: Establish a personal relationship with people in the diversity segment

Sonia and Travis left conference attendees with these wise words: “Exclusion is always dangerous,” and “Great minds DON’T think alike.”

The most valuable experience at the conference this year was meeting with members from the Puget Sound PRSA chapter. Students from the Washington State chapter, Central Washington University chapter and those of us from the University of Washington chapter met with local Puget Sound PR pros who were also attending the conference. The event, a casual meet-and-greet over appetizers, was a great way to meet professionals in our area and share conference stories.
* Check out the photo of Bob and me.

This year’s conference was a huge success. I met some influential PR pros, gained more PRSSA contacts/twitter followers and momentarily escaped from the western Washington rain. Next year’s national conference is in Washington, D.C. I wish I could go again!

-Amy Graham

Sharing the Wealth of Knowledge

A year and a half ago I would have never imagined I would be sitting on the other side of the table at an esteemed PR agency talking to fellow UW undergrads. It’s not everyday that you get to speak “office talk” with your peers.

Last Thursday students enrolled in Professor Kathleen Fearn-Banks' public relations and society class at the University of Washington came to visit Frause. The class teaches students interested in pursuing a career in PR of its history, ethics and practices. The class visits a different PR agency, corporate office and non-profit in the Seattle area and prepares presentations on what they learned in each sector. For weeks I was looking forward to the arrival of the UW students because I completed the same class two summers ago. I had the great opportunity to help conduct the informational meeting with Bob, chairman and CEO of Frause and Richard, senior vice president.

The meeting was great! Together we explained what Frause is and what we do and provided information about the internship opportunities that are offered. It was my responsibility to elaborate on my experience at Frause as the intern. I gave detailed descriptions of my scope of work and responsibilities and told the students what I have learned while working here so far. The students were also able to hear great insights on how to excel in the PR world from Bob and learned a lot about Frause’s client work from Richard.

A big thanks to the UW group for coming out to Frause. You guys had great questions and were a pleasure to talk with. I hope you learned something about PR from us at Frause. Good luck with your future internships and jobs. I hope to see you all as fellow PR professionals in the near future!

GO DAWGS! ;)

Making the World a Greener Place, One Neighborhood at a Time

Last week, I volunteered to help at the City of Redmond’s last of three Natural Yard Care workshops.

King County’s Natural Yard Care Neighborhoods program has been a client of Frause for eleven years. The Natural Yard Care program is a regional, community-based social marketing outreach program that promotes behavior changes in home yard care.

Community-based social marketing is a communications tactic that demonstrates that behavior change is most effectively achieved through direct initiatives delivered at the community level. Frause has been regarded as leader in community-based social marketing in the greater Seattle area.

The program provides people with five steps they can do to become more eco-friendly while building beautiful, healthy yards and gardens. The five steps are: build healthy soil, plant right for your site, practice smart watering, think twice before using pesticides and practice natural lawn care. The Natural Yard Care program is implemented twice a year, in fall and spring, in different neighborhoods around the King County area. This past spring, Auburn, Burien, Kirkland, Bellevue and four different neighborhoods in Seattle all hosted the three-workshop series. Federal Way, Kent and Redmond just finished up with their fall sessions a couple weeks ago.

For each neighborhood, the Natural Yard Care team at Frause works to package the educational materials for all sessions, create and distribute home mailings for recruitment of workshop participants, and coordinate door-to-door workshop promotion and recruitment efforts. To date, Frause and King County have managed over 200 Natural Yard Care workshops and more than 5,000 participants.

The workshop in Redmond was held at Norman Rockwell Elementary School from 7 to 9 p.m. last Tuesday night. At the event I worked with representatives from the City of Redmond, to set up for the event by providing the written materials, bringing snacks and refreshments, setting up the venue and signing people in. It was an awesome opportunity to meet some of the Redmond residents and experience their enthusiasm for the workshops and witness their appreciation for knowledge they received during the sessions. Numerous workshop participants praised the content and speakers and were encouraged to start making the necessary behavior changes needed for a greener neighborhood.

Redmond averaged over 100 people in attendance at all three events and now holds the record among all other participating neighborhoods for the most people at a single workshop, 117!

The Redmond event was a huge success and I gained tons of valuable information on how to build and maintain a green and beautiful lawn and garden. Now if only I had a yard…

-Amy Graham

Back in Action

Hola Amigos! I am back at the intern desk here at Frause after a month’s adventure in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The trip was a dream come true. The University of Washington program was structured so that all students were able pick what part of the Argentinean culture they wanted to study. Some focused on wine, art or food and others focused on public health, the economy or class identification. I decided to study public relations.

With the help of UW’s study abroad program we met students from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), one of the few private universities located in the heart of Buenos Aires. UADE has an elaborate PR program and just recently celebrated the one year anniversary of its Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). UADE PRSSA is the first and only international PRSSA.

It was an amazing opportunity for me to meet international PR students and to learn about PR in their country and specifically in their educational system. One of the PRSSA executive board members and I became quite close while I was there. From her, I learned about UADE’s PRSSA, its PR educational programs and its efforts to help students obtain internships and entry level jobs after college. We exchanged information about the classes we have taken and our internship experiences.

Learning about international PR and building some solid relationships in Argentina was the experience of a lifetime. I gained insights that will no doubt advance my future career in public relations.

Buenos Aires was an unforgettable trip but it’s good to be back at Frause amongst the lime green walls and smiling faces! I missed a busy month of new client additions and numerous accolades and I’m excited to get back in the swing of things. It’s going to be another great three months here at Frause!

-Amy Graham

Whidbey Island BBQ

Last weekend, Frause employees and their family got together for a barbecue bash on Whidbey Island. Frause CEO and Whidbey resident Bob Frause, and his wife Sue, opened up their home to Frause employees for some fun in the sun on Saturday afternoon.

The Whidbey Island getaway is a summer tradition and one of the most highly anticipated Frause events of the year! E-mails were sent over the server for weeks as Frausties announced detailed descriptions of the scrumptious food they were bringing.

The day was spent savoring the sunny Northwest weather and indulging in the good eats. The potluck was a delicious success, including of course, the basic barbecue necessities (meat, beer and wine), and the plentiful popsicles and soda for the kids. The highlight of the day was definitely the Frause softball game. Man do we have some athletes at Frause!

The day trip was the perfect escape from city life and was a great way for Frause employees to spend some quality time together. Thanks to Bob and Sue for opening up their home and hosting an awesome party. I have already heard talk for next year’s barbecue extravaganza!

-Amy Graham

Goodbye!

I remember my Frause interview like it was yesterday. I was on the tail-end of my spring break vacation and had just received a call from Nathan Hambley. He wanted me to show up at the Frause office at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

I was looking a little scraggly then, coming off of a two-week road trip around the American West that covered over 2,500 miles. I managed to squeeze in a haircut (more of a shearing really) before the interview and borrowed my girlfriend’s dad’s tie to look as sharp as possible. At 7:45 a.m. I pressed the up button on the 1411 4th Ave. building elevator and crossed my fingers.

A few weeks later I got the call I had so desperately been waiting for. I landed an internship at one of the coolest firms in Seattle, right downtown in the heart of the action. The experience has been exceptional ever since.

My internship here has been a crash course in public relations. I have been involved directly in projects, strategic planning, client outreach, and portfolio building. I have participated in board room meetings and have toured the offices of magazine publishers. I have also written press releases, communicated with editorial departments and have even had the privilege to see some of the projects I was involved with, like the Skanska UW Scholars program, transform from start to finish.

So I want to take this moment to thank everyone for such a great internship experience and a stepping stone in my professional life. In the fall I am off to St Andrews in Scotland and then back to Whitman to finish my senior year of college. I’m still floating around in the “I have no idea what I want to do with my life” category, but my internship here has given me some much needed guidance and insight into the fast-paced world of business communications and public relations.

Until we meet again Frause, it has been a blast, and as they say in Scottish Gaelic, “Mar sin leibh!” (So long for now).

-Mike Scigliano

Client Party Brings Roof-Top Success

This last weekend was a busy but fun time for the Frause bunch. On Thursday we hosted our very own client party atop Touchstone’s very new and impressive West 8th property. I was excited to attend the successful event which included food (the ribs!), drinks, music and a whole lot of networking.

Despite the record setting heat (upwards of 100 degrees), the temperatures could not keep nearly 150 people from attending our popular roof-top party. Beer glasses were filled and business cards were dispersed against the dramatic backdrop of the Seattle skyline.

The event was also a great way for unfamiliar faces to become familiar. Our clients had the unique opportunity to meet each other one-on-one and broaden our inter-client relationships. Amy (our other beloved intern) also brought along a gaggle of PRSSA students who had the chance to experience professional networking first-hand.

Even though the summer air felt more like Phoenix than Seattle, the event was a huge success and a highlight of the PR social calendar.

-Mike Scigliano

Piecing Together the Puzzle

When I started taking classes at the University of Washington, I had the high expectation that college would teach me everything I needed to know to become successful in the working world. I thought I would take a few classes, get a couple A’s under my belt and obtain a real world job with just a snap of my fingers. Little did I know that college was only one small piece needed to complete the large working world puzzle.

As my college career nears to a close, I have realized that many other experiences, besides receiving a college degree, have helped me get on the right track toward my future career. I am surprised to say that if it was just college alone, I wouldn’t be as prepared for real life as I am today. I love my school and I am leaving it more knowledgeable than when I first came in- thankfully. But I do wish UW could have prepared me a little more in my specific field of study.

Public relations students at UW are at a slight disadvantage in their education because UW cut its PR program a few years back. With only a few PR classes and one PR professor to learn from, understanding the tools, tactics and best practices of the PR trade can be quite challenging.
Luckily, with the help of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), UW students still have a chance to piece together the job market puzzle. PRSSA and PRSA provide tools and resources to students and help them find internships, meet PR pros and connect with other Washington State PR students. It’s PRSSA members and PRSA pros that have helped me get my hands on some great internships (Frause), in turn giving me a front row seat in the PR world.

UW gave me a great education, but a big thanks goes out to my fellow PRSSA students for their friendship and support and to PR professionals in Puget Sound PRSA for investing their time and effort into providing me and other PR students with real public relations experience. My experiences with PRSSA and PRSA really opened doors to the job world. Thanks to them I might soon be ready to tackle the working world!

-Amy Graham

Twitter Has Staying Power

The social networking service Twitter was a rather new thing to me when I started interning here at Frause. Unlike Facebook (which everyone, including my professors has) none of my friends at college have a Twitter account.

Yet despite this, Twitter is all the rage in the increasingly changing world of media relations and business. The spring issue of The Public Relations Strategist is dedicated entirely to social media, and there is a very interesting article about the role of networking sites either helping or hindering good business communications.

Despite the extreme popularity of Twitter, I’m surprised how many businesses continue to cling to the old guard of less progressive media communications. Certain companies outright ban networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and place restrictive media formats on internal email accounts.

Other companies have opted for an entirely different approach, creating their very own social media services independent of the larger, more established services. But are these actions serving to harm or help business communications?

Mark Kolier, a blogger on social media and president of Canterbury Graphics Strategic Marketing insists that, “social networking is what’s coming, and it’s what people want.” Long term studies conducted by the Public Relations Student Society of America also underscore a growing sentiment, that social networking sites are here to stay and are changing the way we communicate during the workday.

Whether or not this trend reaches higher education, it is certainly prevalent in business, and is an increasingly important tool in media relations, business communications and smart business practices.

-Mike Scigliano