Archive for Personal
There is No Place Like Home for the Holidays
Posted by: | CommentsAfter spending eleven months hitting the slopes, relaxing on the shores of Tahoe and seeing the leaves transition from green to a golden yellow, winter is finally here. And let me tell you, there is no place like Reno to spend the winter. There is something so peaceful about being the only one on Virginia Street as the snow falls on a quiet winter night, especially during the first heavy storm of the year. There is nothing more refreshing than seeing the entire community gather together to celebrate the season and see the 30 year old Christmas tree light up downtown or to hear all the chit chat about the upcoming Santa Pub Crawl that gathers people from all over the nation.
Nothing clears my mind more than putting on some ice skates and gliding around the River Rink or strolling through the festive lanes of Legends in Sparks to Christmas shop. The holiday feeling the area gives provides me with a warm fuzzy feeling on those cold winter days. Well, that and a nice warm cup of hot coco. Reno is alive with it adventure whether it is winter, spring, summer or fall and makes me feel so blessed to be a part of this community. Man I love this place!
Student Lead Motivation
Posted by: | CommentsNovember 2 marked the first night of the University of Nevada, Reno Extended Studies 4-week class, “Google is Your New Business Card: Building a Valuable Personal Brand,” that I was invited to co-teach. The goal was to equip the participants with the knowledge, tools and resources to begin to develop their personal brand online and the motivation to continue to do so. By November 30 the class wrapped. And while I can’t speak on behalf of the participants and if they found the course valuable, here’s what I walked away with.
Point of entry: Everyone in the course started from different places. Some were quite proficient and for others it was brand new. The ability to communicate the importance of say Twitter versus a Facebook Fan page in a concise and effective manner really pushed me to think of experience beyond my boundaries. It drove me to see it from their position and how these tools could have a direct impact to personal brand and business interests.
Information gathering: The flood of information available online can be overwhelming. However, anyone who is a student of social networking understands the importance of RSS feeds and social bookmarking to be efficient with their time. Without these two resources there’s no way I would be able to recite a fact, remember a case study or provide examples during the class.
Validation: We all want validation that we’re doing something right but social networking is a different ball game. There is no right or wrong way. It’s about maximizing the socials sites to provide the value you need based on your vision statement and goals.
Learn from anyone: The neatest thing about social networking is that everyone is learning at different speeds and anyone can find new feature or an easier way to do something. This is especially true for newbies who have an incredible knack for finding new tricks.
Interaction feeds knowledge: My personal quest for learning more was enhanced greatly throughout the course. Questions and the personal desire of the individual participants drove me to not only find answers but be active in the process.
My thanks go to Dr. Bret Simmons for inviting me to co-present and the students for their active participation that motivated me to learn and do more.
New UNR Extended Studies Course Focuses on Personal Branding
Posted by: | CommentsIf Google is your new business card, then managing your personal brand online is critical. The University of Nevada, Reno Extended Studies Program offers a new course this November designed to assist students with hands-on techniques to build the online presence needed to remain competitive in today’s economy. “Google is Your New Business Card: Building a Valuable Personal Brand” is led by social networking, branding and entrepreneurship experts Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Ronele Klingensmith, president of RKPR Inc. The 10-hour, four-session class assists students in discovering their personal brand and how to develop valuable content around that brand.
“With Google being a 21st-century electronic business card, it communicates one’s personal brand to the world–with a click of a mouse anyone can learn about you,” said Simmons. “Combine that with today’s intensely competitive business environment, and it’s even more essential to actively control what is being said about the value of someone’s unique skill set. You can control your brand and that’s what this course is about.”
Through hands-on coaching from social-media experts, students will learn how social-media tools correlate, as well as the most effective ways to use the tools discovered to create a personal brand. It will also go beyond traditional social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and static websites to demonstrate how to create and operate a dynamic blog and develop a presence on Twitter the right way.
Klingensmith founded RKPR Inc. in 2002 to provide clients with innovative communications strategies. With her 17 years of communications experience, Klingensmith offers a broad range of expertise with a variety of clients in various industries with strong emphasis on travel and tourism, focusing on the integration of social networking, new media and integrated communications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno and received her Accredited in Public Relations (APR) certification in 2003 from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Simmons teaches classes in organizational behavior, entrepreneurial psychology and research methods at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research currently focuses on positive organizational behavior and employee performance. In addition to academic publications, his research has been featured in articles by US News & World Report and USA Today.
Class dates for “Google Is Your New Business Card” are November 2 and 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. and November 16 and 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration is required for the course, for information visit online or call the Extended Studies office at 775-784-4046.
Personal + Professional = Enthusiasm that Delivers
Posted by: | CommentsA recent exchange on Twitter got me to thinking, when you become a public relations professional do you lose independence and credibility when making recommendations or talking about things you like? I’ll start with the exchange so you get my drift:
A twitter user is looking for the best driving route from Point A to Point B. A discussion begins with another user noting that flying is best because the drive is a bore. I respond noting all of the beauty along the drive. The other counters my recommendation because I happen to work with several tourism clients that are along the route.
Sure, I do have clients along the route, but I’ve also driven it many times when my husband was living at Point A and I was at B. We’ve driven it on vacations since then, and yes, I’ve driven it for work. And every single time it’s been fascinating. And I’m entitled to this opinion, whether it aligns with my goals at work or not.
I have yet to come across a client that I’m not truly excited about. That’s because we believe in our clients and are genuinely interested in them—who they are, what they do, what they’re about. We don’t just take on clients because it’s business. We take them on because we WANT to. Then we immerse ourselves, learning as much as possible about them. We visit their location, attend their events or test their products. I like to think that our work reflects that enthusiasm.
Often that enthusiasm spills over into our personal lives (or stems from it). But if I’m passionate about something, I’ll talk about it, on my own time and in my own space, regardless of whether they’re a client. I’m an independent with my own likes and dislikes. I’m also a credible, trustworthy and honest person—and public relations professional.
40 Days and 40 Nights – Give Up or Give Back?
Posted by: | CommentsLent is a Christian tradition that stems from the 40 days that Jesus fasted prior to his crucifixion. Beginning Ash Wednesday and concluding on Easter Sunday, observers of Lent are to celebrate and recognize the sacrifice which Jesus made for his people. Growing up in an Italian Catholic home my family observed the Lenten season by not eating meat on Fridays and attending mass every Sunday. Another tradition in the Catholic Church is to give up an item or habit that is often times abused or over consumed. For example, when I was younger I gave up chocolate for 40 days. As time passed I continued giving up things like soda, cursing, alcohol and most recently eating out.
This Lenten season it was my goal to give up spending money dining out…allotting me three outings a week. Some might say I am cheating the system because I’m giving myself a “cushion” of three outings. However, on a weekly bases I was buying a bagel and coffee every morning at a local muffin shop, getting a sandwich, soda and chips for lunch and then heading out every now and again for dinner. So, I set my goal to be as realistic as possible by allowing myself this “cushion.” One day I sat down and calculated what I was spending weekly on my little “dining adventures” and I averaged $100 a week, which means I was spending about $400 a month on food outside of the groceries that I bought for my house. Oh, and these totals did not include nights out with friends on the weekends.
People automatically assumed I was giving up dining out for health reasons, but I was actually more concerned about my wallet and bank account than my health. As I thought about what I was giving up I realized how selfish what I was doing, sounded. In fact it brought up a number of different questions: 1) Are my spending habits affecting anyone but me? No not really, except that now the muffin shop and delis are losing a small profit. 2) Is what I’m giving up really a sacrifice or is it something that should be practiced regardless of the Lenten season? 3) Is it fair that I am totally benefitting from this? According to the Bible Jesus sacrifice himself for us. My giving up spending money doesn’t directly affect anyone but myself. I debated with a co-worker about these thoughts and she brought up the argument that sometimes it’s okay to do something for yourself and that sometimes we don’t focus enough on ourselves. While I think that is a valid argument, I still feel like I am doing something wrong.
Giving up chocolate as a child, practicing not cursing as a teenager or giving up alcohol as a college student is just fine when you’re that age. However, as a grown adult who now has the opportunity and means to give back, I’ve decided that, I will no longer practice the Lenten season by giving up an abused or over consumed item or habit, but I will do something for someone else. I will donate my time, my knowledge and my experiences with those who can benefit from them. Throughout the year I will do my best to recognize my abused habits and fix them as I go, so when the next Lenten season rolls around I will be able to focus on someone other than myself.
