A 20-something's Perspective

Making New Year resolutions are easy. It’s owning up to them that’s hard. In fact, ExpertClick.com claims 97 percent of New Year resolutions are broken. So, it is with a little courage, and yes, a pinch of fear, that I share mine.

My New Year Resolutions for 2010


Travel
Traveling is something I always wish I could do more of, and this year I want to make it happen. A trip to NYC to visit my BFF and at least one trip to Chicago is a must. I’d also like to take some kind of mini-adventure once a quarter, even if it’s only to visit a small town 30 miles away.

Money
Like most 20-somethings, I need to take better care of my finances. This year I want to make significant progress in paying off some debt.

Movies
I LOVE movies. I love them so much I worked at a movie theater throughout high school and some of college. However, there are a lot of things I haven’t seen. This year I want to cross The Godfather movies and An American Werewolf in London off my list.

Lifestyle
I’m turning a quarter of a century year old this year, and while I appreciate the hand-me-downs that kept me afloat during college, it would be nice to start transitioning into a more grown-up style of living. This year I want to find a nicer apartment and purchase my own bedding. Maybe I’ll even throw a dinner party or two.

Image
While this is the most cliché resolution, it’s one I’m hoping to stick to. It’s been over two years since I graduated college, and I still haven’t managed to lose that Freshman 15. A lot of my friends have been able to lead healthier lives in 2009, there’s no reason I can’t jump on that bandwagon. I’ve also decided to go red this year. I’ve been a blond for almost my entire life. It’s time for a change. This spring I’m jumping in head first. Both of my brothers are red heads. How bad can it be?

Professional
I want to grow my network this year. Once you’ve been somewhere for awhile you develop a comfort zone, and pretty soon you’re talking to the same three people at every luncheon. This year I want to make some new long-lasting relationships. I also hope to complete (or should I say start and finish) my Web site, sarahsoczka.com.

That’s it. The goals I hope to achieve by the time we ring in 2011. Aggressive? Yes. Impossible? No. What do you want to accomplish?

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 12:08 AM | 3 comments    
Labels: goals, New Year, resolution

I really hope the Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner and New York Sun have all gone to a better place; a place where there are millions of smart, informed readers, exciting, breaking news, world class journalists, and of course, many high-paying advertisers. At least that’s the kind of newspaper heaven I envision. (Feel free to leave your own versions of newspaper heaven below.)

Today I read about another newspaper that is shutting down and will switch to a semi-annual magazine format. Which newspaper? Why it’s none other than my hometown’s award-winning Warrior’s Word high school newspaper.

I understand the problems that caused Warrior’s Word to “adjust” are a bit different than those of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but if the economy and budgets are so bad that a high school newspaper is closing, we have to ask ourselves: What’s the solution?

It’s no secret that blogs and online news videos are entertaining, informative and can provide a surprisingly high level of journalism. Hell, sometimes I’d rather read Gawker, The Huffington Post or watch Philly D. than read an article in the New York Times, but that doesn’t change how important newspapers are to our society.

We need professional journalists and news organizations that have the resources to uncover scheming politicians, and the column inches to educate people about tough issues like health care. We need journalists who report the news accurately and fairly, despite their personal views and opinions. In short, we need the type of in depth, professional reporting our newspapers currently provide.

So, what’s the solution?

While there are a lot of people who love ink stained fingers, the “paper” in “newspaper” may have to go. If newspapers cut the cost of a printed product they will have more money to invest in their online product. The Capitol Times in Madison, Wis. switched to a twice weekly tabloid and online-only product in April 2008, and so far it seems to be working.

Moving the focus entirely online gives newspapers the opportunity to bring their content to another level. Here are a few things newspapers could do to enhance their online content:

• Show full video interviews to supplement stories

• Award a local blogger the chance to write a story every month

• Increase investigative reporting

• Create hyper-localized text message offerings. Is the power out in your neighborhood? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sign-up for text message alerts (which include a link to a story) that tell you this type of news?

• Hire news staff to be on the clock 24/7. The harsh reality is newspapers are competing with all media outlets. When news breaks on Twitter you want readers to go to JSOnline.com, not WISN-TV or WISN.com.

Better and more diverse online content will continue to increase online visitors, not to mention the increase in web traffic from people who used to read the “paper” version (let’s be honest, 99 percent of them are online anyway).This all increases ad revenue and eventually profit.

I know these few ideas are probably not going to save our newspaper industry, but it’s a start. After all, if Perez Hilton can sustain over 2 million unique visitors a month, our newspapers should be able to do the same, if not better.

What are your thoughts? Where do you see the newspaper industry going?

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 1:08 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: news, newspaper, print media

I first saw this video on Todd Defren's blog, PR Squared.* I'm sure a lot of you have seen it, but I think it deserves another view. It's a satirical take on the agency-client relationship. 'Nuff said.



*PR Squared is one of my favorite industry blogs. Defren provides valuable insights on social media, public relations and what working in an agency is really all about. I highly recommend you check it out.

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 10:47 PM | 2 comments    
Labels: Advertising, public relations, video

Yesterday was the big day. The PR + Social Media Summit at UW-Whitewater. Apologies to all my Twitter followers who were annoyed by my frequent #PRSMS updates.

Overall, I thought the summit was very informative and provided some great networking opportunities. My one recommendation for next year is to supply extension cords and power strips throughout the conference rooms. Those of us using laptops were forced to either drain our batteries, or sit on the edges of the room in search of an outlet.

My favorite presentation of the day was from Paula Berg of Southwest Airlines. Paula told the story of Southwest’s journey into social media and provided some very valuable case studies. Here are a few takeaways from Paula’s presentation:

• Where social media is concerned your first job is to listen, second is to engage and third is to address criticism.
• Southwest started the “Nuts About Southwest” blog by handpicking 30+ employees from all different departments. Southwest let their employees blog as often as they wanted and encouraged them to blog about things they were passionate about.
• Once Southwest added more valuable content to their blog (photos, news, podcasts) page views rose.
• Southwest's blog proved to be a great resource for conducting focus groups. A blog post about their open seating policy resulted in hundreds of comments. Most praised the company for its policy and gave them the courage to stick it.
• Rapping flight attendant video resulted in coverage on Oprah, CNN, Tonight Show, etc.
  
  

*Photo courtesy of Abigail Lynn (@justabs06)

During my presentation I discussed ways to create a successful online brand by merging your professional and personal identities. And yes, I also discussed my brief moment of so-called "fame" from February.

Other great presentations from yesterday include:

• Bringing it all together for PR + Social Media Success, Al Krueger and Sara Meaney of Comet Branding
• How Social Media is Impacting Job Search, Jeff Carrigan of Big Shoes Network, Abby Gutowski of VisualCV.com, Joyce O’Brien of Laughlin Constable and Briana Rygg
• How Harley is Revving up Engagement with Social Media, Randy Sprenger of Harley-Davidson

I am told all the presentations will be posted online within the next couple weeks. (I will link to them once they’re up.) If you are interested in learning more about the PR + Social Media Summit, Abby Gutowski has also posted an overview here.

What were your thoughts on the summit?

EDIT: To view photos of #PRSMS visit http://bit.ly/c3DQs. To download videos and audio of Southwest Airlines and Harley-Davidson's presentations visit http://itunes.uww.edu.

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 10:13 PM | 3 comments    
Labels: PR, PR + Social Media Summit, social media

I've been spending a lot of time preparing for the PR + Social Media Summit at UW-Whitewater this coming Wednesday. I have been invited to speak about personal and professional online brands. I hope you'll come to my breakout session.

Until then, I wanted to share this adorable TV spot from Hillshire Farm. It's part of their "GO MEAT!" campaign. Enjoy!

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 10:13 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: Advertising, Hillshire Farm, PR + Social Media Summit, TV spot

“I am out here for you. You don’t know what it’s like, to be me out here for you! It’s an up at dawn, pride swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about. Ok? Help me. Help me, help you. Help me, help you!” – Jerry Maguire

Sound familiar? Admit it all you agency folks, at one time or another you have felt like Mr. Maguire. Sometimes, despite our best efforts we simply can’t deliver for our clients because they fail to give us the necessary information, access or help that we need.

Most of the time our clients are great, but we’ve all had to go back to a reporter to cancel an interview or miss a deadline.

To those who work client side, here’s a quick plea from your agency friends (and I do mean friends).

Please:

• Return our calls
• Answer our e-mails
• Take the early morning interview
• Send us the information you promised
• Show up to the meeting
• Seriously consider our expert advice (That is what you’re paying us for, isn’t it?)

Because honestly, we’re doing it for you.

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 11:02 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: PR, public relations

In this economy it’s hard to find reasons for hope, or a reason to believe in success. However, there are four women who’ve shown me it’s out there if you’re willing to take the necessary risks.

I present you with four success stories. These women have all shown a great deal of courage and determination in my eyes. They have also all found happiness as a result. I hope you find some nugget of inspiration in their stories. I know I do.

Shauna Skalitzky – 24, New York City
I have been friends with Shauna since I first stepped into my college dorm room freshman year. Little did I know this shy girl had a "thing" for travel. Junior year of college Shauna took out a loan and flew to the UK to study in London for a semester. After graduation she moved to New York City to live with a girl she didn’t know, and began work on her masters in art history. I frequently ask Shauna if she is glad she moved to an uber competitive city where she doesn’t know a soul. Her answer is always a simple, “Yes”.






Kristine Schumann – 24, Chicago
I met Kristine in PRSSA my sophomore year of college, and instantly fell in love with her kind spirit. Although she could have easily snagged a job in Milwaukee, this determined PR professional moved to Chicago after graduation. At the time, all she had to look forward to was a small studio apartment and an internship to keep her afloat. Two years later Kristine is working for Garmin and just returned from a 10 day trip to Italy. She frequently tells me the beginning struggles were well worth the pay off.

Erica Zerbe – 24, Denver

Erica is my fitness rock star. While she has always enjoyed physical activity the last few years she has kicked it up a notch. Erica has completed numerous marathons and half marathons all over the country. After graduation she moved to Denver to take a job in the hospitality industry. Today she says it’s the best thing she’s ever done. In addition, a few months ago Erica joined the Colorado Air National Guard.






Andrea Platten – 24, Burbank

Posted by Sarah Soczka at 11:20 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: success story, young professionals