As we’ve come to expect, first responders are in place and helping people as quickly as possible. And, there is a plethora of requests for aid and ways to give aid. Thankfully most are valid but we’ve also come to expect the scammers in situations such as this. So, I’m reviving parts of posts I wrote more than a year ago about making smart giving choices.

The most important advice is to give to familiar nonprofits. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army already have Oklahoma disaster funds in place. In fact, their people are already in place giving the aid we’ve all come to expect.

• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, donate online, or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.
• Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts or make a donation by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

I’m sure you agree it’s important to know where your hard-earned dollars are going. It’s not that time consuming to make sure the vast majority of your check will go to direct services. Merriam Webster defines these as  ”active service on cases and work with patients as distinguished from staff functions.”

While I understand completely the need for administrative costs, it’s important to understand the details behind those numbers and give your dollars where they’ll make the most impact. Guidestar and Charity Navigator both offer services that help you learn about nonprofits. United Way of America is another organization that thoroughly screens their partners before providing them funds.

If you have the time, an organization’s IRS Form 990 is a great source of information. Pay close attention to the percentages of funds that go to “program services” as compared to administrative costs. Program services funds are actually getting to those the organization helps while administrative costs are generally overhead. Personally, organizations I like to support keep their overhead to no more than 10% of expenses.

Whatever you decide to do, please give generously to those in need, hug those you care about and be grateful for what you have.

The same principles apply to those of us who’ve chosen to work independently. To summarize, Jeff says:

• People matter
• Relationships are key
• We need to break silos

As a solo PR person, I often spend my days in front of the computer working, by myself. But I’m really not alone. Facebook and Twitter have made sure that when I need a distraction (or when I don’t need one), they are there to help keep my finger on the pulse on what’s going on around me.

And the Solo PR community is really like having an agency at my fingertips. (Thank you Kellye Crane) If you haven’t, check out the weekly Twitter chat (#solopr) Wednesdays at 1 PM ET. We’ll solve the problems of people world and have a good laugh at the same time. It’s like a virtual coffee break and I try not to miss it.

But I need some “real life” breaks too. I get those by assembling some groups important to me from both my work and personal lives:

First Tuesdays – is a group of past presidents of the local PRSA Chapter. We gather (you guessed it) the first Tuesday of each month for lunch at a casual lunch spot. I send an e-reminder the week before and we promise to talk about those who don’t attend. It’s a great way to hear what’s happening in our community from different perspectives.

Master’s Lunch (okay, this one’s kind of fallen by the wayside) – This is the silo busting group. It’s a PR pro, web designer, strategic consultant and SEO expert who have lunch together once a month. We talk about what’s going on in our business worlds and how we can help each other.

iPad User Group – Yes, we have a group of close friends, all in similar professions, who gather every other Thursday to share new tools we’ve learned on our iPads. Again, I send an e-reminder. This has been a wonderful way for us to talk through tools we’ve found that make our work lives easier. We also talk about tools that don’t work and show each other fixes on our iPads. And, don’t worry…we won’t laugh too hard when we learn you don’t know how to back-up or sync your iTools.

Girlfriends Lunch – About four or five years ago, my best local friends and I decided to give each other the gift of time for Christmas. So, we have lunch the second Wednesday of each month. If it’s your turn to pay it’s also your turn to choose the restaurant. Since we’re also food lovers, we almost always check out new restaurants in town. This lunch is more personal where we talk about our kids – and our husbands – and more personal issues in our lives.

As an independent consultant, I know it’s my responsibility to set up these check-ins that give me a semblance to being in an office. I have to schedule time for them, and organize them because they are important to me. Of course, I also make time for my husband and our two sons, but that’s a completely different post.

What do you do to make sure you’re staying involved and aware of the world beyond your computer?

But back to the high school students we interviewed. If these young people are any indication of the caliber of today’s high school students, we are definitely in good hands. Although the ladies might be a bit uncomfortable in their business clothes and their hands a bit clammy when we shook them, their passion became definite as soon as they started talking. Just for starters…

• Founded a nonprofit so her high school friends began to understand even small contributions make a difference
• Violinist who put together a quartet to play during meals at a homeless shelter
• Faced with prejudice in her high school, she formed a group to speak out about racism
• Grew up in foster homes not allowed to read many books we’ve all seen on the censor shelves…so she brought them into the house under her clothes
• An active Girl Scout leader grateful for the program that helped her learn and grow

All of this is on top of stellar academics and more high school activities than you can imagine. For many, they’ve been working for years to help support their families who are committed to their vision but just can’t do so financially.

Then there’s the young woman who will graduate in 24 days with a resolute focus on her future in development and nonprofits. She wants to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and saw her potential in high school when they named her one of their Millennium Scholars.

My son and his friends are talking about films – classic and current – in a way that is really exhilarating…and at the same time exhausting.

If these kids fulfill even half their plans and dreams, we will be in good hands. But it’s also up to each of us as parents, and as adults who care about society, to help ALL kids succeed. In Alaska, there’s a movement to improve graduation rates and I hope it leads to more students like I’ve seen this week. As adults, we have an obligation to help:

• By talking with kids about their hopes and dreams.
• By helping them map their plans and provide them good input on direction.
• By supporting their goals.
• By caring if they succeed, and listening to their plans.

Young people need adult mentors. I can’t think of much else I do that’s as gratifying.

So, it’s been an inspiring week already. Today my reunion weekend begins so I’m hoping for another kind of incredible.

I was enjoying the scrumptious breakfast served at The Maxwell House B&B. I had just taken a picture of my breakfast to share on social media when I started talking with the owner about social media and her website. She’s not comfortable with social media but has been told she needs to do it. So she’s trying but she doesn’t understand why…why she should do it, and what it will get her. 

Before she makes any changes, I suggested she answer some questions:

• Why do you want to change your marketing effort?
• What is the primary message you want to convey?
• Who are you talking to?
• What do you want them to do/say after reading?
• How will you know you’ve been successful?

Her website is pretty and succinct but it lacks her personality. We asked her how she happened to open the B&B and our reaction to her story inspired her to look at some changes to her website to better tell her story:

Penny Maxwell Bingham had a dream of one day owning a bed and breakfast in a small college town. It’s really lucky that one day her husband was in Walla Walla when he stumbled upon what is now The Maxwell House B&B. He called her to say he was living her dream. They bought the house without Penny seeing it.

Her husband said there were a few things that needed fixing. That was an understatement as it took Penny nearly a year to bring the house to today’s excellence. She built a front staircase the city and many contractors said wasn’t possible. A 22-year old carpenter showed them all they were wrong.

This is the story of The Maxwell House.

She went on to tell us about the stories she’s heard from her guests. There’s the woman who stayed in the house (before Penny owned it) while her husband was a soldier in Vietnam. She had their first child in the house but he had never seen it. Stories like this will be added to the website as a new tab, instead of as a disconnected blog.

It’s really amazing what a few minutes of time spent focusing on a business with fresh eyes can reveal. It’s also amazing how clearly you can see once you know where you’re going.

Oh, and if you’re ever in Walla Walla, be sure to stay at The Maxwell House B&B. You won’t regret it!

It’s also safe to say that many have also noticed that with social media comes an incredible amount for misinformation and confusion. We may have caused this problem ourselves.

When word first broke of the bombings in Boston, I was astounded to see intelligent people on Twitter demanding to know what was happening now. They seem to feel they have a right to know. And, then those who felt they needed to be first started to talk…and things went downhill quickly.

But what is our responsibility when our desire – I don’t think it’s a right – to know collides with the official investigation. When it interferes with the safety of the first responders and law enforcement officials we’re all, rightfully, lauding. In the New York Times today, Brian Stelter wrote:

“The authorities simultaneously thanked members of the news media for spreading the word that Bostonians should take shelter and remain alert — and cautioned them against repeating secondhand or thinly sourced information.”

Until recently, we waited for investigations to run their course, for the officials to talk with the media and then we heard the story. It’s my opinion, and I believe the facts will show this from this week’s events, we can drastically affect our own safety and that of law enforcement by “needing” so much information…right now.

We should be okay with waiting. In fact, we should be more than okay. It’s the media’s responsibility to research stories and report them to us in a factual matter. This week, many have come to realize the networks still seem to be doing that fairly well, and NPR. Pete Williams, NBC, is being lauded for his caution and professionalism. When media doesn’t have facts, they should be silent. When we don’t have facts we should be silent. The damage done by CNN and Reddit is unconscionable. As Eric Schwartzman said,

“the problem with #crowdsleuthing the #Bostonmarathon on Reddit is no distinction between verification and reporting.”

It was wonderful to see the Boston Police using social media channels to ask for help:

 At the same time, it was terrifying to see them ask people to stop giving out information about their locations. It just seems like common sense. We really need to go back to doing what we, as citizens, do best.

It’s law enforcement s responsibility to “get the bad guy” and we expect them to do that. We can also expect them to tell us when they need us to help, and they’ve done that. But we absolutely must stop spreading rumors, using unknown sources, and providing information that will make situations unsafe for law enforcement.

In the end, most of us are going to sources we trust, and likely wait for information we can believe. I hope those who’ve been passing on the innuendos learn from this.

We don’t need to know now…we can wait for the facts. Really. We can.

Needless to say, I knew it wasn’t about me, or my company. But I did have some questions:

• Could potential clients think it was me? Do I need to scream from the rooftops “It’s not me!”
• Should I share it with clients so they know it’s not me?
• If someone Googles my company name, will this show up on top of the search results?
• Do I need to change my company name?
• Will it affect my credit rating?
• Could there be identity theft issues?

In taking a little time to assess the situation, I decided not to make any drastic changes for a variety of reasons. When I chose my company name, I knew there were other organizations with the same name. After all, Barber isn’t exactly an uncommon name. I’ve been using The Barber Group as my company name for nearly 13 years. It will take more than a guy from northwest Arkansas who had a company of the same name that stopped being in business six years ago to cause me to lose the brand equity I have on my own name. As a solo consultant, most groups are looking to hire me by looking for my name, or they have a qualifier with the company name such as public relations. Finally, most of my clients come from referrals from another client or professional.

But, when you’re thinking about things like a company name, it’s likely a good idea to consider how you make it something a bit more unique. At the same time, it’s also important the name you choose is not so complicated your customer won’t remember what it is.

If you need to set up Google Alerts, it’s not hard. Just head to http://www.google.com/alerts and enter the information requested. Remember to use quotation marks if you have multiple words in a search. You may need to adjust search criteria as well if you’re not getting what you thought you might receive. As an example, the alerts I have for my company and me:

• Mdbarber – my preferred social network handle
• “Mary Deming Barber” – my professional name
• “Mary Barber” – the name I also use. Note this alert results in a lot of information not pertinent to me because my name is common. However, it takes only seconds to scan the email for information I need.
• “The Barber Group” – my company name

I hope my followers are okay with the fact I’m not on my way to Riker’s Island! I’m happy to stay put right here, fulfilling the mission of The Barber Group by continuing to help clients with strategic public relations efforts.

Image: Matt Obee via Flickr, CC 2.0

I’m in the business of public RELATIONS so I’ve never thought it was all that odd.

On the other hand, I’ve also worked hard to maintain these relationships…some for more than 30 years. Here are four tips for maintaining and building relationships.

It’s just Natural

The first 15 years of my career were spent in food public relations. That means the people I met were all related in that they worked in one aspect or another of food – communications, product development, farming, etc. (there was also that sidebar to wool/fashion folks). Many of these people knew each other already, or I could pair them to create mutually beneficial programs. Over the years we made friends. I kept track of the relationships on my Rolodex, and in my address book.

Staying in Touch

My friend Bruce Pozzi, APR, Fellow PRSA, is an expert at maintaining relationships. He taught me to send interesting articles and tips to people I wanted to stay in touch with. I even have a little piece of paper with my logo on it. I can write a very short note, attach it to an article with a sticky dot and send it off to my client, prospect or friend. Today, I might also use email, but snail mail can have more impact.

Special Events

I keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and such for many of the friends I’ve met over the years. This is easier today because of Facebook, but I have them in my online calendar. They’re set to “beep” enough ahead of the special day I can send a snail mail note or gift. It’s the little things that count so I try to be a bit unique in my remembrances.

Keeping Track

I worked for a politician in the mid ‘80s who had a set of cards he used to remember people. This was before computers, so creating and maintaining the cards was time consuming. They were fairly detailed as each listed personal contact information, spouses and family, how they first met and each time they met thereafter (well, maybe not each but most). I’m not quite as detailed in my records but most of my contacts do say where/how I met the person and how they are connected.

New Contacts

As soon as you can after meeting someone, put their card into your computer along with a note about where you met them. Also, send an email – or even better a handwritten card – saying how great it was to meet them. It’ll make you stand out from the crowd.

Power of the Handwritten Note

Several of these tips involve handwritten notes. I can’t underestimate the power of a handwritten note today. Sending them after a small gather, a meeting or any occasion will help you stand out from the crowd. Keep a stash of birthday cards and thank you notes handy so you can send a variety of messages. I even made some cards from pictures of my flower garden. They come in handy, as do my personalized cards. If you’re looking for high quality but relatively inexpensive personalized cards, contact Beth at Bliss Folio.

Most of all, just start to keep better track and take a few minutes to remember folks. It will pay off in the end in so many different ways.

How do you keep track of relationships?

How do you build your networks?

Image: Cambelj45ca via Flickr, CC 2.0

My criteria include laptop and mobile capability, clean design and easy personalization. Living in Alaska, I need news that rarely makes it on a national news feed. I would also like to incorporate keywords into the reader.

Feedly

I just started using Feedly as a way to read my Google Reader on my iPad so am really excited Cnet shows a way to move my Google Reader feed there. I’ve been enjoying their “share” feature onto Twitter, Facebook and others so think this seems like a viable option. Feedly is also integrated with Buffer, one of my favorite timesavers and it synchronizes with my mobile devices so my feed is up to date wherever I check.

NewsBlur

This is a site I hadn’t heard of before I started looking for a Google Reader alternative but I like what I see. NewsBlur has a mobile sync and looks very clean. Unfortunately they’re having some capacity issues this afternoon that they explain as a result of people leaving Google Reader. Do check them out, though, before you make a change. I plan to do so.

Taptu

Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t see how I can put my personal feeds (local paper, etc) into Taptu. I have some pretty targeted items in my Google Reader. And, its busy look isn’t something I really care for but you may. It seems easy to read and understand.

Pulse

One of the things I like about Feedly is its clean layout. For me, Pulse is too cluttered but it may work for you. I really like the interface and easily personalization.

Flipboard

Flipboard is one of the most popular RSS feeds for iPad and iPhone but it doesn’t have a web component so it just won’t work for me. I do love flipping through it on my iPad and have some searches there that aren’t part of my daily reading.

Netvibes

I really like the look of Netvibes and it is more than a reader. However, there are no mobile applications and that is important to me. Maybe they’ll add them soon?

Moving Google Reader Feeds

Google provided a page telling readers how to move their feeds that seems pretty straightforward so that’s good. Lifehackers also provides a tutorial at the bottom of their post reviewing readers.

What options are you considering?

If you’re not a Google Reader devotee, what RSS reader do you recommend?

Image: Andrew Stawarz via Flickr, CC 2.0

I have been naïve to think we were beyond where businesses think social media is the easy road to increased profits and takes no planning or skill. For businesses to be successful socially, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Planning

Having a presence in social media should be part of the communications or marketing planning. Social media is one of the new tools communicators and marketers have in their toolbox along with traditional tools. Begin by asking a series of questions such as:

• What is it we want to do?
• What do we want to say?
• Who do we want to hear us?
• How will we know we’ve been successful?
• What are people saying about us now?

Tools

Once these questions are answered, it’s time to take a look at the tools to see which combination might be best. Traditional tools like press releases, signage, brochures and newsletters are likely still important. But businesses should look at adding a couple social networks as well, depending on the plan.

Each social network has different characteristics so one size doesn’t fit all. Demographic information is available for most social networks through the good folks at Pew Research.

Choose One or Two

Social media is about listening, responding, posting and engaging. If you’re not doing all of those things, you’re missing an important part of the picture. And that’s where starting small comes in. Don’t try to be everywhere but instead start with a plan to be social on one or two networks. Then grow as success comes, and the comfort level grows.

Listen

Even if you’re not engaging on more than one network, listen in to what’s being said about your company and your competition on other networks. Set up key word searches and Google Alerts to make sure you’re listening, even if you’re not ready to engage.

Be Social

There’s an expectation in the social realm that you’ll respond, and fairly quickly. That’s where the social part comes in. It’s not about shouting & talking. It’s about chatting and having a conversation. It’s about solving problems. It’s about sharing news that the person wants to hear using the language that’s been crafted for the tool.

Probably need a Policy

Not wanting to gum up the works, but businesses that have employees handling their social media likely need to draft some simple guidelines and rules. These guide the employee and protect both the company and the employee. It’s also a good check to make sure you’re really ready.

What else do you wish organizations understood?

If you’re an organization getting started, what else do you like to know?

Image: 8 Eyes Photography via Flickr, CC 2.0

“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

In today’s world of 24 hour access to the Internet and searches that can find anything, there’s really no place for double speak/standards. You are what you do, say and act. And…there’s nowhere to hide. Realizing that employers and others you want to impress review personal blogs and social networks means it’s time to focus on where you want to go in life.

So, how do you figure out who you are and who you want to be in 10 years? I almost always start solving problems by answering some questions.

• Who are you?
• What makes you unique?
• What do you believe in?
• Who do you want to be?
• What do you most like doing?
• What do people say you’re good at doing?
• Do you like doing those things?
• What about you can help you achieve those?
• What do you need to learn/do to get there?
• What can’t you live without doing?

These and other questions you add might help you get a framework started. What else would you ask?

Once you’ve answered these questions and built a framework, take a look back and see if there are things you might need to change in your life or things you might wish had ended differently. You can’t change the past but you can learn from it and change.

Google yourself to make sure there aren’t things out there you wish were hidden. Knowing you can only go forward, consider what you can do to make sure those don’t happen again.

Going forward always test your decisions against the answers you gave to the questions above. Always be true to who you want to be. Consistency and persistence are important. If you’re making choices not in keeping with your decisions, you’ll stray from the path you took so much effort to set.

Patience is a virtue.

This is often the hardest step of all. We want to get to the finish line hours – or years – before we really need to get there. We don’t always realize how much we can learn along the way and how the journey might be different as we make choices from what we learn along the way.

And remember today’s world means there is an increasingly blurred line between your professional and your personal one. Have fun with social networking but post thoughtfully. Think about how your post would look in headlines.

How did you figure out your path in life? What advice do you have for new graduates?

Image: WolfS<3ul